First off, let me say f*** manny. He was my favorite Red Sox player. And he could have gotten his number retired had he kept his mouth shut, which is what he said he wanted last offseason. He blew it. But, i do think that had he stayed on this team we would have won it all. Bay had great numbers, and he did a lot for this team down the stretch, and im a fan of the way he plays; but Manny creates a different atmosphere, he hits in a different spot in the lineup, he does different things. I think that had he stayed, and the Red Sox just ignored them like they always have, he would have come back, said something that no one understands but everyone thinks is funny, and he would have hit. Everything we have seen through the years backs up this point. He has always made a stink, and he has always come back.
In short, he is a dousche for how he acted, but IMO we were a better team with him hitting 4th