Not Just Another Boston Sports Blog

Love for D-Wade

2009-03-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

I have a feeling Tommy Heinsohn would not approve of this post because he thinks Dwayne Wade never gets fouled. As ardent of a Celtics fan as I am, I am willing to admit the man knows how to take the ball to the hole. I'm surprised he didn't drive even more due to the black hole that was the Celtics' paint defense last night.

Watching him put a dagger in the Celtics in the fourth quarter with a long 3-pointer gave us some indication as to how much his range has improved. Not only is he doubling his career average for attempted treys (3.3) but he is shooting his highest percentage (.314) as well. Wade has always been devastating with short jumpers and bank-shots but being a threat from down town has taken his game to a whole new level.

Such improvement to an already stellar set of tools brings us to the obvious question: Since when is the leading scorer in the NBA such a dark-horse candidate for the MVP? Wade is averaging 29.7 points per game with 7.7 dimes and 5.1 rebounds and somehow is seen as a distant third runner in the race for hardware in May.

The argument that Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are more deserving because of their teams' records doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. If Wade replaced either Kobe or Lebron in their respective lineups I doubt there would be any sort of drop off. Why am I so confident in that opinion? Wade has been playing with rookie Mario Chalmers and Chris Quinn as his point guards this year, neither of which are exactly John Stockton when it comes to court vision and passing ability. Lebron can feel D-Wade's pain and I gave him the same type of love last year when he was forced to initiate offense by himself. Now he has an elite point guard in Mo Williams to get him the ball and take some of the scoring pressure off of him. Kobe has Derek Fisher to get the ball to him in spots where he can score, which seems more simplistic than it really is but Fisher is a veteran, pass-first guard who is a huge upgrade over either of the Miami point guards.

If you read any of my summer postings, I said it wouldn't be a shock to see the Heat back in the playoffs this year as a five or six seed. Wade served notice during the Redeem Team's dominant run that he was indeed back to being the same player who had the greatest finals ever back in 2006. He had to have been in the subconscious of any basketball fan who watched the Olympics when they were predicting awards in the pre-season. My point here is that it's not as if he's coming out of nowhere or that anyone had forgotten about him.

It's nonsensical to say this is "Lebron's year" because he hasn't won the MVP before in the same way it was "Kobe's year" last year. Chris Paul was the MVP last year but because Bryant hadn't received his lifetime achievement award he was snubbed. Dwayne Wade is the NBA MVP.

Oh yeah and my answer to last night's ESPN poll that broached the question of who among James, Wade and Bryant would you want to take the last shot of a game? My answer would be reigning Finals MVP Paul Pierce.

-Clay Buchholz's road back to dominance is a bigger deal than most people are making it out to be. Much in the same way the Blue Jays did with current ace Roy Halladay, the Red Sox started from square one with Buchholz. As I said the other day, I'm not sure where or when his delivery problems arose but the Sox should have caught them sooner. I've only seen him in limited action thus far so I'm not able to go into too much depth but he does seem to be far more consistent with his motion.

Another knock against Buchholz last year while he was struggling was his tendency to not trust his fastball at times and at others give in too easily in hitter's counts. For someone so outwardly confident, it's ironic that he lost his bravado with such ease. Even if he doesn't make the rotation to begin the year, there will be a place for him eventually. And, no, I do not want them to use him as a chip to acquire Jarrod Saltalamacchia. If Joe Mauer is on the other end, I'd include him in a heart beat but Salty is a future first baseman whose ceiling isn't as high as some scouts seem to think.

-I can't believe I'm saying this but the Patriot secondary should be viewed as a strength for the first time since 2003. Not only are Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden two solid starting cornerbacks but Ellis Hobbs is where he should be, which is placed as a number two or a nickel back. The presence of Deltha O'Neal as insurance with far less pressure on Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite to perform well make this secondary deep. Bill Belichick knew he would need to address corner back situation with his defense suddenly unable to consistently create a pass-rush. Do we look at Bodden signing as Vrabel's replacement with a guy like Jason Taylor waiting in the wings (move to linebacker?) Give Bill credit; he is on his way to revamping this team. This wasn't an easy thing to do considering it went 18-1 two years ago and nearly made the playoffs last year without Tom Terrific behind center.

Once Again Coach Bill Confuses the Masses

2009-03-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

Patriots fans, we've been down this road before.

The Pats said good-bye to Ben Coates and Bruce Armstrong back in 2000 when Bill Belichick took the reigns in Foxboro. Lawyer Milloy, the undisputed heart and soul of the 2001 Super Bowl champs was giving his walking papers after a 2002 season in which he didn't force a turnover. At this point it was starting to become clear there the Patriot brass was not going to be known for its sentimentality.

In the cases of Deion Branch, Adam Vinetieri, Roosevelt Colvin (the first time) and others, the reasoning for their departure was clear: value. Either they weren't worth their salary or the Patriots simply thought they were done. In each of those cases there seemed to be some sort of explanation where we could see the line of thought for letting go of key members of title teams. That's why trade the Patriots made yesterday in trading Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel for a second round pick (34th overall) is hard to make sense of even from an objective standpoint.

For all the talk of comparing the situation that Patriots were in with Cassel to what the Packers received for Matt Hasselbeck, the Falcons received for Matt Shaub or the Vikings received for Duante Culpepper, I'm not upset about the compensation they got for Cassel. Mike Reiss put it well in today's Globe when he said this situation was different in that the Pats really had no leverage. It's either trade Cassel or take on close to $30 million for two quarterbacks next season on a team that needs to shore up a defense that was porous at times last year. This could be a valuable pick and it gives the team four picks in the opening two rounds.

The way they included Mike Vrabel as a throw-in is what stunned me and is leaving me with questions. Why trade a player who only accounts for $4 million against the salary cap who can incontrovertibly still play? Sure, he went from 12 1/2 sacks in 2007 to 4 last year but I chalk a great deal of that up to injuries (none of which he talked about) and injuries to the defensive line that limited opportunities. Vrabel has been an absolute rock for this team since coming here in 2001 and could be considered a borderline Hall-of-Fame candidate. I just can't fathom why he would be cast to the side when you consider Teddy Bruschi was on the field enough to make 75 tackles last year and will be returning for 2009. This is the same Teddy Bruschi who has forced 2 turnovers since 2004. I'm not trying to dig into Bruschi; I just can't believe this move was due to on-field performance nor was it due to monetary concerns.

I was not of the belief that the Chiefs were the sole bidder for Cassel and the reports of the squashed three way deal from Friday night between the Buccaneers, Broncos and Pats that didn't involve Vrabel lead me to believe this didn't need to happen. Acquiring the Vrabel would not have been a deal-breaker for other teams and it's unfortunate the Pats jumped the gun too early.

This is the time where we wait for the other proverbial shoe to drop and see what Belichick has up his sleeve. There have been times where he had a plan (Rodney Harrison waiting in the wings for Milloy) and times where he had clearly made a mistake (Fernando Bryant for Asante Samuel).

I'm not going to speculate on trying to acquire Ray Lewis or Derrick Brooks because I really don't see that happening. The Patriots are going to have to replace Vrabel from within and, to be frank, the well is pretty dry. The idea of Pierre Woods or Tully Banta-Cain starting on opening day scares the hell out of me. Other than Adalius Thomas and Richard Seymour who can create a consistent pass rush?

For a team who was 26th in NFL in third down defense, problems at linebacker are the last thing it needs when you consider its deficiency at both corner back and safety.

For the 3534576457th time, Fire Bud Selig

2009-02-17T10:35:00.001-08:00

The other day I was watching Randy Johnson's 19-strikeout game on MLB Network and the timing of the game was interesting. During the commercial breaks Bob Costas and others on the network were analyzing the Alex Rodriguez situation. While Arod didn't play in this game, he was a key component to that 1997 Mariners' parade of sluggers. As the game's greatest player is being ridiculed and lambasted on every radio and TV show as well as every type of periodical, the idea that we don't know whether Ken Griffey Jr. took steroids started to creep into our minds.

This one really hit me hard because I was a certified Griffey die-hard in the '90s (who wasn't?). There is every indication that he and other superstars were clean but we can't really be sure because of the information flow that is surging in from players. After learning Arod was on steroids we shouldn't be shocked to hear which of the other 103 players that will be named.

I don't think we can form a complete opinion on the steroids issue as a whole because we simply don't have the facts needed. Do we know definitively how long they have been around? Which players were tipped off before taking a urine sample test? What are the specific effects for each kind of drug taken?

For example, Barry Bonds was a great, Hall of Fame player prior to steroid use. Brady Anderson was a 10-15 home run lead-off hitter before his 1996 50-homer season that we all know was steroid induced. How can we quantify which steroids turned good players into great ones and decent players into all-stars?

I've had over a week since the Sports Illustrated article came out to read up on the information Arod has given us as well as look over some of the names from the Mitchell report from over a year ago. There are no consistencies when comparing the names and the eras in which players used these drugs. We know Jose Canseco was taking steroids in his MVP season of 1988, that Lenny Dykstra was taking them with the Phillies in the early 1990s, Jason Grimsley was juicing in the late '90s and a scrub like Manny Alexander somehow still batted .200 while pumping his butt full of steroids in the early 2000s. MANNY FREAKIN ALEXANDER. You know, the guy whose acne was one of the best jokes to make back in 2000.

Those names give us the full spectrum of players who have taken steroids. From an MVP to a player who was the butt of jokes in Boston for a summer. The more information that comes out, the more we should start to realize it's going to be a while before we really can define the "steroid era" and exactly who was involved.

I suppose the current question is "what now?". While we do know the game has been tarnished, it's not as if we'll stop watching. Just like my argument against the BCS, start at the top. I could go on and on about conspiracy theories that link former Brewers owner Selig and the current owners regarding who kept a blind eye toward steroids but I'll just choose to say this: fire Bud Selig.

Not only is he the worst commissioner in professional sports, he embodies everything that is wrong with baseball. Other than bringing in the wild card in 1995 he has done nothing to inspire confidence among baseball fans. Instead of declaring that the player whom he knew was taking steroids disgraced the game of baseball, Bud should have stepped down. We're going to find out how much he had to do with ushering in this now-tarnished era and he will have to pay for his decisions sooner rather than later. It will be difficult because he has the support of the owners but there will be a time where the evidence and public outcry against him are strong enough to get him out of office.

January Thoughts

2009-01-24T08:43:00.000-08:00

The last time I wrote about the Celtics they were heading into a Christmas day match up against the Lakers. I said they would crush the Lakers and Sasha would cry like the baby he is. Didn't happen, obviously, and the Celts dove into a tailspin in which they lost 7 of 9 while only beating the Wizards and Kings.

Since then the C's have won 7 straight and seem to be back on track but what happened during that 9-game stretch? Obviously their defense wasn't playing as well as expected and takes a portion of the blame but the offense was the real culprit here. There was no flow at all and it seemed as though everyone was just standing around and waiting for some one else to shoot it. When the ball isn't passed around in search of the best shot it leads to bad possessions that create fast-breaks for the opposition.
One of the reasons the Celtics' defense wasn't able to make the big stops it usually comes up with at the end of games was it was worn down at times. It thrives on the half-court style and having to cover a fast break more than you're used to tends wear on you after a while. This pressure put on the defense could be compared to an NFL defense having to run back on the field after a series of three-and-outs for its offense.
Simply put, when the Celtics offense plays well, they are going to win. They've only lost 1 game this year while scoring over 100 points. During the rough stretch they averaged just over 92 points per game while the win streak Boston has averaged over 103 points. OK, obviously it makes sense that while a team was struggling it was scoring less and the numbers go up during a good run.
The correlation? The fact that the Celtics gave up 92 points per game during the 9-game period and is giving up 88 during their current 7-game winning streak. I don't think it was a coincidence that Boston having a much more efficient offense has led to the defense letting up 4 points less per game.

-When I'm wrong, I have no problem admitting it. I predicted the Ravens would be able to score on the Steelers' defense last week. It's a really good thing I didn't put any money on this game because once Pittsburgh shut down Baltimore's running attack they made Joe Flacco wish he was back in Delaware. That was the first thing I was wrong about.
Secondly, I assumed the Ravens' defense would have a better showing. After making that point last week about the Steelers' defense not showing up at playoff time and being overrated, I need to seriously amend that statement. Other than 2000, how many times has the Ravens' D lived up to its reputation?

I still hate the Steelers but you have to give credit where credit is due. I'll have a full Super Bowl preview this week but I obviously don't think Arizona has a chance.

-I really am enjoying what is happening with Manny Ramirez. He is going to get his money. Probably over $20 million a year. But the way the league has reacted to Scott Boras's demands in terms of the length of the contract has been great to watch. Seeing his demands incrementally decrease shouldn't be a shocker considering there have been a few general managers who have been anonymously quoted as saying his second-half tear with the Dodgers made them even more skeptical about signing him. A player who has proven he has the propensity to "turn it on and off" can not and should not receive a long-term deal. Manny will get his 2 or 3-year deal and no one will bat an eye but if you remember, back in November Boras wouldn't accept anything less than a 6-year deal.

-If you haven't watched the MLB network, you should. It puts the NBA network to shame and is in the same league as the NFL network.

NFL Conference Title Games

2009-01-13T07:43:00.001-08:00

Nope. No Patriots game today. Strange huh? While we don't have a team to root for today, we certainly have a team to root against: the Steelers.

Before I go out and shovel I would like to remind Pats fans why we should be rooting for the Ravens today. Granted, it is hard to root for Ray Lewis but remember...we HATE the Steelers. Despite knocking them off at home twice in 4 years for the AFC title and again in the regular season in '05 and '07, the likes of Lee Flowers or Joey Porter always claim the Steelers are the better team. It was also Porter who wanted his "three rings back" when asked about Spygate. What a joke.

The two I just mentioned are no longer in Pittsburgh but they do epitomize the Steeler mentality. Rarely has the vaunted Steeler defenses of this era come up big in January:

-The Steelers let Drew Bledsoe top them in '01 (with some special teams lapses included).
-In 2002 they gave the Browns a 24-7 lead but won 36-33 even after allowing 429 passing yards from the great Kelly Holcomb. They lost the next week 34-31 to the Titans. That's 67 points in 2 weeks.
-In 2004 the Patriots destroyed their zone coverage with Deion Branch.
-When Pittsburgh won the Superbowl in '05 it was aided by the cheap shot given to Carson Palmer by Keith Von Oelhoffen.
-David Garrard ran for 32 yards on fourth-and-2 against this "Steel Curtain" last year with the game on the line to beat the Steelers.

The Steelers will once again lose a conference championship today at home. Ike Taylor and Deshea Townsend haven't been exposed because of the great Pitt pass rush in James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley but the Ravens offensive line has been playing well and I expect Joe Flacco to continue making throws when he has to. Flacco has gotten better and better at throwing out patterns as the playoffs have progressed. The Ravens backfield of McGahee/McClain will also be a problem for Pittsburgh.

I don't see Ben Roethlisberger being able to do much against this Ravens defense. I know it was "ranked" behind the Steelers but this is the kind of game where Ed Reed and Ray Lewis show why they're going to Canton some day.

Say it with me, New Englanders: Go Ravens.

Prediction: Ravens, 20-14

Out west in Arizona we have a truly bizarre NFC title game on our hands. The 9-7 Cardinals are facing the 9-6-1 Eagles. The Cards lost 3 of their last 5 and laid down to the Pats in Foxboro (much to Dan Shaughnessy's chagrin). The Eagles tied the Bengals and needed a perfect week 17 to grab the eight spot. Now the two are playing for a Super Bowl appearance.

