It’s a no-brainer: Dodgers must re-sign Manny Ramirez

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I see where Ned Colletti told the media that ‘if finances weren’t a consideration,’ he would certainly recommend re-signing Manny Ramirez.

I know just what Ned means.

Because finances aren’t a consideration and I don’t care about money, that explains my working at KTLA.

Seriously, though, asked this week if the Dodgers should show Manny the money, after he first refused comment at all, the Dodgers’ GM finally said: ‘There are a lot of arms and legs to that question, but you obviously have to think seriously about it.’

Arms and legs? There’s only one body part required to figure out whether to pay Manny even MORE than he’s worth. It’s called a brain.

You obviously have to think seriously about it?

As understatements go, this is akin to Noah saying he felt a little drizzle or the captain of the Titanic telling the crew they just scraped a rock.

Now we all understand why GM Ned has to play poker in the papers.

If he publicly gushes over Manny’s franchise-making performance, there goes what little

leverage he’s going to have negotiating against Manram’s money-grubbing python of an agent, Scott Boras. Fall all over himself himself praising Manny to the heavens and Ned figures:

Hell, he might as well just back the Brinks truck right up to Boras’ driveway.

Memo to Ned: Boras already has the gun stuck in your ribs.

What are the Dodgers supposed to do, NOT pay the franchise’s most electrifying player since Sandy Koufax?

How is it going to look if they lavish tens of millions on duds like Jason Schmidt and Andruw Jones, then when this dreadlocked godsend with the nuclear bat and megawatt personality falls right into their lucky laps for free, saving their season and their bacon, they let him walk?

If the Dodgers fail to re-sign Manny and he ends up with those damn Yankees, the thousands of fans marching through Elysian Park with lighted torches are going to make the Salem witch hunt look like a Girl Scout campfire.

Far as that new contract, I wouldn’t give Manny five years. But I’d compromise at 4. Even at a nice round 100 mil, the Dodgers will sell 4 million seats, they’ll compete for the World Series and they can shoot the cover of their 2009 media guide tomorrow morning.

-- Ted Green

Ted Green is a former sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times and National Sports Daily. He is currently senior sports producer for ‘KTLA Prime News.’