Tony G. Wants To Return

[yankeessuck013]

Grateful For The Ovation

 

Graffanino Wants To Return

 

BOSTON -- Red Sox second baseman Tony Graffanino sat in front of his locker with his head down. He didn't want to believe the season was over.

 

Graffanino's error in Game 2 of the American League Division Series was a pivotal moment in the series, one he will likely replay in his mind over the winter. It appears Red Sox fans have already forgiven him.

 

Graffanino received a loud ovation when he was introduced Friday at Fenway Park.

 

"I was moved beyond belief," Graffanino said. "I was definitely touched. And if I allowed it to happen, I could have cried because I wasn't really sure what was going to happen. Those kind of things mean so much. I don't think people can really describe it. That was a huge moment for me. That's something I'll never forget."

 

Graffanino, a free agent, wants to return for a second season with the Red Sox.

 

"I'd love to," Graffanino said. "This is by far the most fun I've had in my baseball career. I think part of it is I'm playing in this environment with that kind of crowd. This is just a blast."

 

Graffanino, 29, was acquired July 19 from Kansas City. He hit .319 in 51 games.

 

There are seven other Red Sox players eligible for free agency this winter: Johnny Damon, Mike Timlin, Bill Mueller, Kevin Millar, Mike Myers, John Olerud and Matt Mantei.

 

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein is also in the last year of his contract.

 

Papelbon Impressive

 

Red Sox rookie Jonathan Papelbon pitched 22/3 scoreless innings in his first postseason.

 

"For me it was a blessing," Papelbon said. "I gained a lot of experience that a lot of other guys might not have a chance to do. For me, I'm going to learn from it and feel how it is and all the things that come along with the dramatic postseason play."

 

Papelbon, 24, is expected to be in the rotation next season.

 

"He did a fantastic job," Epstein said. "We take him for granted. He's a young guy in a big spot. He performed really well."

 

Wells Undecided

 

David Wells said he hasn't decided if he will retire. It's unlikely because he has another year on his contract.

 

"I got all off-season to figure it out and see what's going on," Wells said. "I'm not going to make any definite statement." ... Manny Ramirez hit his 19th and 20th career postseason homers to move past Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle into second place on the all-time list. Ramirez also became the 10th player in team history to hit two homers in a postseason game. ... David Ortiz and Ramirez became the first Red Sox players to hit back-to-back homers in the postseason since Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman did it in the 1986 World Series against Mets pitcher Ron Darling. ...

[Soxfan1]

Graff is great here. If we can't get soriano I say resign him.

[riverside sluggers]

Cool that he feels the way, he obviosuly has struck a chord with Red Sox Nation from the first day he donned #10 on his back. Even then, knowing little about him Fenway Faithful gave him a standing ovation with his first hit which was a high double off of the green monster.

 

more importantly his error in game 2 against the chi sox which proved costly, that didnt make much question the player he was after seeing him react, knowing he just messed things up. Seeing that standing ovation when they called his name yesterday was really a great thing to see. In his 10 years of playing in the majors he's been accounted for a total of just 69 errors, more or less a nice stat to have. His offense is as well a viable option to add to the red sox, a 300 hitter, had clutch hits in the 2005 season for the sox, great baserunning skills (1st time ive seen a runner on second score on an infield single)

 

I really do hope to see his name under the Red Sox batting lineup come opening day in April

[jimmycarter05]

Graff is great here. If we can't get soriano I say resign him.

 

 

THANK YOU....bout time someone else shows interest in soriano

[Soxfan1]

We saw a lot of soriano when we played the skanks and he could help our offense greatly.

[stocker323]

It looks like we're going to go with Pedroia and Cora as our 06 2B which is fine with me.

