Link: Boston Red Sox : News : Boston Red Sox News.

All good things must come to an end as Theo Epstein has chosen to move on and close the chapter of his life with the Boston Red Sox and seek other employments.  This could be a big blow to Red Sox mangement because their off season problems just gotten bigger.  Not only are they looking for players, John Henry and company but seek a new GM for the upcoming campaign.  This may be difficult.  Boston has three months to prepare.

On a personally level, I have no idea why he declined a contract for 4.5 million over the next three years!  Its all about the money!  Look at Brian Cashman, he is getting pretty much the same deal and is happy with that.  Over the next three months, Red Sox nation may read about other things that went on behind closed doors that the fans didn't know.  Why would you turn down 4.5 million?  It doesn't make any sense to me!

Over the last several weeks, the Red Sox and Theo Epstein have been in conversation drawing up a contract for him because his current contract is expired.  Theo wants money and will be waiting for the right time to talk with John Henry.  On Monday, Red Sox Nation will know if they will have their GM back for a few more years.  Just down the road in New York, Brian Cashman was going threw the same thing by drawing up a contract for him.  Cashman was able to get one for the next five years.  Below are a few links to newspaper articles that focus on Theo Epstein.

• Epstein talks with Sox entering final innings

• Epstein, Sox reportedly close to deal

• Epstein still on course for an extension

• No decision on Epstein: Schilling lobbies for GM

The World Series is over, the White Sox have won and now it is time for the season that people are not aware of.  This season doesn't happen on a diamond, no fans will be in the ballpark cheering on the their favorite players.  You won't see the hot dog guy going up and down the allies asking fans if they want any food or beverage.  No, this season takes place behind close doors behind a desk with lots of coffee and patience.

The Hot Stove league, takes place off the field and the players are the GM's and Team owners of each team looking to see how they can unproven their ball club with free agent signings, and trades.  GM's look at their payroll and see how much they want to spend on certain players and how they will match up with other players on the team.  This season is the business side of baseball that most poeple are not aware off because you won't see it on television and the only time you will see it will be on the news or the Internet.

This is the time where a lot of players will seek the free agent market, look at other teams to play for and/or sign with the same team for certain amount of years. It's an exciting time of baseball however, it can even be stressful because players want money sometimes more or want to stay with the same team and earn less then what should be expected of them. Hot Stove Free Agents.  For those who wish is see the players eligible to be a Free Agents, click on this link Eli gable Free Agents

Below is a list of Red Six players who have elected to be a free agent and those who most likely will take a chance at the market  For the full list of players currently on the market click on this link

1.	Bottalico, Ricky	RP	BOS	---	---	---
2.	Damon, Johnny	OF	BOS	---	---	---
3.	Graffanino, Tony	2B	BOS	---	---	---
4.	Hyzdu, Adam	OF	BOS	---	---	Released
5.	Mantei, Matt	RP	BOS	---	---	---
6.	Millar, Kevin	1B	BOS	---	---	---
7.	Mueller, Bill	3B	BOS	---	---	---
8.	Myers, Mike	RP	BOS	---	---	---
9.	Olerud, John	1B	BOS	---	---	---
10.	Remlinger, Mike	RP	BOS	---	---	---
11.	Stanton, Mike	RP	BOS	---	---	---
12.	Timlin, Mike	RP	BOS	---	---	---

Courtesy of LB.com

As of today, Mike Timlin has agreed to terms with Boston pending a physical.  If he passes the physical, most likely you will see him in the closer role while Keith Foulke makes a recovery from knee surgery.

Not on the list of Red Sox players to be a free agent, the Red Sox will look closer at Manny Ramirez who wants to be traded according to his agent.  This has been an on going issue for the second part of the year and will continue to be thoughout the off season.  Some people will argue that "Manny is being Manny" 

On the list is Kevin Miller and Bill Mueller, who filed on the first day they could to see the market and talk with other teams.  It didn't come to my surprise that Kevin Miller wanted to file because all year long he was under the lights in Boston about his performance this year going .272 with 9 HRs and 50 RBIs.  For a power hitter, thats not good and he wasn't great in the field either.  He wants to see if moving away from Boston will increase his chances on improving his performance.

Link: Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence Journal | Boston Red Sox.

I totally agree with the title of this article.  Through the postseason, the umps have been at fault for a lot of bad choices.  The most memorable series will be the White Sox/Angels with Eddings as the umpire and not making the correct call. 

On MLB Home Plate on xm radio, discussion was about instent replay and should it be baseball. My answer is NO.  Those games that are 3+ will now be 4+!  It wouldn't right replay to be in baseball because it would change the game a lot! 

