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The Red Sox kicked off their offseason quickly, acquiring Jeremy Hermida from the Marlins just hours after the Yankees won the World Series (insert vomitingsound here). The Sox gave up minor league southpaws Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez for Hermida, the 11th overall draft pick in 2002. He hasn’t performed up to expectations for the Marlins, but a change of scenery and a different role could be just what he needs. Hermida had this to say about his first major career move: “I made some great friends and they treated me very well [in Florida]. On the other hand, I’m very excited to go to a city like Boston and a team like that. There isn’t a better team, in comparison. Just the history and the fan base that they have. I’m very excited to go up there and be a part of that as well.”

In other hot stove news, the Red Sox picked up their option for catcher Victor Martinez, who was acquired from the Indians at the Trade Deadline. Martinez will return as the starting catcher in 2010, and a long-term deal may be around the corner.

Boston had three more contract options to make a decision on today, none of which were exercised. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez had a $6 million option, though the Red Sox may have plans to re-sign him for less money. Captain Jason Varitek had his $5 million option declined, but he has three days to decide if he wants to exercise his personal $3 million option that would keep him in Boston for the 2010 season.

Knuckleballer Tim Wakefild’s year-to-year mutual option was nullified by a new two-year deal for the longest-tenured member of the Sox. Wakefield is just 17 wins shy of the All-Time Red Sox record of 192 that is shared by Cy Young and Roger Clemens.

After weeks of boring, unimportant games the playoffs are finally here.

I’m a little mad at Anaheim right now after the Ducks spanked the Bruins 6-1, but I’m very excited about the Sox and their familiar foe, the Angels. The Angels have lost to the Red Sox three out of three times in the ALDS, and are 0-4 to them all-time in the playoffs. History would give the Sox the edge, but the Angels are a different team this year.

Jon Lester is pitching tonight against John Lackey. The Sox clearly have the pitching advantage, with the only match-up that favors the Angels being Game 3’s Bucholz-Kazmir duel. The teams are even at the plate, with the Sox having the power edge and the Angels having the small-ball advantage.

The umpiring crew may be a factor in this series, as some of baseball’s worst are among it. Curt Schilling called in to WEEI this afternoon and had some words of wisdom about the crew. He said a few of them sucked, and he went so far as to calling Joe West and ass and criticizing him for being against the Red Sox. Whether or not this will be a factor remains to be seen.

Another positive note for this postseason is the coverage TBS will provide for the series. Chip Caray is working the Yankees-Twins series this year (suckers!) and working the Sox-Angels is none other than NESN play-by-play man Don Orsillo. Sure we have have to contend with Buck Martinez mispronouncing Ortiz’ name again, but at least this will only happen every few innings.

The season is winding down and the playoffs are looming. The Yankees have all but wrapped up the division despite several Red Sox fans still insisting they go all out for the last few games. The Sox do have the Wild Card and will play the Angels again in the 1st round.

Yesterday, Jon Lester took a liner off the side of the leg—the right quad to be exact—and he is listed day-to-day. This is terrible news considering he was just named the Game 1 starter in the postseason. The good news is that he does have time to recover before the playoffs, but just how healthy he will be is a giant question mark. The rest of the rotation is iffy right now. Josh Beckett hasn’t been as dominant recently as he was earlier in the year, which is why Lester was named the Game 1 starter in the first place. Clay Bucholz has been lights-out as of late, but he has never pitched in October. Daisuke Matsuzaka was huge in the ‘07 postseason, but he is still returning from injury that has drastically shortened his year. How he pitches today against CC Sabbathia could be a big sign of what he may be like in the playoffs.

The lineup is not a problem at all for the Sox, as 1 through 9 have been producing, not including Jason Varitek. The two guys in the lineup who will be key are David Ortiz, who’s 2nd half stats do not reflect those of the first few months, and Alex Gonzalez, who has given the team much more out of the 9-spot than Gold Glove defense at short.

Jason Varitek on the other hand is a black hole in the lineup and he isn’t worth it defensively. While he calls the game better than most catchers in the league, it’s not like Victor Martinez can’t hold his own behind the plate, and against a good hitting team like the Yankees, the Sox can’t afford to give away outs like Varitek that could be avoided. I have a feeling this might be Tek’s last year in Boston and the talks with Texas over Jarrod Saltalamaccia and/or Taylor Teagarden will start back up and get deeper this offseason. As good as he has been in his long tenure with Boston, it just doesn’t seem like Vartiek will fit with the Sox moving forward. But as bad he has seemed to Boston fans this year, he would still be a valuable addition to a young playoff contender like the Marlins to give their pitching the boost it needs.

