Inside the Shell -- Manny being Manny, being cheap

Blog updates have been scarce this season, but I had to pass along this story:

Joe Martinez, who pitched a rehab assignment for the San Jose Giants on Tuesday, made sure his temporary teammates ate well following Monday’s game at John Thurman Field by paying for the post-game spread.

It’s not just a nice gesture, but it’s one of the great traditions of minor league baseball. Whenever a major league player comes down to play in the minors for any reason, the player buys the post-game spread. It’s both appreciated and expected.

Martinez, a big league pitcher for the first time this season for all of three days before getting hit by a line drive, makes the major league minimum of $400,000 and didn’t think twice about reaching into his own pocket.

The above story is significant only because Manny Ramirez, in five minor league games split between Albuquerque and Inland Empire (San Bernardino) chose not to buy the spread for either his Isotopes or 66ers teammates.

The above tidbit came in the form of a rumor spread among visiting scouts Monday night at John Thurman Field and confirmed Tuesday by a member of the Inland Empire front office staff.

For the record, prior to his 50-game suspension, Manny was set to make $23,854,494 this season in salary, or 59.6 times the salary of Martinez.

I’m bringing this up because in 13 years of covering minor league baseball I hadn’t before heard of a major league player “big-leaguing” the younger players in his own organization in such a way.

There are many examples to the contrary.

On Easter Sunday, April 8, 2007, Randy Johnson came to Modesto with the Visalia Oaks on a rehab assignment with Arizona. Johnson fed not only the team, but Arizona front-office staff and a group of family and friends from who came over from Livermore to watch him pitch.
Including food, drinks and tip, Johnson’s takeout tab from a national chain steakhouse was in excess of $3,000.

This season, the Modesto Nuts have entertained two rehabilitating players from the Colorado Rockies, all in May. Ryan Speier ($407k) was here for five days and Jeff Baker ($415k) was here for a two days. Both bought the spread for their Nuts’ teammates.

Perhaps someone should have told Ramirez that he was expected to purchase a post-game meal for his teammates, although it’s hard to imagine someone not doing the same at some time for Ramirez in his three seasons coming up through the Cleveland organization.

Dodgers’ general manager Ned Colletti was in attendance on Monday in San Bernardino when Ramirez played his final minor league game. Colletti certainly was in a position to make sure the 66ers were fed in Manny’s name.

Or perhaps the Dodgers’ front office cared just as much as Manny apparently did.