Manny

i called the dodgers' acquisition of MR a trainwreck when they got him.

i can't help but want to give him a hug right about now.

who woulda thunk?

 

Longtime Bosox disliker that I am, I find myself strangely rooting for them to advance to a meeting with Manny in the World Series.

 

Aw, Tomas, we know you just want to give everyone a hug, you big softy.

 

Manny will eventually wear out his welcome in LA the way he did in Cleveland and Boston. But as long as he's motivated and happy where he is, he's a great hitter with a flair for the dramatic. As a Red Sox fan, I hate the way he left, but I have to acknowledge that while he was there, he came through with some great moments that helped them win two World Series and slay the ghost of the Babe. For that, he'll always remembered with a measure of fondness in Bawston.

 

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think the Red Sox make the playoffs this season had they not traded Manny. And the Dodgers for certain stay at home this postseason without him.

And, maybe it's just me again, but the Red Sox don't come close to winning two World Series without Manny.

Manny wanted out. I didn't like it, but it's not like it didn't work out for both sides.

 

WFW

 

Tough to wear out your welcome when you are only there for three months.

 

Yep, he had to go.

 

I am not so sure that Manny would wear out his welcome in LA. If there is a manager that can handle Manny's weirdness, it is Torre. And there is a fine line between a town being devoted to its team and being obsessed. LA is devoted to the Dodgers, But it isn't obsessed. LA fans are more likely to shrug and go, "As long as he is hitting homers, I don't care if he acts weird." Boston fans are never going to do that.

 

When it does come down to it in the offseason, do you think he stays in Los Angeles and an atmosphere he appears to enjoy, or is he just headed to the highest bidder?

 

Manny, let me answer that one for you. [/$cott Bora$]

 

A MEASURE of fondness?

No member of that 2004 team - from Pedro to Ortiz to Manny to dave Roberts, to the training staff, to Theo Epstein, to the groundkeepers - should have to pay for a meal or a beer in New England ever again.

Red Sox fans who complain about ANYTHING need to remember the feeling they had the last time it looked like the Baseball Gods were against them. Remember how it felt when Aaron Frackin' Boone hit the homer. TWO Series in four seasons! Ever expect that in your lifetime? Did you expect even one after Boone hit that homer?

Be honest, now.

This is like how I have to remind the USC fans who lament "having to play in the Rose Bowl AGAIN!" that not so long ago, Paul Hackett was running that program into the ground.

The Dodgers just won a single playoff round for the first time in 20 years (whoa, got a little carried away). It'll be a couple years before I have a bad word to say about a single one of these players, so low have my expectations become. Were they to reach the World Series, I would say nothing negative about the franchise for a decade. Winning it would mean no bad feelings for two decades.

I do love manny right now. I also want him to get overpaid somewhere else, likely New York.

It's so tough to win in baseball. It must be savored and appreciated. And Manny might have left town with more than a bit of rancor, but there is no way the Red Sox tasted championship glory without him. I'm surprised that a group that prides itself so much on its knowledge of the game - as Red Sox fans do - has been so quick to dismiss his contribution.