Happy New Year

The greatest year in Red Sox Nation is about to come to an end and I have to admit, I'm a little saddened. After tonight, it will no longer be "The Year of the Red Sox".

Although I look forward to what's in store for 2005 and beyond, it's kind of tough to let this one go. It's about to become history.

The silver lining though, is that for the most part, Red Sox history is tragic. Once this year goes into the books, we will all now have something to feel good about as part of that history.

Happy New Year!

Jaret Wright

Once RJ ends up in pinstripes and we find out where Beltran goes, I will give a complete analysis of the Yankees. But yesterday, they made their deal with Jaret Wright official and I just needed to go on record right now as saying that this will be a terrible deal for them.

This guy has been plagued by arm injuries for most of his career. And at the beginning of his career, from 97-99 when he wasn’t hurt, he wasn’t very good. He’s 52-45 with a 5.09 ERA in his career. Half of those wins came at the beginning when he was pitching in front of that great Cleveland offense.

Although he did pitch well for the Indians in the World Series back in 97, and he had a very good regular season for the Braves in “04”, that’s about all he has going for him. His career post-season ERA is 7.24, including 2 starts against the Astros this season in which he lasted a total of 9 2/3 innings giving up 14 hits and 10 runs.

He’s leaving Leo Mazzone (one of the greatest pitching coaches in the game, who always seems to be able to get more out of pitchers than anyone else), and is going to be pitching in the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium where he will be hammered if he doesn’t get off to a good start. He’s never pitched with this kind of pressure. Also, he was facing NL lineups over there and now he comes back to the AL where the lineups are much more potent.

Assuming his arm even holds up, it’s not likely this guy is going to come anywhere near the numbers he put up this past season. I’m predicting a complete bomb, and this is going to become another one of those failed pitching acquisitions to add to the list that is growing much more quickly than anyone in NY would like.

I’m also tempted to add Carl Pavano to that list, but for now I’ll hold off on him and wait until I write my complete assessment on the team.

What Have We Got?

I’ll start with one of the biggest questions left this off-season. Minky or Millar? I really like both guys but I think Minky is a better fit on this team.

On the field, Minky is one of the best at first, if not THE best. He catches everything around the bag and is known to make some spectacular plays. This pitching staff is going to be getting a lot of ground balls and having Minky over there making the plays will make all of them better.

At the plate, he’s a left-handed batter who drives the ball. He can hit for average, get on base, put a few out, and he will definitely drive in his share. With the rest of the bats we have in this lineup we don’t need a typical power hitting first baseman. The fact that he is left-handed should also give Youkilis a chance to get some at bats against left-handed pitchers.

Youk is here to stay and he’s going to need to get his share of playing time. Francona will have him work out at first base this spring and he will be Mueller’s backup at third. How much time he gets at first will depend on who is starting there and how well he adapts to the position.

If it’s Millar at first, then Youk is probably relegated to a backup corner man who sees no more than one to two games a week between the two positions. But if it’s Minky, then Youk has a very good chance to become the right-handed half of a platoon at first, with Minky coming in late for defense on days that Youk starts. Plus, of course, he’ll still see some time over at 3rd. I think this is a better situation, as it will help keep Youk fresh and give him more opportunity to develop. Of course, this will all depend on how well Youk can handle the right side of the infield.

I suspect that both Francona and Theo are thinking along the same lines and they’re going to work hard at trying to trade Millar.

Once this situation is resolved, this team is more or less set. The few questions left (all revolving around pitching) really won’t be answered until spring training at the earliest and some maybe not until the first couple of months of the season.

Starting Pitching

6 starters, at least 6 questions. It may take some time before this rotation pans out, but here’s what I think.

Schilling will be back around late April/early May. He will be completely healed and ready to go. He will, at the very least, equal his numbers of this season and very possibly better them now that he won’t be pitching with a nagging ankle injury all year. Obviously he might be a little shorter on wins since he will miss a few starts at the beginning, but everything else should be there.

Wells will continue to put up the solid numbers he always does. He seems to be ageless, and with the exception of a few freak injuries and minor back problems, he also seems to be healthy. The back may cause him to miss a start here or there, but he should be right in it all year and should continue to come up big in key games, as he has been known for throughout his career.

Clement should also be a very solid starter for us. I suspect he will be a nice number 3, putting up an ERA right around 4.00. He should manage to give us 200 innings and should really help this team win when he’s in there.

Wake will do what he always does, which is whatever is needed to help the team. I think he will be called on a lot this year to do just that. With the possibility of having 6 starters, I suspect he could find himself in the “first guy out of the pen” roll if all of them end up healthy and ready to go. He’s one of the most respected players in the game for his willingness to do whatever he’s called upon to do.

