... but he's "called out" on a curve ball

From Manny's silly plate appearance to the alleged bats at the bottom of the order, Red grew frustrated last night - all the more so because watching the game meant several hours of ESPN announcers:

... [A] loss after you've had to endure four hours of Joe Morgan and Jon Miller is like a form of torture. Why can't ESPN offer alternate audio tracks, kinda like a DVD, enabling viewers to choose from either the actual commentating or something a little less aurally offensive, like squealing breaks, an iron glove on a chalkboard, or Stephen Hawking reading all the Frank Booth dialogue from Blue Velvet?

After reading Kevin Cullen's thoughts on Manny Ramirez today, it would be easy to ask why a metro columnist is writing about this rather than, oh, asking how a 7-year-old came to be shot while playing kickball or, oh, how a woman died when her car was raked by gunfire or, oh, whether police overreacted in responding to that woman with the cleaning supplies.

Easy, but incomplete. Because one also has to ask whether Cullen even reads his own paper, since the CHB wrote the same basic column on Tuesday and Bob Ryan expressed the same basic thoughts on Wednesday. Maybe Cullen was at a retreat, missed those two columns, but saw Yvonne Abraham's summation of all the questions in the Woodman case and concluded the paper had already had enough serious local opinion this week.

Jimmy: If McCormick is fine with it, we should also be fine with it.

Red wonders if we're really seeing a sudden personality change or some management propaganda to set us all up for them not re-signing Manny when his contract's up.

'Course, what do they know down there in ma's basement? The Real Sports Writer, a.k.a. CHB, DEMANDS ACTION NOW; his only question is: Firing squad or hangman?

If Manny had to be Manny in an away game, what better place than Fenway South?

Manny! Manny! Manny!

Beth loved it:

... My favorite moment of the aftermath was when Papi enveloped both Manny and Julio Lugo in his arms and bounced them both up and down there in front of the dugout. That was just cute on principle, but even more endearing was how completely relaxed and exuberant Manny looked, with his cheek pressed against Papi's shoulder, leaping into the air. ...

No, you won't read it in any of the papers. Joy of Sox has the interview with the Sox fan from, of all places, Oklahoma - at his first ever major-league game (another interview with him).

Poetry in motion.

And not just because of the snow. Peter N. expresses some fanly love for Manny Ramirez, now that he's decided he wants to stay in Boston forever:

... [A]fter reading Manny's words for the third time, my smile could not be any wider, with goose bumps and chills all over my body. With a physically and mentally healthy Manny, preceded in our power packed batting lineup by Big Papi, with HIS newly repaired knee, rookie of the year Dustin Pedroia and our new centerfielder, Jacoby Ellsbury, who this year will become a fixture for us while patrolling Fenway Park's spaciously green centerfield AND a national hero for EVERY baseball fan on the face of our beautiful blue earth, the Boston Red Sox and their fans, members of Red Sox Nation and Red Sox International, are in for quite a treat. A 2008 treat. THE BEST KIND OF TREAT! ...

Bruce Allen discusses that Manny quote (you know the one, the one that's been repeated about 67,000 times already) and why all it proves is that Manny should never talk to the media again.

Paul SF takes a look at old New York Times articles about Manny Ramirez, back when he was a .633-hitting high-school student in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood.