Category: MLB (Page 448 of 448)

For the past week, everyone was wondering if Manny Ramirez would be in Boston following today’s trade deadline. Well, he is and Sunday afternoon, he showed why the Sox were so reluctant to give him up. Ramirez didn’t start the past two games, with manager Terry Francona saying he and Manny thought, under the circumstances, that it would be best if he sat out until all of the hoopla surrounding his possible trade died down. But this afternoon, with runners on first and second and the game tied in the bottom of the eighth inning, Manny stepped to the plate to a roaring ovation and promptly delivered the game-winning single. Manny loved it, saluting the crowd and smiling as he stood on first, and Sox fans loved it too.

Ramirez was booed pretty heavily at Fenway throughout his latest “episode,” but the bottom line is he’s one of the top run-producers in all of baseball and a future Hall of Famer, and you don’t give guys like that away. Sure, he’s got his issues but with the game on the line and runners on base, there aren’t many players I’d want at the plate more than Manny Ramirez. And I’m sure Francona and most Sox fans feel the same way.

So AJ Burnett is still with the Marlins, Alfonso Soriano is still in Texas and Manny Ramirez is still with Boston. What a boring deadline day for baseball, with no big names changing teams. Randy Winn? Geoff Blum? Ron Villone? Yawn.

Of course, a couple of teams managed to improve, with the Cubs picking up Matt Lawton from the Pirates for Jody Gerut and the Braves strengthening their bullpen by adding Tigers closer Kyle Farnsworth for two young arms. The Giants, meanwhile, may be better off with Winn in center field but Jesse Foppert was too much to pay in return.

But what about everyone else? All of the contenders have holes that needed to be filled: the Red Sox need help at the back end of their bullpen, regardless of whether or not Keith Foulke regains his form after returning from the DL, the Yankees have been trying to plug the leaks in their rotation with guys like Al Leiter and Shawn Chacon, and the Twins, White Sox, Mets and just about everyone in the NL West could use a bat or two. With all the build up we’ve been subjected to the past couple of weeks, the relative lack of movement is surprising and disappointing. In particular, the Red Sox seemed to have missed out on a golden opportunity, considering the problems the Yankees are having with their rotation. Getting a guy like Aubrey Huff from the Devil Rays would’ve instantly improved their chances of winning the East, and you’re telling me they couldn’t do any better than Roman Colon and Zach Miner, the pitchers Atlanta gave up for Farnsworth? Farnsworth’s power arm would’ve been the perfect Foulke insurance. Plus, the Yankees’ struggles present a golden opportunity for everyone else in the AL to sneak into the playoffs, but teams like the Twins, Blue Jays, A’s and Indians failed to take advantage.

Now, the attention turns back to the standings, with the Red Sox, White Sox, Angels, Braves, Cardinals and Padres leading their respective divisions, and Oakland and Houston topping some tight wild-card races. It’ll be interesting, even if deadline day was anything but.

The boo-birds at Wrigley Field this year are out of hand. It used to be that a Cub player could do no wrong. Now, Cub legend Ron Santo would be booed out of the building for not walking fast enough on his two prosthetic legs. Any fan base within five outs of the World Series two years ago is going to have higher expectations than before, especially after a century of losing. I can understand the occasional boos. However, this used to be amongst the most congenial crowds in sports, everybody drunk on beer, chatting on cell phones, and maybe even watching the game. The Cubs have spent the money, have the talent (although injured most of the year), and should be competing every game. With Prior, Zambrano, Maddux, young lefty Rich Hill, and the occasional Kerry Wood start and now relief appearance, we are right to expect wins. But boos are now as common as cheers at Wrigley. Crowds are chomping at the bit for either manager to put in a player they can jeer with the two most common players this year being LaTroy Hawkins and Corey “Trade Bait” Patterson. On Tuesday, the crowd at Wrigley led an inning long “Hawkins sucks” chant after he came in for the Giants in the eighth. An inning long! Even current Cubs players such as Derrek Lee and Ryan Dempster told the media it crossed the line. I can understand booing an opposing pitcher on his way to and from the mound, but a whole inning? Hawkins is lucky Cubs fans didn’t take a cue from Phillies fans and start throwing batteries. But, then their cell phones wouldn’t work. If you have to boo, boo someone deserving, like all of the St. Louis Cardinals.