El Guapo's Ghost Rambles on about the Red Sox

I was going to post about b-ball news and the extra $17 I received in my bi-weekly paycheck due to the “Jobs and Growth Tax Relief...Act”, but a more relevant to this site, timely and equally absurd concept has made news in Red Sox Nation.

``We need to win all our games, not just against the Yankees,'' said Little. ``In that series, I don't think it is as critical as winning every game'' (Silverman, Boston Herald).

The quote from Shady Chicken Little is regarding the likely possibility that Pedro Martinez, the best pitcher in baseball, will not start against the Yankees after the All-Star break. Shady is doing exactly the opposite of my recommendation yesterday. As I have mentioned before, I really do not like to question the Manager on in game and other short-term decisions - I’ll leave that to WEEI callers – because he has much more up-to-date information on players than I. I defer to the Manager in most cases but this kind of long-term decision and his rationale is illogical.

Basically, Shady believes every game is equally important. At this point in the season, every game is NOT worth the same in the standings. The games against your playoff rivals are worth two games in the standings (AL East or Wild Card). Thus, games against the Yankees, A’s, and possibly Jays and Mariners are twice as important as games against the likes of Tampa, Baltimore and Texas. Give me a break! Even the most casual fan understands this concept. I really hope Shady has a different reason for not setting up his rotation to maximize the probability of preventing runs in the most critical games.

“[It's] just like, ideally, we'd like to have Pedro pitch in every one of those series against New York, but sometimes the circumstances might prevent us from doing that" (Geosits, MLB.com)

Okay. Nice recovery, Shady. How is Theo doing? Is he sleeping better lately? I bet Theo is glad you finally read the memo about Nixon’s inability to hit southpaws.

Martinez' plans for the All-Star break apparently are factoring into the schedule, according to Little.
``I don't want him flying in from the Dominican Republic and pitching the first game,'' said Little (Silverman, Boston Herald).

Pedro’s vacation travel plans are playing a factor in determining the possibility of the Red Sox making the post-season. Are you freaking kidding me?

Shady could handle this in numerous different ways. I’ll present two options. First, Shady is the boss of the club so just tell Pedro to get his ass in Toronto on Wednesday night to start on Thursday. No questions – just do it. I do not think this is Shady’s style and pissing off Pedro is not the way to go especially when your contract is up after this season – Pedro’s is not.

Shady should ask Pedro and the other veteran team leaders, if the team would have an issue with Pedro leaving Detroit after his start on Saturday, then arriving in Toronto a day early. This would give Petey the same amount of time off in the Dominican as his original plans and it would also have him in Toronto a day early to be fully rested to start the following day. This type of travel is commonly done before a long flight: the scheduled series opening starter flies a day before the rest of the team. I would not think anyone on the team is going to have a problem with my scenario. It is a win-win.