Papi, Why are you crying?

I feel bad for him. David Ortiz is just not the same player he was in 2007 (or last year for that matter). Once the most popular player on the Redsox, Ortiz was benched this weekend in favor of Rocco Baldelli. The Sox were hoping the weekend would give Big Papi a chance to relax and clear his head. After watching another 0-3 performance Tuesday night, including two ugly strikeouts and a weak grounder to first, it appears time off isn't what he needed.
Let me take this chance to credit the Redsox fans who were in attendance Tuesday night. Papi was not boo'd, and actually had chants break out for him in his second at bat (a ground out) even after an extremely ugly strikeout in the first inning.
He looks slow and confused at the plate. The Sox have a decision to make. Do they keep him and his .203 batting average in the lineup, or do they start to look for his replacement? I will be the first to say 2004 and 2007 would not have been possible without Ortiz. He will always be one of my favorite players - heck his jersey is hanging in my closet at home. There comes a point where as a team you need to move forward though. It was done with Nomar in 2004, Manny in 2008, and maybe its time with Papi now.
I like Papi way too much. Personally, I would drop him to the bottom third of the order and see what happens. Take the pressure off, but keep him in the game. If he doesn't start hitting, all you have lost is time. I would much rather do that than have the feeling Twins fans must have had from 2003-2008.
Every time he comes up my mind goes back to the same guy whose bat explodes though the zone, and grins ear to ear as the ball sails into the right field stands. Then my eyes see a slow, joyless, stressed Ortiz who cant get around on a 90mph fastball anymore. I really feel like he needs one homer, and the rest will come. He can get the average back to 270ish, and hit 25 homers. The question is, can he get one?

Manny being ??????

Being a huge Redsox fan, I feel a requirement to share my thought on the situation involving Manny Ramirez. In case you didn't know, Manny has been caught using a substance that has been banned by Major League Baseball, and has subsequently been suspended 50 games.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4148907

I thought long and hard last night to come up with an analogy to describe the situation and how I feel about it. This is the best I could come up with. It would be like meeting your room mate freshman year of college, and eventually he becomes your best friend. You do everything together. You experience all the good (2004 and 2007) and bad (2003) life has to offer. During this time you are dating someone, then all of a sudden he swoops in, steals her away, and acts without a shred of remorse. Then a year later, he is arrested for having a false identity. He was such a big part of your life for so long, and now you have no idea who exactly he is.
For 7 and 1/2, Manny Ramirez was part of the Redsox and the lives of all their fans. Sure Papi was likable, but every Sox fan knew that when the game was on the line it was Manny we wanted at the plate. He became arguably the best pure hitter in baseball which everyone attributed to his tireless work ethic and loads of natural talent. Sure he was goofy, quirky, unpredictable, and even selfish at times; but it never mattered because once Manny stepped out of the dugout you knew exactly what you would get.
Now we have the same results. Manny still produces like one of the best hitters in the game, but how did he really get there? Did he really have that much talent? Did he really work that hard? Was he really that goofy and lovable or was that an act put on to distract everyone from the truth?
I will still remember all the good times Manny had with the Sox. I am still grateful to him for what he did for us in 2004 and 2007. I am still upset with him for what transpired in 2008. Unfortunately there is another emotion that I will always associate with Manny Ramirez; I will always wonder who he really was.