As Boston Red Sox fans, we all remember the days of “Manny being Manny” (video 1, video 2, video 3). Well it didn’t take long for Manny Ramirez to have his first “Manny being Manny” moment in Tampa Bay.

From Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times:

Manny Ramirez was dressed casually and looked relaxed when he arrived at Tampa airport Sunday night.

He was pleasant enough as photographer Kathleen Flynn and I approached him as he stepped off the tram after flying in from Phoenix, and actually asked if I was there to pick him up. When I told him I’d seen a limo driver waiting for him downstairs, he laughed and said he didn’t need a limo, that was just a “humble” guy.

I’m pretty sure that this will only be the first of many “Manny being Manny” moments this season with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Photo credit: Kathleen Flynn – St. Petersburg Times

When Johnny Damon left the Boston Red Sox in 2005, he was seen as a traitor for going to the New York Yankees. So when the Yankees came to town nine times in his time there, he was booed to no end by the Fenway Faithful.

When Damon came to town with the Detroit Tigers in 2010, the Fenway Faithful never got a chance to do anything good or bad towards Damon because he was out with an injury. And since they only came once last year, there was nothing that could be done.

But you can be darn sure that when Damon comes to Fenway Park in 2011 he’ll be booed once again. And on top of it all, the Fenway Faithful can get some extra booing in towards Manny Ramirez.

The reason why both of them will get the good ol’ visitors/enemies routine is the fact that both of them have agreed to one-year deals with the Tampa Bay Rays according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Heyman reports that Damon will get $5.25 million plus another $750K in attendance bonuses (good luck with that as they only drew just over 23,000 fans last year and that’s because the team was actually relevant). Manny will get $2 million which is usually what he carries around as pocket change.

Both deals are subject to them passing physicals.

Nothing like signing a few Red Sox rejects to help your team. Good luck with that Tampa Bay, especially Manny.

Photo credits: AP Photo (Ramirez), Getty Images (Damon)

With baseball carefully tucked away for a few more weeks and the San Francisco Giants and their fans still basking in the glow of their first title in 56 years. I thought what a better time than now to see how I did with my 2010 predictions.  Everyone makes them; very few are willing to re-live them. By the way I had the Giants 4th in the NL West.  What do I know?

In the AL East this was my prediction:

1. New York
2. Boston
3. Tampa Bay
4. Baltimore
5. Toronto

This was how they finished:

1. Tampa Bay
2. New York
3. Boston
4. Toronto
5. Baltimore

My predictions for AL Central:

1. Chicago
2. Minnesota
3. Detroit
4. Cleveland
5. Kansas City

This was how they finished:

1. Minnesota
2. Chicago
3. Detroit
4. Cleveland
5. Kansas City

To continue reading, click on the read more button below.

My Predictions for the AL West:

1. Seattle
2. Los Angeles
3. Texas
4. Oakland

This was how they finished:

1. Texas
2. Oakland
3. Los Angeles
4. Seattle

My NL East Predictions:

1. Philadelphia
2. Atlanta
3. Florida
4. New York
5. Washington

This was how they finished:

1. Philadelphia
2. Atlanta
3. Florida
4. New York
5. Washington

My predictions for NL Central:

1. St.Louis
2. Milwaukee
3. Chicago
4. Cincinnati
5. Houston
6. Pittsburgh

This was how they finished:

1. Cincinnati
2. St. Louis
3. Milwaukee
4. Houston
5. Chicago
6. Pittsburgh

My predictions for the NL West:

1. Los Angeles
2. Arizona
3. Colorado
4. San Francisco
5. San Diego

This was how they finished:

1. San Francisco
2. San Diego
3. Colorado
4. Los Angeles
5. Arizona

In the 2010 playoffs my preseason predictions looked like this:

• AL East: New York
• AL Central: Chicago
• AL West: Seattle
• AL Wild Card: Boston

• NL East: Philadelphia
• NL Central: St.Louis
• NL West: Los Angeles
• NL Wild Card: Atlanta

