With more than one-third of the season complete, it’s fair to say the Red Sox got the better end of that Coco Crisp-Ramon Ramirez trade with Kansas City.

Crisp is hitting .224 with a Coco-like .335 on-base percentage (his career average is .331), while his usually stellar defense has been less than perfect, with three errors already — more than he had in any full season with the Sox.

Ramirez, meanwhile, has been an important part of the Sox’ stalwart bullpen. But how good has he really been? Has his success been largely attributable to luck?

Let’s look.

In 26 games, Ramirez has 4 wins, 2 losses, a 1.30 ERA, a minuscule 0.83 WHIP and 7 holds — an improvement over his 2008 stats, when he posted a 2.64 ERA and 1.228 WHIP. One marked change, however, has been a drop in his strikeout rate.

Last year he struck out 70 batters in 71.2 innings (8.8 per 9); in 2009, he’s struck out 15 in 27.2 (4.9 per nine).

So if he’s not striking people out, how’s he doing so well? Well, it’s not from inducing more ground balls.

His ratio of ground ball to flyball outs has gone down from last year, from 0.88 to 0.60.

Essentially, batters are hitting the ball to the outfield more often this year, but the ball’s not falling in. Is that a product of luck?

Yes.

Let’s say that someone asked you to create your ideal team of former Red Sox still playing in the MLB…

Actually, let’s say that no one asked you to do this, but you still did, mostly because the Celtics and Bruins are done, the Patriots don’t get interesting for another couple months and the idea of bitching about David Ortiz again makes you want to bathe with a toaster.

That’s where I was. That’s what I did.

So here you have it—

My fantasy team of former Sox still playing in the majors:

Batting Order

1. 2B Hanley Ramirez
2. 3B Freddie Sanchez
3. 1B Carlos Pena
4. LF Manny Ramirez
5. RF Johnny Damon
6. DH Eric Hinske/Nomar Garciapparra
7. C Kelly Shoppach
8. CF Coco Crisp
9. SS Orlando Cabrera

Bench

OF Brandon Moss
SS Edgar Renteria
OF David Murphy
C Josh Bard
SS/2B Alex Cora
1B Kevin Millar
1B Tony Clark

Starters

SP Derek Lowe
SP Bronson Arroyo
SP Joel Piniero
SP Justin Duchscherer
SP Bartolo Colon

Bullpen

RP Julian Tavarez
RP Cla Meredith
RP Alan Embree
RP Craig Hansen 
RP Craig Breslow
RP David Aardsma

CL Brandon Lyon 

Yay!

Looking at the line-up, these guys would be pretty tough. Yeah, it would suck with Manny out until July (I believe in you Brandon Moss!), but throw them into Coors Field circa 1993 and you’d have yourself a pretty sweet offensive club.

I’m not gonna lie, Coco Crisp really pissed me off when he played for the Red Sox. Other than his first spring training with the team in 2006, I can’t remember a time when I felt good about his contributions to the team. My opinion of him reached its nadir when he started the bench-clearing brawl with the Rays last season, after James Shields had the temerity to hit him in the leg with a pitch — a purpose pitch which should have put an end to the stupid back-and-forth peeing contest that started when Jason Bartlett blocked second base with his knee as Crisp tried to steal.

Crisp should have taken his lump and gone to first. Instead he needlessly caused a bench-clearing brawl. Brilliant. He and Jonny Gomes should go bowling.

Sure, Coco had his moments of greatness — remember that diving catch against the Mets? — but more often than not I muttered, "Coco Crisp, you (bleeping) hump," after he grounded out weakly to second or third, or popped up to right field or left field, or basically just sucked. I despised his batting stance, which had the kind of lame weight transfer you see from 10-year-olds trying to switch-hit in Wiffle ball.

Really? A locked front leg? No wonder you were only good for a line drive every two weeks.

In the middle of the 7th inning, with the Red Sox trailing the Rays 7-0, my wife abandoned the vigil and went to bed. I told her I was staying up, because the Red Sox, while heartless and inert, had been a big part of my life for six-plus months. I owed it to this team (to myself) to watch it through to its morbid, inevitable finale, even though it felt like watching your friend go to the gallows.

But in the words of Gunny Sgt. Hartman, "Well, holy dog sh*t."

Four runs scored on two-out hits in the 7th?

Pedroia’s feisty at-bat, getting us off the snide?

A three-run homer from Big Papi, who’d been dead?

A two-run homer from J.D. Drew, who’d been dead?

