"Hatchet Face" DFA'd by Red Sox

The Julian Tavarez Era in Boston is over.

The Red Sox gave the quirky righthander his walking papers today, and designated him for assignment to make room for Sean Casey, who comes off the disabled list today. This season had been a struggle for him, and he had been used infrequently and a long reliever and just didn't pitch well. Tavarez' exit means Craig Hansen stays, and their are still rumors that Tavarez' next stop might be in Denver with the Rockies. The Sox have 10 days to trade him or release him.

Before last night's 9-8 loss, the Red Sox traded Bryan Corey (who had been DFA'd twice this season) to the Padres for a player to be named, and sent Jed Lowrie back to Pawtucket.

I'm actually going to miss Tavarez, who my friend Adam nicknamed "Hatchet Face." He definitely had his moments with the Red Sox, like those times when instead of throwing the ball to first on a comebacker, he actually rolled it to first. Or when a double play ball was hit to the infield, he'd be shown "directing traffic," flailing his arms in urging the infielders where to throw the ball. I also loved the fact that Tavarez looked like he was paling around in the dugout with Daisuke Matsuzaka last year on days when they weren't pitching. I would love to have been a fly on the wall to know what they were talking about (and in what language they were speaking in, too).

I will also never forget seeing him on the field before a game in San Diego last year chatting and acting playful with a young boy in a wheelchair. He does have a softer side.

He actually did a rather decent job as a starter last year, and beat the Yankees twice at Yankee Stadium. He was a valuable swingman, and did just about anything the Red Sox asked of him, without complaint.

And how could you not love a guy who said his ambition when he was younger was to become a porno star?

Well miss you, Julian, more than you'll ever know.