this fanny is still for manny, though i wish he would SHUT IT!

so i have to admit, it's becoming very hard to be a manny fan. He says some daffy things, and to some daffy people, and even i have to confess, i'm beginning to see (and be okay with) the very real possibility that manny isn't going to be a red sox much past this afternoon.

That is all i have to say, because it's so long and drawn out that i don't have the fortitude to type the entire thing, but if he's so unhappy, and he's such a detriment in the clubhouse, then the sox have no choice but to deal him.

For the record, i do not for one minute belive the current loss has anything to do with manny's behavior. if pro ball payers can't separate themselves from off the field activities for nine innings then they need to find new work.

If Drew, and Crisp, And lowell' and varitek, and ellsbury's current hitting slumps are the result of manny's behavior, i'll eat my hat. If wakefield's getting shelled vs the yankees, and the same with Dice-k a few days ago are the result of manny being in their head, then they are not as good as we thought they were. Just as it takes a team to win a ball game, so too does it take the team to lose it.

That being said, I'm beginning to see that the list of cons with keeping manning is beginning to be longer than the list of pros. If manny were to zip it and simply pay ball, i don't think so much venom would be sent his way. But that ship has sailed, and now we're on the verge of sinking.

I don't expect the sox to pick up his contract options, and after yesterday, i think the possibility is even there to be dealt today. too bad, because this is also what we got out of manny:

* 9x Silver Slugger Award winner (1995, 1999-2006)
* 12x All-Star selection (1995, 1998-2008)
* 2x World Series champion (2004, 2007)
* World Series MVP Award winner (2004)
* Led AL in batting average in 2002
* Led AL in home runs in 2004
* Led AL in runs batted in in 1999
* Has the most career grand slams of any active player



in 2004 alone, he

• hit a two-run homer on April 25, providing the Sox all the offense they would need to win 2-0 and complete the three-game sweep in New York.

• went 4-for-5 with two homers and five RBI against Texas on July 10.

• hit grand slams on August 20 and September 10, giving him 17 for his career, fifth-most all-time.

• had two homers in the Red Sox' 10-7 win on August 31, as they opened a big series against Anaheim.

• led the American League in home runs (43), at-bats per homer (13.2), slugging percentage (.613), and OPS (1.010). He also ranked second in extra-base hits and at-bats per RBI, third in RBI, and fourth in total bases.

• joined David Ortiz to become the first pair of teammates in baseball history to each have 40 homers and 40 doubles in the same season.


2004 Postseason Highlights
• hit safely in all 14 of the Red Sox' postseason games. Dating back to 2003, he hit in 17 straight postseason games, tying the major league record.

• drove in at least two runs in each Division Series game, hitting .385 with two doubles, a homer, and seven RBI over the series.

• In the ALCS, Manny hit .300 with a double and three runs scored. He was 2-for-3 with three walks in Game 4, and was 2-for-6 in Game 5.

• went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Game 1 of the World Series. In Game 3, he hit a home run in the first inning to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. Then in the bottom of the inning, he helped Pedro Martinez out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam by catching Jim Edmonds' fly ball and throwing Larry Walker out at home plate.

• batted .412 in the World Series and was named MVP. He became the first World Series MVP in Red Sox history, since the award was not given out before 1955.