Here's what Manny Ramirez had to say from his afternoon press conference at Petco Park on Friday. He said plenty of words in his 12 1/2-minute press conference, but he really didn't say anything significant. Here's the transcript:
Continue reading In Manny's words.
The Dodgers slugger met with the media today in San Diego, and while he said he was sorry to teammates and fans he refused to talk about steroids.
Sorry Manny, but this isn't good enough, and frankly it's only going to prolong this whole situation. Come clean, come correct. Deal with the issue so you, and we, can move on.
The whole "I'm not going to get into my medical record" thing seems like you are trying to hide something even bigger.
You know, the last thing I wanted to see was Manny try to wink his way through this thing, thinking his charm and sense of humor could deflect attention away from the real, core issue. That being the fact that he cheated. What I want to know is, for how long?
Honestly, that's all I care about.
But he completely closed the door on that, and that looks really bad.
And you thought the fireworks were scheduled for tomorrow? No, no no.
Anyway, Manny Ramirez makes his return to the Dodgers tonight against the San Diego Padres, and everyone has an opinion. Some more explosive than others.
Lee Jenkins at si.com wonders how the Dodgers will handle the circus.
Ken Rosenthal at foxsports.com predicts a love fest between Manny and Dodger fans.
USA Today explains why some fantasy owners will be rewarded for their patience.
Finally, Jayson Stark at espn.com can't understand why so many people are celebrating Manny's return.
Obviously the Dodgers are in for a strange experience today when they arrive at Petco Park in San Diego, and it will be interesting to see how they handle it.
Having observed the club the last two weeks, I honestly get the feeling the players are prepared for Manny's return and the circus atmosphere it will create.
The roster is a nice mix of young players and seasoned veterans, and it seems like the young guys are just anxious to get their teammate back, regardless of the scrutiny it might create, and the older guys are just focused on what's happening on the field, not the distractions off it.
It also helps that the experienced, battle-tested Joe Torre is at the helm, steering the club away from any potential land mines.
As for Manny himself, that is what's so intriguing to me. The other day Torre described Manny as being somewhat shy behind the scenes.
"When he first got here he told me all he wants to do is play ball and go home," Torre said.
That isn't an option today, or in the near future. The media is on a quest for answers and explanations, and Manny needs to be upfront and contrite about what happened.
It will be interesting to see how he handles things, because his initial meeting with reporters today will likely set the stage for how long the controversy sticks to him.
The quicker he meets things head on, the faster he can get back to focusing on just playing the game.
If he tries to sidestep things, the scrutiny will only linger.
The national media is ready and waiting for the return of Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers tomorrow in San Deigo.
In fact, some are already chiming in.
In San Francisio, Scott Olster explains why Manny has made him see the light.
Meanwhile, USA Today says fans canforgive but not forget Manny's actions.
This is just the start, and that's not a bad thing. Steroids is a complicated matter for baseball, and it's not going away anytime soon. We need to have a feeling about it, an opinion. and we need to figure out how to deal with the issue. For right now and in the future.
LIke the game "You're It," it's Manny's turn in the hot seat. He put himself in this position, and now he has to deal with the consequences. First came the suspension, now comes the constant questions and opinions and columns.
It will settle down at some point, but expect a circus for the next few weeks, at least.
The Dodgers defeated the Rockies 1-0 today at Dodger Stadium. For a full recap and boxscore click here
THE BARE ESSENTIALS
• Rafael Furcal lined a single to right field to drive in pinch-runner Russell Martin from second base for the winning run in the bottom of the eighth. The inning was text book late inning execution as Brad Ausmus singled, Juan Castro bunted him over, then Furcal singled in the winning run.
• Clayton Kershaw allowed just one hit over 5.0 scoreless innings before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the fifth. Kershaw has given up just two runs over his last 23.2 IP (four starts), for a 0.76 ERA over that time. Kershaw has lowered his ERA from a season-high 5.46 on May 1 to 3.49.
• Ausmus went 2 for 3, including the single that led to the Dodgers' winning rally in the eighth inning. Ausmus is now hitting .292 (14-for-48) in his 13 starts.
• Jonathan Broxton fired a perfect ninth inning and struck out two Rockies. Broxton now has 19 saves in 21 opportunities and leads all Major League relievers with 62 strikeouts.
