Basically everything Pedro Martinez says is worth listening to, so the entire excerpt of his forthcoming autobiography published at SI.com is well wor

[CNOTES]

Basically everything Pedro Martinez says is worth listening to, so the entire excerpt of his forthcoming autobiography published at SI.com is well worth a read. But nothing stands out quite some comments about Manny Ramirez, who sounds absolutely as weird as we’ve all assumed.
Via Sports Illustrated:

Manny confounded everyone on the club. That was a big part of his appeal. Everything seemed out of place unless Manny was in la-la land, keeping us guessing what he would do next. How would he wear his hair? Why did he spray me with half a bottle of his cologne? Why did he ask me, “Hey, did you know there are men on their way to the moon right now?”
Once, he came up to my locker and put on my socks and my underwear and then went over to David Ortiz’s locker and put on his undershirt. “Why are you doing that, Manny?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Do you?”
“No, I really don’t.”
“Did you know I’ve got three little midgets working on me all the time in my head? Today they needed different clothes to wear.”
Manny was just a kid, one I wanted to take care of. On the road he sometimes was afraid to go to sleep by himself. He’d come up to my room, where Ortiz and some teammates and I would be hanging out. After a while we’d look over and there would be Manny, under my covers, fully dressed, snoring. I always had a suite with an extra bed, so I didn’t mind if he had a sleepover. That was just Manny being Manny.
​

Yup. It’s baffling, but somehow entirely unsurprisingly. Manny Ramirez is the weirdest and best.
Again, read the whole excerpt at Sports Illustrated, in which he details some contract issues with the Red Sox before the 2003 season, his rocky relationship with the national media over treatment of Latino ballplayers, and his now-legendary altercation with late Yankees coach Don Zimmer.

 

[CNOTES]

Nightengale: Awkward weekend on deck for A-Rod at Fenway Park


This could be one of the most bizarre moments in the legendary rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.


Alex Rodriguez, the most polarizing player in baseball, can equal one of the most glorious feats in the game's history this weekend - at Fenway Park.


Rodriguez, who likely will play all three games as the Yankee DH, is just one home run shy of his 660th , tying Willie Mays for fourth on the all-time list.


Yet, for a franchise that honored Yankee greats Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera the last two years in poignant retirement ceremonies, how do the Red Sox honor Rodriguez?


Do they even acknowledge him?




USA TODAY
Fenech: Time for Tigers to see how far Royals have come


The Yankees keep trying to tell everyone this isn't even a milestone, refusing to pay a $6 million bonus in Rodriguez's contract, which counts towards their luxury tax.


So do the Red Sox, in turn, taunt the Yankees by blaring the feat on their scoreboard, congratulating A-Rod on achieving one of the greatest milestones in Yankee history?


Or do nothing?


"I'm trying to picture the moment,'' says Red Sox executive vice president Charles Steinberg, their marketing guru. "I imagine the fans response will be the response.




"It's hard to know. This is a number that a few generations grew up knowing. There was 755 for Hank Aaron, 714 for Babe Ruth, 660 for Willie Mays and 586 for Frank Robinson.


"But if a fan catches this ball, you wonder if he'll throw it back onto the field?''


The Yankees aren't even sure how they'll respond, knowing the hostilities between the front office and A-Rod. Still, although nothing is scripted, the players imagine they'll greet him on the field when he crosses home plate.


But will anyone else in America be celebrating, knowing that Rodriguez is coming off a year-long suspension for performance-enhancing drug use, after already admitting to using steroids earlier in his career?


"It's a shame that everyone just can't celebrate it, and have a good time with it,'' Philadelphia Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg, who chastised former Cubs great Sammy Sosa for his alleged steroid use during his 2005 Hall of Fame speech, told USA TODAY Sports.




USA TODAY
Angels' Jered Weaver 'frustrated' with winless start


"Something like this, I'd like to celebrate. I like to see players achieve special things in their career. This is a game of numbers and when a special number like this is broken, it should be a big moment.


"It's something I would really like to see, and embrace, but I don't know if can. It's such a tough call.


"That's the shameful part of it.''


How can baseball possibly recognize a historic achievement, Sandberg says, knowing Rodriguez's past transgressions?


"When you have tainted numbers, and doing things that are not legal in this game, and not acceptable,'' Sandberg said, "how can you celebrate that?


"So maybe the best way to get the message out is by not celebrating. That's how I look at it.''


Yet, there will be no asterisks or special notations in the record books. Barry Bonds, whose career was ensnared by steroid allegations, is the all-time home-run leader, and has the single-season home-run record. Mark McGwire, who admitted later to steroid use, still is the first man to eclipse Roger Maris' single-season mark.


And Rodriguez, no matter if the Yankees market it or not, will be the fourth greatest home-run hitter in the history of baseball.


