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Today's Manny file: An inspirational call to Colon

AP photo / Larry Ignelzi
Manny Ramirez goes into a slide on Saturday night to take a hit away from San Diego's Jose Cruz Jr.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Manny Ramirez placed a call early Sunday to struggling Angels starter Bartolo Colon, apparently to offer Colon some encouragement as he prepared to make a start Sunday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Colon did not get a decision in the game, which the Angels won, 4-3, in extra innings, but he did pitch six effective innings, and left with his team ahead.

Yesterday, he was thanking Manny. "Around 8 in the morning, Manny Ramirez called me and we had like a 15-minute talk," Colon said, according to the Times. "He's such a confident hitter that I think he rubbed some of that on me today. Confidence is a big part, but I'm very thankful to Manny Ramirez for calling me early this morning to just remind me who Bartolo Colon is."

Last week on projo SoxTalk, Sean McAdam remarked that Manny Ramirez has a flair for the spectacular play, while also being a threat to botch routine plays from time to time. On Saturday night, he showed us a touch of the spectacular, making a sliding catch to take a hit away from Jose Cruz Jr. Just one thing about that: Ramirez always makes me nervous with those hard-landing, feet first slides in the outfield. They just seem to be an injury waiting to happen. Great effort, nonetheless.

Our friends at FanHouse list Ramirez as Boston's number-three top athlete, behind Tom Brady and David Ortiz but ahead of Curt Schilling and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Dave Sheinin had an article in Sunday's Washington Post about one of baseball's toughest single-season records: Hack Wilson's 191 RBI in a season, a mark that Wilson reached in 1930 with the Chicago Cubs. Sheinin mentions something that I did not realize: Manny Ramirez came closer than anyone else in the last half-century to tying the record. Ramirez drove in 165 with the Indians in 1999. Still, that is a long ways off.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:39 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink