The Manny we still have

Last night's ninth inning was almost an afterthought, what with the ejection of both Dustin Pedroia and an irate Orioles fan within about 10 minutes of each other. In fact, the eighth featured the home plate umpire barking into the Sox dugout, Pedroia chirping at both the first base and home umpire, Pedroia getting tossed and the Orioles fan jabbing back and forth with Coco Crisp before battles with two ushers and a pair of Red Sox fans on the way out of the stadium.

As Don Orsillo sarcastically quipped, "Have a nice night."

But after the chaos, something crucial and almost silent took place. Manny Delcarmen shut the door.

It's not exactly cause to hang "We love Manny" banners off the Zakim Bridge. Obviously, it wasn't a pressure-packed situation, and it wasn't a 1-2-3 inning. But it does matter. The night before Delcarmen had what pitching coach John Farrell called "dominant stuff" and yet he issued two walks that almost cost the Sox the game. This, unfortunately, has become the new definition in Beantown of "Manny being Manny."

It's been a frustrating season for Delcarmen, as well as for Sox fans who are rooting for him. Count me among that group. I think he has the stuff to be a dominant set-up man, and I envision years of Delcarmen-in-the-eighth and Papelbon-in-the-ninth wins.

But those visions have been few and far between this year. He finished the 2007 season looking as dominant as ever, and appeared ready to emerge as the go-to set-up guy, but he's struggled for consistency. Sometimes he's lights out, more often he's wild. We all keep waiting for the real Manny to please stand up.

So maybe Tuesday night is the first step toward that goal. At the very least, it's significant that he followed a tough outing one night earlier with a solid one. Of course, it could just as easily be another flash of potential in the sea of mediocrity that has been his 2008 campaign. But the bottom line is the Sox aren't going to find anyone better than Delcarmen in the waiver wire pile, so it would be a pleasant surprise to see him turn the corner.

Here's hoping that's the case. Because, to be honest, I'm not sure Boston can handle another late-season Manny saga.