Boston Bay?

The Boston Red Sox still have the exclusive rights to talk turkey with Jason Bay until November 20...hey, that's the end of this week! Boston and Bay will probably finalize nothing by then because he wants to test the free agent market. After all, in four of the last five seasons he has hit more than 30 taters coupled with 100 or more RBIs, not missing more than a handful of games each and every season. It's no wonder many teams would love him in their outfield, including the Boston Red Sox. Bay had a few words about his "so-far" stay with the Red Sox...

"I’m comfortable here,” Bay said. “I’ve said before it really doesn’t come down to just dollars. It’s not all about money. The situation I was in before in Pittsburgh — we weren’t winning a lot of games. When you come here, you win ballgames and have playoff opportunities, and that’s a huge factor. It really makes baseball enjoyable again. A team that is set up to win and a place where my family is comfortable. I’m comfortable here. It’s more desirable than most places."

Jason would like a four year contract worth in the vicinity of $60 million dollars. He's worth every penny of that as he will catch anything in sight and bash the ball off the Wall or into the seats on a regular basis. I'd love to see him back. His agent, Joe Urbon, had this to say recently...

"We’ve had dialogue with Theo about Jason,” said Urbon, “and I presume we’ll continue to talk, but I really think the expectation from our side, and from what I’ve heard Theo say publicly from the Red Sox side, is we’ll probably carry this over into free agency with the expectation to continue to have dialogue. He has made that clear," said Urbon. "When you say that as often as he has said that throughout the 2009 season, which he has, even on the heels of free agency he’s said that and I don’t think it’s any surprise. We have been pleased with the type of dialogue and the things we’re hearing from other clubs."

I hope Jason decides to come back to the Red Sox. They'll be a vastly better club with him in left field.

I hope you had a great weekend and you can always click on this post's title for more Boston Red Sox news. Thanks for popping in and as always, BE WELL.

Pay The Piper, Theo Epstein, For Adrian Gonzales

Good early Sunday morning to all of you. I do hope you're reading this much later in the day than I'm writing it. It's not even 4:45am EDT and I just couldn't sleep. Too early to bed makes for very long mornings. I wanted to talk about Adrian Gonzales, a player the Boston Red Sox severely covet. I'd like to thank the Boston Globe's Chad Finn for the thoughts that fueled this post. As I said before, the subject is first baseman supreme Adrian Gonzales.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and the San Diego Padres' rookie GM Jed Hoyer know each other almost too well. Any negotiations between the two involving Gonzales and a possible pool of young Boston talent going the other way will be done out of complete honesty, which could make for a very interesting situation, a set of circumstances that could greatly benefit both the Red Sox and the Padres. Think this...Teixeira who? Gonzales is due to make only $4.75 million in 2010 and a paltry $5.5 million the year after. Holy bargain, Batman! He won't be 28 years old until May of next year...another plus. Last season was a tremendous one. He hit forty taters and walked 119 times. His OPS was .958 (again, thank you Chad Finn).

The question remains and it is this...why would the Padres be willing to part with him? I think I can answer that one. Down the road, the Padres do not feel that they will be able to afford him. Right now, a deal with a viable and well-stocked club (in the minors) such as the Boston Red Sox would bring to Jed Hoyer multiple talented young players and it would bring a young and talented power hitting first baseman to the New England club, something they need. Jed Hoyer knows that and his buddy Theo Epstein knows it. Face it, all of Red Sox Nation and Red Sox International know it, too. Theo, make it happen.

The University of Connecticut national champion women's basketball team started their 2009-2010 season with a resounding
105-35 (!!) victory over Northeastern University at UCONN's home in Storrs, Connecticut. Even without two players who are temporarily on injury leave, they looked tremendous, awesome and unbeatable. A tougher test for them will come on Tuesday night when they play against Texas in Texas. You can click on the title of this post for more on yesterday afternoon's UCONN blowout. That's 40 wins in a row for that team from Connecticut. I love 'em.

I hope your Sunday will be a terrific one. It's still cloudy here with intermitent drizzle but we ( Nadia & Peter) woke up at the same time. I had breakfast, she had popcorn of the Orville Redenbacker type with movie theater butter. She always seems to surprise me. As always, BE WELL. I'll see you soon.