• Ronald Belisario worked 2.0 scoreless innings in relief of Kershaw and has now posted 13.2 consecutive scoreless innings over his last 12 games. Beginning May 12, Belisario has a 0.95 ERA (3 ER/28.1 IP) in his last 25 appearances. The right-hander leads the Dodgers with 41 appearances.
ETC...ETC
• The Dodgers are now 17-8 in one-run games, which is the most wins and the best winning percentage in the Major Leagues in one-run contests. At Dodger Stadium, they are 14-2 in one-run contests.
• The Dodgers played their final game of the first half at home and became the first team in Major League Baseball to win 50 games, which includes a big-league best 28-13 home record. The club is on pace to win more than 100 games for the first time since winning 102 in 1974.
• Now for the bad news. Since scoring eight runs on Friday night, Los Angeles has plated just eight runs and collected just 27 hits over their last five games, averages of 1.6 runs and 5.4 hits.
GAME BALL GOES TO
• Rafael Furcal
ON DECK
• The Dodgers welcome back Manny Ramirez in San Diego Friday after he completed a 50-game suspension. RHP Hiroki Kuroda (2-4, 3.77) takes the mound against RHP Chad Gaudin (4-6, 4.97) to begin the three-game series.
Wow, Manny can't get back soon enough, as the Dodgers' bats have suddenly fallen silent. Furcal's game-winning RBI snapped a 17-inning scoreless streak, and going back to Monday the Dodgers had scored just one run over their previous 24 innings. The good news is, thanks to the pitching, defense, and late-game execution they won two of the three games against the Rockies. Nevertheless, Manny's bat will be a welcome sight come Friday, and for the rest of the season.
On the morning of the last game without Manny Ramirez and 48 hours in front of the slugger's return from a 50-game drug suspension, Joe Torre held court with the media inside the Dodger dugout before today's game against Colorado.
The topic, as to be expected, was Manny rejoining the team in San Diego Friday.
Nothing groundbreaking was covered, with Torre fielding questions he's already answered multiple times this week.
What do you expect from Manny?
Do you plan to talk to Manny?
Will his return be a distraction?
Are you surprised Dodger fans are so willing to embrace a player suspended for cheating the game?
Do you understand how some fans will never completely embrace him again?
Torre answered each question thoughtfully, honestly and earnestly.
He never got frustrated, even though he answered many of the same exact questions last night, and the night before that and the day before that.
He never got flustered or angry, even though some of the queries were uncomfortable, and potentially controversial.
He simply provided thoughtful answers, as honestly as he could.
I stood there thinking the Dodgers couldn't possibly have a better manager in place to handle the circus that's about to hit San Diego this weekend, the one that will follow them to stops in New York and Milwaukee just before the All-Star break.
Torre's seen all this before during his 12 hectic years with the New York Yankees. Maybe not the same precise controversy - although Jason Giambi's brush with steroids unfolded under Torre's watch - but when you've spent so much time dealing with the overbearing George Steinbrenner and soap opera that is Alex Rodriguez and the daily grind of managing in New York, everything else palls in comparison.
Even the return of Manny Ramirez from a 50-game suspension.
Bottom line for Joe, what's going to happen is going to happen. There is no sense worrying about it or dwelling on it.
It would be a mistake not acknowledge what's about to take place, but an even bigger error to bring more attention to it than will naturally happen.
Manny will come back, it will take some time for him to whip into baseball shape. But he'll eventually get back into the swing of things and the team will be better off for it.
Manny will get an earful from opposing fans "He always has," Torre said. "Only now they'll have even more ammunition, so to speak."
He'll be wildly embraced by Dodger fans that will quickly, if not immediately, shove aside whatever wrong he did as if it never happened - just as hometown fans always do when their local heroes go astray.
Yes, a fraction of fans and media will never completely accept Manny again because they feel he cheated the game.
"I respect their feelings, I understand them," said Torre, who agrees that steroids literally make players stronger, and therefore give the users an unfair advantage over the non users.
In other words, they cheated.
But he's quick to point out he's yet to meet the person who hasn't done something they've regretted in life, and he wonders if one mistake should ruin a life, or career.
You don't have to agree with everything Torre says about Manny, but you get the sense when listening to him he'd say the same exact thing if an opposing player got caught up in the same controversy.
