First, at Last

Fifty-one games into the season, the Red Sox have arrived, at least temporarily at the top of the AL East with an 18-7 May. Not that anyone is counting out the Yankees, who lead the AL in runs scored with 250 in 48 games.

In the past three games, the Sox have pounded opposing pitchers to the tunes of a .372 average with 34 runs. But the pitching has been as much of a story, with quality starts from Jon Lester, Alfredo Aceves, and Tim Wakefield. The Sox have moved into second in runs scored behind their outburst on the road.

It would be silly to claim that Jacoby Ellsbury is the best centerfielder in the AL, but not unreasonable to note that he's the second best behind Curtis Granderson, who should be the consensus All-Star centerfielder.

Is it too soon to wonder about Red Sox representatives to the All-Star game? You'd have to say that Adrian Gonzalez is a lock, but statistically, see the following:

David Ortiz has been having an excellent season, with fewer RBI, since A-Gon is clearing the bases before him. And Kevin Youkilis, after a slow start has assumed his customary status among the top ten in OPS and has been driving in runs consistently.

No salty dog here.

Jarod Saltalamacchia has enjoyed a productive May with an OPS of almost .900. Of course, we don't expect him to be a .900 OPS player, but he certainly is showing while the Sox brain trust pursued him like a dog on a bone for years.

Wondering

Watching the Red Sox amidst the mercurial season, I have a lot of questions.

• Has David Ortiz lost a LOT of weight? He looks a lot thinner to me?
• Is Lester just in a funk? He doesn't seem to have much command of his complementary pitches, especially the once-devastating cutter.
• Carl Crawford takes a lot of heat, but he's won games with his legs and his bat, although his numbers aren't good. It's about productivity in the end. 
• Can the Papelbon resurgence be maintained? Getting command of his splitter would be huge. 
• How many BAD contracts will MLB be prepared to take?
• Can a guy like Derek Jeter play his way out of a first ballot Hall of Fame vote if he has three bad seasons, or does an icon get a free pass no matter?
• How does a mediocre player like Jose Bautista become Ted Williams, with a ridiculous OBP over .500 and SLG over .800?
• I was just going to say Saltalamacchia has been going pretty good. Yard!
• Marco Scutaro, we barely knew ya.
• Is the Tribe for real, or is it just scenes from "Major League"?
• Does any rivalry come close to the Cardinals-Reds now?
• Is the Matsuzaka (elbow)-Okajima (ineffectiveness) era over?
• Who would you compare Adrian Gonzalez to offensively? I don't remember anyone who hits as much to the opposite field. Roberto Clemente?
• Who would have thought? Matt Albers. 
• The "fog game" the other night reminded me of Oil Can Boyd in Cleveland. "They shouldn't build a ballpark next to the ocean."
• Last night we had the 7-2 forceout. Don't expect to see that for awhile. Like for-ever.
• It's good to see Jerry Remy in the booth, but I thought Zaun had a ton of potential. 

Oversimplification

Everyone's an expert on the Red Sox. We all think we know as much as Terry Francona and Theo Epstein, and we have our eyes to prove it. If a guy is struggling, then we know his production going forward.

After about twenty percent of the season, what do we know? Do we know that Dustin Pedroia will hit .240 or that Carl Crawford .225, and Jason Varitek .150?

In my column about managed expectations I wrote:
Statistical randomness. This can work in either direction for the Red Sox and for their opposition. For example, Mark Belanger was a career .228 hitter, who hit .287 in 1969. Dwight Evans, a .272 career hitter, hit .242 or less three times during his career. Guys have bad years. Even Teddy Ballgame hit .254 in 1959, admittedly at age 40 with 331 at bats. Also, outcomes in close games can also make a huge difference. 


The sample size of the season is still limited, but the Red Sox statistically have looked much more like a middle of the road team than an excellent one.  That doesn't mean things can't change, and indeed after a 2-10 start, the Sox are now 14-8.  


