The Greatest Player I have ever seen

I was taken with the number six pick in the 1992 amateur MLB draft, I have been voted to the all-star team ten times in my fifteen year career, I have finished in the top ten in MVP voting six times despite never winning one, I have won 3 gold gloves, a Rookie of the Year award, a World Series MVP and have been referred to as the best playoff hitter of all time. Who am I?

The correct answer? Derek Jeter.

While the heading of this post may seem a bit over the top I stand by it and say that he truly is the best player that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing play the game of baseball. Yankee or not, Derek Jeter represents the epitome of a great player and may even be considered the face of the game today and for years to come. If you’re having a hard time believing me when I say that just look at his stats above. In addition to those stats you need to also consider his World Series rings and his ability to play under the everyday pressures of New York, and not just play but lead under those conditions. He has been the captain of the Bronx Bombers for as long as I can remember and at the age of 35 is currently batting a whopping 330 and could be in line to win his first MVP award. Which under the circumstances of how great he has been was the biggest surprise to me, and it makes me wonder whether the steroid era had something to do with that. The other surprise for me was that Mr. Jeter has never won a batting title. However keep in mind that in his twelve full seasons at the major league level he has never finished a season outside of the top ten in batting average, an even more impressive feat than winning one I would say. Oh, and one last thing, let us not forget that he holds the record for most playoff hits in a career. When did he do that? About four years ago.

So why all this talk about Jeter?

As of last night he tied Lou Gehrig for the all time lead in hits while playing for the Yankees with 2,721 hits and will most likely surpass that record when he takes the field against the Orioles tomorrow night. In an era where free agency and trades have dominated it only adds to the lure of Derek Jeter that he has spent all his time in a Yankee uniform. A model of consistency and the best hitting approach I have ever seen Derek Jeter will certainly have people call the new Yankees Stadium “the house that Jeter built”

Sportsmanship and the Fans Today

LeGarrette Blount was no doubt an NFL prospect when he signed his letter of intent to go to the University of Oregon. Does that mean he should get special privileges and not have to follow the NCAA rules and regulations? Or for that matter does that make him exempt from the general rules of sportsmanship applied to all competitive activity never mind at the collegiate level? Blount for those of you who do not know went up to an opposing player after losing last week’s game and sucker punched him in the face. In the same breath we can mention people like a Joba Chamberlain. Perhaps one of the best young pitchers in the game and undoubtedly a hard thrower with above average command especially when coming out of the bullpen, how does a guy who fits that description throw at at least one person a game or every other outing? Kevin Youkilis can attest to this as well as Evan Longoria of the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s not like he is throwing at guys who cannot hit and he is simply just missing his spot high, those two players bat clean-up for their respective teams. Do these facts become overlooked when he throws at a guy’s head?

Are these two players alone? Not by any means but these are the two most common examples that come to mind right now. It is the common rules of sportsmanship that get overlooked by league officials and commissioners everywhere today. To show a little Red Sox bias into the argument Josh Beckett threw over the head of Bobby Abreu and did not hit him, he was suspended for 5 games; however Joba Chamberlain hits Kevin Youkilis and Even Longoria in the head and gets nothing at all? Seems a bit puzzling to me, but back to my bigger point and issue, people in the old days were just as guilty as the players of today’s age, Ty Cobb used to spike short stops and second basemen when trying to break up a double play. However there were guys like Bob Gibson and others who knew how to be intimidating and sportsmanlike at the same time and these are the people we as fans need to focus on.

It appears as though us as fans have begun to root more for the bad boys and seem to enjoy a player stepping out of bounds and getting a little fired up. I had the pleasure of witnessing the Red Sox-Yankees brawl in which Pedro threw Don Zimmer. Was that a good thing to watch? Yes. Was it good baseball? Absolutely not. It is the same reason the Bruins are able to sell half of the tickets that they do, it has nothing to do with the purity of the game but instead has everything to do with the amount of fighting that takes place in the sport. People like PJ Stock and Milan Lucic have become idolized in this town because of their ability to take a punch way before their ability to split the defense or set up a one timer. Fans loved when Kevin Youkilis charged the mound against Rick Porcello earlier this season without realizing that his absence due to suspension lost them 4 of the next 5 games. As I type this it makes me wonder what type of fans there really are in the United States or the world for that matter? How many people actually love the game that they watch? And even if they do love the game is it because of someone who plays or is it for the purity of the game. I know that I love baseball because I could watch a pick-up game between seven year olds and that would be fine with me, but how many baseball fans can say that across the country? Or any sport for that matter, are you waiting for the next punch in the face after the game, the next brawl at center ice, the next fans vs. players brawl in Detroit or are you watching because you love the game and truly enjoy seeing that game played at the highest ability possible.

Patriots trade Richard Seymour

In a very surprising move the Patriots thought it best to trade former number six overall pick Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a 2011 First round pick. While that pick has the potential to be the number one overall selection and all New Englanders have been programmed that in Belichick we trust, this trade left more than a few scratching their heads. Is the general thought in Foxboro that they can win a Super Bowl and attempt another perfect season with Mr. Seymour’s services? Or do they simply just want to get rid of the contract now and make sure they can lock up the big man Vince Wilfork.

Now don’t get me wrong I have all the faith in the world in Belichick and his staff but this move doesn’t make sense. You’re going to be rid of the contract at the end of the year anyway and despite the rather nice compensation, wouldn’t they rather win a Super Bowl this year and just be dominant again? Last Years defense was certainly nothing to write home about and after already losing Harrison, Bruschi, and Vrabel, three of the most vocal leaders in that locker room this move is still baffling. Will it work out in the Patriots favor however? I would have to say yes, because I ultimately think that Tom Cable couldn’t help a high school football team win games never mind a professional franchise in Oakland, if they are even on that level. Which would mean that the Patriots are looking at a top 5 selection and probably the next coming of Jerod Mayo, however will they be the Super Bowl champions on top of that, because that is what we want first and foremost

The Red Sox current woes

While this may seem like kicking someone when they are down, watching the Red Sox has become more of a struggle than a good time. As a sox fan I now long for the days when all 5 starters knew how to get past the 5th and maybe into the 7th. These are the same glory days that remind us of how good David Ortiz was and how quickly he has fallen regardless of and PED talk. The days when Jason Varitek was a 250 hitter and could still play defense, it appears now it is only the defense we get the privilege of watching. Ahh, those days, Papelbon went 1-2-3 with two K's every time he was called upon and the only problems we had were whether the Sox would win the division or have to beat up on the Angels in the first round. The harsh reality of it all is that we must now realize that those days were only last season.

Should we be surprised by the aforementioned problems the Red Sox face on a daily basis? I say yes but only because we have been spoon feed the reality that those things would never happen to us because we were such a forward thinking organization and that Theo and the guru's upstairs were to innovative to allow such a thing to happen, I mean they are the Boston Red Sox.

Truth be told I hope that the Red Sox will somehow sneak into the playoffs and be a dangerous team in said playoffs, but as a fan I have to be a little hesitant to be excited for the future. David Ortiz, JD Drew, and the ever aging Mike Lowell are still under contract next season and making big money. Varitek will most likely be coming back and even with Victor Martinez catching most of the time teams will still run all over you, and god only knows what Dice-K can bring you although I have more faith in him than Lowell, Ortiz and Varitek. What will upset me even more is if the Red Sox have a similar off-season to this past one. If they go out and sign more and more high risk high reward injury prone players I for one will be looking for a future team to support.

Game One World Series Starter

In an attempt to distance myself even further away from the debacle that took place in New York this past weekend, I am writing this blog becuase of a question that a wise man asked me during the game last night.

