MLB Notebook | Manny Ramirez apologizes to fans, teammates

SAN DIEGO — Manny Ramirez returned to the big leagues as only he could.

Wearing sunglasses and with his famous dreadlocks in a ponytail, the Los Angeles Dodgers' slugger apologized to fans and teammates during a news conference Friday afternoon. He refused to answer questions about steroids, laying off them as if they were pitches in the dirt.

"I'm here. I'm excited. I can't wait to get into the field," Ramirez said as his 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy ended.

Ramirez also brought along a new catch phrase.

"Showtime tonight!" he said as he walked out of his pregame news conference.

It was for the Dodgers, who jumped to a 5-0 first-inning lead and went on to beat San Diego 6-3. But there were no fireworks from Ramirez, who looked like a guy who hadn't faced big-league pitching since May 6.

With his dreads flowing from under his batting helmet, he went 0 for 3 with a walk. The farthest he hit the ball was a pop-up that Padres second baseman David Eckstein caught in shallow center field.

Dodgers fans stood and cheered his at-bats while Padres fans tried to drown them out with boos at sold-out crowd at Petco Park.

Some fans brought signs, including one in the left-field stands that read "RAMROID," and some wore yellow T-shirts that crudely mocked the slugger.

Ryan says it's business

as usual for Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas team president Nolan Ryan said the club is not hamstrung by owner Tom Hicks' financial difficulties, a day after a report that Major League Baseball loaned millions to the team.

"There haven't been any restrictions put on us," Ryan said.

Yahoo! Sports reported that a loan of nearly $15 million was made to Hicks Sports Group.

Earlier this year, the ownership group defaulted on $525 million in loans backed by the Rangers and the NHL's Dallas Stars, the other U.S. sports franchise Hicks owns.

Notes

• Outdoor baseball is tentatively set to return to Minneapolis on April 12 when the Twins play Boston in their 2010 home opener at $535 million, 40,000-seat Target Field.

• Pittsburgh C Ryan Doumit of Moses Lake caught five innings of a Gulf Coast League game, the first time he has played since breaking his right wrist April 19.

• Struggling 2B Kelly Johnson of Atlanta was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

• Cincinnati activated 3B Edwin Encarnacion from the DL.