Finally, a Trade I Can Get Behind

Boy was twitter fun last night. The back and forth. The crazy loons. The outlandish rumors. But in the end, it all got done.

The Sox managed to acquire a solid starter for a spare part. That has to be a good thing.

Hey, I liked Jose Iglesias as much as the next guy. He obviously was a defensive whiz. His early season hitting certainly raised the bar a bit on his hitting potential. But, his latest performances have brought that back down a bit. But, even if you think he will hit .300 in the bigs, you have to admit he was in a bit of a log jam. He’s a talented shortstop. But, Xander Bogaerts is ready to grab that position away. He could play third, but so does Will Middlebrooks. So, that’s three young prospects for two positions. You could have moved one of them to first, but now you’ve got another player out of his natural position. Really, the only solution was to deal one of them. Iglesias was the logical choice. While I loved the idea of trading Bogaerts, just because of the windfall he would require in return, other than Giancarlo Stanton, can’t think of another name out there worth shipping him off for. Middlebrooks would be a good trade option, but he’d certainly be selling low. After his early season struggles, you wouldn’t get near the return you’d want. Iglesias was the other end of the spectrum. This was a definite “sell high” move. The Tigers needed a shortstop, and the Sox had one ready to deal.

In return, the Sox got Jake Peavy. The talent is obvious. He’s certainly on the back end of his career. But, that’s why Boston only needed to give up Iglesias and some kids. Some have been calling him insurance for Buchholz. But, I think he’s more than that. For the sake of argument, say Buchholz doesn’t come back. A rotation of Lester and Lackey the way they’ve pitched lately followed by Peavy, Dempster, and Doubront is pretty darn good. Toss Buchholz onto the top, and it’s darn near stellar. And, don’t forget that Peavy is signed for at least another year. This isn’t a two-month rental. He’ll be a featured member of the 2014 rotation as well. He’s a quality pitcher. This isn’t a case of the Sox overpaying to get the best pitcher available because that’s all that was out there. They filled a need by dealing from excess. It’s exactly what you’re supposed to do.

No, Peavy can’t swing the bat or close out games. But, other than Stanton, I don’t recall hearing a bat out there that would excite me. The team has plenty of (above) average bats. They don’t need another one. Peavy probably does help the bullpen too. With another rotation spot full, the young guys can move into the pen, and help them out.

I probably would have preferred the Sox sell the farm for Stanton, assuming that was actually even possible. But, I definitely prefer this deal to signing Cliff Lee. They got a pitcher who can definitely help them this year and next, and gave up someone they really didn’t have a role for.

Sounds like exactly what you’re supposed to do at the deadline.

Clay Buchholz isn’t Patrice Bergeron

Which, I suppose, is a good thing. The Sox have very little use for a defensive minded forward.

I get it. Buchholz is missing a ton of time because he slept on his shoulder funny, while Bergeron played in game seven six after being decapitated. But the question nobody asks is, “How many of Bergeron’s passes during that game seven came within one inch of their intended target?” How about six inches? A foot? Was he ever asked to dump the puck into a one foot square area of ice? Was he asked to do it 100 times? I didn’t think so. That’s a pretty important question. And, here’s another one. Can we admit that there’s a difference between a game of precision, and a game of force?

How about this. You’re lying on the operating table. The surgeon holds up the scalpel before making her incision. You can see it’s a little nicked up. Do you ask for a replacement? Or do you tell her to go ahead because you used a knife that was a little nicked up when you cut your steak the day before?

So, maybe we need to stop getting on someone’s case when they are out of action a little longer than people think. We can stop the “If I missed work every time I had a stiff neck…” comparisons. There are different situations, and different expectations. Why is that so hard to understand?

But, I hear, we’re paying these guys to be in the line-up. They should play through pain! Oh really? Didn’t John Lackey pitch through pain a couple years ago? How did that work? Oh right. He was constantly ridiculed as he put up the worst season any pitcher has ever had. Good thing he manned up and pitched through all that pain, eh? How about the Curt Schilling example. Game one of the 2004 ALCS. His ankle was injured, sure. But it worked, and didn’t hurt. It had been numbed or whatever it was. The only issue was that he could feel (and maybe even hear) the tendon flicking as he pitched. So, it was really just a mental block. But, he toughed it out. He had what he called the worst bullpen session of his career. But, he toughed it out. He did what he was paid to do. He went out there, and gave up six runs in three innings. The Sox lost the game, and it probably should have cost them the series. Only a couple Mariano Rivera choke jobs saved Schilling from being the series goat. Wouldn’t it have been better if Schilling had backed down? Sent someone else in his place? Didn’t toughing it out hurt the team?

