Ortiz Recovering and Other Stuff

The talk of the town is without question the idea of Johan Santana coming to Boston in lieu of a trade. So what else is going on?



Recovery Underway

David Ortiz is currently recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee earlier in November. Hopefully it shouldn't slow him down when it comes to training for the 2008 season come January.
Ortiz has said to reporters and to the Sox that he won't be hindered by the surgery and recovery time and should be good to go in February and March come spring training time.

Lester Wins Joe Conigliaro Award

Starting pitcher Jon Lester won the Joe Conigliaro Award in Boston Wednesday. The award is handed out on a yearly basis for the player who most exemplifies the ability to “overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage.”

As you probably know, Lester was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2006. Lester went through chemotherapy and a long process of rehabilitation to make it back to Boston in time for the end of the season.

The Joe C award was started 1990 and is the namesake of the Red Sox player who was hit in the eye with a pitch. He missed the entire 1968 season and came back in ’69 and ’70 to hit a total of 56 home runs.

Six Man Rotation?

It’s a theory that’s been posed a few times in the last several years. What if a team with a big bank account could somehow form a six man rotation? The Sox and pitching coach John Farrell are now tinkering around with the idea.

The idea is to have pitchers rested when moving into September and possibly October. Dice-K wore down as the season came to an end, Tim Wakefield missed basically all of the playoffs, Curt Schilling was out for most of the summer and who knows how Lester will pitch over an entire season.

The Sox implied this spin on their rotation when the schedule allowed them to put a sixth man into the rotation (usually Julian Tavarez) late in 2007. The Sox may feature this more prominently in ’08 by the sounds of it.

Santana Talk

So I suppose I'd be a fool if I didn't at least mention something about the Santana thing. I was thinking yesterday's report of the Sox making a formal offer for Santana might put more pressure on the Yankees to come up with something better to offer the Twins. As of Friday afternoon the Yankees are balking if the offer is a bluff.

So if the Yankees take the bait what should the Sox do? Reports are hazy, but possibly putting together a trade for Oakland A's All-Star Dan Haren wouldn't be out of the question. Compared to Santana it would be a better value for the Sox since he's only set to be paid over the next three years $16 million with an option for 2010 or less than $9 million the Sox would have to pay Santana in 2009 alone.

There is more pressure for the Yankees to sell the farm and take Santana than there is for the Sox to pillage the minors and give up prospects. It's a sucker deal too. Crisp and Lester plus two minor leaguers for Santana? That would certainly be a steal for GM Theo Epstein. If it falls in his lap I'd expect him to take it, but I would hope Twins GM Bill Smith would want a little more for a player the entire organization relies on not only on the field, but as the basis for their marketing campaign. With a new downtown ballpark opening soon the Twins would be remiss to let Santana go for the Sox initial offer.

For the Birds

I'm going to post this quick before I have to do some more boring work related business, but I wanted to mention that the speculation is still running wild on the Johan Santana trade. I've been reading just about every site under the sun just to keep up on this. Why? Because I'm at work, that's why.

According to a report I read on TwinCities.com writer Charley Walters is talking to the wildlife up in Minnesota. This is according to one of his feathered friends...

A little birdie says the Boston Red Sox have become the favorite in the Johan Santana trade sweepstakes.

The Twins would receive four players for the Twins' two-time Cy Young Award winner, including center fielder Coco Crisp, 28.

Others would be shortstop prospect Jed Lowry, 23; left-handed pitcher Jon Lester, 23; and right-handed pitcher Justin Masterson, 22.

Before a deal could be made, the Red Sox would have to have time to negotiate a contract extension with Santana, 28, who can become a free agent after next season and could have a market value as high as $150 million over six years.

Lowry did not play in the major leagues this year but is considered ready and is a good-fielding shortstop who also can hit. Lowry had a slugging percentage of .500 at Class AA and Class AAA this year.

Lester made a comeback from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma a year ago and is said to be cancer-free.

