Congratulations, Jim Rice!!!

He finally got his due! He's made it to Cooperstown! I regret never seeing him during his playing years, from '75-'89. He was friends with The Monster long before it had seats on top. Over his career, #14 batted .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 RBI. Like Hall of Famers Ted, Yaz, and Doerr before him, he spent his entire career as a Red Sox. As a Sox fan, him being a lifetime Red Sox makes his induction all the more special. Congrats, Jim Rice! You deserve it!

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

Sox Go for Low-Risk/High Reward with Baldelli, Smoltz, Penny, & Bard.

Ok, I'm over the not signing Teixeira thing. It happened and it's time to move on. That said, the signing of a guy who WANTS to be in Boston, Rocco Baldelli, is a welcome one. He's from New England (Woonsocket, RI, to be precise), he has some pop in his bat, and his agent is not Scott Boras. Baldelli may not be a switch-hitting .300-plus hitter like Tex, but now that his illness has been re-diagnosed as something less severe, perhaps he can begin to realize his potential, both as a hitter and a fielder. His durability is still a question mark, but he will be the 4th outfielder, not required to play every day and his contract has incentives built into it, so it's a low-risk/high-reward deal for the Red Sox.

John Smoltz could be another really good pickup for the Sox. When healthy, he's a force on the mound and the team appears to be optimistic that he will recover fully from his shoulder surgery. He could serve as a fine mentor to the younger pitchers as well. Brad Penny is another pitching acquisition with a high reward potential if he has a bounce-back season. Josh Bard didn't really get much of a chance the first time around. A few more years experience could make a big difference for him.

A big gaping hole still remains at catcher. Will Tek be back for a short-term deal or will the Sox pony up a few prospects for Salty or another young catcher with a high upside?

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!