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Knee problems will keep Ramirez out of All-Star game

July 5, 2006 / Anthony Stalter

ESPN.com is reporting that Boston Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez will skip next Tuesday’s All-Star Game due to a sore knee.

There is a little bit of mystery behind the report, however, as it was Red Sox manager Terry Francona who broke the news to the media, not Major League Baseball.

“Just not sure why it hasn’t been [announced],” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said, according to the Boston Globe. “I know there’s been some red tape. It’s getting bogged down a little bit.”

This won’t be the first time that Ramirez has decided not to participate in the Midsummer Classic. The 13-year veteran skipped the 2003 All-Star game due to a sore hamstring and also sat out in 2000 while he was a member of the Cleveland Indians, because of a similar hamstring injury.

In the same article, Buster Olney of ESPN.com has an interesting opinion on the future of Ramirez in relation to the All-Star Game:

Manny Ramirez shouldn’t be on the ballot in 2007, or 2008, or any year going forward, until he informs Major League Baseball that he wants to participate in the All-Star Game. If and when he wants back in, his name can be restored to the ballot.

I think this is a decent proposal considering that this is the third time that Ramirez has decided not to play. And with the All-Star game holding significant meaning to the World Series teams (at least for the moment), you’d think that Ramirez would like to play considering the Red Sox might be playing for a title in late Fall.

Not too mention that he was the leading vote-getter by the fans and if he was healthy enough to play in 77 out of Boston’s 81 games, he’d be fine to play a couple of innings for the American League and his supporters.

MLB

Free agency update (7/5)

July 5, 2006 / John Paulsen

Free agent centers are falling like dominoes after the Ben Wallace signing…Joel Przybilla and the Trail Blazers agreed to a 5-year/$32 M deal…One of the teams interested in Przybilla was Detroit, and after he turned them down, they signed Nazr Mohammed to a 5-year/$30 M deal. If they offered Pryzbilla the same deal, one wonders why he’d turn down the chance to play for the Pistons. Maybe he didn’t want to be the guy to replace Wallace…Speaking of the Pistons, how nice would it be to have Darko Milicic on the roster right now? He was supposedly moved so that they had the salary flexibility to re-sign Wallace; so much for that…Matt Harpring agreed to stay with the Jazz for 4-years/$25 M, though the terms were undisclosed. That’s a pretty good deal for a guy who couldn’t play two games in a row this season due to his bum knee…Even with the Wallace signing, the Bulls are still rumored to be making a run at Kevin Garnett. Would Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas and Tyson Chandler be enough? If I were the Wolves, I’d be hesitant to take on Chandler’s contract, so I’d ask for a first round pick as well…Chandler is also rumored to be heading to the Hornets for P.J. Brown (and his one-year/$8 M salary) along with J.R. Smith.

NBA

Big Ben healing faster than expected

July 4, 2006 / Anthony Stalter

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is healing faster from the motorcycle accident he had on June 5th than initially expected.

Roethlisberger is expected to start working out as early as next week by doing some light throwing to test his strength, awareness and mobility. These exercises will be his biggest tests to date in his rehabilitation process.

Even though this is an encouraging sign for Steelers fans and members of the organization, there still isn’t a specific date for Roethlisberger’s return.

While Mr. Roethlisberger is expected to be ready for the start of training camp July 28 and could conceivably be healthy enough to play in the second or third preseason game, Coach Bill Cowher and the team’s medical staff will closely monitor his condition and not play him until they are convinced he is ready to go.
The Steelers are prepared to keep Mr. Roethlisberger on the sidelines, even for the Sept. 7 season opener against the Miami Dolphins, until they are absolutely certain he can absorb hits to the head and function as he did last season.

Roethlisberger suffered an assortment of injuries when his motorcycle crashed into a car early last month. He broke his upper and lower jaw in four places, his nose and orbital bone were also broken, and he also had a nine-inch laceration in the back of his head.

Roethlisberger also broke most of his teeth while not wearing a helmet during the accident.

NFL

Free agency update (7/4): Wallace bolts, Wade re-signs

July 4, 2006 / John Paulsen

Players can’t sign anything for another week or so, but Ben Wallace has told the Pistons that he’s heading for Chicago. The deal was believed to be 4-yrs/$52 M, but is actually 4-yrs/$60M. This is a bold move by the Bulls, and it will obviously improve the team, but they give up precious cap space in the process. They’ll now try to move Tyson Chandler for another player or cap relief…Dwayne Wade and the Heat have agreed on a max five-year extension. This has to make the fans in Cleveland even more nervous, considering LeBron James still hasn’t agreed to stay…Speedy Claxton left the Hornets, and agreed to a 4-year/$25 M deal with the Atlanta Hawks. This is a good signing by Atlanta, and will give the team a true point guard to play alongside Joe Johnson, who will play the two…The Seattle Supersonics and Chris Wilcox are far apart as their contract negotiations begin. Wilcox is a big man in a tight market and might be asking for more than $10 M a season, when he’s probably worth $8-$10 M. Of course, he’s worth whatever someone will sign him for, and he no doubt has several suitors around the league. He needs to land in an up-tempo system like Seattle’s in order to thrive.

NBA