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Where was Foulke, Terry?

2006-05-30T02:12:00.000-05:00

David Riske in the 8th inning of a tie ballgame! Are you serious, Terry? The guy has thrown 2 innings all season and hasn't pitched in a pressure situation since about 2004. You barely trust Manny Delcarmen with a 3-run lead, but you're going to let this clown pitch in a tie ballgame? He was literally throwing batting practice fastballs. Even Bengie Molina hit two doubles off of him in a single at-bat!

Shea Hillenbrand (5-8, HR, 3 RBI career vs Foulke) was probably the reason for the managerial blunder. Still, Shea was due to hit third that inning. Molina, the first batter of the inning, was 0-13 lifetime vs Foulke. The next batter, Aaron Hill, is 1-5 lifetime. So, if things went according to plan (and I admit that this is a risky proposition with Foulke), then Hillenbrand should be batting with the bases empty.

Did the situation really call for using a pitcher that returned from the DL on May 23rd, and hasn't pitched a single inning since that very night? C'mon. I could obviously beat this thing into the ground, but I'll digress.

If the bullpen trouble continues, don't be surprised to see Hansen, Lester, and maybe even Big Edgar Martinez in Boston before July. Oh yeah, that Clemens guy? Better keep your fingers crossed on that one too because Matt Clement looks like a total trainwreck out there. And honestly, I feel for him. He seems like a good guy and I don't wish him any ill will, but my God, the kid just can't handle the pressure. Do the Mets still need a starter?

Now that we got that negativity out of the way, let's talk about one of the positives over the past couple of weeks -- Mark Loretta. Did anyone honestly think this guy was going to continue batting below .250?

He consistently has a BABIP in the .335+ range, so it was only a matter of time before his numbers began to rise. I'll admit, I had concerns that his hand injury from 2005 was still causing problems, but he quickly put those fears to bed. Now he's hitting the ball on a line nearly every at-bat and the hits are coming in bunches. With such good contact and low strikeout numbers, this doesn't appear to be a product of luck. Expect Loretta to continue to tear the cover off the ball.

I'll have more tomorrow. Peace.

This blogger returns; Coco soon to follow

2006-05-25T01:22:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. Finals have been very hectic, but I'm finally free, so this blog will see daily updates.

Rather than rehash the past couple weeks, I'll just start with a clean slate.

The latest, and probably most predictable, news comes courtesy of Ian Browne's blog on MLB.com. Browne reports:

"For those of you who might be wondering if there is a leadoff controversy in store, considering how great Youkilis has done since Coco has been out, consider the issue to be over.

Terry Francona made it clear today that Coco will lead off when he comes back, which figures to be Monday night in Toronto. Youkilis said he doesn't care at all, and that spots in the order are irrelevant."

I can't say I really agree with the decision, but I'm not surprised in the least. There have been studies done that show that lineup construction has very little bearing on scoring output, but I'm not so sure how much stock I put into them.

Obviously, we want guys with high OBPs in front of Ortiz and Ramirez. If we're going to stick to this rule of thumb, Youkilis and Loretta should be manning the 1 and 2 spots. However, since Francona feels the need to employ a prototypical leadoff hitter at the top of the order, Coco will get the nod.

What can ya do? I'm sure Coco will do just fine up there, and moving Youkilis to the 7 or 8 spot will do wonders for the bottom of the order. What would be interesting is if Terry chose to move Alex Gonzalez into the 8 spot, with Youkilis batting ninth and serving as the double-leadoff hitter that Tony LaRussa has used in the past. This strategy would give the meat of the order more RBI opportunities and would surely prevent Youk from being stranded on base over and over by the putrid A-Gon.

That's all for now. More tomorrow.

P.S. - The Sabermetric stats have been updated through last night's game. I will look over them tomorrow and pull out anything of interest. Take care.

Musings after two in the Bronx

2006-05-10T21:52:00.000-05:00

Obviously, Tuesday night's game was very enjoyable. The Yankees made mistakes and the Sox capitalized on them all. That's what good teams do. The bottom of the order, Dustan Mohr and Alex Gonzalez, had me throwing a fit prior to the game. Sure enough, they went a combined 3-for-5, with 3 RBI and 5 runs scored. Hey, I can't be perfect.

Loretta's bat really seems to be coming around, with 3 hits on Tuesday and 2 more on Wednesday. So much for Ortiz' slump, too, as he's gone 5-8 so far in the series. And speaking of Ortiz, did anyone happen to see Lenn Robbins' follow-up article to The Post's Mike Vaccaro's piece on backing Ortiz off of the plate? Here's a small taste of this absolute abortion of an article:

"Mike Vaccaro rattled Boston slugger David Ortiz, his manager, and teammates with his well-thought-out column yesterday in which he said it's time for the Yankees pitchers to make Big Papi uncomfortable at the plate."

You really can't make this stuff up. Lenn must have been grabbing leftovers from the fridge as Big Papi reached base in each of his first three times at bat, scored twice, and crushed a gap-shot double that knocked the Unit out of the game. Francona and the rest of the club were clearly bewildered as well. Aside from filling out the lineup card, did Tito even need to be at this game? Seriously.

As for Wednesday night's game, things just weren't as peachy. First off, Willie Harris should not be starting games, nevermind games versus the Yankees. He's a pinch-runner and defensive replacement in blowouts. If you're going to keep him in the roster, these are his two roles. He doesn't swing the bat. He's now batting below .100. Need I say more?

Also gotta love how both pitcher/catcher mound conferences led to absolute bombs.

First, Posada decides to trot out and chat up Mussina after Ortiz had already fouled off about five of Moose's curveballs. Obviously, Ortiz is going to be sitting dead-red on the next pitch. Posada returns to the plate and sets up over the inside corner of the plate. My roommate and I immediately look at one another and laugh. Two seconds later, that baseball was sitting in the right field upper deck. Did Mussina and Posada honestly think they were going to get that pitch past Big Papi? Oh yeah, good work Mike Vaccaro. Clearly Ortiz is still feeling the aftershocks of your masterful piece.

Next, in the fifth, Schilling got behind in the count versus Alex Rodriguez. Varitek strolled out to calm Schill down and tried to get him to throw strikes. Sure enough, Schill comes with the fastball and A-Rod serves it over the left field wall.

Moral of the story -- don't throw fastballs following a mound meeting. At this point, you're obviously pressing, and a smart hitter is going to know you're likely to hum a heater over the plate to get back in the groove. You might be able to pull this act with the Alex Gonzalez's of the world, but you're not going to trick Big Papi or A-Rod, so don't even try.

I'm getting tired, so rather than continuing my recap, I'm going to form the rest of this post in the vein of NESN's most recent advertising blunder.

"Willie Harris and Alex Gonzalez in the same lineup? C'mon. Wait, are you serious? You are? Get me a barf bag."

"Throw Wakefield in there, and they're unstoppable!" (This one is just too ridiculous for mockery).

"Randy Johnson? He's so intense on the mound! Oh wait, no he isn't. He looked practically catatonic as he walked off the field on Tuesday."

"Did you see that catch Melky made?! No? Me neither."

"And then you've got Bernie...being Bernie."

A couple first month thoughts

2006-05-06T15:55:00.000-05:00

What to make of Mike Lowell?

After 27 games, I can't help but be incredibly impressed with what Mike Lowell has been able to accomplish this year. His defense has come as advertised, but his bat has been sooo much more productive than expected. When Theo made the trade for Josh Beckett, the Sox were required to take Mike Lowell, the $9 Million alabtross, for the trade to go through.

One month into the season, Mike Lowell is leading the league with 16 doubles. Will he keep up the .350 batting average? Not likely. Will he remain on pace for 95 doubles? Of course not. Mike Lowell may not have the 30+ homerun power he had in years past, but you can be sure that he will play a Gold Glove-caliber base while getting on base at an above-average clip. One question for the pundits out there -- I thought Mike Lowell didn't have any bat speed?

It's also important to note Lowell's split vs RHP and LHP. Coming into this season, Lowell's ability to hit LHP was his only saving grace, but this year he has shown an incredible ability to hit righties. This bodes well for his future prospects. His numbers vs LHP should rise, so if he can continue to hit righties at an above-average clip, the Sox will have themselves a serious threat. We must temper our excitement however, as the season is only one month old. Below are Lowell's RHP/LHP splits.

Who leads off when Coco returns?

In Coco's absence, Kevin Youkilis has done nothing but get on base. Should he remain in the top spot when Coco returns? Personally, I believe he should, but will Tito do this? I find it hard to believe. Youkilis needs to lead off for two important reasons. 1) His OBP is far superior to Coco's, and 2) Crisp's speed is much more valuable further down the lineup than in front of the Ortiz and Ramirez. With the big boppers coming up, it is safer to play station-to-station. If Coco steals seconds, the opposing team is likely to just walk Ortiz or Ramirez with first base now open.

What I'd like to see is Crisp batting in front of Loretta, preferably lower down in the order. With Loretta putting the ball in play 93% of the time, hit-and-runs could be executed to perfection with Crisp. However, vs LHP, this is difficult, because aside from Crisp and a rebounded-Loretta, there really is no one else to bat in the 2-hole. The lineups I'd like to see are to the left.

However, I think there is about a 5% chance these lineups are actually employed by Terry Francona. Look for Crisp in the top spot with Youkilis batting 2nd. It's not the most effective lineup construction, but it'll get the job done, I suppose.

Also note that the 2006 Sox Sabermetric Stats have been updated through Friday night's game.

Sox reacquire Mirabelli

2006-05-01T10:56:00.000-05:00

Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine is reporting that the Boston Red Sox have finalized a trade to obtain catcher Doug Mirabelli from the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher Josh Bard, minor-league pitcher Cla Meredith and cash.

He also adds that the Yankees tried to obtain Mirabelli to block him from returning to Boston, but the Red Sox won out.

Personally, I love the deal. Many are clamoring over the loss of Cla Meredith, but I just don't see him ever being a quality major league reliever. They're arguing that his small sample size in Boston should be ignored, but I feel that his MLB performance from last year, plus his poor performance in AAA last year and this year goes a long way to prove that he may just never be successful above AA.

Sure, Bard could have eventually learned to catch the knuckler, but with the Yankees in town, it just wasn't worth waiting to find out. Mirabelli has proven he can catch the knuckleball and despite the praise Wakefield heaped upon Bard, he is much more comfortable with Mirabelli. It also can't hurt that while Wakefield has managed to square off against every single left-handed starter in the league, Doug has shown the ability to mash lefties.

It's also important to note that this deal opens up a spot on the 40-man roster. Roger would fit in nicely.

UPDATE: Bernie Wilson of the Associated Press is reporting that the Sox are receiving Doug Mirabelli for Josh Bard, minor-league reliever Cla Meredith and either cash or another player. This leads me to believe that the PTBNL will be rather insignificant.

UPDATE II: ESPN.com has updated their story and reports that the trade is Doug Mirabelli from the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher Josh Bard, minor-league pitcher Cla Meredith and $100,000. There is no mention of a PTBNL.

Sox fail with runners in scoring position

2006-05-01T00:36:00.000-05:00

The 9th inning on Sunday was a microcosm of the Sox' main struggle thus far: hitting with runners in scoring position. Sure, the Sox have been able to bop a solo homerun here and there, but from just watching the games, it seems as if they've been positively anemic at hitting with runners in scoring position.

On Sunday, trailing by 3 in the 9th inning, Mike Lowell and Wily Mo go back-to-back and bring the Sox within a run, then Trot Nixon worked a walk. Willie Harris ran for Nixon (which is the only thing Willie Harris should ever be doing for this team) and took off for second. An errant throw by Toby Hall landed Harris on 3rd with one out. At this point, based on the Run Expectancy chart, the Sox should score another .983 before the inning ends.

The next batter, J.T. Snow was hit by a pitch, increasing that number to 1.243 runs. At this point, the Sox should, at the very least, tie the ballgame. A simple fly ball will score the tying run, but Kevin Youkilis, the next batter, strikes out. Mark Loretta then goes on to groundout to the shortstop for the final out of the game.

This is how it's been all season it seems. Men get on base, but they don't score due to poor situational hitting. The Red Sox are third in the American League with 238 at-bats with runners in scoring position, but rank third-to-last with a pitiful .235 batting average. But, you say, the Red Sox have some sluggers on their team! Maybe they've not hitting for a high average, but they're surely crushing the balls that they are actually hitting! Wrong. The Sox rank 11th out of 14 teams with a putrid .336 slugging percentage with runners in scoring position.

I could obviously go on forever here, but you're probably better off just taking a look at the graph below to get a real idea of how bad they've truly been.

Sox hope to turn it around vs Pinstripes

2006-04-30T23:05:00.000-05:00

A 3-6 roadtrip? Color me displeased. The comeback win on Saturday was nice, but you just can't lose 2-of-3 to Tampa. The offense really needs to pick up the slack, and hopefully Fenway will be just the cure for their hitting woes.

It was a nice attempt at a comeback earlier tonight, but really, the Sox were lucky to get as close as they did at the end. Rudy Seanez? Can you feel that breathing on your neck? It's Craig Hansen. We'll see if you're still on the club come mid-June.

So what will tomorrow night be like? It's going to be interesting, that's for sure. I'll be at the game, and my personal plan is to applaud Johnny, then mildly boo him for the rest of his at-bats. I just can't look past what he did in Game 7 of the ALCS, so he deserves to be thanked for that.

After that? He's a Yankee, and you won't find me cheering for him. I'm actually hoping something spontaneous breaks out as his name is announced. Nothing would be sweeter than a "COCO'S BETTER" chant as Johnny strolls to the plate. Too good to be true? Perhaps, but who honestly expected Mariano Rivera to receive a standing-o when he was announced at Opening Day 2005?

As for the actual game, and the series for that matter, I'm pretty thrilled that we didn't draw Randy Johnson because this club can't hit a lefty to save its life. In 25 games thus far, the Sox have faced a lefty starter 10 times! In a league where roughly 20% of the games are started by a left-hander, you really begin to realize the tough draw that the Sox have received. Wanna be depressed? Take a look at the Sox lefty/righty splits that I've posted on the stats website. In a word -- ugly.

I hate to say it, because I know the guy is giving it his all, but this may be Josh Bard's last chance to rein in the knuckler. If his passed balls end up being the difference in a game versus the Yankees, I just don't think the Sox can continue to employ him, just from a PR standpoint (and I'm usually one that really doesn't give a hoot about these things). It really makes you appreciate how talented Doug Mirabelli really was. Still, despite Loretta's struggles, I make that trade every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Recently acquired Corky Miller (pictured left) is currently the catcher in Pawtucket and has experience catching knuckle-baller Jared Fernandez in Cincinnati. There were rumors that he could have been called upon to catch Wakefield on Monday, but it appears the Sox are giving Bard one last shot.

Are the Sox making enough contact?

2006-04-27T22:38:00.000-05:00

After watching about a month of Red Sox baseball, I've become curious as to whether the lineup, as a whole, was putting the ball in play enough. I've decided to take a look at the Contact Rates for the Sox lineup. Contact Rate measures a batter's ability to get wood on the ball and hit it into the field of play. Those batters with the best contact skill will have levels of 90% or better, while the hackers will have levels of 75% or less.

Below are the Contact Rates for the 2006 Red Sox:

I figured the best way to get a feel for this would be to compare the 2005 and 2006 Contact Rates for each player. Below are the 2005 Contact Rates for the current lineup:

Surprisingly, the results aren't quite what I had expected. What shocked me most was how Mike Lowell actually had an 88% contact rate in 2005. Clearly, last season, he was putting the bat on the ball, but his power had completely dissipated.

Nixon and Varitek, the usual #5 hitters vs righties and lefties, respectively, are consistently getting wood on the ball. Considering the superb contact rate of Mark Loretta, the lineup should be hit its stride once Manny (and Ortiz to a lesser extent) hit their groove.

Right now, the lineup is really troubled by having to employ Alex Gonzalez, and one of Dustan Mohr, Wily Mo Pena, and Willie Harris on a nightly basis. The Sox, as a whole, are putting the ball in play a meager 79% of the time.

Tomorrow, I will take a closer look at the Isolated Power of the Sox lineup.

Catching up on the Cleveland series

2006-04-27T17:05:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday night, the Sox, aided by a Manny Ramirez tie-breaking home run in the 8th inning, toppled the Cleveland Indians by a score of 8-6. Curt Schilling, pitched 6.2 innings, allowing 5 runs, but pitched better than his statline would indicate.

What was most surprising was that he came out to pitch the 7th inning, after it appeared that he was most definitely tiring. Schilling finished with 133 pitches thrown, 89 for strikes. Schilling passed Hall of Famer Jim Bunning for 15th on the strikeout list with 2,863.

Papelbon received the save with a 10-pitch ninth inning.

Despite the victory, the Sox looked particularly terrible running the bases. In the third inning, Cleveland starter Jake Westbrook caught Ramirez off second base. As he stepped off the mound and ran towards Manny, Jason Varitek attempted to advance to second base, but the Indians overthrew on the rundown and tagged him out at second before throwing back to third to catch Ramirez. Francona later joked, "Manny tooketh away, but he gaveth a lot more late."

On Thursday night, the Sox didn't fare as well as they had the previous evening. The lost by a score of 7-1, with Victor Martinez' 3-run homer off of Tim Wakefield in the first proving to be the difference in the ballgame.

Josh Bard allowed four passed balls on the evening, bringing his season total to 10.

"I missed them, it's that simple," said Bard. "I don't know what else to say. I just didn't catch them."

Cliff Lee, the Indians starter, was tough as nails, allowing just one run on four hits in 6 strong innings. He was particularly feisty against David Ortiz, whom he strikeout twice. Although Ortiz has looked strong against lefties this season, he appeared completely overmatched by Lee.

Tonight, Josh Beckett squares off against Paul Byrd. Many of the Sox have fared rather well against Byrd in the past. Ortiz, Lowell, and Varitek have all previously gone deep vs Byrd.

Byrd's first month as an Indian has been a struggle, with control problems leading to big innings. What's most troubling is that Byrd has been beaten up by some of the lesser offenses in the American League. His latest outing against the Royals on Saturday was the roughest yet, in which he gave up seven runs on six hits with two walks in just three innings of work.

After the most frustrating loss of the season, in which Josh Beckett squandered most of a 6-2 lead to the Blue Jays, you can be that he can't wait to get back on the hill. Although it wasn't solely his fault, Beckett placed all the blame for that defeat on his shoulders. It goes without saying that Beckett has been very strong for Boston thus far, going at least seven innings in every start. This is his first career start against the Indians.

Red Sox @ Indians Series Preview

2006-04-23T17:42:00.000-05:00

Boston Red Sox @ Cleveland Indians - April 24-April 27 - Jacobs Field

Last season vs Cleveland:

Mon. June 20 @ Cleve W 10-9
Tue. June 21 @ Cleve W 9-2
Wed. June 22 @ Cleve W 5-4

Mon. June 27 Boston  L 7-0
Tue. June 28 Boston  L 12-8
Wed. June 29 Boston  W 5-2

Cleveland Indians' Major League Rank:

Runs Scored: 113 (1st)
Batting AVG: .310 (2nd)
On-Base %: .371 (2nd)
Total Hits: 203 (1st)
Doubles: 43 (2nd)

So, yeah, it's quite obvious the Cleveland Indians can hit. Currently, their three hottest hitters are:

Travis Hafner (.343 AVG, .463 OBP, .731 SLG, 1.194 OPS)
Victor Martinez (.378 AVG, .420 OBP, .635 SLG, 1.055 OPS)
Casey Blake (.397 AVG, .464 OBP, .603 SLG, 1.081 OPS)

Below are the the full team batting stats, along with a few traditional sabermetric stats:

Rather than posting the rest of the series breakdown, visit my Red Sox @ Indians Series Preview on the Sons of Sam Horn. Feel free to comment or add any info you feel is appropriate for this upcoming series.

Sabermetric Stats Update: 4/22/06

2006-04-22T19:41:00.000-05:00

Since the stats of many of the Sox players are beginning to become relevant, I've started an Excel file with their traditional stats, coupled with several sabermetric stats.

I've started a separate webpage with the sabermetric stats, and I will update it 2-3 times per week.

The first installment can be found below:

2006 Boston Red Sox Sabermetric Stats

I will also post a permanent link to this page on the righthand side of the site.

I will post a preview for the Cleveland series tonight.

Loretta walk-off caps 7-6 Sox win

2006-04-18T00:16:00.000-05:00

It figures that the one afternoon I get stuck working, the offense finally busts out, led by Big Papi's two homers (and almost a third). All was not lost, though. I was fortunate enough to catch the entire bottom of the 9th on the radio as I rushed home, hoping to catch it on television.

Castiglione's call of Loretta's walk-off blast was phenomenal. While he and Trupiano are notorious for "trouping" me on many a false homerun call, Castiglione remained poised until the ball crashed into the second row of the Monster seats. I had goosebumps.

As I expected, Lenny DiNardo provided five solid innings. He did his job, allowing only two runs to cross the plate. The sinker was obviously working nicely, as DiNardo's groundball-to-flyball ratio for the afternoon was 10-4.

Seattle was able to score their other four runs off of the Boston bullpen, but couldn't put the game out of reach. The M's went ahead by a run in the top of the 9th, and Eddie Guardado came in to close it out. Everyday Eddie has been somewhat erratic this year, and it appeared that the Sox were aware of this. Wily Mo Pena and Dustan Mohr both struck out to start the inning, looking at a total of five strikes.

The next batter, Kevin Youkilis, also looked at two strikes from Guardado, but on a 1-2 count, he hit a grounder up the middle, but second baseman Jose Lopez was able to dive to his right and throw a strike to first base from his knees. However, Youk was hustling right out of the box and beat the throw by a split-second to keep the game alive. P.S. - Is there anyone that still thinks Kevin Youkilis is incapable of being an everyday player? The kid has been money all season, especially on defense. I know it's early and probably a pipe dream, but if Youk keeps this up, he needs to be in the discussion for a Gold Glove. This cannot be overlooked.

Also, the slow-motion replay of Youk hustling down the line goes down as one of my favorite slo-mo replays of all-time. I just love that type of stuff.

Loretta was next to the plate, and quickly ran the count to 2-0. With Big Papi on-deck, there was no doubt that Loretta was going to get a pitch to hit. Sure enough, Loretta got the 2-0 fastball right over the heart of the plate, and he raked it into the Monster seats, for his first career walk-off homerun.

