Red Sox Reality Check

There's no doubt who's in charge, and if he's considering any of the ridiculous trades we're hearing, prepare the tar and feathers. 1. Manny and Clement and money and prospects for Tejada - are you that desperate to rid yourself of a future Hall-of-Famer? Maybe. 2. Wells for various Dodger prospects. Who can know? 3. Gil Meche and Jeremy Reed for Papelbon or Lester. Are you crazy? Talk about jumping the shark for stupidity. You cannot trade your low-salaried high value prospects for dreck. Yeah, we're talking schmootz. Theo, get the S.W.A.T. team, the battering ram, and take control of the offices. Reverse the Dumping the Theo bag-job in the harbor. Don't tax the Nation without representation.

Christmas break is here, so much for the hard work, extracurricular activities, and schoolboy pranks. It's time for mid-term grades in the Hot Stove League, and nobody promised you easy marks. Of course, I'm realistic enough to know that decisions made today only receive judgement through the unforgiving retrospectoscope of history. "Larry Anderson for that Bagwell kid? Hallelujah." We're running a tight ship here, so we'll use some modified Navy courses for the kids. Leadership and Management - At times, the right hand appears not to have a clue concerning the left. Trading your best shortstop prospect and two weeks later trading your shortstop can't be viewed as profiles in courage, rather pro files in discouragement. Signing on two competent assistants as co-GMs, followed by the fireside chat press conference seemed amateurish at best. John Henry's bemusement at Theo Epstein's disappearing act argued for lack of communication between the CEO and...

(BOSTON) Angry Larry Lucchino supporters surrounded the home of insignificant physician, Ron Sen, waving placards "Chill Out, Jerk" and "Sox to Rule Again Soon" Aerial photograph of crowd protesting Anti-Lucchino journalism (click photo to enlarge) Okay, I'm sorry. Mr. Lucchino, please forgive me, and for gawd's sake, call off the dogs. It's tough enough to get into my driveway between the ice and snow, without 50,000 Larryphiles obstructing my 1995 Nissan. Okay, I'll never question your judgement about tossing that pipsqueak ingrate out, or consolidating your rule by installing underlings, and yes, I accept the fact that even with the inherent fairness of a virtual waiting room, that I'll never live long enough to sit in the Green Monster seats. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa. Yessiree, I've done you wrong. After all, I have nothing but admiration for your boss, Mr. Henry, trader extraordinaire. If he had a book on trading, I'd own it. ...

I had a conversation today with a former Red Sox who happened to be visiting. He had a few insights which I thought you might like to hear. First, he said that he played with a player who was terrific at stealing signs, especially from second base. He said that the player would kick the bag if he had the signals, and then look to the right for a fastball and to the left for a breaking pitch. Second, he said that it was his opinion that the Sox would go hard after Millwood. He also thought that Glaus would look pretty good in the Sox lineup, although he had no idea whether that was feasible. Finally, he noted that although Canseco took a lot of grief about his steroid allegations, that it looked like he might have been a lot closer to the truth than was widely accepted.

First, for anyone who bothers to come here, you must read Bill Simmons at http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/051223 Now that's off my chest, so we can move on. Who's actually in charge? Oh yeah, that would be the Overlord - TheoSlayer, with Ben and Jed mixing the drinks, running some spreadsheet projections, and reading Sox fans suggestions that they trade Matt Clement for Johan Santana and throw in some cash. Thus far, with roughly seven weeks to go before Spring Training, the Sox remind me of the old joke, "what's the difference between the Boy Scouts and the Navy?" Adult leadership. Obviously, there is no established (read overpaid) shortstop (I'm really okay with Alex Cora), no centerfielder (please do not suggest Trot Nixon), and no first baseman. J.T. Snow? Why don't we get Willie McCovey? A .709 OPS in a declining 37 year-old glove man smacks of one theme only, "economy." A few points are in order. The presumptive rota...

Now she found herself in the fast lane livin’ day to day Turned her back on her best friends, yeah And let her family slip away Just like a lost soul Caught up in the hollywood scene All the parties and the limousines Such a good actress hiding all her pain Trading her memories for fortune and fame Just a step away from the edge of a fall Caught between heaven and hell Where’s the girl I knew a year ago --Fallen Angel, from Poison I don't have a problem with Damon taking the most money, whether it's from the hated Yankees, the Red Sox, the Orioles, or the Hanshin Tigers. What irritates me, and probably much of Red Sox Nation is Damon dissembling the love of money under the cloak of lack of respect or commitment from the Red Sox. Johnny Damon becomes one of the highest paid baseball players on the planet. Perhaps he grew up dirt poor, or had to drive a cab in the summer as a teenager, or sweat under the hot sun doing construction. In other words, he had to work for a li...