Of course, lots of people play hurt with no noticeable effects. Right? “Everybody’s banged up this time of year.” If Johnny Damon or Dustin Pedroia can play at an elite level while battling nagging injuries, why can’t everyone else? OK, another couple examples. Your kid claims he’s sick, and can’t go to school. Or his foot hurts, so he has to miss church. Then, you turn around and he’s chasing his brother in a game of tag with no noticeable limp. Do your eyes well up with pride as you realize what a tough little guy you have on your hands? Or do you yell, “Well, you certainly don’t seem hurt to me! Get your church clothes on!” Or, when those news programs secretly record people on disability performing physical tasks, do they report on all these heroic people manning up and going through their lives? Or is the report that these people don’t seem injured, and must be faking the injury in a scam? Isn’t it possible that all these people who are constantly playing at a high level despite all these injuries they keep telling us about are just whiney? When Johnny Damon goes on and on about his sore hamstrings, but then steals two bases, is it possible that his hammy didn’t hurt as much as he thought it did? Maybe it’s not a high threshold for pain, but rather a high sensitivity to pain?

So, maybe we need to just get off everyone’s case. Maybe these players will all come back when they can help the team. Maybe we can stop saying that 75% of so and so is better than his replacement. It’s hardly ever true. Maybe we can patiently wait for these players to actually heal.

Maybe we can focus on results?

From the Pedro Binder

2000 Ultmate Victory

I’ve already discussed this set when I talked about the Tomo Ohka version. I think this set would be better as a less high end version. The gloss/shite that makes it “ultimate” takes away from the overall effect of the card.

The design’s not terrible. The blue border makes the card really pop. I like the edge treatment to the border too. A little something extra without getting crazy with it. The card has everything I need on it. Pedro’s name is right there plain as day. It also has his team, position, and even number. That’s a wonderful amount on information.

The main picture of Pedro fits nicely too. The vertical aspect of the picture means it isn’t disrupted from the half sized picture available. Even after cropping so much of the picture, it still works. Even the extra “headshot” works in this case. Pedro’s not making an offensive face or anything like that. It makes it not quite so obvious that it’s simply a copy of the same picture as the larger version. That’s less distracting.

Which would all make for a great card if the surface treatment didn’t mute it all. I know that Upper Deck was trying to jump into the high-end market. But, in this case, it would have been better off swimming in the shallow end.

Although seeing the All-Star patch on Pedro’s shoulder is always great.

The Pedroia Mistake

Nothing’s changed. When the Sox make a mistake signing a player, I still feel that it’s not my money. They’re free to pay anybody they want whatever they want. The only reason I care what they spend on a player is if they then tell me they can’t get another player because of it. So, if they want to throw money away on Pedroia, that’s fine. Just don’t tell me in a few months you couldn’t afford to keep Ellsbury. Or couldn’t afford to trade for Cliff Lee. At that point, I’ll have an issue with overpaying for Pedroia.

And, clearly, they overpaid. Maybe not on a yearly basis. But, there is no way on earth they should have given a player like Pedroia eight years. For a 30-year old second baseman. That’s just insane.

If this was a regular second baseman, it would still be a bad deal. But, when you look at Pedroia’s history it becomes a blunder of epic proportions. Remember this was a guy who was so selfishly concerned about his image, that he wouldn’t follow doctor’s orders when they told him to stay off a broken foot. He missed half a season because of it. Way back in A-ball, the same thing. Missed eight games after a HBP. Came back too soon, and missed fourteen more. This is a chronic problem. This is a guy who throws his body all over the field with no concern of what could happen. He doesn’t know how to take it easy to avoid injury, no matter the situation. And you just guaranteed to pay him for eight more years?

That’s not even considering the erosion of his skills. When the Sox signed Crawford, the only downside that people pointed out right away was that his game was based so much on speed. When that’s the case, and you age, that half a step you lose becomes the difference between being great and merely average. Same thing with Pedroia. His entire game is based on maximum effort. His entire contribution is that he busts his butt down the line after a hit. What happens when he’s 35? What happens when giving it his all isn’t quite what it used to be? What happens when, at 36, he just can’t give it his all any more on every play? You’ll still have to pay him for two more years. With his style of play, he won’t have a steady decline. It will be a sharp drop off. And, it will happen about in the middle of this contract he just signed.

