I have been working on (and continue to work on) an article about Senator Ted Kennedy as he struggles with brain cancer. Originally conceived as a narrative article, I realized how crazy that would be as I got into the project. There was no way to touch upon his many accomplishments, or to encompass his years of public service. I have, therefore, decided to change the focus of my article.  The subject will remain Kennedy. I’m just going to take it from a different perspective.

In the meantime, The Boston Globe began what looks to be like a great series on Ted Kennedy today. His story will be told in seven parts. I am posting the link for part 1 here, and will post subsequent links.

http://www.boston.com/news/specials/kennedy/

Some people, included this sports fan, think it’s worth considering.

As CBS News reported,

“Citigroup received billions of dollars in federal bailout money this winter.

But, in 2006, the bank entered into an agreement to pay the New York Mets $400 million dollars over 20 years for naming rights to the team’s new stadium.

‘They just act as though the taxpayers’ money is free money, and they can spend it any way they want. Well, no they can’t,’ says Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D, Ohio), who adds that taxpayers have the right to be upset.

‘Their money is going for these banks that are just doing anything they want with it,’ Kucinich says. ‘Well, that’s not right, and they have to be called on it.’”

Rep. Kucinich I agree. Let’s call them on it.

Let’s pressure the Mets organization and the City of New York to rename CitiField to something a little more appropriate for “the house that the bailout is building”.

In the following video, Rep Kucinich explains why Citigroup needs to take their name off of the Met’s stadium immediately

Of course, Bailout Ballpark isn’t the best name.

So tell me, what would you name the new stadium?

Thanks Harvey for inviting me to East Coast Tribbelations. You might regret this

I’m claiming this as a local story because New York is technically the East Coast. Not only that, Caroline Kennedy comes from a storied Massachusetts family. It’s mine. So, yes, count me in with the rest of the political junkies that think David Paterson is a royal screw up. Tell the GOP to take heart, if he’s a part of the future of the Democratic party there may be hope yet.

Ultimately, I think Caroline Kennedy would have done a fine job. Now, I happen to be a believer that people should be qualified to be in government, but let’s be realistic about what qualifications we’re talking about. What qualifications did Mitt Romney have when he ran for Governor of Massachusetts? What? He was a corporate raider for Bain Capital? Great. That ‘qualified’ argument doesn’t wash for me in this case because, what I’m hearing is that people want candidates whose lives and experiences haven’t been wrapped up in Washington. If that’s the case, then Caroline Kennedy fits the bill.

Now, it was David Paterson’s duty to give this position to the person he felt was most qualified. He made his decision and that was fine. At the end of the day, it’s not who he chose but how he went about doing it. If Caroline Kennedy wants to be on Capitol Hill, she’ll run when she’s ready. What prompted David Paterson’s people to smear Caroline Kennedy even after she had pulled out of the race? You’ve got to wonder what side of the rainbow he and his political allies are working to make false claims to the media about problems in Caroline Kennedy’s taxes and marriage, and some type of issues with a nanny. It’s just another example of what a colossal screw up this guy created out of something that could have and should have been so simple.

Paterson kept this whole process secretive, like something out of the Manhattan Project. The only way anyone could know who had thrown his or her hat in the ring was if it somehow slipped out. Of course it would slip out that Caroline Kennedy was interested. She’s got star power. Then, he complained that Caroline Kennedy didn’t take her case to the people. Well, neither did Kirstin Gillibrand, or Andrew Cuomo, or anyone else who might have been in consideration for the job. That’s because he kept the entire process under wraps. Now, Paterson can use the excuse all he wants that he was protecting the process in case Hillary Clinton wasn’t confirmed, but that’s hooey. The Clinton confirmation was never in doubt. And in the end, this wasn’t just Paterson’s process. It belonged to the people of New York whom Hillary Clinton served.

If David Paterson was trying to boost his star power in the Democratic party, he may have just blown it.

