In Closing....Parts One And Two....

I just came across this little blurb from the Globe a couple of days ago....let me run it here, and I'll be back later with comments and any back-up news on this last day of 2006......(P.S.....this is part one...)

......"the Sox continue to explore trade talks for a closer. Washington's Chad Cordero, Houston's Brad Lidge and Pittsburgh's Mike Gonzalez all appear to be targets."

Peter here, and it's nice to know that the Sox are active on the closer situation rather than wait for someone already on the club to morph into that oh-so pivotal role. For without a closer, everyone else in the starting rotation is reduced to non-importance. If we can"t nail down a one-run lead in the ninth inning, the first eight innings are almost moot points! I'll stay on top of this. I hope Theo will too. BUT..............

This is me again, three hours later. That would make it, oh, about 9:50am on this last day of '06....getting late! But three hours makes a difference, as you shall read. This from today's (Sunday's) GLOBE. An abrupt turn-around from the earlier part of this post. (Oh, part two coming up...here it is....)

"But right now, a bona fide closer isn't walking through Gate A at Fenway Park.
Efforts to obtain Chad Cordero of the Nationals, Mike Gonzalez of the Pirates, and Brad Lidge of the Astros were met with either "thanks but no thanks" or price tags that were far too expensive.
Barring a closer falling from the sky, there exists a tremendous opportunity for someone on the current staff to be on the ground floor of a profitable career. If this sounds like the 2003 season, when the pertinent phrase was "closer by committee," that's true, but this time there appear to be more options.
More than one executive at the winter meetings wondered whether Boston would turn back to Papelbon if he shows that, with a healed shoulder, he can take the up-and-down and pitching three or four times a week."

Peter here, and thanks for sticking in while reading this merry-go-round Sunday post. But I posted as soon as I could....and it just goes to show us what an up-in-the-air proposition the closer role is right now for our Boston Red Sox. Comments??
And please have a wonderful day number 365 in this year of 2006. Thanks.