(Note: A few hours after

(Note: A few hours after this post, the below article was updated to say when Ramirez…”broke his finger last season”. At least they corrected it.)

No, being an idiot isn’t a talent confined to the local sports media. It only seems that way. Scott Miller of CBS SportsLine files a tired, cliche filled Red Sox preview where he proclaims they’ll never beat the Yankees, they’re cursed and that it’s all Manny’s fault. He bashes Manny for not talking to the media, questions his mental condition and goes on to add:

He's one of the most feared bats in the game, yet he hasn't proven that he's a winner.

When Ramirez (owner of a .185 batting average in five divisional championship series with Cleveland and a .182 average in two World Series, by the way) pulled a hamstring last season, the Sox began to wonder if he ever was coming back. It was one thing to give it time to heal, and the injury-rehabilitation trip to Triple-A Pawtucket certainly was to be expected.

But he became so comfortable in Pawtucket, hanging with friends, that the poor Red Sox were tempted to file a missing persons report.

Someone please inform Mr. Miller that Manny was injured with a broken finger, not a hamstring? Good research, pal. Didn’t we go over all of this last summer? Manny got injured, the doctor said it would likely be six weeks before he started playing again. Manny started his rehab assignment after 4 weeks and joined the big club almost 6 weeks to the day after his injury. He clearly struggled, both in Pawtucket and back up in Boston, showing the injury was probably still bothering him. The postseason stats Miller provides are also self serving, as he includes divisional series and World Series, but not League championship series. (In the ’98 playoffs, in 10 games, Ramirez hit .345 with 4 HR, by the way)

Del Jones wonders where the Celtics fit in in the Eastern Conference. Mike Fine looks at praise for Walter McCarty. Jeff Thomas provides one more recap of last night’s game.