"I like this city, the environment, the energy in the fans. I think that I'll play here for the remainder of my career," Ramirez said in an exclusive interview with ESPNdeportes.com.
"I just feel comfortable. Regardless of how hectic Friday was -- traveling from Boston with only a few hours of sleep, going to a press conference and later play a game -- I started to feel the peace of mind that I was searching for," Ramirez added.
Ramirez, 36, was 2-for-4 Friday night, one day after being part of a three-way trade that sent him from Boston to Los Angeles. In the bottom of the ninth, with the Dodgers down a run, he came up with a runner on and no outs against Brandon Lyon.
The closer got him to hit into a double play, and the Diamondbacks hung on for a 2-1 victory.
The slugger is in the final guaranteed season of an eight-year, $160 million deal. The Red Sox held $20 million options for the next two seasons and will pay an estimated $7 million owed to Ramirez through the end of the season. By then, he can become a free agent.
"The Dodgers brought me here to end my career in this city -- at least that's what I'm thinking. However, we haven't even discussed the future. I'm simply starting to know this team," Ramirez said.
More than mere coincidence, many insiders see Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras, as the driving force behind the three-way trade.
"Boras definitely moved the pieces here," Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling stated in an interview with Boston's WEEI-AM radio station. "Scott Boras would make zero dollars if Boston exercised its options on Manny's contract."
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Manny Ramirez says he would be happy to finish his playing days with the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I think that I'll play here for the remainder of my career," he said.
The Dodgers, who will pay an estimated $1 million to Ramirez, have not discussed their long-term plans in regards to the slugger -- at least not yet.
Still, Ramirez wants to settle in Southern California.
"I want to even buy a house in Los Angeles. My kids go to school in Miami, and I'd like them to move with me [to L.A.], but there will be no move until my future here is confirmed. I don't want to be here for two months and then end up in another city," Ramirez said.
One of his initial steps in Los Angeles was meeting with manager Joe Torre to discuss the politics of the club (beard, mustache, goatee, sideburns and dreadlocks included).
"I told him that if the rule is to get a haircut, then I'll get one because I don't want any special privileges," Ramirez said. "But Joe replied by saying that I should get an apartment and take care of my personal stuff first, after which I should see a barber."
Looks aside, Torre chose to speak of Ramirez's credentials as a player.
"Torre told me that the most important references that he has of me is that I'm a nonstop worker and a hustler in the field," Ramirez said, adding that he doesn't anticipate any significant issues while adapting to Dodgers batting coach Don Mattingly's philosophy.
"I'm the new guy in town, so I don't know Mattingly's particular routine. I'll stick to mine while I adapt to his, which is being at the park on time and going through the usual batting routine prior to each game," he concluded.
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