"Ozzie Guillen set the bar sky-high for Alexei Ramirez last year.

Guillen insisted Ramirez would be one of the best defensive shortstops in the American League, then took it a step further, saying he would be even better than he had been.

So when Ramirez began the 2009 season slowly, the angry villagers started lighting torches and chanting, ''Beckham, Beckham.''

Ramirez had another poor April and was benched briefly for lacking focus, and Gordon Beckham -- a natural shortstop-turned-third baseman -- was called up and emerged as a rookie-of-the-year candidate.

Despite all the travails, Ramirez actually played a dominant shortstop the last six weeks of the season, but this fact basically went unnoticed.

Good thing the Cuban-born Ramirez doesn't understand enough English to hear what has been said about him."