Wade Boggs stood at the hot corner during pregame introductions, tipping his hat to the adoring crowd at Yankee stadium. Thanks to the folks at medical hair restoration, his newfound luscious locks waving in the New York City wind.
    Call me the bitter Red Sox fan, still scarred by the site of that man riding a horse through Yankee Stadium after the clinching game of the 1996 world series. But what I saw tonight was a coward, afraid of getting booed.
    Boggs was inducted to the Hall of Fame as a member of the Boston Red Sox. That is the hat he wears on his Cooperstown plaque. He could have done as Gary Carter did. Gary wore his Expos hat and waved his Mets hat to the crowd. Or better yet. Dave Winfield wore his San Diego Padres hat and waved his Yankees hat to the fans.
    Hell, Boggs could've done something great for the game of baseball and waved his now outdated Tampa Bay Devil Rays hat to the crowd, seeing how he is the only member of the Hall of Fame to have played there.
    Does anyone remember that? Boggs was a pioneer member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in1998 and 1999. In fact, he hit the first home run in the franchises history. He batted second in one of the most historic lineups in baseball history.
    You might say murderer's row of the 1927 Yankees or maybe the 1997 Cleveland Indians were the best lineups ever. And you would be correct.
    But Boggs combined with players such as Jose Canseco, Greg Vaughn, Fred McGriff and Vinnie Castillo, in a line up dubbed "the hit parade", that featured more career home runs then any other line up ever assembled.
    Were they as productive that late in their career's? No. But history is what it is.
    Wade was put in a unique position tonight. Promote the upstart Rays or pour some gasoline on the fire that is the Red Sox and Yankees rivalry.
    Instead he took the cowards way out and chose simply to appease the hometown crowd. What else would you expect from a man who's afraid to be bald.

Cool Fact- Since the 1940's there have been 3 players to record at least 5 straight 200 hit seasons. All 3 were on the field tonight. The 2 playing were Ichiro Suzuki and Michael Young. The other? The aforementioned coward Wade Boggs.

David Ortiz, Randy Moss, Kevin Garnett, and Johan Santana? 4 players who have all spent time in the Twin City might all find themselves in the same city once again. 3 are here now, could there be a supernatural pitcher joining them? Picture a rotation where Josh Beckett and Johan Santana are followed by (at least for one season) Dice-K Matsuzaka, and Curt Schilling. Is the best Rotation in baseball about to get better?

Maybe, but it's a tricky situation. Last season I asked this question to friends of mine. "Would you trade Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Bucholz, and Jon Lester for Johan Santana and Joe Nathan? And, do you think they would take it?" The reaction was mixed as it should be, but the majority was on the yay over nay side. It would work out well for both sides. Minnesota would get a tremendous young center fielder to replace Torii Hunter, and 2 top notch young pitchers to pair with Francisco Liriano (who will hopefully be healthy). Boston would receive one of the games most dominating pitchers over the past 4 years, to pair with a pitcher who looks ready to dominate for the next 4 years at the top of the rotation. As well as another great arm to put in the back end of the bullpen to assist Jonathan Paplebon (something that's hard to find on the current free agent market) and take some of the burden off of Hideki Okajima. Imagine that!

It sounds great but it's a little complicated and I don't really know where to begin. So how about here. Santana is a free agent after the following season and has already told the Twins he would like a contract similar to Barry Zito's (7 years, $126 million). The Red Sox could certainly afford it seeing how this is the last year for Curt Schilling whose potential $13 million contract will be coming off the books next season. Couple that with Joe Nathan probably walking as he would most likely rather find a job as a closer then a set-up man ($6 million in his option year, sure to increase significantly) and possibly cutting ties with veteran Tim Wakefield ($4 million). There's $23 million right there.

But hold on, there's more. What is the status with Manny Ramirez? This is the final year of his contract if the Sox choose not to pick up his $20 million options through the 2011 season. Will they be able to not pick up those options but sign him to another contract of significantly less total dollar volume? I hope so, but nothing has been said about their plans on that. The money is clearly there, so what's the problem?

