Sports of Boston » Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez’s Return: Orioles or A’s… Why Bother?

andrew macdonald — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:25:01 +0000

Do you ever get the feeling like there’s no one on earth who loves you? That feeling that you’re completely alone in the world, completely abandoned by people who once cared so much for you?

I bet that Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles fans feel that way all the time. These two franchises had so much to look forward to at one point in their history: World titles, All-Star players and recorded-setting teams are now all gone. The fans of these teams have nothing left but to watch the Angels, Rangers, Red Sox and the Yankees dominate their respective divisions. There isn’t much to brag about or look forward to if you’re a Baltimore or Oakland fan. Almost as if the grace of God is non-existent.

And if anyone in either city still even believes in God, they’re about to have one more reason to abandon faith because Manny Ramirez may be headed to one of these two sorry, sorry franchises. Apparently, the rumor mill (and reputable news sources, but what’s the difference anymore) is spouting some talk of Manny being Manny in Baltimore or Oakland. I can’t even believe that the management of these (I almost wrote respected) teams are even considering taking in a player who is way past is prime and won’t even play in the first 50 games of the season. If I lived in Oakland or Baltimore and I read the headline “Manny’s coming to Town!,” I’d quickly flip to any and all stories about drive-byes and missing children to cheer me up.

Why Bother?

At this time, there’s no contract information available, but if the O’s and A’s are smart, which they aren’t, they better not sign him for more than the league minimum. Also, they should add in a ton of incentives. It’s a smart way to try to actually get something out of him.

The issue is: what’s left for Manny Ramirez to give? His last few seasons where way below the usual Manny production and after a year off, I highly doubt he’s found “it” again. He’d certainly be limited to just a designated hitter, but then again, if they’re considering Manny, then they’d probably let him play centerfield and maybe close a few games too.

From what is being reported, Oakland needs a DH and they find Manny to be an intriguing signing. As for the Orioles, Dan Duquette is Baltimore’s GM and he’s obviously dealt with Manny before, so he’s willing to take this risk. In 2001, he signed Ramirez to a $160 million deal with Boston and referred to him in his press conference as both “interesting”and “entertaining.” I highly doubt he’ll use either of those words when all the Orioles fans slash his car’s tires.

Do These Teams Have Anything to Gain?

I don’t entirely blame two of the lowest ranking teams in baseball to want to shake things up and stir some interest in their teams. The circus atmosphere will certainly have people coming to witness what could be a giant calamity. I don’t know how many national ESPN or FOX games one single player would help these teams get to, if any. Oakland actually has a decent, young team, which with the right management and signings could actually redeem the franchise a little.

I’d hate to see Manny come in and alienate people and pout/get bored when the losing streaks start. The A’s actually have hope (the O’s not so much), but Oakland can do something someday, much like Texas very slowly built a two-time AL champion. They need to be smart right now, not naive to “entertaining” signings. They may even move to San Jose in a few years, so positive press is a must right now.

Baltimore’s Motives

As for Baltimore, if they want to use Manny to bring in more to Camden Yards, that’s fine. He may even hit a little, considering it’s a small ballpark. But, this too has disaster written all over it because I don’t think Manny is really the Buck Showalter “type.” He has an attitude problem and Buck isn’t the type of guy who’s going to sit back and take the typical Manny being Manny being an ass, especially since Manny wouldn’t be in the same position in Baltimore as he was in Boston. Showalter would have much more of a right to complain about Manny and call him out in interviews. I don’t see these two mixing well, not one bit.

And yes, I am aware that in a recent interview, Ramirez told ESPN and Pedro Gomez that he wants to show everyone that he can change and that he can still play ball. I’m not saying Manny is a bad guy atall. I’m sure he’s actually a pretty decent man if you met him, but I don’t really believe what he told ESPN. Maybe he’ll change for a day, a week or a month. And then what? He gets bored and like a little kid, he starts trouble. He’ll open his mouth and it’ll rub someone, or everyone, the wrong way. Then, when that happens, you’ll end up (just like in Boston) with a whole mess of people angry at him and one or two making excuses for him. Does any team really need that?

