When Soderberg arrived in the United States, he didn’t talk much. He doesn’t talk much now, either. But then it was worse, the unhappiness drawing him away from teammates and potential friends, feeding his reservations.

 

He hadn’t listened to himself, hadn’t trusted his instincts, as the voices of others crowded out everything he knew he wanted. So there he was, 4,547 miles from his home in Malmo, silent and suffering.

 

It was September of 2006, he was 20, and training camps had just opened across the NHL. Soderberg had come to join the Blues, having been drafted two years prior. It was time to start his North American hockey career. But, he said, his heart wasn’t in it.

 

“I was too young,” Soderberg said this week. “I wasn’t ready for it at that point. I should wait maybe one, two years more.

 

“From the first day I came over I wanted to go home. So I didn’t give it a shot. Now afterwards I can say that, but at that point I wasn’t ready. I was young. I wanted to go home. I was just thinking about going home, not playing hockey. And I learned a lesson, to never listen to what others think — do what yourself wants to do. Otherwise it doesn’t work.”

“We did a lot of research into the eye injury,” Chiarelli said. “They’re tremendous athletes and they end up kind of synching up their vision. So we knew that was recoverable. We didn’t know if he would recover from that, but we knew that was recoverable.”

 

It took the better part of a year for Soderberg to return to the ice, and multiple seasons after that to regain his game and his strength, after coming back out of shape and out of practice, but he adapted to his new reality. With his sight greatly diminished in the eye, he had to figure out ways to compensate, further delaying his readiness to play in the NHL.

 

But he worked and he developed and, as he did, he noticed things he didn’t notice before.

 

“You start to – you can feel if someone is there,” Soderberg said. “You don’t see them, but you can feel someone is coming. Other senses become better. You hear better. I’m pretty sure I can feel a lot better than other guys because I have to.”

He no longer feels out of place, no longer like a rookie. He is more secure every day – in his English, in his place in the NHL, in his decisions seven years ago. So, even as he starts over at 28, Soderberg isn’t worried about what he’s missed. He appreciated his time at home, in Malmo. He appreciated taking the slow road, developing at his pace, making sure he was ready. And now, here he is, finally in Boston.

 

“I don’t regret anything in my career or my life,” he said. “Everything that happened to this point is part of my life, and has made me into the person I am and the player I am. I’m really satisfied with it.”

The B's are lucky to have him for a ~$1m AAV this year and next.

Not so, Boomer. Miami Marlins officials were "outraged" the Red Sox sent only JBJ and Lavarnway after they sold "premium" tickets to see the World Champs. This article sums up my feelings pretty well.

The Miami Marlins, who won 62 games last season and routinely trotted out a regular season lineup featuring players like Jeff Mathis, Donovan Solano and 37-year-old Placido Polanco, are apparently in a tizzy over the spring training lineup the Red Sox put together for Thursday’s Grapefruit League game in Jupiter, Fla. That’s according to the Sun-Sentinel‘s Marlins beat reporter Juan C. Rodriguez, who wrote that team executives were “outraged” over the squad of minor leaguers that Boston sent to Miami’s Roger Dean Stadium to play a team that will feature 36-year-old Rafael Furcal at second base in games that actually count.

 

Rodriguez also notes that Boston’s lineup was especially galling given that the Marlins had instigated “super premium” pricing for tickets to Thursday’s game against the defending World Series champion, only to watch “organizational filler in Red Sox batting practice jerseys with numbers befitting an offensive line” face a team that, in 2013, charged its fans to watch Ed Lucas compile nearly 400 plate appearances for a team that finished 34 games out of first place in the National League East.

 

The Marlins, meanwhile, had a lineup that featured seven of their likely Opening Day starters, including Furcal, who has not played in the majors since 2012; third baseman Casey McGehee, who spent all of 2013 in Japan; and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, who was the worst player in baseball last season by WAR (-1.9).

