The Philly Sports Journal

Last night, Manny Ramirez made his triumphant return to Los Angeles, appearing in his first home game since his two-month suspension ended. Although he had been booed on the road, Dodger fans welcomed him back with open arms, just as any fans would if he played for their team.

But overlooked in all the fanfare were some comments by Joe Torre the other day, when the Dodgers were in Milwaukee and Ramirez hit his 536th career home run, tying Mickey Mantle at 15th on the all-time list.

“Manny’s a special talent, he’s a special player, so was Mickey, obviously,” said Torre, who cemented his own historic legacy with the Yankees. “I know there’s going to be some questions for the rest of his career. I’m not sure you can question how many he hits, it’s how far they go. I think that’s really what affects it more than anything else.”

Not how many he hits, but how far they go?

Torre wasn’t prompted for a response about steroids. He volunteered it, barely pausing after acknowledging Manny’s accomplishment.

Read between the lines, and Torre — an MVP as player, a guy from the old school, forever a Yankee, despite how things ended in the Bronx, and a manager known for “managing personalities” — was taking a shot at his own player.

Torre knows Manny is great, but it turns his stomach that he cheated.

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Tags: Baseball, NL West, Steroids
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If Phillies slugger Ryan Howard stays on his current pace, he’ll be a member of the 500-home-run club in six years. Last night against Florida, he reached 200 homers faster than anyone in history.

It was Howard’s 658th game, which is almost exactly four big-league seasons. In other words, he’s averaging 50 homers a year.

Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner had been the quickest to 200, and Howard beat him by 48 games. Kiner, who became hampered by injuries late in his career, only ended up playing 10 seasons.

Howard is 29 years old. Babe Ruth played until he was 40. Hank Aaron retired at age 41, and Barry Bonds was blackballed at 37. If Howard plays until he’s 40, and in the unlikely event he continues at his current home run clip, he’ll be bumping into Aaron and Bonds on the all-time list.

· Former Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell, who went undrafted, will try his hand in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, where he’ll compete for the starting job against four other QBs.

· Kelly Blair, who used to own a gym in Houston, said he never supplied Roger Clemens with HGH and looks forward to testifying in front of a grand jury.

· The Cubs signed closer B.J. Ryan to a minor league deal. Meanwhile, Cubs manager Lou Piniella visited the White House and spent a few minutes with President Obama.

· Washington Huskies offensive lineman Skyler Fancher, who has a broken leg, chased down a purse snatcher.

· NFL Network analyst Jamie Dukes says Broncos coach Josh McDaniels can’t be trusted.

· That’s all for now. See you next week.

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The state of Florida seems to have resolved its issues over election results, but when it comes to student-athletes’ grades, the Sunshine State is still a little fishy. There was the cheating scandal at Florida State, and now South Florida is wondering why one of its recruits had nine grades changed in high school. The NCAA is also on the case.

· The San Francisco Giants head into the second half feeling like contenders.

· Manny Ramirez returns home with the Dodgers tonight. However, just because he’ll be welcomed back doesn’t mean baseball fans don’t care about steroids. He’s a great player who’s fun to watch, and of course L.A. fans are glad to have him back.

· Last year, Texas Tech had issues finding a good kicker. Now the Big 12 has suspended the Red Raiders’ punter. 

· The University of Arizona will launch its own sports network this fall.

· Many college athletes are getting stuck with the bill after injuries.

· Arkansas State cornerback Paul Stephens was kicked off the team after he was shot while apparently trying to break into an apartment.

· Offensive lineman Kurt Wermers decided to leave Michigan for Ball State because he didn’t get along with UM’s coaches.

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As rumors continue to swirl about which team will get Roy Halladay, assuming Toronto decides to trade him, at least one team might be out of it.

The Yankees.

Although it would be crazy for the Blue Jays to deal their ace within their division — it would be like the Phillies trading Cole Hamels to the Mets or Braves — they said they’d be willing to do so for the right price. But the price may be too steep for the Bronx Bombers.