And, it’s not like he can be moved to save his body. He can’t play first or DH. His power numbers aren’t good enough now to fill those slots, let alone when he’s older. He’s going to be stuck at second base even after his range becomes practically Jeterian.

We can’t count on him taking it easy to save his body either. This isn’t like a regular player who you can give days off to during a season. He’ll stubbornly protect that image at all costs. So, he’ll be playing full seasons until he simply falls apart.

Is Pedroia the best option at second base for the Sox this year? Yes. Next year? Most likely. Five years from now? I doubt it. Eight years from now? It would be a miracle. But, that’s where he’ll be.

Creaky knees and all. 

Red Sox 1-36: 25 is for…

25 Wins by the Sox in July ’48. Most wins in a month

It must have been fun to be a fan during July of 1948. 25 wins. In 2013, the Sox will only play 25 games in the month of July. (In 1948 the Sox played 34 games in the month.) The 25 wins even included 13 in a row. Which, I suppose, you’d expect. If you’re going to win a lot of games, you’re probably going to win a lot in a row. Not a bad time at all.

Due to the schedule these days, this looks like a mark that will remain the team high for quite some time. It’s one of the dangers when it comes to comparing stats from year to year. Some people might say they had it easier back then. It’s easier to win 25 games, naturally, when you play 34. But, it also means that you have play 34 games in 31 days. That can’t be easy. Right?

It also doesn’t mean the Sox haven’t had better 34 game stretches. They just didn’t happen to fall exactly within a calendar month. Does that make it any less significant? Not really. It still means the Sox were on quite a roll. What if they had that kind of stretch this year? If they played this July at the same .735 clip, they’d end up with 18 wins on the month. That would be pretty far-fetched. So, while the number of wins may be a fluke of scheduling, the performance is still real.

And lots of fun.

25 is for the 25 wins in the month of July 1948.

Pix from 36

Hopefully all of you have glanced at the list of pages at the top of this blog. If you haven’t, take a look now. See them? OK. Good. Do you see the one called “Pix from 36”? Have you ever clicked on it? You really should.

That’s the page where I post pictures people have sent in dealing with Section 36. Sometimes it’s pictures people took of themselves in the section. Sometimes it’s pictures people have taken from the section. Sometimes it’s pictures of the section itself. And, sometimes it’s pictures of people who wish they were in the section. When people send in a picture, I post it there. If they send in more than one, I might post the best one or two. (If you enjoy pictures, practically every picture that gets sent it will eventually make it on the Section 36 Facebook page. Another great reason to like it)

The pictures don’t get posted on any schedule. They just go up when I get around to it. So, you need to keep checking in order to see the new ones.

But, it’s occurred to me that some of you might not know to check every day. Or, you might not have even bothered to check out the page before. That’s a shame, because you’re missing a lot of great stuff. To prove it to you, I thought I’d show you some of the recent submissions. We’ve had a good crop lately!

Some people have taken their picture in Section 36

Some people have taken great pictures from Section 36

There are wonderful pictures of Section 36 itself

And, some people took their picture somewhere while they wanted to be in Section 36

Wasn’t that fun? Makes you want to be sure and check back so you don’t miss the new ones.

Probably also makes you want to submit your own.

Is David Ortiz a Future Hall of Famer?

When David Ortiz passed Harold Baines as the DH with the most career hits, a couple questions popped up. The first I addressed earlier…is David Ortiz a great hitter? The second? Is David Ortiz headed to the Hall of Fame?

A fine question.

The first issue that comes to mind when discussing his candidacy is his position. Does a DH belong in the Hall of Fame? Of course, Paul Molitor is already there. As are Jim Rice and Carl Yastrzemski. But, what about a full-time career DH? Can they get in too?

Why on earth not?

The Designated Hitter has been a baseball position for 40 years now. Why wouldn’t someone who played that position better than anyone be eligible? This isn’t people insisting that closers should be in the Hall of Fame, when “closer” isn’t even a position.

The main argument against the DH is that since they don’t play the field, they’re only playing half the game. Which is true. But, wouldn’t that argument apply to pitchers too? They don’t hit. (Even in the NL, you’d be hard pressed to say the pitcher “hits.”) Isn’t that like saying an outfielder can’t play catcher, so they only play in part the game? Every player only plays the parts of the game their position calls for.

