In an alternate universe somewhere...

Last year at this time, we were counting down to Manny's 500th homer. We were starting to hear reports that he was unhappy, and was making those around him unhappy. We were starting to hear whispers - again - on the message boards that Manny might get traded. We were gearing up for another turbulent trade deadline.

Wow, what a difference a year makes. One of the Marlins' beat writers made this observation this morning:

//But Bay, who came from Pittsburgh, is an MVP candidate this season while Manny sits at home, serving his suspension//

That comment gave me pause. What IF Manny hadn't been traded. What IF the Sox had exercised their option, and he was still playing for us when he got suspended for steroid use. What IF he was twiddling his thumbs waiting to return to the Sox right now. What state would Red Sox Nation be in right now??

But, that's the bizarro version. Here in the real world, the right world, Manny idles in his Dodgers' sweatshirt, while we enjoy the Quiet Canadian. The man who seems to be doing his talking - and his contract negotiating - with his bat and his glove. The man who seems to fit in seamlessly with his Sox colleagues.

I don't know about you, but I like this version much better!

The end of the latest episode of Dramirez

Manny's signed. Whoopee. For the same deal he rejected last week. Ooops.

Once upon a time I was a Manny lover. I loved to watch him hit. I loved to watch him try to chase down balls in the outfield. I loved to watch him pop into the Green Monster for a break. I loved to watch him cut up with his teammates. I loved his childlike enthusiasm for hitting, for the game, and his unique view of life.

Now, I see him as just another greedy ballplayer. There's part of me that's happy to see him get his comeuppance - and to see Boras fail. And if I had even a slight bit of admiration left in me for Manny, it was killed by this report on his press conference today. Some of the lowlights:

"I’ve already made my money." [This was repeated several times]
"Hey, sometimes it’s better off to have a two-year deal in a place that you’re going to be happy than have an eight-year deal in a place where you’re going to suffer. So I’m happy, I’m moving on with my life."
(Are you going to opt-out) “No, not yet"

At least he's not our problem any more. I think when Theo traded Manny, he added 15 years to Terry Francona's life.

And I swear this is my last post about Manny Ramirez ever.

I need something to cleanse my palate. How about this

[Sorry - "embedding turned off ;( ]

Or maybe some of the Baseball Project [I've almost worn out this CD. This isn't my favorite cut of the cd - that honor goes to "Ted F-----g Williams" - but this is a good sample

Manny being....stupid?

It's March 3rd, and time to check in our former left fielder. At the season's end, I never would have guessed that we would get to this point in Spring Training, and Manny Ramirez would still be unemployed. The contract negotiations with the Dodgers have dragged on all winter. Last week Ramirez and his agent the Evil Scott Boras rejected a $45 million offer, mainly because a chunk of the money was deferred and to be paid over several years. This weekend, Dodger owner Frank McCourt said they were "back to scratch" in the talks. Boras, meanwhile, keeps referring to other teams that are interested. Right.

Who's to blame here? Most agree that, while he is a genius at baseball, Manny lacks some sense in other areas of his life. Still, he's an adult who has played professional sports his whole life. He has the power to direct his agent. He's had the power to accept or reject offers.

It would be easy to blame the Evil Boras. He has proven to be the puppetmaster in past negotiations. He certainly orchestrated Manny's exit from Boston, despite his protests to the contrary. His talent as an agent is undisputed. But in recent years, the size of his ego seems to be exceeding his talent. Several of his deals this off season have not worked out as he seemed to have planned - Jason Varitek can attest to that.

In this case, he decided Manny's worth and has stuck with that. He doesn't want to budge from his figure - and has stroked Manny's ego to the point where Manny believes any lesser offer is a sign of disrespect. So, this whole debacle is the perfect storm - two huge egos unable to adjust their expectations to the economic realities of 2009. Add to this the growing suspicion that maybe the Red Sox were right to rid their clubhouse of this "virus" when they did - well, I'm sure many GMs and owners are realizing they might not want to deal with the headaches this hitting savant might bring with him.

