Manny (boohoo)...is...(boohoo)...gone (bwahhahahah)
Seriously, I am shocked by this. Blown away. In 2004 I was doing yard work and had the radio on when I heard about Nomar being traded and was taken back. That was nothing compared to this. 8 years, 2 World Series, fans definitely getting their money's worth, endless reasons to talk about him, countless articles on Manny being Manny, ends like this. LIKE THIS?? Oh the shame.
As with the Farnsworth trade (more on that later), there is a downside to this. Do you have Ortiz hit 4th out of respect? Will the clubhouse be lighter because of this, or will this leave a stink. Did the Sox give up too much? Did they give up on Hansen too early? Is Jason Bay enough to fill in for Manny in the lineup.
I need to let this process for a couple of hours. But I will say this: I am truly sad because watching him in my backyard for the past 8 years has been fun, and I don't think there is anyone else in this game who is more interesting to watch, with such great ability but such a lack of respect for the institution of MLB, than Manny Ramirez.