Thursday’s game between the Marlins and Red Sox was called after eight innings due to rain with both teams tied at zero. Boston’s lineup out-hit Miami’s, 7-2.

 

 

Since the beginning of the PITCHf/x era, researchers have calculated framing in several different ways. We are presenting a new method that we will call the "Regressed Probabilistic Model" of framing (RPM for short). In brief, RPM works by calculating the combined probability (and associated run value) that each pitch will be called a strike; summing those probabilities (and run values) across opportunities; attributing those values to a player (catcher or pitcher); and regressing "career" values to the mean.

We will freely admit: If you haven't seen the results of previous framing studies, it can be tough to wrap your mind around the size of the impact of a good or bad framing catcher. These effect sizes are not out of line with what has been reported in the past, but they're still obscenely large. Everyone agrees that Mike Trout was either a deserving MVP or a deserving runner-up in each of the past two seasons, which the stats say were worth close to 10 wins apiece. Our data suggest that over the past five years, the teams that have employed good framers like Jonathan Lucroy, Brian McCann, and Jose Molina have received essentially "free" MVP-caliber seasons from framing alone. (Each of those catchers has been worth about two extra wins per season over that span). This is a staggering amount of value. Add in the fact that these wins are almost assuredly not properly priced into the free agent market, and the difference between having a good framing catcher or a bad framing catcher can make or break a cost-conscious team.

Are they considering the Boras Plan of Drew staying, with Bogaerts at third ?

If so, either they let Mike go and give first to  Middlebrooks,or

maybe you sweet-talk Drew into a platoon once in a while to take advantage of his RHP career split of .274/.341/.447, and

keeping Mike because Bogaerts and Middlebrooks are still untested,  rotate them both through short, third, and second--like last night.

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Taxi Squad: soxfan121

Rules:

The Draft

The order of this draft has been determined randomly, and will follow a serpentine order. There is a 24 hour clock between picks, and each GM is responsible for PMing the following GM once they have made their selection. If a GM believes they will be unable to post their selection within that 24 hour window for whatever reason, they must submit a contingency pick either to myself, or to another poster (or better yet, both). They will be able to add their rationale for their selection at a later time, but steady progress in the draft is the most important point. Failure to post a selection or submit a contingency pick twice may result in the replacement of the GM with a "Taxi Squad" member.

Eligibility

Each team shall select a 25 man roster set as C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3rd, LF, CF, RF, DH, 5 starting pitchers, and at least 5 RPs and 5 bench players. Additionally, each team shall select 3 "reserve" players to serve as injury replacements as necessary, for a total of 28 players per team. Every hitter with at least one plate appearance and pitcher with at least one batter faced in the MLB is available in this draft. Japanese players who have been posted by their NPB team as of 12/28/2013 are also eligible. Minor leaguers who finished the 2013 season in AAA are eligible for the draft, as are players who completed the 2013 season in AA or who appeared in the AFL so long as they also appear in the Top 3 of their respective organization's Baseball America Top 10. No player without AA or AFL experience is eligible for selection. Teams may select no more than 3 minor leaguers (i.e. players with no MLB appearances).

Start Date

The draft will officially commence on Monday, December 30th at 9:00 AM. Picks can be made at any time before then, but the clock will not commence until the 30th to allow time for all GMs to acquaint themselves with the rules, and begin their draft research if they have not already begun it.

Eligibility Addendum

Any Cuban player signed to a MLB contract as of 12/28/13 or available in MLB Free Agency as of that date is eligible for the draft. Jose Daniel Abreu, Miguel Gozalez, Alexander Guerrero and Erisbel Arruebarruena are all draft eligible.

The Flyers had their typical nice bounce-back effort after an epic shitshow, following up a 7-3 stinker at home vs. San Jose with a nice 4-2 win over the Rangers. Dan Carcillo seems to be fitting in nicely over there, he was especially pesty/chirpy today but didn't really draw any penalties. He did get run pretty good by Zac Rinaldo.

