About last night, baby: A glimpse of what’s to come?

Last nights stifling 2-0 Red Sox win over Toronto possibly gave a glimpse into the summer ahead for Sox fans. Half of us are going to love the pitching heavy ethos, while the other half are going to spend the summer yearning for the big boppers of old, Ortiz, Manny, Vaughn, Dante Bichette (cheeky chuckle on the latter!).

Watching Lester, Bard and Papelbon literally choke the life out of a potent Blue Jays lineup you had to imagine Theo Epstein sitting in his seat thinking to himself, ‘this is exactly how I envisioned it.’

Lester was superb. He was efficient, threw strikes and kept mixing his pitches up to confound the flailing Blue Jay batters. He struck out 11, and it ‘looked’ like an easy 11. At no stage did the Jays look like they had a clue what was coming. Lester has now not allowed a run in almost 13 innings straight and only gave up the one hit last night. He looks like an entirely different pitcher when he attacks the strike zone, pounding strike after strike through the medium of 95mph fastballs, cutters and sweeping curve balls. This was Lester at his finest, and the future looks so bright when you see outings as such.

Only one question on Lester’s night really, where are all the pessimistic goofballs this morning? Where are the nincompoops, yes, I went there, where are the nincompoops who actually wrote that Lester could do with a stint at Triple A? Good God almighty.

Thankfully order appears to have been restored on the court.

While Lester set the tone, Bard and Papelbon aggressively slammed the door shut. Both were overpowering. Bard continues to impress with his maturity (that 100mp fastball doesn’t hurt either) while Papelbon’s slider/splitter was literally explosive last night. He threw it a couple of times and the Jays who had to see it probably felt abused afterwards. It was a cartoon pitch, diving out of the strike zone with the Blue Jays batters swinging and missing at it like lost five year olds.

Just a completely dominating pitching performance stretched out nine innings long.

First Bucholz with his dominant start, now Lester, Bard and Papelbon. Whatever about the ramifications for the 2010 season, you couldn’t help but think ahead, the next couple of seasons down the line. Those Four are all home grown Red Sox prospects, they have come through the ranks and are now, it is fair to say, dominating at the Major League level. There are plenty of people who like to take shots at Boston for belonging to the ‘spend first’ crew like the Yankees and Mets. However they are being shortsighted to the fact that Boston has done an amazing job ‘growing its own’ as it were, and supplementing them with free agents that fit into the puzzle.

Put it this way, in two years time, what will the Yankee pitching situation look like? Maybe Phil Hughes will be there or there abouts, however the Yankees will probably be signing more $150 million dollar free agents in the near future, while Boston will be benefiting from teaching and growing the talents like Bucholz, Lester, Bard and Papelbon.

On a somewhat related note, it’s hard not to like what Tito Francona has done with the catching situation. Getting both Varitek and Victor Martinez in the lineup looks like a very aggressive and clever move right now. The pitchers looked really comfortable with Varitek behind the plate last night and Martinez was allowed swing the bat in the DH role without worrying about icing his knees later.

To add to this, Lester actually went out of his way to praise Varitek, in an interesting quote that may or may not mean a good deal;

“[Jason Varitek] did a great job with that, of kind of picking different spots to go after guys with different pitches.’’

Interesting comment to say the least.


Great night, great win, and all of a sudden it ‘feels’ like a baseball season just started.

Now if only we can get Beckett kick started…

100 mph worth of reasons to be hopeful

Picture credit belongs to katken.

José Morinho, meet Amy Winehouse.

Oh José. What next?

This morning the self anointed ‘Special one’ has been reported as drawing attention to Barcelona’s potential gamesmanship ahead of tonight’s Champions League semi final second leg clash between Inter and the Catalan club.

This is basically akin to Amy Winehouse chastising someone else for overusing recreational drugs.

Last week Inter Milan jubilantly rode a tidal wave of officiating bias to a 3-1 lead. They kicked the best football player currently playing the game around the park like a hacky sack, and were guilty of diving like a U-Boat when a Barcelona player as much as breathed on them.

And yet now Murinho is bringing into question Barcelona’s potential gamesmanship?


This is of course quite clearly a return to the old days when José and Alex Ferguson would joust verbally through the media at one another, in an attempt to win the psychological aspect of the game ahead of it actually being played on the field. You would have to think Barcelona are made of sterner stuff than to be affected by this psycho-babble, however you do fear that the referee might be a different situation entirely.

To his eternal credit, the brilliant Pep Guardiola has not taken the bait. His succinct, diplomatic response tells you all you need to know about Barcelona’s focus tonight;

‘’ Inter doesn't matter, nor their great coach, nor their marvelous players – the only thing that matters is that we are ourselves’’

Naturally tonight is all about perspective. Some football fans will be hoping the ‘underdog’ Inter will manage to survive the onslaught that will come from Barcelona tonight and make the final. Other fans will have been incensed by the incredibly poor refereeing last week in Italy and will be hoping Barcelona can turn the tables on their Italian hosts. Then there’s those football fans that have watched Barcelona build this magnificent team over the last three years and hope that they can drag another football master class out. Personally I’ll settle for something along the lines of that Iniesta goal against Chelsea last season. Remember that?

That felt like Han Solo turning up in the Millennium Falcon so save the Rebel Alliance at the last second.

The alternative? A Bayern v Inter final? What would the over/under on ‘blatant dives’ in that be, 17.5? Doesn’t exactly whet the footballing appetite does it? Of course, you don’t always get what you want in the Champions League.

Selfishly speaking I hope Barcelona find something special to extend my own personal interest in this glorious competition just that little bit further.

Kinda looks like Messi, no? Kinda?

