Tagged: Red Sox

June 30, 2010

I’m Running out of Titles Real Fast.

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So I was surfing MLBlogs for another blog to read, when I came
upon a Pirates blog. And there was a
comment about the likeliness of continued Pirates success. And I started to wonder. What did the Pirates and Royals not have that
the Padres and Rays have? The four were the
four cellar dwellers, when suddenly the Rays two or three years ago and the
Padres this year randomly exploded into contenders. Some of it is luck, obviously (The Royals and
Alex Gordon). But what else? As much as I like Jed Hoyer (He drafted
Ellsbury and Buchholz), it’s hard to believe that he had much to do with the
Padres’s success.

Of course, this is where the drafting system is supposed to
come into play. Teams who do the worst
in one season get the highest picks the next (Nationals, anyone?). Many
first and second overall picks pan out (Joe Mauer). But there are always busts. And sometimes, a year’s draft is just
lackluster. From the team’s point of
view, it’s a waste of a first-five pick.
So then another argument comes into play. Trading picks.

The argument, I guess, is sorta convincing. Let teams trade picks. There are teams willing to sacrifice top-ten
picks for proven talent. And there are
teams willing to sacrifice proven talent for top-ten picks. So why not let it happen?

Okay. Confession
time. I, too, believed in the
argument. Okay, okay, I was a serious
advocate. But then, I actually started
thinking about it. Thinking does tend to
help when you make decisions.

So, think about it this way, concerning Bryce Harper and
Stephen Strasburg. Imagine you were
permitted to trade draft picks. Couldn’t
you imagine a gigantic bidding war, with the Yankees and Red Sox leading the pack? Before long, it would escalate into the
Nationals receiving offers where teams would trade major league players for an
unproven prospect. As one team topped the
rest of the offers, two more would surge up to match it. Some would drop out, but I can imagine Brian
Cashman, directed by good ol’ Steinbrenner, offering packages including players
like Jesus Montero and Phil Hughes, and Theo would match them. Oh, God.
A nightmare.

This leads to the other argument. Why allow teams to sacrifice the future for
the present? It’s a stupid decision to
make. Spurred on by a steadily shrinking
fan base, panicking GMs would trade most of their picks to get major league players. Ridiculous.
So then the whole drafting system backfires. Instead of bad teams slowly improving from
draft picks, they get players who are maybe even ten years older than the draft
picks. It’s the decision between future
and present. And the answer has to be
future. Look at the Rays. How have they succeeded? Crafty moves like getting Carlos Pena (a
former Red Sox player, ugh) and trading for Garza and Bartlett, and homegrown
talent like BJ Upton and Evan Longoria. That’s how. Not through making a team composed of free
agents or trading draft picks. But being
smart and patient. Virtues some teams
could learn. *achem*

Signing out,

Sun-Ui

PS: I love tagging things.

June 28, 2010

Check it

1. Okay, check out this quote from an MLB.com chronicling the great triumph of the Red Sox over my second favorite pitcher, Tim Lincecum…
“Interestingly, Boston has thrived against the four Cy Young Award
winners it has faced this year. In seven games against Lincecum, Roy
Halladay, Zack Greinke (twice) and CC Sabathia (three times), the Red
Sox are 6-1 while the award winners are a combined 0-4 with a 6.81 ERA.”
That’s amazing enough. But that doesn’t include Ubaldo Jimenez, so…

2. I’d like you guys to check out this guy, Tyler, and his blog The Wonderful World of Baseball. Email him at tbruzek@hotmail.com and tell him your tips on how to be a great blogger. Top 100 bloggers, this is where you come in. 😀 Anyway, he’s another Red Sox fan, so that means instantly respect. Anyone who reps for the Sox instantly has my friendship. So, yeah. Help Tyler out.
Signing out,
Sun-Ui

June 27, 2010

I Can’t Think Of A Title,

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Okay, okay. Let me
get this straight…ANOTHER NO-HITTER?
*takes a couple deep breaths*.
Let’s see.

-Edwin Jackson threw 149 pitches. ONE HUNDRED FORTY-NINE. You read that right. He also walked eight. Let’s just say that he redefined the word “workhorse”.

