Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox


Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers


Jason Bay trade reaction per Boston.com's Nancy Marrapese-Burrell:

It was actually very, very ... overwhelming, really. It's going to be something I'll probably never forget, that's for sure. I can't wait. Everyone says the best fans in baseball are here and I can't wait to be a part of the home team.

My head was spinning. My name was everywhere and the deadline passed and I thought, 'All that and nothing.' All of a sudden, a half hour after the deadline, I get called into the office and they say, 'You've been traded.' If I was a free agent, I couldn't have picked a better place to go to, I don't think.

It's actually stupid but I remember the stands singing, 'Sweet Caroline.' I thought that was kind of neat, just the way everyone got into the game. The atmosphere, having not been a part of that, we had come from Yankee Stadium the series before that, the atmosphere was totally different. It was just like, 'Wow, I can do this.'

Aside from the whole 'Sweet Caroline' thing (I don't know about you, but I'm all Neil Diamond'd out at this point), Bay's saying all the right things (the part where he just barely stops short of accusing Yanks fans of not getting into the game is absolutely priceless) and endearing himself to Sox fans in the process. Of course, that could all change in a moment if he goes 0-for-20 in his first 5 games, but at least initially, it appears that Bay will be a good fit in Boston for the rest of the season (and next).