JETER, the SI guy?? He is.

I do not agree. I'll be back in the morning, but click on the title of this post for more on what's his name...

Sports Illustrated Truths & Rumors..UCONN Women's 45th Victory In A Row (And Counting)

Hello and welcome to reality Monday. I hope every one of you had a safe, happy and healthy holiday weekend, Mine was quiet, that's all I'll say. But enough of that. I came across a small article on the Sports Illustrated website. Here it is, in full, and then I'll be back with some comments...

"According to a source, the Red Sox hierarchy is split on acquiring Roy Halladay. GM Theo Epstein, the source said, does not want to surrender the Sox's prime homegrown products - pitcher Clay Buchholz, shortstop/pitcher Casey Kelly and pitcher Daniel Bard - the Blue Jays are seeking. But Sox owner John Henry is believed to be the driving force behind completing a deal, the source said. Epstein would rather use the Red Sox's abundance of lower-level prospects to pursue a deal with the Padres for slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, or with the Marlins for former Red Sox farmhand Hanley Ramirez, the star shortstop."

Roy Halladay might bolt after a year in a Boston Red Sox uniform so if the Red Sox land him, I hope they do it after being assured that they would be able to sign him to an extention. Giving up Bard (a closer on any other club), Clay Buchholz (his future is unimaginable) and the younster phenom Casey Kelly (ouch) would be tough so Boston MUST have Halladay for more than one year.

Now, Adrian Gonzales is just what the Sox need...another home run hitter who hits for power. Hanley Ramirez might not be needed if the Sox acquire Scutaro (will his nickname be Scooty?) My choice would be the slugger, Gonzales. They then would move Youk over to third where he plays well and trade Mikey Lowell to a team that needs a DH (yes, there are some out there). But it's to Theo and ultimately, John Henry. I just wanted to go over my thoughts with you. What do you think? Speak up!

The UCONN women's national championship basketball team improved their record to 6-0 as they won their 45th game in a row, all by double figures. Think about it...that's amazing and so are they. They defeated Clemson by a score of 87-49. GO HUSKIES.

That's it for this Monday. Have a great one, click on the title of this post for more on the UCONN win and as always, BE WELL.

Marco Scutaro Speaks His Mind...UCONN Women Win Number 44 IN A ROW

The possible Boston Red Sox shortstop for 2010 and 2011 expressed his thoughts in an interview with a Venzuelan newspaper recently. It is said that the Red Sox, Dodgers, Mariners and Rangers have interest in Marco Scutaro, who had a breakout year for the Blue Jays last year. Here are the teams he would be interested in...

“There are two teams that would interest me, which are the Dodgers and Boston,’’ Scutaro said.

If Toronto offers him arbitration, will he accept and stay with the Canadian club?

“I think it’s no secret that I am going to be offered arbitration, because they (Toronto) want their draft pick. There is still the possibility that I could accept arbitration and be with them for a year, but that’s not the idea,’’ he said. “The idea is to get a contract of at least two years.’’

Two years is exactly what Boston is thinking of because they have a young phenom maturing in the minors. His name would be Jose Iglesius. But until he's ready, I'm darn sure Theo Epstein will do his best to land Scutaro and slot him into the shortstop position. After all, Boston is virtually a "shortstop-less" club with the uncertainty surrounding Jed Lowrie's health.

Last night at Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, Connecticut, the University of Connecticut women's national championship basketball team won its 44th game in a row and get this....THEY WERE ALL BY DOUBLE FIGURES. They play again today at Gampel and will win their 45th. They continue to amaze the college basketball world every day in every way.

Well, we're into the very last day of the four day Thanksgiving weekend. I hope you had a safe and happy one, filled with everything. If you're on the road heading home or back to school, please be careful out there and watch out for the other guy. Click on this post's title for more on last night's 44th and as always, BE WELL

More On JD Drew...UCONN WOMEN WIN 43rd Straight And Geno Auriemma Wins #700

Hello on this coldish late November morning, day three of the four day Thanksgiving weekend. The latest news on Boston Red Sox rightfielder JD Drew is very encouraging. I found the following quotes from today's Boston Globe web site. Here's JD...

“I got that cortisone injection right before the (2009) playoffs, which helped a little bit but didn’t help a whole lot,” Drew said from his Georgia home. “Then I went into the offseason and the last couple of weeks it’s just been wearing me out. Nagging, achy, and every time I reach across to grab something it was really weak. So I flew into Boston Wednesday to get an MRI to see what was going on. When you're doing baseball every day I think your body is loosened up and more accepting to those motions you do," Drew told Bradford (WEEI radio). "But when you come home for the offseason and everything starts healing up that's when a lot of time you start noticing scar tissue build-up in that area and that's when I was like, 'Golly man, this is not normal.' . . . It finally got to a point where a shot wasn't going to fix it."

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein summed up JD's value to the ball club, fine praise indeed...

"...there aren’t too many outfielders who compare to what he did. Can you think of a hitter who has had more big hits, more big home runs for us the in the postseason in the last three seasons than Drew? He has more postseason RBIs the past three years than any player that we have."

My thanks go out to the Boston Globe for those illuminating quotes. Also, I completely agree with Theo. Without JD in rightfield, the Boston Red Sox would be a very different ball club. Just to know that he'll be fine and ready to go for the 2010 season is reason for joy. Epstein will fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle and the Red Sox will compete until the very end of next season and beyond, into October. Remember this...Boston won it all in 2004 and then again three years later in 2007. Let's see...'04, '07, '10? Two non-championship seasons between each world championship means the Boston Red Sox are due in 2010, at least numerically. A lot has to happen for that to become reality and I think it will.

That's it for this Saturday. The UCONN women's national champion basketball team won its 43rd game in a row, handily beating Hofstra by more than forty points. It was win number SEVEN HUNDRED for coach Geno Auriemma. The Huskies play again today and tomorrow. Look for wins number 44 and 45 by Monday. I love it.

Thanks for popping in once again and as always, BE WELL. Click on this post's title for more on last night's UCONN victory. Enjoy the weekend.

Gonzales Goes To Blue Jays...Scutaro To Red Sox??

The Boston Red Sox are again without a starting shortstop. Former Boston Red Sox shortstop Alex Gonzales signed a one year deal for $2.75 million with the Toronto Blue Jays. The transaction includes a $2.5 million option for 2011. As a member of the Red Sox, he exhibited outstanding defense but his offensive capabilities never materialized. Toronto also decided to re-sign their back-up shortstop, John McDonald, increasing the chances that the Red Sox will opt to sign Toronto's free agent shortstop Marco Scutaro (see the post directly below this one). Scutaro's agent, Peter Greenberg, had this to say about that...

“We still have to have lots of conversations and we obviously have to finalize terms at a certain point but clearly, looking at this situation, Marco has a lot of interest in coming to Boston, and he told me that from the start.”

Scutaro had a career year in 2009 with the Jays, hitting .282, clubbing twelve home runs and driving in sixty men on base. His slugging percentage was .409. Boston would clearly benefit from this kind of offensive support from the dreaded (for them) shortstop position. A two (maybe three) year deal is likely because the Red Sox are waiting for their youngster, Jose Iglesias, to mature. Scutaro, however, can also play second and third base, if needed, so I think it's very likely that team from Boston will go after him. If they land him, that's one less piece of the off season puzzle they will need to fill.

I hope every one of you had a joyful and family-filled Thanksgiving Day. I'm sure there is leftover turkey for sandwiches and all kinds of things in the icebox (did he say icebox?). The Black Friday lines have been growing since last night, especially at the Best Buy stores around the Connecticut capitol area. The police earlier had been called in to make sure that peace abounds...so far, so good in that respect. We're going to stay away and, if necessary, shop online. I wish it was a little colder outside so we could have a roaring fire, but there will be plenty of ice coldness in the upcoming months. I have about two thirds of a cord of firewood in the garage that has aged for six or seven years. All you need is just three little pieces of "fat wood" with a couple sheets of newspaper below them and three or four split logs above that and you have a roaring fire (in the fireplace, of course) in less than a minute. Sounds good to me, that's for sure.

Have a great Friday and enjoy your long weekend. You can click on this post's title for more sports news from Sports Illustrated dot com. I'll see you...soon. Thanks.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ONE AND ALL

I want to wish every one of you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving, a day to give thanks for every blessing bestowed upon you. We all have so much to be thankful for. Nadia and I are going to have a quiet dinner at home as the rest of my family will be out of town. Thanksgiving dinner for two is a first for me but it should be nice. Now, on to baseball, what little there is of it...

Yesterday's story from the New York Daily News may have overstated the urgency of the Boston Red Sox completing a deal to add Roy "Doc" Halladay to their pitching staff. Don't expect him to sign BEFORE the winter meetings, as reported...that would be a long shot, especially with multiple teams vying for his talents.

