"Player to Be Named Later or Cash"

Whenever I have a question about the intricacies of the sports business, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe is always extremely helpful and timely in clearing things up (my previous letter from the reporter can be found here).  Today I asked Peter about a looming question I've always had about trades like that with the Colorado Rockies for Franklin Morales.

Red Sox Beat Writer Peter Abraham appearing on a NESN interview

Me: Could you please explain how a "player to be named later or cash" deal works?  How can a trade be made with such uncertainty?  If Morales pans out, couldn't the Rockies later on just say, "Actually, we want a better player or more cash than you're willing to offer"?  There must be some standards or rules governing this that I'm completely missing.

Peter Abraham: No, they set the terms beforehand. They either get to choose from a list of players predetermined or the cash.

For more up to the minute Red Sox news, check out Peter's Boston Globe blog Extra Bases.  Being 4,000 miles away from NESN and ESPN, I regularly check in for his in-game play-by-play of every single Sox game.  Thanks Peter!

"Player to Be Named Later or Cash"

Paragliding in La Paz

 

This is me flying outside of La Paz earlier today.  With calm conditions and clear skies, I take off 1,870 vertical feet above my landing point and relaxingly paraglide 3.5 kilometers down the mountainside.

Paragliding in La Paz

Red Sox Predictions

In honor of Opening Day tomorrow for the Red Sox, here are a few positive signs from Spring Training:

Even though most sports writers cite Jarrod Saltalamacchia and the catching position as the biggest question mark, we not only heard great stories about Saltalamacchia’s work ethic, but the young journeyman led the Sox this Spring with a Batting Average of .405, an On-Base Percentage of .465, and a Slugging Percentage of .640.

Jacoby Ellsbury missed almost the entire 2010 season, but is penciled in to leadoff.  This Spring, Ells proved he’s fully healthy and ready to have his much anticipated break-out season.  He led the team in hits (22) and in total bases (35), which is a great sign for your leadoff bat.

Josh Beckett, another worry entering 2011, is listed on certain sports books as predicted to only win 12.5 games this season, hardly what you expect from your $68 million man.  This Spring, although he suffered some rough losses, Beckett built up confidence in his change-up, which is exactly how a veteran should utilize Spring Training.  Beckett also silenced critics with a team high 18 Ks in the Grapefruit League and a stellar final performance in Houston.

While the entire ESPN staff is busy predicting the state of the league in October, I guess I'll fall in line and post my 2011 Red Sox Predictions.  As everyone familiar with the world of baseball knows, predictions are just for entertainment value.  Always expect the unexpected.  But with that said, 42 of 45 ESPN analysts picked Boston to be playing in the World Series.  Gordon Edes notes, "Tinpot dictators hold elections less one-sided."  While the experts look into Pennant and Playoff Race crystal balls, here's my look into the future on how the individuals who make this team so legendary on paper should play out this year:

Starting Line-Up:

Ellsbury: 18 HR, 130 R, 70 SB, .300 Ave, .380 OBP, .430 SLG, .820 OPS

Pedroia: .300 Ave, .370 OBP, .450 SLG, .820 OPS

Crawford: 130 R, 23 HR, 60 SB, .295 Ave, .360 OBP, .510 SLG, .870 OPS

Youkilis: 115 RBI, 31 HR, 90 BB, .310 Ave., .435 OBP, .575 SLG, .995 OPS

Gonzalez: 40 HR, .300 Ave., 130 RBI, .430 OBP, .590 SLG, 1.020 OPS

Ortiz: 23 HR, 80 RBI, .245 Ave., .330 OBP, .446 SLG, .776 OPS

Drew: 100 Games, 370 AB, .255 Ave., .330 OBP, .425 SLG, .755 OPS

Saltalamacchia: 120 Games, .280 Ave., .330 OBP, .370 SLG, .700 OPS

Scutaro: .260 Ave., .330 OBP, .360 SLG, .690 OPS - Traded at Deadline

Bench:

Cameron: (if not traded) 80 Games, 300 AB, .270 Ave., .330 OBP, .430 SLG, .760 OPS

Lowrie: 60 Games (if Scutaro not traded), 210 AB, .285 Ave., .380 OBP, .430 SLG, .810 OPS

Varitek: 40 Games, 1 CS, .230 Ave., .290 OBP, .350 SLG, .640 OPS

Rotation:

