Wednesday, August 27, 2008

The Two Mannys, plus Instant Replay

I am very pleased with last night's results, especially since Tim Wakefield didn't get slapped around like he usually does against the Yankees. I started to get nervous when Manny (now I don't have to specify which one) loaded the bases in the seventh. But he induced A-Rod to ground into a double play and killed the rally. One game does not a series make. The Sox will have to be equally resilient for the next two games to make sure this is a productive stop in New York. Tonight's matchup between Paul Byrd and Sidney Ponson will probably be played in the teens and take about seven hours.

On that other Manny; here's a quote from SI.com writer John Donovan:
Sunday night, the Dodgers' Manny Ramirez loped over to a ball hit to him in left field in extra innings, instead of charging it, then flipped it casually into second base instead of firing it in. The Phillies Shane Victorino beat out the throw, and the Phils won a few batters later.

Ramirez's bat has also cooled off significantly in recent games, while Jason Bay continues to make solid contributions to the Sox efforts to make the playoffs. I think that new car smell is wearing off in LA. Take heed, all you would be Manny signers.

Finally, MLB has decided to institute instant replay starting Thursday for the rest of the year. Huh? I have no issue with instant replay in baseball, but I do have an issue with creating a major rule change with three quarters of the season over. It simply isn't fair. What about the hundreds of results that could have been overturned by replay earlier in the season? I just can't abide by the fact that the next two months of baseball will be played under fundamentally different conditions than the last five.

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