Bleacher Report - Articles by Michael Lemaire

Early College Baseball Preview: Seven ACC Players to Watch

Michael Lemaire — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:50:40 -0500

October and baseball will forever be linked. The start of autumn normally signifies firing up the grills and tailgating for football. But for baseball enthusiasts, it is the best month of the year, the culmination of 162 games, the entire reason they play the regular season.

But while Americans all over tune-in to the Fall Classic, across the country there are other teams hard at work preparing for a season of their own. One that starts in February and extends into the spring.

I am talking about college baseball.

The end of fall practice has already come for most college programs across the country, but those who follow the sport know the work is far from over. What Fall practice does is gives coaches a chance to evaluate talent, and to have an indication of the ability of the team.

Now it's early, and there are many other very talented college baseball programs spread across the country, but the ACC is one of the best conferences in the country and its players are some of the best in the country as well.

Here is a look at seven players to watch in the first installment of handicapping the talent across the country.

3B Mickey Wiswall (Boston College)

Since the moment he set foot on campus in Chestnut Hill, Wiswall has hit. Last year he earned second-team All-ACC honors, hitting .320 with 14 home runs and a .928 OPS. The Eagles made their first trip to a regional in 42 years. Then he went out to Cape Cod and opened more eyes with his bat.

He has a lot of raw power, and there is a great chance he can turn a few of his 17 doubles into home runs once the spring rolls around. Defensively he is a mess at third base and could split time between there and first and he needs to improve his plate discipline. But Wiswall will be part of the reason B.C. could have staying power on the national scene.

CF Austin Wates (Virginia Tech)

Wiswall’s teammate with the loaded Yarmouth-Dennis team on the Cape, Wates could make the argument he is the best position-player in the conference. The junior is a true five-tool player and has been locked in at the plate for the past year. He just missed the .400 mark last spring and hit .312 during the summer.

He doesn’t have power now, but that could change if he adds a little more muscle. There is absolutely no doubt that his advanced approach at the plate and his athletic ability make him one of the more exciting players in the country. If he continues to tear it up offensively, he could push himself into the first round, a la LSU’s Jared Mitchell last season.

SP Matt Harvey (North Carolina)

Coming out of high school Matt Harvey was one of the best prospects in the country, and it is clear his raw ability is still there. But since arriving at North Carolina, fans and scouts alike have been waiting for him to assert himself over a full season. He struck out 81 batters in 75.1 innings last season, but has struggled to stay healthy and limit the walks.

The Tar Heels don’t have the same preseason expectations by their own impossibly high standards, but they could return to Omaha if Harvey can put it all together. He still has the frame and the power that make scouts drool, but there are questions about his delivery that could be assuaged with a good season.

SP Eric Erickson (Miami)

Last season the Hurricanes had high expectations heading into the season. Expectations that took a serious hit when their staff ace, Erickson, was forced to have Tommy John surgery and missed the entire season. Nevertheless the Cubs took him in the 20th round of the ’09 Draft as Erickson is expected to be completely healthy in time for the spring.

If he is, then Jim Morris’ club can boast the two of the best lefties in the entire country with Chris Hernandez ready to go as well. Offensively Miami will be relying on a lot of under-classmen, and so a fast start from a veteran pitching staff will be key to their success this season.

C/IF Pratt Maynard (North Carolina State)

As a freshman, Maynard was a mixed bag. His talent was obvious, and he had plenty of opportunities to showcase it, including game-winning two-run homer to win the finale of their series with Virginia. At the same time he struggled to adapt to the pitching improvement at first, but the Wolfpack should still be encouraged by his walk totals and power potential.

They can also be encouraged by the way he was red-hot all summer while helping lead his team in the Coastal Plain League to a title. He will spend most of his time behind the plate this year, but saw time in the infield and outfield. The Wolfpack are looking to rebound after a down season in ’09 and if it happens, Maynard will be at the center of it.

3B Stuart Tapley (Florida State)

It is weird to think about, but one of the better third basemen in the entire country has slowly been overshadowed by two of his teammates. Last season wasn’t a bad one for Tapley who hit .316 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI, but he hasn’t dominated the way many thought he would after an impressive freshman campaign. As a result, All-American Tyler Holt and fellow star outfielder Mike McGee have moved ahead of Tapley as prospects.

Holt and McGee were both stellar this season while Tapley struggled to adjust to wood bats and hit just .189 with zero home runs in 122 at-bats. His swing is still too long and will eventually be forced to move away from third because of defensive issues. But it is hard to ignore his raw power. The ‘Noles will be loaded this year, but a good rebound season from their third baseman could make them title contenders.

3B Steven Proscia (Virginia)

I would be remiss if I didn’t have at least one Cavalier on this list. With pretty much every key contributor except SP Andrew Carraway returning on a team that made it to Omaha last season, coach Brian O’Connor’s squad could contend for the title. Most of the attention and spotlight has been on Proscia’s teammate OF Jarrett Parker, who surprised everyone with one of the best seasons in the conference.

But the sophomore third baseman was right behind him. Just like Wiswall, Proscia’s bat will play just about anywhere, but his defense and his over-eagerness at the plate need to be improved. If the Cavaliers are going to return to Omaha, Proscia will need to continue to improve and become a solid middle of the order hitter.

MLB Baseball: 5 Players Ready To Rebound

Michael Lemaire — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:57:29 -0500

1. Jeff Francoeur—Atlanta Braves

It feels like just yesterday that fantasy baseball owners around the country were clamoring to get the Braves right-fielder, who was coming off a extremely productive second full season (19 home runs, 105 RBI,) on their roster

Then, Francoeur had to go out and push all of those unlucky owners who had won the bidding war to the edge of a cliff by having the clunker season of all clunker seasons.

Most baseball fans knew that Francoeur didn't see many pitches that he didn't like, but most people were willing to overlook his free-swinging attitude in favor of his power numbers. Plus, plate discipline has been known to increase as a player plays more seasons.

But, after 42 walks in 2007, Francoeur walked just 39 times in 2008. Couple that statistic with the rest of his line—.239 BA, .294 OBP, .359 SLG, and just 11 home runs and 71 RBI—and you have one of the more noticeably disappointing seasons any player has had without experiencing any injury.

Francoeur even was forced to cope with a mid-season demotion to the minor leagues to try and right the ship.

His regression put a major dent in the Braves offense and conversely, their playoff aspirations.

But, luckily for Atlanta, bat speed and power don't just disappear after one batting season.

Francoeur apparently has been working on his hitting in the off-season, primarily adjusting his batting stance so that he can remain more balanced in the batter's box and keep his hands back.

His hard work should help him return to his 2006 and 2007 form, when he was a feared hitter in the middle of the lineup.

But he still needs to work on becoming a little more selective, and recognizing off-speed and breaking pitches earlier. Until he does that, his full potential will not be realized.

2. Robinson Cano—New York Yankees

Yet another player who suffers from the free-swinging disease that plagues Francoeur, Cano walked only 26 times in the 2008 season, joining the elite company of Freddy Sanchez and Jose Lopez as second basemen who had a full season's worth of at-bats—approximately 500—and still couldn't manage to draw 30 walks.

Like Francoeur, Cano has prodigious talent that won't be fully realized until he becomes more selective at the plate. Even without the walks, Cano had a .365 and .353 OBP in the past two seasons, a far cry from last season's abysmal .305 OBP.

Like the Braves, the Yankees were counting on Cano's continued improvement to add another dimension at the top of their order to their already potent offense. Needless to say, they were disappointed.

Even at such a weak offensive position as second base, Cano's .715 OPS only topped such luminaries as Marco Scutaro, Freddy Sanchez, and Mark Ellis.

Cano was mentioned in most of the potential trades that the Yankees looked into near the All-Star break, but in the end, the team decided to keep him, hoping that his decline has been just an aberration and that he will eventually work out the kinks.

Kevin Long, the Yankees’ hitting coach, has said that he has visited with Cano this offseason and is encouraged by what he has seen. Long cited Cano's dedication to physical fitness, and swing adjustments, as two major improvements that Cano has made that could lead to a return to form from the Yankees' second baseman.

Maybe Cano's dedication to physical fitness means that he has got his act together and that his commitment to the game and his work ethic have improved. Both are things Cano has been criticized for in the past.

If Cano can be more patient at the plate, and continuously work to improve, he should become one of the best offensive second basemen in baseball once again.

3. Jimmy Rollins—Philadelphia Phillies

For the first time since his opening foray into the majors, when he played just 14 games in 2000, the durable Rollins played in less than 154 games for the Phillies.

Rollins sprained his ankle on Apr. 8 of last season, and its lingering effects hampered his production early in the season and forced him to play in just 137 games.

But, I am sure if you asked JRoll himself, he would say that the injury was not an excuse for a lackluster season in which he scored only 76 runs, down from 139 in 2007.

One of the first statistics Rollins' proponents pointed out when arguing his MVP candidacy in 2007 was runs scored. His ability to set the table for hitters like Chase Utley and Ryan Howard is what makes him so valuable to Philadelphia.

I understand that the burden is really on the hitters behind Rollins to drive him in so that he can score runs, but his numbers were also affected by his drastic drop in home runs, extra-base hits, and slugging percentage.

Luckily for the Phillies and Rollins, there is really no part of Rollins' game that desperately needs to be improved in order for him to become one of the most productive shortstops in the National League.

He walked more than he struck out last season — 58 BB to 55 K —and he remains one of the smartest and best baserunners in all of baseball with 47 stolen bases and only three times caught stealing. There have never been any questions about his work ethic and desire.

Don't expect Rollins to hit 30 home runs and 20 triples again like he did in 2007, but 15 home runs and 10-15 triples is not unreasonable to assume considering that Rollins should be healthy and determined in 2009.

4. Nick Swisher — New York Yankees

There is really nothing better for a hitters' numbers than an insertion into a lineup like then one the Yankees will be fielding in 2009, and Swisher should be absolutely giddy about the opportunity to hit somewhere behind Alex Rodriguez and in front of Jorge Posada.

But first Swisher needs to survive the recent rumors that the Yankees are shopping him and Xavier Nady to teams after the signing of Mark Teixeira.

Swisher should outlast Nady, if only because he probably has less trade value and could be a cheaper long-term solution for a team that just spent over $400 million in free agency this season.

If he does outlast Nady, Yankees fans and potential fantasy owners who draft Swisher should be pleased with better production from the outfielder.

Swisher's statistics have never really stood out. His value lies in his ability to get on base, his power, and his infectious attitude and effect on players around him.

So you can imagine how the White Sox must have felt when they traded promising prospect Gio Gonzalez and two other players to the A's for him. What they received was a player who hit .219, platooned in the outfield and at first base, and whose OPS was just .742, over 60 points lower than his career average.

But there are signs of hope.

First of all, Swisher still showed the type of patience that makes him an ideal Moneyball-style player. He averaged 4.53 pitches-per-plate appearance, among the leaders in all of baseball, and his power numbers didn't exactly disappear (24 home runs in less than 500 at-bats.)

There is no reason to expect that Swisher is on the decline. He is only 28 years old, and as I said earlier, nothing re-invigorates a struggling hitter like the protection that the Yankees lineup can offer.

5. Prince Fielder — Milwaukee Brewers

Relax! Before you run me out of Bleacher Report via the comments section, just hear me out.

While most people would say that there is no such thing as rebounding from a season that included 35 home runs, 102 RBI, and a .507 slugging percentage, in the case of Prince Fielder, rebounding is exactly what he needs to do.

In 2007, Fielder hit 50 home runs, drove in 119 runs, and slugged .618, over 100 points better than he slugged last year.

It might not be realistic to expect that Fielder can consistently have that type of season, but it is certainly reasonable that Fielder should settle somewhere in between the two seasons.

The View from Landsdowne Street: Who Is Kenshin Kawakami?

Michael Lemaire — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:16:34 -0400

He is a 33-year-old starting pitcher, he stands 5'10" and weighs in just under 200 pounds: Does that sound like the answer Red Sox fans were looking for when they asked who the Red Sox were going to sign to solidify their rotation?

Considering the dearth of exciting possibilities in this year's free-agent crop for pitchers, Kenshin Kawakami could be exactly the answer.

CC Sabathia is 28, and he is coming off one of the best post-All-Star-break seasons a pitcher can have. He is also due for a big payday, and his host of suitors with money runs deep.

First, the rumors were about him signing with the Angels, and now everyone is certain the Yankees will lure him away for a similar contract to what Johan Santana received (six-year, $137.5 million)

Jake Peavy is only 27 and has already four seasons where his ERA has been under 3.00. Peavy has also had injuries in his pitching arm twice. Once this past season, when he missed four weeks with a strained elbow, and once in 2006 when he was shelved with shoulder tendinitis. He is also not a free agent.

Derek Lowe is almost 35 and his agent is Scott Boras.

A.J. Burnett is talented, and he is also inconsistent and wild.

Let's face it, the Red Sox are scanning the landscape for decent options, and they aren't finding anything nearby.

But they do have their eyes overseas, watching the progression of Kenshin Kawakami, who may very well be the latest Japanese import who comes to Boston, and it seems like a logical move.

According to Japanese Ballplayers, Kenshin Kawakami is coming of one of the best seasons of his career. He only pitched 117.1 innings, but he finished the season a 9-5 record, a 2.30 ERA, and 112 strikeouts for the Chunichi Dragons, who he helped win a championship in 2007

So maybe he isn't the innings-eater that Daisuke Matsuzaka was when he came over from Japan, but his statistics compare favorably to those of the Los Angeles Dogers' Hiroki Kuroda, who had success this past season.

Although he is already over 30, he has never had any major arm problems or major injury problems in his career. He has started over 20 games in all but two of his 11-year-career, and his most serious injury he has incurred was a back strain he suffered this past season.

Also, because Kawakami filed for free agency and was granted it by Japanese baseball, he will be able to listen to contract offers from the Red Sox without any asking price, a relief to Red Sox officials I'm sure after the $51.1 million they ponied up to talk to Matsuzaka.

Kuroda was only signed for a little more than $11 million per year, and it seems likely that Kawakami will find that his market value is similar.

The Japanese players normally sign with teams that are contenders (Boston, New York, Los Angeles), or teams that have a high Asian population (Seattle and Los Angeles) where they don't feel as uncomfortable.

This trend will only benefit the Red Sox because Kawakami won't have the same leverage that some of the other free-agent starters have because of the drop off in quality.

The Red Sox should be a favorite in the race for Kawakami because they have already successfully integrated to other Asian players (Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima), who have seemed comfortable and have been key contributors.

All signs seem to point to Kawakami being a terrific fit in Boston. He is a power pitcher with good speed and a good cut fastball and wouldn't take the brunt of the pressure, because he is capable of switching between the rotation and the bullpen.

Granted, he is an unknown commodity. But he will be cheaper than any other worthwhile starting pitcher on the market, and he has the ability to succeed, just as his countrymen have.

Yes, the Yankees might dominate the headlines if they sign Sabathia, and maybe the Braves will shake-up the National League by trading for Peavy.

Me? I will be happy to stay on page six by signing Kawakami. He may be 33-years-old and he maybe only 5'10" inches tall, but he is also a low-risk, reliable option who could pay huge dividends in the immediate future for the Red Sox.

The View from Landsdowne Street: An Open Letter to Theo Epstein

Michael Lemaire — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:24:54 -0400

Dear Mr. Epstein,

So the team you constructed this season (or let construct itself) didn't manage to repeat as World Champions. Unfortunately, you can't win them all, as much as we here in New England would like that.

All in all, the season was a moderate success. Expectations are always a little too high here in Boston, but most folks still think that the team you built was a solid one. After all, it's not your fault that so many key players in all aspects of the game decided to get injured right in time for the playoffs.

Now it's time to really earn your money. You are constantly lauded as one of the best GM's in all of baseball, and most people around the country really believe that.

That being said, you have had your genius moves (trading Nomar for Cabrera and others), and you have had your stupid moves (the contracts for Edgar Renteria and Julio Lugo).

I am not afraid of you making a mistake based on a lack of better pressure. I am worried that you will succumb to pressure, get desperate, and make a move that doesn't make sense and you will regret in the future.

That's why I have constructed a cheat sheet for you to study from whenever you are having an introspective moment, really doing some soul-searching. I hope this list provides you with both inspiration and common sense as you try to return by beloved baseball team to their rightful place atop the game.

Please do not try and sign A.J. Burnett

The free-agent starting pitching market is thin in 2009. The top choices seem to be Derek Lowe, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett, not to mention the trade possibilities for Jake Peavy.

Unfortunately for Boston, neither Peavy nor Sabathia seem really all that interested in leaving the pitcher-friendly National League. Also, if either of them do explore the possibilities of a switch to the East Coast, you can bet the bank that Hank Steinbrenner will mortgage everything he owns to make sure neither of those two players end up in anything other than pinstripes.

Lowe has expressed interest in Boston and seems like he would be a great fit with his old team. But he is represented by Scott Boras, whose act is getting quite tiresome on Yawkey Way, so that bridge might be too badly burned to be repaired.

So now the rumors emanating from your offices are that you are seriously considering making a run at A.J. Burnett, the incredibly talented and equally erratic 32 year old.

Right around now is when you should pick up this letter, read the following paragraphs, and then re-evaluate whether you are really prepared to bring a pitcher like Burnett into Fenway Park and expect him to succeed.

Exhibit A is that, because of the dearth of successful starting pitchers in this year's free-agent class, A.J. Burnett is sure to command attention from any team in the market for a starting pitcher.

If you want a concrete number of how many teams are interested, in their "Truth and Rumors" section, SI.com listed nine different teams who were all seriously considering Burnett.

We both know that the demand for Burnett will only drive his price tag through the roof, soon teams will drop out, and while you have the necessary funds to win the bidding war, be careful what you wish for; the Yankees are still trying to find new ways to forget about Carl Pavano.

The similarities with Pavano do not end with the exorbitant price tag. If you may remember, Pavano has a history of minor injuries, then had a break out year, collected a fat paycheck and bonus from the Yankees, and then starting getting injured again.

A.J. Burnett has pitched over 200 innings just three times in his semi-illustrious 10-year career. In fact, he has pitched under 165 innings in a season six times in his career, including three such seasons in his past five years.

Are you really ready to roll the dice on the next possible Matt Clement and watch Burnett collect checks and sit on the bench?

Maybe it would be worth it if Burnett was just a little more consistent in his performances as well. Although his career ERA (3.81) is not terrible, his career WHIP is 1.28, and he walked more hitters this past season (86) than he has since 2002.

Burnett is able to continue to make a living because he has incredible stuff, which is great, but not inspiring at the same time. He might be the least Moneyball pitcher in the past five years.

That's why it was so surprising to see a Billy Beane disciple like J.P. Ricciardi pony up the money to play in Toronto, and equally as not surprising when Ricciardi soured on him.

Please Mr. Epstein, don't make the same mistake your fellow Moneyball follower made. Use your common sense.

