He Owns This Town

A man not expected to play. A man that was nowhere to be seen in the dugout. A man that was called upon for a single at bat, in a pressure situation. A man that had 56,000 people stand in unison as he grabbed a helmet. A man, with a single swing of the bat, that sent the Dodger faithful into a frenzy. And an ageless announcer letting the scene unfold and speak for itself. Now where have we seen that before?

Manny Ramirez delivered a stunning pinch-hit grand slam into the Mannywood section of Dodger Stadium on his Bobblehead Night on Wednesday, powering the Dodgers to a 6-2 win over the Reds and a sweep of the series.

Ramirez, who did not start because of a bruised left hand suffered Tuesday night when hit by a pitch, batted for winning pitcher Chad Billingsley in the sixth inning and greeted reliever Nick Masset's first pitch with a screaming liner into the box seats next to the Dodgers bullpen. When Ramirez returned to the dugout, he celebrated by bobbling his head.

Leaving the stadium, somewhere between the tunnels on the 5 freeway, I hearkened back to an old Dodger marketing catchphrase that will keep me smiling for days to come: I was there.