Based on the way the two teams have played thus far, I'm going with Arizona today. Its offense has never been in question but their suddenly turnover-creating defense has vaulted them to their current position. Formerly a weakness, the secondary has been a true strength in these playoffs. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has been great and will be a stud for years to come. He has received help from Roderick Hood as well as safties Antrel Rolle and Adrian Wilson.

As great as Larry Fitzgerald was last week, the addition of Anquan Boldin would be huge for the Cardinals since the Eagles will be using zone coverages against the Arizona receivers. A key factor will be to see how much Edgerrin James can give both in terms of production and pass protection, an aspect of football he doesn't seem to be too fond of anymore.

If Brian Westbrook were completely healthy, I'd most likely be picking the Eagles but I can't see the Eagles winning two straight weeks with their best player having less than 25 touches. Donovan McNabb has been just good enough so far and he's going to need to play better in order to get to Tampa.

Prediction: Arizona, 24-17.

Some Red Sox Notes:
-After talking to a few people over the past day or so, it could be interpreted that me championing Jice Rice's candidacy for the Hall stems from me being a Red Sox fan. Not the case. Ask me about Carl Yastrzemski. I consider him to be in the Cal Ripken category of being a "compiler". Outside of his Triple Crown season in '67, Yaz lacked the year-to-year numbers of the other revered hitters of his tine. He spent 23 seasons with the Sox and had 100+ RBI in only five of them. No, I don't subscribe to the theory that he was a victim of a pitchers era. In fact, '67 was the height of that era and he had the last Triple Crown we've seen. After a batting title in '68 (with a .301 average) back-to-back 40-home run seasons in 1969-70 Yaz was an ordinary player who was a good fielder with 20-25 HR power. Overrated.

-The Kevin Youkilis deal is an absolute steal for the Sox. We should feel extremely comfortable about the future of this team with Youk and Pedroia in the infield for at least the next 4 years.
-If he hadn't already redacted his trade request the Red Sox would have been smart to inquire about the availability of Michael Young. Young has asked for a trade after being asked to move to third in order to make room for hot prospect Elvis Andrus at short. Young is 33, is owed $62 million over the next five seasons, had his worst year since 2002 and had an injured finger for most of the second half of 2008. All that being said, I would have loved for the Sox to deal a package of Jed Lowrie or a raw third base prospect like Michael Almanzar, a low-A pitcher along with the seemingly immovable object known as Julio Lugo. Oh well.

-The Sox have quickly built the best and deepest bullpen in baseball. Hideki Okajima, Takashi Saito, Manny Delcarmen, Ramon Ramirez, Javier Lopez leading up to Jonathan Papelbon is going to be very dependable. Keep in mind the Sox also have Justin Masterson once John Smoltz comes back as well as Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden waiting in the wings.

Congrats, Jim

2009-01-12T11:33:00.000-08:00

Congrats, Jim. It was about time, huh?

Jim Rice finally has a space in Cooperstown. Rice was undeservedly in that group of borderline players for years; the good-but-not-great players (Andre Dawson ect...). Based on the criteria voters have used for years when deciding who gets in, it's ridiculous that it took until the 15th and final time for him to get in with 76.4 percent.

You could say Rice was the anti-Cal Ripken. Ripken was known for his ability to crank out 20 home run, 80 RBI seasons (with a great glove at short). Rice, on the other hand, had about a 10-year span where he was the most productive hitter in the AL. He didn't have the endurance Ripken had but, man, were those seasons great.

In order to really understand how dominant Rice really was you need to examine how much better he was than the rest of the AL during his run of dominance from 1977-79 and again from 1982-86. This was back when hitting over 30 home runs meant something and over a .900 OPS was rare.

Let's take a look at his run in the late '70s.

-In 1977 Rice hit .320 with 39 homers and 114 RBI. He could have won MVP that year had Rod Carew not hit an astounding .388 with 239 hits but it was a travesty he finished fourth in the vote. Ahead of him were the Orioles' Ken Singleton and a guy from Kansas City named Al Cowhens, niether of whom had a higher average, home run total, RBI or OPS than Rice. Another case of robbery in Rice's career.

The league average was .266 and Boston was the only team over 200 home runs.

-In 1978 Rice had one of the premiere seasons in Red Sox history. He was on par with some of the years Ted Williams put up, Yaz's 1967 Triple Crown season and Pedro's transcendent 1999. He hit .315 with 46 HR and 139 RBI while totaling 406 total bases, a feat not matched until Larry Walker had 409 in 1997. From that point on having 400+ total bases was not as big of an accomplishment. Sammy Sosa (425) had the seventh-best total in history in 2001 and there have been five other instances in which it happened, included Todd Helton twice.

I won't get started on why there was the sudden surge from 1997-2001 because it's been discussed over and over but the fact remains it was a special number until the late '90s.

Rice won the MVP while the league average dropped to .261 and the highest AL home run total was 173. Another indicator how great Rice was that year was he topped Rod Guidry 252-191 in the balloting. Why is this significant you ask? Because Guidry had a season that Pedro or Sandy Koufax would be proud to put on their resume. Wouldn't a 25-3, 1.74 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 248 strikeout season create a close vote most seasons? Not in 1978, Jim Rice's most prolific season.

-Expecting a drop-off in 1979? Nope. Rice finished fifth in the MVP with a .325, 39 HR, 130 RBI. Either he, George Brett or Fred Lynn should have been MVP that year and it doesn't make much sense that Don Baylor won it or that Ken Singleton was again ahead of Rice at second.

The league average bumped up to .270 but still no teams over the 200 home run mark. Rice's stats, along with the aforementioned players, were a lot better than the rest of the league.

Anyway, Rice was eight points from a batting title, six away from the home run lead and nine RBI from the top spot in RBI. My point here is he was a top-three player in the AL for the third successive year. There were names like Bobby Bonds, Don Baylor, Lynn and others popping up but Rice was the most dominant over that period.

After injuries limited him to 24 HR and 86 RBI in 1980 and the strike held him to 17 HR and 62 and RBI in 1981, Rice was once again a top player between 1982 and 1986. He averaged .302, 28 home runs and 112 RBI in that period. No player averaged more RBI. Not Dale Murphy, who averaged averaged 105, Eddie Murray (averaged 108 but had an injury-plagued 1986 that brought his stats down), George Brett (who had more than 112 RBI only once in his career or any other of the best players of the 1980s.

Rice, simply put, was unrivaled from a production standpoint from 1977 to 1986. Three home run titles, a pair of RBI championships and four 200-hit seasons say it all. I'm glad voters finally recognized just how good he was and how good he could have been had his eyes not gone on him after his last MVP-type year in 1986.

Thanks for the kind words on Christmas, Sasha

2008-12-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

It's funny how even the most emotion-filled of quotes can have more meaning than initially intended. All I've heard from Sasha Vujacic is how much he hates the Celtics and he refuses to wear green. On the other side of the spectrum, Kobe Bryant talks about how the Lakers need to improve and learn from last year.

Kobe has won 3 rings and has proven he is a mentally tough player. I personally don't like him but there's not much I can pick on basketball-wise. The problem for L.A. is he's the only player who scares me. The rest of the players are soft and Vujacic's recent comments only lend credence to the perception that last year's Finals scarred the Lakers.

If I'm Phil Jackson, I tell Vujacic to shut his mouth. If he has enough time on his hands to explain his contempt for the color green, surely he can watch tape of Ray Allen blowing past him twice to seal the Celtics' 24-point comeback win in Game 4 of the Finals. In telling us his real feelings on the events of last summer, he's letting the Celtics know they are indeed in he and his teammates' heads.

Alright, enough Sasha Vujacic talk. Let's talk about today's Celtics-Lakers game. Let me start with this. Since the "Big Three" as we currently know it came into existence, when was the last time this team has had a letdown in a game like this? Other than getting blown out of the Garden by the Jazz last year and losing on a pair of Chauncey Billups free-throws last year the Celtics have shown up for these contests.

All of the "upstart" teams such as the Rockets, Jazz, Trailblazers or Magic as well as the normal stalwarts like the Spurs, Suns, Pistons, Mavericks, Cavs and of course the Lakers have fallen to the Celtics in prime time games. Kevin Garnett and the Celtics' smothering defense simply refuses to suffer a defeat in an important game. You'll never hear it from the players but these really are statement games. Playing on the company line from the Patriots a few years ago, the word respect is on the minds of these players.

"If the Lakers had Andrew Bynum in the Finals, they would've won with ease"

I'm sorry, but no chance. He's back and that soft defense hasn't suddenly gotten tougher. After watching him against the Heat recently, he hasn't proven he can handle pick-and-rolls and still gets called for dumb fouls. Kendrick Perkins will reduce him to a spectator. Watch.

The Celtics will show the whole country how and why they are a better team than a year ago. There are still experts picking the Lakers to win the championship, which is fine. Hopefully they'll get a glimpse into what we see nightly the Mecca of the Hoops Universe known as the Garden when Rajon Rondo blows by Derek Fisher (no, Jordan Farmar wouldn't have made a difference) time after time or Kevin Garnett swats a Pau Gasol hook into the stands.

I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say after the game, Sasha.

Marky-Mark and the Well-Paid Bunch

2008-12-23T17:56:00.000-08:00

"%&$#* the Yankees!!!"

"Screw Steinbrenner and all his money!!!"

Sound familiar?

The same curses rampant in New England households yesterday were just as popular back in 2004 when Alex Rodriguez was introduced as a Yankee. We were pissed. I'm just as pissed about the Mark Teixeira deal. I can't wait to boo him next year and buy a clever T-Shirt degrading him because it's my duty as a fan.

My fan-hood aside, after some reflection, I've realized that our boys got beat at a game the Yankees are much better at. This is what they do: outbid teams. Any Red Sox fan who didn't think this could happen had their head in the sand...err ice I mean.

OK. I agree with you. Teixeira signing with the Yankees was worst-case scenario. I was not happy upon hearing about the deal and bemoaned the fact that this was a major opportunity lost. At the same time, if you know baseball and how the Bronx Bombers operate then this wasn't necessarily the most surprising news.

Who thought he wasn't this hired gun who would take the biggest deal put in front of him? He had no allegiances to the Red Sox and, for good reason, had the show-me-the-money mindset.

Now that the player we were all drooling over for the past month or so is in pin stripes it's time to face the facts, people. The Yankees are the most talented team in the American League as of right now and, on paper, will continue to be for the next 3 or so years. Let's also give credit where credit is due. They had a plan to reload, even if the way they did it was in excess.

This is the first time since they have had top-flight pitchers in their primes since the late '90s. Their rotation of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes is most likely the deepest in baseball. Burnett is the only one who would scare me as a New York fan. He has yet to prove he can win a meaningful game and has a laundry list of injuries. Not hamstring injuries but elbow injuries that could flush the Yanks' investment down the drain. For the record, I'm not saying this because I don't like the Yankees (which is true, of course) but because the Marlins are my second-favorite team and they won a World Series without him in 2003. Not a coincidence.

They've had formerly great pitchers who hadn't been worth their salaries in years such as Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina (until last year) and Jaret Wright. Oops. Just kidding. Jaret Wright never really had a prime, did he?

My point is that not only are the Yankees spending an egregious amount of cash but they are spending it on players who can actually get them to the World Series on a consistent basis. Teixeira is a far better signing than Jason Giambi was after the 2001 season. As I've said before, he has no flaws and will be a great fit anywhere he goes. It was evident a guy like Giambi was a DH in waiting and even back then there were whispers of steroids.

There is another aspect of these signings to think about. I would compare their 2008 off season to the Celtics' of 2007. They are "going for it" and have about a 3 to 4 year window to do so. The difference is the Celtics have the likes of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce signed only for the duration of that championship window. The Yankees are on the books for CC Sabathia and Teixeira for long after that.

Obviously I'd be far more concerned about Sabathia down the road than Teixeira due to his penchant for staying at the dinner table too long but Teixeira won't have the same type of value as a 33-year-old. He is obviously a great player but I think he'll be a 25-homerun, 100 RBI type player by then. The deal is basically what the Braves did with Chipper Jones, who evolved into that kind of player, on steroids. Even as a Sox fan I know the latter half of the deal would've been too much money for a great-turned-good player.

The Yankees did pretty much everything right in terms of personnel this off season. You, nor I, should be complaining about their deep pockets. Notice I haven't conceded the East to the Yanks yet, just that they are the most talented team in the division. The Devil Rays proved last year that the amount of cash spent doesn't always translate to a deep playoff run. The Bombers have spent money in this manner before but on the wrong guys. It seems as though this time they've gotten it right.

I'll be checking back later with a Celtics-Lakers preview.

Holiday Ponderings

2008-12-17T18:50:00.000-08:00

Some things to think about as you enjoy your eggnog (and possibly some other ingredients).

-The Celtics game just ended with an 88-85 win and once again the C's proved they are a far more poised team than the Hawks. I could wax poetic about how talented Atlanta is athletically but they aren't going to go deep into the playoffs with Joe Johnson as your No. 1 option. I don't see this being a real rivalry. Just because the Hawks got hot in a series and pushed the Celts to 7 games does not mean they are on the same level.

The Hawks having highlights of their playoff loss to the Celtics on their website is the biggest joke to outsiders since the Ray Bourque rally for his Stanley Cup with Colorado. That was the lowest point for me as a Boston fan and showed a loser mentality. I would feel the same way if I were an Atlanta fan watching those highlights.

I must say, I'm a bit surprised the Celtics are playing this well this early. I thought it might take a little while for them to have sustained periods of success but they're sending a message to the NBA that last year was just the start of this group's run. Those who talked about the aging Big Three and how there was a strong possibility of decline forgot Rondo and Perkins had the chance to improve. Not only have they improved, they've carried this team at times.

That's 16 straight for the 24-2 Celtics. I still have the Globe sports section from the 18-game losing streak that lasted from Jan. 5 to to Feb. 15 back in 2007. Wouldn't it be sweet to have a paper laying beside it with an "18 Straight!" headline? I don't know if the Celts will win the title this year, especially with the Shawn Marion to Cleveland rumors floating around, but I know I'm going to enjoy this ride.

-I love Mike Lowell. When he re-signed with the Sox a year ago it gave me hope that there were still some good guys left in sports. He's a class act and without him the Red Sox obviously don't sniff the World Series in 2007.

All that said, when a team has a chance to grab as close as there is to a perfect baseball player in Mark Teixeira there really shouldn't be any debate as to whether the ramifications are worth it.

If the Sox do sign him it puts a lot less pressure on David Ortiz to return to form. Remember, guys like Teixeira don't appear on the open market very often so here's hoping the Sox are able to take advantage of the ability to sign him without giving up any of their top prospects.

Lowell would be missed and it probably won't help the Sox in future negotiations (i.e. Kevin Youkilis) when a hometown discount is brought into the discussion. I trust that the Sox brass isn't in the business of shedding tears for players, even a fan favorite like Lowell.

-I'm worried about the Pats' match up on Sunday against the Cardinals. If I were Ken Whisenhunt, I'd look at film from the Chargers-Pats from earlier this season and abuse the Pats' secondary. They lack height and often take bad routes to balls. Poor tackling doesn't help things.

Pats fans are worried about the possibilities of other teams like the Jets, Dolphins and Ravens winning or losing but they really shouldn't look past the Cardinals offense. Boldin, who wrecked my fantasy football playoff game, have the ability to light up this Patriot secondary.

Look for a shootout as I don't think the 'Zona defense can handle the Cassel-led Patriot offense either.

32-29, Pats.

Plot to Kill the BCS!

2008-11-30T19:10:00.000-08:00

If only it were a simple coup. But it's hard to revolt against a committee that the common fan isn't aware of. It's much easier to have a scape goat when it comes to matters such as the BCS.

