Penny For Your Thoughts

A few thoughts while waiting for the next 6-9 inches of snow to fall and finish off 2008. I figured I would start it off with some Summery news, since I hate Winter so much, and this week has been a tough one for the Pats and Celtics to this point (Bs keep rolling along though...)

The Sox are close to signing Brad Penny and also bring back to Boston back-up catcher Josh Bard. Penny is a 30 y.o. right-handed fireballer, who has had some success in the majors racking up 94 wins against 75 losses and an ERA at about 4. He projects to be a middle- to end-of-the rotation pitcher for the Sox, as long as he stays healthy. Pennywas shut down in September last season by the Dodgers with a sore shoulder after experiencing bouts of tendinitis throughout the 2008 season.

According to EEI.com, Penny confirmed the deal earlier today and will take a physical in Boston on Jan. 7, which is when the deal will become official if the examination goes off without a hitch. The 29-year-old right-hander said he will begin his throwing program next week.

In other Sox news...Did you happen to catch this move that Theo and crew tried to pull off when Teixeira signed with the Yanks? Boston.com reports:

According to a report in SI.com, the Red Sox made an attempt to re-acquire Marlins star Hanley Ramirez, "but while the Marlins listened to Boston's overtures, Florida isn't anxious to trade its best player, and talks apparently have been aborted after no agreement could be reached." The Marlins were said to be most interested in a center fielder, and discussions apparently focused on outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, pitcher Clay Buchholz and others in a package for Ramirez, according to the story bylined by Tom Verducci and Jon Heyman. According to their report, it was originally believed that these recent discussions came after Boston lost out in the running for Mark Teixeira, who signed an eight-year, $180 million deal with the Yankees last week, but in fact, they were held a few weeks prior to that. In November 2005, Ramirez was dealt by the Red Sox to the Marlins along with three minor leaguers in exchange for Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Guillermo Mota. Ramirez, 25, batted .301 with 33 home runs, 67 RBIs, 125 runs scored, and 35 stolen bases last season.

Don't tell me this team is not going to try to make a bang this offseason before that bus pulls away from Fenway for its annual trek down to Florida.

I'm off to watch my DVRd Celts/Blazers game, but before I go...think about this. If the Pats win the coin toss against the Jets in OT earlier this season...the game when neither defense could stop the other...we wouldn't be talking about the Pats being only the second 11-5 team to not make the playoffs.

I also don't want to talk too much about it because I think everyone is trying to break a story first without caring about the actual truth of the matter...but the whole Brady is on-schedule/behind schedule dueling stories is already getting tiring...here is Buck's take on the whole situation.

I'll pipe in later about the Cs and Bs...Happy New Year.

Foiled Again

Last year, I was obsessed with Johan Santana. This year, Mark Teixeira. Both times -- New York teams won.

I need to stop getting obsessed with players.

With the NY Yankees swooping in and landing the biggest positional free agent of the off-season (on top of two of the top pitching free agents), the Sox are back to square one, and I am not sure how they are planning to fix their feeble offense.

Obviously, by my previous posts, I think Teixeira was the guy this team needed...The Sox did too, as he was pretty much the only FA the team targeted this year. Tony Mazz from the Globe says the Sox are incredible losers so far this off-season. To this point and nearly half a billion dollars invested in the contracts of CC, MT, and AJ -- he is correct. While the numbers the Sox were offering weren't that different than what they Yanks ended up giving him...I suspect the no-trade clause may have been one of the major selling factors for MT -- something the Sox have been willing to give no player.

So what's next? Not sure. But I do suspect the Sox will make some sort of move. They can't be banking totally on Lowell coming back 100 percent, or Papi not eating sausages at the Green Bay Packers' tailgaiting party this weekend. I would expect some sort of major trade sometime in the next four or five weeks.

In case you have been shopping non-stop, here is ESPN.com's take.

Excuse me for a second while I throw myself through a plate-glass window.

