Bos-Wash Corridor

Papelbon's Future

Adam Kilgore of The Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox are prepared to lean on Jonathan Papelbon the rest of the way. The story says that Paps is rested, having been handled to ensure maximum strength for the remaining month-plus of the season, and then what will hopefully be a 3-4 week run in October. That’s the short-term picture. The bigger picture is that the Sox will likely have to lean on Papelbon hard in contract negotiations, as the prospect of him staying in Fenway when he becomes eligible for free agency is in doubt.

Paps has said he’s going to the highest bidder when his time comes. Theo Epstein never overpays a player, and the reality is that closers are a very poor investment when it comes to long-term contracts. Ask the Blue Jays how well the $42 million they threw at B.J. Ryan worked out. And the Mets opened the vault for Billy Wagner, who’s now in a Sox uniform as a setup guy. Bullpen work is volatile by nature and not the sort of stable investment Theo will want to make when it comes to big money. Not only do closers tend to blaze and fade, but they also seem to develop out of nowhere. Papelbon himself is a prime example, as he seemed to just burst on the scene as the replacement to Keith Foulke in 2006.

On the other side of the coin, someone will almost surely offer Papelbon whatever money he’s looking for. Some team will always be desperate and given his extraordinary stuff and his youth, the bidders will be there. Hence, the increased interest in the development of Daniel Bard. The flamethrowing rookie has been getting increasing amounts of action in truly consequential spots—more so than Manny Delcarmen as of late, and the inevitable speculation is that Bard is being prepared to assume the closers’ role. Most likely this would take place upon any Papelbon free agent departure, but if he (Bard) comes along quicker, there’s the longshot possibility that Paps could become trade bait.

Papelbon is a popular player and a favorite with me too, so it’s not a pleasant subject to think about. But it gets worse with this sobering thought—about the time he’s set for free agency, Mariano Rivera should be ready to retire. And if money is the consideration that Paps is looking at, what’s to stop him from spending the prime of his career in Pinstripes?

*************

Evaluation of the Redskin roster continues today with the secondary. The tragic death of Sean Taylor has taken its toll on this unit. It’s still a unit I like, but it lacks the big-play capability Taylor brought. On the corners we have Carlos Rogers and DeAngelo Hall. Rogers is a good cover guy, but his propensity to drop interceptions keeps him from being truly great. A knee injury has also held him back. Hall is reasonably decent on the other side. At safety I love LaRon Landry playing centerfield. Although here we have a classic case of a player who was better at strong safety, when Taylor was there to roam the middle. Strong safety is shared by Chris Horton and Reed Doughty and needs improvement.

As we do brief look-ins on the rest of the world outside Washington and the NFC East, I’ve only got two column spots to get through the AFC. Rather than try and cover half the league each day, I’m going to take today and zero in on the top two teams—the Steelers & Patriots. One team is the defending champ. The other carries with the aura of “team to beat” by virtue of Tom Brady’s return. Both organizations are impeccably run. And the rest of the AFC will be chasing both of them.

The Steelers have the reputation of being a team that relies on defense and the running game, but that’s only half-true. The defense is the best in the league, led by linebacker James Farrior. But the running attack was actually the worst of any previous Steeler playoff team, though it still cleared 100 ypg. The offense is mostly reliant on Ben Roethlisberger throwing to Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward.

New England showed how complete a team they really were last season, winning 11 games without Brady. Only a tough break on tiebreakers kept them from the postseason, as they tied both the Dolphins for the AFC East and the Ravens for the last wild-card. With the MVP quarterback back, the offense should be a machine. The concern has to be the defense getting a little long in the tooth, and the secondary, which has suffered attrition through free agency. The offense and Belichick’s coaching are enough to put them back in the playoffs and Super Bowl contention, but they need fresh legs on defense to step up if they are to hoist another trophy.

A Sox Fan Looks At Jeter

Jim Rice raised quite a hullabaloo this past weekend when the Yankees were in town. The newly-minted Hall of Famer said that players today were not as good as role models as those who played in his day. There’s really nothing earth-shattering about that. But Rice went on to name names, and lumped Derek Jeter into a class with Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez. While the lumping was vague, it’s impossible to put any player in a class with Manny & A-Rod and not invite the accusation of making veiled steroid threats. Jeter was not happy, the press was appalled and Rice rightfully backed down. As much as any Red Sox fan—or any baseball fan west of the Hudson for that matter—might get annoyed at the insufferable media hype surrounding Jeter, there’s not a whiff of evidence—circumstantial or actual—that suggests he’s juiced. If anything, Jeter comes across to me as a classic overachiever. He doesn’t look like someone who is, by major league standards, incredibly skilled, but he gets the most out of his talent. Which leads me to this question—exactly how good is Derek Jeter?

