Greetings from G. Edes

Who sez you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? This is my first hands-on blog moment…who knows, maybe it will be a life-changing experience.

In any event, it’s HOT here. Not a cloud in the sky, they’re talking mid-to-upper 80s. 3 o’clock start, you wonder how bad the shadows will be for the hitters late in the game.

Didn’t see as much evidence of the NATION here as in our earlier trips to Chicago. Saw Edgar Renteria having dinner at a downtown seafood restaurant, and no one there except us writers had any clue who he was. More interest in Bob Brenly, the Cubs broadcaster who also was there.

To me, the key today is Contreras. He has melted in the past against the Sox, but the scouts I talk to insist he’s a different, far more confident guy this year. We’ll see. Good luck to Ozzie Guillen saying that he’ll take his chances with Manny rather than Ortiz. Manny is so locked in right now it’s scary. Make sure, by the way, you read Chris’ piece on Ortiz today, especially the stuff at the end about the flipping spots in the order back in spring training, just to placate Manny. Fascinating insight on the psychology of this team.

Theo, by the way, played a huge role in bringing Manny back from the brink in late July, according to Manny’s agent, Greg Genske. Manny really felt that the club had sold him out over the day off business in Tampa, but Theo went to great lengths to patch things up between Manny and Tito. Anyway, I might try this later, too.