All right, I'm back and bleeding, but not down for the count. And here's why. The Cs won their 19th straight and go for 20 on Christmas day against the Lakers. I'll be watching.

Speaking of impressive...how about the play of Rajon Rondo over the last few weeks? He is just making people look silly as he fills up the stat-sheet. On top of the usual assists and steals, Rondo has also become a consistent scorer and is showing he is unafraid to take the shot.

And speaking of streaks...How about the Bruins with their 6th straight tonight with a win over the NJ Devils? The ultra-hot, yet battered Bs, have lost only twice since the beginning of November.

That's it for tonight -- Merry Christmas to all...and here is something I never thought I would say, but, Go J-E-T-S, JETS! JETS! JETS!

A Bit Obsessed

If I seem a bit obsessed about this, that's because I am. I can't get Mark Teixeira coming to the Sox out of my head and I am not sure I know why. He is not the best hitter in the game, but he is Fn good.

It's probably because for the last two years, you could see the Sox offense going soft. Two years ago, the bottom of the lineup was one of the worst in the league, but Manny, Papi, Lowell and Youk offensively carried the team to a ring. Last year, no one on the team could hit except Youk, Pedroia and Bay.

Watching Teixeira hit this postseason, and knowing that at 28, he has gotten better the last two years, and that he has the backbone to turn it up a notch in the playoffs, made me start to drool a bit. He is the best thing available right now...and I want him in Boston.

(For a bit more balanced view on Teixeira -- check out this very good story from Foxsports.com's Ken Rosenthal. And here is the Boston Herald's Mike Silverman's take on the situation.)

But will he come? If you believe last night's reports -- Sox owner John Henry said "no" they are not going to be a factor -- and that he is not interested in going past 8 years and 185 million. This happened after the Sox flew to Texas to meet with Teixeira and his agent, Scott Boras with a hope of wrapping something up. According to Channel 5's Mike Lynch, as the Sox were nearing a possible deal with the first baseman, Boras upped his asking price to 200 mil, and Henry reportedly stormed off.

Is it a negotiating tactic? Probably....as this report from Boston.com states, the Sox may not be out of the bidding afterall. Some reports say that he has received a $200 mil offer, but the reports do not say from who. Could be the Nationals, but -- he won't go there...they don't have a chance to win. I don't know if the Angels would go that high...and I think they have been in the same ballpark as the Sox. It could be the Yankees -- who have been known to come in late and trump everyone. If I were Junior Steinbrenner, I would do it. Why not? You get to get a gold-glove, powerful, switch-hitting firstbaseman and you get to screw over your rivals who have made the guy their number 1 target this offseason.

You can be sure, I will keep you updated on this one. Probably a little too updated...

On the Fly

Plans were sincere to write something substantial tonight, until I got home from work at 8 and found that I had a good amount of ice-covered, walked-on and driven-on snow to shovel. Two sweaty hours later, I am back inside, and suddenly -- the night is practically over.

I did get to listen to the Cs game as I was out there doing one of my least favorite tasks -- and it was a good one. The Celtics held on to win their 16th in a row, and beat the Hawks for the 5th time in a row. I am really starting to enjoy beating a team like the Atlanta Hawks, as their mouths are always bigger than their skills.

Not much really happened in Vegas for the Sox, but many reports do have Boston as the front runner for Teixeira -- offering somewhere in the range of eight years and $160 million. Here is a Boston.com report on one GM -- who wants Teixeira -- saying that he beleives the Sox are going to get him.

All right -- more soon -- I gotta eat.

UPDATE: Check out ESPN's Daily Dime coverage of the Cs game last night here. Good read with good insight and quotes about the game and how this was a huge game for Atlanta.

Here is also today's report from Nick Cafardo with the most recent updates on the Teixeira bidding.

False Promises

I know I keep saying this...but I will be back at some point this week...I have just been pulling ungodly hours and haven't had the energy to jump on the comp when I get home after extremely long days.