[riverside sluggers]

its true, Tony G thanks for the memories, wish the best for you

 

from Boston.com

 

Fenway forecasts

Some Red Sox issues, looking ahead: Look for the Sox to tear up manager Terry Francona's contract and give him a raise in the form of an extension, fairly soon after Theo Epstein re-ups as general manager . . . The Sox are concerned that another club will offer Johnny Damon a five-year deal, a threshold they're unwilling to cross . . . Add Tony Graffanino to the list of Sox free agents likely to be moving on. Plans now are to go with a combination of rookie Dustin Pedroia and Alex Cora at second . . . The Sox probably will offer free agent Bill Mueller arbitration, but they expect another club will offer the third baseman a two-year deal. If Mueller bites, Kevin Youkilis would become the regular third baseman . . . Outfielder/first baseman Aubrey Huff, who has a year and $6.75 million left on his contract with the Devil Rays, will be a Sox trade target . . . Keith Foulke will be back with the team in spring training, but not necessarily as the closer and quite possibly not for long. Foulke will have to prove to skeptical shoppers he is healthy and can get people out . . . Hanley Ramirez, just 21, is definitely ticketed to begin the season in Triple A . . . And while the Sox may look at top free agent pitcher A.J. Burnett, his graceless exit from the Marlins -- he ripped the team and was sent home with a week left in the season -- has hurt his appeal on the market.

[riverside sluggers]

good to at least hear Alex Cora will be back

 

he did prove he's worth having there offensively when a player has a day off or whatever. And his solid D is very valuable, how many times did we see him on the ESPN web gem plays of the dayt??

[YanksHater213]

...what was the point of posting that, when Stocker said the exact same thing a post above you?

[riverside sluggers]

did i post just the news of tony g?... no i posted the article that listed the other sox offseason plans

 

want me to take out that part of the news from my post for you to make you feel better?

[YanksHater213]

I'm an ass? Bitch please. Go find another board to spam at. You have no use here, all you do is post article from a newspaper people can read themselves, and make other useless posts 5 seconds after. No wonder you have almost 4000 posts in a few months. In threads like this, where you make 2 consecutive posts right after each other. Way to go buddy.

[jimmycarter05]

We saw a lot of soriano when we played the skanks and he could help our offense greatly.

 

amen brotha :thumbsup:

[yankeessuck013]

It looks like we're going to go with Pedroia and Cora as our 06 2B which is fine with me.

 

The Sox love Dustin's makeup. And they love his ability to draw walks. He put up a .409 OBP in Portland. After his injury in Pawtucket, he only batted .255, but still managed a .356 OBP. Damon hit .315, and only had a .366 OBP. Damon drew 53 walks in over 620 AB. Pedroia had 58 walks in 170 fewer ABs. Everyone loves Damon, but his career .355 OBP is not exactly great for a leadoff hitter. Given his minor league track record, it's reasonable that Pedroia could at least match that .355, if not far exceed it.

[noonanberg]

Personally I'd like to see a Graff/Pedroia combo over a Cora/Pedroia combo. And I definitely don't want to see Soriano. Yes he is a good second baseman, but I would rather not spend the money on him when we can save it. Plus, if Pedroia pans out sooner rather than later then we'd be in a bit of a bind. Finally, we did the same thing with Renteria and look how (cough cough) well that turned out.

[User Name]

I hope we can get Soriano, but since it now looks like Tony G will be moving on, then let it be. But I'm not too sure about our second base situation if we can't get Soriano or resign Tony G.

[jimmycarter05]

i like soriano....4 years/32-36 million is hard to walk away from

[yankeessuck013]

i like soriano....4 years/32-36 million is hard to walk away from

 

"like" is an understatement

[yankeessuck013]

Personally I'd like to see a Graff/Pedroia combo over a Cora/Pedroia combo. And I definitely don't want to see Soriano.

 

i'd like to see graff/pefroia platoon also..... cora has a reverse split.. he hit

 

.247/.310/.344/.654 against righties for the last three years.

