"Manny-delay Bay"

That is just one "witty" new paper headline that will probably be written in regards to the 3 way deal with Manny Ramirez for Jason Bay. These will be the same writers that will now trash Manny for the next week or so in the Boston Area. Also will be heard the first few times Jason Bay either hits a home run or makes a nice catch is "But, he is NO Manny Ramirez". And before you jump on the BYE BYE MANNY band wagon lets get a few things out in the open.

Manny needed to go, his agent wasn't happy in Boston. Scott Boras, Manny's agent, felt that he could make more money that Boston was going to offer. When I say he, I mean Boras. If you can't smell what I am stepping in right here I am saying "Scott Boras has fueled Manny's little temper tantrum of recent times". See, Boras is the most hated of all agents in baseball. He is a tough negotiator and usually gets what he wants, and when he doesn't he gets his players to jump ship. Manny is the easiest on because, I have said this along time, Manny is a child. He is easily led by the nose, and Boras knows this cash cow only has 3-4 more years of mooing. He figures get him out now, and make it seem the team is to blame. This will make it easier to get another team to give him a good contract, henceforth, Boras gets paid. I am sure that he had to work hard, because as we all know, Manny loves being Manny, and people would over look his run of the mill lunacy and not pay attention. So, its onto slamming the team, and making funny signs to hold up on TV. It is about cash, not winning. If it were about winning Manny would be in a Cubs Uniform or a Angels Uniform (they both need 1 more big bat and they are both contenders)

Now, I want to be the first to THANK Manny for allowing us to witness 2 World Series Rings. We all stood and cheered during walk offs, big home runs, the occasional GREAT assist and his goofy disposition. I know everyone is going onto that "I never liked him" truck. I am hearing it 2 1/2 hours after the trade on the west coast. But lets face it, Fenway went NUTS when Manny came to bat in big situations, the man is the active leaders in RBI's. He was true in the box, never cheated him self. He studied his craft, it is probably the only thing he takes serious. He is a student of the game, with his nasty dreads flying around and the silly stocking cap. I loved him on the field, and I will miss his bat. I wish HIM nothing but luck, because he is honestly just the cog in the Boras Engine. Manny will be in the hall of fame, and he will probably do it in a Red Sox uniform, because he won't remember this soap opera. I will cheer that day, and hope he never beats us before then. I know Manny needed to leave, he was a distraction. The team wasn't happy and its time. I am not blind to reality, I am just one who remembers what he DID on the field, and that's why I love baseball.

Now the Red Sox also lose, Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss. Hansen is going to me a GREAT middle reliever mark my words. He will probably be Mike Timlin in his prime a year or to. He has come leaps and bounds this year, and he WILL beat us at some point in his career. Brandon Moss at best is a journeymen outfielder. Decent glove, slow light bat. He may steal a home run from us, who knows.

In return we get Jason Bay. He has been in the major's since 2004. He was the NL Rookie of the year. He is a catalyst player. He is NOT MANNY. He is a tough, wall running into guy. He is about 5 years younger and about 16 Million a year cheaper. He has good pop in the bat, decent RBI guy and can steal the occasionally bag. He is a good outfielder, who can track a ball well. He has some good years left and he probably can hit 500 Home runs if he stays on course, though he is susceptible to left handed pitching, which Manny was not. But in Boston, the writers will eat him up, and constantly say he isn't Manny. Which is sad, but so aren't the writers.....................................Oh and the first time Joe Buck, Joe Morgan or John Miller say "I bet there missing Manny now" when the game is on the line, I am smacking them.

