In the End, Manny Had to Go

The Manny Ramirez balance sheet didn't add up, and the Red Sox finally had to deal the headline-grabbing outfielder for the good of the team, writes Dan Shaughnessy in the Boston Globe. "On paper, the Sox are not as strong as they were," he acknowledges. But "this trade is a demonstration of how badly Boston wanted to get rid of Manny."

Vastly talented and (usually) personable though Ramirez is, "his teammates and manager won't miss going to the ballpark wondering if Manny feels like playing tonight," writes Shaughnessy. "He didn't care about anything except Manny and the ego-driven wallet measuring that motivates so many of today's superstars." (More Manny Ramirez stories.)