WHERE NEXT FOR MANNY? HE’S LEAVING IT UP TO GOD

HE MADE such a big impression in Los Angeles that they renamed Dodger Stadium Mannywood.

He made such a bad impression in Boston that they were willing to run the best slugger in modern-day baseball out of town.

Now the question is: Where will Manny go next?

Rearrange the letters of his Christian name and you get NY-MAN. The New York clubs are among those that can afford him.

After hitting .410 with 21 home runs in 61 games for the Dodgers, Manny has restored, if not increased, his market value.

His brief love affair with Dodgers’ fans no doubt infuriated the Red Sox, the team he jilted.

And worse still, it means that someone is going to give the 36-year-old a megabucks contract for the next three years or more.

Who said crime doesn’t pay? What Ramirez did in Boston, allegedly feigning injury and giving Terry Francona and his teammates less than 100 percent, was nothing short of criminal.

Boras sure to drive hard "bargain"

That he will do it again, there is no doubt. But his numbers are such that one club – probably many clubs – will be willing to take that chance.

Dodgers fans made it clear to ownership that they want Manny back in 2009. “Manny stay, Manny stay,” they chanted last night when it became apparent that their team was not going to come back against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Frank McCourt, owner of the Dodgers, was non-committal, and who can blame him? After all, Manny’s agent is Scott Boras, a name that sends shivers up the spine of owners and general managers alike.

Boras has earned a reputation of stealing from the rich and giving to the richer. This time last year, he was advising Alex Rodriguez to opt out of the final three years or his contract.

In the end, Rodriguez bypassed Boras and re-signed with the Yankees. Yet Boras still ended up laughing all the way to bank after his client agreed a 10-year deal worth a “basic” $275 million with potential add-ons of $30 million.

“It takes two to tango. We’d love to have him back, but we’ll begin to discuss those things,” said McCourt.

Boras is surely to lead the Dodgers and other suitors a merry dance as he does the best for his client.

Manny was only half-joking when he said: “I’m just going to leave everything to God.”

NO RAY OF HOPE FOR BATTERED RED SOX

THEY DID IT LAST YEAR. Heck, they were in even worse predicament against the New York Yankees in 2004 and still won the World Series.

This time, however, there are very few reasons to believe that the Boston Red Sox will be able to overturn a 3-1 deficit against the Tampa Bay Rays and emerge as American League champions.

Fenway Park is one of the hotbeds of baseball. But, for the second successive night, the upstart Rays scored early and often last night to silence the crowd.

As Yogi Bera once said: It ain’t over till it’s over. The Red Sox were in exactly the same position against the Cleveland Indians last year and managed to win the last three games. And, of course, Yankees fans will need no reminding that they rallied from 3-0 down in the 2004 ALCS.

But, in the words of center fielder Coco Crisp: “We’re not playing Cleveland. It’s a totally different team.”

The Rays are riding the crest of a wave. They are a team of destiny; the 50,000-1 no-hopers ready to pen one the greatest stories in the history of American sports.

Not even losing the first game of the series 2-0 at Tropicana Field could shake their confidence or belief. 

So what can the Red Sox do now to stop their momentum? Well, they will at least have game one winner Daisuke Matsuzaka on the mound tomorrow night.

Kazmir goes for glory in game five

Matsuzaka was supposed to be the No. 3 pitcher for the Red Sox in the series. But with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester both getting shelled, he has assumed the role of their ace.

Lester didn’t pitch that badly in game three. He was simply victimized early by the hungry Rays hitters. Beckett, however, was a shadow of the man who allowed just one run in seven innings of game one of the 2007 World Series against the Colorado Rockies, setting the Sox on their way to a series sweep.

Reports say he has an oblique injury and, clearly, he is considerably less than 100 percent fit. Starting him in game six – if it goes far – will be a major gamble.

The Rays, meanwhile, have switched pitchers for game five, moving Scott Kazmir ahead of James Shields.

The reason, according to manager Joe Maddon, is that Kazmir has had more success pitching at Fenway while Shields has been very good at home.

In my opinion, it’s a smart move. Kazmir struggled in game two at the Trop, giving up five runs on six hits. If the Sox do manage to extend the series, now they are going to have to beat Shields, and probably Matt Garza, on their own artificial turf.