Book review: "Red Sox by the Numbers" by Bill Nowlin and Matthew Silverman

When I first picked up "Red Sox by the Numbers" I flicked through a couple of pages, glanced at a few numbers and went to put the book down. A thought jumped into my head, I wanted to see who else had worn my all time favourite Red Sox player John Valentin’s number 13 down the years.

That’s all it took.

From then on I was hooked. "Red Sox by the Numbers" at its most basic is a list of every jersey number and every Red Sox player that ever wore that number. The more interesting players are singled out and fleshed out nicely while there is also a section for the most obscure Red Sox player to have worn number.

The book is absolutely perfect for just picking up and dipping into, threading slowly through the various players and numbers assigned to them. There is stacks of enjoyable little nuggets of information associated to the numbers. As a Red Sox fan it makes for an enjoyable single-shot read but is probably at its best as a fun way to pass a half hour here and there, picking it up and leafing through the numbers.

What struck me most after reading it was the sheer volume of memories the book brought back. I found myself day dreaming about lazy afternoon strolls down Newbury Street towards Fenway, back in the summers of ’94, ’95 and ’99 in particular. The book acted something like an electric jolt, forcing enjoyable Red Sox memories to the surface. For that reason alone any Red Sox fan that enjoys dwelling over past seasons, players and games should pick this little nugget up and give it a shot.



Red Sox By The Numbers is co-written by Bill Nowlins and Matthew Silverman and is published by Skyhorse Publishing. It also contains a really nice forward by the inimitable Joe Castiglione, the radio play-by-play voice of The Boston Red Sox since 1983.

The book is statistically flaw less, beautifully researched and just good fun to read.

A real line drive off the bat.

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Teams not winning the 2010 World Series: Number two: The Baltimore Orioles

Bad? Yes, definitely. Historically bad? Maybe. The Baltimore Orioles are probably feeling chirpy about themselves this morning after taking a tight win last night over Boston, however reality will set in when they see the standings and remember they have won three games to date.

They are already a whopping 11 games out of first place and we are still in April!

They play the Yankees, Red Sox and Tampa 57 times in ’10. Their next nine games in a row are against New York and Boston. How many of those will they win? What’s the over/under on Baltimore wins for that stretch, 1.5? 2.5 maybe at a push? In ten days time there is a pretty realistic chance that Baltimore’s record will stand at 3-25. Just imagine that for a second. 3-25!

Their Punch and Judy lineup would struggle to survive in the light hitting National League, in the AL East it really has no hope. Their starting pitching is poor, their middle relief is absolutely horrendous. Watching Hendrickson and Albers pitch you have to wonder, where is all the relief pitching gone? Bringing those guys in is the equivalent of throwing gasoline on the fire.

They are not picky about where they lose either. Home/away, doesn’t matter. Oddly enough, they haven’t won at home yet, at all. They are 0-6 at Camden Yards.


Perhaps the biggest kick in the teeth is that Baltimore can’t even cry foul of being bullied financially. They have spent over $90 million on this team, the 12th highest in Major League Baseball! They are no bottom feeder financially. Add to that the fact that they play to a full house most nights, and are based in a baseball hot bed where knowledgeable fans turn up every night to root for their team. The money and the fans are there, all the requirements are there. They just stink.

Having been brought up to always support the underdog, thanks Dad, you would like to find something to cling on to with Baltimore. Something that hints for better days ahead maybe? Fat chance. The Orioles are nothing short of horrendous. They can’t hit, they can’t pitch and their manager is growing angrier and more reactionary by the day. Yesterday against Boston he looked like he might run out on to the field at any stage and go all Lou Pinella on us. A good friend sent me a text asking ‘When did William Shattner start managing the O’s?’ I would edit that by asking ‘When did contemporary, overweight, possibly crazy William Shattner start managing the O’s?’

Either way, this situation is not going to end well in Baltimore. The fact of the matter is, there is absolutely no hope whatsoever that the Baltimore Orioles will win the 2010 World Series.

The full list
Teams that are not going to win the 2010 World Series
1. The Houston Astros
2. The Baltimore Orioles

Nothing new here..

Pierce!! KNOCKS IT DOWN FOR THE WIN!

Sports sports sports sports: The weekend ahead

Buckets and buckets of great live sports this weekend, and the below list has not even one tiny reference to any drafts, real or imagined. This is a draft free zone. Get a load of this tasty mega weekend of sporting activities.

All times Irish

• Friday: 12 am (live on TV here in Ireland!) - Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat
• Saturday: 12:45 pm Live on Sky - Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
• Saturday: 5pm Live on Sky! - Barcelona v Xerez
• Saturday: 5:30 pm Live! - Arsenal v Manchester City
• Saturday: 9 pm (live on TV here in Ireland!) - Yankees @ Angels
• Sunday: 1 am (live on TV here in Ireland!) - Braves @ Mets

Really excited about the Celtics game. The C's have been a big fat question mark all year long, are they good enough, are they tough enough, so on and so forth. However, in the first two games against Miami (two wins), Boston have been tough, resilient and have proved a lot of naysayers wrong. Hopefully they can keep it going tonight. The Premiership could be won or lost early tomorrow morning, fascinating showdown between Manchester and Tottenham. This could be a cracker. Massive game in La Liga later at 5, Barcelona will probably take recent frustrations out on a Xerox machine, while Arsenal just might play with freedom and recently missing élan at 5:30 against the 'other' Manchester now that they are pretty much out of the running for the Premiership.

So much to do, so little time!!

Oh God, not soccer too..

First the NFL. Then the NHL.

What next, Wrestling?

Is every major sporting event rigged now? Or is that just how it seems?

Last night Barcelona travelled to Italy to face Inter Milan in the Champions League semi final, first leg. What followed was one of the most crooked, bent and obviously corrupt games I have ever seen.

