Excitement: I Have It

I am truly excited and confused this morning. I got my notification from the Red Sox that I'm allowed to buy tickets for the Sox/Yanks or Sox/Cubs games. I've NEVER won one of these raffles before, so I'm just absolutely thrilled right off the bat. Yeah, I've gotten the second chance drawing for green monster seats once, but usually I'm just fighting like everyone else to get the leftover tickets after the lottery winners have feasted. Is this a good omen for the rest of my week? Man, I hope so, because I have got a lot going on and it would be nice if it would all go well.

I hope everyone else had good luck! And who knows, maybe we'll be sitting next to each other at Fenway!

Pitchers and Catchers: Reported!

During my fantastic adventure in New York yesterday, I remembered that I was actually adventuring on a holiday! That holiday? Pitchers and catchers reporting day. By all accounts, they're all accounted for. Some of them, such as Lackey and Dice, rolled in looking better than they have in past years. Other players, like Beckett, know they have a lot of making-up to do. Maybe because of how bad this winter has been, or maybe just because we have so many new reasons to be hopeful, this spring training is a highly anticipated event. To see Munchkin and Youk back on the diamond, to watch fastballs buzzing by, to see the heirarchy of the bullpen take shape, and to just get a glimpse of baseball... man. It's been such a long time coming, and reporting day means we are again one step closer. February has a lot of unofficial holidays for the baseball crazed.

So knowing that the boys were in camp made being in New York tolerable. I generally dislike the city. The smell of NYC has actually given me sinus infections in the past, so I try not to spend too much time there. However, American Idiot was on Broadway, and Billie Joe Armstrong was playing the role of St. Jimmy, so it's not something I could really skip. If you love Green Day, or Broadway, the play is absolutely worth it. It was nice to see American Idiot the way it was meant to be seen.

Now I'm all hyped up about seeing the show, and about the promise of seeing Jason Varitek back in his catcher's gear very, very soon! What more could I ask for on Valentine's Day than the promise of imminent baseball season? It's been a long time coming.

It's time, boys. Time to gear up, find those corners, and figure out what the gyroball is. Time to work the kinks out of your curves and time to slow down your changeup. Sharpen the fastballs, and get your game face out of hibernation. It's time to start putting some exclamation points behind all the promises of winter. Soon, all the baseballlessness of the last four months will be a distant memory. It's spring training, hooray!

Manny D: Mariner

Interesting to find out that a former pirate is now going to be a Mariner. I don't know what Manny's role was when he was a Black Pearl pirate... definitely wasn't admiral. Maybe he was a deck hand... whatever he was, he decided that life on the high seas was fun and exciting (as opposed to life under the sea that the Rays have to offer), and he'll be living on the left coast.

I'm not sorry that MDC isn't a Sox any more. I still wish him well. I'm glad he's getting the opportunity to make it back to the bigs after a pretty disasterous last few years. Sure, it's a minor league contract, but if Manny can right himself, he'll be back up to the show before we know it.

Darnit, now I'm feeling nostalgic for 2007.

Happy Truck Day!

I am indeed part of the baseball-crazed portion of Red Sox Nation that celebrates Truck Day, the most ridiculous holiday of the year! I'm happy to report that after about 20 ft. of snow (slight exaggeration? Perhaps.) in the last four weeks, we made it to the very first sign of spring. They're loading the truck and they're sending it on to Florida.

What I wouldn't do to be able to go with that truck. Unfortunately, every time I attend a spring training game, they trade or release a player I love, so I have to stay away. I understand that Tek isn't what he used to be, and Theo would happily release him if he had a better option at catcher.

Winter, that raging hormonal witch, is finally losing her grip on me. I drove to work in the snow this morning, and I was unfazed, because it's truck day! And then Sunday is reporting day! And then next Friday is ANOTHER reporting day! And then.... well, you get the picture. I'm a tad bit excited. Happy truck day, fellow Sox addicts!

Manny and Johnny: Tampa Bound

I know, I'm the last to the party on this... as usual. It's not that I was the last to hear. I'm sure I wasn't.... I was just preoccupied by football. Now that I know the Jets have no shot at winning ANYTHING, I can turn my attention back to that which I love most. And let me just say, Manny and Johnny signing with Tampa Bay is incredible and I approve wholeheartedly.