Arroyo could also end up as the one going to the pen if all starters are ready. This guy really came a long way last year and going to the pen could hurt his development as a starter. He’s probably the better option to go to there, but it might not be the best thing for him. Either way, he should continue to develop and be a strong contributor.

Wade Miller is the wild card here. If this guy’s shoulder is really sound then this could be the absolute steal of the free agent season. He could very well replace all of the numbers Pedro would have given us this year. He was one of the best pitchers in the game before the shoulder problem developed last year. I think Sox management is convinced he’ll be ready to go by May or June at the latest, and his shoulder should hold up and give him the chance to get back to where he was.

Overall, I think this starting rotation is going to be right up at the top in the league. I don’t see any other rotation that’s as solid 1-5 as this one is. If the Yanks get RJ, then they will probably be the only one that’s better.

Bullpen

Foulke is one of the best in the game. Both Embree and Timlin are solid and should each have at least another year in them. They are both more effective if they don’t have to pitch as many innings as they did this year, and they will need someone to shoulder that extra burden for them next season. Losing Williamson really hurt them this year and someone will need to replace those innings.

Matt Mantei could be the man. If he’s recovered from his June surgery to remove a bone spur in his shoulder he could be the perfect compliment to help out in the 7th and 8th innings. This is a big if though, as he’s had other problems in the past that have prevented him from putting up big numbers and big innings.

John Halama should be a very useful guy to have around. He should give us innings out of the pen, where he has always been very effective, and can spot start when necessary, which will probably happen a lot at the beginning of the season while we’re waiting for all of our starters to heal. His numbers are deceptive. The problem is that most of the teams he’s been on have been forced to use him as a starter when he is much better out of the pen. If we can keep him where he belongs he will be a big help to this team.

We’ll have the usual number of minor leaguers and non-roster invitees competing for the final couple of spots. And the 10 million dollar man BK (assuming Theo doesn’t somehow manage to dump him, maybe he can actually contribute something).

A lot of the effectiveness will depend on a few things. Can Mantei come back, and if not who do we get to pick up those innings? Do all the starters come back, and if so who goes to the pen? This has the potential to be anywhere from one of the top pens in the league, to a problem in trying to fill the 7th and 8th innings without having to use Embree and Timlin too much and have them lose their effectiveness.

The jury’s still out on this one, and it’s likely that Theo is not done gathering arms.

Infield Defense

The question mark at first base will have a slight impact on the infield defense. Minky is so much better than Millar. Not that Millar’s bad, it’s just that Minky is great. He actually makes the other 3 infielders better. Having Minky there increases the range on the right side of the field. Also knowing that he’s going to catch the ball will give the other 3 a lot more confidence and plays will get made that otherwise wouldn’t.

Bellhorn is an average defender at second. He has average range and will make most of the plays within that range. He got a bad (and undeserved) rep this season because Reese is such a great defender that he made it look bad for Bellhorn when it really wasn’t. Bellhorn can handle the position.

Mueller is solid at third. He has good reaction time, and although not a strong arm it is accurate, and he makes the plays.

I haven’t seen Renteria play much, but from what I’ve read he’s a very good shortstop (the gold gloves tell us that). I’ve read that he has decent range, gets to a lot of balls, has a strong throwing arm, and makes the plays, although he’s not as flashy as Cabrera. After watching Nomar and Cabrera over there for the past 7 years we’ll just have to get used to seeing a guy who is very good at his position without the flash. Should be easy enough.

We already know what Varitek can do for a pitching staff, but he’s also a pretty good defensive catcher. He’s better at throwing out base stealers than the stats show. Part of the problem was that for a long time the Sox were using the Joe Kerrigan theory of not worrying about base runners and the pitching staff was not giving their catchers much of chance to throw anyone out. That has changed since Kerrigan left and Tek’s numbers have improved. He’s good at blocking bad pitches and one of the best at blocking the plate.

The overall infield “D” should be very solid even if Millar ends up over at first. With Minky they could end up being above average.

Outfield Defense

Manny is Manny, it’s been said a million times but that’s because it’s true. What else CAN anyone say? He’s not as bad as he makes himself look out there sometimes. He’s learned how to play “the wall” very well. We know he’ll never win a Gold Glove out there, or his even more coveted “Silver Glove”, and there will always be “Manny Moments”, but he makes most of the plays, and occasionally even a spectacular one. Of course for every impressive play he makes there will be an equally unimpressive one to go with it. He also has a better throwing arm than he gets credit for.

When you have “the Lord Our Savior” playing CF for your team, there isn’t much chance of many things going wrong. Damon has the speed to track down a lot of fly balls, although occasionally he seems to get a bad jump on them. He also seemed to have a bit of trouble early this season seeing some of them. That seems to have been corrected once he had his eyesight corrected. He probably has one of the worst throwing arms in the league and will always be run on, but his speed and ability to get to a lot of balls makes up for it.

