Bleacher Report - Articles by E A

Week 12 NFL Picks: Last Minute Edition

E A — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:06:08 -0500

With Turkey Day behind us, and three games already in the books, my friend Steven and I have decided to roll out some picks at the last minute to try our hand at predicting the week's remaining games. You guys know the drill, so without further ado, here we go:

ATL vs TB
S : Should be a nice confidence booster for Matt Ryan. Tampa's horrid secondary and Freeman's rookie mistakes will result in a Falcons' W.

E : Atlanta by a mile.

MIA vs BUF
S : Buffalo made last weeks' game competitive, but will be forced to the air too much in this contest, due to Miami's great front seven. Dolphins.

E : Run, Ricky, Run! 'Nuff said right there.

PHI vs WAS
S : No Portis = Big Problem. Philly in a blowout.

E : I'll take the Eagles.

STL vs SEA
S : Upset Pick: Seattle couldn't stop Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor last week, what makes you think they can stop Steven Jackson? St. Louis in a close one.

E : I'll take Saint Louis too, but in my opinion it would be more of an upset for Seattle to win it.

NYJ vs CAR
S : Steve Smith will not be a factor in this game (Darelle Revis), and the Jets have a good rush defense. New York.

E : I agree Darelle Revis is going to make Steve Smith a non-factor, but I think DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart can make this a long day for the Jets if Delhomme can stay efficient enough in the pass game just to keep the Jets off guard. I still expect the Jets to win, though.

CIN vs CLE
S : Cincinnati will bounce back this week to beat the Mangina and the pathetic group he calls a team, especially if Cedric Benson plays. Cincy.

E : Yawn. Cincy.

IND vs HOU
S : The Colts will be 11-0 after Sunday, as Kris Brown will inevitably miss another crucial field goal. Never bet against Peyton Manning. Colts.

E : As much as I hate to say it, I agree, Indy will make it 11-0. If the Texans pull off a miracle upset, you won't see me crying, though.

SD vs KC
S : San Diego is red-hot right now, and will keep it alive after steamrolling the Chiefs. Chargers.

E : The Chiefs may have had some magic last week, but there is no way I can justify picking against the Bolts this week.

SF vs JAC
S : San Fransisco has a great rush defense, which will force the Jaguars to throw more than they would like to. I don't trust Garrard. 49er's in a close one.

E : Jacksonville only has a shot if they can strike early and often with Maurice Jones-Drew. Against a pretty good front seven in San Fran, they only have a small window of opportunity here. I'll take the 49ers, but it will be close.

MIN vs CHI
S : Minnesota is probably the most complete team in the NFL, and the defense will contain Forte, forcing Cutler to make bad decisions. Vikings.

E : I'm not going to be entirely sold on the Minnesota Vikings until they show me a convincing win over a convincing team. Missed last second field goals or miraculous last-second touchdowns aren't going to cut it, as fun as they are to watch. That being said, though, they shouldn't have any problem demolishing the Bears, especially at home.

TEN vs ARI
S : I would not want to play Tennessee right now. The offense is firing on all cylinders, but their secondary will make this a close game for Arizona. Titans in a close one.

E : Being on the road with a banged up Kurt Warner against a suddenly relevant Tennessee Titans means A LOT of trouble for Arizona, but I think they have the firepower to escape with a big, big win. It all depends on how effective Kurt Warner is.

BAL vs PIT
S : This will be a great game of hard-nosed football. The Ravens will probably be without Suggs because of Brady Quinn's cheapshot, but will find other ways to get Big Ben dirty. Ravens end their slide in a close one.

E : Baltimore over the Steelers will probably be my biggest upset of the week. Big Ben has now been ruled out for Sunday's action, so Baltimore will be free to run all over the field against their division rival.

NO vs NE
S : Tom Brady will have a good game, as the Saints' secondary is banged up. However, this one is at the Superdome giving Brees and the Saints the edge. Expect a shootout. Saints.

E : This is my second batch of picks for the week, and for the second time, I will abstain so as not to jinx the Patriots. I'm not so convinced it will be a shootout, though, as the Patriots are second in the entire league in points allowed per game behind only Indy, and the Saints aren't too shabby on defense either.

In a showdown between two of the best quarterbacks in the league, the key will be which team best uses the running game. We all know about Thomas, Bell, and Bush, but if New Orleans overlooks Faulk, Maroney, and possibly even Green-Ellis, they will be burned for it.

Theo Epstein, Here's My Christmas List

E A — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:14:14 -0500

I don't want a lot for Christmas, I've got pretty much everything I could want. I have a a nice cell phone, an iPod Touch, an Xbox 360 with Xbox Live, and there is a car waiting for me when I get my driver's license in the near future. Recently, I've been spoiled by my sports teams. But I'm not (too) spoiled. I understand the value of hard work. I get that money (technically) doesn't grow on trees. What else could I want? I won't be asking for a whole lot for Christmas this year, but at my age, I'm a little old to be asking Santy Claus to bring the presents this December. What other jolly old fat guys can I turn to? The spirit of Chris Farley (may he rest in peace)? I don't think so. So, pleeeeeeeease, Mr. Epstein, I've been a good boy this year, and there isn't really a nonchalant way of doing this, but here's my Christmas list.

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NFL Week 11 Picks from a Patriots Fans' Perspective

E A — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:17:22 -0500

After a final 10 minutes of Sunday night's game that had me squirming miserably in my seat, knowing full well that Peyton Manning was going to lead the Colts to victory, this week is perhaps the first time ever that I haven't looked forward to seeing some more football.

I really am enthusiastic about Laurence Maroney, but he is in my dog house until further notice after coughing one up in the end zone. That touchdown would have put our lead juuuust out of reach, so not even Peyton Manning could touch it with one of his epic fourth quarter runs.

But alas, the NFL season isn't just going to grind to a halt just because the Colts have left little old me miserable, so us Patriots fans are just going to have to trudge onward and continue picking our winners and losers.

Am I the only one in complete disbelief that it's already week 11?

This week we have TR, Glenn Card, Doug Baker, and myself making picks.

Thursday, Nov. 18, 2009

Miami @ Carolina

TR: These teams are remarkably well-matched in a number of ways. While the Panthers can make Double Trouble for anyone if they actually show up, it is worth noting that Miami has a good defense against the rush. The Fish have one of the worst pass defenses around, but the Panthers have a quarterback that could make any defense look good, so that‘s a wash. A big factor against Carolina is the loss of LT Jordan Gross with a broken ankle. Sorry, Panthers, the Dolphins will take you down at The Bank.

EA: The Fish have a great ground defense, and the only way the Panthers are a threat to move the ball is on the ground. DeAngelo Williams might bust off a couple good gains, but Carolina does not have the passing attack to get enough respect from Miami's defense to really leave a lot of holes for Williams. I'll take the Phins.

GC: The Panthers beat the Falcons last week, WTF. I didn’t see that coming. Now they go up against a Dolphins team working to keep playoff hopes alive. I’m going to give the Panthers the nod this week because they are playing at home.

DB: Even without Ronnie Brown I think the Miami is the better team and will win. Miami.

Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay

TR : Please. What do you think? There is nothing to say here.

EA : It's not a matter of who is going to win, it's a matter of how big the score will be.

GC: In this age of parity in the NFL who thinks the Buccaneers can beat the Saints? I see no hands raised. None! Me neither, the Saints roll on undefeated.

DB: Tampa’s only chance is that they are at home, but they aren’t slowing down the Saints offense. New Orleans.

Atlanta @ New York

TR : The Giants were devastated by a four game losing streak before the bye, but I expect them to come back a little stronger. Atlanta has shown a bit of success here and there, but they are just a notch above mediocrity. Giants get this one done.

EA: The Giants have really cooled off after their great start, and I think Atlanta is just good enough of a team to keep giving the G-Men problems. Atlanta in a close one.

GC: The Falcons are coming off a loss and going into New York facing a rested Giants team; the Giants are going to win big at home.

DB: Weird game. Turner is out and Atlanta has faltered a bit lately. The Giants have lost their way. But I have to go with the Giants in this game. New York Giants.

Buffalo @ Jacksonville

TR : The Bills are a team in turmoil, and Jacksonville is turning it on. MJD is phenomenal, and Buffalo is last in the league in rushing defense. You figure it out.

EA: Maurice Jones-Drew will have more touchdowns on his own than the Bills will as a team. Hope TO got his popcorn ready.

GC: The Bills just lost their coach and there are just too many questions about this team to think they can go out and steal a win from the home team.

DB: Buffalo is obviously a mess and in flux and Jacksonville has been playing a little better of late. Jacksonville.

San Francisco @ Green Bay

TR: In perhaps the weakest division in the NFL, San Francisco can only manage to sit in second place. In this matchup, they meet a Green Bay team ranking second in run defense. It could be a long day for Frank Gore, especially at Lambeau. The Pack is all set to win this one.

EA: The 49ers will keep it close, but I'm going with Green Bay since they're on the home field.

GC: I am really liking what the 49ers are trying to do this year. The Green Bay Packers came up with a big win last week as well. The Packers are playing at home and I never pick against them when they are playing at Lambeau field.

DB: Interesting game, but San Francisco’s offense can’t generate enough points to beat the Packers. Green Bay.

Seattle @ Minnesota

TR: Seattle doesn’t have a chance. Favre just has too many weapons for the Seahawks to overcome. Sidney Rice has impressed me, and the ability of Adrian Peterson goes without saying. So I won’t say it. I’ll just say that Minnesota takes down the ‘Hawks.

EA: Brett Favre. Jared Allen. Adrian Peterson. Sidney Rice. Hell, even Percy Harvin. Seattle is so incredibly outmatched on either side of the ball, they don't have a chance.

GC: I just don’t like the Seahawks and they can’t seem to win an away game. The Vikings with Favre under center will be eating the Seahawks' lunch.

DB: Minnesota is on a roll and they are playing Seattle, which not a very good team. Minnesota.

Indianapolis @ Baltimore

TR: I expected more from the Ravens this year, but injuries and age on the defense have become a problem. Nevertheless, they remain strong against the run and have allowed only 17.1 points per game. Their weakness is in pass defense, and sorry to say, that guy who quarterbacks the Colts will pick them apart. Offensively, the Ravens have some serious weapons, but I fear it won’t be enough. I really dislike saying it, but the Colts will remain undefeated. I hope I’m wrong.

EA: I expected more from the Ravens as well, not to say that they aren't doing OK. I thought New England was going to do it last week, but I'm going to make a bold move and predict the Ravens hand Indy their first loss of the year.

GC: The Colts finally got tested last week and they proved they do have a chance to go undefeated this year. The Ravens had an easy game last week and get to play at home but against one of this years' stand-out teams. The Ravens play tough at home and I’ll pick them as the winner in this game as my upset of the week.

DB: It’s a shame Suggs got hurt on a dirty play by Brady Quinn. That will really hurt the Ravens' defense. But my gut tells me they are going to pull off the upset. Baltimore.

Washington @ Dallas

TR : Clinton Portis is still suffering the effects of the concussion he suffered in the Atlanta game, but his absence didn’t stop the Deadskins from defeating Denver last week. However, this is a different matter altogether. The Cowboys, who were defeated by Denver in week four, were riding a four-game win streak until they hit the wall against GB last week. This is one of those old rivalries that are almost impossible to predict, but I think Dallas has the horses here.

EA: The Redskins have been pathetic. No way can they beat Dallas on the road. Better luck next week.

GC: This is a rivalry that usually spells for a good game but I don’t think the Cowboys are going to give the Redskins a chance.

DB: I don’t believe Washington is as good as they played last week. Dallas.

Pittsburgh @ Kansas City

TR: This could get ugly. Blood could spill. I agree with Mr. Card and predict a shutout.

EA: I think the end result goes without saying.

GC: The Steelers need to keep on the winning side of the tote board at this point, and they are going to make the Chiefs pay for their most recent loss. Steelers win with big numbers; this may even be a shut out.

DB: Really, do I need to make a pick here? Pittsburgh.

Cleveland @ Detroit

TR: I would rather watch one of those home improvement shows with my wife than this train wreck. Thankfully, I don’t have to make that choice. These teams, ten weeks into the season, have a total of two wins between them. The only fun in this game would be in watching Fredo Mangini have an aneurysm. There is chaos at every level in both organizations. My dog says go with Detroit.

EA: Deeeeeeetroit!!!! In the 2009 Last-Chance-for-a-Win Bowl, Detroit makes a remarkable improvement, getting all the way to two wins. While it would be cool to see this mark the end of Mangina's coaching career, there's just something about watching him and the Browns drown in ineptitude that amuses me.

GC: Who cares really? Lions at home.

DB: Cleveland looked like a bad Division III team last week. Detroit.

Arizona @ St. Louis

TR: It is pretty clear how much Kurt Warner loves playing in St. Louis. He won when he played for the Rams, and now he has a knack for defeating the Rams, who will lose this game. Badly.

EA: Steven Jackson will put up a valiant fight to try and get St. Louis a win, but unfortunately for this kid, he can't muster up enough on his own to get the job done. Arizona just has too much firepower.

GC: The Rams are getting beat every way except sideways. The Cardinals are not going to take it easy on them either.

DB: I think the Rams could get some yards and points against the Cardinals with Steven Jackson. Arizona.

Cincinnati @ Oakland

TR: Somehow, I am not entirely sold on the Bengals, even though they have swept both the Ravens and the Steelers. Maybe I just have too many friends from the Baltimore community, I don’t know. The Raiders do have the benefit of playing at home in this one, and they have a halfway decent pass defense. I said halfway, not great, and Palmer is putting up some pretty good numbers. Try as I might, I cannot see the Bengals losing this one.

EA: I have a vested fantasy football interest in the Bengals. On one team I have Carson Palmer, on another I have Chad Ochocinco, and on my other the Bengals' defense. I would definitely not complain if these guys explode for a huge game. And against Oakland, who is going to stop them?

GC: I’m not going to say the Bengals get a easy win this week but they will win against the Raiders. But expect the Raiders to keep it close.

DB: Cincinnati has proven to be one of the best teams in the league. This is a no-brainer, even on the west coast. Cincinnati.

San Diego @ Denver

TR: I have to go with Glenn here. These are two teams headed in opposite directions, at least for this season. San Diego’s running game hasn’t been too productive, but LT woke up last week, and I remain a big Sproles fan. Regardless of the ground game, Rivers-to-Jackson has been money in the bank. Going with the Bolts here.

EA: My opinion of this Denver team continues to quickly take a 180. Even in Denver, I'm convinced the Bolts are going to walk away with a win over the Broncs.

GC: You're supposed to fix things during the bye week, but the Broncos have lost every game since their bye. The Chargers on the other hand have been playing better ball down the stretch. I believe the Chargers have enough juice to take the Broncos in this match up.

DB: These two teams are going in opposite directions and Denver has lost Kyle Orton. These teams usually play very competitive games but San Diego is on its way up. San Diego.

NY Jets @ New England

TR: I need to say this before I go any further: the Patriots lost a tough one last week, the operative word being “one.” That’s that, water under the bridge.

Now that I have that out of the way, I will tell you that the Patriots will be loaded for bear against the Jets. These are two very different teams from what we saw in week two. Our Patriots will slice and dice these Jets at The Razor, end of story.

EA: Indy, NYJ, New Orleans. In this stretch of games, it is imperative for New England to win two of three. They already dropped one, which I didn't expect until going to the Superdome. After REALLY coughing one up to their hated rivals last Sunday, the Patriots will NOT let the Jets come away from the Razor with a win.

GC: The Jets have been reeling since their early success against the Patriots, and they have to go into the New England Patriots' “Razor” stadium and try to get back on track. Good luck with that. The Patriots remember their earlier loss to the Jets, and the Pats are playing a whole lot better now that Brady’s rust has been worked off.

DB: These division games are always tough but my gut tells me the Patriots are a better team than the last time we met the Jets and that we will pull out the win at home. New England.

Philadelphia @ Chicago

TR: The Bears just do not have it going on. Wherever Jay Cutler goes, well, there he is. Same guy. The Eagles have been confounding, losing to Oakland, defeating the Giants— a real rollercoaster ride. They are not a great team, but they are good enough to beat Chicago.

EA: Like TR pointed out, Philly may not be the elite team they seemed like earlier this year, but they aren't nearly bad enough to blow one to Chicago.

GC: The Eagles are having a hard time stringing a series of wins together. After early expectations we have found that the Bears are just not all that. I don’t care if the Bears are playing at home; they will lose to the Eagles.

DB: How many picks will Cutler throw this week? Philadelphia.

Monday, Nov. 23, 2009

Tennessee @ Houston

TR: True, Houston is still somewhat in the hunt, but the Titans have improved since Kerry Collins sat down and Vince Young got a shot. And Chris Johnson’s production has blown me away. He is the reason why his team is ranked second in the league in rushing yards. Neither of these defenses is great, but I think Tennessee is on the upswing and will put a dent in the Texans’ playoff hopes. This is my upset of the week.

EA: I'm also going to go with Tennessee. All of their eggs are in the basket of Chris Johnson, but is that necessarily a bad thing? So long as the defense keeps the Titans in the game, there is no reason why they can't deal a staggering blow to the Texans on Monday night.

GC: The Titans are looking better but the Texans are looking for a wildcard spot. This should be a hard fought game with the Texans coming out the winner.

DB: Houston has been a bit up and down and I have a feeling that Chris Johnson and the Titans are going to steal one from them. Tennessee

NFL Week Six Picks from New England Patriots Fans' Perspective

E A — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:06:33 -0400

Five weeks down, and 12 to go. The NFL season has been flying by. It's already week six, and we Patriots fans continue our weekly series of picks with me , C Douglas Baker , and Glenn Card.

A quick word on our bye week teams, and then we'll get started.

Dallas: After a disappointing stretch to start the season marked by the necessity of overtime to beat the miserable Kansas City Chiefs, the Cowboys will relish in this week off to collect their thoughts. Hopefully the 'Boys will be able to explode out of their bye week, as they'll come back with a tough stretch against Atlanta, Seattle, and Philly.

Indianapolis: The Colts are running away with the AFC South, and the bye week should only help this dominant team recharge. After the week off, the Colts will start out a cupcake stretch marked by games against St. Louis, San Francisco, and Houston.

Miami: Sitting third in the AFC East, losing Chad Pennington for the season did not come at a worse time for the Dolphins, who had just recently begun picking up some steam. The Dolphins will need to rest up this week because they have a very hard three games after the bye week, hosting New Orleans before making road trips to New York and New England.

San Francisco: Take away an amazing comeback by Brett Favre and the Vikings, and this 'Niners team is 4-1. With that and also coming off a complete rout at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons, the 'Niners will be happy to have a break this week. After the down time this Sunday, San Fran will hit the road to play the Texans and Colts before coming home to host the Titans.

Sunday Oct. 18, 2009

Houston @ Cincinnati

GC : The Texans are dangerous only because you don’t know which team will show up. They had a tough loss last week and things won’t get any easier going up against a tough Bengals team. It’s nice to see that after all those tumultuous years the Bengals have finally turned the corner; they have me believing in them this year and this will be an easy home win.

EA: The Texans have been very inconsistent this year, but it doesn't change the fact that any slip up in the Bengals' defense could lead to explosive plays from Steve Slaton or Andre Johnson. The Bengals have the talent to win this one, but Texas does have the talent to grind this one out all the way to the end.

CB: But for a fluke play in Week One versus Denver Cincinnati may be undefeated right now. Houston, meanwhile, has been inconsistent. The Bengals' defense is finally looking pretty good, and I will take them at home. Cincinnati.

Carolina @ Tampa Bay

GC: The Panthers did something; they fixed something during their bye week. This is a game they should win because the Buccaneers are vying for last place this year.

EA: While they are bad, I'm not convinced that the Panthers are as bad as they've been. As long as Jake Delhomme doesn't turn over too many times, there's no reason why the Panthers can't win this. The key is forcing Josh Johnson to 50 pass attempts like the Eagles did last week. Even at home, it should be tough for the Bucs to overcome the Panthers. Carolina.

CB: Two more lousy teams, but Tampa Bay is lousier. Carolina.

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh

GC: Come on, the Browns in Pittsburgh? The Steelers could spot them six points and it still wouldn’t make a difference on the outcome.

EA: This won't even be a game. I'll be surprised if the Browns even have less than three total turnovers.

CB: Cleveland is another bottom feeder with a team that is in disarray and Pittsburgh remains one of the best teams in the league. Pittsburgh.

NY Giants @ New Orleans

GC: The Giants have gained a lot of momentum against some really bad teams
for the past three weeks. Finally they go up against another really good team. The Saints had a bye week last week and they are playing at home. The Saints will go to 5–0 with a win in this game.

EA: This one is quite the interesting matchup. The Saints have an outstanding offense and a vastly improved defense, while the Giants have one of the best defensive units out there and an offense that has been destroying the weak teams. This will be a test for both teams, and the winner will gain supremacy in the NFC. At home, I'm going with the Saints in a shootout.

CB: Wow, wow, wow. What a matchup of unbeatens. This is a really tough pick but I think New Orleans, especially at home, is the better team. New Orleans.

Baltimore @ Minnesota

GC: The Ravens began the season with a hot start and have stumbled as of late
against a couple of good teams. Going up against the Vikings at home isn’t going to be easy. The Ravens will have to give this game everything they have because the Vikings are for real. My upset of the week is the Ravens take this one into their bye week.

EA: While the Vikings are definitely for real, I'm not too sold on the performance of their passing game, as their biggest defensive challenge thus far has been San Francisco (a game in which the Vikings needed a last-second touchdown to win). This will be a big challenge for the Vikings, but I think they can win this one in the Metrodome.

CB: Wow, after losing to Patriots and then division rival Cincinnati on a last minute drive, Baltimore is on shaky ground. I think they are a great team, but I just don’t see them beating Minnesota, who's playing on their home turf. This is a game I look forward to seeing. Minnesota.

St. Louis @ Jacksonville

GC: The Jaguars have no excuse for losing this game at home and I can’t think of one reason why the Rams should win this one.

