re: With Wakefield out, it's time to give the kids a shot

Scott Lavallee — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:32:55 GMT

Cash should be the guy to replace Varitek.

re: And that's that.

LorenzoJennifer — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:55:27 GMT

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MARRIAGE! Manny signed on in 2000 and was greeted by all as a fun-lovin' kid. A changed attitude accompanied the 2002 ownership change. While tolerant, they were serious men who put up serious money to acquire a serious World Series prize. Manny was pathetique in the 2003 ALCS and put on irrevocable waivers by GM Theo Epstein. A lengthy but failed negotiation to trade Manny to Texas followed. Manny got the message and was the MVP in getting Boston its first Series trophy in 86 years. Manny, though, kept pushing the envelope. Ownership never sanctioned or benched him as they highly valued his RBI production - - "The RBI Machine" he was called. They should have/could have put their foot down early and often but did not. Manny, like most of us, got away with whatever he could. While Manny may have pulled the last straw in 2008, the team may have felt that they by then had enough offensive firepower to trade him. To make Manny the only bad guy is unfair. The team that allowed him to romp at will and took no series of progressive steps to adjust his attitude shares the blame. Many teams, corporations and other entities have a "Manny" in their midst - - a productive, top-shelf highly valued employee who continually brings troubling and disruptive personality characteristics to the workplace. Usually these folks get dumped not when management has had enough but when management thinks they can continue to succeed without them around.

Will be interesting to see which Manny emerges in Dodgerland. Should the present pattern persist, wonder how Joe Torre - - hardly a softie - - manages "Manny being Manny."

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re: With Wakefield out, it's time to give the kids a shot

re: And that's that.