I Don't Give a Damn 'bout my Bad Reputation

Pitchers and catchers report to Florida and Arizona just over a month from today, and Manny Ramirez is still unemployed. Perhaps the man-child is finally paying the price for his erratic behavior, and immense immaturity. There was no hiding the fact that he tanked it this past season to get out of Boston. But his roughing up of an older Red Sox employee may have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

In case you had forgotten, back in June the Red Sox were playing a series in Houston. Ramirez requested 16 tickets from traveling secretary Jake McCormick, who informed him that he may not be able to get that many tickets. Ramirez screamed at McCormick to do his job. An argument ensued and Ramirez shoved McCormick, who is in his 60s, to the ground. Ramirez later would apologize, but the damage was done. An already questionable reputation had worsened.

The proof is in pudding - Ramirez has been practically begging for contract offers. Other than the Dodgers' 2 year, $45 million, offers have been few and far between. Ramirez may want a 5 year deal, but he may have to take a 1 year deal to prove himself- not his baseball skills, but his dedication to his team.

You get what you pay for.

We still think Joan Jett's favorite team, the Orioles, would be a good fit for Manny.

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Red Sox Looks to Build Depth

Peter Gammons reports that the Red Sox are close to signing Rocco Baldelli. The added right-handed bat will also give the Sox more depth in the outfield.

The Boston Globe has now chimed in the John Smoltz situation and also feels the Sox are close to inking him to a 1 year, $5.5 million deal.

UPDATE 2:33 EST 1/8 - It's official, the Red Sox have brought in Rhode Island native Rocco Baldelli. The former Ray is believe have received a minimal amount of guaranteed money with large incentive clauses.

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Sox: We're not Competing on Tex

Whether he's to be believed or not, Red Sox CEO John Henry said that if it comes down to money, his team will not be able to compete for free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira. After meeting with Teixeira and his agent Scott Boras last night, Henry said, "We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."

Of course you can't believe everything you hear/say, especially from a team owner. The Angels, Nationals, and Orioles are all ready to pony up big money, so don't feel too bad for Tex if the Sox don't come through.

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Beware of Over Bidding

The Yankees have the chance to get into a big bidding war with the Red Sox this winter for A.J. Burnett's services. Let the buyer beware! The Yankees have not fared well in recent years when they face off with the Red Sox over a player. Yes, the Yankees have prevailed in getting the player, but it has backfired.

Case in point, Carl Pavano. Burnett, like Pavano, is coming off a career year, winning 18 games, the same figure Pavano won in 2004 with Florida. Burnett had a sub .500 winning percentage prior to this season. Granted he has much nastier stuff than Pavano, but he's oft-injured and has a rep, fair or unfair, of being soft. He's also 32 years old.

Prior to Pavano, there was the Cuban fiasco, Jose Contreras whom the Yankees locked up before the 2003 season. The Yankees ticked off Sox' president Larry Luccino with their tactics and we all laughed with glee as Contreras signed a 4-year, $32 million deal despite the fact that most of what the Yankees knew about him was hearsay. He was also reportedly 31 years old, but who knows how old he really was/is. Think El Duque.

Contreras hated the cold weather, sweated his balls off in hot weather and rarely showed flashes of promise. He blamed much of his troubles on missing his family, but he didn't get much better when they finally arrived in the US. He was 15-7 in his short time in Pinstripes, pitching 18 games in 2003, and 18 more in 2004 before being traded to the White Sox for Estaban Loaiza. (In Chicago he's had mild success, including being part of the 2005 World Series champions, but injuries effected him over the last 1 and 1/2 seasons.)

It wasn't a free agent deal, per se, but Alex Rodriguez also pitted Boston against New York. The Red Sox thought they had a deal done prior to the 2004 season, only to have it shot down by the league office. The Yankees swooped in and though he's won 2 MVP awards, the Yankees may have been better off without A-Rod. He's a drama queen and it won't get any better now that he's hooked up with Madonna.