It’s hard to believe it was five years ago that the trade that sent Nomar Garciaparra to Chicago and a World Series to Boston. It’s also hard to believe that over the span of those five years he hasn’t played a single game in Boston. In his return Nomar displayed his affection for the fans before his first at-bat in the 2nd inning, and voiced it after the game to the media.

In his prime, Nomar was one of, if not the best player in the game. Most people believed he would be in the Hall of Fame one day, before multiple injuries took their toll on the star. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1997, won two batting titles, and was a five time All-Star during his stint with the Red Sox. After his trade to the Cubs in ‘04, Nomar never produced the All-Star numbers he put up in Boston. After the Cubs, Nomar moved on to the Los Angeles Dodgers for three years in which he was also plagued by injuries, and he has also lost time this year, his first with the Oakland Athletics, to injury.

The Fenway Faithful gave Nomar a lengthy ovation as he stepped to the plate and cheered him as he ran back to the dugout after grounding out to third base. On his way back to the visitor’s dugout, Nomar also pointed to and thanked the Red Sox in their dugout. He went 2 for 4 with an RBI in his return.

The Yankees came into Fenway Park with a one game lead in the division and with something to prove. They left Fenway down two games and without a single win against their biggest rivals in 2009.

Game 1 was all Red Sox. David Ortiz hit a bomb into straight away center field in the 3rd inning for his 3rd home run of the year. AJ Burnett, normally a dominating pitcher against the Red Sox, couldn’t get out of that inning. Josh Beckett gave up just one hit—an infield single that Pedroia almost prevented—over six innings en route to a 7-0 shutout.

Game 2 started similarly, with Chein-Ming Wang failing to get out of the 3rd, much like Burnett the night before. New York’s offense would get them back in the game, but Jonathan Papelbon shut the door in the 9th to secure a 6-5 victory.

The final game of the series marked the first start for CC Sabathia against the Red Sox in a Yankees uniform. He gave up an opposite field home run to Ortiz in the 3rd, but shut the Red Sox down for most of the game after that. The Yanks got three runs in the 8th to take the lead and were set up for the win, but Joe Girardi sent Sabathia back out for the 8th, who gave up four runs. Papelbon came in for the 9th and set down Jeter, Damon, and Teixeira for his 16th save of the season.

David Ortiz hit two home runs in the series, a very good sign to Red Sox fans. Jacoby Ellsbury did not play in any of the games after injuring his shoulder on Sunday against the Rangers. The Red Sox have won nine straight games against the Yankees dating back to last year, their longest streak since 1912 when they won 14 straight against New York.

In other news, the Sox loaded up on more prospects in the First-Year Player Draft. The draft has been the key to the Sox’ recent success, as they have stocked up their minor league teams on bright young prospects. Some notables include thier first round pick Reymond Fuentes, a left handed center fielder who is the cousin of Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran. Another one is Luke Bard, the brother of Daniel Bard, who topped 100 MPH in the 9th inning of the Sox-Yankees game on Tuesday. They also drafted Micheal Yastrzemski, the grandson of Red Sox legend and Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.

The Red Sox are clicking on almost all cylinders. Every hitter, bench included, can put up a multi-hit effort every game, the rotation is strong, the bullpen is dominating, and the manager is a genius. But there is one glaring weakness, the big guy. David Ortiz was a dominating hitter before an injury in 2008. While the Red Sox insist he is healthy, Big Papi has just one home run and sports a sub-.200 batting average and it’s already late May.

At this point, the general idea is that it’s more mental than physical. Many people have been calling for him to be dropped in the order, but that isn’t going to help things too much. It would most likely do more harm than good. The guy’s confidence is already way down, and taking away an at-bat or two per game an limiting his opportunities is going to drop it even further.

I see two solutions that would benefit both the Red Sox and Ortiz:

1. Move him up, not down, in the order. Putting him in the 2nd spot in the lineup occasionally will give Ortiz more fastballs to hit, it won’t take away from his at-bats, andthere won’t be as many situations with runners on base, andpitchers will be too caught up with the speed of Ellsbury at 1st base occasionally.
2. Give him some games at 1st base. Not just in National League games but whenever Mike Lowell or Kevin Youkillis needs a day off. It gets an extra fielder out there, and it also gives Francona the option to put Jeff Bailey in the outfield if the Sox need a 5th outfielder. Having to go out there and field will take Ortiz’ mind off hitting for a while.

While the secondoption is unlikely to happen, moving Ortiz up in the order is a possibility. We’ll find out if Ortiz will be moved in the lineup when the Red Sox play in Minnesota at 7:10 EDT.

UPDATE: Ortiz will be batting 6th tonight against the Minnesota Twins.

Big Papi had not hit a home run since last September. He changed that with his first big fly of the season, an absolute shot to center field. He also added a wall-ball double to show the world he’s back.