Masterson, 6 feet 6, 245 pounds, had 59 strikeouts in 58 innings at Class AA Portland.

Looks fairly promising, right? I don't know, I've always been suspicious of reports like this. Who knows what the hell could happen between now and when the ink is dry on Santana's new contract for his new ballclub, that's if a trade even goes through.

The contract would be huge. $150 million over six years boils down to $25 mil a year for the mathematicians in the house. At the moment Manny Ramirez is the highest paid player on the roster at $17,016,381 per. It's still not Yankees money, but it keeps getting closer and closer.

And like I've said, you'd be an idiot to not want Santana on your team, but do the Sox really need Santana on their team? I'm still saying no. Not even with only having to give up Crisp (who's basically gone anyway), Jon Lester and two minor leaguers.

It's Not Baseball, It's....

Packers, the Musical!

Today, in order to commemorate two events I could really care less about, the Packers playing against the Cowboys and Broadway reopening, I decided to put the two together. It’s the Game Of The Century II and it’s on the NFL Network. Way to go. To the 378 people that will be watching outside of Texas Stadium I’m sure you’re in for a treat. As for the rest of us? Make your travel reservations now, this is sure to be a hit!

Think of this as the NFL meets West Side Story, or something.

Hugh Jackman as Brett Favre

Fresh off his cancellation of musical/lame television drama about a fictional Las Vegas in Viva Laughlin, Jackman and his five-o’clock shadow are primed to debut in the lead of the singing version of John Madden’s not-so-secret homo-erotic fantasy. This is sure to drive the former Raider coach over the edge and straight onto a float as grand marshal in a gay pride parade.

Nathan Lane as Mike McCarthy

McCarthy is boring, always wears a drab green jacket and is not fabulous. Lane should be able to reverse all of these qualities on stage.

Don Cheadle as Donald Driver

Cheadle is from Kansas City, Missouri. Driver is from Houston, Texas. Cheadle made a movie about genocide in Africa. Driver has 38 career touchdowns. What are the similarities? They share the same Christian name, look kinda the similar and have wonderful singing voices.

Djimon Hounsou as Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila

These guys don’t have as many shared qualities as Don Cheadle and Donald Driver, however they both have names I can’t pronounce, so this is the ultimate qualifier in this equation. Also, I've heard one plays futbol and the other plays football. Oh, and they drive the white women crazy.

Kenan Thompson as Ryan Pickett

Don’t know who Ryan Pickett is? That’s ok. He’s a big, African-American football player for the Packers who’s probably not very funny on Saturday night live. The difference? One is a football player for the Packers.

Andrew Bryniarski as AJ Hawk

Do you know how hard it is to find an actor with that stupid haircut? I really had to dig for this one. I’ve seen Bryniarski in some interviews and he seems borderline nuts. You’d have to be nuts to cut (or not) your hair like it’s 1992 and marry Brady Quinn’s crazy ass sister.

Bill Bellamy as Charles Woodson

Back to the “Any Given Sunday” well, I know, but I needed a Charles Woodson. Uncanny. They could be brothers. Wait...

James Van Der Beek as Tony Romo

Big chin? Check. Irresistible smile? Check. Special place in my heart and America’s heart? Big check.

Will Smith as Terrell Owens

Of course these two don’t look too similar, but it’s more about the award winning egos that each of these men encompass and how they are never short on words to remind you of how awesome they are, even if Owens had a sub par final year in Philly or Smith staring in Wild Wild West. They.still.won’t.stop.fucking.talking.

Morris Chestnut as Roy Williams

I don’t know much about Morris Chestnut other than the fact that his career at USC came to a screeching halt before it got started because Doughboy is a God damn hothead. At least Tre Styles made it college and finally made it with Brandi. What?? That was a movie? Shit.

