Wal$h $treet: Manny being Randy

(WWLP) - Player X basically quits on his team. Teammates and coaches can no longer trust him. Mysterious injuries disappear as soon as he joins his new team. Player X returns to his old phenomenal self as soon as he joins his new team.

Sound familiar, we'll if you guessed that I was speaking of Manny Ramirez, you'd be wrong. I'm talking about Randy Moss.

Moss spent his short tenure in Oakland playing the role of Manny years before Manny picked up on his act. Moss, a future hall of famer did not display any of those skills with the Raiders. "Injuries" limited his production, but some saw this as his unwillingness to play for the Raiders. Moss wanted to play for a contender. The Raiders then shipped him out of town for 2 cents on the dollar.

New England gave him a shot and only gave up a 4th round draft pick to acquire the wide receiver. Moss' injuries quickly disappeared and he went on to have the best season of his NFL career in 2007.

Flash forward to the summer of 2008. The Red Sox have a team option on Manny's contract. Manny, getting up in age, wanted to sign one more big money, long-term deal. Manny basically quit on the Red Sox, refusing to play because of an unfounded injury, then not taking the bat off his shoulder in a pinch-hit appearance against the Yankees. Manny and his agent Scott Boras played their cards right, they forced the Red Sox hand to trade him. Immediately after the trade to Los Angeles, that mysterious injury was gone and Manny returned to his old hall-of-fame to be self.

Manny Ramirez will sign a ginormous contract this winter. Some team will forget what Manny did in his last few weeks in Boston and only remember what he did in tenure in Los Angeles. Or maybe think of what Randy Moss has done in New England.

Just like that old public service announcement on marijuana, "I learned it from watching you." Manny learned this from watching Moss. Just remember, if you hate Manny for what he did to the Red Sox, you're a hypocrite if you root for Randy Moss.