Lackey Looking? UCONN Women Open 2009-2010 Season. Post #2400

Good Saturday morning to you and yours. There are still a couple hours before the sun brightens the cloudy, rainy skies but I've already perused the Boston newspapers and come up with a little something from the Boston Herald. Boston is likely to be meeting with many player's agents, players who are looking to join a new team and yesterday Theo Epstein met with the agent of Angel's right hander John Lackey. Lackey doesn't exactly like the Boston Red Sox and after losing two tough decisions to Jon Lester in the 2008 postseason, he said this, among a few other choice comments. You see, he's an intense guy who absolutely hates to lose...

“ (I want to) throw somebody through a window. We lost to a team that’s not better than us,” he said. “We are a better team than they are. . . . We shouldn’t have given up anything.”

I don't agree with the guy but he sure knows how to vocally express his inner feelings. Lackey went 11-8 last year with the Halos and had a sparkling ERA of 3.83. Do the Red Sox need another starter? They have five established guys who will be ready to go in February and they have to address a long-term contract for Josh Beckett. But you know the old saying that's proven true time after time each and every year...YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MUCH PITCHING.

Lackey would be a valuable addition to a great starting rotation. We all know that. We also all know that Boston will be looking for a power hitting leftfielder, another hitter along the lines of Adrian Gonzales (my fingers are crossed...toes, too), another bullpen guy and a shortstop. Not an easy task for Theo and company but the next three months will be busy ones, to say the least. I love the drama of the negotiations and the elation that ensues when a coveted free agent dons a Boston Red Sox uniform for the first time.

On a side note, this is post number 2300 for me, a nice crooked number. I started this ode to the Red Sox and their fans in November of 2005 and I think I've missed a total of three or four days. It's what I do first thing in the morning and I'd be lost in the desert with no water without the reassuring sound of fingers hitting keys. I'm sure glad there are people like you who take the few minutes to read the words that result. For that, I thank you. Here's to 2300 more, God willing.

Have a great weekend as the University of Connecticut national champion women Huskies begin their 2009-2010 season with a home game against Northeastern. Those Huskies have won 39 straight games, all by ten points or more. No team in basketball of any kind has ever done that. Game time is 2pm EST on Connecticut Public Television (CPTV...CPTV HD) or on WTIC AM 1080 radio in Hartford. The game is also available at wtic dot com the world over. You can also click on this post's title for more on the Red Sox and as always, BE WELL. Have a terrific weekend and GO HUSKIES!

Halladay Musings. That's All They Are...For Now

The Toronto Blue Jays' general manager has spoken out about his star pitcher, Roy "Doc" Halladay. He mentioned the Boston Red Sox in his comments. Alex Anthopoulos is his name and he said this. I'll be back with some thoughts of my own (once in a while, I come up with a few) after this...

"Now, if we had strictly apples and apples offers for Halladay, one from Boston, one from another team, it would not be Boston. If we made a deal we owe it to our fans to obtain the best deal possible," Anthopoulos told the Toronto Sun. "If we get the right package, we'll make the trade," Anthopoulos told the Toronto Sun. "It would be awfully narrow thinking of me to turn down the best offer because of the fact it came from within our division."

OK. I understand what he's saying...why trade one of the best pitchers in all of Major League Baseball to a team in your own division? Makes sense, doesn't it? But he DID say that if the deal was good enough, he would not rule it out. You know what I think? I going to tell you anyways. I really think that the Red Sox will focus on their outfield situation first. Clay Buchholz has been the centerpiece of any possible future deals involving young Sox pitchers. No way, Jose. The usual suspects, namely the world champion (uhh) Yankees, Phillies and Mets have been mentioned as possible bidders for the talented righty. Doc Halladay has a career record of 148-76 and a tremendous 3.43 ERA. Quite simply, he would be an asset to ANY team's rotation, even Boston's, a team that has five established starters who will be ready to go (barring injuries) next season. It all comes down to priorities...Boston must fill their void in left field first and foremost. The solutions to that are countless. And don't forget about Adrian Gonzales being a candidate for first base with Youk moving to third and one of the two Boston DH's (Mike Lowell and Big Papi David Ortiz) as possible trade material. I hate to say it but there's a chance.

Doc was the 2003 Cy Young Award winner, but that's enough about Halladay. I'd just love to see Jason Bay back in left hugging that Green Monster and hitting the round ball out of the Park, Fenway Park, MY ballpark. It was just announced that he won the 2009 Silver Slugger award, by the way.

It's another Friday. I hope you have a terrific weekend and as always, BE WELL. Click on the title of this post for more Boston Red Sox news and I thank you for stopping by yet again. See you...soon. That's it for post number 2298. 2300 is fast approaching. I can't believe it! But I love it. I love you too, my Constant Readers.

