The good news for the Dodgers: Manny Ramirez knows which hamstring hurts.
After all the consternation over his contract, Manny was supposed to take the field Thursday. But he was a late scratch from the lineup with a tight hamstring.
Flashback to July, when Ramirez told the Boston Red Sox he couldn't play because of a sore knee -- but when the team asked which knee, he couldn't get it straight. That was the last straw in the tug-of-war between the parties that ended with his trade to L.A.
As for today's injury, Ramirez said he tweaked the hammy in morning baserunning drills and wanted to play but sat at manager Joe Torre's discretion. It's a bad sign that Ramirez, 37, comes up with this -- but there's plenty of time left in camp, and he probably needs about four at-bats in Spring Training to get ready to hit.
Another good sign for the Dodgers is that Manny is speaking to the press.
"I've been trying to get ready. I need a whole Spring Training," Ramirez said. "I need 40 to 50 at-bats, the same thing as when I was in Boston. But I'm not disappointed. I know it will get better."
And as for Jonathan Papelboncalling him a "cancer" in Esquire ...
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"I'm here, not there anymore," he said. "I moved on. I'm in L.A. now. I just focus on playing the game. I have no control what people said or about what I did in the past. It is what it is."
Manny Being Hammy: Ramirez Scratched From First Spring Start originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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