• AL Champion: Seattle
• NL Champion: Atlanta

• World Series Champion: Atlanta

Here’s what the post season looked like:

• AL East: Tampa Bay
• AL Central: Minnesota
• AL West: Texas
• AL Wild Card: New York

• NL East: Philadelphia
• NL Central: Cincinnati
• NL West: San Francisco
• NL Wild Card: Atlanta

• AL Champion: Texas
• NL Champion: San Francisco

• World Series Champion: San Francisco

The major baseball award winner I saw going like this:

• AL MVP: Ichiro Suzuki RF Seattle
• NL MVP: Brian McCann C Atlanta
• AL Cy Young Winner: Felix Hernandez SP Seattle
• NL Cy Young Winner: Roy Halladay SP Philadelphia
• AL Rookie of the Year: Brian Matusz SP Baltimore
• NL Rookie of the Year: Alcides Escobar SS Milwaukee
• AL Manager of the Year: Don Wakamatsu Seattle
• NL Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox Atlanta

The guys who actually took home the hardware:

• AL MVP: Josh Hamilton CF Texas
• NL MVP: Joey Votto 1B Cincinnati
• AL Cy Young Winner: Felix Hernandez SP Seattle
• NL Cy Young Winner: Roy Halladay SP Philadelphia
• AL Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz RP Texas
• NL Rookie of the Year: Buster Posey C San Francisco
• AL Manager of the Year: Ron Gardenhire Minnesota
• NL Manager of the Year: Bud Black San Diego

In the 2010 Preseason Predictions I also said several managers (and/or GMs) were on the hot seat.  I said look for the following guys to get fired:

• Mets Mgr – Jerry Manuel – CHECK
• Mets GM – Omar Minaya – CHECK
• Brewers Mgr – Ken Macha – CHECK
• Reds Mgr – Dusty Baker – won division; got extension
• Pirates Mgr – John Russell – CHECK
• Padres Mgr – Bud Black – had his team in it all year; was NL Mgr of the Year
• Athletics Mgr – Bob Geren – returning after team finished 2nd in AL West
• Rangers Mgr – Ron Washington – returning after winning AL Pennant
• Royals Mgr – Trey Hillman – CHECK fired in season
• White Sox Mgr – Ozzie Guillen – returning after team finished 2nd in NL Central
• Orioles Mgr – Dave Tremblay – CHECK fired in season

Some others I didn’t forsee coming got the gate as well:

• Mariners Mgr – Don Wakamatsu – fired during the season
• Marlins Mgr – Fredi Gonzalez – fired during the season
• Diamondbacks Mgr – AJ Hinch – fired during season

Some even left under their own power:

• Cubs Mgr – Lou Piniella – resigned towards seasons end
• Dodgers Mgr – Joe Torre – decided not to seek a new contract
• Braves Mgr – Bobby Cox – retired after season
• Blue Jays Mgr – Cito Gaston – retired after season

Those four guys all won World Series as managers. There are 8 World Series titles there in all:

• Piniella (Reds 1990)
• Torre (Yankees 1996;1998;1999 & 2000)
• Cox (Braves 1995)
• Gaston (Blue Jays 1992 &1993)

That group accounted for 7 of the titles in the 90’s.  The only one’s they missed on were 1991 (Twins/Kelly); 1994 (Strike – No Series) and 1997 (Marlins/Leyland).

So in recapping the 2010 MLB season I correctly predicted:

• 1 entire division top to bottom (NL East)
• Winners of the NL East and NL Wild Card
• Both Cy Young Winners (Halladay and Hernandez)
• and the firings of 5 managers and 1 GM

For all you seem heads looking forward to the 2011 season I will be rolling out the Gigantic Sox & Dawgs 2011 MLB Preview before the season starts so make sure to look for it.

If you’re a fan of the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees, you have an 86% chance of watching the game on Saturday which is being carried by FOX depending on where you live. And if you’re a Red Sox fan, there’s a 100% chance you will be syncing up the game on your television with the radio broadcast on Red Sox radio network.

With the Red Sox in New York for a four-game set against the Yankees, that means national television games are in order.

