Manny Ramirez talks and talks: Everything that went wrong in Boston was my fault
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Manny Ramirez talked Friday back in Boston. Then he talked and talked. Almost talked like he was trying to make up for the last five months when he never said a word in Los Angeles.
He said this all, surprise, in English. Just like the old days.
He met with a group of reporters prior to his Chicago White Sox playing the Red Sox at Fenway. Here’s a transcript provided by the White Sox, so the evil Los Angeles press can’t be accused of twisting his words.
The biggest revelation comes at the end when he admits everything that went wrong during the end of this time in Boston was his doing.
Question: You weren’t happy in L.A.? The fans loved you.
Manny Ramirez: I was happy all the time.
Q: Can he still be happy in Chicago?
M: Why not? Why would I be miserable here?
Q: I didn’t say miserable.
M: Well, why?
Q: Are you happy about the circumstances?
M: I’m blessed to be in this situation. I could have been in a worse situation than being on a team trying to be in the playoffs.
Q: Been getting along with teammates?
M: Good, I’ve played with almost everybody. Juan (Pierre), (Ramon) Castro, (Andruw) Jones, Joey Cora, we played together in Cleveland.
Q: Looking forward to seeing reception Chicago fans give you?
M: Now, I’m just taking it a day at a time. I’m just trying to play the game right now and I’m not worried about that.
Q: Plan on playing next year?
M: Only God knows if I’m going to stop or be playing.
Q: In Boston, you said you would be done when your contract was up.
M: That’s in the past. You pass every stage in your life. I’m leaving everything to God. He’s going to guide me, and let me know if it’s over.
Q: Playing the outfield keeps you loose, what about now as a designated hitter?
M: I’m going to have to wait and see. They have really good outfielders out there. I haven’t played for so long, so it’s a good move for me to DH and see what I could do.
Q: Do you think it could extend your career?
M: Just take it day by day and see how everything goes.
Q: Have you thought about how long you want to play?
M: Like I said, I don’t know. Only God is going to tell me when I have to stop. He’s going to tell me, `That’s it. It’s over for you.’ I’m not going to go out and say this is my last year.
Q: Suspect if you win another World Series title, will God tell you to hang it up?
M: I don’t know about that. I’m just living day by day and see what happens.
Q: What’s it like to be back in Boston?
M: It feels great. The first time, all the guys came up and said ‘hi’ to me. It was fun.
Q: What did you think of the reception you got from the Fenway fans when you came in earlier this season with the Dodgers?
M: It was great. I don’t have nothing to say. They received me very good and I was happy.
Q: How do you look back on your time in Boston?
M: It was great. They have a great team on the other side. They have a bunch of great guys who like to joke around. But when it’s time to play, they go out and play.
Q: Can they come back and make the playoffs?
M: Hey, the sky is the limit, man. They have great guys and such great pitching. They can do whatever they want. They still have a month left and anything can happen.
On how things ended in Los Angeles:
M: I blame myself because I didn’t stay healthy.
Q: Why did you want to be traded from L.A.?
M: I never said I wanted to be traded from L.A. They put me on waivers. It’s the same thing they did with Johnny Damon. He got put on waivers. A lot of guys from my team were on waivers. Everybody was on waivers.
On whether Boston also put in a claim on him:
M: What I did here in the past is in the past. But if they claimed me, why should I say no?
Q: How do you feel about the way things ended here two years ago?
M: Everything was my fault, but you have to be a real man to realize when you do wrong. It was my fault, right? I already passed that stage. I’m happy. I’m on a new team. When I went to first base, I told (Kevin) Youkilis, ‘What happened between you and me, that’s my fault. I’m sorry.’ It takes a real man to go and tell a person it was my fault and that’s what I did.
Q: What would you have done differently here?
M: I don’t know. That’s in the past. I’ll just leave it there. I would have been more relaxed, more patient.
Q: Are there a few things you regretted doing in Boston?
M: In life, you pass every stage. I passed that stage and you keep growing. You look back and say I did this wrong, but what’s done is done. All you can do is go and play the game and finish your career good.
-- Steve Dilbeck