The Yankees also have a poor history in dealing with players that have been on the Marlins. Pavano was a bust, Ivan Rodriguez didn't pan out in his short stint this past season. The Yankees dealt Mike Lowell, who became a star in Florida, for a bunch of garbage. (Granted, the Yankees have had success with pitcher's coming out of Toronto - David Cone, Roger Clemens).

A.J. Burnett would be a nice pick up, but a guaranteed 5 years? For $75-80 million. Let the buyer beware.

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Rays Sting Red Sox to the Brink

Joe Maddon knows the history. He has seen what the Red Sox have done in the past. A comeback from a 3-0 deficit to the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS that led to a World Series championship. A comeback from a 3-1 deficit to the Indians in last year's ALCS that led to another title. After last night's Rays 13-4 blow out of the Red Sox, Maddon's Tampa squad is in the same position. An American League pennant is in their grasp. Now they have to finish it off.

Carl Crawford (5) and Willy Aybar (4) combined to out hit the Red Sox (7) last night as Tim Wakefield knuckled under. For the second straight game the Rays scored early and often, and didn't let up. Wakefield didn't make it out of the third inning and was charged with five earned runs. Manny DelCarmen gave up the same amount in just a third of an inning. Meanwhile, Andy Sonnanstine gave the bullpen a rest with a solid 7.1 innings pitched.

Carlos Pena ignited the Rays attack with a 2-run home run in the first and Evan Longoria added a solo shot. Aybar, who drove in 5 runs, also homered.

Box Score

But beware Rays. The Yankees won game 3 of the 2004 ALCS, 19-8. Getting that last victory is not a given.

James Shields was originally slated to start game 5, but Joe Maddon has switched to Scott Kazmir instead. Kazmir was hammered in game 2, and all season, by the Sox, but we understand the thinking here. If Kazmir loses, Maddon will still have Shields, who pitched very well in losing game 1, to try to close things out at home in game 6.

The Red Sox will be without third baseman Mike Lowell for the rest of the season. Last year's WS MVP has opted for season ending hip surgery on Monday.

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Breathing for One More Day

The Yankees staved off official elimination tonight, because Zach Jackson won his first game in two years and the Cleveland Indians beat Josh Beckett and the Boston Red Sox, 4-3.

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Spoiler Alert

This is a huge weekend in the AL East race. The Rays open a three game series tonight with the Yankees at the Stadium, while the Red Sox host the Blue Jays for a four game series at Fenway Park. The Yankees certainly didn't expect to be in a spoiler position in their final homestand of the "House that Ruth Built", but they could have a major impact on the outcome of both the AL East and wildcard races. They certainly have been spoilers for the Rays so far this season, winning 9 of 15 games, including 2 of 3 last week in Tampa.

The Blue Jays are the hottest team in baseball, having won 11 of their last 12 games, and have beaten the Red Sox in 7 of 11 meetings this season. The two teams have seven games remaining between.

The pitching match ups for the Yankees-Rays series are as follows:

Friday - Matt Garza vs. Sidney Ponson
Saturday - James Shields vs. Mike Mussina
Sunday - Edwin Jackson vs. Carl Pavano (Our final trip to the Stadium)

The Rays will get a lift offensively with the return of Evan Longoria from the 15-day DL.

The pitching probables for Blue Jays-Red Sox:

Friday - David Purcey vs. Tim Wakefield
Saturday(1) - A.J. Burnett vs. Paul Byrd
Saturday(2) - Jessie Litsch vs. Bartolo Colon
Sunday - Roy Halladay vs. Jon Lester

Burnett, Litsch, and Halladay will each be pitching on three day's rest.


In the AL Central/wildcard race, the Twins travel to Baltimore for a three game series with the Orioles. The White Sox host the Tigers in a three game series at home.

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Manny Wants to Come Over to the Dark Side

George King of the NY Post is reporting this morning that Manny Ramirez wants to get back at the Red Sox...by playing for the Yankees. According to people, (who these "people" are is unclear) that have spoken to the Man-child, and he can think of no better way to get back at the Red Sox then to don the Yankees pinstripes and face Boston 19 times a year.

