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My Last Manny Man Love Post (Part 1)
by the goat… I know, I know I need to let it go, but we have until wednesday before the MLB playoffs start and the Patriots had a bye week (hopefully Tom Brady got #12 sewn up by now so he can stop wearing #16). There is nothing much to talk about, so I am sneaking in my last Manny post (which conviently has two parts).
Manny opened up a bit in an interview with T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times recently and the big picture is starting to develop. It is hard to piece it all together living under the spell of the Boston media, so I am going to lay it out for everyone.
Most people here get 90% of their Red Sox “news” from Dan Shaughnessy and Bob Ryan, the two worst reporters in the history of the english language. Bob is just an out of touch toolbag who for the last five years has been on a constant audition for ESPN with his over the top schtick. Dan Shaughnessy should be writing for the National Enquirer. His stories are rarely true and are so sensational that they should have original Batman television show style cartoon captions accompanying them. “Manny ate Terry Francona’s baby!” Kapow!
All of these stories that came out about Manny’s antics, they were leaked by the Red Sox to douches like Shaughnessy by other douches in the Red Sox front office (alot of douching, I know). Namely Larry Luchino. It is what he does when they are about to make a trade involving a beloved player. He did it to Nomar Garciaparra. He leaked stories about him faking an injury to get people to think Nomar had to go. It is a crap tactic and Theo was so pissed over it that he quit and fled Fenway in a gorilla suit. Now I am not saying Manny didn’t want to get traded, I am just saying that the story we were getting was nothing more than Red Sox propaganda filtered by tabloid reporters. Think about it.
As all loyal B.S.P. readers know, I have long professed my undying man love for Manny, so I do not claim to be 100% objective either. I just want to get the other side of the story out there for some of you who don’t read everything you can on the greatest manchild in the history of baseball.
In the interview with Simers Manny made a few key points about the lack of privacy for him in Boston, and how he felt like he was living in a cage. I want to point out that this supposed fire breathing, horrible teammate, never threw one person under the bus by name. He also goes out of his way to say that he loved the fans, he just hated, get ready for the big surprise… Read more
Welcome To The Machine
-Today we have the much anticipated debut post of Tiny Danza. He brings it hard as expected, coming right out of the gates with a fuck you to the Yankees and the Pink Hats of Sox Nation. Nice work Tiny.
- by Tiny Danza… Earnest Hemingway once wrote in The Old Man and the Sea - “…Son never lose faith in the Yankees.” Well fuck Hemingway! He ended up in Cuba anyway didn’t he? And fuck The Yankees! Their season, dynasty and crummy little “house” have all crumbled before our very eyes. And while the love fest at B.S.P is going down I’m comin’ with a lovin’ spoonful for my main man Theo “Boy Genius” Epstein. While many of us were crying in our Yaz painter’s caps because Billy “Moneyball” Beane spurned the Sox and their lucrative offer in ‘02 to take over baseball operations. The Sox subsequently hired a young nobody and Luchino protege named Theo Epstein. Upon being hired Theo outlined 4 prominent organizational goals which are outlined and dissected in the proceeding paragraphs:
1. Re-build the moribund minor league system by making it a “…player development machine” -Check
The Yankee dynasty of yesteryear was not solely the by-product of the Steinbrenner Cabbage farm, but came to fruition in spite of it. Contrary to popular belief those Championship Yankee teams were built upon the backs of: Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Pettite, Williams, Soriano and Mendoza (yes there WAS a time he was very effective) all drafted and developed in their system to form a rock solid nucleus. Homegrown cheap talent filling spots at: S.S., CL, C, SP, C.F, 2nd, RP encompassing the most important positions in middle of the field.
Possessing upwards $200 million didn’t hurt either, well at least not at first. You see having that much Cabbage allows teams/G.M.’S to be more aggressive but also allows/exaggerates their mistakes e.g., Pavano, Irabu, Giambi, etc. etc.. And like the call of the siren, the allure of pricey free-agents and sexy trades at the expense of young/cheap talent will leave your franchise stranded on the rocks for YEARS. Just LOOK at the Yankees pitching staff for next year as proof. $200 mill and you’ve got: Rivera, Joba, and well…. SHITE! Hughes and Kennedy have been less productive than Irabu the infamous “Fat Toad” in the popular Yankee fable. Mussina and Pettite both faced Honus Wagner as rookies while Pavano will be retiring giving his body to medical research. A confluence of events that’s left the once proud Yankee farm system as potent as a Giuliani seamen sample and the roster just as useless. All the while BOY WONDER has stockpiled: Beckett (TRD), Dice (FA), Lester, Delcarmen and Papelbon in their collective prime, with Bucholz, Masterson, Bowden, and Bard on the horizon. Not to mention: Youk, Pedroia, Ellsbury, Lowrie in the everyday line-up with Lars Anderson, and Argenis “I’ll win 8 gold gloves” Diaz on their way. The indisputable fact remains that in 4 years the Sox farm system has gone from laughing stock to “player development machine”. Welcome to the machine my friends welcome.
