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| BOB GEORGE |
Dan Duquette is convinced that this is the year.
As they loaded up the moving van that will carry all the Red Sox equipment down to Fort Myers, Florida, Duquette could hardly contain his glee. This, for Duquette, means he raised his voice a major third above a monotone.
"If you have in that moving van the equipment for about three real good starting pitchers, two good closers, a couple of 100-RBI men, some on-base men and some good defense, then this is the year!” Duquette told NECN on Tuesday. He said it with an enthusiasm that perhaps even his inner circle rarely sees. Face it, this has been a rather good offseason for the Sox, and the core of their team figures to be around for quite some time.
As the Sox performed their version of Groundhog Day, the loading of the truck is a yearly symbol that warm weather, budding leaves and spring fever is soon upon us. The nice thing about this ritual is that neither Duquette nor the hired help will be scared of their shadows.
This is the time of year where all baseball teams are equal. Everyone is 0-0. Nobody's in a slump and everyone's a contender. Right now, when you think of the Red Sox, you think of their entertaining postseason run last year, and dream of how much better this year's postseason run will be. The Sox have never been in the postseason in three straight years in the entire history of the franchise, so that in and of itself is worth the interest you invest in this season.
Unfortunately, the 2000 edition of the Red Sox face much the same plight as their ancestors from the mid-late 1920s, the late 1930s, the early and late 1940s, the entire 1950s and the early 1960s. All the dreams, plans and schemes you concoct mean nothing if you can't beat the Yankees.
The Yankees. The Damn Yankees. Wherever we go, there they are.
What would Boston be like without the New York Yankees? What would the quality of life in New England be like if the pinstripers relocated to Nashville or Jacksonville or Charlotte like NFL teams do?
Like it or not, the 2000 Red Sox will not be judged on how well they do, but how much closer they are to the Yankees. The road to the World Series goes straight down Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. It's bumpy, it's a rough part of town, and you are lucky to get out of there with your life.
The Red Sox were to the 1999 postseason what the Patriots were to the 1985 postseason. The Pats got clobbered by the Chicago Bears, but they scored 10 points on Buddy Ryan's 46 defense whereas the Giants and the Rams were shut out. The Rangers and Braves were blitzed in straight sets, but only the Red Sox were able to hand the mighty Yankees a postseason defeat.
That great Mr. Pedro versus The Rocket duel was great, but...
The Yankees always seem to be one step ahead of the Sox, as Scott Brosius scores in Game 1 of the ALCS
The Sox need more in 2000. They need to come closer to the Yankees in overall talent and performance. And they have to hope that someone else in the American League doesn't come closer to them than they do.
How far will they go?
The Red Sox should be able to finish ahead of any non-division winner outside the east again. And if Toronto cannot survive the loss of Shawn Green, and if Baltimore cannot survive life with Albert Belle, you could be looking at Sox-Yanks as one-two again this year. Why not? Hey, the Sox are playoff-experienced. More than any of their brethren of years past, mind you.
The Sox made some offseason moves that have made them better offensively. Their pitching will suffer a bit without Bret Saberhagen and Tom Gordon, but hope is very much alive from the defending league ERA champs.
The Yankees, meanwhile, have some little things going on. The contract situations of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are worth keeping your eyes on. Many of the key Yankees (David Cone, Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill, Darryl Strawberry, and perhaps Orlando Hernandez) are getting up there in years. Chili Davis has retired.
If all the Sox want to do is at least get the wild card and deal with the Yankees in the postseason without heed to home field advantage, what they have right now has a great chance to do just that. Winning the division may take a quick recovery from Saberhagen, more stamina from Brian Daubach, and somebody to establish himself as the undisputed third baseman and go nuts while doing so.
Lining them up
The AL playoff teams have been the same since 1998. New York, Boston, Cleveland and Texas have been the bill of fare in each of the last two years, and who's to say that it can't happen again in 2000. Maybe Oakland will prevail out west, maybe Toronto or Baltimore will eke in ahead of the Sox in the east. Cleveland has already clinched the central. The 0-0 rule simply does not apply out there, gang.
The addition of Carl Everett to the lineup, and signing him up for at least three years was a huge boon for the Sox. Everett, who enjoyed his finest season in 1999, will eject Darren Lewis from the starting centerfield position. Flanked by Troy O'Leary and Trot Nixon, this looms to be the best Sox outfield since perhaps 1988. If O'Leary resumes his postseason zone and if Nixon's late season rise was no fluke, the grumbling over the outfield will cease and desist. 
Bolstering the bench will be Marty Cordova, picked up from the Minnesota Twins. Cordova hit .285 in 1999 in 425 at bats, and managed a decent .829 OPS. He is a .277 career hitter, and averages 20 homers per 162 games. If Nixon establishes himself as the starting right fielder, Cordova becomes an invaluable platoon/bench/pinchhitter for Jimy Williams to have at his avail. If Nixon falters, Cordova is more than capable of stepping in as a starter.
The middle of the infield is set. Nomar Garciaparra is sure happy to see Everett and that wonderful thing called "lineup protection." If Garciaparra remains cleanup, Everett will likely bat fifth, meaning that Garciaparra could be in for an MVP-type season. Jose Offerman can perhaps improve on his 1999 OBP of .391 in 2000, and perhaps better his 18-for-30 stolen base percentage. Nevertheless, he gives the Sox an above average leadoff hitter, and one can only hope that if he again gets off to a sizzling start like last year, he'll stay up there longer.
At the corners, the Sox have some question marks. First base looks like a platoon of Mike Stanley and Daubach. Daubach must prove that the league hasn't figured him out and that he can handle the long grind of 162 games. Stanley must show that he hasn't lost anything due to Father Time. Over at third, John Valentin left a great taste in everyone's mouth in October, but fans will have to see if that was the real Valentin or the one that made everyone long for Wilton Veras.
Jason Varitek returns as a catcher with a completely new perception and outlook. Touted as one of the up-and-coming catchers in the league, Varitek is now the established starter, with a reputation of handling pitchers well, and a much-improved batting stroke. While he's no Pudge Rodriguez, he had a much-improved year in throwing out runners in 1999.
The rotation
Jimy Williams has penciled in newly acquired Jeff Fassero as the number three starter, and Tim Wakefield is four. The five-hole is wide open. But when camp is opened up, you might as well open up the four-hole too. That is, if some of the young talent steps up and shows Williams and Joe Kerrigan a thing or two.
Brian Rose has bulked up a bit, but the youngster to really keep your eyes on is Juan Pena. Pena pitched two brilliant games for the Sox last spring before being shelved for the year with a bum shoulder. Pena must show that those two games were not flukes, and that he has recovered from his injury. If the answers to both these queries are positive, Pena has to get strong consideration as a starter.
Jin Ho Cho and Tomokazu Ohka will either be sent to Pawtucket or find themselves in long relief/mop up roles. Cho has had cups of coffee in each of the last two years, and he has yet to show that he should stick for the long haul. Ohka, undefeated in non-AL
Has the league figured out Brian Daubach yet, or will he prove otherwise this season?
The brothers Martinez anchor the starting pitching staff, something that sounded like a pipe dream just last year. Mr. Pedro will perhaps not duplicate his immortal 1999 campaign, but the Sox will be blessed if Ramon can at least approach his impeccable-but-not-quite-immortal 1990 campaign. The Martinezes could perhaps win 35-38 games between them. Fourty is pushing it, but if both stay healthy, it's possible.