Because It's Never to Early to Start Making Predictions About Next Year

Now that I've had a little time to digest the fact that the season is actually over and there will be no Red Sox to watch for quite a few months now, I'm ready to turn my attention to next year. Although I love watching baseball and miss it I must admit that I really, really enjoy talking about off-season moves. October, of course, is much too early to really make any predictions about next year so all of my outlandish predictions I am about to make are based solely in my imagination and have just a slight handhold on reality.

1. Josh Beckett will return in 2011 as a soulless, pitching monster and rightfully regain his place as the Red Sox ace. This one is really a no brainer. Things can't get worse for Josh, they can only get better. So if one is to assume that next year is going to be better for Josh, let's go whole hog and say not only will it be better, it will be his ultimate year. You thought 2007 was good? It was nothing compared to what 2011 will be like.

2. Jason Varitek will return to the Red Sox for one more year and announce he will retire at the end of 2011. A win-win for everyone. Tek gets to stay with the Red Sox for one more year and leave with the dignity and send-off he deserves. In the meantime, he will continue to be Josh's catcher (thus ensuring Josh of his monster year, see prediction #1), do some great hitting when he is in the lineup, and continue to do an excellent job of backing up VMart. Which brings us to ...

3. Victor Martinez will sign a 4 year deal with the Red Sox for a reasonable amount of money. Victor doesn't want a huge payout, he just wants what he deserves and a little job security to go with it. I predict Theo will see that this is the way to go with Salty not being ready to be the full-time catcher and no free agent or trade available catchers who are better than Victor. Combine that with the fact that Clay loves him and really, I don't see why it is a question whether he should be signed or not.

4. Youk moves to 3rd base and the Red Sox get some new 1st baseman. I'm not ready to predict who they might get to play 1st base but I have a hunch that Beltre won't be back next year and 1st basemen seem more plentiful than 3rd basemen. I prefer Youk at 1st myself.

5. Darnell McDonald comes back as a utility man but Daniel Nava does not. Darnell I can easily see slipping into the Bill Hall role (although hopefully we won't need him as much as we needed Hall) but I think Nava will go on to smaller, greener pastures. I wish him the best of luck.

6. Jacoby Ellsbury will be back in centerfield and all will be forgiven all around. Look, everyone had bad feelings last year about the Ellsbury situation. He wasn't happy, the Red Sox weren't happy, the media wasn't happy (or maybe they were because it made a good story), fans weren't happy. I predict next year Jacoby will regain his place in centerfield, steal a million bases, be a fantastic lead-off hitter, and make everyone forget about this debacle.

7. Lowrie and Scoots will have a knock down drag-em-out fight during Spring Training for the shortstop position. And Lowrie will win. Scoots will be back up. Lowrie is tougher than he looks and could totally take down Scoots.

8. Jon Lester will win the Cy Young award. I predicted this would happen this year but that's not looking like it will pan out so I'm going with 2011 being his year. Now remember, Josh is having a monster year this year so that means Jon has to be a smidgen better. This will make Josh even more motivated for 2012.

9. Papelbon will start the year out as the closer but Daniel Bard will finish the year as the closer. Pap is still good and I'd love to see him bounce back but my prediction is he won't and Bard will be eased in.

10. J.D. Drew will continue to quietly kick ass. Yeah, J.D. had a slight off year in 2010 but I think next year he'll be back to form. No one will notice though because he will be so unobtrusive about it.

11. The Red Sox will win the World Series. Why not?

Rocky Mountain High

The Red Sox are in Colorado today for some more interleague play. Despite my complaints about interleague play, the Red Sox have shown that they are more than up to the task, tearing through the competition and putting themselves within spitting distance of the Yankees for first place in the AL East.Colorado in particular is an National League park that holds a fond place in all our hearts since the Sox swept the Rockies there in the 2007 World Series. The spoils are much more modest this time around but a sweep here could put us in the lead. I like to imagine John Denver is looking benevolently down and wishing us well, although in all honesty, he's probably a Rockies fan.

What is most amazing about this tear that the Sox are on is that they've been doing it with that ragtag outfield they throw out there every night. Who would have thought that we would be doing this well with people like Bill Hall, Darnell McDonald, and Daniel Nava out there? Tonight it is even more ragtag as usual with J.D. Drew taking another day off to rest his hamstring (no DL for him though, thank God) and Josh Reddick joining the crew. Although Mike Cameron will be there and that man is not ragtag at all.

In other news, I hear word that Josh Beckett threw a bullpen session on Monday and will be doing another one or two before doing a minor league rehab. Minor league rehab? In a small park where you get good views of the players? I may be planning a road trip to Portland or Pawtucket in the near future. Who's in?

Random Red Sox Thoughts

- Two wins against the Angels! Who would have thought that after being swept by the Orioles last weekend.

- Jon Lester is a pitching god. There is just no other way to describe it.

- Booing your own players at Fenway Park is unacceptable no matter how they are playing. Talk trash about them in your living room, on your Twitter feed, or anywhere else but do not boo them at Fenway.

- Dustin Pedoria is a gritty ballplayer. That out he made last night was jaw dropping. I'm so glad he is on our team. Imagine if he wasn't?

- You know I love me a good Josh Beckett quote and so I often read Rob Bradford's articles because he seems to be the only reporter that Josh talks to. I got this gem from an article Bradford wrote about the team's chemistry. "I was actually noticing this the other day, that we've got an abnormal amount of beer-drinking buddies. Not that we drink too much beer, but that we get along." Right Josh. I know you and Lackey are putting away a case of Lone Star beer every night and Clay is trying to keep up with the two of you.

- Darnell McDonald is a good offensive player but mediocre in the outfield. Yes, I said it.

- I often feel bad for the losing team when they show them looking discouraged in the dugout. Not so with the Angels. I felt they deserved it by putting that really terrible relief guy in and because I just really don't like the Angels and Mike Scioscia.

- Lackey takes on his old team tonight. Looking forward to this match up!

So That's What Pitching & Defense Look Like

I had an image in my mind of Theo Esptein calling up Larry Lucchino last night to tell him that finally his pitching and defense idea is catching on. Low score games with phenomenal pitching, that's what we've all been counting on and for the last two nights the Red Sox have delivered.

After Clay's stellar outing yesterday, Jon Lester slightly one upped him by having an even better outing (hard to believe, but true). Lester had 11 strikeouts. That's right, 11! He was the ace we all know he is and effectively erased all memory of his previous bad starts.

Let's not forget to give props to both Bard and Papelbon who effectively held on to the 2 run lead and even made it look easy. It's always nice when Pap just does his job without trying to up the ante on excitement.

Darnell McDonald continues to amaze. Count me in the camp that viewed his debut as a fluke but he has more than proved me wrong and, for once, I am happy to say I was wrong. I'm also very happy to see Pedroia back in the 2nd spot in the lineup because for some reason it seems to be making a difference with his hitting. Watching Lowell pinch hit for Ortiz brought up usual mixed feeling for me. I would like to think Big Papi is not finished but it isn't looking so good for him, is it?

As an aside, I don't know if it is his ease at being back in Toronto (although how anyone could feel at ease in the cavernous Rogers Stadium is beyond me) but Marco Scutaro is beginning to show his personality. He exhibited a variety of different faces, tossed his bat and gloves, and even threw his batting helmet down in the dugout. Keep it up Marco!

Now that the Red Sox have swept the Blue Jays (A sweep! Finally!) they head down to Baltimore to show the Orioles that the one win they got on Sunday was an aberration and will not be happening again.