Wise Beyond His Years

Manny Ramirez on the baseball playoffs, where his Red Sox trail 3-1:

"Why should we panic?" he said Wednesday in a rare clubhouse interview. "We've got a great team."

And then, this: "It doesn't happen, so who cares? There's always next year. It's not like it's the end of the world."

Couldn't agree more, Manny. Couldn't agree more. (Incidentally, Manny might make a fantastic little league coach.)

Of course, this is the same guy who took the time to pose after hitting a home run that brought his team all the way back from trailing 7-2 to... trailing 7-3.

... and the same guy who once wore MP3-playing sunglasses in the outfield.

... and the same guy who regularly disappears into the scoreboard during the middle of the game [to get high?].

Few athletes garner our respect. This one does. The Red Sox should actually let him work from home.