On the face of it, Manny Ramirez hiring Scott Boras is like President Bush hiring a campaign manager. Really, what's the use? Has all of Major League Baseball (both players and team ownership) decided to get together and drive Boras insane? A-Rod won't talk to him, Sheffield calls him a bad person, and now Manny wants his representation. But for what exactly? And why now?

The Red Sox hold team options on Manny -- $20 million per year in 2009 and 2010 -- so he can't opt out like A-Rod did last year. Meanwhile, Theo Epstein has said the Sox will wait until after the season before making a decision about Manny's 2009 option. He didn't, however, say the team would be unwilling to consider a new deal altogether. And really, when it comes down to it, why else would Ramirez need a negotiator like Boras?

Consider this: Ramirez has no chance of making $20 million a year anywhere else, so perhaps the two sides will agree to a three-year deal in the neighborhood of $15 million per season -- more total money than Ramirez would get if the Sox exercised the 2009 and 2010 options, more security for the player, but less per season on the Sox. As a fan, perhaps that's wishful thinking. But frankly, I can't think of any other reason why Ramirez would need to switch agents and bring in a negotiator like Boras. Unless, of course, he simply wants to drive the guy crazy with his eccentric demands. As a baseball fan, I'd be happy with that result too.

* The Red Sox are visiting the White House on Wednesday. Side bet: Larry Lucchino will be standing closer to President Bush than Theo Epstein when the press pool photo is released.

* I read that the Sox were taking Terry Francona out to dinner this week to discuss a contact extension. And by the Sox, I mean the entire management group, of course. According to the story, Francona is going to have dinner with Epstein, John Henry, Lucchino AND Tom Werner. The Sox initially wanted a table for 7, but Sen. George Mitchell and Bill James aren't able to make it. Listen, I know the Sox have won two titles in the last four years, and as a fan I shouldn't complain. But still I have to ask: "What the hell does Tom Werner do?"

* Veteran players have various reasons to return for "one more season." They're driven by a desire to win that elusive World Series, or perhaps reach a milestone, or perhaps make money after their ex takes half. These are the usual reasons. Mike Timlin has a new one: A desire to not look like a steroid cheat.

Timlin revealed to ESPN Radio’s Mike Salk that one of the reasons he decided to come back for another season was to make sure there were no questions regarding his injuries from last year, according to a story reported in the Boston Herald. His fear, he said, was that after a fairly injury-free career, the steroid whispers that have encompassed baseball might come his way.

“I’ve had a healthy career for the most part. I’ve been generally dependable and strong for most of my career,” Timlin said. “Now, as things are cleaning themselves up in baseball, I break down, and I don’t want to be associated with having injuries and breaking down at the same time things are disappearing out of baseball. I have never done that stuff, but I don’t want (it) to be speculated that I have.”

* The following players are members of my 2008 Tail-Off Team, which I'll be outlining in additional detail at bugsandcranks.com. (Please, contain your enthusiasm.) These are the guys who won't be matching their 2007 outputs, either because they got paid and won't be nearly as motivated (Jorge Posada and Mike Lowell), their catcher thinks they're a liar (Andy Pettitte), or they simply don't pass the sniff test. You don't want any of these guys on your fantasy team, mostly because you'll have to overpay for their services. Ya know, provided they actually play this year.

Posada
Lowell
Roger Clemens
Barry Bonds
Magglio Ordonez
Carlos Pena
Edgar Renteria
Jeff Francoeur
Reggie Willits
Brandon Phillips
Andy Pettitte
Joe Blanton
Ben Sheets
Rich Harden
Barry Zito
Dontrelle Willis
Gil Meche

* Apropos of nothing: I appreciate spring training so much more when there's snow on the ground in New England.

* Apropos of something: The whole A-Rod opt out/Cashman won't negotiate with him/Yankees lost face and look like wienies - story hasn't gotten much ink lately. Probably because the Bronx Bombers spent most of the winter not landing Johan Santana.