Don't panic and trade for Matt Holliday

Once again. "Truth and Rumors." courtesy of SI.com has informed me of some of the rumblings around New England that you are looking to add another bat and that the name being bandied about right now is Matt Holliday.

Do I really think you will do this? No way. You didn't trade for Johan Santana at the beginning of last year. Nevertheless, I still want to reinforce the idea that you are not trying to go get Matt Holliday.

First of all, Holliday is represented by that Boras fella, and even worse is the fact that Holliday will be entering his contract year. This could mean good things for his season statistics, and equally bad things when his agent, who loves to get his players to test free agency and see their market value, tries to play cat-and-mouse with the Red Sox's front office.

I really don't see the Red Sox trying to rent Holliday to play left field when they just traded to get Jason Bay, and I hope you don't see that either.

Holliday doesn't impress me; although he does seem like a polished and well-rounded hitter. Everyone who plays for the Rockies needs to come with a Coors Field disclaimer. His career OPS is more than 200 points higher at home than it is on the road, he also has almost twice as many home runs and 100 more RBI in the friendly, rarefied air.

Finally, the Rockies aren't likely to give up Holliday for 80 cents on the dollar, especially since they can hold onto him for half the year and then trade him to a contender if they are out of the race.

Regardless, the Rockies probably won't even let you talk to them about Holliday unless you decide to throw in either Lars Anderson or Michael Bowden, your two best prospects. Remember when you made that controversial decision not to trade Ellsbury or Lester in exchange for Johan Santana, the game's best pitcher? I beg of you to remember that and decide not to trade for this phony product of the Rocky Mountain air.

Please don't rest on your laurels

You should be feeling pretty proud of yourself after this 2008 season. If it wasn't for some untimely injuries to some key players, you might not have had a place to put a wedding ring.

But remember, your team can always get better, and your team can always get deeper. Some of the key contributors from seasons past are not getting any younger, and they aren't indomitable either.

Mike Lowell looks like he could be on the downside of his career. The man is a walking infirmary, with busted hips and fingers alike. He is also 36, and some of his limbs aren't going to heal with just golf and relaxation.

Look into the idea of signing Mark Teixeira, trading Lowell, and moving Kevin Youkilis to third base. Explore other options at third base. Holliday might not be available for cheap, but with Ian Stewart ready to take over at third, Garrett Atkins might be worth an inquiry or two.

The bullpen is still improving, but as every baseball man knows, there is never enough solid bullpen help when a team needs it. Try to continue to develop Bowden and Clay Buchholz. Explore the possibility of moving Coco Crisp or Julio Lugo for a good left-handed specialist, maybe Brian Fuentes.

Make sure you know how to balance your team chemistry.

You have a few position battles looming for Spring Training, most specifically at shortstop and in center field. If you aren't careful, you could shake the always precarious balance that some call team chemistry.

You traded Manny Ramirez because you valued that chemistry, now you might have two veteran professionals in Julio Lugo and Coco Crisp, who definitely think they deserve to start. If you can find a good deal, make a deal. Those players aren't the future of your team; in fact, many would be happy to see Lugo go.

But they also provide invaluable depth. They both have specific skill sets, and it's tough to imagine Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie being able to handle 160 games apiece. Why not try to make sure that when they do start to get fatigued, there are capable replacements for them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have faith in you, just make sure you are cautious and prudent, but also opportunistic.

The View From Landsdowne Street: Where Do The Red Sox Go From Here?

Michael Lemaire — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:48:04 -0400

It wasn't exactly heart-breaking the way the Aaron Boone home run went, but the loss to the Tampa Bay Rays still stings for any Red Sox fan.

What the series went on to show is that with the lineups that each team put out on the field during that series, that the Rays were far and away the better team. The Red Sox dealt with too many injuries, and their lineup, which had been so potent during the regular season, fizzled in almost every game in the postseason.

Surprisingly, the Red Sox don't have any more work to do than any other team in baseball when it comes to the offseason. Jason Varitek is the only marquee name who is a free agent to be, and ironing out long-term contracts for Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis should be a top priority for Theo Epstein and the rest of the front office.

Here is a 5-item to-do list for Boston if it expects to make themselves a better ball club when April rolls around.

1. Get Healthy

Although the Rays were clearly the better team during the 2008 ALCS, one cannot help but wonder whether the outcome of the series would have been different in Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, David Ortiz, and J.D. Drew had been completely healthy for the entire postseason.

Drew doesn't seem to be having any real setbacks from his back injury, and Boston should not be truly concerned about his injury or status for 2009 unless Drew does something crazy like go out and buy a motorcycle or something drastic like that.

Although no one has any idea how Beckett's oblique really feels thanks to his vow of silence during the postseason, it is safe to say that if he could pitch with it in the playoffs. No matter how much it hurt then, it will be a non-factor when spring training opens up.

Beckett also has the type of work ethic and drive that makes small injuries like these a moot point because he will do everything in his power to make himself healthy again.

The larger concern for the team rests with two of their injured sluggers. Ortiz, whether he will admit it or not, was visibly hampered by his wrist injury. Even after coming back during the regular season his swing was exceptionally slower and mistake pitches he used to crush were now getting fouled to the backstop.

Some seem to think that he is on the downside of his career and that he will never be able to reach the type of power potential that he had in 2004, and 2005, but I am still holding out hope.

If his wrist heals during the off-season, then he won't be tentative about taking healthy hacks anymore and hopefully he will regain some of his swing speed.

Lowell seems to be the worst of the group. The veteran third baseman turns 35 at the end of February and every year it seems as if he gets more and more fragile. His postseason was cut short with a recurring thumb injury and a bad hip as well, and the Red Sox showed that they had no contingency plan for this because they were forced to insert Mark Kotsay at first.

The Red Sox have relied on a healthy Lowell for a lot of offense he was not expected to produce in his years in Boston, and although he was still productive when healthy in 2008, it might be time to start searching for other alternatives.

Lowell may be able to get healthy for spring training but the likelihood that he will be able to play even 130 games is very slim.

2. Do not re-sign Jason Varitek, get creative in the trade market

If I had my way, Jason Varitek would retire gracefully, thank the Red Sox for all the great years they have given him, and then be promptly named bench coach or bullpen coach and have his achievements lauded publicly on opening day 2009.

Unfortunately, Varitek turns 37 at the beginning of next season, and his offensive ineptitude vastly out-weighs any sentimental value or game-calling prowess that he still has.

Everyone on the Red Sox when asked the question about Varitek's return said all the right things about how much he means to the team, the pitching staff, and all the important leadership qualities he embodies, and I believe they all sincerely mean that.

Unfortunately, where ever he hit the lineup during the season there was a gaping hole that could not be filled. His swing gets longer and longer, and his knees are not in great shape from all of his years behind the plate.

His OPS+ in 2008 was a miserable 74, and his VORP was below one, meaning that any catcher the Red Sox threw behind the plate could have been offensively and defensively better than Varitek.

What makes matters worse for the Red Sox is that Scott Boras is his agent, so instead of working out a hometown discount to stay with the Red Sox and become a personal catcher in the mold of Eddie Perez, he will most likely test the free agent waters and force the Red Sox to pony up the dough if they want to keep him.

Which is why they can't possibly re-sign him at his market value if they want to be competitive.

The highlights of the free agent class for catchers in 2009 includes: Miguel Olivo (who is the youngest at 30), Michael Barrett, Josh Bard, Rod Barajas, and Johnny Estrada, and Barajas and Olivo both of options that can be picked up...Needless to say prospects are grim.

The Red Sox were rumored to be after youngsters such as Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and former farmhand Kelly Shoppach. The logical choice of the two would be Saltlamacchia because the Rangers already have a young prospect behind the plate in Max Ramirez therefore Saltlamacchia would come at a lesser price.

Shoppach looks like the better player than Saltalamacchia after hitting 21 home runs in about half a season. Plus the Indians plan to move Victor Martinez to first base at some point and that point could be now with the emergence of Shoppach.

Letting Shoppach go to the Red Sox would mean the Indians would probably need Michael Bowden and/or Lars Anderson as the headliners of the package, and I don't think the Red Sox are willing to make that deal.

3. Chase Mark Teixeira

Notice how I didn't say sign Teixeira at all costs. I omitted the "sign" portion because I think it is fairly obvious to everyone involved with Teixeira and baseball that the Red Sox will be facing stiff competition for the switch-hitting first baseman's services.

The Red Sox desperately need another bat, especially if Mike Lowell doesn't return to full strength and Teixeira's defensive flexibility and hitting approach seem to make him the perfect candidate for Boston.

He could play first base, and the Red Sox could move Youkilis back to third base permanently, giving the Red Sox gold glovers at the corner infield positions.

However, the Red Sox should be wary of getting into a bidding war with the Yankees, Angels, or Orioles, all three of whom seem prepared to offer Teixeira a huge pile of cash to bring him in.

The Red Sox have plenty of money to spend, but it would be better served somewhere else because they could possibly sign two productive players for Teixeira's hypothetical price tag.

My guess is that this could come down to the Yankees and the Red Sox if both teams are actually interested, and this off-season, I wouldn't bet any amount of money against Hank Steinbrenner, the big guy seems to determined to open up his checkbook to put the Yankees back in the playoffs.

4. Sign another front-line starter

Now when I say front-line I do not mean that the Red Sox need to go after C.C. Sabathia, who would probably not play in Boston anyway. At the same time, if Jake Peavy is available for the right cost, I don't think the Red Sox can whiff on another ace the way they did on Johan Santana.

For now Peavy seems to be determined to only waive his no-trade clause for a national league team, probably because he knows he will be better in that league. But the Red Sox would offer Peavy an incredible chance to win a World Series, an offer that a fierce competitor like Peavy would be silly to not investigate.

Behind Peavy, the best three choices are A.J. Burnett, Jon Garland, and Derek Lowe. Burnett does not fit with any sort of philosophy that the Red Sox have ever lived by when it comes to free agency and I have serious doubts that Theo Epstein would sign someone so maddeningly inconsistent.

Garland will be a cheap alternative, but his ERA was 4.90, and his WHIP was over 1.50, both of which should scare the Red Sox because bringing him to the "friendly" confines of Fenway Park would not do him very much good.

Lowe is exciting and concerning at the very same time. He had a fantastic year for Los Angeles this year with his ERA at 3.24 and his WHIP at 1.13, and he obviously has a rich history in Boston. He also said that Boston would be his preferred destination if he had his way.

At the same time, Lowe turns 36 in June and he is represented by Scott Boras which means that he could be looking for a long-term deal, a deal that the Red Sox would be reluctant to give to a 36-year-old pitcher.

However, signing Lowe is the best option. If they were able to bring Lowe into the fold their rotation for 2009 would look like this;

Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Derek Lowe, Tim Wakefield.

The Red Sox have even more flexibility if Clay Buchholz returns to form and if Michael Bowden turns out to be all that he is promised to be.

Seven legitimate starting pitchers including four current or former all-stars are something that most teams can not boast that they have in their arsenal. By default the Red Sox would be able to turn the two odd men out of the rotation into the bullpen, allowing them more flexibility there as well.

5. Decide what to do with the excess of players in the outfield

The Red Sox have five outfielders on their roster heading into the off-season and they can't keep them all, it will be tough enough trying to find playing time for the remainder of the group to stay happy.

The outfield is made up of Jason Bay, J.D. Drew, Coco Crisp, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Mark Kotsay. It's safe to say that Bay and Drew will be safe from any sort of playing time debate or trade talk, but the other three will be subject to a lot of rumors during the off-season and the spring.

Mark Kotsay is a free agent and seems like the odd man out in the battle between the three, but Kotsay also has value because of his ability to play first base.

Sean Casey is also a free agent, and if the Red Sox can't land Teixeira, that makes Kotsay the de facto backup first baseman. It all depends on how much money Kotsay is looking for and how much Casey is looking for, but Kotsay might defy the odds and stay in Boston.

The real battle in the outfield is between Crisp and Ellsbury. They co-existed this year with Terry Francona riding the hot bat as defensively they were a wash. Crisp has just one year left on his contract and it seems pretty obvious that he will be trade bait in any sort of offer to get Peavy.

The possibility remains that the team will keep Crisp and Ellsbury and play them together again in the first half of the season and then see if they can't trade Crisp and his expiring contract for bullpen help which every team unfailingly needs at the deadline.

Luckily for the outfielders in Boston, unless prospect Josh Reddick has a monster spring, there won't be any upstarts challenging for their positions.

Reddick is the highest rated outfield prospect in the organization according to Soxprospects.com, and he is followed by Ryan Westmoreland, but both players have a long way to go before they are big league ready.

The View from Landsdowne Street: Garza Stops Another Red Sox Happy Ending

Michael Lemaire — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:22:36 -0400

Everything was working against the Tampa Bay Rays heading into Game Seven. The momentum, the pitching matchup, and history were all working on the side of the Red Sox, so it would have been easy to predict another Red Sox fabulous finish.

Unfortunately, Matt Garza had other ideas.

The Rays proved that inexperience really doesn't matter when all the marbles are put into one basket. All that matters is an over-powering start, great relief pitching, and timely hitting. That, and some help from the inept end of the Red Sox order.

It's hard to blame Terry Francona. I guess he could have taken Jon Lester out before the Willy Aybar home run, but that didn't matter. You certainly can't blame Lester. He only allowed three runs over seven innings while striking out eight batters.

You can blame the Red Sox hitters, especially the bottom third, as they once again managed to leave double-digit runners on base (16). The Red Sox's bottom three hitters (Mark Kotsay, Jason Varitek, and Alex Cora) were once again the main culprits, as they went 0-for-11, including leaving two runners on base with only one out when Kotsay flied out to right field and Varitek struck out to end the threat.

The Rays were doubted all throughout the season, and I was one of those doubters. When they hit the All-Star break as one of the best teams in baseball, I was one of the first to say, "Well, they will fade!"

Then, when they were ahead of the Red Sox in September with a chance to win the division, I was once again quick to say, "There is no way this young team doesn't choke".

Then, last night, I was ultimately confident as well. We had our best starter on the mound, and every little bit of momentum as well as the years 2004 and 2007 still fresh in everyone in New England's mind.

But the Rays were just the better team, leaving the Red Sox with a lot of questions for the offseason and a lot of free time on their hands starting...right now.

The View From Landsdowne Street: Rays Bats Put Sox on the Brink

Michael Lemaire — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:06:01 -0400

I didn't want to write this article. In fact, it still hurts with every gentle push of the fingers on the keyboard.

I predicted Tim Wakefield would be strong in Game Four tonight...I am now helping myself to a large plate of crow.

I thought the Red Sox would get after Andy Sonnanstine...Sure, just keep piling the crow on.

This night was supposed to be the night that the Red Sox proved they were the Red Sox of old, the team that could be backed into a corner and still thrive. Instead, Game Four turned into an abject embarrassment before the third inning was even over.

The pitching staff was really bad, led by Wakefield and Manny Delcarmen, but once again, it was the offense that left most Red Sox fans ripping their game programs up by the fifth inning.

I understand that even if the Red Sox were able to score runs, they still probably wouldn't have won the game, but that doesn't prevent the newfound ineptitude of a once-proficient offense from leaving a bad taste in people's mouths.

The team with the offense built for the postseason walked just three times and collected just seven hits, yet they still managed to leave 11 runners on base, keeping their streak of double-digit runners stranded alive.

Coco Crisp was supposed to offer fresh offense out of center field, instead he walked twice and stranded two runners.

J.D. Drew was supposed to replace Jacoby Ellsbury at the top of the batting order, get on base, and ignite the stagnant offense. Instead he finished 0-for-5 and stranded two runners of his own.

Of course, in the end, the pitching should shoulder most of the blame for this loss. Wakefield gave up three home runs in just 2.2 innings.

Then, Justin Masterson, a rookie who is perfectly capable of pitching more than the 2.1 innings that he pitched tonight, was shuffled off the mound only to be replaced by Delcarmen, who got just one out and gave up five runs.

Just another example of a desperate manager trying to do anything to snap his team out of the doldrums.

The series could have been tied, now anyone would be hard pressed to find a baseball fan who thinks the Red Sox have any chance at reclaiming this series.

Maybe if this was 2007 all over again, and the Red Sox potent offense featured Mike Lowell, Manny Ramirez, and a healthy Ortiz and Drew.

Maybe if Josh Beckett was still pitching like he was possessed.

Instead, I will probably commit the ultimate act of treason if the Red Sox fall behind early on Thursday.

Instead of believing in the mystical aura that has saved the Red Sox from countless postseason debacles, I will probably just watch the "Law and Order" mini-marathon on TNT.

ALCS Game Four Preview: Can the Knuckleballer Save Boston's Season?

Michael Lemaire — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:15:02 -0400

For the majority of Red Sox Nation that will never be satisfied until the Red Sox fans are able to say "count the rings" to their Yankee brethren, tonight is a huge night.

The "must-win" game has become a cliché amongst sportswriters and players alike, and of course the Red Sox don't need to win Game Four, but it would certainly help.

But, after running with a three-man rotation in the ALDS against the Angels, Terry Francona's hand has been forced, and he will turn to his seemingly ageless knuckleballer, 42-year-old Tim Wakefield, to try and even the series.

But is Wakefield up to the challenge?

That and other questions weigh heavily on the minds of both Red Sox and Rays fans. I will do my best to try to answer this question and others to give these fans some peace of mind.

1. Will Wakefield's Knuckleball Cool Off the Rays' Hot Bats?

Wakefield once again had a season that everyone will forget because it was as ordinary as his past six seasons. 10-11, 181 IP, 4.13 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 25 home runs allowed, sounds like a pretty middling line for a starting pitcher, but if you have watched the Red Sox for the past five seasons, you will understand that Wakefield's value to the team is priceless.

But is he capable of shutting down the likes of B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria?

According to weather reports coming out of Boston, the wind should be blowing from the southwest at anywhere from 10-15 miles per hour. While the direction has the winds blowing towards right-field, making the park dangerous for flying baseballs, the speed of the wind should aid the movement of Wakefield's knuckleball.

With most pitchers, they either have great stuff that night or they are having an off night. Wakefield's night depends solely on whether or not his knuckleball can dance the night away, because if it doesn't, the Rays will have batting practice.

Some Rays hitters have had better success against Wakefield than others. Carl Crawford has a .305 batting average, Akinori Iwamura has a .417 batting average, and Evan Longoria has three hits in a small sampling. But at the same time, Carlos Pena has just one hit in 30 at-bats against Wakefield, and Upton has just five hits in 22 at-bats, all of them singles.

This is a different Rays team, but it wouldn't shock me to see Wakefield pitch effectively for six innings, especially since the Rays are used to seeing pitchers who throw a lot harder in Lester, Matsuzaka, and Beckett.