Lester: 2.90 ERA, 22 W, 7 L, 200 IP, 10.25 K/9

Lackey: 3.80 ERA, 18 W, 9 L, 180 IP, 7 K/9

Buchholz: 3.60 ERA, 14 W, 10L, 180 IP, 6.9 K/9

Beckett: 3.70 ERA, 17 W, 10 L, 160 IP, 9.7 K/9

Matsuzaka: 5.00 ERA, 9 W, 6 L, 1.60 K/BB, 6.8 K/9, 5.66 IP/G

Bullpen:

Papelbon: 3.50 ERA, 9 K/9, 3.00 K/BB, 5 BS, Traded At Deadline (or more likely, Sent to the DL)

Bard: 1.80 ERA, 10.45 K/9, 3.25 K/BB, 25 SV

Jenks: 4.00 ERA, 10.5 K/9, 3.50 K/BB, 4 SV

Wakefield: 4.50 ERA, 80 IP, 5 K/9, 1.89 K/BB

The 2011 dream team will win 97 games, falling three game shy of the 100 win mark set by Josh Beckett.

Let's see how well these numbers hold up when we look back at the end of September.  GO SOX!

Red Sox Predictions

Expectations for the Sox Offseason

The 2010 MLB season was a disappointment for the Red Sox.  Injuries, inconsistent pitching, and the most competitive division in sports resulted in a disappointing end for the Boston club.  As the pre-Thanksgiving, first round of GM meetings take place, the only news (beyond the usual conjecture and speculative media hype) to come out of Orlando is that the owners are pushing for the likely addition of a 2012 wildcard playoff round.  Finishing third in the AL East, behind the Yankees and the Rays, the Sox would have qualified for this Wildcard Playoff.  Instead, the sixth ranked team in the league started an early offseason.

During the GM meetings last year, 2010 appeared to be a rebuilding season for the ballclub, with farm system prospects set to graduate in 2012.  Theo Epstein, Tom Werner, and John Henry spent the meetings defending the club’s ability to contend.  The front office responded with acquisitions of Jon Lackey, Mike Cameron, and Adrian Beltre.

Try this hat
on for size

This year, the Sox have no catcher or third baseman and only half a bullpen.  The front office indicated it will aggressively pursue a free agent outfielder. Carl Crawford has been consistent throughout his career (.307 AVG and .824 OPS in five of the past six seasons).  Jayson Werth’s past four seasons in Philly have been stellar (.881 OPS).  Unfortunately, Werth strikes out too much for the Sox liking (147 SOs in 2010, down from 156 in 2009).  With that in mind, the Sox also tend to shy away from age in long-term deals (Werth is 31 vs Crawford 29.)  Remember, the Sox wouldn’t go past the $60M, four-year offer for the 31-year-old Jason Bay last season.  So expect a bigger push toward Crawford.  (Strangely, the front office has to know that the competitive market for these two superstars will probably drive their price tags into the five-year, $80M range – a risk Epstein has only once before taken with a position player, JD Drew.  History has yet to convince me of the sincerity of comments regarding courtship with these two.)

Ells a DBack?

Assuming the front office goes after Carl Crawford, Francona would have four everyday caliber outfielders. Expect a BIG trade centered around Jacoby Ellsbury.  Don’t listen to the propaganda that Ells and the front office are best friends after last season’s public berating Ells and agent Scott Boras gave the medical staff.  Convenient as it may be, Jacoby is still the biggest trade chip the Sox have in the outfield.  Although Ellsbury isn’t the deadweight in the outfield, neither JD Drew nor Mike Cameron could bring an impact player to Boston.  Their contracts are too large for any bidder to accept their mediocrity (respectively, $14M for .255 AVG and $7.75M for 48 games last season).  Ellsbury, on the other hand, is just becoming arbitration eligible this year and only receive $496,500 last season (perfect for a cash strapped franchise like San Diego).  Jacoby could easily be converted into a Justin Upton or an Adrian Gonzalez, but Epstein will also be open to an acquisition of a premier reliever and a top prospect.

When Will We
See Iglesias in
a Sox Uniform?

