The wheels on the bus come off & off, off & off...

As if a 6 game losing streak, a 6 1/2 game AL East deficit, another regular going on the DL (AGonzalez) and the lingering humiliation of being the first team swept in a 5-game series at home in half a century wasn't bad enough, now we've got to deal with another case of MannyBeingManny.
Warning signs were there for a flare-up of this semi-annual disease rearing its ugly head over the Lost Weekend; I mentioned it in my post on Friday after Gm 1 of BM II, when Man-Ram was pinch-hit for in the 8th when it was still a 4-run game (8-4 NY). Then came another excursion into the scoreboard (allegedly), and now this story by Shaughnessy(click link) that he was pouting after not being given a base hit (Jeter was given an error) in GM2 and had to be talked into playing Saturday. Next thing you know he is taken out of Monday's game with his infamous "tweaked hamstring", leading to the night off last night (he did come in to pinch hit in the 9th and launced a moon-shot to the deepest part of CF for an out).
All members of The Nation are familiar with his Superstar Sideshow by now; it's like a rite of summer. If he's not asking for a trade or stepping into the scoreboard for a pee break, then he's skipping the All-Star Game or begging out of big games (they're ALL big now) when his teammates need him most. Nothing new here. But this is THE worst possible time for an MBM flare-up. The team is decimated by injuries and embarrassment. Without Man-Ram hitting behind Papi, it's like Kryptonite to Superman- Papi walked twice, 1 INT- and it leaves the rest of the lineup looking mighty thin. No Tek. No Trot. AGon-gone. And now MBM. Yikes.
So let's all hope that ManRam comes to his senses, I mean his hammy heals quickly, and he can rejoin his mates tonight who are fighting (meekly) for a Wild Card slot. Until then, stay tuned for another episode of "As the Nation Turns".