2. Is It Time to Start the Sean Casey Experiment and Give Jacoby Ellsbury Some Time Off?

Ellsbury is 0-for-14 in the ALCS, and he hasn't even been able to draw a walk in the series either. The logical move seems to put Coco Crisp back in center field, at least until Ellsbury can be awoken from the doldrums.

While Crisp has been successful lately (3-for-6 in the ALCS), he doesn't represent a significant offensive upgrade over Ellsbury, slump or not. Meanwhile, Casey, who hit at a .322 clip during the regular season, has been languishing on the bench, reduced to a cheerleader.

The Red Sox have the flexibility to move Mark Kotsay into center field to play with Jason Bay and J.D. Drew, and insert Sean Casey into the lineup, giving Boston their most dangerous lineup offensively.

Casey has never hit against Andy Sonnanstine, but with the exception of Grant Balfour, Casey has hit the rest of the Rays' relievers pretty well. Granted it's a small sampling of data, but Casey gives the Red Sox a potentially potent bat down near the bottom of the order.

It's true that the Red Sox will be sacrificing defense, given all the athletic plays Mark Kotsay has made at first base, but Casey played 45 games this season at first base and only made three errors.

While he might not be able to make the same diving catches Kotsay has made, it's clear that the offense has been struggling mightily, and Casey might be just the veteran leader to kick it in the pants.

3. Can the Red Sox Get to Andy Sonnanstine Early and Often?

Everyone and their mother knows that Sonnanstine is not the same type of pitcher as James Shields, Scott Kazmir, or even Matt Garza. He relies on control and craftiness in order to be successful, but his numbers have been relatively similar to Wakefield's this season.

He is carrying a 4.38 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and has allowed 21 HR. Numbers that are much better than what they were in 2007, but still a long way from dominant.

Unfortunately for Boston, he faced them twice during the regular season, both times in September, and blanked them both times in 13 innings. Zero runs and just seven innings in back-to-back wins for Sonnanstine over the Red Sox.

For the most part, those numbers can be tossed to the curb because everyone knows the postseason is a different animal completely. But if the Red Sox want to help Wakefield, and discourage the Rays, the better come out of the gates swinging and scoring.

The Rays look like winners and have a professional approach to the game, but they are still a young club, and neophytes to the postseason. If the Red Sox can score early and take a four or five-run lead, it is not difficult to envision the Rays becoming discouraged and letting the Red Sox cruise to the finish.

4. Will David Ortiz ever get something good to hit?

It pains me to watch one of the most likeable players on the Red Sox, not to mention one of their most dangerous hitters, be fed so much junk during a series.

Big Papi is 0-for-10 in the ALCS, and his slump has sparked debate about whether his wrist is really fully healed or not. Look, some can talk about his wrist all they want, but when it comes down to it, Ortiz feasts on mistake pitches, pitches he is not seeing as many of since Manny Ramirez left.

The big man has not been hitting very well, sure, but his skills haven't eroded. It's just that pitchers aren't afraid to give Ortiz something to hit because Ramirez is no longer offering protection in the lineup behind him.

The opposition has now realized they can just walk Ortiz (four walks in just 14 plate appearances) and there won't be any consequences because the hitters behind him have failed to make them pay for putting Ortiz on base.

He has faced plenty of right-handers in this series, but Sonnanstine offers the most mouth-watering options of slow fastballs that Ortiz can get his huge piece of lumber around on.

The View From Landsdowne Street: Upton and Garza Put Red Sox On The Ropes

Michael Lemaire — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:36:56 -0400

Not even the recently bulletproof Jon Lester could save the Red Sox from relinquishing the advantage of playing three consecutive games at home; B.J. Upton and Matt Garza made sure of that.

Upton continued his torrid postseason hitting by going 2-for-5 with a huge three-run home run that effectively ripped through Lester's aura of invincibility like knife through butter. Garza made that home run stand up by pitching six innings and only allowing only one earned run while striking out six.

Upton wasn't the only source of offense. Evan Longoria, Rocco Baldelli, and Carlos Pena also homered as Red Sox were forced to watch their ace and their only rested reliever, Paul Byrd, get hit all over the field.

Now the Red Sox should be really nervous. Lester was far and away their best and most reliable starter. Now the Red Sox have to rely on Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka to prevent the Rays from closing out the series in Boston, and even if they manage to win a game, Boston's staff will still be short-handed and Josh Beckett will have to pitch one of the games, a prospect that doesn't excite anyone inside Red Sox Nation.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, their short pitching staff is not the only problem that is giving Terry Francona a headache right now. Their offense, which had seemingly woke up in Game 2 with four home runs, regressed back to their former selves, leaving 14 runners on base and garnering only seven hits.

The Red Sox have now left more than ten runners on base in every game they have played in the postseason, including 20 in their Game 2 loss to the Rays. The Red Sox may have an offense built for the postseason with their patience and their penchant for drawing walks, but that type of offense doesn't work if the rest of the team fails to deliver with runners in scoring position.

It's frustrating enough to make me wonder what the offense would look like if Mike Lowell was healthy and Manny Ramirez was back patrolling left field. The real disappointment is the end of the batting order, not the middle.

Jed Lowrie is sporting a .391 OBP, but he is also sporting a .235 batting average and a .235 slugging percentage, including zero hits in the ALCS so far.

Mark Kotsay had three hits in ten at-bats against the Angels, but he has three hits in fourtenn at-bats against Tampa Bay, and he has left a lot of people on-base since the start of the series.

The worst offender should come as no surprise to Red Sox fans, Jason Varitek struggled all through the regular season and the postseason has been the same old story. He is 3-for-21 in the series which is a sporty .142 batting average, .170 OBP, and a .107 slugging percentage.

Quite frankly, it's difficult to watch.

Now the Red Sox have given up their home-field advantage and face a must-win Game 4 with steady, but mediocre Tim Wakefield toeing the rubber. It will be interesting to see how long Wakefield's knuckle ball will last against the hot bats of the Rays.

The only solace the Red Sox can take is that Andy Sonnastine is reliable, but he is not the same type of pitcher that James Shields or Matt Garza is. His stuff is less electric, and he doesn't throw nearly as hard.

Still, that is a very slim glimmer of hope for the Red Sox to grasp onto. Instead, the Red Sox are looking at a lot of gloom and doom in the near future, and a lot of locker-cleaning and golf in Florida in the not-so-distant future.

The View From Landsdowne Street: The Offense Woke Up, Beckett...Not So Much

Michael Lemaire — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:14:50 -0400

The Red Sox must feel like Ivan Drago from Rocky IV.

They landed punches...scratch that, they landed hay-makers against the Tampa Bay Rays in the form of four home runs, and yet still, when the game ended, the series was knotted at 1-1, and the Red Sox were left with a giant question mark as to what to do with Josh Beckett.

BJ Upton's game-winning sacrifice fly was an unfitting end to one of the better playoff games the Red Sox have played in a long time. Terry Francona was trying to manage his embattled pitching staff with his hands tied behind his back, which explains why Mike Timlin was forced to pitch the 11th inning.

The reason Francona was so strapped was that Beckett didn't just struggle at times, he struggled throughout the entire game.

4.1 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, and 3 HR allowed, is a far cry from the lines that Beckett put in the box score last postseason, and Red Sox fans all over the country are frustrated and worried that maybe the Red Sox only have two solid starters.

Beckett's pitches were lifeless. Last season he was able to get away with the occasional mistake pitch because his pitches were so electric, it is clear that in 2008, Beckett will not be so lucky. His change-up to Longoria barely moved and was not even close to where Varitek set-up his glove. Unfortunately for Beckett, this was recurring theme throughout his short stint.

What really frustrates me is that Beckett seems apathetic to his performances, and the entire postseason as well...like it's old news for Beckett. Watching him walk off the field after Terry Francona pulled him, I was waiting for him to slam his glove and see him mouth some really ugly words at himself. Instead he just put his glove down, put his jacket on, and sat down, no expression or emotion whatsoever.

Either Buck Martinez or Ron Darling (I don't remember) put it best. After Longoria tripled into the corner, one of the two said, "He is just missing...something, I don't know what it is, but he is just missing something."

It's true, what seperated Beckett from other pitchers in his past postseason performances was that Beckett thrived off of the pressure of the situation, and his own adrenaline.

He always seemed to have an extra gear that helped him get out of jams. His competitiveness would never let him quit and would always make him furious with himself when he threw pitches like the ones he threw to Longoria and Upton.

I just have trouble believing that his struggles can be written off due to that strained oblique, it seems like something else is missing that is preventing him from being the Josh Beckett from postseasons of old.

The Red Sox were able to take some positive things away from their two opening games at Tropicana Field however.

First and foremost, they were able to steal Game 1 from Tampa Bay on the road, where they were 1-8 during the regular season. Now they get to head back to Boston, where Tampa Bay struggled, and they get to toss their personal momentum-stopper on the hill in the form of Jon Lester.

Secondly, the offense outside of Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay finally woke up. Dustin Pedroia put it all back together with two home runs off his own personal batting practice pitcher, Scott Kazmir (he is 16-for-27 against Kazmir in his career). Coco Crisp also had three hits that the Red Sox desperately needed at the bottom of their order.

Finally, after last night, Francona can feel comfortable using as many as five different guys out of his bullpen. Both Masterson and Delcarmen were great and didn't pitch a lot of innings. Okajima was his usual self, and so was Papelbon.

The game may have ended with a loss, but if the Red Sox can continue to have success with their offense, its likely that the Rays won't be able to score like that against Lester or Matsuzaka.

Maybe the Red Sox need to trot out one of Beckett's ex-girlfriends to sing the National Anthem next time he pitches. Something needs to happen to wake him up.

The View from Landsdowne Street: Red Sox Win the Battle, War Still To Come

Michael Lemaire — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:29:32 -0400

Was there any better indicator of the future of this rivalry than in the eighth inning when the embodiment of the new-look Tampa Rays, Evan Longoria, squared off with the talented Justin Masterson of the Red Sox?

In what was the key at-bat of the game, Masterson jammed Longoria with an inside fastball, inducing an inning-ending double play with runners on the corners, and putting an end to one of the few legitimate scoring chances for the Rays.

The Red Sox left 18 runners on base, and only Kevin Youkilis, who was 3-for-4, had more than one hit. But none of it mattered, as Dice-K continued his incredible success with runners in scoring position, allowing just four hits, mixing in nine strikeouts as Boston won the crucial opener on the road.

Matsuzaka once again managed to leave me with very little hair on my head in the first inning, as none of the Rays hitters could touch any of his pitches, but half the time they didn't need to as Matsuzaka walked the bases loaded with two outs before getting Cliff Floyd to harmlessly ground out to second base.

After the rough first inning, Matsuzaka put himself on cruise control, not allowing a hit until Carl Crawford's single in the seventh inning. He was what baseball people love to call, and I term I use with chagrin, "effectively wild."

It wasn't so much that Rays hitters didn't know what to swing, their struggles were brought on by a rare display of what Matsuzaka's pitches look like to hitters when they are darting as they are capable of.

The Red Sox desperately needed a start like this, especially from Matsuzaka, who had never been truly effective in the postseason until last night. Now the Red Sox can only hope for more of the same from Josh Beckett tomorrow.

However, the worrying is not done yet for Red Sox fans, especially considering the offense was one Mark Kotsay check-swing double, and one Carl Crawford sliding catch from being held scoreless as well.

The theme of clutch...er, lucky hitting has seemingly followed Boston down to Florida, because they looked like the same offense as the one that against Anaheim, constantly squandered scoring opportunities and really struggled making starting pitchers work for their outs.

They managed just two walks against James Shields, who only had to throw 100 pitches through seven innings. Part of Shields' success can be attributed to how well he threw the ball, but he was constantly working himself out of trouble, because the Red Sox hitters were impatient.

In fact, the only Red Sox hitter who looked in control when he stepped in the batter's box was Youkilis. His 11-pitch at-bat against J.P. Howell in the seventh inning was the best at-bat of the playoffs for any member of the Red Sox.

Yes, Carl Crawford had a chance to make the at-bat irrelevant with his attempted sliding catch. But Youkilis delivered a prime example as to the virtues of patience, something his teammates would be wise to take note of.

The Red Sox have hit Game Two starter Scott Kazmir well during the regular season (0-2, 18 IP, 9.00 ERA), but they will need to be a lot more patient, and a lot more productive with runners in scoring position, because the Rays have too many good hitters to continue to lose games like this one.

Alas, I am making mountains out of molehills. The bottom line was that the Red Sox were able to walk into Tropicana Field, where the Rays won a major-league best 57 games during the regular season, and they escaped with a victory.

Worst-case scenario is that Beckett still isn't fully healthy and the Rays are able to storm back, tie the series, and then the show shifts to Boston. Best-case scenario is that Beckett will return to form, and the Red Sox will head home, where they won 56 games, with a 2-0 series lead and a serious advantage.

The View from Landsdowne Street: Five Questions/Concerns for the ALCS

Michael Lemaire — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:47:23 -0400

Wait a minute! The Red Sox are playing in the ALCS, and they aren't playing the Yankees?

You have to admit, seeing the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series playing someone other than the Yankees, let alone the Tampa Bay Rays, is strange and feels awkward.

The Red Sox have the distinct advantage in postseason experience, and if you look at statistics from the regular season, they have the better offense as well. But those statistics were when Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew were healthy, and if you look at the regular-season statistics again, the Rays have the edge in pitching.

All this adds up to a whole lot of questions and a lot of headaches for me as to which way the chips will fall.

What I do know is that I have a lot of major concerns about the Red Sox before I am able to anoint them as the favorites in this series...Here are a few.

1. Will Dustin Pedroia be able to awaken from his slumber, or are the Red Sox going to need to find an alternative spark plug?

Pedroia finally got his first hit in the ALDS when he slammed a double off the Green Monster off of John Lackey, and the Fenway Faithful serenaded him with chants of "M-V-P." Maybe they were hoping to wake him up for good, because without their best hitter, the Red Sox offense was anemic against the Angels.

The Red Sox hit .250 as a team against the Angels, and Pedroia went 1-for-17, or .059 for those using a calculator. Both David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis had one RBI apiece in the ALDS, and Pedroia is partly responsible for not setting the table.

He is equally responsible for letting Jacoby Ellsbury's fantastic ALDS go to waste. Ellsbury led off for every game of the series, hit .333, but only scored two runs. Again, Pedroia, who hits behind him, is responsible. If the Red Sox can get a good series out of Ellsbury and Pedroia together, I don't care who is pitching; the Red Sox will be virtually unstoppable.

2. Can Josh Beckett regain the postseason magic?

With a healthy and dominant Josh Beckett available, there is no front end of any rotation in baseball that can match a Lester-Matsuzaka-Beckett combination. But, with the Josh Beckett who pitched in Game Three of the ALDS, the Red Sox look awfully thin behind Lester.

The Red Sox are hoping the bad start was partially due to the oblique strain that Beckett is trying to work through. It could possibly account for the four walks Beckett handed out, a number that matched his season high, which he only did once during the regular season.

Unfortunately, Beckett also gave up nine hits in just five innings, and two of those hits were home runs to Mike Napoli. His problem was that his best pitches, fastball and curveball, didn't have the same bite or movement they have had when Beckett is really on his game.

The major problem I saw, and this could have been caused by his ineffectiveness, was that Beckett lacked that fire that has made him such an electrifying pitcher in the postseason. The guy had so many "F--- You!" pitches in the postseason last year, he was psyching batters out as soon as they stepped in the box.

I know that his major problem is recuperating his injured oblique, and regaining control of the strike zone. But that intensity has always seemed to help Beckett reach back for something extra when he really needed it.

3.Will Terry Francona continue to use Justin Masterson in key situations, or will he stick to Hideki Okajima and Papelbon?

I just want to put out this quick disclaimer before I begin to question Francona's decisions in regards to Masterson.

Justin Masterson will be a very good pitcher for the Red Sox. In fact, he was a very good pitcher this year in the role of starter and reliever. Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden, and Masterson are the future of the Red Sox's rotation, and frankly, I think that Masterson may very well be the best of the bunch.

All that being said, Francona has made some questionable decisions about when to pitch the rookie, and he has shown a lot of faith in someone with electric stuff but very little experience in the major leagues.

Masterson's line in the clinching Game Four doesn't truly show just how shaky he looked out on the mound. 0.2 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB doesn't look all that terrible. In fact, Masterson's ERA went down following that performance. But Masterson also gave up the game-tying single to Torii Hunter, and if Mike Scioscia hadn't decided to try and squeeze Reggie Willits home, it's possible Masterson would have exited with the loss.

What makes the decision even more befuddling is that Francona had said prior to Game Four that everyone in his bullpen was available to pitch, including Jonathan Papelbon. So, only four outs away from going to the ALCS, why did Francona decide to go with the untested rookie instead of a closer who has still yet to give up a postseason run in nearly 20 innings?

Masterson is a crucial part of the success of the bullpen and will continue to be in the ALCS. But both Papelbon and Okajima were better pitchers in the regular season and are also better options in the postseason when thrust into a pressure situation.

If Francona realizes this fact sooner rather than later, than all three of the relievers will be more valuable to the club as it tries to repeat.

4. Can the Red Sox really keep Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, and Jason Bartlett from running wild on the basepaths?

The Tampa Bay Rays stole 146 bases during the regular season, more than any other team in Major League Baseball. One of the primary reasons was the work of the threesome of Bartlett, Upton, and Crawford, who stole a combined 89 bases, and that number is low because Carl Crawford wasn't able to play the whole season.

Almost as impressive is the fact that they were only caught stealing a combined 29 times, and 16 of those were Upton all by himself. That means they were successful 75 percent of the time.

Even scarier is that Jason Varitek threw out only 23% of the attempted base-stealers this season and Matsuzaka, the Game 1 starter, doesn't exactly pay a lot of attention to the people on base.

Normally, I would laugh at people who love the stolen base. Mike Scioscia showed just how destructive trying to run yourself into outs can be. But the difference is that Joe Maddon has more speedsters, and he knows that he doesn't run as often.

Also, the Rays have better, more patient hitters. As a team, the Rays were 10 points higher than the Angels in both OBP and Slugging Percentages. This team doesn't need to run to score bases, and at the same time they aren't a station-to-station team like the Red Sox. Instead, they are a mix.

Keeping those guys out of scoring position will put less pressure on the Red Sox pitching staff and on their offense. The fact that these guys can take the extra bases makes the players who hit behind them like Willy Aybar and Dioner Navarro better hitters and more dangerous...A scary proposition to anyone in Boston.

5. Can Mark Kotsay keep it up?

I love Mark Kotsay! He reminds me a lot of Trot Nixon from the way to that he plays to the scruffy hair on his beard and neck. Also important was the fact that Kotsay was actually able to replace Mike Lowell offensively in the ALDS.

No, he doesn't have the same power as a healthy Mike Lowell does, and no, he doesn't provide the same protection in the lineup. But he does hit the ball really hard, and he is capable of going first to third on a single, or scoring from second, which Lowell isn't capable of.

