FROM ALBUQUERQUE — Manny Ramirez's arrival here is the biggest thing since Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon, heard to mutter under his breath, "Are you sure we didn't land in New Mexico?"
He's back, all right, and while baseball won't allow him in uniform when the gates to Dodger Stadium open, here in the hinterlands, the Isotopes have hit the jackpot, selling a record number of tickets because Ramirez was caught using drugs and needs to rehab somewhere.
The hair is longer, the laugh just as loud and the pants bright white because they haven't been worn now for the last 45 games. But the ball still comes off the bat with a mighty whack, a sound that draws a crowd around the batting cage.
He arrives here Monday, third row on Southwest Airlines, middle seat between his uncle and Manny Mota, allowed on the plane 15 minutes before anyone else -- and so much for calling 24 hours ahead of time hoping to land seat A-1.
He signs autographs, poses for pictures while dropping off his luggage, and "is just great to people," says Mota, nary a negative word heard, and yes, they still love him.
When Ramirez arrives in Albuquerque, a limo is allowed on the tarmac, frustrating the local TV stations waiting to document his arrival. Fortunately for everyone, I'm sure, someone's cat got stuck in a tree, video at 10 on Albuquerque Live.
ESPN's Colleen Dominguez reports Tuesday afternoon that Ramirez orders pasta. She does not follow him inside even though that's why she's here, because she needs to go to the empty stadium to do a report for ESPN.
"I didn't see him order pasta," she says later in explaining her exclusive, "but I feel comfortable with my sources."
Dodgers' PR guy Josh Rawitch cannot confirm Ramirez ordered pasta, "because I wasn't there." That doesn't seem to matter to Dominguez.
Rawitch is also here to tell the media that Manny doesn't want the media "banging on the batting cage while he's inside," so everyone needs to move to the field or the clubhouse.
The Times' Dylan Hernandez appears disappointed, all his life wanting to come to Albuquerque and bang on the batting cage while Manny's inside trying to hit a ball off a tee. Manny can hit a 94-mph fastball in front of 50,000 screaming fans, but for some reason Hernandez unnerves him while facing a tee.
A nation awaits more breaking Manny news, Dominguez confirming "it was spaghetti." She also spots him carrying "six bottles of water." Nothing gets by her.