Other game notes:

It was Ortiz' 21st career two-homer game, his 19th with the Red Sox. His second homer was his 500th hit with Boston.
Nixon returned to the lineup after missing the previous five games with a strained left groin and went 3-4 with two doubles and a run scored.
Manny Ramirez finally broke out, poking two nicely hit balls off of the Monster. Both went for singles.
In two career starts, Lenny DiNardo has allowed three earned runs in 11 innings, but didn't receive a victory in either start.
DiNardo admitted after the game that he teared up upon seeing Loretta's walk-off homerun.
Varitek appeared to be hobbling running down the line on his ground outs in the second and fourth, but played the entire game.
It was the Mariners' earliest-ever game, with an 11:07 first pitch.

Beckett mauls Mariners; Sox win 3-2

2006-04-16T21:36:00.000-05:00

On Sunday afternoon, Josh Beckett got over his first-inning excitedness and led the Sox to a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. In all of Beckett's starts as a member of the Boston Red Sox, he has pitched to the tune of 7 innings and 1 earned run, leading the Sox to a victory in each contest.

One thing I've come to appreciate about Josh Beckett is that he can turn it on when he's in a tough situation. He can get in predicaments and gut his way through them. On Sunday, with the Sox leading by a run in the 6th inning, Raul Ibanez, the potential tying run, was standing on third base with only one out. The heart of Seattle's offense was due up. Without thinking, I instinctively leaned forward towards the television while simultaniously cranking the volume up. Let's face it, I was nervous. Of the 36,000+ at Fenway, all but one was nervous. The confident fellow? Meet Josh Beckett.

Poor Richie Sexson was Beckett's first victim. With two strikes, Beckett broke off The Curveball From Hell. The curveball didn't bend. Instead, it forced the world to bend around it. Remember, in the early days of the bender, when folks used to insist that it was merely an optical illusion? Beckett's hellacious curveball laughs in their general direction. Ol' Uncle Charlie got the best of Richie Sexson.

Beckett's next victim? Adrian Beltre. After getting two strikes on Beltre, Varitek wanted to burn him with a heater just off the outside corner of the plate, but he wouldn't bite. It was officially challenge time. Beckett's next pitch was a 98 MPH fastball on the inside corner, level with Beltre's hands. Beltre took his best hack, but the ball exploded into Tek's mitt for the final out of the inning -- preserving the one-run lead.

Pressure? Josh doesn't comprehend that concept.

Papelbon slammed the door in the 9th, by completing his league-leading 6th save with another tidy 1-2-3 inning.

Lenny DiNardo takes the hill tomorrow in place of the injured Boomer Wells. With an essentially rested pen, if DiNardo can toss five solid innings, the Sox will be in good shape. The left-hander made one start last season, allowing one earned run on seven hits over six innings against the Orioles on September 2nd. As a fixture in Pawtucket's rotation, DiNardo went 6-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 22 starts. With an improved infield defense, and DiNardo's biting sinker, the Sox should be able to keep the Mariners at bay.

This offense has to bust out eventually, and I figure, what better occasion than Patriots Day? Manny Ramirez has looked more like Manny Alexander lately, but I'm not worried -- yet. Gil Meche isn't anything special, and with Nixon back in the lineup, the Sox should be able to do some damage.

Remember, the game is at 11 AM. See you guys then.

Boomer expected to miss next start

2006-04-15T02:22:00.000-05:00

Jeff Horrigan of the Boston Herald is reporting that David Wells is expected to miss his next start on Monday and could be headed back to the 15-day disabled list.

Boomer is still experiencing problems with his right knee and met with the Red Sox’ medical staff following last night’s win over the Seattle Mariners. No final determination was made, but according to the report, indications point to Wells returning to the DL to undergo further treatment on the knee, which required arthroscopic surgery last October.

Lenny DiNardo is expected to get the start in Boomer's absence. No word on who will fill DiNardo's role as the long-man, but I figure that Abe Alvarez and Matt Ginter are the leading candidates to get the call. Ginter intrigues me, and is pitching rather well in Pawtucket, already throwing 10 scoreless innings, incuding a terrific 5-inning outing on April 9th. I'm not as hot on Alvarez, mainly because a pitcher who doesn't miss many bats and gives up a lot of flyballs is not a recipe for success in Fenway.

UPDATE: The Red Sox called up right-hander Jermaine Van Buren from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Wells' spot on the 25-man roster.

Schilling burns M's; Sox win 2-1

2006-04-15T01:56:00.000-05:00

Once is a fluke. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is a trend. And so it goes without saying that Curt Schilling nailed down his third win in as many starts on Friday night.

It poured practically the entire evening, but it sure didn't faze Curt Schilling, who allowed three hits in eight innings, leading Boston to a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Schilling struck out seven and walked none.

Alex Gonzalez, of all people, provided all the necessary offense by driving in both runs with a double off the Monster in the fourth inning. Gonzalez finished the night 3-for-4 with two doubles off of Seattle starter Jamie Moyer.

Jonathan Papelbon, earned his fifth save in five opportunities. So far this season, Papelbon has allowed hitters to go a lilliputian 2-for-20.

Other interesting notes:

The Sox are 3-0 when they score fewer than three runs after going 3-22 in such games last season.
The last four batters in Boston's lineup went a combined 8-for-16.
Manny Ramirez went 0-for-3 to extend his slump to 1-for-18.
The Sox have already played to three 2-1 final scores, winning all three.
The game matched two of baseball's best veteran pitchers as Schilling made his 517th major league appearance and Moyer made his 541st.
Next Game: Tomorrow @ 1:20 PM - Pineiro (1-1, 5.40 ERA) vs Wakefield (1-1, 6.52 ERA)

Crisp signed; Riske DL'd

2006-04-12T16:57:00.000-05:00

A few things to get to here.

Rather than recapping the home opener, which I'm sure most of you saw, I'll just say this: Josh Beckett is going to be a lot of fun to watch this season. He's a warrior on the mound and can scratch and claw his way through a game. He didn't have his best stuff yesterday, but as you saw, he was able to chew up the Blue Jays. Stud.

Next, Coco Crisp agreed with the Red Sox on a three-year extension that includes a club option for the 2010 season. Crisp already was signed for this year at $2.75 million. The extension contains a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $3.5 million in 2007, $4.75 million in 2008 and $5.75 million in 2009. The club option for 2010, which would buy out his first year of free agency, is at $8 million and includes $500,000 buyout and salary escalator provisions.

A good deal for the Sox here, essentially buying out Coco's arbitration years and adding an option year at the end. Three years of Coco for about the same amount of money as one year of Johnny Damon? I can't complain.

It was expected that Lenny DiNardo would be returned to Pawtucket today, as David Wells would be removed from the Disabled List. Well, that didn't happen. Instead, the Sox have decided to place reliever David Riske on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain, retroactive to April 5. Riske has only pitched once this season, giving up two runs and two hits in one inning.

I, personally, don't think Riske is hurt. He's just pitching poorly. The fact that he's been placed on the DL retroactive to April 5th is suspicious to me. That means he will be eligible to come off the DL on the 21st, the exact day that Stern is eligible to be sent to Pawtucket. It works out nicely.

Tonight, we take a 2nd straight from the Jays...

Dustan Mohr to be called up

2006-04-10T22:44:00.000-05:00

Gary Jacobs of Sox On Deck is reporting that Dustan Mohr will be recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket as Coco Crisp's replacement.

From said report:

“I’m excited to have the opportunity,” said the newest member of the Boston Red Sox. “Kind of a bittersweet thing, because you hate to get called up because of an injury on one hand, but on the other hand, this is the reason I signed with the Red Sox, is to be a [Boston] Red Sox. I’m very excited about it. I can’t wait to go up there and do whatever they ask me to do.”

Sources: Ortiz contract extension imminent

2006-04-09T23:30:00.000-05:00

Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald is reporting that the chances are good that the Red Sox and designated hitter David Ortiz will announce a contract extension as soon as today.

Both sides are keeping extremely quiet, but indications from multiple baseball sources last night indicated that both sides were close to completing a deal. It is believed to be a 4-year-deal, through the 2010 season, worth in excess of $12 million a season.

Last-minute hangups could postpone an announcement of a deal today, but an announcement is expected in the coming days.

UPDATE: The Red Sox have announced that they have signed designated hitter David Ortiz to a four-year contract extension with a club option for 2011. No financial terms were revealed, but the deal is believed to be worth at least $12 million per season.

Steve Burton: Coco could miss 6-8 weeks

2006-04-09T23:09:00.000-05:00

On CBS4's Sports Final tonight, Bob Lobel reported that Steve Burton has learned that Coco Crisp could miss 6-8 weeks with a fractured left index finger.

Later on the show, Coco, himself, was shown standing in the stands in Fenway Park, just looking at everything, taking it all in, but then Steve Burton walked up and asked if he was pumped for Opening Day, to which Coco responded that it's going to be awesome, but that he pretty much wouldn't be playing.

When asked how the finger was, Coco said, "We'll see how it goes. We'll rest and see how it goes."

Gordon Edes reports that an Orioles doctor looked at it and preliminary reports are that it's fractured.

Coco said earlier today that if it was October, he'd be playing.

On WHDH's Sports Xtra, Joe Amorosino and Wendi Nix both reiterated that Coco could miss up to a month.

If you recall, on May 11, 2002, Manny Ramirez fractured his left index finger by diving into home head first. He was placed on the disabled list on May 14th and missed 39 games.

Sox top O's, 4-1

2006-04-09T20:31:00.000-05:00

First off, let's give a nice round of applause for one Josh Bard. Way to silence your critics, man. He caught the knuckler as well as anyone has and one could argue that he's the reason Wakefield was able to focus and set the O's down for 6 solid innings. The only run of the afternoon came in the first inning, as Miguel Tejada singled home David Newhan.

The highlight of Wakefield's afternoon came just after he yielded a double to a sizzling Ramon Hernandez, who then reached third base on Chris Gomez' single to right. Wakefield recovered by getting Corey Patterson, David Newhan, and Luis Matos to all go down swinging.

In the 7th, Timlin allowed two batters to reach base, but neither scored.

Foulke pitched the 8th inning and was nothing short of spectacular. He struck out the first two batters he faced and got the third to lineout to J.T. Snow at first on a botched bunt attempt. His changeup was sitting at 75 MPH again and had nasty low-and-away tailing action to the lefty batters. His fastball touched 89 MPH and he was placing it perfectly up in the zone.

Papelbon pitched the 9th, and didn't look as sharp as he did the evening prior, but still got the Orioles to go quietly. Instead of the 97 MPH heater he was throwing on Saturday, his fastball topped out at 94 (and was mostly around 92), forcing popups rather than strikeouts. The ump seemed to be squeezing him a bit, so Papelbon was forced to come inside with his fastball, and accidently plunked Miguel Tejada on the elbow. Tejada wasn't too pleased, and it looked for a moment that he was about to go Bert Campaneris on the young fireballer.

On offense, the star for the Sox was leadoff hitter Adam Stern, who was subbing for Coco Crisp due to his injured finger. Stern had two hits, each an RBI single.

So the Sox are 5-1, and are heading back north for their opener on Tuesday. I cannot wait. You thought Josh Beckett was fired up in Texas? Just wait until he sees 36,000 screaming lunatics as he takes the mound at Fenway.

By the way, thanks to amh03 of SoSH, I've been priveleged enough to see some inside shots of the new-look Fenway Park, and let me tell you, it looks fantastic. The banners under the 'Fenway Park' facade look excellent, and the new seats under the press boxes look as if they've been there forever, fitting into the ballpark seemlessly. Also, according to Jerry Remy on the Sox broadcast today, the Sox have finally decided to install nets in front of the dugouts.

My only complaint? There are just too many ads on the Green Monster now, giving it a cheap minor league appearance. But, hey, if they're going to put the money from those ads to good use, who am I to complain?

Report: Coco to miss a month due to broken hand

2006-04-09T18:08:00.000-05:00

Joe Amorosino of WHDH-Boston is reporting that Coco Crisp will miss about a month with a broken hand, suffered when he awkwardly slid into third base during Saturday night's game.

More on this as it develops..

UPDATE: Ian Browne and Mike Petraglia of redsox.com cite the report from WHDH that Coco Crisp could miss up to one month as the result of a broken knuckle in his left index finger.

The report also states, "Reached by phone on Sunday night, team spokesman John Blake told MLB.com that the club could not confirm the report and that there was no immediate change to the original diagnosis of a jammed finger. Crisp will be examined by the team's medical staff on Monday."

Sox @ O's - Wakefield vs Lopez

2006-04-09T02:02:00.000-05:00

Will the Sox make Rodrigo Lopez look like the reincarnation of Cy Young or will they bust out and put some big runs up on the board? This is no doubt the most difficult game of the young season to project.

Overall, Lopez isn't that great of a pitcher, but he has always given the Red Sox a headache. Over the past two seasons, Lopez is 5-3 vs Boston with a 2.87 ERA. Versus the rest of the league over that same time period, Lopez has posted a 4.50 ERA.

In Lopez' first start of the season (vs Tampa), he picked up the victory, but allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits, one walk and two home runs through seven innings while only striking out two. The numbers look rather ugly at first, but it's important to note that he only allowed eight baserunners in those seven innings and used an extremely economical 90 pitches to do so.

Lopez' fastball rarely tops out above 88 MPH, but it does have good movement. Lopez uses it to keep hitters off the plate and set up his other pitches, mainly his slurve. When the slurve flattens out he can really get himself into trouble. Lopez is at his best when he's mixing his pitches and working the corners of the plate. Last season, Lopez' numbers were essentially identical vs lefties and righties, so there's no need to load the lineup one way or the other. Should Lopez have his usual solid command, the Sox just need to jump on his underwhelming fastball early in the count.

Hopefully this game will also bring the Wakefield/Bard saga to a screeching halt. The Orioles, as a club, are only hitting .259 lifetime vs Wakefield, but they're slugging him to a tune of .492, so it could be very crucial that Bard does does not allow the Orioles extra bases. Tejada has been the most impressive vs Wakefield, smashing 5 home runs in 51 career at-bats (as I type this, visions of Tejada clobbering a knuckler into the Monster seats play over and over in my head).

How does this sound? We head back to Boston for the Home Opener with a 5-1 record, a pitching staff that's on an absolute roll, and a batting lineup that is just itching to bust out in true Fenway fashion? Good? I thought so.

P.S. - To Michael Kay and the rest of you Yankee clowns, you can quit rehashing the played out "1998 Yankees also started the season 1-4 and they won 114 games!" line. Newsflash! The 1989 Yankees started the season 1-4 as well. Their final record? 74-87. Chew on that for a little bit.

Sox squeak past O's, 2-1

2006-04-08T22:01:00.000-05:00

After a 90-minute rain delay, Curt Schilling took the mound and pitched seven innings of three-hit ball as the Red Sox nipped Baltimore by a score of 2-to-1. The only run Schilling surrendered was on a solo homerun by Luis Matos in the 6th. Schilling struck out four, while walking two.

As expected, Bruce Chen pitched a solid game, allowing 2 runs over 5 innings of work, but it was not enough. Baltimore's bullpen pitched 4 innings of 1-hit ball, but the Boston bullpen proved just as solid. Mike Timlin pitched a clean 8th inning, allowing a Nick Markakis single to left. Papelbon was called upon for the 9th, and did not disappoint. He disposed of the Orioles with 13 pitches -- a few of them clocked as high at 97 MPH. After Tejada flew out to center and Gibbons popped to third, Papelbon got Millar to K on a nasty low-and-inside splitter to end the game.

Jason Varitek had a hand in each Boston run, as he scored on Kevin Youkilis' single to left in the 4th inning, and forced Ortiz home on a double to deep right in the 6th.

When is the last time the Sox won two 2-1 ballgames in a single week? I'd take a look at Retrosheet for the answer, but I'm just not up to it right now. Let's just agree that it's been awhile. Am I upset that the Sox aren't putting up boffo numbers on offense? Hell no. There's nothing I love more than a 2-1 pitching duel. Over the past few years the Sox have always had the ability to win the 9-8 ballgame, but it was the 2-1/3-2 game that gave them fits.

4-1 baby!

Sox @ O's - Schilling vs Chen

2006-04-08T14:12:00.000-05:00

Hopefully the rain rolls through before the 4:35 start and we can get this one in. As we all know, Schilling looked terrific in his first start in Texas, and hopefully that continues today. According to Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald, Schilling started his first game with his fastball clocked at 90-92 mph, and finished the game with a sequence that went 92, 95, 93, 96. On SoSH, Schilling explained that this is the first time in his career that he has actually seen the velocity on his fastball rise as the game wore on.

To me, Bruce Chen is an anomaly. He posted a 3.83 ERA last season, and set career bests in wins, starts (32), innings (197 1/3) and strikeouts (133). The lefty has never made 20 starts in back-to-back seasons, so it's impossible to predict how he'll fare this season. Chen has handled the Sox fairly well in his career, but this year's lineup is entirely different, so it could go either way. After Papi's miserable game last night, Tito may want to consider foregoing the DH today and allowing Schilling to hit for himself, as he's 1-1 career vs Chen (kidding, kidding).

Sox rout O's, 14-8

2006-04-07T23:34:00.000-05:00

Quite the game last night. The Sox took my patience advice to the next level. Daniel Cabrera was a trainwreck, lasting only an inning and a third, issuing 7 walks. All told, he surrendered 7 runs and the was out of hand before it even really started.

Matt Clement cruised through the first 6 innings, before getting into trouble in the 7th. His statline doesn't do his performance any justice. Matt seemed upbeat in his postgame interviews and understands that despite a rocky 7th, he pitched an excellent game. What's funny is that during the postgame interviews, I realized that this is the first time I had heard Matt speak since last season. He really has become The Forgotten Man.

The offense churned out 16 hits and 14 walks (no, folks, that isn't a typo). Nixon crushed his second home run of the season and Manny Ramirez broke out with a 3-hit performance. Manny's first hit was particularly encouraging, as he took an outside fastball to the opposite field for a single.

The only Red Sox starter without a hit? David Ortiz.

Rudy Seanez spelled Clement in the 8th and quickly gave up 4 runs on 6 hits, making the game much closer than it ever should have been. I realize it's his first appearance of the season, but Seanez has not looked good at all, including spring training. Rudy needs to start focusing on his pitching instead of Ultimate Cagefighting or whatever he was doing over the winter.

Foulke was called upon for the ninth with the Sox up 6 and turned in a very encouraging performance. His fastball was sitting around 88 MPH and his changeup was at 75. He was getting the fastball up in the zone to where the hitters couldn't get around on it, while he was spotting the changeup low and away. He only gave up one hit, and put the O's away quietly to end a rather miserable evening.

Sox @ O's - Clement vs Cabrera

2006-04-07T16:06:00.000-05:00

I haven't been around this space lately, but now that the season is back full-time, so am I. So how great was the first series? Talk about putting your best foot forward. Schilling looked retro, and watching Beckett gave me goosebumps. It's only been three games, but you just know this season is going to be fun. Pitching and defense -- personally, I love it.

Per usual, a bit of controversy from the first series. The first -- Josh Bard. Personally, I'm just not as worried as most are. Yeah, he allowed 3 passed balls (4 if you count the one on a ball 4), but even Doug Mirabelli himself allowed 2 in his first start. The box score was ugly for Bard, but if you watched the game, you'd realize that Wakefield, himself, was pretty wild and Bard did have some pretty nice stops. Let the kid get comfortable and I think he'll be fine. Still, reports indicate the Sox may yet be looking for another backup catcher via trade or the waiver wire.

The second -- Papelbon vs. Foulke. In my opinion it was the gutsiest move Tito has made since becoming manager. The situation did give him a built-in excuse (Papelbon already warming in the 8th due to Timlin's struggles), but most of us over in the SoSH game thread were shocked to see Papelbon still warming as the 8th ended.

I certainly don't think Papelbon is 'the man' now, but I do think he'll see a lot more action in these 1-run save opportunities. Foulke definitely was a more confident guy in 2004 when he had a bigger MPH differential between his heater and change, and was spotting each perfectly. Since then, he hasn't been able to do that at all, so I think it's somewhat safe to say that he has lost some of his confidence. Why throw him in a 1-run situation just so he can possibly fail? Let him get his feet under him (literally and figuratively) first, then get him in the high-lev situations.
Expect Tito to throw the 3-run save opps in Foulke's direction.

I appreciate the way Foulke handled the situation and defused any such "controversy" that the media may try to create. As I've stated before, I still think Foulke rebounds and becomes the full-time closer by June.

As for this upcoming series, I'm very interested to see how Matt Clement performs. Thus far, he has become The Forgotten Man, and that could very well work in his favor. Suddenly, no one is relying on him to be the #2 starter that he was deemed to be in 2005. Relax, go out, throw your 200 innings and nail down 12-15 wins. From your #4 starter, that's money.

Clement squares off against flamethrower Daniel Cabrera tonight. Cabrera can get outs, but is wild, posting a BB/9 of about 4.9 last season. Sox hitters must be patient and wait for their pitch. In the past, the Sox have had success vs Cabrera, especially Alex Cora, who is 6-11 lifetime. Although I don't really read much into these small sample sizes, don't be shocked if Cora gets the nod tonight.

The forecast for Baltimore tonight calls for a chance of showers and thunderstorms, but first-hand reports from people in the Baltimore area state that it's clearing up and should be a beautiful evening. Let's hope. Sox are going bird huntin' tonight.

Update: The lineups have been released..

Sox claim Hee-Seop Choi

2006-03-24T16:54:00.000-05:00

Sean McAdam on WEEI is reporting that the Red Sox have claimed first baseman Hee-Seop Choi off of waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers. This adds to the growing suspicion that Mike Lowell may no longer be an everyday player. This move would allow the Sox to move Youkilis back to third, while plugging Choi at first.

More as this develops...

Papelbon to the bullpen

2006-03-23T20:18:00.000-05:00

Howard Ulman of the Associated Press reports that Terry Francona said Thursday the promising and versatile Papelbon will start the season as a reliever, and Foulke, who is still recovering from offseason knee surgery, will pitch in a minor league game Friday. He could work in his first major league game this spring on Saturday.

