Heard Dennis & Callahan discussing Rob Bradford's expansive Josh Beckett column on weei.com. They mentioned one specific quote from Beckett that really got this Blog's hair up:
"The snitching [explative], that's [explative]. It's not good."
Immediately in this Blog's mind the ostracism of Jim Bouton, who wrote the definitive inside the baseball clubhouse expose "Ball Four" in 1969/1970. Or Jose Canseco's claim that he was blackballed from baseball, then was seen as a pariah and buffoon when he wrote his book "Juiced", in which he names names in the steroid scandal in baseball and in the end turns out to be right. The word 'snitching' is the thing, it implies protecting unclean secrets. Facts about people and their actions that can become nasty if unveiled to the world. This Blog began thinking Mr. Beckett and Major League Baseball were contributing to a part of society that in this Blog's view needs to be addressed and abolished. The secret keeping within families of any kind, be they familial, club oriented, sports related, religious or any other group, has given rise to repeating generations of violence and neglect. Looking the other way is a way of life for many people who don't even realize how wrong and hurtful it is because they've never known any other way of doing things.
But then, thanks in large part to this space and this Blog's introspection as a result, this Blog decided to read the entire column and came to some conclusions. Beckett shows himself to be thoughtful and sincere, bullheaded for sure, but sincere nonetheless. He doesn't think he owes anyone an apology for how things happened last year, he bristles at anyone taking him to task for caring more about his pregnant wife and unborn child than baseball, and he should. Clearly Francona's comments about how frustrated he was that he could not effectively reach the players, in concert with Beckett's assertion in Bradford's piece that things were difficult with Francona in the end, show a disconnect where Beckett can't see his culpability in a clubhouse Francona lost. Otherwise, however, Beckett seems rational, reasonable and true to himself. In the end this Blog can't brand Beckett a [explative]ing cancer in a society of dirty little secrets. The culture of baseball should change, but that change won't happen with voices like this Blog's freaking out and reacting with visceral proclamations. Measured discussion is needed, the time for that discussion is not when Beckett is discussing and thinking about one of the greatest all time chokes in the history of professional sports. That's emotionally charged enough for a blockhead baseball player.
Until next time,
The SAHD
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Bruins & Serenity Edition
This edition is more about a feeling than anything else. Today was the unofficial holiday of Canada, that's right TSA fans NHL trade deadline day! There will be plenty of time for Jason Varitek memories later.
This afternoon the Bruins did some horsetrading of the quiet background kind. All together they traded little used D Steven Kampfer and inconsequential prospects Yannick Riendeau and Marc Cantin for F Brian Rolston and D-men Mike Mottau and Greg Zanon. After days of panicking about the annual Bruins February malaise and thinking Tim Thomas was a clubhouse cancer I find myself feeling quietly confident about the moves Mr. Chiarelli made. In Rolston they get a former Bruin to play the Mark Recci role with a bigger shot and a spring chicken compared to the distinguished Reccs. Zanon appears to be the lunch-pail, shot blocking mucker the Bs thrive with on the blue line. Mottau is a backup but a good one. And necessary considering the Bruins blueliners were belted pretty good by the Senators Saturday night. Despite the chatter that the black and gold didn't have enough to trade this has shades of last year; when Peverly and Kelly came in to an angry fanbase who had no idea who they were and restored Lord Stanley's Chalice to its proper home. The Bruins have assets, namely Dougie Hamilton and some disappointing big name forwards, a big deal could've been made. Unlike this Blog they didn't go with should've, they stayed with could've and trusted the system and team. Buttress, not demolish, sounds like a plan.
Then again, maybe this Blog just liked seeing Katheryn Tappen on the NHL network and got the whammy put on him. Only time will tell.
Until next time,
The SAHD
This afternoon the Bruins did some horsetrading of the quiet background kind. All together they traded little used D Steven Kampfer and inconsequential prospects Yannick Riendeau and Marc Cantin for F Brian Rolston and D-men Mike Mottau and Greg Zanon. After days of panicking about the annual Bruins February malaise and thinking Tim Thomas was a clubhouse cancer I find myself feeling quietly confident about the moves Mr. Chiarelli made. In Rolston they get a former Bruin to play the Mark Recci role with a bigger shot and a spring chicken compared to the distinguished Reccs. Zanon appears to be the lunch-pail, shot blocking mucker the Bs thrive with on the blue line. Mottau is a backup but a good one. And necessary considering the Bruins blueliners were belted pretty good by the Senators Saturday night. Despite the chatter that the black and gold didn't have enough to trade this has shades of last year; when Peverly and Kelly came in to an angry fanbase who had no idea who they were and restored Lord Stanley's Chalice to its proper home. The Bruins have assets, namely Dougie Hamilton and some disappointing big name forwards, a big deal could've been made. Unlike this Blog they didn't go with should've, they stayed with could've and trusted the system and team. Buttress, not demolish, sounds like a plan.
Then again, maybe this Blog just liked seeing Katheryn Tappen on the NHL network and got the whammy put on him. Only time will tell.
Until next time,
The SAHD
Friday, February 24, 2012
Saltalamacchia's Next Step Edition
With Jason Varitek clearly in the rear view Boston is hitching it's wagon to Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The guy with the name so big his shoulders will always seem small in his jersey was a one time big prospect who's finally getting his chance. Way waaaay back in 2007 he slugged 11 homers in 308 at bats, he then went 3 in 198, 9 in 283, 0 in 24, and finally 16 in 358 last year. Some interesting trends:
On Base Avg Fly Ball % HR/F Contact %
2007 .309 39% 12% 76%
2008 .354 42% 6% 63%
2009 .289 41% 12% 66%
2011 .283 47% 14% 67%
Fly % is the % of fly balls of all balls that a player makes contact with, regardless of the outcome. HR/F is the number of homers per fly ball. Contact is the % of swings that make contact of any kind on a pitched balls. 2010 isn't included in the study because it was such a small sample, only 24 ABs. Salty's contact % is clearly more of the high sixties variety, the 76% number he put up in 2007 got people plenty excited because 80% is all top catcher territory but that's not happening. This is a .250 type hitter. The power is much more interesting. His Fly Ball % shows he swinging for the fences, and with more ABs this year it's likely he will slam 20+ homers. It's the patience that is the real question. It appears in 2008 he attempted to be picky at the plate, got a great .354 OBA out of it, but couldn't concentrate on pitch selection and swing hard at the same time with only a 6% HR/F. It's hard to believe by he's still only 26 years old. For comparison Jason Varitek didn't become the full time starter for the Sox until he was 27. It's possible Salty could figure it out and be patient and powerful. Best case scenario appears to be a Jorge Posada type, a little better offensively that Varitek, average defensively. This Blog signs up for that, consolidate Salty, get your patience on and swing out of your shoes. Prediction: .250 23HR .320 OBA.
Until next time,
The SAHD
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Bard The New & Improved C.J. Wilson? Edition
Now that the Bruins have broken the 21 game home winning streak by the St. Louis Blues this Blog can relax and get back to spring training. This morning the ever calm and reasonable Daniel Bard, who is in the process of attempting to switch from a reliever to a starter, joined Dennis and Callahan on WEEI. He spoke of the night and day difference between Francona and Valentine. He spoke of the wear and tear on relievers arms and how it compares favorably to the wear and tear on starters arms. He spoke of the Melas Chasma sized gap between what starters and relievers earn. He spoke of C.J. Wilson.
In 2010 C.J. Wilson made the transition from relieving to starting. Wilson was the closer for the Texas Rangers while Bard was the eighth inning guy for Boston, but this Blog sees the roles as comparable. Here is a side by side comparison of the two players at the time of the switch:
Age MLB Innings ERA K/9 WHIP Ground Ball %
Wilson 28 280.2 4.30 8.4 1.41 52%
Bard 27 197.0 2.88 9.7 1.06 47%
Wilson had pitched 84 more innings, but otherwise is a vastly inferior pitcher to Bard. Bard's ERA is almost a run and a half less, he strikes out over a batter more per 9, and is much much harder to hit as indicated by the WHIP difference. Wilson has an edge in GB%, but the major league average for a starter is somewhere around 45% so Bard fits the bill there and his dominance in WHIP, ERA and K/9 more than outweigh the GB% advantage.
Wilson jumped 130.1 innings in his first year as a starter, going 15-8 with a 3.35 ERA, a 1.245 WHIP, a 7.5 K/9 and a GB% of 49% in 204 IP. Daniel Bard could have a problem with the innings considering how many less he has pitched in comparison to Wilson, but he is at a peak age for pitchers and his experience is enough that the odds are lower he will have an innings cap. Bard does not have an injury history, and while projecting a 200+ inning season might be stretching it Bard seems a very solid bet to be a solid #4 starter this year and possibly much more. This Blog sees Bard, with much better pure 'stuff' than Wilson, having an ERA around 3.00 with a WHIP between 1.1 and 1.2 and K/9 in the 9.0 area in 180+ innings. If he does that he's the best #4 in the game. High hopes? Sure, but it's 50 degrees in the Boston area, springtime is in the air, and Bard has done incredible things before (past three years declining WHIP, declining BB/9, to top tiers of major league pitching).
