Writer’s note: One Sixty-Two is a season-long series of blog posts connecting baseball’s major-league players to life’s universal themes. Just as there are 162 games in a season, so there will be 162 posts in this series. Let’s play some ball.
Day Fifty-Four: Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers
“Daddy, does my hair look funky?” Chelsea asked.
I hesitated. Does a 5-year-old want her hair to look funky? Or was she looking to make sure it was un-funky? And if you’re settling into bed, as Chelsea was when she asked this, why does it matter?
Ah, the mysteries of life. Take the innocence of a preschooler, mix it with some Disney Channel exposure, toss in an impending summer solstice, and life becomes a bit funkier than usual. At least Chelsea’s sister, lying above her, was more focused on the book she was reading than on her bedtime appearance.
Katie’s attention was on the task at hand – read a story, learn something new, then doze off to sleep. Chelsea was more of a Tigger tonight – bouncing around her bed while talking about her hair and the fact that she had no water bottle. It was an interesting contrast in bedtime behavior.
It’s hard sometimes to balance what you want to do with what you need to do. Manny Ramirez is one of the most talented baseball players ever to walk the earth. He has hit 551 home runs since his first big-league appearance 17 years ago. He’s driven in more than 1,800 runs, compiled a .313 career batting average, claimed a pair of World Series titles and led 11 different teams to the playoffs. Astounding success and skills.
Manny knows how to get the job done, no doubt. But the man can also veer off the straight and narrow. He can zone out in the field, offer curious quotes to reporters, upset the occasional teammate, and even put a substance in his body that’s a bit more illicit than Chelsea’s water. And the hair – most definitely funky. Manny Being Manny – it’s sort of like panning out to a side view of the girls’ bunk bed, and seeing diligence and mischief together in one frame.
Chelsea was still bouncing and squirming by 9:00. So I told her a story, about a starfish who washes ashore and panics that he’ll dry up on the sand. But then a heroic crab waddles onto the beach, shimmies beneath the starfish, and carries his friend back into the water.
She liked the story, and began to calm down. It was time to rest that hair on the pillow and dream of heroes. Crabs carrying their friends in the summer; Manny carrying his team in the fall. No more talk of funk; just some good sleep in the bunk.
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