He Won’t Change

He’s going to be sitting out the first 50 games. Let’s remember this; he’ll be sitting around doing nothing for 50 straight games. He’s better off serving the suspension at home because there’s no need for him to sit in the dugout, unavailable,
watching his team lose until mid-May.

Usually, when it comes to players with bad attitudes, I’m fairly passive. I’ve always adopted the stance that as long as they keep their attitudes and off-the-field drama away from the stadium and batter’s box, it’s fine by me. But Manny brings his issues with him where ever he goes. It’s not like I’m trying to make Manny out to be some brood, dark trouble maker. No, if anything, he’s like a child. He can have that childlike characteristic about him where he can make you love him, but also he can kick and scream until everyone’s good time is ruined.

And unfortunately for Oakland and Baltimore, they hardly ever have any good times to begin with.

Manny Ramirez Seeks Return: Should He Still Serve Steroids Suspension?

Matthew Bond — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:40:05 +0000

The name ‘Manny Ramirez’ has significant implications in this area. Every New England sports fan can recall some grand memory of the days of Manny patrolling left field at Fenway. The bathroom break in the Green Monster during the non-pitching change, the dugout fight with Kevin Youkilis, the high five to a fan in Baltimore on a running catch and double play, and the legendary Johnny Damon cutoff play. For me, it’s got to be Manny selling a grill on eBay.

It’s truly amazing that Theo Epstein and Terry Francona managed to put up with his antics for as long as they did. It seems that no matter what, the world of ‘Manny Being Manny’ continues to deliver headlines, even now in a Brett Favre-esque retirement stage as it seems. The recent news that Manny was looking into playing baseball again in Winter baseball led to his realization that he is ineligible to do so until he serves the 100-game suspension he retired away from in the first place. The question out of this bizarre situation is whether or not the retirement period should count towards the 100 games. If so, then his time is served and he can return for 2012. If not, then he will have to find a team willing to sign him to a contract for next season, knowing that he will be unable to actually play a game until mid-July.

The only real stance for Manny’s sudden retirement counting towards the 100 games is those with sympathy for the former star slugger, once thought of as the greatest right-handed hitter in the game. People want to see Manny play baseball in the Major Leagues. It doesn’t matter the team or the city or his significance on a roster. If a team signs Manny to play for them next season, fans will want to see him on the field creating story lines as he always seems to. A perfect fit could be the Florida Marlins, who are switching to a new stadium in 2012 and becoming the Miami Marlins, certainly reasons enough to try and bring in new fans. Such a lengthy suspension to begin the season would certainly harm Manny’s chances at being signed, though. It would difficult for any teams to try and account for an aged outfielder coming out of retirement on their roster in the offseason, especially with him having to be absent for the first three and half months of the season.

I think Manny still needs to serve his suspension, and will at the start of this upcoming season. Personally I’m not against the use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball, but I do stand by the fact that players who make such decisions need to accept the punishments handed down by Major League Baseball. In the end, I think there’s a general manager out there somewhere who will be willing to take a flyer on him, even if it’s for no other reason than to make a headline. Kind of like Manny himself.

TMZ: Manny Ramirez Arrested for Domestic Violence

Josh Segal — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:12:23 +0000

According to reports, former Red Sox outfielder, Manny Ramirez, has been arrested for alleged domestic violence. Ramirez was taken in handcuffs from his home in Weston, Florida. He’s been charged with battery.

Reaction

I’m not even going to try making a “Manny being Manny” joke. Manny is such a destructive human being. At every possible opportunity he never refrains from doing something incredibly stupid. He ruined his legacy with the Red Sox and ruined his legacy as a player by taking illegal substances.

He constantly let his teammates down, and now he’s allegedly committed domestic violence. Great hitter; not so great role model.

Sputtering Red Sox Come Out Flat Against Jays, Lose Again

Michael Ryan — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 02:59:32 +0000

For the second straight night, the Red Sox faltered North of the border, dropping the series finale to the Blue Jays 7-4.

