I Scored! May 6, 2000

This is what made Pedro Pedro. There was no such thing as a bad ticket if Pedro was on the mound. You can almost hear season ticket holders groan when they look at the schedule and see an early May game against the woeful Devil Rays. How are they eveer going to get rid of that ticket? They certainly don’t want to be at that game. Scalpers probably threw those tickets in with purchase. But, as you get closer to the game, and the rotation starts to clear up, and Pedro looks to be on the mound, everything changes. What was a ticket you’d have trouble giving away becomes one of the best tickets you can get. After all, on any given night Pedro could make history.

A couple things jump out at me when I look at the scorecard. First, look at the bottom of the order. Manny Alexander at third base, and Andy Sheets at short. Has there ever been a more pathetic left side of the infield? I don’t remember why Nomar wasn’t playing in that game. I hope it wasn’t another case of the manager resting the best players when Pedro was facing Tampa. It happened to Pedro a lot. The managers would rest players when facing bad teams, figuring Pedro wouldn’t need many runs. And, that was true. He didn’t need many. He did need at least one though. I also don’t know why it was Alexander instead of Valentin or Veras. But, that’s who the Sox went with that day. Frankly, look at the whole order. That was a pretty sad collection of nine guys. Remember, this is a team that was in the ALCS the year before. Unbelievable.

Second, I goofed in the ninth inning. Some people denote flyball outs with the F-8 designation. I assume it would contrast with an L-8, for a line out. But, other people use the F designation for a foul out. I had started out my scoring career using the former technique. I decided not too long ago that I couldn’t figure out when a fly ball turned into a soft liner, into a liner. So, I started using the F for a foul out. As you can see, sometimes old habits die hard. It’s also an example of how a scoring system evolves over time. I stopped using information that wasn’t helpful to me, and started using information that was more meaningful.

It’s very clear from the top of the card that the Sox lost a close one. That’s what makes the bottom of the card so gut wrenching. Pedro’s line almost makes you cry. Nine innings pitched. Six hits, one walk. (For the new fangled math fans out there, that’s a 0.78 WHIP.) That went along with SEVENTEEN strikeouts. Pedro Martinez tied his career high in strikeouts, gave up one run, completely dominated the game…and lost! Which co-ace was able to do that to poor Pedro? I bet many of you remember that it was the immortal Steve Trachsel. That’s right. Not exactly the result I was expecting when I went to the park. As you can see, the Sox could only muster three hits of their own. Pedro was outpitched, and beaten by Steve Trachsel. Incredible.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

The Granderson “Blockbuster”

Yesterday, the Yankees apparently acquired Curtis Granderson in a three-team trade. I have to admit. I’m having a little trouble whipping myself into a frenzy over this move. When I saw the headline that the Yankees were involved in a “blockbuster” I was, naturally, nervous. Which star player had they managed to wrestle from an underachieving team? When I realized that is was Granderson going to the dark side, I was actually relieved. It wasn’t Halladay, or Hernandez, or Gonzalez, or Fielder, or Ramirez, or any one of a dozen of names that flew into my head. It was Curtis Granderson. Phew.

Does the move make the 2010 Yankees better than they were three days ago? Yes. Of course, three days ago their outfield was Swisher-Gardner-Cabrera. Does it make the Yankees better than they were in 2009? I don’t see it. Sure, Granderson is a better player to have on the team going forward than either Damon or Matsui. But, Damon had a great year last year. So, the Yankees don’t look any more formidable than they did last season. Now, since Granderson in now playing his home games in a Little League field, his number will improve. It will look like a much better deal than it is, and that’s too bad.

Some Sox fans are pretty angry over this deal. I admit. It’s a little annoying when your team holds a press conference to introduce Marco Scutaro, and their main competition is trading for a former all-star. But, the Sox aren’t done. They didn’t “need” Granderson. The improvement over Ellsbury wouldn’t be staggering. Both are really more exiting than good. I’d much rather save the chips for a move that actually fills a need. Focus on filling holes. That’s what the Yankees did. They didn’t get a guy just because he was available. They needed a young quality centerfielder. The Sox already have one. If they want to make a move, a pitcher, or a shortstop, or corner infielder would make tons more sense. Heck, even a power hitting left fielder would make sense. Trading for Granderson would have been very disappointing. Especially since the Yankees apparently gave up a couple nice players in the deal.

I still wouldn’t call it a blockbuster.

TTM Success!

My complete hopelessness has been well documented. I look around at other blogs, and see request after request fulfilled. People are sending out autograph requests ten at a time, and getting responses in days. I, on the other hand, had been shut out for almost two years. But, this weekend that all changed. When I checked the mail, sitting there looking at me was the coveted envelope addressed to me in my own handwriting. It was an early Christmas present as I wondered what joys would lie within.

