quick hitter <> its the right time

the time has come ... 16 years a major league baseball player ... 14 years with the boston red sox ... senior member of the team ... a starting pitcher ... middle reliever ... a closer ... 178 career wins ... 2 world series championships ... a classy gentleman on and off the field ... a hero down the street at the dana farber cancer institute ... and now at age 42 ... ITS THE RIGHT TIME for tim wakefield to step aside ... with no regrets

after an eye popping performance this spring ... junichi tazawa has been shipped to portland as planned ... for the moment ... michael bowden and daniel bard are now pawtucket red sox ... bowden is obviously not ready for prime time ... he had an awful spring ... bard and his 100 mph lazerballs need to be on the big league roster sooner than later ... he was untouchable all spring ... justin masterson will work from the bullpen ... john smoltz wont become part of the equation until june ... that leaves tim wakefield, brad penny and clay buchholz competing for the #4 and #5 starting pitcher spots on the roster ... if penny's right arm will let him pitch ... he will no doubt be slotted as the #4 starter ... and clay buchholz time has arrived ... he's done everything the red sox have asked of him ... his spring pitching has earned the 25 year old buchholz the final starting spot on the boston red sox roster

out with the old, in with the new ... sounds so cruel ... not meant to be at all ... its just the right time ... time for the tim wakefield era to end with honor and dignity ... and the clay buchholz era to begin with a full time starting gig