Correct Sir -- More on Papelbon

Well played on the summary of the week.

I am going to have to go ahead and agree with Trey on the Papelbon thing. While I was amped that he was our closer last year, I was excited for him to start and put up some numbers for Boston this year. The potential for him to have a Clemens-esque run in Boston was definitely there, but he made a decision in a way which he felt he could best help the club. Despite my initial disappointment when the decision was announced, all it took was one look at a picture of his post-save fist pump in an archived photo to make me remember how lights out and valuable he was.

Sunday's performance (as Trey pointed out) was lights out. Papelbon came in when they needed him most, in a tough situation, and got the key outs. He retired 5 batters in only 15 pitches, with three strikeouts to boot. Unbelievable. Imagine if he had started the game (again, as Trey pointed out) and it had been left to Javier Lopez, J.C. Romero, and Joel Pinero, who knows what the outcome would be.

Papelbon provides the security this club needs to win games. Without an elite closer, the Sox are at an extreme disadvantage. If you look at the 2004 campaign which resulted in the Red Sox finally winning the World Series, Keith Foulke was an integral part of that journey. When leads were close, Francona was able to call on him to shut the door. Papelbon however, is a much better option because he is younger, throws harder, and has a much more dominating presence. His bread and butter are his mid to high 90s fastball and his slider. He also throws a splitter and can throw a curve and changeup, but his dominance with the first mentioned pitches make him an excellent closing candidate. With his dominant stuff and his intensity on the mound he has what it takes to protect the valuable leads the Red Sox power bats are sure to produce. While the bullpen is shaky without Timlin (and with three, yes three, left handed relievers) Papelbon's value is further increased as the large leads can quickly turn to small.

With the Sox at home this week, hopefully there will be a little more action and the balls will carry a little better so that Papelbon doesn't need to be taxed. When a close game undoubtedly comes during this homestand, however, Papelbon will bring the gas to get the job done.

-J

Week One Recap

The Red Sox are back in Boston getting ready for Tuesday's home opener against Seattle. 3-3 is the Red Sox record after the opening week's road trip, 2-1 vs. Kansas City and 1-2 vs. Texas. My overall impression of the team so far is positive. The bullpen looks more less improved and of course Papelbon is a tremendous weapon. Our hitting has been lackluster, but I am not worried. It is early in the season and the weather has been unusually cool so far for these games.

Now that I have provided a brief summary, lets discuss Papelbon. What an incredible impression he left on me from Sunday night's performance. In all honesty, I was still a little peeved that Papelbon was not in our rotation. I was of the opinion that 180+ innings of Papelbon would be far more valuable than his 90+ innings as the closer. I WAS WRONG. Sure we may have won Sat night if Papelbon pitched but there is no way we would have won Sun night. Plus who knows how many of Papelbon's starts would have been ruined by the bullpen.

Runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out and all the momentum on the Rangers' side. Young struck out on 4 pitches and Teixera popped up on his first pitch. End of inning. 1-2-3 in the 9th. Who else on our staff could have done that? No one... and our spring training closer Pineiro is the one who got us into the 8th inning mess in the first place. So welcome back Papelbon.

This week we have 3 games at home against Seattle and then we host the LA Angels of Anaheim for four games, including Monday for Patriots Day. Hopefully the weather warms up to spark our offense, along with being at Fenway Park.

Trey

2007...again

Our predictions were exactly the same.

Well done. Sox over Dodgers.

2007 Season

The 2007 Season is upon us.

Trey's WS prediction: Red Sox over Dodgers

Clemens Watch

In the world of watching Clemens in a possible return, excellent news has surfaced.

FSN and the Boston Globe have reported that a source close to Clemens says that he has stepped up his workout regimen, to see if his body will be able to handle a final year of baseball. Additionally, the source indicated that Clemens has decided that if he returns to the majors, it will be with either his hometown astros or the team that he began with, the Red Sox.

With David Wells' recent injury (again) this could be just what the sox need for a fifth starter.

Excellent. Just plain excellent.

Here's to hoping Roger makes it to Fenway in 2006.

Rocket Meter: 45%

Clemens Watch

The Houston Astros made an offer to Roger Clemens today of an undisclosed amount. Astros management, including the owner have said that they are willing to to break the $100 million mark on their payroll this year to acquire the Rocket.

Astros managment indicated that the deal was "obviously a raise over last year's salary." This is significant, given that his salary last year for a full year was $18 milion. Obviously, after Clemens's spectacular year last year, he will not want to take a pay cut despite the shortened season he will experience during his final year.

