It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
- A. Bartlett Giamatti; native Bostonian, lifelong Red Sox fan, and former commissioner of MLB
Possibly my most favorite baseball quote in existence, and yet it is so bittersweet to contemplate. We were lucky this year- not only were we able to see our boys win it all, we were some of the lucky few who got to hold onto baseball for just a little bit longer, see just a few more pitches cross the plate, enjoy just a few more cracker jacks in the stands, celebrate just a few more runs tallied on the scoreboard. We were afforded the luxury of more time in the sun, even as the weather turned cold. But as long as baseball is being played, it's still summer- even if only in the minds of baseball fans.
The postseason celebrations and Schilling and Lowell hoopla have helped fill the void, and thank goodness for the hot stove season for helping keep the embers of baseball burning. And we are in the most comfortable position of all fans, since we can relish the joy of a successful year and reminisce on a season full of happiness.
But I confess, I'll be glad when the ides of February arrive, and they're back on the diamond again.
A Closer Look At The '86 Blue Jays
So our Blue Jays are moving along swimmingly over at The Sporting News' 1986: Take Two project, fueled largely I'm sure by the awesome moustaches our Jays players sport. Can you believe... our Jays are in SECOND PLACE? We're ahead of the Yankees AND the Curt Schilling-managed Red Sox. It's the power of the moustache.
I posted about how I got roped in for this thing by the fine folks at TSN right here. J-Money and I also got together awhile ago and conducted a very serious (if by serious, you mean "not serious at all") study of the '86 Jays and posted our findings over at The Sporting News-- but I wanted to share them here as well, for posterity.
The baseball offseason is a long, lonely and chilly period. Baseball fans are forced to obsess over the minutiae of Hot Stove baseball: whether the third-best middle reliever on your team will file for free agency, the theoretical pros and cons of a six-man rotation, how many different teams will diss A-Rod before he goes crawling back to the Yankees.
So when the folks over at The Sporting News approached us with the opportunity to participate in a Strat-O-Matic recreation of the 1986 baseball season (1986: Take Two), we naturally grabbed ahold of that opportunity like a drowning man to a liferaft. We didn't even really care what team we got (there is enough baseball love to go around for just about every team)- so when we were given the Toronto Blue Jays, we were quite tickled. They're so plucky! And so Canadian! And they have RANCE MULLINIKS- with a guy named that on our roster, we were bound to win.
Now we don't have to obsess over that Hot Stove stuff, we can obsess over what Dave Stieb's WHIP was against left-handed batters in June of 1986, or whether we should carry an extra DH or outfielder, or just how many ridiculous trades we can propose to Curt Schilling (who is managing the Red Sox against us in the AL East) before he blocks our email address. And we have a baseball project that will require daily management right up until May- when real-life baseball will be in full swing again (hallelujah). I would disclose how many hours and hours and hours I've spent researching stats and tweaking lineups and reviewing recordbooks... but it's just too frightening.
Our season officially kicked off on November 6th, and we're off to a rousing 11-7 start (we were 2-0 at the time this was originally written -- damn you, Kansas City Royals!) -- and to celebrate, we're doing a run-down of the hotties on the 1986 Blue Jays. There's plenty of time to obsess about numbers and stats... but first, let's examine the shallower assets of our team. So get ready- put on your retro '86 Jays cap (I have one) or jersey (J-Money has that)- because you're about to behold Rance Mulliniks and the rest of the mustachioed Blue Jays in all their glory...
Direct from the official records of Spring, Texas (not really) is a copy of the authentic (not really) birth record of one Joshua Patrick "Fucking" Beckett:
click to get the full-sized version
Thanks to reader Lisa for sending this my way!
Rookie Honors Keep Rolling In
Dustin Pedroia was named the American League Rookie of the Year. Hideki Okajima was voted in to the All-Star game in July. Dustin was named Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News. And Dustin and Hideki were each named a Rookie of the Month (Hideki in April, Dustin in May). But the rookie phenoms aren't done collecting accolades yet - today, each of them was named to the 49th annual Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.
First awarded in 1959 by the Topps baseball card company, the Rookie All-Star Team is voted on by the MLB managers. The Sox rookies were the first to be named to the Team since Brian Daubach in 1999 -- and the Sox also had two players (Scott Hatteberg and Nomar Garciaparra) named to the team in 1997.
