Daily Archives: December 13, 2004

The Boston Herald is reporting that Pedro Martinez has accepted a four-year contract to pitch for the New York Mets:

According to sources, Red Sox officials were awaiting official word this afternoon that Martinez had accepted the offer to New York.
The three-time Cy Young winner reportedly agreed to terms on a four-year deal with the Mets worth $56 million, or $14 million a year. That deal is a year longer and approximately $500,000 more a year than the Red Sox were willing to spend in order to retain Martinez, according to a baseball source.

Dag. If this is in fact true, props to the Mets for stepping up and bagging their man.

Book Excerpt

So how could I run a series of excerpts by Stout and Johnson without touching on their seminal work, Red Sox Century? Well, I couldn’t leave it out. The question was, “What part did I think would work best for Bronx Banter?” After giving the matter serious consideration, Glenn and I selected the chapter on the Impossible Dream team of 1967. It just so happens to be one of the longer chapters in the book, much longer than the Dodger and Yankee excerpts which appeared here last week. But it was just too good to leave alone. After all, 67 was the Summer of Love. Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate were released that year, as was Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Oh, and the American League had one of the most thrilling pennant races of all-time. There is no hidden meaning behind choosing such a long section for the Bostons, but I figured that Sox fans deserve to read about a winning year–even if the team did ultimatley lose the World Series to the Cards–after how things ended up for them in 2004. So here goes…enjoy. And if you are looking for a last-minute holiday gift, please consider Red Sox Century, Yankees Century, and The Dodgers: 120 Years of Dodgers Baseball. They are all welcome additions to any baseball fan’s library.

1967

(Part 1 of 4)

by Glenn Stout and Richard A. Johnson

Dick Williams didnít mess around. “This club has become a cruise ship overrun with captains and players thinking they are captain. The cruise is over and you don’t need a captain anymore,” he told the players. “You have a new boss now–Me. Eliminating the club captaincy is my way of letting you know that things will be done one way…My way.” This was how spring training before the 1967 season began.

Dick Williams stripped Sox captain Carl Yastrzemski of his title and assumed total command. And the Red Sox became a different team.

Although most would later view the rebirth of the Red Sox in 1967 as some kind of miracle, the renaissance of the franchise was more the product of a peculiar set of circumstances that landed the team in the hands of the right man at the right time. The end result was perhaps the most exciting Red Sox season in history, one that started slowly then built before finally exploding like a roman candle that bathed Sox fans in a lasting glow.

(more…)

The Yankees haven’t officially signed anyone yet, but they are close to inking Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright. In addition, according to articles in the Post and the Daily News, the Diamondbacks are prepared to re-open the Randy Johnson talks with the Bombers.

Meanwhile, the Boston Globe reports that Pedro Martinez could make a desicion about his future as early as today. The Mets have yet to wow him with an offer so I don’t see why he wouldn’t return to the Hub.

Finally, here’s Jay Jaffe’s second report from Anahiem. Great stuff as always.