Let it be said up front that I have oposed trading Manny all along for a host of reasons, two looming largest. The first is that no matter what, we are not getting equal value for him. Manny puts up monstrous numbers. No one could give us equal value in return, and getting two nickels for a dime would have been dumb.The second is that the chief concern with trading him has been payroll-related, and frankly, those issues are both less salient as his contract comes into line as being more reasonable now that we are approaching the back end of it, and such concerns are largely insignificant anyway -- who takes the Sox seriously when they whine about payroll? They sell out every day even with the most expensive seats in basdeball, they sell scads of merchandise and concessions, and they have increased seating at Fenway. Hell, the Sox sell out every single spring training game in Fort Myers. Red Sox fans are insane and support the team at an ungodly level. The Sox are 'haves" in the Moneyball world. That they have resources AND have Moneyball management sense is a huge factor in their success, but they should not lose sight of the fact that they can afford superstars to supplement the sabrmetric, efficient approach that Theo and the braits trust generally supports. Keep in mind that for all of the hubbub about Moneyball, it still takes more than simple smart thrift to get deep in the playoffs. Ask Billy Beane.
So with Manny now in the fold and allegedly happy as can be, and with Sox fans relieved that we were able to trade off his late appearance in southwest Florida for his agreement not to play in the World Baseball Classic, it is worth considering some of the thoughts in this recent piece in the Globe.
Basically, Manny is healthy, he came back absolutely ripped, he is talking MVP, he took his penthouse at the Ritz off the market, his wife just had a second baby, he has more than replaced Johnny Damon's follicular follies with a new orange dreds combo that is all the rage, and he wants to put up monster numbers. That all sounds very good to me.
Manny is a manchild, and you never know when one of his Manny moments will take place. There will be anywhere from six to ten delicate situations when he says his hammys hurt and he takes time off. At some point he may well walk right from the shower out on to the field buck naked. No one would be surprised. The voracious New England media will be on the lookout for every foible, flaw, or screwup, never mind any moments that appear to indicate Manny putting himself above the team. But for all of that, here is what we are going to get: An OPS of .1100, 150 rbi, 40 home runs. If he stays healthy and hungry and the Sox are in it until the end, those numbers may rise. If not, they may settle at .1050, 145, 35 -- still MVP numbers. Knowing this, I am very happy for Manny to be Manny and for him to do so patrolling rightfield in his "Caution: Hardhat Zone" sort of way.
Meanwhile, Schilling says that he is feeling better than he has in two years. The sound I just made as I typed those words? Think of Homer Simpson near the forbidden jelly donut, and you'll have a pretty good idea of the drooling incoherence that escaped my lips. In a few days I'll be in Fort Myers. A report will follow. In the meantime, it'll be catch as catch can. Go Sox!!!
3 comments:
I believe the forbidden donut was not jelly--I distinctly remember it having a hole in the middle, indicating it was some other type. I believe the poison donut that Mr. Burns wanted to plant in the employees' donuts was to be a jelly donut, but his lawyers informed him that such a ploy may have some legal snags.
We're going to need to fact check this -- I am almost certain it is a forbidden jelly donut.
I am next to certain that the forbidden donut had a hole in the middle and had pink frosting and sprinkles on it.
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