Section 36 List of 36

2012-01-27T13:36:00.001-05:00

Former Red Sox in the Baseball Hall of Fame

1. Jesse Burkett

2. Wade Boggs

3. Herb Pennock

4. Eddie Collins

5. Bobby Doerr

6. Red Ruffing

7. Jack Chesbro

8. Dick Williams

9. Juan Marichal

10. Ted Williams

11. Tom Seaver

12. Tom Yawkey

13. Al Simmons

14. Jimmy Collins

15. Tony Perez

16. Babe Ruth

17. Luis Aparicio

18. George Kell

19. Rick Ferrell

20. Harry Hooper

21. Andre Dawson

22. Jim Rice

23. Heinie Manush

24. Carl Yastrzemski

25. Cy Young

26. Fergie Jenkins

27. Hugh Duffy

28. Jimmie Foxx

29. Waite Hoyt

30. Joe Cronin

31. Orlando Cepeda

32. Tris Speaker

33. Rickey Henderson

34. Lou Boudreau

35. Joe McCarthy

36. Lefty Grove

Theo’s a Genius

2012-01-25T18:58:00.002-05:00

This time last year, there were three first basemen of note entering the last year of contracts. It was pretty much assumed that one of them, Adrian Gonzalez, was all but signed to a long-term deal. The other two were unknowns. Now, they’re both knowns. And, boy, that Gonzalez deal looks like a gift. And Theo knew it.

He brought this very thing up during the negotiations last year. Gonzalez all but assured Theo that a deal would be reached. It was safe to make the trade for him, and work out the details later. Theo actually brought up the other two first basemen. What if, he asked, their contracts this off-season shoot the market to the sky, and the Sox can’t resign Adrian. He was told not to worry. Gonzalez only wanted what was fair. Thank goodness for that. Gonzalez’s contract is shorter, and about 25% less than the contracts for Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder. You can argue which of the three is a better contract. But, you can’t argue that Gonzalez is 25% less of a player than they are. Nicely done Red Sox.

The Fielder contract remind me of the Gonzalez trade because both teams already had darn good first basemen. They both had to get an all-star to switch positions for the new acquisition. Thankfully, both were more than willing to do so. There are mixed feeling as to what kind of a third baseman Miguel Cabrera will make. But, he won’t be bad enough to offset the added value of Fielder, that’s for sure. That’s a pretty potent line-up.

Of course, the Sox get to see this all in person right off the bat. They get to open the season in Detroit. Good thing the Tigers don’t have any pitching to go along with those bats.

Oh, right.

Fenway Needs a Tris Speaker Statue

2012-01-24T17:36:00.002-05:00

I’ve said before that I like statues as a way to honor people. I also really like the idea of having statues around a ballpark. When I went to Pittsburgh, it was really cool to walk around the park, and keep running into statues of past greats. It makes the place more visually interesting. It also makes for a great meeting place when you’re going to a game with friends. “See you at the game. Meet me by the Clemente.”

Fenway, of course, has statues. They’re an interesting selection of players. There’s one of Ted Williams and a little kid, and one of the famous four teammates from the forties. On their own, they’re great statues. They’re both deserving subjects. But, is it weird that Fenway only has the two statues, and both are of Ted Williams? I know he’s the greatest Red Sox of them all, but how about some variety? And, speaking of variety, the two statues are right next to each other. That puts a bit of a kink in the “meet you at…” appeal of a statue. It would be one thing if the sidewalk were turned into a walk of fame sort of thing with statues of all the greats along one sidewalk. But, this isn’t that. Why not put Ted on the other side of the park? On Ted Williams Way, perhaps? But, location isn’t as important. They just need more.

Photo by Ruben

Let’s assume the Sox move Ted to Gate C. How about some statues at the other corners. Wouldn’t a statue of Tris Speaker be perfect in the back corner…behind center field? To be honest, this would have been a great thing to unveil this year. As we celebrate Fenway’s 100 birthday, why not have a statue of Fenway’s first superstar? But, it’s probably too late for that. How about getting it in place for 2015, the 100^th anniversary of Speaker’s other championship season? That would be fantastic.

The ownership has done a great job fixing up Fenway. Now it’s time to work on the area around it.

I like statues.

Two-Week Notice!

2012-01-22T12:36:00.001-05:00

That’s right. There are only two weeks remaining in the 2011 Section 36 Scavenger hunt! Hopefully you are all scurrying about trying to find those last few items. Remember, you only have to find and photograph the items. You don’t need to own them. A few years ago, Kayla was able to turn a trip to the mall into a second place finish. It’s that easy!

Remember, along with the item(s), every picture needs one of the following three things in it:

You, or

The address of this blog written somewhere, or

The Section 36 logo

After all, I need to know you took the picture, as opposed to stealing it from somewhere. I know that there are probably other ways to prove you found the item and took the picture. But, I’m making the rules.

Has everyone been having fun with this? That’s the whole idea, after all.

Two Weeks Left!

Why Do Fans Go to Spring Training?

2012-01-20T13:08:00.000-05:00

It happened again today. It happens all the time once the calendar flips. People ask me if I’ve ever been to Spring Training. It’s a logical question. I’m a Red Sox fan, after all. I’m a pretty big Red Sox fan. So, it makes sense that I may have made it down to the Fort. I haven’t. My answers are usually, “No, but I can’t wait to.” or “One of these days.” But, I’m starting to wonder if those answers are really true. Because, the other answer I sometimes give may be at the crux of the issue. “I have to figure out when I want to be down there, first.”

That’s really the answer. Since I don’t know the answer, does that tell me something? When would I want to be at Spring Training? What is my goal if I ever get down there? Don’t get me wrong. If I find myself in Florida around Spring Training time, I’m swinging by. I always figured I’d be at Disney World some February, and swing by the Braves camp, at least. I’m talking about a dedicated trip. Do you go down right as players report? In the middle of workouts? Once games have begun?

If you’re there the day pitchers and catchers report, isn’t it pretty empty? Aren’t players basically taking physicals, and filling out passport applications? Sure, you would have access to the players unlike you’d get in Boston. But, aren’t you pretty much limited to watching them scuttle from one building to another? That sounds like something that would get stale after, oh, an hour.

I can see that there’d be more to see once full workouts are in full swing. And, again, the access to players would be great. But, don’t the workouts take place on the field? Is it exciting to watch players run sprints in center field? Again, that sounds like something the sun would drain the excitement out of pretty quickly.

I assume the least interesting time to visit is when the games actually start. The workouts are limited at this point, right? Sure it would be fun to see the future stars in game action. But, I’m remembering the 1999 All-Star futures game I was at. Alfonso Soriano put on a show hitting two home runs. I had no idea who he was. I couldn’t care less. I left early. Maybe it’s just me?

I guess one reason I haven’t made it down yet is I’m afraid I’ll be disappointed. It sounds like a lot of standing around and waiting. I can do that here. Even the autograph hound in me can’t get too amped up about being in the sun all day hoping for the best.

Or is there more to it then that? Are the autographs endless? Is the direct contact with players incredible? Is it just “being there?” Has anyone been?

What made you have a good time?

Ok, Who Was Asking for Something to Happen?

2012-01-18T15:05:00.002-05:00

Things were a little slow in Red Sox nation leading up to Spring Training. The crickets and disinterest were obvious as we all counted down the days until the Truck took off for Florida. I’m guessing that surgery wasn’t what everyone was waiting for to spice up the day.

So, Carl Crawford had wrist surgery. That’s interesting in a couple of ways. It’s interesting that it doesn’t appear that the Sox waited very long. I’m used to a person having an injury, and then waiting months to see if rest and massage will fix it before going under the knife. Going under quickly is either good or bad. Either the Sox finally trust surgery to consider it a quick fix. Let’s get it done now, heal up, and be ready for the season. Of course, the other reason is that the injury was so bad it was obvious right away that surgery was the only option. But, the way this team has been handing out Tommy John surgery like it’s a dinner mint, I’m going to assume that this team has just decided to cut-fix-heal rather than wait it out. Which is fine with me. Sounds like he’ll be back to playing baseball during Spring Training, and miss just a bit of the season. Glad they got it out of the way now.

Of course, it had to happen to Carl Crawford. People seem to dislike Carl Crawford for reasons I can’t quite understand. He seems like a nice guy, and a terrific player. The sort of player that should be beloved in this town. He’s hard working, and fun to watch. But, for whatever reason, that’s not the case. My assumption is that he doesn’t give a very good interview. Usually, when that happens the media makes it their duty to make the player disliked. Take a look at JD Drew and Dice-K. They were both fine players who were oddly vilified by the media and the fans. Coincidentally enough, neither one gave great interviews. But, enough about that. The interesting twist with Carl Crawford and the wrist is that the media has been reporting for some time that Bobby Valentine hadn’t talked to Carl Crawford. It’s was an almost daily non-update. Why hasn’t he talked to Carl? Where was Crawford? Who doesn’t return their manager’s call? Lots of people. It’s the off-season. Some people just like to be left alone. The Sox spent an off-season trying to contact Jonathan Papelbon once, with no success. But, Papelbon gave colorful quotes, so it was OK. With this injury news, the latest idea is that Crawford was avoiding Valentine to hide his wrist injury. That seems perfectly reasonable to me. I know that every time I’m on the phone, someone asks me specifically how my wrist is doing. It would be hard for Crawford to hide a sore wrist over the phone. Or, at dinner. You know Valentine would be staring at him to see how he picked up his cup to drink. Was he favoring it? It was a better idea to just avoid the whole issue.

Of course, that’s nonsense. Crawford wasn’t hiding anything. Sounds like he was very up front with it all. He had the surgery, and he’ll be ready to go and help the team make the playoffs. We need to just leave the guy alone to get ready. We should just be thankful we’re not Tigers fans.

Or Yankees fans.

Pitching Like It’s 1999

2012-01-17T17:36:00.001-05:00

In the 1999 Playoffs, the Red Sox had four pitchers make starts. Pedro, Ramon Martinez, Bret Saberhagen, and Kent Mercker. That was the playoff rotation for a team that lost the ALCS in five games, after winning 94 games in the regular season. In 2004, the pitchers who made playoff starts for the Red Sox are: Pedro, Derek Lowe, Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, and Bronson Arroyo. This was a team that won the World Series after winning 98 games in the regular season. What’s my point? Suddenly a rotation of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Andrew Miller, and Alfredo Aceves doesn’t sound too crazy.

It seems even less crazy when you remember that this rotation will be matched to a line-up that led the major leagues in runs scored last year. This same line-up is back this season. Actually, the same line-up without JD Drew and the rest of the platoon that made up the worst statistical right fielder you can imagine. So, how can I not be excited about this rotation?

Is it better to have five shutdown aces? Sure. But, if you have five of those, chances are you don’t have enough money to score more runs than anyone else. It’s a give and take. It’s about the relationship between both sides of the equation. It seems to me that the Sox have the pitching that has worked in the past, and an offence that has worked in the past. I like it. I don’t know how I can expect anything less than 95 wins and a playoff spot from this rotation.

How can I not be excited about that?

Red Sox 1-36: 5 is for…

2012-01-15T15:36:00.001-05:00

5 ft. The height of the bullpen wall at Fenway.

I wonder, sometimes, how things are decided on. Why is the bullpen wall in right 5 feet tall? What confluence of factors led to that number being plucked? The height of the wall in left is slightly more obvious. The wall is really close to home plate. A high wall meant fewer balls would leave the park. Granted, why it’s 27 feet instead of 26 or an even 30 is up for questioning. Much like the bullpen wall. Why five? Why not six? Why not three, like it is around Pesky’s pole?

To me it looks like a fairly careful calculation. Obviously they took an average player and stood him up against a wall. They had him take a little hop, as if he were reaching for a ball. They then marked the spot where his ribs were. 5 feet. That way, anyone crashing into the wall would be sure to at least bruise a rib, if not break it completely and puncture their lung.

Life-threatening injuries aside, low walls add to the excitement. There might not be a defensive play as dramatic or exciting as robbing a home run. The 5 feet at Fenway have certainly led this to be the case. From Section 36, you can get a good view along that bullpen wall, and see the right fielder approaching it. It’s easy to see the arc of the ball coming towards the bullpen, and try to guess just where it will land. Every once in a while that fielder will stand up against the wall, and reach back into the bullpen and take one away. It’s a play that is sure to evoke a strong emotion.

Almost as much emotion is evoked when a ball actually clears the wall. My favorite memory of that? Has to be the 2004 ALCS game 4 walk-off from David Ortiz. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see a ball clear a five-foot wall. But, I’m sure there are plenty of other wonderful moments involving that wall. Not bad for something 5 feet tall.

5 is for the 5-foot tall bullpen wall.

I Scored! July 19, 2003

2012-01-13T12:36:00.001-05:00

The first thing I think of when I look at this card is, “So that’s why I made my own card!” Only room for two players per batting position? Only room for three pitchers? Only nine innings available, but room for 16 batters? Off the shelf cards just weren’t working for me. But, beyond that to the game itself…

What an exciting game was. I see a lot of back and forth action. The Sox had a lead, and gave it up. Had a lead, and gave it up. Fell behind, but crawled back in late. A 2-out rally in the ninth. A walk-off victory. Fantastic. Everyone played a role. The game was tied thanks to their superstars. Nomar walked and stole a base in the ninth. Manny drove him in to tie the game with two outs. Frankly I’m shocked that with the winning run on second, Ortiz only grounded out. No matter. The role players finished the job. Jeremy Giambi led off the tenth with a walk. Gabe Kapler stole a base as a pinch runner. Trot Nixon sent everyone home with a single. It was a complete team victory. Just the way you draw it up in Spring Training. I also look at the bottom of the eighth. Kevin Millar singled to lead off the inning, with the Sox trailing by a run. Damian Jackson pinch-ran for him. Everyone in the world knew he was only in the game to try and steal second. Like he did many times in 2003, he did just that. I’ve said before that the one thing I thought the 2004 team was lacking was a guy who could steal a base when everyone knew he was stealing. Until, of course, they traded for Dave Roberts.

The player of the game? That’s a tough call. The easy choice would be Trot Nixon for getting the game-winning hit. But, that’s ignoring all the efforts of everyone else to put him in that position. I’m going to have to go with Kevin Millar. He was on base three times, and had a solo homerun. That’s a big effort. The goat? Another toss up. I have to give it to David Ortiz. His two strikeouts put him below Todd Walkers one. Plus, Ortiz grounded out with the winning run in scoring position. All that adds up to a tough night.

In the end, it didn’t matter. The Sox pulled it out in dramatic fashion. The entire team pulled together to get a win when nobody had their best games. It’s exactly the sort of game you expect from a team that would go deep into the playoffs.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

Why I’m Excited About the 2012 Red Sox Season

2012-01-11T15:16:00.002-05:00

Two words. Carl Crawford!

I’ve been going through potential line-up in my mind, and I just don’t know where to put Crawford in it. How beautiful is that? The line-up is so powerful that I don’t know where a four-time all-star fits in. A career .296 hitter has no natural position. This could be fun.

And, we know it will be fun. Last year, the offense was magnificent. They led the majors in runs scored, even with Crawford having an off year. If he’s anything close to where he should be, we’re talking about record output here. I’m really down to two potential line-ups. Batting Crawford second, or sixth. I think the one with him second is better.

Ellsbury

Crawford

Pedroia

Gonzalez

Youkilis

Ortiz

Sweeney

Salty

Scutaro

I love the speed at the top of this one. Pedroia is going to see nothing but fastballs in this situation. That could be an elite position in any order. The one with Crawford sixth looks like this.

Ellsbury

Pedroia

Gonzalez

Youkilis

Ortiz

Crawford

Sweeney

Salty

Scutaro

Frankly, I hate sticking Crawford behind the slugs of Gonzalez-Ortiz-Youk. There’s a pretty good chance that if Crawford is on base, he’ll be behind one of the slowest runners in history. Not exactly the best use of his skill set.

But, just imagine the fun the first option will be. Think of the runs they’ll score.

I can’t wait.

How Good Was Barry Larkin?

2012-01-10T15:13:00.000-05:00

I have to admit. I want to get all worked up over his selection. I want to have a strong opinion that either it’s about time he got in, or it’s a stain on the hall that he was elected. But, I really don’t know. Unfortunately, that leads me to think that’s all I need to know.

Larkin was an NL guy, so my exposure to him was limited. The only time I saw him play live was at the 1999 All-Star game. He was one of the guys Pedro made look absolutely foolish. But that’s all I have.

Shouldn’t there be more if he’s a Hall-of-Famer? Shouldn’t I have known about him, even if he was in the NL? Shouldn’t I have known for ten years that we were just waiting for him to be eligible so he could take his rightful place among the legends?

Is it the new math? Are people suddenly realizing that players are better than we thought they were when they were active? Are people trying to convince people that players are better than they were when they were active? Do the voters need to vote for somebody?

So, people who really paid attention. Was Barry good? Was he a game changer? Did you fear him when he came to the plate? Did you mark the schedule when he was coming to town? Did you always know he was destined for Cooperstown?

I don’t think I did.

I Love it When it All Comes Together

2012-01-09T15:14:00.000-05:00

Not too long ago, I asked all of you which Red Sox card was missing from my collection. Kyle of Juust a Bit Outside suggested the 1983 Topps Wade Boggs rookie card. That was a fine suggestion. The rookie card of a recent Hall-of-Famer is certainly a must-have for any Red Sox collection. I also made a New Year’s day post saying that one of the things I’d like to do this year is make more trades with fellow bloggers. Sometimes, things just work out.

On January 1, Kyle and I completed a trade for the very 1983 Topps Wade Boggs rookie card. It must have been fate. The Boggs card is one that just had its timing off a bit for me. When I was younger, Boggs was a hot commodity. His rookie cards were priced out of my meager range. Once I had the means to acquire the card, it fell to the back of my priority list. He was a Yankee by then, for goodness sakes. Now that the internet has made every card from the 80’s as common as air, I never got the inkling to go after Boggs. So, I’m thrilled to finally be able to add this gem to my collection.

And, what a great card it is. Boggs is clearly taking a lead off of third base, in the middle of a forest. He could not look more bored to be in scoring position. I also like it when players like Boggs have a weird position listed. Imagine Boggs across the diamond at first? Not exactly the prototypical slugging first baseman. But, it’s a great time capsule back to a time where Boggs was apparently a utility infielder. Who would have guessed what was to come in the years ahead.

Kyle also included some other cards in the trade, including the Clemens Topps Gallery. I like the concept of the Gallery cards. Baseball cards as art. This particular shot, however, probable should have been redone. It’s a rather blah shot of an apparently dumfounded Clemens. Even so, it’s a welcome addition to my Red Sox collection.

So, thank you Kyle for getting my new year off on the right foot!

Happy 36th Eric Gagne!

2012-01-07T13:36:00.002-05:00

Today we wish a very happy 36^th birthday to former Red Sox reliever Eric Gagne!

Yeah, I know. Gagne’s Red Sox career wasn’t exactly stellar. OK. It wasn’t exactly decent either. But, boy, when the Sox made the move to acquire him, it was pretty big news. The Sox were caught in a race for the division. They were able to add a former elite reliever at the deadline to really bolster things. In the first part of the 2007 season, Gagne had actually been putting up some pretty decent numbers. But, in Boston, things went terribly wrong. Nobody’s exactly sure why. The one that is the most plausible is that Papelbon wouldn’t give him the closer’s job. Not that it’s entirely Pap’s fault. He was the better closer at the time. But, Gagne said he never really got over the feeling of looking over his shoulder. As a closer, he was used to it being his game, good or bad. As a set up guy, he kept thinking that one bad pitch could have him taken out of the game. He never really got it mentally, and it crushed his season.

Amazingly, he was on the playoff roster for the ALCS, which is where I got to see him pitch for the only time live. He came in to finish off game six against Cleveland. Notice I said, “finish off” and not “close.” When Gagne came into the game in the top of the ninth, the Sox were clinging to a ten run game. Amazingly, he held the lead. He pitched a perfect 1-2-3 ninth to put the Sox one win away from the World Series.

The Sox, of course, went on to win the World Series that year. That means Gagne has a ring from the Red Sox. That has to keep him in our good graces at least a little bit. A little bit.

Happy 36^th Birthday Eric Gagne!

Who Has the Best Bikini?

2012-01-05T15:15:00.000-05:00

It’s reminder time again! This is to let you know that there is only one month left in the 2011 Section 36 Scavenger Hunt! Get those pictures taken and emailed to me (section36 at gmail dot com) as soon as you can so you’re not left out. If you’ve forgotten what you need to find, you can always click on the link on the sidebar to go to the list.

Let’s remember what’s at stake. In addition to worldwide fame and admiration, the winner will also receive an official Section 36 scorebook, and 400 different Red Sox baseball cards. The cards pictured are the actual ones you will receive. How cool is that? Oh, and if you happen to win and are a fan of one of those other teams, just let me know. I can try and replace as many Red Sox cards as I can with cards of your favorite team. Can’t promise 400…but I’ll do my best.

So keep finding those items, and keep taking pictures. And don’t forget to tell all your friends about this fun activity.

One Month Left!

I Like My Nachos Extra Cheesy

2012-01-04T15:15:00.000-05:00

Not too long ago, I opened a pack of cards. Yeah, I know. Quite the news flash there. It had a card I thought I remembered seeing on a wantlist over at Nachos Grande. Upon checking, I found that I was correct. So, I packaged the card with a few more I found on wantlist and sent them off. In return, Chris was nice enough to send along a package of Red Sox cards to me. They were all most welcome. Let’s take a quick look at a sampling of the package.

For me, the highlight is the Josh Beckett. It came with a note letting me know that “I sparkle!” It is, of course, one of the gimmicky sparkle variations from 2011 Topps. I was thrilled to add it. To be honest, I had done a poor job with these variations. I had never even seen a photo of the Beckett card, and wasn’t even sure that he was the Red Sox representative. So, it was fantastic to have one in my hands.