Until next time,
The SAHD
In 2010 C.J. Wilson made the transition from relieving to starting. Wilson was the closer for the Texas Rangers while Bard was the eighth inning guy for Boston, but this Blog sees the roles as comparable. Here is a side by side comparison of the two players at the time of the switch:
Age MLB Innings ERA K/9 WHIP Ground Ball %
Wilson 28 280.2 4.30 8.4 1.41 52%
Bard 27 197.0 2.88 9.7 1.06 47%
Wilson had pitched 84 more innings, but otherwise is a vastly inferior pitcher to Bard. Bard's ERA is almost a run and a half less, he strikes out over a batter more per 9, and is much much harder to hit as indicated by the WHIP difference. Wilson has an edge in GB%, but the major league average for a starter is somewhere around 45% so Bard fits the bill there and his dominance in WHIP, ERA and K/9 more than outweigh the GB% advantage.
Wilson jumped 130.1 innings in his first year as a starter, going 15-8 with a 3.35 ERA, a 1.245 WHIP, a 7.5 K/9 and a GB% of 49% in 204 IP. Daniel Bard could have a problem with the innings considering how many less he has pitched in comparison to Wilson, but he is at a peak age for pitchers and his experience is enough that the odds are lower he will have an innings cap. Bard does not have an injury history, and while projecting a 200+ inning season might be stretching it Bard seems a very solid bet to be a solid #4 starter this year and possibly much more. This Blog sees Bard, with much better pure 'stuff' than Wilson, having an ERA around 3.00 with a WHIP between 1.1 and 1.2 and K/9 in the 9.0 area in 180+ innings. If he does that he's the best #4 in the game. High hopes? Sure, but it's 50 degrees in the Boston area, springtime is in the air, and Bard has done incredible things before (past three years declining WHIP, declining BB/9, to top tiers of major league pitching).
Until next time,
The SAHD
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Tim Thomas(BOS) - Alex Semin(WAS) Should Be Trade #2 Edition
Some further digging through the web has found only some late 2011 Semin trade rumors out there and a lot on Washington's lack of depth at Center due to the injury to Nicklas Backstrom. With that, and with the recent benching of starting goaltender Tomas Vokoun (a correction to previous post has been made to Vokoun's cap hit, currently expiring $1.5 M) , a Tim Thomas Alex Semin trade makes that much more sense. Here is a slightly revised deal, with all contract information culled from Capgeek.com:
Boston trades Tim Thomas ($5 M cap hit this and next year) and Chris Kelly ($2 M expiring cap hit). To this Blog trading Tim Thomas is about 2% due to his political craziness, and 98% due to keeping Tuuka Rask around for the long-term. It's foggy, but it seems the players are getting fed up with TT and his lone-wolf mentality. Tuuka is still only about to turn 25 years old, and his Goals Against Average/Save % the last three years is 1.97/.931, 2.67/.918, 2.11/.928. For comparison Thomas is 2.56/.915, 2.00/.938, 2.21/.929. Tuuka is the future, and Thomas, while still outstanding, has worn out his welcome. Chris Kelly is a great playoff performer (+11, 13 points in 25 playoff games last year), extremely tough, and a solid #2/#3 Center, currently behind Bergeron, Krejki, and perhaps even Seguin with Boston. Loosing Kelly would hurt, but Peverly is due back in about six weeks and the unknown status of Nathan Horton means goal scoring is badly needed. On Washington he's just the type of veteran, two-way center they need with Backstrom out. Boston goes down from having a projected $2.7 M in cap space to $2.5 M.
Washington trades Alex Semin ($6.7 M expiring cap hit) and Michal Neuvirth ($1.15 M cap hit this and next year). Semin provides much needed goal scoring ability and as stated yesterday could revive the Krejki and Lucic line. Neuvirth provides a solid #2 goalie for the rest of this year and next. Washington also goes from being just over the salary cap to having a projected .176 M in cap space. It doesn't seem like much, but possible high fines and worst case forfeiting games can come from being over the cap.
This exactly the kind of win-win, win now blockbuster trade that is rare but spectacular when it happens. Mr. Chirarelli is working the phones and teasing big name possibilities, the Caps GM George McPhee is facing some serious pressure to get Ovechkin and crew deep in the playoffs. Make it happen boys!
Until next time,
The SAHD
Boston trades Tim Thomas ($5 M cap hit this and next year) and Chris Kelly ($2 M expiring cap hit). To this Blog trading Tim Thomas is about 2% due to his political craziness, and 98% due to keeping Tuuka Rask around for the long-term. It's foggy, but it seems the players are getting fed up with TT and his lone-wolf mentality. Tuuka is still only about to turn 25 years old, and his Goals Against Average/Save % the last three years is 1.97/.931, 2.67/.918, 2.11/.928. For comparison Thomas is 2.56/.915, 2.00/.938, 2.21/.929. Tuuka is the future, and Thomas, while still outstanding, has worn out his welcome. Chris Kelly is a great playoff performer (+11, 13 points in 25 playoff games last year), extremely tough, and a solid #2/#3 Center, currently behind Bergeron, Krejki, and perhaps even Seguin with Boston. Loosing Kelly would hurt, but Peverly is due back in about six weeks and the unknown status of Nathan Horton means goal scoring is badly needed. On Washington he's just the type of veteran, two-way center they need with Backstrom out. Boston goes down from having a projected $2.7 M in cap space to $2.5 M.
Washington trades Alex Semin ($6.7 M expiring cap hit) and Michal Neuvirth ($1.15 M cap hit this and next year). Semin provides much needed goal scoring ability and as stated yesterday could revive the Krejki and Lucic line. Neuvirth provides a solid #2 goalie for the rest of this year and next. Washington also goes from being just over the salary cap to having a projected .176 M in cap space. It doesn't seem like much, but possible high fines and worst case forfeiting games can come from being over the cap.
This exactly the kind of win-win, win now blockbuster trade that is rare but spectacular when it happens. Mr. Chirarelli is working the phones and teasing big name possibilities, the Caps GM George McPhee is facing some serious pressure to get Ovechkin and crew deep in the playoffs. Make it happen boys!
Until next time,
The SAHD
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Bruins & Capitals Should Be Trade Edition
The Red Sox are in spring training and there's plenty of overreaction to things Bobby V, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett are saying. This Blog is looking at the NHL trade deadline coming up and thinks this is a trade that needs to and could happen. Washington needs to stop the puck, they are currently 20th in the NHL allowing 2.80 Goals per game and sit 1 point out of the playoffs with another year of Alex Ovechkin about to be wasted. Meanwhile the Bruins are without Rich Peverley and Nathan Horton and in need of a top six forward. Watch while this Blog works this trade magic.
The Bruins trade Tim Thomas and his $1.243 M cap hit for the rest of this year and $5 M next year along with Dan Paille and his expiring $.267 M cap hit to Washington. In return the Bs get Alexander Semin and his expiring $1.666 M cap hit and M Neuvirth and his .286 M cap hit for the rest of this year and $1.150 M next year. Washington gets Thomas and his 8th ranked 2.21 Goals Against Average, pushing Thomas Vokun and his 21st ranked 2.45 GAA to backup, and Dan Paille to replace a forward for Washington as they would be left with only 11 by trading Semin. Washington gets the reigning Vezina and Conn Smythe winner. Boston gets an exciting younger offensive force in Alexander Semin who has been playing with an expiring $6.7 M cap hit salary and while his production has been down the last year and a half he did score 34 and 40 goals between '08/'09 and '09/'10, is only 27 years old and could be energized getting out from under the shadow of Ovechkin and placed in the atmosphere of Boston, with the aura of a Stanley Cup and structure of a tenured Claude Julien as coach. Semin could be placed on the Krejci/Lucic line and the Bruins would also get an experienced backup goaltender in Neuvirth. It would mean going with Rask as the #1 but this Blog thinks he's ready to take the reigns and is too young and good to not invest in him and get rid of Thomas.
Washington is right up against the cap, and the Bruins aren't too far away and would have a hard time fitting Semin's salary demands into the budget next year, but this is a go for it all trade for 2 teams that are in win now mode and gives Tim Thomas a bigger chip on his shoulder to prove people wrong and gets his crazy politics right in the middle of DC to boot. Make it happen Mr. Chiarelli!!!
