Florida Margins Star Hanley Ramirez Refuses to Apologise to Teammates
Hanley Ramirez in spite of being benched on Moday night for his lack of hustle said that he had no plans to apologise to his teammates.
The 009 NL batting champion committed a serious error in the second inning of the Marlins' loss to the Diamondbacks. Tony Abreau’s looper dropped near after Tony Abreu's looper dropped near him in short left field, he accidentally kicked the ball about 100 feet toward the left-field corner and loafed after it, allowing two runners to score as Abreu advanced to third.
"It's his team. He can do whatever he [expletive] wants," Ramirez, referring to his benching, told reporters Tuesday.
The Marlins again scheduled to play the Diamondbacks on Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET. Ramirez is not in the lineup for the game.
"We got a lot of people dogging it after ground balls. They don't apologize," Ramirez told reporters, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Wes Helms on Tuesday said Ramirez needs to lead by example.
"A lot of guys, coaches, and staff have told Hanley. With his talent, he definitely needs to be the leader of this team," Helms told reporters, according to MLB.com. "Mentally. Vocally. Everything. For me, to be a leader of the team, you have to lead by example. If you just lead vocally, and don't back it, I'm not saying you have to hit .300, it's the way you handle yourself. That's the way a true leader is. He definitely has the play to be a leader. But you want him to lead by example. It's what you're looking for."
In the first inning Ramirez was shaken up after he fouled Arizona starter Edwin Jackson’s pitch off his left shin.
On Monday, Gonzalez explained the reason for benching Ramirez.
"Hanley left the game because we felt -- he got smoked in the ankle -- but we felt whether he was hurt or not hurt or whatever it was, we felt that the effort wasn't there that we wanted," Gonzalez said. "There's 24 guys out there that are busting their butts. Cody Rossgot hit with a ball 95 mph and it wasn't hit or thrown any slower and he stayed in the game making diving plays and battling, got two hits and an RBI.
"There are some injuries there, but we expect an effort from 25 guys on this team and when that doesn't happen, we have got to do something," he added.