Meanwhile, as a Red Sox fan, it's such a relief not to be dealing with this. No more wondering when Manny will show up at camp. No more wondering what Manny will do next... The biggest complaint from the Boston press has been the "boring" nature of the Red Sox camp. Just a team of professionals trying to prepare themselves for another World Championship. Personally, I'm enjoying the fact that the biggest story out of Fort Myers is the facial hair of our first baseman!

Manny Rant

Alyssa Milano is not one of my favorites - but I've never vilified her to the extent that others have. Granted, her "Touch" line of clothing is both outrageously expensive and outrageously inappropriate to wear to a baseball game. But, still, good on her for her entrepreneurial attempts.

She is also a huge Dodger fan - at least, the Dodgers seem to make up the majority of her list of ex- and current boyfriends. Her blog over on MLBlogs is rightly very slanted towards her team. Still, I can't let this line from her latest entry pass without comment:

Could you imagine a Dodgers-Red Sox World Series? Torre against his old rivals. Manny against the team still paying his salary and the fans that turned against him. Wow. Emotions will run high.

Whoa. The fans that turned against him??? Well, yeah, maybe we've turned against him NOW. But I for one staunchly defended him all season - even when his behavior was abhorrent and inexcusable. (Check my entry on May 14th for a recent example) Pushing Jack McCormick? Aw, must be a misunderstanding. Refusing to even attempt a swing against Rivera? Aw, he didn't see a pitch he liked. And I was not alone in continuing to defend him. Even up until the day he got traded, most fans were willing to put up with his antics, because he could play.

Or at least, we thought he was playing for us. Sure, his hammy bothered him occasionally, as did his knees, and he needed a day of rest. But, did his flight to LA stop in Lourdes en route? Because he sure has hell has played healthy since he left. Suddenly, he can run out routine grounders? Suddenly, he can talk to the press, mentor younger players, and cure cancer?

Understand this, Alyssa, we did not turn against him. He turned against us. Somewhere along the way, he and that spawn of the devil he calls an agent decided he wanted OUT of Boston. And they conspired to get him out town. I still think Big Bad Bud needs to investigate this - because there was a ton of stuff going on behind this trade. I do not like to wish people ill, but there would be all kinds of justice in him coming back to Fenway in the World Series and truly becoming unable to play. At the very least, the welcome he'll get will be awesome. You think the vitriol spews when ARod steps to the plate? Just wait.

And now to cleanse the palate, I offer this photo from the wonderful sittingstill.net:

Ahhhh. Much better

And in the end, the love you take...

Yes, I was there at the end....

The Manny era is over

Still on vacation in New England. Which is a fun place to be when there is all kinds of stuff swirling around the Red Sox. Listening to the talking heads on the local sports radio, reading the local press -- I suspected Manny would be out post-haste. And that's what happened yesterday just as the trade deadline was reached. A multi-team, multi-player sent Manny Ramirez to the LA Dodgers, Hansen & Moss to the Pirates. And we got 2004 Rookie of the Year Jason Bay.

It's been a trying few weeks for the team. Hearing some of the reports today from Gordon Eades and Jerry Remy - the whole team got pushed over the edge in the past few weeks. Eades even reported that, after the series in Oakland, Manny had refused to get on the team bus to leave for Seattle. It had taken several team members to convince him to go. Then there was his refusing to play those games in Seattle and against New York last Friday. His pitiful performance in the games I saw this week. Not the Manny I've always loved and defended.

What changed? I'm not sure we'll ever know. Did Scott Boras whisper something in his ear? Did he misinterpret it? The question clearly came down for the Front Office: can we rely on Manny to continue to perform for the rest of the season?

Reports are that Tito and Theo called in several of the veteran players and asked their opinion. The overwhelming sentiment seemed to be that the players were tired of his antics and tired of having to answer for him in the press. That was clear in the post-game interviews Wednesday night. And look back to Mike Lowell's very uncharacteristic explosion on a third strike call Friday night. You never see him explode like that (last game he was ejected was 2002) - was that frustration we saw?

Meantime, tonight is Jason Bay's first game as a Red Sox. A wonderful, warm ovation for him - and he has a walk and a hit-by-pitch so far. And how can you not love a guy who admits his dad had him wearing a Red Sox onesie?!

