Beantown Sports Guys

When Manny isn’t traded…

When the Sox can't find the deal they want today before the trade deadline one thing I am 100% certain of:

Manny will act as if he never wanted to leave.

He's done it before, he'll do it again. It's his version of saying he is sorry for the raucous and damnit, let's win another World Series.

And the fans will love him for it, but management…not so much.

I don't expect he'll sit idly by and wither away on the bench. On the contrary, I think his bat and step will come to life. Afterall, he could be playing for the last contract of his career.

You see, the Sox could sit down, talk it over with Manny, get on the same page, and be content and pick up this next year. And if he is being the lovable Manny everyone loves, pick up his second option.

But there is a catch: Manny needs to do it without Scott Boras.

A-Rod will tell Manny that Boras is the reason why Yankee Country hated him so much in the offseason. And if Manny is listening, he'll ignore Boras here and he'll be upfront and honest to the Sox, behind closed doors, and not try to manipulate them through the media, ala Boras/A-Rod. Because where did that ultimately get both of them?

My gut says that Manny really does love Boston: he loves the fans, he loves playing with Ortiz and Lugo and Delcarmen. He loves the Green Monster. He loves being himself. And we get that. And we're fine with that.

But Boston is not fine when he says Boston doesn't deserve him. That is Boras talking, don't ever be fooled into thinking otherwise. That is his modus operandi: great distention between player/city/team and drive a wedge between them all.

If Manny is to stay in Boston, long-term, he should step away from the mic and the reporters and talk to the Sox in person. Because nothing is lost in translation. Remember, he speaks Spanish, and so some of the things he does say I imagine are turned and twisted, where in his mind they mean next to nothing. I'm not putting the blame on reporters or writers or anyone here, it's just something to think about.

Patriots sign LaMont Jordan

The Patriots made an impressive move this weekend by swooping in rather quickly after the Raiders released RB LaMont Jordan, signing him to a contract.

Even though the Patriots still have RBs Sammy Morris under contract as well as Kevin Faulk, depth is never a bad thing. RB Laurence Maroney will benefit from Jordan coming to town, as Jordan is similar to ex-Pat Corey Dillon's running style and should give Maroney the fresh legs he needs. Morris and Faulk are more change of pace backs that are good 3^rd down options.

Jordan brings a veteran presence, he's a guy that's tough to tackle, he's a hard runner, loves to dole out punishment, and he is a great receiving back. Even though he has some decent bulk to him ( 5'10", 230 lbs.) he has the speed to run outside and even return kicks.

The timing of the signing could not be any better: New Orleans Saints RB Deuce McCalister seems to be having issues with his surgically repaired knee, and the Saints might need to sign a veteran back to pick up the slack if he misses any time.

Lucky for the Pats, it won't be Jordan signing with them.

Mayo signs with Pats: all draft picks signed

Training camp opens today and all signs were pointing to 10^th pick overall Jerod Mayo not being there and missing out on important reps.

Not so fast.

It's being reported that the Patriots have reached a deal with Mayo, and that the rookie inside will be in attendance at the afternoon practice session today, the 2^nd of two practices on the opening day of training camp.

The 6'1" 242 lb. linebacker from the University of Tennessee is expected to immediately compete for playing time at inside linebacker.

Kaczur pleads guilty

Nick Naczur made a mistake.

According to police reports, Kaczur had 202 OxyContin pills on him when he was pulled over April 27 by state troopers near Utica, New York. Since then, he has helped the feds arrest the man who was accused of supplying him with the drug.

The 28-year-old Kaczur was ordered to pay $355 in fines and fees by a judge, who said the drug possession charge will be dismissed, provided he is able to keep himself out of trouble for the next half year.

Is there any doubt he'll be able to stay out of trouble? Absolutely not.

Kaczur is not like Mr. Willie Andrews, who was brought up on some drug charges of his own, and recently released by the Patriots. Andrews was given a second chance with the Pats, but lost that chance when he reportedly pointed a gun to his girlfriend's head and was promptly arrested.

