Woah! Who turned off the lights?

Yeah so I clearly suck at blogging, been MIA for months..... but I'm still here.
Not too much going on at the moment. I moved back to Boston about a month ago hoping to be in the midst of a World Series run, that wasn't to be and such is life.

Nothing will happen in the Red Sox front office until the World Series ends, don't ya love hot stove? I look forward to it myself.

I'm not going to discuss what's going on right now with the Phillies and .... them, what's to be said? Except GO PHILLIES!

Let's Get Rolling!

At his point we've all heard the news about A-Rod testing positive back in 2003.
First of all let me just say this, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Freakin A-Rod, you punk!

Now, there are 104 names left on that list of players that tested positive. Do we want to know who those players are? I for one don't because that was back in 2003 and MLB didn't punish the players that tested positive, no need to rehash it at this point. Also, I couldn't bear to hear that any of my boys were using. My opinions of them wouldn't change, I just don't want them called out. We have to assume that a good bit of MLB players were using, after all it is being called the "Steriod Era" According to some reports from Sons of Sam Horn, those records/names were supposed to be destroyed and never made public. So much for deals being honored huh?.

Apparently, this new information about A-Rod came out due to the investigation into Barry Bonds. Tough luck for A-Rod. Sucka!

Anyway, Spring Training is around the corner and baseball season is upon us. We have our Captain back, thanks be to God, and our team is ready to go!

I've got my Opening Day tickets thanks to my most awesome son, so no camping out in that awful cold with no potties again.

It's been a long winter and I'm ready for another great season!
GO RED SOX!

Formal Offer To Varitek

Posted by Rob Bradford WEEI

WEEI.com has learned from a source close to the negotiations that the two-year offer made by the Red Sox to catcher Jason Varitek is for $5 million for the first year, along with a club option for $5 million or a $3 million player option for season No. 2 of the deal. It is believed incentives would be part of the agreement. The Red Sox have set a deadline for Varitek to accept the offer, although it is not known what the date has been set.

On Saturday, Buster Olney of ESPN.com (subscriber link) described negotiations between the Red Sox and their long-time catcher as being stalled. Olney described the impasse between the Sox and Varitek (as well as agent Scott Boras) as a result of Varitek’s continued requests for the sort of money that the catcher might have received through salary arbitration:

Here is where they stand in the impasse: Varitek is asking for an annual salary close to the $10-12 million he would’ve made through arbitration, or a two-year deal for less annual salary. The Red Sox are willing to pay him much less than that, and don’t feel they owe him extra cash for services rendered in the past, and they don’t feel they owe it to him to offer a salary commensurate with what Varitek would’ve made if he had accepted arbitration.

Of course, Varitek has little leverage to ask for such a figure, aside from the notion of team loyalty to its captain. There remains no apparent market for the catcher besides the Red Sox’ interest in bringing him back on their own terms. The fact that another team would have to part with a draft pick in order to sign the catcher, coupled with a career-worst offensive season by Varitek in 2008, has rendered known interest from any club besides the Red Sox virtually non-existent. Moreover, the catching market as defined by salary arbitration (a process that is typically slow to account for adjustments in the economic environment) no longer exists.

The four-year, $52.4 million reference point offered by the contract for Yankees catcher Jorge Posada (signed prior to the 2008 season) is no longer the defining contract of the catching market. In a winter when offers have been steadily shrinking, fair-market value at this juncture would seem to be defined by contracts such as those signed by veterans like Brad Ausmus (who went from a $2 million deal in 2008 to a $1 million contract in 2009) and Gregg Zaun (who recently signed for $1.5 million with the Orioles at the end of a two-year contract that paid him $3.625 million per season). That’s two veteran catchers with excellent reputations as handlers of pitching staffs who had to accept salaries of 50 percent or less than what they played for in 2008.

Boras was asked during baseball’s winter meetings (at the beginning of December) whether he anticipated that Varitek would make more in free agency than he would have through the arbitration process that the catcher and agent had just declined. Boras was evasive on the topic:

Obviously, Jason Varitek is a guy who, I think teams know what his value is…He’s going to be employed and do very well. As for whether or not he’s going to do better than in arbitration, in arbitration we could have made a pretty good case for him.

Through this all, the Red Sox have never given any indication that their interest in bringing Varitek (who turns 37 on April 11) back is anything but genuine. Club CEO and President Larry Lucchino reaffirmed that interest on Friday. Now, the Sox have made an offer to back that claim. Whether it will be sufficient to end a complex negotiation with a longtime franchise staple remains to be seen.

Sean Casey Retires To The MLB Network

Former Red Sox first baseman Sean Casey is officially retiring, having signed on with the MLB Network. Casey, The 34-year-old, who played in 69 games with Boston last season, hitting .322, finishes his 12-season career with a .302 lifetime batting average to go along with three All-Star appearances. Casey’s role with the network has yet to be defined.
weei.com

For video goodness of Casey calling himself safe go here - outincenterfield

Good Luck Sean!

Red Sox 'Truck Day' is Feb. 6

Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff

In what has become an annual sign that spring is around the corner in Boston, "Truck Day" will arrive on Friday, Feb. 6, when the Red Sox moving van will be loaded at Fenway Park for the 1,467-mile trek to the team's spring training complex on Edison Ave. in Fort Myers, Fla. The team confirmed the equipment truck's departure date this afternoon.

