Manny: Back In Baseball

It's official. Manny Ramirez will negate his retirement and make his return to professional baseball, signing a minor-league deal with the Oakland A's worth $500,000.

Manny is as polarizing a figure as any baseball player. Most hate him. Lots are just sick of him... and then there are folks like me. While I have long since grown weary of his ridiculousness, there is that part of me deep down in my baseball-loving soul that will always love Manny despite his stupidity. He was the center of so many of my favorite baseball memories, no matter how sick of him I get, I can't hate him. Trust me, I've wanted to. Never have I been so disgusted with a player and not been able to muster up the hate.

Much like my best friend is forever forgiving of Roger Clemens, I guess Manny just gets a permanent pass in my book.

I welcome him back to baseball with open arms, but I have a baseball cap and dark sunglasses on so no one can recognize me. It's my dirty little (no-so)secret. I love Manny Ramirez and his gorgeous swing. I just wish he wouldn't do such boneheaded things. Here's to salvaging what's left of your reputation, Manny. Do it cleanly. Please.

No Excuses This Time: Manny Messed Up

I got a text around 11 last night from a former coworker telling me that Manny had been arrested. This ex-coworker knows how much I love (loved? I don't know if it's past tense yet) Manny, and he takes great joy in his downfall.

How can I continue to be a Manny apologist? I am staunchly against domestic violence of any kind and have never ever supported a pro-athlete that partook in such tasteless and unmanly behavior. I know it's sort of different, because Manny is no longer a pro-athlete and I wasn't actively supporting him anyway, but he leaves me in a tough spot. Am I capable of not letting this marr my positive memories of him? I was able to deal with the steroids, but this? This might ruin everything. I'm a little disgusted this morning.

But, at least in terms of mugshots, his is exactly what I expected it to be. I'm upset by this. I need time to process...

Take Another Little Piece of My Heart: Manny Retires

Manny in spring training, 2008

It ends like this? It has to end so disgracefully? I guess there's no other way it could end. I'd given thought a few times in the past about how Manny would go out. I sort of assumed he'd retire during a mid-season at-bat with a 2-0 count. He'd call for a time out, turn to the ump, hand his bat over and say "I'm done, man," then he would just walk off the field and jump into a car and we'd never hear from him again. That would be a fitting end for the career of Manny, and it would have been an end I could enjoy.

I'm not enjoying this. Hearing that he retired after being notified of another problem with a drug test, well, it doesn't surprise me, but it does break my heart. It's become pretty fashionable to hate Manny. I understand that people have issues with the way he left town, and I can't tell anyone they're wrong for how they feel about the guy. While I was very hurt with Manny leaving town, I never hated him and I never stopped rooting for him. I couldn't. I fell in love with that swing the first time I ever saw it. I watched that man either contribute to so many wonderful moments, or provide his very own wonderful moments for years. He was on two World Series champion teams, and I can't forget that, but that swing... man, it was just beautiful.

Manny hitting his 500th HR (Baltimore, MD)

I'm so disappointed in him testing positive again, if that is indeed the case, because he was obviously so arrogant to think that he wasn't going to get caught. I don't know. I just don't know what to say about Manny. I think I'm going to have to bury my head in the sand and ignore the talk of juicing just so I can continue to enjoy my memories of Manny. He made me happy in his time with the Sox, and that's more than I can say about so many other players. When I'd see him come to the plate, I'd smile... and I am keeping that with me. Others can hate him for all the stupid things he's done. I'll never convince those who don't like him to like him, and I don't even want to. You don't have to like him. I do, and I'm sad to see him go.

So, this is goodbye, Manny. You broke my heart again, but I still hate to see you leave this way.

Manny and Johnny: Tampa Bound

I know, I'm the last to the party on this... as usual. It's not that I was the last to hear. I'm sure I wasn't.... I was just preoccupied by football. Now that I know the Jets have no shot at winning ANYTHING, I can turn my attention back to that which I love most. And let me just say, Manny and Johnny signing with Tampa Bay is incredible and I approve wholeheartedly.

I'm not going to cheer for Johnny, of course. Those days are long behind me, and I just do not feel that someone who lies to his fans as brazenly as Johnny did deserves to regain the love and affection of said fans. I tend not to spend any energy focusing on him at all. I wouldn't boo him... I couldn't boo him. He won us a championship. But I can't cheer for him. Johnny has earned every bit of my silence, and he's lucky to have it.

Manny.... I don't think I have to get into my affections for Manny. I still love the guy, and no one has been able to convince me not to. I will always cheer for Manny, and I don't care how many people behind me are booing him. After all, Manny WAS always one of my favorite players, and no one even comes close to being as entertaining as he was. Now, I get to see Manny 18 times a year, and I hope he does well every single game except those 18. I'm going to enjoy seeing that beautiful swing more often again.

However, it's not really the signing of either of these two that excites me the most. The first thing that popped into my head when I heard the news was, 'Oh my God, does this mean Trot Nixon is in the running for the third outfield position?!' Being the unapologetic sentimentalist that I am, Trot is still very VERY high on my list of favorite players. If Tampa is hell-bent on reuniting our '04 outfield, it's only logical to assume that they're interested in Trot. Please tell me they're interested in Trot!

No, I know it's not likely, but it's not completely impossible, right? RIGHT?! How on Earth could anyone ever boo that outfield? By anyone, I mean anyone who is a fan of the Red Sox. We may not like Tampa, but with those three guys in their outfield, I'd have a hard time remembering that I dislike Tampa. Even if they don't bring Trot back, maybe they could have B.J. Upton wear a Trot mask... or just a really dirty hat. That would be ok, wouldn't it? Another reasonable substitute would be to bring Kapler back. I think he was only on a year contract, and I think it's expired now. Bring Gabe back, have HIM wear a really dirty Trot hat, and I will be the happiest girl alive.

