Manny Brings Special Bat, Special Headache to LA

Look out, LA—Manny Ramirez is coming. The ex-Red Sox outfielder brings "510 career home runs inside 510 pounds of baggage,” writes Bill Plaschke of the LA Times. And "the only thing that flops around more than his trademark dreadlocks are his moods." But the deal was a no-brainer for the Dodgers: "They do not have to pay someone who immediately becomes their best hitter."

Besides, they only have to put up with him for 2 months, right? “Three months,” corrected owner Frank McCourt, factoring in the playoffs and World Series. LA now has five starting outfielders, but if anyone can handle that, it’s Joe Torre. “It’s funny, but I did everything I could not to have to see him again, and all of a sudden he's showing up in the uniform I'm wearing” says the manager. “It’s pretty special.” (More Los Angeles Dodgers stories.)