Pants Optional

Game 3: Opening Day II - Electric Boogaloo

2008-04-02T15:53:00.002-04:00

So, THATS the Daisuke I want to see from now on. Dice was absolutely nasty. He started out, I thought, a little shaky and then he gave up a solo shot to Jack Cust and, I'll be honestly, I was ready for him to turn into Dice-BB; instead, he was Dice-KKKKKKKKK. Probably dishonored by his walking the ballpark in the Japan Opener, he bounced back beyond any fans reasonable expectations going 6 2/3s, giving up 1 ER while striking out 9 and - and this is important - absolutely no walks.

Meanwhile, the Sox offensive struggles continued. Despite a total of nine hits, they only scored twice. Youk was the star and went 3-for-4 with a freakin' triple. Watching him 'speed' around the bases is comedy gold. Honestly, we should have had more if it wasn't the combination of Hannahan - like 5,000 crazy good plays - and the umps - calling Tek's CLEAR homerun a double. Seriously, teach the umpires basic physics. A ball hitting a regular wall does not bounce UP. A ball hitting a lip marked by a yellow line? Yeah, that bounces up. The rest of the offensive blunders include Manny earning my ire by making outs on the first goddamn pitch THREE times. What the hell, Ramirez? Papi is still 0-for the season and I'm starting to worry.

Papelbon however? Not worried about him. After his frighteningly mortal March appearances, he came out in the eight for the four out save and proclaimed for the world to hear "That was MARCH. This is April, motherfuckers. It's go time!" After getting the last out in the eighth with a ground out, he struck out the side in glorious fashion in the ninth.

State of the Pants II

2008-04-01T16:27:00.003-04:00

Well, the "for reals" opener is upon us, so I just thought I'd talk briefly about this blog and what I hope to do with it. Anytime you see "State of the Pants" in the title of the post, it means that it's a post regarding the status of the blog, updates, news, etc.

First off, a commentator (liza) mentioned that she found my tag "Fuck A Hairy Duck" amusing. I don't want to receive credit for something I didn't come up with at ALL, so I'll cite it real quick. I'm an Aerospace Engineer by degree and as such one of my favorite Michael Crichton books is Airframe (one of those no one's heard of). In it, upon seeing the extent of the damage to airplane in the story, one of the engineers assigned to figure out what went wrong exclaims "Fuck a hairy duck!" I loved the phrase and, for Pants Optional, it will be used to signify an event that causes a great deal of anger or anguish. The opposite end of the spectrum is "Sweet Zombie Jesus" and, yes, that one IS mine.

Second off, I really really hope to have a Gamepost summarizing every game I actually get to watch, done very similar to Keep Your Sox On. I'll do my best to keep to that, and hopefully I'll be occasionally amusing. I may try an occasional live blog, but that'll be rare, if ever, as I tend to split my in-game commentary between Yanksfan Vs Soxfan, Out In Centerfield and Sons of Sam Horn.

Third, I'm going to try to include more statistical analysis in some of my posts as I'm a huge fan. It's gonna take me a while to find the proper balance between my rational sabermetric side and the side of me that wants to throw things when Daisuke gives up a run in the first inning or that freaks out at how awesome Ellsbury is while burying the knowledge that Santana would have been better deep in the back of my mind. Also, I tend to be pessimistic alot, more out of fear than any logic - just take a look at YFvSF's game thread for the first game of the 2007 ALDS.

Anyway, thats all I have to say I think.

Tonight is Opening Day (for reals) and its about god damn time.

Game 2: Let's Never Do That Again

2008-03-26T19:44:00.005-04:00

Boston Red Sox - 1; Oakland Athletics - 5

Ok, I'm serious. Baseball at 6am sucks. Especially when you worked until midnight the night before and have to be BACK at work at 10 AM. Trying to squeeze a 3+ hour ball game in between those time frames (especially after an up all night Opening Day-a-thon), is an exercise in masochism. It took THREE Red Bulls to get me through my shortened 8 hour shift and I feel like I'm in a fog. So, Mr Selig, you can take your international goodwill and shove it - no more games in Japan!

As for the last of the Japan Series, well we lost. I know it's only one of, hopefully, 60-70 losses to come, but it still leaves me feeling bitter. I was kinda hoping to hit the ground running this year and, to make it worse, we get to sit with the taste of this loss in our mouth for the next five days, before there's meaningful baseball again. ANOTHER drawback of this crappy schedule. Honestly, I think I would have rather lost Opening Day and won this game.

The Bad: Jon Lester. That pretty much says it all. 4 Earned Runs over 4 innings with a healthy serving of walks and 85 pitches? Not making us feel better about the aborted Santana trade, kid. I KNOW its only one start. I KNOW its early. However, the problems in this game look exactly like the problems Lester has had in the past - only now he's healthy (still good!). I'm hoping that Theo and Farrell (who raved about Lester in the off-season) haven't made a big mistake here and that Lester's ceiling is that of a 4th or 5th starter.

Secondary Bad: The Offense. I really don't want to have to go through this whole men left on base nightmare again. Didn't we have enough of that last year?

The Good: Manny Ramirez. Holy Cow. Remember all that talk of a Monster Year going around in the winter? Well so far, and it is early, Manny is tearing it up. 2-5 last night with 4 RBIs including the game winner, and a solo shot for the only Sox run of the game tonight? Bodes well indeed.

Secondary Good: Ummm... For the second day in a row, Lugo did not suck at the plate? Yeah, I'll take that.

Game 1: Baseball's Back!!

2008-03-25T10:12:00.006-04:00

Boston Red Sox - 6; Oakland Athletics - 5

Well, that certainly was an experience. First time I've watched baseball at 6am. I'm going to be trying to write game summaries for every game, at least, that I actually get to watch (I work retail so.. there are times I must work during normal game hours). So what's the story of this game? Well, it certainly wasn't Daisuke. He threw 58 pitches in the first two innings and walked 5. However, he made it through 5 innings only giving up 2 runs by a miracle and even struck out 6. He would have been in line for the win, if it wasn't for Kyle Snyder giving up a two-run jack.

No, the story of the game was the new Manny Ramirez and Brandon Moss. Manny and Moss combined to hit 4-for-10 with all 6 RBIs. Most notable was Moss, a last minute sub for JD Drew (tight back... we know nothing else yet), hitting the game tying home run off closer Huston Street in the top of the 9th after he gave the Sox their first lead back in the 6th. Manny followed this up with a two-run double after David Ortiz was intentionally walk in the top of the tenth.

Papelbon got a VERY shaky save. He give up three hits and walked one, allowing only one run to cross the plate ONLY because of a horrendous baserunning error by Emil Browm who, stroking an RBI double, tried to take third on the throw and was caught in a run down for the second out. Paps was consistently up in the zone, but I'm not too worried. Its far earlier than he should starting so some wrinkles are acceptable.

However, I must dish out two Epic Fails from this game.

The first goes to Comcast (and other service providers) for repeated blackouts and losses of signal for ESPN2 during the game. I personally missed about 2-3 innings, some people missed the entire game. What the hell?

The second goes the ESPN2's broadcast team. Steve Phillips is an idiot, we all know this. However, far more egregious was John Thorne who resorted to the ridiculously cliche homerun call of "Sayonara!" I mean.. really? You're in Japan, so you go with that? That's so easy that its A) not funny at all and B) just plain stupid.

Well, I'm going to go get some sleep. As of right now, baseball is back and I couldn't be happier.

Opening Day

2008-03-25T05:55:00.001-04:00

Today, I once again pledge to the Boston Red Sox my heart, my soul, my time, my tears, my voice, my allegiance.

Now....

LET'S PLAY SOME FREAKIN BALL!!!

Are You Pumped?

2008-03-25T00:44:00.002-04:00

GET PUMPED!!!!!!!!!