I really have nothing to complain about this offseason. It's been a great offseason in my eyes. The only player I think we should have gotten but didn't, my coveted shortstop JJ Hardy, ends up at the stadium that's practically my summer home, so I'm cool with that, too. Cliff Lee isn't a Yankee, Vernon Wells is on the Angels, and Eric Gagne does not have a job in the majors. I have NOTHING to complain about. I'm just excited for the season. Truly and completely excited.

For me, baseball is so much different than football (in more ways than just the glaringly obvious). With football, they have to win. I take no joy or comfort from a loss, because there are only sixteen games to win or lose before the playoffs. With baseball, I can find high points in a loss. When the Sox lose, sure I get upset, but there's usually a game the next day to take away the sting. When the Sox get REALLY bad, it becomes comical and I can enjoy it. When the Pats are really bad, as they were last week, I was angry. Baseball is sometimes like the never ending second chance. And of course, baseball is also warm weather, beautiful sunsets, stadium-wide sing-alongs, t-shirts and shorts, home runs, and 96 mph fastballs on the corner. Football is pain and cold. That's all it is. Sure, sometimes baseball is pain, but most of the time, it's just summer, and I could REALLY use some of that.

Bring on truck day! I've been patient, but it's not going to last too much longer.

Red Sox: Baseball Team

I'm not going to lie, I felt pretty utterly defeated when Munchkin went back on the disabled list. It knocked all the enthusiasm out of me, and I feel like I've been going through the motions in watching the games since then. I want them to win, but I just don't feel like they will. Losing Youk was a huge blow. Losing CRW again was a little concerning. Losing Cameron, sadly, had no real impact on me since I didn't get to really see him play enough to make up my mind about him. It's August, and we have four players done for the year with injuries, but Munchkin hurt the most. He was the hope for so many people, played two games, and re-injured that foot.

Now I'm hovering right around pissed. What is the purpose of having an entire medical staff that cannot properly handle their responsibilities? Yes, I am looking for someone to blame, and it just seems a little appropriate that the blame fall on the medical staff that seems to be misdiagnosing players left and right these days. Remember a few years ago with Mikey's hip? How badly did they botch that? Heck, even at the beginning of the season, they didn't realize Ells had broken ribs for over a week. Both CRW and Munchkin were brought back too early from injuries. Isn't it the manager and the medical staff's responsibility to know the players well enough to know when they have to slow them down or force them to take a step back. Are they even evaluating them properly? Perhaps I'm just a tad bitter about losing all of these players, but I doubt I'm the only one scratching their head about the way the medical staff operates.

Either way, we've had a string of pretty good games. We also had a couple of bad ones mixed in there, but I'm chalking it up to a bad day for Lester and a bad season for Beckett. After all, it's an even-numbered year. I didn't really expect much from Josh. But recently, we've gotten good pitching out of Dice-K, Dahmer, and Lackey, and I can't really ask for much more, except offense... which we've actually gotten a pretty good dose of. Sure, winning series isn't as good as sweeping series, but it's far better than losing them. Lackey got us off to a good start against the Mariners, even if he does tend to be a little frustrating. Papelbon got a nice, easy save and looked good doing in, and the offense strung together hits, which I ALWAYS love to see. I look forward to a rebound outing from Josh, but if he fails, he fails. We'll move on. I'm trying so hard to stay positive. I don't think we're going to make the playoffs, but I can't just give up on hoping now. I'm going to keep hoping.

The thing that irks me right now is the situation with he-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken. You know who I'm talking about. He's currently a Tiger, and the Red Sox put in a waiver claim on him. I don't know if perhaps the waiver claim was an actual attempt at reacquiring that lying miscreant, or if the Sox are just blocking the Yanks and the Rays from possibly acquiring him. Doesn't matter, as he doesn't seem all that enthusiastic about the prospect of returning to Boston anyway. I hope he does turn down the trade. I don't want him back in a Red Sox uniform. Call me bitter and spiteful if you will, but he lied. He had no reason to lie, but he did, and for that, I can't forgive him.

Had he NOT lied and bolted to the Yankees, I would have been angry, but I would have been able to cheer for him again when he became a Tiger. Or if he had gone to any other team except for the Yankees, without saying anything, I would have been fine. The man specifically said that he didn't care how much money the Yankees were going to throw at him, he could never be a Yankee. Not okay in my book. Complain about Manny all you want, but Manny never promised not to go play in New York. As much as I complain about Papelbon, I won't be surprised if he ends up in pinstripes some day. If he does, sure, I'll boo the hell out of him when he comes back to Fenway, but as soon as he leaves New York, I can continue cheering for him. Never that other guy. I can't. He shouldn't be allowed to redeem himself.

I know the front office may have been a little bit crappy to him, but he didn't essentially slap the front office. It was the fans who were most affected by his departure. Sucking up to them after the fact is meaningless. Well, now he has the opportunity to block the trade, and I wholeheartedly hope he does it because there is just nothing within me that wants to cheer for that man again. Please don't come back.

Manny Being Holy: Maybe He Saw The Light?

I promise. This is the last thing I will write about Manny for the season, unless the Dodgers and the Sox end up meeting in the World Series. Manny, apparently, has found God. From the article:

Berenguer said that Ramirez no longer speaks of retirement, and said that the length of his career will be determined by a higher power.

He also said Manny has found God, reads the Bible on a daily basis, and quoted scriptures constantly during their conversation.

On his transgressions in Boston, Manny said: "There's no reason I should have behaved that way in Boston.''

No, it's not an apology for his behavior. I personally don't think we need one from him. I know I don't, but maybe some people feel like they do. At the very least, it's nice to see that Manny can acknowledge that he was wrong. Does this change anything? Does it change the way he behaved and the situation he put the Sox front office in during the trade deadline of 2008? Nope. Doesn't change any of that one bit. But I know that it did change some people's minds about him. Deep down, a lot of Sox fans want to love Manny, but they're hurt by what he did. Stuff like this makes it easier to forgive him and focus on all the positive he brought to the Sox for seven and a half seasons.