It wasn't any one glaring incident, instead it was a number of situations that added up to create a terribly corrupt atmosphere, a lingering stench of one sided officiating that left a bad taste in the mouth of any neutral. You can only imagine how Barcelona fans are feeling this morning.

The 'evidence', as it were?

Barcelona were denied two pretty clear cut penalty shouts. Lionel Messi was kicked unceremoniously around the park by the Italian club's defenders from first to final whistle, with basically no intervention from the referee. Inter's third goal was a mile offside. Milito was so offside when he headed home that his first reaction wasn't to celebrate, it was to look anxiously over at the linesman. Incredibly the flag never came.

Need more to chew on? In a match where Barcelona had the lions share of possession and Inter would admit themselves they had to defend for large portions of the game, bizarrely five Barcelona players were booked against only two Inter players. Both those Inter players were forwards.

So far we have learnt:

• The referee was not giving Barcelona a penalty
• The referee was not going to book any Inter defender
• It was open season on kicking Messi around the park
• Offside goals were fine as long as Inter were scoring them

Puyol's yellow card was nothing short of farcical. After a very run of the mill foul at midfield the Inter players surrounded the referee, who had already started moving away from the incident, without taking further action. It was almost as if the Inter players had subtly reminded the referee that a yellow card would see the brilliant Barcelona defender suspended for the second leg. With Puyol a full 25 yards away at this stage the referee finally brandished a yellow card.

The two quietest and yet paradoxically most glaring incidents came in injury time. With four minutes to play, plenty of time for Barcelona to grab a potentially crucial second 'away' goal, they launched waves of attacks. Twice as the ball went dangerously into the Inter penalty area, the referee blew his whistle for completely phantom 'offences'. Both Inter and Barcelona players alike looked confused. On neither occasion did anybody foul anybody, yet Inter were given a free out.

Basically Barcelona were not going to be allowed create any final, potentially tie-changing chances. The referee was making sure of it.

I know it is not just me screaming like some sort of crazed psychopath that everyone feels sorry for and takes a wide berth around on the sidewalk. Everybody is talking about the smaller incidents, which add to the sum that the game was completely crooked.

''Then the referee, Olegário Benquerenca of Portugal, who once awarded three penalties against Mourinho's Porto in a single league match, did the Inter manager the first of several favours by ignoring Esteban Cambiasso's stab of the foot at Messi's boot as the little genius danced into the penalty area.''

More on Messi's treatment by the Italians;

''He tried three of his characteristic slaloms through the defence in the first half, each halted by Inter's defenders with varying degrees of brusqueness''

It wasn't that Messi didn't get any protection from the referee, he didn't get anything at all, the only free kick he got was when he was literally shoved to the floor and then kicked in the head, and that was in a non-dangerous position.

Olegário Benquerenca certainly has an interesting track record. This from a UEFA cup match he took charge of in '09;

''And all bookings were completely out of order. Jenner's and Fritz's for protesting, Steinsson's for heading a ball while lying on the ground. Is that a foul in Portugal? And forward Koevermans wasn't allowed to even stand in Werder's penalty box. This was a fair match, two teams that respected each other. They would have been better off without a referee. Ridiculous.''

Of course not everyone agrees that the game was suspicious. When asked about the curious refereeing, Inter boss Jose Mourinho said;

"I don't feel that the referee influenced the outcome of this game, no. It's a pity he gave an offside against [Inter's] Diego Milito at the start when he was onside, but that's all."

I suppose you can rant and rave like a lunatic about perceived injustice in sports, and I have, and I will. However, unless it is as blatant as that Thierry Henry handball, FIFA/UEFA can successfully keep a lid on any crazy people raising too many concerns about the standard and indeed legality of officiating in their game.

Come to think of it, Henry and France got away with it too.

Morning's like this leave me wondering, what's the point in watching these games?

The weight of expectation

Just a couple of years ago he was quite literally fighting for his life, battling one of the toughest diseases known to man and coming out a winner on the other end. Fast forward to the start of this baseball season, and Jon Lester, who is off to a rocky start, was being called in some corners, the 'real' ace of the Boston Red Sox.

Amazing how fast expectations can explode into unnatural territory.

If you frequent this site with any regularity you will know that we at Boston Irish are gigantic Lester fans. You do have to wonder though, is too much being expected of Lester this relatively early in his MLB career?

Lester has had two full seasons under his belt in the Majors. In 2008 he went 16-6 and last season he went 15-8. On the basis of his own strong, determined make up and his superb 'stuff' (the variety and standard of pitches available to him) several writers suggested Lester might be a nice little outside bet for the AL Cy Young award. Others suggested he might top 20 wins.

Instead, Lester has scuffed to a rough start, without a win as yet and giving up runs at a pace Hideki Irabu would be proud of. There are two ways to look at this, should we lower our expectations of Lester, or should Red Sox fans be worried that this is symptomatic of a loss of form?



In terms of expectations, Lester has shown some terrific upside the last two seasons of full volume of work. He has topped 200 innings both times, 210 in '08 and 204 in '09. There was a dramatic and exciting jump in strikeouts per inning between those two seasons, from a completely acceptable 6.5 to an otherworldly 9.96. That number is Pedro like. Lester was basically averaging 10 strikeouts a game in '09. In the American League, in fact in the American League East no less, facing the Yankees, Rays and other power packed lineups regularly.

So far in 2010 everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for Lester. He is walking over 5 batters a game, and when they do get on base, the guys behind them are knocking them in. Batters facing Lester are submitting a ridiculous .379 average on balls in play. What that means is basically nobody is catching anything Lester is giving up. While those stats are really horrible, they actually make for good reading.