On Friday night, the Red Sox and Yankees will be broadcast in their local markets (NESN, My9) as well as on the MLB Network. Saturday is the FOX game and Sunday is the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Game. And on Monday night, the games will be broadcast in their local markets (NESN, YES) as well as the MLB Network.

Here’s the breakdown nationally for the game between the Red Sox and Yankees on FOX on Saturday, August 7th.

Boston Red at New York Yankees – 86%
Announcers: Joe Buck, Tim McCarver & Ken Rosenthal
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Tulsa, Washington, West Palm Beach

Texas Rangers at Oakland A’s – 13%
Announcers: Josh Lewin & Eric Karros
MARKETS INCLUDE: Austin, Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco

to Ken from Fang’s Bites

Are you a Boston Red Sox fan and wondering if you’re going to be getting the game on Saturday afternoon at 4:10 p.m. EDT on your local FOX affiliate? Well if you’re curious, take a look below to see what game you’ll be watching.

Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds – 42%

Announcers: Thom Brennaman & Kevin Millar

MARKETS INCLUDE: Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Greensboro, Greenville, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Richmond, San Antonio, St. Louis, Tulsa, Washington

Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox – 37%

Announcers: Dick Stockton, Mark Grace & Ken Rosenthal

MARKETS INCLUDE: Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Fort Myers, Hartford, Kansas City, Miami, New York, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Providence, Seattle, Tampa, West Palm Beach

Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants – 20%

Announcers: Kenny Albert & Eric Karros

MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco

H/T to Fang’s Bites

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner passed away at the age of 80 on Tuesday after suffering a massive heart attack at his home in Tampa, FL.

Steinbrenner may not have been the most liked person here in Red Sox Nation but he commanded a respect like none other. He brought the rivalry between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox back to the forefront engaging in many different types of battles. He did so much for the game and the cities of Tampa and New York that it would take forever to list.

So whether you like or hate Steinbrenner, today is a sad day in the world of baseball

Our condolences go out to his family, friends, the entire Yankees organization and Yankees fans on their loss. The Big Stein will be greatly missed.

Photo credit: Reuters pictures

Yeah I said, what the heck are you going to do about it?

So why is this big bad Boston Red Sox fan calling New York Yankees skipper Joe Girardi a major prick? Well one, because I can and two, because I can. And oh yeah, three, because he is.

With Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau still suffering the effects of a concussion from earlier in the week, he decided it would be best to skip the 2010 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday in Anaheim.

And with Morneau being a fan selection to the American League squad, it was up to Girardi to choose his replacement. So with Kevin Youkilis of the Red Sox and Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox out there with All-Star credentials, the major prick picked Konerko.

Now I have absolutely nothing against Konerko for being chosen, he has the numbers to be there. But why in the heck isn’t Youk there after finishing a close second to Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher in the AL All-Star final vote.

After all, Morneau was elected by the fans. Youk finished way ahead of Konerko in the final vote.

So why did the major prick chose Konerko?

It’s quite simple actually. The rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees.

There’s a time and a place to let the rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees come between things but the 2010 All-Star Game counts. While the two (Konerko and Youk) have similar numbers, Youk brings a different dimension to the game in that he can play first and third base.

If it weren’t for the other members of the Red Sox being in the game, I’d probably boycott it. But knowing the major prick, he probably won’t play them in the game and show us why he is a major prick.

