The Trade

The main thing I am taking from this whole Josh Beckett to the Boston Red Sox trade is that the Sox didn't have to give up very much at all to get him. Oh, that and it appears as though the Marlins can clean house every few years as long as they keep winning World Series Titles.

First, the Red Sox. They give up shortstop prospect Hanley Ramirez, another minor leaguer to be named and they get a World Series MVP and the guy who completely SHUT DOWN the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Fall Classic. The main detractor was that they had to also take on Mike Lowell's contract which is something like $18 million for 2 years. Oh no! Remember that the Red Sox have the 2nd largest payroll in baseball and it isn't exactly a killer contract to take on, it's not like the Brewers or Royals are taking on that contract.

As a Red Sox fan, this trade would do nothing but get me thinking about going back to the World Series. They have a number one pitcher now if Curt Schilling doesn't return to his form, or even close to it. Josh Beckett gives the rotation another 12-17 wins per season. Plus, they get a guy who (as I said before) is in no way scared of the Yankees, or intimidated by them, their uniforms, the ghosts, or the stadium in any way.

As the Yankees fan that I am, it upsets me that the big bad George Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman fail to make trades like this. They won the A-Rod sweepstakes, but that trade hasn't exactly worked out for the best for them, they overpay for Carl Pavano, and don't have anything left in their farm system to trade for anyone else. The 1980's were the only decade in which the Yankees didn't win a World Series, but I think the 00's will prove to be the second decade.

The Red Sox have delivered the first blow in this year's feud, but it was a hard left hook followed by a right cross and ending with a an upercut which has the Yankees staggering. Hopefully they can get off the ropes in time for the beginning of the season.

Now to the Marlins. They won the Series in 1997 and were barely competitive again until they won it again in 2003. They get Carlos Delgado this season and were expecting big things, but came up short, so they trade a huge contract and their 1A pitcher for a couple of prospects, so they will be able to give Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera lucrative long-term deals. If I'm a Marlins fan (of which there are about 248), I am not mad with this trade at all. I would have been upset after the fire-sale of 1997, but the leadership proved they knew what they were doing by winning another World Series 6 seasons later, in one of the most dramatic post-seasons in recent memory. Is there a fan base or team out there that wouldn't take that, even if it meant overhauling the entire team one year, and letting some talented and popular, but expensive, players leave? The only franchise which wouldn't take 2 titles in 6 years is New York, but that's because they want (and expect) one every year.

I garauntee you Cubs fans would take 2 in 6 seasons, so would Brewers fans, even if it meant letting Geoff Jenkins, or Ben Sheets, or Kerry Wood, or Derrick Lee, or Mark Prior, or any of the popular players leave. Granted, it may be more difficult to win the Series without those players, but still, we would take the titles.

Anyway, score one for the Red Sox, and the Marlins, especially if they win another World Series by the end of the decade.


I was going to post earlier in the evening, but the Gonzaga/Michigan State Maui Invitational semi-final game was on the second television, and I couldn't keep from watching the triple overtime 109-106 Gonzaga victory. I really hope all of you watched the performances put in by the teams and Maurice Ager's 36 points and Adam Morrison's tournament record 43 points (Side note to Adam Morrison here, shave the paedophile mustache). It was an incredible game, not quite Gonzage/Arizona from the 2003 NCAA Tournament, but still an unbelievable game for this early in the season. The Arizona/ UCONN game should be just as good.



-Until next time...