Captain Jason Varitek Will Return To the Boston Red Sox For 2010

Jason Varitek, longtime Boston Red Sox catcher and the only player in Major League Baseball history to catch four no hitters, has excercised his $3 million option and will be with the club for the 2010 season. I, for one, am very happy about it. He'll catch a couple times a week, most likely every Josh Beckett start, and be an invaluable teacher in the Sox clubhouse. He'll be there and he'll be needed...that's important. His offense for the past two seasons has declined rather sharply. In 2008 he batted .220 and a career low .209 in 2009. He also managed to throw out only 10 of 118 runners attempting to steal last season. He holds the Red Sox record, playing 1381 games as a catcher and as I said before, he's been behind the plate for a no hitter a staggeringly outrageous four times. Great job, 'Tek. Here's Red Sox GM Theo Epstein...

“We’re happy to have Jason back,” Epstein said before leaving the meetings for a flight back to Boston. “We look forward to a good year from him in 2010. He means an awful lot to the organization on and off the field. He helps solidify our catching position. He’s also a big asset to the pitching staff. We’re happy he decided to come back and stay in the organization he’s such an important part of.”

Yes, it's all good with me, too. Jason will keep the younger pitcher's minds on an even keel and generally help them perform to their utmost capabilities. Great job, Theo and company.

Last but not least and certainly untrue, a Japanese sports web site has reported that the Red Sox may have interest in signing World Series MVP Hideki Matsui. Sorry, Japanese sports web site, whoever you might be. Matsui is a great player but he cannot play the outfield because of his knees. File this story under FALSE. The Sox want to resign Jason Bay or someone like, oh, Matt Holliday. The Green Monster needs a master with a glove and currently, Boston does not have one. I remember when Yaz was patrolling left field and he could play the Monster like a musical instrument, watching the flight of the ball, setting himself in the perfect spot to catch it off the wall and gunning it to second base to utterly nail the idiot who was trying to reach second base. In most cases, the ball arrived at second when the runner was 15 feet away from the bag. THAT WAS YAZ. He knew evey dent and cranny of that green friend of the devil and used it to his advantage, taking away so many doubles from opposing batters that it would be hard, no, impossible for me to count them. He was wonderful and I'll never forget how lucky I was to see him play live, right in front of my unbelieving eyes. Love ya, YAZ!!

That's it for this Thursday warmish morning. Right now it's 5:31am EST and the day beckons. I'll approach it slowly, at my own pace. I'll leave the house around 8am est. There will be traffic but what can anyone do about it? Nuttin'...that's what, except turn the radio on and leave it loud, really loud.

You can click on the title of this post for more about the Red Sox SI dot com style and as always, BE WELL. Your comments would be great. I'll answer every one of 'em. That's a promise from me to you. See ya!

The Red Sox Captain Will Be Back For 2010

Jason Varitek will be back for the 2010 season. I'll have everything for you in the early morning. Have a great night.

Billy Wagner Coming Back To Boston?

Left handed reliever Billy Wagner, who was not expected to accept arbitration from the Boston Red Sox, just might. It was said that he wanted to be a closer, a job the Red Sox have fully covered with a guy named Jonathon Papelbon. Wag's agent, Bean (yes, I spelled it correctly) Stringfellow (did they call him string bean in high school?) had this to say...

“I just visited with Billy and his family the other day and I can tell you this much: Billy thoroughly enjoyed his time in Boston. It was one of the best experiences he has ever had in baseball. So, does he rule out accepting arbitration? No, he doesn’t. One thing that’s important to him is the chance to win a championship and that’s not a minor detail. Based upon his experience in Boston and his desire to win, to say he has completely ruled it out, certainly he has not. I fully anticipate the Red Sox offering him arbitration,” Stringfellow said. “Prior to meeting him the other day, if you had asked me would he accept arbitration, I would have said 100 percent no.”

Interesting, verrrry interesting (oops, wrong show). Wagner did a great job with Daniel Bard covering the eighth inning bridge to Paps and would be a welcome addition to the 2010 Boston Red Sox bullpen. He'd be another year removed from his surgery and, if he conditions correctly, would be stronger than last year. In a nutshell, I hope he comes back.

Jason Varitek has not yet decided to pick up his own $3 million option, but I bet you he will very soon. We all know Victor Martinez is our number one catcher for 2010, thankfully so, but having the captain back to catch a couple games a week even though he can't throw out runners trying to steal second, not anymore and that's sad, would be a Godsend for every pitcher, starter or reliever on the 2010 team. Case closed...for me.