Ricky Romero finally managed to beat Boston, surrendering 3 runs in 6.2 innings. All of those runs came late for the Red Sox as Romero had batters guessing for most of the night. It was his first win in September after he won every decision in August.

Andrew Miller took the loss, getting slapped around for 8 hits and 5 runs over 5 innings.

Francona Pays the Price For Handicapping the Lineup

I’ve been throwing a lot of expletives Terry’s way during this series. I didn’t agree with the stumbling Matt Albers finding his way to the mound Wednesday night, and I equally disagreed with the watered-down starting nine Thursday night.

Perhaps it was confidence since the Sox had slapped around Romero in previous encounters, but it just wasn’t the time to give Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford the night off. The team is slumping badly. After Wednesday’s debacle, they needed every multi-million dollar man.

For the record, I was yelling at Jason Varitek getting the start as well, but he shut me up in the ninth (with a HR).

Another Poor Showing For Miller

Terry Francona must be crying himself to sleep longingly watching tape of Miller’s game in Arlington, because that looks like the best he’s going to get. The Steve Prefontaine look-alike didn’t have a long run (terrible pun, I know) on the mound, sputtering through 5 innings of 5-run ball. He wasn’t exactly fooling many of the Toronto hitters.

J.P. for Three

This season I cancelled my MLB TV package for the first time in four years due to some personal budgetary cuts. It’s too bad because I can no longer browse through random games and run into significant moments like the MLB debut of J.P. Arencibia which I found last season. He cracked 2 home runs and 4 hits in that coming-out party, and it looks like he hasn’t skipped much of a beat in the power department. After taking Tim Wakefield deep to tie last night’s game, he took Miller to the retractable roof tonight. The ball wasn’t quite comparable to the Manny Ramirez back wall 15^th deck shot back when the place was called SkyDome, but man does this kid have some pop.

What’s Ahead

My finger is hovering over the panic button, but I’m not going to touch press it yet. I will say that it feels like all the terrible timing in the world is converging on this team at once. Josh Beckett and Erik Bedard getting temporarily shelved — not good. Boston heading on the road to take on one of the only teams with a slight hope of catching them in the wild card – also not good. Jon Lester is the only reliable starter facing Tampa Bay this weekend, and he draws James Shields.

I’ll let you know Monday morning if my finger is still hovering.

Did Manny Ramirez Cost Himself A Call to the Hall of Fame?

Brian Moller — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 04:23:42 +0000

October 27, 2004. That was the night. Euphoria spilling through the streets of Boston, the dream had come true. The Red Sox, after 86 years, had finally won the World Series and on the back of World Series MVP Manny Ramirez.

As Red Sox Nation watched Manny sprint in joyously to the infield to celebrate with his teammates, we all wished we could run in with him. We loved him and the heavy stick he carried to the plate. He, alongside David Ortiz, had finally brought the Commissioner’s Trophy back to Fenway.

In the series, Manny batted .412 with 4 RBI and a homerun. He was the rightful recipient of the MVP award. After being presented with the honor Manny said:

“I don’t believe in curses, I believe you make your own destination.”

At the time, Ramirez had no idea where his final destination would really be. I’m sure he assumed it would be somewhere in Cooperstown. Now after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs for the second time, he could find himself being left off a number of Hall of Fame ballots altogether.

Staring a 100-game suspension in the face for his second failed test, Ramirez decided it would be best to retire. The retirement is a shocking and sad way to end what was an amazing career. When Manny was in Boston, he and Ortiz were like brothers. After hearing the news, Ortiz felt for the troubled slugger.

Ortiz said, “It’s sad to see a player with that much talent and an unbelievable career, get him out of the game with negativity.”

The numbers for Ramirez were a direct reflection of how truly talented he was. In 19 years, Ramirez hit 555 homeruns with a career batting average of .312. He drove in 1,831 runs and was a 12-time All-Star. He played for the Indians, Red Sox, Dodgers, White Sox and Rays. He was one easily of the most feared right handed hitters the game had ever seen.

