Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers. Yuck.

WOW! Ladies and gentleman, I was dead wrong. I didn't think there was any chance whatsoever of Manny being traded away from the Red Sox, even amidst all the rumors. However, much to my surprise, Manny Ramirez has been shipped to the Dodgers, as part of a three-team deal that sends Pirates outfielder Jason Bay to Boston. And I am not happy.

I'm admittedly upset that Manny landed on my least favorite team in all of sports. As painful as it is for me to say, this trade makes the Dodgers the NL West favorites. I sincerely hope that I am wrong about this, because the sight of Dodger blue and the thought of them celebrating any kind of success is sickening to me. As far as the Red Sox are concerned, they are now in serious danger of missing the postseason, a year after their second World Series title in four years. Those of you who read my live blog of the trade happenings this morning know that I am very high on Jason Bay. He will continue to put up nice numbers. However, the absence of Manny's bat is a monstrous blow to Terry Francona's team. Teams will be more apt to pitch around Big Papi now that there is no Manny behind him. I could be completely wrong, because Terry Francona is the best manager in the game and the Red Sox remain a very good team. However, I don't see Boston making the playoffs. Fans in Tampa and fans in the Bronx have to be thrilled that Theo Epstein pulled the trigger on the Manny Ramirez deal.

I get it, I get it, I get it: Manny Ramirez was being a pain in the you-know-where. That does not change the fact that he is one of the most intimidating offensive sluggers baseball has ever seen. And wouldn't you rather have a guy like Manny than a guy that has no personality whatsoever and hides all of his feelings? Anyway, I hate the Dodgers, so I am no longer a Manny Ramirez fan. Call me a biased homer, that's fine by me. But I'd be lying if I said this was not a good trade for Los Angeles. Unless the Diamondbacks start playing with an urgent sense of passion, Joe Torre's club will win the NL West. Boy, do I hope I'm wrong.