Cowboy Upset;
King Gonged

It's Down to the Final Four as Lucchino Bounces
Millar and King from GM Contention

Red Sox Apprentice: With the winter meetings in Dallas only five days away, the Sox have narrowed down the field to the final four GM candidates. CEO Larry Lucchino dismissed former Sox first baseman Kevin Millar and longtime Red Sox fan and author Stephen King today.

Millar, reached at his home last night in Beaumont, Texas, was upset with the late scratch. “I realized I was a long shot of Jack Daniels (to get the GM position),” said Millar. “But after all I’ve done for the team ... the whole ‘Manny being Manny,’ ‘Cowboy Up,’ ‘Skin it to Win it’ 'Tell 'Em We're Coming and Hell's Coming with Us'... that’s all me. You’d think they’d want more of that in the front office. Where are they gonna get their t-shirts like ‘#@%! Everybody. All We Have is Each Other’ now? I don’t know squat about general managin’ but I would have been the face of the organization. They got plenty of guys down in the bowling alley to figure out who to bring back. But the one move I was going to make was to sign a first baseman. A guy who’s ready to have a big year, loves playing in Boston, a guy who knows how to win, a guy who knows how to work the media up front and behind the scenes if you know what I mean ... that’s right, me, Kevin Millar, right back at first base. And for a whole lot less that Konerko, too. I love it. I loved the move ... apparently Mr. Lucchino had other plans so it looks like this cowboy is riding off into the sunset once and for all but ...” Millar went on for another two hours talking about his past, his future, and anything else that popped into his head.

One well-placed anonymous industry source familiar with Lucchino’s thinking told BDD that “Larry (Lucchino) spent most of Thanksgiving weekend knee-deep in the works of Stephen King, reading 'The Tommyknockers,' 'Pet Sematary,' 'The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon,' all of 'The Dark Tower' stories and 'Faithful,'" which King wrote with Stuart O’Nan. "Lucchino then declared to John Henry that he was 'scared as hell' to hire King, fearing most that he would re-sign the ancient Tom Gordon as the team’s closer and write another snoozer with O’Nan."

Henry, who’s not a big fan of King’s writing anyway, agreed with Lucchino’s decision to block the writer. King would not comment on the decision but is planning to write about the interview experience in an upcoming book, “The Real Green Monster.”

Lucchino spoke in the Crown Royal room at Fenway just after 2 a.m. regarding not only King and Millar’s departure, but also Katie Couric, Grady Little, Dan Duquette and George W. Bush, who are all out of the running.

“The good news is we’ve got four extremely strong and qualified candidates remaining in El Tiante, Ms. Damon, Wally, and that Hall of Fame writer,” said Lucchino. “We are continuing with the interview process and still hope to make a decision before the winter meetings to give the new GM plenty of time to familiarize him or herself with the history of Boston, the organization, the baseball ops personnel, our players, the free agents, our plans, our budget, how we work together, etc. We’ve got plenty of time. No need to worry.”

“Regarding the candidates who are out of contention, we were deeply disappointed that Ms. Couric decided to drop out and yes, it’s true, the sticking point was the money and Bud Selig flatly rejected the $15 million annual salary it would have taken to hire Katie. Does anyone want to pay $100 for bleacher seats? Well, that’s what would have happened if we hired her for the money she was looking for. Tom (Werner) communicated to us that she would not be available for the compensation we had offered which was slightly over Billy Beane money ($2.5m per year).”

“Dan Duquette? Puhleeze. We interviewed him as a courtesy,” said Lucchino. “And now he’s taking credit for the (Josh) Beckett trade. Frankly, he’s been out of the game too long and in the twilight of his baseball career if you will. His big idea was to keep Manny happy by giving him another $5 million a year in salary. And he wanted to sign (Johnny) Damon for eight years at $20 million a year ... bidding against himself again. It’s the only game the guy knows. Is it any wonder we decided to go with Mike Port over him when we first came in?”