........

Link: BostonHerald.com - Boston Red Sox: Come home, Roger: Wrap it up in Red Sox.

I'm not an expert however, I will make  bold statment that Roger Clemens will not wear a Red Sox uniform again.  Roger is 43 years old, closing on a Hall of Fame career and he has mentioned numerous times that he wants to play for a team that is close to home. 

Well, you can't get any closer then to play for the Houston Astros.  Look at his deal, how many teams including the Red Sox that will allow a player of any level to not attend a game for a reason during the season?  Clemens can do that.  If he is not pitching, he has the ability to tell Phil Garner or management that he will not be attending the ballgame whether home or away because he wants to watch his sons in their baseball game or to spend time with the wife.  You won't see that kind of deal any where else.  He has a contact that all players want: playing for you home town team. Sleep in your bed with your wife and spend time with the family that most ball players can't do because they live some where else in America.

Clemens won't play for not only the Red Sox but for any other team.  It would be nice and I'd must say, have thought about the idea of seeing Roger in a Red Sox uniform again and it would also be nice to a 1-2 punch with Roger and Curt but that will not happen. 

Download ws_gm2

Link: Red Sox hire Hale to coach third base - The Boston Globe.

Hiring Hale was an interesting hire for the Red Sox.  I say that in a postive sense because in order for a business, or team to be sucussfulk, all aspects of the business but get along, must be on the same page if you will.  Terry Franconia in his previous expereince in baseball, made contact with Hale on other teams, worked well together and developed a partnership, friendship with one another.  It didn't surprise me that when I read this article that the Red Sox would be hiring this gentlemen.

Personally, I have no clue who he is however, if he is friends with Terry off the field, then it should work out well at third base.  Below are a few excerpts from the article:

• ''We are very familiar with DeMarlo thanks to [Francona's] time with him in Texas, his Red Sox background, and our managerial search process two years ago," said Sox general manager Theo Epstein. ''We all feel that he has the knowledge, instincts, and character to be quite effective in this job."

• "Hale, 44, started his professional coaching career in the Red Sox organization in 1992 and last worked for the Sox in 1999, when as manager of Double A Trenton he compiled a 92-50 record and was named minor league manager of the year by several publications."
• "Hale was passed over for a promotion to Triple A after the '99 season and left the Sox organization. He managed Texas's Triple A club for two seasons, then joined the Rangers, coaching first base and the outfield."

Here is another article from MLB about the new hire of DeMarlo Hale.

It's no surprise that players either during the season or the offseason, go to the hospital to have surgery either on their shoulders or knees.  During the season, baseball players get bumped and bruised and when you get older, your bones start to get weak and your began to feels the pains of old age. 

For Trot Nixon, this happens often as he is all ways getting hurt and on the DL for a short amount of time however, when interviewed and asked about his performance on the game at hand, one will never here Trot Nixon tell the media that his performance was poor because of an injury.  Trot Nixon is a hard -working player and will lay his body out for the team.

Early this week, he went into the hospital for knee surgery that will not hinder his off season workouts which is good.  You can click on this link Trot Nixon for the full article on this matter.

One must give credit where credit is due.  The Chicago White Sox decerves the credit for making it into the World Series since 1917 when Joe Jackson was playing for the team and then President Widrow Wilson was entering Germany during WWI.  Times have changed both for the teams of Chicago and the game.

Below are the unoffical scorecards and and link to the unoffical boxscore from last event's event.  When I have more time on this matter, I will write about it.  Probably in the next week.

Download alcs_gm4

Chris Burke for the Astros is playing excellent in the two series so far in the playoffs.  He is getting key hits when the game is at the peek to change directions and yet for this afternoons game, he may not start.  Why?

Burke is Houston's hottest hitter batting .625 with two homers, a double, triple and four RBI's, oh four runs scored too.  He is hot, there is no question about it and yet when asked by the media, Phil Garner on the status of him, he mentioned "...I do know who's going to get booed if [Burke's] not playing tomorrow." 

From a fan's point of view, he should start with no questions.  However, the finally say is from the manager himself who is torn between Burke and Mike Lamb who is 5-for-24 lifetime against Cardinals, Matt Morris.

Who will Phil Garner play: Mike Lamb or Chris Burke?  This depends on how Garner wants to attack the start of the game.  Does he to play the defense game or the office game.  If one is talking about defense, Chris Burke has the edge says Phil, "Burke is a better defensive player, so there's pluses for that..." however, when Phil talks about the offense side, he should start Mike Lamb because he has been hitting the ball well.

