Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez will resume playing baseball games with Triple-A Albuquerque starting tonight, June 23, when the Isotopes play host to the Nashville Sounds. Ramirez, who can return to the Dodgers from his 50-game suspension on July 3, is scheduled to play three games at Albuquerque. Tonight’s game starts at 6:05 p.m. and will be carried live on MiLB.TV, while Manny’s at-bats with be carried live on ESPN television.
I think it’s a shame the other Isotopes players have to put up with this sideshow for as long as they do. It’s quite likely they’ll all construe the attention as positive, though, and accept Manny and the circus with a smile. Manny will charm and sign autographs and all the Isotopes players can say they were on the same team as ManRam, but the whole situation looks a lot like a walk of shame. That’s why I think he’s being placed in far-away outposts like Albuquerque and later, San Bernardino (he’ll be playing for the Inland Empire 66ers in the near future).
As his return date nears, all the inevitable questions will surface. When did you take steroids, Manny? Why did you take steroids, Manny? Are you undergoing a sex change? No? Then why the female hormones, Manny/Manuela? The Dodgers are smart to let some of those questions get asked somewhere other than inside Dodger Stadium. We’ll see if Manny will start answering.
I’m actually for changing the policy so that zero baseball can be played until the entire length of suspension has been served. I think it’s ridiculous that Ramirez can work his way into game shape by playing actual games before his suspension is up. Why does Major League Baseball give him 50 games when they only really make him serve 40? Seems hypocritical, in the least.
It also seems hypocritical for those writers who are heaping praise upon United States MNT head coach Bob Bradley after the side’s 3-0 victory over Egypt last week are the same writers who were blasting the coach for his lineup changes and tactical decisions earlier in the Confederations Cup. Granted, there aren’t too many kudos to be passed around after lopsided loses to Italy and Brazil so I can see why some writers were shocked into writing feel-good pieces about the suddenly maligned coach — the team was facing certain elimination and is now in the semifinals (the U.S. scored an improbable 3-0 win over the Egyptians). It was all very exciting and was only made possible by the tie-breaker scenario (goal differential), which is so totally Euro. At least in this case, the rules actually worked in the Yanks favor.
Lucas Glover winning the U.S. Open may end up working in favor of Lucas Oil, a “manufacturer of petroleum additives and oils for high performance engines” or motor and industrial oil manufacturer. The company should sign Glover to an endorsement contract before someone else does. I mean, how many Lucas’s are there out there, really? George Lucas and… well… there was that movie “Lucas,” but that’s about it. It makes perfect sense. And Glover has that hickory-sweet voice that sells well to your core market — NASCAR fans. I love it when a plan comes together.
I thought the plan was starting to come together for the Anaheim Angels. Now I’m not so sure. The team had run off seven consecutive victories but then drops 2 of 3 to the Dodgers over the weekend before getting blasted 11-1 by the Colorado Rockies on Monday, June 22. That was crap but then comes the bad news: starting pitcher Ervin Santana is headed to the DL to join fellow gimp Kelvim Escobar. The sky continues to fall on this team this season and only a weak division is helping their prospects, and I don’t mean Brandon Wood. What’s with that guy, anyway? He should be raking in the big leagues by now but it’s Sean Rodriguez getting the call up? Wood was supposed to be hitting 25 dingers-a-year last year and has yet to spend extended time with the Halos. Play him or trade him.
The San Francisco 49ers should play Alex Smith this season or trade him. Do they really need to continue to commit to this guy if he’s never going to grasp the starting job? If Sean Hill’s your guy, then he’s the guy. If head coach Mike Singletary says it’ll be an open competition, then say it’s Smith’s spot to lose and the next decision is final. If Hill beats him out (for whatever reason), then Smith gets dumped. Quit dragging out the inevitable. And quit making the team’s fanbase stew in a pot with a failed No. 1 overall selection. It’s bad for morale and it’s bad for business.
I like what NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is telling players who run afoul of the law, that is: they are bad for business. Goodell banned Donte Stallworth from playing in the upcoming season after the player pled guilty to manslaugter. The commissioner has taken a hard line, one-year stance on players who do not follow the NFL’s conduct policy and I think it’s the right one. Goodell can’t have murderers/players on the field. It’s not the best PR move. Next up is Plaxico “Itchy Trigger” Burress. Goodell’s in a tough spot here because the only person Burress hurt was himself. I say the bum’s suffered enough.
One bum who hasn’t suffered enough is Richard Jefferson. Jefferson, who was with the New Jersey Nets when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals, was acquired by the San Antonio Spurs in a trade with Jefferson’s now former team, the Milwaukee Bucks. Apparently, Jefferson hasn’t had enough of losing to the Lakers in the playoffs and wants to try it again next season. The Spurs were hurt in this trade, giving away Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas, three key defensive pieces who helped serve as the backbone of a soft team. With Jefferson, the Spurs will score more points. Without Bowen, Oberto and Thomas, they won’t stop anybody.