EA: Two weak teams going at it. In my opinion, only the Browns are a worse team than the Rams at this point, and there's no reason why the Jaguars can't beat up on this pipsqueak at home. Jaguars by a mile.

CB: St. Louis may be the worst team in the National Football League. I am not that impressed by the Jacksonville squad either. I don’t see the Rams winning in Jacksonville. Jacksonville.

Detroit @ Green Bay

GC: I never pick against the Packers when they are playing at home.

EA: While the Lions scored over 20 points in both meetings with the Packers last year, they still won't have a chance at this game at Lambeau. Just don't be surprised if the Lions put up some points as well.

CB: Pretty easy pick here. I’d be shocked if the Lions beat Green Bay in Green Bay. Green Bay.

Kansas City @ Washington

GC: Here’s a coin toss game. I thought both teams would be better than they are, and now, they nearly don’t count at all. I’ll give the win to the home team.

EA: One of the worst teams against one of the more disappointing teams of the league. Both teams have been really weak, so I'm going to give this one to the home team. Washington.

CB: I can’t stand Dan Snyder, so I love watching the Redskins flounder—really just because of their sorry excuse for an owner. But Kansas City is so bad, so lousy, that even the Redskins can probably beat them. Washington.

Arizona @ Seattle

GC: I don’t know where that Seahawk team came from last week; they are not the same team I watched earlier this season. They will keep it going for another week at home against the Cardinals and get the win.

EA: Arizona is notoriously weak on the road, and Kurt Warner hasn't always exactly brought his sharpest game against the Seahawks. While Arizona has a much better offensive unit, I think Seattle will be able to pull this one out against their division rival at home.

CB: Seattle is one of those teams that is hard to figure out. Are they good? Are they bad? Are they mediocre? You can say the same thing about the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals play better at home than away. I am torn on this one but I am going with what is probably an upset. Seattle.

Philadelphia @ Oakland

GC: Damn, McNabb looked good last week. I’d really like to give the Eagles this win, but the Oakland Raiders are really trying to win games this year; I think they’ll find a way to win this home game.

EA: What's there to say? One of the best teams and one of the worst teams. Sorry, Oakland fans, but this just isn't your week.

CB: I don’t have much to say about this one. An excellent team versus a lousy team. Philadelphia.

Buffalo @ NY Jets

GC: There are a bunch of New England and Miami fans that would love for the Bills to show up big in this game. But the Bills haven’t been showing up big on anybody's radar. The Jets will have a easier game this week and a win.

EA: I'm still holding out hope for the Buffalo Bills to win and help out the Patriots in the standings, but there are going to be icicles in hell if the Bills pull this one out at the Meadowlands. Jets.

CB: I sure would love to see the Bills knock off the Jets. Really that would be so sweet. But Buffalo isn’t going to. New York Jets.

Tennessee @ New England

GC: It’s the Titans in “The Razor” and the Patriots know how to win home games.

EA: While the Titans are a much better team than the record indicates, the Patriots are one of those select few teams I will not bet against at home.

CB: I have to admit this game really, really scares me. Tennessee is not as bad talent-wise as their record, but I think they quit last week against the Colts. They are desperate team, and desperate teams are dangerous. But I see the Patriots winning this one. New England.

Chicago @ Atlanta

GC: This is another must-see game with a couple of well matched teams. I predicted the Falcons would bounce back after their bye week and the Bears will have their hands full. This a Falcons' win this week.

EA: Chicago has been up and down. They've had flashes of brilliance and flashes of garbage. This should make for an interesting game, but I give the advantage to Atlanta.

CB: Chicago is another one of those teams that I can’t quite figure out. They seem to be really good at times, and really mediocre at other times. Since Atlanta is playing at home and had a great week last week, I’ll go with them. Atlanta.

Monday Oct. 19, 2009

Denver @ San Diego

GC: The Broncos just proved that they are ready for prime time. A Monday night game in a venue where the oxygen is nearly twice as plentiful as at home, the Chargers will not be able to hold down a win against this amped-up team; it’s not an upset because the Broncos are just that good.

EA: The Denver Broncos may have two fluke wins this year, but I still think they are legit. San Diego has been just bad this year, and I think Denver is going to light up the scoreboard at Qualcomm en route to running away with the putrid AFC West.

CB: Denver’s 5-0 record is impressive and San Diego’s defense couldn’t stop me running up the middle. I tend to want to pick San Diego to win because of the Denver’s troubles there in the past. And they tend to play wildly entertaining games. But with what I have seen of San Diego’s defense lately, I have a hard time seeing them winning this one. Denver.

New England Patriots: 10 Things to Look Out for in '09

E A — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:35:04 -0400

This is a new-look Patriots team, and it will be interesting to see how it all pans out. While most of the key components of Coach Belichick's dominant defense of the dynasty years have come and gone, the Patriots now have in place an outstanding offense with all the right tools on defense to carry this team on a deep playoff run. Without further ado, here are ten things that Patriots fans (and haters) should be prepared to witness in the upcoming 2009 season.

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Stats Don't Lie: Why Trading for Scott Kazmir was a Bad Move for the LA Angels

E A — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 03:15:17 -0400

They say numbers don't tell the whole story, but whoever said that didn't talk to a Sabermetrics expert.

Scott Kazmir, the former first round pick out of high school by the New York Mets, now former ace of the Tampa Bay Rays, is headed to the Angels, who are in the middle of the playoff race with the Texas Rangers.

On paper, it looks like a good move for the Angels. He hasn't been all too good this year, but overall in his short career Kazmir has been a terrific pitcher. Unfortunately for the Angels, the numbers may show us in advance that Kazmir is in for a rough future.

In return for their ace, the Rays receive 21-year-old pitcher Alexander Torres, who is 13-4 with a 2.75 ERA in the minor leagues this year, as well as third baseman Matthew Sweeney, who hit .299 with nine home runs and 44 RBI in the advanced A-level this year.

The Rays will be sending along no additional money to pay for Kazmir's contract, which will free up at least $20M, which the Rays would like to spend on additional players to bolster the team.

They say stats don't tell the whole story, but it looks like addition by subtraction to me.

Kazmir, just 25, has an impressive career 3.92 ERA to go with 55 wins in 144 starts since breaking in with the Rays in 2005. Preceding that move, Kaz was flipped to the Devil Rays at the 2004 non-waiver trade deadline for Bartolome Fortunato and Victor Zambrano.

From 2005 on to 2008, the Mets would come to greatly regreat that deal. Kazmir had developed into a highly talented young ace down in Florida, while Zambrano ended a terrible stint with the Mets by the end of the 2006 season.

Fortunato would compile an ERA of 7.06 with the Mets in 21 innings of work between 2004 and 2006. Fortunato missed the whole '05 season with a herniated disk. Fortunato hasn't pitched in the Bigs since 2006, and the 35-year-old is now bouncing around independent league teams.

They say statistics don't tell the whole story, but I think it's safe to say "they" didn't ask any Mets fans.

For a four year window, this trade looked like a hell of a heist for the Rays, even bordering along the lines of grand larceny.

The stats don't tell the whole story, they say, and that is true to an extent. However, the recent trends in the ups and downs of Kazmir's numbers and ratios are not painting a pretty picture, but rather more like a toddler's attempt at painting Edvard Munch's The Scream.

Kazmir, who was at one point among one of the most dominant arms in the game, has recently started sliding down a slippery slope of regression since his remarkable 2007 season.

Going 13-9 for a Devil Rays team that won only 66 games and finished last in the American League in attendance, Kazmir also compiled a 3.48 ERA while notching 239 strikeouts.

Heading into the 2008 season, the Rays announced an agreement between the two parties for a four-year contract with a 2012 option. $28.5 million is guaranteed to Kazmir in the contract, but the maximum value of the deal is around $39 million.

Kazmir didn't start his 2008 season until May due to a strained elbow, but still managed a very similar stat line to his impressive 2007 year. Kazmir finished with a 12-8 mark with a 3.49 ERA in 27 starts.

Suffering a strained left quadriceps as well as what he called mechanical problems, Kazmir has been miserable this year. The fall-off has been a year in the works, however, when one looks at some ratios and pitch data.

They say stats don't paint the whole picture, but some of Kazmir's ratios and percentages paint a picture so ugly it could rival only Sam Cassel in an ugly-off.

In 2008, Kazmir "lost his slider." Between 2004 and 2007, a combined 21.65 percent of Kazmir's thrown pitches were sliders, but in Kazmir changed up, so to speak, tossing a slider only 9.6 percent of the time.

Furthermore, his percentage of fastballs thrown shot up from 64.65 percent between 2004-2007 to 75.3 percent in 2008. Also, Kazmir threw a change up 15.1 percent of the time compared to 12.97 from 2004-2007.

Also, 2008 marked the start of a scary new trend in Kazmir's pitch data: a steady decrease in velocity.

Between 2004 and 2007, Kazmir averaged 92.5 MPH on his fastball, 83.55 MPH on his slider, and 82.37 MPH on his change up. In 2008, Kazmir was averaging 91.7 MPH, 82 MPH, and 78.8 MPH on each pitch, respectively.

The trend has continued into this season, as Kazmir's heater has hovered at 90.7 MPH, his slider at 81.1 MPH, while his change has clocked in at 79.3 MPH.

Since his first full season in 2005, Kazmir has lost 1.9 MPH on his fastball, 2.4 MPH on his slider, and 3.5 MPH on his change up.

Subsequently, Kazmir has gone from being an elite strikeout pitcher to an extreme contact pitcher.

This year, Kazmir's contact percentage has gone way up from an average of 73.05 percent between 2004 and 2007 to 75.5 percent in 2008 and now 81.1 percent this year.

Along with a higher rate of contact, Kazmir's ground ball rate has dropped like a rock. Through 2007, Kazmir had a nice 41.8 ground ball percentage, while that number dropped to 30.8 percent in 2008 and has risen slightly to 36.1 percent this year.

In 2009, Kazmir has been more hittable than at any other point of his career. As of August 28, Kazmir has allowed a career worst 9.8 hits per nine innings. His 7.4 K/9 is his worst yet, while his home run rate has plateaued and his walk rate has risen to a level not seen since 2005.

After getting tagged for a career high 1.4 home runs per nine innings in 2008, Kazmir has followed up this year allowing 1.2 per nine, compared to a stellar 0.8 HR/9 during his fantastic 2007 season.

As for hits allowed per nine innings, Kazmir has seen that number take a U-turn in the past three seasons. After an 8.5 figure in 2007, Kaz dipped to a career low 7.3 H/9 in 2008, now rising to a career high 9.8 this year.

While his pitch data has been alarming, perhaps nothing has been a bigger surprise to me than his ever-deflating strikeout rate. From 2007 to 2009, Kazmir has dropped from an elite 10.4 K/9 to a pedestrian 7.4, which is under his career 9.4.

Following suit has been his strikeouts-per-walk ratio, which has since dropped from 2.69 to 1.82, with the lack of command Kazmir has always struggled with finally shining through, no longer possessing an overpowering fastball-slider combo to fall back on.

With durability issues nagging at Kazmir for the majority of his career, he has only been able to pitch 200 innings once in his career, in 2007. Otherwise, he has succumbed to an arm injury in 2006 and 2008, and a leg issue this year.

Using the linear regression equation y= ax+ b to fit Kazmir's escalating contact percentage, where a linear regression line has determined a to equal 1.89 and b to equal -3720.35, I have determined the following estimates for Kazmir's contact percentage for the remainder of his contract.

2010: 78.55 percent; Kazmir to make $8M on the season

2011: 80.44 percent; Kazmir to make $12M on the season

2012: 82.33 percent; $13.5M club option

Additionally, I will once again calculate a linear regression equation to project a potential further decrease in fastball velocity for Kazmir. In this instance, a equals -.5 and b equals 1095.367.

2010: 90.37 MPH

2011: 89.87 MPH

2012: 89.37 MPH

Over the remainder of his current contract, assuming Kazmir continues decline in a linear fashion like this, he stands to have a fastball velocity of around 89 MPH by 2012, a loss of nearly five miles per hour.

Going into the 2013 season, Kazmir will be 29, which should be the prime of his career. Instead, Kazmir projects to be deteriorating at an alarmingly fast rate for his age, but it is not too surprising given his durability issues.

Also, one term in Kazmir's contract stipulates that the pitcher be awarded an 800K bonus the first time he is traded during the terms of this contract, giving him a free reward for getting shipped across the country.

Assuming the 2012 club option is exercised and Kazmir stays with the Angels for the remainder of the contract, the Angels will have paid over $33M for a pitcher who projects to be pitching almost exclusively to contact, with an ever deteriorating K/9 and continual drop-off in velocity.

They say stats don't tell every side of the story, but given the manner in which Scott Kazmir has started to deteriorate, I would say that the Rays made a smart, cost effective move and the Angels may soon come to regret this decision.

Could the Tampa Bay Rays be the runaway winners of two trades involving Scott Kazmir? Only time will tell, but I like their chances.

*All statistical data acquired from FanGraphs.com

*Contract data acquired from Cot's Baseball Contracts (mlbcontracts.blogspot.com)

*If any of my calculations were incorrect, I would greatly appreciate it if you let me know about it and help me with the correct numbers, as the statistics area hasn't exactly been my mathematical strong point.

Red Sox May Hate the Standings, But They Love Where the Pitching Staff is Going

E A — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:07:00 -0400

After Brad Penny got trounced last night in a 20-11 romp by the New York Yankees, the Red Sox rotation has just been delivered the best news heard since before the All-Star break: Tim Wakefield will be back on Wednesday.

Given the consistently bad outings by Brad Penny, someone needed to take over this rotation spot. While it's not official that Penny will be removed from action, Penny was scheduled to start on Wednesday where instead Wakefield will make his first start since July 8.

After being on the shelf for ages, Wakefield still has the second highest amount of wins on the Red Sox staff with a solid 11-3 mark. Sporting a 4.31 ERA, if Wakefield continues to pitch to that average then he would be allowing approximately 1.3 runs less than Penny.

While Penny continues to put in all his effort for the Red Sox, it's clear that he's fading away from his solid start with the team, and could possibly soon find himself the odd man out of this rotation.

As all expected, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester have been one of the most dominant 1-2 punches in all of baseball, and will continue to carry the staff down the stretch.

Quietly emerging from the dust and rubble of his disastrous 2008 season is the young Clay Buchholz, who dropped his ERA to 3.99 on the season after great performances while dueling the best of the best: CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander, and Roy Halladay.

It's hard to take a guy's spot away when he shows he does have the mental toughness to make it in the league and hang in there with the big guys in a pitcher's duel. At this rate, Buchholz looks to have his spot as protected as Beckett or Lester's.

Even the young Junichi Tazawa has been impressive in his short stint with the big team. While his two losses and 5.40 ERA may not look all too good on paper, he has had a tendency to not be flustered by runners in scoring position and has generally performed well.

The one blemish on Tazawa's record would be his five inning, four run start against Texas last weekend, but as I write currently Tazawa is putting on a nice showing against the Yankees, easing through six shutout innings.

With Daisuke Matsuzaka to rehab in the Gulf Coast League on August 24, for Double-A Portland on August 29, and for Triple-A Pawtucket on September 3, everyone in this rotation is going to have to be on top of their game.

If all goes well for Dice K, he will probably be eased back into the rotation depending on how the rest of the rotation shapes up. The ultimate factor is how everything else shapes up.

It currently looks like Wakefield will take Penny's spot, and a slip up from Tazawa or Buchholz in the near future could easily have them sent back to Pawtucket in exchange for Matsuzaka.

If Penny gets taken out of the picture, another deep, talented rotation like the one envisioned this winter would be the picture painted for the Red Sox for the stretch run.

In other news, the Red Sox may have just found another great arm to add to their deep, but stretched, bullpen. It has been reported by Ken Rosenthal that recently waived Mets reliever Billy Wagner has been claimed by the Boston Red Sox.

While Wagner, who is under contract for the rest of this season with a club option for 2010, has a no-trade clause, the vibe is that the pitcher would be willing to waive that no-trade protection in order to be traded from the Mets.

Despite sitting at home on the disabled list until just recently this season, Rosenthal says that Wagner should have real trade value this winter, and that if healthy, his $8 million option for next year is reasonable.

If the Red Sox are able to work out a trade for Wagner, who aren't expected to give the pitcher away for free, they have many options on what they can do with him. Wagner, a former closer, can pitch in the late innings and be used to spell Papelbon on his nights off.

If the Red Sox don't want to keep Wagner for 2010, assuming they complete a trade, they could also offer Wagner arbitration. Since Wagner projects to be a Type A free agent, signing elsewhere after being offered arbitration would award the Red Sox two first round draft choice, something Theo Epstein would love.

In 2008, Wagner posted a 2.30 ERA with 27 saves in 47 innings pitched before going down to Tommy John surgery. In a short Minor League rehab stint, Wagner pitched seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts between the Florida and Gulf Coast Leagues.

After being called up to the Mets earlier this week, Wagner pitched one inning on Thursday, striking out two batters without allowing a base runner.

Wagner would be a breath of fresh air for the Red Sox, who have a tired and overworked bullpen due to the lack of longevity from starters Penny, Tazawa, and Buchholz.

Penny just doesn't have a high level of stamina, while the latter two have strict pitch counts and rarely are allowed out of the fifth inning.

With the innings piled up on Oki, Ram-Ram, Bard, and Delcarmen and the ERA's climbing upward by the appearance for this group, Wagner brings another good option for Terry Francona to turn to in the later innings in relief.

Adding Wagner to the current relief corps in Boston would be a great compliment to help ease the workload of the stretched out Ramirez, Delcarmen, and Okajima. The standings may not be nice, but the Red Sox just continue to garner more upside in my eyes.

Fall Classic or Not, Boston Should Pursue These Five Free Agents This Winter

E A — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:57:05 -0400

Coming off a four game sweep at the hands of the Yankees, the weak points of the Red Sox have been magnified and placed on a podium for all to see. Now that the Red Sox magic has stopped working its wonders on Nick Green, Jason Bay and even David Ortiz, this looks very different from the team that won 95 games last year.

The matter is very simple: the Red Sox have a good team, but not a good enough one. This season is starting to look more like 2006 by the day. Injuries and ineffectiveness have stricken the team like the Black Plague.

Extra base hits and clutch hitting is a thing of the past with these Red Sox.

Now that the magic has worn off, Nick Green is playing like the Minor League infielder the Red Sox signed this winter. Jason Bay is playing like he did in 2007; hitting .247 with 21 home runs. Brad Penny and John Smoltz have one Major League pitch each: a fastball and slider, respectively.

After a respectable start, Penny is getting lit up every fifth day, like Smoltz had been from the beginning. No word of trade talk other than potential suitors for Smoltz, recently designated for assignment, who may be headed to Pawtucket to transition into a reliever.

David Ortiz is hitting like it's April, and looked as helpless at the dish this weekend in the Bronx as he did one spring weekday series in Anaheim.

With everyone riddled in a bad funk, it takes four or five innings for anyone in the lineup to figure out the opposing pitcher and break through with a single. Continuing the pattern of the last few days, it's followed up by a walk, and then Jason Varitek or David Ortiz will come in and kill any rally that may have been getting started.

With the Red Sox currently sailing in choppy waters with no end in sight, I decided to take a look ahead to this winter's free agent crop and noticed a lot of players that fit what the Red Sox need to a T.

Hopefully Theo pulls the trigger, because building around an aging core with clearance aisle free agents and assorted reclamation projects is no recipe for success.

Infielder Felipe Lopez, signed 1-yr, $3.5 million (2009)

After signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks this past offseason to shore up their infield in the wake of losing Orlando Hudson to the Dodgers, Milwaukee has since traded for this versatile utility man to lighten the loss of Rickie Weeks.

Lopez primarily plays second base, but can also be used at shortstop and third base.

Lopez would be a breath of fresh air for the Red Sox, as it would provide a stable backup infielder at second or third base, who would likely also serve as the starting shortstop.

Additionally, between the Diamondbacks and Brewers, Lopez has hit .303 with six home runs, 31 RBI, six stolen bases, and drawing 42 walks to contribute towards a healthy .366 on-base percentage.

The Scott Boras client took a cheap contract to play for this season, which both Arizona and Milwaukee have found as a bargain. To sign on with Boston, it would probably take a one or two-year deal in the range of five to eight million dollars.

Outfielder Matt Holliday, signed 2-yr, $23 million (2008-09)

This Boras client is due for a huge payday this winter, but if missing out on Mark Teixeira taught the Red Sox anything last winter, it's a deal that needs to be done as soon as possible.

While playing for Oakland and St. Louis this year, Holliday has hit .312 with a robust .397 on-base percentage. With lower than normal power numbers (15 HR and 69 RBI), the former Colorado Rockie has made up for it with 14 steals, 53 walks, and 65 runs.

Jason Bay has become quite popular in Boston, but it would be a better idea to let him walk if it would mean signing Holliday. Bay has already turned down two great contract offers following his white-hot start to the season.

If he turned down more money than he was worth while playing in a level above his head, he must not have Scott Boras as a financial adviser, as his second half has destroyed any leverage he had in terms of contract negotiation.

Holliday is the right man for the job, as he is all around a great player. In his breakout 2007 campaign, he had a National League-leading 137 RBI, a .340 batting average, 50 doubles, and 216 hits to go along with 36 round trippers and 11 thefts.

Holliday's production dropped off a level in 2008, as he was walked more and made less contact, but his other numbers show that he's not exactly a fluke. In 2008, Holliday made up for his power shortage by stealing 28 bases and maintaining a .409 on-base percentage, higher than the year before.

Now, hitting next to Albert Pujols, Holliday is hitting .466 with four home runs and 15 RBI in 15 games with the Cardinals.

The Cardinals are going to try to do everything in their power to lock him up, but if he does hit the free agent market, Theo Epstein and the Red Sox need to be all over this guy.

Starting pitcher Erik Bedard, signed 1-yr, $7.75 million (2009)

After signing a $7.75 million tender to avoid arbitration with the Mariners heading into this season, the status of talks between the two parties for a contract extension is unknown.

