They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And Hanley Ramirez has plenty for Tom Brady.
The Boston Red Sox first baseman first adopted Brady’s famed “TB12 Method” late last season, incorporating some of the New England Patriots quarterback’s resistance band exercises into his training regimen. This offseason, Ramirez dug a little deeper, leafing through Brady’s recently published book about the lifestyle he claims has helped extend his playing career.
Brady’s words apparently struck a chord.
“It was like it was me. They made it for me,” Ramirez recently told WEEI’s Rob Bradford about Brady’s book. “There were a lot of things that were in the book that happened to me. With the little muscles, the brain and all that stuff.
“…Â In the book, he said a lot of things that are right. You have to remember in your mind you need those muscles. That’s what the bands do.”
Ramirez didn’t receive instant gratification, though. The 34-year-old admitted it took a while before he saw the results of the workouts he began late in 2017.
“The first week or two weeks, I was like, ‘Shoot, I don’t feel anything,’ ” Ramirez told Bradford. “You’re getting stronger in a deeper part of the body. When you do heavy weights you feel bigger and stronger right away. You’re not going to feel it right away. If you do it for like a week, you’re not going to feel much different. But slowly your brain is taking it all in.
“I saw Brady. He’s skinny but he maintains strength through the whole year. Forty years old, still has a strong arm. That tells you you don’t have to be big to produce.”
The Red Sox likely are happy Hanley is drinking the TB12 Kool-Aid. He’s eight pounds lighter than he was last year, per Bradford, and is hitting a robust .313 with 16 RBIs in 20 games to go along with an .856 OPS.
More importantly, Ramirez — who has been in contact with the TB12 staff but not Brady himself — told Bradford he hasn’t felt his good since he played for the (then) Florida Marlins seven seasons ago.
Another satisfied customer.
