When we win, he could do no wrong. When we lose, he still could do no wrong ( but there has been much rumblings on some of his decisions ). I can say, without a doubt, that people have overlooked nearly all of his bad decisions that he has made during his Red Sox tenure.

You will hear some of the whistle-while-you-work-blowers on WEEI. They will call up and Theo-bitch, and seldom these occasions are ever on the radio. These calls don’t receive much merit, because a lot of the people who have hard criticism of Theo Epstein have correlated their arguments in some way toward Manny Ramirez’s departure and the Bill Simmons article on the hypocrisy of the Red Sox front office.

Pete Sheppard doesn’t want to hear this. Michael Holley doesn’t want to hear this. Mike Adams sure as hell never wanted to hear this. “This” being that Theo Epstein fucked up when they decided to let Manny Ramirez go.

The same retort of bringing up the Manny ordeal is now correlative with bringing up the search of WMD’s in Iraq: it doesn’t matter, because it is in the past.

The evidence that Red Sox fans can use against Theo Epstein was never validated, even though the controversy was well-constructed by Bill Simmons, and now the argument had a statute of limitations that can never be resurrected.

The Manny Ramirez Argument Needs To Be Resurrected. But Not Because Theo Epstein Fucked Up.

Theo Epstein, and parts of Red Sox management, had long wanted to have Manny Ramirez off the books. And the trade delivered us another top-10 hitter in baseball in Jason Bay, as well as closed the books on looking for another left-fielder for years to come ( Manny was 37, none of us could expect him to keep doing steroids and hold his prime much longer ).

But I have been staunch in my perception of the trade:

If the Red Sox don’t sign Jason Bay, they will have made one of the worst decisions in the history of baseball. Period.

There is no way that you can spend 30 million dollars for two right-fielders you can’t keep, only to have one ( Manny ) play for a title each year on the West Coast, and the other ( Jason Bay ), play for a title in your own division. This can’t be what You, I, or any Red Sox could’ve thought of for the future of the Red Sox. To be honest, this couldn’t be what the front office could’ve predicted, either.

It would be equivalent if the Yankees traded Alex Rodriguez, paid off his contract and traded him to the Marlins for Hanley Ramirez, and then let Hanlet Ramirez walk away to Beantown a year later.

Can this be about Money?

This whole case about the front office not wanting to spend so much on their field team is a baseless argument. 25% of the money they could’ve give Manny Ramirez or 33% of what they could give Jason Bay they gave to John Smoltz ($5,000,000). The other third and half of the power-hitter funds went to Brad Penny ($5,000,000).

Julio Lugo’s contract is still on the Red Sox books, although Theo Epstein has called the signing “a lesson learned”. Is Epstein turning a new leaf building our team for 2010 and beyond? Maybe.

But the reasoning that the Red Sox are cash-strapped, at least for composing their personnel for 2009, doesn’t make a lot of sense. Now, if they are deciding to pull back on their salaries for the future ( we do know Henry vouches for a salary cap publicly), they will have to do much better on fielding a proper team. Any mistakes in contracts ( such as Smoltz, Lugo, Matt Clement etc. ) will cripple our team this side of Jon Lester.

Seeing the team post-Manny: it just isn’t as good. And holding onto Manny wouldn’t have done anything, since his talent would’ve waned way before their youngsters fully blossoms (Lester and Buchholz).

Long-term Success

Jason Bay is a premiere hitter. This was a guy who had a nagging hamstring injury that held him stagnant for nearly 40 games statistically. He still ends up with 36 homeruns and 119 RBIs. He isn’t as intimidating as Manny Ramirez, but he can be. He can be a threat to the Yankees. He can be a threat to the league’s top pitchers. He can be the long-term solution to the Red Sox outfield power needs.

Letting him go would be the worst thing the Red Sox can do in putting out a championship team. Not only would it hurt their World Series chances, but it would upgrade their nemesis, the Yankees.

Do you possibly believe Jason Bay is going to find his home somewhere out of the AL East? If so, do any of us believe that he will end up on a team that we won’t meet somewhere down the line in the playoffs? Matt Holliday would be another great replacement, but are we willing to put up the $13-15 million to keep up with the Pinstriped-Joneses?

The Future of the Champions, or the Serfs

Victor Martinez was probably the best long-term pickup Theo Epstein has ever pulled off. He pushes a great bat into the lineup, is a great catcher, and will probably increase his DH role as David Ortiz wanes or is let go in the future.

Dustin Pedroia, The Greek God of Walks, The Lefty Monster ( Jon Lester ), Clay Buchholz, Ellsbury. The core for the Fenway favorites is solid for the next 5-7 years. But the price of legitimizing our contention for the World Series will not be set unless the power hitter in right-field is kept or replaced.

Against the Angels in this ALDS, our hitting was over-matched by good pitching, and this might be the sign of the times. We may never put out a home-run mashing team like we had in the past few years, but our hitting is ok enough. To keep it at this level, we have to keep the bats we already have, or fear another offensive collapse in the future.

We can say we don’t have the money for the bats, but we risk becoming the Blue Jays. The success of the Red Sox hinges on Jason Bay. It is in his signing, or in his departure, that will define what our fan-base received for the enigmatic Manny Ramirez, and the Bay decision will define the direction of American League East for years to come.

Theo Epstein and the Red Sox front office: Don’t fuck up.

Now, in the time when the Sox most needed a clutch bat in the lineup, JD Drew: Nothing. Dustin Pedroia: Nothing. Victor Martinez: Nothing. David Ortiz: WTF?

And what does Lester and Beckett do? None other than pitch their hearts out with no run support and end up losing the games they pitch.

Is this season over? No, they have a game going on right now, and they could easily end up battling for title in two weeks. But looking at the way this team is playing right now, and seeing how they played in last year’s playoffs, they seem to be missing something.

