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Gratuitous icon post! Holy hell, it has been ten centuries since I typed that specific sequence of words. Anyway, left to right, that's Rubby de la Rosa and Christian Vazquez, who are only wee babies, and Vazquez is the babbiest of them all. At first it wasn't clear to me whether everyone fell in drastic love with Vazquez because of his skills and disposition, or just because he's not Pierzynski. As it turns out, it's both. The reasons are synonymous. Vazquez gets on base, he guns down would-be base-stealers, he picks off guys on first, AND HE IS LIKE. SO HANDSY. Encouraging pats and hugs everywhere! For everyone!
Seriously, for everyone. I've seen him pat the butts of guys on the opposing team, like "hey man keep up the good work" like peace on earth, dudes. BABE. He doesn't let his lack of command of the English language prevent him from being a communicative, supportive guy. He reaches out, always. He'll go up to the mound no matter who it is, rookie or veteran, and pull him in close and speak his mind, talk the guy down, herd some cats, another pat on the butt. You can do it.
Look in the mirror. Look into your soul. Are you being the person Christian Vazquez believes you can be?
Clay Buchholz, who has been a complete wreck all season, was quick to fall in love. Here's a catcher who can save him from himself. Buchholz is years away from that no-hitter against Baltimore, and on the mound he always looks vaguely shut down the way people do when they know they've fucked up but have nowhere else to go. What Buchholz needs now is - well, a lot of things, but let's focus on actionable plans. He needs strikes. Vazquez will steal strikes for him. Everyone talks about Vazquez's soft hands, and their strength, how he keeps low to the ground. He trained with the Molina brothers back in Puerto Rico and now his name is up in lights. Suddenly, the boundaries of the strike zone are established not by home plate, but by sleight of hand. The opposing team was pummeled into submission, and yes, fine, it was just the Astros, but for a deteriorating team and a pitcher in the midst of accelerated decay, it was the kind of morale boost we needed in a season that has given us so little to cheer for. Buchholz was effusive in his praise for Christian Vazquez, and the beat writers wrote it all down.
And as for the rest of the rotation, hell. First of all, what rotation? Ahahahaha. But secondly, yeah, I mean there's a reason why we've been calling the team the Boston Paw Sox all season. The Red Sox is, like, half rookies? It's a revolving door between Boston and the Pawtucket Red Sox. It's a rebuilding year. It's throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. It's a lot of excuses. BUT THE POINT IS Rubby de la Rosa, Allen Webster, Anthony Ranaudo, and I guess half the bullpen, they all came up with Vazquez. They already know they can trust him. And in this way, Christian Vazquez came to hold the Red Sox pitching staff in the palm of his hand.
DON'T GET TRADED, BOO.
Seriously, for everyone. I've seen him pat the butts of guys on the opposing team, like "hey man keep up the good work" like peace on earth, dudes. BABE. He doesn't let his lack of command of the English language prevent him from being a communicative, supportive guy. He reaches out, always. He'll go up to the mound no matter who it is, rookie or veteran, and pull him in close and speak his mind, talk the guy down, herd some cats, another pat on the butt. You can do it.
Look in the mirror. Look into your soul. Are you being the person Christian Vazquez believes you can be?
Clay Buchholz, who has been a complete wreck all season, was quick to fall in love. Here's a catcher who can save him from himself. Buchholz is years away from that no-hitter against Baltimore, and on the mound he always looks vaguely shut down the way people do when they know they've fucked up but have nowhere else to go. What Buchholz needs now is - well, a lot of things, but let's focus on actionable plans. He needs strikes. Vazquez will steal strikes for him. Everyone talks about Vazquez's soft hands, and their strength, how he keeps low to the ground. He trained with the Molina brothers back in Puerto Rico and now his name is up in lights. Suddenly, the boundaries of the strike zone are established not by home plate, but by sleight of hand. The opposing team was pummeled into submission, and yes, fine, it was just the Astros, but for a deteriorating team and a pitcher in the midst of accelerated decay, it was the kind of morale boost we needed in a season that has given us so little to cheer for. Buchholz was effusive in his praise for Christian Vazquez, and the beat writers wrote it all down.
And as for the rest of the rotation, hell. First of all, what rotation? Ahahahaha. But secondly, yeah, I mean there's a reason why we've been calling the team the Boston Paw Sox all season. The Red Sox is, like, half rookies? It's a revolving door between Boston and the Pawtucket Red Sox. It's a rebuilding year. It's throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. It's a lot of excuses. BUT THE POINT IS Rubby de la Rosa, Allen Webster, Anthony Ranaudo, and I guess half the bullpen, they all came up with Vazquez. They already know they can trust him. And in this way, Christian Vazquez came to hold the Red Sox pitching staff in the palm of his hand.
DON'T GET TRADED, BOO.