The rest of the shipment was a smattering of Red Sox cards from Lineage, Allen & Ginter, and Heritage. The Tris Speaker was a great card too. I’m sill not sure I’m a fan of former players in a modern set. But, the Speaker was still welcomed. As I mentioned, I’ve become a bit of a fan of his since reading his wonderful biography not too long ago. Maybe I should start a PC of him. I bet it would be easy and cheap to complete!

So, a big thank you goes out to nachos Grande for the incredible package. I’ll certainly keep my eye on his wantlists in the future.

I Sparkle!

Card of the Week: 2010 Topps Heritage Kevin Youkilis #316

2012-01-03T15:08:00.002-05:00

The Topps Heritage line has been very popular with collectors. I can’t decide what the reason for it is. Is it that new collectors are tired of the flash in new designs, and really just like the older feel? Or is it people who collected these sets as kids who like collecting the new players in the designs they remember? Whichever it is, it’s working.

This card has a nice crossover effect to it. It’s a classic design, but has the nice “action” shot of Youkilis manning his third base position. Interestingly enough, he’s listed as a first baseman, but shown playing third. Maybe Topps should have at least listed both positions. The card design works too. It gives you everything you need nicely tucked out of the way. Player name, position, team name. None of it is floating over the image. None of it flashes at you in gold. It’s just there when you need it. The photo is nicely cropped, focusing right in on Youk. There are no distractions in the background.

I notice that someone at Topps had some trouble coloring within the lines. I assume that was a tribute to the older inferior presses from the original release. It’s nice of Topps to admit that they weren’t very good at it back then. With everyone digitally remastering their old movies, it’s nice to see a company leave well enough alone.

Nicely done, Topps.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T12:36:00.001-05:00

As a Red Sox fan, it feels good to turn the calendar away from the disaster that was the 2011 season, and face 2012 head-on. It should be a lot of fun. This is a day when everyone reflects on their life. They think about the good things, and cringe at the bad. It’s a great time to hold onto what you like, and try to change what you don’t. Here at Section 36, I’m not above jumping on a good idea. So, what are my new year’s reflections? Reflection from the Section, you might say? (But, probably won’t)

For me personally, as a Red Sox fan I think the year went well. I was able to make it to seven games at Fenway this season. That’s a number that I find works pretty well for me. I was able to add some star players to my “seen live” list, including Adrian Gonzalez. I was able to attend throwback night when the Cubs came to Fenway. I was even able to visit my fourth park when I made it to PNC in June. I didn’t get to see the Sox play, but it was still a grand time. For 2012? I’d love more of the same. I’d love to make it to another six or seven game in Fenway. I expect to get the most out of the Fenway's 100 seasons celebration that I can, even though I can’t imagine I’ll be at the birthday game. Hopefully I’ll be able to see some players I haven’t seen before…especially Andrew Bailey. Most of all, I’d like to see a playoff game. Of course, wouldn’t we all.

As a Red Sox collector, I’m also quite pleased with the year. I was able to add what I think are some nice pieces to my collection. Through some trades with the wonderful blogging community, I was able to add quite a few oddities that were missing from my sets. I imagine that I speak for lots of us when I say that in 2012 I want to streamline my collection, and give it more focus. I sense that I’m casting too wide of a net over the recent releases. Maybe I don’t need Topps, Topps Chrome, Topps Opening Day, Topps Target, and Topps Wal-Mart. Maybe I should trim a few of those, and chase down older things instead. I’d love to be able to add some tobacco cards to my collection or other unique cards that are out there. With all the Fenway 100 years merchandise that is available, I’m sure I’ll be adding some of that to my Sox collection as well. Hopefully I’ll be able to show at least some restraint in that area. I also want to make a lot more trades this year. I think they’re a great way for everyone to improve their collections.

As a blogger, 2011 was an exciting time. Section 36 made it up to 81 followers, so at least some people thing I’m doing a decent job. I’m also pleased with the success of the Pix from 36 feature. I want to thank everyone who shared their pictures from the Section this year. As a goal for 2012, I’d love those contributions to continue. So, I guess it’s really a goal for all of you. Keep the pictures coming! I’d also like to expand my I Scored posts to include more scorecards from all of you. Once again, that’s your goal, not mine. So send in your scans of scorecards! And, speaking of keeping score…don't forget my official scorecard. The more people who use it, the faster I can make it better. With any luck, I’ll also reach 100 followers this year. More help please! As for things I can control, I have some of those too. I want to try and put out the quality, and quantity. It will be a delicate balance. But, I’ll do my best. I also want to be even more of a presence on other blogs through comments, and the like. The more everyone gets out to everyone else, the better.

I think that covers it. Here’s to a great 2012 everyone!

(Except Yankees fans)

What’s Missing from My Collection?

2011-12-30T12:52:00.000-05:00

Not too long ago, I mentioned that I was on the hunt for a Ted Williams card. It occurred to me that as a Red Sox fan, and baseball card collector it was an outrage that my collection didn’t have one already. You were all very helpful in steering me in the right direction. Well, now I need your help again.

What else is my collection missing? I seem to have spent so much time amassing the recent releases; I’ve ignored the quality of previous years. I have the whole team set from 2010 Bowman platinum, but don’t have a Wade Boggs rookie card. I have pages and pages of 2011 cards, but only a handful of cards from before 1975. Shouldn’t I remedy that? Where should I begin?

What’s your one card? What card makes you say, “You claim that you collect Red Sox cards, but don’t have that one?” Is it a Roger Clemens rookie? Dustin Pedroia? Bobby Doerr? Harry Hooper? Dick Radatz? Is there one card you’ve been waiting to add to your collection as well? Or is there a card you already have that you just know is the crown jewel? Is there more than one?

What card should every serious Red Sox card collector own?

Closer Makes Sox Closer

2011-12-29T14:54:00.002-05:00

So, we were all waiting. We wondered what the Sox would do this off-season. Why were all the other teams making deals? Why were the other teams signing free agents? Were the Sox even trying? Well, yesterday they apparently made their biggest move of the off-season.

They acquired all-star closer Andrew Bailey from the A’s. Perfect. The best part about getting a closer? It makes the rest of the pen better. Suddenly your marginal closer becomes a very good set-up guy. Your barely there set-up guy moves into the bridge role. The whole bullpen takes a better shape just by adding the one guy. It’s very handy, and a great move.

As with any trade, it’s not exactly cut and dry. The Sox had to give up talent to get talent. In this case it meant saying goodbye to Josh Reddick. He was one of the players slotted to compete for right field in Fenway next season. He’s young, and has a bright future. But, thankfully, the Sox have young right fielders to spare. So, that made Reddick expendable. Will Kalish actually end up being the better player? Who knows? But, you have to make your best choice at the time. I’d say that’s exactly what the Red Sox did. They even managed to get another guy from the A’s who could help out in right. Not a bad idea.

Bailey has also had some arm trouble in the past. Which pitcher hasn’t? Is it cause for concern? You certainly have to wonder. Of course, the Sox former closer also had some arm trouble earlier in his career. And, again, it’s not like the Sox just signed Bailey to a 5-year $55 million deal or anything. They gave up an expendable youngster. Worst case? Bailey is awful and one of the a-ballers they gave up ends up being Jeff Bagwell. If that happens, you wipe the egg off your face and move on. If that doesn’t happen, it’s a great move by the Sox.

The other thing that happened with a Red Sox reliever is that Hideki Okajima signed a minor league contract with the Yankees. It was nice that I was able to view that transaction with indifference. Back in the day, Red Sox players would go to the Yankees so they could finally get their ring. Boggs and Clemens top that list. These days? The Sox players go to the Yankees with rings. I don’t have to cringe at the sight of any of them riding the back of a police horse. They got their ring here. They’re free to move on.

Thank goodness for 2004.

Do the Marlins Need a First Baseman?

2011-12-27T18:57:00.002-05:00

Because the Red Sox could use a shortstop. And, as luck would have it, the fact that Adrian Gonzalez is manning first base for the foreseeable future, it means the Sox have some first base prospects to spare.

The marlins are apparently trying to assume that Hanley Ramirez will be happy playing third base. There’s a varying opinions as to if this will actually work out. But, what if they traded Hanley for a third baseman that is also a multiple time all-star? Suddenly losing HanRam and his short period of team control stings a bit less. The Sox could also peddle Lars Anderson in the deal. He is the aforementioned prospect with his path to the bigs hopelessly blocked. Would that be enough? Would the Sox need to add another prospect? Let the Marlins pick one. (Other than Middlebrooks, of course. He’s filling Youk’s vacant spot this year or next) I like the idea of that.

Can Juan Pierre still run? Wouldn’t he be a fun option in right? Assuming, of course, he could throw better than my grandmother. Has there ever been more speed in an outfield than that would create? Maybe the Sox could put him in center, but play him Tris Speaker shallow. Like a short fielder in softball. Let Ells and Crawford cover for him. And, if he were batting ninth, wouldn’t that be fun if Ells and Crawford were 1-2? I know, it would never happen because it’s just silly. But, these are things my mind wanders to during the off-season.

Especially this off-season.

Happy 36th Hideki Ojajima!

2011-12-25T07:36:00.001-05:00

Today we wish a very happy 36^th Birthday to former Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima!

I’ve already talked about Okajima here. Most of it is still true. I’m still absolutely baffled by his delivery. Not so much that it works, but that nobody over the last 36 years has told him to stop doing it. How did a high school coach not bench him for not looking at the target? I’m also still in love with his entrance song. It is on a regular rotation in my ipod. It always wakes me up a little bit whenever it comes on.

Unfortunately, age eventually caught up with Okajima. He became less and less effective until he was finally cast off. But he was a favorite of many in a way few relievers ever were. That and his ring in 2007 have earned him a permanent place in Red Sox lore.

Happy 36^th Birthday Hideki Okajima!

List of 36: Things I Want Under My Tree Christmas Morning

2011-12-24T12:36:00.002-05:00

1. 1909 T206 Tris Speaker RC

2. Johnny Damon autographed 2004 WS ball

3. Adrian Gonzalez jersey

4. Fenway Park brick

5. Fenway 100 years patch

6. Alan Embree autographed 2004 WS ball

7. Dave Roberts “The Steal” 8x10

8. 1972 Topps Carlton Fisk RC

9. Terry Francona autographed 2004 WS ball

10. Pedro Martinez signed 1999 AS ball

11. Fenway 100 years coffee table book

12. Dustin Pedroia t-shirt

13. Pokey Reese autographed 2004 WS ball

14. 1941 Playball Dom DiMaggio RC

15. Kevin Youkilis t-shirt

16. JD Drew autographed 2007 WS baseball

17. Kevin Millar autographed 2004 WS ball

18. Jon Lester t-shirt

19. 1973 Topps Dwight Evans RC

20. Kelly Clarkson autographed 2004 WS ball

21. Jarrod Saltalamacchia t-shirt

22. Fenway 100 years baseball

23. Keith Foulke autographed 2004 WS ball

24. Jacoby Ellsbury t-shirt

25. Theo Epstein autographed 2004 WS ball

26. 1940 Playball Jimmie Foxx

27. Gabe Kapler autographed 2004 WS ball

28. 1960 Topps Carl Yastrzemski RC

29. Trot Nixon autographed 2004 WS ball

30. Ted Williams t-shirt

31. 1983 Topps Wade Boggs RC

32. Stephen Tyler autographed 2004 WS ball

33. 2004 World Series press pin

34. Doug Meintkiewicz autographed 2004 WS ball

35. 1939 Playball Bobby Doerr RC

36. Johnny Pesky autographed 2004 WS ball

Where is Wake?

2011-12-23T14:41:00.002-05:00

The Sox have been quiet this off-season. Quiet to the point of being dull. I get that. They didn’t have a lot to do. They had six members of the line-up already under contract. They resigned Scutaro and Ortiz with very little fanfare. They seem perfectly content to go young in rightfield. Why not? They have a couple promising options. The pitching staff has holes, but options. I get that. I’m just wondering where Wakefield is.

Isn’t he the perfect guy for the Sox? Currently the rotation has three solid dependable guys. After that, it’s a collection of maybes. The bullpen? It has lots of pitchers, some who have roles. It’s also losing some key members to the rotation, in theory. Isn’t Time Wakefield the perfect guy to have on hand to fill whatever role become available?

Bard, Miller, and Aceves figure to fill out the final two spots in the rotation. Personally, I see Bard back in the pen. But, he could find his way into the rotation after all is said and done. But, many people have mentioned that the Sox could use a nice solid veteran to take some of the pressure off. I’ve heard Roy Oswalt’s name tossed out as a nice example. But, Oswalt would only be a starter. Couldn’t Wake really do either?

What if the Sox tossed Wake a few million to fill a yet to be determined role. He’ll come to spring training along with the rest of them. Of Bard, Aceves, Wake, Miller, Doubront, Tazawa, and whoever else is on the list, two of them make the rotation and the others are set for the pen or minors. What’s the worst thing that happens? He takes the long relief role? He’s stuck as a set-up guy?

Do they think his attitude is that bad? Is the whole “the fans deserve to see me break the record” thing an actual issue? I know that I’ve said that one of the factors to last season’s poor showing was Wake’s chase for 200. The Sox changed the way they played in order to get him that win. Are they afraid of doing that again? I’d like to think they’ve learned from that. I like to think the contract proposal would include telling him flat out that any wins he gets would be accidental. He has to be prepared to end up one win short if that’s what the team’s flow dictates. I don’t know why he wouldn’t agree to that. He needs 7 wins? He got that many last year. Aceves got 10, mostly out of the pen. He has to jump at that chance, right? Doesn’t it make too much sense for both sides for this not to have happened already?

Or am I missing something?

Red Sox May Have Interest in Prince Fielder

2011-12-21T15:15:00.002-05:00

See what I just did there? I just learned from the professionals how to drag people in with junk headlines. You see things like that all over the place these days as rumor mills keep churning. When people are desperate for the latest hot tips, things like that can really draw attention.

The best part? It’s true enough that I can defend it if things get really sticky and someone calls me on it. First of all, I threw in the word “may” just as a catchall. I don’t need it to make the headline true, but it’s a nice safety valve. After all, of course the rest of it is true. The Red Sox have interest in Prince Fielder. Why wouldn’t they? They guy can hit a ton. What team wouldn’t want a guy with 50 home run power? Are they interested in paying him the amount of money he’ll be looking for? Of course not. Although, I guess I don’t that for sure. They “may.” But, if Fielder came to them tomorrow and said, “I love Boston. I’ve always wanted to play here. I’ll sign for a three-year contract at $3 million a year. I don’t care if I’m just the back-up DH.” The Sox have interest.

It’s also nice because I don’t need to do any real research to write a story about how the Red Sox may have interest in Prince Fielder. That’s a real time-saver when it comes to cranking out a post. It’s just opinion, written to look like new information. I bet Ben Cherington has said something in the past about Fielder that I could quote now, pretending it was a recent quote. Something like, “We’re exploring many options at this point.” If I put that into an article about the Sox wanting Fielder, it’s practically confirmation. The jackpot would, of course, be if Ben ever used Fielder’s name. Maybe he mentioned something during the home-run derby last year. Something like, “Ortiz’s team looks strong but a team with Fielder on it would be tough to beat.” Just truncate that, and it practically confirms that Ben made an offer. That was easy. Plus, if by some freak of the cosmos the Sox sign Fielder, I look like a genius. It’s a compete win for me and my scoop.

Which is what drives me nuts about reading about the Sox this time of year. Almost all of the “articles” are this nonsense. The Red Sox have contacted the agent for Francisco Cordero. No kidding. A team in need of a closer called the agent for an available closer? Color me surprised. The Red Sox have Roy Oswalt in their radar. Really? A team in need of a couple starters is aware of a free agent starter? You must be joking.

It means very little. But, it fills column inches.

Just like it did for me.

One Pitch From Glory, By Lou Gorman

2011-12-20T19:14:00.000-05:00

Lou Gorman was the general manager of the Red Sox for a decade. During his watch, the Sox came closer to winning the World Series than they had in decades. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite able to get it done. He presided over several playoff teams, and several truly awful teams. This book discusses both with equal candor, and looks to give a behind the scenes look at those seasons.

My one regret when reading this book is that I didn’t remember enough about the teams Gorman was discussing. He did a great job of saying why he made the moves that he made. I just wish I knew more of the other side of the coin. When he says that he acquired Danny Darwin because he thought he would help the club, I don’t know enough to say, “But you passed on so-and-so!” Which is really an important part of it. Was Frank Viola the best pitcher available? Or, did Gorman misread the market, or gloss over another player? Even with that drawback this was a wonderful read. It sometimes has a feeling of an apology. Or, at least an explanation. Why he did the Bagwell trade. Why injuries killed the team. Things like that. It was great to see the behind the scenes inter-workings of a GM. How did the signing of Jack Clark come to be? It’s also interesting to read this now, after watching Theo and Company for so many years. Gorman was certainly from an older generation of GMs. He was much more people orientated than business. He also gave his all every season to win that championship. He didn’t talk much about building an organization. He talked an awful lot, though, about winning for Jean Yawkey. It’s an obvious difference, and makes for a great read.

Rating: 3 bases

Red Sox 1-36: 4 is for…

2011-12-18T14:36:00.001-05:00

Number 4, Joe Cronin.

As I mentioned when I did Bobby Doerr, this list won’t be all about uniform numbers. But, when the Sox see it fit to retire your number, who am I to argue against your importance. So, who was this Joe Cronin guy?

I’ll be honest; I don’t know all that much about Joe Cronin. I know that either he or Nomar was the best shortstop in Red Sox history. That’s a pretty good start. He also managed and won more games than anyone else in Red Sox history. Nice addition. From there he went on to be the Red Sox general manager. Quite a trifecta there. After that, he moved to the American League front offices becoming the AL President, and Chairman of the Board. Of course, all that got him elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

That’s quite a career. I wonder if anyone else has done so much so well for the Red Sox, or Major League baseball. He could almost be in the Hall-of-Fame three times. (Doesn’t the NBA do that?) He could go in as a superstar player, a wonderful manager, or a long-time league executive.

Cronin’s number 4 was retired by the Red Sox in 1984, the same day as Ted Williams. They were the first two players to have their number retired by the Sox. I’ve always wondered what took so long. Obviously, teams had been retiring numbers since the 30’s. Williams and Cronin were about as good candidates as you’re ever going to get. I wonder why they waited, and what made them change their minds.

4 is for number 4, Joe Cronin.

Tim Tebow, Pitching, and Defense

2011-12-16T12:54:00.002-05:00

This week, there’s been a little bit of talk about the New England Patriots game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Much of it has been centered on Tim Tebow, and whether he’s a good quarterback or not. It’s the Derek Jeter argument of intangibles vs. talent. But, it’s also the argument of offense vs. pitching and defense.

You remember that mantra, right? The Sox were going to build a defensive team. It was suddenly all about run prevention. Most people weren’t buying it. And, it ended up not working out very well, for a number of reasons. But, what Tebow is showing is that there can be more than one way to skin a cat. As long as the end result is the same.

The point in any game is for your team to score more than the other team. How you do it is irrelevant. You can go 162-0 and only score 162 runs, as long as you keep the other teams scoreless every game. Or, you can go undefeated while giving up 1000 runs, as long as you score 1162. Or, something in the middle. The only thing that is important is that you score once more than the other guy. Which is why it always bugged me when I heard things like, “How could the Sox expect to make the playoffs last season with such a terrible team ERA?” Easy. They expected to score more than 4.2 runs a game. Which, they did. They scored the most runs in baseball. They just didn’t space them out as well as they needed to. But, there’s nothing wrong with planning on giving up 4 runs every game, if you’re planning on scoring 5. Just like there’s no reason you can’t win scoring 2 runs a game, if you only give up 1. Which is how the Phillies ended up with the best record in baseball, despite scoring 150 fewer runs than the Sox.

It also makes it hard during an offseason like this to figure out what you need. The answer really is, whatever you can get. If there are pitchers to be had, go for it. If there are only bats out there, get those. Either one will help you win. You can’t get too caught up in filling traditional roles. You mold the roles once you have the parts, no matter what Bill Parcells thinks. Look at the QB’s in Sunday’s game. Imagine the Pats traded Brady for Tebow tonight. Could Tebow win trying to run the Pat’s pass-happy offense? Absolutely not. Could Tom Brady win running the option like Tebow? Doubt it. But, both teams would eventually adjust their game plans to suit their strengths. Just like the Red Sox will do. They have two lead-off hitters. Ok, use that speed as a strength. They don’t have a fifth starter. Get the bats they need to cover that up. Be flexible. You can have a strong starting staff that goes 8 innings every game to eliminate the need for a middle relief. Or, you can stock up on middle relievers, and only get a starting staff that goes 6 innings. Whatever you can find out there.

There are any number of ways to win.

Who Cares Who?

2011-12-14T19:08:00.002-05:00

The recent mega-deal signed by Albert Pujols has, naturally, generated a lot of discussion. Red Sox fans have been spared to some degree. The move didn’t affect the Sox directly. They weren’t getting Pujols, since they already have a first baseman. The Yankees didn’t get him either. So, the signing was a marginal issue at best. But, it doesn’t mean the national shows weren’t all over it.

I heard one show the other day discussing how it affected the Cubs. Sure, it was great to have Pujols leave the division. But, should the Cubs have gotten him themselves? The general feeling was a “Trust in Theo” mentality. They were willing to believe that Theo has a plan, and that even if it didn’t make sense to them, it would produce results. That seemed reasonable. When Theo was the Boston GM that certainly was often the case. Fans may not have completely agreed with his moves, but often gave him some slack. He has two rings as a GM. He must know something. Then it hit me. Theo’s not the GM in Chicago. He’s the team president. Not once in these discussions did Jed Hoyer’s name come up. His plan was never mentioned. The GM seemed irrelevant. It was all about Theo. I found it interesting.

The Red Sox team president is, of course, Larry Lucchino. I see story after story about how he needs to butt out of things. How Ben Cherington needs to assert his control. How awful it was that he might have been overruled in the manager hunt. Was it a blow to his credibility? Is he the GM, or not? I saw a story mention that Lucchino may have stayed away from the winter meetings, just as a symbol that Ben’s in charge. So, Theo’s GM is completely ignored in any discussion of the Cubs but Larry’s GM needs to be the only person in the room? Why the difference?

