Terry has looked like the last thing he wants to do is stand around and answer questions before or after a game. He was sighing half the time he was answering Tina Cervasio's questions the other day, and I think it has a lot to do with the bullpen problems. Manny's situation probably isn't helping, due to the flood of questioning, but I think Francona is more upset that they can't hold a lead they get unless Papelbon comes in.

"Vultures" in the literal sense, apparently. As the blogger at "Dan Shaughnessy Watch" pointed out, Francona is spitting blood into a towel and the reporters just keep on asking questions??? If he clutched his heart and fell to the floor, would anyone think to call 911, or would they start stealing Tito's office supplies?

I'm not sure if Tito is really throwing Manny under the bus there, or if he's just sick and tired of constant questions about the subject. It reminds me of Bill Parcells' irritation with the media's endless T.O. fixation.

Tito has about a million reasons to be at the end of his rope; Manny's injury is just one of them. He's got a bruised, beat-up team that's rapidly falling out of the playoff hunt, he's been holding the pitching staff together all season with chicken wire and spit, and he has to deal with the highest expectations this side of the Bronx.

And now the Sox are closer to the Jays than the Yanks... Welcome to the pack gentlemen!

Perhaps a haircut would lift Manny's spirits?

The old Bill James rule is at work here: fans blame the team's best player, not the worst. It's always that way. A team that starts Jason Johnson during a pennant race doesn't need to blame their best hitter for its failings.

Jason Johnson's still in the league?

Oh.

Manny Ramirez and Frank Thomas have the two best career stats of American League hitters of this generation. In other words they are once a generation players with monster stats. Most of "Manny being Manny" is a creature of many loser Boston sports writers. All they serve to do is drive incredible players out of Boston. Personly I wonder if there is also a racial motive involved with Manny.

Manny Ramirez and Frank Thomas have the two best career stats of American League hitters of this generation. In other words they are once a generation players with monster stats. Most of "Manny being Manny" is a creature of many loser Boston sports writers. All they serve to do is drive incredible players out of Boston. Personly I wonder if there is also a racial motive involved with Manny.

It's a bit hard to see how Frank Thomas and Manny Ramirez can both be once-a-generation players, unless you think they're in different generations. But otherwise I agree with Daniel Singer: sure, Ramirez is a little flakey, but he gets very little slack from Beantown media. I suspect it's more because he's not particularly media-friendly than for any racial thing, but he's definitely not treated with respect commensurate with his achievements.

If they were remaking Airplane today, the dialog would be:

"You're Manny Ramirez, by dad says you don't hustle."

The interesting thing about this is that Manny has hustled more this year than any I've seen in Boston. He showboats after homers, but for the most part he's been down the line on every infield grounder, and not loafing in the outfield.

I hesitate to praise a guy for doing his job, but when you have the stats of Ramirez and you're hustling, you deserve the benefit of the doubt when you say you're injured.