Exit Manny, Strong Men Also Cry, And The Legend Of Jason Bay

Interwebs blowback from Wednesday's and Thursday's MLB trading deadline deals ...

• Manny Memories: Can It Be That It Was All So Simple Then? OK Red Sox fans, you just broke up with the equivalent of a girlfriend who was really, really great at first, but turned out to be a little a lot looney in the end. You're hurting. You're in pain. You're confused. You're going to feel like a huge part of yourself is missing for at least the next two months, if not longer. So here's what I want you to do ... [Yahoo Sports]

• Strong Men Also Cry. The greatest highlight of the hilariously lopsided Kyle Farnsworth for Pudge Rodriguez deal (think Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown) is that the man's man, Farnsworth, broke down in tears upon learning that he had been dealt to the Tigers. The Farns has always been a bit of a tough guy. The greatest highlight of his Cubs career came when he beat the crap out of Paul Wilson in a bench-clearing brawl. But that was the old Farnsworth. Apparently New York has brought out a new "Professor" Farnsworth, if you will, who wears glasses and isn't afraid to get in touch with his emotions. Then again, even Chuck Norris would cry if he had to move to Detroit. [Rumors And Rants]

• Trading Season 'Kudos & Wet Willies'. Wet Willies to … The Boston Red Sox: I know GM Theo Epstein did the best he could with the Manny Mess, and some of you will say he should get a ‘kudos.’ The Red Sox, though, are not as good today as they were 24 hours ago. Jason Bay is a nice player, but not a historically good, feared hitter like Ramirez. On top of that, Epstein traded two quality youngsters in pitcher Craig Hansen and outfielder Brandon Moss. Spins the stats any way you want, the Red Sox got worse. [Bugs & Cranks]

• Break Up The Nationals Please! So now that the trade deadline has passed, I figure I'm going to take a second to go off on a rant about my favorite team, the Washington Nationals. I hate my team. I really, really hate them. Now, don't go calling me a fairweather Nats fan, I'm not going off the bandwagon, I understand that you have to go through the bad times to get to the good, I really do. Trust me when I say I know about sticking with your team through thick and thin. But when you see your team being run into the ground during the thin times, how can a true fan just sit by and say nothing? [Deuce Of Davenport]

• Griffey Traded To White Sox. With this trade, the Reds managed to dump a financial and performance liability and come out of it $4 million richer next season. I don’t expect that the players they’re receiving in return for him will amount to much of anything, but given that they are making the league-minimum, it doesn’t matter all that much. Overall, I think the Reds “win” this deal. From a sentimental standpoint, though, this is kind of a tough pill to swallow. I’m going to miss having Griffey on our team. I liked knowing he was there, and was proud of have him on our team–even if his skills were no longer an asset. [On Baseball And The Reds]

• The Big One: Manny Ramirez Is Coming. I don't watch Ramirez play much, and I know of his liabilities, and it might not help the Dodgers as much as the front office thinks it will, but if you're going to make a move for a rental, this is a kind of guy to reach for. [Dodger Thoughts]

• Jason Bay Traded To Boston. This is a good deal, I think — the Pirates get both quantity and quality. LaRoche, who's Adam's brother, is an excellent hitting prospect who's been stuck in an organization that didn't appreciate him. He's going to join the Bucs immediately, presumably as their starting third baseman, and I think he's going to hit if he gets a chance to play every day. He put up fantastic numbers in the minors, but the Dodgers wouldn't commit to starting him. Before the season, Minor League Ball ranked him the second-best prospect in a strong Dodgers system. He'll block Neil Walker, but he's way better than Walker, so I have no problem with that. [Bucs Dugout]

• Griffey Deal Official; Masset and Richar To Reds. I don’t mind who the Sox gave up for Griffey, but what concerns me more is where to put him. First of all, there is no clear-cut choice for the Sox in terms of sending a player down to Charlotte to make room for Griffey. Brian Anderson, with his .230 average is probably most likely to go, but expect to see him back up when rosters expand in September. [The Bard's Room]

• Don't Look Back In Anger. For better or worse, Manny is larger-than-life, and a one-of-a-kind. His bad behavior is not excused or excusable, but it's part of the crazy jumbled package — with Manny, you get the brilliance and the insanity. The childlike devotion to the game and the petulant teenager tantrums. The trips to the Monster for a pee-break and the walk-off homerun sailing into the Fenway night sky last October. And any Sox fan who says they're glad to see the back of him? Is either lying or kidding themself. Tomorrow night, Manny will be in Dodger blue. But he'll always wear Red Sox. [Center Field]

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