Fan News

Any discerning Red Sox fan checking in with Gordon Edes' work on ESPNBoston.com was probably surprised to read that the "club is prepared to pick up" their $12.5 million option on David Ortiz.

Let’s take a look at three player’s whose stock rose yesterday, as well as three players whose stock took a hit:

Three Up:

The off-season is fast approaching, with a mere few weeks left in the regular season. Of course the playoffs is the middle-man in this all, but the off-season is right around the corner.

Teams use the off-season to rebuild the roster that they currently have. The desire to recharge the roster and hopefully add a piece or two that takes the roster from pretender to contender is there. Other teams use the off-season to rebuild the farm system by trading veteran pieces.

I guess none of us should be surprised that the Boston Red Sox hype machine/cheerleading squad out of Bristol has published yet another piece claiming that Derek Jeter is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.

That group of tools lost any sense of objectivity on the matter many, many years ago.

Chances are that if you were around, you remember the 1986 baseball season.

A season capped by an exciting World Series that was best known for being the launching pad for several successful major league careers, including those of Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux, Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, Barry Larkin, David Cone, Bo Jackson, Jamie Moyer, Steve Finley, Will Clark, and Rafael Palmeiro.

Mmm, I don't like it.

Next!

Here's the basis; Tom Verducci at SI.com writes an article suggesting a way to improve Major League Baseball's playoff format and add some revenue. He has an excellent point that recent "win or go home" games have drawn outstanding viewership and the lack of these nail biters have hurt baseball.

Jason Werth, reportedly, may have dropped his agent, Jeff Boris, and is on the hunt for a new one. In Craig Calcaterra's article he expressed some suspicions that Werth may sign with, Scott Boras.

With clients and former clients with names like Alex Rodrigez and Manny Ramirez, you probably wouldn't get an argument from most if you were to say Boras is MLB's version of Drew Rosenhaus.

Aaron Harang has not been the "ace" of the Reds starting rotation for a long time. He has still been considered a key part of the pitching staff and a valuable veteran presence in the clubhouse. However, his ineffectiveness over the last couple of seasons may have finally reached its peak yesterday against the Rockies.

Alex Rodriguez locked in on a Brian Matusz offering Monday and unleashed the instantly-recognizable swing that has always seemed too easy and too effortless, to do any real damage.

But we know better by now. Rodriguez cocked his head to follow the flight of the ball then flashed his trademark "Trust me, I'm awesome" glance into his own dugout: always his sign that he knows he got all of it.

With the 2010 season ending in a month or so, we can look toward 2011 to speculate which mangers will not be returning to their respective clubs. 

I warn you, this is speculation. Not fact.

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