Manny Ramirez is the Dodgers’ mane attraction

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And now for that really significant Dodgers’ preseason question: This year will we be able to read Manny Ramirez’ name on the back of his jersey?

When Manny first arrived in ’08, his dreadlocks were in danger of blotting out the Ramirez script across the back of his shoulders.

Manager Joe Torre asked him to bring the dreads up, and Manny complied. Mostly anyway. He did get a haircut and the dreads rose so that no one could be confused whether that really was Manny wearing No.99 and not Chin-Lung Hu in disguise.

Last season, however, the hair just got longer and longer. ‘Ramirez’ disappeared from his jersey. Torre just seemed to go with it.

By late in the season, his dreads were so long he looked like he should be playing cornerback for the Packers. At times it looked like he tried to loop them back up, presumably so he wasn’t confused with a Dominican Rapunzel.

Really, Torre should enforce the team rule and insist the dreads go back up.

One, because it makes him consistent and not look like he’s playing favorites to superstars. And two, in a reverse Samson bit, Manny hit better with a closer cropped coiffure.
-- Steve Dilbeck