Until next time,
The SAHD
The Bruins trade Tim Thomas and his $1.243 M cap hit for the rest of this year and $5 M next year along with Dan Paille and his expiring $.267 M cap hit to Washington. In return the Bs get Alexander Semin and his expiring $1.666 M cap hit and M Neuvirth and his .286 M cap hit for the rest of this year and $1.150 M next year. Washington gets Thomas and his 8th ranked 2.21 Goals Against Average, pushing Thomas Vokun and his 21st ranked 2.45 GAA to backup, and Dan Paille to replace a forward for Washington as they would be left with only 11 by trading Semin. Washington gets the reigning Vezina and Conn Smythe winner. Boston gets an exciting younger offensive force in Alexander Semin who has been playing with an expiring $6.7 M cap hit salary and while his production has been down the last year and a half he did score 34 and 40 goals between '08/'09 and '09/'10, is only 27 years old and could be energized getting out from under the shadow of Ovechkin and placed in the atmosphere of Boston, with the aura of a Stanley Cup and structure of a tenured Claude Julien as coach. Semin could be placed on the Krejci/Lucic line and the Bruins would also get an experienced backup goaltender in Neuvirth. It would mean going with Rask as the #1 but this Blog thinks he's ready to take the reigns and is too young and good to not invest in him and get rid of Thomas.
Washington is right up against the cap, and the Bruins aren't too far away and would have a hard time fitting Semin's salary demands into the budget next year, but this is a go for it all trade for 2 teams that are in win now mode and gives Tim Thomas a bigger chip on his shoulder to prove people wrong and gets his crazy politics right in the middle of DC to boot. Make it happen Mr. Chiarelli!!!
Until next time,
The SAHD
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Inside A Red Sox Focus Group Edition
Last night
this Blog was invited to a Boston pro sports focus group. Once in the room it was revealed this was in
fact a Red Sox focus group, team reps were on the other side of the one way mirror, the moderator was an independent third party, and the group was composed
of nine rabid Red Sox fans. All together
it was three women, six men, four full season ticket holders, and five partial
season ticket holders. It was an
interesting evening to be sure, and the cares of Red Sox management became
clear. What follows are the issues the moderator got the group to discuss.
On the relationship between the team
and the fans: The moderator
established, through several question and answer sessions, that when big time
Red Sox fans think of the team they have feelings of family and friends, and
when the fans think of how the Sox management views them, fans feel viewed as
clients. With these facts established
the moderator asked what the group felt they were owed from the team. The moderator then asked if fans were clients,
then it followed that the team was a business, and a private business with no need
to open the books it was pointed out, shouldn’t the business be allowed to make
a profit?
On Fenway Park: Did fans see
a difference in Fenway between now and five years ago? What do fans think about when they enter Fenway?
On the game experience: How do fans
feel about bells and whistles during the game?
On the September collapse: What did fans
think about how the season ended in general?
If fans could meet with the players the day after the season, what would
the fans want to know?
On expectations for the team: What did fans
expect for the upcoming season? What
would exceed expectations?
On Red Sox gear: The group was
shown a traditional blue hat with the red B logo and a pink hat with a blue B
logo. What did we think of the caliber of a fan wearing a blue hat versus a pink hat?
The answers and discussions generated within the group were fun and animated, but what the team cares about is much more interesting. It's nice to know hardcore fans' opinions are valued, although to think this was the only focus group is rather obtuse. Clear is the commitment to Fenway Park, and the answers given on the subject ranged from universal applause on the Park improvements to feelings of total peace and happiness when setting foot in the place. This Blog was quite amused with the Sox gear questioning, but thrilled that the response to bells and whistles was pure disdain. With PR maestro Dr. Charles Steinberg back in the fold there's little hope of 'Sweet Caroline' taking a bath, but quashing any sausage races or fireworks ideas before they begin is all to the good. The team also seems to be rather annoyed at the fan-base when it comes to questioning the amount of money spent on player salaries, and it doesn't appear the Sox have any plans to get a half decent shortstop or solid starting pitcher. It will be up to the likes of Mike Aviles, Nick Punto, Daniel Bard and starting pitcher X to get this team over the hump this year, buckle up for the ride.
Until next time,
The SAHD
The answers and discussions generated within the group were fun and animated, but what the team cares about is much more interesting. It's nice to know hardcore fans' opinions are valued, although to think this was the only focus group is rather obtuse. Clear is the commitment to Fenway Park, and the answers given on the subject ranged from universal applause on the Park improvements to feelings of total peace and happiness when setting foot in the place. This Blog was quite amused with the Sox gear questioning, but thrilled that the response to bells and whistles was pure disdain. With PR maestro Dr. Charles Steinberg back in the fold there's little hope of 'Sweet Caroline' taking a bath, but quashing any sausage races or fireworks ideas before they begin is all to the good. The team also seems to be rather annoyed at the fan-base when it comes to questioning the amount of money spent on player salaries, and it doesn't appear the Sox have any plans to get a half decent shortstop or solid starting pitcher. It will be up to the likes of Mike Aviles, Nick Punto, Daniel Bard and starting pitcher X to get this team over the hump this year, buckle up for the ride.
Until next time,
The SAHD
Friday, February 17, 2012
Mea Culpa Lou Merloni & Wake Edition
The other day this Blog took Framingham Lou to task for calling out Adrian Gonzalez for not giving fans what they deserve while not giving any player inside information from his Fenway "Louuuuuuuuuuuuuu" playing days. Boy did Lou come out swinging today in the first hour of Mut & Merloni on WEEI.
Mut & Lou went through the disaster that was the end of 2001 Red Sox season and what coming into spring training in 2002 was like from his perspective having lived through it. Couple of exquisite gems and a wonderful fleshing out of that period of time:
Mike Lansing: Admirable player from the opposing dugout, most miserable player Lou has ever played with as a teammate. The guy would be mad he wasn't in the lineup and mad when he was. As a fan this Blog thought the exact same thing, pretty good from afar, crap when he was on the local 9.
Carlos Baerga: The catalyst who taught the team how to have fun playing baseball again in 2002. Turns out Kevin Millar wasn't the beginning of the idiot carefree culture, it was good old Carlos Baerga, he of the .286 2HR 19 RBI in 73 games batting line. Also, he took greenies (amphetamines) constantly, a 50 game suspension for the first failed test these days.
Dan Duquette: The man would look straight through a guy, no communication skills. Not exactly a revelation but it does flesh out the atmosphere of those pre-2002 Red Sox.
Joe Kerrigan: Would tell hitters how to hit, to lay off Roger Clemens' pitches for example, and how indignant the hitters would be. Again, not huge revelation but nice detail.
In general Lou pointed out how players like Lansing and Crazy Carl Everett, the manager, the GM and the ownership were all changed up in the 2001 offseason, making spring training of 2002 rather smooth. This time around most of the boys who brought the team down last September are back. Combined with the grumble producing task master Bobby V, the dark smoke still hanging around from last September could make this spring training rather combustible.
One player who won't be there to be kicked around will be Tim Wakefield. The maestro of the knuckleball is reportedly going to announce his retirement from baseball sometime today and this Blog must admit to the disease of now. Lou pointed out that when Wake signed his perennial 1 year @ $4 M team option contract after the 2005 season he not only took a slight annual pay cut, but did so after a 16-12 with a 4.15 ERA season. There is no doubt Wake could have cashed in to the tune of $8 -$10 M a year for 3 to 4 years at that time. He valued pitching for the Red Sox, for the fans, in this town, and should be celebrated for that. Thanks to his pitch he is a unique figure in baseball history and certainly a great Red Sox player. Thank you Tim Wakefield, and please accept this Blog's apologies for the short-sighted beat down.
On a day focused on baseball Merloni is showing how good he can be when the subject is in his wheelhouse and he's willing to be revealing of his time in the game. Could portend better ratings and a tighter mid day race with the sometimes old Ordway 'grown men yelling' Big Show-esque production that Gresh & Zo can be on The Sports Hub. At least until the Patriots season rolls around again.
As to the news that Rich Peverly is out for 4 to 6 weeks, it certainly makes the time leading up to the NHL trade deadline that much more exciting. Peter Chirelli has proven rather adept at the trade game, what will he do? Is this Blog falling into the disease of now again thinking that trading Tim Thomas would be a good idea? Too bad people who know have thrown cold water on the Tim Thomas for Patrick Kane idea. The dream of a Seguin-Bergeron-Kane line was sweet while it lasted.
Until next time,
The SAHD
Mut & Lou went through the disaster that was the end of 2001 Red Sox season and what coming into spring training in 2002 was like from his perspective having lived through it. Couple of exquisite gems and a wonderful fleshing out of that period of time:
Mike Lansing: Admirable player from the opposing dugout, most miserable player Lou has ever played with as a teammate. The guy would be mad he wasn't in the lineup and mad when he was. As a fan this Blog thought the exact same thing, pretty good from afar, crap when he was on the local 9.