Kotsay had three hits in 10 at-bats during the series with the Angels. If the Red Sox are hoping to breakout offensively, they will need Kotsay to have a big series with the bat. Yes, Pedroia and Ortiz and even Drew need to step up and have big series. But the Red Sox also need an unexpected player to try and shoulder some of the load with the bat.

We know he will play sound defense at first base, but if he can pack punch in the bottom of that order, the Red Sox will be tough to beat.

The View from Landsdowne Street: Champagne Tastes Sweet, But Rays Await

Michael Lemaire — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:16:11 -0400

I hope Terry Francona skips the champagne celebration tonight, sits down at his desk, and writes two thank you notes.

The first thank you note should go to Jed Lowrie for his game-winning single, and the second thank you note should go to Mike Scioscia for deciding to take the bat off Erick Aybar's shoulders and try a ill-fated squeeze play.

Those two plays saved Terry Francona from what would have been veritable firestorm of second guessing and criticism for his interesting decisions with regards to his pitching changes.

First, he decided to yank Jon Lester after just 109 pitches, despite the fact that Lester had just cruised through the seventh inning, getting three harmless outs in a row. Then he decided to show little faith in Hideki Okajima by yanking him after he walked Mark Teixeira and replacing him with rookie Justin Masterson, who promptly surrendered the lead on a two-run single by Torii Hunter and gave up the leadoff double to Juan Rivera in the top half of the ninth.

You have to win the series before you start planning your rotation for the ALCS. That's why it was absurd to pull Lester while he was dominating because (and I am assuming) Francona didn't want to over work him.

Francona even said that Jonathan Papelbon would have been available for Game Four, if they needed him. I think it's safe to say we needed him the minute Masterson walked.

Why did Francona show such little faith in Okajima? Okajima has been better all season than Masterson has, yet one walk later and decide to bring in a kid with a bright future, but zero postseason experience.

Masterson is the fifth-best pitcher in that situation behind Lester, Papelbon, Okajima, or Delcarmen. All of the aforementioned pitchers have postseason experience and better numbers than Masterson.

But, regardless of the quirky decision-making by Francona, the Angels are ultimately at fault for blowing a very winnable game and a very winnable series.

They were buried under a small mountain of baserunning blunders, costly defensive mistakes, and poor clutch hitting. The Angels left 43 runners on base during that series. No team will ever be able to win when they miss that many golden opportunities.

If you count all the plays the Angels defense should have made, the Angels could have held the Red Sox scoreless in Game Four and held them to just one run in Game Three. Last night, it was Howie Kendrick failing to communicate with Torii Hunter on a pop fly, tonight it was Kendrick showing everyone in attendance how not to turn a double play.

The Red Sox have a lot of questions to answer before they face the Tampa Rays in the ALCS, most specifically: Where the heck did the offense go? Also, can Mark Kotsay play first base the rest of the series?

But for now, let that Champagne run on your lips Jon Lester...You earned it.

Talking About Shop...And Game Four

Michael Lemaire — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:56:57 -0400

Admit it. You missed us.

Even if you didn't, Scott and I are back for another round of Angels vs. Red Sox talk and don't look now, but this one is not nearly as creative, but equally as informative and intelligent.

Agree with us. Don't agree with us. We don't care. We just really like to rag on each other.

So without further ado...enjoy

Fowler: Welcome back for our follow up! Wait, we did a follow up?

Lemaire: Well...I don't know...I blacked out for all of the pre-series writeups. I worked off pure adrenaline.

Fowler: Yeah, tell me about it. If I bit my nails I'd have none left, fingers or toes. What a series. The outcomes...Not so hot, but wow.

Lemaire: So, I got a question Angels fan....Your team scraped through Game Three with a victory, but how confident do you feel facing Jon Lester?

Fowler: Much more confident in facing him than in not facing him. What's the saying in poker? A chip and a chair? I'll take one more game to stay alive.

Fowler: At least we finally got the "can't beat Boston in October" monkey off our backs. Not to mention the no HRs in 60 innings. Now if we could just make routine plays (running AND fielding).

Lemaire: Do you think your free-swingers can actually be patient enough to make Lester work a little bit?

Fowler: I think we can. The Halos showed some real patience last night early against Beckett, and it paid off. A timely hit w/runners on would be much more appreciated, but I think they waiting game is over.

I think they Angels are ready to bring their "A" game, which I still say we haven't seen at all in this series. That said, if Howie Kendrick leaves the bases loaded and strike/flies/grounds out one more time, I might explode….Seriously, get a mop.

Lemaire: Well, in order to bring your "A" game, you will need to stop running yourselves into outs. I mean, out of all the players on that team, Guerrero trying to go first to third in Game One, and Torii Hunter trying to stretch his single last night?? Maybe try running with players who can actually run.

Fowler: Yeah, I know. Hunter's got a bad leg, and Guerrero makes Lowell look like Usain Bolt.

Lemaire: Even though you can feel the Angels' confidence rising, I remain confident that the Red Sox offense will wake up, and no one scares me less than Scot Shields and K-Rod. It would be best for the Angels to just give the ball to Arredondo and take a nap. That guy is downright filthy.

Fowler: Yeah, don't even get me started on K-Rod. The article I wrote Friday night was much different than the one that's there now.

Fowler: Yeah, his stuff is great, but Shields was in rare form last night; that curve ball had 'em dancing. Thank god, too, since we needed all the help we could get. He looked as sharp as I can remember.

Fowler: What about Boston? Think Lester has more of an advantage in Game One or Game Four of this series?

Lemaire: Well, if Lil Wayne is "The Rapper Eater," then Jon Lester is "The Innings Eater," which is very important because the Boston bullpen is weary. Lester has been untouchable at home this season for what that's worth, and he is working on almost full rest...So let's just say I am keeping the faith.

Fowler: I say the key to the Angels tonight is getting on the board early, taking the fans out of it, and riding the 'pen the rest of the way. Oh, the Red Sox still own this series. The Halos have to prove they deserve one more at home. I still say that, right now, they don't deserve it. I'll TAKE it, but they've barely earned it.

Lemaire: I think it's fair to say neither team really wanted to win last night.

Fowler: Yeah, the Angels were playing "not to lose" until the 12th, then they woke up and manufactured one the hard way.

Fowler: If you're Francona, do you start Lowell at third, or put Youkilis there w/Kotsay at 1B?

Lemaire: I think that even while Lowell has been brave in trying to tough out that injury, it is clearly still affecting him. He was limping for part of last night, and he still doesn't have a hit in the series.

Lemaire: Kotsay is not the same player as a healthy Mike Lowell, but he runs well, and he had two hits in Game Two.

Fowler: Angels have similar options at second w/Kendrick. The guy's been downright abysmal this series. 0-for-what, w/3000 runners on? Seriously, man, get ONE. Even that bunt last night...Ok, Lowell has zero range. Let's...bunt.right.to.him.

Lemaire: Don't even get me started at second base.

Fowler: Yeah, Pedroia's been a big wtf, huh? Which also worries me, because if you're that good without his contributions, what happens when he flips the switch?

Lemaire: Pedroia was an MVP candidate all season, and he has zero hits in the entire postseason. Forget runners in scoring position, I am looking for a hit. He is the fuel that makes that offense go

Fowler: So what's your one key to the Red Sox winning the series tonight?

Lemaire: It begins with O and ends in F-F-E-N-S-E. David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia need to get it going.

Fowler: Is Ortiz done, though? I mean, all but?

Lemaire: No way....He can still hit...You think any of the Angels are being careless with the way they pitch him? Bad wrist and all, that guy can still put one over the bullpens in Fenway.

Fowler: Maybe Shields-y, considering he's what, batting .999 against him, especially in the postseason? That guy owns Shields (all the more proof, btw that Shields was on last night) Ortiz is as pure a power hitter as exists in the league. No doubt about that. I'm just glad Bay didn't do it to us again last night. I was starting to think Boston LF=Angel Killer.

Lemaire: I think if Manny would have been in their last night, the Red Sox would be preparing for either Tampa Bay or Chicago right now. It just doesn't feel like the same Red Sox playoff monster without him.

Fowler: Instead the Dodgers just swept the Cubs.

Lemaire: You Angels fans are being held together by a bloop Erick Aybar single.

Fowler: No different than the three-run single you were even in the game for...or TH's, "I got it, I got it, I don't got it" moment...

Lemaire: I had a sense that was going to happen the minute Torii Hunter slowed up.

Fowler: was just ugly. Poor Saunders, too..."oh thank god..wait, wtf? "

Lemaire: Just make sure you don't let Guerrero try to stretch any singles, his wooden right leg might snap in half.

Fowler: Seriously. I love that guy, but opt for surgery this year, man. Lowell could beat him in a foot race.

Lemaire: You know what? Let’s just cancel Game Four, and watch those two race around the bases and then see who can yell louder, K-Rod or Papelbon, and we can play "Who can bench press the 85-lb bar"....Coco Crisp vs. Reggie Willits…I think I might just go into PR.

Fowler: Coco's got a cannon, Reggie, too. Thank god those two can fly, huh? Seriously, Reggie Willits makes Eckstein look like CC Sabathia.

Lemaire: Yeah, but they could punch each other for hours and probably never hurt anyone.

Fowler: It'd be the longest fight EVER.

Lemaire: I can just hear Chip Caray and Buck Martinez now....

Fowler: OMG ok, seriously Craig S? Lose the coat trick, you're not @#$%* DON CHERRY. Seriously, here's a quarter, go buy a personality and some meaningful insight. And I actually LIKE Frank Caliendo (check the spelling on that? thanks) and his show, but I will never watch because I've already seen four hours of it during the ALDS in commercials.

Lemaire: What's worse you ask? Cook was bad enough for the postseason commercials last year, but did you see the Randy Jackson's October baseball commercial?? Maybe the man can judge music, but the next time he classifies October baseball as Blazin' Hot, remind me to kill myself. Can you imagine what Ted Williams would have said to Randy Jackson if Jackson had said this series was blazin' hot??

Fowler: Ted's severed frozen head already told him to sit 'n spin. It's ok, and I heard it all the way from cali.

Lemaire: Scott, it's been a pleasure, and I can't wait to gloat later tonight.

Fowler: Yeah, and I have to get back to my "paying" job. I look forward to our Game Five preview.

Looking For The Jugular, Red Sox Take a Punch to The Gut

Michael Lemaire — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:29:07 -0400

It's not time to worry, not yet anyway.

Especially not with Jon Lester starting Game Four at home, where he was 11-1 with a 2.49 ERA. The Red Sox still get another shot to close this series in Fenway Park, where they won 56 games this season, second most home wins by any team next to the Rays' 57.

But if they want to finish off the Angels, they will need to find some offense.

This game wouldn't have gone 12 innings if the Angels had just had better communication when Howie Kendrick and Torii Hunter let a Jacoby Ellsbury pop-up fall in between them to plate three Boston runs.

The fact that the Red Sox really should have only scored one run is disconcerting if not alarming. Mike Lowell doesn't really look healthy, and despite his home run in Game Two, J.D. Drew is still feeling some effects from his lingering back injury.

Couple those injuries with the struggles of David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia, the team's two best hitters, and the Red Sox are not exactly scaring opponents offensively. Pedroia still doesn't have a hit in the series, and Ortiz is only 3-for-13, although he has walked a bunch.

I expect Francona to go back to the lineup where Kevin Youkilis played third base, and Mark Kotsay played first, replacing Mike Lowell in the lineup. Kotsay had two hits in Game Two, but he doesn't provide the same protection in the lineup that a healthy Lowell would.

Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the struggling offense was not the only problem that was amplified in their loss last night.

I may have been too quick to include Javier Lopez as one of the go-to relievers for the Red Sox. He didn't look good against lefties or righties. If that outing wasn't an aberration, than the shaky Boston bullpen just got a little less deep.

The other major problem was the outing the team received from Josh Beckett. It didn't appear that the oblique injury affected Beckett, instead his ineffectiveness was the result of walks, one hanging curveball to Mike Napoli, and a fastball that lacked some of that trademark bite.

There is good news for the Red Sox as well. The Angels continue to look more like a team that won 80 games than the team that won 100. Lack of communication in the outfield, continued base-running blunders, and continued struggles with runners in scoring position were all put under the microscope in this pivotal Game Three.

The other good news for the Red Sox is that Jon "The Innings-Eater" Lester is going back to the mound. Lester was dominant in Game One, striking out seven and allowing only one unearned run, and I am sure Francona would enjoy watching a similar performance from Lester in Game Four, especially considering the lack of offensive production.

The Red Sox would love to give Lester some breathing room early, and if they can chase John Lackey early in the game, the Angels' best relievers have all been worked hard in the past two games and would be susceptible to patient hitting. But that will only happen if Boston's offense starts to play the way it can.

The View From Landsdowne Street: Another Year, Another Team of Destiny?

Michael Lemaire — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:43:48 -0400

Last night was the type of game Red Sox fans have grown accustomed to watching in the past five years.

Not a lot was going in the Red Sox favor. They hadn't scored since a fourth-inning double by Jacoby Ellsbury. The Angels were showing uncharacteristic resiliency by storming back to tie the game on Mark Teixeira's sacrifice fly. They were forced to use Papelbon early, and they were facing the league's best closer in Francisco Rodriguez.

Despite all of that, I was still confident because the Red Sox are built for that type of game. They have players like J.D. Drew, David Ortiz, and Dustin Pedroia all of whom have played in games like this.

For the second straight year, Drew hit a crucial postseason home run, and now, despite all of their spunk, the American League's best team is staring down the barrel of the gun, and at the end of that barrel is the frightening mug of Josh Beckett.

The game wasn't a must win for the Red Sox. After all, the team is much better when they play in the friendly confines of Fenway Park. The sense of urgency was really being felt much more across the diamond in the home team's dugout.

The Angels hit Dice-K very hard, especially considering that Dice-K only walked three batters, and early on looked as if no one was ever going to hit his splitter. But the Angels managed eight hits, and the first five hitters in their lineup went 10-22 and drove in four out of the five runs.

The big story for the Red Sox is Jason Bay. All the questions at the beginning of the series surrounded the Red Sox ability to score runs with Drew and Mike Lowell still on the mend, and without Manny Ramirez. Now it seems as if Bay is paying attention to what has been happening in Chicago.

Every time Red Sox fans grimace when they watch Ramirez launch another ball into the night sky Bay eases their pain. He is now 5-9 with two home runs and five RBI in his first career postseason series. Instead of being racked with nerves, Bay looks amped up to be playing meaningful baseball this late in the season.

However, before the team starts looking ahead to a possible matchup with Tampa Bay, they need to finish off the Angels in convincing fashion at home. Good teams always go for the jugular in this situation, and the Red Sox have plenty of experience with teams not being able to close out a series (see 2007 ALCS).

Questions remain for this team though. The questions about the effectiveness of the bullpen were only reinforced with poor innings from Hideki Okajima and Justin Masterson. Masterson especially looked rattled out on the mound, walking two batters and allowing Chone Figgins to hit the triple that would eventually lead to Teixeira's sacrifice fly.

The Red Sox may have solved their questions about how to re-work the infield if Lowell needs to sit. Mark Kotsay played first base and had two hits to go along with solid defense. But the Red Sox really need to get Pedroia going.

Obviously the Red Sox can't get him going, he needs to do it himself. He was the fuel that made the offense go during the regular season, but he has been non-existent in this postseason. He had a few good at-bats, but you can't leave six men on base all by yourself and expect to win games often.

These questions will all be rendered moot if the Red Sox continued to put W's in the record books, and this team, which was questionable at the beginning of the series, now just looks like another Boston team of destiny.

The View from Landsdowne Street: The Award-Winners from Game One

Michael Lemaire — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:36:36 -0400

Between the pseudo Frank TV ads for HD, the actual Frank TV ads, the crappy hitting, and the great pitching, I almost fell asleep on my couch during this close, but boring Game One of the ALDS.

But, I was able to hand out a few awards from the game just before I passed out from boredom.

The Brad Pitt Stud Muffin of the Game Award: Jon Lester

Any questions about Lester being capable of pitching on the road were answered with the outing he had in Anaheim. 7 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K...If Jed Lowrie hadn't committed that error, Lester would probably still be pitching.

He overcame his wildness in the early innings by pounding the strike zone with fastballs and watching the over-anxious Angels hitters swing early in the count. I can't say enough about how good his fastball looked.

He didn't even need to mix a lot of curveballs and sinkers in because his fastball had the lethal combination of movement and perfect location.

Remember in Billy Madison when Steve Buscemi's character saves Adam Sandler's life by shooting the villain with a hunting rifle and Sandler says, "Boy am I glad I called that guy!" That's how Red Sox fans felt last night about sending Lester to the mound.

"Boy am I glad we pitched that guy!"

The Geico Lizard Insurance Award: Jacoby Ellsbury

How about an encore performance from Mr. Ellsbury. He arrives on the scene last year just in time for October baseball, and he ends up being one of the best players on the Red Sox team for all of the postseason.

So how does he perform in his encore performance? Three hits, one RBI, one stolen base, and one sliding catch to potentially save a run.

Who says the Angels are the only team capable of playing a little small ball? El Capitan Jason Varitek lays down the perfect sacrifice bunt, and Ellsbury makes his manager look like a genius by singling just past the out-stretched glove of Howie Kendrick to score Lowrie and give Papelbon a two-run lead.

The Big Billy Goat Gruff Award: Vladimir Guerrero

I spoke with Scott Fowler, the Angels' community leader, and he sounded down-right suicidal following Mr. Guerrero's long limp towards third base.

The primary rule in all of baseball, especially the postseason, is you don't run yourself into unnecessary outs. Guerrero blatantly ignored the signs of his third-base coach and ran like he had gangrene in his legs. Needless to say, he was thrown out by a healthy margin.

Kudos to Kevin Youkilis for recovering the baseball quickly after his dive. But he probably could have taken a few more seconds and still thrown Guerrero out at third base. If Guerrero stays at second base, the Angels have first and second with only one out, and Howie Kendrick up, who has been filthy with runners in scoring position.

Justin Masterson's heart was probably close to exploding, and Guerrero saved his life by running himself into an out instead of making an inexperienced pitcher try and get Kendrick out with the tying run on second base.

Scott, I feel for ya buddy!

The Lane Kiffin "What the Hell did I do to deserve this?" award: John Lackey

I have to hand it to Lackey. There were plenty of opportunities where Lackey could have folded, made a mistake pitched, and watch the game fly out of hand on him.

Instead he left one fastball up in the zone, Jason Bay made him pay, and Lackey is the losing pitcher in Game One. He utterly confused the Red Sox hitters all night long.

Yes, he may have walked a few more players than he would have liked (three), and yes, he wasn't exactly overpowering (only five strikeouts), but he only allowed the Red Sox four hits, and every time the Red Sox truly threatened, Lackey shut them down.