Roy Kramer, who was essentially the father of the BCS back in 1995 when replaced the Bowl Coalition with the Bowl Alliance, enjoyed the trouble he caused with the new system and fled the scene a few years later as the scape goat for those who wanted a playoff system. He resigned from his spot back in 2002 and the controversy has only intensified since.

So now the question is who fields those complaints about the BCS that seem to be about as rampant as grievances regarding the economy? The simple answer would be John Swofford, the ACC commissioner who is serving as the BCS coordinator. Alas, the commissioners of the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, Pacific 10, Southeastern and Western Athletic conferences (and Notre Dame) need to answer to the Almighty Advertiser.

I'm aware this isn't the first or last blog post or article to rip the BCS. It's a relatively old issue but I want to revisit how much better a playoff format would be and how we've come to this point.

Even the media seems to be going the way of the BCS.

"Division I-A college football has the greatest regular season in all team sports, and a playoff system would ruin that distinction." — Jason Whitlock, Kansas City Star, Nov. 23, 2008

"The regular season is the main course, not some overpriced appetizer. There still might be a tidier way to settle the championship issue on the field, but don't let it come at the expense of the 12-game meat of the schedule. Want a playoff? It's taking place right now." — Jeff Shain, Miami Herald, Oct. 3, 2008

Both of these quotes appear on the BCS website, as if to create the impression their comments make the system legitimate. I don't see how this could be further from the truth. When was the last time a sport's signature draw was the regular season? If the regular season was what mattered, then we'd be looking at the 2001 Mariners and the 2007 Patriots a lot differently.

Imagine we had BCS-type systems in pro sports or men's college basketball. We don't have the 2007 Giants (as much as it pains me, it was a great story) or George Mason a few years ago. Who doesn't like the underdog? A playoff format gives us an opportunity to watch players like David Ortiz or K-Rod (2002 version, not the soon to be overpaid current one) emerge as post season heroes. Both teams came in as wild cards but rather than being placed in a game against the No. 3 seeds in their league, they actually faced the top teams in the AL in the opening round each time and proceeded to win a championship.

Imagine a Boise State-Alabama National Championship game. Not only would it give a great player like Ian Johnson some national exposure, it would give teams across the country hope. Going 12-0 is quite an accomplishment and the reward would be a bowl that isn't befitting of how your team played during the year.

The strategy, the potential of an upset and the emergence of budding stars are only a few of the reasons a playoff format makes so much more sense than the current format. Am I missing something else here? Well, besides the small money issue, of course. Ahhh yes, money. The root of all evil. I don't get how playoff games would make less money for these advertisers than the Bowl Games. Advertise the same way, call a playoff game the FreeHomeFurniture.com Bowl; I don't care, just have a system in place where a a low-seeded team has an opportunity to win a National Championship.

The Bowl Coalition to the Alliance in 1995 to include the mid-majors (BYU being a prime example) as well as the Big-10 and Pac-10. There was legal action involved when BYU brought the Bowl Coalition to court with claims of a monopoly of big conference teams that were invited to the Bowl Games. My idea is to use this case as legal precedent but to use mid-majors who haven't gained the type of exposure they think they deserve in the current format. Bring in the athletic directors of these schools and they can convey their distaste for the system and form a group to sue the BCS. It may not change things immediately but there needs to be a ground-breaking lawsuit to effect change in college football.

I propose a 16-team format that uses the AP Poll to determine which 16 get in. I consider this to be the most viable poll in terms of accuracy and impartiality. This may not be the perfect system, I don't claim it to be. But, again, this would be a start.

Giving Thanks to Owners

2008-11-28T12:16:00.000-08:00

I planned on talking about the NFL in this post but I started thinking about some of the awful positions other cities are in ownership-wise. So on this Sunday afternoon I want to remind everyone how lucky we are to have three great owners (sorry, Jeremy Jacobs).

After watching high school football on Thanksgiving, I hope you went out and did the same, I came back to see the Lions already down 21-3 to the Titans. The most pathetic franchise in football (yes, even more pathetic than the Raiders) was on its way to 0-12 with no real solution to its misery in sight.

As I was sitting there with my Sam Adams Holiday Porter (delicious, by the way) in one hand and pumpkin bread in the other, I tried to remember what it was like having bad ownership and even worse management around here. [Side note: To all Red Sox/Patriots/Celtics bandwagon jumpers, what I'm about to reference may not ring a bell to you since it was pre-2003. I'm not bitter...right?]

I think as Sox fans, we should be eternally grateful that John Harrington is currently working with the Yawkey Foundation and is no longer the CEO of our beloved home town team. He teamed with Dan Duquette to form a reasonably successful team in the mid-to-late '90s. The problem was he and Duquette took this business personally. The Clemens fiasco was the tip of the iceberg. His replacement, Steve Avery, didn't pan out as they had hoped and in 1998 they tried telling Jimy Williams to not start him late in the season so they wouldn't have to pay him his innings bonus. While that was a cheap thing to do, the reason I bring it up is it showed other teams how Sox players were treated at that point. There's a reason Manny was the first major free agent signing the team had since Bill Cambell in the '70s, and that was because they gave him the $160 million he was seeking. The cases can go on...you could reference the end to the Mo Vaugn era if you wish to but the point is this ownership team didn't have what it took to get past being a wild card team that hopes to make it to the ALCS.

These days, we rarely question Theo and The Trio (sans a few bad free agent signings). They are affable and, more importantly, have put an annual, legitimate championship contender on the field. When the Sox lost the '99 ALCS, in our heart of hearts we knew there wouldn't be greener pastures in 2000. After losing to the Rays a month and a half ago, we knew this team will be loaded for the 2009 season.

The Patriots have had the good fortune of having Bob Kraft as their owner since 1994 after he bought the team from James Orthwein. One of Kraft's only poor decisions was letting Bobby Grier and not Bill Parcells "shop for the groceries". The six draft picks the Pats received for Curtis Martin and the four from Bill Parcells from the Jets were all less than memorable. Out of all those picks, the lone Grier hit was on Robert Edwards but we all know what happened to him. Do you remember how great Tony Simmons and Chris Floyd were? Yeah...me niether.

Wyc Grousbeck and Stephen Pagliuca replacing Paul Gaston in 2003 was comparable to Kraft saving the Pats from oblivion. They put Danny Ainge in charge and let him handle basketball duties. Most importantly, they took all personnel decision making away from Chris Wallace. The acquisitions of the likes of Tony Battie and Kenny Anderson were examples of poor decision-making. The three draft picks they had in 2001 (Joe Johnson, Joe Forte and Kedrick Brown) had no impact on the team. In fact, the one they got right (Joe Johnson) was traded for Rodney Rodgers and Tony Delk during their Eastern Conference Finals run in 2001-2002. Again, we should all be thankful Wallace is in Memphis. After reaching a low point in the 2006-2007 season with 24 wins and an apathetic fan base, they realized that any money lost due to luxury tax money would be offset by the revenue gained by bringing the "Big Three" together. Grousbeck and Pagliuca haven't been flawless in decision making but they were smart enough to realize they had an opportunity to make basketball relevant in Boston again. Their part in the Celts' title shouldn't be underestimated.

So as you watch the Pats and Celts continue to be successful, remember that the owners in this town have greatly contributed to the culture change around here.

Quoting The Tuna

2008-11-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

"You are what you are"

-Bill Parcells

The Tuna uttered these simple words way back in 1996 after an 0-2 start with the Patriots en route to their second Super Bowl appearance but the quote has been reference many times since. Why am I bringing it up now, you ask? Because there are some pundits out there who believe the Celtics' 13-2 record isn't quite as sterling as it appears. The main reason for this is the inevitable comparison between this year's team and last year's juggernaut.

The 2007-2008 Celtics also had a 13-2 record but jumped on the opposition from the opening tip with something to prove. They were defensive stalwarts and extremely efficient on offense. Everyone made the extra pass and the C's were flying high. The year was obviously a success and Banner 17 was eventually raised. It is human nature to compare teams year to year but to say the 08-09 team's 13-2 record is any less notable is foolish.

There have been games where the C's committed too many turnovers and should have won with ease (the Atlanta game without Josh Smith, for example). On a few occasions, they've gotten off to awful starts and have needed Paul Pierce to save the day. Sure, the wins aren't as decisive but the Celtics, in my humble opinion, have played about as well as could be expected. I'll stick with Parcells here and say their record does indicate how well they've played thus far. The 13 wins are even more impressive when you take into account the draining schedule they went through as few weeks ago. They aren't going to be the 1996 Bulls, and most likely won't approach the 66-win plateau they reached a year ago. At the same time, I don't think they've become complacent like the Pistons after 2004 or will have stretches of lackadaisical play. But there will be nights where, as Bob Ryan referenced in his blog, the C's don't show up and get blown out of the building by an inferior team such as the Pacers.

While they have been winning differently, I don't feel any different than I did at this time last year regarding their chances to get to the Finals. Consistent team defense can carry a team through offensive slumps and the worst of quarters (see: Pistons and Spurs).

The unknown going into the year was how the second unit would play together and how much the loss of James Posey would sting. While we can't see what will happen in the playoffs when there will be no Posey to come in off the bench and cover the likes of Kobe or even Josh Smith, I think this year's edition hasn't fallen as far as expected. Tony Allen isn't as versatile as Posey in that he can't switch from a guard to a forward with ease, but his overall game has improved markedly. Allen has limited his turnovers and done a better job of controlling himself as he makes those quick cuts to the basket. They seem like components necessary of an NBA player but Allen had gotten by purely on athleticism before this season. Now he's learning how to harness that seemingly limitless ability at the perfect time for an older team in need of fresh legs.

The more I read about a high draft pick with no heart, passion or talent like Joakim Noah, the more I appreciate Danny Ainge bringing Leon Powe aboard. Powe uses every ounce of his ability and is on his way to being considered one of the best backup big men in the game. The way he uses his body to knock back defenders 5 or 6 inches taller than him under the net is something we should really appreciate. Ainge gets credit for bringing Garnett and Allen here but it's draft picks like Powe and Rondo that go under the radar. Only now are fans realizing one of the elements that has awakened a pitiful offense is Rondo's evolution into an elite player. He is already a top-10 point guard and he keeps ascending toward every one's favorite floor generals out west. His shooting is still inconsistent but, after a slow start, he is starting to finish at the rim.

The defending champs have sent a message to the NBA: We haven't even begun to play our best basketball and what we are is a 13-2 team on the rise.

Thoughts on Tek

2008-11-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

I love how Manny Ramirez talk has quickly turned into discussion revolving around Jason Varitek and whether the Sox should give him the long-term deal he seems to be seeking. I've found that fans seem to be calling his value into question due to his obvious struggles at the plate in 2008. It's clear he will struggle to ever hit over .250 again but he wasn't the only reason the Red Sox didn't hit in the ALCS. Granted, he was awful (1 for 20, 8 K's) but not having a healthy David Ortiz and having a shadow of Mike Lowell was closer to the source of Boston's offensive ineptitude.

Fans recall the most recent statistics stored in our memory banks and, I'm guilty of this as well, we tend to forget past performance. I don't think Varitek is as bad as he looked in the regular season or playoffs in 2008. I ripped him pretty badly if you'll recall during the playoffs, which was well-deserved, but the more I think about it the more reason I have to believe he won't be an instant out next year.

First, you can't neglect the fact that he went through a divorce. Domestic turmoil can wear heavily on players. (I'm assuming you've heard the Hazel rumors from a few years back.) Next, I don't think we should be expecting a .300 average from him but I'm confident he can approach the 17 home runs and 68 RBI he totaled in '07. He's a mistake hitter who had an off-year, albeit awful timing. Lastly, things will really come together if Theo finds a way to bring in a young backup catcher for Varitek. Having a reliable backup can only help the captain stay fresh as the season hits the doldrums of August. Having him fresh and healthy could make more of an impact than you realize.

Even if everything I just said proves to be completely wrong, Varitek has value both defensively and "calling the game". The latter has been talked about ad nauseam and many fans feel it's an overrated aspect of baseball. I was careful to watch how Varitek handled the Sox hurlers during the playoffs. I looked for how many times they shook him off, how he set up batters late in counts, adjustments he would make with hitters who had success in later at bats ect... While he isn't the reason for a pitcher's success or failure on the mound, his ability to keep hitters off balance with his pitch selection can't be understated.

Theo is going to have to find an eventual replacement, that much has been made abundantly clear. Varitek has more value to the Sox than any other team and I don't see anyone giving him a 4-year deal. Final prediction: Tek signs a 3 year/$30 million contract. He'll be worth the money for at least the first year and maybe even the second because of his handling of young pitchers (look for him to spend a great deal of time with Michael Bowden in spring training).

NBA Predictions

2008-11-06T19:38:00.000-08:00

A few games into the 2008-2009 NBA season, I think a few things have been made clear.

-The East is far more balanced than a year ago. Teams like Indiana are no longer doormats and have the potential to win on any given night. Even more to my point, a "second level" team such as Orlando has the look of a team ready to make that proverbial next step. We know what stars like Dwight Howard or Rashard Lewis can do. It's time for former St. Joe's star Jameer Nelson to become a 15 pt and 8 assist guy. I didn't get to see the Celts-Bulls game in full on Halloween but after watching the replay of the game later that night, I am positive Chicago made the right choice with their top pick in Derrick Rose. The kid's gonna be a stud.

-Washington made the wrong choice in giving The Mad Blogger Gilbert Arenas a $100+ million deal. They haven't played well so far without him but last year they proved they're better without their much-maligned, shoot-first point guard.

-LaMarcus Aldridge may not have Greg Oden beside him but he is vastly underrated and it will be a travesty if he's not in the All Star Game this year.

-Elton Brand doesn't look completely healthy, which should be cause for concern for the Sixers. However, Thaddeus Young is one of the best up and coming small forwards in the game. Should be a very interesting team.

-The Jazz have been impressive going 4-0 without their leader Deron Williams. I still don't think they'll have enough to win a playoff series, though. The Lakers, Hornets and Rockets have served notice to the West they'll be in the conference semis. The Spurs, who barely squeaked out a double-overtime win over the Timberwolves last night thanks to Tony Parker's 55 points, are sitting at 1-3. The loss of Manu Ginobli will continue to hurt until December but they'll be sitting pretty if they can hover around .500 until then. This will be a dangerous team come playoff time because of Gibobli's ability to bring energy and intensity while scoring his customary 18+ points a night.

League MVP: It's time for the King to finally get coronated (individually, at least). Lebron James will have have one of those transcendent seasons and has the luxury of facing competition whose stats won't be quite as plentiful due to the other scoring talent on their teams (Kobe, Paul Pierce, Yao Ming and others). He'll be a joy to watch as I plug him into my fantasy lineup every night.

Side note: I had both Amare Stoudemire's 49 point effort and Parker's 55 point explosion on my other team the other night. Those are the nights you live for when you play fantasy basketball.

Rookie of the Year: Michael Beasely purely for the volume of stats he'll put up. I do think Rose will easily be the better player. There was kind of a similar case last year with Kevin Durant and Al Horford (or even Louis Scola). I thought Horford had a better year than Durant but had less touches and plays a different position. Note: I am not saying Horford will be better than Durant, just that his game was a bit more polished last year.

Coach of the Year: This award is a tough one to figure for me. Is it defined as the coach of the best team or the coach who does the best job with what's around him? I've heard the latter the majority of the time but it doesn't seem to be an exact science. Someone like Byron Scott last year was an easy choice as him team overachieved and finished close to the top of the conference. I'm pretty sure Phil Jackson had some decent talent with the 72-win Bulls of 95-96 and won the award. Then there's coaches like Sam Mitchell two years ago who won it based on the fact his team far exceeded expectations. The man I'm choosing this year is Terry Porter in Phoenix. He has the task of transforming the Suns into a half-court team with a group of players in their mid-30's. I think this can be done when you have a guy like Amare on your team. The trouble will be on defense. If he can get it done while winning 50-55 games, he'll roll to the award.

