The face of the enemy

Yes, that spawn of the devil, Boras. Only two days left to negotiate, Scotty, and already doing spin control. Red Sox Nation is abuzz. Will the deal get done? I still think it has to.

Consider: what if no deal is made? Dice-K goes back to Japan, after he burned a lot of bridges. He did a farewell tour, saying how much he wanted to play American Major League Baseball. If he goes back, it looks like he didn't want to play enough to take the money offered. He comes across as a money-grubber - and I don't think that sells well in Japan.

Boras probably loses any gains he made in the Japanese market - who'll want to work with him after he's screwed over the Seibu Lions? He was on "Cold Pizza" this morning, spinning. Saying that if the deal isn't made, it's the fault of the posting system. Right - because he can't play the Yankees and Red Sox against each other, as he usually does. I love this from Gordon Edes:

But according to another long-time Boras watcher, this is classic Boras MO.

"Scott doesn't like to get engaged until there is high anxiety. But Scott's a little uncomfortable, because he doesn't have the leverage he normally has. And you also have to remember, there's a different culture involved here. In Japan, they might not appreciate that beating-the-hell-out-of-management, kill-the-hostages approach.''

Of course, the Sox are trying to come off rosey-smelling now, too. Theo and Larry have flown out to California to confront Boras on his own turf. They're getting the press involved, which they've avoided up til now. They're claiming Boras hasn't responded to their first offer, basically blew it off. But they're out there, waiting, with John Henry's plane, to whisk Dice-K (and Devil Spawn) out to Boston first thing Wednesday for a physical and press conference.

Does it get done? A Nation awaits. And on the next episode of "As the Stomach Turns..."