Now is not the time to dump Manny

Manny Ramirez is a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer. He also can be a huge pain in the butt. He's one of the all-time great hitters, and there aren't many guys you'd rather see at the plate in a clutch situation. You know, the difference between Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez. In short, Ramirez is the sort of player a genuine World Series contender doesn't dump at the trade deadline. He helps get your team to the postseason, and he produces when he gets there. Ramirez ("Manny Being Manny") caused a stir Sunday prior to the ESPN night game against the visiting New York Yankees by saying he'd waive his no-trade clause if the Red Sox want to deal him. He suggested that it could be time to move on for both parties. Manny says a lot of things and he leads the majors in retractions. Ramirez has a .312 career batting average that has... [read full story]