Remember the name Marco Scutaro. He is a free agent shortstop, a position the Red Sox need to fill until 19 year old Jose Iglesias grows into the role. Scutaro can also play second and third base so the three year deal he desires could be a good fit. There are multiple teams that have expressed interest in Scutaro so he won't come cheap. His agent recently said this...

“Boston is at or near the top of Marco’s list of where to sign but quite a few teams have expressed interest,” said his agent, Peter Greenberg. “There’s a lot of teams interested in him in different situations. We still have to have lots of conversations and we obviously have to finalize terms at a certain point but clearly, looking at this situation, Marco has a lot of interest in coming to Boston."

I wonder how many similiar quotes to different teams Mr. Greenberg has released. I hope he's right, though. Boston clearly needs a starting shortstop.

That's it for this wonderful Thanksgiving Day Thursday 2009. I wish every one of you the best...family, food, maybe a parade, football and full stomachs. Eat what you want, drive safely and as always, BE WELL. Thanks for stopping in. I'll see you tomorrow, bright and (too) early.

Halladay Rumblings...Pujols NL MVP

The Boston Red Sox are looking to add another quality starter to their five man rotation. His name is Roy "Doc" Halladay and he would be a perfect fit...at a price. It is said that the Toronto Blue Jays will want the ever-improving Clay Buchholz and the super prospect Casey Kelly. Theo Epstein will be faced with a very tough decision when the hot stove warms up. Halladay had said he will not return to Toronto because he wants to play for a winner. The Jays' general manager said this...

“There’s no animosity,’’ Beeston told the Globe and Mail of Toronto. “He’s just not inclined to sign with us.’’

The world champion New York Yankees are also giving Halladay a close look, as are the Angels and Dodgers, winners all. I can say this...the team that ends up with him will have the services of one of the best pitchers in all of major league baseball. What a terrific Red Sox top three they would be...Beckett, Lester and Halladay. Wishful thinking? We'll see.

Albert Pujols was the unanimous winner of the National League Most Valuable Player, deservedly so. Here he is...

"I'm just humbled," Pujols said.

What about another World Series title, Albert?

"I always make a joke. I got 10 fingers. I want to get nine more rings," he said. "I want to get as many as Derek Jeter has so far (five). Obviously that's hard to do."

That's the spirit, Mr. Pujols. You deserve that award and that's why the vote was unanimous. Keep on keeping on. I'm happy you don't play in the American League. VERY happy.

Have a great Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. If you're going to be out there on those crowded roads and highways, watch out for the other guy. He or she might not be paying attention or might be impaired in some way. With the correct amount of time, evasive action would be easy. But you know that.

You can click on the title of this post for the SI homepage and as always, I thank you for stopping in and as always, be well. See ya.

Joe Mauer American League MVP

Joe Mauer, the Minnesota Twins terrific catcher, was the near unanimous choice for the American League Most Valuable Player award. It was a good choice. He became the first AL player to lead the league with an average of .335 and an on-base percentage of .587 since George Brett did the trick in 1980. Mauer received 27 of 28 first place votes. When asked where he would like to go next in his career, he instantly said this...

"World Series," Mauer quickly answered. "That's where I want to be."

He will be in the final year of a ten year contract and probably will become a free agent in 2011. I'm sure every major league team would love to have him playing behind the plate wearing their uniform but the price will be high, astronomically stupendous, in fact. He's one guy who happens to be worth every offered penny. In fact, Twins General Manager Bill Smith had this to say...

"He's a once-in-a-lifetime type of player," Smith said.

I would have to agree and my congratulations go out to him. Hmm, I wonder if the Red Sox will go after him when he becomes a free agent in 2011. Nah, not with Victor Martinez. They need other players in other positions, starting now as the 2009 hot stove warms up crock-pot style, slow and easy, bubble by slow bubble.

I hope your Tuesday will be a great one. Hump Day Wednesday and then the long weekend beckon (unless you work retail). I, for one, stay away from anyone selling anything on Black Friday weekend. But that's just me. Click on this post's title for the SI dot com Boston Red Sox home page and as always, be well. Oh, one more quick thing. It's been SO long since I've seen more than one comment every few days. I'm so happy that you stop in and read my words and it would be SO nice to read and respond to yours. Thanks. I'll see you early Wednesday, if not sooner.

JD Drew Okie Dokie After Shoulder Surgery

Boston Red Sox right fielder JD Drew underwent minor shoulder surgery on his LEFT shoulder, a procedure that will not interfere with his off season workout program. He explains...

“It’s the AC joint, right on top,” he said in June. “It started in the collarbone and worked its way down. It’s more of a tennis elbow kind of thing where it wears on you after a while. This one started minor and then graduated into more of a strong tendinitis in the joint.”

JD needed cortisione shots in the middle of last season for that non-throwing shoulder but that will not be the case in 2010. It's called preventive medicine, done in the off season so that the player can contribute without pain the next season...makes a whole lot of sense to me. You too, I'd wager.

In other Red Sox news, news which is slim these days before the Hot Stove fires are stoked, there are a few out there who think that Mike Lowell, with his diminished range because of his surgically repaired hip, might take up first base, moving the versatile Youk over to the hot corner. I don't think this will happen even though it's not a bad idea. I think the Red Sox, in their quest for a 30 home run slugger, will go after Adrian Gonzales (or one other). If they land him (or him), Mikey would be trade material, much as I HATE to say it. He's a genuinely nice guy who is a credit to the Boston Red Sox. No, I'm not waving bye-bye, not yet, not by a long shot.

That's it for this early Monday morning. As the Hot Stove heats up, so will the news. I'll stay on top of everything and be here for you every day in every way. That's the way I do things, I guess. As always, BE WELL on this short work week. See ya.

UCONN Stuns Notre Dame IN South Bend 33-30 In Double Overtime

The University of Connecticut football team stunned Notre Dame in double overtime, probably ushering coach Charlie Weiss' exit. The final score of the nationally televised game from South Bend, Indiana (aren't they all for ND?) was 33-30 Good Guys. Click on the title of this post for more on the game but first read these words from UCONN coach Randy Edsall. This was a game dedicated to Jasper Howard, who was killed ON campus just a few short weeks ago. Coach Edsall, his eyes moist with tears of joy and sorrow for his team and for Jazz, said this...

"I'm just so proud of those kids over in the locker room and those assistant coaches," Edsall said. "We persevered today and ended up just making a couple plays at the end that we hadn't been able to make in some of our earlier games. We're just thankful that we were able to finally put together a win," Edsall said. "So now we can take a game ball and send it down to ... the Howard family because I know one thing — that little No. 6 was looking down on us today."

It was truly a touching moment when the winning points were scored shortly before 6pm EST. We all stood, looked up to Heaven at Jazz and cheered at the top of our lungs. SWEET only begins to describe it. But sweet it was.

That's it for this early AM Sunday. I wish you the best as Thanksgiving week approaches rapidly. Remember, you can click on the title of this post for the Hartford Courant's coverage of yesterday afternoon's uplifting UCONN win and BE WELL. Your comments are always welcome and always read and always answered. Thanks. Have a terrific Sunday.

Want To Buy A World Series DVD Set? UCONN Women Win Their 42nd Game IN A ROW!

Hello on Saturday morning. Finally, the weekend. I just came across this news blurb from the Associated Press and I wanted to share it with you.

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"A 20-DVD set of World Series films can be bought for $2,299, and it contains authenticated autographs of 12 Hall of Famers, including Yogi Berra, Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson and Mike Schmidt.
A limited edition run of 100 sets was put together by Major League Baseball Productions, A&E Home Entertainment and Mounted Memories, the companies said Friday.
There are 65 films from 1943-08 that run for more than 50 hours. The package also has autographs from Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, Bob Feller, Rollie Fingers, Carlton Fisk, Whitey Ford, Brooks Robinson and Bruce Sutter.
MLB spokesman Jeff Heckelman said the set is also available without the autographs for $179.99 on MLB.com and in stores with a suggested retail price of $229."

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I think the autographed set is very overpriced (that's quite the understatement ) and the set priced at $229.00 retail (way less at Baseball Direct,,,click on the title!!!) would make a terrific holiday present. I might order it for myself at $169.99. In fact, I think I will. Remember, click on that title.

In the world of women's college basketball, the national champion University of Connecticut team still rules. Last night in Worcester, Massachusetts, they rolled past an overmatched Holy Cross team, pummeling them by a score of 87-34. The game wasn't even as close as the score indicated but Holy Cross knew what was in store for them and they relish the chance to play the number one team in the nation every single year. The last time they defeated the Huskies was 1986, so there were no surprises Friday night up in Worcester. None at all.

Well, that's it for this short Saturday pre-Thanksgiving post. You can click on this post's title for more Red Sox coverage, slim as it is, and as always, BE WELL. Have a terrific weekend.