Comeback Player: Jermaine O'Neal is a shoe-in for this award if he play defense. His stats won't sky-rocket scoring-wise but he can prove that he can still rebound and form a great tandem with Chris Bosh for the Raptors.

I'm expecting the final four of the East to be Boston, Cleveland, Philly and Toronto. The premiere series will be the Eastern Conference finals between Boston and Cleveland. This series could evoke memories of the Bulls-Knicks in the early '90s. The Celtics got the better of the Cavs opening night but I think they will be a much different team come May when Mo Williams and Lebron are comfortable with each other.

The West will have the Lakers, Hornets, Spurs and Rockets as its final teams. Once again I think it will come down to the Lakers and Spurs. This might be one of Tim Duncan's last stands and they won't go as quietly as last year to the Lakers.

The Celtics will come down to the wire with Lebron again this year but this time they beat the Cavs on the road in game 7. The Lakers beat the Spurs in 7 at home and Kobe goes nuts, dropping 48 points and wearing the older Spurs out.

Until the Lakers prove they can bang with the Celtics down low and guard the perimeter better than the Finals, I'm going to pick the Celtics. These Celtics remind me a lot of the late-90s Bulls teams because of the way they can pick up their defensive intensity in the second half of games and just stifle their opponents. Boston does just enough on offense to win these games but obviously it will be the defense that could lead them to their second straight title.

Pierce, Garnett and Allen know they have a chance to etch their name in everyone's minds as truly a great team. Everyone remembers the Rockets who won back-to-back championships during Jordan's hiatus but, as Bob Ryan has said, who remembers the 1978-1979 Seattle Sonics? (You knew the late Dennis Johnson was on that team, right?)

Basketball is Back! NBA Regular Season Preview

2008-10-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well, we're just under an hour away from the pregame ceremonies at TD Banknorth. The raising of the banner is going to be special and I'm sure the Celtics head brass have put together a great show for us. Seeing Paul Pierce finally get his ring will mean even more to me than anyone else because he was here for the hard times as well.

However, what I'm looking forward to is the game. The team the Celts barely beat in the second round last year is coming in with a man in Lebron James who might be heading into one of those Jordan-esque seasons. He finally has some help in Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson is healthy. These are things that worry me as a Celtics fan. While the East has improved through the additions of Elton Brand to the Sixers and Jermaine O'Neal to the Raptors, Boston will receive its greatest challenge from Lebron and the Cavs. On paper, there might be better teams than the Cavs. But I also saw Lebron almost single-handedly bring his team to an Eastern Conference finals against the third-best, repeat, THIRD-BEST defense in the history of the game.

On that note, let's get to my picks and thoughts on each division.

The East:

Atlantic- The Celtics are clearly still the class of this division and it's going to take more than a few middle-aged power forwards to knock the C's off their perch. Based on preseason action, I think Tony Allen will fill James Posey's shoes as a defensive stopper. He will never be the outside shooter Posey is but I think the Celts knew what they were doing here. Allen was waiting in the wings and Posey wanted too many years.

Central- The Pistons have become the Atlanta Braves of the NBA, which isn't a bad thing at all. They are built for the regular season but lack that scorer who can create his own shot and get to the line at will (this role formerly belonged to Chauncey Billups in a sense). This is the year the Cavs win 60 games, easily. Detroit aside, the rest of the division wreaks of mediocrity. I really am scared of this team, especially if you consider the prospect of them picking up a hired gun such as Michael Redd. Ugh...I don't want to think about it.

Southeast- If the Hawks had fired Mike Woodson and brought in someone the players actually enjoy playing for, I would take them far more seriously. If I were an Atlanta fan, I would have no clue how my team will come out of the gates after bowing out in an emotional seven-game first round series against the C's. You never know how young teams will react the following year after reaching the cusp of one of the biggest upsets in recent years. That being said, Dwight Howard and the Magic can cruise to the division title. I know my man-crush, D-Wade, looked damn good in the Olympics and is finally healthy but it's not enough to offset not having a point guard, a mature Michael Beasley or an interested Shawn Marion.

The West:

Pacific- The Suns' sudden change in philosophy has to be one of the biggest stories in the NBA. How does a team with the "Seven Seconds Or Less" mantra miraculously turn into a half-court, defensively sound unit? I'm not sure there's an answer to that question. Steve Kerr is putting everything on the line here and I suppose I see some rationale here. He knows the Suns were a 58-60 win team with major defensive flaws and could get no further than the Conference Finals. I get that. But to blow up the whole thing entirely? There was mixed results at the end of the '07-08 season and the team eventually burned out in the playoffs against the Spurs. It will be an interesting winter in the desert, especially if Shaq decides that being a deputy sheriff is more important than staying away from the dinner table.

I'll go into more depth about the Lakers later but they're a lock to win 60 and the division. It's the playoffs that should prove to be interesting.

Southwest- O.J. Mayo will lead the Grizz to the division....Ahh I'm kidding! This is easily the most competitive division in the NBA. There are three teams (Spurs, Hornets and Rockets) that are legitimate title contenders and a fourth in the Mavs that will still be a dangerous team. Because of Manu Ginobli will be out until December at earliest with that ankle injury, the Spurs will be too far behind to have a shot at the regular season (post season could prove different with a healthy Ginobli). So it comes down to the Hornets and Rockets. Let's play the "if" game. If I knew the Rockets were going to be injury-free all year, I'd make them a shoe-in to lock the division up. Since this isn't NBA Live and you can expect Yao Ming to miss at least 20 games with various injuries from the knees and below (I'm not even taking into account T-Mac's arthritic shoulder), I'm going with the Hornets. They have the best point guard in the NBA and the always-improving David West and Tyson Chandler. Posey will make his greatest impact in May and June.

Northwest- This is Utah's last shot to win this division because it will become property of Greg Oden, Brandon Roy and Co. by next season. Deron Williams' ankle injury and Carlos Boozer's impending free angency won't help the team but they have the most experienced roster and this is Williams' official breakout season. Look for 20 ppg, 10 assists and 2 steals. After a year under his belt though, Oden will take his crown as King of the Northwest. Side Note: The Nuggets will be a funny team to watch, not fun, funny. Is it possible to give up 120+ ppg during an 82 game season?

Yeah. I Still Post! Sox, Pats and Celts

2008-10-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

After a prolonged, yet unintentional absence, I am back to posting. Having a new job really cut into my time to write about the sporting world.

Since I last wrote....

-After going down 3-1, the Sox forced a game 7 with the Rays but couldn't muster enough offense to finish the comeback. While I'm not happy with the way things turned out, I'm proud of the resiliency this team showed. After a few days of reflection, I realized that not only was this team lucky to beat the Angels in 4 games but taking a superior Rays team to the limit should have been viewed with a glass half-full approach. Senor Octobre', David Ortiz, was a ghost throughout the post season. If you take away Grant Balfour's idiotic location with his pitches in game 5 of the ALCS when he gave up the 3-run shot, Ortiz would have had no production to speak of. I'm hoping that his hand was still injured and he isn't following the familiar pattern of the declining middle-aged slugger (i.e. Frank Thomas ect...) I never really thought it would happen this early with Ortiz for a few reasons. First, he's a DH and all he has to worry about is hitting. Even first base can be cumbersome for those who aren't fleet of foot. Secondly, he lacks the wear and tear that other slugging stars carry with them as they reach their mid-thirties. He was never a full-time player in Minnesota and has only been a starter since he joined the Sox in 2003. Ortiz blamed much of his failures on how he was pitched to but I saw a multitude of pitches he had good swings at that he used to crush but were easy fly outs. Seeing how that wrist feels in March after a few months of rest will help decide whether or not this is a long-term problem.

Even taking Ortiz's struggles into account, it's become apparent that the Sox need to acquire another "bopper" who can help shoulder the load of the offense come post season. If Mike Lowell were healthy, I'd say this wouldn't be as glaring of a problem but no one knows how that hip will be feeling come spring training. The Sox lineup (Jason Varitek aside) is a production line of good hitters, none of which really caught fire in the ALCS. I'll talk more about this later but Mark Teixeira would be the prime candidate here, despite not having a position in our current infield.

-The Phillies took it to the Dodgers in 5, once again proving me wrong. Nicely done. I really underestimated the Phils lineup and bullpen beyond Brad Lidge. Both Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero (aka Red Sox legend) have been phenomenal. This team is currently up 3-1 on the Rays due to an awoken offense and the arms of Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton. By the way, Blanton wasn't kidding when he said his eyes were closed for that home run he hit. Good stuff. Rain washed away the potential celebration in Philly tonight. If I were a Phillies fan, I'd hope my boys get the job done at home Wednesday in the final innings of tonight's game because James Shields and Matt Garza are two tough customers...especially Garza as Sox fans found out.

-The Patriots have somehow found themselves tied with the Bills for the division lead at 5-2 after two weeks of good football. I went to last Monday's 41-7 torching of Denver and I liked what I saw. The running game gashed the Bronco defense for the most yards gained on the ground for a Pats team since I was born. I know Jay Cutler was hurt for most of the game but the team improved defensively in one important area: third down conversions. They didn't allow Denver to go on sustained drives and when the Broncos reached Patriot territory, they forced turnovers. The only negative about the game was Sammy Morris's injury after he rushed for 138 yards in the first half. He adds toughness to an offense that is often lacking in that area. Side note: If Morris participates in last year's Super Bowl, things are different. I'm not being bitter by bring up the "what-ifs" but I think that statement speaks to how important he is to this team.

This week's win over the Rams indicated to us that Matt Cassel can make the throws in the final minutes that win games. He isn't going to be a super star this year, or maybe any year for that matter. But what's important is that he's progressing each week at about the speed Coach Bill and the team expects of a kid with the natural ability he has. He's finally looking at the whole field and checking down each of his receivers before darting out of the pocket with the football with the sole intent of running with the ball. Now he's looking to pass and when his initial options aren't there, he either buys time to throw or tosses it out of bounds.

I just realized I've had this blog since August and I have written almost nothing about the Celtics. After a short summer that the team and fans would be more than willing to go through again in '09, the Champs are back in action tomorrow night against the Cavaliers. I expect this to be the first of many great games between these two teams this season. The addition of Mo Williams will do wonders for the Cavs. Not only does it relieve the pressure of ball-handling duties from Lebron, it gives him another player who is a reliable starter. This team took the C's to 7 with essentially just Lebron. Having Williams at his side could sway things the Cavs way this season.

Anyway, it's good to be on this thing again and I'll be posting my NBA preview tomorrow.

Trouble in Beantown

2008-10-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

It has not been a pleasant three days of sporting events for Boston sports fans since the Red Sox were gearing up for Game 2 of the ALCS and trying to take a 2-0 lead on the Rays. As is the case so often, things have changed rapidly since early Saturday evening. The Sox lost a 11-inning affair to the Rays in which their hopes were resting on the right shoulder of Mike Timlin. The next night, our beloved Patriots were embarrassed on national TV by a team that didn't have its top receiver playing and whose running back isn't 100 percent. Hope was abound heading into last night's contest as we had our ace going against a guy who could blow up at any moment in Matt Garza. A 10-1 loss later, here we are. Down 2-1 and the momentum from Game 1 has clearly subsided and seems like it was weeks ago.

As we sit here waiting for Game 4, the question no longer is what the Sox need to do. That is the obvious: David Ortiz needs to be David Ortiz while Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Varitek need be factors again. After watching runner after runner stay stranded on base last night the question now is why is this happening?

All of the national pundits are saying that this lineup doesn't have enough firepower to come back from deficits and that this team is clearly missing Mr. Dreadlocks. I don't see lack of firepower as the problem here. The way this offense is run can work, as evidenced in the Angels series. The past two games the Red Sox haven't been "finishing" after doing the little things like putting the lead off man or moving a runner to third with less than two outs. They've had men on base for the most part, they just haven't been able to hit with runners in scoring position. This goes back to the three "black wholes" in the lineup.

I don't think Ortiz is that far off from becoming a force again. His timing is indeed off but baseball really can be a game of confidence. This is ironic because of the way Ortiz jabbed at the Rays after the Game 1 victory but if he can just get a solid, line-drive hit tonight I think it would do wonders for his psyche. David Ortiz is never lacking outward confidence. What I'm wondering is if he's starting to wonder if he's going to get it going for this team in time. Like I said, a hit early on would be huge for him.

As for Ellsbury, his issues are mainly seeded in his mechanics. He is hitting the ball in the air and not putting pressure on the defense, that we know. I think he is trying too hard to drive the ball these days. He is feeling the pressure of a lineup that isn't hitting homeruns (save for the three homer inning in Game 2). Dave Magidan needs to go back to the basics with him and straighten out his now-uppercut swing. It's a very correctable problem and hopefully the adjustments are made.

Going into the series I was aware the 25 homerun-hitting Varitek wouldn't be making an appearance but he is no longer putting up competitive at bats. If he's not going to hit, the least he can do is make the pitcher work and attempt to grind out an at bat. By the end of the game last night, it was apparent to everyone watching that he was meekly hoping to draw a walk.

If any of these three can get it together, the offense will be fine. We don't need the 3-run homer. We need one-third of our lineup to have solid at bats and to have any sort of success with RISP.

Garza was very impressive last night and I knew he had the potential to be that good. I was hoping he would get rattled by a few runners on base but he calmly and effectively squashed each Red Sox rally. He located his fastball with precision and was able to get his breaking ball over when the Sox hitters least expected it (especially David Ortiz).

I know we all expected John Lester to go Orel Hershiser via '88 on us and dominate the whole post season but things don't always turn out that way. Simply put, Lester didn't have it last night. You could tell even in his 1-2-3 first inning there was something off. His fast ball was moving into the heart of the plate, not in on the hands of batters. B.J. Upton was fooled in his first at bat of the game but definitely wasn't in his second. He ended up with a line of 4 ER in 5 2/3 IP but it could have been even worse than that. These Rays hitters were aggressive and ready to pounce on missed locations.

So now the eyes of the Fenway Faithful will be focusing on the amount of movement the knuckle ball of Time Wakefield has tonight. The fact that tonight's game could turn into a shoot-out is the reason why I said last night's game was of such importance. Let's hope the 10-11 mph wind has that knuckler dancing like Mo Vaughn's favorite Foxy Lady employee.

Heading into Game 3 of Sox-Rays

2008-10-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

A phrase that's used often in baseball when discussing a seven game set is saying the third game can often propel a team to gaining momentum and an edge in the series. I don't think this applies to every team or every series but for the Red Sox-Rays, I think winning this game could go a long way toward heading to the World Series.

The Sox have their ace in John Lester on the mound (wow, it still sounds weird not referring to Beckett as that) and the Rays will send Matt Garza out to try to steal one on the road. This is the type of game the Sox have won with regularity during the past few years and I fully expect them to come out and play well. Remember what I said before...if Garza doesn't have it early he could let his emotions get the best of him. In October, these are things that you need to keep an eye on.

After this game, the Wakefield-Sonnanstine match up is a game I'm not sure I'd be confident in if I were either the Rays or Sox.

The Sox have had great success with two-out RBI and the struggles of Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz haven't been a huge problem but as the series goes on they're going to need to contribute. Dan Shaughnessy made a good point in today's Globe. Ortiz should start bunting to keep the defense honest. A few hits could get him going.

Where Oh Where Has the Defense Gone?

2008-10-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

After watching the Patriots get beat down the field time after time tonight, I'm not sure how successful this team would be even if they had Brady as their signal caller this season.

