Manny In Blue

[SCUDSBROTHER]

Wow

"But when Boras called McCourt on Monday night, the owner merely suggested they meet the next day for breakfast.

And when they did, at a restaurant in Beverly Hills, and Boras reiterated a desire to end the madness, it's notable that the owner didn't immediately say, "Great. Sign here." Instead, according to sources, McCourt told Boras he wanted more than Manny's signature.

He wanted a commitment.

A commitment to the Dodgers' culture. A commitment to the Dodgers' fans. A commitment to the Dodgers' community. And he wanted Manny to back up that commitment with a $1 million contribution to the Dodgers Dream Foundation, a fund established by McCourt and his wife, Jamie, to build baseball fields throughout the Los Angeles area.

McCourt also made it clear the Dodgers didn't want a guy who believed he could just show up for a few hours every day and play baseball. They wanted him to commit to being "a full-fledged Dodger."

That meant being a leader. It meant setting an example for younger players. It meant interacting with fans, making appearances, being more than merely a guy who swung the bat four times a night.

Boras listened to all this and told McCourt, "You need to say this to Manny." LOL

He then placed a call to Ramirez, and that led the star of this show to bolt for the airport Tuesday afternoon for a flight to L.A. He would be there to take his physical. But first, and more important, he would be there to meet with the three men who had to sign off on the largest salary in Dodgers history -- McCourt, GM Ned Colletti and manager Joe Torre.

That meeting took place Wednesday at McCourt's beachfront house in Malibu, before the sun had even risen. By 6 a.m., McCourt, Colletti and Torre had already welcomed Boras, Ramirez and Boras' aide, Mike Fiore.

The Dodgers laid out their vision of those commitments they wanted from Manny. But they also laid out what they viewed as their commitment to him.

Their vision was a man who would become, essentially, the centerpiece of their franchise. They talked about the charisma he had exuded during the summer that energized their team and the people who followed it. They talked about the leadership he'd brought to their clubhouse.

They talked about the championships they hoped he would lead them to and the impact they thought he could make on kids throughout their community, just by appearing at the opening of the DreamFields he would help them build and by encouraging kids to follow their own dreams.

But that wasn't all.

They also talked about the shenanigans Ramirez had pulled in Boston before he ever reached L.A. They talked about the damage he had done to his image. And they needed to know, they said, that there would be no encores of that act.

Ramirez gave his promise: no more stunts.LOL No more problems. He knew how people outside Los Angeles felt about him, he said. And this was going to be his chance to rewrite that story and fix that damaged image."

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by SCUDSBROTHER

Wow

"But when Boras called McCourt on Monday night, the owner merely suggested they meet the next day for breakfast.

And when they did, at a restaurant in Beverly Hills, and Boras reiterated a desire to end the madness, it's notable that the owner didn't immediately say, "Great. Sign here." Instead, according to sources, McCourt told Boras he wanted more than Manny's signature.

He wanted a commitment.

A commitment to the Dodgers' culture. A commitment to the Dodgers' fans. A commitment to the Dodgers' community. And he wanted Manny to back up that commitment with a $1 million contribution to the Dodgers Dream Foundation, a fund established by McCourt and his wife, Jamie, to build baseball fields throughout the Los Angeles area.

McCourt also made it clear the Dodgers didn't want a guy who believed he could just show up for a few hours every day and play baseball. They wanted him to commit to being "a full-fledged Dodger."

That meant being a leader. It meant setting an example for younger players. It meant interacting with fans, making appearances, being more than merely a guy who swung the bat four times a night.

Boras listened to all this and told McCourt, "You need to say this to Manny." LOL

He then placed a call to Ramirez, and that led the star of this show to bolt for the airport Tuesday afternoon for a flight to L.A. He would be there to take his physical. But first, and more important, he would be there to meet with the three men who had to sign off on the largest salary in Dodgers history -- McCourt, GM Ned Colletti and manager Joe Torre.

That meeting took place Wednesday at McCourt's beachfront house in Malibu, before the sun had even risen. By 6 a.m., McCourt, Colletti and Torre had already welcomed Boras, Ramirez and Boras' aide, Mike Fiore.

The Dodgers laid out their vision of those commitments they wanted from Manny. But they also laid out what they viewed as their commitment to him.

Their vision was a man who would become, essentially, the centerpiece of their franchise. They talked about the charisma he had exuded during the summer that energized their team and the people who followed it. They talked about the leadership he'd brought to their clubhouse.

They talked about the championships they hoped he would lead them to and the impact they thought he could make on kids throughout their community, just by appearing at the opening of the DreamFields he would help them build and by encouraging kids to follow their own dreams.

But that wasn't all.

They also talked about the shenanigans Ramirez had pulled in Boston before he ever reached L.A. They talked about the damage he had done to his image. And they needed to know, they said, that there would be no encores of that act.

Ramirez gave his promise: no more stunts.LOL No more problems. He knew how people outside Los Angeles felt about him, he said. And this was going to be his only last chance to sign a multi year 45 million dollar contract"

FTFY