Ahhh; 2004. I have a feeling sox fans will be clinging to that number for quite awhile. I’m not saying Boston will not win another championship for a long time, I’m simply putting it out there that many fans still have not come to grips with what the hell happened that magical October in 2004, and just how amazing it was. For me it hit me when I picked up the “Faith Rewarded” DVD and just sat back with a few beers. I had this smirk on my face the whole way through, you know like the one George Bush uses right after he say’s something completely serious but then throws that inappropriate smirk at you. This championship is like a first born baby, you’ll never experience it again, you may have more (lets hope), but it will never be exactly the same. And because of that I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on merchandise, from t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats, to books, DVD’s, Wheaties boxes, photos, and pennants to hang on the wall like a 5th grader would. I have also spent time thinking about all the games I used to watch with my grandfather, swearing at the TV, hoping they wouldn’t blow it somehow. Unfortunately he passed before witnessing the 2004 Boston Red Sox, and for many other fans in Red Sox Nation a similar story rings true. This championship and this team meant so much more to the fans than say a Marlins Championship, or a Yankees World Series. Hell, its not even close. 2004 was about hugging strangers in bars and on street corners, Keeping the Faith, saying goodbye and giving a big thanks to number 5, the bloody sock, learning the equation [Papi + game on line=Clutch], pouring a beer and champagne on Johnny Pesky, forgiving Bill Buckner, and saying over and over again; `The Boston Red Sox are the 2004 World Series Champions!
And now for the toughest following act in baseball history……2005. Before I get into projections, we need to look at what was lost in the off season. I know what everyone is thinking, how can we compete like we did last year when we lost our ace for the past couple of years, our go to guy, the face of the rotation until Mr. Bloody Sock came along, Byung-Hyun Kim (pronounced bee-YUNG hee-YUN suck a-BIG-one)? Well we are in luck because no other team would take the finger flipping fool from South Korea.
All right I really was trying to steer clear of Pedro right there. I’m was upset he left until he gave his news conference for the Mets and sounded like a big egotistical jerk. Well I guess he was one with the Sox too, but at least he was our big egotistical jerk. Pedro’s arm and guts on the mound will be missed, his antics off it will not. His performance in the Divisional series in 1999 against Cleveland (6 no hit relief innings), his 17 strikeout gem in Yankee stadium, striking out the side in the ’99 all star game, and his first world series victory in St. Louis is how I will remember him. I have pushed aside all the whining, all the early exits to get home to the Dominican, the complaints about the media, demanding of respect from ownership, and the late arrivals at spring training, its all your Mets, enjoy. I truly believe that Pedro will have a great year this year, he would love to prove the Sox wrong for letting him slip away, heck he even showed up to spring training early. However after this year it will be back to skipping games to play with his chickens in the Dominican and demanding respect from ownership.
The next notable exit comes from our favorite mental patient, Derek Lowe. Has there ever been a player who wears his emotion on his sleeve more than D. Lowe? What he did in the playoffs may never be matched again. He went from the 11th pitcher on the playoff roster to being the winning pitcher in all the clinching playoff games and it was amazing to watch. His numbers will be picked up by the acquisitions of Wade Miller from the Astros and Matt Clement from the only cursed team left the Cubs. Well maybe not the only team, I mean there is the Curse of A-rod…
Orlando Cabrera filled in for the departed Nomar brilliantly in the field and adequately at the plate. His Columbian flag t-shirt worn during the World Series clubhouse celebration may have been the factor in not resigning him. But we have a new stud at shortstop in Edgar Rentaria who is just as apt in the field as O.C. but more skilled at the plate.
The other players who will be missed are Dave Roberts, Doug Mienkiewicz and Gabe Kapler. Roberts had `the steal’ in game 4 that rattled Rivera and got the sox back on track. The Sox have never had a speedster like Roberts where he would be on base and you and the pitcher knew he was going to steal and he still would. Mienkiewicz lost the popularity war against Millar for first base, but he did win the rights to the ball he caught for the final out of the World Series. Kapler will be missed more for his weight lifting website than for his bat. He was a key outfield late inning fill in and it was always great to have him on your side in case of a brawl.
The biggest sign that this team will be different than last years is the signing of David Wells. This guy used to bleed Yankee blood (believed to be the color of gravy). He bought a Babe Ruth game worn hat at an auction and actually pitched an inning with it on. He has officially thrown out in press conferences that he hates Fenway and that it should be blown up. My grandfather used to call him a fairy because he wore an earring. He hates to work out and this could lead to some major butting of heads with Curt Schilling. However he does like to drink and have a good time so maybe he will fit in with this team more than people think. I mean if there ever was a President Idiot for the group of idiots Damon called the team Wells would certainly have to be in the running. Lets just hope he can stay healthy enough to fill in some wins for the Diva Pedro. The great thing about this signing is that his contract (thanks Theo) is highly incentive laden; the Sox don’t have to fork out that much money if he can’t perform.
