Smoltz: ::Sigh::.... What Could Have Been

Well, I fail.

I remember last year around this time, getting all hyped up for the return of John Smoltz to baseball and his first game as a member of the Sox. I was positively giddy, and I rode that giddiness almost all the way through his tenure on our pitching staff. I'm sure you all remember how that ended.

Yes. I was wrong. I thought Smoltz was going to work out, or at the very least give us more than he did. On occassions, he suffered from poor run support. More often than not, he suffered from poor control. Hey, don't blame me for wanting him to succeed so badly with my favorite team that I was willing to overlook how bad he was. He's a future HOF'er. I wanted to see the man pitch. Is that really a sin?

Cutting this short, baseball's "Smoltz Reclamation Project," which started and failed in Theo Epstein's hands, is more than likely coming to an end. While he hasn't officially announced his retirement yet, Smoltz has accepted a position as a TBS analyst. I sort of think this means that he hasn't gotten any offers and he knows he's all done. You hate to see HOF'ers go out like this.... after trying and failing to regain their past successes. Still, I regret not being able to see him pitch live. Oh well. Best of luck, Smoltzie.

Westmoreland: Reports Look Good

According to the Red Sox website, the surgery performed on 19 year-old Ryan Westmoreland was a success. Obviously, he's still got a very long way to go before we see just how successful or detrimental this operation was to his daily life, but reports are looking good. You don't have to know the guy to be worried about him. I hate medical issues in general, but they always seem so much less fair when they're happening to kids.

I know. I'm only a few years older than him. How very condescending of me to call him a kid. Actually.... no one would have known that if I didn't write it, so that's fine. Hell, I call Munchkin a kid, and he's actually older than me, so what do I know? Point is, Red Sox Nation and just about everyone else who heard this story was rooting for him to come through it alright, especially considering the risky part of the brain that the surgery had to take place in. Looks like he'll be ok. Now we can all worry about his recovery, and we'll have to make sure to cheer extra loud for him when he makes his debut at Fenway in a few years. Surgery's over, but you still have the support of a nation of strangers, Ryan. Good luck with the recovery!

In other, less important news, the Red Sox forgot their bats in both of the games of the split squad double header yesterday, tallying up a total of zero runs for the day. Not gonna lie. This troubles me a little, but it's fine because it's only March 17th. Now, if we get to say, March 28th and we're not scoring runs, then I will be worried. Man, I hate team-wide slumps. I'm sure they'll be just fine though. They have my boy, Mikey!

Lackey, who is severely lacking a good nickname, will be on the mound for us today. He's had a very nice start to his spring so far, so let's see if he can keep it up. I do believe the game will be televised today, so anyone who's not spending the entire day drinking in honor of St. Patrick might be able to catch the game. Happy St. Paddy's Day, peeps!

Mr. Awesome: Rare Appearance at First

I could have also gone with 'rare appearance at last,' which would have properly conveyed my excitement for Michael's return to the lineup. He'll be manning 1st base today, on this the day of Youk's 31st birthday. If only I could watch the game to see the magic that is Mikey Lowell. He's just one of those guys. You know, THOSE guys, who when I see them, I am a happier person. I'm still praying that we get to keep Mikey this year. Papi may look like he's in incredible shape, but his 1-21 showing thus far this spring could be slightly concerning. It's still early in the spring, but it's always nice to have a backup plan for each position. Is it fair to Mike to keep him as a backup plan? I guess we should really consider what's best for Mike, but I am a selfish, selfish girl. Also, I reiterate the fact that spring training doesn't really mean anything in the long run. For all I know, Papi could go on a tear when the season opens. I hope he does! I do love Papi.

Reading about Ryan Westmoreland today... man, this just isn't fair. This poor kid is only 19 years old, and it seems like every time he turns around, something happens to derail both his career and his health. Consider it. This is by far the worst of all the events that have happened to him since he signed on with the Red Sox. He's a talented kid out of New England, and in his first year with the Sox organization, he fractures his clavical. Now that he's finally healed from that and ready to start again, this happens. It's scary. I don't even know him and I'm scared for him. All I can say is that I'll keep him in my thoughts and I really, truly hope the surgery goes well. No 19 year olds should ever have to have brain surgery. But, we're going to stay positive here and assume that it's all gonna be fine, and 2011 will be the year that Ryan gets to make an impact in baseball. Best of luck, Ryan. We're all pulling for you!

In other news, the Commander is mysteriously ill, Jed Lowrie is ill, kids got sent down to the minor league complex, and Tim Wakefield is starting this afternoon. But, really, none of that matters in relation to what I just wrote about, so while I wish Tim all the luck in the world, he's sort of the least of my worries.