This problem is a good problem to have because in addition to having a pitching staff but also depth on the bench.  This is something Garner has.  If, late in the game Mike Lamb is not producing, he can all ways pitch hit Chris Burke and see what he can do.  On the defense side, Chris Burke can come in late in the game to stop the Cardinal from getting a hit on the right side.  Endless possibilities Phil could use.

This post is late because St. Louis and Houston are playing game 3 this afternoon however, I wanted to post my unoffical box score(cards) this morning.  Again, in this series, I'm rooting for Houston because they deserve to make it to the World Series for the first time.  They have the pitching, all they need is some hitting and it will come around.

Download nlcs_gm.1

National League Game Summary - Houston at St. Louis

Link: Sides apart on deal - The Boston Globe.

Tonight, before Angels/White Sox game, I was listening to the pregame of the Angels on feed on my XM Radio and heard that Theo's contract was up. I didn't know that and plus, this is something I wouldn't think about during the day.  When I arrived at my house after a day of work, I wanted to find the article in the Boston Globe about this story. I found it and wanted to share it.

This is going to be and area of concern for the Red Sox team because Theo has been an important part of the Red Sox success over the past few years.

Link: Boston Red Sox : News : Boston Red Sox News.

It wasn't a good start for my vacation in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  During my travel up north, I was listening to the game on my XM Radio and was dissapointed in the way they were playing and especially towards late in the game when mentally errors were a factor when Mike Timlin threw the ball wild towards first and other small mental errors.  Mental errors are going to hurt the team in victory; No question about it!

It's dark, quite, and no movement in the Red Sox locker room because the train has come to an end at Fenway as the Red Sox were elimated from the playoff race. 

Even though Boston is not in the playoffs, that doesn't mean, I'm not going to write my blogs.  I will and will be posting box scores from the other two games. Personally, I'm rooting for Houston and L.A. in the upcoming games.

WOW!  That pretty much all I can say about todays contest.  The Red Sox were flat, horrible and Matt Clement should have never started today's contest.  If he didn't start, the game might have came out a little different but still, why would you start a pitcher who has been struggling the second half of the year.  Not my idea of using your head. 

Personally, I have nothing to write today because I'm tired.  One things I do want to mention is that, I'm excited for tomorrow to began because I know for the next week or so, I'm not going to get any sleep and want to read each important article about this match-up with Chicago.  Earlier this morning, I was listening to XM 175 - Baseball in the Morning and it was really exciting to hear the thoughts about this match-up.

Below is an article I wanted to share.  Nothing special.

Link: Ramirez man of the hour - The Boston Globe.

Here is the offical box score from yesterdays contest.  My program was acting up and I couldn't produce anything so I took the box score from Mlb.com

Yankees @ Red Sox - Oct 2,2005

Later this afternoon, the Red Sox will be playing their 162 game of the year.  Out of all the games this year that the Red Sox have played, this one this afternoon will be the biggest because depending the outcome of the game will determine if they will be playing in October in Boston or down in Flordia playing eighteen holes of golf with their buddies. 

Going into today's games, the team should pretty much forget the rest of the season being in first place, catching the Yankees or Orioles back in April because it doesn't mean anything except pride wheather you beat them or not.  The Red Sox must dig deep down to pull this game out because they can't rely on any other team but themselves.  They have things going for them; they are playing at home, with the crowd on their side.  There ace is on the mound and the Yankees really having nothing to play for but pride in beating the Red Sox.  The Yankees are all ready in the playoffs so Joe Torre might not play some of their starters.  It is all ready known that Mike Mussina who was supposed to start today has been replaced by Jared Wright.

If the Red Sox are able to win this game, they will again have to play New York in playoffs in order to repeay as champs! We shall see

GO RED SOX!!!!!

There really isn't much to say about todays games but that the Red Sox must win tomorrow to enter into post season or get help from Cleveland.  Here is the unoffical box score of todays game and the scorecards.

Download nyybos_oct_12005.htm

Let's Go Boston!  This is what players wait for when the start of the season begins in April.  Six months later, it has come down to this and I'm hoping the Red Sox have enough power and will to pull this series out and move onto the playoffs.  Boston is not out of the woods just yet because they still have to win today's game which is in the day time and the sun will be a factor in left field.  The key is for David Ortiz to hit well against Johnson who is a left hander.

Courtesy of the Boston.com, I'm posting several pictures of last nights game which are pretty cool.  Go RED SOX