Manny’s personality was just as big as his bat, and at times, it was tough to bring him back to earth from Mannyland. The act started to get old when Ramirez started hiding in the Green Monster between innings and went after teammate Kevin Youkilis in the dugout during a game on June 5, 2008. The team was tired of the antics and finally shipped Ramirez to LA for Jason Bay in a three-team deal.

In LA, Manny showed new life and brought energy to Dodgers Stadium. Like in Boston, Manny eventually quit on his team and force himself out of town, but not before he’d fail his first drug test that led to a 50-game suspension.

Ramirez was later claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox, but wasn’t the same. He was then signed by the Tamp Bay Rays this offseason. Ramirez wouldn’t be there long. He failed a drug test in spring training to force him out of the game.

Steroids And His Hall Chances

The steroid issue in baseball has been well documented and many of the players with steroids attached to their names are facing a tough road to Cooperstown. A number of Hall of Fame voters have made a stand against steroids and performance-enhancers, vowing not to vote for players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Roger Clemens. The difference between Ramirez and those men is that their drug use was before Major League Baseball’s drug policy was adopted in 2006. Manny failed his tests after the policy had been in place, proving to be just flat out stupid.

Manny was never known for his brilliance, but failing two tests after a policy was in place puts a huge asterisk next to his name on the ballot. It forces voters to assume that if he was doing this with a policy in place, he must have been doing it all along.

Ramirez now has left himself with little to no chance of getting into the Hall anytime soon. Maybe one day when some new voters are in place and the “steroid era,” is far in the past he’ll have a chance.

Manny was Manny for 19 seasons. He hit the leather off the ball all across the country. He gave us laughs and warmed some hearts with a smile and a two handed point. It cannot be denied that he was one of the best we’ve ever seen, but finally Manny being Manny was too much.

Manny had this to say about his retirement:

“I’m at ease. God knows what’s best [for me]. I’m now an officially retired baseball player. I’ll be going away on a trip to Spain with my old man.”

That could be the only trip Manny will be making, because the once feared hitter won’t be making a trip to the Hall any time soon.

Manny Ramirez Retires From Baseball

KC Downey — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:34:20 +0000

Manny Ramirez will not see the Red Sox when the Rays come to town next week. Why? Manny has announced his retirement from Major League Baseball in an apparent response to news that he failed a steroid test in spring training.

“Ramirez tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug during spring training and was recently informed of the positive result.” (according to the New York Times)

Major League Baseball announced his retirement on Friday.

“Major League Baseball recently notified Manny Ramirez of an issue under Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program,” the statement said. “Rather than continue with the process under the Program, Ramirez has informed MLB that he is retiring as an active player. If Ramirez seeks reinstatement in the future, the process under the Drug Program will be completed. MLB will not have any further comment on this matter.”

He was suspended for 50 games in 2009 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and would have been suspended for 100 games this season considering he apparently violated the policy again.

If Manny is indeed done, he finishes with 555 HRs and 1,831 RBI over a 19-year career with the Indians, Red Sox, Dodgers, White Sox, and Rays.

Is he a Hall of Famer? Comment below!

Red Sox Spring Training (3/14-3/20): Rotation Set Thursday, Roster Trimmed Twice

Matt Goisman — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 05:11:28 +0000

Sports of Boston’s coverage of Red Sox Spring Training rolls on! April 1 fast approaches, and the Red Sox Opening Day roster is definitely taking shape. Terry Francona announced Wednesday that Jon Lester would open the regular season against the Texas Rangers in Arlington. On Thursday, Francona set the rest of the starting rotation. John Lackey (2-0, 1.72 ERA in four preseason starts) will pitch second, followed by Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett, and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

The Red Sox also trimmed their roster Thursday, optioning four players to Triple-A Pawtucket and reassigning a fifth to Minor League camp. Among the optioned players were shortstops Yamaico Navarro and top prospect Jose Iglesias. In 17 Spring Training games this year, Navarro batted .273 with five RBIs. Iglesias batted .320 while showing off his defensive prowess. It’s only a matter of time before we see Iglesias again at Fenway.

In a related move, the Red Sox optioned Daniel Nava (.205 BA, 14 strikeouts this preseason) to Triple-A Pawtucket as part of three roster moves made Sunday morning.

