The World of Tim...

49 Years Ago - Ted Williams Last at Bat

Teddy ballgame hits a home run in his last career at bat. He didn't tip that cap until the 1999 All Star Game...it was something to see.

Red Sox Fan vs Yankee Fan

I haven't posted anything about the Sox yet this season (hey, I've been a little distracted by the whole job search thing) so, I've decided to start my '09 season posts with this little number.

GO SOX!

Today on the "Manny Show"...

Apparently $25 million for a one year contract isn't enough to make Manny Ramirez a happy enough camper to stayin a Dodger uniform.  The Dodgers front office and Manny are still trying to hammer out an agreement in this "game of chicken" (as Manny's agent, Scott Brosius put it this morning).

Does anyone wonder why I am so happy he is not a part of the Red Sox organization?

Dustin Pedoria Named AL MVP

Congratulations to Dustin Pedoria who was named the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) on Tuesday.  Dustin becomes the first second baseman win this honor in nearly a half century. Pedoria won 16 of the 28 first place votes cast by the Baseball Writers Association of America, finishing with 317 points. Dustin is no stranger to hardware; earlier this month he won the Gold Glove and last year he was the AL Rookie of the Year (oh yeah, and there was that whole World Series win "thing").

With this award, Pedoria became the 10th Red Sox player to earn this recognition and the first since first baseman Mo Vaughn in 1995.  He is only the third player to become the MVP the season after earning the Rookie of the Year Award (the other two are Cal Ripkin Jr. and Ryan Howard). The Twins Justin Morneau finished second, and Dustin's teammate, Kevin Youkilis, finished third.

If you aren't a citizen of Red Sox Nation (shame on you by the way), you might be wondering about this guy.  Well, the argument can be made that he had one of the best seasons by a player at his position in recent history. Pedroia led the majors with 54 doubles, tied Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki for first with 213 hits, and ranked second with 118 runs and 61 multi-hit games, both AL highs. He also stole 20 bases in 21 attempts. Dustin became the third major league second baseman ever to tally 100 runs, 200 hits, 50 doubles, and 20 steals in a season, joining the Yankees' Alfonso Soriano (2002) and the Astros' Craig Biggio (1998). This past season, he made just six errors at second base, the same number of miscues he committed during his rookie season.

 

This Season on the Manny Ramirez Show...

It was the one trade that single-handedly changed the face of both the AL East and (as all the Diamondbacks fans around me like to remind me from time-to-time) the NL West this past year.  The Red Sox got sick of the, "Manny Being Manny" show.  Now here is the rest of the story...

This weekend, ESPN is reporting that the Red Sox tried to formally suspend Manny Ramirez before he was traded to the Dodgers last summer.  Well, duh!  Why wouldn't they?  Manny refused to play in games, whined about everything under the sun, and got into scuffles with both front office staff and other players. Although I'm sure his absence impacted how the Red Sox finished the year, this was a "must do" trade and one of the smartest moves done by the Red Sox front office.

Now, LA is getting a preview of the west coast version of the "Manny Being Manny: show.  This week, the Dodgers offered  a two-year deal guaranteed for $45 million, plus an option year at an additional $15 million. Manny wants a six-year deal; with no designated hitter rule, the Dodgers don't want to pay an outfielder of that age that much money for that many years. Saturday, the Dodgers pulled their offer off the table and Manny can find out what other clubs are willing to pay and for how long.

The big question is are those clubs willing to tune in this show??