Bay Declines Boston's Offer

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated has reported that Boston Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay has declined the Boston Red Sox offer and will test the free agency waters. Here is part of his piece, with my thanks...

***Star free agent outfielder Jason Bay has declined Boston's initial contract offer and will head to full free agency, SI.com has learned.***

"Boston's offer to Bay was believed to be for four years and "close to $60 million,'' according to sources. Bay thus will join star outfielder Matt Holliday and ace pitcher John Lackey as the biggest free agents on this year's market. The exclusive period for incumbent teams expires Friday at 12:01 a.m., when free agents can begin negotiating with other teams.
"Nothing will happen by day's end, but we'll keep talking,'' Bay's agent Joe Urbon said.
"It's not a surprise that a player that's gone this far wants to see what's out there,'' Red Sox GM Theo Epstein said."

I agree with Theo...the Red Sox will be competitive with just about any team's offer and hopefully he'll come back to where he likes to play...Boston, Massachusetts. Certain suiters will be the Yankees (of course), the Mets and the other usual suspects. Bay is a valuable commodity, a guy who can hit the living daylights out of the ball and play defense with the best of 'em. If he picks another team, he will be missed...bigtime. Big Papi David Ortiz, who before the 2009 season began called for the team to pick up another booming bat, sounded the alarm again. Here he is, expletive included...

“I said that a year ago and everybody looked at me like I was a fucking clown,” Ortiz said yesterday at Fenway Park. “I said, ‘Yo, we need another 30 home run hitter guy.’ ‘What? You crazy?’ This and that, everyone talking crap. There you go. Now what? Everybody will always welcome a 30 home run hitter. At any time, any day, any situation. You want to compete with those guys across the street (NYY)? You better bring it. Period.”

Let's see...Jason Bay would be one thirty home run guy and someone with the last name of Gonzales, who plays first base, would be another. I, of course, mean Adrian Gonzales. If Boston can add him to their lineup AND sign Jason Bay, well, they would be very competitive with those pinstripers. If Theo has permission to spend a little MORE money, which he will, it would be great to see Mr. Lacky in the rotation and Billy Wagner in the bullpen. Wishful and delusional thinking? Not if they want to win another world championship. I certainly do.

I hope you have a terrific Friday and a tremendous weekend. I expect so much from the Sox this off season but I know from experience not to get my hopes up too high. I have a feeling, though, that Boston will abandon their low-risk low cost thinking that has been so prevalent the past couple of years to very mixed results, if not downright disastrous (think pitching).

That's it for this stormy (no snow) Friday morning. Make it a good one and as always, BE WELL. You can click on this post's title for more Sox news. See ya.

Tito On Bay, 'Tek, Lackey, Kottaras & More

Good things don't happen overnight and Red Sox baseball fans will have to wait to learn the final destination of last year's left fielder, Jason Bay. It's the nature of the game and the Red Sox manager, Terry "Tito" Francona, had this to say on that...

"You have to be patient. As fans, as the manager, you want things to happen now. We want to have our team in place now. It’s not going to happen. It’s going to take time. He has earned the right to be a free agent. This is his first time, and he wants to see it through. You know we’re going to be a major player. We always are. Do I hope it gets done? Yeah. I bet you Jason Bay hopes it gets done. But he’s going to have other options, too."

Boston has until midnight eastern standard time today (Thursday) to negotiate with Jason Bay without any other teams being involved. It is expected that Bay will "test the waters" of free agency but I'm fairly certain that, when everything pans out, he'll be back with the Red Sox for the 2010 season and beyond. He has been far too consistently excellent, at the plate and with his glove, for Boston not to make their bid up there with the best of 'em. We'll see...that I know.

Tito also said that Red Sox captain Jason Varitek has fully accepted his 2010 role as the backup to Victor Martinez. I never thought otherwise. Here's Tito again...

“If he didn’t accept that (the backup role), then it could have been a problem. I don’t see that happening,” Francona said. “I saw him the other day. He was about as fired up as I’ve seen him. That’s part of the reason he has the ‘C’ on his chest,” Francona said. “He’s lived up to that. I know he will continue to.”

Well said, Terry. Next up, Francona tried to express how much it would mean to the club he manages to have righthander John Lackey in his already crowded rotation. To me, it would put the Red Sox starting pitching rotation on a par with the world champion NY Yankees (I hate it when I have to type that). Once again, here is Mr. Tito Francona...

“John Lackey is one of the best,” Francona said. “Every year, there’s a couple guys who seem like they can sway the fortunes of an organization. He’s that type of pitcher. Now, to get that type of pitcher, you’re going to have to make quite a commitment. That’s something that makes our organization a little bit uneasy.”

Catcher George Kottaras was claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday. Here's Tito...

“We had to release George Kottaras,” Francona said. “I love George. He never played but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a good kid."

Thanks for your words of wisdom, Tito. The most important off-season matter to me is to lock up the services of Jason Bay and to find another power hitting defensive player (you know who...he plays first) from the free agent market. Getting Wagner back would help the bullpen depth immensely, too, and another starter wouldn't hurt. Time will tell. Tick-tick-tick.

You can click on this post's title for more on the Boston Red Sox and as always, BE WELL. If you'd like to leave a comment, that would be great. Thanks for popping in and I'll see you tomorrow, if not before.

Wag The Dog...AL Cy Young Award Winner...UCONN Women Win Their 41st In A Row

Billy Wagner enjoyed his playing days for the Boston Red Sox last year and it looks now that he's leaning towards changing his mind and accepting the role of setup guy for Jonathon Papelbon. You see, he was dead-set against anything but being a closer in 2010 just a month ago but it seems that Boston general manager Theo Epstein has kept in touch with Wags and his agent and he is leaning the other way. Here's Theo Epstein and then I'll be back with a few thoughts of my own...

“In an ideal world, we’d love to have Billy back if he were willing to accept a non-closer role. It seems like he is,’’ Sox general manager Theo Epstein said. “But we would have to restructure a few things with some other pieces of the club to be able to afford that luxury with what he’s likely to make next year. I think there’s a really good relationship there. If we can find a way where it fits for us and it works for him, then we’ll do it."

Thumbs-up, Theo. Having Wagner back as part of the seventh and eighth inning bridge to Papelbon AND as insurance just in case something (God forbid) happens to Paps during the season would help the ball club immensely. I now expect him back and it'll be great to have a mostly lights-out lefty in the bullpen. This is a no-lose situation for the Red Sox and I DO believe it will happen. C'mon aboard, Billy! Red Sox Nation and Red Sox International awaits.

Zack Greinke outdistanced Felix Hernandez and won the 2009 American League Cy Young award. He had a record of 16-8 and an unbelievable league low ERA of 2.16. If he played for a team that could hit better he might have gone 19-5 but no matter, the best pitcher won the award, hands down. He received 25 of 28 first place votes. Felix Hernandez, the runner up, was 19-5 with an ERA of 2.49 for the Seattle Mariners. But the clear victor was Greinke. Good for him...he was impossible to hit last year.

I've run out of baseball stuff to write about on this early (as usual) Wednesday Hump Day morning. Start your slide into the weekend, click on the title for more baseball news and as always, BE WELL. Oh...the UCONN national champion women's basketball team won its second game of the season IN Texas against number 10 Texas. The margin of victory was 25. That win makes it 41 (forty one) in a row...not bad, huh? See ya.

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Holiday Store...Read On

Hello again on Tuesday, way too early. As most of you know, the Jimmy Fund does invlauable work to help kids with cancer. My sister passed away from a blood cancer disease before I had a chance to meet her. Please read this release and do whatever you can, whatever it takes. Your heart will smile and so will I. Thank you...

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"Show your team spirit while supporting the Jimmy Fund. Red Sox holiday cards, ornaments, and candles on sale now...

BOSTON -Sox fans can root for their home team, while supporting the Jimmy Fund, making it a win-win for holiday shoppers this year.
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute holiday cards, candles, and ornaments 2009 collection is on sale to benefit adult and pediatric cancer care and research through the Jimmy Fund. There are a total of 9 different card designs in this holiday collection. Highlights include original artwork of New England scenes, as well as New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox themed designs.New this season are e-cards and customized photo cards, which will be produced by Vistaprint. Last year’s holiday cards will be sold at special sale prices.
Sox themed card designs include; Festive Fenway and Boston Red Sox Stuffers. This year’s collection also includes a Boston Red Sox Green Monster ornament and a limited edition Jolly Wally candle in Juniper fir scent Aunt Sadie's Candle, which burns for over seventy hours.
Proceeds from sales benefit Dana-Farber through its Jimmy Fund. Visit jimmyfund.org/holidaygreetings, to view the entire 2009 holiday line and make a purchase.

