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Adios To Mike Lowell posted on 10/29/2008

It is time for the Boston Red Sox to move on from Mike Lowell. The 2004 World Series MVP has performed greatly for the Sox in his three seasons with the team amassing 58 HRs, 273 RBI and a batting average of .297 in that time. He has played gold glove caliber third base, as was expected when he was acquired as a throw in as a part of the trade that brought Josh Beckett to Boston. His offense has been much better than expected considering his poor showing in 2005 (.236 AVG., 8 HRs, 58 RBI) the season before he was shipped off to Boston. He was an all-star and was the MVP of the World Series in 2007. With all of these recent accomplishments, why should the Red Sox move on? The answer is Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis. With Teixeira available on the free agent market, the Red Sox need to look at their corner infielders and decide if it is worth signing Teixeira. If you compare Youkilis and Lowell, Youkilis wins because of his versatility and youth. Their offensive numbers over the past three seasons are extremely close. Lowell hit .297 with 58 HRs and 273 RBI while Youkilis hit .293 with 58 HRs and 270 RBI. With the offense being a toss up with Lowell receiving a slight edge, we must look at the defensive side of the game. I believe the edge goes to Youkilis here. They have both played tremendous defense, but Youkilis has been better. Over the past three seasons, Youkilis has committed 18 errors at first base and third base combined and he won a gold glove in 2007 while Lowell has committed 31 errors at third base. 2007 and 2008 were the worst defensive seasons of Lowell’s career with 15 errors and 10 errors respectively. Lowell’s numbers at third base are better than Youkilis’ numbers at the hot corner, but the difference is not great enough to overcome the age difference (Lowell is 34, Youkilis is 29) or the versatility difference (Lowell can only play third at this point of his career while Youkilis can play first, third, left field, and right field if necessary). Taking all of this into consideration, if you have to move on from one of these guys, it seems quite obvious that you keep Youkilis and move Lowell. What about Teixeira? Is he really going to be an upgrade over Lowell? The short answer is yes. Mark Teixeira is only 28 years old and the offensive numbers aren’t even close. Over the past three seasons Teixeira has hit .298 with 96 HRs and 336 RBI. These offensive numbers far out way the production of Lowell over the same time span. Teixeira has been superior to Lowell defensively as well. Remember Lowell’s 31 errors since 2006? Teixeira has only committed 14 in that time span and he won a gold glove in 2006. Another reason the Red Sox will explore this avenue is the fact that Mike Lowell will be coming off of hip surgery next season. Mike Lowell has two years left on a three year, $37.5 million contract and Teixeira is expected to ask for a long term deal in the range of $20 million per season. This is a lot of money but, in today’s baseball market, Teixeira has proven he is worth it. Signing Teixeira would be a great thing for the Red Sox to do for a couple of reasons. First, his bat would effectively replace that of Manny Ramirez and provide protection for David Ortiz. Secondly, signing him would keep him away from the New York Yankees, who are sure to make a strong push for Teixeira and any other big name free agents this off-season. If the Red Sox are unable to find a taker for Mike Lowell, they can afford to keep both men on the roster if need be, but that won’t happen. If the Sox can sign Teixeira, they will take just about anything for Lowell. They won’t be looking for someone to sell the farm in order to get him. Thank you for 2007 but adios Mike Lowell and hola Mark Teixeira, welcome to Boston!

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Americans Already Spread The Wealth posted on 10/28/2008

Ok, I know I usually write about sports, but with the Presidential Election just one week away, I felt it was necessary for me to put my opinion out there. There are many reasons that I support John McCain in this election, whether it is abortion, taxes, gun control, or the war, I believe he is the more qualified candidate. The McCain campaign has been making a concerted effort to portray Barack Obama as a Socialist in the closing weeks of this campaign, and if you believe the polls, it appears to be working. I wanted to take a look at this issue because it is a frightening thought. If you look at some of the people Barack Obama associates with, you will see a definite anti-America thread throughout their beliefs. Whether you take Reverend Wright’s "God Damn America" quote, or if you look at William Ayers and his past terrorist acts, you have to question Obama’s judgement. It scares me when a man running for President of the United States receives endorsements from such Anti-America establishments as Hamas, Hatem El-Hady, The New Black Panthers, William Ayers, FARC, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Daniel Ortega, Arab American Action Network, Rashid Khalidi, Moammar Qaddafi, Kim Jong Il, and Louis Farrakhan. I don’t want to condemn the man based on his friends alone, though. No matter what terrible things they have said or done, and no matter how much I question Obama’s judgement, I want to look at him and his actions to understand him better. When I do that, I see a man who is considered the most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate based on his voting record. I see a man who willingly endorsed an openly Socialist Senator (Bernie Sanders). I see a man who not only attended a party in honor of former PLO Operative Rashid Khalidi, but he also toasted the man. I see a man, who, in his own words thinks, "when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody." This was Obama’s answer when asked if he was going to raise Joe the Plumber’s taxes. It’s the whole Robin Hood thing, take from the rich and give to the poor. Even though I am one of the many middle class citizens struggling to make ends meet, I believe this idea is fundamentally wrong.  On the surface, it seems like a good idea.  If those who have plenty give to those who have less, how can that be wrong? It isn’t. That is what happens in this country already. In 2007, according to the Giving USA Foundation, Americans donated $306.39 billion to charities. That is the highest number on record. In fact, all subcategories of public charities saw an increase in donations in 2007. Each subcategory received the following donations and increases in 2007:

