Rainout Roundup
Sure, Josh Beckett was scratched from his start and Michael “Cannon Fodder” Bowden was offered up as a sacrificial lamb to the Blue Jays’ bats. Sure, the umps called the game for rain (even though there was no rain at the time) just as the Sox had begun to manage some sort of comeback, putting two baserunners on against the hapless Casey Janssen. But Kevin Youkilis pounded out two taters, Manny Delcarmen pitched a scoreless inning and the Rangers got blasted in Anaheim… so it all evens out.
Here’s a roundup of some random Sox news:
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Say hello to Dustin Richardson, erstwhile reality show star (while playing baseball for Texas Tech, Dustin was one of 2 finalists competing to get a walk-on slot for coach Bobby Knight’s basketball team on the ESPN’s “Knight School”) and the newest call-up to the bigs. He started his day in Ft. Myers thinking he was going to go throw in an Instructional League game, and ended up making his major league debut at Fenway.
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In order to make way for Richardson, the Sox DFA’ed Chris Carter. Yeah, the same Chris Carter that was reportedly part of the Billy Wagner trade — until the Yankees stuck their big fat noses in Boston’s business, and placed a waiver claim on Carter. The Sox were forced to pull him back off waivers, and now had to DFA him. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to him this time around. |
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Now begins the segment I like to think of as “Needless Histrionics About the Red Sox”, starring: your Boston media! “I bring this up not to make a direct connection between [Matt] Clement and Jon Lester”… but that’s exactly what I’m going to do! “Color me a little creeped out, but is anyone else even the least bit concerned over what’s going on with Red Sox starters these past four days?” And if you’re not, let me try and spread some hysteria! |
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The Blue Jays’ 2009 season may be toast, but that doesn’t mean the Toronto Globe and Mail is going to pass up an opportunity to deliver a weird insult to Josh Beckett!
If only your back injury would have happened on a transcontinental flight, Josh, it would have been legitimate – you wimpy, first-class riding sod. The author also refers to Mike Lowell as “genteel” – which is either a compliment and calling him stylish and aristocratic… or is an attempt to refer to him as some sort of mincing fop. I’m going to assume it’s the former. |
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Maybe I should cut Toronto some slack, after reading this latest tale from the saga that is the Rogers Baseball Operations ownership’s continued attempts to dump on Jays fans. |
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As much as it pained me to see the photos from Sunday’s champagne fest in the Bronx, articles ridiculing the Yankees for celebrating an AL East divisional clinching win are not only dumb, but also hypocritical for a New England media outlet that had covered umpteen similar celebrations by the Red Sox. Either condemn all non-World Series celebrations universally (including Papelbon’s jig in 2007 – and the Cardinals and Angels celebrations this year), or lay off the Yankees. I can’t believe someone just made me defend the Yankees. I feel dirty. |
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And I leave you with the brilliance of SG’s Red, Josh Beckett and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Daisy needs to keep her grubby paws off Becketty Boo. |
It’s a long season and if they make it to the playoffs, it should be celebrated. It’s not a celebration, IMO, of making it to the playoffs. It’s more of a celebration of the entire season. I mean yes, the making it to the playoffs is a part of it, but it’s mostly just celebrating HOW they got there, not that they got there. Anybody who whines about celebrating a playoff slot isn’t keeping in mind that “holy crap, they’re one of 8 teams to make it!” that’s worth celebrating even if it is a Wild Card (hell sometimes the Wild Card team is better than almost all the other teams…it’s just that the one team better than them is the one who won the division)
At least that’s how I see it.
@Piney61: I agree. And that article made me extra stabby because it either was trying to single out the Yankees for something every team does (and does deservedly so, in my opinion- I love the celebrations) or it was trying to say the Yankees are too good to do something like that (which is patently absurd).
IMNSHO, celebrations shouldn’t occur until you win the pennant. Period. Not winning the division, not even winning the wild card.
While it was fun to see our boys celebrate, I still felt it really wasn’t necessary…unless you don’t see yourself celebrating the one celebration all teams want. What then?
“Ah, at least we partied when we won the division/wild card.”
Really? Does that take the sting out of being eliminated later on? No offense to anyone who likes the early celebrations but me, I’d rather hold out for the one that really means something.
PS – Texy, ignore the Canucks….they still suck the Queen’s wrinkled up old dick. :)
@Seamus: I get that – but at this point, I think it’s too late: it’s already tradition. That’s what they do now. So I don’t begrudge anyone who does that. But, like I said- had the article attached everyone for those kind of celebrations, fine. I understand that viewpoint (and yours) – and get why that’s grating. But it’s not like the Yankees are doing something unique in that respect, so they shouldn’t be singled out.
