Welcome Jason Bay; Manny being Mannyland

The dust has settled. Manny is in LA. Jason Bay is in Beantown. The hype is quieted down just a tad, but there's still MUCH to talk about, including the fact that Manny wanted to stay.

First off, Jason Bay. Could the Fenway crowd have given him any more of a heartfelt welcome last night? Very classy folks. Very classy. The guy even brings home the winning run in the 12th AND makes a nice catch in left. Very nice start to what I hope will be a productive last third of the season and a great 2009.

As for Manny, well he grounded into a double play to end the game last night. Oh well. The one thing that I thought was hilarious was Dan Shaughnessy's column today. While the guy gets under my skin a lot, he seems to be writing what I'm thinking a lot as of late. Did you see what he had to say about Normar trashing the Sox?

In yesterday's Los Angeles Times, Nomar told Bill Shaikin, "Manny said he didn't want to leave [Boston]. I didn't want to leave there . . . We're not the only ones that have gone through it. There's a track record. I played with Mo [Vaughn]. I played with Roger [Clemens]."

Right, Nomie. You played in Boston and you hated it. You turned down a four-year, $60 million offer from the Sox before you got yourself shipped out of town in 2004.

I love his sign off on the column:

In the end, Boston proved too much for the man. There'll be none of that nasty "intensity" here in La-La Land. Maybe they'll let Manny leave in the seventh inning with the rest of the fans.

And oh yea, did you see who was creeping over Manny's shoulder as LA rolled the all-star out for the press?

None other than Danny boy from the Globe:

 

Here's your caption: "Manny Ramirez is introduced to the LA media. Also, in a stunning announcement, the Boston Globe has relocated Dan Shaughnessy to the west coast so he can tail Manny like the paparazzi does to Britney Spears. Said Shaughnessy, 'Manny thought he got the star treatment in Boston? Wait, just wait.'"

As for the story that Manny wanted to stay. What the heck is that all about? That confirmed to management that he was, in fact, trying to submarine the season for the Sox. He didn't want to be here. The Sox didn't want him here. It all came down to Manny wanting to know what the situation was post this season. The Sox, as they always do, wait until the last second to make decisions on player movement. They want to make sure they are investing in the right stocks, so to speak. Maybe they wanted to see how he finished the season, if he was going to play nice. When the Sox were quiet on the contract front, Manny started to become a pain in the butt. He wanted to come into this season, get locked up for another three years, etc. and play ball.

The Sox, on the other hand, wanted to wait and weight their options. Manny, being the spoiled star that he is, didn't want to wait. He wanted answers but the Sox weren't going to give it to him when he wanted it. They were going to take the necessary steps to do whatever was best for the team. It's that simple. The team is in the driver's seat...always. Players need to understand that. Yea, players can sit, pout, whine, take three straight strikes in protest of not wanting to bat, say your knee is hurting you, etc. At the end of the day though, the team has the power.

Clear evidence of that fact is seeing Manny wearing #99 on the west side and not #24 on the east side.