Not exactly surprising news. With David Wells rescinding his trade request, it was pretty much expected that Papelbon would be squeezed out of the rotation and into the bullpen.

Papelbon's usage will be very interesting to follow. Will he be the long-reliever/swingman or will he be used in high-leverage situations? Personally, I think Papelbon should be used as the relief ace, a la Scot Shields of Anaheim. Let him go out there, make 60 appearances, total 100 innings, and just slam the door shut. If someone in the rotation goes down, he can jump right in, and Timlin or whoever else is dominating in the pen can step into Papelbon's vacated spot.

In other news, Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal gives his take on how the Opening Day Roster will shake down. He expects Tony Graffanino to be traded, with the New York Mets being the most likely destination. He also mentions that the Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs continue to be other potential landing spots.

He also expects Dustan Mohr to exercise the "out" clause in his contract that allows him to elect free agency on March 30 if the Sox haven't purchased his contract. While the Phillies have shown interest, it's doubtful they'd give up anything of value for Mohr, knowing that he could soon be on the open market.

Beyond that, here's McAdam's projected Opening Day roster:

Curt Schilling
Tim Wakefield
Josh Beckett
Matt Clement

Keith Foulke
Jonathan Papelbon
David Riske
Rudy Seanez
Mike Timlin
Julian Tavarez
Lenny DiNardo (Will sacrifice his spot when Wells returns from the DL)

Manny Ramirez
Coco Crisp
Trot Nixon
Wily Mo Pena
Adam Stern (Must spend the first 17 days on the 25-man roster to fulfill Rule V obligations)

Jason Varitek
Josh Bard

Mike Lowell
Alex Gonzalez
Alex Cora
Mark Loretta
Kevin Youkilis
J.T. Snow
David Ortiz

McAdam expects utilityman Willie Harris, who can play both second base and center field, to start the season at Pawtucket and eventually replace Stern when the his 17-day-stint is complete.

The move will allow Stern to play regularly in Pawtucket, while allowing Harris to provide speed on the roster and give manager Terry Francona a late-inning pinch-running option in addition to providing a defensive replacement for Pena.

Juan Gone...to Oakland?

2006-03-21T23:47:00.000-05:00

El Nuevo Dia, the newspaper that broke the original Juan Gonzalez signing, is now reporting that Juan Gone is set to sign a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics.

Gonzalez wasn't going to see the field in Boston following the Wily Mo Pena trade, so I can't blame him for changing his mind at the last minute. Personally, although the signing was essentially risk-free, I didn't really see the need for the signing. I kept having flashbacks of Juan Gone trying to field Pokey Reese's inside-the-park home run in 2004, and I cringed each and every time.

I can't see the situation being much better for him in Oakland, at least not until Frank Thomas gets injured. He'll likely start the season at Oakland's Triple-A Sacramento affiliate.

Update: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Gate reports tha contrary to a report in a Puerto Rican newspaper, the A's have no interest in Juan Gonzalez, according to assistant general manager David Forst.

So as of now, Juan Gonzalez is merely "missing."

Wily ever improve?

2006-03-20T19:11:00.000-05:00

We've all seen the quotes from Theo in which he explains that Wily Mo Pena brings something for now and he brings a lot of potential for the future. As a 24-year-old, Theo believes he can get whole lot better. If Wily Mo can learn to control the strikezone, he could turn into an unbelievable talent.

His kryptonite is when he chases sliders from right-handed pitchers on the outside-half of the plate. Can Papa Jack teach him to lay off this pitch? If he can -- watch out. The strikeouts will decrease, and the walks will increase.

Below is a look at Wily Mo's stats from the Dominican Winter League.

The 1.8 K/BB ratio is farrrr superior to the 5.7 ratio he posted during the 2005 regular season. Put it this way, Wily Mo drew 15 walks in 112 at-bats in the DWL, while he drew 20 in 311 at-bats in 2005. Let's just hope he can continue to improve.

Sox trade Arroyo for Wily Mo

2006-03-20T15:16:00.000-05:00

The possible deal that was reported by Ken Rosenthal last night came to fruition less than 24 hours later. The Sox have traded Bronson Arroyo and cash to the Cincinnati Reds for Wily Mo Pena.

Although I wrote earlier in the offseason that I didn't not want to trade Arroyo and his discounted contract, this is a deal that I have no problem with. It's a positive trade for both clubs. The Reds receive an extremely cheap starter that should bolster their rather horrendous pitching staff, while the Sox receive an outfielder that absolutely bombs lefthanded pitchers, who will obviously be able to serve as a perfect platoon-mate with Trot Nixon. Also, should Trot Nixon leave following this season, Wily Mo will be able to take over in right field.

Wily Mo is under the Sox' control through the 2008 season. On WEEI, Theo Epstein explained how Pena has the potential to be a legitimate middle-of-the-order power hitter. The track record for players this young with this power is pretty good. Unfortunately for Wily Mo, he was signed to a major league contract at the age of 16, so he was rushed to the majors and hasn't been given the typical conditions for development that other prospects receive.

Look for Wily Mo to also get at-bats in CF, LF, DH, and possibly 1B.

While Sox fans are mostly in favor of this deal, Reds fans hate it. Here's some assorted quotes from the RedsZone.com message board:

Right about now Wayne Krivsky has to be feeling like he just sobered up after a long night in Pat Summit's hotel room. (p.s. - This is my absolute favorite.)
Reds got ripped off. Krivsky's first trade=F+
I'm not surprised to see WMP traded but I was hopeing to get better pitching for him.
Even if WMP struggles to reach his ceiling, he's far too talented to give up on for the likes of Bronson Arroyo. What's Arroyo's upside? We've seen it.
Just when you thought it could not get any worse... It does.
I can just envision Pena just mashing w/ the BoSox.
They traded away a decent commodity for absolute junk, that's how.
Good organizations don't flip Pena talent for Bronson Arroyo garbage

Needless to say, the leader in the clubhouse is certainly the Red Sox.

As for the "gentleman's agreement" that stated Bronson wouldn't be traded, Theo claims there was no such thing. Theo explains that the topic came up, but that he and Jed Hoyer told Bronson that they cannot guarantee he’ll not be traded. At the time of the contract signing, there were no imminent trade talks, but obviously things cab change over time. In Theo's words, "there was no gentleman’s agreement. No handshake. Obviously he wanted to stay in Boston. It’s tough to do to someone who’s been a loyal soldier, enjoys being in Boston. But have to do what’s best for the organization."

Red Sox sign Juan Gone; Looking at Wily Mo?

2006-03-19T17:07:00.000-05:00

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is confirming the El Nuevo Dia that the Red Sox have signed Juan Gonzalez, 35, to a minor league contract.

Gonzalez had only one at-bat last season with the Indians due to a strained right hamstring, and appeared in only 33 games with the Royals because of injuries in 2004.

I'd have to assume that Gonzalez will either begin the season in Pawtucket or in extended spring training. Then once Adam Stern fills his Rule V responsibilities and is returned to Pawtucket, Gonzalez will come north to Boston.

For whatever reason, it doesn't appear that the front office has much faith in Dustan Mohr, especially in the long-term.

In Rosenthal's column, he also mentions that the Sox are talking to the Reds about a deal for Wily Mo Pena.

Cincinnati is in desperate need of starting pitching, and could be targeting Bronson Arroyo. One of their top scouts, Gene Bennett, watched Arroyo pitch against the Orioles today. It didn't hurt that Arroyo had his first good outing of the spring. Arroyo pitched 5 innings, surrendered 4 hits, and struck out 4, while walking none.

Rosenthal reports that the Red Sox are also shopping right-hander Matt Clement and left-hander David Wells. They reportedly offered Clement to the Phillies and several other clubs last week, and are discussing him in a possible deal for Pirates first baseman/outfielder Craig Wilson.

Pena would be a huge deviation from the typical Red Sox offensive mold. He owns a career OBP of .303, and has struck out 288 times, while only walking 54 times, in 898 career plate appearances.

It's worth noting that Pena had a .339 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) in 2006. Is this number sustainable? In the previous two seasons, Pena's BABIP was .302 and .290, just about average. Obviously, if you smoke pretty much everything you hit, your BABIP is going to be higher, but there's really no proof right now that he could sustain such a high BABIP.

One incredible stat, courtesy of Ron Shandler, is that 43% of Pena's ended in a strikeout or a home run. Talk about all or nothing.

We all know that Pena has ridiculous power. As Rosenthal notes, he averages a home run every 16.2 at-bats. According to ESPN's scouting report, "he has excellent range and a cannon for a throwing arm, and the Reds think his tools could allow him to play center field, though his experience largely has been in the corner outfield positions."

Obviously, he could serve as a backup to Nixon or Manny in the corners, while also spelling Crisp in center, a position that the Sox definitely want to address.

It's also clear that the Sox are thinking long-term with these possible acquisitions. Nixon is a free agent after this season, and there hasn't been any talk about re-signing him. Pena is only 24 years old, and obviously could be a fixture in right field for years to come. Besides Nixon, the 2007 free agent class is rather thin in outfielders. Other names include Carlos Lee, Jose Guillen, Cliff Floyd, and Shannon Stewart.

Lots of updatin' to do...

2006-03-08T15:43:00.000-05:00

First off, David Ortiz is an absolute BEAST. Yesterday, he paced the Dominican Republic to an 11-5 victory over Venezuela by going 2-for-3 with two homeruns, two walks, three RBI, and three runs scored.

Mike Timlin, fired a perfect fourth inning in Team USA's game vs. Mexico.

Oh yeah, Manny Ramirez hasn't missed a beat. Manny was slotted at DH and finished the day 2-for-2 with three RBI and a sacrifice fly. The dude just knows how to hit. The Sox went on to defeat the Baltimore Orioles to improve their record to 2-3 overall in the Grapefruit League.

Curt Schilling, who pitched three innings of an intrasquad game Tuesday at the Red Sox's Minor League training complex along with fellow right-hander Matt Clement, has stated that he's working on a changeup and an inside fastball this spring.

"Getting kicked around as much as I did, you get tired of it," Schilling said. "I'm not trying to hit people. But at the same time, hitters were very comfortable facing me last year, much more so last year than any year in the past, obviously. But there's something you can do about that as a pitcher, and you've got to be proactive in doing it. I feel like my command is good enough that I can throw the ball in off the plate and get people off the plate without hurting people."

Well, that didn't stop him from plunking Jeff Natale, a 23-year-old infielder, with such force that the ball ricocheted off Natale's helmet, over the two-story chain-link backstop and into the bleachers.

However, despite the beaning, I like this news. The inside-half of the plate should be used to a pitcher's advantage. Just watch Pedro Martinez or Roger Clemens. Those guys dominate because they can control that inner-half of the plate, which gives them an extra 2 inches on the outside corner. If Schilling can master the inside-fastball, he could be a force this season.

John Flaherty, considered by some to be the frontrunner for the job as Tim Wakefield's personal catcher, retired yesterday.

Flaherty, in a statement, said, "It is with mixed emotions that I am announcing my retirement from Major League Baseball today ... I am grateful to Theo Epstein and Ben Cherington for giving me the opportunity to play on a world class team and my appreciation is not diminished because of the judgment call I am making today ... I started my career with the Red Sox and proceeded to live out my boyhood dreams. Thank you to all of my teammates, coaches, managers and fans for making the ride so much fun."

While it's sad to see him half to walk away like this, his retirement is probably in the best interest of the team. I'm not exactly enamored with any of the candidates, but I do feel like Josh Bard offers the best "upside," atleast offensively. Huckaby is regarded as the better defender, but I can't really speak to that, as I haven't seen either play enough. Obviously, it's going to come down to who can better handle the knuckler. I just wish the Sox would try to swing a deal for Javier Valentin of Cincinnati, but I digress.

Josh Beckett had his debut on Monday, but didn't fare too well. He was focusing predominantly on his fastball (of his 22 pitches through two innings, 19 were fastballs), but Tampa Bay's hitters were sitting on it. Julio Lugo led off the game with a home run, and Jonny Gomes hit a towering solo shot later in the inning. Beckett pitched three innings and gave up five runs on five hits. He allowed two home runs and tossed a wild pitch while striking out two.

"I made some mistakes, mistakes that shouldn't happen," Beckett said. "You learn from it and move on. It's just all about executing pitches, [and] I didn't execute pitches."

Wells: "I'm staying."

2006-03-05T18:05:00.000-05:00

This from Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe:

"David Wells just met with reporters and said he's rescinded his trade request. He told Theo Epstein, he said, the day before, and that Theo responded with a smile from ear to ear.

Wells said he was healthy and would be ready to pitch in about eight days."

Does this mean the Sox attempt to trade Bronson Arroyo? I can't see the Sox finding a taker for Matt Clement (and I feel he deserves another shot), without picking up a significant portion of his salary. This is definitely a situation that bears watching.

Spring Stats Update

2006-03-05T02:48:00.000-05:00

Finally MLB.com has come to its senses and is publishing Spring Training statistics. I've created a spreadsheet that has incorporated MLB.com's traditional statistics with some sabermetric stats. Rather than filling this blog up with a new spreadsheet for each day, this Excel spreadsheet is available for download and will update daily. It can be found here: 2006 Boston Red Sox Spring Training Stats.

Instead of having to download the spreadsheet daily, it should be set up so you can just hit the "Refresh Data" button, and all the statistics will automatically update.

For those without access to Microsoft Excel, I will be posting an image of the spreadsheet in it's entirely on a weekly basis.

Also, for those not entirely familiar with the sabermetric stats I'm using, most can be found in the following glossaries:

The Hardball Times Glossary

Baseball Prospectus Glossary

The link to the spreadsheet will be permanently posted just before the A.B. logo to the right.

Schilling dominates BC; Sox top NU

2006-03-05T01:05:00.000-05:00

Curt Schilling, in his first spring start, was nothing short of dominant. In four innings of work, Schill allowed just one hit, struck out three and threw 35 pitches. Rule 5 Draft pick Jamie Vermilyea closed out the game by firing two shutout innings.

At the plate, the Sox were paced by Willie Harris's two-run double. Mark Loretta, playing his first game in a Boston uniform, had an RBI double as well.

The Sox swept the doubleheader with a victory over Northeastern University in the nightcap. After surrendering a homer on the third pitch of the game, Matt Clement retired the next six batters he faced before giving way to the bullpen.

Offensively, the offense was led by Tony (trade value rising) Graffanino, who went 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs and a run scored. Josh Pressley also impressed, going 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.

TV and Radio broadcast schedules

2006-03-03T14:21:00.000-05:00

NESN

WEEI

Spring Training Notes

2006-03-03T12:55:00.000-05:00

Dustin Pedroia sat in the clubhouse with an ice pack around his left shoulder today after he was forced out of last night’s game in the eighth inning with a strained left shoulder. He sustained the injury on an awkward swing while striking out against Jason Miller on a high fastball. Following a "funny" swing, Pedroia said his shoulder went numb. The feeling in the shoulder came back, but Pedroia reports the back of his shoulder is very sore. Pedroia was scheduled to visit with Sox physicians this morning. With Alex Gonzalez off to the World Baseball Classic for Venezuela, Pedroia was due to see a lot of playing time, but his injury has prompted the Sox to bring up former Stanford star Jed Lowrie, a sandwich pick between the first and second round. Alejandro Machado will also see more time at the position.

More than a dozen teams had scouts at last night’s game, including the New York Mets, who may have interest in Tony Graffanino following Bret Boone’s sudden retirement on Wednesday.

Curt Schilling was scheduled to throw between 30-35 pitches against the Boston College Eagles this afternoon. Bronson Arroyo is set to start tomorrow’s game against Pittsburgh. Tim Wakefield is slated for Sunday and Josh Beckett on Monday.

According to Francona thinks it might be about a week before Manny Ramirez gets into games. If Manny's batting practice sessions go well, the process could accelerate. Francona has also offered Manny the chance to take some of David Ortiz' vacated DH at-bats.

Keith Foulke and David Wells are both scheduled to throw on the side today.

Sox downed by Twins 6-3 in spring opener

2006-03-03T12:48:00.000-05:00

It was a very impressive debut for Coco Crisp, who went 3-for-3 with one RBI, finishing just a home run shy of the cycle. Against Twins ace left-hander Johan Santana in the first inning, Crisp batted right-handed and singled to left. Against Twins right-hander Carlos Silva in the third inning, Crisp batted left-handed and doubled to right-center. Against Twins left-handed reliever Gabe White in the fifth inning, Crisp batted right-handed and tripled to right-center. Not too shabby.

Starter Jonathan Papelbon surrendered two runs, both earned, on four hits and one walk in 1 2/3 innings. In the first inning when Twins leadoff batter Shannon Stewart hit a line shot off the pitcher's left ankle. In a postgame interview on WEEI, Papelbon explained that if the ankle had been hit a bit higher, it likely would have shattered, rendering him unable to pitch for 3-6 months.

The Sox struck out 14 times last night. David Murphy owned 4 of them.

Tonight's starting lineup

2006-03-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

1. Coco Crisp -- CF
2. Tony Graffanino -- 2B
3. Kevin Youkilis -- 1B
4. Dustan Mohr -- RF
5. John Flaherty -- C
6. Ron Calloway -- DH
7. Alejandro Machado -- SS
8. David Murphy -- LF
9. Enrique Wilson -- 3B

Jonathan Papelbon -- P

Nice to see Coco making the short trip across town, eventhough he's really the only regular in the lineup besides Youkilis. Obviously the Sox are trying to showcase Graffanino and hope to get him multiple at-bats by having in in the 2-hole.

Again, tonight's game will be aired on WEEI 850-AM at 7 PM. I'm unsure of whether or not WEEI has the rights to air Spring Training games online. If so, the game can be streamed from WEEI.com.

Manny arrives and more...

2006-03-02T00:58:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't been able to update the past few days. Things around here have been sort of hectic, but should be settling down. As I'm sure everybody knows, Manny has arrived. At 9:01 this morning, Manny arrived sporting a #81 Tim Brown Raiders jersey and a completely new hair-do. I haven't really been a fan of Manny's hair since he had that big bleached puffball back in Cleveland, but I've gotta say, I sorta like this one. I dig the bleached dreads in the back.

Just from reading Manny's quotes, he seems like he's ready to just get down to business and disregard the trade rumors. Asked if he was happy to be playing for the Boston Red Sox, Manny replied, "I’m here. I’m here." 'Nuf said. However, if you look at the multiple pictures of Manny from today's workout courtesy of the Boston Globe, he looks like a little kid playing a giant sandbox.

All I know is that he's finally arrived, he's in great shape, and for the time being he's a member of the Boston Red Sox. Let's face it, he's wanted out of here for years and it hasn't stopped him from producing. He loves hitting the baseball. He's paid to do that and he finds pleasure in it. He's not going to stop hitting the baseball.

"I don't live in the past, I live in the present and that's it. This is a new year ... people want me to come back. People want me here so we're just gonna move on. I'm just gonna come, do my job. I get paid to play baseball. That's [why] I'm here. That's it. What else can I say?"
--Manny Ramirez

In other news, Jonathan Papelbon is set to start tomorrow's Spring Training opener against the Twins at Hammond Stadium. Rudy Seanez, David Riske, Manny Delcarmen, and Craig Hansen are set to make the trip as well. However, don't read too much into Papelbon getting the starting nod in the opener. As Papelbon himself explains, "It doesn’t matter who’s getting the first start down here. We’re all on the same program and this is how the program happened to unfold."

David Wells finally threw his first bullpen session of the spring today. He threw for about eight minutes, and said that his surgically repaired right knee felt fine.

While Wells has avoided interviews all spring, he did sit down to answer a few questions until Jon Miller asked whether Wells was still seeking a trade, to which Wells responded, "That's it guys, I'm done. You asked the wrong question. It's not your fault. You didn't know, but I'm done." Well, that was fun. Perhaps Wells is under a gag order from the Red Sox, so as to not diminish his trade value? In any event, he's days are numbered.

There have been reports recently that Keith Foulke has been receiving injections in each of his knees, but that the injections were not cortisone. It has finally been revealed that the injection is a lubricant, possibly Synvisc, which is designed to minimize the friction that takes place in a joint after cartilage has been removed. Fear not, Randy Johnson has received similar injections with positive results.

Foulke also threw off a bullpen mound after spending a few days throwing off flat ground.

Josh Beckett threw a pair of very strong innings in a simulated game on Field 1. He drew rave reviews from coaches and hitters.

Chicago Cubs scout Ken Kravec was spotted at yesterday’s workout, which may be an indication that the club still has interest in acquiring infielder Tony Graffanino. Todd Walker has been successful with the bat in Chicago (as he was in Boston), but his glove rates near or at the bottom according to many defensive metrics.

The following players will be participating in the World Baseball Classic, starting today:

David Ortiz (Domincal Republic)
Julian Tavarez (Dominican Republic)
Alex Gonzalez (Venezuela)
Jason Varitek (United States)
Mike Timlin (United States)
Alex Cora (Puerto Rico)
Adam Stern (Canada)
Lenny Dinardo (Italy)
Trent Durrington (Australia)

Tomorrow night, 7 PM, Red Sox at Twins, WEEI 850 AM

Spring Training: Day 7

2006-02-26T13:42:00.000-05:00

The only important note from yesterday's workout pertains to Curt Schilling. Schilling threw his first batting practice session of the spring. He faced Tony Graffanino, Willie Harris and Kevin Youkilis and, according to Steven Krasner of the Providence Journal, the reports were encouraging after his 63-pitch, 16-minute workout.

Schilling explained that he had no idea how many pitches he threw, but that he was more focused on warming up in the bullpen as if he was pitching a game. The twenty minutes in the bullpen and 16 minutes on the mound at a much more rapid than game pace made him wear out a little quicker. This is a method that he learned from Roger Clemens and that he's always tried to do early in camp. He explains, "the quicker you can pitch tired in spring training, the quicker you can start to get a game mind-set for pitching late innings."

John Flaherty, his catcher for the session, explained, "If you didn't know he had surgery you wouldn't even have thought it. He had to throw probably 70 pitches, I would think. In that short period of time, it was incredible. I know I was dying back there, I don't know how he was doing."

"He threw everything. The ball was jumping at the end," said Graffanino.

However, according to the venerable Mike F of SoSH, Curt was less than pleased with his session -- "it was reported to me that he was less than happy with some of his pitches. I heard that a few bombs (f) were loosed after a pitch didn't go where or act as it should."