Yeah, maybe he's spouting bullshit, but he has no need to. He's gone, and he knows he's not coming back. He has nothing to gain by saying this now. I think if he had said this before his first game back at Fenway, it would have been different. It would have come off as crowd-baiting, trying desperately to make Sox fans love him again (like Johnny Damon trying to buy our love). I'll never know if Manny was being genuine or not. I hope he was. I hope we can look at him and see someone who's matured, but I don't know.

I hope it more for his sake than anything. Still... whether he was sincere, or just looking for a way to make people love him again, I think it was a good way for Manny to leave town. I'll miss him, for sure... but I'm glad we just swept his team.

Welcome Back, Manny: Friday Night at Fenway

It's tempting to write this entire blog post about Manny. I adore Manny, and that's never been a secret, but I will try to limit my Manny love... just a little. Seeing Manny back in Fenway was fantastic for me. I want to be able to say that fans did right by him, and gave him the ovation he deserved, but it was honestly mixed. I was in a section with Sox and Dodgers fans alike, all wearing Ramirez shirts, and we had a pretty good "Man-ny!" chant going a few times. Just like old times. Manny didn't react to the crowd, mostly because, well, he had a job to do and the only time he was on the field was to hit. Depending on where you were in the park, you heard either predominant boos or cheers. I heard cheers. I know other people who heard boos. No matter where you sat, though, it was a mix, and that made me sad. I really thought that there would be more cheers. I guess people really don't like Manny. He'll always have my love, though. Always.

Don't care. Still love the man. And yeah, I clapped my hands off when he got a base hit in the 6th. Again, I'm shameless in my love for him, so I don't care. A few anti-Manny folks around me didn't appreciate me clapping for him, but I didn't appreciate them booing him, so we're even. Manny, for his part, looked unaffected. I'm sure he was focused, and trying to drown out the negativity around him. His first two at-bats, he swung at the first pitch and got nothing. He went 1 for five for the day, but in that one hit, you got to see him on base with Youk, and both of them seemed pretty happy. If his team mates can forgive his bad behavior, why can't we? After all, their jobs were affected by his antics. Ours weren't. But, I'm one to talk. I guess being a Manny-apologist doesn't allow me to see the other side of the argument. Actually, I don't want to see it. I'm happy in my blind Manny adoration. Ok... enough about Manny for now... there was more to this game than number 99.

On the Sox side of the field, we got to witness the major league debut of 22 year-old Felix Doubront. I'll admit, aside from the name, I didn't know anything about him other than the fact that he was left handed. Felix, who ultimately got the win, looked good. He had two clean innings to start the game, hit a rough patch in the 3rd, allowing three runs to tie it, then he was able to settle down for the fourth and fifth. After the Sox put together a 7-run bottom of the fifth, I think Felix came back nervous. He immediately allowed 2 runs and two additional baserunners before recording an out. Tito pulled him, and he left the field to a standing ovation - one that he very much deserved. It was a great debut for a kid that looks to have quite a bit of promise.

Atchinson came in with two-on, no-outs in the sixth and shut the Dodgers down... for three innings. I don't know what's happened to Atch lately, but he's been dependable. I'm enjoying it! Dustin Richardson, on the other hand, allowed three hits and a run in 1/3rd of an inning. He hasn't impressed me, but he's one of our kids, so he gets another chance.... at least with me. I don't know how our GM feels about him. So, Bard comes in to finish up the 9th, and the Sox inevitably win 10-6.

Ortiz, of course, hit a blast in the first. It was a 429 ft, 2-run shot, giving us a 2-0 lead at the time. His home run that inning, number 274 in Papi's Sox career tied him for fifth in Sox history. The other guy with 274? Manny. Love it. Drew followed that up with his own solo shot. That fifth inning was awesome, though. There were singles from Munchkin, McDonald, and Cameron, walks from Papi (one regular and one intentional), doubles from Tek and Youk, a home run from Beltre, a stolen base from McDonald, a passed ball, a hit LF (Nava), and a sacrifice fly. It was pure insanity. In the end, all of our guys got a hit except for Scutaro (SO much better than Lugo) and Nava.

Unfortunately, Drew came up lame making a play on a Manny fly out in the 3rd. McDonald filled in nicely, though. Looks like Drew will be ok, but he was diagnosed with a strained hamstring. The Dodgers fan in front of me turned and looked at me and said "he does that all the time." And while I would normally agree with him, Drew's been pretty solid this year, so I can't get on his case. Like I said, he should be fine.

A win is a win, and a win with Manny in the park makes me happy. I promise, the Manny-love will calm down a little with the next post. I promise!

Manny: My Favorite Subject

Good game last night. Dahmer struggled a bit early, but still turned in a quality outing. Sox lost no ground in the standings. I love Stephen Drew, blah blah blah. I can't convince myself that I want to write about that game last night. It was good. We won. Aside from a home run from Papi and the fact that Adrian Beltre has gone like, a whole week without maiming an outfielder, it was a pretty easygoing game. Nothing exciting to write home about.

The topic on everyone's minds right now is Manny. He's coming. On Friday, Manny is back in Fenway park. I'll laugh if he's not in the lineup on Friday, but since I suspect he will be, the decision that all 37,000 fans that will be in attendance that night comes down to one issue. To boo or not to boo.

If you even CONSIDER booing Manny, I have to question your fanhood. If you actually do it, you should be ashamed of yourself. I'll be standing and clapping for him, because he deserves it. Things ended badly, of course. Don't they always seem to?

Manny is what we made him. He became a spoiled child because we LET him. No matter what he did, we cheered. And really, he did plenty of amazing things with the Sox, so Manny gets the standing O. I went out of my way to get tickets to the game on Friday specifically so I could cheer Manny. He deserves it.

Pedro got the appropriate reaction. Do right by Manny, even if you didn't like how he left.

Jon Lester: Tricky Little Monkey

Trust me, I'm aware that I'm two days late posting my review of Monday's game. Sometimes I have a life and it gets in the way of writing. Not often, but this week it has. Grad school is sort of killing me mentally at this point, but I'm determined to keep up my posting, at least for April.

