Ladies and gentleman, I have thoughts and comments regarding the Red Sox and their acquisition of David Price. Actually, it's more of a question. And that question is this:
Is it racist for me to want to wish David Price luck by saying "
Godspeed, you black emperor!"? Give that a think while you're mulling over this week's picks, and get back to me. OR don't, and I'll just assume it's the jump off and start designing the t-shirts. So don't...
No, but seriously. Congratulations to Dave Dombrowski for outbidding all other suitors by $30 million in order to convince a guy that doesn't want to play in Boston, to play in Boston. I'm sure David Price will adjust masterfully, pitch very well in the postseason, and not at all become the CC Sabathia of the Back Bay. BB Sabathia, if you will. Which you shouldn't...
Yes, Price has a great regular season track record. And
yes, it's
never a "bad deal" when you didn't have to give up any prospects (it's not my money, guy kid). But you'll have to excuse me for not celebrating the impending arrival of a guy who:
A) has shown at every turn that he probably won't adapt well to this market
B) is
ONLY coming here for the money
C) is on the
WRONG side of 30 (
paging John Henry)
AND
D) is best known for gas-canning it up come playoff time (career ERA of 5.12 over 63 IP. 6.17 ERA in 2015)
I guess it's a good sign that the ownership group is actually letting Dombrowksi do his thing (or at least do
this thing). So there's always that. And I like that he aggressively pursued who he wanted. So there's always that, too. I just think that there's every indication that this particular player may not be a perfect fit for this particular situation. And a $30+ mil a year player should fit like a glove. Whereas this has all the earmarks of a square peg being forced into a round hole...
Hey, I hope I'm wrong. I hope Price is great, and doesn't let the media (or David Ortiz) knock him off his game. I hope the front office is able to manage the opt-out after year 3 effectively (no chance in Hell), and it serves as a carrot instead of an anchor. And I hope that this is only the latest in a line of successful Dave Dombrowski deals that I don't like or understand. I don't think that it will, and I'm fairly confident that
they won't (paging BB Sabathia). But I've enjoyed being wrong before, and I'm not averse to trying it again...
And I know I sound like a spoiled killjoy (
Old Rick!!!!), picking nits with my scorching hot take. But rest assured, I'm not one of those Teds that will root against a guy on my own team just because I didn't like the circumstances from whence he came. I mean, this isn't JD Drew we're talking about. I just don't like the deal, for the reasons I've laid out. And I
do like colorfully going on the record. So here we are...
I wish Dombrowksi and Price the best of luck, though. As we enter an era that I'm tentatively calling 'The Dawn of the Daves'. And here's to hoping they won't RUIN MY SUMMAH!!!...
Now I'll wish
you some good luck before bestowing on you this week's prophetic picks. So Ted speed, you (probably) white emperors! And I'll catch you next week...
Week 13 Picks
New England Patriots (-10) vs Philadelphia Eagles
Houston Texans (+3) @ Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears (-6.5) vs San Francisco 49ers
Cincinnati Bengals (-7) @ Cleveland Browns
Jacksonville Jaguars (+3.5) @ Tennessee Titans
St. Louis Rams (+6.5) vs Arizona Cardinals
Baltimore Ravens (+4.5) @ Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings (pick) vs Seattle Seahawks
New York Giants (+3.5) vs New York Jets
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1) vs Atlanta Falcons
Oakland Raiders (+3.5) vs Kansas City Chiefs
Denver Broncos (-4) vs San Diego Chargers
Carolina Panthers (-7) @ New Orleans Saints
Indianapolis Colts (+10) @ Pittsburgh Steelers + UNDER 49
Washington Tedskins (-4.5) vs Dallas Cowboys + OVER 42
Thanksgiving: 2-4-0
Overall: 84-77-6 (.521)
NCAA Top 25 Picks
(1) Clemson (-5) vs (8) North Carolina
(2) Alabama (-17) vs (18) Florida
(4) Iowa (+3.5) vs (5) Michigan St.
(24) USC (+4.5) vs (7) Stanford
(12) Baylor (-20.5) vs Texas
(17) Houston (-6.5) vs (20) Temple
Overall: 60-60-1 (.500)
#BAGSMUNMAN