The Aerosmith "Same Old Song and Dance" Award: Jonathan Papelbon

Papelbon's career postseason ERA following his one inning in Game One? 0.00. Angels fans must have already sensed the impending doom when they were down just 2-1 and Papelbon was warming up in the bullpen, but once the score was 4-1? That's when the Angels fans started to slowly make their way towards the exits.

Papelbon's line: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 3 K.

Kendry Morales must feel really good that he was able to come in, pinch hit, and be the only Angel to get on base against Paps. No one stood a chance up there. It was a man against a group of free-swinging boys in the ninth.

Red Sox Baseball: Five Big Questions For Game One Of The ALDS

Michael Lemaire — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:32:28 -0400

1. Can Jon Lester have success on the road?

One could very easily make the argument that Lester has been the best pitcher on the Red Sox this season. Still, I think the Red Sox would be much more comfortable with Josh Beckett starting Game 1 rather than Lester and not only because of Beckett's previous playoff success.

During the regular season Lester was 16-6 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 152 strikeouts. Those numbers should make the Red Sox confident in the outlook for Game 1. But, when you look deeper, at the splits, the Red Sox would probably be more happy to have Lester start Game 3 at home.

Lester had a Cy Young-esque performance at home this season going 11-1 with a 2.49 ERA in 115.2 innings. But on the road, Lester's numbers become far more pedestrian. 5-5 with a 4.09 ERA ERA in 94.2 innings is not exactly awe-inspiring, especially for the starter for Game 1 of the ALDS.

Lester has yet to pitch in Angels Stadium this season, and he struggled in his only start against the Angels season (5 IP, 4 ER, 7.20 ERA). The Red Sox desperately need Lester to go deep into this ballgame, especially if Beckett isn't ready to pitch in Game 3.

The Angels have a healthy and dangerous lineup and come into the game with a boatload of confidence after finishing the season strong. A win in Anaheim for Lester would go a long way for the Red Sox's World Series chances, but the road is not easy.

2. Which JD Drew will the Red Sox have in their arsenal?

The Red Sox desperately need Drew's bat behind David Ortiz in the middle of that lineup. The problem is that Drew has been battling a lower back strain that has kept him out of the lineup since August 17th.

Yesterday Drew started in Game 1 of the doubleheader with the Yankees, played seven innings, went 0-for-2, and made a sliding catch of a Johnny Damon fly-ball in the first inning. He didn't appear to show any lingering effects and Terry Francona remarked after the game that Drew looked good both at the plate and in the field.

This is a very good thing for Boston because without Drew, the Red Sox outfield packs very little offensive punch. If Drew is unable to go, the team will most likely go with the threesome of Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp, and Mark Kotsay, a great defensive lineup, but an offensive lineup that doesn't scare anyone.

At the same time, the Red Sox need to make sure that Drew will be fully healthy, because a healthy Mark Kotsay will be better than J.D. Drew at 80%, and the team certainly doesn't want Drew to re-injure his back and lose him for the rest of the series.

Drew was well on his way to having his best offensive season of his career before his injury kept him from playing in the last month of the season. He gets on base at a very high clip (.408 OBP), and he sees a lot of pitches.

But his most important impact will be to provide protection in the lineup behind Ortiz. If Drew can have solid at-bats, he will earn Lackey's respect, which will consequently mean Lackey has to pitch more carefully to Ortiz.

3. How will the Red Sox survive offensively without Mike Lowell?

All indications from inside the organization and out seem to point to Mike Lowell being unable to go for Game 1, which could sound the death knell for the Red Sox offense.

The most likely scenario if Lowell isn't able to play is that Kevin Youkilis will move from first base to third base and veteran Sean Casey will play first base in Youkilis' stead.

The move doesn't really impact the Red Sox defensively, but while Casey was a terrific utility player for the Red Sox this season, he is just not the same type of hitter that Lowell is.

I think Casey will be able to stand in for the short-term because he is exactly the type of hitter that the Red Sox love, and the type that give pitchers fits. He takes a lot of pitches, doesn't swing at bad pitches, and gets on base at a very high clip (.381 OBP).

Where Casey won't be able to replace Lowell is in the power department. Casey hasn't hit a home run in 199 at-bats this season, and only 14 of his 64 hits were for extra bases, not exactly prodigious.

If Lowell was in the lineup, he could have allowed Francona a lot more flexibility in his lineup creation. Now Jed Lowrie will probably have to hit second, with Youkilis third and Bay fifth. A semi-healthy J.D. Drew means that Casey will probably be hitting seventh and will be counted on to provide a little spark.

To be honest Francona has been very creative with mixing and matching the lineups since the injuries to Drew and Lowell so speculation is pointless. But the point remains that the Red Sox are really counting on either Sean Casey or Alex Cora to replace the production of Mike Lowell...certainly a tall order.

4. Can the Red Sox continue their playoff success against the Angels?

In their last six postseason games against the Angels, the Red Sox are 6-0, and all six of those games came in the divisional series. The Angels have always seemed to have solid pitching and hitting throughout the regular season, and then everything regresses when they get to the playoffs and play the Red Sox.

All the momentum in this series points to the Angels. They were the best team in baseball, reaching 100 wins for this first time. The Red Sox are dealing with injuries to Josh Beckett, J.D. Drew, and Mike Lowell, and have a lot of questions in the bullpen and in their lineup. But still, Boston has had the Angels number in the past.

Lackey was a potential Cy Young candidate last season after a 19-9 regular season with a 3.01 ERA. In his only postseason start against the Red Sox his stats were far from dominant: 6 IP, 4 ER, 9 hits, and 2 BB. The Sox jumped on Lackey early last year and didn't relenquish their chokehold until they had clinched the ALCS berth.

They will need to get to him early and often again this year if they want to win. If Lester is provided an early lead, look out.

Dustin Pedroia, Youkilis, Drew, and Ortiz all have great career numbers against Lackey, and even Coco Crisp has two career home runs against the Angels right-hander. The team will need all of those players to continue their success if they expect to win.

5. Can the Red Sox middle relievers get the ball from Lester to Papelbon without any damage?

I have stressed it before and I will stress it again. Hideki Okajima, Justin Masterson, Manny Delcarmen, and Javier Lopez will be the four most important players on the Red Sox team this postseason.

If there is any real liability on this team outside of injuries, it's the inexperience and inconsistency of those guys in the middle of the bullpen. Everyone knows Jonathan Papelbon will be rock steady, and Jon Lester seems capable of keeping the game close, but if the difference in the game is just one run, are those middle relievers equipped to hold that lead?

In this series, it seems that the Angels have the major edge in the bullpen. The group of K-Rod, Scot Shields, Justin Speier, Jose Arredondo, and Darren Oliver is a lot more experienced and solid as far as numbers are concerned, but is it more talented?

No one, in either bullpen, with the exception of the two closers, is more talented than Masterson, but the young gun has never experienced the playoffs; at the same time he has been lights out the last month of the season and should continue that momentum into the postseason.

The big key cog in the pen is Delcarmen. He has the stamina to pitch more than one inning, but was not good at all in the last season's playoffs. If he doesn't let nerves control his pitching, and he manages to find the strike zone consistently, his fortunes should improve.

Regardless of who is pitching, the two strengths of the Red Sox is their starting pitching depth and their closer at the end of the game. The guys in the middle need to be on the top of their game to help expedite the transition between the two. If that is done, the Angels will find out just how hard it is to score runs on this Boston team.

Conservative Play-Calling More En Vogue Than Sports Blogs

Michael Lemaire — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 17:19:25 -0400

You see that picture! I bet the man in that picture has never tried eating a new food before. I bet he has never passed anyone on the highway in the right lane. I bet he wouldn't ever go skydiving. Heck I bet he wouldn't even go scuba-diving.

That's because the man in that picture is Miami Hurricane offensive coordinator Patrick Nix, the newest graduate of the school for conservative play-calling, which includes such esteemed alumni as Lane Kiffin, Dave Clawson, and Ron Prince.

Watching Miami play North Carolina today was difficult. The main reason was because Nix has a major weapon at quarterback in Robert Marve, who is inexperienced but has a boatload of talent.

Yet Nix refuses to use Marve, instead choosing to have him throw dump off screen passes or five-yard outs.

In fact, Marve's arm was reined in so badly, that he completed 18-of-27 passes for a meager 135 yards. That is an average of 5.0 per attempt...ugh, I want to throw up. The result was a 28-24 loss where Miami was leading more than once in the game.

Nix is not alone however. Jonathan Crompton, Tennessee's quarterback, was eight of 23 for 67 yards for an even worse 2.9 yards per attempt.

The main reason behind such meager passing numbers? The game plan that offensive coordinator Dave Clawson drew up against a strong Auburn defense. The result was a 14-12 loss where even one more long pass would have put the Volunteers in position to kick the field goal, and pull off the upset.

It happens in the NFL also. JaMarcus Russell was touted as a top quarterback prospect coming out of college because he supposedly could throw the ball like 8 billion yards.

So how does Lane Kiffin utilize this cannon-armed weapon? He has him throw just 19 passes, of which he completed just nine for 165 yards, an average of 8.2 yards per attempt. That is also including an 85-yard touchdown pass that started as a slant pass.

The excuse these guys all give the media for their play-calling is that they try to give their young and inexperienced quarterbacks confidence. They want their guys to get in a rhythm and most of all, they don't want their quarterbacks to make mistakes in crucial situations.

Are you kidding me??

This junk about confidence and rhythm and crucial mistakes all make for really good sound-bites, but none of it makes any sort of football sense whatsoever.

What kind of wussy quarterback grows in confidence by throwing the ball to their running back behind the line of scrimmage so he can run for 10 yards? In my book, if my starting quarterback doesn't have confidence before he even throws a pass, he is doomed.

I know young quarterbacks are prone to making mistakes, but these guys were heavily recruited or highly touted. They are good quarterbacks, capable of making all of the throws.

They may force one or two of their passes, but the team should be willing to deal with the occasional mistake if that same quarterback can stretch the field and keep the defense honest.

Look at what happened with Marve. On the final drive with Miami needing long pass plays just to get in range to possibly win the game, Marve hits his receiver downfield, and just misses a seam route touchdown on a great throw.

Bob Stoops was so successful last year because he didn't need to take the kids gloves off Sam Bradford, because he never put them on in the first place. He let Bradford make the decisions about when to try and throw deep and when to dump off.

Sure, Bradford made a few mistakes, but he also threw 36 touchdown passes, and Oklahoma won the Big 12 championship.

This play-calling is hindering the quarterbacks, not helping them. These quarterbacks aren't making any decisions when they throw the screen pass. They are going to dump it off whether the defense is all over it already or whether it's open.

It's practically automatic...back-pedal a few steps, and then lob the ball over the defense...I can make that throw.

These quarterbacks need to be thrown to the figurative sharks. They need to learn how to read defenses, think on their feet, make plays from the pocket and on the run.

By having conservative pass plays, the defense doesn't need to be read, the throw is methodical and brainless.

If any of the above-mentioned quarterbacks completed just one extra pass down the field, either to get them in field goal range or for a touchdown, these teams might have won their last games instead of being on the losing end.

Haven't these guys ever heard of the expression "sometimes you just have to push the bird out of the nest and watch it fly?" If they haven't, they should brush up on it.

Just mix in some downfield passing plays so that the equally as intelligent defensive coordinators are no longer making pre-emptive adjustments, but rather reactive adjustments.

It will make everything harder for the defense, it will probably win a few more games, and heck, it even might give the quarterback a new sense of confidence...maybe a little rhythm as well?

College Football: Why We Don't Know Nothing 'Bout Nothing

Michael Lemaire — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:32:44 -0400

There is a lot of analysis about which team showed themselves this past week, and which teams proved they were just pretenders, and why not? It's fun!

Unfortunately, the first five or six weeks of the season have very few marquee match-ups that really tell us anything. Here is why we don't know nothing 'bout nothing so far.

I arbitrarily chose the Top 20 as National Championship contenders, not all of these teams realistically can win the title, but I figured I would prove my point by analyzing the top 20 teams and the questions surrounding each of them.

Note: Top 20 is the Associated Press Top 20.

1. USC (2-0)

Opponents Record's: Virginia (1-2), Ohio State (3-1)

The Buckeyes have not looked impressive in any of their wins this season, and they looked downright awful against the Trojans.

Virginia might be the worst team in the ACC, and yes, I am counting Duke.

The Trojans certainly have the talent, but unfortunately they don't play a lot of really difficult games the rest of the season. Oregon and Cal are the best two teams left on their schedule, and neither of those teams should scare anyone.

There is a great chance the Trojans play for the National Championship, it will be much more interesting to see how they play against the Oklahoma's, Georgia's, and Florida's of the world.

As I was writing this the Oregon State Beavers used timely offensive play, and a punishing ground attack to upset the No. 1 USC team by a final score of 27-21. The vaunted USC defense allowed Jacquizz Rogers, a freshman, run for almost 200 yards, and the Beaver offensive line blew the USC defensive front off the ball every down it seemed. Defensively the Beavers used a match-up zone to confuse Mark Sanchez….this was supposed to be the team without flaws….we don’t know nothing ‘bout nothing.

2. Oklahoma (3-0)

Opponents Record's: Chattanooga (1-3), Cincinnatti (2-1), Washington (0-3)

The games haven't been close at all, but the competition isn't exactly titillating. Chattanooga doesn't even deserve it's own paragraph.

Cincinnati was a potential trap game, and the Sooners turned it into a statement. If the Bearcats had Ben Mauk, the game would have been more interesting. Without Mauk, the Bearcats look like a top-five team in the Big East...which means nothing.

Washington is not good, they have played an absolutely brutal schedule. But if Ty Willingham is around next year I will eat my hat. Jake Locker is great, but the defense is absolutely awful, and outside of Louis Rankin, and freshman Kavario Middleton, he has very few weapons to work with.

They play TCU this weekend, and everyone seems to think they will reveal their true identity this weekend. But while TCU is a pretty good team, probably the best they will have played this season. But TCU's schedule isn't exactly top-notch either.

The real games on this schedule are October 11th in Dallas for the Red River Rivalry, and then November 22nd at home against Texas Tech, and Mike Leach's team always gives the Sooners fits.

When all is said and done, they will have proved more than the Trojans, but their schedule pales in comparison with those of the teams that will be introduced shortly.

3. Georgia (4-0)

Opponents Record's: Georgia Southern (2-2), Central Michigan (2-2), South Carolina (1-2), Arizona State (2-2)

The Bulldogs continued to make strides up the ladder of respect. Arizona State is a dangerous team, and to hold them to 10 points in very impressive, especially considering how rarely Georgia travels west.

I don't put too much stock into the close game against South Carolina. There is such a silly amount of talent in the SEC that there are games that looked like this one every week...just your ole-fashioned SEC knock'em down drag'em out game.

They certainly have some really special players on both sides of the ball.

Everyone knows what Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford are all about. But the emergence of A.J. Green on offense, and Rennie Curran on defense make the Bulldogs a really scary team to try to play offense or defense against.

Mark Richt is a master motivator, and he knows how to make sure that his kids don't play down to an inferior opponent and get hyped for their big games, but their schedule, just like the rest of the SEC is frightening.

Games against Alabama, LSU, Florida, and Auburn all loom large, not to mention games against the talented Tennessee team and the solid Yellow Jackets that shares a state with them.

If any team can do it, Georgia is certainly equipped to run that type of gauntlet and not lose a game. But can the Bulldogs really bring their "A" Game four more times? If they don't, they will quickly drop out of title talk.

4. Florida (3-0)

Opponents Record's: Hawaii (1-2), Miami (2-1), Tennessee (1-2)

The best team the Gators have played were the young Hurricanes, who kept the game within striking distance for three quarters before fading in the fourth. Nonetheless, it was a good victory for Urban Meyer's team.

Hawaii is not the same Hawaii without Colt Brennan, his crew of 1,000 yard receivers, or June Jones. The win looked good because of the score and Hawaii is a recognizable opponent, but it doesn't mean much.

Unfortunately for the Gators, neither does a victory over Tennessee. The Volunteers are incredibly talented, but they got beat by UCLA, who promptly got trounced by BYU, who is a good team but not a great one. For the record, Tennessee also shot themselves in the foot more than once on Saturday with penalties and turnovers in the red zone.

The real question surrounding the Gators surrounds their supposed vaunted, quick strike offense. Miami essentially shut down the Gators for those three quarters, who scored with help of a bad Hurricanes punt, and a incredible catch by Carl Moore on the sideline. On Saturday, the Gators were out-gained by the Volunteers. They still haven't developed a running game, and teams are beginning to figure out Tebow as the running back.

Oh, did I mention that they still have to play LSU, Georgia, and a Steve Spurrier team, and considering the way Spurrier teams always play the Gators, Urban Meyer would be wise not to take the Gamecocks lightly.

As of right now, the Gators will have a tough time against the LSU and Georgia defenses, especially if those teams game-plan against Tebow successfully.

5. LSU (3-0)

Opponents Record's: Appalachain State (1-2), North Texas (0-3), Auburn (2-1)

We are just going to ignore those first two games as they are toss away's. But, the guys over at Rivals.com put it best, does anyone out there have a better win than at Auburn?

The answer is no, but that doesn't mean LSU is out of the woods yet. Jarret Lee may have been a revelation for the Tigers against Auburn, but he is still only a redshirt freshman, one who will probably make mistakes as the learning process goes on. The only question is, will that mistake cost the Tigers a game?

They have answered the most questions. Their defense is as good if not better than it has always been, and their running game behind Charles Scott, Keiland Williams, and Trindon Holliday is well-established.

But, Les Miles and co. still have to at Florida, and at South Carolina. Not to mention home dates with Georgia and Alabama. It was tough for Robert Marve to make any progress offensively in the Swamp, explain to me how it will be any easier for Lee or Hatch?

6. Missouri (4-0)

Opponents Record's: Illinois (2-1), Southeast Missouri State (1-3), Nevada (1-2), Buffalo (2-2)

Kudos to Missouri! After being hassled at the end of last year for not having played a single good team, the Tigers opened the season at home against Illinois, and made an early statement with the win.

The good news? Chase Daniel is the front-runner for the Heisman and is without a doubt the best quarterback in all of college football. The man is completing 76% of his passes on the season!! That's really good.

More good news? Missouri's schedule isn't difficult. They have to play at Texas and still have to play the dangerous Kansas Jayhawks at home. Plus they have trap games against Nebraska and Colorado. But really the only game that is dangerous is the game against Texas, and as I am about to explain, the Longhorns are still unknown.

The bad news? Missouri let Buffalo hang around for way too long against them. Drew Willy was able to throw for 237 yards and two touchdowns, and I am sure the Tigers fans haven't forgotten about Juice Williams actually passing the ball, and doing it to the tune of 5 touchdowns and 400+ yards.

