DK's Dugout

Two weeks into a major league baseball season, a season that lasts 162 regular season games spanning the course of over six months, it is not wise to assume that what has been witnessed for the first fourteen days will continue on the rest of the way. If that were the case then the fans in Baltimore and Washington would already be gearing up for the playoffs…and that’s simply not going to happen in 2005. So obviously the upcoming 22 weeks of baseball are worth playing (and paying attention to) in Boston. But I couldn’t help but notice that some things have already become quite obvious around town.

* Games against teams other than the Yankees are simply not as fun as games against New York. This has obviously been the case for quite some time but the disparity seems greater than ever this season. Perhaps it has something to do with how fun it’s been to repeatedly rub their noses in the 2004 title that their “biggest choke in the history of sports” helped create. Perhaps it has something to do with how easy beating up the D-Rays of the world seems to be…so much so that there is almost no real satisfaction in doing it. This year the six games Boston has battled New York have all been memorable in some way…does anybody remember any of the details of the season’s second series in Toronto? There are nearly 150 games left in the regular season and only 13 of them are going to be against the Yanks. Here’s hoping the rest of the schedule starts finds a way to entertain just a bit more. At this point I’m starting to think the second best thing to beating the Yankees isn’t beating somebody else, it’s losing to the Yankees. How insane is that?

* Boston’s Dominican Dynamic Duo of Manny and Big Papi are so good that recently when I was asked if they were the best 3-4 combo in the league I said that they so obviously were (runner-up: St. Louis’ Pujols and Rolen) that a better question would be if they are the best 3-4 combo in Red Sox history. After some thought it was decided that they weren’t up in the category of Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx quite yet, but the fact that it took two of the ten greatest hitters of all-time to beat them out is certainly saying something special about these guys. Nice to know they are both signed for a few more years to come.

* The “C” on Jason Varitek’s shirt, which I thought was a nice gesture but totally ridiculous looking when it first appeared, has already grown on me. I think the Sox decided to use smaller lettering than the original “C” displayed during the press conference to announce V-Tek’s signing. Smart idea. The new letter is not gaudy and, at least on V-Tek, seems to fit perfectly. I was waiting for the season to start so I could write an article about how horrible it looked, but already I’m sold.

* Doug Mirabelli is not just the best backup catcher in baseball; he is the best backup catcher in the history of the Sox. I would imagine I’d be hard-pressed to find anyone outside of Bob Montgomery and John Marzano who may disagree.

* I believe this is going to be Johnny Damon’s last season in Boston, so all of you Damon Disciples better show your appreciation each and every time you have a chance (and all of those who have grown tired and/or disgusted with him of late will not have to see him much longer). Johnny D as a member of the Yankees in 2006? That would be my best guess. Not saying it’s what I’m rooting for obviously, just what I expect to see.

* Since I’m not a coach, a player or part of Sox management I am allowed to get ahead of myself. Accepting that, I had a debate with some friends this past weekend about what the Red Sox would use as a playoff rotation if everyone were healthy in October. My opinion: Schilling is the obvious #1. Wade Miller (once again “if healthy” is key) has the second best stuff on the team and could be a legitimate #2 by season’s end. Wakefield seems to be the most reliable of all the starters and would need to be in the rotation somewhere, likely as the #4. Bronson Arroyo has been called the “best suited” for bullpen duty by Tito, so let’s assume he’s out of the rotation. So which of the off-season acquisitions, Matt Clement or David Wells, would be left out? That will be obviously be dictated by the performance (and health) of everyone between now and then, but I’m already thinking that there could be some major fireworks if Wells is told he wont be starting, or perhaps pitching at all, come playoff time…. though I guess I should probably wait to worry about that for another five months or so.

* I know it’s early, and no game has been decided by anything he’s done one way or another yet, but I feel the need to throw a compliment to…. Dale Sveum (I know, I’m shocked myself). I was a little hard on the Sox third base coach last season (deservedly so may I add). So I thought it was only fair that I point out that to date he hasn’t caused my heart to stop, caused me to scream at the television or made me sit with my hands atop my head in disbelief once this season. As I said though, it’s still early. And, as my friend in Milwaukee told me last season, things are going good when you have the luxury of complaining about third base coaches.

* Edgar Renteria is the right man for the Red Sox shortstop job. It’s obvious already. When I went to a spring training game between the Cubs and Angels last month the two things I heard repeatedly (while wearing my Red Sox jersey): Cubs fans thanking me for Nomar and Angels fans wanting to know why in the world the Sox didn’t resign Orlando Cabrera. With Nomar’s all-around skills and The OC’s great attitude and rock-solid fielding I could see why I was hearing such things. But after seeing The ER, even for a short span (which included a mini-slump at the plate) it has become obvious: Renteria brings the best of both players to the park…. and then some. He is a proven winner, a good teammate, a clutch hitter, he will score and drive in lots of runs, and his fielding is superb. Considering how well he has looked while going through a mini-slump, I can’t wait to see what he is capable of once he relaxes fully and starts to play up to his potential on an everyday basis.

* Matt Mantei should come in from the bullpen every time Wakefield starts. His fastball always looks fast, but to have the opposition see Mantei’s heat after facing Wake’s knuckler makes it look like he’s throwing 130 mph. Timmy Wake already has a designated catcher, why not a designated reliever too?

* In the two games I attended last week I noticed there was a building of anti-Bellhorn sentiment in Fenway. Most made the simple argument, “he strikes out like 75% of the time”. Now in his second Boston season the expectations have apparently risen for a player signed as a bargain backup prior to 2004. But unless he does stop striking out “all the time” it’s going to get difficult for Bellhorn-supporters (like myself) to defend Mark much longer.

* Re-reading my own paragraph about the Yankees games being so much more entertaining than all the rest made me wonder: Will the September games against New York be just as entertaining if the Yanks are already eliminated from the playoff hunt?