You know when you’re a kid and you get into trouble and your parents threaten to take something away from you (TV, video games, play time, etc.) as punishment until you apologize? Then, even though you don’t mean it, you apologize because you just want your Nintendo 64 back?

That’s what I feel just happened with Hanley Ramirez. He wanted back into the lineup after skipper Fredi Gonzalez benched him on Monday for not hustling after a ball that he booted into right field, so he apologized to his teammates and now he wants to move on.

Here are the comments he made following his 3-for-5 performance at the plate last night in a win over the Marlins (via the Miami Herald):

“I just came back in the lineup and got a lot of motivation from my teammates,” Ramirez said. “We get along. Things are going to happen. 162 games. But I think you put those things on the side and keep moving forward.”

When asked what he told teammates before Wednesday’s game, Ramirez replied: “I just apologized to everybody. So it’s in the past. I talked to my family, wife and kids, and they’re happy.”

When asked if he was glad the saga was now behind him, he responded: “We’re just going to try to win the series (with a win Thursday). I’m happy to be in the lineup.”

Now, the apology was meant to be a private manner between him and his teammates, so I get that he might not divulge a lot of details to the media. But does anyone else get the sense that he’s just trying to brush this situation under the rug? At some point we in the media have to let this story die and move on (it’s not like he killed somebody and tried to bury them under Sun Life Stadium), but I don’t know, I expected more from him in light of the apology.

Maybe that’s because I don’t believe that he believes that he did anything wrong. He said as much on Tuesday when he was questioned about the benching. So is he really sorry for potentially screwing his team out of a win or is he just sorry enough to get back into the lineup?

We’ll see. This isn’t the first time Ramirez has had run-ins with a coach or teammate and if it’s the last, I’ll be shocked. But at least the Marlins can put the situation behind them for now. For now.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

I have a new respect for Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez in wake of his decision to bench All-Star Hanley Ramirez. Because Gonzalez has sent a message that most fans wish athletes would receive.

I didn’t think Ramirez could make himself look any worse than he did after he loafed after a ball that he booted into right field against the D-Back on Monday night. Then he spoke on Tuesday.

Did you lose respect for Gonzalez?
Ramirez: A little bit. We got 24 more guys out there, hopefully they can do the same things I do. That are wearing the Marlins uniform. There’s nothing I can say.

Are you going to apologize to your team for dogging it?
Ramirez: For what? Do what? We have a lot of people dogging it after ground balls. They never pull guys.

Profound. You have to appreciate it when a guy doesn’t take responsibility for his own actions and instead shifts the blame to those around him. I guess if some his teammates all decided to rob a bank, Ramirez wouldn’t have a problem following suit. After all, they did it first, right?

This is what Gonzalez had to say following Ramirez’s interview session with the media yesterday:

“I think he’s got to take care of some problems,” Gonzalez said when asked when his star might play again. “When he handles that the right way, he’ll be fine. It could be good. I think whatever feelings he has with me or not . . . it’s fine and dandy. We don’t need to get along. But I think he needs to get along with the 24 other guys on his team, and when that happens, we’ll run him back in there. I think if he sets his ego aside, this could be good.”

Spoken by a man who gets it. There are plenty of professional athletes that need to be reminded that their team comes first and Ramirez is one of them. This isn’t a Gonzalez vs. Ramirez thing – it’s a Ramirez thing. He didn’t only let his manager down – he let his entire team down. And while it’s only one game in the middle of May, every game counts. What if the Marlins finish one game out of the Wild Card race in September? Teams come up a few games short every year of making the playoffs and maybe Ramirez just cost his team one of those opportunities.

If this were the first time that Ramirez acted up, then maybe everyone would be willing to move on quickly. But even the Red Sox had to discipline him for behavior problems and last year Marlins’ second baseman Dan Uggla called him out for his poor attitude. He’s not 19 anymore – this kind of thing shouldn’t be happening.

Either way, he’s crossed the wrong person in Gonzalez, because the Marlins’ skipper is all about the team. Ramirez can either get on board with the philosophy or ride the pine. It’s his call.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

There’s a problem brewing in South Florida these days and at least this time, it has nothing to do with the weather.

Hanley Ramirez showed more than a little frustration on Tuesday morning when he was probed about being benched by manager Fredi Gonzalez for not hustling after a ball in the second inning of Florida’s 5-1 loss to the Diamondbacks on Monday night.

