And what of Torre, who has been a father figure to the likes of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and others? The answer to that is: What is Terry Francona, chopped liver? He’s liked. He’s respected. And the Red Sox skipper couldn’t keep Manny from destroying a championship team.

The McCourts are from the Boston area, and obviously they spent lots of time watching and admiring the exploits of Manny Ramirez. So naturally they have fond memories of his slugging prowess on the big stage. But nostalgia can have a detrimental effect. The savvy baseball owner should have both eyes pointed ever forward. If Frank McCourt took a more sober assessment of the situation, and noticed the Brett Favre sign stunt Manny pulled the other night, he would understand that Manny’s only concern is Manny.

Manny wants a new contract after this season and reportedly has a highly inflated opinion of his own worth on the open market. Such players tend to bear down and produce when they know their own personal fortunes are at stake.

But in the case of Manny, he can play at half-speed, jog after fly balls, walk to first base when he should sprint while at the same time putting up sparkling numbers at the plate – and still drag an entire team down.

Just ask the team that couldn’t wait to get rid of him.

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