It’s a very tough question to gauge accurately. Among Yankee fans, Jeter is synonymous with the high point of the Torre years, the four World Series titles from 1996-2000. In a conversation about the shortstop with a Yankee fan friend, the immediate defense of Jeter was “he’s got the rings.” Try to broach the subject that Jeter had the rings when New York starting pitching was the envy of baseball and the economic imbalance among clubs at its most severe, and expect it to be dismissed as the rantings of a Red Sox partisan. Fair enough. Maybe a Sox fan isn’t the most reliable person to assess the place in history of the Yankee shortstop. Although we’re not necessarily more biased then our New York counterparts. But here’s my general view:

Derek Jeter is a good hitter, and also a good clutch performer, even if the New York media has hyped this latter fact beyond recognition. Combine that with the longevity of his career and the consistency of his performance, and he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. But over the course of his career, his defense has been consistently below average. Using the “zone rating” category (you can look it up on ESPN.com) that measures range, Jeter has typically been near the bottom of the pack, and at a position where range is a vital factor. Because Jeter hustles, he makes a lot of signature plays for Sports Center. But they are often plays that a more naturally gifted defensive shortstop would make with a little more ease. I give him great credit for making the most of his skills, but because of his historically below-average defensive play, I can’t say he’s the best shortstop in the game. He’s really not even the best SS on his own team, that honor belonging to Alex Rodriguez. When we stand back at look at the whole package though, that’s the only blot of what is otherwise a Hall of Fame career.

The fact that this opinion—that a guy’s a Hall of Famer who hustles and makes the most of his athletic skill—can be considered negative enough to dismiss as partisan bias, shows how out-of-control the New York media machine really is. I tend to think of Jeter’s performance at shortstop like Al Pacino’s portrayal of Michael Corleone in The Godfather. It was excellent, but really can’t live up to all the hype.

This year’s been different for Jeter. For reasons we really don’t know, his defense has improved immeasurably. Perhaps Joe Girardi is better at positioning defenders than Torre was. Maybe the coaching staff has found something in Jeter’s technique. Whatever the case, he’s near the top of the American League in zone rating for shortstops these days and is having a stellar offensive campaign. It’s perhaps the most complete season of his career, and while I think either Youkilis or Joe Mauer are more MVP-worthy, I wouldn’t throw up if Jeter won the award this year. His career and 2009 season deserve a lot of respect. But just as Pacino’s performance in The Godfather was eclipsed by Marlon Brando, so too has Jeter been eclipsed over the years in value to the Yanks by Mariano Rivera. Let “The Captain's" idolaters in the Big Apple keep a little bit of perspective.

**************

The analysis of the Redskins continues with the linebacking corps. The depth chart says the starters will be first-round draft pick Brian Orapko, veteran London Fletcher and Rocky McIntosh. It’s not an overwhelming trio, but it doesn’t have to be. Greg Blache will rely on them to simply make the tackles they are supposed to make. That’s a task the 34-year old Fletcher can still handle in the middle, as long as he can stay healthy. McIntosh has developed into a pretty good player on the outside. A second-round pick out of Miami, he’s precisely what we need out of our drafts. A relatively low-cost pick who becomes a reliable starter. Orapko is the higher-cost draft choice, and the most intriguing of the three. He played defensive end in college and may have to be used in rushing the passer more, particularly since Albert Haynesworth is the only one on the front four likely to get pressure. I’m confident in his ability to do that, but our ability to defend the run effectively may well depend on Orapko’s development in this area. Overall, as I said, it’s not a dazzling group, but it’s a stable one and I like this area of our team.

Divisional look-ins focus on the NFC West today. This is the division of new coaches. Steve Spagnuolo has left the Giant staff to become the new head man in St. Louis. Jim Mora Jr. has succeeded Mike Holmgren in Seattle. Out in San Francisco, Mike Singletary starts his first full year on the Bay. Unbelievable as it is, Arizona’s Ken Wisenhunt is the dean in this division. In a league that’s marked by surprises, the West has some possibilities. The 49ers are a trendy pick as the next big dark horse to make a move. Singletary led them to wins in four of their last five games a year ago, including beating the ‘Skins 27-24 in the season finale. The Rams made a major investment in improving their offensive line, and if Spagnuolo can work some magic on the defense and Marc Bulger can re-find Pro Bowl form, St. Louis could surprise. Seattle’s own offensive front was riddled with injuries a year ago and good health here can lead to the kind of consistency necessary to get back to 9-plus wins. It’s a wide-open division. Wisenhunt, to his credit, didn’t treat Arizona like a defending conference champion. A complete revamping of the defensive coaching staff suggests he saw his team for what it was--a very mediocre squad that won just nine games in an awful division and then caught lightning in a bottle when they avoided having to go to New York for the NFC Championship Game.

Teixeira For MVP?#%!?

I’ve been an avid sports fan every year of my life that I can remember, going back to at least 1977 (at age seven) and even a little bit before that. I can remember the basics of the MVP race in baseball every year since 1979. And having witnessed countless absurdities in this voting, nothing should surprise anymore. But I am utterly astounded at the notion that Mark Teixeira is the favorite for the American League award this year. You can dismiss it all you want as anti-Yankee bias. You can say it’s another case of a Red Sox fan feeling jilted at the altar because he didn’t sign with us. You can say any number of things and maybe they even have a certain amount of truth to them, but you still cannot make any credible case for the Yankee first baseman as the 2009 American League MVP.

Let’s start with his own team. Teixeira is not the MVP of the Yankees. How can you possibly make that case when the obvious demarcation point in his season was the return of Alex Rodriguez? Lest anyone forget, Teixeira was in the tank at the start of the year and he suddenly found his stroke when A-Rod returned and slotted into the lineup right behind him. And what about Derek Jeter? The shortstop is finally playing defense at an All-Star level and having one of the best offensive years of his career. Or Mariano Rivera? Even allowing the improved performance of the New York bullpen overall, something this writer was harping on well before the Yankee surge made it apparent to all, the setup crew is still not a strength and Rivera remains the anchor that can always be trusted.