Starters				Starters
Pos	Name	Team		Pos	Name	Team
C	Yadier Molina	Cardinals		C	Joe Mauer	Twins
1B	Albert Pujols	Cardinals		1B	Justin Morneau*	Twins
2B	Chase Utley*	Phillies		2B	Robinson Cano	Yankees
SS	Hanley Ramirez	Marlins		SS	Derek Jeter	Yankees
3B	David Wright	Mets		3B	Evan Longoria	Rays
OF	Ryan Braun	Brewers		OF	Ichiro Suzuki	Mariners
OF	Andre Ethier	Dodgers		OF	Josh Hamilton	Rangers
OF	Jason Heyward*	Braves		OF	Carl Crawford	Rays
–	–	–		DH	Vladimir Guerrero	Rangers
Reserves				Reserves
Pos	Name	Team		Pos	Name	Team
C	Brian McCann	Braves		C	Victor Martinez*	Red Sox
1B	Adrian Gonzalez	Padres		1B	Miguel Cabrera	Tigers
1B	Ryan Howard	Phillies		2B	Dustin Pedroia*	Red Sox
2B	Brandon Phillips	Reds		2B	Ty Wigginton	Orioles
SS	Troy Tulowitzki*	Rockies		SS	Elvis Andrus	Rangers
3B	Omar Infante	Braves		3B	Adrian Beltre*	Red Sox
3B	Scott Rolen	Reds		3B	Alex Rodriguez	Yankees
OF	Michael Bourn	Astros		OF	Jose Bautista	Blue Jays
OF	Marlon Byrd	Cubs		OF	Torii Hunter	Angels
OF	Corey Hart	Brewers		OF	Vernon Wells	Blue Jays
OF	Matt Holliday	Cardinals		DH	David Ortiz	Red Sox
OF	Chris Young	Diamondbacks		P	Clay Buchholz*	Red Sox
P	Jonathan Broxton	Dodgers		P	Trevor Cahill*	Athletics
P	Matt Capps	Nationals		P	Fausto Carmona	Indians
P	Chris Carpenter	Cardinals		P	Neftali Perez	Rangers
P	Yovani Gallardo*	Brewers		P	Phil Hughes	Yankees
P	Roy Halladay	Phillies		P	Cliff Lee	Mariners
P	Tim Hudson	Braves		P	Jon Lester	Red Sox
P	Ubaldo Jimenez	Rockies		P	David Price	Rays
P	Josh Johnson	Marlins		P	Mariano Rivera*	Yankees
P	Tim Lincecum	Giants		P	CC Sabathia*	Yankees
P	Evan Meek	Pirates		P	Joakim Soria	Royals
P	Arthur Rhodes	Reds		P	Matt Thornton	White Sox
P	Adam Wainwright	Cardinals		P	Jose Valverde	Tigers
P	Brian Wilson	Giants		–	–	–
1B	Joey Votto	Reds		OF	Nick Swisher	Yankees

*Injury replacements:

• Victor Martinez of the Boston Red Sox is on the DL and will not participate in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by John Buck of the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox is on the DL and will not participate in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers.
• Clay Buchholz of the Boston Red Sox is on the DL and will not participate in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees.
• Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees is injured and will not participate in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by Rafael Soriano of the Tampa Bay Rays.
• Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins is injured and will not play in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox.
• CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees pitched on 7/11 and is ineligible to pitch in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
• Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitched on 7/11 and is ineligble to pitch in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers.
• Trevor Cahill of the Oakland A’s pitched on 7/11 and is ineligble to pitch in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by his teammate, Andrew Bailey.
• Adrian Beltre of the Boston Red Sox is injured and will not play in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by Michael Young of the Texas Rangers.
• Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies is on the DL and will not participate in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by Martin Prado of the Atlanta Braves.
• Troy Tulowitzki of the Colorado Rockies is on the DL and will not participate in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by Jose Reyes of the New York Mets.
• Yovani Galardo of the Milwaukee Brewers is injured and will not participate in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by Heath Bell of the San Diego Padres.
• Jose Reyes of the New York Mets is hurt and will not play in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by Rafael Furcal of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Jason Heyward of the Atlanta Braves is injured and will not play in the game. He’s been replaced on the roster by Hong-Chih Kuo of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A look at the final vote candidates after the jump.

Here are your 2010 MLB All-Star Game final vote candidates:

National League:

• Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies
• Joey Votto, Reds
• Billy Wagner, Braves
• Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals

American League:

• Paul Konerko, White Sox
• Nick Swisher, Yankees
• Delmon Young, Twins
• Michael Young, Rangers
• Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox

So Red Sox fans, make sure you submit your 25 votes per email address for Youk!!!! Voting will go until 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 8th.

