Mother on his mind

Ramirez, sitting on the Red Sox bench yesterday afternoon at Safeco Field, offered to speak for a few minutes, something he hadn't done in weeks. He said he's been affected by his mother's health.

''My mom's been real sick," Ramirez said. ''I've been thinking a lot about that. She's now getting better. Like, what's the name of the disease? She's got a disease. She can't move with her legs. It's a weird name. She's getting better. She's got to get a lot of massages."

Asked if it was arthritis, Ramirez said, ''Yeah, yeah, arthritis. She's getting a lot of massages, trying to get better. She's in Fort Lauderdale [Fla.]. I haven't gone back to see her."

Ramirez said that his sick grandmother, whom he visited during spring training instead of traveling to the White House with the team, is ''fine." He didn't explain her illness, but offered this: ''They've got to change her blood, stuff like that. She's like 90 years old. She's in the house with my mother."

Ramirez once cited the death of a grandmother as his reason for being late to the 2001 All-Star Game here. He said the grandmother he's now talking about is his great grandmother on his mother's side.

His family's health, coupled with his low batting average, has caused him to keep to himself in the media's presence, he said. He usually ignores people who approach him to ask questions, and he often wears his iPod headphones in the clubhouse.

''I've just been quiet, you know," Ramirez said. ''I don't have nothing against nobody. I just want to go and play the game and be quiet."

Told that people sense he's disinterested, Ramirez said, ''Oh no, no, no."

Asked if he's heard those criticisms, he said, ''Not really, man. I just go and try to play my game and give 100 percent."

Terry Francona was asked about this topic in his pregame manager's media session Friday.

''I don't think Manny thinks he's in midseason form," Francona said. ''At the same time in his defense he's on pace for how many RBIs? 120, 130. It's 100 at-bats, he's hitting .240. I don't know.

''I don't understand this disinterested part, so I'm not sure I can give you a good quote, because I'm not sure I understand it."