Sox Rumors

I've heard 3 peoples names this morning and none of them were named Carl Crawford.

Scott Downs, Brian Fuentes, and Russell Martin.

Scott Downs is the bullpen guy that I covet the most, and even though he's a type A free agent and the Sox would have to give up a 1st round draft pick, I'm for it. Last year our bullpen was poop, I mean so were our starters, but we are stuck with them so whatever. A Bullpen trio of Downs, Daniel Bard and Papelbon is a good start and a lot better sounding then with Hideki Okajima.

Brian Fuentes on the other hand is a reliever, but I believe he sucks. He has never really impressed me and other then 1 good year in Colorado has blown. I feel if the Sox sign him, it'll be another guy that they sign, just to sign.

Russell Martin had a hell of a rookie and sophomore campaign but has been extremely injury prone. If the price is right I would sign him, because this year we will most likely have a catcher by committee. But the Sox have taken the potential guys recently and haven't had much luck (Jeremy Hermedia, Brad Penny).

My Reaction to the Yankees/Red Sox Series Thus Far

Mark-Mark and the Well-Paid Bunch

"%&$#* the Yankees!!!"

"Screw Steinbrenner and all his money!!!"

Sound familiar?

The same curses rampant in New England households yesterday were just as popular back in 2004 when Alex Rodriguez was introduced as a Yankee. We were pissed. I'm just as pissed about the Mark Teixeira deal. I can't wait to boo him next year and buy a clever T-Shirt degrading him because it's my duty as a fan.

My fan-hood aside, after some reflection, I've realized that our boys got beat at a game the Yankees are much better at. This is what they do: outbid teams. Any Red Sox fan who didn't think this could happen had their head in the sand...err ice I mean.

OK. I agree with you. Teixeira signing with the Yankees was worst-case scenario. I was not happy upon hearing about the deal and bemoaned the fact that this was a major opportunity lost. At the same time, if you know baseball and how the Bronx Bombers operate then this wasn't necessarily the most surprising news.

Who thought he wasn't this hired gun who would take the biggest deal put in front of him? He had no allegiances to the Red Sox and, for good reason, had the show-me-the-money mindset.

Now that the player we were all drooling over for the past month or so is in pin stripes it's time to face the facts, people. The Yankees are the most talented team in the American League as of right now and, on paper, will continue to be for the next 3 or so years. Let's also give credit where credit is due. They had a plan to reload, even if the way they did it was in excess.

This is the first time since they have had top-flight pitchers in their primes since the late '90s. Their rotation of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes is most likely the deepest in baseball. Burnett is the only one who would scare me as a New York fan. He has yet to prove he can win a meaningful game and has a laundry list of injuries. Not hamstring injuries but elbow injuries that could flush the Yanks' investment down the drain. For the record, I'm not saying this because I don't like the Yankees (which is true, of course) but because the Marlins are my second-favorite team and they won a World Series without him in 2003. Not a coincidence.

They've had formerly great pitchers who hadn't been worth their salaries in years such as Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina (until last year) and Jaret Wright. Oops. Just kidding. Jaret Wright never really had a prime, did he?

My point is that not only are the Yankees spending an egregious amount of cash but they are spending it on players who can actually get them to the World Series on a consistent basis. Teixeira is a far better signing than Jason Giambi was after the 2001 season. As I've said before, he has no flaws and will be a great fit anywhere he goes. It was evident a guy like Giambi was a DH in waiting and even back then there were whispers of steroids.

There is another aspect of these signings to think about. I would compare their 2008 off season to the Celtics' of 2007. They are "going for it" and have about a 3 to 4 year window to do so. The difference is the Celtics have the likes of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce signed only for the duration of that championship window. The Yankees are on the books for CC Sabathia and Teixeira for long after that.

Obviously I'd be far more concerned about Sabathia down the road than Teixeira due to his penchant for staying at the dinner table too long but Teixeira won't have the same type of value as a 33-year-old. He is obviously a great player but I think he'll be a 25-homerun, 100 RBI type player by then. The deal is basically what the Braves did with Chipper Jones, who evolved into that kind of player, on steroids. Even as a Sox fan I know the latter half of the deal would've been too much money for a great-turned-good player.

The Yankees did pretty much everything right in terms of personnel this off season. You, nor I, should be complaining about their deep pockets. Notice I haven't conceded the East to the Yanks yet, just that they are the most talented team in the division. The Devil Rays proved last year that the amount of cash spent doesn't always translate to a deep playoff run. The Bombers have spent money in this manner before but on the wrong guys. It seems as though this time they've gotten it right.