Interestingly, neither Dustin nor Hideki were unanimous selections- but the Red Sox were the only team to have more than one player make the roster. Five players earned unanimous votes - James Loney, Ryan Braun, Delmon Young, Chris Young and Hunter Pence. Here's the full breakdown:
1B James Loney, Dodgers (98 games, 15 HR, 67 RBI, .331) - unanimous
2B Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox (139, 8, 50, .317)
3B Ryan Braun, Brewers (113, 34, 97, .324) - unanimous
SS Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies (155, 24, 99, .291)
OF Delmon Young, Rays (162, 13, 93, .288) - unanimous
OF Chris Young, Diamondbacks (148, 32, 68, .237) - unanimous
OF Hunter Pence, Astros (108, 17, 69, .322) - unanimous
C Carlos Ruiz, Phillies (115, 6, 54, .259)
RHP Brian Bannister, Royals (165 IP, 12-9, 3.87, 77 K, 44 BB)
LHP Hideki Okajima, Red Sox (69 IP, 3-2, 2.22, 63 K, 17 BB)
Walking The Red Carpet
Tonight was the world premiere of the "2007 World Series Film" (see my previous post on the event here), and several Sox-ians were on hand to walk the red carpet- including Terry Francona, Curt Schilling, Manny Delcarmen, Larry Lucchino and Dave Magadan, plus the Dropkick Murphys and special appearances by both the 2004 and 2007 World Series trophies.
Curt apparently did not get the memo regarding the dress code for the night, since it appears every other person in attendance was wearing suits and dresses - and Curt rolled in wearing jeans and a blue plaid shirt. Because when I think "red carpet", I think "old plaid shirt". I'm not going to give him too hard a time for the wardrobe malfunction, though - because he told reporters he looks forward to retiring in Boston and spending the next 10 years "in the bleachers hecking Tito." He can wear whatever he wants when he talks like that.
Matt Damon, who narrated the film, was not on hand for the premiere- but he did send a special treat for those in attendance: a special one-time only ending to the film. "The Red Sox are 2007 World Champions. Suck on it New York!" I really like that guy. There's an excellent article in the Globe here all about Matt and his Sox love- which includes this gem: "My brother told me my nephews think Mike Lowell is George Clooney."
NOTE: NESN is also doing their own 2007 film, but this one will cover the entire '07 season, not just the World Series. It will be called "Champions Again: The Story of the 2007 Boston Red Sox" . and will air on NESN sometime in December.
Here's some video from the World Premiere event - and I've got tons more pictures from the evening after the jump. Did you go to the premiere? Stop by and drop a comment and let us know how it went!
The Sox are gonna get PAID, son. Paid for winning the World Series- to the tune of $308,236 per person, on top of their salaries.
The players' pool is a way to reward the players from the winning teams (and anyone else that the players vote to share their club's money with). During the regular season, before the playoffs began, the players from each team meet together behind closed doors to determine how many playoff shares they would get/give to players, staff and ballpark staff. This year, the Sox decided on 47 full shares, 14 partial shares and 11 cash awards. The players' pool is then collected from 60% of the gate receipts from the first three games of the ALDS and NLDS, 60% of the gate receipts from the first four games from the ALCS and NLCS, and 60% of the gate receipts from the first four games of the World Series. Major League Baseball announced the players' postseason pool today - $52.46 million total for all playoff teams, $18.89 million of that for the Red Sox - which works out to $308,236 per full share.
For guys like Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis, that playoff share payout almost equals their entire yearly salary. Paps makes $425,500 per, Kevin makes $424,500 per, and Dustin makes $380,000 per (source: Cot's Baseball Contracts). And for some of the Sox front office and ballpark staff, even a partial share can amount to life-changing money for them:
"I know there have been times in the past when the shares meetings were probably not the most charitable events," said Red Sox right-hander Curt Schilling. "This is an incredibly giving group of guys. The shares meeting is kind of an extrapolation of how we feel about the family as a whole. It was important to be very inclusive this time around.
"You hope as veterans, you pass that along to the players. That's life-changing money for the clubhouse guys and the guys that work around the ballpark. That's money that will change their life forever and to be able to do that for people is a pretty powerful thing. That's a good thing."