'How so, crazy person?' You might ask. Easy. Lester will bring that walks total down, and the BABIP will even out also. Both those numbers are entirely artificial. The end product will be the runs will stop haemorrhaging, fast.

Lester is only 26 years old, a relative pup in terms of starting pitching. He has submitted an astonishingly good 42-16 record to start his Major League career. It's April 19th, we have barely touched any percentage of the MLB season. Lester is strong, physically fit and angry at himself for a poor start by his own already lofty standards.

Overall analysis of the situation? If you did place a wager on Lester to win the CY Young, don't throw the ticket out just yet. All the historical statistics and all the intangibles point to the young 'ace in waiting' righting the ship and blazing through lineups for the rest of the season. If you have any doubts, just watch him scythe his way 1-2-3 through the Rays in the first inning on Sunday. Three up, three strikeouts. The 'stuff' is there.

A couple of small adjustments and Lester, like the Red Sox, will be just fine.

Dealing with AJ

There are often players that fans and other players alike love to hate. Sometimes this hatred is unfair, sometimes the player in question can’t get out of their own way, they seem to almost insist on making things difficult for themselves.

One such player is the Chicago Whitesox AJ Pierzynski.

Last Tuesday, with the White Sox struggling mightily against Ricky Romero, Pierzynski took matters into his own hands in an effort to get on base. After a low pitch skipped in the dirt, Pierzynski started to dance around as if a sniper in the stands had scored a direct hit on his foot. Replays showed the ball was nowhere near Pierzynski. Not even close. Sadly the umpire was fooled and Pierzynski got first base.

Baseball could take a leaf out of soccer’s book here. In soccer, the best example would be where a player dives for a penalty, or, simulates, as FIFA likes to refer to it as. If a referee decides a player is deliberately trying to win a penalty he books the offending player. He gives him a yellow card (two of those, and you are ejected).

The baseball equivalent would be simple. Call the pitch a strike. No matter where it went, no matter how far out of the box it is. If the batter either moves into the ball (not attempting to get out of the way as the rule demands) or if the batter pretends to get hit, call it a strike. This would diffuse the entire situation, and should also prevent players pretending to get hit with a pitched ball.

The umpire should have the power to decided if he believes the player is ‘simulating’. Experienced umpires should get this right 9 times out of 10, and that would be a better situation than currently.

The Internet is awash with calls to ban Pierzynski, or bring in further instant replay or call in the Marines. Often the simplest answer is the best road forward and in this case, just call the pitch a strike. That could put the entire matter to bed in an instant.

Dealing with AJ

Teams not winning the 2010 World Series: Number one: The Houston Astros.

With last night's loss the Houston Astros dropped to a stunning opening skid of 0-8. What's worse? The fact that they went to 0-8 or the fact they lost to Brad Penny? I'll tell you what's worse, they are the first team to make it to Boston Irish's coveted 'Teams that are not going to win the World Series' list! Take a bow Houston.

Last night's loss was bad enough, however, one more and the Astros will be off to their worst start in team history.

In eight games Houston has scored a ridiculously low 14 runs. This puts them on a pace to score a super-pathetic 300 runs over the course of the 2010 season. The worst run scoring team in baseball since 1990 scored 466 runs. Houston will have to kick start their offence dramatically to avoid becoming historically bad.

This lack of run scoring points towards a horrifically bad season for Houston. Only four teams since 1990 have scored fewer than 700 and finished above .500. Note that figure, 700, and remember Houston is on a pace to score only 300 runs. Without a particularly dramatic turnaround Houston would appear to have little or no hope of even breaking .500.

Blaming it on missing Lance Berkman doesn't work, one man does not a team make. Boston is effectively playing without David Ortiz at the moment and are off to a reasonable start. Houston's lineup is rounded out with largely no-name (and apparently no-bat) players who nobody outside of Houston knows anything about. Have you ever heard of J.R. Towles or Tommy Manzella? Not many people have. The established 'stars' they do have are not getting the job done. Carlos Lee was 0 for 4 last night including a double play ball and weak flyout for the second out in the ninth, and is 3 for 31 on the season with no RBIs.

They aren't even likeable. Wife beating coward Brett Myers is their number four guy in their starting rotation. How do you root for that?

Just remember, you heard it here first, the Houston Astros are not going to win the 2010 World Series.


The full list
Teams that are not going to win the 2010 World Series
1. The Houston Astros
2. Coming soon.

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Tonight, tonight, tonight..

Wednesday night bonanza sporting entertainment windfall! Fantastic line-up this evening, with all sorts of tasty little sporting events happening around the globe.

A quick over-view

(All times Irish time)

• 6pm: MLB - Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins
• 8pm: Premiership - Tottenham v Arsenal
• 9pm: La Liga - Barcelona v Deportivo

What a juicy little selection of tasty games. The Red Sox need a win at the beautiful new Twins field to get a little positive momentum going. Arsenal and Tottenham has the potential to be wildly exciting and Barcelona, fresh after humiliating Real Madrid on their home turf, are a lovely night-cap to finish the evening off.

The games are almost perfectly staggered although they will run into each other a little bit. Nevermind, MLB TV on the laptop, Arsenal on the box, hey presto. Might tape the Barcelona game and watch it when Arsenal finish off their 3-1 win over 'Spurs!

Crack open a beer, feet up, and away we go.

..and here's to you, John Lackey, Red Sox Nation turns its lonely eyes to you..woo woo woo..

MLB TV - shiny, shiny, shiny..

This is the pinnacle of the relationship between me, myself and MLB TV. It simply can't get any better. I want to have a relationship with it. I want to buy it nice things. I want to whisper it sweet nothings.

Okay, enough of that, but MLB TV continues to be the finest streaming delivery of any sport on your computing device.

