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Hasta Luego, Manny. Good Luck in Miamiby Cameron on July 30 at 11:46PM | comments (2)
[ comments (2) ] [ BallHype ] It's actually going to happen, so brace for it Boston. You've seen Manny Ramirez play his last game in a Red Sox uniform.If that's the case -- and the more these three-way rumors with the Pirates and Marlins heat up, the more it's starting to look like an eventuality -- ManRam's exit over the past two days has been unbelievably anonymous on the field. While he's been lazing his way to first matter-of-factly on routine ground outs, he's also been actively talking his way out of Boston. Now the Palm Beach Post is claiming that a tentative deal has been reached that will send ManRam to the Fish and net the Sox Jason Bay to play left field and John Grabow as a lefty power arm out of the bullpen.  So, is a haul of Jason Bay and John Grabow proper compensation for Manny Ramirez -- not to mention the two throw-in prospects needed to get the deal done? No way. That being said, it's still absolutely the right thing to do if Theo Epstein wants to save the Sox' season. It's not hard to remember the last time the Sox made a trade to shake things up and create momentum. Was Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz proper compensation for Nohhmaahhhh? Of course not. But it did help the Sox shore up a problem area and spiced up the team's lineup for the playoff push. Bay would serve to do the same thing in 2007. He's note Manny Ramirez, but he's a hard-nosed player who's never had a shot at playing for anything of merit. He has the power to contribute to the Sox lineup, and he could become a significant wall-shot producer ala Mike Lowell. Grabow, who could contribute out of the pen, is hardly a bail-out fireman, but he should be an upgrade in an area that the team needs any help it can get. The bigger issue, to be sure, is just getting rid of Manny. He's long since worn out his welcome, but his productivity was always seen as a quantitative reason to keep him around. Well, ManRam isn't hitting the way he did four years ago. Sure, missing his bat will be a big blow, but missing his day-in, day-out circus will be a huge boon to the psyche of a team that just seems exhausted from trying to come up with new rationalizations for why its power-hitting leftfielder is a complete space cadet. Like all passionate relationships, there will eventually be a period of mourning for Senor Ramirez. The fans will miss his sojourns into the Green Monster. They'll miss his truly sensational mental lapses in the outfield -- cutting off a throw from center Manny? Really? And, more than anything else, they'll miss all the majestic shots he sent over the Monster, occasionally drilling a baseball on to the Mass Pike, reminding passing motorists that Kenmore Square is just over that bridge on the left. So we'll see you later Manny. Good luck in South Florida and then, wherever you may end up (Queens? Southside of Chicago? L.A.?). Red Sox fans will be watching, and Boston will be missing you. Eventually. For now, Sox fans will be happy to see someone else in left for a change. Maybe they'll actually hustle their way into avoiding a double play for a change. 2 CommentsTerrific choice of a name! I think the entire concept of Manny Being Manny has actually been a lift for the Red Sox in the past. People forget how paranoid, up-tight and nervous the Sox were all the time basically after Bill "The Spaceman" Lee left up until Pedro and Manny rolled into town. With them in place, things got a lot looser, and then a lot better. There's a subtle understanding of that, I think, subconsciously among Red Sox fans. Of course, the one thing Manny can do to wear out that patience is to criticize Boston, something that never happened in past years during his "silent treatment" to the media, but has cropped up three times in the past two weeks with his re-discovered voice and frustration with not being officially released from his option years. It's interesting, and it's evolving, and the most fascinating thing to happen may be seeing how both he and the team react if he isn't dealt now, particularly seeing how close the Marlins and Pirates were to wrapping this thing up last night. The saga continues ... |
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Hey, just wanted to drop in and leave a quick message. I'm a frequent reader of Depressed Fan and found your blog through Brian. I've been reading it over the last couple of days and just want to tell you that, althought I'm a die hard Yankee fan, I've enjoyed reading your posts. And the fact that we have the same name helps a lot too! But just a question. I went to school in MA for 5 years (Worcester) and it always amazed me that Sox fans put up with this guy. I know you kind of have to take his shit a long with the production, but the constant defense of everything he did with the "Manny being Manny" thing really didn't work for me. I was just wondering what your take on him has been the last couple of years. Obviously with this post your ready to send him off, but at what point did Manny turn you against him? Keep up the good work!