Itinerary

2008-03-25T00:06:00.002-04:00

Inspired by Paul over at Yanksfan vs Soxfan (where I'll be blogging the live part of Opening Day), I've decided to post what MY day will be like thanks to the insanity of Opening Day in Japan.

12:10 am - Now. Just got home from work. Make this post.

12:25 am - Climb into bed. Pretend to be able to sleep.

4:30 am - Wake up (get up).

4:35 am - Take a nice hot shower.

5:00 am - Get dressed. Sox cap and Papelbon # t-shirt.

5:15 am - Drive to pick up delicious hot latte and breakfast sammich.

6:05 am - Once again, give my life wholy over the Boston Red Sox in return for euphoric highs, soul-crushing lows, and hopefully baseball in October.

9:30 am (approx) - Go to bed.

1:30 pm - Wake up and get ready to go to work.

2:30 pm - Head to work. Repeat (?).

Not Just Us!

2008-03-22T23:24:00.003-04:00

HA HA HA!

An Oakland player (Mark Ellis, I think) just tripped over his own feet and landed flat on his face while feilding a ball. So we're not the only ones tired!

What I Learned Tonight

2008-03-22T03:14:00.008-04:00

The Red Sox just beat the Hanshin Tigers 6-5, and I have learned a few things about myself, the Red Sox, and Japanese baseball.

1) I Don't Speak Japanese - The MLB.tv broadcast was the Japanese broadcast, so I couldn't understand the announcers at all. This lead to some fun in trying to figure out what they might be saying, especially about David Ortiz who they seem to be in love with - it's not surprising considering the awesomeness that is the picture here. They are extremely expressive and excitable though and are certainly better than McCarver or Morgan. Honestly, it wouldn't even have been an issue except...

2) Japanese Baseball Doesn't Like Graphics - Apparently, there were in fact balls and strikes indicators and pitch speed and on-base indicators for the first, like, two innings (which I missed thanks to work), but after that they vanished. No graphics at ALL except for the occasional crossing Sox and Tigers flags as a wipe. No way of knowing the count if you had gone to the bathroom; hell, no way of knowing the SCORE except when they cut to the actual in-the-park scoreboard between innings. Not what I'd have expected at all.

3) 18 Hour Plane Flights Make You Tired - Seriously, after the first few innings the whole team seemed to be playing like they were in the 18th inning of a normal game. There were errors, booted balls, and terrible swings aplenty. The real showcase of this phenomenon was a Wild Pitch by Snyder that was the most horrendous thing I've ever seen. It was in the opposite batter's box and well in front of the plate. To top it off, Tek did a piss poor job of blocking it. Let's hope we get it right before we face Oakland.

4) Papelbon Doesn't Need Sleep - With the exception of a single walk - which immediately resulted in a caught stealing - Paps looked like his usual unstoppable self. He made the Tigers batters just look amateurish. I'm not surprised, I suspect he doesn't sleep much anyway and when he does its at odd times and in odd positions.

5) The Japanese Think We're Crazy - They played Sweet Caroline over the PA as per Fenway, and of course you had Sox fans up and dancing and singing along, making fools of themselves and generally having a blast. Pretty standard fare, right? Not to the Japanese fans who stared at them like they were nuts.

6) I Speak Japanese! - At one point, while Paps was pitching to the final batter of the game, the announcer said "two strike, two ball!" and I UNDERSTOOD him! Clearly, I speak Japanese now! Awesome!*

7) THEY HAVE FIGHT SONGS!!! - Seriously. Whenever the Tigers were at bat, their fans started up this actual fight song complete with drums! They sang it NON-STOP until the last batter made an out at which point they immediately stop. This was the single most important revelation that can possibly come out of this trip. Ladies and gentlemen, we NEED to get this concept to the States? Can you imagine the Fenway Faithful belting out a fight song? There'd be seismic tremors! There's not limit to how awesome that could be! Nation, MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

* I'm sorry. I had to make this joke. I really had no choice and I feel awful for it. Please accept my condolences.

Maybe We're Getting It Out Of The Way Early...?

2008-03-11T02:06:00.003-04:00

So apparently the Sox are kinda injury prone right now. We're not the Mets, who actually said a variant on the title in a REAL press conference, but its still getting scary. Let's review:

Julio Lugo - Julio has been out forever with back spasms and apparently it's severe enough to involve Dr Gill. What started as a short rest has now kept him out of the lineup for 8 games and left him questionable for the opener in Japan.

Coco Crisp - STILL out with his groin pain. Not content with the damage done to his chances of starting for the Sox/trade value with his horrible offensive season, he's now decided to miss all of his showcase for trade/'competition' with Jacoby. There hasn't been any word on his status re: Japan, but I bet it's questionable.

Josh Beckett - AHHHHHHH! So first he leaves his start, leaving us panicked. Then he said he felt better the next day, leaving us fearful but a little reassured. Now he feels worse again. Tommorrow, my heart will just EXPLODE. Seriously, I can't take this. Josh probably will miss Opening Day in Japan, it seems. In a way, this is the best time it could have happened. He'll only miss one start thanks to the layoff between the Japan games and the rest of the season. Another bonus is that we've be reintroduced to the Josh Beckett press conference we all know and love. Maybe I'm just desperately clinging to any good news I can scrounge from this pit of despair.

I had a weird thought maybe one of my... three? Peter, Liza and redsox.njdevils... yeah, three readers can answer. Lets say one of these three players, in THEORY (theory only, you hear me Theo?), goes on the 15-Day Disabled List on Opening Day. Right? You with me so far? Would he then be available to play 15 days later for the Red Sox Home Opener? The reason I ask is because of the presence of all these abnormal extra goofy exhibition games and time off as a result of the Japan trip... will those still count as 'days on the DL'? Or will the count start with the two days playing Oakland, then pause and resume on April 1st?

AAAH!

2008-03-08T14:08:00.001-05:00

PANIC!!!

Promised Post

2008-03-02T21:22:00.003-05:00

I said I'd post, so here I am. I really don't want to talk about the ugly, ugly game today. Clay struggled which I can deal with - it's expected - but the defense behind him was UGLY as a sin.

I WOULD like to direct you one more time over to Texas Gal's site. She now has video, gleaned from today's game, of the incredible dance-off and it is fantastic. Jerry and Don's commentary... as they dissolve into fits of laughter and giggling - is priceless and proof of why we are so fortunate. Can you imagine if we had the White Sox broadcasters instead? Also, as Red over at Surviving Grady points out, the real tragedy in all this is that Kevin Millar isn't still with us. Imagine him with Paps and Pedroia. Imagine how that could end. Sheer Joy.

Buckle Up, It's Gonna Be A Crazy Year

2008-03-02T02:18:00.005-05:00

First, let me apologise AGAIN for not posting. I'm moving to New Jersey soon and getting everything in order is a pain in the rear. With not much going on (Colon signed on as the very definition of low-risk, high reward and the Sox absolutely CRUSHED a slew of college kids), I figured I wouldn't be missed. I was planning on surprising y'all with an entry after Sundays game with Wake and the No-Hit Kid throwing since it'll be the first game I will get to SEE, but then something happened.

As some of you may have heard, Mike Lowell was hosting a charity dancing competition feature Sox players last night. We already knew Beckett, Paps and Pedroia were to be in attendance, so naturally we assumed there wouldd be crazy. If you haven't heard of what happened... well any guess you might have had was wildly wildly underestimating our team's insanity, even with Josh only judging. I went over to redsox.com and found this article describing the event. Allow me to quote:

It didn't take long for his teammates to lighten the mood, beginning with
Papelbon, whom came out in a black lace top -- a hard look for any dancer to
pull off, not to mention one with a build like the intimidating Red Sox closer.
But with the help of Teresa Kasler, he did.

Pedroia came out and proceeded to rip off his shirt while dancing his
best with Kolina Erina.

