Manny Ramirez is still the life of the party

MANNYWOOD -- He tapes a message from a fortune cookie above his Dodgers locker: "Don't look back -- Always look ahead."

But then a joking Manny Ramirez asks about a fortune of another sort: "You think I'm going to get a full share [of playoff money] from Boston?"

Everyone laughs, someone wondering if the Dodgers players who recently took a vote have given him a full share?

"I didn't even get invited to the meeting," he says, while acting as if crestfallen.

Mark Sweeney overhears the conversation and says, "Well, what's he done for us?" before adding, "can we give him two shares?"

Obviously the Dodgers aren't feeling the pressure of playoff baseball, as if they had any choice with Ramirez carrying on in the clubhouse Monday.

"I'm just being myself," he says with a grin while entertaining a large group of reporters and taking the pressure off everyone else in the room. "That's why I got problems all the time."

Any chance he gets, he makes fun of himself and his reputation for being a goof. And stepping into a pair of teammate Ramon Troncoso's sneakers, while packing a pair of Russell Martin spikes for the trip to Philadelphia, how could anyone think him a goof?

"They haven't given me any shoes," he says, and if they won't give him a pair shoes why should anyone think the Dodgers are going to give him more than $20 million a year? "You know anyone who can get me size 11 1/2 shoes?"

THE DODGERS are splashing in champagne Saturday night, Ramirez moving from clubhouse to field to celebrate. On the way, he runs into Dodgers GM Ned Colletti.

"I want a five-year deal," Ramirez says while hugging Colletti.

"Let's see what we can do," says Colletti, who last winter gave $18 million a year to Andruw Jones without thinking twice.

The fans in Dodger Stadium made it pretty obvious what they think the other night, so how does Frank McCourt tell them he liked Manny just as much as they did, so long as he didn't have to pay him?

"I imagine you can't go anywhere these days without the owner hugging you," I said, "and thanking you for saving his franchise from yet another disastrous season?"

Ramirez shakes his head. "The day I came here, I see him. He shows me the mountain, all around the stadium, this and that, but hey, I just want to get dressed and play."

He likes to play, all right, and play around. "You will never guess who I heard from the other day -- Kenny Lofton," Ramirez says of Page 2's nemesis. "He says to say hi, although it's probably not a safe idea to run into him."

RAMIREZ IS four more wins, and the stars aligning just right, from sports drama at its best and a return trip to Boston. But he won't go there yet.

"I leave everything to God," he says, acting at first as if he hasn't heard Page 2's praise for Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay. "[God's] got me in the place perfect for me. I've only got you going against me."

When the talk shifts to Boston, Ramirez usually takes off walking. But he admits, "That was a great trade for Bay. They got the right man. He's a six-tool player. I got just five."

He might compliment Bay, but he almost never credits himself with doing anything special. When he hits the golf shot in Wrigley the other day, he says later, "That's an out in Dodger Stadium."