Fenway at 100

Yesterday the Red Sox had the celebration to end all celebrations. Fenway Park turned 100 and the Boston owners pulled out all the stops. I may be in the minority but a building turning 100 isn't that big a deal in my book.

It was really cool having those 213 players return to Fenway. We don't see enough of Pedro, it was good to see Bill Buckner get a big hand, Nomar - Nooomaaahhhh, Jim Lonborg and others. It was especially pleasing to see Terry Francona get the loudest applause of all. But a building turning 100? Meh!

I travel a lot and I get it that a 100-year beloved facility in other parts of the country would be a big deal. In New England it's not that big a deal. Half of the college campuses and town centers have dozens of buildings as old as Fenway. I lived for years in a house that was as old as Fenway. Don't get me wrong - we understand and value the history. What we don't understand or value is what is becoming of our team.

Fenway Park is now a tourist attraction more than a park for fans to root on their team. I'm glad the toast by Kevin Millar blew up in their faces as farce. Millar is a joke. Screw him. Sweet Caroline? The song is about a pedophile in love with an 11-year old girl. Time to get rid of that stupid song. Very telling that the two biggest boos of the day were reserved for Bobby Valentine - a self-promoter who replaced a winner and Barack Obama - a pure self-promoter.

The backlash on the self-promotion is growing and as the team falters on the field the wave of discontent will only grow. When people look back at 2012 - it won't be remembered as the year Fenway turned 100. It will be remembered as the season of the fans discontent. Fans want pennants - not promotions.

Red Sox Going to the World Series!

Here are some observations from last night's game 7 clinching victory over the Indians.

- Going into the game I expected big things from Daisuke Matsuzaka and I'll admit that in the 3rd inning I started to think that Dice-K may just pitch a no-hitter. Dice-K is a competitor and he has "Wa" to spare (the Japanese term for team spirit).

- I still can't stand Kevin Millar.

- By the sixth inning I stopped thinking about "Wa" and started thinking about Chinese water torture because that's what the drip, drip, drip of single runs seemed like. Fans from both sides were getting anxious because it seemed like it could go either way.

- I can't stand Kevin Millar but I really can't stand Kenny Lofton. Am I alone in thinking the ump got that call at second right? Yes, Lofton's hand beat Manny's throw but his hands and his whole body skipped over the base while Pedroia's glove was touching Lofton's face. Being tagged while off the base made Lofton out. I feel bad for the Indians 3rd base coach Joel Skinner. He'll have to live with not sending Kenny Lofton home in the 7th inning but I think it was the fear of Manny's quick release and accurate throws from left that made him put up the stop sign.

- When I was in college I had a friend Pete who had a strange sense of humor. He would start saying something and just leaving you hanging. When he knew you were waiting for him to say something else - he'd chuckle. Pete would say something like, "in my hometown there's a cemetery." You'd wait for him to continue and then Pete would laugh knowing you were waiting on him. Tim McCarver is like Pete except he doesn't do it on purpose. How often does McCarver make a statement that just hangs there? "The Red Sox have scored on a double play and a sacrifice fly." And? There has to be more behind that thought right? When Pete did it - I laughed because I knew Pete was just having fun. With McCarver I cringe because he's either having the onset of dementia or he just sucks.

- Watching the game on TV - I was distracted by a guy behind the plate towards the first base side. Did you see this guy? He had a humongous forehead. I mean it was just huge. This guy could have sold billboard space above his eyebrows.

- Dustin Pedroia has all the confidence in the world. You can tell that just by seeing him flip his bat after hitting that HR in the 7th.

- If you saw the Red Sox celebrating after the game you would have seen a bunch of players smoking cigars. Those cigars came from Louie Tiant who has a cigar business.

Baltimore Orioles Trade Possibilities

With the trade deadline coming up at the end of the month. I thought I would start looking at some of the teams who are bound to be "sellers" in the trade market. First up is the Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles seem to have five main bargaining chips (six if you count the injured Miguel Tejada). Here are their "chips" in no particular order.

Chad Bradford – Orioles – signed for $3.5 million per year thru 2009 – decent 3.18 ERA and a pitcher who is very good vs. right-handed hitters. Bradford gets a $500,000 one-time bonus if traded so that may make Bradford pretty happy to get out of Baltimore. Almost every team in playoff contention is trying to add bullpen help – so there could wind up being a bidding war for a veteran like Bradford.