Nixon is one of the fiercest competitors this sport has ever seen. I don’t think there has ever been a ball hit toward him that he didn’t think he would make the play on. More times than not he’s right. He has good range for a right fielder (although the injuries last year slowed him when he came back) and a strong throwing arm. He gains a lot of his advantage by getting a good jump on the ball and getting himself into position, but it’s mostly his competitiveness and will to make the play that makes him a better than average right fielder. Hopefully he’s completely healed for next season and back to his old tricks out there.

Overall the outfield defense is pretty average but they should help us more than they hurt us.

Hitting

This is going to be one of the top offenses in the league again. We should be right up there again in runs scored, if not at the top. Even IF the Yankees get Beltran (which is not a given), we should be right there with them in offense. As it stands now, we’re better.

Yes, we leave a lot of runners on base, but that’s what happens when you PUT a lot of runners on base. This batting order will be relentless with no easy outs 1through 9. There are a lot of guys who look at a lot of pitches and have high OBP’s and we should be getting into a lot of bullpens early. And there are a lot of ML bullpens that we will be taking advantage of.

I still think our top 4 of Damon, Renteria, Manny, and Big Papi is unmatched.

Damon is one of the best leadoff hitters in the game right now, doing everything that’s expected of one, taking pitches, getting on base, scoring runs, and he can drive them in when needed as well.

Renteria is perfect in the 2 hole, he should be able to do all of the things we need in that spot, move the runner over, get on base, or drive the run in, depending on the situation.

Many is still one of the most feared right-handed hitters in the game, is one of the most complete hitters in the game, and when he gets into one of those zones there’s no stopping him from doing anything.

Ortiz has become one of the most feared left-handed hitters in the game. He’ll get Manny a lot of good pitches to hit and when Manny doesn’t come through he’s right behind him to pick him up. I think the DH role was created with Big Papi in mind. Hitting is all he does, so it’s all he thinks about. He knows that he can’t help the team on the field so he HAS to get the job done at the plate. He has said that because he knows this, he spends a lot of his down time during the game in the clubhouse, looking at video of pitchers he might face and working on his swing.

It doesn’t get much easier after that either. It’ll probably go something like this:

Varitek
Nixon
Mueller
Minky
Bellhorn

Having those 3 switch-hitters (Tek, Mueller, Bellhorn) means the only spot in the order where we will have hitters coming up to the same side of the plate is 2 and 3, with Renteria and Manny. That is a nice edge to have against opposing pitching staffs.

Every one of these guys is a good, patient hitter, who will take a lot of pitches, get on base, and come up with a clutch hit when needed.

Overall this is a killer lineup that will make a lot of pitchers pay.

Bench

This year we had a very deep bench, which was a key factor in winning it all. Theo has done an excellent job of keeping that bench deep again for next year.

Jay Payton is a solid replacement for Kapler as a 4th outfielder and platoon partner for Nixon. He can play all 3 outfield positions well, and he can hit. He should show more power then Kapler did and he should log himself at least 300 AB’s.

Ramon Vazquez should be the perfect backup middle infielder. He’s a solid infielder who is sure handed at both positions. He’s a left-handed hitter who doesn’t hit lefties very well, but he can hit a little against right-handers, which will make him perfect to spell Bellhorn and Renteria.

Youkilis should do well as the backup corner man and possible platoon partner with Minky. “The Greek God of Walks” is an on base machine, as we already know. He can handle third and although he’s unproven at first, he should do fine over there.

I’ve never been happier about the resigning of a bench player than I was when we got Mirabelli to agree to a 2-year deal. As I’ve said before, he could probably have gotten more playing time somewhere else, and probably will here anyway, in an attempt to add to Tek’s longevity. He does everything and more that’s expected of a backup catcher.

The one thing we’re missing is that blazing speed off the bench that we never would have won it without. That was really a luxury that not many teams are lucky to have. We’ve got a couple of guys that can run a little with Payton and Vazquez, but it’s not likely we’ll be able to pick up a guy with the speed and base stealing experience of Roberts. At least not until the trading deadline when the Padres are out of it and we can give up another minor leaguer to get Roberts back (wouldn’t that be something?).

Overall, we go into next season with as strong a bench as we went into this season with.

Clubhouse

We’ve still got our fair share of characters on this team. We lost a few in Pedro, Lowe and Cabrera (and possibly Millar), but we gained a big one in Wells. Personally, I think the biggest detractor from the clubhouse is gone with Pedro going to the Mets. Players say it didn’t bother them but I think that was mostly because they didn’t want to stir things up. Schilling is already admitting that he didn’t like it and I think now that he’s gone we’ll hear from a few more players about it. The “Idiot” mantra is probably gone, but these guys will still pull together and be as close as they were this year.