“Grady as you know now realized he wasn’t qualified to become GM of the Boston Red Sox, he was only hoping we’d rehire him and fire Francona. We decided not to do that at this time so Grady’s legacy in Boston remains sealed. John Henry reminded me that he wanted to fire him after his first season as manager, but Theo and I voted to keep him on the job for the ’03 season ... and he burned us. I won’t be fooled again. But we all wish Grady the best of luck in his interview with the Dodgers today.”

“As far as President Bush goes, he would have been eliminated if he didn’t bow out to fix the mess that he’s created in Washington,” said Lucchino. “Maybe if I was still dating Mrs. Arnold Schwarzenegger I could be convinced to change parties, but John, Tom, and I are lifelong card-carrying democrats as you all know. It (Bush as GM) simply would not have worked. And if the President can’t find any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be of any use in helping us find a replacement for Johnny Damon in center field. I’m sure Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett, Mike Timlin and the rest were very disappointed to see the President bow out, but up in the Ivory Tower, we all had ear-to-ear grins.”

“I think we all just grew tired of Kevin Millar’s act. He’s fine in small doses, but the prospect of having him run amok in the front office every day was just too much to take. He can certainly talk the talk, but rarely walks the walk. And his ‘grand plan’ of re-signing himself to play first base again, while palatable to Francona, was unacceptable to Jeremy Kapstein and the rest of the brain trust here.”

“As far as Stephen King goes, I read a lot of his books over the weekend trying to get a feel for the guy. What I came away with is that he knows very little about baseball. I know he has great seats to all the games, but he doesn’t actually watch the games, he just catches up on his reading. If any of you read ‘Faithful,’ you’d realize that the book’s co-author Stuart O’Nan, the guy who grabs foul balls from kids at Fenway, is the one who actually pays attention to what’s going on in the field. King said he hoped to bring Tom Gordon back to close for us, mostly so he could write ‘The Guy Who Loved Tom Gordon.’ I think I liked Duquette’s plan better.”

Wilbur: Keeping It Surreal

Jeremy Spoke

Sox GM Hunt: Kapstein Sounds Off

4/05 Pawtucket Times: Kapstein Has Done It All
ProJo: Don't Bet Against Kapstein
Bradford: Sox Seem in No Rush for GM Search

"I know when a trade is made, the general public thinks, 'Well, I could have done that,'" said Detroit Tigers scouting director David Chadd. "But the job is so big it's hard to comprehend unless you are actually in the position to do it."

"A GM does need to make the final decisions and dictate the pace of business," said Arizona general manager, and former Sox assistant GM, Josh Byrnes. "As much as a lot of people have a say in a dynamic baseball setting, a GM is able to filter out the lesser opinions, clears the more valid opinions and has a good sense of timing. It is a big team effort, but I do think one person needs to lead the charge." -- Rob Bradford, Eagle-Tribune

Gammons on The Trade, Damon, and Manny

"The major gamble in the Boston trade for Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota is that all three break down, one way or another... Recently departed GM Theo Epstein always planned to use (Hanley) Ramirez as his ultimate chip. Hanley was going to Tampa Bay (and Anibal Sanchez to Cincinnati) in the four-way concoction they worked on at the July trading deadline if the Sox could have gotten Mike Cameron, Aubrey Huff, Aaron Heilman and Adam Dunn with Manny Ramirez going to the Mets... Boras will be patient in his handling of Damon, and if the Yankees drop out of the running, Boras will wait for Paul Konerko to sign, try to get the Angels and Dodgers in on Damon, and play off what he and Damon felt was an initial (and unnecessary) lowball offer of three years and $27 million from the Red Sox... Owners John Henry and Tom Werner and president Larry Lucchino have made it clear to Ramirez that they want him, but Manny's friends this weekend reiterated that he wants out, period, and that he might act irrationally if he is not traded... Mets slugger Cliff Floyd was in the proposed deal last December, and the Red Sox covet top Mets prospect Lastings Milledge. But if something happens, Boston would need the time to find another right-handed bat (such as Troy Glaus)."
-- 11.28, Peter Gammons, ESPN.com Insider (subscription required)

Wilbur: Six Steps for Sox at Meetings
If Only It Was This Easy to Keep Manny

Red Sox 2006 Spring Schedule is Out
Pitchers and Catchers Report 2/18; Full Squad 2/22

Is Manny's Crib Cramped?