Imprinting of company logos and customized messages are available for inside the cards and on envelopes for an additional fee. Call Monica Zurlinden at 617-582-7724 to place an imprinting order. Orders will be accepted until January, 2009. Starting November 1, the entire collection will be sold in the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute lobby at 44 Binney Street in Boston from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Founded in 1948, the Jimmy Fund has been an official charity of the Boston Red Sox since 1953. It supports the fight against cancer at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which is a leading cancer research and care center for adults and children. Unrestricted support from the Jimmy Fund is an integral part of Mission Possible: The Dana-Farber Campaign to Conquer Cancer, a $1 billion capital campaign to accelerate cancer research, speed development of life-saving therapies, and expand the Institute's signature patient- and family-centered care."

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Thanks for taking the time to read this and my holiday wishes go out to one and all. Peter, the blog guy.

More On Jeremy Hermida...

Boston Herald reporter John Tomase wrote an informative article concerning Jim Presley and his insight into future Red Sox player Jeremy Hermida. After all, Presley has played with him for the last four years. My thanks go out to John Tomase for these quotes and insight.

Jeremy Hermida, who will be the number four outfielder for the Boston Red Sox of 2010, never really lived up to his lofty early expectations. Maybe it was a series of nagging injuries that limited him to less that the full contingent of at bats. But, according to teammate Presley, the man knows how to hit and once he can have an injury-free season with 550 at bats or so, which will not be possible if the Sox resign Jason Bay or another starting outfielder, he could raise his statistics. Here are some of Presley's words...

“His bat (is) a plus, because he can swing a little bit,” Presley said yesterday. “He’s had a lot of injuries and stuff that have held him back. He can swing. He’s got some juice. He knows the strike zone. He knows how to take his walks. He doesn’t swing at balls out of the zone. That’s going to help him in that league."

Why was he traded for two middle prospects? Jim said this...

“Some guys just need to move on and get to another point in their career.

His last statement was simple but true. I'm looking forward to seeing Jeremy Hermida, who will probably bat seventh or eighth when he gets a chance to play. Every major league baseball team needs a fourth outfielder...it's a necessity, a given. Hermida is ours.

In other Boston Red Sox news, the 2012 All Star game will be played in Kansas City's renovated Kaufman Stadium instead of at Fenway Park. The date would have coincided with Friendly Fenway's 100th anniversary. Red Sox Nation will have the entire 2012 season to celebrate that unique milestone.

That's it for today, Tuesday November 17th. Time is flying by and before we know it, Turkey Day will be upon us. Nadia and I have no plans as of yet...my family's Thanksgiving celebration dinner with all the fixings and then some is usually at my sister-in-law's sister's house but she and he husband are going to the left coast to visit their new grandchild, number two for them. I wish them the best and you, my Constant Readers, the exact same thing. That'll never change. Rmember, the hot stove drama is still in front of us. After all, potential free agents cannot talk to other teams until November 20th, this very Friday. As always, take care of yourselves and BE WELL. You can leave a comment or three and I'll read and respond to every single one. That's a promise. See ya.

I'd like you to try a place with a varied collection of Boston baseball news. Their web address is bosoxnews.wordpress.com/. My blog is listed there, too! It's a great site. Just click on the title of this post and explore a little. If I were you, I'd bookmark it. My sincere thanks go out to their founders who were kind to include me in their web site. Click away!!

Boston Bay?

The Boston Red Sox still have the exclusive rights to talk turkey with Jason Bay until November 20...hey, that's the end of this week! Boston and Bay will probably finalize nothing by then because he wants to test the free agent market. After all, in four of the last five seasons he has hit more than 30 taters coupled with 100 or more RBIs, not missing more than a handful of games each and every season. It's no wonder many teams would love him in their outfield, including the Boston Red Sox. Bay had a few words about his "so-far" stay with the Red Sox...

"I’m comfortable here,” Bay said. “I’ve said before it really doesn’t come down to just dollars. It’s not all about money. The situation I was in before in Pittsburgh — we weren’t winning a lot of games. When you come here, you win ballgames and have playoff opportunities, and that’s a huge factor. It really makes baseball enjoyable again. A team that is set up to win and a place where my family is comfortable. I’m comfortable here. It’s more desirable than most places."

Jason would like a four year contract worth in the vicinity of $60 million dollars. He's worth every penny of that as he will catch anything in sight and bash the ball off the Wall or into the seats on a regular basis. I'd love to see him back. His agent, Joe Urbon, had this to say recently...

"We’ve had dialogue with Theo about Jason,” said Urbon, “and I presume we’ll continue to talk, but I really think the expectation from our side, and from what I’ve heard Theo say publicly from the Red Sox side, is we’ll probably carry this over into free agency with the expectation to continue to have dialogue. He has made that clear," said Urbon. "When you say that as often as he has said that throughout the 2009 season, which he has, even on the heels of free agency he’s said that and I don’t think it’s any surprise. We have been pleased with the type of dialogue and the things we’re hearing from other clubs."

I hope Jason decides to come back to the Red Sox. They'll be a vastly better club with him in left field.

I hope you had a great weekend and you can always click on this post's title for more Boston Red Sox news. Thanks for popping in and as always, BE WELL.

Pay The Piper, Theo Epstein, For Adrian Gonzales

Good early Sunday morning to all of you. I do hope you're reading this much later in the day than I'm writing it. It's not even 4:45am EDT and I just couldn't sleep. Too early to bed makes for very long mornings. I wanted to talk about Adrian Gonzales, a player the Boston Red Sox severely covet. I'd like to thank the Boston Globe's Chad Finn for the thoughts that fueled this post. As I said before, the subject is first baseman supreme Adrian Gonzales.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and the San Diego Padres' rookie GM Jed Hoyer know each other almost too well. Any negotiations between the two involving Gonzales and a possible pool of young Boston talent going the other way will be done out of complete honesty, which could make for a very interesting situation, a set of circumstances that could greatly benefit both the Red Sox and the Padres. Think this...Teixeira who? Gonzales is due to make only $4.75 million in 2010 and a paltry $5.5 million the year after. Holy bargain, Batman! He won't be 28 years old until May of next year...another plus. Last season was a tremendous one. He hit forty taters and walked 119 times. His OPS was .958 (again, thank you Chad Finn).

The question remains and it is this...why would the Padres be willing to part with him? I think I can answer that one. Down the road, the Padres do not feel that they will be able to afford him. Right now, a deal with a viable and well-stocked club (in the minors) such as the Boston Red Sox would bring to Jed Hoyer multiple talented young players and it would bring a young and talented power hitting first baseman to the New England club, something they need. Jed Hoyer knows that and his buddy Theo Epstein knows it. Face it, all of Red Sox Nation and Red Sox International know it, too. Theo, make it happen.

The University of Connecticut national champion women's basketball team started their 2009-2010 season with a resounding
105-35 (!!) victory over Northeastern University at UCONN's home in Storrs, Connecticut. Even without two players who are temporarily on injury leave, they looked tremendous, awesome and unbeatable. A tougher test for them will come on Tuesday night when they play against Texas in Texas. You can click on the title of this post for more on yesterday afternoon's UCONN blowout. That's 40 wins in a row for that team from Connecticut. I love 'em.

I hope your Sunday will be a terrific one. It's still cloudy here with intermitent drizzle but we ( Nadia & Peter) woke up at the same time. I had breakfast, she had popcorn of the Orville Redenbacker type with movie theater butter. She always seems to surprise me. As always, BE WELL. I'll see you soon.

Lackey Looking? UCONN Women Open 2009-2010 Season. Post #2400

Good Saturday morning to you and yours. There are still a couple hours before the sun brightens the cloudy, rainy skies but I've already perused the Boston newspapers and come up with a little something from the Boston Herald. Boston is likely to be meeting with many player's agents, players who are looking to join a new team and yesterday Theo Epstein met with the agent of Angel's right hander John Lackey. Lackey doesn't exactly like the Boston Red Sox and after losing two tough decisions to Jon Lester in the 2008 postseason, he said this, among a few other choice comments. You see, he's an intense guy who absolutely hates to lose...

“ (I want to) throw somebody through a window. We lost to a team that’s not better than us,” he said. “We are a better team than they are. . . . We shouldn’t have given up anything.”

I don't agree with the guy but he sure knows how to vocally express his inner feelings. Lackey went 11-8 last year with the Halos and had a sparkling ERA of 3.83. Do the Red Sox need another starter? They have five established guys who will be ready to go in February and they have to address a long-term contract for Josh Beckett. But you know the old saying that's proven true time after time each and every year...YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH PITCHING.

Lackey would be a valuable addition to a great starting rotation. We all know that. We also all know that Boston will be looking for a power hitting leftfielder, another hitter along the lines of Adrian Gonzales (my fingers are crossed...toes, too), another bullpen guy and a shortstop. Not an easy task for Theo and company but the next three months will be busy ones, to say the least. I love the drama of the negotiations and the elation that ensues when a coveted free agent dons a Boston Red Sox uniform for the first time.