The Kraft family will give anyone a second chance: ask Kevin Faulk. Ask Corey Dillon. Ask Randy Moss. And now, ask Nick Kaczur.

In typical Patriots fashion, they declined to comment, but none was needed: the Kraft family does all the talking they need through their actions. They are an understanding and forgiving family, but don't take that to mean they are pushovers.

Just ask Mr. Willie Andrews.

Breaking News: Favre seeks unconditional release

If Brett Favre is to suit up next year it won't be in a Green Bay Packer uniform.

I know. I'll give you a second to digest that.

In a letter sent from Favre's agent to the Packers, Favre is seeking his unconditional release so that he can seek to play elsewhere. It's not the fairytale ending the Packers want, but it might be the best scenario for the Packers if they don't want to bring Favre back.

At the same time, I can see the Packers not wanting to grant them his unconditional release, since their division rivals the Chicago Bears are desperately looking for a new QB, as well as potentially the Minnesota Vikings, another division rival.

Favre came back to the Packers a couple years ago with Mike McCarthy flew down to Mississippi begging Favre to come back for his first year of coaching. Favre did well by the Packers, now its time for them to do well by him.

The Packers brass better tread carefully. Favre is regarded as a God in Wisconsin, and treating him well in this situation would bode well for the Packers.

It just didn’t feel the same

Normally a Sox/Yanks series has a little more spark. Maybe it's because Ortiz is hurt, as are half the Yankees. Maybe it's because we're all at the bottom looking up at the Rays. Maybe it's because Lugo plays like he doesn't care and knows he is about to be traded.

Whatever it is, I know that no matter what the situation is, whether the Sox are leading the division or the Yanks are chasing the Wild Card, or the Sox are chasing the Wild Card of vice versa, the series at the end of September will snap everyone back to reality, whether all the Sox/Yanks series in between do or not.

This much I do know:

• Theo needs to get a trade going soon for Lugo. Even for 5 barrels of sunflower seeds. Anything. Just get him out of here and bring Jed back up.
  
• If Ortiz is 100% healthy when he comes back, the Sox will overtake the Rays by the end of August, or the last Fenway series against the Rays at the absolute latest (beginning of the 2^nd week of September).
  
• Varitek will bounce back after the All-Star break. He HAS to.
  
• Papelbon isn't 100% automatic right now. Why? Now THAT is the question.
  
• Our bullpen needs to get better, whether it's getting guys like Clay Buchholz back healthy and using him in the pen or calling someone up. Trading for relief pitching will cost too much right now.

It's almost the All-Star break. The Sox (as well as my fantasy team) need it.

Can the Red Sox keep pace with the Rays?

A little more than halfway into their season and the Tampa Bay Rays are in 1st place in the AL East. At 51-32, they lead the Red Sox by 2 1/2 games, the Yankees by 7 1/2, and Baltimore and Toronto by 8 1/2 and 11 games respectively.

The two main questions flying around are: "When will the Rays fall back to earth?" and "Can the Red Sox pull the AL East away from them?"

Some think the former question is nonsense, in fact, many think the Rays haven't even played their best baseball yet, just getting back Carlos Pena and Cliff Floyd, while their starting pitching has been the big story for them.

At this point in time, their standing in the division has just as much to do with them playing well as it has to do with the Sox losing close games. Not including last night's 3-1 loss to Tampa, out of the Boston's last 6 losses 5 have been by 1 run. Their bullpen is still finding it's way, and their starting pitching needs to get consistent. The DL is not their friend right now, and losing someone like Ortiz to it for an extended period of time was bound to bite them in the ass.

The latter question has everything to do with just that: getting healthy. Ortiz, Colon, and Timlin are all integral in getting the Sox back on track, especially Ortiz.

The Rays are still a young team. They are on Cloud 9 right now but what happens when they hit a 3 or 4 game losing streak? Will they fall apart? Will they regroup and be better as a result? Who knows, but if you're a Rays fan, enjoy it while it lasts.