Anthony Hopkins as Wade Phillips

Hopkins can play any role in the world, he’s from England for God’s sake, they invented acting. Hopkins will take on his greatest role since Hannibal Lecter. Why? Because he’ll need to emulate Phillips’ ability to act like he’s coaching and taking all the credit for his team’s success. Hopkins will have to gain a considerable amount of weight, but he's one of those committed actor types. Phillips is seen here describing the size of the sub he ate before this press conference. Hopkins is shown eating his Oscar Award. He chews solid gold. Solid fucking gold folks.

Burt Reynolds as Jerry Jones

Shave the moustache and you’ve got a formerly wrinkly, now botoxed up old southerner who only makes people happy when he’s doing a good job. Sorry Burt, had to do it.

P.S. I hate you Jerry

Carrie Underwood as Carrie Underwood

Is Romo still dating Underwood? I'll have to consult my wife about this one. Oh well, what guy knows these things anyway? All I know is that if I can stick her on Broadway for a 28-year run of this musical than I’ll finally be rid of her because, well, I don’t like Underwood or pay attention to musicals. I just come up with awesome premises for them.

The Saga Continues

With the focus off of resigning priorities in Mike Lowell and Curt Schilling and after picking up options on Julian Tavarez and Tim Wakefield, the Sox are basically left waiting for something to do. Yesterday, I wrote that a trade for Minnesota Twins hurler Johan Santana to the Boston Red Sox isn’t very likely. I might be wrong, but I may still be right.

Reports have surfaced that the Sox are dipping their toes in the push for Venezuela’s favorite son. Here are the stats on Santana to this point in his career. He’s a career 3.22 ERA left-hander who can strike out righties and lefties. His record is currently 93-44 and has 1,381 K’s.

Aside from this past year, he’s been ranked number one or two in strikeouts and ERA in each of the previous seasons. Dig a little deeper to more important stats and you’re looking at a pitcher with a career WHIP of 1.094, a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.79, and he’s striking out 9.5 batters every start.

No doubt he’s career numbers are ridiculous. He’s clearly one of the best if not the best starting pitcher in all of baseball. For most Minnesota fans, the ones that don’t kid themselves, they knew given the Twins history of holding on to blue chip talent that Santana’s days under the dome were numbered. So now the arms race (no pun for God’s sake) is on to try and acquire him in a trade this offseason before you have to sell the farm when he’s a free agent.

I know there are other teams in the mix for Santana, clearly I’m not concerned if Santana goes to the Dodgers or Mets. I’m more interested in the prospect of him following Torii Hunter to the Angels or even worse, the possibility of him moving to the Yankees.

Let’s focus on what matters most, and that would be the race between the Yankees and Sox. Let me premise this by saying that the Sox may just be talking to get the Yanks to go overboard on their offer to the Twins. I wouldn’t put it past them, who would?

First, here is what the Twins seem to be looking for. Obviously they’re in the centerfielder market. The Yankees will bring Melky Cabrera and the Sox have either Coco Crisp or Jacoby Ellsbury. A starting pitcher or two will be needed also. New York has Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Boston would counter with the no-hitter throwing Clay Buchholz and “Mr. Feelgood Story” Jon Lester. The problem is both teams have players to this point listed as untouchable in Chamberlain for the Yanks and Ellsbury for the Sox.

This tips the balance in the Yankees favor since Cabrera has more upside at the plate than Crisp. Holding out hope that sending Ellsbury into Twins pinstripes in exchange for Crisp returning to his past glory while he was in Cleveland is a stretch. There’s a reason Francona benched Crisp during the playoffs in favor of Ellsbury.

The Yankees are going to be more willing to part with Cabrera to have Santana counter postseason god and Yankee killer Josh Beckett. The Twins have shown more than mild interest in Crisp, however not for a deal of this magnitude. The Sox would have to give up more than just Lester/Buchholz and Crisp.

