Randomocity meets curiosity by Mike Ghika
A collection of thoughts from the week that was

For Red Sox Nation, every twelve months brings October baseball, where Sox fans emotionally thrive and survive on every single at-bat. But in times like these, it is still important to recall the little things -- the scattered idiosyncrasies that bring out the best in baseball.

•How valuable has Dustin Pedroia indeed become? David Eckstein Part II has developed into a Gold Glove caliber second baseman with batting crown potential. The two knocks on him as a minor leaguer (speed and power) are now irrelevant as No. 15 looks prepared to cross the 20-20 threshold by next year. He is the first Sox player to collect 200 hits in a decade. Not Damon, not Mueller, not Ramirez, not Ortiz has tackled the feat in a Sox uniform.

•After it looked as if his Hall of Fame career would not have any MVP hardware to his credit, Manny Ramirez transformed an offensively-prone Dodgers team into a NL West champions. CC Sabathia’s effect has obviously been monumental on the Brew Crew, nearly single-handedly leading them into October, but one could make the argument they were contenders prior to his arrival. Manny has been Manny, and no one has been more valuable to any team in baseball.

•It is unlikely, and unfortunate, that the Rays front office will be able to break the bank and go after K-Rod. A pairing of him and reliever Grant Balfour would be devastating to opposing lineups late in games, and it could be just the splash to force Tampa residents to cross the bridge into St. Pete territory.

•Coco Crisp’s September resurgence sums up quite a year for the outfielder. The only reason he wasn’t dealt in spring training is because he was banged up. Now, it is difficult to imagine the club without his versatility. Instead of scenarios where maybe he and Jacoby Ellsbury would grow to resent each other, it was Crisp who was first to the youngster’s side after Ellsbury Mack trucked the chain link fence in Toronto last month. The fairy tale is also a testament to Terry Francona, who has kept both players happy with playing time through 162+ games.

•Don’t just take the Jon Lester story for what it is. Take it for what it’s worth. Here was a shy youngster who simply threw too many pitches to be ace-effective, and then was hit with cancer. Not only did he return, but he found himself the victor in a World Series clinching game, and his stuff is no longer questioned with everything he has proved this season. He has become a man in the last six months, and his performance in Game 1 of the ALDS may have been his national coming-out party.

•The Sox front office covets 23-year-old Texas catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (the prize of the Mark Teixeira to Atlanta deal last season). And given Texas’s never-ending need for starting pitching, he could be had for a Michael Bowden-caliber pitching prospect. It is a deal the Sox feel they need to make, and it would allow Jason Varitek to play even less, assuming they do bring him back in 2009. Oh, and a year under Varitek’s tutelage would never hurt a young catcher either.

•Jason Bay has been everything and more in a Sox uniform, but I do not get the idea that Theo and Co. considers him to be a vital piece of the future. Instead, a deal to Colorado (with another prospect) in exchange for Matt Holliday (a Boras client) would provide the Sox with protection for Ortiz and a replacement for Ramirez’s lost production. And with Manny’s salary no longer on the books, the Sox would be able to throw the bank at Holliday, who is a free agent after 2009. A 72-hour window for an extension would be all that it takes. If not, Atlanta will be another team interested in Bay’s services.

•I will defend Theo Epstein’s decisions for as long as I live, but yes, it is clear that shortstops are not his forte. The Sox brass have to swallow their pride, eat half of the $18m still owed to Julio Lugo, and work out a deal this winter. Could Detroit be a possible trade partner given the fact that Edgar Renteria (Theo’s Shortstop Mistake No. 1) simply can not play in the American League?

•If only the Arizona Diamondbacks had a player to create run production in the middle of that lineup. Oh Josh Byrnes, how could you have given up on the Carlos Quentin so quickly?

•Is there any better example in sports of merging free agent selectivity and player development together as well as the Sox have? The investments in JD Drew and Daisuke Matsuzaka now look worth it in Year 2 of each project. Meanwhile, the organization has stood by and stuck with their young guns (Pedroia, Youkilis, Ellsbury, Lester, Papelbon, Masterson, Buchholz, Jed Lowrie). And don’t look now, but there are more pleasant surprises on the way (Lars Anderson, Bowden, Josh Reddick).

•Hats off to Tim Wakefield. Your knuckleball is a pain to catch and Sox fans groan every time they have tickets to Fenway and you’re the starter. Yet, you have been a part of Boston sports longer than any member of the Sox, Patriots, Celtics, or Bruins. You are consistent, you are a performer, and we are blessed to have you. We’ll all realize it once you’re gone. Four more years from now.

•I know, we were all hoping and waiting for Ellsbury to hit .320 and score 125 runs. It hasn’t exactly happened, but he ended the regular season with a career-high 18-game hitting streak, which led the Nation to believe he may match his legendary 2007 postseason performance (.360, 9 for 25 with 2 SBs) in 2008. And from the looks of things thus far this October, the hunches may prove to have merit.

•Theo Epstein’s plan all along was to reconvert Papelbon into a starter even after his success as a closer in 2006. But based on team need, the brass ultimately decided his services were needed in the bullpen because the rotation was already strong. A similar situation marches on in Yankeeland with starter/reliever Joba Chamberlain. But when a young kid is brought up as a starter, and Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy have yet to show promise in the rotation, and the best closer of a generation is already at the back end of the bullpen, why is there a controversy?

•More Yankee-related news: There should be less focus on the new $1.6 billion stadium, and more focus on the state of the on-the-field product. Yankee GM Brian Cashman’s rebuilding plan has been ineffective, whereas Hughes and Kennedy have not flourished, Chamberlain’s health and role are both in question, and no one is convinced Brent Gardner and Melky Cabrera are the answers. Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi are goners, while Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Jorge Posada are not getting any younger. You tell me, which two AL East teams currently have the best long-term plan in place?

•As a Globe subscriber, it’s an early Christmas present that columnist Tony Massarotti has joined the staff. If you are into writing, or if you simply enjoy being inspired, read his work.

•Sox ownership recently retired Johnny Pesky’s No. 6, and deservedly so. Larry Lucchino on altering the ‘rules’ for retiring numbers at Fenway: “We inherited a set of rules … and considered that to be useful, but as guidelines rather than firm rules.” They also inherited an organization that seemed to be ripping at the seams and a ballpark that was thought to be crumbling. There is nothing the trio of John Henry, Lucchino, and Tom Werner haven’t done for the fans, organization, and city itself.

Published on October 04, 2008

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