You can find it here

Tek-Money Prior to this offseason I pictured Jason Varitek as the sort of player who was always team first. He went behind Scott Boras’s back in the 2004-2005 offseason, when he signed the four-year deal with the Red Sox that recently expired. Not too long after that he was named the captain of the team, an honor last bestowed upon Hall-of-Famer Jim Rice. Now, the Red Sox offering him $5 million to come back and play another year in Boston (which, for the record is $5 million more than any other team is offering), giving him a chance to prove that he can still compete at the major league level. Not an unreasonable offer for a man in his late 30’s who production last year was feeble at best. Yet, Varitek says he would consider either sitting out a season or retiring before he accepted that offer. What? He would rather sit at home collecting unemployment than recieve $5 million to return to the place where his fans and teammates love him? That doesn’t make much sense to me, and I doubt it makes much sense to Varitek either. This sounds like another Scott Boras bluff, the exact same kind the Red Sox claimed they woul break off negotiations if they ever saw again. Only this time there are no Yankees waiting to scoop up Mark Teixeira (actually, according to a report that just came out, the Yankees cannot sign any more type-A or B free agents this winter, due to the latest collective bargaining agreement. So much for Sheets and Ramirez going there). In fact, no one besides the Red Sox has any interest at all in Varitek. I suppose he could wait until after the June draft, hope that a catcher got injured and try and get more than $5 million for half a season. Hey, it worked for Roger Clemens. The one difference: Jason Varitek is not Roger Clemens. He is being offered an opportunity to return to a place where he is treated like a living legend, and he, as of this moment, is set to turn his back on all of them. This doesn’t sound like the Varitek I know.

Our Captain

Yooooouk Many people are predicting that last season’s stellar performance by one Kevin Youkilis was nothing more than a fluke. They say he’ll go back to his second-half slumping ways. Let me tell you something. Before the myth of Youkilis as a second half bum was created, he was dominating the minor leagues and was one of the top prospects in baseball. In 2006, he was starting in the big leagues for the first time. In 2007, he was one of the best hitters on the team through July, went into an extended slump, as any player could, but then was one of the top players on the team in October, when it mattered, unlike, say, Manny Ramirez. If it wasn’tfor the combined heroics of Youkilis and Lowell, not to mention the incredible pitching by Josh Beckett, it’s very likely the Red Sox wouldn’t have won the World Series that year. Now, in 2008, he was one of the top players in the American League. He is just now entering the prime of his career. Am I saying the guy is a future Hall of Famer? No. Am I saying he will be in contention for the Most Valuable Player award every year? Probably not. But he will be a solid .300/20/80 guy for at least the remainder of the four year deal he just signed. You can count on it.

Next year, it is pretty clear that the Red Sox will have one of the more dominant pitching staffs in baseball. The only ones that I can think of that compare is the upside of a Sabathia-Burnett-Wang-Chamberlain-Hughes rotation and the Zambrano-Dempster-Harden 1-2-3 punch in Chicago. But what about the offense? Many people discussed the need for another big bat in the lineup during the negotiations with Mark Teixeira. However, it’s easy to take for granted what one has, and I think Red Sox fans may be guilty of just that.

Remember, that you have the reigning AL MVP and the man who placed third in the voting on your team. You also have Jason Bay, who would have been right up there in contention had he spent the entire season in the American League. That’s three potential MVP candidates in the lineup. In my reckoning, only the Yankees (Teixeira, A-Rod, Jeter), the World Series Champion Phillies (Howard, Utley, and maybe Rollins) and maybe the Mets (Beltran, Wright, Reyes) can say that. That’s before you add in the 20-30 home run potential of healthy David Ortiz, JD Drew, and Mike Lowell. What we saw last June from Drew is what Theo expected his production to look like throughout the duration of his contract. If he could maintain that level of production throughout the season, the Red Sox offense could begin to resemble a new-school Murderer’s Row.