End of the Road For Nomar: At Least He Gets To Wear His Sox Out the Door

So the big announcement today at 10:30 is rumored to be the Sox announcing the signing of Nomar for one day... just long enough that he'll get to retire a Red Sox. Nomar was never one of my favorite players by any means, but this is right. He was always supposed to end his career in Boston, and we had all pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that he wouldn't. I like that sentimentality won over the front office and they did right by the fans. Nomar was, after all, our golden boy. He was the Rookie of the Year in '97, had (I think) six All-Star games under his belt, broke records, won hearts, and made baseball exciting in Boston. Tons of folks thought he would have been the best hitter the game had ever seen if not for that wrist injury. Most others would settle for the fact that he was just a great hitter.

Yeah, his batting quirks were annoying, but I guess if they work for you, you don't stop doing them. Nomar made the baseball fans of Boston very happy for a long time, and it broke many hearts that he wasn't on the field with the Sox that fateful night in October when they won the WS. It was Nomar's team, but he had to go in order for them to succeed. Bittersweet, indeed.

Listen, I'm not going to sit here and keep waxing poetic about the guy. I didn't dislike him for any reason in particular, it was just a case of circumstance that, I guess, didn't really have anything to do with him. But it's undeniable that the guy is loved here in Boston, and if anyone deserves to retire as a Red Sox (besides Varitek... hint, hint Jason), it's Nomar. I wish him the best in his new career on ESPN and thank the Red Sox for doing right by a local hero. Thanks, Nomar, for all the joy you brought to Boston while you were here.

Timothy: Proving Old Guys Rock

There are probably about a million better titles that I could have come up for this, but I chose not to. Think what you will about me, I think Tim rocks... but I also need to point out and make very clear that just because someone is old does not mean that they rock. Besides, Tim isn't that old. He's only 43. In baseball years, that may be ancient, but in reality, it's not. But because Timmy Wonderpitches rocks so steadily, he managed three scoreless innings yesterday. On top of that, all of our other pitchers were also miraculously scoreless. It's early spring. Everything baseball related seems miraculous to me.

But the fact that Tim was able to keep up his good start to the spring is never something I will not appreciate. Oh, me and my double negatives when I could have just said that I will always appreciate it. Regardless of my use of negatives, I love good spring starts. Fact is, spring baseball is still baseball, and it still makes me feel all competitive and hungry for wins. When we get wins, I'm happy. When we don't.... well, yeah, it hurts less in the spring, but it still hurts. Tim is apparently quite recovered from his issues of the past year. He deserves another good start to the year, even if he will have to take the summer off again. I won't mind, and neither should you.

Today, Binky hops back up on the mound and tries to rectify his first poor start. I have every reason to believe that he'll be just fine. Why? Because. That's why.

Beckett: Fireballer

Ah. Beautiful, beautiful innings from Beckett and the boys yesterday. But not you, Strike-out King. No, not you. There is time for your foolishness to dissipate, and I suggest you get to dissipating.

No, in all seriousness, fantastic work by most of the pitching yesterday. What looked to be a tight game ended up being.... well, still a tight game, but a high scoring tight game. Very unexpected, but acceptable nonetheless. Beckett (pardon me. The Commander) faced nine guys, got nine guys out. Three innings, 3 K's. Man, I wish I could have seen those K's. They're my favorite things, after all. What this tells me is that Beckett came into spring in shape and ready to go. Perhaps he didn't sit around eating raw meat and swilling whiskey and beer all off season. While I think that would be fantastic, I also think he being prepared for spring is great. No slow starts this year, boys!

Timothy is on the hill today against the Marlins. I guess I have a certain affinity for the Marlins, since it seems like all the import players that I truly love all come from the Marlins organization. Way to go, fish. Producing good players and then letting us have them? I love it. Who am I kidding? I love everything today. Another gorgeous spring-like day in Boston, I'm wearing really kickass shoes today, and baseball exists. Really, it doesn't take much to please me.

Bizarre: Look Who's Pitching Against Us

Um.... hi Charlie Zink. It's been a while, I suppose. This is a little awkward, for sure, but... I really hope there aren't any hard feelings. We'll always care about you. We just want you to know that.

Yeah, so I looked up our opposing pitchers today and gasped just a little when I saw Charlie's name. It's always weird for me when I see players that I really liked and really wanted to see do well in Boston on another team. Charlie got one chance at the big time in Boston, and it was ridiculously forgettable. It's so forgettable that I've forgotten how bad it was, and I don't want anyone to remind me. All I know is that we won that game. Maybe that's not a consolation prize for the little knuckleballer who could, but it's all I got.

I want him to do well in his one inning of work today. But I want Chris Carpenter to do so badly that by the time Charlie gets to come and pitch, the Cardinals have no hope of winning. There, I've balanced my sadness for Charlie with my fandom for the Red Sox perfectly. There's my good deed for the day!