2. Reach the Post-season every year - *5 out of 6
Technically *4 of 5 as Theo’s contract dispute kept him Read more
The Thrill Is Gone
by the goat… Is it just me or has this pennant race been less exciting than a pre-season curling match between Rolling Dust Retirement Home and Trembling Hills Recovery Hospital? It is just impossible to get fired up about a Red Sox series/race with the Tampa Bay Gays.
There is no giddiness, no hatred, no feelings of urgency. Let the Rays win it, they aren’t going anywhere in the playoffs anyway. No matter when it happens the Sox/Angels series is going to be the true ALCS.
I am about to say the most ridiculous thing I have ever said in my life… I miss the Yankees. They’re kind of like the friend you had in high school that you’re not sure how you even became friends with. The one who annoys the shit out of you, but then you miss him when he’s gone.
Screw the Rays and their six fans.
On another note, the Patriots are back to playing boring ass football too. Defense and Special Teams, Yawn. Another championship on it’s way, hooray Boston. All this winning is seriously getting tiresome. Even Brady still just looked “normal” last Sunday. His shirt must have been ripped worse than thought because he is still wearing number 16 for some reason.
I am surprised we haven’t heard anything about Tom abandoning number 12, I would think the media would notice something like that. Oh well, he is the best quarterback in the world no matter what number he wears.
Somebody give the goat something to get excited about. Maybe the Bruins will pull a deep playoff contender out of their ass this season. Yeah, and maybe Fenway will sell dollar drafts throughout the playoffs.
Lil’ Dusty Is My New Hero
by the goat… It’s definitely not quite to the level of man love yet (we’ve already covered the “Samwise Gamgee” effect), but it is getting close. As of today I am officially bestowing hero status upon Dustin. I mean nobody is even close to as hot as he is right now.
It isn’t a Johnny come lately scenario though, he’s been doing it all year. It’s just that his exploits of late almost make you forget that he was an all-star before he went out of his mind.
Let’s check out an excerpt from Chad Finn’s blog “Touching all the bases” at boston.com:
But Pedroia’s numbers are staggering for a hitter of any stature. He’s leading the American League in batting (.330), hits (188), multiple-hit games (55) and runs (108) and third in doubles (43) and total bases (283). He has knocked in 22 runs in his last 19 games, is batting .600 over his last seven games, and has nine hits in 14 at-bats in the cleanup spot.
According to the Elias Stats Bureau via Buster Olney’s blog, Pedroia is the first player in Red Sox history with a five-run, a five-hit, and a five-RBI game in the same season. Considering the hitters who have graced this franchise, that is an incredibly impressive accomplishment.
Most BSP readers know by now that on the field achievements are only part of the battle towards goat hero status. There needs to be that intangible, some Je ne sais quoi if you will. Well a few posts back we found this article, here is a few good excerpts:
“There he is,” Pedroia says, “the only opposing player (Millar) who gets his own song played for him when he comes to the plate at Fenway.”… … “I’m telling you, if they play that song tonight, I’m stopping the game. I’m going up to the booth and fighting the guy at the controls. Enough already.”
On and on it goes. Day after day, in these pregame hours, Pedroia stirs the pot, dishing out threats and insults and mixing in bold predictions about his performance at the plate. He has already texted Millar, “Did you bring your glasses for the laser show tonight?”
When you add the way the guy is playing and the fact that he is a total prick to everyone, you have a borderline hero. There was just one thing missing, I couldn’t put my hoof on what it was though.
Then, on September third in the year of our Lord two thousand and eight, I saw a video of Dustin Luis Pedroia signing a ball for a fan. The fan says “I remember Jerry Remy”. Our Dustin hands the ball back to the man with these words… “Jerry Remy stunk!”. That’s right he did it, he called it like it was. Mr. Everywhere/ Red Sox GAYtion President/corporate shill/hot dog vendor finally got some due.
I kid you not, I would never joke about such an important day in our history. So without further ado:
(he drops it at the 5 second mark so pay attention)
Fucking Hero plain and simple. The man is a fucking hero.
Who Are These Guys?
by the goat… Ok the Sox are just mashing it right now, they’re making the White Sox look like The Royals. In their last 5 games they have outscored Chicago and the Spankees 37-10. It is just amazing how well they are hitting the ball right now, and they have been getting some nice pitching recently too. The most incredible part? They are doing it with this lineup…
- Ellsbury
- Lowrie
- Ortiz
- Pedroia
- Kotsay
- Bay
- Varitek
- Bailey
- Cora
Lil’ Dusty reportin’ for cleanup duty?! Michael Bowden was the starting pitcher? Seriously? If you showed me that lineup last year, I would say one of two things. Either the Red Sox are 20 games out, or Varitek and Ortiz are rehabbing in Pawtucket and that is the Paw Sox lineup.