I have to say, I’ll miss the “Idiot” thing. It was the one time in my entire life of being an idiot that I was actually with the “in” crowd.

Manager and coaches

What can I say here? I disagreed with a lot of things that Francona did this season, but the only thing that matters is he’s the first manager to win a World Series here in 86 years. It’s all forgiven. He’ll probably drive me nuts again this year, but I really won’t care.

Sveum got a bad rep at third because of a couple of bad decisions and a couple of unlucky breaks, but I think he’s learned from it and will be better next year.

The rest of these guys all did their jobs with Papa Jack and Lynn Jones’ eye getting the most notoriety. They should all be back with the exception of Rojas, who may be replaced by Hassleman as bullpen coach. Speaking of the bullpen, I’d still like to know what the hell happened with Dana Lavangie down there.

Management and Ownership

John Henry, Tom Werner and Co. bought the team and won a World Series a few years later. For that they will be gods around here forever. They have shown that they are willing to stop at almost nothing to compete with the Yankees and try to win it all. They have also been very innovative in finding ways to increase seating capacity at Fenway as well as improve the overall atmosphere without detracting from its history and uniqueness. They have made the park and the team even more fan friendly. They have improved public relations, entrenched the team in the community, donated millions and millions of dollars to charities (as well as raised donations from fans and other sources), and they have given back more than could have been expected from them.

They are constantly finding ways to increase revenue and then putting that revenue back into the team. As I’ve said before, Henry is a fan who has made and continues to make his money outside of Fenway. He’s not interested in making money with this team, just winning World Championships. And what’s better is that, as badly as he wants to win, he knows he’s not a baseball man, so, he has hired baseball men, and unlike some other owners (no names need be mentioned), he let’s them do their jobs. As fans, we couldn’t ask for more from an ownership team.

Larry Lucchino may rub some people the wrong way but he is every bit as responsible for all of the above as the rest of them.

Theo and his staff have proven that they know what the hell they are doing, even before they won us a World Championship. He had the guts to make the most unpopular trade in team history (Ruth was sold, not traded) at a time when it was absolutely necessary for him to do it.

He knows his baseball, and he knows how to balance the input from his 2 Bills, top scout Bill Lajoie, and statman, Bill James. He uses all available information to invest his money wisely and he’s not afraid to admit when he makes a mistake (which have been few and far between) and then does something to try to fix it.

He has disengaged himself from the fan he used to be and now runs the team as the business it is. Fortunately for us, the business he happens to be in, is trying to win World Championships.

Overall

If there was ever a team that has a chance at repeating it has to be this one. If we don’t already have what we need to do it, you can be sure Theo will go out and get it when the time comes. This team is going to be a winning team, and not just now but in the near future as well. The only thing we’re really lacking as a franchise is a good farm system. But time, and Theo and his boys, will fix that. I can see only great times ahead for Red Sox Nation.

Captain Tek

This is great. The last piece of the puzzle is now in place. As I have maintained all along, this man is too important to this team to let him walk. Theo and everyone else knew it, and they were going to do everything in their power to make sure it didn’t happen. Of course, Tek had to want to come back, and there wasn’t any question in my mind that that was the case.

He is the backbone of this team and, as has been said time and time again, the intangibles he brings are irreplaceable. The leadership on the field and in the clubhouse, the amount of work he puts into learning his pitching staff, learning the opposing hitters, and preparing for that days pitcher against the opposing teams hitters. At this point there is no question that this is his team. And of course they made it official by naming him "Captain".

About that “C”, first I need to give credit where credit is due. Thursday night, Censy asked me if I thought they would name him captain. I told him no, I didn’t think it was necessary. He disagreed with me and said he thought they would. He was right, good call Censy.

Censy also called me out on Thursday night, telling me that my posts recently have become more of “stating facts” and less of “giving opinions”, and he thought I needed to get back to the opinion giving since that’s why he read this site.

So, I’ll start with my opinion on the captaincy and why I didn’t think it would happen. There was a time in baseball where many teams had an assigned captain. Over the years teams seemed to get away from that. Just about every team has at least one guy who becomes a leader for that team and most have more than one. But in this day of free agency and little loyalty you just don’t see that “C” given out very often.

In the case with this team there was no question that Tek is the leader. Every one of his teammates to a man agreed on that this season. They expected it of him, and they respected him for it. He did it because it’s the way he is, he didn’t need a “C” on his uniform to do it or to continue to do it. His old teammates will continue to expect it of him, and his new teammates will quickly realize it and follow suit. As he stated in his press conference, it’s who he is and what he does. The “C” doesn’t change anything at all. He will continue to play the game the way he always does regardless. Theo backed this up by saying that they did not expect him to change either; they just decided it was an honor that he deserved.