(Fort Myers, FLA) -- When I arrived yesterday at the Red Sox' spring training facility here in Florida, a beautiful media relations assistant handed me a sheet of helpful story ideas. She told me it's an open secret that baseball writers traditionally recycle the same spring training stories from year to year, so to save newbies like me from unnecessary exertion, the Major League Baseball media relations department has compiled a versatile list of tried and true story lines, useful in covering all 30 teams. As you'll see from this list, which I'm printing here at great professional risk, it's merely a matter of filling in the blanks and perhaps adding a few quotes.

Like you, I thought baseball writers actually worked during spring training. Turns out they just do Mad Libs.

* Due to visa problems in his home country of _______, outfielder _____ _____ will not be reporting to camp on time, said team spokesman _____ _____. "It's an outstanding traffic issue. An unpaid ticket. It's nothing really, simply paperwork. We expect him to be in camp soon and ready to go."

* Still battling the lingering effects of off-season surgery on his left ______, All-Star _____ baseman _____ _____ plans to go easy this spring, hoping not to reaggravate an injury that kept him shelved for the second half of last season. "It's a long season, ya know. If I'm going to be a help to my team in October, when we all hope to be playing, there's no sense pushing myself now."

* Mentioned in the Mitchell Report as one of the 89 players, current or former, who used performance-enhancing drugs, a contrite ____ ____ admitted to "mistakes in the past," but refused to go into detail about what exactly he did wrong and whether he considered himself a cheater.

* Several of his teammates were named in the Mitchell Report, but _______ shortstop _____ _____ refused to comment on what effect, if any, their public exposure will have on the team's 2008 campaign.

* Looking pasty and somewhat overweight, long-time hunter _____ _____ said he spent the off-season killing bears with a longbow on his ranch in north ______.

* Perennial MVP candidate _____ _____ says the _____ have a great chance to win the World Series this year. "If you don't come into camp thinking you have a chance, why come to camp at all?" he said. When asked if his assessment was "smack talk," ______ said, "Confidence isn't arrogance. If you can back it up, it ain't boasting."

* With his arbitration hearing scheduled for next ______, reigning National League _____ king _____ _____ said he expects to receive a fair salary. "Things are cool between me and _____ management," he said. "It's a business. They have to protect their interests, and I have to protect mine."

* To the surprise of everyone in the _____ camp, outfielder _____ _____ reported early.

* Unsigned beyond this season, veteran reliever _____ _____ says he intends to test the free-agent market, and has no intention of giving a home-town discount to the ______, for whom he's pitched his entire career.

* Incumbent ______ fielder _____ _____ says he's aware of the trade rumors surrounding him, and intends to compete vigorously with rookie phenom ______ _____ for the team's starting position and its leadoff spot in the order.

* Veteran designated hitter ____ _____ says he'd like to finish his career in ______, which signed him to an incentive-laden contract when no one else would. "I love it here. My wife and kids love the community too. It's our home now," he said.

* Manager _____ _____ says the team's April schedule looks rather _____, with three early series against division opponents. "Hey, we don't make the schedules, we just play the games they tell us to play," he said.

* Journeyman pitcher _____ _____, known for his bullpen antics and clubhouse spirit, says the groupies in ______ give the best ______.

Cleveland Indians fans ought to be rejoicing about C.C. Sabathia's decision to postpone contract negotiations until after the season. The reigning American Cy Young Award winner will be a free agent after 2008, and the Indians had reportedly offered him a contract extension in the neighborhood of four years/$68 million. But rather than sign what he believes is a below-market contract (especially in light of Johan Santana's $123.1 million deal with the New York Mets), Sabathia will pitch his walk year without the insurance of a long-term deal. If you're an Indians fan, you have to love this, because Sabathia will be motivated and focused, leading a pitching staff that took the World Series-winning Red Sox to 7 games in the American League Championship Series, as opposed to the Sabathia they could have had, i.e., a paid, content Shaun Alexander clone, who leads his team to the precipice of greatness, wins an MVP award, gets paid, lands on the cover of Madden football, can't stay healthy, and is soon splitting carries with Maurice Morris.

Let the player stay hungry, I say. Last season, that's what the Red Sox did with Curt Schilling and what the Yankees did with Mariano Rivera, and it certainly motivated those two guys, albeit after some ####ing, posturing and threats to walk after the season. Listen, the player can pout all he wants, but it does him no good. If he's in his walk year, he needs to perform in order to get paid well in his next contract.

