01:51 PM EST on Wednesday, February 1, 2006

Frank the moderator: Two Red Sox chats next week:
Tue. Jan 31: Sean McAdam; Wed., Feb. 1: Steven Krasner; Drop a question now.

Art Martone: Hi, folks. Steven's here, so let's get started!

wrosenberg: The redsox radio contract is up for renewal ? Lots of ideas have been mentioned...renew with WEEI, switch to FM, buy a station...should sox fans be concerned that in the near future all games will be switched to satellite radio thus shutting lots of fans who dont' have it or wont' pay for it from hearing the sox play ?
Steve Krasner: I suppose anything is possible, especially when the almighty dollar is involved, but I would find it hard to believe that the Red Sox would shift any of their games to satellite radio. I think it's more likely the Red Sox ultimately will buy their own radio station so they can have more control over their broadcasts and promotions.

Frank the moderator: From an email
Steven: With the Padres acquiring Piazza, who seems to think he can still be a starting catcher, is there any chance the Sox will try to get Mirabelli back, who would surely rather be a backup here than there.
-- Patti in Nashua, NH
Steve Krasner: As soon as I heard that Piazza was going to the Padres, I immediately thought of Doug Mirabelli. In Mirabelli's mind, he is not a backup catcher. In his mind, if he were to play every day he'd hit 40 homers and drive in 130 runs. That's in his mind, of course. No one else seems to share his opinion of himself, which is why he has been a backup his entire career. Clearly, Piazza expects to catch a fair share of the games in San Diego -- there are incentives in his contract for games started. But I also think Mirabelli will have the chance to start more games in San Diego than he would have in Boston, where he only started when Wakefield pitched. And no, I don't think the Red Sox will try to reacquire him. Boston has capable big league backup catchers coming to camp -- John Flaherty, Josh Bard and Ken Huckaby.

robric: Health questions aside Foulke had a lot of curious statements last year will he mentally be able to come back and flourish as he did 2 years ago
Steve Krasner: Mentally, Foulke will be fine so long as he saves every game he is called upon to save. Of course, we all know that that scenario isn't likely. And when he blows a save, the fans are going to let him know about it because they have long memories. There are a lot of Johnnys from Burger King who remember that Foulke said his teammates' opinions of him were more important than what Johnny from Burger King thought. I have my doubts that Foulke even wants to pitch in Boston, and if there should be some adversity, I have my doubts that he'll be strong enough mentally to overcome that adversity.

boomer5: How would you rate the teams in the American League heading into spring training? Do you think the White Sox are strong enough to defend their World Series title?
Steve Krasner: Pitching, pitching, pitching. That's what you need to win a World Series. The White Sox have it. They have starting pitching to burn, enough to keep promising youngster Brendan McCarthy in the bullpen at the start of the season, anyway. And if hard-throwing Bobby Jenks comes close to his potential, they have a dominant blow-them-away closer. And their offense, featuring Konerko and Thome should be productive enough to win games behind that pitching staff. I think the White Sox are strong enough to repeat, but it's a long season, and teams such as the Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays and Red Sox have to be in the mix. And maybe some team comes of age -- the Indians? the Mariners? The Athletics? -- to surprise people the way the White Sox surprised people last year.

soxfan67: What are your thoughts on the Blue Jays? Do you think their offseason moves have made them a true contender?
Steve Krasner: The Blue Jays hovered around the .500 mark last year, so a leap to a World Series parade in Toronto may seem to be too big of a one-year jump. But the additions of B.J. Ryan and A.J. Burnett have to help the pitching staff, which also is expected to have a healthy ace Roy Halladay, who missed the second half of last year because of a broken bone in his leg. Troy Glaus offers thump to the lineup, giving them the dependable power bat that was missing when Carlos Delgado left after the 2004 season. Yes, I think the Jays are a contender. It isn't easy playing in a division with the Yankees and the Red Sox, but the Jays have committed more dollars to narrowing the gap, and they will be a force to be reckoned with this year in the A.L. East.

riceforhof: Do you think Jim Rice deserves election to the Hall of Fame? Do you think he'll make it next year? Did you vote for him?
Steve Krasner: Yes, I think Rice should be in the Hall. He gets my vote every year. He was a dominant player for a decent stretch of time, which is a major criteria for me in deciding to whom I give my vote. Unfortunately, though, I have my doubts that Rice will ever make it, even though he seems to inch closer to the magic vote total each year.

