The Price Goes Down

During Spring Training 2001, the news came out that Nomar Garciaparra had a wrist injury. He would need surgery. 

It was crushing news. In fact, it bothered me how much it bothered me. It was just a baseball team, after all.

But, back then we were all still waiting. The Boston area hadn't had a world champion since the Celtics in 1986. The Red Sox, you may remember, hadn't had a title since a few years before that. 

But, this...THIS...was their year. They had Nomar, the two-time defending batting champion and all around MVP type. They still had Pedro Martinez, coming off the two best years any pitcher had ever had. That wasn't quite enough to bring a title. So, in the off-season they added Manny Ramirez. The best right-handed hitter in who knows how long. They were all set. Finally. This was going to be their year. 

Then, suddenly it wasn't. 

Devastating.

In 2017, things are a little different. The Red Sox have won three title in the years since 2001. The rest of Boston sports added seven more. We don't need THIS to be the year. The Patriots are the World Champs. The Sox won a title just over three years ago.

So, when news came out that David Price was having elbow issues, I was surprised by my reaction. "That's too bad. At least we still have Chris Sale and can give this a good run."

The urgency was gone. Even now that Price appears to be OK, it's not jubilation. More like just being happy to be able to see everything I expected. Cool.

I'm thinking that's a good thing. I know it's easier on me to not live and die over every single game. I know I'm enjoying looking forward to a fun season without worrying that they might not actually pull it out. If they don't, I'm sure they will soon. 

Two injuries to two superstars, and I couldn't have felt more different about them. Because everything changed years ago.

What a time to be a Boston fan.

I Scored: August 18, 2007

OK, what do we have here? Today I decided to flash back to a game in the fantastic season of 2007. The Sox were on their way to winning the division, finishing with the best record in the American League. This team had some skill, and the scorecard from this game shows exactly that.

Let’s start with the pitcher box. This box sums up this gave very well. Curt Schilling struggled out of the gate, only being able to go six innings while giving up five runs. But, the rest of the bullpen was able to shut things down to allow the Sox to stay in the game. In fact, that pitcher succession would be seen again in the World Series, simple removing the need for Timlin. This game was also closer than the final score would indicate, because of the Sox scoring so many runs in the eighty. When Timlin and Oki were in there, they were in a hold situation. Then the offense did their thing.

Speaking of the offense, Wow. Just look at it go. As always with these old cards, the names are fun to look at. Julio Lugo leading off? Alex Cora at second base? 

I love the Manny Ramirez line. Could there be a more “Manny” outcome? He started with four swinging strikeouts. But in the eighth he followed an intentional walk by driving in two huge insurance runs with a double. With that double, the Ortiz-Manny combo ended up with fantastic number, driving in six on the ten runs (thanks to an Ortiz grand slam) and scoring three of their own.

The hero of the game? Have to give that to Ortiz. His go-head grand slam in the fifth was enormous. Clutch, you might say. 

The goat? I usually give the horns to a batter. But, the only starter who didn’t score at least one run was Varitek, and he went 2-5 with an RBI. So, I’m going to hang them on Curt Schilling. Five runs in six innings is just not what you’re looking for. He’s lucky the offense bailed him out, of it would have been a disaster.

But, the offense did bail him out. JD Drew collected his 1000^th career hit on the way to an eventual blowout.

And the scorecard shows you how it happened. 

Was Manny Ramirez Any Good?

There’s been a lot of talk about Manny Ramirez’s career lately. That will happen when you’re on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. Even more so when your candidacy is a bit controversial. 

Of course, as these conversations often do, it made me wonder how Manny Ramirez performed in games I scored. Was he a Hall-of-Famer in my books? Well, see for yourself.

I’d certainly say so!

I apparently scored about a third of a season’s worth of games for Manny. In those games, just look at that slash line. While those aren’t the highest numbers I’ve ever scored, they’re probably the highest ones with any sort of legitimate sample size. While I was there, Manny hit to a .344 batting average, got on base 45% of the time he came to the plate, and slugged 0.617. Fantastic. That also means that so far Manny has the most home runs on my scorecards, with 16. David Ortiz was the previous high with 15. Obviously, I haven’t tabulated everyone’s career statistics yet. But, offhand, having trouble thinking of someone who will challenge him. 

How do those numbers project to a full season? Very very well. Give Manny 660 at-bats, and he would have hit 47 home runs, driven in 150 runs, and scored 142 of his own. Exactly what you’d expect from one of the best hitters in baseball history. 

Whenever I do these totals, it’s always nice to see that I was watching the “real” player in my games. I got to see a good sample of what it meant to watch Manny Ramirez. I wasn’t short-changed. Nor do I think I was especially lucky. 

I just saw Manny being Manny.

How did he do when you were watching?

Favorite Font from Favorite Players

I don’t know how closely you’ve been paying attention, but I’ve made a change to the font the last couple posts. I got a new laptop not too long ago with a smaller screen than I was used to. It made the print on the blog seem really small. I didn’t know if other people were having the same problem, but figured that I should try to fix it. The problem is, blogger doesn’t seem to give you a lot of choices when it comes to font sizes. (Or, I’m clueless when it comes to figuring out font sizes on blogger. Both explanations are equally possible.) I had been using the “normal” sized font. For the last few posts, I switched to the “large” font. Of course, now, in comparison the font just looks enormous! I feel a little bit like the kid using the biggest font he can find so it’s easier to write his one page book report. But, I don’t know. Maybe the larger size works for people.

