A Sweep is a Sweep

The Red Sox are on a roll. Their sweep of Baltimore this weekend extended their winning streak to five games. It feels different already. You expected them to come back yesterday, and didn't expect them to blow it.

Christian Vazquez even commented to reporters, “We're back,”

How great is that to hear? A big part of winning is believing you can win. Not always looking over your shoulder for the loss that's “sure” to come. Play loose. Play fun. Play well. It was great to hear. The Red Sox had their swagger back, and were ready to start acting like champions.

Of course, that’s not good enough for some people. A majority of the replies to the tweet reporting the Vazquez sentiment went something like, “sure, against Baltimore. Let's see how you do against Minnesota!”

Seriously? We're doing this again?

We're still doing this?

Because we had to spend all last season hearing people discount every win, saying they couldn't beat real teams, certainly not in the playoffs. Pretty much right up until they hoisted the trophy, people were convinced they couldn't win. Same thing with the Patriots. Sure they were winning games. But they’d be in trouble when they face a supposed “good” team. I saw a comment that only in Boston could beating the Chiefs not be evidence that you can beat the Chiefs. Again, right up until they held the Lombardi people were saying they couldn't do it.

I don't know why people haven't learned yet.

Because you know what good teams do? They beat bad teams. That's how it works. The 100 win teams don't win 100 games by sweeping all the other playoff teams. No, they do it by beating the bad teams. A lot. Sweeping the Orioles isn't some sign that they can only beat bad teams. It's a sign that they're doing what they need to do. Do people think the Yankees haven't been beating the Orioles? Sure they have. Lots. Do people think the Yankees have been sweeping the Red Sox? I hope not. We know they haven't. So, why this insistence that the Sox have to beat every team every time every place?

Why do the Sox have to sweep Minnesoto in order for you to believe they can win? Because, I have news for you. They probably won't. My guess would be they lose tonight. They went extra innings in their third road game, then traveled to Minnesota to play a game today against a first place team. That doesn't scream “easy victory” to me.

Of course, they could win. If “they're back” they could just keep on rolling. But, if they don't, it doesn't define the team and more than it defined the Yankees when they lost to Baltimore.

Right now, the Red Sox are rolling, and sit just 5.5 games back in the division. Their magic number to clinch the division has fallen to 97. Things are looking up.

It's good to have them back.

Alicia Capone Visits Section 36!

Photo by Rob Hare

Section 36 has another visitor! Alicia Capone cofounded a girls empowerment workshop, is a Red Sox fan, and a current member of the New England Patriots Cheerleaders! I'm thrilled that she was willing to take some time out of her busy schedule to talk to us about those topics, and a few more. I know you'll love reading what she had to say.

So, let’s see what happens when Alicia Capone visits Section 36!

You recently started StrongHER, a girl empowerment workshop, with your sister. How did that come about?

Daria and I wanted to make a positive impact in the community and realized there was no better way than to empower young girls. We noted there were many women empowerment workshops, but not many geared towards the youth and we wanted to change that! We did our research, started brainstorming and strongHER was born!

What are the goals and target audiences of StrongHER?

Our goal is to empower girls ages 11-18 years old to have the self confidence and mental toughness to achieve their goals and tackle any obstacle that comes their way!

If someone hosts one of your StrongHER workshops, what sorts if presentations/activities/etc can they expect?

Photo by Dwight Darian

In the 2 hour workshop we have, girls practice positive mindset, words of affirmation, visualization and goal setting. We like to make this fun so it’s taught through interactive lectures and activities!

You were recently selected to your second season as a New England Patriots Cheerleader. What do you think will be different about your experience this year?

I’m so grateful for another season cheering on the best team in the NFL! This year being a veteran I hope I can lead and guide the rookies through the season and help make their first year one they will never forget.

How did you celebrate making the squad?

This year I was lucky enough to be with some of the men and

Photo by Dwight Darian

women who participated in bootcamp. We got lunch and shortly after the team was announced. I was celebrating in Patriot Place with my new teammates. It was awesome!

What was the experience of cheering at Super Bowl LIII like?

I don’t even think I can put it into words as it still doesn't feel like real life! It was simple amazing and the whole experience in Atlanta is one I will never forget!

Who is your favorite current Red Sox player? Why?

I played softball for many years and I was a catcher so of course one of my favorite players on the current roster is Christian Vazquez.

Is there a feature or activity at Fenway park that you'd especially like to experience?

I really want to catch a ball at Fenway Park. Catching a homerun ball in the Green Monster or even in section 36 would be so cool!

