Even the most die-hard Red Sox fan will admit that some of the decisions that GM Theo Epstein (aka Hunky McDreamboat to the pink hats) have been a little shaky.

Last season, Epstein signed Coco Crisp to a big deal. This offseason, he will try to trade Crisp.

The season before that, Epstein signed Matt Clement to a pricey contract. Clement sat out most of last season.

More than a few times, Epstein has chased after even bigger disasters, only to be outbid and bailed out by other teams ( i.e., the Yankees). See: Carl Pavano, El Duque and A-Rod.

So it’s probably good that the Red Sox are trying to find some help for their young GM. It’s probably not good news that the man they’ve hired for the job is Allard Baird, one of the worst executives in sports history.

From the Boston Red Sox public relations department:

BOSTON, MA-The Red Sox today announced the appointment of Allard Baird to the position of Assistant to the General Manager.

The appointment, which is effective November 1, was announced by Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein.

Baird joined the Boston organization in July 2006 as a special assignment scout. In his new position, his responsibilities will be expanded to overseeing the Red Sox’ professional scouting department. Baird will serve as an advisor to Epstein on all facets of the club’s baseball operations and will continue in his role as a special assignment scout for major and minor league coverage as well as the amateur draft.

Baird, 44, served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Kansas City Royals from June 2000-May 2006. he was the fifth General Manager in franchise history. That’s right, the man who is more or less solely responsible for making the Kansas City Royals the powerhouse that they are today is being give MORE POWER with the Red Sox.

Yankees fans, contain your laughter.

All right St. Louis Cardinals, you had your 15 minutes. Now move over. It’s time for baseball’s second season to start.

I’m talking about the offseason. Free agency. Trades. Teams go from pretenders to contenders in the blink of an eye. It’s all just so exciting!

Now, to kick-off the offseason, let’s take a look at a few signings and trades that just might happen (but, you know, probably won’t):

1. Alfonso Soriano signs a contract with the Angels. The Phillies, White Sox and Cubs are all rumored to be interested in Soriano. But, at the end of the day, you’ve got to think the speedy leftfielder will end up in Los Angeles, which is a big market team with money to spend and the potential to win now. The Angels need protection for Vlad Guerero in their lineup. Soriano will provide that protection.

2. Pat Burrell to the Orioles. The Phillies seem desperate to unload Burrell. Desperate even enough to eat a big part of his contract, which is exactly what it will take. The Orioles could use Burrell at DH. (NOTE: Burrell has a no-trade clause, so that could be an issue).

3. Gary Sheffield to the Phillies. The Phils send the Yankees a couple prospects (maybe the same guys they got for Bobby Abreu) and Sheffield takes Burrell’s spot in leftfield and offers Ryan Howard some protection in the Phils lineup.

4. Manny Ramirez to Cleveland. Ramirez ends his career where he started it. The Indians get a guy who can help put them over the top. The Red Sox get Andy Marte and a pitching prospect.

5. Jason Schmidt to the Mets. Everyone always talks about Barry Zito signing in New York, but Schmidt is a more dominant pitcher when he’s healthy. And he’s the type of pitcher that, because he can bring some heat, will have more playoff success.

6. A-Rod stays in New York. He’s not going anywhere, so get over it.

Harold Reynolds says he plans to sue ESPN for wrongful termination. He was fired as co-host of Baseball Tonight after a female intern accused him of hugging her innapropriately.

Reynolds says he’s just looking to protect his good name:

“I have tried everything possible to handle this situation quietly behind closed doors. After numerous conversations and multiple mediation discussions with ESPN executives, it is clear that ESPN had no intention of solving this problem amicably,” Reynolds said in a statement.

“For 11 years, I served ESPN with enthusiasm and dedication. It is unfortunate that ESPN has handled this process in an unprofessional manner. At the end of the day, my integrity, reputation and family are my top priorities, and for those reasons I need to set the record straight and clear my name.”

The suits at ESPN are sticking to their guns. They say Reynolds’ suit has no validity and they are confident that they made the right decision.

Word on the street is that Reynolds’ innapropriate hug was not his first offense and that several women had complained about his flirtations in the past.

I’m hoping that Reynolds can prove his innocence. He was one of the most liked ESPN personalities. Watching Baseball Tonight without him and Peter Gammons (who missed time after a brain anurysm) this summer just wasn’t the same. Just like PTI isn’t any good without Wilbaun and Kornheiser, Baseball Tonight needs its stars.

At the very least, here’s hoping this lawsuit will shed some light on the one question everybody is dying to know: what exactly does an “innapropriate hug” look like?

During the top of the sixth inning of tonight’s game five, Tim McCarver said something shocking. McCarver noted that Tony LaRussa was playing Chris Duncan in right field, and that that wasn’t a very good idea.

“Duncan isn’t a very good defensive player,” McCarver said. “I think LaRussa should have a better defensive player in instead of Duncan. Somebody like Preston Wilson should be in. They should be playing four innings of defense.”

What was shocking about that statement? It wasn’t what McCarver said that was shocking. It was that he was right. On the next play, Duncan badly misplayed a Sean Casey pop-up and Casey ended up at second with a double (he was later stranded there).

McCarver is a lot of things, but he is almost never right. And in this instance, he was very, VERY right. Wow.

So, I was talking with Nick about this whole saga, and thinking about Alejandro’s post (s), and it became today’s Boston Metro column.

(And just so he doesn’t feel left out, I’m sure I chatted about it with Coley too!)

[youtube nguJQ_dRPXw nolink]

On November 7th, Missourians will vote on a constitutional initiative that would, in effect, allow Missouri researchers to conduct any stem cell research that is permitted under federal law. The above video is a response to an add that ran during game three of the World Series, supporting Amendment 2, and it features Cardinals pitcher Jeff Suppan, as well as “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Patricia Heaton and Passion of the Christ star Jim Caviezel (who once gave me a man-hug for getting him coffee).