"I don't know what the Yankees will do, but I know I'll be celebrating it, I'll tell you that,'' Seattle Mariners All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano, Rodriguez's former teammate, told USA TODAY Sports. "You're talking about one of the greatest teammates I've ever had. I mean, he not only taught me how to play the game, but he was a mentor to me, and all of the young guys.


"He's a great person, no matter what he did in the past. He's like a big brother to me. I'm so happy for him. He's worked so hard his entire career,


"I can't wait to see him tie that great record, and I can't wait to celebrate it.''


The Yankees, of course, may be grateful to avoid the clumsy scene at Yankee Stadium. Since they insist it's not a milestone, it would have been fascinating to see they had even acknowledged the occasion on the scoreboard.


A six-game road trip increases the likelihood it occurs away from home.


"The thing that makes this so hard for me,'' says Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa, Rodriguez's former coach with the Yankees, "is that I'm a firm believer that Alex didn't need to do any of that stuff to be a great player.


"I know the steroids and the PEDs obviously take you to another level, but after being with him and watching him, he didn't need to do that. It seems like a lot of those guys who were associated with it are already at a level where nobody could reach. I guess they wanted to go higher.


"I know it's disappointing what happened, but I'll still celebrate it. I like Alex, I really do. But it is what it is.''




USA TODAY
Suitors for Cole Hamels starting to line up


Bonds told USA TODAY Sports last month that he will definitely be celebrating the feat.


Rodriguez hit four homers in his first 31 at-bats, but now has just one in his last 38. He's wisely staying away from the controversy. He won't tell you how to celebrate. He jokes that he doesn't have a marketing degree, so how he can tell the Yankees what to do?


"There is going to be a lot of different opinions on this and when he passes Willie,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said this week. "Barry went through it and a lot of the guys went through it. The reality is it is 660 home runs.


"I don't know what you say, but when you look in the record books, his name is going to be there."


Along with a memory Red Sox fans may never be able to forget.

 

[CNOTES]

Today's highlight: Scherzer-Harvey matchup, Lester tries again


A look at what's happening all around the major leagues today:


___


MARQUEE MATCHUP


Max Scherzer returns to the Washington rotation and faces Mets ace Matt Harvey at Citi Field. Scherzer missed his previously scheduled start after jamming his right thumb while batting. Scherzer and Harvey were the starters in July 2013 for All-Star Game at Citi Field — they faced each other the next month, too, in Harvey's last outing before Tommy John surgery.


SPEED IT UP


The system of warnings and fines for hitters and pitchers who dawdle now go into effect under Major League Baseball's pace of play rules. With an emphasis on speeding up, games are taking about 8 minutes less this year over last season.


ALBERT OK?


The Los Angeles Angels will see how Albert Pujols is feeling after he sat out with a hamstring problem. The cleanup man was forced to leave Wednesday night's game because of the trouble. The Angels begin a series at San Francisco.


HOME AWAY FROM HOME


The Orioles open a shifted series at Tampa Bay. The three games were moved from Camden Yards to Tropicana Field this week after violence broke out in Baltimore following the funeral of Freddie Gray, who died in police custody after suffering a spinal cord injury under mysterious circumstances. The Orioles officially will remain the home team and bat last at the Rays' park.


TRY AGAIN


Jon Lester makes yet another bid for his first win with the Chicago Cubs. The left-hander was the prize pitcher in last winter's free agent market, but is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in four starts for his new team. He faces Milwaukee in an afternoon game at Wrigley Field.

 

[CNOTES]

Injuries leave huge hole in Dodgers rotation


LOS ANGELES – It never rains in southern California, so praying for it on the days that Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke don't pitch doesn't seem to be the solution for the Los Angeles Dodgers and their new front office led by Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi.


What is the solution?


Depth, the Dodgers hope, because outside of Kershaw and Greinke, their starting pitching options are not those one would normally associate with a team picked to challenge for a World Series title.


At this point, the third starter is Brett Anderson, who has had an injury-riddled career and a less-than-promising beginning in L.A. – 1-1 with a 5.49 earned-run average after four starts -- after signing a one-year, $10 million deal.


Nos. 4 and 5 are up for grabs, because the two starters expected to be in the rotation are not healthy.


Left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu, who alternates between impressive, sore, shut down, rehab, impressive, sore, shut down, rehab, etc., has yet to pitch this season. He threw a bullpen Tuesday and Dodgers manager Don Mattingly considered it progress that he threw fastballs at more than 80 mph. He is expected to be able to pitch in early June at the earliest and everyone in the organization hopes the "impressive" phase might last into the postseason before another "sore" period sets in.


