Saturday, August 2, 2008

time to move on

it may have been Manny that headed west to Hollywood, but it was Jason Bay who had the storybook ending last night, if you were to ask my opinion. (and i guess, since you're here, you sort of are.)

don't get me wrong. i have no bad feelings toward Manny. he had an amazing run... well... slow jog ;-) in Boston. and the memories are too many to count. *good* memories. i won't forget all the times we laughed. and all man-hugs and the cheering and the going back-to-back with Papi. and 500 home runs. and two sparkly World Series rings. those are the moments i will remember when i think of Manny. dreadlocks and baggy pants and that huge grin. not the last few weeks.

and i'm kind of hoping Remy gives it a rest now too. sincerely. what's done is done. Manny isn't in our clubhouse now. he's not even in our timezone (unless you're part of RSN-West). i'm ready to turn my face toward what we have now. our present and our future.

what a heck of way to make your Boston debut, Jason Bay. six at-bats. you reach base four times. sure, you walked twice, and also took one for the team. you came around the bags, after your first Boston plate appearance to score a run. you made a beautiful diving catch in the fifth. but you know what people will remember? that twelfth inning, two-out triple off the Monster. and Jed Lowrie beating one out to first allowing you to score the game-winning run.

(Boston Herald)
you, Jason Bay, are the anti-Manny, in all the right ways. you are humble and you play like a professional -- characteristics that have already won the fans over for guys like Mike Lowell & JD Drew & a long time ago, Jason Varitek. we like to be entertained, certainly, but this team needs balance and your quieter presence in the clubhouse may be just what the Sox need to calm the ripple effect Manny was having. our laughs, now, can come from Papi & the Mayor yukking it up on the dugout rail, from Pedroia flexing his "guns" (and his mouth) for the camera, from the bullpen pirate band. (see? you can feel right at home here! pirates!) and most of all, we can go back to cheering our boys instead of growing weary of the media-Manny circus with the front office playing ringmaster.

(i'm going to pause here just to say that i do find it somewhat ironic to hear that apparently Manny had some second thoughts on his way out the door. like maybe the Sox really *did* call his bluff & he wasn't quite so miserable in Boston as he liked to claim when his PMS kicked in like clockwork. stammering that wait, maybe he could stay? he was so concerned--or was it *Boras*--that he be a free agent for 2009, angling for a new contract, options ignored, that he lost sight of the fact that there was a 99% chance he would have had that even if he did finish out the season with the Sox. part of me felt a twinge of sadness for Manny, just a kid on the inside who loved to play ball. but most of me is over the merry-go-round of Manny's emotions and the media feeding frenzy that resulted. it also doesn't hurt that i already like our new leftfielder.)

and on that note, i am happy to welcome our newest addition to the team. i am excited by the effort he shows & the attitude he displays. i don't expect every game to go like a tv script, but i already feel comfortable with the way he fits into this ball club. may that standing ovation he received as he stepped to the plate as a Red Sock for the first time be just the first of many.
---------------------------------------------------
in other news:

**Mike Lowell is hurt & we don't know how badly yet. just that it's a right hip strain & it's been bothering him for a while now.

**Manny is still Manny: he started as number 99 last night. he's changing his number today. i may be ready for our new lineup--the constant drama was wearing on me & i just wanted a decision, whatever it would be--but i won't grow tired of hearing about Manny's quirks, where ever they may take place.

**are the Packers seriously offering Favre $20-million a year for ten years to just stay retired? and is he seriously considering?

4 with their own thoughts:

Ted D Saturday, August 02, 2008 9:00:00 PM  

Dawn, hitting a home run in your second game as a Sox player is another good way to gain some good will. ;)

I'll miss Manny; until the day he retires I'll wish he was still in Boston. But Jason Bay is a good, solid player and by the look of things tonight, I think he'll fit in just fine.

Nichole M Sunday, August 03, 2008 12:57:00 PM  

I'm glad we've got Bay! He seems like a good guy. Probably stuck into his brain from a kid when posters of Rice and Yaz were hanging up in his bedroom. :-)

Ingrid Sunday, August 03, 2008 4:37:00 PM  

I was really happy to see Bay have a great first game with the Sox. As a fan of another team, I still felt embarrassed watching Manny say and do the things he did, but he honestly was a fun part of watching Boston play and I'll miss the entertainment.

Rebecca Sunday, August 03, 2008 10:01:00 PM  

Yes, it was really kind of funny that Manny said he'd "behave" if they cancelled the trade. Clearly he didn't really want to leave. But I think I thought that all along. I think that Scott Borass (Mispelled on purpose) was baiting him along; if they (the sox) extended the options, he'd have made no money on the deal. It wasn't his deal to begin with. Otherwise, he'd have told Manny to shutup and not talk to the press. But it was in his favor for Manny to be traded.

And Manny did say from the get go he wanted another 4 years in Boston...

It's so sad the way it all went down. It didn't have to be this way. The end of an era. I found a fantastic article about him (Both pro and con) that I'll give you the link to.

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