Manny is going to the Dodgers.

you're kidding right...  tell me you're kidding.

left shoe shuffle wrote on Jul 31^st, 2008 at 5:59pm:


We'll see.  Bay never had the talent batting around him that he will now.  Then again he never felt the pressure that he will now.

I must say, it will be a change of pace from Manny.  Bay has no attitude, at least publicly.  He always says the right things (see last year, he never blamed his injury for his subpar performance).  He'll take the blame for others.  A true team player.

But he does not fit into the 16+ year rebuilding prodject.

robpop wrote on Jul 31^st, 2008 at 7:09pm:


That's true.
There's more peanut vendors in the stands at Fenway than there are fans at PNC.

Still surprising, though.
Figured the Sox were gonna ride out the final two months and then let Manny be Manny somewhere else...

Manny jumped the shark when he:

Threw a 66 year old traveling secretary to the ground because the guy could not
get him 16 tickets for a game in Houston in June
Left the bat on his shoulder and let three go by @ Yankee Stadium two weeks ago
Faked a knee injury last week, even when the Sox called his bluff with mri's on each knee

First seven years were great, flaky fun.  Probably the greatest right handed hitter the
Sox ever had.  The above events did him in.  

Here's a good summary of Manny's time in Beantown...

DAN SHAUGHNESSY
So Manny memories
By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist  |  July 31, 2008

We're going to miss the majestic homers, the pajama pants, the goofy antics in left field, and the bathroom breaks and cellphone calls from inside the Wall.

But we won't miss the fabricated injuries, lame excuses, and occasional no-shows. We won't miss watching Manny Ramirez dogging it down the first base line. His teammates and manager won't miss going to the ballpark wondering if Manny feels like playing tonight.

The Red Sox dumped Manny. In a deadline deal as shocking as the one that shipped Nomar Garciaparra out of town on the same date in 2004, the Sox traded Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-team swap (including the Pittsburgh Pirates) that brings 29-year-old outfielder Jason Bay to Boston.

On paper, the Sox are not as strong as they were when you woke up this morning. They have parted with a 500-homer-hitting, surefire Hall of Famer who made eight All-Star teams in 7 1/2 years with Boston. A latter-day Jimmie Foxx, Ramirez was brought to the Red Sox by former general manager Dan Duquette and delivered the goods throughout his tenure. He won a World Series MVP Award in 2004, and "Manny being Manny" became part of our language.

From the start, Manny was a human bobblehead doll, a huggable cartoon character with savant hitting skill. Fans, especially youngsters, absolutely loved the guy. The Sox should brace for early backlash from the sizable faction of Red Sox Nation that will always worship at the Altar of Manny.

In the early years, most of Manny's off-field stuff was harmless. He'd skip the All-Star Game and the trip to the White House. He'd be late to spring training and we'd all chuckle. He was a perfect sidecar character for the Cowboy Up Sox of Kevin Millar, Bronson Arroyo, Derek Lowe, Pedro Martinez, and Johnny Damon. One by one, those players left town and Manny was alone to carry the mantle of goofiness. He did it well and still put up the numbers.

Too bad his final days were so ugly. In the end, Manny had few friends in his own clubhouse and much of the fan base had turned against him.

In February, Manny came to spring training on time, and in great shape. He'd worked out at the Athletes'Performance Institute in Arizona over the winter. He spoke more freely with the media and seemed finally happy and secure with his place in Boston. He was in the final year of his contract, and there was a good chance that in the upcoming offseason, the Sox would trigger a $20 million club option to bring him back.

Then things started to happen. On a night when the Celtics were playing the Lakers in the NBA Finals, Manny slapped Kevin Youkilis, igniting a dugout scuffle. On June 29, Ramirez attacked 64-year-old traveling secretary Jack McCormick when the club official said he might have difficulty satisfying Manny's exorbitant, last-minute ticket request. The club sanctioned Ramirez privately, but there was no suspension. A week later, manager Terry Francona sent Manny up to pinch hit against Yankees ace Mariano Rivera. It was Manny's day off, and the slugger appeared totally disinterested, looking at three strikes without removing the bat from his shoulder.

