Should&#39ve told her that I can’t linger

Photo I took of The Big Unit in May 2006

I genuinely surprised myself with my reaction upon seeing Jason Bay in a Mets uniform.  It was a lot more negative than I expected.  Pirates fans still are the ones wounded the most here.  One of the only reasons they want to go to the park gets traded and they have to see him in a Sox uniform talking about his father putting him in a Red Sox onesie when he was a baby.  I probably would have punched a wall in 2008 were I a Pirates fan (I imagine, Bay or not, there are a lot of punched walls in Pirates fandom).  So I won’t pretend to be heartbroken or devastated that Bay is now a Met but it sure was weird to watch.  As I’m sure the Pirate fans felt about the Sox uniform, he looked odd dress in the Mets jersey and cap.  Initially, I thought the first photo I saw of him from his press conference was photoshopped.   He looked so stiff and unreal in front of the CitiField backdrop.  But, alas, it was real and Jason Bay is now a Met.  It was hard to watch.  Difficult to hear him talk about how he knew he wanted to play for the Mets.  Which struck me odd since I was (and am) okay with the Red Sox not really wanting him back.  Oh well.  I wish him luck and think the Mets have, on paper, a really good team for 2010.  Sadly, we’ve seen what the Mets do with really good teams.  I hope this year is different for them.

More interesting news, to me, was the announcement that Jacoby Ellsbury will be the starting left fielder come the 2010 season.  Unlike so many I know, I don’t have a problem with this.  Less wear on his body = more opportunities to steal.  Plus, the idea of Mike Cameron in Fenway’s left field didn’t leave me with the warm and fuzzies.  If Jacoby feels slighted, and Terry Francona’s comments indicate they tried to do all they could to make sure he DIDN’T feel that way, I’m sure he’ll get over it soon enough.  Could be worse, he could be Mike Lowell watching the front office build a team where they obviously don’t want to make room for him.

Adrian Beltre.  Admittedly, not the Adrian most Red Sox fans were hoping for but I’m not all that disappointed with this if it happens (only writing “if” since the Sox nor Beltre have owned up to it yet even though ESPN.com already has him on the Red Sox page).  The contract isn’t crazy (sorry, Mr. Boras) and his defense is amazing.  Take away my fondness for Mike Lowell and my desire to see anyone who hurts him hogtied and there isn’t anything to dislike about this deal.   Those who don’t like it (and we’re taking away the Mike Lowell component here) seem to be obsessing on his 8 home runs in 2009.  In 2009 Beltre had shoulder surgery.  I think we can give him a pass for the weak home run count for one year.  The last time he had a season with under 20 home runs was 2005, when he had 19.  Before that, it was 2001, and from 2006 to 2008 his home run totals were 25, 26, 25.  As long as that shoulder is healthy, I’m not worrying about his home run total being low.  (I only pulled out home runs because that seems to be the biggest worry of the naysayers.  I’m not one who thinks your offense lives and dies with having 9 guys in the lineup who have to hit 20 home runs or better.)  I guess we can’t “officially” welcome Adrian to Boston just yet  – but it seems that he’s already getting a taste of what the fans will be like and he hasn’t even put the cap on yet.

MLBN with a marvelous recap of Randy Johnson’s career. I did the Big Unit and can’t wait for him to get into the HoF. http://bit.ly/7O4M0Z

Lovely typo from yours truly there, eh?  Well my intentions were pure.  Regardless of his mind-numbingly painful pit stop in the Bronx, Randy Johnson has always been one of my favorite pitchers.  I DIG the Big Unit and all of his grumpiness and pitching splendor and for him to be out of the game feels almost wrong.  Hell, though, 22 years is a long enough time for anyone to be doing what he was doing so I hope he enjoys retirement and maybe even smiles a time or two.

The 2010 Hall of Fame inductees get announced today.  How great is it to not be gnawing my fingernails in anticipation of Jim Rice being disappointed again?