Boogie... I Hope You're Sitting Down

According to Jon Neyman at SI.com:

There are indications the Mets might consider overhauling their catching situation. While the Mets haven't spoken publicly about any dissatisfaction with their tandem of Brian Schneider and Ramon Castro, some competing executives say the Mets, whose top priorities remain a closer and a starting pitcher, appear open to trading either catcher.


Should the Mets find a deal for their catchers, longtime Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, a free agent, could be a possibility for them. Mets GM Omar Minaya has always liked Ivan Rodriguez, but it isn't known whether they'd consider I-Rod, as well.

Ummm... yeah. Just saying. Let's get him and keep him til Mauer's contracts expires in 2010! We could use some good solid catching in Queens.

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|
Read More......

Red Sox offer Varitek a new contract!!

YESSSSSSSSSS!

I don't want to get my hopes up, but this is good news! The Red Sox offered Captain Jason Varitek a one year deal, the financials of which have not been disclosed. The Red Sox probably low-balled him, considering his '08 was packed with career-worsts, .220 with 13 homers and 43 RBIs. Any baseball idiot knows that Jason Varitek is more than just a catcher and a captain. He's a great defensive catcher, and he can guide a shaky pitcher through a snow storm. John Lester, anyone?

Jason Varitek has played his entire career in Boston. He's the only player to wear the old fashioned high red socks. He deserves to finish his career right where he started it. Now that an offer is on the table, this could go one of three ways.

1. Varitek accepts the offer and finishes out his career in Boston. Unless he has a hugely successful '09, I'm nearly confident he'll retire after next season.

2. Varitek rejects the offer, deciding instead to go out very close to the top with that C on his chest and 2 World Series Championships rings on his hand. After going 86 years without a championship, how many legendary Red Sox stars in history can say that??

3. Varitek rejects the offer and signs with another team for what will probably be not much more money that he'll make in a final season in Boston. Can any team make him an offer sweet enough to leave his beloved Boston behind? And let's not forget about the personal issues he's dealing with this year. In case you hadn't heard, his wife of 12 years and mother to his three daughters filed for divorce at the end of July. These are all factors, no doubt.

As much as I would LOVE to see Jason play in Queens, I don't actually think my Mets will go after him. I do think we could use a veteran catcher to get our pitching staff on track, but not necessarily a catcher in the twilight of his career. Jason Varitek will turn 37 in April.

I'll cross my fingers for option #1. Anyone else want to weight in?

Just remember I'm sensitive when it comes to my boyfriends...

-boogie

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|
Read More......

Coco heads to KC

The Boston Red Sox traded center fielder Coco Crisp to the Kansas City Royals today in exchange for righty reliever, Ramón Ramírez.

All together now...

YAWN.

Now when the heck are we gonna find out where my boyfriend Jason Varitek is playing next year, huh???????

-boogie

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|
Read More......

Get A Handle On Yourself, Red Sox Nation

I found a gray hair today. I am in a mood that I am electing to take out on Red Sox Nation.

The first point addresses not all of you, but a good chunk of you. I get your point about the 2004 ALCS. Kudos to what you did there. But it doesn't mean it's going to happen again! Nor can 2/3 of Red Sox Nation tell me how the 2003 season went for you, can you? So I don't want to hear you all screaming as the Red Sox pull out a lone victory. For you true fans, keep on yapping. My team is horrible and I will accept your gloating. Just remember, we Mets fans ran our mouths in 2007, too, and look where that got us.

Second of all, I will give credit where it is due. You all had an excellent comeback victory last night.. considering that you would have been shut down if not for an error that was questionably attributed to Evan Longoria. So, great. Kudos on Evan Longoria's "error". It wouldn't have come down to that if you hadn't given up 7 runs to a bunch of rookies in the first place.

Thirdly, let's look at payrolls. The Red Sox have the 4th highest payroll in the league, paying out 133.5 million this year to have these quality veterans. The Rays? They are ranked 29th and pay out a measly 43.8 million a year to their ballclub. If I gave the Rays 90 MILLION MORE DOLLARS, you tell me if you would have even managed to pull out the 2 games you did.

So good luck going into Tampa tomorrow. It hasn't worked out too well for you there in the past.

- stars in a mood

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|
Read More......

Who's Laughing Now?

I'm already preparing for the wrath of Boogie with this post, but last night Stars' pick for World Series champs took it to the damn house against the oh-so-experienced boys from Boston, putting them up 3-1. This spells trouble for the Red Sox as they have had problems against this Tampa Bay ballclub all year long and will once again have to pull an ALCS sweep. And I, for one, don't think they can do it.

