Man-Ram and the state of Baseball

I read an article in the Boston Globe (article link:http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/07/01/this_time_manny_being_manny_is_unacceptable/
) about how "Manny being Manny" shouldn't be tolerated.

I started talking about how Manny is an ass to my aunt and uncle who live in New England, before this article was posted/printed. They were trying to defend him, and this is what I told them...

Manny is just one of the more talked about players like this, but there's many more who are similar. 

Players who don't run out the routine ground ball, because they're getting paid the same amount whether they're safe or out. It represents everything that's bad about baseball these days. Players that are in the Hall of Fame from the beginning of the game to the 60's would/must be sick at the current 'business' of baseball, and the way the players act these days. They played the game because it was fun, and they had pride for their teams and themselves. They always ran out the ground balls, and gave their best efforts in every game because they had respect for the game, and knew how it should be played.  

To me, saying "It's just Manny being Manny" doesn't make it right.  

I'm sure he works hard, but he should work hard, he's making $18,929,923 this year, to play a game that children PAY to play. Those same children are paying to see Manny play in Fenway (one of the top five ball parks of all time), and seeing him not run out a ground ball. Then their next game they do the same thing and think it's fine because Manny does it. It's unfair and disrespectful to the players who played for nothing but pride, to have the players in this new era play, and therefore teach, the game this way.