There's a couple of things here, and the first is a matter of pride. Theo Epstein is very proud of the young talent his organization has collected and therefore might not be willing to deal it. This plays into an economics factor as well. The 3 players mentioned have very bright upsides, are very affordable, and will be for years to come. Not only can they help the Sox win and win now, but they keep payroll down and profit up. How many times have we heard it? It's a business. The goal of any business is to make money. It's nice to win and have a product people enjoy, but there's a lot of owners out there who would rather pocket the cash then put out a winning team.

Speaking of pride, there's a guy who has some in the top of the rotation right now. Although there is no doubt in my mind that Santana and Beckett would push each other to one-up the other's performance, but it might cause some damage to give Santana a big contract when it comes time to negotiate Becketts next one. Last year the Red Sox signed Beckett to a 4 year extension worth $40 million. Sure Johan has a couple of Cy Young awards, but Becketts got the jewelery and an amazing post season record/ERA. Jealousy and greed are powerful emotions, and often get the better of people, especially athletes because there's so much money as well as pride on the line. Just look what jealousy did to Barry Bonds. It would be a shame to see it be strong enough to wreck the clubs future which as of now looks extremely promising.

But let's talk about what every Sox fan wants to talk about, defeating the Yankees. By making this deal happen you keep him away from New York and ensure that if he does go there, it's after his "prime" years. If the Twins do not trade or sign him to an extension, then the Yankees will do what they do best and outbid everyone for the player they want. That's not disrespect Yankee fans, it's the truth and it's fine. I've said countless times that I respect the Yankees ownership because they always try their best to put a winning team on the field no matter what the cost is. They would also most certainly love to open a new year in a new stadium, with a new ace.

If the Red Sox do pull this deal off they would have to make sure it was a sign and trade deal. They can not give up those kinds of players for a one year rental. Maybe if they were trying to win one World Series in the last 86 years, but not if they are truly dedicated to contending every season to come.

Now that Torii Hunter is California dreaming, the 2 time Cy Young award winner will surely be the next to go. It was reported by the Star Tribune today that the Twins made Santana a 5 year deal worth $93 million. The deal would make him the highest paid pitcher in baseball/year slightly eclipsing San Francisco’s Barry Zito. Santana then countered with the number $126 million, the same number Zito signed for last year. It was unclear by the article I saw if that meant he wanted a 7 year deal or 5 years at $126 million.

If this is the case, then the Twins are in trouble. We're talking about a difference of between 7 and 8 million dollars per year. Even if Twins owner Carl Pohlad was to open up the wallet, it would destroy the franchise that claims to be a "small market" club. I know the owner has some money. He was ranked as the 245th richest person in the world as recently as 2006. What are we talking about here? 245th out of how many? What are we up to 6 billion? As good as Santana is, and there is no doubt he is great, I'm not sure any club could justify paying a player $25 million/season to only play once every 5 days.

If Santana were to stay in Minnesota it would be a "victory for the little guy" but bad for baseball. If the Twins truly are as small a market as they claim to be (18th of 30 ML teams in payroll in 2007) then how could they put a team around a player who would take up 25% of their teams’ payroll, who doesn't play every day? A situation I call the A-rod quagmire. A pitcher the caliber of Santana deserves to play for a contender. MLB needs players like him on a contending team to keep its name in the headlines and to help get the October ratings it’s always dying for. It would be a shame to see a pitcher who has already showed sheer dominance wasting his prime years playing for a last place team. This is the same problem baseball had when A-rod was in Texas.

But if Minnesota wants to start to pay their players, yesterday would have been a good time. If they would  have paid Torii Hunter and Santana in the same season, then lock up Joe Nathan, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau in the next season, it would look as though they could contend for the title in the coming years. That would be good for the game. The past couple of Septembers have been fantastic to watch as playoff spots are being filled out on game 162 and in some cases game 163 of the regular season. Adding another team to the mix would only increase the drama and excitement of the pennant race.

Will they trade him (Santana)? Well sure, they'll have to get something for him and not just a compensatory draft pick from what ever team he signs with in the following off season. Sure their are takers out there but it's a risky move. Look at the situation. You already know what kind of money he'll be looking for on a new deal so you might only have him for one year. If anybody wants to make a trade it will most likely have to be of the sign and trade variety. Who ever makes the move will likely try to get closer Joe Nathan in the deal as well which will be the biggest sign that yes, the Twins are rebuilding again. A deal like this would take a package of at least 3 or 4 top notch prospects who are a) major league ready and b) not arbitration eligible for the next 3- 5 years. 4 organizations have the players to do it. The Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Angels.