The positives have been improved pitching, and unexpected good work from Matt Albers.  Within the everyday lineup, Kevin Youkilis and Carl Crawford have started a resurgence, Jacoby Ellsbury has a seventeen game hitting streak, and A-Gone has three homers in his last six games.  Conversely,  Jason Varitek looks more like Dean Chance at the plate than a major league hitter, J.D. Drew continues to have a lot of tough at bats, and Dustin Pedroia has scuffled mightily. 


None of this is rocket science.  The Sox could go on a ten game winning streak or a losing streak of biblical proportions.  It doesn't take Jeanne Dixon to know that either.  The bottom line is that the team hasn't reached any degree of consistency, having beaten some top pitchers like Felix Hernandez, Jered Weaver, and Dan Haren, yet struggled against lesser luminaries.  I expect the Sox to do better against some of these young pitchers whom they haven't seen before.  But I do wonder if a slow start will end up compromising their division expectations. Such is the curse of unmanaged expectations. 

Unintended Consequences of the Blue Plague

While the appealing, simple answer is a catching problem, that's a gross oversimplification. Criticizing officials usually comes off as petty and prejudicial, but is anybody watching?

Missed strikes have massive, often imponderable consequences. Often an error or a defensive miscue (such as the Angels' misplays by both Hunter and Bourjos last night, can trigger not only a rally, but higher pitch counts and longer innings. Last night Jon Lester (not Saltalamacchia) got repeatedly 'squeezed' by Larry Vanover. My sense was that Lester wasn't getting the low strike. As a result, Lester had a much higher pitch count early, which taxes the bullpen, and triggers a cascade of consequences.

Over the longer haul, the wear and tear on both the starters and the bullpen has meaning. The biggest meaning is more frequent appearances for the perceived 'reliable' relievers.

Here's the Pitch fx plot. You can see the number of  green boxes (called balls) in the bottom of the zone. Pitch fx argues that Vanover had a very tight zone low, but an impact on Lester's "best" pitches.

Game After Game

The Red Sox win game after game, well, maybe something like that. Does your food taste better today, and maybe the dog can come out of hiding?

Earl Weaver said it best, "you're never as good as you look when you win or as bad as you look when you lose." And the light at the end of the tunnel doesn't appear to be a speeding locomotive.

What are Sox fans learning right now?

• Wally Pipp Scutaro is staring at the rampaging Jed Lowrie, a.k.a. JLow per the Dirt Dogs. Terry Francona may have infinite loyalty to veterans, but sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do. 
• Sox fans are gnashing their teeth at some Saltalamacchisms (like the botched double steal today), but Jason Varitek has some flies on him. (try 0.077/.143/.077/.220). 
• Beckett and Lester and pray for bad weather?
• After seeing some other Sox bullpen pieces, why does Papelbon sing, "How do you like me now?"
• Pedroia may not have had a hit today, but might have saved a run on the aforementioned double steal.
• Is Curt Young the real deal or stinkeroo?
• John Farrell, double agent?
• Sox probably not regretting holding on to Cameron AND McDonald after seeing so many lefties.
• Has anybody ever had a bigger disparity between average and on base percentage than Kevin Youkilis?
• Let Daisuke be Daisuke. Forget about any conversion at this point.
• Carl Crawford will be okay. Write that on the chalkboard 100 times. 

Sox Don't Know Jack

The Toronto Blue Jays came into town, with the curse of John (Jack?) Farrell. It was Jackie Robinson Appreciation Day, or a reasonable facsimile.

The Sox couldn't take advantage of a three-run jack (home run) taken away on replay, despite a pair of jacks of their own, a solo shot by the soul of the team, Dustin Pedroia and a two-run blast by Kevin Youkilis.

Quicker than you could say "Jack Robinson", the Jays rallied against Clay Buchholz, struggling with his command, and they hijacked the game against Bobby Jenks, while the home plate umpire couldn't find the strike zone with a Lojack, guide dog, or a white cane. Frankly, Kerwin Dantley looked like he was challenging Pitch-Fx low accuracy records.