If I had a fully healthy pitching staff who would be my Game One starter for the World Series Josh Beckett or Jon Lester?

Despite Lester dominating the game I was watching at the time I went with Josh Beckett, don't get me wrong its a tough argument either way but Beckett seemed like the logical choice given his playoff experience and dominance in October. While Lester may not have had as many opportunities to prove himself as Beckett has, the fact that Beckett was the MVP of the 2003 World Series and has not really shown a decline of any kind in any playoff performance. Sure you could bring up last year but before you do that keep in mind that he was hurt and still managed to go out and give you a few gut-check performances.

Now to Mr. Lester, Lester has developed into one of the top left handed pitchers in the game today and may have a legitimate argument to say he is the best. Having said that he is not my choice because of the lack of track record and still relative inexperience in the playoffs. Does that mean I do not want to see him pitch a game one? No, does it mean that I don't want to see him pitch? No, however I believe that Beckett is the better choice for this situation.

Sox-Yankees series

With the impending Red Sox Yankees series coming up you have to wonder who the series would mean more too. While the Red Sox on the one hand are on a slide and could really use the win for this series the Yankees are set-up to dominate and if they do not win at least three of the four games they will have opened themselves up to criticism once again and show their inability to win against the Sox.

Deadline Winners and Losers, Not including the Red Sox

Winners:
St.Louis Cardinals
Anytime you can go out and get protection for the best hitter in baseball is a good thing never mind when that protection comes in the form of slugger Matt Holiday. Holiday has hit on all cylinders since joining the red birds and who wouldn't hitting behind Albert Pujols. What may be most overlooked is the acquisition of Mark Derosa from Cleveland, the veteran utility infielder has been used at second and third since joining the Cards and adds another formidable bat to an already stacked line-up, and go figure even Lugo is hitting in St.Louis.

Detroit Tigers
While the Tigers were already a formidable contender for the Al Central title with the addition to Jarrod Washburn from Seattle the Tigers are looking to be competitive late into October. The Tigers now have three pitchers in the top 8 in American League ERA and have made themselves tough to beat in a three game series with Verlander, Jackson and now Washburn.

Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies acquired a Cy Young winner to add to there rotation, sure its not Halladay but Cliff Lee is a very effective pitcher who should flourish in the National League. The Phillies now have the best all lefty 1-2 punch in baseball with Lee and Hamels. This acquisition also takes some pressure off of the aforementioned Hamels. The Phillies all but assured themselves a Nl East title with the move and what could be another deep run into October.


Losers
Tampa Bay Rays
While the Rays are still a good team and the defending Al Champs how do you let an AL East rival in the Red Sox get your guy two years in a row. Last year they wanted Jason Bay and this year they were all over Victor Martinez. At some point the Rays front office needs to get into gear and realize that the Sox and Yankees are always going to be there waiting to capitalize on your missed opportunities the price for Martinez was not that steep for the Rays who seemingly have the best farm system in baseball and he is making affordable money. The lack of a move shows the inexperience of their front office to making moves to win instead of stacking the farm.

Toronto Blue Jays
How do you not move Halladay after making such a big deal about his availability? If the reports are true some of the packages that were offered for Halladay were more than fair. I know almost feel bad for Halladay who had to endure all of this madness, seemingly created just so JP Riccardi could feel like the center of attention. The fact that he was not moved is a joke. Now the offers he will receive this offseason and beyond will not be half as good and they can not afford to say no at some point. Riccardi should have been fired a few years ago when he signed Vernon Wells to a contract that will pay him 25 million dollars in either the final year or the last two.

Chicago Cubs
The Cubs sat back and watched division rival St.Louis acquire Matt Holiday and allowed their chances of acquiring Jake Peavy drift about 10 miles south to the White Sox. While the Cubs seemingly have no glaring need a move was necessary in order to give this team the spark it needs to get going again.

To be determined
Chicago White Sox
If Jake Peavy goes back to being Jake Peavy than its a great move for the south siders.

Pittsburgh Pirates
They got a lot of good prospects back in the trades they made. Assuming even a few reach their top potential this team may not be a complete disaster.

Cleveland Indians
Same deal as the Pirates, if the prospects pan out it could have been a week to remember in Cleveland

The List

Let's first start off by telling everyone what the list is, the list as it is commonly referred to is made up of approximately 100 names that tested positive for a performance enhancing drug in the year 2003. These tests were mandate by major league baseball prior to the 2003 season, the results were to be used to prove to the players association that testing in baseball needed to become a part of the collective bargaining agreement which would make steroids and all PEDs illegal in baseball. The results of said tests were suppose to be destroyed after the results were obtained by major league baseball and the list of players who tested positive was to remain anonymous for various reasons.

Having said all that the test results were not destroyed and it is not known who has the full list of players that tested positive. However someone has it and can not keep it to themselves as names leak out more and more as time goes on, the most recent are two of our very own in David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. The other notables are Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez. Now why is it that these four names have been released while the other 90 some odd names get the privilege of remaining anonymous? 1hoever has this list needs to either release the full list or burn it and leave the rest of the names to live on in peace.

Anyone familiar with any media outlet knows that this list will not be destroyed and will continue to leak out slowly but surely. What fans need to remember is that in 2003 PEDs were not against major league baseball policy, most of them are illegal in the United States which is why this list will undoubtedly be filled with players from countries outside the U.S. like the Dominican Republic.

Cliff Lee To The Phillies

The Indians have traded reigning AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee to the Phillies along with outfielder Ben Francisco. In return the Indians will receive four prospects, Single A pitcher Jason Knapp, AAA pitcher Carlos Carrasco, Catcher Lou Marson and short stop Jason Donald.

So what you may be asking is why Lee instead of Halladay? The main reason is the fact that the Phillies did not have to give up either of their best pitching prospects in Kyle Drabek and J.A. Happ.

As previously stated by me, this acquisition has to put the Red Sox in the lead to acquire Halladay assuming the Blue Jays do deal him.

Roy Halladay Continued.....

Given their reluctance to include multiple top pitching prospects the Phillies efforts appear to have fallen short and they are consequently moving their attention to Indians starter Cliff Lee hoping that the asking price will be more reasonable. How does this affect the Red Sox? They have gone from sitting on the sidelines to being right in the middle of the action, and perhaps even the favorite to acquire the Toronto ace. Multiple sources have confirmed that the Red Sox current offer consists of Clay Buchholz,some lower level prospects and one of the following players: reliever Justin Masterson, Michael Bowden, or Lars Anderson. I will be updating as more information comes out so stay tuned.

Cardinals Acquire Matt Holliday

The St. Louis Cardinals today have sent three minor leaguers to Oakland in exchange for Left Fielder Matt Holliday. More Details to come on this later this evening. However is has been reported that St. Louis sent their best prospect Brett Wallace to Oakland in this deal.

Sox Trade Julio Lugo for Chris Duncan

Yesterday the Red Sox traded short stop Julio Lugo to the St. Louis Cardinals. Wow, do you realize I have been waiting to hear those words for three years? In exchange for Lugo the Red Sox were somehow able to get the Cardinals to deal Chris Duncan. Wait, were we not ready to trade Lugo for a bag of batting practice baseballs a week ago and this week were getting an outfielder capable of hitting 20+ homeruns who is also only 28 years old and has three years left of team control? For anyone who questions the job that Theo Epstein does seriously needs to take a closer look at this. Yes, the Sox did have to pay Lugo’s contract but they have just picked a 28 year old outfielder for FREE. This guy is eligible for arbitration for the next three seasons and given his bleak amount of playing time this season he is not exactly in line for a pay increase.

