First off, I’d rather try to press my sack through the front door screen than listen to Fleetwood Mac. But I do admire band GM Mick Fleetwood’s belief that the Mac brand was bigger than the talent that helped build it. In the late 80s and early 90s, when key players like Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks jumped ship, Fleetwood continued to tour and make records with a revolving door of players, including everyone from Bekka Bramley to, presumably, the guy who cut his lawn. Sure, fans would spend the bulk of the shows scratching their heads and wondering, “Who’s this Chinese dude singing ‘Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow’?” But only after Mick the Man had pocketed their precious greenbacks.
That’s the sort of imagery that popped into my head after reading this sobering bit about the possible complexion of the 2006 team in today’s Globe. I’ve got visions of Manny and Damon and Mueller dancing in my head, but it’s very likely I’ll get to Fenway on opening day to see Papi and eight other guys I just don’t know yelling, “Hello, Boston. Are you ready to rock?”
This much seems certain:
Next spring, Millar will be working in the canned goods industry. Or playing first base for the Nationals. He won’t be here, and I’m man enough to say for all the slings and arrows I’ve tossed his way, I’ll miss the wackiness. Who’s gonna sit bare-assed on the post-game spread once El Bencho’s gone? The mind reels.
The Graffer will be gone, oepning the door for Pedroia at second. Mueller probably won’t be offered much more than a one year deal, so he may walk as well. Youkilis, however, will be large and in charge. Because we need someone with a cool nickname so we can all scream “Yooooooouuuukk” when he steps to the plate, then quietly collect our scorecards and pennants and shuffle to the exit when he pops out weakly to end the game. I’ll miss Wells quite a bit; I’d always liked the guy — even as a Yankee — but he earned mighty props after his post-suspension comments about shivving Bud Selig.
The big question marks are, obviously, Damon and Manny… both so pivotal to our offense. With Skipper Scott Boras at the helm, the Damon Negotiations could take us all over the map before slamming sidelong into an iceberg. But, crazy as I may be, I still can’t imagine a world in which Manny isn’t playing for us next year. I mean, how do you sell a potential new GM on a line-up that offers no protection for Ortiz and cuts 40 home runs off the bottom line?
As for our pitching, well… I know this guy’s available.