IMO, if there’s any guy in baseball that deserves it, it’s Tek. But since it’s obvious it doesn’t change anything about the way he plays, the way he leads, the way he’s respected by his teammates, and the way he is, it wasn’t necessary. But, as I said to Censy, I’m not running the team, so necessary or not, it’s done, he deserves it, and it looks damn good on his uniform.

As far as Tek himself goes, I’m extremely glad to have him back. This is the best signing we’ve made so far this off-season. Every pitcher on this staff wanted him back. Pedro wanted him to go to the Mets. Clement stated that one of his reasons for choosing Boston was that he knew there was a good chance Tek would be back and he wanted to pitch to him. Miller has stated that he was looking forward to getting the chance to work with him. Francona has stated that he is extremely happy to get him back. And so is everyone else, and all with good reason. He makes the pitching staff better, and he makes everyone else around him better.

This guy is going to be well worth the money that was invested in him. The intangibles will always be there, and even though it is being said that most catchers begin to slide physically at his age, it is also being said that there have been a few exceptions. Carlton Fisk being the most notable. Many people compare Tek to Pudge and say that his body is similar; he works as hard as Pudge did to stay in shape and all indications are that he will hold up the same way Pudge did into his late 30’s and even early 40’s.

Although I don’t expect he will play the game as long as Pudge (24 seasons, over 2,200 games at catcher, Jesus Christ that’s almost godlike), I do expect he will continue to be the same catcher (and leader) he has been, and put up the same types of offensive numbers he has been, for at least the length of this contract.

This is about the most complete package you’re going to get in a player in this game, and I am looking forward to many more years of rooting for “Tek’s Team”.

Next up, my opinion on the entire team so far, what we have, what we still need, and what I expect next season. Give me a day or 3 to get it all in order.

Also, Thom has suggested that I run some sort of predictions contest. I put a bunch of questions together and we all make our predictions on what we think will happen with each one. He suggested questions such as what will their "05" record be?, what will the starting rotation be to start the season?, and things like that. I like it. Especially now that I know there are more of you reading this site. I'll think of some more questions and of course, I would love to get suggestions.

I'm also going to look into seeing if there is a way to give other people the ability to post log entries here. I think this site would be much more interesting if I wasn't the only one putting stuff up here and all you guys can do is reply to it. It seems as though there are more of you reading it, so I'd love to give you all the oppurtunity to post your thoughts. We could turn it into less of a blog and more of a community for all of us to discuss our favorite team. Let me know what you think.

Interesting Developments

First, the signing of Wade Miller. Still has to become official but when it does it could be huge for us. There are definitely question marks. Is the frayed rotator cuff that cut last season short really healed? If so, will it hold up for the entire season next year?

This guy is still young (28) and when healthy he can pitch. He has potential to be one of the top pitchers in the league. Adding his arm to the starting staff improves our chances of coming up with 5 quality starters to get us through the season.

There are still many questions about this staff with a big one for every one of them.

Will Schilling come back from the ankle problem and continue to put up big numbers?

Will age and/or injury catch up with David Wells?

Will Matt Clement put it all together?

Is Wade Miller's shoulder sound?

Will Wakefield get it back?

Will Arroyo continue to improve or at the very least continue to be a solid starter?

If we can get a yes to at least 5 of these (and one of them has to be Schilling) then I think we could have one of the top starting staffs in the league (possibly the best). But then again, every year I say we're going to win the World Series, oh wait, I was right this year.

And if we can't come up with 5 yes's then we'll have to come up with another pitcher by the deadline, which we should be able to do. I really like what's happening here and how much potential (very dangerous word) this team has for next year.

In other startling developments it looks like there is now actually a real chance that "those bastards" will end up losing out on both Randy Johnson and Carlos Beltran.

The Diamonbacks are now claiming that they want to keep Johnson and have him end his career there. I'm not sure how they intend on making that happen if he's not planning on retiring at the end of next year. They don't have any money to resign him and they certainly don't have the talent to win it this year. Plus it doesn't look like Johnson wants to stay and they'd have a lot of convincing to do.

It seems the Astros have made a very serious 6 or 7 year offer to Beltran. It looks like it might be enough money to convince him to stay, even if the Yankees top it, which they will. It could now come down to whether he would rather play in Houston or NY, and indications are that he wants to stay in Houston, provided they offer him enough money. Of course it could be all crap and the money from NY might just be too much to turn down.

We'll see what happens with these 2, but at least right now it seems as though there could be some hope where there was none before.

Goodbye Dave, Hello Matt

Dave Roberts, we hardly knew you. You may have only been here for 3 months, but damn did you ever make an impression. Without "the stolen base" we never would have made it to the World Series. And even though you didn't get the SB in game 5, you distracted Gordon enough to give up the hit that moved you to 3rd where you tied the game on the sac fly.