The Sox aren't the only ones hiting paydirt- every single team in the playoffs gets a portion of that $52.46 million postseason players' pool, plus even the second place teams who missed the playoffs get in on the action. The players of each of the participating teams all got to decide how to divide up their club's money, which is broken down into a higher percentage based on how far each club advanced in the playoffs. Here's a look at the total players' postseason pool:
Boston Red Sox
$18,890,000
$308,236 per share
Colorado Rockies
$12,590,000
$233,505 per share
Arizona Diamondbacks
$6,300,000
$139,460 per share
Cleveland Indians
$6,300,000
$107,458 per share
Chicago Cubs
$1,600,000
$24,508 per share
Los Angeles Angels
$1,600,000
$31,594 per share
New York Yankees
$1,600,000
$26,304 per share
Philadelphia Phillies
$1,600,000
$28,058 per share
Detroit Tigers
$524,594
$10,611 per share
Milwaukee Brewers
$524,594
$11,404 per share
New York Mets
$524,594
$9,411 per share
Seattle Mariners
$524,594
$9,112 per share
The pool dropped from $55.60 million last year to $52.46 million this year, because Fenway Park is considerably smaller and therefore gate receipts were also less (e.g. Fenway can seat 35,692 at night, compared with 43,975 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis). But the Sox player shares were up - way up - from those in 2004. In 2004, a full World Series share was $223,619.79 (and the players in '04 voted for 58 full shares, 29 partial shares and eight cash rewards).
In the immortal words of the Pet Shop Boys:
I've got the brains
You've got the looks
You've got the brawn,
I've got the brains.... Let's make lots of MONEY
Random Sox Theatre: Chef Papi
An oldie, but a goodie - Chef David Ortiz invites you into his home back in '04, for some good Dominican home-cooking. Bonus: he's wearing a SoSH shirt! Is there anything Papi can't do? And is there any time he's not absolutely charming in every way?
Like Papi says, "If you ain't got no flavor, don't come to my house." Words to live by.
One Month Ago, Today...
I was in Denver... and then this happened:
In celebration of our anniversary (of sorts), I'll be posting all kinds of goodies throughout the day today that take us back to October 28th, high up in the Rocky Mountains -- where there was a chill in the air- but fire in our eyes.
video courtesy of NESN
One Month Ago: Starting Lineup
Ok, so it was a little more than a month ago, but it's still a fun watch: the announcement of the Red Sox starting lineup at Fenway Park for Game 1 of the World Series.
Manager: Terry Francona
2B - Dustin Pedroia
1B - Kevin Youkilis
DH - David Ortiz
LF - Manny Ramirez
3B - Mike Lowell
C - Jason Varitek
RF - J.D. Drew
SS - Julio Lugo
CF - Jacoby Ellsbury
SP - Josh Beckett
I love how Tito wallops Dustin on the head, and the rest of the players get pats on the shoulder. Big Papi makes sure to acknowledge his adoring public to the left and right. Mike Lowell points to one of the Sox players as he runs out - I wish I knew who. Lugo really, REALLY gets into those high-fives... be careful dude, you might injure someone. And I'm pretty positive that the two guys on the team who most would NOT want to trot out for player introductions were conveniently busy warming up in the bullpen.
video courtesy of MLB.com
One Month Ago: Game One
Continuing my day-long celebration of our WS Anniversary - next up, three treats from Game One...
#1- Sox get out of the gate with a bang as Josh Beckett fans the first three Rockies batters, and then Dustin Pedroia leads off the game with a homerun. How do you like them apples?
video courtesy of Fox
#2- A beautiful composite photo of Josh Beckett pitching in Game One by Andrew Malone.
click on the photo for the full-sized version
#3- Royce Clayton would like you to know, "I ain't got my taco yet!"
video courtesy of Fox & MLB.com
One Month Ago: Game Two
Game Two. Top of the eighth inning. Boston is holding onto a one-run lead, 2-1. Hideki Okajima hands the game ball over to Jonathan Papelbon with no runners on, two outs. Matt Holliday pops a ball right at the pitcher's mound, narrowly missing a collision course with Papelbon and causing Dustin Pedroia to do some awkward acrobatics to keep it in the infield. So now there's the tying run on first, with the winning run stepping up to the plate. And then... PICKOFF.
That was nothing short of hilarious. Especially because the genius Fox broadcasters were right in the midst of a Holliday lovefest when he got embarrassed by Papelbon- left stranded off the bag like the homeliest girl at the dance.