Carlos Baerga: The catalyst who taught the team how to have fun playing baseball again in 2002. Turns out Kevin Millar wasn't the beginning of the idiot carefree culture, it was good old Carlos Baerga, he of the .286 2HR 19 RBI in 73 games batting line. Also, he took greenies (amphetamines) constantly, a 50 game suspension for the first failed test these days.
Dan Duquette: The man would look straight through a guy, no communication skills. Not exactly a revelation but it does flesh out the atmosphere of those pre-2002 Red Sox.
Joe Kerrigan: Would tell hitters how to hit, to lay off Roger Clemens' pitches for example, and how indignant the hitters would be. Again, not huge revelation but nice detail.
In general Lou pointed out how players like Lansing and Crazy Carl Everett, the manager, the GM and the ownership were all changed up in the 2001 offseason, making spring training of 2002 rather smooth. This time around most of the boys who brought the team down last September are back. Combined with the grumble producing task master Bobby V, the dark smoke still hanging around from last September could make this spring training rather combustible.
One player who won't be there to be kicked around will be Tim Wakefield. The maestro of the knuckleball is reportedly going to announce his retirement from baseball sometime today and this Blog must admit to the disease of now. Lou pointed out that when Wake signed his perennial 1 year @ $4 M team option contract after the 2005 season he not only took a slight annual pay cut, but did so after a 16-12 with a 4.15 ERA season. There is no doubt Wake could have cashed in to the tune of $8 -$10 M a year for 3 to 4 years at that time. He valued pitching for the Red Sox, for the fans, in this town, and should be celebrated for that. Thanks to his pitch he is a unique figure in baseball history and certainly a great Red Sox player. Thank you Tim Wakefield, and please accept this Blog's apologies for the short-sighted beat down.
On a day focused on baseball Merloni is showing how good he can be when the subject is in his wheelhouse and he's willing to be revealing of his time in the game. Could portend better ratings and a tighter mid day race with the sometimes old Ordway 'grown men yelling' Big Show-esque production that Gresh & Zo can be on The Sports Hub. At least until the Patriots season rolls around again.
As to the news that Rich Peverly is out for 4 to 6 weeks, it certainly makes the time leading up to the NHL trade deadline that much more exciting. Peter Chirelli has proven rather adept at the trade game, what will he do? Is this Blog falling into the disease of now again thinking that trading Tim Thomas would be a good idea? Too bad people who know have thrown cold water on the Tim Thomas for Patrick Kane idea. The dream of a Seguin-Bergeron-Kane line was sweet while it lasted.
Until next time,
The SAHD
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Clay Buchholz Staff Ace Edition
With all the Red Sox spring training anticipation one would think the SAHD would crank up the 'Bobby V is a hard charging take no prisoners work 'em till they sweat' machine. Instead Clay Buchholz occupies the brain. After being in the right field stands for Buchholz's no-hitter in his second career start in 2007, this Blog expected a lot of the young pup with the wicked hook and Pedro-like changeup. Two years ago he went 17-7 with a 2.33 ERA and seemed to be on his way, then came a stress fracture in his back last year and this Blog is left to wonder if he can be a solid #2/#3 this coming season.
If words mean anything this guy is turning into the rock of the starting staff. So far he's spoken of how the team can benefit from Bobby V's more structured camp, sounding much more mature and hard working than the off the record grumbling we hear from other players. He's also talked openly about beer and chicken-gate, which at the very least is refreshing. Buchholz appears to have grown up in a big way, and as Yogi Berra used to say "Baseball is ninety percent mental and other half is physical." Ok then, let's take a look.
Physically Buchholz's capabilities are of a staff workhorse. He's got a lifetime strikeout per 9 innings rate of 6.9 to go with a groundball rate of over 50% for the last three years, both indicators of good to great things as far going deep in games. There are some pointing to his health as an issue, but stress fractures such as his heal very well and this Blog sees no reason to worry.
Bill James predicts 13-8 in 30 starts with a 3.53 ERA, but with peripheral stats like those mentioned above and health issues behind him this Blog easily sees an ERA closer to 3.00 and a rock in the rotation. Furthermore, he is coming into his age 27/28 season, Miller time for outstanding seasons by starting pitchers. Get ready for the Clay Buccholz love fest in Fenway, he's about to go medieval on the AL East.
Until next time,
The SAHD
If words mean anything this guy is turning into the rock of the starting staff. So far he's spoken of how the team can benefit from Bobby V's more structured camp, sounding much more mature and hard working than the off the record grumbling we hear from other players. He's also talked openly about beer and chicken-gate, which at the very least is refreshing. Buchholz appears to have grown up in a big way, and as Yogi Berra used to say "Baseball is ninety percent mental and other half is physical." Ok then, let's take a look.
Physically Buchholz's capabilities are of a staff workhorse. He's got a lifetime strikeout per 9 innings rate of 6.9 to go with a groundball rate of over 50% for the last three years, both indicators of good to great things as far going deep in games. There are some pointing to his health as an issue, but stress fractures such as his heal very well and this Blog sees no reason to worry.
Bill James predicts 13-8 in 30 starts with a 3.53 ERA, but with peripheral stats like those mentioned above and health issues behind him this Blog easily sees an ERA closer to 3.00 and a rock in the rotation. Furthermore, he is coming into his age 27/28 season, Miller time for outstanding seasons by starting pitchers. Get ready for the Clay Buccholz love fest in Fenway, he's about to go medieval on the AL East.
Until next time,
The SAHD
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Framingham Lou Offbase Edition
Heard Lou Merloni on Mutt & Merloni on WEEI this morning railing against Adrian Gonzalez, who in an interview on ESPN said something to the effect of 'People have to eat' regarding players eating fried chicken during the games. Lou's point seemed to be that it was unacceptable for players such as Gonzalez and Josh Beckett to talk about what happened to the Sox last year and not say they were sorry. Lou was quite animated on this subject. He talked of fans deserving better.
This Blog remembers Lou Merloni drumming up quite the interest in himself several years ago when he was first making a splash in the local media scene. In the spring of 2009 Lou proclaimed to all who would listen, and there were many, that the Red Sox hired a doctor to talk to the team about how to take steroids properly. When pushed Lou didn't seem to remember the name of the doctor, much less the year in which this alleged event took place. This Blog isn't saying it didn't happen, but there were no players of Lou's era on the Sox who even off the record would corroborate his story, and only denials from the GM at the time Dan Duquette. And this Blog can't remember Lou to ever be willing to touch a discussion of who he might have seen using steroids. From this view seems Lou's willing to cash in on the steroid era discussion bashing the team with unsubstantiated accusations, but unwilling to be rat in the clubhouse. And today he's hauling Adrian Gonzalez on the carpet because he won't acknowledge chicken and beer-gate?
Fans do deserve better Framingham Lou. Your outrage at the current group of players comes off as hollow and creates the urge to turn the channel. Even with the Bruins and Celtics playing right now there is incredible interest in the Red Sox for both positive (hope springs eternal) and negative (The Collapse) reasons. Of the mid-day group Lou has the most credibility when it comes to talking baseball, instead he's pulling radio schtick and making this Blog focus on his baseless shock value statement of three years ago.
Until next time,
The SAHD
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Taking Down The New Yankee Starters Edition
The Yankee additions of Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda have been greeted with universal applause. In light of the Red Sox current starting shortstop black hole and rotation issues this Blog took a stab at taking down the fearsome twosome. To whit:
Hiroki Kuroda-The Japanese sensation has put up an impressive record with the Los Angelas Dodgers since arriving in 2008. With a career 3.45 ERA he's been one of the most underrated starters in the NL. But he's no longer in the NL is he? Over his time in the majors he's pitched 62.1 innings in interleague games against the AL, for somewhere between 9 and 11games. Over those games his ERA has been 4.33. Furthermore, he played his home games in Dodgers Stadium, which has a Park Factor of .936. Park Factor is a stat that compares scoring in MLB stadiums. Generally under 1 favors the pitcher, over 1 favors the hitter. Yankee Stadium is playing with a Park Factor of 1.131. He's going from the 9th best Park for pitchers to the 6th best for hitters. That's a big swing. What's this add up to? I don't doubt he'll continue to be a workhorse, he's averaging 202 innings a year, but this Blog sees an average AL 3rd starter who's never faced the iron of the AL East on a regular basis.
