Isotope Manny

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez was welcomed back to baseball with rousing cheers. In the minor leagues, anyway.

Ramirez, easing back into playing shape after a 50-game drug suspension, suited up for the Albuquerque Isotopes as they beat Nashville 1-0. Ramirez wore No. 99 for the Dodgers' top farm club.

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MY TAKE ON THIS. If you are suspended, you shouldn't be allowed to get into shape on a Minor League team. Let's get real, MLB.

Josh Beckett Suspended for 6 games

Josh Beckett has been suspended for six games and fined by Major League Baseball, which determined he intentionally threw a pitch near the head of the Los Angeles Angels' Bobby Abreu last week.

Beckett also was cited for "aggressive actions" after the pitch that led to the benches clearing Sunday, according to Bob Watson, vice president for discipline in the commissioner's office.

If Beckett appeals, any penalties would be delayed until after a hearing.
Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher was suspended for one game and fined, and he was to serve the penalty Tuesday night. In addition, Watson fined Angels manager Mike Scioscia and players Torii Hunter and Justin Speier

MY TAKE ON THIS: Obviously we have a running feud here between Josh and Abreu, but I can't offhand recall anything happening in the past. Having been a Yankee is bad to begin with. The commish took it easy on the Devils, I mean Angels because they are 'in mourning'. No further comment.

8 Players suspended from Red Sox and Rays

Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp, Tampa Bay pitcher James Shields were among eight players suspended on Friday following altercations Thursday at Fenway Park. Three Red Sox were suspended, Crisp (7 games), pitcher John Lester (5 games) and Sean Casey (3 games) Bob Watson also suspended 5 Rays; Shields (5 games), Jonny Gomes and Edwin Jackson for five games each, Carl Crawford (4 games) and Akinori Iwamura (3 games). All eight players were fined also. Crisp, who made a hard slide into Iwamura on Wednesday night, was hit by a pitch from Shields the first time he came up Thursday night and charged the mound. Crisp and Shields threw punches, and mayhem followed.

Coco Explains the Slide

Coco Crisp said his hard slide into Akinori Iwamura was payback for Tampa shortstop Jason Bartlett blocking the bag with his knee on Crisp's stolen base attempt two innings earlier.

He put his whole knee in front of the bag, and it's not something you do as an infielder. You can do that, but that's shady. And he's not a bad dude, but that's shady. It is what it is. You gonna hurt me, I'm going to come back and hurt you.If I would have intended to injure I wouldn't have slid at all. I would have just ran him over like he was a catcher. I went in hard to send a message. ... If Bartlett would have covered, might have been a little more dramatic.

A few minutes later, when Tampa manager Joe Maddon began yelling into the Red Sox dugout from the mound, Crisp yelled back:
I told him, "Look at me. Don't look down the street at Tito." ... I was saying I did that on my own, don't punish anyone else on the team. Don't get Petey, don't get Lugo, don't get AC [by] sliding hard at second base. Get me with a pitch. If you want to retaliate with somebody, I'm the man. That's pretty much it.