And apparently Boston is having a hard time keeping the faith as well. "This team is a surprise," Red Sox DH David Ortiz said. "Everybody is raking in their lineup. Everybody is pretty much locked in. I've been in a lot of playoffs and you don't see that too often. You might see three or four guys hot, you know what I mean? Everybody doing it, that's crazy. Man, taking pitches, swinging at strikes. It doesn't get better than that."

That doesn't sound like a quote from a man who's gotta believe to me. But it does sound like a man who is speaking the truth. And the truth is, the Rays are the team to beat.

Last night's game saw Carlos Pena and the sexy little rookie Evan Longoria going yard against Tim Wakefield. Sox fans knew their team was in trouble when their starter was yanked in the third inning. Longoria's homerun took him to 5 in the postseason, a Major League record for a rookie. And it didn't get any better for Boston from there.

Red Sox fans keep reflecting on their sweep of the Yankees from years ago, but I am not hearing that noise. Once, back in 2004, I scratched one of those rub-off lottery tickets and won $250. By BoSox logic, I am due for a big win in the California State Lotto.

Let's Go RAYS!

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|
Read More......

Against All Odds - ALCS Preview

Oh, how the tides have turned. Both the Cubbies and the Angels, the holders of the best regular-season records in their respective leagues, are sitting at home with the Padres and the Nationals watching championship baseball. Who saw that coming? Certainly not last year's Tampa Bay Rays, who finished the '07 regular season with 82 losses for their 10th consecutive season spent as a franchise with a losing record.

One year ago today, BJ Upton was probably lying to women at bars, telling them he drove a tractor for a living. Today, BJ is probably still celebrating after going yard twice against the White Sox to lead his team into their very first ALCS. If the Rays can pull out this victory, it will be one of the more impressive feats in MLB history.

But the Red Sox don't plan on going down quite so easily. Unlike the Angels, who hadn't played a game that meant anything since practically May, the Red Sox have been in full on fight mode for most of the last half of the season... fighting against Tampa. And while Tampa emerged victorious during the regular season, playoffs are quite literally a whole new ballgame... one the Red Sox ballclub knows well and the Rays are all too unfamiliar with.

So the question becomes, how much does playoff experience factor into a team's chances at victory? I am going to go on the record as saying not much at all. History has proven that. When you have a Marlins ballclub that has won 2 World Series in 13 years and teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks who have danced the Big Dance, it can't factor in too much. Even the 1969 Mets would laugh at the thought of experience stopping them.

So let's look at the cold hard facts. Despite the fact that Boston may currently be the better team, playoff baseball is all about the team that is hotter at the moment. And the Sox go into this series without key player Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett may be less than at his best, which could spell trouble for Boston as he is starting Game 1.

The Rays team looks healthy and mentally prepared to win, but this Tampa Bay club only won a single game at Fenway Park all season, so they could be facing some trouble on the road.

If you're a betting lady or gent, apparently Boston is a -150 favorite to take out Tampa Bay. What does that mean? I have no idea, but I do think it means you'll make some money when the Rays take out Boston.

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|
Read More......

Red Sox Rookies - HAZED!

The fun never stops. These photos come compliments of Kelly O'Conner and Liza (ripped from OutInCenterField


Chris Carter
First of all, the wig askew just gives a magnificent touch. I think I went to high school with a girl who had roots like that. Her boobs were far less impressive, however.


Chris Smith
This is hands down my favorite. He really seems at home. I guess he earned that tiara.


Davern Hansack
So the theme this year was High School Musical. So I am assuming Davern must be the Zac Efron character or that other guy whose name I am pretty sure no one has ever known. He got off easy. Too bad no one dressed as full bush Vanessa Hudgens.


Jonathan VanEvery
Priceless. Simply priceless. I kind of wish I had been in High School Musical now, so I could contribute to my beloved pasttime of rookie hazing.

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|
Read More......

The Race Is On!

I wonder if ER waiting rooms are filled with men and women in MLB gear every September because you know as well as I do that as comes September, so goes my mental and physical health. Just 2 days shy of the dreaded 9th month of the year, I have already succumbed to a variety of panic attacks, a few rageful tantrums and at least one hyperventilation. It only gets worse from here. So since everyone else thrown their 2 cents in on what they think the pennant outcomes will be, I figured I would deliver unto all my worthless opinion as well.


Before I begin, let me remind you of the picks Boogie, Ill Orange, and I made a little over a month ago. Please keep in mind these were all reasonable choices back in July.