The Yanks may just be engaging in some poker-faced gamesmanship, but the Phillies remain the frontrunner. It’s all up to GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and whether he wants to part with certain prospects. Hopefully Amaro will remember one fact: It’s not about winning with Kyle Drabek; it’s about winning, period.

Halladay is a winner, and he’d give the Phillies the best chance to win, not only this year and next, but for several years down the road.

If the Phillies don’t pull the trigger for Halladay, it’s a bad baseball decision. The only other explanation would be that they don’t want to spend the money for Halladay’s contract. If stinginess is what prevents them from dealing for an ace, that’s an even worse decision.

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Tags: AL East, Baseball, NL East, Phillies
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By signing Pedro Martinez, the Phillies are throwing a wild-card personality into a clubhouse that is known for its great chemistry. But I think he’ll fit right in. I think he’ll love playing for Charlie Manuel, and alongside Chase Utley and Victorino and Howard, and fans will embrace him. Besides, Pedro has something to prove. He wants to win, he wants to show up the Mets, and he knows that if he pitches well he’ll get a juicy new deal somewhere next season.

· Some folks in St. Louis rightly feel that Stan Musial, one of the greatest hitters and all-around ballplayers ever to live, was slighted again at the All-Star Game.

Here is a local review of Fox’s coverage of the game.

· Bernie Kosar is in deep financial trouble, and even considered suicide.

· Injuries are piling up for the Tennessee Vols.

· Some guy has recreated a photo from the 2006 Utah vs. Brigham Young game on his basement wall — using golf tees.

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Whether he was with the Mets, Red Sox or irrelevant Montreal Expos, or even when he broke in with the Dodgers, I’ve never rooted for Pedro Martinez. But I’ll root for him if the Phillies sign him for half a season.

It’s rumored they’d pay him around $4 million without many bonuses, which apparently is fine with Pedro, who was originally seeking more money but wants to latch on somewhere and wouldn’t mind sticking it to the Mets.

Although there may be concerns about him disrupting the Phils’ chemistry, at this point in his career Martinez is looking to fit in. As long as signing him doesn’t interfere with a possible trade for Roy Halladay, the Phillies have nothing to lose. Other teams have scouted Pedro and been less than awestruck, but he was decent in the World Baseball Classic. And he’d only have to stay healthy for a few months instead of an entire season.

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Tags: Baseball, NL East, Phillies
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ESPN has made some changes to its lineup of college football commentators. Recently hired Matt Millen will have a prominent role, and the popular team of Mike Patrick and Todd Blackledge will be split up. Also, unfortunately, Craig James is still with the network.

· Sports Illustrated’s Frank Deford says the NCAA is as bad as the BCS.

· Dismantling the BCS may not automatically lead to a playoff system, but it’s a good first step.

· By the way, Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman, who is chairman of the BCS presidential oversight committee, has used bogus, disingenuous arguments to defend the BCS all week. For example: A playoff system would distract student athletes from their studies (even though they’d be on winter break). His e-mail address can be found on this page.

· This guy is convinced Florida coach Urban Meyer will leave for Notre Dame after this season. It wouldn’t be surprising, but in the meantime Charlie Weis has a chance to win people over again in South Bend.

· Pass-catching tight end Tony Gonzalez may do more blocking in the Falcons’ offense.

· Former Yankee Jim Leyritz, who’s facing DUI manslaughter charges and also was arrested for allegedly beating his wife, broke down in court.

· The Oakland A’s will retire Rickey Henderson’s number. Remember this Rickey moment?

· LSU is adding its name to the front of its football jerseys.

· Have a good weekend. See you next week.

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GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said he won’t mortgage the Phillies’ future to get Roy Halladay. That’s smart, but he shouldn’t be afraid to pay a high price.

Halladay, 32, is one of the best pitchers in baseball and he’s in the prime of his career. And, perhaps along with the Angels, the Phillies have the prospects and payroll to make a deal. The Red Sox and Yankees might too, but there’s no way Toronto is trading its ace to an AL East rival. The Mets aren’t in the sweepstakes.

