by Mark Lawrence, Down-Under EditorSydney, Australia—December 16, 2011. Ever distracted by the endless ruminations of the Boston Media Pack, I decided to take a step back and give some attention to the Bigger Picture. One place in particular has begun to intrigue me - the Great Metropolis of Chicago, where they tell me it can get awfully windy.
Reports drifting out of Da City Dat Woiks seem to indicate that Theo Epstein is up to some very interesting tricks lately - angling to acquire Prince Fielder, for one and - quite possibly - bringing the soon-to-be disengaged duo of Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield across to the North Side Team. The BenCher’s recent presser - where he applied terms like ‘great respect’ and ‘ongoing role’ to the Captain - insinuated that Tek probably won't be back next year - at least not coiled up like a watch spring behind the plate, as he’s done for the past decade or so.
Varitek, I'm sure, believes he still has a few more good seasons left in him - and a friendly overture from his former GM might present an option far more attractive than just hanging around at Fenway in some one-cheeked, half-assed mentoring role. Which is why this correspondent wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see the stoic veteran suiting up over at The Friendly Confines in 2012.
And what of Tim Wakefield? Even to a neophyte like myself, it seems obvious that if Tek relocates to the Second City, the smart move would be to grab up Wake, as well - after all, he can throw a knuckle ball – an apparent dying art these days – and no one catches that Wakefield knuckler like Tek does. So, in one fell swoop, the Cubs could acquire a veteran pitcher as well as a veteran catcher with a gen-wine baseball brain who've worked exceptionally well together over the years, bringing a little more of that last-century Red Sox pizzazz to a team that some folks are beginning to believe might just have the stuff to go All The Way next year.
So, until something really worthy of note transpires in the Athens of America, I’ll be keeping a close watch on the Paris of the Prairie – at the very least, their off-season is shaping up as a very interesting one.