Regular Season	Stars	Boogie	Ill Orange
NL East	NY Mets	NY Mets	NY Mets
NL Central	Cubs	Cubs	Cubs
NL West	LA Dodgers	Diamondbacks	LA Dodgers
NL Wildcard	Brewers	Cardinals	Brewers
AL East	Red Sox	Red Sox	Red Sox
AL West	LA Angels	LA Angels	LA Angels
AL Central	Twins	White Sox	White Sox
AL Wildcard	White Sox	TB Rays	Yankees

Postseason	Stars*	Boogie	Ill Orange
NL Champ	NY Mets	Cubs	NY Mets
AL Champ	LA Angels	Boston Red Sox	LA Angels
World Series Champ	NY Mets	Cubs	LA Angels**

AL East

Now this has been a fascinating turn of events. We all took the Red Sox and now it's looking like neither the Yanks or the Sox can be sure of October play. If neither of them make it, it will be the first time since the Wild Card was instilled that both teams watched the playoffs from the comfort of their couches. The BoSox still lead in the Wild Card race, but with that Twins team and the White Sox team looking strong, I am gonna say that both teams will be able to take a nice long nap when September ends. According to CoolStandings, based on the remaining schedule the Yanks have a 3 percent chance of making the playoffs (hold while I stifle a giggle.) The Sox look better at 86%, but I don't listen to everything CoolStandings says. I'm saying Rays for the NL East now. (And congrats to Boogie who was the only one to include them in her picks. But for the Wild Card, so she is still about to lose.) But this could be one of the most miraculous turnarounds in baseball histories if the Rays keep up at this break-neck pace. I can't wait to see what happens.

AL Central

Now part of me wants the White Sox to take this division as their hasn't been a Chicago-Chicago series since 1906 (2 years before... something.) And the lead in the division has been flip-flopping between the Twins and the Sox for quite some time, so this is gonna be another one I can't wait to see the outcome of. So I defer once more to CoolStandings and it tells me Chicago has the edge. I choose not to listen, for the love of Joe Mauer, and am keeping my original prediction of Twins for the division and White Sox for the WC.


AL West

With the Angels 16 games ahead of their division, I frankly don't give a flying rat's rear end what happens there anymore. The Angels could send out the Nationals in their place for the rest of the year and it wouldn't make a bit of difference. But I personally feel like I am seeing their dominance slide and despite the epic record they currently have, I would be shocked to see rings on these boys' fingers at season's end.

NL West

Now this is an intense division split. And I thought only us NL East-ers had it bad! Since the Dodgers' acquisition of Manny (which yes, I know, I was opposed to), they have marked their territory as serious contenders for the division title. The showdown between the D Backs and the Dodgers commences tonight, and I would bet is going to be awfully telling of the final outcome. The D Backs are looking good to take it, though, and the chances of the Wild Card coming from this division are slim to none. A meteor would have to take out the rest of the National League for us to see both these guys in the playoffs.

NL Central

No one surprised us there... at least not yet. Let's go Cubbies!


NL East

Oh, heart attack of my life, this division is. The story remains nearly the same as it did a month ago, with one important difference. The Bums from Florida with their lead A-hole Dan Uggla seem to already be packing for their winter break. They're not out yet, but I believe in a God that wouldn't let them join the race. You've been lapped, boys.

And as for Philly and the Amazins... with 28 games remaining and the Mets only a game up on the Phillies, it's anyone's game at this point. But while most of the blogs seem to be predicting a Philadelphia turnaround, I, shockingly, am disagreeing. Yes, Mets bullpen is nothing short of crap. And yes, the Mets don't seem to score runs after the 3rd inning. But 74 wins and it ain't even August yet? The boys in blue and orange are doing something right. Phillies, take a seat. You got nothing.

- stars

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|
Read More......

30 Days of Glory - It's Red Sox time!

So after subjecting myself to the torture that was the Angels, I got a good night's sleep to prepare for today's physical challenge - digging through the Red Sox roster. Though, let's call a spade a spade - I knew where I was going with this one. Growing up a Mets fan in New York, let's just say you spend a lot of time cheering the BoSox on. Am I right?? A lot of time around the Sox means that actually years upon years of research have gone into this post. But for you, I will. Here's my starting line-up!

2nd Runner Up:

Javier Lopez



I love pitchers. And I love boys who throw sidearm. AND, I think he's pretty. Those are reasons enough.


1st Runner Up:

Justin Masterson



Because he's 23. Because he's 6'6. Because I dig him.


Champion:

Jason Varitek



Cuz Boogie adores him and what she says goes.


Honorable Mention:

Brandon Moss



There is something charming about him, even though he does remind me of Alfred E. Neuman with those bug eyes.

I Don't Get That Drunk Anymore:

Hideki Okajima



Ok, I had to look it up. Hideki is only 32 years old. How does he manage to look like someone's ancient Japanese grandfather? It's really astonishing. If I slept with him, I would feel like I was going to bed with my friend Rebecca's grandfather who lived with her, didn't speak English and was always offering me coconut. I gotta go with a big ole "Nuh uh" here. He is a party foul.

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|
Read More......