A mixed 'bag

If that happens -- and I have no reason to believe it will not -- it will be very interesting to see how Beckett performs in his 55-60 pitches or so, because he is obviously a huge key to the rest of the season.

For now, though, it's on to the questions, which include Dustin Pedroia's odd habits, Yankees-Sox relations, and who should be voted Manager of the Year.

Oh, and a marriage proposal showed up in my inbox this week. Kidding, I'm sure. I think. Er . . .

Amalie, what does Dustin Pedroia put in his batting helmet every time he gets on base? He takes it off every time and puts something on the inside. Do you know what that is about?
Trevor, Middletown, Conn.

A: Trevor, you get to stand in for quite a few questions about Pedroia's antics at first base. Must be that everyone's getting a good look at the second baseman at first, since he seems to be there two of three times per game. I actually asked Pedroia this question on Wednesday after the game. His response? "That's private," he said, laughing and walking out of the clubhouse. Sorry I couldn't bring you guys a better answer. Maybe I'll be able to pry it out of him eventually.

It seems like Ellsbury is making a ton of running, diving, sliding, half-sliding catches, but I don't hear much talk about his defense being above average. Is he getting poor reads on the ball and taking poor routes forcing highlight catches or is it just a matter of time before the media realizes his skill?
John, Huntington Beach, Calif.

A: There's no question that Ellsbury seems to make an outstanding play nearly every day in the field. His defense is certainly good, and his speed makes it even better. But there is one thing that Ellsbury is lacking: experience. Playing the kind of Gold Glove-caliber centerfield that we saw out of Coco Crisp last season takes a certain level of knowledge of hitters and pitchers that Ellsbury is still working on gaining. I wrote a story on center field defense and Crisp last season, which might give an indication of where Ellsbury can go. I'd say, right now, that Ellsbury's very good -- and improving.

Does Okajima pitch better when no one is on base? It seems to me he does. Are there stats to back-up this impression, or do the stats say my impression is mistaken?
Newmexsoxfan, Taos, N.M.

A: Yes, yes, yes, yes. Hideki Okajima has been an entirely different pitcher this season with men on base and without men on base. Okajima has allowed a whopping 13 of 22 inherited runners to score this season, after allowing just 4 of 26 to score last season when he was dominant. The batting average against Okajima in 2007 with men on base was .168; this season, it's .261. Batters are hitting just .198 off Okajima this season with no one on base. So, yes, there's no question that Okajima is much more effective when he starts clean innings, and that's not a reaction to watching Okajima give up Jon Lester's lead last week in New York.

Hi Amalie, it's nice to see the new guys contributing on the field -- Bay, Byrd, and hopefully Kotsay, but how are all these new faces affecting the team chemistry in the clubhouse? Do you think this will be a factor as we try to seal a playoff spot? Also, how do the September callups affect the players, other than roster depth?
Bill, Boston

A: I wouldn't worry too much about the chemistry changes brought about by the new guys. The biggest chemistry change was getting that old guy out (you know the one; think left field). But there is definitely a common thread with the newcomers. All three are veteran presences, and all three seem to be laid-back and easy to get along with. They're guys that baseball insiders like to call "professionals," and I think that's a type of player that finds an easy fit into the current Red Sox clubhouse. As for the September callups, it really depends on the club. Some teams are getting a look at prospects. The Sox probably won't be, other than Michael Bowden. Their additions would be for depth, with guys like David Ross and Jonathan Van Every. We'll know for sure once the Pawtucket and Portland postseasons are done. Bowden, for one, still has a locker in the Sox clubhouse.

How are the Sox making trades after the trade deadline? What's the point of a trade deadline if players are still being dealt in late August?
Chad, Columbus, Ohio

A: There are actually two trading deadlines, in a sense. The July 31 trading deadline marks the end of the period in which any player can be dealt to any team. Different rules apply during the month of August, or the waiver-trading period. Between Aug. 1 and Aug. 31, players who have passed through waivers can be traded and are eligible for postseason play with their new teams. But it's usually not that simple. Waivers can be revoked, and other teams can claim players off waivers, with the preference going to teams with worse records in the same league as the team putting the player on waivers. Claims can come in either because teams would like to deal for that player or because they would like to prevent another team from getting that player. It's certainly a complicated process, and I hope I've explained it well.

I was getting the bends not having a weekly mailbag to discuss all things Sox. Glad you picked up the baton. My question is in regards to Curt Schilling. Should he decide to come back for half a year, do you think the Sox would be interested with an incentive laden contract?
Rob, Scarsdale, N.Y.

A: I am, too. It's been fun so far. As to Schilling, I'm almost certain he won't be back. Then again, I didn't think the Sox would be re-signing him for the 2008 season, and it's always hard to say never. But I believe that the Sox relationship with Schilling is officially over. It was certainly a good -- and fun -- run while it lasted.