I don’t want to part with Kyle Drabek and J.A. Happ, but I’d wince and pull the trigger — and I’d even throw in another top prospect and a first-round pick — in order to get Halladay. Even at that high price, the Phillies have enough farm talent that they wouldn’t be gutting their system.

When the top of your rotation is Hamels and Halladay, you’re automatically in the running for a world championship. Plus there’s this: Rollins, Utley, Howard, Lidge, Victorino and Company are all in their primes. The Phillies’ time is now.

Halladay has a year-and-a-half left on his contract, and it would require close to $20 million per year to sign him to an extension. That’s worth it too. In fact, the Phils shouldn’t get him unless they do an extension, considering the high-end prospects they’d be giving up. They need to go all-in on this. A rental is how they’d get burned.

Halladay, who’s just two years older than Johan Santana and 14 years younger than Jamie Moyer, isn’t going to fade anytime soon. 

Making an extension easier is the fact that the Phillies will free up a combined $30 million in dead weight at the end of this season, when Brett Myers, Geoff Jenkins and Adam Eaton come off the books.

I’d be wary if the Phils were to go halfway and not give Halladay an extension, but even then they’d still have him for two Octobers.

Awfully tempting.

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Tags: AL East, Baseball, NL East, Phillies
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Last week, and in fact for a while, they looked like chumps. Now they’re world-beaters who have it all figured out.

The way the Phillies are playing, it’s like when you come through a tough breakup.

One moment you’re a mess, seemingly directionless, without perspective and looking for solid ground, barely keeping your head above water and sometimes going under. It feels like there’s no end in sight, it becomes easy to question yourself, and everybody around you notices the state you’re in and starts to whisper. 

Then something changes.

Often it’s something simple. Something just clicks inside, maybe a realization or some other means of closure — like a Jimmy Rollins squibber that finds its way through the infield — and your slump is broken.

Your whole world opens up. You’ve re-found yourself, maybe even better now. Now you can’t even believe you were ever in such a funk in the first place.

The Phillies beat the Reds 22-1 Monday night, right after sweeping the Mets. Whatever bad stuff happened before that, it’s not even worth remembering.

J-Roll is back to being J-Roll. Hamels is back to being Hamels. Hell, when you erupt for 22 runs, pretty much everybody gets in on the act.

A 22-run explosion. It’s like when you finally break free of that relationship that was dragging you down and you find what you’ve really been looking for. You’re walking tall now, almost dizzy but in a good way. And there’s no looking back.

One more thing… Raul Ibanez, your All-Star left fielder, is due to return this week.

Life is good.

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Tags: Baseball, NL Central, NL East, Phillies
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Sporting News columnist Stewart Mandel thinks today’s U.S. Senate antitrust hearings about the BCS will be a waste of time. Maybe he’s right, but I’m all for the hearings. So what if it’s self-serving grandstanding by politicians (that’s nothing new). At least the issue of a college football playoff — or, specifically, a lack thereof — is in the spotlight.

And please don’t tell me the government “shouldn’t get involved because there are much more important things to worry about.” Obviously there are much more important things to worry about, but it doesn’t mean they can’t worry about this too.

A multi-billion-dollar business called college football, in which millions of Americans invest money and time, has been hijacked by a handful of people. It’s worth a look.

Prosecuting murderers is much more important than going after burglars, but we still put people in jail who rob houses. It’s okay to multitask.

· The amount of time Major League players have been out with injuries has jumped in the last couple years, and there are a few theories about why.

· The sale of the Chicago Cubs from the Tribune Company to the Ricketts family appears to be just about done. Basically, the deal just has to be approved by Major League Baseball (commissioner Bud Selig has said he foresees no problem) before being signed. After the sale goes through, the Ricketts are planning a makeover of Wrigley Field within a few years.

· The resurgence of University of Miami football may have taken another step forward.

· Steve McNair’s murder, apparently by a girl with whom he was cheating on his wife (although we don’t know the whole story yet), has brought the subject of infidelity into the public consciousness, from sports radio to conversations among friends. And many people are wondering how he’ll be remembered.

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