Imagine its Soxtober. The Red Sox have had a grueling first couple of series to come out of the AL and head to the World Series. The LA Dodgers have breezed through the first couple of rounds on the bat of none other then Manny Ramirez and have taken the NL to make it to the World Series. It’s an East Coast v. West Coast showdown unlike any other since Tupac and Biggie made the streets bleed.

Now that both teams have clinched playoff berths it’s time to look forward to what could possibly be one of the best showdowns in baseball this year. Sure it may be premature to even consider that these two teams might meet in the series, but it’s a possibility and an intriguing one at that.
First, there is the Manny storyline. Of course this storyline has been well documented over the past year and in Boston even before that, but Manny has become a model citizen in the Dodgers clubhouse, he has become an RBI machine and he is looking like the Manny of old, you know right after he bitched his way out of Cleveland to come the Red Sox where he showed what a team player he could be. This is of course old fashioned Manny. You’re unhappy where you are, you want a trade, force the ownership’s hand by being a headache for the entire team, get the trade you want and become a model player for the team you get traded to.

So why is this a great storyline if the Dodgers meet the Red Sox in the Series? There are a number of reasons.

1.) What will the Fenway Faithful’s reaction be to Manny returning to our beloved ballpark?
2.) What is the over under on Joe Buck making a derogatory remark about the way the Red Sox treated Manny?
3.) Will Manny’s dealer show up inside the Monster to give him his “medicine?” These and many other questions would be answered during this East/West Coast battle.

Next there is Nomah Garciapara. Nomar will undoubtedly get a warm welcome from the Fenway Faithful; after all, his trade is really what put the new generation of Red Sox Nation into motion and started the Red Sox on the roller coaster ride that the team has been on since 2004.

Of course, we can’t forget our boy Derek Lowe. Or can we? I thought he had gone off to LA to wallow in obscurity for the rest of his career, but turns out, he’s had a nice season for the Dodgers. He hasn’t been lights out, but he’s been ok for the team with a 3.29 ERA and a 14-11 record. Again, probably no hard feelings for D-Lowe from the Fenway Faithful, because after his performance in the 2004 playoffs he is a Boston hero forever.

Finally, there would be the return of Joe Torre to Fenway Park. Ask any Red Sox fan what they think of Joe Torre and they will say the same thing, “I’ve always respected and admired him, even when he was with the Yankees.” This won’t change and we’ll still want to beat him, but won’t it be nice to see him come back to the Fens in a different uniform so we can show him the respect he deserves? It would also solidify the big fat middle finger that the rest of the league is holding up to the Yankees, like, F-U Yankees your manager still has it and oh by the way, you DON’T!!

I know it’s a bit of a dream to have the Dodgers come into town to play the Red Sox in the World Series. I know there is a lot of baseball to be played before we even get to that point and the likelihood of this storyline to play out is pretty slim, but hey, it could happen and if it does, it’s going to make for some compelling baseball!!

GO SOX!!!

adam@wickedpissadude.com

Labels: Boston Red Sox, Derek Lowe, Fenway Park, joe torre, LA Dodgers, Manny Ramirez, New York Yankees, Nomar Garciapara, Notorious BIG, Tupac

4 years ago yesterday, Red Sox Nation was turned on its collective butt when Nomar Garciaparra was traded to the Cubs for Orlando "The OC" Cabrera and Doug "It took me 6 months to be able to spell his name" Mientkiewicz. Everyone was freaking out, screaming "How could you trade Nomar???" or “The Sox will explode and drop into last place and then the FO will be sorry!" Or the ever popular "I KNEW Theo Epstein was too young to be GM of the Sox, Da Bum..."


But the funny thing was...NONE of that happened...


The Sox, galvanized by the positive vibes and great defensive play of The OC and Mientkiewicz, went on to win their 1st World Series in 86 years--even making history by being the ONLY team EVER to come back and win a series when they were down 0-3...


So, forgive me if I am not wailing and gnashing my teeth over Malcontent Manny getting exactly what he wanted, forcing a trade, making EVERYONE miserable, and not even caring, to get the hell out of town.

C'mon, Pink Hats--has the last couple of weeks been cute and charming? Was Manny shoving a 64 year old man, "Child-like and Whimsical"? Was the REFUSAL to play in some of the biggest games of this year, when the team DESPERATELLY needed him just "Manny being Manny” Can you REALLY excuse this behavior?

If you can, I dont get it--I really REALLY don't...

But, if any of you feel like boycotting Fenway Park in wake of recent events (as I saw some of you threatening on-line) feel free to send those tickets over here...

And by the way, Please STOP saying that losing Craig Hansen was a bad thing--he was awful in 2006 (remember the 4 game sweep by the Skanks in August??) and he was DREADFUL this year. And if he does improve in Pittsburgh, it will only be because there is less pressure there--and it’s the NL...

The only person I will miss in this trade is Brandon Moss--I thought he was a great guy and a decent player--but I do realize he will be better off somewhere where he can play every day, or at least more regularly.

Now, that being said, I AM disappointed that Theo was unable to pick up some bullpen help during the trade. What happened to acquiring lefty Josh Grabow from the Pirates? Hopefully, the Sox will be able to pick someone up on the waiver wire, or find someone that can help in the minor system, cause the bullpen is still a pretty big problem...If Okajima can rebound (and he has been showing signs of life lately) and Justin Masterson can continue to do what he is doing, and MDC could find his way--I think the bullpen would be ok--although another arm certainly could not hurt--unless they get another Gagne again...

So, Jason Bay, a 2-time all-star who's numbers for this season were pretty comparable to Manny's (.282 with 22 homers and 64 RBI's to Manny's .299, 20 homers and 68 RBI's), has a decent running game, and who HAS to be a ton better in the outfield, will join the Sox this evening for his 1st game at Fenway Park--I hope he goes 4-4 with 2 homers in his debut...

And it will be interesting to see how this line-up looks without Manny--who will bat 4th? Will Papi be moved to 4th, with JD Drew batting 3rd and Lowell (or Bay) batting 5th? Or will Bay be placed in the #4 hole right off (I think that is doubtful--but who knows?) Should be an interesting game tonight--one I cannot WAIT to see...

Tonight: The Sox (hopefully) begin their road back to normalcy and winning ways--and perhaps get their sh*t together. Game 1 of the final 3 of this home stand begins against Oakland with 1st pitch at 7:05pm by Tim Wakefield. Justin Duchscherer pitches for the Athletics...

- Boston Red Thoughts by Christine at http://www.bostonredthoughts.com/

Labels: Boston Red Sox, Boston Red Thoughts, Justin Masterson, Manny Ramirez, Nomar Garciapara, Orlando Cabrera