Andy Pettitte is retiring later today.  As a Sox fan I’m thrilled, of course, because of the huge, gaping hole it leaves in the center of the Yankee rotation.  C.C. is clutch up front, but after that things are a bit looser.  It was hoped in the Yankee’s front office that Pettitte would be there to stabilize things toward the top of the rotation.  Phil Hughes is an 18-game winner, …

With pitchers and catchers reporting in just a few weeks, it’s time to start another round of Fan Predictions. We had a nice showing in 2010, so I’m hoping we get even more people involved this year. As usual, we will award some prizes (t-shirts, books, stickers, etc.) after the season, so make sure you submit your projections for as many players as you can!

Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP
In 2008 Matsuzaka …

“Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change – such is the rhythm of living.”Bruce Barton
 In life everything changes and baseball is no different. When the 2011 season starts in just 59 days, Red Sox fans will have a few changes to adjust to. While the starting rotation will be relatively the same, the bullpen has added two new faces in Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler. Carl Crawford …

I said to my son when I sat down to write, “I don’t know what the heck to write about for tomorrow.”
His answer was the sage, “Well there isn’t squat going on!”
Truer words have not been spoken.  I perused the Globe and Heraldto see what was they were talking about.  Mazz was writing earlier in the week about the resurgent Sox reclaiming Boston as a baseball town and reminiscing about …

Keys to 2011 will detail the five things I think need to happen for the Red Sox to make and/or win the World Series this season.

Josh Beckett
I expected great things from the 2010 rotation. So much so, that I predicted they’d be the best rotation since the Braves of the 90′s.
Whoops.
Lester was great and Buchholz’ potential was finally realized… but Lackey’s 14-11, 4.40 ERA line was not inspiring, Matsuzaka was …

I, along with many others, bought Red Sox tickets today! I decided beforehand that given the fact that it will be my 30th birthday this summer I’d splurge and get Loge box seats. I got into the virtual waiting room and was in second place in line which wasn’t bad. I bought the Pre-Sale pack level of Red Sox Nation and didn’t quite know what to expect. When it was …

This past weekend the New York/Boston rivalry gathered steam.  The Sox/Yankee rivalry of the last century has finally spilled over into football.  The J-E-T-S took our Pats out to the woodshed and administered quite a beating.  In an interesting twist, the Patriots played the part of the seasoned, buttoned down veterans with a winning pedigree while the Jets played the role of ‘idiot’ upstarts.  I think they overacted the role, …

Life of a Fan
A former student of mine wrote the above pledge and I think it’s great! He hung it up on the eastern wall of the classroom so when you looked at it you’d be facing toward Boston. (A little extreme? Maybe, but I thought it was cute.) I was tempted to make the kids recite it every day along with the real pledge, but that might have been …

Life of a Fan
A former student of mine wrote the above pledge and I think it’s great! He hung it up on the eastern wall of the classroom so when you looked at it you’d be facing toward Boston. (A little extreme? Maybe, but I thought it was cute.) I was tempted to make the kids recite it every day along with the real pledge, but that might have been …

                                          
While this time of year brings a lot of anticipation for the coming year, with the Hot Stove cooled off considerably from the winter meetings it’s also a time of waiting.  For those of us that write about such things, we scramble to fill columns with something interesting and insightful for readers.  As I was trying to come up with something catchy for this week I received a phone call …

Kevin Youkilis gives us a peek at his offseason workouts at Cressey Performance and talks about new teammates Adrian Gonzalez aznd Carl Crawford.

Pedey was on the WEEI today as part of his weekly “Laser Show” segment and the Full Count blog pulled this snippit about Jacoby Ellsbury:
On the subject of Jacoby Ellsbury, who was criticized by fans in a 2010 season that was derailed by a rib injury, Pedroia said the outfielder is misunderstood and defended his quiet demeanor.
“He was hurt. Jacoby wants to win more than anybody,” Pedroia …

Fenway Park
America’s Most Beloved Ballpark
4 Yawkey Way
“A lyric little bandbox of a ball park”
Home of the Green Monster
The oldest ballpark in the major leagues
Whatever you want to call it, there is just something about the home of the Red Sox that warms the heart and sparks the imagination. Maybe it’s that peculiar shade of green, crazy wall, unique shape, or the legends that have played there. But whatever it is, …

Our good friends at the Kevin Youkilis Hits For Kids organization are hosting a really cool event on February 3rd. It’s called  Not Your Average Idol.
The event will include live performances from local and national artists, comedians, and athletes, along with food and drinks provided by some of Boston’s best.
Join us as we launch Youk’s Kids new program, Athletes for Heroes which will support the children of fallen …

Outside of my window as I write the thermometer shows that we have no temperature in St. Paul.  None.  It is 0 degrees.  The dog looked at me like I have a hole in my head when I asked her if she needs to go out.  Kandi would rather buckle up holding it than venture outside in this craziness.  And the sad thing is that it hasn’t really gotten cold …

Part of the new and improved Bottom Line are some additions to our team!
Please welcome Michele who will be writing for us from deep behind enemy lines in New York. She may live in New York, but don’t hold it against her, she’s a hardcore Sox fan like us, and besides… Western NY is practically Canada, so just be happy we saved her from becoming a Blue Jays fan.
I am …

From WEEI.com:
According to multiple reports, the Rangers are closing in on a long-term deal with free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre. Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports (via twitter) said that a six-year deal could be completed as soon as today, while Jon Morosi of FoxSports.com (via twitter) said that the deal “will effectively be for five years with a vesting option for a sixth.” Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of SI.com …

this is a test

To go along with our fancy new look, we’re bringing on two new writers to help out in 2011.
First up is Ted Grevelis. Teddy likes the horses, but he’s also a big Sox fan and we’re excited to have him joing the team. Below is Ted’s introduction. Say hello in the comments section and see if you can get Ted to explain what the heck a “Tanner” is…

It looks …

Things have been hectic here at the Bottom Line headquarters and we fell behind on the 2010 Projections results.
With 2011 just days away, I figured I would just pump out the remaining reports in one big post so we can jump into the new year with a clean slate.
Here we go…
Before the 2010 baseball season began, we asked you guys to make your predictions for the …