Wake-up call: Voting, Manny Ramirez, Clippers, Kings

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First things first: On the West Coast, there is still plenty of time to go out and vote in this historic presidential election. In many places, the lines formed early (see photo above). Sports Illustrated this morning has a poll of its own on this election day. Over the past few days, SI.com asked readers to fill out a Sports Ballot and sounded off on important issues facing the sporting nation. There were differences, of course. More Republicans list football as their favorite sport compared with Democrats: 57.6% to 47.4%. And only 32.9% of Republicans chose ‘ticket prices’ as the biggest issue in sports today compared with 40.3% for Democrats. See how Californians voted. One important result: When asked which city most deserves an NFL team, either by expansion or relocation, 79.8% of Californians said L.A.

Best in baseball? The Manny Ramirez talks are about to begin. And The Times’ Dodgers beat reporter Dylan Hernandez this morning takes a look at the agent behind Manny: Scott Boras. Baseball’s most powerful agent has players to sell. He has 16 clients who are free agents this winter, including first baseman Mark Teixeira of the Angels, Dodgers pitcher Derek Lowe and Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek. ‘We’re going to do $300 [million]-$400 million in contracts like we did three or four years ago,’ Boras told Hernandez, referring to the winter of 2004-05. Hernandez says Teixeira alone is expected to command a deal worth more than $100 million. Ramirez also could get a nine-figure deal if Boras can convince teams that his age, 36, shouldn’t diminish his value. Expect a waiting game on Manny.

Worst fielder in baseball? Derek Jeter? That’s what the New York Post is reporting today. Jeter is ranked as the worst fielder in baseball. Hard to believe, but the Post’s Justin Terranova says that a group that tracks every ball hit in the majors has the stats to prove it. The group includes stats guru Bill James, author of the ‘Baseball Abstract.’ He and and nine other voters ranked Jeter 22nd among all major-league shortstops. The stats apparently come from Baseball Info Solutions, of which James is a ‘team’ member. James told the Post that BIS ‘watched film of every major league game, and had recorded every ball off the bat by the direction in which it was hit, the type of hit and by how hard the ball was hit.’

Another worst? Clippers. They are so hard to watch right now and it’s only four games into the season. But you know when they play the Lakers on Wednesday night, the Clips will fall to 0-5. Yet I haven’t lost hope that former UCLA star Baron Davis will help this team gel and somehow get Marcus Camby to play at a higher level than he has in his career. T.J. Simers’ take is that you have no choice but to believe.

The best and the worst? Lisa Dillman, the Times’ Clippers beat reporter covered the Kings last season so she knows about teams that lose a lot. (Of course, that was her second stint as the Kings beat reporter.) With Baron Davis, however, the expectation is that the Clippers will be a winning team at some point. Is the expectation the same for the Kings? The Kings this season have been playing well despite a 3-6-1 record. Some of those losses might have been avoided were it not for a netminder who simply isn’t good enough to be a No. 1 NHL goaltender. That would be Jason LaBarbera, who management hoped would take his game to the next level. Hasn’t happened. Tonight the Kings play the 7-5-1 Ducks, one of the hottest teams in the league, and Erik Ersberg will have the start in net for L.A. If he doesn’t work out, poor Coach Terry Murray will have to look to the youngsters (Jonathan Bernier among them) who may not be ready yet for the NHL.

-- Debbie Goffa

Top photo: In Chicago, people line up before sunrise to cast their ballot. Credit: Jewel Samad / Agence France-Presse / Getty Images

Inset: Agent Scott Boras, who represents Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixeira, among others. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times