Today is March 1st, and we all know what today is. It's Manny day.
Manny Ramirez is scheduled to show up today. The keyword being: scheduled. No one knows whether Ramirez will show up or not. He's supposed to, but you are also not supposed to take a bathroom break in the Green Monster, nor are you supposed to dive for a ball that you don't need to dive for. But hey, that's Manny.
This is what I want: I want Manny to show up to the clubhouse, smile, and then take some hacks out on the field. I want him to talk to the media, and I want him to give his buddies David Ortiz and Enrique Wilson a nice big hug and say: "I love it here, man!"
That will make my day. Oh, and if he came to camp completely bald except for a Bill Mueller goatee -- yeah that'd make me smile, also. Do it, Manny.
[editor's note, by Randy Booth] Update: Manny showed up at 9 a.m. wearing a Tim Brown Raiders jersey and crazy, blonde dreadlocks. He's no bald, but good enough.
SOX FINALIZE ROSTER
According to the Boston Globe:
This is typical stuff. They did it last season, this did it this season, and they'll do it forever. Just the typical signings with everyone on the 40-man roster.
By the way, Abe Alvarez had dropped off the radar over the past couple of seasons, but you know what? I think he's going to have a nice spring. Maybe he'll even beat out Lenny DiNardo for the lefthanded reliever job. Keep an eye on him. The same goes for OF David Murphy, my sleeper prospect pick.