Remember the Duke-Kentucky game when Laettner hit that game-winning turnaround from the foul line off that baseline baseball pass? Thomas Davis put his hands on his head and nearly wept in disbelief.

(What, you want my man card? Fine, take it, I nearly deuced through the floor when J.D. Drew went yard.)

And then, once I regained control of my bowels, Mark Kotsay finally gets one past B.J. Upton. At this stage, I’m saying, "OK, we came back, we showed we had some grit. If we have to lose 7-6, with Coco Crisp at the plate, I can’t complain."

Thoughts from a week that taught us not to never, ever mess with Coco Crisp…

The "Almost Most Heartbreaking Moment of the Year" Moment of the Week: Down goes the Truth

Towards the end of the pre-game intros last night, just before they called Paul Pierce’s name, I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness for the Truth. In the five quick seconds that he was standing at the base of the awkwardly placed, massive golden trophy, I thought about all that he had been through in Boston: how he’d been so close to being traded 10 different times; how he was so close to being stabbed to death in 2000; how even though he didn’t know it, he’d been a pretty huge part of my life for the last 10 years.

Anyway, at that very moment, Paul looked, prouder, happier and more satisfied than I’d ever seen him, and I imagined all that must have been going through his own head, as he prepared to take the floor in the NBA Finals after 10 years relative ups and bottomless downs..

An hour later, and I watched as Pierce was carried into the lockerroom with the a look on his face that you’d expect from a guy who’d just had his leg bitten off by a shark.

I wasn’t even assuming the worse anymore. I’d already convinced myself that he was done for the season. It was a fact.

Jason Varitek is toying with us. At the beginning of the season, during games in Japan, the Red Sox’ captain looked like he was swinging underwater. He started the season 0-8 with six strikeouts, prompting one of my buddies to text me and say, "Dude, Tek is through," and boy did it seem that way. I’m not kidding, I was already pondering the idea that Seattle’s Kenji Johjima, who’s also in his walk year (and four years younger), would be a good replacement for Varitek behind the plate in Boston next year. I know, how dare you! But come on, have you witnessed the charade this season in the Bronx? Jorge Posada signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the Yankees in the offseason, and now the 36-year-old, who somehow channeled the ghost of in-his-prime Ted Simmons last year, has a dead arm. How dead? Well, there’s rumors that Mike Piazza, whose arm fell off in 1999, might be signed as insurance.

There, but for the grace of God, go us.

Listen, I admire and respect Varitek. He hails from Rochester, Minnesota, and eerily reminds me of one of my old fraternity brothers, who hailed from that town as well — and likewise suffered no fools. But for every pinch-hit home run he pulls out of his hat (and really, he looked terrible swinging at the first two pitches) there seems to be three pop ups and three inning-ending double plays. I mean, despite last night’s heroics, he’s still The Hitter Most Safe for a Bathroom Break (having replaced Coco Crisp while in Japan). I don’t have any stats to back this up, it’s more a general sense, but I think Varitek’s ended more innings this season than every other Sox hitter combined.

Jeff Goldberg of the Hartford Courant reported yesterday that the Red Sox have had no discussions with the Mets about swapping Coco Crisp for Angel Pagan, contradicting a report by WFAN’s Ed Coleman. Sox GM Theo Epstein termed the rumor a "fabrication," and considering Pagan is a 26-year-old center fielder with marginal offensive skills (.255/.306/.415 in 318 career at-bats) and Coco Crisp is a 28-year-old center fielder with marginal offensive skills, it’s a pretty lame fabrication. I mean, who swaps light-hit, good-glove center fielders? And in this case, what would be the possible incentives for either side?

If you’re the Red Sox, I guess you’d like the idea of dumping a valuable, reasonably-priced player (Crisp) who said he wants to be traded if he’s not starting. If you’re the Mets, I guess you’d like the idea of obtaining a player (Crisp) who’s going to be riding the bench, demanding to be traded, when Carlos Beltran gets healthy. (If you’re Ed Coleman of WFAN, this all makes perfect sense.)

In fairness to Ed, the trade rumors surrounding Crisp have been random and nonsensical all spring. Reports have had him going to the Cubs or A’s or the Rangers or the Expos. The one report I haven’t read (but which I’m anxious to see) is where Theo Epstein states, "Gold Glove center fielders don’t grow on trees, people. While we’re excited by the prospect of Jacoby Ellsbury as our center fielder of the future, we recognize how important it is to have depth on our roster. Coco Crisp might not like the idea of coming off the bench for us, but injuries are a reality in baseball (particularly when your right fielder is named J.D. Drew), so we’re in no hurry to trade Coco to anyone."