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Notes from Madras

In Oregon now and drove through Madaras (aka Jacoby Ellsbury country) and couldn't help but be pleased with the fact that Red Sox nation transcends national borders.  Boston is big in and around the Indian reservations that dot Madras and as I passed through central Oregon I couldn't help to peer out my window, searching for evidence of the Red Sox World Series banners that were hung in town and vestiges of the parade that was thrown for JE.

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I sincerely hope that Boston does not take the reverse bait and throw in Ellsbury for the services of Twins ace Johan Santana.  At first I thought the Sox were safe and merely upping the anty for the Yankees, who are starved for starting.  But now it seems that the Sox are making a real run at Johan and may just take over the Yanks, Mets, and all other takers.

I am flummoxed.  At the end of this season I thought there were a few certainties about the off-season. Naively, I thought that our starting center fielder would be eating cereal in another town and that Ellsbury was the future outfielder for Boston.  Things are not what they seem.

Now that the trade winds are picking up I feel that if we can get Santana for a modest cost - think John Lester, Clay Buchholz (maybe) and a player-to-be-named later, I might be able to swallow this deal.  But the fact that we are willing to give away the talents of both Buchholz and Ellsbury is too much for me to give. 

Perhaps I am not used to having access to the talent in the world.  Maybe I fear that we are over reaching and shoring up the wrong part of the team.  I mean, do we really need Santana?  Are we sacrificing our future for complete dominance next year?

All these questions.  So much for the "off" season.

Do not trade Ellsbury

Ok, now I am getting a bit annoyed at the swirling rumors that the Sox will include Ellsbury in a deal for Santana.  Let's not trade away the future to get more starting pitching.  Let's not get greedy and trade away the ability to win tomorrow in order to guarantee winning today.  If Jacoby is traded that pretty much means we are stuck with an under-performing Coco Crisp.  The market for centerfielders is not deep and the Sox do not need questions in the outfield.  Trading Ellsbury is not an option. 

Will the Sox land Santana?

To be totally frank I have not followed the race for Johan Santana very closely.  I resigned myself to Johan befuddling the Sox in 2008 with either the Yanks or the Angles until I began to read that the Sox are interested in Santana.  It appears that Theo and Trust are doing one of several things: 

(a) the Red Sox ownership is attempting to make the bidding process for Johan's services competitive, something the Sox are known to do;
(b) the Hub simply want to dominate the MLB and render all those useless in the face of Santana, Schilling, Daisuki and company;
(c) we are becoming what in fact we hate and fear the most...the Yankees, buying up every hot commodity on the market.

We will see Mr. Lucchino whether your adage is true and the Sox truly are not the Yankees for the new millennium, but instead something your father would not understand. 

I for one do not think it necessary to gain another starter.  Between the plethora of starting pitching on the team, coupled with what's available down on the farm and on the market means not having to be overly concerned starting pitching.  It may be one of those times when you go away from the 'you can never have enough pitching' philosophy.   Let's focus on getting something for Coco and signing a backup catcher, rendering a decision on Timlim (keep him for the hometown discount), and solving the setup role to compliment Okajima.  But, then again it's only December.

Red Sox Crystal Ballroom

Bill James, the principle sage for that curious statistical art known as Sabermetrics, is at it again with his predictions for next year's 2008 Red Sox team.  James' forecasts are important for two main reasons.  First, BJ is an advisor to the Sox brass and Theo and his team are semi-devout fans of Sabermetrics.  The Sox front office is not about to run out and pen the sequel to "Moneyball," but they do pay more attention to the numbers that many other ball clubs.  Second, the analysis of Bill James, at times, is eerily close to reality.  For instance, last James predicted Varitek would end the season batting .259 with 17 home runs and 69 RBIs. Tek's actual numbers were .255, 17, and 68.  Not too shabby.  Of course BJ is no Nostradamus and he was  way off the mark with Lowell and Drew.  But his analysis should not be overlooked.

