The Great Rivalry

The Good Ol' Days

     Not really a Red Sox entry here, but Tom Singer recently published an article on mlb.com that I found very interesting.

    I don't know about every fan, but many a baseball fan has complained about the lack of team loyalty in today's game. This isn't to criticize the players; they have every right to earn what they possibly can. But don't we miss the Ted Williams', Bob Fellers, Joe DiMaggios, and Stan Musials? Great players (legends, all), that all spent their entire careers in one town? In recent years, a star player willing to take a smaller pay cut to stay with their original team has become a rarity. There are often many other factors than money - look at Roy Halladay. The man has given Toronto all the opportunity in the world, but he is leaving because he wants his ring.

     However, recently, a player jumping ship for the amount of zeros is not an anomaly. Alex Rodriguez became the poster boy for such behaviour when he left Seattle as a free agent in 2001.     

     Tom Singer's article, however, shows that a recent trend in the game is the more common occurence in teams locking up their young players through their arbitration years, and into free agency. Boston fans witnessed this last winter when Boston handed out long-term deals to the homegrown trio of Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester and Kevin Youkilis. Jacoby Ellsbury can probably look for one to be offered this winter.

     But league-wide, these contracts are being doled out. Look at almost any team, and they are saving money by having a home-grown star locked up long term. The games reigning greats - Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez, Joe Mauer - are all in this category. 2009's most dominant pitcher, Zack Greinke, is in the midst of a four-year deal, and the games best emerging pitcher, two-time and reigning Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, is in a position to talk long-term to San Fransisco this winter.

     The long-term deal to a young player was epitomized by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, when they locked up budding All-Star Evan Longoria to the tune of nine years, just seven games into his career.

     This trend is reflected in the free agent market these past few years, as well. For several seasons now, the lack of impact players on the open market has been growing. And when the free agent pool is deep, as in the '08-'09 offseason, seemingly no teams are interested, presumably because of their good, young talent.

     The return of the franchise player is something I think many fans can agree is a welcome sight.

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     In Red Sox news, basically nothing has happened so far this postseason.

     Alex Gonzalez has departed for Toronto, creating a unique infield with defensive stars John Macdonald and Aaron Hill up the middle, but defensive liability Edwin "E-5" Encarnacion at third.

     I was, and I'm sure many Red Sox fans were, sad to see Gonzalez go. A combination of defensively-gifted Gonzalez and durability-questioned Jed Lowrie was at least an answer at a position where the Red Sox have managed to have eight different names at the top of the depth chart in a six-year span.

     Now Boston just has a big question mark. Does Jed Lowrie get the starting nod? If he does, will he be 100% by April? If he is, can he be productive? If he is, who will be the Red Sox' backup SS?

     One name being thrown around the Hot Stove in heavy connection with the Red Sox is Marco Scutaro. This is somebody I have no interest in. Scutaro has a good 2009. A .379 OBP stands out, but this season was clearly an anomaly for Scutaro, who recently turned 34. He holds a career batting average of .265, with an OBP of .337.

     I could stand for mediocre (at best) offensive numbers if he was a defensive treat like Gonzalez, but Scutaro has never turned heads in the field, and by the numbers, ranked 15th among 26 major-league shortstops with 750 innings played in UZR, 13th in Range Factor, 18th in Double Play Ranking. In short, he is an offensively-overrated, defensively unattractive, nonathletic (for a SS) player who, let's not forget, is 34.

     Also, he is listed as a Type-A free agent, meaning that Boston would forfeit their first-round draft pick to the Jays, assuming they offer Scutaro arbitration, which should happen, and which he should refuse.

     The only other Hot Stove news to report is that Boston is apparently applying a 'full-court press' to the pursuit of Jays ace Roy Halladay. I love this move. There are few Red Sox players or prospects I would hate to lose, and none of them are names being brandied. The proepect of a Halladay-Lester-Beckett-Matsuzaka-Wakefield rotation is worth losing Clay Buchholz, Casey Kelly, and (prospect's name here).

     Theo is supposedly trying to pry Halladay away from the Jays before the Winter GM meetings, where an all-out derby for Halladay could develop (think Johan Santana in 2007). If the Red Sox pull this off, not only is the rotation upgraded, but it's another 30+ innings of a lighter load on the bullpen, which trickles back down to the rotation again, and essentially the Doctor turns the whole staff up a notch. Boston goes from a 90-win team to a team that could topple the Yankees and win 100+ games.

     Well, there are my thoughts on recent happenings around the league.

     Thanks for coming out,

    -Matt

Bad Move

     The Red Sox put backup catcher George Kottaras on unconditional release waivers Wednesday, ending the young catcher's short stay in Boston. He was claimed by the Milwaukee Brewers. Kottaras, 27, served mainly as kuckleballer Tim Wakefield's primary catcher for 2009, when Wake had his best season in years, when healthy.

     This strikes me as a bad move for several reasons:

     1, The kid has potential. I know I'm not Theo Epstein and don't have a details of George Kottaras' birth on hand, but it is a commonly accepted fact that the average player hits his prime at 27 years of age. So, it's safe to say George could have gotten significantly better, especially if trusted with playing time. Kottaras hit just .237 in 2009, but slugged an admirable .387, cinsidering the average. However, Kottaras had a track record of success in the minor leagues. He hit 22 home runs in limited playing time at AAA Pawtucket in 2008, slugging .456. He had a career MiL OPS of .811, a healthy number. Considering with more playing time and age, Kottaras could have potentially hit this well at the major-league level, i think it was fool hardy to spin him off now.

     2. This ensures that Jason Varitek is the backup catcher in 2010. Sigh. So now who catches Wakefield? I don't want to see Varitek do it. He hasn't caught Tim-May since what, 2004 (from memory), when he allowed 3 passed balls in just a short time in that playoff game against New York. Do you make your starting catcher, a below-average defensive catcher to begin with, who already has to spend time at first to rest his legs, does he catch Tim-May? I don't know what the answer is because the Red Sox released him.

     3. This move assumes the Red Sox have a plan for the future of the catcher position. This 'plan', I would assume entails one of three options:
         3.a) Joe Mauer. Only problem here is it's a $25 M a year investment. That's an issue.
         3.b) Victor Martinez. He'll be 32 by the time 2011 rolls around, has caught hundreds of games and already needs days off. And, as with Mauer, there's no guarantee of signing him.
         3.c) Luis Exposito. Sure, I love the kid, but do you want to put your fate in the hands of a prospect? Any prospect?
     I had it all mapped out. V-Mart would catch this year, move to first base or another team next year, Kottaras would catch full-time in 2011, then Exposito would take over in 2012. But nooo, that makes too much sense, apparently.

       I hope, I really hope, that Kottaras (who may get a chance to fight for a starting spot this spring) hits 25 homers for the Brewers, and becomes an All-Star catcher.

     Thanks, Jason Varitek,

    -Matt

He's Ba-ack

     No!!!

     All I wanted was for him to walk away. Ride off into the sunset and let Victor and George take care of his job for 2010. He's coming back for chump change. He was two World Series rings and has great stats that he can only hurt by returning.

     After the Red Sox declined Jason Varitek's $5 M 2010 option at the beginning of this week, Jason Varitek had until Friday to exercise his smaller, $3 Million option.

     Now, Varitek has given a lot to the Red Sox. I mean a lot. He was one of the games best all-around catchers for a little less than a decade, helped them win two World Championships, had two major injuries from playing hard for Boston and has been an asset to what has been the teams biggest strength - pitching - for several years now. But he needs to leave. Except that he didn't. Varitek exercised his option for 2010 on Wednesday, and the Nation weeps.

