For those of you keeping score: Mirabelli and Edgah are gone. Millar won’t be back. Myers won’t, either. Or Mueller. We’ve still got Manny and Boomer. And now Mark Loretta and Andy Marte.
Hey, people come and people go; that’s the nature of the game [I still recall my magical “Who the f–k is Mark Bellhorn” talk with Denton many moons ago when the Bell’s signing was announced]. If I coulda grabbed every member of the 2004 team and froze ’em in carbonite for easy hanging in my rec room, I would have done so [except, of course, for Ramiro Mendoza, who just wouldn’t complement the drapes]. But I can’t, so roll on, I say.
But now, as I sit down to assess it all, I see this. And I read Magic Edes echoing the sentiment heard in our comments yesterday:
Here’s what makes it imperative for the Sox, who were already discussing the possibility yesterday, to do everything they can to make this happen: Even the dollars make sense. The Orioles owe Tejada $48 million on the six-year, $72 million contract he signed before the ’04 season. The Sox owe Ramirez $57 million.
Replace Ramirez with Tejada, and the Sox become the best team in baseball. The only thing more obvious than his talent is Tejada’s burning desire to win. Even his most ardent supporters can’t say the same about Ramirez.
My lasting image of Tejada was the seemingly crack-fueled rage in his eyes after Derek Lowe executed the now-infamous “bite my tweeter” manuever toward the Oakland bench at the close of the 2003 ALDS. But I sure wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Boston uni.
Also, how cool would it be to hear Don Orsillo say things like “What a snag by Miggy!” The answer: very.