Now on to the facts and enough about my own excitement, Duncan who was boxed out by the recent emergence of Colby Rasmus hit more than 20 homeruns in both 2006 and 2007. What makes that even more impressive is that he did it without playing over 107 games in either season, because of his limited role. While Duncan is sure to spend sometime in the Minors in order to adjust his timing and that mere fact that Red Sox have no room on their current roster they have just improved their bench for seasons to come with a left handed power hitter who can play the outfield and a little of first base. He will most likely be looked upon to fill Adam LaRoche’s role next season after he leaves in free agency. This also provides you with insurance for the fragile J.D. Drew and Rocco Baldelli who are currently patrolling your right field and 4th outfielder spots. Despite not playing daily he has managed to create an average of 23 homeruns and 73 runs batted in on average for a 162 game season and has in fact been used to protect Albert Pujols in the past.

As for Lugo, goodbye, farewell, sayonara, au revoir, adios, and get the hell out of here.

Sox Acquire Adam LaRoche

Yesterday morning the Red Sox acquired Pittsburgh Pirates first basemen Adam LaRoche in exchange for two minor league prospects. While LaRoche may not be the immediate answer we in Red Sox nation were hoping for, lets take a look at who the Red Sox actually got yesterday.

LaRoche is hitting a measly 247 this season with an on-base percentage of a little over 320. However LaRoche is consistently a better hitter in the second half of the season and has always played an above average first base, having just one error this season and a career high of only 5. LaRoche would appear to be a platoon player for the Sox in case Mike Lowell’s health goes completely south. For the near future however the Red Sox may have just picked up a better solution than Mark Kotsay or anyone on the bench the Sox have on their roster. LaRoche is a lefty with a sweet swing who uses the whole field when he is at his best. A somewhat streaky hitter has career averages of 25 home runs and 89 runs batted in over a 162 game season. He has however most recently be cited as lackadaisical because of the way the Pirates have been unloading talent in an attempt to get even younger than they already are. I for one will give LaRoche the benefit of the doubt and say that anyone playing for the Pirates has a right to be a little lackadaisical. While LaRoche is here you may also note some strong similarities to J.D. Drew because of his laid back and relaxed approach to hitting and the game itself. While he will not put up the on-base numbers Drew does LaRoche can be looked at as a power hitting lefty, whether that role is off the bench or in the everyday line-up. Despite playing for the Pirates LaRoche is not a stranger to playoff races as he was an Atlanta Brave in the early portion of his career from 2004-2006.

While LaRoche may only be a two month rental, the Sox gave up at best a back-up major league short stop in Argenis Diaz and a platooning middle-relief candidate in Hunter Strickland. The Red Sox did however have to pay the remaining salary on LaRoche’s remaining 7.5 Million dollar contract for this season, which for those of you keeping track at home comes out to around 3 million for the rest of the season. LaRoche gives the Red Sox flexibility at the corner infield spot that they never had with Kotsay and it also allows them to have a power hitter available off the bench, whether that be LaRoche himself or Lowell or Youkilis depending upon which of the two are in the line-up that day. This was a great value trade for the Red Sox because they gave up virtually nothing for a legitimate left handed power threat.

Field of Dreams

“If you build it…..He will come”: What the hell could possibly be in Dyersville, IA that would make me drive hours out of my way to go see? The Field of Dreams movie site, that’s what. While a small blip on the overall radar screen of life, Field of Dreams is a place where you can do just that, Dream. It is a place where people can get together from all over the world and play baseball.

“Go the distance…”: This area is a 24 hour a day pick-up game, while attending I was able to play baseball with people from Iowa, Florida and a few other places. Is there any legitimateness to these games? No. Are they a lot of fun and allow men past their prime go back to the glory days of baseball, or at least dream of those days. Yes. While the kids on the other hand may not fully comprehend what they are experiencing they can look into their parents eyes and see what they need to, to understand what this place means to people.While the field is nothing to write home about it does paint the picture of the movie and the players coming out of the corn stalks to play the game we all know and love. Tourists can be seen scattered around the field taking pictures in different positions, whether they are coming out of the corn, going into the corn, or showing you their best head first slide impression. I can sit hear and say there is not a single place on that field that does not get photographed at least 100 times a day. A gift shop is available at the Field selling souvenir hats, balls, t-shirts and other countless pieces of memorabilia from the movie itself.

“Ease his pain..”: Words can truly not describe the overwhelming feeling that overcomes people as they pull up to the Site and set foot onto that field for the first time. It was amazing to be able to relax, get away from life’s reality and just drift into a fantasy world of baseball past.

“This field, this game, is a part of our past.
It reminds us of all that was good, and all that could be good again.
Oh people will come , People will most definitely come’
-THE FIELD.

The Value of JD Drew

Is J.D. Drew overpaid? Yes. Is he fragile? Yes. Can hit left handed pitching? No. However J.D. is the most underrated player on this Boston Red Sox team. He can bat almost anywhere in the order without hesitation. He is one of the most consistent players in major league baseball when it comes to On Base Percentage, and he plays an above average defensive right field.

Still having some doubts? What does it say when Terry Francona feels more comfortable having Drew lead off than Jacoby Ellsbury. Why does he feel more comfortable? All signs seem to point to the fact that Drew is a consistent 400 on base percentage player. Whether or not your leadoff hitter has a high average is not really that important as long as he is getting base. If your lead off hitter is hitting 300 with an OBP of 360, it is virtually the same as hitting 250 with an OBP of 400. Just trade a couple of those hits for walks.

Now I know that Boston fans are used to the dirt dog, Trot Nixon type players but should J.D. really be punished for having a laid back demeanor? Has anyone accused Drew of not hustling out a ground ball or trying to dive and make a catch in the outfield? No. What we do question is whether or not he plays through injuries. To which I respond with this. Drew has had lower back spasms for the past 12-18 months off and on, and he continues to play as much as possible. Have you ever had a back spasm? Those things hurt to walk, let alone run around and swing a bat.

Did Theo misjudge the market when signing Drew to 15 Million a season? Most likely, but again what people overlook are the fact that the Red Sox are 3rd in Major League in Right Field OPS, which is a combination of batting average and on base percentage. Have other people played right field this season? Sure, but lets be serious 90% of the time Drew is in Right Field and on the off chance he is not Rocco Baldelli is which I think we can all agree is not helping the OPS of the position. If J.D. Drew was a 7-10 million dollar player a year he would be a virtual steal for the team that had him, so the Red Sox when above the market to make sure they got their guy. The Red Sox have a long history of loving players who have great plate discipline and can also hit for gap and home run power. J.D. Drew is that player. He plays good hard defense and regardless of whether he shows it on his face he is a competitive person who wants to win and will perform in clutch situations. Any one remember the 2007 ALCS? It was Drew who hit the grand slam and secured a victory for the Sox.

Roy Halladay

Let me start off by asking a simple yes or no question. Do the Red Sox need Roy Halladay? The correct answer no matter what you may be thinking is no, the Red Sox do not need Roy Halladay. Would he be nice to have? Of course, there are only a handful of pitchers in this league I rather have than Mr. Halladay and they are all very comparable. Halladay is arguably the best pitcher in the American League and would no doubt be an excellent addition, but at what cost?

