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Manny Ramirez: The White Sox $3.8-million failure

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So how do you think that Manny Ramirez pickup is looking to the White Sox now?

Manny not so much as resembling Manny was hardly what they committed $3.8 million for when they claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers last month.

Alas, he has been a major bust for Chicago.

He went 55 plate appearances before collecting his first extra-base hit -- a solo home run Friday. That still accounts for his only RBI as a member of the White Sox.

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Meanwhile, the White Sox fell out of contention. They were 3½ games out when Manny made his White Sox debut on Sept. 1. By Sunday, they were 10 back of the Twins in the American League Central.

Still, White Sox General Manager Ken Williams told MLB.com that he had no regrets about adding Ramirez and his salary for the season’s final month.

‘I would have regretted it if we didn’t go out and get him and it turned out we were in this same place,’ Williams said. ‘Then, I would have asked myself, ‘What if we would have tried to give the club a shot in the arm?’

‘Now, in hindsight, if you factor in finances where you are, of course you can come up with a number of reasons to be regretful. ... I think [White Sox Chairman] Jerry [Reinsdorf] would feel the same way. At the end of the day, I would rather know we gave everything we have to try to win.’

Now there’s an interesting concept. In the interim, of course, the Dodgers did save almost $4 mil. That’ll pay some lawyers fees.

Going into Sunday, Manny was hitting .271 with his one homer and RBI. He’s still walking, though, and had an on-base percentage of .426.

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White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker said Manny having missed almost two months with leg injuries before joining the White Sox was just too much for him to overcome.

‘If anyone could have, it was him,’ Walker told MLB.com. ‘It was a gamble, and I’m glad we took it. That’s still asking a lot of someone not to play for two months and then jump into the middle of a pennant race and be the great Manny Ramirez.’

Manny could not have done anything to enhance his future value as a designated hitter while with the White Sox, but Walker believes he can still be a dangerous hitter next season for someone.

‘I know this -- he’s great and he still wants it,’ Walker said. ‘As long as that happens, he’ll figure it out. His pregame work is really good, and I think he wants to do good and help this team so much. But he hasn’t quite got comfortable.

‘Manny has been a good teammate and fun to be around. He has worked his rear end off, and I’m pulling for him to finish strong.’

-- Steve Dilbeck

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