I'll be checking back later with a Celtics-Lakers preview.

The New Red Sox Hat Commits First Crime

Less than 24 hours after the Red Sox released their new hat, this guy robs a TD Banknorth bank. I find it quite astounding that this guy buys a new hat, and then his next coarse of action in to rob a bank. Since being a thug is cool in our culture, I see a marketing plan.

Red Sox Playoff Roster

The Boston Red Sox announced their roster for the ALDS today at 1 p.m. ET. It is as follows:

PITCHERS (10): Josh Beckett; Paul Byrd; Manny Delcarmen; Jon Lester; Javier Lopez; Justin Masterson; Daisuke Matsuzaka; Hideki Okajima; Jonathan Papelbon; Tim Wakefield.

CATCHERS (3): Kevin Cash; David Ross; Jason Varitek.

INFIELDERS (7): Sean Casey, Alex Cora, Mike Lowell; Jed Lowrie; David Ortiz; Dustin Pedroia; Kevin Youkilis.

OUTFIELDERS (5): Jason Bay; Coco Crisp; J.D. Drew; Jacoby Ellsbury; Mark Kotsay.

Good to see that Lowell, Beckett and Drew are on it and healthy.

Sox Drop Finale In Baltimore

Last night the Sox squandered a 4-0 lead and went on to lose 11-6. Clay Buchholz took the lose dropping him to 2-9 on the season. Clay allowed 5 earned over 2.1 innings and did not strikeout any batters. What more can you say about this guy? He is lost out there. He has no confidence in any of his pitches, as soon as he gives up a hit he completely shuts down. Buchholz needs to go back down to double-A and collect his thoughts. He is 0-7 in his last 10 starts, and has only lasted into the 7th inning once. The bullpen’s performance was putrid as well. Aardsma, Timlin, and Lopez combined to go 3.2 innings giving up 6 earned on 6 hits and 5 walks. Aardsma and Lopez each gave up a homerun as well. This bullpen is disastrous at best. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a million times, teams with sub-par bullpens get exposed in the playoffs. The pen will cost the Sox games the postseason, FACT. Back to Buchholz, I have heard people saying he is a flash in the pan, and that his no-hitter was a fluke. False, Buchholz has great stuff, but he has completely lost confidence in himself, his arm, and his accuracy. Once he regains his command and spends some time in the minors he will be fine.

The Sox now travel to Toronto, who took 2 games at Fenway last week. Paul Byrd will take the hill tonight for the Red Sox and Shawn Marcum will start for the Blue Jays.

-Brian B

Red Sox Outshine Rays 7-4

The sox took game one of three from the Rays last night at Fenway. This was Manny’s first game back the Fens since hitting homerun number 500. He was greeted with a warm standing ovation. Justin Masterson made his third career start against Matt Garza. Masterson pitched well with the exception of a few hanging changeups, which were deposited into the stands by Akinori Iwamura and Carlos Pena. The sox responded with home runs from Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew. Masterson was pulled after the sixth inning, his final line- 6 innings, 4 earned, 5 k’s, 2 walks. In the bottom of the sixth, the sox went on to rally, turning a 4-3 deficit into a 7-4 lead. Varitek contributed with a bases loaded single, followed by Crisp’s go ahead 2-run double. Ellsbury hit a sacrifice fly to add an insurance run. This was all the bullpen needed. Delcarmen and Hansen each pitched a scoreless inning. In the ninth, Papelbon was all business, striking 2 of 3 batters to pick up his 17^th save of the season.

On a night when Joba the slobba could not make it out of the second inning against third place Toronto, Justin Masterson shut down the first place Rays to pick up his second win in three starts with the big club. Masterson is just 23 years old, and is another promising young pitcher within the Red Sox organization. This must really piss off the boss junior in the Bronx. His prized young pitchers (Kennedy, Hughes, Chamberlain) have not won a start this season. Kennedy’s era is up in the 7’s, not to be outdone by Hughes who is at 9.00 flat. Despicable, I wonder what the next drastic move will be. Maybe they should try their luck with Chase Wright… the guy who gave up back-to-back-to-back-to-back homeruns against the sox last spring.

With last night’s loss the Yankees are now in last place in the A.L. East.

-Brian B

Good-Bye Julian Tavarez

Today Julian Tavarez got cut from the Red Sox to make room for Sean Casey and ultimately have Bartolo Colon come up and be the long reliever/ 15 game winner I predicted. Julian really hasn't done anything for the Sox and has basically been around to make Manny happy. Either way you will be missed. He was 0-1 with a 6.39 ERA this season.

