Welcome to "Hanleywood"?

When the Miami Marlins brought in Jose Reyes to play Hanley Ramirez's position, you kinda knew the writing was on the wall for the 28-year-old infielder.

But, gosh, fellas...did it have to take you this long to trade the guy?

Dude hit the Twitters Wednesday to sum up his feelings.

The last time a Ramirez joined the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chavez Ravine was re-named "whatever-wood", it was 2008 and all Manny Ramirez did was hit .396, slug 17 home runs and knock in 53 runs in as many games.

With Hanley Ramirez in the midst of a two seasons long slump, my guess is Dodgers fans are hoping some new surroundings might yield similar results.

For the year, he was hitting .246 with just 14 homers and 48 RBI for the fish.

Naturally, Theo's Stalker is a Red Sox Fan

Last week, news broke that Chicago Cubs president (and former Boston Red Sox GM) Theo Epstein has a stalker.

And because it's been that kind of year for the Sox, when Kathleen Kearney appeared in court Monday, she was wearing, up...a Red Sox shirt.

In case you're curious, there are some new developments in the story. 

According to the Chicago Tribune, this most recent incident with Epstein and his family wasn't the first.  The 44-year-old Harvard-educated former librarian had been warned to stay away from Epstein while he was still in Boston.

Oh, and in case you're still more curious(er), Kearney was released on bond with the understanding she checks herself in to a mental hospital.

***Thanks Deadspin.***

Report: Ichiro to the Bronx

According to Jack Curry, the New York Yankees aren't about to let the recent news that Brett Gardner is out for the season detour them from their ultimate goal.

And joining them in the quest for their 28th ring...Ichiro Suzuki.

The 38-year-old Ichiro is in the midst of a, now, season-and-a-half long slump.  This season, he's batting just .261...a far cry from his career batting average of .322.

And in case you were wondering how Ichiro might do in pinstripes, the former Seattle Mariner is hitting .339 in 52 career games in New York.

Your move, baseball.

Cubs Pay Tribute to Ron Santo

As Vicki Santo was standing in front of thousands in Cooperstown Sunday, her late husband Ron was being honored at the place he called home for close to five decades.

Sure, I'm not a Chicago Cubs fan, but I've gotta say...I was quite impressed when I saw that the team paid tribute to the newly minted Hall of Famer as best they could. 

By mimicking his famous 1969 heel click as they took the field.

Larkin and Santo Inducted into the Hall of Fame

“This is unbelievable. UN-STINKING-BELIEVABLE!” - Barry Larkin

In front of 44 Hall of Famers and a virtual sea of Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs fans, Barry Larkin headlined the 2012 Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

But...it almost didn't happen.

You see, when Larkin accepted a scholarship to the University of Michigan, it was football (not baseball) that he fancied.

"(Then-Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler) redshirted me my freshman year and told me that he was going to allow me just to play baseball," Larkin told the crowd at The Clark Sports Center. "Occasionally, I'd call him while I was playing in the big leagues and told him that was the best decision he made as a football coach. He didn't like that too much."

Larkin, a native of Cincinnati, played his entire career with the Reds and put together a .295 career average, 2340 hits, 1329 runs scored, 198 home runs, 960 RBI and 379 stolen bases.  In 1995, Larkin was named the National League MVP.  A year later, he became the first shortstop to join the 30-30 club with 33 home runs and 36 stolen bases.

The 12-time All-Star retired in 2004 after 19 seasons. 

Joining Larkin on the stage Sunday was Vicki Santo...widow of the newly inducted Ron Santo.

"It just feels right, a perfect ending to a remarkable journey," Vicki Santo said. "Ron left an awful hole for many of us today. This is not a sad day. This is a great day. I'm certain that Ronnie is celebrating right now."

Santo was a member of the Chicago Cubs organization for the better part of five decades as a player (1960-74) and then beloved broadcaster (1990-2010).  He was was selected by the Veterans Committee this past December...exactly one year after his death.

The former third baseman compiled a .277 batting average, 2254 hits and 1331 RBI during his 15-year big league career.

