In hopes of lending a national perspective to the site, each week Dave will be joined by National Correspondent Donovan Burba to debate a relevant issue from within the world of sports. Burba formerly worked at the Concord Monitor, so he's got a sense of what makes we New Englanders tick — but now that he's back in his native Chicago, his view of the sports world can sometime seem as though it's coming through Harry Caray's big, thick glasses.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC Examining the fallout of Manny Ramirez's suspension.

Dave: today is a day i should be chiding you about the bulls' long summer ... but, instead, i am sad
Donovan: the Bulls have honor, at least
Dave: ouch
Dave: you're not helping
Donovan: sorry
Donovan: now I know you're not representative of the average Red Sox fan (which is why we're friends, in part), but this is a lesson in why you don't take too much joy in the downfall of others
Dave: i agree with that, wholeheartedly
Dave: and i don't understand these sox fans (of which there are many) who now take joy in manny's downfall
Dave: because, newsflash, the circumstances of this downfall probably didn't start on august 1, 2008
Donovan: yeah, I noticed that too on the boston.com message board, which was one of the first places I went yesterday
Donovan: does anyone really think he just started juicing when he went to LA?
Dave: i don't think so; although that's the only way i could see a sox fan taking joy in this
Dave: i think it started before the 2008 season
Dave: manny comes back looking for a contract, all philosophical after reading "the secret", scott boras as his agent, whispers about his fall from the elite hitters in the game...
Donovan: just before the 2008 season, or at some point before that?
Dave: i think it was the winter of 07-08
Dave: purely a guess, obviously
Donovan: right
Dave: but in 07 he goes down to .296, 20 and 88
Dave: next year he comes back looking for big money, and hits .332 with 37 and 121

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(This site has long been a sanctuary for Manny Ramirez, though in light of today's news that love is no longer unabashed. With not-so-hopeful hopes that someday soon he'll reveal his doctor, unveil his "personal health issue," and thus allow baseball to put this behind it as a medical misunderstanding, here's a column that'll run in tomorrow's Concord Monitor.)

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After years spent sneering, and jeering, and judging from atop our high horse here in the nation’s Northeast corner, the steroid scandal that has broadly stained a baseball generation finally hit home yesterday.

Or did it?

We know this: We know Manny Ramirez was suspended 50 games for violating the game’s ban on performance-enhancing drugs. We know he accepted his punishment without protest, forgoing the appeal to which he was entitled. And we know that after a decade of reports indicting the Red Sox only through rumors and role players, a star who spent the prime of his career in Boston has finally been implicated.

But it’s the things we don’t know that muddle the matter into some murky shade of gray. As is typical of most things when it comes to Manny being Manny, there’s no such thing as black and white, a reality revealed once more yesterday as differing details were disseminated through media sources nationwide.

The story of his suspension broke just before noon, but within an hour Yahoo! Sports was reporting that Ramirez had twice tested positive for a “sexual enhancer,” not steroids or human growth hormone. Then, not even an hour after that, ESPN countered with claims that the substance in question was a women’s fertility drug used to restart the body’s production of testosterone, typically after levels had been lessened by a steroids cycle.

Ramirez, meanwhile, said the violation was the result of a drug he’d been given by a doctor after seeking help for a “personal health issue.” Calling it “medication,” he said the physician told him it was okay to take, but after later coming to realize the substance was among those banned by baseball, the Dodgers’ left fielder decided to accept responsibility for that “mistake.”

He’d been counseled against divulging any more about the case, so in the span of a single afternoon the public perception of Ramirez swung from that of a cheat on the ball field, to a chump in the bedroom, and probably settled somewhere in between. Now people aren’t sure whether this should disqualify the slugging savant from what formerly seemed certain induction into baseball’s hall of fame, or whether he was merely the victim of some bad medical advice.

But there’s a simple way to sort it out. Lay everything on the table, and let the facts speak for themselves.

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In hopes of lending a national perspective to the site, each week Dave will be joined by National Correspondent Donovan Burba to debate a relevant issue from within the world of sports. Burba formerly worked at the Concord Monitor, so he's got a sense of what makes we New Englanders tick — but now that he's back in his native Chicago, his view of the sports world can sometime seem as though it's coming through Harry Caray's big, thick glasses.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC A look at the Celtics-Bulls series, with Boston leading Chicago, 3-2.