As always, the first thing I did was check the postmark, to see what clue that might provide. Brockton, Massachusetts. If I had thought about it, that would have been a huge hint. For some reason, though, I ignored it. I figured, of course a Red Sox player would have a postmark in the Boston area. So, it was only after I opened the envelope that I realized the card enclosed was signed by none other than local World Series hero Manny Delcarmen!

I love the way this card looks. It’s a classic pose of Manny, making for a great picture. Naturally, that’s why I sent it in the first place. I also like how Manny signed it vertically. It’s like he was thinking, “I’m not Mel Ott…I’m going to need some space.”

If you’ve been following along, you’ll remember that I sent this card out to Manny during Spring Training. So, that means I got a response in just about ten months. Not quite the ten days that other blogs report, but I’m certainly not complaining. I always expect a year anyway. What’s more interesting is the timing. Obviously, I know nothing about the wants and needs of a major league ballplayer. When I sent out the card, I mentioned that my fastest responses have been to Spring Training. My guess was that the ballplayers have less to do down there. They don’t have families, or chores, so might as well sit in the hotel signing fan mail. Once the season starts, they’re either living at home, or on the road. I always figured, that of the two, when the player was on the road, they might sign some things. Grab a sack, and sit on the plane and sign away. But no. Manny waited until after the season, when he finally had other things to do. He was home with his family, with household chores calling to him. This is when he found the time to answer my request. I thank him fully for it. It’s just not when I would have expected it.

So, this response has renewed my thirst. For one thing, it proves that I had the right address. I was beginning to wonder. So, with the offseason in full swing, I’ll be thinking of more requests to send out once Spring Training starts up. Of course, I’ll keep you posted.

Thank you Manny Delcarmen!

Scutaro at Short

Well, he's definitely a shortstop.

That's really all I have to say about the signing. The free agent shortstop pool was shallow to say the least. (The second base pool wasn't much better...which is why shifting Pedrioa never made much sense. ) So, Theo decided on Scutaro. Is it a flashy signing? Nope. Are the Sox now locks for the playoffs? Not even close. Does it fill a hole so that groundballs won't go into left field? Yup. And, really, other than a dream of a trade that was about what the Sox were after. Someone to take up the line-up spot, and not embarrass the team. Oddly, you wouldn't think those were difficult qualifications. Theo has had some trouble, however, finding someone that meets them. After this, Theo needs to concentrate on the gaping hole in left field. Beyond that...if he'd like to acquire a power hitting first baseman or a stud starting pitcher, he's certainly free to do so. But, at least get a complete roster going. Let''s hope that Scutaro is a solid shortstop for the next two or three years.

Frankly, I'd be happy if the Sox aren't paying him to play somewhere else in 2011.

36 Questions: What rights do the MLBPA hold?

I have a 2009 Fenway Park calendar…shocking as that must be. It’s an especially cool calendar in my case since I was at a few of the games they feature. The Calendar is licensed by MLB, so it has the Red Sox logo plastered everywhere. It’s the old circle logo, but I’ll give them a break since it’s the first year. The calendar is not, apparently, licensed by the MLB Players Association. It was interesting to me what I guess that means.

Most of the pictures are nice scenic shots of Fenway taken from well up in the stands. You can’t really tell who the players are unless you really think about it. That big guy in left with the long hair is probably Manny Ramirez. I assumed that was part of the lack of MLBPA license. They couldn’t have the players recognizable without their rights. The odd part was that they also airbrushed away their numbers. The May pictures us a nice action shot. There’s a batter at the plate awaiting the pitch. There are runners on at first and third, ready to pounce. But, I can’t concentrate on the action. My eyes are drawn to the solid white backs on the batter, third base coach, and the runner at third. The Players somehow own the rights to their numbers? The Red Sox don’t own the rights to the number 34 written in a Red Sox font…the player does? That seems a little odd. Does that only apply to the current player wearing the number? Can Steve Avery allow the licensing of a glut of “Red Sox 33” merchandise…or does it have to be Tek? If there is no current member wearing the number, is it up for grabs? Could the calendar have photo shopped in the number 21?

In the August photo, there’s a shot of the centerfield jumbotron. The player’s picture has been blacked out, as well as his name. The stats remain, though. So, if you really wanted to check, you could probably figure out who it would have been. But, the MLBPA has the rights to a picture that happens to be in the background? What about the fact that I can pretty easily figure out that it’s Dice-K on the mound? How is that different? In November, it got a little weirder. Again, there’s a jumbotron shot. Again the player’s picture has been blacked out. This time, there are no stats either. But, the player’s name is still there…it’s just slightly blurry. You can pretty easily tell that it’s Grady Sizemore though. So, they went through the trouble of removing everything else…but left the players name? Can they use the name as long as there’s not other identifying information? Without the picture or the stats, could it be some other “Grady Sizemore” who happened to be batting leadoff for the Cleveland Indians? Where is the line in the sand?

Who decides which rights are which?