With No Room for Balls and Bikes at the Ritz,
Maybe Manny's Just Joining His Fenway Friends
and Buying a Big House in Newton

Manny's Pad is For Sale, Have a Look, Take the Tour

Sox Interested in Shinji?

Japanese Righty Setup Man Shinji Mori
Could Be on the Red Sox Radar for 2006

Update: Peter Gammons adds "I talked to Ship (Craig Shipley, Red Sox special assistant to the GM) about him (Mori) a while back. OK, not great. Nero insists Ishii won't come."

The following report is from Boston Dirt Dogs contributor and founder of JapaneseBallPlayers.com, Daigo Fujiwara:

Here is yet another Japanese bullpen possibility for the Red Sox.

According to Nov. 28 issue of the Sports Nippon newspaper, anonymous Red Sox club personnel told a reporter that they are interested in pitcher Shinji Mori of Seibu Lions (original story in Japanese.)

The 31-year-old righthanded setup man is said to have a good sinker, fastball in the high 80s, and a two-seam fastball. The Seibu Lions' 1997 second-round draft pick was converted to a full-time relief pitcher in 2000 and had 23 saves that year. He was awarded the "best setup pitcher" award in 2002 and 2003, posting 2.07 and 2.31 ERAs. He has a 44-44 career record with 50 saves and a 3.39 ERA in nine years in Japan. He has been requesting to be moved to a major league club since 2001, and was finally granted his wish (Mori will be free agent next year, so the Lions decided to try to get something for him while they can.)

Mori may not be as good as Yakult Swallows' lefthanded closer Hirotoshi Ishii, in whom the Red Sox also reportedly had interest (and who I still think can come to the majors), but perhaps similar to Akinori Otsuka of the San Diego Padres, who came into the majors at age 31. However, Otsuka was already an established closer and had 2.39 ERA in seven years in Japan. Mori would be certainly better and younger than Denney Tomori with his 3.96 career ERA, who was 37 when he signed with the Sox last year.

The Lions will be using a transaction method called the "Posting System" -- players like Ichiro came to US using this system. More about it here. The Japanese team submitted the necessary paperwork to the Japanese Professional Baseball commisioner's office on Thursday, and it is expected that major league clubs will hear about it in a few days (if not already). Once posted, major league clubs have four days to place a sealed bid for the rights to negotiate with Mori.

The Sports Nippon newspaper also mentions the Padres, Angels, and Cubs as possible clubs who might be interested in Mori.

Four Gone Conclusion

It Was Never Meant to Be for New Gang of Four

Couric, Little, Duquette, and Bush Say Bye

Red Sox Apprentice: Suddenly there are only six Thanksgiving leftovers in the hunt for the next GM, as Katie Couric, Grady Little, Dan Duquette, and George W. Bush are all out of the running. Couric wouldn’t work for Billy Beane money; Grady is putting all his eggs in the Dodgers' basket; Duquette “is in the twilight of his career;” and Bush decided to focus on his final three years in Washington.

Katie Couric, an admitted Yankees fan, was considered a strong possibility to become baseball’s first female GM. However, according to a person with knowledge of the interest, the Red Sox were never planning on paying her the “plus Johnny Damon money” she was looking for to leave NBC.

"People who know Katie Couric" say they don't know what she'll do now -- and suggest that Couric doesn't know yet, either. She may allow herself to be wooed for a while. Her agent, Alan Berger of Creative Artists Agency, has been suggesting around town that his client is seriously weighing the possibility of moving to CBS, according to Media Bistro.

“And it's conceivable that CBS would commit to the $15 million-a-year salary it would probably take to hire Couric, as well as the additional millions she would demand that the network pump into the news division to support her. One rival network estimate put the CBS bill for hiring Couric at $50 million, which would include the cost of grabbing talent from other networks, Roone Arledge style."

Too rich for the Red Sox blood.

