L.A. Times: T.J. Simers: Even he can’t stay mad at Manny

ESPN’s Colleen Dominguez reports Tuesday afternoon that Ramirez orders pasta. She does not follow him inside even though that’s why she’s here, because she needs to go to the empty stadium to do a report for ESPN.

“I didn’t see him order pasta,” she says later in explaining her exclusive, “but I feel comfortable with my sources.”

Dodgers’ PR guy Josh Rawitch cannot confirm Ramirez ordered pasta, “because I wasn’t there.” That doesn’t seem to matter to Dominguez.

The Times’ Dylan Hernandez appears disappointed, all his life wanting to come to Albuquerque and bang on the batting cage while Manny’s inside trying to hit a ball off a tee. Manny can hit a 94-mph fastball in front of 50,000 screaming fans, but for some reason Hernandez unnerves him while facing a tee.

A nation awaits more breaking Manny news, Dominguez confirming “it was spaghetti.” She also spots him carrying “six bottles of water.” Nothing gets by her.

ESPN News has plans to go live each time Manny bats, Manny explaining before the game, “people love me everywhere.”

Hard to argue, or for that matter feign Gary Matthews’ Jr.-like outrage, Manny more charismatic, more talented and more interesting than Matthews.

But this is L.A. Manny, a different guy from the one everyone talked about in Boston, L.A. Manny listening to some advice offered by Mota and then stepping forward to say, “Let’s go—let’s talk. What do you want to know?”