Otherwise..

Did the Concord literary sites today. Loved Orchard House, the home in which Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, and the Wayside, home to the Alcotts, Hawthorne and Margaret Sidney (author of The Five Little Peppers and how they grew). Also visited the Gropius House home of the Bauhaus mainstay Walter Gropius. Big thumbs up on that one.

And I don't think I mentioned one of my favorite finds in Boston: Sweet Cupcakes. YUM! You can get mini-cupcakes, which are a perfect size - or the full sized (I've just enjoyed a dark chocolate one!) If you're in Boston, check it out!

On to Fenway!

Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
I wonder - is Manny describing his phone call from the Green Monster? Or imploring the Mariners to call him if his option isn't picked up? Whatever, Manny sure seems to be enjoying his captive audience! And I sure enjoyed the victory last night - the first since the All Star Break. Jon Lester looked awesome - really commanding. Without a doubt, he is our #2 pitcher right now.

Meanwhile, according to the Seattle Times, Manny ran into a little trouble leaving Safeco last night --

Seems that Boston slugger Manny Ramirez was leaving the ballpark, with headphones on trying to look inconspicuous and quickly get away from the crowds still leaving the stadium. He started to cross South Royal Brougham Way, against the signals of a traffic cop who was directing pedestrians. The police officer demanded that Ramirez open his wallet and show identification. He warned him that he could face a $500 fine and possible arrest for disobeying a police officer.

It became clear to those watching that the policeman had no idea who Ramirez was. He didn't ask for an autograph or anything, but did ask Ramirez if he'd attended the game. After the brief lecture, and no argument from Ramirez, the police officer let him go with no further trouble.

I love that the cop asked Manny if he'd been to the game! Yeah, kind of...

So, I've just finished closing the last suitcase. Don't ask how many I've filled for my trip northward - that's the great part about driving. You can bring TONS of stuff. I just hope my wonderful sisters - with whom I am crashing at various times over the next weeks - don't have heart attacks when they see how much I've packed. And you just know that I will have forgotten something!

On Friday, I'll be seeing this scene:
I'll be at the Yankees-Red Sox game Friday night (thanks to my sister Meg!), then the three games vs. the Angels Monday thru Wednesday. Here's hoping we can return the favor and sweep them!

Then it's off for a few days on that little slice of heaven we call Block Island:


There's nothing like spending a long day at the beach, reading a trashy novel, returning to the house and using the outdoor shower (!), then heading to the Oar for a Mudslide. Mmmm...

I'll probably not be doing much blogging (unless I make use of the Boston Public Library again!), so see you on the other side!

Oh, Captain, OUR Captain

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Jason Varitek has really been struggling offensively of late, and is being ridden hard by the 'EEI-type fan boys. But I know his value is way beyond what his batting average shows. The way he works with the pitching staff, his preparation for every start - I can't imagine there is a better prepared catcher in baseball today. Those who don't understand his value (see: Tom Jones of the St. Petersburg Times) mock the "C" he wears with pride on his chest. But we know he is the Captain, the one who provides direction to the team, provides a positive voice for our often-maligned bullpen. I hear he has a few personal issues he's dealing with right now, and that might be affecting his offensive production, but he is still providing leadership. Look at that photo above - encouraging Okajima, who I think needs as much encouragement and positive affirmeation he can get.

So, here's to the Captain!

And for more Manny fun, another Elsa photo from yesterday's game:
I wonder if that's one of Big Papi's Vitamin Waters?

Would you believe...

Globe photo by Jim Davis

I love this photo. During a pitching change during yesterday's beat-down, Manny stepped inside the Green Monster - and apparently used the time to catch up on some phone calls! If he ever gets a shoe phone, we're in trouble!

Happy Manny = Happy Sox fans

AP Photo by Winslow Townson
Boston Herald photo by John Wilcox

I love to see a happy Manny. And we got to see that joy last night, as Manny blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the 8th inning to tie the game. Shortly thereafter, Brandon Moss hit one up the middle to score Youkilis, and the Red Sox went on to win 6-5.