Perhaps he will start the season with the Twins and combined with the returning Francisco Liriano provide a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation capable of carrying a team to the playoffs. But if they fall out of the race they would be forced to trade him before July 31 deadline to ensure they got their pick of a prospect (or two) who are already developed rather then waiting 3 years to see if their draft pick (if he walked) would pan out. Some times it works. When the Red Sox let Pedro Martinez walk they were able to draft Clay Bucholz. But, if they wait until that deadline, what ever package they receive will be greatly diminished from the ones they would be offered now. You usually don't give up 3 top notch players for a 3 month rental. It simply sets your franchise back to far. Also, you can hope nobody takes him and join the bidding war that will ensue over the 2008 off season. Spend the money on him, and place your prospects around him to negate the cost.

Let's face it though. He's not going to sign with the Twins because they will never offer what he wants. The only reason they are offering an extension or offered Torii Hunter arbitration is to say to their fans "hey, we tried. We made what we thought was a fair offer and they rejected it. If you want to be disappointed, be disappointed with them." And as they say that and have your attention, Pohlads accountants will be carrying sacs of cash out the back door and putting it in to a Swiss bank account.

Just announced is another big signing of one of the "top" free agents on the market. Torii Hunter is packing his bags and going to Disney Land, literally. The Angels have landed the center fielder at the reported price of 5 years around $80 million. They are hoping he can provide some protection for Vlad Gurrero in the middle of that line up. But don't think that this is the end of the dealing for the Angels this off season.

A couple of days ago, in a move that puzzled me, they traded Orlando Cabrera to the White Sox for starting pitcher Jon Garland. It made no sense to me at the time. If you were looking to add offense in the off season, then why move one of your most productive players who happens to provide leadership and possess a couple of gold gloves? I'll tell you why.

Although the initial reaction from manager Mike Scioscia is that they intend on keeping Gary Mathews Junior who they signed last year to a 5 year $50 million deal, let's be real. The idea of being able to platoon him in the outfield so that he, Gurrero, Garret Anderson and Hunter can all split time at DH is nice, but not realistic. In most cases, you don't pay someone $10 million to platoon in the out field. Especially after the allegations of Mathews receiving shipments of HGH but quote "never used them". When the news of this came out Angels owner Arte Moreno publicly announced his displeasure. He simply does not want his name or his organizations name associated with any steroid talk. But then again who does.

So I would look for this. Baltimore is in need of a center fielder and the Angels still need a third baseman or a short stop. Enter Miguel Tejada. Yes his numbers have fallen over the past couple of seasons but he is still a very productive and durable player. He's played on the west coast before and Moreno loves to bring in Latin players, and they love to play for him. The Angels could package Garland or Ervin Santana along with Mathews and maybe a low level prospect to bring Tejada over. He could then move to third base or play shortstop, depending on what the Angels want Chone Figgens role to be. Perhaps they would include Maicer Izturis in a deal with the O's or just use him off the bench.

Don't count them out of the Miguel Cabrera sweepstakes either. In this scenario Mathews stays simply because there is no way Florida takes on the contract considering they are trying to move Cabrera because they don't feel like they can afford the nearly $8 million he's due to make through arbitration in the coming year. They might feel willing to part with Howie Kendrick now, who seems to be the centerpiece of the deal that the Marlins would like. They will try to package Santana into the deal, but the Marlins will likely decline for two reasons. The first being that he is arbitration eligible next season, a situation the Marlins are always trying to avoid. The second reason is that he has well documented struggles pitching on the road (7-16 with an ERA over 7 over the last 2 seasons). I don't know if he just feels more comfortable in front of home fans or not. One thing is for sure if he does feel fan pressure, he wouldn't feel it from the hundreds of home fans that attend Marlins games.

If they do go this route Kendrick won't be the only piece they'll have to part with. Expect them to have to include prospects like 3B Brandon Wood, reliever Chris Bootcheck, pitcher Nick Adenhardt, or possibly the aforementioned Izturis. Another potential big chip that would almost certainly seal the deal would be including rookie of the year candidate Reggie Willits, an up and coming youngster who now becomes semi-expendable if they are not able to move Mathews. I would expect they (Angels) would be looking for another player in return, possibly a middle infielder. Dan Uggla would make the most sense on both sides as both Kendrick and Uggla are second basemen.