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/559513.html

You know, I’ve been working on this Kennedy article for quite some time now. It has clearly taken on a life of its own. This morning I woke to find rumors floating about that Caroline Kennedy has removed her name from consideration to replace Hillary Clinton as the junior senator from New York. Here we go again. I’m back on it, and this time I’m determined to finish it regardless of the continuous drama swirling around it. But in the meantime, I spent some time at the Cask n’Flagon (photo of the Cask included this time) last night and the talk turned to - you guessed it - the Red Sox. Yes, in spite of the excitement in Washington and the dense snow coverage around my home state, we’re thinking spring. Pitchers and catchers report next month, and I’m thinking I’d love to head on down to Florida to cover the Sox for a while. Tempting.

Nonetheless, when the talk turns to the Sox during the off-season, the table seems to fill up with people desperate for baseball. The winters are long here and there’s been a lot of snow (more coming tomorrow, I’m told). Talking about the Sox is a rite of Spring. So, of course, the first question from some Boston University student was, “What about Manny?” Indeed. What about Manny? Well, there’s nothing to report except he will not be coming back to Boston. In spite of the assertions of he and his agent, the lovely Scott Boras, people aren’t breaking down his door to get him. The Dodgers, his last roosting spot, offered him two years at $45 million with a third year option at $15 million. Manny wants a four-year contract. Period. He’s 37 this year and nobody is willing to give him that. The Dodgers aren’t budging. The San Francisco Giants are interested, but not in a long-term contract. And now that the Yanks have taken Mark Texiera, their eagerness for Manny has waned. Could he still end up in New York? He could, if he doesn’t mind cutting his hair…I mean, really cutting his hair. The Steinbrenners have a funny thing about appearance. A one-inch trim won’t do the trick in New York. Ask Johnny Damon.

Once we got on this topic - New York, that is - the panic set in for some of the youngsters in the crowd. One guy must have had too many beers (or perhaps too few) because he blurted out that the Yanks have been adding all these great players and we (the Sox) haven’t done anything. That’s just plain crazy talk. I told the guy that, look, we were one win away from a return trip to the World Series. The Yanks, on the other hand, had nothing in 2008. They didn’t even make the playoffs. Their team was in a shambles. There is really no “core” to speak of that they can build on, so they did what they do best. Spend money on every high-priced free agent that they can find, because they think a team full of superstars will bring championships. Nothing is further from the truth. The fact is that the Yanks have been spending money with reckless abandon for nearly a decade now, and have nothing to show for it. They haven’t won a World Series since 2000. Could they win next year? Sure. Anybody can win at any time. Will they win next year? I don’t think so.

Okay, the Yanks have signed three big-name players for over $400 million this off-season. Not only that, they’ve tied them up with long-term contracts. This was prudent for only one of them. Mark Texiera, who is admittedly a mega-player and is only 28 years old. Would the Sox liked to have had him? You bet. For whatever reason, it didn’t work out. Greed? Maybe. Another reason I heard was that his wife wanted New York, not Boston. Just a rumor, but it wouldn’t surprise me. They locked him up for eight years. We offered Texiera the same length of contract, I believe. That’s a good move for them. But giving CC Sabathia seven years and A.J. Burnett five years? I wouldn’t have done either. Sabathia is not the brightest light in the post-season, when teams need their ace the most. And Burnett? Well, I’ve never been a Burnett fan. The Sox, on the other hand, have followed the Gospel According to Theo. Stay patient. Keep your eyes open. Do what you need to do and nothing more.

For all their injury in 2008 - and it was significant - the Red Sox came within one game of returning to the World Series. The foundation is solid, the chemistry is real, and they’ve done it with a crop of young, homegrown talent filling in for the injured veterans. In previous ownership regimes, they just gave this young talent away. (Some day I’ll tell you about a guy named Jeff Bagwell.) Now, they nurture it. So, what have the Red Sox done this off season?