Jon was horrible on Monday. I'm not going to sugar coat it. First pitch balls to just about everyone... his location was way off. There was no execution of those pitches. As a matter of fact, he was so off, he didn't even get to talk about executing pitches as far as I heard. I know it's his favorite phrase, so to not be able to use it probably caused him physical harm. I was watching him pitch on Monday and silently wondering to myself if he's making a case to get Varitek more work. Admittedly I was not closely paying attention to what Vic was calling for in terms of pitch selection. I can't imagine that he was calling that bad of a game. Part of it had to be the lack of pitch execution. But we all know Josh likes pitching to Tek and he got to do just that on Saturday and ended up with a win. Maybe Jon was passive aggressively complaining about the unequal treatment between him and his twin. They're the same person, they should be treated the same, right? I don't know.

Not that Victor has made a extremely convincing argument that he should be the starter over Tek, but deep down, we all know he should be. Varitek is 38 years old; he just can't play every game the way he used to. I don't dislike Victor, but he is (I believe) 1 for 10 with SB's. Varitek probably could muster up similar numbers. I'm just saying. Plus, I'm in love with Varitek, and I'm not at that level with Victor yet. I don't know if I ever will be. We'll see if he gets a new contract at the end of the season.

So, I'm going to make a really stupid joke of a statement right now. I needed to preface the actual statement with a warning, because I really don't want people to think I'm serious.... here goes. Rememeber the warning:

I think David Ortiz needs to aspire to get no more RBI's for the season. Not for nothing, but every game where Papi gets an RBI, we lose. Small sample size be damned. Being reactionary is the best way to go here. We need to not allow him to swing the bat with runners on base, because if he brings a run in, we'll lose. It's happened twice already so we can expect it to happen continuously for the rest of the season, right? Right. Yay for being panicky for no reason!

And not for nothing, but the entire team played ridiculously sloppily. I was fairly sure that all of them were drunk and just flopping themselves around the field in a hopeless effort to make it look like they hadn't spent the entire afternoon drinking. It's Josh. He's a bad influence. Maybe they'll have sobered up by today.

I watched a little bit of the Dodgers-Diamondbacks game yesterday on MLBN. I'll tell ya, of all the things I miss about Manny, one of the things I miss most is having the privilege of watching that sweet swing. No one has a sweeter swing. People say Drew has it, but without Manny's swagger, it's not as impressive. June 18th sure can't come fast enough.

So, Lackey takes on Slowey in about twenty minutes in the battle of people who have names that sound like really strange adjectives of some kind. Should be good. I won't be able to watch it, but perhaps I can catch the replays. Man, having a day job is a bummer sometimes. You're wondering why I'm posting right now then, huh? Shush, I get a lunch break.

Manny: No Matter What You Don't Say, I Love You

It's a habit I have a hard time breaking. I don't know why I bother, but for some reason, I still check out Dirt Dogs daily. Most of the time, I find myself shaking my head and mumbling about how I shouldn't bother. Some days, I get a good laugh out of the whole ordeal. Today, I was annoyed.

More needless Manny bashing. Come on, I know Manny left town the wrong way, but do real Red Sox fans really hate him? Some people I know are done with Manny. I've fluctuated between hating Manny and loving him, but only because I was so angry that he was running himself out of town. I don't care what anyone says. I am a Manny fan. I will always be a Manny fan. The dude helped us win 2 World Series championships, and he didn't go to the Yankees. In my book, that's good enough reason to always cheer for the guy. It makes me sad to see so many people hating him for all the wrong reasons. I acknowledge that there are 'right' reasons for people to hate him, but it's the wrong ones that kill me.

For example, when I went on Dirt Dogs today, I see a picture of Manny, with the headline "He Hate Me." This linked to an article by the ever fickle T. J. Simers... which you can go directly to via this link in case you want to avoid DD, which I completely do not blame you for.

I'm going to spoil it for you. All those things that are credited to Manny Ramirez, with a picture showing Manuel Aristides Ramirez, were used by Dirt Dogs to rile up Sox fans for when Manny comes back to town. But if the jerks who ran that site actually bothered to read the article, they would have gotten to this line:

So we all say goodbye to Mountaineer jockey Emanuel Ramirez, known around the track as Manny Ramirez — as good a time as any of us can recall having with Manny Ramirez.

Maybe I'm falling into the trap. All I know about Simers is that he was once clamoring to kiss Manny's ass, and lately he hasn't seemed to like him too much. Actually, I know I'm falling into the trap. Simers wants people to talk about his articles. Fine. It worked. What pisses me off is that this is exactly the kind of thing that will get those fairweather fans sitting in my favorite ballpark booing Manny extra loudly when he returns. Man, when the Boston media hates someone, they just can't let it go. This isn't a surprise to me, but it disappoints me every day.

Hopefully, on June 18th, I won't be the only one giving Manny Ramirez, the baseball player, a standing ovation. I don't care what happened in the past. For what he helped us accomplish, he deserves it.

Beckett:What A Shock, Strong Again

Yes, I've made it abundantly clear that I basically start drooling whenever I see Josh pitch this spring, but I've also been very good (at least I think I have) about keeping my expectations for the regular season in check. I refuse to deny that I'm excited for Josh to have a good season though. I really think he looks so far like he's back on track. If he is, then we have Josh and Jon both ready to go for the season? I'm feeling pretty good about our chances, aren't you?

Jon Van Every, one of my favorite itty bity baby Sox, sprained his ankle in the exhibition game yesterday. Booo! I'm hoping for a quick recovery for him, because, as I just said, he's one of my favorites. Don't get me wrong, I really don't think there are any itty bity baby Sox that I don't like. I will be making my first trip down to McCoy this year to see the kids, and I'll also be traveling upwards to Portland to see the teeny tiny smaller SeaDogs.... wow, if these guys knew how I referred to them, with these condescending adjectives I like to toss in there, I'm sure they'd be offended. I mean no harm, however, to either the itty bity baby Sox in Pawtucket, or the teeny tiny smaller Sox in Portland. I'm excited to see both teams.