They are a really good football team, and as long as they have Daniel and Jeremy Maclin, they will not be out of a game, ever. But they have a lot of wrinkles to iron out defensively and their special teams is less than ideal.

The real victory for Missouri? Avoiding Oklahoma and pass-happy Texas Tech this season. Not playing both of those teams should help their record substantially.

7. Texas (3-0)

Opponents Record's: Florida Atlantic (1-3), UTEP (0-3), Rice (2-2)

Another season goes on, and another season where Texas starts with a group of patsies before their Big 12 schedule opens up. The Longhorns haven't played particularly difficult non-conference opponents since Ohio State in the days of the football player formerly known as Vince.

Even the postponed game against Arkansas isn't exactly a dogfight, especially after watching Alabama dismantle the Razorbacks this past Saturday. Rice was the best team they have played, and the defense showed a lot by slowing down the potent duo of Chase Clement and Jarret Dillard. But the offense was never challenged.

Everyone has been quick to anoint Colt McCoy as new and improved, a player who has rejuvenated his career and looks poised to be one of the top quarterbacks in the country. His numbers certainly back the claim up. Not a lot of quarterbacks are completing close to 80% of their passes with 11 touchdowns and two more touchdowns rushing.

But then again, not everyone has had the luxury of playing three consecutive teams who play little to no defense. McCoy threw almost as many interceptions (18) last season as he did touchdowns (22). He still has a long way to go before I am willing to say that he is a top quarterback.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it. If Texas wins all their games, they will be a tough team to leave out of the national title talk. They play a stronger schedule than their closest competitors Oklahoma and Missouri, because Texas gets to play both of the aforementioned teams. Not to mention away games at Texas Tech and Kansas.

he pressure on McCoy will rise if he continues to pull double duty as the team's top passer and top rusher. Either Vondrell McGee or Chris Ogbonnaya need to step up in the backfield if the Longhorns expect to win the conference title let alone the national title.

8. Alabama (4-0)

Opponents Record's: Clemson (3-1), Tulane (1-2), Western Kentucky (2-2), Arkansas (2-1)

The victory over Clemson was impressive considering Clemson's offense has exploded in the past three weeks, all of them Tiger wins. However, two of Clemson's opponents were FCS teams, and North Carolina State is not very good either, so Tommy Bowden's team is still an unknown commodity.

The Crimson Tide followed up their huge win against Clemson by looking ordinary against a mediocre Tulane team. Their win against Arkansas was impressive, but Arkansas was struggling, and as Rivals.com pointed out, might not win another game all season long.

It still remains to be seen whether John Parker Wilson has overcome his inconsistency and has risen into the upper echelon of SEC quarterbacks. It is also asking a lot for an enormous amount of freshmen contributors to march into SEC play and take the country's best conference by storm.

Miami's freshmen looked really good against Florida, but that didn't mean they had a chance to beat the Gators. It is likely that a similar scenario will unfold in Athens, Georgia next weekend. The Bulldogs have a lot of offense weapons, too many for a young and inexperienced Alabama defense.

But don't ever count out youth. Mark Ingram looks like the real deal with the ball in his hands, and the showdown between the country's two best freshmen wide receivers in A.J. Green of Georgia and Julio Jones of 'Bama should be a fun one to watch.

Even if the Tide somehow escape Georgia with a victory, they still have games against Tennessee, then they have to travel to the Bayou to do battle with LSU, and then of course the Iron Bowl match-up which figures to be as good as advertised.

Just another brutal schedule that will prevent an extremely talented team from playing in a BCS bowl.

9. Wisconsin (3-0)

Opponents Record's: Akron (2-2), Marshall (3-1), Fresno State (2-1)

They were struggling with Akron early in the game, at one point they were losing 14-0 to Marshall, and they barely beat Fresno State, their offense looked anemic in that one.

Now they are getting into the teeth of their schedule. They should beat Michigan this week, but then back-to-back games against Ohio State and Penn State, games that Wisconsin might be underdogs in.

Then after that they still have two dangerous games at home against Illinois and in East Lansing to play a smash-mouth game with Sparty. I am not sure whether the Badgers have the team that is capable of making that kind of run through their schedule without slipping up.

P.J. Hill is already a household name amongst college football circles. The "Wisconsin Winnebago" is one of the best running backs in the country, but he ran for only 57 yards against Marshall, and Fresno State held him to 112 yards rushing. What did we learn? Wisconsin's offensive line has a long way to go.

The passing game has its good parts and its bad parts. Travis Beckum isn't fully healthy, and that is limiting the number of weapons at Allan Evridge's disposal. Garret Graham has stepped up big-time. But if anyone thinks Graham will be able to get open against Malcolm Jenkins or Knowledge Timmons from Penn State, they need to be slapped across the mouth.

They have a decent defense led by Shane Carter and Johnathan Casillas, but are they good enough to stop the spread attack of Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes? How about the bruising running game of Evan Royster and the Nittany Lions? I don't think so. In my opinion the Badgers will fade as the season goes on.

10. Texas Tech (4-0)

Opponents Record’s: Eastern Washington (1-2), Nevada (1-2), SMU (1-3), Massachusetts (2-2)

Just another season of watching Mike Leach schedule lesser opponents to inflate his team’s record and statistics, as if the passing statistics weren’t gaudy enough. They have scored more than 30 points in all of the games, they have allowed more than 20 just once, and of course they have only played two FBS opponents, and neither of them is very good.

At first glance, there is nothing different between this Red Raiders’ team and the Red Raiders of the past. A heady quarterback who makes smart throws and seems to always be up over 400 yards? Check. A group of wide receivers that, despite being under-appreciated, makes a lot of plays, gets a lot of yards, and scores touchdowns? Check. Good running back that never gets enough carries? Check.

The big difference which has the Red Raiders thinking Big 12 Championship is a much improved defense. Brandon Williams, a junior defensive end who has five sacks in just four games, is just one of many new names out on the field making a name for themselves.

Sophomore linebacker Bront Bird could be a great linebacker down the road, and senior safety Daniel Charbonnet transferred from Duke, and now has four interceptions, sounds like a good move to me.

The question is, will this defense be for real, or will it be revealed as just a façade when Texas Tech begins its foray into Big 12 play? They start this weekend with a good but not great Kansas State team, and then from there it gets more difficult.

There is a great chance they will be undefeated when they travel to Lawrence, Kansas to face off with Todd Reesing and company. They will then return to Lubbock to play the Longhorns before traveling to Norman on November 22^nd for what will, at the very least, be a highly entertaining match-up.

Everyone knows Mike Leach can lead his team to score against anyone, and the offense has a particularly potency this year with Michael Crabtree, Graham Harrell, and Shannon Woods as the Big 3. But, as usual, the burden of breaking free from the “good” label will fall on the defense. But can this young and improving defense stop the offenses of Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma?

11. BYU (4-0)

Opponents Record’s: Northern Iowa (2-1), Washington (0-3), UCLA (1-2), Wyoming (2-2)

This is another team that should be high on everyone’s overrated list. Their schedule looks good on paper with two PAC-10 teams in their first four games, but they also managed to pick the two worst teams in the conference to play, and pundits are putting too much weight into those wins.

For all we know, if the referee’s don’t call excessive celebration on Jake Locker, the Cougars could still be playing against the Huskies, or they could have lost and no one would be talking about them as their favorite BCS buster.

The win over UCLA was dominant, especially considering how good UCLA’s defense is. However, people are over-valuing that win thanks to UCLA’s previous upset win over Tennessee. The fact of the matter is, the Bruins are not good. They beat Tennessee sure, but Kevin Craft is not a good quarterback, and they have so many injuries at skill positions I am not surprised they dropped a goose-egg against BYU.

BYU should be feeling confident despite their close win over Washington. The only games they could conceivably lose are against TCU and Utah. Both those teams are very good, and TCU’s defense might be good enough to at least slow down the Cougars’ potent offense. But BYU should feel good about how they match-up with both those teams.

Does anyone in the country have a better throw/run/catch combination than Max Hall, Harvey Unga, and Dennis Pitta? In my opinion, maybe, but only if you replace Pitta with wide receiver Austin Collie. This offense has so many weapons, and showed against UCLA, that they can score on anyone, anywhere, they are just that lethal.

Their defense is experienced, and definitely good enough to stop teams like TCU and Utah. But, if the Cougars make a BCS bowl, do they really have enough to stop a BCS team? They might initially, but my opinion is that if they played one of the teams ahead of them in the rankings, they would lose badly.

For example, BYU beat a bad Washington team 28-27…Oklahoma beat that same Washington team the next week 51-14….anyone care to disagree?

12. Penn State (4-0)

Opponents Record’s: Coastal Carolina (2-2), Oregon State (1-2), Syracuse (1-3), Temple (1-3)

For the first time in a long time, the folks in Happy Valley aren’t just thinking Big Ten title, they are thinking National Title, and frankly, they have a legitimate claim.

I know, I have been talking all about how the top teams haven’t played anyone good yet, and Penn State shouldn’t escape that criticism. They haven’t played anyone good; the best team was a vastly overrated Oregon State, who they pounded easily.

But the old Penn State teams that were heavy on the defense and light on the offense would have scraped out a win against Oregon State, and would have let Temple hang in the game for too long. This team is different.

First of all, they lost their starting quarterback (Anthony Morelli, who got booed when he showed up at the spring game) and two of their three top runners (Rodney Kinlaw and Austin Scott), and they are probably a better team at both positions.

The new quarterback Daryl is already drawing comparisons to Michael Robinson (who has achieved god-like status in State College), and the combination of Evan Royster and Stephon Green have more big-play potential than either Kinlaw or Scott.

Even without Sean Lee and the suspended Maurice Evans, the Nittany Lions defense just fills the holes with players who are just as good.

Navorro Bowman is one of the best defensive players in the Big 10, and already has 35 tackles. Aaron Maybin, a defensive end, already has six sacks through just four games. In the secondary, senior safety Anthony Scirroto and the combination of A.J. Wallace and Knowledge Timmons make the Nittany Lions hard to throw against.

The Nittany Lions have three difficult games left. They get Illinois at home this coming weekend where we will learn once and for all whether the Nittany Lions are for real. Then they go to Camp Randall to face off with the Badgers in the middle of October, and then they travel to the Horseshoe for what will be a great game against the Buckeyes.

They will have trouble proving to voters that they are worthy of consideration if they finish the season undefeated. But if they don’t end up going to the National Championship game, there will be a lot of fans with a legitimate beef in Happy Valley.

13. South Florida (4-0)

Opponents Record’s: Tennessee-Martin (3-1), UCF (1-2), Kansas (3-1), FIU (0-3)

The Bulls have played a relatively difficult schedule compared to the rest of the teams in the Top 25. Their win over Kansas may have been close, but it just proved that Matt Grothe and the Bulls have the type of moxie that a winning team should embody. They came back, and then they couldn’t protect the lead, but in the end, the Bulls are still undefeated and the Jayhawks are not.

Their close win over UCF looks worse and worse as the Golden Knights get pounded by mediocre teams like Boston College. Even worse was their nine-point win over FIU, a team that has been just about everyone’s whipping boy over the past three years.

They seem to have problems with inconsistency. One week Matt Grothe will throw for 345 yards, and then the next week he will only throw for 120. One week Grothe will lead the team in rushing, the next week there will be a lot of guys who step up and make an impact on the ground.

Luckily for them, their defense is really fast, and very good, especially defensive end George Selvie. Their defense is one of the best in the Big East, and will probably be influential if the Bulls are going to win the Big East title, something they desperately want to do.

The other good news for the Bulls is that West Virginia is struggling badly, Rutgers has reverted to their 2004 and 2005 form, UCONN is good but have struggled to survive scares against teams like Temple, and Pittsburgh is brutally inconsistent. All of this just means that Jim Leavitt’s team is the prohibitive favorite for the Big East crown.

They should be undefeated heading to Morgantown on December 21^st, and they better hope that Bill Stewart hasn’t figured out how to coach his football team, because the Mountaineers have way too many weapons to be taken lightly.

14. Ohio State (3-1)

Opponents Record’s: Youngstown State (2-2), Ohio (0-4), USC (2-0), Troy (2-1)

What have we really learned about the Buckeyes? Well, for starters, we learned that their offense drops off significantly without Beanie Wells. There is absolutely no reason why the Buckeyes should have let Ohio lead at halftime, and Troy was in the game for way too long for a team of the Buckeye’s caliber.

We also learned that Terrelle Pryor is the future…if the Buckeyes play teams like Troy for the rest of the season. Look, Pryor is incredibly talented, and will most likely be the Buckeyes best player as soon as next year, but let’s not jump on the Pryor bandwagon until he is able to have more than a 14-10 lead over Troy heading into the fourth quarter.

Boeckman was always overrated because he had the benefit have playing right in front of the best running back in all of college football. The good news for the Buckeyes is that Wells is listed as probable for their game against upstart Minnesota. While he probably won’t get 20 carries, just getting him back on the field will be a huge morale victory for Jim Tressel’s club.

Once again the Buckeyes will not be tested very often this season. The three large games that loom are at Wisconsin in two weeks, at home against Penn State on October 25th, and then at Illinois on November 22nd.

Wells should be full strength by the Badgers’ game and I have already addressed how I feel about Wisconsin as a team. What they really need is for Pryor to not try and do too much, because that will lead to forced passes, interceptions, and other mistakes that could be crippling.

The Ravens won the Super Bowl by having a quarterback who didn’t turn the ball over, a big bruising running back, and dominant defense. The Buckeyes have that big bruising running back, and they have probably three All-Americans on defense, now they just need that quarterback who will limit mistakes.

15. Auburn (3-1)

Opponents Record’s: Louisiana-Monroe (1-3), Southern Mississippi (2-2), Mississippi State (1-3), LSU (3-0)

Auburn played an extremely good game against LSU, unfortunately they lost, and they are now effectively two games out in SEC West. They will have a very tough time making the SEC championship game let alone the National Championship.

That being said, they are getting a bum rap in the rankings. There is no way that they should be behind Texas Tech, BYU, or Wisconsin. I fully believe Auburn would demolish any of those three teams on any given day, but such is the life of an SEC team.

Their offense still needs work. Chris Todd is improving, but they just lost Brad Lester for a substantial portion of the season, and no one knows whether Ben Tate will be able to carry the full load for the Tigers. Plus, Tony Franklin’s offense has proven more complicated than people originally thought. It’s one thing to execute it in the spring game, it’s a whole other thing to execute it against a team like LSU or Mississippi State.

That being said, on the other side of the ball, the Tigers are really good. They remind me of the old Miami defenses that flew around the field smacking people everywhere they went. It needs to be stressed how impressive the game Charles Scott had against this defense last Saturday.

The hits that Scott took, any other back would have had a tough time taking. Tray Blackmon finally looks like he will live up to his potential and the defensive line is applying a lot of pressure on the quarterback.

Also, although the Tigers play in the SEC, and have lost to a team in their own division, their schedule is not that difficult. Yes, they finish the season by playing Georgia and Alabama, but they should feel ok about that, because hopefully by that point the offense will be sorted out.

But before that game, their toughest game is at Vanderbilt in two weeks. They also play West Virginia and Tennessee but neither of those teams is playing up their potential, and neither is Arkansas. Tommy Tuberville should be very happy that Auburn avoided the Gators this season….very happy.

16. Wake Forest (3-0)

Opponents Record’s: Baylor (2-2), Ole Miss (2-2), Florida State (2-1)

From top to bottom the Demon Deacons have played the best schedule thus far. Their 41-13 annihilation of Baylor looks better and better even if Baylor’s freshman Robert Griffin didn’t play as much as he should of.

They needed a Sam Swank field goal to beat the Rebels, but the Rebels are better than their record indicates. Their defense and improved quarterback play make them decent enough to be reckoned with.

The Florida State win was ugly, they didn’t even score a touchdown, but everyone knows how good the Florida State defense always is, and the Wake Forest defense shut down an offense that was supposed to be much improved.

These wins now make Wake Forest the odds on favorite to win the ACC, but they still have a few tests left on the schedule.

Even though people have been quick to pile on the ACC this season, the conference is more of an unknown than a second-rate conference. Miami, Boston College, and Clemson all remain on the Demon Deacons schedule, and all three of those teams have the potential to beat Jim Grobe’s team, but will they be consistent enough?

The one weakness the Demon Deacons seem to have is their running game. Josh Adams was supposed to be a game-breaker this season from the tailback spot, but the loss of Steve Justice at center has taken a bigger toll on the offensive line than anyone would have thought, and Adams leads the team with just 146 rushing yards through three games.

If they want to beat teams like Miami and Clemson, both of whom have fast and strong defenses, they will need to make their offense two-dimensional.

17. Utah (4-0)

Opponents Record’s: Michigan (1-2), UNLV (3-1), Utah State (1-3), Air Force (3-1)

At first glance, the Utes schedule doesn’t look all that difficult. I mean Utah State stinks, and Michigan is not very good either. They blew out UNLV, and Air Force is not exactly the cream of the crop. But, when you look again, you might see that this might be the best season in the Mountain West ever. BYU, TCU, Utah, UNLV, Air Force, and Colorado State have all looked really good so far.

Do the Utes have what it takes to go undefeated and crash the BCS party? Maybe, but they are going to need a huge effort from their defense, which has been lackluster so far, and despite how good Brian Johnson has been at quarterback, he needs to take better care of the ball.

Johnson has thrown four interceptions so far this season, that’s one per game, way too many if Utah is hoping to beat both BYU and TCU, the two toughest match-ups left on the schedule. Luckily for Kyle Willingham and company, both of those teams travel to play in Salt Lake City.

Even with the home field advantage, Utah will not be able to come out flat the way they did at home against UNLV, who were winning 21-7 at one point before the Utes rattled off 35 straight points.

Consistency will be Utah’s biggest demon this season. If they stumble before they get to play the Horned Frogs or the Cougars it will be because they had a bad half, and couldn’t recover. Most likely that will be because Brian Johnson tried to use his athletic ability to do too much.

The good news for Utah is that Matt Asiata and Darrell Mack are two very good running backs, and will be more than happy to take the pressure off of Brian Johnson’s slim shoulders. The duo combined for 217 yards rushing and four touchdowns last Saturday againt the Falcons, and the attack is really three-pronged when Johnson gets involved.

18. Kansas (3-1)

Opponents Record’s: Florida International (0-3), Louisiana Tech (2-1), South Florida (4-0), Sam Houston State (1-1)

Kansas hasn’t played anyone remotely good other than South Florida, but the nation learned a lot about what the Jayhawks were cooking up for an encore performance from their breakout 2007 season.

It’s very clear that Todd Reesing was not a fluke. He led a number of good drives in the face of pressures against the Bulls, and thus far has 11 touchdowns to only two interceptions to go along with his completion percentage of 70.