The Red Sox also played Home Run Derby in the 5th inning, started off by Papi’s shot. Jason Bay, Mike Lowell, and Jason Varitek also homered in that inning, Tek’s also being his second home run of the game. Put that offense with 6.2 innings of pitching by Brad Penny and 12 outfield putouts by Jacoby Ellsbury, tying a Major League record, and you’ve got a 8-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Red Sox and Jon Lester will look to sweep the first place Blue Jays tonight at 7:05. A win would put them within a half game of the Jays.

I sit here writing, heartbroken, discouraged, stunned, and a little pissed off, about a tough day in Beantown. The Celtics got beaten by the Orlando Magic, the Red Sox lost in extra innings to the Angels, and let’s not forget about the Bruins saddening Game 7 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in OT. But it’s the Sox’ (and David Ortiz’) struggles that I will be writing about today.

David Ortiz had zero hits in seven chances, three strikeouts, and he left twelve (12!?) runners on base. The Red Sox left a total of 34 men on base during the game that overshadowed a brilliant effort by the bullpen in relief of Brad Penny.

Despite the struggles by most of the lineup, Dustin Pedroia returned to game action and banged out four hits, while Julio Lugo went 5 for 6 from the nine spot in the lineup.

The Red Sox have already wrapped up their games in California and will head to Seattle for a three game series that will wrap up their final west coast road trip of the year.

Now that the Bruins are done, the only thing that will delay my posts will be the Celtics, who hopefully will be playing through June. I would like to thank and congratulate the Bruins for a spectacular 2008-2009 season that Scott Walker (Scott Bleeping Walker, of all people) abruptly ended. Can’t wait for next year.

The Red Sox lost one of their former greats today. Dominic Dimaggio, Joe’s younger brother, died today at around 1 a.m. Dom was one of Boston’s top players during the 1940s and was a key part in the 1946 team that made it to the World Series. He played 10 seasons that were split up by his military service in World War II.

Dom died in his Massachusetts home while watching the repeat of the Red Sox game from that night. His son said Dom “was in and out of consciousness, but he was acknowledging it. He was a Red Sox fan until the end.”

DiMaggio’s legacy with the Red Sox includes a Red Sox record 34 game hit streak in 1949, an impressive Game 7 in the 1946 World Series, straining his hamstring in that same game that ultimately was a factor in Boston’s loss, and being one of baseball’s top team players. He was also a founding member of the Boston Patriots, now the New England Patriots.

“He was a great player, and most of all, a great friend,” Former teammate Johnny Pesky said. “I will miss him terribly.” Red Sox principal owner John Henry also made a statement concerning Dom, saying “his loss saddens us all, but his contributions to the glory and tradition of our ballclub will forever be etched in the annals of Red Sox history.”

Manny Ramirez, one of baseball’s best right handed hitters, is going to be sitting out for the next 50 games. Major League Baseball has suspended the Dodgers slugger for violating their drug policy. The league has officially said the suspension is for Performance Enhancing Drugs, but the drug in question is actually an over-the-counter medicine prescribed by a non-MLB authorized doctor.

Manny released the following statement through the MLB Player’s Association:

“Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was okay to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.

I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I’m sorry about this whole situation.”

This doesn’t sound like vintage Manny to me. My guess is that he had somebody else write this for him.

Several of Manny’s friends say he has been taking the drug to increase his sex drive, while it has also been made public that the drug is actually a women’s fertility drug that has also been used to boost the natural testosterone production of a person coming off of a steroid cycle. Could this just be a coincidence? Most likely, the answer is no.

Ramirez has been one of the most controversial players during his career, but for subtle things and not for PEDs. This comes as a surprise to me, as I never figured such a carefree guy like Manny ever resorting to this. This could put a large asterisk on Manny’s incredible career in much the same ways as it has with other sluggers like Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez.

Manny had a few options for dealing with this:

1. He could have denied it like almost everyone else caught.
2. He could have challenged the suspension since he did not get caught for a PED.
3. He could have come clean and start another emotional press conference.

However, he did none of these options. He decided to accept the suspension and go quietly, almost like he wants it to go away quickly. This may be an attempt to keep anybody from going digging for anything else that could potentially damage his reputation.

Mannywood? Or Mannyroids?

Then again, we don’t know exactly what happened. He could have taken steroids for years, he could have tried it once and stopped, or he might be completely innocent and has personal reasons for taking the drug. Unless more details become available, all we can do is assume things and create our own conclusions. We may never know what really did happen, and it may be for the better. Why throw anybody under the bus when there could be others who are getting away with these things? I say all we can do is realize that this is the Steroid Era, everybody is trying to get an edge, and the overall competition is still on an even playing field.