Simply put, the secondary doesn't look like it can compete with quality opponents. Even last week they were lucky they faced the Mike Martz-led, turnover-happy 49ers. They won but it wasn't a victory that sat well with me because of the way the defense was manhandled at times by J.T. O'Sullivan.

The problems in the Pats' secondary start with Deltha O'Neil. O'Neil was released by the Bengals, a team clearly starving for defense, but I thought he had some solid ball-hawking abilities. Any of those skills are diminished by the way he can be fooled easily on double moves by receivers. He gets beat off the line consistently and at 5-10 he needs to gain position on bigger receivers.

Ellis Hobbs hasn't been great thus far but at the same time he hasn't progressed to where I thought he would. After Asante Samuel left, the Pats needed him to step up this season. He seems to be out of position more often than not and he should be the leader of the cornerbacks but is just another face in the crowd these days.

I'm not expecting someone like Rodney Harrison to cover receivers or even a tight end. Both his and James Sanders' responsibilities lie mainly with the running game, which the Pats did a decent job of tonight. A guy like Brandon Meriweather is improving but again, he's not exactly standing out in coverage.

Some of these issues could be alleviated by good ol' fashioned QB pressure. Problem is, there was literally none to speak of tonight. The Patriot pass rushers (Adalius Thomas and Mike Vrabel) didn't even get close to Rivers all night and the down linemen were pancaked on more than a few occasions. In games like this where it's obvious the other team is going to exploit you deep there needs to be some sort of wrinkle in the defense to at least partially cover up its deficiencies. I'm not sure something like bringing a safety over the top more often would have helped all that much but after seeing Vincent Jackson abuse O'Neal, what other alternatives are there?

This is a flawed team, not even bringing the offense into account. Is age finally catching up to what has been the premiere defense in the NFL since 2003? The next few weeks will be very telling.

One last thing...

After the San Diego fans booed the officials for correctly calling a non-interception I started thinking about the things that they really should have booed over the years:

-Stan Humphries.
-Nate Kaeding missing an easy field goal that could have beat the Jets in their 2004
opening round playoff game.
-Marlon Mcree being stripped by Troy Brown to change the course of the game and help jump start the Pats to a 24-21 win.
-Philip Rivers and LT crying after Ellis Hobbs did the "Lights Out" dance on the Chargers symbol after that game. They claimed it was disrespectful. Wasn't aware doing a dance to mock your opponents was at all respectful.
-Their defense for letting the Pats offense run out the clock with 9:13 left in last year's AFC Title Game.

Note to fans: Your team beat an extremely beatable Pats team and your quarterback has yet to prove he can win a big game. (If you don't recall, it was Billy Volek and not Rivers who beat the Colts last year).

Short Sox-Rays entry

2008-10-11T16:56:00.001-07:00

After two years of frustrating performances but solid statistics, Daisuke Matsuzaka showed what he could do in the biggest of stages last night. He won last year's ALCS Game 7 but was far from dominant. Last night, he was. Sure, he had runners on base for a great deal of the evening and seemed to be a pitch or two away from having damage done to him. To be frank, that's how it's going to be with Dice-K and we should enjoy the ride. The man won 18 games this year for a reason and, more often than not, gives the Sox a chance to win every game he pitches.

Last night's win was important because it puts the onus on the Rays to come out and win tonight's game against Josh Beckett. If Beckett is anywhere close to what he can be, the Rays could very well be heading to Bean Town down 2-0. He needs to show more command with his fast ball and stray from throwing so many breaking balls in the dirt.

Don't underestimate Justin Masterson inducing Evan Longoria into that double play last night either. Confidence is not lacking with Masterson but getting Dice-K out of that jam won't hurt his psyche either.

Phillies and Dodgers- A Blast from the Past

2008-10-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

This is an old school NLCS as the Phillies are facing the Dodgers in post season play once again. The two faced each other in 1977 and 1978 (again in 1983) while providing audiences with some very good baseball. Both teams were loaded with star players and more often than not, it was a matter of match ups than overall talent. I don't think there's a huge disparity in ability between LA and Philly and that is the reason I'm bringing up teams that played 30 years ago. (and because I consider myself a baseball historian as well as a geek).

(Side Note: Who knew Jim Lonborg, ace of the 1967 Impossible Dream team, was on these Phillies teams?)

The "I'm Gonna Have to Carry This Team on My Back" Comparison: As far as the late 1970s Phillies pitching was concerned, Steve Carlton was the man and he had very little support behind him. Cole Hamels must be feeling the same way heading into this series. I know Brett Myers was very good in his lone start in the NLDS but he has yet to prove he is in any manner reliable. It's fitting that the man with the fate of his team on his shoulders is Cole Hamels. He should give Steve Carlton a call sometime.

The "No One's Great, But All are Very Good": The 1977 Dodgers are similar to this current crop in that they had deep pitching (far deeper pitching than I realized). Five (that's right- five) different pitchers won at least 12 (all others at least 14) games for this team. Tommy John [yeah, the guy who they named the surgery after] won 20 games but wasn't really considered to be at a higher level than Don Sutton or Bert Hooton.. I see the same in the Dodgers of 2008 in that Derek Lowe might be considered the "ace" of the staff but there's not a huge drop off with Chad Billingsley as their No. 2.

The "Struggling Infield MVP Candidate": Mike Schmidt hit .063 and .200 in the 1977-78 NLCS, respectively. Chase Utley has had a great year but struggled in the opening round, collecting 2 hits. I don't see it continuing in the NLCS but Schmidt proved how detrimental the heart and soul of a team struggling can be. Each had power-hitting teammates (in Schmidt's case it was 39 HR, 130 RBI man Greg Luzinski) but Utley needs to produce to give the Phillies a shot to win the series.

The "Behind the Scenes Left Fielder": Andre Ethier (90 RBI) didn't have a great series against the Cubs but is comparable to Reggie Smith (32 HR) in that he faces the shadow of Manny Ramirez while Smith didn't receive the same type of publicity that Steve Garvey did.

The "$20 Million Player Who Quit on His Team": Oh wait...that never happened in the '70s...that was just Manny being Manny!

Some of the similarities of this series are stark. It's always fun revisiting some of the old rivalries from the past that don't just involve the Red Sox and Yankees.

Now, onto this upcoming NLCS. My heart wants the Phillies to win but I won't be making the same mistake as I did in the first round. These Dodgers are for real and shouldn't be considered just Manny's team. Joe Torre has them playing well at the right time and their pitching depth as well as their 1-8 hitting should be a scary prospect for the Phillies.

Something that would give me hope as a Phils fan is that these should be close contests and if there is a battle of the bullpens, I'd take Brad Lidge over Jonathan Broxton without even thinking about it. However....

I fully expect Hamels to come out and dominate Game 1 but for the Dodgers to steal Game 2 with Billingsley on the mound. Games 3-4 should be the key to the series. Hiroki Kuroda vs. Jamie Moyer won't make it onto ESPN Classic but whoever holds a 2-1 lead will have momentum heading into Game 4. The Dodgers haven't announced a game 4 starter but I'd guess it would be between Greg Maddux and Clayton Kershaw. No offense, Mad Dog, but I'd start Kershaw. The kid's filthy.

If I were a Dodger fan, having Lowe on the mound in a potential 2-2 series fills me with confidence. I see Billingsley out-dueling Myers in Game 6 for the Dodgers for the series. I'm not being quite as bold as I was a few weeks ago but I'm basing this prediction on what I saw in the opening round.

I'll be checking back after the game and will have a full Rays-Sox preview by tomorrow.

Fandom at its Worst

2008-10-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

The other day I was talking to someone I work with about the Patriots' 30-21 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. A solid win that the team needed but what got me thinking wasn't the game itself. It was a comment from him: "Yeah it was great win after that loss to Miami. If they kept on losing, I'm not sure I could watch this season."

I'm sorry, but...WHAT?? Let's inject some perspective here. Imagine life as a Lions fan. This is one of the worst teams I have seen years and it'll take years to undo the catastrophe Matt Millen created (a la Rick >Pitino's mess in Boston). How about wearing a Bengals jersey? The days of Corey Dillon and Akili Smith must seem not all that bad in comparison to this current crop of Bungles. Even in those two instances, I'm just talking about the very bottom. There are plenty of instances where teams have been mulling in mediocrity for years.

Now take into account that while our Patriots haven't won a Super Bowl in four years, they have won 22 of their past 23 regular season games. I'm not sure fans realize how hard that is to do or what it takes to be that consistent. For example, the Dallas Cowboys became the darlings of the NFL after Brady went down. There was talk of a dominant season and Jerry Jones mentioned a repeat of the 16-0 mark the Patriots posted in 2007. A loss to Washington and an ugly win against Cincinati later, it's clear they have flaws. Not to say the '07 Patriots didn't have flaws but they fought through them to have a perfect regular season (Super Bowl notwithstanding).

OK, back to that guy from work. When you take into account the lack of stability and wins in general for the also-rans of the league as well as the degree of success for the Patriots, he should be keeping his mouth shut and if he was a real fan he would watch all of the games regardless of wins or losses. This brings me to the point of this post. If any fan stops watching a team mid season because it isn't doing as well as expected, they should be sentenced a year to sports purgatory the next time their team has a deep run in the playoffs or exceeds expectations. They shouldn't be able to root for that team after abandoning it.

Obviously there are exceptions to this. If you have gone through the turmoil that is associated with being a Kansas City Royals fan, by all means do what you need to do. Stop watching. Punch a TV. Jump out of a window.

What I'm saying should be taken in context and is mainly directed at pseudo-fans (see: post-Cowboy Up era in Boston). It took some will power, some sound decision making and sobriety not to punch that guy who said he would stop watching the Pats with Matt Cassel at the helm. I wanted to collect all of his Patriots paraphernalia and distribute it to people who stayed for the entire Miami game a few weeks ago. I'm not just speaking as a Patriots fan here. I was offended as a sports fan. Rule #1: Support your team through thick and thin. Doesn't that make celebrating all that much more enjoyable?

Beasts of the East

2008-10-07T08:48:00.000-07:00

Prior to the 2000 season, I didn't believe in the term "championship pedigree". I felt as though previous playoff success didn't play a huge part in October. After the Yankees almost blew the division down the stretch that year, it seemed as though they were a team that would fold quickly against the A's in the opening round. You know the story, they went on to win their fourth title in five years. An impressive feat and one that caused me to think twice about counting out teams that hadn't played their best during the regular season but had won titles in previous years.

What's interesting about this match up between the Red Sox and Devil Rays is that one team proves that experience does matter while the other is defying all of the old baseball adages about being battle-tested and "having been there before". I'll let you figure out who fits into each category.

I'm not comparing this version of the Sox to those Yankees; they are different teams in terms of age as the Yankees were at the end of their run while I feel like the Sox are just beginning theirs (although they are similar in that they can manufacture runs with the best of them). I'm just comparing the concept of drawing upon previous success at this time of year. The core Red Sox players aren't much older than the Devil Rays but I firmly believe last year's championship run paid dividends in this most recent snuffing of the Angels and will continue to as the post season continues. We know the obvious ones: Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and John "Get on my Back" Lester. The results from others participating in last year's playoffs have been a bit more subtle.

Case and point: last night in the ninth inning. Manny Delcarmen quietly had a great second half (1.82 ERA, .161 batting avg against and 33 K's in 34 innings). He was a part of the 2007 playoff bullpen and didn't pitch all that well in a limited role as he gave up 4 runs in a total of 3 innings. While watching Josh Beckett dominate with a great mix of offspeed stuff and his great fastball, as well as his own struggles, he started to learn the difference between a thrower and a pitcher. He gradually improved after a slow start in 2008. It wasn't as though a light turned on at once but I do think it was right around that point that he began his transition to being a reliable reliever and, more importantly, one that can handle the pressure of having a runner on third with less than two outs in a tie game. Delcarmen backed Erick Aybar off the plate with a pair of 95-mph fastballs and threw a perfect 96-mph fastball low and inside that would've been tough for Aybar to bunt fair even if he made contact with it. Location, Location, Location. It may not be obvious but last year's playoffs were a starting point for him.

For those who just saw the box scores, the Sox 3-1 series win over the Angels may not look all that tiring. But, the people who actually watched every inning of these games will tell you it was the case of two teams imposing their wills on the other. Gone are the days of the home run-hitting Sox. They still have some pop but their calling card is hitting with runners on and two outs and a great defense. When you have two teams as good as the Sox and Angels, obviously a play here or mistake there makes the difference. In tight situations (ex: game 1 when Youkilis threw Vlad out), the Sox consistently were better than the Angels. Again, don't think their success last October didn't play a part in these games. They knew they've been in these situations before and have come up big again and again.

The AL East Champion Rays, on the other hand, had never won more than 70 games before this year and have answered every challenge thrown at them. It's clear the playoffs don't phase them and this should have been evident in August and September when they didn't fold after their roster looked like a M.A.S.H. unit. Back in June I thought this team had the makings of the '99 A's, who went down to the wire with the Red Sox but fell just short at the end. Lack of experience obviously had no impact on this team and I don't think it will make a difference in this series.

The Rays took a game longer than I expected to clear out the White Sox. They won the series with quality pitching (not that the Pale Hose hitters put up that much of a fight), timely hitting and an extremely underrated defense. James Shields (6.1 IP, 3 ER) and Scott Kazmir (5.1 IP, 2 ER), as anticipated, pitched well but if I were Joe Maddon, the only legitimate concern I would have between them would be Kazmir's ability to go deep into games. He had a total of 1 start of 7 innings past May 31st (four total). In the regular season and even in a short series, this isn't a huge concern. In a potential seven game series, eating up the bullpen becomes more problematic (example: Mr. Matsuzaka).

How Matt Garza (Game 3 loser) and Andy Sonnanstine (Red Sox killer with 2 ER in 13 IP this year) perform will also be crucial to the Rays' success. Garza is a guy who can shut down the Sox one night and give up a few bloop hits, lose his composure and unravel the next night. Sonnanstine will test my opinion on soft throwers in the post season. He's owned the Sox in 2008 with pin-point location and a good breaking ball. The question is can it continue?

I'm going to wait until both teams have their rotations set to do a full-out preview but feel free to comment on what I've said thus far.

Crazy October

2008-10-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

Call me Pete Sheppard.

I've never been great with predictions and I don't think the professionals who make them are able to see into the future either. At the same time, wow, I was pretty far off base with these predictions.

The Cubs...The Cubs...The Cubs. If I were a Cubs fan out there, I'm not sure how I'd react after this latest debacle. This was a team built for a deep post season run. I'm still shocked as to how this series unfolded and really wasn't competitive in any manner. The Dodgers outpitched, outhit and outplayed the Cubs. Interestingly enough, it wasn't Manny Ramirez leading the charge as some of his stats may indicate. He did have a great series but the game-changers were Andre Ethier and James Loney. I guess this goes back to the old adage I had mentioned last week that at times it's not necessarily the best team but the hottest team (see: 2007 Colorado Rockies).

Next up: the Philadelphia Phillies and how wrong they proved me. This wasn't as bad as the Cubs series but in the end I overestimated Yovani Gallardo's ability in big games as of right now. Remember this, though; I have no doubt in my mind Gallardo will be a great pitcher in this league. I felt the Phillies haven't hit their stride yet after watching them demolish a solid (albeit tired and Ben Sheets-less) Brewers team. Cole Hamels looked like the stud that he has the potential to be every start he trots out for in game 1. That wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Brett Myers dominating was a bit less likely but he did what I was questioned whether he had the intestinal fortitude to do: take charge and have his emotions in control. Blanton was solid as well in game 4 but if the Phils have Myers and Hamels going strong they have a chance in any series.

I'll be previewing the 1970's-style matchup between the Phils and Dodgers tomorrow.