Stay Classy, Mike Lowell

I've called Cal Ripken Jr. the classiest man to ever play baseball, but that title may not last much longer.

It's not that Cal has been less than classy lately. No, he's still a great man and a great athlete, but Mike Lowell may have to succeed Ol' Cal.

If you haven't seen the videos of Lowell accepting his MVP trophy, or speaking before the parade, check them out RedSox.com. I'd link directly, but the site's crazy flash scheme prevents that.

I had never heard Lowell speak before the commissioner of Major League Baseball presented the MVP trophy.

Lowell's not the only guy in a Boston uniform that doesn't often speak publicly, but Manny Ramirez keeps his mouth shut because he always sounds like an idiot.

Lowell, on the other hand, displayed an awful lot of humility for a man who made $9 million this year.

It's endearing, and only adds to the can-do hard work attitude that you see on the field.

Here's hoping he wears a red B on his hat next season. If not, you stay classy, Mike Lowell.

JD Drew: Postseason Hero

I know I'm not the only Sox fan that has had a change of heart on JD Drew.

During the regular season, I groaned when he came to bat. Even when I understood that he had serious family problems at home, it didn't change the fact that the man couldn't seem to produce a run if his life depended on it.

Then the postseason happened, and Drew warmed up.

He started slowly, picking up a hit in two out of three NLDS games against the Angels, along with a run, and three RBIs.

I wasn't convinced. By the law of averages, he had to string together a couple of hits eventually.

But then he picked up two more hits in his next start. The streak continued, and then, Bam!

Drew came up big in game six. Even that, though, could be excused as happenstance, one moment where he shined in the middle of a mucky season.

But keep watching. I don't want to channel Dane Cook here, but have you seen his post season stats?

He has a .349 October batting average, with a .391 on base percentage and a .465 slugging percentage.

Those dwarf his regular season stats, when he was only managing a .270 batting average. While he's not batting as well as Manny or Big Papi - and nobody is - he is holding his own in a lineup that features Mike Lowell, Dustin Pedroia, and Jason Varitek.

So here's to you, JD Drew. After a lousy regular season, you've come up big when it really counts. Let's just hope you see more of this side of you next season.

Call it Idolatry...

But somebody needs to call The Pope.

Matsuzaka to pitch game 2

Redsox.com reported today that Daisuke Matsuzaka will be tapped to start game two against the Angels.

I'm... uncomfortable with this. While Matsuzaka, seen here looking like a high school freshman trying to dance, finished the season strong with his eight inning, two earned run performance over the Twins, I've seen this high-priced import get shelled and fail to finish the third inning.

However, Francona knows his players better than I ever will, and he says Daisuke performs well on long rest. Matsuzaka will have six days rest before squaring off against the west coast's best offering.

The Angels also haven't seen Daisuke pitch before, so he'll have the element of surprise to work with.

I hope this works out, but my gut says I'd be more comfortable if Matsuzaka found a nice, comfortable place on the bench during the post season. I think he needs seasoning before he can pitch the big games stateside.

But then there's what my coworker said. When you pay a player that much, you have to use them.

Seeya, Schill

Curt Schilling has already commented that he might enjoy the Tampa Bay area. Well, now he's gone a step farther, and put his house on the market, according to this article from the Boston Herald.

Schilling wanted another year at $13 million, but he wasn't even worth that this year. Why would we want to pay him eight figures, when he barely stayed above .500 this year?

As an interesting side note, the Schillings bought this home from Drew Bledsoe.

It would seem like there's a parallel there: two overpaid athletes that overstayed their worth, but as much as Schilling has been less-than-reliable this season, we can never forget his bleeding, pained, 2004 ALCS performance.

20!

Not a lot to say here. Beckett officially became a great pitcher after racking his 20th win this season against the Devil Rays. I'll leave you with this photo from the Boston Herald.