But I will be back -- so to the few readers out there -- Bill, Brian, Sheryl, Tred, Matt, Newk-- I will be back soon with some good Hot Stove, Cs, Bs, and Pats talk...

And of course, a whole host of unverifiable information.

Thanks

For the first time in a long while, I can say that my lack of updates to the blog was caused by something other than work or motivation. This has been a tough week in the Getty house, and we appreciate all the support and well-wishes we have received during the last handful of days.

It is a great comfort and feeling to know that the friends and family we have around us are always there, providing support, an ear, any sort of help, and even some dark humor -- which is always appreciated. One thing is for sure -- the group of people we have surrounding us are quite capable of throwing around some inappropriate remarks at the exact time we need a laugh or a smile.

So, while the energy level is low, and my motivation is about the same, I would be remiss if I did not comment on a few of the things that have happened in sports this weekend.

The Patriots took on the mighty Seahawks today -- that's the now 2-11, Seahawks...and had to scratch and claw to get the win and keep their playoff hopes alive. Many have talked about the 70-yard drive Cassel and the offense put together to take the lead in the fourth, but my question is this: If it takes a drive like that to keep your hopes alive against a team that has won two games, do you really think this team has a shot to be anything but in and out of the playoffs in the first round? I guess you could say Coach Bill gives any team a chance in any playoff game, but -- I'm not sure.

The Celtics increased their winning streak today to 12 games after going to Indiana and surviving an OT game against the big-team-killing Pacers. The Cs are off to their best start in franchise history with a 20-2 mark and look every bit as good as they did last year. Both Paul Pierce and Ray Allen hit extremely huge shots with the former nailing a three at the end of regulation to tie it, and RA draining a back-breaking three in OT to -- for the most part -- put the game out of reach.

The Winter meetings begin this week in sunny Las Vegas, where you can be sure what happens in Vegas, won't stay in Vegas. So far, there is not a lot to report except that Varitek will not accept arbitration.

The Sox, according to Buster Olney of ESPN, will also meet with Fat CC over the next few days. Boston.com reports:

The Red Sox haven't been considered among the suitors for free agent pitcher CC Sabathia, so this report comes as something of a surprise: According to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, Sox representatives will meet with the big lefthander in the next few days. Writes Olney: "It's unclear whether the Red Sox are seriously interested in trying to compete with the Yankees' $140 million offer to Sabathia, or if they are just doing their due diligence and preparing alternatives in their winter shopping." Olney also notes that the Yankees still are targeting Sabathia as their No. 1 priority this winter, but if they cannot do that, they will turn their attention to slugger Mark Teixeira as well as righthander Derek Lowe . . .

Boston.com also reports that they Yanks are planning to meet with Teixeira. Shoot me now if he signs there:

The New York Times reported Friday morning on its website that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman met with Mark Teixeira in Washington. Agent Scott Boras was present. Tyler Kepner sums up the Yankees' current free agent stance: "The Yankees' priority is pitching, and Cashman met with Teixeira at the request of the agent Boras, who also represents starters Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez and outfielder Manny Ramirez. Boras was present at the meeting with Teixeira, who was visiting family in Maryland. The Yankees would love to add Teixeira, a switch-hitter with power who has won two Gold Gloves. But it is unlikely they could sign both Teixeira and Sabathia, to whom they offered a six-year, $140 million deal on Nov. 14." . .

Elsewhere -- The Bruins are 16-2-1 over their last 19 games...watch out down on Causeway Street. This team is for real and just beating the crap out of everyone they play. Tomorrow Tampa comes to town.

Also -- got a chance to watch the Oscar De La Hoya fight last night over Gibby's house. In case you didn't read anything yet -- De La Hoya didn't stand a chance. Manny Pacquiao made him look like an amateur...Manny looked like he was one of those cartoon mice that dances around the cat so fast, popping him in the face and pulling his tail and then moving just before the cat has a chance to pounce. For all intents and purposes...the fight was as lopsided a fight as an eight-round tilt could be.

All right -- I'll be back mid-week. Hopefully this week will be better than last.