And if we focus on the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry in particular, how can you choose Teixeira over Youkilis? Youk plays two different positions, has production that matches his rival and he, along with Jason Bay, carried the Boston offense when Ortiz was completely lost back in April and May. If the Red Sox make the playoffs, I am hopeful this is something that won’t be lost on the sportswriters who vote.

But ultimately, any MVP conversation just has to go to Minneapolis. Media coverage aside, there are other athletes there besides Brett Favre. And Twins catcher Joe Mauer is having a season for the ages. His offensive production matches or exceeds that of every contender. He plays the most demanding position on the field. Because writers have a bias against teams that don’t make postseason play, that will probably exclude him from consideration, but considering his achievements that would be a huge display of ignorance, even by the standards that have marked the voting for this award for far too long.

However it plays out, there is no case for Teixeira. His numbers are good and he plays good defense. But a line of .384 OBP and .559 slugging, while impressive, isn’t eye-popping, especially when you put it against Mauer’s stunning .448/.641 production or even Youk’s .419 OBP and .551 slugging. And that’s before you adjust for park effects and that short rightfield porch the Yankee first baseman has. Someone else deserves MVP and that someone should be—as of this writing—Joe Mauer or Kevin Youkilis.

*****************

The Bos-Wash Corridor continues its position-by-position review of the Redskins with an examination of the defensive line. After a few straight posts of being mostly negative, I’m glad to get to a spot that brightens my mood a little bit. The ‘Skins made one of the big splashes on the free-agent market when we inked Albert Haynesworth at tackle and he brings instant credibility to a unit that’s been less than dominant since 2005. The rest of the line is a little long in the tooth, and I don’t know how much of a pass rush we should expect from Phillip Daniels anymore. But with Haynesworth in the house, the rest of the line simply needs to be functionable rather than be playmakers and Daniels, Cornelius Griffin and Andre Carter can do that. One question will be how much pressure defensive coordinator Greg Blache chooses to bring with the linebackers and that will be the group that we look at on Wednesday.

Divisional look-ins continue with the NFC South, which I think is one of the most intriguing divisions in the league. It could be mediocre. Or it could produce two or three Super Bowl-caliber teams. Any of three teams are a legitimate bet to finish first. The one team that’s not is Tampa Bay. The Bucs fired Jon Gruden, despite having posted three winning seasons and two division crowns over the last four years, on top of the 2002 Super Bowl win. And the roster itself is in considerable flux. Carolina is well-coached and strong on both lines, but you have to wonder about their mental state after that playoff meltdown against Arizona. New Orleans is explosive, but can they gun their way to first place, or is Drew Brees the latest version of Dan Marino—a Hall of Fame quarterback with no defensive help? And Atlanta was the league surprise a year ago, but the NFL has a way of being very fickle and expectations might be higher than the Falcons are ready to meet. I’ll be doing my official NFL predictions on Wednesday, September 9, the day before the regular season starts and picking this one isn’t going to be easy.

Feet Of Clay No Longer

I’m feeling pretty good right now about the Red Sox’ chances at getting what has to be the goal of the season right now—another shot at the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. The hurdles in our way are the Rangers & Rays in the playoff race, and then presumably the Angels would await any AL East wild-card qualifier in the Division Series. Boston matches up very well with any of these three teams—although our recent 1-7 record in road games at Texas and Tampa would argue otherwise. But one reason why I think our prospects over these next several weeks is still bright would be the performance of the man taking the mound tonight, Clay Bucholz.

I was sitting in the park at Camden Yard for Bucholz’ August 2 outing against the Orioles. Staked to a 7-zip lead he was unable to get through the fifth inning in a bizarre 18-10 win. That made Bucholz just one of two reasons (John Smoltz being the other) I felt that even though the standings showed us tied in the loss column with the Yanks, that the wild-card was going to be our best path to October.

While the Rangers have briefly nudged ahead and then fallen back to even in the playoff race entering tonight’s games, Clay has found his form. He pitched very well in Yankee Stadium in the third game of that rough weekend, going six innings and giving up only two runs to a tough lineup in a hitters’ park. He came back in the finale against the Tigers last Thursday and tossed seven brilliant frames, surrendering only one run. When you consider we only need him to slot in behind Beckett, Lester and a healthy Wakefield for the stretch run, those outings are a big reason for optimism.

Bucholz didn’t get the win in either start, as the offense was shut out on both occasions. Things might not be much different tonight. Roy Halladay will take the ball for Toronto and it will take a superlative effort to get the Red Sox a win. But if the kid even pitches half as well as his last two starts, it will be a big boost in the arm as we launch what will hopefully be a push into the playoffs and into the LCS for another grudge match.

On a side note, the early returns from St. Louis suggest that Julio Lugo is going in the books as another case of a good player who just wasn’t cut out for Beantown. Lugo has played 21 games for Tony LaRussa’s NL-Central leading Cardinals and gotten 67 plate appearances. He’s got an eye-popping .392 on-base percentage and a gap-slashing .567 slugging. No one can say Francona and Theo didn’t give him every chance to hack it in Fenway, so when you see this kind of turnaround—something’s that’s more consonant with his offensive output pre-Boston—you have to assume he just wasn’t meant to play baseball in the pressure-packed NFL-type environment at the Fens.

