A Shortstop at Last

Big news out of Boston the other day (hey, I'm a little behind, I had a final): Marco Scutaro is the new shortstop for the Sox. In my mind, he has extremely large shoes to fill because I am a little obsessed with the Gonz, but I do think it is a good move. I hope, anyway. He pretty much won me over when he said, "Since Day 1, this was my first choice. I just wanted to come here and just be part of this team." Anyone could say that, of course, but I choose to believe he meant it!

But I'm feeling some Theo hate after reading this little gem: "We were looking to upgrade at shortstop." Whatev, Epstein. Gonzalez ruled. Upgrade. Not nice.

What else? Wagner's gone (yay?), Saito's gone, both in Atlanta now. So Boston gets a 1st round pick next year, which is always good. Don't really know how that works, but that's ok. I think because of the offered arbitration?

Jason Bay was also offered arbitration, which he will decline, but I think I read somewhere that he wants to stay in Boston. We'll see how that plays out. Soon, I hope. I need more news because school is driving me nuts!

Laura is So Sad

The Gonz is gone.

Found out a couple days ago.

August 14th, Alex Gonzalez came back to Boston and I freaked out with joy.

And now my Gonz is gone again. After being nothing but great for us.

So sad :(

Maybe Some Good News is Around the Corner

Word on the street is Boston is getting pretty aggressive with the let's-get-Halladay push, which is certainly something to be excited about. With Red Sox luck, it is never bad to have too many good pitchers, though we would be losing Buchholz from what it sounds like. We'll have to keep an eye out to see how the situation develops. But really, as long as the Yankees don't get him, all is okay.

The AL MVP was announced a couple days ago, and it was not Jeter, which was my only concern. Joe Mauer took it pretty easily, actually. I don't mind him, but I picked him for my Beat the Streak when I had a pretty good streak going, and it was at the end of the season with less than 56 games to play, and he pulled an 0-for. So he is not currently on my good side.

Jason Bay's status is still up in the air, we really need to make sure he stays in Boston. But even more importantly, we need the Gonz to come back, and though I'm sure he would love to, it's up to "the organization." BRING BACK GONZ!

My Heart Just Broke

As I was reading this,

"While A-Gon comes with a reliable glove and a dependable bat in the No. 9 hole, keeping him in the Hub isn't going to be as simple as RSVPing to an Evite. Alex Gonzalez has a $6 million option for 2010, which the Sox aren't likely to pick up. In this era, $6 million sounds like a bargain, right? Wrong,"

I slightly died.

Please don't take my Gonz away from me. Please?

Bad Luck for My Teams

This has not been the best couple of days. Witness:

-Sox lost tonight. Brad Penny was again, not good.
-Oregon lost (Little League World Series) tonight.
-Rhode Island lost (LLWS) today (to Massachusetts, so it wasn't all that bad).
-Virginia (LLWS) lost yesterday (man, I am really bad at picking LLWS teams this year! Bring back Lake Oswego!)
-Novak Djokovic lost to stupid Andy Roddick yesterday.
-Roger Federer lost yesterday after being up 5-1.
-David Wright (I like him, but I don't know why) got hit in the head today.
-I lost my tennis match today!

However. All of the bad stuff was made okay with the sight of Alex Gonzalez back in a Boston uniform tonight. Yay! And if Blogger wasn't so mean to us FTP-ers, I would have that picture right here.

OH MY GOD

THE GONZ IS BACK!!!!

YAY!!!!

THE GONZ IS BACK IN BOSTON!!!

Oh I have missed Alex Gonzalez!!

P.S. May I direct you to this post from July 31, where I talked about missing the Gonz. I think I am having another psychic moment (or was having, I suppose, since the last time I talked about him was September 2007).

Very Busy Days

So today was a big day, being the Trade Deadline and all. By 4:00, we knew that we had acquired Victor Martinez and Kotchman, but we lost good old Justin Masterson, who I just might miss. He'll be good someday. Like Cla Meredith, who we used to own. Saw him pitch for Baltimore tonight, and he was pretty good. Unlike when he pitched for us--I distinctly remember calling him "Clah" because I thought his name was weird and he sucked so much he didn't deserve the correct pronunciation.