 

:what:

[jimmycarter05]

"like" is an understatement

 

 

would really like to see him in the boston lineup

[Sox Fan on Cape]

I'm an ass? Bitch please. Go find another board to spam at. You have no use here, all you do is post article from a newspaper people can read themselves, and make other useless posts 5 seconds after. No wonder you have almost 4000 posts in a few months. In threads like this, where you make 2 consecutive posts right after each other. Way to go buddy.

Riverside Sluggers has provided more informative links, comemtary, than most of the other posters. Do you really want to review posts for substance ? You're a great poster and nw you're attacking anther great poster, why ?

[ksushi]

Why do you want to get soriano instead of going with young prospects? It doesn't make sense. sure hes a good player and is really tempting on the market, but pedroia is sooo good defensivly, ive seen him play and its great to watch, you definetly want pedroia at second next season

[ORS]

Riverside Sluggers has provided more informative links, comemtary, than most of the other posters. Do you really want to review posts for substance ? You're a great poster and nw you're attacking anther great poster, why ?

I'll bet you dollars to donuts that YH213 is mostly upset about the frequency of Riverside Sluggers and YankeesSuck013's posts. He's one of the old guard (ie the people who were here from the begining) and has spent the last few months sniping at some of the new people who have posted with a greater degree of relevancy and usefullness than he is willing to partake in. Nothing personal YH213, but you are as transparent as they come. Your most frequent complaint about the two mentioned is how quickly they compiled their total post number.

[yankeessuck013]

well mind as well put this in the Fights & Crap section ASAP

[YanksHater213]

I'll bet you dollars to donuts that YH213 is mostly upset about the frequency of Riverside Sluggers and YankeesSuck013's posts. He's one of the old guard (ie the people who were here from the begining) and has spent the last few months sniping at some of the new people who have posted with a greater degree of relevancy and usefullness than he is willing to partake in. Nothing personal YH213, but you are as transparent as they come. Your most frequent complaint about the two mentioned is how quickly they compiled their total post number.

Pssht, if I cared about their posts, I would do something about it, which I clearly havent done, so yeah, throw that out the window. I hate riverside with a passion, because he will make a post in one thread, and make another post in the same thread 2 minutes later. Come on man, how hard is it to make one post, or edit, and it clutters up the forum and GAME THREADS so f***ing much. Speaking of game threads, this is another thing they do that pisses me off. This isnt so much riverside but I'll say it anyways, its the posting with like... every pitch, and commentary at every play. I mean, come on, people can follow the games on their own. When game threads are 200-300, even 400 posts, its friggin ridiculous. Me being the busy person I am, try to read them to know what happen in a game when I miss it, but when you have clowns posting left and right I dont think you want to read a 20 page thread.

 

But trust me, if I cared about the amount of posts I have, I would have done something about it.

[Master Shake]

 

Graffanino received a loud ovation when he was introduced Friday at Fenway Park.

 

"I was moved beyond belief," Graffanino said. "I was definitely touched. And if I allowed it to happen, I could have cried because I wasn't really sure what was going to happen. Those kind of things mean so much. I don't think people can really describe it. That was a huge moment for me. That's something I'll never forget."

 

 

 

 

thats excellent. I was afraid for him after wednesday night. glad to hear the fenway faithful wasn't too hard on him.

[BoSox21]

Graff did far more good for the Sox than he did bad, there's no reason for RSN to hold a grudge against him. He solidified a spot on the field and in the batting order that was sorely needed since Bellhorn really had to business being an everyday player in the majors for any team

[SchillingIsTheNatural]

Pssht, if I cared about their posts, I would do something about it, which I clearly havent done, so yeah, throw that out the window. I hate riverside with a passion, because he will make a post in one thread, and make another post in the same thread 2 minutes later. Come on man, how hard is it to make one post, or edit, and it clutters up the forum and GAME THREADS so f***ing much. Speaking of game threads, this is another thing they do that pisses me off. This isnt so much riverside but I'll say it anyways, its the posting with like... every pitch, and commentary at every play. I mean, come on, people can follow the games on their own. When game threads are 200-300, even 400 posts, its friggin ridiculous. Me being the busy person I am, try to read them to know what happen in a game when I miss it, but when you have clowns posting left and right I dont think you want to read a 20 page thread.

