Entries Tagged 'Mirabelli' ↓

Yesterday afternoon’s game was filled with some great “stoopit” trivia stuff. As pointed out by Boston.com:

• Kevin Youkilis has broken the record for consecutive games without an error by a first baseman (194)
•  Jon Lester is the first left-handed Sox starter to record a win in Oakland since 1995.
• Terry Francona still misses chew. (Yes, I made that one up, but I guarantee you he does.)

It’s not a bad thing to take care of Oakland, regardless of their 1 and 2 starters. They needed to walk out of there with the series win and give the fans a nice start to the season.

With J. D. Drew starting last night, the team finally felt a little like normal, I suppose. Tomorrow night, Tim Wakefield gets the start in Toronto’s home opener and Kevin Cash will begin the campaign to prove he’s not Mirabelli.

First homers for Papi and ‘Tek felt good as well. Nice to see it starting to become a “regular” season.

The Red Sox have said farewell to Wake’s personal catcher and possibly his best friend on the team today as they have released Doug Mirabelli on unconditional waivers.

I agree with the article that says Kevin Cash will most likely take his place, but WOW, what a move by Theo. I didn’t think he had it in him (well, at least until next year).

I feel somewhat torn over the potential resigning of Doug Mirabelli.

His production and his defensive skills are in sharp decline and he’s going to be 38 this year. For 90% of his career, he’s been a backup, so I’m sure there isn’t nearly as much wear and tear on him. The deal calls for $550,000 with incentives to go up to a million. If he hits over .260 with 5 home runs they got their money’s worth.

However, don’t expect him to play any special role with the team if he stinks it up before the All-Star break (Kottaras will likely get the nod at some point this year just so they can see what he has).

Tim Wakefield’s contract option ($4 million, no incentives) has been picked up. Great! So, what about the catching situation?

Mirabeli has not yet been signed to his typical one-year deal, either, and I’m sure it’s a matter of money at this point.

How much is Mirabelli worth? Is his presence behind the plate almost as much a security blanket as it is being Wake’s bag boy? Don’t get me wrong. The fact that we have a person who is more than capable of catching a knuckleball is great so long as Wake is in the rotation (or in the bullpen if they sign Santana through some miracle). If Wake goes, Mirabelli is a two-time World Series ring winning back-up catcher without a job. But good for him. Good for anyone who was smart enough to hop on this success wagon to grab a couple pieces of jewelry (Timlin now has a few rings, as does Schilling).

Minor Leagues?

The Sox have a couple of players in the minor leagues who could either be dealt or even be ready for a shot at the back-up job (’Tek only has a year left, you know). Here’s the talent down south:

Kottaras had a mediocre season at the plate, batting .241 with 9 home runs and 39 RBIs, while Brown (combined between Portland AA and Pawtucket AAA) batted .260 with 9 home runs and 46 RBIs.

When the Sox got Kottaras, the thought was he’d be a great replacement for ‘Tek, provided he had pop from both sides of the plate. He’s not tearing the cover off the ball, but with the right conditioning program and a little more time, he could definitely be the starter of the future.

Brown isn’t far off the pace, either, and this year will be his chance to show his latent potential as well. They are both ready for the big times in a back-up role, and that’s just fine with the Sox Front Office since they’re trying to fill the starting position in time for the ‘09 season.

So do the Sox look to replace Crisp (who will be dealt) with a strong bat off the bench, or do they keep Kielty (for now) and get the rank and file ready for a new back-stop?

So, there they sit: 1.5 games up. Yes. They are still in the lead. Yes. They can still take the division.

The celebration is on hold until the very… last… day…

Interestingly enough (to only my son and me) is that I’ll be at the game on the 30th. The last game of the regular season against the Twins. When my membership to Red Sox Nation provided me with my option of incredibly crappy cheap seats, I thought that the game would have absolutely no meaning. I thought that the Sox would have clinched the division and that my son and I would be watching a bunch of extras try to give the veterans a rest so that the post season would be easier on their beat up appendages.

It looks now, however, that this could actually BE the game where the Sox claim (or lose) the division. I’m floored. With six games left, the magic number is, in fact, six.

Notes:

• I only saw the 9th inning yesterday. I had the other 8 innings come to my mobile device. No heroics this time. Only ground-outs and pop-ups. Bummer.
• Wakefield has not done well at all since Mirabelli pulled up lame at first base a month ago. Not a good sign. Will Cash be his catcher in the post season?
• It looks like both Youk and Manny will be back this week. Prepare for Manny to be DH with Papi splitting time with Youk and Lowell getting a day or so off during the final week. Due to the fact that Manny is still sore when running it’ll make for a couple interesting lineups during the most important week of the year.
• Last night on ESPN, Joe Morgan and Peter Gammons were giving their vote for Cy Young to C.C. Sabathia. While I understand and respect Peter’s opinion (I never respect the opinion of Joe Morgan no matter where he’s enshrined), Beckett is the reason the Sox have a 1.5 game lead. He’s matured and lived up to his potential. He took the job of Staff Ace and did it without making Schilling feel like a has-been. Beckett deserves the Cy.