Foul Territory

Let me go on the record stating that this was a great trade for the Red Sox. They could either flip Nomar for some useful players and let someone else deal with the hassle of signing his next contract, or they could keep him, let him sulk all season, and if they made the playoffs, he could choke once again. Frankly, I'll let the Wrigley faithful deal with him in October when he grounds into a double play with the bases loaded and one out. Props to Theo Epstein for getting something of value in return, though I can't wait to hear the Boston crowd try to say Mientkiewicz for the rest of the season. Oh yeah, Vikki, it's pronounced mint-KAY-vitch.

If Nomar really wanted to spend the rest of his career in Boston, he would have signed that contract for 4 yrs/60 mill, back when the Sox were willing to overpay for him by that much. It's a hard pill for the Boston fans to swallow losing a player whose name they could so ludicrously mispronounce, but by all accounts, we're looking at a player who is clearly in his decline phase, not to mention one who can't stay healthy. The next step after this season is deciding what to do with their other high priced sulker who looks to be in his decline phase: Pedro Martinez.