How the East Was Won

If the Red Sox wind up winning it all again this year, Theo Epstein should have an award named after him. After the Sox broke the so-called jinx in '04, they lost several key players, including Pedro Martinez, Kevin Lowe and Johnny Damon, among others, but Epstein, in spite of his one-year self-imposed exile in 2005, managed to retool the team in stride and it led to a second World Series title last year. This season hasn't been easy for Boston, with injuries taking their toll, the pesky Tampa Bay Rays refusing to go away and the Yankees upgrading their roster. But with the Manny Ramirez situation threatening to torpedo the Red Sox' season, this was the biggest test of Epstein's mettle.

It is exceptionally rare that a defending champion trades one of it's core players in the middle of a pennant race, but "Manny being Manny" was no longer an excuse (as pathetic as that reasoning is to begin with). So Epstein went right to work and, utilizing the Red Sox deep farm system and deeper pockets, unloaded Ramirez on the L.A. Dodgers, obtained Jason Bay from Pittsburgh to replace him in the lineup and - presto! The Red Sox are greatly improved in the clubhouse, and no worse on the field - at least when their healthy, a problem that even Epstein can't always solve. Things have yet to be played out, of course, but if Epstein's track record is even a slight barometer, the Red Sox chances look as good as ever.

How badly did Boston want to dump Manny Ramirez in spite of what he's meant to the team's success? The Dodgers are one of the wealthiest franchises in sports, but the Red Sox still agreed to pay every cent of the $7 million remaining on Ramirez's contract, which expires at season's end when he becomes a free agent. They also eliminated the $20 million club options they held for the next two years. The end result is Los Angeles gets virtually free rental on one of the best hitters in baseball, the Red Sox get a replacement bat, the Pirates get prospects (as usual), and everybody's happy - even Manny...for the time being, anyway.

Speaking of the Pirates, just what are hell are they doing, anyway? It's one thing to dump salaries and get prospects in return, but Pittsburgh's been riding this treadmill for years. They trade stars for youth, then the youth become stars, then they trade them for more youth, and so on. It's no wonder they haven't had a winning season since 1992. Building their new ballpark was just a way to briefly distract their fans from what's become a morbid modus operandi.

If it's true that opposites attract, than this trade involving Pittsburgh and Boston is a match made in Red Sox Nation.