Of course this could be nonsense orchestrated by Ramirez's agent, one Scott Boras. Should make for an interesting off-season.

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2 Months to Go

The Yankees sit 4.5 games back of the Rays in the AL East and 1.5 games behind the Red Sox for the Wild Card (the Twins are in between, one-half game back of Boston). One of our favorite sportswriter's, Dan Graziano, thinks Boston just said good-bye to their season and the AL East will be between the Rays and Yankees. We strongly disagree.

Last night's Yankees game epitomized how the season has gone for this team. You have two starters in Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner, who pretty much stink (though we keep hoping Rasner can make some grand adjustment), which means the rotation can't afford to have a hiccup such as the one Andy Pettitte had last night, or Mike Mussina had against Baltimore.

The Red Sox are certainly not the same team without Manny. He and David Ortiz formed the most fearsome 1-2 punch in baseball. When Manny went so did Ortiz's protection in the order. Mike Lowell and Jason Bay are very good hitters, but they don't strike fear in opponent's hearts.

All that being said, the Red Sox still have a very good lineup, and solid pitching. Theo Epstein's mistake this deadline was not upgrading his bullpen. But the team is not inferior to the Yankees. They are still the reigning World Series champions and they know how to win.

Currently this is what the AL East looks like

Rays 63-44
Red Sox 61-48
Yankees 59-49

There are 54 games left in the Yankees schedule, against the following opponents:

Angels 9
Blue Jays 9
Mariners 3
Orioles 6
Rangers 4
Rays 6
Red Sox 6
Royals 3
Tigers 1
Twins 3
White Sox 4

12 games with the two teams in front of the Yankees in the East and 3 games, next week, with the Twins, who are ahead in the Wild Card. Plus 13 more games with teams in 1st place (the White Sox and Angels).

So let's try to figure out how the Yankees will do in those games.

Angels 9 games...the Yankees stink against the Angels 3-6
Blue Jays 9 games...depends if they have to face Halladay and Burnett, but we'll go 6-3
Mariners 3 games..should sweep this one 3-0
Orioles 6 games..they've been a nemesis 3-3
Rangers 4 games.....their pitching is still bad 3-1
Rays 6 games....tough pitching, but we think experience will out 4-2
Red Sox 6 games...Beckett can only go so many times 4-2
Royals 3 games...getting worse as the year goes on 2-1
Tigers 1 game...a make up...coin flip 1-0
Twins 3 games...on the road...tough 1-2
White Sox 4 games...at home 2-2 or 3-1...difficult, well go out on a limb 3-1

So that means the Yankees would go 33-21 and finish 92-70. Ironically, we predict 93 wins before the season started. Will 92 wins mean enough for a playoff spot though? Just for the AL East, the Rays would have to go, at the most, 28-27 and the Red Sox would have to finish no better than 30-23 for the Yankees to capture the division. That would also leave the Yankees ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card race, meaning the Twins would have to finish no better than 31-23.

12 games over .500 could get the Yankees to the playoffs. They're capable of it, but we're not sure they can do it unless Ian Kennedy, Al Aceves, Phil Hughes, or whomever can step it up in the rotation. It should make for interesting dog days of Summer.

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AL Playoff Look - 7/20

The Rays were happy to hit the All-Star break in the midst of a 7-game skid. They've snapped out of it with 2 straight wins to leap frog the Red Sox and move back into first place in the AL East. The Red Sox have started the 2nd half with two straight losses to the Los Angeles Angeles.

Meanwhile with the Yankees winning 2 straight, things are closer in the AL East and the Wild Card is getting more interesting.

AL East
Rays 57-39 --
Red Sox 57-42 1.5
Yankees 52-45 5.5

Wild Card
Red Sox 57-42 --
Twins 55-42 1.0
Yankees 52-45 4.0
A's 51-46 5.0

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Manny Being...an Ex-Red Sox?