4 Yankees, 1 Red Sox

When I was thinking of titles to label this post I had endless possibilities with Wang in it but I just chose to go with a casual score. Tonight, the Red Sox lost the first of 18 games against the Yankees thanks to the efforts of Chein Ming Wang who pitched a complete game, with only allowing 2 hits and 1 run. If not for Bobby Abreu misjudging a home-run ball by J.D. Drew this game could have easily been a shut out. For rhe Red Sox, Clay pitched well 6 innings, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 Ks, but it turned downhill when Mike Timlin gave up a monster 2 run home-run to Jason Giambi in the 7th. Okajima/Lopez/Aardsma pitched well for the rest of the game. The Red Sox offense was not to be found, and this David Ortiz slump is starting to worry me a bit.

Box Score

5 Sox, 0 A's

Even though there was a strong out from Rich Harden 5 in, 6 Ks, 0 runs, Jon Lester pitched a little bit better 6.2 inn, 3 Ks, 0 runs. This was great to see from him after his collapse in Japan. Our offense came from David Ortiz with a 2 run homerun, Pedroia, Youk and Tek with a meaningless homerun in the 9th. J.D. Drew played and got one hit in 5 at bats, but he looked uncomfortable at the plate and on the field. I almost would rather have Coco and Jacoby out there than Drew. Either way it was a close to perfect game for the Sox.

Box Score

6 Red Sox, 5 Athletics

Well the first game of the season was certainly a dousey, it involved Tokyo, extra innings and plenty of coffee. At 6 am eastern time, Dice-K Pitched terribly in the first 2 innings putting the Sox in a hole off a Mark Ellis home-run. However, he was able to right the ship in the next three innings and pitched somewhat dominantly. Dice-K's stats were 5 IP, 5 BB, and 6 Ks.

In the fifth inning the Sox were able to capture a 3-2 lead when Brandon Moss knocked in a run, than Manny Ramirez hit a double driving in 2 off of Joe Blanton. That's when Kyle Snyder entered the game and immediately gave up the lead giving up a 2 run home-run to Jack Hannahan.

Huston Street the A's closer gave up a solo home-run to Brandon Moss to knot the game up at 4, than in the 10th gave up a 2 run double to Manny to basically solidify the game. Papelbon struggled in the bottom of the 10th giving up 3 hits and 1 run, but eventually was able to shut the door on the feisty A's.

Box Score

Dice-K might go to Japan, and Beckett Not

I got this from Boston Blood Sox

Josh Beckett is said to be "progressing" and has resumed throwing once more, but he will not make the trip to Japan later this week. Terry Francona officially announced this on Sunday.

Beckett will continue playing catch, and by Thursday could be throwing off a mound again. But with an exhibition game in Japan on Friday, and two real games next Tuesday and Wednesday; there simply isn't enough time to get him in good enough form to pitch in a meaningful game. Moreover, the 14 hour flight and general pain in the ass of going to Tokyo is unnecessary for a pitcher recovering from a back problem.

However, another Sox frontline starter may make the trip. Daisuke Matsuzaka's wife Tomoyo gave birth to a boy Saturday morning. This frees up Daisuke to make the trip to Japan.

There's no official announcement as to who will be starting the two games against Oakland in the Tokyo Dome. However, the logical choices now seem to be Lester and Matsuzaka. Wakefield is also a possibility, but he has said he'll be starting one of the exhibition games over the weekend.

Speaking of Wakefield, he threw 5 perfect innings against minor leaguers from the Cincinnati Reds' organization. Granted, it was a spring training game against AAA players, but 5 perfect innings is still impressive.

Breaking News: Curt Scilling Goes on DL

Curt Schilling was replaced on the 60 day DL. This isn't surprising, but it is news. He will be out until at least the all-star break. Good, I hate Schilling. This will give my boy Colon a chance to tear shit up.

The President Has Jokes

The Red Sox made their World Series trip to the White House. He was actually funny:


There is more Click Here

Crisp Wants Out?

There has been a big deal made out of Crisp saying that he would probably ask for a trade if he is not the starting CF for the Red Sox. Why are people so shocked and appalled by this? This is a guy who is one of the better defensive CFs in the league. He can get to more balls than 95% of the outfielders in the MLB. I don't blame him for wanting out if he loses out to Ellsbury. My overall opinion on this matter is yes the Sox should probably trade him, because the fans want Ellsbury, and he is the future. He proved he can play last year, and the Sox should give him a shot (just like they did with Pedroia). Now this is not to say that I don't think Coco is a very good player. I just believe that he needs a change of scenery (like Renteria) to get this hitting career back on track.