Naturally, my first thought was "Oh. My. God." My second thought was "Texas Gal will have pictures." Sure enough, she does. Go there. Go there right the heck now. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 hundred dollars. View the insanity. Clearly, redsox.com was sanitizing the events for us for not ONLY is Papelbon wearing a black lace shirt (!) but a facial expression that is just fascinating. The girls over at TG's site also seem intrigued by his belt... but I can't tell. If that wasn't enough, Dustin Pedroia -rapidly trying to one-up Paps as craziest product of the Sox farm system - not only did he remove his shot but he wrote DADDY (or perhaps BADDY?) on his chest in sharpie and drew stars around the words.

Seriously.

This isnt a joke.

This actually happened. Our team is batshit insane. We are in for an very, very fun year. I keep wondering how long before the insanity field wears down Ellsbury and Buchholz's innocent exteriors and what craziness they will unleash. No one is safe.

Well, I'm off to bed and WILL be posting after the game.

Danger, Theo Epstein, Danger!

2008-02-08T00:12:00.000-05:00

Well this is not fun.

I was honestly afraid this might happen. The whole Schilling contract made me nervous... and I figured we'd lose him for a month or so to injury. At his age, it's expected. However, I didn't expect it to be during our uber-scary first month... more like middle of the season... and I certainly didn't expect it to last an entire half of the season! This completely throws all the plans into chaos. We could stat Buchholz in the rotation, but that'll speed up his climb to his innings limit. We could use Tavarez in the rotation and keep Buchholz in AAA for the start as originally planned, but that would mean that we couldn't trade Julian as I figured was the plan... and Tavarez every five days in this mess does NOT make me feel good. Other options include flipping Coco (which CLEARLY was going to happen since we resigned Keilty) and some prospects for someone like Blanton - and it will be a hefty price, Beane knows we're in need now. This is a shame because I was hoping Coco would be flipped for a releiver (though it seems Theo is once again using his 'spaghetti against the wall' bullpen creation method), or in a package for Salty - who I want on the team more than anyone ever.

So, basically, this sucks no matter how you slice it. Can we please stop with the old pitchers playing forever fad we seem to be in?

6 days, 7 hrs, 31 mins 'till Pitchers and Catchers

The Santana League

2008-01-30T01:02:00.000-05:00

Well, if there was anything to pull me out of hiding... of not posting... it'd be this. Wow. The Where Will Johan Go drama is FINALLY over. It's been a loooong journey. Someone should do a montage. Remember that time we stayed up till like 6 in the morning during the Winter Meetings expecting a deal to get down? Remember when the Twin's got Lester's medicals and we thought it was Done? Remember the never ending doldrums since? Ahhh, good times.

So, Johan is a Met. Honestly, I figure it'd be either elation or disappointment or horror.. but I honestly wasn't sure which result would cause what emotion. However.. I don't really feel anything. I'm rather neutral. We didn't get the best pitcher in the game, but we didn't lose alot of talent. He went to the National League so we don't have to face him except in a possible World Series (knock on wood).

So, how about the trade? I (and I presume most of the Interwebs, I wanted to post before reading everything) think that the Mets are the clear winners here - in opposition to the much maligned Milledge Trade (by the way do I have to praise Omar now? Nah). The Mets package seems vastly inferior to earlier Yankee offers and certainly to the Sox packages. Most of those players are quite far from being MLB ready and thus could decline (or, of course, incline) rapidly. My guess is that the Twins will argue that they are simply aiming for FURTHER down the road to be competitive, but that doesn't really seem to click with the whole Morneau contract to me. Yes it IS a Six year contract, but it'll be half or more over by the time some of these prospects are in their primes. I think what really happened is that Bill Smith drug this out way too long. The Yankees lost interest, the Sox started to doubt and restricted their packages, information on Johan's salary demands came out... Suddenly, the Mets offer was their best option. They really shoulda got this thing done before the Holidays.. asked for final offers then.

As for how this affects the National League... see my title. Johan is gonna DOMINATE this league. He shall CRUSH it. It's gonna be his personal plaything. So the Mets are the favorites in the League then? I wouldn't go quite that far. I'm still not sold on the rest of their rotation... but they are CERTAINLY the favorites in the East.

Anyway, expect some increase posting now. I can finally cover some things like what the Sox should do in trades now (SALTY! SALTY!) and covering some of the Sox prospects we will probably see in the Majors this year and (in time) listing my projections for the season.

Finally, the off-season is almost over.

15 days, 6 hrs, 6 mins till Pitchers and Catchers

MLB: SIU

2008-01-15T03:56:00.000-05:00

It was either this title or Law & Order: MLB, I couldn't make up my mind.

Sorry I haven't written in approximately 10,000 years. Not like anyone is reading anyway. Anyone who was, certainly isn't now. The holidays got me busy, then NOTHING HAS HAPPENED. There was the Clemens interview (he was lying) and the Pettite admission (it was a STRATEGY and probably half lies, not honesty), but other than that.. nadda. However, I need to get writing so when this Fox Sports article popped on my cellphone, I thought 'here we go'.

Basically, the MLB is planning on launching an 'investigations unit', per the Mitchell Report, that will look into the use of steroids (and other drugs... but really steroids) in baseball. According to MLB, they "will have broad authority to conduct investigations." The broad authority has a lot of people chirping. Fox suggestions all kinds of crazy theories like spies placed in the clubhouse (how would you get THAT done? Bribe players or staff?) or tailing players. Frankly, I suspect it'll end up being basically another impotent function much like the Report itself. However, let's say it gets all that power. Spies in the clubhouse? Now I am not all that much for clubhouse chemistry being that important to a team's success, but this would destroy chemistry. I'm against steroids as much as the next guy, but do we really want players eyeing each other wondering who's a rat? Wouldn't far more frequent and unannounced testing and locker inspections be as effective without turning a team's clubhouse into a CIA movie?

There is a disturbing part of all this, however.

It was unclear whether the activities the unit could participate in would have to be negotiated with the players' association.

"We learned about this late last night. We had no role of any kind or sort in it," union head Donald Fehr said. "After we digest it, to the extent we have questions and things we want to raise, I'm sure we'll be doing that."

Under labor law, terms and conditions of employment are subject to collective bargaining. "We are free to investigate employee misconduct without bargaining," said Rob Manfred, executive vice president of labor relations in the commissioner's office.

Manfred said he notified the union this week that MLB intended to act unilaterally on the investigations unit, which will not deal with any on-field matters.

A lot of people were worried about how Selig and company would handle the suggestions of the Mitchell Report, especially in relation to the relationship with the Players Union. While, the Union often angers me with the resistance to testing - especially early on - pissing them off with talk of acting 'unilaterally' is a very bad idea. It took years and, unfortunately, steroids themselves to repair the damage the last strike caused. Another strike would be an utterly
devastating blow. Let's be a little more diplomatic, shall we?

Someone End The Strike And Get This Made

2007-12-21T00:24:00.000-05:00

Ok! So, as everyone knows, Schilling turned his sometimes annoying, sometimes awesome mouth (fingers?) to 11 the other day with his inspiring messages to Roger Clemens (prove your innonce, or hand over your Cys) and his thoughts on Jose Canseco (not really a major league ballplayer ever). It's actually a really great read, as Curt's blog tends to be. I may be COMPLETELY opposed to all of his political views, but the guy can certainly talk baseball.

However, what I wanted to write about is the post Surviving Grady made on Schill's entry. In it they describe the greatest TV show ever.

I can only hope that some snazzy exec at NESN is readying several post-Sox career opportunities for the guy. In fact, how about "The Schillings," which would follow Curt, Shonda and kids around the house and Medfield proper, a la "The Osbournes." Throw in Timlin as the slightly unbalanced Vietnam vet next door. Maybe Julian Tavarez as the "mailman with a difference." And Josh Beckett inexplicably living in the family's basement, dispensing advice to the various family members on everything from how to fix a dishwasher to prepping for the junior prom ("Guns and condoms, kids. You're gonna need 'em both.") F@#k it, I'm gonna pitch that one myself.

