Another outraged column about Manny’s rehab assignment, this one from Bill Plaschke. I’m struck by this: Manny Ramirez playing for the triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes is as weird as the word “isotope.” . . . When Manny Ramirez is old and gray and sitting outside the locked doors of Cooperstown, he might reflect on this summer […]

I think that, with this comment, J.W. gets at the core of a good third of the baseball debates that go on around here and elsewhere: I agree that Manny doesn’t deserve adulation or admiration. Neither does A-Rod (for cheating on his wife, etc.) But this brings us to a difficult question regarding entertainment. Can […]

On Monday, I suggested that the Yankees’ protest of Sunday’s New York-Florida game was a waste of time that, if successful, could cause them more trouble than it would be worth. Yesterday, the league saved the Yankees from themselves.

The Indians finally broke their losing streak last night, but it’s not like a close and shaky win over the Pirates is going to silence the rumors about Eric Wedge’s impending termination. Neither will this: With the Indians stuck in last place in the AL Central, Wedge’s status is becoming a daily topic of discussion […]

A little bit of column A, a little bit of column B.

The putative new boss of the players’ union seems like a very different guy than the departing old boss: Every week, [Michael] Weiner and his trademark blue jeans stride down to his basement classroom and teach Sunday school to one of the few congregations less orderly than major league baseball owners . . . An […]

Tyler Kepner is impressed with the safety measures at Turner Field: Turner Field is the second ballpark the Yankees have seen this season with protective netting that extends beyond the norm. Every stadium has a tall screen behind the plate to protect the fans from hard-hit foul balls. Here in Atlanta, the Braves also have […]

Now if you turn your attention to the center ring, I give you Manny Ramirez, standing on his head while riding on the back of a flaming horse! Or something! Ramirez, easing back into playing shape after a 50-game drug suspension, suited up for the Albuquerque Isotopes as they beat Nashville 1-0. Ramirez wore No. […]

Following my anti-Phillips and Sutcliffe rant yesterday, some discussion broke out regarding the best way to avoid the national broadcasters. One of the suggestions was to run MLB.tv through your television. It sounded complicated to me. Of course, I can’t even make iTunes, the DVR or my clock radio work, so what the hell do […]

Joey Votto is back. And we had no idea how far back he had to come: The 25-year-old Votto revealed publicly that he was battling depression, anxiety attacks and issues that finally came to the surface several months after the sudden death of his 52-year-old father, Joseph, in August. Those issues led to some panicky […]