The bottom line is this. The Angels have been very close to being able to win a second world series for the past 3 or 4 years. They have failed every year since acquiring Gurerro to land another big bat. Since winning the World Series in 2002 they have missed the playoffs twice. They were swept twice by the Red Sox, and lost 4-1 in the 2005 ALCS at the hands of the White Sox. The window of opportunity is closing. Although it appears the AL West will be theirs to loose in the upcoming seasons, they will still have to contend in the post season with the likes of the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, or Tigers. Pitching has not been the problem; it has clearly been the lack of offensive production. It is beginning to look as though management has finally accepted that you can't just put the pressure on the pitcher and the defense by stealing bases and running first to third. Sometimes, you just have to be able to simply out slug your opponent.

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A-Rods negotiation half way there.
Nov 19, 2007 | 1:45AM - Edit | Delete

It was reported today that Rodriguez's negotiations on a 10 year 275 million dollar contract had reached "the bottom of the fifth inning". Translation, we're half way there. Well I guess it's a good thing for ownership and fans he didn't say that talks were into the post season. Allow me to take a few minutes of your time to express my views on A-rod.

First of all, I will not believe that this is a done deal until ink hits the paper and I am watching a press conference welcoming Alex back to New York. Both he and Boras have given me zero reasons to believe anything that comes out of their mouths any more. I think this is merely the first step to start the bidding wars. New York says they don't want to negotiate with Boras, but they might have fallen into his trap. He tried like hell at the GM meetings to get his number one clients name out there, and the perception that the bidding had begun. He met with both Theo Epstein of the rival Red Sox, and Omar Minaya (the cross town media rivals) but neither GM would publicly admit their interest.

We had heard the names of franchise's such as the Tigers, Angels, and Joe Toree's new home the Dodgers all having interest in bringing the power hitting third baseman aboard. But again, no admitted interest other than simple statement's like "well who wouldn't want A-rod in their lineup?". Well, now we have a starting point thanks to the public of the Yankees brass. The bidding starts at 275 million for 10 years. We know Boras wanted 350 for 10 years, but all though it was ridiculous. Maybe he can get 300-325 million instead.

These are numbers that simply outrage the general public. Nobody in their right mind believes an athlete deserves that kind of money, and they're probably right. But there is a different market for an athlete or movie star that simply doesn't exist for you and me. It's not fair, but it is what it is. If you are the best at what you do, be it a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or police officer, you would expect to be paid whatever the highest paid person in your profession makes. There is no doubt that Alex is the best at what he does in his profession, and deserves to be paid like it. He might be the best pure talent the game has ever seen. And because he is the highest paid player to ever play a sport, is most likely the very reason he is disliked by so many.

But not for me, and it's not because I'm a Sox fan either. I simply (like many fans in New York) find him unrouteable. It's not just because he took a 252 million dollar pay check to play baseball for the Rangers. Let's be honest, if we were offered that kind of money we would take it too. For me it started when he said he wanted to play for the Mets, and they had made him a substantial offer. I feel like if he really wanted to be with the Mets, he would have taken the deal.

Though this is truly no fault of his, I was outraged when the baseball writers of America voted him MVP while with Texas. I will not even try to deny the fact that he had a monster season, but I believe no one should ever win an MVP on a last place team. Take him out of the lineup that year and they still would have finished in last place, end of story. If it were me, I simply would have felt foolish accepting the award.

Finally there is this, and it comes on the heals of a historic record, and an indicted player. How am I supposed to route for a guy with less personality then a rock? Love him or hate him as most do, at least Bonds has a personality. If it weren't for the raw numbers the guy (Rodriguez) puts up I believe he would go completely unnoticed like most utility players. Furthermore, If his hometown fans make a habit of booing him, what reason does that give me to cheer for him? I am a fan of the game first and a fan of my team second. I can say with all honesty that if he was on my team, I could not see myself routing for him. Not because of the paycheck, but simply because he gives me no reason to. He's image obsessed and the captain of generic interviews. I don't think I've ever seen someone who possesses so much raw talent, who plays so effortlessly, and shows so little passion.