Dave: nervous?
Donovan: a little
Donovan: I kind of feel like last night was it
Donovan: even if the Bulls win game 6, game 7 in Boston is a tall task
Dave: i thought last night was it, too
Dave: down 11 in the fourth, i was fully prepared to come in here today and make the argument that it wasn't even worth the celtics pushing it to 7 because they aren't going anywhere anyway
Dave: but then they reeled me right back in
Donovan: and not that it would ever be called in front of the home crowd, but that was the definition of a flagrant foul last night
Dave: what?
Dave: are you serious?
Dave: that was exactly what Doc said it was: "A playoff foul"
Donovan: when Rondo grabbed Brad Miller's face? um, yeah
Donovan: here's the thing: he didn't slap his face. he wrapped his hand around the face
Donovan: but again, game's in Boston, after all the whining the C's have done about the refs this series, no ref is going to make that call
Dave: firstly, the refs have sucked all series
Dave: both ways
Dave: and secondly, watch the replay at full speed; you'll see that was rondo's only play
Dave: if he's there a 10th of a second earlier he comes down on his arm
Dave: just the timing
Donovan: he missed the ball by about a foot and a half, and continued with the swipe and then, and this is key, wraps his hand around miller's face
Dave: you make it sound like he gave him the mandible claw, from the old wwf days
Donovan: and Charles Barkley agrees
Dave: he had to make sure there was no and-one
Dave: the only way to do that is to give a hard foul
Dave: granted, he was not going for the ball
Donovan: well, you can't grab a guy by the face as he goes up for a shot
Donovan: that's what it comes down to
Dave: agreed
Dave: and that's why the whistle blew
Dave: 2 shots
Dave: make them, and it's double ot
Dave: simple as that
Donovan: you can blow a call after the whistle
Dave: where's your outrage toward brad miller?
Dave: he makes those, the bulls go to another OT without ray allen

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THIS WEEK'S TOPIC
It's Chicago vs Boston. Bulls vs Celtics. And Donovan vs Dave.
How do you size up Games 1 and 2?
Donovan: I am at the center of the sports universe
Donovan: honestly, Saturday night this city was like mardi gras. all four teams won, people were all out, it was a ton of fun
Dave: the difference is that mardi gras doesnt usually last 48 hours
Dave: but the chicago euphoria has sadly come to an end
Dave: at least in the basketball realm
Donovan: no, this one looks like it's going seven
Donovan: I don't think I've ever seen the fans of the defending champion literally run out on the court after a first-round win
Dave: what? they did no such thing
Donovan: some did, across from the C's bench
Dave: really? I missed that
Dave: but it's probably with cause
Dave: because I really think by winning that game, they effectively won the series
Donovan: That was my initial thought as well.
Donovan: But then I remembered that the Bulls were coming home having stolen one in Boston and having outplayed the C's in both games
Donovan: not saying the Bulls are going to cruise, or even advance to the next round, but it's far from over
Dave: I agree that it's far from over
Dave: and I even agree that the bulls have outplayed the celtics in each of the two games
Dave: but I believe the bulls have played far over their heads to this point
Dave: ... and still were within a paul pierce free throw of being down 0-2
Donovan: a free throw he never should have had
Dave: it was a good call. tommy heinsohn told me so
Donovan: ha. trust your eyes next time
Dave: I would, but they gave a few gifts to derrick rose a couple minutes before that, so I just assumed my eyes were lying
Dave: the bulls could prove me wrong, and play this well for seven games ... but if they don't, game 2 will go down as a hugely missed opportunity
Donovan: Game 2 was definitely a huge loss for the Bulls. as I believe I texted you at the time, about two defensive rebounds for the Bulls and it's not even a game
Donovan: hopefully someone's figured out that you need to box out Rondo on every shot
Dave: yeah, he's been unbelievable in this series
Dave: without him, the celtics are easily down 0-2
Dave: probably blown out twice << MORE >>

In hopes of lending a national perspective to the site, each week Dave will be joined by National Correspondent Donovan Burba to debate a relevant issue from within the world of sports. Burba formerly worked at the Concord Monitor, so he's got a sense of what makes us New Englanders tick — but now that he's back in his native Chicago, his view of the sports world can sometime seem as though it's coming through Harry Caray's big, thick glasses.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC A preview and predictions for the American League. (The National League appeared yesterday, in a special, two-part 1-on-1.)

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If you missed yesterday's analysis, or would like to revisit its incredible wisdom once more, click here.

