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B-R.com box score | Allen's post-game recap | Randy's analysis

The reason I am writing up No. 2 of the top 10 moments of the 2008 Red Sox season instead of Allen, E-Coli or SoxDevil is because, well, I was dubbed the "biggest Jon Lester fan of the group."

I don't even think that's really true, but there's no question that what Lester did on May 19 is a great moment in Red Sox history.

He had cancer, beat cancer, won a World Series and in 2008 added to his resume by no-hitting the Kansas City Royals on May 19. After the whole cancer hiccup, the no-hitter was just a pretty little cherry on the top of a tasty banana split.

Lester's line was his best as a pro: 9 innings, 9 strikeouts, 2 walks and zero hits. A big, tasty zero. Here's what Allen had to say after the game:

Jon Lester has had his doubters.

I was one of them. 

Don't get me wrong. I never felt like Jon Lester couldn't pitch in the big leagues. But Lester was once thought to be the best pitching prospect in a system containing Clay Buchholz, Jonathan Papelbon, Anibal Sanchez, amongst others. And while the first three have distinguished themselves in their own spectacular ways, Lester seemed destined to never really deliver on the promise he showed, rising quickly through the system upon being drafted out of high school in 2002. His stuff, experience, and pitching maturity seemed like they'd never quite come together all at once. Thankfully, the doubters have been proven wrong tonight.

It's easy to compare Lester's no-hitter to Clay Buchholz's in 2007 (which, ironically, was OTM's No. 1 moment in 2007). Both are young pitchers with a lot of potential, but considering the circumstances Lester has battled, his seems just a little more special.

Shortly after the game, I wrote an article about the importance of Lester's no-no:

This no-hitter should be about where Lester is going, not where he has been. Game four of the World Series was Lester's breakout game in my opinion, but it was once again overshadowed by his victory over cancer. While everyone is looking back on what he has done, let's look forward to see what else this young lefty can provide with many more years in the Red Sox rotation.

With or without the no-hitter, Lester was the ace of the of the Red Sox pitching staff in 2008. And let's all remember something: he's going to be 25 next year. We have many, many more good years with one of the best lefties in the American League.

With the Rocco Baldelli news comes the Sox might sign veteran starter John Smoltz as well:

The Sox are also trying to hash out an agreement with veteran free-agent right-hander John Smoltz, who is recovering from shoulder surgery. Smoltz, 41, would likely not be able to play until late May, but the Sox normally overstaff their starting rotation to account for injuries as they did with Bartolo Colon last season.

As of last night, sources indicated that Smoltz was leaning toward Boston's offer which was said to be somewhere in the vicinity of $5.5 million guaranteed with the opportunity to earn a few million in incentives which could hike the salary up to $10 million. The Sox and Smoltz have been talking since before the Winter Meetings. The Sox do not anticipate that Smoltz will be ready until later in May, but one of the incentives being discussed would be a roster bonus if he's with the team by June 1.

It doesn't matter which way you slice it at this point, because the Boston Red Sox bench -- as it's looking right now -- is uglier than Hank Steinbrenner at a toga party.

With an assumed seven relief pitchers, this is what I think the bench will look like if there are no changes before Opening Day:

You might have beefs with this list, but I think it's the best thing the Sox could put out there without a change between now and April 6. Julio Lugo is a lock if Jed Lowrie earns the shortstop job. George Kottaras, most likely, will be the backup as of today because Josh Bard is slated to be the Sox's No. 1 catcher (scary thought, isn't it?). Jeff Bailey would be a good option for first base and perhaps relieve in the corner outfield positions and Jonathan Van Every is the 4th outfielder as we speak.

Pretty ugly, isn't it?

Other alternatives for the bench: Chris Carter, Dusty Brown, Nick Green or Gil Velazquez, just to name a few. I told you it doesn't get any better.

I'm fine going into the season with Lugo and Kottaras as backups (but not necessarily Bard as the starting catcher). Lugo is an above-average backup and could play some outfield while I'd like to see Kottaras get a good chunk of time in the bigs. The real issue is the slots that Bailey and Van Every consume. With those two guys on the 25-man roster, it just screams "NO DEPTH!"

So let's look at what purposes Bailey and Van Every would serve. Bailey is a backup first baseman with an average glove; a little worse in the corner outfield positions. Bailey actually has a pretty strong bat and is one of the best in the Sox system in terms of getting on base. As a bat off the bench, Bailey isn't that bad. As a defender off the bench, the Sox could improve over Bailey.