So, I need your help. I’m going to write this post using a different font/size combination for each paragraph. Maybe the different sizes work better with the different fonts. If you can let me know which one you like, and or any other comments you have on font size, it would be appreciated. As content for this post, I’m going to talk about the evolution of my favorite Red Sox player by decade.

The eighties were really my first decade of fandom, although it’s probably only the second half. Even still, my favorite players at the time were carryovers from the seventies. When I wanted the Red Sox, I was a big fan of Jim Rice and Dwight Evans. Probably not a huge surprise. They were pretty much the best players on the team in their prime years. Each of them had a special player collection in my baseball card binder. For some reason I never grabbed onto Boggs or Clemens, despite their obvious appeal. (Arial Normal)

The nineties saw a change. Rice and Evans were gone, and I was in need of someone new. Thankfully, the Red Sox had two promising rookies come right in to take their place. Mo Vaughn and Phil Plantier. Both of them became my favorite players because of what they did at the plate. Phil Planter, of course had that squatting batting stance. You knew it was him at the plate just by seeing that. Of course, he also burst onto the scene with one of the best Septembers I can remember. He was my guy. Player card collection number two. Unfortunately, he didn't stick around very long before heading to San Diego. Mo, on the other hand, stayed a bit longer. His batting stance was all intimidation. He just looked t the pitcher over his shoulder like he knew he was going to hit the ball really hard. And, he usually did. It didn't take much to make Mo my newest player collection. (Arial Large)

By the end of the nineties, Mo was gone too. Thankfully, the Red Sox had another player come and take his place. Nomar. he was everything. He could hit for power. He could hit for average. He did that crazy thing with his gloves in the batters box. What more could you want? Nomar would be come my largest player collection yet. Along with Nomar, the Red Sox added Pedro Martinez. My standard answer at the time to who my favorite Red Sox player was, "Nomar, unless Pedro's pitching." I doubt I was alone in that. There's never been anything like Pedro, and there's really nothing more I can saw. If you don't know, then i can't explain it to you. At the moment, Pedro is my only "active" player collection. After all, it's Pedro. (Times normal)

At the turn of the century, I liked Manny Ramirez in Cleveland. When I saw that he signed with the Red Sox, I was beyond elated. Still am. He created a nice Red Sox favorite "trinity" if you will. My standard answer changed a bit to "Manny and Nomar. Unless Pedro's pitching." Oddly, I never started a Manny player collection. Maybe because he overlapped the Pedro and Nomar so much. But, he outlasted the two of them, and for three years, Manny stood along as my favorite. Possibly the only time that's happened. (Times Large)

Which brings us to the 2010's. And, I really don't know what to say. Since Manny left in 2008, I've been a little bit in Limbo. Papelbon was fun for a while. But, can a closer be a favorite? I never really attached to Lester or Beckett. Looking back at the moment, I can't think of one player that has grabbed me. Yes, I know. Ortiz has been on the team that whole time. While I can't deny he's an amazing player, there's always been "something" about him. I've just never latched on as a "favorite player" type thing. I liked Adrian Gonzalez a lot, but that didn't last long. I always knew Ellsbury was leaving soon. Sure, I loved the 2013 team. But, as a team. None of the players had that certain draw. No idea why. (Georgia normal)

Going forward? I think like most people, I'm enjoying the youngsters. Love Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts. I know. Going out on a limb there. But, they'd definitely be the ones that I'd pick, with the slight edge to Xander if I had to give one. Either way, it looks like I'm set for a couple more years, at least. Hopefully for much longer than that. (Georgia large)

So, what do you think? Does one of the fonts work better for you? Leave a comment with your favorite. Or, with another helpful suggestion. Or, a comment on to content of the post itself. Or, heck, all three!

Thanks for the help!

Red Sox All-Ring Team

I’m not sure how the topic came up. But, at some point recently, a buddy of mine and I started wondering what the Red Sox all ring winning team would be. You know, it’s one of those tangents people get on during discussions sometimes. I thought it might be fun to see what that team might look like.

The first question that needs to be answered before starting an exercise like this is, what qualifies someone to be on the team?  I think the original topic was something along the lines of best World Series performers. But, does that mean the players who performed the best during the World Series? Is that a lifetime award? What about Someone like Manny Ramirez who had one great World Series as part of an amazing career. Does he lose out to someone like Jacoby Ellsbury who had two World Series trips to star in? What about Jake Peavy? A wonderful pitcher with a long career, who didn’t have the best trip to the Series.

So, I decided to just go with career. Overall. The best players to ever win a ring with the Sox. The all-ring team. Maybe one day I’ll try an all-World Series Championship team. But, that’s for another time.

So, who do I think is the best team you can make up of players who won a ring by playing in a World Series game with the champion Red Sox? I’m glad you asked.

OK. You didn’t ask. But here’s my answer anyway.

DH: David Ortiz. Let’s start with the easy one. He’s the only DH to play for a World Series champion Red Sox team. He might later be the only full-time DH in the Hall of Fame. End of discussion.

C: Jason Varitek. Not much more difficult. But, there’s at least some competition. Sort of. I don’t think TEK would be scared of Saltalamacchia or Sam Agnew. But, they’re there.

1B: Kevin Youkilis. The Red Sox have had a surprising lack of depth at first on their World Series winners. As much as I want to go with Stuffy McInnis for comedic value alone, it has to be one of the modern guys. So, is it Youk or Napoli? I think it’s safe to say that Youkilis had the better career. Barely. So far.

