An apology to Barry Bonds

Let me preface my comments by admitting that I don't follow every baseball team each season - just specific ones, the Minnesota Twins, the Seattle Mariners, and the Baltimore Orioles.

So although I've heard of the big stars of other teams, I'd never really seen them in action, except during an occasional glimpse during Baseball Tonight, etc.

So for years and years I've disliked Barry Bonds, because of his pathetic little schtick of standing at the plate and watching while his home run balls fly out of the park. What a jerk, I'd thought. (and continue to think.)

But he's not the biggest jerk in baseball, the biggest poseur in the game - that goes to Manny Ramirez.

Bonds at least just stands there, not really showing up anyone...Manny Ramirez stands there, and holds up both arms and poses. Then he looks at the pitcher like he wants to make eye contact...then he starts his baggy-uniformed trot around the bases.

So today, of course, in an elimination game, he hits what he thinks is a home run ball. David Ortiz, bad leg and all, is running as hard as he can round the bases and scores from firstl. What does Manny do? He stands and does his pose, then the ball hits on top of the yellow line of the fence (replays showed it hit on the line, not beyond the line), so good ol' Manny ends up with a single instead of a double or triple.

They ended up winning the game anyway, thanks to the hustle of other players, but it just irked me to see that.

And then there's his other sctick he does, which I've seen three times now in the last few days... he has this habit of running the bases and when he's on second trying to get home, he'll reach up and knock his helmet off, as if to make sure that the fans see him and know he's running so fast that he loses his helmet. Does he really think that they don't know that he knocks it off deliberately?

And finally, for a wonder, Jacoby Ellsbury gets into the game, if only for the last 2 innings. Based on Coco Crisp's output in these champeenship series, it's time to replace Crisp with Ellsbury. He'll be as good defensively, and his offense couldn't be any worse and might be better.