What started as a simple and impolite exchange of e-mails last Friday has turned into your benefit. Back by popular demand, we bring you We Said, She Said, in which we square off in a battle of wits with Lizzy of Babes Love Baseball (and now the collective Playing The Field). The subject this time: Manny Ramirez. We let Lizzy go first because it’s the polite thing to do.

Lizzy: I just want to preface this entry by saying Randball has provoked me into a war of words while I AM ON VACATION. But, since I love to hear it from you people, here we go. The Manny trade was justified. And I’m not being an ungrateful fan by saying so.

You know when you’ve been dating someone a very long time, and the magic is just gone? All you do is fight. The sex is infrequent. And being together is just exhausting? That’s how the relationship with Manny, The Red Sox Organization, and Red Sox Nation got. I love Manny. He was a huge part of two of the most memorable night’s of my life. But when you intentionally start mailing games in, not running out ground balls and refusing to play, you’re hurting my team, the very thing I live and die by from April to October. When you’re creating a clubhouse distraction, when your teammates (Varitek, Lowell, and Pedroia) are not so subtly suggesting that they are through with you, you’re no longer something I want to be on my team. When Manny’s on, and when Manny’s happy … God, you just get chills looking at that swing. But the problem was, he was starting to pitch hissy fits more than actually participating. And that’s indicative of a much larger problem. And finally, the reports that surfaced in the Boston Globe the day after the trade, where Scott Boras allegedly called Theo and said if the Sox promised to drop both Manny’s options that “he’d no longer be a problem?” SEE YA, DOOD.

As far as the Sox getting hosed, yeah, maybe sacrificing Brandon Moss was a little much. But I’ll be shocked if he devlops into more than just a 4th outfielder. Craig Hansen? GOOD RIDDANCE. What a bona fide meathead. All the talent in the world, but nothing between the ears. Jason Bay, though? I’ve been salivating over him for two years. He’s been on two of my fantasy teams. His numbers and Manny’s are very close this year. Bay at Fenway? I can’t wait. I’ve accepted the fact that good hitters are more productive at Fenway Park because of its dimensions. Jason Bay will be no different, and his first two games at Fenway lead me to believe that I’m probably right. Finally, Bay is 29. His best years are still ahead. It’s a move for the future.

Maybe the Sox won’t go winning any championships this year, and I’m OK with that, because the very thing that got them the 2007 World Series, the delicate balance of youth and veterans, got a little stronger with the acquisition of Jason Bay. Perhaps it will be addition by subtraction, or maybe it’ll take a little longer for this one to pan out than the blockbuster of ‘04. This was a messy breakup that was long overdue, and while I like to remember Manny for all the good times (running into left field with a water bottle in his pocket, “I don’t believe in no curses, I believe you make your own destination.”) some of my fellow Sox fans aren’t so forgiving. A much more emotional rant written by a buddy of mine can be found here. Well, Manny, we’ll always have 2004. And 2007.

RandBall: We get it, Lizzy. In fact, we have to say this was one of the most rational and well-reasoned things you have ever written. Unfortunately, it still sounds like a fan trying to convince herself that this was the right thing when a part of her knows that a team should never trade a player of Manny’s caliber in the middle of a pennant race.

He is a difference-maker. He alters the entire landscape of a lineup and a game. He scares the [redacted] out of opposing pitchers, managers and fans. He was the glue — the crazy glue, mind you — that kept those weird and winning Red Sox teams together. Now they’re just a collection of parts without a man in the middle. Maybe things were a little strained. Maybe his precious teammates were tired of his antics. Maybe poor, suffering Red Sox Nation had seen enough of his clutch hitting. Hey, how’s he doing with his new team, anyway? Oh, he’s batting .615 with a pair of home runs? You don’t say!

Your guy Jason Bay has done quite well so far, too. But to continue the indelicate analogy you started with Manny Ramirez, this new fling of yours is a fun rebound, but come October he’s going to be sitting on the couch watching TV while you sit there wondering where the spark went. Know why? Because he’s not Manny Ramirez. Nobody is scared of Jason Bay. He’s a nice player, but he’s not a lineup changer. He doesn’t alter innings. He doesn’t make David Ortiz better.

Sorry, Lizzy. We like you. We really do. But the Dodgers got the better player in the deal, and that’s usually the team that wins the deal. Maybe you don’t think it’s that simple. Maybe emotion has clouded your judgment. But we have to consider this to be a huge blunder. Consider it the new curse. Enjoy your next championship in 2093.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 at 11:30 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.