BRETT FAVRE COMING TO THE AFC EAST

The Patriots' division just got a little interesting. Brett Favre is a New York Jet. The Jets will send a conditional pick to Green Bay in exchange for the all-time interception leader. The conditions are based on the Jets' performance, as well as how many snaps Favre takes. For instance, if Favre takes 80% of the snaps, and the Jets make the Super Bowl; the trade will be for a 1st round pick. Hell will also need to be defrosted. Pigs crapping on people from the sky will make it dangerous to go outside. And emergency rooms will overflow with patients who have monkeys flying out of their asses.

This acquisition does improve the Jets. They now have a quarterback. Pennington went from being the "Next Tom Brady" to the "Next Scott Zolak" (no offense, Scott). And Kellen Clemens isn't very impressive, either. But Favre can win games on his own. He can also lose games on his own. And improving a team as bad as the Jets isn't exactly a major accomplishment.

The Pats play the Jets on the road on September 14th. They host the Jets November 13th.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
ESPN.com

ANOTHER 8-2 WIN FOR THE SOX

The Red Sox handled the Royals with ease once more. Wakefield earned a much deserved win, going 6 innings and allowing 2 runs (1 earned). Jason Bay continues to hit the ball well, he was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

David Ortiz was once again 1 for 5 with an RBI single. That makes him 3 for 25 since Manny was traded. He has yet to record an extra base hit since then. Again, I don't think he isn't getting good pitches to hit. The "experts" who don't actually watch the games are claiming that. But watching the games, he's getting decent pitches. He simply isn't hitting them. He's getting under ALOT of them, and is fouling many of them straight back.

The Sox are 5-1 since trading Manny, but let's not go bananas. They beat Oakland, then took 2 of 3 from Kansas City. This weekend will provide a truer test of their mettle as they go to Chicago to face the White Sox in a 4 game series starting Friday night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Ed Zurga

J.B. NIGHT IN K.C.

Jason Bay led a rare offensive explosion on the road, going 4 for 5 with a pair of doubles, a pair of runs, and a pair of RBI. Josh Beckett provided an equally rare Quality Start on the road, going 6.2 innings and allowing 2 runs. All of this and more combined for an 8-2 Red Sox win. It was the first time the Sox won a road game by more than 4 runs since July 3rd.

David Ortiz went 1 for 5 with an RBI single, but he still seems to be struggling. He's 2 for 20 in August. In other words, he's 2 for 20 since Manny was traded. Some (Rick Sutcliffe) have been suggesting the lack of Manny Ramirez's protection in the lineup is hurting him. But it didn't hurt him much last September, or in September of 2006. These were the last lengthy Ramirez injuries/vacations, and Ortiz continued to hit well. Most likely, he has been hampered by his nagging wrist problem, which he could even hear clicking the other night as he swung.

Tim Wakefield vs. Luke Hochevar in the rubber game.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Ed Zurga
G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images

SIGH... ON THE ROAD AGAIN

It could have been the absence of Mike Lowell, who was scheduled to take Monday off so he could get a shot for his hip pain. It could have been the fact that the game wasn't played in Fenway Park. But the real reason the Sox lost last night was because of Gil Meche.

Meche came into last night's contest having won his last three starts. He was 6-1 in his previous 10 starts, with a 2.65 ERA over that stretch. In other words, he's pitching well. And although the Red Sox got 4 hits and 5 walks off him, he struck out 9 batters in 6 innings, wiggling away from danger.

The Red Sox batters did their part by leaving 12 men on base. JD Drew's 0 for 4 hitting leadoff, and David Ortiz's 0 for 5 at the 3 spot hurt.

The Sox should recover on Wednesday when Beckett faces 7-9 Brian Bannister.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Ed Zurga

BAY-UTIFUL

All the plays on the word "Bay" are making me sick, and I make myself sick for participating. But Jason Bay had a solid debut for the Red Sox, scoring both runs, getting on base 3 times, and making a nice diving catch in the field.

But Jed Lowrie and Tim Wakefield were the true heroes of the night. Lowrie knocked in both Sox runs. Wake pitched 6.1 scoreless innings. It's unbelievable that he's 6-8 considering how well he's pitched this season.

Okajima continues to struggle. The Sox were well on their way to a 1-0 win when he allowed a solo homer in the 8th that tied things up. Apart from Okajima, the bullpen looked sharp. But I wonder where Masterson was.

Lowell had to leave the game in the 10th with a right hip strain. He limped off first base after legging out an infield single. It was hard to tell exactly when he hurt it. It's just one of those baseball things. No word yet on how severe the strain is, or what if Lowell will miss any time.