*******************

In the continuing NFL previews where I look at one portion of the Redskins, along with another team or division, I really did intend to look at the NFC North today, so this isn’t just the latest case of the media rushing to the Brett Favre story. But put me strongly in Favre’s corner as he embarks on his return with the Vikings. I’m typing this column from my mom’s house in Wisconsin, where the cursing of Favre is running strongly. I still like the Mississippi gunslinger. He’s as indecisive as a woman in menopause (my wife’s analogy, not mine), but that doesn’t make you a bad guy. If the ‘Skins can’t make the Super Bowl, I hope the Vikes do. Believe me, there’s enough native Wisconsinite still in my blood that I never thought I’d write those words.

Minnesota’s got a good shot and might even be the favorite now, with Favre joining a good defense and Adrian Peterson leading up the running game. But don’t underestimate Brett’s old team. Green Bay still moved the ball last year, as Mike McCarthy showed he knew how to design an offense. And with Dom Capers as the new defensive coordinator, look for big improvement on that side. Chicago made all the offseason noise with Jay Cutler, but the defense is aging . I respect Lovie Smith more than any coach in this division, but his talent will keep him third behind his two rivals. Detroit is…well, Detroit. But the Pack and Vikes could play each other three times this year—can you imagine a possible NFC Championship Game between the two after everything’s that gone down? Yankees-Red Sox would look tame by comparison.

One unit that’s looked all too tame in recent years is the Redskin offensive line. The days of the Hogs are light-years in the rearview mirror and nothing has frustrated me more than management’s lack of initiative to seek out aggressive drive-blocking offensive lineman. I realize they aren’t just sitting out there waiting to be snapped up, but some creative drafting and good scouting of the free agent market could prevent us from just trotting out the same guys year after year and getting the same mediocrity. I see us as weak at both guards, with Randy Thomas and Derrick Dockery, weak at right tackle with Stephon Heyer and above average at center (Casey Rabach) and left tackle (Chris Samuels). That’s three-fifths weakness and no spot that is truly outstanding. It looks like another year of third-and-two being a passing down and that means throwing to Chris Cooley will continue to be our short-yardage option.

The Eyes of Texas

The headlines are negative this morning, as "Rangers take AL wild-card lead" is one of the lead stories on all the national sites. Rightly so, as Texas' continued surprising play and overtaking one of MLB's financial heavyweights midway through August is a major story. But if the issue is just focusing on the Red Sox making the playoffs, I think this past week was pretty good. We came into it reeling, having lost all six games on the road trip to Tampa and New York. The fifth spot in the rotation was completely up for graps. And two strong opponents, in the Tigers and Rangers were on the docket. The possibility for the meltdown spiraling out of control was very real.

Yet Boston posted a winning record for the week, going 4-3. The new fifth starter, Junichi Tawaza, was at least competent in a win against Detroit and a loss against Texas. I'm not saying I'd want him on the mound in a game with the season on the line, but in a world where a #5 guy is necessary, he at least gives us a chance to win. The only problem was that Texas went 4-2 and slipped ahead of us. However, the Sox have five more home games than do the Rangers down the stretch. Given that both teams have big gaps in home and road performance, and the margin is razor-thin, that's a big advantage. The Red Sox did what they had to do this week and stopped the bleeding. Now they can move forward and see if they can get a little hot streak going.

The major personnel move of the week was picking up Alex Gonzalez to play shortstop. I absolutely love this move. Gonzo plays the best defense of any shortstop the Sox have had--indeed, he is arguably the rangiest one in in the major leagues. He was with the team in 2006, but cut loose for two reasons. The first being that Theo Epstein believed that in the AL East, a shortstop had to hit. While that's ideal, it's not necessary when you defend as well as this guy does. The other reason is that the Reds threw a hefty three-year contract at Gonzalez, a ridiculously overpriced deal that would have only been worth it if he could hit a lick. Boston gets him for the last two months of that bad contract, and I'm hoping we can ink him to a reasonable offer in the offseason. In the meantime, a position that has given us nothing all season now at least gives great defense. And in a race that will be decided by a fraction of an inch one way or another, that means Gonzo can be a difference-maker.

Boston heads into a Week 20 that sees us go up to Toronto and then back home for the Yanks on the weekend. A 4-2 week would be a success, setting us up for what hopefully can be a Week 21 push against the White Sox and Jays in Fenway. The Rangers open the week at home with four games against the Twins, while the Rays visit the collapsing Orioles. Our two rivals in the wild-card race play each other in Tropicana this weekend.

******************************

As long as the focus of The Bos-Wash Corridor is on the state of Texas, let's take a look at the Dallas Cowboys as the check-in on NFC East rivals continue. The Cowboys are an organization in turmoil since the departure of Bill Parcells. Discipline continues to decline under Wade Phillips as the division's most talented team underachieved its way out of the playoffs a year ago. Dallas has a strong offensive line and a good running game. Jason Witten gives them one of the best TE targets in the game. For all the criticism Tony Romo gets, can you name a quarterback outside of Brady and Peyton who is indisputably better? The team has a strong defensive front seven and can pressure the quarterback, led by DeMarcus Ware. The receivers and the secondary are problem areas, but give that 95 percent of the teams in the league have problems, they shouldn't be insurmountable. The talent, combined with Phillips' track record of leading teams in decline suggest that the 'Boys will be a tough out on any given Sunday, but will stub their toe just enough to play themselves out of Super Bowl contention.

The positional look at the Redskins continues at wide receiver. Fans who are hard-core about preseason games aren't going to be in a good mood about the offense after Thursday's 23-0 shutout against the Ravens. I'm not hard-core about these August exhibitions, although living in working in the Baltimore area, I do find Ravens fans to be phenomenally annoying and made a point of wearing my 'Skins polo shirt to work on Friday and inviting the heckling.

