How does Manzano do it?

Dr. TC wrote:

I agree with Freeman. Manzano gets what he deserves.

Consistency is part of being sponsored.

Very eloquent, Ryan. Your posts are consistently worthless and hypocritical. The world according to Ryan Freeman is an absolute joke.

971-506-2847

Thanks!

Well that's about the most senseless post I've seen on this forum yet. You even got his name wrong, twice. Are you sure you didn't miss an 'H" in the middle of your name?

teddy_farley wrote:

engineer8 wrote:

Anyone else think Leo should stop wearing Nike kits at the meets if he's trying to pick up a sponsor? Why would Nike pay him to wear Nike gear when he's already doing it for free?

This. I absolutely think he deserves a contract (though he might be asking for too much, I really don't know), but why he wouldn't wear a brand-less singlet is beyond me. He is currently racing in Nike from head to toe. From that point of view, Nike must feel like they don't even need to sponsor him. On top of that, since the national uniform is Nike as well, they wouldn't even need to sponsor him for that as long as he keeps wearing Nike spikes for free like he has been. Maybe he's just trying to show his brand allegiance? Not the strategy I'd go with though...

Nike has so much money, they don't have to be that calculating about it. Manzano showing allegiance is probably the best strategy given that Nike can pay more than anyone else. I'd like to think Nike will appreciate the gesture and appreciate Manzano's pulling this race out of his you know what. It would make a good story if things got patched up.

Don't flame the messenger, but as has been pointed out ..

1. Inconsistency

2. The flag incident at London

3. He turned down an initial offer for better or worse

Can he turn his financial fortunes around? Sure:

1. The inconsistency label will be put to rest once and for all if he gets to Moscow and medals. He does that, and he can run as many 4 minute miles and 15 minute 5ks he wants to in the interim because his reputation for coming up big when it counts will rule over all other perceptions.

2. If he's smart, he won't repeat the flag incident. It will be forgotten and all will be well in the US marketing world. If he repeats it, it may damage his marketability in the US.

3. Per #1 above, he will get a sweetheart deal from someone and won't turn it down this time.

1. He has one of the highest VO2 maxes ever recorded in a runner (ultimate talent).

2. He has sufficient leg speed.

3. He typically uses good strategy in races (although he did get boxed on the last turn today).

4. He is able to utilize his speed when it matters (see #1 and #3).

5. He a gamer and never chokes in big meets (see Wheatly and Webb).

If I owned Adidas I would sign him today. Phil does not want runners who are not Oregon pilgrims.

Manzano's PRs suck? Since when do 3:32.37, 3:50.64 and 1:44.56 suck? Eight guys in that final hope they can run any of those times someday, but have never been close. Centrowitz is .41 faster at 1500, 1.3 seconds slower at 800, and a few tenths slower at the mile. Lomong is .17 faster at 1500, a few tenths slower at the mile and 1.02 seconds slower at 800. Wheating ran a second and a half faster at 1500 once, exactly the same at 800, and 1.1 seconds slower at a mile. I'd say his PRs compare pretty favorably with those guys and far exceed the rest of the field. He's inconsistent, it's true, but when he's good he is extremely good, and he's always good at championships.

Championship wins inspire him.

He delivers power via spinal engine torque.

He trains his technique to win championships.

He is at peace with himself.

Nike didn't like the American and Mexican flags being displayed together.

Nike likes Africans, but not Mexicans.

What would Pre do?

Viren was inconsistent between Olympic games, but showed out when it mattered and is called the GOAT by some.

You have to wonder how much faster he would be if he was 2-3 inches taller.

A slow time for sure with 3:45 but what an awesome finish. And with that small stature. Coming out of the box and he looked like accelerating the whole way to finish - great!

Manzano's PR's suck..the only PR that is slower than Centro's is his 1500m time.. He is faster, stronger than Centro at this time..Will Leer, Wheating, and Torrnce have had more trouble making a finals in the US Champs and Trials than Manzano..You can trust Manzano will make the team and has been getting smarter in big races as he has moved up from just qualifying to getting silver at the Olympics..

If someone must give him a contract they will be very happy to have him, Nike can hate for him being "inconsistent" or "the Mexican flag" but he did his job in representing the US for the past 6-7 years with Nike uniforms.

