Butch in a Yankee uniform doesn't hurt QUITE as much as Evans in an O's uni, but almost.
We're agreed on not wanting Drew to necessarily be Manny's replacement, but I don't see how the Sox add starting outfielders without someone else leaving. I think it's fair to keep looking at everyone as a piece to the puzzle, and it just so happens that the Manny piece keeps asking not to be in this particular puzzle. Unfortunately, there are a bunch nearly identical pieces that some joker threw in the box, and now they have to figure out which ones are the real pieces. Drew can be added in Trot's place, but then what do we do with Wile E. Mo? He's blocked everywhere unless we turn him into a 1B (perhaps not a bad idea) or trade HIM. Or if someone overvalues Coco, you could move him. I don't see that happening.
I hope the front office is looking for deals that improve the team this year AND in the future by entertaining deals for anyone except perhaps Papi. I'm not ready to let him go. Keep in mind that Manny is 35 at the end of May, and that he has bad knees: he missed 32 games this past season, and all but three of those were with a knee injury. If someone is willing to overpay with high level prospects and a young ML ready stud SS, SP or OF, you take the deal. Seems unlikely to me but I think they'd be irresponsible not to listen to offers.
Does the collapse of the Red Sox indicate any manner of a curse?
Seems like dave b answered his own question about what we do with WMP if Manny and Drew are both here: We keep him. Between the two of them...there's a decent chance Pena will see some starts...not that I'm particularly thrilled with the idea of playing him in RF for any reason. (Coco to RF, throwing arm be damned?)
As for Gagne...he would be a pretty nice risk, but last I heard, Boras thinks he can get a 1 year, $10MM deal. That ain't worth it, in my assessment. 1 year, $5MM with incentives to push it up to $10MM sounds more fair, but even $5MM seems a bit steep for someone who hasn't pitched 30 innings since 2004.
PS: I've a bit of a Wily Mo mancrush, and see him as Boston's LF of the future. I wouldn't trade him for anything less then a Jon Broxton-type closer. (No, Chad Cordero doesn't count.) It sucks to keep him in another backup role...but I think that's what must be done.
Wily Mo is a very intriguing player, no doubt. I'd love to see what he could do with regular playing time over the course of a whole season. I don't ever recall seeing a guy who can scorch the ball with such regularity. Even Pujols, Ortiz, Manny and their ilk hit weak little dribblers here and there. Wily Mo doesn't seem capable of such a thing.
//...my teensy little heart gets all jacked and pumped every time Pete Carroll's Trojans gag away a big game and that old familiar "Golly, what the heck just happened?" look returns to his face.//
Oh don't I know that feeling. LOL.
//Let's be humble and call it . . . oh, 34-10.//
Spot on again! 
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Let's see, how do I respond to that . . . with a self-effacing chuckle? . . . nah . . . with maturity? . . . nope . . . today, we're gonna go with this . . . DUSTIN PEDROIA IS A RUNT!! AND A SHRIMP!! AND HE'LL NEVER AMOUNT TO NOTHIN'!!!! ALSO, HE'S SHORT!!!!
I dare you to say that to Pedroia in person. I'd sell tickets.
And really, I love the Pats predictions. I just know you're doing them as some sort of reverse lock or something. Hee.
So I was off with the Detroit game (and the Indy game , , , and the Green Bay game . . .). I got the Bears one almost on the nose. That counts for something, right? Just to be safe, though, I'll pick the Pats to lose in the playoffs.
For the record, I'm 6-foot-3 and not small. Your adorable little, short, runty, short, shrimpy, tiny, short, short hero would have to stand on David Bacani's shoulders to look me in the eye.
Yeah, well, Pedroia may be short, he may look like the batboy, but he's ... GRITTY. He's, dare I say it, Ecksteinesque. Or he at least has Ecksteinian potential. And we all know that a shrimpy middle infielder with guts, heart and grit will beat out a
.300/40/120 man any day.
Am I still bitter about Eckstein winning the World Series MVP because he got at least three "hits" that should have been errors? Naah...
1) Lugo
2) Coco
3) Papi
4) Manny
5) Drew
Wow. Now keep Manny, dammit. And if he starts to show his age, there's Wily Mo.
Throw in Youkilis, Lowell and Eckstein...err...Pedroia...and Varitek, and that's a lineup that can score some runs.
Add Matsuzaka to the rotation and all we need is to shore up that darn bullpen somehow.
2007 is shaping up pretty well at this point. I'll say one thing--it's obvious the FO was as unhappy about third place as we were.
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