Manny Ramirez has begun the next phase of his colourful and controversial career after he was officially introduced as the newest member of the Chicago White Sox.
The 12-time all-star was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers for the final month of the Major League Baseball playoff chase.
Ramirez said he his still driven to win championships despite the fact the Dodgers were willing to give him up without getting anything in return.
"I still have that fire to compete," he said. "As long as I have that fire to compete, I'm going to keep playing. As soon as that fire leaves, it's time to go."
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen decided not to put Ramirez in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against Cleveland saying he needed rest after a travel day.
The change in venues has Ramirez talking again as Tuesday he ended a media boycott Tuesday that he started during Dodgers spring training and continued throughout the season.
Ramirez said he questions why Dodger manager Joe Torre didn't have him in the lineup more.
"I only played 60 games for them this year, but I don't understand why I didn't play more - especially at the end."
Ramirez could see limited time in the outfield with the White Sox but will be used primarily as Chicago's designated hitter.
Guillen is confident Ramirez will rise to the challenge of playing in the Windy City.
"He will hustle. He will. You treat Manny with respect and he's fine," Guillen said. "All I want him to do is drive in runs. He will run. I don't say he's going to run like Juan Pierre. But he will run like Manny. I wish he can play every day, but I don't know. He's not 15 anymore.
"Right now, I can't say we are a better team because Manny hasn't played. He is not the same player as when he went to LA. He was the type of player who could carry a team in the past. Do we want that to happen? Of course we do. But we'll be happy if he comes in and helps."
Chicago reporters wondered if the Dominican native would conform to Chicago's personal-appearance policy and cut his long hair that has been part of his image for the past several years.
"That's a stupid question," Ramirez said. "I'm here to play baseball and that has nothing to do with playing baseball."
Guillen will leave that to White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
"That's Jerry's problem," Guillen said. "That is not in my rules. As a manager, I appreciate Jerry's rules, but the only thing I can do is bench him. We brought him here to play. I stay away from that. If I was Manny, I would try to keep the chairman happy."
For a time in Los Angeles, Ramirez had his own cheering section which the Dodgers dubbed "Mannywood". Once he fell out of favour, the sign was removed and replaced with ads for an insurance company.
Ramirez said he wasn't bothered by it.
"I didn't give it too much thought because the checks were going to keep on coming," he said.
Ramirez, 38, missed a substantial part of the season with a string of injuries, including a sore hamstring and strained calf muscle.
Since being acquired by Los Angeles from Boston in 2008, the one time controversial all-star has hit .322 with 44 homers and 156 RBI in 223 games.
The move to Chicago caps two turbulent seasons for Ramirez in Los Angeles in which he was paid over 40 million dollars.
In May 2009 MLB's disciplinary officials slapped Ramirez with a 50-game suspension for violating the league's drug policy.
Ramirez batted .348 before the suspension and just .269 in the 77 games he played after the suspension.
Ramirez's tenure with Los Angeles ended with an ejection on Sunday as he was thrown out of his final game with the Dodgers after just one pitch.
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
