I admit that I was excited to hear about my boys trading for Manny. Usually, I would not endorse going after expensive rent-a-bats, especially those who have demonstrated a questionable sense of respect for the game, meanwhile trading away young potential. But for whatever reason, I like this trade. As John Donovan has pointed out, by agreeing to let go of his option years, Ramirez has put himself in a position to be rewarded with a fat free agent contract at the end of the season, which will only get fatter if he can produce and if he can get along with teammates and management. He has everything to play for.

Also, we didn't give up that much. I'm tired of promising prospects who are chronic underachievers and I don't think we'll lose much sleep over not having LaRoche in the future.

If Manny plays up to his career stats, and the rest of the team holds steady, there is no excuse for not winning the NL West.

In other sports news, UNC kicks off its summer workouts today. I love college football season. It is by far my favorite sports season of all. Let's hope UNC can continue to build on the positives of last season.