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Troubled MLB Legend Manny Ramirez Says He Has Now 'Found God' and New Purpose in Life

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When Boson Red Sox legend Manny Ramirez looks back at the man he used to be, he sees someone who made a lot of mistakes.

Ramirez, who was the MVP of the 2004 World Series when he helped the Red Sox win their first World Series since 1918 — breaking the so-called “Curse of the Bambino” that began when the Red Sox traded Babe Ruth away to the New York Yankees — was recently honored by Boston’s Sports Museum for his heroics on the field.

But it was his escapades off of it, including knocking down Red Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick in 2008 and assorted other misconduct that year that got him traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers as his hero status became tarnished after fans learned he had used performance-enhancing drugs.

“To be honest, I was not in a good place at that time. I wanted a change. I thought going someplace else was going to make a difference. But now, man, I know it wasn’t the place. It was me. It was my mind. It was my heart. I wasn’t thinking right,” Ramirez, 47, recently told the Boston Globe as he talked about his exit from Boston.

Now living in Miami, Ramirez is raising his three sons and can be comfortable thanks to the millions he made over 18 years in the majors. But he’s tackling a challenge far different from sending a baseball over the Green Monster.

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“What I’m doing now, I preach. That’s what I do. Go into hospitals just to preach and teach people the Bible,” he said, describing himself as a reformed Baptist.

“I went back to school because I wanted to be in a seminary just to learn. I’ve been doing that for five years now. It hasn’t been easy. It’s something that’s great. It’s changed my mind-set. I’m like a rookie. I’m just on the bench. Sometimes they give me 10 minutes or 15 minutes. And that’s it. I’m growing. It takes time,” Ramirez said.

Is it good to see Manny Ramirez changing his life?

“It’s like playing baseball. If you want to be the best, you got to hit it every day. If you want to get to know God, you have to have a relationship with Him.”

Ramirez said his attitude began to evolve when he left baseball behind.

“I remember when I retired, to be honest I didn’t know what to do with my time. And that’s hard. That’s something very hard. We are so young and we got so much power and so much fame. You think you can do whatever you want, but there are consequences. You get knocked down and you say, ‘What’s going on here?’ But then I started going to church,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez said that his closeness to God has helped him put his baseball accomplishments into perspective.

“Everything that happened for me has been a blessing. You know why? Because I learn. With all the power and all the fame, if you don’t learn, you’re going to keep falling, worse and worse. And being in the wrong places at the wrong time. Thinking you can do whatever you want,” he said.

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“But when God calls, you should humble yourself and you can see. Like, I hit all those home runs and it doesn’t mean anything. It’s something that I really can’t explain.’’

But for all that, he looks back on his time in Boston as “the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said.

“In Boston, you’ve got to be on top of your game every day. It was something that I have, and only the good players have it. I knew how to turn the page. If I had a bad day, I knew tomorrow would be another day and I would do better,” he said.

In the interview, Ramirez also gave a hat tip to the Red Sox Nation.

“Man, they’re the best fans ever,” he said. “I remember when we used to go and play in Toronto, Pittsburgh. They always were there for us, supporting us day and night. And that’s special. Everywhere you go. And they really had fun with me.”

And now, he accepts his failings as well as his success.

“I think, like, everybody makes mistake every day,’’ he said. “You fall and you get up again. Every time you fall, every time you make a wrong decision, you regret it because that brings consequences. To you, your team, your family, your kids. But for all the things that happened, it was for the good. God is making it for good for me to appreciate what I have. I appreciate my family and my kids. And that’s what matters.”

Ramirez, who has received a smattering of support in the voting for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, will be inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2020 along with David Ortiz, Rich Gedman, the late Bill Dineen and Dan Duquette, according to the Boston Globe.

He admits he would like to make it Cooperstown someday.

“I really want to be there,’’ he said. “I’m praying for that. Don’t get me wrong; if it’s God’s will, it’s going to happen. I think it’s going to happen with time. All I got to do is keep praying. When it happens, be thankful and move on. I’m going into another Hall of Fame.

“If you read the Bible, the Bible says that your name is going to be written in the Book of Life. So it’s going to be more impressive than this. Remember, when you die, you can’t take this with you,” he said.

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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
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New York City
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Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




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