Tag Archives: Adrian Gonzalez

August 27, 2012 · 6:54 AM

Reset Button Pressed

The Twitter-sphere started blowing up just after lunch on Friday. The Dodgers had put a claim in on Adrian Gonzalez after the Sox had placed him on waivers earlier in the week.

Then the fun really started.

ESPN who was probably the slowest to report the claim, had reports that not only was Gonzalez claimed but the teams were working on a deal that would send Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford (fresh off Tommy John surgery), and Nick Punto to Los Angeles.

I couldn’t believe it. Stunned, I listened and watched for any and all updates on the situation. By Saturday afternoon it was official and all those guys were gone. Boston had pulled off the impossible and freed themselves of over $262 million dollars in contracts. The kicker is unlike the Julio Lugo, Edgar Renteria, etc. the Sox are only paying $10-$12 million of the $262 million.

Wow.

The team was able to dump Beckett who’s head everyone has been calling for for over a year. They were able to get out of the stupid contract they signed Crawford to. And it cost them Adrian Gonzalez. To see what the sox got back, CLICK HERE, ESPN had a good break down.

I’ve been saying it for months now but the Sox really have lost their way. Cherington acknowledged the same thing. They turned into the Yankees after they’d won all those World Series up till 2000. Home grown talent, then adding in a few free agent pieces, and not trading away the farm. The Yanks did it while Stenbrenner was suspended, here’s hoping the Sox can do this now.

I tweeted as you can see on the right, if they fire Uncle Larry, I’ll buy a brick. That’s how excited I am by this deal and the reset button it represents.

I don’t think the team is done either.

I want to see what other moves they’ll make. Can they find a taker for Lackey this offseason. Will they send Lester on his way if someone claims him on waivers? Will the team use some of the freed up cash to sign Ellsbury longterm or will they try to move him this offseason too?

The transformation has started. The team’s finally getting younger and they’re cleaning out some of the bad eggs. All of a sudden I’m getting excited again for the Sox. Can’t wait to see what other moves Cherington makes now that he’s apparently off his leash.

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August 23, 2012 · 6:13 AM

You Can Still Blow It Up

Yesterday the Red Sox added another player to the waiver wire. Adrian Gonzalez. Yup, the prized trade pickup from only a season ago was added the the waiver wire yesterday, joining Carl Crawford who was put out there and went unclaimed a little over a week ago (probably because Crawford is set to have Tommy John surgery Thursday and the whole league knew it).

I would love for a team to claim Gonzalez and his under-performing contract off the Sox books. Move Lavarnway from behind the plate and make him your first baseman and that way you don’t have to deal him or Salty over the off-season.

So what does this mean? Are they trying to blow it up still?

They haven’t placed Beckett out there. He the biggest problem in the clubhouse (besides the loathsome front office). You’d think that the team would try and get this guy through waivers and if some team was dumb enough to take his bloated body and contract, the Sox would let them. If you’re not eating the money, let him go. Don’t even try and work a trade. That team is willing to take on the salary, even the Yankees, you let it happen.

Instead the team has guys like Aaron Cook, Nick Punto, and a rumored Andrew Miller available for the taking.

How about you put Beckett out there? While we’re at it, see what Cody Ross could net you in a trade. I’m sure contenders would love to add a guy like Ross for September and October. He’s a free agent at the end of the season if you really think he’s in your plans, re-sign him again in the off-season.

The Sox season is over. Dead as a doornail. But that doesn’t mean they can’t start the house cleaning. The GM (Puppet Ben) still has time to put a stamp on the team and shake up the culture. I still think it starts with Beckett, but you have time to get Dice-K back and on the wire, and out of town too.

Here’s hoping that Shoppach was just the start. I say the roster is open season with the veterans. Clear up cash and see what you can do in the off-season to have a better, likable, contending team next season.

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August 20, 2012 · 6:52 AM

Red Sox Suck At Bullshit

You ever play the bullshit card game? Probably right? More than likely you played it as a drinking game. I bring it up because the Red Sox have to be the worst players at the game; ever.

The latest failed bullshit came out on Saturday night. Late Saturday night. Like I was driving home at 1AM and the radio announcer “broke the news” that Kelly Shoppach was the problem in the Red Sox locker room. That he supposedly had used Adrian Gonzalez’s cell phone to text Red Sox ownership that led to the meeting at the end of July.

Shoppach has denied the story and I don’t blame him. The likelihood that he actually sent that text has the percentage chances of slim and none. This is clearly the Red Sox front office, specifically Uncle Larry, smearing another player that’s left, and using him as a scapegoat. Don’t believe me?

Nomar Garciapara: He was a prima-donna that had tape in front of his locker. He wasn’t a good teammate. He was secluded from the rest of the team.

Derek Lowe: He wasn’t brought back after the Sox won the World Series in 2004 because he was a drunk. They made sure to slander the shit out of Derek Lowe making sure everyone heard about his late night bar antics.

Orlando Cabrera: Also not brought back after the 2004 season. Why? Apparently he had a thing for underage girls. Like more than one. See you later.

