Manny Hits the Moon While Yankees Struggle

I fully expected Manny Ramirez to hit his 499th and 500th home runs during last night’s game. Not only did I miss Jon Lester’s no-no by one day (I was in the Fens for Sunday’s sweep of the Brewers), but I’d turned down a free ticket to last night’s game. Luckily, Keohane’s wife wasn’t in attendance so nothing incredible happened.

Sox fans can prepare themselves for the auspicious day when Manny finally joins the 500 club. Massachusetts native Joe Pernice has written a song to honor the Sox slugger, and you can download it for free from the Pernice Brothers website until the 500th home run is history.

“Moonshot Manny” is a beat-heavy track that encourages the left fielder to pega luna (hit the moon). It may not be “Sweet Caroline,” but it’s a sweet way to commemorate the occasion. And, you know, it’s free.

Perhaps we should burn a copy of the song to CD and bury it under the new Yankee Stadium. Keith Olbermann reports that Gino Castignoli, the man best known for burying a David Ortiz jersey in the ballpark, has told friends he buried more than the infamous shirt, including a scorecard from the 2004 ALCS.

Thankfully, this time he didn’t say where he hid the Sox swag, so we can enjoy watching Hank Steinbrenner’s head explode. As if this wasn’t enough to get the blowhard going.