Bonus awesome: notice that hard tumble Dustin takes, jamming his left hand and wrist up against the ground? Yeah, he did that with a broken hand. And he barely even winced. No wonder Tito was out there like a flash to check on him. How that guy was able to play for almost 2 months with that kind of injury is beyond comprehension.
video courtesy of Fox
One Month Ago: Game Three
Rookiepalooza kept a'rollin in Game Three- with Jacoby Ellsbury's monster four-hit night, Dustin Pedroia's bat continuing to stay hot, Daisuke Matsuzaka picking up the W... and batting in two runs. Our pitcher got 2 RBI. At that point, if I hadn't already been drunk on the beer and bourbon, I would have been delirious from being so giddy. PItchers! Knocking in runs! Rookies! Wreaking all kinds of havoc! Baserunners! Wearing jackets out on the diamond! The world went all topsy-turvy... in a glorious way.
video courtesy of FOX & MLB
Also: the Rockies fan sitting right next to me, with his cute wife and even cuter little toddler son, told me during pregame that all he wanted was to get a picture with his son at the World Series (awww!), and catch a foul ball for his son. And I'll be good goddamned if he did - he caught a foul ball, one of those special gold-embossed World Series baseballs. I've never caught a foul ball, or been sitting next to someone who did-- much less someone who called it in advance. But it was pretty cool to see him hand the ball to his son, who looked up at him like a hero.
We had great Rockies fans sitting all around us for Game Three- so hats off to you, Colorado, for not being Cleveland-esque. And for serving hard liquor.
BONUS DICE VIDEO! Even though this was from Game 4- it's just too precious not to post.
One Month Ago: Game Four
Game Four. The end of the line for the Rockies, the confirmation of a whole new era for the Red Sox. Before the fireworks and festivities, FOX showed this pregame montage setting up Game 4, set to the tune of "Elevation" by U2. Not only is the montage cool, but there's a palpable undercurrent of anticipation running through it- you can almost hear the death knoll for the Rockies in the Edge's guitar riffs.
video courtesy of FOX
You know what's coming next-- the best part of the postgame celebrations, bar none. Mike Timlin grabs Tim Wakefield for a celebratory hug, and ends up sharing an unguarded (and dare I say... tender?) moment on camera that you don't often see between two manly men, especially in the world of sports.
video courtesy of NESN
And one final montage to close things out - I love NESN because they put stuff like this out there for us. Can't wait to see their 2007 DVD!
video courtesy of NESN
One Month Ago: I Was There
I know I am woefully lax in sharing photos from Games 3 and 4 of the World Series in Denver... so I'm correcting that error right now. And a perfect time for it, right in the middle of celebrating the Anniversary of the Blessed Event. So I'll give you a few teasers below, and then go after the jump to find a whole bunch of pictures from that weekend at Coors Field.
Like father, like son. These two are adorable.
The three Ellsbury brothers, and the girlfriend- so sweet!
Even sweeter: the three Varitek brothers, arms slung around each other, taking a walk out to the empty expanse of center field, and sharing that moment together
Lots more photos, and my random notes and observations, after the jump...
Congratulations go out to Jon Lester, who was honored by Major League Baseball with the Tony Conigliaro Award for 2007- which is given away every year to a ballplayer who has "overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage." I'd definitely say battling back from cancer to become a World Series clinch-winning pitcher in the space of just one year definitely qualifies.
Mike Lowell also won the Tony C Award back in 1999, which is a national award given away by MLB since 1990. Other notable winners? Jim Abbott, Bo Jackson, Bret Saberhagen.
"I didn't really realize the names that were on (the plaque) until the other day when (Red Sox media relations director) John Blake sent me an e-mail that I had received the award," Lester said. "Bo Jackson, Jim Abbott and obviously Mike Lowell, names like that. Obviously Jim Abbott had a lot to overcome when he was pitching. So it just fits. It's a good honor."
Jon spoke about the constant media focus on his cancer diagnosis and recovery- and his hope that someday that might not be the first thing people ask him about:
"I think I'm always going to have that title behind my name. It's going to be a question that comes up regardless, but hopefully, I can just go back to being me and being a normal pitcher and go out and pitch every five days and not have to worry about that, and get questions about my pitching ability rather than what happened last offseason. I know it's going to be a question, but hopefully, it will get few and far between."
