Manny, Dodger fans back together

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The Dodgers fall in Ramirez’s return to L.A., but his supporters show their love.

By BRYAN ROY
The Orange County Register

[The back story: Talk about deadline: I had four minutes after sprinting up the Dodger Stadium escalator to transcribe, plug in quotes and finalize stats]

LOS ANGELES – Just as expected, his last step to regaining relative normalcy was far from normal.

Manny Ramirez, 71 days since his last at-bat in Dodger Stadium, received a standing ovation to begin Thursday night’s 3-0 loss to the Houston Astros.

Having failed a drug test for a performance-enhancing substance, Ramirez’s 50-game suspension and admission to baseball’s mortal fault somehow didn’t dissipate his natural appeal to fans.

So in his long-awaited formal welcome back, as expected, fans renewed their mutual appreciation of Ramirez with open arms and dreadlocks.

As if it ever left.

“L.A. fans are the best. I’m happy to be here,” Ramirez said. “That’s it, it’s in the past and I’m ready to move on.”

When asked if he was nervous about the reception he would get, Ramirez said: “Not really. This is my town.”

In the first inning, with fans still trickling in, a spotty standing ovation followed by chants of “Manny, Manny” alluded to the love affair fans had with Ramirez before his drug suspension, minor league rehab stint, a stint on the road when he returned and the All-Star break.

Not until his second at-bat in the fourth inning did a significantly fuller Dodger Stadium — 45,970 tickets were sold — welcome him back.

But in the seventh inning — at that point Ramirez was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts — it was Juan Pierre who heard the loudest ovation of the night when he was inserted as a pinch hitter for pitcher Guillermo Mota.

Pierre hit .318 as Ramirez’s replacement and was once again looked upon to spark a Dodgers rally with two runners on and no outs.

He, too, struck out swinging, leaving two of the Dodgers’ nine total runners on base.

“I was looking forward to this game. I’m just glad I got that game out of the way,” said Ramirez, who was 1 for 4 after an opposite-field single in the eighth inning. “I’m doing the same thing I’m always doing, just go out there and have fun.”

The Dodgers took advantage of the hype by airing Ramirez highlights on the Jumbotron and lifting the ban on “Mannywood” — the promotional left-field section with its own zip code (90090) that offers a pack of two tickets and two “Mannywood” T-shirts for $99.

Just the way it was about two months ago.

Having served his punishment and faced the ensuing attention — media, fans on the road and home fans — Ramirez’s suspension officially becomes just another chapter in his storied history of antics and goofy behavior.

Did it send the wrong image to applaud a self-inflicted suspension?

“There’s no question that nobody says it’s OK to violate rules. And he took his punishment,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. “Fans come out here to be entertained. They understand that he did something wrong and he paid the price.

“It’s a unique combination he has. If you didn’t know him, and you just went on what you saw in clips, you’d say that he’s a pain in the neck. But he’s able to sort of relieve some of the attention with that attitude and personality.”

Contact the writer: broy@ocregister.com