I mean seriously, check it out, look at it, observe it in all it's glistening shiny glory. This is a screen shot from a game tonight. And yes, I am watching Padres @ Rockies.

Pretty, no?


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The Vernon Wells conundrum

A chirpy, rambunctious Canadian I know emailed this morning to flaunt;

‘’ Thought I should let you guys know that Vernon Wells is on pace for 216 home runs and 378 RBI's. And 729 total bases.’’

This had a poor effect on me personally. Imagine, if you will, a fella who has been seeing a girl for two weeks. She is listless, seemingly constantly bored, doesn’t really like doing anything, and certainly isn’t interesting at all to be around. They break up. She ends up with another guy, who guy ‘A’ knows. Just a week into her new relationship guy ‘A’ starts to hear fantastical rumours, his ex girlfriend is apparently full of life. She is absolutely hilarious, great to be around. Just a completely awesome girlfriend.

I am pretty much guy ‘A’ when it comes to Vernon ‘the fake’ Wells.


I owned his fat, lazy self for three seasons in a competitive, enjoyable ‘keeper’ fantasy baseball league I am in. He was a weight around my neck. He brought nothing to the table. I couldn’t unload him for love nor money. I think in three years total he hit around 51 home runs for my team, ‘The Tusken Raiders’. It ‘felt’ like 16 home runs. Total. He was a single slapping sloth, who kept my team from ever really making any progress. He was too ‘valuable’ to dump and yet nobody was interested in trading for him.

Finally I managed to bury him in a five player monster trade, giving up plenty more than I should have just in an effort to get something, anything at all Of course, I should have known, way back when I initially drafted his slacker backside. Look at how excited I was. If only I had known;

Some Major League players have a song played on the PA for them when they come to bat. My second pick in the .406 Club Dynasty Fantasy Keeper League Draft, 24th overall, has just the five. Vernon Wells has a selection of five theme songs, including, "Grillz," by Nelly. Five songs. What I am wondering is, how does the guy who operates the PA system choose? Does Vernon have signs that he flashes on the way to bat?

The signs were always there. Clearly.

Wells is a fraud. He will not hit 216 home runs in 2010. He will struggle to hit 30. Trust me, having put up with his pathetic stats the last few years. In over 600 at bats in 2009 Wells hit an absolutely pathetic 15 home runs. His .260 average would pass for a light hitting catcher maybe, but for a ‘superstar’? How about 68 rbis? Sound good?

Have a look at Vernon’s home run totals the last few years.

2006 – 32
2007 – 16
2008 – 20
2009 – 15

He had a pretty decent 2006 and since then, not so much. It isn’t just the power that’s lacking. You want a player with a .311 on base percentage in your three or four hole in your lineup? How about defence? In 2009 Wells couldn’t catch a cold. His UZR (ultimate zone rating) was a horrifically bad -18.2. In 2008 he ‘managed’ a very poor 14.3, so the statistics would suggest Wells is actually getting worse in the field.

If you happen to wake up this morning a Vernon Wells owner, sell high! Do it now. Run to your computer and trade him while he is worth something. Drop whatever you are doing. If you say to yourself ‘nah, I think I will ride this hot streak he is on!’ – just remember I warned you when it has been three weeks since he hit anything but a pop up and the Blue Jays fans are booing him like he is the second coming of, wait, do Canadians hate anyone at all? Whatever about that, trade him now. Get it done.

On a pace for 216 home runs? Vernon wells is, and always will be, on a pace to disappoint.

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Flip-flopping away.

People often flip-flop when writing. One week they might write something, then things might change, and they might write something different the following week. We have all done it. However, flip-flopping, twice, in one article? Call the fellas at the Guinness Book of Records. There's something crazy going on here.

Calvinist in Chief, Dan Shaughnessy, decided to tear into the duck-in-a-barrel that is David Ortiz after last night. Well, first he defended him. Then he attacked him. Then he defended him. Then he attacked him.

It would set your head into an unstoppable spin. if you let it.

First off Dan rationally opined:

‘’Now we know the Red Sox are not going 162-0. Two games is a very small sample.’’

Then he wrote:

‘’The David Ortiz Dilemma is real. Big Papi went 0 for 4 last night and is hitless in the first two games. He made the final out of three innings. He struck out miserably with a man on second and two outs when the game was tied, 4-4, in the fifth’’.

So, which is it Dan, is two games a small sample, or is the Ortiz dilemma, after two games, really serious? You can't have both!

A further double-flip followed shortly.
Again; which is it, Dan?

Quote 1 ''We love the Big Fella, but it looks very much like it’s over''
Quote 2: ''It’s not fair to give up on Ortiz based on a couple of games''

My head is spinning.
I need some Advil and a Red Bull, or to just stop reading Shaughnessy.

How soon we forget...

Say it aint so, Amalie

Oh come on now. Seriously.

Amalie Benjamin. Say it aint so? Not you too?

The last couple of years a new breed of enormously less narcissistic Boston Globe sports writers have been ‘born’ and risen from the murky waters inhabited previously by the Calvanistic, ‘the sky is falling’ former crew. The likes of Wilbur, Caffardo, Abraham, Finn, Benjamin and others are a fresh break from the old, dour, and downbeat scribblings of previous Sox writers.

Occasionally, however, it would appear old habits die hard. Perhaps Amalie Benjamin, up to now a beacon of positivity and rational thinking, has been possessed by the poltergeist of Dan Shaughnessy.

After last nights Sox loss, in just their second game of the season, Marco Scutaro made a throwing error, which did prove quite costly. Benjamin wrote, and I quote:

‘’The image that remained, however, was of yet another error from yet another shortstop.’’