2B: Dustin Pedroia. I promise you, the early championship teams had some good players. But, best I can tell Pedroia is the only World Champion Red Sox second baseman with an MVP award on his shelf. 

SS: Orlando Cabrera. Seriuosly, how did the Red Sox win eight titles but still have their best shortstop be Cabrera? But, it’s not Drew or Lugo. (Maybe one day this will be Bogaerts?) And, no offense to Everett Scott, but how he won three rings with the Sox is beyond me. So, I go with OC.

3B: Jimmy Collins. Welcome to the team 1903 champs! Honestly, someone like Mike Lowell could make a pretty strong argument. But, Collins is in the Hall of Fame, so I don’t care to think about it anymore.

OF: Manny Ramirez, Tris Speaker, Babe Ruth. Basically Ruth and Speaker might be more obvious choices than anyone but Ortiz. The only possible reason you’d have to exclude either of them is if you argue over the selection rules. Ruth played in three World Series with the Red Sox, but only played in the outfield in one of them…in two games. So, he’d be the closest to not making it, but only on a technicality. The only question with Ramirez is if a Hall of Famer like Harry Hooper would beat out a non-Hall of Famer. But, it’s hard to argue against Ramirez’s career numbers. He gets the spot.

SP: Cy Young, Pedro Martinez. That’s it. I’ll have Young go games 1,3,4,5,7 and Pedro go games 2 and 6. Sound like a plan? Honestly, I narrowed it down to a top ten. From there, as much as I want to include Babe Ruth, his career as a pitcher wasn’t quite long enough. (Although, if it was based solely on performance in the World Series itself, he’d be an automatic inclusion.) Same with Smoky Joe Wood. If this was based solely on time with the Red Sox, he’d be hard to ignore. He was THAT good in 1912. Jake Peavy has that Cy Young, but not sure he really had enough of a career other than that. Lackey never even won the Cy Young. Curt Schilling has to be on the team. He’s the closest of the bunch to being a Hall of Famer. So, that leaves me with Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett, and Jon Lester for two spots. So, I’m dropping Lester because his career is just too short. Final answer: Cy Young, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Josh Beckett.

CL: Jonathan Papelbon. Can I use Cy Young here? I really wanted to go with Keith Foulke here. But, I think Papelbon has had a more sustained career as a closer. You really can’t go wrong with either one, though.

So, there’s my team.

Who makes it on yours?

When is the Media Going to Admit that They’re the Only Ones with a Problem with Manny?

Remember that game? The one when Manny was on the bench on trade deadline day? There were rumors that he was being offered around to other teams. Nobody was sure if that meant he was gone, or not. But, he wasn’t in the line-up. Then, the deadline passed. Still nobody, especially those fans in Fenway, knew if he had been traded. Then, he popped out of the dugout to pinch hit. The park absolutely erupted. The standing ovation was one of the biggest I’ve ever heard, and I was just watching on TV. Of course, Manny responded by singling up the middle to drive in what would be the game winning run.

Remember what they said the next day? The EEIdiots said the fans weren’t cheering Manny. They were cheering the situation. If Adam Dunn, or anyone else popped out of the dugout in that situation, he would have gotten the same ovation. Sure. I’ve been in Fenway any number of times when a pinch hitter was announced. I don’t recall many standing ovations while he’s in the on-deck circle.

Would you believe they said the same thing today? Literally, the exact same thing.

As part of the wonderful ceremony celebrating the 2004 World Champions, Manny was introduced to a thunderous ovation. Again, the EEIdiots said it wasn’t for him. They were cheering everyone who was introduced. The fact that his was so loud wasn’t because it was him. It was because he was last.

Sure it was.

Why can’t they just admit it?

People like Manny, because as much as they tried, they couldn’t make us hate him. They tried to convince us he was quitting on the team. After all, that last year, in 100 games he quit to the tune of a .299/20/68 line. Along with a .926 OPS. I wish every player would quit on the team like that. After all, even ignoring the games played, those 20 HR would have been third on last year’s Red Sox. His .299 BA would have been just below Dustin Pedroia’s .301. The .926 OPS? Only David Ortiz had a better one last season. Quit on the team? Please.

Frankly, it’s a little weird, because Manny is the type of player the media usually loves. He’s quirky. Has some funny stories. What a player to adore. Really, he only had one flaw.

He didn’t talk to the media. So, once again, players who make the media jobs easier (See Pedroia, Dustin and Ortiz, David) are praised above all others. Players who don’t (See Drew, JD and Matsuzaka, Daisuke) are bad mouthed and run out of town. If they can make us all hate them on the way out, even better. But, it didn’t work with Manny.

But, they just can’t stop trying.

Ortiz or Manny?

Last night, the NESN poll question went something like “Other than David Ortiz, which player has been the best free agent signing for the Sox in the last 20 years?” The choices were Keith Foulke, Tim Wakefield, Johnny Damon, or Manny Ramirez.

Obviously, the easy answer was many Ramirez. I’m just wondering why they needed to qualify it. Even if David Ortiz were included, wouldn’t the answer still be Manny?

I will agree to one aspect. That as a current fan favorite, including Ortiz might have skewed the results to him. After all, he hit two home runs last night, and Manny didn’t. I also agree that Ortiz was a “better” signing in that he was certainly cheaper. So, the Red Sox got more bang for their buck with Ortiz than they did with Manny. But, if that were the criteria, Wakefield would have been an easy choice after Ortiz. From a minor league contract, to team leader in wins? Sounds like a good signing to me.

