I think a case could made for the Twins too. The only major pickup they made was Luis Castillo, and he's coming off a down year. He only had 10 steals last season. But I mean, after that? They got Rondell White and an old Ruben Sierra...
Well, you know, Wells came to Boston because he wanted another chance at winning a championship and being a part of a rivalry. If he seriously thinks the Nats could be a contender this year, maybe he'd change his mind and support the deal.
Definitely. He said in an interview on New England Sports Tonight (I only watched that horrid show because nothing else was on) that he and Mirabelli were really close friends. He also said, though, that he has confidence in all the catchers in camp now to do the job.
It says on the PawSox website that Shawn Wooten is the cather there plus some other guy. But it has Kelly Shoppach there too, so it's not that up-to-date. I would say we could send Bard to AAA if he doesn't win the job, but not in the long run. And that actually makes me think: if we had Bard as a backup catcher and regular catcher for Wake, would that be almost like an audition for Tek's replacement?
So out of the four candidates, who'll be catching Wakefield this season, now that Mirabelli's gone: Varitek, Flaherty, Huckaby, or Bard? I put Tek in there, but I don't seriously think he'll be doing the job.
They'd better get Wells out soon though. He sounds like he's been separating himself from the rest of the team while awaiting a trade, and if he isn't traded, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts causing problems in the clubhouse.
That would be kinda neat if you could etch the names of the winners on it like the Stanley Cup. I don't know if it would really work with that trophy's design though.