His plans for the offseason?
"Eat -- a lot," said Lester, who is now at roughly 215 pounds. "That's kind of my main objective -- to eat a lot and gain some weight."
Following his chemotherapy treatments last winter, Jon reported to spring training with a significant weight loss, at only about 200 pounds. He indicated that it took him awhile to build back up speed and stamina throughout the '07 season.
"It was just a constant, uphill battle to get that weight back, and like I said, the confidence in my body and my mechanics to feel comfortable out on the mound," said Lester. "I've always been able to throw my fastball by guys and do that, and now, this year, I couldn't do that because I didn't have that little extra at the end, and it showed because I wasn't striking guys out. [It was] more contact and pitching to bats. Hopefully next year I'll have that little extra like I did in September and October and be able to pitch a little bit better and go to my strengths more."
Jon has been in Boston this week with several other members of the pitching staff, in town from Atlanta, where he recently bought a new home. Lester was born and raised in Washington state, but has been down around Atlanta to go hunting with buddies, and really took to the area. J.D. Drew and Jason Varitek must be so proud to have another guy with Georgia ties on the Sox roster.
Here is some video of Jon with the plaque yesterday at Fenway Park- speaking about the award and his season this year:
video courtesy of NESN & Boston.com
I'm Voting A Straight Sox Ticket
This will likely be the only time you'll ever find anything remotely concerned with politics here, but this was too good to pass up-- Rudy Giuliani got called out for switching allegiances and supporting the Red Sox for the World Series during last night's GOP debate (by a Youtube guy, no less). It's high time important issues like this were brought to the forefront of the political landscape.
Giuliani tries to pawn it off as being a staunch American League supporter- but I say phooey on that. The only time I would ever root for the Yankees to win the World Series would be if they were playing a team comprised of serial killers, terrorists and puppy kickers... and maybe not even then.
video courtesy of CNN & Boston.com
I've never considered it, but I wonder if it's possible to make all electoral decisions based on sports allegiances. Like, if a candidate's team wins the World Series, he automatically gets to be President the next year. And if the American League wins the All-Star Game, the Republicans get control of the Congress; if the National League wins, the Democrats get the majority.
Is Beckett Boot Camp Doomed?
Shocking revelation in today's Boston Globe, which is almost a throwaway line in an article about Clay Buchholz's conditioning and training this offseason:
Buchholz has spent time working out at Athletes' Performance in Pensacola, Fla., where he'll return after this week's trip to Boston to meet with Red Sox staff. He also is scheduled to come north for the rookie development program in January in Boston. Buchholz may not head to Texas to train with Josh Beckett, as had been discussed.
Does this mean that Beckett Boot Camp - where the tough-talking, hard-drinking, oft-cussing Josh Beckett whips the young'ens Buchholz and Jon Lester into shape out in the wilds of Josh's Texas ranch - might not happen after all?
No pre-dawn deer hunting expeditions, wherein sometimes Josh ropes a set of antlers to Clay's head and lets Jon shoot at him with an air rifle?
No bonfires that burn late at night, around which Josh kicks back in a nice comfy deck chair, but makes Jon and Clay sit on the wet ground and cook him s'mores on command?
No steer wrestling lessons out in the pastures, which are sometimes blindfolded steer wrestling sessions because "that old dude on Star Wars did the same thing to Luke Skywalker"?
No mandatory keg stand sessions, where Clay holds Jon upside down for hours on end so he can chug the exact amount of Bud Light required by Beermaster Beckett?
No games of "dodgeball" - which consist of Josh hollering at Clay and Jon to "haul ass" while he tries to peg them with 98 mph fastballs?
This is a travesty in the making.
Josh is picturing what these antlers will look like strapped to Clay's head.
Hot Stove Update
SANTANA! SANTANA! SANTANA! It seems to be all Santana talk, all the time around the Red Sox hot stove lately. So let's jump in and take a look at what all is going on with Santana... and also with the guys on the team and other trade possibilities not named Johan Santana
There is no doubt Santana is being shopped, and there is no doubt the Red Sox are interested- but there have been conflicting reports about which Sox players are on potentially on the table-- and who, if anyone, is considered an "untouchable". The big three of concern are Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury. Although SI reported earlier in the week that Jacoby Ellsbury was untouchable, this information has been disputed by the Herald, the Globe... and by Theo himself.
