Manny reacts to Farnsworth suspension

A few things.....

*Manny Ramirez had some interesting comments on Kyle Farnsworth, who threw behind his head with a 97-m.p.h. fastball Thursday night and received a three-game suspension from league disciplinarian Bob Watson.

"He don't deserve that. He was just protecting his players," Ramirez said. "You know we hit A-Rod the game before."

Though Ramirez responded by getting out of the way he admitted, "To be honest with you, I never saw the pitch."

Ramirez was pretty matter-of-fact about it.

"That's the way the game is played. You hit one of their guys, they're gonna hit one of yours," he reasoned.

*Terry Francona said he's shooting for a possible Monday start for Coco Crisp, who has begun to respond well to rehab on his hamstring.

*Mike Lowell took 35 swings off the tee. Lowell, on the DL with a sprained left thumb, thinks he could be playing in about a week. He's not opposed to a rehab stint in the minors. "I was really encouraged by how it felt. I think it was a step in the right direction. I was excited and anxious to see how it was going to feel." Lowell said the Sox are now trying to find a contraption to keep the ligament in place."

*Alex Cora, on the DL with a sprained right elbow, said he was OK to do everything but throw. "I just have to rest it now. I can hit and do everything, but I can't throw it. It'll take a while I have to be patient with it."

*The Red Sox were saddened to hear about the death of John Marzano, a former Sox catcher, who died of an apparent heart attack. Marzano was a personal favorite of Roger Clemens and a very close friend of Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez.