Oh Dear

Alex Cora was arrested in Florida yesterday (January 30).

In 1999, he was arrested for DUI, pled no contest to the charges, and then failed to show up for a probation violation hearing. He turned himself in yesterday and was released on $20,000 bond.

Yaz and Yaz jr. jr.

It seems that Carl Yastrzemski's genes are the dominant sort. The picture below is Yastrzemski's grandson K.C. McCarthy, who plays first base for the Flagler College baseball team in St. Augustine. Yastrzemski was at the school for a fundraiser for the team (very brief video here). I think they look very similar.

You've Gotta Have Heart! All You Really Need is Heart! When the Odds are Sayin': You'll Never Win. That's When the Grin Should Start!

Wondering why you couldn't get tickets last weekend?

Probably because everybody and their uncle was buying them. Through (I guess) the end of Sunday, they had sold 2,343,204 tickets. But take heart (which is the phrase that lead to the singing earlier) through a simple calculation I have discovered that there is a quantity of tickets somewhere in the neighborhood of 627, 821 still unsold. If you want to try your luck, go here to register for the random drawing.

And more lyrics (for inspiration):

We've got hope!

We don't sit around and mope!

Not a solitary sob do we heave!

Mister, cause we've got hope!

Jon Lester, no. 31

Since it appears that he'll be around in the spring, I'll move him up from the bottom of the list where he was languishing with Coco and Ellsbury.

Birth Date: January 7, 1984 in Puyallup, WA

Height/Weight: 6'2", 190 lb.

Contract: League Minimum ($390,000)

Lester started last season in Greenville, moved up to Pawtucket in April (where he threw fourteen games with an ERA of 3.89 and a WHIP of 1.37), he was called up to Boston on July 23, then (thanks to Wake's taking himself off the roster because of shoulder problems) he pitched the clinching game of the World Series on October 28. It's damn impressive.

He pitched in twelve games for the Red Sox in 2007. He started eleven of them and won four of them. He threw 63 innings, during which he faced 275 batters. He struck out 50 batters and walked 31. He gave up 61 hits and 33 runs (32 of which were earned.) Ten batters were able to hit home runs off his pitches. He threw one wild pitch and hit one batter with a pitch. His Earned Run Average was high (4.57) but was still below the league average (4.74). His Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched, at 1.460, was also high.

Defensively, he had six put outs and four assists. He was charged with one error. His Fielding Percentage (.909) was above the league average (.952). His Range Factor (1.43), however, was below the league average (1.60). So if the ball was headed right for him he did a pretty good job of getting the out; but if he had to move, then not so much.

He's got both a two-seam and a four-seam fastball that sit in the low nineties but can get up to the mid-nineties. He also has an above average changeup, a curveball in the seventies, and a slider in the mid to high seventies. He generally has very good control but has off-days when he can't seem to command his pitches. He's also inconsistent.

I can see him improving next season (and not just in a homer-ism, Go-Jon-Lester!, sort of way.) I would think that a stark reminder of one's mortality would shake one's confidence some. Plus, chemotherapy is not a pretty affair. With a World Series win under his belt, being trade-bait for the best pitcher in baseball, his confidence should be restored. He was once considered to be a future ace; the future could be very bright.

I don't actually have an opinion on Jon Lester as a person (which is odd because I have an opinion on almost evertyhing.) I suppose he's still sort of in neutral for me (until recently Kevin Youkilis was in the same boat.) I don't love him, he doesn't annoy me, he doesn't make me cringe; he's just sort of there. I realize that he lives for my approval but it's not necessarily a bad thing. His coolness-factor did go up slightly when he said he didn't want to go to Minnesota (I choose to pretend that it was because of the fans.)

Josh Beckett, no. 19

Birth Date: May 15, 1980 in Spring, TX

Height/Weight: 6'5", 220 lb.

Contract: 3 years for $30 million (through 2009)

Needless to say, Josh Beckett had a massive season last year. He had a win-loss ratio of 20 wins to 7 losses. He threw 200.7 innings, during which he faced 822 batters. He struck out 194 of them and walked only 40 of them. He gave up 189 hits, which resulted in 76 runs (17 of them were home runs.) He threw 3 wild pitches and hit 5 batters with a pitch. All of which resulted in a very good Earned Run Average of 3.27. His Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched was a very good 1.141.

The post season last Fall belonged to Josh Beckett. He pitched in 4 games and he won 4 games. He pitched 30 innings and faced 110 batters. He struck out 35 and walked 2. He gave up 19 hits and 4 runs (1 of which was a home run.) His WHIP was a stellar 0.70 and his ERA was an impressive 1.20.

Defensively, he had 18 put outs and 12 assists. He turned 1 double play. He was, however, charged with 2 errors. His Fielding Percentage (.938) and his Range Factor (1.35) were both below the league average.

He has a fastball that can reach 97 miles per hour, a sinker that sits in the low-mid nineties, and an excellent curveball. He also has an okay change-up and he has worked on a splitter (which he doesn't throw very often.)

If he can keep his hands in good shape (in the past he's had problems with blisters and avulsions-where the skin is torn off) then next season will, hopefully, bring more of the same from Josh Beckett.

And here's the big apology: I may have misjudged him. Sure, he's got a temper, and he's arrogant, and he's prone to bouts of moodiness, and he's not the smartest person you'll ever meet, and he's distant and cold, and I don't think the likes us, and he doesn't seem like he'd be a hell of a lot of fun to hang around with but I think beneath all the bluster, there might be a decent guy.

During pressers it's pretty clear that he would rather be somewhere else, I think that that might be nerves-that he just sucks as a public speaker. And maybe I'm being unduly influenced by the fact that he has been hiding out in Texas since October and the only things I've read about him have been absolutely glowing reviews but I'm thinking that maybe he might be just a little bit shy. And if true, that would be freakin' adorable. I mean, here's this physically mammoth man who has every reason to be confident in himself but he isn't-and it's kind of cute. Hopefully, he shows up to spring training in mid-February and I am disillusioned of this view (so that I can continue to make fun of him without feeling bad about it.)

Craig Breslow, no. 54

I suspect that the baseball gods are conspiring against me. Everytime I decide to abandon this project, I end up reading an article (like this one) that makes me feel guilty for not finishing. Craig Breslow was, actually, the next guy on my list but I've gotten so far behind that I'm going to have to start doubling up if I still want to finish before spring training.

Birth Date: August 8, 1980 in New Haven, CT

Height/Weight: 6'1", 185 lb.

College: Yale University (majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry)

Contract: Last season he had a split contract-he earned $130,00 playing in the minors, $400,000 for time spent in the majors.

Craig didn't pitch in the bigs during 2007. At Ft. Meyers last spring he pitched 3 innings, struck out 4, walked 2, and allowed 1 hit. He was called up for a few days in September and is now out of options. There's just something appealing about him. He could have done the practical thing-gone to medical school and lived a normal life-big house in the 'burbs, wife and kids that he sees everyday-but he decided that he really wanted to play baseball. I know that he's a long shot but I really want him to succeed. If it's with the Sox: great! If they send him back down and somebody else grabs him, well, I suppose he'd have more of an opportunity. [Aside: Look how mature I'm being. Isn't it impressive?]

In Pawtucket, he was credited with 2 wins and 3 losses. He pitched 68.2 innings in 49 games. He started 1 game, finished 14 games, and saved 1 game. He struck out 73 batters and walked 25 of them. He allowed 78 hits and 38 runs (31 of them earned). He gave up 6 home runs. His WHIP was 1.380, which is about average.

