Manny's Hamstring. How Bad? Sidelined.

[Smizzy]

July 12, 2004 11:48 AM ET
Red Sox: Ramirez sits with sore hamstrings

The News
Manny Ramirez complained of tight hamstrings in both legs prior to Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Rangers and was removed from the lineup by manager Terry Francona. Ramirez has reportedly been treating his tender hamstrings with therapy and ice all week, and the slugging right fielder simply needed the day off, according to Francona. Ramirez did appear as a pinch-hitter late in the game, popping out against the Rangers' Francisco Cordero. Ramirez did not talk to the media after the game, but according to published reports he is planning to make the trip to Houston and start in the All-Star game on Tuesday night.
Our View
The timing of Manny's latest hammy injury raised some eyebrows, given his recent history with the All-Star game. Ramirez backed out of last year's festivities with a tender hamstring. That came after he skipped the final game before the break to attend to his ill mother, who he claimed fainted while gardening. The year before, he showed up for the All-Star game in Seattle two hours before the game and offered vague accounts of the sickness and/or death of a grandmother to explain his late arrival. Luckily for fantasy owners, the All-Star game doesn't matter, so even if he does skip the mid-summer classic on Tuesday, count on him being back in the middle of the Red Sox lineup on Thursday.

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