One can be cavalier about one preseason game, but we can't be cavalier about the lack of depth at the wideouts. How much longer can Santana Moss carry the load? I like Antwaan Randle-El, but I never liked the money Washington paid for him. We paid him like a #1 receiver, but in reality he's a #3 guy who can return punts. Pittsburgh knew it and cut him loose. It didn't stop them from just plugging Santonio Holmes in his place and winning another Super Bowl. I never liked the draft choice of Devin Thomas, who was nothing special at Michigan State. I'm a little bit more hopeful about Malcolm Kelly, but on balance, this is a group very much like the running backs--way too dependent on one star who's taken a lot of hits over the years and is in need of some help.

An Overdue Brawl

It’s about time. Kevin Youkilis charging the mound against Rick Porcello in last night’s game against the Tigers was a long-overdue effort at real retaliation by the Red Sox. Let’s review the sequence:

Boston starter Junichi Tawaza hit Miguel Cabrera on the hand in the top of the first. There were two on, one out and Cabrera was in a 1-2 hole. The ball was not blatantly inside. Cabrera was leaning a little bit and the ball barely caught him. There was simply no way this was done intentionally. If it was, it was incredibly poorly timed and not very well executed.

In the bottom of the first, Detroit starter Rick Porcello threw very obviously inside to Victor Martinez, who just got out of the way before firing a “What the ?*#” look to Porcello. There were none on base and two outs. Smart money says it was retaliation. And there’s no problem here on my end. Even though hitting Cabrera wasn’t intentional, I completely respect the view that says if you hit our star, we’re going to come back at you. As NESN analyst and former Oakland closer Dennis Eckersley pointed out, this is common practice for Tony LaRussa (his skipper back in their Oakland days) and we would further add that Tiger manager Jim Leyland is tight with LaRussa. Quite frankly, I wish the Red Sox played it this tough. If we did, we might not have the problems that ensued.

Cabrera came to bat again in the second inning. A couple of swings made it apparent his hand wasn’t right and he had to leave the game. He is reported to be day-to-day. Nothing further happened in terms of Tawaza throwing inside or hitting anyone. In the bottom of the inning, Porcello obviously threw at Youkilis and plunked him in the back. Youk charged the mound and a brawl ensued.

The Sox have put up with far too much for far too long in the beanball wars. We’ve let Joba Chamberlain use Youkilis for target practice. There’s something to be said for being cool and professional. Porcello wasn’t, and as a result Detroit gave up a game they should have won, with one of their better starters getting tossed with a 3-zip lead and the Sox quickly taking the game over against the bullpen. But at some point you have to draw a line. Youkilis drew one last night. Better late than never.

*************

Boston’s in great position in this series, having ensured at least a split with a first-place team, and playing with house money tonight when Beckett takes the mound. But when it’s time to turn on the TV set, I have to say I’m going to tune into the North Side of Chicago. Pedro Martinez makes his return to the bigs when the Phillies visit the Cubs. It’s been five years since Pedro made his last start in a Sox uniform, a Game 3 masterpiece in St. Louis during the World Series. And though Pedro had a lot of Manny-type moments during his tenure in Boston, the dominance he showed and the heart he showed should command the continued loyalty of Red Sox Nation. Just think back to one October night in 1999.

It was the fifth and deciding game of the Division Series against Cleveland. Boston had rallied from 0-2 down to force this game at Jacobs Field. Pedro wasn’t able to start because of a problem in his shoulder, and I still recall Fox studio analyst Steve Lyons saying that Pedro shouldn’t be allowed to work, in the interests of preserving his career. The game got away from both starters quickly and was 8-8 in the fourth inning. Pedro was summoned for duty. Bad shoulder or no, he turned in a history-making performance, throwing six perfect innings against a feared lineup (Thome and Manny were just a few of the luminaries the Tribe had in those days) and the Sox got a grand slam from Troy O’Leary to advance to the LCS.

Pedro’s outing that night deserves a place in Red Sox lore right up with Schilling’s bloody sock. It hasn’t taken on the same kind of legs. It wasn’t in Yankee Stadium, it didn’t lead to a World Series championship and it lacked the powerful visual imagery of the blood, but it was no less courageous. We might further add that in an age when sports heroes on all teams, including our own, keep getting tainted with steroid revelations, there’s nothing to suggest Pedro was on the juice. I can’t say I’d bet on him making a difference for the Phillies at this point in his career, but I’m pulling for him.

*****************

Football talk continues today as we look at the Redskins’ backfield. Clinton Portis remains the signature of the franchise right now. He is one of the very few difference-makers this team has. The concern is going to be whether he’ll start to slow down, and I think this concern is a real one. He carries a very heavy load and defenses are able to load up and key on him. Portis is very strong in the lower body and has greater endurance than most, but taking as many hits as does is bound to wear on anybody. And while I like Ladell Betts, he is not what we need in the backup role. The ‘Skins need someone along the lines of a Darren Sproles in San Diego, a shifty little guy who can make people miss and catch passes out of the backfield. Or the other extreme, a pounding back who can handle short-yardage situations and spare Portis the pounding in those circumstances. Betts is functionable, but has no defining skills. Filling the #2 running back spot is a vital need for this team if it is going to reach championship-level.

