El Gordo agrees to a minor league deal with the Yankees

Bartolo 'El Gordo' Colon has agreed to a minor league deal with the New York Yankees. In December, Matt posted that the Yankees were interested in him, and now it appears that the Yankees will indeed be building a new cafeteria just for Colon and Sabathia.

Pujols wants 10 years and $300 million

Oh Albert, puhleeze! $300 million?! You have GOT to be shi kidding me!

Pujols and his agent Dan Lozano seem to be following pages torn from A-Rod and Jeter’s salary demands playbook, (co-authored by Scott Bora$$) Maybe he just wants to play in Da Bronx? The Yankees are about the only team who would be able to match that demand. The Cardinals may have the wherewithal to pony up that kind of money now, but a contract that size would have to be back loaded so much that it would probably tip the Brinks truck over bassackwards. Surely they will not follow the same path as the Washington Nationals did with Jayson Werth. A contract that size could cripple the Cardinals 6 or 7 years down the road!

If you stay in St. Louis making that kind of money don’t expect to be on a contending team any more. The Cardinals won’t have any room left on their payroll to pay the other 8 guys on the field with you, never mind fielding a team worthy of contention.

Albert, really, just what do you plan to do with $300 million that you couldn’t do with $100m or $200m?

Josh Beckett got married this past weekend

Josh Beckett married his rocket scientist fiancee (seriously!) Holly Fisher this past weekend. According to their registry, they were to be married on February 1, but it looks like they moved it up 10 days perhaps to avoid paparazzi photog vultures. It was a country affair with country singer Zona Jones singing his hit "Two Hearts, One Love" to the couple at their reception.

UPDATE: The nominees for the New England Sports Blog Awards were announced last night and Fenway West was nominated for "Best Red Sox Blog." Voting takes place from February 2nd to February 14th and fans can vote once each day. Please take a moment and show your support for Fenway West by following the link below and casting your vote. Thank you for helping make this nomination possible and for your continued support.

http://www.trufan.com/nesb_vote

Brian Cashman: The Boston Red Sox are a better team

New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman made an appearance at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York this morning and made several interesting comments to WFAN's Mike Francesca. A Yankee fan asked if Derek Jeter would remain at shortstop for the duration of his 4 year contract, to which Cashman responded that

"[I would] be surprised [if Jeter stays there for the duration], but that doesn't mean it's not possible. I like corner outfielders and corner infielders who have power, so for me, if he's ever gonna move, it's probably gonna be a Robin Yount situation. “But we don't have to deal with it at this point. We'll deal with it when we have to. There is no plan to put Jeter in that mix or to move him to third or any other position. It's not something we have to deal with right now.”

Lost in all the ado over Jeter switching positions was Cashman stating that Joba Chamberlain would not be moving back in to the rotation. Cashman's most interesting comment of the session was his response to Francesca's direct question, which team is better right now, the Red Sox or the Yankees? Cashman responded, "[The] Red Sox, but we have a better bullpen."

I'm sure that Cashman's bullpen remark will send Red Sox beat writers and bloggers everywhere scurrying to analyze both fire crews.

Box score from the past (08.27.67)

In the summer of 1967, the Red Sox were in a torrid pennant race with the Twins, Tigers and White Sox. After finishing next to last in 1966, no one would have ever predicted that the Red Sox would be sitting on top of the American League standings one year later.

In the 1st game of a Sunday doubleheader, Jose Tartabull made 'The Throw' from RF to home plate to nail Ken Berry who was trying to tag up from 3B. This was a critical game in the pennant drive of 1967, and this play is probably the highlight of Tartabull's career. He went on to play in all 7 games of the World Series that year, starting in 3 of them. He is also the father of Danny Tartabull, who was an All-Star and played 14 seasons in the big leagues.

In 2001, that famous throw was immortalized in a fiction novel entitled "Tartabull's Throw" written by Henry Garfield.

I distinctly remember watching that game on a Sunday afternoon at the beach house that summer. There was only 1 weekend left before school resumed. I feel lucky to have witnessed one of the greatest plays in Boston Red Sox history as it happened.

Manny Delcarmen at West Roxbury High School

It's amazing some of the buried treasure you can find on the youtube!

UPDATE: The nominees for the New England Sports Blog Awards were announced last night and Fenway West was nominated for "Best Red Sox Blog." Voting takes place from February 2nd to February 14th and fans can vote once each day. Please take a moment and show your support for Fenway West by following the link below and casting your vote. Thank you for helping make this nomination possible and for your continued support.

http://www.trufan.com/nesb_vote

2 Idiots Reunited- Damon & Manny sign with Rays

Jon Heyman of SportsIllustrated.com is reporting that 2004 World Series Red Sox players Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon have agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Rays.Damon will earn $5.25 million in 2011 and Manny will earn $2 million.Neither player was offered arbitration so no other team lost compensatory draft picks.

Funk #49

I found an oldie but goody on youtube yesterday. Joe Walsh has always been one of my favorite guitarists, so I don't know why I never made this connection before. This would be such a great song to play whenever Wake takes the mound this season. And rest assured, after the next gem he spins this video will show up again.

Papelbon and Ellsbury signed, no arbitration

The Boston Red Sox agreed to terms with Jonathan Papelbon and Jacoby Ellsbury today, as reported by WEEI's Alex Speier. Theo has yet to go to arbitration during his time as Red Sox GM. Papelbon will earn $12 million in 2011, while Ellsbury will earn $2.4 million in his 1st season of arbitration eligibility.

Uh, Pap, what was that again?

From Brian MacPherson, Providence Journal:

Red Sox closer [Jonathan Papelbon] said on Monday night at halftime of the Celtics-Magic game at the TD Garden:

"Theo is putting together a ballclub to where everybody can go out there and do their own job and worry about their own job and putting the pieces together to where nobody this year should have to go out there and expect more than what they normally should have to do."