-He walked the bases loaded with NO OUTS. Okay, I’m sorry, but not even Dice-K can get
out of jams like that. And Dice-K has
some serious talent for wriggling out of tight spots.

-This is, like, the tenth time the Rays have been no-hit
this season. For a good time, they
certainly have trouble getting hits.

-Edwin Jackson was traded FROM the Rays last season. He no-hit his former team. Wow.
:O. Roy Halladay should have
perfect-gamed the Blue Jays, too.

Okay, I know that this is a once in a lifetime
experience. But what the hell? 149 pitches is an obscene amount of
pitches. That’s absolutely
ridiculous. Do you want to ruin this guy’s
arm? Look at Bynum of the LA Lakers (if
you don’t watch the NBA, skip this paragraph.
Like now,). He was in OBVIOUS
AGONY when he played through his knee injury.
YOU JUST DON’T DO THAT. A TITLE
IS NOT WORTH SOMEONE’s CAREER. I don’t
care if he wanted to play. DON’T. Bynum is a future star. If Rondo hurt his arm during the playoffs,
keep him out of the series. If Jackson
has just ruined his career, I’ll be the first to mourn.

While we’re still on the topic of injuries I want to point
out the Red Sox. Has there ever been an
as ridiculously injury-prone team as the 2010 Red Sox? They lost Beckett, the second best pitcher on
the team. They lost Ellsbury, a quickly
improving star outfielder. They lost Cameron,
a hugely positive clubhouse presence, and a good outfielder with pop. They lost Lowrie and Iglesias, crucial
infield depth. In the outfield, they
lost Hermida, then Drew. And still, the
Red Sox have one of the best records in the MLB. Okay.
That means we’d probably be the best team in the MLB if we were
healthy. Whoa.

But I don’t know if we can take the latest hit. Pedroia is likely out until August or September
with a fractured foot. His grittiness
and natural leadership is huge. He
embodies this year’s team: a team that grinds it out through everything. He’s hitting .300 and had a chance at 20 HR,
before his injury. And then
Buchholz. He is, quite literally, a Cy
Young candidate. He had a better than good
chance at 20 wins. And he’s hurt.

I would like to end this entry with this last point. There is only one possible explanation for
this injury bug.

God is a Yankee fan.

Signing out,

Sun-Ui

June 23, 2010

Not Great, but Above Average

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It’s hard to be happy that the Red Sox aren’t in much of a
position to be guaranteed a spot in the All Star game. Beltre is putting up great numbers. But Longoria is just as good. Pedey?
Cano. Youk? Morneau and Miggy. And however good Scoot and V-Mart have been
they’re just not up to par compared to the others. Our only chance at getting a representative
in is through Joe Girardi, proud manager of the other side of the most storied
rivalry in sports.

But I am. I am
genuinely, sincerely happy. Why?

Because the fact that none of our players are in contention
is just one more salute to this Red Sox team.
It’s no longer the teams of the early 2000s. It’s not a subpar team supported by a couple
superstars like Nomar and Pedro. It’s
not quite 2004, where there were the great (Ortiz) the good (Millar) and the
bad (don’t particularly want to revisit that), either. But it’s 2010.

It sorta reminds me of what Jerry Remy said of Jason Bay
after he stole a base last season. We’re
not great at anything. But we’re above
average at everything. Pitching? The struggles of Beckett, Lackey, Okey,
Manny, and Ramirez are made up for by Buchholz, Lester, Bard, and
Papelbon. Hitting? There’s not a single true standout to the
extent of Cano, Miguel Cabrera, or others.
The closest we have would be Youk.
Instead, we have a nine man lineup where every person contributes in
their own way. Even if we have players
like Reddick, Nava, and Cameron at the bottom of our lineup, it doesn’t
matter. Rookies and aging veterans
alike, they all come up big.

And that’s why this season is one of the best I’ve ever
watched, right up there with ’04 and ’07.
It has all the storylines you need.
The developing of young players into stars (Buchholz, Hughes, Bard,
Jimenez, Cano). The old veteran coming
back against all odds (Ortiz). And maybe
the most likeable team we’ve had since 2004.
There’s no one to steal all the headlines like a disgruntled Nomar, or a
star surrounded more or less by a supporting cast (Ortiz). It’s just a bunch of players doing what they
do. A bunch of above average players
showing that they can compete with the superstar-headed teams of the MLB.