Nominees for the Best 'Johnny' Award in a Deserting Role Music: Johnny Paycheck Johnny B Gone Johnny Angel - Not! Johnny Legend (in his own mind) Chances Are (Johnny Matthis) Musician: The real Johnny Cash Pop culture: Johnny Quest Dyslexia: Johnny Nomad Pornstar? Long John Gold? Actor? Johnny Schlep Football? Johnny Divide-us meet Johnny Unitas Good Johnny-Bad Johnny? Pesky-Damon And the winner: Johnny Paycheck ...

Maybe it's premature to be thinking about uttering the 'last word' on the Damon defection. But that never stopped me before. The structure of Major League Baseball not only permits but encourages free agency, allowing all players an opportunity to strike it rich, but incentivizing agents to 'pave the road' for their own enrichment. Johnny Damon, like the Red Sox and the Yankees made a business decision, one that was best for him. As I wrote earlier, while taking a 'hometown discount' is attractive to us, it wasn't to him. It's all about the Benjamins. There was an article recently in the Boston Globe about long waits for doctors' appointments. Why is that? Simply, the compensation structure for Massachusetts physicians, added to new physicians' debt (educational), practice costs, and area housing costs make attracting physicians from outside Massachusetts difficult. Massachusetts cannot compete with the south and parts of the midwest. I know...

Johnny Quest's journey is complete as he lands in Gotham for Megabucks, another mercenary looking for a star in front of Chinese theaters. Characterizing Damon's choice as purely that of a gold digger or miscreant trivializes the process. According to reports, Damon got an extra 12 million bucks, not bad for a player at an age where skills traditionally atrophy, plagued by minor injuries, and who throws 'like a girl' (no insult meant to my daughters). If we could magically get 'bubble quotes' those little quotes over the head in a bubble, what would the principals say? George Steinbrenner: "Bleep you, Larry." Larry Lucchino: "Excedrin with my coffee, Jed and Ben." John Henry: "We made decisions through careful financial evaluation and trend analysis, same as we would do in any of our businesses. We wish Mr. Damon well in his future endeavors." Manny Ramirez: "Johnny who?" Terry Francona: "We have to worry about the gu...

"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." That might not work for the "Check". As the Stooges might say, "if at first you don't succeed, then keep on sucking until you do suck seed." Let's review where we are concerning the question marks. The Sox needn't be desperate at shortstop, with at least the possibility of an Alex Cora / Dustin Pedroia platoon. Pedroia can't be any worse at shortstop than David Eckstein , and half the world is ga-ga over the diminutive ex-Sox prospect. I'm not in that half. Cora was decent defensively and played heads-up baseball, which isn't necessarily a Sox staple. Pedroia injured his hand and became persona non grata. At first base, Kevin Youkilis is rumored to be asking, "what do I have to do?" Is Bill Lajoie part of the group that's overly concerned about Youkilis not looking like Gabe Kapler ? Kapler, a good guy, is a career .330/.421/.751 guy in 2544 plate appearances. Youk is .376...

Who's pulling the strings at Fenway? First and foremost, John Henry, one of the four hundred richest men on the planet, is a businessman. That's not criticism, or meant solely as fact, but as a compliment. Of course, Henry can't be micromanaging every business decision, any more than he can make every trade for his investment empire. Success at the top means setting goals, with not only a vision and a plan, and hiring the right people to execute your plan. All of which brings us to the state of management. We have every reason to believe that the Hoyers and Cheringtons of the organization will continue to point the Sox in the right direction. The question is, who establishes the philosophy, the direction, the priorities, the budget, and surveys the constantly changing landscape that is baseball? As a fan, I have great confidence in the CEO's ability to create an improving (albeit antiquated and expensive) physical plant, to establish business operations priorities, to e...

