Cliff Lee to the Phillies?

Old Friend Gordon Edes is back again with another tasty MLB trade rumor, this one involving the Philadelpha Phillies.

Edes is reporting that multiple sources have confirmed that the Phillies are “very close” to completing a deal for Indians starter Cliff Lee. (Of course, Old Gordy did slip up yesterday in his Sox report, as it turned out that Masterson or Lars Anderson, not Westmoreland, were the second players in the proposed deal with Toronto).

But if the report is accurate, the question then becomes this:

Are the Sox now the frontrunners to get Roy Halladay?

Since it became clear that the Jays could be sellers this season, the Phillies have been widely considered the logical destination for the Cy Young pitcher. But if they snag Cliff Lee, one can safely assume that they have taken themselves out of the Halladay talks. This leaves basically one team and one team only that has the prospects – and is willing to part with them – to get the job done:

The Red Sox.

Never count out Brian Cashman and the Yankees, however. They have been suspiciously quiet as the deadline nears, and we all remember what happened this winter with Mark Teixeira.

Suffice it to say, it should be an interesting couple days here at Game Six Headquarters as things heat up.

Everybody seems to have an opinon when it comes to Allen Iverson. Throughout his career, most of them have been negative. People like to talk about how he’s a punk, they say how selfish he supposedly is, and they ramble on about how many tattoos he has. But until now I hadn’t heard a single story about the Allen Iverson Student Athletic Scholarship Program. Hell, Iverson’s Wikipedia page makes no mention of it, though a good third of the entry is devoted to a section labeled “Controversy.” Weird, right?

Rice rushing 4-year-old Jonathan Keane to an ambulance in 1982.

Actually, that reminds me – until recently, I’d never even heard the story of Jim Rice basically saving a young fan’s life after he was struck by a batted ball. All I ever heard about was how much of a surly jerk Rice was, how he sulked around and refused to talk to the media. Nobody ever bothered to mention that he was a damn hero.

Well, yesterday during his ceremony at Fenway, Rice sure didn’t seem like a jerk. In fact, he appeared genuinely touched by all the attention, and his speech was that of an authentically appreciative guy. And Iverson doesn’t look very selfish in the above video clip, either. Actually, he seems pretty generous, and he sounds downright sincere.

Makes you pause and consider just how much power and influence The Media really has, doesn’t it?

The newest Bruin, Derek Morris.

While Red Sox trade rumors have been dominating the local sports pages, the Boston Bruins and GM Peter Chiarelli have been cooking up a few deals of their own. First the Bruins shipped fan favorite Aaron Ward to the Carolina Hurricanes for former Boston College standout Patrick Eaves, 25, and a 2010 fourth-rounder. Then they placed Eaves on waivers in order to clear the $3.1 million he is owed over the next 2 years. The Globe’s Bruins Blog goes into more detail:

“Eaves was due $3.1 million over the next two seasons. Because he is under 26, he can be bought out for one-third of his remaining salary. If Eaves goes unclaimed, the Bruins will carry his $258,333 buyout number in 2009-10, 2011-12, and 2012-13. Because he is on an escalating three-year contract, the Bruins will receive a $41,667 cap credit in 2010-11, the year Marc Savard hits UFA status and Milan Lucic, Blake Wheeler, and Tuukka Rask become RFAs.”

Finally, the Bruins put the finishing touches on their plan by signing 30-year-old defenseman Derek Morris – who split last season between Phoenix and the Rangers – to a one-year, $3.3 million contract.

Whew.

Morris, by all accounts, is a highly skilled blueliner. He slides comfortably into a role that was greatly lacking during the Bruins 08-09 run, a role often discussed as the one that most needed filling – that of the Puck-Moving Defenseman. Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, who has been vocal about his pursuit of a PMD, described Morris thusly:

“Good offensive skill set….Good seam pass. Big shot, good compete level.”

That’s hockey-speak for, “He’s tough on D and can score if he needs to.” And Morris even has a bit of a Bruins connection: Originally drafted in the first round by Calgary, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in 2002 in a deal that involved Old Friend Stephane Yelle. It hasn’t been all fun and games for the big defenseman, however. You might remember an incident in 2002 in which a little girl named Brittanie Cecil was killed by an errant puck, resulting in the NHL installing protective netting around the rink. Well, the puck – rocketing towards the net after an Espen Knutsen slapshot – deflected off Morris and into the stands, where it struck the 13-year-old Cecil in the temple. Though certainly no fault of Morris’s, it is interesting to note that he was involved in perhaps one of the seminal hockey moments of the last twenty years, at least from a safety standpoint.

It's tough to see Wardo go.

By signing Morris, the B’s got both younger and better, but that doesn’t make it any easier to see consummate Good Guy Aaron Ward go. I am glad that he is returning to his hometown team (he lives in Cary, NC – one town over from Raleigh), but I can’t help but wonder whether his locker room relationship with Scotty Bleepin’ Walker will be a little frosty, after Walker’s sucker punch in last year’s playoffs. Ward, to his credit, shrugged off any speculation of the sort:

“Those are things that happen during the game,” Ward said. “It’s water under the bridge. I’m on his team now.” (Quote taken from the Boston Globe Bruins Blog).

