The Dirty Water Filter,10/17 - Lots to Do, Lots of Time

Time to Roll Out Red Carpet for Johnny Damon in Boston? - Eric Ortiz - NESN.com

Last but not least, he’s an Idiot. Damon might be 35, but he still acts like a rookie when it comes to having fun on the diamond. Besides the on-field contributions, his carefree attitude could be the most important intangible Damon brings to the Red Sox, who displayed all the personality of a cantaloupe this season.

The part where Mr. Ortiz discusses Damon's skill is lacking, so I thought I'd share his "humor."

Projected projects for Theo Epstein - BostonHerald.com

Theo Epstein’s attempted reclamation projects with John Smoltz and Brad Penny were not what the Sox general manager had hoped for. Still, the idea of dipping into the free-agent well for similar low-cost, incentive-based deals for pitchers coming back from injuries or with long histories of injuries is still a possibility this offseason.

Red Sox Could Target More Low-Risk, High-Reward Pitchers - NESN.com
Process, not results, people.

Theo Will Continue to Look at High Risk-High Reward Pitchers - Fenway West

Theo Epstein sees value in patch jobs - BostonHerald.com

"There’s a tendency on the heels of some of those buy-low, one-year deals not working out to go in the other direction, and say we’re not going to do that, we’re going to avoid anyone who’s coming off a bad season or anyone who’s got health concerns," Sox general manager Theo Epstein said earlier this week.

Means to Improve May Be Limited - Bleacher Report

Despite scoring the third most runs in baseball this season, the Red Sox offense couldn't rise to the occasion in their brief post-season. That's because two of those three games were played away from Fenway Park.

Or, you know, we faced some really good pitching and the offense happened to be going through one of their collective slumps again? A park isn't going to make or break a team.

More links after the jump, ranging from the young to the old.

Cool - now we just need to figure out where we want him to play defensively.

Lowrie: ‘The Prognosis Is Good’ - Full Count

"The prognosis is good," Lowrie wrote in an e-mail. "With rest, strength and conditioning it should be 100 percent."

Easy joke opportunity here - go ahead. Seriously, being able to talk to players whenever has to be the best part of being a reporter.

Theo Epstein has to figure out his plan of attack soon - BostonHerald.com
Jed V. Gonzo V. Scutaro V. Tejada V. Cabrera V. Everett V. Ramirez. Yes, I ordered them in level of insanity; you get to figure out which way is increasing.

Sox farm system not at level best - The Boston Globe

No players expected to make major jump

It'll happen - someone will get injured, or not perform at a proficient level, and we'll have to call on the kids. Wagner possibly? Or maybe Reddick?

Dustin Pedroia: 'Our infield (stinks)' - Bleacher Report

Pretty sure that Dusty wasn't coming up with a random excuse here; the infield has caused bad hops for a while. Everyone remembers Youk's shiner from a throw by Lowell that bounced weird?

Case closed - Boston.com

With regard to Jonathan Papelbon, the ultimate question is this: after three years of absolute dominance, was the 2009 season at all a warning of things to come?

"Absolutely not,’’ Red Sox pitching John Farrell said yesterday. "He set a standard for himself."

But is he the same pitcher? There's been a lot of work done on his delivery, and I don't think he has the same stuff anymore. Keep the case open, Mazz.

Note To Red Sox Nation: Everything Will Be Alright - Bleacher Report

The Bob Marley song should already be playing in your head, so I don't need to embed it, right? Speaking of crazy dreadlocked dudes:

Manny Ramirez on the Red Sox: 'I picked them to win' - Red Sox Monster

Thanks?

If Jason Varitek Won't Retire, Then It's Time to Retire the Boston Red Sox's "C" - Bleacher Report

Loyal Red Sox fan thrown a cruel curve - The Boston Globe

Never really thought about it like that - although Schilling's Twitter is Gehrig38, which caused me to glance twice.

I am going to tell you why managers like Francona do dumb things like IBB Hunter… - Inside the Book

Gotta love MGL, providing a better link to replace the one I referenced a few days ago when talking about Tito's stubbornness. Although, this sounds a bit far-fetched...

Enjoy the weekend - baseball season's not completely over (sure wish we had that All Star Game or WBC coming up in a few days or something), there's some good football to be played, and the other major sports are just starting up.