Maybe it's the curse of Curt Young or did Matt Young show up instead?

Know Your Role?

I'll preface my remarks by saying that I was a very MEDIOCRE Division I baseball pitcher (think Moonlight Graham) and pitched for five years in the Intercity League. That doesn't make me an expert on pitching, but considering that I occasionally got people out with pretty MEDIOCRE stuff...

The old saying goes that hitting is about timing and pitching about disrupting timing. The old Ray Miller adage about working fast, throwing strikes, and changing speeds won't ever go out of style. Blaming the catcher (Saltalamacchia) for Daisuke throwing middle-middle is just...crazy. The Red Sox have tried to remake Matsuzaka, and I'd just let him pitch how he pitches and live with that. GOK that the current situation is untenable.

Let's face it, last night was a disgrace. I don't know how long you go with ineffectiveness. My guess is that with a terrible record, it won't be long before Aceves gets moved into the rotation. Although Tim Wakefield hasn't been great, at least he gives you innings.

If you don't like how the catcher calls the game, then you take it out of his hands and move it to the pitching coach.

Everyone on the Sox is pressing currently, and few players are playing to their potential, even with the small sample size. You don't have to point to Saltalamacchia to find ineffectiveness, as the team has a host of players struggling.

It's not just the Sox. Derek Jeter is .206/.300/.235/.535. I don't hear EVERYONE saying that he's done...just overpaid.

You Can't Win 'Em All

The Yankees handed the Red Sox a surprising defeat today, ending the powerful Red Sox one game winning streak.

The Yankees lucked out with four home runs, none actually leaving the Bay State, while the Sox banged out ten hits, denying Ivan Nova his second win of the year.

Tim Wakefield tossed a pair of scoreless innings and the speedy outfield combination of Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford now have a combined average of .308.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia threw out Derek Jeter stealing, although the future Hall of Fame shortstop raised his average to .233.

The Yankees no doubt feel fortunate to have evened the season's series.

Six Bagger

The Red Sox aren't unique concerning bad starts. Plenty of teams have had abysmal starts but few have had as disappointing a start as the Boston Red Sox version 2011.1.

Why?  I'll start with the obvious and speculate about the less so.

1) In every sport, you've got to play well to win. The Red Sox played terrible baseball in Texas, and didn't look much better in Cleveland. Whether you want to emphasize balance, run production, or run prevention there hasn't been much of any.

2) Starting pitching. Up until today, the Sox hadn't generated a single quality start. Quality starts (statistically) correlate with winning about two-thirds of the time, and are a meaningful statistic.

3) Anemic offense. After six games, the Sox have scored sixteen runs. That's not much of a sample size, but insufficient to win in any league. The old John McKay line applies, when asked about the execution of his team he replied, "I'm in favor of it."

4) Pressure. Are players starting to press individually and collectively because of a poor start? You have to wonder if the most important guy in the locker room is the sports psychologist, because the mental toughness factor hasn't shown positive thus far.

5. Preparation. Spring Training, frankly, felt like a joke. We heard how it doesn't matter, that when the bright lights come on and the big stage (i.e. major league ballparks) arrived, players would just turn it on. Don't say that you didn't hear it; everyone heard it. Now the Sox are in shell shock, and we haven't stopped watching, but they haven't started playing.

Sure, it's a marathon, not a sprint. But you have to leave the starting line.

Short and Not So Sweet

What's wrong?

The Sox played two games poorly, with bad pitch execution. The best description I've ever heard was by an old-timer, former White Sox and Red Sox pitcher Gary Peters, "wild IN the zone". You throw stuff in hitters' sweet spot and they make you pay. This ain't rocket science.

Game On

With the NCAA Men's Final Four and the Sox on, it's work to stay on top. But such are the travails of the sports fan.

David Ortiz eclipses Edgar Martinez as the all-time DH RBI leader, which is quite an accomplishment.

