Mirabelli Returns - The North End Rejoices.

Link to ESPN story here.

Well, as I mentioned yesterday, the problem needed to be solved. I am not sure it needed to be solved in such a lopsided fashion, but the Sox were dealing with a gun to their heads, and this is what happens.

Mirabelli is a guy who does one thing well at this point - he catches the knuckler. Now, given that he has been complaining of a bad back all season, he may not even be able to do that much longer, in which case this is an extreme screwing by SD. But as it stands, the Sox get a known quantity and they overpay for it.

San Diego will receive Josh Bard, a back-up catcher, to replace their back-up catcher. Bard is younger, does not have back problems, and still has some upside. Bard plus cash for Mirabelli is probably a fair trade from a value perspective. But San Diego will also receive Cla Meredith, the 22-year old side-armer who may actually have a major league career in front of him. Shit, in Petco Park I might have a major league career as a pitcher in front of me. That being said, Meredith has shown signs of brilliance, and at the very least he throws strikes and is tough on righties.

At the end of the day this is what a deal looks like when you are dealing from need and everyone knows it - there are not a lot of catchers out there with knuckleball experience. The Sox obviously needed to do this deal. To be honest, if Theo and Towers didn't have such a good relationship, this might have looked worse. Who can say?

So, welcome back Dougie. Dougie can't hit anymore, and he has a bad back, and he's just in awful, awful shape, but Timmeh loves to throw to him. And not to jinx anyone, but if Wells is done, we are short a fat guy on the team, and this team needs a fat guy.

FOULKED UP:

Keith's latest attempt to get traded or killed by Sox fans is this quote from an article in the Courant...

>> "I think he's probably going to get a heavy booing," Keith Foulke said. "You go from Red Sox Nation to a big Yankee. I'm sure there will be a lot people who will cheer him, but I think you'll hear pretty loud boos. That's just how the fans are."

Damon turned down a four-year, $40 million offer from the Red Sox and got $52 million from the Yankees.

"No one ever leaves their job for a job that pays more money," Foulke said, his words dripping with sarcasm. "Why would [fans] understand? We're just overpaid, spoiled kids." <<

Seriously, how stupid is this man? I'm the first person to admit that many Red Sox fans are mean-spirited, asinine drunks, but how about a little dignity? You get paid millions of dollars to throw a ball for 15 minutes every other night. Would it kill you to recognize that you are not getting the shaft out there?

I really try to give these guys the benefit of the doubt, because it's gotta be tough to deal with the boo-birds, maybe blow a game, and then have to talk to hacks like Shaughnessy and Buckley. But Foulke is just a belligerent douche. At some point someone out there is going to need a closer and I would not be surprised to see him dealt. In fact, I would be almost pleased, despite his abilities. I want to like my players. I doubt I'm alone in that.