&nbsp;

by John Brian Quinn

Patriots Coverage

Get the weekend wrap from a fan that isn't afraid to tell it how it is!

david@bornintoit.com

SITE ARCHIVES

Archive Calendar

NOTABLE QUOTES

"I'm so happy. I'm happy for the fans in Boston, I'm happy for Johnny Pesky, for Bill Buckner, for (Bob) Stanley and (Calvin) Schiraldi and all the great Red Sox players who can now be remembered for the great players that they were."-2004 Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling

"A hundred years from now, how will we make people understand what just happened here? How will we ever make them understand what happened The Year The Red Sox Finally Won The World Series? There was no way they could ever do this the good old normal way. Never. They're the Red Sox."-Jayson Stark, ESPN.com

"We wanted to do it so bad for the city of Boston. To win a World Series with this on our chests -- it hasn't been done since 1918. So rip up those '1918' posters right now." -2004 Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar

"I dreamt about this day. I said my prayers every night to the big guy: 'Bring us a World Series."-Johnny Pesky, former Red Sox infielder after WS victory

I think if you're Red Sox, well, it's something you're born with, and affection you have."

- Johnny Pesky

Brooklyn Sox Fan

"I think if you're Red Sox, well, it's something you're born with, and affection you have."- Johnny Pesky

by John Brian Quinn

2006 Brooklyn Sox Fan

A view of a Sox fan living in the heart of the Evil Empire

by John Brian Quinn

"Gabe Kapler: An Appreciation"

He'll never be elected to baseball's Hall of Fame. He'll probably never be elected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame. But there is one Red Sox player I will always have a ton of respect for: an outfielder named Gabe Kapler.

Lost in all the hullabaloo over the high profile contracts of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Julio Lugo, and the signing (one of these days) of J.D. Drew, Gabe Kapler announced his retirement from major league baseball in mid-December after nine seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies and the Red Sox, at the young age of 31. He was originally selected in the 57th round by Detroit in the amateur draft in 1995. Kapler leaves the game with a career of 64 home runs, 302 RBI, .270 batting average and 68 stolen bases. His best season was as a regular for Texas in 2001 when he hit 17 HRs, 72 RBI, and hit .267.

Kapler had offers from other clubs to continue his playing career, but declined them all to take over as the manager of the Greenville Drive, an "A" ball club affiliated with the Red Sox.

Kapler said that his decision was an easy one, that early in 2006 as he was rehabbing his Achilles injury from September 2005 he felt he could be of better use teaching young players on the way up, as he spent time in the minors before rejoining the Sox in June.

Kapler made an immediate impact with the Red Sox fans in mid-2003, when he was picked up off waivers from Colorado. He had four hits in his first game and then hit two home runs in his second game in Boston. He immediately became something of a cult hero, and the fans immediately took to his dedication and hard-nose style of play. (Remember he was in the middle of the brawl with the Yankees in July 2004?)

After the 2003 season, Gabe, who was a free agent, was offered a two-year deal by the Milwaukee Brewers, and a chance to play regularly there. He turned them down, citing the fact that he was so taken by the Boston fans that he would rather be a fourth outfielder in Boston than a regular in other cities. He also pointed to the fact that he thought the Sox had a good shot a world championship and wanted to be a part of it should it happen in Boston.

Hearing that made me a Gabe Kapler fan for life.

I'll never forget that he put away the first out in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 2004 World Series. Of course, many Sox fans will remember that unfortunate injury he suffered rounding the bases in Toronto in September 2005. It was feared that the Achilles injury he suffered could be a career-ending one. But Kapler fought his way back, and came back months ahead of schedule. He hit .254 in 130 at-bats, but the fact he made it back at all is a tribute to his love and dedication to the sport.

After winning the World Series in 2004, Gabe attempted to jump start his career in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants, but he had an injury-riddled half-season there, and made the decision to return to the States. Of course, it was with the Red Sox. Kapler seemed to have a deep appreciation of what it meant to wear the uniform of the Boston team, and his decision to remain in the Red Sox organization is a testament to that.

