Whatever your thoughts about Manny Ramirez and the Boston Red Sox, you had to love Manny's wild, patented "great catch, followed by high five, followed by doubling off a runner from first base" play from Wednesday. It was a signature Manny moment; insane, absurd, joyous. But what about the fan he high fived?
The Lost Ogle blog has an interview with Randy Dunning, the recipient of the famed five. The guy is as agog as you'd expect.
When it happened all I was thinking was, holy crap, heck yeah! You can see me point down to Manny after the catch. I think that was what got his attention and he saw the lone Sox fan in the midst of a bunch of Orioles fans. I had no idea he planned on jumping up the wall, but I figured he was going to do a Lambeau Leap, so I prepared to grab his arm and pull him up. As I reached out, he slapped my hand, dropped down and made a hell of a play. Thats why, I’m not sure I’d call it a high-five. Maybe more of a slap 4.
As exciting of a highlight as that is, we still kind of wish Dunning would have grabbed his arm and pulled him, regardless. Somehow we imagine Manny still finding a way to throw the runner out, while taking a moment to eat a hot dog.
A Lost Ogle Q & A: The Manny Ramirez High Five Guy [The Lost Ogle]