"With the Rays making their annual September charge from nowhere, now's a good time to ruminate on a tantalizing what-if. What if Manny Ramirez was batting cleanup right now?

Lest anyone forget, the Rays made two big moves this winter, signing veterans Ramirez and Johnny Damon to anchor a lineup decimated by free agent departures and trades.

Damon has done his part, hitting 14 homers and providing battle-tested leadership. Ramirez was an entirely different story, going 1-for-17 in five games and then shockingly retiring rather than face a 100-game suspension for reportedly failing a second drug test.

"We'd be better with Manny," Rays infielder Sean Rodriguez said last night. "You're talking about an experienced guy who can still hit. Everyone was giving him tough times because he was struggling at the beginning, but everyone goes through funks, and his just came at the beginning of the year. It's hard to say his resume wouldn't have helped us. Just look at what Johnny's done for us.""