Ran across this interesting column by Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe on the absence of Manny Ramirez from the Red Sox lineup Friday night against the Yankees.

It looks like Ramirez’s act has finally worn thin in Boston, which should cause Rays’ fans to lift an eyebrow. Anything that hurts Boston is good news for the Rays these days.

Shaughnessy’s column suggests that most of the team has had it with Ramirez’s “me-first” attitude, which has been excused in the past as “Manny being Manny.” He pulled himself from the starting lineup for Friday’s game with what seems to be a mysterious knee injury. The team was not happy and the Sox lost 1-0. Think they could have used him?

It’s not likely the Sox would trade Ramirez or anything that drastic, but this still bears watching. It could escalate into a major distraction down the stretch.

Speaking of the Rays, here’s the perspective from the Daily News in New York about Friday’s deal by the Yankees to acquire before Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pirates. The New York Post was even more emphatic about what it all meant.