But no, the Sox are only 4.5 games back in their division and hold a 3.5 game lead in the wild card. Now this next sentence might come as a shocker since I am usually a cynical bastard.
The Red Sox are showing the Yankees how a good organization works right now. Both teams have been ravaged by injury. The Red Sox have had 20 trips to the DL this season, and we’re not talking about role player type guys, we’re talking names like…
- Ortiz
- Schilling
- Beckett
- Drew
- Lowell
- Matsuzaka
- Wakefield
- Lugo
Many of the names on the list have been declared “disabled” more than once this season. (I’ve always wondered how actual disabled people feel about baseball’s insistence that “right shoulder tightness” makes someone “disabled”) .
Well Skanks, watch and learn. Instead of trading away every prospect you have for every high priced superstar you can get your hands on, maybe it is time to take a look at the Red Sox model.
Four key guys in the starting lineup, two starting pitchers and three key bullpen guys are homegrown talent. Also, remember when I called Theo out for only trading Manny and doing nothing else before the trade deadline? Well who needs to make moves before the deadline when you can get two key guys after it? (Byrd, Kotsay)
Kudos Theo and the Red Sox management for proving me wrong and restoring my faith in your organization and it’s master plan.
Just so you know I still believe that this is all happening through osmosis. When you are within the same state as Bill Belichick consistently, you just automatically become a sports management genius. Just ask Danny Ainge.
History Is Here
by the goat… Well it is upon us, the Red Sox are going into Yankee Stadium for what is definitely the last time in the regular season and most likely forever. I have to admit the gravity of it is actually starting to affect me. I didn’t give two shits about the nostalgia surrounding the All-Star game, but this seems different.
It is really strange to think that there will never be another wicked disappointment, another brawl or another magic run at Yankee Stadium for the Sox. I am feeling the history so much that I actually posted a photo of Yankee Stadium on BSP. It will never happen again, I assure you. Oh and if it makes you feel any better I am posting this from my brother in laws laptop, that way I didn’t have to download the picture onto mine. It would probably explode if I tried. Sorry Sean, I’ll delete it after.
This has all the makings of a great Sox Yanks series. A Sox sweep would virtually end the Yankees hopes at the post-season. How great would it be to slam the door shut on the Skanks’ season in the very stadium they are trying to extends longevity.
Buckle up, it’s going to be a great three days, and make sure to check in here. I am sure I will have lots to either rave or piss about.
Misplaced Man Love
by the goat… Okay it’s been long enough. I have come to terms with the fact that Manny is really gone. While I will always hold a special place for him in my heart, it is time to move on. I have been scouring the Boston scene for a place to deposit my man love and here are the finalists, all very deserving of man love in Boston:
- Jerod Mayo: This guy looks like he is going to be the real deal. A perfect fit for man love, he plays like his hair is on fire with zero regard for his own safety. Unfortunately it’s just too early to make a commitment to him, sorry Jerod maybe in a few years we can make some mustmayostardayonnaise.
- Jason Bay: A logical choice for sure, he is crushing the ball and looks to be settling into Boston nicely. I just simply can not overlook this photo. Posing with the lifeguard floaty thing is just too much for me to take. Jason loses out on a technicality.
- Tom Brady: Yeah he really needs more love.
- Eddie House: This one took a while. Eddie is very deserving in many ways. In the end the deciding factor was that he always has his kid with him. Even on the sideline during games. I mean how can you properly nurture a man love relationship with the kid always around?
- Lil Dusty Pedroia: This article is what got Dustin on the list, but in the end I would just feel a little too “Samwise Gamgee” giving my man love to such a Frodian.
- Paul Pierce: This post says it all.
- Jon Lester: Lester has emerged as the ace of the Red Sox staff this year. He is tough as nails and would be an excellent candidate if it weren’t for the fact that he is close with Curt “the Girth” Swilling. Sorry Jon but you’re guilty by association.
- Kevin Garnett: This post says it all, but in the end, like Mayo, it is just too soon.
In the end the decision came down to one thing. What is going to make me happiest. So I made a tough decision and came up with this:
My man love is staying with Manny Ramirez! I don’t give a shit what anyone says, we are going to make this long distance relationship work. If you don’t like it then take a hike.
Man Love
by the goat… I am so sad today that I can’t write. We went from this:
To this:
What am I supposed to do with my man love now?