He has a fastball that he typically throws in the high eighties but that can get up to ninety miles per hour; he also has a cut-fastball. He has an above average curve and an average changeup. He has excellent control but is inconsistent.

Oregonians Don't Love Jacoby as Much as I Thought They Did.

So an update from the Oregon Sports Awards:

Sadly, Jacoby did not win the Harry Glickman Professional Athlete of the Year Award. Instead, the honor went to Brandon Roy of the Portland Trailblazers (who, to be fair, was the NBA rookie of the year last year.)

According to this article, Roy couldn't attend the event because he was ill but Jacoby was there. He was "the last one out the door" because he was signing so many autographs.

In much more interesting Jacoby news, he had apparently spent Sunday doing a photo shoot for GQ. So there you go.

David Aardsma, no.--

Since they picked him up today, I guess I'll write about him.

Birth Date: December 21, 1981 in Denver, CO

Height/Weight: 6'4", 205 lbs.

College: Rice University

Contract: Probably close to league minimum

He pitched in 28 games in AAA last season and 25 for the Chicago White Sox. In the majors, he pitched 32.3 innings. He faced 151 batters during that span. He struck out 36 of those hitters and walked 17 of them. He gave up 39 hits and 24 runs (23 of them earned). He allowed 4 home runs. He threw 2 wild pitches and hit 1 batter with a pitch. His Earned Run Average is high (6.40) and so is his WHIP (1.732).


Defensively, he had 2 put outs, 4 assists, and was charged with 1 error. His Fielding Percentage was below average but his Range Factor (1.67) was above average.


He's got a fastball that sits in the mid-nineties (but has gotten up to 97 mph), a decent slider, and a decent change. His big problem is a lack of command. Also, he has periods of good pitching and periods of bad pitching.

He lives in Arizona with his fiancee (that's what you wanted to know, isn't it?). Maybe he should head over to the Athlete's Performance Institute and hang out with Pedroia, Youkilis, and Manny until spring training starts. Who could possibly be better ambassadors of Boston than that rag-tag group?

This is probably a good move. They need some depth in the bullpen and if he's in an up cycle, then he could do them some good. Plus, he doesn't end up costing them too much. The question is: What does this mean for Snyder or even for Corey?

Clemente, Gehrig, Robinson, Ruth, and Matsuzaka?

The post office takes stamp designs seriously. So much so that they formed a committee to review eligibility of the submitted designs. In this country, one of the key requirements for having your faced slapped on a stamp is that you have to have been dead for at least ten years.

The Japanese have no such qualms. On sale tomorrow in Japan are stamps featuring Daisuke Matsuzaka. There are ten designs commemorating his first year in the major league, from the news conference last December through the World Series parade in October. There is a picture of him holding the stamps here but it's really small. Somehow, I don't think the above picture will be one of the stamps.

Tim Wakefield: Philanthropist

The famous people came out in force for Tim Wakefield's charity golf tournament this past weekend. They included basketball player Robert Reid, football player Darin Jordan, baseball player Ryan Church, Demarlo Hale, Randy Maris (Roger Maris' son), golfer Michelle McGann, and singers D. Vincent Williams and James D. Hicks. All together they raised $250,000 for the Space Coast Early Intervention Center.

Tim Wakefield has given a lot to charity over the years. In addition to basically sponsoring the school in Florida, he has the Wakefield Warriors program (which allows kids at the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston to attend batting practice), and the baseball program at Florida Tech still exists mostly due to his patronage. But he doesn't do it for the accolades it might bring him, he does it because he believes it's the right thing to do. He's just a genuinely good and caring guy (though he does, apparently, have no idea what a good meal is like. The celebrity luncheon at the grand opening of the school was catered by Olive Garden.) Also, he may have slightly lessened my distaste for one Johnny Damon.

They Really Need to Sign This Guy

Okay, so I've posted this picture three times already (I think) but I love that picture and they really need to sign Bobby Kielty for next season.

On January 23, Mr. Kielty went back to his old elementary school and did a series of assemblies for the kiddos. The article is here. There's even a little video. Being children and unhindered by any sense of embarassment over asking a stupid question, they ask fun things like: What's your favorite fruit? (Pineapple) Their reaction when he tells them that he's hit 53 home runs in his career (Wo-o-o-w!!!) is priceless and sent me into a fit of giggles.

It's all very sweet.

Kyle Snyder, no. 39

Birth Date: September 9, 1977 in Houston, TX

Height/Weight: 6'8", 220 lbs.

College: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Contract: $835,000 for 1 year

Kyle Snyder pitched 54.3 innings last season. He had a win-loss record of 2-3. He faced 242 batters. He struck out 41 of them, walked 32 of them, intentionally walked 2 of them, and hit 6 of them with a pitch. He gave up 45 hits and 29 runs (23 of them earned.) Seven of those hits were home runs. He threw 4 wild pitches. His ERA (3.81) wouldn't be bad if he was a starter. His Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched is getting a little high at 1.417.

He's got a fastball in the low 90s, a good changeup, and an average curve ball. He's also had four major arm surgeries (twice for the elbow and twice for the shoulder.) His last shoulder surgery was performed on Schill's recommendation by Schill's surgeon in 2004.

He certainly doesn't seem like a bad guy. He had a string of bad luck and was mis-handled medically early in his career but he just wants to play ball. If his shoulder continues to hold, I would expect him to have a good season this year.

Javier Lopez, no. 48

Birth Date: July 11, 1977 in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Height/Weight: 6'4", 200 lbs.

College: University of Virginia (majored in psychology)

Contract: $840,000 for 1 year

Lopez threw 40.2 innings in the majors last season. He had a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. He faced 174 batters. He struck out 26 of them, walked 18 of them, and hit 4 of them with a pitch. He allowed 36 hits and 16 runs (14 of them earned). He gave up 2 home runs. His Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched was a decent 1.328.



He's a left handed specialist, submarine-style pitcher. He has a fastball in the high eighties and an above average slider.



It's hard to predict what Lopez will do in the future. He has a good season, and then a couple of bad seasons, then a couple of good seasons. Last season, though his ERA was only 3.10, was not a good season for him. Left handed batters hit .293 against him. During the post-season, he gave up four runs in two innings. So, if the pattern holds, then next season might be a good season.

Just How Big is Red Sox Nation? Ask the Hedgehogs.

A tiny country nestled between Belgium, Germany and France, it's slightly smaller than the state of Rhode Island, but Luxembourg is home to at least two of its' own baseball teams.

Their website is in French so I can't tell you too much about the Hedgehogs but apparently they have their own little dynasty going on-they've won the Luxembourg Championship five times in a row. They've got themselves a properly kitted-out field; hot dogs and beer at home games.

The outspoken member of their team is a Dennis Noonan from Boston (and as the article points out: of course, a Red Sox fan) had this to say:

“I love playing baseball again! Since the team has a mix of different
nationalities and a sportsmanship philosophy of playing well and showing respect for each other, and opposing teams....And I thought my baseball days were over when I moved to Luxembourg 8 years ago!”

Also, I'm totally not making fun of them. If I was transferred to the Paris office for work I would be torn. Paris is, well, awesome but to be reduced to watching baseball on the computer? I get squirrelly enough in the off-season, I can't imagine going for any real length of time without it. Plus, I would have to learn French. I wonder if there are any Parisian baseball teams looking for a DH (I can't throw and I can't really catch but I used to be able to hit pretty well.) I do think they should change their mascot to Sonic, they're missing a real opportunity there, but otherwise: Rock on.

