Excitement on Both Coasts...

It's been a tough week to be in San Francisco on business already....the Boston sports scene is overflowing with emotions, news stories, and comeback victories.

Fortunately I was lucky enough to meet up with a few friends at a Boston bar out here, and the excitement for the current epicenter of sports can be felt all the way on the left coast.

A combination of catching up, jet lag, and long hours in the office made it difficult to stay focused on the Sox game tonight, but the overall excitement for all things Boston is here too. A few thoughts I had coming away from tonight's Boston-romp are:

-This may be the first time I've been excited the Sox were playing out on the west coast, but I would never be able to live out here and have to deal with 4pm start times. I'd probbly be fired for leaving the office early in the spring and summer months....and come playoff time, forget it, I wouldn't even show up.

-Oddly enough, I didn't care that Ortiz looked to be in serious pain after taking a pitch off his bad wrist late in the game.....it scored a run when I expected double play ball to second. There was an element of relief in my stomach that should never be there when Ortiz is at the plate. As much as I hate having you in my starting fantasy lineup right now, I hope the wrist is well Papi.

-Did Jacoby really get called out at home plate? I wasn't sure that could happen, ever....I'm still not convinced he was out...and will also stick to my assumption that he'll score on a "sac fly" to deep second base at some point this season.

-How money is Ramon Ramirez? All of us were pissing and moaning when we shipped Coco Covelli out of town for a guy from Kansas City no one had ever heard of.....and I'll say it again (with the exception of Lugo), In Theo We Trust.

-San Fran's hills are ridiculous, I could never stumble home from a bar and survive, especially after a great win, or tough loss.

-Every time I think the number of heartbreaking Angels losses to the Red Sox may be ready to go into a lull, the Sox pull off a game like tonight. If I'm one of those fake fans down there in LA, I would absolutely hate the Red Sox.


How great is it to be a Bostonian these days? Nearly every night there is an amazingly important game on....and I'm not even making up the significance of the games to ITMGal just so I can watch the Sox blow out the Orioles like I've done in the past. I can't wait to get back East...just praying all three teams are still doing as well.

Handicapping the Bullpen - or, Is Delcarmen Delusional?

Now that we've finally had some live BP (meaning that this is only wildly premature, as opposed to astonishingly premature), it's time to start speculating how the 2009 bullpen is going to sort out. At least we're not the only ones ready to make bold predictions. As posted earlier, Manny Delcarmen says he wants to set up Pap this year. Possibly we were just getting those quotes live via satellite and there was a, say, 365-day delay on it, and Delcarmen was only saying what everyone in February 2008 expected to hear. Or maybe he knows something we don't. Either way, I've got my hunches.

Obviously Pap is set. But beyond that we've got some fresh faces, some developing stories, and some mainstays.

First there are the lefties. The Sox will likely carry only the two of them in the pen this year, so their places are secure. Lopez is a tough guy to summarize. I can't get rid of this nebulous feeling that he can't be trusted, but then every time I look at his numbers over the last couple years, I'm begrudgingly impressed. Okajima has had his battles, and has likely lost his spot in the 8th inning for good, but showed in stretches that he can still be a major contributor.

Takashi Saito is a smart and gregarious veteran (see earlier discussin of possible sitcom starring Saito, Brad Penny, and either a kid or a trouble-making dog) who's going to fit right in to the bullpen's rhythm section. Although he's coming off some injuries in 2008, since arriving in the States three years ago, Saito has been one of the most reliable bullpen arms in the game. In 180 career appearances (189.2 IP), Saito has 81 saves, a 1.95 ERA, 245 strikeouts. and has walked only 52 batters. Even at 39, even coming off an injury, those are impressive numbers.

The other big offseason addition, Ramon Ramirez, also looks to be battling for the setup role. Ramirez has put up some decent numbers on some difficult teams, and had a solid 2008. He can get some velocity on the ball, he doesn't walk too many, doesn't give up many home runs, and has generally kept his ERA low. Still, despite his track record, Ramirez is still seen as a potential guy, with something to prove.

And there's Delcarmen. He's got all the tools for a setup guy or even a closer, but just can't seem to make the breakthrough. Despite his reputation as a flamethrower, in his big league career he's never averaged more than a strikeout per inning. While he's had flashes of brilliance, he's struggled with control. But, he's worked hard, he's well liked by fans and teammates, and he certainly has potential. This could well be his year.

And Masterson. A set up man? Long relief? A starter. The talent is absolutely there, but where it will be deployed is a big question mark this season, and will likely play a big role in the Sox's fortunes.

So, for the wildly premature speculation: Saito becomes the go-to guy in the 8th inning early on in the season. Delcarmen starts out situational where the Sox need a strikeout, continues not to thrive in that role, and eventually settles into 7th innings when a lefty isn't imperative. Ramirez steadily develops during the season, comes to split time in the 8th with Saito, a mini-controversy erupts, both players are thrown off course, stagger, and Ramirez eventually takes the spot. Masterson goes long relief and is groomed for a starting role, which eventually becomes necessary, since everytime we think we have too many starters, we get massive injury attrition. Tazawa gets the call up and...okay, now we're getting into astonishingly premature territory, so we'll end it there.

Pap in the 9th. Saito in the 8th, overtaken by Ramirez. Delcarmen adrift, developing. Take it to the bank.