Even if that’s not enough for you, and you think DHs should be punished for not playing the field. Can you really say that a DH can’t play first base? Do you not think David Ortiz could play a bad first base? Jason Giambi once won an MVP award playing a terrible defensive first base. Is that better than Ortiz letting someone else have those duties? I don’t see how. So, DH should certainly be able to make the Hall of Fame for their position.

Now, what about this specific DH?

If you read my last Ortiz post, you probably know that I’m going to say, “Not quite.”

He just doesn’t quite do it for me. I always say I need five years of “elite” stats. I could give Ortiz the four years from ’03-’07. I say I need ten “all-star” type years. I might be able to give Ortiz eight or nine.

Now it’s possible that Ortiz’s peak years were so good that I’m discounting his other less elite years. Possibly. But, I suppose, if I need to be reconsidering “less elite” years, I’ve already made the decision. He doesn’t quite make it.

But, it’s not because he’s a DH.

His Final All-Star Game

Yes. After last night, we will no longer be subjected to Tim McCarver trying to call an All-Star game. About 20 years too late, but I’ll take it.

I’m going to give McCarver the benefit of the doubt a little bit. I’m going to assume that SOME of the stupid things he says are based on commands from FOX. Like the Manny Machado play last night. I’m sure that once Machado entered the game, the truck told McCarver that they had his play from a few weeks ago all cued up. He just needed a way to get it on the air. So, when Machado backhanded a ball and threw out a slow runner, he made a big deal about it. Then he could easily segue from that “great” play to another great play by Machado. I get that.

What still baffles me is the baseball stuff. He’s been watching baseball for a long time. His seemingly spontaneous amazement over mundane things is incredible. Take the Brandon Phillips double play. I’d understand if he had direction from FOX once again to find a reason to replay the double play he turned from earlier in the year. I even get it if he was trying to make a bigger deal out of it than it really was as a way to promote the game, or Phillips himself. It was the giggling. He actually chuckled to himself before he could get out an amazed, “bare handed double play.” Was this the first time McCarver had seen a bare handed double play turned? He didn’t realize that not only are they fairly common…but they’re the way you’re supposed to do it? I think it was Barry Larkin that I once saw give a tutorial on how when he absolutely needed to use his glove to slow down a hard toss, he didn’t catch the ball. He just used the back of his glove to deflect the ball to his bare hand. But, last night using a bare hand makes McCarver giggle with glee? Huh?

Unfortunately, I’m guessing that having McCarver gone won’t solve all the problems with the broadcast. The in-game interviews are beyond annoying. Last night they interviewed Tom Seaver during the game. Seaver was going on and on about how exciting the game was. While he’s doing this, FOX is showing him on screen. Not the game! Sometimes they would go split screen with it. But, they made the Seaver portion bigger than the actual game. They didn’t take the hint and actually show the game that was apparently so good to watch. And they kept doing it. Here’s a hint FOX. If you constantly imply that the actual game is the least interesting part of the broadcast, people are going to start to believe it. If you want to use the audio to have an interview, I’ll allow it. But, keep the camera on the game! The whole reason that MLB manages to get away with the ridiculous fan voting is that they think it lets the fans select players they want to see play. Then FOX ignores those players to show us off-field antics.

Why would they do that?

List of 36:

Red Sox All-Stars I’ve Seen Perform Live

1. Luis Alicea

2. Jason Bay

3. Josh Beckett

4. Adrian Beltre

5. Wade Boggs

6. Clay Buchholz

7. Matt Clement

8. Johnny Damon

9. JD Drew

10. Dennis Eckersley

11. Jacoby Ellsbury

12.  Carl Everett

13. John Farrell

14. Terry Francona

15. Nomar Garciaparra

16. Adrian Gonzalez

17. Tom Gordon

18. DeMarlo Hale

19. Shea Hillenbrand

20. Jon Lester

21. Mark Loretta

22. Derek Lowe

23. Mike Lowell

24. Pedro Martinez

25. Victor Martinez

26. Jose Offerman

27. Hideki Okajima

28. David Ortiz

29. Jonathan Papelbon

30. Dustin Pedroia

31. Manny Ramirez

32. Curt Schilling

33. Ugueth Urbina

34. Jason Varitek

35. Mo Vaughn

36. Tim Wakefield

Is David Ortiz a Great Hitter?

