:: Spotlight
Psychology of a baseball star:
Chancellor’s Council event features UMass Boston professor
The UMass Boston Chancellor's Council presented Psychology Professor Jean Rhode's
research on Manny Ramirez on June 3rd. Rhodes (right) poses with Chancellor
Motley (left) and Glenn Mangurian (middle).
"Selfish Slugger," and "one of the best batters in history -- "carefree goofball,"and "spoiled superstar" -- who is Manny Ramirez? That's what one UMass Boston Professor of Psychology sought to discover through writing her book: Becoming Manny: Inside the Life of Baseball's Most Enigmatic Slugger. Members of the UMass Boston Chancellor’s Council, the university’s society of lead donors to the UMass Boston Fund, and other university friends gathered on June 3 at the University of Massachusetts Club to learn about what she found.
The event was the first in a series of gatherings sponsored by the Council to provide educational and social opportunities for its members. Rhodes was one of the first to join the society when it was established last year.
Chancellor J. Keith Motley began the evening by thanking attendees for investing in UMass Boston through their annual financial gifts of $1,000 or more.
Author of "Becoming Manny," Rhodes was interviewed by management consultant Glenn Mangurian. Her book, co-written with award-winning investigative journalist Shawn Boburg, uncovers fascinating stories spanning Manny's early years to the present.
Rhodes shared what she learned about the mentors who have influenced Manny’s journey from the Dominican Republic and Washington Heights to professional baseball.
Attendees learned that Manny’s social anxiety, often perceived as arrogance by his fans and the press, is also experienced by others in his family. These feelings “fuel” his habit of insulating himself from the public.
Rhodes illuminated Manny’s ”conflicting behaviors” such as consistently intense workouts, avoiding “running out the ball” in a game, his “zen-like ability” to focus on hitting, and his position that “running to the base is secondary to the hit.”
Members and guests followed Rhodes with questions about the athlete’s steroid scandal. The professor’s perspective is that Manny would not "knowingly take something" that would keep him from the game.
Director of the UMass Boston Fund Kelly Westerhouse said, “We are fortunate to have Jean Rhodes as a Chancellor’s Council member. Her dedication to the university’s mission of teaching and research as well as her financial support sets a powerful example for others.”
To learn more about the Chancellor’s Council, contact Westerhouse at 617-287-5342.
Make a gift to the UMass Boston Fund.