And, really, if anyone’s GM should be ignored, shouldn’t it be Larry’s? He’s the one with the longer track record of success. He’s been the president of eight playoff teams. Theo hasn’t been the president of any. Theo was the GM of only six. Larry is the owner of three World Series Championship rings. Theo, two. Still, the Cubs fans are willing to follow Theo blindly into battle, and we want Larry to stay away.

Why don’t we want Lucchino even more involved than he is?

Card of the Week: 2009 Topps Ticket to Stardom Daisuke Matsuzaka #124

2011-12-12T15:16:00.000-05:00

I’ve said it before. There’s only so much you can do with a rectangular piece of cardboard with a picture on it. A border, no border. A color? A stripe? That’s pretty much it. So, I like it when a company goes out on a limb a bit.

No, this isn’t a huge design stretch. A white border, a foil stripe. But, I like the idea of the “ticket” theme. It’s something a little different. So, there’s a little barcode on the top. (Has anyone tried to scan it?) The important information is set up like a ticket stub. Design-wise it has the feel of a Red Sox ticket. That’s pretty cool. Not earth shattering, but cool. In this case, it may not have chosen the most flattering picture of Matsuzaka to portray. But, it is a nice view of him about to deliver a pitch.

Can’t find much to complain about with this card.

Soccer, and Albert Pujols

2011-12-10T12:36:00.001-05:00

I was listening to a presentation the other day from someone from England. He mentioned preparations for a soccer tournament somewhere. He kidded that we probably all cared about football, but he really liked soccer. I couldn’t help but wonder why.

No, not that I wondered why on earth he liked soccer. People like things I don’t, and that’s fine. But, soccer is weird to me. It is SO popular EVERYWHERE else, but yawned at in the United States. How can that be? It clearly has universal appeal. People from big cities love it as much as rural farmers. Developed countries get as crazy as the developing ones. Each hemisphere of the globe just lives and breathes soccer. But, not the USA. We’re people too, right? Things that appeal to other people should appeal to us, right? How can a sport that is found thrilling and wonderful by billions of people be so ignored by this country? Is a sport interesting, or not? Is it fun to watch, or not? Is it exciting, or not? What is it?

That leads me to think; maybe it’s not soccer. Maybe it’s just the upbringing. Maybe people in Europe are excited about soccer because their parents like soccer. Because their newspapers report on soccer. Because nobody thinks they look weird with their face painted red.

Which leads me to Albert Pujols.

He’s now a member of the LA Angels of A. My first thought when I heard about that is that he’s going to see a pretty drastic change in environment. St Louis is pretty well knows as a rabid fan base. LA is pretty well known as a place where it’s sunny. So, similar to the soccer question, why is that? Is someone the talent of Albert Pujols enough to change that? Is it all about the quality of the product, or is it just a general feeling in the area? If Pujols has enough talent to draw fans in other towns, will he draw them in LA? Is Pujols fun to watch, or will baseball fans just watch anything put in front of them? Are baseball fans in Boston, NY, or St Louis just like European soccer fans? Wildly fanatic just because they always have been?

Are the Boston, NY, and Philly fans so into sports because their talent is better? Is the talent better because the fans are really into sports? Can more talent bring more fans? Can Albert Pujols make baseball matter in LA?

David Beckham couldn’t do it with soccer.

Revised List of 36: Best Players I’ve Seen Play In Person

2011-12-08T15:14:00.002-05:00

I realized today that Ryan Braun won the NL MVP this year. Well, I realized it the day they announced it. Today, I realized that it might have also given him a far greater honor. Since he previously won a Rookie of the Year award, that combination might have pushed him into the list of top 36 players I’ve seen live in a non-all-star game. And, it looks like that’s exactly what it did. Unfortunately, that means someone had to be dropped from the list to make room. For this list, I consider major awards to be very important. I figure that’s the sort of honor that people will care about years from now. My grandkids will ask me if I saw a certain MVP winner play live before they ask me if I saw a 200-game winner live. I looked to see if anyone on my list was without a major award, and eliminated Todd Helton and his measly batting title. I also realized a major omission. I made this list by looking through past scorecards. It was raining during game 1 of the 2004 World Series, so I didn’t keep score. That made me foolishly forget about Albert Pujols. I added him to the list, but had to sacrifice Josh Beckett. So, here is my updated list of top 36 players I’ve seen live. How does it stack up to your list?

1. Roberto Alomar (Hall of Famer)

2. Wade Boggs (HOF)

3. Barry Bonds (MVP)

4. Ryan Braun (MVP)

5. Jose Canseco (MVP)

6. Roger Clemens (Cy Young)

7. Bartolo Colon (Cy Young)

8. Dennis Eckersley (HOF)

9. Eric Gagne (Cy Young)

10. Nomar Garciaparra (ROY)

11. Jason Giambi (MVP)

12. Tom Glavine (Cy Young)

13. Juan Gonzalez (MVP)

14. Ken Griffey Jr (All-Century Team)

15. Vladimir Guerrero (MVP)

16. Roy Halladay (Cy Young)

17. Josh Hamilton (MVP)

18. Rickey Henderson (HOF)

19. Randy Johnson (Cy Young)

20. Chipper Jones (MVP)

21. Cliff Lee (Cy Young)

22. Greg Maddux (Cy Young)

23. Pedro Martinez (Cy Young)

24. Dustin Pedroia (MVP)

25. Mike Piazza (ROY)

26. Albert Pujols (MVP)

27. Cal Ripken (HOF)

28. Alex Rodriguez (MVP)

29. Ivan Rodriguez (MVP)

30. CC Sabathia (Cy Young)

31. Bret Saberhagen (Cy Young)

32. John Smoltz (Cy Young)

33. Ichiro Suzuki (MVP)

34. Miguel Tejada (MVP)

35. Frank Thomas (MVP)

36. Mo Vaughn (MVP)

Big Moves, and Bard

2011-12-07T12:50:00.002-05:00

What did the Red Sox really need to do this off-season? On the surface, not a whole lot. I’ve said it here before. But, a couple tweaks here and there, find a suitable replacement here and there, and they’re good to go. So, a slow week at the winter meetings is certainly to be expected. That’s not to say that there aren’t a few minor moves to be made.

The Sox resigned Andrew Miller. Perfect idea. He comes cheap, and has the same high upside he had when they acquired him last year. Better really, since he certainly showed signs of putting it together. So, why not give him another shot? The rotation doesn’t need a big name. It needs some back end help. Beckett was great last year, and should have a lot to prove this season. Same goes for Lester. Everyone will be watching him to bounce back and become the Cy Young winner everyone knows he can be. Clay Buchholz should be ready to go for another fantastic season. Beyond that, they just need bodies to fill out the rest. Having Andrew Miller sitting there and looking to prove himself is a great option. 26-year old former number one draft picks are nice to have. They don’t often lose it completely. There’s talent there. Three teams have thought so. It’s about time for it to come out in bunches. At worst, he’s a spot starter for doubleheaders and injuries.

Same theory applies to Daniel Bard. Why not make him a starter? He obviously has talent. He’s shown signs of learning how to pitch, instead of throw. He’s ready to break out. Give him a shot. He should be able to give out some quality innings.

We’re talking about the back end of the rotation here. It’s the back end for a reason. You have two spots to squeeze bodies in, and see if any make it. So, throw Miller, Bard, Wake, and Aceves into a room, and see if two of them come out on top. The other two are there when needed. Add the return of Dice, and that’s a lot of options. It’s a good way to go.

The bullpen will work itself out. It always does. Every year there’s a scrapheap reliever who returns to form. Or a rookie who can excel for a season. That will happen again. It’s another case of loading up in spring training, and seeing who pitches well enough to come north.

It’s not sexy, but it the way to win.

Find Your Dirt Yet?

2011-12-05T14:36:00.002-05:00

This is your monthly reminder that the 2011 Section 36 Scavenger Hunt is currently underway!

I want to thank everyone who has already submitted entries. It’s most certainly allowed to submit entries, and then add to them as you can until time runs out on February 5. That way, you know you have something to enter and don’t forget at the last minute.

To help things along I’ve decided to sweeten the pot a bit. Just like last year, I’ll give the winner a Section 36 scorebook. It will be a book of my custom scorecards, bound to give you the ability to score 20 games! That’s in addition to the 400 different Red Sox baseball cards mentioned in the original post! What a prize package.

So, get out there and collect those pictures, and keep sending them in!

Why do Teams Sell Stadium Naming Rights?

2011-12-03T12:36:00.001-05:00

Another one of those things that I just don’t get. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against the idea of selling a naming rights. I don’t really care what a stadium is named, as long as it rolls off the tongue well. Frankly, I think Petco Park or Safeco Field are nicer names than Oriole Park at Camden Yards. And, if the Sox ever play at Leonard P Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Park, I’ll choke on my Fenway Frank. So, that’s not the problem. To be honest, I have a little trouble figuring out when a stadium has sold the naming rights or not. Is Wrigley Field named after a swell owner, or a chewing gum company? Is Fenway Park named after a neighborhood, or a realty company? Is Yankee Stadium named after the team, or a baseball company? So, I’m not bothered that they do it, I just don’t know why.

I know that the short answer is probably because they don’t pay for the stadiums. They make the cities provide them with the place to play. So, the cities take the chance to sell the naming rights. Even if that’s the case, why doesn’t the team just buy the rights?

I’m thinking back to my trip to Pittsburgh. I’ve mentioned before that while I was there I bought a pierogi magnet. I also bought a baseball. It has painting of PNC Park on it. It has the name of PNC Park on it. It has a slogan for PNC Park. What doesn’t it have? Any mention of the Pirates. So, I went to see the Pirates play. They won in exciting fashion. I bought two things while I was there to remember the game. Neither one of them mentions the Pirates on them. What gives?

Talk about a missed opportunity. Another time where a conversation could be about the team, but ends up being about a bank. Imagine if it were Pirates Park instead? Or even something cleverer. Then, every baseball would have the Pirates name on it. Every magazine article about the team would say “Pirates” over and over. It would get the name out there. What about other events that happen to take place at or around the park? Shouldn’t local restaurants advertise that they’re close to Pirates Park, instead of a bank? Or other events that are held in the Park. Shouldn’t those tickets all advertise the team? Shouldn’t these teams that aren’t drawing well be doing whatever they can to get their name and logo out to the masses? Why would they want to share that exposure with a bank, or a pet store? There’s a reason that companies are willing to spend money on naming rights.

Why aren’t the teams?

Card of the Week: 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter’s #300 David Ortiz

2011-12-02T12:56:00.000-05:00

When the Allen & Ginter’s line was introduced by Topps a few years ago, it was very well received. There had been a move for quite a while towards classic designs on cards. The flash and flair of the 90’s was giving way to the more refined looks. The trick is to copy a design style over and over without getting stale. Topps has done a good job with that with this set.

The paintings give the cards a nice look. They’re well done realistic depictions of the players. In this case, it’s a great shot of Ortiz giving a Papi grin. The posed shots work with the style. The blue clouds behind him make Ortiz stand out, without detracting from the main focus. The playful pointing of the bad just adds to the appeal.

As I said, these cards were well received, and still are. I wonder what the shelf-life for this particular brand is. At some point, pretty pictures on colored backgrounds will run their course.

Not yet, though.

Should We Send Flowers?

2011-11-30T15:15:00.002-05:00

So, the reports seem to be pretty certain that Bobby Valentine will be the next manager of the Boston Red Sox. How do I feel? Eh. Why not?

I don’t know what would get me crazy or fired up about a manager selection. I think Terry Francona really showed that past history isn’t that important. Before coming to Boston, Francona never won more than 77 games. In eight years in Boston, he never won less than 86. Do I think he suddenly learned everything he needed to know between gigs? Nope. I think it’s all about the situation. As long as you get a guy with a good baseball mind, and give him the horses, he should do just fine. For goodness sakes, even Grady Little and Jimy Williams took the Red Sox to the ALCS. You have to think Valentine is a leap and bound over those two. So, I say let’s see what happens.

One thought I found interesting was the idea that this may help the Sox with Daisuke Matsuzaka. Valentine has spent a lot of time in Japan. He understands the players over there, and they seem to respect him If Dice comes back this season, can Valentine get more out of him than others could? Does that make offering Dice a new contract seem reasonable? He’s still young, and if Valentine could get him back to form…could be a nice option as a fifth starter. Does this make the Sox more attractive for potential players coming over from Japan? Is this an attempt by management to hold on to Japanese fans lingering around from Dice-K’s tenure? Who knows?

Frankly, the worst thing I’ve ever heard about hiring Valentine is that he has a big ego. He might clash with Larry Lucchino. Maybe. Although, that happened with the former GM, but not before there was a title or two. Is Valentine going to manage for the next 15 years? No. Even if everything were perfect, I’d only see him as a one-contract type guy. And, that’s fine.

It’ll be a fun contract.

What’s Taking So Long?

2011-11-28T15:14:00.002-05:00

Why haven’t the Sox done anything yet?

Mind you, this isn’t a complaint, exactly. As long as they have everybody they need ready to go on Opening Day, I’m a happy camper. I’m actually just curious as to what is taking so long to get things done.

Take the manager hunt, for instance. From what we’re told, the field has been narrowed to Bobby Valentine and Gene Lamont. OK. Now what? I understand that the process takes a while. You need to interview several candidates. You need to research. There are schedules to work around. Things get in the way. I understand. But, now? Now that you just need to pick one, what’s going on behind closed doors? The story I heard somewhere is that the ownership group wants Valentine, but Benny Boy wants Lamont. If that’s the case, though, why doesn’t ownership simply tell Ben to hire Valentine? Are they giving him a certain amount of time to change their mind? How does he do that, exactly? Do they both not have the same information? I find it hard to believe that the four of them are sitting in a boardroom somewhere discussing this 8 hours a day. I’m not picturing the big three sitting at a table while Cherington makes a passionate PowerPoint presentation showing the wonders of Lamont. So, what is it? Is it the old, “let’s sleep on it” while you wait for the other guy to give up? Is there something else gong on? Are they waiting for the new Astros owner to fire Brad Mills? Are they working on a trade for a starter so they can send Buchholz to the Jays? Are they trying to work a three-team compensation swap with the Jays and Cubs? Are they waiting for Francona to suddenly decide he wants to manage again? What’s going on?

Again, I’m not concerned or upset. I have no doubt that whichever manager they pick, even random guy off the street, will be able to write Ellsbury-Crawford-Pedroia-Gonzalez-Youkilis-Ortiz into the line-us as well as anyone else. I also don’t buy the concern that the manager hunt is taking their time away from making other movies. Like I said, I’m pretty sure nobody is giving or watching 8-hour PowerPoints. I’m sure they’re just waiting a bit for Ortiz to realize how poor the market really is for a 36-year old DH before they resign him. I’m guessing Tim Wakefield’s not going anywhere if they decide they want him back. I’d hope that trying to juggle a couple trades with a manager hunt is well within Cherington’s range of abilities. Otherwise, July 31 is going to be an eye opener. So, I’m perfectly happy to sit back and await their final decisions.

I just wonder what’s really going on.

Emperors and Idiots, By Mike Vaccaro

2011-11-26T11:36:00.002-05:00

The Red Sox and the Yankees. The Rivalry. 100 years of baseball animosity. This book covers it all. From the early years when the Sox clearly had the upper hand. Through the middle of the 20^th century when the Yankees took the advantage. Right on through the 2004 season when the Yankees showed themselves as the biggest chokers in the history of sports. Vaccaro attempts to cover it all as impartially as possible. Many books have been written from one side or the other. This one attempts to split the line right down the middle and simply retell the stories.

Vaccaro does a very good job of that. While reading this book, it’s easy to forget that he’s a writer for a NY newspaper. That’s saying something. The only problem with the book? It’s fewer than 400 pages, and tries to cover 100 years worth of history. It can’t be done. It can’t be done in the sort of detail one might like. For instance, Vaccaro’s other book The First Fall Classic was about the same length, and talked about one World Series. So, when you need to skim over history like that, you stick to the basics. Many of the stories were familiar to me. Which, I suppose, is a credit to Vaccaro that I still enjoyed the book. He didn’t use a chronological retelling, and made it work. He shifted back and forth through history telling similar stories that happened over the years. It really showed how the rivalry was really one big story. It was a great read.

Rating: 3 bases.

In Thanksgiving…

2011-11-24T07:36:00.001-05:00

On this day of giving thanks, I would like to thank five bloggers who have given this blog something very important. Hits. According to my stats tracker, these five non-google websites have referred the most hits my way. Without them, this little spot wouldn’t be nearly as popular as it is now. If, you know, I can call it popular at all.

Night Owl Cards – Night Owl is my largest referral service by almost a factor of two. I can’t thank him enough. Night Owl is a wonderful and creative writer with a blog that I read whenever I can.

Can’t Have Too Many Cards – I couldn't agree more! Another fantastic site that gets my frequent attention. Great writing on great topics make this site a must read.

Core Contrarian – A Great stop for a quick read. It’s like a page-a-day calendar for card nerds, and should definitely be a daily read of yours.

Sports Cards Blogroll – This is a wonderful service provided to bloggers. Basically any blog that involved sports cards is listed here so anyone can keep up to date. A fantastic site.

Nachos Grande – A great blog by a Reds fan and card collector. He includes box breaks, and product reviews in his multitude of blog topics. A great read.

So a big hearty thank you to all of these sites. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Baseball Writers Should be Ashamed of Themselves

2011-11-22T15:12:00.002-05:00

I was a huge fan of The West Wing. (If you never saw the show, you should really go find yourself the DVDs of it.) It was a great look at how the White House might have looked behind the scenes. One show in particular dealt with the confirmation of a Vice President nominee by the Senate. As the day of the vote neared, it looked like it would be 99-1 in favor. The Deputy White House Chief of Staff was going ballistic. Everyone wondered why. It was going to be a landslide victory. It couldn’t have been more emphatic. Why was this guy so concerned about not getting one vote? The answer? Because it would only be the one vote. The one would be the darling of all the newscasts. The one guy who has a contrary opinion. Not a single talk show would mention the 99 people who voted in favor. They would all lead with an exclusive interview with the one guy who voted against. That wouldn’t do. Either they had to convince him to vote in favor, or convince five other people to vote against.

I was reminded of that when I was hearing about the AL MVP. I have no idea who voted for Justin Verlander. I have no idea who voted for Jacoby Ellsbury. But, I know who left them off their ballots. I know which guy was the one vote against. He’s the one who got on the radio, and TV. He’s the one with his name in the paper. Heck, it’s been over ten years, and I still know who left Pedro off their ballot in 1999. I couldn’t tell you the name of a single person who voted in any of the awards since then…except the guy who left Pedroia off his ballot in 2008.

That’s what it’s come to. These writers want their names in the articles, not just on top of them. They want to be the story, not report on the story. Goodness, one of the guys yesterday actually released that he would discuss the fact that he voted the way he voted at a certain time. Unbelievable.

I know it’s a constant argument of mine. Whenever you ask for votes, you run the risk of this. The fans louse up All-Star voting. The writers can’t be professional enough to handle voting on awards. The coaches and players can’t seem to figure out what a gold glove really is. It’s shameful.

The BBWAA really needs to take some action. Anybody who violates rules and doesn’t consider a player because he’s a pitcher should be removed from voting. Anyone who leaves the winner or the runner up off his ballot should be suspended from voting. Clearly he lacks good judgment. Anyone who gives a vote of any kind to a hometown player who doesn’t get a similar vote from someone else should be suspended from voting. Clearly they can’t be impartial. Otherwise, these awards won’t mean anything anymore.

If they ever did.

Happy 36th JD Drew!

2011-11-20T13:36:00.000-05:00

Today we wish a very happy 36^th birthday to former Red Sox rightfielder JD Drew!

JD Drew is an interesting sort, to say the least. I’m trying to remember a Red Sox signing that was met with the same reaction as his was. Most Red Sox fans were dumbfounded. They thought he was overpaid. They thought he was soft. They though he was anything other than a player the Red Sox should sign. And, it was really too bad.

JD Drew had a lot of talent. Because of that, it sometimes looked too easy. It looked like he didn’t care. And, maybe he didn’t. But he was a much better player than he is given credit for. If you watched, you saw that his effortless play actually created results. I can’t tell you how many times I was in the stands when a ball was hit to him. I’d watch him casually fling a ball into the infield, only to be amazed when it would beat a runner to a bag for an out. It looked too easy to be effective. It was true beauty.

Did he play hurt? I don’t know. I’m not him. I know that playing hurt is hugely overrated. The idea that 90% of so-and-so is better than a back-up is usually bunk. I’m glad he took himself out of games sometimes to allow a healthy player take his spot. Joe Dimaggio did that, and it became part of his legend. Drew does it, and he’s soft.

Is Drew the best rightfielder in Red Sox history? No. The best in the last 20 years? Probably. Add that to his $15 million grand slam, and you have a pretty good signing.

Happy 36^th Birthday JD Drew!

Welcome to the American League, Houston!

2011-11-19T13:36:00.000-05:00

As usual, Bud Selig only sort of listened to me. The sale of the Houston Astros apparently triggered a wholesale change to the structure of Major League Baseball. Some of the changes I love, some I can’t stand, and some I could care less about.

The first one is the change of the Astros to the American League. It doesn’t really affect me, or the Red Sox. So, I’ll leave it up to the Astros fans to voice their opinion on that switch. I can imagine where it could be a little bit jarring to change the whole league you’re used to. But, it could be pretty exciting too. I’m not exactly sure why they didn’t just switch the Brewers back to the AL. But, they went with Houston. A quick guide for Houston fans on the American League. Now, instead of having to watch the worst hitter on the team hack at three balls or bunt, you get to watch a decent hitter actually, you know, have a chance to get a hit. Don’t worry. You won’t miss the double switch. It’s a strange move anyway, since it requires you to remove a player who is presumably better than the one you’re replacing him with.