Michael Pineda-This young buck arguably was the best under 23 starter in the majors last season, with an ERA of 3.74 and a WHIP of 1.10 with 173 Ks and a 9-10 record for the 67-95 Seattle Mariners. For him this Blog leans on the Verducci Effect. This stat was popularized by the venerated Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated. It states that pitchers under the age of 25 who increase their workload by 30 innings of more tend to break down or under-perform the following season. Pineda is 23 years old. In the minors in 2010 he pitched 139 innings. In the majors in 2011 he pitched 171 innings. Uh oh, that's an increase of 32 innings. Touchdown Verducci Effect! As for Park Factor, his home park with the Mariners was Safeco Field, coming in at a solid 5th best Park for pitchers. Yankee Stadium not so much.
So take that Yankee fans. You might not dream of the days of Freddie Garcia and Bartolo Colon, but Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte aren't walking through that door. Now if only the Red Sox had a solid #3 starter.
Until next time,
The SAHD
Hiroki Kuroda-The Japanese sensation has put up an impressive record with the Los Angelas Dodgers since arriving in 2008. With a career 3.45 ERA he's been one of the most underrated starters in the NL. But he's no longer in the NL is he? Over his time in the majors he's pitched 62.1 innings in interleague games against the AL, for somewhere between 9 and 11games. Over those games his ERA has been 4.33. Furthermore, he played his home games in Dodgers Stadium, which has a Park Factor of .936. Park Factor is a stat that compares scoring in MLB stadiums. Generally under 1 favors the pitcher, over 1 favors the hitter. Yankee Stadium is playing with a Park Factor of 1.131. He's going from the 9th best Park for pitchers to the 6th best for hitters. That's a big swing. What's this add up to? I don't doubt he'll continue to be a workhorse, he's averaging 202 innings a year, but this Blog sees an average AL 3rd starter who's never faced the iron of the AL East on a regular basis.
Michael Pineda-This young buck arguably was the best under 23 starter in the majors last season, with an ERA of 3.74 and a WHIP of 1.10 with 173 Ks and a 9-10 record for the 67-95 Seattle Mariners. For him this Blog leans on the Verducci Effect. This stat was popularized by the venerated Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated. It states that pitchers under the age of 25 who increase their workload by 30 innings of more tend to break down or under-perform the following season. Pineda is 23 years old. In the minors in 2010 he pitched 139 innings. In the majors in 2011 he pitched 171 innings. Uh oh, that's an increase of 32 innings. Touchdown Verducci Effect! As for Park Factor, his home park with the Mariners was Safeco Field, coming in at a solid 5th best Park for pitchers. Yankee Stadium not so much.
So take that Yankee fans. You might not dream of the days of Freddie Garcia and Bartolo Colon, but Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte aren't walking through that door. Now if only the Red Sox had a solid #3 starter.
Until next time,
The SAHD
Monday, February 13, 2012
Big Papi's Value & A Ubiquitous Phrase (Bruce Campbell) Edition
So the Sox and David Ortiz are down to the deadline of arbitration today. Papi is asking for $16.5 million and the Sox are offering a slight raise from last year's salary to $12.65 million. Get ready, this Blog is about to get its stat geek on. FanGraphs has a convoluted yet valuable stat called Wins Above Replacement. This stat tries to compare players based on the whole picture, offense, defense and base running for the non pitchers. It has become fairly well accepted in the baseball analyst community and one can get all the ins and outs by clicking the link above. This Blog ran a report for total WAR over the past three seasons, and here are the results:
Papi comes out at an even 7.0, meaning he's been worth 7 wins more than an average replacement over that same time. Pretty good, after all 7 games even spread over three seasons can mean the difference between making the playoffs and not (the nightmare of that three minute span on 9/28/11 still linger). The ten players just behind Papi are Coco Crisp 7.0, Brendan Ryan 7.0, Kurt Suzuki 7.0, Billy Butler 6.9, Austin Jackson 6.9, Chone Figgins 6.9, Carlos Pena 6.8, Michael Cuddyer 6.8, Juan Uribe 6.6, Maicer Izturis 6.5. The ten just ahead of him are Johnny Peralta 7.1, Jason Bay 7.1, Alex Gordon 7.1, Nick Markakis 7.2, Alberto Callaspo 7.3, Adam Jones 7.3, Matt Wieters 7.4, Russell Martin 7.4, Asdrubal Cabrera 7.6. This is a pretty eclectic group but also puts Papi's contributions to the Sox in some perspective, some slick fielding average batting speedy outfielders, some solid catchers, an up and coming Papi like guy in Billy Butler, another aging slugger in Jason Bay, a postseason hero in Juan Uribe, a couple of above average shortstops in Peralta and Cabrera. It's a cringe-worthy view, but at $16.5 million Papi would rank fourth on the Red Sox this year. Given his age of 36, which coming from the Dominican Republic has to be taken with a grain of salt, and the universe of players he's grouped in here, this Blog thinks Papi @ $12.65 is more than fair. Sure, he's been one of if not THE clutch hitter in the history of the team, his performance in the 2004 ALCS was sublime, and he's been a great guy to boot. But lately he's had some pretty bad starts to the season, notwithstanding last year, and he's been seen as one of the mainstays of a group that's failed rather spectacularly in the playoffs the last several years and pulled an all-time choke job last year. Oh yeah, and he acted like a three year old throwing a hissy fit by thrusting himself into the middle of one of Francona's post game pressers over a disputed RBI. It all adds up to an aging player more interested in stats than the team who has a 30% shot to repeat his performance from last year from this perspective. That's no $16.5 million player.
And finally, at a point this morning a back and forth switch between The Sports Hub and WEEI found the speakers blaring some variation of the phrase 'kick ass' for a solid 5 minute period. Brought to mind the wonderful ass kicking heroics of Bruce Campbell's 'Ash' in Army of Darkness (warning, harsh language!).
Until next time,
The SAHD
Papi comes out at an even 7.0, meaning he's been worth 7 wins more than an average replacement over that same time. Pretty good, after all 7 games even spread over three seasons can mean the difference between making the playoffs and not (the nightmare of that three minute span on 9/28/11 still linger). The ten players just behind Papi are Coco Crisp 7.0, Brendan Ryan 7.0, Kurt Suzuki 7.0, Billy Butler 6.9, Austin Jackson 6.9, Chone Figgins 6.9, Carlos Pena 6.8, Michael Cuddyer 6.8, Juan Uribe 6.6, Maicer Izturis 6.5. The ten just ahead of him are Johnny Peralta 7.1, Jason Bay 7.1, Alex Gordon 7.1, Nick Markakis 7.2, Alberto Callaspo 7.3, Adam Jones 7.3, Matt Wieters 7.4, Russell Martin 7.4, Asdrubal Cabrera 7.6. This is a pretty eclectic group but also puts Papi's contributions to the Sox in some perspective, some slick fielding average batting speedy outfielders, some solid catchers, an up and coming Papi like guy in Billy Butler, another aging slugger in Jason Bay, a postseason hero in Juan Uribe, a couple of above average shortstops in Peralta and Cabrera. It's a cringe-worthy view, but at $16.5 million Papi would rank fourth on the Red Sox this year. Given his age of 36, which coming from the Dominican Republic has to be taken with a grain of salt, and the universe of players he's grouped in here, this Blog thinks Papi @ $12.65 is more than fair. Sure, he's been one of if not THE clutch hitter in the history of the team, his performance in the 2004 ALCS was sublime, and he's been a great guy to boot. But lately he's had some pretty bad starts to the season, notwithstanding last year, and he's been seen as one of the mainstays of a group that's failed rather spectacularly in the playoffs the last several years and pulled an all-time choke job last year. Oh yeah, and he acted like a three year old throwing a hissy fit by thrusting himself into the middle of one of Francona's post game pressers over a disputed RBI. It all adds up to an aging player more interested in stats than the team who has a 30% shot to repeat his performance from last year from this perspective. That's no $16.5 million player.
And finally, at a point this morning a back and forth switch between The Sports Hub and WEEI found the speakers blaring some variation of the phrase 'kick ass' for a solid 5 minute period. Brought to mind the wonderful ass kicking heroics of Bruce Campbell's 'Ash' in Army of Darkness (warning, harsh language!).
Until next time,
The SAHD
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Weekly Leftovers Edition
Neglected news and notes from the past week.