So, it must actually be about the quality of the player. Which would you have rather had, Ortiz or Manny?

Well, let’s see. Ortiz is playing in his 12th season with the Sox. Manny played 8. So, you could say that you got Ortiz longer, so he was a better signing. But, what about production while they were here?

Ortiz is creeping up the team leaders in any number of categories, while Manny didn’t quite get so far. Ortiz’s 382 HR, for instance, place him third all-time on the Sox. Ramirez is sixth, with 274…in 500 fewer games. Manny had a better career batting average. Had about 500 fewer hits, and a couple hundred fewer runs scored. Overall, I’d say that Manny put up better numbers if you’re looking at an average season.

What about the postseason? How does Manny compare to the greatest clutch hitter in Red Sox history? Pretty well, actually. Both have a World Series MVP to show off. Both have dramatic home runs to win games. Granted, Ortiz has more of those. Manny won two rings with the Sox, Ortiz three.

The most important part of the argument for me is that during Ortiz’s best years, he batted third, with Manny batting fourth. You could argue that Ortiz wouldn’t have been the same without Manny lurking in the on-deck circle. When Ortiz batted fourth behind Manny, I don’t think you could say the same thing. I think Manny was certainly the more important of the combo.

Does that make him the best signing? To me it does. I can’t argue with the raw production that came out of Manny when he was here. 

What do you think?

From a Night Owl

Not too long ago, Night Owl was complaining about his 2011 Allen & Ginter set. It was taking too long to complete the darn thing. I was ashamed to realize that I was sitting on a stack of A&G’s, and hadn’t checked his lists. I was able to find a dozen or so cards he needed, and gladly sent them his way. He was nice enough to send me something back in return. Let’s take a look at some of the package I received.

The two 2006 Opening Day cards complete my Red Sox team set. Fantastic! It never works that the last two guys you need are the two biggest stars. But, that’s the way it fell this time. The 2009 Topps Matsuzaka card is great. It’s always nice to remember that Dice-K really had a wonderful 2009 season. Probably a nice card for Phillies fans too. The Team USA card is a lot of fun. If I’m not mistaken, this is the play where Jeter tried to twist Youk’s ankle. As National Chicle cards go, the JD Drew is near the top. It’s a very nice likeness of Drew, and the background is clean. Wonderful.

Of course, I skipped over the crown jewel. The 2011 Topps Lineage ’75 mini relic. What an amazing card. I share Night Owl’s admiration of the 1975 Topps set. I think it’s the best set out there, and it is the only full set I’m currently trying to complete. A mini version of Youk would have been enough. But, the jersey just makes it incredible.

So, a hearty thank you to Night Owl for the wonderful shipment.

Hope that A&G set gets finished soon.

Card of the Week

2008 Topps #258 Classic Combos

I like how Topps has started doing their “classic combos” subsets. Back in the day, cards like these would feature awkward posed shots of two players quickly taken before a game. I always used to wonder if they would take a picture of as many different combinations as they could, and find something to do with them later. But, the last few years, the company has moved towards standard action shots that happen to feature multiple players. That’s how you end up with this shot of Youkilis celebrating with Manny. At least they’re not fighting in the dugout. But, it’s a nice use of a shot. Rather than making a card of either Manny or Youk prominently feature the other player, they made it a card of the both of them. Perfect.

The card itself is OK. I still think the 2008 Topps cards have too much border. But, at least the Sox have the right amount of letters in their name so the bubbles don’t look weird. The Reds have too few, and the Diamondbacks have too may. It throws the composition all off. But, the Sox look about right. And, the team colors just work with the card.

Not too shabby.

I Scored! April 6, 2001

This was a huge game. So huge, I can’t believe I haven’t done it yet. So, if I have, forgive me.

One of the big points of the game can be found in the “Game Notes” section. This game is recognized as the Home Opener. That in itself makes it a big day. I’ve talked over and over about the magic of Opening Day. But, in this case, things are even a bit more special. It’s because of the guy in the clean-up spot. Yup. This is the Red Sox Fenway debut of Manny Ramirez. The guy we’d been waiting to see since December had finally arrived. What would this mean to the Red Sox? Would it change the team that had such trouble scoring runs and winning games the year before? I’d say so.

The top of the card shows the Sox fell into an early hole. Tomo Okha gave up a quick three runs to the visitors. Luckily, the Sox put the first two runner on before a strikeout gave the first out. It was all to familiar. Fall behind early. Rally, but never have enough bats to get it done. The 2000 Red Sox surely would have stranded the two runners. But, in 2001 the next batter was Manny. All he did was launch a three-run homer to tie the game. Maybe he was the difference after all. Manny ended up with a fantastic game, despite two strikeouts. He had a home run, two hits, and drove in four runs. It was a quick glimpse into what we could expect for years to come.

Who challenged Manny for player-of-the-game status? Well, Carl Everett had a pretty good day. He hade a home run of his own, driving in two runs. Jason Varitek had a two-run double. The goat of the game? A case could be made for Troy O’Leary. He went hitless with two strikeouts on the day. It was, unfortunately, telling that the goat of the game hit directly behind Manny. Protection would be a major issue for Manny that year.

