By hitting just 20 home runs last season, Manny Ramirez not only set a
singleseason career low but he also delayed the milestone of his 500th
career home run, a plateau of which he remains 10 shy. Since Ramirez
has averaged 36 home runs per year for his career, odds are good that
Ramirez, now at 490, will become the 23rd member of the prestigious
500-home run club sometime in the first half of the season.

If you're looking to target a likely date for the celebration, here
are some of Ramirez' home run tendencies that could help you pin down
the time frame:

BY DAY OF THE WEEK

Most: Saturday.............88

Fewest: Thursday ........51

BY MONTH

Most: July ...................100

Fewest: June .................71

BY INNING

Most: Fourth ................82

Fewest: Ninth ...............26

BY POSITION

Right field ...................220

Left field .....................207

Designated hitter.........63

FAVORITE OPPONENTS

Blue Jays .......................54

Yankees .........................52

Rays ...............................40

A's ...................................38

Royals ............................37

Mariners ........................37

FAVORITE PITCHERS

Jamie Moyer .................10

Tanyon Sturtze............... 8

Mike Mussina .................6

Brad Radke ......................6

Randy Johnson ...............5

Jose Rosado ....................5

Source: Michael Silverman / www.bostonherald.com