Hot Stove Season is Killing Me

I can't be the only one who is jonesin' for some kind of trade or free agent signing. No giant acquisition at Thanksgiving again this year... sigh. The Red Sox FO and their tight-lipped process sort of bugs me, not because I think it's a bad practice, but because I seriously cannot be expected to quit baseball cold turkey for four months. I need something to get me through... something like a 12 step program. You don't take away an addict's drugs at the pinnacle of their addiction and say "You'll get these back in four months. See ya!"... there has to be a middle ground. There has to be some sort of process to slowly ween us off baseball. Going from exciting playoff games to nothing? Harsh.

Junichi Tazawa is nice and all, but he's not the fix I need.

They've also signed Billy Traber to a minor league contract. And they don't want Rafael Furcal. Wonderful. Could we get some real news in here, please?

So, in non-player-related news... the Red Sox will be selling bricks. If you buy a ridiculously overpriced brick, you are guaranteed an opportunity to buy tickets for '09. But of course, you have to enter a lottery to be eligible to buy a brick. What is this world coming to when you can't even buy a brick without a stupid lottery? Bad Larry Lucchino!

Sox ticket prices will remain the same this year, but it will still be just as ridiculous trying to get tickets. Luckily for me, I didn't have a hard time getting tickets last year, although my friends probably wondered what happened to me when I was stuck in assorted virtual waiting rooms and listening to assorted phone-robot voices for months on end. Listen, I got tickets, that's all that really matters in the end.

My beloved Captain and Gargoyl have been offered arbitration. Deadline is, I believe, December 7th. Some sources would have you believe that Varitek is expected to take it, but the realistic people out there should know that Scott Bora$ isn't really going to let his darling client accept anything less than 18 years, 500 billion dollars....

Hyberbole happens when I'm bored. I need me some baseball, but soon.