During the All-Star break, Manny made remarks critical of Sox ownership regarding his past contract negotiations. Owner John W. Henry responded with an e-mail in which he said he was "personally offended."

Nine days ago, prior to the final game of a West Coast trip, Manny told Francona he was unable to play because of a previously unreported knee injury. The tipping point came one week ago when Manny pulled the same stunt before the first game of a three-game set with the Yankees.

That was it. The Sox decided they were done with him. They'd been Manny's prisoner too long. It was unanimous upstairs. Henry, Tom Werner, Larry Lucchino, Theo Epstein, and Francona were all steamed. One teammate called Manny's bailout "a disgrace." The Sox sent him out for an MRI on both knees, then made sure the media knew he was not injured. They threatened to suspend Manny if he didn't play the next day. Manny played.

Then he started yapping. He said he was done with them. He said they didn't deserve him.

Theo and the minions went to work. Manny had stripped the Sox of most of their leverage, but they were intent on dealing him anyway. The Sox gave up a ton in this deal. They parted with their cleanup hitter. They gave up two prospects. They're paying Manny's salary. And they forfeited the two high draft picks they'd have gotten if they lost him to free agency. Bay is good, but he's not that good.

At the end, Manny didn't care about winning. He didn't care about anything except Manny and the ego-driven wallet measuring that motivates so many of today's superstars. He did the Sox no favors, shooting his way out of town, but he got what he wanted. He gets to play in Los Angeles for Joe Torre. He gets to work toward his next contract -- money he'll never possibly have time to spend.

Ultimately, this trade is a demonstration of how badly Boston wanted to get rid of Manny. It wasn't about home runs or on-base percentage. But it had to be done out of fairness to the manager and the other 24 Red Sox players who are here to win.

the CHB should NEVER be quoted in any respectable forum

Bay watch

i just wonder what his new hair cut is going to look like myself.  torre already stated he has to cut the dreads...thats fucked up.  i think.
i think manny said he would trim them..i guess we shall see.
i would have been awesome if he were able to send that guy on 2nd home last night.  what a debut that would have been.

Quote:


Unlike Griffey Jr -- who debuted nicely last night on HIS new team with an RBI single  

[And another one a couple innings later!]

It seems like everybody has made out after the trades (even the Buccos).  I hope it keeps up. 

Nady is on a tear with the Yankees.  Damn!!!

Karstens is no Dock Ellis...

left shoe shuffle wrote on Aug 6^th, 2008 at 5:12pm:


It may not have been acid, but he was on something today.

I was this guy's biggest defender---now he's dead to me.....

Was Major League Baseball Blindsided by a Scott Boras?
Sting Operation to Get Manny's Options Dropped?

ABOUT TIME!!!!   MLB Investigating Manny's Departure
Is Independent Investigator and Sox Partner George Mitchell Available
to Write Up Another Report on This Shame to the Game?

"Feeling a little duped, Red Sox Nation? Still wondering if this whole thing was on the level?
You are not alone. The commissioner's office is investigating the circumstances of Manny's final hours with the Red Sox. The Globe has learned (from a source with direct knowledge of the inquiry) that Bud Selig directed Major League Baseball executive vice president Rob Manfred to contact all parties for an explanation of how things unfolded around last week's trading deadline. According to the source, Manfred has yet to report back to the commissioner.
Here's why Selig's office is looking into the matter:
The Red Sox had an option to retain Ramírez in 2009 for $20 million. They had the same option for 2010. Ramírez, who will turn 37 next season, wanted to be a free agent at the end of this season. His agent wanted the same thing. Boras inherited Ramírez's old contract and stood to earn nothing until Manny signed a new one. It was in the interest of the player and the agent to have the options dropped.
Manny's only leverage was withholding services and playing at half speed. So that's what he did." -- 8.7.08, CHB (yes, I broke my own commandment!!), Boston Globe



If this is a colusion job by Manny and Boras then, then Selig needs to ban Ramirez for life just like Pete Rose was banned. Boras should lose his license and be very heavily fined. The whole thing STINKS!!!