Wait now, what? This is the new Sox shortstop’s second game at the helm. Second. He has played twice for Boston. Two times. Yet, we are now supposed to lump him in with failed long term projects like Edger Renteria and Julio ‘crotch grab’ Lugo? Seriously?

Scutaro has by all account been a success so far, in spring, in game one and fitting in to a new environment. Surely it might be a little bit early to line him up and verbally execute him along with the ghosts of shortstops past?

This is like a girl, who has had really bad luck with a string of brutal boyfriends, meeting a new guy and after two dates saying ‘Oh you are just like all the rest’ because he burped after the desert or something. Imagine lumping that new boyfriend in with those old, shabby, no good guys just for one minor mishap, after two dates?! Isn’t that, wouldn’t that just be completely crazy? Maybe the new boyfriend is going to be entirely awesome, maybe he is really into doing the house work and maybe he has an all inclusive trip to Hawaii lined up. Who knows. Shouldn’t the girl give him some time to fit into his new role?

Amalie, shouldn’t we give Marco time to fit into his new role?

''Welcome to Boston, you have two games to prove yourself..''

About Sunday night...

Belated thoughts on opening night

Sadly one of the most prominent aspects of the evening was the home plate umpire Joe West’s ridiculous strike zone. To stress, the zone was ridiculous both ways. This wasn’t a bias thing at all, it was just another veteran umpire stubbornly refusing to call the correct zone. According to the ESPN ‘K’ zone, Beckett had fourteen strikes that were called balls and one ball called a strike. That is simply horrific. To me it looked like West was calling an odd number of pitches up in the zone, particularly slow off-speed stuff, but was completely ignoring the outside corner, no matter how close it was. His ilk is the main reason those types of games turn into four hour slug fests. If pitchers are forced to throw the ball down the middle of the plate, of course they are going to get hit, and subsequently the games will be prolonged. MLB should not allow itself to be held hostage by the whims of these ancient, stubborn umpires who refuse to call the strike zone as it should be. The game is suffering because of this.

Lost somewhat in the euphoria (or, Titanic like disaster, if you are a Yankee fan) was Red Sox ace Josh Beckett’s undeniably sub par outing. As with pretty much everything that happened Sunday night, there were silver linings by the pick-up-truck-full. First of all, Beckett had a horrible April in ’09 also, however his season worked out okay. Secondly, with his snazzy new sparkling contract, Beckett can now relax and just get on the mound every five days and throw bullets. My own feeling is Beckett actually looks ahead of where he was this time last year. Give it three or four starts and he will be dominating lineups again.

This is kind of a rhetorical question, as the answer is pretty clear, but is ESPN’s coverage specifically aimed at 73 year old retirees, or does it just seem that way? Orel Herschiser did offer some interesting ‘from the player’s point of view’ side notes, but Jon Miller and Joe Morgan are nothing short of excruciatingly painful. Morgan squats low in his seat blathering on about how awesome he was, and how in his time things were different. Meanwhile you would not be stunned if the camera turned to Miller to find him wrapped in a cosy robe sipping hot chocolate while giving out about the youth of today. The conversation between them is boring, slow and tiresome. Is this really the best ESPN can do?

''That was the worst pitch I have ever seen!''

On a similar note, as mentioned above, the ESPN ‘K’ Zone was clearly illustrating that Joe West was having a stinker of a night behind the plate. Instead of actually discussing this Morgan and Miller just continued on with their fire side chat type commentary. What’s the point in having the ‘K’ Zone if ESPN aren’t going to discuss its findings?

One of my favourite parts of the night? Watching Daniel Bard annihilate Mark Texiera’s bat with a 98mph fast ball. Texiera knew it was coming, got the bat around in good time but could only watch as his bat literally evaporated, splintering to pieces under the weight of the Bard offering.

Victor Martinez is the real deal. Just watch his at bats closely. He doesn’t miss anything. He is pretty much ‘on’ every single pitch. I am continuously amazed how he gets over looked in discussions about the Red Sox lack of offensive firepower. Martinez has an absolutely beautiful swing and a brilliant, clinical eye. I think Sox fans are going to be completely blown away by him, after a full season in the Sox threads.

Where to now for the Yankees? This was no ordinary loss. The gaping holes in their squad were violently exposed by the Sox come back win. The funniest moment of the night was Herschiser calling Sabathia 280lbs. The last time the Yankee ace was that weight he was probably 17 years old. Sabathia has to be about 350lbs. He is grossly over weight. You could see him visibly run out of steam as the game wore on. How on earth could the Yankees allow a player that poorly conditioned to take the mound on opening night? Another major issue that is going to plague the Yankees is that ridiculously thin bullpen. Chan Ho Park? Seriously? His feather light pitching arsenal might cut it in the National League, but you would have to think Park will be gone before May comes around. He is simply not cut out for this level of competition, otherwise known as the AL East. Jibba Jobba Chamberlin looked a mess also. His stuff is still superb, but he doesn’t have the head required to compete in the majors.

Got food?

Finally, the lower part of the Boston order looked feisty. The Red Sox lineup looks ‘longer’ than it did in ’09. What that means is that the six through nine spots look like they will contribute effectively in ’10, making the lineup one through nine ‘longer’. If you recall, six through nine was a serious Bermuda Triangle like dead-spot in ’09. It is obviously very early however it looks like that won’t be the case in ’10.

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The six year silence

It's not often an entire fan base goes into some kind of shock induced coma and stays silent for a period of six years. Well, it would appear the run is over. Yankees fans are back, and goodness gracious are they chirpy.

Most Red Sox fans will have noticed a complete lack of any kind of trash talking or mouthing off from their Yankee fan friends. This dates back to 2004, when the Yankees were unceremoniously dumped out of the ALCS by the Red Sox, in what was one of the most dramatic, shocking turn arounds in contemporary sports history.

