White Flag
Theo Epstein got into the spirit of the election year and gave some serious spin to the trading of Manny Delcarmen to the Rockies for minor league pitcher Chris Balcom-Miller. The Red Sox general manager said the move wasn’t a white flag of surrender, like how the furor over the Islamic center in lower Manhattan (a.k.a “the Ground Zero mosque”) isn’t about hypocrisy and hatred.
To be certain, Delcarmen has been pitching so terribly that removing him from the bullpen is a net positive, but since there was no major league piece coming in return clearly the team is geared to improving its future rather bolstering its current state. I should have been accepting of the team’s playoff chances when Kevin Youkilis went down and further inured myself to the inevitable course the season was taking when Dustin Pedroia succumbed to his foot injury, but these are the post-2004 Red Sox! Roaring back against the Yankees and also against Cleveland in 2007 has just unrealistically inflated my expectations of the franchise.
Recalling how emotional Nomar Garciaparra was about getting traded I can only imagine Delcarmen’s reaction. Nomar grew up as a baseball player in Boston just like Manny, but the latter was born and raised here was well. Good luck and godspeed in Colorado, Manny. I hear the humidor has done wonders for pitchers and it’s only National League hitters.
Speaking of Manny, another former Hub favorite has been making headlines of late. Manny Ramirez was claimed by the Chicago White Sox off waivers. His last at bat as a Dodger couldn’t have been more fitting if it were scribed by screenwriter: he was summoned to pinch hit with the bases loaded in the sixth and he was ejected after disputing Gary Cederstrom’s called strike. Perhaps the home plate umpire overreacted, but why argue balls and strikes when you know it can get you tossed?
Why have a translator when you speak and understand English?
Because your name is Manny Ramirez and all you care about is your next contract.
| Game 132: August 31, 2010 | ||
| Red Sox 74-58 | 2 | L: Josh Beckett (4-4) |
| 2B: Bill Hall (10) HR: Jed Lowrie (4) | ||
 Orioles49-83 | 5 | W: Brian Matusz (7-12) H: Jim Johnson (4), Michael Gonzalez (6) S: Koji Uehara (5) |
| 2B: Nick Markakis (40) HR: Luke Scott (26), Felix Pie (5) | ||