Steve Traschel - currently out with a pulled muscle in his ass but should return to action shortly. Traschel is a free agent at the end of the year (although there is a $4.75 million team option). He could make a nice innings eating 4th or 5th starter for an NL team that is hurting for starting pitching. My guess is he winds up in the NL East with the Braves, Mets or Phillies.

Aubrey Huff – he’s signed through 2009 at the rate of $8 million a year (but just $4 million this year). That means the Orioles have a financial incentive to deal him now. Huff has averaged 20+ HR the last 5 years but has just 6 so far in 2007. He can play 1st or OF but neither very well.

Kevin Millar – some teams may view Millar as a veteran presence that can help keep a playoff bound team both focused and loose at the same time. Others (like me) see Millar as a defensive liability who will turn cancerous if he’s not getting enough playing time. Millar has a contract clause that vests his 2008 option ($2.75 million) if he gets 475 plate appearances in 2007. So far Millar is at 266 – so getting those last 209 will be his priority. You also have to ask yourself if the Orioles really want Millar around next year or if they want to move in another direction.

Jay Payton – signed for $5 million for 2008. I would think that Payton is more trouble than he’s worth but some team who needs an outfielder may be willing to take a risk on Payton.

Miguel Tejada – still owed $30 million over the next two-years ($4 million deferred). Out with a broken wrist which means if he’s traded it will probably be during the off-season.

Dirtbag Red Sox

Chad Finn has put together his all-time Red Sox dirtbag roster. I should note that it really isn't "all-time" since Finn only considers players since 1978 when he really started following the team.

I agree with most of the choices with a couple of exceptions.

I would argue Kevin Kennedy over Joe Kerrigan as manager. Kennedy ran gentleman Jamie Moyer out of town because Moyer wasn't the type of head-hunting flame-throwing pitcher Kennedy preferred. Kennedy also let clowns like Jose Canseco run the clubhouse. There's a reason Kennedy hasn't gotten another managing job since he was let go following the 1996 season.

There is no way that Tony Clark should be on anyone's "dirtbag" list. Finn is way off base on that choice. Kevin Millar would be a good fill-in at first in my opinion. He was barely replacement level (pun intended) and this dirtbag would carp about playing time? I enjoy reminding my firend Tim who is heavily into Union activity of the fact that Millar was a scab.

I would second the opinion that Jose Canseco should be added as the team's strength and conditioning coach if Steve "Psycho" Lyons could be added as team psychologist..

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The Red Sox have two players in the top 10 in stolen bases (Julio Lugo and Coco Crisp). I wonder when the last time that happened?... The other day I was taking a walk and I saw written on a Volvo station wagon in that white crayon type stuff used car lots use "I hope you find a homeless family living in your car". It was signed by "K" with a heart drawn around the K. Not sure if this was a curse or a joke. I just know I chuckled at it... I was in New York City yesterday and one of the big stories there is the refusal of Aaron Sele to cut his hair like all the other members of the Mets have done. This is not the same as when Johnny Damon refused to cut his hair back in 2004 with the Red Sox. This is Aaron Sele not Tom Glavine (the future Hall of Famer even agreed to a buzz-cut). Sele has bounced around baseball with 7 different teams and I say if he doesn't cut his hair - the Mets should trade him to his 8th team... Because of Josh Beckett's injury - this week Red Sox Nation learned the definition of the word "avulsion". According to the American heritage Dictionary an avulsion is, "The forcible tearing away of a body part by trauma or surgery." That sounds a bit over the top for describing Beckett's cut on his finger. At the other end of the scale to the word "avulsion" was Hartford Courant's Jeff Greenberg who described the injury as a "boo-boo"... In case you missed it - Jason Giambi has been just 4 for 28 in his last 10 games. Good thing that Giambi has the putrence of Bobby Abreu to cover for his slump... Grady Sizemore went 4-5 last night to raise his batting average 20 points - from .239 to .259. Despite the relatively low batting average - Sizemore has an OBP of .394.... I meant to say something about the Red Sox incredible come from behind victory on Sunday. The Sox were down 5-0 to the Orioles coming into the bottom of the 9th but ended up winning 6-5. The final play saw Kevin Millar ranging too far to his right to field a ball that should have belonged to the 2nd baseman. This meant the pitcher had to cover the base and Millar's throw was fumbled allowing the tying and winning runs to score. This going too far right and not staying home at 1st is something Millar does all the time and something that drove me crazy when he was with the Red Sox...