Hanley Ramirez is not a happy Marlin. And he made his feelings pretty clear about it Tuesday morning in the team's clubhouse, ripping manager Fredi Gonzalez for pulling him from Monday's game for "a lack of hustle."
The Marlins haven't posted a lineup yet. But it will be very interesting to see if Ramirez's name appears on it. Here is what Ramirez told reporters moments ago (click on this link for the raw audio). We also have sound bites from teammates Cody Ross and Wes Helms. Helms said he thought Ramirez needed to apologize. Doesn't look like it is going to happen.
Did you give less than 100 percent effort?
Ramirez: I don't know. It looked like it. The example starts with me. If you don't hustle, hopefully, he does it with everybody. That's OK. He doesn't understand that. He never played in the big leagues. That's OK. That's fine. That's an example and it starts with me and let's see how far it can go.
Did the foul ball off your shin affect your running?
Ramirez: A little bit. Yeah. I had a little bit of tightness.
Did you think you could keep playing?
Ramirez: For him, I don't think so.
How much pain were you in?
Ramirez: A lot. I was trying to stay in the game. I wasn't trying to get out of the game.
What was reaction when he said he was taking you out of the game?
Ramirez: I just said 'I'm going to go home. I just wanted to go home. It's brutal. It's fine. It's OK.
Did you want to stay in the game?
Ramirez: Yeah. I could've. But I think I would have been in a little bit of pain. It's his team. He do whatever the he [f---ing] wants. There's nothing I could do about it.
Could your bat help the team?
Ramirez: Not right now. I think that's why I got kicked out of the game.
Are you angry?
Ramirez: It's brutal like I said. I'm just going to play the game and he's just going to have to leave me alone.
Did you lose respect for Gonzalez?
Ramirez: A little bit. We got 24 more guys out there, hopefully they can do the same things I do. That are wearing the Marlins uniform. There's nothing I can say.
Are you going to apologize to your team for dogging it?
Ramirez: For what? Do what? We have a lot of people dogging it after ground balls. They never pull guys.
Are you going to talk to Fredi today?
Ramirez: I don't think so and I won't. I don't know when I'm going to be back on the field.
Do you feel you're healthy enough to play?
Ramirez: No [mentally and physically].
Have you ever been this angry?
Ramirez: It's happened a couple times, but it's happened underneath the table. So, I know why I'm angry.
You aren't the first All-Star shortstop to get benched...
Ramirez: It can happen to anybody. 162 games.
Do you want to play for Fredi?
Ramirez: It's over. I'm done. No more [questions].
Was it the shin or ankle?
Ramirez: The shin.
Do you hold yourself accountable for not running?
Ramirez: That was as hard as I could go right there. I wasn't trying like I gave up. That was the hardest I could go after the ball.
Did you see the replay?
Ramirez: No. Everybody has a different mind. I can't control what you think about that. I can only control what I do on the field, off the field. I know some people are going to think I gave up or was a little bit hurt. It's going to be fine.
Do you respect Fredi?
Ramirez: I respect everybody. But I don't know if I get the same respect back. That's why sometimes you sit down and think about it. Why respect someone who isn't going to respect you back?
How much did it hurt you to hear some of the things he said?
Ramirez: I haven't heard anything, but I had a couple people who told me. I don't want to hear what he said. That's fine. I just want to sit down because I'm so mad right now, I don't want to do something stupid. Hopefully, I can talk to my kids so they can keep me down and forget this and go forward.
How many games do you think you'll miss?
Ramirez: I don't know. I haven't talked to him. I just got here. Let's see what they bring on the table.
Do you want to see your name in the lineup?
Ramirez: Everyday.
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