When people break records, it often results on everyone trying to find their place in history. When David Ortiz passed Harold Baines as the all-time leader in hits by a DH, it was no different. Did that make Ortiz the greatest DH ever? Did it make him the best hitting DH ever? Did it make him an all-time great hitter? The debate was on.

It’s the “hitter” question that interested me at first. Is he a great hitter? Clearly he’s not the greatest hitter. That title goes to another Boston great. But, even that begs the question. What makes the greatest hitter?

When questions like this come up, I like to go to the source. Whether you agree that Ted Williams was the greatest hitter who ever live, or think it’s just a nice thing to say, you have to at least put him high on the list. When it came to hitting a baseball, Ted did the two things you most want a player to do. He hit the ball a lot. He hit the ball far a lot. That sounds like a logical place to start. A great hitter need to hit the ball a lot, and needs to hit it far a lot.

When you make those rules, you can see how they affect some common “great hitters.” Take Ichiro. Boy does he get a lot of hits. But, most of them don’t leave the infield. That doesn’t exactly fit the standard Ted set. It works the other way too. There are plenty of all-or-nothing guys. How about Wily Mo Pena? Boy could he hit the ball far. But, not exactly a great hitter.

Just as easily, people can leap to mind that are great hitters. Miguel Cabrera certainly fits that mold. Manny Ramirez. Jimmie Foxx.

David Ortiz?

My gut reaction was to say no. He doesn’t hit often enough. Looking over the numbers, he’s better at it than I thought. I was probably clouded by his recent struggles and by Manny overshadowing his best years. Ortiz was actually batting .290 in his Red Sox career entering this season. That’s pretty good. Not sure it’s great.

Maybe this is where Red Sox fans get in trouble. When you cheer for a team that has had bot Ted Williams and Manny Ramirez, are other hitters dwarfed? Like Pedro ruining Jon Lester?

Maybe. But, I still think I have to put David Ortiz as a very good hitter. But, not one of the greats. That average still bugs be just enough.

Still glad he’s on the team.

I Love West Coast Games

For one simple reason. They allow me to get some sleep.

I know right from the start that there’s no way I’m going to finish the game. While technically I could stay awake and catch the whole thing, there’s no possible arguemnt to make that it would be a good idea. So, I don’t even try. A regular 7:00 start? I assume I can make that. So, even when it’s a Yankees game and drags on for four hours, I’m already vested and have to stick it out. Same with the 8:00 starts for ESPN, or when they’re in Chicago. I convince myself that I can make it through the game, and end up pushing it too far.

But, when the game starts at 10:00? Nope. Never going to happen. I can tell right away, so I don’t even need to try. I might catch an inning or two, but I can easily break it off. I’ve already mentally resigned myself to the fact that I’m not finishing it. There’s no pressure.

It’s also apparently a fairly healthy way to follow the team. I didn’t know that the Sox blew a four run lead in Anaheim the other night. All I knew was that when I checked the score in the morning, they had lost. There was just the one second of disappointment. I didn’t anguish over run after run as it crossed the plate. They just lost. I didn’t know that they had trailed big time against Seattle. I wasn’t swearing at myself that they were blowing another chance against the hapless mariners. I just knew that they won big in the end. Last night when I stopped listening, they had a pretty big lead. When I woke up, they had won. Not too shabby at all.

Don’t get me wrong. I have no intentions of making this my standard practice. I won’t be ignoring any of the regular games just to avoid any torture. Catching scores in the morning can’t compare to watching the game unfold before you. But, it’s not exactly a terrible thing that geography has forced my hand.

Of course, I’m dreading the game on Saturday. A 9:00 start? On a weekend? I could convince myself that’s doable.

I need to come up with a better argument.

I Scored!

August 18, 2001

I say this a lot when I look back at old scorecards. Even with the collection of misfits this year, we don’t know how lucky we have it. This card is from the end of the 2001 season. A season in which they would finish second in the division…but still be 13.5 games back. A lost year.

To be fair, the line-up isn’t terrible. There are some recent all-stars floating around in there. But, the rest of it just isn’t enough. Although, it was in this game.

It was really one big inning that took the day for the Sox. They piled it on in the sixth, allowing them to win easily. Unfortunately, by then it was too late for Casey Fossum to see any benefit. He didn’t make it through the fifth, after loading the bases with two outs. Although I didn’t mark it down, I assume the win went to Garces because of his scoreless inning plus. Not to mention putting out the fire in the fifth.