A Musical Interlude

Not entirely baseball related but perhaps something to keep your spirits up.

The Dropkick Murphys are out promoting their latest album The Meanest of Times and one of their stops was at MLB in New York. The interview doesn't really say anything interesting, at all. It does, however, mention a contest. I love contests and so I thought I would pass it along.

The prize is a guitar (or possibly two guitars.) MLB seems to think that there are two guitars to be won but the website says that you can win one guitar. It's a situation that could be easily cleared up by reading the rules but we've already discussed that (plus, I can't find the contest rules on the website anyway.) One of the guitars, which is why it was worth a mention, has the Sox logo on it.

Kyle Snyder Agrees (I tried to come up with something creative. I really did.)

It must be hard to be Kyle "Bron-! Oh." Snyder. Not as hard as it would be if you weren't making $835,000 a year but hard nontheless.

Brandon Moss, no. 44

I was going to give up the project. I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of pitchers that I have yet to cover (I hate talking about pitchers) and was ready to chuck it all in. Then I came across this little article from the future and decided to take it as a sign.

Birth Date: September 16, 1983 in Monroe, GA

Height/Weight: 6'0", 205 lbs.

Contract: League Minimum

Ugh. Pitchers and prospects. If I'm stuck talking about prospects, at least it's about someone with as much potential as Moss.

He was called up for 15 games last season. A statistician will tell you that 30 is the minimum size for a sample, so we can't necessarily use his major league numbers to predict his future performance but they are very nice. In his 15 games, he had 25 at bats. He had 7 hits and scored 6 runs. Of those hits, 2 were doubles and 1 was a triple. His Batting Average was a respectable .280. He struck out 6 times. He walked 4 times. His On Base Percentage was .379 and his Slugging average was .440. The two together equal an On base Plus Slugging of .819. All of those (BA, OBP, SLG and OPS) were above the league average.

He had 52 innings in left field last season. He had 11 put outs and 1 assist; with no errors his Fielding Percentage was perfect but his Range Factor was slightly below the league average (2.08 versus 2.11). He played 12 innings in right field. He had only 1 put out in right field but his Fielding Percentage was perfect there as well.

His scouting report says that he has a strong arm and a good swing. He has slightly above average speed. He's a tough competitor and a good teammate. He spent the winter in the Dominican League, where he had a batting average of .322, an OBP of .355 and an OPS of .745.

He seems very genuine and like he truly loves the game. In an interview with his local paper, he said: “You have to ask yourself honestly if your goal is to make money or to win, and what better chance do I have to win than by coming up to a team that’s won two World Series in the past four years." See, if he played center he could easily become one of my favorite new players; a good guy with a good attitude, who just wants to play ball. It definately seems like he would be one to watch in the future.

Somewhere Josh Beckett Curses the Fact That He Was Not Born in Japan

Just when you thought the Japanese couldn't get any weirder you find the above picture. It shows Daisuke Matsuzaka holding his award for the Special Prize at The Best Jewelry Wearer Awards. I kid you not.

The award is handed out at the International Jewelry Tokyo 2008 Fair, now in it's 19th year. The Best Jewelry Wearer awards go to people who are deemed to have a keen sense of fashion or who just look good wearing jewelry.

The question then becomes: When they praised Daisuke for his jewelry wearing abilities were they referring to his titanium necklace? With whom were they comparing him? Major league ballplayers? Japanese ballplayers? He wasn't deemed the best man at wearing jewelry, that honor went to Shosuke Tanihara, so who is he better than?

More importantly, will the honor go to his head? Will he show up to Spring Training covered in bling? Will he dole out advice to the unwashed, unrefined masses of Americans with which he surrounds himself with daily? (Not that some of them couldn't use a little advice *looking at you kitten*.) And will his brethren on the mound take his proffered advice before the massive amounts of hemp start to look more like neck rings than necklaces?

Amerindians Love Jacoby Too!

Sports fans in Arizona will have more than just a football game to entertain themselves with Superbowl Weekend. On January 31, the United National Indian Tribal Youth Inc. will hold their Native Fantasy Gala: A Celebration of Native Athletes in Scottsdale. One of the honorees at the event will be our man Jacoby.

Other athletes invited to the event:

Billy Mills-Olympic Gold Medalist Track (10k)

Sonny Sixkiller-Football Player

Notah Begay-Golfer

Joba Chamberlain-Yankees Pitcher

Jim Warne-Football Player

Channing Frye-Basketball Player

The United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc. is a youth advocacy organization with a mission of fostering the spiritual, mental, physical, and social development of American Indian and Alaskan Native youth.

Manny Delcarmen, no. 17

Birth Date: February 16, 1982 in Boston, MA

Height/Weight: 6'3", 195 lbs.

Contract: League Minimum ($390,000)

Manny Delcarmen threw 44 innings last season. He finished 5 games and was credited with 1 save. During those innings he faced 176 batters. He struck out 41 of those batters (23%). He walked 17 of them (almost 10%). And he gave up 28 hits (almost 16%). Of those hits, 4 were home runs (14%). He intentionally walked 1 batter and hit 2 of them with a pitch. His WHIP was a nice 1.023.

He's got a fastball that used to sit around 95 mph but since he had Tommy John surgery in 2003 has been able to get into the upper nineties. He has an excellent curve and an average changeup. He has just average control of his pitches, though, and struggles with consistency.

Last January, Delcarmen's name came up when the Sox were looking to trade the Rockies for someone to compete with Youkilis for the fullest-beard-in-the-clubhouse award. His name also came up last July in an exchange with the White Sox for Jermaine Dye. The feeling at the time was that the talks broke down because the Sox were unwilling to part with Delcarmen.

If he could improve his control and command, then with that fastball Delcarmen could be a force to be reckoned with. It's hard to tell if the Front Office was unwilling to part with Delcarmen because they thought he could fix those issues or if they were looking for a better deal for him. As a righty out of the pen, Delcarmen has great potential.

Something Amusing for a Gray Tuesday

Nothing of great importance, but this amused me mightily.

My favorite lines:

"As a sign to all that this clause is being invoked-Tom Brady will throw more picks than TDs and Curt Schilling will be silent."

and

"Addendum: All Curt Schilling blog posts must acknowledge THE DEVIL'S power over the entire universe. For each post that does not, The Devil will strip 1 mph off his fastball."

Curt has a sense of humor, right?

Dustin Pedroia, no. 15

I've been trying to decide which nickname to call Pedroia next season. I tend to think he's outgrown his reputation as a scrappy, little dude; he's proven himself. I'm trying to decide which is (well, I was going to say more clever but I think that less annoying would be a better descriptor.) The two I've come up with are Roy Dusty (because Dusty is a decidedly un-regal name) and Pedroya (like I've spelled his name incorrectly.)







Birth Date: August 17, 1983 in Woodland, CA

Height/Weight: (officially) 5'9", 180 lbs.

College: Arizona State University

Contract: $390,000



The 2007 season was quite a year for Dustin Pedroia. He had a rough start to his rookie season but finished up with a World Series championship and Rookie of the Year honors. His batting average for the 2007 season was .317. He had 165 hits; 39 of them were doubles, 1 was a triple, and 8 were home runs. He stole 7 bases. He bunted 5 times. He had 2 sacrifice flies. He was intentionally walked once and hit by a pitch 7 times. He walked 47 times (9%) and he struck out 42 times (8%). All of which contributed to an On Base Percentage of .380. His Slugging Average was a very impressive .422. His On-base Plus Slugging was .822.



