...on SportsCenter last night, there was a moment of politico-athletic scandal serendipity when it was reported that one-time Obama Commerce Secretary nominee Bill Richardson, who withdrew amid an ethics scandal, attended the game and pronounced Manny's joining the Isotopes "a fantastic day for New Mexico"...the circumstances of this "fantastic" turn of events being, let's remember, the entirely just punishment of an epic cheat who has forever tarnished baseball. Nice going, Bill! Ramirez went 0-for-2 with a strikeout. But on balance, I think Richardson proved himself the bigger sad sack.

It's one thing for the Isotopes to send out glowing press releases about Manny's appearance - they're making big bucks off the whole affair. It's just business. But I think Green has a point here. There has been an astonishing amount of positivity about Manny's stint with the 'Topes; did everyone forget that he's a cheater? Or does no one care?

I like what the Journal's Rick Wright had to say today. He likens the whole episode to a "tragicomic film being shot...on the Isotopes' back lot" and notes that, even though "Albuquerque might as well benefit" from Ramirez being allowed to play before the 50 games are up, "there's plenty" of sadness, disillusionment, and anger "here and everywhere, even if Manny won't acknowledge it."

Wright certainly didn't call it "a fantastic day for New Mexico." Because it wasn't.

UPDATE: 3:50 6/25/09 - NM FBIHOP has a post up questioning the validity of the Richardson quotation, complete with video. And Joshua Green's original piece has an update that reads, "A spokesman for Richardson e-mails to say that SportsCenter was wrong--Richardson never said it was a "fantastic day" for New Mexico. Richardson was at the game, but he didn't make any such comment, the spokesman said."