Jon Lester faces Dana Eveland (sweet name) Saturday night. Lester's last loss came against Oakland on May 25th, and he's 0-2 against the A's this season.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Charles Krupa

COMPARING JASON BAY TO MANNY RAMIREZ

It's inevitable. Jason Bay will be compared to Manny Ramirez. And much like Nomar's cadre of fanatics refused to give Orlando Cabrera any credit in 2004, there will be a vocal contingent of Manny Ramirez lovers who will refuse to acknowledge any of Jason Bay's strongpoints.

Let's start with the least important aspect of the game and work up from there...

Fielding:

Jason Bay is a better fielder than Manny. No debate here. He has more range, and he doesn't make boneheaded blunders. He can also play center and right fields.

Now onto something 100 times more important...

Hitting:

Manny Ramirez has a long career of productive hitting. 510 homers, 1,672 RBI, .312 average, .409 OBP, .590 slugging. But he isn't the same hitter that he was back in '04, or '05. He was on pace for 96 RBI this year, as well as 28 HR. Those numbers are far from bad, but they're far from Manny's best.

Jason Bay doesn't have Manny's esteemed offensive resume. He only has 140 career homers, and 454 RBI. He's got a .281 career average, .375 OBP, and .515 slugging. But he's on pace for 31 HRs this year, along with 90 RBI.

Keep in mind, he's spent most of his Major League career with the Pirates. The Red Sox have scored 488 more runs than the Pirates since 2005. Bay has never had the luxury of hitting in front of a guy like Ortiz. He'll come to a Red Sox lineup with guys like Youkilis, Lowell, Pedroia, Drew, and Papi around him. And Fenway Park isn't a bad place for a right handed power hitter to call home.

Manny is obviously the better hitter of the two, but not by much. But Manny is also on the downslope of his career. He'll only get worse. Bay, on the other hand, is only going to get better. Given the advantages of the Red Sox lineup, and hitting in Fenway, who knows what kind of numbers Bay will put up. The sky is the limit.

And finally, when discussing Manny Ramirez, the category of intangibles must be brought up...

Manny Ramirez's post-season numbers cannot be ignored, especially considering Jason Bay has NO post-season numbers. Bay has never experienced a pennant race, either. And Boston isn't known for its laid back, easy to play-in atmosphere.

Manny was the 2004 World Series MVP. He hit .375 in last years' ALDS, then .409 in the ALCS against Cleveland. But let's not crown him Mr. October. He has a .269 career playoff average with a solid .376 OBP, and a decent .513 slugging percentage. Recently he's been a great playoff hitter, but he also hit a mere .250 in the '07 World Series. Overall, he's a very good post-season hitter, but not great.

As I said, Jason Bay has never played in the post-season. But he's also never taken games off with fake injuries. He's never taken an at-bat off to spite the team's upper management. He's never slapped a teammate in public, nor has he pushed a team's traveling secretary. Most importantly, he's never been voted off a team.

Bay has a massive edge in this category.

Manny Ramirez is a sure bet Hall-of-Famer. But he had to go. Jason Bay has an extremely long way to go before he's even close to being on the road to Cooperstown. But considering his future potential, and the relatively positive influence he'll have on the Sox clubhouse; Jason Bay is better for the Red Sox than Manny Ramirez.

Much, much better.

Source:
Baseball-Reference.com

24 TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW MEANING, SOX VOTE MANNY OFF

According to WCVB's Mike Lynch, the Red Sox players had a vote last night. The question was: Should Manny Ramirez be traded. The vote was an overwhelming 24 to 1 that yes he should be traded. The lone dissenter was Manny's longtime friend and part-time spokesman David Ortiz. The Sox players told Red Sox management about their vote.

This puts a new perspective on things. The Sox players wanted him gone... badly. This means that even though the Sox are still paying Manny, had to send Hansen and Moss to Pittsburgh, and only got one player in return; this was a NECESARRY deal.

Source:
WCVB's sports blog thing

MORE DETAILS ON THE MANNY TRADE

It's official now. The Red Sox have traded Manny Ramirez, along with Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss. They receive Jason Bay in return. The Dodgers also shipped two prospects to the Pirates. The Sox also have to pick up the remainder of Manny's contract for the 2008 season.

Craig Hansen is a total bust and I don't mind losing him. But I'll miss Brandon Moss. For my money, he's a better player than Jacoby Ellsbury.

But this deal wasn't about making the Red Sox better by acquiring talent. It was about getting rid of a major problem and trying to get something in return. They got a good something back in Bay, who is younger than Manny, cheaper than Manny, and is putting up similar numbers to Manny this year.

This deal reminds me of the Nomar deal in '04. The Sox got rid of a problem, got a solid replacement in Orlando Cabrera, and went on to win the World Series. Hopefully this deal will have similar results.

Adios, Manny. We'll always have the good times, but you won't be missed.