Right, what he said.

Box score from the past (10.05.67)

Despite limiting the St. Louis Cardinals to 2 runs in the opening game of the 1967 World Series at Fenway Park, the Red Sox still came up short against Bob Gibson. Jim Lonborg started Game #2 and pitched a masterpiece- a complete game shutout. He allowed 1 hit and 1 run that day, to allow the Sox to pull up even in the Series 1-1 before heading to St. Louis. Yaz hit 2 HRs in that game

Ryan Kalish 2010

No words necessary.

Mid-winter diversions (NSFW? Depends upon where you work)

 

 

  

   

Just a couple of diversions while we anxiously await the pitchers and catchers to report. This is one of the few posts that don't make it onto the pages of Fenway West.

Gotta love Bronson Arroyo

He left his heart in Boston, as Michael Silvern points out in today's Boston Herald.Theo admits that the Arroyo for Wily Mo Pena trade is one that he would like to undo, and Bronson readily admits that Boston would be 1 of 3 teams with which he would like to finish his career, so Red Sox, keep #61 on ice, OK?

In the meantime, he returns to Boston every winter to participate in the Hot Stove, Cool Music fundraiser for Theo and Paul Epstein's Foundation To Be Named Later.

UPDATE: The nominees for the New England Sports Blog Awards were announced last night and Fenway West was nominated for "Best Red Sox Blog." Voting takes place from February 2nd to February 14th and fans can vote once each day. Please take a moment and show your support for Fenway West by following the link below and casting your vote. Thank you for helping make this nomination possible and for your continued support.

http://www.trufan.com/nesb_vote

Max Ramirez is singin' those 'Come and Go Blues'

From ESPNBoston.com:

Catcher Max Ramirez, who was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox from the Texas Rangers on Jan. 5, is now heading to the Chicago Cubs. The Sox announced that Chicago had claimed Ramirez off waivers on Monday when Boston had to open a spot for reliever Hideki Okajima.

Okajima's deal became official Monday.

Ramirez, 26, batted .217 in 26 games for Texas last season.

Buckner, Gedman & Chile Davis

Two well known former Red Sox players have joined the ranks of coaches in the Greater Boston area. It was reported last week that Bill Buckner will be managing the Brockton Rox of the independent Can-Am League. Today Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that Rich Gedman, a native of Worcester, MA, will be the hitting coach for the short-season Single-A Lowell Spinners.

Chile Davis will be the hitting coach for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. Davis is a 3 time All-Star who played for Giants, Angels, Twins, Royals and Yankees. The switch-hitter had a lifetime batting average of .274 and hit 350 home runs in his 19 year career, landing him 4th overall among all time leaders in that category.

You can read Abraham's report of all the Red Sox staff moves here.

Box score from the past (04.15.20)

I decided to go way back, (or as Chris Berman might say, 'back, back, back, back'),  to the earliest Red Sox box score I could find, April 15th, 1920.

Another Ramirez

Max Ramirez is the player that the Red Sox were after last year when the Mike Lowell trade fell through, (thankfully!*) RHP Matt Fox is the player who was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Ramirez. Ramirez is 28 y.o. a catcher who has a pretty good looking offensive minor league line: .298/.395/.477/.972, 147 doubles, 5 triples, 77 home runs, 401 RBI, 335 runs in more than 600 minor league games in the Braves, Indians and Rangers organizations. Although he has appeared in 38 MLB games, his production at the plate was considerably less (.217 BA) than in the minor leagues. Insurance if Salty falters? Perhaps.

Matt Fox, 28, pitched 1.2 innings of relief with Boston last year allowing 2 ERs after being claimed by the Red Sox off waivers from the Minnesota Twins on September 9, 2010.

*I am an unabashed Mike Lowell supporter. I always claimed that 35 years old is not that old. In a stroke of luck by not consumating the trade with Texas last year, Lowell was available to play 1B for the remainder of the 2010 campaign after Youkilis suffered his thumb injury. While I wasn't happy that Youk was injured, I sure was happy to see Mike finish his career in a Boston Red Sox uniform.

Rangers catcher Max Ramirez hangs on to the ball after tagging out the Angels' Torii Hunter at home plate.

Box score from the past (04.22.07)

It is a rare feat hitting 4 home runs in a row in 1 inning. The last team to do it was the Arizona Diamondbacks in August of this past season. The Red Sox did it on April 22, 2007. Manny, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell, and 'Tek all connected for solo round-trippers off of pitcher Chase Wright. I can still hear Jon Miller's voice, "And that one is headed for New Hampshire!" Drew was part of a Dodger quartet that pulled it off just 1 season prior. And in another unlikely coincidence, J.D.'s brother Stephen, of the aforementioned D-backs was part of that home run bashing quartet. Maybe I should head back out again for another lottery ticket?

Uncanny coincidence

I clicked on a link today when I was reading another Red Sox blog and found myself looking over a list of final Red Sox W-L records over the past 100+ years. I know I have looked over similar lists in the past and don't know how I could have missed this, but these numbers jumped right out of the monitor this time:

1983 W-78 L-84 Pct .481 GB 20
1987 W-78 L-84 Pct .481 GB 20
1997 W-78 L-84 Pct .481 GB 20

Now what are the chances of this happening 3 times in 14 years? No matter, I'm off to buy a lottery ticket.

15 Most Unusual Wind-Ups in MLB History

Matt Rudnitsky put together a list of the "15 Most Unusual Wind-Ups in MLB History" which includes at least 6 pitchers who have played for the Red Sox, and Bronson Arroyo is not one of them.