Oh boy, here we go again. Tavarez's comments about Manny makes me
think that he's been smoking crack (in my humble opinion). What do you
think?

Lynne

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FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The latest Manny Ramirez mystery surfaced Monday
when teammate Julian Tavarez said his close friend would arrive late
at spring training and Boston manager Terry Francona said that may not
be true.

Tavarez said the left fielder would report March 1 as he did last year
when he received permission from the Red Sox to show up late.

The first workout of spring training for position players is set for
Thursday. The official reporting date under major league rules is Feb. 27.

"I spoke to Manny [Sunday] and he said he's going to be here March 1,"
said Tavarez, a reliever who joined the Red Sox before last season.
"He's been going through a tough time because his mom, you know, they
told him that she had a tumor.

"He doesn't think about anybody. There's only one human being in
Manny's life. That's Manny. Manny doesn't know there's many humans in
the world."
-- Julian Tavarez

"It wasn't a tumor. She had surgery in between those ribs. She's at
home right now recovering and Manny's there with his mom. He's working
out," Tavarez said. "Nobody believes that, but it's the truth about
his mom. That's really true."

He said Ramirez was with his mother in Weston, near Miami, about a
two-hour drive east of Fort Myers.

"The way he sounded [Sunday], he's laughing a lot. I don't know if
that's because his mom's home and he's happy," Tavarez said. "He said,
'Hang in there. I'll be there the first.' "

Ramirez requested trades the past two offseasons, but Francona said on
Feb. 6, "I think he's OK. I don't think there's any problem."

On Monday, Francona was reluctant to comment on Tavarez's remarks.

"That's unfair because I haven't talked to [Ramirez]. There's a lot
of, 'he said, she said,' that I'm not too sure is true," Francona
said. "If somebody calls me and tells me something happens, it's
easier for me to comment than on his publicist [or] Julian, saying this."

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and Ramirez's agent, Greg Genske,
did not respond to e-mails seeking comment.

The team and Ramirez have had a sometimes bumpy relationship since he
signed an eight-year, $160 million contract before the 2001 season.

He has complained about a lack of privacy, requested trades and been
placed on waivers with no takers. In the last six weeks of last
season, he played in just 11 games, raising speculation that he wasn't
badly hurt. The team said he had tendinitis in his right knee.

Still, he batted .321 with 34 homers and 102 RBIs in 130 games. In his
career with Boston, he is hitting .316 with averages of 39 homers and
119 RBIs.

"Manny's really prepared for things he does, play ball, and he's
worked hard in the offseason. He always shows up in good shape,"
Tavarez said. "He's still going to put up 100 RBI, 40 home runs and
hit .300. That's a natural player right there."

He said he lives about 10 minutes from Ramirez and wouldn't be
surprised if the team didn't know of Ramirez's reporting plans.

"He doesn't keep in touch with anybody but me," Tavarez said.

Last season, Ramirez also reported on March 1, six days after the
first full team workout and one day after the major league reporting
date. Six days later, he singled in his first at-bat in an exhibition
game. Boston's first exhibition game this season is March 1 against
Northeastern University.

When Ramirez arrived last year, he declined several opportunities to
say he's happy to still be with the team.

"Manny's going to be happy anywhere he goes. He doesn't want to leave
Boston. It's a great city to play ball. He knows that," Tavarez said.
"I tell him every time, he has to give something for you [reporters]
to talk about.

"He doesn't deal with the media, so he's got to do things to bring
Manny's name [up]. It doesn't make Manny crazy. It's just Manny being
Manny," Tavarez added. "He doesn't think about anybody. There's only
one human being in Manny's life. That's Manny. Manny doesn't know
there's many humans in the world."

No matter what issues surround him, Ramirez always produces on the
field. So Francona didn't rush to comment with the regular season
still six weeks away.

"We all know how this works," Francona said. "It gets legs and we'll
end up wasting time. If there's ever a need to talk about anything
with our team, I'll be happy to do it. I just think it's very premature."

Source: The Associated Press