Gabe and his wife Lisa also founded "The Gabe Kapler Foundation," which attempts to end the cycle of domestic violence. Lisa was a victim of violence at the hands of a boyfriend many years earlier, so she and Gabe formed the foundation in 2004. (It can be found online at: www.kaplerfoundation.org.)

So, in retirement, I wish Gabe Kapler and his family all the best, especially as he starts his new career as a minor league manager. I hope to one day see him manage in the bigs. He'll always be one of my favorites, and not just because he's "One of the 25."

Gabe is just good people. And baseball can use all Gabe Kaplers it can get.

I want to thank all of you who read my column here at Bornintoit.com for making 2006 such a successful year for me. I've received many very kind emails from many of you who have enjoyed my articles, and it is really a lot of fun to write here, and I am proud to be a part of this fine web site. I encourage all of you to drop me a line if the spirit moves you. I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous 2007, and let's hope the Red Sox make it a year we'll all look back on and smile at!

by John Brian Quinn

"The Red Sox Roll The Dice And Win"

It was one helluva wacky week for the Red Sox and their fans.

But it was also one helluva GREAT week for them as well.

Your attention may have been diverted on one single subject, but the Sox front office got a lot accomplished this week. Julio Lugo was introduced to the Boston media and seemed genuinely happy to be the Red Sox new leadoff man and shortstop. (Although J.D. Drew, who also agreed to a contract with the Red Sox the same day Lugo did, has yet to be introduced. Can't say I know what the holdup there is.)

Doug Mirabelli was resigned for one year, at a discount of $750,000.

Workhorse reliever Brendan Donnelly was aquired from the Los Angeles Angels for lefty minor leaguer Phil Seibel. J.C. Romero was also picked up from the Angels when they declined his 2007 option. (The Red Sox brought in four new players, all from Los Angeles. Drew and Lugo both finished 2006 with the Dodgers.)

The Red Sox also made a major change in their radio crew, as Dave O'Brien, a solid ESPN baseball guy and former Mets announcer, was brought in to replace the departed Jerry Trupiano as Joe Castiglione's booth mate.

And, Manny Ramirez was not traded. (Thank God.)

But of course, the whole world (and I do mean the whole world) was talking about the contract the Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Red Sox agreed to on Wednesday. He signed with the Red Sox a six-year, $52 million deal. Matsuzaka, considered to be the best pitcher currently in Japanese baseball, was won by the Sox on November 14 when they bid a staggering $51.1 million just to negotiate with him and his new American agent, Scott Boras. MLB had given the Red Sox brass 30 days to hammer out a contract with them.

As soon as I heard that Boras was his new agent, I knew the deal would not get done until December 13 or 14, at the earliest. I sure was right.

In early December, the Red Sox made a lowball, three-year bid, one that Boras did not even bother to respond to the Red Sox on. It was pretty clear that since Boras had very little, if any, leverage to bargain with, he HAD to get Matsuzaka signed. As in the past (like the Johnny Damon fiasco), Boras did not have another team to inflate the Red Sox offer on. He figured his best strategy was to wait until just about the last minute and hope the Red Sox brass would panic and bid against themselves in order to get an inflated offer for Matsuzaka.

However, in this case, Boras blinked first.

Matsuzaka made it clear after the Red Sox won the closed bidding that he wanted to pitch in Boston, and he had no intention of returning to the Seibu Lions. He pitched for eight seasons in Japan and had become the best pitcher in Japanese baseball. He was the MVP of the World Baseball Classic back in March, and had turned a lot of heads in the tournament, which Japan won over Cuba. So, the next logical stop for him was the United States. His club, Seibu, decided to post him after running to some deep financial problems.

So in October, Matsuzaka said goodbye to his native fans and turned his attention to the West. The entire nation of Japan, which as we all know is simply baseball-crazy, looked on breathlessly to see where he would end up, and for how much.

For the Red Sox, getting a pitcher from Japan of his status would be a real coup. Not only would it obviously help strengthen their rotation, but it would also "plant a flag" in the Asian market. All of baseball saw the move that Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui made to America, and how much their American teams reaped the reward from the Japanese market. By getting Matsuzaka, the Sox would be on the radar of every Japanese fan, who will be following his every movement from Spring Training on.

