Your Cheatin Heart.

You can't really blame John Lackey. Huge smile, giant hugs, David Ortiz is irresistible. The sooner Josh Beckett comes to gripes with that the better.

Pitchers...

John Lackey.



Daisuke Matsuzaka.

I Like John Lackey.

I'm kind of proud of myself. Through sheer force of will, I've almost convinced myself that I like John Lackey. I knew that if I looked hard enough, that I could find a reason to like John Lackey. And on February 6, the Child Abuse Prevention Center in Orange, CA held a casino night fundraiser and John Lackey attended. Said Lackey:

"Any time you can help kids by healthy and successful, it's great."

So that's a redeeming feature. And it's just in time, too.

Getting to Know You. Or, Old Habits Die Hard.

Getting to like John Lackey may be more difficult than I anticipated. Just a few seconds into his presser I ended up snarling "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you." at the television screen. I hate his stupid little beady eyes and his pointy teeth and his mole and his under-bite and his mouth-breathing. He might as well be called John Hapsburg. And to top it all off, that voice. Oy.

The prima donna thing may be overplayed because he is reportedly a good teammate (but, of course, I can't find the article) just extremely passionate. And he's a ballplayer not a politician, so the lack of eloquence may be forgiven.

See? Little by little I'll probably come around.





But Mike Cameron and I? While in terms of the ability to cast off the cliches he's not Justin Masterson (whom I am convinced has a preacher inside him), Mike Cameron and I are cool. He seems genuinely happy to be here. He and Francona go back a long way. And he plays a mean centerfield.

But Which Is Theo?

Busy Day.

I like John Lackey. I like John Lackey. I like John Lackey. I figure that if I start repeating it to myself now, I'll be able to convince myself of it by spring training. If Manny and Papelbon can be charming, then so can Lackey, his ugly mug, and his hissy fit throwing ways.

It's a good move, though. (Even if it is, seemingly, superfluous.) Dependent on the health of his elbow, he's a good pitcher; easily a top of the rotation starter on most teams. He's a fierce competitor, if the past ALCS is any indication. And it frees up Theo to move Buchholz for a bat, if necessary. I like Clay but if he becomes all that he can become, how much better than Lackey will he really be? Plus, it keeps him away from the Yankees--which, while it should never be the main motivation of making a move--is always a nice bonus. And it's a kick in the teeth to the Angels.

All that money on Lackey (and five years does seem like a long time) almost assuredly means that the Sox have moved on from Bay. But this Mike Cameron rumor, coupled with my love of slick fielding centerfielders almost makes up for it. Maybe.