Left field at Fenway Park is one of the most iconic positions in all of professional sports. Set in the shadow of the Green Monster, this legendary lawn was patrolled by three Hall of Famers for half a century.

However with Jason Bay’s sudden metamorphosis into Manny Ramirez’ twin, Fenway’s left field legacy is transforming before our eyes.

Bay arrived in Boston at the trade deadline in ’08 and immediately established a reputation as not only a great teammate but a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat. For a season and a half, he provided prolific production in both the regular season and the playoffs.

But as soon as Bay’s contract expired last October, he began imitating his dreadlocked predecessor. Determined to capitalize on his first crack at free agency, Bay and his agent Joe Urbon set a premium price for the slugger’s services and decided they were going to get their payday by whatever means necessary.

The Red Sox reportedly offered Bay a four-year, $60-million contract as recently as three weeks ago. Not bad pay for seven and a half months of work, but short of the five-year, $75-million deal Bay and his agent were demanding.

Urbon expressed his frustration over the Red Sox’ reluctance to meet his client’s asking price and called the team’s bluff in an interview with The Boston Globe on December 12. "It's pretty simple. We reject the Red Sox' latest offer for a number of reasons but primarily the valuation of the offer isn't where we think it should be, nor is it where other clubs have valued Jason in this marketplace. That's just led Jason to be more interested in the other opportunities at this point, rather than with the Red Sox."

Hmmm…I’m having a little trouble reading between the lines but I think what he was saying is that it’s about money. Although I haven’t read his bio, I’d be willing to bet that Urbon is a graduate of the Manny Ramirez School of Subtlety.

Team Bay’s monetary focus was actually fortuitous given that Peter Gammons characterized the Red Sox’ offer to Bay as the most lucrative in terms of present-day value during an appearance on WEEI on December 24.

Bay’s affinity for Boston, which Urbon described in his interview with the Globe, further increased the liklihood of consumating a deal. “This is a great place to play, a great city to play for, and this is a place that will most likely ensure for him to play for a World Series year in and year out. That has not changed.”

It’s not often that a deal like this is served on a silver platter. All Bay needed to do was sign on the dotted line and he’d arrive in Fort Myers with long-term security.

The only problem is that Bay wasn’t seeking security. He wanted money, not a penny less than the amount he determined he was worth, above all else. Just like the guy who roamed left field before him. And thus, no deal.

After Bay and the Mets agreed on a four-year contract earlier this week, it was reported that Bay was interested in playing for the Mets all along. There’s about as much truth in that as there is in a Scott Boras sales pitch.

Not only did Urbon publicly testify to Bay’s love for Boston but he also tried to reengage the Red Sox once it became clear that the Mets were the only serious bidder for his client.

During his Christmas Eve interview on WEEI, Gammons characterized Bay’s desire to join the Mets this way: “I think he’d rather be playing in Beirut than Queens.”

In the end, Bay and Urbon drastically overplayed their hand and were forced to make a bad deal, the only one available to them, with the one team that had yet to fold its hand. Although Bay was able to squeeze $6 million more out of the Mets, he’ll spend at least the next four years playing for a dysfunctional organization in a ballpark ill-suited to him.

If you feel like you’ve seen this movie before, you have. The original was called Manny Being Manny.

I have no idea why the legacy left by Williams, Yaz and Rice is all of a sudden changing so dramatically. Maybe the grounds crew is now using a more toxic brand of fertilizer in left field. Whatever the reason, someone might want to warn Mike Cameron and Jeremy Hermida.

Welcome To Red Sox Nation
I want to welcome Haven Jones to the Nation. Born on December 22 at 1:26 a.m. in Northampton, MA to Priscilla and Ramon, she was the perfect gift our family received for Christmas.

This column was written on January 1, 2010.