I hate to break it to everyone, but baseball is not a team sport.  The players make up a team, but it is an individual pitching against an individual hitting.  The only thing that requires chemistry in baseball is the double play.

That being said, does Manny taking a shower in the bottom of the ninth, in the NLCS, after being pulled for a defensive substitute make him a bad teammate?  Yes, on some level it does.  If everyone on the team acted like Manny, I would venture to guess that things would not gel very well.  BUT Manny is not a smart man, and when he gets pulled he showers, that is his routine.  Much like dogs who go to the bathroom when they wake up, that is just what they know.

So does this matter?   No.  What does matter is not that he is the first to the showers, it is that he is the first to the stadium, because he works harder on his swing than anyone in the league.  That may not help team chemistry, but if everyone on the team did that,  I guarantee it would pad numbers, which is what matters in this sport.

About the Author: David Sacco

If he could afford to get a vasectomy he’d get one tomorrow …

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