Former Red Sox manager Grady Little bowed out of contention before the Sox had a chance to remove him from the GM process. Grady “the ghost fully capable of haunting” knew all along that he did not have the business experience or evaluation skills necessary to become the team’s general manager. His hope was that the team would reconsider and hire him back as the field manager, replacing the popular Terry Francona. When the current roving catching instructor for the Cubs realized there was no chance he could oust Tito, who was then recovering from surgery at Mass. General, he set his all his sights on the Dodgers, who recently added Little to their list of managerial candidates. Part of Little’s Dodgers plan is to convince Frank McCourt to sign Nomar Garciaparra to a 4-year, $60 million deal to play third base for the club. Grady said, “I just love that kid.”

Word filtered out of Sox camp that Dan Duquette was told he would not be back for a second interview. In an effort to strengthen his candidacy, Duquette recently took credit for the deal that landed the Sox Josh Berkett: "The Red Sox are just executing a plan we put in place, which is to go out and sign as many good arms in the international free-agent market as we could," explained Duquette to the Eagle Tribune’s Rob Bradford. Duquette pointed out that his regime inked three of the four minor leaguers sent to Florida in the Marlins' salary dump (he really said this).

Duquette went on in the article to dissect the current Red Sox roster: "You need a marquis name on your staff in Boston every year," said the former Red Sox GM, who was saddled with Tom Gordon as his Opening Day starter in '97 after Roger Clemens left for Toronto. "The current pitching staff has some age on it. You have (Curt) Schilling and (David) Wells, and (Matt) Clement isn't the caliber of pitcher you need to beat the Yankees in the playoffs. It's a good gamble trading minor leaguers for a premium major league pitcher."

An anonymous industry source familiar with the thinking of Larry Lucchino said the Sox CEO feels Duquette "is in the twilight of his career" and has been out of the game a little long “unless he’s been scouting major league free agents over at his sports academy,” said Lucchino, according to the source.

According to anonymous White House sources, President George W. Bush will inform Red Sox brass that he wishes to remove himself from GM consideration. Bush learned during the interview process that he would have to be available before the winter meetings in Dallas next week but he did not think he could not fix the problems with the deficit, health care, energy, climate change and Iraq before that time. He is expected to be tied up in the Oval Office until 2008, completing his second term. Bush also continues to hold a grudge over John Henry’s having his planes ready to fly to Ohio on the night of the last election. Bush determined that he was not a good fit with the current Red Sox administration, although he remains popular among the players, including the newly-acquired Josh Beckett, who is a “Bush conservative.”

The Red Sox are expected to release a statement today regarding the four former candidates.

Minaya Still Going After Manny

Joshin' Around

Josh Beckett Talks About Coming to Boston,
His Shoulder, and Those Pesky Blisters

“I’m excited about the trade. I think it could be a good thing for me. I think you get several chapters in your life, and certainly high school’s one of them. It’s going to be a nice change for me just opening a new chapter up in my life."

"“Every time we think we got it figured out (blister problem), another one pops up. Maybe just getting out of heat and getting out of that humidity maybe that might help a little bit… We’ve tried a lot of stuff, the one that I’ve found that’s been the most productive is some stuff that’s called Stan's Blister Ointment in between starts and keeping it shaved down with a callous shaver. That’s been the most helpful thing. What was happening earlier in my career is that I wasn’t developing a callous. Whenever I would get a callous, I would let the callous get so big that a blister would develop underneath the callous, and then we’d have to cut the whole callous off and start over again. Whenever you start all over again with unhealthy skin, it’s almost like starting at a negative number instead of starting back at zero."