The hero of the game for the Sox? Easily Mike Lansing. His four RBI were the difference. Especially his huge three-run home run in the sixth. It sealed the game for the Sox. The goat? Let’s go with Jose Offerman. While he wasn’t the only player to go hitless on the day, he did it from the lead-off spot. That’s not what you’re looking for.

In the end, it didn’t matter. The Sox prevailed thanks to some timely hitting, and help from the bullpen.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

From the Pedro Binder

1998 Donruss Silver Press Proof

Yeah, I have no idea what this card is either.

I understand the idea of a press proof. But, why is this one die cut? And covered, and I mean covered, with those Donruss logos? Just makes a jumbled mess of things.

That's too bad, because the rest of it is a pretty nice card. Everything I need is there. Player name, team. No position, but that's OK. Especially since the info is tucked out of the way on the bottom of the card. Even the standard Donruss logo is hidden up top. It allows for the picture of Pedro to be the most important part of the card.

Then they had to ruin it by going a press proofy with it. It's what Donruss was infamous for. Taking a good idea, and throwing it away. At least, in this case, it was just an insert set that they ruined. The base set works pretty well. But, this post isn't talking about the base card.

It's about the awful Press Proof version.

Lost in the Shuffle

So, the Celtics are trading away 40% of their starters. The Bruins lost 40% of their fan base to Dallas. The Patriots are changing their logo, or something else in the news. So, it might be easy to forget that the Sox are in first place.

In the American League! With more wins than anyone else in the game. Wow.

How are they doing it? I’ve given up asking. They’re just scoring more runs than the other team does. Over and over again.

At the beginning of the season I asked what the difference was between the 2013 Sox and the 2012 Giants. I couldn’t really find one then. I still can’t find one now. They’re the same team made up of a bunch of above average players who just happen to be pulling it out.

Hope it keeps going!

List of 36

Red Sox players I’ve enjoyed watching

1. Mike Greenwell

2. Jacoby Ellsbury

3. Nomar Garciaparra

4. Dwight Evans

5. Mo Vaughn

6. Juan Pena

7. Jason Varitek

8. Donnie Sadler

9. Adrian Gonzalez

10. Carl Everett

11. Alex Gonzalez

12. Ellis Burks

13. Freddie Sanchez

14. Damian Jackson

15. Pedro Martinez

16. Daniel Bard

17. Tony Pena

18. Josh Beckett

19. Jonathan Papelbon

20. Coco Crisp

21. Roger Clemens

22. Phil Plantier

23. Pokey Reese

24. Clay Buchholz

25. Kevin Morton

26. Carlos Baerga

27. Carl Crawford

28. Johnny Damon

29. Victor Martinez

30. Bob Zupcic

31. Billy Wagner

32. Rickey Henderson

33. David Ortiz

34. Adrian Beltre

35. Manny Ramirez

36. Tom Gordon

Collecting the Sox: PEZ

First off, a show of hands. Who actually puts the Pez candy in the Pez dispenser before eating it? Isn’t that an awful lot of work to go through to get a sugar high? Just unwrap and eat!

I’m sure I don’t need to tell anyone what Pez is. They’ve been around for a while, and have become very collectable, even outside the sports world. No matter what you collect, you can probably find a Pez dispenser to fit into your collection. Pigs, cats, snowmen, Star Wars, anything under the sun. Some people just collect Pez dispensers, no matter what they depict. For Red Sox collectors, this makes one of those crossover collectables that can be a challenge. The more collectors that are looking for an item, the more challenging it usually is to find. That annoying supply and demand thing again. Thankfully for Pez, the supply side of the equation really helps collectors out. They’re not particularly hard to find. Ok, they’re everywhere. That’s what really makes them a good collectable. Plus, they’re really cheap. I find myself getting them a lot as add-ons to gifts. That shirt’s not quite enough? Toss in a Red Sox Pez to complete the thought.

Once you have one, they’re great to display. You can either leave them in the package, or take them out and try to stand them up. That might take a little balance. But, it usually works out pretty well. They don’t take up a lot of room, which is really important. You can fit a rather large collection on a small shelf. That’s a lot easier than something like bats or refrigerators. It also means they can be tucked in anywhere. You don’t need a whole room dedicated to the Red Sox (although that works fine too). Have an extra inch on your desk? Or a corner of your bureau? Perfect spot for a Pez. They’re colorful, and can add a bit of visual interest to a display area. Because of those reasons, it’s not hard to see why something so weird has become a collectable to so many.

Does anyone else have Red Sox Pez?