Defensively, he had 259 put outs and 360 assists. He was charged with 6 errors. He turned 78 double plays (70 more than he grounded into.) His Fielding Percentage was .990 (which was above the league average of .985). His Range Factor, however, was below the league average; he had .488 while the league average was 4.98.



He has average power for a middle infielder and excellent plate discipline. He's extremely confident. He plays very good defense (2003 Collegiate Defensive Player of the Year.)

Oregonians Love Jacoby

On January 27, the 56th annual Oregon Sports Award ceremony will be held at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, OR. Up for the Harry Glickman Professional Athlete of the Year Award is our man Jacoby. His competition will be Derek Anderson of the Cleveland Browns, T.J. Houshmandzadeh of the Cincinnati Bengals, Brandon Roy of the Portland Trailblazers, and ultimate fighter Randy Couture.

I don't really know too much about football and I know nothing about ultimate fighting but Brandon Roy has had a nice year so far for the Blazers. He might be some competition for our boy. Of course, Portland probably won't come close to winning the West and our boy won the World Series so...

Daisuke Matsuzaka, no. 18

Birth Date: September 13, 1980 in Tokyo, Japan

Height/Weight: 6'0", 185 lbs.

Contract: 6 years for $52 million (through 2012)

During the 2007 season, Matsuzaka had 15 wins and 12 losses. He allowed 100 runs, all of them earned. He faced 874 batters and gave up 191 hits. He struck out 201 of them, walked 80 of them, and hit 13 of them with a pitch. He gave up 25 home runs. His ERA was an average 4.40 and his WHIP was 1.324. It's certainly not a bad record.

He has a four-seam fastball in the low to mid nineties and a two-seam fastball in the low nineties. A cutter and a splitter both in the high eighties. A slider in the mid eighties and a curveball in the low eighties. He also has a changup. Then there's the legendary gyroball, which apparently is only thrown by accident and a handful of other pitches that are primarily thrown by Japanese pitchers such as the forkball and the shuuto.

I've been pondering what to say about Matsuzaka for awhile now. And I just don't know. I suppose what it really comes down to is: will he be better next season? Terry Francona seems to thinks so (or, at least, that was the line he was feeding to the public at the end of last season) but I have a hard time agreeing with him. The general consensus seemed to be that he needed to adjust to pitching on fewer days rest and that he needed to adjust to the longer season. Historically, Japanese pitchers have seen a decline in their second year here and they all had to deal with the same adjustments as Matsuzaka. Even the great Hideo Nomo declined in his second year (of course, he went from really, really good to just really good.)

I'm not saying that next season isn't going to be pretty. I just think that $6 million dollars is a lot to pay a guy to be average. Part of me wants to believe: Well, he's Japanese. He went home in October dissatisfied with his performance last season (he said as much in a Japanese interview) and so he's spent the off season working hard on improving his stuff. Of course, he doesn't strike me as being as old school Japanese as Okajima but what do I know.

Further Evidence That Mike Lowell is One Cool Cat

Yesterday Mike Lowell was back in Boston to do a photo-shoot and to attend the Boston Baseball Writers Association of America dinner. At the dinner he received Thomas A. Yawkey Award for the most valuable player and Tommy McCarthy Good Guy Award. He also gave an interview that further convinced me of his awesome-ness.

From the Globe:

"It has to be 100 percent accurate, because if it's 99 percent accurate, there are going to be seven false positives in big league baseball, and what if those names are one of the major names? You've scarred that person's career for life. You can't come back and say, 'Sorry, we've made a mistake,' because you just destroyed that person's career."

See? Craig Breslow being the obvious exception, how many professional baseball players out there could tell you that one percent of seven hundred and fifty was 7.5? (He does seem to think that there are seven hundred baseball players spread over the thirty teams and not seven hundred and fifty but we'll ignore that for now.) I'd wager that it's not many; especially as the problem was presented as less ninety-nine percent. He then goes on to display further mad math skills:

"Some people have said 90 percent [accuracy]. That's 70 [false positives]. That's three full rosters."

If you go with his assumption that there are seven hundred major league ballplayers, then his numbers check out. Of course, if you divide those seventy ballplayers over three teams, as he suggests, then a full roster in Mike Lowell-land has twenty-three and one third players on it. But that's okay. Perhaps he's just toeing the union line but Exhibit A: Mike Lowell can (mostly) do math!

Also:

"I got to shoot an ad today with Rene Russo. I don't think that if I went 1 for 17 in the Series I would have gotten the same chance. It was awesome. I didn't have to do anything. Rene played a fan and did all the work."

When reminded of his White House dinner:

"Oh, yeah, the White House, pretty cool, but I don't think George Bush will be hugging me."

Exhibit B: He's got a wonderfully dry sense of humor, at least I've attributed one to him.

I spent quite a bit of time trying to decide if that last one had political connotations but have decided that he must have spent the morning with Rene Russo hanging off him.

More Exhibit B:

[Regarding Josh Beckett] "He's great. He's doing his thing in Texas, whatever it is he does."

Hee!

Ped-roy-a

I spent all morning thinking about what I was going to say about Mike Lowell (and I will get to that) but have since decided to start with the sweet little interview with Dustin Pedroia in the Herald today.

Not that he looks sweet and innocent there but...

Basically, he talked about what is was like to win last year, his wrist, and working out for next season. Here's what he had to say:

"I didn't know what the feeling was going to be like once we won the World Series, but you definitely want to do it again, you want more. It was so exciting, so much fun, you want to do it every year. I know it's kind of unrealistic, but we're going to give it our best shot."

and

“Sometimes when I’m driving in my car by myself, I’ll think about how much fun the season was and what we all did together, but it’s mostly about getting ready for next year and trying to do it again.”

and

“...I’m just going to be who I am, not try to do too much. Play good defense, get on base and let those big guys drive me in, that’s all I can ask for.”

See, this is the type of thing that makes me smile. He's a happy, confident adult but he's got this sweet, innocent side to him. There's a little bit of reluctance to access that side of himself but I think he should just revel in it.

He had this to say about his wrist:

“I’m good, I’m fine. A week after I got my cast off, it felt fine. I did all the rehab and I’ve been hitting since the first of the year.”

and

"No pain, man, that’s about it. It’s pretty common, not a big deal. Once I got that thing out, I could feel it the first day.”

The first quote is good news. The second, well, I have no idea what he's actually talking about. I suppose that it's the last part that confuses me. I suppose the interviewer probably asked if he was in pain, which would explain the first part of the quote. Then Pedroia decided to downplay the injury in the second part. I think the "that thing" in the third part must refer to his hamate bone but I don't understand what he could "feel the first day." The bone? Did they give it to him as a souvenir?

He's spent his winter working out at the Athletes' Performance Institute in AZ with Youkilis and Manny; twice per day, six times per week. He's been focusing on speed, agility, and, apparently, Ping Pong.

Doug Mirabelli, no. 28

Because Wednesday is Prince spaghetti night (I swear it made sense in my head. Also, it turns out that his middle name is Anthony, so there you go.)

Birth Date: October 18, 1970 in Kingman, AZ

Height/Weight: 6'1", 205 lbs.

College: Wichita State University

Contract: Though not yet official, word is: he'll get $550,000 for the year.

Aww, Doug. When I apologized to you I meant only that I was wrong for implying that your job was easy. I didn't mean that all was forgiven and that you should go out and ink a new deal. We still have the problems of your general inability to hit the ball and your (at best) average defensive play to deal with.