It is well known that Bedard is an injury prone player, but like fellow free-agent to be Rich Harden, when Bedard is healthy, he is as good a pitcher as they come.

After going 13-5 and notching 221 strikeouts with the Orioles in 2007, he was traded to Seattle for a king's ransom of prospects. With Adam Jones, an All-Star, and Chris Tillman, possibly a future All-Star sent to Baltimore in the deal, it's not hard who to tell who the clear-cut winners are.

Now that Bedard has passed the last of his arbitration years, the 30-year old is set to be eligible for free agency the first time of his career. Despite pitching two injury-shortened seasons with Seattle, I believe he is a pitcher the Red Sox should take their chances with on a two year deal.

Combining his shortened '08 and '09 seasons, one could get a decent projection of a full season for Bedard.

Combined 2008-2009 statistics: 11-7, 3.24 ERA, 162 K, 164 IP. Given his typically high strikeout rate, Bedard would easily be able to reach the 200 strikeout plateau if he were to come closer to the innings pitched range of 180-200.

Because of his constant injury battles, a contract to Bedard should probably include a decent sum of guaranteed money (around four million per each year of contract) with most of the money to be made with incentives.

Given the Red Sox' renowned conditioning and rehabilitation programs, injuries may not play as big a role with Bedard's work if he were to sign on with the Red Sox. He would also be a lot more fun for fans to watch than Brad Penny or John Smoltz.

Outfielder Scott Podsednik, signed 1-yr, $0.8 million (2009)

After re-upping with one of his former teams, the Chicago White Sox, this year, the Red Sox need to explore their options and try to add the former third-round draft pick as a fourth outfielder.

Granted there is a good chance Podsednik is re-signed by the southsiders, he is a player that the Red Sox need to keep tabs on if he hits the free agent market.

Podsednik is a speedy player with great contact skills. This year he has hit .297 while stealing 17 bases and scoring 51 runs to go with a .352 on-base percentage. Podsednik can play all over the outfield, but fields best in left and center field.

Podesdnik would replace the oft-injured Rocco Baldelli as the primary fourth outfielder, and would likely spell J.D. Drew when he is too tender to be of any use on the field. He would also serve well as a pinch-runner or defensive substitute in the later innings.

If offered a one-year deal, Podsednik could probably command one to three million dollars.

Relief pitcher Rafael Soriano, signed 2-yr, $9.0 million (2008-09)

After being injured and missing the better part of the 2008 season, the 29 year old Soriano has seen his way into 52 games this year, saving 17 for the Atlanta Braves. In those 52 games, Soriano is sporting a 2.42 ERA while managing an 11.9 K/9.

While also sporting a .96 WHIP with a 69-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 52 innings, Soriano is in line for a good pay day in terms of relief pitchers. Showing that he can stay healthy and perform as a closer, Soriano can now market himself as a versatile relief pitcher who can be used as a bridge to the closer or actually as a closer.

Obviously Soriano wouldn't see too many save situations with the Red Sox so he would likely be taking less money than if he signed elsewhere as a closer, but a five or six million dollar deal would be a good offer to make to Soriano, as Takashi Saito and Hideki Okajima are free agents this winter as well.

Other relief pitchers the Red Sox should at least consider for this spot are Mike Gonzalez, Octavio Dotel, or Rafael Betancourt.

Big Headache: Enough About The Steroids Scandal!

E A — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 16:02:17 -0400

On Thursday, most of the baseball world was rattled with the news that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003. Sure, we were all half expecting the news would come some day, but that doesn't mean we wanted it to be true.

Now that the cat's out of the bag, former teammate Bronson Arroyo added a comment about performance enhancers yesterday. Admitting to using amphetamines and androstenedione while with the Red Sox from 2003 to 2005, Arroyo said he would not be surprised if he was on the list as well.

"Before 2004, none of us paid attention to what we took. That's why I said anybody could be on the list. Back then, nobody knew what was in stuff, because the FDA wasn't regulating all of it."

Arroyo had started taking andro in 1998 while in Pittsburgh's farm system. Arroyo said he didn't see a sizable boost in performance, yet continued to believe it helped.

"I'd take anything I could get from a nutrition store if you tell me it would make me better on the field."

After androstenedione was banned in 2004 and amphetamines in 2006, Arroyo said he now only takes legal supplements; protein, vitamins, ginseng, and a caffeine drink he said was introduced to him by Curt Schilling.

So there we have it.

Back to Ortiz, would it now be possible to consider that the "performance enhancing drugs" that Big Papi took were simply amphetamines or andro? Of course. There is still no word of precisely what substance Ortiz tested positive for.

All we know at this point is that Ortiz tested positive for something, but we don't know what. We know when, but now we want to know how many other instances there were, if any.

With a majority of the facts surrounding the situation yet to be revealed, one need look no farther than the Boston Globe to see Big Papi, the fallen hero, chastised and crucified by Boston's own.

In his piece "Big Papi Revealed as a Myth," Tony Massarotti says, "Now we know, with 99.9% certainty, what we have long suspected and feared: Big Papi is a myth." 'Mazz' goes on to suggest that "the World Series trophy is nothing but a hologram, generated by science and appealing to the eye but impossible to touch."

"He wasn't just a slugger, he was a good guy, too," continued Massarotti.

Well, 'Mazz,' why isn't Ortiz a good guy now? Sure the news was just broken this week, but Ortiz tested positive in 2003.

Since 2004, David Ortiz has almost singlehandedly delivered a World Series trophy to the city of Boston, established the David Ortiz Children's Fund to benefit critically ill children in New England and the Dominican Republic, was issued the 2008 UNICEF Children's Champion Award, and has done work with the Boys and Girls Club of America and other charities for children.

If that's not a great guy, I don't know what is. Just because Ortiz made one mistake is no reason for Ortiz to be vilified the way he has been by the Boston Globe.

David Ortiz may be a myth to the Boston Globe now, but for me it doesn't change the fact that he is a New England hero. What he did won't be affected in my opinion whatsoever.

No matter what drug he took.

Excuse me, Mr. Massarotti, but if David Ortiz is nothing more than a myth to you now, does that mean you won't be accepting any more royalties from his autobiography, that YOU co-authored?

I didn't think so.

And Dan Shaughnessy brings it even further in his piece "Suffering from 'roid rage."

Referring to Ortiz, he says, "He was ordinary before 2003. Then he cheated. Then he was great. Now there is testing and he is less than ordinary. You don't need Jose Canseco to connect the dots."

If only it were that simple.

The only thing wrong with what Shaughnessy said was...scratch that. It's all wrong.

Ortiz was ordinary before 2003. Before 2002, Ortiz was a kid in his early 20's averaging 213 at-bats per year while hitting around the likes of Matthew Lecroy and Jacque Jones. I would love to see someone excel under those circumstances.

Then he cheated. Wrong again. Assuming the substance Ortiz took was indeed anabolic steroids, they weren't tested for or reasonable grounds for suspension until drug testing was introduced in 2004. While Ortiz did break US law, it wasn't exactly cheating.

Then he was great. Point taken. He certainly was great. Then again, that's what happens when a talented player is surrounded by talent.

Now there is testing and he is less than ordinary. Hardly the explanation. Since testing has been introduced in 2004, Ortiz has hit .291 with 215 home runs with 690 RBI. All without failing a single drug test.

For all those who believe that only the superstars of our era are the tainted ones, one need look no further than the 1960s and 70s to disprove that theory.

Nearly every single player in the 50s, 60s and 70s took greenies, amphetamines. Known as a pep pill, players often took the drugs as a stimulant before and during games, sometimes even to dispel a hangover on gameday.

The drugs are also well known for their performance enhancing effect.

Among the list of high profile greenie users are Pete Rose, Mike Schmidt, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, and Hank Aaron. During the Pittsburgh drug trials in the 1980's, some players went as far as testifying that they received greenies from Bill Madlock, Willie Stargell, and even Willie Mays.

Where is the parade of baseball writers and quasi-journalists from ESPN calling for asterisks to be branded on those Hall of Fame plaques?

The Commissioner's Office later cleared Madlock, Stargell, and Mays of any wrongdoing, but the connection still lies.

After retiring, Tony Gwynn spoke out on the issue, estimating that in 2003 at least 50 percent of position players were using greenies on a regular basis. Chad Curtis mentioned after his retirement that players were under pressure not to play without speed, a nickname for the drugs.

With all that being said, what do greenies actually do? Well, amphetamine is known to increase wakefulness and focus while decreasing fatigue and appetite. There are prescription forms of the drug used to treat narcolepsy, but the drug is also used illegally as a recreational drug and a performance enhancer.

The drugs can also be used to control and lose weight.

Some notable physical effects of taking the drug include increased blood pressure, blurred vision, anxiety, and impaired speech. Chronic use of the drug can lead to convulsions.

Greenie use has widely been ignored and excused in the game of baseball, so why all the hoopla over steroids? Greenies have since been banned from the game, but a player can test positive for amphetamine more than four times and still not get a lifetime ban from the game.

For steroids, it only takes three positive tests to get a player ousted for good.

Nobody looks at all the great greenie users in a different light. Nobody looks at all the great steroid users in the same light. It's such a nasty double standard, I couldn't refrain from writing this article any longer.

Both players who took greenies and players who took steroids were in the wrong. Both were against the law, but not against MLB rules.

So why is it that the greenie users are still viewed as American heroes in the game of baseball while the steroid users are being chastised and vilified?

I refuse to listen to a single word of it anymore.

Barry Bonds is the home run king. Alex Rodriguez is going to be the home run king. Barry Bonds holds the single season home run record. David Ortiz is the best clutch hitter in Red Sox history. Roger Clemens is one of the best pitchers to ever touch a baseball.

Mantle, Williams, Schmidt, Aaron, and Mays are in the Hall of Fame. If the Baseball Writers Association knows anything about the history of the not-so-perfect game, then one day Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, and Roger Clemens will join them in Cooperstown.

Without the drug cloud.

Without the asterisks.

If this isn't going to change the Boston Globe's opinion on the drug using ways of our baseball heroes, then I expect to see Ted Williams next in line for the crucifixion.

Red Sox P Junichi Tazawa Is Boston's Secret Weapon

E A — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:25:10 -0400

After finishing his high school career with Yokohama Shoka, pitcher Junichi Tazawa went undrafted among the 12 Nippon Professional Baseball teams. He went on to play for the Corporate League team Nippon Oil, unaffiliated with NPB.

Coming off a stellar 13-1, 0.80 ERA season where he also averaged 9.08 strikeouts per nine innings with Nippon Oil, mostly as a starter, Tazawa was sure to be an early selection in the next NPB draft. Instead, he wasn't even picked.

Tazawa, the 23-year-old right-handed starting pitcher hailing from Yokohama, Japan, had requested something unprecedented in Nippon Professional Baseball history.

After his manager Hideaki Okubo persuaded Tazawa during the 2008 season, Tazawa announced that he intended to pursue a career in Major League Baseball and skip the NPB Draft.

Respectfully asking teams to refrain from drafting him, Tazawa got what he wanted when all of the 12 NPB teams refrained from selecting the pitcher on the day of the Oct. 30 draft.

Tazawa chose this route to the majors, because had he gone on to play for Nippon Professional Baseball, he would have to either wait to play out nine seasons and become eligible for free agency, or hope that his team would put his contract rights up for auction through the posting system.

On an unrelated note, imagine if Ichiro arrived at age 23!

Going undrafted, Tazawa was headed to America as an amateur free agent, in attempt to fulfill his dream of pitching in Major League Baseball, sans the $103 million posting fee that came with Dice K, since Tazawa was not a member of any Japanese professional team.

The market was large for Tazawa, who drew multi-million dollar offers from several major league teams. Eventually, Tazawa ended up taking less money to play for the Red Sox, who have become influential in the Japanese market with the signings of Matsuzaka and Okajima.

The Red Sox spent just $3.3 million on this import, plus a $1.8 million signing bonus. Also included as perks in his contract, Tazawa will receive two round-trip airfare tickets annually from Japan to the United States.

With Boston's crowded rotation, Tazawa was not about to join the major league rotation. After signing his three-year deal, Tazawa was assigned to Boston's Double-A affiliate Portland.

Standing at just 5'11", Tazawa has had a done a lot in the minors and looks to be a big little man for the Red Sox in the near future. Almost like Dustin Pedroia, just without the mouth (not a knock in any way on Pedroia).

Going unnoticed amid all the fanfare of the dominance of Michael Bowden and Clay Buchholz, or talks of the prolific slump that Lars Anderson is experiencing, Tazawa has thrived with the Portland Sea Dogs.

Making 18 starts with the club, Tazawa has gone 9-5 with a 2.57 ERA. Also, Tazawa boasted an 88/26 strikeout-to-walk ratio, limiting opposing hitters to a .222 batting average.

His stellar work has recently earned him a call up to the Pawtucket Red Sox, whom Tazawa fired six innings of one-run ball for last night, striking out three.

With Brad Penny and John Smoltz leaving for free agency after this year, with the possibility of Josh Beckett leaving after next year, and the possibility Tim Wakefield retires or has his perpetual option declined, a whole lot of room is made in Boston's rotation.

Assuming next year's rotation shapes up as Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka, Wakefield, and Buchholz/Bowden, Tazawa still won't have much room to get his foot in the door.

However, Wakefield is a versatile pitcher and may be moved to the bullpen and a spot-starting role if all these guys come with their best pitching next year. Still, Tazawa is projected to crack the Red Sox pitching stiff by mid-2010.

Tazawa has a small frame and makes use of an unconventional delivery. His arm hangs behind his shoulder, and his forearm whips down to come to his release point. With the violent, jerky motion, it's self explanatory that his follow-through is pretty sloppy at this point.

However, he is able to stay balanced throughout his delivery, and does boast very solid lower-body mechanics. He is more comfortable pitching from the stretch, but the Red Sox are trying to get him in the habit of pitching from the windup.

Topping out at 92 mph, Tazawa has a good fastball with plus potential, but he mostly relies on his secondary pitches. Along with his inwardly-moving heater, Tazawa mixes in a great slider, typically clocked in the low 80s.

His true out pitch, though, is his filthy 70 mph curveball. Also, Tazawa occasionally throws a solid forkball, which has great potential to be one of his go-to pitches.

Tazawa boasts great command on all his pitches, and like his idol and likely eventual teammate Daisuke Matsuzaka, Tazawa likes to paint the corners of the strike zone.

However, unlike Matsuzaka, Tazawa executes his pitches better and finds the strike zone more often. In 113 innings last year, Tazawa walked just 15 batters, compared to Dice K's 94 walks in 167 innings last year.

He may not be up yet, but Tazawa is on a collision course with the Red Sox rotation, and with just half a season under his belt is already rated as the fifth best prospect in the Red Sox system by Soxprospects.com.

Tazawa will certainly come to find his land of opportunity is in the U-S-of-A.

Sources:

Junichi Tazawa (@ Soxprospects.com)

Junichi Tazawa Stats

Junichi Tazawa (@ Wikipedia.org)

Boston Red Sox Rotation Issues: A Penny for My Thoughts

E A — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:59:57 -0400

After dropping last night's game to the Rangers 4-2, the Red Sox have now lost four straight. Even worse than the Sox just handing over the division lead to the hated Yankees, the losing pitcher for the Red Sox was Josh Beckett.

Until Tuesday night's game, Beckett was undefeated when pitching after a Boston loss.

After getting crushed by Texas Monday night, Beckett finally faltered, and the Red Sox lost—again.

Since the All-Star break, the Sox have been horrible—1-4 to be exact.

They have lost to pitchers of all types. On Sunday, they fell just short in a pitcher's duel between Jon Lester and Roy Halladay. Last Saturday, they were handled by Toronto rookie Marc Rzepczynski.

Now, in Texas, the opposition continues to get the best of this slumping Sox squad. Kevin Millwood outworked John Smoltz on Monday, and in the most recent loss, the Red Sox were once again owned by a rookie. This time it was Tommy Hunter.

Lately, the offense has been a big problem, but that's not what I want to rant about today.

No, instead, there is the issue (that none of us expected to be an issue) of the terrible trio: Daisuke Matsuzaka, John Smoltz, and Brad Penny.

Dice K: 1-5, 8.23 ERA, 34-18 K/BB in 35 innings pitched

Smoltz: 1-3, 6.31 ERA, 22-2 K/BB in 25 innings pitched

Penny: 6-4, 5.02 ERA, 65-30 K/BB in 98 innings pitched

Combined: 8-12, 6.52 ERA, 158 innings pitched

With the news that Tim Wakefield will be shut down with a lower back strain, fans from all corners of Red Sox Nation will be dripping with happiness, as it essentially leaves the Red Sox with two great pitchers and two who are performing horribly.

At least Dice K is on the DL, or it would be even harder to watch the Red Sox surrender the division lead to the Yankees while dropping close games to run-of-the-mill teams.

In each of their past starts, Smoltz and Penny have dropped the ball.

Both were on the hook for six earned runs in five innings of work in their last starts. Penny was manhandled by Toronto, and Smoltz was pitching well until the sixth inning, when he completely imploded.

Boston Dirt Dogs put it best, with a "Smoltzuzaka Strikes Again" headline on July 21st.

Luckily, there is some good to be found with Wakefield being shut down. Clay Buchholz is getting recalled from Pawtucket, and he will start Wednesday night at Texas.

After this past weekend's showing in Toronto, Buchholz's brilliance and Penny's lackluster performance demonstrated to the Red Sox who has earned a rotation spot more. If only Buchholz was replacing Penny, it would all get better.

Theo Epstein has made a big mistake with Penny this year—not in signing Penny but in not trading him. Penny could still be traded before the deadline, but with Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay on the block, the market has all but disappeared for the washed-up righty.

Designating Penny for assignment might be the best course of action now, as he is becoming even more of a useless pitcher with each start. Penny is due just five million dollars this year, a contract that the Red Sox can easily afford to eat.

Smoltz has been understandably mediocre after his major arm surgery, but he should improve sometime in the near future. If he doesn't show any signs of improvement in the next month or so, he should also be shown the door.

No offense intended towards Smoltz, one of my favorite pitchers, but the Red Sox do not owe anything to him, living legend or not. He is a great pitcher, but if he doesn't start pitching up to his Hall of Fame resume, the Red Sox have better options to go with and should take advantage of it.

Now that Buchholz is getting his crack at the rotation, there is still one more guy patiently waiting his turn in the minors: Michael Bowden.

Bowden is currently 3-4 at Pawtucket with a 3.13 ERA in 17 starts. With batters hitting .221 against him, he is also sporting a 59/35 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

In his most recent start, Bowden pitched five innings of no-hit ball. He struck out five and walked four.

As of now, Bowden should stay and continue to be groomed in the minor leagues. However, if "Smoltzuzaka" doesn't get its act together, I believe that Bowden, one of the team's top-five prospects, should be given a shot.

Penny has made a large negative impact on the team this year, and he needs to make an exit a la Julio Lugo—a good ol' DFA. Smoltz needs to be kept on a short leash.

When Wakefield does return from his strained back, a rotation of Beckett-Lester-Wakefield-Buchholz-Smoltz would look much better than Beckett-Lester-Wakefield-Penny-Smoltz.

Red Sox Gearing Up For The Stretch Run

E A — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:16:36 -0400

With the All-Star Game behind us and yet another win for the American League, the Red Sox can get back to what they've done best this year: winning ball games.

At 54-34, the Sox have a three game lead over the Yankees. Also, their 54 wins are the highest among American League teams, second only to the LA Dodgers, who with 56 wins are running away with the National League West.

Pitching has certainly been the strength of this team halfway through the season. Heading a pitching staff that hasn't completely come together to meet expectations are Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, both of whom have been tearing up the mound on a consistent basis since May.

On the season, Beckett is 11-3, sporting a 3.35 ERA and 110/35 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Not far behind, Lester 8-6 with a 3.87 ERA, as well as having already struck out 131 batters to a mere 35 walks issued.

Lester's numbers may not look all too special considering his dominant performance in 2008, but his cumulative numbers don't tell the whole story. After getting off to a very rocky start, Lester has been back in his element as of late.

Since May 21, Lester is 6-2 with a 2.01 ERA, having stuck out 77 batters and walked 19. In 67 innings of work in those past eight starts, Lester has allowed just 18 runs to cross the plate, an average of 2.25 runs allowed per game.

This streak, however, also includes two instances where Lester allowed no earned runs to the opposition, as well as a near-perfect game of the Rangers where he cracked and allowed a run in the end.

The rest of the rotation has been a step down from these two, but it's been getting the job done. Among the back end of the rotation is All-Star Tim Wakefield, sporting an 11-3 record with a 4.31 ERA.

The knuckleballer is having a pretty good season for his standards, and while it hasn't always been pretty, more often than not he's kept the Red Sox in a position to win games.

Free agent addition John Smoltz has appeared to have been nothing short of lackluster. Coming off a major shoulder surgery, though, he is doing his best. Averaging five innings per start, Smoltz has managed a 5.40 ERA and has struck out 17 batters.

Brad Penny has also been a solid addition from the free agent scrap heap. Pitching out of the fifth slot in the rotation, Penny has been quite serviceable as a back-end starter, going 6-3 with a 4.71 ERA.

Exemplifying that he can still overpower hitters with his fastball, Penny is sporting a solid 62-29 K/BB rate.

Being called up to start Friday against Toronto is Clay Buchholz, who has been tearing up the Minor Leagues. For Triple-A Pawtucket, Buchholz currently sits at a 7-2 mark, and has struck out 89 batters in 99 innings.

His ERA and WHIP, though, look more like that of a closer. Pitching as filthy and dominant as he ever has in the Minors, Buchholz is currently working to the tune of a 2.36 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP.

The bullpen this year has been just as, if not more dominating than the bullpen that helped carry the Red Sox to a World Series title in 2007. With a 4.98 ERA, only Justin Masterson has had struggles this year.

That, however, can be attributed to his versatility.