Van Every would be the fourth outfielder. He can play any outfield position, but would be especially be a suitable backup center fielder. He played 119 games there for Pawtucket in 2008. Van Every is a very solid defender off the bench, but the Sox shouldn't expect much out of his bat. Like Bailey, Van Every is solid at getting on base and has a little bit of power (26 HR in 380 for Pawtucket in 2008) but probably isn't anything more than a .250 hitter in the bigs.

If we want to replace Bailey and/or Van Every, let's look at who's available on the free agent market. Here are some intriguing names, according to MLBTradeRumors' list of current free agents, for primarily the outfield:

There are a couple of familiar names on the above list. Mark Kotsay is still an option for the Red Sox's bench. He's versatile and played a very good first base last last season and in the playoffs. Eric Hinske was a Ray for a season, but he'd fit the mold of a corner outfielder and backup corner infielder for the Sox. Gabe Kapler may never be a Sox again, but he was always loved when he was here. He had a strong season as a Brewer and would fit a corner outfielder role. Jerry Hairston Jr. is a very versatile player who could provide the Sox with wheels off the bench. The most popular name has been Rocco Balddeli. The New England native may not be able to play every day, but he's probably the best player of the bunch.

For the infield, here are a couple intriguing names:

More familiar names. Okay, you probably think I'm crazy for putting Nomar up there, but why not? Sure, he was a jerk when he left Boston but he could play both first and third base for the Sox. And let's just admit it: you'd like to see No. 5 back on the field in Fenway. You know it. Kevin Millar -- yup, that guy -- would be a pretty good power bat defensively at first base. Doug Mientkiewicz is still a very good defensive first baseman, but wouldn't deliver much in terms of the bat. Joe Crede can play third base (not well, though) and also provide good pop off the bench. The last name is Willie Bloomquist, a guy that can play anywhere and has nice speed.

There are no easy solutions for the Sox's bench, but if I was Theo Epstein I'd try and nab a couple of guys on these lists. Baldelli's name has obviously been thrown around a lot, but I would also like to see the Sox grab Bloomquist. He can play both the infield and outfield pretty well and his speed would give the Sox some options late in games. Finding a decent backup third baseman would be nice considering the uncertainty of Mike Lowell's health. Crede anyone? The defense wouldn't be that great but he's got some power.

I like Bailey and Van Every, but the Sox need better options off the bench. Without a doubt, this is the biggest hole on the Sox's team -- yes, even more so than behind the plate. If this isn't fixed, the Sox could have a long season ahead.

[Note by Randy Booth, 01/07/09 11:28 AM EST ] Jerry Hairston Jr. signed with the Reds last night. He will be the starting shortstop at the beginning of the year.

Here's today's Name that Sox:

HINT: Awesome sideburns.

Could Julio Lugo overtake Jed Lowrie for the shortstop job in '09?

Lowrie

Outside of who's behind the plate for the Red Sox on Opening Day, the biggest question mark is up the middle, to the left of the second base bag, deep in the hole. Who's playing there and how well will they perform?

There are only two candidates. The man with the big money, looking to prove he's still got some gas left in the tank and the youngster, who has proved he can play but he isn't in the Hall of Fame just yet.

The descriptions above fit Julio Lugo and Jed Lowrie, respectively. We'll see one of them deep in the hole come April 6 in Fenway Park ... but which one is the real question at hand.

First, let's look at their stats from 2008:

	AB	HR	RBI	BA/OBP/SLG	OPS+
Lowrie	260	2	46	.258/.339/.400	90
Lugo	261	1	22	.268/.355/.330	78

The nice thing about comparing their stats is they played an almost identical amount of time, Lowrie's 260 at-bats to Lugo's 261. With a quick look over their numbers, they don't look to be too much different. Lowrie had a little more power and knocked in a few more runners, while Lugo had a better batting average and got on base at a better clip.

Looking at the future for both hitters, Lowrie can only go up while it's hard to tell what Lugo is capable of. Lugo is a very good hitter at Fenway Park (.301 career at Fenway, .305 last season), but away he struggles. In '07 he hit .190 on the road and .233 last year. Lowrie has potential to be a .300 hitter.

Defensively, it's not even close. Last year Lugo notched 16 errors in 81 games at shortstop. Lowrie committed 0 in 49 games at short and just two in 45 games at third base in Mike Lowell's absence. If I remember correctly, a majority of Lugo's errors came on throws to first base, not necessarily fielding ground balls.

