Manny We Hardly Knew Ye

Four years ago today, I was driving home from a weekend in New York City and I was raving.  What is Theo thinking?  Who the heck are these guys?  How do you give up Nomar, after trying to extend his contract, and get basically nothing in return.

It's possible I was more angry with myself for not being in Boston when the big deal went down.  I remember being huddled around the television in the hotel room, trying to get information from ESPN, while I worked my cellphone to find out from friends tuned into WEEI back in Boston just what the heck was going on.  I told more than a few people the Red Sox had thrown in the towel for the 2004 season.  Turns out the towel was a World Series banner.

It was at the end of that season we learned a few things:  We learned that Nomar had become a major distraction in the clubhouse (no one would go so far as to call him a cancer, but he wasn't happy and he was bringing people down with him).  We learned that, contrary to popular belief, Theo knew what he was doing.  Mostly, I think we learned that on the outside of the clubhouse looking in, the fan base knows very little of the day-to-day operations of the ball club.  Give them credit for that.

It was after the 2004 season I vowed to live by the mantra, "In Theo We Trust" and I will continue to live by it until he proves otherwise.  Do I think giving up Manny is going to help us win a World Series?  Not from where I am sitting, but then again, I am on the outside looking in, as is everyone else outside of the team.  If Terry, Theo and all but one veteran player on the Sox team voted to trade Manny, then trade him they must.  Unlike the Nomar trade, I won't lose sleep over it (maybe I lost sleep from those New York hot dogs giving me heart burn, but no matter).

I will miss Manny.  I have been blessed to be at Fenway for some amazing Manny moments.  I was there on a Friday night in April during his first season with the Sox, when the Yankees decided to pitch to him with first base open in the bottom of the 9th inning; his base hit sent the winning run home, I watched from the grandstand  the day he became a U.S. citizen and he ran out to left field carrying an American flag.  I cheered from my Right Field Box seat when he hit a homerun against the Angels to win game two of the Division Series in 2007.  We laughed many nights when Manny would run out onto the field, and no one would follow him, and he'd be standing out there by himself laughing.  My friend John will never forget the day, while we sat for the first time on top of the Green Monster, he played catch with Manny between innings of a game.  (Damon lost the ball he brought out for warm-ups, John got Manny's attention, tossed him the ball, and Damon and Manny played catch.  Manny then threw the ball back to John.)  I have seen him more times than I can remember cut down a runner at second base because his throw would trick the runner into thinking he was just lobbing the ball back to the infield.

But for as many times as we laughed at and cheered for Manny, we cried when his antics lost the Sox runs and even games.  We don't need to get into the fielding errors, the slow trot to first base on a ground ball, etc., etc., etc. 

I will miss Manny.  I'll miss his smile, his funny antics, and most assuredly, his hits.  But for now, I continue to live by my mantra:  In Theo We Trust.

* * *

Not for nothing, but how would you like to be Jason Bay?  Think he feels any pressure tonight, being Manny's "replacement?"  Bay has already made comments that he could never replace Manny, but don't tell that to Coco Crisp, who was slotted in to be Johnny Damon's replacement in centerfield.  I feel for this guy, who is certainly an above (maybe way above?) average hitter and could do very well playing for a team his father has always cherished.

I'll be at the game tonight, and would like to call on all of Red Sox Nation to stand-up and cheer for Jason Bay during his first at bat.  No disrespect to Manny intended; I just want to make the guy feel welcomed!