"I would have done the same thing (due diligence before the trade). If you’re invest this kind of money that they’re investing and getting rid of players that they were counting on, I would do all the due diligence that I could. I definitely would. Did I foresee that? No but I didn’t foresee a trade even. It was kind of a deal where I like to go see Doc (Dr. James Andrew)] at the end of every season just to see where I’m at. So it was more of a checkup for me. I had some shoulder stiffness, I had several doctors look at me ‘eh you’re fine.’ I’ve got great strength in all my muscles. It was just kind of tired." -- 11.26, Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett

Lowell Connects

Mike Lowell Talks About Last Season,
and Turning it Around in Boston

"I think I dug such a deep hole in those first three weeks and I started to just tinker with my swing, trying to do too many new things. I think looking back on it now if I maybe took a more intelligent approach maybe I just would stayed with what had been working but I think as a competitor you don’t want to just keep waiting to see if things are going to get better, you want them to get better right away and I think I was just trying to make too many adjustments and doing too many different things and I think doing that it kind of snowballed and my mechanics were thrown off."

"I do intend this year to start much earlier and come into spring training in a much more ready sense from the velocity standpoint, not so much the mechanics, I hope the mechanics are there definitely but not using the game so much to get into shape, more like coming in much better shape and using the games to fine tune myself to get ready for the season."

"I’m making sure that I’m preparing myself for a successful season. I’m not… I can’t believe the six years prior to last year are a fluke and the last year was what I really am. I believe more that the type of player I am are the three years that preceded last year, so that’s what I expect out of myself and I hope I can do that."

"I’m a pull hitter and I think the dimensions of park favor myself, the way I am as opposed to where I’m coming from. I don’t think Pro Player was very much of a hitter’s park. Hopefully a couple of those balls that normally go to the track can be either doubles off the Wall or steal a few home runs." -- 11.25, Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell

Sox Don't Need GM to Deal

It's a Done Deal As
Sox Talk Turkey, Mota

Sox Get Beckett, Lowell... and Guillermo Mota

Mota-vation to Make the Trade

Sox Get Another Piece for the Bullpen Puzzle

Are the Sox Still Concerned with Beckett Shouldering the Load?

"The Sox, according to a major league source with direct knowledge of the negotiations, threatened to call off the deal because of health concerns over Beckett unless the Marlins included Mota." -- 11.25, Snow/Edes, Boston Globe

"But sources said the Red Sox demanded that Mota be included in the deal because of their concerns about Beckett's shoulder." -- 11.25, Miami Herald

Sox Don't Give Beckett the Cold Shoulder

What Do You Think of the Big Deal?

Mariners Aren't Talking About Getting Manny
Anything to Overbay for Clement?
Wilbur: Sox Mota on

Ben Bounced!

Cambridge Homeboy Turned Hollywood Heartthrob
Won't Be Coming Home to Run the Red Sox

Red Sox Apprentice: It was two years ago that Theo Epstein delivered Curt Schilling to Red Sox Nation after a Thanksgiving dinner recruiting trip. Tonight it was a starring role in “Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner” for the man who hoped to replace Epstein as Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino decided to pass on casting Boston’s own Ben Affleck as the next GM of the Olde Towne Team.

Affleck was stunned by Lucchino’s late night decision as he hoped to leave the acting profession, where he has struggled for nearly two decades, and return home to take the helm of the team he grew up rooting for. Most in the industry believed he would be one of the final four candidates for the position.

One well-placed industry source familiar with Lucchino’s thinking told BDD that “Larry spent countless hours this week reviewing film of Ben’s past work: "Jersey Girl," "The Sum of All Fears," "Changing Lanes," "Daredevil," "Pearl Harbor," "Reindeer Games," "Armageddon"… and "Gigli," after which he told John Henry that he 'had seen enough.'” Henry, who refused to watch any of Affleck’s big screen work, concurred with Lucchino’s decision as he was also completely underwhelmed after suffering through Affleck’s act at the Red Sox Foundation Welcome Home Dinner for two years in a row. Tom Werner hoped to make it up to Ben by offering him a brief cameo in “That 70’s Show.”

Affleck, who is expecting his first child with wife Jennifer Garner (who also received bad news today as her show “Alias” was cancelled) released a brief statement to the media:

“I’m kinda bummed out about this latest setback with the Sox. Jen’s show just got the ax today. I’ve got three new movies coming out next year, and naturally they all stink. This baby thing is really going to cut into my social life. Some weirdo criminal stalker creep just apologized for having Jen and me in his fantasies… and he called me a pool boy to boot. Talk about your “Surviving Christmas.”

