Comparing the Chacon and Manram incidents

The media is telling you that the comparisons between Shawn Chacon pushing his boss down and Manny Ramirez pushing his team's traveling secretary are not fair to Manram. They say there's a difference between throwing down your boss and just an employee. What a surprise, the media comes to the defense of the elite player again.

The difference, the media is saying is that throwing down your boss is career suicide. However, what most of them are not saying is how much morally worse it is, what Manram did. Oh the media forgot to talk about morals? No surprise there either.

Chacon threw down a suit that was getting in his face and yelling at him. There is no justification for that, but at least there was that mitigating factor of Wade getting up in his face. On the other hand, Manram threw down a 66 year-old (male) traveling secretary for not comping him 16 free tickets on the day of the game. I hear that even Pedro Martinez and Don Zimmer are shaking their heads right now.

Rather than buying the tickets that he could pay for in less than half an inning of work, Manram Big Timed the secretary, talking down to him. "Do your job," Manram told the man.

I do understand why Chacon is gone from the Astros and why Manram is still with the Red Sox. If I was the boss, I would have gave Chacon his traveling orders too. Whereas, Theo Epstein, the general manager of the Red Sox cannot cut his star player unless it is cut and dry that the Red Sox will not move forward. So Manram looks to be safe there, especially since the Red Sox have done a good job of keeping it an "internal matter" (Ed Wade term).

With there being a stark contrast in consequences, it is easy for people to think that Chacon is the bad guy and "Manny was just being Manny." How many analysts have said that? It's a clique for crying out loud. I only used the quotation marks, so you would know I'm not in love with that stupid outlook.

But let us not think there was not something to Chacon's outburst. After Chacon had told the media about the whole incident in detail; Wade told the media (us) it was an "internal matter." Anyone that can get in a player's face and then afterward be that dense about it is bound to get under a lot of players' skins. With leadership like that, it is no surprise that the Astros have wallowed in mediocrity since their World Series appearance in 2005.

Chacon should be cut. When you are a terrible pitcher, healready have no room for a bad attitude, let alone pushing his bosss. Meanwhile Manram, who is a productive player, looks to have job security. That all makes sense. But I can actually sympathize to some small degree with Chacon (even though he likely brought it on by his own bad attitude). I really cannot find any reason to sympathize with Manram's actions.