So anyway (I ramble way too much), it was a productive day (did you see Ellsbury rob that home run today? AWE-SOME). Unlike yesterday, when the news about Ortiz broke. And frickin Dan Shaughnessy, whom I no longer like, pretty much ripped him a new one in the paper today. Said of the '04 Boston/NY series, "Our cheaters were better than your cheaters." He really tore into him, which kinda sucks, until we have the results of just what he took. It's so easy to knock A-Rod and Giambi for using, but now that the tables are turned...well, it really sucks. I wish he hadn't done it, but I won't be saying much more about it until we have more to go on.

Speaking of the 2004 World Series, I am watching the DVDs right now....Game 6, to be precise, and it is so ass-kicking to see all the "old Sox." Like my old favorite Mark Bellhorn, #15 Kevin Millar, my beloved Trot Nixon....oh man it is so exciting. And Bronson was on the team back then... I won't lie, when Ortiz came to the plate I was a tad sad, wondering....

But hey, watching the 2004 Sox/Yankees games never fails to put a smile on my face. And I need one now!

P.S. What I really need to watch is some 2006 footage with the Gonz. Man, I loved that foo.

Beckett's 20th Win

May I start off by asking what the hell the Sox did to make opposing pitchers want to hit them so much? We all know about Youkilis (and the Yankees) but tonight Hinske and Varitek got hit in the same inning! Then Ellsbury almost got hit in the 9th, and Pedroia did get hit! This is getting suspicious. We don't need anymore Youk-type injuries.

So Jacoby Ellsbury is definitely a new favorite. He ran into Boston's bullpen and over a chair, all to make a catch in foul territory that yes, he held on to. The Toronto commentators even said it was impressive, one of the best they've seen! Ellsbury and Pedroia, my two favorite players (remember the last 4 players I said that about were Bronson Arroyo, Mark Bellhorn, Alex Gonzalez aka The Gonz, and Trot Nixon...hopefully DP and JE will break the curse).

This is going to sound strange, but...the bullpen held a lead! Josh Beckett left after 6 fantastic innings, then Manny Delcarmen came in and pitched a 1-2-3 7th (2 strikeouts even).

Okay. 8th inning. Our new nemesis. A good start though, a solo Jason Varitek homer. But nothing else good for us. So who would guide us through the potential disaster known as the 8th inning? Delcarmen actually stayed in this time, unlike last time when he came out and Gagne killed it (in a bad, bad way). He got his first out, then as I'm witnessing Toronto's meltdown, they take him out! UHH, okay. Not what I would have done, but okay. Javier Lopez came in, got the second out, got the third out. Nice pitching, actually. You went against me, Francona, and it worked this time. Hopefully it will continue working.

3-run shot in the 9th from David Ortiz! He is "more dangerous than dynamite," said the Tampa Bay guy. Follow that up with a Lowell solo shot, 8-1, this one was over (even with Gagne pitching the 9th). Ortiz and Lugo gave Mike an excited hug in the dugout, how nice :) Brandon Moss hit the first triple of his career, which is very awesome.

And yeah, Toronto? I HATE YOU. Up 4-0 going into the 9th against the Yankees and the next thing I see, it's 4-4. HATE HATE HATE. It was single after single after single, and those add up. It wasn't bad enough you swept Boston, NOOO, you had to blow a 4-run lead against NY in the bottom of the 9th! Extra innings--at least they won. Took 'em 14 freaking innings and a large percentage of my sanity though!

Rant of the Day:
Many fans are saying "as long as we get the Wild Card..." To them, I say: Not good enough! Had we been in second place all year, yes, the WC would be fine. But getting it now, after we've basically been in first place all season...hell no, I do not accept the WC. Plus, the Wild Card is just not as legitimate, really. I want to win. I want first place in the AL East, and settling for the Wild Card is not in the gameplan.

I Hope It's a Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone out there. I hope this year turns out to be a great one, and here are a few things that will help make that happen:

1. Find a closer. The Red Sox once again have their work cut out for them when it comes to closing games - with Papelbon as one of the starting 5, the job is up for grabs. It would be nice if one of the guys we have on the team now would step up during Spring Training and take the job with ferocity.

