Mannywood burns

• The L.A. Dodgers are merely three games above .500 since Manny Ramirez returned from suspension. Now, that isn't all on ManRam, but isn't exactly what you'd expect. They may not be on fire, but as you can see in the pic, the area around Chavez Ravine is.
• Best title for a book I've heard in some time: Leafs AbomiNation, a new book from Toronto sports writers Dave Feschuk and Michael Grange on the disaster that is the Toronto Maple Leafs. The price? A very affordable and fitting $19.67.
• Adam "Pacman" Jones is bringing his "Make It Rain" tour to scrip clubs in Canada. Yes, Pacman is now a Winnipeg Blue Bomber. What does it say of Pacman when Argos coach Bart Andrus had him in Tennessee and he's now a Bomber?
• Why a shorter schedule with more teams in the playoffs isn't a bad idea for basebal: fewer than 2,000 people showed up for a not-so-riveting matchup of the Pittsburgh Pirates visiting the Cincinnati Reds, the cellar dwellers in the NL Central.
• Tottenham is turning to be a Croatian haven now that they've signed their third Croat in the past year and change in the form of Niko Kranjcar from Portsmouth.
• The Tampa Bay Rays are five games behind Boston for the AL Wild Card, and they'll start a series tonight in Tampa where the home side has dominated the series the last two seasons. They're going to have to, at this point.
• St. Louis Cardinal pitcher Adam Wainwright has 26 straight quality starts. Can't say I would've figured that.
• Andy Pettitte was nearly perfect for 7 innings and the Yankees cruised to a 5-1 win, making them 32-11 since the all-star break.
• There is talk of the New York Cosmos returning as a squad, and ultimately returning to the MLS full-time. Weird, considering the Red Bull are hardly lighting up the market. That said, there is an incredible new stadium going up for the Red Bull so maybe they look to share housing?
• Seems every other NFL fan you talk to this week has just completed or is about to start their NFL fantasy draft. Some tips for those about to start.
• The NFL Network isn't exactly great value for the most part, but when they've got a new analyst dishing comment like this on the subject of Old Has Been, it becomes better: "Never has a quarterback not gone to a full training camp and then gone to a Super Bowl. It's never happened and never will happen and I thank the football gods it won't happen. . . so don't tell me it's anybody's guess. We know what will happen." Who said it, you wonder? Michael Irvin. Well done, Playmaker.

Have a great Tuesday!