 

But trust me, if I cared about the amount of posts I have, I would have done something about it.

 

I like reading what Riverside has to say cause he voices a good opinion. I don't care if people are wrong or right and I like seeing people post good information no matter how many times its brought up. What I don't really like are those who post something worthless with no insight of there own. Brainstorming is the most enjoyable part of this forum. Thinking up crazy ideas and exploring possibilities even if they are extremely out of reach. Who cares??? Its a forum...not like any of us are going to make the slight bit of difference in what the Red Sox do....we just like to talk about it. So who are you to say Riverside is worthless when half the stuff I read from you consists of "that will never happen." Brilliant!!!

[NotAHater]

Grateful For The Ovation

 

Graffanino Wants To Return

 

BOSTON -- Red Sox second baseman Tony Graffanino sat in front of his locker with his head down. He didn't want to believe the season was over.

 

Graffanino's error in Game 2 of the American League Division Series was a pivotal moment in the series, one he will likely replay in his mind over the winter. It appears Red Sox fans have already forgiven him.

 

Graffanino received a loud ovation when he was introduced Friday at Fenway Park.

 

"I was moved beyond belief," Graffanino said. "I was definitely touched. And if I allowed it to happen, I could have cried because I wasn't really sure what was going to happen. Those kind of things mean so much. I don't think people can really describe it. That was a huge moment for me. That's something I'll never forget."

 

Graffanino, a free agent, wants to return for a second season with the Red Sox.

 

"I'd love to," Graffanino said. "This is by far the most fun I've had in my baseball career. I think part of it is I'm playing in this environment with that kind of crowd. This is just a blast."

 

Graffanino, 29, was acquired July 19 from Kansas City. He hit .319 in 51 games.

 

There are seven other Red Sox players eligible for free agency this winter: Johnny Damon, Mike Timlin, Bill Mueller, Kevin Millar, Mike Myers, John Olerud and Matt Mantei.

 

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein is also in the last year of his contract.

 

Papelbon Impressive

 

Red Sox rookie Jonathan Papelbon pitched 22/3 scoreless innings in his first postseason.

 

"For me it was a blessing," Papelbon said. "I gained a lot of experience that a lot of other guys might not have a chance to do. For me, I'm going to learn from it and feel how it is and all the things that come along with the dramatic postseason play."

 

Papelbon, 24, is expected to be in the rotation next season.

 

"He did a fantastic job," Epstein said. "We take him for granted. He's a young guy in a big spot. He performed really well."

 

Wells Undecided

 

David Wells said he hasn't decided if he will retire. It's unlikely because he has another year on his contract.

 

"I got all off-season to figure it out and see what's going on," Wells said. "I'm not going to make any definite statement." ... Manny Ramirez hit his 19th and 20th career postseason homers to move past Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle into second place on the all-time list. Ramirez also became the 10th player in team history to hit two homers in a postseason game. ... David Ortiz and Ramirez became the first Red Sox players to hit back-to-back homers in the postseason since Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman did it in the 1986 World Series against Mets pitcher Ron Darling. ...

 

 

Keep him if you want

[jimmycarter05]

Why do you want to get soriano instead of going with young prospects? It doesn't make sense. sure hes a good player and is really tempting on the market, but pedroia is sooo good defensivly, ive seen him play and its great to watch, you definetly want pedroia at second next season

 

 

just a one year deal to give some time for our prospects to tweak out what they need to

[Sizzlin22]

I would like to see Graf return. As great a player Soriano is I don't think I'd want him. The last tihng we need is another guy who doesn't run out groundballs/ pop ups.

 

Graff hustles like few other players in the big leagues today, not to mention he can hit. You'd get a very underrated player for a relatively small price.