Why is everyone against a two-headed monster at GM for the Red Sox? So what if Theo comes back or not? I like the idea that there are smart people running the team trying out creative new ideas. Maybe this will work, maybe it will not, but I like being at the forefront. Heck, I remember people being upset with Bill Belichick when he pulled out the old Victor Green Big Nickel package in the secondary. Sure, it was not the game-breaking defense he may have envisioned, but it felt nice to be the one setting the pace instead of trailing and rushing to catch-up. Heck, I was hoping for the quintuple-GM this season. Good for the team, good for the economy!
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A SHORT STOP FOR EDGAR:
Enough of the whining about not having a shortstop: the Sox have one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball on their roster. Since defense, according to the whiners and so-called pundits who drove Edgar Renteria out of town, is so vitally important, then there is no need to panic: Alex Cora is already here. Sure, he over the course of the season he might hit .230 with an OBP of .300 and an OBPS of under .500, but evidently it is all about the defense at shortstop in Boston. Yeah, Edgar did OK with the stick in the second half of the season, but it was his glove that killed us, was it or was it not the refrain heard all off-season?
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TIGHT FIT:
The Sox line-up is obviously a work in progress right now, but there are many options already available to the team. Here is one way of looking at it:
CF: Adam Stern or Dave Murphy
2B: Mark Loretta
1B: David Ortiz
LF: Manny Ramirez
3B: Mike Lowell
C: Jason Varitek
DH: Andy Marte
RF: Trot Nixon
SS: Alex Cora
Obviously, lead-off and the number nine spot may be changed in the off-season, but 2-8 the line-up remains scary good. The starting rotation and bullpen, while both still in flux, both appear much stronger than last year:
SP: Josh Beckett
SP: Curt Schilling
SP: David Wells/Jonathan Papelbon/Jon Lester
SP: Tim Wakefield
SP: Matt Clement
Spot Starter/Bullpen: Bronson Arroyo
Closer: Keith Foulke
Set-up: Guillermo Mota
Set-up: Craig Hansen
Set-up: Lenny DiNardo
Set-up: Mike Timlin
Right now, the Red Sox are STILL the team to beat in the American League East, despite the many moves of the Toronto Blue Jays and the strange stagnation of the Yankees rotation.
* * *
* * *
A SHORT STOP FOR EDGAR:
Enough of the whining about not having a shortstop: the Sox have one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball on their roster. Since defense, according to the whiners and so-called pundits who drove Edgar Renteria out of town, is so vitally important, then there is no need to panic: Alex Cora is already here. Sure, he over the course of the season he might hit .230 with an OBP of .300 and an OBPS of under .500, but evidently it is all about the defense at shortstop in Boston. Yeah, Edgar did OK with the stick in the second half of the season, but it was his glove that killed us, was it or was it not the refrain heard all off-season?
* * *
TIGHT FIT:
The Sox line-up is obviously a work in progress right now, but there are many options already available to the team. Here is one way of looking at it:
CF: Adam Stern or Dave Murphy
2B: Mark Loretta
1B: David Ortiz
LF: Manny Ramirez
3B: Mike Lowell
C: Jason Varitek
DH: Andy Marte
RF: Trot Nixon
SS: Alex Cora
Obviously, lead-off and the number nine spot may be changed in the off-season, but 2-8 the line-up remains scary good. The starting rotation and bullpen, while both still in flux, both appear much stronger than last year:
SP: Josh Beckett
SP: Curt Schilling
SP: David Wells/Jonathan Papelbon/Jon Lester
SP: Tim Wakefield
SP: Matt Clement
Spot Starter/Bullpen: Bronson Arroyo
Closer: Keith Foulke
Set-up: Guillermo Mota
Set-up: Craig Hansen
Set-up: Lenny DiNardo
Set-up: Mike Timlin
Right now, the Red Sox are STILL the team to beat in the American League East, despite the many moves of the Toronto Blue Jays and the strange stagnation of the Yankees rotation.
* * *
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