No V-Mart? Big Problem.

V-Mart's Red Sox days are history as he agreed to a deal with the Tigers yesterday that the Sox would not match. Apparently it came down to dollars rather than years. The Sox appear content to have injury-plagued Jarrod Saltalamacchia be the starting catcher for next year. Don't get me wrong, I think Salty would make a fine starting catcher--in Pawtucket. He hasn't shown any indication that he's ready to start behind the plate for a major league team, let alone one in the AL East.

V-Mart was familiar with the pitching staff and could even catch a knuckleball. If Wake comes back next year, who catches him? Can Salty handle the knuckler? What about Buchholz, who blossomed with V-Mart behind the plate? How will V-Mart's departure affect him? Pitchers rely heavily on routine and not having V-Mart catching him will disrupt that routine.

How about replacing his offensive production in the lineup? The Sox will most likely lose Beltre as well, so that's two big bats that need replacing. Sometimes I feel the front office looks too far into the future at the expense of the present. Next year is just as important as 2013 or 2014. The onus is on them to fill as many holes as possible this offseason and they just created another huge one by letting V-Mart go.

Congratulations 2010 World Champion S.F. Giants!

Boy was I ever wrong in my World Series prediction. Rangers in 7 it wasn't. Try Giants in 5. The Giants as a franchise last won in 1954, when they were still in New York. This is the first time the San Francisco Giants won it all and they played a hell of a Series. Their starting rotation gave credence to the adage "Good pitching beats good hitting," holding the loaded-with-lumber Rangers to a .190 batting average. Dominant pitching plus timely hitting brought the World Series trophy to San Francisco. Edgar Renteria--yes, he of the 30-error season for the Red Sox in '05--knocked two clutch homers to earn World Series MVP honors. Bruce Bochy put on a managing clinic the entire postseason and some impressive rookies, Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner, shined in the playoff spotlight. All in all, a very satisfying win for a baseball fan.

Congrats are due to the Rangers, who made their first World Series appearance ever. They have a great team, though they got outplayed in the Fall Classic. Look for them to contend in the AL West again next year.