SoxSport

The Red Sox knew it would turn out to be a bidding war with NY or LA if they didn't extend Bay at the proper time. Maybe Bay just wanted to test free agency. You don't know. But the result is a lot of nickle and diming, pushing the price up a little at a time. If that's what Bay wants, he doesn't value his Boston experience very much. So be it. Fact is either NY team can outbid the Red Sox on most any player if they want to--and in the process push the price up for every other available player. That has been going on with Steinbrenner since the advent of free agency in the late 70s. And that's why the Players Union and agents love the Yankees. The Red Sox deal from a weak position, since everybody knows they put a value on every player and won't pay beyond that. If you want a player, you just go above that value. We'll see if this happens with Bay. Boras is just patiently holding his Holliday card, waiting to see how high Bay will push Holliday's price up.

Well, this isn't done yet, but I would expect they will wind up paying Beltre close to Lowell money after dealing with Boras. The betting is he gives as good or better value than a healthy Lowell of a couple of years ago. Maybe better, if he hits at Fenway. Too early to say about Max R. He's mainly a hitting type of catcher, at least in the minor leagues. He might still have some upside on defense. Not a bad pickup if it happens. Dan S. over at Boston.com blistered the Sox this morning on their perceived rebuilding mentality. I'm not sure yet if that's accurate. Maybe if they don't sign Bay or Holliday. The Yankees clearly (and correctly) decided to win now last year with their cleanup of top tier FAs. When you have a big money advantage, you leverage it to the max. That's also true to a lesser extent in Boston--with the expensive tickets and NESN. If Epstein doesn't understand that, Lucchino or Henry will remind him. Baseball is built around big spending. The biggest spenders have the advantage.

Sounds like something that was manufactured by the NY media. Makes the Yankee deal look better and the Red Sox look bad. Fact is, Austin Jackson was NY's best AAA player, and may have more upside than Granderson. Saw him play last year a couple games in Scranton. Granderson is being portrayed in the media as the next coming of Mickey Mantle. He's a good defense/low on-base guy who can't hit LHP. He'll hit better in Yankee stadium, as most any LHd hitter does, so it's a sensible deal for NY. But MLB.com just can't get off talking about the Yankees getting Granderson. Makes you wonder why the Tigers got rid of him.

The latest chatter points toward Lowell being moved somewhere, to open up options at 3B (Beltre) or 1B (Nick Johnson?). More likely Beltre. Rowand is a possibility for Lowell, but his contract is prohibitive (3/36?). Maybe if they don't sign Bay or Holliday. This thing is still wide open. They can still go in a different directions. I tend to agree with Rosenthal that Bay or Holliday will be signed for LF. If they don't, they can sign Lackey and go for pitching and defense. I don't think Epstein will give up Buchholz for Halliday. I wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees add Halliday or Lackey and Holliday. They were successful last year using their money advantage buying up the best available talent, and there is nothing to stop them from doing it again. I don't think anybody else out there this year is willing to pay $20 mil per season to a player.

Ellsbury is a helluva player. Wish he would walk more, though, leading off. He's like Rondo of the Celtics. Almost a superstar. Youks is a superstar. Bay might be--but he had that coma mid-year. That will cost him some on his next contract. My choice? Victor Martinez. Monster numbers since coming to Boston. Tito playing Tek at this point is laughable. The Red Sox make some brilliant deals and non-deals (Buchholz comes to mind), and then do some very strange things on the field.

There seems to be a kind of mindset on the Red Sox that is disturbing--to the point you wonder how they will fare in the playoffs. First, there's the giving up on the season and targeting the playoffs--accepting the wild card a long time ago vs fighting the Yankees for 1st place. You could see that in the last couple of series against NY, where they have not played their best cards (as Shaughnessy politely says). You wonder how that sat with Pedroia, Lowell and some of the other Red Sox Champion competitors. Then there's the Tek situation. Notice how NY humanely avoided any base steals in the game today. No sense in rubbing it in. Tito knows Tek is cooked, but Tek is an insider. He has to play. Same deal with Ortiz, though Papi is gallantly trying to hang in there while his skills are declining (no, he isn't back--as the Globe says--nice try.) You have to wonder about that month of June this year (OPS >1.). How did he do it? Then, there's "fielder's indifference". Now, a runner on 2B is given 3B for free if there are 2 outs. Yeah, but what about an error, an infield hit, a wild pitch or a host of other ways a guy can score from 3B easier than 2B with 2 outs? It's bad enough a runner on 1B can get 2B for free in a 4 run game. The logic of "fielder's indifference" escapes me, except perhaps with a 10 run lead. And even then.... Never mind. In the playoffs, all of this will change--as Tito gets serious again. Hopefully.

Minor injury. And no, his career is not ruined mentally.Not by a hit off the leg. Lester is a tough dude--licked cancer. This is not Herb Score. Some of you won't remember him. He got hit in the eye by a line drive--by another Yankee, Gil McDougald. Wrecked his pitching career. Tony C got hit in the eye by a pitch. He came back big one year, but had to retire because of double vision. Tito seems to be taking this game lightly--as he seemed to do the last time they visited NY. Bringing in AAA pitchers while the game is in reach and starting Varitek (that's like throwing in half a towel).

