In case anybody hasn't been paying attention the past couple of weeks, Scott Podsednik is still relevant.
"Scotty just wants everyone to know that he's still a Major League baseball player and a really good one," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said after Saturday's Cubs-Red Sox game at Wrigley Field. "He goes out there every day with a desire to do something good and by golly, he does something good every day."
Podsednik has seen his career on the verge of ending several times over the past few seasons, but the 36-year-old has found a new home with the Red Sox.
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In a bizarre twist of events, Juan Pierre beat out Podsednik for the final bench spot for the Phillies earlier this season, leaving the player known to fans in Chicago as "Scotty Pods" manning the outfield for Philadelphia's Triple-A team.
The Red Sox outfield, already without Carl Crawford, was further decimated by injuries and Ben Cherington -- the heir to Theo Epstein's throne in Boston -- purchased Podsednik's contract from the Phillies.
The former White Sox sparkplug is back to his old ways with Boston, and ended play Sunday with a .387 average and .409 on-base percentage to go with eight runs, seven RBI and six steals in 18 games.
He was a thorn in the Cubs' side all weekend long, as he went 5-for-11 with a walk, a run, an RBI and two stolen bases before he tweaked his groin muscle and had to be removed from Sunday's game.
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Podsednik stole 59 bases and scored 80 runs with the World Champion 2005 White Sox before really turning up the heat in the postseason that year, compiling a .397 on-base percentage with nine runs in 12 games.
Even when Jacoby Ellsbury returns from his shoulder injury, Podsednik should provide value with the Red Sox as a proven winner and a veteran voice in the clubhouse.
Not bad for a guy just about everybody counted out years ago.