Wow, that takes me back

I was outside just now with the pooch and grabbed a piece of frozen snow from the yard (what little there is left) and threw it down the yard because he likes to chase them. Funny what things will trigger memories you haven't had in forever. All of a sudden I'm looking at the fact most of the snow is gone from the backyard and I remember how much I looked forward to this time of year when I was a boy, right up through high school age frankly. I'd already have my glove out looking to play baseball, even if there was no one else around.
I could always throw a tennis ball on the roof of the house and catch pop flies or throw a ball as high and straight up as possible and practice catching pop-ups. Then there was always this old wooden bat I had that was perfect for hitting rocks. Nothing's better for hand and eye coordination than flipping a rock straight up and timing your swing perfectly on its descent to line it to right center field. Oh yeah, I could always drag little brother out and hit line drives off his forehead.
I don't get as wound up about this time of year as I used to but I still look forward to spring and the sound of the first thwacks of the bat. Wanna get your glove and come play catch?

Moments In My Life

The family knows how big a Red Sox fan Gram and Gramp were Zeb did a great job of covering that. Thus in 2004 with Gram being sick and the Sox in the World Series and up 3-0 on St. Louis I had a thought. Wouldn't it be great to drive up to Detroit and watch what may be the clinching game of first Sox championship in 86 years? The answer was a resounding yes, the only problem as it was the middle of the week, Wednesday sticks in my mind for some reason, and I had to work the next day. What if the Sox lost game 4 would it mean as much? If they lost would it be worth dragging around work all day the next day? I made the only real choice I could, I drove the hour north. I stopped off at Mom and Dad's on the way and Dad figured he'd head up and watch the game at the farm too. So there we were, the four of us, watching the Sox trying to finally close the deal for the first time in all of our lives. The night went exactly how you think it would. Reserved, quiet comment on the game, Gram talking more than Gramp. I remember at one point the Sox got in trouble, a few runners on and only a small lead. Gram says what we were all thinking, "OH Here we go...". Of course we all know the Sox pull it out. Such a small thing for most people, sitting and watching a ball game with family, but this night was so much more yet, with typical Basford fashion, no one mentioned the significance of it. Maybe it was only that significant to me, but it was so much more to see that happen with Gram and Gramp. A moment I wouldn't trade for the world.

Where I got my love of the game (Vol 1)

Why do I love baseball and the Red Sox so much? It was my grandfather's love of the game rubbing off on me and many others in the family. Many of my fondest memories regarding baseball involve him, from softball leagues to watching the Sox together to him playing in those shoes.
I know Great Grampy Basford (Stanley Sr) was a baseball fan but I believe I'm safe in saying Stanley Jr was the bigger fan and the reason this family today is littered with diehard Red Sox fans. It never failed when I visited Gram and Gramp as a child and then when I returned home from the service that, if there was a Sox game on TV, they'd be watching it, with the sound muted and the radio play-by-play on, or they'd be listening to the game on the radio if it wasn't televised.
What a memory he had for the stats and history of the Sox and Major League Baseball in general (something I inherited but lost somewhere in middle age). I remember going up to the farm and checking over the box scores with him. You could watch a game with him and he'd tell you the strategies that were being deployed; he'd tell you what he thought of trades with great support and wisdom; he'd tell you that such and such a player reminded him of someone from the past. He kept reference books around on the game and would often refer to them. I learned much about the strategy and history of the game from him (yes, from you too, Wayne, Bruce and Mom!), as well as the right and wrong way to play the game. I can remember many times having a sore hand playing toss with him, more often than not him without a glove, just catching with those catcher's mits he called hands.

Big Market/Small Market perspective

The Mrs. sat down the other night just as Jim Rome (who I don't usually pay attention to) was ranting about how the Brewers should've signed Prince Fielder to a big, long-term contract instead of holding him to his rookie deal. She was asking what that was about. So I explained it to her, saying I essentially agreed with Rome that they should've signed him because they'll lose him...the flip side being they're a small market team without endless resources and a contract is a contract. But that guy is/will be the face of the franchise and will put fannies in the seats. In the Fielder/Brewer situation I see Fielder having more of the leverage. Money and a long-term contract is all they have to keep him there.