Old Yankee luck has returned. How many SBs off Tek? They ain't goin' nowhere in the playoffs--Lester or no--if they get stolen blind like that.Tek is a dead horse.

The stats say Delcarmen has been deteriorating through the season. Hasn't anyone noticed? Tito seems to have a hard time focussing on WINNING as the priority. Wrapped up in pitch counts, who pitched yesterday, can we get Wake a decision, etc. You are paid to WIN, baby. This is a $140 million dollar team.

Time for Wake to hang 'em up. He can't go a full season anymore.

Any time you have a very good defensive SS hitting close to .300, you're doing well. AGon has some pop. He would be a better hitter if he would lay off bad pitches.

The Angels have been snake bit against the Red Sox since that Henderson HR ages ago. They couldn't beat Byrd tonite, the #5 starter, and have lost two now with VMart and Youks out of the lineup. They will have a tough climb to beat the Sox in the playoffs.

Seen that before. Farrell has to get up off his ass and give the pitcher a breather after an error. You gotta go out there and slow things down.

It's hard to judge a manager, because 1) much of a team's success is due to the players, not the manager (though a manager can screw things up royally in game situations and in his relationship with the players), and 2) you don't know where the FO stops and the manager starts--except in moves during the game. The media tends to judge managers by a team's won-lost record, and that can be misleading. I think everyone would agree on the things Tito does well. The disagreement, I suspect, is on game management. As I've said, I think he shuffles lineups and uses the whole team really well. I don't think he's strong playing smallball in one-run or extra inning games--where a run is very hard to get. I also don't think he's very intense until late in the season and the playoffs. It seems he could do more to win some games earlier in the season. The other thing I don't like, which a lot of managers now do, is use a different reliever every inning. When a pitcher throws 20-30 heating up in the bullpen, you want him throwing 2 innings if he has his stuff. If he isn't sharp, go to the next pitcher. How many times does a manager lose a game because he replaces a sharp reliever the next inning with a guy who isn't sharp that day and gets hit--costing the game. In tennis, it's called an UNFORCED ERROR. In baseball, it's standard operational procedure these days. And it taxes the hell out of a bullpen.

Drew is a helluva ballplayer--when he plays. Which is not often enough.

Now they've got 4 good starters. That's makes them tough for the playoffs. That "fielders indifference" sucks. Another new fangled idea in baseball that doesn't make sense unless you're 10 runs ahead.

Let's see how Dice-K does in his next start. If he's sharp, then they have four solid starters. That will take the pressure off needing Wake next year. They can use that 5th slot to develop Tazawa or Bowden.

I thought Reiss was the best writer in Boston covering the Patriots. I understand the Globe and the NY Times will be pay sites in the near future. I know the Globe is having money problems and cutting staff. Reiss is a definite upgrade at ESPN.

Wake is no longer a full season pitcher, and keeping a starting slot open for him inhibits development of young pitching--especially since the Sox don't seem to start off their young pitchers in the bullpen. My guess is they will cut bait on Tek, and take a look at Wake in ST if he doesn't want to retire. The bigger question is Ortiz. I don't think they want another .225 year at DH.

I'm not concerned about Youks at 3B or 1B. He can play both competently. I'm also not concerned about VMart, because clearly he is now the no.1 catcher. Whether Tek's option gets picked up next year is the question. What does concerns me is whether Ortiz is a viable DH anymore. That's a bigger question which the FO has to deal with. They can't have another season with a .225 hitting DH.

Pap seems to have become media fodder. He has to learn how to talk to the media. Teams should give lessons to their players on how to do that. If Pap wants a few tips, just ask the manager. Tito plays the media like a fiddle.

Life is good. Buchholz finally looks like a guy you don't want to trade. Texas is still breathing down their necks--which is good--that keeps Tito's intensity up. Ortiz continues to tease. He goes 1 for 40, then smacks one out, and you say "He's back." He does get a good lick once and a while. The key is still a lights out Beckett. Lights out without him in top form.

Tito manages like he knows in advance the final playoff standings. Maybe he does. Somebody needs to tell him Oki needs a week off--at least. The guy is tired. He and Ramirez are on schedule for 70+ appearances. Too many. That 1 inning per pitcher mindset is a killer.

Papi has had only one good month--the June spike. Take that month out, and the season is a disaster. He hasn't hit a lick lately. They know he's slipping.

Looks like a good deal for NE. They now have more money to sign Wilfork, and have a high no.1 in 2011. Oakland gets a rental on Seymour. You can bet the Jets make a bid for him next year--they sniff out Patriots' cuts like bloodhounds. Just traded for McConnell, the QB NE cut who was picked up by Detroit. Feeley just cut by the Eagles, Harrington and Garcia also available--you'd think the Patriots would sign a veteran backup for Brady.