Larry Lucchino was available in the Crown Royal room at Fenway just before midnight, but most of the media was away for Thanksgiving break. He did speak to NESN’s Hazel Mae regarding his decision to drop Affleck from GM consideration:

“Another one bites the dust I guess… Ben considers himself numero uno 'celebrity' Sox fan, but c’mon, Jimmy Fallon might be a better actor than this guy. I mean 'Pearl Harbor' makes 'Fever Pitch' look like 'Citizen Kane.' I know he watches all the games out there on the West Coast, and follows the team on the Internet, and donates his time to our charitable endeavors… but fer chrissakes, we give him those those freakin' front row seats whenever he’s in town with his girl-du-jour. He doesn’t pay a dime for them… so anyway on the GM gigli… err gig, we just didn’t think he could be our leading man so to speak… we probably should have had Matt Damon in before he committed to his next project, but hindsight is 20-20… we still have 10 candidates left, so…”

Wilbur: Manny and the Mets
Woodfork Joins Byrnes in Arizona
Select Red Sox Tickets Going On Sale, All the Details
Chat Wrap: Gordon Edes on the Latest Moves, Manny, and the Media

Q: How do you balance the reader's need to know in a very competitive media market versus journalistic credibility and accuracy of sources?

"You ask a question we could probably spend another entire chat discussing. I've got a lot of thoughts on the subject; it hits very close to home. I'll share a few ... First of all, this is baseball, not politics or the military. IMO, some baseball people get overly obsessed about being secretive. They've forgotten the enjoyment they used to get when they'd read all the hot stove rumors. They've also evidently forgotten how good that is for their business, too...what a great way to keep your sport in the news and relevant, discussing this trade or that free-agent signing. Reams of free publicity, IMO... Accuracy? Every journalist should strive for accuracy. But some of the people making the most noise about inaccuracies want it both ways. They refuse to confirm anything, saying it's private, then belittle as inaccurate some of the reports that do not come out. Hey, I hate to be responsible for the publication of inaccurate info, and I have a responsibility not only to be as accurate as possible, but not to be reckless with publishing info if there's some question about its accuracy. I made mistakes in the course of the Theo coverage, none bigger than writing that the deal was done when it wasn't... But there were a lot of things I wrote that were accurate, too accurate for some people's comfort. And I will also say there have been some ridiculous accusations about us being "spoon-fed" info by the Sox because of the NY Times Co investment in the Sox. Have you heard of anyone more unhappy with the media coverage than John Henry? Does that sound like the Sox have been spoon feeding the Globe stuff? Every good reporter has sources --I had sources, and I used them. That's what reporting is all about... OK, I can climb off my soapbox. I love the passion of the fans here, I love knowing that many of you folks care about what we write and what we say about the team. It's what drives me, and I thank you for that. No one is more upset when I've let you down with a faulty story, and I assure you, my colleague Chris Snow is just as fiercely committed to getting the story right, and telling it well, as I am. Have a great Thanksgiving all, and thanks for listening." -- 11.23, Gordon Edes, chat wrap

So Why Was Theo Hanging Out at Fenway?

Horticulturist Strikes Out

Former Sox Outfielder Jimmy Piersall's Son Arrested for Growing Marijuana

Where Are They Now?

Current and Former Members of the Red Sox Family
Are Out and About This Holiday Season

Reaction Roundup
PB Post: Beckett, George Bush, and Leann Tweeden
ESPN Radio: Gammons on the Deal
Wilbur: Nothing Fishy About It
NY Times: Boras Writes the Book on Damon
The Buzz: Ortiz Thinks Manny is Gone

"Manny is not returning to Boston," Ortiz said. "Manny is living through a difficult situation [in Boston] that only he and his family know and he no longer wants to play there.

"I spoke with him last week before he left for Brazil and he told me that he wants to go to a team in the West." -- 11.21, David Ortiz on Manny Ramirez

Mahow? Not Now.

