Winter ball

When I grabbed the PowerBook and plunked down on the couch tonight, I intended to peck out a First and 10 column on state of the Patriots after their grinder of a victory over the wretched Lions Sunday. But with the news that the Sox have finally signed both J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo - I think both of these deals were first rumored during the Lou Gorman administration - baseball again grabbed the headlines in the sports pages of my mind. (You have no idea how much I wish I could cover these winter meetings. Man, it looks like such a blast. Maybe someday.) Anyway, we'll get to the Pats in the next day or so, providing they aren't again trumped by some relevant Red Sox developments. As for today's news, some thoughts we've been meaning to share . . .


• NESN jostled Jerry Remy from hibernation to appear in-studio on its nightly Hot Stove program, and we're glad to report he's as on top of his game now as he would be during a tense July showdown with the Yankees. He brought particular insight regarding Terry Francona's proclamation today that he expects Manny Ramirez to be with the Sox on opening day. Said RemDawg: "Terry Francona wants Manny Ramirez off this team. He wanted him off the team the last six week of the season, and he was adamant about that. Listening to the comments he makes, he's trying to do one of two things: Build up Manny to the rest of baseball so they can trade him, or smooth things out because he knows he's coming back." I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've heard anyone with credibility step up and say definitively that Francona feels Manny is more trouble than he's worth. Remy himself was clearly disgusted with Manny's absence late last season, yet unlike the Gerry Callahans of the media world who can barely suppress an irrational hatred for the goofball left fielder, Remy conceded that he's all but irreplaceable and sounded as if he wasn't dead-set on seeing him leave Boston. "I don't know who you could bring in except for Albert Pujols to make up for the loss of Manny," he said. All in all, it was compelling and rewarding television. Sure, Remy might be a huckster, but there's no one better at cutting to the chase and analyzing the sport. Even in December.


• I'm probably overdoing the Remy stuff here, but I also feel obligated to note how refreshingly blunt he was regarding the acquisition of J.D. Drew: "I haven't heard many good things about him," Remy admitted, before becoming the second prominent media person to compare Drew to Fred Lynn this week, following Peter Gammons's lead. Remy offered an interesting take on his laid-back former teammate: "I believe, and I think [Fred] believes, that if he stayed here his whole career, he'd be a Hall of Fame ballplayer . . . Because Boston pushed him, and sometimes, that works both ways . . . There's extra pressure to perform here, but sometimes you find out that certain guys you don't expect are at their best under pressure." I'd call that a lukewarm endorsement of Drew's chances here, but if the Sox are getting the second coming of Fragile Freddy, I think we'd all be satisfied with that, flaws and all.

• So what's my take on tonight's news? Well, I'm swallowing hard at the length and money of the Drew contract and reluctantly approving of the signing, with the caveat that he's coming here as the No. 5 hitter the Sox desperately need behind Manny and not as Manny's replacement in the four-slot behind Papi. As for his alleged laissez-faire attitude toward the game, my official position is that I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt, in part because I hate the idea of running a player out of town before he actually arrives, and in part because I've vacillated so much with my opinion on Drew that three people I respect this week accused me of pulling a Glenn Ordway and trying to have it both ways. And to be honest, I probably did go overboard with the hyperbole in my criticism, particularly by calling him a Cowardly Lion. That does a disservice to his talent, and here's hoping Drew makes me to look like a fool, even if it's apparent that I'm perfectly capable of doing so myself. As for the Julio Lugo deal, I think I can be a little less wishy-washy with this one: The Sox will regret this, they will regret this soon, and they will regret this dearly. I've never understood Theo's fascination with this average, erratic ballplayer, and I'm pretty sure I never will.


• Tom Verducci, a fantastic writer who nonetheless sometimes strikes me as the national beat writer/apologist for the Yankees, was the first to report today that Andy Pettitte could be rejoining Satan's Traveling All-Stars by the end of the week. Man, I hope this doesn't happen. While he's 34 and seems to battle elbow problems with increasing frequency in recent years, there's still a lot to like: He was outstanding in the second half for the Astros last season, he's a better bargain (hell, perhaps a better pitcher) than Barry Zito, he'd offer a huge boost to a Yankees rotation that is pocked by question marks and injuries, and his presence would likely make the Yankees the front-runners for his buddy Roger Clemens once the transparent dope ends his faux-retirement for the 21st consecutive season. Here's hoping the man they call Donkey hangs 'em up or remains in Houston. We don't need the Yankees pulling off a free-agent steal here.

