The debate, if you really want to call it that, over whether the Red Sox should pick up Manny Ramirez’s options for the next two seasons, seems to have heated up recently. Manny has been in the press for all kinds of “problems” and “issues” lately, from the spat with Youkilis in the dugout, the pushing incident with the Traveling Secretary, and the irrelevant story about him jaywalking in Seattle. Combine that with absurd comments made by the usually reputable Bob Lobel that Manny intentionally struck out in Yankee Stadium weeks after he was fined (I don’t buy it for a second) and Eck’s ridiculous rant on how horrible Manny is for talking about his contract (I mean, who cares, really? Manny didn’t even say anything other than if the Sox don’t sign him, he’ll play somewhere else) and you’re getting a lot of Manny bashing going around.

Oh yeah, he also fell down fielding a ball he should have caught and laughed about it, which I’m sure isn’t the worst fielding play he’s ever made.

So basically, with all this so-called news on Manny, many are calling for the Sox to finally get rid of him. Typical views are that he’s lazy, doesn’t care about winning, is a problem in the clubhouse, isn’t worth the money anymore, his production is in decline, and of course, a lot of people just plain don’t like him. Replace the word Manny up there and you’d have a pretty good description of Barry Bonds in the last few years too. But even the biggest Manny-haters I don’t think would compare him with Bonds! Yes, I am saying that anyone who really thinks that the Red Sox will somehow be better off in 2009 and 2010 without Manny Ramirez than with him are just plain wrong.

First things first - personal opinions of Manny shouldn’t be relevant. Would I be upset if someone in my family tried to blow off a visit to a hospital and skip practice to appear at a car show? Of course. Does this affect his ability to produce and prevent runs on a baseball field? Of course not. And trust me, there are a lot of guys in baseball who we all love who are much bigger jackasses than Manny (Arod anyone?).

There is also this stigma with Manny that he is lazy and doesn’t try hard. But ask anyone close to the team who works the hardest, takes the most BP, and has the craziest off season workout schedule, and you’ll hear about Manny Ramirez. Does he give 100% every time out, Youkilis style? No, but his perceived laziness is more about his ability being so far above everyone else around him than it is about actual effort. Manny is like that kid in little league who thought (knew?) he was better than everyone and didn’t have to hustle. Not a great quality, but also not a reason to get rid of one of your best, most consistent players.

Plus, his production is still positive. I’m not going to get in to any crazy stats, mostly becuase if you know what they all mean, you know all of this already. But Manny makes every team he is on better, and that’s the bottom line. Basically, advanced baseball stats are going to tell you that your lineup with Manny Ramirez in it will score about 1 run more per game, on average over the course of a season, than your typical, average outfielder. His defense on the other hand, is quite below average and there is no denying that. But at worst, his poor defense will yield the other team about .3 or .4 runs per game, on average, over the course of a season. Some simple math will tell you that with Manny in the lineup, you are scoring an extra half run every game. This is a lot! Especially when playing good teams, you know, like you see in the playoffs and World Series. I’ll take his amazing home runs in the playoffs any day, even if it means we have to deal with some random crap during the season.

But even the people who are completely convinced of all these facts will still point to Manny’s salary as a point of contention. For $20 million next year and the year after, you can buy a whole lot of baseball player. And although this is true, nobody thus far has told me exactly who we’re getting to replace him. Keep in mind that saying JD Drew will take his place in the lineup doesn’t really count, because, well, he already is. We’re talking about who will play left field. Do you really want Manny’s production replaced by Coco Crisp’s .251 batting average with little to no power? The next thought that usually gets thrown out is that we can get a free agent to replace him, and they don’t cost more than $20 million. Yes, true, but its 20 million per year. Players of Manny’s caliber don’t typically sign 2 year contracts (which makes this Manny contract look like genius in retrospect - thanks Duquette). Anyone who is going to even come close to his production out of the free agent market is going to want a contract the size of Soriano’s - or $136 million for 8 years. There is no way anyone can argue that an 8 year contract for someone else is better than 2 for Manny.

In the end, this year will come and go the same as any other. People will come up with all kinds of crazy ideas to get Matt Holliday somehow with Manny (why would the Rockies want him? Where would he play unless you cut Manny? How many pitchers will we have to give up for him?) or trade him to the Mets who are in desperate need of another outfielder (Aaron Heillman is NOT the answer for this bullpen, and the Mets are out of good prospects after getting Santana).

Simply put, there is just no plausible scenario that I, or anyone else I’ve talked to about this, can come up with that would make the Sox better without Manny Ramirez. If you can think of one, call Theo, but otherwise, I suggest letting all of the issues go and stop Manny-hating already. The guy is having a great year, and in case you didn’t notice, is already hitting .471 with a homer and two doubles since the All Star break. He may not be playing in today’s game, but he’ll be back soon enough, just in time to start winning games for the team we all love.