Former Red Sox Good Luck Charm Nelson de la Rosa
Pulls Out of the Race to Replace Theo Epstein as GM

Pedro Martinez on September 28, 2004: "My friend is Nelson. His name is Nelson. He's 36 years old. He's from the Dominican Republic and very funny character, and very animated… We met through Franklin's friend in Providence. Since then we became friends and I hang out with him now… Everybody's happy with him. He's our lucky charm now. Now a days. The guys are falling in love with him."

Pedro Martinez on April 13, 2005: "Nelson needs help. He is a special human being. I haven’t seen him in a while… He was angry that I signed with the Mets. He wanted me to stay with Boston. He was not my lucky charm. I’m not superstitious like some guys. It was Kevin Millar who thought this. I met Nelson through mutual friends and he asked to come to the game. I gave him tickets… Since we won some games, Millar started saying that he was the team’s lucky charm. But I am not superstitious."

Red Sox Apprentice: On a day when most of Red Sox Nation was celebrating the news that Marlins ace Josh Beckett appears to be headed to Boston, the team encountered another stunning setback as another qualified candidate dropped out of the GM race.

Nelson de la Rosa, creator of the Mahow-Mahow dance and former best friend of former Sox ace Pedro Martinez, withdrew from Sox GM consideration earlier today much to the chagrin of Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino, who was due to sit down with de la Rosa over Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.

One well-placed industry source familiar with de la Rosa's thinking said he was crushed by the announcement of the Beckett-Lowell trade last night because for all intents and purposes, it means that Pedro Martinez will not be returning to Boston via a trade and Kevin Millar has also played his last game in a Red Sox uniform.

De la Rosa confirmed those concerns when he spoke to the media about his decision today via a translator:

"Hola… I had a dream yesterday. That one day soon I could make a triumphant return to Boston and lead my beloved Red Sox as their new GM. I had a dream that one day on the green lawn of Fenway my old friend Pedro Martinez would take the mound again in a Red Sox uniform. I had a dream that my favorite cowboy, Kevin Millar, would stand proudly at first base with his golden glove on opening day, batting fifth in the order again. I had a dream yesterday. I had a dream that one day this Red Sox Nation would rise up and take pictures with me, their new GM, during the games at Fenway for $10 apiece again. I had a dream yesterday.

"But that dream was dashed when the Red Sox made a deal for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell yesterday. So my dream, of trading for Pedro Martinez and being reunited with him, and re-signing the clown Millar, is gone today. Therefore, I see no point to continue vying for a job that I no longer want.

"I will return to New York with the hopes that Pedro forgives me, and invites me to the stadium Shea to be with him again in the spring. If not, I’ll go wherever Millar ends up, as long as he stays in baseball. Oh, and my decision has nothing to do with Larry Lucchino. Even though he banned me from Fenway Park two years ago.

"Bueno... estancia fuerte (stay strong and keep rooting)."

Lucchino was not available to the media for comment, but issued a statement regarding de la Rosa's decision:

"Although we are deeply disappointed with the outcome, we respect Nelson’s decision to move on from consideration to be the general manager of the Boston Red Sox… ahh actually, the truth is, it wasn’t a good fit. Nelson wasn’t really all that qualified and even though we both wanted Pedro to come back to Boston, it’s probably best that Nelson moves on to whatever it is he does. Luckily, we have 11 other prime candidates remaining to consider, hopefully one of them still wants this job.”

Oh My Josh!

Sox On Verge of Reeling in Beckett

"'This is a no-brainer for Boston,' said one American League GM of the deal that, barring some problem with medicals, will send Beckett and Lowell to Boston for Ramirez, prized pitching prospect Anibal Sanchez and a Single-A pitcher not on Boston's 40-man roster. 'Beckett is a premier player, 25 and entering his prime. He could go win the Cy Young award in the next two years.'

