Manny gives Pedroia a Rolex for winning Rookie of the Year

Last summer, Manny Ramirez told Dustin Pedroia that he’d get him a watch if he won the Rookie of the Year award. Today, he made good on his promise.

Pedroia was probably imagining that he’d receive something similar to this water resistant beauty, but Ramirez outdid himself as he always does.

From Joe McDonald:

If the Red Sox don’t pick up Manny’s option next year I will cry real tears. Is there anybody more likable in all of sports?

He’s the anti-Nomar.

Manny and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

As if Manny wasn’t Zen enough already, he’s now meditating in his free time.

The slugger has taken up Mantra Yoga, which consists of “concentration and stuff like that.”

Fascinating.

Ramirez has taken up the practice because “Sometimes you have moments where you aren’t ready or you’re stressed or now you’re going to have some tensions in your life. That’s what I do.”

He says he skipped the Washington trip because it would have interfered with his meditation schedule, and laughed when he heard that President Bush singled him out.

“I like it,” he said. “It makes me feel important to be mentioned.”

Bush blasts absent Manny as Sox visit White House

Manny didn’t take the trip to Washington today, and George Bush took the opportunity to roast him for it.

“Manny Ramirez isn’t here, I guess his grandmother died again,” the president said.

Ouch.

It would have been fine to mention the grill. It would have been fine to mention the car. Hell, even make a joke about how the Red Sox had to leave him behind because his dreadlocks wouldn’t fit in the overhead bin or the seat in front of him. The grandmother thing is just a little below the belt, but I guess that’s just George being George.

El Presidente did take the time to praise Lester, and he commended the front office for keeping the championship team intact.

“It makes a big difference to be hanging out with people who know how to win.”

I guess it probably has been awhile since Bush was around people who knew how to win…

I’ve got your back, Manny.

Manny signs with Boras

Manny Ramirez seems to be gearing up for the possibility that the Red Sox won’t exercise their $20 million option at the end of the season.

Manny has switched agents, and is now represented by Scott Boras.

The Red Sox confirmed that they were notified of the decision.

The Boston media will probably freak out over this and declare it a prelude to a trade demand, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Red Sox have control over Manny through 2010 if they want him to stick around.

Plus, Manny seems to be making every effort to be accessible and punctual, which was weird at first, but makes sense now that we know Boras has been pulling the strings.

I don’t think he’ll cause any trouble, and any coaching that Boras provides will likely end up benefiting the club. The only way he can boost Manny’s value is by turning him into a model employee.

Manny shows up on time to spring training

Manny Ramirez made good on his word and reported to spring training on time today for the first time in years.

So far, this year has been a departure from years past for Manny. He spent most of his offseason working out, he didn’t put a single item on Ebay, and rather than skipping out on spring training to sell a car he gave a car to charity.

It’s great that he showed up to spring training on time, but I have to admit I’m a little disappointed. We didn’t get any antics this year, and there wasn’t any fodder for the “Manny being Manny” media train. I’m sure that will all come in time, but for now we have to settle for a little bit of showmanship.

Manny was one of the last players to arrive at the spring training facility—he was about as late as you can be without being late. His absence prompted a jump-the-gun response from the Globe , which prematurely declared him a no show.

The great thing about Manny. He’s never boring. Even when he is.

Manny and Lugo help their communities

It’s time for spring training, so that can only mean one thing: Manny Ramirez has a car for sale.

Manny donated his custom-built 1967 Lincoln Continental convertible to Boston’s Franciscan Hospital for Children. The hospital has listed the car on Ebay with a starting bid of $30,000. All of the proceeds will directly benefit the hospital.

Of his donation, Ramirez said, “I don’t do it for my legacy. I don’t care about that. My legacy is going to be there until I play. I do it from the bottom of my heart ... If I do something, I do it because I wanted to do it. I’m not doing it for my reputation or image.”

Julio Lugo is also helping a good cause.

He spent his Saturday distributing medicines and vitamins to victims of a tropical storm in his native city of Barahona in the Dominican Republic.

His effort is part of Major League Baseball’s Player’s Trust, which donated $40,000 to the cause.

Manny gets in shape, wants to play until he’s 48

In a chat hosted by the Globe last month, Peter Gammons called Manny a maniacal workout warrior.

I was skeptical of Peter’s claim for two reasons:

1. Gammons is getting old, and I suspected that his idea of a maniacal workout warrior may be different from mine. For some people Gammons’ age, just getting up to get the mail requires heavy stretching and a gameplan more convoluted than anything Norv Turner could put together.

2. I didn’t even know Manny could run.

Well, Gammons’ claims have repeatedly been confirmed since that chat, and Manny is officially working his ass off

Manny has been working out at the Athletes Performance Institute in Arizona since December. He works out 5 days a week, and his training includes “medicine ball work against a brick wall, the pulling of a sled full of weights, weight training, and mobility drills out on a football field shared by Arizona State University.”

After Manny finishes his workout, he trains his fake uncle Rico. “Manny trains me back at our place. He’s tough.”

He plans to show up on time to Spring Training this year, and said that he wants “to be like Julio Franco and play until I’m 48.”

Players say things like this all the time, and most of the time it’s just stupid. But I can totally imagine Manny still playing when he’s 48-years-old. Regardless of the way the media tends to portray him, I don’t think there’s anything he loves more than playing baseball. It really is just that important to him. I’d love to see him swinging away when he’s 48, provided he gets a haircut between now and then.