In the 'worst kept secret of the millenium' the Red Sox announced that Jed Hoyer and Ben Cherington would serve as co-General Managers. Will they alternate day by day, day and night, week by week, month by month, decision by decision? Decisions, decisions. Emperor for Life 'Theoslayer' served as ringmaster for the circus that defines Red Sox management. The Overlord didn't have any specific announcements pertaining to his plan to raise Master Theo from the Baseball Dead. Is it time to let up on the Sox management for their inept negotiations with their former GM? I don't know. If we don't do it, who will? Surely, the everyday crowd feeding at the Red Sox trough can't be expected to provide the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So should we? The Sox point to their accomplishments, the unvarnished beauty of the (less than unanimous) Beckett deal, not so young Loretta, Marte departing from Atlanta, and surely a catcher named Huckleberry Hou...

LucchiNero Fiddles, Does Home Burn? If Larry LucchiNero sees his shadow, do we have six more weeks of baseball ‘winter’ of discontent? The Sox President, CEO, and Personnel uber-czar emerged from the Yawkey Way bunker to announce the Red Sox would restructure, that they are working hard, and yes, he did take a hit for the team. Nobody can say the Red Sox haven’t acted this offseason, with the ‘disrespect’ of former GM, Brookline homeboy Theo Epstein, renovation of the 406 Club (people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones?), relocation of Edgar Renteria, and shopping spree in Florida. So, let’s ask the key questions for 2006. The answers are more obvious than you think. Will Red Sox Nation forgive the ‘Overlord’ for dispatching neo-icon Theo? He Who Must No Longer Be Named quickly pointed out that ticket sales already exceeded those following that Championship Season. Money talks. Who’s in charge ? With Alexander Haig nowhere in sight, there’s no doubt that ‘Dirty Larry’ has...

So, is Dan Shaughnessy trying to plug the leaks from the past, with rumors about Theo returning to the organization. Admittedly, abandoning to the Red Sox is nigh impossible, as once it's in the blood, it's something like varicella (chickenpox), that can return to bite you, with the pain of zoster (shingles). Speaking of pain, is the Emperor LucchiNero about to break his silence? The Sox appear likely to unleash the two headed Janus CEO or Jed Hoyer and Ben Cherington, as after all, if it doesn't work out, someone needs to be responsible. The Diamond Jims, Beattie and Bowden are at least as popular as the proverbial "peanut butter and jelly sandwich at a banquet" (was that a Larry Johnson original?). I'm fond of the saying that 'anything can happen in the stock market', which has a corollary, 'anything can happen in baseball'. Grady Little comes back from the 7th level (or eighth inning) of baseball hell, resurfacing as Dodgers' skipper. Li...

"No progress occurs without change, but not all change is progress." - John Wooden It would be premature to judge the Red Sox Winter Meeting moves, as trades take time to play out. Sometimes inaction reigns as the best choice, but one thing remains sure: "failure is an orphan but success has many fathers." Should the Sox roster shuffling work, who will take credit, and should it fail, who's the fall guy? The Red Sox Beckett dilemma reminds me of the wisdom of a greybeard, "is the patient well and worried, or sick and worried?" My boss is unfair and not that bright. That's always been the problem with being self-employed. The Celtics haven't beaten San Antonio since January 1997. That streak looks to be continuing. At least trading Joe Thornton to San Jose made the Sharks better. Edgar Renteria was the Sox shortstop of the future, but he was blocking the path of Hanley Ramirez, the Sox shortstop of the future. Who is the Red Sox shortstop of the...

The Red Sox are considering a new patch for their 2006 uniforms. Not to be outdone by Abbott and Costello, the Sox are taking the 'Who's on First?' routine to the next level. Trade rumors fly like Icarus to the sun, and as Sox fans, we don't even know whom to ask, because no one's really in charge (except his LuccHoliness, of course). Ok, Jason Varitek's going to be the catcher, and maybe Mirabelli's the backup, unless he's going to San Diego for Loretta or Dave Roberts or unnamed relief. In which case, Kelly (no-hit) Shoppach becomes the backup, unless he's gone in the Renteria to the Braves for Lugo via Tampa Bay and other fungible moving parts. At first base, it won't be John Olerud who's retiring. It could be Troy Glaus, if he moves to first if Manny's not traded, or we don't get Aubrey Huff (are we trying to get an entirely left-handed hitting lineup?). J.T. Snow is rumored to be coming to Boston (Snow in Boston, haha, big laughs...

