I'm optimistic...

The Red Sox are in the news, and it's not just that Saturday is Boston holiday "Truck Day", the day the equipment truck leaves Fenway for Ft Myers, Florida. Is Truck Day a holiday in other cities? Speaking with my co-pilot on this, Mike Smedile, and he thinks no. I agree:

Look, the biggest issue with this injury to Schilling's shoulder is not the production we'll miss from the Big Guy. The issue here is depth: The missing 6th starter in the Sox rotation. Theo likes to stockpile starters and let the rotation sort itself out through attrition. Last year's rotation to start the season was: Beckett, Schilling, Wakefield, Daisuske, and Tavarez (with Lester rehabbing and nearly ready, plus Bucholz starting to enter the picture.) Lester became a factor, Bucholz contributed, and Joshua was fresh come playoff time. The 6th starter approach makes sense.

Regarding the guaranteed 8 million due to Schill, I'm with Rob Neyer on this one: The Sox don't get a penny back from him (Got to love the guaranteed contract...) Insurance? Maybe. I don't know the ins and outs here but I'd think that if he didn't pitch at all this year, the Sox would be able to claim from their insurance policy on his deal.

Granted, this makes Francona's job of filling out the lineup card every 5th day that much easier. No potential controversies surrounding Bucholz starting the season in the minors. Barring another injury between now and opening day, you'd think we'd enter the season with a roation of Beckett, Matsusaka, Wakefield, Lester, and Bucholz, with Tavarez on point as the "6th starter." Is this a title winning rotation? Yes, it can be. BUT, Daisuke has got to elevate his game this year. I'm on record that he will, that his ERA will improve, that the August/September fade we saw last season will be a thing of the past. And the pups will have to continue to grow up, become big dogs, pitch 180-200 innings, and win ballgames. I'm optimistic.

And this could further drive a deal for pitcher involving Crisp or Ellsbury (not sure why Ellsbury's name is being bandied about in trade talks. Probably just a negotiating tactic that lessens the perceived "need" to deal Crisp. I want to watch Ellsbury lurk, roam, and smoothly navigate the contours of the Fenway centerfield, plus watch him run the bases like a jackrabbit on the loose.) If I'm Jon Daniels from Texas or another GM, I'm calling Theo and offering up a lesser starter for one of these CFs. Bottom line, a deal for a pitcher WILL happen within the next 6 weeks.

Wait a second: Didn't we just pass on a deal for a top starter that could have involved one of the above mentioned CFs, a minor league shortstop (Lowrie,) and a minor league starter (Masterson). Oh, to be able to rewind the clock 6 days... Anyone got a spare time machine kicking around?

For real, I was a card carrying member of the Acquire Johan Santana club ever since his name was first dropped. Ask Smedile, ask Gillian, ask Mr Molesworth here in Sydney (in other words, not just an emotional reaction to the Schilling injury.) While this was a fun deal to ponder (not in a position of need, sort of a "win win" scenario), we all should take a position, right? I'm guilty: I wanted the Sox to push an offer of Crisp/Ellsbury, Lowrie, and Masterson, get it done, then pony up the 22 million per year. Fine. I said it. Smedile and I kicked this around and he was of the position that this was bad for the game, that it's just another case of the rich getting richer, he didn't want to fork over 22 million per year since that cash could be used for other prodctive players, that we didn't NEED this guy, and that he wanted to watch the kids grow up (Mike: Ever the socialist, nurturing type...) As always, an astute position from the big guy. So call me the greedy, capitalist, poor parenting type: But I wanted Johan in Boston. It would improve the ballclub. Like former GM Lou Gorman would say, it's about the ballclub. After all, like Willie McGee, what are we going to do with Johan Santana? Hey, the sun will rise, the sun will set, and I'll have lunch.

Lastly, 9 days until the marathon now... Can't wait to let the stored energy spill out all over the streets of Tokyo. I'm finding this tapering to be challenging, balancing the fear of not doing enough with the fear of having done too much... A weird thought after training so hard for 16 weeks. I trust I'm playing this just right though, following Coach Kane's lead, and looking to power through 42.195k come 17 Feb... Bring it on. As The Big Baby Dan said: Sub 3.20 or bust...