John Heyman of CBS sports, who this Blog has always liked as a baseball guy, channeled his inner Dan Shaughnessy and produced a snide little piece on John Henry's spending habits. His main point is $10 million has been spent on Red Sox players this off season, while $179 million was spent in the same time frame on Henry's other sports franchise the Liverpool Football Club in jolly old England, and isn't that so sad for Ben Cherrington and Bobby Valentine? There's no weight given to the $376 million spent on just four players for the Red Sox last year. From the not so good (Carl Crawford 7 years $142 million, Bobby Jenks 2 years $12 million), to the decent (Josh Beckett 4 years $68 million), to the downright outstanding signing of Adrian Gonzalez for 7 years and $154 million. When is a long-term $22 million per year contract outstanding? Had the Sox waited for A-Gone to be a free agent this year instead of acquiring him from the Padres in 2010 he would've been in the same free agent class as Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. Fielder got 9 years for $214 million from the Tigers, and Pujols broke the bank to the tune of 10 years and $254 million from the Angels. Gonzalez looks like a stone cold bargain compared to those two, and while Pujols is better, is he $100 million better? Apologies to Chad Finn and this Blog's own subconscious, but Mark Teixeira, who signed for 8 years at $180 million with the Yankees in 2009, would look real good along side Casey Kelly, Keith Law's #32 top prospect this year and the main piece in the A-Gone trade, in spring training this year. Curse you Tony Mazz!!!
An absolutely devastating Tom Brady breakdown from those masters of the gridiron the Cold Hard Football Facts. The quote that really got me:
"If Tom Brady wants to win that fourth Super Bowl ring, he has to start
making the tougher throws necessary to get there. The dink and dunk
offense can only take you so far against the better competition."
They break it down chapter and verse as usual. The fetal position beckons.
And finally, heard some trade Paul Pierce while his value is high chatter the last few days. Winter has finally arrived, the Patriots lost, and now people want to talk about trading The Truth? Not even Truck Day can bring this Blog's spirits up. Oh, wait, Truck Day sucks.
Until next time,
The SAHD
John Heyman of CBS sports, who this Blog has always liked as a baseball guy, channeled his inner Dan Shaughnessy and produced a snide little piece on John Henry's spending habits. His main point is $10 million has been spent on Red Sox players this off season, while $179 million was spent in the same time frame on Henry's other sports franchise the Liverpool Football Club in jolly old England, and isn't that so sad for Ben Cherrington and Bobby Valentine? There's no weight given to the $376 million spent on just four players for the Red Sox last year. From the not so good (Carl Crawford 7 years $142 million, Bobby Jenks 2 years $12 million), to the decent (Josh Beckett 4 years $68 million), to the downright outstanding signing of Adrian Gonzalez for 7 years and $154 million. When is a long-term $22 million per year contract outstanding? Had the Sox waited for A-Gone to be a free agent this year instead of acquiring him from the Padres in 2010 he would've been in the same free agent class as Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols. Fielder got 9 years for $214 million from the Tigers, and Pujols broke the bank to the tune of 10 years and $254 million from the Angels. Gonzalez looks like a stone cold bargain compared to those two, and while Pujols is better, is he $100 million better? Apologies to Chad Finn and this Blog's own subconscious, but Mark Teixeira, who signed for 8 years at $180 million with the Yankees in 2009, would look real good along side Casey Kelly, Keith Law's #32 top prospect this year and the main piece in the A-Gone trade, in spring training this year. Curse you Tony Mazz!!!
An absolutely devastating Tom Brady breakdown from those masters of the gridiron the Cold Hard Football Facts. The quote that really got me:
"If Tom Brady wants to win that fourth Super Bowl ring, he has to start
making the tougher throws necessary to get there. The dink and dunk
offense can only take you so far against the better competition."
They break it down chapter and verse as usual. The fetal position beckons.
And finally, heard some trade Paul Pierce while his value is high chatter the last few days. Winter has finally arrived, the Patriots lost, and now people want to talk about trading The Truth? Not even Truck Day can bring this Blog's spirits up. Oh, wait, Truck Day sucks.
Until next time,
The SAHD
Friday, February 10, 2012
A Quick Suggestion For Bobby V Edition
Dear Bobby Valentine,
Please, please, please, pretty please, please please pleeeeeease (channeling the 5 year old son of the SAHD), show up to the first day of pitchers and catchers dressed as a bucket of fried chicken with a beer in hand, please?
Until next time,
The SAHD
Please, please, please, pretty please, please please pleeeeeease (channeling the 5 year old son of the SAHD), show up to the first day of pitchers and catchers dressed as a bucket of fried chicken with a beer in hand, please?
Until next time,
The SAHD
Beckett, Wakefield & Thomas - Blockhead Boston Athletes Edition
The more times change the more they stay the same. Boston has a proud tradition of blockhead athletes, from Ted Williams to Manny Ramirez and now Josh Beckett, Tim Wakefield and Tim Thomas.
Unless you've been in a cave in northern Waziristan for the past year you've no doubt read or heard about Bob Hohler's expansive piece inside the collapse of the 2011 Boston Red Sox. Some call it immaculately researched, others a boot in the ass Francona rip job, either way it was a boon for sports and print media last fall and will continue to be as spring training begins (this Blog is a willing participant). The one and only Josh Beckett recently pontificated on the gobbling fried chicken while swilling beer revelations with his old yee haw buddy Kevin Millar on MLB Network's Intentional Talk:
“I think the biggest key is what [Jon] Lester said to the end that, we stunk on
the field and that was the bottom line,” Beckett said. “If we would have pitched
better, none of that stuff would have even been an issue. And it shouldn’t be an
issue anyway because what goes on in the clubhouse should stay in the
clubhouse"
Apparently Beckett shares a certain out of touch attitude with Mitt Romney. Doesn't he realize a simple mea culpa would clear the air with fans and media alike? Instead he falls back on the old if you ain't never been to the clubhouse don't ever come to the clubhouse defense. Take heed Mr. Beckett, the wrath of the common, hard working, no 401k having fan is flamed by filthy rich, dogging it, blister having starting pitchers like few other antagonists. Unlike our next victim however, Beckett has the talent to make this all blow over with an early Ace performance against the Yankees.
Tim Wakefield, mop up duty, a bloated era and whiny is no way to go through life son. From the aforementioned Hohler piece:
"Amid a seemingly interminable quest for his (Wakefield's) 200th career victory,
he went 1-2 with a 5.25 ERA in September, taxing the bullpen as the Sox lost
four of his five starts. The 45-year-old knuckleballer then appeared more
interested in himself than the team when he asserted in the final days of the
season that the Sox should bring him back in 2012 to pursue the franchise’s
all-time record for wins (shared by Roger Clemens and Cy Young at 192).“I think
the fans deserve an opportunity to watch me chase that record.’’
You've been a good soldier, an innings eater, a hero for charity, and provided one heck of a show in 1995, but the only thing we fans deserve is for you shut.....up. You should be thanking the organization, Francona, and the fans for showering you with unrequited respect, patience and opportunity. You are no Roger Clemens or Cy Young my friend (although Young's incredible lifetime win total of 511 is padded with stats built in one wacky and wild early baseball era). Why some athletes seem bound and determined to tarnish their legacies with 'invented the question mark' type statements this Blog will never understand. Do yourself a favor Tim, profusely thank pretty much everyone when you make the right choice to hang it up, because those making major league hitters look plain silly performances are long gone and a fan has only your words as a lasting impression.
Finally we have Tim Thomas. Let this Blog make it clear, political views mean nothing, stopping the puck, stopping the puck, and stopping the puck again are the only things that do. You are a legend, a case study in perseverance, and one of the main reasons puck heads all over Bruins nation are having a renaissance. But this Blog heard TT mention privacy and personal life about 15,000 times whilst holding court in the locker-room. If you don't want reports peppering you with question about your personal views change your Facebook privacy settings. Until then spout your personal views in a public setting and answer the damn questions!
Until next time,
The SAHD
Unless you've been in a cave in northern Waziristan for the past year you've no doubt read or heard about Bob Hohler's expansive piece inside the collapse of the 2011 Boston Red Sox. Some call it immaculately researched, others a boot in the ass Francona rip job, either way it was a boon for sports and print media last fall and will continue to be as spring training begins (this Blog is a willing participant). The one and only Josh Beckett recently pontificated on the gobbling fried chicken while swilling beer revelations with his old yee haw buddy Kevin Millar on MLB Network's Intentional Talk:
“I think the biggest key is what [Jon] Lester said to the end that, we stunk on
the field and that was the bottom line,” Beckett said. “If we would have pitched
better, none of that stuff would have even been an issue. And it shouldn’t be an
issue anyway because what goes on in the clubhouse should stay in the
clubhouse"
Apparently Beckett shares a certain out of touch attitude with Mitt Romney. Doesn't he realize a simple mea culpa would clear the air with fans and media alike? Instead he falls back on the old if you ain't never been to the clubhouse don't ever come to the clubhouse defense. Take heed Mr. Beckett, the wrath of the common, hard working, no 401k having fan is flamed by filthy rich, dogging it, blister having starting pitchers like few other antagonists. Unlike our next victim however, Beckett has the talent to make this all blow over with an early Ace performance against the Yankees.
