Adiosito, Manolito

And so the Manny Ramirez Era in Boston comes to an end, in a fashion that seemingly mirrors the man himself: Confusing, dramatic, and with a total screw job for the Pittsburgh Pirates.




OK, so Manny's career has never had anything to do with the Pirates, but they did seem to get the raw end of this deal. About 40 minutes after the trade deadline Thursday, it was announced that Manny is headed to LA LA Land to play for the Dodgers, the Sox get Jason Bay, and the Pirates get Andy LaRoche and a mess of prospects.


Honestly, I'm OK with it. I was there when Manny hit his first homerun as Red Sox: It was the Fenway home opener in 2001, and he hit the first pitch he saw over the Green Monster for (if I remember right) a three run shot. It was against the Devil Rays, and it helped give the Sox a win on a spectacularly cold and rainy day. Ahh, Boston baseball.


But as awesome as Manny had been - his World Series MVP, his terrific ability to hit Mariano Rivera, his goofy hijinks like taking a leak inside the Monster in the middle of a game - it was time for him to go. For every fun "Manny being Manny" moment, there was also an increasing number of not-so-fun moment, like when he pushed down the team's traveling secretary, and possibly intentionally struck out in a key spot against the Yankees. He wasn't happy, and his disposition appeared to be leaking into the rest of the clubhouse.


Now he's gone, and while Jason Bay will never be as good as Manny, his numbers for the next few years could potentially be as good as what Manny will put up in the next few season, since Manny is getting older and Bay is entering his prime. I think its a rare example where 70 cents on the dollar might be the best move for a team.


As for you Padres fans who read the site (you're out there right? I've heard rumors) well, sorry.

In other trade news:

- The ChiSox got Ken Griffey, Jr.

- The Yankees got Pudge Rodriguez (don't ask why this is a Canadian source)

- And the Padres are bringing back The San Diego Chicken!

Secondhalf Soothsaying

Could this be "The Year"? Nah, probably not.

With the All Star break over, the real baseball season is upon us! Some of our original picks probably aren't happening (sorry, Pads fans) so we're taking a mulligan and picking all over again. Here's what our crystal balls are saying with 3 and a half months in the bag:





Dave:


NL West: D-Backs
NL Central: Cubs
NL East: Phillies
NL Wild Card: Brewers

AL West: Angels
AL Central: White Sox
AL East: Red Sox
Wild Card: Rays

World Series Prediction: Cubs defeat Red Sox in seven games in "Battle of the Curses." Chicago's acquisition of Rich Harden plays a key role in putting them over the top.

AL MVP: Josh Hamilton
AL Cy Young: Joe Saunders (fantasy owners, you're welcome)


NL MVP: Lance Berkman
NL Cy Young: Edison Volquez





Red:

NL West: D-Backs
NL Central: Cubs
NL East: Mets
NL Wild Card: Brewers

AL West: Oakland
AL Central: White Sox
AL East: Red Sox
Wild Card: Rays

World Series Prediction: Rays defeat the Cubs in 7, pushing Cubs fans into a serious depression. The entire north side of Chicago is put on suicide watch.





Liz:



NL West: Arizona
NL Central: Cubs
NL East: Mets
NL Wild Card: Marlins





AL West: Angels
AL Central: Minnesota
AL East: Rays
AL Wild Card: Red Sox



World Series Prediction: Minnesota over Marlins in the lowest rated telecast ever.

I'm just going to come out and say it ...

Brett Farve needs to go away. Or at least make a friggin' decision already. Yes, at the risk of getting pelted to death with cheese curds, I'm going to go out on a limb and say, "Sh&t or get off the pot," to America's Golden Boy.

Yeah, I know every man in this country wants to play catch and shop for Wranglers with Brett Favre. I know he brought the good people (and I mean that sincerely) of Green Bay two NFC championships and one Super Bowl. I know he had the most socially accepted drug addiction in the history of the world. And yes, we all laughed at There's Something about Mary.

But you know what else? I'm tired of seeing his face every time I turn on the TV or check my email. He's a moderately accurate gunslinger who's handcuffed his team from going out and getting some fresh blood for years, and now he's pulling a Clemens and retiring, then taking it back. Now, I read that he "doesn't feel welcome" by the Packers organization and that's why he wants to be released.

Doesn't feel welcome? Brett, you've been worshipped like a god for 16 years. Now you're old and can't play that well. They're offering a cushy retirement, allowing you to more or less go out on top, and you will pretty much walk on the waters of Lake Michigan for the rest of your life and beyond. I know, you wanna keep throwin' the pig skin 'round, but seriously, your retired jock life will be better than anything the rest of us can even conceive of. Nothing but celebrity golf tournaments and fancy steak dinners. Accept it. Move on. So the rest of us can too.

Happy 4th from PHN and Joey Chestnut

The one legit Padres All-Star

Things have been slow around these parts, mostly due to me hitting up way too many Happy Hours here in the Bay Area. The world of sports has been a little slow lately, although as baseball approaches the All-Star break some interesting things have happened, with the trade of C.C. Sabathia to the Brewers being one of them. One amazing feet that took place over last weekend, however, was San Jose's own Joey Chestnut repeating as the Nathan's world hot dog eating champion, defeating Kobyashi for the second year in a row. This time JC bested the legend in a five-dog overtime, no less! Here it is, and please prepare to be completely nauseated:



That's it for now, and here's what you all come back for, today's Inspirational Sports Quote:

“If a tie is like kissing your sister, losing is like kissing your grandmother with her teeth out.”

-Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer George Brett