The average and expendable Marco Scutaro is going to be perfect trade bait for a solid reliever.  Since there are a handful of teams with holes at short this year, Scut might even bring the Sox a couple of decent arms.  The rest of the ‘pen will be filled using the usual Theo magic, picking up tons of cheap arms and having them fight for roster spots (the market is saturated with relievers).  The Sox then have options at short.  They will at least make a serious play for Justin Upton.  If Arizona asks for too much (Although the Sox will gladly offer up Ellsbury, I don’t see Theo parting with Daniel Bard), Boston could easily start the season with Jed Lowrie at SS and in August platoon in prospect and first future franchise short stop since Nomar, Jose Iglesias (Cuban defector with .295 Minor League AVG in 2010).

Will Theo Make a
Push for Gonzalez
This Offseason
or Next?

This time last year, I wrote, “[T]he Sox don't have any infield prospect Major League ready. Since there is a fairly decent sized class of third base free agents available this off season, my guess is that Theo is waiting for a cheap bargain to pop up just before Spring Training. I'm fine with waiting to get a cheap, year long replacement for Lowell.”  Epstein then signed Adrian Beltre to a one-year deal.  Expect the same this year.  Theo seems set to make a full-court press for Adrian Gonzalez (and move Youkilis to third) after the end of the 2011 season.  The front office could easily start that push now.  More likely, Theo will decide that it’s not worth losing Ellsbury in a trade for a player the Sox will inevitably sign next winter (trade or no trade, they would have to sign Gonzalez to a new contract or an extension).  Without a deal with the Padres, Epstein will wait for Gonzalez to hit free agency.  Look for another one-year solution at third.

Welcome V-Mart
Back to Boston

As for catcher, the Sox may not like Victor Martinez behind the plate, but they will be forced to pick him up.  John Henry will probably have to pay up for more years than the front office would like simply because their hands are tied.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia has yet to prove himself and the Sox can’t risk entering the season with such a big unknown.  When they do sign “Victory” Martinez, look for the contract to be front-loaded so the front office can trade him away after two years.

In summary, if the Sox sign Carl Crawford, as they’ve indicated, the expendable Jacoby Ellsbury will become the central trading chip of a blockbuster deal.  Look for Marco Scutaro to get moved to address dire bullpen needs.  And almost certainly, get ready for an overpaid (four years) Victor Martinez to resume duties behind the plate.

Expectations for the Sox Offseason

Extreme Biking

Monday night at FIPAZ, a La Paz based exposition, I went on on a giant hamster wheel bike ride...A slight change of pace from meeting with the country's ex-president.

Extreme Biking

Only in Bolivia...

Trumpet player wailing away in the street in front of my Import/Export class.

Vivi and posing with a Llama statue (who looks strikingly like Joe Camel):

Yesterday I went to get my shaggy hair cut. Midway through, while my hair looked like a half completed do from Edward Scissorhands, the barber’s daughter ran into the salon and said, “Papi, Papi, I’m late for school!” Quickly, the barber put down the razor and looked to me, “I’ll be back in five minutes, don’t move.”…Only in Bolivia…

Bolivian Soccer Redemption:

Watched La Paz’s Boliviar dominate Santa Cruz’s Oriente (see previous post about the appalling play of Oriente). Sunday’s match was much more what I expected to see from South American soccer.

Only in Bolivia...

With Shoelace Robinson hurt, who's the new face of Michigan sports?

It looks like my hard work with Sports Marketing back in college is finally paying off. Apparently, the University of Michigan finally decided to use this beautiful face as its new poster boy for its Sports Marketing program. The school deftly waited until after they booted Loyd Carr and for Rich Rod to start winning before promoting this new look. A wise decision indeed. I'm liking this pizza delivery boy Athletic Director more and more.

I also want to give a shout out to Case for somehow finding the link to the Michigan Sports Marketing website.

With Shoelace Robinson hurt, who's the new face of Michigan sports?

The “Ellsbury Effect” Part II

I decided to investigate my own curiosities stemming from my ideas last week about the “Ellsbury Effect.” I forwarded copies of my post to the Boston Globe’s Red Sox reporters as well as to CNBC’s Sports Business reporter. Although I still remember hearing that Matsuzaka’s bid posting number ($51 million paid to the Seibu Lions for rights to negotiate with the Japanese player) was calculated by Theo Epstein and Larry Lucchino as their figure for how much they expected to earn in Japanese marketing in Daisuke’s first year with the Sox, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe seems to disagree. Darren Rovell of CNBC also doesn’t think that t-shirts sales really amount to much. I guess my assumptions about the details of ball clubs’ business models were slightly off. I hope these two reporters’ letters help better explain the Sox’s financial ties to Ellsbury. Many thanks to Peter Abraham and Darren Rovell for help clarifying the situation. You can find their emails below.

