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With only 27 days before it's time for pitchers and catchers to report to spring training, it seems after reading fans comments left on message blogs from Boston.com, that the overall sentiment is to say goodbye to longtime Sox catcher Jason Varitek.
Facts are facts and stats are stats and in Varitek's case he doesn't have much ground to stand on. This is a business of what have you done for me lately. Besides calling good games and aiding pitchers who need his calming presence at times he hasn't done much. It is hard to argue in his favor when people are thinking of him as an automatic out at the plate and he can't even throw base stealers out anymore. Unless he and his agent know something we don't, how do you turn down a guaranteed 10 million dollars offer from the team you say you want to come back to when you know your stat's don't justify a multi year deal?
It's like seeing a man "raise with no cards in his hands". Meanwhile Theo and the Sox brass are stockpiling pitchers knowing they are pretty green with the current players they have at the catching position. This may take up until the last minute to play itself out but it is sort of bewildering at each sides stance they are taking. I personally would like to see "Tek" return triumphantly and have a decent season by raising his offensive production a bit, but after having read that he batted a mere .187 after the month of May that doesn't seem likely.
Just today, Boston traded pitcher David Pauly to the Orioles for pitcher Randor Bierd. It seems The Sox got the better of that deal seeing Pauly's Era in two starts was 11.68 while Bierd made 29 relief appearances with an ERA of 4.91. Now we even have John Smoltz in the picture. It's kind of ironic that he is four years older than him. The Sox know there isn't much interest on the open market for "Tek's" services but despite the numbers he is still a serviceable player. Possibly one more year at most but as we know, some athletes choose to go out on top, and some stick around longer than they should, and as we also know, this business is the business of "what have you done for me lately, and what can you do for me now"!.
The word "sentimental" is reserved for superstar players who have played 15 or more productive years with the same team. Unfortunately for Varitek the numbers are not on his side. Even though most fans want him to go, they still care about you and know what your contributions have meant for this team. You'll get more love later but right now this is looking sort of messy on both sides. Hide and seek is what this quandary is evolving into. Remember, 27 days until pitchers and catchers.
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Monday, 19 January 2009
With only 27 days before it's time for pitchers and catchers to report to spring training, it seems after reading fans comments left on message...
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