BOSTON -- In their constant quest to add depth to the bullpen, the Red Sox on Thursday acquired right-hander Jermaine Van Buren from the Cubs for a player to be named later or cash. What's in a name? Apparently, the Red Sox have devised a new strategy to rebuild their troubled franchise. The Sox have gone 'Presidential' acquiring Jermaine Van Buren , to supplement their other Presidential resident, Trot Nixon . What are the possibilities here? Neither Terry Adams (Philadelphia) or Russ Adams (Toronto) merit consideration. Milwaukee's Mike Adams (ERA 2.70) definitely deserves some effort. Homer Bush didn't see action in 2004 and David Bush looked 'Bush league' against the Sox in 2005. Of the Carters, unfortunately the best, Gary (Hall of Fame) and Joe (memorable World Series home run) are long gone, and Lance Carter (was he the D-Ray headhunter?) leaves much to be desired. The Sox have gone the Cleveland (Reggie) and Clinton (Lou) routes in the past in thei...

Okay, so I lifted the title from Remember the Titans. Who's watched that lately. As for the Red Sox, do they have a leadership vacuum? Well, there's Bill Lajoie, a fossil who doesn't have to listen to any sabermetric mumbo-jumbo anymore, Jerry Kapstein, reborn from the Dark Side of his former player agent life, and the gang of well, however many, until they abandon ship. So what do you want, attitude or performance? I'll take Manny, who is, yes underrated, in left, and produces at the plate. So he doesn't run out a ground ball once in awhile. A patient came in the other day and said, 'you can't replace performance. You may like your job, but aren't there days when your office door looks like Mount Everest, and you don't want to climb it? Nobody loves their job every day.' Well, nobody on the Red Sox anyway. The Celtics' pregame show asks, "if the Colts can't win the Super Bowl, who's your next pick?' Tanguay liked the Bengals...

Hide and go seek, Larry. "Larry out in free." We know you're out there somewhere, you rascal, you. So, Peter Woodfork leaves to join Josh Byrnes in Arizona. Say hi to Tom DeMark for me. Guess that you could have stuck a fork in Woodfork's chances at the GM spot. Anybody else on the junior GM circuit in need of some sunshine/vitamin D. We can group the candidates into three categories. First, the "Chorus Line" cast of characters, "I need this job." Right. That would be the Slim Jims, Jim Bowden, Jim Beattie, and probably Jim Bunning, Jim Bouton, and Jim Lonborg. Second, you have the "anonymous" category, which could include just about anybody, critics of the administration excepted. Third, you have the residents in training, like Jed Hoyer. Of course, the biggest group is the "Don't call me, I'll call you group from the Sabeans, Towers, Moores, LaCavas, and so on." They're are in the George Carlin group of "can y...

Let's face it, as Sox fans, we aren't the most objective cards in the deck. Sox fans thought the Gator was the best thing since sliced bread, paid homage to the Millar altar, and on the Red Sox Usenet board, there are fans who believe that a hustling Bill Mueller is worth more than Manny Ramirez. First, we won't have to 'worry' about Manny having a bad influence on Hanley Ramirez, who seemed destined to wind up somewhere else in the wake of the Renteria deal. Second, the Sox didn't sacrifice either Lester or Hansen to the Floridians. What are Yankee fans saying? Here's a smattering of comments I've heard. "It's a great deal for the Red Sox." "What's the downside for the Red Sox?" "A real commissioner would block this deal." THAT is definitely my favorite, when Yankee fans whine about exploitation of the system. Okay, now where's Waldo, er, Larry, standing up to take credit for the deal? Like OJ, he's probably...

Peter Gammons announces via ESPN that the Sox have acquired Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell in trade for Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, and an unspecified minor league pitcher. The Sox get an overpaid and once productive third baseman (Lowell) and a top-of-the rotation pitcher in return for their top position prospect (Ramirez) and a highly regarded righthanded pitcher (Sanchez). The Sox show a willingness to add payroll, and they do not lose key lefthander Jon Lester. The Sox pitching staff now features Schilling, Beckett, Papelbon, Wakefield, and Clement (who knows), with power arms Hansen and Delcarmen in the bullpen to develop alongside their veterans. Where Lester winds up, we don't know. Presumably, David Wells returns to the left coast for an unspecified spare part. Lowell, a Gold Glover steps in at third, and whether Kevin Youkilis becomes expendable or a discount first base alternative. The bullpen isn't entirely stabilized, Johnny Damon is on the market, and who knows w...