John Lackey hasn't throw the ball badly, but the Rangers have a lot of guys who can hit, from Andrus, Beltre, Hamilton, Kinsler, Cruz, and Young. Texas definitely has the capacity to make pitchers pay for mistakes. But let's not forget the likelihood that the spotlight will shine on Jarod Saltalamacchia, the signal-caller, not the hurler for the calls (is he getting them from Curt Young?).

Following up from an earlier theme, I don't want to overemphasize an inadequate sample size upon which to make judgments. For example, with a pair of homers in two games, David Ortiz is making his argument. Ergo, expect the fan base to start the clamor to 'lock him up'.

Conversely, Adrian Gonzalez looks pretty comfortable at the plate so far, with an 'easy swing' that doesn't look forced.

The Sox do seem a bit chirpy at the umpiring so far, but maybe that's an overcall.

Jacoby Ellsbury made a diving try in centerfield and got up none the worse for wear, we hope. As a Scott Boras client, he'll not doubt soon be the Ellsbury Dough Boy.

On the other hand, Don and Jerry seem pretty restrained in their (lack of) hyperbole with respect to the 2011 edition. You have to win the games on the field, and the projections don't mean a lot relative to production.

Nolan Ryan looks OLD, and he's not that old. Ryan's had some health issues in the past, and maybe running a big league club is more stressful than it looks.

(No) Hell to Pay

Stupid is as stupid does. The keyboard gladiators want to crucify and judge after one game into the season. Talk about snap judgments.

Yes, Jon Lester got a rare bite from the gopher, and Daniel Bard's birthright to the closer spot got vacated yesterday. But it's ONLY ONE GAME. Carl Crawford didn't solve the southpaws yesterday, and he couldn't jump twenty foot walls in a single bound.

We've got plenty to be optimistic about. First, Jacoby Ellsbury didn't look even remotely look as though he were made of glass. Second, the lineup foreshadowed the maddening pitch-consuming monster they're likely to become, with C.J. Wilson working hard to survive. Third, Adrian Gonzalez looked very comfortable at the dish, and fourth, David Ortiz drove a lefthanded cookie into the bleachers to tie the game late. Fifth, the disastrous relief appearance didn't belong to Jonathan Papelbon, whose ego will get stress-tested more than Irish banks.

They say you win sixty, you lose sixty, and what you do in the other forty determines who you are. With this lineup and staff, it should be you win seventy, you lose thirty, and what you do in the other forty counts.

Managing Expectations

Alright, I'm getting interested, with the season virtually upon us.

There'll be no "managing expectations", as the media is trying to reload the monkey on the Sox' back, making them the consensus favorite to win the World Series, if not the intergalactic championship should baseball-loving aliens arrive in 2011.

Name some reasons why the Sox could underachieve, and what the likelihood of that is.

• Injury. Who thought that the Sox would lose critical parts of the team (V-Mart, Pedroia, Youkilis, Ellsbury) for substantial parts of the season. Sure the Red Sox are viewed as innovators and leaders in sports medicine, but that doesn't prevent fluke injuries...or injuries to key players. 
• Statistical randomness. This can work in either direction for the Red Sox and for their opposition. For example, Mark Belanger was a career .228 hitter, who hit .287 in 1969. Dwight Evans, a .272 career hitter, hit .242 or less three times during his career. Guys have bad years. Even Teddy Ballgame hit .254 in 1959, admittedly at age 40 with 331 at bats. Also, outcomes in close games can also make a huge difference. 
• The "Tigers Effect". IIRC, in 1984, the Detroit Tigers won 35 of their first 40 games, ran away and hid from the field.
• Breakdowns from key players. Last year Jonathan Papelbon had his ups and downs. Will the real Pap please stand up? The trend isn't good, with rising WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) and falling strikeout to walk ratio (9.63 in 2008, 3.17 in 2009, and 2.71 in 2010). Red Sox data has shown that K/BB ratio predicts ERA better than prior ERA itself. 
• Chemistry breakdown. Certainly rumors abound about a pitcher sent out of town for ECA (extracurricular activities) and a position player who crossed certain lines never violated. 