I'm not going to cheer for Johnny, of course. Those days are long behind me, and I just do not feel that someone who lies to his fans as brazenly as Johnny did deserves to regain the love and affection of said fans. I tend not to spend any energy focusing on him at all. I wouldn't boo him... I couldn't boo him. He won us a championship. But I can't cheer for him. Johnny has earned every bit of my silence, and he's lucky to have it.

Manny.... I don't think I have to get into my affections for Manny. I still love the guy, and no one has been able to convince me not to. I will always cheer for Manny, and I don't care how many people behind me are booing him. After all, Manny WAS always one of my favorite players, and no one even comes close to being as entertaining as he was. Now, I get to see Manny 18 times a year, and I hope he does well every single game except those 18. I'm going to enjoy seeing that beautiful swing more often again.

However, it's not really the signing of either of these two that excites me the most. The first thing that popped into my head when I heard the news was, 'Oh my God, does this mean Trot Nixon is in the running for the third outfield position?!' Being the unapologetic sentimentalist that I am, Trot is still very VERY high on my list of favorite players. If Tampa is hell-bent on reuniting our '04 outfield, it's only logical to assume that they're interested in Trot. Please tell me they're interested in Trot!

No, I know it's not likely, but it's not completely impossible, right? RIGHT?! How on Earth could anyone ever boo that outfield? By anyone, I mean anyone who is a fan of the Red Sox. We may not like Tampa, but with those three guys in their outfield, I'd have a hard time remembering that I dislike Tampa. Even if they don't bring Trot back, maybe they could have B.J. Upton wear a Trot mask... or just a really dirty hat. That would be ok, wouldn't it? Another reasonable substitute would be to bring Kapler back. I think he was only on a year contract, and I think it's expired now. Bring Gabe back, have HIM wear a really dirty Trot hat, and I will be the happiest girl alive.

I really have nothing to complain about this offseason. It's been a great offseason in my eyes. The only player I think we should have gotten but didn't, my coveted shortstop JJ Hardy, ends up at the stadium that's practically my summer home, so I'm cool with that, too. Cliff Lee isn't a Yankee, Vernon Wells is on the Angels, and Eric Gagne does not have a job in the majors. I have NOTHING to complain about. I'm just excited for the season. Truly and completely excited.

For me, baseball is so much different than football (in more ways than just the glaringly obvious). With football, they have to win. I take no joy or comfort from a loss, because there are only sixteen games to win or lose before the playoffs. With baseball, I can find high points in a loss. When the Sox lose, sure I get upset, but there's usually a game the next day to take away the sting. When the Sox get REALLY bad, it becomes comical and I can enjoy it. When the Pats are really bad, as they were last week, I was angry. Baseball is sometimes like the never ending second chance. And of course, baseball is also warm weather, beautiful sunsets, stadium-wide sing-alongs, t-shirts and shorts, home runs, and 96 mph fastballs on the corner. Football is pain and cold. That's all it is. Sure, sometimes baseball is pain, but most of the time, it's just summer, and I could REALLY use some of that.

Bring on truck day! I've been patient, but it's not going to last too much longer.

So Far Behind: Trying To Keep Up With The Sox

Hey Theo, could you maybe give me a few days to catch up with you? I really do want to keep my blog active, but I have got a lot of other stuff to take care of, seeing as how it's nearly Christmas and no, I don't have any of my shopping done. I haven't even gotten to Adrian Gonzalez yet, and you go ahead and sign Carl Crawford? I mean, good job on your part, but can you give me some time now? Please? Thanks.

I've had quite a bit to write about in the last week, but I haven't had the time, so now I'm going to write about Adrian and Carl in the same post. Look at that, I'm being efficient!

My initial reaction to the Gonzalez trade was, "Oh no. For who?" I may have mentioned once or twice before that like every baseball fan in the known universe (and probably in the unknown ones as well), I have favorite players. There are some itty bitty baby Sox that I wouldn't want to part with. Once I found out that none of those specific players were involved, I allowed myself to get excited. Don't get me wrong, I am sad we're going to miss out on watching Casey Kelly develop, but as a few others have mentioned, the pitcher's park out in San Diego may do wonders for him. I completely understand the inclusion of Anthony Rizzo, considering that first base would have been blocked and he would have nowhere to be promoted to. I didn't know much about Fuentes, but I still wish him luck all the same.