Hope he just gets a good contract. And he probably wears Nike stuff because it was free and never had to pay for it, so why pay now.

numiler22 wrote:

.. He is faster, stronger than Centro at this time..Will Leer, Wheating, and Torrnce have had more trouble making a finals in the US Champs and Trials than Manzano..You can trust Manzano will make the team and has been getting smarter in big races as he has moved up from just qualifying to getting silver at the Olympics..

I think both Centro and Manzano have certain flaws relative to each other when it comes to big time races. Centro lacks Leo's finishing speed, but Leo lacks Centro's ability to match moves on the backstretch.

Think back to the Olympic final - Mak makes that backstretch move and everyone BUT Leo tries to go with him. This isn't because Leo was running smarter, it's because Leo simply has a hard time reacting to backstretch moves, and lucky for him it played into his hands when everyone who went with Mak started dying in the homestretch.

It's almost like Leo is always "saving up" for his homestretch kick, and it's a slight strategic flaw he needs to work on.

Considering what he's accomplished, it's insane that Manzano has no contract. So he's inconsistent in non-champs races, he's super consistent when it counts.

The reasons for his success? It seems that he can explode into one more "gear" at the end of a long kick that most runner can't match. Obviously has a clutch mentality.

Anybody stop to consider that he's simply a doper? A lot of circumstantial evidence obviously, but if you look at it without an American bias, it holds some weight.

honest wrote:

Anybody stop to consider that he's simply a doper? A lot of circumstantial evidence obviously, but if you look at it without an American bias, it holds some weight.

How about looking at Leo's history instead of making assumptions and accusations? Look at Leo's 800m times in high school. How many kids can run 1:51? Leo always had the talent of the best runners in the country and with the extra work and coaching, he's now performing at a different level. It took 10 years but the results show.

Are dopers supposed to be consistent or inconsistent? Apparently Lagat dopes (partly) because of his consistency, and Leo dopes because of his inconsistency. Do you really think doping is taking Leo from 4 flat in one race to an Olympic silver medal and 3:32. If that's the case, what could one of the "clean" 3:30 runners do on drugs? 3:20?

engineer8 wrote:

Anyone else think Leo should stop wearing Nike kits at the meets if he's trying to pick up a sponsor? Why would Nike pay him to wear Nike gear when he's already doing it for free?

He does it because Nike makes superior products. For instance, the moisture wicking abilities of the Nike singlets are unrivaled by any other brand, is allowed him to do so well in the heat today. I dont even want to get into how the aerodynamic features and lightweight fabric gave him a boost as well. This is how Nike can charge so much $$$$ for there gear. I dont even uderstand how no one gets this

it has been brought up on this thread already but leo should not only wear unbranded singlets/shorts but should also "black out" his spikes. it happens in soccer a lot when players have contract problems that they color in the company logo so that it matches the main color of the shoe and becomes less noticeable. the free advertising nike is getting causes him to have less leverage in contract negotiations. in the end nike is a business so while it would be nice for leo to get a contract nike rnt gonna sign him if they feel his asking price is to high

If Leo matched Mak's move the backstretch he would not have metaled. Furthermore, not everyone went with Mak onthe backstretch, as you state. I'd have to go back and look at the tape again to be sure, but I recall Mak opening a gap pretty much immediately.

I would go so far as to say that Leo ran a flawless race in the Oly final, given his talents and the way the race unfolded. No one expected him to medal. The was no minor flaw in his strategy.

[/quote]

Think back to the Olympic final - Mak makes that backstretch move and everyone BUT Leo tries to go with him. This isn't because Leo was running smarter, it's because Leo simply has a hard time reacting to backstretch moves, and lucky for him it played into his hands when everyone who went with Mak started dying in the homestretch.

It's almost like Leo is always "saving up" for his homestretch kick, and it's a slight strategic flaw he needs to work on.[/quote]

look at the time wrote:

Did you look at the time? It was only a 3:45. That doesn't make him a stud or mentally strong.

exactly, essentially the same time he ran at PRE, where he was DFL. he comes up big in championship races because he has a great kick and those are typically the slowest races. pretty simple.