No NFC East rival has played at a high level for longer than the Philadelphia Eagles. They haven’t won the Super Bowl, but they’ve won and done most everything else. This decade alone has seen them play for the conference championship five times. The 1-4 record is a sore spot for Eagles fans, but considering the Redskins haven’t played in the NFC Championship Game since 1991, I’m not all that sympathetic. Andy Reid has shown he has the best operation in this division over the years.

But that operation took a huge blow, personally and professionally, this offseason when defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away from cancer. On the field, there’s instability on the offensive line. And Brian Westbrook’s durability issues in the backfield make my concerns about Portis look trivial by comparison. The receivers have been a problem in recent seasons, but DeSean Jackson had a good rookie year in ’08 and I like the draft choice of Jeremy Maclin out of Missouri. Donovan McNabb will have to carry a much bigger part of the load this year. The defense is good, but not great, and with a new coordinator there will be an adjustment period. If Reid scrapes nine or ten wins and a playoff berth out of this team, he should be given his due as a consistent winner.

Holding Onto Perspective

Perspective is not the easiest thing to hold onto if you’re a Red Sox fan right now. Four straight losses to Tampa and New York have pushed us 4 ½ games off the division lead, and the lead in the wild-card race is a precarious single game. With today’s pitching matchup of Clay Bucholz vs. C.C. Sabbathia in the Bronx, I’ve all put the losing streak at five and adjusted the margins accordingly. It will be up to Jon Lester to try and pick up the pieces of the week on Sunday night when he faces Andy Pettite in front of an ESPN audience.

The real question is this—is this particular Boston team good enough to win the AL East? With the injuries to Tim Wakefield and Dice-K, the answer is clearly no. It is simply not realistic to have three of every five starts occupied by Brad Penny, Bucholz and John Smoltz and think you’re going to compete at the World Series-caliber level it takes to survive in this division. Yes, I know Smoltz has been designated for assignment, but until one or both of the injured starters come back, it will just be replacing one problem with another. It puts too much pressure on Beckett and Lester to be great every start—and as we saw in last night’s 15-inning marathon 2-0 loss, even a great outing isn’t always enough. Even if we do somehow get out of Dodge on Sunday with the margin still at 4 ½ games—or for that matter if we somehow get it down to 2 ½, the rotation is not simply not suited to make the kind of stretch run it takes in the AL East. If we were competing in the AL/NL Central, it might be different. But we’re not.

As the Yankees have come together, it has just become very apparent that absent a game-changing injury, it’s just going to be very tough for Boston to win an eight-week race. The ten or so days until Wakefield comes back only magnify that we’re on the precipice as it is.

So what’s all this about perspective, now that I’ve just spilled three paragraphs saying essentially “Game over”? We can start with the first point, which is that the Sox still lead the wild-card race. And if we can just get into the postseason, and have the #3 spot in the rotation stabilized by the time we get there, it becomes very feasible to hope for taking revenge on the Yanks in October. Are the Red Sox’ problems so serious that we can’t hold off Tampa and Texas for a postseason berth? Based on the last week, the prognosis wouldn’t be great. But here, the fact we’re not in a hole, mean that those ten or so days until Wake gets back are more manageable. You can also add on the fact that the Rays have bullpen shortcomings equivalent to the Sox’ rotation issues, something that was magnified in Tampa’s loss last night in Seattle. Texas is hot in our heels, but has played eight more games at home than on the road. The schedule won’t be kind to the Rangers down the stretch.

In the end, we also have to see the events of August in light of the offseason leading up to this. New York was loaded for bear this season, dropping over $400 million in payroll to make sure their fickle fans didn’t suffer the agony of two straight years out of the playoffs (gasp!). Boston made its bid for Mark Texeira, but when that didn’t work out, the moves were otherwise modest, limited to taking a flyer on low-cost, low-risk veterans. Takashi Saito and Brad Penny mostly panned out, even if asking Penny to be a #3 guy is a little much. Smoltz didn’t. But those acquisitions aren’t the work of an organization banking a lot on the coming season. When you add in the difficulty of the division, it was clear that simply making the playoffs would have to be seen as a successful year, even if means going in as a wild-card and being ousted in the first round. To some Sox fans, that might seem defeatist. But teams in similar financial position as Boston—namely, the Cubs, Mets, Angels, Dodgers, Braves and White Sox—aren’t judged by “win-it-all or else”, and neither should we. Just getting to October would be a good year, and honesty requires us to admit that just doing that is going to be challenge enough in the next eight weeks.

*********************

As I pick up on football previews, as long as I’m lamenting the superiority of New York franchises, this is as good a column as any to look at the Giants. I have a hard time liking the Big Blue, if only because the same people cheering them on are the same obnoxious louts that are at Yankee Stadium. But as an organization, the Giants are more worthy of respect, with hard-nosed Tom Coughlin at the helm and the Mara family overseeing it all. They’re a tough football team on the field too, strong on both lines, especially the defensive front four. But they’ve been blessed with good luck in one regard—the entire offensive line has played injury-free for two straight years. If that run breaks, as the law of averages says it will, the powerful NYG running game will suffer. And while Eli Manning is a decent quarterback, he is very overrated. He got a Super Bowl ring primarily because the defensive line got in the face of Brett Favre and Tom Brady in the two biggest games and David Tyree then pulled a desperation pass off his face mask. I don’t see him carrying an offense if he’s not supported by the running game.