Nothing to worry too much about though, considering it was his first session and the ankle clearly isn't an issue. Just improve that arm strength and be ready to take the mound on April 3.

From here on out, I will also pass along any Sox articles that I feel are worth reading.

With Sox, Hazen reaches home - (Robert Carroll) - Nice article in the South Weekly section of the Globe about the Abington native's return home as the new director of player development.

The eyes of the franchise: Part 1 - (Rob Bradford) - The first in a three-part series introducing elements of the Boston Red Sox organization which, while sometimes going unrecognized, all play integral parts in the team's success.

Manny being Manny: Hyde Park's Delcarmen perfectly at home with Sox - (Steve Buckley) - MDC takes a stroll back through the streets of his old neighborhood, describes the fear of his possible trade to Cleveland, and reveals his future goals.

A bit of Australia in Red Sox Nation - (Gordon Edes) - A look at Trent Durrington and Craig Shipley, two Australians looking for success with the Sox.

2006 Predictions

2006-02-26T00:28:00.000-05:00

I was bored and I figured I'd take a shot at some predictions for this upcoming season. I didn't bother using run differentials or any other method to figure these out; I simply filled out a spreadsheet in about 15 minutes (hey, this method won me a March Madness pool). Here goes nothin'...

Feel free to tell me how wrong I am. Also, I reserve the right to change the projections at any time prior to Opening Day.

Spring Training: Day 6

2006-02-25T13:54:00.000-05:00

Lots of Sox nuggets from the past couple of days. Firstly, Terry Francona has made it clear that Trot Nixon will be placed in the heart of the batting order.

"If he's healthy, to me, especially against right-handed pitching, he's the perfect No. 5 hitter in our batting order, because you can't throw it past him," said Francona. "You got David [Ortiz] and Manny [Ramirez] in front of him. He's a big guy in the batting order and he knows it."

One would assume that Jason Varitek and his .997 OPS vs. southpaws over the past three seasons will be the No. 5 hitter versus lefties.

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Despite reports that Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa will skip the World Baseball Classic, the Dominican Republic has included both on the preliminary 37-man roster and expects them to both be present for the start of the tournament. "We have not talked with Manny or Sammy, but we are confident they will be with us," Dominican general manager Stan Javier said. There have been reports that both players will skip the tourney.

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There still is no clear favorite in the race to become Tim Wakefield's personal catcher. Josh Bard has absolutely no experience catching the knuckleball. As soon as he was traded to Boston, he had an oversized catcher's mitt overnighted to him. John Flaherty caught Dennis Springer's knuckleball in several games when they were teammates on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Ken Huckaby caught both Springer and Tom Candiotti in Spring Training bullpen sessions when he was in the Los Angeles Dodgers' farm system.

The selection of a new catcher will be difficult for both Francona and Wakefield. "It will be a huge challenge," Francona said. As for Wakefield, "It's going to be different for me. I've gotten so used to throwing to Dougie. I was comfortable with him back there, and with Tek, too. It's nice to know you have someone back there who knows you."

Personally, I feel that if Josh Bard can handle the knuckler, he will make the trip north with the team.

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Wonder what the pitching rotation is going to look like? Well, Francona is strongly considering slotting Tim Wakefield in between Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett into the season-opening rotation. Wakefield would serve as an excellent change of pace. I see Matt Clement as the fourth starter, which Papelbon hopefully closing out the rotation.

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As for the Opening Day starter, Francona said he won't make an official announcement, but the plan is for Curt Schilling to pitch the opener April 3 in Texas. It will be Schill's first opener as a member of the Sox. Pedro pitched the '04 opener and David Wells went last year. However, things could always change due to injuries.

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Wondering how did Tom Werner's video pitch to Roger Clemens turned out?''Brilliant," Werner said. Asked if it's going to work, Werned replied, ''I don't know. It's up to him." Clemens is expected to choose a team or retirement shortly after the World Baseball Classic ends on March 20.

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The funeral procession for former Sox broadcaster Curt Gowdy passed by Fenway Park at approximately 11 a.m. today on the way to Trinity Church in Copley Square for the 1 p.m. service. Excellent touch.

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Pitching coach Dave Wallace was ''stable and in good spirits" a day after surgery on his hip, according to Sox public relations official Peter Chase. The procedure was step one of two in replacing Wallace's hip and was done to address the infection. Dennis Burke, the same doctor who did Francona's right knee replacement surgery in November, performed the operation at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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There's a 70 percent chance of rain in Fort Myers tomorrow, which won't cancel workouts, but could mean that the rest of the Sox will have to pull a David Wells and work inside.

Wallace likely out for the year

2006-02-24T00:38:00.000-05:00

Jeff Horrigan of the Boston Herald is reporting this morning that Red Sox pitching coach Dave Wallace could miss half or even more of the upcoming season after apparently having his right hip replaced. It is the second such procedure for Wallace.

As reported earlier, the team wouldn't confirm the surgery, but is expected to announce Wallace's condition today. However, rumors spread through camp that Wallace underwent a "delicate, multi-day procedure" and that he will remain in the Massachusetts General Hospital intensive care unit for several days.

"From what I heard, if he's back before the All-Star break, they'll be shocked," pitcher Bronson Arroyo said.

Just terrible, terrible news. It's tough to really rate a pitching coach's impact (unless you're Leo Mazzone) aside just looking at anecdotal evidence. The players seem to really appreciate Wally's "calming" presence, and the front office certainly has faith in him, so that's good enough for me.

Obviously, I'm not a doctor, but I'm aware of the inherent dangers of hip replacement surgery. If the surgery causes a blood clot in the leg, it can travel up the lung, resulting in pulmonary embolism, in which the blood supply is cut off to a portion of the lung.

Thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Wallace family.

UPDATE: Chris Snow of the Boston Globe is reporting that it is unlikely that Wallace will be with the team this season, if ever again.

Wallace's condition, according to Red Sox ace Curt Schilling, had deteriorated last week to the point that ''he literally almost died."

A team source confirmed that Wallace had undergone another hip replacement operation and that it would take several months to recover.

Spring Training: Day 5

2006-02-23T23:29:00.000-05:00

Not a whole lot of news to report from today's workout; however, there are several Sox-related tidbits out there. Firstly, Enrique Wilson, in camp as a non-roster invitee, says that he spoke to Manny Ramirez last week and that Manny says he wants to stay in Boston. Hmm, this doesn't really jibe with the phone call that Orlando Cabrera reportedly received.

"He wants to play here. That's what he told me."
--Enrique Wilson on Manny Ramirez remaining in Boston

According to interim pitching coach Al Nipper, rumors were circulating throughout camp that pitching coach Dave Wallace, sidelined with a hip infection, underwent hip replacement surgery on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Gordon Edes and Chris Snow of the Boston Globe are reporting that Wallace has again been hospitalized and that it's a strong possibility that he misses all of camp. They speculate that if Wallace does undergo hip replacement surgery, he will be forced to miss the entire season. The Red Sox have said that they will not have an update on Wallace's status until tomorrow at the earliest.

Also, for those hoping that Nipper, a longtime friend of former teammate Roger Clemens, will give the Sox the inside track on obtaining his services will be sorely disappointed. Nipper says that he has not spoken to Clemens in nearly two months.

Bill Lajoie, who worked as the Red Sox' de facto general manager at the Winter Meetings in December has ended his relationship with the Boston Red Sox by exercising a clause in his contract that allowed him to opt out after Jan. 31. The 71-year-old most notably closed the deal that sent Edgar Renteria to Atlanta for Andy Marte. He said he has contemplated retirement, but is undecided about his plans. He did not rule out the possibility of joining another club.

Friday will be an important day for several Red Sox pitchers. A total of 12 pitchers will face hitters for the first time this spring. The list includes Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon, Tim Wakefield, Bronson Arroyo and top prospect Jon Lester. Each pitcher is expected to throw for roughly eight minutes, totaling roughly 4o to 50 pitches.

Stepping away from the Red Sox for a moment, I want to pass along the story of Jason McElwain, a senior at Greece Athena High School in Rochester, New York. J-Mac, as he's known, is autistic and has been the team manager for the varsity basketball team for the past three seasons. He was recently added to the roster by coach Jim Johnson so he could be given a jersey and get to sit on the bench in the team's last game of the year.

Johnson hoped the situation would allow him to get McElwain into the game for a little playing time. Sure enough, he got the chance, with Greece Athena up by double-digits with four minutes go to, and J-Mac didn't disappoint. Words won't do his performance any justice, so I will let the this video and this video take care of it. Goosebumps.

Manny bows out of World Baseball Classic

2006-02-23T12:30:00.000-05:00

Chris Snow of the Boston Globe is reporting what we've all been speculating about -- Manny Ramirez has officially withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic.

Red Sox owner John W. Henry confirmed the report today. Henry also added that the team did not ask Manny to pull out of the event, but that Manny made the decision not to play for the Dominican Republic on his own.

Had Manny decided to participate in the WBC, he would have had to report to his WBC team on March 2, meaning he would have spent exactly one day in Sox camp before returning on March 20, when the event ends. Instead, if Manny arrives on March 1, as expected, he will spend the entire month of March with the Red Sox in Fort Myers.

Spring Training: Day 4

2006-02-22T21:59:00.000-05:00

Today was reporting day for the rest of the position players, and besides Manny, all arrived. The most notable arrival was that of Mark Loretta and J.T. Snow (pictured left).

As for my comment on David Wells looking "jovial" at yesterday's workout, it was based on this photo. Hey, at least he's smiling. Although some reports have mentioned that Boomer looks even boomier this season, it's apparently overblown. Wells hasn't thrown off of a mound yet this spring, but today he threw in the outfield briefly before heading back into the clubhouse. Besides declining all interview requests, he's been spending some time in the weight room.

Although I personally don't care, many are wondering why Manny is arriving late to Spring Training in the first place. The Red Sox press release claimed it was so he could finish an extensive workout program. Yes, Manny is a hard worker, but he's known for a while now that players were to report by today, so it's not as if he just ran out of time.

Theo Epstein, quoted in an Associated Press article, said, "There are a lot of factors involved, some of them are personal, some are family related." I hate speculating on a player's personal life, so I'm going to just take Theo and Manny at their word. Manny is a complicated fellow and there must be a reason for his request. As long as he stands by his word to show up on March 1st, I won't complain.

It doesn't appear that Manny's teammates have a problem with his late arrival either. As far as they are concerned, Manny is an exceptional player and has earned the right to be cut some slack. Do I necessarily agree with this? Not completely. But I'm not a major leaguer, so it isn't up to me.

"I don't give two (expletive) when Manny shows up. He'll be ready to play. I don't care. He'll be ready. One thing Manny does is put in his time and effort into getting ready. On April 3, he'll be here and ready to hit."
--Curt Schilling on Manny arriving late to Spring Training

As for Schilling himself, reports have noted that he's definitely been pacing himself thus far. Many have noticed that he isn't exploding off the rubber nearly as strongly as Papelbon or Beckett, but he claims the ankle is healthy, and that right now his only concern is fine-tuning his pitches. However, Schilling did "go all out" in today's pitchers-cover-first-base drill. Still, in other exercises, he definitely eased up.

Is Rob Bradford of the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune the next great Boston baseball writer or what? On a day when he easily could have mailed it in and written the typical drivel about Manny's late arrival, he actually went out and reported.

He tracked down Manny's personal trainer for the past five years, Juan Carlos Santana, and inquired about why Manny has chosen to remain in Boca Raton, rather than coming to Fort Myers. Santana was overwhelmingly forthcoming, and gave a clear explanation for Manny's late entrance.

"He wants the MVP this year in the worst way. The one thing people don't know about Manny, and that Manny doesn't get enough credit for, is his work ethic. He is one of the hardest workers, most deliberate guys that I have here. He shows up. And when he shows up, it is game time and he gives you everything he's got."
--Juan Carlos Santana on Manny Ramirez

WMUR of New Hampshire managed to track down Jed Hoyer, Jonathan Papelbon, Coco Crisp, and Bronson Arroyo for some video interviews. Nothing groundbreaking, but I'm a sucker for Spring Training interviews, especially from the youngsters and new guys.

As usual, the interviewer compares Papelbon to Clemens and Crisp to Damon. When will this end? These guys are their own people. Let them make a name for themselves. Would you like it if your girlfriend compared you to her ex every waking moment? Probably not. Papelbon and Crisp have the oportunity to be special. Let's let them do that.

Lastly, for those who have been kind enough to take a moment and offer feedback, I'd like to apologize. This entire time I was under the impression that I just wasn't receiving comments, but it turns out that I had my comments set to "moderate." I've since changed the setting and all posts should show up immediately after you submit them, so please feel free to agree, disagree, or just chime in with your ideas!

Spring Training: Day 3

2006-02-21T23:05:00.000-05:00

Still just pitchers and catchers working out, with the position players "informally" working out. Curt Schilling's pitching group is himself, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Beckett, and Jon Lester. Let me tell you, I love typing all four of those names in the same sentence. Reportedly, Schill has already taken Beckett under his wing. Hopefully, his good habits will rub off on the rest of the bunch.

Craig Hansen claims that he has added a changeup to his arsenal. If he can master a changeup to go along with his high-90s heater and his high-80s slider, this kid will be unhittable.

“I’ve been throwing it in a couple of bullpens down here and it feels great. It’s got a lot of movement. I’m pretty happy with it right now.”
--Craig Hansen on the development of his changeup

Jonathan Papelbon has also added a new pitch. After throwing mostly four-seamer fastballs last year, Papelbon returned to Jacksonville this offseason and fine-tuned his two-seamer. According to Papelbon, the "two-seam is going to be the next pitch that really takes me to the next level." He definitely needs to add another pitch to his repertoire if he consistently wants to be successful as a starter. Mastering a changeup would do wonders.

Multiple reports on SoSH claim that Dustin Pedroia (pictured left) looks larger this year. Supposedly, he hit the weights big time this offseason and put on approximately 15 pounds of muscle, mainly in the upper body. The kid has an incredible worth ethic. No doubt in my mind that he's going be successful at the Major League level (hopefully beginning in Boston in April).

David Wells is in camp, and seems to be pretty jovial. While I disagree with his trade demand, he's going about it the best way possible. Just get to camp, do your work, and let the team take care of you. No distractions. I'm still confident the Sox work something out with a west-coast club. An outfield prospect in return would be terrific. The fact that he stiffed Dan Shaughnessy's lame request for an interview on Monday is also alright by me.

Is there anything better than Spring Training photos? I didn't think so. Thus far, the Boston Globe has done an excellent job with photos from the workouts. New photos should be added to this link daily, so make sure to bookmark it and check back often -- The Boston Red Sox at Spring Training.

Although many position players have already arrived, the rest (sans Manny) are due to arrive tomorrow. Let's all hope no one shows up 17 pounds overweight like former Sox farmhand Josh Hancock.

Manny by March, Petagine to Seattle, Nunez added

2006-02-21T15:57:00.000-05:00

The Red Sox and Manny Ramirez released the following joint statement today:

"With the permission of the Boston Red Sox, Manny Ramirez will report to Spring Training in Fort Myers on March 1, 2006. Manny is in Florida completing an extensive training regimen and is prepared to have an exceptional season."

There's been some speculation that Manny may have dropped out of the World Baseball Classic, so he will arrive in camp on March 1st and will remain with the team, rather than leaving for the tournament on the 2nd.

Who knows. It's good that the team released a statement before the rumor mongering began, completely avoiding the "Day 4: Where Is Manny?" updates on the local news. Get him into camp on the 1st, and get down to business. I don't care what his reasons are for coming late, but as long as he complies with the Basic Agreement, which states that he must be in camp by March 1st, I'm not worried.

In other news, the Seattle Times is reporting that the Mariners have signed Roberto Petagine to a minor league contract. Petagine (pictured left) will be given a chance to win the backup 1B job and get some time at DH, spelling Carl Everett. It's too bad Tito never really gave Petagine a shot in Boston, especially with Millar struggling. Hopefully he can prove that he is a capable major league hitter.

The Sox also invited a 61st player to camp over the weekend by signing right-handed reliever Franklin Nunez to a minor league contract. Nunez, 29, is a hard thrower who has spent parts of the last two seasons with Tampa Bay. His chances of making the club are infinitely small, but with a fastball that has been clocked as high as 100 MPH, he will serve as solid depth in Pawtucket.

I'll update later as more info on today's workout is made available.

Spring Training: Day 1 & 2

2006-02-20T20:40:00.000-05:00

Just got back in from my long weekend in Maryland. It was enjoyable, except for the drives there and back. It took us 10.5 hours to get there on Friday and 7.5 hours on our return today. Not fun. Anyways, moving on to the Sox...

I've done my best to keep up with Sox news while away, but it's been hard. It looks as if Keith Foulke is already throwing side sessions and is very impressed with his progress. Says he is back in the 92+ MPH range with his fastball, allowing for the proper differential between his heater and changeup to get batters off balance. I'm on record as predicting a HUGE year from Foulke. We could be looking at numbers better than 2004.

Ortiz said (joked?) that Manny is in Italy. Who knows. The Sox claim he's still in the States. Hopefully, he arrives on Wednesday or Thursday and we can avoid the drama.

Reports are that Schilling and Varitek both look skinny (Youkilis too?). Good stuff. For whatever reason, I get psyched when the guys come into camp in great shape. Shows dedication.

I'll have more later as I continue to catch up.

WEEI to buy Western Mass. Station

2006-02-17T00:25:00.000-05:00

Jesse Noyes of the Boston Herald is reporting today that Entercom Communications Corp. has announced a definitive agreement to buy WBEC-FM (105.5) from Vox Radio Group for $5.75 million and said it would use the station to broadcast content from Boston’s WEEI-AM (850) pending final approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

WBEC, which is located in Pittsfield, is moving its signal to the Springfield area and plans to be on the air by April. As a UMass Amherst student, this deal significantly impacts me. The only way to get WEEI content was by listening online. On rides to and from school, the signal from WEEI-FM generally cut out just beyond Worcester.

Although Red Sox games are are currently broadcast on WHYN-AM (560) in Springfield, I'm unable to pick up the signal in Amherst. However, if the Sox and Entercom reach a deal to continue broadcasting Sox games on WEEI, the company would then broadcast the games through WBEC. Since WBEC is an FM station, the signal would be crisp in Amherst, and throughout the rest of western Massachusetts.

The Truck Arrives!

2006-02-16T22:20:00.000-05:00

The Truck left on Monday and arrived this afternoon at City of Palms Park. Only two more days until the rest of the pitchers and catchers descend upon Fort Myers. Besides Keith Foulke, Jonathan Papelbon, Lenny Dinardo and Josh Pressley have already reportedly arrived. Thanks to BoSoxLady of SoSH for providing the picture of The Truck pulling into City of Palms Park.

Unfortunately, I'm going to be gone for the long weekend. I should have a complete wrap-up of the first two days of camp by Monday evening. Go Sox.

Early Spring Training Questions

2006-02-15T15:40:00.000-05:00

Can Keith Foulke and Curt Schilling bounce back?

One of the earliest stories out of Fort Myers is that Keith Foulke has already arrived and that he played catch for 13 minutes yesterday.

That's "a great sign," Francona said. "I think, in his own mind, he feels like he has some work to do and something to prove."

Well, Francona is right. Foulke has plenty to prove and it's refreshing to see that he is taking the bull by the horns and getting to work before he is contractually obligated. Hopefully Foulke will impress this spring, and get his 2006 season started on the right foot. However, if he doesn't, don't panic. In Spring Training of 2004, he posted a line of 9.0 IP, 17 H, 15 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, and we all know how his regular season went.

Along with Foulke, Nixon and Youkilis have already arrived at City of Palms Park.

Schilling himself has reported that his ankle back to full strength. I personally don't see him being the same pitcher he was pre-2004. Not because of the ankle, but because he is 39 years old. If he can make 30+ starts with an ERA in the low 4's, that's a success.

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How will Kevin Youkilis fare at first base?

Over at the Daughters of Kevin Youkilis message board, Kevin himself, using the handle "kyouk," gave his fans an update just before leaving for Florida:

"[I] felt the need to let everyone know that I am doing good. Excited to start it up again and ready to have a good season in Boston. Workouts have gone good and met all my expectations and goals for the off-season. I know people are either really nervous or excited for this year. My advice is to stay excited because on paper the White Sox last year did not have all the superstar names but put together a great team. Have the faith and cheer us on like you guys always do. The group of guys the Red Sox have brought together are going to be solid players and good guys so I think everyone will be excited come April. Keep the faith and it will be here before you know it. Hope everyone has had a great off-season and not had too many anxiety attacks with all the crazy stuff going on. Will see you in Spring or in Boston."

Good stuff from Youkilis, as always. He seems like one of those guys that just loves being a Major Leaguer. There's really no ego with him. He loves playing ball and is humble enough to sign onto a message board of probably 100 fans and let them know how his off-season is going. That's flat out cool in my book. In an interview with the AP's Howard Ulman, Kevin took a look at his past and his future with the Boston Red Sox.

"It's a great dream that I've dreamed of the past couple years. I can't wait to get out there to show that, hopefully, I'm deserving of the role that they're going to give me."

There's another storyline that bears watching. Will Youkilis perform well enough to become the full-time 1B, relegating J.T. Snow to a true backup role? I think it's safe to say that Youk will unquestionably be on base more often than Snow, but how will he do defensively? Youk is now moving across the diamond to where no one is entirely sure how his defense will rate. Hopefully his off-season workouts have added some flexibility and footspeed, decreasing that the gap between him and Snow defensively.

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Who wins the battle at shortstop?

Can Dustin Pedroia beat out Alex Gonzalez for the shortstop job? It seems like it's a longshot, but bear in mind that the Sox inserted two separate out clauses in Gonzalez's contract for a reason. Should the Sox decide to cut Gonzalez before March 15, they will only be on the hook for $500,000 of his $3M salary. If they cut him between March 15 and Opening Day, they will only owe him $750,000.

Pedroia struggled offensively in Pawtucket mainly due to being hit by a pitch on his right wrist on June 27. The MRI came back negative, but he was never the same. Had the injury not occurred, there was a very good chance Pedroia would have been the Sox' second baseman down the stretch.