While no other teams have made reported offers yet, the move on the Astros part may be the first step in getting him back. While the Red Sox certainly have the financial ability to acquire Clemens, it will come down to convincing him to come back to finish his career in Boston. The ownership group under John Henry may be reluctant to spend so much cash on a player as well, given that they were complaining about the "limited" earnings they retained last year after revenue sharing. Unlike some parks, bringing Clemens would not make the earning capacity of Fenway much greater, because seats sell out regardless of who is pitching.

Rocket Meter: 27%

Doug

Picture this: May 1, 2006

Early morning, Doug Mirabelli gets a phone call saying that he has been traded back to his beloved Red Sox.

6:48 PM, Douggie arrives at ballpark in a Massachusetts State Trooper SUV in the uniform he changed into on the ride over
7:00 PM, Douggie dons catcher gera
7:05 PM, Douggie squats behind home base to catch Wakefield for the first time since October.

What a triumphant return. This means that Wakefield's value as a starter will probably go way up because of the lack of unearned runs that he will experience now that Douggie is back to handle is knuckler.

WELCOME HOME DOUGGIE.

Clemens Watch

Roger Clemens has announced that he will wait until June to pitch, if he does indeed decide to return to the majors for a final year.

It is likely that if Clemens returns it will be with a similar arrangement as with the Astros, which limits the amount of time he has to travel. He has not said a possible team that he would favor signing with, but the Red Sox, Rangers, and Yankees have all expressed interest in signing him. The Astros will also likely begin negotiations after May 1st, the deadline set when he was denied arbitration by the team after the 2005 season. If he returns to the Red Sox, he would certainly bolster the fifth spot in the rotation, which is currently being filled by pitching prospect Lenny Dinardo.

Rocket Meter: 30%

Management deserves a Stern punishiment

In a surprising move, the Red Sox option Rule 5 draft pick Adam Stern to AAA Pawtucket after Wednesday night's game, instead promoting utility man Willie Harris. Harris, a career .252/.309./.299 game in 322 games and 854 at bats can be used in the outfield positions in a capacity similar to Stern. While Stern has fewer career at bats, he has demonstrated incredible potential this year, both in the World Baseball Classic as a member of Team Canada and in the Red Sox organization. The move seemed a particularly odd choice after Stern made two spectacular defensive plays, one which allowed the save for Jonathan Papelbon, in two days.

The move could prove benefiecial for Stern, as he will be an everyday player at Pawtucket, but perhaps he should have remained on the team until Coco Crisp returned from the disabled list. The extra at bats will probably help Stern in the long run, however, and he may develop into an equally adept offensive player as he is a defensive player.

Grab the brooms

Matt Clement, Curt Schilling, and Tim Wakefield all recorded wins this weekend in a 3 game sweep in Baltimore.

The Red Sox are playing some good baseball. With the exception of the first game against the Orioles, their run support wasn't as massive as it has been in past years (don't worry, its still early in the season) but pitching staff on all levels has been on their A-game. Keith Foulke has been shaky at best, and all three saves this weekend went to Jonathan Papelbon.

Despite his dominance in the first two games, he had a shaky third outing but managed to still get away with the save. In the third game, Foulke was used in a setup role and looked more like his old self once again. Papelbon will most likely return to middle relief if Foulke returns to his 2004 caliber. He is best suited for a starting role, however, so expect to see him in the starting rotation some time this season, and likely full time next season.

-J

Game 3

Red Sox 2, Rangers 1

Beckett (1-0) wins Sox debut
Trot Nixon: 2 run HR is Boston's only offense
Timlin shaky, Foulke doesn't get a chance
Papelbon earns Save (1) in Sox closer debut

Clemens Watch

Here at Hire Trey and Jon we are starting a new thing called the Clemens Watch. It will be measured by the Rocket-meter, which will identify the likeliness of coming back to Boston based on news we hear. 0 represents a 0 percent chance (difficult I know) while 100 represents a guarantee.

Clemens met behind closed doors with General Manager Theo Epstein yesterday for about an hour in Arlington, Texas. Clemens was flown in my the Rangers management, and Theo took the opportunity to pounce on someone else's dollar. Clemens stated that his family would support his decision to pitch in Boston should he decide to do so. It would be the perfect ending to a storybook career, as he began his career in Boston 23 seasons ago. He is tied for the career wins list in Boston, and the number 21, his number during his first 13 seasons in the majors (also with Boston) has been unclaimed since he left in 1996.

Rocket Meter: 40%

-J

Game 2

Red Sox 4, Rangers 10

Wakefield (0-1) struggles in Texas, again.
This isn't 2005 anymore: 7ER in 3.2 IP
Bard: 3 passed balls
Theo: Mid-season trade for Douggie?
Home Run Dept: Rangers 3, Sox 0
Coco Crisp: 2006 Red Sox MVP