What were you doing when the Red Sox won the 2018 World Series?

Well this is embarrassing... I was sleeping, BUT I can explain. I was watching the game Sunday night and the Sox were winning so I said to myself, "I have to be at work tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM. I should probably go to bed soon". So my plan was to set my alarm for midnight to watch the 9th inning and the celebration (since every game in the series has ended past midnight). Well of course the game got over before midnight so when my alarm woke me up I missed the 9th inning, but I was able to watch the team celebrate.

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I guess we can forgive her for sleeping through the ending. I hope she catches that ball someday!

As always, I want to thank Alicia for visiting with us. It was great hearing everything she had to say! I love the ability to combine two New England sports teams in one interview like this too.

As a way to follow along with Alicia, I suggest you visit her New England Patriots Cheerleaders bio page. It's full of great information and pictures. You should also follow her on Instagram. It's a great way to follow her journey through the season, and hopefully another Super Bowl!

You should also be sure to check out the StrongHER website and Instagram account to see more of what the program is all about!

Thanks again for the visit Alicia, and Go Pats!

Was Dustin Pedroia Any Good?

With the recent news that Dustin Pedroia is taking a break from his rehabbing, and questioning whether he'd ever play again, I thought it would be a good time to look through my scorebooks and see how Pedroia performed while I was keeping score. Was he the little spark plug superstar people seem to get no he is? Only one way to find out.

Here are his stats!

They may be hard to read, but they're a pretty solid “meh”.

It looks like I saw Pedroia come to the plate almost 200 times while I was keeping score. He reached base in 32% of those appearances.

Projected over an entire season, he would have ended with a .260-7-51 stat line while slashing .320/.365/.685. Not exactly the stuff of legends.

It's also a significant step down from his career averages. So, it's safe to say that I didn't see Pedroia at his best. It's interesting, though, because I saw him for a good chunk of time, throughout his career. You would think that I'd get a good cross section. But, alas, I got a weak hitting middle infielder.

That's too bad.

How was Pedroia while you were in the park?

Molly Andrade Visits Section 36

Section 36 has a new visitor! Molly Andrade is a dancer, a Red Sox fan, and the current Miss Rhode Island. I was thrilled that she

was willing to visit with us to discuss those topics, and a few more.

So let's see what happens when Molly Andrade visits Section 36!

How did you celebrate winning the Miss Rhode Island crown?

I was fortunate to have 25 family and friends attend the competition and celebrate with me at the after party! To be honest, I’m still celebrating! I am still trying to take it all in and embrace the experience.

What’s something you learned about yourself at the Miss Rhode Island competition that will help you at Miss America?

After competing for three years for Miss Rhode Island, I am grateful for the many lessons I have learned from the Miss America Organization. I have gained confidence, developed leadership skills, and frankly, sometimes learned the power and lessons of failure. These lessons will help me not only at Miss America but throughout my life. No matter how what obstacles I face, I will always get up and be ready to overcome them.

What part of going to Miss America are you most excited about?

Photo by Daniel Gagnon

I have watched Miss America since as far back as I can remember. At first, it was the beautiful dresses and the talent that amazed me. As I grew, I began to appreciate the role models these young women were and the difference they were making, and I aspired to follow in their footsteps. Now, being Miss Rhode Island, competing for Miss America and being a positive influence on others is not a role I take lightly.

How did you select your social impact statement “self-defense for women”?

One of the best decisions I’ve ever made was taking a self-defense class. The course was so empowering and encompassed so much more than just basic self-defense. After someone close to me was sexually assaulted, the reality hit that no one is invincible. To see what may be for her, a lifelong trauma, I felt compelled to do something. I chose for my school capstone’ to get the self-defense program implemented into my high school curriculum so that every female would be required to take it. My goal is to continue to work towards implementing self-defense programs and educate people about sexual assault.

As a talented Irish step dancer, what is your favorite part about performing on stage?

Perhaps being half Irish helped, but ever since I was a young girl, I

Photo by Daniel Gagnon

was mesmerized watching Irish Step Dancing. It did not take long for me to realize that Irish Step requires hours of training, stamina, and dedication, and I have loved every second of it. Dancing on stage is second nature to me as I have competed in Irish Step Dancing for the past 10 years. One of the highlights of my career was competing at two World Championships and being able to dance on a world stage doing what I love! I am so excited to showcase my talent on the Miss America stage!

You were recently able to walk in a fashion show at Rosecliff Mansion. What was that experience like?