Mirabelli's Batting Average for last season was just .202, which is getting down into pitcher territory. He had 23 hits and struck out 41 times (almost 36%). He walked 11 times. All of which led to his On Base Percentage being a minuscule .278. Aided by only 8 extra base hits (3 doubles and 5 home runs) his Slugging average topped out at only .360. His On-base Plus Slugging was, therefore, only .638.

His Fielding Percentage is slightly better than league average (.995 compared to .991). He had 194 put outs, 19 assists, 4 double plays and was charged with only 1 error. He also had 6 Passed Balls. His Range Factor this past season (6.55), however, was below the league average (7.28). It's the first time since the 2000 season that his RF9, as a catcher, has been below the league average.

I suppose the fact that defensively he's nearly a league average catcher when he catches almost exclusively for a knuckleballer is impressive. And I suppose that he is only the backup catcher and as such being league average is pretty good. Tim Wakefield likes him and I like Wakefield, so I should probably find it in my heart to be nice to Doug. It's hard though; it's much more fun to poke fun at him. He does have a sense of humor, according to Schilling.

Next season, who knows? He is 37. I wouldn't expect too much from him offensively. He might be able to pick things up if he lost some weight though. Defensively, I suppose it depends on how well Wake's shoulder holds up next season and if he can manage to keep himself healthy, as well.

Hideki Okajima, no. 37

Birth Date: December 25, 1975 in Kyoto, Japan

Height/Weight: 6'1", 195 lbs.

Contract: 2 years at $2.5 million (through 2008)

Okajima played in 66 games last season; during which he pitched 69 innings. He faced 272 batters and Struck Out 63 of them (23%). 50 of those batters got hits off him, 6 of which were home runs. He walked 17 batters and hit one with a pitch. He allowed 17 runs, all of them earned. All of which resulted in a very impressive Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched of only .971.

In Japan he played ten seasons for the Yomiuri Giants and one season with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (tee hee). He was mostly a set up man in Japan, though he did occasionally work as a starter. He has a fast ball that sits in the mid to high eighties, he has a splitter in the low eighties, and a curve ball in the low to mid seventies. His best pitch is his changeup, which sits in the low eighties.

Francona has described Okajima as quiet and cautious. In Japan he was known for being serious. He seems very polite, very respectful, very Japanese. He seems very sweet; when he first arrived at spring training last season, he admitted to liking romantic movies citing Ghost, Pretty Woman, and Autumn in New York as his favorites (possibly those were the last ones that he'd seen or the first that occurred to him.)

I think that next season probably won't be as successful for Okajima. Part of the allure of Japanese pitchers is that the first year they're here they can be hard for American batters to figure out; during their second season, however, that element of surprise (if you like) is gone and they become much more hittable. He seems intelligent, though, so maybe he can beat the pattern.

Manny Ramirez, no. 24

Birth Date: May 30, 1972 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Height/Weight: 6'0", 190 lbs.

Contract: 8 years at $160 million (through 2008)

Manny Ramirez had a down year last season and yet, it was still extremely impressive. His Batting Average was a very good .296. He had 143 hits; 33 of them were doubles, 1 was a triple, and 20 home runs. He scored 84 runs and batted in 88. He Struck Out 92 times (19%) and Walked 71 times (14%). He had 8 Sacrifice Flies. He was Intentionally Walked 13 times and Hit By a Pitch 7 times. All of which contributed to an On Base Percentage of .388 and a Slugging average of .493. His On base Plus Slugging was a very respectable .881 (it was his lowest OPS since his rookie year.)

He played 120 games in left field last season. He had 182 Put Outs and 8 Assists but was charged with 2 Errors. He has a reputation as a lazy outfielder but his Fielding Percentage last season was .990, a little above the league average of .985. His Range Factor, which is used to determine the amount of field a player covers, holds up his reputation. His Range Factor per 9 Innings was 1.72, when the league average was 2.11.

He has a reputation as a bit of a space cadet. He seems self-centered (he does what he wants without regard to what is expected from him) but not in a malicious way. He's just sort of oblivious. He's an eccentric and let's just leave it at that.

Manny is probably in an age-related decline. He missed twenty-odd games at the end of last season because of a strained left oblique muscle. That being said, he has apparently spent the winter getting into great shape. With the plate discipline he has displayed in the past, if he shows up to spring training in excellent shape, then he could have a monster season next year.

Jonathan Papelbon, no. 58

Birth Date: November 23, 1980 in Baton Rouge, LA

Height/Weight: 6'4", 230 lbs.

College: Mississippi State University (He majored in educational psychology. Can you just imagine him around kids? It'd be a hoot.)

Contract: Last year he made $425,500. He'll be eligible for arbitration in 2009 and he'll be a free agent in 2012.

Last season Papelbon played in 59 games and pitched 58.3 innings. He was credited with 1 win, 3 losses, and 37 saves. He faced 224 batters and gave up 30 hits. He struck out 84 and walked 15. He allowed 12 runs, all of them earned. He allowed 5 hitters to hit home runs (2%). All of which contributed to an impressive Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched of .771.

In the American League Championship Series, he pitched 5 innings. He allowed 3 hits, walked 2, struck out 3, and allowed no earned runs. During the World Series he pitched 4.1 innings, allowing 2 hits and striking out 3.

I don't know why I like Jonathan Papelbon. I've said before that it was because of the way he speaks but I'm not really sure about that. I think it's because he comes across as completely guileless. He like a naive little kid; he wants to be in the Hall of Fame, he's going to become a cadrillion-aire because of some crazy investment in a website that makes you wear special pieces-of-flair buttons in public.

Sometimes he seems like the type of guy for whom things just work out. Like he's a lucky bastard and every thing's always coming up Jonathan. Other times I worry that he might be a roman candle; not just in baseball but in life, as well. [aside: I know that may sound trite. You do a search for Kerouac and Roman Candle and you get 35,000 hits, mostly of people saying things like "I only hang out with roman candles" "I wish I were a roman candle" "I'm going to get a tattoo of roman candle on my ankle" blah, blah, blah and you wonder if they ever actually read On The Road. Being a roman candle isn't a good thing. By the end of the novel, Dean Moriarity had lost the use of his hand, was divorced thrice over but was living with his second wife. He'd come back to New York but couldn't remember why and couldn't form a coherent thought. In the last scene, Sal Paradise was riding in a chauffeured Cadillac uptown and Dean was left in the cold, alone, to walk back to the train station.] Regardless, he seems like he would be a cool person to hang out with; like he'd be up for anything as long as it was new and exciting.

In the past, he's had problems with his shoulder. The last two years he's gone to Spring Training with the intention of being a starting pitcher but his shoulder wasn't anatomically capable of performing the work. If he keeps his shoulder strong, then there could be many more years of Papelbon shutting down opposing batters to come.

Shouldn't They Call it Round-tine?

On a recent aimless ramble across the Internet I happened upon this interview with Coco Crisp from Sports Illustrated-March 6, 2006. Now, I have a well-documented thing for center-fielders and the interview did absolutely nothing to diminish my love of Crisp but this:

"...Josh Beckett is new, too, so I'll put him on the spot -- say how funny he is
before an interview so he has to come up with something good."

gave me pause.

What?

Perhaps it's because I don't generally pay too much attention to Josh Beckett and I'm out of the loop but I don't recall him ever being intentionally funny. I've laughed at him. A lot. But unless the dumb-hayseed-thing is an act (in which case I would say that he might have missed his calling), it's not quite the same thing.

