MLB: Mo Vaughn vs. Manny Ramirez, Part Three

Based purely on statistical research, Manny Ramirez’s offensive numbers edge out those of Mo Vaughn’s.

The acquisition of Ramirez to the Sox lineup bolsters their once lethargic offense and now places the Sox in a key position to duel with the New York Yankees at high noon.

Last year, the Red Sox bats were doing their best Bernstein Bears impersonations, hibernating for most of the season.

Unfortunately, last year’s dismal 2000 Red Sox season wasn’t strictly due to faulty equipment…i.e. bats with more holes in them than blocks of Swiss cheese.

While most of the 2000 Red Sox members couldn’t hit the ball even if it were resting on a tee, there were other outside variables that afflicted the Sox karma.

Carl Everett brought a major amount of venom and malice to the clubhouse. Before a nationally televised interleague game at Fenway Park against the New York Mets, Everett went ‘cuckoo’ for Cocoa Puffs on home plate umpire Ronald Kulpa. While the entire country got to witness just how volatile Everett’s temper could be, the madness didn’t end there. From disrespecting skipper Jimmy Williams in front of the media, to nearly initiating a brawl with respected teammate Darren Lewis, Everett’s clubhouse tirades were well documented in the Boston newspapers throughout the entirely dreadful season.

A month after the season had finished, when a local Boston sportscaster had asked Mo Vaughn what he thought about Everett’s tirades against the umpire, his manager, and his teammates, Mo implied that those incidents wouldn’t have happened if he were still there.

That is the leadership and authority that Vaughn brought to the clubhouse. Unlike Nomar Garciaparra or Pedro Martinez, personalities who are hesitant to be the vocal voices in the clubhouse, Mo had a firm grip on his ballclub. He let them know that if anyone had any words, they could talk to him about it. He not only let his bat do the talking, but he was the clamorous, General Patton in the clubhouse.

Exit Vaughn and the Red Sox team are short on leadership.

Nomar and Pedro are reluctant leaders and Saberhagen can only do so much leading while sitting on the injury shelf. Mike Stanley, a probable future major league manager, was disdainfully released from the Sox midseason. Other likely candidates would be John Valentin or Trot Nixon but Valentin is constantly battling injuries and Nixon has yet to find his niche on the field that would enable him to be the commanding clubhouse voice.

With the Sox acquisition of Manny Ramirez, they potentially have the best hitter in baseball. And while they desperately need his booming bat, the question remains, can he be the leader the Sox clubhouse needs?

While he was more apt to sit among the shadows in Cleveland and focus on his own game time preparation, Boston is no Cleveland.

In Cleveland, while fans wouldn’t dig Manny’s follies on the basepath or in the outfield, they would never riddle him with piercing barbs.

Cleveland, however, is miles away from Boston.

In Boston, any errant plays from anyone, Pedro or Nomar included, will be shellacked with barbs, catcalls, and even "Yo Mama" jokes.

After last season, it is so apparent the leadership Vaughn brought to the clubhouse is desperately lacking. After a season of overachieving and proving to the world that they could win with their backs against the wall, the well had dried up and they struggled to find their identity.

The 1999 season, their first year without Mo, they scratched and clawed and won all the close games. Destiny seemed to be on their side. Some said they were magical on the field.

This past season, even with the addition of another star player, they seemed to be running around in circles, chasing their tails.

They usually never won the close games and the magical spells had been broken.

Ramirez, now the 2nd highest paid player in baseball, knows the attention he is going to demand. Hopefully, he is willing to accept the leadership role his contract demands.

If Vaughn were still here, he would have diligently worked on the Sox members to instill camaraderie among the players. His leadership was second to none in the clubhouse.

It’s time for Manny to step out of the shadows and take a hold of an organization that needs the right captain to steer its ship out of the rocky waters.

Offensively, Manny possibly exceeds Vaughn. However, as this past season reflected, the Sox need a bit more than just offense. They need someone to grab the team by the reins and power them back to contention.

Mo certainly would have done his best to lead the team back into postseason play.

The question remains...

Can Manny?