Not only do the Sox have pitching problems, but they’re not hitting either. Big Pappy (0 for 14 before a meaningless triple) is not the threat he was without either Manny Ramirez or Mike Lowell in the line-up. Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia are not getting on base. 

Compare that to the hot hitting by B.J. Upton and Evan “Long Ball” Longoria, who has homered in each of the last three games.

The Rays look much sharper in the outfield too. They’re making the Sox look like an aging, tired team.

That enthusiasm and energy now looks sure to propel them to their first World Series. And from rank outsiders, the Rays are now favorites to win it all. 

SACRE BLEU! ENGLISH FOOTBALL IS NOW BEING RUN BY JOHNNY FOREIGNER

AS YOU may already know, the English and the French are not exactly bosom buddies.

So when a Frenchman claims that English football is losing its identity, it’s not exactly going to endear him to fans across The Channel.

But do you know what? Michel Platini, president of Uefa – the governing body for European football – is spot on in his criticism.

Platini is concerned by the influx of foreign owners and players to the Premier League and believes it has gone too far.

Manchester City is the latest club to be sold to “Johnny Foreigner,” the Abu Dhabi United Group, which is back by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, buying out previous owner Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand.

“I think it is not good. I think the Qataris should invest in Qatar,” said Platini. “If you bring people from Qatar and there is no one from Liverpool or Manchester, where is Liverpool or Manchester?

“They should develop the football in each country. Can we (Uefa) do something about it? I will try to.”

Manchester United owned by an American

No fewer than nine of the current 20 English Premier League clubs have overseas owners.

They are led by Manchester United, who were bought out by American Malcolm Glazer in May, 2005.

At the time, United fans campaigned vociferously against Glazer, who also owns NFL franchise the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But their protests soon died down when Glazer pumped millions of pounds into buying some of the world’s best players, helping the Red Devils win the Champions League – the top club competition in Europe – in May of this year.

Tom Hicks of the Texas Rangers baseball team, and George Gillett of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team, are joint owners of Liverpool, although their relationship has recently shown signs of breaking down.

Randy Lerner, owner of the Cleveland Browns, is chairman of Aston Villa while Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich has pumped billions into London club Chelsea.

There’s hardly an Englishman in sight

The foreign invasion is not limited to the boardroom. Five of the teams have foreign managers.

Former Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari returned to club management with Chelsea in July while Gianfranco Zola, the ex-Italian international, took the reins at West Ham United last month.

Frenchman Arsene Wenger has been in charge of Arsenal for the last 12 years while Liverpool (Rafael Benitez) and Tottenham (Juande Ramos) are managed by Spaniards.

The team squads/rosters are packed with international footballers. Only three of Arsenal’s 27-man first-team squad were actually born in Britain.

The net result is probably the best league in the world and the most exciting football. But the only thing English about it is the grass the games are played on and, of course, the fans.

“You have to have identity; that is where football’s popularity lies,” adds Platini, who may push for Uefa to put a limit on the number of foreign players each club can sign.

The influx of foreign owners, managers and players is also hurting the England national team, which, by the way, is now managed by an Italian, Fabio Capello!

England failed to qualify for the finals of the 2008 European Championships and has not won a trophy since 1966.

Uefa is a powerful organization and Platini an influential man. But, football is no longer the working man’s game. It’s big business.

The Premier League clubs generate total revenues close to two billion pounds sterling each year and you can be sure those who run them won’t appreciate a Frenchman sticking his nose into their business.

CLEMENS HAS TO WEATHER A NEW STORM

ROGER CLEMENS will recover from the effects of Hurricane Ike. But the former New York Yankees pitcher will never regain the reputation he lost amid the steroid storm and sex scandal that made front-page headlines earlier this year.

Hardly a day went by when Clemens’ picture wasn’t featured prominently in the tabloids. But, in the last six months, he’s gone from The Joker to The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Clemens is rarely seen in public these days as he deals with the fallout from his flawed testimony to Congress, his legal action against former trainer Brian McNamee, and allegations of a long-running affair with country singer Mindy McCready.

According to reports, McCready recently entered rehab after suffering a nervous breakdown. 

Clemens, meanwhile, took another battering last month – this time from Hurricane Ike.

Fox Sports reported that Clemens, and his wife Debbie, have been clearing up after losing 20 trees in their yard and suffering minor flooding in their Texas home.

Ex-Yank has become a baseball pariah

Clemens, still the subject of a Judicial Investigation into possible perjury during his evidence to Congress, has been conspicuous by his absence.