And that right there is a perfect example of why I’m sorry to see Ward leave Boston – he seems like a genuinely nice guy. He’s been a solid presence in the community – from his appearances on local radio to the “Cuts for a Cause” Children’s Hospital fundraising event he coordinated which ultimately generated close to 60 thousand dollars for the Children’s Pediatric Oncology Unit – and he is universally revered in the locker room. It’s always hard to replace a guy like that, no matter what sport we’re talking about, but in hockey – a game predicated on fierce loyalty, teamwork, and togetherness – players like Ward are especially important.

Derek Morris, while certainly an upgrade from a skill standpoint, has some pretty big skates to fill.

Someone get this lady a job over at Red Sox HQ. She’d turn this season around in no time:

“Well, Julio Lugo is like SO good so first we’ll trade for him, and like, Dice-K is from Japan and they have stronger arms over there, so like, we should let him train the way he wants and stuff, and like then we should trade Pedroia for John Wasdin, and like…..”

A Tar Heel with 100 MPH gas? What could be better?

Gordon Edes is also reporting that the Sox have taken reliever Daniel Bard off the table as far as trade talks are concerned. This is great news for anyone who has realized recently that the young Bard, with his 100+ MPH cheese, is one of the few legitimately exciting players on a fairly mundane 2009 Sox roster. Let’s hope this report is accurate and that Epstein understands what he has in the young fireballer.

Since there’s not much else to talk about in the sports world right now, Game Six is shifting into full-fledged Deadline Mode.

What is Deadline Mode, you ask?

Well, Deadline Mode involves hunting down, reporting, and analyzing every single Red Sox-related trade rumor over the next three days, up to and through the Friday deadline. And if other teams want to join the Blockbuster Party, then we’ll cover them too.

Let’s kick Deadline Mode into gear with this juicy tidbit from Yahoo! Sports‘ Gordon Edes (why can’t we get sportswriters like that?):

The Sox have offered three players – pitching prospect Michael Bowden, outfielder Ryan Westmoreland, and the formerly untradeable-for-some-reason Clay Buchholz – to the Blue Jays for Roy “Doc” Halladay.

Wow. If that one doesn’t get your juices flowing, I just don’t know what to tell you.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I would love the move if Theo Epstein can pull it off, though it does strike me as strange that the Sox refused to part with Buchholz in a proposed Victor Martinez deal with the Indians, but are now ready and willing not only to deal Buchholz, but also Bowden – who’s name has been tossed around a lot lately – and top outfield prospect Westmoreland for Halladay. Sure, Halladay has more value than Martinez, but does he have THAT much more value? Theo seems to think so. But can he pry Doc away from the Phillies, the team currently considered the frontrunners to land the All-Star? And will Rays GM J.P. Ricciardi demand yet another player – Jed Lowrie, perhaps – before he is willing deal Halladay within the AL East?

Stay tuned.

Either way, I’m a firm believer that you can never have too much pitching, and right now the Sox rotation could use a little help of the Dominant Starter variety.

ESPN.com is reporting that Michael Vick has been conditionally reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Lock up your dogs everybody!

Seriously though, Vick is now eligible to participate in all preseason activities including the final two NFL preseason games, assuming his woefully underpaid agent can convince a team to sign him.

Once the season starts, Vick is still sidelined for official competition – at least until further word comes down from the Commish – but I maintain that signing Vick now would be a brilliant move. Not even the biggest dog-frenching cream puff can argue against locking up a 3-time Pro Bowler for pennies on the dollar. If you’re an NFL GM, why not roll the dice with a guy like Vick? Call it a reclamation project and market it as a Redemption Story to the rest of the league, and start counting your money. You’re telling me that a casual football fan ISN’T going to tune in to watch Micheal Vick’s inglorious return to the NFL?

That’s just PETA-brained wishful thinking.

That’s right, Game 6 management will be on vacation through Sunday sans Internet access. Unfortunately that means our loyal readers will be without their daily dose of hollow opinions, failed witticisms, and tossed-off hyperbole. (I know it’ll be hard, but I think you’ll live).

Until then, enjoy your weekends everyone and come back strong on Monday.

I have a hunch Theo is burning up the phone lines as we speak.

Something tells me that Red Sox GM Theo Epstein isn’t done dealing just yet.

Call it gut instinct, call it a love of blockbuster deals, or just call it a little Deadline Delusion, but I think the Sox have one big splash left to make before July 31st rolls around.

The only question I have is,  What are they going to do?

Will the Sox go after a big bat, like Matt Holliday or Victor Martinez – who they apparently refused to trade Clay Buchholz for over the last few weeks?

Will they sit tight and see if they can fleece any panicking squads of some solid talent?

Will they jump into the Doc Halladay sweepstakes?

It remains to be seen. I’d be happy with either of these 3 options, but I do think a move needs to be made.

(Again, that could just be the Blockbuster Trade addiction talking).

Julio Lugo wears the brand new cologne from Axe, "Mediocrity"

The Julio Lugo Era is finally over in Boston.

Late this afternoon, the Sox swapped the practically-useless shortstop to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder/first baseman Chris Duncan.

Duncan is currently struggling, with a .257 average and just 4 homers after coming off 2008 neck surgery, but to be perfectly honest, I couldn’t care less. I literally thought Lugo was untradeable, at least for anything more than a fresh bag of balls and some sunflower seeds. But somehow, some way, the Sox front office must have convinced the Cards that Lugo had some sort of heretofore unseen – and frankly, unimaginable – value because off he goes, down to St. Louis and out of the minds of Red Sox fans forever.

Ladies and gentlemen, Theo Epstein!