Manny Ramirez and Boston Red Sox Star in Baseball's Version of The Break-Up

For anyone that watched The Break-Up with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Anniston (yes, I watched it, and no, it was not very good), you saw the opening credits with photos of the happy couple.

Then you watched the rest of the movie, filled with uncomfortable scenes of the two fighting, until finally they reached the point of no return and had no choice but to end their relationship. 

That is Manny Ramirez and the Boston Red Sox. Pictures of Manny and the 2004 and 2007 Word Series celebrations, Manny slugging a game-winning home run against the Angles in last year's playoffs, Manny hitting his 500th home run this year in Baltimore, and many others, show this relationship at its best. 

The last month or so, however, has just been filled with bitterness between the two, and it has become clear to all involved that the time to end this relationship is now.

A few days ago, I actually thought about writing an article about how the Red Sox should think twice before they either trade Manny Ramirez or even decline his option at the end of the season, allowing him to take his production and walk away from the team.

But just like that, I have completely changed my mind. It is time for Manny to go, and it has to be done now.

So, what has happened in these past few days to cause me to do a complete 180?

Irreconcilable differences.

The entire Red Sox organization, from the owners, to Theo Epstein, to Terry Francona, and the other players, all parties involved seem sick of the Manny Ramirez saga. In prior dust-ups between Manny and the Red Sox, the media and the fans may have gotten into a frenzy over it, but the players did not seem effected one way or the other. That is clearly no longer the case.

If Manny is not traded, I do not have the sense that he and the team will put the events of the last few weeks behind them and unite for one last run at a World Series.

Manny pulling himself from the game against the Yankees last Friday when he was apparently healthy may have been the last straw for the team (the Sox forced him to get an MRI after the game which showed no problem with his knee).

The normally tight-lipped Theo Epstein said very publicly on Saturday that they would trade Manny if they could. Francona, while not going as far as to say he has had it with Ramirez, appeared over the weekend to just be sick of the situation. Even Jerry Remy, the former player who provides color commentary on the Sox broadcasts, has been extremely clear the last few nights that he thinks Ramirez needs to go.

Also, the Red Sox are now 4-8 since the All-Star break, including 1-8 in games not played against the hapless Seattle Mariners. Boston has gone from a one-half-game lead in the A.L. East at the break to three games back (and only a one-game lead over the Yankees and Twins in the Wild Card).

The Red Sox are 11-13 in July, and after going 34-24 through the end of May, are just 27-24 since.

I am not giving up on them yet, but this season suddenly feels very much like the 2005 and ’06 campaigns—seasons that saw the Sox get swept out of the playoffs and miss the postseason entirely, respectively.

I’m not blaming the sluggish Red Sox play of the last few weeks entirely on Ramirez.  All of Manny’s problems do not having anything to do with Josh Beckett not being the ace he was a year ago, the struggles of the bullpen, and the painful-to-watch batting of Jason Varitek, Coco Crisp, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Julio Lugo.

But his situation cannot be helping.

The Sox players appear lifeless, and part of that has to do with the fact that every day they have to come to the park and have the Ramirez situation front and center in their faces.

Right now, I don’t see this Sox team winning the World Series, and I am having trouble seeing them even making the playoffs. It will be difficult to replace Ramirez’s presence in the lineup, but if they are not going to win a World Series, it might as well be without Ramirez. They can lose as easily without Manny as they can with him. 

And maybe, just maybe, trading Manny will lift a weight off this entire organization, and help the team finish the final 52 games of the season on a positive note.

It is too bad that Manny's era in Boston has to come to such an ugly end. He has been here eight years, played in 1,084 of 1,243 regular season games (87%), hit .312 with 274 home runs, 868 RBI, and slugged .588.   

The Sox, since bringing Ramirez to town, have won two World Series. A knock on Manny from his Cleveland days was that he did not produce in the postseason, batting only .223 and slugging just .473 in 52 playoff games with the Indians.

But with the Sox, Ramirez was the MVP of the 2004 World Series, and he has hit .321 in 42 playoff games with 11 home runs and a .558 slugging percentage.

Ramirez signed a huge eight-year, $160 million contract, and while that is an awful lot of money, if I could go back in time, I would still want the Sox to make the signing.

With all that history, it would have been preferable for Ramirez to play out this final season with minimal distraction. But that has not happened. There's an old saying, "If things didn’t end ugly, then they wouldn’t end." That might never have been truer than in this situation.

Manny's production may have slipped slightly the last few years, but he is still one of the most feared hitters in baseball, and his presence alone in the lineup can impact a game, not to mention the protection he provides David Ortiz. 

Considering all of this, if the situation had not turned ugly, picking up Ramirez's option would have been a no brainer for the Red Sox.

But it is ugly. I am sick of reading about it. I am sick of wondering if Ramirez will run hard to first base, if he is really hurt when he sits out a game (Peter Gammons pointed out this week that Ramirez’s knee seems to act up this season when the Sox are facing hard-throwing pitchers), and if he is giving his best effort each time he is in the batter’s box. And it appears everyone with the Red Sox is sick of all of this, too.

It is time for the Ramirez era in Boston to end, for his sake, for the sake of this year’s team, and for the sake of the fans that are ready to move on. 

Let’s thank Manny for his time here, for all the great memories, for all he accomplished, and for the major role he played in helping the team win a pair of championships. But then it is time to say goodbye.