Unfortunately with the outfield set, there was no room for you next year. So Theo accomodated you and sent you off to be a starter in San Diego. I say to you what I've said to all the other guys who've left so far, thanks for the Championship, good luck in San Diego, and you'll always have a place here in this city.

Nice trade here by Theo. Although Jay Payton's numbers were inflated in Colorado, he's a solid right handed bat off the bench, good platoon partner for Nixon, and a good all around 4th outfielder. He can do most of the things Kapler did for us. He can play all 3 outfield positions and he can hit a little. He should step right into the role that Kapler vacated.

Ramon Vazquez will fill Pokey's shoes. He can play both middle infield positions, and although he's not as slick of fielder as Pokey, he makes all the plays. He's a much better hitter than Pokey was and he can run late in a game and steal a base.

And we got a 21 year old pitcher who could become a nice addition to the pen at some point down the road. This is a very nice haul by Theo.

Matt Clement is a nice addition to the staff. He was the best pitcher that was still available. Although he'll be 30 in August, he seems to be one of those guys who put it all together late. He's been known to have some control problems but he also seems to be improving. He'll give us 200 innings and keep his ERA around 4. It's also possible that he'll be even better than that.

This gives us a pretty solid rotation. Once Schill comes back we'll have 5 solid starters. Wake might be the only question mark, but I think he'll come back and give us the innings he always does and they should be a little better next year. I think Arroyo will be better as well. Boomer should be solid. Although we'll probably need to use Halama a few times until Schill comes back, he's much better suited as a reliever and should really be very effective in that role for us.

I like the way this team is shaping up. The only thing we're missing now is our catcher. We need Tek back. He's the last piece of the puzzle.

The starting pitching may not be quite as strong as this year, but it's very solid. The bullpen might be stronger with the addition of Halama and hopefully Mantei. The defense will be very solid, we have all of the key bench positions filled now, and the offense has a very good chance of being even better than it was this year. It should be driving a lot of starters to early showers.

We should be a very tough team and be right back in it again next year. We may end up needing another starter down the road, but I feel confident Theo will go out and get him. Ben Sheets is the guy to look at, even though Milwaukee claims he's untouchable.

Even with the "Big Unit" deal looming on the horizon, things are still very good here in Red Sox Nation.

Welcome Edgar!

This is an awesome signing. It does so many things for us. First of all, Renteria himself.

Here in Boston he's remembered as the guy who hit the comebacker to Foulke to clinch the first World Series Championship for Boston in 86 years, but he's SO much more than that.

This guy can play. In the field he's a Gold Glover (02,03), and (although not quite as flashy) will continue to stabalize the infield "D" the way Cabrera did it this season. At the plate we got our guy at the top of the lineup to hit behind Damon.

He's got about a 350 career on base percentage, he's a double's machine, he can put a few out, hit for average, and he'll be both driving in and scoring a lot of runs. Good luck to any pitcher who has to face Damon, Renteria, Manny, and Big Papi all in a rowe, 4 times a game. This HAS to make the most devastating top 4 in the game right now. And as great of a job that Bellhorn did there last year, we can now move him to the bottom of the order and just make it that much tougher on an opposing team's pitching.

He's still relatively young (29) and has a ton of post season experience (almost 200 AB's, including 2 World Series). He was also the last batter of the "97" WS as he drove in the game (and WS) winning run against Cleveland.

He was known as a leader in the St Louis clubhouse and a great teammate. He should fit right in on this team.

The other thing this does for us is give us a chance to use Hanley Ramirez to get that pitcher we need to replace Pedro.

Of course this also means that Orlando Cabrera will now definitely not be back. I loved having Orlando on the team. He was a solid player who made some clutch plays for us during the run to the playoffs AND in the playoffs. He was fun to have around and it was great to watch all the handshakes he had for each teammate. He wasn't around long, but he certainly made an impact during the short time he was here by helping the team do something that hadn't been done in 86 years. And just like Kapler and everyone else who doesn't come back, he'll always have a special place here in Boston baseball (and sports) lore.

Pedro, Thanks for the Memories

Oh well, it was great while it lasted. He gave us some pretty good years, and probably had the most dominating stretch of any pitcher in the game while wearing a Sox uniform. Of course THAT ended a few years ago, and now it’s time for all of it to end.

He claims his heart is still here and always will be, but for him it was all about respect (money), and we weren’t willing to show him the same kind of respect (money) that the Mets were.

I can't blame him for finding some sucker to give him 4 years guaranteed at that kind of money. But Theo was right to stick to his guns and not give him that fourth year or go up in price. It would have been too much.

Pedro is still a very good pitcher. He’ll probably be one of the top pitchers in the game for the next couple of years anyway, but he’s not worth that kind of money anymore.

He can no longer go more than 7 innings. Although his ERA will still probably be sub 4.00, it was on the higher side of 3.00 this season and I believe it would have continued to stay there had he stayed with us. The move to the NL should improve it, but still doesn’t make him worth that kind of money.