Now that the transactions are out of the way, on to the games!

Red Sox 2, Yankees 1

The Red Sox completed their preseason sweep of the New York Yankees Monday in a nationally televised night game that showed off just how improved the Boston bullpen is. Boston relievers combined for six scoreless innings after Red Sox starter Alfredo Aceves went three, giving up a run on three hits and a walk. Bobby Jenks got the win, giving up just a hit in a scoreless sixth inning. In five preseason innings, Jenks has yet to give up a run.

Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect fifth inning, striking out one. Non-roster invitee Rich Hill pitched two scoreless innings, giving up just a hit for the six-out save.

The Red Sox went into the bottom of the fifth down 1-0, but tied it when Marco Scutaro scored from third on one of Yankees minor leaguer Dellin Betances’s two wild pitches. The Red Sox took the lead in the sixth, when catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia drove in Navarro with an RBI groundout.

In his second game back from injury, Adrian Gonzalez went 1-3.

Red Sox 2, Tigers 1 (10 innings)

Being able to say that Matsuzaka out-dueled somebody has been an infrequent occurrence in recent seasons. Matsuzaka out-dueling an elite pitcher in the MLB is even rarer. But that’s exactly what happened Tuesday.

The box score will give both Matsuzaka and Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander no-decisions. But the fact remains that Matsuzaka out-pitched Verlander in what was easily Matsuzaka’s best start this Spring Training. Matsuzaka gave up just two hits and a walk in five scoreless innings, striking out five. Verlander went 5 1/3, giving up an earned run on two hits. He also struck out five.

The Red Sox won on a 10th-inning home run from designated hitter Darnell McDonald.

The Red Sox bullpen did not allow a hit after the seventh inning. Michael Bowden pitched a perfect eighth inning, and non-roster invitee Brandon Duckworth gave up just two walks in two innings, picking up the win.

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on a Jacoby Ellsbury solo home run, but reliever Matt Albers couldn’t hold it, giving up a seventh-inning home run to Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera.

The only other Red Sox to reach base were J.D. Drew (1-3), left fielder Nava (hit by pitch), and non-roster second baseman Nate Spears (walk).

Braves 4, Red Sox 3

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead against the Atlanta Braves Wednesday when Scutaro homered on the second pitch of the game. Unfortunately, the top of the first was the only time the Red Sox ever led. Starter Lester gave the lead away in the bottom of the first on three straight hits (he then retired 10 of the next 11 batters), then gave up two more runs in the fifth.

In 4 2/3 innings, Lester gave up three earned runs on eight hits and a walk, striking out four. He only avoided taking the loss because the Red Sox tied the game 3-3 in the seventh inning. A Saltalamacchia double scored Navarro, then right fielder Josh Reddick drove in Saltalamacchia with a single.

The loss went to non-roster invitee Dennys Reyes, who gave up an RBI bunt single to Braves catcher David Ross in the seventh inning.

Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia both went 1-3.

Red Sox 8, Mets 5

Lackey continued his dominant Spring Training on Thursday against the New York Mets, showing off exactly what Francona thought qualified him to be the No. 2 starter. Lackey went 5 1/3 innings, giving up just one run on five hits and a walk while striking out two. His performance was more than enough for a Red Sox offense that banged out 11 hits and eight runs against the hapless Mets.

By the time the Mets scored off Lackey in the fifth, the Red Sox were up 2-0. And as soon as Lackey gave up the run, the Red Sox scored three more to push the lead to 5-1.

Left fielder Carl Crawford and shortstop Jed Lowrie both went 2-3 with two RBIs Thursday (Crawford also stole a base). Non-roster infielder Drew Sutton went 2-4 with a two-run home run. Ellsbury also reached base twice, going 1-2 with a walk and a run scored.

Given a 9-1 lead, Jonathan Papelbon struggled in the ninth. He faced seven batters, giving up four runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter. He struck out none and recorded just two outs, forcing Francona to bring in Eammon Portice for the final out and the save.