Have a great Hump Day Wednesday. Again, it's WAY too early for me to be awake...I just don't know why. But it's dark, it's quiet, it's peaceful and I'll probably fall asleep tonight at 7:45pm. As always, BE WELL. I'll see you tomorrow, if not before.

Victor Martinez # 1 Red Sox Catcher...Tim Wakefield Back For Two More Years...UCONN WOMEN WIN

The Boston Red Sox have picked up Victor Martinez' $7.1 miliion option and proclaimed him the number one, full time catcher for 2010. I think this is a tremendous decision that doesn't take anything away from the captain, Jason Varitek. Theo Epstein was asked about the club's smart decision and he responded thusly...

“We’re going to really look for Victor to be the everyday catcher next year,’’ Epstein said. “What puts us in the best position to win is for Victor catching as much as he can. The spot we’ll have available is for more of a traditional backup. We’ll see what Tek’s decision is before we move forward. He really sees himself as a catcher,’’ Epstein said. “We have to be smart about it. We can’t push him to the point where we have diminishing returns. He feels he can catch a bit more and prepare himself to do that. We haven’t put an exact number on it. A lot depends on the exact shape he’s in. We expect him to be in really good shape. He’s a really hard worker. We’ll have to figure that out as we go.

Epstein was then asked if Varitek would be comfortable in a back-up role, something he's not done in the past but one in which I think (know) he would excel. Here's Theo...

“Yeah, I think so. There’s a school of thought that says he’d perform better with a bit more rest.’’

V-Mart said before the season started that he could handle the behind-the-plate duties for 140 games or so. Guess what...he got his wish and Red Sox Nation should be very happy.

The other huge piece of Boston Red Sox news concerns a now healthy Tim Wakefield, who we all love. The Sox signed him just yesterday to a two year, $5 million deal which could reach double that figure with incentives. He has had his disc surgery (I still wonder how it was possible he could have made his last three 2009 starts while hobbling with excruciating leg pain...pain I know all too well). Needless to say, our Timmy was very happy. Here he is...

“For me, it was never about the money,” he said. “It was about being treated fairly and remaining a Red Sox for the rest of my career, and now I can say that’s going to happen. I was a little disheartened when I first heard the news they weren’t going to pick up the option and wanted to cut down the guarantee,” Wakefield said. “But after that was settled and we started negotiations on a two-year deal I thought, ‘OK, this is actually probably a better deal for me.’ It’s a performance-based contract, which I completely understand on their end, since I have not been healthy the last four years. I feel phenomenal,” he said. “As soon as I got the grogginess out of my system from the anesthesia, I was doing laps around the nurses’ station. I feel good. I’m not limping around. There’s no more pain shooting down my leg, calf, hamstring and hip. I’m working to regain the strength I lost in my leg.”

Wakefield is now positioned to challenge Roger Clemens and Cy Young, who share the Sox career record with 192 victories. Wakefield has 175 with the Red Sox. Good luck, Timmy. You pitch your heart out every time you toe the Fenway Park rubber and take command of the Fenway Park mound. WE LOVE YOU. He now has a great chance to break Cy Young and Roger Clemen's Red Sox victory record and I hope to God he gets it. I really do.

“He’s justifiably proud of where he ranks,” GM Theo Epstein said. “He wants to end his career in a Red Sox uniform, and that’s something we’d like to see as well. And for us, the finances made a lot of sense.”

Lastly, the University of Connecticut Women's Basketball team, in their last exhibition game before the regular season starts this weekend, ran to a 98-68 exhibition victory over Vanguard University. The full game wrap up from the Hartford Courant is available when you click on this post's title. As always, BE WELL and I'll see you soon. That's a promise.

MLB GM Meetings Start In Chicago...UCONN Women's Basketball Team Plays Final Exhibition Game Tonight in Hartford

Today, Tuesday and Wednesday, all the major league baseball general managers will convene in the windy city, Chicago, Illinois. Ah, I know it well (not...I visited Liz for just three days). I jest but the upcoming meetings are super serious. The Boston Red Sox landed two guys by the name of Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett in one deal a few years ago during this confab.