My guess is that the Sox would have to throw in Lester on top of Buchholz and Crisp. The least likely to go would be Buchholz especially after his no-hitter against Baltimore in September. Hopefully it wasn’t a fluke and was a sign of things to come, or else looking back in a few years it could be seen as huge mistake on Boston’s part.

One other factor that seems most important to me is Santana’s personal interest. He has a full no-trade clause and would more than likely exercise that if any team doesn’t give him exactly what he wants. He’ll more than likely return to form in 2008 and then will demand a king’s ransom when he files for free agency if no trade is made this year. Oh yeah, his personal interest. Reportedly it’s with the Yankees.

After the two teams that I’m most concerned about other players include the Mets, whose chances are dwindling because of their top prospects losing value and interest from other teams. Straight up trade of Santana for Jose Reyes? Anyone? Anyone in Minneapolis?

The Dodgers are loaded with plenty of young viable talent, however the organization itself is a cesspool loaded with front office idiocracy and has been for quite some time. I wouldn’t expect the Dodgers to luck themselves into a trade and land Santana.

Plus, from some of his rants while still with the Twins as they fell apart before the All-Star break, he wants to move to a winner, not an underachieving National League team. Even though with his ability, he could rule the NL along the lines of a tyrant like Hugo Chavez rules his homeland.

I’m giving the most likely scenario to the Yankees, because after all, they have more players and money to offer the Twins and Santana. Having him in the division would make things a little more difficult for the Sox to supplant the Yanks as the top team in the East. Despite the addition of Santana making the Yankees a division and playoff favorite again, let me impart a little information on you.

Santana is the Alex Rodriguez of playoff pitchers. Phenomenal regular season success, marginal post season success. Santana has won one game starting after the regular season is in the books with a 7.94 ERA in his first three postseason starts. He’s given up 35 hits and 15 earned in 34 innings pitched with 32 strikeouts and 10 walks.

Compare this to Beckett and you’re looking at the Sox ace throwing a 1.73 ERA with six wins and two losses, 14 earned runs in 72.2 innings which is less runs in twice as many innings as Santana. He’s also struck out 82 with only 14 walks. And Beckett has two World Series rings, Santana has none. Beckett has been to the dance, and there's no accounting for experience in most cases.

We all know that between the Sox and Yankees in the past few years the postseason is where it counts. A-Rod has come up short while players like Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Ellsbury have made names for themselves and come up huge.

You want to give me a choice between having our young talent and having Josh Beckett versus Johan Santana with a depleted lineup and weaker all-around pitching? I’ll take Beckett over Santana because of the postseason factor and because Santana will actually make the Yankees weaker.

Any team would be dumb to not want Santana, but it’s all about what you have to give up with a trade. So go ahead New York, take Santana. Give up some players that could anchor your team in the future. Really, I’d rather you have him given the current circumstances. Better you than us. You still haven’t learned, have you? Patching up your team is no substitute for building a winner the correct way.

Oh, before I forget. Here’s a picture of Kevin Youkilis from a couple weeks ago after shaving off his Van Dyke for charity. It was doing a good job covering up his Bill Cowher-esque chin.

Oye Como Va?

I’m pretty good, and so are the Sox and their pitching staff. So, are the Sox in the Santana Sweep stakes? Don’t bet on it. A trade for two-time Cy Young winner and Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana would mean giving up some offensive firepower, one or two starting pitchers, prospects or a combination of the three.

To this point from what I’ve heard and read the Sox front office is unwilling to part with what they have going, aside from jettisoning Coco Crisp. Coming off a World Series victory and winning the Series two times in four years doesn’t usually constitute making a splash (like they did after the 2006 collapse) in the free agent market, let alone making a landmark trade. It would be for Santana sure, but how much better do you need to make the starting rotation? It’s hard not to think about how historic a Santana, Josh Beckett, Dice-K and Curt Schilling rotation would be, however unlikely.