More recently we saw it with Terry Francona where the team smeared him as a pill popping cheater. Meanwhile John Lackey is divorcing his wife that’s battling cancer and they try and sweep it under the rug. A team that’s so worried about its public image seems to be an absolute failure at keeping a clean image.

So back to this Shoppach thing. It’s absolute and total made up bullshit. To think that the fans are so naive that they’d just believe a story like this is absolutely insulting.

Fans, I implore you. Stop going to the games (I know it’s tough when you can buy $5 game day box seats). Stop watching them on NESN. Stop buying merchandise. Stop feeding the monster. Send the message to ownership that you’re not a rube. You see through the bullshit and until there’s real change, like firing Lucchino or sell the team, you’re not on board. Go Pirates.

Back tomorrow with a Pats recap. Oh, I can’t wait for some football tonight.

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September 14, 2011 · 6:18 AM

200, Finally

Before we get to Tim Wakefield finlly winning his 200th, we need to address the slide the Sox are on. They just wrapped a seven game road trip that saw them facing Toronto and Tampa Bay. They went 1-3 in Toronto and were swept in Tampa. 1-6 isn’t the way you should playing against those teams.

Their 1-6 road trip and five game losing streak saw their Wild Card lead shrink from 6.5 games last Saturday to 3.5 as they limped out of Tampa. The Rays won on Monday while the Sox were idle making it an even (or odd) three game lead for the Sox in the Wild Card heading into last night.

The Sox were up 10-5 when they pulled Wake from last night’s game. When they went to the pen and brought in Aceves I had flashbacks to Aceves “vultering” a win in one of Wake’s previous attempts. But Aceves was able to retire the side in order and we were just six outs away from Wakefield’s 200th win (finally).

The Sox added another run in the bottom of the seventh to give a little more cushion at 11-5. Aceves gave up a couple hits in the top of the eighth but was able to pitch out of it without giving up another run.

Then the floodgates opened. The Sox unleashed the fury on the Blue Jay’s bullpen adding another seven runs to their already big lead. Offensive highlights of the night were Pedroia’s two home runs and five RBI’s, Ellsbury hitting his 27th home run in a 4-5 night with four runs, as well as Gonzales and Crawford going 2-4, Gonzalez with a run and an RBI, Crawford with three runs scored.

The team called on Junichi Tazawa (remember him?) for the ninth and he gave up a run but that was it as the Sox tripled up the Jays and won the game 18-6.

Wakefield celebrated after the game with his teammates and the fans that hung around to congratulate him. It was his ninth game, eighth start, in which he could get his 200th. The magic number of course is 300 for pitchers so on a night that Mariano Rivera got his 600th save, I think Wake’s accomplishment may be overshadowed on the national stage.

Sox win and a Tampa loss has the Sox back up four in the Wild Card and down four in the division behind the Yankees. Needless to say, since the Sox put it in cruise control since mid-August, the last couple weeks of the season are going to be interesting. They brought this on themselves.

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August 24, 2011 · 6:38 AM

Back In First

I don’t know if you’ve been staying up watching but I have. Sox in Texas for whatever reason keeps me up till the end (barring a blowout one way or the other). Some people aren’t viewing this series as a measuring stick since the Sox are playing without all their starters but I’m of the mindset that this is a measuring stick. The Rangers represent what could be your first round match up come playoff time so injured or not you have to see how well you match up.

Last night the Sox sent John Lackey to the hill. Now Lackey for all that we bashed him earlier this year (and who are we fooling, most of last year) he’s been alright since returning from the DL. It certainly helps when the offense wakes up and gives him some run support. Lackey actually leads the team in wins in August with three. Even Lackey’s loss in Tampa saw a respectable pitching line of 6 2/3 innings and three earned runs, thee walks and seven strike outs.

Like I said, the offense woke up. I think it helps that Ellsbury returned from being sidelined with his bruise or “contusion”. He was only 1-4 with a stolen base and a walk but having him at the top of the lineup sure beats, no offense to him, having Darnell McDonald near the top of your lineup.

In fact every Sox starter had a hit last night. The big bat was Adrian Gonzalez going 3-4 with two home runs, three RBI’s and a walk. Gonzalez is leading the majors with his .346 average and is second in the AL with his 97 RBI’s. He’s struggled with the power numbers following his impressive home run derby performance but seemed to be dialed in last night. Hopefully that’s a sign of things to come down the stretch for the Sox lineup.

The team is still waiting on Ortiz to come back (maybe tonight) as well as Youkilis back from the DL to have their starting lineup back. I don’t count JD Drew but I’m like Nostradamus when I said he wouldn’t be back from his “injury” until September 1st when the rosters expand to 40 and it’s shaping up exactly like that.

We also have rumblings of Clay Buchholz saying he will return before the end of the season. It would be a huge boost to the Sox postseason rotation if he’s healthy and pitching well. For all the Lackey has pitched better you’re not likely going to win a postseason game giving up four runs. Like Schilling said on Sunday night baseball a few weeks back, in the postseason you have to go in with the mindset of giving up no runs.

So with the win and a Yankees loss in Oakland the Sox are back in a tie for first in the East. With their winning record against the Yankees this season, the Sox own the tiebreaker so if the season ended today, they’d have to edge and not have to play Texas. Let’s see if they can stay there this time.

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