Of Great Social and Political Import.

There's a story in the New York Times about a custom car dealership in Miami wherein baseball players buy and improve expensive vehicles. It's not, I don't think, very interesting. But there's a picture of Pablo and maybe it's just because he's slouching in his seat next to an emaciated car salesman but he does look thinner.

Old News.

Dustin Pedroia is old. Nine seasons of enthusiastically throwing himself on the ground to stop a baseball has taken a toll on his body. He's lost his power. He's lost a step. He's just not as capable anymore. Realistically, it's time to start thinking about transitioning him to a lesser role, something easier and gentler on his body.

Nuh-Uh, says Pedroia.  (I think. Trying to parse what he says is very difficult.)

He doesn't understand defensive metrics so he has no use for them. Now, defense is difficult to quantify and, therefore, difficult to measure but refusing to even consider them is stupid. It doesn't matter anyway because he is training to be an athlete--or at least as much of an athlete as a baseball player can be--this year. (NOTE: Baseball players are not athletes. Swimmers are athletes. Gymnasts are athletes. Runners are athletes. Hell, Dancers are athletes. Baseball players are players.) I am amused that he's practicing getting up, it sounds like such an old man thing to do.

Regardless, you can go sit in the corner and grump about the good old days because the rest of us have moved on. There's a new amusing young thing in town, goes by Betts. He's delicious.

Strike.

I don't really know all that much about bowling but I do know that Mookie Betts, despite his apparent desire to have fun by killing a moose, is adorable. And the kid has chutzpah, saying about David Price:

"He could be really good with some time. I hope he'll bowl with us, but pitchers usually play golf on their off days."

 And he hangs out with Jackie Bradley Jr. who also seems like a well-grounded, super individual. The kid is something else.

Happy New Year!

The 2015 season started off with a lot of pizzazz for the Boston Red Sox only to fizzle into another last place finish. While I'm finding it difficult to muster up enthusiasm for the 2016 season, we can certainly hope for healthier, more productive season, leading to a happier ending.