I Love Off-Season Red Sox Talk but Let's Leave VMart Out of It

When baseball season is over and there aren't any games to talk about my inclination is to start discussing off-season moves. I really enjoy talking about the possibilities and changes that may occur. They are always tinged with regret though because usually I don't really want to give up anyone, just get new people, but the thought of what we could get and what it would take is exciting. Last year I worried about Jason Bay but wasn't particularly attached to him so when he left for the Mets I wasn't heartbroken. I also was concerned about Josh Beckett's contract last off-season but I knew that even if he didn't sign anything we would still have him for at least one more year. 

This off-season I am more than happy to discuss the utter impossibility of getting Cliff Lee, whether the Red Sox should go after Werth or Crawford, and if Youk will have to move to third because first basemen seem more plentiful than third. One thing I really don't want to discuss though, is Victor Martinez. All signs are pointing to him not staying here and the names being tossed about as his replacement don't make me happy. So unless you want to discuss how certain you are that we are going to keep VMart, let's just leave his name out of the discussion.

Some Rainy Day Reflections

On this, an unexpected off night for the Red Sox, I was inspired to write a blog post because I realized that we only have 6 weeks of regular baseball left. It's hard to believe as April 4th seems like it was just a few weeks ago but here we are in the home stretch with a great degree of uncertainty about whether the season will end on October 3rd or if the Sox will still be in it.

Putting that thought aside for a moment, I noticed that my last post (aptly titled "The Clouds are Closing in) was written almost 20 days ago. How that could be, I don't know, since plenty has happened in Red Sox world in those 20 days. Had I been posting I'm sure I would have mentioned Josh Beckett's inconsistent starts, Jon Lester's inability to adjust to the new baby in his house, Clay's remarkable ability to adjust to his new baby, the addition of Saltalamacchia to the mix and his subsequent trip to the DL, Youk's season ending surgery, Pedroia's return to the lineup and then return to the DL, Ellsubry's return to the lineup and then return to the DL, Mike Lowell rejoining the team as an everyday player, Kalish showing why he was such a touted prospect, the return of Daniel Nava, the demotion of Jeremy Hermida, Okie's trip to the DL, Ramon Ramirez getting traded to somewhere, and the expressionless but mighty Felix Doubront joining the bullpen. I'm sure other things happened that I missed, so be sure to point them out in the comments.

And those are just the things that have happened in the past few weeks. If you take the whole season, boy do you have a story. So even if the Sox don't make the playoffs (admit it, the thought has crossed your mind a time or two) you can't say it hasn't been a good season. For pure drama alone this season has been gold.

I'm already planning my off-season - watching the 2004 World Series DVDs my Mom bought me for my birthday, watching my 2007 World Series highlights DVD again, planning my trip to Spring Training, you get the idea. Not that I'm giving up on this season (au contraire!) but it's good to plan ahead. Last season left me bereft so quickly, I plan on being better prepared this time around. And you, what are your plans for the off-season?

As an aside, if you have not heard Victor Martinez' accent here is your chance.

The Week There Was No Baseball

This past week I was on vacation without a TV and went an entire week without seeing a baseball game and let me tell you, it was no fun. I tried to convince my husband to bring our old satellite dish and a receiver but he just looked at me like I was crazy. Of course, Josh Beckett chose the week I was on vacation to make his return and I did listen to 3 innings of that game on Friday because it was Josh Beckett and I had to be present in some way for his return. Despite my having missed everything this week I still have some random thoughts about the Red Sox to share.

- How odd to come back to find Nava gone, Hermida back, and Lowrie raised from the dead.

- Patterson went from hero to the goat pretty quickly after his error broke up Lester's perfect game last night.

- I called my sister yesterday and told her that for now she can wear the Wacky for Lackey shirt I bought her with pride but not to get too comfortable in it.

- Victor Martinez could be back as soon as Monday! Woot! I have been pretty down on Kevin Cash but as @shelley1005 pointed out to me last night on Twitter imagine what the past few weeks would have been like without him. So a big hat tip to Cash.

- Could a couple of weeks on the DL really cause Clay to have that much rust to shake off?

- I know Big Papi hit a home run last night and it was great to see him prove the naysayers wrong by winning the Home Run Derby but I still think there is a correlation between his decreased home runs since All-Star break and his participation.

- Who would have thought Scott Atchison would be so durable and useful?

- Jon Lester angry is a scary sight. I wouldn't want to meet angry Jon Lester anywhere. I would bet Hanley Ramirez agrees with me.

- I think Youk's new beard is a good look for him.

- Found out this morning that Daniel Bard is the Red Sox union player's representative. Daniel Bard? If I were a player on the Red Sox I would want someone aggressive to be my rep. Maybe Youk or Beltre.

- Josh Beckett is back. Need I say more?

Do you have any random Red Sox thoughts? Share below.

Photo from http://letsgosox.blogspot.com/

Romero Who?

There was a feeling of inevitability last night when Youk hobbled off the field with a hurt ankle. It seemed only fitting that will all the people on the DL, he'd be the next to be hurt. All I could do was sit there laughing and saying "you have got to be kidding me" as the trainer and Tito bent over him on the field. His replacement, Romero, was someone I had never heard of. Where did he come from? When did he get here? I had heard of Patterson, Nava, and Dubrount before they arrived but I was flummoxed by Romero. Unfortunately, Romero did not flummox the Rays, who took advantage of his spot in the lineup to repeatedly walk Ortiz to get to him. I think we've been spoiled by the crazy magic our replacement players have had. McDonald, Nava, and even Patterson have done things that have made us cheer and shout and there was part of me that expected the same of Romero. Unfortunately, he showed he was human and we've now dropped 2 games to the Devil Rays. There are low points and high points to every baseball season. We had a low one at the beginning of the season, went steadily up, and now I think we're on our way down again. But don't fret, because after every valley there is a peak (unless the season ends first).

In better news, Josh Beckett threw a simulated game yesterday in Florida and by all accounts did well. The sweet part of the story was that his teammates Bard, Clay, Lackey, and Lester all showed up to watch him pitch and that made him happy. Pete Abraham obviously knows me well because he went to the trouble of live blogging Josh's game here. I will be seeing Josh in person this Sunday in Pawtucket while he rehabs there and I'll be sure to give you an unbiased account of how it goes.

Image from http://mercifulcrap.wordpress.com/

The Mayor's Cup is Ours!

Blogger is being difficult and not letting me upload the picture of Youk that I wanted to put here so imagine if you will that there is a picture of Youk over to the left hand side.

It was a banner day yesterday for our much maligned offense. Youk, Pedroia, and Martinez together had seven runs and 4 RBIs. Ortiz hit a beautiful homerun and even Tug got in on the homerun action in the 7th, causing the inevitable Tug chants to start up. Youk was on fire yesterday to the point that every time he stepped up to the plate I just knew he was going to do something awesome. It was perfect Sunday afternoon baseball. The Sox won 11-5 in the end.

Big doings tonight with the Red Sox taking on the Tampa Bay Rays who are shaping up to be the team to beat this year. It is NESN's last televised Spring Training game and Josh Beckett is pitching so I expect you all to be watching.