Hero or zero?

Manny Ramirez hit his 400th home run this afternoon in Seattle.

Manny Ramirez also flied out to right field in the top of the 9th inning, stranding baserunner Johnny Damon on second and losing the game for the Sox, 5-4.

Manny Ramirez has been called one of the best right-hand hitters of all time.

Manny Ramirez is currently hitting .248, with an On-Base Percentage well below his normal season average.

Clearly there are two Manny Ramirezes--the abstract ideal who will no doubt be voted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in his first year of post-retirement eligibility, and the lackluster schlub we have to watch dog his way through yet another disappointing season of less-than-inspiring play.

(Yes, I know we won the World Series last year, and he was the MVP for the series to boot. But goddamn it, why does he have to wait for the "clutch" to play like he's worth the $20 million a year he's paid?)

And I'm not the only one who's down on Manny these days--check out Peter Gammons' totally dismissive assessment of the slugger on BostonDirtDogs.com. When Gammons is all up in your grill, you know you've seen better days! Manny for his part is claiming that his recent slumpiness is on account of his ailing mother, who apparently has arthritis.

Let's hope she doesn't get a goiter, then, or the team's really sunk...