But, it was all good on this day. Manny introduced himself in the best way possible. He kept sniffing out RBI as he led the Sox to victory. It was a great day.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

I Scored! June 19, 2010

There is a lot going on in this game, beyond the game itself. A quick look at the “Game Notes” section tells us the historical significance. This game was Tim Wakefield’s 200^th career start at Fenway Park. I’ll admit, I don’t know where that ranks all-time for the Red Sox, or for other teams in other parks. But, it’s pretty cool nonetheless. The other significant part of this game is alluded to at the top. The visiting team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. So, yes, this would be Manny Ramirez visiting Fenway. It wasn’t his first game back, but it was still a significant time. So, how did the game itself turn out amid all the drama? It was one heckova game!

First, take a look at the Red Sox line-up. It was only mostly decimated by injuries at this point. The first six batters actually look pretty good. But, then you get to the outfield. Hall-Nava-McDonald isn’t exactly the trio Red Sox fans were expecting at the bottom of the order. To their credit, though, those three did contribute to the game rather nicely. It’s hard to call a 5-4 game “low scoring” but that’s really the case. The Sox scratched out a run in the second. Two home runs accounted for three quick runs in the fourth and sixth. The last run was another claw and scratch way to score a run. There weren’t a lot of bases-loaded jams the Dodgers wriggled out of. Scoring threats were fairly limited. The Sox actually went 1-2-3 four times. Of course, the most important run scored was the last one. It was clearly scored in walk-off fashion, which is always an exciting way to end any game. It was the bottom of the order that kick-started the rally. Hall singled to lead things off. It looks like a botched sacrifice bunt allowed Nava to switch places with him at first. A strikeout put the pressure on the top of the order. A walk put Nava in scoring position. From there Pedroia sent us all home happy with a run-scoring single. It wasn’t exactly a perfect manufacture. But, It got the job done.

The player of the game? I’m going with Victor Martinez. He and Youkilis each scored two of the five Red Sox runs. Each homered. Martinez had three of the five RBI, to give him the edge. The goat of the day? Had to be Darnell McDonald. Hitless on the day with two strikeouts, including a key one in the bottom of the ninth. He had plenty of great games for the Red Sox in 2010. This just wasn’t one of them.

So, the Fenway faithful got to welcome back Manny once again. (He went 2-4, scored two runs, stole a base, and homered, by the way) The Red Sox won in dramatic fashion. We were treated to both “Okajima” and “Shippin’ Up To Boston,” blaring through the park.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

36 Questions: Manny Ramirez edition

Manny Ramirez was recently sent from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Chicago White Sox. Manny suited up for the first time for his new team last night, in a Chicago victory. Since Manny’s name has been in the paper this last week or so, it’s reminded me of a few questions I’ve had brewing. I figured I’d ask them here.

In a recent extra-innings game, Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies was ejected after arguing a strike call. The Phillies are in the playoff hunt, and desperately need wins. Howard is their premier slugger. By being ejected, the Phillies didn’t have enough position players left to take his place. Roy Oswalt was needed to go in and play left field. As luck would have it, Oswalt came to the plate with the tying runs on base later in the game, and didn’t produce. The Phillies lost a game they needed to win. After the game, I’ve seen reports that Howard should have been able to control his emotions better, and done whatever he could to have stayed in the game. Also recently, Adrian Beltre, of the Boston Red Sox, was ejected in the first inning of a game, after being called out on strikes. Beltre is one of the Sox’s top run producers. It was a game the Sox needed to win to stay in the playoff hunt. Beltre’s spot in the line-up later came to the plate in a key spot, but didn’t produce. After the game, I saw many stories saying the umpire made a poor ejection. The umpire needed to understand the situation better, and keep Beltre in the game. My question? Can someone send me a link to a story where either Beltre or Howard was accused of trying to get ejected to throw the game and hurt his team as Manny has been accused of after his ejection?

Another question. Let’s say The Great Derek Jeter, base runner extraordinaire, super hustler, and all-around perfect baseball player is on first base with one out. Let’s say he takes off from first on a hit and run. Let’s say the batter, instead of hitting it in the hole Jeter created, lines out to the pitcher. What does Derek Jeter now do? Does he slam on the breaks and run as fast as he can trying to beat the throw from the pitcher back to first? Or, does he frown, and coast to a stop before turning back to the dugout. I’m guessiog the answer is b. When Manny Ramirez didn’t run out of the box on a groundball to the pitcher, he was roundly criticized for his lack of hustle. But, in Jeter’s case, not only would he not hustle back to first, but he would actually get farther away from first as he coasted to a stop. The throw from the pitcher would be the same distance. And, since Jeter would be closer than Manny was…he’d have a better shot at beating it out. My Question? Can someone send me a link to a video of Jeter in the above situation stopping on a dime and sprinting back to first?

I have scored three baseball games so far this season. Looking over the books, I see eight players who struck out looking. James Loney of the LA Dodgers. Marco Scutaro of the Red Sox. Adrian Beltre of the Red Sox (twice). Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers. Bill Hall of the Red Sox. Kevin Cash of the Red Sox. Aaron Hill of the Toronto Blue Jays. J.D. Drew of the Red Sox. My question? Could someone send me a link to a story where any of these players were accused of trying to strike out to throw a game and hurt his team as Manny has been accused of?

Please feel free to use the comments section to provide your links.

Deep Drive By: Mike Lowell, with Rob Bradford

Deep Drive covers the life and career of World Series MVP Mike

Lowell. It follows him through the lows of cancer, to the high of World Series Championships. On every step of the journey, it displayed how Lowell battled through it all to become the player and person he is now.

