You're Joshing Me, Right?

This has got to be some kind of Red Sox Bizarro World. Imagine someone in an "I Love To Eat Dinner At 4 O' Clock" t-shirt walking up to you last Spring in Fort Myers and saying, "Josh Beckett will finish 2010 at 6-6 with an ERA approaching 6.00. " Would you have believed him? Not bloody likely! Nevertheless, there it is. This preposterous season (the right Sox lost to the wrong Sox again, 5-2) has given us many head-scratching moments, but none more Tegrin-inducing than Beckett's performance. I still believe he has been hurt most of the year—but has refused to admit it in the same stubborn Texan way that Ratger insists he didn't do PEDs. It's just in the water down there. If Josh can return to form next year and Lackey pitches like he's pitched recently, the Sox can afford to deal Dice-K for Ethier and still have one of the best rotations in baseball. So, there is some hope. It's just positioned way out there in 2011.

EliminationNation

Despite all the false hopes we harbored over the last 10 days, we knew it would end this way. This team that endured 19 trips to the DL (9 by All-Stars) could not possibly be a credible post-season contender. As we wrote back in July, Francona should be the Manager of the Year. So, I guess it's time to focus on Seguin and Welker and Shaw—oh my!

Stayin' Alive, Stayin' Alive

So, what do you think? Was Theo right not to deal away Clay Buchholz over the last couple of years? The young Red Sox right-hander notched his 17th win of 2010 with an eight-inning gem that saw him yield just one run in Boston's 6-1 win over a lifeless White Sox team. Oh, if only Papelbon could have done his job on Sunday!

Johnny Pesky Turns 91 Today

Today is Johnny Pesky's 91st birthday. The picture above was taken 49 years ago, when Johnny was a mere 42 years of age. He's the second guy from the right. The little guy who's the first kid on the left is your humble Editor-In-Chief, mugging with the ex-Sox star for a Somerville Little League raffle (they actually gave away cars back then). Johnny was as kind to those little kids then as he is now. He is the ultimate Red Sox ambassador. Long live Johnny!

Classic End To Benighted Season

It could have been scripted. Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched one of his best games in a Red Sox uniform, only to have the ultimate villain—A-Fraud—wipe it all out on an 0-2 pitch.

Then, the Red Sox, with their backs to the wall in the 9th against Mariano Rivera, surged to the lead thanks to two guys (Hall and Kalish) who were not even blips on the Fort Myers radar screen.

Then, Joanthan Papelbon, who, in one outing, could have redeemed himself with the fans and the organization, blew his 8th save by coughing up the tying run in the bottom of the inning. And, worse, he whined about the umpiring.

Finally, Hideki Okajima, clinging to his only effective pitch (his change-up) can't find the plate and walks in the winning run in the 10th. Season over (pretty much).

It was a typical Red Sox-Yankee game. It ran past midnight. It was a classic.

Papel-Stay in 2011

GM Theo Epstein told the Herald's John Tomase that closer Jonathan Papelbon is likely to be back with the Red Sox in 2011—his last year under the control of the team. Theo's reasoning is that it's better to have one more year of relative certainty (and I stress the word relative) for the 8th and 9th innings.

I tend to agree. Daniel Bard has been great this year, but he still struggles with inherited runners and doesn't quite have the 'Closer Thing' going for him yet. One more year of tutelage should do the trick—after which Papelbon is likely to be toiling in the Bronx.

Also-Ran Fever: Catch It!

It's easy to still get caught up in the excitement of David Ortiz proving his many critics wrong. His clutch 3-run HR and four overall RBI last night were classic Papi. However, the cold, harsh reality is that all of this means nothing. The Red Sox will be playing golf in October and we will be watching other people's teams vie for a World Series title. No short term thrill wipes out that realization.

Marco BOOT-Aro

It was all going smoothly for Clay Buchholz. While not delivering his most efficient outing of the year, he was poised to get through six shutout innings as a lazy pop fly made its way down to Marco Scutaro. The ball skimmed off the tip of the second baseman's glove and an unearned run scored. A while later, thanks to another Papelbon meltdown, the Sox lost another one to the worst team in the AL East, 9-1. If you listen carefully, you can hear hope dying.