He was persona non grata when the Bronx Bombers played their final game at Yankee Stadium on September 21st.

There was not a single mention of Clemens throughout the celebrations, which included a video montage of the Yanks’ greatest pitchers.

Clemens, who won two World Series rings with the Yankees in 1999 and 2000, was said to be “heartbroken” by the snub.

It remains to be seen whether he features among the 300 former players scheduled to take part in the official closing ceremony at Yankee Stadium on November 9.

Former Yankees manager Joe Torre, who was also ignored during last month’s festivities, has already indicated that he will attend.

Like Barry Bonds, two years his junior at 44, The Rocket has yet to officially announce his retirement from baseball. 

Neither player could find a club willing to take them last season. Now it seems that no one wants to be associated with baseball’s two social outcasts.

GIANTS LOOK A GOOD BET TO REPEAT AS SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS

WHAT PRICE Eli Manning and the New York Giants to repeat as Super Bowl champions?

Well, the odds against them retaining their title have shortened considerably since the start of the season.

The British bookmakers clearly regarded the Giants’ win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII as a fluke, quoting them as 25-1 outsiders.

But, after winning their first four games, they’re now second favorites (at a best-priced 9-1) behind the Dallas Cowboys (13-2).

It says something for the strength of the NFC East that the Washington Redskins (12-1) are third favorites.

It also gives you an idea of the challenges that lie ahead for Tom Coughlin’s team, who face divisional rivals five times in their remaining 12 games.

With their next two opponents being the struggling Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers, Big Blue has a good chance of making it six out of six.

However, it gets tougher after that as a visit to Pittsburgh is followed by a home showdown with the Cowboys on November 2.

This time last year, there were serious doubts being raised about whether Manning Jr. would make the grade as a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Now he’s being talked about in the same breath as his brother, Peyton, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and the other elite players in his position.

Eli Manning now an elite quarterback

Manning came of age in the Super Bowl. Now he’s exuding confidence and living up to his pedigree.

Success doesn’t seem to have changed him. He’s still an unassuming kind of guy…and the Giants are an unassuming kind of team.

Amazingly, the retirement of running back Tiki Barber, and the broken leg suffered by tight end Jeremy Shockey in 2007, actually made the Giants stronger. They lost their two superstars, but gained unity and a sense of purpose.

Now, this year, they have managed to overcome the retirement of Michael Strahan and the loss through injury of Osi Umenyiora. So far, at least.

They have three battering rams in Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. And they can beat you in the air too, with or without Plaxico Burress. Domenik Hixon and Sinorice Moss proved that against Seattle last Sunday.

The Giants’ strength is their depth. Whenever one man goes down, they seem to have another to replace him. Every week, someone new emerges.

Some would say they don’t have the explosive power of the Dallas offense. I’m not sure Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren would concur.

It’s more than a year now since the Giants lost a road game (45-35 against Dallas in Texas Stadium). They go for their 13th consecutive road win in Cleveland on Monday night.

They look a sound bet to achieve it and if you took a punt of them before the start of the season, hold on to your ticket. You’ve certainly got a value bet.

SUICIDE ANYTHING BUT PAINLESS FOR ANGELS

MIKE SCIOSCIA is one of the smartest managers in baseball, but I’ll bet he’s feeling near suicidal today.

For the third time in five years, Scioscia’s Los Angeles Angels – the best team in baseball this season – were outfoxed by Terry Francona and the Boston Red Sox.

Want to know how big a part psychology plays in sport? Well, just look at the recent results of games between these two teams.

The Angels owned the Red Sox during the regular season, winning their last eight meetings.

But when it comes to the American League Divisional Series, the tables are well and truly turned.

Before their 5-4 win on Sunday, the Angeles had suffered 11 consecutive losses and two straight playoff sweeps.

Now it’s 12 out of 13 after Scioscia picked the worst possible time to play small ball.

While Scioscia will no doubt argue that’s what enabled his team to win 100 games this year, there’s a time and a place.

The ninth inning of Game Four of the ALDS at Fenway Park, with the scores tied at 2-2, was neither the time nor the place to attempt a suicide squeeze.

Scioscia lets Sox off the hook

All the momentum was with the Angeles. Francona had himself blundered by taking the unhittable Jon Lester out after 109 pitches, enabling LA to get back in the game.