This needs to happen.

Learning Things From The World Series DVD

2007-12-19T23:46:00.000-05:00

So I popped in my recently arrived World Series Collector's Edition DVD set tonight. I sat there watching Game 2 and noticed something awesome about Jacoby Ellsbury. Now, those that know me know I drank the Ellsbury Kool-Aid long before he ever stepped foot in the Majors. He was that prospect you adopt and rabidly check his stats after every minor league game for me. So, I'm biased. The thought of trading him for Santana has left me more torn than a Klingon forced to choose between really really good rokeg blood pie and the death of an enemy.

Anyway, this may have pushed the scales into Ellsbury's favor. Pop in your ALCS Game 6 DVD and flip to the bottom of the third. Now watch to the point were Lugo knocks a base hit up the third-base line scoring Drew and Ellsbury. As Ellsbury approaches the plate he does this hilariously goofy little thing where he slaps the brim of his helmet down low over his eyes, drops his arms straight down his sides and almost dances over the plate before totally freaking out with Pedroia. It's incredible. I love this kid! Here's a poorly captured screen shot... but you need to see it in motion.

So... Yeah... I think I'm being emotional about this trade thing.

Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin-Eater

2007-12-14T00:18:00.000-05:00

Well, the Mitchell Report has been released. You can download it here, if you so wish. I'm still working my way through it and hopefully I'll get to talk about the details of the recommendations and such, but for now I'd like to discuss the Names.

Surprisingly enough, no active Sox player - thanks to the non tendering of Brendan Donnelly (coincidence?) - was named. Does this mean none of them have done steroids? I doubt that. I'm sure some have. Does this mean that Mitchell was corrupted by his involvement with the Sox and looked the other way? I doubt that too. I think that, despite this report, we'll never know the whole truth. We'll never know all the names. For the purposes of this post, I'll list all the players named now (unsorted.. to see it separated by 'crime' go here). Former Red Sox are in bold.

Lenny Dykstra, David Segui, Larry Bigbie, Brian Roberts, Jack Cust, Tim Laker, Josias Manzanillo, Todd Hundley, Mark Carreon, Hal Morris, Matt Franco, Rondell White, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch, Jason Grimsley, Gregg Zaun, David Justice, F.P. Santangelo, Glenallen Hill, Mo Vaughn, Denny Neagle, Ron Villone, Ryan Franklin, Chris Donnels, Todd Williams, Phil Hiatt, Todd Pratt, Kevin Young, Mike Lansing, Cody McKay, Kent Mercker, Adam Piatt, Miguel Tejada, Jason Christiansen, Mike Stanton, Stephen Randolph, Jerry Hairston, Paul Lo Duca, Adam Riggs, Bart Miadich, Fernando Vina, Kevin Brown, Eric Gagne, Mike Bell, Matt Herges, Gary Bennett, Jr., Jim Parque, Brendan Donnelly, Chad Allen, Jeff Williams, Howie Clark, Nook Logan, Rick Ankiel, Paul Byrd, Jay Gibbons, Troy Glaus, Jose Guillen, Jerry Hairston, Jr., Gary Matthews, Jr., Scott Schoeneweis, David Bell, Jose Canseco, Jason Grimsley, Darren Holmes, John Rocker, Ismael Valdez, Matt Williams, Steve Woodard, Marvin Benard, Barry Bonds, Bobby Estalella, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Benito Santiago, Gary Sheffield and Randy Velarde

Whew... and that's a mere fraction of the people who probably did the juice. I still feel... disgusted. Even more disgusted since I KNOW there are more than this. Just.. it's so freaking infuriating. YOU ARE POISONING MY SPORT YOU JACK ASSES! HOW DARE YOU!

Ok, ok.. calm down.

I'd like to address a few names in particular real quick.

Mo Vaughn - This one stings. It stings bad. It's not really.. surprising, y'know? Yet, its still shocking. I grew up and fell in love with the Red Sox during Mo's tenure with the team. I remember thinking how great he was and how much I loved his seemingly endless home runs. He was a hero to Young Dionysus. His name just... makes me sad. Breaks my heart, really.

Andy Pettite - Ahhh.. this one feels so good. Perhaps the biggest and most surprising name among a plethora of Yankee players on the list. I'm now officially allowed to hate the bastard without restraint. Not only does he play for the Yankees; not only is he a cheater who posioned the game; he is also, as Fire Joe Morgan points out, a filthy hypocrit. What a masterful liar that man is. Talking about purity and morals and what God wants him to do. He makes me sick. I hope someone smashes a comebacker into his face.

The Orioles - I thought sayign "The Orioles" was easier. Tejada, Roberts, and more. At first glance, they seem to be the second most commonly named team next to the Yankees.This makes me sad for the poor fans of this franchise. They can not catch a break; between their absolutely TERRIBLE ownership and now this, they seem to always be being punched in the face. Living in Lancaster, I could have EASILY ended up an Os fan instead of Sox fan. As such, I have such compassion for their plight. Camden Yards is such a gorgeous ballpark in such a gorgeous area (Inner Harbor is wonderful).. they jsut.. deserve better.

Roger Clemens - The BIG name. Next to Bonds, his name was mentioned the most often in the Report. People talked about a Pujols or such, but Clemens name is even bigger. With his (former) First Ballot Hall of Famer status, he is the Pitcher version of Barry Bonds. I have a feeling there's going to be alot on his naming in the coming weeks. I'm torn between elation (because of his time as a Yankee) and sadness (he was such a GREAT Sox for so long). Honestly, I think I need more time to just.. absorb this.

The one thing I would like to say, from the reveiws I've read having not finished the Report yet myself, I think the owners, the Players Union, and the Commissioners (I'm looking at you Bud!) did not get enough blame.

Ok, I can't talk about this anymore tonight.

So Bored!

2007-12-11T02:31:00.000-05:00

OK, this Hot Stove has cooled off and lapsed into BOREDOM. I haven't posted because there has been no god damn news for the Red Sox. Sure, some small things happened like Timlin getting officially inked. Not really news, though, as we knew it was already a done deal. My Eric Gagne fears were completely unnecessary. Not only is he NOT a Red Sox, but he's signed a 10 million dollar, 1-year contract with the Milwuakee Brewers. I currently rank that as the fourth Stupidest Move of the Hot Stove. Its no trading Lastings Milledge for crap, but its up there. That's a TON of money for a guy who looked baked in Boston. Of course, the plus is that its only a one year deal in a market where relievers are getting absurd amounts of not only money, but years. Scott Linebrink for FOUR years? Someones been drinking crazy juice. On the plus-for-Gagne side, if he has a bounceback season it puts him right back out on the Free Agent Market.

I've brainstormed a few ideas for random posts... and will probably start just posting whatever baseball things I think of. Last thing I want is to let the Off-Season beat my blog-writing plans.

I imagine I'll have plenty to write about on Thursday when it Mitchell Report will supposedly come out. I'm honestly nervous. I'm not blind enough to presume that no Red Sox players juiced. I'm sure some did... the only question is WHO? Will it be only former players? What if there's someone on the current roster? If it's revealed that Billy Mueller used steroids how will that affect my memories of 2004? I think just about any blow can be dealt with save one: If I hear that David Ortiz used steroids... I'm not sure how I'll deal. I highly doubt he would have, but.. still. It'd be not only the hugest blow for us, but for Baseball as a whole. Ortiz is a Face of the Game. He's one of its most beloved and recognizable figures. I'm sure Yankee Fans would feel the same if Jeter was juiced.

On the other hand, I will be positively gleeful if A-Rod is named. That would be awesome.

Nevermind. Bill Smith Sucks.

