Count me as one of those Red Sox fans who was the last to give up on Manny Ramirez. I don’t mind putting up with bizarre behavior to root for a winner. I am totally selfish like that. Right up until Tuesday night I felt the best move for the team was to keep Manny through the season. However, he essentially acted like a child in doing everything he could to be traded in the past two weeks. I like to think he cost himself money by acting in such an unprofessional way, but probably not. He will loose money because of his numbers. The fact is, statistics show the 2008 version of Manny is not the 2004 version. He even projected himself as somebody who would actually sabotage the team for the rest of the season even as they fight for a playoff spot. This included going into a proverbial “slow down” mode the last few weeks. Not running out a ground ball when your team is being no hit at home in the seventh inning against the best team in the league was inexcusable to me. Despite his talent Manny negatively impacted the teams chances of winning. There was word his teammates were fed up. Like when Kilborn left the Daily Show, it is the end of an era and hopefully a case of addition by subtraction.
Without Manny the Sox loose a great hitter, but it also puts an end to the “Era of the Diva”. The club should now be a hustling machine, and hopefully the club can invest the 20 million wisely this offseason. I do not think this is a projected salary dump. I also think this move will allow Tito to live a few more years, which is important considering the health issues he is dealing with. Manny put Tito in an awful position, even after Tito had covered for him for years. This pissed me off as much as anything.
Unfortunately, this situation destroys Manny’s legacy in New England. He was a supreme talent who never grew up. He is going to play well in the NL for the Dodgers and for whoever overpays him this offseason, maybe the Yanks. I think the Sox are letting go at the right time. Manny’s bat will continue to slow down, thus not justifying his detrimental behavior. They survived the “Post Clemens Era”, the “Post Mo Period” the “Post Nomar Period”, and the “Post Pedro Period”. They are the reigning World Champions; something tells me they will be fine. Manny on the other hand will have to deal with the “Curse of Mo Vaughn”, and hope he can even play another healthy season. My advice to him, sign with Royals this offseason even if it means a massive paycut. This will alleviate the pressure that Manny rejects from an obsessive fan base and allow him to play baseball and be accepted as “goofy” instead of a “cancer”.
I spent the last two days in Foxboro at Patriots Training Camp. The team looks solid, even with Vrabel, Welker, and Ellis Hobbs on the PUP list. Here are a few observations….
-Rodney Harrison has this “training camp” thing down. He has this “go through the motions, lay a heavy lick on an unsuspecting special team’s player, make the coach think you are the hardest working/baddest mother#@$%# on the field” tactic down. And that was just his second day playing thus far.
-Watching Tom Brady sprint the assignment coaches to the next stations and run laps after screwing up was awesome.
-Belichek yelling “Run though the line Maroney” was the best moment of two days. Forget all the hits and great catches and bottles of water for $3.75. Having the lead RB get called out by the head coach on sprinting drills was why training camp exists. Classic Double B.
-I now support social segregation of fans based on interest in football. 90% of the fans go to the free practices to get autographs. They are like leeches. Of this large group of people, 75 percent were made up of kids under 12. I was looking for some Disney Pixar character to show up and try to block field goals. Losers like me who analyze the drills and watched the interactions between coaches and players to better understand the team as it gets prepared for 2009/2009 because we love football are forced to deal with “whose number 17?” or “wow, Tom Brady is wearing number 16 today”. I should have been given special access, like Mike Reiss.
-Larry Izzo looks short, until you realize he is made of pure steel.
-Jerod Mayo didn’t impress, although there was not a lot tackling overall. Shawn Crable on the other hand looks to have all the physical tools.
-The competition for backup QB is fierce. Kevin O’Donnell is the real deal, but Matt Cassel knows the system and is a Brady clone except for his performances during the regular season. Matt G is a dynamic player, very Jeff Garcia-esque. It will be interesting month as this thing hashes itself out. My thoughts? We should trade for Favre.
-My relationship with the sun remains a tenuous one. Two days of intense sun exposure has me feeling cooked.
The Superliga semi final was enjoyable. The Revs picked up a well deserved victory. Mexican club Atlante was a crushed team by the 70th minute despite only being down by 1 goal. Atlante later resorted to immature tactics and disgraceful professionalism after the final whistle. Revs Defender Jay Heaps picked up a red Card after the game during the post match brawl. It would be a shame if he was forced to miss the final Tuesday night against Houston. I think this tournament is great, with the exception of the intolerance shown by drunk Americans and Mexicans alike. This situation thus proved the fact that Ignorance is the one true nationality.
I paid under $4.00 a gallon in both Mass and RI. Tell Shaq my ass tastes like the sour injustice of $4.23 a gallon in CT. Exxon can take that 11 Billion in the 2nd quarter and shove it. And M and O are talking about Paris Hilton. And I get stuck with Joe Lieberman. At this point I would prefer Matrix-esque mechanical overlords....
96 days out. Can you feel it?
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