Tampa is up 6-2 on the White Sox in the 7th as I'm writing this and if they hold on, they'll be a tough opponent for whoever advances in the Sox-Angels series.

....Speaking of that series, to go back to that predictions thing, I'm not sure there were many who picked the Sox to take both in L.A. then lose game 3 with Josh Beckett on the mound at home. Something I've been coming to terms with gradually, and I think other fans are starting to feel the same way, is that this is not the 2007 Beckett. Nor do I think he'll be making an appearance in these playoffs. Something is obviously wrong with him physically and he simply isn't locating the way he needs to. The only pitch he had any sort of success with was his outside breaking ball. His fastball was all over the place and his velocity didn't scare any of those hitters. Success with runners in scoring position, no matter how little, has determined the first 3 games and I don't expect that to change tonight. Lester-Lackey could be a classic.

Side note: Mike Lowell won't be playing tonight and is out indefinately. Not that he's done anything in this series but this hurts purely because there was the threat of him coming up with a big hit. Not unexpected but this is something to follow in the offseason because a hip with growing arthritis could be problematic. Older players making big money with hip problems generally don't recover (see: Albert Belle).

Game 1 of Sox-Angels

2008-10-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I went 1 for 3 in my predictions today but the Red Sox beat the Angels 4-1 so I'll take it. What a great win.

Make sure you remember this entry, folks. I'm about to admit how wrong I was about John Lester a year ago. His heroic battle with cancer aside, I wasn't very high on him even when he came up a few years ago. I thought he was a soft, mid-level pitcher who didn't have what it took to be successful at this level. Dumb....Dumb.....Dumb....

7 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 7 K. That's a stat line that would make Josh Beckett jealous. He worked both sides of the plate and (possibly unintentionally) busted his fastball in on right handers. His curve ball was hard and had a lot of late movement. These Angel hitters became more and more over matched as the game moved along. Something else that needs to be noted here is after Jed Lowrie's error, Lester remained poised and induced a ground ball from Torii Hunter to end the inning. Realizing there was a lot of baseball left to play is not the easiest thing to keep in mind at that point but he stayed calm and kept on pitching. Varitek's game calling was also important in that he got Lester through a few tough spots and kept the hitters off balance with his pitch selection,

Jason Bay looked awful his first few at bats against Lackey's curve ball. It leads me to wonder why Lackey didn't force Bay to prove to him he could hit it, especially if you take into account Bay's recent struggles with breaking balls.

My first year watching baseball with great fervor was 1995. I, like all 4th graders, was a huge Ken Griffey Jr. fan. Everyone remembers his huge series against the Yankees (5 home runs) but few remember how the Mariners lost in the following round against a great Cleveland team. Kenny Lofton was the spark on that team and had 11 hits while stealing 5 bases. He was a terror for Seattle pitchers and what he did that series is reminiscent of what Jacoby Ellsbury started for the Red Sox tonight. Ellsbury had 3 hits, 2 stolen bases and may have saved the game in the 8th with a spectacular catch. This post season could be his official coming out party.

As I watched Vlad Guerrero limp (unsuccessfully) from first to third, I realized to what degree his leg injuries have robbed him of his once-40+ stolen base speed. Kind of sad in a way. Props to Kevin Youkilis for getting to that ball (that his barely missed) and throwing it right away. With the condition of Lowell's hip, I was surprised he was able to turn quickly and tag Guerrero out.

Derek Lowe (who proved me wrong tonight with 6 innings of 2-run ball) compared himself to Justin Masterson when he talked to Nick Cafardo in Sunday's Globe. The more I think about it, it's not just the roles that are similar (which they are). They both have some of the best sinking stuff in the majors. If anything, Masterson throws harder and has far more upside. I realize its hard to compare Masterson to a guy who won three clinching games in the '04 post season but he's on his way.

The stunned looks on the faces of Angels fans was interesting. First of all where's the confidence in your team? Secondly, let me remind you the RED SOX are the defending champs, not your team. It is in the realm of possibility for the Sox to take the lead or (gasp) win! Act like you've watched post season baseball before. Thanks.

Well I have to be up in four hours for work and couldn't be happier. I'll have NL updates tomorrow.

ALDS Preview: Angels vs. Red Sox

2008-09-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

Initial Thoughts: As a Red Sox fan, this meeting is one I’ve been expecting since the Angels acquired Mark Teixeira. Quite frankly, these Angels are loaded and scare the hell out of me. Their pitching is deep and they have a closer coming off a record season in K-Rod. Combine that with a patient, strong lineup and it looks as though Boston is in trouble. The Red Sox are having injury issues (i.e. Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell) and couldn’t close in on the Rays with an easy September schedule and Tampa Bay among the walking wounded. In many respects, there’s the potential for this to be a short series for Los Angeles.

All this being said, I like the Sox chances. Call me a homer or whatever you need to do but hear me out:

Angels Strengths:

ESPN has gone on and on about how the ’04 and ’07 versions of the Angels didn’t have that big bat to protect Vladimir Guerrero (who is among my favorite players of all time). Now they have Teixeira and Torii Hunter, both of whom have changed the culture of the lineup. In seasons past, once Sox pitching got around Guerrero, there was no one else they feared in the lineup. As the Globe’s Nick Cafardo noted in yesterday’s sports section, Teixeira has also helped free swingers like Hunter and Guerrero swing at better pitches, not necessarily walk more. In the postseason, that difference in the lineup can’t be understated.

Prior to a game I went to in July between these two teams, a common belief was that John Lackey couldn't beat the Red Sox. After watching Lackey come within three outs of no-hitting the Sox, he made a believer out of me. Those who know me have heard me say he's an ace for years. He's a guy who shut down the Giants in game 7 of the World Series in 2002 and ever since has been a quality pitcher who suffers from being under the radar with the Angels. Having a horse like him is important in these games, evidenced by Beckett's run with the Sox last year.

Concerns:

The Angels' concerns will lead to why I think the Sox have a chance to win this series. First off, I'm not a huge fan of Earvin Santana or Joe Saunders. I think Santana is similar to Dice-K in that he can be extremely erratic. Great stuff, not sure how successful he can be in the post season. Saunders, simply put, is winning with smoke and mirrors. The man had to have watched a lot of Jamie Moyer growing up because his stuff doesn't intimidate hitters in any manner. I realize he had success in the regular season but to go back to my earlier point, soft throwing starters don't win often in October.

I used to think of Chone Figgins as one of the most underrated players in the game. What happened? His OBP went from .393 to .367 and he only hit .276. This may not have been a concern for the Angels in the regular season but it could be a bigger deal in tight games such as these.

Red Sox Strengths:

I'm not sure if the casual fan realizes how good John Lester has been this year. He was the stopper on an inconsistent team and had a 3.21 ERA in one of the toughest divisions in baseball. I wasn't that high on him when he was coming up a few years ago but he has added a few mph to his fastball and his curve ball has far more bite to it now. After I just talked about how I think Lackey is great, it speaks even more to how much I think of Lester in that I firmly believe he will shut down the Angels in Game 1.

As sad as the Manny saga was, Jason Bay has been everything I expected him to be and he has provided a needed spark to this team. Now for the obvious: After MVP-type seasons, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia are looking for another ring and both looked impressive down the stretch. Pedroia in particular needs to have a big series for the Sox to win and I see him coming up with a big hit or two. Something I've noticed and my friend Josh has pointed out to me is how hot Jacoby Ellsbury is right now. Having his bat hot in the post season changes the whole dynamic of this lineup. When he's wreaking havoc on the basepaths, pitchers worry about him and the hitters see better pitches to hit.

We've all heard the talk of how David Ortiz won't be pitched to but there will come a time where they have to pitch to him and damaged wrist or not, there's no one I'd rather have in an important moment than Ortiz. He's the one player in the post season that teams game plan against because of his knack for devastating hits in October.

The combination of Jonathan Papelbon and Justin Masterson is quickly becoming one of the most potent in baseball. Masterson's slider is almost unhittable and the sinking motion of his fastball can give the Sox double play opportunities.

Concerns:

Dice-K and Beckett scare me for different reasons. Any injury to a Sox pitcher concerns me but when our ace's oblique is hurt, I'm worried. Dice-K was an 18-game winner but had trouble going past the 6 inning mark. Not good for post season baseball. He's going to have to give in more and let these hitters make contact so he can give the bullpen a break.

Speaking of the bullpen, the likes of Manny Delcarmen and David Aardsma worry me greatly. Niether have proven they can come up big in important spots with any sort of consistency.

Jason Varitek is not only the lone player in this lineup I have no confidence in, he's one of the only sure outs in the eight teams remaining. I hope to God he's not up in any key situations.

X-Factors: Angels reliever Jose Arredondo has had a great year (1.62 ERA) and will make an impact in this series....Hideki Okajima has been much better for the Sox down the stretch and how successful he is in bridging the gap to Masterson/Papelbon duo in the 8th and 9th innings could determine the series.

Who Will Win: The Red Sox will expose Santana and Saunders and Lester will win a pair of games. Pedroia and Bay both have a huge series while Hunter and Guerrero's bats go silent as Boston takes the series in 5.

ALDS Preview: Rays vs. White Sox

2008-09-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

Initial Thoughts: I’m going to start this off by heaping more praise upon these feisty Rays. In late August/early September the Red Sox were charging hard and looked to take a stranglehold on the AL East. They had Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett coming back as well as David Ortiz rounding into form while the Rays were without Carl Crawford and (for the most part) Troy Percival. The way they not only hung in there in September but managed to add to their lead. The events of September lead me to believe this team very well could be in line with the 2001 Patriots or ’69 Mets as a team of pure destiny. The White Sox had to use their ace in John Danks to sneak in to the playoffs with a 1-0 win last night over the Twins. They’re going into this series with Javier Vasquez (4.67 ERA) as their opening game starter. When you’re as big of an underdog as the White Sox are, game 1 is crucial and Vasquez’s maddening inconsistency doesn’t bode well for their chances in this series.

White Sox Strengths:

One area the White Sox trump the Rays is at the end of the game. Having a healthy Bobby Jenks to close games is a major asset….Post season experience will help too; Mark Buehrle pitched very well in those tight September games and has gone through this before.

Jim Thome in the post season is always scary because of his ability to draw walks and, oh yeah, hit some prodigious homeruns. The amount of production he and Jermaine Dye give the South Siders will help decide how long this series will go.

Ozzie Guillen: The man can obviously coach but the way he motivates players is his calling card. If he can get this team to the ALCS, it’ll be his greatest triumph yet.

Concerns:

Tiring starters. Unlike ’05 when their pitching was rested and ready to run through the playoffs, their pitching is tired from trying to hold off the Twins down the stretch. Gavin Floyd was great all year (unlike Freddy Garcia) but this was his first full major league season. He wore out in September to a degree and Chicago won’t have Danks going until game 3 at the earliest.

(They’ll Always Be Devil to Me) Rays Strengths:

Destiny: As I said before, this team also reminds me of the ’99 Red Sox in that the whole team is greater than the sum of its parts. There is no rhyme or reason as to why they won this division. Curt Schilling’s favorite night club dancer might be on the Rays’ side this post season.

A healthy Carl Crawford will make this team even better. He fielding, energy and what he can do on the base paths will make things easier for the rest of the lineup.

Kazmir, Shields and Garza. I’m not as high on Garza as I am the other two but having three quality, hard-throwing starters at this time of year is huge. Past those three, they have Andy Sonnanstine, a soft thrower who somehow baffles the Red Sox every time he faces them. The once pitching-depleted Rays now have a rotation that is talented, young and not going away.

I know Carlos Pena didn’t quite have the year he did last season but he’s locked in for a big series. Mark it down.

Concerns:

Closing games out. The Rays had Dan Wheeler as their closer at the end of the year due to Troy Percival’s health concerns. To go back to my earlier point about Jenks, having an established closer is important and the Rays don’t have a healthy, reliable reliever to finish off games right now.

X-Factors: Eighth inning guys can be as important as closer sometimes. Grant Balfour has had an amazing year but his name doesn’t pop up too often on ESPN; it will after this post season because everyone outside of Tampa will now see how filthy his stuff is…The White Sox really need a contribution from Griffey to have a shot at this series. He doesn’t need to hit 5 home runs and act as though it’s 1995 but they definitely need him to be productive.

Who Will Win: Shields throws a gem in game 1 while Kazmir and Garza pitch well enough to hold early leads .Rays have an easy time with this veteran, tired White Sox team and sweep them as Ozzie Guillen blows a gasket and starts throwing bats at reporters.

NLDS Preview: Cubs vs. Dodgers

2008-09-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Initial Thoughts: I’ll be honest…my real feelings going into this series are that I want nothing but bad things to happen to Manny Ramirez. His words the past few days have pissed me off but I’ll dive right into this without bias and every intention of keeping things even.

On paper, this is a mismatch that was proven by the two teams’ regular season records. The Cubs dominated the National League with a rotation that was four deep, a stud closer and a solid lineup. The Dodgers snuck in due to the fact that someone needs to represent the lowly NL West. Can we discuss how neither the Dodgers nor Diamondbacks wanted to win this? Anyway, Derek Lowe and Chad Billingsley give them a chance to steal a game at Wrigley but Hiroki Kuroda wouldn’t inspire a load of confidence in me if I were heading into Chavez Ravine wearing Dodger Blue. At the All-Star break I thought the Cubs are the most balanced team in baseball (even more than the :::gasp::: Angels!) and I stand by that tonight.

Dodgers Strengths:

I already mentioned Lowe and Billingsley but what I think gives this team a legitimate shot at winning the series is its bullpen. Jonathan Broxton, Takashi Saito (health permitting) and Joe Beimel have been very good all year. If Los Angeles has a lead past the eighth, Joe Torre’s palms will be fairly dry (not that the man shows emotion anyway).

We all know Manny has set the world on fire since arriving in LA. It’s who’s around him that will matter in short series such as this. Andruw Jones will need to…..ahhh just kidding. The likes of Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Casey Blake, James Loney and Russell Martin are all 15-20 homerun, 75-90 RBI type hitters in what has become a deep lineup. At least one of them is going to have to take the load off Manny’s shoulders at some point and provide a hit in a key situation after Manny is walked or pitched around.

Concerns:

I’m going to reiterate my earlier point: the Dodgers lack rotation depth behind their top two. That’s not even mentioning the fact that neither of them are considered aces. They are relying on Kuroda (who’s even more enigmatic than Dice-K) and Greg Maddux to win playoff games? I’m sorry, I just don’t see it. This was a weakness in the regular season and will be exposed in this series.

Cubs Strengths:

Having four quality starters is the biggest luxury in baseball and the Cubs will benefit greatly this postseason from having Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden and Ted Lilly on their side. When you hear the term “built for the playoffs”, this is the type of rotation they’re referring to. This is the best rotation to enter October since their South Side brethren in 2005.

The middle of the Cubs’ order has a great deal of power and is well known for its timely hitting. Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Geovany Soto and Derek Lee should strike fear into any opposing manager.

Concerns:

Kerry Wood’s health is always going to be a concern. The man is an DL trip waiting to happen. He’s going into the playoffs healthy but he’s someone to keep an eye on.

One of the Cubs’ Big Four is a bit temperamental. He’s Venezuelan and beat the crap out of Michael Barrett. I’ll give you one guess. Ding Ding! Zambrano! His attitude toward being No. 2 in this rotation bears mentioning. Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN broke it down in yesterday’s column

This is also Jeff Samardzija’s first taste of October baseball. He’s passed every test thus far but keep in mind he’s still young.

X-Factors: Rafael Furcal is back in the Dodger lineup and getting on base for Manny and his pack of decent hitters will be crucial to the Dodgers having any chance of scoring runs this series….Mark Derosa has long been one of the most underrated players in baseball and I think this post season will be his platform to show the national audience what he can do.