Too many other teams out there have more to offer the Twins in regards to what their ball clubs needs are. The Yankees are getting the ball rolling and as of last night. The candid Hank Steinbrenner of the Yankees was willing to give up the dirt on preliminary proceedings taking place, a far cry from the days when his Dad was running the show. The Bombers would more than likely be willing to give up a Robinson Cano or a Melky Cabrera than the Sox would be willing to part ways with Dustin Pedroia or Jacoby Ellsbury.

I might make this trade for my Xbox 360 Red Sox to pick up Santana, but outside of that I wouldn’t hold my breath on the Sox even being mentioned as a serious contender for him. The Sox have their rotation set and bullpen stocked and probably won’t be looking beyond their existing major players. If the Sox pick up any more pitching this off-season it will be only to bolster the pen.

Another reason would be the amount of money that Santana will demand on his trade. He’s got a couple of aces up his sleeve with his no-trade clause and only one year remaining on his existing deal with the Twins. If he were in the middle of a multi-year deal, more leverage would be placed on the side of the team or teams courting him. The Sox have a crazy payroll, but I’m not sure if they’d be willing to step into Yankee territory in order to secure him. The Sox still have a perception and image to maintain in a world that only includes the Red Sox and Yankees to many of their fans, and they love having a better team with spending less to get there.

Say Goodbye...Probably

Just because my college football in team is in disarray doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about the Red Sox. It would be easy to ignore however, at least this week. The biggest news for Sox fans is if Jim Rice will make it in to Cooperstown or not.

What to do with Coco Crisp? He’ll be a talking point for Sox brass come December 3^rd when owners meetings get underway in Nashville, Tennessee. Holding onto Crisp is seemingly not a priority, especially with the emergence of Jacoby Ellsbury. Watch for Crisp to most likely head to another team so the Sox can stock up on depth in the bullpen, catcher or some prospects.

Mike Timlin is still yet to be resigned by the team. The 42 year old vet has been simply great for the Sox in his last five seasons in Boston. I’m not sure how much interest any other team in the league would have in him.

With all the starters from the ’07 World Series squad locked up I’m hoping that some attention gets turned to Sox Captain Jason Veritek. He’s not the best catcher in baseball, but he’s the best catcher in baseball that could play for the Sox. He’s a Scott Boras client, so I doubt he’ll sign until he files for free agency at the end of next year.

General manager Theo Epstein is said to be working hard on an extension for manager Terry Francona. Once he’s sealed up, it will further solidify Boston’s front office as far as good decision making goes. How dumb do you think the Phillies organization feels for letting this guy go?

The Sox will also play the Dodgers in an exhibition game in the LA Coliseum.

Stayin' Put

I’ll be able to go to Boston next year and see Mike Lowell in a Red Sox uniform. I’ll be the first to admit, I bit pretty hard this weekend on the rumor mill regarding Lowell being a first base candidate for the Yankees. I’ll also be the first to say how happy I am that I was wrong for doing so.

The Sox and Lowell agreed to a three-year, $37.5 million deal a couple hours ago. The Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angels Dodgers reportedly were offering four-year deals, but Lowell wisely took one less year and opted to stay in Boston where he’s loved, and where he’s a winner.

This offseason has seen the Sox retain their big two free agents in Lowell and Curt Schilling plus picking up options on ageless wonder Tim Wakefield and hatch man/face Julian Tavarez. Every clubhouse needs a cheerleader I suppose.

Now A-Rod will definitely not be coming to Boston.

1. Because he wants to stay a Yankee where he can make gobs of money and get lots of attention. Oh, did you think he was going somewhere else?

2. Because everyone under the sun is also under the notion that A-Rod has always played third base (he’s actually a much better short stop and played that position while in Seattle and Texas, remember??) his entire career and now that Lowell is resigned, there is no need to pursue A-Rod.

So, things are all good in Boston. And considering the Patriots are playing in a league above the NFL, I’m sure Bostonians are getting another championship sometime in February. I watched them drill the Bills last night, good God, it’s not ever fair. I’m not a fan, but it is cool to watch Belichick stick it to the league after the whole “SpyGate” ordeal. I don’t condone cheating, but you know they weren’t the only team doing it, they were just the only team that got caught.

