(Reuters Photo via Daylife)

[Adam Hart] The reported signing of starting pitcher John Lackey (pictured above) could be considered a big boost to the Red Sox. And the signing of outfielder Mike Cameron could be considered a nice complimentary addition.  But neither were the greatest improvement to Boston’s chances of reclaiming the AL East.

That honor belongs to the reported break-up of Alex Rodriguez and his good luck girlfriend Kate Hudson. No word if the centaurs had anything to do with it.  It’s back to chokeville for the Yankees slugger.

Yellow indicates a price increase from 2009 to 2010.

[Adam Hart] And I thought when the Red Sox were hiking ticket prices this year, everyone in the ballpark would feel it. But — phew! — it’s only the Grandstand, RF Roof Box, RF Box, and Lower Bleachers at $2 a pop. Oh, and the Field Box, Loge Box, Green Monster Seats and Green Monster Standing Room at $5 increases. But the rest will remain at their 2009 levels, which were graciously frozen from the year prior.

Here are Larry Lucchino’s thoughts on the ticket increase, via WEEI.com:

“We are fortunate that Red Sox Nation invests in this team year after year, and we will remain true to our fundamental pledge to field a team worthy of the fans’ support by investing each year in a formidable roster of uniformed personnel at both the major and minor league levels,” team president/CEO Larry Lucchino said in a statement.

It should be illegal for the Red Sox to raise ticket prices while JD Drew is still raking in $14 million per season.  If they’re pissing away money like that, they have no right to ask for more to send down the toilet, or into the snow in cursive writing.  Maybe they could wait to make such an announcement until bagging a slugger in a trade.  Oh, and I’m glad they’re concerned about those record unemployment figures. Especially in a New England state such as Rhode Island.

[Adam Hart] So, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein considers JD Drew to be “outstanding.” …Yeah.

Bases Empty: .295, 14 HR, 42 BB
With RISP: .213, 7 HR, 32 BB

Drawing walks with no one on base? Great. Drawing 10 fewer walks with runners in scoring position — in over 150 less at bats! — is reprehensible. Especially when Drew bats toward the bottom of the order. A right fielder, typically a player who wields a powerful bat and drives in runs, opts to take a free pass and put the bat in the hands of the No. 8 hitter? Ridiculous. Not outstanding — ridiculous.

WEEI transcription via Boston.com:

“If you want to look at this from a straight objective standpoint, what he contributes offensively and then what he contributes defensively, and then add in baserunning, so it’s the total value of a player, on a rate basis, he was outstanding. And there aren’t too many outfielders who can compare to what he did from a qualitative standpoint… What he’s done in the first three years of that contract, the way we value . . . based on the free agent market, what he’s done qualitatively, and when you factor in even the amount he’s played over these three years, yeah, he’s actually come out to a tick more than $14 million per year.”

A No. 7 hitter worthy of more than $14 million per? I think I’m going to puke.

(Reuters Photo/Adam Hunger)

[Adam Hart] That’s right. A called third strike looking on Kevin Youkilis to end the game, stranding two runners on base in an 8-7 loss, could not derail the playoff freight train that is the Boston Red Sox.

The Texas Rangers decided to suck at just the right time, losing their way out of any chance of making the playoffs with a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Tuesday night.  It was the Rangers’ third-straight loss, failing to take advantage of Boston’s five-game losing streak.

We’ll have to wait and see if the Red Sox decide to stop being terrible when the playoffs roll around.

Victor Martinez

VS

Mark Teixeira

That calculates out to these stats for the time Martinez has been with Boston:
37 G, 145 AB, 26 R, 9 2B, 9 HR, 31 RBI, 11 BB, .276 BA

Martinez is right there with Teixeira in every major category, making the failed signing of the Yankees first baseman by the Red Sox look not so bad. Martinez makes less than half the money of Teixeira, and appears to be a much nicer person. Count this as a win for Boston.