Manny wants to play, cries about his family

Manny Ramirez sat down for an attempt at image rehab with ESPN and vowed that if someone will just let him play baseball this season, he'll be a good role model. He said he wasn't ready to retire when he walked away from the sport last April rather than accept a 100-game suspension as a two-time drug-test violator. He wants to show people he's a good guy and can still hit. He broke down while describing how he almost lost his family last year when he was arrested on suspicion of domestic abuse.

By the way, last season he was the Dodgers' biggest creditor in the bankruptcy proceedings. He was escorted off the team in August 2010.

Meanwhile: Two opposing views of the Dodgers on the ESPN Insider website. Longtime baseball writer Buster Olney says that Frank McCourt should swoop in and sign slugger Prince Fielder as a last gesture before selling the club to new owners. But guest columnist Dave Cameron of the website FanGraphs says any new owner needs to be patient because the Dodgers' system has been depleted by the final McCourt years and the team is at least a few years away from being good.

Photo: Screen grab from ESPN