I hadn't really thought about it until the last week or so, as the Major League season drew closer and closer. I noticed, for the first time in quite literally years, that Yankee fans had started posting on MLB forums, sending those angry, aggressive and kind of lonely emails and otherwise making a nuisance of themselves once again.

It appears as if the Yankee fan base has finally recovered from the shock of '04 and has crawled out from under its rock and is ready to get all 'Jersey Shore' on us yet again. Their singularly purchased 2009 title has given them the bravado to recover from the stomach punch blow of '04 and they are ready to spew bile, uninformed trash talk and vitriol yet again. One more time with feeling.

Ironically this brings a sort of world order into place again, at least in the Major League universe. I actually have to admit I did miss those angry little Yankee fans and their taunts and bluster. The gap of six years was completely incredible. If I do a search in my email for the words 'Red Sox suck' or 'Yankees rule, man' or 'random homosexual slur aimed at any given Red Sox player' I find absolutely nothing in the period of October 2004 to March 2010. If I do the same search in the former and latter mentioned period my laptop explodes like a Scud missile just hit it.

You know, I should mention, there are two distinct types of Yankee fans. There are the level headed, knowledgeable fans, those who watch the game for a love of baseball and the history of it all. Then there are these guys.

And so here we are on the cusp of the 2010 MLB season, and the Yankee fan is back in action, pouring forth once again their unique brand of pathetic, archaic, redundant hatred. Welcome back guys, we really missed you.


What the average Yankee fan is trying to say to you

A handy translation tool

''Red Sox suck!'' - ''I am nervous that last season was just an aberration and the Yankees are going to spend years in the wilderness once their high priced, ageing free agents start to run out of steam''

''Josh Beckett is gay!'' - ''I am unsure of my own feelings sexually and I may have a man crush on Josh Beckett''

''The Red Sox will lose, man, the Red Sox always lose!'' - Just something a Yankee fan said to me the night the Yanks went 3-0 up in '04. I wish I could find him just to say hi.

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Your Western division summer double.

If you do one thing, this summer, as the song goes, wear sun screen. If you do two things, wear sun screen and place this double.

The Seattle Mariners to win the AL West doubled with the San Francisco Giants winning the NL West. Approximately 2-1 and 3-1 respectively. Dress it up any way you want. Call it your Western double. Call it your ‘King’ Felix special. Just place it. Then sit back and watch as you fall in love with ‘King’ Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee, Matt Cain and Little Timmy Lincecum.

This just feels right. I have gone over each NL and AL division race and the two exciting, value bets that really stood out were the Mariners and Giants. Their odds are artificially inflated because there are the bloated, decaying corpses of the Angels and Dodgers in their way. Too harsh? Anaheim is dumping players for fun and LA, well, would you really trust the Dodgers with your money? Big names, bleak futures.

Take advantage of the bookmakers inability to identify two upward trending teams with brilliant rotations and young, talented lineups and hop on this divisional double. You could take it even further by placing a small ‘fun’ double on Seattle to win the AL and San Francisco to win the NL. Nowhere near as likely, but stupefying big, flashy odds.

Remember, this is coming from a Red Sox fan. I am not emotionally invested in either team (well, not yet anyway!) however you can’t ignore those shiny, sparkling rotations.

$10 gets you $90 when they both win.

Just remember you heard it here first.

Goofy, but, good..

MLB ante post betting – The American League divisions

A look at each of the American League divisional races and the betting for same.

Previous entries: The National League divisions

AL West
2/1 Los Angeles Angels
2/1 Seattle Mariners
11/5 Texas Rangers
7/1 Oakland As

Overview: One of the potentially more exciting divisional races this coming summer. The Angels have made all the wrong moves (letting too many players go) while Seattle and to a lesser extent Texas have been building towards knocking the Halos off their previously lofty perch. No one has been able to touch Anaheim for a while in the AL West, but 2010 should be very different. Texas look a progressive sort, letting high priced, over valued and injury prone players like Hank Blalock go and moving forward with a young, talented infield of Davis/Kinsler/Young and Andrus. They also brought in ‘Big Bad’ Vladimir Guerrero to DH. Angels fans are going to have to watch a revitalized Vlad, no longer worrying about playing outfield, mashing long home runs off their shell shocked pitchers all season long. 19 times, Mrs. Rooney, 19 times! Painful. The rotation in Texas may not blow you away at first look but with Nolan Ryan at the helm in the front office and focusing on that area, you know they are going to be decent on the hill. The really exciting new kid on the block is the Mariners. They have made some stunningly simple yet exciting moves this winter. Chone Figgins at second? Nice. Milton Bradley in left? Hey, he is a sparky character, sure, but boy can he hit. Their starting rotation is potentially sensational. ‘King’ Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee back to back? Who is going to enjoy facing them in the first round of the playoffs? To end on a negative, you can write Oakland off immediately, and what was Anaheim thinking letting Lackey, Guerrero and Figgins go? That’s the heart and soul of their team. I am sure they are selling it to their fans as ‘getting younger’ but in reality, they just didn’t want to pay the players, so they are dumping salary. Well, enjoy a 70 win season, fellas. Nice way to treat your vociferous, loyal fans.