Early rumors indicate that J.P. Riccardi is asking for the moon and why not? Roy Halladay is a workhorse and a stud. Riccardi's price is so high right now that the St.Louis Cardinals were told that it would take 5 prospects of his own choosing for them to get a deal done. 5 Prospects? Are you kidding me? Now anyone who is familiar with baseball rumors knows that the price tends to come down after the first few weeks because the teams who are not really interested will be scared off by the preliminary talks and the teams who really want the player hang around and talk some sense into the other GM, in this case Riccardi. While the Red Sox interest may be bleak, lets just as an example show you what it might cost. The Blue Jays are said to be looking for pitching prospects in addition to a short stop prospect in order to complete a deal for the Ace. Let me put this in Red Sox terms, our best short stop prospect is Casey Kelly, a first round selection from a year ago, who also could potentially be a pitching prospect as well. Moving on to the other parts of the deal, the headliner of this deal coming from the Sox would most certainly have to be Clay Buchholz, we all know Clay's story and how he is stuck in the minors biding his tie until he gets another opportunity at the big league level. He is widely regarded as the best pitching prospect in the majors and no doubt the Red Sox best prospect. Along with Clay and Casey the Red Sox would also have to include either Michael Bowden regarded as the second best pitching prospect, or one of the only power hitting prospects in the Sox system Lars Anderson who is considered David Ortiz' replacement in the next few years. Is this worth it? To recap, you would’ve to include your top two pitching prospects, one of your only power hitting prospects and your only short stop prospect.

So Kelly, Buchholz, Bowden and Anderson, would these players rated 1-4 on Soxprospects.com get the deal done? We would assume so but that should not be the question that comes to a Red Sox fans mind. The questions should be whether giving up your best prospects is worth it for a year and a half of Roy Halladay? Now there are some of those people who think that the Red Sox should have an agreement in place with Halladay about an extension if a deal were ever to ensue. What these people fail to realize is that any money you give him, you can not give to Josh Beckett who will be a free agent at the same point as Halladay. The other thing people forget is that when this extension kicks in Halladay will be 34 years old and the Red Sox have a very strong track record for not wanting to extend pitchers past a certain age and I would imagine for a guy who has thrown over 2,000 innings this policy would come into play. In addition to all that the weakening economy has to come into effect at some point as to whether or not the Red Sox will be able to afford signing Jason Bay this offseason, then Josh Beckett the year after and so on.

The deal that Red Sox fans should be thinking about is a Clay Buchholz or Michael Bowden for Victor Martinez. The reason this deal makes more sense is simply because of the health of your everyday third basemen Mike Lowell. Martinez would be a good fit for a lot of reasons. He could spell Jason Varitek; He could play first base and allow Kevin Youkilis to take more of a permanent role at third base. Even when Lowell does come back there is talk about him only being able to play 3-4 times a week effectively. That allows time for Martinez, Lowell, Youkilis, and Varitek to move around and get the necessary rest they would need.

In conclusion I think that Red Sox fans everywhere need to come to terms with the fact that Roy Halladay is more than likely not coming to Boston. Instead Sox fans should look more into a Victor Martinez type deal. However if there was one person to trust to make this decision it would be Mr. Epstein.

Updates

I apologize for the absence. I was without computer access for a few days over the July 4th weekend. Here are some updates on what has been going on in the world of Sports.

Rasheed Wallace- Wallace has verbally agreed to sign with the Celtics for 2 years at about 5.8 a season. This deal will become official tomorrow when free agents are first allowed to sign contracts. For my thoughts on this signing please look back at the previous post

Grant Hill-Reports have been linking him with the Celtics for the past few weeks and it appears after several meetings with Doc Rivers that Hill will be a Celtic by then end of the week. This is a good move for the Celtics assuming Grant Hill can be Grant Hill. It allows Doc more options to go to off the bench and allows him to spell Paul Pierce and control his minutes better than last season. Hill did play a career high in games last season appearing in every game for the Phoenix Suns, averaging 12 points a game.

Nomar Garciaparra- Nomar (insert Boston accent here) appeared in his first game at Fenway Park last night since leaving Boston in 2004. He received a standing ovation and appeared to be very emotional at the plate. It was great to see Nomar back in Boston and it was also nice to see the fans show him our love and appreciation for what he did during his time in Boston.

Steve McNair- McNair, 36, was shot to death in a Condo in Tennessee this past weekend. McNair was a great quarterback for the Titans and Ravens franchises as well as a role model for young African American football players. May he rest in peace.

Aaron Bates- Bates, 25, was called up yesterday and made his major league debut last night. Bates is known for his professional demeanor and preparedness for each game both mentally and physically. He was widely considered the best power prospect the Red Sox had in their system outside of Lars Anderson. Bates was hitting a whopping 340 with 7 Homeruns and 39 RBIs in AA Portland this season. However in 24 games at the AAA level he only managed a 182 average with 2 Homeruns and 7 RBIs. I wish him the best of luck.

All-Stars- Tim Wakefield was granted his first All-Star appearance by American League manager Joe Maddon. Coming with Wakefield will be fellow starting Pitcher Josh Beckett, Closer Jonathan Papelbon, and First Basemen Kevin Youkilis. The Sox also have two starters in the All Star game with Left Fielder Jason Bay and Second Basemen Dustin Pedroia. Nor real snubs from Boston although you could make a case for Jason Varitek who is having a better season than he did last year when he was All-Star.

Rasheed Wallace

Yesterday the Celtics sent an entourage of team members and front office staff to Detroit to meet with Mr. Wallace about getting him to wear the Celtics green this upcoming season. However they came back with nothing more than an offer being put on the table. So let me understand what happened here, the Boston Celtics, the second seed for the East last season and the 2007 NBA Champs came went to this guy’s house and he did not sign a contract? That in and of itself is disappointing. Granted Wallace has since said that he would like to wait a few weeks prior to signing a deal, but for my money that can not be a good sign. While I do not doubt that the Celtics will do everything they can to still acquire the big man, and will quite possibly get him, I thought that coming back empty handed left them hanging a bit. What happens if Rasheed signs elsewhere now? How unprofessional and disappointing will that be for this franchise? The only other time I can think of an ownership group meeting with a player and coming away empty handed was the Mark Teixeira negotiation when John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino went to Texas to meet with Teixeira and his agent Scott Boras. I will assume we all know how these negotiations ended.

As far as the pursuit of Rasheed himself I will have to admit that I am a little hesitant. Now let me explain, a big man who can play solid post defense and shot the three? I am on board 100%, but lets be serious if that were the just the case the Celtics would have sent a lot more money with them on their trip to Detroit. This guy comes with baggage. He has led the league in technical fouls for as long as I can remember and he has a tendency to just give up on some plays and even some teams he has played on. Will that happen here? You would hope not, especially with team leaders like Garnett and Pierce in the huddle. In addition to that Doc Rivers is widely regarded as one of the best player’s coaches in all of the NBA. Will the Randy Moss example of the bad boy coming in and going clean hold any truth when it comes to Rasheed Wallace? Hopefully, and if so this will be a great pick-up for the Celts.

Wallace has been a poster of consistency averaging 12 points and right around 7 boards a game in each of the last three seasons. Wallace has also shot 35% from three in each of the last four seasons. Those are some things to look for as we move forward.

NHL Fee Agency

While our Boston Bruins had a relatively quiet day the rest of the NHL was booming and open for business. The Bruins did however go out and sign former Montreal Canadian Steve Begin, who will all but replace the role of Stephan Yelle. Yelle as you may remember played a key role on the penalty kill and gave the Bruins depth at the forward position. Begin is thought to be a great fit for the Bruins because of his past history with Claude Julien. The Bruins also managed to re-sign forward Byron Bitz, and Defensemen Johnny Boychuck from the Providence Bruins making them full time NHL players. In a press conference later in the day Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli said the team also had another signing that would be announced soon, he went on to say that it was not a bog splash name. When that signing is announced I will post it here.

