06/17/2002

PAWTUCKET -- You hear all about everything Manny Ramirez does on the ballfield. Every game. Every at-bat. Every swing.

What you don't hear about are the things he does off the field.

Take Saturday afternoon, for example, when PawSox general manager Lou Schwechheimer brought young Danny Jaillet into the clubhouse before the game with Syracuse.

A member of Cub Scout Pack 130 of Maynard, Mass., Danny had come to McCoy Stadium to see the PawSox take on the SkyChiefs, and then camp out overnight, along with 1,100 other Scouts, on the outfield grass.

Ramirez was sitting in front of the big-screen TV with several other players, watching Roger Clemens and the Yankees take on the Mets at Shea Stadium, when Schwechheimer said: "Hey, everybody! I'd like you to meet Danny!"

"Did you say Manny?" Ramirez asked, turning from the TV to look at the boy, who is handicapped and cannot walk unassisted.

"Manny hopped over the couch," said Schwechheimer, "grabbed Danny, and sat him down beside him on the couch to watch the game."

Manny and Danny began flipping a ball back and forth, playing a little game of catch. Ramirez then autographed a couple of balls and gave them to Danny, along with a set of wristbands.

"He was joking with the kid, who was beaming from ear-to-ear," Schwechheimer said.

The boy's father, Jim Jaillet, began snapping pictures of his son with Ramirez, who, after a couple of shots, took the camera, held out his arms, and gestured to his teammates to gather around for a group picture with Danny.

"Mom's gonna be surprised," Danny said.

"Not as surprised as Dad," said Jim Jaillet, smiling through the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Some of the players had tears in their eyes, too," Schwechheimer said. "It was a little lesson for them about what's important."

Ramirez understands the importance of his rehabilitation stint in Pawtucket.

"I want to debunk the myth that this guy doesn't work hard," Mike Tamburro, the president of the PawSox, said yesterday. "He's been the first guy here every day, the first guy dressed.

"At 10 o'clock this morning, when the only other people in the park were the guys using blowers to clean up the stands, Manny was out taking fly balls from (manager) Buddy Bailey.

"Afterwards, instead of going to the big breakfast buffet we had set up in the clubhouse, he went across the hall to the batting tunnel and spent another half-hour hitting curve balls from the machine there.

"The first day he was here," Tamburro said, "he showed up at 4 o'clock for voluntary batting practice. It's been an eye-opener for the guys in the clubhouse, watching Manny go about his business."

Ramirez has been all business since coming to Pawtucket Thursday.

In order to regain his timing, and test the index finger he broke sliding into home plate at Seattle five weeks ago, he has been taking extra batting practice, not just on the field, but also against the pitching machine under the stands.

Ramirez has been working on his fielding, too, as he did yesterday morning with Bailey, shagging fly balls and handling grounders hit into the outfield.

"Manny has created a different energy level here at the park," Bailey said. "Not just among the fans, but the players, too. These guys have a chance to watch him, see what he does, and ask him about his approach -- how he goes about doing things."

Manny asks some questions, too.

"He asked about where he could get a haircut," said Jose Torres, who works in the PawSox clubhouse.

"I told him my father had a shop on Central Avenue, and we made an appointment for him at 12 o'clock. But Manny didn't show. My father said: 'You got me all happy for nothing.'

"Manny came to the park to hit and, afterwards, he asked Michael Coleman if he'd give him a ride to the shop. He went over there wearing his batting practice jersey and game pants.

"When he walked in, everybody's mouth dropped. He had two big diamonds in his ears and his PawSox uniform on. That's how he goes to get a haircut. Manny's a cool dude."

Danny Jaillet certainly thinks so.

Late Saturday night, when the scouts were tucked into their tents, Schwechheimer went out to check on him.

Peering into the tent where Danny and his father were sleeping, Schwechheimer quietly asked: "How're you doing, Danny?"

"He opened his eyes," said Schwechheimer, "and gave me a big smile. Then he reached into his sleeping bag and pulled out one of the balls Manny had signed for him."