I can only view Manny Ramirez’s potential departure from the Red Sox from a self-interested perspective. Who could the Red Sox bring in to protect Ortiz? The loss to the Red Sox’s run production has to be measured not only in Manny’s departure, but in all the new managerial strategies to pitch/not to pitch at Ortiz. I haven’t crunched any Red Sox numbers this season, but Manny looks typically intimidating with under 100 games played this season — .302 BA, .400 OBP, 65 RBI. It’ll be nice to see him go.

Also, when it comes time to stack up the career of the really vexing Yankees — one of whom I can’t name because my mother will disown me — I hope I’ll have the insight of Paul SF, who has a great Ramirez post for YFSF.