Papi feels bad for troubled Manny, says he’s ‘a good dude’

David Ortiz hasn’t seen his friend and former Red Sox teammate Manny Ramirez since the spring, when Boston played Tampa Bay in a Grapefruit League contest.

But he is well aware of all that has been going on with Ramirez this season, and feels bad for the disgraced former star.

Ramirez, who retired abruptly in April after news surfaced that he faced a 100-game suspension for failing a drug test for the second time, was arrested on Monday on charges of domestic violence. He was accused of slapping his wife in the face, causing her to hit her head on a bed’s headboard. He was released on $2,500 bail on Tuesday.

Ortiz spoke to Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com about Ramirez on Friday, and while he didn’t condone Ramirez’s actions, he did say that retirement can be hard on a player who is used to playing baseball every day, and that stopping so suddenly, as Ramirez did, could be difficult.

He also spoke of reaching out to Ramirez to see how he was doing.

“He had a wonderful career, and it didn’t end the way he wanted it to, but he still had a great career. You marry your wife one day because you think that’s the right person to be right next to. Now that you need her the most, you don’t want to be going through things like that. It’s easier said than done, but Manny’s a good dude. He’s not a bad person. I hope everything works out for him and his family.”

It’s a sad story, and whatever you think of Manny Ramirez, you have to hope that this isn’t the beginning of a story that turns even sadder. Let’s hope that Ortiz is right about Manny. Maybe he can help his former teammate.

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