Greg:

The Sox get only 1/30th of the money on Dice-K as all international sales are divided up among the teams. As for Ellsbury, it's not enough impact financially to sway any decision whether to trade him or not. T-shirt sales are an insignificant portion of team revenues.

Thanks for the note,

Pete Abraham
Red Sox reporter
The Boston Globe

* * *

BASEBALL TEAMS SPLIT MERCHANDISE REVENUES WITH EACH OTHER. SO ELLSBURY ISN'T WORTH ANYTHING MORE FOR HIS JERSEY SALES.

Darren Rovell (NBC Universal)

The “Ellsbury Effect” Part II

The "Ellsbury Effect"

With Jacoby Ellsbury coming back into the Red Sox line-up, I'm curious about how much money in t-shirt sales a fan favorite like him can bring a team. Even though he’s a Scott Boras client, Ells hasn’t even reached arbitration yet. His salary this year is only $496,500. A popular figure, especially with the ladies, Jacoby surely makes up his own worth in t-shirt sales alone. I’m guessing his jersey sales are even worth enough to pay the salaries of Kevin Youkilis, Dustis Pedroia, or Josh Beckett. When the Sox bid for Dice-K, they said that their $51 million bid number was based on their projected Japanese marketing capabilities for the first year of the star’s contract. What do these numbers for Jacoby Ellsbury look like? The “Ellsbury Effect” has got to bring the Sox front office large amounts of cash from t-shirt sales alone. I know there have been rumblings about discontent and a desire to trade him in the off season, but in addition to his gold glove caliber fielding talents, this kid has got to be a cash cow for John Henry and Co.

Baseball teams now operate like other businesses. Although I'd like to think that all decisions are based on batter’s box performance, I recognize that these days, batting average and on base percentage fit nicely into larger equations to analyze financial costs and benefits for the business. I really wonder what sort of money Ellsbury brings in compared to his contract with the team. Assuming he’s not a Manny-like poison in the locker room, plaguing team chemistry and brining everyone down with him, can the front office really spare Jacoby Ellsbury’s pretty face? When the Sox make their bids for Beltre’s next big contract, the pink #46 and #2 t-shirts that litter Fenway could be the difference in retaining the third base All Star.

The "Ellsbury Effect"

On Bud Selig:

"He's the same guy who apparently enjoys this big-market/small-market dichotomy. He's the same guy who looked the other way as his players were growing 26-inch biceps and second jaws. He's the same guy who doesn't seem to care that every World Series game ends past the bedtimes of his future paying customers, or that his fans are paying triple figures for all-you-can-watch baseball packages that somehow get blacked out on Saturday afternoons, or that baseball is the only professional sport that doesn't allow YouTube clips (because God forbid people would want to celebrate the game)." -- Bill Simmons, Is the Honeymoon Over for Baseball?

On Bud Selig:

Mike Lowell

Mike Lowell hit three home runs last night in his rehab start. Two nights ago he hit 4-for-4. And he's batting .470, granted this is all down in Pawtucket. Does anyone else think that Lowell might not be over the hill like the front office is suggesting? He might not be World Series MVP anymore, but I think he still can be a productive hitter. With all of the Sox problems this year, I find it difficult to believe that Lowell is really not the best option to be the utility infielder. Pedroia is hurt, why not move Lowell over to second? Francona has masterfully worked the line-up this year with more puzzle piece minor leaguers than everyday starters. But when Mikey's done with his rehab assignment, Francona needs to strongly consider immediately using him to fill the open hole at second base.

Lowell's still got gas left in him and can help a hurting Sox team stay in the race. His struggles in the big leagues at the beginning of the year were clearly a result of him wasting away on the bench. When he was getting more frequent at bats, he was contributing impressively. He will be a steal if another team picks him up...and that if means if the Sox finally agree to release or trade him. If he doesn't make some Fenway appearances soon, look for Mikey to be consolation prize once again, then proudly earn his spot in whatever line-up he plays for.