I don't know why I've never been to either stadium... or to see the Lowell Spinners, who I haven't yet come up with an annoyingly condescending nickname for. But, hey, first time for everything, right? Happinesss.

So, Mr. Awesome himself, Michael Averett Lowell returned to us in baseball form a few days ago. I neglected to mention it because I am not nearly as awesome as Mikey. Today, however, he will be playing third base for us for the first time this spring, and there's not much about that statement I don't like. When Mikey was hurt last season, we were ALL hurt last season, so his triumphant return to the hot corner will be... well, triumphant. Perhaps now that the hip has healed, we'll be seeing more salsa dancing out of our handsome third baseman. Wishful thinking?

OK - just to touch on the comments that Pap made about Manny, and I'm going to make it brief.... I don't know if he was asked about Manny in the interview or what happened, because I didn't read the whole thing and I hate to take it out of context... but, we all know Papelbon has no shame, and isn't afraid to make an ass out of himself. As big of an ass as Manny made out of himself recently, Pap is right there with them. Maybe Manny was a cancer, but seriously, Pap, show a little decorum. I don't know, it might be just me, but I can definitely envision Papelbon throwing a hissy fit at some point in the future and demanding his way out of town... so for him to be complaining about Manny now sort of makes me sigh sadly. I think Jonathan just badly needed attention. Now he's got it. It's over with. The End.

Manny: Are you kidding me?

Seriously? He rejected the Dodger's fourth offer? Colletti, buddy, it's time to move on. Manny and Boras are playing you like a piano. I know it's frustrating when you need that big name, and everyone on your team wants Manny back, but Manny doesn't seem very interested for a guy who wanted to retire in LA (remember, he wanted to retire in Boston first...)

Cut your losses, accept that you wasted a lot of time wooing him for nothing.

Damn, I really thought he was going to take this one. No one is going to give him 100 million dollars right now, and if that's what he's waiting for, then I hope he makes himself nice and comfortable at home because he's sitting out this year. I feel Ned Colletti's pain. Manny is very frustrating, but you put up with him because he's worth it. He provides offense. He provides comic relief. He puts fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers. But he doesn't (and I say this with all the love I could give this guy) consider anyone else. It's all Manny all the time. I can't exactly say that I hold this against him. We've been hearing over and over forever that baseball is a business, and there really isn't loyalty from the managers to the players any more.

The problem I see is that Manny affects his teammates. I'd love to be in Dodger camp right now, listening to the reactions. Those guys, from what I've read, are expecting Manny back. Now that he's rejected another offer, do you think they still have that same confidence? Do you think they're feeling good about their playoff chances this year? I honestly don't know. If I had to guess, I'd say no, they're not feeling too good right now. Manny made LA love him, and now he's holding the GM hostage.

I'm one of what I feel is the minority - people who still love Manny and want to see him suceed. Granted, I want him to suceed less than the Sox, and every once in a while I feel a little bitter toward him, but I still love the guy as a baseball player. He's fantastically entertaining both with his bat and antics. I don't care what anyone says. These antics right now aren't so funny, but most of the time, you can't help but smile.

After this past off-season, I'm wondering if perhaps Scott Boras hates his clients... He doesn't seem to be doing them any favors. But that's irrelevant. For all we know, this decision was all Manny, because he believes he's still gonna get that really, really big payday. Maybe he wants to be paid more than Slappy annually. I don't know if that's possible, but if that's what he's holding out for...

Listen, I said a few weeks (months?) ago that I wouldn't be surprised to see Manny miss spring training. It's not like he ever cared about it before, so there's no real sense of urgency there for him. When he does get a contract he likes, and I'm not saying he will, he'll show up in shape and ready to go. I guess that comes along with that whole Manny being Manny thing...

Report for Training, My Pitching and Catching Friends

Today is absolutely perfect. It's a beautiful, spring like day here in Natick... 50 whole degrees! I've even seen the sun on occassion... in particular, driving into work this morning, it was bright orange the whole way.

I go outside and I don't freeze. While I know this is temporary and the bad weather will be back, it's exactly what I needed after being stuck home with a cold the last few days. There's some hope that spring is coming back.

To top it all off, the boys are in Florida! Not all of them, for sure, but the important ones. The pitchers. The catchers. The keepers of the game's tempo. The pacemakers at the heart of the game! And the Commander even looks like he worked out this off-season (as opposed to Mr. Penny who looks like he sat around eating double cheeseburgers all winter.) These opinions are based directly from the early pictures I saw from the Globe... or the Herald. I think it was the Globe. Oh, what does it matter? It'e reporting day! (Ps... it was the Globe, and the pictures I saw were from Dirt Dogs)

Wakefield feels fine, Beckett looks fantastic (judging by his physique. I have no idea how the ball is coming out of his hand yet. No video feed here)... Papi says he's feeling super, Jason Varitek and Kevin Millar have jobs, and the world just seems like a beautiful place today. Baseball is in the air.

Just two more weeks until the beginning of meaningless exhibition games. I can't wait!

On another note, Tito is apparently taking a little bit of issue with what Julianna Ramirez is saying about Jack McCormick. I sort of want this just to go away peacefully, but I have a feeling it's just the beginning. We all know Manny doesn't like being upstaged by anyone. People were talking about Slappy, so Manny finds a way to get his face back on the papers. I do love the guy. I just have to remind myself of that every once in a while.

Manny Ramirez: Thinks His Stock Hasn't Diminished

Manny, like Jason and some other relatively big names, are having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that they just just aren't worth what they once were.

Manny turning down the Dodgers' offer didn't surprise me in the least. He's never been the type that has a problem with missing spring training, so if he's not signed by the time players report, I won't be shocked. Unlike the Captain, I still think there would be a market for Manny if he sat out this year (not that he's planning on doing that, I just think he could). The man is gifted. He's also a little childish, but gifted nonetheless.

I still don't think anyone's going to give Manny more than two years. Teams look at the way he left Boston and back off on committing to him. Can't say that I blame them.

I really, really wish it wasn't going to snow today. I am so tired of the snow, I have no energy left to express my distaste for it.