Matt Holliday has got to be on the minds of Sox' ownership. As I'm sure you know, he will be a free agent after the '09 season. Do you think we will keep Bay through '09 and then sign Holliday, or will we trade Bay and his reasonable salary, along with some prospects and get Holliday next season? I think Holliday is Manny of 10 years ago, minus all the issues. I would love to get him.
John, Port St. Lucie, Fla.

A: There is certainly going to be some interest in Holliday, who indeed will be a free agent after the 2009 season. But the Rockies are going to ask quite a lot for him in terms of prospects and, at least in the case of the Sox, the question becomes whether or not he's worth it. (Johan Santana, anyone?) One piece of information that will likely dog the Rockies if they shop Holliday: his home/road splits. Though he's a .362 hitter in Denver over his career, he hits .278 on the road. His OPS is 1.083 vs. .798. That's not to say that Holliday couldn't batter the Wall, but it is a concern. Holliday, 28, is two years younger than Bay and in his prime. But the Sox do regard Bay as their left fielder of 2009, one of the reasons they targeted him in the Manny Ramirez deal. That wasn't just for the second half of this season, though things can change fast, so we'll have to see what develops.

Ozzie Guillen called Dustin Pedroia "jockey size" and Ortiz and other teammates have referred to his height as 5 feet 5 inches, but the Sox roster refers to him as 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds. Could you estimate his height based upon adjustment from your height: For example, if you are 5-foot-5 and you'd guess he is two inches taller than you. The fact of the matter is that the smaller he is the greater the inspiration for the smaller kid who loves sports ---for example, Spud Webb.
Jim, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

A: At the risk of putting myself on Pedroia's bad side, I would say that he is probably somewhere between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-8, closer to the latter. I'm also notoriously bad at judging height. For reference, I am 5-foot-3 (which explains my dangerously large collection of high heels). Even at 5-foot-9, Pedroia should certainly be an inspiration to those kids who don't have the typical 6-foot-4 slugger physique. (He's less than 180 pounds, too, I would guess).

With the recently concluded Sox-Yankees series, and all the animus surrounding these two teams especially since 2003, how do the Sox and Yankees players feel about each other generally? How is Damon received by the Sox players from his years on the club?
Rick, Rixeyville, Va.

A: There really isn't a lot of dislike between the Sox and the Yankees. In fact, as I walked downstairs to the media work room in New York recently, I witnessed this scene: David Ortiz was just ahead of me on the stairs, and Joba Chamberlain was following not far behind me. Chamberlain started yelling at Ortiz -- mock seriously -- to start moving faster, that he was holding up the line. Ortiz turned around, as if to figure out who exactly would yell at him, and broke into a big grin. The two players greeted each other warmly, said they'd catch up later, and headed to their respective clubhouses. Obviously that doesn't go for every member of either team, but I'd say there are a lot of friendships between the two clubs.

Hi Amalie, love your work. My question is, was the AL Manager of the Year handed to Joe Maddon or Mike Scioscia back in May/June, or is there a chance that Terry Francona can turn voters' heads around in the last month of the season? Even neglecting all the off-field/clubhouse issues, his in-game lineups and management seem to be blessed with a Midas Touch.
Casey, Halifax

A: Thanks, Casey. That's a good question, and one that has particular meaning to me. I happen to have one of the two votes for Manager of the Year for the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. (I had an MVP vote last year, my first voting year.) Honestly, it would take an epic collapse by the Rays for me not to vote for Maddon as my pick for Manager of the Year. There's no question that Francona has done an excellent job this season, and that he has done the same in past seasons. I think it's certainly harder for managers of clubs with huge expectations to get votes if they simply fulfill those expectations. So, unless things change quite a bit, I would say that Maddon is almost certainly going to win.

Why do they run guys out to first base that don't have the experience, Kotsay for instance, when they have David Ortiz. David Ortiz is a first baseman. Is he really that bad in the field? He always seems to do a good job during the World Series. In addition to spelling Youk, wouldn't it be great practice, and give someone else a chance to get some swings at DH?
Jim, Livermore, Maine

A: He's not great. A couple of years ago, Ortiz argued to me that he had simply gotten a bad reputation as a defensive first baseman when he was in Minnesota and couldn't shake that. But I'm not sure that it would be wise for the Red Sox to place Ortiz in a position that has potential to put extra wear on his knees. Though Kotsay hadn't played first base in two years, he's nimble around the bag, certainly more so than Ortiz.

I really enjoyed the first mailbag, great job. My question is, what is with the Ask Amalie graphic where your head is floating in space? It reminds me of the movie "Re-Animator." C'mon guys, how about a better picture?
Mike

A: From your fingers to my editors' ears. It's something I've been wondering about for about a week now. Not that I don't like having a disembodied head . . .