Manny Ramirez is starting his rehab assignment on Tuesday when the Albuquerque Isotopes host the Nashville Sounds.
Manny will apparently play three games in New Mexico, and then move into the California League when the Inland Empire 66ers play at Lake Elsinore and then at home against Rancho Cucamonga.
That will take him up until July 1 when IE travels to Visalia. Whether he goes there remains to be seen, but just a couple of days later he'll rejoin the Dodgers.
He'll be back on July 3 when the club is in San Diego. That, my friends, is only nine games from now.
Yes, 41 games have passed since it felt like the world was coming to an end, and somehow it has not. The Dodgers have been better than good, going 25-16 without him, which is a .610 winning percentage. That over the course of a season would win you close to 100 games.
So now we know the plan as far as Manny's return, so here comes the big question...
Will we welcome back Manny with open arms? How will you guys feel? Will he be embraced, booed, sneered, or tolerated?
I have a feeling it will be all of the above, but what will the majority do? What will you do?
Me, personally, I am leaning towards welcoming him back with open arms. I have never been in this position, like Giants or Yankees fans have been. I've never had to make this decision.
It's going to take me a couple of weeks to really accept him back, but I think I am open to the idea and I think I will get there.
With the fact that he can hit like almost nobody else in the game, I am trying to remember that he is a human being. I've made stupid, stupid mistakes in my life and people have forgiven me.
Manny needs to earn trust by doing a number of things which include, but aren't limited to, staying clean and playing the game hard, letting his bat do the talking.
The thing is, I am not going to tell anyone they are wrong if they boo him or don't want him back. I can totally see that point of view, trust me. I mean, I was hurt when this happen, but I am open to a second chance.
However, if you are not, then that is completely your right and nobody can tell you that you are wrong. He has a lot of fences to mend.
Another question that rises, is who will go to the bench? Will it be Juan Pierre? Andre Ethier? It certainly won't be Matt Kemp.
Here is the problem with benching Pierre: You force Rafael Furcal into the leadoff spot and he can't seem to hit water if he fell out of a boat. You also bench a guy who is hitting over .330, which might upset some fans and some members of the team.
Here is the problem with benching Ethier: First of all, you bench the guy who leads the team in home runs. Secondly, there is a big hole in right field. Pierre absolutely can not play there. With his arm, every base hit to right with a man on would mean the extra base. Every single time. The only option is to put Pierre in center, where things aren't much better, and move Kemp to right. I'm not a huge fan of this idea because Kemp is getting comfortable in centerfield and becoming a very good outfielder.
My suggestion is simple. You play Juan Pierre against lefties, and have Kemp play right field from time to time. Pierre is hitting .411 against lefties and Ethier is just hitting .195 against southpaws.
This would give Pierre a couple starts a week, plus a spot start here and there with exclusive rights to almost every pinch hitting opportunity, if he's available.
This is not a perfect plan, and there probably isn't one. What would you do?
However, the big question remains, how will you feel when Manny's name is announced on July 3?
I will welcome him back with open arms and give him a chance to "make it up to the fans." It took seconds for him to be welcomed to LA the first time, and we had to watch other teams (the homos in SF!) juicing and getting pennants and playoffs because of it (Bonds, Santiago, Torrealba, Sweeney), so I could care less about what he did already. The second he starts to hit Dodger fans will forget all about the past 50 games...however he will hear it even more from other fans at opposing yards...but booing is nothing new to Manny.
Bottom line he hits he is welcomed, he doesnt and it was the steriods that helped him.
i will welcome him back... my feelings are slightly hurt, but he is important to this team and deserves a second chance... booing wont bother manny...
I'm not sure I will welcome him back. I'm gonna feel cheated and be upset. This season is going to feel tainted to me no matter what happens.
I hear you DodgerFan, but a WS title will help it go down easier! Remember we are a society that gives second chances, especially when you pay the price and punishment...no suspension for ARod, Pettite, or any other big name other than Palmeiro, but Manny took his suspension, served it and is trying to come back.
Matt, any way you can find out how hard Schmidt was pitching in the game last night at AAA?