I hope this means Manny's little batting slump is over. It's been painful to watch him of late, the worse being against the Yankees Sunday night when he watched three strikes fly by him without swinging the bat. Horrible. But Monday he got the game-winning RBI in the 1-0 victory over the Twins, and he made the big difference last night.

Now if some of that good luck can just rub off on Tek....

Oh Hai!

I've gotten back from seeing three of the four game series in Baltimore. An absolutely fantastic weekend - good weather, good friends, cold beer - and three wins! And top that off with Manny hitting home run #500 - awesome!
I was going nuts when Manny hit the homer Saturday night, knew I couldn't really capture it, but here he is crossing home plate. The stadium absolutely exploded - not only the Sox fans, but the Orioles' fans really showered Manny with love. The ovation continued non-stop thru Lowell's short at bat, and as Manny came back out to Right Field. Chill inducing.

I'll have more later - share some photos and anecdotes. Here's start - when I went thru security in the Chattanooga Airport, the TSA guys were kidding me as they looked at the xray. Hmm, two cameras, binoculars...are you a bird watcher? I said, no, but I was going to watch the RS kill some birds this weekend!

Tomorrow!

Okay, so not really. But I couldn't be more excited if I WAS on "The View"! I'm headed to Baltimore (Balmur) tomorrow morning for the first three games of the Red Sox series vs. the Orioles. The weather looks good - only slightly threatening day is Saturday, and the Sunday afternoon game looks to be in the 80s and sunny. (Yes, I've got the #30 sunscreen packed). We're doing the tour of Camden Yards Saturday, and I hope to see Edgar Allan Poe's Grave and the Babe Ruth Museum. And drink some beer. And eat some of Boog's BBQ (and see Boog Powell!) And see some great baseball. I'd really like to see this:


Reuters Photo
Here's Manny hitting #499 Tuesday. The stars would appear to be aligned for him on Friday: He's been hitting well, it's his birthday, and he's expressed a wish to hit #500 away from Fenway. So I HOPE we'll be seeing this scene Friday night. Imagine being present at such an historical moment. A player's 500th career homerun. A sure ticket to Cooperstown. And I MIGHT be there to snap a photo of it!! Woot!

Expect reports on Monday!

The Manny Video

Here's the video of Manny Awesome Catch:

Manny is Awesome!

AP Photo
I am not going to dwell on the fact that the Sox have lost 5 out of the last 6. That they went 4-6 on this road trip. That they had and lost the lead in the past four games. That our reliable bats have failed us. That our starting pitchers look horrible.

No, I choose to focus on the fantastic play Manny Ramirez made in the bottom of the 4th inning in today's game. One out, man on 1st, our old friend Kevin Millar at the plate. Kev hits a long shot toward left field. Manny chases it down, grabbing in over the shoulder. His momentum carried him up to the wall, which he bounced off of. But has he bounced, he high-fived a fan in the front row! THEN, he comes down to earth, spins and throws it in. Caught by Pedroia who relayed it to first to get the base runner. Score that a 7-4-3 double play - and an outfield assist for Manny.

This has to be one of my favorite Manny-Being-Manny moments. I love Manny. Hopefully, he hits homeruns 499 & 500 this weekend, at home, at Fenway, so that RS Nation can cover him with praise!

File photo
When Tim Wakefield has his knuckleball going, it is an awesome sight. Just look at how delicately he holds that ball - like he's just pushing it toward the plate. And last night, he definitely had it going on! At one point, he retired 17 batters in a row. He didn't issue a single walk, and had 6 strikeouts. He only threw 98 pitches in 8 innings of shutout pitching. Wow. He probably could have pitched a complete game, but I guess Timlin needed some work - he finished up the shutout in the 9th. This interesting tidbit from Gordon Edes:

Research by the Elias Sports Bureau indicates that last night marked the first time since 1900 a team pitched a shutout using multiple pitchers all over the age of 40.

[Does the Elias Sports Bureau just sit around waiting for these calls? Do they have these stats just readily available?]

Oh, and Manny hit #497! Yeah!

AP Photo - Paul Sancya

Tonight it's the third game of this four game series. Buchholz is "on the bump" - and the Tigers have Galarraga going. We haven't had much luck against him, but...