I love the fact that this change practically requires perpetual Interleague Play. There will be an interleague series just about every night. I have long hated how they grouped all these games together, making it seem like an exhibition weekend. This way, the games are just part of the schedule. Perfect.

I like the equal leagues and divisions. It always seemed weird that the AL West champion only had to beat out three other teams, where everyone else fought four or five. This makes that aspect of it a lot more fair.

I can’t stand the extra Wild Card team, though. I don’t understand how you preserve the integrity of the regular season by adding one more team to the playoffs that didn’t have a great regular season. There’s one more chance to have a team fluke their way to a championship. And the one-game play-in option is a joke. Why not just flip a coin? Let’s just get all the GMs of every team together and draw straws. The longest straw wins the World Series. If you want to really add integrity to the regular season, get rid of playoff teams. Don’t add more. Team with the best record wins. That makes it all about the regular season. The second wild card does not. If you still want to give teams a way to luck themselves into a championship, use the tournament format I’ve proposed before. It’s the only way to preserve the regular season, and let a team on a hot streak win a title of their own. For some reason, people really want you to have to be lucky instead of good.

Maybe that’s Bud’s next move?

Happy 36th David Ortiz!

2011-11-18T13:17:00.000-05:00

Today we wish a very happy 36^th birthday to David Ortiz!

If you’re not familiar with David Ortiz, and what he’s done for the Red Sox, what exactly are you doing here? The most clutch player in Red Sox history (he has the trophy to prove it), he’s been leading the Red Sox since 2003. He will forever live in Red Sox lore for what he did for the 2004 World Champions.

I’ve never personally been a huge David Ortiz fan. Don’t get me wrong. He’s a heckova player. I love watching him hit. But, he’s always been a little bit too crass and crude for my liking. I would never have listed him as a favorite player because of it. The “Big Papi” persona always seemed to be in contrast to the other stuff. But, he’s still been a lot of fun to watch over the years.

My closest personal encounter with Ortiz was at an autograph signing at a local BCS. I waited in line for an hour in order to get his signature. It was a lot of fun waiting in line, meeting and talking with the people stuck there with me. When I got to the front of the line, to speed things along (I guess) I wasn’t allowed to hand my item to Ortiz myself. I handed it to a store employee who gave it to Ortiz. Unfortunately, there was a large group in front of me. There were five or six people in line, but only one item was being signed. By the time they had gotten themselves together to be on their way, Ortiz was done signing my item, and was actually trying to hand it to someone in the group. I had to run up and grab the item. By that point, Ortiz was already on to the next item. So, I didn’t even get to say thank you. It wasn’t Ortiz’s fault, of course. But, I would imagine that if he were actually engaged in the signing, and not just throwing his name on whatever was shoved in front of him, he would have been more on the ball. He was clearly just going through the motions. Which is not a complaint. I didn’t pay for a chance to spend five minutes chatting. I paid for an autograph. That’s exactly what I got. It just wasn’t “Big Papi.”

What about the coming years? What will Ortiz’s role be with the Red Sox in 2012 and beyond? I don’t know. I know that I’d like him to be on the team. I can’t imagine the line-up next year without him. He’s clearly the best DH available, and would add value to any team. My feeling is that the Sox will give him more value than other teams. So, I see him back with the Sox for the next few seasons. Hopefully.

Happy 36^th Birthday David Ortiz!

Happy 36th!

2011-11-16T15:12:00.002-05:00

Today we wish a very happy 36^th birthday to former Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo!

Lugo was one member of the revolving door Theo put at shortstop after dumping Nomar. He wasn’t exactly the first acquisition Theo mentioned during his interview with the Cubs. Lugo was one of Theo’s love affairs. He longed after his on-base percentage for years. When he finally became available, Theo jumped at him. He signed him to a big deal, that he ended up having to eat in order to move Lugo. Julio was with the Sox from 2007-2009 before being cast aside.

Lugo was brought in to be the lead-off hitter, and ignite the offense. It didn’t exactly work out that way. Although, I think that like some of the other signings Theo made, expectations were probably too high. People assumed he was going to come in and be Johnny Damon. In reality, there was no reason to have thought that. He was a decent player. He led the team with 33 steals in 2007, back when that was an amazing number for a Red Sox player. He did a lot of good for the Red Sox. Plus, he was a member of a World Championship team in Boston. That has to count for something.

Happy 36^th Birthday Julio Lugo!

Papelbon in Pinstripes

2011-11-15T15:17:00.002-05:00

Red ones, anyway.

So, it’s official. There was a press conference and everything. Jonathan Papelbon is the newest member of the Philadelphia Phillies. Whenever a big free agent changes teams, two questions pop up. Was it a good signing for the new team? Will the old team miss him? In this case, your answer will have many levels depending on what you’re looking at.

From the Phillies end? They got a great closer. Is he worth the money they gave him? I have no idea. I’m on record saying that I don’t care one little bit how much a player is paid or overpaid, as long as it doesn’t prohibit other moves. So, if the Phillies have huge holes that they can’t fill because they’re giving Pap $50 million, that’s a problem. Otherwise, they’ll love seeing Papelbon storm out of the bullpen in the ninth inning for years to come.

The more relevant question is will the Red Sox miss him? I guess that depends on what you think of closers in general. Are they key members of a team? Are they just fun for the fans? Are they a way for managers to not think? Was Mariano River a crucial member of multiple championship teams, or is he an overrated pitcher who’s not good enough to be a starter? (I’ll let you guess which end I come down on that one.) I’ve said many times that I loved being at Fenway when “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” blared through the air. It was fun. But, what if Daniel Bard came out to that song instead of Pap. Would it matter?

Maybe. Papelbon was an elite closer. More often than not, he shut the door on the other team. He didn’t even leave room for them to imagine a comeback. But, can you get a save without doing that? Sure. Closers can lead the league in saves without ever having a 1-2-3 inning. As long as you don’t give up the runs, the team wins. So, how hard is it to pitch one inning without blowing the lead? Not very. For a little exercise, let’s look at a non-closer.

I’ll pick a Red Sox starter. To hide his identity and prevent bias, I’ll just call him Ron Slackey. Mr. Slackey pitched for the Sox in 2011 and had a terrible season. Maybe the worst season ever by a starter. But, how would that season translate into a closer? Let’s see. I looked at Mr. Slackey’s September record. Why September? Because I’m too lazy to look at his whole season. Slackey’s numbers in September 2011 stood at an 0-2 record, and a 9.13 ERA. He gave up 24 earned runs in 23.2 innings. So, just for comparison, let’s pretend that instead of five or six starts, those numbers were broken into 24 different 1-inning outings…like a closer.

In order to record a save, a closer could enter a game in the ninth inning with as much as a three-run lead, and pitch one inning without giving up the lead. So, in how many of his September innings did Slackey give up three or more runs? Three. So, in only three innings would the worst starter in baseball history have blown a three-run lead during his worst month. Or, an 87.5% save percentage. Not too bad. What about the 1-run leads? How many scoreless innings did Slackey throw in September 2011? Fourteen. So, even with a one-run lead, the worst starter in baseball history would have converted 58% of his save chances. For the record, he would have saved a 2-run lead 70.8% of the time.

What on earth does all this mean? That this horrible pitcher should be expected to save a 3-run lead 87.5% of the time. What would an average pitcher be expected to do? Or, a decent one? Suddenly, you realize that the ability to save games isn’t exactly rare. Really, just about any pitcher should be expected to convert a save opportunity.

Yes, I know this isn’t a perfect example. Teams play differently at the ends of games. They don’t sacrifice bunt in the first innings, but they don’t play the infield in either. As the game goes on, Slackey may have gotten more comfortable, but the batters would also see him a second time. So, it may all be a wash in the comparison. In any event, there it is.

So, will the Sox miss Jonathan Papelbon? Sure. He’s a good pitcher. Will they miss having him in the closer role? Maybe not. It seems to me that they can find someone for much less than $50 million to save games. Then, they can use that money to get a DH. Or a right fielder. Or a starter. Or, is that why they can afford Crawford and Gonzalez? Because they knew Pap was off the books? If this gives the Sox the ability to do other things, let Pap walk to Philly.

Just don’t turn and give Heath Bell $45 million.

Are Football Fans Just Crazier than Baseball Fans?

2011-11-14T15:19:00.000-05:00

I was watching the Patriots – Jets game last night. What a fine game. As with any sporting event, the cameras were on the crowd almost as often as they were on the field. They showed a great many fans, and suddenly it hit me. These fans were dressed like lunatics. I think the one that pushed me over the edge was the guy wearing a hat with a rather large toy jet strapped to it. I don’t recall ever seeing anything like that at a baseball game. I wondered why. When the fine Mariners blog Section 331 was talking about crowd noise in Seattle, someone commented that they liked the quiet in Safeco. It’s not like it was a Seahawks game, after all. Clearly there was a distinction drawn between the rowdy football fans, and the more restrained baseball fans. Hmm.

Of course, there are exceptions. The Red Sox have the K-Men show up at Fenway. They dress funny. They yell. They chant. They hold signs. But, they’re the minority. Take a look at the picture at the top of the blog. It’s a nice shot of a large portion of Section 36. They all look pretty normal. Nobody is wearing a sock over their head. There are no Red Sox dreadlocked wigs. Nobody is dressed like a vampire. And, these are the bleachers. They’re great diehard fans. They’re not quiet businessmen sitting looking at their ipads. They’re into the games. But, they’re not loons.

The best explanation I can come up with is simply the number of games involved. Maybe it’s easy to get all dressed up for a maximum of eight home games per year. Maybe you just can’t wear a plane on your head 81 times without taking a long hard look in the mirror. Or is it the times of the games? Most baseball games are on a weeknight. Is it just too hard to come home from work, eat dinner, and then spend two hours putting on make-up before heading to Fenway? Is everyone just out of practice, so they don’t even do it on the weekends?

Is it the perceived position of the crowd as a 12^th man that makes people go nuts? The crowd at a football game actually thinks that the amount of noise they make affects the game. The crowd gets all excited when a false start is called on the visiting team, like it was all because of them. So, in order to get all whipped into a lather like that, do you need to wear a mask and chew on a dog bone?

Even in the playoffs, when everything is ramped up a bit, baseball fans look normal. Sure, at the World Series people are wearing so much new gear it looks like the World Series logo threw up on them. But, it’s still just down to shirts, pants, and jackets. No skeleton masks. There are even some great cheers that resonate through the park. “Where is Roger?” “Manny’s Hitless!” “Just Say No!” The Fenway fans can get loud. They can support their team.

They just do it without the silly hats.

What to Make of the Rookie of the Year?

2011-11-13T13:36:00.000-05:00

On the whole, I have a problem with limiting my adoration. Either it’s the best, or not. I want to know which movie was the best. I don’t care which was the best animated movie, or best movie from an original screenplay, or best movie filmed entirely in Guatamala. Is it the best, or not? I hate it when weathermen talk about breaking records for a particular date. Why do I care if this is the hottest a November 13^th on record? It’s 60 degrees. It’s hotter than 60 degrees a lot. Is it the hottest day ever, or not? I don’t want to know that a player has the most hits by a switch hitter, or by a right-handed hitter, or by a Yankees player. Does he have the most hits, or not? So, I want to know if a player has had the best season. I don’t care if it’s by a player who has been in the league 20 years, ten years, or one year. Was it the best, or not?

So, why do we have the Rookie of the Year? In theory, it’s a forecast. Of all the people who are starting this year, he’s the best. So, watch out for him. He could be special. And, in theory, that makes sense. If you’re looking for a great player, he probably had a good first year. Except when he didn’t. There are several wonderful players who did not win the Rookie of the year, for one reason or another. For one thing, anything can happen if you’re just looking at one season. Guys can come out on fire. When compared to a limited field, they look pretty good. Or superior players could be victims of timing. If you’re a super player, but don’t come up until June, your numbers may be less than someone who started in April. It’s just a fluky thing.

So, winning the ROY award is a fine thing. It’s better than not winning it. It just has to be left at that. Of a particular category of players, you performed the best. Why don’t we have awards for every year? An award for the best player currently playing in his 7^th season. It would be as much of an honor. Or, what about an award for the player having the best 22^nd season. Would players try to hang on one more year to try to win that award?

Jamie Moyer could have a whole room of trophies.

The Power of Music

2011-11-11T19:14:00.002-05:00

I was listening to some music today, and Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega came on. It made me smile. Whenever I hear that song, it makes me smile. Why would this particular song do that to me? I’m glad you asked.

Let me tell you a story. As with most stories that people “remember like it was yesterday,” I’m sure I’ll get most of the details wrong. But, the general idea will be correct. It was the 1999 ALCS game 5. Fenway Park. The Red Sox are trailing late in an elimination game. Looking at the line score from game five, I’m going to say eighth inning. The Sox were behind, but mounting a rally. The Yankees needed to make a pitching change. While the pitcher was coming to the mound, a player came out of the Red Sox dugout, and made his way to the Sox bullpen. Everyone in the bleachers went crazy when we realized it was Pedro Martinez! The savior was coming! And he was taking off his warm-up jacket! This was it. The Sox would finish off the rally. Once they had the lead, Pedro was going to finish off the win. Then, the Sox would have Ramon Martinez go in game six and Pedro again in game seven. The Sox were going to the World Series! As Pedro was in the ‘pen, “Mambo No. 5” came over the sound system. Pedro started dancing around the bullpen mound, as only Pedro could. Of course, the Sox didn’t rally. They lost, and the Yankees celebrated the AL championship on the field that night. But, Pedro’s dancing is my lasting image of the game. It was as about as intense of a situation you could be in. He was being asked to save the season for the Sox, and he’s literally dancing on the mound as he warms up. That’s Pedro in a nutshell. And that’s why Mambo No. 5 always brings a smile to my face.

Anyone else have a song that invokes a specific Red Sox memory?

Card of the Week

2011-11-09T18:36:00.001-05:00

2010 Topps National Chicle Jed Lowrie #165

The 2010 Topps National Chicle set is the very definition of a love it or hate it set. The desire for card companies to recycle classic designs had been going on for quite some time. Probably since Topps’s first foray into the Heritage line. People loved the look of new players in old designs. In many cases, that meant paintings. The Allen and Ginter did this beautifully, with it’s sophisticated images. Chicle seemed to be the other direction. They realized that they were painting things, so why not have some fun with it?

In this case, the Jed Lowrie card is pretty tame. It’s a simple shot of Jed taking his cuts. The background is simple, and doesn’t detract from the image. But, you can tell that it’s not a case of an artist trying to copy a picture. The uniform isn’t quite right. I’m guessing you’d see more letters if this were a photo. It’s much more of an impression that an image. But, it works. The focus in on the right place. Lowrie. It’s not cluttered, or weird enough to be a distraction.

It’s a nice card.

He Scored!

2011-11-07T18:36:00.002-05:00

October 27, 2011

Not long ago, Tom of The Angels in Order posted a scorecard he kept while watching game six of the 2011 World Series. I thought it would be another opportunity to look at how other people keep score. Naturally, Tom keeps score a bit differently than I do. But, that’s the great the great part of scoring a game. You make your system work for you. There’s only one thing I need from the scorecard. Can I figure out what happened during the game? Do I know what all the markings mean? Let’s find out.

Right away in the first inning, I see something that I like. On Schumaker’s single, there’s a line showing where the ball went. That’s an easy thing to do, and would be nice to have later on. On that same box, you see that hits are denoted by horizontal lines in the box in the upper left corner. This is another common way of showing it, different than the 1B, 2B, and 3B notations. I’m more visual, so I like seeing the 2B on my cards. I wonder where the idea of the horizontal lines started? I also notice that home runs are circled. That’s a nice way of drawing your eye to an important event. I also like how Tom took the space to add some commentary to the card. I’m guessing that since this game was scored from TV, the notation on Pujols’s strikeout leading off the sixth denotes where K-Zone says the pitch was. Apparently the Rangers caught a break. I can also see that Holliday being picked off base during the same inning was a huge play by Napoli. I also see that Tom reacted to the end of the eighth with relief. I love the way it keeps the scorecard more alive.

The rest of the card follows just as you’d expect. You can see the Cardinals battle back whenever they needed to. Tom has clearly noted just how close the Rangers were to winning the game, and the series. (I wonder if he made the “1 strike away” notations in real time, or after the game when they became more significant) But, as we all know, the Cardinals prevailed in dramatic walk-off fashion.

And the scorecard shows you how it happened.

Thanks Tom!

(And don’t forget; if you’ve scored a game send in a scan so we can all enjoy it.)

2011 Scavenger Hunt

2011-11-05T12:36:00.002-04:00

Once again, we’ve reached the end of another baseball season. I don’t know about you, but I’d just as soon put it behind me and get on with the next one. But, it’s more than three months before we can even talk about Spring Training. The Sox do have a bit to do this off-season, what with finding a new manager and all. They even have a few holes to fill. But, those tend to drag on for a while with many more rumors than facts. How else can we all stay busy and keep our minds off September? Once again, I have the answer. I present the Fourth Annual Section 36 Scavenger Hunt. Here’s how it will work. Below, you’ll find a list of 36 items. When you find an item, take a picture of it and send it along to me in an e-mail. Whoever sends me pictures of the most items wins. Pretty simple, eh? We’ll make the end of the hunt be 12:36 PM eastern time on February 5, 2011. This both gives enough time to find the stuff, and fills the time right up to pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training. Sound like fun? What do you win if you find the most items? Worldwide fame and admiration! I will post the winner’s name (and picture if one is provided) on this very site and hail them as the 2011 Scavenger Hunt Champion! I’m sure that Ruben from Alberta, Canada has found his worldwide fame to be quite an honor this past year. I’m also offering 400 different Red Sox baseball cards to the winner (Yes, there will be all-stars and Hall-of-Famers included). Not too bad, right? Ready to get started? Here is this year’s list of items to get pictures of:

1. Ted Williams Hall of Fame plaque

2. David Ortiz replica jersey

3. Red Sox toy car

4. Poster featuring Red Sox player

5. Gate “A” sign at Fenway Park

6. Knuckler, by Tim Wakefield

7. Red Sox lamp

8. Red Sox thermometer

9. Red Sox cup

10. “Teammates” Statue Outside Gate B at Fenway

11. Red Sox player

12. Red Sox water bottle

13. Used official Section 36 scorecard

14. Red Sox wine bottle

15. Tris Speaker Hall of Fame plaque postcard

16. Red Sox Jenga game

17. Jacoby Ellsbury t-shirt

18. “Sporting News” magazine with Red Sox player on cover

19. Fenway dirt

20. Red Sox bikini

21. Fenway Park Scoreboard

22. Official program from 2007 World Series

23. Jarrod Saltalamacchia baseball card

24. Food with Red Sox player on label/box

25. Autograph of member of 2009 Red Sox

26. Ticket stub from Section 36

27. Red Sox rug

28. Red Sox Media Guide

29. Ticket to ALCS game played by the Red Sox

30. Red Sox magnet schedule

31. Red Sox pet item

32. Drawing of Red Sox player

33. 2004 World Series baseball

34. Red Sox pencil

35. Female Red Sox fan

36. Male Red Sox fan

A quick clarification. Unless it says otherwise, “Red Sox Player” refers to anyone who ever played for the Sox in a regular season game. That counts even if the player isn’t depicted as a Red Sox player in the picture. So, Jim would be able to use anything from his Phillies Room depicting players like Curt Chilling and Pedro Martinez, even if they’re in their Phillies garb.

Now, since I want this to be a scavenger hunt, and not a google search, I’ll need a way to make sure you actually find these items yourself. So, in order to qualify any picture will need to have any one of these three things in it.

You. This might be the easiest way. If you’re in the picture, I can be pretty sure you actually found the item. This has one advantage in that it doesn’t have to be a new picture. If you went to Fenway last summer and took a picture in front of the scoreboard, that would work. Or,
The Section 36 logo. Just have it showing somewhere in the picture. Or,
The address of this blog, “www.section-36.blogspot.com” , written somewhere in the picture. Either write it out on a piece of paper, on a sidewalk with chalk, on someone’s leg, whatever. (Just don’t vandalize anything).

That make sense? So, send in your pictures to me, section36 at gmail dot com (I bet you know which parts to replace with symbols) It would be nice if you told me which items you thought were in each picture. If there’s a tie between people who have the same number of found items, the first tiebreaker will be the person who did it with the fewest number of pictures. If you get a picture of a Female Red Sox fan, wearing a David Ortiz jersey, while holding a Red Sox pencil, it would be 3 items in one picture. That’s a great start, although I’m sure you can do better. One year, Jere had over 20 items in a single photo! (In case you were wondering, the other tiebreaker will just be my judgment as to which pictures I like the best.)

As I’m sure you can imagine, if you send me a picture, you’re stating that you have the rights to send me the picture. You’re also telling me that I can use the picture on my blog in just about any way I see fit.

I think that covers everything! It’s now up to you to start sending me your pictures. I’ll keep reminding you as the months go by.

Good Luck!

World Series Winnings

2011-11-03T15:36:00.003-04:00

When the 2011 season started, two things were perfectly clear. The Red Sox would win the World Series, and the Phillies would lose it. It was obvious. It was just a matter of getting to October. As the season went along, I kept thinking that when the Series finally arrived, I’d have to remember to make a wager with Jim of The Phillies Room. We’d have to wager some baseball cards or humiliating blog posts on the series between our two teams. As we know, that didn’t come to be. So, when the Red Sox didn’t even make the playoffs, I sent Jim a package of cards. I figured, clearly he had won the wager, even if we never actually made it. Well, when the Phillies were similarly eliminated, Jim decided to do the same thing right back. I received my winnings a few days ago. Jim must have still be annoyed with his team’s performance, because he sent along a ton of cards. Take a look at some of the bounty!