Right-hander Brandon McCarthy, who also has had an injury-riddled career and was a gamble of a signing (four years, $48 million), did not work out. He's out for the year, headed for Tommy John surgery, after four starts.


The Dodgers have a lot of names and arms they can throw at openings for starts in May. They're still at the top of balanced NL West division and are certainly not in panic mode.


But what they can muster for a rotation, and how willing Friedman might be willing to trade prized prospects for available veteran starters, might be a huge factor if the Dodgers can indeed compete for their first title since (wow) 1988.


"Losing Brandon was a big blow to the club," veteran Dodger catcher A.J. Ellis told USA TODAY Sports. "He's a guy we expected to make 30 to 35 starts and be a big part of our success. But we have guys who can step up. I give this organization credit for doing a lot of things in the off-season to bring in a lot of pitching talent."


Even if some of that talent was considered to be injury-prone?


"Brandon and Brett have been called injury-prone, but to us, we feel like they're amazing pitchers who are very capable major league starting pitchers," Ellis said.


The starts available beyond Kershaw and Greinke and Anderson will likely go to either Scott Baker, who gave up three runs in a recent spot start, or triple-A hurlers Mike Bolsinger, Zach Lee, Carlos Frias and Joe Wieland.


Unfortunately for the Dodgers, not even Kershaw's starts have been automatic excellence, as they were last year when he won his third NL Cy Young Award and also was voted the NL Most Valuable Player.


He was good Tuesday night, though he got outpitched by San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner in a 2-1 Giants victory at Dodger Stadium.


Overall, however, he's been pretty average – 1-2 with a 3.73 ERA in five starts, having allowed 32 hits, four of them home runs, in 31 1/3 innings.


"It's not where I want it to be," he said of his command of his stunning repertoire. "It's getting better."


Greinke, who faced the Giants Wednesday night, has been the Dodgers' ace so far. Greinke can opt out of his contract after this season, though, which takes the rotation questions into 2016.


For now, the Dodgers are looking for some healthy arms to opt in.


"It's tough when you see something like that," Kershaw said of McCarthy heading to surgery. "A lot was expected of him after the way he pitched in the second half last year (7-5, 2.89 ERA in 14 starts with the Yankees).


"We were really excited to get him. You just count your blessings when you stay healthy."

 

[CNOTES]

Tigers' Verlander to undergo third MRI


KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Detroit Tigers are hoping that the third time is the charm.


As in, the third time Justin Verlander gets an MRI exam, the results come back crystal clear, with no fluid left in his right triceps.


Manager Brad Ausmus said Thursday that the right-hander will undergo a third MRI exam early next week in Chicago to determine how much fluid remains in the area.


Verlander threw "extremely light toss" for the second time in three days Thursday, Ausmus said, but he won't be able to progress past that point until the Tigers are certain that the fluid is gone.


"In this area," he explained, "you may feel pain-free and not realize there's still fluid in that area until you get to that very last step. They're doing MRIs to actually try to see, physically, that the fluid is gone before they start throwing, because if you feel fine, you start throwing, then you get to that last step, and you're like, 'Oh, it's bothering me.' It's because you didn't let the fluid -- which causes the inflammation -- completely filter out. So that's why we do the MRI, because he might feel great, but there might still be some inflammation or fluid in the area."


Verlander's previous MRIs have provided no diagnosis other than a right triceps strain, which he suffered March 27. He has not progressed past a fatigue-shortened simulated game April 15 in Pittsburgh, and has not thrown at anywhere near a normal intensity since then.


"It's such a weird place, and my arm feels really good," he said Monday. "But that's kind of the way it was the first time through, too, where I didn't really feel anything. I was throwing. I was fine."


Verlander, 32, is in the first year of a five-year extension signed prior to the 2013 season. He is due $28 million this season and in each of the next four seasons.


He struggled in 2014, posting a 4.54 ERA with 159 strikeouts in 206 innings pitched. He led the American League with 104 earned runs allowed.


This spring, Verlander appeared to be on track for a bounce-back, but that was derailed in his fourth start of the spring. He has not been on a mound in a competitive atmosphere since.


"I've never been through anything like this," Verlander said. "I think we're on the back end of it. Definitely moving in the right direction. The second MRI said we're moving in the right direction."


And the Tigers hope that the third says they're almost in the clear.

 

[CNOTES]

Reds' Homer Bailey to have surgery, miss 2015 season


ATLANTA — As expected, Homer Bailey's 2015 season is over and he will undergo ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction in his right elbow, better known as "Tommy John" surgery.


Reds medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek will perform the surgery next Friday in Cincinnati. Recovery from Tommy John surgery typically takes one year, meaning the Reds expect Bailey to return sometime next season.


Bailey, who turns 29 on Sunday, missed the end of 2014 with a right elbow flexor mass injury and had surgery to repair that injury last September. The Reds say the two injuries are unrelated.