Tim Wakefield, mop up duty, a bloated era and whiny is no way to go through life son. From the aforementioned Hohler piece:
"Amid a seemingly interminable quest for his (Wakefield's) 200th career victory,
he went 1-2 with a 5.25 ERA in September, taxing the bullpen as the Sox lost
four of his five starts. The 45-year-old knuckleballer then appeared more
interested in himself than the team when he asserted in the final days of the
season that the Sox should bring him back in 2012 to pursue the franchise’s
all-time record for wins (shared by Roger Clemens and Cy Young at 192).“I think
the fans deserve an opportunity to watch me chase that record.’’
You've been a good soldier, an innings eater, a hero for charity, and provided one heck of a show in 1995, but the only thing we fans deserve is for you shut.....up. You should be thanking the organization, Francona, and the fans for showering you with unrequited respect, patience and opportunity. You are no Roger Clemens or Cy Young my friend (although Young's incredible lifetime win total of 511 is padded with stats built in one wacky and wild early baseball era). Why some athletes seem bound and determined to tarnish their legacies with 'invented the question mark' type statements this Blog will never understand. Do yourself a favor Tim, profusely thank pretty much everyone when you make the right choice to hang it up, because those making major league hitters look plain silly performances are long gone and a fan has only your words as a lasting impression.
Finally we have Tim Thomas. Let this Blog make it clear, political views mean nothing, stopping the puck, stopping the puck, and stopping the puck again are the only things that do. You are a legend, a case study in perseverance, and one of the main reasons puck heads all over Bruins nation are having a renaissance. But this Blog heard TT mention privacy and personal life about 15,000 times whilst holding court in the locker-room. If you don't want reports peppering you with question about your personal views change your Facebook privacy settings. Until then spout your personal views in a public setting and answer the damn questions!
Until next time,
The SAHD
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Coming To Terms With PEDs Edition
It might have gone unnoticed, having the announcement made on the weekend of the Super Bowl has a way of doing that, but the government has dropped the case against the man by the name of Lance Armstrong. While a controversial decision, the news gave this Blog a huge sense of relief. Not only does this mean, if only for the interim, the 7 full-length DVDs of each of Armstrong's Tour De France wins don't have to be thrown in the trash like so many wide-eyed dreams of innocence. This event also marks a turning point in this Blog's view of PED use in sport, specifically MLB.
This Blog has a long history of hating on PED users in baseball. Whether it was chanting 'STE----ROIDS, STE----ROIDS' at Jose Canseco from the bleachers of Fenway in the spring of 1989, refusing to acknowledge the greatness of one Barry Bonds, or trashing messrs Olney and Kurkjian of ESPN for their insipid support of accused PED users for the Hall Of Fame, there was plenty of hate to go around. The biggest chip on the old shoulder was the nemesis of all Red Sox fans: Roger Clemens. The real crux of the thing? Per Baseball Reference the last three years of his Red Sox career and three years which immediately followed:
Year Team Wins Losses ERA K Cy Young Award
1994 BOS 9 7 2.85 168 N
1995 BOS 10 5 4.18 132 N
1996 BOS 10 13 3.63 257 N
1997 TOR 21 7 2.05 292 Y
1998 TOR 20 6 2.65 271 Y
1999 NYY 14 10 4.60 163 N
Without getting into the emotions involved, safe to say Mr. Simmons spells it out with aplomb here, the Cy Youngs and New York Yankees were enough to make one's head explode and this Blog was no exception. Somehow the love of Armstrong and dropping of the US Case, the many Boston Championships in the past 10 years, and perhaps a dip into the pool of fatherhood, allowed certain facts to finally seep in. Jim Bouton's wonderful book Ball Four, written in 1969 and published in 1970, describes HOFer Whitey Ford's propensity to take almost anything to get an edge. HOFer Mike Schmidt spoke of taking it if it had been available to him at the time. The same Jose Canseco who I heckled and ignored has been proven to be right on everyone from A-Rod to Big Mac. The list continues to grow and grow. I guess this Blog has gotten to a point in his life when he's willing to stop worrying and love the PED users. Bic Mac and Sammy captured the imagination and thrill in the summer of 1998, Barry Bond's mastery of the strike zone was something to behold, heck even the late Ken Caminiti provided a chance for one of the little guys in 1996.
Live and let live, open the Hall of Fame doors, and usher them all in.
Until next time,
The SAHD
This Blog has a long history of hating on PED users in baseball. Whether it was chanting 'STE----ROIDS, STE----ROIDS' at Jose Canseco from the bleachers of Fenway in the spring of 1989, refusing to acknowledge the greatness of one Barry Bonds, or trashing messrs Olney and Kurkjian of ESPN for their insipid support of accused PED users for the Hall Of Fame, there was plenty of hate to go around. The biggest chip on the old shoulder was the nemesis of all Red Sox fans: Roger Clemens. The real crux of the thing? Per Baseball Reference the last three years of his Red Sox career and three years which immediately followed:
Year Team Wins Losses ERA K Cy Young Award
1994 BOS 9 7 2.85 168 N
1995 BOS 10 5 4.18 132 N
1996 BOS 10 13 3.63 257 N
1997 TOR 21 7 2.05 292 Y
1998 TOR 20 6 2.65 271 Y
1999 NYY 14 10 4.60 163 N
Without getting into the emotions involved, safe to say Mr. Simmons spells it out with aplomb here, the Cy Youngs and New York Yankees were enough to make one's head explode and this Blog was no exception. Somehow the love of Armstrong and dropping of the US Case, the many Boston Championships in the past 10 years, and perhaps a dip into the pool of fatherhood, allowed certain facts to finally seep in. Jim Bouton's wonderful book Ball Four, written in 1969 and published in 1970, describes HOFer Whitey Ford's propensity to take almost anything to get an edge. HOFer Mike Schmidt spoke of taking it if it had been available to him at the time. The same Jose Canseco who I heckled and ignored has been proven to be right on everyone from A-Rod to Big Mac. The list continues to grow and grow. I guess this Blog has gotten to a point in his life when he's willing to stop worrying and love the PED users. Bic Mac and Sammy captured the imagination and thrill in the summer of 1998, Barry Bond's mastery of the strike zone was something to behold, heck even the late Ken Caminiti provided a chance for one of the little guys in 1996.
Live and let live, open the Hall of Fame doors, and usher them all in.
Until next time,
The SAHD
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
These Are Ravings Edition
The aftermath of the Patriots loss has brought out the vitriol in particularly strange and unusual ways.
First is this outburst from the ever effulgent Gisele Bundchen, brought on in no small part due to the heckling Giants fans heard in the video but also in the immediate aftermath of the game where her husband lost. What follows is the money quote, the full video can be seen here:
"My husband can't bleepin' throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time!"
At that she whips her head back and takes a sip of water. Is this not every man's dream?!? This is the definition of the Stand By Your Man mentality in its best sense. This Blog submits a roar of approval and wonders why all those NY Tabloids don't have better things to do, perhaps celebrating the birth of one of the greatest clutch QBs in the history of the game after this past playoff run, or making one of the most talented and hated teams in the NFL your bitch? Hello? Gisele is stating the obvious, there were several key drops in that game. She's not the sharpest football critic in the sports lodge, of course the receivers weren't the only ones who made mistakes, but honestly the coverage this Blog hears on WEEI, The Sports Hub, and ESPN the last couple of days make it seem as if this is a major headline grabber, worthy even of a place on the vaunted ESPN scrollbar, instead of what it is, a woman defending her man at a rather emotional moment.
Another head-scratcher is the amount of time this AM on D & C on WEEI spent discussing one pink pachyderm Steve Deossie attending a Giants Pep Rally before the game. Come on people. He's a sports analyst, talking out of both sides of his mouth is part of his job description. This Blog has listened to Deossie's shtick and found it unreliable when it comes to The New York Football Giants. He played and won there, his son plays and is winning there, he has no credibility when analyzing a Giants Patriots matchup, his huge Giant yahoo performance at that rally was not necessary to come to that conclusion. Heck, his restaurant is a shrine to the Giants, are people really just figuring this out? Not worth our time. If only the energy on this was spent on a more appropriate endeavor.
And last but not least is the after party where one Rob Gronkowski can be seen drunk off his Adonis-like butt. Some fans seem close to joining Occupy Oakland just to throw their Gronk complaints in the ring. If fans were really so mad why don't they include Matt Light? Because he's a fat slob compared to the shirtless wonder that's why! This Blog has heard many a pissed off New Englander complain about The Gronk: 'He's injured all week then goes out and parties after we loose?!?' Calm down people, he is only 22 years old, I remember what I would do to kill the pain at his age and he doesn't even have to haul 24 packs of beer through the cold and snowy Ithaca winters to get it, the beer was flowing like wine there I'm sure.