DONOVAN	AL EAST	DAVE
Yankees, Rays*, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles		Red Sox, Yankees*, Rays, Blue Jays, Orioles
Okay, okay, I know I'm going to get grief for putting the Red Sox in third. And you know what? I wouldn't be surprised if Boston won the East. If I knew for sure that Josh Beckett was going to return to his 2007 level, for example, I might put the Crimson Hose on top. But there's too many question marks in that rotation. Beckett needs to rebound big time, Dice-K walks too many (don't be fooled by his 18 wins), and I like Tim Wakefield, but the end of line is very near for the aging junkballer. Ortiz needs to show he's not on the downside of his career, ditto Lowell, Ellsbury has to do what he did in the first half last year all season ... there's just too many question marks, and I don't see it happening. I have no love for the Yankees, but they should be able to beat teams into submission on days when Sabathia and Wang aren't on the mound. The Rays are due for an inevitable slippage, but they'll be fun to watch, and the balance of power may actually be shifting in the East. Even the Jays and Orioles have some fun guys; don't hold your breath for ESPN to give Baltimore's Adam Jones even 5% of the attention it gives football's clown with the same name, but they guy is going to be good. So, Sox third, unless they win it, and then I'll claim I knew it all along. Obviously whoever finishes second gets the wild card, and we could see a 90-win team finish third.		There's no doubt the Yankees have improved themselves. Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia are going to be great players in New York for a long time, and they'll do enough this year — combined with baseball's version of the Super Bowl losers' curse catching up with Tampa — to vault the Yanks over the Rays. (Imagine saying that at this time last year.) But based on the top of their starting rotation, a dramatically improved bullpen, and an on-base-machice of a lineup, the Red Sox are the best team in this division. I've thought that for months, wrote about it, and even broke down all three teams position by position. I'm trying to be objective here, and I acknowledge there are a whole lot of "ifs", but when I look at it straight down the middle I still say the division goes through Boston. That's not an absolute, of course, given the capabilities of every team in it (except the Orioles). But I'm pretty confident in the local nine that Theo Epstein has built for this season. And beyond.

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In hopes of lending a national perspective to the site, each week Dave will be joined by National Correspondent Donovan Burba to debate a relevant issue from within the world of sports. Burba formerly worked at the Concord Monitor, so he's got a sense of what makes us New Englanders tick — but now that he's back in his native Chicago, his view of the sports world can sometime seem as though it's coming through Harry Caray's big, thick glasses.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC A preview and predictions for the National League. (With the American League to come tomorrow, in a special, two-part 1-on-1.)

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The format's a little different for this week of the 1-on-1. For this type of topic, doing it in the usual fashion was lasting just a little too long — That's what she said. — so we've opted for something a little quicker and easier to follow. The downside is that I can't remind Donovan that Miguel Cabrera is fat and lazy, fight him on the value of VORP, or ask him to explain his desire for a resurgence in Kansas City. But if you'd like an answer to those issues, or anything else, just drop us a comment and I'm sure he'll be glad to answer. It may not make sense (he's from the midwest), but I'm sure he'll try his best. Maybe we'll even give him a "participant" ribbon.

DONOVAN	NL EAST	DAVE
Phillies, Mets*, Braves, Marlins, Nationals		Mets, Phillies*, Marlins, Braves, Nationals
I agree that once again, the NL East is the Mets' to lose. And I think that, once again, they'll lose it. I'm not sold on Johan Santana's health, and I also wonder how much Carlos Delgado has left in the tank. The Phillies have more guys that can do more, if that makes sense, even though Reyes and Wright are the best duo in the division, if not baseball. I'm also still trying to figure out why the Metropolitans went out and got two closers this offseason. The Braves and Marlins are going to be fun to watch, with a lot of talent between them. The Nationals also will be fielding a team.		If there was any single thing holding back the Mets these last few years it was the bullpen – and after addressing that weakness this offseason, the division is again New York ’s to lose. Philly will put up a fight, as they always do, but even with an AL-style lineup behind it I’m not ready to put my trust in a rotation including Old Man Moyer, the temperamental elbow of Cole Hamels, and plain ol' mental of Brett Myers. Both Florida and Atlanta have the ability to finish at or above .500, while Washington will suck once more, but ultimately the Mets’ new Citi Field will be stimulated – pun intended! – come October.

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COUNTING DOWN TO CLOSING TIME WITH MY TAKE ON THE NBA MVP RACE ...

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10.BRANDON ROY, Portland. There are a lot of good players who didn't make this list — Dirk, Duncan and Dwight Howard immediately stand out — but Roy gets the nod because of where he's helped take the Blazers. In just three years he's already made himself one of the league's best, and now he's starting to make his team one of the elite as well.

9.PAU GASOL, Los Angeles. Look at what the Lakers were before Gasol arrived from Memphis, and compare that with the club they are now. His impact was immediate a year ago, and now he seems to have found some grit and toughness, too. No longer is he the player who was routinely pushed around in the Finals — and that doesn't bode well for the rest of the NBA.

8.YAO MING, Houston. It's hard to tell if Yao has reached his ceiling as a player, or if we will forever suspect there's still room to stretch because of his height. But a team that lost Tracy McGrady for the year, then traded its starting point guard, has the inside track on home court in the first round of the West playoffs — and that's proof enough for me of Yao's value.

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In hopes of lending a national perspective to the site, each week Dave will be joined by National Correspondent Donovan Burba to debate a relevant issue from within the world of sports. Burba formerly worked at the Concord Monitor, so he's got a sense of what makes us New Englanders tick — but now that he's back in his native Chicago, his view of the sports world can sometime seem as though it's coming through Harry Caray's big, thick glasses.