I can’t even begin to describe all the amazing cards Jim sent along. Some of the coolest weren’t even cards. Jim included some of the 2011 Topps stickers of the Red Sox. I haven’t been able to bring myself to actually purchase any of these. So I was delighted to see them in the box. I was also able to knock many many cards off my wantlists. Jim must have spent forever looking over my lists and searching through his cards. Of particular delight was a stack of early Heritage. I never seemed to get many of those when they were on the shelves. Just about every other brand was covered as well. Topps, Bowman, Chrome, Opening Day, you name it. Jim even took some chances with cards not on my wantlist. They were equally appreciated. With all the drama surrounding the Sox these days, it was nice to just flip through a new stack of cards. So thank you Jim! And, don’t worry.

When the Phillies and Sox meet in 2012, we’ll be able to revisit the wager.

Things I Noticed Nearing November

2011-11-01T15:14:00.002-04:00

If you don’t have a horse in the race, the end of the World Series is a wonderful thing. It means the offseason can officially begin. Here we sit mere days after the Cardinals were crowned, and things are already starting to happen.

There were a few Sox specific items that popped up. First, the Sox picked up the option on Marco Scutaro. This was really a no-brainer. So, I guess it’s nice to prove that the new GM has a brain. There was no reason not to pick up the option. Unless you’re planning on signing Jose Reyes, I suppose. Worst-case scenario Lowrie or Iglesias absolutely wow the Red Sox and force Scutaro to be a $6 million back-up. If that happens, the Sox will be in pretty good shape. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first high-priced back-up the Sox have ever had. More likely is that Scutaro ends up being the everyday shortstop. Possibly even the third baseman if they move Kevin Youkilis for pitching. Scutaro gives the team options without tying their hands. The fact that he was the only Sox who remembered how to play in September doesn’t hurt either.

All the expected Sox free agents filed as well. Two of the biggest are Papelbon and Ortiz. They’re both going to be huge decisions for Ben Cherington, right off the bat. Papelbon is everything the new age baseball people are supposed to hate. A high-priced closer. I have to imagine that in private there is no way the Sox want to take him pack at the money he’ll be looking for. I really can’t blame them. Yes, closers are fun for fans. I love being at the park when Papelbon makes his entrance. But, he’s not worth a fortune. I wonder what else the Sox could get if they didn’t need to spend $15 million on a pitcher who throws 64 innings. But, he’s popular, and fans think closers are vital. This will be a test to see if the Sox can stick to an unpopular game plan.

Which brings us to David Ortiz. Would there be a less popular move than to let him walk? Ortiz is the fan favorite of fan favorites. Cherington will have to decide once again if he wants to stick to his plan, and hold back against public pressures. Personally, I think you have to keep Ortiz. Unless you’re convincing Pujols to come DH, there’s nobody out there who can do what Ortiz does for the Sox.

For non-Red Sox news, I bet I’m not the only one shocked to see CC Sabathia not opt out of his contract. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for players signing with whichever team they want. If Cliff lee wants to take less money to play in Philly instead of NY, that’s fantastic. If Sabathia wants to take less money to play in NY, that’s just fine. What’s weird is that he took less money to play in NY than he could have gotten to play in NY. Does anyone really think the Yankees offer would go down if he hit free agency? Could it possibly have hurt him? I don’t see it. It looks to me that he could have had the money, and still play in NY. But, he just didn’t. It doesn’t look like he was thinking very clearly with this decision.

Although, I guess anyone who willingly plays for the Yankees has already proven they’re not thinking clearly.

Happy 36th!

2011-10-30T12:36:00.001-04:00

Today we wish a very happy 36^th birthday to BOTH Andy Dominique and Marco Scutaro! Two players get birthday wishes today. One, a former Sox, and one a current team member…assuming an option is picked up.

Andy Dominique was a catcher on the 2004 team. I assume that means he got a World Championship ring. Pretty cool! But, as far as the Red Sox go, that’s all he has. As the third catcher behind Varitek and Mirabelli, his playing time was naturally limited.

Marco Scutaro has had a different career with the Sox. He was signed as a free agent following a solid year in Toronto to be the Red Sox shortstop. He has been in a somewhat constant battle with the potential of Jed Lowrie. While Scutaro has played steadily, he has had to fight to keep his spot. Only injuries to Lowrie have let him keep a firm grasp on the starting job he probably has deserved all along. In the infamous 2011 collapse, Scutaro was one of the few bright spots, consistently putting up the numbers you’d expect him to. Going into the 2012 season, his option is a big question. If he comes back, is he the starter? Do the Sox shop Youkilis knowing Scutaro could replace him? He’s a great guy to have on a team since he can fill many roles. It’ll be interesting to see which one he ends up in.

Happy 36^th Birthday Andy Dominique and Marco Scutaro!

I Scored!

2011-10-28T13:39:00.003-04:00

August 28, 1999

Whenever I feel a little down about the Red Sox, I like to look back through the scorebooks. It reminds me of how good we really have it right now.

Take a look at that line-up. Of the nine players listed, which would you prefer over their 2011/2012 counterparts? Nomar at short over Scutaro. That’s it. Unless, you count taking the 1999 Varitek over the 2012 Varitek. That’s seven of the nine positions that are better now. Better than a team that made it to the ALCS. Yup. It’s pretty good right now. If you look in the pitchers spots, you see Tim Wakefield still there. And, it looks like he had the same line he kept putting up in 2011. The more things change…

So, what do we have here on this card? It’s a late season game against the Angels. I can only imagine that we were still upset at the time with Mo Vaughn’s appearance on the Angels side of the scorecard. It doesn’t look like the prettiest of game. Both teams squandered leads over and over. Thankfully, the Angels were the last ones to do it.

The player of the game? I’ll have to go with Jason Varitek. He had the key hit in the game. His bases clearing double in the third gave the Sox back the lead. To do it the same inning that the Angels were able to score four of their own was truly clutch. It would have been so easy to pack it in at that point. But, it was Varitek who stopped them from doing it. It was one of two doubles Tek had on the day. Both were key pieces in the victory.

The day’s goat? Has to be Brian Daubach. Look at him in the three-hole. Let me say that again. Look at HIM in the 3-hole! But, an 0-4 day isn’t exactly what you’re looking for in front of Nomar. Nomar had to be hitting close to .400 for the season at this point, since he finished at .357. Dauber still couldn’t get a good pitch to hit. Twice he led off an inning by grounding back to the pitcher. Not exactly a super performance.

In the end, it didn’t matter. The Sox pulled it out late and held on to win. They scored seven runs, and needed every one of them as they marched on towards the playoffs.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

Looks Like Sox with be Lacking Lackey

2011-10-26T15:16:00.000-04:00

There were a few immediate reactions from the news that John Lackey will miss the entire 2012 season after having Tommy John surgery. The first is the tongue-in-cheek one that on the first day on the job, Ben Cherington found an easy way to get rid of John Lackey. True genius. But, as always, there’s more to it than the clever headline.

Is John Lackey owed an enormous apology? Perhaps he isn’t a huge waste of human flesh. Maybe he wasn’t a fairly warm body clogging a spot in the rotation only because his salary was so high. Maybe he wasn’t the worst starting pitcher in history. Maybe he was injured. Maybe he was gutsy. Maybe he went out there in did the best he could when the Sox had no other options. Maybe he should be revered. “Remember when Lackey went out there every fifth day even though he had nothing trying to will the team to victory?” The Sox had no other pitchers so he manned up and took the ball and did everything his arm would allow to give the Sox innings? He gave them a great stretch in July and August. But, by the end of the season the best he could muster just wasn’t enough. Maybe it was an amazing season considering he needed major reconstructive surgery when it was over. Was it actually one of the best starting pitching seasons?

This makes three Red Sox pitchers having Tommy John surgery this year. The second starter, joining Dice-K. Is that alarming? Is it something the Red Sox are doing…or not doing that is making all these pitchers blow out their arms? When a bunch of Cubs pitchers did that, they found blame somewhere. They were being overworked as youngsters. What about in this case? What about when you add in Ellsbury and Buchholz. Is the Red Sox medical staff on the ball? Is information being lost? Or, is it more front office spin conflicting with medical reports. Maybe the Sox knew about Buchholz internally all along, but just lied to the public. After all, Peter Gammons said Lackey would need Tommy John long ago. Was that a slip from the front office? What’s going on?

And, what goes on from here? Looks like the Sox will need two starters next season, assuming a normal Buchholz returns. Does that make it more likely for Wake to come back on the cheap? Does it make a run at Sabathia an actual possibility? (The Sox have to at least make a huge offer to drive the price up for the Yankees, right?) Is it time for all the young arms I’ve been hearing about for years to finally make the jump?

I can’t wait to find out.

It’s a Land of Confusion

2011-10-24T15:16:00.002-04:00

I have to admit. I don’t get this whole Theo situation. This is definitely one of those times I need to read a “behind the scenes” book in a year or two.

The basics as I understand them are thus. The Cubs want Theo to be their new team president. Theo wants to be their new team president. Unfortunately, Theo has a contract to be the Red Sox general manager for another year. So, he needs to get out of that contract. The Red Sox aren’t ready to simply tear up the contract. They, naturally, need some sort of compensation in order to do that. I get it. It’s the same thing that happened when the Sox tried to get ARod. The Sox wanted him to tear up his old contract. The players union wouldn’t let him do that without being compensated. Which is why when the Yankees finally traded for him, they needed to put a link on their website to his website. Apparently, the Sox are looking for more than web hits. That’s where it gets a little weird to me.

The Sox apparently made a couple requests of the Cubs. They asked for Sterlin Castro, the Cubs franchise shortstop of the future. The Cubs declined. The Sox asked for Matt Garza. The Cubs declined. The Sox asked to include John Lackey in the deal. The Cubs stopped laughing, and declined. At this point, I understood negotiations. The Sox were aiming high, the Cubs low. It came down to who had the most leverage, and who had the most to lose. The way I saw it, the Cubs needed to make a deal because they were already promoting Theo as the savior of the franchise. If they then let him go, what does that say to the fans? The Sox needed to make a deal because if they didn’t, they would have a GM under a one-year contract who didn’t want to be there. But, then Theo resigned from the Red Sox. So, didn’t that remove all the Cubs leverage? Now, no matter what, the Sox don’t have to deal with Theo coming back all angry. Now, what’s to stop the Red Sox from saying, “We want Garza AND Castro. Otherwise, Theo can sit around for a year watching the MLB network.” The only thing the Sox would lose is whatever low-level prospect the Cubs were offering. Why don’t the Sox now take the hard line?

It’s also a little odd that apparently the Cubs are having Theo negotiate for himself. Technically, he must be acting as an outside party, negotiating on their behalf, or something. But, how do you negotiate for yourself? Does Theo offer the Red Sox lousy prospects? If he does that, isn’t he saying that he’s not a very valuable member of the Red Sox front office? Does Lucchino ask for Castro because Theo was such an integral member of the club only to have Theo counter with an A-baller, saying he didn’t do much for the Sox anyway? Is this like reverse arbitration? The Red Sox arguing that he was valuable, while Theo argues that he’s worthless? What does that tell the Cubs? Their new club president is admitting he’s not very valuable to a team? Huh?

And, now, Bud Selig says he’ll step in if a deal can’t be reached in a week. Why? He doesn’t usually step in on trades. If the Red Sox want Felix Hernandez, and the Mariners won’t take garbage in exchange for him, will Selig step in to get the job done? Is his decision binding? Can the Sox (or Cubs) look at the compensation Selig offers, and laugh? Or is Selig going to say it’s in the best interests of baseball for an executive from one team to go to another team for minimal compensation?

It’s interesting because I don’t see Lucchino as a guy to give up on a negotiation. Nor do I see him settling for less to keep good working relations or honor a gentleman’s agreement. Remember, this is the team that claimed Kevin Millar of waivers when it was “general practice” to let players like that clear waivers to go to Japan. Theo was part of that too. So, he should have a similar opinion. Why would the Sox back down? They seem to have all the cards in their hands.

Very entertaining.

List of 36

2011-10-23T12:48:00.002-04:00

36 Things people were searching for when they found this blog.

1. Red Sox Magic Number 2011

2. Game Six Frost

3. Past Red Sox catchers list

4. Caroline Kennedy divorce

5. 2003 bowman main card

6. Section 36

7. Mariano Rivera Jesus

8. It’s like a whirlpool and it never ends

9. Magic number for red sox to make playoffs

10. Jeremy Giambi Ortiz

11. Red Sox shortstops

12. 2004 Red Sox Donruss team set

13. 36

14. Got Ellsbury?

15. MLB playoffs time slots 2011

16. Red Sox conversation starters for girls

17. Ivan Calderon baseball player

18. Red Sox Wild Card 9/1/11

19. New proposed playoffs for baseball

20. Soaking up those rays The Answers

21. Jackie O’s Athens

22. I’m 36 and what should I wear

23. Incomplete reactions

24. All about the number 36

25. Anyone want to buy a Jason Varitek Doug Mirabelli autographed catchers helmet?

26. Derek Jeter traded to Red Sox in 2012

27. Deep Drive Mike Lowell

28. Longtime red sox catcher

29. Autographed 1992 Upper Deck Ted Williams baseball heroes 34 of 36

30. Opening previews to blues big treasure hunt 1999 VHS

31. Mike Greenwell in the 1989 All Star Game

32. Phillies Scorecard

33. Saltalamacchia Gonzalez Pedroia Reyes Youkilis Crawford Ellsbury

34. Necco baseball candy

35. Old xylography

36. When do the Brewers have the sausage race?

Yeah. I don't know how they got here either. Thanks for visiting though!

When is Enough Enough?

2011-10-21T13:19:00.002-04:00

When is everyone going to stop thinking the Red Sox were this joke of a baseball team that was lucky to even finish the season? When is everyone going to stop this witch-hunt for the cancer that caused this all? When? They lost one or too more games than they could to make the playoffs. Why? I don’t know, exactly, but it wasn’t because of the pitchers of beer having a gametime meal.

I’ve already talked about Beckett. I sincerely hope he comes back next year and gives the exact same season in 2012. The day I don’t want a pitcher to toss a 2.89 ERA and 1.03 WHIP is the day I should turn in my Red Sox Nation membership card. If, you know, I had one of those. Same goes for John Lester. Anyone really see his season? 3.47 ERA. What was it last season when he was a Cy Young contender? 3.25. The year before that? 3.41. Sounds pretty good to me. His WHIP this season? 1.26. Last season? 1.20. The Year before that? 1.23. So, let’s stop the implication that Lester was spiraling into a drunken tub of lard too out of shape to pitch. As for John Lackey? Yup. He had a bad year. His ERA this season was 2 runs higher than last year. (Although, oddly, he only had two fewer wins). His 1.62 WHIP was higher than 2010’s 1.42. He was bad. It happens. He gave up a run more per start this year than last year. I get it. He’s overpaid. OK. He’s the fourth starter. It’s what happens.

What was really the problem? The same problem the Phillies had at the end of the year when they lost a bunch of games in a row. The same problem the Yankees had when they had a poor September. After you clinch, you don’t play as well. Problem is, the Sox clinched in August, before they actually clinched.

You could see it in the chase for Wakefield’s 200^th win. They played, and managed, those games completely differently than they would if they had a one game lead. They were coasting, and willing to play around to get that one for Tim. You saw it in the way they handled Kevin Youkilis. The Sox mentioned more than once that he was being rested, but if they were in the hunt he could play. You saw it in the way Theo didn’t make moves. When you start Kyle Weiland in two September games against your closest playoff competition, you’re not worried about losing. You’re coasting. When the Sox might have needed to play a game 163, Theo was making calls trying to get a pitcher for that game. Why did he wait until then? He was in coast mode too. The Sox coasted for a month and a half. The only real problem? They played the Rays seven times in coast mode. So, while they were losing those games, the Rays were winning them. By the time the Sox realized they needed to try again, it was too late. The Yankees were rolling over for the Rays, and the Sox had injuries to deal with. They couldn’t stop on a dime. (The constant annoying questions from the media didn’t help either.)

I remember the 2007 Super Bowl. I remember thinking it was too bad that the Patriots led for most of that game. They were playing differently. They were coasting. If they had trailed during the game, they would have played to win. If it had even been back and forth, I think the Pats would have pulled it out. But, they coasted until it was too late. Same thing with the Sox. They relaxed too soon.

I bet it won’t happen in 2012.

TTM Success!

2011-10-19T19:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I received one of those wonderful envelopes addressed in my own handwriting. The postmark, what Sacramento, CA. Who could that be?

As I’m hoping you’ve guessed the response was from Daniel Nava. Nava burst onto the scene in 2010 about the best way anyone ever could. He hit a grand slam home run on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues. How he didn’t just retire after that, I don’t know. But, this is a great card. For one thing, since it’s from the Update set, the back of the card mentions the grand slam. The red shirt and coloring really make the signature pop. Now, I admit, I have no idea what the signature is saying. That’s the strangest looking “D” I’ve ever seen. I also notice that Nava added a Bible verse, as many people do these days.

The verse he referenced is Phil 4:13. A quick check reveals that verse to be, depending on the version of your Bible, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” A wonderful sentiment. Whenever I see an athlete sign that verse, I’m reminded of the first time I saw that verse used. It was a TTM request from Albert Belle. Belle’s penmanship was worse than Nava’s, and his marker was a bit fatter. The P and h sort of ran together. The I looked like a colin, and the l looked more like a 1. I knew it must be a verse, and the best I could come up by checking the Bible was M:1 4:13. Maccabees 1 4:13 I surmised. A quick check told me that verse is, “Wherefore they went out of the camp to battle, but they that were with Judas sounded their trumpets.” A little bit of an odd choice, but it was Albert Belle after all. It might be considered a motivational verse calling you to battle. It wasn’t until I saw another player use the Phil 4:13 reference years later that I realized that’s what Belle was writing.

So, I want to thank Daniel Nava for taking the time to respond. Since the request was sent out during Spring Training, it only took 242 days. It was a nice bit of good news mixed in with all the Red Sox crud these days.

Thanks Daniel Nava!

Happy 36th Birthday!

2011-10-18T12:36:00.000-04:00

Today we wish a very happy 36^th birthday to former infielder Alex Cora!

Cora was with the Sox from 2005 – 2008. He did a great job filling the utility infielder role. Wherever he was needed, he did what was asked. However, he may be most well known for the one time he wasn’t asked to fill in where so many thought he was needed.

At the start of the 2007 season, Alex Cora was playing wonderfully. While it was in his customary limited action, he was hitting the ball as well as anyone could ask. He couldn’t seem to crack Terry Francona’s line-up though. Despite the fact that the rookie starter wasn’t hitting nearly as well as Cora, Francona stuck by his guns and left Cora on the bench. No matter how much the public cried, Cora was left on the bench. And, unfortunately for Cora, it was the right move. Who knows how Dustin Pedrioa’s rookie season would have ended if Francona had gone with the hot Cora in April.

So, these days we can thank Alex Cora for the part he played in the 2007 World Series Championship. We can also thank him for staying out of Dustin Pedrioa’s way as he went on the with the Rookie of the Year award.

Happy 36^th Birthday Alex Cora!

The First Fall Classic, By: Mike Vaccaro

2011-10-16T13:36:00.004-04:00

In the early years of the baseball world series, it was simple an exhibition game between the champions of the two leagues. The interest in the competition beyond the gamblers was questionable. That all changed in 1912 when the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Giants. That series had stars. That series had intrigue. That series had back and forth action, and controversy. It was when all of America realized just how wonderful this little baseball series was. It was the point where the world series became the World Series.

I admit. My knowledge of the early 20^th century Red Sox is limited. Some of it’s not my fault. There’s not a lot of information that has survived. And, what little is available has been shoved down my throat continuously. (If I hear one more time why Nuf Ced McGreevy was called Nuf Ced, I may choke on my Red Sox Nation membership card.) But, this book escapes that trap. It was a thrilling read. It followed the 1912 series so it felt like I was there. I was anxious when the games were close, and pleased when the Red Sox came out on top. It was fascination to see how all the players interacted with each other. Vaccaro didn’t hold anything back. Gamblers were mentioned as willingly as Gamers. It really felt like I was in a time machine transported back almost 100 years to one of the most exciting events I could see. I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t read this book. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.

Rating: 4 bases.

Blasting Beckett’s Buffet Bemoaning

2011-10-14T13:23:00.002-04:00

Josh Beckett has taken a lot of heat lately. Unfortunately hardly any of it is deserved.

Let’s start out with the obvious. I’m not Josh Beckett. You’re not Josh Beckett. I’m not a major league pitcher. You’re not a major league pitcher. I am not one of the top 50 in the world at my job. Neither are you. So, we need to stop comparing Josh Becket to ourselves. It’s not even close to a fair comparison.

I’ve heard the complaints. “I wish I could play video games at my job.” “If I had a beer while I was on the clock, I’d be fired.” People need to stop. Josh Beckett isn’t at your job. You may have noticed, but different occupations have different rules and responsibilities. Beckett isn’t a stock boy at Wal-Mart. There’s no time clock for him to punch in the dugout. Becket is paid to do one thing, and only one thing. Pitch well every fifth day. If he does that, we should all be happy. If he does that, I don’t care if he’s doing body shots off of Yankees fans in the clubhouse between innings of a game he’s pitching in. (His wife may, but that’s her problem.) It’s the same reason that a CEO of a company can take a long lunch, when a person in the mailroom can’t. The CEO is less expendable. It’s that simple. Sorry.

Beckett has also had his dedication questioned lately. After all, he’s said that baseball isn’t his top priority. He has a wife and child now. They have taken priority. Why is this bad? I remember a few years ago a certain Yankees third baseman said he had more dedication because he was childless. He could be at the gym way more than other players. He was roundly criticized. Trot Nixon was especially vocal asking why picking up his kids from school made him less dedicated. So, it was apparently ok for the ultimate “dirt dog” to put family first. Why are we questioning Beckett when he does it too?

Last year, Beckett made 30 starts. As the fourth starter, that means he only “missed” two. He pitched to a 2.89 ERA. The best of his career. Yup. I never would have guessed either. His WHIP was 1.03. I’m not exactly sure what else we should be looking for from him. As far as I’m concerned, he should do everything in 2012 exactly as he did in 2011.

And I mean everything.