The bats - they are alive!

AP Photo by Charles Townson

Manny Ramirez gets a lot of crap - mostly from tv commentators and not fans - about his defensive play. He's playing too shallow, he's lackadaisical, he loses focus, he can't throw, blah, blah, blah.

The reality is = Manny is a pretty decent left fielder, and last night we saw some of that brilliance. He grabbed a wall-ball and threw out a runner at home - no cut-off man, just a straight bullet. Tek applied a fantastic tag, and a run was saved. Here he is celebrating with one of the biggest cheerleaders on the team, Julio Lugo. (And you can say what you will about Lugo's lame offense and somewhat erratic defense, but he sure is an enthusiastic member of the team)

Meanwhile, the Sox bats awoke with a vengeance. Pedroia had his second consecutive three-hit game, and Papi had three hits as well. Every Sox that came to bat got a hit. Final: 12-5.

And we now lead the AL East by 2 games.

Now joining the MASH unit now, though, is Brandon Moss, who had an emergency appendectomy during the game last night. (At the hospital, not in the clubhouse!) Amazing that the symptoms started to manifest during Friday's game, yet he managed a home run and a couple of great catches. The birth of a new dirt dog?

Today, the return of Rays ace Scott Kazmir. Hopefully he's still rusty from his time on the DL; we'll need to capitalize early!

Good Times in Bean Town

What a fantastic weekend to be a sports fan in Boston! First, the Bruins won game six of their playoff series with the Canadiens, 5-4. A very exciting 3rd period in which the lead changed hands several times. Now they're back to Montreal tonight for the seventh and deciding game. A great comeback - they lost the first three games in their best of seven series.Photo by Barry Chin

Then, the Celtics won the first game in their playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks. Won handily, 104-81.
Photo by Matt Stone

And the Sox have won three in a row from the Texas Rangers. Two very exciting come-from-behind victories on Saturday and Sunday, with both the kids (Lowrie, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Thurston) stepping up, but also the resurgence of that dynamic duo, Manny & Ortiz.

Photo by Matthew J. Lee

Manny got home run #496 on Saturday - which scored the two game-winnning RBIs. But any hopes for more on Sunday were tossed in the 2nd inning, when he got ejected for arguing a third-strike call. He was scheduled to have today's game off, and Tito has kept that schedule. So, if he continues on his hot streak, it looks like #500 might take place away this weekend in Tampa. Oh, well, it would be cool to have that happen at home. And they do have three home games before Tampa.

In the meantime, DAY GAME today at 11:00 am! Patriots Day in Massachusetts - a regular work day for the rest of us. So, I'll be glued to my GameDay Audio!

Bloops!

I'm a little late in posting these two clips, but I didn't have a chance to look for them until now. They're two great moments from Thursday night's victory over the Yankees.

Here's Sean Casey doing the now famous "Casey Crawl" back to second base:


And I love this Manny and the Munchkin moment:

I tried to find the video clip of this, but no luck. So thanks for the screen grab from Texas Gal. (She's got a great blog, BTW!)

Tonight we're taking on the Texas Rangers for the first time this season. I've been out and just come in - it's the 6th inning - to discover that Big Papi hit a grand slam!! Yeah!

Manny being...Different

Photo from Surviving Grady

Maybe it's the long, unpredictable winters. Maybe it's because we were founded by Puritans fleeing persecution. Maybe it's because we're a melting pot mixture of Irish, Italian, Portuguese immigrants, with a bit of French Canadian mixed in. Maybe it's a long tradition of liberal politics.

Whatever the combination, it's made New Englanders tolerant of those who are different, always anxious to be politically correct. As a result, we're willing to appreciate and enjoy the many inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies that swirl around us daily.

It's made us not only tolerant of oddities in our sports heroes, it's made us embrace them. Think of some of the characters that have played for the Red Sox: Bernie Carbo and his gorilla; Bill Lee and his weird ramblings on politics and pot; Luis Tiant and his quirky delivery; Wade Boggs and his chicken fetish. These players would have been vilified and ridiculed in other cities. But in Boston, they're beloved.

