Speaking of people looking for a job...

Speaking of people trying to find jobs, Manny Ramirez is still looking. I consider it highly unlikely he will end up in the U.S. Senate, but it is not clear where he will work in 2009.
Manny seems to have gotten caught up in the implications of "Manny being Manny". We always tell our kids that your behavior has consequences and Manny seems to be learning that now. He had 2 years and $40 million left on his Red Sox contract and decided he was unhappy and forced a trade. The Red Sox agreed to pay the remainder of his salary to get him out of town. The Dodgers agreed to void the two years on the contract so Manny could become a free agent and pursue a $100 million plus contract. Manny energized the Dodgers, got them to the playoffs and it all seemed to be working perfectly.
Or did it? First, Manny clearly is still capable of putting up 35-40 home runs and 120 r.b.i.s a season, but he is 36 years old. Can he be expected to do that for five more years? Also, to say he is a little challenged defensively is being kind. Even in the honeymoon with the Dodgers, there were a couple of moments where we grimaced at his play in left field.
That aside, it still seems someone would want to take a chance especially after Manny's big second half in 2008. It seems to me however, that that second half proved every one's concerns about "Manny being Manny".
When he is happy with his situation, he plays well and is a good teammate. He was happy to have big money free agency pending and be out of Boston, so his time with the Dodgers was a happy one. But, and this is a big one, what will Manny do when he reports to spring training without the contract he was hoping for and quite possibly the same deal as he already had under his voided Red Sox contract? What will Manny "be" then?
He is now in a cycle of his own doing. Nobody wants to give him a long term deal and nobody wants to take the chance with his attitude and try and bring him in on a short term deal.
The Dodgers made and withdrew a two year $45 million offer. There are not many teams out there looking to pay one player more than $20 million a season. The Dodgers can. The Yankees could, but it seems as though they may have ended the madness after spending a quarter of a billion on three players. The Red Sox...never mind. The Giants, having had a year off from the Barry Bonds circus, are rumored to be pitching the tents again, but signing Manny would mean three players (Manny, Aaron Rowland and Barry Zito) eat up about 40% of the payroll.
The Angels seemed like a possible fit, but they like to run an orderly operation and Manny's free spiritedness does not seem to fit there. The general manager has already said no.
The best bet seems to be that Manny ends up back with the Dodgers. Maybe the Dodgers go ahead and guarantee a third year bringing the contract to $70-75 million. If that happens, then two months of good behavior was worth $30 million, not bad.
Otherwise, for now everyone is content to let Manny be Manny somewhere else.