Counterpost: Manny, aka Stephen from Laguna Beach

So I have to admit, MTV's hit smash Laguna Beach is up there on my list of "Record This Series" on my DVR.

To my loyal readers who may have a problem with this, well, salt. The show is entertaining and it helps me to reflect on my glory days in high school.

So for those of you not familiar with the show, Laguna Beach (LB) is in its second season. Season 1 centered around a love triangle between Stephen, the B-M-O-C senior, L.C., a senior, and Kristin, his sexy underclassman girlfriend. OBVI!!!

Stephen, despite his California quirks that just wouldn't fly in NYC, flat out dominated these two girls. The guy was a star. Unfortunately, Season 1 ended, Stephen and Kristin broke up, and Stephen went off to college.

In the second season the show revolved around Stephen's ex, Kristin, and a couple of up-and-comers, Jason and Talan.

Jason, a cult hero in my eyes, has managed to canoodle with every girl on the show despite being unable to form a complete sentence.

Talan was rumored to have done the deed with Ms. Yankees2000 herself, Lindsay Lohan, so he has some cred.

Then there are a bunch of other high school kids. In case you didn't notice, there is a ton of depth in this show.

In Season 2, despite going to college in San Fran, Stephen manages to find his way back in Laguna Beach as much as anyone. Sadly, the guy has flat out lost it. Neither Kristin nor L.C. want him anymore and all of a sudden he looks desperate trying to get either one of them back.

So why do I bring up MTV's hit smash, Laguna Beach?

Because I think it is a perfect metaphor for why the Mets should not make the deal that my good friend and member of Team Employed A.F.O.M.G. highlighted in the morning blog.

Think of Manny Ramirez as Stephen from Laguna Beach. In his prime, Manny was at the top of the game and you just couldn't argue making this deal for him. He was simply the best and could be the centerpiece of a team, just like Stephen in Season 1 of Laguna Beach.

In 2005, the Red Sox started to transform. All of a sudden they were Big Papi's team. While Manny's numbers were still incredible, they represented a decline from previous seasons.

At the same time, Stephen is still logging some serious air time, on LB, but his notches on the belt per weekend numbers are way down.

So imagine three years from now. Imagine if Stephen were still floating around the streets of LB in Season 5, fresh with a new beer gut and a receding hairline. How sad would that be?

So maybe we can get one more good season on LB out of Stephen, just like we can hopefully squeeze out a few more "Manny" seasons out of Manny.

But then you have to look at what we are parting with.

Aaron Heilman is the Mets' present day version of Talan. The guy isn't headlining the show, but he is pretty damn solid and could definitely be at the core of the team for years to come.

Then you take Lastings Milledge, as sure a thing as the Mets seem to have in their farm system. I think his situation is analagous to Jason, back when Jason was tearing up the JV baseball circuit as a sophomore at Laguna Beach High.

See, Jason was a can't-miss. Sure, he was rolling with Cedric, which could have easily killed his cred just like any number of things could prevent Milledge from becoming a star. But in Sophomore Jason, you had something special in the making.

To top this all off, the Mets would have to give up Killer Cam. While coming up with yet another Laguna Beach comparison is rather difficult, Cam still has some punch in him. If the Mets wanted to start Victor Diaz, they could get 1 or 2 very solid young players for Cam or could easily use him to fill a void in the 'pen.

So looking back, the Mets would be giving up Mike Cameron, Talan, and a sophomore Jason for Stephen 2005.

All this is just too much. Remember the Mets traded for the Monster when he was 30, and while granted he played catcher, the guy was really done by 34.

I would have loved this deal two, maybe three years ago. I don't think there is a price too steep to get the production the Sox have gotten out of Manny in his time with them. But, Manny's time is starting to pass. I'm not sure this deal is worth it if Manny goes for 35, 120 and .285 next year, and realistically, that is what he would probably hit at Shea.

For those loyal readers salted by the subject, I felt a need to cater at least one blog to our loyal female fan base.

I am an F.B.I Agent,

Sippy Momo

While I had a hard time working it into the blog I felt a need to bring up Manny, aka Manny The Distraction. Seeing what T.O has done to the Eagles, and what Manny has been on the brink of causing to the Red Sox with his yearly trade demands, isn't it very likely that Manny could blow up in NY? Combine the pressure of being in the big city, having the Yankees across town and the fact that it is still very possible that even with Manny the Mets wouldn't win 90 games or make the playoffs, and all of a sudden we're looking at a complete and unmitigated disaster out in left field.