The Boston Red Sox have put up with a lot of Manny Ramirez being himself over the years, but no matter how many home runs he hits or how many runs he drives in, his latest exploits may drive him right out of Boston.

Last month Man-child shoved travelling secretary Jack McCormick to the ground in a dispute over tickets. There was the in-dugout dispute with Kevin Youkilis and now Manny has taken a shot at the Red Sox ownership over contract negotiations. The Red Sox hold $20 million options on Ramirez for 2009 and 2010, but they prefer to sign their professional hitter to a new deal and forget about those high priced options. Apparently Manny has not liked the way things have gone so far and let the Boston Herald know it.

"I want no more [expletive] where they tell you one thing and behind your back they do another thing," Ramirez told the newspaper in regards to his future contract status. "I think I've earned that respect, for a team to sit down with me and tell me this is what we want, this is what we want to do."

Owner John Henry is not amused.

"I find remarks that we have been anything other than completely straightforward to be personally offensive," Henry said. "Manny has been a crucial part of two world championships. I do not believe we would have won either without him. He has never played a more important role than he has thus far this year."

What's the old saying? "Don't shit where you eat". Someone should tell Manny.

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Manny Being Shawn

Is there something in the water in Houston? First the Astros Shawn Chacon put the smack down on GM Ed Wade. Now with the Red Sox in town to play the Astros, Manny Ramirez lost his cool and shoved traveling secretary Jake McCormick to the ground .

The incident stemmed from Ramirez wanting 16 tickets for Saturday's game at Minute Maid Park.

When McCormick cautioned Ramirez that he might not be able to fulfill his request, Ramirez responded by shouting: "Just do your job!"

An argument followed and the Man-child shoved McCormick, who fell to the ground. The two later met behind closed doors where Ramirez apologized to McCormick.

Asked on Sunday to comment on the altercation, Ramirez responded: "That's over. We're fine now."

"Sometimes things happen," said Terry Francona, "and when they do, we choose to handle them internally. I'm satisfied with how we handled this."

Added McCormick: "It was an unfortunate misunderstanding and it's over with as far as I'm concerned."

Though McCormick accepted the apology, it would be a disservice to him and anyone else who works behind the scenes if the Red Sox do not fine and/or suspend Ramirez for his actions. Then again when you let Manny be Manny all the time, you're going to have expect fall out.

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Time to Finish the Rice

It's easy to talk about players on your own team when it comes to Hall of Fame consideration, but it means a lot more when you feel a player from another team deserves merit. And as much as Goose Gossage can go on talking about being slighted, no one has been more slighted than the Red Sox' Jim Rice.

For those of you too young to remember the career of the Red Sox' left fielder/DH, he was every bit as intimidating as Manny Ramirez or Big Papi. Maybe even more so than the two combined. The look of determination and concentration in Rice's eyes when he stepped to the plate was unmatched. He would unleash his compact swing like a bolt of lightning and more often than not, the ball would disappear over Fenway's green monster or clang off it's body.

In 16 seasons in Boston, Rice compiled a .298 average with 382 HRs and 1,451 RBI. He topped the 100 RBI mark 8 times, and fell 3 short of a 9th season in triple digits. He hit 39 home runs, a remarkable 3 times, and won the MVP award in 1978 when he put up these gaudy numbers- 46 HRs, 139 RBI, 406 total bases, a .907 OPS, and a .315 average.

Unfortunately for Rice, the Red Sox, for the most part, stunk during his career. He missed the '75 post-season, and made it just twice- the infamous '86 team and an '88 team that lost in the ALCS to Oakland. Rice hit just .159 in the playoffs and though he hit .333 in his only World Series, he failed to drive in a run.

Rice worked hard on his defense and was an adequate left-fielder. His surly attitude with reporters has probably cost him more than anything with H of F voters. Some may say his numbers are below more standard credentials - 400 HRS, 1,500 RBI - but he was dominant in his career, and that span lasted more than a decade.

It's time to do what's right, and put Rice in the hall.