Directly related is that Boston has declined Alex Gonzales' $6 million 2010 option. He will soon file for free agency and if the Sox and he agree on a price, he'll be back. I wouldn't bet on it even though he solidified the defense on the left side of the infield and he batted a very respectable .284. His age (32) and his injury history as well as the amount of his option had much to do with Boston's decision. So the Red Sox are without a starting shortstop...for now. That position has been achille's heel-like for them for a long time. Theo and company will do something about it. This team is very close to being a competitor throughout the 2010 postseason with a few tweaks here and there. The Sox must also decide TODAY the 2010 options of Varitek, Wakefield and Victor Martinez. Personally, I think they would be crazy to part with any of 'em. And don't forget...Gonzo can still be a part of the 2010 Red Sox but it will be at the team's price, not his. I'd love to see him back...you can't have enough shortstops. Red Sox history has proven that. The acquisition of another Gonzales whose first name is Adrian (see the post directly below this one) is the most important move Boston MUST make in this off season. I don't want you to forget that.

In other sports, the UCONN Women's Championship basketball team plays their last exhibition game tonight at the XL Center in downtown Hartford. They start their regular season late next week as they try to break John Wooden's NCAA basketball consecutive victory record. I'll have more on that later but the women did not lose a game last year and every one of those wins was by 10 points or more. They are the CHAMPIONS and I love them.

Have a great Monday and I'll see you soon. As always, be well. Thanks.

This & That In Major League Baseball

Well, the Sunday baseball news, so to speak, took a little time for me to find, but I managed to search it out. Let's start with the Boston Red Sox, my team. They are sure to try and acquire the services of San Diego first baseman slugger Adrian Gonzalez. Why? A MLB expert recently said this...

“Then you’d have two teams, the Yankees and the Red Sox, that would be impossible to pitch to. Gonzalez would come close to 50 homers if he played half his games at Fenway. I don’t think that’s exaggerating.’’

Last year Adrian hit 40 home runs and drove in 90 runners while playing half his games in San Diego. He is a lefty who loves to go to the opposite field (think Green Monster) and would hit a ton of taters with his swing. He said this about hitting in our cozy and historic ballpark...

“I’ve never played there, but I’m told I would like it.’’

He still has two years left on his contract but the San Diego powers-that-be know which four or so Red Sox players it would take to get the power hitting lefty first baseman with the dependable glove who is just entering his prime at the age of 27. My goodness! Theo and company will be working day and night on this one. DO NOT be surprised if next year you see Gonzalez at first, Youk at third and either of the two DH's, Big Papi or Mikey Lowell, traded to other places, other spaces.

Next up...Boston infielder and jack of all trades Nick Green will have surgery Monday to repair a disc in his back that caused his leg to go what he called "dead." Think Timmy Wakefield. He should be fine for next year.

In non-Sox news, Manny Ramirez excersised his $20 million contract option with the LA Dodgers and will be playing for them and Joe Torre in 2010. Last year he hit .290 with 19 taters and 63RBIs in only 104 regular season games. Enough about him.

Finally, on this still dark Sunday morning, here is the up-to-date list of the current free agents. Eligible players may file through the 19th...

AMERICAN LEAGUE

BALTIMORE (4) -- Danys Baez, rhp; Mark Hendrickson, lhp; Chad Moeller; c; Melvin Mora, 3b.
BOSTON (3) -- Rocco Baldelli, of; Jason Bay, of; Billy Wagner, lhp.
CHICAGO (3) -- Ramon Castro, c; Jermaine Dye, of; Scott Podsednik of.
CLEVELAND (2) -- Jamey Carroll, 2b; Tomo Ohka, rhp.
DETROIT (5) -- Adam Everett, ss; Aubrey Huff, 1b; Placido Polanco, 2b; Fernando Rodney, rhp; Jarrod Washburn, lhp.
KANSAS CITY (3) -- Bruce Chen, lhp; Miguel Olivo, c; Jamey Wright, rhp.
LOS ANGELES (6) -- Kelvim Escobar, rhp; Chone Figgins, 3b; Vladimir Guerrero, dh; John Lackey, rhp; Darren Oliver, lhp; Robb Quinlan, of.
MINNESOTA (4) -- Joe Crede, 3b; Ron Mahay, lhp; Carl Pavano, rhp; Mike Redmond, c.
NEW YORK (0)
OAKLAND (4) -- Bobby Crosby, 1b; Justin Duchscherer, rhp; Nomar Garciaparra, dh; Adam Kennedy, 3b.
SEATTLE (5) -- Miguel Batista, rhp; Erik Bedard, lhp; Adrian Beltre, 3b; Endy Chavez, of; Mike Sweeney, dh.
TAMPA BAY (3) -- Chad Bradford, rhp; Troy Percival, rhp; Russ Springer, rhp.
TEXAS (7) -- Joaquin Benoit, rhp; Hank Blalock, 1b; Marlon Byrd, of; Eddie Guardado, lhp; Andruw Jones, of; Ivan Rodriguez, c; Omar Vizquel, ss.
TORONTO (3) -- John McDonald, ss; Kevin Millar, 1b; Marco Scutaro, ss.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