The Red Sox Machine

2011-10-13T18:28:00.002-04:00

There was one really bright spot that came out of yesterday’s repulsive “article” in the team-owned newspaper. (Well, the newspaper that co-owns the team, I guess technically.) It makes it very clear that the decision to leave the Red Sox really was Terry Francona’s choice. It means he wasn’t dumped because the ownership blamed him for the collapse. It clearly took ownership by surprise. How do I know this? This was by far the sloppiest and thrown together smear campaign they’ve launched. They obviously didn’t put the time into it that they did all the others. They had to do it quick and dirty.

I mean, with Nomar, they took their time. They used all their assets. They had their newspaper hint that he should be traded. It was leaked that he turned down a contract offer. The team-owned TV station showed endless clips of him sitting on the bench while other shortstops made foolish showboating plays. They took months to do this. They made it a lot subtler. Then, they saved just one nugget for when he was gone. The “threat” that his ankle would flare up causing him to miss games only if he was still in Boston. That was a much better smear.

Manny’s was better too. Again it was over months…even years. The team’s newspaper leaks clubhouse incidents. The teams TV station shows him scuffling in the dugout (ignoring that it was caused by the other player). The team’s flagship radio station rails on him over and over for nothing. Then, they save just one nugget for when he leaves. I admit it was a little lazy of them to use the same one from Nomar. Again, apparently, the player threatened to miss more games due to injury, but only in Boston. (I mean, really, say what you want about either player. But for both of them to actually voice that threat? How stupid do the Sox think fans are?)

But, there was none of that this season. The Machine was pretty quiet all year. I don’t remember any grumblings or leaks all of September. Nothing at all. Then, Francona says it’s time for him to leave. The only thing Francona did wrong? He hinted that he wasn’t sure the Sox wanted him back. Oops. Suddenly the ownership had to get into gear. There wasn’t time to do it slow and subtle. This had to be done fast. Plus, if Theo really was leaving, they had to prepare a second smear on the quick. It was, I admit, a stroke of genius to hang the Crawford signing on BOTH Francona and Theo. Two birds, one stone.

What will they do for Theo?

So Long Theo!

2011-10-12T15:10:00.002-04:00

I’m conflicted. I’m torn between what I know to be true, and what is the truth.

I know that a blind monkey should be able to put together a winning team with as much money as the Red Sox have. I also know that nobody did it in Boston before Theo. It’s not working so great in NY and LA at the moment. So, maybe it’s not that easy. Maybe there was something extra that Theo had? I don’t know enough to know what I know.

I know that Theo’s admitted he needed to fix his evaluation process for big-ticket free agents. Was that a flaw he had? Perhaps. There were a couple signings that he made that weren’t stellar. Overall, I don’t have a huge problem with his free agents. I still love the Crawford deal. The Lackey deal is what he is. He was overpriced for a fourth starter, but the Red Sox can handle it. Even Renteria was better than he’s given credit for. But, I wonder, what is different about talent evaluation of big-ticket free agents as opposed to little ticket free agents? Did he use a different evaluation system for Scutaro than Crawford? Or trades? Why is it that he can be so dead on with players he trades for like Adrian Gonzalez or Curt Schilling? Wasn’t Gonzalez basically a free agent signing?

Or, is it just the big free agents that we remember? Maybe Theo’s strategy of throwing everything on a wall to see what sticks doesn’t work with big tickets. Or, is he assuming it’s only money so he takes more of a risk? I have no idea.

All I know is that Theo had good moves, and bad moves. He got too much credit sometimes, and not enough credit sometimes. I think it’s glossed over too often that the MVP of both his World Series wins were acquired by other GM’s. As was the ALCS MVP in 2007. In 2004, the ALCS MVP was signed by him. But, he was signed as one of two or three guys hoping to compete for a spot. Theo had some great drafts. But, he traded away Lester as a throw in before the 2004 season, only to have the deal overturned by others. He offered Ellsbury (or Lester) to the Twins for Santana, but the Twins turned him down. I don’t think he’s slammed enough for bailing on the team in a gorilla suit and then trading away players who he claims were doing the same thing.

I sense that I’m running around in circles with this. That’s pretty accurate. It’s just how I feel. Circular. I don’t think Theo was the savior. I don’t think he’s the reason the Red Sox are a great team. I think he’s more flair than substance.

But, I’m comforted that the next GM will probably be just like him.

Pitchers of Beer

2011-10-10T18:53:00.001-04:00

So, as expected, small bits of trouble have leaked out of Red Sox World Headquarters. People are desperate to find out what happened to the all-powerful Red Sox. One of the items that has raised some eyebrows is the idea that a few of the starting pitchers had beer in the clubhouse during games that they weren’t starting. I for one am amazed. I’m completely amazed that anyone cares.

I admit I don’t have all the information. As many times as I ask, the Red Sox won’t let me into the clubhouse during games. Or, any other time for that matter. But the only bits of information I have simply say that they were drinking beer. It mentions nothing of excess drinking. I have not heard a report of John Lackey throwing up in other player’s lockers. To the best of my knowledge, Jon Lester was never found passed out on the floor when everyone else filed into the clubhouse after a tough loss. I don’t think Francona ever had to shoo a stumbling Josh Beckett back to the clubhouse before he urinated all over the dugout. They were simply adults enjoying a beverage during the game, correct? I’ve been to Red Sox games at Fenway. I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever seen anyone in the stands enjoying an adult beverage during the game. I’m thinking I remember a person or two. So, there’s clearly nothing wrong with enjoying a beer while watching a Red Sox game. Do the Red Sox officially discourage the consumption of adult beverages? Well, I’m trying to think of a bigger sign in Fenway Park than the Budweiser sign over the right field roof. I’m going to guess that the Red Sox organization is on board with grabbing some Buds. So, the Red Sox pitchers were involved in an activity that just about everyone else in the Park was involved in, that the Red Sox practically endorse. And the problem is…?

But, I’ve heard, they should have been in the dugout. They should be building a team, not slinking away in the clubhouse. But, doesn’t just about the entire team make its way back to the clubhouse during the game at some point? I’ve heard many stories that started with “I went back to the clubhouse, and so-and-so was there…” Don’t players go back to the bathroom, or to change a shirt, or something? Doesn’t David Ortiz go back to the clubhouse to watch video of his previous at-bats to prepare for his next one? Doesn’t The Great Mariano Rivera take a nap in the clubhouse during every game? I’ve never heard that any of those people should be in the dugout. This isn’t Little League. I don’t need to see the whole team at the dugout fence cheering for the batter.

So, basically, there have been reports of some pitchers doing something that everyone else does. Umm, OK.

Why do I care?

Generally, What Went Wrong?

2011-10-09T13:36:00.000-04:00

OK. The wound is a little less fresh. I can talk about things a bit more evenly. At the very least, I can do it without throwing up. So, I figured it was as good a time as any to see what in the name of John Henry went wrong with the 2011 Red Sox.

I know the quick answer. They won one fewer game than they needed to. That’s true. That’s also going to make this a harder exercise. Basically, they needed one more hit in any number of key spots. Or, one more strike in any number of key spots. They needed one less double play with the bases loaded. I get that. But, beyond the specifics of a single game, what happened with this team?

I took a look at the offensive stats for this season. I have to admit, I was a bit surprised. Did you know that the Red Sox led the major leagues in runs scored? How about on-base percentage? Slugging Percentage? OPS? RBI? Yup. They were the major league leaders in all those categories. They were second in batting average, and third in home runs. So, we can complain about Carl Crawford being ineffective all we want. We can wish JD Drew were on the field more (or less, depending on your point of view). But, the Red Sox had the best offense in the major leagues. Can’t ask for much more than that. It must be a problem with the pitching.

I bet you guessed that too. You’ve probably read once or twice that the Red Sox team ERA wasn’t great. And, you’d be right. They finished at 4.20 for the season. That’s 22^nd in the league. Just for comparison’s sake, the four playoff teams had team ERAs of: Tampa 3.58, Texas: 3.79, NYY: 3.73, and Detroit: 4.04. Hmm. Not really as drastic as I would have thought. Let’s look at runs. The Red Sox gave up 737 runs in 2011. The Rays 614. That’s a lot fewer. The Yankees 657. 80 fewer. The Rangers 677. 50 fewer. Tigers 711. 26 fewer. There’s not a lot of separation there at the end. It gets even more confusing when you look at WHIP. The Sox ranked 16^th in baseball in WHIP. Ahead of both the Yankees and the Tigers (barely). So, what happened? They allowed fewer base runners, but more of them scored? The also had a lower batting average against than both NY and Detroit…by ten points. So, the Sox gave up fewer base runners than those two teams that finished with more wins. But, they allowed more runs. So, a much higher percentage of their base runners scored? But, they weren’t allowing hits as often, or walking people as often. How were they scoring? Was it just the timing of the hits? The Yankees allowed 1 hit every inning, but the Sox had seven hitless innings but two innings with four hits in them? They were just bunched together instead of spaced apart? What does that mean? Is that a problem that can be fixed? Is it bad luck? How do you improve on giving up runs when you’re not allowing hits or walks?

This isn’t going to be easy.

Trade With Trey!

2011-10-07T13:21:00.000-04:00

When I made my offer of hits for trade for Red Sox cards, I had several bites. One was from Trey of Rants, Reviews, and Fandom fame. I was happy to engineer a swap for this beauty.

And, beauty it is. Look at the crispness of that card. The swooping design enhances the image. So often wild card designs draw too much attention to themselves. Not in this case. In this case, it may also take your eye away form the airbrushing job. The airbrushing isn’t too bad, really. They used the wrong number on his wristbands. It was only after spotting that error that I even noticed the airbrushing on the rest of the uniform. That’s a job well done.

It’s a great looking card, and will find a prime spot in my Red Sox collection.

Thanks Trey!

Where Does Talent Meet Execution?

2011-10-05T15:14:00.002-04:00

I’ve heard it a lot lately. How could the Red Sox let this happen? They had to find a way to win those games in September. It’s inexcusable for Beckett and Lester to pitch the way they pitched down the stretch. Crawford has to hit better than that when he’s needed.

Is it that simple? The implication certainly is that these players were choosing not to do all these things. Do we think that Lester and Beckett wanted to stink up the joint? Were the Red Sox not trying to win any of those games? Or, maybe they were giving it their best, but just couldn’t?

The Red Sox are known for their preparation. They have charts and graphs for every hitter and pitcher in the majors. They know their strengths, their weaknesses, and their tendencies. They have a good idea of what they want to do. What does it mean when they don’t do it? Let’s say Beckett is facing a batter who the Red Sox say can’t hit a backdoor curveball. Varitek flashes the sign for a backdoor curveball. Beckett throws one, but it catches a bit too much of the middle of the plate, and the batter hits a home run. What was the problem with that sequence? Was it the scouting? Probably not. I have faith that the guy really couldn’t hit a backdoor curveball. Some would say the problem was that Beckett didn’t execute. I suppose that’s true. If he had thrown a backdoor curveball, the guy probably would have missed. But, can’t we assume that Beckett did his best to throw a backdoor curveball? Could he have done any more in his power to throw a backdoor curveball? I’m not sure how. What if the example was more extreme? What if for game 163, they decided to call on me to pitch. Varitek flashes the backdoor curveball sign. Now, I can’t throw a curveball. But, I toss up my best effort and the guy knocks it out of the park. Was it just my execution? Is it my fault that I didn’t drop a nasty hook like I was told? Could I be a major leaguer just by simply following direction? That sounds a little silly to me.

Maybe it’s nobody’s fault. Maybe it was a risky pitch selection knowing that any mistake would lead to a homerun. Maybe Beckett just wasn’t feeling the curveball that day for any number of reasons. Maybe he should have said not to try the hook today. Maybe Varitek should have picked up on it and ignored the charts. Or, maybe, that’s why humans and not robots play this game. Maybe these things just happen. Maybe that’s why Pedro was so special.

That’s why I have such problems with some of the complaints coming out these days. I actually heard a caller to the EEIdiots wonder how the Sox expected to make the playoffs when they kept losing the first game of every series in September. Like it was a game plan they were using. It’s why I have a problem blaming the players on the field for this mess.

I have to believe they were trying.

I Still Have No Idea

2011-10-03T15:11:00.000-04:00

I don’t really know what to think. I certainly don’t know what to say. Terry Francona’s departure from the team offers up many more questions than it does answers.
First, the easy stuff. He was by far the best Red Sox manager in my lifetime. Unfortunately for Francona, that’s not exactly saying much. But, I imagine that would be the case even if the Red Sox had some managers over the last few years that were qualified to manage a Little League team. I can’t remember ever agreeing with a manager half as often as I did Francona. In those times we did agree, I often saw his point after his explanation. Very rarely did I see a move happen, think it was stupid, hear his reasoning, and still think it was stupid. That’s pretty amazing. I also know that his weekly interview with the EEIdiots was the only reason to listen to sports talk radio. It should be required of every manager from here on out.

As for why he left, or what this means for the Sox, I haven’t a clue. Part of me thinks this will be similar to the steroid scandal. Once we found out that so many players were using PEDs, you start to realize all the clues you should have picked up on at the time. I can imagine the same thing happening in this case. We’ll look back and see things that should have been huge red flags, but that were ignored. I know that the last interview with the EEIdiots I heard last week was different. He was obviously annoyed. He was frustrated. The whole tone was different. He wasn’t playful like he usually was. At the time, I chalked it up to the understanding annoyance at the EEIdiots for asking him the same questions over and over. Maybe there was more. Apparently there was more.

This sure looks like this was Terry’s call. It may have been the same decision the Red Sox front office would have made. But, it looks to have been at least mutual. I still can’t decide if that’s good or bad. If there were things that were driving Francona out of Boston, why weren’t they addressed? Why did he have to worry about getting through to his players all of a sudden? Why did all these champions suddenly need a manager’s motivation more than ever? I don’t know.

From here, I have to hope that Theo knows what he’s looking for in a manager. He certainly hit it right the last time he tried.

He has a wonderful blueprint to work from.

British Invasion!

2011-10-01T13:36:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from John of Pursuit of Red Sox. He said he had managed to find several cards on my wantlists if I still needed them. Of course I said I’d love to have them. The transfer was arranged, and his cards crossed the pond to me. Here’s a quick sample of what he sent along.

The Chicle Victor Martinez is one of the nicer cards in that set. It’s clean, and attractive. It adds a nice little variety. The Youkilis card was especially nice to get. When I sent Youk a TTM autograph request, instead of signing the card I sent, Youk returned a signed version of this card. So, my collection included a signed 2009 Allen & Ginter, but not the regular version. Until now. The ticket to stardom is a nice little set. This card does well to highlight Wakefield in the picture. I’m not a huge fan of horizontal cards because they make my binders awkward to look at. But, this 2010 Topps Jon Lester is well composed. As is the Topps 206 card of MVP candidate Jacoby Ellsbury. His goofy grin is odd, but it’s a nice clean card. The 2011 Topps Papelbon is a wonderful action shot. You can tell that Pap just gave it his all. How could I not love a Ted Williams card? Especially from one of my favorite brands. Just a wonderful card. The same really can’t be said for the card of the second best leftfielder is Sox history. The 2007 Topps Highlight just had too much on them. The big border gets even bigger with the highlight text. It’s just too much. As for the Bowman Bates? It’s the problem with Bowman cards. I have no idea who this guy is. Judging from his position, I don’t imagine I’ll ever find out.

John was also nice enough to send over some cards that weren’t on my wantlists. Just because it’s not on a list doesn’t mean it’s unwanted. It just means I needed to draw the line somewhere when it comes to things I’m actively pursuing. But, John was safe in assuming that I’d still appreciate this beauty.

Yup. Not exactly the kind of unexpected gift you expect. It’s a fantastic card. I like jersey cards that are more than just sticking a piece of jersey into a normal card as an afterthought. Clearly, the design of the card worked around the jersey. It’s classy and elegant. Those aren’t words that you say about baseball cards very often.

So, I thank John for his extreme generosity. Hopefully the pittance that I sent his way found a good home.

Thanks again John!

At Least the Sox aren’t Gutless Wimps

2011-09-29T15:12:00.002-04:00

The Yankees had a choice to make. They could try their best to hold a 7-run lead in the eighth inning and possibly face the Red Sox, or they could blow the lead and increase their chances of facing the Rays. They chose to avoid the Red Sox. Contrast that with the Phillies. The classy team still had Rollins, Utley, and Pence in the game to ignite an extra innings rally. They only took Ryan Howard out for a pinch runner late in the game, just like any of the other 161 games they played. It’s amazing that an organization that everyone claims is so professional would duck and cover like that.

Were the Red Sox eliminated because the Yankees are cowards? Not entirely. They certainly could have taken care of things on their own. All they had to do was win two more games than they did this year, and it wouldn’t have mattered whether or not Girardi can look at himself in a mirror. Frankly, just one more win against the Rays would have done it.

There will be several more posts coming trying to determine just what went wrong. (At the moment, I’m pegging season-ending injuries to the #3 and #5 starters, and clean-up hitter.) But, I’m tired today. Not just because the ridiculous games didn’t decide to end until midnight. I’m tired from an entire season of negativity. Since day one I’ve had to fight people who needed this team to be horrible. They can’t recover from an opening series sweep! They can’t take two of their last three games! They should have known they’d need eight starters and had all-stars stocked in Pawtucket! It’s exhausting to battle idiocy for so long. Looking back, I realize that I didn’t enjoy this season nearly as much as I should have because it was always such a battle with the EEIdiots. This was a great team, and nobody would let themselves believe it. Well, nobody except the Yankees. The Yankees obviously still feared them.

Go Phillies!

Red Sox 1-36:

2011-09-27T15:08:00.000-04:00

3 is for…

Game 3 of the 2004 American League Championship Series

Anyone remember what happened during that game? Let’s review, shall we? 2004 Sox fans were riding high. The team that lost the 2003 ALCS was improved and ready to battle. The Red Sox cruised into the playoffs. During the season, they often looked like the best team in baseball. They hardly broke a sweat as they dismantled the Angels in the ALDS. They swept them away in walk-off fashion. Then they came to New York. They were hot. They were powerful. They were favored to win the series. Then, they crashed. In game 1, their supposed advantage laid an absolute egg. The pitching let them down. Curt Schilling gave up six runs in only three innings. The Sox bats were held in check until they tried to come back. But, the damage was done. The Sox had another ace ready for game 2. But, despite that fact, bad luck, and bad breaks, and inept hitting put the Sox down 0-2 in the series. But, they were coming home. Things would be betting in Game 3. Damon would find his groove. He had to, right? Speedy free agent outfielders can’t be lousy forever. What happened? The Sox were smothered in game 3. That’s not even the right word for it. Never had it been clearer that the Sox were just overmatched. That they were cursed. I can’t remember a time when any team looked less likely to even keep a game close. Of course, we all know the significance of game 3 of the 2004 ALCS. It was the last game the Red Sox lost that postseason.

The switch was turned the very next night, by a stolen base of all things. Suddenly, the hitters remembered how to hit. Overnight it seemed. Suddenly the pitchers remembered how to pitch. Just like that. The Sox went from a team that couldn’t do anything right to a team that could do nothing wrong. When they needed the wins, they got four. Once they got going, even the National League champions were powerless to stop them. The team went from being painful to watch to the greatest joy in the history of Boston sports. Overnight. Sometimes you need to hit bottom to make the climb to the top more enjoyable.

3 is for game 3 of the 2004 ALCS.

And the Magic Number Drops Again!

2011-09-26T15:08:00.002-04:00

The magic number for the Red Sox to reach the playoffs is 3 games. Three. With three games to play. As lousy as they have been this month, they still sit controlling their own destiny with three games to play. And, what a way to knock a game of that magic number!

If you was a turning point, how about Jacoby Ellsbury’s 3-run home run last night. The Sox were in a must win situation. They did NOT want to lose, and fall into a tie with the Rays. I have to give the team a ton of credit for hanging in there. They battled back. They had a great game. They pulled it out. Ellsbury doing his best impression of Carl Yastrzemski had three home runs yesterday in the double header. None were more important to the Red Sox season than the one in the nightcap. There were plenty of chances to simply pack it in. Last night’s victory showed the heart that so many people assumed was long gone. It was just fantastic.

Now, there’s still work to be done. The victory did have two rather annoying effects. The Sox yet again had a long night before needing to travel. Hopefully they’ll be able to recover in time to take care of business tonight. The game also wiped the Yankees out before their series in Tampa. I wouldn’t expect much help from them tonight.

Speaking of a lack of help, I have been pondering a question. Russell Martin is on record saying he hates the Red Sox. He doesn’t want them in the playoffs. He’s ready to do whatever it takes to keep them from making it. I have to wonder. If the Rays score the winning run because of his error, or he strikes out looking with the tying run on base, does the commissioner’s office need to investigate? Is he saying he’s going to throw games? At what point does coincidence trigger something larger? Does he need to play hit butt off in these three games to prove the fix isn’t in? I know the Yankees as a team aren’t trying. They’re resting players. But, not trying to win is different than trying to lose. I would think that Martin set himself up to straddle that fine line this week.

The job for the Red Sox this week? They need to win these next two games. They need to ride the momentum. They need to remember that they’re the Red Sox, and that they’re playing Baltimore. Hopefully the Rays will drop one of their next two. That makes the Wednesday game meaningless. That way, Lester doesn’t have to start on short rest and the rotation is set up perfectly for the postseason. The Sox just need to take care of business. This is where the fun comes in.

Just win!

List of 36

2011-09-24T12:48:00.002-04:00

Not too long ago, I noticed that someone stumbled upon this blog by doing a search for “Red Sox conversation starters for girls.” Naturally, this led to two questions. How did they find this blog looking for that? Second, what were they actually looking for? Was it pick-up lines to use on girls? Was it pick-up lines for girls to use on guys? Was it something girls could use to start a conversation without sounding like a pink hat? Naturally, I wanted to help. After all, if they were coming here anyway, I might as well have the answer for them. Right? But what answers to provide. I eventually decided that the cheesy pick-up lines were more fun to come up with. So, here they are. Some work best on guys. Some work best on girls. Some can go either way. As you’d expect, I’m offering 36 of them. I’m sure there are more.