He has a tough time warming up in the cooler weather and that’s probably going to get worse as he gets older, not better. It could have become a problem in October, although he’s probably not going to be pitching much in October with that team.

He brings a lot of baggage along with him, as we know (see “Advice for Pedro” below) and we really don’t need to deal with that bullshit anymore.

I’ve said that I would accept it because I’m used to it, but the fact is, I’m actually relieved that we’re not the ones who are going to be stuck paying him all that money.

Of course, now we need to come up with a replacement for him. It won’t be easy, but it IS possible. We have plenty of money to spend now.

I still think the best solution will be to trade for Tim Hudson, as I have mentioned here before. He’s still young (29), and he’s a very good pitcher. Personally I think right now and for the near future, he’s a better pitcher than Pedro. He’s a free agent at the end of next season, and it won’t be easy to trade for him, but if there’s anyone who can find a way to make the trade AND sign him long-term, it’s Theo.

Matt Clement is another option. He seems to have come into his own over the last few years in Chicago, and although he’s only a couple of years younger than Pedro, he’s bigger (6’3” 210), stronger, and a lot more durable.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing both of those guys in the rotation along with Schill, Boomer, and Wake (Arroyo would probably end up being included in any deal involving Hudson), and I wouldn’t count out the possibility of that happening.

No matter what happens, Theo did the right thing by not budging on Pedro’s offer, and he’ll figure out some way to come up with a quality arm to replace him in the rotation.

Advice for Pedro

So long Pedro. Thanks for the World Championship and good luck in your future endeavors with the Mets. And I really mean good luck; you’ve got a rough road ahead of you pitching for that team.

Here’s a little advice from a guy who watched your antics for 7 years.

Get to spring training on time. I know you like to celebrate your dad’s birthday with him, but come on, he’s a grown man, I’m sure he understands that you have a job to do that pays you millions of dollars and is supposed to have you away from home during his birthday. Celebrate it a couple of days early and get your butt where it belongs.

Stick around until the game is over. You don’t need to make your manager look stupid by having him try to cover for you by saying it’s his fault, because he wasn’t clear with you about the fact that you are not supposed to leave work early.

Show up to all the games on time. Just because it’s not your day to pitch doesn’t mean you should show up to the ballpark halfway through the game. I don’t ever hear about any of your fellow pitchers coming late to the park for no apparent reason.

Show up to all of the games. If you don’t make the All-Star team, or do but don’t go for some reason, stay with the team until the break. Or, when you realize how much your team sucks and get tired of losing, stick around until the last day of the season. Don’t put your manager in a position where, if he says no to you it’s going to piss you off. And don’t put your teammates in a position where they have to tell the media that they’re not bothered by it when everyone knows they are.

MAKE the All-Star team. You say you’re still one of the top pitchers in the game and God knows they’re paying you like one. Now you need to go out and pitch like one.

You’re playing on a team. It’s not about you. So don’t put your manager in a situation where you want to go out and pitch needlessly and he feels he needs to oblige you.

The Yankees are not your daddy. You already have a daddy remember, he’s the guy who makes you late for spring training every year. You don’t need another one. You may not be pitching for us anymore, but we still want you to beat the Yankees during your Inter-league rivalry matchups.

Talk to the media. It can’t possibly get you into any more trouble than it did here, and we are still going to want to hear what you have to say. Oh yeah, and they will too.

Get used to losing. Omar Minaya really doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing (proof is right here in signing you to a four year deal for all that money). The team was terrible last year and even with you there now, they still will be no more than a 500 team at best. They also are not going to have much money left to improve it after giving it all to you.

And finally, don’t come complaining to us once you realize how good you had it here and what you gave up just so you could get the respect (money) you think you deserve.

Boomer

Wow! David Wells. I admit this one caught me by surprise when I first read about them talking a few days ago. This is an interesting signing, could go either way.

He is going to be 42 for most of the “05” season and 43 for most of “06”. There are just not very many pitchers (or players in general) who can continue to contribute at a high level in the Major Leagues at that age. He’s been known to have back problems as well. On the other hand, he has shown no signs of slowing down and is still pitching an average of 200 innings a season.

He’s been known to “have problems” with management, teammates, and fans in the past. We managed to win a World Series this year with a few guys who have annoyed management and teammates, and a few other guys who are just plain nuts, will one more nut be one nut too many? Don’t know, although my guess is probably not.

He has come up with some big pitching performances in key situations, including playoff games, in particular with the Yanks in the “03” post season, although he was also forced to leave game 5 of the WS after just one inning because of the back.

When he’s not pitching FOR the Yankees, he’s thrown pretty well against them. And let’s face it, although we’re no longer afraid of the Yankees, we still have to respect them. They will always be a factor in our quest for the championship. AND, no matter what, we will always love to beat them.

