Like all great sporting competitors, Manny Ramirez is a true warrior on the field and a man of honor off it.  So it isn’t surprising that he remembers and supports other athletes whom he faced “mano y mano” during the season.

Such is the case with Giants right-hander Billy Sadler, who struck out Ramirez in their lone 2008 confrontation…only to be rewarded with his friendship (and surprising financial support) during the off-season. 

As Sadler explained it, he introduced himself one day during the off-season at Athletes’ Performance (the MLB training mecca near his off-season home of Pensacola) to Ramirez, who immediately recalled that "No. 34 has good stuff."  After all, not every pitcher can blow a fastball past Manny.  
Shortly thereafter, Sadler made the decision to quit Athletes’ Performance due to a personal financial crunch.  "I'm newly engaged and I made some decisions in my life," Sadler said. He mentioned this to Ramirez, who said, "We'll take care of that."

Sadler figured that Ramirez was making an off-handed remark. But three days later he was contacted by an Athletes' Performance representative, who said, "Manny was serious about taking care of you. He wants to bring you in and work out with him."

Thanks to Manny's generosity – and his fierce workout ethic, Sadler maintained his workout regimen at Athletes' Performance "He really kind of took me under his wing," said Sadler, who's competing for a spot in the Giants' bullpen.


Prior to the 2007 season, Manny never practiced his hitting or throwing in the off-season.  For most of his career, “Man-Ram” had always used his off-season for strength training and body-toning with trainer Juan Carlos Santana in Boca Raton, Fla. But he never had a regular routine for fine-tuning his baseball skills.    

In 2007 he decided to move his winter workout to a facility called Perfect Competition, which is much closer to his home. The idea was to join other professional athletes working out at the facility and continue buffing up as he always had in the past. But once Ramirez arrived for the first time, he found his off-season routine taking a whole new turn.

Greg Brown, Perfect Competition's director of baseball training asked Manny, “’How often do you hit?' He just said, 'No, spring training.' Then I asked him, 'Well, do you throw?' Again, 'No, spring training.' I was like, 'OK....' It is just unbelievable.

"So he comes in for his first performance-enhancement training, bringing two bats with him. When he came to meet me, he brings these bats and I'm figuring he was donating them to me as a favor. I walk up to him and thank him for the bats. He's like, 'No, no, no. Let's hit.'

The more Ramirez took part in his new regimen, the more he embraced it – with five day a week workouts stretching to 2 1/2 hours.  He was the earliest guy there every single day, he didn't take breaks and just got after it.

“There wasn't a day that went by he didn't have a quote like, 'Champions are made in the off-season’,” Brown said. “If the real Manny was portrayed to everybody, he would be the face of baseball, and he should be. His personality, the way he carries himself, he's just an outstanding guy.”

Today Manny works hard in the off-season to get his body ready for spring training. He takes about ten days off after the season ends, then begins a strenuous workout regimen with one of the toughest trainers in the business at Athletes’ Performance.

Manny’s off-season advice for young players: "You want to get good? Work hard." 

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