SRYD's NOTEBOOK

July 13, 2000

Well, it is the beginning of the second half of the season so I figured that it was time for some more thoughts. The Sox managed to get within the 2.5 games back that I was hoping for in my last notebook so, things are looking up to me at least. I could not think of a specific topic to address, so I will present some random thoughts that I presently have. A quick look at the schedule shows that the Sox have a reasonably difficult schedule for the next 21 games. The Sox do have 12 of the next 14 at home, facing New York Mets, Montreal, Chicago, and Minnesota with 2 in Baltimore. The Sox really need to get off to a good second half start and improve upon the sad 20-19 home record. After these 14 games, the Sox have a 7 game jaunt to Oakland and Seattle. The Schedule appears much easier for August as the Sox play some weaker teams for the rest of the month (relatively speaking) with an equal number of home and road games vs. Tampa, KC, Anaheim, and Texas. September shapes up to be a tough month for the Sox, especially with 3 double headers and the Sox need to be in a good position by August 31.

Starting Rotation: The Sox open the 2nd half with a rotation of Pedro, Schourek, Ramon, Wakefield, and Fassero. The Sox need Pedro to return to form, Wakefield to keep it up and Ramon to be much more consistent here in the 2nd half. Schourek and Fassero need to show something more in their next 2 starts or a trip to the bullpen or a release (Schourek) will have to be considered. Crawford pitched well in his 2 starts and can step in. Hopefully, Saberhagen can come back in 3 or 4 weeks (Not counting on it though). Rose could also get another look as could Ohka, but I think it would be more likely to see one of those guys move to the bullpen possibly.

Bullpen: Presently the Sox have 4 solid guys in the pen in Pichardo, Cormier, Garces, and Lowe. Unfortunately, with starters only lasting 5 to 6 innings, that has thrust Wasdin and Florie into fairly important roles and neither of them bestows any confidence in me whatsoever. I really do not understand why Duquette gave both of these guys 2 year deals in the off season (Wasdin, 600,000 and 950,000, Florie inexplicably makes 1.35 and 1.45 million). Rod Beck is again on the DL and as much as I like the guy's heart, this could spell the end for his Red Sox career. Sang Lee, meanwhile, sits in AAA making a lot of money in the next 2 years, despite the obvious need for another lefty in the pen. Rojas could get a look at some point as well, but in my personal opinion, I would rather see Rose here, essentially replacing Wasdin, and Sang Lee as a replacement for Florie who has had only 1 good outing since his return. It seems likely that Rose will not return until September and that also seems to be a likely scenario with Rojas as well. In the meantime, please get Lee here instead of Florie.

Position Players: Lewis, Nixon, and Stanley are currently on the DL with these guys occupying the final spots (Frye, Alexander, Burkhart, Gilkey, Sprague, Stenson, and Alcantara). I still do not understand why Stenson is currently here as he clearly is not ready yet, and Alcantara has shown little heart and a terrible glove. They will be the first two to go. I really do not know what the Sox plan for Mike Stanley at all. He has had a tough year and won't be back next season, but it would be a real shame to see him get released. Burkhart has looked good for his first 14 games and looks like he will stay. Sprague will stay through the end of the year, especially after trading for him. It will be interesting to see how this pans out but it would appear that a decision will have to occur by the end of the month.

Dan Duquette: He has made some good moves and some low risk gambles in acquiring Ramon, Everett, Pichardo, Fassero, Gilkey, and Schourek, but he has also made some real dumb moves this year including,

1. The whole threat to void Val's contract was a total disgrace.
2. Still plugging for Izzy despite his obvious lack of heart and awful Outfield play.
3. Waiting too long to make a move with Veras and finally making a trade for some 3B help.

Dan Duquette has shown an ability to acquire some decent help at the trading deadline in the past and I hope that this season is no exception. If some of the guys having disappointing first halves can pick it up though, a trade may be unnecessary (O'Leary, Offerman, Varitek, Stanley, Ramon, Anyone at third). Also, the healthy return of Nixon and possibly Saberhagen could be a tremendous boost.

Jimy Williams: He has done nearly everything possible to help shake up the offensive doldrums and recent pitching woes. Some better play from some of his hitters and pitchers would certainly help to stabilize the line-up. O'Leary and Offerman have shown signs of life, Daubach is swinging a good bat this month, and Hatteberg has helped fill in for a hurting Varitek. Duquette should give him some more say on personnel and let him dump guys occupying space (Izzy and Florie) regardless of the ramifications. It really is sad that Izzy, in particular, is still here. I give Jimy credit for refusing to use the stiff. Jimy's wise decisions to rest Everett and Nomar and disable O'Leary, Offerman, and Pedro could really pay off over the second half.

Yankee Acquisitions: On paper, the trades for Justice and Neagle seem to help the Yankees but they could really backfire in the long run. It is quite clear that Boston does not have the resources to compete with NY financially. The Sox do have a significant payroll and are acquiring some good help, but watching NY's payroll climb over 100 million has really shown the disparity. I will enjoy watching these moves backfire for the Yankees (mark my words!!).

Enough rambling from me. I look forward to a good second half. Boston played their best in the second half last year and posted a 45-29 second half record. Let's hope that they can do the same thing this season. Last year Boston was 4 back of NY in the division and 3 up for the Wildcard at the break. This year, the Sox are 2.5 back in the division and 4 back for the Wildcard. There are still 78 games to go so keep the faith!

SRYD out.
SoxRuleYanksDrool@go.com