Conversely last night I hear news of Jonathan Papelbon starting to squawk about his contract with the Red Sox. Help me out here but isn't he in the same situation as Fielder? Funny how I sort of looked at it differently though. Maybe it's because he's a pitcher, especially a closer, so proving yourself over 2 seasons doesn't always mean what it does with a position player. So the Sox might bump his salary up a few thousand K but won't give him a big deal until next year, which I agree with..."underpay" for these guys while you can because you're going to overpay after that.

Maybe it's because the Sox are in a different situation than Milwaukee that I view these instances differently. Milwaukee can't afford to be cheap with Fielder. The Sox have the leverage of a winner in a rabid baseball town that Milwaukee doesn't have going for it.

Spring Training Starts Tomorrow....

So with pitchers and catchers reporting tomorrow it's time to knock the dust off and power this thing up.

The sox are looking strong, even with Schilling possibly out for the year. From what I understand there is a chance he'll be ready by the all star break, but I'll believe that when it happens. So we'll most likely have Tavarez as the number 5 guy and he pitched well enough last year in that role that I'm not nervous at all. So we have Beckett, Dice-K, Wakefield, Lester and Tavarez to break camp with and Bucholtz waiting in the wings with Schilling hopefully coming back mid year. Not a bad rotation over all.

The pen is looking strong too with many of the good performers returning. Okijima, Delcarmen, Schnyder, Timlin are returning and of course Papelbon is the anchor. With those guys pulling most of the weight guys like Lopez and Pauley can play their roles and contribute when they can. The big question mark for me in the pen is Craig Hansen. Will this be the year he breaks out and lives up to his potential. It seems he has surgery in the off season to correct a sleep apnea problem that could have been effecting his performance and preparation. We'll see. If comes to life that gives us three very lively arms in the pen.

Then there's the starting 8. Everyone is back. The only real question, and maybe it's not a big deal, is when does Ellsbury take over in center? Do they put out there right out of the chute like they did Pedroia or do they work him in giving Crisp more at bats early in an attempt to bolster his value for a trade at the dead line? I know my fellow bloggers here have no hope that Drew will perform better than last year, but I hope he does. I think he can be very successful if he gets away from trying to pull the ball all the time and takes it back up the middle more. He did that in the playoffs and hit much better. The only changes where that Sean Casey replaced Hinske as the guy to spell Youkilis at first. I see this as an improvement. Casey's bat is better than Hinske's and the defense is a wash.

The chances of the Sox winning the east this year is much better than last year. I think the Yankees have many more questions this year than last. If they young guys pitch better than last year and stay healthy they'll make it interesting, but I still think we have the edge.

Konichiwa!

Alright you no-writin' bastards, it's time to resuscitate the forum - Daisuke is signed, sealed, and delivered and the rotation is now looking somewhat more than sturdy for '07. Notwithstanding the mega-scratch involved between the posting fee and the subsequent contract (rather light considering the Meche and Lilly contracts), I think it's a great move. If he has half the form that's being reported, this dude is going to be a formidable presence in the arsenal. Although the jury is still out with respect to Drew and Lugo, the Sox are clearly pulling out all the stops this year. I think that the fact that Schilling and Wake are getting a bit long in the tooth is playing into the emphasis on this year but it seems like the team's folding at the end of last year has just as much to do with all of this. If they can find a halfway decent closer (which seems to be the ceiling of what's potentially available), they are going to be a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the foul lines. There are still some question marks, of course, but with this 3-4-5 lineup and predominantly young hurling staff, the sky's the limit. It's too early to tell what the reaction will be from NY and Toronto, but I suspect that their britches were slightly soiled with today's developments.
So what are your thoughts at this early juncture?

Baseball kicks ass!