Despite the Sox hype about winning more than a hundred games, I don't expect that to happen with a much improved AL East including the ever potent Yankees and the underrated Rays. 

Do I have any "surprises" for the Sox this year?  

1. I think that the biggest surprise will be that Daisuke Matsuzaka will be better than the 'consensus'.  Of course, I don't think that consensus view is much above .500.
2. I think that the right-handed duo of Mike Cameron and Darnell McDonald will prove to be a lot more productive than is generally perceived. With the Sox so 'left-handed', getting these guys in the lineup (e.g. RF and DH) may be the smartest move that Francona can make. 
3. Jed Lowrie will get a lot more at bats than currently expected. Marco Scutaro is a 'nice' player, but Lowrie has a higher ceiling. Will Scutaro's injury recur and will the manager just rotate in Lowrie to allow for optimal rest and recovery.
4. Clay Buchholz will end up being the 'best' Sox starter. Simply, Buchholz has hellacious stuff, with two good fastballs, and two excellent complementary pitches, including a dynamite changeup. What made him so effective last year was the evolution of his cutter, which gave him another weapon against lefthanded batters. I saw him outduel Greinke in a 1-0 Fenway classic last year, and he was dynamite. 

Play ball. 

Okay, Okay Already

I can't get overly worked up about Spring Training...especially compared with: 1) my youth basketball coaching, 2) March Madness, and 3) a vacation in the Bahamas. It's not that I don't care about Drew Sutton or Nate Spears, but really. Still, there's a time to spout off.

Buck Showalter. First, Showalter has been a pretty effective manager over the years, with a pair of AL Manager of the Year awards under his belt. Showalter has a rep as a "tough guy", in the cycle of 'player's manager' and authoritarian, also known as 'task-oriented' versus "relationship-oriented". He felt it necessary to diss Derek Jeter (so what?) and Theo Epstein, hinting that being a GM with tons of money is easier than being a GM of a financially challenged franchise. Hey Buck, with the Yankees, your managerial record was .539, and your career managerial record is .517. Did you turn down expensive players when you managed the Bombers?

Daisuke Matsuzaka. No matter what we might think of Matsuzaka as a pitcher regarding consistency, his 1 million dollar donation to Japanese relief says a lot about Matsuzaka the man. Sox fans ought to think about sending something their way as well...

Josh Beckett. Beckett came in good shape and hasn't gotten very good results so far. As I mentioned earlier I'm not that excited about Spring Training. So I'll give Beckett the benefit of the doubt.

Jonathan Papelbon. See Beckett.

LOOGY. Lefty one-out guy. Looks like Dennys Reyes has made almost 9 million dollars playing professional baseball, which is way more than I'll make as a career physician. I guess the argument Babe Ruth made when comparing his salary to the President's, "what kind of year did he have?"

Tim Wakefield. This is a tough call, the sentimental favorite, good soldier, who has the capacity to contribute occasionally, but who is slowed by age and some health issues. Wakefield has also been a great communit guy. Some pitchers, to borrow a Warren Buffett phrase about Mickey Mouse, are like oil wells, where you get to pump the oil out, and the next day, it's back in the well ready to be pumped out again. At this point, you pump a lot, and most of the time, there's not so much oil...as in 'dry well'.  Maybe it's the Mo Vaughn "it's not about the money" thing. Is Wakefield better than Okajima at this point, or Albers, or Aceves? Somehow, it just feels like Wakefield's time has passed. Just saying.

Net worth. So the Red Sox are worth 900 Million dollars now, or at least that's what I heard somewhere. And all this time, I was thinking that John Henry was worrying about where his next meal was coming from. Really, I mean, who's watching the Polk County Championship deciding game tonight, besides me?  Don and Jerry have totally degenerated into "Inane Banter", while Dan Wheeler gets beaten up more than a rented mule.

Scutaro versus Lowrie. "It's not about the money." Says who?

