MLB Bullets Is Waiting For Next Year

Did you hear that the Red Sox won the World Series? Did you hear it was the first time they clinched at Fenway Park since 1918? I'm guessing you did. Well, my work is done. See you on Monday.

Really? What's the point? OK, since you insist we do this anyway.

As far as the guy in the picture goes, here's what was going on in Boston on the very day the Red Sox beat the Cubs in 1918. That was really a bummer of a "party."

• Jayson Stark says the game six clincher at Fenway became a celebration that no one in Boston will ever forget.
• Peter Abraham describes the scene at Fenway the night of the clincher. He says that while nothing will ever top 2004, the atmosphere at Fenway was better than it ever had been in its history.
• Jackie MacMullen says that after finishing last in 2012, the Red Sox had a lot to prove--and they did.
• A big reason for the Red Sox turnaround was an unlikely hero that Red Sox Nation had long ago written off as a bust: John Lackey.
• Rob Neyer takes apart a Dan Shaughnessy article from February that called the Red Sox bad and boring. Neyer says he's willing to give Shaughnessy a pass on this one, but I wish he wouldn't. Shaughnessy is one of the worst hacks in the business.
• Jay Jaffe wonders if David Ortiz's World Series heroics will get him into the Hall of Fame. He says it could help, but he figures the taint of PEDs will keep Ortiz off for now.
• Stephen Drew was struggling at the plate in the postseason. Then he went to an eye doctor before game six, was fitted for contact lenses and hit a home run.
• The Red Sox made a decision and will give qualifying offers to free agents Mike Napoli and Stephen Drew. That they will also give a qualifying offer to Jacoby Ellsbury goes without saying.
• The decision the Red Sox haven't made yet is whether or not to keep the beards. Oh please no. Those beards were almost enough to make one cheer for the Cardinals.
• There's one winner and there is one loser. The "Cardinals Way" lost its way in the Series.
• Danny Knobler says that even though they didn't win, the Cardinals were impressive.
• Tim Brown says all the young talent in St. Louis means the Cards have a bright future ahead.
• Drew Silva says the Cardinals, like MacArthur, will return.
• Dave Cameron picks three things the Cardinals did wrong that may have cost them the Series. It may come as a shock to some of "the best fans in baseball," but the Cardinals aren't perfect.
• Shelby Miller wonders why he barely pitched in the postseason. This is another thing the Cardinals did wrong. There's a good case to be made not to pitch Miller: he didn't pitch well down the stretch and his velocity was down. But if you weren't going to let him pitch in the postseason, what was he doing taking up a roster spot?
• Jon Paul Morosi says that the entertaining 2013 World Series proves critics of baseball wrong.
• America seemed to like it as television rating for the Series were up 17% from last season. Of course, last season was a four game sweep. But overall, postseason television ratings were up 20% from 2012.
• Now our attention returns to Alex Rodriguez and his arbitration hearing, who issued a statement accusing MLB of "gross, ongoing misconduct" in the case and says he's fighting this not only for himself, but for the next generation of ballplayers.
• MLB COO Rob Manfred, who is the overwhelming favorite right not to be the next commissioner, said that Rodriguez was full of doody. Those may not have been his exact words.
• The Nationals officially announced Matt Williams as their new manager.
• Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell is considering taking the same position with the Phillies. It would be a nice coup for Ryne Sandberg if he did.
• So now it's time for the hot stove. If you want a list of all 147 of this season's free agents, it's here. Some of them will be in more demand than others.
• Marc Normandin lists five possible bargains among the free agent pitchers. It's four guys coming off an injury and Bronson Arroyo.
• One guy who won't be a free agent is James Shields, because the Royals picked up his option for 2014. It would be awfully embarrassing if they hadn't.
• The Phillies need another outfielder and will likely pursue Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo and Nelson Cruz. Not at the same time, of course. They just plan on signing one of them. It would be awkward if all three showed up to the press conference.
• The Yankees have a long free agent Christmas list as well, and Santa always brings them everything they ask for. Well, almost always.
• Joe Nathan is a free agent who would like to return to the Rangers but he knows that the Rangers aren't likely to offer him the two-year deal he wants.
• Al linked to this yesterday in Cub Tracks, but it's worth another mention. I'm sure you remember Adrian Cardenas from 2012. He explained why he retired from baseball at only 25 years old.
• Finally, this is the saddest image you'll see all day. We'll see you in March in Australia, folks.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.