Washington’s own quarterback situation remains in perpetual discussion. I like Jason Campbell and feel he’s done as well as can be expected for a guy who hasn’t had the same offensive coordinator for two years running his entire career. I don’t think Colt Brennan has the size to really be the answer, and I certainly don’t think bringing in Michael Vick is going to solve any problems.

However, there is one strain of thought regarding any potential quarterback moves that I disagree with. It’s been floated that Campbell’s confidence will be shaken because the team tried to acquire Jay Cutler, looked into trading up to draft Mark Sanchez and finally may pursue Vick. If so, then Campbell isn’t the answer. While I like him, he has to be realistic enough to know he hasn’t yet produced at a level sufficient to warrant blind faith. And if this is going to shake his confidence, what are 70,000 screaming fans in Philadelphia or New York going to do to him? Or a double-digit deficit anywhere on the road? Those are situations he has to thrive in. With stability in the coaching staff for the first time in his career, I like his chances. But it’s not a guarantee.

Can The Rangers Hang?

What a start to Week 18 it was last night. The Sox dropped a heartbreaker to Tampa, 4-2 in 13 innings. But it was an extraordinary game, in which Boston nearly managed to steal a win on a night when they could only must a pair of solo home runs by Youk and Pedroia, and also had to scrape their way out of a bases-loaded no-outs jam in the bottom of the 11th. Ramon Ramirez pitched his way into the mess and also pitched his way out of it, temporarily delaying the reckoning for a team that didn’t hit.

It’s the start of a huge six-game run through Tampa Bay and New York this week. So what am I going to talk about? Why, the Texas Rangers of course. This race was supposed to have clarified itself by now, as simply being the three powers of the AL East racing to the finish line for two spots in the playoffs. But the Rangers have hung around, and are only 2 ½ games back of the Red Sox in the wild-card chase. We know Texas has power in terms of offensive pop, but do they have staying power as a contender over these next 8 ½ weeks? Let’s size them up according to the four key categories of power hitting, ability to get on-base, starting pitching and bullpen.

Power Hitting: Historically the hallmark of this team, playing in a hitter-friendly park, the ’09 Rangers have no problems driving the ball. Even with Josh Hamilton having a poor year, Michael Young, Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz provide the main muscle for a potent offense. And with Marlon Byrd, Hank Blalock and Andruw Jones in supporting roles, Texas is always a threat to go deep. Just as important, there’s no one that’s an obvious weak point. Kinsler is on the DL right now, but expected back by the middle of the month. He doesn’t play much D or get on base very well, so there’s plenty of power backup to cover for him.

Getting On-Base: Kinsler is symptomatic of the Texas problems. They can drive the ball, but there aren’t enough ducks on the pond to pick up. The second baseman joins Byrd and Blalock as the power hitters who are also OBP liabilities. Furthermore, catcher Jarrod Saltamacchia is a problem here. In the long haul, it’s getting on base that inoculates you during slumps and Texas is sorely lacking.

Rotation: Ron Washington has to be pleasantly surprised with the work of a quintet that’s usually a problem. Kevin Millwood is having an All-Star caliber season at the top. Scott Feldman has been excellent at #2. Tommy Hunter has been a young gun at #3. The Rangers aren’t quite as strong as Boston and New York in the top three, but they are still pretty good. And they compensate for it at the bottom. Vincente Padilla and Derek Holland aren’t anything spectacular, but they stand up nicely when compared to options like Sergio Mitre (New York) or the performance of John Smoltz and Clay Bucholz in Boston.

Bullpen: You used to be able to hope to play even-up with Texas and beat them after six. No more. C.J. Wilson and Frank Francisco can both close or set up, and while they aren’t quite on Papelbon or Rivera’s level, they are very reliable. And Darren O’Day is absolutely lights out as a lefty setup guy and has been one of the best in the American League.

The conclusion: The problems getting on base, means Texas falls short of catching the Angels or the Red Sox/Yanks runner-up for the playoffs. They also probably get passed by the Rays. But the improved pitching keeps them in the conversation well into September and gives the good folks of Dallas something to talk about other than the Cowboys after Labor Day (not they would in any case).

**********

Speaking of the Cowboys, and the NFC East, it’s time for a brief overview on the Redskins. The NFL’s opening Thursday night game is the Steelers-Titans on September 10. The opening Monday night doubleheader is the Patriots-Bills and Chargers-Raiders. In between then, the ‘Skins join the rest of the league in starting up on Sunday the 13th. We’ll be in New York to face off with the Giants.

That juicy opening game shouldn’t deceive anyone into thinking that the biggest games will be early. It’s one of only two divisional games in the first seven weeks of the schedule, leading into the bye. The other being a Monday night showdown at home with the Eagles on October 26. While it’s not as though that allows any NFL team to come out of the gate slowly, it does mean that if we can tread water and win just three or four of those first seven games, we’ll control our destiny to make a run coming out of the bye. November has big back-to-back road games in Dallas and Philly, and December features key consecutive divisional home games against the Cowboys and Giants.

Overall, I think we’ve got a decent team. Last season’s finish was disappointing, but in the grand scheme of things, consider that we went 8-8, just one game off the previous season’ s pace, in spite of breaking a new head coach and being in the first full year without Sean Taylor. At the start of the year I’d have jumped at the chance to be 8-8, but the fast start heightened our expectations.

