Good Lord, are New York fans smitten with Manny Ramirez http://0rz.tw/485c7 Posted by Ken Davidoff on December 18, 2008 12:31 AM On Thursday, Nov. 6, I boarded a plane at John Wayne Airport, headed to Newark. I was the second-to-last person to board the plane. The very last person was Brian Cashman. We had both spent the week at the general managers' meetings, and we were both tired - Cashman from trying to turn the Yankees into a World Series winner, me from trying to figure out precisely how Cashman was trying to achieve that goal. A flight attendant recognized the Yankees' general manager, and this is what he said (or something like this): "Hey, Mr. Cashman, are you gonna get Manny?" I can only imagine how much Cashman gets asked about Manny Ramirez, since I get asked about him all of the time, and I know Brian Cashman, and I am no Brian Cashman. Yankees fans want him. Mets fans want him. Red Sox fans are scared that Manny will wind up in the Bronx. People in the game want to know what's going on with him. So here's the latest, based on what I know, involving Manny and our two local teams: Yankees. Here's Kat O'Brien's story on where the Yankees stand right now, as they introduce CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett at the old Stadium today. The truth is that Manny barely resides anywhere on the Yankees' radar at the moment. When they discuss different permutations of their 2009 club, virtually none involve Manny. Whereas some, as a point of comparison, do involve Mark Teixeira. If you've been paying attention to what Cashman has done since becoming a real GM in the 2005-06 offseason, you'll know that signing Manny doesn't follow Cashman's logic - unless Manny's market collapses and the Yankees can get him at a one-year deal. Is it possible that the Steinbrenners overrule Cashman, much as they did when they brought back Alex Rodriguez? Sure. But the organization was in a different place then - reeling from the fallout over Joe Torre's departure. Right now, it's riding high with Sabathia and Burnett in the fold. As for Teixeira, it sure seems like he's going to get his $200 million, and if that's the case, it won't be coming from the Yankees. For the Yankees to land Teixeira, after already landing Sabathia and Burnett, they would've needed a perfect storm of sorts involving these components: 1) No team bids crazy money on Teixeira 2) Andy Pettitte turns down the Yankees' $10 million offer, and the team follows my suggestion and makes the fifth starter's job a competition among Alfredo Aceves, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. 3) Mike Cameron stays in Milwaukee, as appears likely now. 4) A team agrees to take on Kei Igawa and a sizeable portion of the $12 million owed to him through 2011. 5) The Yankees trade Xavier Nady or Johnny Damon and, if it's Nady, find a cheaper rightfielder. 6) Robert Downey Jr. wins the Golden Globe Award for his role in "Tropic Thunder." (All right, maybe #6 doesn't have to happen.) All in all, the chances of the Yankees landing Manny are, I'd say, a 2 out of 10. Mets. This one, I hear all of the time from fans: "Omar is laying in the weeds, just as he did with Santana. He's gonna get him." Or: "Omar wants Manny, but the Wilpons won't let it happen." First of all, no. The Mets aren't getting Manny. They're just not. No way, no how. Second of all, I get the sense that Omar Minaya has cooled on Manny. He didn't push very hard for him at the trade deadline, when the Mets could've had him for a song. I think that, first of all, Omar was turned off by what Manny did in Boston last July. Furthermore, after the failues of Moises Alou and Orlando Hernandez to stay on the field, I think the Wilpons did tell Minaya something to the effect of, "Stop turning the club into the AARP's Team of the Year!" The chance that the Mets will sign Manny is a 0 out of 10. I understand why people want to know about Manny. He is captivating for both his play and his conduct. But the odds are, if you want to see Manny in his home uniform in 2009, you're going to have to leave the Tri-State Area. Interesting column here by Jim Baumbach, comparing K-Rod's New York arrival to Sabathia's. The Dodgers still have to be considered the favorites to sign Manny, even after they signed Rafael Furcal. What a wacky turn of events for Furcal, who upset the Braves with his actions. In any case, it's big for the Dodgers to re-sign Furcal, whom they must hope will remain healthy after an injury-prone 2008. If the Dodgers bring back Manny, they'll have to be the favorites in the deteriorating NL West, although the Giants have made themselves more interesting this offseason. Meanwhile, Furcal's agent Paul Kinzer sure has had an interesting offseason. First, he went from projecting five years for $75 million for K-Rod to three years and $37 million. And now, he's stirred it up with the Braves. Thanks to Bell of Cow, who registered the blog's 10,000th comment yesterday. If I could, BoC, I'd give you the treatment that Oliver received when he was the one millionth visitor to the movie studio in this episode of "The Brady Bunch." But, given our budget constraints of the moment, I'll instead buy you a Dr. Brown's Black Cherry soda the next time I see you. Rest in peace, Dave Smith. I never met the man but remember his career, and his big hair, very well. Thanks to this site for the photo. I wonder whether AIG will still be a Dodgers sponsor next year? --

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