Let's look at at the pros of each being the starter:

FOR LOWRIE:

• Higher ceiling
• Better offensive potential
• Above-average defensive shortstop
• Proved his worth late in '08/playoffs
• Allows Lugo to be super utility backup (SS, 2B, 3B, OF)

FOR LUGO:

• Great hitter at Fenway
• $$$ (not a big deal to fans, but a big deal to the front office who paid that $$$)
• Speed: likely the second fastest player on the Red Sox
• The "revenge" factor: Lugo has a lot to prove

If the Sox had to choose today, the answer would be Lowrie. No doubt about it. But what if the Sox declared the position open to the best player come Spring Training?

I think it would be great for the Sox, Lowrie and Lugo if Terry Francona says in February: "Both of these guys have a lot to offer, so we're going to let Spring Training decide the winner." Lowrie might feel a little slighted if this were to happen, but he's still just a rookie working for a spot against a big money veteran.

Is there a downside to this? If Lugo is under the idea he can win the job back, he's going to go full tilt in Spring Training and no one is going to complain about that. If his numbers are great, Lowrie's are great then the Sox have a hard decision to make but a good decision to make. They could start Lugo and have Lowrie be the backup infielder. Or if Lowrie wins the job, Lugo could be the super utility player or possibly traded because he proved he's still got some skills if Spring Training goes well.

The best part is that the Sox are in a win-win situation. Unless both get hurt, the Red Sox should be all set heading into 2009 at the shortstop position.

Dear Miami Dolphins,

I want to personally thank you for your performance on Sunday. Thank you for representing the toughest division in football by getting absolutely embarassed by the Baltimore Ravens. You deserve it.

Does anyone else feel the Pats could have beat the Ravens on Sunday? Matt Cassel wouldn't have made those mistakes like Chad Pennington did. Bill Belichick would have created a gameplan to shut down the Ravens offense and rookie quarterback. Instead, the 11-5 Patriots are back in New England and saw the Dolphins -- who snuck in to the playoffs -- get romped.

Don't get me wrong, though. The Ravens are a very good team. I am actually rooting for them for the Super Bowl, I just feel the Pats could have beat the Ravens or at least made it a real game. The Dolphins were just flat out ugly. It's a shame the AFC East was represented this way.

It's easy to complain in hindsight, but to tell you the truth I was never impressed with the Dolphins. And, to be truthful, the Patriots weren't really impressive until the second half of the season. The Dolphins made it, the Pats didn't, we'll live and move on in 2009 where hopefully the Patriots will go back to the place they deserved to be this season.

Go Pats! (And Sox!)

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B-R.com box score | OTM coverage |

I don't care what you call him, but here's some suggestions for JD Drew nicknames:

1. Not "Nancy"
2. "Clutch"

In Drew's two seasons as a Red Sox, the moments I remember of him always seem to be crucial home runs. His last came in game two of the ALDS against the Angels. You remember the game? Of course you do.

It started off great. The Sox exploded for four runs in the first inning. Couple that with the Sox's 4-1 victory in game one, it seemed like the Sox would soar to the ALCS. The Sox went to the ALCS, but it wasn't that easy.

After going up 5-1 after 4.5 innings, the wheels came off. Starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima and Justin Masterson all gave up runs to make it all tied at 5-5 heading into the top of the ninth.

The ship had proverabially lost all the wind in its sails.

It didn't look good for the Sox but they forgot about their ace in the hole: Mr. Clutch. With Francisco Rodriguez on the mound, the Sox had their work cut out for themselves. David Ortiz got it all started with a double to right field, promptly followed by a groundout to the shortstop by Kevin Youkilis to keep pinch-runner Coco Crisp at second. Drew just need a single to knock in Crisp, but he kicked it up a notch with a home run to deep center field. Sox win, 7-5.

Here are my thoughts after the game ended (and three great photos):

They could have just quit -- that would have been easy. They could have walked to the plate, looked at one of the best closers in the game today standing on the mound and already say the game was over. But they didn't. That's why this team is great. No matter what the circumstances, they know they can win any ballgame.

Compare this to the Angels after Drew's home run. They all looked dead in the dugout. With two outs, Howie Kendrick walked to the plate and didn't even look like he wanted to waste the energy swinging. Vladimir Guerrero sat on the bench wondering how much longer it'd be until he could wrap his knees in ice.

That isn't the Sox. The Sox wanted to win this game.

The game also included a great catch by Youkilis in the ninth where he had to lunge over the photographers' well on the third base side. Jonathan Papelbon pitched the final two innings to earn the win.

This game also catapulted extreme love between Over The Monster and the Angels blog, Halos Heaven. Every year, the love just continues to grow...