General manager Theo Epstein was working with a mandate from within his own clubhouse. Following his team's dispiriting loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Wednesday night, Epstein met with a handful of Red Sox veterans, all of whom delivered the same message: Manny had to go.
If his antics weren't directly responsible for the team's slide - the Sox have lost five of six on the current homestand, their worst stretch of play at Fenway all season - they were certainly serving as a distraction.
Worse, the players feared that if Ramirez remained with the Sox for the remainder of the season, he couldn't be counted upon in the middle of a pennant race. In their minds, there were no guarantees that Ramirez wouldn't engage in further petulant displays that could sidetrack the team's playoff push.
In the past, teammates had advised against just such a deal, reminding management that, whatever his faults, Ramirez's skill as a run producer were too valuable. But in the last week or so, Ramirez lost the clubhouse and the equation was turned on its head: no matter how good he was as a hitter, it wasn't enough to outweigh the negatives.
They were tired of answering questions about him, tired of rationalizing his selfish behavior, and frankly, tired of him.
Armed with that knowledge, Epstein set out to make a trade - any trade.
http://www.beloblog.com/ProJo_Blogs/SoxBlog/2008/07/sean-mcadam-man.html
If his antics weren't directly responsible for the team's slide - the Sox have lost five of six on the current homestand, their worst stretch of play at Fenway all season - they were certainly serving as a distraction.
Worse, the players feared that if Ramirez remained with the Sox for the remainder of the season, he couldn't be counted upon in the middle of a pennant race. In their minds, there were no guarantees that Ramirez wouldn't engage in further petulant displays that could sidetrack the team's playoff push.
In the past, teammates had advised against just such a deal, reminding management that, whatever his faults, Ramirez's skill as a run producer were too valuable. But in the last week or so, Ramirez lost the clubhouse and the equation was turned on its head: no matter how good he was as a hitter, it wasn't enough to outweigh the negatives.
They were tired of answering questions about him, tired of rationalizing his selfish behavior, and frankly, tired of him.
Armed with that knowledge, Epstein set out to make a trade - any trade.
http://www.beloblog.com/ProJo_Blogs/SoxBlog/2008/07/sean-mcadam-man.html
