REPORTING FROM THE JOCK-O-SPHERE:
TOMMY LOVES MANNY

Tommy Lasorda: Much Love For Manny

Looks like somebody doesn't believe all that Manny being Manny no hustle talk:

"Manny Ramirez has electrified Los Angeles," he writes.

"The city was in a lull, and he came in at trade deadline packing not just 500+ career home runs and just long hair, but with enthusiasm and self confidence.

"He has energized the fans.

"He has energized the front office. And most importantly, he has energized his new teammates. He plays the game the way it supposed to be played, with enthusiasm, self confidence, hustle and desire.

"He runs hard, he hits the ball hard and he has fun."

Mark DeRosa: Hurricane Ike Chat

"I know in some ways the Astros feel like this is a home game for us," he writes. "I can understand their rationale. I know if I was sitting at home watching the Bears play at 1 o'clock, what better way to end the evening than go take an hour ride and see the Cubs play in Milwaukee? I understand all that, but at the same time you can't lose sight of the big picture, and the big picture is that people are suffering and people are without power, and lives have been affected way more than whether or not the Cubs play the Astros. "

Oh, and that no-hitter wasn't so bad last night either, eh Mark?

Rod Benson: Those Crazy French Refs

"In my very first game as a Euro baller, I was called for a foul that I didn't agree with," he writes. In the D-League and NBA, you can react as long as it's not obscene or excessive, and you turn away from other players or the ref. That is exactly what I did. I looked up at the sky and said: 'Where's the contact?'

"I'd be willing to bet that this ref who made the call didn't speak English well enough to even know what I said, but he made it a point to let me know that he wasn't happy. He stopped in his tracks on his way to the scorer's table. Then, much like the MLB umpire who stared down Frank Robinson, he turned back at me and just stared at me. He said something in French, walked over to me and stood three feet away, staring."

"I looked around at people to see if they were witnessing what was going on. They all seemed to be acting like this was normal.

Holly Beck: I Want Winter!

Surfer Holly Beck can't take it anymore. She's ready for winter:

"Ok, I don't think I can take it anymore," she writes. "Sure, I like warm water, but I prefer wearing my wetsuit - no worries about sunscreen, keeping a bikini top in place, or that creepy guy that always seems to paddle a few feet behind me to perv out on my bikini-bottomed duckdive."

"I want to put on my 4/3 and booties in my house, run down to the beach out front, surf until I'm starving, then take my wetsuit off in the shower. I want winter and jeans and shoes and beanies and big burritos earned by long sessions. I want winter! Please come winter…please!"

Big burritos are totally the cat's pajamas, especially after a long day of punchy beach breaks. Gatorade, meet the true replenishing agent for sustenance seeking athletes.

Buster Halterman: Real or Riot Act?

In Salt Lake City for the AST Dew Tour, skateboarder Buster brings the gusto in his latest post:

"All action sports guys need is some cheap beer, some bean bags to chill on, a poker table to lose the money they don't make, some obnoxious music and some more acai with granola and bananas," he writes.

"When NBC found out how cheap we all are, they said 'hell yeah, we'll muster up a cheap purse and entertainment for them…and they'll show up for sure. Then we'll create a brand of clothing and merchandise that they can market and have four years of success and we won't even increase the purse payout at the same pace as inflation. We'll be in the black in no time. They'll still come…they are so dumb. Oh, and we'll just lie to them and say, hey, if you boycott The Familie's series, we'll surely reward you guys…we want to grow this series with the athletes…we'll work out some ownership in the the success of the tour so we can grow together.' That quote wasn't verbatim, however, pretty damn close."

Brah, you may be keepin' it real, but you're really harshin' my mellow!

Stanford Routt: Black Hole Bright Spot

Raider cornerback Stanford Routt is pretty darn happy to be 1-1 on the season:

"Well I'm sure everyone saw the nightmare on MNF last week," he writes. "Believe me, it was even more horrible to play in. But as important as it is with any dark moment, we learned from it and bounced back with a win against Kansas City at Arrowhead on Sunday. So I just want to say, have no fear, Black Hole, we're not gonna let the nation down!"

The Raiders may be on the up, but is forthright Head Coach Lane Kiffin on the outs? Stay tuned, Raider Nation—same Raider time, same Raider channel.

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