Who Will Win: The Dodgers’ playoff victory will remain at 1 since 1988 as Manny has a big series but has little help from around him and D-Lowe’s sinker hangs a few times as the Cubs romp in Game 1 on their way to a sweep.

NLDS Preview: Phillies vs. Brewers

2008-09-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

Initial Thoughts: After years of wallowing in the depths of NL Central (and formerly the AL Central and East for those of you who go back that far), CC Sabathia has carried the Brew-Crew to a post season birth. They didn’t play particularly well down the stretch, just better than the shell-shocked Mets. They will face another rejuvenated franchise in the Phillies, who are fresh off their second consecutive division title. A huge September from Ryan Howard (.342 average, .848 slugging, 10 homers and 28 RBIs) helped lift this team to the top of the NL East. As you will see, these teams have similar strengths and weaknesses.

Brewers Strengths:

Lineup: Led by the new Mash Brothers (Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder), the Brewers have a balanced attack that features solid contributors like Corey Hart (20 homers, 91 RBI) and JJ Hardy (24 and 74). I also like the veteran leadership and steady play Ray Durham has provided this lineup. Hitting will not be a problem for Milwaukee.

Concerns:

Pitching Depth: This is not your Harvey’s Wallbanger’s that won the AL Pennant in 1982 with hitting and very little pitching behind it (ace Pete Vuckovich and Rollie Fingers aside). These Brewers have some pitching. We know all about Sabathia’s heroics but those who follow him in the rotation will have more to say about this series than him.

Ben Sheets’ health and toughness is being called into question and rightly so. The reason a guy who should be winning 18-20 games every years and striking out 250 is beyond any of us but the Brewers needed him for this series and he’ll be watching it from the bench due to an elbow injury. In order to pick up his slack, the Brewers are going to need big performances from Yovani Gallardo, Dave Bush, Jeff Suppan (I really hope there’s a situation where he’s on third base with the tying run and the third base coach yells GO!).

Phillies Strengths:

Ryan Howard and Chase Utley: These two might be the only better 1-2 combination in the NL than Milwaukee’s dynamic duo. I’ve already mentioned Howard’s huge September and his hot hitting couldn’t be at a better time for this team. As Colorado proved last year, the best team may not always win the series, the hottest team with the hottest players can as well. I’m looking for a Manny-Ortiz type series from these two.

Brad Lidge: Could prove to be the difference in the series. I’ll take the closer who went 41-41 in save chances over the not-so-perfect Solomon Torres any day.

Concerns:
Anyone starting a game except Cole Hamels: It’s pretty amazing how far the Phillies have come with such little pitching depth behind their ace. OK, I’m aware Jamie Moyer went 16-7 this year with a solid 3.71 ERA. However, haven’t we learned junk ball pitchers generally don’t have a great amount of success in the post season? Case and point: Moyer’s 2001 Seattle Mariners, who had a staff led by Freddy Garcia, John Halama and himself. Good in the regular season, not great come October.

Brett Myers has been great in stretches this year and been awful in others (such as his two most recent ones in which he gave up 14 earned runs). Wasn’t he supposed to be the next Curt Schilling? This is his chance to show the national stage what he can do….Joe Blanton has gone 4-0 with the Phils but with a pedestrian 4.20 ERA. Not a bad No. 3 starter but the jury is still out on him against good lineups.

X-Factors: If the name Yovani Gallardo doesn’t ring a bell right away, it’s because he’s had one start since May. Funny thing is, he might be carrying the Brewers hopes on his shoulders. I’ve been following him since he was in the minors and, as proven by his successful rookie year last year, he has No. 1 stuff. Had he been healthy all year, I firmly believe the Brewers would’ve been right there with the Cubs. The national media will know who he is after game one….For a reigning MVP, Jimmy Rollins wasn’t very valuable this year. If he wasn’t going to hit over 30 hr again, I would’ve like to have seen a higher OBP than .349 (which, sadly enough, represents a career high for him). He’s going to need to be on base often and steal bases to create RBI opportunities for Howard and Utley.

Who Will Win: I’m calling the upset. Brewers in 5. Gallardo steals game one and the Brewers go back to Milwaukee up 2-0 after Sabathia outpitches Myers. The Phils get two back in The Land of Beer and Sausages before Gallardo outduels Hamels in game 5 at Philly.

I'm Gonna Miss Troy Brown

2008-09-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

In my mind, the litmus test for the popularity of an athlete is: Would I root for him while he was on another team? The first time I faced this question was in 1996 when that Clemens Guy headed north for a fat (re: steroid-inflated) pay day. I will say that Dan Duquette didn't help things by saying Clemens was in the twilight of his career but the way Clemens left as well as his me-first demeanor throughout his time here caused me to criticize him and not cheer for him in a Blue Jays uniform.

Mo Vaughn's departure was similar all the way up to his "Stupid Boston fans" and "It's not about the money" quotes. Didn't feel all that bad when he fell down those stairs at the start of the '99 season and hurt his ankle.

I could go down the list of greedy ex-Boston athletes (see: Nomar) but you get the picture. The two players I can think of that I openly rooted for while they were on opposing teams were Drew Bledsoe and Pedro Martinez. Two very different athletes with very different careers. Bledsoe could be characterized as a disappointment or a tough athlete who saved football in New England. I'd choose the latter. Pedro was the most dominating pitcher of an era that was defined by syringe-plunging hitters who hit in bandbox stadiums. I don't need to go on about what they did for New England, but the quality that each had was that they were "ours". Pedro may have played in Los Angeles and Montreal but he is on a short list of the greatest Boston athletes ever. Even after every mind-numbing, costly interception, Bledsoe was our guy. They gave their hearts when they played and I rooted for Bledsoe in Buffalo and Dallas and I honestly wanted nothing but success for Pedro in the Big Apple.

There are obviously players like Bill Mueller who spent a short amount of time here who I respected greatly and would watch anywhere. But, in terms of a player spending a significant amount of time here and supporting them on other teams, the list is filled with Patriots. Right at the top of the list is #80.

When Troy Brown announced his retirement yesterday morning, in some ways I was happy because I now know he'll never wear anything but the red, white and blue that he adorned his whole career. I still would've cheered and followed him in a Jets uniform but it's good to know he's a lifetime Patriot. The greatest Patriot receiver of all time retired as a Patriot with the same dignity and class that he displayed since he was drafted 198th overall out of Marshall in 1993.

All day on WEEI, callers have been reminiscing about favorite Brown moments and it made me feel a bit nostalgic as well. The first play that comes to mind was Brown picking up the blocked field goal in the 2001 AFC Title game and lateraling it to Antwan Harris for a touchdown. No play could define a player more than that one.

Everyone remembers Adam Vinetieri's game-winning field goal in the Super Bowl that year but it was Brown's reception with seconds remaining that even gave him a chance for the kick. That's Troy Brown, unnoticed but unbelievably important. Who remembers his fourth-down catch at midfield against Tennessee in the third quarter in the Divisional Playoff in 2003? Stuff like that sticks with me.

I consider his late transition into a nickel back in 2004 to be more impressive than his 101-catch season in 2001. He did what the team needed him to do and performed admirably. In a time when we have the likes of "Ocho Cinco" going on ESPN to talk about himself, a team-first player like Brown becomes even more special. I'll take 50 catches and great leadership over 80 catches and a detriment to your team any day. His productivity may have declined toward the end of the Patriots run but he was a rock from day one until now. We're not going to realize how important he was until 5 or 6 years from now if Foxboro is filled with underachieving, malcontent receivers. This isn't going to last forever, folks.

He'll never make the Hall of Fame but I will say this: the Patriots don't win 3 Super Bowls without him. We'll miss you Troy.

Thoughts on the Pats

2008-09-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

I have yet to write about the Patriots since the unfortunate Brady injury. This is more out of neglect for this blog than not wanting to discuss the painful subject.

After two nail-biter wins against the Chiefs and Jets that were defined by the way the Pats defense controlled the game while Matt Cassel played (for the most part) mistake-free football. The hinges finally came off this week and I wasn't all that surprised. It's going to take some time for Cassel and Patriot receivers to click and this is going to be a process but the extent to which the Dolphins took it to the Pats was shocking.

Even when Cassel threw the touchdown to Gaffney late in the third quarter to make it 28-13, the Pats were never in this game. Cassel missed open receivers on more than a few occasions and that's OK. At this point, what I'm looking for from him is progress. I've heard more than a few comparisons between a young Tom Brady and Cassel but I'm going to go back to what I was talking about with my friend the other day.

First off, Brady had more physical gifts than Cassel. He was far more adept at the touch pass and was extremely efficient with screen passes as well as the slants (often to Troy Brown). Next, Brady worked the whole off season to memorize the playbook and seemed to grasp what Belichick would implement into the system as the season progressed. Early on, it was Brady's brain that outweighed his abilities but he was still effective enough to keep his team in games. He wasn't perfect by any means but as soon as Mo Lewis changed our lives forever by pounding Drew Bledsoe into the turf, he was ready to take the reigns. I'm not sure I could say the same of Cassel.

Even more than the stagnant offense, the defense lost this game for the Patriots. Trick plays aside, the Dolphins dominated every aspect of this game. Belichick and his staff have been widely known known as having the ability to make defensive changes during a game. The Patriot defense not only wasn't able to adjust to the tempo of the game but by the fourth quarter seemed disinterested and tired. The age of this defense concerned me going into the season but they played worse than I ever could have imagined.

It's clear that with the lack of offensive firepower this team is going to have to play almost a perfect game to even compete with a good team like the Cowboys or Colts. With Brady at the helm, the same could have been said for the Patriots' opponent. Sad, sad times in Patriot Land.

Side note: For all of those fans who left the game early, for shame. Not only are you ditching a game that wasn't out of hand yet but you're providing fodder for national pundits who claim we're a bunch of bandwagon fans. I thought I had left all the early-goers in LA when I flew back to the east coast but apparently not.

Wow...been a while. Sox Clinch!

2008-09-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

To start, my apologies to the three people that glance at this blog every once in a while. I was in Los Angeles and Las Vegas for a week and prior to that I was either too busy or just too damn lazy. No more of that. I plan on writing at least four or five times a week from here on out.

Watching Jonathan Papelbon pound Bud Lights and dance around Fenway Park has become a sight of both pure beauty and entertainment for Sox fans every where and it doesn't seem like we'll be missing his yearly performance anytime soon.

The Sox clinched a playoff berth tonight in impressive fashion. A 5-4 win over a team in the Indians that was only two games over .500 prior to the game doesn't seem all that spectacular on the surface. However, I think the Sox have gotten away from what had made them a successful team all season the past couple weeks. The team has lacked timely hitting and consistent performances from Papelbon. A home run from Kevin Youkilis early in the game and a big RBI single from Jason Bay proved to be all the Sox bullpen needed. The Sox' playoff hopes could hinge on Bay's production in October and thus far he has been up to the task of playing important games late in the season.

Papelbon's stats read 40-45 in save chances coming into the game but to anyone who watches the Sox with any regularity will tell you he hasn't been himself of late. His saves have been sloppy and he blew what may have been the game that cost the Sox the division a few weeks ago when he gave up the bomb to Dan Johnson right after Bay's home run to put Boston in the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Tonight Papelbon used his 95-97 mph fastball with confidence instead of messing around with his slider or curve ball. The 1-2-3 inning was great but it was the way he did that caught my attention. He obviously never lacks confidence but tonight I think he finally regained confidence in his fastball.

The Sox are back to October for the fifth time in six years. Sustained success was Theo Epstein's plan when he took over back in 2002 and the team's performance speaks for itself. The Sox have adopted the theme of "We're the Champs and until you knock us off, we're not going anywhere." The Yankees of the late '90s always had that state of mind and that's where I feel this team is at.

Three quality starting pitchers. A scorching bullpen. Pedroia-Ortiz-Youkilis-Bay. Bring on the playoffs.

Random Thoughts 9/4

2008-09-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

Is it really September? I can't believe we're already here in the heat of the pennant race. The first few months of the Red Sox season was overshadowed by the Celtics' championship run and it seems as though this team has floated along all season. There have been the ups (Jon Lester's no-hitter and remarkable season as well as the play of Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis) and the downs (David Ortiz's injury, Josh Beckett's uneven pitching and the whole Manny situation). Unlike last year, when the Sox were trying to hold off the surging Yankees, the team is attempting to catch the upstart (don't call me Devil) Rays.

I must say, the Rays' August success was extremely impressive. Not only are these young players dealing with their first playoff chase, they were bit with a rather large injury bug at the wrong time. First Troy Percival (the key to their revamped bullpen) goes down. Then, their longest tenured player and star center fielder in Carl Crawford ruptures the tendon in his middle finger. The only thing that could be worse would be losing rookie sensation and their hottest hitter, Evan Longoria, right? A fractured wrist later, the Rays had the look of a team about to meet their inevitable slide. As a baseball fan, I'm ecstatic about a story like this but the Boston blood in me was hoping the Sox would gain ground in their absence (despite injuries to J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell and Beckett). As we learned in 2006 when the Yankees lost Hideki Matsui and Gary Shefield for the season and the Yankees had barely missed a beat by season's end, this don't always work out that way.

The Sox have crawled to within 3 1/2 games with a little more than three weeks to play and I agree with many fans and writers that this team is peaking at the right time. I'm not going to restate the obvious and tell you we have the likes of Beckett and Lowell returning soon. Beyond their health, I like the way this team has played since Jed Lowrie became the starting short stop. This version of the Sox high-scoring offense relies less on the Earl Weaver philosophy (i.e. the three-run bomb from Ortiz) and has gained its identity as a doubles-hitting, well-rounded squad that gets on base on a regular basis. As my confidence in Manny Delcarmen has waned, hope has grown into a shaky trust that Hideki Okajima will be himself come October (Giambi's blast off him last week notwithstanding. This team is ready to prove its invaluable championship mettle it earned last October.

Next Step for Patriots?

2008-08-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

As the 2008 season is coming into the horizon, I have different feelings about this year than any other since I started watching football. We all know the story of the Patriots '07 season...only recently have I come to grips with it. It was the most gut-wrenching loss of my sports-viewing life. Worse than the Boone home run. Worse than the phantom Knoblauch tag in the '99 ALCS. Worse than the Colts' late drive to win the '06 AFC title game. Awful.

With months of healing and regrouping has come a bit of perspective. As weird as it sounds, I've never looked more forward to a season. Patriots fans have spent an entire off season watching their team get ripped left and right...being referred to as the biggest choke artists of all time or as cheaters. It's easy to root for a team that's winning, likable and beloved by the national media; case and point being the Red Sox. For a fan, the true merit is earned in the face of controversy and obviously lack of success (if you're a Royals fan, God bless you). This team has had the most success in the NFL since 2001 but as I said before, our team's integrity and ability to succeed are being called into question at all levels. I love this us vs. the (NFL) world mentality.

Something else to consider is this team's place in history. Four Super Bowls clinches Brady as a top-three quarterback of all time. Sure, the Super Bowl loss was humbling. I probably should have received more crap from my friends who are Giants fans than I did. To go back to my initial point, I 'd say the main difference about this year and previous years is the sense of purpose Patriots fans should be feeling. There are two paths this team can take:

-The way of the '80s 49ers in that they won a few titles early on in the decade, had a few tough losses to the Giants and Bears to "take them off the throne", but had enough left to win two more titles late in the late '80s. Injuries and bad luck took them off course in the middle but the group was so talented and veteran-laden that it was able to extend its run of dominance.

-The route the '90s version of those 49ers took after winning it all in 1994. They were competitive and won some postseason games (the T.O. catch in '97 obviously comes to mind) but never really were able to get over that proverbial hump.

