Manny Ramirez a “Gangster?”

“I’m just here to play and win. I’m a gangster.”
Manny Ramirez (Boston Red Sox)
New York Times 08/01/05

Just what this quote means, is certainly open to interpretation. One thing seems certain, rap music and its subsequent discourse, continue to leave an inevitable imprint on contemporary pop culture.

At best, the correlation between gangsters and baseball stars can be expressed in dollars and cents as the only thing that gangsters and baseball stars seem to have in common is their bankroll, they get paid, and they get paid extremely well.

Maybe the term “gangster” has some sort of hidden meaning that we are not yet aware of. For instance, the term “thug” (a common euphemism among “gangsters”) has roots in Sanskrit, an ancient language that is considered the classical language of India and of Hinduism. In Sanskrit, to thug (as a verb) was to trick, deceive, or (and this is the shocker) to charm. Is Manny trying to convey to us some sort of trickery or charm through his thuggish use of the term gangster?

I think not. Manny Ramirez, who is currently among the cohort of largest paid “gangsters,” makes a reported 20 million a year. Ramirez I contend rather is a professional crybaby, so his self proclamation as a “gangster,” I would argue, is certainly without merit. Stated politely, Rameriz is just another selfish overpaid crybaby wankster.

The catalyst for Rameriz and his recent remark concerns his trade request as he wanted out of the Red Sox organization citing “privacy issues.” Privacy issues? Are you kidding? Get real Manny.