Some other news of note from Hall of Fame weekend courtesy of Bruce Markusen from The Hadball Times.

• According to reliable sources, actor Charlie Sheen was among those attending the induction ceremony. Sheen is good friends with Barry Larkin.
• Tom Seaver, normally a fixture at Hall of Fame Weekend, did not attend this year’s event. He has a painful hip condition that makes it difficult for him to fly.
• As expected, Pete Rose filmed a segment on Friday for his new reality show at T.J’s Place on Main Street. A film crew taped Rose having breakfast with his fiancee, Kiana Kim, and two Cooperstown locals, restaurant owner Ted Hargrove and memorabilia dealer Andrew Vilacky.

Oh, and in case you missed it, there was another "induction" of note this past week.  On Friday, pitching legend (and medical marvel) Tommy John became the inaugural member of The Hall of Very Good™.

Bert Blyleven Responds to Reggie

As Barry Larkin preps his speech for Sunday’s Hall of Fame induction, dozens of the game’s greats have already made their way to Cooperstown.

But one guy who won’t be there…Reggie Jackson.

Reportedly, Jackson has opted to stay away from the weekend's festivities...and it's probably for the best.  You see, "Mr. October" was pretty vocal a couple of weeks ago, blasting some of his fellow Hall members.

Among those included…2011 inductee Bert Blyleven.

“No. No, no, no, no,” Jackson said when asked if the pitcher belonged in the Hall of Fame. “Blyleven wasn’t even the dominant pitcher of his era, it was Jack Morris.”

So when the 287-game winner hit Cooperstown Saturday, he swung by the museum to make sure his plaque was still there.

“I wanted to make sure Reggie didn’t take it down or anything,’’ Blyleven responded.  “God gives us many holes in our body…and [Reggie] just spoke out of the wrong one.’’

Oh, in case you were wondering (you weren’t), Blyleven got the best of Jackson on the field as well.  In 140 plate appearances, the slugger hit just .214 with six homers and 49 strikeouts.

Ouch.

What You're Saying About Tommy John

Given his body of work both on and off the field, the selection of Tommy John as the inaugural inductee of The Hall of Very Good™ was an easy one.

Getting people to talk about was him much easier.  Here’s a smattering of what they had to say.

“I didn't hit that well against Tommy.  He was a real good pitcher and he always kept the ball sinking and down.” - Major League Baseball hit king Pete Rose

“To me, ‘Tommy John surgery’ means every time TJ took the mound and dissected each hitter one by one…on his way to 288 wins!” - Seth Swirsky, author of Baseball Letters, A Fan's Correspondence With His Heroes

“Tommy and I have become good friends over the last 14 years. He and I are both avid golfers and enjoy the game about as much as we do our professions.” - Chicago Bears longsnapper (and Tommy John’s son-in-law) Patrick Mannelly

“The name ‘Tommy John’ obviously brings to mind stories of injuries, lost seasons, recovery times and surgeries.  The operation itself has become so common place that I almost expect it to become part of a minor league career prior to call up these days.” - Baseball Bloggers Alliance president Bill Ivie

“Tommy John surgery is one of the four or five most significant advances in baseball history…which is pretty good considering the actual Tommy John had a helluva career.” - Jonah Keri, lead baseball writer at Grantland.com

“I've always thought John should be in the real Hall of Fame without question, both for the wins and for the operation.” - Mark Whicker, Orange County Register sports columnist

“Congratulations to Tommy for being the inaugural member of The Hall of Very Good.  I’ve been very fortunate to both work and know Tommy.  He is a great friend and has been incredibly supportive of 'A Glove Of Their Own'.” - Bob Salomon, A Gloveof Their Own

Do you have any thoughts on Tommy John?  Feel free to share them below!

Bleacher Creatures Salute Tommy John

When I told my buddy "Bald" Vinny Milano, de facto leader of the famed "Bleacher Creatures", and told him Tommy John was going to be inducted as the inaugural member of The Hall of Very Good™, his response was overwhelming. 

Perhaps it's because the former pitcher played a chunk of his career for the New York Yankees.