Unfortunately, their running game hasn’t got off the ground the way Mark Mangino had planned. Last year Brandon McAnderson and Jake Sharp combined for over 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns, but McAnderson has moved on to greener pastures, and Sharp just hasn’t been the same. The best hope to carry McAnderson’s workload is JUCO transfer Jocques Crawford who boldly predicted he would run for 2,000 yards this season, but needs only 1,893 yards to do so.

Defensively, the team needs work still. Aqib Talib was one of the best players in the Big 12 last season, and his forte was locking down the opponent’s number one receiver. They would have no doubt been happy to have him when Matt Grothe torched the secondary for 338 yards through the air.

They better shore up their defense soon, because contrary to last season, Kansas isn’t ducking anyone this season. They play in Norman in three weeks, and they also play Texas Tech, Texas and Missouri, arguably the four best teams in the Big 12. That schedule will wear on anyone, and the defenses of Texas and Oklahoma especially are too smart and fast to let the Jayhawks beat them with a one-dimensional, passing offense.

The Jayhawks have a young defense, but if the defense steps up, there is a possibility that Kansas can surprise people easily. But they are trying to make it through the schedule unscathed? It looks impossible.

19. Boise State (3-0)

Opponent’s Records: Idaho State (0-3), Bowling Green (1-2), Oregon (3-1)

The Broncos deserve their fair share of credit offensively for torching the vaunted Ducks secondary for 386 yards through the air. Kellen Moore is emerging as the next productive quarterback for Boise State after Jared Zabransky, Ryan Dinwiddie, and Taylor Tharp. But that doesn’t mean the Broncos aren’t overrated.

The victory was impressive, but good teams like Boise State should not allow the Ducks’ fourth-string quarterback to throw three touchdowns against them, and the running game for Oregon was working well also.

Is it just me or does it feel like Ian Johnson has been a senior for three consecutive seasons? Regardless, Johnson is still a Bronco, and is probably still the best and most reliable running back in the WAC. He is averaging about 70 yards rushing per game, and only has four touchdowns, but that’s more because of the play-calling than any regression in his ability.

Meanwhile the Broncos real hopes for an undefeated season lie with Kellen Moore and his unheralded, yet productive group of receivers. The most difficult test left for Chris Peterson’s team will be at home against Fresno State to end the regular season. The Bulldogs are stout against the run, but it is difficult to imagine them being able to keep up with the passing offense is Moore and company is clicking.

It will be interesting to see what will happen if the Broncos finish undefeated, which is realistic. It will be especially interesting if a team like BYU also finishes undefeated. It’s difficult to see two non-BCS teams crashing the party, and will the win over a newly-mediocre Oregon team be strong enough to push the Broncos past the Cougars?

20. Clemson (3-1)

Opponent’s Records: Alabama (4-0), Citadel (2-1), North Carolina State (2-2), South Carolina State (2-2)

Paging the Tigers offense? Doctors Harper, Spiller, and Kelly please report to the front office immediately for re-evaluation! This team was supposed to be the cream of the crop in the ACC. They returned the ACC’s top passer, arguably the best running back combination in the country, and two top-flight wide receivers, and they have only mustered three passing touchdowns and less than five hundred yards for the duo.

C.J. Spiller has broken for a big play yet this season, Aaron Kelly has zero touchdown catches, and Cullen Harper has more interceptions (4) than he does touchdowns (3). This was the main reason they were embarrassed on national television by the Crimson Tide opening week. Tommy Bowden needs to get his offense straightened out if he hopes to compete in the improving ACC.

They still have a ton of talent on defense, especially in the secondary where Michael Hamlin and Chris Clemons lead an experienced and talented group. Can you name two defensive ends with more upside than DaQuan Bowers and Ricky Sapp? I can’t. Although they lost Nick Watkins at linebacker, his replacements are perfect Clemson linebackers, basically large safeties with tremendous sideline-to-sideline speed.

There is no way that Clemson, with the amount of talent on the team, should lose anymore this season. They play just one more ranked team all season (Wake Forest), and other than potential trap games with Georgia Tech and South Carolina, the Tigers path to the ACC is still golden, but they hold the keys to their own destiny.

But, it seems like every year Tommy Bowden gets outcoached once or twice and the Tigers end up losing to someone they have no business getting beaten by. They might play one of the easiest ACC schedules out of anyone, but they could already be looking past a Maryland team that shouldn’t be taken lightly. It wouldn’t surprise me either way if the Tigers win or lose on Saturday against the Terrapins.

Miami Hurricanes Football: A Little Youthful Exuberance Goes A Long Way

Michael Lemaire — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:37:20 -0400

Who said experience was better?

Certainly not Robert Marve. The Miami Hurricanes quarterback played in just his second collegiate football game at Kyle Field, home of "The 12th Man," and about 20,000 rabid cadets and all of the air their lungs could expunge, and threw two touchdown passes as "The U" smacked Texas A&M in its mouth, 41-23.

Chris Stock, who is the recruiting writer for The Sun-Sentinel and also contributes to InsidetheU.com, made an excellent observation at the end of his post today.

Stock felt the Hurricanes could contend for an ACC Championship this season because of the attitude of the freshmen that play serious minutes for the 'Canes.

It was such an excellent point, that I thought it deserved a little more diagnosis than what Stock was able to give it.

The Hurricanes win was impressive, but the Aggies are not the same team they were in the early '90s. Heck, they aren't even as good as they were last year when Miami beat them in South Florida.

The reason the people in Miami are so excited about their team is how exciting it looks thanks to some new blood that has invigorated the whole team.

When Michael Goodson scored from 62 yards away on the first play from scrimmage, I half-expected to see Kyle Wright trot out onto the field, hand it off once, throw two incompletions, and then watch it get punted back to the Aggies.

Instead, Marve and company didn't look daunted; they looked confident. They answered with a 29-yard strike from Marve to Kayne Farquharson, and then Graig Cooper ran it in and the game was tied again.

These new players seem to embody a new attitude for the Miami Hurricanes, who in 2007 rolled over and died too many times.

Players like Sean Spence, Thearon Collier, Marcus Forston, Aldarius Johnson, and Brandon Harris all played for state-title winning programs in high school (as Stock pointed out). These guys don't have the bitter taste in their mouths after last season. Instead, they go into every game thinking they can win.

They don't have the swagger that made Miami famous in the late '80s and early '90s, Randy Shannon has made sure of that, but they do seem to have an innocent confidence that seems to say, "Hey, if we go out and play hard, good things will happen."

Marve ended any quarterback controversy by effectively moving the football whenever he wanted to, and throwing two long touchdown passes. He looked downfield in the first half more than he did the entire game in Gainesville.

Collier had a touchdown catch, a longer touchdown reception negated by a penalty, a 25-yard catch where he made someone miss, and sure-handed punt returning.

Spence and Harris both played key roles on the defensive side of the ball and were all over the field making plays.

A great byproduct of this shot in the arm of youth is recruiting benefits. These players went to Florida and saw that Miami was willing to go to into the Swamp, and play more than 20 freshmen, went a long way in the eyes of some recruits, even if they did lose.

A lot of these kids get to see how exciting the atmosphere is once again in Coral Gables, and a good amount of these kids are taking notice, especially the ones from the South Florida factories.

If the 'Canes continue to play like this, they will be in a good position this season, and great position for the next five seasons.

College Football: Three Most Overrated Teams as of Week Four

Michael Lemaire — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:01:50 -0400

Here is a look at the three most overrated team in college football at this point in the season.

1. Florida State

Yes, they have won their first two games by a combined score of 115-7, and yes, Christian Ponder has a quarterback rating of 193.3 with six touchdowns and zero interceptions.

But their first two opponents were Western Carolina and Chattanooga, both FCS opponents.

The team still is feeling the residual effects of all the suspensions on both offense and defense, and I will believe they can run the ball and protect the quarterback when they actually play a worthy defense.

We will find out just how competitive this team will be when they welcome Wake Forest into Doak Campbell.

They will need to get after Riley Skinner and establish the run if they hope to have a chance at winning the game.

2. Wisconsin

They are ranked eighth in the country, and P.J. Hill is probably one of the five best running backs in the country. But the rest of the offense has looked pedestrian at best.

They should improve to 4-0 when they go into the Big House and play the Wolverines. But the next two weeks see Ohio and Penn State travelling to Camp Randall, and the 13 points they scored against a sub-par Fresno State defense will not be enough if they hope to win.

The most important thing for Evridge is to get a healthy Travis Beckum back at tight end, and continue to get a lot of production from Garrett Graham, who has caught all three of Evridge's touchdown throws.

The secondary has allowed more than 220 passing yards in all three of the wins, and the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions have a lot more dangerous weapons on the perimeter than Akron, Marshall, or Fresno had.

They have a good chance at winning both of those games considering that no matter what the betting line is, these games always seem to be within seven points.

3. Notre Dame

Pat Forde of ESPN.com wrote a column on a similar subject. People seem to be able to forgive the Fighting Irish's slow start against San Diego State because their offense looked so good in the rain against Michigan.

Unfortunately, while the offense, most specifically the offensive line, have made enormous strides since last season. Michigan is not the best barometer for the righting of the Holy Ship in South Bend.

There defense looks solid in the front seven, but there are a lot of followers who have reservations as to how the secondary will hold up when they play a team that can spread the ball around and actually pass for yards—I am looking at you Purdue.

The Irish have three highly recruited players lining up behind Jimmy Clausen in Robert Hughes, Armando Allen, and James Aldridge. Unfortunately, none of them seem capable of taking the reins of the running game.

They are all averaging between 3.1 and 3.7 yards per carry and none of them have a run of more than 18 yards.

To be honest, I don't think they will be able to beat Michigan State this weekend, but realistically, the Fighting Irish could find themselves on this list weekly considering how pathetic their schedule is.

USC is the only ranked team on their schedule, and North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and maybe Boston College are the only teams who pose serious threats.

Get ready to watch the Irish get blown out by a superior team in the Fiesta Bowl again this year.

Miami Hurricanes Will Soon Learn Two is Not Always Better Than One

Michael Lemaire — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:31:26 -0400

There is 7:16 left in the first quarter, and Robert Marve is trying to lead the Miami Hurricanes on a drive to answer the University of Florida, who lead 7-0.

Third and one...Marve completes a three-yard pass to Leonard Hankerson.

Third and two...Marve escapes the rush and runs for two yards and the first down.

Fourth and five...Marve once again eludes the pass-rushers, runs for eight yards and another first down.

Three times Marve was able to keep drives alive with his versatility and composure. These conversions allowed kicker Matt Bosher to regain confidence, and bury a 50-yard field goal to cut Florida's lead to four.

Momentum is now swinging back to the Hurricanes. Uber-frosh Sean Spence breaks through on third down and sacks Tim Tebow to force a punt and give Miami a chance to drive the field and take a lead.

Out comes Jacory Harris, the other freshman quarterback. He hands off four times to Derron Thomas, throws an incomplete pass and trots off the field.

Miami's defense bends, but when it needs to come up with a stop, they force a Tebow incompletion and another Chas Henry punt. Henry pins the Canes down at their own one-yard line.

Once again, out comes Harris. He completes a 12-yard pass, hands the ball off to Graig Cooper four times. He then throws a pass for negative yardage, and throws another incompletion on third down.

Florida's Jeffrey Demps block a punt, and Florida regains momentum and lead 9-3.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't know who is to blame for that sequence. Maybe Randy Shannon made the call to bring out Harris, maybe OC Patrick Nix made the call, maybe there was a combination of both.

Whoever it way, they couldn't have made a more illogical decision to replace Marve, who seemed calm and was growing in confidence, and replace him with Harris. It's like getting close to solving a Rubik's cube, and then purposely screwing yourself up to start all over.

You think the Canes' staff would have learned their lesson, or at least observed this and noted their mistake. But once again, Randy Shannon came out in front of the cameras and the microphones, and told everyone listening that Harris would play in both halves.

From watching both of them play, it is clear that Marve is the further advanced of the two, and therefore the more prepared to play, and compete in the football game. He runs better than Harris, which gave Florida fits, and he is stronger than Harris.

For many Hurricanes fans, this mixing and matching gives them flashbacks about Shannon's continued meddling with the quarterback situation last year. First it was Kirby Freeman, then Kyle Wright, then a little of both.

It gave reporters something to write about it, but it was detrimental to the quarterbacks and the team.

Nothing must be more frustrating for a young quarterback than to finally begin to see the field and gather a rhythm, and be replaced by another quarterback and watch him fail. Both quarterbacks would play better if they knew their position was secure.

I can only imagine what runs through Marve's mind when he makes a bad throw:

"Uh Oh! Is Jacory running on the field?"

"I hope he gives me another shot!"

"Please don't pull me, please!"

How is a young quarterback supposed to gain confidence if he has to look over his shoulder after every questionable decision.

If this continues, neither of Miami's young quarterbacks will be able to progress they way they are capable of. They will be too afraid of Patrick Nix's idle hands.

The View From Landsdowne Street: Red Sox Acquire Paul Byrd, Shore Up Rotation

Michael Lemaire — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:30:05 -0400

If the loss of Tim Wakefield and the struggles of Clay Buchholz didn't convince you that the Red Sox were in dire need of another starting pitcher, then 19-17 should have.

Charlie Zink made his major-league debut last night and was promptly given a 10-run lead in the first inning, but it didn't last long. Before one could blink, Zink was gone after just 4.1 innings, 11 hits, and eight earned runs, showing Red Sox faithful just how important another starter is.

Enter Paul Byrd, who has only made headlines in the past year for alleged HGH purchases and certainly not for any sort of lights-out pitching. But, while he may not be messiah, he is a means to an end, and a stopgap that the Red Sox badly needed in their rotation.

Byrd was 7-10 with a 4.53 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP, not great numbers, but in the case of the pitching-hungry Red Sox, the only number that matters is the number under the "IP" category for innings pitched.

Byrd has gone at least 5.1 innings in his last eight starts, which hopefully will allow some downtime for the Red Sox oft-used bullpen. Also, since the All Star break, Byrd has won all four of his starts and is sporting a 1.24 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP.

Don't expect Byrd to keep this hot streak alive, but if he can pitch even close to what he has done in this second half of the season, the Red Sox offense will be able to carry him through some of his rougher outings.

"No risk" was the name of the game, as far as Boston's front office is concerned. Sure, he is making $7.5 million per year, but he comes off the books after this season.

Plus, the Red Sox did not give up any notable prospect to acquire him. The Indians were interested in dumping his salary, and the Red Sox obliged by agreeing to take him for either a player to be named later or cash.

Byrd gives the team peace of mind. Buchholz has been awful in his last few starts, who knows how long Wakefield will be out, Zink doesn't look like the answer, and no one knows what to expect from Bartolo Colon when he returns.

It's safe to say the Red Sox rotation is similar to a sinking ship. Paul Byrd may not be the filler that will fix the leaky hole, but he is at least another man to help bail water.

The View from Landsdowne Street: Part One, Boston Red Sox vs. American League

Michael Lemaire — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:55:35 -0400

After watching the Red Sox dismantle the Royals last night, in what seemed like their first road win in years, I had to sit back and admire the lineup the Red Sox have put together. How does a guy like Jason Bay, who is 11th in the American League in RBI, hit sixth in this lineup?

This question got me thinking about where the Red Sox's everyday starters ranked in comparison to the rest of the American League in 2008, and figured by gauging where they ranked, it would be at least a decent barometer of their playoff chances.

Catcher: Jason Varitek (11th out of 14)

The catching position in the American League is rather embarrassing. The disparity between the top catchers, like Joe Mauer and A.J. Pierzynski, and the bottom feeders is enormous.

So, somehow, Jason Varitek, despite his career worst OPS of .665, and his miserable OBP (.310), is still better than four other catchers that are starting for major-league teams today.

These starters are Jeff Mathis (Angels), Kenji Johjima (Mariners), and John Buck (Royals).

Johjima might be the worst offensive catcher in all of baseball. He has almost 300 at-bats and his OPS is below .600 (.546), he only has three home runs, and has walked just 10 times.

Mathis is not far behind Johjima, sporting a .209 batting average and a .653 OPS. He does have eight home runs, and he has thrown out close to 30 percent of the runners that have tried to steal on him, but his offensive ineptitude makes him a worse option than 'Tek.

Buck, on the other hand, is a better offensive player than Varitek, at least in this season. He also has eight home runs and is the only person to post an OPS above .700 on this list (.714).

However, those offensive numbers are far from staggering, and when coupled with his inability to throw out potential base-stealers (only 15 percent for the season) and 'Tek's far superior game-calling ability, it gives Varitek the slight edge at the position.

1B: Kevin Youkilis (2nd out of 14)

First base is an incredibly hard category to judge because there are five players jumbled at the top that could really fall in any order, and then there are the rest of the AL first basemen, who just try to keep up.

The addition of Mark Teixeira adds to the group of elite first basemen that include: Jason Giambi, Justin Morneau, Miguel Cabrera, and Youkilis.

The first player to be eliminated from the running for the top spot is Cabrera, as he plays a below-average first base defensively, and is also one of the two players in this group with a OPS below .900. Plus, his 82 RBI, good for third amongst the group, have come in at least 30 more at-bats than everyone, save Morneau.

Next on the list to be eliminated is Jason Giambi. Despite his monster season this year, and the fact that he has far less at-bats than anyone else in the group, yet still has as many home runs, he again falls victim to the defensive portion of the grading.

I give the guy a lot of credit, as he was left for dead in the baseball world after steroids, but since then, he has worked hard to get back to where he is. But he also has five errors playing first base, and just 64 RBI, far below any other player on this list.

Teixeira has numbers that deserve to be in the top three, but he also has 30 more at-bats than Youkilis does, plus a lower OPS, and the same number of errors as Youk. Also, it seems a little early to judge his AL status, considering he has played against NL pitching all year.

Youkilis finishes second behind Justin Morneau because they are equivalent defensively (both have three errors), but Morneau just has a better, more powerful bat than Youkilis. Morneau's OPS is lower than Youk's, but his OPS+ is four points higher, and he has more home runs and a significant advantage in the all-important RBI category.

As much as I love Youk, the best first baseman in the American League is Justin Morneau.

2B: Dustin Pedroia (2nd out of 14)

Dustin Pedroia is having an incredible year: nine home runs, 49 RBI, a .316 batting average, and a .811 OPS, heck, he has even 11 stolen bases...It's just unfortunate that he has to play in the same league as Ian Kinsler from the Rangers.

Kinsler is having the best season by a second baseman in a loooong time. Kinsler leads all American League second basemen in hits, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, OBP, slugging, and OPS. He is a butcher at second base (see 18 errors), but his offensive production more than makes up for that.

In any other year, Pedroia might be the clear-cut winner amongst second basemen. But Ian Kinsler is the best hitting second basemen in all of baseball, with the possible exception of Dan Uggla from Florida.

The only other player that could have challenged Pedroia's spot as runner-up is the Orioles' Brian Roberts. Roberts has a higher OPS, more stolen bases, and more doubles. Meanwhile, Pedroia has more hits, average, runs, home runs, and RBI. It's practically a tie.