Of course the back end of the lineup is nowhere near as fearsome. You’ve got Lugo/untested Lowrie and a catcher who may or may not be Jason Varitek. The combined average of those two spots will likely sit in the range of 230-250, not exactly the ideal model of production. Even if the Red Sox do pull off a trade for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, well, his batting average has never been his strong point, although that would add another potential 30 home run bat to the lineup. And all of this is without mentioning Jacoby Ellsbury, who’s performance could make or break the team. If he hits upwards of .300, and runs like he did last year, you’ll almost always have someone on base ahead of Pedroia, putting added pressure on the pitcher. However, if Ellsbury doesn’t improve into the can’t-miss prospect with envisioned, that means less RBI opportunities for the rest of the team, and less runs scored. The equals more losses, pitching or no pitching.

Finally the bench is one of the deepest we’ve seen in quite some time, especially in the outfield and at first base. You’ve got Kotsay and Baldelli already on the major league roster, with Bailey and Carter, who has great success at Triple-A last year, waiting in the wings. Add to that Chip Ambres, Paul McAnulty, and Jon Van Every in Pawtucket in case someone gets hurt, and you have an outfield that can still win games despite injuries. Something tells me we won’t see Youkilis playing left field again this year, but who knows. At third base, you can have Youk back up Lowell, playing Kotsay at first. Behind Tek or Salty you have Josh Bard and George Kotarras at catcher. Lugo and Lowrie will share shortstop and backing up Pedroia at second. All-in-all a fairly deep team.

In an offseason that has seen some mediocre players get horrendously overpaid (I’m talking to you Burnett and Sabathia), and some good players go unsigned (Sheets and, grudgingly, Ramirez) the Red Sox have actually managed to piece together a moderately good offseason without breaking the bank or mortgaging the farm system.

I’ve never been a fan of signing long-term deals that will keep a player with the team through their mid-thirties- there’s too much risk involved to justify the rewards. A player in their late 20’s rarely maintains that productions through their late 30’s, or sometimes even through their early 30’s (see Bartolo Colon, Brad Penny, Barry Zito, even guys like Mark Prior.) All of those guys were the most dominant pitchers in their respective leagues as recently as 2004. Look at them now. Colon and Penny are trying to regain their old form with new teams, Zito is loving the huge contract San Francisco gave him, of which he has earned not a penny, and little hope remains for Prior. The kicker is, besides Colon, none of the aforementioned pitchers are that old. In fact Colon is, what, 37? Especially with pitchers, there are way to many variables to make a long term contract worth the risk the team is taking. Zito’s contract is the best example, but in a few years we could be looking back at the Sabathia and Burnett (and perhaps Santana) signings in the same light.

On the other hand, buying low on pitchers can often reap great rewards. The Red Sox tried this strategy in 2005 with Wade Miller and last year with Colon. Colon actually put up some quality numbers before he injured himself swinging the bat (I’d blame interleague play, but that swing was so ugly, Colon deserved what he got). This year, the Sox have a few such reclamation projects. John Smoltz has the potential for the greatest reward, as a healthy John Smoltz is as dominant as anyone in the world. Right behind him is Brad Penny, who just two years ago was one of the premier starters in the National League. In the bullpen, the Sox signed Takashi Saito, formerly of the Dodgers, who is coming off surgery. He, if he stays healthy (and I see no reason why he can’t), could create a one-two punch in the bullpen at least as good as K-Rod/Putz, and maybe a little bit better. And all of these guys together cost less than AJ Burnett. AJ Burnett, who, the Yankees seem to forget, is at least as prone to injury as Penny and Smoltz.

However, the Red Sox passed on the ultimate reclamation project this winter. In fact, every team has up to this point. Ben Sheets has the potential to be the ace of any staff, and, despite injury, managed put put up an ERA right around 3.00 last year. The only problem with Sheets is that any team that signs him will lose a 1st round draft pick, a high price to pay if he does get hurt. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the Red Sox go after Sheets after the Yankees picked up Burnett and Sabathia, but after signing both Penny and Smoltz, their adding another arm to the already crowded rotation seems unlikely, even if Buchholz or Bowden is dealt for a catcher.

