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.

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!