My nod goes to Pedroia, not because I am a Red Sox fan, but because Roberts has been linked to steroid usage and because of Pedroia's sizeable advantage in RBI.

Some might argue that Roberts' higher OBP and OPS make him more likely to score runs. But he leadsoff and Pedroia doesn't, and Pedroia has still scored more runs.

SS: Jed Lowrie (12th out of 14)

This was the hardest position for me to rank, especially because Lowrie has had almost 100 at-bats, when most starting shortstops have had closer to 350. But I made an effort anyways, and gave preference to some full-year players that have worse numbers just because they have played so long.

The two players who were given the preferential treatment were Edgar Renteria and Orlando Cabrera. Offensively, both have been awful. Their OPS' are under .700, and they have driven in just 37 and 44 runs, respectively, which Lowrie has halved since his call-up.

The two choices for teams with worse shortstops were easy, and they come from within the division, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles.

I am not quite sure if the Orioles even have a real shortstop. They have Brandon Fahey, Alex Cintron, and Juan Castro all listed at the position, but none of them have over 100 at-bats, and all of them have god-awful statistics. The Orioles revamped fully, but they forgot about a shortstop...any shortstop.

The Rays' shortstop, however, has been a staple in their lineup, and a bad one at that, despite what pundits might say.

Jason Bartlett is having a horrendous offensive season. He has 0 home runs and just 20 RBI in 308 at-bats. In contrast, Lowrie has one home run, and the same 20 RBI in just 97 at-bats. Bartlett's OPS just barely makes it over .600 (.602), and he is on base very rarely to score any runs.

At least his defense is always solid...oh wait, a quick check on that shows a .971 fielding percentage and 11 errors. I know Lowrie hasn't had nearly as many chances to bungle a groundball, but he has zero errors and a fielding percentage of 1.000

Fans in Tampa should root for Reid Brignac and Tim Beckham.

The View From Landsdowne Street: Red Sox Need to the End Buchholz Experiment

Michael Lemaire — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:25:29 -0400

For a team that most pundits rank among the deepest pitching rotations in the major leagues, the Red Sox sure have been stubborn about sticking with second year pitcher Clay Buchholz despite continuing struggles.

Look, I know that Buchholz can throw a curve ball that will make your knees buckle, and that, when working, his fastball is downright electric. I also know that young pitchers can be maddeningly inconsistent, and that as a team, with a long season, you just learn to live with the good and the bad.

But inconsistency has not been Buchholz's problem. Instead it's been his consistency, his consistency in how hard he gets hit in seemingly every start.

Look at his previous four starts, not including tonight:

(although so far he has six IP, seven Hs, four ERs, one HR, three BB, four Ks)

L....6.1 IP, six Hs, six ERs, one HR, three BB, five Ks

ND....5.1 IP, seven Hs, three ERs, two HRs, two BBs, seven Ks

L....4.2 IP, eight Hs, eight ERs, one HR, two BBs, two Ks

L....5.0 IP, five Hs, four ERs, zero HR, five BBs, six Ks

I don't doubt Buchholz's talent, in fact, I think Buchholz still will be one of the better starters on this team. The telling fact is that he still strikes out a lot of batters, which means his stuff is still real good.

But Buchholz turns only 24 later this month, and it's clear in the way he is pitching and the way he is spotting his fastball, that mentally, his psyche has taken a blow. He has issued his fair share of walks over the course of the season, but in these past starts his struggles can't be attributed solely to control.

The fact is he is getting hit, hit hard.

Everyone, fan or baseball man, knows the dangers of walking the fine line of a young pitcher's mental makeup. At this point, time is up for Terry Francona and the Red Sox front office.

Bartolo Colon is scheduled to pitch in a rehab start sometime this week, and as soon as he feels healthy, he should replace Buchholz in the rotation.

Buchholz doesn't need to work on his control, and he hasn't been unlucky. He has seemingly lost faith in his own ability and in his pitches more specifically.

Unfortunately for Buchholz and the Red Sox, this is a problem best fixed in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, away from the bright lights of Fenway Park and the ensuing race to the playoffs.

Send Buchholz down, let him pitch the remainder of the season in Pawtucket where he can not only regain his confidence and ability, but also work a deep drive at being slighted from the big club.

Make him feel like he needs to come back and regain or re-earn his spot amongst the staff in Boston. If he is competitive, he will work twice as hard to regain what he once had and come back with a redoubled effort to play for Boston.

My guess is that with the talent and repertoire Buchholz has, it won't take a lot of itching before Buchholz is right as rain.

The View from Landsdowne Street: Angels Trade for Teixeira...Your Move, Red Sox

Michael Lemaire — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:20:37 -0400

It's your move Theo. The best team in baseball, the Los Angeles Angels, have called your non-trade, and raised you a perennial All-Star first baseman. Now the only real question remains...how are you going to respond?

I had the immense displeasure of attending the Nationals-Phillies game last night.

My eyes, however, were focused on the out-of-town scoreboard, which, by the fifth inning showed that the Red Sox were about to lose their seventh consecutive game to the Angels. Little did I know what I was in for when I turned on the TV at home...

The Angels added to their embarrassment of riches by adding a first baseman in Mark Teixeira who since the end of his first season has never hit fewer than 30 home runs.

Oh but I almost forgot, Teixeira has also never driven in fewer than 105 runs since his first season, and he sports a tidy .996 career fielding percentage.

The general consensus around baseball, including Los Angeles and Boston, is that the only thing preventing the Angels from winning a World Series since their victory in 2002 was a power bat to protect Vladimir Guerrero.

The American League had better look out.

For the best team in baseball, the Angels offense sure looked anemic. Before this trade they were ninth in the American League in runs scored. Just by adding Teixeira and subtracting Casey Kotchman, the Angels would jump the Indians and be tied with the Yankees for seventh in runs with 497.

They were also ninth in home runs before the trade. Again by just using simple addition and subtraction the Angels jumped up into seventh in the American League in that category.

Using this very simple mathematical equation, the Angels have also added: 24 RBI, 37 walks, three doubles, 63 points in on-base percentage (.390-.327), and 64 points in slugging percentage (.512-.448).

The rudimentary math doesn't even take into account how many more fastballs Vladimir Guerrero is going to get to feast on hitting in front of Teixeira. Or the added protection it gives Torii Hunter, who will now have the pleasure of hitting behind Teix.

Maicer Izturis has hit third for the Angels in both of the previous two games, for crying out loud!

Meanwhile, over in Boston, GM Theo Epstein is deciding whether to subtract the biggest bat in his lineup and give up hope on the 2008 season. He could also stick with Manny Ramirez and add a rental left-handed reliever at the cost of one of Boston's young and talented prospects.

It hurts, and all these rumblings are going to start giving me ulcers.

I am watching my favorite team crumble before my eyes around shoddy starting pitching and lack of production at the end and the top of the order. Other contenders are going out and adding what they really need. Theo is just sitting, denying rumors about trade after trade.

It has become abundantly clear that if the Red Sox want to win the World Series in 2008, they are going to need a lot more than just a left-handed reliever...and no, that does not mean trading for an accused steroid-taking shortstop in the midst of his worst season since 1999 (Miguel Tejada).

We are standing pat with a center-fielder who is hitting .186 with a .205 OBP since the All-Star break, a catcher who is hitting .215 with a .299 OBP for the season, and a fifth starter whose ERA is approaching 6.00.

Meanwhile, the bullpen is just about the only thing that actually seems to functioning correctly. They have only allowed one run over their last 8.2 innings, and if you throw away Craig Hansen's debacle last week against the Yankees. The bullpen has only allowed two runs over their 20.2 innings.

Yet we feel the need to trade prospects for a half-season rental reliever when there are far more glaring holes to fix.

I just hope Theo and the rest of the front office wake up and smell the coffee before they are golfing in October instead of creating a dynasty.

The View from Landsdowne Street: News from Down on the Farm

Michael Lemaire — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:01:54 -0400

Just a few notes from the minor leagues:

*Bartolo Colon threw a side session out of the bullpen before the game in Anaheim last night, and now, according to MLB.com, he is approximately a week away from a rehab start in either Portland or Pawtucket.

His impact with the team should be solid because a team can never have enough starters, and Colon has been reasonably effective when he is healthy.

Expect him to slide into the back-end of that rotation, especially if Clay Buchholz continues his struggles.

*Brandon Moss, who had been the fourth outfielder in Boston since his call-up in early June, rejoined Pawtucket on July 25.

In the four games since his return to the AAA club, Moss has been three for 15, two home runs, and three RBI. He will undoubtedly rejoin the club when the roster expands, but it still must be frustrating.

*The only recent call-up to Pawtucket, and the next golden boy right-hander from the Red Sox's minor-league system, Michael Bowden was activated by the PawSox on the 21st.

After getting smacked around in his first outing, to the tune of seven hits and three runs in just four innings, Bowden's last start was much better (6 innings, 6 hits, 1 earned run, 3 K).

He has been getting hit hard, but he hasn't walked anybody, and his number should continue to improve as he settles in.

*Some of the other mid-July call-ups have not enjoyed the same success that Bowden is beginning to find.

The sample sizes are small, of course, but Lars Anderson (5-26 or .192, 1 RBI, 1 extra-base hit, 13 strikeouts) and Josh Reddick (3-16, 5 RBI, 1 extra-base hit, 5 strikeouts) have found the transition to AA-Portland a little more difficult.

*Some of the call-ups from further down in the system are also having their fair share of difficulties as well.

18-year old Michael Almanzar was recently promoted to A-Greenville, where he has been bad (5-28, 1 RBI, 1 extra-base hit, 4 strikeouts).

On the other hand, two of the players who just left Greenville on their way to Lancaster have seen a smooth transition.

The most impressive of the two has been youngster Yamaico Navarro, who after leaving Greenville with a .753 OPS, now has a .856 OPS in 56 at-bats with Lancaster. He is also hitting .302 with two home runs, six RBI, and four doubles. He still doesn't walk ever (just twice) but his skills are undeniable.

Navarro's new teammate, Luis Exposito, who was called up in the middle of June, has carved himself out a nice niche in Lancaster. Exposito is hitting .277 in 112 at-bats, with six home runs (including four last week) and 20 RBI. There is absolutely no denying how strong he is, and he has a definite future behind the plate.

*A little rookie watch for you all!

Casey Kelly, the team's first-round pick who commanded such a high bonus to keep him away from Tennessee, has been assigned to the Gulf Coast League Red Sox, and hopefully it is just taking some time to adjust, because he has looked over-matched.

Kelly is just three for 28, with one double, and 12 strikeouts to go with 1 walk. He is only 18, of course, but I was hoping for a fast start from Kelly. I am sure he will improve, but if it doesn't happen in the next two years, it might be time to just make him a pitcher.

On the other hand, the team's supplemental pick, right-hander Brian Price has been very good in a limited role with the low-A Lowell Spinners. In three starts and 12.2 innings, Price has allowed 15 hits, just two earned runs, and is sporting a nifty K:BB ratio (7:1).

In his last performance on Sunday, Price looked dominant. The big fella from Rice University pitched four scoreless innings, allowed just four hits and struck out six. Never can have enough pitching...

Last but not least, Derrick Gibson, the other high-school shortstop the Red Sox signed, has all the making of a taller version of Dustin Pedroia.

He was assigned to the GCL team along with Kelly, and has made the most of the opportunities.

In 29 at-bats, Gibson has nine hits (including four doubles), two RBI, and in what is his most impressive stat, seven walks with only four strikeouts (his OBP is a whopping .462).

Nothing can please Theo Epstein or the front office anymore than an 18-year-old kid, thrust into his first shortened season of professional baseball, who has the plate discipline that Gibson has exhibited.

I told you he reminded me of Dustin Pedroia, but as he fills out, those doubles could start turning into home runs.

The View From Landsdowne Street: Just Williams Being Williams

Michael Lemaire — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:41:08 -0400

Can you even begin to imagine how much Ted Williams would have hated the media in the ever-evolving, 24-hour news cycle?

In the new age, where the lines between superstar, celebrity, sports news, and gossip are blurred, I can't fathom how much this would have royally pissed off "Teddy Ballgame".

The current media circus surrounding Boston involves Manny Ramirez and his ever-increasingly famous antics.

Back in the middle of the 1940s, there was another Boston slugger who had a tenuous relationship with not only the media, but also the fans.

Ted Williams has, in no particular order, thrown bats at unruly fans, picked verbal fights with fans in the left-field bleachers, and had been reported to spit into the stands on more than one occasion.

In the current day and age, would the media come up with a catchy slogan for Williams' kooky and erratic behavior?

Maybe "Ted being Ted”, or maybe the media could use alliteration; how does "Temperamental Ted" sound?

My point is that everyone has weighed in on the Manny Ramirez situation in the past two weeks.

Even Red Sox fans have grown sick and tired of all of Manny's erratic behavior.

"The Red Sox should trade Manny, or not pick up his option next year!" That seems to be the sentiment sweeping Boston right now.

I would agree, if he weren’t one of the 10 best hitters in baseball right now!

The Red Sox need to look past the media feeding frenzy. Maybe they could use a little dose of history.

Williams was always upset with Boston's fans. He was always perplexed and angered by the fact that a fan would “boo” a player when he made an error, and would turn around and cheer him when he singled the next inning.

In fact, Williams was so angry at the Boston faithful that he never once, in his entire career, tipped his cap to the fans.

This included the day he hit the last home run of his career.

Despite a persistently cheering crowd, Williams did not appreciate fickle fans, and therefore did not acknowledge them with a tip of the cap.

Now, think what would happen if Manny Ramirez hit a game-winning home run and failed to come out for a curtain call.

He would get crucified in the media the next day, and he would lose a large part of his fanbase.

I wonder if Tom Yawkey ever thought about trading Ted Williams for prospects in order to have a more "fan-friendly" left fielder.

My guess is that Yawkey probably wanted to keep a hitter who hit below .300 just once in his 21-year career.

The point is that every team should try to please their fans, but the best way to please the fans is to put the best possible product on the field, which, in my opinion, includes Manny Ramirez.

Fans of the Boston Red Sox should remember what Ramirez has done for this ballclub in his years in the city.

He is the focal point of a perennial top-three offense in all of baseball. An offense that is at least 50 percent responsible for bringing this pennant and World-Series-starved city not one, but two World Series in four years.

Now, Red Sox fans are pampered and spoiled.

The city is getting sick and tired of Manny Ramirez. So now, despite everything he has done for the city and the team, not to mention the psyche of the fans, they just want to toss him out on the street or trade him to another contending team.

Tom Yawkey never put any stock into how Williams was portrayed in the media.

He could care less whether the fans liked Williams, and I am sure he could have easily rid himself of the negative media by just trading Williams.

All he had to do was look down at the season totals for Williams and see his ridiculous 43 home runs, 159 RBI, and a whopping .650 slugging percentage in 1949 to remind himself just how important Ted Williams was to the success of his team.

It's Theo Epstein's time to make sure he isn't doing what the rest of Red Sox nation seems to be doing, which is overlooking another impressive year by his best hitter.

I can't believe the team is even entertaining thoughts about trading him!

The Red Sox are supposed to be buyers this trading season, yet for some insane reason, the front office is actually thinking about trying to ship off their team's best hitter.

Critics of Manny keep talking about how he is getting old, and his numbers are starting slip— how he might have outgrown his usefulness. That's right, I can't imagine how a .302 batting average, a .400 OBP, and freaking 65 RBI could possibly be useful!

I will tell you what; I bet you, more so than anyone else, that Ted Williams would sympathize with Manny Ramirez.

The View From Landsdowne Street: J.D. Drew's Resurgence

Michael Lemaire — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:00:30 -0400

Resurgence might not be the best word for what has transpired in right field for the Red Sox. Resurrection might be a better term to describe the rapid ascent out of mediocrity and into sudden stardom that J.D. Drew has put together.

There were plenty of critics at the beginning of last season that didn't believe that Drew was going to be worth the $14 million/year contract that the Red Sox gave him to roam right field.

Most thought the team was being a little frivolous. After all, Drew had a history as someone with all of the tools, but just didn't really care whether he put them all to good use. He also had only played 140 games twice in his career, and he was coming off far and away his best statistical season of his career, which rang somewhat of an anomaly.

After his first season in a Red Sox uniform, he had done nothing to quell the rumblings from fans. He hit just .270, with 11 home runs and just 64 RBI. His OBP was at its usual high mark (.373), but a .423 slugging percentage is anemic, especially for a position as offensively important as corner outfield.

He was fine in field. He covered a lot of ground, made just two errors, and also contributed five assists. But the team did not pay him such a hefty salary to carry an OPS+ of 105.

The worst part of it all, for fans, was that it seemed like Drew just didn't care. He played everyday with the same stoic expression, moving so fluidly it almost seemed like he was robotic. Fans would watch all of that talent drive a pitch the opposite way and gracefully glide into second base, only to watch his next three at-bats all be groundouts to second base...it was frustrating, even maddening.

He showed signs in the 2007 postseason as well. Everybody remembers the grand slam that granted him slight reprieve from the fans in the ALCS against Cleveland. But he also hit .360 in that series and then hit.330 in the World Series against Colorado.

Some fans (myself included) were still ready to write him off. I remember wondering whether a hand-written letter from myself to Theo Epstein would convince the GM to swing a trade for Jeff Francoeur or maybe Shane Victorino...don't I feel dumb.

All Drew has done in his second go-around in Boston is become one of the best hitters in all of baseball for 2008...and he hits sixth. Look at where he ranks in every major offensive statistical category:

Home Runs (19)—Ninth in the AL

Walks (61)—Eighth in the AL

Runs (66)—Seventh, which is even more remarkable when you consider how many he would have if he hit in front of Manny, Papi, or Lowell instead of Jason Varitek and Julio Lugo.

OBP (.402)—Fourth in the AL

Slugging (.550)—Fourth in the AL

He is one of the 10-best hitters in the American League. Plus, he is about to eclipse his base total of last year (197 in '07, 170 so far in '08).

He chose a great year to have a breakout. Especially considering how incredibly crucial he was in the continued success of the team while David Ortiz sat. When Ortiz went out on June 2, it looked like the Red Sox were going to be crashing back to earth.

Right around that time was when J.D. Drew decided to go all Ted Williams for the Sox. From June 3 to June 16, Drew homered seven times, and drove in 14 runs. For the month of June, Drew hit a sparkling .337, with 12 home runs, 27 RBI, a .462 OBP, and a bananas .848 slugging percentage.

Drew, along with Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Manny Ramirez kept the Red Sox afloat while they hunkered down to weather the injury storm. But Drew was far and away the best player in baseball for the month of June.

All of the Manny Ramirez talk has Drew out of the eyes of the fans, and away from any scorn that might be directed his way. Although, with the way he is playing this season, all that scorn is headed in a different direction.