2. Figure out what the hell is going on with J.D. Drew -- we're all sick of writing about him.

3. The Patriots need to win the Super Bowl. Because we can all use a little more Tom Brady pictures in our lives.

4. David Ortiz needs to be the AL MVP. We all know he has been for the past 2 years, a little recognition would be nice.

5. Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield need to improve in the way of reliability. Who can forget Josh Beckett's first inning disaster against the Yankees? No more of that, please.

6. Coco Crisp should have a better year. He wasn't right after the injury to his hand in Baltimore (I remember because I was there and I told him not to try to steal that base and he did it anyway), but he should be ready to go in the spring. Plus, he won't have to be leadoff now that Julio Lugo is on the team.

7. Somebody will have to free me from my depression over losing Trot Nixon, Mark Loretta, Gabe Kapler, and my beautiful beloved Alex "The Gonz" Gonzalez. His defense was incredible and, to me, made up for his not-so-hot offense. I will miss the hell out of him, but I am glad he will join Bronson Arroyo in Cincy. I hope he has another great year.

And Trot? What can I say. I wanted him to stay on the team more than anyone (even the Gonz), he was my favorite Boston player. It sucks going to the Red Sox roster site and not seeing Trot there, he's been a staple for so long. One month ago we were reading about the possibility that he might stay in Boston, but... Right field misses him already, and it will never be the same!

Bill Mueller Retires, GONZ IS GONE

Oh, Billy. I loved watching him play third with ease. But knee surgery has killed his career, and he has taken a position within the Dodgers organization. He'll be doing work in the scouting and player development areas. It's too bad he had all those knee problems, I really did enjoy watching him play.

In other Dodgers news, Nomar is close to signing a deal to stay in LA. All those Sox fans who want Nomar back (myself not included) are frowning.

This is Alex Cora smiling because he got a 2-year deal:

Now, I know Cora is a good backup shortstop/2nd baseman, but I really really really wanted the Sox to re-sign Alex Gonzalez. He will now be teammates with Bronson Arroyo in Cincinnati with a 3-year, $14 million deal. I'm the first to admit he's not too impressive with the bat, but the FO basically spent all last offseason building a great defense, and losing the Gonz screws it all up. He was the best shortstop in the American League this year, without a doubt. Speaking of people that don't deserve the awards they get, why am I seeing Derek Jeter when I am trying to watch the Michigan/Ohio State game? Not cool!

Go Michigan (cheering for them because that's where Tom Brady played)!

GONZ!!!!!!!!! I am so upset. I will miss you, Alex. Say hi to Bronson for me.

Oh No....Not My Gonz!

My beloved Alex Gonzalez is packing up.

The Gonz has received a three-year, $15 million deal from an undisclosed team. With Boston's interest in Julio Lugo, I see my Gonz leaving us.

Nomar Garciaparra, Orlando Cabrera, Edgar Renteria, Alex Gonzalez...we keep getting all these shortstops that I fall in love with, then they take them away from me. The front office is a cruel being.

Don't worry though, ALEX CORA will be back for two years. Priorities?!??

Allow Me to Complain

The best shortstop in the American League got screwed. Of course, by best shortstop I mean the Gonz. How did he lose the Gold Glove to Jeter when Gonzalez has superior numbers? Jeter made 15 errors, Gonz made 7. Jeter's fielding percentage was .975 to Gonz' .985. In what way is that the right decision? Help me out, I'm confused.

I'm eagerly anticipating Wednesday, when we find out how much teams bid for Matsuzaka. I'm thinking Boston probably won't be the highest bidder; they'll determine how much they think he's worth, bid that, and another team (NY?) will outbid them. You know things like this don't usually go our way!

Another day I can't wait for: Sunday. Another be there or be square game. The Patriots welcome the Colts and Adam Vinatieri to their city, and the Colts must lose. I imagine there will be boos at the start, but they'll probably dissipate as the game goes on. I just really really hope the Pats win this one..

Also, Bill Haselman, the first-base coach, is expected to be leaving the position due to family considerations. Whatever that means.