They’ve taken care of business by signing their homegrown talent. Early in the off-season, they locked up Dustin Pedroia, the 2008 league MVP, for six years. I don’t need to get carried away here. I’ve already written about Pedroia. You can just go back and read the first post. Since then, they’ve locked up Kevin Youkilis for four years with an option for a fifth. Youk finished third in MVP voting in 2008, and I believe he will be the MVP some day soon. In 2008, Youkilis batted .312 with 29 homers and 115 RBI and a .569 slugging percentage. In any other year, Youk is an MVP. It was just not going to go to anybody but Pedroia this year. Youkilis is a natural third baseman who was switched to first base in 2006 to make way for Mike Lowell (who came with Josh Beckett from the Florida Marlins). In just one year, Youkilis became one of the best first basemen in the league, winning the 2007 Gold Glove at his adopted position. Oddly enough, Youk would have moved back to third base had Mark Texiera come to Boston instead of going to New York.

On the pitching front, the Sox avoided arbitration and signed Jonathan Papelbon for one year at $6.25 million (a record for a reliever in his first year of eligibility). Everyone believes that they will now pursue a long-term contract with Papelbon, another homegrown talent who has established himself as the premier reliever in the league. In 2008, Papelbon went 5-4 with a 2.34 ERA, and set career highs in saves (41), appearances (67) and innings pitched (69.3). We also have Manny Delcarmen, Justin Masterson and Hideki Okajima hanging out in the bullpen. Let’s not forget Javy Lopez another arbitration-eligible reliever who quietly goes out and gets his job done. The Sox also rewarded him with a new contract. We’ve since traded Coco Crisp for 27-year-old Ramon Ramirez, a set up reliever with potential to be a closer. In 2008. Ramirez quietly had an impressive year for Kansas City, posting a 2.64 ERA in 71.2 innings. He struck out 70. Also coming on board is former Dodgers reliever Takashi Saito and lifelong Atlanta Brave John Smoltz. That’s quite a bullpen. Will Masterson go back to being a starter? If so, where will he fit?

The Red Sox have four solid starters in Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester (our official ‘go to’ guy in 2008) and Tim Wakefield who, year in and out, gives us tons of innings. They have Justin Masterson, who began his career as a starter but was converted to a reliever with amazing results in 2008. He could potentially return to a starting role. They also have Clay Bucholz, who had a rough and tumble year last year, but who regained his confidence working out in Arizona and is projected to be a major mound force of the future. Epstein is a big believer in Bucholz. (He could start the year in the minors but who knows?) To this we’ve added Brad Penny (a one-year contract). Even though he had shoulder problems in 2008 while with the Dodgers, he went 16-4 in 2007 with a 3.03 ERA (finishing third in Cy Young voting) and 16-9 with a 4.33 ERA in 2006. He made the All-Star team both years, and his health is not projected to be a problem in 2009.(Oh, by the way, the Sox want to lock up Lester as well.)

The Red Sox also announced the signing of 22-year-old Japanese amateur pitcher Junichi Tazawa to a three-year major league contract. Last year, he went 13-1 with 5 saves. He had a 0.80 ERA in 21 games, of which 11 were starts. Tazawa logged 113 innings, striking out 114 batters while walking only 15. At least one other team (can’t remember which one now) offered him a richer contract, but he cited Daisuke Matsuzaka’s presence in Boston a major deciding factor. Given the Sox’ pitching rotation, there’s no reason to rush Tazawa. Ask Matsuzaka how tough it is to come into a pressure situation, moving to a new country (and having to soak up a new language and culture), and playing the American game, which is more physically demanding (more games, longer seasons, more innings pitched).

The outfield is much clearer today than it was at the end of last year. With Coco Crisp gone, the center field job goes to Jacoby Ellsbury. Jason Bay takes left. He is committed to the Sox for 2009, but the Sox have indicated that they want to talk contract extension. He came in last year for Manny Ramirez and was under the glare here. He did a great job and became a fan favorite. Right field goes to J.D. Drew. Let’s hope he stays healthy for one complete season because he would be just awesome. Although hobbled with injury last year, he had a great year. We were lucky to be able to hang onto Mark Kotsay for insurance in the outfield and, for that matter, in the infield. Last year when Lowell was no longer able to play, Youkilis was moved back to third and Mark Kotsay became the every day first baseman for a while and did a terrific job.

Where are the holes????