Pedroia could outhit Gonzalez lefthanded, so that's not the issue. The real issue is how Pedroia looks defensively at SS. He played the position for three years at Arizona State, but it's a mystery to me how he actually looks at the position. If he can show good range, a strong throwing arm, and a solid pivot, the Sox would be silly not to let him enter the season at the starting SS. There's no doubt that Pedroia knows the job is his to win.

"I've killed myself this offseason," said Pedroia. "There have been no setbacks and I've made myself as strong as possible, and I'm ready for a long year. I'm going to try to win a job in Boston."

With the World Baseball Classic, Pedroia will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself. The out clause could also have been put into the contract, so that Theo can still pursue a trade for Julio Lugo or another shortstop. Definitely keep an eye on this one.

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Can Mike Lowell rebound?

Is Lowell capable of returning to his pre-2005 levels? The soon-to-be-32-year-old insists this past season was an aberration. There were reports that as soon as the season ended, he drove out to see his old hitting coach to figure out what was plaguing him all season.

If Lowell can bounce back, the Sox will have a legitimate #5 hitter to protect Manny. His defensive, while somewhat overrated due to his Gold Glove, is still very solid, and definitely an upgrade from Bill Mueller.

If Lowell proves that he is indeed finished, don't be surprised if the Sox elect to slide Youkilis back to 3B and play Snow at 1B. Another option would be to look for external candidates at either 3B or 1B.

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Has the bullpen improved?

How will this year's version of the bullpen fare? The Sox have added Rudy Seanez, Julian Tavarez, and David Riske, to go along with Foulke, Timlin, and a combination of Arroyo, Papelbon, DiNardo, and others.

On paper, it looks like an improvement from the 2005 bullpen, which included such gems as John Halama, Matt Mantei, Blaine Neal, Mike Remlinger, Alan Embree, and Chad Harville.

Hopefully most of the relievers stay healthy, but if they don't, the Sox do have insurance in Pawtucket. Craig Hansen, Manny Delcarmen, and Jermaine Van Buren, who was acquired via trade this off-season, could see time in Boston as the season wears on.

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Will David Wells be traded?

I personally think it's a lock that he's traded, and I think he will end up pitching for the Dodgers, not San Diego. Wells would be an immediate upgrade from Brett Tomko and would probably pitch very well in the Chavez Ravine. It's also possible that a starter for another team could go down in Spring Training, and will be looking to add a capable starter. This may have been the front office's hope when they decided to hold off on Wells' trade talks until the spring.

No matter what, a starter is going to be traded, and smart money is definitely on Wells.

What to make of Wells, Papelbon?

2006-02-14T17:02:00.000-05:00

Just a couple newsworthy notes from the Sox today.

Firstly, as it stands, the Red Sox have seven very capable starting pitchers (possibly 8 if Clemens decides to come aboard), so the loss of Wells wouldn't be too crushing. I've got assume that Wells will eventually be traded, and the starting rotation will be Schilling, Beckett, Wakefield, Clement, and Arroyo. Jonathan Papelbon, in my estimation, will start the season in the bullpen, but with a strong spring, could see himself replacing Arroyo in the rotation.

As for Papelbon, even Terry Francona isn't sure if he'll begin the year as a starter or a reliever. "I don’t know what’s going to happen," Francona said. "What he’s going to do for sure is pitch with a lot of responsibility. Whether that’s in the pen or as a starter, I just don’t know." In my opinion, Papelbon should be in the rotation to start the season (although I don't think he will).

Last season, as a 25-year-old, he threw 148.2 innings between Portland, Pawtucket, and Boston and relegating him back to 90 innings or so as a reliever would be counterproductive. He's entirely capable of tossing 200 innings with a sub-4 ERA. In my opinion, he's a safer bet to do that than Arroyo, so why not have the better pitcher throwing 200 innings rather than 90?

Below is a look at how Arroyo and Papelbon stack up according to Ron Shandler's 2006 projections:

Basically, Papelbon is going to walk slightly more guys, but he's also going to strikeout considerably more. In 2005, Arroyo saw his K/BB ration completely fall off the table. If that trend continues, he may not be a guy you want in your starting rotation. As right-handed batters learned to lay off his breaking ball on the outside corner, he saw his K/9 go from 7.2 in 2004 to 4.4 in 2005. Hopefully he'll make the proper adjustments in 2006 and see an improvement in those numbers.

Secondly, David Wells is still confident that he'll be traded to the West Coast by Opening Day. In a conversation with Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, Wells' agent, Gregg Clifton said, "Theo (Epstein) has assured him he’s going to continue to attempt to satisfy his desire to be on a West Coast team and that probably is going to happen in the next month or so. David has a great relationship with Theo and a great belief and trust in him." Fair enough. Although Wells was a 15-game winner last season, the Sox would be well-served if they could fetch a relief or outfield prospect in a trade.

Clifton went on to say, "David has been and will always be the ultimate pro, and he intends to do everything necessary to be the best he can from Opening Day on." In my opinion, an "ultimate pro" doesn't sign a 2-year contract and then ask to be traded a year later; however, to David's credit, he hasn't turned his trade demand into a distraction.

Pitchers and catchers report in just 4 more days, so we should know the answers to these questions and more in the coming weeks.

It's Truck Day!

2006-02-13T15:13:00.000-05:00

Sometime between 1:30 and 2 p.m. this afternoon, the Sox’ equipment truck departed Fenway Park for Fort Myers, for the start of spring training.

Feels good, doesn't it? In the midst of the Blizzard of '06, the equipment truck leaving for Florida gives me a warm feeling inside. Many may look out their windows and see a foot-and-a-half of snow, and feel that spring is out of reach, but relax, The Truck is headin' south, and Red Sox baseball is just around the corner.

The Truck will pull into City of Palms Park a couple days before pitchers and catchers are due to report on Saturday, February 18th. The first workout will take place the next day, followed by position players reporting on Wednesday, February 22nd, with the first full-team workout on the 23rd. The Sox' first spring training game is scheduled for Thursday, March 2nd, versus the Twins at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

Are the Yankees fiscally responsible? (No, they're not)

2006-02-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

Just as I did with the Sox, I decided to see if the Yankees' front office constructed a physically responsible starting 9. I once again used Baseball Prospectus' MORP metric to determine how overpaid/underpaid each player was in relation to the current marketplace. Here are the results:

As I expected, the results are horrible. Seven of the nine starters, with the exception of Rodriguez and Cano, are overpaid. And if the Yankees were actually on the hook for all of A-Rod's salary (Texas agreed to pay $67M of remaining $179M in salary), he'd actually be overpaid as well.

However, when you're George Steinbrenner, money isn't really an issue. Still, the offense should not be overpaid by $40 million. Think about that for a moment. A collection of 9 guys is overpaid by 40 million dollars. In reality, no matter how much money The Boss has, he should be ashamed.

The future doesn't look much better either, as it's a virtual certainty that Posada's $12M option for 2007 will become guaranteed due to his playing 330 games at catcher from 2004 to 2006. Through 2005, he's already started 267 at the position, leaving only 63 games before the option is automatically picked up.

The Yankees also have a $13M option on Gary Sheffield for 2007. I'd be very surprised if this option wasn't picked up; however, Sheffield is going to be 37, so his skills could deteriorate at any moment.

In the coming days, I will take a look at the pitching staffs and benches of each club. If I can't find the projected WARPs for each club, I will do the study based on the 2005 WARPs and adjust accordingly based on games played. So, be on the lookout for that.

Sox Notes

2006-02-12T03:24:00.000-05:00

As you can see, I've messed around with the site design again. Hopefully this one sticks. I'm not really impressed with any of the pre-loaded templates that Blogspot offers, so I've done my best to find a user-made template that offers a lot of space for text. I didn't like the border on the old template. Anywho, onto some Sox news...

First off, I'd like to send my thoughts and prayers out to Dave Wallace and his family. He was recently hospitalized in Spartanburg, S.C., after suffering an infection in his hip that could keep him out of spring training and possibly part of the regular season. Wallace had a hip replacement operation about a decade ago. In Spartanburg, Wallace had a procedure to wash out the infection. Hopefully the recovery is speedy and successful.

In the interim, new bullpen coach Al Nipper will serve as the pitching coach, which dovetails into the possible signing on Roger Clemens. Nipper is regarded as one of Clemens' closest friends. While this may be more of a coincidence than a well-thought plan, it surely can't hurt. The debatable signing of John Flaherty is also suspicious, considering he caught Clemens back in 1992 and 1993.

On Friday, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported that John Henry and Larry Lucchino may have met with Clemens this past week in Houston to discuss his possible return to Boston. When questioned about the meeting, there were non-responses and "no comments" all around. As Cafardo phrased it, it was a "well-orchestrated silence."

Maybe this thing is more of a reality than we think? Who really knows, but if Clemens is willing to meet with the Sox brass, then this entire thing surely stands a chance. We'll definitely be hearing more about this thing as Spring Training approaches.

***

Over at the Sons of Sam Horn, minor league guru Cuzittt has set up an Adopt-A-Prospect Forum in which each member can select up to two minor leaguers to follow and update their progress throughout the season.

I decided to "adopt" centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and pitcher Clay Buchholz. I will be updating their progress weekly, so be sure to check back often. Both guys impressed in Lowell last season, and will hopefully be just as good in Wilmington.

In an interview with the Oregonian, Ellsbury has stated that his goal is to be in AA Portland by the end of the season. With Ellsbury recently being invited to major league spring training, AA seems like a sure thing. In an interview with the Portland Tribune, Ellsbury says his mission is to play every day in 2006, whether it be AA or AAA. With a good head on his shoulders, Ellsbury is sure to succeed wherever he is assigned.

My guess is that he starts in Wilmington, and with success there he will be put on the fast track. With Nixon a free agent after this season, it's possible that Coco Crisp could slide over to right field as Ellsbury takes over in center. It's a long shot for sure, but you can never doubt a player with Ellsbury's makeup.

Are the Sox fiscally responsible?

2006-02-10T14:04:00.000-05:00

Recently, Baseball Prospectus has introduced a new statistic titled "MORP." MORP stands for Marginal Value Above Replacement Player, and was originally introduced in this article by Nate Silver. MORP is based on the actual behavior of recent free agent markets, and accounts for non-linearity in the market price of baseball talent (e.g. teams are willing to pay more for one 6-win player than two 3-win players).

For 2006, BP calculated the formula for MORP to be:
[485000*WARP + 216000*(WARP^2) + 325000]

So, with the use of MORP, we can determine the fiscal responsibility of the Boston Red Sox. For my first run through, I decided to just take a look at the starting 9. The projected 2006 WARPs are from the Replacement Level Yankee Weblog. Below is a look at the lineup's MORP in relation to the actual salaries:

That's nearly $27 million dollars worth of free production! Pretty staggering. While doing this spreadsheet, there were some things that jumped out at me. First, I'm surprised that Lowell's projected WARP was that high. Some of that value is obviously bottled up in his defense, but it appears he is projected to bounce back with a decent season.

I was also surprised by how "overpaid" Varitek is, according to the metric. I knew he was overpaid to an extent, but that the Sox were comfortable with it based on his leadership skills. Fair enough. The fact that he is going to be 34 by the first week of the season surely played a role in his WARP/MORP calculation as well.

We also come to realize that in today's market, Manny Ramirez is not overpaid. It's not even close. So teams that are looking to acquire him should take a close look and understand that Manny is actually underpaid relative to the current market.

Lastly, I knew David Ortiz was a bargain, but a $16,000,000+ bargain? I had no idea. Obviously, when David receives his contract extension, which he no doubt deserves, the gap between the lineup's MORP and actual salary will decrease. I also expected David's MORP to be lower because he is strictly a DH. Show's what I know!

Hopefully, I will be able to dig up the projected WARPs (or calculate my own) for the starting rotation, bullpen, and bench to get a complete look at the Sox' fiscal responsibility, but if the lineup is any idication, the Sox appear to have been spending their money wisely.

No more bullpen blues

2006-02-09T19:34:00.000-05:00

The 2006 version of the Boston Red Sox bullpen should be a lot better than the 2005 version, especially if Keith Foulke can bounce back to his normal dominance. A simple way to judge a reliever is by WHIP. Because relievers only pitch an inning or two at a time, it's pretty intuitive to just calculate the WHIP, to see how many batters they will allow on base per inning. Here's a look at Ron Shandler's 2006 WHIP projections for the Sox bullpen:

As you can see, each and every pitcher is projected to be below 2005's league average of 1.37. However, the projections for Seanez, Riske, and Tavarez were all made assuming they were pitching for San Diego, Cleveland, and St. Louis, respectively, so a slight uptick would not be surprising.

Still, the current bullpen can't be describe as anything less than a significant upgrade. There are no reclamation projects this time around (Matt Mantei), and there we aren't banking on any relievers void of a proven track record (John Halama). Furthermore, the bullpen has depth. Beyond the five relievers I've mentioned, the Sox have Bronson Arroyo, Jonathan Papelbon, Bronson Arroyo, Lenny DiNardo, and others who can slide in and perform well.

A look at last year's bullpen's WHIP clearly shows the improvement the Sox have made:

Because relievers see more variance between their seasons than starters, this new edition of the bullpen is no sure thing. However, past track records are all the front office has to go on, and as of right now, things are most certainly looking up. I've got a feeling the 2006 unit will be forcing their opponents into a lot of 6-inning games.

Rocket Re-launch?

2006-02-07T16:09:00.000-05:00

Gerry Callahan of the Boston Herald is reporting today that the Red Sox are preparing to make a serious offer to Roger Clemens. Sources told the paper that the Sox’ pitch will include a "slick" video presentation that features a number of Red Sox fans imploring Clemens to finish his career where it began. This idea comes straight from chairman Tom Werner, the Hollywood producer who is making sure the Sox’ sales pitch is Oscar quality. Still, out of the clubhouse, Boston is viewed as the least likely of four possible destinations for Clemens; the others being Houston, Texas and New York with the Yankees.

Unfortunately, I was only 10 years old when Clemens fled Boston for Toronto, so my memories of Clemens wearing the home whites are vague at best. As such, I harbor no ill will towards him, as some fans still do. The bottom line is that you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that he's one of the best pitchers to ever play the game. And it's not even like we're basing that distinction on his past performance -- the guy is still getting it done.

Clemens, 44 years old in August, had an ERA of 1.87 last season. His ERA+ was 221. Anytime you have a chance to acquire a player of this stature, you do your best to make it happen. I don't care about the past. I care about winning.

This is how three common projection systems view his 2006 season, should he choose to pitch (bear in mind, these #s are calculated with the assumption that he is pitching for Houston):

While Shandler projects "fading skill, fewer IP" according to his Baseball Forecaster, the WHIP and ERA figures are essentially the same across the board.

According to Bill James' Park Indices for 2003-2005, it's 11% easier to score a run in Fenway than in Houston's Minute Maid Park. This, coupled with the addition of the DH, should see an uptick in Clemens' ERA. However, as a strikeout pitcher, the uptick probably won't be as a drastic as it would be for more of a finesse pitcher.

I also wonder if these projection systems are predicting the huge drop off in ERA (1.87 to 3.24+) based on Roger's age, more than anything else. It would be interesting to see what these same systems have projected for Roger's stats since the year 2000 or so. Has Roger considerably outperformed these systems? Unfortunately, I do not have earlier projection numbers in front of me.

If I'm the Sox brass, do I pay Roger upwards of $15 million for one season of, say, 15 wins. Yeah, I probably do. In a situation like this, I think the value of the contract isn't worth worrying about. The return of Roger would keep the Sox on the front page for weeks, and the good fortunes could spill over into sponsorships, merchandise sales, and whatever else Lucchino has in mind.

It really comes down to whether the Sox see Clemens, at 43/44, outperforming Matt Clement (I don't include Wells b/c I feel he is destined to be traded). Most, if not all, would consider Clemens more of the safe bet, hamstring woes and all.

A starting rotation of Clemens, Schilling, Beckett, Wakefield, Papelbon/Arroyo is mighty impressive. In 2007, with Clemens all buy assured of retiring, you move everybody up a spot and slide Jon Lester at the backend of the rotation. Boy, do I like the sound of that.

Where would I put the Sox' chances of landing Clemens? Probably around 25%, but this situation certainly bears watching. Now, let's just hope that Werner can produce another gem.

Gonzalez and Crisp officially signed; Petagine DFA'd

2006-02-06T15:26:00.000-05:00

Today, the Red Sox officially announced the signing of Alex Gonzalez. It took a while, but it's good to see him finally on board. The speculation was correct, and Roberto Petagine was designated for assignment to make room for Gonzalez.

I hope Petagine gets an opportunity to play in the States, instead of having to return to Japan. Terry Francona never felt comfortable with Petagine, so he was left to rot on the bench. The main problem was that Petagine's defensive reputation far outweighed his actual defensive ability. He was nothing short of a butcher in the field, and with David Ortiz owning the DH spot, it was no surprise that Petagine was left to pick splinters. Hopefully, Petagine can hook on with an AL team in need of a decent DH.

***

Coco Crisp and the Sox were able to avoid arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.75 million contract. The 2006 breakdown between Crisp/Gonzalez/Cash to Braves for Renteria and Damon/Renteria looks like this:

For 2006, the difference - $14.25M - is staggering. Obviously, in 2007 and 2008, the gap will decrease as the Sox have to pay $3M per season of Renteria's contract and Crisp will be due more in arbitration. Also, it's likely another shortstop (Lugo) will be brought in, and will obviously make more than $3M.

Crisp and Gonzalez, combined, should post an OPS equal or greater than Damon and Renteria. In terms of defense, the Sox' combo should be far superior. For Renteria's sake, I hope he has a bounce-back year in Atlanta, with both the stick and the glove.

For me, Damon is difficult to project. In the first half of 2005, he had an outrageous, and entirely unrepeatable, BABIP of around .370. In the second half, he saw the number plummet to .310, which is about average. The fall in his BABIP, caused his batting average to drop to .293 and his OBP to .353 -- numbers pretty much in line with Coco Crisp. Damon could see a nice resurgence in in New York, however, with the short porch in right field.

Sea Bass strikes and more...

2006-02-05T11:09:00.000-05:00

Although the Sox still haven't made an official announcement regarding the Alex Gonzalez signing, most outlets are reporting that the deal is indeed complete, and the paperwork has been sent to the Commissioner's office.

There's still no word on who will be removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Gonzalez; however, Gordon Edes is speculating that Roberto Petagine may be the leading candidate. They'd likely ask him if he would be willing to play in Japan again. The could also simply release Petagine, but I'd image they'd prefer to cut a deal for him.

Meanwhile, Alex Gonzalez has done nothing but impress in the Caribbean Series this week. Last night, he blasted a game winning two-run home run to defeat the Dominican Republic 11-9.

After viewing the Caribbean Series highlights courtesy of MLB's impeccable Advanced Media department, I couldn't help but get even more excited for this upcoming season. In many ways, I wish American baseball games had the same atmosphere as these games in Central America. They sure love their baseball.

***

The Red Sox and Josh Beckett settled their arbitration case yesterday, agreeing to a one-year contract for $4,325,000. Beckett, who made $2,425,000 last season asked for $4.9 million, while the Red Sox offered $3.75 million. The Sox control his rights throughout the 2007 season.

It's nice to see the Sox and Beckett simply agree on the middle-figure ($4,325,000) on their two proposals, rather than forcing it to go to arbitration. Beckett is a guy that will hopefully perform well enough this season to warrant a long-term contract extension, and having a contract dispute with a team he hasn't even pitched for yet could have been disastrous.

I can't wait to see the look on his face when he leaves the clubhouse in Fort Myers to 5,000 lunatic Sox fans. You're not playing for the Marlins anymore, Josh.

***

As for the Manny-to-the-Angels trade, Peter Gammons and others are reporting that it's false. Good. While acquiring a package of Santana, Figgins, Wood, and Kendrick would have been a coup, I can't be disappointed (atleast offensively) with having Manny start 150 or so games in left field in 2006.

***

This past Friday, three terrific articles were published on the subject of the various defensive metrics, such as Ultimate Zone Rating and probabilistic Model of Range. The first, "A glove affair" penned by Jon Weisman of Sports Illustrated, is geared towards the uninitiated, with a focus on what the various metrics show about the defensive "abilities" of the two-time Gold Glove winner Captain Intangibles himself, Derek Jeter.

The second, "Evaluating the Evaluators" by David Gassko of The Hardball Times. Gassko is the inventor then defensive metric simply known as "Range." He gives a compact run-down of what goes into each metric, its pros and cons, and how each compares to the other metrics. It was very nice to see Gassko's handle "DSG" pop up on SoSH over the weekend. Hopefully he'll be a frequent visitor and lend us his insights on the world of defensive evaluation.

The third and final article, "A Detailed Comparison of Defensive Metrics" is also written by Gassko. This article is strictly written for statheads, as Gassko seeks to find which metric best correlates with the gold standard of defensive evaluation, UZR. As defensive metrics can show bias towards a player based on their position, Gassko goes position-by-position to find the strongest correlation.

All are excellent reads, and do an excellent job of outlining the basis for each metric.

My apologies

2006-02-05T02:12:00.000-05:00

For those having trouble accessing the blog today, I apologize. I think the error is with blogger, and not with this particular blog. Hopefully this is just a hiccup, and we can get back to business on Monday.

Is there a trade in the offing?

2006-02-03T14:18:00.000-05:00

Many are wondering why the Alex Gonzalez signing hasn't been announced yet. There are rumors that Gonzalez could be involved in a 3-way trade with the Orioles and Dodgers, but I don't put much stock into that.

I e-mailed a few Boston baseball writers to find out what the holdup is and was able to get this response from Tony Massarotti:

"Announcement of the Gonzalez signing has been delayed because the Sox need to create a spot on their 40-man roster. Apparently, they are attempting to work out another deal to do so. We believe this is a minor trade, but there is always the chance it could involve someone like David Wells."

I was aware that they needed to remove a player from the 40-man roster to make room for Gonzalez, but I figured John Flaherty was a clear candidate to get the axe, especially with Josh Bard on board. I guess not. Looking over the 40-man roster, there really aren't that many questionable players listed. Hence, the need to make a trade, instead of removing a player and risk losing him to waivers.