Mike Lowell

Does anyone else find it slightly wrong that the World Cup, advertised as the "Global Event" held this year in Africa, isn't exclusively offered on public television for the whole world to watch?

Follow Up to Bolivian Fútbol

I don't mean to steal video clips from blogs that I regularly read, but this is the perfect follow up to my Bolivian soccer post. To put the Bolivian fútbol match I saw in perspective, I'm pretty sure the guys in the clip below could beat the teams I watched play here.

Follow Up to Bolivian Fútbol

Bolivian Fútbol

Last night I watch the most painful game of soccer. This is the first time that I’ve ever thought that the MLS looks like a prestigious league. At one point in last night's game, the away team had a handball in the box (smart move, right?). The home team’s coach had such little confidence in his strikers (the guys paid to score goals) that he had his own goalie trot across the field to take the penalty kick. The rest of the game was more of the same. On an open net breakaway, the shooter couldn’t even put the ball on the empty net. Even teams trying to throw a game wouldn’t be this recklessly obvious. A few times while in the box, defenders failed attempts to pass the ball across their own goal, once having it land directly at the feet of a wide-open away player with no home jerseys anywhere near. It was that sad to watch. Showoffs repeatedly ignored open teammates and literally waited at midfield for defenders to attack, trying to show the crowd how well they could dribble around other players (which they obviously couldn’t accomplish). I know watching a home team lose is discouraging, but this wasn’t just losing. This was embarrassing. I’ve seen good teams lose good games and I’ve seen bad teams play sloppy games. But this was the worst amateur hour known to fútbol. Although this wasn’t quite as bad as the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship (which not to be sexist, but when the two best teams the country can produce struggle to put the ball in the hoop, you start to question the legitimacy of the league), last night was a very close second. I hoped watching Oriente play would help get me psyched for the World Cup (less than a month away), but last night’s showing had no resemblance to the sport that’ll be played in South Africa. This really was the most pitiful game I’ve ever watched in person.

Bolivian Fútbol

Adrian Beltre

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8IKDeH9SEg

Videos aren't working here, so you'll have to check out the highlight reel yourself.

Notice the Title of the video (Adrian Bertle). This way, the MLB, whose behind-the-times marketing team is adamantly against the popularization of their sport by allowing fans to share online highlights and promote further discussion of the sport, can't easily find Beltre's highlight reel and remove it from YouTube. Take that MLB!

This year, it'll be interesting to see how the 2010 Sox play with such a defensive minded team: Mike Cameron taking over duties in Center Field, quick footed Elsbury now even more versatile in a shallow left field, Gold Glove and MLB errorless streak record holder Kevin Youkilis, 2008 MVP Dustin Pedroia, a Starting Rotation assembled so premiere that Little League players could fill the Sox lineup and the pitchers would still records wins, and newly added two time Gold Golve winner Adrian Beltre who, of current third basemen in the Majors, has the most punch-outs, the second most assists, and the third most double plays. Get excited for Fenway Web Gems dominating Sports Center every night.

Inevitably with a team concentrating on run prevention, when sports news gets slow in the middle of the summer and beat writers are looking for new leads, keep an eye out for the media's criticism of the team's tired bats. With the exceptions of Beltre, Youk, and Victor "Victory" Martinez, the Sox are not build for power. Boston needs to accept this fact. (And, despite my own scepticism about such a defensive oriented roster, I do love the small ball mentality that the team might employ this year.) Let's cross our fingers and hope that defense really does win championships.

Adrian Beltre

Sox Talk

Since I've been disconnected for a while, the Sox have been busy rearranging the 2010 team. They look like they've signed John Lackey and Mike Cameron, traded away Mike Lowell, and abandoned Jason Bay negotiations. First off, I love Mike Lowell, who has been nothing but professional and productive since we took on his contract as a concession in the Beckett deal. I was definitely one of the many in the Nation to join in the cheers "Resign Mike" after his 2007 World Series MVP award. But like all players, eventually they get old. After an injury plagued season, Theo and the front office think Lowell is on the ending stages of his career. The GM decided to trade Lowell for a young catching prospect, Max Ramirez. I'm not so sure this is a bad trade, but at first, it very much appears as such.

