HEADLINES

* MANNY RAMIREZ will not return to the Dodgers in 2011!
Everyone is freaking out about a comment made by Manny Ramirez (remember, guys, this is Manny Ramirez we're talking about here) this Monday that he likely will not return to play left field for the Dodgers after this season. The organization responded with as quick a "no comment" as possible, his teammates wrote it all off as a joke, while rational baseball people with knowledge of the situation just rolled their eyes and wondered why everyone's making such a big deal about a passing comment from one of the game's best-established goofballs. And what's more, a comment that's pretty sure to be accurate. Consider the facts:

Ramirez will be two months away from turning 39 by opening day 2011. He already requires periodic rest for his aching legs and back. Who knows if he'll be able to man left field regularly and the Dodgers, a National League team, won't be able to give him at-bats in the DH spot. It might just make perfect sense for an American League team with deep pockets to pick up Manny for his bat without having to worry about his suspect defense or durability.

Ballplaying abilities aside, this next season will be the last in Manny's contract, which means if the Dodgers want to retain his services for another year, they'll have to embark on another epic negotiation session with Manny's agent Scott Boras. Lest we forget the 2008-09 offseason in which the Ramirez/Boras petulance-fest resulted in a late arrival to Spring Training due to months of holding out and trying to leverage Frank McCourt and Ned Colletti with stories of fictional interest from other teams. Manny eventually got a one year contract in excess of $20 million with a player option for a second year at pretty much the same price... and that was when he was about to turn 37. If you think Boras is gonna be any more forgiving next year, or that the Dodgers brass are at all looking forward to dealing with him again, you're got another thing comin' on both counts.

Unless Manny wants to both take a massive pay cut and call off his dog of an agent before next off-season, I'd say there's a pretty good chance he's right about it being his last year in Dodger Blue.


* JUSTIN DUCHSCHERER is more machine now than man!

Remember Just Duchscherer? Really good reliever with Oakland for three years in the mid-2000's. In 2008 they converted him to a starter, and he responded with an All-Star season, despite only making 22 starts due to injury. He missed all of 2009 with problems with his elbow, hip, and clinical depression.

As an A's fan, it was great to see him take the hill when he was healthy, but because he was so prone to injury, it just wasn't worth it to keep him on the roster (or on the DL more often than not). So when he became a free agent after the 2009 season, I was kind of excited to see another team deal with his troubles. Then imagine my chagrin when Oakland signed Duky to a one-year, incentive-laden contract.

Everything seemed to be going fine until about a week ago when he felt pain in his lower back. He went under the knife to relieve the pain, and now there's no set timetable for his return. At least there's a slew of 20-somethings ready to take his place.


* Hey, check it out, JOHNNY DAMON signed with the Tigers!

The Detroit Tigers have a new left fielder and he's someone I just recently wrote about. What does this mean for the team that came just one game short of making the playoffs in 2009?

Magglio Ordonez is cemented in right field because of the mammoth contract he "earned" by reaching a certain number of plate appearances last year. Former Yankees prospect Austin Jackson (acquired in a three team deal with the Diamondbacks) will man center field. Damon will take left, pushing out the contingent of Ryan Raburn and Clete Thomas who were previously penciled in to the spot. Damon's at the point in his career where he would benefit from some time at DH, especially in Comerica Park's spacious outfield, but manager Jim Leyland is strangely obsessed with trotting Carlos Guillen out there game after game.

Will Damon's acquisition be enough to edge the Tigers past the Twins for a spot in this year's big Fall tournament? It's probably a wash considering they lost Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson, but the chips will fall where they may.