Speaking of catcher, right now the Red Sox have got Josh Bard as the top catcher in the organization, not an enviable place to be. Jason Varitek has until Friday or Saturday (no one seems to know exactly which) to accept his choice of either a one year $5 million deal or a two year deal for the same $, with the second year being a mutual option or move on to another team. If Varitek (or should I say Boras) decides not to accept either of these offers, the Red Sox will likely be forced to trade for one of either Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden, or Miguel Montero. Now, none of these catchers is proven in the majors leagues. Personally, my choice would be Salty. He could develop plus power, and is already more of an offensive threat than Varitek, Teagarden, or Montero. He isn’t great behind the plate yet, but working with the Red Sox pitching staff would help him. Actually, my ideal situation would be to have Salty and Varitek platoon, with Tek teaching Salty everything he knows along the way. Where that would leave Bard and George Kottaras, I don’t know. Not to mention that Clay Buchholz is an awfully high price to pay for Salty. Maybe if the Rangers would be willing to accept Bowden + a minor prospect, perhaps an Argenis Diaz, a deal could get done.

Once the catcher problem is solved, the Red Sox will again be right in the hunt for the playoffs, although the AL East looks to be tougher than ever with the new and improved Yankees and the defending American League Champion Rays right there with them. This offseason could really go either way, depending on how guys like Smoltz, Penny, Saito, and Baldelli perform. Let’s not forget about new Japansese import Junichi Tazawa, who will be trying to prove his stuff in Portland before making the big show. All in all, this could be one of the best Red Sox teams in years, or just a repeat of the 2005 squad. We can only wait and see.

The following is an article I wrote for the October 2008 issue of the Launch Pad, our school newspapper.

The man who has been the band director here at Auburn High School for the past decade is gone. Mr. Jeff Lizotte, who led the Band, Jazz Band, and Rocket Band, announced his resignation in the end of September, but remained here at AHS until Friday, October 3^rd. He will be sorely missed by both his former students and fellow teachers. “It’s a good thing we don’t have to approve his letter of resignation.” said School Board chairperson Elizabeth Gribbons, “We wouldn’t let him leave.”

Mr. Lizotte will be taking over as the assistant principal at Northbridge High School, an interesting promotion for a band director. However, Lizotte got his Masters in Education and Leadership Management, and is highly qualified for his new position. He was on the NEASC committee here at AHS and has been involved in a management role in many state-wide music competitions. With Mr. Pietrello, the long-standing head of the music department, and Coach Donahue, the new vice principal here at AHS, there was little chance for him to take a management role here at AHS. So, when the offer came from Northbridge, he accepted. “I’m always going to be a musician, that’s always going to be there.” He said in an interview “But, ultimately, in my heart I feel I will be able to help a larger number of students than just those few in band this way.”

When asked what he would miss most about being the band director, Mr. Lizotte answered without hesitation; the students. Many of them he had seen grow from 5^th graders into high school seniors, all the while improving at their instrument of choice. He said he would also miss the faculty here at AHS, who his considered to be almost a second family to him. Mr. Lizotte will try to continue to be a presence at Auburn band events, at least through the end of this year. When asked who he would support in a game between Northbridge and Auburn, he smiled and replied “Right now, I still support Auburn High School.”

He will be replaced by Ms. Bailey, a former chorus teacher here at AHS. Bailey has experience in a variety of instruments, and will be a fitting replacement. However, no one can replace Mr. Lizotte in our hearts and minds. Thank you, Mr. Lizotte, and good luck with your new career. You will be sorely missed.

The following was a satirical essay I wrote last year.

