Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“Yeah, if you get traded, you have to go play baseball, you’ve got a contract and stuff like that, you’re playing the game,” said Youkilis on whether he would be OK hearing he got traded. “I don’t know the right way to put it — if I get traded, I get traded. Nothing you can do. I wouldn’t be the first or the last person here in this room to be traded.”
Youkilis then mentioned how Nomar Garciaparra was traded in 2004, which is an interesting name to bring up because around this time eight years ago, the strains between Garciaparra and the team were beginning to set in, setting in motion the July 31 trade.
Garciaparra was not a happy teammate then, and now it is hard to catch Youkilis playing with much joy, never mind a smile. He was ejected from Friday’s game at Fenway and on Monday night here, he and home plate umpire Ron Kulpa got into a loud and unpleasant discussion after the final out.
[...]
“Am I happy here this year?” Youkilis said, repeating the question. “I mean, did it start out well this year? It hasn’t been fun. So what are you going to do? You’ve got a game, you’ve got your teammates, you’ve got to play. That’s all you can do.”
[...]
“Yeah, there’s been a couple of things that have happened,” Youkilis said. “But that’s just part of this, you find little things that have happened, you’ve got to overcome them. It hasn’t been the easiest road, it hasn’t been easier than past years but what are you going to do?”
Herald | Kevin Youkilis about good to go
Apologies to the Herald for using so much of that article in the snippet, but that was some good stuff. (Go click that link so I don't feel so bad. See, Herald? We're driving traffic!)
It is time for Youk and the Sox to go their separate ways. Bill Simmons has described Youk as the "ultimate change of scenery guy", and I have to agree with him. Youk hasn't lost his talent over night. He's still a really good ballplayer. But he doesn't fit into this team.
And if he's identifying with Nomar (in whatever way), it's reached a point of no return. He's been an important part of the Red Sox for years, but it looks like his time is up. We have a shiny new toy in Will Middlebrooks, and Youk's helmet-throwing, ump-clashing tirades have grown old in the light of a .500 team.
There's no reason to wait until the deadline. Sure, you might get a touch more value by going through a bidding war. But with an old guy like Youk, you risk him getting reinjured (he bruised his ribs last night). And if the off-the-field portion of things is as contentious as it sounds, why wait? There are plenty of teams that can use his bat (the Dodgers come to mind first, but there are more), so call them up and make a deal.
On page 2, Sean McAdam wants to credit Mike Aviles' clutchness.
Two-and-a-half months into the season, David Ortiz leads the Red Sox in RBI with 38, which isn't terribly surprising.
But Mike Aviles being second, with 37? That's hardly to be expected.
Aviles collected another RBI Tuesday night and it proved to be huge, since it was the difference in the Red Sox' 2-1 win over the Miami Marlins that snapped a four-game Sox losing streak.
CSNNE | Aviles continues to come through
Not to get all stat-y on you, but Aviles really isn't having a good year with the bat. He had a hot start, but his OBP is .279 (worse than Carl Crawford last year, to give you a comparison), and his OPS stands under .700.
The best thing to say for him is that he does show a little pop, with 15 doubles and eight homers on the year. Pretty good for a shortstop, and clearly that's the reason he's driving in runs. I'm not stat-y enough to say that RBIs are meaningless like some say, but when you look at his overall picture it's less impressive.
That said, he's been an admirable fill-in this year. He's been fine with the glove (see last night's double play), and there are the aforementioned positive elements to his bat. He's nothing to build around, but he's been fine.
Herald | Clay Buchholz comes up big | Kelly Shoppach doubles fun | Felix Doubront in good shape | Globe | Sox throw in a good one | This anemic offense could use a little iron | No review was necessary | Voices line up for Red Sox announcer job | CSNNE | Buchholz strong again as Sox hook Marlins, 2-1 | Red Sox taking advantage of Podsednik's good health | ESPNBoston | Persistence pays off for Buchholz | Clay Buchholz sharp as Red Sox snap four-game losing skid | Rapid reaction: Red Sox 2, Marlins 1