     Jason Varitek is the worst offensive catcher in the game, and that's a fact. He still has a good eye at the plate, but the man hit .203 last season. All I hoped for was that he would leave, and Victor could catch 100 games and George about 50, and we'd be set. In 2011 who knows, Victor probably wouldn't be catching full-time anymore, so Geogre could catch 130 games and we could see the light at the end of the tunnel: Luis Exposto. Is that too much to ask?

     So now we have, again, a logjam. Three catchers, or three corner infielders. Kottaras is out of options, so we can't send him down, and honestly, he's a big-league catcher anyways. Why, Jason, why?

     For all you've done for this club, you think you'd know that you can only hurt us by taking the field. Don't get me wrong, I love having the guy around. In the clubhouse, on the bench, talking to pitchers and catchers. But it's when the guy puts on his jock that I get nervous. Now, He will probably just be Josh Beckett's personal catcher, because Beckett loves him to death (not literally, unfortunately), and Beckett can't hold runners anyway.

     So we get one more season of the captain. One more season of grounding into double plays, or just popping out to second if we're lucky. But the good thing is, it'll only be once or twice a week, which is cool. Plus he will still have his usual professional, gritty, cerebral influence on the battery staff and the rest of the team.

     In other offseason news, David Ortiz is having touble getting closure on his PED case, as the courts have apparently re-locked up the names since they were apparently seized illegally by the government.

      Also, apparently Theo met with John Lackey's agent this week in Chicago at the GM Meetings. This can be viewed as only 'preliminary interest', as the Red Sox appear to have five quality starters (Lester, Beckett, Buchholz, Matsuzaka, and Tim-May), all under contract for 2010 and beyond (except in Beckett's case), and since Lackey would be a key part of any rotation he is in. I can see him being a standup #2 for either New York team, or an ace on a Milwaukee or Minnesota squad, but I don't think he is needed in Boston right now. They will probably pursue depth options (the most interesting being Aroldis Chapman), but they do not need a 200-inning guy right now.

     I think the deck is stacked against Lackey returning to LA. He will get bigger, better offers from the big boys in New York, and LA will be more pressed to resign Chone Figgins, who is maybe the cornerstone to their offense, their team and their organization. He will be pursued by multiple teams as well, so the Angels may have to ante up to keep him. Plus, I think LA prepared for the potential loss of their ace by acquiring pitcher-who-hasn't-lived-up-to-his-potential extraordinaire Scott Kazmir in mid season last year.

Red Sox land OF Jeremy Hermida

     Boston Red Sox GM Theo Epstein began his offseason Friday by trading for Florida Marlins ex-top prospect Jeremy Hermida. The Red Sox traded AAA lefty reliever Hunter Jones and AA lefty Jose Alvarez. Both had successful seasons and are regarded as mid-level prospects, at best.

     Jeremy Hermida, drafted by Florida with the 11th-overall pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, had an immense ceiling as a prospect, and debuted with the Marlins in 2005. Regarded as a five-tool talent, Hermida impressed in his 'cup of coffee', hitting .293, slugging .634, with an OPS of 1.017, stealing two bases in 23 games.

     However, his career has stalled since. He had an OPS of .700 the following season, playing 99 games and a small role for the Marlins. In 2007, he had what appeared to be a breakout campaign, hitting .296 with 18 home runs in just 123 games as a 22-year old, but he has regressed, getting on-base at a .335 clip since then.

     Hermida is still just 25 years old. Epstein and the Red Sox see that he still has the tools to be a major-league caliber player, and will try to polish off his development.

     His role has yet to be defined as a Red Sox. As of now, is essentially insurance in case the Red Sox cannot bring back Left Fielder Jason Bay. Hermida can be an average big league player (career 102 OPS+), so the Red Sox wouldn't be mortified to have him starting out there, with the potential for improvement.

     If the Red Sox re-sign Bay, or acquire another big bat in Left, Hermida would likely be a left-handed bat off the bench and fourth outfielder. This is probably bad news for Rocco Baldelli if he intended on returning to the Red Sox, as teh Red Sox are unlikely to carry five outfielders. If Hermida does end up with the Opening Day assignment, Baldelli could return, as the Red Sox would have an all left-handed outfield.

     For now, though, this is another patented Epstein Depth Option, and should be viewed as nothing more. There is still hope Bay will be back.

Boston Red Sox Offseason Preview

The 2009 Red Sox will essentially be the same team in 2010, but here's a look at how the team will most likely act during the offseason.

First, a look at what we currently have:

C Victor Martinez
1B Kevin Youkilis
2B Dustin Pedroia
3B Mike Lowell
SS Jed Lowrie
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
RF JD Drew
DH David Ortiz

SP Josh Beckett
SP Jon Lester
SP Clay Buchholz
SP Daisuke Matsuzaka
SP Tim Wakefield

RP Manny Delcarmen
RP Hideki Okajima
RP Ramon Ramirez
RP Daniel Bard
CP Jonatha Papelbon

     The obvious strength here is the pitching staff. The five starters are all but set in stone, the only doubt Tim Wakefield's back. By all accounts, though, the surgery performed a couple of weeks ago went perfectly and the Sox should be picking up his annual $4 M option shortly after the World Series - this has become their first offseason move in recent years. Rotation depth is fine as well, with Michael Bowden and Junichi Tazawa ready to pitch in the majors if need be. Also, there is a good crop of low-risk guys in this year's pool, like former Mariner and ex-dominant pitcher Erik Bedard. Expect Theo to make a run at one of those guys.

     The only tweaking to be done here is in the lefty reliever role. Hideki Okajima can still get batters out, but the facts don't lie. He's getting worse. His ERA and WHIP have been steadily climbing as his K/9 and K/BB have fallen since 2007, to mere mortal levels in 2009. Expect this trend to continue, for two reasons: Okajima will be 34 on Opening Day 2010 - he's done getting better from a physical standpoint. Also, Hideki has two key weapons: his fastball control and his splitter-changeup. The former is not a tool often lost with age, but the latter is something that I think batters have been adjusting to, and making less effective. The free agent market isn't ripe with quality lefty arms this year, assuming the Dodgers pick up Will Ohman's option. Probably the best lefty the Red Sox would be willing to pursue would be Joe Beimel, an effective lefty who is due for a big year, though one that lacks the ability to miss bats. Darren Oliver, now 38, posted a solid K/9 of 8.0 in 2009 for the Angels and is a Free Agent. That said, it seems if the Sox want a dominant left-handed reliever, they will have to trade for one.

     The major liability this club has is its offense. The lineup as it is now is above average, but there were road-hitting issues last year, and the Red Sox could face the loss of Jason Bay, a bat they could not replace, certainly not easily. Bay is reportedly looking for four years at $15 M, or more, and it is unlikely that the Red Sox will offer him this much. However, Bay has made it very clear he would loe to stay in Boston, and could possibly give a discount.

      If Boston loses Bay, the only remaining power threats are Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz, neither of whom cleared 30 home runs in 2009. JD Drew was, beside Youkilis and Bay, the only Red Sox to slug .500, and, finally, an outbreak performance might possibly be expected from him.

     If the Red Sox cannot obtain Bay, they could be in trouble. The only other offensive force on the market is Matt Holliday, a player the Red Sox (rightfully, in my opinion) have little interest in. Internally, Josh Reddick, who played in 27 games for Boston in 2009, could win the job, though he did not impress at the major-league level, hitting .169, and is not considered Major League ready, having just 71 AAA AB's, where he also performed poorly (.373 OPS). There probably isn't much going on on the trade market for outfield bats this offseason, but it would not be out of the question for Theo and the Front Office to try to force one.

