Monday, August 01, 2005

Baseball: Stand By Your Manny


Ramirez pinch-hits 45 minutes after trade deadline

BOSTON (AP) -- Two games after Manny Ramirez was booed by the hometown fans, all was forgiven.

Ramirez earned a loud standing ovation before and after his pinch-hit single in the eighth inning Sunday lifted the Boston Red Sox to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins.

[...] Entering the game 54 minutes after the 4 p.m. deadline passed for trades without waivers, Ramirez bounced a chopper up the middle to score Edgar Renteria and give the Red Sox their fifth consecutive victory. After Renteria crossed the plate, Ramirez took off his batting helmet and pointed both hands at the crowd in a double-barreled salute.

"That's hard not to get chills when that stuff is happening," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "That's about as electric as you'll see it."

Great. I am extremely happy the Sox didn't do something stupid like trade the best run-producer in the game. Aside from the fact that they were poised to recieve pennies on the dollar, it just wasn't right. And maybe now the jackass fans in Fenway and the imbeciles on Boston radio will STFU and be thankful for what they have -- a World Championship after ninety freaking years, courtesy of Manny. Schilling got all the glory, but Manny was the deserved MVP.

MORE: Sports Guy's column from a few weeks back is looking prophetic... How do the Yankees sit idly by at the deadline in second place to Boston? Because Steinbrenner either doesn't care anymore, or somebody else is filling his turtleneck.

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