Besides Wells, the other candidates to be traded are Tony Graffanino and Alex Cora. I suppose a trade of Graffanino or Cora would be considered "minor." I'm led to believe that a trade is close, otherwise the Sox would have simply removed a player from the 40-man by now. Could the "we're not gonna trade Wells until spring training" thing just have been Theo and Kevin Towers blowing smoke? I suppose. Maybe Wells is headed to the Dodgers instead.

As for Graffanino, his name has been linked to both the Cubs and the Rangers; however, the Cubs would have to find a taker for Todd Walker before they could acquire Graffanino.

In any event, something has to shake loose soon because I'm sure Alex Gonzalez and his agent don't feel like flailing in the wind like this.

SoSH gets defensive

2006-02-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

There's a great discussion taking place over at the Sons of Sam Horn message board about the reliability of the various defensive metrics. These metrics are primarily play-by-play driven, which leads to a lot of subjectivity regarding whether a ball should have or shouldn't have been caught. What's so fascinating about this is that these statistics are in their absolute infancy, and should evolve as the available data becomes more detailed.

As of now, Mitchell Lichtman's Ultimate Zone Rating is regarded as the best available defensive metric. However, the UZR statistic was only published for 2000-2003 because Lichtman was then hired by the St. Louis Cardinals, and the statistic because their property. UZR, like many other metrics, is based on a how many balls a player was able to catch within his "zone" and the parameters about the batted ball; its distance, direction, how hard it was hit, the type (ground, fly, etc.).

The faults in UZR and other such metrics are plentiful. For one, it's unclear of how accurately the metric accounts for the different ballpark factors. While the methodology behind each metric hasn't been released in full, it's assumed that the ballpark factors used to rate a player offensively are similar to the factors used to rate a player defensively. Many find this troubling, as the conclusions based off of this method may be extremely flawed.

These metrics also do not take into account the fielders playing around you. A ball that lands in your "zone" may be caught by another player, but you will still be penalized for not catching it. These are just a couple of the issues that need to be fleshed out until the world of defensive statistics can become more definitive.

More Manny rumblings and no more Bob's Stores sign

2006-02-03T07:35:00.000-05:00

Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times is reporting today that the Red Sox made another strong push to trade disgruntled slugger Manny Ramirez to the Angels this past week, but talks went nowhere because of Boston's asking price.

Boston was believed to have asked for at least four players — Ervin Santana, Chone Figgins and two or three of the Angels' top four prospects, a list that includes shortstop Brandon Wood and second baseman Howie Kendrick. The Red Sox also wanted the Angels to assume virtually all of the $57 million remaining on Ramirez's contract, which runs through 2008.

DiGiovanna states that "chances for a deal still seem remote despite negotiations between the teams."

Now, if the Sox could get Santana, Figgins, Wood and Kendrick for Manny, it would probably the best steal of the century. Wood hit 43 homers as a 20-year-old in AA this past season. Still, I find it very hard to believe that the Sox would ask for that much in return for Manny, especially when they'd force the Angels to assume his entire remaining salary.

It's more likely that this is just another story leaked to the media so that the Sox can prove to Manny that they made a good faith effort to trade him, but they weren't able to find a deal that made sense for both sides.

***

Sasha Talcott of the Boston Globe is reporting that F.W. Webb Co. has become the official distributor of plumbing, heating, HVAC, pipe-valves-fittings supplies for the Boston Red Sox.

Not that I really care, but it does change the look of the Green Monster a little bit, so I feel it merits a brief mention.

Because Bob's Stores decided not to renew it's sponsorship, F.W. Webb Co. decided to "step up and do the whole thing" by purchsing the ad space on the far right side of the famous Green Monster scoreboard.

F.W. Webb Co. is now an ''official sponsor," which gives them the right to use the Red Sox logo in their advertising, and they get to be the only sponsor in their particular category. D'Angelo, for example, makes the only Official Sandwich of the Boston Red Sox, while Papa Gino's makes the Official Pizza of the Boston Red Sox.

Gonzalez passes physical, plus other notes

2006-02-02T03:58:00.000-05:00

Sources have informed the Boston Herald that Alex Gonzalez has passed his physical. The signing of the non-guaranteed, one-year, $3 million contract is likely to be announced today.

***

An interesting invite to spring training this year is Enrique Wilson. Wilson is remembered for his role in the Ramírez saga in 2003. On the weekend when Ramírez didn't show up at the ballpark for the finale of a Yankee series, he was spotted at the Ritz shooting the breeze with his good friend Wilson, then a Yankee utilityman.

With an infield that already goes eight-deep, the chances of Wilson actually making the squad are ridiculously slim. He's most likely being brought in to calm Manny's nerves during spring training and get his 2006 season started on the right note.

***

Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe thinks that it's a virtual certainty that Theo will make a trade before Opening Day. He feels that Tony Graffanino will definitely be shipped out, along with David Wells, due to the depth at both of their positions.

Edes also believes that with the surplus of arms and Trot Nixon's free agency after the season, Epstein could conceivably package a pitcher and infielder for outfield prospects or use a pitcher plus Nixon in an even bigger deal.

I do agree that turning any combination of these players into a solid outfielder would be very beneficial for the club. As of now, there are really no internal candidates to take over for Trot in 2007, but the free agent market is littered with capable replacements, including Cliff Floyd, Carlos Lee, Raul Ibanez, David Dellucci, Jay Payton, Juan Pierre, Milton Bradley, Dave Roberts, Shannon Stewart, Jose Guillen, and Frank Catalanotto.

As you can see, there are no "studs," but the Sox should be able to find a respectable replacement for Trot. Jose Guillen would be a nice fit, both offensively and defensively, but unfortunately his attitude is worth avoiding. In any event, the Red Sox should have an above-average right fielder in 2007.

Sox Notes

2006-02-01T03:10:00.000-05:00

David Wells’ agent, Gregg Clifton, was on WEEI Monday morning and said that Wells, who wants a trade to San Diego or another west coast team, was not planning on holding out during spring training.

Good, because for a minute there, I was starting to wonder what part of "two-year deal" Wells didn't understand when he signed the two-year deal before last season. Everyone seems to call Wells "old and brittle," but the guy has made 30 or more starts in 9 of the past 10 seasons. He does get sidelined on occasion, but it's never for more than a couple starts.

He won 15 games last season, and is a shoo-in to post double-digit wins in 2006. He's only one the hook for one more season, and I'd really like to keep him if it's at all possible. Hopefully Theo can sit down with him during spring training and convince him that he's got a legitimate chance to win another title this year, and that come November, he can go back to California and do whatever he'd like.

However, Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe is reporting that the "much-discussed trade to San Diego of pitcher David Wells probably won't get done until spring training, but it appears inevitable the teams will strike a deal."

Matt Clement is the pitcher that makes more sense to be traded. There's a rumor out there that he could be involved in a 3-way deal that would net the Red Sox Lastings Milledge and Xavier Nady, but it's nothing more than a rumor right now.

***

In the next few days, the Sox are expected to officially announce some of their minor league signings, and Gabe Kapler is sure to be on the list.

Kapler, who ruptured his Achilles tendon last September in Toronto, expects to be able to help the team by early May. Once healthy, Kapler will immediately join Dustan Mohr, Willie Harris, and possibly others in the mix for the 4th outfielder spot.

***

Here's a look at the rest of the minor league signings that the Sox will likely announce in the coming days:

*Luke Allen, OF, Age 27, played with Dodgers (2002) and Rockies (2003)

*Craig Breslow, LHP, Age 25, Pitched in 14 games for Padres in 2005 (2.20 E.R.A.)

*Mike Bumatay, LHP, Age 26, pitched last year for Colorado Springs

*Ron Calloway, OF, Age 29, Played all of 2003 and part of '04 with Expos

*Trent Durrington, INF, Age 30, played in majors with Brewers

Matt Ginter, RHP, Age 28, Pitched for Chisox, Mets and Tigers

*Willie Harris, INF/OF, Age 27, Played five years in majors with Orioles and White Sox

*Mike Holtz, LHP, Age 33, pitched for Angels, A's and Padres

*Ken Huckaby, C, Age 34, played for D'backs, Blue Jays, Rangers, Orioles

*Luis Jiminez, 1B, Age 23, played last season for Double-A New Britain

Pat Magness, 1B, Age 27, played last season for Class-A Lynchburg

*Tyler Minges, OF, Age 25, played last season for Double-A Springfield

*Rodney Nye, 3B, Age 28, played last season for Triple-A Norfolk

*Josh Pressley, 1B, Age 25, played last season for Double-A Wichita

Cameron Reimers, RHP, Age 25, played last season for Double-A New Hampshire

Jon Searles, RHP, Age 25, played last season for Double-A West Tennessee

*Jimmy Serrano, RHP, Age 29, pitched for Royals in 2004

* -- received invitation to major-league camp in spring training

Alex Gonzalez' contract flexibility

2006-02-01T01:55:00.000-05:00

Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald is reporting today that not all of Alex Gonzalez' contract is guaranteed. Should the team decide to cut Gonzalez before Opening Day, they would not be on the hook for his entire $3 million salary.

If he is cut before March 15, they are only responsible for one-sixth, or $500,000, and if they cut him between March 16 and Opening Day, they are responsible for roughly one-quarter, or $750,000. If he is on the Opening Day roster, his $3 million becomes guaranteed.

This buys the Red Sox some times in case Gonzalez does not improve rapidly enough following his September 30 arthroscopic surgery to remove two bone chips from his right throwing elbow. By July of last season, his elbow became sore, and began bothering him in August when the bone pieces moved, causing his arm to lock up while throwing. Gonzalez had a similar operation following the 2004 campaign and was able to recover before the season began.

Due to this, his physical examination is more than just a formality. The possibility that he fails his physical does exist.

The structure of the contract also allows for more competition this spring. While Dustin Pedroia is a longshot to jump to the top of the depth chart, it's reasonable to assume that Alex Cora could definitely open some eyes (and we already know the front office loves how "smart" he is).

The Baseball Think Factory has run a 2006 projection using their ZiPS projection system, which adjusts for the ballpark, and these are the results:

2006 ZiPS Projection - Alex Gonzalez
---------------------------------------------------------
AB   R    H  2B 3B  HR RBI  BB  SO  SB    BA   OBP   SLG
---------------------------------------------------------
510  71  140  41  2  15  88  34 104   3  .275  .326  .451

If Sea Bass posts those numbers, he'd actually be an asset on offense, and worth far more than the $3 million he'd be receiving. The .451 SLG would far outperform Edgar Renteria's putrid .385 last season.

Crisp, Loretta, and Lowell, should also see an improvement in their numbers due to the move from pitcher's parks to a hitter's park.

Alex Gonzalez, Sox agree to 1-year deal

2006-01-30T23:39:00.000-05:00

Michael Silverman and Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald are reporting that the Red Sox have signed Alex Gonzalez to a one-year deal worth $3 million and the defensive whiz is expected in town Tuesday, barring weather delays.

Gonzalez is expected to take the required physical Tuesday or Wednesday, by which time the Red Sox are expected to announce the deal officially.

Thank God it's not the 3-year deal that Gonzalez had been rumored to be seeking. The length and value of this contract is reasonable, and while I still feel Cora would have been better with the bat, the front office is obviously focusing on defense at SS, and feel that Gonzalez is the clear favorite. With Gonzalez's superb defensive skills, he will surely serve as a security blanket and allow the pitching staff to relax.

Whither Tony Graffanino? With Gonzalez in the fold, and Alex Cora capable of playing SS and 2B, it doesn't seem reasonable to use another roster spot on Graffanino. My guess is that he is traded during spring training, possibly with David Wells.

With Gonzalez only due to make $3 million, it's possible that if Dustin Pedroia impresses in Pawtucket, he could take over the reins by mid-season. Also, with Julio Lugo the only competent SS available as a free agent following the season, it'll be interesting to see if the Sox groom Pedroia to be the starter in 2007.

Barring a Graffanino, or a Wells/Clement trade, it appears the off-season has finally come to a close, and I can't help but be happy with what the front office has been able to accomplish. Yes, they've traded some highly-regarded prospects, but in return, they're received Josh Beckett and Coco Crisp -- two players poised to take their games to the next level.

With the restocked Toronto Blue Jays, and the extraordinary offense of the Yankees, 2006 is sure to be a dogfight from start to finish. Only 18 more days until pitchers and catchers report.

Coco Crisp interview

2006-01-30T08:08:00.001-05:00

Ben Platt of MLB.com was able to catch up with Coco Crisp and get his thoughts on coming to Boston and playing for the Sox.

The kid definitely has a good head on his shoulders and seems absolutely psyched to be on his way to Fenway.

Check out the video and see Coco in his new Sox hat here.

Let Coco play his own game

2006-01-30T01:52:00.000-05:00

It's inevitable. Coco Crisp will have to bear the unfair burden of being Johnny Damon's "replacement." With the drawn out Damon negotiations, and the Crisp trade that suffered the same fate, it's only natural to compare Coco to Johnny, especially with Coco sliding into the exact same role Johnny held -- center fielder and leadoff hitter.

However, fans would be wise to let Coco go out there and do his own thing. Yes, Johnny was a terrific player here. He got on base. He hustled. He was fun to root for. There's no disputing any of that. But realize this -- Coco Crisp is an accomplished player too, with his own strengths. He may not be Johnny Damon, but he doesn't have to be. If things go as planned, Johnny Damon will be an afterthought by June, but until then, just let Coco play his own game.

By all accounts, Crisp is a strong enough person to bear the burden of coming to Boston and replacing a fan favorite. Still, who wants to be labeled as a "replacement"? Whether we like it or not, it carries the stigma of being inferior to the predecessor. And by no means is Crisp inferior to Damon. In many ways, he's superior.

The fact that Crisp is six (six!) years younger than Damon cannot be overlooked. Nor can the fact that Crisp is considerably more likely to improve than Damon. Oh yeah, Coco's cheaper -- a lot cheaper. He's projected to make $20 million over the next four seasons, while Damon is due to make $26 over the next two seasons. You tell me what the better investment is.

The Sox no doubt had Crisp penciled in as the next center fielder at Fenway. If Jed Hoyer is to believed, the Sox had been tracking Crisp for the past year and a half. The fact that the Damon negotions were "bumbled" was no accident either. The second the Sox acquired Andy Marte for Edgar Renteria, you can bet their intentions were to flip him for Crisp.

We should be applauding the acquisition of Crisp, not ridiculing the departure of Damon. In 64 days, Coco will be at the plate in Texas, awaiting his first pitch as a member of the Boston Red Sox. It will be the start of something special, not only for him, but for the Red Sox.

Crisp, with Beckett, Papelbon, Youkilis, Delcarmen, Hansen, Lester, and others are the beginning of a new breed of baseball in Boston. Not since Nomar have we had the opportunity to watch a player develop into something special. We finally have that chance again and we should be grateful.

So you Damon disciples, throw away your fake beards, and pour yourselves a nice big bowl of those Coco Krispies 'cause there's a new center fielder in town.

And for the record -- Crisp isn't Damon's replacement, he's his supplanter.

Site Redesign

2006-01-29T21:56:00.000-05:00

I've been fooling around with a little redesign on the blog today, and haven't had much time to punch out a new post. As you can see, the banner sucks. I'm still trying to figure out how to incorporate my original banner into the new template. Anyways, I'm heading back to school tomorrow, but should be able to update by the evening. Take care.

Coco weighs in

2006-01-29T01:30:00.000-05:00

Crisp weighs in on playing in Boston, his approach to the game, and what makes him unique:

"I'm excited. I can't wait to get out there and play. Boston definitely [was] one of my favorite ball teams growing up as a kid. To be able to play for them is like a dream come true."

"I love the game. I play hard, I’m not afraid to run into walls or to get hurt. I think that’s the type of player they love in Boston and I think that’s why they loved Johnny Damon. I’m not afraid to get hurt, I give 100 percent."

"I'm a fun guy. I just like to have fun, pull pranks. That type of a guy."

"I love the whole atmosphere out there, it’s very intense -- I just sit back and relax."

"As far as going into [Damon's] shadow, I don't believe it's like that. I [just have to] play my own game . . . I just sit back and relax. There's nothing really to it. Go out there and play your game and have fun, and the rest takes care of itself."

Theo Epstein's thoughts on Coco:

"He has an energy and a swagger that will translate very well at Fenway. He should be a guy who thrives on the big stage."

"We've been tracking Coco Crisp for a year and a half now."

"It’s safe to say we were not going to give up Marte, probably not in any deal with a player who we’d have under our control for only one to two years. To get a player like Coco, with four years, softens the blow of giving up six years of Andy Marte."

"It's not every day you get a chance to acquire a guy for his age 26, 27, 28, 29 seasons, at least, [and] who we think will be above-average offensively and defensively at a premium position."

"He's already a very accomplished player. [And now] he's moving into his [athletic] prime. He [also] helps us get a little bit younger, a little bit more athletic."

"A couple of his strengths really complement our weaknesses as a club, [such as] his [above-average] defense up the middle and his outstanding baserunning. Also he's a guy who has a chance to hit leadoff. He had a .370 on-base [percentage] last year away from Jacobs Field and he's got a chance to use Fenway to his advantage."

Jed Hoyer's thoughts on Coco:

"We actually identified him [as a potential acquisition] quite a ways back. [Both] our scouting reports and our quantitative analysis had this guy trending straight up."

"Coco was the top guy on the list. That's why we really went after him so hard."

"Almost every person we talked to [during their investigation of Crisp's off-field makeup] really thought he would thrive in our environment."

"He was just an unbelievable player in September. Coco was fantastic in the games that mattered most down the stretch. I think that's something we looked at a lot."

"We’re not in the habit of giving up prospects for short-term gain. We traded a couple of really good 21-year-olds but got some established big leaguers who are 25, 26."

"Obviously, we gave up a lot to get him. But we think it was well worth it."

Quotes courtesy of the Boston Herald and the Providence Journal.

Alex Gonzalez Update

2006-01-28T14:32:00.000-05:00

There were rumors recently that Alex Gonzalez was seeking a 3-year contract. With the Red Sox reportedly very close to signing him, this, no doubt, was an alarming thought.

Thankfully, Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal reported today that the Sox are only interested in Gonzalez "to a degree."

McAdam feels that with Dustin Pedroia close to contributing at the major-league level, the Sox are unwilling to guarantee Gonzalez more than one year. Due to interest from another major-league team, Gonzalez has the possibility of signing elsewhere. He seems likely to make his decision by next week.

If Gonzalez is intent on getting more than a one-year guarantee from the Sox, Boston is expected to hold its ground and go into spring training with the idea that Alex Cora would open the season at short, with Pedroia ready to compete for playing time before midseason.

Boy, am I glad that Theo is back steering this ship. A multi-year deal for Gonzalez would have been reprehensible. A one-year pact is something I could live with, however.

Wrapping up the Crisp deal, Alex Gonzalez, and Arbitration

2006-01-28T02:19:00.000-05:00

The official press release for the Sox/Indians trade states, "The Boston Red Sox have acquired outfielder Coco Crisp, righthander David Riske and catcher Josh Bard from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for righthander Guillermo Mota, third baseman Andy Marte, catcher Kelly Shoppach, cash considerations, and a player to be named or further cash considerations."

Tom Withers of the Associated Press is reporting that the Red Sox agreed to give the Indians at least $1 million in cash considerations. Due to this large sum, Commissioner Bud Selig had to approve the deal before it could be announced.

Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal is reporting that the deal is structured in such a way that if Mota remains healthy for the entire season, the Indians will be given a lesser prospect. If he is sidelined, however, the prospect they select from the Sox will be slightly upgraded.

The details are still cloudy regarding who the list of PTBNL includes, and the stipulations on what would force to the Sox to surrender a player, rather than cash, however.

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com and Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald are both reporting that with the completion of the Crisp trade, the Red Sox are expected to sign free-agent shortstop Alex Gonzalez.

The Sox had delayed finalizing the signing of Gonzalez, knowing they might need to pursue a trade for Devil Rays shortstop Julio Lugo if they failed to acquire Crisp.

Also, a February 14th arbitration hearing has been set for Josh Beckett. The sides are believed to be speaking about only a one-year deal. Beckett, who made $2.425 million last season, is seeking $4.9 million, while the Red Sox want to pay him $3.75 million.

...And the other shoe drops

2006-01-27T19:47:00.000-05:00

MLB.com is reporting that Arthur Rhodes has passed his physical with the Phillies and that the trade should be announced shortly.

Meanwhile, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is now reporting that the Indians/Red Sox deal is done. Arthur Rhodes' physical was the only thing delaying the three-team deal, but the Phillies were expected to make the the Michaels/Rhodes trade official at 8 pm.

The acquisition of Michaels allowed the Indians to send Crisp, switch-hitting catcher Josh Bard and right-hander David Riske to Boston for third base prospect Andy Marte, catcher Kelly Shoppach, right-hander Guillermo Mota, cash and a player to be named.

The player to be named would come from a list of prospects made available to the Indians.

So, finally, the Sox have filled their biggest hole. And it wasn't a one-year or two-year filler. Instead, they acquired an up-and-coming 26-year-old, with the chops to become a stud. It hurts to see Andy Marte go, but while Marte is predicted to be great, Crisp is already knocking on the door to greatness.

Riske is likely an upgrade to Mota, especially considering Mota wasn't 100% healthy. Last season, Riske saw a drop in both his BB totals and K totals. He was able to keep his ERA down because 42% of balls-in-play were groundballs -- up 5% from his previous career high.

If Riske can see a rebound in his K totals, while keeping the ball on the ground, he could be potentially dangerous in 2006.

Hopefully we get an official announcement from the team tonight regarding the trade, so that we can officially welcome Crisp to Boston. There's no doubt in my mind that Crisp is going to be an instant fan favorite. It's clear his fans and teammates in Cleveland were reluctant to see him go. Hopefully this is the beginning of a very long and successful tenure in Boston for Coco.

The first shoe has dropped...

2006-01-27T14:09:00.000-05:00

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer are both reporting that Jason Michaels will finally be swapped for Arthur Rhodes, pending physicals. Rhodes is in Philadelphia today, and if he passes the physical, the deal could be announced later today.

Now, Coco Crisp has to be traded because the Indians would have absolutely no use for Michaels if Crisp remains on the roster. Hoynes also reports that the Indians are still negotiating with Boston on the main part of the trade. Reportedly, the key players in the deal, Crisp, Marte, and Mota, remain the same, while some combination of Riske, Bard, Shoppach, and Delcarmen will be included as well.