The media has been all over this one.

To listen to a podcast of two “experts” debating the merits of Amendment 2, click here.

To read the New York Times’ take on the ad supporting Amendment 2, starring a very animated and Parkinsons riddled Michael J. Fox, click here.

A column in yesterday’s Boston Globe talked with Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa about the Cardinals’ policy regarding political activism. LaRussa said he encourages it:

Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa was asked yesterday if he had a policy or preference regarding players who get involved in political or social causes. La Russa, of course, is a passionate animal rights advocate. “Our policy is you recognize each person as the professional side and personal side, and you respect both sides of them,” he said. “Actually, our organization encourages guys to get involved in something beyond just baseball. Whether you agree with the choice or whatever, I just like the fact that guys make a commitment and they get involved.”

I’m not sure I 100 percent believe LaRussa. Sounds like damage control to me. What if Suppan was speaking out against inter-racial marriage or homosexuality? Something tells me LaRussa wouldn’t be embracing his pitcher’s eagerness to participate in the political process then.

Dissing embryonic stem cell research is less controversial than dissing inter-racial marriage. But that’s not to say that stem cell research is unpopular. In fact, a majority of Americans support stem cell research of some kind.

Stem cell research is is controversial because, with the present state of technology, starting a stem cell line requires the destruction of a human embryo. Opponents of the research argue that this practice is a slippery slope to reproductive cloning and tantamount to the instrumentalization of a potential human being. Contrarily, medical researchers in the field argue that it is necessary to pursue embryonic stem cell research because the resultant technologies are expected to have significant medical potential, and that the embryos used for research are only those slated for destruction anyway.

It’s hard to imagine that stem cell research could lead to human cloning. At least, not anytime soon. The idea of human cloning is hugely unpopular. If you held a vote in Congress to ban human cloning, it would pass with 100 percent support. Not to mention, science is nowhere near ready to try and clone a human. Maybe what Suppan and the rest are worried about is that this law will lead to the possibility that one day humans could be cloned. But that day seems a long way off and, in the meantime, stem cell research could save a lot of lives.

Will they ever play game four? The forecast looks grim.

Weather for Saint Louis, MO

48°F Light Drizzle Wind: E at 10 mph Humidity: 100%

Thu 51° | 45° Fri 47° | 42° Sat 60° | 40° Sun 60° | 42°

From the AP:

Game 4 was postponed Wednesday night because of showers and will be made up Thursday at 7:27 p.m. CDT, potentially sending the World Series into scheduling chaos. More rain was expected the next two days, and nobody was certain when the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals would play again.

“They’re going to be dicey,” said Jimmie Lee Solomon, executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner’s office. “There is about a 70 percent chance of rain tomorrow. It’s going to be light rain. We don’t know whether or not that rain will linger, like it did tonight.”

Game 5 at Busch Stadium was pushed back to Friday night, which was supposed to be a day off in the Series. And it doesn’t look much better this weekend in Detroit, with a forecast of rain and cold.

Maybe they ought to think about playing these games in Florida or in a dome, like the NFL does with the Super Bowl? Then again, I’ve been arguing for years that they ought to play the Super Bowl in the Northeast, despite the February cold. So maybe I ought to just make up my mind.

The last time Adruw Jones negotiated a contract, he pushed his agent, Scott Boras, aside and let his dad talk turkey with the Braves. Those negotiations were amicable and quick.

Don’t expect the same next time around.

Jones says he’ll let Boras negotiate his next contract. His current deal expires at the end of the 2007 season. And Boras is promising Jones is going to get a HUGE deal.

“Andruw is the only complete player,” Boras said. “You’re talking about a premier defensive player and a slugger. No one comes close to Andruw’s ability.”

The Braves can probably forget about a “hometown discount” this time.

Boras wouldn’t give the expected parameters for contract negotiations, but it was he who got a record-smashing 10-year, $252 million contract for Alex Rodriguez, another of the few he considers “complete” players.

Rodriguez was only 25 then. Boras points out that baseball revenues have mushroomed since he negotiated that contract. Commissioner Bud Selig, in announcing the new five-year labor agreement Tuesday, called this “baseball’s Golden Age” with record attendance and revenues of $5.2 billion in 2006.

Boras is also insisting that Jones will remain in Atlanta this season. Common sense would suggest that the Braves might try to trade Jones, rather than risk losing him to free-agency and getting nothing in return. But Jones has a no-trade clause and can veto any trade.

If Jones does decide he’s willing to relocate, he could join Garry Sheffield as two very appealing short-term free agents. The Yankees picked up Sheffield’s one-year, $13 million option, but are looking to trade him outside the division. Jones is due about $12 million this season.

The Angels, Cubs and Mets are looking for a power hitting outfielder. The Cubs, specifically, are looking for a centerfielder. The Red Sox are also rumored to be looking for a new centerfielder. And the Phillies are looking for somebody to protect Ryan Howard in the lineup.

The Nationals wanted Joe Girardi to be their manager. He said, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

The Nationals wanted Terry Pendleton to be their manager, but he said, “Talk to the hand.”

Does anybody want to manage the Nationals? Reports are that the team is now focused on hiring Mets 3B Coach Manny Acta. What happens if Acta bails, or if he’s hired by the Giants or A’s? Do the Nationals have a plan D? And why doesn’t anybody want to work for a franchise with a supportive fan base, a new stadium under construction, and a future all-star in Ryan Zimmerman?

As far as Pendleton goes, rumor is he could be in line to replace Braves manager Bobby Cox.