Tigers 8, Red Sox 3

Buchholz’s four-inning, one-earned-run (on five hits and two walks) performance might not have been enough to win no matter what in Friday’s split-squad game against the Detroit Tigers. But it was the Red Sox defense – or lack thereof – that really killed them.

The Tigers scored four runs in the fifth inning on miscues by the Boston infield. Gonzalez began the inning by muffing a grounder, then Youkilis committed an error on the next play, followed by Gonzalez two plays after that. Tigers designated hitter Ryan Raburn followed with a two-run home run off Hideki Okajima for the 5-1 Tigers lead.

The Red Sox didn’t fare much better at the plate, where they only recorded four hits. Pedroia hit a first-inning solo shot and later reached on a walk, and Youkils knocked in two. Center fielder Ryan Kalish went 2-3 with a run scored. He also reached on a walk and stole two bags. Kalish leads the team with five preseason stolen bases.

Rays 7, Red Sox 3

Tim Wakefield did little to convince anyone he belongs anywhere besides the bullpen during the second half of Friday’s split-squad action. In just three innings of work, Wakefield allowed six earned runs on seven hits and a walk. He allowed four home runs, including to Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria and former Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez.

The Red Sox were down 6-0 after three innings, so there was not much they could do at the plate that would matter. And “not much” is exactly what they did, to the tune of just five hits. Ellsbury and Sutton each had two, going 2-4 with a run scored apiece. Drew had the fifth hit, a single. The Red Sox did draw six walks off Rays pitchers, and Red Sox pitchers stranded 10 Rays runners. But that’s a small silver lining to an otherwise awful baseball game.

Pirates 7, Red Sox 5

Saturday afternoon’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates saw a third-straight poor pitching performance by a Red Sox starter. This time, it was Beckett who struggled, giving up seven hits and a walk in 4 1/3 innings. But just like in Buchholz’s start Friday, the defense hurt the team more than the pitching. Spears’ error at first led to four unearned Pirates runs in the fourth, and the inning ended with the Pirates up 5-0.

The Red Sox got four of those runs back in the middle innings, but Aceves gave up two runs in the bottom of the seventh, and the Red Sox just ran out of outs.

The Boston offense at least came alive Saturday, banging out 11 hits against Pirates pitchers. Scutaro and Sutton each had two hits for Boston, with Scutaro driving one in from the leadoff spot and Sutton scoring once. Both of Sutton’s hits were doubles. Spears went 1-3 with two runs scored, also reaching on a walk, and McDonald reached base twice on a hit and a walk.

Cardinals 10, Red Sox 3

First the good news: Red Sox pitchers held the St. Louis Cardinals scoreless for eight innings of Sunday’s game. Now the bad news: the Cardinals scored 10 runs in the sixth inning.

Starter Matsuzaka took the loss, giving up two earned runs on three hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. But for once, Matsuzaka wasn’t really the problem. Non-roster invitee Andrew Miller followed Matsuzaka in the sixth, and promptly allowed six runs on four hits and two walks. He did not record an out.

At the plate, the Red Sox banged out nine hits, but were only able to put up three runs. Scutaro went 2-2 and reached on a walk. Spears drove in two with a double in the seventh and later scored. Youkilis went 1-2 with a walk.

The Red Sox are now on a four-game preseason losing streak.

Final Thoughts

The Red Sox started the week a game over .500 and are now a game under (12-13-1). A promising first four games were soured by a rather pathetic weekend. What’s most troubling is that most of the losses can be attributed to players expected to contribute to the major-league team. Wakefield and Okajima will most likely be on the major league roster, but right now both have ERAs of 6.00 or worse. And Beckett’s 5.02 ERA isn’t much better. Good thing Jenks’s is still 0.00.

Slightly more comforting is Matsuzaka’s performance this week. He’s the fifth starter, which means expectations for him this season will be low. If he can consistently perform as he did this week, he will likely surpass those expectations.

We can forgive the two games lost due to defensive errors. Defense has not been a problem during other games this Spring Training, and Spears will likely not even be on the major league roster come April 1. Neither will Miller, who in seven preseason games has a double-digit ERA.