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Game Six is Game Seven posted on 10/18/2008

Here we go. Tonight is the pivotal game in the ALCS. With a comeback of historic proportions in game five, the Boston Red Sox forced the series to a game six in Tampa Bay. In my mind, this will be the deciding game of the series. Obviously, the series is over if Tampa wins, but I believe if the Red Sox are victorious tonight, they will not only have stolen all of the momentum the Rays had after being seven outs away from the first World Series berth in franchise history, but the Sox will have watered and nurtured the seed of doubt they planted in the young, inexperienced minds of the Tampa Bay Rays in game five into a full-grown tree. Game seven, at that point, will be a foregone conclusion and that proverbial tree of doubt will bare fruit for the Red Sox. But what are the odds of the Red Sox carrying their new found momentum into Tropicana Field where they have only won two of eleven games this season? It will all be decided by the right arm of Josh Beckett. He is the epicenter of what will be a season changing game for the Boston Red Sox. When you compare these two teams position by position, it is a wash. Tampa does have a slight edge based on the current effectiveness of their bats, but Boston’s experience and the after effects of game five make it a wash. Beckett is the difference maker. If he is able to round back into form, you have to remember that this guy has been one of the best post-season pitchers in recent history, he will put the Sox over the top. I know Beckett has not pitched well this post-season, but the Red Sox have had some real post-season magic in recent years. Whether it be Curt Schilling and the bloody sock, or Dave Roberts stolen base, or even the way David Ortiz always seems to put this team on his back and carry them when it seems improbable, the Red Sox seem to find a hero when they need to, regardless of that players’ previous performances, role or injuries. Now, Beckett does not need to be dominant, he just needs to be good. If Josh Beckett gives the Sox seven strong innings and allows two or fewer runs, the Rays don’t stand a chance. But it doesn’t have to be like that for the Sox to win. All they need out of Beckett tonight is six innings allowing three or four runs, then that will be enough to keep the Sox in the game and that is all they need out of him tonight. I know some of you will say that James Shields is going to have something to say about this game, but I have not seen enough out of Shields yet to say he can be a difference maker in the post-season. He has had a great season, especially at Tropicana Field, but he has never been in this situation before. Every game he has pitched this year from July through tonight has been the biggest game of his career and he has performed admirably, but we don’t know yet how big of a game he can handle. He has been nicknamed "Big Game" James, but it is hard to earn such a lofty moniker with what little experience he has in ‘Big Games’. We do know how big of a game Josh Beckett can handle. Some of his most dominant performances have come in the post-season and the World Series. His World Series MVP and three career post-season shutouts will pay tribute to his big game ability. What we don’t know is if Beckett is heathy enough to give the eighty to eighty-five percent of his past post-season dominance that the Red Sox need from him tonight. A big key to making Beckett comfortable tonight will be for the Red Sox to get an early lead against Shields. I expect the Sox to come out aggressive and for them to manufacture some runs early in this game. I do believe we will see Beckett do enough for the Red Sox to win tonight, and when that happens, there will be no stopping the Red Sox and Jon Lester in game seven. There will just be too much pressure on an inexperienced Rays team for them to get the job done in a do-or-die game seven against the defending World Champion Red Sox who will have all of the momentum heading into that game. So, I expect the Red Sox and Josh Beckett to defeat the Rays tonight, and in doing so, they will win the ALCS.

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I Miss The OCD posted on 10/16/2008