He's honest, practical.
That's to be respected, and it makes him the best manager to handle what's about to unfold over the next few weeks, if not remainder of the season.
Today's lineups:
ROCKIES
Dexter Fowler CF
Clint Barmes 2B
Brad Hawpe RF
Garrett Atkins 1B
Troy Tulowitzki SS
Ryan Spilborghs LF
Ian Stewart 3B
Paul Phillips C
Jason Hammel P
DODGERS
Juan Pierre LF
Matt Kemp CF
Orlando Hudson 2B
Andre Ethier RF
Mark Loretta 3B
James Loney 1B
Brad Ausmus C
Juan Castro SS
Clayton Kershaw P
The Rockies beat the Dodgers 3-0 tonight at Dodger Stadium. For a full recap and boxscore click here
THE BARE ESSENTIALS:
• With Orlando Hudson and Russell Martin both getting a much needed day off, the Dodgers went meekly into the night, managing a season-low two hits against Jason Marquis.
• Marquis needed just 86 pitches to finish off a complete-game shutout. He threw 66 strikes.
• James Loney and Juan Castro had the only hits for the Dodgers on a pair of singles.
• On any other night, Chad Billingsley would have been in line for a win after giving up just three runs on five hits while notching a season-high 11 strikeouts over a season-high 7.2 innings. But with Marquis dealing a gem, Billingsley was the hard-luck loser.
• Continuing with the Marquis theme, he added a two-run single with two outs in the seventh to effectively put the game away. Brad Hawpe hit a solo home run in the fourth inning.
ETC...ETC:
• The Dodgers were shutout for the fourth time this season and have lost three of their last four games and five of their last seven.
• At 14-12, the Dodgers posted their first winning record in June since 2003, when they went 14-11.
• On the flip side, they scored 93 runs in 26 games in June, an average of 3.6 per game, after scoring 56 runs in 29 games in May, an average of 5.4 per game. In other words, you can come back anytime now, Manny.
• Marquis became the National League's first 10-game winner and joins Zach Greinke, Roy Halladay, Kevin Slowey, and Tim Wakefield for the Major League lead.
ON DECK:
• The Dodgers host the Rockies in the series finale at 12:10 p.m. Wednesday, sending LHP Clayton Kershaw (5-5, 3.70) vs. RHP Jason Hammel (5-3, 4.21).
Joe Torre touched on a number of subjects during his pregame chat with reporters, but eventually the conversation circled around to who he thought the Dodgers' MVP was so far.
Without hesitation, Torre said it was the bullpen, explaining it was the one area he was unsettled about coming out of spring training, yet it's been a consistent asset all year long.
Coming on the heels of Monday night's bullpen masterpiece - seven different relievers threw shutout innings to enable the Dodgers to pull out a dramatic 13th inning win on Andre Ethier's two-run home run - Torre's comments made sense.
But it's more than just Monday's performance. After getting 7.0 scoreless innings from their bullpen last night, the Dodgers lead the National League with a bullpen ERA of 3.31 and trails just Boston (2.89), Seattle (3.16), and Tampa Bay (3.22) for the Major-League lead. The bullpen has a big league best 21 wins with workhorses Ronald Belisario (40 games) and Ramon Troncoso (35) combining to go 2-2 with a 1.98 ERA (21 ER/95.2 IP), with 73 strikeouts and just 36 walks. Opponents are hitting just .219 against the duo.
If you're looking for reasons why the Dodgers are so good in close games, the bullpen is a great place to start.
But we put the vote to you:
Tonight's lineup, folks.
Rockies
Smith LF
Barmes 2B
Helton 1B
Hawpe RF
Tulowitzki SS
Stewart 3B
Gonzalez CF
Iannetta C
Marquis RHP
Dodgers
Pierre LF
Furcal SS
Ethier RF
Blake 3B
Loney 1B
Kemp CF
Castro 2B
Ellis C
Billingsley RHP
Dodgers manager Joe Torre said he's been thinking about giving Orlando Hudson a day off for more than a week - and he's now finally getting around to it. Russell Martin will get tonight and tomorrow off in front of Thursday's off day, more of a mental break than anything else. "He's been fighting himself (at the plate)" Torre said.
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