Well, first of all, we have an issue at catcher. Jason Varitek refused arbitration and filed for free agency. Again, his agent is Scott Boras. According to rumor, Varitek was not aware that anyone signing him as a free agent after declining arbitration would have to give up a first round draft pick. That significantly reduced his charm in the market, to say the least. In fact, I don’t believe anyone has made an offer? If they have, I haven’t heard of it. Had he accepted arbitration, he would have guaranteed himself at least $10 million in 2009. I still think he’ll end up in Boston, but he’s made that task more difficult. In this market, a 36-year-old veteran who had an “off” year offensively isn’t going to get a long-term contract. The Sox have signed old friend Josh Bard to a one-year contract, but they did that more in response to Kevin Cash signing with New York. Just as Kevin isn’t a starter, neither is Josh. Would they love to have Jared Saltalamacchia of the Braves? You bet, but not giving up what the Braves want, which has reportedly been Clay Bucholz and Jacoby Ellsbury. Who knows where this is going.

We still also have Julio Lugo at shortstop, a position the Red Sox would love to give to Jed Lowrie. Jed came up from the minors in 2008 when Lugo went down with an injury and he never looked back. Earlier in the offseason, Detroit seemed interested in Lugo, but I’ve heard nothing since. The Sox, however, would be willing to eat a significant portion of Lugo’s fat contract so I expect something might well get done before the season starts. If not, will they platoon Lowrie and Lugo? Lugo is making a lot of money. If nothing happens in the off season, the only way to showcase him would be to play him so other teams to see him.

There is also another level of activity that has been going on that I’m not going to include here because I don’t want to make the article any longer. So, my Yankee worriers, worry not. The Red Sox have had a much busier offseason than the New York Yankees. They have just done it for less money and a whole lot more quietly. In fact, I say let them take Manny too. They’ve already got to integrate three huge egos. Let’s give them one more, and a delusional one as well. It’ll certainly keep them focused on things other than baseball. So, get ready for another fun and successful baseball season.

By the way! If the wait is becoming unbearable, the Red Sox will have 15 players participating in the World Baseball Classic. Some will be playing for their native lands, like the Dominican Republic, Canada and Japan, which means they will actually be playing against each other. Should be fun!

I guess the headline is like bait and switch. You’re probably expecting my first article here to be ultra political. Don’t be disappointed. It’s about baseball. Depending upon how you look at baseball (in Boston it’s pretty important), it can be viewed as a form of politics. I live in Boston. In fact, I live downtown. When I can get there, I hang around at the Cask n’ Flagon, a bar across the street from Fenway. In the winter, we go there to talk about trades or which free agents the Sox will try to sign. Sometimes we can get the owner to replay a game from the summer. Last night, the topic of discussion was about Dustin Pedroia winning the American League MVP. In case you don’t know much about Dustin Pedroia, I’ve given you a link.

Anyway, one fellow at the bar was from California and he was asking why Manny Ramirez never won an MVP, considering that he was responsible more than once for the Sox winning World Series games. At first, I was going to yell, “Are you kidding me?” But then, I thought that it was a good question from somebody living outside the Boston area. Manny Ramirez was certainly a big contributor to Boston’s success over the last decade. No question. But there’s a dark side to Manny. They don’t know Manny the way we know Manny. Here in Boston, we got a bird’s eye view of the dark Manny this year. I have to admit that even though I’ve been a Manny fan in the past, I was happy to see him go. You know, there are a lot of reasons why Dustin Pedroia won his first MVP in just his second year in the majors. There are also a lot of reasons why Manny Ramirez has never won an MVP award at the age of thirty-seven, with his best years behind him.

