Ding Dong, the (Boston Red Sox) Witch is Dead

           Ye Gods, they traded Manny. I, for one, didn’t think it was going to happen. Manny’s rant on ESPN Desportes, notwithstanding, my money was on him staying. Though now that he’s gone and Joe Torre’s problem, I’m not as surprised as I thought I’d be or as disappointed, either. Ok, let’s face it. . first ballot Hall of Famer, who worked hard at his primary objective – hitting baseballs. Can’t fault his work ethic there. It was the other stuff that was a little troublesome. Doggin’ it to first base. Getting’ a big kick out of failing to toss a ball in from left field? We all chimed the mantra – Manny being Manny, but you know what? I’m not at all sure if I were his boss instead of a relatively (and I stress, relatively) devoted fan, I wouldn’t have just fired him. Sorry, boyo, you may think it’s funny that a guy advanced a base ‘cause you were too full of yourself to hustle, but I don’t find it amusing. Nor do I think bad-mouthing management was all that amusing either. . . Later. .

           When you think about it, those annoying little Munchkins from the land of Oz were a bit premature with their celebration over the death of that witch. . of the East, she was. What they got, in her place, was a West witch with more attitude problems than her sister. Dorothy gets her in the end, but not before a few hairy episodes that called the whole ‘trade’ deal into question. They all might have been better off if they’d opted for the witch they knew, instead of incurring the wrath of the witch they didn’t know.

           So, we’ll see. . .Jason Bay. Jay Bay, like a third grade rhyme, hitting about the same as Manny in a seven year younger package. Not sure who pulled the trigger on this deal. Theo, one presumes, and there’s hope in that regard. Stupid, he ain’t, and it may actually prove to be the reverse of the Oz situation. He may have opted to go with a witch (Bay) that he did know, to replace a witch (Manny) who was going to be a big question mark as he aged and got crankier about money.

           Poll on AOL suggests that the Dodgers got the best of the whole deal, but don’t be surprised if all of a sudden this Bay kid turns into something. Could be a decent deal if Bay literally steps up to the plate and performs. Another AOL poll suggested, by a narrow margin, that the Red Sox can win the pennant and another World Series without Manny. I happen to believe that. He was one piece to the puzzle and trading that for a piece with what looks to be exactly the same shape and size, is not necessarily the bad deal it looks like on the surface. .

           Like I said, we’ll see