2007-12-08T02:13:00.000-05:00

Ok so I was gonna write a sort of 'after the fact' live blog of the Winter Meetings or, as some call it, Waiting for Santana. I had about a page covering up to 11:30pm on December 3rd.. when I just got pissed off. Sorry. It was a nightmare of coffee, tea, and peanut butter and banana sandwiches that kept me up till about 5am clicking refresh on various sites for two consecutive nights and I cant relive it that much. I promise I'll liveblog whatever trade dominates the '08 Winter Meetings. If you really want to know what it was like living the saga go to Yanksfan vs Soxfan, specifically here and here for Nights One and the following Morning. Then there is Tuesday Day and Early Evening and that overnight.

Basically by the wee hours of Tuesday morning, the Yankees had apparently pulled out of negotiations and the Sox had taken a commanding lead. In fact, it seemed a deal was IMMINENT aand the Sox and Twins were exchanging medical records. Then... everyone went to bed. Wait? WHAT? Don't worry, says the Sports Media, a deal will probably be completed early in the morning.

Next thing you know, there's been no progress on the deal, the Angels are rumored to be going after Santana in reaction to the Tigers Blockbuster but then they deny they are, the Mariners (!!!) are reported to be interested... and then the Mets are making a run (Yeah sure... without offering Reyes? Fat chance).

When the smoke cleared, Theo walked out empty handed and Santana is still a Twin. What a waste of perfectly good sleep. Honestly, I think that Bill Smith is baseball's equivilant of a stripper. Lots of titillation, but basically a giant cocktease. No pay-off. I'm going to guess that teh Twins actually KEEP Johan Santana. They are stupid enough to do it, after all they are considering signing David freaking Eckstein. I mean... is one more year of Santana worth getting only two draft picks instead of 4 or 5 players ranging from high level prospects to major league ready players? No, no its not. Especially not with the Tigers and the Indians set to dominate that division.

Frankly, I don't give a damn anymore. I'm worn out on Johan. Screw him. Well, screw the Twins rather.

Wait? What are you saying? Sox and Yanks making offers for Bedard? Haren maybe? Oh god.. here we go again.

Oh Fuck No

2007-12-07T02:42:00.000-05:00

Sorry I havent posted in a bit. I've been pullign all nighters watching for the Johan Trade That Wasn't over at Yanksfan Vs Soxfan. I'll be postign a long ass summary of my Winter Meetings Blogging experience at aroudn 1am Saturday. Or Saturday afternoon if I pass out.

Anyway... where was I? Oh yeah.

Oh please God, don't let this happen

No more god damn Gagne. NO MORE! Listen to me, Eric, you prick. You damn well better refuse arbitration. You better as FUCK go else where and get us our draft pick. I swear to GOD, if you accept arbitration I will personally hunt your scrawny pitching-like-a-bitch ass down and kick you in the fucking balls so hard you won't be able to STAND much less pitch.

Fuck!

I'm Going To Talk About Pitchers And None Of Them Are Named Johan

2007-12-02T00:30:00.001-05:00

Today was filled with News! And none of it (of any importance, anyway) was about Johan Santana!

First, the Red Sox offered arbitration to Eric Gagne. Clearly, Gagne won't be accepting arbitration since he will surely get a multi-year contract SOMEWHERE even with how he stunk up the joint for the Sox. This means that, since Gagne is a Type-B free agent we will get a sandwich pick in the 2008 draft when whatever team ends up signing him does so. Peter points out that if it wasn't for the massive level of Suck Gagne put out, we'd have won 100+ games and be getting both a first-round pick AND a sandwich pick for him. One last big "Fuck You" from Gagne to Red Sox Nation. Don't worry Gagne, we hate you too. I can't wait to see Pedroia launch another one off you.

Second, the Red Sox have reached a deal with Mike Timlin! This is wonderful news because it adds a much needed veteran stabilizing force to our bullpen. If you think about it, our pen is full of pretty young or new guys in people like Papelbon, Okajima (new, not young) and Delcarmen. Maybe Hansen will get it together and show up this year too. Not only is he a leader - which while nice, isn't the most important thing - he still can pitch. See my previous post on Timmy for statistical proof of that. The deal, as the earlier rumors indicated, appears to be for one-year and $3 million. Perfect. One more arm or so and our bullpen will be pretty much set.

In other news, the Red Sox declined to offer arbitration to Bobby Keilty, Matt Clement, Doug Mirabelli, Royce Clayton and Eric Hinske. The only real surprise here is Mirabelli who I figured the Sox would roll the dice with. Declining the contract to Hinske pretty much confirms what everyone expected - Brandon Moss will have his role in 2008.

Fire Omar Minaya

2007-12-01T01:56:00.000-05:00

I can't wait to see what FJM has to say about this one.

The New York Mets have traded high-ceiling prized prospect Lastings Milledge to the Washington Nationals. What are they getting in return? Why, OF Ryan Church and C Brian Schneider! That's great for, er, the Nats. Horrendously stupid for the Mets.

Lastings Milledge is one of their top prospects. He was ranked to be the Mets top prospect in 2006. With the AA Binghamton Mets he OPSed 929 over 53 games (48 in 2005, 5 in 2007). In AAA Norfolk he OPSed 828 over 84 games. While his 2007 season with the Mets only produced a 787 OPS it was only in 59 games and he is widely considered to have a high ceiling. He's been cited as having some personality issues but.. as we all know.. those aren't really that important ON THE FIELD. Oh and he's only 22. Many teams have inquired about him over the past few years and he's been included in trades proposals for players like Dan Haren, Carl Crawford, D-Train, Manny Rameriz and Mark Buehrle. Great names hunh? So how the hell does he end up going for Church and Schneider?

Ryan Church is an middle of the road 29 year old outfielder with little power (only 35 homers in his entire career). Schneider is a 31 year old catcher (you know how catchers tend to drop quickly with age? Yeah.. real long term solution here) who OPSed an ABYSMAL 662 in 2007. If your ugly and like batting average it was only .235.

I don't understand this deal. Is Omar trying to pull a "Major League" here? Defend yourself sir!

I thought we needed to change it up a little

How? By increasing the Suck on your team? Yeah, that'll make up for spectacularly missing the postseason.

Names like Schneider and Church are not known names, but they give us balance

What is this balance crap? Trading away a potentially excellent player for one mediocre player and one sucky player is balance? Oh! Is either of them short and white? Are they gritty? Do they hustle? I bet Schneider 'runs hard from home to first' and Church probably 'is a winner'.

You know what the stupidest part of all this is? Position players, offense... these things did NOT cost the Mets the postseason. You know what did? Pitching. Without Milledge as a chip, guess what they WONT be getting? Yeah, pitching. Santana isn't gonna be a Met now. They don't have a lot of chips as it was, especially since Omar wont trade Reyes or Wright, and now they just lost a significant one.

Stupid. For the Mets fans out there, I say Fire Omar Minaya.

Johan-Mania

2007-11-30T04:01:00.002-05:00

So.. things are definitely heating up in the Johan hunt. Yanksfan vs Soxfan has a pretty good timeline for the rumors that have swirled around what is now the most talked about part of the off-season.

Basically, the most recent (rumored to be leading) Sox offer for Johan Santana is Coco Crisp, Jon Lester, Jed Lowrie and Michael Bowden (or Masterson). This is alot to give up, in my mind, especially adding Lowrie in who I hoped to eventually replace Lowell as he ages. However, I can't believe the Twins would actually take this deal and not want more. Despite the heavy losses, the simple fact that we would get to keep Buchholz AND Ellsbury... I say make the deal. Actually, scratch that: Turn to the Oakland As and make them the same offer for Dan Haren (maybe initially dropping Bowden/Masterson OR Lowrie from the offer, then adding them in when Beane doesn't bite). Haren is younger and his ERA+ and WHIP have been trending upwards regularly for the last few seasons. He seems ready to break out. Failing that, make the Santana exchange. I will miss Lester though, despite his struggles I really expect him to break out after having his first healthy off season and his first real full season. Then again, the control problems that have plagued him.. maybe actually be permanent and we'd be making out in a deal. It's a risk... but one that may be worth taking.

