Pedro

Does this mean he admits Theo was right? Pedro onw whether he will return as strong as before - “You just never know how long you have baseball with you, so enjoy every moment of it, enjoy every bit of it, and when it’s time to let it go, let it go. No regrets.”

Schilling

So at first, I could only think of two reasons for there being no extension for Curt:

1. They are saving their money for a run at Zambrano or a trade and then big contract for another ace.

2. They think he does not have much left in the tank.

But after a bit more thinking, it could be a whole bunch of items:

1. A challenge for Curt. Give him a little extra incentive to have a monster season. An interesting note on Schill - he has NEVER signed a free agent contract.

2. They don't like that Curt made his pronouncement in the media.

3. They think the gamble is worth it. If he has a great year, it may take $18MM to sign him. So they feel it would be worth the extra $$ as opposed to sinking $13MM (i.e., flexibility).

4. Gambling that he really does not want to leave Boston. His kids are in school here. He knows Boston is passionate city and he gets far more media attention that he would almost anywhere else.

5. Maybe Schilling is jealous of all the attention dice-K is getting, so this has been a great way for him to keep his name front and center. Plus I liked how he pronounced himself the opening day starter. Classic.

6. All that being said, they still could work something out before season's end.

So who really knows. I just hope it does not become a Derek Lowe situation where we hear about it all year long. I don't think Schill will mope the same way, but Lord, I don't want to read 346 articles this summer about his contract.

Hypocrisy, Something to Talk About, or Something Else???

Ok...so maybe this is a weird question, but I am always looking at sportswriters and listening to sports radio looking for gaps in their logic. And believe me, there are a ton of them.

With the arrival of Daisuke (I can't write Dice-K), everyone is saying that despite his great 5-6 pitches, all of which he has great command, he will struggle because he has never seen hitters like he will face. Fine, that kind of makes sense. He has to learn the American style of baseball. Right?

But...

With Arroyo, he excelled because people hadn't seen him before. He didn't know the hitters. He switched leagues. The first time around (and as X will support...) with basically two pitches, he was untouchable. However, because of his limited pitches, the next time or two down the road, he had little to no success.

So...

The question is...why shouldn't Sox fans feel that the number one pitcher in Japan, the World Classic MVP, and a guy who commands 6 pitches, working with (perhaps) the most knowledgable catcher in the game (Varitek) won't be fairly lights out?

Why would the assumption be that he would struggle? He's confident (you can see that in his interviews) and how he comes after hitters...He went through hitters from all over the world with no problem.

I know the AL East is tough...But the O's and Rays are in the East, too. There are breathing spots in those lineups.

How many starts would he have against the Yankees and Jays? 6? 7?

There is also the fact that he'll probably be slotted as the number 3, matching him up many times with a fairly weak pitcher from another team. (Let's face it, not many teams have a great 1, 2, 3)...

What are my predictions for him? 16 to 17 wins...6-7 losses...ERA about 3.6-3.7. I think that he'll keep many hitters off-balance and will remain unpredictable. As a result, I would say 180Ks or so...Rookie of the Year candidate...possible winner...

I just feel that this guy has proven himself more than he hasn't (as the sportswriters are saying). Rose-colored glasses? Maybe...but his numbers seem to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Varitek

All the expected areticles have come out today. "Is he done?" "Is he old?"

Of course after the down year he had (including injury and surgery), it should come as no surprise. Everyone seems to quote the numbers on over 35, etc. etc.

What I do find funny is not one articl mentions that Posada, exactly one year older, had a really nice bounce back season last year. H exceeded his career averages in nearly every offensive category. Will tek do the samd? Who knows. I'm just surprised that in a NY obsessed city, the observation was not even noted.

Foulke retires

Wow. When he signed with the Native Americans I just assumed he was giving it one more year. Does this mean he finished his career with Boston?

Anyway, Foulke: thanks for that 2004 offseason. Still amazing to think about.

Virtual waiting room my ASS - Part Deux

So I entered a lottery to win a chance to buy Roof Deck seats, Monster seats, or Yankee game seats. I can buy tickets for opening day or Yankee games. I clicked the link a couple minutes to noon. The site is down. A few minutes after noon, I get in... in to what? The VIRTUAL WAITING ROOM!!!

More comments inside

Is this going to happen all the time now?

Ok...so Mientasdfkaekrja took the ball and held it...now Molina is holding the last out from the Cards victory last year. My guess? Writers look to see who held the last out, seek them out a few months later and drum up a story.

Are the Sox ever going to finalize the Drew contract?

Wily Mo and the Sox can't reach an agreement...is that a bad thing? The guy had a good season, but to hold out for 500k is silly.

Mo Rivera is mad at the Yankees. He might want out next year. While he might not be emotionally committed to what he's doing on the mound this year, this spells trouble for all those who face him. Why? Because he is older and wants to continue his career. If he is expecting to land a large deal elsewhere, he'll need to have another stellar year.

Pitchers and catchers reporting this week. Just in time for it to snow in Boston.

This post is like a Shaugnessy article. A whole lot of short sentences and not much substance.

Thank the Lord that I was able to finally sign in and post...it has been driving me crazy!

Bronson

At some point the craziness will stop, right? FA are so expensive that teams are now taking drastic measures to tie guys up before they reach market. And who can blame them. But Cincy I think has lost their mind a little. Two guys have career seasons right around age 30. Both have been dumped by two prior teams. And in one week, Krivsky commits $60MM to them. Their records are nearly identical.

They both reached career highs in innings last year. And maybe, just maybe, one or both them will be a David Wells type of pitcher - having their best years in their 30s after struggling to establish themselves. But Wells was more of a conditioning/attitude thing that prevented him from blossoming - he always had great stuff. Neither Harang nor Bronson has "great." GR is still waiting for Bronson to develop another pitch. And Harang has slightly better peripherals, but he has some weight issues. And with both of these guys, the Reds did not have to do anything - they controlled Bronson for two (cheap) years and Harang for 3 (cheap years).

I think someone on this board asked if Pedro would be good for 52 wins for the $52MM he got. And that question has stuck with me. I would say $1MM per win for a SP is a pretty good deal. So will the Reds get 60 wins combined from Harang in 07-10 and Bronson 09-10. I would guess no. One of these guys is due for the "collapse."

And then the guys that you would think would get the extensions to be locked up (Santana, Zambrano, maybe Buehrle, we hear nothing on that.

Zito - any chance he wins 126 games in SF? Meche 55 games?

Oops - I'm rambling. Thats what happens when I can't post for a week.

Sometimes the guys at Deadspin are so right

I need to go wash now