Tag: Red Sox

Jon Lester

Don’t act surprised.

Were you not paying attention?

The Red Sox are going to trade Jon Lester either today or tomorrow and it’s been pretty much a given that the deal would happen since the Red Sox tried to open contract negotiations with Lester prior to the start of this abysmal season.

Every pundit on the planet agreed that signing Lester would take at least 20 million dollars a year over at least five years, and that includes a home town discount. The Red Sox initial offer? Four years at a total of 70 million dollars. Not only did Lester’s people ignore it, but they were so floored by how completely unrealistic it was that they were never able to figure out how to counter it. The offer was so insulting that it effectively ended negotiations before they started.

After seeing that, how could you possibly expect that this would end with anything other than Lester getting traded at the deadline?

The question now becomes, if we trade him now will he sign with us in the off season?

My thought is: No.

If we weren’t going to put up the money to keep him last off season, why should anyone expect us to put up the money next off season?

The (two time World Series hero) Jon Lester era will be coming to an end within the next 31 hours or so.

Red Sox Check In

I haven’t posted about the Red Sox lately. Let’s check in and see what’s up.

The last 22 games:

Lost 10 in a row
Won seven in a row
Lost five in a row and counting.

It’s going to be a long, long year.

We’ll always have 2013, right? Right?

A Good Day for Boston

An American won the marathon? Cool!

Now if the Red Sox can pull off this come back, and my doctor can tell me that I don’t have Lyme Disease, this could be a pretty good day all over.

20140421-140621.jpg

Post script: as I was adding the picture the Red Sox made an awful boneheaded base running play that ended a rally. Let’s hope my doctor gets better results.

Big Day for Boston Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a big day for the city of Boston and the surrounding communities. Tomorrow is the Boston Marathon. My favorite place to be on Marathon Monday is generally here:
yawkey way edited

At least early. You go to the Sox game, then head over to Kenmore Square and watch the leaders run through. It’s a fun day even for a non-drinker like me.

After last year, it’s an even bigger deal. No body better be messing with my city.

Just Plain Jackie Bradley

The Red Sox have a rookie with a lot of potential. The future is bright. His name is Jackie Bradley. Just Jackie Bradley. He is universally referred to as Jackie Bradley, Jr.

Speaking as one whose full name includes the suffix Jr, can I please beg the baseball media to stop calling him Bradley, Jr and just call him Bradley?

Ken Griffey, Jr was called Griffey, Jr because his father, Ken Griffey, Sr, was also a major league baseball player. Cal Ripken, Jr was called Ripken, Jr because his father, Cal Ripken, Sr, was a major league baseball coach.

As far as I know, that is not the case for Jackie Bradley. His father, Jackie Bradley, Sr, is not on the Red Sox roster. Neither is he part of the Red Sox broadcast, nor does he work at Fenway Park in such a way as to be called by name by the general fandom. Because of this, there is no reason to have to add the Jr to the end of Jackie Bradley’s name in order to differentiate him from his father.

If his dad isn’t part of the conversation, you can lose the god damned Jr. Call the guy by his name, not by his suffix.

Happy Opening Day

There really shouldn’t be a debate about this. Opening day of the Major League Baseball season should be a national holiday in the United States. Sure, the National Football League brings in better television numbers and I believe generates more annual revenue league wide, but we are a nation of baseball people. It may be “America’s Pastime” in name only these days, but it is still America’s Pastime.

The Red Sox begin their World Series title defense against Baltimore today at 3:05. Last season was a miraculous worst-to-first turn around. They had no business winning it all, but somehow they did. This year I feel the same way. They have no business winning it all. I would not be surprised to see them finish third in their division.

Having said that…

REPEAT!
REPEAT!
REPEAT!

Not since 1916 have the Red Sox managed to win two consecutive World Series Championships. This is the year! The two-in-a-row curse will be broken!

(Damn it, did I just use the word, “curse”? Crud)

Go Red Sox

Sarcastic Red Sox Post

The Red Sox had a couple of roster moves over the couple of days. One pleases me. After a few seasons of not being able to spell Saltalamacchia, my typing fingers have finally received some relief. He signed a new deal with the Marlins yesterday and that means I am never going to have to spell that particular six syllable word again. Whew!

Unfortunately for me, earlier in the day the Red Sox signed his replacement, A.J. Pierzinski. No typographical relief there! At least Saltalamacchia had an easy nick name. Go back through this blog and count how many times I spelled his name out. I’m guessing twice, and they are both in this post. Salty is a nice handy shortening. What the hell do you do with Pierzinski? This signing is a nightmare.

Also, the 98.5 The Sports Hub morning show took a huge blow yesterday as the object of desire of most subjects of the Ask a Pink Hat segments bolted for huge money in New York. The Sox are going to have to sign some eye candy soon or their ticket sales and NESN’s ratings are going to plummet as Pink Hat nation starts watching the YES network.

Sarcasm aside, if you thought for even a second that the Red Sox were going to be able to resign Jacoby Ellsbury then you are a sucker of epic proportions. It was never going to happen. Ever. The only questions were where he signed and for what insane dollar amount. The answers? The Yankees for an average of about 21.8 million dollars a year for seven years. Any other team and I would have wished him good luck and thanks for the two World Series wins. No. He had to sign with the friggin Yankees. Now I can only hope that he stubs his toe and misses a season or two, as we all (except for the Yankees) expect he will. Screw him, he’s dead to me.

Salty lost me during the World Series this year. He had that one game winning hit, but other than that he was awful. I was really pleased when he was benched, and I am not sad to see him go. He was a good player for us, not a great player, and I thank him for all of his hard work and I wish him luck in Miami where he may never win another baseball game, but I am still not upset at all to see him go.

I don’t know what to make of Pierzynski. The spin machine is out in full force trying to make him out to be a sort of NHL pest. The guy you love like mad when he’s on your team, and hate with a burning passion when he’s not. I’m having a real hard time buying that line. He has a reputation for being an asshole and I don’t have any reason to doubt the reputation. As usual, if he works hard and gives his all I’ll be willing to forgive a little prickishness here and there, but I really don’t want to root for a douche bag. We’ll see how it goes.

Red Sox Victory Parade

The Red Sox Rolling Rally is currently creeping along Boylston street. I hope everyone is having a blast. I wanted to go, but now that I look at it… damn… it would have been stressful keeping the kids in sight. I don’t know if I would have been able to enjoy it.

Two thoughts, unrelated to baseball.

First, I hope all of the people lining the streets take millions of pictures, and then open new Flickr accounts and upload everything there.

Second, the folks at Google should have provided all of the players with Google Glass. Think of how cool the videos would have been, and think of how everyone would be drooling with jealousy and envy.

Thanks, Red Sox!