Gonzalez allows fans to forget Manny

It was the long-ball hitter's 37th two-homer game.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CLEVELAND -- For one day, Manny Ramirez's powerstroke wasn't missed as much as many in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame City feared.
That's because "Long Juan" Gonzalez lived up to his nickname Monday in his Cleveland Indians regular-season debut.
Here for a year: Gonzalez, the free-agent who signed a one-year, $10 million contract after Ramirez joined the Boston Red Sox, homered twice in the Indians' season-opening loss to the White Sox at Jacobs Field.
For the 31-year-old Gonzalez, who rose to slugging prominence with the Texas Rangers, it was his 37th two-homer game.
He also has 14 homers in 31 games in his new home ballpark.
Still, despite a friendly ovation from the fans during his first at-bat, Gonzalez found no satisfaction.
"We lost, I'm disappointed," the 31-year-old rightfielder explained.
Gonzalez did smile when it was suggested he has 80 more home games to anticipate.
"I enjoy playing here," he said. "This is a great park for fastball hitters to play in."
Gonzalez's presence drew smiles of appreciation from his teammates.
"He's a great hitter," first baseman Jim Thome said. "He's probably going to have a good year for us, and he's going to make a lot of us around him [in the batting lineup] better."
Indians manager Charlie Manuel said his new cleanup hitter "has plenty of power. He's going to get his share of home runs. And he has a real strong arm and good instincts."
Example: Gonzalez's arm was on display in the second inning when he nailed Carlos Lee trying to stretch a bloop single into a double.
Shortstop Omar Vizquel said, "If there was one player in the American League who could replace Manny, it would be Juan Gonzalez. He's a way better outfielder than Manny."
After striking out in his first two at-bats, Juan Gonzalez homered onto the left-field porch.
His second homer came in the eighth inning and was a solo shot because of Vizquel's baserunning blunder trying to stretch a single into a double with nobody out.
"It was a bad mistake," Vizquel said. "By the time I realized where the ball was, it was too late. I hesitated after I got to first base when I should have gone right away."
Gonzalez and lead-off batter Kenny Lofton each had two of the Indians' seven hits.
Russell Branyan's fifth inning homer, Vizquel's eighth-inning single and Ellis Burks' single in his first at-bat as an Indian were the only other hits.