The Sox are eating Mike's entire contract. They view this as a sunk cost. Fine. The Sox need a backup in case Varitek can't make it through the season playing once a week. Fine. But this trade only makes sense if Epstien and crew have a master plan about what to do about the gap this creates at third (or if they move Youk back to his original spot across the diamond, we have a hole at first). Right now, the Sox don't have any infield prospect Major League ready. Since there is a fairly decent sized class of third base free agents available this off season, my guess is that Theo is waiting for a cheap bargain to pop up just before Spring Training. I'm fine with waiting to get a cheap, year long replacement for Lowell (or maybe even Nick Johnson, a power hitter, at first). But if the Sox are just waiting to get the scraps of some scrub corner infielder, why not just keep Lowell? This trade doesn't completely make sense because Lowell's contract is expiring, and for the exact same price, we could have signed this future corner infielder as a backup or as a platoon player. We will still have no backup at third. The only thing the Sox gain from the trade is a short term backup for the backup at catcher (backup´s backup). Ultimately, before passing any judgement, Sox Nation needs to wait to see the second half of this trade unfold, but right now, the Sox just look like they are needlessly dumping Lowell.

The Mike Cameron signing, on the other hand, is a great deal. It fills the Sox short term needs and enables long term needs in the outfield. The Sox's top prospects are all projected to be Major League ready by 2012, so the two year deal couldn't fit any better. This is perfect timing to move in the graduating Minor Leaguers when they are ready. Cameron also replaces the clubhouse persona lost with Lowell. As a bat, he is mediocre, but he fits the bill as a great defensive fielder. He will compete with Elsbury for webjems on a nightly basis, and since he'll be stationed at Fenway's short left field, I expect him to be even more of a star with diving spectaculars. I'm usually one to ignore defense in evaluating players (I place way more emphasis on offensive capabilities because I think they have greater effects on games), but some sabermetrics, statistics based, websites claim that Cameron's defensive abilities outweigh Bay's offensive abilities, aka, Cameron saves more runs than Bay creates. I'm excited to see another speedy outfielder to complement Elsbury.

Opposed to a great Mike Cameron signing, the John Lackey deal is another short sighted signing. John Lackey is a great pitcher who will definitely help the Sox win games this year, next year, and possibly in three years. But giving a 36 year old pitcher a five year deal is a mistake. It's wishful thinking to hope that Lackey will be pitching into his 40s. This guy has visited the DL and not pitched complete seasons the last two years. Usually Theo looks for these types of players, because he can sign them for a bargain. This time, it is not the case, and Epstein shelled out too many years to this guy. Terry Francona earlier offered these words of caution before signing Lackey. "To get that type of pitcher [Lackey], you're going to have to make quite a commitment. That's something that makes our organization a little bit uneasy. It doesn't mean a guy can't come in and help you win, but if there's an injury along the way, that can set your organization back quite a bit. So there's a lot to think about besides just the year 2010. You're possibly talking about 2015. That's a lot of years." The skipper clearly is extremely skeptical. Why should Theo take that gamble? The money saved on Lackey could have gone to signing great relievers (our bullpen's collapse when Masterson was dealt was the pivotal demise of the Sox last season) and with the proclaimed top priority of the Sox, signing Jason Bay, negotiations seem to have disolved. Basically, the Sox are giving up on Bay because he's asking for John Lackey type money and years. I understand the importance of a strong pitching staff, but I personally believe, over the course of five years, Bay will contribute to his future team more than Lackey will. In t-shirt sales alone, Bay could have made back that money; he was on his way to becoming a franchise player. Lackey won't have that same marketability. He won't have the same durability as the younger, healthy Bay. Lackey´s signing is a very short sighted decision and like Francona said, he could "set back your organization quite a bit."

.

*** UPDATE***

Since I am one to admit my mistakes (and not try to cover them up by simply deleting and rewriting a post), it turns out that my information about Lackey was incorrect. He is not 36 years old, he is 31, a prime age for a pitcher. This completely changes my opinions about the Lackey signing. A rotation with Lester, Lackey, Beckett, Bucholtz, and Dice-K/Wakefield on paper is the most dominating rotation in baseball. And, if they resign Beckett next year, this rotation also has longevity, with young guns Lester and Bucholtz. Ignore my initial post regarding Lackey's age and the durability issues that accompany a veteran pitcher. Be glad, like I am, to find out that Lackey is young enough to potentially be very effective for years to come.

