Yesterday's News: Read more daily headlines here

Work is a Four-Letter Word

Although they say the only sure things in life are death and taxes, 'work' comes pretty close. Is being independently wealthy everything it's cracked up to be? I'll never know.

Two things that I've never heard are "I have too much money," and someone on their deathbed saying "I wish I spent more time at the office." The conflict between the desire for more and the wish for more time off remains immutable.

People line up pretty quickly against Manny Ramirez because "he makes so much money." That's a relatively weak argument in comparison with helping out your business because another employee (Trot Nixon) is unavailable for whatever reason. Responsibility to the team counts, too.

There isn't a business in America where corporate executive types receive exactly the same treatment as the men and women on the line. Doctors, lawyers, and Indian chiefs don't punch the clock. Well, maybe lawyers do, so they can get billable hours. As a colleague reminds me, "remember the Golden Rule, he who has the gold makes the rules."

Concerning the height of hypocrisy, I'd ask the following questions. "Do you ever not want to go to work in the morning?" "Have you ever called in sick or taken a personal day for a marginal reason?" "Have you given your employer and your job one-hundred percent attention, determination, and focus every minute, every day of your life?" "Have you ever been late for work?" "Have you ever left work a few minutes early?"

I've worked pretty hard for over the last thirty years from college, medical school, internship and training, and in medical practice. Have I ever struck out (yes), been overtired (all the time), disenchanted (certainly), disenfranchised (absolutely), or wished I were somewhere else doing something else (regularly)? I make a good living, but nowhere close to the major league minimum salary. My guess is that applies to practically everyone, because work is a four-letter word.

Was Manny Ramirez 'right' to insist on a day off because he had been promised one? Is Manny self-absorbed and immature at times? Does trading him for spite provide addition through subtraction?

Manny's a flawed athlete and professional, who's made mistakes and will continue to do so, here or elsewhere. We can get twenty-five choir boys and finish 0 and 162, or try to work with talented athletes to maximize performance. Which do you want?

-- Ron Sen, MD, Boston Dirt Dogs contributor (Check out Ron's blog, Red Sox Reality Check)

Manny Being Manny or Manny-Handled?

20/20 Archives