May

By Eric Wilbur

3 minutes to read

PT Barnum might have watched the whole thing unfold and deemed it too much for any of his shows.

To say there was a lot going on at Fenway Park the night of May 1 is an understatement. The Yankees made their first visit of the season, with former Red Sox icon Johnny Damon in tow. Earlier in the day, the Red Sox had re-acquired backup catcher Doug Mirabelli from the Padres, having seen enough of Josh Bard’s troubles trying to catch Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball, and transported him to the park via police escort in a whirlwind journey that reeked of the team trying to upstage their former star.

Advertisement:


After all, the Yankees had tried to get in on the Mirabelli negotiations with the Padres to block their rivals from acquiring him, ultimately driving up the price for Theo Epstein, who was forced to toss Cla Meredith into the deal. For one night the Red Sox won the battle, grabbing Mirabelli, and the win.
Seemingly every night following though, the deal looked worse.
Bard hit .333 for the Padres, and is projected to be their everyday starter next season. Meredith set a franchise record for scoreless innings, and finished the year with a 1.07 ERA. Mirabelli hit .191. And while Wakefield enjoyed a 3-2 mark in the month of May, he would only win three more games the rest of the year, missing more than a month with a rib injury.
The Red Sox have proven that they’re not afraid to fix problems, no matter how early in the season or contract. But this little escapade was no doubt hasty to say the least. Mirabelli may be re-signed for 2007, but can anyone argue any reason whatsoever why they’d rather have him on staff over Bard and Meredith? Who knows whether Bard would have caught on to the knuckler, but the bottom line is that he was given a grand total of five games to master the technique. How different might the 2006 edition have been with Bard stepping in for an injured Jason Varitek, and Meredith anchoring the late-inning bridge the Sox so desperately needed? It’s certainly fodder for debate.
Damon, of course, was roundly booed in his return, which was expected. And while plenty denounced the fans for turning their back on Damon after all he had accomplished here, the real embarrassing reactions that night were the multiple standing ovations to welcome back Doug Mirabelli. If we only knew what we know now.
In other news:

  • The New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro advocates knocking down David Ortiz with some high heat prior to the Sox’ first trip to Yankee Stadium. Tony Conigliaro is not available for comment.
  • It’s only May, and George Steinbrenner is ready to blow his top, expressing frustration directed toward all the Yankees, especially the one he refers to as, “the third baseman.”
  • Bronson Arroyo sports the best ERA in the National League. Wily Mo Pena continues to make Dwight Evans curse.
  • Roger Clemens signs with the Houston Astros, despite Boston’s all-out attempt to coax him back to Boston with an infamous DVD and a contract offer of $21,021,021.
  • Sign of things to come: Despite a 30-19 record, the Red Sox are just 15-15 at this stage against any teams not named the Orioles (8-1) or Devil Rays (7-3). Boston will finish in third place for the first time in nearly a decade.
  • Barbaro goes down. Deadspin rolls all year long with uncanny content from the Barbaro “Get Well” message board.
  • Manny Ramirez trade status: All quiet.