It's also worth noting that Rotoworld.com is reporting that they have heard rumors that the proposed swap contains contigencies on Guillermo Mota's health. If Mota spends a certain amount of time on the DL in 2006, the Red Sox may be required to send another prospect to Cleveland. This wouldn't be a bad idea, assuming the prospect isn't from the top 10.

Again, I think it's safe to say that Crisp will be on his way to Boston within the next couple of days.

In other news, the Red Sox have signed lefthanded reliever Craig Breslow. The 25-year-old New Haven, Connecticut native held lefthanded batters to an .063 average (1 hit in 16 at-bats) as a rookie last season. Not a bad signing. He probably won't break camp with the team, but it will be nice to have a decent lefty as insurance in Pawtucket. I wouldn't be surprised if we see him in Boston at some point.

Crisp trade on life support?

2006-01-27T05:12:00.000-05:00

I'm not really sure what to believe right now. Is the Crisp deal gasping its final breaths, or are the Sox finally successful in their attempts to lock the media from internal matters? Since Mota's sketchy physical, the details have been scarce, but we can try to fit the bits and pieces together to figure out what's going on.

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting today that there is still no verdict on the Crisp trade, although players and agents were told that a decision would be reached Thursday. As of late Thursday night, negotiations were ongoing. Late Thursday, Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro, who has been mute on the matter since Monday, confirmed that negotiations were continuing.

This leads me to believe that some progress was made. Had it been apparent that a deal could not be consumated, both parties probably would have called it quits by Thursday evening.

Hoynes also reports that when the Indians raised a question about Mota's right shoulder during his physical Tuesday, they returned to the Red Sox and asked for more. They said they'd take Mota if right-hander Manny Delcarmen was included in the deal. Boston balked and offered two lower-level prospects instead, to which the Indians did not agree and the deal seemed doomed.

Is it possible that a 3-way deal with the Reds can still be achieved? Unfortunately, a source close to the negotiations said it was doubtful the Reds were in the mix with the Indians and Red Sox.

Meanwhile, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald is reporting that according to a baseball source, Mota did not fail the physical and the Indians discovered nothing in their examination of Mota’s right shoulder that the Red Sox had not already told them and that the Red Sox themselves did not already know.

I find this rather interesting, and it leads me to believe that the Indians may simply be bluffing, hoping for Boston to sweeten the pot, seemingly with Manny Delcarmen. I've got enough faith in Theo to believe that he won't be the first to blink.

As of 5:30am Friday morning (why am I awake!), the Globe hasn't published any Sox columns. Maybe the leaks have finally been plugged!

Red Sox sign Dustan Mohr

2006-01-26T20:48:00.000-05:00

According to the Denver Post, the Red Sox and Dustan Mohr have agreed to terms on a minor league deal. This is a decent signing, and Mohr could fit nicely as the 4th outfielder -- the only problem is that Adam Stern is currently the 3rd outfielder. Mohr probably lands above Willie Harris on the OF depth chart.

Last season, Mohr batted .274/.349/.558 against LHP; however, he played in Coors field, so the numbers are undoubtedly inflated.

He's known as a hustler with above average defensive skills. He can play all three outfield positions. From 2000-03, his UZR was +13. Baseball Prospectus rates him a little above average defensively.

What's most promising about him is that from 2003-05 he had an extra base hit every 8.02 at-bats against LHP. With numbers like that, he could very well become Nixon's platoon-mate, if he does indeed break camp with the Sox.

Source: Odds of Crisp going to Boston decreasing

2006-01-26T19:10:00.000-05:00

According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the chances of Coco Crisp landing in Boston could be shrinking by the hour.

While the Red Sox and Indians continued to talk to each other, as well as to the Reds, on Thursday, there were indications that the Indians were beginning to have second thoughts about dealing Crisp.

Stark reports that an official of one team that spoke with the Indians reported Thursday that he got the impression the odds of Cleveland trading Crisp had sunk below 50-50.

Nevertheless, the Indians and Red Sox were still attempting to rework the six-player trade that collapsed Tuesday over concerns about the health of reliever Guillermo Mota. Again, Stark reports that Mota didn't technically "fail" his physical, but his examination raised enough questions that the Indians have told Boston they will keep Mota only if the Red Sox upgrade the rest of the package.

In order to rectify the trade, the Indians want Manny Delcarmen, but the Red Sox are very reluctant to trade him. Because of this, Boston has turned its attention to Cincinnati to see if it can put together a deal for left fielder Austin Kearns. If acquired, the Red Sox then would turn around and deal Kearns to Cleveland for Crisp, with several other players (yet to be determined) also switching area codes.

From here on out, plan on very few details of the Crisp trade, or any trade for that matter. The reconstructed front office has vowed to plug all leaks to the media. The rest of the off-season won't be as much fun for us, but it's in the best interests of the team.

3-way deal with Reds being discussed

2006-01-25T16:31:00.000-05:00

According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the Reds, headed by interim GM Bob Castellini, have jumped back into the mix and all teams are trying to revive a 3-way deal that would send Kearns to Cleveland, Crisp to Boston and Matt Clement to Cincinnati.

Stark reveals that the Indians have always preferred Kearns to Jason Michaels, and that the Phillies always preferred Rafael Betancourt to Arthur Rhodes, but Cleveland was unwilling to give him up.

This deal makes the most sense. The Reds receive the starter they desperately need, Cleveland fills the void in the outfield left by Crisp, and Boston obviously receives their new CF and leadoff hitter. I still feel that the Indians will need to receive more to do the deal, but it shouldn't be anything too significant.

Castellini seems very motivated to make a deal. In Wednesday's Dayton Daily News, he was quoted as saying, "We'll try to re-open some talks and maybe a different voice and a different approach will make a difference. We want to win in 2006 but we can be in the mix by 2007. We'll do what we can right now for '06 and we do have a good nucleus."

Peter Gammons, on WEEI, says that the Cincinnati trade is 3 weeks old, and isn't going to happen. As of right now, the Indians feel the Crisp trade won't happen, but he thinks it will, because the Sox are very motivated to make it happen. Sees the Sox adding a player to the deal to make it all work. He also says that Mota did not fail his physical, but it was bad enough that it scared Cleveland out of the deal.

Mota fails physical, Crisp deal in jeopardy

2006-01-25T02:16:00.000-05:00

All sources are confirming the story that Guillermo Mota failed his physical. However, Mota's agent, Adam Katz, denied the WIP radio report Tuesday night that said Mota had failed his physical with the Indians. Still, Katz acknowledged that the Indians raised issues with Mota's right shoulder, which could kill, or require revision to, the six-player deal that would bring Coco Crisp to Boston.

According to a baseball operative in Philadelphia, the Indians called with the news that Mota had flunked his physical and said, "The deal is dead." This was in reference to both the Michaels trade and the Crisp trade.

Could Mota's failed physical be a blessing in disguise? It's possible. This entire time I've felt the best option was trading for Jason Michaels. He's older, and doesn't have the pop that Crisp has, but he can take a walk and has rated better defensively according to Baseball Prospectus' defensive metric. It also wouldn't require Andy Marte to acquire him.

Still, according to the the AP, a Phillies official, speaking on condition of anonymity because no deal was ever announced, said the Phillies and Indians still could end up making a trade. This doesn't quite make sense to me. The Indians already have 5 outfielders on the their roster, and the addition of Michaels makes no sense unless Crisp is traded.

Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald is now reporting that Sox general manager Theo Epstein and the Indians’ front office last night were trying to restructure the deal and get the right ingredients to satisfy Cleveland. It is also believed that the Reds are interested in reviving the three-team talks that would produce a nine-player swap, in which Matt Clement would go to Cincinnati.

According to Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News, the Reds, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians were in a three-way discussion, working on a proposal that would have brought pitcher Matt Clement to the Reds from the Red Sox. The Reds would have sent outfielder Austin Kearns to Cleveland and the Tribe would have sent outfielder Coco Crisp, catcher Josh Bard and pitcher David Riske to the Red Sox.

At the last moment, Boston front office people say, the Reds backed out, which may have led to the firing of Reds general manager Dan O'Brien.

What's interesting is that there is absolutely no mention of Andy Marte in that 3-way trade. Still, there is no way the Indians trade Crisp, Bard, and Riske to Austin Kearns. There has to be more players involved. Would two mid-level prospects (one each from Boston and Cincinnati) satisfy Cleveland?

Faith in the front office would undoubtedly be restored if they could acquire Crisp without sacrificing Marte. Who knows if this is realistic though.

Nothing is ever easy in Red Sox Nation, huh?

Theo officially returns

2006-01-24T18:22:00.000-05:00

Below is the official statement released by the Boston Red Sox regarding Theo Epstein and the new front office structure:

"The Boston Red Sox today announced that Theo Epstein has returned to the club with the title and responsibilities of Executive Vice President/General Manager. President/CEO Larry Lucchino made the announcement. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Jed Hoyer and Ben Cherington, who shared the role of General Manager during much of the time Epstein was away from the club, will stay on in key leadership positions within the Baseball Operations Department. Hoyer has been named Assistant General Manager, and Cherington has been named Vice President/Player Personnel.

Bill Lajoie and Craig Shipley, who also played an integral role in directing the Baseball Operations Department during much of the offseason, will remain with the Red Sox, Lajoie as Special Advisor/Baseball Operations and Shipley as Vice President/International Scouting and Special Assistant to the General Manager."

CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THE STATEMENT

Report: Guillermo Mota fails physical

2006-01-24T17:23:00.000-05:00

WIP radio in Philadelphia is reporting that the Coco Crisp trade is being held up because Red Sox reliever Guillermo Mota failed his physical.

Awful, awful news. It's now possible that David Riske is now pulled off the table, and possibly replaced with Manny Delcarmen. Hopefully this entire thing just isn't a ploy to receive a pitcher superior to Mota.

Still, the Indians would be foolish to call off the deal, as they're receiving a blue-chip prospect in Andy Marte. If the Indians won't accept a Marte and Shoppach for Crisp and Bard trade, then it's officially time to walk away from the table, and push the Phillies for Jason Michaels.

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Update: The Philadelphia Inquirer is now confirming the report that Mota failed his physical today in Cleveland. This means the Sox will have to try to satisfy the Indians some other way.

It's believed the Sox will try to make that happen because Mota wasn't the key figure in that trade: Crisp and Marte are the key pieces.

So if the Sox can provide the Indians with another piece, most likely bullpen help, the Michaels-Rhodes deal could still happen.

Report: Theo to return as GM

2006-01-24T17:02:00.000-05:00

"Theo was clear in his press conference when he opted not to close the door to the future. But life is constant change and for the most part it is exceedingly unpredictable. He is not going to return as our surprise GM in this process."
-John Henry, 11.22.05

Well, the Boston Herald is currently reporting that Theo is indeed the "surprise GM." According to a baseball source who requested anonymity, the Red Sox are poised to announce Theo Epstein’s return as the general manager of the Red Sox, with roughly the same powers, authority and autonomy he had when he left on Oct. 31.

As for Cherington and Hoyer? They, along with Craig Shipley, are all expected to get new titles. Cherington might become a vice president, possibly of player personnel, while Hoyer could become an assistant GM, as well as Shipley.

While I'm happy Theo is back, I'm pretty damn shocked that he's coming back to fill the exact same position he left. Now I completely understand why the Red Sox refused to hold a press conference regarding this decision. It would have been a media madhouse and surely would not have been the right way to start the new Theo Epstein administration.

"Theo’s back. That’s all I care about. That’s all any of the players care about."
-Curt Schilling, 1.24.06

According to the report, Theo's authority hasn't changed, but he has now become convinced that the work environment has improved to the point where there is more listening, more cooperation and more of an ability to compromise when there are differences. Fair enough. I'd have to assume the issues were bigger than the report lets on, but as long as Theo feels the front office can be productive again, then that means good things for the Boston Red Sox.

I'll update further when the Red Sox officially release a statement regarding Theo.

Coco Crisp deal "imminent"

2006-01-24T02:19:00.000-05:00

Good news -- Jeff Horrigan of the Boston Herald is now reporting the same Coco Crisp deal as the Boston Globe. It breaks down as:

Boston sends: Andy Marte, Guillermo Mota, Kelly Shoppach
Boston receives: Coco Crisp, David Riske, Josh Bard

As I said earlier, this is a good deal, and will help the Sox in the immediate future. Had they held onto Marte, we'd be looking at the earliest substantial contributions coming in 2007, and that would be the best case scenerio.

Horrigan is reporting that the deal is "imminent," and the announcement could come after Mota undergoes his physical in Cleveland today.

If Foulke can return to form, that bullpen is flat out filthy. With the addition of Seanez, Tavarez, and Riske, Timlin won't be forced to pitch every other game. Due to this, he shouldn't see a large drop off in effectiveness from last season. It's also worth noting that Riske is very capable of pitching more than 1 inning per appearance. In 2005, he appeared in 58 games, but pitched a total of 73.2 innings, averaging nearly 1.1 innings per appearance.

The Globe article for Tuesday has not been released yet, but as soon as it is, I'll be sure to update their report.

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I would have assumed that Cleveland fans would be ecstatic over this deal, but apparently that isn't the case. On Monday, Indians.com reporter Anthony Castrovince filed his most recent mailbag, in which he answered fans' questions regarding the trade, and to my surprise, they weren't pleased at all.

All I have to say is economically, the Coco Crisp trade makes no sense to me. Crisp has a breakout season in '05, hitting .300 with 42 doubles, and we have the opportunity to lock him up longterm for next to nothing. This would seem the way to go, instead of looking elsewhere. I do think that Guillermo Mota is a nice addition and Andy Marte would be potentially good in '07, once Aaron Boone's contract is up. But sacrificing one of the main "core" players (and a fan favorite) for a Jeff DaVanon, an unestablished relief pitcher, and a "potential" superstar prospect, doesn't seem to be in proper timing.
-- Joe W., Athens, Ohio

I received my first e-mail about the reports of this trade at 4:28 a.m. Sunday and had roughly 50 more e-mails about it within a matter of hours. Not one of them was from a fan in support of this deal.

As of this writing (Sunday evening), nothing is official. The Indians haven't given any confirmation that the reports from the Boston newspapers are legit.

Personally, I'm a little skeptical about what the Indians would be getting back for Crisp. Trading a player as popular as he is will get the requisite groaning, of course, but this is a move that would seem to benefit the Indians' future much more than the present. Marte is a top third-base prospect who could probably take over the reins from Boone in 2007, but what does that do for the Tribe in '06? Not much.

I'll reserve further judgment until a deal is official (if that happens), but if my inbox is any indication, fans are rather peeved at the prospect of this move.

It's also worth noting that a Cleveland Indian fan called into WEEI's Dennis & Callahan two mornings ago and said, "After about 5 seconds of Coco Crisp, you guys will have completely forgotten about Johnny Damon. He gets on base, he runs everything out, and makes spectacular plays in the field."

In Boston, the fans notice that stuff. If you play like you livelihood is at stake, we'll be on your side. I've got a good feeling Coco won't have any problem with that. Now, don't we have a couple press conferences to get to?

Updating the Coco Crisp Saga

2006-01-23T19:12:00.000-05:00

Lots of things have been published regarding the Crisp trade, but it's impossible to figure out who has the correct scoop. I'll do my best to breakdown the three trade scenerios that have been reported.

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Today, Chris Snow reported that the Sox reached an agreement in principle with the Indians on a complex six-player deal centered upon 26-year-old Coco Crisp that also will bring to town a quality setup man in 28-year-old David Riske and young catcher Josh Bard. In return, the Indians would receive Andy Marte, Guillermo Mota, and Kelly Shoppach.

Now this is a deal I could live with. Earlier this off-season there were reports that David Riske was a candidate to be non-tendered by the Indians. If such a move was made, I wanted the Red Sox to go hard after him. He's 29 years old, and although his strikeout numbers dropped in 2005, his walk totals did as well, and he was able to maintain a very good ERA.

Also, as I've taken a closer look at Crisp, it's worth noting that his offensive numbers were most definitely suppressed by Jacobs Field. He posted a 119 OPS+ last season (Damon's career high is 117 in 2000 and 2004). He should definitely be able to post a batting average around .300 and an OBP approaching .350. His walk totals have gone up every season as well, and as a 26-year-old, the possibility for improvement in his strikezone awareness is definitely there.

Josh Bard was once an interesting prospect, but he is now a 28-year-old that has shown zilch at the major league level. While I would have liked to have seen Shoppach given a fair shot to win the backup catching duties for 2006, seeing him traded is no huge loss. He is going to be 26 years old and is blocked by Varitek for the next three seasons. With the Sox essentially using their backup catcher as Tim Wakefield's personal battery-mate, being able to handle the knuckleball was their primary concern. Due to this, it made the most sense for the Sox to get value for Shoppach while they could.

I'm still not so keen on trading Andy Marte, but I am warming to it. There have been some reports about a balky right elbow, and his major league debut coupled with his less-than-stellar performance in the Dominican Winter League, have forced some scouts and analysts to sour on him. Still, I feel he will have a very solid career. Remember, he is only 22 years old.

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Jeff Horrigan of the Boston Herald is reporting today that the Red Sox and Cleveland Indians reached an agreement that would send 26-year-old outfielder Crisp, and possibly a minor leaguer, to the Sox in exchange for top third base prospect Andy Marte and relief pitcher Guillermo Mota.

Furthermore, Horrigan reports that the Indians, in an expanded deal, are said to be asking about Red Sox pitching prospect Manny Delcarmen.

This is a deal I would not be pleased with. The addition of Riske makes the deal reasonable and without his inclusion, the trade is extremely questionable. If we are to believe the minor league is "low-level," as previous reports indicated, the trade doesn't seem any more attractive. And while I'm not as high on Delcarmen as some, his inclusion would border on ridiculous. However, if it's an upper-lever prospect (i.e. Garko, Cabrera), then the deal comes back into the realm of practicality.

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In our final permutation of the deal, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that the Indians and Red Sox are considering a six-player trade that would send Crisp and two low-level minor league to Boston for Marte, Mota, and another minor league pitcher.

As I stated in an earlier update, this deal is impossible to analyze. Without knowing the identities of the minor leaguers, it would be fruitless to come to a conclusion on whether or not this deal is reasonable.

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It appears we won't know the truth until a deal is completed. Some reports have stated that player physicals, specifically Mota's, are the only thing holding up this trade, so something could shake loose in the next day or two.

Update: Sox reach deal for Crisp

2006-01-22T21:23:00.000-05:00

This report is via the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Source: Indians to trade Crisp

7:17 p.m.

Depending on how right-hander Guillermo Mota's physical goes, Coco Crisp could be Boston's new center fielder sometime this week.The Indians and Boston, according to a major league source, are considering a six-player trade that would send Crisp and two low-level minor leaguers to Boston for third base prospect Andy Marte, Mota and another a minor league pitcher. The Indians would then trade Mota to Philadelphia for outfielder Jason Michaels.There's also a chance that the Indians could keep Mota, if he passes his physical, and send David Riske or Arthur Rhodes to the Phillies. If Mota doesn't pass the Indians and Phillies physical, the three-team deal could be scrubbed.

- Paul Hoynes

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So, now we find out that Mota may very well be flipped to Philadelphia for Jason Michaels! The Sox most definitely feel that Crisp is superior to Michaels, but is the difference between them really worth Andy Marte? The only sane answer here is that the front office is scared of Michaels due to his incident with a police officer last July.

I've emailed Hoynes to see if he has any idea who the minor leaguers are. Until then, we're just left to speculate. He claims the two minor leaguers coming from Cleveland are "low-level," which means we won't be seeing their big bopper, Ryan Garko, involved.

I'll comment further on this deal when the names of the prospects are released.

Report: Sox reach deal for Crisp

2006-01-22T02:25:00.000-05:00

Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald is reporting that the Red Sox and Indians have agreed in principle on a deal that will bring outfielder Crisp to the Sox in a multi-player trade. The deal was agreed upon several days ago under the condition that Cleveland be able to acquire another outfielder to replace Crisp, presumably Jason Michaels from the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Red Sox will send a package including reliever Guillermo Mota and prospect Andy Marte to the Indians.

According to the report, the Phillies and Indians were hoping to complete the deal for Michaels as soon as last night. Cleveland was believed to be sending one of two relievers - left-hander Arthur Rhodes or right-hander Rafael Betancourt - to the Phillies in exchange for Michaels.

Ok, where the hell do I start?

I think Crisp is a great player, don't get me wrong, but is he worth one of the best prospects in baseball, a decent reliever, and possibly others? I guess I could swallow that trade, if I tried hard enough. What really burns is the fact that the Indians may acquire Jason Michaels for Arthur f'n Rhodes. The guy is 36 years old. We couldn't have topped that?

All things considered, Crisp vs Michaels is a toss-up. Their defense is center field is debatable, and while Michaels will be on base more often, Crisp will hit for a higher SLG%.

The difference lies in what it costs to acquire them. If this report is accurate, it's not even close. The baseball operations department choked. I understand they were under pressure, and Coco may be more of a household name than Michaels, but with Andy Marte, the Sox had something special.

I realize the front office will try to spin this entire thing into an 'Edgar Renteria for Coco Crisp' trade, but that completely undersells how great the preceding Renteria/Marte trade was.

I'm holding out hope that we're receiving someone along with Crisp. Yesterday, Chris Snow reported that the Sox and Indians were working a 6-player trade, although players were said to be moving in and out of the trade, depending on the current permutation. What do we need though? Another reliever? Betancourt or their relief prospect, Fernando Cabrera, would be nice. There's no way this trade is even close to worthwhile if we don't receive a solid player in addition to Crisp.

What haunts me most is what Peter Gammons proclaimed that, years from now, Red Sox fans would look back on this off-season and and remember it as the winter that we acquired Andy Marte. Typing that almost makes me feel ill.

Oh yeah, did I mention that Tony Mazz is also reporting that the Sox are on the verge of signing shortstop Alex Gonzalez? Just when I thought things couldn't really get any worse. We already have two shortstops on the roster that are better than A-Gon (does he even deserve a nickname?). Gonzalez has a career .291 OBP. Defensively, he'll have to be Ozzie Smith x100 to make up for his utter ineptness with the bat. If the Sox give him a multi-year deal, I will have completely lost faith in this organization.

