Manny Ramirez

Former Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez told ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez today that he has agreed to a join the A's for the 2012 season. Gomez also reported that the deal was worth $500,000 and was for one season. Ramirez must serve a 50-game drug suspension, and will not be eligible to play in games until June. Ramirez, 39, sat out last season after being informed of a violation of baseball's drug policy. Rather than serve a 100-game suspension for his second offense, Ramirez decided to retire.

Manny Ramirez felt pretty good — despite all the boos and the three strikeouts. The 12-time All-Star went 0 for 4 for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats on Saturday night as he began a 10-game minor league stint to prepare to be activated by the Oakland Athletics from his 50-game suspension for a second positive drug test. "I'm ready to go," said Ramirez, who signed with the A's in February. "I haven't played. The last time I played was last year. I have to go out there, take a lot of pitches, you know, get my rhythm, feel good.

The celebrity gossip web site TMZ is reporting former Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez was arrested in Florida today. The report claims the arrest stemmed from an incident involving his wife at their Weston, Fla., home. Ramirez, who retired from baseball in April rather than face a suspension for a second violation of Major League Baseball's performance-enhancing drugs policy, was the MVP of the 2004 World Series for the Red Sox.

The state of Rhode Island is having trouble collecting some of the millions it lent former pitcher Curt Schilling, another reminder why chasing celebrity is almost always a bad thing. Schilling met with the state's governor on Wednesday to ask for even more help, after his 38 Studios company missed a $1.1 million payment on a $75 million loan guarantee state officials gave him to lure the video game company from Massachusetts two years ago. Schilling was in full baseball mode afterward, refusing to answer questions about how much taxpayers might be on the hook for his business venture.

The state of Rhode Island is having trouble collecting some of the millions it lent former pitcher Curt Schilling, another reminder why chasing celebrity is almost always a bad thing. Schilling met with the state's governor on Wednesday to ask for even more help, after his 38 Studios company missed a $1.1 million payment on a $75 million loan guarantee state officials gave him to lure the video game company from Massachusetts two years ago. Schilling was in full baseball mode afterward, refusing to answer questions about how much taxpayers might be on the hook for his business venture.

They are the Red Sox' answer to Scylla and Charybdis, the twin monsters who terrorize opposing pitchers by guarding the heart of the Red Sox' order. Or, as Tennessee Ernie Ford sang in "Sixteen Tons," "If the right one don't get ya, the left one will. " They are Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, a.k.a. "Papi. " Ramirez has been a star since entering the major leagues 11 years ago. He has been on an Express Lane to Cooperstown since 1999-2000, when he knocked in an astonishing 287 runs in 265 games.

It didn't take long for the Oakland A's to understand the meaning of "Manny being Manny. " Yesterday, A's pitcher Brett Anderson had an interaction with Manny Ramirez that makes it clear the eccentric former Sox slugger is still getting acquainted with his new team. "Manny just asked if I was the video coordinator," Anderson tweeted. "Our relationship can only go up from here. " (This will be Anderson's fourth season in the major leagues.) Manny, who signed a minor-league deal with the A's worth $500,000, is allowed to participate in spring training games, but must serve a 50-game suspension...

It was redemption. Plain and simple. The signature moment of Manny Ramirez's season was an explosion, a cannon fully loaded and ignited at just the right time - a walkoff three-run homer in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Angels. And how did we know? Manny told us. After another regular season of silence and oblivion, which included an unusually pedestrian .296 average with 20 homers and 88 RBIs in 133 games ("I haven't been right all year round," he said)

Manny Ramirez found a taker in Oakland — at a bargain price. The suspended slugger agreed on a minor league contract Monday with the Athletics that is worth approximately $500,000 if he's added to the big league roster. The A's announced the deal and said Ramirez is expected to report to spring training by the end of the week, in time for Oakland's first full-squad workout Saturday. He is a non-roster invitee. The 12-time All-Star is due to serve a 50-game suspension for his second positive drug test before he can play for the A's. Barring rainouts, his first...

