It was just a couple weeks ago that the Los Angeles Dodgers announced a "Mannywood" section at Dodger Stadium.
While fans have created special sections devoted to players in ballparks before, it was a rare step for a team to market that section in order to be able to better sell seats.
But there it was.
If you love Manny, you want to be in this section!!
Field Level seats, fair of the foul pole in left field, started to be sold in pairs for $99 a game - The price a tribute to the jersey number of the Dodgers star. The offer even came with "an exclusive T-shirt."
For Mannywood purchasers just this Tuesday, the team gave away shirts that said, "Yo estuve en Mannywood" (I was in Mannywood) to celebrate Cinco De Mayo.
But what happens now. Now that Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugsand can't come back on the field until July 3 due to a 50-game suspension?
I assume the Dodgers will now kill the section and have a whole bunch of T-shirts left over.
You also have to wonder what they'll do for people who bought future seats in the Mannywood section.
I'm sure the terms of buying Mannywood seats did not include the condition that Ramirez had to play, but if the section doesn't exist, do the Dodgers have to refund the tickets?
Legally, I don't think they have to. It's not like the games aren't happening.
As for the Dodgers, at least they don't have to pay Ramirez his $7 million or so in the meantime. And how smart do they look now for not taking the bait on that four-year, $100 million offer?
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