Salty Peppering. Well, once again there's that "it's only Spring Training" thingy. Saltalamacchia has thrown the ball no worse than recent incumbents, and looks like he's got a reasonable stick. Maybe the curse of unlimited potential won't devalue him after all.

Favorite player. I can't help myself from finding Darnell McDonald the guy I root hard for. And with the Sox expecting to see a heavy diet of LHP, Mac may get more at bats than you think.

All that being said, the Notre Dame women looked pretty strong today as they manhandled Oklahoma. And how many coaches go from High School to coaching a powerhouse D1 school? That's what the OU coach Sherri Coale did. March Madness, women's division.

Rank Has Its Privileges

The Globe asks you to rank the Red Sox (whatever that means to you)...

Here goes...

Heaven Can Wait

Heaven can wait, but Spring Training?

With the Celtics on the left coast, the Bruins on break, and the Patriots watching the Super Bowl, we've got awhile to go before waking. But what are the issues, the concerns, yea the heartbreak moments that Sox fans await?

1) Josh Beckett. Last season Beckett was more Glenn than Josh, with a stratospheric E.R.A. and more time on the DL than on the mound. If the Sox REALLY are championship driven, does anyone think that Beckett isn't a key?

2) Backstops. I'm not worried about Saltalamacchia being Mackey Sasser, Steve Sax, Chuck Knoblauch, or the originator, Steve Blass. I'm also conflicted on the "personal catcher" thing. I had a catcher call for a pitchout once on a three-two pitch. Really. At Harvard. Maybe that was his commentary on my abilities...but it was so long ago, that all I can remember is shaking him off.

3) Contract year. Will the real David Ortiz please stand up? But I do think J.D. Drew will play well in his Red Sox swan song...holding place for Ryan Kalish. Call me old-fashioned, but I actually like an outfielder who can run AND throw...unlike so many the Sox have had over the past few years. Maybe they're still remembering Jose Tartabull throwing out Ken Berry in 1967.

4) Injury bug. Everything the Sox and Dustin Pedroia are saying sounds good. And I've heard from my sources that Youkilis is swinging the bat well. Still, you don't know until you know, do you?

5) Competition. I'm not for naming Marco Scutaro ANYTHING. Scutaro had a WAR (wins above replacement value) of 2.1 in 2010, compared to first ballot Hall of Famer Derek Jeter's astronomical 2.5. Of course, Jed Lowrie in less than half a season had 1.8. By the way, 5 is all-star level.

Terry, Terry, Terry. Do the right thing, baby. The job is a competition, and if Lowrie is healthy (Scutaro, too), then he might just beat him out.


6) Pap smear. Now I'm not saying that Jonathan Papelbon (eight blown saves, 3.80) had a lost year last year. His WAR rating is sliding like magma from Vesuvius in 29 AD.  We'll need another Pliny the Younger to give Pap's fall proper description.

7) Ell's kitchen. Jacoby Ellsbury pulled off a bigger heist than the Brink's Robbery, taking the Red Sox for 2.4 million. Okay, the Sox don't like the adversarial process of having to put down their stars.

8) LOOGY. Lefty One Out Guy. Star of the day, who will it be, your vote may hold the key... does anybody think Oki-Dokey is still the one? Well, that's a competition among so many, from Rich Hill, to Felix (The Cat) Doubront, to Andrew Miller, to Jesse Orosco (just kidding about Orosco). Is Frank Tanana still available?

Doldrums

With still a month to go until spring training, what's interesting these days?

The Yankees response to the Sox off-season was to unload their coffers to Rafael Soriano.

Here's the skinny on Soriano's last two years against Papelbon's. They've both pitched about the same number of innings, with similar strikeout totals, and save totals. Of course, if you look at the WHIP numbers, Soriano has a pretty decided edge. Papelbon's been an intriguing personality and mostly effective closer up until last season. What I can't understand is how a guy who views himself as one of the best relievers in the game has so limited development of secondary pitches. Is that the most professional development available?