Other big names on the move were former Detroit Red Wing Marian Hossa, who signed a 12 year 62.8 million dollar deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. Another name to move was Marian Gaborik the former Minnesota Wild forward will suit up for the New York Rangers next season and Patrick Gionta the former New Jersey Devil forward just recently signed with the Montreal Canadiens. While the free agents were signing quickly the trade front remained quiet in the NHL as the Edmonton Oilers await Danny Heatley's response about whether or not he will accept the proposed trade. Heatley, one of the leagues most prolific scorers' has a full no-trade clause and has to approve a trade to any team.

For more information and updates please tune in as I will be doing my best to update this blog anytime a major signing or trade occurs.

Re-Sign Jason Bay? Now...Later....When?

The American League All-Star voting has been coming out for the past few weeks now, and there seems to only be one or two sure things for the starting line-up. One being Catcher Joe Mauer and the other being our very own Left Fielder, no not that guy, Jason Bay. According to the latest results Bay leads all outfielders by a little more than 1 million votes. Some of this may be attributed to his spectacular season or Red Sox nation stepping up to the computer and voting hard. Either way there is no doubt that come July 14Th Jason Bay will be the American League teams starting Left Fielder in St.Louis.

A much more difficult question however is whether or not Jason Bay will remain a Boston Red Sox beyond this season. Bay's current contract has him making a whopping 7.5 million dollars (insert sarcasm here). He will become a free agent after this season where he will no doubt be one of the top free agent outfielders available especially if he continues hitting like he has this season. Prior to this season the Red Sox and Bays agent exchanged figures and had brief contract discussion which ended with the Red Sox saying they needed a better read on the economy before continuing discussion and Bay saying the he was not moving from his figure, while also having a healthy respect for the Red Sox point of view. The figures that were exchanged were said to have the Red Sox sitting somewhere between 3 years 30 million and 3 years 33 million, while Bay was believed to be looking for something similar to J. D. Drew's 5 year 70 Million dollar contract. While the two sides were seemingly far apart during those discussions it appears as though the Red Sox may be warming to the idea of playing Mr. Bay in or around the range of 15 million per season. The real sticking point here will be the years in the contract. Bay is a relatively young guy at the age of 30; he may not be worth 5 or 6 years for the Red Sox who appear to be content with signing people in that 3 to 4 year range but have consistently turned the other way in negotiations when the 5Th season has been in play. See Derek Lowe, Pedro Martinez and Johnny Damon. The only person that the Red Sox have recently been willing to go those extra years was Mark Teixeira, who we all know signed for more money elsewhere. While we may never know exactly how the Red Sox value Jason Bay, the two sides have agreed to begin discussing a contract extension over the All-Star break this season while Jason is hopefully leading the American League to a victory and providing us with home field advantage in this upcoming post season.

Jason Bay is currently hitting 269 with 19 Homeruns and 69 Runs Batted In, which puts him on pace for final season totals around 269 with 47 homeruns and 147 Runs Batted In, which would be career highs in homeruns and RBI's. For my money, I would sign Bay to a 4 year 60 Million dollar contract which would put him at a 15 million dollar annual salary, and I definitely would not wait for our rivals in New York to get involved.

Jonathan Papelbon

Jonathan Papelbon only needed three pitches to record his 19th save of the season tonight. What you may not have known about this save is that he has tied Bob Stanley for most saves in a Red Sox uniform with 132.

Papelbon's talent has never been in question since he made his major league debut as a starter in 2005. Although Papelbon has struggled at times this season he remains second in the American League in saves and a shoe in to make the All-Star team, an honor that has been bestowed upon him in each of the last three seasons. The future seems bright for this 28 year-old closer, however whether it is in a Red Sox uniform remains to be seen. Papelbon has gone on record as saying he would like to set the bar for closer's salaries across baseball, while the Red Sox have a long history of not setting the bar at any position especially with a closing prospect like Daniel Bard just biding his time.

USA Vs. Brazil

The USA squandered a two goal lead, falling to Brazil 3-2 in the Confederations Cup Final. Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan scored for the US and Luis Fabiano scored twice for Brazil before Lucio, was able to net the game winner in the 83rd minute.

Tim Wakefield and the All-Star Team

Tim Wakefield and Roger Clemens in the same sentence, no not for that reason, with todays start Wakefield tied Clemens for most starts in Red Sox history with 382. Also in today’s start Wake became just the third pitcher in the American League to win 10 games so far this season. The 42 year-old knuckleballer is making a serious case to make his first All-Star team in his lengthy career. Despite starting the 1995 season with a 14-1 record and an era under two in his first 17 games in which he pitched total of 6 complete games. The ultimate question that remains for his All-Star candidacy this season is whether or not he has outpitched his own teammate in Josh Beckett who at times this season ha looked like he is the most dominate pitchers in the game. The two starters’ stats are similar and both have made 15 starts to this point.

Beckett- 98 1/3 IP 1 CG 32 BB 94 K 3.48 Era 9-3
Wakefield- 94 2/3 IP 2 CG 36 BB 50 K 4.18 Era 10-3

Just from looking at the stats you can see that despite a shaky start Beckett has the obvious edge in strikeouts and Era, while the veteran Wakefield has more complete games and an extra win. Both have pitched similar innings and have yielded almost the same amount of walks with both categories leaning very slightly towards Beckett. Last seasons All-Star team took just 6 starters and 6 relievers, the following is who to this point appear to have All-Star numbers.

Starters
Roy Halladay: 10-1 2.53
Kevin Slowey: 10-3 4.41
Zach Greinke: 9-3 1.90
Jered Weaver: 8-3 2.65
Felix Hernandez: 7-3 2.74

Relievers Saves
Brian Fuentes- 21
Bobby Jenks- 18
Joe Nathan- 18
Jonathan Papelbon- 19
Mariano Rivera- 17

Those pitchers do not include any of the Red Sox starters, although there are still two spots available for pitchers. However what the causal fan may not fully understand is that Joe Maddon the American League manager must select a player from every American League team which may end up costing one of either Beckett or Wakefield a spot on this years All-Star roster.

For my money the Tim Wakefield selection would make for a much better story given his long prosperous career and 0 all-star selections to this point. However I do believe that Josh Beckett has been the better pitcher and deserves the selection more based upon this season production but who knows, maybe they will both make it. We must also not forget that there is a lot of time between now and the July 14 game and some of the above may falter just enough to get our boys on the squad.

NHL Trade

The Florida Panthers have traded All-Star defensemen Jay Boumeester to the Calagary Flames for Jordan Leopold and a 2009 3rd Round selection.

The interesting thing about this trade is that both Boumeester and Leopold are unrestricted free agents. The trade allows both teams an extra four days of exclusive negotiating rights to their respective player. Boumeester is widely regarded as the best available defensemen in this years free agent class.

NHL Draft

The NHL Draft has come and gone with little excitement coming out of Boston. Despite being involved in trade rumors all day Phil Kessel is still a member of the Black and Gold. The only news out of Boston today was their selection of Jordan Caron an eighteen year-old Quebec League Right Wing prospect. Who is a hard shooter and according to Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, ''He has a lot of those tendencies I've talked about wanting, He has size and he can get after the puck.'' Don't expect Caron to help the B's this season however, he is not expected to be NHL ready until at least two seasons from now.

In other news around the NHL the New York Islanders selected John Tavares, who is supposed to be a prolific scorer and was widely looked at as the best prospect in this Draft.

On the trade front and perhaps the biggest news of the day, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks traded veteran defensemen and perennial All-Star Defensemen Chris Pronger to the Philadelphia Flyers for forward Joffrey Lupul, defensemen Luca Sbissa an two future first round selections. Going to Philly with Pronger will be minor league forward Ryan Dingle. Pronger was one of the many veteran names that were seen on the trade market today and was one moved.

