Do You Manage a Manny on Your Team?

The baseball trade deadline has come and gone, and one of the biggest deals was the blockbuster trade of resident Red Sox head case -- and prolific hitter -- Manny Ramirez. He’s gone to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and many around these parts say good riddance.

Why? Well, while "Manny being Manny" became part of the local lexicon over the past seven and a half years and his request to be traded came regularly, this year was different. Manny’s bad attitude was starting to bring down the Red Sox and put them in a slump. He brought his issues with the front office to his teammates, who had nothing to do with his employment situation. He sat out an important game due to a supposed knee injury an MRI failed to find. He mouthed off to the press, saying the Red Sox didn’t deserve a player like him. And on different nights, Manny slapped first baseman Kevin Youkilis in the dugout and shoved 64-year-old traveling secretary Jack McCormick to the ground over some tickets.

Of course, Manny had his good points, the biggest being that bat. He’s one of the best hitters the game has ever seen. This was the main reason his antics were tolerated for so long. But there comes a time when good performance can no longer compensate for bad behavior, and Manny crossed that line. So Red Sox management removed the distraction of Manny. It seems they made the right decision, at least initially -- the Red Sox won their next three games with new leftfielder Jason Bay, who got a warm reception from the Fenway Faithful in his first games in a Sox uniform.

So if you’re a manager, how do you handle an A-list player, such as a Manny or even a Bobby Knight, behaving badly? Leave a comment below. And for more on building a great team from the beginning, check out these articles.

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