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Lowell to Get New High

Expanding on Buster Olney's earlier report, ESPN is reporting that Mike Lowell is close to inking a new 3 year, $37.5 million deal with the Red Sox. The Boston Herald had earlier stated the negotiations were going nowhere. Time to check who your sources are guys.

Source

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Red Sox Want Their Baseball. Again!

This gave me a good laugh. Right after the WS ended, Jason Varitek said he would give the baseball, which was in his mitt after Jon Papelbon struck out Seth Smith for the final out, to the team to avoid the controversy of 2004. Somewhere along the line, Varitek changed his mind.

"I already gave it to Pap," Varitek said. "It's out of my hands."

Neither Larry Lucchino nor Red Sox spokesmen immediately returned calls or e-mails seeking comment Wednesday.

Source

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A PSA for Red Sox Moronation

A PSA that recently aired on Jimmy Kimmel's show...

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Like it or Not, the World Series Goes on

Yes, there will be a World Series. Yes, there will be a World Series winner. And unfortunately, yes, it will most likely be the Red Sox. While the Rockies have captured our attention with their phenomenal play since the stretch run, 21 wins in 22 games, we're not convinced. The Rocks were a barely .500 team before their hot streak.

Make no mistake though, we will be rooting for the Rockies rooting against the Red Sox. We'll let 2-faced politicos like Rudy Guiliani tell a Boston crowd that he's rooting for the Red Sox in the WS. "I'm an AL fan". Yeah, okay Rudy.

The difference in this series should be Josh Beckett. He's an arrogant little prick, but right now no pitcher is more dominant than he. Beckett actually reminds us of a young Roger Clemens, and we didn't like that guy either.

The lack of a DH in games 3 thru 5 could also have a big impact on the series. You can't take David Ortiz's bat out of the lineup for up to 3 games. And Kevin Youkillis has been swinging the bat well again. Our guess is that Terry Francona's lineup will depend on the series situation. Choosing offense or defense depending on who leads in games and by how many.

We certainly won't be watching much of the series, especially if the Red Sox do as well as we expect. We've also hit our Joe Buck tolerance level for the season.

Win Rockies, Win.

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It's Time to Admit it

The Red Sox are back in the World Series. It's disgusting. Plain and simple. The only good news is that their NL opponent is a team we can root for. Lot of good that did in 2004. But no Mets, no Diamondbacks.

The Red Sox should win this in 6, despite the incredible hot streak the Rockies have been on. For one thing, having the home field advantage will help the Red Sox out (you couldn't have lost the All-Star game, AL?).

The Rockies haven't played a game since sewing up the NLCS last Monday. And there are still 2 more days until game 1 of the NLCS. They'll send Jeff Francis and Ubaldo Jiminez to the mound for the first 2 in Fenway. The Sox counter with Josh Beckett and the old "to be determined". You have to figure it will probably by Curt Schilling. The Red Sox would rather use him at home than in Colorado. Really what is the other option? Tim Wakefield's back is still balky and Dice-K just threw last night.

Spring Training can't come fast enough.

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Red Sox Don't Dye, for Now

The Red Sox had a three-way deal in place to acquire White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye

earlier this week, but the trade fell through because of an unspecified issue with a player from the third club, according to an industry source.

Dye, who is a free agent at the end of the season, was willing to consider waiving his limited no-trade protection to join the Red Sox in exchange for guarantees about playing time and incentive bonuses, the source said.

The Sox told Dye that they were prepared to play him five days a week. It is unclear how they would have created the playing time, considering that they are set in all three outfield positions and the DH spot.

Read more from Ken Rosenthal

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A Standing Ovation

He may be a member of the hated Boston Red Sox, but a standing ovation is in order for pitcher Jon Lester. Last night he went 6 innings to beat the Cleveland Indians. It really didn't matter that he won. What mattered was he was out there.

Last August, Lester was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He last pitched for Boston on August 23, and endured 6 rounds of chemotherapy. In December, he was declared cancer free.



photo courtesy of AP

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