I realize this post likely ensures he'll be injured by nightfall, but it's getting hard to not be at least a little excited at what we might have here.

-You can't pick someone that's already been picked.

-The player has to be on a MLB active roster during the regular season (if they're in the minors or they get the surgery in ST it doesn't count.)

-Put your choice in bold.

I'll start:

Chris Sale

I'm dreaming of Revis. Against all logic and better judgement, it's too tantalizing to have Revis in a Pats uniform.

Restructure the big cap guys, release the obvious (Wilson), do not sign another safety, do not re-sign Talib, dock your boat on The Island.

Just need two signings this off-season: Revis and Bryant -- this defense is now a legit top-10 unit (hell it was a top 10 unit last year before the injury streak).

P.S. If someone else posted the above I'd have dismissed it pronto. Also, this seems appropriate:

Draft is scheduled for Sunday, March 23rd at 730pm EST. 

Rounds 1 & 2 - 24 hours per selection.

Rounds 3 thru 6 - 12 hours per selection.

Rounds 7 thru 12 - 6 hours per selection.

Rounds 13 thru 23 - 3 hours per selection.

Draft Order

1 - Nick

2 - Kevin
3 - Rob
4 - Joe
5 - Clay
6 - Swain
7 - Dan
8 - GHoff
9 - DrTooth
10 - Justin
11 - HighHeat
12 - ChicksDigHueys
13 - Mike

Follow the draft on Google Docs - Here

Steamer Stanley is the new bullpen coach for the Blue Jays.

Unfortunately there's already bad news. Dogman2's brother Matt won't be running this time around after withdrawing due to a broken foot. 

 

This week Danny Seavey, son of two-time champion Mitch and brother of 2012 champion Dallas, announced he would be on the trail this season. Danny Seavey is filling in for Matt Giblin, who traditionally races Mitch Seavey's puppy team. In a Facebook post, Danny Seavey said he got the call Saturday night that Giblin had broken his foot and was forced to withdraw. The race allows mushers to substitute a dog driver due to medical emergency. With the puppy team a crucial part of Mitch Seavey's program and the list of potential dog drivers short, Danny Seavey agreed to take the team to Nome. Danny Seavey has raced the Iditarod twice -- in 2001 and 2006 -- although this will be his first time on race runners since 2011. It's not the first time a slew of Seaveys has entered the Iditarod; Mitch and Dallas were joined by Dan Seavey, father of Mitch, in 2012.

What a bummer. Matt had been training 24 dogs this winter for what would have been his 5th Iditarod. 

That means I'll be throwing 100% of my rooting interest behind Travis Beals, who married a Falmouth MA girl (her parents still live in town) with whom he operates a kennel. Travis also ran a big chunk of last year's race with Matt as a travel partner.

MUSH!!!!!

Paul Pierce wouldn’t mind rejoining the Celtics.

“Yeah, why not? Maybe play for them, maybe work for them,” the forward said Friday after the Nets lost to his former team, 91-84, at TD Garden.

Pierce played 15 seasons with the Celtics, who drafted him in 1998. His contract expires after this season and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.

He received a warm ovation from the crowd and finished with 10 points in 33 minutes, though emotions weren’t as high as in late January, when he returned to the Garden for the first time since he and Kevin Garnett were traded.

“It’s always emotional when you step into a gym you’ve spent your whole life playing in,” Pierce said. “The tribute last time made it so much more emotional and the cheers. But every time I come into this gym, because I’m always seeing friends and people who have been around all the years, it’s always going to be emotional, because you miss them from knowing them so long.”

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/03/08/celtics-vitor-faverani-has-season-ending-surgery/FegcRMfs3N0IeaqYMQYZqI/story.html

I think this is threadworthy. Of course it would be a windfall for the Celtics and Ainge would look like a hero, but is it in the best interests of the Celtics to accept him back?. Of course the huge caveat is no one knows what the makeup of next year's team will actually be.  My feeling is I would be happy to have him back if the price is right and he is OK with coming off the bench.