"After consulting with Dr. Kremchek and other orthopedic surgeons, we determined the best option with the most predictable outcome is to surgically repair the ligament," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said in a statement released by the team on Friday. "It does not appear the injury is at all related to the right elbow flexor mass injury Homer sustained late last season."


Bailey signed a six-year deal worth $105 million last February.


Bailey was 9-5 with a 3.71 ERA in 23 starts in 2014 before his injury and made two starts for the Reds this season before going on the disabled list.


The Reds put him on the 60-day disabled list earlier this week to make room for right-hander Michael Lorenzen, who has taken Bailey's place in the rotation. Lorenzen has made one start for the Reds so far and is scheduled to start again on Tuesday in Pittsburgh.


The team also said minor-leaguer Donald Lutz had Tommy John surgery on Friday. He hurt his right elbow last week at Triple-A Louisville. Lutz is on the team's 40-man roster.

 

[CNOTES]

MLB: Recent injuries to pitchers don't change DH view


CHICAGO (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Friday that the recent instances of pitchers injuring themselves while batting haven't changed his opinion that the sport benefits from the two leagues playing under different rules.


Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright tore his left Achilles and will miss the rest of the season, while Nationals ace Max Scherzer missed a start after hurting his thumb.


"I understand why there's talk because we had a couple pitcher injuries while they were batting," Manfred said before Friday's game between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. "Over the long haul, I'm a status quo person on the DH. I think the difference between the two leagues is a source of debate among fans, and I'm a big believer in the idea of when people are talking about baseball it's a good thing."

 

[CNOTES]

Tanaka’s latest injuries leave Yankees with questions


Thursday was the first Yankees off day in two weeks, and the fact is, they’d played very well in those two weeks. Their bullpen had been incredible, parts of their lineup had shown real signs of life, and their defense had been much better than in that ugly first week of the season.


But as the Yankees took a break before a weekend series that begins Friday at Fenway Park in Boston, nothing loomed over them quite like the unanswerable questions of Masahiro Tanaka.


Taken at face value, he was little more than a disabled list pitcher with a wrist injury so minor it doesn’t show up on tests, and with a forearm strain so mild he can’t even feel it. Those injuries in a vacuum might not raise red flags of trouble ahead.


But any Tanaka injury cannot be taken in a vacuum.


“There’s concern,” manager Joe Girardi said. “There has to be concern.”


This is the obvious reality of pitching through a minor ligament tear in hopes of avoiding a major surgery. Any arm injury — just like any lack of velocity, any change of mechanics, any adjustment of approach — feels like a sign of something more significant coming around the bend.


Medical experts told the Yankees that avoiding surgery was the best course of action last season. There were enough success stories around baseball to suggest it was worth trying, and most signs were positive until Tanaka showed up on Tuesday and said his wrist hurt.


The wrist is connected to the forearm, and the forearm is connected to the elbow, and even if the current problem isn’t an elbow issue by definition, it’s not hard to connect the hypothetical dots. It feels once again as if Tommy John surgery is just a matter of time, and that time might come soon.


“Could be,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “I couldn’t tell you. No one can answer the question. The bottom line, regardless of the elbow history that he currently has, if anybody else came in with this complaint that’s in our bullpen or in our rotation had this finding, we’d go the safe route.”


That’s what the Yankees call this D.L. stint. It’s the safe route. The current Tanaka injuries aren’t especially debilitating, but there’s little sense taking additional risk with an arm that’s carrying too much risk as it is. So Tanaka has been shut down, and the search is on for any sort of cause and effect.


Was the forearm strain caused by pitching on a cold day in Detroit last week? Was the wrist soreness caused by pitching on normal rest for the first time this season?


“Does it have anything to do with Detroit?” Girardi said. “I can’t tell you 100 percent no, (but) he didn’t tell us that he felt something after Detroit. We didn’t know until (Tuesday), and he went out and threw his bullpen (on Sunday). I know if he felt it before that, he wouldn’t have done his bullpen, and we would have had it tested before.”


Well, if the current injuries weren’t caused by Tanaka’s last start, perhaps last season set them in motion. Did compensating for the elbow put extra strain on the forearm and extra stress on the wrist?


“I am a manager; I am not a doctor,” Girardi said. “So I don’t understand the mechanics of all that. As I said yesterday, there’s going to be speculation. Are they related? I can’t tell you that. I don’t know. Could be. It may not be.”


That, in a nutshell, is the reality of this entire situation. It’s possible answer to every looming question.


Were these injuries caused by Tanaka’s last start? Are the issues separate from his lingering elbow situation? Will this lead to more problems down the road? Can the Yankees count on Tanaka to come back as good as new?


Could be. It may not be