"There are no untouchables," Epstein said. "If there's an opportunity to get better, we'll do it. We believe in those guys. Their value to us is legitimate. We're not eager to get rid of them."
However, even if there are no untouchables, the current position of the Sox is that while Lester, Buchholz and Ellsbury are all potentials, they would only trade ONE of that group in any one deal. The potential swap package getting the most ink this week is Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie and Justin Masterson/Michael Bowden.
A major factor to be taken into account is Santana's no-trade clause. He has complete control over where he ends up- and reports are that he will not consider waiving that full no-trade clause unless his new team grants him a contract extension. Reportedly, Santana will be looking for something in the range of $20 million-$25 million annually over 5-7 seasons. So, even after working out a deal with the Twins, the Sox would still need to work out a deal with Santana himself before any trade could be completed- so it's not going to be a quick process.
What do the current Sox think about the possibility of Santana in home whites? Jonathan Papelbon and Curt Schilling both expressed excitement at the prospect- and Papelbon in particular said on WEEI this morning that he was in favor of a Lester-Crisp-Lowrie-Masterson package (but thought the team needed to keep Ellsbury).
I like it (the Lester-Crisp-Lowrie-Masterson package). Here's how you gotta look at it, it's simple, you put together a team to try to win a championship every offseason right? OK, if you can do that, and obtain a guy that could help you do that, which you know he can help do that, you do it. Yes, you do have a lot of faith in these young kids, but whoever may be in the equation as a young kid, you don't know what they're gonna do at a big-league level. You don't know if they're capable of being on a championship club. You know that with Santana.
And Curt Schilling is just as thrilled at the prospect of adding Santana to the Sox rotation:
Cool. The thought of (Sox ace Josh) Beckett and Santana coming out and matching up with somebody is impressive. It's exciting. I know that if he's on the market like people say he is, I promise (GM Theo Epstein has) talked to them and he's going to measure the price tag. We're not in a win-it-now mode - that's our mode every year. We're not operating out of our element. He's not going to sacrifice the future.
Another Sox player who would be pleased to see the trade go through with Coco Crisp headed to Minnesota is Bobby Kielty, who is very realistic when assessing his place on the team. Kielty is a classic fourth outfielder, and with Crisp and Ellsbury both on the team, he doesn't really have a place-- but if Coco is gone, that vacates a slot that he can fill. "I really need to play in the best situation," Kielty said. "With Coco not there, it is a very good situation for me in terms of playing time. . . . But with Coco there, it's not an ideal situation for me." Bobby has been contacted by three National League teams, but is waiting to see if there's a place for him in Boston before moving on to other opportunities.
Jon Lester is most assuredly not as excited about the possibility of a Santana trade, as it would most likely signal the end of his days in a Sox uni. Jon was asked about the trade rumors swirling around him:
"Until [general manager Theo Epstein] calls me, I don't worry about it," Lester said Wednesday. "If it happens, it's something I will have to deal with at that point. Most of the time, it's just speculation. Dan Haren and Johan Santana, that's not bad. Those are two great pitchers to have your name involved with in a trade, but I want to be here for a long time and win more World Series."
Theo Epstein indicated that the likelihood of hearing news on a trade before Winter Meetings start on Monday, involving Santana or otherwise, is slim -- but that the front office is working on things behind the scenes.
"We have nothing to announce," Theo said. "Nothing imminent. We're going to keep on working right up until the meetings, but if I had to guess I would say probably nothing to announce before the meetings. Just because we're focused on [the bench and the bullpen] doesn't mean we're not going to look at other opportunities to get better," he said. "We'll see if anything presents itself and we'll be aggressive as we usually are . . . We're pleased with the position we are in. We think we have a really nice mix of veterans and young players at the big-league level, and another wave or two of talented young players coming through our farm system who should make an impact."
And in news not involving Johan Santana...
The deadline to offer arbitration to former players who are free agents is tomorrow, December 1st. That means the Red Sox will have until midnight tomorrow to offer arbitration to free agents Eric Gagne and Mike Timlin (the Type B free agents), as well as Matt Clement, Bobby Kielty, Eric Hinske and Doug Mirabelli. The Boston Herald reported that the Sox will "most likely" offer arbitration to TImlin and Gagne, and though no one seems to have an idea what Timlin's planning to do, reportedly Eric Gagne would accept the offer if extended. Since both are Type B free agents, if either one chooses to sign with another team rather than accept arbitration, the Sox would receive a compensatory draft pick from the new signing team.
