Soxwoman Speaks

Seriously. He's gone. Yeah, it's a great day-if you're a Yankee or a Rays fan, anyway. For those of you who drank the Kool-Aid about him being such a cancer and a clubhouse distraction, I still defy you to look me in the eye and tell me this how makes the Red Sox a better team. I chalIenge all the empty corporate suits in the audience to look beyond the hatchet job and see how this actually improves the Red Sox lineup (hint: it doesn't). I also challenge the unnnamed Red Sox players who supposedly told that blowhard Cafardo how "tired" they were of him to pull the poker out of their asses and please try to perform to half his level (just for kicks, since the All Star game, J.D. Drew is hitting .186, Mike Lowell and Jacoby Ellsbury worse than that) so maybe, just maybe, they can aspire to third place now.

Congratulations to Theo Duquette, er, Dan Epstein, er, Theo Epstein. You've been trying to get rid of manny since 2003, and this time you finally succeeded, without so much as a by-your-leave. It can be "your" team now, friend, without any further Duquette stain on it. Yes, I know Manny didn't make it easy, but it's your job to deal with those issues, and show some leadership. Just once-JUST ONCE-I would like the Red Sox to resolve a difficult player situation with something other than a food fight. You know, the thing is if they had let him go at the end of the season and just decided to cut ties I would have no problem. He doesn't want to be here, we don't want him here, it's over. Fine. There is nothing wrong with making a business decision. The problem is with the reports of him faking injuries (like Nomar) or tanking a game against the Yankees (like Nomar). This group is looking more like the Swift Boaters every year. It's not enough just to end a relationship-they have to make sure they guy is crucified on the way out, so they don't lose public support in the short term.

Interesting, too, the public reaction to other players acting like asses this season. Curt Schilling bad mouthed the Red Sox all spring training (and of course just had to get his two cents in on EEI this afternoon. Schilling opening his mouth on something that doesn't concern him, there's a shocker), and Kevin Youkilis has practically said the fans don't deserve to enjoy the successes of their respective franchises. Yet, no one gets their BLEEP in a wad about that. Wonder why.

What's done is done. If the problem really was all Manny, well, you'd just expect that all of a sudden Mike Lowell would revert to contract year form, Jacoby Ellsbury would flash a little of that '07 post season leg, or Josh Beckett would stop the PTSD flashbacks of that '06 Cleveland game, wouldn't you? Yeah, we'll see.

Well, I'm certainly not going to take it out on Jason Bay. Guy is probably already throwing up over the thought of having to replace Manny Ramirez. Booing players doesn't usually bother me any-occupational hazard, I figure-but I will personally take a hatchet to the toes of the first moron in the stands I hear yelling Manny's name if the guy hits into a double play or misplays the wall. Welcome to Boston, Jason. I hope you succeed and are very happy here. And to hear people talking today, no one is going to even care if you only hit .050 with RISP as long as you always dive after balls and leg out every weak grounder to second like you were chasing a mechanical rabbit.

But that doesn't change the fact that I love Manny and will miss him forever. Goodbye, old friend, and a heartfelt thank you for almost eight of the most entertaining years of baseball I have known. I'm sure they'll love you in Dodgertown, too, but it won't be the same. I hope that someday you can look back on your years with us with a little less bitterness than you feel now and realize if it were up to us, you never would have left.