Sox Talk

Uruguay vs Costa Rica

Wednesday night, Uruguay played Costa Rica in their last attempt to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Unfortunately, having personally not known about this game, earlier that same day I passed through Montevideo, the site of the night's World Cup qualifier. Had I known about the match in advance, I would have surely spent the night trying to scalp tickets or watch it in the capital city. In Punta del Diablo, a small fishing village (and over summer, an Argentine cottage escape town), nobody at the American owned hostel I went to had the slightest desires to venture over to one of the town's only two local bars to watch the game that every single Uruguayan in the country had anticipated all week. I made my way over to the local bar at the edge of a seaside rocky point. The bar itself was merely an extension of the owner's house, outfitted with some wooden stools and benches and some plastic tables. The owner, a large Uruguayan sporting a Phillies jersey, gave me a hard time about my Red Sox hat. We exchanged jabbing baseball comments. As it turned out, this guy actually knew baseball pretty well and had become a Phillies fan when he visited the States and temporarily worked in Philadelphia.

To the hooting and hollering of the fanatics in the now standing room only bar, with half the crowd pouring out the door and faces pressed against the windows to catch the televisions' projection on the bar's largest empty wall, the game commenced. From Costa Rica's teams, I was surprised to only recognize two or three players from when I had lived there three and a half years ago. Rolando Fonseco, an aging national hero when I studied abroad, still managed to gain some second half minutes. But from the Uruguayan side, I knew no one. Two substitutions were made for the home team after half time; players with the last names Abreu and Victorino. Of course, I proudly let the owner know that I refused to cheer for any player who brought to mind former or current Phillies players.

In this qualifying match, Uruguay only needed a tie to secure a World Cup birth. The two national teams played the previous week, Uruguay having come out on top 1-0, giving them a goal differential to allow for a tie in the second match. Midway through the second half, Abreu scored to give Uruguay the lead. The entire room rose to its feet and sang national fútbol songs. The bartender was too busy serving celebratory rounds that he didn't notice me cheering for the player I so adamantly rooted against earlier.

Uruguay qualified for the World Cup with a 1-1 tie, by winng the overall series against Costa Rica.

Uruguay vs Costa Rica

"When Theo took over [as GM of the Boston Red Sox], he adopted the principles of the small-market teams. That's where a well-run big-market operation has an advantage. They can afford to take chances in the draft or in the international market or on hiring the best coaches and instructors on the minor and major league levels. Now you see other big-market teams emulating what the Red Sox started." -- Mark Shapiro, Cleveland Indians GM (ESPN.com, Red Sox Ballancing Priorities, 11/20/2009)

Fútbol

Soccer, or fúbol, is the national sport of Argentina. The best player in the world, Lionel Messi, resides in Rosario (the same hometown as Ché Guevara). Even so, the national fútbol team remained on the brink of not winning a bid for the World Cup.

Saturday night, the much criticized Argentinian team headed by coach Maradona took the field against last place Peru. I wiggled away from my hostel filled with foreign travelers and found a dive bar where two local rugby teams huddled around the bar to catch the night´s pivotal game. After an unimpressive first half, Argentina scored to gain a 1-0 lead. But with the clock ticking down and only two minutes left, the satellite feed to the bar cut out. Everyone flocked outside to try to catch the ending celebrations on the tiny outside TV next door, but apparently the entire street´s satellites were having trouble. With 30 seconds left, the game came back on the screen, with the scoreboard now reading 1-1. Angry quilobera, hooligan, fans shouted their frustrations of both having missed the detrimental goal (thus not knowing who to blame) and having their South Africa hopes quickly dissolving, when the satellite feed cut out again. Feeling a World Cup sized defeat before the tournament even official began, the entire crowd silently stared blankly at the empty black screen. One voice broke the silence. A kid on his cell phone with a friend screams out at the top of his lungs, "PALERMO SCORED ANOTHER GOAL!" As if responding to his cry, color exploded back on the TV as an army of light blue and white celebrated on the field. The patrons of the bars now all in the streets sang out into the night when the zoomed in replay of the winning goal jumped onto the screen.

"Vamos, vamos Argentina

Vamos, vamos a ganar

Que esta banda quilobera

No te deja de alentar!"

Fútbol

"Ortiz was probably using the supplement 19-norandrostenedione, which converts to the powerful steroid nandrolone in the liver but was not banned by baseball at the time." -- Michael Schmidt, New York Times