Saito Better Not Pull the Same Crap

So Saito is going to wear number 24, according to Dirt Dogs. It hurts a little. I mean, it hasn't even been a full season since Manny's been gone, so seeing someone else wearing his number has a little sting to it. I just can't be angry at Manny.... despite how he left town, I still love the big lug. Hell, it took them five years to give Nomar's number away. Couldn't we just have had a year or two? Or rather, couldn't I just have had a year or two? I'm still not over it!

In all fairness, I'm still not completely over the Bronson Arroyo trade either, but we're just gonna pretend that's irrelevant.

Charlie Zink is apparently not being shipped off to some foreign team for the good of mankind. He accepted his assignment to Pawtucket, and will continue to be one of those adorable little PawSox (whom I hope to see live at some point this year!)

David Pauley has been designated for assignment. As someone I know likes to say about him... "Pauley? We won't see him again." Actually, that's probably a lie. I'm sure we will see him again, just not on the Red Sox roster. Godspeed, David!

Alex Cora is not coming back. I'm ok with that. He was one of those players that, towards the end, frustrated me more than anything. I think it was time for a change. Good luck on the Mets, Alex. I really do wish you well, because you were such a team player. It only took two years, but Dustin Pedroia finally gets some kind of revenge for everyone wanting Prince to start over him. Actually, I think he got his revenge with the gold glove, silver slugger, AL MVP.... yeah, you get it.

-Congratulations to Jon and Farrah Lester! The two got married recently (how recently, I do not know. I can't even find the link that told me they got married). If it is indeed true, then I hope they have a long, happy life together.
-Lowe is signing with the Braves.
-The Astros are instructing Billy Boy Clemens to stay far, far away from their impressionable youth.
-Now that Rickey Henderson is in the HOF, he wants to play again. And he contends that he could still be the base stealing champ in '09. Please, Theo. Do NOT sign him.
-Gabe Kapler received an $18 raise in his paycheck. The number 18 is apparently Gabe's lucky number, and the Jewish symbol of life. See that, I learn something new every day.

In unrelated news... if I could burn down a virtual waiting room, I would. I am so sick of this stupid virtual waiting room. When April/May/Sept/Oct game tickets went on sale, I was in the virtual waiting room on two different computers and as many browsers as I could open, and calling in on the phone, and I came away with exactly 0 tickets. Zero. Not a single one. I don't do the whole standing room only thing, because I'm not a good seat snatcher, and I don't like standing for that long.

So I do my whole Red Sox Nation thing (I don't want to HEAR how it's a terrible marketing ploy and it makes me a fair weather fan and whathaveyou... I see it as an easy way to get tickets, I like touring Fenway Park whenever I can, and the 10% team store discount gets used frequently by me and my family, so it's worth it). I got my code for my tickets, and I'm plopped into the virtual waiting room. I wanted to rip my hair out. There is no need for a virtual waiting room, and I see absolutely nothing useful about the fact that if I got to the waiting room at 12 PM (the on sale time), someone who got to the waiting room a half an hour later could still get tickets before me. Hell, people who get to the waiting room five hours later could still get tickets before me. There's no justice in this system. I finally got my tickets a little while ago, but I couldn't get the game I wanted. I guess it's ok. I'm gambling on the fact that John Smoltz will be pitching the Friday night game against the Braves. I lucked out the year Pedro came back with the Mets... could the luck happen again? I'll have to wait and see.

In comparison, I got my presale tickets for Camden Yards this morning, as has become an annual tradition for me. I'm sitting in the same general area that I always sit (I really enjoy section 210). I know there were probably tons of Sox fans gearing to buy tickets for this particular weekend, because how can you really beat a weekend series at Camden Yards? It was fabulous. I clicked the link, I picked my tickets, and I was done. No stupid waiting rooms. No random drawings out of stupid waiting rooms. None of that. Just click, buy, done.

It brings me to the conclusion that the front office needlessly tortures their fans. It really gets under my skin.

Dustin Pedroia: Mighty Indeed

I have neglected blogging and other such baseball activities for the last few weeks, but so many things have happened that I feel I should say something... even if I do end up rambling.

1) I do not care that Obama was elected president. I don't like him. On the other side of that argument, I do not like John McCain, and I wouldn't have been happy if he won either. This election was a no-win situation for me. I just hope that this new president will be better than the old president (you know, the one with the lowest approval ratings in history? Yeah him. Don't complain, bitches, you people voted him in... TWICE)

2) Congratulations to Asshat and his new bride. I'll leave it at that.

3) Nick Swisher was traded to the Yankees. I didn't realize he had a good fastball - because we all know the Yankees need pitching, not bench players.

4) Munchkin is truly amazing, winning both the Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger award. I don't like the people who vote for the GG ever since 2006 when I honestly believe Gonzo was robbed. It's definitely a popularity contest (as is every other award), but I'm proud of our awesome second baseman for being so damn popular. He's one of the many bright spots on a hell of a season.

5) My beloved Jonny Lester won the Hutch award, which is given to a player who shows courage and determination through the season... or something along those lines. I'm not good with remembering the details of all the awards, and I'm just not motivated enough to look it up. Doesn't matter what it's for... Jon earned it, and I couldn't be any prouder of him this past year if I tried.

6) I'm so with Bill Lee on the Manny deal. For the people who wanted him gone - that one big bat in the middle of a very injured lineup would have more than compensated for the three runs we needed to get to the World Series. We would have won with Manny. But since we didn't, I'd like to remind people that Manny gave us the best years of his career. Be grateful and stop hating on the guy, will you? It's just hard for me to believe that "fans" give him so much shit for helping to bring this team to 2 World Series championships. It's ok to be upset that he's gone, just stop making him out to be some kind of villain. Manny being Manny provided many more good times than bad, and you know it.

