Hit and Run with Dan Roche

I think anyone who's been around the Red Sox since 2007 when pitching coach John Farrell would say the same thing: "Great guy. Smart. Has an unlimited future in the game of baseball."

John Farrell will be the next manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. And, when he's done with that he'll be a GM some day. And, afteer that perhaps a team president. In other words, John Farrell can do whatever he wants. He's that talented.

Can't agree much more with John Henry, who e-mailed the following to the "Boston Globe":

"The Jays are getting a great baseball man and a great person. We were able to keep John as a part of our organization longer than a couple of other teams would have wanted, but it really is time for John to step up to the next level."

John Farrell won't talk much about it, but from what I understand he was one of the big reasons why Jon Lester wasn't dealt to the Minnesota Twins as part of a package for Johan Santana(how'd that work out?). He has been huge in Lester's development, especially from a confidence angle. I think he believed in Lester more than Lester ever did. He feels the same way about Clay Byuchholz and a lot of his pitchers.

Farrell also turned down other managerial opportunities the past few years because he felt that he made a committment to Theo Epstein and the Red Sox and was going to keep it. Sure, the Sox would have let him go if he really pushed hard for it, but Farrell gave his word.

John Farrell's also a good family man. I think the majority of our conversations over the past 4 years have been about our kids.

And finally, my favorite John Farrell story came when Daisuke Matsuzaka made one of his first Fenway starts with the Red Sox in 2007.

Dice-K got himself in some of his normal trouble and loaded the bases. Farrell went to the Sox translator and asked how to say some "key phrases" for when he went to the mound to calm him down. Feeling confident, Farrell walked out to the mound, but said his mind went totally blank just before he reached the mound. Farrell said Dice-K looked at him for some guidance, confidence, any words of encouragement. Unfortuantely, Farrell couldn't recall any Japanese, so he just started talking to Matsuzaka in english. After 30 seconds or so, catcher Jason Varitek looked at Farrell and said, "he doesn't $%^&**& understand english!". Farrell simply started laughing...patted Dice-K on the back and walked back to the dugout with a big smile on his face.

I wish John Farrell good luck and now know the Toronto Blue Jays have made one of their best moves in years.

Some thoughts on this Wednesday, October 20th....

--watching both the ALCS and NLCS amkes you realize how much it takes to win a World Series. Just how hard it is. You have to have evrything rolling....offense, defense, pitching, and health. I find it amazing how teams repeat. Takes a lot these days.

--Cliff Lee reminds me of CC Sabathia last year, Josh Beckett in 2007, etc.. You get on a roll and seemingly nothing stops you. Beckett was unbelievable to watch in 2007, especially in the ALCS against Cleveland. I remember talking to Jonathan Papelbon about it and basically seeing Pap in awe of what Beckett was doing(even though Pap was doing the same in the closer role). Beckett had a lights out fastball and breaking stuff and was putting it wherever he wanted. Same as Lee this season, Yet, you watch Sabathia and again, you realize how hard it is to repeat it ever again.

--as I was watching Mark Teixeira go down in Game 4.....I felt like I was watching the Yankees go down as well...

--Brian Wilson is old school, eh? The Londonderry, NH native takes the ball whenever and gets it done. Period.

--Bruce Bochy is a great manager. Made Game 3 line-up changes perfectly and has handled his staff well.

--Confidence. Huge word when it comes to relievers. Look at Javier Lopez and Ramon Ramirez.

--regarding moving the bullpens in at Fenway? Doesn't bother that much because when the monster seats went up...it seemed like it got much harder to hit a ball out to RF...especially in April-May-September-October.

--also, today is the 6th anniversary of Boston beating NY 10-3 to win Game 7 of the ALCS and complete the improbable 0-3 comeback. Looking back that game is the one that basically ended the curse. Tim Wakefield led the way after what happened in 2003....was incredible to see him just a year later. Also, I remember how relaxed starter and winner Derek Lowe was before the game. Sitting on the dugout he talked for what seemed like hours to anyone and everyone. Almost like you never knew he was starting arguably the biggest game in Sox modern history.

Enjoy the postseason folks......

John Henry, Tom Werner and NESV are now officially soccer team owners. They completed the 400-plus million dollar purchase of the famed Liverpool, FC on Friday.

We should hear..."the Sox can afford any player now. Look what they paid for that soccer club!"...all off-season.

Here's the statements from the parties involved....

JOINT STATEMENT FROM NEW ENGLAND SPORTS VENTURES AND LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB

New England Sports Ventures (NESV) today announces that it has completed the purchase of Liverpool Football Club.  NESV wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to the Board of Liverpool FC for their diligence and their efforts on behalf of the Club and its supporters.

The transaction values the Club at £300m and eliminates all of the acquisition debt placed on LFC by its previous owners, reducing the Club’s debt servicing obligations from £25m-£30m a year to £2m-£3m.

New England Sports Ventures is committed to winning and currently owns a portfolio of companies, including the Boston Red Sox, New England Sports Network, Fenway Sports Group and Roush Fenway Racing.

