Manny being Manny: Ramirez returns to Cleveland to be inducted into team's Hall of Fame

CLEVELAND — If you were wondering, the answer is yes: Manny is (still) being Manny.

Manny Ramirez, one of the best right-handed hitters in baseball history and a key member to the dynamic Cleveland lineups that made two trips to the World Series in the mid-90s, returned this weekend to the area where he received his start in the major leagues and began his career.

"It's an honor to come back to the house that I built, the Jake," Ramirez said of Jacobs Field, now Progressive Field. "I know they changed the name, but I'm happy to be back. I'm happy to be back in the city and the place that I grew up."

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Ramirez, now 51, was inducted into the Guardians Hall of Fame Saturday night and accepted his spot in club history alongside former teammates Sandy Alomar Jr., Carlos Baerga and Charlie Nagy. Before addressing the fans with a speech and a ceremonial first pitch, Ramirez entertained reporters in a 16-minute press conference, the likes of which only Ramirez could offer.

Among the topics discussed was the notion of "Manny being Manny," a common reference to some of the peculiar, more colorful antics Ramirez displayed while he played — like high-fiving a fan in Baltimore in the middle of a play or cutting off a throw from an outfielder while he, too, was an outfielder.

While he was being asked a question about "Manny being Manny," Manny himself had some questions about it.

"I wanted to ask you something about that," Ramirez, smiling, said to a reporter. "What does that mean? Because I never paid any mind to that. What's that?"

In a strange way, perhaps it's fitting he hasn't even been sure about what it means after all these years.

After being given some examples, like how he high-fived a fan at the wall in Baltimore, which has become a legendary highlight in baseball history as one of the funnier plays, Ramirez waved it off as anything but some pre-planned fun.

"I planned that before it happened," Ramirez said. "No, why [is that Manny being Manny], because I'm thinking ahead of the game. I'm thinking like nobody else."

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Ramirez could also just about hit like nobody else. For more than a decade, he was one of the most feared hitters in the game while playing with Cleveland and then Boston, where he won two World Series rings. Over his 19-year career, he finished with 555 home runs, 12 All-Star selections and was in the top four in MVP voting four times. In 1999, he set the all-time Cleveland RBIs record with 165, a record that still stands today.

And he said he's ready to step into the middle of the lineup if needed — today.

"Whatever it is, I'm ready to play," Ramirez said. "Just put me in the lineup. … I should be hitting third."

In fact, technically, he isn't done playing. Ramirez said he'll be playing in Prague next year, even at 51 years old. When asked if Terry Francona, who managed Ramirez in Boston, would put him in the lineup, Francona joked, "Wherever he wants."

"He's one of the most gifted hitters I've ever seen," Francona said. "He was almost like a savant. As a hitter, when he left the batter's box, all bets were off. Just hoping when he got to first, he made a left. But in the batter's box, man, he was light-years ahead of most of the other guys."

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For years, Ramirez and former Red Sox teammate David Ortiz were probably the last two hitters any pitcher would want to face in a key situation.

"I forget what year it was, we beat the Angels a couple years in a row, and we were at Fenway and the game must have been in extra innings," Francona said, recalling a moment he knew when Ramirez could come through. "He was in the hole and he was going up the steps and he just looked [and said], 'It's time to go home.' And when he said it to me, I looked at [bench coach Brad Mills], I said, 'Damn.' And he hit the ball almost to the turnpike. ... I remember thinking, 'S***.'"

Francona also detailed how Ramirez had a hitting and timing aide that was effectively a spinning hoop with wiffle balls attached and different numbers and colors written on the balls. A coach would call out a number or color as it spun, almost like soft toss, and Ramirez would have to grab one. Francona would occasionally watch Ramirez doing this drill before games. And at times, it told him some good things were on the horizon.

"When he was grabbing it, it was like, 'Look out, he's locked in,'" Francona said. "They also brought in this computer one spring … It had a bunch of lights and it was checking your reflexes and stuff. I thought I was good at that stuff, and they said he was just [off the charts]."

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In terms of Ramirez's time with Cleveland in the '90s, it's almost crazy to think about how he began his career hitting near the bottom of the lineup, along with Jim Thome and others. But he said that time might have helped mold him in a positive way while he found his footing in the majors. Especially in lineups that included Thome, Baerga, Kenny Lofton, Albert Belle and others, Ramirez felt he had to prove he should be there.

"Hey, I have to earn that spot," Ramirez said, speaking of the No. 3 or No. 4 spot in a lineup. "I think it was good for me because I didn't put a lot of pressure on myself, so it worked for me. … It was awesome, and I learned so much from those guys, how they go through their business and stuff like that."

Ramirez discussed some of the hitters of today who he likes to watch. Among them: Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and Corey Seager. But also included on that list: Jose Ramirez.

"'The Little Manny,' Ramirez said of Jose Ramirez. "I'm the 'Big Manny.'"

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Manny Ramirez was a source of inspiration for many hitters who now play in the big leagues. One of them is Guardians right fielder Oscar Gonzalez. Upon hearing that, Ramirez took a moment to reflect.

"When you hear something like that, it makes you proud," Ramirez said. "You're just playing a game and people are looking up to you for something that — you're not even thinking you're going to make somebody idolize you for what you do. But, hey, that's a great comment. He used to watch me and now I watch him, you know, [that's] how everything works."

Of course, Ramirez's career was stained by two suspensions for performance-enhancing drugs. That has kept him out of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He insisted that his omission doesn't bother him.

“Life is not how you start, it’s how you finish,” Ramirez said. “I want to be there, but my priority is something else. But it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen with time. But I’m not in a rush.”It's just Manny being Manny.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians induct Manny Ramirez into team Hall of Fame