This past Monday, John Henry arrived in California along with Theo Epstein and Larry Lucchino to "bring to Scott Boras' doorstep" the negotiations to get Matsuzaka to Boston. It was pretty clear to me then that the Sox brass would not let this player escape from their clutches. That night, Scott Boras went before the press after a negotiating session to say that Matsuzaka deserved a "$100 million deal", but the Red Sox took into account the posting fee into the process as well. There was the fear that Boras would sacrifice Matsuzaka to try to "blow up" the posting process, and force him to return to Seibu for two more years.

It was clear that Matsuzaka could not possibly do that. He would be badly scorned by the Japanese media and fans, and would be painted by them as greedy for accepting the Red Sox deal. And Boras clearly could not let him return, as no Japanese player would ever again trust Boras and put their careers in his hands if they wanted to play in America in the future.

There was no movement throughout Tuesday, and pessimism seemed to permiate throughout Red Sox Nation. But I still thought that a deal HAD to be made. It would benefit everyone if it happened, as well as hurt everyone if it didn't happen. Henry announced that night that he and his staff would return to Boston with or without Matsuzaka on Wednesday morning.

Theo Epstein called Boras early Wednesday morning and the answer from him was still no. But a few minutes later, he called Theo back and said they had a tentative deal and would fly back to Boston so his client could take the necessary physical and the deal could be announced.

Clearly, the Sox won this game of chicken with Boras. They called his bluff and Boras blinked. Matsuzaka clearly told him he wanted the deal, and at the final, last minute, they took it. (I knew this deal would happen, but I, and many of us in Red Sox Nation, detest Boras for what he tried to do, and for driving all of us nearly insane in the last few days. I know he was trying to do the best for his client. But I will simply never respect him again for the outright lies he told in getting Johnny Damon over to the Yankees in 2005.)

This offseason has been a very important one for Theo Epstein and the Red Sox. They have had two consecutive offseasons where most of the moves have not worked out for the club. But they may have landed the best pitcher on the planet right now. It has been a phenomenal week for the Red Sox and their fans, after enduring a very disappointing 2006 season.

Just two more months until pitchers and catchers report. But the Red Sox still have one more large hole to fill: that of who will be the closer for 2007.

Theo and The Trio are on a roll right now, so I wouldn't bet against them pulling off something big in that regard.

They rolled the dice big this week and came up winners.

This could be the start of something very special for 2007.

by John Brian Quinn

"An Evening With The Spaceman"

This coming Tuesday night promises to be a great night if you are a Red Sox fan in New York City, and you have followed the career of former Red Sox hurler Bill Lee with any interest. Because the aforementioned Mr. Lee, who was known and loved by the nickname, "The Spaceman," will be appearing at Professor Thom's pub on Second Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets for a special viewing of the widely praised DVD, "Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey."

The film, which was brilliantly made by filmmakers Brett Rapkin and Josh Dixon (www.spacemanincuba.com), follows the odyssey of the one-time Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher, from his days at USC and the majors, and his ultimate blackballing out of the game. But Lee loved the game so much that he continued to play in places as diverse as Canada, Russia and South America.

But the core of the film is the story of The Spaceman on a trip to Cuba with a team of American barnstormers as they play games against groups of different Cubans. It is truly a fascinating of man whose great love of baseball transcends money and fame. I'm sure Bill Lee will one day die on a baseball field.

I'm sure he wouldn't want it any other way.

The film will begin at 7 PM, and after its showing, Brett Rapkin will host a Q&A session with the gathered crowd in the bar. There will be a special "SpaceMan Ale" on tap courtesy of Magic Hat, as well as autographed collectables will be raffled off and the money will be donated to charity. There will also be steamers (aka steamed clams) served all night as well.

We will also have a special round of "Spaceman Trivia" (hosted by Yours Truly) and prizes will go to the winners. (We will also have our regular "Trivia Night" following the Bill Lee festivities.)