Working out of the starting rotation back in early May, Masterson hit a rough patch after back-to-back solid starts against Baltimore and New York. After a four-start skid featuring a 5.84 ERA and a .311 batting average against, Masterson was relegated to the bullpen.

From getting sent back to the bullpen through July 7, Masterson had found a groove. In that stretch, Masterson crafted a 3.13 ERA and 23-8 strike out-to-walk ratio in 23 innings pitched. Even including a five earned run outing against Baltimore, Masterson had been filthy.

However, in his previous two appearances, Masterson has been struggling again. In back to back outings against Kansas City, Masterson has allowed a combined seven earned runs while recording just two outs, bringing his season ERA back up to near the 5.00 mark.

Aside from Masterson's ups and downs, the bullpen has been a steel trap. Rookie sensation Dan Bard has brought upper nineties and triple digit heat from the 'pen, earning himself a 2.55 ERA.

Hideki Okajima, still Boston's go-to mop-up man, continues to find Major League success in the last of his three-year deal with the Red Sox. Okajima has averaged a strikeout per inning, also managing a 3.32 ERA.

Also, we have the still stellar Ramon Ramirez, sporting his 2.33 ERA out of the bullpen. Still bringing the heat. Still lights out. And to think that the Royals won't see any more of Coco Crisp for the rest of this season.

Enter Manny Delcarmen and his 2.41 ERA along with Takashi Saito doing set-up and part-time closer duty, and the Red Sox have a great bridge to get to Jonathan Papelbon.

The offense has started to click more as of late following a bit of a slump. The biggest turnaround obviously has been David Ortiz. Following a big (no pun intended) June, Big Papi now finds himself with a far more respectable 12 home runs and 47 RBI.

After overcoming the adversity of the worst slump of his career, Ortiz now looks ready to extend his streak of seasons with 20-plus home runs to eight.

The corner infield positions are due for a big makeup this weekend. Regular first baseman Kevin Youkilis has been playing at third in the absence of Mike Lowell, who is expected to return this weekend.

With Lowell (.282, 10 home runs, 41 RBI) back in the lineup, the Red Sox will no longer have to platoon Mark Kotsay and Aaron Bates at first base, as Youkilis will be ready to move back to the opposite corner.

Dustin Pedroia hasn't been the same player as last year. After raking 17 home runs last year to help him capture the MVP Award, Pedroia has just four at this point of the season.

However, Pedroia does have a healthy amount of RBI's (40), is hitting .303, best on the team, and has already scored 65 runs and stolen 14 bases. 'MVPedroia' set a career high in 2008 with 20 thefts.

As I write, the makeup at short just got a big shakeup with the news of Julio Lugo being designated for assignment. It is assumed that Lugo will be replaced on the roster by Jed Lowrie, who was expected to return near the All-Star break.

This leaves the Red Sox with Lowrie and Nick Green at short. Green is hitting just .257 after his hot first half, and Lowrie appears to be nothing more than an average hitter. As it appears, the Sox have two light-hitting, defensively talented shortstops. Nothing wrong with that.

The outfielders have provided the bulk of Boston's offense thus far into the season. All-Star Jason Bay is still waiting for a contract extension, which should be a good one. He's earned himself a lot of money this winter, as he has 20 home runs, 72 RBI, and 10 stolen bases to this point.

Jacoby Ellsbury has made strides to improve this year. After hitting .280 with 50 stolen bases last year, Ellsbury has raised his batting average to .295, while also hitting five home runs. Astoundingly, Ellsbury has already managed to steal 40 bases, in just half the time it took him to steal 50 last year.

J.D. Drew looks primed to play his first full, healthy season for the Red Sox, in the third year of his five-year contract. Despite hitting .252, Drew has been useful, as he has hit 12 home runs and drawn 50 walks.

Compared to the rest of the league, the Red Sox have a high ranking offense. Where the Red Sox rank among MLB teams:

batting average: .265 (10th)
runs scored: 465 (4th)
hits: 796 (11th)
home runs: 108 (5th)
stolen bases: 75 (4th)
on-base percentage: .352 (4th)
slugging percentage: .448 (5th)
total bases: 1,344 (6th)

As for pitching, their league ranks are essentially the same, if not better, than their batting ranks.

ERA: 4.07 (7th)
runs allowed: 380 (25th)
saves: 26 (4th)
strikeouts: 675 (4th)
batting average against: .261 (15th)

Everything is in place for the Red Sox to make another deep playoff run, but this year the biggest threat has changed. As of now, the top three teams in the AL East look like this:

Team	Wins	Losses	Games Behind
Boston	54	34	--
New York	51	37	3.0
Tampa	48	41	6.5

As of now, the Red Sox look like the best and most complete team in the AL East, but as we all know, anything can happen.

AL Roster: Addition of Carlos Pena Proof that All-Star Game Is a Farce

E A — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:12:56 -0400

Note: Before I get started, I want to point out that by no means was this meant to take away from Carlos Pena or Josh Hamilton. They are both great players, although there was no reason for either to be headed for Tuesday's All-Star Game.

Reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia was headed to his second-straight All-Star game. In each, he was voted by the fans to be the starter to represent the American League.

This year, however, after getting voted in for the second time, Pedroia had to take himself out of the game.

His wife, Kelli, pregnant with the couple's first child, has gone into early labor. The child was expected to be delivered sometime in August, but was rushed to the hospital last Monday when she started going into labor.

Pedroia, who needed to spend his time with his wife in the hospital, removed himself from Tuesday's All-Star Game after having a discussion about the situation on Saturday night with Red Sox manager Terry Francona.

While Dustin made an honorable decision to be by the side of his wife through a rough period of time, one wouldn't be able to say Joe Maddon made a good decision for the sake of the American League

See, the American League has just lost its starting second baseman in Pedroia. Pedroia has had a very good season, batting .300 with four home runs, 40 RBI, 64 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases.

Furthermore, Pedroia plays incredible defense, having made only five errors all year.

Having a dynamic player like Pedroia out is a crippling loss for the American League.

With Aaron Hill and Ben Zobrist, the only other players on the American League Roster, one would expect Maddon to bolster that area of the roster.

Wouldn't it be the sensible thing to do?

It's not like there were no worthy second basemen snubbed from the All-Star Game. Ian Kinsler comes to mind.

Kinsler—having a great year while batting .253 with 20 home runs, 55 RBI, 62 runs, with 18 steals—was barely edged out by Pedroia in preliminary voting, and just fell short of making the team in the Final Vote.

Was Kinsler added to the American League team, though?

Nope.

Instead, Maddon added first baseman Carlos Pena.

That's right, Carlos Pena.

Pena joins a slew of first basemen on the American League team, leaving second base neglected with Pedroia's absence.

Along with starting first baseman Mark Teixeira, Pena joins Justin Morneau and Kevin Youkilis among reserve first basemen. Taking into account a possible double switch during the game, Brandon Inge could also be used as a first baseman if needed.

Way to take care of that depth issue, Joe.

No need to worry about first base now, with Teixeira, Pena, Morneau, and Youkilis.

What was the reasoning behind this pick?

Surely there has to be a good reason.

Not to say Pena doesn't deserve to be an All-Star—he's having a fine season—but what would possess Joe Maddon to think that the AL needs a fourth first baseman when only two second basemen reside on the roster?

Aside from leading the American League in home runs, is Pena having a season that makes it impossible to keep him out of the All-Star Game?

Not really.

Aside from his 24 home runs and 58 walks, Pena has only hit .233 and has already struck out 110 times.

Even his great defense, which earned him a Gold Glove last season, has been down this year. After posting a .998 fielding percentage with just two errors last year, Pena has fielded .989 to this point of the year, already with eight errors committed.

There are a handful of AL second basemen getting the shaft from Maddon, who is instead looking out for his own guys. The following is a list of AL second basemen snubbed from the All-Star Game.

Brian Roberts, BAL: .271, 8 HR, 40 RBI, 17 SB, 62 R

Robinson Cano, NYY: .309, 13 HR, 36 RBI, 4 SB, 60 R

Alexei Ramirez (SS/2B), CWS: .278, 11 HR, 42 RBI, 12 SB, 43 R

Ian Kinsler, TEX: .253, 20 HR, 55 RBI, 18 SB, 62 R

The sad thing is, this isn't the only questionable replacement pick/snub to surround this roster so far.

Collecting the third-most amount of votes, Josh Hamilton finds himself as a starting outfielder for the American League. All fine and dandy, he had a terrific comeback story, but do any of the voters pay attention to stats anymore?

Did any of the million plus people voting for Hamilton care to notice that he's batting .248 with six homers and 24 RBI?

Who in their right mind would give someone with his OBP sitting at an even .300 an All-Star vote?

Are people lost in the year 2008?

It really makes me wonder.

Taking absolutely nothing away from Hamilton, a very talented player, did any of these voters really stop to think who was having the best season among outfielders?

Does anyone care that Jermaine Dye—hitting .300/.373/.572 with 20 home runs and 55 RBI—will be watching the game at home?

Or what about Adam Lind and his 19 homers?

Even Shin Shoo Choo from Cleveland, batting .296 with 13 homers and 13 steals would be a better All-Star selection. Finally, Jason Kubel from the Twins can make a case for the All-Star Game. Hitting .311 with 14 homers, selecting Kubel could easily be defended.

With these ridiculous All-Star selections seemingly getting worse by the year, it is downright silly for home field advantage for the World Series to be riding on this game.

Shouldn't Bud Selig realize this?

Whichever team proves itself as the best team in each league shouldn't have their amount of home games in the Fall Classic ride on which All-Star team was the least ridiculous back in the middle of July.

Now I pose a serious question to Bud Selig.

Which facet of the game do you prefer?

Do you like giving fans the freedom to vote on their All-Stars, or do you prefer the added stipulation that the winner gets home field for the World Series?

With the current state of the game, the Commissioner of our sport needs to seriously consider removing one of those features of the All-Star Game. Although I continue to watch each year, it's becoming progressively harder to appreciate the concept of the ASG with such ridiculous selections.

Seriously, Mr. Selig, it's time to make a decision. Either fan voting goes and the best statistical players get sent to represent their respective teams and league at the Midsummer Classic, or the home field advantage stipulation gets the axe.

It can't continue to go on this way.

A Real Twist Of Fate: Jonathan Sanchez Throws a No-Hitter

E A — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:54:11 -0400

Last night was a wild ride for Jonathan Sanchez. Little did he know before last nights game between San Francisco and San Diego, he would be making history. It was a night of many firsts.

It was the first time that Sanchez' father was in attendance for one of his games. It would be the greatest game that Sanchez would, and that his father would see.

At the end of the night, the no-no would mark the first complete game, shutout, and no-hitter of Sanchez' young career. Furthermore, a few pitchers have come close, but this would also become the first no-hitter thrown by anyone in baseball this year.

It almost became the first perfect game in Major League Baseball since Randy Johnson, scheduled to start last nights game, threw one in 2004. Almost.

Sanchez wasn't even scheduled to start the game.

Suffering his share of inconsistencies this season and getting off to a wild start, Sanchez was recently demoted to the bullpen for the Gigantes, who have a loaded pitching staff. Surrounded by trade rumors, Sanchez' Giants days appeared numbered.

Although one night won't make those trade rumors go away, Sanchez did his best to make it a night to remember.

With Randy Johnson a late scratch, Sanchez got the start on short notice against the hapless San Diego Padres, who were held hitless the previous night until the seventh inning by Tim Lincecum.

Coming into this start, Sanchez was 2-8, with a 5.30 ERA and was costing the Giants over a win per game given his -1.24 WPA, or Win Probability Added (or Subtracted).

Having never thrown a shutout or complete game with the Giants, it would become something very out of the ordinary. Little did any of the 30,298 fans in attendance know that they were going to see the Padres fall victim to their sixth no-hitter-against in franchise history.

Sanchez got off to a good start in the first inning. After a weak grounder by by Everth Cabrera, Sanchez got Kouzmanoff and Gwynn out on strikes. After mowing down the middle of the Padres lineup in order, Sanchez got four runs in bottom of the second inning.

After this, the game went smoothly for both pitchers. Josh Banks of the Padres settled down and didn't allow any more runs over the next two innings, and Sanchez continued his brilliance against San Diego's miserable offense.

Sanchez struck out a pair in the fifth, getting through five frames of perfection. The Giants offense added more runs for Sanchez, thanks to a three-run homer for Pablo Sandoval, which almost landed with a splash into McCovey Cove.

Leading off the top of the sixth was former Giants' catcher Eliezer Alfonzo. Alfonzo struck out swinging on just three pitches. After a six-pitch battle with two outs in the inning, Sanchez retired Edgar Gonzalez, who looked at the third strike.

With six innings of perfect ball under his belt, Sanchez was three innings away from throwing the first perfect game since, ironically, Randy Johnson, who was scheduled to start instead of Sanchez last night.

With three innings to go, Sanchez got into a zone, zeroing in on his target of perfection. With a seven run lead, which can put some players in a position to lose focus on the game, Sanchez struck out the side in the seventh inning.

Two innings to go.

In the eighth inning, Adrian Gonzalez led off with a deep fly ball to left, handled by the left fielder John Bowker.

However, with one out, manager Bruce Bochy would come to regret the double-switch he made in the seventh, taking out Pablo Sandoval, putting Kevin Frandsen at second base, and moving Juan Uribe to third.

After Adrian Gonzalez nearly hit a solo home run to start the inning but flied out, Chase Headley dribbed a very routine ground ball to Juan Uribe at third base. The ball bounced off of Uribe, who proceeded to bobble the ball in an attempt to recover the play.

The perfecto was gone because Headley was able to shoot a ball toward a defensively inept third baseman.

Sanchez kept going. After a wild pitch and a flyout, he was able to get Eliezer Alfonzo for a swinging strikeout to get through the eighth inning. Sanchez was on the threshold of history.

Just three outs away from tossing the first no-hitter by a Giants pitcher since John Montefusco handled the Atlanta Braves in September of 1976, one can only imagine how nervous Sanchez was as he came out on the mound for the ninth inning.

Luis Rodriguez, Edgar Gonzalez, and Everth Cabrera. Those were the final three batters due up for the ninth inning.

Rodriguez grounded out on three pitches. Two outs away.

On a 2-0 count to Gonzalez, everyone watching the game collectively held their breath. It was a fly ball, hit deep to left center. Said one of the play-by-play announcers:

"To center field, hit well, hit very well, Rowand on the move, ROWAND MAKES THE CATCH! Two down in the ninth!"

In what was perhaps the catch of the year, Rowand tracked down the fly ball all the way to the fence, making a leaping grab while crash-landing into the wall. This no-hitter was not coming to an end if his glove had anything to say about it.

Everth Cabrera came to the plate with two outs in the ninth inning.

Sanchez delivers the first pitch, a ball out of the zone.

Another ball.

On the third pitch, Cabrera takes a called strike, and fouls off the fourth to even the count at 2-2.

Delivering an absolutely disgusting pitch, Sanchez rings up Cabrera with a backwards K in the box score, topping off his no-hitter.

It may not change the fact that Sanchez could be trade bait as the Giants look to acquire a big bat, but this outing was definitely the highlight of his career so far. Congratulations, Jonathan Sanchez, for crafting a superb start last night!

Red Sox Trade Rumors: Roy Halladay, Manny Delcarmen, Takashi Saito

E A — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:27:12 -0400

Moving into July, after the announcement of the All-Star teams (which I plan to address in a different article), the trade deadline speculation is in full swing.

One team that has popped up everywhere in the past few days is the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox are mired in a bit of a skid, seeing a five-game lead over the Yankees turn into a mere one-game advantage. With the American League's best record in hand (for now, at least), the Red Sox won't be labeled as "buyers" or "sellers" at this deadline.

Rather, Epstein will look to make trades to further improve the roster and put the Red Sox in the best possible position to hold off the Yankees and Rays and win their second AL East crown in three seasons.

With potential trade chips young and old in Clay Buchholz, Takashi Saito, and Julio Lugo, the Red Sox will likely make at least one deal to add some help and bolster a weaker part of the roster.

One of the most recent—and surprising—rumors popped up today, as Buster Olney wondered if the Red Sox would try to make an offer to the Blue Jays for Roy Halladay, whom the Jays are apparently willing to trade.

Not surprisingly, it was mere speculation rather than a legitimate rumor or possibility, just people pointing out that the Red Sox could afford to pay Halladay's salary and have the young talent to pull off a deal.

The detractors claim the Red Sox have stubbornly clung on to their young pitchers like a small child does with a blanket or stuffed animal. Johan Santana wasn't enticing enough to make Theo Epstein give up John Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, Buchholz, or any other top prospect in 2007, and Halladay will probably create a similar scenario now.

The bigger obstacle to a deal is the fact that the teams compete in the same division.

With both teams playing in the AL East, not only would the Jays be unwilling to send their ace to a division rival, but the Red Sox would also not want to send some of their top prospects to a rival inside the division.

Would it lead Toronto to ask for more prospects from the Red Sox, seeing as how Boston would land one of the best pitchers in the game? Most likely.

With this, would the Red Sox continue to pursue a deal? Probably not.

In fact, given the current state of the Red Sox's pitching, they are most likely not in the market for Halladay, and while they haven't even made a call to Toronto to discuss the pitcher, barring a major injury, I don't think anyone sees the Sox becoming players for Halladay.

Not that it's a rumor—Olney really was just noting that the Red Sox could be a fit for Halladay—it would take some real desperation for Epstein to start looking to play ball with Toronto on a deal.

After a mediocre 2006 season, Manny Delcarmen emerged as a great young relief pitcher for the Red Sox in 2007. As part of the bullpen that helped win Boston its second World Series in four years, Delcarmen was the owner of a 2.05 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 44 innings.

In 2008, a season that saw the Red Sox fall just short of trying for a repeat, Delcarmen backtracked from his breakout campaign of the year before. Struggling some with control, Delcarmen's numbers jumped to a 3.27 ERA and 1.11 WHIP; still respectable numbers, but not as dominant.

To his credit, Delcarmen did pitch 30 more innings than in '07 while increasing his K/BB rate from 2.41 to 2.57.

With Delcarmen pitching lights out again (1.97 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 1.64 K/BB), teams with bullpen woes have been looking to land him. Earlier in the season, the Washington Nationals offered Nick Johnson in exchange for Delcarmen, someone the Nats would attempt to build their bullpen around.

That deal was shot down as soon as it hit Theo's ears.

After the loss of closer Matt Lindstrom to the DL, the Florida Marlins are in the market for a relief pitcher. According to Ken Rosenthal, they Braves-to-move" target="_blank">offered the Red Sox Minor League first baseman Gaby Sanchez in return for the hard throwing Delcarmen.

Sanchez, one of Florida's best prospects, is hitting .300 with eight home runs at Triple-A New Orleans, coming off a .314, 17 home run, 17 steal, 92 RBI season last year at Double-A.

Given the depth of talent the Red Sox have available at first base in Kevin Youkilis, Carter, Anderson, and even Aaron Bates, it's understandable that talks didn't last long between these two teams.

Not to say it was a bad offer, but the last thing the Red Sox need right now is another power-hitting first baseman in the minors.

Sorry, Gabriel.

While the Red Sox haven't shown much willingness to deal Delcarmen, or any part of their bullpen for that matter, it has been made clear that if any relief pitcher is going to be traded, it is likely to be Saito, says Gordon Edes.

A scout has said that Delcarmen "has closer stuff," and due to his immense talent, the Red Sox have been saying no to teams looking to land Delcarmen, as well as Justin Masterson.

The scout went on to reveal that Saito would probably be the one to go, if anyone.

Earlier in June, Troy Renck connected the Rockies to Saito, noting that the Rox needed relief help that could dominate the NL West, also going on to say that the Red Sox had mild interest in outfielder Ryan Spilborghs.

Other than that, the market for Saito has been quiet—surprising, given Saito's respectable numbers, consisting of a 3.64 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, and 2.08 K/BB.

Tim Wakefield: Knucklin' His Way into the History Books

E A — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:39:36 -0400

Tim Wakefield has been a fixture with the Red Sox for so long, his presence with the pitching staff has been a given year-in and year-out. After two seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992 and '93, Wakefield left for greener pastures.

Ironically, after guys like Wakefield, but especially Barry Bonds, left Pittsburgh, the team has had a losing record every year, and this year the Pirates are still in search of that elusive winning season.

In 1995, Wakefield's inaugural season in Red Sox Red, he pitched brilliantly, baffling hitters with his deceptive, dancing knuckleball. Wake finished third in Cy Young voting, going 16-8 with a 2.95 ERA on the season.

Wakefield continued pitching consistently well as one of the last of a dying breed. As the knuckleball has lost its popularity among pitchers, Wakefield has consistently crafted masterful starts for the Red Sox, serving up plenty of knuckle sandwiches along the way.

He has never overpowered opposing hitters, and with the exception of a few standout seasons, his stats have never been jaw-dropping. Wakefield is simply a guy who has gone out, mastered his trade, and done his job to the best of his ability, and it's starting to pay dividends.

Despite his long-standing role as a starter for Boston, he has never shied away from doing whatever the Red Sox needed him to do. Not only has he made 382 starts for the team, but he has also made 137 relief appearances, even notching 15 saves in 1999.

Having pitched with the Red Sox for 15 seasons and counting, the knuckleballing 42-year old now finds himself among some of the greatest pitchers of all time in the Red Sox record books.

Sporting 174 wins, 382 starts, and with 2,676 innings under his belt, Wakefield is near the top of the list among Red Sox career leaders in all those stats.

With his last start at the Atlanta Braves, Wakefield has tied Roger "The Rocket" Clemens for the most starts in Red Sox history, 382. His next start, slated to be against the Seattle Mariners, will be his 383rd and will make him the outright record holder for the most starts.

With 519 total appearances in his Boston career, Wakefield ranks second all-time on the Red Sox leaders list, behind Bob Stanley, who has been trotted out to the mound 637 times for the Red Sox.

In the two other mentioned categories, wins and innings, Wakefield very easily can break those records, both held by Roger Clemens. Clemens and Cy Young are tied for the most wins with 192, and The Rocket holds the innings pitched record alone, with 2,776.