Prediction- Coco traded halfway through Spring Training

-BMack

2008 Red Sox Bullpen

Ok here is the final post for the Red Sox 2008 preview. Same as before...one good thing and one bad thing about each player for 2008.

Jonathan Papelbon-
Good- He’s a stud, everyone loves him (stupid dance included). He loves being there at the end of games and had a 1.85 era in 2007. He is also cheap only making less than a half a million a year.
Bad- Can get worn down if pitched in to many games in too few day. Sox seemed to have figured out how to use him in 2007.

Hideki Okajima-
Good- Had a fantastic 2007 season (Probably MVP other than Lowell and Beckett). Finished with a 2.22 era with that crazy Asian pitching style.
Bad- He got worn down at the end of the season since the Sox had to use him so much injuries to the rest of the bullpen. Will the AL figure out his crazy Asian antics?

Mike Timlin-
Good- All experience here. Great clubhouse guy, who can get you through two innings if need be.
Bad- He’s old, and I’m surprised he is back. Not sure how much he will give them, because he is becoming injury prone in his old age.

Julian Tavarez-
Good- Can start (which is great with Schilling hurt, and Wake always a question), long relief, anything you need. Manny loves him, and so he is on the team (*as seen by video below).
Bad- For one he's crazy, ugly, and scares me. You just don’t know what he is going to do (roll the ball to first, punch a wall). Could always have a meltdown. When he is starting Julian is really good for three innings before hitters are all over him.

Manny Delcarmen-
Good- He's only 25, and from Boston (Hyde Park). Another cheap player to have on the team, and had an ERA of only 2.05 in 2007.
Bad- He can be up and down. He’s either really good or really bad, but that can be expected with his age.

Rest of the Bullpen:
Snyder- Can start, and eat up garbage innings.
Hansen- Throws heat, but hasn't been anything but a bust so far.
Lopez- Good against lefties.
Aardsma- Came from the White Sox, sucks.
Kolb- Was on the NL All-Star with Milwaukee in 2004, when he saved 39 games...has done nothing since.

*


-BMack

2008 Red Sox Outfield/Bench/DH

The past couple of days we have been taking a look at the 2008 Red Sox (as it stands today). For each player there will be good things to look forward to, and bad things that we need to question for each player.

Manny Ramirez:
Good: Had a fantastic post-season. He is coming into his "contract" year, and wants the Red Sox to pick up his 20-mil option for 2009. According to the Boston Herald has been working out hard all off-season (I know I can't picture that either). One of the most dangerous hitters in Sox history.
Bad: His power numbers have been declining in recent years, also his age needs to start coming into question (36 when the season starts).

J.D. Drew:
Good: Had not a terrible year like 2007 since 2002. His defense is still very solid, and has underrated speed.
Bad: We could go on and on with this. He look disinterested in playing baseball. He is overpaid (14 mil), and will have to come out strong to win over the Sox faithful.

Coco Crisp:
Good: His defense is outstanding. He gets to more balls than probably any other CF in the AL. Has good speed, and can steal key bases.
Bad: He has no arm. His hitting has never been what everyone was hoping for when he came from the Indians. The biggest question will be whether or not he will be a Red Sox in 2008.

Jacoby Ellsbury:
Good: Had a fantastic end of the year with the Red Sox, and was able to take over for the struggling Coco. Great speed, and plays a solid CF.
Bad: He has not played a full season and the expectations are so high that it will be hard to live up to them. If Coco is traded this could be even more pressure for the young stud outfielder.

David Ortiz:
Good: What is there to say, he has been the best hitter on the Red Sox for a couple years now. Great clubhouse guy, who has a flair for the dramatic.
Bad. Injuries are always a concern, and his speed is so bad that he can be a liability on the bases.

Alex Cora:
Good: Solid defender that can play a number of positions. Good utility backup infielder.
Bad: He is nothing special, and can only be a fill in. His OBP, and average were nothing to be excited about.

Sean Casey:
Good: Solid pickup for the Sox, that could be used to fill in for Youk, or if you wanted to move Youk over to 3rd and give Lowell a night off. Can hit for average (296 last season)
Bad: Does not have the power that he once showed with the Reds, will the lack of at bats hurt his average/confidence?