When I first read it I thought that maybe Crisp was making fun of Beckett-Crisp didn't think that Beckett was funny but Beckett thought himself to be hilarious (which doesn't seem like it would be totally outside the realm of reality)-but now I'm not so sure. They might both be delusional or I suppose (if I was going to be kind) there might be a hidden side to Josh Beckett.

Josh, kitten, this might sound harsh, but eye-rolling and mono-syllabic answers to questions are neither funny nor are they good responses.

Alex Cora, no. 13

Birth Date: October 18, 1975 in Caguas, Puerto Rico
Height/Weight: 6'0", 180 lbs.
College: University of Miami
Contract: 2 years at $4 million (through 2008)


As a utility infielder Cora doesn't get many at bats. He played in only 83 games with 207 at bats last season. His Batting Average for last season was an uninspiring .246, it was above his lifetime batting average of .244, though. His Slugging percentage was an alright .386. He had 51 Hits, Walked only 7 times (3%), and Struck Out 23 times (11%). He bunted 7 times and had 2 sacrifice flies.


Last season, he played 47 games at second base, 33 games at short stop, and 1 game at first base. At second base he had 67 Put Outs, 95 Assists, turned 20 Double Plays, and was charged with 1 Error. All of which puts his Fielding Percentage at .994, well above the league average of .985. His Range Factor per game was 3.45, well below the league average of 4.54; his Range Factor per nine innings, however, was 4.9o, much closer to the league average of 4.98. The difference could be explained by the fact that as a utility player, he didn't play many complete games. Range Factor per Game is determined by Put Outs plus Assists divided by the number of Games played; players who play more during the game have more opportunities to get Put Outs and Assists.


At short stop he had 25 Put Outs and 69 Assists. He made 18 Double Plays and was charged with 3 Errors. His Fielding Percentage was .969, just shy of the league average of .970. His Range Factor per 9 innings was 4.18, below the league average of 4.47. His outing at first base was not as successful. He played only 3 innings. During which, he had 1 Put Out and was charged with 1 Error.

In the clubhouse Cora is known for his knowledge of baseball and baseball statistics; other players, apparently, ask him about the players of the team they are about to face. During the on-field interviews after the World Series, there was talk of Cora becoming a manager. He brushed it off, saying he wasn't ready yet.

Alex Cora is a decent utility infielder. Next season probably looks to be more of the same. He's a year older but he's never made a trip to the disabled list (he doesn't really play enough games for that to be an issue, anyway.) As is common, he might play even better because it's a contract year.

Tim Wakefield, no. 49

Birth Date: August 2, 1966 in Melbourne, FL

Height/Weight: 6'2", 204 lbs.

College: Florida Institute of Technology

Contract: 1 year at $4 million (through forever)

Tim Wakefield's Earned Run Average (4.76) would make him look like an average pitcher (the league average was 4.74) and I suppose, technically, it would make him an average pitcher. His Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched was 1.349. He gave up 191 hits and 22 home runs. He struck out 110 and walked 64. He also threw 10 wild pitches.

Defensively, he had 14 put outs and 22 assists. He made no errors and contributed to 3 double plays. He had a perfect Fielding Percentage (1.000) above the league average fielding percentage (.955). He had a Range Factor of 1.16, well above the league average range factor of .42.

The thing about a knuckle ball is that the attributes that make it difficult to hit, also make it difficult to control and to catch. Purposefully, the pitch has very little spin to it. Because it has so little spin, it is more likely to be acted on by outside forces, such as air currents. Think throwing a football ball. If you throw a football with a tight spiral, then it goes quickly where you aimed the throw. If you throw a football (as I would) with a loose spiral, then it doesn't travel as quickly, sort of wobbles through the air, and ends up where you aimed it if you're lucky. Knuckle ball pitchers throw a lot of balls, knuckle ball catchers have a lot of passed balls.

At this point, I think it's important that I apologize to Doug Mirabelli. I think that I have been unduly unkind to him. In the past I have shot my mouth off with such gems as: How hard can it be to catch a knuckle ball? Clearly, it is a difficult task and I know that now.

Julio Lugo, no. 23

Birth Date: November 16, 1975 in Barahona, Dominican Republic

Height/Weight: 6'1", 175 lbs.

College: Connors State Junior College in Oklahoma

Contract: 4 years at $36 million (through 2010)

Lugo had a down season last year. His Batting Average was just .237. Historically, his Batting Average has been .275. He walked only 48 times last season (8%) and struck out 82 times (14%). So, his On Base Percentage was just .294, as opposed to .345 (which it used to be.) His Slugging Average was only .349, when it had been .403. The two combined equal a measly .643 for his On Base plus Slugging.

Defensively, Lugo struggled this year, as well. His fielding has always been just about average and this season, he came in a little below average. He made 214 Put Outs, had 360 Assists, and was charged with 19 Errors. All of which led to his Fielding Percentage being .968 (the league average was .970) and his Range Factor being 3.96 (the league average was 3.97.)

He's another quiet guy, about whom I know little. He is very good at jumping and seems to do that quite a bit. He gets along famously with David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. I think he's similar to one of them. I read a story (it must have been on A Red Sox Fan From Pinstripe Territory, I can't find it now) about Lugo coming out for a game in Varitek's jersey-so either he's got Manny's space cadet tendencies or Ortiz's love of practical jokes.

As for next season, I can't think of any reason for his poor performance last season. He played 147 games. He wasn't injured; at least, he wasn't on the disabled list. My guess is that it was slump that started to snowball on him and he couldn't break out of it-maybe he should ask Youkilis for help if is happens again. He always looked kind of scared when he came up to bat, with that nervous little pluck of his sleeve. If it was an extended slump, then it's both good and bad news. Chances are that he'll return to his previous numbers next season. But if he should start to slide and his confidence is that shaken again, then it will probably be a return to more of the same.

Intervention-Papi style

So, I hate the Vitamin Water ad. I hate it with a passion. Can't stand to watch it. It's awful. This made me happy, though. He's so damn lovable.

The first time I saw it I didn't catch what is was for because I was so busy squee-ing over Mr. Ortiz. Also, the lion made no sense to me at all (apparently it's the lion from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe movie).

There was another one that I saw on TV tonight but I can't seem to find it on the ol' interwebs. It had the same cast of characters and they had followed the guy (I think they called him Steve) into his kitchen. They were reprimanding him and David's line was something like: "Do I come into your work and talk on the phone while your trying to do your job?" It reminded me of Seinfeld so it made me doubly happy.

Mike Timlin, no. 50

Birth Date: March 10, 1966 in Midland, TX
Height/Weight: 6'4", 210 lbs.
College: Southwestern University (where he was a Phi Delt. Can't say that's completely unexpected)
Contract: 1 year at $3 million

Mike Timlin pitched in fifty games last season. He pitched either 55.3 innings (baseball-reference.com) or 55.1 innings (thebaseballcube.com) depending on who you ask. During those innings, he gave up 46 hits and 23 runs (21 of them earned.) He also gave up 7 home runs. He walked 14 batters and struck out 31. He's got a good fastball. His slider has a nice downward break, that results in a lot of ground balls. He had 4 put outs and 9 assists but was charged with 2 errors.

His numbers are decent but his real value lies in the experience and leadership that he brings to the bullpen. This upcoming season will be the eighteenth season that he's played major league ball. He's got three (shortly to be four) World Series champion rings. After the 2004 World Series Terry Francona said something to the effect of: Keith Foulke might be the closer but the bullpen is lead by Timlin. I really believe that all that silliness that went on last season in the bullpen, that helped them meld into the best bullpen in the game, was on Mike Timlin.

