Red Sox batting stances

Via Deadspin. Youk taking a third strike is special.

Reminds us of this fellow, who assembled a more diverse cast of characters. The commentary, the office setting and the fact that he's doing it with a golf club add a nice flourish. His Boggs belongs in a museum.

We begin again

Tonight the Sox beat the A's 2-1 to improve to 2-1 on the season. Dice-K gets the game ball. He surrendered an opposite field home run to Jack Cust in the second inning but after that he dominated Oakland's hitters, striking out nine (no walks!) and retiring the last twelve men he faced. Very impressive. Okajima pitched a scoreless inning. Papelbon struck out the side in the ninth. Youk was 3-for-4 with two runs. Manny and Ortiz were a combined 1-for-8. Tek is NOT finished as a batter of balls. He went 2-for-4 and knocked in the game-winning run. The Sox' two runs were surrounded by controversy. We have illustrations to prove it!














Youk was called safe while attempting to score on Ellsbury's fifth inning single to right. This isn't actually a great shot. Suzuki's swipe tag appeared to miss and Youk's left foot deposed Suzuki's left leg and perhaps caught part of the plate before Suzuki slapped a second tag. Youk was shaken up on the play, but would remain in the game.














Here the umps confer after blowing the call and ruling that Tek's home run shot to right had stayed in the park. They failed to correct their mistake and Tek was credited with an RBI double instead of a two-run homer. In the end the Sox would not need the third run in order to prevail. But still. Boo.














Here Dick Williams, manager of the 1967 Impossible Dream team and two-time World Series winner with the A's, chats with Ray Fosse and the other guy. Dick Williams seemed a lot friendlier than his reputation as a hard ass would suggest. Ray Fosse looks like Donald Sutherland. Not that you can tell by looking at the back of his head. Just trust me. The other guy is Duane Kuiper's brother. Williams and Fosse taunted the audience with Charlie Finley tales, claiming they were too salacious to discuss on air.

Hannahanahanan started at third base for Oakland on opening day in Japan. Prior to that Eric Chavez has started on nine consecutive opening days. Do you know who started at third for Oakland on opening day 1998? None other than Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan! The Aflac trivia duck on CSN Oakland told me so.

Oh and J.D. Drew was supposed to start but did not. Rest is best. Coco is appeased for a day. Everybody wins.

Yikes!

Says Edes:
"Jason Varitek struck out all three times he batted last night. Counting the regular-season games in Japan against Oakland, in which he struck out six times in eight at-bats, Varitek has whiffed in nine of his last 11 at-bats."

Let's not overreact. But just for the sake of overreaction, you want to know what's uglier than those numbers? The list of potential 2009 free agent catchers:

• Rod Barajas TOR
• Henry Blanco CHC
• Johnny Estrada MIL
• Toby Hall CWS
• Kenji Johjima SEA
• Adam Melhuse TEX
• Mike Redmond MIN
• Ivan Rodriguez DET
• David Ross CIN
• Javier Valentin CIN
• Jason Varitek BOS
• Vance Wilson DET
• Gregg Zaun TOR

Johjima is somewhat intriguing. For a 31-year-old. The Mariners could potentially be looking to go younger and cheaper and give catching duties to Jeff Clement in 2009. But other than that? Is Steve Lomasney ready for the show yet?

Edes also says:
"[Timlin being placed on the 15-day disabled list] means three relievers battling for the final spot on the pitching staff - lefthander Javier Lopez, the incumbent, and righthanders Bryan Corey and David Aardsma - will remain with the club at least through the two regular-season games in Oakland."

Catchers Club Outcast

In Gordon Edes nice little profile of young Sox catcher, Zak Farkes, we get an inside look at the Backstop Diner's Club of Fort Myers:

"It's not really what they talk about," said Zak Farkes, who was making his first appearance at a Varitek soiree. "It's what Doug Mirabelli wants to talk about. It was pretty much Dougie telling stories, trying to bait Jason into talking a bit, but mostly him running the show, holding court."

Young man's got the media speak down cold. I suppose that's what a Harvard education brings you. That's about as politely as I've ever heard someone described as a loud mouth jerk. You ever get the impression that Varitek hates Mirabelli but is too polite to say anything about it? By all accounts they're chummy but I don't buy it. Tek tolerates him for the good of the team.

Zak Farkes after a swallow of truth serum:

"It's not really what they talk about," said Zak Farkes, who was making his first appearance at a Varitek soiree. "It's what Doug Mirabelli, that fat $#@&, wants to jabber on about. It was pretty much Dougie telling stupid stories, like the one about the time he almost nailed a Hooters waitress in Pensacola that we've already heard dozens of times, trying to get Jason to play along, but mostly him flapping his lips, hitting on a group of twentysomethings at the next table over even they clearly weren't interested (I think they were actually dudes with long hair, I don't really remember, we were all pretty blitzed), and drinking Bud Light after Bud Light. What a dick."