Not being especially interested in the NLCS series, the Megster and I basically surfed all night only keeping an infrequent eye on Game 7. I felt that the Mets' choice of starting Perez - statistically the worst pitcher ever to pitch in such a series, let alone the vital game 7 - more or less sealed the deal for the Cards. Well. In the 6th after pitching a 4 hitter yielding a 1-1 tie against Jeff Suppan, Perez walked Edmonds (his first BB of the night) with 1-out. Willie Randolph came out - ostensibly to yank the cord - when he inexplicably decided to stick with his starter. The very next pitch, Scott Rolen drove a deep shot to left when some guy i've never heard of (Endy Chavez?!) leaped and stole a certain 2-run homer, having the werewithall to throw it back to first to double up Edmonds for the inning-ending out. In a matter of seconds, the game see-sawed from one side to the other. I guess that's why I love the game... you can never predict the amazing shit that you might see at any given moment amidst the routine.
I am recording the rest of the game to watch from that point when I get off the computer. Who knows what will happen, but if the Mets win - thus going to the World Series - this play will have massive ramifications. Pretty cool!

3 beers for the Tigers!!!

Thank you, Detroit Tigers, for beating the Yankees in the playoffs and making the sportsworld right again! I really thought the way those 2 teams played down the stretch that that was the worst matchup if you wanted the Yanks to lose. I wanted them to have to face the Twins pitching in the first round and then the winner of Detroit and Oakland in the second round. But when the Twins took the Division on the last day of the season, I was not at all optimistic the Tigers could get it done, especially after they looked overmatched in game one. I love it when I'm wrong. Congrats Coach Dave!

The Bruins looked pathetic, losing 8-3, in their opener but managed to beat Tampa last night. So maybe they won't be totally awful. They're young and lack depth of talent though.

The Dolphins played up to their potential and gave the Patriots a tough game today (kinda knew they would) but the Pats got it done and are now 4 and 1. I see improvement in the WR's but I'm not sure they have enough...defense needs some depth too.

Year in review, year in preview (open thread)

Even though our youngsters didn't all turn out to have as good a season as some hoped, I think we're on the right track. Here's to hoping a full recovery for John Lester. I also don't think Hanson sucks as bad as he has. I'm not sure what's with Beckett but I still like the trade. I would like to see more depth of position players with a future but I'm willing to be patient.
It will be an interesting off-season. I expect Theo will stay the course (he he) but I also expect at least one big splash trade.
Congrats to the Portland SeaDogs on winning the Eastern League championship. No surprise they did it the year I didn't get to a game. LOL Your opinion as to who on this team has a bright Sox future?
Open thread means help me out since I don't have enough for a full post!

littlecuz-

I don't see this year as a total bust, there were some bright spots. Papelbon and Big Papi being the obvious. The one suprise I think we may see next year is Julian Tavarez as the 5th starter in the rotation. He seems to be renewed in the starter role and since he has one year left on his contract I won't be suprised to see the Sox start him in spring training next year and test the waters. The thing to watch in the off season is whether the Sox pick up a closer. Papelbon has expressed interest in becoming a starter, but that won't happen unless a new closer emerges. Quite frankly I don't Hansen is ready at this point, so unless a miracle occures over the winter he won't be the closer. This means the Sox will have to look outside the organization for a closer. It seems that we will have another new short stop again next year, even though Gonzalez played a gold glove caliber short and hit above expectations, I'd love to see him come back, but the rumor mill has him leaving for free agency. This theory is gaining momentum with Padroia getting some playing time at short now.

Of course the speculation that Trott is heading out of town after the season will sicken the southern cousin, especially if he stays in the American League East. I'm thinking that the O's would be a good fit for him, they seem to be looser with the purse strings lately. Of course I hope Trott can stay, but I see the negotiation going much like Pedro and Damon. The Sox will put a figure down, and if he wants to stay he'll take it, other wise thanks for the hard work and good luck. I think this is especially true with Willy Mo Pena in the mix.

That's my two cents.....

The Trade open thread

So now almost a full year after the trade of Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell, and the day after Sanchez' no-hitter, do you or do you not want a do-over?

Ramirez has been better than I thought he'd be, especially this year. One no-hitter in half a season as a starter looks impressive but doesn't a career make.
Lowell has been much better than we could have hoped he'd be, and Beckett has been a disappointment compared to his past and expectations.

My vote: If Lowell's gone after this year and Beckett remains inconsistent, I want a do-over and take my chances with the still largely unproven youngsters; but who's to say that next year and beyond Beckett doesn't return to his old form or, better yet, lives up to his promise and the kids don't fully pan out.