Here's a Show of Good Faith

Well, I was just looking at Kevin's post in the chatbox from a few months back,

rumor has it, reid is planning a great return to the blog. He may say he has been "very busy" but he is lying. He has just been lazy, and has been catching up in watching The Office.

Here's the thing about that - I am busy, I am. Biochemistry is a lot of hard work. The Office is also the best show on TV, and it's also on my computer, and I like to watch it. A lot. Sue me.

What does Boston want with Todd Helton? Can someone explain this to me? Last year, Helton came this close to going dead last in my fantasy draft. Dude went from first-rounder to "Um... we'll take Todd I guess..." Like the fat kid in Dodgeball. And now Boston wants to take on this load? Big teams keep making these mistakes, and I can't figure it out. Sure, a team like Tampa Bay will bring in a big, past-his-prime star to teach the youngsters and to draw fans to the park. The Red Sox need neither of those things. The Yankees were also in need of neither when they acquired Randy Johnson. There has to be something I'm missing, right? Of course, we don't know what the Red Sox are offering for Helton. I just don't see this as a situation where Colorado no longer needs Helton, but the Red Sox are looking for just that guy. Let me know what you think.

And what's going on with Mark Buehrle in Chicago? I've long been one of Buehrle's biggest fans, and I don't know what happened last year, (ERA circa 5,) but I'm willing to write it off. Apparently, GM Ken Williams isn't. Actually, maybe he is. No one really seems to know what's going on here, least of all Williams and Buehrle. It doesn't help that this whole scene has been covered like a soap opera. For example:

The question was asked of Mark Buehrle maybe once, maybe twice, maybe even a handful of times. Well, in reality, it probably was asked about 15 or 20 times.

Apparently the question dealt with money. And from what I can gather, 'they' asked Buehrle how much he would need to stay with the White Sox after 2007. He said he wasn't looking for Zito sort of money. But he said that didn't matter because he had seen direct quotes from Williams saying he didn't want Buehrle back. And now, it would appear that Williams never said that. Or he did, and he's sorry it was interpreted that way. Does anyone notice that Williams and Ozzie Guillen seem to repeatedly find themselves in these sort of situations? What a mess.

I had an idea, something I can work on before Spring Training. Maybe I'll try to do a quick run down of the free-agent deals. This is a win-win situation for everyone. This way I know who is where before the season starts, and so do you. It's not too original, but I think it will work. I'm really going to try very hard to keep up for this season. Leave your thoughts. Wait, I still don't have this out of my system... this is really going to bother me for the next five years. "What do you mean, Dusty Baker's out?"

On top of that, I would like to hear from any of you regulars that are still out there - just to see who we have left. Thanks.

Buehrle, others talk money at SoxFest (MLB.com) - January 27, 2007
GM Williams clarifies Buehrle situation (MLB.com) - January 27, 2007
What do you mean, Dusty Baker's out? - October 17, 2006