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC It's a two-man fantasy baseball draft. You've got to pick a team with one player for each position, an extra infielder, extra outfielder, utility spot, five starting pitchers, three relievers and a six-man bench — along the way revealing what you think of the value for certain players, who you'd take first at certain positions, when you'd reach, and which big names you'd avoid.

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Dave: ok, so the format is set, and you’ve won the first pick. you’re on the clock.
Donovan: well, I had this guy last year, and I hate to have guys 2 years in a row, but I've got to go with Hanley Ramirez
Donovan: I prefer him to Reyes for whatever reason
Dave: a wise choice ... the coffee mustn't have kicked in yet, so you're not your illogical self yet
Donovan: haha
Donovan: it was between him and Soto
Dave: figured
Dave: well, with the no. 2 pick overall i think you're looking for the surest thing on the board, so we'll play it safe if not sexy: Big Al Pujols
Donovan: that's a good pick
Donovan: he's like the peyton manning of fantasy baseball; you might be tempted by some sexy running back or shortstop, but you know what you're getting with those guys every year
Dave: exactly; if i don't get .300, 30 and 110 i'll be stunned
Donovan: given that it's a two-team league, I think I'll go ahead and fill my utility spot with Jose Reyes
Donovan: tough to pass on a 20/60 guy
Dave: you really think he's the third-best fantasy player? i don't.
Dave: in fact, i think he's the second-best fantasy player on his own team, and that's why i'm going with ... David Wright
Donovan: if I had the third pick in a 10 or 12-team league and Hanley and Albert were gone, I'd take Reyes
Dave: I'd take Wright; another sure thing, so I'm glad he slipped
Donovan: no argument there, although I think there's value at 3B later in the draft
Dave: we shall see...
Donovan: with two shortstops I need some power, so I'm going with Ryan Braun for my third pick
Dave: good choice; he was on my short list
Donovan: averaging 44 homers per 162 games, gets to face the reds and pirates 30 times a year
Dave: ...and the cubs
Donovan: well, yes, but I'll sit him those days to protect my average number
Dave: i've got my power situated for now, but we're not going to suffer too much for the sake of speed because we're going in this spot with Grady Sizemore
Dave: and, yes, my ballpark is going to be filled with women in pink tank tops with camera phones
Dave: wright and sizemore? chicks dig it.

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(A quick post before taking to the WTPL airwaves (www.wtplfm.com) tonight from 6:30-8.)

Truth be told, I was too lazy to get up and grab the channel guide next to the TV in my hotel room. It was Saturday afternoon, and I knew the Bruins were playing, but I didn’t know how to dial in NESN – so I decided to go pre-digital, and flip manually through the channels until I found it.

But a funny thing happened on the way to Jack Edwards.

Before I came anywhere near talk of Gretzky’s Office, D-to-D passes or a diatribe on the need for wooden sticks, I stumbled across something else. Something sunny. Something special. Something awe-striking, attention-stealing and instantly intriguing. I stumbled across the World Baseball Classic.

And not only was I hooked immediately – but I’m starting to think baseball’s worldwide exhibition might actually be a good idea.

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With college hockey requiring the trusty Civic make the long trip to Vermont this weekend, I’m getting its oil changed this afternoon by the fine folks at Herb Chambers in Boston. And, while I wait, this figures a fine time to flush out a few ideas and change the oil of my mind as well…

In the course of the baseball offseason, few were criticized as roundly as Manny Ramirez. Some of it was public, while the louder statements were made via silence. Here was a sure-fire hall of famer still very much capable of carrying a team to the playoffs, and yet there was only one team truly interested in his free agency. That said more than words could about how his pattern of conduct and behavior is viewed across baseball.

But in the end, when Manny yesterday scrawled his signature on to a two-year deal that guarantees him $45 million if he wants it, I couldn’t help but think Manny came out a winner.

Even after orchestrating his exit from Boston, blowing off Los Angeles’s initial proposal without an answer, and allowing himself to remain unsigned weeks into spring training, he still came out with a contract better than the one he had at this time last year.

Immediately it means a $5 million raise for 2009, and it ensures next season he’ll make at least $20 million. Additionally, it leaves him with plenty of incentive to perform over the next two seasons, since he’ll be back on the open market before 2011 – with a good chance he’ll again be in a position to be paid among the game’s best hitters.

So, no. Manny came up short of the dream deal Scott Boras had convinced him was possible if he left Boston, and his new team lopped off those two club-option years. He didn’t get anywhere near four years. Or even remotely close to $100 million. But even after being trashed all offseason, Manny will be the game’s second-highest paid player this season.

Thus, as he said this morning, he won.

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