Get over it. I mean if the Sports Guy can mostly do it so can you!
Until next time,
The SAHD
First is this outburst from the ever effulgent Gisele Bundchen, brought on in no small part due to the heckling Giants fans heard in the video but also in the immediate aftermath of the game where her husband lost. What follows is the money quote, the full video can be seen here:
"My husband can't bleepin' throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time!"
At that she whips her head back and takes a sip of water. Is this not every man's dream?!? This is the definition of the Stand By Your Man mentality in its best sense. This Blog submits a roar of approval and wonders why all those NY Tabloids don't have better things to do, perhaps celebrating the birth of one of the greatest clutch QBs in the history of the game after this past playoff run, or making one of the most talented and hated teams in the NFL your bitch? Hello? Gisele is stating the obvious, there were several key drops in that game. She's not the sharpest football critic in the sports lodge, of course the receivers weren't the only ones who made mistakes, but honestly the coverage this Blog hears on WEEI, The Sports Hub, and ESPN the last couple of days make it seem as if this is a major headline grabber, worthy even of a place on the vaunted ESPN scrollbar, instead of what it is, a woman defending her man at a rather emotional moment.
Another head-scratcher is the amount of time this AM on D & C on WEEI spent discussing one pink pachyderm Steve Deossie attending a Giants Pep Rally before the game. Come on people. He's a sports analyst, talking out of both sides of his mouth is part of his job description. This Blog has listened to Deossie's shtick and found it unreliable when it comes to The New York Football Giants. He played and won there, his son plays and is winning there, he has no credibility when analyzing a Giants Patriots matchup, his huge Giant yahoo performance at that rally was not necessary to come to that conclusion. Heck, his restaurant is a shrine to the Giants, are people really just figuring this out? Not worth our time. If only the energy on this was spent on a more appropriate endeavor.
And last but not least is the after party where one Rob Gronkowski can be seen drunk off his Adonis-like butt. Some fans seem close to joining Occupy Oakland just to throw their Gronk complaints in the ring. If fans were really so mad why don't they include Matt Light? Because he's a fat slob compared to the shirtless wonder that's why! This Blog has heard many a pissed off New Englander complain about The Gronk: 'He's injured all week then goes out and parties after we loose?!?' Calm down people, he is only 22 years old, I remember what I would do to kill the pain at his age and he doesn't even have to haul 24 packs of beer through the cold and snowy Ithaca winters to get it, the beer was flowing like wine there I'm sure.
Get over it. I mean if the Sports Guy can mostly do it so can you!
Until next time,
The SAHD
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Thank You Patriots Kick Off Edition
The inception of this endeavor is born of The Patriots loss in the 'Big Game' and this Stay At Home Dad's wish to show good, bad, and ultimately gratitude for this past season. You could call this my 'The Good, The Bad/The Ugly' entry, for those acquainted with drunken poker nights in suburbia:
THE GOOD!
X As is well documented the Pat's D was pretty terrible this year. And those inglorious stats were gathered agai
nst the 3rd easiest schedule in the league! The road through the playoffs was as clear as it could be and our beloved Pats barely beat the Raving Ray Lewis's and still only lost by 4 stinking points to the Eli 2.0's. In this Blog's book that's an unqualified success. Not to mention the incredible entertainment value provided by Gronk's record setting year, mauling the J E T S twice and another superb season from Brady. And even though they lost it was a heart pounding glued to the set game once again and can a fan ask for much more? This Blog says no.
THE BAD! THE UGLY!
Shades of the Parcells Kraft Jets Patriots shuffle that went down the week before the tilt with Favre, White and Co. Yes, even now, after 7 major championships in the past 10 years and the mellowness that comes along with that, this Blog still blames Parcells for the loss in January of 1997. Ok, Parcells and Kraft. Would we have had a Belichick Brady supermassive explosion of success without Parcells bolting? Probably not. But with the foundations of the D that beat the Best Show On Turf Rams 4 years later all there, Curtis Martin probably stays, and Drew Bledsoe was in his prime. And oh yeah, Belichick would've stayed on as D coordinator too. This Blog submits that had the Parcells fiasco not happened the team concentrates harder in game prep and Desmond Howard doesn't get his famous 99-yard kickoff return for a TD and combined 244 yards of return yardage. From there it's possible we get a dynasty in the late 90's instead of the early 2000's and Belichick maybe even stays on as HC as Parcells steps down. After the Packers it was Denver, Denver, St. Louis, Baltimore. This Blog could see its fantasy late nineties Patriots beating all those teams. Why is this relevant? Bill O'Brien to Penn State. Oh yes, this Blog is going there. Can't we see O'Brien being just a little distracted with his new gig? This Blog blames the offense more than the defense for that loss on Sunday don't you? And the guy they bring in is the old fresh faced Denver flameout Josh McDaniels. Sure he oversaw the greatest scoring offense the league has ever seen in 2007, but his offensive philosophy is ultimately of the Cold Hard Football Facts brilliantly named Shiny Hood Ornament variety (Moss, Marshall), and I fear the team will go back to that in the draft and free agency instead of focusing on the D. I'm not sure Coach Bill could have done anything to change O'Brien's need to be a HC, but perhaps he might've given the guy the security of the Offensive Coordinator title as soon as McDaniels went to Denver and just maybe O'Brien waits for something better. And maybe monkeys might fly out of my butt.
THE GRATITUDE
Again, thank you Patriots for a wonderful, overachieving, successful and memorable NFL season. It was awesome, almost epic, and a hell of a lot of fun. Thanks also for inspiring me to finally take a stab at this and see how it goes. The SAHD Boston Sports Take will continue to post with subtle prose, die-hard view points and occasionally rational thoughts on our local teams, national sports happening and other such episodes as the mood strikes.
Until next time,
The SAHD
THE GOOD!
X As is well documented the Pat's D was pretty terrible this year. And those inglorious stats were gathered agai
nst the 3rd easiest schedule in the league! The road through the playoffs was as clear as it could be and our beloved Pats barely beat the Raving Ray Lewis's and still only lost by 4 stinking points to the Eli 2.0's. In this Blog's book that's an unqualified success. Not to mention the incredible entertainment value provided by Gronk's record setting year, mauling the J E T S twice and another superb season from Brady. And even though they lost it was a heart pounding glued to the set game once again and can a fan ask for much more? This Blog says no.
THE BAD! THE UGLY!
Shades of the Parcells Kraft Jets Patriots shuffle that went down the week before the tilt with Favre, White and Co. Yes, even now, after 7 major championships in the past 10 years and the mellowness that comes along with that, this Blog still blames Parcells for the loss in January of 1997. Ok, Parcells and Kraft. Would we have had a Belichick Brady supermassive explosion of success without Parcells bolting? Probably not. But with the foundations of the D that beat the Best Show On Turf Rams 4 years later all there, Curtis Martin probably stays, and Drew Bledsoe was in his prime. And oh yeah, Belichick would've stayed on as D coordinator too. This Blog submits that had the Parcells fiasco not happened the team concentrates harder in game prep and Desmond Howard doesn't get his famous 99-yard kickoff return for a TD and combined 244 yards of return yardage. From there it's possible we get a dynasty in the late 90's instead of the early 2000's and Belichick maybe even stays on as HC as Parcells steps down. After the Packers it was Denver, Denver, St. Louis, Baltimore. This Blog could see its fantasy late nineties Patriots beating all those teams. Why is this relevant? Bill O'Brien to Penn State. Oh yes, this Blog is going there. Can't we see O'Brien being just a little distracted with his new gig? This Blog blames the offense more than the defense for that loss on Sunday don't you? And the guy they bring in is the old fresh faced Denver flameout Josh McDaniels. Sure he oversaw the greatest scoring offense the league has ever seen in 2007, but his offensive philosophy is ultimately of the Cold Hard Football Facts brilliantly named Shiny Hood Ornament variety (Moss, Marshall), and I fear the team will go back to that in the draft and free agency instead of focusing on the D. I'm not sure Coach Bill could have done anything to change O'Brien's need to be a HC, but perhaps he might've given the guy the security of the Offensive Coordinator title as soon as McDaniels went to Denver and just maybe O'Brien waits for something better. And maybe monkeys might fly out of my butt.
THE GRATITUDE
Again, thank you Patriots for a wonderful, overachieving, successful and memorable NFL season. It was awesome, almost epic, and a hell of a lot of fun. Thanks also for inspiring me to finally take a stab at this and see how it goes. The SAHD Boston Sports Take will continue to post with subtle prose, die-hard view points and occasionally rational thoughts on our local teams, national sports happening and other such episodes as the mood strikes.
Until next time,
The SAHD
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