honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, May 28, 2009

'Vote for Manny' Web site a hit


Associated Press

NEW YORK — Jason Rosenberg was heading home and listening to satellite radio when he heard that Manny Ramirez was fourth among National League outfielders in initial All-Star voting. By the end of the night, a new Web site was born: Vote for Manny.

"I said it would be funny if Manny got elected, because he's coming off a suspension on July 3 and the All-Star game is a week later, so they don't even have that sort of built-in protection," the 39-year-old from suburban Ardsley said yesterday. "So I got home, and just quickly threw a Web site together."

Rosenberg got www.voteformanny.blogspot.com up and running Tuesday night, designed to point out that MLB has no rule preventing players coming off drug suspensions from becoming All-Stars. It links to an online All-Star ballot and implores fans: "Remember, vote early and often!"

Ramirez was suspended for 50 games on May 7 after his drug test showed artificial testosterone and baseball investigators obtained documentation that he received HCG, a banned female fertility drug taken by some after steroid cycles to restart natural testosterone production.

He's eligible to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 3, 11 days before the All-Star game in St. Louis.

In the initial All-Star vote released Tuesday, Ramirez was on 442,763 ballots, trailing Milwaukee's Ryan Braun (663,164), the Chicago Cubs' Alfonso Soriano (545,354) and the New York Mets' Carlos Beltran (476,843).

ATHLETICS

NOMAR BACK ON DL

Nomar Garciaparra is back on the Oakland Athletics' disabled list with the same calf injury that already sidelined him for three weeks.

The A's activated Garciaparra from his first DL stint Friday only to see him start two games at first base against Arizona then go back on the disabled list yesterday. The move is retroactive to Sunday.

Garciaparra, who turns 36 on July 23, is on the DL for the 14th time in his career and fifth in two seasons. He missed 90 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season and needed three DL stints with injuries to his right hand, left calf and left knee.

NATIONALS

PITCHER CABRERA CUT

Daniel Cabrera was cut by the Washington Nationals after starting the season 0-5 with a 5.85 ERA.

The 6-foot-9 right-hander was designated for assignment prior to last night's game against the New York Mets, a day before his 28th birthday. Washington has 10 days to trade, release or send him outright to the minors, a move Cabrera said Tuesday he probably would refuse.

YANKEES

POSADA GETTING CLOSER

New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada may be able to rejoin the team for a weekend series in Cleveland after missing more than three weeks because of a strained right hamstring.

"It's possible as early as Friday, yeah," New York manager Joe Girardi said before last night's game at Texas. "We'll wait to see how he feels and go from there. "

Center fielder Melky Cabrera missed last night's game with a strained right shoulder, and could be out through the weekend.