The apparent Yankee offer is Melky Cabrera, Ian Kennedy and someone like Jose Tabata. Either Brian Cashman has had a brain anuerism or it's a offer for 'show' and designed to be refused (henceforth called a "Torre"). That is MASSIVELY underpaying for a pitcher of Santana's caliber despite the concerns. They'd have to at least add in Hughes (or maybe Cano instead) to make that offer viable. An interesting tactic could be that this offer for Santana is, in fact, not just a "Torre" but a smokescreen to mask pursuit of Haren.

Personally, I hope the Mets just make an insane offer and he goes there. Out of my league and we don't have to give up any prospects to keep from facing him.

The Media Is Stupid

Everyone knows the mainstream media is full of stupid stupid people. Joe Morgan is dumber than toast and he gets to hang out on ESPN all the time. Tim McCarver sometimes eats babies thinking they are cantaloupe and he gets to broadcast World Series games. However, this is BEYOND absurd. Fire Joe Morgan covers all the absurdity with their typical genius, but I'll comment as well.

The Twins give up:

Johan Santana
Joe Nathan
Carlos Silva

The Sox give up (don't drink any fluids before reading this):

Jacoby Ellsbury
Jon Lester
Clay Buchholz
Dustin Pedroia
Jonathan Papelbon

Ok, let's just forget the ABSURDLY stupid fact that the idiot forgot that Silva is a Free Agent and can NOT be traded even if the fate of the Universe depended on it. Does this trade make ANY.. and I mean ANY sense for Theo? He's giving up every good young play he has for one great player and a some crappier stuff. PAPELBON? Do you know what the Faithful would do if we traded Papelbon? Boston would be burned to the ground. And how are the Sox gonna replace Paps and Pedroia? God... its just so stupid, I want to vomit.

Bob Sansevere should not just be fired. He should be banned, under pain of death, from ever discussing baseball again... no, not severe enough, he shouldn't even be allowed to watch baseball anymore. Seriously.. these people get paid more than I do?

1 Month. 31 Days. 744 Hours.

2007-11-28T16:53:00.000-05:00

One month ago, today, Jonathan Papelbon went and did this:

I shall speak no more of it, but simply direct you to Texas Gal who is providing the internet with coverage of the anniversary in delicious video form. Hers is one of the best baseball blogs out there. Check it out.

The DVD Gods Hear Our Prayers

2007-11-27T00:41:00.001-05:00

ESPN, despite the fact that they have to know that intelligent baseball fans HATE him, still insist on employing Joe Morgan..

FOX may continue to similarly employ Tim McCarver, even committing the atrocity of letting him broadcast the World Series.

However, A&E has decided to answer the prayers of every Fire Joe Morgan reader and intelligent baseball fan alike! Surviving Grady, in their most recent entry, have provided us with information that the 2007 Collector's Edition World Series DVD comes with an extra special feature. You can watch the game with your standard Tim McCarver-Joe Buck broadcast and try to resist the urge to drive an icepick through your ear drums... or you can listen to the Red Sox (or Rockies for that matter) RADIO broadcast team, presumably synced up with the television (anyone who's TRIED to jerry-rig this at home during a game knows they are always out of sync)!

Pretty awesome, hunh? I'm glad I already pre-ordered the set!

I Need To Pay Better Attention

2007-11-25T20:09:00.000-05:00

My blogging is probably gonna pick up over the next week. All baseball related but I may be chiming in on a few things non-Sox related. With Mike Lowell and Curt Schilling resigned and the Johan Saga probably being a while from resolution, its gonna be pretty quiet. Since Crisp will be involved in any potential Johan Deal, the remaining 'major' moves won't happen for the Sox until a decision is made.

Of course, I've been wrong before.

Anyway, one note that I DID miss in the Lowell huballoo is that the Red Sox apparently offered Mike Timlin a 1-year deal. I was clued in, originally, by this article at MLB Trade Rumors. They claim that is around 3-4 million. Looking for confirmation, I found an 11/20 "The Buzz" update at the Globe that I somehow freakin missed. I know.. what was I thinking? Anyway, there are no numbers being mentioned there and Carfado indicates that he's not sure if its a major-league deal or minor one with ST invite.

Personally, while I won't suffer a breakdown if we don't get Timlin, I think a one-year, three million dollar deal is perfectly fair and should be offered to him as a major league deal straight up. I mean, YES, he'll be 42 come Opening Day (wait.. when is Opening Day again? Damn Japan trip...) but he DID post an 2007 ERA+ of 139 with 1.08 WHIP. Not bad. Not bad at all. In fact his K/BB ratio wasn't even very far off his career numbers. Is he gonna be our regular bridge to Papelbon? No, that job goes to, if the stars align well, a Oki/Delcarmen combo. Still, he can be a valuable piece and you can never, ever, have too much pitching. Especially in the 'pen which is a mercurial world. Worst Case Scenario: He can't be as bad as Gagne, can he? Give him the year... but absolutely nothing more.

Plus, the Pirates need their Admiral!

PS: I know there's a picture out there with Timlin holding the Bullpen Pirate flag. I remember seeing it! Yet, I can't seem to find it. I don't know how many people are reading this, but if you find it... please post a link in the comment section!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2007-11-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

What am I thankful for? My family and friends, the 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox, a contrat for Mikey Doubles, and the fact that my internet got fixed yesterday so I can blog again!

Things have calmed down in the Sox world now that Mike Lowell will be wearing the home whites once again. There are still trades to be made such as perhaps Johan Santana (although I'd prefer Dan Haren) and Gerald Laird (though I'd be willing to give up more prospects if it'd nab us Salty).

Coco Crisp is probably going to be the name that gets the most play of Sox players in my labels for the next few weeks. Alot of teams need a centerfielder. He could be packaged with Buchholz and Lowrie and more to the Twins, who have now lost Hunter to the Angels, for Johan (I don't like that trade.. but it'd cost at least that much). He could be traded for Gerald Laird plus prospects (from the Rangers, not us to them). He could be traded, along with a prospect package that could include names like Masterson, Bowden and Lowrie, to the Rangers for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. There may be some teams willing to take him for an upper-tier reliever. Finally, the Sox could just keep him as a 4th outfielder.

Of these options, honestly the only options that REALLY appeal to me are the Salty trade and just keeping him. Saltalamacchia is someone we really wanted when he was with the Braves and we STILL want him. By starting him now, and extending Tek two years, you let Tek train him in the ways of being the "uber-game-caller". After the first year/year-and-a-half , Salty takes over as full-time catcher as Teks age relegate him to back-up. At this point, Tek retires and signs on as a Red Sox coach and Salty is our full-time catcher. Jarrod would already be an offensive upgrade and with Tek's tutelage could provide the other skills as well. Crisp staying on as a 4th outfielder probably wont happen. We need too much in the 'pen and on the bench to afford to just hold on to him in an off-season when ALOT of teams need a guy like him. Still.. remember how awesome it was during the World Series when, late in games with a lead, Ellsbury would slide into Left and Coco would take over in center? Remember the feeling that any ball in the outfield would be caught?

Yeah.

That was awesome.

He's Baaaaaaaaaack!

2007-11-19T13:41:00.000-05:00

Mike Lowell will be staying in Boston

Thank Sweet Zombie Jesus!

The deal is apparently a three-year one worth 36-38 million. I gotta say I have to tip my cap to Theo Epstein. We all pushed at him to add a few million.. into the 40s.. or another year onto the contract. He held firm and won . Surprising, but more proof that he is indeed the Boy Wonder. They say he had put a deadline on it (for today) which makes sense.

