July 2 (Bloomberg) -- The Grove Café & Market in downtown Albuquerque noticed a business upswing about a week ago. Folks would come in, eye each patron carefully, then whisper to owner Lauren Greene, “Is Manny in this morning?”

Manny Ramirez, the 12-time All-Star who is completing a 50- game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s doping rules, was tuning up with the minor-league Albuquerque Isotopes before returning to the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend.

Ramirez has been a one-slugger bonanza for the Triple-A Isotopes and the Single-A Inland Empire 66ers in San Bernardino, California. Fans turned out in record numbers to watch his every move -- even when he was eating breakfast. Greene said morning business doubled at her café.

“He had six egg whites scrambled, whole-wheat toast and a side of avocado -- very healthy,” said Greene, 32, who owns the café with her husband, Jason, 30. “It really created a buzz and excitement about him being in the Grove, and people were out and walking around hoping to run into him.”

The Isotopes, who average 6,500 fans for weekday games, sold a record 15,321 tickets to Ramirez’s first game June 23 and about 13,000 the next night. The four-game series drew a record crowd of 54,763, according to the team.

Isotopes owner Ken Young donated $10,000 to the Taylor Hooton Foundation, which educates young athletes about the dangers of using steroids.

Dreadlock Wigs

In two games with the team, Ramirez went 0-for-3 with a walk, but no one seemed to care. The club sold more than 500 Manny-dreadlock wigs at $20 each, and fans were happy to see a player like Ramirez up close.

He’s hit 533 career home runs, making him one of 25 players in major-league history to have more than 500. He was the Most Valuable Player of the 2004 World Series, when the Boston Red Sox claimed their first championship since 1918.

Boston sent him to the Dodgers at the July 31 trade deadline last year, and Ramirez hit .396 with 17 home runs and 53 runs batted in during 53 regular-season games for Los Angeles. With him, the Dodgers won their first postseason series since 1988, beating the Chicago Cubs in the first round of the playoffs.

“Traditionally, minor-league baseball is about entertainment and fun, and baseball is almost an ancillary part of what we do,” said Isotopes General Manager John Traub. “But when Manny Ramirez was in the park, all eyes were on his every single move, from every autograph he signed to every step he took in the outfield to every pitch he took or swing he made, to everything that surrounded him. And oh, all the flashbulbs.

“It was like a World Series type of game,” Traub said in an interview. “The people soaked it in. This community knew the national spotlight was on us and it was exciting because it doesn’t happen all the time.”

San Bernardino

The 37-year-old Ramirez’s minor-league tour continued in San Bernardino, where he played three games June 27-29.

Fans lined up around the block 30 minutes before the ticket office opened. Each night, the crowd was standing room only, with more than 6,400 tickets sold. Demand was so high that some tickets were offered for sale on the Web site Craigslist.

Ramirez only spoke to the media once during his tour of the minors, before his first game with the Isotopes: “People love me everywhere I go,” Ramirez said. “I’m excited to bring a lot of joy to a lot of people here. I feel good. I’m happy that I’m here.”

With the 66ers, he hit a home run, singled and walked in his first outing. In the second game, he walked once and struck out twice. And in his third and final game, he went 1-for-3 with a single and two strikeouts.

Minor-League Stats

In five minor-league games, Ramirez was three for 10 with a home run, two runs scored and two walks. Dodgers manager Joe Torre said he didn’t care about the results.

“As much work you do in the weight room and running on the field, it’s still not the same as playing in a game,” Torre told reporters last week.

The Dodgers outfielder is likely to return to the big leagues tomorrow for a three-game series against the Padres in San Diego.

The minor-league fans he’s leaving behind say they were happy he passed through.

“We were part of the national sports news,” said Greene, the owner of the café in Albuquerque. “We were lucky enough to have him for a few days. We really appreciate that kind of stuff here.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Curtis Eichelberger in Washington at ceichelberge@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: July 2, 2009 00:00 EDT