Okay. So the Red Sox couldn't hang on to GM Theo Epstein. Life goes on. At least as fans we can celebrate the American League MVP, David Ortiz. What? No DHs allowed. What came out of the General Managers' meetings? Let's examine this closely. Four of baseball's version of 101 Dalmations made the trip, on their own until Cruellarry De Ville, I mean Cruel Larry De Hub showed up to supervise Jed Hoyer, Craig Shipley, Peter Woodfork, and Ben Cherington. Maybe they're the Spy Kids . Surely, upper management required each to write, "I will not seek to become a New England icon" on the chalkboard at least a 100 times. Meanwhile, Cruellary, cloaked in Darth Vader gear, mumbled, "I am your father, " and reported back to principal owner John Henry, " Honey, I Shrunk the Kids ." Actually, Sox management has an affinity for Disney. There's Never a Dull Moment. Derek Lowe's gone because he wandered far from the Snow White image the club wa...

Simple minds would believe the Red Sox exist solely for the purpose of playing baseball. Recent events belie that truth. Only the Patriots ascension prevents them from playing 'Monopoly' (sorry Danny) and the Sox have revealed their Parchesi Management style. However, the Sox are all about playing high stakes baseball chess, 'Battle Chess' style. From the top, we have King Henry with the all-powerful Queen, Larry Lucchino at his side. Think of him as Luqueeno. The next most powerful pieces on the board are the cornerstones/castles, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. The bishops? Statesmen of the team Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield. The knights of the team were, of course, Theo Epstein (on his high horse apparently) and free agent jumper Johnny Damon. Of course, most of the players are pawns, but pawns are not exclusively players. Globe scribe Dan Shaughnessy got into the game as a pawn, too. Henry's performance the other day brought tears to my eyes, Crock of Dial up ...

Boston (AP) "Our baseball operations team is armed with an offseason plan and alist of priorities,'' club president Larry Lucchino said. "Like 29 other clubs, they are heading to Palm Springs to listen and gather information for later in the winter, but make no mistake, they are also empowered to speak with other clubs and with agents and to consummate any deal they feel will be in the best interest of the Boston RedSox.'' The Sox tried the Bullpen by Committee experiment and have graduated to GM by Committee. Maybe it's the new wave, and also the dissolution of authority prevents any of the young upstarts from usurping Master Luke's 'Star Wars' prima donna status. Way to go. On the other hand, maybe it commences a new internal power struggle among Jed Hoyer, Craig Shipley, Ben Cherington, and Peter Woodfork. Too many guys for 'stone, paper, scissors' and the Sox are definitely too out of tune to consider 'musical chairs.' A Tex...

So what should we talk about today? Which first baseman the Red Sox should look to acquire or how do the Sox try to dig themselves out of the PR hole they've dug? As best we can tell, Larry Lucchino dug this hole, and he should have the fortitude to explain himself. Or not? Larry's in the press and on television more often than almost everything except the World Poker Tour and Paris Hilton. All of a sudden, we've seen more of Howard Hughes. Okay, Larry's busy, making phone calls and reviewing resumes for the next GM. Let's see. Kevin Towers...previously worked with Larry...'Hello, Kevin?' "Click..." Gerry Hunsicker, signed with Tampa. Doug Melvin. He's rumored to be resigning an extension with Milwaukee. Why can't we resign executives like that? What about Tony LaCava, ostensibly young, a 'nice guy', and a personnel/development guy. He hasn't worked with Larry before (so he won't automatically refuse) and he'd probably w...

I know you're out there somewhere Somewhere, somewhere I know I'll find you somehow Somehow, somehow And somehow I'll return again to you The mist is lifting slowly I can see the way ahead And I've left behind the empty streets That once inspired my life And the strength of the emotion Is like thunder in the air' Cos the promise that we made each other Haunts me to the end I know you're out there somewhere Somewhere, somewhere I know you're out there somewhere Somewhere you can hear my voice I know I'll find you somehow Somehow, somehowI know I'll find you somehow And somehow I'll return again to you -from the Moody Blues The Sox management is starting to emerge from their bunker after botching the Theo Epstein negotiations. At least that's the story. They'll fess up to failed negotiations, not the John McKay Question. McKay when asked about the execution of his team replied, "I'm in favor of it." So we have to ask, "wh...