Looking forward it would appear as though the Bruins are trying to move Kessel rather than attempting to re-sign him. It was believed that the Bruins extended him a qualifying offer this past week and it is my opinion that he did not think very highly of their offer leading the Bruins to seek out a trade. The window of possibility for Tomas Kaberle to be the return may have closed earlier tonight, given his no-trade clause after the NHL Draft has taken place. Toronto is only given a certain amount of time to deal him given the way his contract is structured. It appears to me as though the Bruins are willing to deal Kessel but for a top four defensemen, which in the NHL are hard to come by.

UPDATED: Boston Bruins Trade Rumor

Tonight is the annual NHL Draft and what would a draft day be without a little trade talk speculation. The Bruins have been reported to have offered Restricted Free Agent Phil Kessel and a future 2nd round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for All-Star Defensemen Thomas Kaberle. If any thing further comes of this deal I will be providing instant updates and analysis.

6:27 PM- According to TSN.Ca The deal mentioned above is currently on hold and may even be dead citing major miscommunication between the two sides. Apparently the Bruins thought that they would also be receiving the 7Th overall pick in tonight's draft along with the All-Star Kaberle. It appears as though the Maple Leafs were never willing to do that.

Michael Jackson

Yesterday the self-proclaimed King of Pop passed away. Although his legacy may have been a little tainted, he will forever be in our hearts with the music he made and the influences he made on the music we hear to this day.

R.I.P Michael Jackson

USA/Spain Vs. USA/Russia

Yes, I know this is about a soccer game but after listening to some of what other people had to say I felt I needed to voice my opinion on the subject. First off, I would like to congratulate the Men's team on beating the #1 team in soccer and a team that was undefeated in their last 39 matches. However if you think that this is even remotely close to the 1980 Men’s hockey team upset of Mother Russia then you are either delusional or just not an intelligent sports fan. This game will be forgotten about in less than a week and maybe even tomorrow given the fact that people will most likely be talking about the NBA Draft for the rest of the week. Wait before I move on can we examine that for a second.... The NBA DRAFT is going to come before this game on Thursday’s edition of Sport center. Why, because no one in this country cares about soccer. When the 1980 hockey team beat the Russians the whole country was in an uproar. For those of you who are not familiar with the 1980 Olympics, Russia's Hockey team was the single greatest team ever in the history of hockey. To say that they were dominant would not be giving them enough credit. They won the Olympic gold medal in 1964, 1968, 1972, and 1976, not to mention disgracing the NHL players by routing them in an exhibition game referred to as the Challenge Cup. They were the best at what they did. The USA team on the other hand was made up of college kids who had never played together before but had a visionary coach in the late Herb Brooks. In an exhibition prior to the Lake Placid Olympics the United States fell to the Soviet Union (Russia) by a score of 10-3. Did anyone even know this soccer game was on?

The USA defeating Russia was the single greatest upset in sports history and to hear some very respected radio voices discussing this comparison was both disheartening and made me realize that it really was that slow of a sports week.

Interleague Play

Interleague play began in 1997 when the Texas Rangers hosted the San Francisco Giants. Since then teams from both leagues have been meeting in the middle of the season somewhere between 12 and 18 times a season pending upon scheduling. Interleague play like most things has its pros and cons, and sure enough every year around this time sparks the same debate about whether or not there should even be a DH in baseball or whether the two leagues are unbalanced.

Some Pros to the game having Interleague play are simple and can be broken down into the one thing. It attracts a bigger and wider audience to games. Even in economic time like this the Nationals just sold out all three games against the Boston Red Sox. Yes, that’s right I said the Nationals, a team on an average night that would not be able to draw half the crowd the have the past two nights. Another Pro for fans is that they get to see different teams come into town and play their hometown team. For instance I was fortunate enough to go to a Mets-Red Sox game earlier this year and watch David Wright and Carlos Beltran play at Fenway Park. That is something that I have never seen before and drew me to purchase a ticket to that particular series. Not to mention the amount of signs and people chanting about the 1986 World Series made the atmosphere electric at the ballpark. The last Pro that I will mention is that Major League Baseball is allowed to exploit the two teams two cities market, by setting up games between "rivals" like the Chicago White Sox and The Chicago Cubs the battle of north and south has been drawing major interest across the baseball world since the beginning of Interleague play. Another "rivalry" that gets used a lot is the Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets. These two teams have been battling for fan ship in New York for as long as baseball has existed.

Now for some Cons, the glaring Con is that the pitchers who have never batted before in the Major Leagues are forced to step up to the plate and take some hacks. Now occasionally we are blessed with a mistake, like Josh Beckett's home run in Philly but for the most part you either see a poorly executed bunt or a disgusting strikeout. I understand that this is part of the National League game but some of these American League pitchers have not hit since High School, never mind run the bases. Not all of these pitchers were like Micah Owings who played the Outfield in college. Next would be the un-even balance in talent. I understand that the pendulum of power swings from the AL to the NL, but recently the American League has simply been dominating the National League to the point of where the American league now had a 70 game advantage in the win-loss column. Lastly for the Cons I would be remiss to not mention the unbalanced teams in the two leagues which often leagues to strength of schedule questions for some teams.

In conclusion, for my money Interleague Play is worth the occasional ugly at-bat by a pitcher because of the way it opens the fans up to see both sides of the game. Not only does it open up their perspective from the stands but they can also relate to how difficult it is to manage in the two leagues and watch the different styles of play.

On a side note John Smoltz will be taking the mound for the Sox tonight for the first time in 21years without an Atlanta Braves Jersey on. For those of you keeping score at home I was 7 months old when Smoltz made his major league debut.

Manny Ramirez and the MLB Drug Policy

Now batting for the Albuquerque Isotopes number 99 Manny Ramirez. Wait; is this the same Manny Ramirez that violated the leagues performance enhancing drug policy? Ironically enough I thought that when the league said it was a 50 game suspension that it would actually be 50 games before we had the "pleasure" of seeing Manny play again.

Now to be fair Manny is not the first player to go on a rehabilitation assignment prior to fulfilling his suspension. J.C. Romero did the same thing before returning to the Phillies a season ago, but how are we as fans suppose to take this suspension seriously if the man isn't actually SUSPENDED! It is a joke a mockery to the game. Something else that was brought to my attention today which is even more of a joke that Manny being able to play prior to the 51st game of his suspension is that if a minor league player not on the Major League teams 40 man roster tests positive for PED's he is allowed to be called up and play in the Majors. To put all that simply if Daniel Bard, who was not on the Red Sox 40 man roster at the beginning of the season, had tested positive for PED's the Red Sox could still have called him up and had him pitch for the big team. How ridiculous is that? If Manny Ramirez or anyone else who tests positive for performance enhancing drugs is not major league ready to play on that aforementioned 51st game then tough. Send him to the minors then and please don't give me the sob story about how the Dodgers or any other team will have to pay them their major league salary again because they are no longer suspended. It is the team’s faults that they did not do enough back round research on their free agent acquisitions or have a strong enough in house policy.

I completely understand that the drug policy had to be agreed upon by the owners and the players and the commissioner but how hard is it to understand that 50 games is 50 games. The man cheated! He took a drug that made him a better baseball player. Sammy Sosa and others may be kept out of the Hall of Fame because of this but we can not get Manny Ramirez back on the field fast enough. The Albuquerque Isotopes sold an extra 7,000 tickets when people found out Manny Ramirez would be in the line-up tonight and that is great for baseball from a revenue stand point but the commissioners office needs to have some back bone on a topic like this. Manny has been practicing and hanging around the club house almost everyday of his suspension and the leaving right before the game so he does not violate the rules. The real question is why is he allowed in the clubhouse in the first place? In all other major sports if you test positive you can not even be on the team’s facilities let alone practice and take batting practice.