That poor Fire Fighter! INJURIES SUCK

Ok, I know I have not posted in a long time. Part of it was lack of inspiration, the other part was me not caring too much. But this can not and will not be overlooked. I tried. My brother in law Chuck emailed this to me and I sat on it for a day. Partially to see if it enraged me enough to sit and type my aggravation out, the other part was me trying to find a little bit of good in it. Well, as my unemployed ass sat in bed last night, I couldn't help but think "what a dick head, your a injured firefighter getting 100% tax free". That's right, as a fire fighter in mass, if you are hurt on the job, you get 100% tax free until you can return to work or retire out. If you retire out injured, at my last check it, is the average of your top 3 years of by, multiplied by 72% and that's what you get. No taxes taken, you get health care and a few other little things. That is (and rightfully so) a thank you from the state to police officers and fire fighters who injure themselves in the line of duty and can not work any longer. I know this because, I worked with plenty of people police and fire that HAD to take it. Personally, my father had a stroke as a police officer. His doctor stated that it was work/stress related. The cities doctor stated otherwise...guess who won!! Ya, I am a tad bitter on this subject. So now onto injured fire fighter turned professional body builder Albert Arroyo. If you know the story read on, if not here is the link to the story.

Now, first of all I am no FIRE FIGHTING BASHING. I have a few friends in the business and I will be the first to state that I would take a gun toting lunatic against a fire burning ANY DAY. A fire and not be rationalized with, a lunatic can be on one level or another. Fire Fighters in general are ALMOST as wonderful as the news makes them out to be. Honestly no group could live up to the hype set forth by today's media when it comes to Fire Fighters.

So Albert I have two questions, is your IQ the same number as you placed in the competition (number 8) and WHAT THE F*^k. How friggen arrogant can one man be. Its not like you called in sick to go to the RED SOX game or to go to your kids school play. YOU COMPETED IN A NATIONAL BODY BUILDING competition. Were you confident that there was no camera's there or press coverage. What if you won, its not like you competed under an assumed name. You DOLT! Are you that good of a guy where you never pissed ANYONE OFF, so you were confident NOBODY IN THE WORLD would turn you in. ASSH*OLE.

Ok, that made me feel a LITTLE better. now let me jump pages to his Lawyer, James S. Dilday (that joke writes itself). This obvious ambulance chaser, who consulted ARROYO, but had not been hired by him (I don't believe that) states "The bodybuilding helped him cope, emotionally and physically, with the travails and rigors of working as a firefighter". Ok, keep going you should now say "UNTIL HE HURT HIS BACK THEN HE COULD NOT LIFT WEIGHTS"...say it damn it...SAY IT. Where the hell is Sam Kinison when you need him. This guy would be F^*king fired already for not coming up with a better line. It wasn't even a Boston Fire Fighters Union Lawyer, that's how you know this is such B*LL SHIT, his own brothers and sisters aren't coming to his aid.

Now back to Arroyo, 'cause I ain't done yet. He got on the job (slang for started work) in 1986. His current salary is $68,133, that's not peso's my friends. So, I spoke earlier of how the injury retirement would go. If he RETIRED with an injury it is the average of his top 3 years of pay multiplied by 72%. But he is out INJURED, still on the job. So he gets %100 tax free.I needed help figuring what he was making but thanks to quicken, Microsoft money and my toes I came up with this figure, $68,000 give or take a few hundred. Oh, and medical coverage and what ever else any other active fire fighter received. That is what he got paid to get ready for this competition. if he retired it would be close to that, not to mention the public servant equivalent of a private 401K that HE pays into (I wouldn't argue that he should get that), health care, and a nice watch, and a party at St. Florians Hall (The Boston FF union/function hall).

And, again, its not like this guy was a front line JAKE (slang for fire fighter) running into burning buildings. He was a fire fighter assigned to be a BUILDING INSPECTOR. He isn't the guy or gal that jumps off the truck, turn out gear (fire fighting gear) grabs an axe and saves granny from a 4th alarm fire. He is the guy that is going to show up and tell you your sprinkler system sucks.

So, Congrats on coming in 8th Arroyo, cause in my heart you are the 1st place ASSH*OLE.

(oh, and if this was a cop it would have made NATIONAL news and his family would be incarcerated with him. but that's a different story on why the news sucks and the double standard that happens there)