• No matter what happens the rest of the offseason, this is the most encouraging news the Boston Red Sox could possibly receive. And how much do you admire young Jon Lester for the public grace and poise with which he faced his illness? Pretty remarkable person. Given his talent and character, the Sox are blessed to have him.

• As for today's Completely Random Baseball Card:


Here's hoping he's the next beneficiary of John Henry's wallet.

They're not saying "Drewww . . ."

Ten free minutes for me, 10 free . . . ah, you know the drill . . .

1. As far as our Old Friend Drew's Dallas demise is concerned, I was initially bummed to see the second-best quarterback in Patriots history suffer the indignity of losing his job to the legendary Tony Romo in the middle of a nationally televised game. But the more consideration I gave it, the more I realized that's what happening to him now is his own damn fault. If you connect the dots over the course of his stagnated career, you realize he never, ever improved from his second season in the league forward. He didn't. He's the same flawed fireballer he was in '94, albeit with having lost a few MPH off his fastball. He still can't throw a screen pass without bouncing it, he still holds the ball too long, he still locks in on one receiver, he still lacks that Marino/Brady poise under a heavy rush, he still bolts for the hills of Montana the minute the seasons final whistle blows . . . and the only conclusion you can come to is that football didn't mean enough to him to work on the aspects of his game that demanded his attention. He always thought that blessed right arm would be enough, and I'm still not sure he's realized it isn't.

2. Three things I've learned from this World Series, which finally delivered some fun last night: 1) Adam Wainwright '06 equals Todd Worrell '85. The kid with the duck-for-cover curve should inherit Jason Isringhausen's job next season. 2) Albert Pujols, sadly, is turning into a surly, arrogant dinkus. 3) Jeff Suppan looks much more confident in his middling stuff than he did during his Schiraldi-eyed, tongue-swallowing stint with the Sox in '03. And I actually mean that as a compliment.

3. Did you ever think back in 1996 - or even a few years ago, really - that reformed headcase Terry Glenn would be healthier and/or more reliable than Bledsoe and Curtis Martin at this stage of their careers? Or that Troy Brown, special-teamer extraordinaire and little more a decade ago, would be on the verge of becoming the franchise's all-time receiving leader? Sometimes, as the great philosopher Joaquin Andujar once said, youneverknow.

4. Kudos to a couple of readers who pointed out that I left an intriguing name off my list of semi-sleeper free agents the Sox should be considering: Justin Speier, the 32-year-old righty reliever who's had two straight terrific under-the-radar seasons for Toronto. He'll probably command pretty good coin considering the dearth of quality bullpen help on the free agent market, and I hope the Sox are in the bidding, though I must admit one thing about his profile is rather alarming: the pitcher he is most similar to statistically? Some bum named Seanez. Yeesh.

5. I'm feeling pretty good about the Pats' chances against upstart Minnesota, though I'd feel much better if I didn't have this nagging suspicion that Richard Seymour won't be playing again until November. Jarvis Green is a fine backup, but against Bryant McKinnie and Steve Hutchinson, the Patriots will require their defensive anchor if they have any intentions of stopping the run.

6. I'm not sure which stunned me more from this biting column from the usually placid Tom Verducci: That he'd actually consider voting for Ken Caminiti for the Hall of Fame (say what?!?!), or that he all but accuses Kenny Rogers of using performance enhancers without anything but the slightest circumstantial evidence.

7. Dammit, I'm trying to give Doc Rivers the benefit of the doubt here, but then he goes and does something so blatantly stupid and M.L. Carr-eque, such as playing creaky-kneed Wally Szczerbiak 30-something minutes in a meaningless preseason game, or claiming defiantly that he won't have a set rotation when his young team so obviously needs the structure, and again I catch myself wondering how the hell he ever won a coach of the year award in Orlando.

8. Captain Fist-Pump wins the Hank Aaron Award. And somewhere in the backwoods of Texas, Kevin Millar demands a recount.

9. I just never know what's going to fill the email box. Got 20-something messages today regarding my verbal drooling over The Office's Jenna Fischer, with the vast majority agreeing that she's the most underrated hot chick on TV and the minority revealing that they somehow manage to read this website despite being completely freakin' blind. Glad you're with me, people. Which reminds me: TATB's new mission in life is to get an email from her at some point, since that that CNN/SI weenie Stewart Mandel did, and well, we saw her first. So what are you waiting for - make it happen, TATB readers! Ah, I suppose I'll just have to settle for that restraining order.

10. As for today's Completely Random Baseball Card:


I'm pretty sure La Russa the Player would be the most self-satisfied .199-hitting benchwarmer you'd ever meet. Well, except for Mirabelli.