The sure thing: The Seattle Mariners are fantastic value at 2/1 to supplant the soon-to-be-awful Angels at the top of the West.
The outsider: Texas will challenge Seattle all the way
Our predicted finish:

1. Seattle Mariners
2. Texas Rangers
3. Los Angeles Angels
4. Oakland As

AL Central
7/4 Minnesota Twins
2/1 Chicago White Sox
12/5 Detroit Tigers
11/1 Cleveland Indians
20/1 Kansas City Royals

Set to reign in '10

Overview: Well now, untangle this mess, if you can! The only team you can categorically rule out of the AL central race is Cleveland. Yes, the Indians, not the Royals. The Tribe has been dumping players and salary faster than Jennifer Anniston dumps Hollywood hunks, and have replaced them with, well, nothing special basically. Their loyal fans have been turning bitterly on the ‘big’ teams (Boston, New York, Philadelphia etc) when it is really their own front office they should be angry at. People of Cleveland, your team is dumping salary! They don’t want to pay good players, and would rather try bringing up young, cheap players. This is a cheap move, nothing short, nothing less. The scary part for Indians fans is, the Royals might actually pass them in 2010. The Royals made some interesting additions, particularly in the outfield. Scott Podsednik will be a great addition, as will Rick Ankiel. In those two guys they have added speed and power, and super defence. They have a fantastic front three to their rotation, Greinke (Cy Young), Meche and Hochevar will mean there aren’t too many losing runs in Kansas this summer.

Now for the big three. The Twins suffered shocking news when their nails closer Joe Nathan was injured for the season. They will miss him like the desert misses rain. If I was a Twins fan my real fear would be the rotation. In short, nothing special. Their number one? Scott Baker. He can be described with one word, ‘meh’. Worse yet, their number three guy? Carl Pavano. Never before has such a mediocre pitcher lasted this long in the Major Leagues. You can expect a 2010 of 9 wins 13 losses and an era over 5 for Pavano. Have fun with that, twins fans!

Detroit kept their core intact and made some sneaky good moves. Everyone knows about Johnny Damon, and he will be a great addition, however their finest move was possibly in the lower end of their rotation. How they managed to get Max Scherzer from Arizona I will never know but he is going to be a star for years to come, and will be in the second/third spot in that rotation in no time. He had 174 strikeouts in just 170 innings last season and is only 25. Great pick up, particularly when he is only being asked to be fourth/fifth starter. He should also learn plenty from Justin Verlander, Detroit’s fireballing potential Cy Young candidate.

Finally, Chicago. Their lineup looks a little light to me, there isn’t one guaranteed 30 home run guy in there (you could see Konerko stalling at 25), and Chicago might struggle to score runs on a consistent basis. Andruw Jones’s bloated corpse at DH is not a scary proposition. When you look at the electricity in some of the lineups in the AL, the White Sox version is nothing short of very ‘National Leaguey’. Chicago’s trump card is clearly their pitching. Beuhrle and Peavy are a really nice looking front two, and the back three aren’t bad either. The problem is, can’t you see the headline now, ‘Peavy out for six weeks with (insert injury here)?

The sure thing: Detroit Detroit Detroit. The Detroit Tigers have all the ingredients. Superior, power pitching, a big bullpen full of power arms and a fantastic, diverse lineup with speed and power. Tough division however the Tigers look the cream of the crop.
The outsider: Don’t laugh, the Kansas City Royals. At 20/1 they can overtake Cleveland and maybe make a run at the top three. Might not have enough depth in the end but, they have made some forward thinking moves and, at the end of the day, they have one of the finest pitchers in baseball right now in Greinke.
Our predicted finish:

1. Detroit Tigers
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Cleveland Indians

Dark horse

AL East
8/11 New York Yankees
9/4 Boston Red Sox
9/2 Tampa Bay Devil Rays
66/1 Baltimore Orioles
100/1 Toronto Blue Jays

Overview: Possibly one of the more straight forward of the AL divisional races seeing as you can rule two teams out straight off the bat. Baltimore and Toronto, thanks for playing, good luck trying to break .500. Imagine poor Toronto’s plight. They lost Roy Halladay and have to face the Yankees, Sox and Rays 57 times. Ouch. The Yankees will do what they always do, Win a bunch of games with high priced, ageing free agents. If they stay healthy, they will be hard to beat. Imagine though, a scenario where for example two of their over 30 brigade go down injured. The Yankees have absolutely zero depth on the bench or in the minors. That’s just not how they work, they buy in everyone they can. The strategy worked last season, however this year they face two challengers who are dangerous for different reasons. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are desperate. This is their year. It has to be. After 2010 several of their best players are free agents and there is no way Tampa are going to pay them their market value. Simply put, Tampa has to win in 2010. The Boston Red Sox have gone for a brave strategy. They are basically going to try and throw the ball past everyone. Beckett, Lester, Lackey? If they stay healthy, forget about it. They brought in a couple of interesting role guys (Cameron/Beltre) to supplement the home grown talent (Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youk, Bard, Bucholz, Papelbon etc). They have pitching to burn and a stack of bats that won’t hit 40+ home runs but will definitely chip in around 30/35. They are going to cause absolute mayhem on the base paths with the Ellsbury/Cameron double act. The 2010 look like a National League team with power. Fundamentals first, but no lack of raw talent/speed/power.

The sure thing: A-Rods steroid riddled body, which showed signs of slowing down last season, falls apart and AJ Burnett puts up another 4+ era for just eleventy billions dollars (he has an ugly looking 8:11 K:BB in 14.2 spring innings). The clock strikes twelve on Tampa’s Cinderella story and Baltimore and Toronto give up and request a move to the NL West. Meanwhile you can’t ignore Boston’s claims to the title on the back of possibly the finest rotation in all of baseball. It’s not just Beckett, Lester and Lackey. The Red Sox can fill the final two spots with any two from Matsuzaka, Wakefield, Bucholz and Bowden, with Casey Kelly waiting in the wings. Now that’s pitching depth.
The outsider: Up against an 8/11 favourite, Boston is the outsider of note.
Our predicted finish:
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Baltimore Orioles
Toronto Blue Jays

You wish, New York, you wish..