Out of all the Hot Stove departures that have or are likely to happen, there’s something uniquely sad (albeit understandable) about that of Alex Gonzalez, a.k.a. the human vacuum cleaner. Gonzalez was the best Olde Towne Team shortstop I’ve ever seen, and the fluidity and grace with which he fielded his position was a marked and delightful contrast to those look-at-me-I’m-trying-really-hard shortstops that, say, win Gold Gloves. In years past, the crippling, seemingly crippled play of Edgar Renteria would have been par for the course at Fenway. It’s remarkable that Pokey and A-Gon have made Renteria seem like an abberation rather than the norm. (Speaking of Reds acquisitions: Mike Stanton? What the fuck is that?)