On a side note, this is post number 2300 for me, a nice crooked number. I started this ode to the Red Sox and their fans in November of 2005 and I think I've missed a total of three or four days. It's what I do first thing in the morning and I'd be lost in the desert with no water without the reassuring sound of fingers hitting keys. I'm sure glad there are people like you who take the few minutes to read the words that result. For that, I thank you. Here's to 2300 more, God willing.

Have a great weekend as the University of Connecticut national champion women Huskies begin their 2009-2010 season with a home game against Northeastern. Those Huskies have won 39 straight games, all by ten points or more. No team in basketball of any kind has ever done that. Game time is 2pm EST on Connecticut Public Television (CPTV...CPTV HD) or on WTIC AM 1080 radio in Hartford. The game is also available at wtic dot com the world over. You can also click on this post's title for more on the Red Sox and as always, BE WELL. Have a terrific weekend and GO HUSKIES!

Halladay Musings. That's All They Are...For Now

The Toronto Blue Jays' general manager has spoken out about his star pitcher, Roy "Doc" Halladay. He mentioned the Boston Red Sox in his comments. Alex Anthopoulos is his name and he said this. I'll be back with some thoughts of my own (once in a while, I come up with a few) after this...

"Now, if we had strictly apples and apples offers for Halladay, one from Boston, one from another team, it would not be Boston. If we made a deal we owe it to our fans to obtain the best deal possible," Anthopoulos told the Toronto Sun. "If we get the right package, we'll make the trade," Anthopoulos told the Toronto Sun. "It would be awfully narrow thinking of me to turn down the best offer because of the fact it came from within our division."

OK. I understand what he's saying...why trade one of the best pitchers in all of Major League Baseball to a team in your own division? Makes sense, doesn't it? But he DID say that if the deal was good enough, he would not rule it out. You know what I think? I going to tell you anyways. I really think that the Red Sox will focus on their outfield situation first. Clay Buchholz has been the centerpiece of any possible future deals involving young Sox pitchers. No way, Jose. The usual suspects, namely the world champion (uhh) Yankees, Phillies and Mets have been mentioned as possible bidders for the talented righty. Doc Halladay has a career record of 148-76 and a tremendous 3.43 ERA. Quite simply, he would be an asset to ANY team's rotation, even Boston's, a team that has five established starters who will be ready to go (barring injuries) next season. It all comes down to priorities...Boston must fill their void in left field first and foremost. The solutions to that are countless. And don't forget about Adrian Gonzales being a candidate for first base with Youk moving to third and one of the two Boston DH's (Mike Lowell and Big Papi David Ortiz) as possible trade material. I hate to say it but there's a chance.

Doc was the 2003 Cy Young Award winner, but that's enough about Halladay. I'd just love to see Jason Bay back in left hugging that Green Monster and hitting the round ball out of the Park, Fenway Park, MY ballpark. It was just announced that he won the 2009 Silver Slugger award, by the way.

It's another Friday. I hope you have a terrific weekend and as always, BE WELL. Click on the title of this post for more Boston Red Sox news and I thank you for stopping by yet again. See you...soon. That's it for post number 2298. 2300 is fast approaching. I can't believe it! But I love it. I love you too, my Constant Readers.

Captain Jason Varitek Will Return To the Boston Red Sox For 2010

Jason Varitek, longtime Boston Red Sox catcher and the only player in Major League Baseball history to catch four no hitters, has excercised his $3 million option and will be with the club for the 2010 season. I, for one, am very happy about it. He'll catch a couple times a week, most likely every Josh Beckett start, and be an invaluable teacher in the Sox clubhouse. He'll be there and he'll be needed...that's important. His offense for the past two seasons has declined rather sharply. In 2008 he batted .220 and a career low .209 in 2009. He also managed to throw out only 10 of 118 runners attempting to steal last season. He holds the Red Sox record, playing 1381 games as a catcher and as I said before, he's been behind the plate for a no hitter a staggeringly outrageous four times. Great job, 'Tek. Here's Red Sox GM Theo Epstein...

“We’re happy to have Jason back,” Epstein said before leaving the meetings for a flight back to Boston. “We look forward to a good year from him in 2010. He means an awful lot to the organization on and off the field. He helps solidify our catching position. He’s also a big asset to the pitching staff. We’re happy he decided to come back and stay in the organization he’s such an important part of.”

Yes, it's all good with me, too. Jason will keep the younger pitcher's minds on an even keel and generally help them perform to their utmost capabilities. Great job, Theo and company.

Last but not least and certainly untrue, a Japanese sports web site has reported that the Red Sox may have interest in signing World Series MVP Hideki Matsui. Sorry, Japanese sports web site, whoever you might be. Matsui is a great player but he cannot play the outfield because of his knees. File this story under FALSE. The Sox want to resign Jason Bay or someone like, oh, Matt Holliday. The Green Monster needs a master with a glove and currently, Boston does not have one. I remember when Yaz was patrolling left field and he could play the Monster like a musical instrument, watching the flight of the ball, setting himself in the perfect spot to catch it off the wall and gunning it to second base to utterly nail the idiot who was trying to reach second base. In most cases, the ball arrived at second when the runner was 15 feet away from the bag. THAT WAS YAZ. He knew evey dent and cranny of that green friend of the devil and used it to his advantage, taking away so many doubles from opposing batters that it would be hard, no, impossible for me to count them. He was wonderful and I'll never forget how lucky I was to see him play live, right in front of my unbelieving eyes. Love ya, YAZ!!

That's it for this Thursday warmish morning. Right now it's 5:31am EST and the day beckons. I'll approach it slowly, at my own pace. I'll leave the house around 8am est. There will be traffic but what can anyone do about it? Nuttin'...that's what, except turn the radio on and leave it loud, really loud.

You can click on the title of this post for more about the Red Sox SI dot com style and as always, BE WELL. Your comments would be great. I'll answer every one of 'em. That's a promise from me to you. See ya!

The Red Sox Captain Will Be Back For 2010

Jason Varitek will be back for the 2010 season. I'll have everything for you in the early morning. Have a great night.

Billy Wagner Coming Back To Boston?

Left handed reliever Billy Wagner, who was not expected to accept arbitration from the Boston Red Sox, just might. It was said that he wanted to be a closer, a job the Red Sox have fully covered with a guy named Jonathon Papelbon. Wag's agent, Bean (yes, I spelled it correctly) Stringfellow (did they call him string bean in high school?) had this to say...

“I just visited with Billy and his family the other day and I can tell you this much: Billy thoroughly enjoyed his time in Boston. It was one of the best experiences he has ever had in baseball. So, does he rule out accepting arbitration? No, he doesn’t. One thing that’s important to him is the chance to win a championship and that’s not a minor detail. Based upon his experience in Boston and his desire to win, to say he has completely ruled it out, certainly he has not. I fully anticipate the Red Sox offering him arbitration,” Stringfellow said. “Prior to meeting him the other day, if you had asked me would he accept arbitration, I would have said 100 percent no.”

Interesting, verrrry interesting (oops, wrong show). Wagner did a great job with Daniel Bard covering the eighth inning bridge to Paps and would be a welcome addition to the 2010 Boston Red Sox bullpen. He'd be another year removed from his surgery and, if he conditions correctly, would be stronger than last year. In a nutshell, I hope he comes back.

Jason Varitek has not yet decided to pick up his own $3 million option, but I bet you he will very soon. We all know Victor Martinez is our number one catcher for 2010, thankfully so, but having the captain back to catch a couple games a week even though he can't throw out runners trying to steal second, not anymore and that's sad, would be a Godsend for every pitcher, starter or reliever on the 2010 team. Case closed...for me.

Have a great Hump Day Wednesday. Again, it's WAY too early for me to be awake...I just don't know why. But it's dark, it's quiet, it's peaceful and I'll probably fall asleep tonight at 7:45pm. As always, BE WELL. I'll see you tomorrow, if not before.

Victor Martinez # 1 Red Sox Catcher...Tim Wakefield Back For Two More Years...UCONN WOMEN WIN

The Boston Red Sox have picked up Victor Martinez' $7.1 miliion option and proclaimed him the number one, full time catcher for 2010. I think this is a tremendous decision that doesn't take anything away from the captain, Jason Varitek. Theo Epstein was asked about the club's smart decision and he responded thusly...

“We’re going to really look for Victor to be the everyday catcher next year,’’ Epstein said. “What puts us in the best position to win is for Victor catching as much as he can. The spot we’ll have available is for more of a traditional backup. We’ll see what Tek’s decision is before we move forward. He really sees himself as a catcher,’’ Epstein said. “We have to be smart about it. We can’t push him to the point where we have diminishing returns. He feels he can catch a bit more and prepare himself to do that. We haven’t put an exact number on it. A lot depends on the exact shape he’s in. We expect him to be in really good shape. He’s a really hard worker. We’ll have to figure that out as we go.