This book had a different feel to it. It didn’t feel like I was reading a sports autobiography. It felt as if I was reading a self-help book. It was a nice change of pace, though it sometimes affected the flow of the story. The book didn’t follow his life from childhood to World Series. It did a lot of jumping around as life lessons were learned and relearned over time. It was interesting to see how a challenge he faced once, often came up to face him again.

It’s also strange reading this book now. The book concludes with the off-season following the 2007 Championship. The copy I read included an update for the 2008 season. Reading the book now, with Lowell on the DL, wishing he were traded somewhere else, and the Sox practically begging other teams to make that happen made me wonder. What would a new update look like? Would the tone of the book be any different? I also notice that the front cover includes a quote from Manny Ramirez, complimenting Mike on how hard he plays the game. The back cover has another quote from many, saying what a great teammate Mike was. So, there are five quotes on the covers of the book. Two of them are from a guy Mike helped run out of town the following season. Things change.

This stands as a great read. After the mountains of books published covering the 2004 championship, it’s nice to read some talking about 2007. It’s definitely something to pick up. Even in 2010.

Rating: 3 bases

I Scored: April 10, 2004

The 2004 season started off with a lot of promise. It also started off with a lot of disappointment. The good news? The Sox had Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke. The bad news? They were without Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon. How would that play out?

In the case of this scorecard, it would show in the line-up. Gabe Kapler got the call in right field. Pokey Reese was at shortstop. You can also see that, for some reason, Cesar Crespo was playing for Damon. I forget why Damon wasn’t playing. Another scorecard shows him leaving the game before early, and he didn’t play in the next game. So, that didn’t bode well for the Sox either.

Another thing not on the card didn’t bode well. The opposing pitcher was Roy Halladay. So, no Nixon, Nomar, or Damon and they have to face Doc. Was there anything good going on for the Sox? Yup. It’s found in the pitcher’s box. The Red Sox starting pitcher was Pedro Martinez. To start the year, some media members had demoted Pedro to co-ace, along with Schilling. Pedro needed to show us all something to prove that wasn’t the case. It looks like he did a pretty good job of that. He pitched into the eighth inning, and struck out seven batters. He had as many strikeouts as base runners. That has to be a good day. Even opposing Halladay, Pedro was able to pick up the victory. Foulke was able to show off a bit, picking up a save of more than one inning. It was pretty much exactly how the Sox drew it up.

How did the Sox score their runs? Thunder. Three home runs accounted for all the scoring. The Blue Jays run was a solo homer, so all the runs in the game scored off home runs. It’s also interesting to note that two players had two hits off Halladay. Once was Cesar Crespo. Pedro always had trouble with hitters like him. Sometimes, you make enough contact and balls fall in. The other player with two hits? Manny Ramirez. In that case, it was just Manny once again being able to hit the best pitcher’s best pitches. So, he managed two singles of Doc. Once a reliever came in? He launched the home run. Amazing.

So, the ace of the staff stayed true to form. The new closer showed exactly what he could do. The record setting offense picked up where it left off the year before, even against one of the best. The Sox bounced back from a lackluster home opener the day before. The team was well on its way to finally ending the championship drought.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

Red Sox A-Z: R is for…

Ramirez, as in Manny.

I’ve talked a lot about Manny Ramirez on this site. I have to admit, I’m probably going to have trouble finding anything new to say about him. He was one of my favorite players while he was in Cleveland. He was one of my favorite players when he was in Boston. I still curse the day he was traded away for a bag of beans. Manny was Manny, and there won’t be another one quite like him.

The Red Sox have acquired their share of marquee talent the last few years. None of them brought the level of excitement Manny brought when I first saw that Red Sox hat photo shopped onto his picture leading off SportsCenter. He was the missing piece. He was the answer to the Red Sox troubles. He was everything they needed. How could I not dance around the room? Manny favorites? There are many. To pick a couple…

I have the DVD of the Red Sox 100 seasons put out a few years ago. One of the special features is the replay of Manny’s mammoth home run he hit off of Chris Carpenter in Toronto. Manny absolutely crushes the ball to left, and then looks out at Carpenter. He wasn’t taunting, really. It was almost pity. It’s like he was asking, “How could you throw me that pitch? Didn’t you know better?” Even better than that is the close-up view of Carpenter. He just gave up a 500-foot home run. He looks out at the ball, sees it land, and almost smiles. He starts to, but then remembers he was the opposing pitcher. It was a glimpse of even an opponent being simply amazed at what Manny could do.

The closest thing I have to a personal Manny encounter happened in batting practice a few years ago. I was staking out centerfield (in front of Section 35. Shhh) and happened to have a good bit of real estate to myself. I was watching Manny launch ball after ball to all parts of the field, and over the fences. Suddenly, he hits one of the balls right at me. It’s sailing out to center field, and I know I’m going to get it. It’s getting closer and closer, and suddenly I realize something. This is a ball that Manny hit that will travel over 400 feet by the time it gets to me. It has to be going pretty darn fast. If I try to catch that, it’s going to HURT! I can’t possibly try to stick my hands in front of that, can I? So, as the last minute, I step to the side and let it bang into the front row of seats behind me. My immediate plan is to grab it after it bounces off those seats. Naturally, the ball bounces off those seats, off the wall in front of me, and back about ten rows into the stands. There, of course, a couple kids fight over it and I’m out a ball. I do, however, have a hand with all its bones in the correct places. That’s why I always bring a glove now when I get to batting practice. It’s all thanks to Manny.