Wakefield is in third for both stats, but not too far behind. With 2,676 innings of work, it will take just 100 innings for the rest of the season for Wake to tie Clemens for the most innings of work in Red Sox history.

However, since he needs 18 more wins to force a three-way tie for the most victories in Sox history, it is very unlikely that he will attain the record this year.

He currently has a 10-3 record on the season, so say he ends up winning 18 games this year, which would be a new career high. That would mean Wakefield, who has averaged 13 wins per season in his career, would only need to win eight games in 2010 to tie the record.

In the later stages of his career, at 42 years of age, Wakefield still has enough left in the tank to pitch at least until he's 45. But, due to the very little amount of stress exerted on his arm, some have said he could try his hand at pitching until he's 50.

No matter what he does, it should only take until sometime next season for Wakefield to break these records, solidifying his spot among the all-time Red Sox greats.

MLB: A Closer Look at the Division Leaders

E A — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:11:30 -0400

With the month of June winding down, the talk around baseball right now is about the upcoming All-Star Game and the looming July 31 trade deadline as teams try to decide whether to be buyers or sellers.

As playoff races and pennant pushes start to heat up, here is a look at our current division leaders as the 162-game marathon is about halfway over.

American League

East: Boston Red Sox (45-28)

Strengths: offense, defense, starting rotation, bullpen, pitching depth

Weaknesses: Daisuke Matsuzaka, defense at shortstop

Top competition: New York Yankees (41-32), 4.0 GB

After a busy off-season in which General Manager Theo Epstein made many money-smart additions to the team; mainly improving the bullpen and adding a remarkable amount of pitching depth. With all the upgrades made, it doesn't come as much of a surprise that the Red Sox stand in first place, four games ahead of the Yankees.

Scoring runs hasn't been a trouble for this team, as Kevin Youkilis, Mike Lowell, Jason Bay, and Jason Varitek have all hit over 10 home runs each, as J.D. Drew has contributed nine more and David Ortiz has busted out of his slump.

Jacoby Ellsbury has improved upon his numbers from last year, hitting .307 with 30 stolen bases. Nick Green has been a pleasant surprise filling in at shortstop, hitting .284 with four home runs. Finally, we have reigning MVP Dustin Pedroia, who leads the team with 52 runs, and is also hitting .289 with 12 steals.

From the mound, Josh Beckett has reverted back to the dominant pitcher he was in 2007, compiling an 8-3 record with a 3.74 ERA and 88 strikeouts heading into his Friday start against Atlanta. Jon Lester has heated up on the hill, and Tim Wakefield and Brad Penny have time and time again left the Red Sox in position to win games.

Capitalizing on the solid work of the rotation has been one of the league's best bullpens, led by fireballers Ramon Ramirez, Manny Delcarmen, and Josh Bard, along with the ever-crafty Hideki Okajima, Takashi Saito, and the versatile Justin Masterson. Closing games is the lights-out Jonathan Papelbon.

Along with the great performance of the pitching staff at the Major League level, the Red Sox still have yet to unleash Clay Buchholz or Michael Bowden on the hill, as both have been dominating hitters at AAA for Boston's affiliate Pawtucket. If any injuries befall the big league staff, the Sox can call up one of these kids for a-quick fix.

One issue for the Red Sox, who own the second best record in the league, has been Daisuke Matsuzaka. Dice-K is currently on his second stint on the disabled list, and has been downright dreadful when off it.

In eight starts, Matsuzaka is 1-5, with an 8.23 ERA. He has been shut down indefinitely, and will soon start rehabbing a sore shoulder in the Minor Leagues, which manager Terry Francona expects to be a long process.

Shortstop has been a slight issue, but not so much as of late. Early on, Jed Lowrie did horribly on offense, hitting .056 while trying to play through a wrist injury, and is currently on a AAA rehab assignment.

At first, fans witnessed a Nick Green/Julio Lugo platoon, which was expected to be a showcase of ineptitude on the diamond and at the plate. However, Green has been swinging a hot bat this year, and his defense, which was sloppy at first, has picked up as of late.

The Red Sox have a pretty comfortable lead with the way they are playing, but they can never be too careful about the Yankees, or both the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays. This could very well be a four-team playoff race, and the leader today could be in third place next week.

Central: Detroit Tigers (41-32)

Strengths: offense, infield defense, starting rotation, bullpen

Weaknesses: injuries, Magglio Ordonez, back end of rotation

Top competition: Minnesota Twins (38-38), 4.5 GB

Coming into the season, I was not alone in projecting the Detroit Tigers to finish near the bottom of the American League Central. I am now eating my words, as the Tigers have been playing great baseball, and currently sit atop the Central division.

Offense has not been a problem for this team, which is led by a triumvirate of sluggers. Brandon Inge and Curtis Granderson each have 17 home runs, and All-Star first baseman Miguel Cabrera has added 15 of his own.

Last year, abysmal defense was a major contributor to the lackluster performance of the Tigers. During the off-season, and during last year's regular season, that defense has been shored up by moving Cabrera to first base, and signing shortstop Adam Everett last winter.

Cabrera is continually improving his defense at first, and Everett is doing exactly what he was brought in to do, which is play great defense. Everett is also hitting .265, and the Tigers may talk to him about an extension before he hits free agency after the season.

Along with the defense, the pitching for this team has performed a complete 180-degree turn from 2008's performance. Justin Verlander has led the team, going 8-3 with a 3.31 ERA. Complimenting their ace, Edwin Jackson has won six games, compiling a 2.40 ERA.

Rounding out the dominant trio at the top of the Tigers rotation is rookie Rick Porcello, a contender for the Rookie of the Year award. Porcello has gone 8-4 with a 3.55 ERA.

Complimenting the efforts of the rotation has been a very solid bullpen, which, like the Red Sox, can bring the heat. Joel Zumaya has been hard to hit, and Fernando Rodney continues to emerge as a reliable closer.

Brandon Lyon and Bobby Seay have handled hitters as well, but swingmen Zach Miner and Nate Robertson have struggled.

Injuries have taken their toll on players that the Tigers could use contribution from, though, as Carlos Guillen, Jeremy Bonderman, and Dontrelle Willis are all currently on the shelf. However, these guys weren't producing before they were hurt, so the three could arguably count as addition by subtraction.

One weak spot of the offense has been Magglio Ordonez. While he is still hitting a respectable .274, Maggs hasn't been living up to his purpose as a run producer, as he only has three home runs and 24 RBI at this point.

Just a few years ago, Ordonez was a premier slugger, but he has now found himself benched indefinitely, much to the chagrin of Scott Boras.

The back end of the rotation has been a trainwreck for the Tigers, as last year's pleasant surprise Armando Galarraga has gone 4-7 with a 5.65 ERA this year. Unfortunately, it's been even worse for Detroit's fifth starter this year.

Dontrelle Willis and Jeremy Bonderman have shared the role, and they have both done terribly. Bonderman only got one start under his belt, notching a 13.50 ERA in a four-inning start. Willis looked to be launching a comeback from obscurity, but he eventually imploded.

Willis is currently on the DL with an anxiety problem, and has compiled a 1-4 record with a 7.49 ERA and a hideous 17/28 K/BB ratio.

The Tigers don't have a lot of competition to deal with, but if they don't watch out, they could be bitten in the behind by the Minnesota Twins, otherwise known as the piranhas if you ask Ozzie Guillen circa 2006.

West: Texas Rangers (40-32)

Strengths: offense, defense, bullpen

Weaknesses: starting pitching, depth, too aggressive at the plate

Top competition: LA Angels of Anaheim (39-32), 0.5 GB; Seattle Mariners (37-36), 3.5 GB

Last year, Texas had the best offense in the league. Counterbalancing that, they also had some of the league's worst pitching and defense. That was changed this winter, as the Rangers signed Omar Vizquel, and giving the starting shortstop job to Elvis Andrus.

Andrus, along with Ian Kinsler, Chris Davis, and Michael Young, has helped Texas improve vastly upon last season's sloppy infield defense. In center field, Marlon Byrd has provided great range and defensive effort in the absence of Josh Hamilton.

Obviously, offense still hasn't been a problem for this team. Even without All-Star Josh Hamilton, the Rangers offense has been tearing the cover off the ball. Nelson Cruz leads the team with 18 home runs, 45 runs batted in, and 11 stolen bases.

Second baseman Ian Kinsler has been doing even better, with 18 homers, 50 RBI, and 16 stolen bases, while also hitting .272.

Michael Young, who has been moved to third base, is hitting .307 with 10 home runs, while both Hank Blalock and Chris Davis have knocked 14 dingers each.

The bullpen has been about equivalent in success to the offense this year. Eddie Guardado has struggled, but everyone else is picking up the slack. Swingman Jason Jennings has worked 40 innings, amassing a 3.83 ERA.

Darren O'Day, C.J. Wilson, and Frank Francisco have been lights out at the back end of the 'pen. O'Day has struck out 24 batters in 26 innings, earning a sterling 1.38 ERA.

Set-up man and part-time closer, Wilson has finally gotten over the control issues that have plagued his short career. Wilson has a 2.67 ERA, while also slamming the door for seven saves filling in occasionally for the closer Francisco. Francisco only has 12 saves, but in 22 innings, he has struck out 23 batters with 1.23 ERA.

The Rangers starting pitching has been a bit shaky, though. Despite Kevin Millwood leading the way with eight wins and a 2.64 ERA, inconsistency has plagued the rest of the rotation.

Vicente Padilla has a 4.48 ERA with five wins, and Scott Feldman owns a 4.06 ERA with five wins. Those two have been decent, but Matt Harrison and rookie Derek Holland have been up and down all year. Currently, Harrison's ERA is upwards of 6.00, and Holland is just under at 5.77.

The aggressive approach at the plate has been crippling to this team at times as well. Chris Davis' struggles have been prolific, as he has hit just .210, striking out 105 times in 233 at-bats. At this point, Davis, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Nelson Cruz have combined for 237 strikeouts and a .242 batting average.

When perhaps the three guys that Texas were relying on most to drive in runs this year with Hamilton on the shelf, it will be very hard to score runs when these guys are making worse contact with Julio Lugo, especially with Chris Davis looking primed to set the single-season strikeout record.

After hitting .280 last year, what has happened to Davis' ability to make contact with the ball?

Texas is playing some very good baseball this year, but their division is by no means a lock. They currently sit just a half game ahead of Los Angeles, and Seattle is lurking not too far behind, three and a half games out.

This is one of the most wide-open races in baseball, so Texas needs to keep up this high rate of play to hold off the Angels.

National League

East: Philadelphia Phillies (38-34)

Strengths: offense, depth, defense

Weaknesses: pitching, unwillingness to trade prospects

Top competition: New York Mets (37-35), 1.0 GB; Florida Marlins (38-37), 1.5 GB

The defending champs certainly haven't been playing like it this year. The pitching has been dreadful, and that's putting it lightly.

The offense has been alright, but overall, this team looks a step or two below the level they played at last year to take home their first championship since 1980.

Offense hasn't been a problem for this team, with the white-hot Raul Ibanez, former MVP Ryan Howard, All-Star Chase Utley, and right fielder Jayson Werth all ripping the cover off the baseball. Jimmy Rollins has struggled, however, as his batting average sits at just .211.

Shane Victorino has lived up to his moniker as the Flyin' Hawaiian, batting .297, while scoring 49 runs and stealing 12 bases. Pedro Feliz, a defense-first type of third baseman, has also contributed, hitting .285 with 36 RBI.

The defense played by this team, primarily Feliz, Rollins, and Utley, has been at a high level all season. Howard is still sloppy at times, but he is showing promise as he tries to bring his defense near the level of his otherworldly abilities with the bat. Victorino adds more defense patrolling center field as well.

Depth and flexibility is evident with this team, not only offensively but defensively. John Mayberry and Matt Stairs are two very solid pinch-hitting options, as both can come off the bench to perform in clutch at-bats late in the game.

Greg Dobbs and Eric Bruntlett also give the team a pair of defensively talented infielders who can be stopgaps in case of injury to Rollins, Utley, or Feliz.

The starting rotation has had more than its share of troubles this season, though. Ace Cole Hamels is currently 4-4 with a 4.44 ERA, hardly acceptable numbers from your team's best pitcher. Joe Blanton, the second pitcher, has added four wins and a 5.06 ERA.

Jamie Moyer, the crafty lefty, has been far from crafty, as he has been tagged for 5.97 ERA to go along with his 5-6 record.

Brett Myers, the opening day starter, is out for the season with a hip injury, and in his place, rookie Antonio Bastardo has gone 2-3 with a 6.75 ERA, compared to Myers' 4.66.

Brad Lidge as been abysmal in the closer role, notching a 7.86 ERA while also having spent some time on the disabled list.

Continuing the trend of sub-par performance, Chad Durbin, Jack Taschner, and Chan Ho Park combine for a 5.36 ERA in 117 innings.

J.C. Romero has been effective since his return to the league, but faced a 50-game suspension from baseball to start the season due to testing positive for a banned substance.

The only other bright spot in this 'pen has been Ryan Madson, who owns a 2.97 ERA through 36 innings, also striking out 39 batters.

It has been made well known that the Phillies are looking to add a starting pitcher to try and shore up the biggest problem that has plagued the team this year.

However, the Phillies will have a hard time acquiring an Erik Bedard or Jake Peavy-type pitcher that they have been searching for due to their hesitance to give up a top prospect.

The Phillies' front office has come out and said that they will refuse to listen on top prospects Dominic Brown, Lou Marson, Kyle Drabek, Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, or Antonio Bastardo, only leaving the door open for a potential trade on prospects Michael Taylor and Jason Donald.

It seems the Phillies, who are searching for and are in great need of an impact pitcher, are trying to be beggars and choosers here. It's fine that they want to groom their prospects and give them a future in the Phillies organization, but refusing to listen on any top prospect is no way to conduct trade talks for elite talent. That's my take on it, at least.

If the Phillies want to win this division for the third year in a row, they're going to have to return to the high level of play that they used to put pressure on the Mets during their epic chokes of '07 and '08. The red-hot Marlins are right behind, as are the Mets, who are looking to redeem themselves for failures past.

Central: St. Louis Cardinals (41-35)

Strengths: offense, starting rotation, bullpen

Weaknesses: third base, outfield

Top competition: Milwaukee Brewers (39-34), 0.5 GB; Chicago Cubs (35-35), 3.0 GB

The Cardinals are giving everyone a run for their money atop the National League Central, which the Cubs were favored to win yet again coming into this season. The Cardinals, 2006 World Series champions, are tired of playing second pony to the Cubs, and have thus far earned first place in the division.

Offense should never be a problem for a team that has Albert Pujols, who has hit .323 with 26 home runs and 70 RBI to this point. He isn't alone in offensive production, with Yadier Molina hitting .278 with five homers, and rookie Colby Rasmus adding seven home runs of his own.

Tony La Russa's Cardinals are sixth in the National League in runs scored, as well as third in the National League in total bases.

The biggest strength of this club, though, is its pitching. A healthy Chris Carpenter next to the talented Adam Wainwright has proved to be one of the most formidable one-two punches atop any starting rotation.

Carpenter brings five wins and a minute 1.78 ERA to the table, while living up to his status as a control artist by only walking nine batters. Wainwright complements Carpenter's style to the tune of eight wins, a 3.51 ERA and 89 strikeouts.

Also solid out of the back end of the rotation has been Joel Piniero, who has been a victim of poor run support. A control artist like Carpenter, Piniero boasts only 12 walks in 92 innings of work, while also compiling a 6-8 record with a respectable 3.40 ERA.

Ryan Franklin, Kyle McClellan, and Trever Miller have all been lights out for this team as of late. Miller, who is nearing the twilight of his career, boasts a 2.79 ERA and 20 whiffed batters.

McClellan, in only the second year of his career, has been stellar, going 2-2 with a 3.24 ERA. Finally, closing out games has been Ryan Franklin, who has been nearly unhittable this year. With 17 saves, Franklin is also the owner of a 0.96 ERA and a sparkling 0.85 WHIP.

Third base and the outfield have been problem positions for the Cardinals this year. With Troy Glaus, the team's best power hitter not named Pujols, out until at least late July, not having seen any action this season, the Cardinals are platooning Joe Thurston and Khalil Greene at the hot corner.

Among outfielders, both Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel have struggled mightily, and they have both also missed time due to injury. Ludwick, who had monster power numbers last season, is hitting .226 with 11 long balls at this point. Ankiel, who had a comeback for the ages in 2007, is hitting .240 with five homers.

Even fourth outfielder Chris Duncan has struggled. He got off to a good start, but has floundered more recently. His batting average has dipped to .249, and he has hit five home runs, while seeing his way into 69 games this year.

If the Cardinals want to go somewhere in the playoffs, it will require improved play from some of these outfielders.

The Cardinals are in first place right now, but winning the division is no sure thing. The Milwaukee Brewers are right on their heels, while both the Cubs and Reds aren't lurking too far behind either. If the Cardinals go on a prolonged skid, it may just be enough to take them out of the race.

West: Los Angeles Dodgers (48-26)

Strengths: offense, defense, starting pitching, bullpen

Weaknesses: Rafael Furcal, Russell Martin, pitching depth

Top competition: San Francisco Giants (39-33), 8.0 GB

Last, but not least, we have this year's best team in baseball. After a late season surge with the acquisition of Manny Ramirez at the trade deadline, the Dodgers were favored heavily to win the NL West this year. The Giants were also speculated to contend, but the Dodgers are just running away with it.

Even with Ramirez on a 50-game suspension, the Dodgers aren't having any trouble scoring runs or winning games. Juan Pierre has been a catalyst at the top of the lineup, batting .329 and stealing 18 bags. Orlando Hudson has been another nameless hero, as he has scored 48 runs and driven in 41 while playing great defense at second.

Matt Kemp has been all that's advertised, as he's hitting .313, with nine homers, 40 RBI, and he has also stolen 18 bases. Casey Blake has added 11 homers and 48 RBI more, but perhaps the glue of this team has been Andre Ethier.

After a stellar three home-run performance last night, Ethier is hitting .268, with 14 home runs and 49 driven in. He has been one of the best run producers on the team, and should only continue to flourish with the return of Mannywood on July 3.

As if the offense hasn't been great, the pitching for this Dodgers team has been as good if not better. Chad Billingsley, just 24 years old, is among the league's best with nine wins and a 3.10 ERA.

Wonder kid Clayton Kershaw is right behind him, going 5-5 with a 3.70 ERA. Kershaw has a knee buckling curveball, which he uses to rack up the K's, but he still gets into his share of issues regarding walks.

However, the tandem of Billingsley and Kershaw has combined for a whopping 182 strikeouts, Billingsley with 99 of them.

The Dodgers have one of the most complete rotations in the league, as they are getting quality outings up and down the list. Randy Wolf has provided a 3.64 ERA, Hiroki Kuroda has contributed a 3.44, and in a handful of starts, Eric Milton has gone 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA.

The bullpen has been equally solid. Spot starter and long reliever Jeff Weaver is 4-2 with a 3.68 ERA, making a comeback from obscurity and ineptitude on the mound. Ronald Belisario has been great, posting a 2.03 ERA through 44 innings.

Ramon Troncoso, setting up for Jonathan Broxton, has been just as good. In 47 innings of work, Troncoso has a 2.11 ERA, while also recording four saves during off-days for Broxton.

Broxton, 25, already looks like one of the best young closers in the game. Broxton is 18-for-20 in save opportunities, and has notched a 2.27 ERA while striking out 57 hitters in 35 innings.

There is weak depth among this rotation, though, and the Dodgers know it. Nobody expected Wolf or Milton to be as sharp as they have been, and if an injury befalls anyone in the rotation there isn't much to replace them. Eric Stults and Jason Schmidt are both on the disabled list, with Schmidt rehabbing currently in AAA.

The Dodgers have had so few problems this year that the problems they have had can be pinpointed to certain players. One of them has been Rafael Furcal. To say Furcal has been mediocre this year would be generous, as he is hitting .238, with three homers, 16 RBI, and four stolen bases.

His offensive stats are nothing to write home about, and his defense isn't making up for it. In 66 games at shortstop, Furcal is sporting a Lugo-like .970 fielding percentage, while also having committed eight errors.

Another issue the team has had is Russell Martin. Once viewed as one of the best catchers in the National League, Martin has been on the decline since his breakout 2007 season. Having played in 66 games, Martin has hit .249, with one home run, 21 RBI, and seven steals.

With the league's best record and one of the most complete teams around the league, look for the Dodgers to make another deep post season run, likely getting farther than the NLCS this go around. As of now, it will take an epic collapse for the Dodgers to lose this division, as they are running away with it.

Dice K Shut Down; Red Sox Pitching Surplus Works Itself Out

E A — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:17:09 -0400

Finally, the news coming out of Boston is good. After dominating the MLB with an 18-3, 2.90 ERA performance in 2008, the Red Sox knew something was wrong with Dice K this year.

Coming back from another great performance at the World Baseball Classic, which has been thoroughly dominated by Japan in it's two contests since inception, Red Sox fans were hopeful that Dice K would be able to build on last year's numbers.

The only problem was the World Baseball Classic.

Since the Red Sox were not able to monitor his preparation or his workload for and during the tournament, Matsuzaka, who missed out on Spring Training this year, came to the team neither mentally nor physically prepared for the regular season.

Because of this lack of preparation for the season, Dice K has struggled immensely. Of course with this slump come those who have been against Dice K all along, saying how he is overrated, a bust, and this finally proves it.

The numbers certainly support that argument, as Matsuzaka hasn't had a quality start all year, in eight tries. In fact, he hasn't even been able to pitch out of the sixth inning in any of these starts. Dice K is 1-5 on the season, and the Red Sox are 2-6 overall when he has pitched this season.

The big inning has also killed Dice K this year. In only one of his starts has he not allowed two or more runs in any given inning. In just his second start of the season, Matsuzaka pitched only one inning and gave up five runs.