What good is it to lock up Sabathia with a $100 million deal right now? Sure, it'd be great for him. But I'm telling you, that guy'd weigh 350 by the All-Star break, and frankly, I wouldn't blame him. If you handed me a guaranteed contract worth that kind of scratch, where's my head going to be? On staying fit, healthy and motivated? Or on buying a small private island in the Caribbean? It's quaint to say that players are professionals and they'll go out and do their jobs, regardless of whether they're making the league minimum or A-Rod money. But the fact is, they're humans first. Ask any Bronze Age caveman: "If you knew you could stay back at the fire, eat, drink and fornicate all day, wouldn't that affect your attitude towards hunting?" Of course it would, because in the back of his half-formed cranium, he's thinking, "Man, I don't need this ####"
 
All you need to know about $100 million contracts are the names of the pitchers who've signed them: Kevin Brown, Mike Hampton, Barry Zito and, now, Johan Santana. After signing their deals, Brown, Hampton and Zito won as many World Series as Joba Chamberlain. Sure, Zito only signed his contract last year, but the Giants will be contending for titles when Brian McNamee lands his next job in baseball.

On the face of it, the Mets fleeced the Twins by sending them the poo-poo platter for Santana, who's won two Cy Youngs in the last four years. But the Twins' biggest mistake was not keeping Santana and making him pitch through his walk year. I realize the Twins can't afford to pay him the same kind of money that Cleveland can possibly pay Sabathia, but the situation is somewhat comparable. The Indians, who haven't won a World Series since 1948, probably have no intention of signing Sabathia to a 6-year contract in the neighborhood of $120 million, even after this season. Consequently, they've decided to make their run now in 2008, which is exactly what the Twins should have done. With Santana and Francisco Liriano, I believe the Twins had an outstanding chance to win the World Series this season. Instead, they trade him to the Mets for a bunch of prospects, while the Tigers improved greatly and the Indians remain hungry and on the brink.

 And what do the Mets get in Santana? They get a caveman with a full belly, who's supposed to be motivated by the opportunity to make his legacy in New York, winning championships.

Frankly, I'd rather have the hungry guy, motivated to get paid, rather than the paid guy, motivated to justify the money he's already received.

Former baseball greats Jim Rice, Bert Blyleven and Goose Gossage are among the 25 Hall of Fame candidates who'll be anxiously awaiting a phone call from Cooperstown Tuesday afternoon, when the 2008 inductees are announced. For Rice, Blyleven and Gossage, who've each been on the ballot at least 9 years, this has become an annual day of anguish, as they and others wait - some with genuine hope, others with brave resignation - for their telephone to ring and for the president of the Baseball Hall of Fame to say, "Congratulations, ####, and welcome to Cooperstown."

To combat their inevitable case of nerves, each candidate has their own plan for tomorrow, and most of them took my phone call and graciously agreed to discuss it with me. Some of these guys have been dealing with Hall of Fame announcement day for years (Rice is on the ballot for the 14th time), while others are doing this for the first and last time, like Shawon Dunston and Travis Fryman, who have as much chance of getting 5 percent of the vote - the threshold for staying on the ballot - as John Slais.

Who? Exactly.

Anyway, here are their responses, in alphabetical order.

* Brady Anderson - "I'm going to watch a 90210 marathon on TV Land, then I'm going to trim my sideburns and strike a pose."

* Harold Baines - "I'll be exuding class."

* Rod Beck - Did not return repeated calls seeking comment.

* Bert Blyleven - "I'm going to go jogging in the morning, but I'll be home sitting by the phone by eleven."

* Dave Concepcion - "(I'll be) kissing Joe Morgan's butt, hoping he can get me in through the Veterans Committee."

* Andre Dawson - "Drinking a pitcher every 10 minutes until I pass out. Then every 7 minutes."

* Shawon Dunston - "I'll be finding you to kick your freaking butt. For the fifth time, it's pronounced 'Sha-WAN,' wiseass, not 'Chone.' "

* Chuck Finley - "I'll be hoping my ex-wife doesn't find me."

