A Home for Manny
By Karlsie
So it has been confirmed - Manny is worried about a lack of privacy. He likes the team, he likes the players, he likes the staff; but he doesn't like being hounded everywhere he goes - I can appreciate that. I remember walking down the street with my son one day and someone I've never seen in my life (until that moment) pulling up to yell out the car window, "I loved your column last week. Keep giving them hell!"
My son looked at me and said, "That was creepy."
It is creepy and worrisome when you're a parent. Especially one raking in the big bucks the way Manny is.
So what's the solution? Well, there are the two obvious ones: send him to New York or LA where everyone, but the tourists, is like, "Big deal, you play baseball. Now if you were a movie star." I don't think Manny's ego could handle that (but it might work for Johnny Damon who wants to be a movie star). I just don't like that idea - partially because when Manny's hot, he's hot and when he's lukewarm, he's hot. It works nicely for us.
But I have an idea: move to one of the tonier suburbs of Boston. The "W" towns - like Wellesley or Weston have more than their share of well-heeled, well-connected types that would give a sniff and say, "Well, at least an autographed baseball or bat or something would bring in some good money at the PTO auction this year." He could move over to Chestnut Hill and take up residence next door to James Taylor. That way he could take Manny Jr. trick or treating with the other famous faces that grace the south side of Newton.
My favorite solution - and this is something that would make the most sense: move to a working class style neighborhood like "the Lake" - also known as the village of Nonantum - in Newton. People in tight knit neighborhoods are protective of celebrities in their midst. If he were to purchase a home in the Lake, after the initial star stuff wore off, he'd find that most of the people around here would treat him like everyone else.
If what he truly wants is to be able to live, then move to my neck of the woods and give me a call. We may not have the a-list hot spots in our 'burb, but we do have some of the best public schools in the state and bunch of great restaurants, parks and a well run little league system where Manny Junior wouldn't get star treatment unless he was a star player and Mrs. Manny would still have to pull her concession stand shifts like every one else.
So what do you say Manny? Are you willing to give us a try? It ain't New York or LA, it's better.