7) Enough with picking on Jason Varitek. I know I had essentially decided that his time with a bat in his hand was over, and the Red Sox may need to part ways, but now that I've read and heard so much purely absurd criticism directed at him, I feel confident in saying I want him back. I want the Red Sox to re-sign him and give him the opportunity to show he's still useful. God damnit. Intangibles! Game calling! The man has value. Unfortunately, his horrible-plague-on-baseball agent, Scott Boras, wants far more than the value 'Tek has left. I've said it before... it's the management's job to make the hard decisions and the fans' job to be sentimental about guys who have been stable and worthy of praise for YEARS. My sentimentality wants Tek back. We'll see if Theo's fancy business plan agrees with me.

8) I love Jason Bay. I just don't want him to think people dislike him for the way the season ended. Jason, I love you. Be happy.

9) It's pretty official - Mike "Admiral" Timlin's tenure with the Red Sox has ended. I want to extend my most sincere and saddened "THANK YOU" to the Admiral for all he's done for this organization. Two championships and six years later, we have to say goodbye. I hope people know that Mike gave his all, even this year. And while it's sad that he has to end his career with the Red Sox on a down note instead of on a high note (like, say, after winning the WS), I'd like to think that people will remember his time with this team for the value he brought, not for the struggles at the end. And remember him for the bullpen band... for the "Black Pearl," of which he truly was the Admiral, leading the young'uns into battle. Remember him for the way he would always be the first to charge out of the bullpen during a scuffle... jumping over whatever walls that dared get in his way. And if he finds a new team next season, remember that he was once one of us, and give him the applause he so rightly deserves. Thanks, Mike, and good luck.

10) For anyone who follows the Deftones, you may be aware that Chi Cheng was in a serious car accident not too long ago, and remains (to my knowledge) in a coma. The rest of the band has been posting updates daily, each day providing readers an idea of what they can do to send positive vibes into the world, hopefully helping Chi recover. Chi's mom, Jeanne, has been posting to provide these ideas. Even if you don't like the Deftones, some of the suggestions to send positive vibes are pretty thought provoking, and would be a really good boost of karma for anyone. I encourage people to go over to http://www.deftonesinstudio.blogspot.com/ and maybe consider working on good karma, or saying a prayer for Chi.

Hopefully there will be more good news from the Red Sox and Deftones departments in the coming days. I'll try to keep updated on what's going on.

Goodnight, sweet Manny, goodnight.

Turn out the lights on your season, and dream of contracts yet to come.

As I was driving to work this morning, delighting in the fact that the Phillies are headed to the World Series, I realized something. This whole Manny situation, at least for me, has been handled in a very ex-girlfriend sort of way. You know the way.

You're seeing some guy (Manny), and know things aren't going great, but you're hoping that all the drama will settle down and you can go back to the good old days (any year before this one and after 2000). Seven years of your life have been invested in this man's happiness. Then comes the fight. He admits he's been cheating on you, so you throw him out of the small, lyrical bandbox of an apartment that you've shared for years. He moves in with his new flame (the Dodgers). No matter what you do, you see him everywhere. Relatives, friends, and even idiots (the media) are always talking about him... "It was for the best." "He had to go, there was no reconciling this time." "You don't need him. You're better off without him." And then you meet a new guy (Jason Bay). He's nice enough, but he's so soft spoken, sometimes you forget about him because everyone is still talking about your ex.

You miss your ex. You never wanted to break up, but it happened, and you're still not sure why. You're convinced you could have worked it out, but he was gone before that could happen. You want to be mad. You want to blame him. If only he had just waited it out! You would have let him go after the world series. You would have allowed him to walk away with just a few tears. Instead, a bitter anger still mixed with love remains. You fight yourself over whether or not you wish him happiness. When you see him happy with his new flame, it kills you a little inside. Why couldn't he be that happy with you? But you still can't quite hate him.

In the end, you don't want him to be doing better than you, but you want him to at least be happy. So you have to cuddle up with the new boyfriend, and learn to move on.

Be happy, Manny. I still miss you. I swear, I'm trying to move on.

As for one Jason Andrew Varitek... I'm terrified that tonight may be his last game in a Red Sox uniform. I always knew this day may come, but I know I will cry (I'm big on crying, apparently). I shed a few tears on Trot's last day. That was bitterly painful. This day might be just as bad, if not worse. I'm gonna be ready for it. I'm TiVo'ing the entire game, and I will eventually transfer it to DVD and save it so when I feel nostalgic, I can look back and remember the Captain that stole my heart

I won't lie, today's game scares me. I'm not ready for it to be over. I want more... need more. I need a win tonight. So I'm holding my breath and praying that our guys find their bats. Don't let this be Tek's final curtain call without a fight. I'm not ready to let go yet!

Jon Lester: 2008 Red Sox Ace

Goodness, another post about Jon Lester? It can't be! Oh, but it is.

I have to say, I don't remember falling asleep. I remember the 5th inning, and then when I woke up it was 5:45 AM, and I had no idea who won. What I did know was that I was happy with Jon. He got himself into a few jams, but as usual, he managed his way out of them. Is there a Sox fan alive who doesn't consider Jon their ace this year?

(For the record, I hate that I can't access any of my pictures from here. I've got SO MANY pictures of Jon!)

So Kazerud, in his very first playoff game that he didn't have to buy a ticket to, hit a game-winning HR. Sure, the Sox scored a few more runs after that, but we didn't need them. One two-run home run was all it took and, BOOM, we're up 1-nothing. Don't get me wrong, this is by no means a decisive victory. We still need to play 2 more games at minimum. We haven't won anything yet, but oh man, do we want to!

Game 2: Dice-K vs. Santana. We haven't faced Santana this year, so hopefully (and undoubtedly) the Sox are watching tons of video to prepare. What I expect: I expect Dice-K to throw roughly 100 pitches, hopefully in 6 innings, walk a few guys, strike out at least four, and get the win. Now, I wait to see what really happens.

