Who's your Daddy?

I don't often agree with a lot of what Curt has to say but this:

"Besides, New York can't gloat, the Giants are from Jersey. This one doesn't count."

made me smile. It may sound petty (and I suppose that, technically, it is) but it's true.

The interview with Curt was in the Herald and he tells us that it's okay to be sad over the Superbowl loss.

"Feel bad, be upset because your team lost. That's what being a fan is supposed to be about. But don't make this personal. And understand that you are living in some pretty damn good times for the sports franchises here in Boston."

Thanks papa Curt. I had forgotten how to be a good sport.

Dustin Brown, no. --

Birth Date: June 19, 1982 in Orange, CA

Height/Weight: 6'0", 200 lb

College: Yavapai Community College

Contract: Minor League Contract

Brown played the majority of his games last season in Portland. There, in 254 at bats, he had 68 hits, struck out 64 times, and walked 28 times. His Batting Average (.268), On Base Percentage (.344), and Slugging average (.453) were all decent. In Pawtucket he didn't fair as well. He played 8 games, struck out 10 times, walked 2 times, and had 5 hits. His Batting Average was only .185, his On Base Percentage was .241, and his Slugging average was .259.

Defensively, in Portland he had 500 put outs and 57 assists. He turned 6 double plays. He had 15 passed balls and was charged with 5 errors. In Pawtucket, he had 60 put outs and 5 assists. He turned 1 double play. He had 5 passed balls and was charged with 1 error.

The scouting report says that he is an excellent defensive catcher and calls a good game. He has a very strong arm and a decent bat. He also has good plate discipline but can be a streaky hitter. He's athletic but not particularly quick.

He played in the Arizona Fall League this past autumn and he's expected to begin in Pawtucket next year. Catchers are generally late bloomers so there are probably good things in his future.

Clay Buchholz, no. 61

Birth Date: August 14, 1984 in Nederland, TX
Height/Weight: 6'3", 191 lb.
College: Angelina Junior College
Contract: League Minimum

To be filed under: You Learn Something New Everday: There were a lot of Germans who settled in Texas. I knew there were Germans in Pennsylvania and in upstate New York but I didn't know about Texas.

Around here, German surnames are a rarity-you'll run across an occasional Snyder or Holt-but Eurpean last names, on the whole, tend to be Anglo, or Italian, or French, or possibly Polish. My guess is that few people in New England would have real trouble with Saltalamacchia but Buchholz really throws us for a loop.

Buchholz threw in 4 major league games last season, one of which was his no-hitter. Clearly way too small of a sample size to be of any use (just going on those numbers he's projected to be a 29 game winner), but the numbers are impressive: Over 22.7 innings, he struck out 22 players, gave up 14 hits, and walked 10. He had 8 starts in Pawtucket, where he struck out 55 players, gave up 32 hits, and walked 13. His Earned Run Average was kind of high at 3.96. In Portland, his ERA was a stunning 1.77 and his WHIP was only .89.

The kid has amazing stuff-he has a four seam fastball in the low to mid ninties, a two seam fastball that runs from the high eighties to the low ninties, a straight changup that runs from the high seventies to the low eighties, a circle changeup, a curveball that runs from the high seventies to the low eighties, and an average slider that sits in the low to mid-eighties. He is a little guy and he's struggled with consistency in the past but he has the potential to be very, very good.

Papelove

Jonathan Papelbon is really moving up in the world. Not only was he listed as the top closer to draft in MLB.com's Fantasy Preview for 2008 but yesterday he was an answer/question on Jeopardy.

The question/answer was something like: This closer for the 2007 Red Sox is famous for his celebratory jigs. (I don't know how much I agree with that but whatever.) None of the contestants knew the answer but I totally geeked-out all over the gym (where I happened to be when it was on.)

If everyone listened to me, then the world would be a better place.

I've tried to keep my chatter on here related to baseball or, at the least, tangentially related to the Red Sox. And so I apologize for this but it needs to be said.

All this talk about the Giants-Patriots being Red Sox-Yankees II is driving me nuts. I've tried to dismiss it as being media hype but people are buying into it and it just isn't true. My Dad and my Uncles are all Red Sox-Giants fans. This guy I work with, Mike, is one of the crazies of Red Sox fandom (Seriously. If there is a weekday afternoon game, he'll sit in his office wearing his Varitek jersey over his shirt and tie while listening to the game on the radio.) He's a Steelers fan. Sports loyalties are formed when we're young and the Patriots weren't around when these guys needed to pick a football team. If I cared one fig about football, then out of loyalty to my father I would be a Giants fan and would be hoping for a Giants victory tomorrow.

The Patriots don't have the same following as the Red Sox. With the exception of Connecticut, baseball fans in New England who aren't Red Sox fans are few and far between. It's not difficult, however, to find people who are fans of football teams other than the Patriots. Go to a sports memorabilia store if you need further proof. So it would be impossible to have the same acrimonious rivalry between the teams. Also, the NY Jets would be a better candidate for Red Sox-Yankees II than the NY Giants but that's beside the point.

It's like Christmas-I can't wait for tomorrow. Except what I really want is for tomorrow to be over, so that we can all move on. Spring Training starts in less than two weeks. And with the Santana deal being official ($137.5 million/6 years), when I search for interesting little news and tidbits I won't have to wade through hundreds of articles about Red Sox-Yankees II and Santana (will he or won't he) to find anything worth passing on.

Francona on Santana and Lester

Terry Francona gave an interview to the Associated Press today.

He talked about being glad Santana was in the National League, the rooks coming up, and how much he likes Lester. He had this to say about him (Lester):

"Jon's very aware of how I feel about him. I think he knows how the entire organization feels about him. He's got a pretty mature attitude about this whole thing. He's fine."

and I also liked this one:

"I don't want to rate the Yankees. I've got a tough enough time worrying about us. I don't know. I hope every team we play struggles."

Sean Casey, no.--

Pending a physical, meet the newest (and possibly the friendliest) member of the 2008 Boston Red Sox.

Birth Date: July 2, 1974 in Willingboro Township, NJ

Height/Weight: 6'4", 215 lb

College: University of Richmond (majored in Communications)

Contract: 1 year for either $700,000 (per Peter Gammons) or $800,000 (per Boston Globe)

Last year, Casey played 143 games for the Detroit Tigers. He had 453 At Bats and scored 40 Runs off 134 Hits. He had 30 Doubles, 1 Triple, and 4 Home Runs. His Batting Average was a pretty good .296. The mighty Casey (I know it's obvious but I can't resist) Struck Out 42 times. He Walked 39 times, he was Intentionally Walked 11 times. His On Base Percentage was a decent .353. His Slugging average was kind of low at .393. The two combine for a below average On base Plus Slugging of .746.

At first base last season, Casey had 992 Put Outs, he had 42 Assists, and was charged with 2 Errors. He turnd 87 Double Plays (78 more than he grounded into.) His Fielding Percentage was .998, which was slightly above the league average (.995). His Range Factor (9.41) was above the league average of 9.10.

I don't think anyone has ever said a bad thing about Sean Casey. He was overwhelmingly voted the game's friendliest player. He talks to everyone who happens to make it to his corner. He has a charity in Lawrence, MA that he supports that works to feed hungry people and to eliminate stereotyping.