If we as Boston Red Sox fans want to see any of our players starting at the 2010 MLB All-Star Game in Anaheim on July 13th, then we really need to get to voting and quick.

With the latest update coming out today, the Red Sox still don’t have anyone that is currently at the top of the voting at any position. The closest to the top at any position is second baseman Dustin Pedroia sitting in second place behind the leader, Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees by roughly 568,000 votes.

First baseman Kevin Youkilis is in fourth place in the balloting and trails new leader Justin Morneau by approximately 517,000 votes. Third baseman Adrian Beltre is in forth place as well over 1.1 million votes behind leader Evan Longoria. Victor Martinez is in third place at the catcher position, 1.5 million votes. And finally, David Ortiz sits in fourth place at the DH spot and  is roughly 810,000 votes behind leader Vladimir Guerrero.

None of the Red Sox outfielders are in the top 15 of the voting.

Our best hopes to get to the top are Pedroia and Youk, so fans of Red Sox Nation, it’s time to vote Red Sox across the 2010 MLB All-Star Game Ballot. Votes for Sox players are like Dell coupon codes. The more the better!

A full look at the voting totals after the jump.

2010 MLB All-Star Balloting : American League
1st Base
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Justin Morneau	Twins	973,563
2	Mark Teixeira	Yankees	931,405
3	Miguel Cabrera	Tigers	659,965
4	Kevin Youkilis	Red Sox	456,101
5	Carlos Pena	Rays	309,051
2nd Base
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Robinson Cano	Yankees	1,293,724
2	Dustin Pedroia	Red Sox	725,081
3	Ian Kinsler	Rangers	585,277
4	Orlando Hudson	Twins	500,224
5	Ben Zobrist	Rays	304,622
3rd Base
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Evan Longoria	Rays	1,403,566
2	Alex Rodriguez	Yankees	956,419
3	Michael Young	Rangers	528,642
4	Adrian Beltre	Red Sox	318,586
5	Nick Punto	Twins	275,542
Shortstop
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Derek Jeter	Yankees	1,554,781
2	Elvis Andrus	Rangers	695,957
3	J.J. Hardy	Twins	446,899
4	Alex Gonzalez	Blue Jays	328,255
5	Jason Bartlett	Rays	318,346
Catcher
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Joe Mauer	Twins	1,886,188
2	Jorge Posada	Yankees	624,898
3	Victor Martinez	Red Sox	350,456
4	Taylor Teagarden	Rangers	247,248
5	Mike Napoli	Angels	188,154
Designated Hitter
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Vladimir Guerrero	Rangers	1,210,521
2	Hideki Matsui	Angels	638,237
3	Ken Griffey Jr.	Mariners	463,149
4	David Ortiz	Red Sox	398,170
5	Jason Kubel	Twins	363,347
Outfield
RANK	PLAYER NAME	AL TEAM	TOTAL VOTES
1	Ichiro Suzuki	Mariners	918,730
2	Nelson Cruz	Rangers	809,902
3	Carl Crawford	Rays	806,202
4	Josh Hamilton	Rangers	697,993
5	Nick Swisher	Yankees	587,977
6	Torii Hunter	Angels	575,044
7	Curtis Granderson	Yankees	572,098
8	Brett Gardner	Yankees	556,546
9	Vernon Wells	Blue Jays	503,684
10	B.J. Upton	Rays	448,667
11	Michael Cuddyer	Twins	441,174
12	Bobby Abreu	Angels	440,689
13	Denard Span	Twins	407,917
14	Magglio Ordonez	Tigers	404,076
15	Austin Jackson	Tigers	345,288

Just as the Boston Red Sox are getting ready to come to town, Captain Kirk Dave Trembley has been relieved of his duties as commander of the USS Enterprise with the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are off to a MLB-worst 15-39 start to the 2010 season.

Ironically enough, four of those 15 wins this season have come against the Red Sox including a three-game sweep the last time the Red Sox were in Camden Yards.

Third base coach Juan Samuel will take over as interim manager of the Orioles for the time being.