Manny-copa County

Two days ago, a breathless Red Sox fan stopped me on the street.

"Did you hear Manny bought a house in town?" she said.

That would be Manny Ramirez, and if he did buy a house in Maricopa County, he would be one of many athletes that consider Arizona a part-time home. No big deal.

But think about it. The Diamondbacks need a slugger. They need someone to juice up their fan base. And if you're going to make some kind of offer to Adam Dunn, why not really stretch yourself and make a run at Manny Ramirez?

It's a question that makes my head ache. The Diamondbacks can't afford to get sideways financially, and they already have a surplus of left fielders. General Manager Josh Byrnes has already told Eric Byrnes that he may seek his approval for a trade, depending on how the offseason goes.

But the Diamondbacks can't afford to let the fringes of their audience get bored all over again, and beat writer Nick Piecoro just outlined how the Diamondbacks' television ratings dipped 15 percent last season. That sounds ominous. Can't blame all of that on Daron Sutton.

I also know that the five-tool player Ramirez now claims to be - a guy that runs hard and scores from first on a double - is not the same Manny fans grew to loathe in Boston. His fabulous stretch of play in Los Angeles has been a salary drive, and nothing else. In the locker room after the Dodgers' final loss of the season, Ramirez declared himself open to the highest bidder, and expressed no loyalty to Los Angeles. It took about five minutes for his real colors to shine through.

Yet Ramirez is the most fascinating player in baseball. He is Barry Bonds with personality. And for all of his flaws, I can't think of another player I'd rather watch.

Just imagine what he would do to the baseball community in Arizona.

AZCENTRAL.COM