Pitching will be the biggest question mark going into the 2005 season. However the Sox also signed Matt Mantei to shore up the bullpen and with Arroyo in the pen things don’t look so bad if the injury bug can be avoided. The projected rotation for the season looks like this:
1. Curt Schilling
2. David Wells
3. Matt Clement
4. Wade Miller
5. Tim Wakefield.
There is some question as to whether Schilling will be ready for opening day against media-savvy Randy Johnson and the Yankees. But if you’re a betting man, take Schilling to be the opening day starter even after coming on sports radio a few weeks ago saying he is progressing slower than expected and may not be ready. Schilling loves having an obstacle to overcome and the juicy match up with former teammate Johnson who rumors say did not like having Schilling in Arizona stealing some of his spotlight is too good to sit out.
The least of the Sox concerns have to be their bats. Renteria will be a solid edition to the already potent 2004 lineup that posted 52 more runs than the supposedly unstoppable Yankee lineup of all-stars. Renteria will be at the two spot right behind the Cro-Magnon Damon and he should get plenty of opportunities to drive in last years second league leading run scorer.
Its just Manny being Manny. If there is anyone in this lineup who you know you can count on at the plate its Manny Ramirez. Sure he can be hilarious in the field, but he turns into a savant when he steps up to the plate. Go ahead and post these numbers for him in 2005: .320avg. 35hr 125 rbi.
Now on to the man known as Papi, the man who turned me from a 27 year old into a 12 year old who asked for his jersey as my Christmas present. Who can blame me, the man was simply huge when the game was on the line. His playoff performance alone elevated him to god status in New England. But we can’t forget what Ortiz did for the Sox in the regular season, finishing third in the MVP voting with a career high of 41 homers. And for the cherry on top he resigned a 3 year deal mid-season at quite a considerable discount for the Sox. He was mildly distracted last year when Francona switched him from third to fourth in the lineup but he adjusted and went on to have one of the greatest seasons and postseasons in Red Sox history. No worries with Papi hitting 4th.
Oh captain my captain. We used to call him Tek but from here on he will be known as Captain. No question Jason Varitek was the heartbeat of this team the last couple of years and no event displayed that more than when he smashed his catchers’ mitt into the pretty boy purple lipped face of Alex Rodriguez. Varitek has tremendous on field leadership and for a catcher not a bad bat. He put up career numbers last year including a .296 average, and look for Varitek to surpass those numbers this year with the red C on his jersey acting as his new superpower source.
The sixth spot in the lineup will be determined this spring between Kevin Millar and Trot Nixon. If Trot can rebound and produce like he did in 2003 the spot is his. Personally I think the two should have a Jack Daniels shot contest to determine who bats 6th, my money would be on Millar. Kevin Millar is breathing a sigh of relief as the 34 year old won out over Doug Mienkiewicz for the first base job, and with this being a contract year for Millar we may see some increased numbers out of his bat. The fielding will remain a question mark at first but the hitting of Millar is what the Sox needed. Plus the Troy Brown of the Red Sox, David McCarty is back in camp this spring and is always available to do double duty whether it be mopping up on the mound or playing some defense at first in the late innings. Hey, it may not be the best comparison but I had to work some mention of the Pats in the article.
The eighth spot in the order will be going to the strikeout king Mark Bellhorn. He had 28 more whiffs than the second closest player. However he did manage to finish in the top five in the AL for number of walks. The eighth spot will be perfect for Bellhorn, now when the Sox get a walk out of the eight spot it’s a bonus and if he strikes out who really cares I mean it’s the eight spot, he’s going to have much less pressure to produce from the eighth than when he hit second last year. You can expect around 15 homers and 70 rbi from Bellhorn this year and that aint bad for a number, wait what number is he batting, oh ya the eighth spot.
Rounding out the batting order is the 2003 AL batting champion Bill Mueller. I have to add the batting champion bit because I know most people still don’t believe that this guy came out of nowhere to beat out the rest of the AL in batting in 2003. Mueller had knee surgery this off season but is expected to only miss a couple weeks down in Fort Myers. Mueller is one of the better number nine hitters in the league and the Sox should benefit from another solid year from the third basemen.
2005 will most definitely be a different feel for the Sox. They have shed the 86 year old monkey, some excessive whining from a pitching diva, and have added a few more idiots to try and thwart the complacency that Championship teams usually go through the year after winning it all. The AL east is still a two team division, the Orioles added Sammy but forgot about pitching, the Blue Jays lost Delgado and forgot to get another bat, and the Devil Rays are young and may hover around .500 for a week or two but they seem light years away from ever being a true contender. The wild card will most likely come from the east again and it would be nice if it’s the Yankees this year but my gut feeling is that it will be the Sox again. Hey they didn’t do too badly with the wild card last year.
So for 2005 I have come up with a formula that will make the Sox champions once again. The Sox have a payroll of 125 million, the average age is 30 and if you take the number of wins the last three years divided by salary, times hot dogs sold you get….wait a second I apologize, I must have thought this was a preview for another season, there is no reason to come up with fluky stats and superstitions this year. The Sox are reigning World Champions, they’re playing with house money, time to have some fun and win some games and not feel all depressed when they lose a few. No one can take away the fact that the Boston Red Sox are the 2004 World Series Champions, but 2005 World Series Champions sounds pretty good too.