Hitter of the Week honors go to Scutaro and Sutton. Scutaro had five hits, including a home run, with two runs and two RBIs. He will probably have to platoon at shortstop with Lowrie, but if he keeps hitting like this he may keep his job as starter.

Sutton had six hits this week, including a home run and two doubles, with two runs and two RBIs. A non-roster invitee, Sutton has likely done enough to at least merit a minor league contract. A switch hitter with some major league experience (105 at-bats), Sutton may make a more viable mid-season call-up over Iglesias if Scutaro or Lowrie get injured.

Extending Francona: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

Matt Goisman — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 05:08:01 +0000

Sports Illustrated writer Jon Heyman tweeted Tuesday that the Red Sox “intend” to pick up manager Terry Francona’s two-year, $9 million extension, meaning that Francona will be with the ball club through 2013. Already the second-longest-tenured manager in Red Sox history, Francona and general manager Theo Epstein also tie Chicago White Sox GM Kenny Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen as longest-intact pair in Major League Baseball.

The Best Red Sox Manager Ever?

Between the extension and Monday’s induction into the College Baseball Hall of Fame, it’s been a pretty good week for Francona. And why not? He’s the best manager the Red Sox have ever had. Only one other manager- Bill Carrigan, 1913-1916- has won two World Series, and Francona blows all competition out of the water in both playoff wins (28) and total games (45). Only Joe Cronin (1935-1947) has more regular-season wins (1,071 vs. 654 for Francona), and only five managers have a better career winning percentage (.577). But of those five, none managed even half as many regular-season games as Francona has (1,134).

We don’t think of Francona as a great manager because of the way he carries himself. His posture, his smile, his sense of humor, his speech patterns, they all scream “folksy.” He doesn’t carry himself with the professionalism of Joe Torre or Tony La Russa, nor does he have the authoritarian qualities of Buck Showalter. When he gets into shouting matches with umpires, he looks silly, sometimes even anemic. He lacks the fire of Guillen, Lou Pinella or Bobby Cox. And if the players love him, they don’t show it as outwardly as the Rockies might with Clint Hurdle or the Rays with Joe Maddon.

What Makes Francona Great

Francona doesn’t display any of these qualities, and yet he does the two things managers have to do: make on-field decisions (lineup, relief pitching, etc.) that lead to wins, and talk to the press. Neither is an easy task in Boston. The Red Sox have had their fair share of prima donnas come through Fenway’s locker room, and Francona has had to deal with some of the worst. Pedro Martinez. Manny Ramirez. Curt Schilling. Even this current squad, devoid of melodrama though it appears to be, still has a few players whose cockiness demands constant attention, in particular Josh Beckett.

Francona seems undaunted by these players, an attribute that his predecessor, Grady Little, did not possess. Whatever we might think of Francona, he seems to get strong performances out his team, no matter the mental make-up of individual players. And to his credit, any issues that the team might have are kept internal. With the Boston sports media as obsessed with the Red Sox as they are, it’s impossible to keep serious intra-team conflict private for long. But that’s what Francona manages to do.

The only real fight the press reported was the Kevin Youkilis-Ramirez fight in June 2008, less than two months before Ramirez was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. But given the players Francona has managed over the years, just one conflict reported in seven years borders on miraculous. It’s true that Francona usually manages a team so stocked in talent that any manager could be successful. But the same could be said about the 2003 Red Sox, and Little’s managing deficiencies directly cost that squad a shot at a World Series title.

Less recognized but equally valuable is Francona’s ability to handle Boston’s incessant sports media. In Moneyball, Michael Lewis described the press as “so reliably venomous that it was impossible to distinguish the poison directed at the new regime from the poison they’d aimed at every other person who had the temerity to pass through Fenway Park” (294-295). And there have been plenty of barbs slung Francona’s way since he took over.

But through it all, Francona has never wavered in how he deals with the press. No matter what’s on his mind, Francona always takes the time for pre-game interviews and post-game press conferences. He answers questions honestly, fully and respectfully without bending over backwards. He’s found a middle ground between Bill Belichick’s stonewalling and Doc Rivers’ obsequiousness. He keeps reporters away from the stuff he wants kept internal by essentially giving them everything else. It’s a smart, calculated move that makes for great press conferences and gives the organization an aura of stability.

