End of an Era

It is sad really. After the comments delivered by Manny Ramirez before tonight's game, I find it a certainty that he will be dealt before tommorow's trade deadline.

The Red Sox don't deserve a player like me. During my years here, I've seen how they [the Red Sox] have mistreated other great players when they didn't want them to try to turn the fans against them. "The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy. I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don't deserve me. I'm not talking about money. Mental peace has no price, and I don't have peace here."

It became clear to me since the famous shoving of Jack McCormick, that Manny has wanted out of Boston. His lack of hustle, fight with Kevin Youkillis, and abomination in catching a fly ball in Anaheim were the steps leading to his parting of his ways.

I am extremely grateful for everything Manny accomplished in his time here in Boston. I am grateful for his two world series rings and his world series MVP. He was exciting to watch for the past 8 years, there is no doubt about that. I was a huge Manny fan all along, often times claiming "In Manny I trust." This is a hard loss and is defintely sad.

But that fact of the matter is I root for the name on the front of the jersey. Ultimately I care about the Red Sox and would never have thought twice about Manny if he did not sign with the Sox back in 2001.

It is a new era for the Sox. I am happy to see Theo taking a proactive approach and actually getting something for Manny return as opposed to letting Manny go for free.

Hopefully this trade will jump start the dead-ass team known as the 2008 Boston Red Sox.

-Scottie

Bye Bye Manny

It always painful for a fan base to say goodbye to one of its icons. In my generation alone, I have had to come to grips with the parting of ways between the Boston Red Sox and a popular player on at least two different occasions.

I said goodbye to Nomar Garciaparra back during the 2004 trade deadline without a problem. The result was a World Series Championship. After that 2004 season, I had to say bye to the greatest pitcher of my generation in Pedro Martinez. The result was another World Series Championship in 2007. Pedro's numbers have been nothing notable since he went to the Mets.

I may have been the only man in New England that was upset to see Drew Bledsoe go to the Buffalo Bills. However, no one could rightfully argue that Tom Brady was not a suitable replacement for Drew. Ok, so Brady was far superior to Bledsoe and has won 2 Super Bowls on his own and one with the help of Drew.

Bruins fans have not shared this same fortune when it comes to parting ways with an icon. Ray Bourque was traded to the Colorado Avalanche so he could win a Stanley Cup. Joe Thornton was traded to San Jose so he could win an MVP. The Bruins are yet to reap any benefits.

All of this brings me to my point for writing this post. It is time to say goodbye to Manny Ramirez. Manny came here in 2001 and has given us the best years of his career. We have been fortunate to see possibly the greatest right handed hitter of all time. Manny is a lovable player whom Red Sox fans grew accustomed to. We tolerated his antics, whether it was cutting off a Johnny Damon throw or his annual July trade demands, because the man would put up numbers and win. I love Manny as much as the next Sox fan. But reality has set in.

Manny is 36 years old and has a club option worth 20 million dollars for next season. This is not the same Manny Ramirez who'd put up 45 home runs and drive in 160 runs. I would pay possibly more than 20 million for that Manny Ramirez. What the Sox would be getting is a man who will hit 25-30 home runs and drive in 110-115. A man who's numbers are on the decline and who's distracting antics are coming up more and more.

What are the alternatives?

I do not see a problem going after a free agent such as Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. Another option would be to sign Mark Teixeria and move Kevin Youkillis to left field. I also don't see a problem with keeping an outfield of JD Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Coco Crisp. Sure the power numbers would be down, but that outfield covers a lot of ground and would be exciting to see in terms of players who could shoot the gaps for extra bases.

Theo Epstein has a number of options when it comes to the end of the 2008 season. When it comes to judging talent and deciding whether to keep players or not, Theo has a flawless track record.

It pains me to say it but it will not bother me to see Manny being Manny somewhere else next season.

-Scottie

The Dark Knight

This past Thursday night I saw the midnight showing of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. I had been psyched out of mind to see this film since the end of Batman Begins when it was hinted that The Joker was the next villian. The anticipation mounted even more with the passing of Heath Ledger (the man who played The Joker) in late January.

I have always been a huge Batman fan since my brother first showed me the original Batman movie with Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as The Joker. I had also come to the conclusion The Joker is my favorite villian of all time. With all that being said I think I have laid the groundwork for this review.

I came away from the movie feeling that all the hype was justified. I compare to that of LeBron James before the actual 2003 NBA Draft. So much hype for something that had not been seen yet. Would the movie had been this financially successful on the first weekend without the death of Heath Ledger? No. Would it had been as eagerly anticipated had Ledger still been alive? Not at all. While there was already inherent anticipation because of Batman alone, it rose exponentially with the circumstances. However, with all that being said, I love the fact that the series has gotten away from the cartoonish comic book mindset, and has followed more of a psychological thriller creating complex characters that are far more intriguing than ordinary comic book characters.

While Ledger did a great job playing his role, I really felt that Aaron Eckhart was phenomenal as Harvey Dent. The Dent character was set up beautifully and I ended up truly emphasizing with his plight.

The "Christian Bale" series has been fascinating thus far. I have made it a point to go out and buy the The Dark Knight books sometime this week. Hopefully the series will continue and writer Christopher Nolan will be able to draw villians such as The Penguin and The Riddler out of the cartoon world and into the psychological drama.

Go see The Dark Knight. It will be the best 10 dollars you spend all summer.

-Scottie

Questions I will Attempt to Answer...

This week I intend on answering these questions...

1) Will I ever stay tuned to a Red Sox game for the rest of the season, or will I just shut it off when the starting pitcher is "relieved"?

2) When will The Sox win on the road?

3) Should Manny Ramirez be in the plans for this team's future?

4) Who is available on the trade market come July 31?

And lastly on a positive note...

5) Why is Dustin Pedroia so good?



-Scottie

Thank You James

Late Wednesday afternoon, James Posey reached an agreement with the New Orleans Hornets on a contract for 4 years worth roughly 24 million dollars. It is without a doubt in my mind that Posey was instrumental in the Boston Celtics winning their 17th banner. While I am upset that he is gone, I have learned that going after the pay day is what sports are all about for athletes today. I remember being heartbroken when Johnny Damon left the Sox for the New York Yankees.

However, I harness no ill will toward James Posey. I am grateful for what he contributed to the Boston Celtics. While the name Big Shot Bob is reserved for Robert Horry, I think that after this year's playoffs, we can assert a new nickname for James Posey. Big Game James. His signing was under the radar after the acquistions of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. But it is defintely one signing that Celtics fans should never forget.

Thank you James for your great 2007-2008 season. And thank you for your contributions in making Boston known as "Titletown."

From here the Celtics must look for someone to fill James' shoes. He is the glue that holds great teams together. Every great team has it. And Posey maybe all that New Orleans needs to get them over the hump. Who will the Celtics turn to? Darius Miles? Tony Allen? Stephon Marbury?

Mark my words, James Posey will be missed.

-Scottie

Guess Who's Back... Back Again

After much goading by many friends, I have decided to re-dedicate myself to the world of blogging. I honestly did not know that I had as many loyal readers as I apparently do. I will give an honest effort to throw my two cents in on a bevy of subjects for your entertainment. I would most like to thank those at my day job that have fueled the fire with enough sports arguments to keep me from any sort of writers block.

I will be back with a venegence!

-Scottie