Both of these scenarios are entirely possible for the Pats. They could easily bounce back and win a fourth Super Bowl or they could fade as the defense continues to age and crumble. Regardless of which way they go, I'm going into this season as proud to be a Pats fan as I've ever been.

Thoughts on 8/27

2008-08-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

So it's been a few days since I last posted. The Olympics are over and I can honestly say I loved every minute of these games. From the obvious (the Redeem Team) to the obscure (a USA bronze finish in air pistol shooting for Jason Turner), I had these events on TV at every moment I had free.

Some final thoughts:

-How could I not mention Michael Phelps? His seventh gold in the 100-m butterfly may have been the most exciting race I've ever seen. Granted, I only started watching swimming a few years ago because I had to cover it for the Globe but it doesn't get better than winning by .01 seconds. He, Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong have to be the three best individual athletes of recent memory.

-I love beach volleyball. The tandems of Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh and Phil Dalhausser/Todd Rogers were fun to watch and you could sense how much they enjoyed competing for their country.

-Serena and Venus Williams are the best sibling combination in sports, not the Mannings. This has nothing to do with how much I detest both of them, just that they are much better against their competition when they decide to team up and have had great success individually.

-More power to Usain Bolt for blowing kisses to fans at the end of his race and still setting a world record in the 200. If he has the ability to go that fast and still show off, I'm not going to knock him.

-There has been debate as to how the 2008 USA Basketball team compares to the Dream Team in the aftermath of the gold medal win. For years I've considered the Dream Team the greatest team ever assembled, and I stand by that. However, I'm not so sure they'd have an easy time with this current crop of future Hall of Famers. The thing that was so special about the Dream Team in '92 was that it was a link from the past to the present. There was an aged and broken-down Larry Bird, a past-his-prime Magic but you also had Pippen, Stockton, Malone, Barkley and Ewing all in their primes. Oh yeah, and that had that Jordan guy at his best as well. If this team featured Bird and Magic in their primes, it would be no contest. (Side note: Anyone have footage of Christian Laettner scoring for this team? I'd love to see it.)

The thing about the Redeem Team that we need to take into consideration is that we can't compare these two teams yet. Lebron has yet to even scratch the surface of what he can do in this league. The man is unbelievable. Players like him, D-Wade, Carmelo, Chris Paul or Dwight Howard are still on their way up.

I would love to see some of these one-on-one match ups:

-Jordan in his prime (not the '02 version or even the '98 version) vs. Kobe at the top of his game. Michael might find someone who could score on him even when he's playing hard defense.
-Barkley vs. Dwight Howard. At this point, I can envision Sir Charles handing Howard his lunch down low.
-Deron Williams vs. his predecessor, John Stockton. Very similar game styles, that'd be great to watch.
-Scotty Pippen on D-Wade or Lebron. Pippen had the unique ability to shut down both 2-guards and power forwards in his career. Each of these players would give him the type of test he never encountered in his prime.

Well that's all for now, I got the internet banned from my work because I was watching the USA-Argentina game...it was worth it. USA! USA! USA!

Golden Baby

2008-08-24T01:28:00.000-07:00

It's 4:30 a.m. and I have work in 2 hours but I couldn't be happier right now. Team USA brought the gold back to where it should be. The defense wasn't as good as it has been but in the end this team was simply not going to lose.

D-Wade once again sparked this team and Kobe closed this one out. Yes, it was weird rooting for the guy I was screaming at and ridiculing in the Finals only a few months ago. I have a lot more to say about this but time for sleep.

What does gold taste like, anyway?

2008-08-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here we are, a mere two hours from the game America has waited four years for. The word redemption has been tossed around often but the word in my mind right now is humility. This truly has been a journey for me. I was like the rest of the American public who thought it was our birthright to win every game by 35-40 points and bring home gold every four years. I was too ignorant too realize this game had become a world-wide sport and even in 2000 the gap was being closed. Watching this me-first, leaderless team (note: Tim Duncan was misused by Larry Brown that summer) flounder gave me the second biggest dose of humility in my sporting life. I'll give you one guess as to which game was number one on the list. That subject will be brought up later.

My main point here about humility is that since that wall of invincibility has fallen, winning a gold medal would taste that much sweeter because we know the hard work that has been put in. I'll be blogging during the game and have a recap of the USA Men's Basketball '08 summer tomorrow.

Random thoughts 8/18

2008-08-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

Well friends, my summer in cape cod has a few weeks left. Interestingly enough, this has been the best summer I've had in years. I went to the beach at least three or four times a week and had a great time with friends down here. Being within walking distance of the Orleans Cardinals field was convenient as well. I didn't end up working with the Cape League as much as I had anticipated but I enjoy watching baseball at this level so just watching Cardinals games was fun. This was my last chance for a summer on the cape and I made the most of it.

As for my plans come September, my employment status has been put on hold because I'm extending my vacation by a few weeks. A few friends and myself are flying out to Los Angeles to join our friend Seth on his trek back east. We're driving back and visiting five MLB Ballparks on the way. This is obviously going to be expensive but the more I think about it, the more I realize this is most likely my last opportunity to visit a few ballparks. I've been to three parks in my life: Fenway, Cellular One (formerly known as Comiskey) and Wrigley. Sitting down and watching a game with the stench of stale beer and mold not hitting my nose as I am crammed into a seat will be a welcome change (You'll notice in my writing that I am not a fan of Fenway. Tear the place down!). I plan on bringing my laptop for the trip and blogging along the way.

Here are some of my random thoughts from the sports world:

-It's been said on many occasions but what Michael Phelps accomplished the past two weeks are among the greatest I've ever seen. Greatest singular performance from an athlete. Period.
-I'll get into this in my US-Australia preview but I look forward to Dwight Howard making Andrew Bogut look like a high schooler. Bogut is widely known as an American basher and I look forward to seeing the US big men eat him alive.

-If this really is it for Curt Schilling, as he said this morning that there was a good chance of, thanks for everything. You came here to deliver a title and ended up with two and is one of the most genuine athletes to grace the Boston sports scene.

-The U.S. women's soccer team will be playing in their fourth gold medal game, an impressive accomplishment. It's a shame fans, including myself, haven't paid more attention to them.

-David Ortiz's health is starting to concern me. The only pitching I've seen him hit with any sort of consistency was Texas pitching...which I'm sure I could even make some contact with. While healthy, he could hit any pitch on any count but I haven't seen that since the injury. Obviously he is getting less pitches to hit with Manny out but it's not as though Youk is a slouch so Ortiz's lack of production against teams north of Texas worries me.

I'll be checking back in tomorrow with thoughts on the Redeem Team's performance against Spain and a preview of the second go-round with those kangaroo-loving Aussies.

Redeem Team's Revenge

2008-08-15T06:05:00.000-07:00

Up until yesterday's rematch against Greece, the USA Men's Basketball had yet to prove to the themselves against prime competition nor were any of the games all that exciting. These contests were a mere formality from both our perspective as viewers and undoubtedly in the minds of the players. Greece isn't necessarily the best team in the tournament; Spain is widely considered the States' top competitor. This was the first real test for this team and I think we have a better idea where they stand against the top European players after the 92-69 win over Greece.

There were things I was looking for in comparison to the 2006 World Championships semi-finals. We all know what happened two years ago when the Greeks made an art of the pick-and-roll on its way to the 101-95 upset. Two of the most prominent terms used when analyzing the team's disappointing performance were "cohesion" and "half-court set". While I do think this team does play as more of a unit than the previous edition, having a matured Chris Paul and, in my opinion, the second best point guard in the NBA in Deron Williams is far more important. Kirch Hinrich was not going to cut it against the European elite and I'm glad Coach K realized that. Having two point guards in their prime distributing the ball to the top scorers in the world is more important than the team playing together a lot. I'm not dismissing the need for cohesion but the difference in point guard play is something that shouldn't be taken for granted.

I liked what I saw yesterday from the offense when it wasn't on a fast-break. I've been wondering all summer how it would perform when it wasn't in a run-and-gun atmosphere. They had their breakaway dunks for sure, but there was definitely energy in the half-court set. Chris Bosh was spectacular on both the offensive and defensive end. He and a healthy Jermaine O'Neal could be a devastating combo in the East. Earlier in these games, he was settling for 10-15 foot jumpers but he undressed the Greek big men under the boards with sheer strength and agility. He has been a much bigger factor than Dwight Howard in these Olympics. I've already talked about how much I love watching D-Wade play and how happy I am that he's healthy again. It needs to be repeated; he has been busting through all types of defenses and has proven he cannot be guarded with a single player.

Of course, none of this could be accomplished without a stout, aggressive defense. With Wade and Kobe taking advantage of the undersized Greek guards, the U.S. perimeter defense was overbearing. The first few minutes of the game concerned me a bit in that Greece seemed to be controlling the tempo of the game and the U.S. was frustrated with some of the tacky fouls being called. By the time the second quarter rolled around, the U.S. had built a slim lead with a few fast-break dunks but Greece could get to the basket almost at will. Once they buckled down and played great man-to-man defense, you could see despair setting in on the faces of the Greeks.

Tomorrow morning's game against Spain could very well be a preview to the gold medal game and, to this point, the most anticipated game in the history of USA basketball. I fully expect the U.S. to win this game handily, especially after seeing the Celtics reduce Pau Gasol to a jump shooter in the finals. I'm not falling into the "USA Will Dominate Every Game" category. I just think this team turned that proverbial corner in the second quarter against Greece defensively and will not be intimidated by the Gasol brothers or any of Spain's quick guards. This game stays close in the first half but the U.S. pulls away after the intermission.

Decisions...Decisions...And the Olympics!

2008-08-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well friends, the time has come for me to start taking life seriously and find a real job. I've gone for an interview at a promotional events firm right outside of Providence in which I'd be doing public relations-type stuff. Aside from getting lost in Riverside and throwing my mapquest directions out the window, it went pretty well. I'm going to one of their events next week, so that would be sweet if I was able to stay in RI. I also have been offered a job doing sports writing for a start-up paper in northern Illinois. The editor wants a decision within the next few days. It really doesn't pay that much but I'd be doing what I love to do so I have no clue what to do at this point....Hopefully I'll have an idea what I'm doing with my life by next week.

There's a lot going on in the sports world and at the top of the list is the Olympics. I can honestly say I've never been more excited for the games than this summer. I can't wait to see the likes of Michael Phelps or Tyson Gay (injury permitting) bring home gold after gold. Another great thing about the Olympics are the sports that we don't normally watch on a regular basis. I'm telling you, badminton (not just Papi and Brian Urlacher can play) and sailing are competitive and enjoyable to watch. I know how difficult it is to sail a boat because I took a class this spring and I struggled to put it mildly. Those struggles give me even more appreciation for the athletes that compete on a world-wide level.

But in the end, this year's Olympics will resonate in my mind with success or failure of the USA Basketball's "Redeem Team". The team features the three top players in the world (sorry, Paul Pierce) in my favorite non-Celtic in Dwayne Wade, Lebron and Kobe. I'm aware that this doesn't ensure success overseas (see: Athens, 2004). I also think this team is obviously a far different team from '04 and even from the world championships in 2006. This is not the Dream Team, which was the greatest collection of talent ever assembled. This current edition of Team USA will not steamroll the competition like we all expect; it's going to be a battle. The team is flawed; there is a lack of size and I worry about its shooting percentage declining as its number of fast-break opportunities dwindle. At the same time, the thought of going toe-to-toe with such European powers as Spain or Argentina entices me because this team plays a solid team defense when it concentrates. The offense is spectacular, not only because of its talent but due to the fact that it has adapted the Coach K ball-movement philosophy.

I admit it, I'll be crushed if we don't bring home the gold. I've been waiting for this since I watched the Marbury/Iverson-led team implode four years ago.

Dog Days of Summer

2008-08-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

For the past few years of my life, I have been able to write on a fairly consistent basis- whether it be for classes, the URI newspaper or the Globe. Now that I've graduated and am jobless, I have realized how much I miss putting my thoughts into word form. The purpose of this blog will be threefold: 1. to get me writing again, I've worked as a concierge at a hotel all summer and haven't written anything since June; 2. spark some debate in terms of sports news, if you know me I'm pretty opinionated and I hope those who read this will leave comments or interact with me in some manner; 3. every once in a while I'll delve into the transition from a college student to being in the "real world"

A Bitter End to the Manny Era

Seeing as this is mainly a sports blog and I'm a die-hard Sox fan, the subject of one Manuel Aristides Ramirez needs to be brought up. I'll start this off with the memory of the day Manny signed with the Sox. I was a freshman in high school and I was ecstatic with the deal; no one my age had ever seen a hitter the likes of Manny in Boston. The Nomar's and Mo Vaughn's of the world were very good hitters but neither could change a game the way Manny could. He offered a ray of hope to a Boston lineup that featured such stalwarts as Darren Lewis or Bernard Gilkey. We have to remember that, while he was well-compensated, Manny's presence in the lineup really started to change the culture around here.

Throughout his time here he had some great moments- his game-winning homerun off of Barry Zito in game 5 of the '03 ALDS, monster series against the Angels in '04, World Series MVP the same year and his torrid '07 postseason. Combine those with a string of .300, 30+ hr, 100 RBI seasons and one would be under the impression fans would be clearing space on Yawkey Way for a bronze Manny statue featuring his afterswing after a breathtaking homerun. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the tape measure homeruns and prodigious amount of runs driven in came with a price that became steeper every season: clubhouse unity. Manny's selfish attitude was never headline material four or five years ago for a few reasons. The first was the Sox already had a Latino star causing drama in the great Pedro Martinez (albeit a different type of drama; he would've never quit on his teammates, just complained about his contract to the media). Secondly, there was the brotherhood known as "The Idiots" residing in the Boston locker room. Manny could laugh from the distance and take games off while Johnny Damon and Kevin Millar were creating a cohesive atmosphere. By 2006, "The Idiots" were gone and "Manny being Manny" suddenly wasn't as cute or funny.

When Peter Gammons reported that David Ortiz pled with Manny to return in August of '06 to return from his "injury" and Manny refused, I can honestly say I was shocked and embarassed on Manny's behalf. Here's David Ortiz, in the midst of a record-setting season in which he could have broken Roger Maris's record of 61 homeruns in the Junior Circuit, asking for his overpaid teammate just to play. Stunning. Papi ended up with 54 dingers that year, the Sox an embarrassing 3rd place and Manny watching from his TV set. Actually, just kidding. Manny was probably watching I Love the 80's instead of seeing his team crumble down the stretch.

You already know the type of things that have transpired this year so I won't talk about them. The only thing I'll mention about the '08 version of Manny is the fact that his bat speed has declined markedly. The lineup will obviously miss him protecting David Ortiz but in the end Jason Bay and his 30 homerun power will be a suitable replacement because he tries every game and every play. Weird notion for the Red Sox starting left fielder huh?

Manny could have taken two routes in exiting Boston, which was inevitable. Pedro left after pitching his heart out in the '04 playoffs and for the most part had an amiable breakup with the Sox. He didn't create a huge distraction in the club even though in was obvious the two sides would be parting ways that off season. I'll remember him for being the greatest pitcher ever to put on a Boston uniform, not for the way he left. Then there's Nomar, who sulked his way out of Boston and will be remembered more for his selfishness and overall unhappiness than capturing a pair of batting titles and destroying Cleveland pitching in the 1998/1999 postseasons. Sadly enough, Manny went down teammate-once-more Nomar's road and left Boston in a cowardly manner.

Have fun in L.A. Manny. You could have been an absolute legend in Boston but have fun in La La Land, where the Men in Blue and White have won a grand total of one postseason game since 1988.