In the stock market, traders sometimes talk about knowing who is on the other side of the trade. What do they know? What do they hope to accomplish? The 'other side' of the Theo Epstein trade is Larry Lucchino and the power on the throne, John Henry. As they say in Hollywood, "what's my motivation?" As I wrote on the Dirt Dogs site, Lucchino would clearly come down as the Fall Guy if Theo Epstein walked. So far, it's played out that way. Does anyone think that Larry Lucchino gives a rat's patootie about that? Lucchino runs the business side of the house, skillfully maneuvering among the politicians, contractors, and vendors to enhance the ballpark, expand revenues, and increase club value. From an ownership perspective, you care about widget sales, top and bottom line growth, cash flow, debt service, and ultimately market capitalization. If you're John Henry, the trend is good. If you're Henry, do you care about fan reaction to the departure of the...

"Experience is the best teacher, but sometimes the tuition is high." "Listen, Mr. Henry, I can do this job." I'll go through just a partial list of qualifications, which should surely impress you. 1. Intimately familiar with trends, both following and fading them, including the use of technical analysis parameters such as directional movement and 20 day breakouts, such as Turtle Trading. Believer in 'mean reversion', which portends well for Keith Foulke. 2. Definitely on the wrong side of fifty. No young whippersnapper here. 3. Played Division I baseball in college. Er, sat on the bench in the bullpen specifically. At least I played beyond high school. 4. Can say, "Yes, sir, no sir, right away sir, aye aye sir, and I don't know sir, but I'll find out sir" with the best of them. 5. Know the value of a dollar, and the value of a franc, French, Swiss, or Belgian. 6. Willing to fetch Mr. Lucchino coffee, anytime. 7. Local product, born and ...

Damage control has already begun. After figuratively knifing Theo Epstein in the back with his Sunday column, Daniel Shaughnessy (anagram DAN LIES AS HE HUGS NY) laments the GM's departure. He writes that Theo is too mature to be affected by a few lines in a newspaper column. Is this the first time that Shaughnessy has trashed local sports figures? Hardly. Robert Parish 'enjoyed' target status for the Globe scribe while in Boston, and 'mean-spirited' sums up Shaughnessy's general approach, as in "I'm a columnist, not a reporter." That's for certain, as reporters report the news, eschewing insinuating themselves into the news. Now I'm not suggesting that there's a special section in hell for sports writers, or worse, sports bloggers, but did Dagger Dan willfully ingratiate himself to Sox management with the hatchet job on Theo Epstein? Theo Epstein wasn't perfect. Chad Fox, Jeremy Giambi, Wade Miller, Matt Mantei, and (so far) Edgar ...

Let's not be hasty or inappropriate with our condemnations of Red Sox Czar Larry Lucchino. Criticism? Absolutely. Calls for corporal punishment and worse? No. Maybe we could describe his action best by imprinting 'stupid' on each grain of sand in the Sahara Desert. Maybe we could hire a private plane with a banner with the words, "Honk if you disapprove of Larry Lucchino's treatment of Theo Epstein." Maybe we could email RedSox.com by the thousands to express our dissatisfaction with management. Maybe we could boycott Red Sox merchandise for the month of November to demonstrate that disrespecting the fans actually costs something. What we shouldn't be doing is calling for the death penalty for mismanagement. We shouldn't be preparing our tar and plucking chickens, or contemplating abacination. The last Sox game I attended, when A-Rod would come up to hit, a fan repeatedly yelled, "hit 'im in the head." That isn't either sporting or cl...

(They smile in your face) All the time they want to take your place The back stabbers (back stabbers) (They smile in your face) All the time they want to take your place The back stabbers (back stabbers) All you fellows who have someoneA nd you really care, yeah, yeah Then it's all of you fellows Who better beware, yeah yeah Somebody's out to get your lady A few of your buddies they sure look shady Blades are long, clenched tight in their fist Aimin' straight at your back And I don't think they'll miss ----The Back Stabbers, by the O'Jays (BOSTON) On the eve of contract expiration, Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein resigned without comment. In his tenure as Red Sox GM, Theo Epstein made mistakes. However, he helped bring the Red Sox to three postseason appearances and a World Series Championship. He worked well with fellow General Managers and he was respected by players. We read ridiculous statements that Theo Epstein didn't play college baseball and so...

Does the Nation want wholesale restructuring? Do you really desire that the team be blown up and start over again, with young, hungry, unproven players? Do you want to win 75-80 games and say, "well, these guys are playing hard, playing the game right, respecting the game?" I didn't think so. Doesn't Sean Connery say something in The Rock about winners and losers? To win in professional sports, you need effort, but most of all you need talent. Tony LaRussa, the genius, hasn't won the big one for a very long time, because he hasn't had enough talent. Terry Francona managed more effectively in 2004 than in 2005 because he had better pitching. Every day I hear people whining about Manny Ramirez, how much money he makes, and what a terrible example he sets. Yes, I'd like a new, improved version of Manny, but I'm afraid that the spots we have are on the leopard we've got. Manny isn't turning over a new leaf, but bringing in a Gold Glove leftfielder ...