$28 million. With that kind of money, you could buy 605 Chevrolet Corvettes, almost two mansions the size of John W. Henry’s Brookline monstrosity, 14 million bottles of Coca-Cola from over-expensive Boston vending machines, or one year of Alex Rodriguez. Boston slugger Manny Ramirez made $21 million last year, Giants ace Barry Zito is making $18 million a year, future hall-of-famer Roger Clemens made $19 million for half a season (that’s $11,995 a pitch) and Twins pitcher Johan Santana is supposedly looking for a contract in the area of $25 million a year. Why, you ask, are baseball contracts so inflated? Simply because the players are that much better than everyone else.
In fact, they are sadly underpaid. “I guess I’ll have to get a second job.” Said future hall-of-famer Greg Maddux when told that his rivals Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson would make more than him. These poor men, who dedicate their lives to giving us joy, can only afford one island apiece. We live our lives through them, those dreams of playing childhood games into our late 30’s and (with the help of steroids) 40’s. In baseball the fans praise those who fail 70% of the time and harass those who fail 75% of the time. With such a small margin between failure and success, wouldn’t you need a fleet of private jets to take you to Hawaii on a whim?
For those who complain about unfair wages, I ask you this. Can a police officer throw a 95-mile-an-hour fastball? Can a history teacher hit a ball 400 feet? I don’t think so. In this country we base our salaries on the important things, fielding ground balls, rather than such frivolous wastes of time as saving lives and molding young minds.
Sadly, it wasn’t always this way. In the 1960’s, star Red Sox hurler Bill “Spaceman” Lee complained, “We weren’t playing for money. They gave us Mickey Mouse watches that ran backwards.” Even the highest payed stars of that era made little more than $100,000 a year. You couldn’t even afford a mansion on that salary. How can a player work on becoming as good as they can be, while worrying about paying the mortgage on their second home every month? That’s just insane. Even today some players don’t earn the salaries they deserve. Not just anyone can avoid making an error in the field for 162 straight days. So why does Kevin Youkilis only make $380,000 a year? That’s practically the poverty line.
If you are one of those people who say professional athletes make too much money, don’t forget that baseball is the national pastime of the United States of America. Therefore, it stands to reason that if you don’t agree with me, you are probably a communist and thus should be hastily deported.

It seems so strange, that the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees would both be at the mercy of a team that was just formed in 1998, and has never finished above last place in the division. Maybe taking the “Devil” out of the name was all they needed down at the Trop. As I write this, the Red Sox and Rays are in the 10th inning, with the Sox looking to move within 1/2 game of first place with a win. Last night took Red Sox fans on an emotional roller coaster, from Jason Bay’s go-ahead home run in the 8th inning, to Jonathan Papelbon’s first blown save since June in the 9th, and finally to Jacoby Ellsbury being stranded on third to end the ballgame. Hopefully tonight, we’ll see some more positive results. In other news, the Angels clinched the AL West today, as they defeated the Yankees. Those Yankees now are all but dead, now being over 10 games back of first place. The Blue Jays have been putting up a fight lately, but it’s simply too little to late for them.

Now, the Rays. They have been struggling lately, as can be evidenced by their recent series against the Jays and the way they’ve been playing against the Red Sox. If we replayed last night’s game 100 times from the 9th on, they would probably lose that game 95-99 times. They simply got lucky that Paps was having a rare off-night. Now, I don’t  believe that the Rays have the experience (I mean, come on, their oldest starter is 26) to maintain the level of play they were having in July and August. My gut feeling is that the Red Sox will win the division, with the Rays still easily picking up the wildcard berth over the struggling Twins. The Red Sox should defeat the White Sox easily, who are without a doubt the worst playoff team from the American League in my projection. Now, the Rays versus the Angels would be a good series, but you have to think that the Angels would likely get the better of it. However, any one of those three teams (Boston, Tampa, and LA) are good enough to make the World Series, and even win it. Just think of the top three starters on each team; Beckett, Matsuzaka, and Lester for Boston, Lackey, Santana, and Weaver for LA, and Kazmir, Shields, and Sonnanstine for Tampa Bay. Every one of those pitchers gives the team a chance to win every time they toe the rubber. If it comes down to offense, LA probably has the strongest, although they have been slipping lately. The Red Sox, with their two MVP candidates, are also very good offensively, and that’s without even considering Ortiz, Bay, or Ellsbury. The Rays seem to be the weakest of the three teams in this regard, especially while Longoria, Crawford, and Upton are all sidelined.

Prospect to Watch: One guy I’ve always been a fan of, based purely on his upside, is George Kottaras. He was a highly touted prospect in the Padres organization before he came to Boston in the 2006 trade that sent David Wells to San Diego. He made an immediate impact, helping the Portland Sea Dogs win the 2006 Eastern League Championship. In 2008, despite limited playing time, he managed to hit over 20 home runs for Triple-A Pawtucket. However, his average sat around .250, something he’s going to have to improve if he wants to take Varitek’s place as the backstop for the Red Sox. He was called up to the Majors a few days ago, and it will be interesting to see what he can accomplish in the remainder of the season.

