Manny and the Sox

Last afternoon at 4pm EST, the MLB trade deadline came, and a big name went buh-bye.

As I noted back in June, Manny needed to go because of the inexcusable push of the 66 year old traveling secretary of the Sox.

Since that time, the wheels had come off this bum. Back in 2004, the Sox traded/dumped Nomar Garciaparra after he became a problem and he refused to play during a Yankees' series that year. Manny refused to play against the Yankees, this last series, claiming he was having that problem with his knee again.

The Sox called his bluff, and made him go for an MRI on both knees, and they showed no damage. Manny slowly ran to home, when he could have scored this past week. He gave management and the principal owner John Henry crap in the media, after he has been paid a whopping $160+ million over the course of 8 years he spent here in Boston. His teammates had to talk him onto the team charter (plane) after they played the series against the Angels in LA/Anaheim...showing Manny had been quitting on his team.

I was sick of him last year, but was willing to live with it. But after the most recent problems, it was sickening. If we don't win the World Series, or even go far into the playoffs because of this move, I am okay with it.

The Sox gave up a bit much just to get rid of this asshat, but it's addition by subtraction as it was when they got rid of the problem that was Nomar and they went onto win their first championship in 86 years.

By all accounts, from experts across the nation, it has been understood for at least the last decade: Manny is one of the best right-handed hitters of our generation. His numbers are damn good, sickeningly good.

But, only one could imagine what they would be if he was as fully motivated as he could be all season. When Manny was motivated, as he was early in the season, he becomes a gigantic monster at the plate that can literally hit anything. But, his lack of effort in recent years has caused his performance to degrade to the point that his numbers for the past 3 years are strikingly similar to Jason Bay (the player he was traded for at over half the price per year). Bay is a nice player, but his numbers should be nowhere close to Manny.

This fact alone is damning in Manny's overall attitude recently, and I am glad he's gone. Good riddance Manny, and don't let the door smack you up the backside of your head as you leave. Go "F" yourself.

Late Edit (per the Boston Globe): A source from the Boston Red Sox said, "If the Sox dropped the option years on his contract - which they had agreed to do if they traded him - Boras said Ramírez would not be a problem the rest of the season. ...

Ramírez's pledge of good behavior only served as a tacit admission that his disruptive conduct of the last couple of weeks had been calculated, and they had had good cause to suspect more was in the offing if they did not trade him. The Sox told him thanks but no thanks, what was done was done, and pack plenty of sunscreen." -- 8.2.08, Gordon Edes, Boston Globe