R is for Ramirez, Manny.

Becoming Manny By: Jean Rhodes and Shawn Boburg

This book is an authorized biography of former Red Sox slugger,

and future Hall-of-Famer, Manny Ramirez. It follows his journey from the early years in the Dominican Republic, through high school in NYC, and onto his baseball career. It explores the factors in his life that made Manny be Manny. In an interesting twist for a sports biography, one of the authors is a psychology professor. So, the book really is more about the man that Manny is, as opposed to the player. It goes between the perception and the performance. It’s a unique insight into a great player.

The enjoyment of this book depends a lot on how you view psychology, and how you viewed Manny before you read the book. I just finished reading this book, so I got it pretty late in the game. I remember the EEIdiots discussing the book when it was first released. They categorized it as a book of excuses for why Manny behaved the way he did. That touches a bit on the “excuse vs. reason” question I’ve posed. Are the events from his childhood an excuse for his behavior, or are they simply why he behaves the way he does. I enjoyed this book. It was able to put me into the shoes of a superstar growing up playing baseball. I was able to imagine how the events in his life would have changed what became of my life. What would I do, if I had Manny’s life? It was fascinating, and I wish the same book were written about many other players. It was a book that any fan should read, whether you live in Mannywood, or are sick of Manny being Manny. Read the book, and see what it says to you.

Rating: 4 bases

I Scored! April 13, 2002

OK. Let’s see what the scorecard tells us this time. Right at the top, I see the visiting team is the New York Yankees. Obviously, this was a big game. Even with the early April date, it’s always big when the Yankees are in town. A quick scan to the right shows that the Sox won the game late. Must have been a classic. Let’s see who played in the game.

The Red Sox line-up starts with Rickey Henderson. A first ballot Hall-of-Famer in his legendary leadoff position. That’s a great start. He’s followed by Johnny Damon, Nomar Garciaparra, and Manny Ramirez. So, the first four batters include a future Hall-of-Famer, a two-time batting champ, and a future 500-HR Hall-of-Famer. Can you ask for anything more? How about the starting pitcher? Pedro Martinez. Maybe the best there ever was. So, in ten years or so, we can look back at this card and talk about the Red Sox having three Hall-of-Famers in the starting line-up. It doesn’t show, but the Yankees started Derek Jeter and had Mariano Rivera pitch relief. So, even though neither of them should get in, they both will too. That will bring the total to five members of the Hall appearing in this game. Amazing!

What about the game itself? The Red Sox had two big innings, the fourth and eighth. Look at Henderson’s square leading off the fourth. He drew a walk, stole a base, and scored a run. If I’m not mistaken, he’s the all-time major league leader in all three of those stats. (Bonds may have passed him…but he at least led at one point) That’s pretty cool to see one of each of those from Rickey. The other big inning was the eighth. That’s when the Sox took the lead for good. Damon doubled to knock out the starter (David Wells). The new pitcher (Ramiro Mendoza) plunked the first guy he saw. I always love it when that happens. I can just see the manager seething in the dugout. “I bring this guy in, and he hits him? Are you freaking kidding me?” Mendoza doesn’t get Manny either and gets a quick hook. At this point they call for Rivera. I remember this part specifically. It was at this point that several Yankees fans around me made it a point to leave. They loudly declared that the game was now officially over, the Yankees had won, so they might as well go to a bar. But, as you can see, the game wasn’t over. Clark drives in a run with a grounder. Shea Hillenbrand amazingly follows with a go-ahead home run. The great Rivera blows yet another save. As it turns out, those Yankees fans made the right call. They got out while they were ahead, and could still be cocky about it. (As a side note, Rivera faced Hillenbrand again the following day. The youngster took a fastball high and tight from Rivera.)

So, there you have it. A game full of legends. Henderson had the trifecta in the fourth. Manny drove in two runs. Pedro struggled a bit, but still had seven strikeouts in just over 5 innings. A baseball bucket list got quite a few checkmarks in that game.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.　

Can I Quote you on that?

Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time – Lou Brock

I think of Joe DiMaggio every time I see this quote. I also think of Mike Scoscia. But, I think Brock makes a lot of sense. Unless you’re willing to go all out, you’re not taking enough chances.

Joe DiMaggio was well known for keeping up appearances. He was always dressed to the hilt. It’s been said that he never needed to dive for a ball. I always think that that style was exactly what Brock had in mind. If you can’t do a belly flop every once in a while after a ball, you’re letting a lot more balls get by you than you should. Even with the best positioning, there will be plays you need to take that extra step to make. Sometimes you’ll make them, and sometimes they’ll get by you. But, you have to make the effort. Manny Ramirez, on the other hand, certainly wasn’t afraid to look bad. If he needed to fall to a knee, or on his butt, to make an attempt he did that. He certainly has looked bad plenty of times. I wonder about that play in Game 1 of the 2004 World Series. You know the one. Manny went to his knees to try to make a play on a ball, dug a trench in the outfield and looked like a buffoon. Something tells me Joe D would have pulled up and played that ball on a hop. I think I’d prefer the train wreck.