Last night the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to the World Series. All congratulations to the Phillies, but I am disappointed. I am a Red Sox fan, so even though I would have loved to see the Sox and Dodgers play in the World Series, the Dodgers loss is not the reason for my disappointment. You see, I had forgotten how entertaining it is to watch Nomar Garciaparra go through his OCD routine after every pitch. I haven’t been able to see Nomar play on a regular basis since he was traded from the Red Sox in 2004 and I hadn’t realized how entertaining his habit was until I was able to see him play this year with the Dodgers in the post season. Sure, he twirls the bat and taps his toes about seven times after every pitch, but that is not the best part. After every single pitch, he backs out of the box, tightens his batting gloves even if he didn’t swing, tap his wrist four times, adjust his sleeve, tap his feet, and adjust his batting helmet. He does this after every pitch! It all starts in the on deck circle though. He goes through the whole thing over there as well! How does he remember all of this? He always does it in the same order as well. When did this start? Can you imagine a little league player doing something like this? Do you think he practices his routine? I can just see him standing in front of the mirror now; "adjust gloves, touch knuckles, touch wrist, wait . . . is it knuckles then wrist or wrist then knuckles? Knuckles then wrist." Does this affect him in his everyday life? Imagine his routine to make a left turn. "Ok Nomie, you can do this. Turn on your blinker, roll down your passengers side window, now put it back up, change the radio station, turn on your wipers, flash your high beams, turn off wipers, beep twice, and . . . go." I believe Nomar was the cause of half of Boston’s traffic congestion while he was here. How does he get his mail? Tap the top of the mailbox for times, open the mailbox, tap the side of the mailbox twice, take out a piece of mail, tap bottom of mailbox three times, get the rest of the mail, tap the mailbox pole with your foot twice, and close the mailbox." I picture this guy eating like Robert Barone from ‘Everyone Loves Raymond’. Remember that guy? He tapped all of his food to his forehead before he would eat it. One thing I don’t miss is Nomar’s compulsive need for throwing errors. We’ve got Julio Lugo for that! Nomar was a good player for the Sox, don’t get me wrong. He had a very promising career until his compulsive use of steroids caused his obsessive need for injury. It was never proven that he used steroids, but when you see a guy add thirty pounds of muscle over one off season and suddenly suffer tendon and muscle injuries, it is quite easy to see what happened. Nomar played an important role for the Sox though. We really should be thankful to him as Red Sox fans. If it wasn’t for Nomar being on the Red Sox, they never would have been able to trade him to the Cubs in a four-team trade that landed gold glovers Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz on Boston’s roster and eventually led to a World Series victory. I believe it was Nomar’s wife Mia Hamm that caused this trade (I don’t have any evidence to support this claim, I just couldn’t think of another way to use the Nomar quote I am going to use in this next line), and for that I would like to say on behalf of Red Sox fans everywhere, "Thanks beautiful."

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Violence Has It's Place posted on 10/14/2008

Don’t take this the wrong way, but I like a little violence, in sports that is. I think most people who like sports agree. The biggest reactions from spectators usually occur after a big collision. If someone gets laid out in a football game, we all say, "Wow! Did you see that?! What a hit!". If you look at any hockey team, one of the most popular players is the so called "Goon." These guys practically have a cult following. In Boston, we love Shawn Thornton. Every team has their guy though. One of the most famous images of the Red Sox in recent years is that of Jason Varitek trying to forcibly remove Alex Rodriguez’ face with his catcher’s mitt. I love that photo. I don’t want to see guys get hurt, just hit hard. Obviously illegal acts like those of Todd Bertuzzi or Marty McSorley should never be condoned. What I’m saying is, sports just wouldn’t be as entertaining if we removed all aspects of violence. Just take a look at the NHL if you don’t believe me. It is a very different game now. You don’t see as many big checks or fights as you used to. I know most people say it doesn’t belong in the game, but the game is a lot more interesting when it is there. They say, "this opens up the game more for the pure skaters and finesse players." Oh, is that what it does? Well if I wanted to see pure skaters I would watch figure skating. Even that can have more violent contact, if Tonya Harding is involved anyway. The biggest argument against this, to me, is that fact that the greatest offensive player in history played in a physical league. Wayne Gretzky was a finesse player and he put up ridiculous numbers in a league far more physical than today. Can you imagine what it would be like if we removed all the violence from sports? Baseball would be played with a tee or a wiffle ball and wiffle ball bat to avoid any chance of injury. Hey, there would be plenty of new seats available though because the field would only be 150ft-200ft. In Hockey there wouldn’t be any checking. There would be no more players being checked over the boards or through the plexiglass. There would be no more fighting, all disagreements would be settled with the childhood standard rock, paper, scissors or maybe one potato, two potato. The slap shot would have to be eliminated. Every team would have to use one of those fabric goalies with holes cut in the corners, or maybe they would just lay the net down or turn it around because having someone stand in front of the net while guys shoot frozen rubber pucks at him would be too dangerous. Football would be played with a nerf ball and it would be two hand touch or maybe flag football. There would be no more bone crunching hits. The offensive line would be obsolete because teams would only be rushing one guy who has to count to 5 Mississippi before rushing. Without violence, Boxing wouldn’t even exist. Basketball would . . . well I guess not much would change here, you already have hardly any contact allowed in this game. Maybe we would see fewer of those devastating two minute injuries in soccer. You know, the ones where guys get carried off the field on a stretcher only to return to the field five minutes later. This must be the reason I don’t like Basketball or Soccer that much. Maybe we should increase the violence in these games. If we start having tackling in soccer, I mean real tackles not those little legs tackle things they do, people in the US would watch. As far as Basketball, maybe we should set up hockey boards around the court and allow checking. Who doesn’t want to see Ron Artest or Kobe get smashed against the plexiglass? I guess I’m just saying sports are violent by nature, and I like them that way. Let’s keep the violence out of our schools, not my sports. If you have a problem with that, then lets settle this like men. Ready? One, two, three...shoot!

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