After LA had scored two runs in the eighth, pinch hitter Kendry Morales led off the ninth with a double and Howie Kendrick then bunted pinch runner Reggie Willits over to third.

Manny Delcarmen had fallen behind Erick Aybar 2-0 when Aybar attempted to bunt and missed, leaving Willits stranded in no man’s land between third and home.

It proved to be the turning point of the game as the Sox went on to clinch victory and an ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays with Jed Lowrie’s walk-off single.

“With a 2-0 count, I felt he had to get a ball around the plate,” explained Scioscia afterwards. “Erick is one of the best bunters we have. It was a buntable ball. Erick just didn’t get it done.”

To be fair to Scioscia, if the squeeze had worked as planned, he might well have been hailed as a hero in the newspapers this morning.

But it didn’t…and you have to question the wisdom of his decision.

I’m no proponent of the bunt. You only get 27 outs in a normal game and I hate giving one away for free.

The Angels had three chances to bring Willits home from second. By bunting him to third, they reduced that to two. They were also drastically decreasing their chances of scoring more than one run and, remember, the Sox were up last.

Sour grapes from Lackey

It was a textbook move and meant the Angels could take the lead with a reasonable length flyball. Surely, with Aybar ahead in the count, Scioscia would have been better served letting him swing away?

“That’s our style of baseball,” said John Lackey, LA’s starting pitcher. “That’s what got us here.”

“We are a better team than they are. The last two days, we shouldn’t have given up anything.”

Wrong on both counts John. What got you there was playing smart ball rather than small ball.

And to say you’re better than Boston given your post-season record against them sounds like sour grapes.

The Red Sox have managed to overcome the departure of Manny Ramirez at a crucial stage of the season, a hip injury to third baseman Mike Lowell and a less than 100% healthy Josh Beckett.

They will have their hands full against the Rays, another team who dominated them during the regular season.

It’s the young upstart against the wily old pro. And the Sox have served notice that you’re going to have to beat them by conventional means.

WHY YANKS MIGHT BE BETTER SERVED BUYING A MINI COOPER RATHER THAN A ROLLS ROYCE

THERE’S NO DEBATE that Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees made a big mistake not trading for Johan Santana last winter.

Now there’s a danger that Cashman and Co. will make an even bigger mistake by relentlessly pursuing this winter’s top free agent – CC Sabathia – whatever the cost.

With Santana, the Yanks, despite their many injury problems and lack of hitting, would probably have made the playoffs.

But while Santana (29) and Sabathia (28) have several things in common – namely, they’re No. 1 pitchers who overpower hitters with their velocity and movement – they’re built very differently.

Santana, who stands 6ft 0in tall and weighs 208lbs, is a cruiserweight in baseball terms. At 6ft 7in and 290lbs, Sabathia is a super heavyweight.

Santana pitched 234.1 innings this season for an ERA of 2.53. Sabathia has thrown 253 innings (ERA 2.70) and he’s not done yet.

CC may have too many miles on the clock

It was largely thanks to Sabathia and his ability to pitch well on short rest that the Milwaukee Brewers scraped into the play-offs as a wild card. Now they’re asking Sabathia to pitch in game two against the Philadelphia Phillies, again on three days’ rest, so that he’s available to go in game five should the NL divisional series go that far.

The Brewers, who don’t have the financial clout to compete with baseball’s billionaires for Sabathia’s services long term, have certainly got their money’s worth since acquiring him from the Cleveland Indians in a trade at the start of July.

Any potential bidders, even a club as desperate for starting pitching as the Yankees, must be wary that his heavy workload might take its toll next season.

So far, Sabathia, the American League Cy Young Award winner in 2007, has proved remarkably resilient. His 94-98 mph fastball, 10-to-4 slider and excellent command will lead to one club breaking the bank to give him a long-term contract worth more than $20 million a year.

Reports say that Sabathia, who is a building a house in Orange County, California, favors playing on the West Coast and in the National League. That would no doubt be a big disappointment for Cashman and the Yankees. Yet it could prove a blessing in disguise.

They might well be better served signing a younger, less exposed pitcher (someone like 24-year-old Zack Greinke of the Kansas City Royals), who has a better chance of staying healthy for the next five to seven years.

Sabathia may be the Rolls Royce of pitching…but even a ‘Roller' can break down when it’s got that many miles on the clock.