Bleacher Report - Articles by Chris Richardson

Red Sox News: Doug Mirabelli Gone Again

Chris Richardson — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:17:19 -0400

Ok. Being a big Red Sox fan I have a huge amount of respect for a guy like Doug Mirabelli. It is because of that fact that I do not see why the Red Sox don't want to keep him. He is a great catcher defensively and an asset on the bench that not many people give him credit for.

Now I understand that last year he only batted .202 last year in 114 at-bats, but he's such a great presence behind the plate every fifth game and an even bigger presence in the dugout.

1. He gives Jason Varitek a day off once every five games

2. He gives confidence to Tim Wakefield because he can catch the knuckleball

3. Varitek believes "Doug's been an instrumental part with me and my career. He's got great eyes . . . and understanding from the bench. Great awareness of what guys are going through, hitting-wise and catching-wise, a great sounding board. He always knows what's going on, and that is such a big part of people who don't play every day."

4. He's one of only 8 players still with the Sox from 2004

5. We've tried this before. We see how well it worked out the first time.

I mean, come on now. Does anyone really think a guy like Kevin Cash is going to get the job done? They say Mirabelli is gone because he was an offensive liability. Cash batted .111 in 27 at-bats last year. No one can argue that Mirabelli is a better catcher for Wakefield. Even Wake was shocked at Mirabelli's departure.

Mirabelli made it very clear that he wanted to stay with the Red Sox. "Everybody that knows me knows that this is where I always want to be." He would even take a huge pay cut, one to the extent of 200,000 dollars to be exact, just to stay with the team. In short Mirabelli wanted to do anything he could just to stay in Boston and they let him go. What's the issue? So maybe his hitting isn't that great. You replace him with someone who hit just over HALF his average last year? I don't get it.

Mirabelli is certainly better than Cash defensively. He's the biggest asset the Red Sox have on the bench. With a 200,000 dollar pay cut it isn't the money. The team captain says, "We complement each other extremely well with the staff." So why would you not keep him? It just seems to make no sense.

For Love or Money?: Why Baseball Players Play the Game

Chris Richardson — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 08:20:30 -0400

In light of the new developments in today's sports with money, legal issues, steroids and all the other stuff going on I am brought to the question: Why do people do what they do?

Do guys play the sports for money or for true passion? I myself play baseball and would play 24/7/365 if I could. I have a passion for the game that I get made fun of for because I can't stop thinking about it.

It makes me sick to see guys that don't love the game as much as they should. There are guys who play solely for the money they can make. That is ridiculous. Why do these guys do it? How could you live for a second when the game you play is not the thing that you truly love? Why do people get there and then turn into idiots?

You hear every day now about the guy that got shot, got in a fight, was drunk, got arrested, has serious legal problems, is in jail and the list goes on and on. They've got it all and they can't be happy.

What's happening to our world? You now look at guys like Jason Giambi, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco who are completely ruining our game by using steroids. They've got the raw talent so why do they have to go and do something illegal? To give themselves an edge? Yeah. They get a real edge by getting kicked out of the game. Oh, wait. Never mind.

The penalty for steroids is what now? A slap on the wrist? It's complete insanity and we are letting it happen. What happened to honesty and integrity? Isn't this America's national past time? Can anyone tell me where REAL baseball has gone?

What's That, Joe Girardi? It's Just Spring Training?

Chris Richardson — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:48:41 -0400

Yes. "It's just Spring Training" That's what Yankee manager Joe Girardi said after Elliot Johnson ran over catcher Francisco Cervelli. Apparently playing hard is uncalled for in Spring Training. "It's just disheartening" and "I just don't understand" were also things spurting from Girardi's mouth. That all seemed to come crashing down on him in the next game between his New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays.

It was in the very first inning that you could tell this wasn't going to be a normal spring game. This was because Yankee pitcher Heath Phillips threw a ball that hit highly regarded Rays prospect Evan Longoria on the front of his jersey. Now given the situation (two on-two out) maybe that wasn't meant intentionally. Hard to tell, but I'll let that one go. The next inning was a little different. There was no question whether it was intentional or not. Unless of course you're Shelly Duncan.

Duncan slid hard into second base spikes up. He was clearly out by 5 feet or more and yet he took on the smallest player on the field with his spikes dangerously close to the groin. As it was Duncan left a nasty cut on Akinori Iwamora's leg and a sour taste in Jonny Gomes' mouth. As soon as it happened Gomes sprinted in from right to tackle the Yankees first baseman. "He tried to injure our player and I had to let him know how I felt about that," stated an irritated Gomes.

The play led to a bench-clearing brawl resulting in three Yankees and one Ray being ejected. Now where would the players get that kind of play from? Well after Duncan it was two Yankee coaches who were ejected. That is really sad. What kind of example is a coach setting when they are ejected in a brawl, especially with all the young players on hand watching?

As if the whole thing wasn't bad enough not only did Duncan open his mouth to say things like "there was no intention to hurt in my mind" or "there were no spikes up in my mind," but Girardi had to again pipe in and say that it was a "non-issue" and "there's going to be a difference of opinion." He went as far as to defend his player going into a slide spikes up after being so mad about a clean collision at the plate.

Maybe the Rays are playing hard in Spring Training, but the Yankees are playing dirty.

The Integrity of Baseball Compromised by Steroid Use

Chris Richardson — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:51:49 -0400

With the beginning of baseball's spring training period, inevitably there will be stars brought into the limelight.

At this point, those attention-getting players aren't always who you think they might be. Sometimes they are kids from the minor leagues or unproven youngsters destined for the majors.

Usually these are the guys who will simply flash and disappear, forever forgotten in the baseball world. You might think that the biggest questions surrounding these guys are things like: Who are they? What will they become?

In this day and age, that is not the case.

The questions we now ask of anyone who excels at the game of baseball have nothing to do with that kind of excitement. The first thing that comes to mind is, "Are they real superstars or, just jacked up on steroids?"

I strongly believe that steroids have no place in any sport, but I know that they exist.

"But why do they?" you might ask. It's because certain athletes will do anything to get the little edge that makes them "better" than everyone else.

Steroids make athletes perform at a higher level than normal for a short period of time as the athlete cycles on the juice.

After that, the athlete reverts to his previous level of play. This makes them need it more and more. Steroids are like any other addiction or drug. The more they are used, the more they are needed.

What they don't seem to factor into the equation is the risk.

The more you use, the more it breaks you down. To me there is a huge problem there. I think anyone who would sink so low doesn't belong in the game of baseball.