And I can’t hate Canada – they gave us Jason Bay. And the Expos… NATSTOWN!
Carter will be traded to the Mets as planned. Keep in mind that the team has 10 days to move a player who has been DFA’d, which here will take them past the end of the regular season, at which point he doesn’t have to be exposed to a claim.
That Fitzgerald/Beckett link was absolutely Hi-Larry-Us!
@sittingstill: I thought the “end of the season” for roster moves when a player had been claimed off waivers and subsequently DFA’ed during the regular season occurs 5 business days after the last game of the World Series – so because the Yanks put in a waiver claim, he can’t be traded to any team other than the Yankees until 5 days after the WS.
Of course, I could be wrong. It has been known to happen. On occasion. (ok, on lots of occasions…)
I feel like this week has been dramatic for all the wrong reasons. And it’s only Tuesday.
@Texy: @sittingstill: So I was on the right track – sort of.
From Major League Rule 10 (summary by Sox Prospects, since the MLR are not published by MLB):
“When the proposed assignment is to another MLB club, waivers shall be required from 4:00 pm ET on July 31 until the day after the World Series.”
And from Cot’s Baseball Contracts:
“November 10, 2009
End of waiver period (August 1 – November 10). Waivers secured on or after August 1, 2009, expire at 5 p.m. EST. MLR 10 (c)(4).”
These are the times when I wish they’d just publish the full Major League Rules on mlb.com, so I can digest the rules myself. Of course, they never will – neither will the NFL or NBA.
That game was a gift from mother nature. I have a feeling that the Sox would have made it very close because Casey Janssen was on the verge of blowing it completely. A win is a win, even if it was only seven innings!
@Canad-Ian: All it takes is 5 innings. The Jays were beating the tar out of the Sox before the 7th.
Interesting–my understanding was that it was the end of the regular season. Thanks for the correction! That said, I’d be surprised if he got claimed off waivers–he got as far as the Yankees, who won’t do it now that their 40-man is full, and I’d be awfully surprised if any NL team claims him (I remain a bit baffled that the Mets do–I wish the best for him, but I think he’d be better with a chance to DH than to pinch hit).
Of course, the corollary is–if they’re willing to take the chance on Carter being claimed to activate Richardson, AND willing to make what could be considered an interesting DL move by putting Bates there to activate Cabrera… what’s up with the bullpen?
@sittingstill: Are they trying to test out guys to fill in in the Justin Masterson Long Relief Role? I know the 40-man was light on pitching to begin with, but I don’t know what specific holes they see that they’re trying to plug. I sure was wishing for Justin Masterson last night…
On Carter, someone somewhere mentioned that he’d be good in a Kotchman-esque role – like you mention, DH with some off-the-bench 1B work mixed in. He’s not going to get that in the NL.
@ texy–Cot’s also says this in their transaction dates page:
October 5, 2009
All players on optional assignment must be recalled. MLR 11 (a).
First day players may be traded without waivers in effect.
http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2003/01/important-transaction-dates_03.html
I don’t think they’ve put Carter on waivers–they’ve just designated him for assignment.
@sittingstill: But does that deadline apply equally to all players? Or only players who weren’t claimed off waivers and withdrawn?
Here’s the part I can’t find anyone to address: if a player was placed on waivers and claimed, but the submitting team withdrew the player off waivers — can that team then simply DFA him without regard to the claiming team? It seems like the DFA route is just a way to circumvent the waiver claim.
Although maybe it’s not really a circumvention at all, since they’re essentially held out of the trade pool until after the season is over. But in the Yankees’ case, they made a claim on a guy they ostensibly wanted to help them in the postseason (which is false here, I know- they were just mucking up the Sox-Mets works), the Sox pull the guy off waivers… and then can simply wait and trade him while the Yankees are still playing? They could even trade him to the Angels or Tigers/Twins. That doesn’t seem fair.
Again, this is all with a giant neon caveat that I wish I could just see the rules for myself!
@texy: The player would have had to be in the new organization by 8/31 (even if in the minors) to be eligible for postseason play.
Agreed, totally, that it is rather silly that we can’t see the rules!
@Texy: Oh I don’t disagree that it’s dopey to criticize the Yankees for celebrating the division win…and yeah, I know it’s now a tradition.