     Another question mark is at shortstop. Jed Lowrie will most likely get the nod, though he has played just a handful of games at the major league level -only a few of those healthy, and, even when healthy, is likely an average-above average player, and it is unsure yet if the Red Sox can afford one if the lineup gets any more shallow. Another option here is defensive wizard Alez Gonzalez, who is a very mediocre bat, and holds a $6 M dual option for 2010. The Red Sox might pick him up if they are uncomfortable with Lowrie's defense/health/consistency, but it will obviously be tough to gauge this during the winter. A platoon is not out of the question. Semi-propect Yamaico Navarro or the recently signed Cuban defector and 19-year-old defensive wunderkind Jose Iglesias might be the Shortstops of the future.

     The final, and probably largest question, is at catcher. Victor Martinez will be the everyday catcher for your 2010 Boston Red Sox. He is a competent defender, and an elite bat, as he will hit third in the lineup. However, he has caught 717 games in his career, will be 31 this season, and hasn't caught 100 games since 2007. He will probably catch about 100 games and play another 40-50 when spelling Lowell, Youklis and Ortiz at either first or DH. Tim Wakefield will again have good Canadian boy George Kottaras as his personal catcher. This is where the situation gets sticky.

     Jason Varitek has been a Red Sox since he debuted in 1997. Since then he spent a good deal as one of the games top 'two way' catchers, meaning that he played a Gold Glove defense and was perhaps the best pitcher-handler in the game, while consistently OPSing about .850, a great mark for a catcher. However, Varitek has been a serious detriment to the Red Sox' offense since his knee injury in 2006, hitting at a .231 clip since then. Now, Varitek will be 38 years old, has caught 1381 games, is less than an automatic out (.313 OBP over the past two seasons) and holds a $3 M option for 2010. It is popular belief that Boston will not pick up their $5 M option for his services. Now, if I were the unconditional ruler of baseball, I would hand Varitek the recently vacated bench coach job and be done with it.

     If Jason Varitek were out of the picture, Martinez could do his C/1B thing, and allow for Kottaras, who is still only 26 and has a career Minor League OPS of .811 (minor league numbers). Plus, it is not impossible that Kottaras may end up holding down the starting job an 2011 if Victor leaves / moves to first, and while we wait for the development of continuously underrated prospect Luis Exposito (scouting report), and having Kottaras catch 50-60 games in 2010 might help later.

     So, in conclusion, the only moves I would suggest would be to re-sign Jason Bay (you gave Drew $70 M, Theo...), and trade for a good left-handed reliever. On my wish list is, of course. star Padre Adrian Gonzalez, who could add a whole 'nother level to Boston's offense, though we would have to lose Mike Lowell and a handful of top prospects (both of which I would sacrifice for this guy).

     But there you have it, a look at what the Red Sox are likely to be looking at this Winter.

Who's Your Daddy?

      The Yankees, apparently. The Yankees are your Daddy, Pedro. 

     This was the highlight of my postseason, and I'm sure it was for more than one other Sox fan. Pedro Martinez, in an NL uniform, back in New York, with a shot to essentially shut the door on the Yankees' 2009 World Series hopes. Given Pedro's legendary past with the Yankees, it was hard to believe this wouldn't be an event, with Pedro talking some serious smack before the game.

     ""I don't know if you realize this, but ... I might be at times the most influential player that ever stepped [on to the field] at Yankee Stadium," said Martinez. I like to think he meant as a competitor, but given that the Right Arm of God has been known to be a wee bit egotistical, would it surprise you if he meant it? He always has.

     Of course FOX (creators of the genius Star Wars montage a la 2004) put together a cute bit highlighting Pedro's more rude comments, showing ZimmerSlam '03 at least twice (complete with Joe Buck using the word 'throwing' in lieu of 'dodging'), and making Pedro out to be the returning villain, as opposed to the anti-hero that he is to most of baseball located outside of Northern New York City.

     However, in the same interview from Wednesday, Pedro expressed some serious bitterness towards the NY media, stating "... you guys have used me and abused me since I've been coming to [Yankee] Stadium. I remember quotes in the paper, 'Here comes the man that New York loves to hate.' The man? None of you have ever eaten steak with me or rice and beans with me to understand what I'm all about as a man. You might say the player, the competitor, but the man? You guys have abused my name."

     So, knowing the feistty old Pedro, who among us didn't want to see the 5'11" Dominican mowing down Yankees, with 60,000 seperate cries of "Who's-Your-Dad-Dy!?" pressing down on him? I've seen a motivated Pedro, and he's scary, and this is what we saw for the first few innings.

     Pedro struck out 3 of the first four batters he faced, making Yankees like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira look foolish on 88 mph fastballs and ridiculous changeups. New York eventually got to him, snagging two runs on home runs from Teixeira and Hideki Matsui (the latter a 320-foot Yankee Stadium job), before giving up two hits to begin the 7th and get removed for Chan Ho Park. As the chorus of boos reigned down, Pedro allowed one last impish smile before calling it a night and hitting the showers. So we got six innings, three earned runs, and eight strikeouts. About four or five of those innings were Pedro Martinez innings, and were fun to watch. But, Pedro stumbled, New York's AJ Burnett dominated, and the Yankees are headed to Pennsylvania tied at one.

     Not exactly the game I wanted to watch (a 12-0 rout in which Pedro rung up 20 in a perfect game), but I must say I am still in love with Pedro Martinez. Back, hip, leg, shoulder, take 'em away, he can still pitch. He's clearly a smart pitcher (exhibited when changing not speeds, but deliveries to snag more than one strikeout on the night), with a lot of fire, heart, and guts.

     So we go to Philladelphia at one a head, and hope that Cole Hamels finds 2008, and perhaps just a little bit of me wants this series to come back for a game 6 so Pedro get's one last crack, an entirely likely scenario.

     Thanks for coming out,

    -Matt

End of the Line

     To say the Red Sox' season came to a screeching halt would be a huge understatement, and now, with the hot-stove looming, the World Series starting, without them, it's time to look forward, but first, how about a quick look back at 2009.

     2009 was, for me, basically a lost season. Nobody got significantly better, plenty of guys got considerably worse, and Boston gets swept in three. But here's a short list of Pros that Boston fans can take out of the season.

     - Daniel Bard. With a devastating breaking ball and triple-digit heat, Bard went from depth option to top setup man in a period of four months. The most exciting Sox prospect since Ellsbury, Bard will resume a role in 2010, setting up Papelbon, and continuing the recent tradition of successful young Boston players.

     - Jacoby Ellsbury posts an OBP of .355. Even more heartening, it was a healthy .363 after the break. This is certainly not legendary, but a leadoff hitter who can get on about 37% of the time, hit .300 and steal 70 bases is good enough for me.

     - Bullpen. Saito, Ramirez, Delcamen, Okajima, Bard, and Papelbon will all be back next year, and despite everybody having hiccups at one point or another, they were all great.

     - Victor Martinez. Boston will have an offensive catcher. Read that again. For the first time since 2005, the C will be a threat in the lineup. I'm not a big fan of the catcher hitting third in any lineup, but Martinez is maybe the best hitter on the team, so he'll do nicely.

     Hope you weren't expecting a list of cool moments from the season, because the last four months of the season were pretty lame, and I think we can agree on that.

     Anyways, feel free to drop in for an offseason preview sometime in the next day or so.

     Thanks for coming out,

    -Matt

Dice-K is... Back?

      In Boston, we have seen many different versions of Daisuke Matsuzaka. The 2006 Daisuke, best pitcher on the Pacific Rim. The 2007 Daisuke, who had trouble adjusting to pitch counts, and American ball, as well as throwing strikes, and was inconsistent but good enough. There was the 2008 Matsuzaka, who could waqlk 9 men an inning and come out fine. To quote Red from Shawshank Redemption, Dice-K had the uncanny ability to "...walk through a mile of shit and come out clean on the other side."

