For the past week, everyone was wondering if Manny Ramirez would be in Boston following today’s trade deadline. Well, he is and Sunday afternoon, he showed why the Sox were so reluctant to give him up. Ramirez didn’t start the past two games, with manager Terry Francona saying he and Manny thought, under the circumstances, that it would be best if he sat out until all of the hoopla surrounding his possible trade died down. But this afternoon, with runners on first and second and the game tied in the bottom of the eighth inning, Manny stepped to the plate to a roaring ovation and promptly delivered the game-winning single. Manny loved it, saluting the crowd and smiling as he stood on first, and Sox fans loved it too.

Ramirez was booed pretty heavily at Fenway throughout his latest “episode,” but the bottom line is he’s one of the top run-producers in all of baseball and a future Hall of Famer, and you don’t give guys like that away. Sure, he’s got his issues but with the game on the line and runners on base, there aren’t many players I’d want at the plate more than Manny Ramirez. And I’m sure Francona and most Sox fans feel the same way.