His success next season depends on whether he can keep himself healthy of not. He's had shoulder problems in the past, which is to be expected because (new mantra): Pitchers deteriorate with age. If he can maintain his shoulder then he'll probably put up numbers similar to this season's numbers.

Roger.

Roger Clemens in happier times.

I first should say that I didn't watch the interview. The transcript is up on Boston.com and it doesn't make me happy.

I really don't know whether to believe him or not. Call me bitter, but when he left the Sox and suddenly got better it pissed me off. I was a freshman/sophomore in high school his first year in Toronto, being a Sox fan was not yet something I could wear with pride, and he goes and screws us? Blah. I think I decided then that he was on steroids and resigned myself to that fact.

So when the report came out and he was named, all I thought was: Way to be obvious, Georgie. Now, Clemens comes out with this interview and I don't know what to think anymore. Part of me really wants to believe him and the other part is yelling at me for being a naive, sentimental girl. The thinking part tells me that pitchers do not get better in their mid-thirties from simply working out harder, unless their previous work outs were crap. They just don't. They get weaker with age. The body deteriorates. Throwing a baseball is not a natural movement-it wears down your elbow and your shoulder. [aside: I was wicked sore this morning from playing Wii baseball yesterday. It said that I could throw a 94 mph fastball and I'm fairly certain that this would translate into real life. Right?] The other part of me insists: But it's Roger Clemens. You remember Roger Clemens. Come on, he was great! (She was also the one who had me worried back in May, when I knew that he was a washed up pitcher and wouldn't really help the Yankees.)

But he's Roger. He's the Rocket. I'll tell you what he meant to me. When I was in first grade my sister and I played on the T-Ball team that our Dad coached. One of the fundraisers that they did was to take your picture, slap it on a baseball card, and sell it to your Mom. On the back they put your height, your weight, handed-ness, and (because nobody had any stats) they listed your favorite team and your favorite player. My Dad filled out the information for both of us. He listed us both as Red Sox fans. According to my Dad, I was a big Wade Boggs fan and my sister was a Roger Clemens fan. I was so jealous of my sister that she got to be a Roger Clemens fan. I had no idea who in the hell Wade Boggs was but at five I knew Roger Clemens and I knew that he was great.

But now? I just don't know. I've spent so long believing that he was on steroids and thinking that he sucked. I really want to believe him but I know that I shouldn't. I suppose that in my heart of hearts I don't believe him but that makes me sad. I mean, come on, he's Roger Clemens, a baseball god. And then it makes me angry. Even if we go with the assumption that it was pure Roger during his time in Boston, his whole career becomes suspect. All that time spent idolizing a man who turns out to be nothing more than a cheater.

Happy Birthday Jon!

Today is Jon Lester's birthday and since he's still on the roster, I will wish him a happy birthday. He's led an extraordinary life. To have pitched the clinching game of the World Series at the age of 23 is very impressive. I certainly hadn't accomplished as much by my 24th birthday. Many happy and healthy returns to you, sir!

J. D. Drew, no. 7

After my seeming inability to form coherent sentences yesterday in the face of baseball greatness; today, we have a reality check.






Birth Date: November 20, 1975 in Valdosta, GA

Height/Weight: 6'1", 195 lb.

College: Florida State University

Contract: 5 years for $30 million (through 2011): The last two years are voidable if he spends too much time on the disabled list.

Drew's Batting Average for last season was .270; it's not terrible. He struck out 100 times (21.46%) but walked 79 times (16.95%), so his On Base Percentage (.373) was pretty decent. His Slugging Average, however, was only .423-a career low. The two combined for his On Base plus Slugging is equal to a measly .796. He was brought in for his ability to hit Home Runs but only managed to hit 11 last season-another career low. He managed to create only 74 runs.

Drew's fielding has always been below average and last season was no different. [aside: When selecting a picture to go with this entry, I decided to be kind and go with a positive action shot but it would have been just as easy to go with a misplayed ball. Half of the pictures I have are of errors he made.] His Fielding Percentage in right field was .977 and in center field was .923, the league average for those two positions was .985 and .992 respectively. His Range Factor in right field was 1.62 and the league average was 1.77. His Range Factor in center field was 3.00 and was actually above the league average of 2.42 (probably because he only played 4 games in center field and didn't have enough opportunities to screw up.)

There's little to say about Drew's personality. He's been called indifferent and apathetic. People seem to think that he doesn't have a passion for baseball and doesn't care whether his team wins or loses. I think he's a lot like Varitek, without the bad ass/slightly scary edge to him. He seems serious and quiet, maybe a little bit of an introvert. I don't think it's possible to be a professional baseball player without being passionate about baseball, simply because of all that it entails.

I also think that Drew should be given a pass for last year's performance; not simply because of his son's health issues but also because if we are willing to give National League pitchers a year to get used to American League batters, shouldn't we be willing to give National League batters some time to get used to American League pitchers? That being said, if he manages to get through next season without sticking his hand in front of a pitch and doesn't improve, then I'd be more than willing to throw him under the bus.

It seems unlikely but if they could find someone to take him off their hands, then it would solve their outfielder problem. They could keep Coco in center, put Jacoby in right, and bring back Kielty. They would be a down a potentially powerful bat, though.

David Ortiz, no. 34

Well, it was guaranteed to happen. Of course, I didn't think it would happen quite that quickly but when you lead as exciting a life as my own, you come to expect that sort of thing.

Birth Date: November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Height/Weight: 6'4", 230

Contract: 4 years for $52 million (through 2010)

Last season, David Ortiz had a monster Batting Average of .332. His On Base Percentage was a very impressive .445. His Slugging was a mighty impressive .621 and his On Base Plus Slugging (1.066) was one one-thousandth of a point behind the league leader (Alex Rodriguez.) He hit 35 Home Runs (19% of his total hits) and his Runs Created for last season was 151.

David Ortiz is a charmer, well loved by everyone. The simple evidence of this is the way that he talks to everyone he encounters on the field and eventually they all talk back to him. He's got a smile that could light up a room and a good relationship with all of his teammates. It's almost hard to talk about him without sounding like I'm gushing.

He has had health problems in the past. In 2006, he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat but cleared to continue playing. This season, he battled a torn meniscus in his right knee and shoulder problems. He had surgery on the knee after the season was over and judging by the way he's been strutting around at basketball and football games I would guess that he's recovering nicely.

I can see Ortiz having a better year in 2008 than he had in 2007, which is extremely impressive. I suppose it could go the other way if his health problems catch up with him. If he takes care of himself, and he seems like the type to do so, then he should be all right.

Lets just leave it as he's a great baseball player and a great person.

Checking in with Bobby

There was a little interview in the Herald with Bobby Kielty today. He wants to come back:

"I'm just waiting it out. Unless another team comes in with an unbelievable
offer, I'm just going to wait it out and see what happens. I love Boston and I'm
hoping something can work out."

Awww.

He also says that he's willing to try hitting righty exculsively:

"It's something where I can try it for the first few weeks of spring training
and if I don't like it I can go back. It's one of those things that is a
catch-22 because I really need to be getting at-bats to be effective
left-handed, which I know I can do, but I'm probably more valuable as a
switch-hitter off the bench."

Kudos for the literary reference (it's not really a catch-22 the way it's worded but you can force it: His value as a bench player lies in him being a switch-hitter and effective. If he's a switch-hitter, then he isn't as effective. If he's going to be effective, then he isn't going to be a switch-hitter. Sort of. It's not what he was trying to say but it is a catch-22.)

