He couldn’t stand just to be around

Rest in peace, Senator. (Photo taken by me on Opening Day this year)

Missed a day of posting which is somewhat unusual for me.  Had the day off from work yesterday and basically spent it doing things while thinking “I should go blog” but never really got around to it.  Then the game came on, happiness mixed with frustration set in then I finished with the Yanks/Rangers game and called it a night, still having written nothing.  Up early this morning to the news of Ted Kennedy’s passing (and let me just say, the news devastates me so if you come here hating on him your comments won’t be here long – I’m not in the mood to deal with you) and I figure before I settle in to day of remembrances of him, I should write something – and mention that there will be a live chat tonight (I’ve given up calling them live blogs – I enjoy the chatting interaction much more than I do the straight live blogging – I like the community it seems to bring together) to welcome Tim Wakefield back.

For games against a so-called “easy” team for the Red Sox, these last two games didn’t feel easy.  Neither Buchholz nor Lester got the “W” but the team did and that’s all that matters.  Jacoby Ellsbury now holds the single-season, stolen bases record for the Red Sox and Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek seem to be co-existing rather nicely.  All in all I’m a happy gal.

Well, except for this whole Billy Wagner thing.  Yes, I know the team gets two draft picks after Wagner hits the bricks.  I know that, technically, this is a low-risk move that could, theoretically, give the team huge returns.  I also know that Wagner is considered to be somewhat of a dick and has, to quote more than one New York and Philadelphia sports writer “worn out his welcome in every clubhouse he’s been in”.  Yeah, that’s the guy I want on my team.  A guy so grating his teammates end up wanting him gone.  A 38 year-old with about three months left to his rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.  Wagner’s career speaks for itself…I have nothing bad to say about his past performance.  But I’m not excited about his now being a Red Sox player at all.  I hope I’m wrong.  I hope this isn’t Eric Gagne 2.0 as far as his pitching goes.  But there is nothing that convinces me, yet, that this will be the case.  So count me out of the fans who are excited about this move.  I’m not.  But the bottom line is I want the team to win…and continue winning.  I really do hope Wagner can contribute to that.  So welcome to the Red Sox, Billy Wagner.  I won’t be booing you but I won’t be giving you a standing “o” your first time on the mound either.

Dan Hoard writes about Chris Carter possibly being one of the “players to be named later” in the Wagner deal.  If true, I’ll definitely miss Carter.  He’s exciting to watch and I really hope, at some point, he gets his shot for good in the bigs.  An interesting sidenote that Hoard points out is that tonight and tomorrow the PawSox play a two-game series against the Buffalo Bisons.  The team that not only houses my favorite 6 foot, eight inch, right-handed pitcher but also  happens to be the Triple-A team for the New York Mets.  So there’s actually the possibility of Carter playing AGAINST the PawSox this week.   I’m in the midst of trying to figure out if getting to Pawtucket on Thursday is doable.  Kyle Snyder is the Bisons starting pitching on Thursday night and I’d really like to get down to see the game – just not sure if it will work.  Seeing Carter playing for the other team would be odd and sad but something else that might compel me to try and make sure I get down there.

It seems both Jason Bay and Jacoby Ellsbury were drug tested after the game last night (in moves that weren’t connected to their good games).  I have a hard time picture Jason Bay even drinking coffee let alone doing illegal drugs.  Then again, he has a crabby side too.  Maybe Swisher thought it was roid rage?

7:10 tonight, Wake takes the field against Gavin Floyd.  We’ll be chatting here if you’re so inclined to join us!