"Baseball isn't a matter of life or death; it's a lot more important than that." The Red Sox are officially no longer the World Champions. They enter the Hot Stove League with numerous question marks and around 90 million dollars or so already committed to the roster. So what can Sox fans dream about in their stockings? The Sox have pretty much always been about hitting, but never won it until the pitching produced. The rotation presumably builds around Schilling, Papelbon, Clement, and Wakefield. Wells wants out and who knows if Arroyo has another gear. Is he committed to keeping his day job? Every Sox fan from Bangor to Block Island longs for the power lefthander, and we fantasize about the prospects of Jon Lester being that guy. It's hard to know if the Sox are desperate enough to try (foolishly) to trade Ramirez (the Ortiz protection) for more pitching. In the pen, Timlin likely will return, and we expect more from Delcarmen and Hansen. Foulke, the deserved MV...

I'm sure that the Red Sox have some wonderful Plan B, a.k.a. stop-loss in the event that Theo Epstein decides to head west. If they have such a great plan, why go through extended negotiations? The fun of it? Professional sports are a very results-oriented business, not only do they have standings, they also have revenues to measure, balance sheets, and cash flow statements. Ownership either approves of the trends, or they don't. If you think that a championship and two other playoff appearances in three years is underperformance, then keep throwing Theo under the bus. Sure, the Sox probably proved parsimonious in the entry negotiations with Epstein, but nothing obligated him to re-up for below market value. However, now that serious coin is on the table, the 'obvious' obstacles become either insurmountable and revealed, or solved and suppressed. Epstein has a right to be proud of his accomplishments. For Mr. Henry, I think that Steve Cohen's best trader has a 63 pe...

In my haste to post to Dirt Dogs today, I incorrectly referenced "Man's Search for Meaning" Frankl's seminal work as "The Meaning of Life." Which means it would be really hard for L squared to find it at Barnes and Nobles or even Amazon. Mea culpa. Again. My literary references are smacking of Norm Crosby, or maybe Bing Crosby, or just Norm. Sigh.

The clock winds down as we move toward SD day. Does Theo Epstein walk away from the Nation, Lone Ranger style with a 'my job is done here'. Or does he limp away, battered and bruised, discontent and underappreciated? A patient came in today saying that when he was only 21 years old, he bought into a business, only to have the owner say, "I'm not paying any young punk 75 grand." My patient responded that it wasn't about his age, but about his ability and what he could do for the business. I always say that you wouldn't pay anybody a million bucks a year to sell shoes, unless he could sell twenty million dollars worth of shoes. Enter Michael Jordan. Hey, it's not my money, and I'm sure the Red Sox can find someone to take the job for less money and less power. It's called resume' building. Hell, I'll take the job and fetch Larry Lucchino his coffee for a lot less money. Do the right thing. Tick tock.

In psychology they call it 'ownership bias', the attachment one gets for what one possesses. In baseball, we call it the love affair for our hometown 'boys', whether they've earned it or scorned us. Www.baseball-reference.com gives us a means of quantifying how much love 'our boys' have shown us, using something called similarity scores. We can compare our guys to statistically similar players throughout baseball history, and see how much we might value some of those 'strangers'. First let's focus on the hitters we think are staying, Jason Varitek, Edgar Renteria, Kevin Youkilis, and probably Trot Nixon. We'll then look at 'the always leaving' Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, Tony Graffanino, Bill Mueller, and Kevin Millar. Varitek's top similarity scores by age are: Darren Fletcher, Mike MacFarlane, Sandy Alomar, Mike Lieberthal, and Darren Daulton. Not bad, but nobody headed to Cooperstown. Renteria lines up with Allen Trammell, Di...

"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul." - from Billy Madison The quote from the school principal in Billy Madison distills much of the on air commentary from sports radio. If Trot Nixon forgets how many outs there are and tosses it into the grandstand, then it's a lapse. When Manny Ramirez fails to run out a groundball, it's a felony. Bertrand Russell reminds us that "the most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic, because in arithmetic there is knowledge, but in theology there is only opinion." Although baseball is a game where thirty percent b...