Anyway, I’m off my NFL soapbox now…

Dr. Free Agent Love

Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Mike Lowell Ordeal

Wouldn’t you know it? Guess who is hard at work trying to give Mike Lowell his four year deal that he and his agent Seth Levinson are after? That’s right, the New York Yankees. And yes, that is Lowell to the left there. While this conjures up Johnny Damon-like sentiments, it’s nothing to lose any sleep over. That’s right, I said it.

If Mike Lowell is picked up by the Yanks, it will not be the end of the world for the Boston Red Sox. Finding a 3^rd base replacement with Lowell-like fielding ability and replacing 120 RBI’s from within the lineup will be a challenge. But it won’t be the end of the world.

Lowell was originally drafted by the Yankees in 1995 and played within their system until being shipped to Florida. So it’s not like there aren’t any ties to the Bronx for Lowell.

I’d also understand why Lowell would want to opt for the extra year and the extra $10 mil. This is a guy who has been under-appreciated his whole career. He didn’t earn the moniker of “Throw-In Lowell” for nothing. Does it sound like I've already let the idea of Mike Lowell retiring a Red Sock go? If you get too attached to players you're a douche. Baseball especially. It's mostly business, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Especially when you are competing in a high stakes arms race with New York. Sorry kid, life is a series of disappointments, buy a fucking helmet.

I also know Boston has a predilection to not paying aging talent (Lowell is 34) and allowing them to go to ball clubs that will pay a guy $10-12 million for him when he’s 38. Sure, Lowell had a great season this past year, it will probably be his best ever.

That’s the point right there, and what GM Theo Epstein seems to be banking on. We got him, and we used him for what will probably be his best season in his career. Let someone else overpay him while he declines. Batting behind David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez may also be a major contributor to his success in Boston. It’s easier to make these kinds of rationalizations now that my World Series hangover is subsiding.

Then again, happening across a player like Lowell in a trade for someone else that was your real target doesn’t happen very often. Remember what I said about him doing well behind one of the best 3-4 combos in baseball? He’s the guy who came up big when one of the two wasn’t hitting so well, or injured. I'm not 100% comfortable with all of this.

Bottom line is that Boston will figure out a way to work around Lowell going to another team. They did it with Damon when everyone in Red Sox Nation was crying foul on the Yanks. After putting together another championship season I’m more inclined to side with where Epstein is going. Since the current regime entered the picture it's been Boston 2, New York 0 for World Series titles. I don't think losing Lowell to the Yanks will sway it that much. How well is Damon doing now, by the way?

Sure it would suck if Lowell left, and it would really suck ass if he went to the Yankees. But the Sox front office has learned something over the past five years they’ve been in New England. Building a team around solid pitching and a rock solid bullpen is how you win consistently, not hanging on to aging veterans in the lineup. And until the culture in baseball changes the Sox look like they are in good shape for a long time to come.

Whitey's Revenge

Here at KC Bean Boy, I'm trying to be as up to date as possible from now on. Sure, I've failed to write about Dustin Pedroia earning AL Rookie of the Year honors and Kevin Youkilis winning his first Gold Glove. These are things I had been calling for for some time and do not make that much of an impact on me.

What does make an impact is when I wanted to get on ESPN tonight to research some stats for my college football page and couldn't because this asshole had to go and get indicted. OJ, now Barry! Get ready...3...2...1...racism! I know I can't wait.

Are we really all still hung up on this? Does Barry Bonds having the all-time home run record really bring a tear of sorrow to our eye? Get over it. Tell your kids a different bedtime story. The sanctity of the game isn't something I've been concerned with since 1994. You shouldn't care either. So he wanted to hit a bunch of home runs and make his balls small because he has an inferiority complex to Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Hey, if I were Bonds and had to take a backseat to those fuckholes I'd be able to live with some bacne (BACK-nee).

