LOS ANGELES -- Before the Dodgers' public-address announcer could even say Manny
Ramirez's name prior to his first at-bat Thursday, the Dodger Stadium crowd was
already on its feet chanting, "Manny, Manny, Manny."

It was quite the homecoming for the slugger, who received nearly universal
support from Dodgers fans in his first game at Dodger Stadium since his 50-game
suspension for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

"Like I've said before, we have the best fans in the world," said Ramirez, who
flied out to right in his first at-bat, struck out in his next two at-bats and
finally broke through with an eighth-inning single in his final at-bat.

So while Ramirez's bat was quiet in the Dodgers' 3-0 loss to the Astros, the
crowd of 45,970 was not, especially in the "Mannywood" section in left field
that sold out its allotment of 500 tickets that also included a Mannywood
T-shirt.

"It's crazy in there," said Dodgers fan Zack Cazdoy, who sat in the section
after buying tickets last week. "I didn't know what to expect before the game
but everyone was cheering. I didn't hear a single person booing."

Fans sitting in and near the Mannywood section wore Ramirez jerseys, T-shirts
and even dreadlocks to show their support for the mercurial left fielder. Even
the concession lines were nearly empty every time Ramirez was coming up to the
plate.

"It's real exciting," said Kenny Roper, who sat in the Mannywood section. "He
brings so much to the team. But it's also up to the other guys around him to
help out the team. But he makes everyone better."

Several fans noted that the atmosphere was much different than a typical
Thursday night game at Dodger Stadium. Even Juan Pierre, who was Ramirez's
replacement during his suspension, was given a standing ovation when he was
announced as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning.

But the loudest cheers were aimed toward Ramirez, who many fans felt helped turn
around the franchise by leading the team to the National League Championship
Series last season.

"He just brings a lot of energy to the ballpark," said longtime Dodgers fan John
Tunick, who was wearing a Ramirez jersey. "I haven't seen anybody bring so much
spirit, energy and excitement to this ballpark since the '80s. He's turned this
place around."

Dodgers manager Joe Torre simply wasn't surprised by the amount of support
Ramirez received in his first home game since May 6.

"Manny endeared himself to this city, this ballpark and this team," Torre said.
"The fans just have been so passionate about his presence here."

But Torre was also quick to point out that he does not condone Ramirez's actions
that led to the 50-game suspension.

"There's no question that nobody says it's OK to violate rules," Torre said. "He
took his punishment. The fans come out here to be entertained. I'm not trying to
knock the fans, but they understand that he did something wrong and paid the
price and they look forward to watching him play baseball."

Torre was correct in his assertion, based on the feelings of the fans
interviewed during the game such as Tunick.

"I'm not in love with the fact that it doesn't look good on the franchise, but
it seems to be part of the culture and he admitted to it," Tunick said. "I'm
here to watch baseball. I'm not here to be a judge of anybody."

Torre, though, admitted that one of the reasons why Ramirez receives so much
support is because of his quirky personality that has made him a fan favorite
throughout his 17-year career.

"It's a unique combination he has," Torre said. "If you didn't know him and you
went off what you saw in clips, you would think he was a pain in the neck. But
the unique thing is that he has fun and his business practice is very serious."

And as for Ramirez's reason for why he had so much support Thursday night?

"This is my town," said a grinning Ramirez.

Source: Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com