A patient came into the office today and told me that it was a 'done deal', Manny being traded to the Mets for a package including Carlos Beltran (I can never remember Beltran's name). Obviously, it can't be true (I'm told by Steve Silva of Boston Dirt Dogs because no trades can be announced until 24 hours after the Series), but I wondered, how should I feel about it, if it were true. Manny Ramirez has provided a lot of entertainment, with a lot better leftfield defense than he is given credit for (wall playing, taking away singles playing left, assists), although he clearly does have some mental lapses (don't we all?). He had a tough start last year, but finished with great numbers, better than ANY replacement (Pujols ain't walking through that door), and Manny isn't a malicious guy. Beltran had a .744 OPS last season, which isn't exactly Manny, or even Johnny Damon. His career OPS of .829 is less than Trot Nixon's .855, although at 28, Beltran ...

"There's nothing easier than spending someone else's money." - anonymous After wallowing in the shadows of defeat for nearly a century, the Red Sox, under new ownership, won a World Series. Is once enough? It's easy enough to assign blame, but difficult to compensate credit. I believe, from a business standpoint, that better management can produce superior results for lower costs. All this makes finding, supporting, and retaining the best management vital. We have to ask ourselves three questions, which will determine the outcome of the Red Sox General Manager's contract negotiations. First, what does Theo Epstein want? Does he want to remain in his hometown, to get the Damoclean sword of recognition and loss of privacy. What dollar figure is a deal-breaker? Can he work with the man whose ego dominates the Red Sox media presence, Larry Lucchino? Every manager has bosses to whom he must report, but Theo must chafe under the 'supervision' of Lucchino, wh...

Schadenfreude: "the act of deriving pleasure from another's misery." I suppose that we all revel in the fall of the mighty sometimes. We mere mortals are treated to stories of indictment of high government officials and the stain of steroid abuse by 'superstars'. Some feel compelled to visit to kick sand in the Red Sox Nation's collective faces because the Sox didn't repeat. I can't recall saying (or believing) that they would, and I certainly wouldn't have bet the farm, even a Fisher-Price one on it. However, since the Team That Must Never Be Named's fans come not to praise Caesar but to bury him, let's get down to it. The TTMNBN did manage to scrape out a division tie, with a mere 203 million dollar payroll. Coverboy Alex Rodriguez rewarded fans with a .133 post-season with no production offensively or defensively. Randy Johnson did scrape out 16 wins at about a million per victory, and Jason Giambi (now reborn with Stay-Puff Marshmallow ...

Okay, we can whine and kvetch, or move on and prepare for the 2006 season. The team needs to rebuild the infield, improve their overall defense, and get offensive production from first base. Without a great pitching staff, they will continue to need potent offense. Projections: C Varitek and Mirabelli (standing pat)...Shoppach on the block? 1B (I wouldn't trade youth, e.g. Hanley and Lester for Delgado, Konerko is the prize) Youkilis could be an option 2B Pedroia, Cora SS Renteria 3B (Don't think Nomar will be coming back) Joe Randa a pretty good player (see Youkilis under 1B) LF Manny CF Damon (will eventually come back, but should have Hanley Ramirez working out in CF) RF Nixon DH Ortiz OF Kapler (?injury recovered), Dave Roberts is out there and could replace Damon if they reallocate money to go for a Konerko, Preston Wilson strikes out a lot but has pop U - need some other potent RH bat, B.J. Surhoff a great character guy, P Schilling P Papelbon P Wakefield P Clemen...

Great to be in the playoffs for the third consecutive year, but the Sox got outpitched, outhit, and out-defensed by the superior team. Goldilocks got eaten by the three bears, Cinderella's swollen foot didn't fit, and Snow White got abused by the seven dwarfs. As for those who want to get rid of Manny Ramirez, I would just remind you of Exhibit A, the man's hitting and protection of David Ortiz. The rest of the lineup either picked a bad time to wear out, slumped at the wrong time, or got subdued by superior pitching. I'd expect the Sox to have new pieces at first, second, and third and once again the bullpen will have to be rebuilt (this time from within, using the kids Hansen and Delcarmen) while I'd expect the Sox to try to get a new (cheaper) centerfielder and some righthanded power. I doubt that Paul Konerko will be on their shopping list. As for the Francona bashers, try winning your fantasy league with the Red Sox pitching staff.