So, now that Manny Ramirez broke his finger sliding into Seattle catcher Dan Wilson (who, incidentally, is well worth sliding into): are Red Sox fans ready to jump off buildings, all the while muttering something about the "Curse"?

One word: Don't.

Isn't going to affect the Red Sox one iota.

Manny just isn't as important to whether this team wins and loses as are Pedro and Nomar. WHEN those injuries come (not IF), those are the ones for Sox fans to get suicidal over. Manny is a nice finishing touch, but he's not the difference between a "W" and an "L". This isn't "his" team.

Healthy or hurt, the Red Sox were going to struggle on their upcoming homestand anyway. They are playing extraordinarily well. (ALthough, they're not nearly as good as their record: they've seen an awful lot of Tampa Bay, KC, Toronto and Balto so far this season.) They were due for a little losing streak that would knock their winning percentage under .700. They've got Oakland, Seattle, the White Sox and the Yankees on their homestand. That's a tough bunch. Even with a healthy Manny, I'd say they'd have been doing well to go 7-6 during that stretch. If they do better than that, with Manny hurt, it'll be tough to knock them iut of first

I'm sending Manny get well wishes. Does he need any help convalescing? I think my partner would understand.

[quote]Originally posted by Charlie in the Trees:

Isn't going to affect the Red Sox one iota.

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Jeez, to say his 4-to-5-week absence won't be *fatal* to the Bosox' season is one thing -- but not affected a jot? Losing the guy who leads the league in slugging AND on-base (the latter by 60 points)? Over a month, missing Ramirez in the lineup could be the difference in one or two wins; and as we all know, one or two games can be the margin by which a team misses the postseason.

The sort of counterintuitive leaps by which people claim Aurilia was more valuable last year than Bonds, or Garret Anderson moreso than Try Glaus -- sometimes they're just WRONG. Numbers that big from an everyday player don't lie.

Will the Sox be unfazed by Manny's stint on the DL? Well, it might not be devastating (Manny's defense is nothing to write the Hall of Fame about, and the rest of the lineup has plenty of offensive guns), but it's gotta affect the team somewhat. I agree with Charlie in that if I had to give up one of the three superstars, I'd pick Manny without hesitation. I'll take it one further and say that if I had to choose between Manny and Jason Varitek, I think missing Varitek for 4-6 weeks would hurt the team more than Manny's absence (don't underestimate the value of Varitek's pitch calling).

When Manny comes off the DL, I'm confident the Red Sox will still be very much in the hunt in the AL East. Six weeks is a long time to go without your best hitter, but fortunately for the Sox, the season is six months long. The Sox'll be affected an iota or two, but they'll be fine.

[quote]Originally posted by BoSoxRudy:
if I had to choose between Manny and Jason Varitek, I think missing Varitek for 4-6 weeks would hurt the team more... (don't underestimate the value of Varitek's pitch calling).

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Ohhhh, Rudy Rudy Rudy... I'm sure Grady Little couldn't do your job either.

The difference between Varitek and an average "pitch-caller" is greater than Ramirez and the average hitter... trust me. Who's gonna be taking the bulk of Manny's at-bats, anyway?

I side with those that think Manny's absence is not the end of the world. The Sox have been winning by tons of runs, and the times when there has been a clutch hit or home run, guess what? It has been Rey, or Nomar, or Shea, or Jason, or even José, but not Manny.
We will miss Manny, but winning is not only about numbers, unless you look at different numbers from the ones that are easily catalogued. Look, Urbina has umpteen saves and he has been awful except for the last couple of outings.
Right now we have had either Daubach or Offerman or Henderson benched, all of whom have been hitting well, as has Baerga. We may drop a couple games while Manny is out, but not the season.

[quote]Originally posted by Bill W:
Ohhhh, Rudy Rudy Rudy... I'm sure Grady Little couldn't do your job either.

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I don't really get that remark, but whatever. After thinking about it some more, I'm gonna add to the list: the Sox would suffer more from 6 weeks without Derek Lowe or Rey Sanchez (yes, little 2B Rey Sanchez) than Manny Ramirez. Lowe's been a phenomenal #2 pitcher (5-1 with a no-hitter, gee, you don't say), and with all the ground-ball pitchers on the Sox staff, the team desperately needs someone of Sanchez's defensive skills at 2B (as a bonus, his hitting's been terrific too). So if we're talking about 6 weeks in the regular season, I'd say Manny ranks a mere #6 as far as "players the Sox can't afford to lose." As for how the rankings would change for the post-season, wow, that's quite a different subject.

As for who'll be batting cleanup, Grady will try out both Nomar and Daubach in that spot.

I just think leading the AL in slugging and on-base leads to more wins than doing "the little things." But sportscasters loooove to say the reverse, so maybe they'll pout Pokey Reese in the HOF instead of Barry Bonds.

i.e., Ramirez is the Red Sox MVP so far.

I thought I'd revive this old thread with the sole intention of stating one thing:

I WAS WRONG

OMG, how could I think that the Red Sox weren't gonna miss Manny all that much?!?! Since Manny went out, the Sox have been playing below .500, this after an astonishing 24-7 out of the blocks. You can't blame the pitching. Even with a rather iffy bullpen, I think the Sox pitching staff still has the lowest team ERA in the AL. You can't blame the defense. Even with the smooth-as-silk SS-turned-2B Rey Sanchez on the DL for over a month (this guy is awesome! think of a .300-hitting Pokey Reese - doesn't hurt that he's handsome as heck with a body that'll stop traffic), the Sox D has been just fine. But yikes! The Sox offense went into a collective Marianna-Trench-depth slump in Manny's absence that was downright painful to watch. Whenever the opposing team scored a run or two, Red Sox Nation felt like NFL teams who had allowed the 2000 Baltimore Ravens to score the first touchdown.

I think my exuberance about the other Sox players and my over-inflation of their value was understandable, though. Everyone in Red Sox Nation was biting their nails about Pedro, worrying that every pitch he threw might be his last. But he turned out to be just fine. Sure there were a few shakey outings, but there have also been some great ones. Everybody's so darn grateful now that Pedro appears to be healthy, with an 11-2 record and a 2.66 ERA to boot. Another concern was a #2 pitcher to back up Pedro, and we ended up with Pedro being the #2 on the staff behind the ASG AL starter Derek Lowe! Worries about the health of Varitek's elbow and Nomar's wrist ended up being no worry at all. Johnny Damon, who had had such a poor first half with Oakland last season, came storming out of the gate with his new team. The Sox went from having one of the worst DP combos (SS du jour + Jose Awfulhands) to one of the best (Nomar + Rey Sanchez). And instead of a sophomore slump, Shea Hillenbrand had a sophomore surge.

Yup, there was so much to be giddy about early on in the Red Sox season that I (naively) believed that the team would be just fine in Manny's absence. Funny how quickly a 2 and 6 stretch against Toronto and Detroit can change your perspective. But things are looking up! Manny went 5 for 6 last night (missing just a triple for the cycle) and hit a solo shot tonight. The ball is popping off his bat again, and I gotta think it'll make all the difference with the Sox offense.

If Manny ever slides hands-first into a base again, I swear my heart's gonna stop.

Bosox - Manny never came through in the clutch for the Indians, so don't get your hopes us on this guy !

"The clutch" is largely a myth. Good hitters hit all the time, except when they don't. The Bosox wouldn't have a ghost of a chance at a playoff berth if Ramirez wasn't carrying them to wins now.