Part of that love comes from the fact that they could back up their insanities with good, hard play. Do you think the idiots of 2004 would have been as endearing if they hadn't come back against the Yankees? They would have been chased out of town faster than you can say "Grady Little."

Which brings me to our current favorite cartoon character: Manny Ramirez. I've given it to Manny a few times in this space. I was growing tired of the whole "Manny being Manny" routine. But something seems to have changed - not just in me, but in the minds of many of the Boston Faithful. Our attitudes have changed because Manny's seems to have changed.

The changes started to be noticed during the ALCS last fall. Suddenly Manny was speaking to the press - and actually making sense! And he did a lot of talking with his bat during the post-season, something we notice and appreciate.

But this spring has truly been a revelation. Manny spent the off-season at the Athletes Performance Institute in Arizona. He worked hard for six weeks, getting himself into the best shape he's been in years. He arrived at Spring Training on time - a first. And he came into camp with a renewed enthusiasm. Some might argue that it's all based on money - his contract is up at the end of this year, although the Red Sox can exercise two more option years. But it's clear he's out to prove that he's one of the best hitters around, determined to break records. And he's talking. Talking directly to the press and, by extension, to us, the fans. He's not using a "translator" like Millar or Ortiz or Tavarez any more. What he's revealing to us is that he's not an idiot-savant. He doesn't just have a hitter's brain - he's got a real brain. He's discussing BOOKS, for heaven's sake!

What brought about the change? Did the new leaders of our club - no longer the "idiots," but the "character guys" Theo has brought in - did they have a "come to Jesus" meeting with him? One of the things I noted on my road trip last year was how Manny was always hanging with Mike Lowell during BP and warm ups. My admiration for Mr. Lowell is well documented, and I can only think that he's been a positive influence on Manny.

There's a cynical part of me that thinks his new agent, the Evil Boras, could be behind it. Perhaps he's cultivating Manny's positive image - his "I love baseball" attitude - to make him more marketable, should the Red Sox decide not to pick up his option next year.

But if that is the case, my pure hatred for the EB has lessened a dash. Because this Manny is the one that could secure his place as a Boston icon. This Manny is endearing, charming, funny, enjoyable. He's always been enjoyable to watch at the plate, but now we're enjoying the total picture.

Manny being Different - I like that!

Game 1: or Beth vs. DirectTV

Getty Images

The Major League Baseball season is now under way!! The Red Sox opened the season Tuesday morning in Tokyo, with the first pitch thrown at 6:09 am. I was up at 4:30 - wanted to be showered and ready when the pre-game show started at 5. Imagine my (surprise, shock, anger) when I flicked on the tv at 5 - and had the message, "Searching for satellite signal." Okay - I go thru the checklist: weather = clear. DirecTV bill = paid. Connections = checked. Hmm. So I scan through the channels. I seem to have nearly all of them - except NESN and ESPN2, the two channels broadcasting the game!

A quick look at Sox message boards makes me realize this is happening nationwide. Not just DTV subscribers, but some who have Comcast cable are reporting similar problems. Thank Heavens I also subscribe to cable, so I was able to watch the game on ESPN2 there. To have been completely shut out would have made me (homicidal, suicidal)

It turns out there was some kind of national outage. They finally recovered NESN around the 8th inning - long after I left for work. My new DVR lay unused and neglected.

But the important thing is: the Red Sox won! An incredible game: 10 innings, four RBIs for Manny, some very shaky pitching from starter Daisuke and our bullpen. (I keep saying, "it's only March, it's only March.") JD Drew "injured." Brandon Moss' first ML home run.

Manny was named MVP of the game. He's shown above showing off the fruits of that title: One Million Yen (plus a color printer/copier from sponsor RICOH). When asked, he said he was going to spend the check on "gas money." I just hope he doesn't try to cash that check at a bank in Kenmore Square.

I think a Manny in incredible physical shape, plus a Manny entering a contract year, could mean an awesome offensive output for our Peter Pan of Left Field.

Tuesday a.m.: Yes, I actually have my DirecTV today!! However, because the Red Sox are the "visiting team," NESN is blacked out. So, I'm stuck with Steve Philips and that buffoon Gary Thorne. Oh, well...