NESV Principal Owner John Henry said:

“On behalf of the entire NESV partnership, I want to express how incredibly proud and humbled we are to be confirmed as the new owners of Liverpool FC.  We regard our role as that of stewards for the Club with a primary focus on returning the Club to greatness on and off the field for the long-term.  We are committed first and foremost to winning.  We have a history of winning, and today we want LFC supporters to know that this approach is what we intend to bring to this great Club.”

Liverpool FC Chairman Martin Broughton, said:

“I am delighted that we have been able to successfully conclude the sale process which has been thorough and extensive. The Board decided to accept NESV’s offer on the basis that it best met the criteria we set out originally for a new owner. NESV is buying Liverpool in order to put it on an excellent financial footing and continue to develop it internationally. This is a good deal which comprehensively resolves the pressing issue of the Club’s debt and should give staff, players and fans great confidence regarding the future of Liverpool FC.”

NESV Chairman Thomas Werner said:

“We recognize that Liverpool Football Club is an historic institution ultimately grounded in the community and the fans.  Our first step as new owners will be to listen.  We want to hear from the Manager and the players and those who are part of the daily operation of the Club.  We will be visible at Anfield and will embrace and listen to those who have stood by this Club and who are the rock on which its future success will be built.  We want to hear from the fans, local leaders and the local community.  We want to hear from those who know LFC best, who have made it the best and share our desire to return to a culture of winning.”

NESV is committed to creating a long-term, financially strong foundation for the Club and dedicated to ensuring the Club has the financial resources to be successful again and attract the best players.  To that end, the transaction has been structured in such a way as to eliminate all of the acquisition debt on the Club.

In the coming days and months, NESV will work closely with the LFC executive team to listen and learn about every facet of the organization. During this time, the new owners will begin to look at areas for greatest opportunity to increase the appeal of the Club nationally and internationally. NESV wants to once again create a culture and environment to allow people to excel at the Club on every front.  During this period, NESV will also begin to examine opportunities to enhance the matchday experience in the short-term, while also carefully studying the various long-term options that may be possible.

Mr Henry and Mr Werner added:

“We are eager to commence with our plan, spend time with the organization, its leadership, its supporters, and the local communities.  We will take these steps alongside the Club’s executives with a shared objective of stabilizing the Club and ultimately returning Liverpool FC to its rightful place in English and European football, successful and competing for trophies.”   

Kraft Sports Productions Executive Producer Matt Smith asked me an interesting question this week: "Why don't the Red Sox pursue free agent pitcher Cliff Lee?".

Answer: don't have one.

It's been widely assumed that Lee would sign a deal with the NY Yankees during this upcoming off-season. In fact, it appeared he was headed there at the trade deadline and that CC Sabathia was helping him find a house to live in.

But....why not simply blow away Lee with an offer he can't refuse? Simply do what the Yankees did to the Sox in the Mark teixeira negotiations.

Lee has been solid in the regular season going 102-61 with a 3.85 over the course of nine big league seasons. However, the 31-year-old's postseason numbers are off the charts.

In 7 career starts, Lee is 6-0 with a 1.44 ERA. He has thrown 3 complete games. In 56-1/3rd innings, he's given up just 38 hits and only 9 earned runs while allowing just 6 walks and striking out 54.

If you're the Red Sox and you throw out a Lester-Lee-Buchholz-Lackey-Beckett rotation...watch out. Doesn't matter if you lose Beltre and V-Mart. You could dominate. Trade Matsuzaka and take some pressure off of Beckett and Lackey.

Personally, I don't see Theo doing it, but again, nothing he does would surprise me....

If I had a chance to talk with Atlanta Braves second baseman Brooks Conrad on this Columbus Day I would say the same thing I say to my kids and any ballplayer: "Don't worry about it."

Conrad made three errors Sunday in a critical Game 3 of the NLDS series between the Braves and the San Francisco Giants. The last one came with two outs in the 9th inning in a 2-2 game and it allowed the game-winning run to score.

San Francisco is now up 2-1 in the best-of-five series. If Atlanta loses, Conrad will have his name remembered for quite some time in the city of Atlanta.

We all lived through the unfortunate events of the Bill Buckner error in the 1986 World Series. It was awful that Buckner had to move out of New England. Awful.

With Conrad, I would simply say.....

"There's nothing you can do about it now. It happened. However, always remember that you were at least in the position to make that play. YOU. No one else. Nobody worked hard for that moment except you. Stuff happens. You are among all the elite baseball players in the world simply by being in the big leagues.

Maybe next time(Game 4 or 5??) you will succeed. You can make up for it. But, if you don't.....don't let anyone bring you down. Any fan would love to be in a game like that. That's what they dream about. Yet they weren't god enough. You were. And, at least you had the opportunity to play in a big game like that. It didn't work out. But, at least you had the chance.

They may not let you move on, but you have to. Move on to bigger and better things....like family and friends. The game will move on and so will you.

The Braves have been in play-off series time and time again, especially under the great Bobby Cox. You know how many World Series they have one over that span? One. Even with Hall-of-Famers on that team.

It happens, my friend. And, it's ok."