"At the end of the season, Boston's rotation had three 39- to 42-year-olds -- David Wells, Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield -- along with Matt Clement and Bronson Arroyo. Now if they can sign Beckett, who is two years from free agency, to a long-term deal, they'll have three premier power pitchers in their rotation in Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon (24) and left-hander Jon Lester (21), plus two premier young power relievers in Craig Hansen and Edgar Martinez. That's pretty good work from Boston's GM-by-committee of Jed Hoyer, Craig Shipley, Ben Cherington, Peter Woodfork and Bill Lajoie." -- 11.21, Peter Gammons, ESPN.com Insider (by subscription only)

"'Everybody in the game would love to have him,' said a major league executive, who added that most teams stayed away from Beckett because they were unwilling to take on Lowell's salary. 'He's got a plus fastball, a plus breaking ball, and a plus changeup, and he comes right at you. He's a horse.'" -- 11.22, Gordon Edes, Boston Globe

"'I haven't heard anything yet,' said Beckett, who added he would welcome the chance to pitch in Boston. 'Actually, I'm a little excited about it.' As for his arm, Beckett pronounced himself healthy, boasting, 'I don't need any physical.'... Lowell did not return calls from reporters Monday, but Beckett reached him by phone and said Lowell was happy with the trade. 'I told him he's going to hit 40 homers, 38 of them when I'm pitching,' Beckett said." -- 11.22, Miami Herald

Wilbur: Grin and Beckett
Snow: Sox Closing in on Beckett
Schilling: 'Next to Burnett, He's as Electric as They Come'

What Do You Think of the Big Deal?

From the Wayback Machine...

"With all due respect for the future of Josh Beckett, after beating the 21-year-old right-hander, (the Diamondbacks) Curt Schilling told the media, 'It just goes to show it's not as easy as pure stuff. It's more than that. At midnight before the game, I was on my computer, preparing and reviewing video and scouting reports. He was probably sleeping. I was on the computer at 8 the next morning, preparing my game plan. He was probably sleeping. What is he, 13?'

"Ask Schilling's teammates. The day after beating the Braves, he was talking in the clubhouse about how he wanted the outfield positioned for Cliff Foyd, his next start being against the Marlins." -- 05.04.02 Peter Gammons, ESPN.com

11.22.05, Curt Schilling: "But see if you don't take those (comments above) in context they sound bad. I was complimenting him on his stuff, and the differences in where we were. Next to Burnett, he's as electric as they come imo."

And About Those Blisters...

"One of the best examples is Josh Beckett, who has 10 major-league wins at 23, yet remains healthy and a near sure-fire bet for stardom. Beckett was rushed up to the majors with less than 200 professional innings. Then last year, he was bothered all season by blister problems. 'We tried everything,' Marlins pitching coach Brad Arnsberg said. Indeed, Beckett tried superglue that tore off the skin. He tried rice, cow urine and, finally, late in the season he got hold of a vial of dermabond called 'Stan's Rodeo Cream.'

"And Stan's Rodeo Cream worked. Beckett applies a vial of the cream the three days he throws between starts. It is expensive since each vial costs $40 and he uses the entire vial every time he throws. But the investment is worth it to the Marlins, who appreciate that Beckett has the stuff and the makeup to be a star." -- 2003, Peter Gammons, ESPN.com

Some Fun Facts About Beckett

The Owner Owns Up

John Henry Talks About Perceived Media Conflicts, the Payroll, Free Agents,
Lucchino, Leaks, Theo, Pedro, the Bigbie Trade and the GM Hunt on SoSH

"There were times in the recent negotiation when Theo was not sure he wanted to do this for the long-term – that was an issue. And there were times he felt we did not value him enough. There were times we felt he was ambivalent and we did not want a GM who did not crave the position. There were times late when we weren’t on the same page monetarily. There were a number of reasons that although I thought for many months this was a slam dunk like the LL negotiation, it became apparent that there were issues...

"Theo was clear in his press conference when he opted not to close the door to the future. But life is constant change and for the most part it is exceedingly unpredictable. He is not going to return as our surprise GM in this process. We are proceeding carefully to make the right choice. There are more potential candidates than is known simply because a number of people prefer to avoid, if at all possible, a highly charged, circus atmosphere that ends with only one candidate being chosen." -- 11.21, John Henry on the Sons of Sam Horn website