ARIZONA (3) -- Doug Davis, lhp; Scott Schoeneweis, lhp; Chad Tracy, 1b.
ATLANTA (5) -- Garret Anderson, of; Mike Gonzalez, lhp; Adam LaRoche, 1b; Greg Norton, 1b; Rafael Soriano, rhp.
CHICAGO (2) -- Rich Harden, rhp; Reed Johnson, of.
CINCINNATI (0)
COLORADO (4) -- Alan Embree, lhp; Jason Giambi, 1b; Jason Marquis, rhp; Yorvit Torrealba, c.
FLORIDA (3) -- Brendan Donnelly, rhp; Nick Johnson, 1b; Ross Gload, 1b-of.
HOUSTON (6) -- Aaron Boone, 1b; Darin Erstad, of; Mike Hampton, lhp; LaTroy Hawkins, rhp; Jason Michaels, of; Miguel Tejada, ss.
LOS ANGELES (11) -- Brad Ausmus, c; Ronnie Belliard, 2b; Jon Garland, rhp; Orlando Hudson, 2b; Doug Mientkiewicz, 1b; Guillermo Mota, rhp; Eric Milton, lhp; Vicente Padilla, rhp; Jim Thome, 1b; Jeff Weaver, rhp; Randy Wolf, lhp.
MILWAUKEE (5) -- Mike Cameron, of; Frank Catalanotto, of; Jason Kendall, c; Felipe Lopez, 2b; Corey Patterson, of.
NEW YORK (5) -- Alex Cora, ss; Carlos Delgado, 1b; Ramon Martinez, ss; J.J. Putz, rhp; Brian Schneider, c.
PHILADELPHIA (3) -- Miguel Cairo, 2b; Pedro Martinez, rhp; Brett Myers, rhp.
ST. LOUIS (8) -- Rick Ankiel, of; Mark De Rosa, 3b; Troy Glaus, 3b; Khalil Greene, ss; Matt Holliday, of; Jason LaRue, c; Joel Pineiro, rhp; John Smoltz, rhp.
SAN DIEGO (2) -- Henry Blanco, c; Brian Giles, of.
SAN FRANCISCO (5) -- Bobby Howry, rhp; Bengie Molina, c; Brad Penny, rhp; Juan Uribe, 2b; Randy Winn, of.
WASHINGTON (5) -- Josh Bard, c; Livan Hernandez, rhp; Austin Kearns, of; Ron Villone, lhp; Dmitri Young, 1b.

That's it for this Sunday. Enjoy your day and as always, BE WELL. Leave a comment if you have time and just have a totally terrific day. I'll see you tomorrow if not sooner.

Sittin' On The Doc Of The Bay

Hello to you, my Constant Readers, on this still dark and very cold Saturday morning. I couldn't sleep...you've had one of those nights when you fall asleep and then WAKE UP and see by looking at the bedside clock that 20 minutes have elapsed. 20 MINUTES!!! Well, that happened to me multiple times last night and I finally got SICK of it. I shuffled out of bed at ten minutes before 4am, took my sugar and had a small breakfast and I'm now sitting here and typing to my blog friends. That's you, by the way. My subject of the day, although this post will be a short one, is what the Boston Red Sox should do, if anything, to reacquire left fielder Jason Bay.

I do not think that Bay will settle for anything less than a five year contract and the Sox would tend to lean towards a three year deal, like their right fielder, JD Drew. 14 or 15 milion bucks per year? John Henry's wallet can do it but does he want to? Ay, that's the question. Both Bay and Drew have comparable statistics. During Jason's career, only five outfielders have more RBIs. I'm going to leave this up to Theo and company. There are other capable outfielders out there who plan to become free agents in the next few days. I'm totally sure Theo and company will find someone to guard the Green Wall turf and put the ball in the glove and into the seats, be it Bay or someone else. I just know it. Rmember, Hermida will be a fourth outfielder. That's a fact.

Have a great weekend and thanks for popping in. If you have any thoughts on this or just anything, simply leave a comment and I'll answer you as best I can. Thanks.