This is the perfect deal for Mike because it keeps him in Boston which is good for his hitting. It's the perfect deal for the Sox because it fills their third-base hole without needing to deal young prospects and because - since its relatively short-term - it allows for the emergence of prospects like Jed Lowrie.

Now we can turn our attention to dealing Crisp and other pieces for a backup catcher/relievers. Kerry Wood? Salty? Let's find out! The Hot Stove is officially fun now!

UPDATE: Turns out that Mikey received a 4-year, 50 million dollar offer from the Phillies. Now, the whole off-season Mike has been sayign what he wanted was four years. He DID get it and says he considered it for about an hour... and decided to stay with the Red Sox. How awesome is that? Thats the SECOND player this Hot Stove that has taken a paycut to stay with the team. Speaks wonders for how Boston, as an organization, has changed.

Blogging... for JUSTICE!!!

2007-11-17T12:34:00.000-05:00

It finally happened.

Barry Bonds has been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury for 4 counts of perjury and 1 of obstruction of justice, all pertaining to whether he knowingly used steroids. Now, there's very little I can say that hasn't already been said, so let me say: hallelujah!! I've been waiting a long time for this day and even began to doubt justice would be done. After the long wait between Game of Shadows and two days ago, it seemed like Barry would just get away with dirtying the game. The funny part is that he's not actually indicted for taking steroids, but lying about them. Had he just told the truth to the Grand Jury, he'd be out of jail... though he may have lost his place in Baseball History since he'd have to have admitted to using steroids. Now, not only will he go to jail but in the process will be proven to have used steroids (a conviction here would essentially be also convicting him of having used) anyway and lose his place in history. While the BBWA apparently said that this won't invalidate him from going to the Hall of Fame, I doubt he'll get the votes now.

Barry faces 30 years in jail and, although I don't think he'll do the full amount, I do think he'll get some jail time. Federal court has something like a 90% conviction rate and I think he WILL be convicted. His best way out is in a plea agreement but I really think Barry is too egotistical and stubborn to EVER take a plea. If he was able to do such, he wouldn't have lied to the Grand Jury in the first place. Just like he thought this day would never come, he probably thinks he'll never get convicted - just because he's the 'great' Barry Bonds.

Finally, I need to point this out. I'm sitting with a cup of coffee at a diner last night, reading the local paper, enjoying the Fall of Bonds. Somehow I came across a quote from one of his attorneys, Mike Rains, that I hadn't read before. Observe:

"Every American should worry about a Justice Department that doesn't know if waterboarding is torture and can't tell the difference between prosecution on the one hand and persecution on the other,"

To borrow from Dr. Cox, I think I just gagged and vomited at the same time - I gavomited. This is the single most despicable thing ever read a lawyer say in a long time. Forget the obvious race card card reference - how disgusting is it to be comparing a criminal prosecution against a superstar, filthy rich athlete to TORTURE? Y'know... REAL torture? Thanks, Mike Rains, for filling every lawyer stereotype and then some.

Finally, on the Mike Lowell front, it appears that the Angels and Yankees have now also withdrawn their pursuit. If everyone is telling the truth (and that is a long shot), only the Red Sox and possibly the Dodgers are left standing. Larry Lucchino has gone on record pleading Mikey to stay in Boston. Come on guys, get this done and make rest of the off-season gravy! Soon too... this Mike Lowell tag needs a rest!

Hot Stove Gives Heartburn (or How C.C. Manages To Sleep)

2007-11-15T03:19:00.002-05:00

Ok, just.. wow. This Hot Stove is getting absurd. The Yankees appear close to resigning A-Rod (refusing to negotiate with Boras, by the way!) but are STILL chasing after Mike Lowell.. only to play 1st base! Now this seems absurd as Mike as NEVER played 1st in his entire professional career and one wonders why you'd want to waste his superior defensive talents at 1st. One could presume that A-Rod, being dirtbag he is, would refuse to change positions again (frankly, the most sensible thing to do, in that whole situation would be Lowell at third, A-Rod to short and Jeter to first.. best distribution of defensive skill). Regardless, if Mikey's defense really isn't a factor then honestly I'd go after Cabrera. Younger, better hitter, and his defensive.. umm... shortcomings (he sucks) don't matter so much at 1st. So if anything this is merely an attempt to 'Screw Boston'.

What's weirder is that this article, which seems to be the starting point for all the blogs and other articles indicates that the Yanks, Angels, Braves and Cards have all offered Lowell 4 year deals. While that is terrifying to a Sox fan, one then sees these links from Joy of Sox which indicate that the Yanks and the Angels are only going to THREE years. On top of that there is this site, which I honestly can't remember what blog sent me there (it's almost 4am, give me a break!), which indicates the Cards aren't pursuing Lowell at all! Of course, I'm not sure how reliable this moderator of a forums (though prominent ones) is... his readers seem to trust him, but I'm skeptical. Finally, the Braves don't make a heckuva lot of sense as third base for them is kinda taken up by this guy named Chipper Jones. Maybe you've heard of him?

So.. basically..

WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE FRAK IS GOING ON!!

Honestly, it seems like alot of this is SOMEONE posturing. I have no doubt the Yankees and Angels ARE looking at Lowell. Maybe the Cards too. I imagine the conflict in years comes from either one side (Lowell's Agents, Teams) are being less than truthful or just bad reporting. If deception is the reason then either: A) The offers really are for 4 years and the Teams are trying to put out rumors to the contrary to dissuade the Sox from upping their bid or B) the offers really are for 3 years and Lowell's Agents are trying to drive up the price for the Sox.

Fun, hunh? This is why I hate - and love - the Hot Stove. Either way, the Sox need to suck it up and either add a year (maybe as an option) or offer a bunch more cash. Lowell to the Yanks MUST not happen... even for the short term having both A-Rod and Lowell on our hated rivals is gonna be a severe blow to us both emotionally as fans, and in competition for the team.

Finally, one more note... on the Cy Young. By now ever one knows that C.C. Sabathia beat out Josh Beckett for the award. While I wanted Josh to win and probably would have voted for him, I understand why the members of the BBWA voted the way they did - well except for the idiots who either didn't vote at ALL for Beckett or voted for Santana at all (Johan's a godlike pitcher but this wasn't his year.. I smell a Gold Glove style voting for him). Despite this loss, I'm pretty sure Josh and the rest of us Sox fans are much happier with this particular shiny:

Image thanks to Centerfield

You know what? Let C.C. have the award. Maybe hugging it to his chest will keep the recurring nightmares of those Red Sox bats and his public pantsing by Josh Beckett away and let him get his first good nights sleep since the ALCS.

Mikey No More?

2007-11-13T12:56:00.000-05:00

See that smile? That wonderful smile? Well you may not anymore.

Mike Lowell is now a full-fledged Free Agent. He and the Red Sox could not come to an agreement (Sox offer 3 years, Mike wants 4)before midnight and now he can negotiate, and sign, with any team he wants. Honestly, I think the Sox are being overly stingy here - Mike Lowell isn't Pedro or Johnny; he doesn't have signs of being about to break down. Lowell is the best fit for the Sox and there are really no other options on the Market to replace him. A-Rod's desired length of stay is even more atrocious and Cabrera costs way too much in prospects and has the oft-mentioned weight problem. On top of that Lowell is designed, pure and simple, to rake in Fenway park. Without the Monster he is just not as good or valuable a player. I'm hoping other teams realize this and it drives down their offer, but I fear that may not be the case.

We are constantly reminded that this doesn't mean Mike Lowell is gone. Carfado points out that after just 'seeing' what other teams are offering he may come back to the Sox, perhaps after negotiating his price up. He may only take deals from 'certain teams'. The Sox may cave on the extra year - HIGHLY unlikely. This morning on ESPN Steve Phillips said that he doesn't think ANY team will offer Lowell that 4th year, but.. I know he's a professional analyst and not like Joe Morgan is... but that seems patently ridiculous.