Trade-Bait-K

Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched just enough north of mediocre that, hopefully, the Dodgers (and any others who might be interested in him) got a little more interested.

The trade scuttlebutt was ignited last week when it was speculated that LA would send their outfield star (and Pedroia buddy) Andre Eithier to the Fens for the 30-yeard old Japanese righty and rookie Ryan Kalish. Makes sense. Dice-K is a West Coast marketing magnet, has a reasonable salary left, and Kalish might be a star someday. On the other hand, the Red Sox can handle Eithier's soon-to-be ballooning salary requirements and they would have the big bat they've needed since Manuel Aristides (Onelcida) Ramirez entered the Green Monster to relieve himself for the last time.

So, let's play out the string, get to the off-season, and get Eithier.

Andre The Steal?

Andre Either had to say the right things. His dismissal of the rumors that he'd like a trade to Boston were hard to believe. After all, he's Pedroia's best bud from Arizona State days. During his trip to Fenway with the Dodgers this year, his good-natured ribbing of The Laser Show was overlooked only because of Manny Hysteria. Also, would you want to continue with the Dysfunctional Dodgers any more than you had to? DivorceGate has consumed that franchise and put it on a semi-permanent track to non-contention. So, forget what he had to say. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Sweet Sixteen

After one of the worst performances of his career, Clay Buchholz spun a gem against the Mariners. The righty hurled seven innings, yielding just four hits and earning his 16th win of the year. The Sox continue to tease the Nation—standing 6 back of the Empire in the Wild Card with 6 games remaining with the Pinstriped Posers. Realistically, there's only a sliver of hope, but at least the final series at Fenway will offer us—at a minimum—some spoiler status.

Stay Of Execution

The Red Sox pulled off a two-out rally in the 6th to surge ahead of the A's for good in a 5-3 win of the rubber match of the three-game series. J.D. Drew (3 hits) and Ryan Kalish (2 RBI) keyed the comeback and gave Josh Beckett's his 5th win of the year.

Fox News

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Red Sox claimed right-handed pitcher Matt Fox off waivers from the Twins. In his one start this year, Fox held the Rangers to 2 runs over 5.2 innings. Fox is 27 years old.

White Flag Flies Over Fenway

The message from Yawkey Way could not be clearer. Remember Clay Buchholz's scheduled start today against the Rays? Never mind. Tim Wakefield will take to the hill instead. Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, "wait 'till next year". But, hey, don't worry! Continue to guzzle that beer, chomp on that cotton candy, and buy some more of those pink hats. And on your way out, don't forget that 2011 Season Ticket application!

Holiday Out

Don't look now Red Sox Nation, but we have become the fan base of the Kansas City Royals, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs. We just show up to enjoy the beautiful weather, gape at the cool ballpark and revel in the mediocre play on the field. The Pink Hats, and the ownership that spawned them, have won.

As a paid attendee at yesterday's debacle (that effectively ended the season), I was dismayed at how happy everyone was among the 38,000 co-suckers who jammed into the nearly 100-year old relic on Yawkey Way. It was a perfect warm late summer day, the $8.00 beer was cold, the $4.50 popcorn was fresh and the quality of baseball was Double A at best. So Papelbon blew his 7th save of the year, who cares? The crowd's rendition of Sweet Caroline was so inspiring!

Even the potentially epic confrontation between Papelbon and Manny went sour. The former closer nicked the former slugger on the shirt on a 2-2 pitch. Boring! Even a home run would at least have been memorable.

With each passing loss, it becomes clearer and clearer that the Bridge Year paradigm was in effect from the first day of Spring Training. The outrageous number of injures (which should still call into question the quality of the medical team) just made the ultimate result more inevitable.

One good thing: next year, tickets won't be so hard to get.

Rockies Experience 'Delcarmenization'

Manny Delcarmen did not start things well in Denver. Inserted into a game with a 7-6 lead and no one on, he left trailing 8-7. Where have you heard this before?

