Day: December 5, 2009

All-Aughts Team of the Decade 3B: Bill Mueller

Boston.com -- Jim DavisThe hot corner was the the only significant debate I had at naming the All-Aughts Team of the Decade. Was it Bill Mueller or Mike Lowell? On the face of it, how can you not have the 2007 World Series MVP on the Team of the Decade? But I've made my choice in Mueller. If you want Lowell on the team, check back after everyone is named and we do a Fire Brand vote on an honorable and dishonorable mention. Mueller joined the Red Sox in 2003 as a free agent. You may recall how Mueller had to fight for playing time alongside Shea Hillenbrand, Jeremy Giambi and David Ortiz. Clearly, we know which two names won the battle. When Hillenbrand was dealt in May for Byung-Hyun Kim to come in as closer, Mueller was installed as the full-time third-baseman.

Red Sox heading down under to Australia

Sorry for the overused cliche in the headline. The Daily Telegraph is reporting that Boston has reached an agreement to play an "official" Major League game in Sydney. "Official" could mean a regular season game, or it could just mean an exhibition sanctioned by the MLB. Whatever the case, the game would take place in late March and is a great way to expand baseball's international presence. As for the team itself, the Red Sox are a popular team down under and the club has had several Australian prospects and personnel come through the organization in recent years.