This is an issue that the Commissioners office needs to take a stronger look at.

Daisuke Matsuzaka

To the appeasement of most people in Red Sox nation Dice-K was placed on the disabled list for the near future yesterday, citing a weak shoulder. Given his recent struggles the decision appeared to be an easy one for the Red Sox brass and may have put their surplus pitching problem on hold for the time being.

Now may not the be the best time to evaluate the decision by the Red Sox to go out and sign the Right Hander but I thought that I would put my two cents in on the subject. For those of you not familiar with how Dice-K became a Red Sox let me familiarize you with the process that took place in the winter of 2006. On November 2nd, 2006 the Seibu Lions granted Dice-K permission to pursue a career in Major League Baseball via the posting system, the posting system allows Dice-K's former team to be compensated for letting him go, the winner of the posting fee is granted 30 days to negotiate a contract with the player being posted. The Red Sox of course won these rights on November 14th by bidding 51, 111, 1111 Million dollars which outbid the New York Mets, New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers. Having won the rights the Red Sox were now allowed to negotiate with Dice-K and his agent Scott Boras. Exactly 30 days after the negotiations began Dice-K was on a plane with the Red Sox brass, his agent and members of the media signing a 6 year-52 Million Dollar contract with an initial 2 Million dollar signing bonus. This was no doubt a strong investment by the Boston Red Sox and a move that will be scrutinized and questioned until the final day of Dice-K's contract.

Was it the right move?

The acquisition no doubt proved successful in its first year when the Red Sox defeated the Colorado Rockies in the World Series, bringing Boston its second world title in the last four seasons. Mr. Matsuzaka posted a 15-12 record in the regular season and was also 2-0 in the post season. While 15-12 was not exactly what Red Sox nation was hoping we held back criticism due to the overall teams’ success. Moving into 2008 expectations were through the roof. He had already played a season in the majors and did not have to worry about the World Baseball Classic prior to spring training. This was the year for Dice-K to prove to all of u fans that he belonged in the majors. He did not disappoint. Dice-K went 18-3 with an Era of 2.90. On the other hand he pitched the least amount of innings of any pitcher in major league history that had won 18 games. His slow delivery and tendency for getting himself into trouble with his walks did not exactly impress the Red Sox fans everywhere. However they were impressed with his .211 batting average against and his ability to win games. A fun fact about the 2008 season was that Dice-K was 11-1 when he walked three batters or less in his starts. He finished in the top 5 in CY Young voting, but failed to produce the World Series championship at the end of the season. All that brings us to the Dice-K we see before us today, an injured pitcher on he disabled list for the foreseeable future. Dice-K continued to struggle this year with his command but unlike last season could not wiggle out of trouble in the same David Copperfield like manner. Answering the aforementioned question of whether or not Dice-K was a good investment is as I said before a question that can not be answered until the end of his contract and we see the whole body of work. However as it stands right now I would have to say that the acquisition ha proven to be a success. I mean the guy won 33 games in his first two major league seasons and helped us win a world title. How many guys can you say that about in their first two major league seasons? Not many. Sure it’s frustrating to watch him walk the bases loaded but isn’t it more fun to see him wiggle out of it? I for one am certain hat this team will need Dice-k down the stretch this year in order to complete their ultimate goal of winning a World Series Championship. Does anyone remember Derek Lowe in 2004? He was cast out of the rotation and looked at as a liability until the playoffs where we all remember him as the winning pitcher for every series.

Oh, and one last thing, can we please end all of this Dice-K to the bullpen talk. It already takes him an hour to warm up, and he can not throw strikes as a starter what makes you think that him pitching in the bullpen would be a good idea?

Rajon Rondo and The Boston Celtics

First off I would like to say Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers out there. I hope each and every one of you are able to take a piece of your day to spend some quality time with your son or daughter.

Now for the post. We are going to move on from baseball for the time being and shift gears in to the Boston Celtics. The Boston Celtics have been the subject of some controversial trade rumors over the past few weeks involving various teams and players. One player who's name seemingly never stops coming up is staring point guard Rajon Rondo. The most recent rumor involving Mr. Rondo was a trade that would send him and Ray Allen to the Phoenix Suns in return for Amare Stoudamire and Leandro Barbossa. This trade seems more likely to happen in a video game than in real life but I thought i would take some time to analyze this trade from both sides. As far as the Boston Celtics are concerned this trade would give the best front court in maybe NBA history. This would allow Doc to run Kendrick Perkins as the sixth man and negate Bostons need for off the bench big man help they so desperately needed against the Magic and during the season. Now don't get me wrong here i realize that without injuries to K.G. and Leon Powe these needs would not have been as glaring but the acquisition of Mikki Moore was just a flat out joke. In addition to having the outstanding front court they would also get a younger 3-point shooting threat that would no doubt get more wide open shots than anyone in history while playing with Pierce, K.G., and Stoudamire. But here in lies the problem. While the Celtics no doubt get younger in this trade they are trading away one of the best young point guards in the game, leaving your team with no point guard at all unless you think Gabe Pruitt who averaged a measly 8 minutes a game can handle this offense. Point Guard is no doubt the toughest position in the NBA to play and having one of the best and keeping Ray Allen might not be a bad thing. Now from the other side Phoenix would no doubt love to acquire Rondo for their run and gun style offense with Steve Nash on the proverbial back nine of his career. This would also free up a ton of cap room for the Suns to maneuver in what appears to be the greatest free agent class ever after the 2010 season. In addition to that they would pick up Ray Allen's expiring contract which would not only get them a productive player but it would be for nearly nothing. All in all this trade would not make sense for the Boston Celtics unless they are planning to A. Acquire a point guard in addition to this deal and B. Sign Amare to a long term deal in which he would take over the reigns for K.G. after he finishes out his contract.

Further speculation about the Boston Celtics has lead us to believe that they are looking to move up in the draft. As of now the Celtics only hold the 3rd to last pick (58Th overall). A few weeks ago they were believed to be in talks with Memphis for the #2 overall selection. Those talks ended fruitlessly and have left us to wonder who and what they would have done with that 2ND pick. It has been reported that the Celtics have offered up Kendrick Perkins straight up for that pick. As a Celtics fan I was a bit surprised to hear that and even more surprised when Memphis responded by laughing Mr. Ainge off the phone. Would even that deal have benefitted the Celtics? Maybe these two deals were a prequel to one another. If Memphis had accepted the Perkins deal would it have opened the door for the Celts to take Jonny Flynn or Ricky Rubio to play point guard and then be able to trade Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen to Phoenix? We may never know but because of all this talk I personally will be taking a closer look at the NBA Draft on Thursday night.

MLB Draft

On June 9th over a thousand college and high school players had their named called in Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft. This however was the first year in which you could see television coverage of the draft making the MLB the last of the four major sports to have their draft televised. Why didn't you know this was on? Maybe because every team in baseball had a game that night as well as the fact that it was Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals or Game 3 of the NBA Finals. I understand that it may have been out of Bud Selig's control to have the NHL and NBA play on the same night but he certainly could have made sure his own league didn’t have a full schedule. I mean the night before there were only 2 or 3 games. The real question is would that have even helped? Other than Stephen Strasburg who has drawn every major sports media outlet to San Diego State University to see his 103 mph fastball and devastating slider there were not many known players that went this year. Out of the hand full of people who read this post I am willing to be that a very high percentage of you did not even know who the #2 overall pick was or you still may not even know as you read this today. Sure you have the local guy that were drafted that a friend of yours may have played with once or goes to the same school as that player but did you follow him? Doubtful. Moving forward into drafts in the future Major League Baseball should look into the following:

Trading Draft Picks: Every other major sport allows you to trade draft picks, why not baseball? Some say that there are too many rounds it would prolong the process of the draft. Still though maybe limit the trading to the first few rounds or the picks have to be traded before the draft. For example say the Nationals can not afford to sign Stephen Strasburg, should they not be able to trade him for players that will be cheaper and will help them now? Or the Red Sox who tend to pick in the later first round want to move up to take that can’t miss catcher or prospect that they think would help them, should they not be able to make the move up.

