Manny: 'I think everything was my fault' by Jared Carrabis
Manny Ramirez owns up to ugly departure from Boston


I have to admit, when I first saw this headline, I thought the link was going to take me to The Onion.

Never in a million years would I expect Manny Ramirez to own up to what he did in his final days with Boston. Not even after retirement would I expect this from Manny.

You know what else I love about this? He did it after his first time back with the Dodgers. This wasn't a publicity stunt to prevent Fenway from booing him in his first time back since he was dealt away. He was honest in his admitting that it was his fault, and only his.

A free agent after this season, Ramirez had some down time in light of Hurricane Earl spoiling his return to Fenway as a member of the Chicago White Sox. Not known for willingness to speak with the media, as he displayed upon his arrival in Chicago, Manny sat down and fielded questions from various reporters.

In an exclusive video with NESN.com, Ramirez uttered the words, "I think everything was my fault."

I couldn't believe my ears. In the same sit-down, Ramirez revealed that when he returned with the Dodgers in the June 18-20 series at Fenway Park, he apologized to Kevin Youkilis at first base.

I remember seeing Ramirez chatting up Youkilis at first, and I tweeted something along the lines of, "What could they possibly be talking about? 'Hey, Youk! Remember that time I slapped you across the face and shoved you into a cooler?' "

Turns out that Ramirez was actually apologizing to Youkilis, and had the White Sox not placed a waiver claim that brought the slugger to the south side via trade, we may have never known that.

"When I went to first base and saw Youkilis, I said, 'Hey, what happened between you and me, I'm sorry. That's my fault.' So it takes a real man just to go and tell a person it was my fault. That's what I did."

What was even more interesting was when Ramirez revealed that had the Red Sox been the team that placed a waiver claim on him, he would have waived his no-trade clause to return to Boston.

"I did it in the past," Manny said. "If they were to claim me, why should I say no to them?

With Ramirez set to hit the free agent pool again this winter, he will likely remain in the American League as a designated hitter. Could the stars once again align, causing Ramirez to return to Boston as a free agent? Probably not.

However, I do accept Manny's apology. Two World Series rings will make me forgive just about anyone for doing anything.

-Jared Carrabis



Published on September 03, 2010

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