Mike Scoscia also strikes me as someone who isn’t afraid to look bad. He certainly didn’t mind looking like a fool calling for a squeeze play in the ninth inning of an elimination game. In that case, it didn’t work so well for him. But, in plenty of other cases, the risk has been worth it. If you’re not willing to take some risks, you’re going to lose. What did Wayne Gretzky say? You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take? You can’t care how it will look. You have to care if it will work. There are no style points in Major League Baseball.

Thank goodness for that.

Manny is…

what, exactly? A cheat? An idiot? A victim?

Well, for starters, Manny Ramirez may be my all-time favorite player. I was a fan when he was in Cleveland, cheered when he came to Boston, and pouted the day he went to LA. So, I’m trying to be objective about all this.. I’ve written on my PED views before, and I like to think I’m sliding Manny into the same set of rules. Feel free to check and call me on it if I’m not

First of all, it’s hard to decide what really happened. One reason I didn’t write about this yesterday was that I wanted to give at least a little time to have some facts come out. Here’s what I think I know so far…and I’m sure it’s all changed by the time anyone sees this. Manny failed a test for a banned substance. It was not a PED, and he has still not failed a test for a PED. The rumors I’ve heard as to what the substance was range from a female fertility drug to an ED drug. Manny was suspended for 50 games following the test, according to MLB’s policy for dealing with such matters. The rule says something like, even though he didn’t fail a test, there’s something not quite right, so they can suspend you. Manny was planning on appealing, but after talking it over, didn’t go through with it. I’m not sure exactly who he talked it over with…the Dodgers, MLBPA, or Scott Boras. Manny issued a statement saying that the drug the test picked up was prescribed to him by a doctor, who didn’t know it was on a list of banned substances. The rules say it’s still his fault, so he’s serving the suspension. And, as far as I know, that’s where we sit. Have I got it so far?

So, where does this leave us? I’m not sure. Do I believe Manny? Maybe. Would I prefer it if he came out waving a prescription from an American doctor for a drug that he could actually need? That would be great. Why hasn’t he yet? I don’t know. So, I’m left to compare this excuse against other excuses.

We have the Roger Clemens flat denial. In Roger’s case, he was accused of using PED’s. Manny’s not exactly there yet…so denial wouldn’t be necessary. That excuse would be a good one though, if it were true. It would appear that Roger was lying through his teeth though. But, still a truthful denial is the best way to go. An untruthful one will kill a career, or in Roger’s case, a legacy.

There’s the Gary Sheffield (and Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi allegedly) excuse of, I took an illegal PED, but didn’t know it. It’s say that’s worse than Manny’s excuse. That one admits to cheating, just to not doing it willingly. So, the numbers are bogus, but his character may still be in tact. (Assuming Bonds and Sheffield had characters worth keeping in tact) Sheffield and Giambi have apparently come through fairly well. They’re not in the news much anymore, and both are still signing contracts without taking a hit. I’d say Manny’s case is better than theirs.

There’s the Andy Pettitte version. Yes I took it. Yes I knew I took it. Yes, I knew it was illegal. But, I only did it to enhance my performance, which would help my team. He has been heralded as a stand up guy for admitting it, and appears to be plugging along as normal. I’d say, so far, Manny’s better than that.

There’s Paul Byrd, who admitted taking HGH, but also used the prescription reasoning. Byrd, again, has apparently had the issue dropped without hurting his career. The difference with Byrd is that HGH isn’t a drug that could have been legally prescribed to Byrd. So, he at least had to find a shady doctor to do it. Manny would appear better than that excuse.

There’s Alex Rodriguez, who admitted using PEDs in a jumbled mess. He said he took it for a while, might have had a prescription from the Dominican for it, and might have stopped using it. Like Clemens, his real problem appears to be that he keeps lying about it. If he came out in the beginning with the Pettitte version, who knows what would have happened. Manny’s definitely better off than that.

So, I like the Manny excuse better than all the others. (Obviously, it’s better if the drug is an ED drug, and not a female hormone.) But, Manny does not appear to have been accused of breaking any laws. (Unlike everyone else on the list above) He has not been accused of taking a PED. (Again, unlike anyone else on the list above) Do I think Manny might just be that much of a moron? I’m guessing that if he doesn’t know where his appendix is, he might not know the brand names of every drug out there. So, for the moment, I’m willing to ride it out. Maybe if there’s an actual accusation of breaking the law or PED use, that could change. I do wonder, though. If half the country weren’t determined to hate him, would this be a big deal? Would it just be JC Romero…whom I believe has a similar issue with is suspension? I didn’t see that on any front pages. Stay tuned, I guess.

I do wish he’d produce that doctor’s note though.

List of 36: Pitchers with Red Sox ties Manny Ramirez has homered off during his career

1. Mike Timlin
2. David Wells
3. Danny Darwin
4. Dennis Eckersley
5. Jamie Moyer
6. Roger Clemens
7. Tom Gordon
8. Frank Castillo
9. Bryce Florie
10. Paul Quantrill
11. Aaron Sele
12. Todd Jones
13. Steve Avery
14. David Cone
15. Jeff Suppan
16. Pat Rapp
17. Ramon Martinez
18. Hector Carrasco
19. Ken Ryan
20. Rheal Cormier
21. Butch Henry
22. Darren Oliver
23. Bartolo Colon
24. Keith Foulke
25. Joel Pineiro
26. Chad Bradford
27. John Wasdin
28. Kent Mercker
29. David Riske
30. Ugueth Urbina
31. Casey Fossum
32. Kyle Snyder
33. JC Romero
34. Brendan Donnelly
35. Paul Byrd
36. Ryan Rupe