Random Thoughts (July 9, 2008)

What a night at Fenway. Solid pitching from budding number two starter Jon Lester (I did not think the time would come so soon when Lester would toss 7 1/3 innings and allow five runs and I would be a little bit disappointed, he is emerging as a star). Good bullpen work from David Aardsma and Jonathan Papelbon (who was worked to the bone by Nick Punto leading off the ninth inning). And, for the second consecutive night, a huge hit for Manny Ramirez. Manny's two-run shot into the Monster seats (one section away from me) was definitely wind aided but nonetheless, it tied the game at 5. Kevin Youkilis drilled a two-out double and was driven in by rookie Brandon Moss. With the Rays losing in New York to the Yankees, the Sox are just three games out of first place. When you consider the travel this team faced in the first half (Japan, 50 road games compared to 47 home contests) and factor in their success at Fenway, things look better for the second half. They have 34 games at home, including 16 in September. If they stay healthy and welcome back a healthy David Ortiz, the Sox will roll into October as the World Series favorites... Not that I have any right to complain but isn't it ridiculous that the Sox charge full price for a Monster seat and Monster standing room tickets when it is nothing more than a glorified obstructed view bleacher seat? I'm not spending money on them and it's hard to knock the team for charging big bucks when they have spent those big bucks in return for the 2004 and 2007 World Series teams but it still something to think about... So, what if the worst case scenario plays out and Big Papi's wrist injury is too severe for him to be productive? The Red Sox would have no other option than to make a play for Colorado left fielder Matt Holliday. Holliday would become the everyday left fielder with Jacoby Ellsbury in center, JD Drew in right and Manny Ramirez as DH. If the Red Sox don't add Coco Crisp as part of the trade (or use him in any other deal), he would serve as the perfect fourth outfielder down the stretch. If Coco goes, Brandon Moss or Pawtucket's Bobby Kielty (or both) would provide outfield depth. My reason for going after Holliday over Mark Teixeira from Atlanta is two-fold. First, Holliday would fit into the Boston lineup better than Teixeira because he is an outfielder. If the Sox were to acquire Teixeira, who is a first baseman by trade, he would become a DH, forcing Manny and his tired hamstrings to play left field on a full time basis. That is not a good thing. Second, Holliday is under contract for another year. He would become the heir to Manny's cleanup spot and post in the shadows of the Green Monster. If the Sox get Holliday, they bolster their lineup for a run at the first consecutive world championships since 1915 and 1916 while setting into motion the departure of Ramirez. Holliday would not come cheap but he wouldn't cost the Sox the farm either. Colorado is rebuilding, one year after winning the National League, and a package of Michael Bowden (potential top of rotation starter), Brandon Moss (cheap replacement for Holliday), and Lars Anderson (young power hitting first baseman who could be a long term solution at first as the Todd Helton era winds to a close) and maybe a low level pitching prospect such as David Pauley or Edgar Martinez could get the deal done. The Sox also might have interest in Holliday's Colorado teammte, lefty reliever Brian Fuentes. Adding Fuentes to the deal would raise the price but also give the Red Sox another solid arm for their relief corps. Of all my trade proposals over the years, this one makes the most sense. For both the short term and long term... On to the NBA. James Posey's stack of chips in his negotiations with the Celtics are starting to resemble Mike McD's after KGB had one too many Oreo cookies. Corey Maggette, a rumored potential replacement for Posey if he leaves the Green, is signing with the Warriors. Mickael Pietrius, a dark horse candidate to potentially replace Posey, is off to Orlando after agreeing to terms with the Magic. The C's are now facing a possible scenario in which Posey will follow the big dollars to Cleveland, San Antonio (imagine a perimeter defense tandem of Posey and Bruce Bowen), Washington, New Orleans or Los Angeles and they will be forced to replace his minutes with combined contributions from Tony Allen and rookies JR Giddens and Bill Walker. It's not a pretty picture for those making the decisions on Causeway Street... Not only do the Celtics have to worry about constructing a team to defend their championship, they are facing an Eastern Conference that has improved and looks like it will continue to get better. The 76ers agreed to terms with Elton Brand, making them a much stronger team. Brand will team with Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala to form the best Philly team, on paper, since the 2001 Eastern Conference championship team. The Raptors acquired Jermaine O'Neal from Indiana and re-signed point guard Jose Calderon. If O'Neal is healthy, which is no guarantee, Toronto would have a front line of O'Neal, Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. Washington re-signed its two big free agents, Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, to go along with All-Star swingman Caron Butler. The Wizards still have enough money to chase after a solid role player, such as James Posey. Detroit, rumored to be interested in Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady, and Cleveland, sitting on roughly $30 million in contracts that expire after 2009, are sitting patiently, waiting to strike a deal. The C's are the reigning world champions but face a tough road in their own conference in 2008-09... The NL Central is gearing up for October. Two days after the Brewers traded top prospects Matt LaPorta, Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson to Cleveland for CC Sabathia, the Cubs responded by adding Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin from Oakland in exchange for Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Eric Patterson and Josh Donaldson. The Brewers now sport a rotation of Ben Sheets, Sabathia, Jeff Suppan, Dave Bush and Yovani Gallardo with a deep lineup featuring Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Corey Hart. The first place Cubs, who lead St. Louis by 3.5 games and Milwaukee by four games, have a rotation of Carlos Zambrano, Harden, Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly with an All-Star lineup that includes Kosuke Fukudome, Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez. Maybe the N.L. will be a bigger threat in 2008 than it was in 2007... Enjoy Josh Beckett this afternoon...