Epstein was then asked if Varitek would be comfortable in a back-up role, something he's not done in the past but one in which I think (know) he would excel. Here's Theo...

“Yeah, I think so. There’s a school of thought that says he’d perform better with a bit more rest.’’

V-Mart said before the season started that he could handle the behind-the-plate duties for 140 games or so. Guess what...he got his wish and Red Sox Nation should be very happy.

The other huge piece of Boston Red Sox news concerns a now healthy Tim Wakefield, who we all love. The Sox signed him just yesterday to a two year, $5 million deal which could reach double that figure with incentives. He has had his disc surgery (I still wonder how it was possible he could have made his last three 2009 starts while hobbling with excruciating leg pain...pain I know all too well). Needless to say, our Timmy was very happy. Here he is...

“For me, it was never about the money,” he said. “It was about being treated fairly and remaining a Red Sox for the rest of my career, and now I can say that’s going to happen. I was a little disheartened when I first heard the news they weren’t going to pick up the option and wanted to cut down the guarantee,” Wakefield said. “But after that was settled and we started negotiations on a two-year deal I thought, ‘OK, this is actually probably a better deal for me.’ It’s a performance-based contract, which I completely understand on their end, since I have not been healthy the last four years. I feel phenomenal,” he said. “As soon as I got the grogginess out of my system from the anesthesia, I was doing laps around the nurses’ station. I feel good. I’m not limping around. There’s no more pain shooting down my leg, calf, hamstring and hip. I’m working to regain the strength I lost in my leg.”

Wakefield is now positioned to challenge Roger Clemens and Cy Young, who share the Sox career record with 192 victories. Wakefield has 175 with the Red Sox. Good luck, Timmy. You pitch your heart out every time you toe the Fenway Park rubber and take command of the Fenway Park mound. WE LOVE YOU. He now has a great chance to break Cy Young and Roger Clemen's Red Sox victory record and I hope to God he gets it. I really do.

“He’s justifiably proud of where he ranks,” GM Theo Epstein said. “He wants to end his career in a Red Sox uniform, and that’s something we’d like to see as well. And for us, the finances made a lot of sense.”

Lastly, the University of Connecticut Women's Basketball team, in their last exhibition game before the regular season starts this weekend, ran to a 98-68 exhibition victory over Vanguard University. The full game wrap up from the Hartford Courant is available when you click on this post's title. As always, BE WELL and I'll see you soon. That's a promise.

MLB GM Meetings Start In Chicago...UCONN Women's Basketball Team Plays Final Exhibition Game Tonight in Hartford

Today, Tuesday and Wednesday, all the major league baseball general managers will convene in the windy city, Chicago, Illinois. Ah, I know it well (not...I visited Liz for just three days). I jest but the upcoming meetings are super serious. The Boston Red Sox landed two guys by the name of Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett in one deal a few years ago during this confab.

Directly related is that Boston has declined Alex Gonzales' $6 million 2010 option. He will soon file for free agency and if the Sox and he agree on a price, he'll be back. I wouldn't bet on it even though he solidified the defense on the left side of the infield and he batted a very respectable .284. His age (32) and his injury history as well as the amount of his option had much to do with Boston's decision. So the Red Sox are without a starting shortstop...for now. That position has been achille's heel-like for them for a long time. Theo and company will do something about it. This team is very close to being a competitor throughout the 2010 postseason with a few tweaks here and there. The Sox must also decide TODAY the 2010 options of Varitek, Wakefield and Victor Martinez. Personally, I think they would be crazy to part with any of 'em. And don't forget...Gonzo can still be a part of the 2010 Red Sox but it will be at the team's price, not his. I'd love to see him back...you can't have enough shortstops. Red Sox history has proven that. The acquisition of another Gonzales whose first name is Adrian (see the post directly below this one) is the most important move Boston MUST make in this off season. I don't want you to forget that.

In other sports, the UCONN Women's Championship basketball team plays their last exhibition game tonight at the XL Center in downtown Hartford. They start their regular season late next week as they try to break John Wooden's NCAA basketball consecutive victory record. I'll have more on that later but the women did not lose a game last year and every one of those wins was by 10 points or more. They are the CHAMPIONS and I love them.

Have a great Monday and I'll see you soon. As always, be well. Thanks.

This & That In Major League Baseball

Well, the Sunday baseball news, so to speak, took a little time for me to find, but I managed to search it out. Let's start with the Boston Red Sox, my team. They are sure to try and acquire the services of San Diego first baseman slugger Adrian Gonzalez. Why? A MLB expert recently said this...

“Then you’d have two teams, the Yankees and the Red Sox, that would be impossible to pitch to. Gonzalez would come close to 50 homers if he played half his games at Fenway. I don’t think that’s exaggerating.’’

Last year Adrian hit 40 home runs and drove in 90 runners while playing half his games in San Diego. He is a lefty who loves to go to the opposite field (think Green Monster) and would hit a ton of taters with his swing. He said this about hitting in our cozy and historic ballpark...

“I’ve never played there, but I’m told I would like it.’’

He still has two years left on his contract but the San Diego powers-that-be know which four or so Red Sox players it would take to get the power hitting lefty first baseman with the dependable glove who is just entering his prime at the age of 27. My goodness! Theo and company will be working day and night on this one. DO NOT be surprised if next year you see Gonzalez at first, Youk at third and either of the two DH's, Big Papi or Mikey Lowell, traded to other places, other spaces.

Next up...Boston infielder and jack of all trades Nick Green will have surgery Monday to repair a disc in his back that caused his leg to go what he called "dead." Think Timmy Wakefield. He should be fine for next year.

In non-Sox news, Manny Ramirez excersised his $20 million contract option with the LA Dodgers and will be playing for them and Joe Torre in 2010. Last year he hit .290 with 19 taters and 63RBIs in only 104 regular season games. Enough about him.

Finally, on this still dark Sunday morning, here is the up-to-date list of the current free agents. Eligible players may file through the 19th...

AMERICAN LEAGUE

BALTIMORE (4) -- Danys Baez, rhp; Mark Hendrickson, lhp; Chad Moeller; c; Melvin Mora, 3b.
BOSTON (3) -- Rocco Baldelli, of; Jason Bay, of; Billy Wagner, lhp.
CHICAGO (3) -- Ramon Castro, c; Jermaine Dye, of; Scott Podsednik of.
CLEVELAND (2) -- Jamey Carroll, 2b; Tomo Ohka, rhp.
DETROIT (5) -- Adam Everett, ss; Aubrey Huff, 1b; Placido Polanco, 2b; Fernando Rodney, rhp; Jarrod Washburn, lhp.
KANSAS CITY (3) -- Bruce Chen, lhp; Miguel Olivo, c; Jamey Wright, rhp.
LOS ANGELES (6) -- Kelvim Escobar, rhp; Chone Figgins, 3b; Vladimir Guerrero, dh; John Lackey, rhp; Darren Oliver, lhp; Robb Quinlan, of.
MINNESOTA (4) -- Joe Crede, 3b; Ron Mahay, lhp; Carl Pavano, rhp; Mike Redmond, c.
NEW YORK (0)
OAKLAND (4) -- Bobby Crosby, 1b; Justin Duchscherer, rhp; Nomar Garciaparra, dh; Adam Kennedy, 3b.
SEATTLE (5) -- Miguel Batista, rhp; Erik Bedard, lhp; Adrian Beltre, 3b; Endy Chavez, of; Mike Sweeney, dh.
TAMPA BAY (3) -- Chad Bradford, rhp; Troy Percival, rhp; Russ Springer, rhp.
TEXAS (7) -- Joaquin Benoit, rhp; Hank Blalock, 1b; Marlon Byrd, of; Eddie Guardado, lhp; Andruw Jones, of; Ivan Rodriguez, c; Omar Vizquel, ss.
TORONTO (3) -- John McDonald, ss; Kevin Millar, 1b; Marco Scutaro, ss.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

