A-Rod/Manny. John W. Henry will meet with Alex Rodriguez and Scott Boras this week. Henry and Rodriguez met last Friday. One source said they spoke for as long as six hours, but Rangers owner Tom Hicks (who recently met with Sox president Larry Lucchino) described the session as "more of a get-acquainted meeting." ... Tony Massarotti says that if Nomar is traded, it's all Manny's fault. "What if Garciaparra genuinely wants to remain in Boston? What if a new contract is doable, but the Red Sox decide to trade Garciaparra strictly because it is their only chance to dump Manny? ... The answer is that Manny Ramirez would be responsible for the departure of Nomar Garciaparra." Oh, and Manny is also to blame for this weekend's snowstorm and for the fact that you ran out of toilet paper. Manny = Evil.

Wallowing. Surfing threads at SoSH, I noticed there were some recent posts to the ALCS Game 7 thread, so I took a look.

Holmes Smarter Brother, 11/6/03 3:05 am: "Honest to god, how @#%$ hard is it? You starter starts getting shelled, you replace him. It's easier than replacing the toilet paper."

Jack Brohammer Experience, 11/12/03 1:12 am: "So I walk into this deli today wearing my Sox cap. Its a beautiful day in Northern California with sunny blue skies and the air temp a relatively balmy 70 degrees. ... I was reflective but in a very good mood. But then suddenly, the guy behind the counter, staring at my Sox cap, asks me "So, do you think he should've taken Pedro out?" Needless to say, I gave him a long-winded answer that virtually assured that he will never ask that sort of question again. And my thoughts again turned back to the fact that Grady couldn't prepare toast without burning it."

Scott Cooper, 11/16/03 11:03 pm: "How long must I continue to think about this game....It seems so frickin simple. Pedro was done, and the pen has been getting it done the entire postseason....It was a no brainer..."

No Guru No Method, 11/20/03 5:21 pm: "Nope it still hurts. Going back to bed for another month."

EricM80, 11/22/03 1:54 am: "This game still cuts like a bad breakup. It hits me at various moments throughout the day. I can be taking a shower, eating dinner, or just out for a drive and think to myself, "Why the hell did Grady leave Pedro in?" It makes no sense to me. Crazy."

Jneen, 11/26/03 9:33 am: "I finally got up enough courage to visit this thread for the very first time today. Know what? I didn't cry. This is a big step. Things feel good right now."

Holmes Smarter Brother, 11/27/03 12:14 am: "I really, really can't stand Gump. We had them beat. We had them beat. All we had to do was go to a bullpen that had allowed one run in their last twenty seven innings."

LawTown Fool, 12/2/03 4:45 pm: "Today I was poking around some of the threads that were posted just prior to Game 7. I came across this -- it was from a column in the NY Post:
One thing is already certain about the baseball game that the Red Sox and the Yankees will play tonight at Yankee Stadium: You will remember it for the rest of your life. You will tell and re-tell stories about where you were, who you were with, what you said, how you felt, and you will do this a thousand times before you die.
You just don't know the details yet.
Jesus Chirst, but this guy was right on the money. I think I've already told stories about where I was, who I was with, how I felt, etc., one thousand times. Also, twice over the weekend I saw highlights of the Boone home run (they were showing them, for some strange reason, with the story regarding the Schilling trade). The bastards nearly caught me with my guard down. But in both instances I was able to grab the remote quick enough and change the channel before I saw Boone make contact. I still have not see that fucking ball land. And I never will. That is my pledge."