10/30/2003 12:36:00 PM by Rob

New word in the English language

ram-ir-ez (v.) - To place a player on irrevocable waivers, to risk losing his services without benefit of a trade, not because he is a bad player, but because your team is better without the player and the player's salary; (vi.: ramirez-ed); He was ramirezed because his teammates grew weary of his selfishness. From the latin ramirez: sullen, distant.

The idea dawned on me as I happily bit into my Subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki. Actually, it was Dan Bernstein's idea on The Score.

Anyway, once Sammy picks up his player option, he should be ramirezed. The Steingrabber is not going to pick up Ramirez himself, at $20.5M annually, and he already has DH candidates in the Nick Johnson/Jason Giambi platoon. But a serviceable RF, with the charisma and marketing power of el jefe, for a mere $16.5M annual bite?

Oh, what could be done to the offense, with the additional $16.5M, the $9M savings from overpriced arsonists Alfucksucka, Guthrie, Estes and Veres, the $15 or so million not being paid to Glanville, Womack, Simon, Karros, possibly Grud and O'Leary, the $4 million we can recoup if we can trade AGonz, and maybe most importantly, the breath of freshness that will waft through the clubhouse, once the monstrous Panasonic boombox is removed from in front of the air duct.

Think you could get a Tejada, Pudge, Castillo and a Vlad for $44M? OK, maybe switch Aurilia for Tejada. Now it feels like a better fit.

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