Boston Red Sox defeat Minnesota Twins, 6-2

The chant cresting in the old yard just after 10 last night amounted to a curtain call -- many of the 35,167 on hand chanting ''Manny, Manny," seeking acknowledgement as the man who has clubbed 182 home runs and knocked in 558 runs in just four and a half seasons with the Red Sox walked off the field.

Manny Ramirez lifted his left arm and waved, then descended the dugout steps. Was it a goodbye? Was it a nonverbal gesture -- Ramirez's preferred method of communication -...

With trade talks lurching uncertainly between the Red Sox and New York Mets last night, another odd chapter to the Manny Ramirez saga played out yesterday, when Red Sox manager Terry Francona scratched the outfielder from the starting lineup just minutes before last night's game and announced after the game, a 6-2 Red Sox win over the Minnesota Twins, that Ramirez would not play this afternoon, either.

''I visited with him and told him it was not just in his best intere...