In his next start against his Mets, his first start off a stint on the disabled list, Dice K had a good thing going. Through three innings, he had allowed no walks, one run, and struck out three. Then, following an implosion in the fourth, in which he faced eight batters, walking one, the Mets added three more runs.

In these eight starts, Dice K has allowed eight home runs, amassing an 8.23 ERA. Batters are hitting at a robust .378 against the Japanese import, who has allowed nearly as many runs across the plate (32) as batters he has struck out (34).

Certainly starting off on a slump, Dice K was bound to turn it around. I mean, David Ortiz did, didn't he? With not having shown any signs of turning around in the last month since being taken off the disabled list, it is crystal clear that something is wrong with him.

After undergoing an MRI which revealed no structural damage in Matsuzaka's shoulder, the Red Sox have shut him down to the 15-day disabled list, classifying his injury as a "mild shoulder strain."

Daisuke is believed to be heading to the team's Spring Training facility in Florida to start rehabilitating his arm.

"This is not going to be a two week DL," said Sox manager Terry Francona. "We're going to have to figure this out. We have a lot of work ahead of us trying to get him back to being Daisuke."

While referencing the World Baseball Classic in connection to Dice K's woes: "We never were really able to get that foundation, and he's alluded to that, too," Francona said.

"We've got to try to figure it out, because it's obviously not working. He's trying to reach back and throw 93 [mph], but it's not there. As a result, he's not locating. It's been a chore. (...) It's hard. I just think if we had a chance to ramp him up in our Spring Training, we'd feel a lot better."

This comes with perfect timing for the Red Sox, who still have a plethora of pitching depth. Brad Penny will most likely come off the trading block now, as he had little trade value anyways.

Everyone in the starting rotation will get to keep their spot with John Smoltz set to make his Boston debut on Thursday. Originally it was speculated that the Red Sox would either go with a six-man starting rotation or use either Smoltz or Tim Wakefield in a long relief role.

Now Wakefield, who has been a very clutch pitcher for the Red Sox this year, gets to keep his starting spot as he looks to tie Roger Clemens and Cy Young for the record of most wins in a Red Sox uniform (192).

The Red Sox look to be getting the vintage Smoltz despite the major shoulder surgery he has gone through in the last year. He has rehabbed well, and found great success in his Minor League assignment.

Pitching for all three levels of the Minors on his road to recovery, Smoltz has compiled a 1-1 record along with a 2.63 ERA and .80 WHIP in six starts. In 27 innings, Smoltz has fanned 21 batters, walking just four.

Smoltz joins the first place Red Sox just in time for the crucial stretch run, and he will become the No. 5 starter in a loaded Boston rotation, which looks to shape up as one of the best in the league as Beckett and Lester are pitching brilliantly.

As the grizzly veteran makes his long awaited debut on Thursday, he gets a bit of a break in his return to the Major Leagues, as the Red Sox take on the league-worst Washington Nationals.

If Smoltz struggles, the only pitchers who could take his job now are Clay Buchholz or Michael Bowden, as Matsuzaka is expected to be shut down for the rest of the season as he tries to regain strength in his throwing arm and work out some bumps in his mechanics.

What Could Have Happened: A-Rod, Ordonez in Boston

E A — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:17:06 -0400

It was November of 2003, and the Red Sox were still crushed from the jarring defeat in Game Seven of the ALCS, at the hands of their hated nemesis yet again. Aaron Boone had hit a walk off home run off of knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

The Yankees were going to the World Series. The Red Sox were going home. The pain became a little easier to swallow when the Yankees eventually lost the World Series to the Marlins.

One could say Josh Beckett has been doing things for the Sox since before he was traded to them.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving of the same year. Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein was headed to the house of starter Curt Schilling, with a tin of cookies from Starbucks in hand.

Despite taking calls from Yankees GM Brian Cashman throughout the night, Epstein convinced No. 38 that Boston was the right place for him, and the Red Sox had their co-ace to go with Pedro Martinez.

The one thing that the Red Sox needed was a closer. Having a lights out closer in 2003 could have equated to a World Series berth for the Red Sox rather than the Yankees.

Keith Foulke was their guy. Over a few beers and a hockey game, Epstein had convinced Foulke to climb aboard with the Red Sox, who were more dedicated than ever in their chase for a championship.

But, there were also the moves that didn't happen that offseason. Just as quickly as Foulke and Schilling were aboard with the club, Theo was this close to sealing some other trades that would have made the team a force to be reckoned with the entire season.

Manny Ramirez' constant trade demands would finally have Epstein granting the troubled star's wish that winter. Theo had an agreement in place with the Texas Rangers to swap Ramirez along with pitching prospect Jon Lester for superstar shortstop Alex Rodriguez.

Right after that deal, the Red Sox would announce their next bombshell.

With batting champion Bill Mueller at third base and longtime Sox fan favorite Nomar fretting so much over a new contract, Nomar Garciaparra was on his way out of Boston. He would be sent to Chicago for Magglio Ordonez and pitching prospect Brandon McCarthy.

Hard to imagine this being the face of the 2004 Red Sox. Very easily this lineup would have none of the personality, but all of the success the team possessed that magical year.

I'm confident that team could just as easily win a World Series as the one that actually did, how would that affect the course of history for the Red Sox in the past few years?

What about top prospect, shortstop Hanley Ramirez? With A Rod at short, but with Bill Mueller's career all but done, it would be very likely that either Rodriguez or Ramirez would be converted into a third baseman.

The Red Sox would have two of the most dynamic players in baseball on the left side of their infield, along with two more on the right side with Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis.

What about the pitching staff, though? The rotation took a big hit after the 2004 season with the losses of Derek Lowe to Los Angeles and Pedro Martinez to New York.

With this lineup, would the Red Sox still have felt compelled to trade Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez to Florida to acquire Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett?

Sure, Beckett was a great young pitcher at the time, but Ramirez was one of the game's more exciting prospects, and Mike Lowell's career looked all but over following his 2005 season, in which he hit .236, with eight home runs and 58 RBI.

The Red Sox rotation would take another hit down the road, because instead of Jon Lester, the Red Sox would instead have injury-prone Brandon McCarthy. Although that spot could just as easily belong to Clay Buchholz or Michael Bowden right now, what about in 2008? Would the Red Sox have even been contenders last year?

A Rod may have once told Bud Selig that he wanted to go to the Red Sox, but in hindsight, I'm perfectly happy with the way things worked out.

Stephen Strasburg: The LeBron James of Baseball or a Bigtime Bust?

E A — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:01:10 -0400

On Tuesday evening, the Washington Nationals did what everyone was expecting them to do: they drafted San Diego State right-hander Stephen Strasburg with the first overall pick in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft.

His college stats (13-1, 1.32 ERA, .172 BAA, 195 K, 109 IP) and his complete dominance of opposing hitters surely made this look like the right pick for the Nationals, who for so long have been such a terrible pitching team.

After last year's failure to sign first-round selection, starter Aaron Crow, the Nationals had even more pressure on them to draft the uber-prospect Strasburg, who has already been acclaimed as "the Lebron of baseball," and "a sure thing."

Talk surrounding Strasburg says that if he signs with the Nationals (likely for upwards of 30 million dollars), he could be called up to pitch for the team by September. What? This doesn't make a lot of sense if they want Strasburg to live up to his full potential.

All that would do for the Nationals is get fans in their stadium and realize the wet dreams of pitching-strapped fantasy baseball owners everywhere.

The Nationals are already far out of contention in the National League East with a mere 15 wins. They also have one of the worst pitching situations in the league. In their rotation—which has some upside down the road—the only bright spot has been John Lannan.

Lannan, 24, is 3-5 with a 3.51 ERA, but with an ugly 38-31 K/BB ratio. No other starter in the Nationals' rotation has an ERA under five runs.

The bullpen has been very similar. Ron Villone and Mike Macdougal have been lights-out in relief, and Joe Beimel appears to be coming around. But every other pitcher has been lit up.

So, with these pitching woes, it seemed a no-brainer for the Nationals to take Strasburg. After all, a pitcher this good must certainly be the key to their success. Right?

Strasburg is a very good pitcher, but the hype surrounding this kid is unreal.

If baseball's draft were filled with kids with this much raw talent and press coverage, it would be right up there in popularity with the NFL Draft.

Everyone who pays the least bit of attention to baseball has heard of Strasburg and his explosive fastball. On a regular basis, it reaches the high 90's or lower 100's. It even has good, deceptive movement!

Is that even fair?

Strasburg also features a breaking ball similar to a slurve, which sits in the mid 80's, and a change-up which hovers right around 80 MPH.

Eighty miles per hour isn't that slow, but when it's coming from the same guy who can blow a 100 MPH fastball by you, it will look slower than a Tim Wakefield knuckleball.

In terms of mixing speeds, Strasburg has it down.

Obviously the potential is there for Strasburg to be the future (sooner rather than later) ace of the Nationals.

However, there are facets of his game that are not even close to being Major League ready, and it will take time for Washington to groom Strasburg into an MLB-ready ace.

As of right now, Strasburg is a one trick pony. His only big-league ready pitch is his fastball. His secondary pitches (breaking ball, change up) are unrefined and not fully developed. He can control these pitches, in the sense that he can find the strike zone, but he doesn't have command, and that will be taken advantage of if called up prematurely.

If the Nationals allow adequate time for Strasburg to develop in the Minors, then this ultimately shouldn't be an issue. Strasburg is good enough to get over the command problems.

Finally, the biggest thing that looks to be going against Strasburg is his mechanics.

Remember Mark Prior? Like Strasburg, Prior was highly-touted as a "can't miss" pitching prospect and once in a lifetime talent.

Prior's arm eventually broke down, and he and Strasburg have one alarmingly close similarity: what scouts refer to as the "Inverted W" delivery.

In this delivery, the pitcher angles his glove arm and throwing arm in a manner depicted below, and it looks like an upside-down W.

Scouts have noted that Strasburg's delivery is alarmingly similar to Prior, whose arm broke down after his 18-win 2003 season and never returned to form.

The Inverted W puts extra pressure on a pitcher's shoulder and often causes the pitcher to rush his delivery. If Minor League pitching coaches do not do something about this mechanical flaw in Strasburg's delivery, it makes him a major injury risk.

Aside from his nasty mechanics, the other thing standing in-between Strasburg and success in the MLB is the Washington Nationals.

They are such a bad team, with such a terrible attendance record that it wouldn't be surprising if their front office decided to call him up in August or September just to get fans out to their games.

For Strasburg and Washington sakes, hopefully the Nationals make the right decision and leave this kid in the Minor Leagues for a year or two.

It may not be the easy decision, but it's the right one.

In Round 36 of the MLB Draft, the Red Sox Select...

E A — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:12:56 -0400

For those of you who don't follow the MLB Draft, you may find yourself doing a double take if you see just who the Red Sox drafted today in the 36th round of the first year player draft.

With that pick in round 36, the Red Sox selected St. John's Prep outfielder Michael Yastrzemski. Now, I don't know how common that name really is, but if it weren't obvious enough, yes, Michael is the grandson of Yaz, the Red Sox legend.

This draft pick is intriguing to say the least, but alas, the story gets even sweeter as we move along.

Michael Yastrzemski is just 18, fresh out of high school, and comes in at 5'11", 185 pounds. Last season, he was a Catholic Conference all-star for St. John's Prep, leading his team in runs, RBI, doubles, and triples.

Also playing American Legion ball, he hit .412 and led the team in home runs.

Says Yaz, "he's got a good eye, he only swings at strikes."

Michael has been tutored about the art of hitting from none other than grandfather Carl Yastrzemski, who said his grandson had a good chance of eventually playing in the Majors.

"He can hit. He's a good outfielder, he runs well, he's got a strong arm. He's come a long way."

Said Red Sox New England regional scouting director Ray Fagnant: "I went to a tournament in Lynn and I saw a kid have two or three good at-bats in a row. I didn't know who he was. I didn't know Yaz had a grandson. And I got a roster and I said, 'Whoa, Yastrzemski.' The name really perks your interest, but what I like is I identified him before I knew who he was."

Fagnant added that the young Yaz has a good swing and good instincts.

Yastrzemski was projected to be plucked off the draft board quite early in the proceedings, according to scouts, but many teams backed off him because of his scholarship to Vanderbilt University.

Yastrzemski said he would only back out of his commitment to Vandy if he were drafted in the first round. Based off his words, we may not be seeing his name pop up in draft talk for a while, as his named dropped 35 rounds past the first before the Red Sox plucked the grandson of one of their former stars.

Knowing the status of the name Yastrzemski in New England, and after getting drafted by the Red Sox, of all teams, a good contract offer from the Sox may be enough to stop him from going to school and eventually becoming that first or second round pick that scouts say he can be.

Yaz admitted to the Boston Globe in February that he hoped the Red Sox would draft Michael, "If the opportunity presents itself," Yaz said.

The opportunity has presented itself, and the Red Sox made their move. If Michael decides to sign with the Red Sox it could mean there will someday be another Yaz roaming the confines of Fenway Park.

Solving the David Ortiz Saga: Could It Work Itself Out?

E A — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:45:20 -0400

With a great depth in the pitching department, many have speculated some arms will be moved this summer. With a great weakness offensively, many have speculated the Red Sox will be looking to trade their young arms for a big bat.

J.D. Drew is hitting at a clip of .261 with eight home runs on the season. Not bad at all, but despite the absurd contract handed to him, none of the Fenway Faithful expected "Nancy" Drew to do any better.

At least he hasn't hit the disabled list. Yet.

After getting off to a respectable start at the dish following his return from arthroscopic knee surgery during the offseason, Julio Lugo is now hitting a mere .256. He stole 33 bases in 2007. Now he can't even do that right.

Lugo's terrible defense has been tougher to watch than previous years, primarily because of the absence of Alex Cora. Now with resident utility infielder Nick Green and his poor defensive skills nesting in the backup role, the Red Sox are left juggling playing time between two rather inept players.

Green had a hot start at the plate as well, but as everyone expected, it didn't hold up. He's now hitting a respectable .271, but still around .030 points lower than he was when he had shortstop all to himself.

And of course, we have the prolific struggles of designated hitter and Boston cult hero David Ortiz. The same Ortiz who set a Red Sox record with 54 home runs back in 2006, now finds himself with only a pair of dingers as we move onward through the month of June.

The power outage for Ortiz would be tolerable if he were at least making contact with the ball. That, however, isn't the case. In 51 games, Ortiz is hitting just .197 with the aforementioned pair of home runs.

Only with this kind of slump would you see Red Sox fans acting as if it was Oct. 2004 all over again when Ortiz performed a once routine—now superhuman task.

There are many hypotheses on what's up with Ortiz.

In a story I found very hard to disagree with, Bill Simmons writes for ESPN The Magazine that David Ortiz is done.

"At first, we Sox fans thought we were just watching an early-season slump. Then three weeks passed and we started worrying. The guy couldn't hit the ball out of the infield. His bat was so slow he had to cheat on fastballs; even then, he couldn't catch up. One swing a night made him look like the drunkest batter in a beer league softball game. Look, I've seen slumps. This was different. This was the collapse of a career.

But one thing nagged at me: He wasn't belting bombs that were dying at the warning track like so many other former 'roiders. He just looked old. It reminded me of watching Jim Rice fall apart in the late '80s, when he lost bat speed overnight the way you and I lose a BlackBerry.

That's what happens to beefy sluggers on their way out: Their knees go, they stiffen up, bat speed slows and, in the blink of an eye, they're done. Beefy sluggers are like porn stars, wrestlers, NBA centers and trophy wives: When it goes, it goes. You know right away."

However, some also like to cite Ortiz's current six-game hitting streak and say that he's starting to come around. During this streak, which started in Toronto on May 31, Ortiz is hitting .280, slugging .480, with seven hits, one home run, and four RBI.

The Red Sox are 4-2 in these games.

Looking at at-bats from this previous week, Ortiz's supporters say—with merit—that he has been hitting the ball hard with nothing to show for it. That is in fact true. However, the balls he hit just happened to be right at opposing fielders.

With Ortiz appearing to warm up at the plate, there are mainly two differing points of view a fan could look at this situation from:

They can look at Ortiz' overall stats to find a .197 batting average, two home runs, a .288 OBP, and a .308 slugging percentage, and come to the conclusion that Big Papi truly is done, and that his occasional, here-and-there home runs are nothing more than a tease, giving more false hope to seemingly deluded fans.
They can look at Ortiz' numbers and film from the last week compared to the whole season, and see that Ortiz is slowly but surely picking up bat speed, making better contact, and getting a little bit of his power back and predict a decent (or extreme) comeback during the second half of the season.

For those who think that Ortiz really is done, there has been a call for the Red Sox to trade for an impact bat as we near MLB's non-waiver trading deadline.

The names Hanley Ramirez, Adam Dunn, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Willingham, Nick Johnson, Victor Martinez, and Matt LaPorta are just a few to have popped up. The majority of players on that list, however, do not seem to be realistic options.

Despite many salivating over the possibility of bringing Hanley Ramirez back to town, or the league leader in home runs in Adrian Gonzalez, neither of those two star players seemingly have a remote chance of being traded in the near future.

With the Indians still confused on whether to be buyers or sellers at the upcoming trade deadline, the prospect of acquiring Martinez at this point seems bleak. LaPorta is a future cornerstone of their offense, and seems as likely to be brought in as Ramirez.

While it would definitely be a nice luxury for the Red Sox to bring in a big bat to shore up the floundering bottom portion of the lineup, it is important not to rush a decision on a trade as this is a very delicate matter for the Red Sox.

While bringing in a hitter of any value to the Red Sox will surely cost the team a top pitching prospect (Bowden, Bard, Masterson, Buchholz, etc), the Red Sox need to be absolutely sure they are making the right decision.

Every one of the aforementioned pitchers has a very high ceiling, and potentially a bright future with the Red Sox. Especially Bard, who lights up the radar gun night-in and night-out with his high-90s, low-100s mile per hour heat.

For the Red Sox, some of the offensive problems can work themselves out, and thus a trade for an impact hitter would not be necessary.

Take for example Drew, who is easily capable of hitting .275 over the course of a season. If he manages to stay off the disabled list, he will have as close a season to earning his contract as he will in his Red Sox career.

When Jed Lowrie comes back from his wrist injury, he should be the stopgap at shortstop. His defense is better than Lugo and Green could hope to combine for in their dreams, and he is capable of hitting in a .270-.280 range as well.

And of course, we can't forget the prolific struggles of David Ortiz. History, however, shows that it is not unprecedented for big lefties with lost bat speed to break out of long slumps.

Remember that guy from the Mets, Carlos Delgado? Of course you do. Through Jun. 8 of last year, Delgado was hitting .245 with eight home runs. Nothing compared to Ortiz's current slump, I know, but Delgado's final numbers for 2008: .271, 38 home runs, 115 RBI.

I'm not using this to suggest that Ortiz can or will break out of his slump, but Delgado's situation last year was so similar to Ortiz that it wouldn't be out of the question for Papi to turn it around.

Maybe not as dramatically as hitting 30 home runs over the course of three and a half months, but right now Ortiz is starting to regain some bat speed. At this time last year, so was Delgado.

All I'm saying is that if Ortiz really isn't done like all of us want to believe, then look for him to start catching up to fastballs, and start driving more balls out of the park in the coming weeks.

If the Ortiz we all know and love is gone for good, then it was a hell of a run, but baseball is a business and Theo Epstein will have to continue to pursue a bat to replace him in the lineup.

The one factor among all the chaos is time. There is plenty of baseball to be played between now and the trade deadline. Plenty of baseball to be played between now and the end of the season.

As the Red Sox look to acquire a new power hitter to replace Ortiz, it is imperative to give the situation time to rectify itself and not to rush a decision. After all, a poor decision could one day come back to bite us.

John Smoltz Nearing Return: Should Red Sox Pitchers Worry?

E A — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:22:35 -0400

Last night, John Smoltz made more progress to advance himself on the long road of recovery from last year's season-ending shoulder surgery.

With Pawtucket hosting the visiting Durham Bulls, Smoltzy fired six innings for the PawSox, limiting Durham to one run and one hit with two walks and three strikeouts. 51 of his 74 pitches found the strike zone, as Smoltz retired the last ten batters he faced.

After the game Smoltz said his shoulder felt fine. During the game, he topped out at 91 MPH on the radar gun.

Smoltz said he is gaining more confidence in his stuff, also saying how he intends to pound the strike zone with fastballs, accompanying it with a splitter, slider, curveball, and, eventually, a changeup that he says is coming along.

Smoltz will make his fifth rehab start this Thursday at Syracuse. After that, Smoltz says "the Major League team has decisions to make, and I'll leave it up to them."

Coming into this season, the Red Sox had—on paper—the best looking starting rotation in all the leagues, with Josh Beckett heading the staff as the resident ace, Jon Lester as the up-and-comer with ace potential, and Daisuke Matsuzaka, who carried the rotation with Lester last year, winning 18 games with an ERA among the league's best.

Through the first two months, Beckett and Lester pitched terribly, and Daisuke found himself landed on the disabled list. The triumvirate was out of commission, with Lester and Beckett in possession of ERA's near 10.00 and Dice K on the shelf.

Tim Wakefield was the guy who stepped up to carry the workload for the Red Sox rotation through April and part of May, nearly no-hitting the Oakland Athletics and stringing together quality start after quality start.

Now, with Wakefield pitching more like himself (4.50 ERA, 31 BB, 41 K), and Dice-K continuing to struggle on the mound, should either of them worry about their jobs in the rotation?

Before the season there was already speculation that Wakefield would be moved to the bullpen to accommodate some of the abundant stock of arms the Red Sox have at their disposal. With his hot April well behind him, and Smoltz very close to his Boston debut, now may be the time for that shift.

Free agent addition Brad Penny has been up and down, and recent trade rumors have connected him to the Phildelphia Phillies. For Penny, the Red Sox have asked Philly for top infield prospect Jason Donald.

According to his page at The Baseball Cube, Donald is Philadelphia's fourth best prospect. On a scale of one-to-100, his power is graded at 79, his speed 52, his contact 33, and his patience 58.

