Total Reversal

Hey Theo, next time you want a vacation just ask for one. Surely you can afford to take a trip somewhere.

It's official I have no idea what is going on in Red Sox nation right now, and it seems to me that the dukes and dutchesses of the land don't have a clue either.

First Theo is staying, then there are irreconcilable differences, then he's leaving, then he is hanging around the offices and maybe "talking baseball" with Ben and Jed, but then he might be the Dodgers GM, then the entire Red Sox '04 World Series team signs with other teams in the AL East, and now just as it's too late to make anything of this offseason Theo is back. Huh?

So let me get this straight. Theo could not possibly work for another second under Larry Lucchino when the hot stove was burning brightly but now that every available piece of talent including our own centerfielder has signed with another team the protege and the mentor have reconciled. This is more than a little convenient Theo, a lot more than a little.

I feel a little used and betrayed by all this. When Epstein resigned on Halloween I came out and just blasted the Red Sox as an organization, a business, and a conglomerate with the Boston Globe. I attacked Larry Lucchino's character (which I stand by) and martyred poor Theo who I thought was clearly the victim of political wrangling. Now I found out that it was I who was politcally wrangled, along with Red Sox fans everywhere by a politician of equal measure to Lucchino, Epstein himself.

The return of the prodigal son creates a slew of new problems for the Red Sox and their baseball operations. According to official reports Theo is not the general manager, that title remains jointly with Ben and Jed. So what is he and more importantly how will it be possible for the co-GMs to function effectively if their predecesor who just happened to bring a rabid fan base their first championship in 9 decades is sitting in the wings looking over their shoulders? My understanding of the circumstances that led to Epstein's initial departure includes a power structure that was overly crowded at the top. Now we have added two more powerful baseball men to that structure and things are somehow supposed to be better. That just does not make a bit of sense.

Not to mention the practical applications of this new set-up. If I'm another GM anywhere in baseball I'm wondering who is going to answer the phone on Yawkey Way if I call to propose a deal, and I also wonder if a certain professional continuity will be lost in the shuffle of speaking to at least 3, maybe 4 people. Also if a deal is made who takes the credit, who takes the blame? If Andy Marte turns into Jeff Bagwell who will hisotry declare the idiot for trading him?

Speaking of Marte, it seems that the Sox front office as crowded as it may be had no trouble pulling a deal for Coco Crisp and a minor leaguer. I just have one question for whoever made this trade and for fans, would you have traded Edgar Renterria for Coco Crisp straight up? Because that's what just happened. Forget Mota, Riske, and Bard, whoever they are, would Rent-a-Wreck for Crisp be a deal you would have made?

Ask yourself the same question again, but this time imagine that they still had Johnny Damon.

Let's hope this over-crowded ship can stay above water for a little while this season. At least they don't have a shortstop weighing it down...

**********************************************************************************
Other Stuff:

- What is the bigger story from Sunday: the Steelers and Seahawks advance to the Super Bowl or Kobe going for 81?

81 points just simply isn't human. 2 teams advance to the Super Bowl every year, only one player has ever scored more than Bryant did last night. (Of course I would be singing a very different tune if it were my Patriots that were doing the advancing.) Kobe's achievements will go down in history as one of the greatest individual sports perfomances ever, the Steelers and Seahawks will have to be on hell of a game to even become historical in any sense. My vote goes to Kobe.

- I simply could not have been more wrong about the way the Championship games played out yesterday. I don't even have an excuse, there were no crippling injuries on the teams I picked, there were no extenuating weather factors. I was just plain wrong. One statment I made stands out as particularly dumb in hindsight, my prediction that Ben Roethlisberger would struggle mightily against the Denver blitz simply because Tom Brady had some trouble the previous week. Big Ben played an absolutely brilliant game and is building a nice little reputation as a solid big game quarterback. He was accurate, composed, and clutch, and made me look like an idiot. Nice game Ben, thanks for nothing.

- The winter olympics are coming up. Could there be less fanfare about this. There was more attention paid to the PBA skills challenge on ESPN yesterday afternoon than is being paid to Torino. The summer olympics captivate the world, the winter olympics barely get headlines. Why is that? I know why I love the summer games more, the presence of my sport swimming. What's everyone elses excuse? My speculation is too much figure skating, men in leotards revolt me too.

- UConn is the latest winner of the "Everyone Else Lost So We Jump Up" college basketball sweepstakes. With the 3 unbeatens going down on the same the day the Huskies find themselves on top of the polls this week. Too bad they don't deserve it. Duke will be back there after the just annihilate ACC competition the rest of the way. BC is at 18 and 20 in the two polls respectively. That seems about right for them and will probably be where they will stay for the remainder of the season.

- I'm going to write a longer piece on this probably tomorrow, but there is a battle shaping up about James Frey and his book A Million Little Pieces. On one side there is the SmokingGun and it's article stating that much of Frey's account of 6 weeks in rehab is falsified, especially his criminal missteps, JamesDolan a literary critic who presumed Frey's work was false over 2 years ago and is on a crusade against him, and many others who claim that he cheated readers by claiming his work was factual. On the other side is Frey who claims the majority of his account is true despite the lack of a legal paper trail, Oprah Winfrey who launched Frey's work to stardom by placing in her book club and who stands by the author, and many recovering addicts who look to the book as an inspirational life raft. Check out the two links above, they're very interesting if you've read the book. I don't know where I stand on this yet, I'll take a side of the fence in my piece tomorrow.