I watched the Cubs/Dodgers game the other night... rather, I tried to, but I couldn't get far into it. Seeing Manny in that uniform, hustling and working really hard made me upset. I know, I KNOW he played that hard in the playoffs for us each and every time. I would never say Manny dogged any playoff game (and don't even go to the longest single in playoff history bullshit), so I'm not surprised to see him doing well for them. At the same time, the glowing praise about how he saved the Dodgers really got under my skin. More than the fact that I knew it was true, he did save the Dodgers, was the fact that he just couldn't stick it out here. He didn't have enough respect for his teammates in Boston, or the fans at Fenway to just finish up the year and THEN throw a hissy fit. You can't tell me you wouldn't feel better about facing the Angels with Manny in the lineup. Don't get me wrong, I like Kazerud, and I think it's awesome that we are getting to watch his first playoff games. I just will always miss Manny, I guess (even when he says things just to hurt me).

Go Kazerud! Win yourself a World Series, and make the people of Boston happy once more!

Oh, and for those audience members who still love and cherish Ducky, please watch this video. You'll enjoy it. My apologies if the link doesn't work.

John Cena: Total Asshat

I was perusing through the wasteland known as mlb.com again today. I swear, it's a form of self-inflicted psychological torture. Anyway, I was there, and I see a link.... John Cena Backs the Rays With a Message to Sean Casey. I'm sure it's all in good fun, as it's pretty well-known that Sean Casey is a giant wrestling fan (prompting the "Wooo!" t-shirts he handed out in the clubhouse - he's buddies with the Nature Boy Rick Flair, you know.) But the fact is, John Cena is from Boston. They could have picked any no-good hack to call Casey and tease him, but a Boston boy? That's unacceptable. Poor form, John. No wonder I never liked you.

And on a side note, this is a pretty cool interview with Sean Casey. It made me smile.

I'm not going to inundate everyone with cries of "OMFG Beckett's hurt!" To be honest, I'm not worried. I haven't been worried. I know the Angels are a good team, but let's see what Jon can do before everyone jumps off a cliff in panic. Beckett isn't going to not pitch, I can just about guarantee that. An oblique strain can heal in the off-season if need-be. He'll pitch. Although this kind of messes everything up, considering Jonny pitches better at home, and Commander pitches better on the road... still not worried. We'll be fine.

Disappointed that Munchkin more than likely will not win the AL batting title. He had it wrapped up, but had one bad week, and it fell out of his hands. It's ok. He's our MVP, and we love the kid. He doesn't need your stupid batting title.

I'll be honest, I'm more than a little pissed off about Manny running his mouth. I tried to just let him go, to remember the good parts about Manny. I was a Manny-apologist. I can't do it any more. Even after his less than graceful exit, I stuck up for him. Now, he's just rubbing salt and acid in the wound. He keeps saying that the fans in Boston were so great, but at the same time, he insults how the fans live and die with the game, and expect 100% out of the team. Heaven forbid! We're paying ridiculous ticket prices in a small, cramped (but adored) ballpark so guys like Manny can get big paydays to produce for the team. And when they don't produce, yeah, we're pissed. I guess Manny doesn't understand that some people value their money, and we don't want to waste it on an expensive team that doesn't give a shit! You know, if I never read that article, perhaps I wouldn't be so infuriated with Manny.

I know Manny speaks without considering what he's saying. One minute, he says he loves Boston and there's no where else he'd rather be. The next minute, he wants to be traded. Now, he wants to stay in LA forever. He's always been like that, but to disrespect a city, a fanbase who supported his immature self for over seven seasons is just not right. You say you want us to let you be happy somewhere else? Why don't you try letting US be happy about our time spent with you, instead of turning it bitter? I never thought I'd even type this, but Manny, just shut up and go away. I don't want you in my consciousness any more.

Anyway. Different topic. I'm terribly ashamed of myself for missing the Johnny Pesky number retirement ceremony. I can't even remember what I was doing on Sunday that distracted my attention, but I missed it. Hopefully I'll see it someday. I'll have to look up videos of it.

Come on, playoffs. It's only been two days, but I already miss baseball!

Josh Beckett: I Want to Love you When You're Sad/Binky: Showstopper Extraordinare

This post gets two titles because I didn't get a chance to post yesterday and I wanted to (my office job eats up a lot of my time)

Joshua Patrick Beckett did not pitch well. But it's ok, because he's JPB. He is the Commander. He is Joshybear. He is whatever the hell I feel like calling him at the moment... but none of that detracts from the fact that he is an ace deep down. It's gotta be something about even numbered years that frightens Josh. I mean, his big successes came in 2003 and 2007. 2006 was ridiculously disappointing for him, and 2008 is looking to be mediocre at best. We've got six weeks left in the season, and Beckett hasn't really hit his stride. Even still, I wouldn't be too worried about him. He's a big game pitcher, kinda like Curt. He'll step it up when we really need him to. I truly believe he will.

Jonathan Tyler Lester was wonderful, again. He has been so often this year. Everyone has bad days, but Binky's have been few and far between, and I love it. I can't say enough good things about him. I've always wanted to see him succeed, and lookit that. It's happening. Way to go, Johnny!

Munchkin shaved. He was starting to look like a little chimpanzee, and that made me happy, but apparently he wasn't a fan of turning into Monkey-Boy. Oh well.

Kazerud hit two home runs, and had 4 RBI's for the night. It's good to see him have a big night, because I can't stress this enough... no matter how much I miss Manny, I want Kazerud to do really well here. I want him to win a World Series here (preferrably this year), and I want him to be happy doing it.

Speaking of Manny... I loved his hair cut.

The Captain also hit a home run. I'll tell you, watching him has been kind of hard for me since I found out he and Karen split. I couldn't even LOOK at him for a few days afterward. I was booing him, silently, and to myself. It was awful for me. But now, I've had a few days to let it process, and no matter what kind of life he leads outside of baseball, I just can't bring myself to hate the man. So Captain, I'm sorry that my anger got in the way of my devotion to you. I'll never boo you again... not even silently.

Phew, I feel better now.

Ok, so someone please sabotage POS's rehab. Please? Lowrie... AKA Lowrider... really SHOULD be our starting SS for the rest of the year. I enjoy not hating the short stop. Man, I miss Gonzo... I hope his knee is feeling better.

Happy Birthday, dad. Have a drink for me, where ever you are.