In the Minor Leagues, Donald is a career .285 hitter with 28 home runs.

Trading Penny would do the Red Sox some good, as would moving Wakefield to a long relief role in the bullpen. One of those rotation spots would be filled by Smoltz, who will be back in the Show in one to three weeks.

Finally, it is time for the Red Sox to call up top prospect Clay Buchholz. He was rocked last year due to a lack of confidence in his stuff, but with the way he has been dominating AAA this year (4-0, 1.74 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 57 K, 12 BB) the 24-year old has shown that he is ready for the next level.

Josh Beckett has turned it around, marching to the tune of his 2007 campaign.

In his six previous starts, all of them quality starts, Beckett is 4-0 with a 1.94 ERA, 37 strikeouts, 14 walks, and a .197 opposing batting average, including a near no-hitter of the Detroit Tigers in his last start. The Red Sox went 5-1 under Beckett's last six outings.

Jon Lester is starting to look more like himself as well, as he has strung together two quality starts in a row and three in his last four outings. His last start, a near perfect game against the Texas Rangers, turned out to be an 11 strikeout, one run, two hit shutout.

With Lester and Beckett coming around, something needs to be done to spark the back end of the rotation. Smoltz will come with every intention to pitch well and keep the Red Sox in games. The addition of Buchholz will give the Red Sox another power pitcher who can rack up the strikeouts.

With Penny and his inflated ERA gone, and with Beckett, Lester, Smoltz, and Buchholz all pitching well, it will keep the pressure on Dice K low as he looks to revert back to his 2008 form.

Either way, with the imminent return of Smoltz, something is going to be done soon. Look for Penny to be the first to go.

Giant Killers: Boston Red Sox Topple the Empire

E A — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:00:14 -0400

In continuation of the Giant Killers series, I introduce the well-worn, but always bone-chilling story of the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

After a crushing loss in the 2003 American League Championship Series via an Aaron Boone walk-off home run in Game Seven at Yankee Stadium, new Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein had great changes in mind for his 2004 club.

The first shakeup made by Epstein was the firing of manager Grady Little, blamed for the '03 ALCS loss, and replacing him with Terry Francona. In four seasons managing the Phillies, Francona's Fightin' Phils never finished above third place in the National League East, never a win percentage better than .475.

Little did anyone know, after the upcoming 2004 season, Francona would become a Boston hero after October rolled around.

Before the season, Epstein brought in two pitchers who would become key to the Red Sox as the season advanced. First was starter Curt Schilling, who quickly became co-ace with Pedro Martinez.

Shoring up a huge hole in the bullpen, Keith Foulke was brought in to be the closer that the Red Sox so badly needed.

However, the shakeups weren't done there. With fan-favorite Nomar Garciaparra's best days behind him, Epstein made another surprise move, dealing him at the trade deadline as a part of a huge four team trade.

Nomar as well as outfielder Matt Murton went to the Chicago Cubs, Brendan Harris, Francis Beltran, and Alex Gonzalez went to the Montreal Expos, Justin Jones went to the Minnesota Twins, and Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz joined the Red Sox.

As if that didn't shake up the team enough, in a separate trade minor leaguer Henri Stanley was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for speedy outfielder Dave Roberts.

After the trades, the Red Sox turned things around on a huge scale, winning 22 games of 25. They went on to qualify for the playoffs as the American League Wild Card team, weighing in with 98 wins.

The Red Sox started off the playoffs in 2004 on a high note. Making quick work of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, sweeping them away en route to an ALCS match-up with their division-rival Yankees that will go down in history books as one of the best ever.

This time around the Fenway Faithful had high hopes for their Red Sox. The series started out with all the makings of a disaster.

They dropped Game One 10-7 at Yankee Stadium. A Yankee highlight of the game was Mike Mussina, who retired his first 19 batters, tossing six perfect innings. However, the Red Sox did get five runs off him in the seventh inning. Unfortunately it was too little and too late.

After the slugfest of Game One, the Yankees flexed their muscles on the hardware-thirsty Red Sox in Game Two, taking away a low-scoring affair. Surely it meant that they were the best team, because they could win both high and low scoring games.

After being manhandled by Jon Lieber and Yankees pitching, Mariano Rivera slammed the door on the Sox in the top of the ninth to close out a 3-1 win, sending the series back to Boston with the Sox dug into a 0-2 hole.

With Game Three being played in their own town, the Red Sox were set up to take the game that they needed to stay in this series with Kevin Brown pitching against Bronson Arroyo.

Everyone got routed in this one. The Red Sox were able to muster up eight runs and 15 hits. Not to be outdone, the Yankees came up with 19 runs and 22 hits on their way to taking a 3-0 lead on the series.

The Red Sox looked down and out in this series, and despite a vastly improved team the year before, they didn't even push the Yankees to seven games this year.

However, Epstein's offseason additions would start paying huge dividends in Boston's ultimate crunch time. In the bottom of the ninth inning in Game Four, Dave Roberts was pinch running for Kevin Millar.

After several failed pickoff attempts from Rivera, Roberts saw the daylight, taking off and stealing second. It was the stolen base that kept their season alive. Bill Mueller promptly singled, scoring Roberts and tying the game at four.

Later that game, David Ortiz blasted a monster walk-off two run to right field in the 12th inning as the Red Sox won 6-4.

Game Five at Fenway was another of the most memorable games of the series. After eight innings, the two teams were deadlocked in a 4-4 tie. The game went deep into the night, lasting over five hours and 49 minutes and going deep into the small hours of the morning.

Finally, in the 14th inning, David Ortiz ended the game with a single which scored Johnny Damon. At the swing of his bat, FOX announcer Tim McCarver said "He didn't do it again, did he? Yes he did!"

Despite this new-found momentum on their side, the Red Sox had to win two more games in the Bronx to get past this huge road bump.

Curt Schilling started the series pitching with a torn tendon sheath in his ankle, and he got shelled for six runs over a minuscule three innings of work. Based on his 21-6, 3.26 ERA regular season, the Red Sox knew he wasn't going to be pitching that way on a bad ankle.

It didn't stop Schilling from coming out in Game Six of the series.

Schilling's ankle was held together for the game with sutures that were put in place before the game in an unprecedented procedure.

Throwing seven innings, Schilling gave up just one run to the Yankees, while getting four runs of support courtesy of a Jason Varitek single and a three-run home run from Mark Bellhorn.

In the first nine inning win for the Red Sox of the whole series, Keith Foulke came in for the save. However, he gave a lot of Boston fans a healthy scare after walking Hideki Matsui and Ruben Sierra. Tony Clark came to the plate as the go-ahead run, but struck out on a 3-2 count.

With the comeback coming around in full swing, the Red Sox gathered in the clubhouse to watch Miracle, the Kurt Russell movie chronicling the miraculous victory of the 1980 USA men's Olympic Hockey Team.

It worked.

Game Seven wasn't even close. At the Bronx, the Red Sox enjoyed a one-run, one-hit outing from Derek Lowe through six innings. Coming through for the Red Sox were propelled to victory by home runs from Johnny Damon, Mark Bellhorn, and David Ortiz.

After all the effort, the Boston Red Sox won the game 10-3, and became the first team in the history of Major League Baseball to come back from a 0-3 series defecit to win the series, four games to three.

The ALCS comeback for the Red Sox was great. It was beyond great. The only moment keeping this seven game marathon from being the highlight of the 2004 season for Boston was the World Series that they finally won, their first in 86 long seasons.

As the 2004 Red Sox showed by toppling the empire, it always pays to keep the faith.

Miguel Tejada: A Perfect Fit for the Red Sox?

E A — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:37:46 -0400

The Red Sox have had almost no offensive woes outside of David Ortiz this season. After very slow starts from Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox hitters are meeting, or in the case of Jason Bay or Jason Varitek, exceeding, their expectations for this season.

However, aside from David Ortiz, there have been some offensive troubles. The more troubling part about these problems as that they aren't coming as surprises. These two problems in the lineup are J.D. Drew, and the shortstop circus.

J.D. Drew has been bad at the plate this year, and a little banged up. In breaking news, doctors say results from a recent study reveal indeed that it is beneficial for one's health to breathe on a regular basis.

I'm sorry, that was rude. However, Drew is a notoriously slow starter, and his delicate stature has earned him the nickname Nancy Drew in Boston. Only fitting.

His struggles, are for another article, however.

The real issue at hand is the shortstop position. Unfortunately, offense hasn't been the only problem for the trio of Red Sox shortstops this year. All three shortstops who have been trotted out by the Red Sox this year have been inept at offense and defense.

Despite Jed Lowrie still being a young kid with plenty of time to show that his bad start was a fluke, despite Julio Lugo being under contract for two more seasons, with David Ortiz struggling on a prolific level, I believe that it is time for Theo Epstein to pull the trigger and bring in a shortstop.

Such a transaction can easily be done, via trade of course.

First, a look at what the Red Sox have on hand at shortstop.

Julio Lugo

Lugo, currently in the third year of the questionable four-year contract handed to him by Theo Epstein, has been nothing short of terrible during his Red Sox tenure.

After hitting .238 in 2007 and missing a big chunk of the season last year with a knee injury, Lugo has not only made himself officially untradeable, but has shown that he deserves a contract more closer to the league minimum salary.

After sitting out for April this year, Lugo has now returned to play in 19 games. In those 19 games, Lugo has looked decent at the plate.

He looks to be truly regressing in the field, however, as his fielding percentage has decreased from .968 in 2007 to .945 in 2008 to .931 so far this year. In only 19 games, Lugo has made four errors, all of them costly.

Lugo is hitting .274/.338/.387, with one home run, four RBI, and a stolen base. In 62 at-bats, Lugo has six strikeouts and six walks.

Jed Lowrie

Currently on the DL, Lowrie isn't likely to return until late July with a wrist injury.

In his second stint with the Red Sox, the kid with a seemingly bright future wasn't able to put it together for the Red Sox this year. Despite being a career .287 hitter in the minor leagues, Lowrie has hit only .245 for the Red Sox between 2008 and 2009.

In his five games before hitting the disabled list this year, Lowrie played all of them at shortstop after seeing over 40 games played at shortstop and third base last season.

Lowrie has been praised as a good contact hitter, but the biggest asset he brings to the Red Sox is his defense, as well as his versatility.

Last year, while playing 49 games at shortstop, Lowrie turned 109 assists while making no errors at short, adding 59 assists and two errors in 45 games at third.

Despite continued great defense at short from Jed Lowrie, who has a 1.000 fielding percentage at shortstop for the Red Sox, when he does return he will probably be optioned to the minor leagues because of his abysmal start at to the season at the plate.

In 18 at-bats, Lowrie hit .056, with no home runs, no RBI, two walks, and eight strikeouts.

Because of the offensive struggles, he will likely only be starting for defensive purposes at shortstop if David Ortiz' bat comes back to life.

Nick Green

Acquired via free agency from the Yankees, Nick Green has filled in the hole at shortstop admirably for the Red Sox. Standing in at an even six feet, he looks like Dustin Pedroia, except playing shortstop.

Green has spent the majority of his career inside the American League, after being traded to Tampa Bay from Atlanta after his rookie 2004 season.

After a failed experiment as him being a full-time player in 2005 in which he hit .239, Green became a utility infielder for the Devil Rays and then the Yankees until joining the Red Sox.

Green is a good defensive player, but he is a natural second baseman and it shines through in his defensive numbers. He is a career .983 fielder at second base, compared to fielding percentages of .933 and .919 at shortstop and third base.

Out of 28 career errors, 10 of them have been committed at shortstop and five at third base.

While Green cannot be faulted for his effort, his defense is not going to cut if he wants to see the majority of playing time at shortstop this year. In 23 games, Green has made eight errors at short, with a Lugo-like .915 fielding percentage.

His offense has been a bright spot, however, as Green has hit .302, with a home run, 13 RBI, and a stolen base. He has shown bad plate patience, however, with 18 strikeouts to only four walks.

The Houston Astros are currently sitting in last place in the National League Central, seven games behind first-place Milwaukee with an 18-23 record.

However, if the Astros were to add a good starting pitcher for a low cost, they would have a decent shot at reaching the playoffs.

The only problem with this, though, is their budget. The Astros have hardly any payroll flexibility, which means they have to subject their fans to watching Brian Moehler and Felipe Paulino give terrible outings two out of every five games.

Since the Astros are badly in need of a starting pitcher, and the Red Sox are badly in need of some offensive help, with plenty of pitching to spare.

With Brad Penny (4-1, 6.07 ERA, 5 quality starts in 8 starts) a potential trade candidate with the looming arrival of John Smoltz, the Red Sox should definitely consider asking for a bat they can use to win this year.

Despite Houston's low payroll flexibility, a swap of Penny for Tejada would be perfect for both teams. For one, they would save money on Tejada this year, who is due to make $13 million. Penny, on the other hand, is making $5 million.

The Red Sox have announced that they have plenty of payroll flexibility, so taking on $8 million shouldn't be a problem for them. Furthermore, this wouldn't create a hole for either team.

John Smoltz would take Penny's rotation spot for the Red Sox, and Jeff Keppinger would take Tejada's spot at shortstop for the Astros.

The Astros would gain a good power pitcher in Penny, who was last healthy for a whole season in 2007, when he started for the National League All-Star team.

The addition of Penny would also allow the Astros to release Brian Moehler, who is 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA this year.

Filling in for Tejada would be Keppinger, who is hitting .279, with a home run and three RBI in 23 games. Keppinger's offensive skills emerged last year, and he has great defensive skills.

On the other hand, the Red Sox would get a five-time All-Star in Miguel Tejada. Tejada would be the perfect addition, as he is hitting .325, with four home runs and 24 RBI.

In addition, Tejada brings a .964 fielding percentage to the table, but it is likely to improve as the season gets along. Tejada is a career .971 fielder at shortstop, and had a .983 fielding percentage last year.

As if the match didn't seem perfect enough, it just keeps getting better. Neither team would have to worry about long-term ramifications of this trade, as both Penny and Tejada are free agents after the season.

In other words, this would give Houston room to add starting pitching this winter, and it would give Jed Lowrie and Julio Lugo another shot at shortstop next season.

Both teams would get the piece that they need to win now, with the Red Sox getting their offensive help with some defensive talent, and the Astros getting their starting pitcher they wanted this winter, as well as increased payroll flexibility for the upcoming trade deadline.

They say nothing is perfect, but Houston and Boston look as perfect a match as possible when discussing a pitching-for-hitting swap.

Forget Matt Holliday, Jason Bay Deserves an Extension!

E A — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:17:17 -0400

Many a fan has been looking forward to the 2009-2010 offseason ever since the 2009 season started, mainly due to an equally talented, if not better, free agent class than last offseason's.

This winter the big fish to land for teams looking for offensive help was first baseman Mark Teixeira. Tex, as he is known, eventually landed a mammoth contract with the New York Yankees after a bidding process in which he was rumored to be considering offers from Boston, Baltimore, and Washington, among others.

With regards to this coming winter, left fielder Matt Holliday is the marquee name atop the free agent class. While it is plausible and understandable that any of Major League Baseball's 30 teams would want to bring in the vastly talented Holliday, many, including myself, have at some point speculated that Holliday is a perfect fit for the Red Sox.

While as recently as three months ago I speculated that the Red Sox should consider going after Holliday, I now think the Red Sox should take the opposite road by locking up Jason Bay to a long-term contract.

No offense intended to Holliday, but his struggles at the plate are likely due to two contributing factors. For one, Holliday finds himself in the middle of Oakland's anemic offense, hitting behind slumping Orlando Cabrera and "protected" by Jason Giambi.

As if Holliday's supporting cast isn't bad enough, he also gets the less-than-desirable privilege of playing half the season at The Coliseum, named very rightfully. The place is cavernous, and hitting a home run here is quite the feat, no matter whose bat it flies from.

This, just a year after hitting around sluggers Brad Hawpe, Todd Helton, Garrett Atkins, Troy Tulowitzki, and speedster Willy Taveras, playing 81 games a year at hitter friendly Coors Field.

Furthermore, Holliday has always had suspect numbers away from Coors Field. While establishing himself as a .300 hitter as well as a threat to hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs for a season, becoming one of the most feared hitters in the National League, Holliday's home/road numbers do real justice to show how he's hitting.

Home (career): .351/.418/.634, 499 hits, 109 hits, 109 doubles, 86 home runs, 322 RBI

Away (career): .281/.349/.454, 388 hits, 84 doubles, 47 home runs, 187 RBI

All this with Holliday having played 377 home games and 358 games in a road jersey, a difference of just 63 plate appearances.

This year for the A's, Holliday has hit .271 with five home runs and 26 RBI. Not bad in the least, but at this rate he is on track for 21 home runs, which would be a drop-off from his 2008 numbers, which were also a drop-off from his 2007 numbers.

Obviously being surrounded by bats like Kevin Youkilis, Mike Lowell, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, and Jacoby Ellsbury would help Holliday thrive with the Red Sox and at Fenway Park, but all one can do is speculate.

In this young 2009 season, Jason Bay has shown us many signs that all point toward stardom. Bay, 30, has long been an underrated product of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but is now getting some well-deserved publicity because of his great success in filling in Manny Ramirez's shows for the Red Sox.

Right from the beginning of Spring Training and into the regular season, reports of Bay were all positive, noting how comfortable he was in Boston and with the Red Sox.

It's showing.

This year, Bay is hitting .301/.433/.657, with a team-leading 13 home runs and 44 RBI, which is currently second in the American League. At his current rate, Bay is on pace to establish career highs with 51 home runs and 173 RBI.

If Bay really does put up those kinds of numbers, it will all but guarantee him a massive free agent contract. Whatever kind of year he does end up having, I believe the best fit for both sides would be for the Red Sox to bring back Bay.

While contract extension talks between the two sides fizzled, neither side has ruled out an extension, either. Bay is obviously comfortable and Happy in Boston, and bringing great offense to the table.

Unlike former left fielder Manny Ramirez, Bay has also shown hustle in the outfield and the ability to make plays that Manny simply could not. Bay is not a big personality like Man Ram, and doesn't have any alter egos.

Bay will not make demands to be traded "just to" and won't be shoving any elderly secretaries to the ground over free tickets. While Manny recently tested positive for a banned substance (I refuse to refer to it as a PED because I am still doubtful as to whether it actually enhances performance or is just something used to enhance the effect of other PEDs), Bay is someone who will not bring any negative publicity to the Red Sox.

Heck, Bay is a guy who hardly gets any publicity. That's only the best part, though.

In order to distance themselves from the Manny Ramirez era and everything surrounding the narcissistic slugger, it is imperative for the Red Sox to sign someone with youth and quickness who is willing to put in effort on the field, but without sacrificing the sexy offensive numbers brought by Ramirez.

Jason Bay not being a headcase only makes him a better fit for the Red Sox.

You've heard my argument, Theo. Now make it happen!

David Ortiz: Why Big Papi Isn't Done Yet

E A — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:12:05 -0400

All the rage lately has been about David Ortiz and his season-long slump. As of May 17, this is one of the longest homerless streaks in Ortiz' career.

Because of this prolonged slump Big Papi is experiencing, it is causing Yankee zealots and Red Sox haters alike to jump the gun, claiming that Ortiz was just one of a slew of Red Sox to take performance enhancing drugs.

On a side note, to any Yankee fans planning on leaving inflammatory comments on this article claiming that "you know for a fact that Ortiz took steroids": no you don't. I've been over this with several idiots claiming that, but they were never able to present any facts to me.

Also, Yankee zealots, don't forget about the names Pettitte, Rodriguez, Clemens, and Giambi, among others, if you're going to rush in here and pass judgment on Ortiz and any potential steroid use he could be linked to.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...Ortiz, as far as we know, did not take any performance enhancing drugs, is not a hapless hitter despite the power outage he is going through, and his career is far from over.

Ortiz and steroids

Everyone knows the Big Papi's story, how he came from being a decent run-producer at best with the Minnesota Twins to being one of the best hitters in all of baseball with the Boston Red Sox.

Most use this story, and look at his number spike from 20 home runs in 2001 with the Twins to 31, 41, 47, and 54 with the Red Sox in 2002-2006 as evidence to claim how Ortiz used steroids.

Furthermore, these people look at his 2007 and 2008 seasons as more "evidence" that Ortiz took steroids, noting his home run totals falling down to 35 in 2007 and 23 in 2008.

However, most people who cite these statistics as proof that David Ortiz took steroids fail to look at the whole story.

In his Minnesota Twins career, Ortiz rarely saw regular playing time. At the age of 24 in 2000, Ortiz saw 415 at-bats, and looked promising at the plate. He hit .282 with 10 home runs and 63 RBI in his first full season at the plate.

In 2002, his only other season with the Twins in which he saw 400-plus at-bats, Ortiz looked even better, hitting .272, with 20 home runs and 75 RBI. Ortiz spent most of his time hitting cleanup in 2002, with lackluster players surrounding him in the lineup.

For the 2002 season, Ortiz had Jacque Jones (.300/.341/.511, 27 HR, 85 RBI) hitting leadoff, Christian Guzman (.273/.292/.395, 9 HR, 59 RBI) hitting second, Corey Koskie (.267/.368/.447, 15 HR, 69 RBI) hitting third, and Torii Hunter (.289/.334/.528, 29 HR, 94 RBI) hitting fifth behind him.

As a cleanup hitter, the biggest RBI chance Ortiz had was Jacque Jones, who had a .341 on-base percentage and scored 96 runs. However, with Ortiz batting cleanup, he didn't always have a chance to drive in Jones.

Ortiz did have adequate protection behind him with Torii Hunter, but overall for his Twins career playing time and surrounding talent really stifled his chance to develop as the run-producing slugger he became in Boston.

The steroid speculation surrounding Ortiz begins with his Red Sox career, because most people who claim that Ortiz juiced are too ignorant or choose not to recognize that he moved to a very left-handed hitter friendly stadium in Fenway Park, and was dropped in the middle of a far more talented lineup.