He is also getting in great shape.

"I'm excited about how I feel. I'm finally where I need to be."

This one confuses me. I know the picture is from back in his As days (which rhymes) but I don't see how he could be in any better shape than that. I would imagine that the only part of him that would be remotely soft would be his hair.

He is also, apparently, quite the poker player. He won the Eddie Guardado Charity Poker Tournament for the second year in a row.

Curt Schilling, no. 38 (What you didn't know that?)

Birth Date: November 14, 1966 in Anchorage, AK

Height/Weight: 6'5", 235 lb. (probably less in the spring, though)

College: Yavapai Junior College

Contract: 1 year at $8 million

Ah, Curt. It's hard to just talk stats on the guy. I suppose it's that there's nothing cut and dry about Curt Schilling. It's not: here are his stats and here he is as a person, it's all tangled up in one ball of emotion. Probably because he was portrayed as our saviour before he came here and then managed to live up to the hype. He did a Ford commercial (it must have been January/February 2004) where he was hitch hiking along a southwestern-y road (deserts and mesas in the background) and he was turning down lifts (until the guy in the Ford truck came along) with a line like "No, thanks. I'm going to Boston to break an eighty-six year old curse." It's burned into my memory and maybe he bought into the hype a little bit, I don't know.

Anyway, last season he managed to put up a win-loss ratio of 9 to 8. His Earned Run Average (3.87) is above average, as is his Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched (1.245). He was a good pitcher last season. His fast ball might have slowed down a bit but he still has amazing control; he faced 633 batters last season and walked under 4% of them (23). He gave up 21 home runs but managed to strike out 101 batters. And he continued to be a post season monster-god (except for against Cleveland.)

I suppose that the way I feel about Curt Schilling can best be exemplified by the fact that prior to today, I had only one photograph of him saved on my computer (I am now the proud saver of 3 Schilling photos.) There are a bunch where he is incidental but there was only one picture of him solo. He's there, you know he's there, there's no chance of you forgetting that he's there, but sometimes you wish that he would just fade into the background a little bit.

It's not that I don't like Schilling. It's just that I hate watching him pitch. What with the sweating, and the brow wiping, and the hat adjusting, and the peering in like he can't quite make out the sign, he just seems nervous when he's on the mound. And empathetic soul that I am, he makes me nervous; every strike is a miracle and every hit was absolutely expected. It's not the way to enjoy a baseball game.

And yes, his moral compass and general pomposity can be grating. He has preachy tendencies. He could use an upgrade to his internal editor (and an external editor for his blog wouldn't be a bad investment.) And, on principle, I generally dislike it when people give their children cutesy names. But he does a lot of good; he's a very charitable guy.

I think if he manages to lose the weight and get back in shape (and it looks like he's already making progress), then he'll still be a force to be reckoned with in 2008, especially if he can avoid injury again.

Jason Varitek, no.33

Birthday: April 11, 1972 in Rochester, MI

Height/Weight: 6'2", 210 lb.

College: Georgia Institute of Technology (Major: Management)

Contract: 4 years for $40 million (through 2008)

The man can't hit a lick. His Batting Average is a paltry .255. When he does get a piece of a ball, he can really loft it. He hit 17 home runs last season; a little over 15% of his hits. His home runs travelled an average of 392.5 feet. But he strikes out. A lot. Like 28% of the time. He also walks a lot. Last season he walked 71 times, which is about 16% of his total at bats. So his On Base Percentage (.367) ended up being pretty decent.

Defensively, he had 937 putouts and 39 assists, while only making 6 errors. His Fielding Percentage (.994) was slightly above the league average (.991). His Range Factor (7.81) was well above the league average (6.41) and was very similar to the Range Factor he had in 2004 (7.87) when he finished first in the league.

He seems like a quiet, serious guy; intense and fierce. He's smart, all the pitchers will tell you that, and he calls a good game. But he seems guarded and very private. It's why I like that photo. That hat is about to come down and cover his face until he can compose himself and conceal his emotions but for the split second before it does you can tell that he is genuinely happy. And Nomar. I like the picture because it has Nomar.

With absolutely no proof (and maybe just because I want it to be so), I think that just below the surface lurks a trouble-maker. He's a bad ass-I know that it's terribly cliche and, therefore, boring to call him a bad ass but would you tell Jason Varitek to "Go suck an egg"? I don't think so.

I think, barring any injury, 2008 will probably be similar to 2007 for Mr. Varitek. He has stayed healthy in the past (only going on the DL in 2001 and 2006) so here's hoping. His hitting will probably go down some. His fielding has been pretty consistent over the past 11 seasons, so that will probably be about the same.

A New Year, A New Project

I received the World Series DVDs for Christmas and have been watching a lot of baseball lately as a result. It's a sort of bittersweet experience; there's the residual fun and excitement but it's tinged with a whiny "I miss baseball." So, in order to sustain my baseball-deprived brain, I've come up with a project.

There are forty-four days (or forty-three depending on how you count) until pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training. There are also forty men on the active roster. Coincidence? Absolutely. But I intend to make the most of it.

Here's my proposal: Player profiles. Between now and Valentine's Day (or until I get bored and abandon the project), I will present a player per day. It's nearly perfect, especially given the fact that I'm allowed a few days to completely flake. Will my profiles be particularly erudite and insightful? Nope. But I need some way to occupy my mind.

Also, I know that your forty man roster isn't necessarily set at the start of Spring Training but I figure to start with the guys who are most likely to come back next season and work my way through. And if I get a couple of extra days at the end, well bully for me.

As an added bonus: It occurs to me that I won't have to spend so much time trying to come up with somewhat creative titles and this pleases me.

So, without further ado:

Mike Lowell (no. 25)

Born: February 24, 1974 in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Height/Weight: 6'4", 205 lb.

College: Florida International University (major: Finance)

Contract: 3 years for $37.5 million (through 2010)

2003 and 2004 were Mike Lowell's years; his slugging average (.530 and .505) and his Home Run count (32 and 27) were the best numbers he ever posted. Offensively, though, had a pretty good season in 2007. His slugging average was .501 and he hit 21 home runs. His batting average (.324) was the highest it's ever been, his On Base Percentage (.378) was the highest it's ever been. His Runs Batted In was also his highest ever (120), but that has more to do with the players batting in front of you than an individual skill set. I think if you remove the anomalous 2005 season (which I know isn't a particularly unbiased way of doing things but whatever) his numbers are remarkably steady over the eight full seasons he has played.

Defensively, Mike Lowell was a slightly above average player in 2007 (his Fielding Percentage was .961 and the League Fielding Percentage was .957). It's mostly because he was charged with a career high number of errors (15) and for him just about an average number of putouts (105). He did turn more double plays (34) than he batted into (19).

A lot of Mike Lowell's value comes from his presence in the clubhouse. Supposedly, he's a unifying force for the Latino guys and the American guys (maybe that's why Gagne had so much trouble-he had no Mike Lowell to stand up for him). He's a classy guy. He's got a good sense of humor. He's smart (although I have no basketball affiliations, Emeka Okafor was a smarty and he majored in finance so, therefore, Mike Lowell must also be a smarty). Plus, to be all girly for a moment, he has a really nice smile.

I think offensively 2008 will see Mike Lowell putting up similar numbers to his career averages. A decent Batting Average (.280), an On Base Percentage of .344. If he were to hit 23 home runs then, I'd be wickedly impressed. Defensively, he'll probably slide closer to just league average.