I had the pleasure of walking in the, A Night to Remember fashion show this year for the third time! I love modeling and being able to step outside my comfort zone and try new fashion styles. This event supports students at Rogers High School in Newport and their Career and Technical Center. Being in the beautiful Rosecliff Mansion while wearing designer clothing and helping students makes this event such a fun and fulfilling evening.

Who is your favorite Red Sox player? Why?

Photo by Daniel Gagnon

My favorite player is J.D. Martinez because of his offensive power. He was a key free agent pick up for the Red Sox in the pre-season before capturing the world series the following year. I love how dedicated he is to his craft and his passion for the game!

Is there a feature or activity at Fenway Park that you’d especially like to experience?

I have been fortunate enough to attend many Red Sox games in the past few years. There is nothing like the Boston Fenway Park experience! One day I hope to be able to watch a game from the Green monster! Additionally, I have always been fascinated by the manual scoreboard and I would love to be able to see and learn how it operates!

What were you doing when the Red Sox won the 2018 World Series?
I am a sophomore at Endicott college in Beverly, MA and on October 28th, 2018 my friends and I were in our dorm eager to watch the Red Sox take home the title for the 9th time! There is nothing better than having our home team win the championship! There was so much excitement and pride, we were blaring Sweet Caroline!

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That sounds like a fun time to me!
As always, I want to thank to Molly for doing this interview. I think it's so much fun learning more about amazing titleholders. I also want to thank her for sending along so many fantastic pictures. They really show what the words can't.
As Molly continues her time as Miss Rhode Island, I encourage you to follow her on her official Miss Rhode Island social media outlets, including her official Facebook page and Instagram account. 
Of course, I also want to wish Molly luck this fall as she competes for the Miss America crown! I'm sure we'll all be watching her up on that stage!
Thanks again Molly, and good luck!

Building a Bullpen

The Red Sox bullpen was involved in a lot of discussion this weekend. Mostly, because bullpens are always being involved in a lot of discussion. It's the nature of the beast. But, this weekend specifically the Sox bullpen was getting press because the Red Sox were playing the Yankees.

You see, last offseason, many people thought the Red Sox bullpen needed major additions. When the Sox didn't add a big name, people were upset. Apparently they want a bullpen of eleven closers, and the waste of money that goes along with that. It was made even worse when the Yankees did add a big name. Although, admittedly one I did not know until last offseason. The Yankees signed Adam Ottavino to a three-year $27 million contract. People were mildly upset at the time. Fast forward to this weekend, and Ottavino has been pitching well thus far, and the Red Sox are not in first place. Although, the Sox bullpen has been a bright spot...that people ignore.

Not only were the Red Sox playing Ottavino, the one that got away, but he even admitted that he had interest in coming to Boston but it didn't happen. Suddenly things went crazy. He wanted to come here! The Sox didn't want him!

There are a few problems with those rants. First, Ottavino didn't finish his sentence. I'm guessing that he wouldn't finish with “I had interest in playing there...for free.” My guess is he meant, “I had interest in playing there...if they offered me the most money.” And it's not that the Sox “didn't have interest”. The Sox “didn't have interest at his price”.

Because, let's look at that deal. Ottavino is 33 years old. He just had a season in Colorado with a 2.6 WAR. Not bad. But, it was his highest WAR since he was 27 five years earlier. Since then? 1.3, 0.8, 1.0, and 0.3. For everyone who screamed that the Sox signed Rick Porcello after a fluke good season, this was ten times worse. For comparison? Last season Craig Kimbrel was 30, with a 2.3 WAR. His previous four? 3.6, 0.8, 1.4, 2.5. Hard to see any other conclusion than Kimbrel being younger, and better...and people were running him out of town.

You know who else people can't wait to get out of town? A couple other Dave Dombrowski bullpen additions. The Sox traded for Carson Smith a couple years ago. At the time, he was 25 and coming off a 2.5 WAR season. Similarly, Tyler Thornburg was acquired by the Sox. He was just coming off a season where he was 27 and put up a 2.5 WAR. Are people in love with those deals at the moment?

Both of those deals were significantly smarter acquisitions than signing Ottavino would have been. Both are used as examples of why Dombrowski is terrible at building bullpens.

So, yes, Ottavino is pitching well at the moment.  It would have been far more likely for him to not. Imagine if the Sox spent $30 million on a reliever with his track record who went out and played to a 1.0 WAR. The Sox would be rightly trashed for it.

So before we get all mushy eyed over what might have been, maybe we need to consider what has happened. Sometimes good moves don't work.  Sometimes stupid moves aren't as bad as they could be right away. It's the choice you make.

The Sox made the right choice in this case.