     Then there is the 2009 Daisuke Matsuzaka. Instead of having impeccable movement, and giving up walks instead of hits, Dice got generous and gave up hits to go with them. Then two stints on the DL totalling nearly all of 2009, and finally, having trouble finding consistency past Clay Buchholz, the Red Sox called up... one of the Dice-K's. The question of the week was, which one.

     On Tuesday night, we found out. Spotting a pair of different fastballs, Daisuke chewed up the Los Angeles lineup for 6+ innings, giving up a pair of hits, walking a few men, and getting five BIG strikeouts. When the situation called, it seemed Dice-K was able to hunker down and really get those fastballs over. Has he finally bought into American baseball? He still ran the count up, but not at an alarming rate (to be fair, it was the free-swinging Angels). But the most important thing I (and Red Sox announcer Jerry Remy) saw was a steady diet of fastballs, complemented with an effective slider and a breaking ball made much more effective by the use of fastballs.

     Aside from Daisuke's famulous start, the Red Sox got some big hits, and some very small ones against John Lackey and Jose Arredondo, posting four runs, with nearly the whole lineup contributing. On a day where Victor and Youkilis were unavailable, this result is simply perfect.

     Papelbon had his usual the-game-is-not-yet-on-the-line jitters, but put this one away and sent everybody home happy. The only Red Sox player since Keith Foulke to be booed off a mound at Fenway made everybody proud tonight.

Had 'Em All the Way

     After the Red Sox out-slugged the Blue Jays Friday night, and Kid Clay shut them down en route to an unexpected thriller Saturday, more than one Red Sox fan would tuck away those two wins and prepare for the worst on Sunday, a game in which the Jays turned loose on us the best pitcher in baseball. Yes,he hasn't been the same since that injury, and yes, he's in the worst slump in recent memory, but he's still the Doctor. And the man we countered with was a little shy of a sure thing.

     But when Paul Byrd took the mound Sunday afternoon, Roy Halladay be damned, he was amazing. Considering the guy has an 82 mph fastball, considering he's drawing social security, and especially considering he's been retired for a year, inactive for months, and stayed in shape this summer by throwing BP to 13-year-olds, he was awesome out there. 6 shutout innings is about one more than we could have hoped for, and several less runs than I, for one, expected. Spotting the fastball, dropping those hooks in, and generally gritting through every at-bat the way he has done for his whole career, Byrd thrilled the Fenway crowd and made us, for at least three hours, forget about Tim Wakefield and his bad back.

     Halladay, meanwhile, was found bound and gagged in a car trunk in Ontario, however, shortly after a 6'6" man impersonated him for six innings, allowing 7 hits, a walk and four runs. Surprise surprise, Toronto did nothing to pick up their ace, and the Red Sox won, 7-0.

     The other big story of the day was Billy Wagner. Like Byrd, Wagner is 37 and hasn't pitched in approximately a year. Unlike Byrd, however, Wagner has been recovering from Tommy John surgery for 11 months (a freakishly short perdiod of time). According to reports, Wagner last pitched Monday for the Mets, and was hitting 96 on the gun, but naturally I was skeptical. After Sunday's showing, all I can say is good luck in the lefty specialist role, Oki. Wagner pumped pinpoint gas in there at 95 and embarassed Blue Jays left and right with the breaking ball. I know Wagner is on the short list of best left-handed relievers of all time, and I know the scouting reports were positive from last week, but after seeing him pitch this afternoon, one word come to mind: legitimate.

     This bullpen, the only bullpen in the history of the game that needed NO help, just got some. So I guess we're running at about 110% out there now. Sweet.

     With the additions on offense working great (V-Mart), the defense clearly boosted (Gonzalez), a #3 starer emerging from the woodwork in Buchholz, and the bullpen even better, I like this team a lot more than I did two or three weeks ago. I'm already looking at the acquisition of A-Gon as the turning point for the scuffling second-half Red Sox.

     Here's hoping this trend continues in the nightmarish Tropicana Field.

     Thanks for coming out,

    -Matt

Thank You, Mr. Penny; Welcome Back Tim-May!

     First off, I know i haven't posted in a long time, or consistently all year, but I should be around for the entire stretch run, and into October.

     The day's big roster news consists of three big moves:

     1. Brad Penny requests release, and is released. As soon as he was signed, Sox fans began complaining about how Theo was strangely going after aging pitchers. However, Penny's job was clear: pitch out of the #5 spot until Smoltz is ready, or Buchholz or Bowden force the Sox' hand. I said during Spring Training that if Penny gave us 100 innings, he'd be worth every penny of his $5 M deal. He wasn't dominant, he wasn't a winner, wasn't even average, but he went out armed with nothing but a 96 mph fastball every fifth day, and when Daisuke failed, when Smoltz went up in flames, and Timmy got hurt, and Penny's relief never came, he left it on the field, was a great teammate, gave us 131 innings and did more than he was asked last winter. Thank you, good sir.

      2. Red Sox steal Billy Wagner. I look at this move the same way I did the Smoltz siging (good sign, eh?). Wagner won't be a key cog like Gagne was supposed to be in '07, so if he bombs, no biggie. It'll be interesting to see if he can still throw (against AL hitters, no less - oh, the Smoltz nightmare...), but he was apparently impressive in his first game back in New York. It'll also be interesting to see wo is the #1 lefty out there if he does pan out.

     3. Tim Wakefield returns after a month long break. Oh, how we missed you.

     Heck of a game tonight, as well. Wakefield pounded the zone like never before, and gave up one run over 7 impressive innings. Ramon Ramirez hiccupped (WHY ISN'T DELCARMEN THE GO-TO 8TH INNING RIGHTY?) in setup, but Daniel Bard came in and showed us a 101 mph heater to ring up Jim Thome and end the threat with the go-ahead run on third. He'd end up striking out three over a flawless 1 1/3 appearance. I can't even describe my love for this man. He's just so filthy...

     Oh, and at some point some big fellow hit a walk-off homer to send us all home, because they don't get paid for extra innings, and he just doesn't like to play them. As the boys at survivinggrady said, doesn't it just feel better when it's a David Ortiz walkoff?

     Anyways, at this point, as stressed by that error-laden debacle from the other day, a win is a win. We now find ourselves 6 games out, but leading 2.5 in the wildcard. With Timmy back, and the potential for Daisuke to contribute ever again, I'm liking these Red Sox more and more by the day. Especially Alex Gonzalez. Oh, how I'd missed him.

     Well, enough of this love fest. Thanks for coming out,

    -Matt

Trading Deadilne 2009

As has become his custom, Theo did his best to make a splash this year. It wasn't a huge deal (as in it wasn't trading Nomar or Manny, and certainly not getting Halladay), but it's the kind of thing Theo has been out to do since Christmas shopping at Wal-Mart last offseason: He helped make the team better.

With 37-year-old catcher Jason Varitek starting to wear down a bit, and hobbled 35-year-old third baseman and star class-act Mike Lowell neading about two days a week off, the Sox snapped up Indians catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez. 'V-Mart' will probably play the bulk of the time, and is expected to get most of the starts against righties. With 'Tek basically sucking from the left side, and Lowell preferring to hit lefties, Martinez will probably spell them both twice a week. Also, expect him to get the odd start as DH and spell David Ortiz a little more than he has been in the first half. Also, having Martinez lets Terry Francona rest lineup staple Kevin Youkilis, whose intense playing style leads him to wear down in the second half sometimes (career .262 second half hitter).

Also, and most importantly, Martinez will bring some hurt to the 'C' spot, and will help phase out Jason Varitek next year. Next year will be very important for the catcher position. No way Varitek comes back for 2011, so the Sox will have to either A) sign Martinez, B) pursue Mauer as they are expected to, or C) see if Luis Exposito is ready to hit the Majors.

