I'm left speechless.  The earthquake that rocked the baseball world last night had to be at least a 9 on the Richter scale.  Over at Lone Star Ball, they're calling Lee the Grinch whole stole Christmas and nothing short of Judas himself.  Over at Pinstipe Alley, the exasperation and sense of entitlement is palpable.  How could Cliff Lee deny them?  The folks at Over the Monster are cheering the signing, calling this the greatest offseason in Red Sox history.  There are enough columns and stories on the interwebz and major media outlets to keep us reading for days.  And as we collectively pinch ourselves and struggle to make sense of all this, I wanted to create a post for random observations, knee-jerk reactions, thoughts and questions.  I'll start:

1.   Can anyone believe that Cole Hamels, who was the MVP of the World Series in 2008, is now the third or arguably fourth best pitcher on this team?

2.   Can anyone believe that Cliff Lee is not the financial mercenary he was made out to be by leaving money on the table?

3.   Just how hard will it be to get a ticket at CBP next year?

4.    I wonder how Roy Oswalt is feeling this morning.  Does anyone remember that he actually considered not approving a trade to the Phillies last season.

5.   The Phillies are now arguably the premier destination in all of baseball.  Damn.

6.   Ruben, Ruben, Ruben.  You've earned the right to be a smug as you damn well please.

7.   Can you imagine if any of the prospects we obtained in trading Lee actually work out?

What an unbeLEEable day!!!