This past weekend as well as the impending non-waiver trade deadline at 4pm EST on Friday makes this Monday a bit manic for baseball talk.  For the Red Sox, Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson (he put in a year with the Sox) probably with it were Sunday because that was a fun day…for them.  It was not so fun for future Hall of Famer John Smoltz who gave up six earned runs in five innings for a loss against the Orioles.  The Nation, who spent most of the season hearing that the Red Sox have a “surplus of pitching” while being reminded that “you can never have too much pitching.”  For a recap, pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield are on the DL, Smoltz has yet to prove he is a play-off pitcher and Clay Buchholz arrived from Pawtucket with one good outing and one that makes one question his impact on the team.  Roy Halladay is still with the Blue Jays and it becomes more likely every day that he will finish the season in Ontario.  Worse than the pitching, the Red Sox’s offense has been sluggish.  This team can use a hitter and a pitcher or just every player playing well (that includes 70 Million Dollar Man J.D. Drew who, due to his injury history, may be a candidate for bionic enhancement).  Which event is more likely?  Right.  Recall how the 2004 team was sputtering at this time that year when Theo dealt for Dave Roberts, Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz.

At the very least, it appears the Sox’s bullpen is back on track.

According to Yahoo! (formerly of the Boston Globe and recently a sub in the NESN booth) writer Gordon Edes on Saturday:

“The Red Sox continue to track Cleveland’s Victor Martinez(notes), the switch-hitting catcher and first baseman who would give the team’s dormant offense an immediate lift while giving GM Theo Epstein a valuable piece for the future. The Adam LaRoche(notes) deal has no impact on the Red Sox’s interest in Martinez, but so far Boston reportedly is unwilling to give up Clay Buchholz(notes). This trade makes too much sense for the Red Sox for it not to happen. The All-Star Martinez will wear out the Green Monster, he could be the team’s first baseman (and less likely, their catcher) for years to come, and he’s terrific in the clubhouse, especially with Latin players and young players. GM Mark Shapiro will extract a high price, but there’s a match to be made here.”

I was unsold on Martinez until I read and heard more about his clubhouse character.  I like guys like that on teams and feel they’re sometimes necessary to get other players to play well.  That and he is a switch-hitter who plays multiple positions, far more valuable than Adam LaRoche.  Plus, Francona likes carrying three catchers in the play-offs and Martinez gives the team that without sacrificing offense or another position.

Leave it to the Yankees to catch the A’s right when they traded Matt Holliday.  Luckily the Red Sox get the A’s for four days starting tonight.

Coinciding almost annually with the Hall of Fame inductions is chatter about Pete Rose being taken off the permanent ineligibility list so he can be on the Hall of Fame ballot or considered by the Veterans Committee.  I for one believe that Rose should never be enshrined in Cooperstown.  Few people seem to remember or realize that Rose became permanently ineligible as part of a deal he struck with Major League Baseball in which he admitted there was factual basis to the ban and MLB would not make a formal finding about his gambling.  In addition, Rose initially denied he gambled as manager of the Reds before admitting in 2004 that he did gamble on games he managed but never against his own team.  A manager who bet on games he managed–who involved himself with gamblers and had control of the outcome of those games–should be treated the same as players who took dives for money.  Rose might say he never bet against his own team and maybe he didn’t, but why believe him now?