If this trade goes down, the Cleveland Indians are officially one of the scariest teams in the league. Check out a projected starting lineup:

CF: Sizemore
LF: Michaels
DH: Hafner
C: Martinez
SS: Peralta
2B: Belliard
1B: Broussard
3B: Marte
RF: Blake

Only one of their starters, Casey Blake (32) is older than 30. That's a flat out viscious starting 9. I'm just glad they don't play in the American League East.

Hopefully, in the coming days, we'll get some more info on this trade, and we'll be better able to analyze it. I think the addition of Crisp will be a positive one. Crisp should also see his numbers improve, as Jacobs Field ranked dead last in runs, and 3rd from last in home runs in 2005.

I believe AZBlue of SoSH summed this entire thing up best -- "I hope that we will not be using the shift key and the top row of keys on our keyboards referring to the subsequent trade of Marte to the Indians."

Amen to that.

Coco Crisp Update

2006-01-21T02:56:00.000-05:00

Chris Snow is reporting today that "the Red Sox, in their ongoing quest to replace center fielder Johnny Damon, continue to work diligently with the Indians on a six-player deal, at the center of which is Coco Crisp, a 26-year-old with speed, range, and a bat that appears capable of hitting .300 each season."

That's the good news. The bad news is that you can all but guarantee that Andy Marte will be a centerpiece in said trade. Snow adds, "In the most recent version of a deal that has been undergoing regular revision, the Sox, according to multiple major league sources, would be giving up third base prospect Andy Marte, setup man Guillermo Mota, and another player, presumably a prospect. The Indians would send Crisp to Boston along with two other players/prospects. As of last night, the deal appeared to have some parts moving into and out of the equation."

The phrasing of "moving parts" leads me to believe that the main pieces of this deal have been pretty much agreed upon.

This potential trade is tough to judge at this stage, as we don't have any idea of who is included beyond Crisp, Marte, and Mota. If the Sox can get a top prospect (RHP Fernando Cabrera?) from Cleveland as well, then it may be worth it.

Hopefully more details will surface, and the trade can better analyzed.

Over at RedSoxStats.com, the feeling is that Coco Crisp is not worth Andy Marte, due to Crisp's questionable defense in center field. In limited time in center, Crisp has played poorly defensively, according to Baseball Prospectus' Rate2 fielding metric. However, Crisp has been nothing short of excellent in left field, which may lead the Sox brass to believe that Crisp is a good bet to improve with more time in center.

Meanwhile, my personal favorite, Jason Michaels, has been a defensive stud in center field.

Offensively, Crisp is solid. Of all prospective CFs, Crisp sits at the top. RedSoxStats has provided an offensive breakdown:

In terms of bang for your buck, I still feel Michaels is the better option. He rates better defensively and will be on base more often. With the exorbitant asking prices for Crisp and Reed, Michaels should be our target.

He's baaack

2006-01-20T03:09:00.000-05:00

As you probably already know, Theo Epstein is back. Back as what, you ask? Well, we still don't know, but he's back -- and I'm happy. However, per usual, the local hacks [read: Shaughnessy and Massarotti] are skewering Theo and the rest of the Red Sox braintrust.

What, are you guys suddenly surprised that he's back? The rumors have been flying about his return since just before the Winter Meetings in December. I don't claim to know the whole story of what forced Theo cut his "official" ties with the team for 2.5 months, but I do know that Theo is as capable as any to run a baseball team, and that his "official" return is a positive one, no matter how you choose to dissect it.

Were his reasons for leaving selfish? Perhaps. Are we ever going to find out what his reasons were? Probably not. Shaughnessy claims, without direct quotes, that members of the baseball operations department are displeased with Theo. Uh oh! It seems like Theo has remained plenty chummy with Ben and Jed, and from every single quote that has been released in reference to Theo, it has appeared that they can't wait for him to rejoin the front office. But you're right, CHB, Theo isn't a popular guy anymore.

"When Jed and I accepted these positions several weeks ago, we did so in most part to maintain a sense of continuity in baseball [operations]. Theo's return will be a significant step toward maintaining that continuity."
-Ben Cherington on the return of Theo Epstein

So, in short, nice try, Shaughnessy. It's nice to see you're still not missing an opportunity to inject yourself into the story. Your most recent article reads like Cliff Notes from an episode of 24. Whatever happened to journalism?

Anyways, enough time wasted on him -- back to Theo. Like I said, I don't know his personal reasons for leaving, nor do I really care. As a fan, and as someone who is looking to get into the very profession Theo is in, my #1 goal is fielding a competitive team, and in turn, winning championships. There isn't even a #2. Theo has proven himself a winner, just as Bill Belichick has (another victim of a CHB backhanded comment). These two men have earned the right to make decisions without being crucified.

Right now, there are only three certainties vis-a-vis the Boston Red Sox: Theo is back, we need a center fielder, and we need a shortstop. If the latter two can be addressed by April 3rd, the Red Sox will be in good hands.

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In other news, the Red Sox signed infielder-outfielder Willie Harris to a minor league contract. He'll earn $650,000 if he makes the team and it's likely that he will. As it stands now, he probably tops the center field depth chart, although I envision the Sox acquiring a superior player to man the role in 2006. His OBPs of .343 and .333 the last two years aren't too terrible, and he has a career 80% stolen base success rate. If he's limited to less than 200 at-bats, he could be an asset.

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Red Sox are showing interest in free-agent outfielder Jeff DaVanon, an indication that they aren't close to landing one of their top candidates: the Indians' Coco Crisp, Mariners' Jeremy Reed, and A's Jay Payton. Jeff DaVanon has been a favorite of many on SoSH, and the reasons are understandable. The guy has MASHED lefties in the past; however, if you look at his year-by-year OPS vs lefthanders, you'll see he pretty much only hits them in odd-numbered years.

2005: 28 AB, 1.050 OPS
2004: 22 AB, 0.376 OPS
2003: 38 AB, 1.035 OPS
2002: 11 AB, 0.348 OPS
2001: 25 AB, 0.899 OPS

Career: 130 AB, 0.806 OPS

So will Jeff DaVanon hit lefthanders in 2006? Your guess is as good as mine. If he can, then we've found an excellent platoon-mate for Nixon in right field. If the price is right, it's probably worth looking into.

Lastly, despite Rosenthal's report, Chris Snow is reporting that there were ongoing conversations between the Sox and Indians yesterday, aimed at bringing outfielder Coco Crisp to Boston. The deal, according to a major league source, probably would cost the Sox top prospect Andy Marte and probably would include multiple players changing sides.

Crisp would be an excellent successor to Johnny Damon, but is he worth Andy Marte (and possibly more)? Tough to say. As it stands, Crisp is a good player, who has the ability to become great. Andy Marte is a player who has dominated all minor league levels, but hasn't proven a single thing in the majors. The only way a trade with Cleveland is worthwhile is if the Sox receive Rafael Betancourt as well. Betancourt has a career 140 ERA+. He's the real deal.

Could shortstop Jhonny Peralta be included? I highly doubt it. Would I trade Andy Marte in a package for Crisp and Peralta? In a second.

I guess the only thing we can do is sit back and wait for things to unfold. Never a dull moment, huh?

Arroyo, Sox close in on 3-year deal

2006-01-19T01:55:00.000-05:00

CBS4's Dan Roche and the Herald's Michael Silverman are both reporting that Bronson Arroyo is nearing a 3-year deal worth between $11 and $12 million (Herald states it as "slightly less than $11.5 million"). The contract also includes another $1 million in incentives, according to the Herald.

A contract with $4 million AAV for a pitcher that is pretty much a shoo-in to post double digit wins is an absolute bargain. Pitchers far worse than Arroyo are getting contracts approaching $10M per season (see Washburn, Jarrod).

However, this deal is even more interesting due to the fact that Arroyo was "driven by a belief that accepting his first long-term contract will help him remain a Red Sox the rest of his career." His agents, Terry Bross and Gregg Clifton, were advising him to continue with 1-year deals, which would have probably made him more money, but he chose the security of a long-term deal instead.

According to Roche's report, "With this deal, Arroyo also has basically a 'gentleman's agreement' that he won't be shipped to another team this off-season." Extremely interesting, as I've felt all offseason that Arroyo was their most tradable commodity, and is now even more attractive with his fresh 3-year contract signed well below his true market value.

In Silverman's article, Clifton was quoted as saying, “I just hope, as does Terry, that the Red Sox don’t use this discount to deal him away to another team."

I find this entire situation very compelling because, while I've felt that Arroyo would be a very valuable trading chip, he is now signed to a ridiculously good contract, and actually wants to remain in Boston. He is exactly the type of player I want on this team -- a guy who values winning and happiness over a big payday. With guys like Manny and Boomer trying to force their way out of town, it is positively refreshing to see what Bronson Arroyo has just done.

It's funny, how a day ago I wrote how I felt the Red Sox would be well-served by trading Arroyo after signing him to a 3-year pact, no matter how much his salary called for. Now he is probably even more attractive to other teams, and would fetch even more in trade, and I suddently don't want to trade him.

If the Sox really are sincere when they say they're not going to trade Bronson, I've got to assume that the Sox are closer to trading Wells or Clement than we've been led to believe lately. There's no way the Sox pay Bronson $4 to be a middle reliever in an already overstocked bullpen. I believe the first shoe has finally dropped.

Arroyo should be held onto -- a pitcher with his contract and his attitude is far more valuable than the numbers bear out. As Curt Schilling so proudly stated, "I take the kid on Saturday. He's got balls the size of Saturn."

Batting Eye

2006-01-18T15:25:00.000-05:00

In his 2006 Baseball Forecaster, Ron Shandler explains how 'Batting Eye' is a leading indicator of potential batting average. The formula is simply (Walks / Strikeouts). While this may seem entirely intuitive, it's rather interesting when you see the breakdown of how a batter's Eye correlates with his batting average.

So for example, in 2003 Bill Mueller totaled 59 walks and 77 strikeouts, approximately resulting in a 0.77 Batting Eye. Therefore, he should have batted closer to .281 that season (and probably even lower than that), but due to some luck, he was able to raise his batting average by atleast 45 points.

However, Mueller obviously isn't the only batter finding himself hitting for a higher average than his Batting Eye would indicate. Shandler illustrates this by breaking the above Batting Eye graph into percentage plays.

Mueller was able to to fall into the 32% category of hitters that batted over .300 with an Eye in the 0.76-1.00 range. When you consider that he was at the very bottom of the 0.77-1.00 range AND batted well over .300 (.326, to be exact), you realize that his 2003 was filled with luck.

I personally believe that some hitters do have the ability to keep their BABIP (batting average on balls in play) high from season to season, while most hitters do not. Considering 2003 was the first full season that Mueller batted over .300, we can conclude that it was indeed luck.

On the other end of the spectrum, we see that batters with eye ratios under 0.50 have only a 21% chance of batting over .300. So while it's very possible that one of these batters will someday post a .300+ batting average, we can safely assume that they will not sustain this level of performance.

In a study covering 1995-2000, only 37 batters hit .300 with an eye ratio below 0.50 in at least 300 at-bats. Interestingly, of this group, only 30% were shown to exhibit the unique ability to accomplish this feat on a consistent basis. For the other .70%, the .300+ season was purely an aberration, never to be consistently repeated.

Sox sign Mota, Close to deal with Arroyo

2006-01-18T04:20:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, the Red Sox and reliever Guillermo Mota were able to avoid arbitration by agreeing on a one-year, $3 million contract.

This seems pretty fair to me. Mota made $2,600,000 last season, so the $400,000 bump in salary was reasonable, and he assuredly would have earned more in arbitration.

Meanwhile, Josh Beckett and Bronson Arroyo, who are both also arbitration eligible, exchanged figures with the club, and hope to reach an agreement before their hearings in February.

In today's Boston Globe, Chris Snow reports:

"...the most intriguing development wasn't the deal that got done but the deal that is in the works: a multiyear contract, probably for three years, for Bronson Arroyo, the 28-year-old righthander who just three winters ago was waived by the Pittsburgh Pirates."

This seems like a no-brainer here. If the Sox choose to hold onto Bronson, he's locked in at a reasonable salary for the next three seasons. Should they choose to trade him, his contract is even more appealing, as teams will be aware of exactly how much he is set to earn. As Snow mentions, with Arroyo, you pretty much know what you're getting -- 30 starts, 10-15 wins, and an ERA in the mid-to-low 4's. Nothing spectacular, but with the current state of pitching, Bronson is far from a shlub.

Furthermore, Snow states:

"Beckett -- who is new to the team, new to the American League, and comes with some injury concerns (finger blisters and right shoulder tendinitis) -- is someone the team would prefer to ink to a one-year deal."

Can't blame the Sox here either. While it would certainly be nice to ink Beckett to a longer contract, it's just not responsible with his recent injury issues. He is under the contractual control of the Sox for the next two seasons, so there really is no rush from the team's end. If he is able to pitch 200 innings in 2006, the Sox will likely look to sign him to a long-term contract.

Tek unhappy with moves

2006-01-17T03:36:00.000-05:00

In Tuesday's Boston Herald, Jeff Horrigan reports that Sox catcher Jason Varitek isn't pleased with the roster turnover that has taken place this offseason.

“I’ve played with these guys for a very long time and won a championship with these guys, so they’re very special to me,” said Varitek, who is entering the second season of a four-year, $40 million contract. “Doug, Kevin, Johnny and Bill brought intangibles of playing hard, getting dirty and grinding out games. You appreciate playing with people like that, and you hope that it isn’t lost by whoever they do bring in.”

“I can’t dwell on the fact that we don’t have (Damon and Renteria),” he said. “It’s like losing Pedro (and) you can’t replace them, (but) I’ll see what they present to us to fill these spots and work with what we have.”

I've never ever been critical of Varitek. He's a class act, and one of the players I can't help but root for, but right now, I'm crying "Boo hoo, Jason." You forgot to mention that your buddy Johnny had the opportunity to remain in Boston. He chose to leave. The Sox set a limit of what they were willing to offer him, went to said limit, and it still wasn't enough. That's life, and it's no one's fault.

I can understand how you're upset that they traded your backstop counterpart in Doug. I'm sure you guys bounced things off of eachother all the time, but the trade for Loretta was borderline robbery. For you not to appreciate that is a shame.

Kevin? Sure, he's a good guy, but he lost his ability to hit. Plain and simple. Youkilis will be nothing short of a significant upgrade at first base in 2006.

How come baseball is a "business" to these players, up until something happens that they don't agree with, then it's suddenly "personal"? It doesn't work both ways. A player leaves for greener ($) pastures, and it's just business, but God forbid a team trades a player you happen to be chums with. Well, then it's personal.

Change was inevitable, especially when you consider the ages of the players on the 2004 championship team. I would have loved to see Bill Mueller stay; however, he's now 35, and has bad knees to boot. Dealing for Andy Marte to eventually take over as the everyday third baseman was a deal that had to be made, even if it cost Edgar Renteria (who many weren't even upset to see leave).

Had any other player made these comments, I would have just brushed them aside, but for the team captain not to recognize that the team has upgraded (despite the holes at SS and CF), it's pretty disheartening.

I'll admit it, 2006 could very well be a small step backwards, but to disregard the influx of talent in the upper minors is foolish. By 2008, the Sox will be looking at a rotation including Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon, and Jon Lester. Andy Marte will be at 3B. Dustin Pedroia at 2B. Jacoby Ellsbury will hopefully be on the cusp of taking over a spot in the outfield. Craig Hansen will be an anchor at the back of the bullpen.

And you're upset, Mr. Varitek? Please forgive me, as I do not pity you. Yeah, you may have to work a tad harder in spring training getting to know the new guys, but that's your job -- and you're damn good at it. You and the rest of the team will be just fine. Have a little faith.

Blown Calls. . .

2006-01-16T02:48:00.000-05:00

Never in my life have I seen so many poor calls in such a short period of time. There were probably even more, as I wasn't able to watch each game in their entirety. Let's recap:

Asante Samuel's bogus pass interference penalty
Asante Samuel being ruled out of bounds on his interception
The non-false start call on Jason Elam's 50-yard field goal
Troy Polamalu's non-interception
Thomas Jones fumbling through the end zone, but having it ruled a touchdown

All of these blunders were soo obvious to the naked eye. Aren't the best officiating crews selected for the postseason? These mistakes should not be happening. In football, one missed call can completely change the outcome of a game.

Had Polamalu's interception been ruled correctly at the time of the play AND after the review, the game would not have been such a nailbiter. The Colts got a second life, and were a made field goal away from capitalizing on it. If Samuel isn't flagged for a pass interference penalty, the stagnant Bronco offense probably doesn't march 40 yards and score a touchdown, completely changing the dynamic of the game.

I understand mistakes happen. The game is played in real-time, not slo-mo, like we see on television, but these are game-changing errors. And one of them, Polamalu's INT, wasn't even ruled correctly after the official review. It wasn't ruled a catch because he didn't stand up with the ball after doing a complete roll, while having absolute possession of the football? So what happens when a receiver dives for a ball, catches it, rolls over, and is then touched by a defender? He never stood up with the ball, but he's still ruled to have had possession. It just doesn't make sense if you don't call it the same in both instances, but I digress.

Hopefully, next weekend's games don't rest of the refs' shoulders. Bring in the best officiating crews and let the boys play.

Update: On Monday, the NFL came out and acknowledged that referee Pete Morelli erred when he overturned Polamalu's interception of a Peyton Manning pass Sunday in the playoff game between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.

Mike Pereira, the league's vice president of officiating, said in a statement that Morelli should have let the call on the field stand.

"He maintained possession long enough to establish a catch. Therefore, the replay review should have upheld the call on the field that it was a catch and fumble."

While I do appreciate the NFL being very frank when one of their officials makes an error, it still does not make up for such egregious mistakes. Again, I pray this weekend's games are error-free. May the best team prevail.

Ramblings. . .

2006-01-15T17:45:00.000-05:00

If the Devil Rays want Andy Marte for Julio Lugo, well, they can keep Julio Lugo.
I think the Red Sox eventually enter spring training with Alex Cora penciled in as the starter at SS.
Pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers on February 19th. Only 35 more days.
Matisyahu is the real fuckin deal y'all. Check him on Letterman tomorrow night.
The Sox will acquire a very good centerfielder. Coco Crisp? Jason Michaels? Jeremy Reed? A strong defensive RF/LF that could make the switch to CF? Don't be surprised.
David Wells won't be traded. He will report to Spring Training.
The starter who will be traded? Bronson Arroyo.
The Dodgers got hosed in the Danys Baez deal.
I better land that internship with the Sox :)
Asante Samuel did not commit pass interference; Troy Polamalu did intercept that pass; and Champ Bailey did fumble through the end zone.
The newest Boston Bruin, Nathan Robinson, has one of the better nicknames ever -- The Chocolate Rocket.
24 is overrated and it's way too dark in CTU.
This iHome thing for the iPod is pretty damn sweet.
Dustin Pedroia deserves a legitimate shot at winning the SS position.
Vanderjagt's missed FG? Schadenfreude.
Julian Tavarez will not replace Johnny as the new Red Sox heartthrob. Sorry ladies.
Will Peyton Manning ever win a meaningful game?
San Francisco Chronicle columnist Bruce Jenkinson the Sox' signing of Tavarez: ''Plumbing the depths of idiocy, the Red Sox signed crazy man Julian Tavarez for setup relief. No problem, though; the Sox' fans are onto his fraudulence. They'll have him run out of town by the trading deadline." We'll see.
Champ Bailey on his interception: "It was a great play by me." Good to see he's still humble.
Ben Watson sprinting 100+ yards to cut down Bailey at the 1-yard line was one those No Way Did He Just Do That! moments. It ranks right up there with Carl Crawford scoring on a sacrifice fly from SECOND BASE.
Matt "We want the ball and we're gonna score" Hasselbeck is a joke. He did himself no favors with that fruity post-game outfit.
Snowmobiling is a blast.
I'm playing the best poker of my life right now, somehow. Seriously.
Can't wait until Harold and Kumar Go To Amsterdam is released.
Sorta bummed my digital camera didn't reach the reserve price on eBay. I'll have to relist it eventually.
The Steelers/Broncos game is another one of those Can They Both Lose? games.
My winter break is wayyyy too long.
I wish I was working more. I need the $$$.
Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster 2006 is going to be hanging together by snot by the time this coming baseball season is over. Incredible stuff.
Grandma's Boy was funny and no, I'm not kidding.
All Audioslave songs sound the same to me.
Chicken quesadillas might be the best food on the planet.
Bringing that 4'' tv to work the other day was a terrific idea.
Nomar Garciaparra will finally play a full season.
Kiko Calero's middle name? Nomar.
I miss Lazer 99.3 when I'm not at school. 90 minutes of non-stop rock.
CBS produces a better football game, while FOX produces a better pre-game show. Still, Boomer Esiason of CBS knows more than anyone else.
Josh Beckett will pitch 200 innings.
Last, but not least, the Toronto Blue Jays are becoming way overrated. If they finish higher than 3rd place, I'll shut down this blog.

It's Over

2006-01-14T23:48:00.000-05:00

So, the run of 10 straight postseason wins is over. The Patriots have finally lost. I sit here right now feeling pretty dejected. It's a weird feeling. I'm a 10x bigger Sox fan than Pats fan, yet I wasn't nearly this upset when the Sox were bounced last postseason. Maybe it's because I knew deep down that the Sox weren't good enough to win it all (though I thought they could take Chicago), while I felt the Pats were certainly good enough to win another title.

The streak obviously had to end at some point. This team was by no means invincible, but the way they lost tonight was just brutal. The stalwarts of this team were the ones making the blunders. Brady being intercepted by Champ Bailey in the endzone; Brown flubbing a punt return; Vinatieri muffing a field goal he should have hit. In other words -- we were watching the Bizarro Patriots.

There's just not much you can do about it I guess. You're not going to win on the road while committing 5 turnovers. Everything just went downhill following the bogus 40+ yard pass interference penalty.

If the Pats were to play the Broncos tomorrow, it's a closer game. These are mistakes that just don't normally happen. Oh well. We'll be back next season.

One bright spot -- Ben Watson. That was such an all-pro play, I don't even know where to begin. The juxtaposition between Watson and that punk Bailey was so clear as you watched that play unfold. It's a shame there weren't better camera angles because it's very possible that ball was knocked through the endzone. We'll never know though.

The good news: Pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers in about four weeks and I can't wait.