If you could name one player on the Red Sox who wasn’t pulling his weight on the team, in any sense, that player would very likely be Julio Lugo. He couldn’t be traded because of his lackluster performance and large contract. Now that he is going to be on the disabled list for at least the next month, Jed Lowrie has a chance to shine in the major leagues. Now if he fails, we’re stuck with a month or more of Alex Cora playing shortstop, which could be even worse than Lugo. However, if he succeeds the Red Sox could have a viable option for a starter next year, despite Lugo. In the offseason, it’s likely that some team will be desperate for a shortstop, and Lugo might be more dealable. However, this is by no means a sure bet. Even if Lowrie has success, Lugo could still block his way. At the very least, we would have a solid replacement for Cora. This is his chance to prove that his .260 average in Pawtucket was not indicative of his skills, rather. that the amount of success he had in his cup of coffee earlier in the year is what we can expect from him in the future

Kevin Youkilis was one hit shy of the cycle in consecutive games this past week. An all-star if I ever saw one.

Kevin Youkilis

Well, we’re just past the half-way point on this insane season. So far we’ve had a variety of surprises, including the new-look team from Tampa Bay sitting atop the AL East and the powerhouse Tigers sitting under .500. The Yankees have been terrible, more so than even I thought, and the entire NL West could finish the year under .500. So far, the Red Sox have performed admirably in this upside-down pennant race, despite losing star slugger David Ortiz and having Manny Ramirez battling a hamstring injury. Sure, we’re 4 games back of the Rays, but at least we’re not mired in an offense-less quandary like our pals in New York.

The Offense
The offense has performed very well in the first half of the season, considering Ortiz’s absence and Manny’s injury. Much of this can be attributed to J.D. Drew finally earning that paycheck of his, but you cannot forget the contributions of Kevin Youkilis, Mike Lowell, and Dustin Pedroia. Heck, of those four guys, three are all-stars for the first time this year. Lowell missed making the team (at least so far. We don’t know who will take Big Papi’s spot on the team, but it probably won’t be a Red Sox player, considering there are seven on the team already.), but there is no doubt he deserves to be there.

One man who did make the team has also been one of the worst players on the Red Sox offensively. Jason Varitek, our captain, has been horrendous at the plate thus far, hitting just above .200. While he has been slightly better batting from the right side, V-Tek isn’t about to give up his switch-hitting ways. How he made it onto the all-star team is beyond me. Apparently his peers have more respect for his talents than the fans do. Don’t get me wrong. Varitek is the heart and soul of the Red Sox. He makes every pitcher he works with that much better. But he just can’t hit like he used to. I hope he proves me wrong in the second half, but I wouldn’t count on it. With his contract expiring at the end of this season, the Red Sox need to think long and hard about whether or not to keep him around. I remember what happened in 2006 when Varitek went on the DL. Our entire pitching staff imploded. And it’s not like we have any replacements ready within the organization. Sorry, George Kottaras, I had high hopes for you, but apparently Red Sox management sees it fit to play you second string in Pawtucket to Dusty Brown. Hooray for crappy journeymen!

Speaking of crappy journeymen, there is one player on the Red Sox offense that irks me more than the captain. His name: Julio Lugo. The man can’t hit, he can’t run, and he can’t play defense. He’s the worst defensive shortstop the Red Sox have seen in quite some time, and his batting average is hovering right around Varitek’s. How can the offense be expected to produce when the bottom third is Coco Crisp, Jason Varitek, and Julio Lugo? And, as Julio has absolutely no trade value, it appears we are stuck with him for the foreseeable future. Which is a shame, because I, for one, would be very open to the return of Orlando Cabrera to Fenway Park.

So for highs and lows, but mostly highs, the Red Sox offense gets a B+ for their first half performance.

