“The young, talented one” vs. “The aging, struggling one”

There is always the possiblity that the Red Sox have taken into account Jacoby Ellsbury's "struggles" last season. Ellsbury wasn't a terrible player, but the expectations that the Boston fans sometimes put on these young Red Sox players can be unrealistic.

Ellsbury was almost a "Batting title or bust" type player after what he did in the 2007 season. I used a little exaggeration there, but seriously, Ellsbury was expected to accomplish big things in his first full season, it seemed. Anyway, if we were talking about spending money on a veteran SS out on the free agent market, that would be no better than average, then Lowrie would easily be the best candidate.

But we are speaking about a player in Lugo that is already under contract A player that will cost the Red Sox money regardless, so he must be in the equation.

Boras praises Manny, not Sox

,p>Occasionally I listen to Fox sports to learn what negativity is floating around football and baseball. Today, agent Scott Boras…

Rick Burleson interviewed by Angels blog

Angels blog "Three Days Of Cryin'" interviewed Rick Burleson yesterday, the former Red Sox and Angels infielder. "Rooster" had some great stuff:

After becoming a Boston icon of sorts, you're traded to the Angels before the 1981 season.  The trade wasn't popular in Boston.  How did you feel, at the time, about being traded?

I was being traded home.  The stadium was twenty minutes from my house so Anaheim was really the only place I would want to go if I was traded.  I wanted to stay in Boston for my whole career but I understood that they wanted to trade me before I was eligible for free agency.  They did the same thing with Fred Lynn.  They wanted to make sure they got something for us.  I was traded along with Butch Hobson for Carney Lansford, Rick Miller, and Mark Clear.  At least they got something for me.

Look at Fisk.  They tendered his contract too late, he never even saw it.  They ended up getting no compensation for Fisk.  He just left.  A modern GM might be hung if he allowed that to happen.

A-Rod out ’til May; Manny’s condo on market

Alex Rodriguez will have hip surgery and be out for 10 weeks, or until May. Who the heck will play the hot corner for them? Cody Ransom? Angel Berroa? Hah! Methinks they'll ink either Ray Durham or Mark Grudzielanek... or hey, could a Bobby Crosby trade be in the works?

Oh, and Manny's selling "the most magnificent apartment in the city." It's yours for $8.5 million. A bargain!

Defensive Misplays and the Sox that excel at them

Defensive Runs show how good a player is at preventing runs. But there's more than that that goes into fielding. What about mistake-free plays?

You would think that preventing runs and mistake-free plays go hand in hand, but not quite.

In the Fielding Bible Vol. II in which I received today, Bill James has unveiled publicly what I feel is a revolutionary statistic: Defensive Misplays.

is it any accident they're aggressive about playing Ellsbury, acquired Kotsay, resigned Lowell and brought Bay in?

Cold Stove

Nomar would have made a good addition for 50 -60 games at 3b, 1b. At $2-3M he would have been…

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Fireside Chats #36: Where we get the On the DL with Dan Levy while hoping JD Drew stays off it

You didn't really think that we were going to talk another hour of spring training baseball did you? We only spend 15 minutes on the spring before moving On the DL. Thats just about as much playing time as J.D. Drew before his first trip there himself. But seriously, Paul's a little worried about Drew and what that could mean for the team if he were to miss any extended time this season.

We're happy to have Dan Levy from one of the fastest growing sports podcasts on the web, the On the DL Podcast, as this week's guest. Dan's a Phillies fan and a baseball enthusiast. We cover topics from his recent guest, poker celebrity Annie Duke, to why the northeast pumps out the most passionate fans (it's the traffic stupid). And, oh yeah, we mix in a little baseball talk.

Does Drew/Penny concern you?

Anyone else concerned about J.D. Drew and Brad Penny?

I am. The setback with Penny isn't terribly bad because of the crazy depth the Sox have in pitching and the fact that the Sox have three days off in the first 15 games of the season. It's possible the Sox could go to a four-man rotation and not miss a beat.

Drew, though, I'm concerned about. The team and Drew keep brushing off the concerns, but not for nothing did he head back to Boston and get an injection. If he's out, that means there's a platoon situation with Rocco Baldelli and Brad Wilkerson with Jeff Bailey (probably) on the bench.

If both Drew and Penny are out, it could really weaken the team.

Poll: Better or Worse: Josh Beckett’s ERA in 2009

New Poll Question: Better or Worse: Josh Beckett's ERA in 2009?

Josh Beckett pitched better than his 4.03 ERA might suggest in 2008, so it's safe to assume he'll better that total in 2009. The question is, "by how much?". How low can he go? How does 3.50 sound for a bar? Vote in the poll to the left and give your community projection for Beckett here.

Find out how you all responded to our previous poll, "Will Jason Varitek hit .240+ in 2009?" after the jump.