ARIZONA (3) -- Doug Davis, lhp; Scott Schoeneweis, lhp; Chad Tracy, 1b.
ATLANTA (5) -- Garret Anderson, of; Mike Gonzalez, lhp; Adam LaRoche, 1b; Greg Norton, 1b; Rafael Soriano, rhp.
CHICAGO (2) -- Rich Harden, rhp; Reed Johnson, of.
CINCINNATI (0)
COLORADO (4) -- Alan Embree, lhp; Jason Giambi, 1b; Jason Marquis, rhp; Yorvit Torrealba, c.
FLORIDA (3) -- Brendan Donnelly, rhp; Nick Johnson, 1b; Ross Gload, 1b-of.
HOUSTON (6) -- Aaron Boone, 1b; Darin Erstad, of; Mike Hampton, lhp; LaTroy Hawkins, rhp; Jason Michaels, of; Miguel Tejada, ss.
LOS ANGELES (11) -- Brad Ausmus, c; Ronnie Belliard, 2b; Jon Garland, rhp; Orlando Hudson, 2b; Doug Mientkiewicz, 1b; Guillermo Mota, rhp; Eric Milton, lhp; Vicente Padilla, rhp; Jim Thome, 1b; Jeff Weaver, rhp; Randy Wolf, lhp.
MILWAUKEE (5) -- Mike Cameron, of; Frank Catalanotto, of; Jason Kendall, c; Felipe Lopez, 2b; Corey Patterson, of.
NEW YORK (5) -- Alex Cora, ss; Carlos Delgado, 1b; Ramon Martinez, ss; J.J. Putz, rhp; Brian Schneider, c.
PHILADELPHIA (3) -- Miguel Cairo, 2b; Pedro Martinez, rhp; Brett Myers, rhp.
ST. LOUIS (8) -- Rick Ankiel, of; Mark De Rosa, 3b; Troy Glaus, 3b; Khalil Greene, ss; Matt Holliday, of; Jason LaRue, c; Joel Pineiro, rhp; John Smoltz, rhp.
SAN DIEGO (2) -- Henry Blanco, c; Brian Giles, of.
SAN FRANCISCO (5) -- Bobby Howry, rhp; Bengie Molina, c; Brad Penny, rhp; Juan Uribe, 2b; Randy Winn, of.
WASHINGTON (5) -- Josh Bard, c; Livan Hernandez, rhp; Austin Kearns, of; Ron Villone, lhp; Dmitri Young, 1b.

That's it for this Sunday. Enjoy your day and as always, BE WELL. Leave a comment if you have time and just have a totally terrific day. I'll see you tomorrow if not sooner.

Sittin' On The Doc Of The Bay

Hello to you, my Constant Readers, on this still dark and very cold Saturday morning. I couldn't sleep...you've had one of those nights when you fall asleep and then WAKE UP and see by looking at the bedside clock that 20 minutes have elapsed. 20 MINUTES!!! Well, that happened to me multiple times last night and I finally got SICK of it. I shuffled out of bed at ten minutes before 4am, took my sugar and had a small breakfast and I'm now sitting here and typing to my blog friends. That's you, by the way. My subject of the day, although this post will be a short one, is what the Boston Red Sox should do, if anything, to reacquire left fielder Jason Bay.

I do not think that Bay will settle for anything less than a five year contract and the Sox would tend to lean towards a three year deal, like their right fielder, JD Drew. 14 or 15 milion bucks per year? John Henry's wallet can do it but does he want to? Ay, that's the question. Both Bay and Drew have comparable statistics. During Jason's career, only five outfielders have more RBIs. I'm going to leave this up to Theo and company. There are other capable outfielders out there who plan to become free agents in the next few days. I'm totally sure Theo and company will find someone to guard the Green Wall turf and put the ball in the glove and into the seats, be it Bay or someone else. I just know it. Rmember, Hermida will be a fourth outfielder. That's a fact.

Have a great weekend and thanks for popping in. If you have any thoughts on this or just anything, simply leave a comment and I'll answer you as best I can. Thanks.

Wnids Of Change, Already, For The Boston Red Sox!

The Boston Red Sox have acquired 25-year-old left-handed hitter and outfielder Jeremy Hermida from the Florida Marlins for LHPs Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez. Talk about quick work! They envision him to be the fourth outfielder. Marlins GM Larry Beinfest had this to say about Hermida...

"He had a lot of opportunity here. We wish him well. ... I think that goes with a lot of first-round picks. Our expectations were high for Jeremy. He had his moments where he was highly productive, like the second half of ’07. But, given his talent level, I think the expectation was for more. Hopefully he’ll realize his potential elsewhere.”

And here's OUR GM, Theo Epstein, on the whys of Hermida...

“Hermida’s the kind of player who hasn’t fulfilled his potential yet,” Epstein said. “We acquired him for a reasonable cost to see if he can fulfill his potential for us. There’s a chance that he can turn into the player he was once thought to be. He’s about to turn 26, he’s about to turn into his prime years. Sometimes it makes sense to do deals like that at something we deemed to be a very reasonable cost.”

He has a career average of .265 and earned 56 walks last season with 13 taters and 47 RBIs in only 129 games. He's no replacement for Bay but as a fourth outfielder, he might become invaluable. We hope he'll do well wherever in the outfield he might play. I'll tell you one thing...Boston will be intently looking for a starting left fielder. Jason Bay has filed for free agency (no surprise) as well as Billy Wagner (we knew he was leaving to find a club that needs a closer) and the oft injured Rocco Baldelli. Bay's possible (probable) absence induced the Red Sox to successfully acquire Hermida. I like this very early post-season move by Theo and company. I really do. I do not think Boston will meet Jason Bay's wishes in terms of years on his contract. He wants 4 or 5...Boston would gladly opt for three...tops. It's a long fall and winter until we reach the spring warmth and the sound of the round ball hitting the catcher's mitt. I'll be here every step of the way, God willing, I assure you. Have a great Friday and I'll type to you tomorrow morning, if not before. As always, BE WELL. Thanks...your comments are always welcome and ALWAYS answered. That's a promise.

The 2009 World Champion New York Yankees

The New York Yankees won the 2009 World Championship of baseball by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies by a convincing score of 7-3. Hideki Matsui, after driving in six runs last night, was named MVP of the Series, deservedly so. He couldn't even play games 3, 4 and 5 in DH-less Philadelphia but was named nevertheless. He will be a free agent in the off season. Can you see him playing leftfield at Fenway if the Red Sox can't agree to terms with Jason Bay? I can't...his knees probably will require him to be a deluxe DH, a needed requirement for many searching teams. Yankee manager Joe Girardi, through thick and thin (he has his own unique style of managing a baseball team), delivered. With the talent bought by the Steinbrenners, notably Teixeira, Sabathia and Burnett, they were clearly the cream of the MLB crop. Here's part of what manager Joe Girardi had to say after game's end...

"I really believe in this club. I've always believed in this organization, the job the Steinbrenner family has done, Cashman and his staff and it's where we wanted to be and the guys did it," Girardi said." "The guys have been through so much," Girardi said, standing on a stage at second base, clutching the championship trophy that will always accompany his name in the record books. "It's unbelieveable how this team came together in spring training. They just kept fighting and fighting and fighting."

I'm a Boston Red Sox fan. I live to hate the Yankees and love the Red Sox. But I tip my hat to them, the 2009 World Champions. They did a great job and it's easy to see why. Great hitting, three superb starting pitchers, a good bullpen (with Chamberlain in it), average outfield defense but excellent infield defense and the best closer in all of major league baseball added up to 100 plus wins in the regular season and a World Series championship. Good for them. They clearly deserved it...that's a no-brainer. For Boston Red Sox fans, there's always 2010.

Just because the 2009 baseball season is officially over does not mean I'm going to take a blog break. I've never done that since I started this blog in November of 2005. God willing, I'll have an every morning post for you, twelve months per year. I love the early morning writing and Boston's hunt for ultimate victory after 162 regular season games and eleven post season victories. I thrive on it, in fact. So please stop back over the daylight-deprived winter months for all the Sox news I can gather. I love to watch the snow falling and accumulating on the frigid earth below while I pound on these keys. So I'll be here and I hope you will be, too. I need you...more than you'll ever know.

As always, BE WELL. I'll see ya soon...that's a promise. Oh, you can click on this post's title for complete game six coverage from SI dot com, the year the Yankees put it all together (it would have been hard NOT too) and won it all. Congratulations New York Yankees, 2009 World Champions.

Can The Phillies Do It On The Road? Or As The Beatles (Paul) Wrote & Sang..."Why Don't We Do It On The Road?"

That's the big question for baseball fans the world over as game six of the 2009 World Series approaches. Tonight at Yankee Stadium, Andy Pettitte, on three days rest, will face Petey Martinez. It's "one and done" time for the team from Pennsylvania...can they pull it off? Jon Heymon from Sports Illustrated dot com poses these points. I'll give you my spin on 'em. My thanks go out to Mr. Heymon...

1. "The Phillies aren't called the Fightin' Phils for no reason."

No, they're not. They've come from behind to win games more times than I can count. If any team in baseball can come into the House that George Built and take two of two, it's Philadelphia.

2. "They are road warriors."

The Phillies had the best road record in all of major league baseball at 48-33. Obviously, that's not an easy thing to do. If they win tonight behind Petey, anything will be possible on Thursday night, including skyrocketing ratings for the Fox television network. That's a given. The Fox executives are drooling for a game seven...literally. I KID YOU NOT.