The Rotation
A wise man once said that pitching wins championships and the Red Sox have used the formula in the past. In 2004 we had Pedro and Schilling. In 2007 we had Beckett (and did we have Beckett), Schilling, and Matsuzaka. This year out pitching has the potential to be better than ever. Despite losing Curt Schilling to a preseason injury, we still have Beckett, who hasn’t been his 2007 self, but has been getting better as of late, a new and improved Daisuke Matsuzaka, who, when he isn’t walking people, is one of the best pitchers in the league this year, and Jon Lester, who very well could be considered the most consistently good pitcher on the team this year. Tim Wakefield has been better than ever, and Justin Masterson, despite his recent move to the bullpen, helped the Red Sox through a time when a lot of pitchers went down with injuries. Clay Buchholz has been dominating Pawtucket, and now that he’s back in the bigs he should continue that trend. Bartolo Colon showed a lot of promise before going on the DL. All-in-all the starting pitching remains this team’s biggest strength.

For the first half, the rotation gets an A

The Bullpen
Now, herein lies the problem. This bullpen has blown more games for the Red Sox than any in recent memory (ignoring the Gagne era). Looking at it, you see a lot of talented names. Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima, Mike Timlin, and Craig Hansen. None of those guys would strike you as being bad players. David Aardsma and Javier Lopez, maybe, but they have been among the more consistent players in the ‘pen. Ah, there’s the problem. Consistency. Last night, Okajima came in and worked out of a jam in a game the Red Sox won by a single point. Last year that result would have been a given. This year every time the starter leaves the game, it becomes a nail-biter, regardless of a four-five run cushion. It’s crazy. Delcarmen and Hansen, we know you’re better than this. It’s time to step up guys.

Mike Timlin, on the other hand, is not better than he is playing. He is a washed-up old man who can’t pitch anymore. Yet, the Red Sox keep resigning him, despite the fact that he hasn’t looked like himself in years. That was the one surprise during last year’s free agency period, the resigning of Timlin. What was the point? He should have just faded into the sunset. But, no, now we have to deal with his 7.something ERA. Good job, Theo. You had no problem letting Trot, and Pedro, and Millar, etc. go, but you can’t handle losing Mike Timlin?

One guy I’ve been really proud of this year in the bullpen is David Aardsma. I think he is often overlooked as I guy we can count on for a solid inning. He wasn’t even a lock the make the team out of Spring Training.

Papelbon is Papelbon and Papelbon is a machine. Nuff Ced

Bullpen gets a C

In other news Congratulations Worcester native Keith Landers, of St. Peter-Marian high school, for being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles. I would have drafted him higher.

Daisuke Matsuzaka fields a ground ball at Spring Training

Rising Sun The season is just about underway, and I couldn’t be more excited. The team has three more exhibition games (all of which will be televised) today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, after which they will board a plane to Japan. Once in Japan they will play two exhibition games against NPBL teams (the Yomiuri Giants and one other, maybe the Hanshin Tigers) before starting the regular season against the Oakland Athletics, live from the TokyoDome. My one problem with these games is that they will be on TV at 5:00 AM. Guess I’ll be getting up early next week . At any rate, while Beckett will not make the trip to Japan due to back spasms, Daisuke Matsuzaka (without whom the trip would have been pointless) will make a start in either the first or second game. Matsuzaka’s wife gave birth to their second child and first boy yesterday. Congratulations to them.

Dougie’s Not Goin’ Deep Tonight Doug Mirabelli, Tim Wakefield’s personal catcher and good friend for parts of the last eight seasons was released the other day. He had been struggling mightily in Spring Training, and with George Kottaras and Kevin Cash performing so well, there was simply no room for him on the roster. Wakefield was stunned when he heard the news, and immediately confronted Terry Francona. The Red Sox will miss Dougie, who was always a major presence in the clubhouse. What they will not miss is his .200 batting average. Actually, I think the beginning of his decline in production can be accurately pinpointed as when Nomar was traded to the Cubs and Dougie could no longer steal his lunch. If you’re not getting these references, check this out. So goodbye Dougie, you will be missed. Just not very much.

Pauvre Dougie. The look on his face says it all.