Pap: First With 35 Saves In First 5 Years

For all his struggles (this writer was at last year's implosion in the ALDS), Jonathan Papelbon has made history with the Boston Red Sox. No player before him has ever secured at least 35 saves in their first five seasons in the big leagues. Say what you will, this is an achievement he (and we) should be rightly proud of. That "Mo" guy in the Bronx—he didn't do it.

So, while some of the luster has come off his 9th inning schtick, Papelbon is probably worth keeping (at a relatively cheap rate) for another year. If the long-term goal is really to go with Daniel Bard as closer, one more year of apprenticeship can't hurt. Since he will be in a Boras-driven contract year, you can be sure Papelbon will want to put up the best numbers of his career. It's a win-win for all concerned.

Nearly Blown-K

Cementing his reputation as the most frustrating pitcher in baseball, Daisuke Matsuzaka nearly frittered away a 5-run advantage in a meltdown 6th inning in Baltimore. Luckily, Scott Atchicson showed up ready to pitch and worked two hitless innings (striking out 3) to preserve the win for Dice-K (his 9th).

Adrian Beltre was once again the offensive star—beginning the scoring in the second with his 25th HR of 2010. Hey Theo, start thinking about meeting Boars' demands, OK?

Target: Fenway?

An ominous new weather advisory makes it appear more likely that Hurricane Earl may come closer to Boston than previously thought. With the Red Sox returning to Fenway Park for a series with Manny and The Hose, it begs the question: what if that 'lyric little bandbox' suffered a direct hit by 145-mph winds? After all, the last major hurricane to hit the Boston area was in 1991—and Fenway was a mere child of 79 then! Did they even know about hurricane-proofing structures in 1912? God forbid we should have a 21st century venue that might hold up under tropical assault—not to mention leg room, sight lines and cup-holders! Batten down the hatches!

Storm Surge

Hanging by the proverbial thread, the Red Sox stormed back (Earl-like) with 6 runs in the 7th inning (capped by Adrian Beltre's three-run shot) to overtake the O's and give Jon Lester a perfect 13-0 career record against Baltimore—tying Pedro's team dominance mark. Still 7 behind in the Wild Card, the Sox at least "kept hope alive" for one more day.

Pedro Redux?

Pedro Martinez likes you. He really likes you! While appearing on 98.5 The Sports Hub recently, Pedro sang the praises of Boston and intimated that, if he were to rerun to baseball in 2011, Fenway would be among his top venues. So, does this make any sense? Did his performance in the 2009 post-season for the Phillies suggest that he can still dominate? Is the year off more suggestive of renewal or rust? There is no one in The Nation who was a bigger fan of Pedro. Every time he pitched, it was appointment viewing—either in-person on on the tube. And, in most cases, he delivered us a win. However, I honestly can't see the value in signing him for 2011. Assuming our under-performing starting pitching rights itself by next Spring, we don't really have the need to take such a big risk. While the theatre would be inspiring, the reality would probably be disappointment viewing.

To Victor The Spoils?

According to the Globe's Nick Cafardo, the Red Sox have at least spoken to Victor Martinez about a 2-year contract to keep him in Boston. This is good news for Sox fans, since it seems clear that the Red Sox will follow their pattern and not re-sign team MVP Adrian Beltre.

To lose two of the most productive and gritty players on the 2010 squad would be deflating at best. Cafardo's article also suggests that Kevin Youkilis has given a not-so-subtle thumbs-up to playing third base next year if Scott Boras follows his pattern and Beltre signs a rich, long-term deal somewhere beyond Route 495.

Camden Lards

Pitching and defense. Run prevention. Right. The Red Sox fell perilously close to the Third Rail of Elimination with a heartless 5-2 loss to the surging, but still woeful, O's of Baltimore. Pitching? Well, Beckett did pitch well enough to win—7 innings and only 2 earned runs. But, this time the bullpen couldn't keep the game close, with Felix Dubront coughing up two late runs to put the game out of reach.

Defense? Marco Scutaro—a warrior all year—flubbed a throw to second base that ended up in right field and led to 2 runs. More like run facilitation.

In any event, the white flag is being carefully unfurled on Yawkey Way, as evidenced by the minor (yet long overdue) departure of Manny Delcarmen as the only waiver deadline deal.