Pap says: Keep Manny! - Jeff Horigan, Boston Herald

“Manny Ramirez’ career with the Red Sox may be nearing an end, but at least one pitcher is hoping that the enigmatic slugger ends up going nowhere.

Jonathan Papelbon said he supports the signing of free-agent outfielder J.D. Drew, but he also wants the team to hold onto Ramirez rather than trade him away.

“Nothing against J.D. Drew, I’d love to have him, but there’s no doubt about it, we need to keep Manny,” Papelbon said. “I want them both. Of course, all pitchers feel this way, but I guess you can’t always get what you want.”

For Red Sox Faithful, He’s Manny From Heaven - Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa, Inside Track Boston Herald

“Fed-up Red Sox fan Jeff Guinee and his KeepManny.com crew refuse to let fielding fool Manny Ramirez walk outta town without a fight. So they’ve revived their Web site and petition in support of No. 24.

Jeff was prompted to rev up the KeepManny machine this week - less than a year after gathering more than 65,000 signatures in support of the dreadlocked Sox slacker - after reading the sports pages.

The software salesman said an anti-Manny column last week by Boring Broadsheet scribe “Dan Shaugh(nasty)” was the final straw.”

Padres’ Interest Piqued? - The Buzz, Boston Globe

“The Padres have sweetened their offer for Manny Ramirez, a source with direct knowledge of the talks told the Globe’s Gordon Edes. San Diego is apparently offering a package of Major League players for Ramirez, and that package would likely include starting pitcher Jake Peavy or reliever Scott Linebrink. The Sox reportedly are also interested in left-handed hitting first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, according to Edes. There could, however, be potential problems with dealing with the Padres: “Sandy Alderson is not going to spend $20 million a year on Manny Ramírez,” one National League executive told Edes, referring to the Padres’ CEO who built a tight-fisted reputation when he was building champions in Oakland.”