Traded!

Manny Ramirez, the Red Sox' dreadlocked, baggy-pants left-fielding malcontent, has gotten his wish and been banished, er, traded, to the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Note: Not the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles, just the Los Angeles Dodgers. Period. See how that works, Arte Moreno?) The Red Sox may miss his powerful bat, but the man had worn out his welcome with his erratic defensive play, lackadaisical approach to running, criticism of management, and the frequent self-diagnosed ailments that would keep him from playing in important games.

He was an instrumental part of the 2004 and 2007 World Championship teams, and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2004 World Series. It was the 2004 team in whose honor Tessie was named, so Manny's departure, though inevitable and probably the best thing for all concerned, brings a touch of sadness.

The sadness is compounded by the fact that Manny was Tessie's favorite player. She never expressed that sentiment as such, but it was obvious when watching games. The happy-go-lucky outfielder with the baggy pants and wild hair was immediately recognizable (although Tessie occasionally thought that similarly coiffed and complected Angels right fielder Vladimir Guerrero was also Manny), and Tessie would refer to all Red Sox players as "Manny" until she recognized them for themselves. Her first four-word sentence may actually have been "Manny hit home run!" The last time we watched the Red Sox, Manny did in fact hit a home run, much to Tessie's delight. She'll miss seeing him in a Red Sox uniform, I'm sure.

The good news is that he's joined our local team, and we'll be seeing him in his new uniform this weekend. Tessie is already looking forward to it.