3. "Chase Utley is currently unstoppable."

Yankee pitchers will have to watch out what they throw to Utley. Chase will pounce on any little mistake in location and bash it into the seats. Yes, Ryan Howard might be in a three for nineteen slump so far but watch out for Chase Utley. CC Sabathia had this to say about the Philly slugger supreme...

"He's not missing pitches. He's tough," Sabathia said. "He's not missing, so you have to make all quality pitches."

Well said, CC. He hit three taters off you, as well you know.

4. "The vaunted, balanced Yankees lineup isn't all that balanced right now."

I don't believe this for one single second. The Yankees will find a way to win, tonight, and Petey's outing will be a short one. I also think that Andy Pettitte will be inneffective and be out of the game before he toils five innings. Those are just my early morning thoughts. They're the only things I have to go on.

5. "Cliff Lee may not quite be through."

Philadelphia's manager has not decided who will pitch Thursday night if the game is needed. But you can bet your bibby that Cliff Lee will be ready at any moment to step in and help his team accomplish something special...winning a second world championship in a row. Tomorrow night, if the series goes that far, there ARE no benches. Everyone (except for AJ Burnett, who stunk up the whole state two nights ago) will be available to toe the mound. Lee said this...

"I'm available. I think I'll be fine," Lee said. "If it's going to help the team win, I'm in."

That's team spirit and he has the "goods" to back up his words. 'Nuff said.

Again, my thanks go out to Jon Heymon from Sports Illustrated for providing the fodder for this pregame blog post blather. Well done, Jon. I hope every one of you enjoys tonight's contest which will begin at 7:57pm EST on FOX and FOX HD. Will it be the last baseball game until 2010? I'll let you know in about 18 hours. Click on the title of this post for more baseball news and as always, BE WELL. Thank you for popping in and I hope you enjoy live baseball while we can.

New Nadi's Nosh

Yes, she's back with a new concoction. What is it? Just click on the title if you like lasagna done Nadi's way. Click away. Thanks.

The World Series Goes Back To The Big Apple...Philadelphia 8 Yankees 6

AJ Burnett reverted back to his on-again, off-again form Monday night in Philadelphia. He only lasted two plus innings and gave up four base hits and SIX big runs. Most times against Cliff Lee, it would be "game over" after that, but the valiant Yankees tried to catch the home team with four runs in the last two innings. They fell short by a score of 8-6, sending the World Series back to New York City with the Yankees holding a 3-2 series edge. Phillies' starter Cliff Lee was also nowhere near as sharp as he was in his last series start, surrendering seven hits and giving up five earned runs. Andy Pettitte will try to nail it down tomorrow night for the pinstripers. He'll pitch against Petey, also know as Pedro Martinez. I'm sure Petey would like nothing more than to pitch well against the team he loves to hate and force a game seven. GO PETEY! But Series MVP-in-the-making (possibly, probably) Chase Utley pounced on two pitches and hit 'em both out. With those two taters he tied Reggie Jackson's World Series record of five home runs. Does he have another one in him? Hmmm. Here he is...

"First home run was a fastball, first pitch," he said in response to a question after Monday night's World Series game. "The second home run was a fastball, as well."

Fastball, fastball, seems he likes fastballs. His swing is so sudden, so compact, so powerful and so sweet, it's amazing. His manager, Charlie Manuel, agrees...

"He's one of the most prepared, one of the most dedicated, he has the most passion and desire to play the game that I've ever been around. I used to say Kirby Puckett was my favorite player, and all those things I just said I used to say about Kirby Puckett, and I said Kirby Puckett was my favorite player. The only thing Kirby might have on Chase is he's more flamboyant, because he smiles a lot."

Wonderful words of praise from someone who knows Utley's game better than just about anyone. And so the 2009 World Series moves back to the new Yankee Stadium with the home team looking for just one elusive victory to earn their 27th World Championship. Yes, they've been stuck on 26 for a long time but I have a feeling, like most of us, that 27 will be a reality within, oh, say, 48 hours. I'd be shocked if the Phillies win the next two but stranger things have happened in this game we love called baseball. How about Boston's 0-3 comeback win against the dreaded pinstripers, complete with a bloody sock. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I smiled.

Enjoy your Tuesday, a non-baseball day as we get ready for game six from the city that never sleeps tomorrow night. If the Yankees win another one Wednesday or Thursday, sleep will be out of the question. The weather will be dark and cool...I guarantee it! Temperatures will fall from the mid fifties to the mid forties during the game and the sun will set well before the first pitch. I heard they have lights, though. Click on this post's title for more coverage of last night's Philly win and as always, BE WELL.

NY Yankees ONE Win Away From World Championship Number Twenty Seven

It all came down to the top of the ninth inning for the NY Yankees. The score was knotted at four and Johnny Damon was at the plate with two outs. Philly closer Brad Lidge had been untouchable until that moment. After a fierce nine pitch battle, Damon slapped a single and the proceedings started to resemble a bit of the Twilight Zone. Hats off to you, Rod Serling. The infield shift was on for Teixeira and, with two outs and his team needing one run, Damon headed to second, where the third baseman was covering. This was a heads up play. Damon noticed nobody was covering third after motoring safely past second base and he just kept going! And going!! He was credited with TWO stolen bases. Teixeira was hit by a pitch and AROD, who has come to life bigtime, doubled him home easily for the go ahead run. Posada padded the lead to three with another base hit and the untouchable Mariano Rivera ended it quickly as the stunned crowd filed out of the building into the dark beyond. Johnny was asked by a member of the media after the game why he kept going to third base. He said this in response...

"Trying to keep Lidge from throwing a slider. We battle," Damon said.

That they do, Constant Readers, that they do. AROD had this to say about his huge game breaking RBI which came off a fastball, thanks to Mr. Damon...

"I've never had a bigger hit," Rodriguez would say afterward.

Ya know, he's right. The Phillies are down three games to one and have a tough battle ahead of them. Yes, their best starter and one of the best in all of Major League Baseball goes tonight. It'll be Cliff Lee facing AJ Burnett with the first pitch to be tossed at 7:57pm EST. Yes, eastern STANDARD time. Should Manuel have gone to his ace last night, a night where Sabathia was vulnerable? We'll never know. Manuel has repeatedly said he did not want to disrupt Lee's routine. But coming back from a 1-3 deficit is a tall mountain to climb. The Yankees will try to clinch tonight on FOX and FOX HD. Pregame stuff will start at 7:30pm EST. Enjoy it.

Have a great Monday as we lurch into a new week and click on this post's title for more World Series coverage from SI dot com. As always, BE WELL. Thanks. Comments anyone?

NEW YORK YANKEES Take Charge With 8-5 Victory Over The Philadelphia Phillies

I was only able to see the first five innings of the Yankees' 8-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. From the fourth inning on, the Yankees, who were zero for everything through the first three frames, took charge with eight (!) runs on eight hits. There was no doubt about it even though Andy Pettitte's performance was up and down. I'm saying that kindly. His teammates bailed him out at the plate...there are no two ways about it. In the fifth, with Cole Hamels nursing a one run lead, pinstriped pitcher Pettitte (that has a nice ring to it) strode to the plate with a runner at second AND ONE OUT. The reason I capitalized it will become obvious in a minute. Andy had only been to the plate twelve times this year and what Hamels did next baffles me and SI's Tom Verducci. I "borrowed" these quotes from that article. Thank you, TV. The score was 3-2 Phils with a guy on second, one out. Pettitte could have been put away rather easily with fastballs but Hamels' first pitch, unbelievably, was a curve upstairs. Pettitte slapped a single and the game was tied, just the beginning of the end for the team from Pennsylvania. Why on Earth did Cole throw something slow and up? Verducci asked him exactly that...

"I made the right pitch to Pettitte," Hamels explained. "A pitcher doesn't hit an oh-and-oh curve in a bunting situation."

Verducci was baffled. Why would ANYONE bunt a guy from second to third with one out? If there were no outs, yes, in most cases the runner would get to third with one out and could score on a fly ball. This was not the case Saturday night. Tom Verducci asked Hamels if he thought the Yankee pitcher was going to bunt. He said this...

"Yes," Hamels said. "He swung and got a hit. Baseball is very, very difficult to understand sometimes."

It's obvious to me and Verducci and many others that Hamels was unable to understand. He made a huge mental error that tied the game and was instrumental in the game's final outcome. The Yankees have taken charge of this series and more and more it appears that the only two games Philadelphia will win are the two that Cliff Lee will start. Tonight's starters will be CC Sabathia and Joe Blanton. Will CC pitch two mediocre games in a row? I doubt it.

That's it for this still dark Sunday morning. You can click on the title of this post for full coverage of last night's game and as always, BE WELL. I hope you remembered to turn all your clocks back!