2008 Preview: Catchers

We start with the backstops. While a few other spots on diamond are occupied by shaky commodities (Flugo aka F'ing Lugo) or tantalizing young talent (the Navajo fellow, Jacob whats-his-name), the Red Sox catching tandem is very much a known commodity. Save for the ill-fated Josh Bard experiment, Jason Varitek and Doug Mirabelli have shared time behind the plate for seven consecutive season. Staggering really, when you consider the nomadic tendencies of nearly all backup catchers. Varitek enters the final year of his 4-year, $40 million deal and Mirabelli returns on another one-year pact. This could be their last go round. But I doubt it.

Name: Jason Andrew Varitek
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
Age: 36
2008 salary: $11M
Fun Fact: Varitek was 0-7 with two walks and a run scored in the 1984 Little League World Series. Obviously he is a choker in the clutch. Give me Yadier Molina any day. (Note: no Yadier Molina, please).

Ah, the captain.* Many of us grimaced a bit at the four-year deal Varitek signed prior to the 2005 season, but we'll call him the consummate leader and move along. Still productive enough at the plate, patient as ever, and of course the intangibles ain't going anywhere. The pitchers, they say he calls a great game. And when your pitchers have the second best ERA in the majors you tend to agree with them. Plus his pop (17 dongs last year) comes in handy. Last year he had a tendency to disappoint in the clutch, hitting .219 with runners in scoring position and an alarming .162 with two outs and runners on. Last year we won the World Series. He's onto something.

*It irks me every time I hear an announcer say, “Varitek is the first Red Sox captain since Jim Rice in 1989.” That's true, but just once I’d like to hear one of them say, “However, although Maurice Samuel Vaughn lacked the official title and the corny ‘C’ on his jersey he sure as shit was the captain of those mid-nineties Red Sox teams. It was unfortunately the case that the ballclub was not then in the business of doing things that, A, made sense and, B, so much as hinted at the presence of organizational amity.” End needless aside before the gatekeeper scolds me for being backwards looking. BNJ: The gatekeeper is pleased with your work, and here's a recent article about Mo building low-income housing.

Jason Varitek's 2008 ZiPS projection:
.249 AVG
.350 OBP
.408 SLG
50 Runs
96 Hits
20 Doubles
13 Home Runs
63 RBI
56 BB
102 K
146 Pink jerseys sold
1 World Series title
46 Plaudits from Schilling

Name: Douglas Anthony Mirabelli
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Age: Immaterial as long as Tim Wakefield is around.
2008 salary: $550,000, of which he owes $550,000 to Wakefield.
Fun fact: Mirabelli was college teammates with Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge on the 1989 College World Series champion Wichita State Shockers. Generally considered a big jerk, which is immaterial here.

What? What do you want me to say? A big floppy mitt, a barehanded batsman, strikeouts with runners on, slow as Shaq. But then, wait, what's this? A giant blast over the Monster that came off the bat as if it were struck by Paul Bunyan himself! I resent Tim Wakefield for prolonging Mirabelli's career, but those majestic taters make us giddy. At any rate, Mirabelli is here to knock down knuckleballs just as he's been doing for the past seven seasons. Production at the plate is beside the point. And hey, here's this wonderful nugget: Last season with 2 out and runners in scoring position Mirabelli hit .368 with an .846 OPS. Only 19 at-bats, but yeah, that is a better situational average than either Papi or Manny. Viva la Mirabelli!

Doug Mirabelli's 2008 ZiPS projection:
.246 AVG
.318 OBP
.355 SLG
35 Runs
68 Hits
15 Doubles
5 Home Runs
36 RBI
29 BB
65 K
1 Horrific soul patch

Other catching options:
George Kottaras: Acquired from the Padres in exchange for David Wells, Kottaras projects as a serviceable catcher with some pop and a keen batting eye but hardly seems to be the heir apparent to Varitek. Suspect defensive capabilities.

Dusty Brown: It looks this fellow is on the 40-man roster. If I were to attempt to impart knowledge regarding his exploits as a ballplayer I'd be talking straight out of my ass. Apparently he plays the guitar.

Kevin Cash: Unable to find a major league deal, Cash has accepted an invitation to rejoin the Sox on a minor league contract. I suppose he backs up Kottaras at Pawtucket and is a likely candidate to fill in once again at the major league level if Mirabelli or Varitek are out for a spell. Randy Moss is a fan.