Manny's return to baseball makes us realize that fans just want to have fun

July 6, 9:59 AMSports ExaminerPaula Duffy

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   Fans at Manny's debut in San Diego, July 3, 2009. AP Photo/Denis Poroy

Much has been made about the fan reaction to the return of Manny to the Dodgers lineup. Most observers comment about the lack of anger or disgust demonstrated by many who revile Barry Bonds or scorned Jason Giambi and A-Rod.

But he returned in San Diego, a two-hour drive from his home stadium and many of the fans were hard core Dodger followers. This week he is guaranteed to get jeered at Citifield in New York, but they boo everyone that doesn't play for them. In fact, they boo their own players when they get disgusted so I don't see New York as much of a test.

As the Dodgers move from there to Milwaukee we may get a sense of how people feel and it may not be as bad as critics hope. Have you noticed that some are lobbying for a negative reaction to Ramirez?

It's the classic, shoulda', woulda', coulda' situation. We should be outraged, should hold him accountable, should demand he come clean, so to speak, about what he took and why. It's all baloney.

Purists and those who haven't accepted the wide scope of the performance enhancement problem in the sport are still groping for a way to deal with the fact that many of the top stars of the past decade and a half are tainted, thus giving the HOF voters heartburn.

The sacred records of baseball are trembling and the baseball writers aren't sure how to judge those that have fallen to known users or suspected users. But that argument is for another day. This musing is about fan reactions to a known cheater.

Here's why Manny is being cheered: baseball and other sports are big time entertainment. Leaving aside those supposedly sacred records, the boys play a game in front of an audience and try to keep the fans entertained. The business execs for teams know that fans have other choices on which they can spend their hard earned dollars.

That's why owners want the stadium to be a destination in and of itself with activities for the kids, restaurants and stores for fans who aren't rabid about just seeing a game. Fans missed the experience of having Manny in the game when they went to the ballpark. Rather than scorning him for depriving them of that pleasure they want him to know they are happy he's back to delight them as they pay for their ticket, parking and food. It's the reason that Dodgers' owner Frank McCourt has brought back Mannywood.

One other thing to keep in mind is that Manny was punished and hadn't built up a long record of denials on nationally broadcast television shows or in front of Congress.

Some of what we hate about Sosa, Rodriguez and Clemens are their self-righteous statements and lies without having to pay the price of a suspension. Bonds is just presumed to have lied about his knowledge of what he was taking. When someone is nabbed and comes clean, especially if he gets punished he is welcomed back whether he tells us the whole story or not.

Andy Pettite who wanted us to believe he only cheated once or twice was happily cheered by Yankee fans. His appearance at other stadiums around the league were non-events. We don't care that it doesn't sound plausible, we just know he admitted his human failing.

Manny is not the brightest bulb in the bunch, doesn't have a facility with words and is known as a guy who just wants to have a good time. We expected even less than we did from Pettite and we weren't disappointed or surprised.

Shaun Murphy, our Examiner who writes about PED's has an opinion, here   Jim Lakely covers the Dodgers, here

MANNYWOOD returns to Dodger Stadium.        FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER