LOS ANGELES - Dodgers leftfielder Manny Ramirez, eager to prove the doubters wrong this season, went “slightly overboard” during Monday's spring training game against the Cubs by running out teammate James Loney's ground ball. Manager Joe Torre praised Ramirez for his newfound hustle, but urged him to “stay within himself” and “let the game come to him.”

“I really appreciate Manny's eagerness to hustle,” Torre said. “But there's a time and a place for hustling and your teammate's at-bat is not it. He should have waited for his own at bat to hustle down the first base line. The proper procedure when someone else is hitting is to sit on the bench and cheer them. Or if you're me during spring training, read the paper.”

The incident occurred in the fifth inning with the Dodgers up 4-2. Loney hit a weak ground ball to the shortstop and began running down the first base line. Before he could reach the base, Ramirez came charging out of the dugout, shoved him out of the way, and lunged face-first at the bag. He was called out on the play and returned to the dugout, a sheepish grin on his face.

“A lot of people say Manny is just this selfish goofball who doesn't care about hustling," Loney said after the game. “But I'm telling you, this guy works as hard as anyone. I mean I've never seen someone running out a teammate's ground ball before. That was almost as surprising as what happened in the inning before, when he ran out his own ground ball.”

Since arriving to spring training three weeks ago, Ramirez has been on his best behavior, playing hard and setting an example for the younger players.

“Manny is the first person in here every day,” said outfielder Matt Kemp. “He’s working on his swing, watching video, doing wind sprints – whatever it takes to give him that extra edge. It’s funny because all I heard were stories about what a lazy asshole he is. Nothing could be further from the truth. He’s a great guy. I don’t care what he did in Boston. I mean really, who among has not had the urge to kick the shit out of a traveling secretary every once in a while?”

As for Ramirez' latest adventure, Kemp says that’s the kind of hustle the whole team should display.

“When I get a hit, I want my teammates out there supporting me,” he said. “I want everyone coming out of the dugout and contributing. That’s what great teams do. For example, whenever a fly ball is hit in Manny’s direction, we’ve been instructed to push him out of the way and catch it. That’s the kind of thing we’re going to have to do if we’re going to make it to the next level.”

Copyright 2009, The Brushback - Do not reprint without permission. This article is satire and is not intended as actual news.