Pick-up Lines and Conversation Starters

1. Have you ever been to Section 36?

2. Do you know how to score?

3. Do you know a knuckleball grip?

4. I don’t think I’ll have any trouble finding your strike zone.

5. I have fingers like Pedro.

6. Are you a switch-hitter?

7. I could be your bat boy.

8. Is that a “C” on your chest?

9. Want to see my monster?

10. I never thought I would find (name of player on jersey girl is wearing) attractive, until now.

11. I don’t know about you, but I just can’t get enough Sox

12. I’ve been told I know my way around the bases.

13. Have you ever touched Pesky’s Pole?

14. Are you always faithful?

15. Did you know the Red Sox changed their logo in 2008?

16. You must be here from LA, because you’re an Angel.

17. You make my Sox go up and down

18. You know…Jeter’s not the only one.

19. Do you put designs in your grass?

20. When was the last time you scored?

21. And I thought the concession stand had big cups!

22. Can I see your Red Sox?

23. Want to play extra innings back at my place?

24. Can you help me with a role-play? I’ll be Varitek, you be Foulke.

25. I’m drafting a new fantasy team. Want to be my catcher?

26. You better not be a Yankees fan.

27. Will you be the Coco in my Crisp?

28. We must be in Section 36, because you’re a home run.

29. Have you been to Pawtucket? I’m going to have to send you down.

30. I have an extra ticket for tonight. Want to come with me?

31. You know, they call me “big papi” too.

32. Are you a Rich Gedman fan? Because you’re a ten.

33. Can I help you score?

34. I hope you’re familiar with Yaz.

35. I need to make sure you’re wearing a jersey under that Red Sox sweatshirt.

36. Didn’t I see your picture on Pix from 36?

Let me know if they work.

What in the World is Wrong with Everyone?

2011-09-22T15:09:00.002-04:00

So, I’m listening to the game last night. The Sox lost when they couldn’t quite score enough runs. Then, as the last out is made, I hear this weird sound in the background. I must have been mistaken. It almost sounded like boos. Boos? The fans couldn’t have been booing this team. That’s not the Fenway Park I know. That’s not the park I was in when we all stood and cheered after the Sox were eliminated from the playoffs for giving us a good run. No, those certainly couldn’t have been boos.

What in the name of Terry Francona would they be booing? Do the fans think the players chose to lose the game? Do the fans think they’re not trying their darndest to win the game? Do they think that boos are going to make a curveball break more than it did before? I thought Boston fans were supposed to be the smartest fans in baseball. That was embarrassing.

There are plenty of times when it is permitted to boo. If a player chooses to wear pinstripes on their uniform…boo them. If they think that Toronto is closer to Texas than Boston…boo them. If they beat their wife before the game…boo them. (assuming, of course, it’s actually true) I’ll even let you boo them if three players stand on the pitchers mound and watch a pop fly fall to the ground. Those are all choices made by the player that you can disagree with. You cannot boo a player just because he’s not as good as you wish he were. Do you think boos will make him better? This isn’t football. Giving it your all can’t change the outcome. Didn’t we always laugh at Steinbrenner for confusing the two sports? The rah-rah stuff doesn’t work in baseball. We giggled to ourselves as he took the credit for turning the team around by giving a speech. In baseball, more than any other sport, effort takes a backseat to ability. So, I ask, what are the boos supposed to accomplish?

Are you frustrated? Fine. I’m frustrated. I’m frustrated that people are being so gosh darn irrational about this whole thing. The Red Sox are two and a half games up with six games remaining. Why on earth would I be jumping off a bridge? The magic number has dropped the last three days. The Sox control their own destiny. Isn’t that exactly what you want? It’s all I look for.

I can’t help but wonder what the reaction would be around here if the roles were reversed. If the Sox were 2.5 games back with six left, would anyone think they had a shot? Let me think. When the Sox were down three games with 150 games left, nobody though they had a shot. So, if everyone would be certain the Sox couldn’t make up the ground, why is everyone so sure that the LA Rays will? Or, what if the Yankees were struggling in September. If the Yankees had a 5-15 stretch, would anyone be counting them out? No. All you’d here is about how they’ll turn it around when they need to. Why not the Sox? Shouldn’t it be telling that the national media still picks the Sox to be the wild card?

The best line I’ve heard lately came from the EEIdiots a couple days ago. They were complaining that the Sox were going to never hold off the Rays because they weren’t playing well. Someone commented that the Sox had actually pitched pretty well against the Rays. They were told that it didn’t matter because the Rays weren’t very good. You couldn’t take any credit for beating them. So, let me get this straight. The Rays are too good to be caught. But, you can’t take any relief from beating them because they’re not very good? Which is it? Why is everyone so determined to beat this team down? They’ve been doing it since Opening Day. I’m getting a little tired of it. The Red Sox Magic Number is 5.

See you in October

Magic Number Drops by One!

2011-09-20T15:13:00.002-04:00

That’s right. Say what you want about yesterday’s doubleheader. The end result is that the Red Sox are one game closer to clinching a playoff spot. The Red Sox magic number stands at 8 games. Let’s just keep counting.

That’s the main reason I’m still amazed at all the doom around these parts. I mean, isn’t this the City of Champions? Ten-year old kids have almost had more championships in their lifetime than not. Kids born in the summer of 2004 have seen two Red Sox championships, and one each for the Patriots, Bruins, and Celtics. Incredible. And, still, people seem to treat a two-game lead like a five game deficit. What gives? This is Boston. Act like it!

I know. It used to be eleven games. So? It used to be tied. How about that? Why doesn’t that come up? Since Opening Day, they have increased their lead by two games. Isn’t that the one that matters? What if this all happened in reverse? What if they had done the losing first, then the winning? So, instead of being up eleven in August, they were down seven. Instead of losing nine games they made up nine games. They’d still be up two games at this point. In reality, they did that too. After that 2-10 start that doomed their entire season, they’ve made up ground until they have a 2 game lead. Why don’t people mention that? Why do they always pick the wrong sample sizes?

I don’t care when the Sox lose their games, or when they win them. They are going to end their season with at least 93 wins. They are going to make the playoffs. Does it matter if those 93 wins come in 9 ten-game winning streaks balanced by seven ten-game losing streaks? Or, if they won two games, then lost one, and won two, and lost one. It’s just the way the match-ups happen to fall on any given day. That’s why the baseball season is so long. It balances things like that out. That’s why a sixteen game season would be ridiculous. They need to have enough games to allow water to find it own level. The Sox are still the dominant team everyone thought they were. They’re just going through a stretch at the moment. It happens.

So, if you’re worried about the Sox recent performance you need to ask yourself a few questions. Are you worried about how Kyle Weiland will perform as a playoff starter? Nope. He won’t be pitching. But, the Sox did lose three of his games during this slide. Including two Rays games that really closed the gap. So? How about Sunday’s loss? They got embarrassed, mostly by horrible fielding from Mike Aviles. Does that concern you? Nope. He won’t be the starting third baseman in the playoffs. What about the lack or runs scored yesterday afternoon, or the shotty fielding in left by Darnell McDonald. Concern you in the playoffs? Nope. Crawford will be back in left for those games. The real line-up will be back.

So, why is anyone concerned?

This Could Be Fun!

2011-09-19T15:10:00.002-04:00

I actually heard someone on the radio say that as much as they didn’t want to say it, the Sox had to cheer for the Yankees this week. What? What? Why on earth would I ever do that? Now, I admit. I have wished for the team the Yankees are playing to lose before. I have never wished for a Yankees win. I know. It’s semantics. But, I feel better. This isn’t one of those cases. I want the Yankees to lose, and lose big the rest of the season. An eleven game losing streak would be perfect. The Sox just need to play decently.

The Sox have ten games left. The Rays have ten games left. The Yankees have eleven. The Rays and Yanks play each other seven times! So, let’s assume the Sox go a rather pedestrian 6-4 against the Orioles and Yankees. That puts them at 93 wins. In order for the Rays to catch them, they would need to go 8-2. But, in order for them to go 8-2, the Yankees would need to roll over for them…remember those seven games. So, if the Rays are 8-2, the worst they could have done against the Yankees is 5-2. Which means the Yankees were 2-5 against the Rays. That puts the Yanks, Rays, and Sox all within a game or so depending on where the Red Sox wins come from. If the Sox 6-4 includes three wins against the Yanks or zero against the Yanks. The math, I admit, gets a little nutzo.

What does all that crazy math mean? There’s no reason to cheer for the Yankees. Not now. Not ever. The Sox just need to play their game. They need to win more than they lose the last ten games. Lester and Beckett should each pitch twice more. The Red Sox offense gets to play Baltimore. The Sox just need to play their game. After all, even with the moronic start to the season and this incredible slump at the end, the Sox have played .572 ball. That’s the six wins they need out of ten. Just go a do what they’ve been doing all season.

The rest will take care of itself.

Knuckler, By: Tim Wakefield with Tony Massarotti

2011-09-17T15:36:00.003-04:00

Tim Wakefield burst onto the national scene as a playoff hero with the Pittsburgh Pirates almost 20 years ago. He fell off the scene almost as quickly. Since then, his career has followed a long but bumpy path, mimicking the bumps and jumps of his signature pitch. This book follows his career as he changes teams, and changes roles. As he hits the highs and lows that are found in any career. How does he handle his success, and his disappointment? How did he last 20 years?

This is a fantastic book. Terry Francona has often said that he think he’s a good manager because he knows what it’s like to be a phenom, and what it’s like to be washed up trying to hold on. Tim Wakefield certainly knows how both of those feel. Those experiences have formed him into the player and teammate he is today. He was a slightly cocky youngster who assumed baseball would be easy. He was almost released before finding a role using the knuckler. He starred with the Pirates. He was released not long after. With the Sox he’s been a Cy Young contender, a long reliever, a closer, and a struggling starter. It was fascinating to see how all those experiences made Tim Wakefield. What did he think of being a closer? Has he been frustrated that the Sox use him as a utility knife? How much does he want to be the Red Sox career wins leader? This book had a great flow to it. Even the factual errors that seem to be present in any book associated with Tony Massarotti couldn’t detract from that. It was a fun read, that I had trouble putting down. Tim Wakefield’s career has a way of sneaking up on people. 200 wins? From that reliever? After reading this book, you’ll see that it never should have surprised anyone. Go read it. Quick.

Rating: 4 bases.

Here We Go!

2011-09-15T15:14:00.002-04:00

I’ve discovered the problem with John Lackey. Now, I have no numbers to actually back this up, so I’m just working off of memory and impressions. He always seems to be on the wrong end of things. Sometimes he gets spanked, and just loses it. He gives up a ton of runs and has no business even being on the field. It happens to everyone. Or, he pitches really well, but the Sox don’t score and he gets a loss. Or, he pitches really well but the Sox score a ton and isn’t the story. So, you look back and say he didn’t win much. You remember the bad games. You see the run support and forget that it was just a couple blowout wins. He doesn’t get enough credit for when he pitches well, and too much credit when he doesn’t. He pitched well yesterday. That should be remembered. And, it should be an encouraging sign heading into October.

Daniel Bard did not pitch well. He didn’t pitch poorly. It’s too kind to say he pitched poorly. That’s a couple games recently where he has been an abomination. That’s not great. If anyone on the team needs to find himself again, it’s Bard.

So, where are the Sox right now? By the numbers, the magic number to clinch the division dropped to nineteen despite the loss. Likewise, the magic number to clinch a playoff spot dropped to eleven. The Sox have a four game lead over the Rays. They start a series against the Rays tonight. At the end of the series, the Sox could be eight games ahead. They probably won’t be. I’ll admit that the Price-Wakefield match-up on Sunday doesn’t make me all warm and fuzzy. Although, newly released from the chase for 200 Wake may just pitch the lights out. Nor am I thrilled with starting Kyle Weiland tonight. Even though he pitched pretty well when he faced the Rays last weekend. If the Sox split, the playoffs magic number will be down to seven with ten games left. Not a bad spot to be in.

Would I prefer that the Sox were 8-2 over their last ten games instead of the other way around? Sure. Although, a big end of the season winning streak didn’t help the Rockies in 2007. I’m pretty happy with what the Sox are getting. The Sox have some time to heal their nicks and bumps. They got their slumps out of the way. Beckett can have a couple games to be a badass again. Go back through the last month or so, and take out every Andrew Miller start. Take out Tim Wakefield starts. Just go with Beckett, Lester, and Lackey. You’re already feeling better. Now, add in Youkilis and Ortiz at the same time. That’s what October will look like.

Not too shabby at all.

Hit Traded!

2011-09-13T18:26:00.002-04:00

When I recently posted that I had some “hits” available for trade, I got a couple immediate responses. One of those was from Colbey of Cardboard Collections. He commented that he’d like the Frank Thomas jersey card I was offering. In exchange, he was offering a “GQ David Ortiz jersey.” I was thrilled! It was a textbook trash for treasure trade. Flipping a Frank Thomas Jersey for a David Ortiz? I couldn’t ask for much more. In my excitement, the “GQ” portion slipped my notice. I’m not sure why. Maybe I had the magazine on my mind for some reason. Whatever it was, I was blown away when this beauty fell out of the envelope.

I’m almost glad I didn’t immediately relate the GQ to Gypsy Queen. It made the package all the more exciting. What a great card. A fantastic shot of Ortiz doing what he does best…wasting time between pitches. I like how the shot involves so much movement, but is still not obscured by the jersey piece. It’s a well-composed card.

Thank you Cardboard Collections!

Doom! The End is Near! More Doom! And, Doom Some More!

2011-09-12T15:09:00.002-04:00

Yeah, I don’t get it either. Here’s where we sit. The Red Sox Magic Number for winning the division stands at 21 games. The Red Sox Magic Number for clinching a playoff spot stands at 14. Let the countdowns continue!

Did the Red Sox have a great weekend? No. Did the Yankees have a great weekend? No. Did the Rays have a good weekend? Yes. Does it mean much of anything? No.

The Red Sox trail the Yankees by 3.5 games. For some reason, some people seem to think this is an insurmountable lead with only 16 games remaining. Why is it, then, that those same people thing it’s an almost certainty that the Rays will erase their 3.5 game deficit to knock the Red Sox out of the playoffs? Because the Red Sox have lost a couple games? I’m fairly certain every team will lose a few games. I’m fairly certain that every team has lost a few games. Just because a team loses doesn’t mean they’re doomed.

The Red Sox are a good team. No. The Red Sox are a great team. If they lose a game, it doesn’t change that. Are some of the players in a rough patch at the moment? Yup. Are some players playing well at the moment? Yup. Is that always the case with every team? Yup.

A quick look at the numbers should really be enough to quell anyone’s fears. People are actually worried about the Rays catching the Red Sox. The Rays have seventeen games left. An astounding nine of them are against the two best teams in the American League. Six of those nine are on the road. Why is it suddenly a sure thing that they will make up 3.5 games?

Now, I get it. Some time ago the goal of a newspaper changed. The goal switched from reporting the news to selling advertisements. They need to sell newspapers, even when there’s nothing to report. So, I get that reporting “Sox on the way to the playoffs” for 30 days in a row gets stale. They need something else in order to attract readers. So, if there’s nothing there, they need to invent something. It’s the same reason that newspapers in Spring Training report that a player is struggling since he only hit one home run in 15 batting practice swings. They need something. Contrary things sell better than not. So, they can’t say the Sox are cruising to the playoffs. They have to be the ones who will tell you that they might not. Heck, they’ve been doing it since opening day!

It doesn’t mean we have to listen to them.

Free Tickets?

2011-09-11T13:36:00.000-04:00

I keep watching games in other parks, and see all the empty seats. I see it over and over, and I wonder…are they giving away free tickets?

I know, it’s a tricky proposal. The idea is to make money. You don’t make money by giving away your product. I get that. But, maybe long term it would make sense. Are they giving them away only to have them go unused? Are they not even giving them? Why wouldn’t they?

The ballpark is there, whether the seats are filled or not. Why not get the butts in the seats. Maybe those butts will buy a hot dog, or a jacket. Maybe those butts will become fans. Maybe it’s a snowball effect.

Having people in the stands makes the experience better for everyone else too. I was at Pittsburgh in an almost empty stadium earlier this year. It was creepy. It was sad. It was uncomfortable. I walked into the empty restroom, by the boarded up souvenir stands, past the closed concessions, and felt like I wasn’t supposed to be there. I could actually imagine that icky feeling being enough to keep people away. I bet it does, in some cases.

Having a full stadium also helps with ticket sales. When I was going to Pittsburgh, I knew I didn’t have to buy my ticket ahead of time. I could just walk up right before game time and get any seat I wanted. In Boston, I know I need to get that seat ASAP. So, I get a ticket way in advance, just to be safe. But, what if the weather wasn’t very good? Would I change my mind? If I have my ticket bought and paid for, I’ll tough it out. If I don’t have any money spent, might as well find something else to do. So, Boston sells more tickets just because they’re always sold out.

Which is the only real problem with giving away tickets. If you can get a ticket for free, why ever buy one? There are a couple ways around that. You could only give away the bad ones. Or you could do a buy one – get one sort of deal. Or, what about a short period where you can buy four season tickets for the price of one, and that offer will stand when you renew every year as long as you have the tickets? Say, one week, or one day, or first 200 people. Imagine if you could get three free season tickets. A family of four would have to consider it, right? The Pirates will be good again. Wouldn’t you want to get in now while the getting’s good? Or, four buddies could get them just by splitting the cost of one ticket. Not a bad deal. I know I’d do it. And that would help everyone.

It would get those butts in the seats, which would create a fan base, which would lead to more ticket sales, which would earn money, which would make the team better, which increases ticket sales onto eternity. It’s a perfect plan.

Unless, of course, these teams are already doing it.

Dear Section 36

2011-09-09T12:59:00.001-04:00

A couple months ago, I received the following e-mail:

I just wanted to drop you a quick line and get some advice on where to sit in Section 36. I ran across your blog on the web and it seemed like you would definitely be the person to talk to! Do you know how many rows are in Section 36? I have an option to buy 2 sets of tickets for the Sox/Yanks on 8/30. One is on row 21 and the other on row 11. The price difference is around $28 for the pair. Didn't know if the 10 rows would justify paying the extra money. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Brantley

Right off the bat, I had a little problem. Believe it or not, I have no idea how many rows there are in Section 36. Rest assured, on my next trip to Fenway I will be walking all the way to the top of the section to see for myself. (Especially since a lot of people seem to stumble upon this blog by looking for the answer to that very question.)

The second part of the question wasn’t really any easier. Are ten rows enough of a difference to justify a cost increase? One row difference would be a definite no. Five rows? Ten rows? That’s starts to be a grey area. My advice was to go for it, and get the close seats. As it happens, I have sat in row 11 before, and know they were great seats. I felt it was a good idea to stick with that known entity.

Thankfully, with the game now having passed Brantley wrote back to say the seats were good ones. Even though the Red Sox lost, the game was good, and the seats were worth it. I couldn’t have been happier. I’d hate to have given lousy advice. Brantley was even kind enough to send along some pictures from the game. Go check them out in Pix from 36. Thanks for writing, Brantley!

I hope you’ll keep visiting.

196, 197, 198, 199, 199, 199, 199, 199, …

2011-09-08T15:10:00.002-04:00

Well, the Red Sox did it again. Once again Terry Francona took Tim Wakefield out of a game too early, in order to save him from himself. Once again, the Red Sox bullpen managed to blow it anyway. I don’t know what to think about things at the moment.

Part of me says that this is just everyone trying too hard for Wakefield. They’re just pressing trying to get him the 200^th win. Then, it occurs to me. Isn’t that what the playoffs will be like? Was Bard wild because he was pressing? Will he be pressing in the World Series? Is that going to be a problem in October? In the playoffs starters are given a quick hook. Is this showing bad judgment on Francona’s part? Is his hook too quick? Is this going to hurt them in October? It’s easy to say the team is distracted. But, it’s not a good kind of “distracted.” If the Red Sox really wanted Jacoby to reach 30 home runs, and they altered things a little bit, I could brush off any struggles. I could say that the team was just focusing on the wrong thing for a game or two. It doesn’t really mean anything. But, in this case they’re altering things in order to win a game. And it’s not working. That’s not cool.

The only thing I can hold on to is that it is just a little different. Not only are they trying to not lose, they need to hold the lead. But, perhaps if Wakefield were going for win number 201, Francona would let him face a batter representing the tying run. Not last night. Maybe Bard would be a little looser with the bases loaded and two outs knowing that even if the run scores, the game is only tied. That’s my only hope. Although, it’s not a great relief.

From here on out? Maybe the Sox need to try some different things. If a starter gets another 11-0 lead after four innings like Lester did the other night, Francona should pull him and put in Wake. That way, all Wake would need to do is not give up 11 runs over five innings, and he’d get the win. It wouldn’t be ideal, but it would get the milestone out of the way.

Then, maybe, the Sox can just play baseball.

Card of the Week: 2003 Bowman #31

2011-09-07T16:36:00.000-04:00

The Bowman cards have evolved into a pretty standard design. A black border. Some sort of secondary color. A picture. Sticking to a design like that does one of two things. It makes the design feel safe, classic, comfortable. Or, it makes it boring. I think, in this case, I feel the latter.

I like this card. It’s a nice tight picture of Wake. The knuckleball grip is clearly shown. I can’t think of a picture that is more classic Tim Wakefield. The border gets out of the way. It has a style to it, that doesn’t go too far. The facsimile autograph isn’t splashed across the middle of the shot. It’s tucked at the bottom next to the position. The name is in gold foil, which is a little annoying when you’re flipping through a stack of them looking for someone. But, a name at the edge like that makes that a little easier.

Nicely done

Where’s My Head?

2011-09-06T15:11:00.002-04:00

Right now, I have no idea where I am. It was a bit of a confounding weekend, Sox-wise. How did I come out of it? I’m not sure.

