It's a sad day in Man-sville

Well... I was reading a staple in Red Sox internet literature today, "Touching All The Bases" (which coincidentally was Alex's mom's nickname in high school- it's been a while since i've good naturedly ribbed A-Pop), and I read something that made me eternally sad. The worst part was that I had to begrudgingly nod my head in agreement. My main man Chad Finn has a great point:

"4. Wily Mo Pena is by all accounts a good-natured, hardworking kid, and there's no denying he has the raw physical talent to hit 35+ home runs in a major league season someday. But even to those of us who thought dealing Bronson Arroyo for him was a shrewd move must admit the truth right now: It would be better for him and the ball club if he moved on. He needs to play every day for a ball club like Kansas City or Pittsburgh (Xavier Nady for Wily Mo? Yes, please) where he can get the 500 at-bats he needs to hone his skills, particularly when it comes to pitch recognition. I like him, and I root for him to make it big, but it's just not going to happen for him here."

If you've been reading this blog for it's entire tenure, you'll know that I have a mancrush on Wily Mo and have even inducted him into my personal badass hall of fame, called the Wall of Man. On a side note, I may have to consider inducting Bear Grylls in there pretty soon. If you haven't been a longtime listener of this program, you can go back and read a few of my articles in the July archives (holy crap I've been blogging for exactly a year now).


I still love seeing Wily Mo step to the plate. I even made up a nickname for him this year, "WMP - Weapons of Mass Pena." However, I'd rather see him go somewhere else and thrive, than fester on our bench. So even if you leave, best of luck Mr. Pena. There will always be a spot for you on the Wall of Man.