2008 is over and now we look forward to 2009, with Spring Training just 5 weeks away. The year started with a….well, with something yesterday as the Yankees announced the signing of Mark Texeira. I have been impressed with the response of most Red Sox fans who have taken a rational, Theo like approach to the failed courtship of Mr. Texeira. This is a good team already, loaded with solid veterans and rising young stars, that won 95 games last year. Currently, as is well known, the Red Sox most glaring short and long term need is a catcher. Texeira certainly doesn’t fill that hole. The $21 million per year “saved” by not having Texeira on the roster could certainly help in luring a young stud catcher like Brian McCann, Joe Mauer, or Russell Martin when their time for free agency comes. Or perhaps we’ll use that $21 million to help sign Youkilis, Beckett, and Papelbon to long term deals in the coming years. What I am confident of is that Theo is already thinking about these issues and that is why a line was drawn over which they would not go for a one time All Star who never finished higher than 7th in the MVP voting.

While the Red Sox have not made any significant moves this offseason (yet), it has been interesting and we’ve seen more of the creative thinking from the front office in the signing of Junichi Tazawa. Reports I have seen say he is a late first round or early second round of the draft type of talent. Does this guarantee anything? Of course not, but getting this kind of upside for minimal investment is what Theo and company are all about….and don’t be surprised if the Sox jump in on some surprising free agents now, as the prices appear to be tumbling for some more than serviceable major league players. 

Keep the Faith. The Red Sox are in very good hands.

Come join me at Mister Days in Arlington,
VA, just steps from the Clarendon Metro station, as the Red
Sox and Rays play game 5! The Sox have been here before. Keep
the faith!

Last night’s game 1 of the ALCS was remarkable and I can not add much to what has been written regarding the performance of Daisuke, especially once he got in trouble in the 7th inning, the ability of the Red Sox to get something out of most of their opportunities, while stifling the Rays, and the virtually flawless play of the defense. So, I am writing a few words about the beauty of being a member of Red Sox Nation.

As the newly appointed Governor of RSN Virginia, I received a phone call on Thursday night from a man who has been organizing Red Sox gatherings,living and breathing the Red Sox for 2 more decades than I have been alive. He told me about meeting Ted Williams, getting Red Sox fans to attend games of the Richmond Braves when the Paw Sox were in town, the Impossible Dream, and so much more. As a life long Virginian who is also a lifelong Red Sox fan, he reached out to me, this native New Englander now living in Virigina, to talk about what being a Red Sox fan in Virginia means to him and many others. I can not wait to meet him and the network of Red Sox Nation members of which he is already a part. Thanks to Bill Grogan’s phone call, I realize much more today what a GREAT honor and opportunity it is for me to have the title Governor of Red Sox Nation. I thank Bill for reaching out to me and am excited to work with him and others in Virginia to bring RSN citizens together for many purposes over the coming year.

This Angels team is not going to just roll over because they lost one game. While I question whether it was appropriate for John Lackey to call out his offense (can you imagine Beckett, Dice-K, Wakefield, Byrd, or Lester ripping his teammates like Lackey did?) and wonder whether anyone on that team wants to join him for dinner, I do not question their ability to come back tonight and play well offensively and defensively. Ervin Santana is good. Really good. Happily, the Red Sox know full well that winning game 1 or having any sort of lead in a series does not guarantee anything and they will come out tonight focused and ready to play as though it is a must-win situation. We should all have confidence that Dice-K will pitch effectively over 6 innings tonight. He may throw a lot of pitches (as Lester did, I might point out), but when he leaves the game the Red Sox will be in position to win.

Much of the joy I get out of October baseball is the anticipation of the games. The games themselves are pretty stressful, making my living room a bit tense at game time and leading to sudden outbursts that wake up my children. Three such outbursts occurred on Wednesday night. The first, with Bay’s bomb. The second with Jacoby’s catch. And the final one with Papelbon’s strikeout to end the game.

Here’s hoping Dice-k can throw strike one, and the offense can battle Santana, wearing him down and scoring some runs. I’m hoping for at least 3 more outbursts, preferably 20. We will all sleep better tonight up 2-0 heading back to Fenway.

Greetings. I am excited to be Governor of Red Sox Nation for the state of Virginia. As the Red Sox gear up for what promises to be another thrilling and unpredictable postseason, I hope to use this blog to develop new relationships with RSN citizens in Virginia and across the country. With a Red Sox affiliate preparing to play in Salem next spring, the Red Sox scheduled to come to play the Nationals next June, and their regular visits to Baltimore, it is clear that opportunities to come together to support the Red Sox in person will be frequent. Of course, gatherings of RSN citizens need not be centered only around Red Sox games. To that end, I hope to work with Virginians, Governors of neighboring states, and the Mayor of DC to expand the network of RSN citizens in the mid-Atlantic region and come together for causes bigger than baseball and ourselves. Any comments and ideas you may have to further develop the RSN community in Virginia are most appreciated.