MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — You get the feeling Hanley Ramirez is no H-Ram.
You get the feeling there's no A-Rod in him except for the part about incredible baseball talent.
He's only 24 , of course, so things could change. He could land in New York with the Yankees someday and go all off-the-field Alex Rodriguez on everybody — Madonna, really? — while succeeding Derek Jeter at shortstop.
But probably not.
"Is that for real?" Ramirez asked nobody in particular Wednesday afternoon while pointing at a clubhouse television set airing a report on the Rodriguez-Madonna romance gossip.
Who knows what's real in these days of the instant tabloid?
Ramirez, though, is.
He was named player of the month for June in the National League, and is on pace to challenge the monumental 40-40 statistical double for home runs and stolen bases in a season.
Ramirez, too, could throw himself quite a party later this month right there in Rodriguez's own Yankee Stadium digs at the All-Star Game.
He might be the NL's starting shortstop, and certainly should be on the roster no matter the voting results. (Balloting closed at 11:59 p.m Wednesday; results will be announced Sunday.)
"I don't know yet," Ramirez said of the All-Star possibilities after the Florida Marlins' 4-2 win against Washington in Dolphin Stadium. "It would mean a lot. (Dan) Uggla should be (on the team)."
It would be interesting as well if Ramirez received and accepted an invitation to participate in the Home Run Derby on July 14, the day before the game.
"No, it's too early in my career," Ramirez said. "I don't want to put home runs in my mind."
He doesn't have to, actually, considering that he has blasted 20 of them this season. He had hit a game-tying homer in a win, another game-tying homer in a win and a three-run homer in a loss in consecutive games before failing to hit one Wednesday.
Ramirez was answering another question when he stopped to re-address the Home Run Derby issue.
"I would think about it, though, if they asked me," he said.
It's a cinch the Yankees already have been thinking about Ramirez, dreaming Steinbrennerian dreams of having him in their lineup sooner rather than later, perhaps as a successor someday to 34-year-old Derek Jeter. The recent six-year, $70 million contract extension Ramirez signed would mean nothing to the Yankees, who would consider that kind of money a pittance of an investment.
And wouldn't the Yankees get a kick out of having Ramirez, a product of the Boston Red Sox system, on their roster in the prime of his career?
Not that Ramirez is thinking about such things.
He's happy where he is as the centerpiece of a team expected to get a new stadium in 2011, a team that is rolling magically along at 44-40 in close pursuit of first-place Philadelphia in the NL East.
Wednesday, the Marlins scored a run in the sixth, two runs in the seventh and another in the eighth against the Nationals to wipe out a 2-1 deficit and record their 24th comeback win of the season.
"We don't play five innings or seven innings," Ramirez said. "I always say we never give up."
The clubhouse was a happy place as players packed for an 11-game road trip. The unlikely star of the game had been Alfredo Amezaga, whose two-run homer in the seventh gave the Marlins a 3-2 lead. The gathering of media around Amezaga's cubicle spilled toward Ramirez's double-stall unit nearby.
Ramirez laughingly interjected comments during the group interview, and teased that he had told Amezaga to "look for the cutters" from Washington relief pitcher Charlie Manning.
Mezaga got one, and slammed it.
Ramirez pulled tissues out of the sleeves of his freshly laundered shirt and suit jacket and out of his newly buffed shoes. He dressed, looked at a clock and told a straggling teammate or two to "take your time" getting to the bus.
There was plenty of time to make the scheduled 5:15 p.m. departure for the airport.
No need to hurry.
Ramirez and the Marlins are having too much fun to get caught up in any rush.
Greg Stoda writes for The Palm Beach Post. E-mail: greg_stoda AT pbpost.com