Nine innings with Nick Cafardo

Boston.com has a story written by Gordon Edes of the Globe on how the market favors the Red Sox trading Manny Ramirez. The Sox have been trying to deal the funky slugger for three years now and this could be the season that they do it. With other teams handing out figures like $136 million to inferior players, teams might be willing to deal with Ramirez's issues for a relatively bargain price of $78 million over four years (Ramirez is guaranteed $38 million through 2008, but has two option years at $20 million apiece).

Included in the article is a video, not of Gordon Edes, but of Nick Cafardo, who appeared on Red Sox Hot Stove to talk about Ramirez and some of the other items swirling around Boston and the rest of baseball. It's kind of a funny video because of its brevity. Instead of getting real analysis from one of the Red Sox beat reporters, the host asks nine quick questions and Cafardo only has time for one short sentence on each topic. To me, it lacks substance and I ask, why bother at all? I have never seen the whole show, but if you are going to devote 30 minutes to pure hot stove talk, why not let Cafardo talk in a calmer environment instead of rapid-fire agression?

By the way, I've met Cafardo in person and the camera does not do him justice. He is not as wide in real life.