Patriots Day Minus One Hour-AM Drive Time For The Angels! And A JD Drew Update Of Sorts....

Yes, the annual Patriots game will be moved up an hour. From the Globe.....

"The Red Sox tradition of playing a morning game on Patriots Day is getting tweaked for 2007. With the start of the Boston Marathon pushed up to 10 a.m., the Sox have obtained permission from Major League Baseball and the players' union to start their Patriots Day game, traditionally an 11:05 start, an hour earlier."

Peter here. And the opponent on that early season day will be the Los Angeles Angels, whose fans will have the singular sensation of being able to listen to their favorite team play during the morning drive time hours. 7am Pacific time. There is a stipulation that the Sunday game must be started no later than 1:05pm. Now that makes sense. Imagine if TV tried to reschedule the game to an 8:00 pm start, ending around midnight. That would be too quick a turnaround for players and fans alike.

On the JD Drew front, it seems as if Scott Boras is AGAIN dealing from a position of weakness. We have to love it!!! Read this from the Herald, and then I'll make my point.

"The sides agreed to a five-year, $70 million contract on Dec. 5, but a physical examination six days later apparently revealed concerns about the 31-year-old outfielder’s right shoulder. The Sox are seeking changes in the language of the pact that will protect them if the shoulder eventually leads to a significant loss of playing time, but agent Scott Boras has been reluctant to accommodate.
Boras told the Associated Press on Wednesday night that his client is healthy and has no “condition that would affect him over the five years of the contract.” He also indicated, however, that he and Sox general manager Theo Epstein have been working on settling the issue “in good faith.” "

Peter here, and I know I've talked this deal to death, but this is a case where the upside is in our Soxs' hands. In fact, it's in the palm of their hands and all the Sox need to do is CLENCH THEIR FISTS! But here is my point, a big one in that Boras is used to "holding all the cards," the wild cards and the trump cards. But now, yet again, Boras is forced to deal from a lame duck position....he and the Sox have agreed in principle, with nothing made official (thank goodness!), and it is the Sox who are being smart. Where does this leave Sir Scott? It leaves him in the unenviable position of constantly having to assure the Red Sox brass that his client is fine and ready for 5 years of Red Sox rightfield. But, and this is a BIG but, whatever it was that the Red Sox discovered during the Drew exam has made them hit the brakes, lay rubber, a literal four wheel slide into the signing process, until they are satisfied with changes in the non-official agreement that will assure the club that they're not getting the equal of a shattered bat, useless for anything but maybe an autographed keepsake for a fan. Theo and company, remember how Scott Boras uses and abuses major league teams, and CUT HIM NO SLACK. 5 years at $70 million US bucks........make sure this huge sum will be money well spent instead of paying a dividend to a player who will average 100 games per season and an agent who is...is...well, despicable. That, to me, leaves WMP out there in right, where he should not be, for 60 plus games. No way, no how, not next year, not in 2010..

We start the holiday weekend today, and I'll be back later with some thoughts on that subject and others. Once I get started, it's hard to stop me. But you seem to like it, so I won't change a thing. OK??