The truck is expected to arrive in Fort Myers on Monday, Feb. 9.

In the past, the 18-wheeler has departed from Fenway Park at the players' parking lot entrance on Van Ness St., followed in procession by Fenway ambassadors, Red Sox staff, and Wally the Green Monster tossing gifts to fans from a flat-bed truck.

If you can't wait to see the truck on Feb. 6, you can reminisce by taking a look back at last year's 'Truck Day' photos.

Reporting day for Red Sox pitchers and catchers is Thursday, Feb. 12. First workout for Red Sox pitchers and catchers is Saturday, Feb. 14.

Planning on heading to Fort Myers to catch the Sox at spring training? Be sure to check out our fan's guide to the area before you go.

In related news, the Red Sox are putting tickets for most regular-season home games for sale on Saturday, Jan. 24, beginning at 10 a.m.

Fans will be able to purchase tickets to all games at Fenway Park -- with the exception of Opening Day and all games with the Yankees. For those games, a special random drawing will be held at a later date.

Tickets for Green Monster seats and right field roof deck tables will also be sold via the random drawing.

To purchase tickets, fans can log on to redsox.com. Fans who do not have Internet access or who require ADA accessible seating may also call 1-877-REDSOX9 for tickets. Hearing-impaired fans can call the Red Sox TTY line at (617) 226-6644.

Spring is in the air!

photo courtesy of Sons Of Sam Horn

Varitek Meets With John Henry

By Tony Massarotti Globe Staff / January 17, 2009



Longtime Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek met with club owner John Henry for approximately 90 minutes near Varitek's Atlanta-area home last night in an apparent attempt to resolve the winterlong stalemate between the player and team.

Communicating via text message after the meeting, Varitek said the meeting "went OK" and there was "nothing to report."

The Red Sox captain said he met with Henry "to speak [about] how I feel," answering "yes" when asked if his desire was to return to the team for the 2009 season.

Varitek declined comment when asked if the Red Sox expressed a desire for him to return. He also declined to address specifics as to why he remains unsigned less than four weeks before pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

Late last night, Henry returned an e-mail declining comment.

"It wouldn't be appropriate,'' wrote the Red Sox owner.

According to a baseball source, Varitek requested the meeting, an unusual development during a negotiating season typically dominated by agents. Varitek is a client of Scott Boras, the agent who represents first baseman Mark Teixeira. Teixeira turned down an offer from the Sox to sign with the Yankees last month. Coincidentally, Boras was in Atlanta yesterday to accompany another client, Derek Lowe, who was introduced by the Braves after signing a four-year, $60 million contract.

Henry, meanwhile, was in Boston to announce the signing of first baseman Kevin Youkilis to a four-year, $41 million deal.

Henry was critical of Boras during and after the Teixeira negotiations, all but accusing the agent of bluffing in an e-mail to multiple media outlets at a critical time in the negotiations.

On Jan. 6, the day the Yankees announced the acquisition of Teixeira, Henry sent a short e-mail to the Associated Press in which he all but accused Boras of failing to bargain in good faith.

"There was no mention of the Yankees, but we felt all along that they were going to get the last call," Henry wrote. "That's what you deal with in working with Scott."

It was unclear if the tension between Henry and Boras contributed to Varitek's request to meet with the Sox owner directly.

Boras could not be reached for comment, but it seems highly unlikely he would encourage a client to meet with any team without his presence, particularly at this stage of free agency.

The meeting between Henry and Varitek suggests that any discussion has reached a critical stage. In November, Varitek filed for free agency for the second time during his Sox career, but a poor season during which he batted .220 has left him with little or no leverage on the open market.

Furthermore, when the Sox offered Varitek salary arbitration last month, the club ensured a compensatory first-round draft pick from any club that signed him. Given Varitek's poor offensive season and his age - he will be 37 April 11 - his chances of securing a deal from another team have dwindled. During the winter meetings in December, the Dodgers and Tigers indicated they had no interest in Varitek largely because of the compensation.

After entering the offseason suggesting Varitek would be seeking a deal similar to that of Yankees catcher Jorge Posada following the 2007 season - four years, $52 million - Boras rejected the Sox' offer for salary arbitration.

Had Varitek accepted, he probably would have garnered a one-year deal worth $10 million to $12 million, giving him the chance to earn at least what he did last season ($10 million). He also would have had the opportunity for a more productive 2009 season, which might have allowed him far more leverage on the open market next fall.

Given the downturn in the market in the offseason, Varitek seems hard pressed to end up with even a one-year deal approaching anything near $10 million.

The Sox have four catchers on their 40-man roster - Josh Bard, Dusty Brown, George Kottaras, and Mark Wagner - though none seem prepared to handle the responsibilities of an everyday catcher. Although general manager Theo Epstein has said the Sox are prepared to enter the season with a corps of young catchers, the club has so much invested in a deep and talented pitching staff it seems terribly inefficient to have an inexperienced group of catchers.

"There's still some unfinished business," Epstein said last week when asked about the team's catching situation. "Jason's still out there. As I said at the beginning of the offseason, he has been a really important guy here, to this organization. By no means have we shut the door on him."

Clearly, Varitek has not shut the door on them, either.

Amalie Benjamin and Chad Finn of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

Jim Rice & Rickey Henderson's Top Ten On Letterman

Top 10 By Rickey and Rice
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