I hope that Papelbon has an Eckersley-like Cy Young/MVP 1992 season, but the career trajectory for Papelbon doesn't inspire confidence in that outcome.

The most intriguing story for the Sox isn't the catching, but who plays shortstop. Marco Scutaro had a solid year last season, with his statistics NOT so different from Derek Jeter (really). But is a health Jed Lowrie a better overall player?

I can't stand Scott Boras, but he delivered the goods for his clients. He got a Mendoza line (.196/.325/.407/.732) power hitter (Carlos Pena) 10M, got Beltre 80M, and Soriano 35M. If the AMA got Boras as representation, then maybe I'd join (just kidding).

If the bullpen shapes up with Papelbon, Bard, Jenks, Wheeler, Doubront, Wakefield, Okajima...it could be worse.

The big three of Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, and Vlad Guerrero are out there? Right? What if they all signed with Baltimore? Maybe I'll just grab a pig and take a flight...

And that doesn't count Johnny Damon and Russell Branyan (.215/.319/.483/.802). Where's Branyan's Carlos Pena money?

Albert Pujols' money? What is that?

Who is Pujols? (from www.baseball-reference.com). Here are his 'comps'.

The most important question mark on the team for 2011? For me, it has to be Josh Beckett. We all know he's better than 6 wins, an ERA of 5.78, and 20 homers allowed in 127 innings. But is he the 'Beckett of old' or an "old, injured Beckett"?

A Dollar Doesn't Go So Far

You're complaining about Carl Crawford?

How about this for trivia...who am I?

I pitched for the Red Sox. I have never won 20 games, but 5 of the past 6 years, I have won at least 14 games. I have been an all-star once. I have never won a post-season game. I have never been in the top 10 in the Cy Young Award voting. I will earn 18 MILLION dollars in 2013. Who am I?

What Have You Done for Me Lately?

What a difference a week makes. The Sox moved up the toteboard among the Boston sports scene, maybe even pushing the Patriots aside as they arrived in the Windy City.

Some say Crawford isn't 'worth the money'. Anybody been watching the Rays the past few years. Crawford seemed to have 20 stolen bases a year against the Red Sox. A Yankee fan told me today, that Crawford gets "wasted" playing left field in Boston. Last time I checked, the Sox also play eighty-one games not in "America's Most Beloved Ballpark".

If the Yankees elect to go with their non-defensive catcher, Miguel Montero, Ellsbury, Crawford, Pedroia, and maybe others can run at will. We won't be complaining about the Yankees' short porch, when the Sox have Ellsbury, Crawford, Ortiz, Gonzalez, Drew, Lowrie, and Saltalamacchia in the lineup.

What Sox fans won't be saying now:

• Why are they spending so much money on soccer?
• Why did ticket prices rise?
• Why won't they spend money on free agents?
• Why don't the Sox have a more athletic team?
• Why do concessions cost so much?
• Why should I watch the Sox on TV?
• What is Theo doing?

Nothing guarantees the Sox anything, but you catch a lot more fish with your hook in the water. Right?

We can only hope that the Texarkana connection gets a certain lefthander to the Rangers.

Play (Hard) Ball

This week the Red Sox sent a message to their rivals in New York, we can play your game.

The addition of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to the lineup brings a new dimension to the Red Sox lineup, a combination of both speed and power, as well as two Gold Glove caliber defenders. One might make the argument that the Sox are too "left-handed" with the right-handedness coming from:

1) Kevin Youkilis
2) Dustin Pedroia
3) Switch-hitting catchers
4) Mike Cameron in platoon
5) Jed Lowrie/Marco Scutaro at shortstop

Obtaining Russell Martin (via free agency) could take David Ortiz out of the lineup against some lefthanders, creating a lineup against some LHP of:

2B - Pedroia
LF - Crawford
3B - Youkilis
1B - Gonzalez
DH - Martin
RF - Cameron
C - Varitek
SS - Lowrie
CF - Ellsbury

Obviously, there remains a possibility of additional trades.

Play ball.