In the midwest, the Dodgers displayed a swagger and looseness very reminiscent of the World Series Red Sox teams of the past. Even Ranirez came through in the final game, running up three hits and 2 RBI to since it for the West Coast Blue.

I am not saying that we need Ramirez, but we all must be aware that the intimidation of our lineup that we have had in the past in the postseason is no longer apparent. No matter how many RBI’s Jason Bay will be behind Texeira for the season, no matter how much JD Drew hits in the postseason ( ps: This contract is way too much. Period ). no matter how much Beckett and Lester will mow down opposing hitters, the Red Sox post-Manny seem vulnerable.

This is no one’s fault. Manny wanted to leave, and we got an amazing hitter in place. But we did ( and we had to ) move a step down in terms of our offensive prowess. Whether Manny struggles or not, his mere existence in the lineup makes us better. It makes us better against good pitching, and not just any pitching.

But the postseason is coming up, and this is where Epstein must make the right decision: He must sign Jason Bay.

We no longer have that dominant lineup that can beat the best pitching in the game. But we are close enough, and we can still win the Championship this year and in future years ( hey, we are a very well-built team ).

But if Jason Bay ends up in the Yankee pinstripes, then we will have to look at the Manny trade as one of the worst trades in the history of baseball. We could end up with two great hitters playing for different teams, one for our arch-enemy, and account balance of $30,000,000 ( $20,000,000 for Manny, $10,000,000 for the Jason Bay rental ) that will culminate into one less dangerous hitter in our lineup.

And hitters are hard to come by. Unless we try to go out and get Matt Holliday ( if somehow we think he will be better than Bay ). Or Adrian Gonzalez. The latter would mean we would never see Bard and Bucholz ever again.

Epstein, the Manny trade isn’t over until you ink Bay. Do the right thing Epstein.

As for the Red Sox, welcome to the post-Manny era. We can at least rely on the best pitching staff in baseball to take us to the title for many years to come.

Here is the post

“He came into the (Mets) visiting clubhouse, spied the throng of media awaiting him, spread his arms wide and proclaimed with a grin, “Most wanted!”

-Newday

I ranted on Wallace Matthews of Newsday’s column saying Manny lives “outside the rules”. You would think Manny has the ability to call his own strikes and balls at the plate, or that he can punch the pope, based on the title. But his only ammunition to support his claim is that people like Ramirez!

That is it? Because he is lovable? He lives outside the rules because his personality is so great? When the hell did having a goofy personality became illegal after steroid use? Well, here is what I wrote to reply to his poppycock prose:

“There’s a difference between fans liking Manny and living outside of the rules.

What rules? Who says when you are suspended and you apologize that there is a rule that you have to be vilified upon your return? Was this rule put in place by the owners? What the hell are you talking about?

The reason Manny is liked is because HE IS LIKEABLE. Unlike Bonds, he didn’t run through tearing up homeruns DENYING he cheated ( for two plus years ).

He is liked by his teammates. A lot of things he does on the field are great, but his antics are always funny. Watching Manny is like watching a cartoon character, and I have met very few characters that I have ever loathed.

You need to relax. You remind of all the hypocritical Red Sox fans who couldn’t stand Manny on the team but they sure as hell love their Randy Moss, Corey Dillon’s and Starbury.

Look at your team. You think David Wright is a winner since he never raises is his voice or has become a leader in that clubhouse? Talk shit about the timid golden boy who’s lack of balls will keep your team struggling against a Marlins minor-league team that might make it to the world series again.

(The Marlins)Backed by 1,000 fans, I remind you. When you go home and tell your wife how your day was, let her know I bombasted you for being a complete **** because a baseball player is liked.

The reason people didn’t like formers cheater is NOT because they cheated, but because they LIED. How many times did Pettitte get booed? Giambi? JC Romero?

They don’t, because they took their licks, and they came back. Manny did the same, and he’s hilarious. It is fun to watch him, and if you can’t stand him, keep your boring golden boy and float around .500. Because that is so much better than watching Ramirez act goofy and insane.

Entertainment. It pays your bills. Good luck with your boring Mets.”

Wallace Matthews, I understand you are upset because you see someone who cheats, and everyone crowds around Manny like his fucking kid died. But the reason for it is because his personality has always been positive, and his antics were rarely dictated by sports professionalism.

In a way that could be seen as blaspheme to some die-hards, Manny doesn’t care about how to act in the game of baseball. This is the same guy that said it wasn’t the end of the world if the Red Sox lost when they were down two games to the Indians in the 2007 ALCS. This is the same guy who put up the Brett Favre for Manny trade sign during the infamous Summer meltdown of 2008.

Even yesterday, with his passive aggressive shenanigans on a not-very close pitch ( don’t worry, QuesTec will decide the ump’s salary ), it shows that Manny’s personality has a bad-boy streak that rarely manifests itself in a game. When have you ever seen Manny question balls and strikes TWICE in a game? Think about it.

That was entertaining. I thought Vince McMahon was going to ask Manny to join “The Corporation” after that tirade, it was so goddamn surreal and exciting. It sometimes bothers me that he never had that spark in his eight years with the Red Sox ( sigh ).

But Manny hasn’t really changed. He has always been like this: unpredictable. Like a reality TV show, we always want to see what greatness or zaniness he will do next. To say that this is unlawful in the game of baseball to love the personality of unpredictability, is shameful.

In the game, where much exciting Sportcenter fodder usually comes from Atlanta minor league managers and random animals on the field, Manny always shows me how much excited one could have watching one player just play the goddamn game like its supposed to be played: for fun.

Ps:  (Video link above)The End of the Golden Age of the WWF. The video puts a tear to your eyes for all you 90’s diehards.