Category: MLB (Page 327 of 448)

Manny Ramirez buckles and gets a haircut – kind of

One of the most talked about and debated sports topics of all time can finally come to an end: Dodgers’ outfielder Manny Ramirez abided by manager Joe Torre’s demands and got a haircut.

That’s right – Manny cut a full one-inch off that mane.

“One inch, half-an-inch,” Ramirez said regarding the cleanup. “It’s still long. If I come back next year, it will be shorter.”

“I was in the principal’s office right now,” Ramirez said upon emerging from Torre’s office some three hours before the Dodgers faced the Philadelphia Phillies. “(Torre) told me he’s fine, for now.”
When asked what that meant, Ramirez said: “Ask him. I’ve got to go stretch.”

Said Torre: “He came in and showed me. As Billy Crystal said in `Analyze That,’ it’s a process. He took a little bit off. It’s within the rules of cleaning it up a little bit. Right now, it’s around his shoulders. It’s not covering his name up. We’ll continue to monitor it.”

Boy, Joe Torre really laid down the law. Maybe by the time the season is over, Manny will have trimmed his hair all the way to the back of his neck!

Like I wrote Wednesday, Manny is going to do things his way and this situation proves it. “Get a haircut,” Joe Torre says. So what does Manny do? Gets an inch taken off and calls it a day. Hey, it’s a haircut, right?

It’s Manny’s world – we’re just renting space in it.

Top 10 reasons Boston and New York won’t win the World Series

THE SPORTS FANATIC details 10 reasons why neither the Boston Red Sox nor the New York Yankees will win the World Series in 2008.

Reason #2– The Red Sox traded away their best offensive player, Manny Rameriz. I’m not saying I disagree with why but I do disagree with Boston fans that say there was no alternative. If Boston had told Manny how important he was to the team and how they needed him then he would’ve relaxed and played baseball.

Reason #3– The Angels are just better. Top to bottom Anaheim looks like the best team in the major leagues to me, especially after they acquired Mark Teixiera.

Reason #5– The Yankees have 15 games left against Anaheim, Tampa Bay, and Boston left as they try to make their run towards the postseason.

Good list, but I’ll throw out a few more that weren’t covered:

Reason #11 – Pitching, pitching, pitching. The Yankees don’t have it.

Reason #12 – The injury bug has not only bitten the Red Sox, it’s starting to eat them alive.

Reason #13 – The article touched on this one, but it’s just not the Red Sox or Yankees’ year. It’s rather simple – other teams (Angels, Rays) have often outplayed Boston and New York this year.

Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami (Documentary Review)

Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami documents how and why most of the world knows Ali as the greatest boxer of all time. Going back to a time of severe racial tension, filmmakers Gaspar Gonzalez and Alan Tomlinson explore the beginning and rise of Ali – and the town where only a man like Ali could be believed in.

The film incorporates interviews from some of the most fascinating people that knew Ali personally. Unique characters themselves, anecdotes from ringside doctor Pacheco, trainer Angelo Dundee, and others provide vivid recollections of Ali’s lifestyle and fights. In addition, narrations from biographers provide context and a sense of the African-American experience during the 1960’s, a time when even young Ali returning home with the gold medal from the 1960 Olympics is refused from “whites only” restaurants.

In the words of Pacheco, Miami’s Fifth Street Gym was the island of democracy. With this gym Ali found his identity. Fifth Street gym becomes the backdrop where Ali’s trainer, Dundee encouraged his unorthodox boxing style, which has influenced not just boxers, but all kinds of athletes to this day. Throughout the film, original footage of Ali’s dramatic stage presence shows how he captivated both sports writers and audiences, forcing them to either love him or hate him.

This film also includes Ali’s relationship with Malcom X, membership to the Nation of Islam, and refusal to join the United States Army to fight in the Vietnam War. Also, his first championship fight against Sonny Liston is revisited, and it still carries its sense of suspense. Watching the fight again, it is evident why Ali proved his self-proclaimed title of “the greatest.” For the time, his inventive style was unorthodox and appeared clumsy; however, his motions blended beautifully with fierce counter jabs that knocked unsuspecting fighters to the floor.

Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami shows how Ali is truly more than a boxer. He has done what few athletes have been able to do; he transcended the sport and became a symbol for inspiration. Seamlessly, this film extends its exploration of Ali with the culture and perspective of the time period in which he lived. Audiences can now understand the forces that shaped the great American icon.

Also, be sure to check out our interview with the creators of the documentary.

Red Sox in trouble: Mike Lowell likely heading to DL

The Red Sox suffered another blow to their postseason chances when third basemen Mike Lowell suffered a strained right oblique in Boston’s wild 19-17 victory over the Texas Rangers Tuesday night at Fenway. The BoSox are likely to place Lowell on the disabled list as soon as today.

Lowell suffered the injury on a pair of swings in a seventh-inning at-bat and was removed from the game after striking out. He was moving gingerly after the game and was due to undergo an MRI this morning. Oblique injuries are generally slow to heal, and the fact that Lowell also has been slowed by a sore right hip probably clinches a two-week layoff on the DL.
“It’s frustrating because I’ve never had this happen before,” Lowell said. “I’d like to avoid (the DL), but the doc said it’s a possibility. I think right now it’s probably too early. (Today) after the MRI, they’ll have a lot more information.”

If Lowell lands on the disabled list, the Sox may opt to shift Kevin Youkilis [stats] over to third base and have Sean Casey take over at first. Then they probably would call up utility man Joe Thurston from Pawtucket or make a waiver-wire trade for a veteran infielder.

Losing Lowell hurts, but the Sox could be worse off than Youkilis and Casey at the corners. Casey has been known to turn up his game heading into the postseason and he’s not terrible defensively. Boston can thank the baseball gods for depth.

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