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — When Manny Ramirez ran from the law last April, retiring from baseball rather than face punishment from the steroid police, it seemed a fitting end to a tarnished career. Ramirez could keep his World Series rings and his 555 home runs, because vacating accomplishments is a cosmetic whitewash of history. But the notion of Ramirez fleeing in humiliation felt satisfying, like Rafael Palmeiro wearing earplugs for his final game in 2005 to muffle the boos on the road.

By Chad Finn, Boston.com Staff Adrian Gonzalez has never had a game as bad as his 0-for-8, three-pitches-and-sit performance against Orioles DH/closer Chris Davis Sunday, and he'll never have a day that bad again. Heck, few players in history will ever have a day that bad. It was sub- Crespo ian, Grebeck -style but worse, a one-man tribute to Tony Clark 's 2002 season that went way too far to make its point. It's easy to get caught up in the misery of Gonzalez's Sunday performance and Red Sox season as a whole, in which one apparent rock-bottom moment...

On April 1, there was a story about Bobby Valentine in the Red Sox season preview section. And one of his former players, Al Leiter, offered what now seem like prescient words about the Red Sox manager. Said Leiter, "Is he going to get on your nerves? Absolutely he will. If you're sensitive, you'll have some issues. But I had some of the best years of my career when I played for him and it was because I was prepared to pitch. He made sure of that. "My advice to the Red Sox players is to listen to what he tells you and don't worry about what he...

Former Sox slugger Manny Ramirez won't be prosecuted in connection with an alleged domestic violence incident at his home in Florida last year. An official in the state attorney general's office told website TMZ that the charge was dropped "because the victim was uncooperative. She successfully avoided being served with a state subpoena and is believed to be out of state. " Ramirez was arrested last fall after his wife, Juliana, told police her husband slapped her, allegedly causing her to hit her head on the headboard of the couple's bed. Ramirez denied the charge.

It was redemption. Plain and simple. The signature moment of Manny Ramirez's season was an explosion, a cannon fully loaded and ignited at just the right time - a walkoff three-run homer in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Angels. And how did we know? Manny told us. After another regular season of silence and oblivion, which included an unusually pedestrian .296 average with 20 homers and 88 RBIs in 133 games ("I haven't been right all year round," he said)

They are the Red Sox' answer to Scylla and Charybdis, the twin monsters who terrorize opposing pitchers by guarding the heart of the Red Sox' order. Or, as Tennessee Ernie Ford sang in "Sixteen Tons," "If the right one don't get ya, the left one will. " They are Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, a.k.a. "Papi. " Ramirez has been a star since entering the major leagues 11 years ago. He has been on an Express Lane to Cooperstown since 1999-2000, when he knocked in an astonishing 287 runs in 265 games.

Every championship team needs a backbone, and in the case of the 2004 Red Sox, their backbone also happened to be their backstop. Long before catcher Jason Varitek shoved his mitt in the face of Yankees star Alex Rodriguez -- in essence telling the Evil Empire to "shove it" -- he was the unquestioned leader of this wild, but wildly effective, group. Varitek didn't rack up the most hits, drive in the most runs, or make the most money, but there was not a man in the Red Sox' clubhouse who didn't know that this was Jason Varitek's team.

By Chad Finn, Boston.com Staff Adrian Gonzalez has never had a game as bad as his 0-for-8, three-pitches-and-sit performance against Orioles DH/closer Chris Davis Sunday, and he'll never have a day that bad again. Heck, few players in history will ever have a day that bad. It was sub- Crespo ian, Grebeck -style but worse, a one-man tribute to Tony Clark 's 2002 season that went way too far to make its point. It's easy to get caught up in the misery of Gonzalez's Sunday performance and Red Sox season as a whole, in which one apparent rock-bottom moment...

Jarrod Parker is on his way to the minors after a wild outing against his former team. Manny Ramirez could be headed for a big role with the Oakland Athletics. The 39-year-old slugger hit a mammoth homer and the A's beat Arizona 6-5 on Monday even though Parker walked seven Diamondbacks batters. Parker was reassigned to minor league camp after the game. A top prospect, the right-hander was acquired by Oakland from Arizona this offseason in a trade for All-Star starter Trevor Cahill.