"Manny Being Manny"

"Manny Being Manny" humm...I like this phrase. It is really matched to his own personality. But if without his behaviours among performances, Red Sox would not bring two pennants back to Boston.

Though his hitting ability is undeniable, Ramírez has periodically displayed a lack of enthusiasm and/or concentration on many occasions, with numerous mental lapses in both the outfield or running the bases. These incidents are described as just "Manny Being Manny." The phrase has entered the lexicon of Boston sports fans.

In fact, the phrase has been acknowledged and given most of its initial promotion by Ramírez himself. It was coined on July 18, 2005, when Ramírez disappeared into the "Green Monster" during a visit to the mound by pitching coach Dave Wallace with two outs in the top of the 6th inning. When pitcher Wade Miller was ready to resume pitching, Ramirez was nowhere to be found. It is suggested he went to use the bathroom, but there are no toilet facilities inside the scoreboard area. Manny has returned to the wall several times since during pitching changes, but has always returned on time. Ramirez has also been seen playing left field at Fenway with a water bottle in his back pocket and while wearing MP3-playing sunglasses.

Despite his reputation for lackadaisical conduct, Ramirez is known by his teammates and coaches as a serious athlete who shows up early at the ballpark, keeps himself in good physical shape, and spends extra time in the batting cages working on his swing.

What a rookie with a no-hitter game

BOSTON -- He was back where he needed to be.

Clay Buchholz pitched the 17th no-hitter in the history of the Boston Red Sox on Saturday night, accomplishing in his second start what Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling never did.

Before Saturday's historic 10-0 win against the Baltimore Orioles, Red Sox manager Terry Francona spoke of a letdown in Buchholz's Triple-A performance after his Major League debut Aug. 17. For two weeks, the 6-foot-3 top prospect from Nederland, Texas, shuttled across upstate New York, losing his next two starts as a member of the Pawtucket Red Sox.

But, Francona added, "I think we still love this kid to death. And we're excited for a chance to run him out there and see how he does."

For nine innings, Buchholz sparkled with the flash bulbs. After each out, typically the result of a gravity-defying curveball or an immaculately released changeup, the anxious Red Sox rookie nibbled on his glove, enjoying the scene. By the last out, when Buchholz got Nick Markakis on a called strike three for his ninth strikeout and the final out of the game, the crowd of 36,819 was at a fever pitch.

Kevin Youkilis added a three-run home run in the sixth inning to the cause following David Oritz's three-run double in the fourth. But the Red Sox's eight-run outburst and, impossibly, the circumstances of the effort -- the Yankees won in the afternoon, staying five games behind -- remained secondary to Buchholz's singular brilliance.

He may well be up to stay.

Cheerful news from MLB

Wow! Long time no cheerful news!

From the time I played baseball, I was thinking if there is an omnibearing baseball player, who can pitch and bit well. Few days ago I saw the news, and finally I have found the one like Babe Ruth...

News from MLB Cardinals

ST. LOUIS -- When it was all said and done, after his team beat the Padres 5-0, Rick Ankiel stood in front of his locker with the sweat still dripping down his face and a smile that just wouldn't go away.
Why not?

This night belonged to Ankiel -- from start to end.

From the moment he walked through the clubhouse doors and got a hug from one of the guards to when he stepped out of the dugout after he belted a three-run home run to give the 42,848 fans at Busch Stadium a curtain call, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007 will always be Ankiel's night.

"You almost can't put it into words," Ankiel said. "I couldn't have written that any better."

The night started for Ankiel with a lengthy standing ovation from the Cardinals faithful, before he stepped into the batter's box for his first Major League at-bat since 2004 in the first inning.

"I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do," Ankiel said. "It's kind of awkward, but it felt great."

It turned out Ankiel's at-bat wasn't that eventful. The right fielder took a pitch, and then popped out to the shortstop.

It didn't matter.

He still got ovations throughout the rest of the night, every time he came up to the plate and every time he slowly jogged to right field to take his position.

But, in the seventh inning, it all changed for the 28-year-old. It went from being an exciting night to a night that Ankiel will surely never forget.

Sporting his new No. 24 on the back of home white jersey, Ankiel walked to the plate for his final at-bat in the seventh.

With two men on and two out, Ankiel showed some patience and took a couple of pitches before getting the count to 2-1.

Padres reliever Doug Brocail then hung a curveball that Ankiel hammered 384 feet over the right-field wall for a three run blast.

Welcome back Mr. Ankiel.

Ankiel then gave a small fist pump as he rounded first base and got a high five from first base coach Dave McKay.

In the dugout, his manager, Tony La Russa was just plain giddy. The manager, who has been the leader of the Cardinals since 1996, raised both of his hands well above his head and exchanged a high five with catcher Yadier Molina, all the while boasting a smile that rivaled Ankiel's postgame grin.

"Short of winning the World Series, that's the happiest I've seen our club," La Russa said. "He's such a special young man. What a moment. This guy has shown so much character."

Asked after the game to describe what it felt like rounding the bases, Ankiel struggled to put it into words.

"I don't think I had any [feeling]. I felt like I was floating," Ankiel said.

What made it even more special for all of Ankiel's teammates and Cardinal nation, was the fact that Ankiel's homer was a timely one too.

Leading just 1-0 in the seventh, the Cards tacked on one run, before Ankiel stepped in and broke the game open to secure a win for the Cards and starting pitcher Joel Pineiro.

Pineiro's dazzling performance -- seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits and no walks -- will surely be forgotten, as the night clearly belonged to No. 24, and that was fine with Pineiro.

"It's great for the team, great for him. It's just amazing. I don't know him well, but, from being on the outside, it's a great story," Pineiro said. "It's amazing for him to come back like this. It doesn't get any better."

Ankiel said it feels like his shortcomings as a big-league pitcher seven years ago are "ancient history" and he's eager and ready to start his new career as a hitter.

Scratch that, a power hitter.

In the end, what Ankiel did on Thursday night is what he's been doing all season at Triple-A Memphis. There, as has now been well documented, Ankiel slugged 32 homers in 102 games and drove in 89 runs.

But, just like the great ones, Ankiel had a few nerves before the game on Thursday and he wasn't shy to admit it.

"I think you're always wondering how you're going to do," Ankiel said. "To end the night like that was special. You always dream of that. It just feels really good, I'm pumped."

With the win, the Cards took three of four from the Padres, who came into the series 10 games above .500 and again find themselves just 5 1/2 games out of first place.

That's right, first place.

Despite still being six games under .500, the Cards now find themselves right in the middle of a heated division race and will now welcome the Dodgers to town for a three-game series.

"It will be no problem getting ready to play these games," La Russa said. "I just hope we're good enough."

One thing is for sure, Thursday night, Rick Ankiel was good enough.