Belichick Signs His First Free Agent of the Offseason: Justin Turner
In the normal course of business, I leave the MLB blogs generally and the Red Sox ones in particular to others. Not because I think I'm not capable. Just because it's best when everyone skates their lane.
But also, because I and every Masshole I talk to is absolutely mystified by what Sox ownership has been doing the last couple of years. John Henry is cutting payroll like he's dumping fuel out of a plane that's about to crash. Which is a pretty apt metaphor for his franchise. He's got some loyalists in the Boston media who defend his need to get below the tax threshold, while ignoring facts like him having plenty of resources to buy up teams in every other professional sport on two continents and the rest of us don't give a Tuppenny fuck how profit he turns. We just want this team to quit bleeding Mookie Bettses and Xander Bogaertses. It's like Henry is actively trying to make us hate his team, like an infinitely less sexy Rachel Phelps.
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This concludes the Red Sox analysis portion of this blog. Here's the part where Justin Turner says he signed with Boston because Bill Belichick told him he should:
A two-time All Star. NLCS co-MVP. And a World Series champion three seasons ago. And Belichick lands him like recruiting like sitting around the living room of some high school All-American getting him to sign a letter of intent. All because he wants to do a solid for his work friend, Alex Cora.
Were it any other man in charge of another major operation in a state of major flux, I'd call this unbelievable. But with this builder of empires, it's just another day ending in Y.
Belichick is just one of those people who seem to have 30 hour days to everyone else's 24. And he spends every minute of those six extra hours accomplishing things. Currently he's doing a major reassessment of his entire operation, top to bottom. Presumably hunting for a real offensive coordinator:
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Getting ready to coach the East-West Shrine game:
… thus getting inside information on the players others won't. And still he's finding the time to improve the baseball team his buddy manages.
It's sincerely one of the best things about the New England sports scene in the 21st century, how the coaches and players interact, go to each other's games and genuinely enjoy one another's success. I mean, it can't hold a flickering candle to the fun of winning 12 championships over that time. But it's still a pretty cool dynamic. Proof these guys are part of the culture around here.
I'll exclude Henry from this, as the failing newspaper he owns takes every unwarranted dig at the Patriots they possibly can. From the championship season of 2018:
So I don't expect Belichick's mitzvah to be returned any time soon. Not by Sox ownership anyway. But no doubt Cora appreciates it. Now maybe he can help GM Bill sign some offensive line help and a receiver or two.