All of these things aside, I think the Red Sox actually may have overdone it. In order to bring in Martinez, they had to give up swingman extrodinaire Justin Masterson, lefty prospect Nick Hagadone (2007 #1 team pick) and the live-armed Bryan Price. Justin Masterson will be sorely missed here, now. He isn't having a great year, but he has great stuff and will be a future big league horse. In addition he was a quintessential 'glue-man' in the Red Sox bullpen over the past two years. Losing him for Martinez would have been something I would be willing to sacrifice. However, Nick Hagadone has great stuff and has a very high ceiling.

Also, bringing in Martinez creates a logjam. If Martinez is the backup first baseman, where does that leave Adam LaRoche? I'll tell you where: Atlanta. In order to create room for Martinez, Theo shipped LARoche, all 6 games of him, to the Braves for the versitile Casey Kotchman. And when I say versitile I mean he is another first baseman. Kotchman will be our designated Doug Mientkiewitz (how did I do?), or a late inning defensive replacement for... Gold Glove winner Kevin Youkilis? I know, Lowell is decrepit, so Youk will play third, then Kotchman can play first. What's that? Victor Martinez is an above-average fielder? Casey Kotchman is useless?

So we dropped a great clubhouse guy, and sold a potential piece of our future, and so we have one too many first basemen. So what? Bottom line: we have the most dangerous #8 hitter in the game, Mikey Lowell, Varitek and Youk will be that much fresher for the postseason, and Jonathan Papelbon, with his second 1-2-3 inning of 2009, just locked up Smoltz' second win. This team is better than it was 24 hours ago, and that's the bottom ine.

Why Jon Lester Will Have a Dominant Second Half

     Jon Lester had potentially his best start of the 2009 campaign Saturday night against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway. Lester who has historically owned the Royals (1.20 career ERA), and has been historically dominant at home (19-5 at Fenway), carved up the Royals for eight shutout innings in his first start against them since the 2008 no-hitter.

     Sporting a mid-nineties fastball, a filthy curveball and cutter, and a solid changeup, Lester has maybe the dirtiest stuff in the American League, and certainly from the left side. However, this season, it has been tough for him to get it all together. His ERA didn't dip below 4.00 until last night.

     That said, I think that Lester's recent string of great starts, added to this dominant showing, might set him up for an impressive stretch run. Lester shows all the signs of rounding into form. Not only is Lester putting his sick array of stuff together, but he has a history of being a late bloomer.

     Lester was drafted in 2002, allegedly throwing mid-nineties gas out of high school. Scouts said he kept this fastball through his Minor League career, but when Lester got to the Show in 2006, it was nowheres to be found. Two years and a bout of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma later, and Lester's fastball finally blossomed.

     In Lester's final start of 2007, Game 4 of the World Series, his fastball climbed steadily as the game wore on. This is a trend we often see in Lester's performances - he often gets better as the game goes on. In another example, Lester's fastest pitch of the no-hitter was a 95 mph heater to strike out the final batter.

     Also in 2008, you can see a steady progression throughout the year. Lester lowered his ERA by almost 40 points in the second half, won two more games, and secured his place as one of the top lefties in the game. The major transition was in his control. In short, he had none in April and early May, but after the no-hitter, his K/BB ratio leaped from 1.86 first half to 3.18 in the second.

     All of this leads me to believe that Lester should continue to get better, not just this year, but he might get even better as a picther. With great stuff, a will of steel, one of the games great pitching coaches, catchers, and bullpens on his side, and a penchant for showing up in the clutch, expect Lester to be the second half pitcher of 2009.

Girardi Cries Over Spilled Milk

     Apparently, Yankees Manager Joe Girardi thinks that when Brad Penny drilled Alex Rodriguez during the Red Sox' 4-3 win on Thursday, it was on purpose. Excellent deduction Joe.

     This leads me to two conclusions. Either A) A-Rod wasn't aware that the Yankees were due for a hit batsman (which I thought was unlikely, considering the classy way he took his base after a 97 mph heater to the ribs), and Girardi was defending him, or B) Girardi was unaware that the Yankees are owed a serious amount of beanballs.

     Girardi apparently complained to the media about the beaning on Friday, and also called the Commisioner's Office to look into the matter. You know what the League Office is going to see, Joe?

     They're going to see Joba throwing at Kevin Youkilis so many times you can't count on one hand over the last two years, including 3 - 3 times at his head.

     They're going to see that Yankee pitchers have hit 9 Boston batters to the Red Sox' two before this incident.

     They're going to see Bay get nailed twice last time the two teams played, both times by fastballs between the numbers.

     They're going to see, after Bay's second beaning, the entire Red Sox clubhouse talk about how it couldn't be unintentional at that point, and how they basically openly declared they were going to police this themselves. The Office will also see Manny Delcarmen try to hit Jeter twice on Wednesday night, though fail miserably both times. If the league didn't step in after all this, they clearly know what all of baseball knows.

     New York had it coming. Someone was going to get hit this series, the Yankees deserved it. The league knew it, Boston knew it, all the fans knew it, the umpires knew it, and they all knew that the Sox owed New York one. Apparently everyone but New York, or at least Girardi knows it.

     The problem with Girardi's comments isn't that he was just saying the right things. I could understand that. But to talk about it again Friday, and to call the League about it?

     Look, I've always thought Joe Girardi was a good players' manager and a great baseball person. He, of all people, should know this situation. For him to go crying to the Commisioner over this, well, it just doesn't look good on him.

     Maybe he was just upset about losing to the Sox again, for the eighth time this season. Maybe he was upset because he thought his ace could take Brad Penny, only to watch Penny keep the Yankees quiet with high-nineties stuff all night while the Red Sox finally broke through and chased the Hefty Lefty out of the eighth. Maybe he was upset because the New York bullpen couldn't stop the bleeding in time, while he has to watch the Red Sox' bullpen be far and away the best in the game.

     Either way, Joe, I know you're a classy guy, so just please, get over it.

    -Matt

Another Good Day?

    Beating the Yankees 7-0 can't get much sweeter than the linescore, but there was a lot to be happy about in this one.

    Beckett goes 6 dominant innings. 2 hits, 8 K's. He was filthy for most of the outing, though he did use a lot of pitches. He was into the 70's in the fourth. Beckett had everything working last night, especially his two-seamer. What a great pitch to have for Teixiera. Beckett had a no-hitter into the fourth, when Pedroia nearly made a patented Pedey play. Going hard to his left, Pedroia got to a ball that was much closer to the right-field line then the second base bag (it was just a few feet away from Youkilis). He did a little hop-up-spin as only Pedroia can, and had the runner dead, but he lost the ball in transition. I know there's been a lot of speculation as to who's the best second baseman in the game, and I know that Kinsler is a great hitter, Hill is a great all-around player, but nobody comes close to making that play. Pedey has got to be the best defensive second baseman in the majors.

    Ortiz goes deep. Very deep. Ortiz took Burnett for a serious ride in the second, putting up a two spot en route to chasing AJ early. This was his most solid homer of the year, not a squeker into the camera well (a feat in itself, to be sure), or a Pesky Pole dinger. This one was a dozen rows back into centerfield. I think I'm starting to regain confidence in the big fellow. He could very well break out here sometime, and there would be no better time than the present. As far as the other hitters go, Bay is struggling a bit right now. He's still driving in runs, but he's hitting .270 something on the year. The .340 average was not to be expected, but Bay is one of the most consistent hitters in the game. If I were to bet on anyones batting average, I'd put money on Bay hitting .280.

