What, you honestly thought the trade deadline would roll around and
Manny Ramirez wouldn't demand a trade? This has become more of a yearly tradition than Arbor Day. And Manny isn't done yet. He still has a few hours left of Deadline Day to make some noise.
The latest deal
peddled by ESPN includes names of some good young players (
Josh Willingham,
Jeremy Hermida, etc.). It also includes the Pirates'
Jason Bay and
John Grabow. To top it all off, the Marlins apparently are asking for some young prospects to be packaged with Manny to sweeten the deal.
All of this shocks me only because the Marlins' payroll is $22 million, $2 million more than what Ramirez makes in a year. Just putting that out there.
Furthermore, how could the Red Sox be so stupid? Trading away the second-best hitter of our generation for Jason Bay, a guy who hit .247 last year and isn't even the best player on his team? Really?
It's easy to say that Boston just wants Manny to go. It's easy to send him to Miami where he will party himself to death and soak up the love as the newest superstar in town. But it's too harmful to the franchise to trade him away for 60 cents to the dollar. Manny is still one of the best hitters in baseball, and for all the critics who say he can't field, just watch a game. He may look lazy. He might even resemble the infamous 10-year-old left fielder from little league at times, but Manny can field. And he can gun people down from the left-field warning track, too. That value cannot be overlooked.
And, at 36, Manny has at least two good seasons left in his tank. This is a Hall of Famer we're talking about, not some Triple-A pitching prospect. Getting full value for him is critical to the Red Sox success this season. And if they send Manny south or anywhere else for anything less than another superstar in return, it's a wasted opportunity.
Stay tuned.
Let's get to the rapid fire ...
--
Josh Childress, arguably the ugliest basketball player ever,
took the money and ran to Greece last week, jarring the NBA and the Atlanta Hawks all in one move. He reportedly took a three-year, $20 million deal from Olympiakos (Oh-lim-pe-AH-kose), a club far better known for its soccer. Time will only tell, but my sources tell me Childress had to sign a clause in his contract that will pay the Greeks back about $19 million once they realize he is terrible.
-- Oh,
Donaghy.
-- The Dark Knight was the best movie I saw this summer. Did you know
Christian Bale is actually English? He does a great American accent.
-- Must. See.
Step Brothers.
-- Remember
Ron Artest? Apparently, like most of us,
Yao Ming only
remembers him from a few years ago. Both sides, shockingly, have OK arguments. Artest has every right to defend his actions, even if they were unbelievable (Dude had a beer poured on him by some clown from Detroit. I'd run into the stands, too.); Yao also has every right to wonder if Artest has matured at all.
The point is this: If you, a professional basketball player in the United States, have a beer poured on you and react with a quick dash into the stands and a couple of haymakers, that image will forever stick in the minds of many. In fact, it's still referenced by a bunch of people I know as a main reason they don't watch the NBA anymore. Of course, they all came out of the woods when the Celtics starting winning, but who's counting, right?
-- I'm starting to
notice a
trend. As far as I'm concerned, good riddance. There has to be something done about one-and-done players in college hoops. The question is, what can be done? And what is legal?
-- Where is our society
going?
-- Really, Kevin Coster?
Swing Vote?
-- Pitt signed
a five-star recruit. Of course it happens after I leave. If DeJuan Blair is still there for the 2009-2010 season, I may just have to move back to Pittsburgh to watch them.
-- Brendan Fraser is the worst actor ever. Period. That he has two movies out at once is a ploy. And here's your answer, Brendan: No, four hours of movie out at once does not and will not make up for the simple fact that you are a terrible actor who makes terrible movies. Please leave us alone. Oh, and one more thing, to writers in Hollywood: You really think
this guy can play a professor? Professors have doctorates, the highest possible degree from a higher education institution.
My parting thought for today is simple: Go away, Brett Favre. Please. Now. Thank you.
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