With Aramis Ramirez struggling mightily at the plate, you might think he would be working with hitting guru Rudy Jaramillo, who is spending a ton of time with Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto and Ryan Theriot. Sources, however, tell us Ramirez has rebuffed Jaramillo's attempts to help.

"Aramis feels that as a veteran player he knows best how to correct what is not working with his swing," our source said. Baseball analyst Todd Hollandsworth had this reaction: "Even in the best stretches of my career, I went to the park early every day to work with the hitting coach. A player who is struggling has to look for help to correct what is not working."

Ramirez never was much for hustling. Now he's become a head case. Sounds like he needs help on and off the field.

He may have a guaranteed contract, but it's an employment contract, not a contract to do whatever he feels like doing. It's also a contract to be a player, not to be his own coach. The team should order him to work with the hitting coach and to do whatever the coach tells him to do. If he doesn't do what he's told, then void his stinking contract.

Trade him despite his idiodic no-trade clause. If he doesn't accept, release him and bring up Vitters

Many that is true, but an incomplete statement.

I have MANY years of experience in trying to appreciate steaming piles of dogshit.

He will come out of it. But it is pretty stupid on his part to not talk to the hitting coach. I mean at this point how can it hurt? It is not like he is going to hit any worse.

I smell a bit....

I would cover for SHARK, Drop In, Dave in Champaign, my Mom, and Urlacher's Missing Neck. After that, the list gets pretty thin. There are a few people about whom I would definitely fabricate charges.