Recent posts by the goat
- I Guess I'm Moving To Montana - October 28th, 2008
- Another Title For Massachusetts! - October 23rd, 2008
- Palin Kills Republicans Chances In Red Sox Nation - October 16th, 2008
Makin’ Moves (Calling Out The Wonder Boy)
by the goat… The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim sent Casey Kotchman to Atlanta for Mark Teixeira yesterday. Quite the aggressive move when you consider that Kotchman was leading the Angels in both batting average and RBI. When you then throw in the fact that he is under contract until 2011 while Teixeira is a free agent next year, you realize that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of the United States of North America of the Western Hemisphere of Planet Earth are dead set on winning this year. Almost as much as they are dead set on expanding their fan base by incorporating as many geographical locations into their name as possible.
So The Skanks addressed two of their needs with Xavier Nady and lefty specialist (a.k.a. Papi specialist) Damaso Marte and now the Angels are making moves to upgrade already strong positions. Even Milwaukee is being aggressive before the deadline (Sabathia).
You have to start wondering at this point if the Red Sox are as hell bent on repeating as once thought. All this action and all they can talk about is moving their most productive bat of the last seven years? Look, since what took place last week I am done with defending Manny’s character (I still have man love for him though), but let’s be objective for a minute. Value? Impossible. Pat Burrell you say? He is in the midst of a career year sure, but his overall career numbers (.260 AVG… yikes) tell the story, and remember he did that on the senior circuit. Just leave Manny where he is, pick up his option (so he can’t go to the Skankees) and trade him in the off-season.
The Sox need a shortsop and some middle relief to win now. If they don’t address either of those needs, but trade Manny, then I will have no choice but to conclude that they are not 100% dedicated to this season. Call me a cynic, but between this lack of moves, the refusal to pinch hit for Varitek late in games and Tito’s unusually snippy attitude in press conferences I am just not feeling it right now.
Oh Yeah the Sox are 1-7 since the All Star Break against teams that aren’t the horrendously bad Seattle Mariners. So that doesn’t help either.
In conclusion, Theo, I am calling you out Wonder Boy! Let’s see some of that 2004 Orlando Cabrera, Dave Roberts magic! I know you have it in you.
Recent posts by the goat
- I Guess I'm Moving To Montana - October 28th, 2008
- Another Title For Massachusetts! - October 23rd, 2008
- Palin Kills Republicans Chances In Red Sox Nation - October 16th, 2008
Minor League Brawl
by the goat…Wow. By now you’ve probably seen Julio Castillo fire this ball at the opposing teams dugout during a minor league brawl. It ricocheted into the stands and hit a fan. Here’s an excerpt from the ESPN story.
The fan was taken to the hospital after being hit by a ball thrown by Peoria (Cubs) pitcher Julio Castillo, who was throwing at the Dayton (Reds) dugout but missed during the first-inning melee between Midwest League teams.
The fan, who remains unidentified, was treated at Miami Valley Hospital and released, said hospital spokeswoman Nancy Thickel. She didn’t know the extent of the fan’s injuries.
Castillo was arrested and faces one count of felonious assault. He is in the Montgomery County Jail and has a court appearance Friday.
And now the video:
All the baseball writers are saying this is the most disturbing thing they have seen in baseball. Now I have to admit this is disturbing, but in reality it is just the act of a total wuss. You learn not to throw shit in a fight in like first grade. This Castillo fellow is obviously a sociopath.
That said, sociopath’s to me are much less disturbing than psychopaths. Sociopaths are just dumb and don’t know any better, they can smarten up. Psychopaths on the other hand know that what they are doing is insane, but do it anyway.
In my book this video of ex-Red Sox player Izzy Alcantara is the most disturbing thing ever to happen in a baseball game, not to mention the funniest shit on the planet. Izzy is incredibly diabolical, pre-meditated and precise in his plan and execution of this lunacy. It has to be more disturbing than the heat of the moment jackassery that Castillo pulled.
I mean come on, a karate kick to the catcher to make sure he can’t get him from behind, and with no hesitation a sprint to the mound to behead the pitcher? Sorry Julio but Izzy “belongs in Alcatraz” Alcantara has you by a mile.
Recent posts by the goat
- I Guess I'm Moving To Montana - October 28th, 2008
- Another Title For Massachusetts! - October 23rd, 2008
- Palin Kills Republicans Chances In Red Sox Nation - October 16th, 2008
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Beantown Weather
Boston MANovember 21, 2008, 4:12 am 
Partly cloudy
current temperature: 28°Freal feel: 16°F
humidity: 46%
wind speed: 11 mph W
Windgusts: 18 mph
sunrise: 6:43
sunset: 16:17
Forecast November 21, 2008 day 
Intermittent clouds
36°F
wind speed: 9 mph WNW
Windgusts: 16 mphnight 
Mostly cloudy
22°F
wind speed: 22 mph NW
Windgusts: 43 mph-
Action!