He’s been an innings eater and is usually very efficient with his pitches. He throws strikes, although when he’s off he gets hit hard.

He has professed a hatred for pitching at Fenway, although he has pitched much better there recently, as opposed to earlier in his career. He is on record as saying that when they finally decided to blow the place up, he wanted to be the one to press the button. He better hope he’s not in there pitching when that button gets pressed.

A lot is being made about the fact that we finally got the lefty we were missing from the rotation. I don’t think that’s a big deal. After all, we won the whole damn thing this year without a lefty in the rotation. What’s more important is the quality of the pitcher, not what side he throws from.

He’s coming pretty cheaply (in baseball terms) for what he might possibly bring with him. And since a lot of the contract is incentive laden, if he doesn't bring it with him, we don't have to pay him. He’s definitely a very good replacement for Lowe (again, assuming he can continue to pitch the way he has the last few years). This gives us a little more money to spend at shortstop.

The Nation loves to hate him, but I suspect if he pitches the way he has been, he will quickly become a fan favorite. I admit, I was one of those Wells haters, but he’s one of us now, so I’ll be rooting for him just as hard as I root for the rest of them.

One of the very few mistakes that Theo has made, was signing Mendoza after Cashman let him go. Although this is a little different (Cashman let him go a year ago, he wasn’t hurt, and he had a good year in between), I can’t help but think of that Mendoza deal when I think of this.

But then again, that Yankee karma is gone now, the tables seemed to have turned, and things now seem to go our way instead of theirs.

Welcome Boomer, we can never have enough Idiots around here.

Let’s hope Matt Mantei fully recovers from his shoulder surgery and manages to stay healthy, because if he does, he will be a HUGE boost to the bullpen. It’s also a lot to be hoping for though.

BALCO

I’m not following this thing very closely because frankly, I don’t give a crap. I’m tired of the whole thing and how much it’s taking away from this game. I realize MLB’s got a serious problem and it needs to be resolved, but I have absolutely no idea how they’re going to do it. There’s way too much politics involved with the unions and I don’t watch baseball for its politics. We have an entire country full of that crap if I ever need a political fix.

Not being a multi-million dollar, mega-star athlete, I’ll never understand why anyone would want to risk their body, life, and/or their career like this.

As far as the new information that has come out on Giambi, I have this to say. I used to like the guy, but then he became a Yankee, and now it has come out that he is also a cheater (IMO, anyone using steroids is a cheater), so screw him. I don’t care about him now, and I don’t feel bad about whatever ends up happening to him. He gets what he deserves. Him and anyone else who’s doing it.

What I want to see most come from this new information is the proof we need that “the prick in San Fransisco” is also doing it, so we can once and for all condemn him as the cheater he is and tarnish all of his records.

Pedro

There’s an interesting article by Bob Ryan about Pedro in the Boston Globe today. He notes that what Pedro really wants, besides a lot of money, is to be worshipped and adored. I had never really thought about it like that, but it kind of makes sense.

At this point, I just want this thing to end soon, one way or the other. And truthfully, I don’t really care which way it goes, as long as it goes fast. If we get him back, we’ve got one of the top pitchers in the game back in our rotation and we don’t have to worry about trying to replace him. If we don’t get him back, we need to replace him, which means it needs to happen quickly while there are still pitchers available to do it.

As Ryan mentioned in his column, Pedro is not easily replaced, but he CAN be replaced. Both Pavano and Radke, neither of which will match Pedro’s numbers, are viable options, Pavano with a little more upside, but I still would like to see a trade for Tim Hudson, which as I have mentioned before, I think can be done. I won’t talk about “The Unit” because I seriously doubt there is any chance of that happening.

Personally, I’m a little tired of Pedro’s act, and I really won’t miss him if he goes, as long as Theo gets someone in there to pick up the slack, which he will. If he stays, that’s fine too. Even though I’ve grown tired of the act, I’ve also become accustomed to it, and I’ll deal with it for a few more years knowing what we also get along with it.

What I’ve been maintaining all along is that I don’t want to see us overpay for this guy. I think the deal out there right now is very fair and Theo is not going to make any more changes to it, so Pedro’s is going to have to take it or leave it. And that’s fine with me, Theo is doing the right thing, as he usually does.

I doubt he’ll end up in NY. It’s not likely he’ll be willing to deal with Joe and George’s rules and Ryan makes some good points in his column about why he wouldn’t want to play for the Mets. We’ll see what Anaheim has to say about it, and see if there are any more surprise suitors.

An interesting side note here, if we don’t get Pedro back and are not able to land any of the above mentioned pitchers, we almost have to go out and sign 2 pitchers from the B list. One of the top pitchers on that list, IMO, is Derek Lowe.