    Bard hits 100. Awesome. I think Bard might be smarter than Papelbon with his heat, too. Don't get me wrong, Papelbon blasting 96's by Alex Rodriguez is fun to watch, but A-Rod is a great hitter, and trying to ring him up has burned us in the past. Bard seems to just want outs. Even though he was hitting triple-digits with ease, he was trying to bust A-Rod in, and went after some guys with the breaking ball, eventually getting Cano swinging. This kid is legit.

    Last night's game was the one I had the most confidence in. Beckett is unhittable right now. Tonight I put our chances at exactly 50%. Timmy will be great or get shelled. Maybe he'll be great for 5 innings, then get knocked out. Who knows, but Wang certainly hasn't been inspiring lately, that's for sure. Could be a slugfest.

    Thanks for stopping in,

    -Matt

A Good Day

     Saturday night's contest versus the Texas Rangers has been one of the brightest spots of the past month or so, for a medley of reasons:

     1. Jon Lester. Brilliant. I don't know when the last time was I saw a pitcher deal like that. Vintage Pedro, maybe? Maybe. Lester was perfect for six and a third, with a ridiculous 10 K's through the first six. After the first couple of inning I stopped guessing what pitch he was going to use to ring guys up because he was mixing so well, and I can only imaging what the Rangers batters were going through up there. The fastball was sitting in the mid-90's, with pinpoint control and was absolutely unhittable. The curve was going where he wanted it to, the cutter was acting like a Randy Johnson slider, just attacking the feet of (swinging) right-handed batters. Even the changeup was on tonight. Best pitching performance of any pitcher this year, best performance of his career, better than last years no-no, hands down, especially the first six frames. Outstanding.

     2. Papi goes yard. Sure, it's a foul ball down the line in any other park in the majors, but you know what? It's an HR for David Ortiz, and I'll will take quite literally ANYTHING we get for him right now.

     3. Timely hitting. Pedey, Ellsbury, Ortiz, Lowell, the list goes on. The Sox offense was working last night, and I hope to see more of it.

     With our bullpen far and away the best in the game, and our starters and hitters now (dare I say it?) firing on all cylinders, and with interleague play coming up - a time of year the Sox usually dominate, look for boston to go on a serious run here and look to put us in a good position over the East by the Break.

     With everything looking hunky-dory (Dice-K's Sunday start pending), I think we're ready for New York. With the team running like this, in our house, this is the time to put us up a few games to start interleague play.

     This will be my first 'Rivalry' series with this column, so I am really looking forward to it. Hope you guys check in.

    

Waiting patiently for Father Smoltz,

    -Matt

Short Hops and Quick Thoughts

     First, on some news around the league:

     Randy Johnson goes for 300: Johnson was one of the most dominant pitchers of our generation, and, frankly, probably the most entertaining pitcher in decades. Coincidentally, he will try for 300 against the Nationals, the franchise that drafted and developed him over two decades ago. He is chalk-full of accomplishments, 5 Cy Youngs, a World Championship, more strikeout titles than I care to count. He ain't what he used to be, but he's still a future Hall of Famer, and I will have no problem if he is the last 300 game winner in Major League history.

     This Manny being in the All-Star game thing is starting to annoy me, to be honest. The issue is apparently whether or not Manny should be allowed to play in the All-Star Game, if elected. I don't see why or how it's an issue. Last time I checked, you and I pay Manny's salary, the other 749 players' salaries, and we get one day a year to influence a game, and this is it. If the fans want to see Manny, then guess what, Manny plays, end of story. For Selig (who, I may add, is on my payroll as well) to say that he'll nix it, or even 'take a look at the situation', or whatever he said, is an insult to the fan base as far as I'm concerned. This is just another example of Selig's administration taking the smallest thing and making it an issue.

     They should have seen this coming and just taken him off the ballot. If I was Selig, or the league, and could work it out with the union, I'd have the rule state that if you're not playing in the MLB because you didn't want to play by the MLB's rules, you aren't part of the MLB, which means no games, no pay, no votes. Id have him off the ballot until he suits up for a game again. If he gets voted in in that week and a half somehow, good for him, let him play, no worries. As it is, I don't think there's much the league can do. If Manny gets voted in (I don't support the idea), then the majority of fans (or fans that care enough to vote) want to see him there, and if Selig stops that, it'll be the most anti-fan move outside of the NHL.

     Also, for the people that think that the All-Star game is a 'flawed system', and is ruined by ballot-stuffers, you know what? You're right. But you'll have a hard time convincing me that Manny might get in unfairly because only Dodger fans and Manny Ramirez fans are stuffing the boxes. Something tells me that maybe it isn't the majority of baseball fans who elect Jeter every year. If you don't like that, you can overvote for everybody else to even the odds, file a complaint with Major League Baseball, or get used to it.

     In more specifically Red Sox news, I think I'm losing patience with David Ortiz. Not even the normal 2009 patience, either. After about three weeks of the slump, I was basically resigned to automatic outs when he came up. Now I think I like Varitek over Ortiz. Really. All week you could basically sit and call the swings and misses when Papi came up. I really don't know how to feel. On one hand, there are all of those RBI's over the past half-decade, as well as the knowledge that Ortiz could, theoretically, with one good series become a fearsome bat again. On the other hand, there are are few other numbers. Namely .187, Ortiz' batting average going into Wednesday nights game. There is .282, his OBP, and my favourite, 1. You all know what that stands for. Either way, we don't have long to wait. He's been dropped, which is about all we can do for now. His judgement day is coming, as interleague play will be the test he will either pass or fail, making him the DH or a PH for the rest of the year.

     Speaking of the lineup changes, I have to say Francona put together a pretty healthy lineup, despite the oddities. Ellsbury doesn't have the patience to be an effective leadoff hitter, so he's down to eighth. Personally, I'd hit him 6th or 7th, as he is a very good hitter, plus I want that speed as high as I can get it. Pedey is an effective leadoff man, Drew was, as far as I'm concerned, born for the top of the order, with his careful approach and respectable wheels. Youk and Bay are a formidable 3-4 pair, and Lowell is a natural 5th hitter.

     Where has Julio Lugo gone. He can't hit, he can't field, but I do miss the little guy. He's as good a fielder as Green, if not as dependable. And he was hitting decently before he disappeared. Management says he isn't at 100%, but I would like to see him out there again.

     Terry Francona wins 500 as Sox manager. Sure, he isn't the greatest field manager in the majors. He likes consistency, and isn't very radical most times. And sure, he's had his sare of 'coma moments. But I think he's probably the best players manager in the game, and one of the most well-prepared baseball people around. It's why the FO likes him, and it's why I like him. It's why he's already among elite all-time Sox skippers, and why I hope he'll win 500 more.

     Thanks,

    -Matt

Pettitte Keeps Rolling

The talk in the offseason was all about C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett and how they would reinvent the New York Yankees starting rotation. Andy Pettitte? Well he was an afterthought. That afterthought has again shown that he is a winner and a steady member of the rotation that eats innings and wins games. Pettitte is still one of the important ingredients for this team.

At 36 (he turns 37 on June 15) Pettitte may not be the pitcher he was a few years ago, but with a 4-1 record he is the winningest pitcher on the staff and has averaged more than 6 innings per start. His 4.30 ERA is more than respectible. Andy is not a top of the rotation guy anymore but putting him up against other teams number 4 or 5 starters gives the Yankees a huge advantage.

When you look at successful teams, in addition to having a solid number 1 and 2 pitcher, they also have that "Steady Eddie" guy at the back of their rotation that can eat up innings and give your team a chance to win almost everytime they start. Andy Pettitte has become that guy for the Bronx Bombers. I look at the Phillies with Jamie Moyer and the Red Sox with Tim Wakefield. Compare the three and the Yankees are way ahead of the game! Hopefully Pettitte can continue to be this guy for the Yankees for years to come!