In future columns, I’m going to start taking up individual position groups in more detail, deeper looks at NFC East rivals and a general overview of the league overall. For now, the short statement on the Redskins would be that I’m cautiously optimistic on Jason Campbell and the defensive line. I’m concerned about the offensive line and the receivers. And we need a playmaker on D to emerge. In Saturday’s commentary, we’ll start with the quarterback situation as well as a look at our Opening Day rivals in New York.

The Week That Was

Even by the standards of a Boston baseball environment that manages to generate news even when there is none, this past week was particularly busy. The Red Sox were one—if not THE—major mover at the trade deadline. Dice-K and management got into a tiff over his training. And if you didn’t hear, David Ortiz’ name is on a list of players who tested positive for steroids in 2003.

Let’s start with Big Papi, because it will take the least amount of time. Ask yourself honestly—are you really surprised? Sure, I was hoping that the big man was clean. But I’ve seen those clips of him playing in Minnesota and noted all the increased bulk. And then there was the bigger picture of the charmed life the Red Sox have lived throughout all these steroid revelations. Somehow we were being asked to believe that the team that re-wrote the record book for offensive production through a big chunk of the steroid era and was also completely clean of steroids? That Manny only amazingly started using when he left for the Dodgers? And that the man who authored the Mitchell Report just happening to be a shareholder in the team was a pleasant coincidence? Look, I love the Sox, I love everything about being a Boston Red Sox fan, but I don’t drink Kool-Aid for breakfast and this was all a little too much to swallow. Because of my regard for Ortiz, I was disappointed. But we all had to know that eventually someone was going to be found out and that it wouldn’t always be right after they’d been traded out of town. If you didn’t at least vaguely anticipate this news, you need to change your drinking habits.

I also categorically reject any suggestion that this taints the championships of 2004 & 2007. Again, yes, it is disappointing. But baseball was in the steroid era, and unless you’re ready to question the achievements of every team, one can’t be singled out. We’ve seen no evidence that suggests one franchise was a shining example or that one was singularly awful. Individual achievements can re-examined in light of these revelations, but I don’t see how you indict a whole team. Unless we re-examine everyone, and given that it’s the Yankees who’ve already taken the worst of it, and the Cardinals have taken their share of blows too, I don’t know that the Sox are going to look any worse than anyone else.

Now, on to the big trades. We picked up Victor Martinez from the Indians in exchange for Justin Masterson and a couple other low-level minor leaguers. As stated in previous posts, I was very skeptical about most trades. This one probably falls somewhere between best and worst-case scenario. The worst would have been dealing for Jarrod Washburn, the prototype example of a player who gets overrated at the deadline and overpaid for. Washburn is having a good year, but there’s no reason to think he’ll be a difference-maker for Detroit over two months. The best would have been getting Adrian Gonzalez for the Padres. A classic case of a player you try to get any time of year, will be a part of the lineup for years to come and just happens to be available now because of the politics of the trade deadline.

Martinez falls in between. He’s an impact bat and one definitely worth talking about. But I really don’t like giving up Masterson. A colleague at work, a big baseball fan, rebuked me saying “You got Martinez for a middle reliever.” True enough, but Masterson has a live arm and can either start or go in relief. With Tim Wakefield and Brad Penny aging and John Smoltz both ineffective and aging, there were no shortage of spots coming up in the Boston rotation. Dice-K will eventually be back and I know the front office is hopeful Clay Bucholz will fill one. But we could have used that extra arm. On the flip side, Masterson had a tough time going more than 5-6 innings (in fact, offhand, I’m not sure if he ever did), so if he never rises to more than a decent #3 starter, then it will probably pan out.

I’ve got mixed feelings, as you can see, and the ultimate verdict on the trade likely comes from the two unknown minor leaguers, of whom we really know nothing about. Boston also flipped Adam LaRoche to Atlanta for Casey Kotchman in a straight-up swap of first baseman, a deal I really like. Kotchman's not a star, but he's shown more production than LaRoche and done it in the American League, when he was with the Angels.

That brings us to Matsuzaka. He openly ripped Sox management, saying their training regimen is the cause of his shoulder problems. Dice-K wants to throw more between starts and do at least 135 pitches when he goes to the post, as a way of ensuring keeps up his shoulder strength. The Japanese hurler said his first two years were the result of him having “saved up” strength from previous years, but that’s gone.

Management’s response was interesting. Francona was publicly furious, and none of the players came to Dice-K’s defense. The company line was that for all the money he’s getting, he should train the way the front office wants him to. Look, any organization can fall back on that in the end, and it is true. You have to pay the cost to be the boss. But let’s consider—this isn’t a case of an employee loafing. This is a guy who wants to throw more. Who wants to work. Who wants to earn his paycheck. I find it impossible to believe that the same management that looked the other way and bit their tongue on Manny’s antics for years on end suddenly has a conniption fit because their pitcher wants to get the ball and go to work.

Let’s further consider that Dice-K is probably right. All the babying and coddling of young arms hasn’t made them any healthier. Guys get hurt at the same rate they used too—in fact, it seems more frequently. Competitiveness has suffered, as pitchers want to do their 100 pitches and get out of there. Dice-K came out and said the emperor has no clothes. He hit the nail on the head.

As the Red Sox enter a new part of the season, pushing for the playoffs, The Bos-Wash Corridor will enter a new phase of its season too. Since this blog debuted in March, the Red Sox have had almost exclusive rights on the space, save for the column on the right hand side. But as NFL training camps have started, the ‘Skins are going to be getting some love now too. It won’t be equal time, as baseball remains the top story until the season is over, but starting next week we’ll be getting ready for some football.