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!