Sox Thawts - 14 October, 2009

The HEAT is on !!!!

... and not the tune (Glenn Frey!!!!)... The Sox are ALREADY hard at work during this "Hot Stove" season... and they NEED to be !!!! Nuf Ced

The starting rotation seems to be 80% set... Beckett, Lester, Buchholz, Dice-K for sure... 5th spot remains a question, but word is that Wake will be bringing his bad back and beer-belly back.. YOU GO BOY !!!!!!!! (uh, I resemble that remark !!!)... and Junichi Tazawa showed some promise as a possible spot-starter... and do NOT forget Paul Byrd... The 'pen is also over-loaded.. but, as I said mid-season, loading up on pitching last winter gave the Sox some "options"....

Along with the preliminary word on Wake, supposedly Billy Wagner is "retiring"... as planned the Sox will not pick up his option and his announcement is probably more rhetoric than not... uh, trying to raise the ante to get him to NOT retire... good luck with THAT dude !!!!!! WHAT EVA !!!!!!

Also on the fire are rumors of a Papelbon trade... although, signing a contract last year... Paps certainly has great value and could be used as bait... you gotta give to get right????? and with the emergence of Daniel Bard as a possible closer from the right side to compliment "Ut Oh" Oki... hmmmmmmmmm... although I would STILL love to see them teach Danny Boy a change-up and try him as a 5th and/or spot starter... perhaps THAT would happen if they just let John Farrell out of his contract terms to go manage the Indians... Nuf Ced

Whereas the Sox have numerous options with regard to pitching, there are DEFINITELY issues that need to be visited this winter... first to my skull comes Jason Bay... unable to come to terms during the season, something HAS to give this fall, one way or the other.... and with the power numbers Bay put up, expect the price tag to be very high... especially when you consider the lack of high caliber outfielders potentially available....

Early grumblings are that the Sox can't afford BOTH JBay AND JD Drew... Having earned $7.8 mil this season, are the Sox prepared to pay Bay upwards of $20 mil, for possibly 5 years???... (and STILL not raise ticket prices AND have 1/2 priced food during family hour????) which would seem to be the going rate... and if you compare JBay's numbers to Drew's.... I know where I'd put MY money... Nuf Ced

True that Rocco (when healthy), Josh Reddick and Joey Gathright and others on the farm will be able to help out here... SOMEDAY !!!!! but are there any everyday outfielders in the system at this point ????

Another area of concern... an area that has been a concern since they booted Nomar, mind you... ISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS... yup, shortstop... certainly last season Jed Lowrie appeared to be the shortstop of the future... UNTIL that wrist injury that all but ruined his season.. will this off-season give the needed time for that wrist to completely heal??? Can the Sox take that chance???

A name that has popped up is... is... is ....... HANLEY !!!!!!!! Yup, Hanley Ramirez.... ok, ok, ok... before you go moaning "Why did they ever get rid of him ???".... UHHHHHHHHHHHH... Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and a World Series are why !!!!!!!! Nuf Ced

But Hanley will be entering the second year of a new deal with the Marlins, currently worth $5.5 mil/yr... obviously, Florida would have to be "crazy" to let him go (.342 average, 24 dingers and 106 driven in) BUT... ya gotta give to get, RIIIIIGHT !?!?!?!? Hmmmm, Paps, Greenie and JD, anyone ????? If ANYONE can do it, Theo can !!!!!!!!

Ahhhhhhh, catching.... options here too.... certainly VMart gets the nod as the everyday back-stop... but will that wear and tear affect him at the plate??? Early signs point to the Captain making a return... but I would think that would be more in a back-up and coaching role. And certainly George Kottaras and Dusty Brown lend further options...

Obviously the could/should prove to be ANOTHER very interesting "Hot Stove" winter for our boys from Boston... Theo has seen the error of his ways this year and VOWS to bring the trophy back home... the nucleus was set last year and surely he will make the necessary adjustments to do just that... Nuf Ced

Ok, yes I made some changes to the look of the page... Sox season over.. time to move on to the Bs, Cs and Pats... so, black, gold, green, white, red, blue seemed appropriate.... plus I actually had a spark of intelligence and figured out how to add icons for the links at the top (YOU fight with HTML !!!!)... do NOT get used to that.....

Thanks for stopping in for a visit. It's just my opinion, so please PAHDON it. Y'all come back now, ya heah !! Nuf Ced