After Monday night's agonizing victory, Gordon Beckham was none too enthused with Cleveland's X-ray technician, seen in action here:
Beckham had his right hand X-rayed after it got crushed by a Frank Herrmann fastball, and Joe Cowley, who started ripping Cleveland before he even got there, pounced on it:
What really summed up the night for the Sox, however, was Beckhamhaving to leave the game in the seventh when he was hit on the righthand by a Frank Herrmann pitch. He was taken for X-rays and told it wasbroken.
''The guy actually came out of the X-ray room saying it's broken,''Beckham said. ''I'm like, 'How is that possible?' Then he said, 'No,it's not.' Are you kidding me? That's rookie league.''
No, it's Cleveland.
Beckham is day-to-day, fortunately. They aren't in a position to make a run without him.
**********************************
*Kenny Williams officially commented on the Manny Ramirez acquisition:
''The thought behind it was very simple. We not only want to get intothe playoffs, but once we get into the playoffs, we'd like to have achance to do something special. The teams that are there have some goodpitching, and you're going to need a hitter that can not only hit goodpitching, but hit good pitching in the clutch. This guy's been there anddone that. It's just a matter of him getting his timing back, and he'llbe effective.''
He also asked, "What's wrong with a little flair?" Somewhere in New York, Nick Swisher bites his tongue. And then exaggerates how much pain it caused in an unsuccessful attempt for a laugh.
*Analysts are using the acquisition to point out Mark Kotsay's numerous flaws...
My faith in humanity is lessened after arguing with some White Sox fans that don't think Manny is an upgrade on Kotsay.
Dan Szymborski
DSzymborski
... but Kotsay is saying all the right things. This is when his vaunted clubhouse reputation comes in handy.
*Ramirez will wear No. 99, but whether his dreadlocks will partially obscure it is unclear.
*Alex Rios and Paul Konerko won't be moved for Ramirez, who will bat fifth.
*Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness, which is one of the best blog names out there, offers a thorough summary of Ramirez's Dodger career that is well worth reading. An excerpt:
I’m not saying he was worth every penny this year; it’s hard to do sowith how much time he missed. But to keep up the facade that he could nolonger produce is just wrong. If the numbers above aren’t convincingproof of that, how about the fact that they’ve scored more than 5 runsper game with him in the lineup, and fewer than 4 without him? If he’snot classic, “in his Boston prime” Manny, or superpowered “just got toLA” Manny, he’s still an effective force in the lineup, one the Dodgershave proven they cannot win without.
One thing I didn't know is that Ramirez took a fastball to the hand after returning from his 50-game suspension in 2009. That's cited as a possible -- perhaps probable -- reason for the drop in his performance from mid-July on that year. Let's hope we can't say the same thing about Beckham.
*And once you're done reading that, read this. Because it contains this:
*Oral Sox has a new podcast up, topping two hours with Manny talk. I think that's gotta be a record.
