Now that Manny Ramirez is a member of the Chicago White Sox, owner Jerry Reinsdorf has asked the slugger to do something drastic — cut off the dreads. Manny is doing as he’s told and flying his personal barber to Boston so that his hair will be ready for the first game of the White Sox-Red Sox series.

Though the dreads are Manny’s signature look, he said that it doesn’t bother him having to cut them off “It seems like everywhere I go, people worry about my hair. I just want to go out there and play the game.”

I would figure he’d be a little more upset, I know I would. I love having Manny sporting the black and white, but in all honesty who really believes he’ll be a member of the team next spring? Anyone? Yeah, me neither. He’s a member of the White Sox to help their playoff run. They may have convinced him that he’s auditioning for next year, but I really don’t see that happening. My point in all this is that it’s not worth cutting my hair if I’m Manny knowing that I’ll only be on this team for the next 29 days (if they don’t make the playoffs).

I do appreciate the fact that Manny’s being a team player and doing what is asked of him. Manny is used to having that hair though, Mr. Reinsdorf. If your decision to make him cut it some how throws his swing off balance then Sox fans will be blaming you. As for now, I can’t wait to see what happens with the hair. Manny is a character, for all we know he could walk out tonight with an inch off his hair (technically he would have “cut his hair”) or with a completely shaved head.

Source:
Reports: Manny to Cut His Hair Friday [Fox Sports]
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Mark Duncan

A freak out over a foot fault? Hmm, where have we seen that before. It seems like a common thing in tennis: things aren’t going well for a player so he or she starts taking it out on the judges. Yeah, like that’s really going to help keep you from double faulting on your serve or whacking your ground strokes into the net. Such was the case for Andy Roddick who was down 5-2 in the third set against Janko Tipsarevic on Wednesday night and about to go down two sets to one. Roddick was called for a foot fault, freaked out, and started berating the line judge who made the call. Here’s the Andy Roddick foot fault video to see everything that was going on:

Okay Andy we get it, the ref should have said that your left foot was on the line, not the right, but is that really a reason for berating the ref like that? Not at all. Roddick knows that and will realize he was out of line. As for losing in the second round, well, his only excuse is having mono, because that’s a brutal result for someone with high expectations.

Video Credit: YouTube user FormulaXimanX

Nationals center fielder Nyjer Morgan was already facing a seven game suspension for throwing a ball into the stands at a fan, but with his latest shenanigans, MLB might as well send him home the rest of the season.

In the last week alone, Morgan has made headlines for elbowing Cardinals catcher Bryan Anderson, running into Marlins catcher Brett Hayes (dislocating Hayes’ shoulder), and the latest antic was being ejected from Wednesday night’s game after charging the mound. Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad threw a pitch behind Morgan and Nyjer decided to charge. The result is this Nationals and Marlins fight video which is one of the best sports fights we’ve had in a while. Check it out:

Aside from separating Hayes’ shoulder on Tuesday, the Marlins were also pissed because Morgan displayed poor baseball etiquette stealing second and third in the 4th inning with his team down 14-3. I defended Nyjer after he threw this legendary fit earlier in the season, but now it’s becoming clear he’s a hot head who seeks controversy. There’s no defense for his recent behavior. Hopefully the commissioner’s office, and especially the players’ union, will see it the same way.

Video Credit: YouTube user nickynick5529

It’s the economy, right?  It has to be the economy.  What else could possibly keep fans from paying $150 per ticket, $35 to park, $9 for a beer, and $4 for a pretzel?  The second coming of the Great Depression has to be the reason NFL attendance could drop to its lowest levels since 1998, right?  It could be that.  It also could be that people are tired of ticket costs increasing while the in-home experience is on the rise.

Eric Grubman, the executive vice president of NFL Ventures and Business Operations, told the USA Today that he predicts league-wide ticket sales will drop 1%-2% this season, with season ticket sales slipping a whopping 5%.  It’s the third straight year ticket sales have declined since the NFL set a record high back in 2007.

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The Boston Celtics are close to bringing back former Celtic Delonte West on a non-guaranteed contract that will invite the guard to training camp with a good shot at making the team.  After re-signing Paul Pierce to a deal that will probably keep him in green for the rest of his career, the Celtics have been aggressive in bolstering their already sturdy bench over the past few months.  Doc Rivers made a sales pitch that convinced Shaquille O’Neal to join the team and Boston signed center Jermaine O’Neal at the beginning of the off-season to stand in for Kendrick Perkins while he recovers from major knee surgery.

Danny Ainge, the Celtics director of basketball operations, has taken the perfect approach with his aging roster this off-season.  When Pierce opted out of the final year of his deal, there were two choices facing Ainge: let the captain walk and start a youth-infused rebuilding project, or put some new pieces around the Big Three of Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen and give it another shot.  He settled on the latter, and on paper it would appear he’s done a good job of tackling the task.

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It’s been a rocky summer for quarterback Matt Leinart. Aside from rumors he may have been dating the bachelorette, everything has been negative. The Cardinals started off by bringing in Derek Anderson showing their lack of confidence in Leinart, and by week three of the preseason, they pissed Leinart off by benching him. Now, the reports are saying the Cardinals are trying to trade Leinart.

Leinart says the benching was unfair and that he’s outperformed the other quarterbacks. He thinks Coach Ken Whisenhunt has something against him personally. Leinart’s supporters cite the quarterback’s high completion percentage and impressive quarterback rating this preseason as evidence he didn’t get a fair shot. While I can’t argue that those particular stats look good, I do agree with Whisenhunt’s decision and handling of the situation.

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