Monday, October 29, 2007

Red Sox Win!

Man, it has been awhile, but last night I celebrated with the rest of the Nation as the Red Sox ousted the Rockies to win their second World Series in four years. I have a few thoughts on the off-season and the big win.

  1. I remember the great response I got from non-Sox fans when they won it in '04. I have been somewhat surprised by the all-out negative responses I've received from many fans of baseball. We've lost the loveable loser label, and now people think we are the new Yankees. Here is why we are NOT the new Yankees:
  • We will not open our checkbook for overpriced free agents. Theo Epstein and the crew set a value for any player and refuse to pay more. Remember Johnny Damon and Pedro Martinez? Those were two of the most popular players on the Sox '04 team, and they cut them loose because they wouldn't exceed what the organization thought Damon & Pedro were worth.
  • We have an excellent farm system and many of the key players on this year's team are home-grown talent. Youkilis, Papelbon, Lester, Pedroia, DelCarmen, Kevin Cash ('Belli's heir), made HUGE contributions to the organization. With Clay Bucholz on the up and up, our rotation is set for a few years. Yes, we went out and paid top dollar for Daisuke, but it is not like we just snapped our fingers and threw down 101 million. The Sox have followed Daisuke since Epstein started in Boston (in fact, the Padres, whom Epstein worked for, first started to scout Matsuzaka when he was 18). It was calculated and not intended to be a "win now" transaction. Thus, we are built to continue to win "the right way."
  • This is our first AL East title in a decade! The Yankees have won from 96 on.

We're not the Yankees. Do we have a high payroll? Yes. But after Manny is done next year, I project that our payroll will dip down to the 120 Million mark. Erstwhile, the Mets, Angels, Dodgers, Mariners, and others will around the same mark (especially with A-Rod on the open market).

2. I hope to heck we can re-sign Mikey Lowell. I love everything about that guy, and he is a perfect fit for the Sox. He had a huge year, and I hope we can meet him in the middle, because he is one of those guys that I feel privileged to have seen in a Sox uniform.

3. After giving this a lot of thought, I have come to a drastic conclusion. If the Red Sox sign A-Rod, I will not root for the Sox as long as that stat-loving homo is on the roster. I hate A-Rod with a passion, and there is only one thing the Sox can do this year that can make us the "new Yankees"--sign A-Rod. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him. What have his stats gotten the Yankees? Three straight defeats in the ALDS. Remember, this is the same guy that got bumped down to 8th last year in the ALDS. Mr. April, Ms. October...that is A-Rod in a nutshell.

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