I hope Mike finds a way to stay, I really do. However, I fear he is indeed gone. This now severely impacts our winter. Even the cheapest scenario, moving Youk to third and trading for a first baseman, is gonna probably require the use of Coco Crisp in the trade - and I was hoping he'd be using to get us another reliever or a high level backup/future starting catcher ala Salty (such a deal would also have include a high prospect of our own as well.. Bowden or Masterson). Now that's all gone. Frak.

More on Pedroia the Great

2007-11-12T19:28:00.000-05:00

Still very pleased with Pedroia winning ROY.. and glad for the city of Boston. I'm pretty sure there would have been a riot and the city would be aflame had Dusty been screwed out of what was his.

However, I need to link the.. well.. no one yet.. who reads this blog over the the Absolute Best Entry on Dustin's victory, indeed on Dustin himself, I have yet read.

Beth's entry on our boy is the quintessential piece. Read it.

HOORAY FOR THE DROID!!

2007-11-12T15:06:00.001-05:00

Dustin Pedroia is the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year!!!!

I think everyone knew this was coming, but its still incredible. Consider that the Mighty Mite was hitting .172 in the beginning of May and that half of the Nation, myself included, was calling for Theo and Tito to send the kid back to AAA and give to spot to Cora full-time (what was WRONG with me?). Even with that HORRID start, he rose above the doubters to hit .317 and posting an OPS of .823. He rarely struck out (only 42 times!). A fun, though statistically irrelevant, fact is that in every single game Pedroia homered in (8 during the regular season), the Red Sox won. He started out slow in the post-season, but was unstoppable later on - especially during the World Series which he lead off with a home run. As if that weren't enough, he played September and October with a broken hamate bone in his left hand. His glovework was also masterful - look no further that his single handedly saving Clay Buchholz's no-no.

Paging David Eckstein? See Pedroia there? THERE is a gritty player who's also... y'know... actually good at the GAME OF BASEBALL. Don't compare him to Eckstein to his face though.. he might bite your kneecap off.

Tonight on The Adventures of Ellsbury 'n' Elf:

Ellsbury: "Hey Dustin? Dustin? Where are you, man? You here?"

Pedroia: "I'm right here!"

Ellsbury: "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you behind that stool."

Pedroia: "Fuck you, man. I got mine, bitch" *holds ROY Award aloft*

Ellsbury: *muttering* "Congratulations... you deserve it."

Pedroia: "That's right. Are we done with the damn short jokes now?"

Ellsbury: "Yeah, sure... Do you need any help getting that thing onto the mantle?"

Pedroia: "Oh for fuck's sake!"

D-Day

2007-11-12T11:08:00.000-05:00

Today's the day, folks. At midnight tonight, the Boston Red Sox lose exclusive negotiating rights with third-baseman, veteran, leader, gold glover, slugger, super-awesome-guy Mikey "Doubles" Lowell. According to the last actual numbers we heard the Sox apparently offered Mike a 3-year/36 million dollar contract. As Peter notes, that was low-balling in the extreme. An insult really, akin to the contract Joe Torre was offered by the Yanks. However, I highly doubt its still at that low number. That was several days ago, and I'm sure (I hope) it's been negotiated up since then. Yes, he'll still be leaving money on the table - and years too - to stay with the Red Sox, but I sure as hell hope the Sox don't think he'll leave THAT much money. They have to know there are no better/less risky options out there. I remain hopeful.

Still.. things are looking bleak for our team. If Lowell hits the open market, I fear we'll have to kiss him good-bye. I've lost my optimism now.

It's not over until he signs his name to a piece of paper, of course, but I know I'll start to feel sick should midnight come and go without Mikey back on our roster.

In happier news, MLB announces the American league Rookie of the Year at 2pm (just as I get out of work.. on my lunch break now) today. Pedroia is the front-runner, so hopefully I get SOME good news today.

G.R.O.S.S.

2007-11-11T04:01:00.000-05:00

Pete Abrahams over at Lohud Yanks Blog - its fun to read the comments there, they have some of craziest commenters there (suggesting Damon/Matsui and B-level prospects for Johan Santana/Scott Kazmir? really?) - has decided that Curt Schilling is corrupt. Basically, he states that the 1 million dollar incentive for Schill receiving a Cy Young vote is bad because Schilling could bribe a voter (or vice-versa) with a portion of that million to receive a vote. Or that Schilling could make life for reporters who DON'T vote for him uncomfortable because they cost him a bunch of money. Pretty damn close to slander (or is it libel... I'm not sure the difference) if you ask me. When called on the carpet by the boys over at Yanksfan vs Soxfan, he actually posted claiming that "My point was not Schilling's integrity. It was the ethical problem with incentive clauses being tied to how reporters vote on awards"

Really.

We'll I guess that makes sense since you clearly pointed out in your blog how you didn't REALLY think Schilling was unethical and how this was just an example of a larger issue... except, you didn't do that at all did you? No. No you didn't. Liar.

Thing is, despite Pete Abe's hate for Schilling, he's right. Tying incentives into single votes DOES cause an ethical issue. You really can't ask teams not to have Cy Young/MVP/Gold Glove type incentives in the contracts they make; they are considered the judge of the 'best' players - although the system is actually rater broken, see Crisp, Coco. It's also really hard to get, thus good for the team not paying money. However, where you hit the snag is tying it into that single vote. Tying it into Placing 1-3 or some such is fine... but when you say one vote, one reporter = cash, you're on shakier ground.

Also, back to Pete, this isn't the first time he's posted nastily (it is too a word!) about Schilling. This makes me wonder... do you think he and Shaughnessy have like a Secret We Hate Curt Schilling Club? Get Rid Of Slimy Schillings, perhaps? I bet they hold meetings in CHB's tree-fort. I can definatly see Dan wearing the newspaper hat and plotting to throw water balloons at Curt. I'd love to find out what their Club Song sounds like...

Here We Go

2007-11-10T20:36:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to do this for a while.

Meaning to do what, you say? Start a Blog that sounds like its probably chronicling my sex life? Which would be weird considering I don't have one? No.

This blog, inspired by many of the ones you'll see off to the side (go to them, they are funnier than I am) is devoted entirely to the one, the only Boston Red Sox. Here I shall chronicle my love of the team and follow its ups and downs. I've never held a steady blog before, so bear with me. That's why I wanted to start during the off-season - less frequent updates required. Hopefully, by the time the season rolls around, I'll be writing entries for every game!

We'll see.

Oh? You want to know whats with the title? "Pants Optional" has to do what with Baseball? Well, that's easily answered. When the Boston Red Sox clinched the Division this year (I'm with Beckett in my shock at Mora's bunt), Jonathan Papelbon began the celebration wearing nothing but a jockstrap. When he finally did decide to leave the clubhouse, he did so in just his underwear. Texas Gal has footage of the celebration and, more importantly, of the famous pantsless jig. Over at one of my most frequented blogs, Yanksfan vs Soxfan, we declared that the team motto, much like "Cowboy Up" and "The Idiots" before it, was "Pants Optional". At that moment, I knew I had a blog name.

Who am I? Call me Dionysus. That's a nickname of mine, but it works for these here interwebs. I'm a 25-year old Boston Red Sox fan living in Pennsylvania. I've been a Sox fan for most of my life. How I became one is, frankly, a mystery even to me. My family was never into baseball and somehow I just.. started getting into it on my own when I was young. One would have thought I'd have gravitated to the Phillies and, at first, I did. However, before I knew it I was watching the Red Sox whenever I could. The Phillies were forgotten and an obsessive LOVE was born.

Oh, I am also firmly a member of NDRaPRSFftEMRSoML. I won't be talking about that any more, at least until the 13th, because even thinking about the situation is giving me an ulcer.