I Was About to...

...write a piece about how I thought Papelbon might have been better than ever this season, until he served up a gopher to Santos in the top of the 9th tonight. Alas, it doesn't change the pitcher he is, so here's the piece:

     In the first three weeks or so, I had begun to wonder if he had begun to falter. The worries were legitimate. Pap was walking or giving up hits to at least one or two men per appearance, and was bringing the heat at around 92, 93 mph, about 5 tics less than his usual self. And when a blazing fastball is 80% of his arsenal, that's a legitimate concern.

     However, in the last few weeks, he has regained my belief in him as the most dominant mound presence in the game of baseball. There was that game a couple of weeks ago where he put tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with no outs, then cranked it up to 97, 98 to get three K's. That reinstated my belief in his fastball.

     Also, I've noticed a ridiculous two-seam fastball. I'm not sure if he is purposely throwing a two-seamer or just letting the ball run a bit, but when it breaks, it BREAKS. I mean 6, 7 inches of tailing action on a 95 mph pitch. Unhittable. Combine that with the upper-90's "rising" fastball, a good splitter, and a developing slider, and Papelbon might have the best stuff out of the bullpen this side of Fransisco Rodriguez.

     Plus, besides tonight's 'Fenway taketh away' blown save, Pap had been perfect in 11 save opportunities, dropped his ERA to 0.95 and raised his K/9 to nearly 10. He has, essentially, been Papelbon.

     I wrote a bit on the intricacies of Papelbons situation in the organization on my MLBLog a while ago, check that out if you're interested.

     Even tonight was not a poor performance for Papelbon. Despite blowing the lead, the save, and the game, he gave up just the one hittable pitch, and even then, to be fair, Santos put a hell of a hack on it.

    This series has been disappointing so far, dropping two to the Mets, but there's a lot to be heartened by. Friday night doesn't count because frankly, there isn't a team on the planet that can hit Johan Santana. The only pitcher I would put in his league right now is Roy Halladay, and Jake Peavy, #3 in my book, is a distant #3. However, Johan stinks at Fenway, and the Sox did get a few good swing in against him. In that game, Daisuke made his comeback, and if Lugo doesn't make his error, Dice probably goes 6 strong, allowing two runs and just a couple of walks. He pounded the stike zone for most of that game (especially for him), which warms my heart in the best way.

     Tonight was something to take warmly to as well. Beckett was the Beckett we'll need to go the distance this year, 8 innings without an earned run, and deserved a much better fate. Lowell made a nice play, displaying yet again how valuable his glove is over there, and how far over that hip surgery he is. And, as I mentioned, Pap was strong, making David Wright and another Met look bad. If only we could get that one pitch back. Oh well, that's baseball, right?

     In other positive news, I think we all know what happened on Wednesday night at Fenway. Big Papi David Ortiz went deep to straightaway center for his first jack of '09. This was probably the most exciting moment of the season, right up there with the steal of home and the walkoff win against the Yanks a couple of weeks ago.

     Anyways, I can't wait to see if the Sox can get a 'W' for all the positives they've put together in the past couple of days.

     Let's go Tim-may!

    -Matt

About Time

     The Red Sox are finally sitting Ortiz. After Papi single-handedly left 12 men on base Thursday night in his latest show of ineptitude, Sox management has done the unthinkable, but probably necessary. David Ortiz will get one day to get his head clear, then two more days (while the team faces lefties) to get ready for Fenway and an attempt at a midseason recovery.

     He got Friday night off, and will presumably get the rest of the series and the weekend off as well. He will be back in there Tuesday, though I'm not sure if it will be in the 3 hole or not.

     As much as I hate to say this, this is something the Sox really needed to do. I was going to give them another week before moving him down, but they could have done this anytime this month, really. Unfortunately, they don't get Youkilis back for a few more days, so losing Papi couldn't have come at a worse time (assuming he could be a productive bat). I think the Sox will scrape by in their absence, though. Ellsbury is hot, Pedroia, Bay and Lowell are all hitting, and even Drew and Lugo are heating up at the dish. What scares me are the hitters 6-9. In that span, Varitek is probably their biggest offensive threat.

     Unfortunately, I am still undecided about Ortiz' comeback. The last few weeks I've found myself not even considering the possibility of a bomb when he steps in. A wall-ball double, maybe, but no jacks. I know he almost certainly will not be returning to the 140 RBI behemoth he once was, but now it's looking like the '08 Ortiz might even be a stretch. I mean, the Sox tried to let him get it together, but if this doesn't work, and if moving him down in the lineup doesn't work, then what...? I guess they could bring up Lars Andersen or Chris Carter (despite the fact that he looked awful up there earlier this season). Frank Thomas doesn't have a home yet... Boston doesn't have a lot of depth options right now to cover for Ortiz' loss. If they lose him, they lose much more than a bat. They lose an important 'L' beside his name in the batting order. They have already lost his presence, the fear he instilled in opposing pitchers.

     Right now, I think the Sox just take this in stride. When Youk comes back, the lineup will be back to a strong top six hitters, which is better than a lot of teams. Right now, my number one concern is the starting pitching. You can't win without it. The Sox have been lucky so far this season - a dominant bullpen and timely hitting have made up for the lack of starting pitching, but they can't play six months without a few guys having some sustained success, and expect to win.

     Getting seven strong from Beckett tonight would be a huge bonus for the Sox.

     Thanks for stopping in,

    -Matt

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Time to Win

The Yankees are slow starters. C.C. Sabathia is a slow starter. Mark Teixeira always starts slow. Wait until the Yankees get A-Rod back. I could probably fill the page with these statements. The bottom line is that Joe Girardi has been given more talent then any manager in a generation this year and the Yankees need to start playing up to their capabilities. Coming into mid May and being in fourth place 5 1/2 games out while 2 games under .500 is just not acceptable.

One could blame the losses to the Red Sox as the reason the Bombers are behind in the standings and that is a plausible reason statistically. But could it be deeper? Could it be that Joe Girardi is not the man to manage this type of talent and these types of players? When Girardi was successful in Florida, he had a bunch of no name kids and was able to help them develop. He made them act like a team and stretched them a bit to play better than they were capable at that point in their careers.

Now he has some of the best talent in baseball and in his second season we are seeing some of the same trends. 30 games into the season we should not still be talking about slow starts. These players need to take more batting practice or work more with the pitching coach on mechanics or deal with whatever the issue is that is getting them behind in the American League East.

This team has what it takes to win 100 games. I am just not sure that Joe Girardi is the manager to get them to that level. The time to win is now Joe. Get this team together and get them playing up to their potential or you will be back calling games on Fox!

Dom DiMaggio Passes at 92

     Being fairly young as a Sox fan, I have spent the past 5 years or so catching up on my Red Sox history. Of course, probably the most important era of Red Sox history was probably the 40's Red Sox. I always enjoyed reading about them. Dimaggio, Pesky, Williams, Doerr. Two Hall of Famers, four war veterans, four stand up guys, three of whom have their numbers hung on the right-field facade of Fenway Park. These four men were probably the best collection of teammates, and more importantly, friends, in Sox history.

     According to the official MLB.com release, DiMaggio, "The Little Prfoessor", a seven-time All-Star, died surrounded by his family at his home in Massachusets late last night.

     Dominic DiMaggio spent his entire career being overshadowed by the giants he grew up with (Joe) and the giants he played with (Williams, Doerr, Foxx). He was a career .298 hitter with acceptable power, good speed, and was one of the premier defensive outfielders of his time. He was a very important table-setter, along with Pesky, for those aforementioned sluggers (scored 243 runs in '50-'51, and 1046 over his short career). More importantly, he hit the ball and made it go - he ran the bases fast, not slow - and was better than his brother, Joe - he was Dominic DiMaggio. I'm sorry if you don't get that reference, young 'uns.