Perhaps the best way to describe Francona would be to say he extends his own levelheadedness over the rest of team and the press. But whatever he does, the proof is in the pudding. Francona has won 654 games, an AL East title and two World Series rings.

Can’t argue with that.

Et Tu Manny? Ramirez and Damon Both Sign With Rays

Justin Power — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 06:12:20 +0000

SI.com is reporting that the Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to contracts with f0rmer Red Sox Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon. According to Sports Illustrated, the deals are pending physicals and are one-year deals. Damon’s deal would be worth $5.25 million, plus a potential $750,000 in bonus money based on attendance, while Ramirez will be making $2 million flat.

It’s hard to forget that both players were integral members of the infamous “Idiots” who won the World Series for the Red Sox in 2004. With his trademark locks and mangy beard, Damon was a quirky counterpart to Ramirez with his flowing dreadlocks and zany personality. The 37-year-old Damon appeared in 145 games with Detroit in 2010, hitting .271 with eight homers and 11 stolen bases, totaling a .355 on-base percentage. Ramirez, 38, appeared in a combined 90 games with both the Dodgers and White Sox in ’10, hitting .298 with nine home runs and he finished with an OPS of .870.

Red Sox Eliminated From 2010 Playoffs; Lose to White Sox in 9th

KC Downey — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 03:57:38 +0000

Ever take a test in high school or college and know you totally bombed it? You sat down, looked at the exam, blanked on more than half of the answers, and just filled in bubble “C” all the way down, hoping to strike gold and pass the test? Well, that’s how the last couple weeks has felt for the Red Sox. For a while now, they have just been too far out of it, and it only seemed inevitable to hear the news that they failed the test (in this case, failed to qualify for the 2010 playoffs).

After delaying the inevitable for about a week, the Red Sox finally were mathematically eliminated from postseason play when the Yankees won their game early Tuesday evening. As soon as that news crossed the wires, it appeared that the wind in the Red Sox sail was gone, and all motivation to finish off the season strong was lacking. Still, the Red Sox clung to a 4-2 lead in the seventh inning as they pushed toward 90 wins.

Unfortunately, starter John Lackey was unable to proceed past the sixth inning, so the Red Sox were forced to turn to Scott Atchison in the seventh inning. Atchison failed to record an out, allowing two hits, and on came lefty Rich Hill. Hill got out of the inning, but not before allowing an RBI single to Brent Morel.

Daniel Bard had an uncharacteristically off performance in the eighth inning, as he allowed the game-tying run on a hit and two walks. With the game now tied 4-4 and the team officially eliminated from postseason play, Terry Francona dug deep into his bullpen, and decided to give important late-game innings to some of his younger pitchers.

First up was Michael Bowden, who was able to record two outs in the ninth but he also allowed an infield hit to Juan Pierre, who subsequently stole second and third. Dustin Richardson then came on and walked the only person he faced, leaving runners on the corners and two outs for Matt Fox.

Fox allowed a sinking line drive to left, and Daniel Nava made an incredible diving effort to nearly catch the ball and save the game for the Sox. Instead, the ball hit his glove and rolled behind him, easily allowing Pierre to score from third base.

The White Sox won 5-4, scoring one run in each of the final three innings.

Sox Stud of the Game: David Ortiz

Big Papi finished 3-4, including a sixth inning home run off Edwin Jackson that gave the Sox some breathing room with a 4-2 lead. He now has 32 HRs on the season.

Sox Dud of the Game: Felipe Lopez

Lopez started his first game with the Red Sox at second base, and finished 0-4 with two strikeouts.

Game Notes:

W: Chris Sale (2-1)
L: Michael Bowden (0-1)

In all, John Lackey finished with two runs allowed on three hits and two walls over six innings.
Sale worked the final two innings for the win.
Daniel Bard reach 100 mph on the gun on a few occasions during the at-bat with Manny Ramirez. Manny later walked.