Additionally, the Sox can have four 3+ year veterans eligible for arbitration: Brendan Donnelly, Javier Lopez, Kyle Snyder and Kevin Youkilis -- although I have not seen or heard any news about the likelihood of any of them not working out agreement on a contract before the December 12th deadline. I put together an Arbitration Primer a couple of weeks ago, check that out for more details on what arbitration is and how it works.
The Sox signed Lee Gronkiewicz, a 29 year-old free agent minor league relief pitcher, to a contract earlier in the week. Gronk is a California native, who played college ball for South Carolina, and also played on this year's USA Baseball World Cup Team. Here's a great (and funny) profile on Gronk by some Jays fans written up earlier in the month.
Youkilis, Buchholz, Ellsbury Pick Up Honors
The Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America announced more of their awards on Friday- the full slate of which will be awarded at their annual dinner on January 17th at the Westin Waterfront in Boston. Jon Lester was previously announced as the winner of the Tony C Award (a national award), Josh Beckett has been elected the Pitcher of the Year and Jonathan Papelbon is the club's Fireman of the Year -- and now several more Sox players have picked up awards from the BBWAA as well.
Kevin Youkilis will be honored with the 2007 Jackie Jensen Award- which is given to a major league player for "spirit and determination." The honor is named for the late Red Sox outfielder who played in the 1950s.
Co-winners of the 2007 Minor League Players of the Year are Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury. And Manager of the Year goes to Terry Francona. Lester, Beckett, Papelbon, Youkilis, Buchholz, Ellsbury and Francona will all attend the BBWAA dinner to formally accept their awards.
So let's update that Red Sox trophy cabinet for '07, shall we? In addition to the World Series and American League trophies, these Sox players also snagged awards:
World Series MVP - Mike Lowell, 3B ALCS MVP - Josh Beckett, SP Gold Glove - Kevin Youkilis, 1B Silver Slugger - David Ortiz, DH Delivery Man - Jonathan Papelbon, RP AL Rookie of the Year - Dustin Pedroia, 2B
2007 All-Star Team
Josh Beckett, SP
Mike Lowell, 3B
Hideki Okajima, RP
David Ortiz, DH
Jonathan Papelbon, RP
Manny Ramirez, LF
The Sporting News Awards
Rookie of the Year: Dustin Pedroia, 2B
All-Star: David Ortiz, DH
Topps Rookie All-Star Team
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Hideki Okajima, RP
Boston Baseball Writers Association of America Awards
Thomas A. Yawkey Award (MVP) - Mike Lowell, 3B
Pitcher of the Year - Josh Beckett, SP
Fireman of the Year - Jonathan Papelbon, RP
Tony Conigliaro Award - Jon Lester, SP
Jackie Jensen Award - Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Minor League Player of the Year - Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Minor League Player of the Year - Clay Buchholz, SP
Player of the Month
April: Hideki Okajima, Rookie of the Month
May: Dustin Pedroia, Rookie of the Month
September: David Ortiz, Player of the Month
September: Jacoby Ellsbury, Rookie of the Month
Player of the Week
May 14-May 20: Daisuke Matsuzaka
May 28-Jun 3: Dustin Pedroia
Jul 23-Jul 29: Manny Ramirez
Aug 20-Aug 26: David Ortiz and Mike Lowell
Aug 27-Sep 2: Clay Buchholz
Advent Surprises
It's December 1st- and that means it's time to break out the holiday decorations, the Yule Log and some fruitcake. I also thought I would celebrate with a little advent calendar counting down the days until Christmas - you can find it over in the sidebar. Check in every day from now until December 25th, each day I'll feature one of the Red Sox players, and put up little treats for each one: my favorite photos, news articles, videos and anything else I can think of.
I figured this would be a fun way to pass the holidays for everyone, whether you celebrate Christmas or not- and will also give us a chance to celebrate the Red Sox at the same time.
The baseball offseason is a long, lonely and chilly period. Baseball fans are forced to obsess over the minutiae of Hot Stove baseball: whether the third-best middle reliever on your team will file for free agency, the theoretical pros and cons of a six-man rotation, how many different teams will diss A-Rod before he goes crawling back to the Yankees.