     Ted Williams spent the better part of the second half of the 19th century trying to get DiMaggio and Pesky HoF consideration. To be fair, they were both not even close to Hall of Famers as far as production goes. But add in lost war years (DiMaggio lost three to the Navy) and I think they have a chance. I agree with Williams in that DiMaggio was probably one of the most underrated MLB players ever, and maybe the best player not in the Hall. Aside from the lost WWII years, DiMaggio also felt disrespected by the Red Sox, and retired early, three games into the 1953 season at age 36, after hitting .294 the previous year.

     Now comes the number retirement discussion. DiMaggio had a good, but not legendary career. And unlike Pesky, who was a Sox lifer for a half century (and counting) after his departure from the team, DiMaggio isn't a guy who is associated with the team as intimately as some others, some who had their numbers retired for that reason. I mean, DiMaggio was a stand up guy - for years, while running a successful upholstry business, he donated all proceeds from autograph sessions to pension-less ex-ball players. I think I'd like to see the number 7 up there simply because the other three teammates are up there.

     Dom was one of my favourite characters in Sox lore, and I feel like a big piece of the fabric of Red Sox history was lost today. Best wishes to Emily, his wife of 61 years, and their family,

    -Matt

Manny Being Manny v. 2009

     So far in 2009, Manuel Ramirez has had next to no shenanigans. There was the rumor in April that he was already talking about waiving his player option and going to Cleveland next year, but that was dismissed mainly as just that - a rumor.

     Yesterday, baseball was (I wouldn't 'rocked', but...) surprised with the news that Manny had tested positive for an unnamed PED, and was handed a 50 game suspension. As a sox fan, I had to smile, but as a baseball fan, this is getting old. Now, Manny claims that he has tested negative fifteen times over the past five years, that this was a one-time instance brought on by taking soemthing prescribed by a physician for a personal 'health issue'. I have some issues with the sketchy details, but I believe him, actually. I just hope (and I'm pretty sure that) this won't go down as another 'Manny being Manny' episode.

     Manny being Manny is double-gunslinger fingers. It's sitting on a ball. It's high-fiving fans in mid-play, it's having questionable injuries late in the season, it's skipping team photo's annually. It's driving in clutch runs in pinch-hit appearances after all of Fenway thought he was traded. Manny being Manny died, for me, last summer. Around the blatantly fake injuries, the secretary shoving, the public fury at the Front office, Manny turned into the show some now call Mannywood. Go ahead and embrace that, LA. However, failing to double-check a prescription given out by a doctor (assuming the story checks out) is not Manny being Manny, not anymore. It is being ignorant, arrogant, irresponsible or at the very least, incompetent, but it is not being Manny.

     Of course the big question now is how Manny's career will now be viewed. I dont think it hurts his legacy a bit, to be honest. I think his 533 HR's are legit, his 1745 RBI's should count, his .315 career batting average and his legendary 1.006 OPS are for real. If anything, I think this instance will only add to his legacy. Unfortunately, I think it is the cherry on top of a series of phenomena that have regrettably turned a legendary career into an elaborate joke.

     Anyways, the next few days and weeks should be fun watching this thing unfold.

     Thanks,

    -Matt

First Post

     Hey, everybody! My name is Matt, and I guess I'm a new author for MyTeamRivals/The Great Rivalry. I'm totally new at this, so forgive my nativity, though I have been running an MLBlog since the winter. Feel free to check that out at mattshaw.mlblogs.com.

     I just wanted to throw a first post out there to try and get a grasp of this new site. I am under the impression that I will be covering the Red Sox side of the greatest rivalry in sports, which includes thoughts and comments on the team both in and out of the context of the rivalry.

     Thanks for being present for my maiden voyage,

    -Matt

Joba: Starter or Reliever?

Is Joba Chamberlain a starter or reliever? Should the Yankees keep him in the rotation or is he better suited in the bullpen? What should the team do?

Joba Chamberlain is a great talent that came onto the scene and was lights out in the bullpen. Yes he is a starter, and yes he could be an effective starter at the big league level, but the Yankees should use him in the pen.

He has had great success in the pen, how many players have great success at the big league level in any role? Very few. He could become a starter, get hit around, lose his confidence, and ruin his career. Even if that is not the case, will he be as dominating as a starter as he is a reliever? That would be hard to believe and is yet to be the case.

The bullpen is weaker that the starting rotation right now. Yes they will need a number 5 pitcher but Phil Hughes looks like he may finally be able to help. Besides, what is more needed, a number 5 starter or someone to close out the eighth inning and get the ball to Mariano?

Joba could also know his role and get comfortable with being one of the pen men. Mariano Rivera is not getting any younger and Joba could learn from Rivera and be groomed to be the teams next closer. Imagine what a career he could have in front of him as a closer for the Yankees.

The Bronx Bombers need to put Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen where he belongs. It makes sense for the team. It makes sense for Joba. After the first inning of tonight's game, it just makes baseball sense.

Yankees vs. Red Sox 5/5/2009: Lineup and Game Chat

After getting swept in Boston and losing the opener to the Red Sox yesterday, the Yankees look to return to their winning ways against the Red Sox tonight. Joba Chamberlain takes the hill for the Bombers while the Bo Sox counter with Josh Beckett. Below are the lineups and feel free to discuss the game in the comments section.

Lineups:
Red Sox:

1. Ellsbury CF
2. Pedroia 2B
3. Ortiz DH
4. Bay LF
5. Lowell 3B
6. Drew RF
7. Bailey 1B
8. Varitek C
9. Green SS

Beckett P

Yankees:

1. Jeter SS
2. Damon LF
3. Teixeira 1B
4. Matsui DH
5. Cano 2B
6. Swisher RF
7. Cabrera CF
8. Pena 3B
9. Molina C

Chamberlain P

New Author

The Bronx Daily is excited to announce that Ivan will be joining our team as a contributing writer for The Bronx Daily and The Great Rivalry.

Welcome Ivan!

Remember to check out our homepage My Team Rivals and our Mets, Yankees, Rangers, Giants, Jets, Knicks, Yankees Red Sox Rivalry, and Mets Phillies Rivalry page!

Red Sox Author Needed

Are you a Red Sox fan that loves their team? Have you always wanted your own blog? Now is your chance! MyTeamRivals is looking for someone to write a Red Sox blog and contribute to the Yankees Red Sox rivalry pages. There is no charge and a chance for revenue opportunity.

What's the catch? Only that you write regularly on the blog and keep your readers informed of all things Red Sox. Get in on the fun of blogging, email us for more information today.

Bill@myteamrivals.com

Are you a Red Sox fan that loves their team? Have you always wanted your own blog? Now is your chance! MyTeamRivals is looking for someone to write a Red Sox blog and contribute to the Yankees Red Sox rivalry pages. There is no charge and a chance for revenue opportunity.

What's the catch? Only that you write regularly on the blog and keep your readers informed of all things Red Sox. Get in on the fun of blogging, email us for more information today.

Bill@myteamrivals.com

Yankees Look to Keep Red Sox Losing

The New York Yankees will host the final fourth of July series at The House That Ruth Built beginning tonight against the hated Boston Red Sox. With 4 games separating them in the schedule, a sweep by the bombers will be the perfect fireworks to tie the two teams in the standings.

The momentum is in the Yankees favor and it is time for another 4 game Boston Massacre, this time in the Bronx. I feel the sweep coming! Go Yankees!!!

New Discussion Forum

MyTeamRivals is pleased to announce a new discussion forum. There are forums for all major sports and every team we cover. Check it out today!

MyTeamRivals Discussion