Two days to the trading deadline. Some team that is still in the hunt would pay up for Ellsbury for a start. Other rent a player deal opportunities exist. If management isn't working the phones nonstop, they're fools.

THEO hired a private eye to check out Carl Crawford. THEO called John Henry in London in the middle of the night to get his permission to sign Carl Crawford. THEO negotiated that contract. Not Lucchino....not Henry.....not Werner....it was THEO EPSTEIN who negotiated and delivered that contract for Carl Crawford If you doubt that just go back and read the reporting done at the time. The one thing Theo Epstein was amazingly consistent with during his tenure as Sox GM was his terrible trackrecord of negotiating free agent contracts. Just TERRIBLE!! What's so troubling about Crawford is he seems to want the Tommy John surgery. Guys like Albert Pujols have played with the same problem for years. It's obvious Crawford want no part of it and I find that more disturbing than anything. This guy has a serious shortage of heart and gonad. Biggest free agent signing bust in the history of MLB.

This whole team from ownership down has fallen off the wagon. If you ask me this all began in not signing jason bay- hers a guy who spend 1.5 seasons with the team - showed the "pressure" did not phase him, played solid left field, hit an avg of 35hrs per season, 119 RBI and batted an avg of .270 and he signed with the Mets for 66m. If the signed bay they would have never signed lackey (a reactionary move to appease fans that they were still players) and then they would have either traded ellsbury and could have gone after another young OF like hunter pence or signed crawford and kept him in his natural position of CF. or, aggressively tried to sign ellsbury (with boras this has and will be a tough task). Next move was not signing beltre. If they had done this they could have moved youk sooner and possibly have gotten more in return. I don't know- the action or inaction of this ownership/mgt seems pretty straight forward.

Nothing really negative to say about Crawford, he's talented in many ways but he's really not a good "fit" for the Red Sox. Never was. I recall during his free agency season that I was hoping the Sox would avoid him but it didn't happen. So here we go again, an overpaid jock who's a bad fit with a serious physical problem and no place to send or put him. Why don't the Yankees have players like that?

The Red Sox are living proof that becoming a champion is much easier than staying a champion. After winning two World Series in four years the Red Sox all of sudden became smarter than everyone else in baseball. Well we all know what happens when the front office catches that disease - Humpty Dumpty comes falling down. It's a kind of "done that" and "so what," now what" trap. The "now what" has led to auto racing, European soccer, expanded real estate investments, stockholder perks (aka risk diversification) and of course over-rated and over-compensated free agency signings. Oh, and lets not forget the blown resignings of some very talented ballplayers who are now producing for several of our team's rivals. Lets face it fans, as long as the big money continues to roll in from ticket sales, supporting sponsors, multi-level media revenue and continued diversification, the Sox's equity group will continue to run with the current model as long as they are allowed to. The choice is our's - either continue to support the current mess with our sport's dollar or do exactly what the equity group does - diversify! College and high school sports are a great place to start not to mention that the Pat's, Celts and Bruins are just around the corner.

And now, because of Crawford, the Mamas and the Papas are being thrown out of the Rock and roll hall of fame.