soxfan67: Some people question whether Kyle Farnsworth can withstand the pressure of pitching in New York, and what will happen to the Yankee bullpen if he can't. What are your thoughts?
Steve Krasner: Kyle Farnsworth is without question a volatile character. Seems to me he has been involved in a couple of fights on a major league field. I suppose the pressure of New York could get to him, but keep in mind, he is the setup man, not the closer, not the man replacing Mariano Rivera. Now that would be pressure. But Rivera still is in Pinstripes, and Fransworth, I think, offers the Yankees a better setup option than Tom Gordon last year. (What were the Phillies thinking giving Gordon so many years and so much money as a free agent?). Farnsworth is a strikeout type of pitcher. Will he have his bouts of wildness? Absolutely, just look at his playoff meltdown with the Braves last fall. But I think the Yankee bullpen has more quality depth than it did a year ago with Aaron Small, Tanyon Sturtze, Mike Myers and Ron Villone, to name a few, and that doesn't consider the fact that Jaret Wright and even Al Leiter could end up in the bullpen by the end of spring training. So while Farnsworth is a piece to the Yankees' bullpen puzzle -- and an important one -- New York has not placed all its bullpen eggs in the Farnsworth basket.

riceforhof: Just a follow-up on Rice: Why do you doubt he'll make it? His vote total goes up every year, and many players who increase their vote total in each election eventually do make it. Why do you think he won't hit 75 percent?
Steve Krasner: Just a gut feeling. Next year there are many shoo-ins -- Ripken and Gwynn, with McGwire a first-timer on the ballot, too. That could hurt Rice, with some voters uncomfortable having large induction classes, for whatever reason. I hope I'm wrong. I hope Rice goes in. I just don't think it will happen. We'll just have to wait and see.

wrosenberg: Steven, this upcoming draft...is there a particular position that sox draft for...or do they just draft the best available player ?
Steve Krasner: I think what the Red Sox will do come draft time is reassess what they have in their farm system. By late May, as they prepare in earnest for the draft, they may find that some players they didn't think would flourish have done so. They may also find that other players they expected to flourish, have fallen flat. Depending upon what positions those players might play, it might alter what position "holes" the Sox feel they need to address in the draft. But you can't go wrong drafting the best available player -- especially if it's a 6-foot4 left-handed pitcher who throws 95 miles an hour!

wrosenberg: Steve...aint it great to not be talking about things such as when is Theo coming back or Manny being traded ?
Steve Krasner: Who? Theo? You mean he left? And Manny asking for a trade? That's news? I'm interested in one thing -- how the Red Sox play. Fortunately, in 18 days, pitchers and catchers will be on the field and the real baseball season can begin.

grmonster: I can't remember the last time the PawSox went into a season loaded with this many prospects. How many of them do you think will make it?
Steve Krasner: Naturally, time will tell about how many prospects will make it, but it reminds me of the PawSox I used to cover back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when so many players went from Pawtucket to the big leagues and had solid careers. I mean, just look at the PawSox' roster in the boxscore from the Longest Game in 1981, for instance -- Marty Barrett, Wade Boggs, Rich Gedman, Bruce Hurst, Bob Ojeda, Mike Smithson, Luis Aponte. This year's crop, which is likely to feature Lester, Hansen, Pedroia and Murphy, among others, gives Pawtucket a whole new look. In recent years, the PawSox have had many "insurance policies," guys with big-league experience stashed at Pawtucket should Boston need them. Now, the philosophy is to send a pipeline of youngsters through Pawtucket to Boston, which should make it a very interesting season to be at McCoy Stadium for a game. Some of these players may quickly master Triple A and merit an in-season jump to Boston. Others may take longer. But if the Sox' front office is correct, they all should make their mark in Boston in the next year or two.

wrosenberg: Steve...Do you think the World Baseball Classic is going to be a hit or a bust ? I can certainly live without it...I will be having enough fun watching the sox in camp
Steve Krasner: It kind of depends how seriously the players take it. I think such a tournament, with the players in midseason form, would be fascinating. I'd buy a ticket to see it. In the spring, though, with pitchers on pitch counts and regulars limited to a certain number of innings as they prepare for the big league season, it takes a bit of the edge away, I think. Some countries may be playing with more passion -- Cuba, perhaps? I think it's a very intriguing experiment. I just wish I had the opportunity to watch some of those games in person as a fan.

Art Martone: Thanks, everyone, for participating in the chat, and thanks for Steven for being with us! We'll do it again next week.