Let’s get the 1000-pound gorilla out of the way. Josh Beckett better be just fine. It would be possible for the Sox to do it without him. After all, if you take out Beckett, the Sox rotation is pretty much the Yankees rotation. Even so, it’s certainly not the preferred option. So, I’m going to have to move forward assuming Beckett will take the mound in game 1 on the 30^th fully prepared to dominate.

From there, did the weekend tell us anything? Sure. Andrew Miller shouldn’t pitch in the playoffs. But, we knew that. Honestly, that’s the silver lining to the whole mess. Andrew Miller and Michael Bowden got knocked around this weekend. They’re not pitching in the playoffs anyway. The people who will be pitching in the playoffs? Beckett, Aceves, Bard, and Papelbon pitched superbly. Bedard pitched just fine from where I sit. Even Lackey, you could convince yourself, didn’t pitch terribly. He was going right along until one big inning. And, many of the runs charged to him scored while he was in the dugout. Not that it excuses it. But, if the inherited runners don’t score, doesn’t your feeling of Lackey’s outing take a dramatic turn?

The offense? If you look quickly, you could be worried. That’s why you shouldn’t look quickly. They got shutout yesterday. That’s true. But, the starting pitcher they faced was a youngster, so they probably didn’t have much scouting to go on. It seems though the years the Sox have had a lot of trouble with similar pitchers for the same reason. Plus, I’ll forgive some sluggishness on a day game following a day game with travel in-between. I just can’t bring myself to worry about a line-up that has three contenders for AL MVP in it. And that’s just the top three hitters.

So, the Sox trail by 2.5 games. Yup. They should still catch the Yankees. They might not. I still can’t decide if I’d rather face Detroit and Verlander, or Texas in a short series. So it really doesn’t matter to me. So, the Sox can just plug along on their way to the playoffs.

Please, just stay healthy.

Why Do the Brewers Have Sausage Races?

2011-09-04T12:36:00.003-04:00

I know it’s not just them. I’ve mentioned the pierogi races in Pittsburgh. The Washington Nationals apparently have president races. The Texas Rangers seem to have legends like Sam Austin run around. I’m sure there are others I’m not familiar with yet. My question is, why do they all have them?

And, I know the short answer. Because it’s fun. They want people to have a good time at the games, and this is one way everyone goes home happy. Blah, blah, blah. I think it’s a waste, and not just from a purist angle thinking it’s a tacky thing you’re only supposed to see in the minor leagues. If parks want to have silly races, that’s fine. I just don’t know why they would.

What’s the goal of any baseball owner? Put the butts in the seats. It’s that simple. The best way to do it is by winning games. If you’re not winning, you need to find other ways to do it. I understand that. But, why a sausage race? Are people going to the park specifically to see the sausages? I doubt it. Do they have anything to do with a baseball game, or the Brewers? No. So, why do them? Why not just show the newest Harry Potter movie on the scoreboard during the games? It has nothing to do with baseball either. And, I bet more people would pay just to see it than would pay to see a five-minute sausage race.

If you’re going to have an extra fun activity like that, shouldn’t it be an opportunity to grow your fan base? I was at PNC this summer for a Pirates game. I saw the pierogi races. I thought they were cute. I even bought a pierogi magnet. It’s a corny little stuffed pierogi hanging on the fridge. It’s even wearing a baseball hat. You know what it’s not wearing? A Pirates logo. Any indication whatsoever that it’s affiliated with a major league baseball team. So, in reality, the Pirates almost did their job. The park got me to go to the game. The fun pierogi race got me to buy the magnet. But, it’s not growing from there. When people see the magnet on my fridge, they ask what it is. I say it’s a pierogi, and the conversation drifts into what exactly a pierogi is. Or, they ignore it. But, if it were something with a Pirates logo on it, the conversation would start with, “Oh, you went to a Pirates game. Did you have fun?” And the conversation would be about the Pirates, not pierogies. Or, even better, what if they had Pirate races? Or a Pirate, and a parrot, and a sword? Or just put a Pirates jersey on the Pierogi? What if the sausages wore Brewers jerseys? Or, what if they had stuffed versions of the current players? Then, instead of a pierogi on my fridge, I’d have a stuffed Andrew McCutchen magnet. If kids bought one, maybe they’d become Andrew McCutchen fans, instead of pierogi fans. The Rangers have the legends races. But, only the Nolan Ryan has anything to do with the team. Why? Why not have Nolan Ryan, Michael Young, Ted Williams, and Mike Whitt? Then when a kid asks about the races, they’d be asking about the Rangers. Why is Ted Williams in a Rangers jersey? Was Mike Whitt good? Interest would be piqued. Maybe the kids would read up on these other players when they got home? And the conversations in the stands would be about the Texas Rangers.

Not the Alamo.

A True Genius Move

2011-09-02T19:08:00.002-04:00

So, I’m guessing this was the conversation between Theo Epstein and Tito Francona yesterday afternoon in the manager’s office.

Theo: Just make sure the guys go easy today. Burnett may be a Yankee, but we don’t want to show him up.

Tito: Yeah, I know. I was just going to have a team meeting about that. What a month he just had. You hear there’s talk of leaving him off the Yankees postseason roster?

Theo: I’ve heard. Can you imagine that?

Tito: To be honest, that might be bad for us. If we were to meet them in the ALCS, I’d sure like to have that guaranteed win to count on.

Theo: I know but he’s pitching so badly, I doubt we’d be that fortunate.

Tito: Maybe he’ll luck out and have a good start before the end of the year. That might be enough to give the Yankees false hope and put him on the roster.

Theo: I know. One good start... One good start… against, say, the best team in the American League.

Tito: Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?

Theo: I have no idea what you’re talking about. Go have that team meeting.

It’s the only explanation I can come up with.

Happy 36th Birthday!

2011-08-31T15:15:00.000-04:00

Today we wish a Happy 36^th Birthday to former Red Sox favorite Gabe Kapler!

Gabe was on the Red Sox from 2003 to 2006. During that time, there are three games he was in that stand out to me.

The first game is his Red Sox debut. I’ve mentioned before that I was fortunate enough to be at, and score, that game. It was an incredible debut for a role player. 4-5, 3 RBI. Fantastic.

The second game is Game One of the 2004 World Series. Sure, all he did was pinch hit for Trot Nixon. But, how can I forget anyone who played in that fabulous World Series.

The final game is the one where he blew out his knee. He was on first when Bill Mueller hit a laser of a home run. Not able to be sure it was gone, Kapler did what he was supposed to do, and chugged around second. Unfortunately, in the process he crumpled to the ground. The thing I remember is Mueller standing just beyond second base trying to figure out how to finish his home run trot without passing Kapler. One of those things that sometimes happens in ballgames.

But, during his time in Boston he was known as a player who gave it his all. He was never able to harness his talents to become a star. But, he was the kind of player you want on your team. And, he’s a World Champion.

Happy 36^th Birthday Gabe Kapler!

Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon

2011-08-30T19:22:00.002-04:00

I wasn’t going to mention it. I didn’t really think I should mention it. After all, when I started this blog, I didn’t want it to be a regurgitation of information you can get anywhere else. I didn’t want to just post box scores, and winning pitchers. I wanted to offer something that you can only get here. Me. Unless I was saying something that the Boston Globe wasn’t, why on earth wouldn’t you just read the professionals? With that in mind, I have a hard time believing that anyone in Red Sox Nation is unaware that the Jimmy Fund Radio-telethon is going on. I certainly can’t believe that a fan dedicated enough to read this little blog doesn’t know the telethon is going on. So, why in the world would I mention it? After all, the link to the Jimmy Fund is a permanent addition to my sidebar. I decided that, in this case, I just didn’t need a good reason.

Frankly I’m always amazed that telethons work. I used to watch the Comic Relief telethons on HBO. I always wondered if people were just figuring out that people were hungry because they were watching the show. I’m pretty sure people know that there is cancer without watching NESN today. Somehow this seems different. For me, the big impact of this particular telethon is the talk from the doctors. To hear them speak so passionately about their research is uplifting. To hear exactly how the money that is donated has directly affected treatment opportunities is humbling. To see just how far we’ve really come in treating this disease is encouraging. These are some amazing people doing some amazing things. I can’t stop myself from helping them. Hopefully you’ll find yourself in the same situation. If you do, head over to the Jimmy Fund and do what you can.

Apparently, every little bit really does help.

Wet and Wild Weekend

2011-08-29T12:36:00.003-04:00

Well, all things considered, that weekend wasn't exactly the bust it could have been.

Frankly, I assumed that they would just postpone the Sunday game. It would end up being one of those annoying games that were only made up if it counted in the standings. That led to an interesting potential scenario in my head. The Sox end the season one half game behind the Yankees, they both have a sixish game lead in the wild card, and the Sox lead the season series with NY. That means that the Sox would have been in the playoffs, but needed to play that last game to decide the division. I wondered how hard they would try to win that game. Would the A's try? Would it have been AAA vs AAA? Sadly, we'll never know.

But, the Sox did the smarter thing, and moved all the games up to get out of the way. I can't imagine how annoying that was to fans with tickets...but there's only so much that can be done when Mother Nature's in a bad mood. I think the Sox handled the situation wonderfully. I especially like the fact that they were so easygoing with their admission policies. Once the first game went into a long rain delay, they were running up the back of game 2. Ticket holders were there, ready to go inside. So, the Sox let them in. Why not? There was plenty of room. I'm sure there are some people out there who will say the Sox only did it to sell more beer. But, I'm willing to assume they did it to be fan friendly. I never heard what happened between games. I don't know if they bothered to clear the stands or not. I know the second game started pretty quickly.

And, then, at the end of the second game, the Sox did it again. They opened the gates, and let anyone willing to support the team come and do so. Yes, yes, those fans could buy beer too. But, it was still a gesture. And, it was the perfect one at that. Did the other teams playing in front of friends and family because of hurricane Irene do the same for their fans?

The Red Sox management seems unable to win when it comes to rain delays. It's dry...they should have played. It's so wet they knew they would call it...they only delayed it to sell more hot dogs. How did they play in that? But, I think this weekend they played their hand the absolute best they could. Plus, the Sox swept the doubleheader.

If anyone took any hurricane Pix from 36, send them along!

Hits for trade.

2011-08-27T11:36:00.001-04:00

I’ll admit it. Some of these I feel a little guilty calling “hits.” But, that’s neither here nor there. Basically I have these cards that I don’t want. It occurred to me that there are plenty of people who are team collectors or player collectors that would want these that I don’t know of. After all, imagine my surprise to find a Russell Martin player collector out there. So, if you’re a collector of a player or team associated with one of these hits, this is the post for you. If you’d like one of these cards, just let me know. What would I like in exchange? Best case, a similar card of a Red Sox player. But, I imagine I’ll be pretty flexible. Here are the cards…

Now, I have to say. Some of these have been hanging around long enough that I can’t for the life of me remember where I got them. But, the list of what players or teams have cards pictured goes something like this.

Blake Dewitt - Cubs

Jaime D’Antona - Diamondbacks

Hanley Ramirez - Marlins

Franklin Gutierrez and Juan Pierre – Mariners and White Sox

Terrence Long - A’s

Ronny Paulino - Pirates

Derrick Turnbow - Brewers

Chris Duncan - Cardinals

Frank Thomas - Blue Jays (or A’s)

Jeff Larish - Team USA

JJ Hardy - Brewers

Miguel Tejada - Orioles

Brett Hunter - Team USA

Garret Anderson - Angels

Roy Oswalt - Astros

Francisco Peguero - Giants

Adam Jones - Orioles

Ichiro Suzuki - Mariners

Brian Roberts - Orioles

Roberto Alomar - Orioles

Martin Prado - Braves

Chipper Jones - Braves

Nick Markakis – Orioles

So, if you’re an Orioles fan, watch out. There are five Orioles on the list. The Braves, Mariners, and Brewers fans should be drooling as well.

If you see something you like, let me know and stake your claim. If you know someone else who may like something, let them know two.

Happy looking!

Are the Sox Trying Too Hard for 200?

2011-08-25T18:36:00.000-04:00

The Sox have basically said these games don’t matter. They can read the standings in the paper as well as we can. They know that a loss in these games probably won’t end their season. They admitted as much when they put Youkilis on the DL. Basically, they were prepared to lose a few games in August. So, would it be a stretch to say that getting Tim Wakefield his 200^th win is a top priority?

It certainly has looked that way lately. Francona’s quick hook in Wake’s last start screamed it. Wakefield has been in rougher spots than that before, and stayed in the game. But, he had a slim lead. It sure looked like Francona was trying to save him from himself. He knows it’s possible that the knuckleball can go away quickly. If it’s just a matter of keeping a game close, he can live with that. But, in his last game, Wake had to keep the lead. He wasn’t going to be around long enough to benefit from keeping it close. So, Francona used the hook. It sure looked like the bullpen wasn’t quite ready to come into the game. Did Francona call for them sooner than he’d like? Did he call for them sooner than they’d like?

Then Francona monkeys with the rotation just a bit by inserting Andrew Miller. Sure, this could just be a way to give all the starters an extra day as we get late into the season. Sure, it could just happen to push Wakefield’s next start to Fenway. But, if adding Miller had pushed Wake’s start from Fenway to Texas, instead of the other way around, I can’t imagine it happening.

Is Wakefield pressing? I’m sure he is. But, if he’s throwing the knuckler too hard, it’s not as effective. Is he getting to the sixth inning with a lead, and just amping it up too much?

I’m sure 200 will come very soon. And, I can imagine that after that, Wakefield’s next starts will be much easier.

For Wakefield, and the Sox.

700!

2011-08-24T14:57:00.002-04:00

Seven hundred of anything is a lot.

Only two Red Sox managers have over 700 wins. Terry Francona and Joe Cronin.

Only one Red Sox player has played in 700 consecutive games. Everett Scott.

The Red Sox haven’t had their 700^th consecutive sellout…yet.

Yup. 700 is a lot.

Which is why it was so cool to discover that this is my 700^th blog post.

Yay Section 36!

Sorry About That, Los Angeles

2011-08-23T14:56:00.002-04:00

Last night’s game between the Red Sox and the Rangers was perfect example of two of the problems MLB has. Not enough parity, and an unbalanced schedule.

Let’s say you’re the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim California. You’re in second place in your division, 4.5 games back, halfway through August. You’re running out of time to make your move. You look at your remaining schedule. You have two more series with Texas, and one with the Yankees. The rest of the games look very winnable. Perfect. Then, you look at the Rangers remaining schedule. They don’t play the Yankees…but they do have a series against Tampa. And, TWO series against the Red Sox. When the Rangers have to play the best team in baseball, you should have a chance to make your move. Other than that, you can’t see a team on their schedule good enough to cause them to lose ground. There are only the two other good teams in the AL after all. Beyond that, it’s hard to expect losses to pile up. And, then, they look at last night’s game. The Sox are missing three all-stars. The Rangers get to use up one of their remaining games against a good team playing the AAA version. Not fair at all.

It’s the biggest problem the lack of a salary cap presents. The distance between the good and the bad makes things a lot more luck-based than they ought to be. It not only affects the big markets themselves, but every other race as well. The Rays are sunk because they have to play in the same division as NY and Boston. But, LAA is in trouble as well, and they play out west.

If there are only as couple decent teams, it makes the whole race a crapshoot. I say it every year. I know the Sox are better than the Yankees. But, there aren’t enough other good teams out there to make enough of a difference. They both should win most of the games they play against other teams. It just comes down to the head-to-head and a little bit of luck. And, that’s really too bad.

The unbalanced schedule certainly doesn’t help matters. The Angels have to concede that the Sox will play the Rangers more this year. But, 70% of those games are in Texas. The Angels are 50-50. How does that work out? So, in the few games the Rangers have to play against a decent team…a schedule fluke gives them most of the games at home? And the Angels still have to compete with them like it’s an even playing field?

Who decided that was a good idea?

Game Six, By: Mark Frost

2011-08-20T10:36:00.002-04:00

Every game has a story. It goes deeper than what you see in the park or on your television. Every action has a reason, and an explanation behind it. This book gives those explanations for what many consider the greatest game ever played. As the title tells you, this book focuses on Game Six of the 1975 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. But it was more than that. It was Sparky Anderson vs. Darrell Johnson. Luis Tiant vs. Pete Rose. Carlton Fisk vs. Johnny Bench. What was the back-story that made this one game the pinnacle sports? What does the viewer need to know that it doesn’t?

I had a bit of a problem when I was reading this book. When it started, I thought it was going to be in the same style as Steve Ketteman’s landmark book One Day at Fenway. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a wonderful book. It just took me a little while to get over it. Game Six uses a popular technique of following the play-by-play of a game, but interjecting outside information into it. So, it is like reading a series of short biographies, set into the flow of the game. The trick with that style is not interrupting the flow of the game itself with a story about Carlton Fisk. Frost does a good job of that. I never felt like the book was getting too far away from the action. Frost also did a good job of keeping the side stories relevant to the game action. It usually seemed like the story being told had a direct relationship to the game situation the player was in. It was wonderfully twirled. It also helped that I didn’t know as much about the 1975 team as I do others. Sure, I had already read The Long Ball. But, that was about it. So, the information in the book wasn’t as stale as if it were about, say, Game 4 of the 2004 World Series. That all made for a wonderful read. It makes me want to pick up Frost’s other books…even if they’re about golf.

Rating: 3 bases

What Exactly is Going on Here?

2011-08-19T14:59:00.002-04:00

It’s been a bit of a ridiculous week here in Red Sox Nation. Things are getting a little turned all around and upside down by the day.

First the great Red Sox lose a series to the Seattle Mariners. I know, it was in Seattle. But, still. The Seadogs shouldn’t lose a series to the Mariners. Then, they follow it up by losing a series at home. Yes, it was to Tampa. But, really? I know double headers are a bit of a crapshoot. I don’t care. That was not the plan. Nor was it the plan to lose David Ortiz to an injury. Losing Youkilis to the DL certainly wasn’t something I had mapped out either. So, where in tarnation are we? Second place. Second best record in the AL. By a half game. Third best record in baseball. Ok. Breathe.

Should I worry? Maybe. Probably not. I think the Sox are doing everything right. They know their record. They no that a playoff spot is virtually assured. If giving Ortiz an extra couple days to rest his heel costs them the division, they’re OK with that. A healthy David Ortiz will do more for them in October then home field ever would. Same goes for Youkilis. If putting him on the DL means he won’t even try to ruin his back for October, I’m fine with that too. Might it cost them in the division race? Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t want to face Verlander in a short series anyway.

Heard someone on the radio today mention that the Sox were still looking for a reliable third starter. I think the reaction to that comment should be a fairly common question. Isn’t everybody? If a third starter were reliable, why would he be a third starter? Does anyone have a reliable third starter? I can appreciate the goal of having a Hall-of-Famer at ever position on the team. But, there aren’t that many Hall-of-Famers to go around. I heard another comment a week ago about the Pirates collapse. The reason given for it was that the Pirates didn’t have a true ace. They didn’t have CC Sabathia or Justin Verlander. That’s great. Of course, six teams will make the playoffs this year without CC Sabathia or Justin Verlander. There’s a difference between a wish and a need. I wish the Red Sox had a starting rotation of Beckett-Lester-Verlander-Weaver-Halladay. Good for me. That would certainly give the Sox the reliable third starter mentioned on the radio. But, it’s not exactly realistic. Every team has holes. That’s the fun. So, am I going to lose sleep over a lack of an ace at number three? Not really. Frankly, John Lackey is a fantastic third starter. I know people hate his interviews. They hate his body language. They hate his contract. But, he’s still a quality pitcher. Same goes for Erik Bedard. Either one of them would be a wonderful third starter in a playoff game. Especially with a full and healthy line-up backing them up. I can’t stress over not having a reliable third guy.

Nobody else has one either.

Card of the Week

2011-08-18T18:36:00.001-04:00

2003 Topps Heritage #349 Derek Lowe

The Heritage lines are a lot of fun. Really, any chance to add some variety to a collection is OK in my book. It’s also pretty neat to see newer players in classic designs that I’ve seen for years on older cards. So, this Derek Lowe card is a nice one to have. This design follows the 1954 Topps design, and it’s a nice one. It’s clean, crisp, and colorful. It works well.

The 2003 Derek Lowe is also great because of the stats on the back. Following the lead of the 1954 originals, there is only one year of stats on the back, along with career totals. In Lowe’s case, the 2002 stat line was a great one. It was the year he finished third in the Cy Young voting. So, the stats show his 21 wins, and his sparkling 2.58 ERA. It’s nice that the single line really makes that year stick out. The 1954 Topps also had cartoons on the back. In Lowe’s case, all three cartoons focus on one thing. His no-hitter. So, the back of this one card amplifies his two greatest career achievements. Perfect. It’s also nice for me since, as I may have mentioned, I was at that no-hitter. Anything mentioning that day is just great in my book.

A nice looking card.

I Scored!

2011-08-16T19:04:00.000-04:00

April 16, 2001

The top of this card tells you that once again this will be an exciting game. An early April game against New York can only mean one thing. The Yankees are in town! Who do the Red Sox have one the mound in this epic battle? Yup. Frank Castillo. Oh well. It was a nice try. Wait. What? The Sox won? How did they do that?

It looks like they did it by slowly annoying the visitors to death. The Sox scored one run in four different innings. They had just over a hit per inning of the game. There were no major scoring threats. They didn’t bat around. They just scored more runs than the Yankees.

The hero of the game? That’s a tough one. No player scored more than one run. Nobody had more than two hits. But, Darren Lewis was the only player with both two hits, a run scored, and a run driven in. So, he gets the game ball for this game. The goat? The obvious choice is Trot Nixon. He was the only starter without a hit. He also hit into a double play. But, he did get that RBI. So, the game wasn’t a total loss. Maybe Shea Hillenbrand and his one-hit RBI-less day can share in some of the blame.

The pitching? It was actually stellar. Castillo held the Yankees completely at bay. To say he had a qhality start is an understatement. Tim Wakefield and Rod beck tossed scoreless outings of their own. What an effort.

So, the Sox did just enough to win. The offense made the most of every opportunity. The pitching made sure every run counted. The Red Sox beat the Yankees. What could be better?

And the scorecard shows how it happened.