BOSTON.  Manny Ramirez, the discontented Red Sox outfielder who has been trying to get out of Boston almost as long as he's been there, today threw a roadblock in front of club management as they tried to pave his way out of town.

Ramirez is a "10/5" veteran, meaning he's been in the majors for ten years, five with the Sox.  As a result he has the right to veto any trade, and players with this leverage often exact additional consideration from clubs that seek to acquire them. 

What does Manny want?  A promise that his new teammates will carry him to first base on a litter, a frame with a couch historically used to transport kings and other potentates such as former Uganadan President-for-Life Idi Amin.

Sox fans have had a love/hate relationship with Ramirez during his tenure in Boston, cheering him when he blasts home runs over Fenway Park's "Green Monster," but booing him when he refuses to run out ground balls.  "Manny's a hitter, not a track star," said a spokesman for the Ramirez family's interior decorator's assistant's spokesman.

Major league rules prohibit the use of golf carts except when transporting relief pitchers to the mound from the bullpen, so Manny's agent, Greg Genske, came up with the idea of a litter.  "Manny has carried every team he's ever been on--it's time his teammates returned the favor," the agent said in a letter sent to the Mets, the Angels and the Rangers, three teams thinking of dealing for his client.

For a slugger like Ramirez, the strength of the batter who comes after him in the lineup has always been an important consideration.  With Ramirez in the on-deck circle, for example, opposing hurlers have had to pitch to designated hitter David Ortiz, the Sox' number three hitter, allowing the DH to put up MVP-worthy numbers.

Now, the next four batters on the lineup card behind Ramirez will become significant.  "Manny doesn't want a bunch of Punch-and-Judy hitters in the 5-6-7 spots," Genske said.  "He wants a comfortable ride, with lots of muscle to absorb the shock of rounding first, a five-year power train warranty, and air conditioning if he's going to Texas."

Copyright 2005, Con Chapman