I feel bad for anyone in that situation. No one....no one is perfect. Every ballplayer succeeds and every ballplayer fails. It's a fact of life.

I am now rooting for the Atlanta Braves to win the NLDS. More so, a young man named Brooks Conrad.

Congrats to Curt Schilling and all those surrounding the annual 100-inning Baseball Marathon event this past weekend.

The event raised an amazing 500-thousand dollars.

Our good friends at Fenwaynation.com have a poll out for the Sox player of the year. What do you think.

My two cents? Beltre.

I thought wire-to-wire(maybe except for the first few weeks of April) that he was the guy time and time again, who came up with the big plays on both sides of the ball.

Buster Posey gets called safe on a close play at second base where the tag is up high while his feet go in low. Check swings are being questioned. Strike calls are debated.

Stop.

No, not the close plays or call. Stop the call for "instant replay".

I get it when it comes to fair and foul calls on home runs. I can even see it(for perhaps just postseason) for fair or foul calls down the first and third base line. However, for balls and strikes? Safe or out calls at bases? Check swings?

Enough! Why don't we just bag umpires and use cameras to call everything? Wouldn't that make it easier?

I don't know if the media(mostly ESPN btw) just doesn't have any juicier storylines to get into, but c'mon! The game is one where human judgment is simply a part of it. Same goes for every sport out there. Deal with it.

You can argue almost any close pitch in baseball. It happens on every level. Umpires are doing their best and that's their job.

Meanwhile, stop with the "check swing" complaints. I've written this before.....It amazes me that there is no rule in the MLB rule book on check swings. None. Zero. It's simply an opinion call.

So, let's stop the nonsense and enjoy what we're seeing. Roy Halladay's no-hitter as he joins Don Larsen in elite company. Imagine if Halladay's Blue Jays had been able to make the play-offs all these years. Or, Tim Lincecum's 14-strikeout complete game against Atlanta in Game One of their series. Still think "The Freak" is the best nickname in sports right now too. Or, Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson shutting down Tampa Bay(although that doesn't shock me as TB's offense has been hot or cold all season). Or, the Yankees doing it again t the poor Twins new ballpark and all.

Lots of good stuff. And, please just stop with the whining........

Enjoy the baseball.

Here is a statement released by the Red Sox and President/CEO Larry Lucchino on the purchase of the Liverpool(England) Footgball club:

Today’s announcement that New England Sports Ventures (NESV) has reached an understanding with the Liverpool Football Club Board of Directors to buy that historic Club is a tremendous development for the NESV partners; and, I predict, for the passionate supporters of Liverpool Football Club.

To be clear, while it is exciting for all of us as global sports fans, this is an undertaking of the NESV partnership, which owns the Boston Red Sox, New England Sports Network, Roush Fenway Racing, and Fenway Sports Group.  It is not an undertaking of the Boston Red Sox and will not divert our resources or focus on the job at hand – winning a third World Series for the loyal members of Red Sox Nation.

Those of us in the Red Sox front office, starting with me, Theo, and the baseball management team, share a single-minded focus on the baseball team, and we will remain in our roles and committed to extending the extraordinary and winning traditions of the Boston Red Sox.  We want to assure our fans that our work and our Red Sox resources will continue to be devoted to fielding excellent teams in 2011 and beyond, teams worthy of our fans' avid support.

Some thoughts as the 2010 Boston Red Sox season sadly comes to an end on Sunday....

--the Mike Lowell tribute was one of those rare and amazing things to watch unfold in Boston. To be the first guy since Yaz to have a ceremony while in a Sox uniform says quite a bit about Boston, doesn't it? Just hard to say good-bye in this market. Many players have to go elsewhere to end their careers. Some leave angrily while others don't. I think if this was a last place-who cares-market then things might be different. However, there's too much to play for here, money included. And, often times that's what drives two parties apart(Mo Vaughn, Pedro, Roger, etc..). Yet, due to some strange circumstances(injuries, trade vetoes, etc), Mike Lowell had a day he'll never forget. And, he was so popular in his 5 years here that everyone loved...the chance to say good-bye and good luck.

--I always find it tough to say good-bye to Red Sox baseball each year. I will watch postseason play, but it's just a lot more fun around here when the Sox are in it.

--with that said....can't wait for Spring Training. Roughly, what?....135 days until pitchers and catchers report.

--also doesn't mean I'm not enjoying the Pats season and can't wait for the Bruins and Celtics to begin. Great to be in Boston these days....

--Off-season comes down to which of the three....Beltre, V-Mart, and Ortiz does Theo bring back. And, it looks like the best chance for returning belong to Ortiz and V-Mart.

--Lots of credit to Terry Francona, John Farrell, Dave Magadan and the entire Sox coaching staff on a job well done this season.

--The bullpen needs to be fixed in the off-season and Theo knows it. Who will return? Daniel Bard, Pap, and perhaps no one else. And, yes, I think Pap will be back. He deserves a mulligan for this season.

--I wish Jason Varitek could have a day like Mike Lowell did. He was the glue that held this team and pitching staff together for more than a decade. He deserves his day in the sun at Fenway.