* Travis Fryman - "I'll be getting ready to manage the Class A Mahoning Valley Scrappers."

* Goose Gossage - "Like Hillary Clinton, I'll be working on my concession speech."

* Tommy John - "First I'm gonna have a Tommy John breakfast. Then I'm gonna take a Tommy John shower, followed by a Tommy John toilet break, a Tommy John jog, a Tommy John lunch and a Tommy John nap."

* David Justice - "Ya seen the Billy Bob sex scenes in 'Monster's Ball'? Me neither...yet."

* Chuck Knoblauch - "Same as every day, working on my throws to first."

* Don Mattingly - "I'm gonna spend the day looking like I smelled a ####."

* Mark McGwire - "The Tuesday when the elections are announced? I'll probably spend it talking about the past."

* Jack Morris - "My plan is to shoot ####"

* Dale Murphy - "I'll be smiling on Tuesday, no matter what."

* Robb Nen - "(I'll be) chuckling over the possibility that they'd mistakenly write Rob Nenn on my Hall of Fame plaque...because my name has two b's and one n, not two n's and one b..."

* Dave Parker - "No, I will not be doing coke to take the edge off."

*Tim Raines - "No, I will not be doing coke to take the edge off."

* Jim Rice - "I'll be hating members of the media."

* Jose Rijo - "Que es esto?"

*Lee Smith - "Man, I had the biggest johnson in baseball, you'd think that would earn me the benefit of the doubt, don't you? Wait, what was the question?"

* Todd Stottlemyre - "I'm not retired, so I don't know what you're talking about."

* Alan Trammell - "Whitaker and I will be doing, well, stuff together."

So, who's gonna win the right to get swept by the Red Sox in the World Series? A lot of teams have gotten better, including the Cubs, Giants, Brewers, and the Phillies. That said, it's still National League baseball, which means pitchers hit, managers double-switch, and inter-divisional rivals (the Giants and Padres) somehow think it's OK to let your manager just go from one team to the other with nary a whimper. How does that happen? Could you ever imagine Joe Torre going from the Yankees to the DRays? Or Francona to the O's? Impossible. The National League is like France, and we all know why.

Ya want proof that the NL is lame and has been for years? The best rivalry is probably between the Cubs and the Cardinals – and the Cubs haven't been to a World Series since 1945!

Dodgers/Giants? Please, Jason Schmidt went from SF to LA and no one cared in SF, probably because fans were too busy trying to get plastic bags outlawed at the local A&P.

Mets/Braves? Maybe if either team signs John Rocker. Otherwise, these teams share as much memorable history as the Newark Bears/Bridgeport Bluefish.

I won't say the National League is Quadruple A, since that phrase was beaten to death like Barbaro last year, but the league is definitely boring. And that's even taking into account the circus surrounding Barry Bonds.

Seriously, an NL team needs to pony up and be the organization that gets the next great Japanese import. The last three – Dice-K, Matsui, and Ichiro – all landed in the AL. Not since Nomomania has an NL team landed that kind of media darling.

I know the Cards had a World Series handed to, I mean a World Series parade last year, but come on, win a freakin' All-Star game already, ya humps.

Order of finish:

NL East: Braves, Mets, Phillies, Fish, and Expos

NL Central: Brewers, Cubs, Cards, Astros, and some team I can't remember

NL West: Not the Rockies.

Awards:

MVP: Chase Utley

Cy Young: Jason Schmidt

Rookie of the Year: Probably some overrated hump from a crappy team like the Marlins, who'll amount to somewhere between Jeff Conine and Mike Lowell in three years.

Comeback Player of the Year: Mark Prior.

Batting champion: Poo-holes

Home run champion: Carlos Lee

RBI champion: Carlos Lee

Singles champion: Juan Pierre

Doubles champion: Pam Shriver and Martina Navratilova

Triples champion: Juan Pierre

Wins leader: Jason Schmidt

Ks leader: Carlos Zambrano

Saves leader: Some guy who'll be his crappy team's lone rep in the All-Star game in San Francisco

ERA champ: Kyle Lohse. He in the NL these days, right? Well, he should be.

Tomorrow...no preview!