My second reaction, upon checking out all the press releases on various websites was that he looks a little like Ernie from the George Lopez Show if Ernie grew some facial hair. I think it's the eyes. Maybe someday I'll do a photo comparison. Not today, though. Today we have more pressing issues.

So, awesome. Theo heads into the winter meetings having acquired a big bat who should do well at Fenway to fill the offensive void left when VMart parted ways, and he managed to get him to agree to a seven year contract extension. He had already acomplished more than some people expected him to this winter, and he wasn't done. Bright and early this morning (re: 5:30 AM), I was (rudely) woken up by this (obnoxious) former coworker of mine who (despite numerous requests for him to not text me before sunrise) let me know that we also inked Carl Crawford to a seven year contract. Just to tally, this week, Theo has commited 14 years and something like $290M. I don't want to hear ANYONE complaining that John Henry's investment in the Liverpool soccer team is affecting the Red Sox.

As thrilled as I am at the big name acquisitions, I worry a little about Crawford and giving him such big years. Correct me if I'm wrong, and I very well may be wrong, but isn't he one of the many players over the years who claims to hate Boston and Boston fans? Also, with him no longer stealing against us, are his SB numbers going to go down? Besides that, as I was watching NESN this morning while getting ready, they pointed out that Crawford is more of a pull hitter than an opposite field guy. Whereas it seems Gonzalez will benefit from the wall, Crawford won't. I'm going to give it a chance and see if the atmosphere and knowing that all those people who had booed him in the past are now cheering for him will do him any good. I hope it does. I also hope the same factors don't freak out Gonzalez. We all know Fenway isn't the easiest place to play, and both are from fan bases that aren't as.... well, crazy, as Boston fans. I mean, Tampa had to give out free tickets to geet people into the stands, and they were in a playoff race. I'm hoping for good things from both players, and I'm excited to see where this team is headed right now.

Is there really anyone who can complain about these signings/trades? And just think, it's only December and Theo has already said that the bullpen is a priority. Let's see what he gets done here. Look at that, I wrote a whole post without insulting our GM once. Well, credit where credit is due and all that. Now.... if only the season would start tomorrow.

Okajima: It's So Hard To Say Goodbye

I know this was actually announced last week, but it was a hard week for me, and I'm trying to catch up now. It was announced that the Red Sox have non-tendered Hideki Okajima and he will be moving on. This is awfully hard for me because I liked Oki and his wacky delivery, but it was time.

Okajima has been on a slow decline for a while. Actually, pretty much since 2008. It wasn't as noticeable then, but the numbers were starting to slip. The guy only throws his fastball in the mid-to-high 80's. It was inevitable for the collective offensive monster of the American League to catch up to it. He was living off of pinpoint location and a little bit of trickery for a long time and we all knew it couldn't last forever. In his four wonderful seasons with the Red Sox, Oki posted ERA's of 2.22, 2.61, 3.39, and 4.50. His walks were (slightly) up in 2010, and his strikeouts were down. To me, that tells me that people were finally figuring him out. I don't know what the future holds for Oki. My guess is that it probably involves the National League somewhere. If it does, I wish him nothing but the best.

I will always remember Oki for three things; signing a baseball for my mom in Ft. Meyers, his absolutely fantastic 2007 which helped make the Sox world champions once again, and his delightfully addictive theme song. Yes, I AM going to miss hearing, "O....K.... A.... J.... I... M.... A. Okajima!" and chances are, a little part of you is going to miss it, too. The bullpen of 2007 was special. Sure, they didn't break a curse but honestly, there just aren't that many curses around to break. What they DID do was dominate when we needed them to. They entertained us. They were a band, and they were pirates. They kept it loose and seemed to genuinely enjoy their time out in the pen.

I am going to miss Oki. I just hope he lands with a fanbase that appreciates his entrance theme. Good luck, Oki!

EDIT: Yeah, I know he re-signed with the Sox, but I like this post so I'm keeping it. Welcome back, Oki!