Doug Mirabelli:
Good: Only person in the world that can catch Wake's knuckleball. Fan favorite (especially DP).
Bad: Does not show the power that made him dangerous a couple years ago (you may laugh but at one point had more HRs per at bat than McGuire). His average has also been terrible (.228 in 2005, .193 in 2006, .202 in 2007).

-BMack

Red Sox Facebook

Red Sox Facebook Application

Red Sox fans are stupid sometimes. Case in point:

The Red Sox Facebook application is retarded. There's a points system that gives you a different jersey the more points you earn. It starts off with #15 (Pedroia) as "Bat Boy" then goes up to #20 (Youkilis) as "Rookie." Shouldn't Pedroia's number be the Rookie? He was Rookie of the Year, after all. Then you move up to "Regular" which is #19 (Beckett). Ummm, there's not
much regular about Josh Beckett. #24 (Ramirez) is next, and he's the "Ace." Apparently Josh Beckett isn't Ace enough for Facebook. The next step is "All-Star" which is #33 (Varitek). WHAT?!?!?!?! I like Varitek, but he's above Manny and Beckett??? Then comes "Captain" and #34 (Ortiz). Why not use the actual Captain to be Captain, and an actual all-Star to be All-Star?

Maybe Maurice Vaughn was right.

"Them dumb, stupid Boston fans. They're stupid!"

Z-Man

2008 Red Sox Infield

Yesterday I broke down the pitching staff...today we will look at the infield for the Sox. Just like before one good thing, and one bad thing about each player.

Infield:

Jason Varitek (C):
Good: He's got experience, and has been calling great games for the Red Sox for many years.
Bad: Lots to work with here, his hitting seems to be getting worse every year (past two years has not hit above .250). Most overrated player, and maybe most over rated Red Sox of all time.

Kevin Youkilis (1st):
Good: Played great defense for the Sox last year. Good hitter that gets on base a lot.
Bad: Had two terrible months last year (Hitting .219 and .241 in july and Augest). Needs to prove that he can hit at a high level for an entire year to take the next step to be a "star".

Dustin Pedrioa (2nd):
Good: Hit .317 as a rookie last year. Is a solid defender, and is still only 24 years old.
Bad: Can he live up to the expectations that will be on him after his awesome 2007 season.

Julio Lugo (SS):
Good: He is solid in the field, and had 33 stolen bases last year.
Bad: Well not much went right for Lugo last year. He went from .308 in 2006 he fell to .237 in 2007.

Mike Lowell (3rd):
Good: MVP of the World Series. Had a career in 2007 hitting.324 last season with 21 HR, and 120 RBI. Team begged the front office for him to come back.
Bad: Last year was a career year, and it is unlikely he will repeat those types on numbers. Also his age (34) will always be a concern.

-BMack

2008 Red Sox Pitching

With spring training here I feel its only fitting to do a little Red Sox breakdown as the pitching staff stands today. The way we will go through this is player by player (one question mark about them, and one thing to look forward to). We will start with the starting pitching.

Starting Pitching:

Josh Beckett:
Good: Beckett is coming off a career year. He had one of the most dominant post-seasons in history and is still only 27 years old.
Bad: Injuries? Can he have the same kind of year he had last year now that he is coming into the season as the ace (lack of Schilling)

Daisuke Matsuzaka:
Good: Dice-K had a nice rookie year with 15 win. He showed that he can strike major league players out, and proved to be very durable.
Bad: Had an ERA of 4.40. His ERA in September/October was over 8. Was it that he was tired, or did hitters figure him out?

Tim Wakefield:
Good: He is solid every year and is a nice change of pace pitcher to have in your rotation.
Bad: Age? Injuries? It also hurts him that Doug (Dave’s boy) can't seem to hit anymore, and no one else can catch the knuckleball.

Jon Lester:
Good: Is only 24 years old and showed a lot of promise. he is also very cheap (a little under 400k this season)
Bad: Has never pitched a full season in the MLB, can he hold up? Also seems to have a problem making it past the 5th inning.

Clay Buchholtz:
Good: Another young stud (23 years old). Already has pitched a no-hitter, seems to have limitless ceiling of talent.
Bad: Has not pitched a full season before. He also is going to have a ton of pressure to live up to the hype. Can he step up to the plate and be a solid pitcher for the 162 game season?

Curt Schilling (Inj):
Good: Had a great post-season and has limitless experience. Has showed he can pitch in the big game. Could be great (if healthy) for another post-season run.
Bad: Injury? Has not been good (in regular season) for a couple years now. When will he be ready to go? What will his relationship with the front office be?

-BMack