Red Sox Spring Training Questions Ala Gordon Edes - Part Two
Here we go again on this frigid, still dark Tuesday morning. I'm going back to Gordon Edes' Top Ten Red Sox Spring Training list. The opening of the Florida joy inches closer and closer. The fireworks, good AND bad, will start soon. It's almost mid-February. Where does the time go? As before (see three posts down), my comments will be bracketed...
6) "DAISUKE AND MATSUZAKA: STILL STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND OR BROKEN-IN HOMIES? Matsuzaka already has made some noise this winter about doing things more his way, especially in his practice regimen, throwing more on the side than he did last spring. Okajima, meanwhile, showed serious signs of wearing down last season, and the surprise element is gone. But both of them should feel more at ease with their surroundings this season.." (Peter here...I expect BOTH pitchers to be more at ease during the 2008 season, their second in the big leagues. When Daisuke was on, HE WAS ON! But when he wasn't, his control problems led to a surplus of pitches, causing Tito to pull him after six innings or so. As for Hideki Okajima, well, words are hard to come by. He was instrumental in the chase for a world championship, and he is a valued member of the bullpen. Sure, the AL's hitters have already seen his stuff, but that won't phase him.)
7) "WILL STANDING PAT SUIT THE RED SOX? Epstein's principal moves involved maintaining the status quo, re-signing World Series MVP Mike Lowell and the now-injured Curt Schilling for a last hurrah. The changes now are coming from within, the Sox integrating kids like Pedroia, Ellsbury, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz rather than making the splashy free-agent signing or big-name trade." (Yes, it's me again. Peds, Ellsbury, Buchholz and Lester will help the Red Sox, who are the oldest team in the major leagues. I was surprised when I read that, but leave it to Mr. Edes, one of my favorite sportswriters, to bring it to our attention. The Boston Red Sox are young in crucial spots. Number one is the rotation. And you know what they say...good pitching beats good hitting. I find that a combination of the two can produce REAL MAGIC!)
8) "WHERE DOES CLAY BUCHHOLZ FIT IN? Buchholz comes into camp as no better than No. 6 on the depth chart, behind Beckett, Matsuzaka, Schilling, Lester and Tim Wakefield, and would the the logical choice to step into the rotation if Schilling isn't ready by April." (I like this question, because I think Clay Buchholz will surprise us all. Just a couple of the major league teams have seen his stuff. They will be surprised by the movement on virtually every pitch he hurls towards the plate. Keep an eye on him...he will be an important and vital member of the rotation, and we'll all be watching! And I can't wait!)
9. "WHAT DOES A MANNY RAMIREZ SALARY DRIVE LOOK LIKE? That's something unknown in Boston, where Ramirez is now in the last year of the eight-year, $160 million deal he signed with the Sox as a free agent after the 2000 season. There is ample incentive for him to have a monster season in 2008. He spent his offseason working out in Arizona at the Athletic Performance Institute, pledged publicly to show up to camp on time, and showed last October that he is still very capable of being, in his words, "a bad man.'' This could be fun to watch. And don't forget, he needs just 10 home runs for 500 in his career." (I'm looking forward to watching our cleanup guy WASTE the other teams on the way towards another World Series trophy. Waste on, Sir Manny!)
10) "WHAT KIDS WILL BE WORTH WATCHING IN CAMP? Buchholz and Ellsbury are still rookies, but it's almost as if they're known commodities already. Your time will be well spent this spring charting the progress of a couple more promising young pitchers, Justin Masterson and Michael Bowden." (So much talent to watch! And we ALL know, what with the Schill MESS, a team can never have enough pitching.)
11) "WILL THE REAL J.D. DREW PLEASE STAND UP?" (This is the last of the questions, and this will also be the shortest of my answers...YES!!!)
Hey, thank you for reading this...it took me almost an hour with the copying and pasting of the questions, and writing my comments was the easiest part. If you wish, just click on this post's title for the entire top ten list. Gordon Edes of the Globe is the one who deserves our thanks. Boy, can he write! Great job, Gordon. And to every one of you, my Constant Readers, enjoy your Tuesday, and as always, BE SAFE!
posted by Peter N @ 6:09 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I don't think there is a ton of panic about Schilling. Clay will make an excellent #5 starter if that's the way the organization decides to go.
Hello TBG...I NEVER doubted Clay for a moment! I slotted him in as our number five guy, above Timmy Wakefield, before Schill's shoulder was made public. He will be SO GOOD! Hey, thanks for your comment. My thoughts in the post are bracketed, by the way.
Hey Peter. Great blog as usual. I made a prediction a short time ago that Drew will have an outstanding season. I put him at around .300. 30 homers-ish, and 120 RBI's. Steep I know, but I really think he's gonna have a career year (For him). Things with his son being cleared up will help that immensely.
Here are my thoughts, which are all pretty close to yours:
6. They can only get better, and maybe (just maybe) the trip back home will spark something that will make them play even better when they return here. I'm really glad that they accustomed to things here pretty quickly and were able to bond with the others (such as Coco Crisp with the bubblegum-on-the-hat!).
7. It shocked me, too, that we are the oldest team. With the guys who you mentioned (ex: Dustin, Clay, Jacoby) we have so much to look forward. Even when some of the older guys drop out, I KNOW that these younger guys will be able to step up and fill in their spots, and maybe (actually, it's most likely) make the team even better. In fact, they already have!
8. Like you mentioned last week, maybe Curt's injury is "a blessing in disguise". Because it sure is a blessing to Clay pitching for this team.
9. It's good that we have four outfielders now, so that he can take a break if he needs it and have more time to "Be Manny" (and sell stuff on eBay). I was kind of surprised to see him working so hard in Arizona, but, as long as it makes him "badder", I hope he keeps it up.
10. Because I really don't know much about him yet, I'm considering Aardsma as "rookie" and can't wait to see what he, in addition to all of our other new guys, will bring.
11. When he hit that grand slam, I was at a marching band competition, so I was taping the game at home, but I had to have updates text-messaged to my phone so I would know what was going on. When I saw that it said Drew had a grand slam, I seriously couldn't believe it. I thought one of my friends was messing with me by sending this as a joke, but I checked with another kid who had Internet on his phone and he said it was ture. Even after telling almost every single Yankee fan in our band what happened, I still didn't believe it for sure until I played my tape at home and watched Sizemore collide with the Monster (which I then rewinded and played again at least 10 times!).
-I really hope his season is better next year. After all, that one hit proved that he has the potential--now all he has to do is use it!
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Sorry that was really long, I didn't really pay attention to how much I was typing!
"...it took me almost an hour with the copying and pasting of the questions..."
--Thanks for taking the time to do all of this (today and two days ago). We all really do appreciate it! :)
Wayne, I really hope he comes close to those stats. And Brittney, thanks for your not-too-long reply. You add SO much to my blog with your on point comments.
EVERYONE, THANK YOU YET AGAIN!
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