Christmas at Fenway

One of these days, I have to get myself to the Christmas at Fenway event. It looks like people who are there have a lot of fun. Bravo to the organization for putting together such a great event. It’s another example of how it’s possible to make things just a little bit better, but have a huge impact. Sure, you could just have people stand in line for tickets. The image of people waiting in a pouring rain for tickets always looks good in the newspaper. But, the Red Sox decided that wasn’t good enough. As long as the fans were there, they might as well make it worth their while. A nice place to wait, a couple guest appearances, and you have a day that you can promote for weeks. Nice job.

It’s also “amazing” how the Carl Crawford press conference fell on Saturday as well. It took him longer to schedule a physical than it takes me. But, it allowed him to go right from the press conference, to say hi to the fans waiting for tickets. Genius. Speaking of genius, how about the move of having Crawford wear a Liverpool tie? Nice touch. I had asked when the group bought LFC how much cross marketing would be going on. This was a nice, yet subtle, step. I don’t know about you, but now I want to buy the tie that Crawford was wearing.

The news about the Sox offering a deal to Cliff Lee was interesting. The reports were that they offered a seven-year deal just to make everyone else go seven years, and to drive the price up a little bit for everyone else. It also distracted the Yankees, at least a little, from focusing on Carl Crawford. A great ploy. I have to wonder, though. How do you come up with that offer? How much do you lowball? Does Lee’s agent have the understanding that this is a bogus offer? Is it a seven-year deal at the league minimum salary? Is it seven years, $100 million to make it high enough to scare other clubs if it leaks? What if Lee accepts? Is the offer low enough that the Sox wouldn’t have been sunk if he agreed? What if Lee looked at the offer, saw it was less money, but really liked the idea of winning a ring while beating the Yankees fans that treated his family so poorly? How do you make an offer that won’t be accepted, but is real enough to scare the other clubs? How much do you need to work with Lee to get that to happen?

I’ve been to baseball games that were cold before. And by cold, I mean October night game cold. 45 degrees. Maybe some wind. I’ve been at games like that where the Sox have been trailing. The thought has crossed my mind during those games that I might actually want the Sox to lose. The time it would take for the Sox to score five runs might kill me if I had to wait that long in the cold. I thought of those games while I was watching the Patriots Sunday. Imagine you’re a Chicago Bears fan at the game. It’s freezing. The wind chill is 20 below. It’s snowing. Half your concentration is on the game. Half is on just keeping warm enough to make it through. Then, at halftime, your team is down 33-0. How on earth do you come back for the second half? How do you not just go home and get warm? I have to give the fans that stuck it out a lot of credit.

I doubt I would have.

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.

A Week of Christmas Gifts

Now we’re talking! I had hoped that Theo had a larger plan when he let Victor Martinez go. I hoped that there was a method to all the cost savings with Martinez and Beltre. It looks like I was, thankfully, correct. I’m not foolish to think Theo reads this blog, and changed his approach because of it. (Although, if he does…”Hi Theo”) But, he certainly accomplished everything I asked and could have hoped for.

The Red Sox really didn’t need to make any “moves.” this offseason. If they had kept the entire team from 2010, and they were healthy, I think the Sox would have done well in 2011. Once they let V-Mart and Beltre walk, they needed to replace them somehow. And, replace them they did.

I’ve mentioned my approval of the Adrian Gonzalez move. It’s the perfect move for the Red Sox and their needs. It adds a significant bat to the line-up, without taking away from anything. The Sox had a hole…and it was plugged brilliantly.

The Carl Crawford move is just icing on the cake. No, the Sox didn’t need another outfielder. They have three under contract, and the prospect of some youngsters coming up. But, as one who loves proof over potential, this is a great move too. Sure, Ryan Kalish might be a great player. He could come up next year and play a great left field. He could ignite the offense like you’d dream of. In other words…he might be Carl Crawford. If the prospect of Crawford and Ellsbury on base as the same time doesn’t give you chills, you’re not paying attention. That’s actually one reason I’d hesitate to bat Crawford third. Personally, I’d go for the Crawford-Pedroia-Gonzalez-Youkilis-Ortiz-Drew-Scutaro-Saltalamacchia-Ellsbury line-up. That takes the lead-off pressure from Ellsbury. Plus if Ellsbury is a “second lead-off” hitter in the nine hole, the chances of having Ellsbury and Crawford on first and second for Pedroia is increased. Think Pedey would see a fastball or two in that situation. But, that’s neither here nor there.

Basically, Francona can’t mess this line-up up. The Sox now, really, have it all. They have a line-up of young all-stars. They didn’t add old guys at the tail end of their careers. It’s not a monster deal to Cliff Lee or Jayson Werth on the bad side of 30. They got elite talent in their primes. How many all-star selections will the Sox have the next seven years? It doesn’t stop with the line-up either. The rotation is anchored by young stars in their own right. This could be a very fun five years for Red Sox fans. I can’t wait.

I guess John Henry can buy as many soccer teams as he wants to.

Searching for Dustin Pedroia

Consider this your monthly reminder to keep working on the 2010 Section 36 Scavenger Hunt. If you’ve forgotten which items need to be found, or any of the rules, click the link to find out. Or, there’s always a link on the sidebar to all that information as well. Remember, all entries are due by 12:36 PM Eastern Time on February 9, 2011.

I know we’ve all been very excited about the Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford acquisitions. They have made the off-season a winner already. Imagine how much better it would be if you were also a winner in the scavenger hunt, and had a new scorebook to write those new names into!

I want to thank everyone who has been working so hard to collect items. I hope you’ve all been having fun. Just a little reminder. You only have to find the items, not own the items. Last year’s runner up, Kayla, managed to knock off quite a few items just by bringing a camera to the mall one day. I’m sure you’re out shopping anyway this time of year. Bring along the list of items with you. I bet you’ll find it easy to snap pictures of quite a few of them. (plus you can write the blog name on the list, to have handy to include in the picture if so desired)

Good luck, and have fun!

How Do Pitchers See the Catcher’s Signals?

I like to think I have pretty good eyesight. I can read things. I can see street signs from the car. I can read posters from across the room. I can see. I don’t know if I could read catcher signals though.

60’-6” is about twenty paces. From that far, I could probably tell how many fingers a person is holding up. If you took twenty steps, and held up two fingers, I bet I could see it. But, what about when you crouch down and hold your fingers in front of you? The lack of contrast is a bit tougher. Then, put your fingers between your legs. The shadows certainly don’t help anything. Then, and this is the kicker, start flashing different signals. That’s the part that amazes me.

I can see figuring out the signals. I might be able to tell one finger from two fingers at 20 paces, even with the contrast and the shadows. But, when you start wiggling them? Come on. That’s just not fair. Even with the French manicures some catchers seem to give themselves, I’d have some trouble. That can’t be easy. But, every team and every catcher still does it. It’s a little strange really.

Can you imagine a football team calling in a play with something so basic, but easy to misread? I can just se BB getting Tom Brady’s attention, cupping his hand, and flicking up a finger really quick. Wouldn’t he at least have two other coaches doing the same thing with different signals to try and confuse? Shouldn’t the first baseman also be holding up a finger, so at least people can wonder which signal is the right one? Sometimes when a runner is on second base, they change up the signals so the runner can’t steal them…from 127 feet away. Where do these guys get their eyes? But, sometimes a catcher will use hand signals in that situation, much like a base coach would. A tap of the shoulder, then the knee, and so on. Why not use those signals all the time? They’d be much easier for the pitcher to see. Maybe that would cut down on cross-ups?

Or maybe I can’t see as well as I think I can.