During his Red Sox tenure (not including 2009), Ortiz has almost exclusively hit third since the 2004 season. In 2003, Ortiz hit fifth, behind Johnny Damon (.273/.345/.405, 12 HR, 67 RBI), Todd Walker (.283/.333/.428, 13 HR, 85, RBI), Nomar Garciaparra (.301/.345/.524, 28 HR, 105 RBI), and Manny Ramirez (.325/.427/.587, 37 HR, 104 RBI).

Typically hitting behind Ortiz in 2003 was Kevin Millar, who hit .276/.348/.472 with 25 home runs and 96 RBI in 2003.

From the years 2004 to 2008, Ortiz' performance strongly correlates with Manny Ramirez' performance.

From 2004 to 2008, Ramirez hit .310/.408/.585, with 485 runs, 807 hits, 180 home runs, 585 runs batted in, and 420 walks.

In that same timespan, Ortiz hit .298/.402/.599, with 518 runs, 807 hits, 200 home runs, 630 runs batted in, and 477 walks while hitting in front of Man Ram.

As for his downward-spiraling numbers, they also go hand-in-hand with Ramirez' numbers. 2007 was a down year for both hitters, as Manny only hit 20 home runs with 88 RBI in 133 games.

Ortiz still had a good season in 2007, but not that good for his standards, coming off his record-setting home run pace in 2006. In 149 games, Ortiz hit 35 home runs with 117 RBI, as well as posting a career high .332 batting average and .445 on-base percentage.

In 2008, Ortiz started with a slump in April, but it did not last nearly as long as his current slump. Also, Ortiz missed a lot of time with a torn tendon sheaf in his wrist in 2008, and only saw his way into 109 games.

In those 109 games, Ortiz only hit .264/.369/.507 with 23 home runs and 89 RBI, all by far the lowest totals in his Red Sox career thus far. However, had he played the entire season, he was on track to hit around .264 with 34 home runs, and 131 RBI.

So while there are many reasons behind Ortiz' stats, not only when they went way up from his Twins days when he joined the Red Sox, but there are just as many reasons behind his recent spiral downward.

While it is possible it is possible that anyone—including Ortiz—took steroids, he is too vocal about the bringing out of steroid users, and about how to punish them to make me believe he has been using steroids.

For those who didn't know, Ortiz came out in Spring Training this year in an interview with Peter Gammons and said that players who tested positive for banned substances should be suspended an entire year from baseball, instead of the currently in place 50 games.

He also called the random-testing policy into question, noting that he thinks Major League Baseball should test everybody for steroids, multiple times a year. He even went as far as saying that he would accept taking a blood test.

Again, while he could have taken steroids, just like anyone else to play in the game, his coming out against the use of steroids makes me, and likely many others, believe that Ortiz honestly has nothing to hide on the subject of performance enhancing drugs.

Ortiz and the slump...is this the end?

Everyone knows that Ortiz is going through a slump, and some fans are taking pleasure in trying to let him know about it. At a game in Boston's recent series against the Angels, one rude fan held up a sign reading "Ortiz' home runs = 0!"

Okay, Ortiz is in a slump, we all get it. But that doesn't mean he is helpless at the plate, and just because he hasn't hit a home run doesn't mean he isn't doing some things well.

Ortiz has drawn 20 walks thus far, and is currently on pace to collect 95 free passes to first base, which would be his most since 2007, when he led the league with 111 walks. In his career, Ortiz has averaged 90 walks per season.

Ortiz, with 10 doubles so far, is on pace to hit 47 two-baggers, another personal best since 2007, when he had a career-high 52. His career average for doubles, however, is 43.

Ortiz has 15 RBI, which is still two above the average for designated hitters around the league, and is on pace for a respectable 71 RBI, barring any hot streaks.

While judging the slump, one has to take into account that Ortiz is getting up in age. While 33 isn't really that old, big guys like Ortiz will start to slow down around this point at their careers, especially after all the gargantuan years he's had in the past five seasons.

But does that mean his career is over? Of course not. Everyone goes through slumps. Just because Ortiz is mired in one of the worst slumps of his career doesn't mean he is done, and it doesn't mean he can't salvage his season--or turn it around in the coming seasons.

Ortiz started last year in a worse slump than this, hitting .070 through the first 13 games he played. He broke out of that slump, though, and was still able to bring his batting average to .264 and club 23 home runs in a little over half the season.

This slump has been comparatively bad for Ortiz. While he isn't batting as poorly as .070, his .208 batting average doesn't look so good when coupled with his zero home runs and 15 RBI.

However, he broke out of his slump last season, and just because this one has been three times as long as his slump last year, doesn't mean that Ortiz cannot break out of his slump this year.

Ortiz is not the only player to ever have slumped, and is not the only great player to never have slumped.

In 1959, Ted Williams slumped, hitting a mere .254/.372/.419, with 10 home runs and 43 RBI, all of which career lows. The next year, his final season, Teddy Ballgame came back to hit .316/.451/.645, with 29 home runs and 72 RBI.

At 33, Ortiz' best years are most likely far behind him, but just because he is mired in a particularly bad slump doesn't mean that he took steroids, that his career is over, or that the slump will never end.

I, for one, have a very strong feeling that the longer this slump goes on, the hotter he will get at the plate when he does eventually break out of it.

Real Men Wear Pink: Boston's Stars Among Many Swinging Away at Cancer

E A — Mon, 11 May 2009 21:47:56 -0400

As we all know, yesterday we all celebrated Mother's Day. Since all 30 teams had scheduled games, making a day to spend with their mothers impossible, Major League Baseball had something different in mind.

The MLB has been issuing pink bats on Mother's Day for some time now, but I feel that it has never meant more than this year. It is not only a great thing to do for Major League ballplayers, but it has become a fashion statement.

The Pink bats are issued on Mother's Day as part of the "Going To Bat Against Breast Cancer" program to help raise awareness about breast cancer, which is the second most common cancer in all the world.

Among women in the United States, breast cancer is the most common cancer as well as the second-most deadly.

Fans have the chance to bid on game-used pink equipment worn by Major League players on Sunday, including bats, wristbands, and catcher gear, with proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Fans can buy custom pink bats for $79.99 on slugger.com, with $10 of the proceeds going to the foundation as well.

Among several of baseball's stars to man up and rock pink on Sunday were Red Sox stars Jason Bay, David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, and J.D. Drew.

Bay had a few hits in the game, including the go-ahead double in the eighth inning that allowed the Red Sox to win, 4-3.

Also as a part of the festivities, an honorary bat girl was honored for each team at the 15 stadiums hosting games on Sunday. The honorary bat girl was to be a breast cancer survivor, and for the Red Sox was Walpole, Mass., native Dorothy Mucciarone.

She was honored at Fenway Park before the game as Boston's honorary bat girl, after battling and defeating breast cancer in 2006. She went through a mastectomy and chemotherapy, from September 2006 to February 2007.

The long road of treatment paid off, however, because now Miss Mucciarone is cancer free. However, along the road to recovery, Dorothy lost her sister, Peggy, to the cancer.

Despite that, Dorothy said that she was inspired by watching Red Sox players who defeated cancer: Jon Lester, who had non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and Mike Lowell, who overcame testicular cancer early on in his Major League career.

She said they showed her "that cancer is just a speed bump on the road of life, and that life is brighter and happier on the other side."

This campaign may not be enough to halt breast cancer in its tracks, but I, for one, applaud Major League Baseball and all it's efforts from fans and players alike to support awareness and research of breast cancer.

Tony Conigliaro: A Career, Life Cut Tragically Short

E A — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:40:15 -0400

Tony Conigliaro was born in Revere, Mass. in 1945. "Tony C," as he was known by the fans, was such a popular player that he could truly say he had it all.

The lifetime Massachusetts native was signed by the Red Sox as an amateur in 1962, and debuted in 1964. As a hometown kid with a handsome face, Tony C was popular among the ladies.

Tony C was about to make it big with the Red Sox. In his first three seasons with the team, Conigliaro hit .273 with 84 homers and 227 ribbies, including a league-leading 32 home runs in 1965.

Conigliaro had earned himself the privilege to distinguish himself as the only teenager in MLB history to hit 25 home runs in a season, as well as the youngest player in American League history to reach 100 career home runs.

In fact, according to sabremetrics, when Tony C was 21 years old, the most similar player to him statistically speaking was Mickey Mantle. At the age of 22, it was Frank Robinson, a first-ballot hall of fame electee, as was Mantle.

Injuries were not new to Tony C, who ended his rookie season prematurely in 1964 with a broken arm. If not for that injury, he may have been able to capture Rookie of the Year honors from Tony Oliva.

But after August 18, 1967, Conigliaro would never again be the same.

The Red Sox were hosting the California Angels for a game that day, and in his third at-bat of the game, Conigliaro, who was two for two, came up against Angels pitcher Jack Hamilton. Tony C got beaned.

This was not a regular beaning, though.

At that time, the batting helmets still did not have the ear flap that is commonplace on all protective helmets of this day and age. Had Tony C's helmet been equipped with one of these ear flaps, he may have gone down as one of the best hitters in Red Sox history.

The pitch from Hamilton struck Conigliaro on his left cheekbone, breaking it severely as well as seriously damaging his left retina. Tony C was left a bleeding mess, sprawled out over home plate. He fell face first, and stayed down like a fallen soldier.

Hamilton approached the plate to check on Conigliaro's condition, but was turned away by catcher Buck Rodgers to spare him the horrific sight.

This beaning would ruin Tony C's eyesight in his left eye permanently. Due to the sustained injuries, he missed the entire 1968 season.

Not being one to stay down for the count, however, Conigliaro got back up to his feet and rallied himself for an honorable comeback effort.

While winning a Hutch Award, given to the comeback player of the year, Tony C showed why the Red Sox gave him a chance to take back his outfield spot, posting a respectable 20 home runs and 82 RBI in 1969. However, his eyesight was exposed as a weakness, as he hit only .255 compared to .290 in his rookie year and .287 in 1967.

In 1970, Conigliaro looked as if he truly was returning to his old form. He raised his batting average to .266, and had career highs in the home run and RBI department, with 36 and 116, respectively.

After the season, Tony C was traded, ironically enough, to the California Angels. At only 26 years old, he already had such terrible eyesight, and hit .222 for the season, with only four home runs and 15 RBI. He retired only a shell of his former self.

After a four year hiatus from the game, Conigliaro tried to make another comeback with the Red Sox in the 1975 season. Despite being only 30, it just wasn't meant to be. He hit .123 in 21 games, and this time retired for good.

Unfortunately, life went downhill for Tony C after his baseball career. While being driven to an airport in 1982, he suffered a debilitating heart attack. Soon after that, he suffered a stroke and went into a coma for eight years.

During those eight years, he was sustained at his parents' house in a vegetative state until he eventually died in February, 1990. He was only 45.

His legacy with the Red Sox, still lives on, though. In the 2006 offseason, the Red Sox added a 200-seat bleacher section on top of the right field roof, and named it "Conigliaro's Corner" in his honor.

Currently, the Tony Conigliaro Award is awarded to the player in the Major Leagues who finds success despite overcoming strong adversity. Since instituted in 1990, here are notable recipients:

2007, Jon Lester, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

2006, Freddy Sanchez, who was born with a clubfoot.

1999, Mike Lowell, who had testicular cancer.

1992, Jim Abbot, who was born without a right hand.

Here's to you, Tony C, and all that could have been...

Boston Red Sox All-Stars: The Old Time Towne's All-Time Team

E A — Mon, 04 May 2009 20:28:10 -0400

The Boston Red Sox have one of the most storied histories among all baseball franchises, although that's not necessarily a good thing. After being the dominant team of the early 1900's, even winning the inaugural World Series against Pittsburgh in 1903, the Red Sox went 86 years without another championship, leading some to believe they were cursed.

Despite the annual letdowns in October, the Red Sox still have had many, many great players patrol the outfield or turn double plays in the infield of hallowed Fenway Park.

Trying to account for a great all around team, with a functional lineup rather than the best power hitters at each position, how would Boston's all-time roster look?

Catcher: Carlton Fisk

Carlton Fisk played a lot more ball in Chicago than he did in Boston, but Fisk is still one of the best Red Sox catchers, ever. During his nine year tenure with the Red Sox, Fisk hit .284, with 160 home runs and 562 RBI.

Fisk won the Rookie of the Year award in 1972, hitting .293 with 22 HR and 61 RBI, as well as being named to the American League All-Star team. It was the first of seven All-Star appearances as a Red Sox in Fisk's career.

After leaving the Red Sox, Fisk went on to play 13 more seasons with the Chicago White Sox before calling it a career after the 1993 season, earning four more All-Star appearances, adding three Silver Sluggers as well.

For his 24-year career, Fisk hit .269, with 376 home runs, 1,330 RBI, and 849 walks. Fisk will forever be warmly remembered for waving that home run fair in the 12th inning of the 1975 World Series Game Six.

Fisk's number 27 has been retired by the Boston Red Sox, and Fisk was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000, with 397 votes out of 499 possible.

First base: Jimmie Foxx

Foxx didn't have a long career with the Red Sox, but he is still one of the more storied players to man first base for the Red Sox. Foxx was the second player in MLB history to reach the 500 home run mark, and is still only the second youngest player to reach that mark.

Following the 1935 season when the Great Depression was at its height, A's owner Connie Mack couldn't afford all of his star players, and Foxx was one of several contracts that had to be sold away. Foxx was sold to the Boston Red Sox for $150,000, which is equivalent to $2,329,655 in today's money.

Foxx had some wonderful seasons in Boston, where he spent six seasons. He narrowly missed winning the batting triple crown in 1938. Foxx led the league with a .349 batting average and 175 RBI, but his 50 home runs were eight shy of the league leading mark.

Foxx's 50 home runs would remain a single season Red Sox record until David Ortiz crushed 54 of his own in the 2006 season.

When Foxx called it a career after the 1945 season, he finished with a .325 batting average, 534 home runs, 1,922 runs batted in, three MVP awards, and nine All-Star selections.

Foxx never had his number retired by the Red Sox, since he didn't play there for ten seasons, but he did make the Hall of Fame on his first ballot.

Second base: Bobby Doerr

Doerr was probably the best second baseman the Red Sox have ever seen. He didn't play a very long time, retiring after 14 years at the age of 33, but he still did a lot for the teams he was a part of.

Doerr came onto the scene in 1938, belting five home runs and collecting 80 RBI in 145 games, while also posting a respectable .289 batting average. Doerr made nine All-Star games, and all nine were in the last nine consecutive seasons of his career, starting in 1940.

Defensively, Doerr played just as well as he did as a hitter. Five times in his career, Doerr led American League second basemen in double plays, and also tied league records in putouts, fielding percentage, and assists.

Doerr held all-time marks for double plays at second base and fielding percentage for many years, until Nellie Fox broke the double play record in 1963 and Red Schoendienst surpassed the fielding percentage mark in 1953.

Doerr retired after the 1951 season, finishing with a .288 average, 223 home runs, and 1,247 RBI. He held Red Sox all-time records for games played, at-bats, hits, doubles, total bases, and RBI, until they were later smashed by Ted Williams.

To reward all his tedious toiling, the Red Sox have since retired Doerr's number one. Doerr was also voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1986.

Shortstop: Johnny Pesky

Who else but Pesky for the shortstop spot? He has spent 70 years involved with baseball, and 58 of them with the Red Sox.

His longevity and familiarity have made him as much as an installment with the Red Sox as the Green Monster. His biography was named "Mr. Red Sox," and as many know the right field foul pole at Fenway Park is almost fittingly due to its location named the Pesky Pole.

Not only was Pesky a great player, but he is a great person. He tore up the league in his rookie season in 1942, batting .331 and leading the league with 205 hits as a 22-year old.

However, putting a damper on this, Pesky wouldn't see an at-bat until the 1946 season. Just like honorable teammate Ted Williams, Pesky answered the call to serve his country in World War II.

Pesky returned in 1946 and did much of the same. He hit .335, scored 115 runs, and again led the league with 208 hits. Pesky's 1946 campaign earned him his only All-Star mention, and he was a part of the first Red Sox team to appear in a World Series since the 1918 team that won it all.

On September 23, 2008, Pesky's number six was officially retired by the Red Sox for his 89th birthday.

Third base: Wade Boggs

While many of the Fenway Faithful may not be big Wade Boggs fans after defecting to the Yankees in 1993, it is still impossible to deny as great a hitter as Boggs a spot in the all-time lineup.

Boggs had some truly fine seasons with not only the Red Sox, but later on in his playing days with the Yankees and the (Devil) Rays before retiring after the 1999 season. Analyzing his stats, however, shows that his better years were all played with Boston.

Boggs etched his name into Red Sox lore throughout the 1980's and a few years into the 90's until his Red Sox days had to come to an end. He enjoyed some great years in Beantown. He led the leagues with 240 hits in 1985, he twice led the league in runs scored.

He won five batting titles with the Red Sox, including four consecutive from 1985-1988. His 1987 was the truly a career year, because he kept up his reputation as a great on-base hitter but also had some power numbers that he never was capable of doing before or again.

Boggs finished 1987 hitting .363, with 24 home runs and 89 RBI. He led the league with his .363 average, .461 on-base percentage, and 1.049 on-base + slugging percentage.

In 18 seasons in the Major Leagues, Boggs has 3,010 hits, 1,513 runs scored, a .328 batting average, and a .415 OBP. Boggs was also honored to 12 All-Star games, two Gold Gloves, and eight Silver Sluggers.

After retiring from baseball, Boggs was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame, and has had his number retired by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Left field: Carl Yastrzemski

While longevity is a career theme relatively unheard of in the new era of free agency, Carl Yastrzemski is one of many from baseball's golden age who could tell you all about it. Carl spent all 23 of his seasons with the Red Sox, and is one of the most decorated players in Sox history.

For his career accomplishments, Yaz hit .285, with 452 home runs and 1,844 RBI. Yastrzemski sits comfortably above the prestigious 3,000 hit mark with 3,419. The great Yaz even walked 1,845 times and stole 116 bases.

In those 23 seasons of his career, Yastrzemski made 18 All-Star teams, won seven Gold Gloves, and also became the first member of the 3,000 hit club to hit more than 400 home runs.

Yastrzemski is most widely known for his 1967 season, which to this day marks the last time an American League player won the batting triple crown. Yaz led every major category, literally. He hit .326/.418/.622, with a 1.040 OPS, 112 runs, 189 hits, 44 home runs, and 121 RBI, all of which led the league.

Yastrzemski can also add an MVP award to his long resume, which has led to an election to the Hall of Fame, and his number, eight, being retired by the Red Sox.

Center field: Tris Speaker

The Red Sox have not had a lot of great guys who could get on base and steal bases in their long history as an organization. In need to get one of these guys into a functional lineup to hit at the top of the order, this spot came down to Tris Speaker or Harry Hooper.

Despite having less years played with the Red Sox, Tris Speaker wins the job.

Speaker is second all-time among Red Sox players with 267 stolen bases. He also ranks third all-time among Red Sox players with a .337 batting average. Speaker played 22 seasons in the Major Leagues, but only spent seven full ones in Boston.

As a rookie in 1909, Speaker hit .309, with seven home runs, 77 RBI, and 35 steals. Speaker, until being sold to Cleveland in 1916, comprised Boston's "Million Dollar Outfield" along with Duffy Lewis and Harry Hooper.

Speaker had one of the best years of his career in 1912 with the opening of Fenway Park. He led the league with 53 doubles, 10 home runs, and a .464 on-base percentage. He also rounded out his line with 90 RBI and 52 steals.

In his career, Speaker led the league in doubles eight times, hits twice, and batting average once. His career line sits at a .345 batting average, 3,514 hits, 792 doubles, 117 home runs, 1,529 RBI, and 432 stolen bases.

Speaker was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1937.

Right field: Ted Williams

I may just be a Red Sox homer, but Ted Williams was the best player in the history of baseball. Teddy Ballgame, the Splendid Splinter, and the Kid are some of his almost common knowledge nicknames.

In his rookie season in 1939, Williams got off to a great start, hitting .327 with 31 home runs and a league-leading 145 RBI.

Unfortunately, Red Sox fans will always be left wondering "what if" regarding Williams' career stats. While Ted is currently the best statistical hitter in Red Sox history, Williams missed a lot of time in his career, but not due to injury.

Much like Johnny Pesky, the Kid made the honorable decision of serving for the United States Marine Corps, causing him to miss the 1943, '44, and '45 seasons. Now, fans can only wonder if Williams could or would have broken Babe Ruth's record had his career not been interrupted.

Williams still has some incredible accomplishments on his resume. He won two triple crowns. He is currently the last player to have hit .400 in a full season. He won two MVP awards. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966 on the first ballot.

Along with that, Williams finished with an outstanding career mark. His batting average was a robust .344, along with 521 home runs, 1,839 RBI, and 2,021 walks. Williams was named to 17 All-Star teams in his 19 seasons in the league.

His number, nine, has been retired by the Red Sox. Williams also boasts the highest batting average among all the players to hit 500 home runs.

Due to Yastrzemski manning left field, I am updating my original mess-up and moving Williams to right field. I realize I had Speaker here before despite him being one of the best defensive center fielders ever. I'm not even sure what drove me to it, but I'm fixing it.

Pitcher: Cy Young

Cy Young is the best pitcher ever in the history of baseball. For those of you new to baseball, they named an annual award commemorating the best pitcher after Cy Young.

The winningest pitcher in baseball history, Cy has been credited with a 511-316 record, along with a 2.63 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. With the Red Sox, Young went 192-112, with a 2.00 ERA, 1,341 strikeouts, 38 shutouts, 275 complete games, and a 0.97 WHIP.

Five times Young led the league in wins, three consecutive league-leading seasons with the Red Sox. Young also led the league in 1901 with a 1.62 ERA and 158 strikeouts.

After retiring from baseball after 22 seasons in 1911, Young finished with the aforementioned 511-316 record, as well as 749 complete games and 76 shutouts.

Starting lineup:

Pesky, SS
Speaker, CF
Williams, RF
Yastrzemski, LF
Foxx, 1B
Doerr, 2B
Fisk, C
Boggs, 3B
Young, P