Here are some snippets from Ramirez’s interview with media from the Miami Herald this morning:

What was reaction when he said he was taking you out of the game?
Ramirez: I just said ‘I’m going to go home. I just wanted to go home. It’s brutal. It’s fine. It’s OK.

Are you angry?
Ramirez: It’s brutal like I said. I’m just going to play the game and he’s just going to have to leave me alone.

Did you lose respect for Gonzalez?
Ramirez: A little bit. We got 24 more guys out there, hopefully they can do the same things I do. That are wearing the Marlins uniform. There’s nothing I can say.

Are you going to apologize to your team for dogging it?
Ramirez: For what? Do what? We have a lot of people dogging it after ground balls. They never pull guys.

Do you want to play for Fredi?
Ramirez: It’s over. I’m done. No more [questions].

Do you hold yourself accountable for not running?
Ramirez: That was as hard as I could go right there. I wasn’t trying like I gave up. That was the hardest I could go after the ball.

Ramirez fouled a pitch off his shin in the bottom of the first inning, which happened before he booted the ball in the second inning and jogged after it. He can try to blame not hustling on the injury, but I implore anyone in their right mind to watch the replay and convince me that he didn’t dog it while running after the ball. I don’t know if he was trying to play it cool after he screwed up or what, but he was clearly not going 100%.

This is one of those times when a star athlete needs to swallow his pride, choke back some of his ego and apologize to his manager, teammates and fans. Ramirez is a phenomenal player, but just because he’s an All-Star it doesn’t give him the right to take plays off. He says that other people dog it “after ground balls” but even if that’s true, it doesn’t mean he should do it. He’s paid a lot of money to do what he does and seeing as how he’s the Marlins’ best player, he should set the bar higher for himself. If he doesn’t, then every team he plays for will have a pretty low ceiling.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

In order to help get you ready for the MLB season, we’re doing division-by-division rankings with quick overviews on how each club could fair in 2010. Next to each team, you’ll also find a corresponding number written in parenthesis, which indicates where we believe that club falls in a league-wide power ranking. Be sure to check back throughout the next two weeks leading up to the season, as we will be updating our content daily. Enjoy.

All 2010 MLB Preview Content | AL East Preview | AL Central Preview | AL West Preview | NL East | NL Central | NL West

Next up is the NL East.

1. Philadelphia Phillies (2)
Much like the Yankees in the American League, it’s hard to find bad things to say about the Phillies. They’re the three-time defending NL East champions and considering they’re ready to bring back the same core of players that got them to the World Series the past two years, there’s no reason to doubt them. Oh, and they added Roy Halladay. Roy, I’m going to dominate your face for nine innings, Halladay. If Cole Hamels rebounds and J.A. Happ’s 2009 wasn’t a fluke, the Phillies won’t suffer a setback this season. In fact, the pitching doesn’t even have to be that great with the likes of Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez taking up the first six spots in the order. The problem, however, is that Hamels might not bounce back and Happ’s ’09 season may have been a fluke. There’s also that nagging Brad Lidge closer issue that could haunt this club as well. That said, odds are that the Fighting Phils will be right back at the top of the NL East again this season. They’re too good, too talented and too experienced to fold and they have a great chance to reclaim their title back from the Yankees.

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All 2010 Fantasy Articles | 2010 Position Rankings

Sometimes it pays to be patient when it comes to drafting certain positions in fantasy baseball. For example, waiting to snag your starting catcher until late in your draft makes sense. Landing a couple star players at weaker positions in the early rounds while waiting to select someone in a deep pool of first basemen can also be adventurous.

But choosing not to grab an elite shortstop in one of the first two rounds is about as smart as bringing a knife to a gunfight. You’ll be at a serious disadvantage because the talent pool after the top five players doesn’t level off – it drops off a mountain.

If you weren’t lucky enough to land one of the top picks in the draft, then you’ll probably miss out on Hanley Ramirez. Don’t sweat it – there are four other shortstops that you can target in one of the first two rounds in order to set yourself up with a great player at shortstop. Just make sure you snag one of the top five or else you could wind up pulling your hair out because you just can’t get enough consistent production out of your starting shortstop position.

Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
Ramirez is in a class all his own. He’s a five-tool superstar that will give you 25-plus home run power, 90-plus RBI and 100-plus runs, all while stealing 25-plus bases and hitting anywhere from .320 to .340. The problem is, if you don’t have one of the top 2 spots in your draft you won’t have him on your roster this season.

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