And oh yes, Mr. Lee will be celebrating his 60th birthday later this month, so the gathering will also be a celebration of the Spaceman's birthday.

Professor Thom's is located in Manhattan at 219 2nd Avenue (between 13th and 14th Streets in Greenwich Village). The phone number is 212-260-9480.

I'm sure it will be a great time for all, and I hope many of you in the New York area can come out for the evening. It should be a blast finally meeting The Spaceman!!

by John Brian Quinn

Here Come The Winter Meetings"

The annual Winter Meetings get going in Orlando on Monday, and for the Boston Red Sox, it should be a very active week in Florida for sure.

It sounds all but certain that J.D. Drew will sign a four-year, $56 million deal with the Sox. I have heard plenty of unhappy Red Sox fans everywhere who want no part of Drew, as his reputation is not exactly a sterling one. He has gained a rep of a player who has never lived up to what many think could be a Hall-Of-Fame type career. (I read the book about Tony LaRussa called "Three Nights In August," and he and the author absolutely dumped all over Drew and his attitude.) I even discovered that some fans started an online petition imploring Theo Epstein not to sign Drew, and how the Sox are making a gigantic mistake bringing him in.

I guess I maybe in the minority on this, but if the Sox keep Manny Ramirez and trade Wily Mo Pena, I would sign Drew. (Although at $14 million per year that is still a bit too steep.) In many circles, it seems like it is all but certain that Manny is a goner, and it's just a matter of which team he is going to. Remember of course, that Ramirez is a 10/5 player, so he can decline any trade he wants if he doesn't want to play there. The big question is can the Sox get back anything close to equal value if trade Manny? I believe they would need to get back at least two quality starting pitchers and a good outfielder in return, or two excellent position players and a quality pitcher.

The San Diego Padres have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Manny, but the rumors have been flying that the Sox really want Jake Peavy included in a deal. The Padres are very reluctant to move their best starting pitcher, but they have to get some big lumber for their lineup, which was one of the weakest in the NL in 2006. (Petco Park is also one of the toughest pitchers parks in the majors.) The Padres owners are looking to make a big splash, as attendance was down in San Diego last year despite the Padres going to the playoffs again, and a Manny deal would be something they'd want to do.

Other clubs mentioned as a Manny trading partner have been the Orioles, Dodgers, Angels, Mets and Rangers. Still, if I'm the Red Sox, I don't even consider making a Manny deal unless one of those clubs is willing to overwhelm the Sox with the deal.

When it comes to Manny being traded, my attitude has always been, I'll worry about about it when I see it happen. We've been down this road before, and I still believe that Manny will be in a Red Sox uniform when the Winter Meetings conclude. I worry about David Ortiz not having Manny protecting him in the order, and Papi's walk total will practically double without Manny behind him.

I read a couple of weeks ago that the Washington Nationals were interested in getting Wily Mo Pena from the Sox for closer Chad Cordero. Even if the Sox have to add a quality prospect in the deal, I would do that in a heartbeat. Cordero is a terrific young closer, but Jim Bowden loves Pena from his days as Cincinnati GM. I have not heard anything further on this trade rumor, so perhaps Bowden came to his senses.

I found it interesting that the Red Sox did not offer arbitration to Trot Nixon. There has been little, if any, interest by other clubs in acquiring Trot, who will be 33 and is coming off a number of injury-riddled seasons. More and more, it appears the Sox maybe ready to offer him a one-year deal to stay in Boston, but probably considerably less than the $6.5 million he made last year. If he stays, will that mean that Manny will also stay?

The Sox also need some quality relief pitching, and figure to be in the market there as well. They just added Japanese lefty reliever Hideki Okajima, who played in Japan for 11 seasons, and put up good numbers there as a setup man. Good move by the Sox, and they got him at a bargain rate. (And of course, he can keep Daisuke Matsuzaka company as they fend off the hoards of Japanese media at Red Sox games in 2007.)

If the Sox can't land Cordero, Eric Gagne is out there as a free agent, and he might be worth signing to a one-year, incentive contract. He's coming off back and elbow trouble that all but killed his 2006 season. By the end of the meetings, the Red Sox should come away with their closer for next season, whether it be by trade or free agency.