Dustin Pedroia was like a one-man demolition derby in 2008. His statistics speak for themselves:

• .326 batting average (lost the batting title by just 4 percentage points)
• 213 hits (tied with Seattle’s Ichiro Suzuki)
• scored 118 runs (led the AL)
• hit 54 doubles (led the AL)
• hit 17 home runs and drove in 83 runs
• had 61 multi-hit games (led the AL)
• had 20 stolen bases
• had already won the 2008 Gold Glove for his play at second base
• had already won the AL Silver Slugger Award for 2008

Pedroia is the first second baseman to win the American League MVP since Nellie Fox of the Chicago White Sox won in 1959. Let’s keep in mind that the Red Sox media guide puts Pedroia at 5′ 9″ but most people feel the Sox are being generous here. He’s really about 5′ 7″ (and about 165 pounds). Dustin Pedroia also won the 2007 American League Rookie-of-the-Year Award, the year the Red Sox won the World Series. While most people warned us about the dreaded ’sophomore slump’, it never materialized. Keep in mind that this is a baseball player who doesn’t have all of the tools of a Manny Ramirez. What he does have that Ramirez does not have is character and the drive to make himself better.

Let’s talk about Manny and why many of us are glad he’s no longer here. Manny Ramirez played baseball, a child’s game, for millions of dollars each year. He played in a town that worships his team . He was revered by fans who were willing to let Manny be Manny, with all of what we thought were his idiosyncrasies. You know, sometimes he wold disappear behind the Green Monster to either talk on his cell phone or relieve himself. Or sometimes Manny would not exert himself running out anything that might not end up being a hit. You know, he wanted to sort of ’save’ himself for the plays that really counted. He was never a stellar outfielder, mostly because he didn’t work at it. It isn’t important to him. I always had the feeling that most of his catches were sheer dumb luck. He is a very gifted hitter, perhaps the best right-handed power hitter of his time. He is also a lock for the Hall of Fame. But that’s all that Manny will ever be. He will not be remembered as being a great all-around player who works on all facets of his game simply because he doesn’t. Let’s be honest about it. It would not surprise me if Manny Ramirez doesn’t win an MVP award during his long, famous career.

In spite of an upbeat start to 2008, the Boston Red Sox were witness to bad Manny for most of the season. When Manny hit his 500^th career home run, things were looking pretty darned good around here. We really bought Manny’s spin that he wanted to finish his career in Boston. We were up for a World Series repeat. Then, things went downhill rapidly. We fans were ready to accept that Manny was just being Manny when he and Youkilis kind of got into a bit of a spat in the dugout during a game. We were all assured it was just an isolated incident. We were happy about that because clubhouse turmoil is the first killer of championships. Still, those of us who tend to ignore the PR spin and look introspectively at these events, had a bad feeling about it. Personally, I believed it was the tip of the iceberg, but I couldn’t tell you why for the life of me. None of us could put our finger on it. Then, we heard that Manny actually shoved a sixty-four year old Sox employee to the ground because he couldn’t comply with Ramirez’s request for tickets to give to his friends and family.

Not long after that, Manny began to invent injuries. He declared himself too injured to play in a series with the New York Yankees during a key part of the stretch run. Then there was a lot of talk about Ramirez actually striking out or making himself an ‘out’ on purpose to force the trade issue. Management had been putting up with Manny’s complaining for several years, but this time Ramirez pushed it too far. Ramirez had been asking for a trade since 2006 (or maybe earlier), and it’s not like the Sox hadn’t tried to trade him in the past. It’s just that Theo Epstein will only part with someone as valuable as Manny if it’s going to benefit the team. He would never give him away just to get rid of him. However, this year, Epstein knew Ramirez had to go. He just had to go. He was perfectly obnoxious. They traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers and somehow the Sox wound up with Jason Bay, an excellent all-around baseball player who came right in and contributed consistently through the second half of the season. In the meantime, Manny was wowing them in La La Land. He suddenly recovered his health and hitting ability after leaving Boston. Now, he’s sitting back waiting for the highest bidder. And Dustin Pedroia is looking forward to January 1, when he and teammate Kevin Youkilis will be at the Athlete’s Performance Center in Arizona working out for the upcoming season.

When you watch Pedroia play, you know he’s playing because he loves the game and he wants to win. What Manny cares about is Manny. He’s a guy who plays for statistics. I’m not saying he doesn’t love the game, but I am saying he is a guy who was born with natural instincts and gifts and he stays at that level. Imagine what Manny could do if he actually dedicated himself to the game and the team the way Dustin Pedroia does? There’s no telling how many MVP awards he might have won.