Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Trades! No... Really!

Here's a measure of how little is going on with the Sox: Robin and I both wrote posts about David Aardsma coming to Boston at the same time, without telling each other until after the posts went up. Comedy of errors, we know. Because we love all of our written children equally, we're proud to present both takes in one post. Enjoy.

Robin's Take:
I was sitting at a bar with DC pondering the movement of Santana to the Mets (out of the AL!) and Bedard to Seattle (out of the East!) when he informed me of something I was not aware:

DC: Did you hear the Sox made a move this week?
Robin: Oh yeah? We get a backup infielder?
DC: No no no. We got David Aardsma from the White Sox for like two nobodies! He's gonna fill the spot Gagne left on the bullpen.
Robin: Not like that's a hard job... but I don't know who this guy is.
DC: He was a MONSTER in the first part of the season. I had him on my fantasy team.
Robin: Cool. Then what?
DC: Then... well.... not so much.

I guess "not so much" means +5 ERA. Yikes. Well at least it's a move. And he did get off to a hot start. And it's not like he could be WORSE than Gagne. One thing I know for certain is that I will mispronounce this guy's name.

Whatever. It's a move. I guess someone is running this team after all. Now let's shore up the bench.


Eric's Take:
Here's how little is going on with the Sox right now: I happened to go to RedSox.com last night and the news of a trade involving David Aardsma coming to Boston actually made me stop short and read with interest. Is this what keeping a championship team together means? That I get news-happy over a trade involving a 26-year-old journeyman reliever (not a contradiction: four teams in four years screams either journeyman or clubhouse cancer, no matter how young he is) and two Class A "prospects" whose chances of breaking into the bigs seem about as likely as my getting struck by lightning twice while winning the lottery? If so, maybe we should bring back Hot Stove Winter '04/'05 style so I'd have something to obsess about besides pitchers and catchers reporting in 17 days, 1 hour, 25 minutes, and 9...8...7...6 seconds. But hey, I have Aarsdma instead. That's cool...maybe he'll be good beyond this Spring this year.

Total topic shift, but congrats to the Mets on ending the Santana Sweepstakes - having that deal-that's-not-a-deal hang around (will he go to Boston? Will he go to the Yankees? What ridiculous combination of prospects will the Twins demand?) was like storing fish in the refrigerator a couple of days too long: it was starting to smell something fierce. This way, Johan's out of the AL, and I don't have to worry about this terrible scenario. Everybody wins!