Slot Draft Pick Salaries: This is something that according to some sources is actually being looked into. I again bring up the Stephen Strasburg situation in which the Washington Nationals may not be able to sign him and will be forced to lose out on this "can’t miss" prospect. As it stand Major League Baseball gives all of the power to the player’s agent and leaves the teams no choice but to cooperate with the demands of agents such as Scott Boras, Arn Tellem and other negotiators. Why not slot picks like the NFL does and only allow the agents to negotiate incentives and other minute things other than the increasingly high signing bonus and year to year salary. Especially when they are hamstrung by the August 17th deadline.

Pick a Better Time: This is the only league in which the draft takes place in the middle of the season, this is actually something I agree with because it allows underclassmen to let their future or present coaches know whether or not they can expect them to be on their upcoming roster. Under this heading I would also bring up the aforementioned point of having the draft take place on a less busy night, or on the weekend for that matter. Maybe have some build up about more than one player, provide some more in depth coverage like the NFL Draft which has analysts working around the year scouting and mock drafting players.

Lastly I would like to say congratulations to Kyle Vasquez who was drafted in the 15th round by the San Francisco Giants. I have had the distinct pleasure of watching Kyle pitch for the Franklin Pierce Ravens for the past two years. I wish him the best of luck

Spam?

I am not sure of the last spam blog to post personal information like a name and where they go to school but I assure you the problem will be taken care of very shortly and I apologize for any inconvenience.

Sosa, Steroids and The Hall of Fame

First off let me just say that anyone who is on Facebook needs to become a fan of One-Nine Sports. It is run by a very intelligent sports man and personal friend Joe Al. It is a great way to debate and comment on everyday sporting topics.

Now for the post, Is anyone really surprised that Sammy Sosa was found guilty of doing steroids? I mean for a guy to stand in front of congress and say that he can not speak English when asked the question of whether or not he took them in the first place is lying. Did he think that because his lawyer said he didn't do them that he would avoid perjury? I mean not only did he test positive for steroids he used a corked bat more than once, even in that same season. Wow. Of all the names that I have heard this guy might be the least surprising of all of them. Moving on to a separate topic the conversation has come up as to whether or not Sammy Sosa and other convicted steroid users should be allowed to enter the Hall of Fame. In my personal opinion I believe that people like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and other people who fit this same profile should be allowed to go into the hall based upon their performance in a tainted era. Just because they got caught does not mean that they are the only people in the era who used PED's. For example a guy like Brady Anderson who was an average outfielder goes on to hit 50 home runs one season after not topping 21 in his career until that point or ever after that. Maybe he got better pitching, saw more fastballs or had a better hitter hitting behind him who knows but one tends to wonder about things and certain players who have never come up in PED conversation or positive tests. It is people like this who we assume did steroids or PED's that leave us open to attack when we make assumptions about other players. I do believe that cheating in the game is wrong and that there are different ways of cheating i.e. Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson. Those players statistically belong in the hall of fame but tainted the game by not playing on the level. Rose bet on his own team, and Shoeless Joe "threw" games in the 1919 World Series. Players who have been accused or have even been convicted of doing steroids may have helped themselves out but they did not lose a game on purpose or try to get a certain result out of a game. Steroids is not the be all end all of baseball either guys like the aforementioned Barry Bonds still have to hit a baseball and people like Clemens still have to be able to spot a fastball and mix up his pitches. It would not be fair to punish those guys just because they are the people who we believe did steroids or were convicted of doing PED's they were not alone, and these players still have to be good all around baseball players to put up the kind of numbers that would enter that player into the Hall of Fame discussion. A parting thought on this topic is the lack of testing prior to the 2003 "anonymous" testing that took place, in 1961 Roger Maris hit 61 home runs passing Babe Ruth's single season home run record. Other than 1961 Maris hit a season high of only 39 home runs which happened to be the year prior to hitting 61. Was he on steroids? or PED's? We will never know and that is why people should not penalize those who have been assumed or convicted of using. The whole era is tainted either way.

Sox Game

As i was sitting at the Red Sox game watching Hanley Ramirez roam the revolving door we Red Sox fans call Short Stop i was wondering whether or not i would have done the off-season deal that Theo so quickly turned down. Shortly after the heart break of Mark Teixeira there were rumors about the Red Sox going after Mr. Ramirez. The rumors which will never get confirmed were that the Marlins wanted Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury as well as a lower level minor leaguer in exchange for the All-Star short stop. As we know now Theo was not interested and the conversation was said to have lasted about 5 minutes. Looking back was that such a bad deal for the Red Sox? In my opinion it was one that they at least needed to consider. Now don't get me wrong i love Clay Buccholz but there are still way to many answered questions about his mental mind set and ability. Sure he has a sub 2.00 Era in AAA right now but so do 100 other people that aren't as highly regarded as this guy. His struggles last season lead the Red Sox to signing Brad Penny and John Smoltz in order to push him completely out of the rotation. What does that say? How much better is Clay than say Michael Bowden who is also dominating the AAA level? And lastly the Boston Red Sox are probably one of the few major league teams that can trade a highly touted prospect of his caliber and not effect their major league roster. Moving on to the other major part of this deal and the one that fans would seemingly be so upset about would be the departing of Jacoby Ellsbury. Now we all know that Jacoby is a fan favorite and a heart throb for the female fans of Boston but so was Johnny Damon and the women seemed to move on just fine. Ellsbury as a player is an exciting guy who Could become a 300 hitter with 70 steals and win a few gold gloves in center. However is anyone really sold on that? Granted it was his first major league season it did not take opposing pitchers long to figure out the holes in his swing and dominate him with inside fastballs causing him to hit 280 with a bleak on base percentage of 336. I will agree that those are not bad numbers for a rookie but 336 as a lead off hitter? Parting with Ellsbury would be difficult don't get me wrong but the more i see of Julio Lugo and Nick Green the more comfortable i am becoming with that idea. Now the prize of the deal Hanley. As a 24 year old full time short stop you saw him hit 301 with an on base clip of 400. He also managed to hit 33 home runs out of the pitchers ball park that the Marlins play in. As a whole Ramirez is just flat out a better player than the two players that the Red Sox refused to include in the deal, however if Jacoby and Clay were to meet their full potentials then and only then would this deal become a hesitation. It is a simple question of taking the proven or the unknown because you do not know what Clay and Jacoby will become and you know that Hanley Ramirez is the best short stop in baseball right now and is arguably in the top 10 players in the game right now. So in my opinion the Sox and Theo should have at least considered this and maybe even pulled the trigger.

Introduction

Hello, My name is Daryl Jeannetti. I am a college student at Franklin Pierce University and reside just outside of Boston in a small town a few people know called Foxboro. For those of you who do not know that the patriots play in Foxboro you should stop reading now as this blog will be of no use to you. This blog will cover a lot of topics ranging from everyday life to the sporting world that surrounds us today. This blog will be updated rather randomly. It will not be like most other blogs that post everyday. I will do my best to post everyday, however i may post more than once on some days and not at all on others. Surprisingly enough i do have some other things to do besides pass on my thoughts on various topics. Some of those other things involve playing baseball, working and hanging with friends. Thank you for even reading this entry and I look forward to passing on my thoughts to you.