The Red Sox also have to decide who plays shortstop next year, with Alex Gonzalez gone to the Reds. Julio Lugo is out there, and everyone knows Theo is infatuated with him.But now, Lugo was offered salary arbitration by the Dodgers, so if the Red Sox sign him, they would lose a draft pick. Rumors have been circulating that Lugo is heading for the Cubs to play the outfield. With Mark Loretta seemingly heading to San Francisco, it appears second base will belong to young Dustin Pedroia. So the Sox will have a brand new double play combo next year for sure.

I'm not going to make any predictions here, as I am usually wrong about them anyway.

I'm just going to watch and wait. And pray Theo Epstein makes some moves that won't have Red Sox fans shaking their heads when the meetings in Orlando conclude later this week.

by John Brian Quinn

"Now I Can Die In Peace"

When the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, an absolute plethora of books came out about their amazing championship run. I read a number of them during the 2005 season, like Mike Vaccaro's "Emperors and Idiots," and Tony Massarotti and John Harper's "A Tale of Two Cities." Both were enjoyable reads (especially the way both books end).

I also read Johnny Damon's book "Idiot," which turned out to be one of the worst sports bio books I have ever read. Peter Golenbock, the real author of the book, did an absolute slipshod job on it, as it was loaded with grammatical and factual mistakes. (And I originally wrote that during the 2005 season, while Damon still wore a Red Sox uniform.) It was one of those "quickie" books to make a fast buck, and the content reflected it. And I have not read Dan Shaughnessy's "Reversing the Curse" book. I'm not sure I really want to put any more money into his pocket. (Maybe I'll take it out of the library one day.)

But I waited to read "Now I Can Die Peace," the book written by Bill Simmons, who writes the popular "Sports Guy" column at ESPN.com. (He originally published the book in July 2005.) When the 2006 baseball season ended, I sat down and read his book.

I should have picked up the book sooner.

"Now I Can Die In Peace" is the best of all the 2004 Red Sox books that I have read. Simmons is like every other Red Sox fan, and his writing reflects it. The book is actually a series of articles he's written going back to 1998, from both his old web site and his ESPN gig. And his writing is filled with references to things like "The Godfather," "The Shawshank Redemption," which are two of my all-time favorite films. (Although there are a few that lost me, like from a few reality shows that I've never watched. But that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the book.) There are also many references to the Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, various supermodels, and lots of 1980s and 1990s cultural references, many long forgotten. (So whatever did happen to El Debarge?)

I especially like the fact that Simmons writes little asides and footnotes on the left and right sides of the book, basically explaining what he was writing about at the time, or giving an update as to what happened since. (There are over 500 of them in the book.) Some of them in the book are just laugh-out-loud funny (and some rather off-color as well).

Simmons is that diehard Red Sox fan/Yankees hater. He's the kind of guy I know from hanging out at my favorite local saloon. I agree with about 95% of what he writes, especially when he talks about the so-called "curse" and what a bunch of media-driven crap it really was. I really enjoyed his take on the media itself, with all of its writers and reporters and their agendas. Simmons puts it best for all Red Sox fans when he says that winning a World Series would turn his beloved team, "into just another team, and that's just what we all want." Amen.

I had chills running down my spine and was near tears when Bill talks about the Red Sox winning the World Series and its aftermath. I guess that's a true test of any book, and it brought those incredibly vivid memories back to me in a strong way.

I guess the only advantage I had to reading this book two years after the championship was that the paperback version includes and afterword about the 2005 and 2006 seasons (mercifully up until June and doesn't include anything about the team's fall that season). "Now I Can Die In Peace" is simply a must for anyone that calls themselves a Red Sox fan. There's a lot of the heartbreak in it: the 1986 World Series, 2003 playoffs, etc., but comes from a perspective we can all relate to. And of course, it has that satisfying ending (even if the afterword gets a little depressing).

If you haven't read it, I would recommend picking it up, especially if you need something to get you through the long, cold winter months when you're counting down the days until spring training.

Thanks Bill, for writing such a splendid book.