Bye-bye, Manny; Distraction is out of way, with Ramirez heading west.Byline: Paul Jarvey COLUMN: PAUL JARVEY After two world championships and 274 home runs, the Red Sox just couldn't have Manny Manny may refer to: In nobility:
It's why they gave up two decent young players and agreed to pay the $7 million remaining on Ramirez's contract just to get him out of town. They had to do it so they could get their minds back on baseball. Most trades are about who is coming; this one is all about who is leaving. The Red Sox couldn't afford to keep Ramirez, not with the very real prospect that he would quit on them down the stretch or otherwise continue to be a distraction. So, one of the most colorful and productive players in Red Sox history is gone. It wasn't a graceful exit The ability to get out of a problem situation in a program without having to turn the computer off. , not with Ramirez saying "the Red Sox don't deserve players like me" the day before he was shipped out of town. You knew that statement wasn't going to sit well with ownership, which has let him get away with more than he ever should've gotten away with while making him one of the richest players in baseball history. The owners could excuse a lot from Ramirez, the goofy outfield play, even the lack of hustle, but not the quitting. Last week's two-day vacation was the last straw last straw n. The last of a series of annoyances or disappointments that leads one to a final loss of patience, temper, trust, or hope. [ . The Sox couldn't take the chance that he would do it again. So, they traded Ramirez, $7 million, Brandon Moss Brandon Moss (born September 16, 1983 in Monroe, Georgia) is an American professional baseball player. He was drafted in the 8th round of the 2002 draft by the Boston Red Sox, out of Loganville High School in Loganville, Georgia. and Craig Hansen Craig Robert Hansen (born November 15, 1983 in Glen Cove, New York) is a relief pitcher in the Boston Red Sox organization. Hansen, a closer out of St. John's University, was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the 2005 draft. for Jason Bay Jason Raymond Bay (born September 20, 1978 in Trail, British Columbia, Canada) is a Canadian baseball player, who plays left field for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He bats and throws right-handed. . How bad do you think the Red Sox wanted Manny gone? Bay is very good, but that deal is a little one-sided, no? It is until you add in the baggage Ramirez takes with him. The thing is, Ramirez wasn't a bad guy with Boston, not the way Carl Everett Carl Edward Everett III (born June 3, 1971 in Tampa, Florida) is a former all-star Major League Baseball outfielder. A switch hitter, he played with the Chicago White Sox on their 2005 World Series winning team. was bad or Wil Cordero Wilfredo Cordero Nieva (aka "Coco") (born October 3, 1971 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico) is a left fielder in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets. From 1992 through 2005, Cordero has played for the Montreal Expos (1992-95, 2002-03), Boston Red Sox (1996-97), was bad. His teammates loved him most of the time. He kept them loose and gave them a good chance of winning. Fans loved him, too, his presence in the lineup a combination of cartoonish adorability and raw right-handed power, the likes of which had not been seen around Fenway since the days of Jimmie Foxx But the Ramirez that emerged over the last two months was a darker character. He got into a mid-game scuffle with Kevin Youkilis and pushed the club's 64-year-old traveling secretary to the ground when he couldn't get his way. During the All-Star break, he expressed his displeasure with ownership. Then he sat out two games with a knee injury that club officials didn't believe was real. He ratcheted up his anti-management rhetoric after that until Sox general manager Theo Epstein was left with no choice but to get what he could for Ramirez. That Ramirez had already had become a major distraction was evident enough on Wednesday in the Sox's sloppy loss to the Angels. Ramirez had acted up before, demanding to be traded, but his dissatisfaction always faded, and all was forgotten. Principal owner John Henry might've thought Manny would turn around this time, too, but as the days passed, that possibility seemed increasingly remote. So, Sox management acted out of character and accepted less than full value in a trade. Hansen might one day discover the strike zone, and given a chance to play regularly, Moss has a good chance to be a solid major leaguer. The Dodgers, meanwhile, get to see if two months of Ramirez in baseball's weakest division is enough to get them into the playoffs. They don't have to pay his salary, either. They gave up two good young players to Pittsburgh, but they'll get two draft picks for Manny when he heads to free agency after the season. LA has nothing to lose with this trade. The Pirates give up one established player and get four kids with varying degrees of promise in return, all while reducing team payroll. It's a good deal for them. The Sox get Bay, a patient hitter (.375 career OBP OBP On Base Percentage (baseball, softball) OBP OpenBoot PROM (Sun Microsystems, Inc.) OBP On-Board Processing OBP On-Board Processor OBP Office of Border Patrol OBP Object Based Programming ) who is headed to his third 30-homer season in the last four years. He's not Manny Ramirez, though, and for the Red Sox that was all that mattered. Contact Paul Jarvey by e-mail at pjarvey@telegram.com. NAME: BOSTON RED SOX The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox are a member and currently champions of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball’s American League. From to the present, the Red Sox have played in Fenway Park. ART: PHOTOS PHOTOG pho·tog n. Informal A person who takes photographs, especially as a profession; a photographer. : AP FILE PHOTOS CUTLINE: (1) `C Boston made a blockbuster trade, sending Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers ... (2) ... and picking up Jason Bay from Pittsburgh in a three-team deal. (3) Manny Ramirez hit 274 home runs for the Red Sox and helped them win a pair of World Series. |
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