It is funny to me (and almost ironic, but not really) that the people that defend him in San Fran pay $1000 a ticket or nothing at all because it's given to them and paid for by their corporate account to watch him in person, then go back to punching their Blackberry's or talking on their cell phones during the rest of the lineup, and then resume watching the game when he's up again. Most of these people who watch games at SBC or AT&T or whatever they're calling their ballpark these days wouldn't know a split-finger fastball from a split finger in their ass.

And give Mike Lowell his four year deal already. I'm tired of sitting around refreshing the transactions page on ESPN, if I could get to it right now that is.

Oh, I also found out today that Madden 08 comes in an Espanol edition...

Schilling Back, Lowell On the Way

The offseason and free agent market are heating up. So far since I last posted the Sox have managed to sign Curt Schilling to a one year deal worth $8 million with incentives for performance. Schilling claimed to have turned down some more lucrative offers from other teams to stay in Boston. Can’t say I blame the guy, I don’t think I’d want to leave either after this past season. And he gets his own weight clauses in his contract. As you can see from the picture next to or above this paragraph, it’ll come in handy.

I love the fact that he sort of stuck it to Joe Torre for leaving the Yankees because the $5 million they offered him wasn’t enough in a roundabout way. Schilling had stated this past week that he’s made over $100 million playing baseball and he and his kids and his kids’ kids are set, so why should he be going after money at this point in his career. It would have been cooler if he said, "fuck you Joe Torre, have fun not making the playoffs out in LA!" He wants to play for the team that has the best shot to win a championship so he’s sticking with Boston. I’m personally not ready to christen the Sox as a shoe in for the ’08 Series, but I wouldn’t bet against them either.

This week while the GM’s of the league are in Florida, World Series MVP Mike Lowell was supposedly offered a contract for 3 years and an undisclosed, and probably significant, amount of money. Hopefully he’ll take, Boston wants him back and he’s been quoted many, many times as saying he’d love to stay in Boston. When you’re on top of the sports world in New England, it’s easy money. Hopefully it can stay that way. Of course you know the story, Lowell was an afterthought in the Josh Beckett trade, now he’s a Boston folk hero. Of course, not too many people saw Damon packing his bags for the Bronx after the ’05 season either. When a player files for free agency anything can happen I guess.

Jacoby Ellsbury seems ready for the big time. In a way, he’s already there turning in one of the best World Series performances by a rookie in recent history. Losing Coco Crisp will mean giving up some the speed that helped Boston become the team they were this season, but it’s a small price to pay to keep a player like Ellsbury on a course of development that will pay huge dividends in the future. Crisp was more or less a bridge to get from the departure of Damon to get to Ellsbury after he was drafted in 2005 after a more than respectable career in Corvallis, Oregon for the Beavers of Oregon State.

In what could be an interesting turn of events, the New York Yankees have made their interest public in Florida Marlins 3B Miguel Cabrera. For once, the Marlins are not letting one of their players slip through undetected. Cabrera, as you may know, was part of the price tag for Josh Beckett. If he were to replace Alex Rodriguez on bag number three for the Yankees it would make for a mildly interesting storyline. I say mild because I’d take Beckett and Lowell in a trade for Cabrera again and again. At least after this year.

Once again, signing A-Rod would be a huge mistake for the Sox. Just thought I’d throw that out there again. I’d also like to throw out the fact that 99.9% of the media is reporting Rodriguez to be a 3B replacement for whichever team he signs with. This just in…A-Rod is better as a short stop! I’m sort of sick of turning on ESPN and hearing the talking heads talk about “who would you rather have? Lowell or A-Rod?” Both, you fucktard! I’m not saying it’s going to happen, or that I’d even want it to happen. I’m just saying that you don’t need to give up Lowell to get A-Rod. Jesus, ESPN sucks.