Just one more reason that basketball, football, hockey, and
soccer can never replace baseball.

Signing out,

Sun-Ui

June 21, 2010

This is it

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This is what it all comes down to.
We’re a game out of first place, tied with the Rays. We’re the hottest
team in the MLB after April 20th, which means if not for a couple subpar weeks
we’d be the best team in the MLB. And that’s without Ellsbury, Beckett,
and more or less Cameron. Whoever says Francona sucks, take your Francoma
crap and stuff it down your throat. You need a quality manager to keep
your team going through this.

Last year’s bullpen? Gone. The only real steady
points are Papelbon and Bard. Okajima? Who? Delcarmen?
Shows up occasionally. Ramon Ramirez? Somewhat useless. Don’t even mention Embree, Shouse, Bonser, or
Schnoewis. The day I trust them in
anything other than a blowout is the day I learn how to spell Schnoewis’s name.

So who did step up?
Buchholz. Bard. Lester.
And that’s all we needed.
Buchholz looks like a sure All Star guy and maybe even a Cy Young
candidate. Bard? Possibly one of the best relievers in the
game. Put him at closer and he’s one of
the top 15 already. Did you see the
showdown vs Manny? He made possibly the
best right handed hitter in the game looks stupid. And Lester?
You can’t hate him, just like you can’t really hate Nava: he came back
from cancer, and now he’s a definitely top ten AL pitcher. Heck, with the struggles of King Felix and
Greinke maybe he’s number one. John
Farrell, tip your cap.

And with two thirds of our outfield on the DL, who stepped
up? McDonald. Hermida.
Reddick. And now, Nava. Even if you’re a Yankee fan, you gotta have
chills watching McDonald and Nava’s debuts.
Hermida? He may be on the DL now,
but we obtained him for virtually nothing and he’s been huge. Reddick?
Ripped the ball in spring training, maybe not so much in the regular
season. But again: huge.

And look at our team.
Who are the best players? You
have Youk, like always. He’s already a
superstar, and if you ended the season now and gave him MVP you could easily
justify that. And remember the villain
of April, Ortiz? Look at those 15
homeruns. Leading the team. And he has 200 AB. Just.
And then you have Beltre.

Beltre.

I remember the exact moment I heard. I was looking for a book to read, when I got
a call from my dad.

“Who do you think we got?” he asked. Note how he says “we” and I instantly
understand.

“I have no idea.”

“Adrian…”

“Gonzalez?”

“Beltre.”

I had my hopes raised and dashed. Beltre?
Who the heck is Beltre? He sucks
now, doesn’t he?

Ha. Nope. Unless you call a .336 AVG and 48 RBIs in mid
June bad. His average chasing pitches
with two strikes would be the third best in the NL. And who have you ever seen hit homers with one
knee on the ground? Theo Epstein, oh
yes. You’re right, I am an Epstein
lover. And I’m proud of it. Look at what he’s done for the Red Sox.

I never lost faith in the Red Sox, not even after the awful
start. I never lost faith in Ortiz in
2010. Never lost faith in Lester during
his awful April. Never worried about
Pedey. Because I knew they’d pull out on
top.

Signing out,

Sun-Ui

May 31, 2010

Before May Ends

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Hey guys,
it’s Sun-Ui. Sorry I haven’t been
posting, so a few things:

-Halladay is just amazing.
But you know what? He deserved
that perfect game. He deserved every
single moment of it. He’s been rotting
in a contender (for last place) for the last 12 years. I’m a Red Sox fan, but the Phillies, or more
specifically Doc, deserve to be hoisting the trophy up when all is said and
done.

-Ortiz. David
Ortiz. What can you say? All I can say is that I called it.

-Youkilis should be the starting first baseman for the AL
All Stars in July, at least based on May.
Take a look at this line…

Kevin Youkilis Stats.PNG

Done? Yup. Those numbers are beyond Pujolsian.

-Speaking of Pujols, he’s indeed dominant in 2010, as
evidenced by that .994 OPS. But let’s
look at some other star first basemen…

Prince Fielder is hitting .269/.404/.423 with 7 HR in 182 AB

Mark Teixeira is hitting .221/.336/.390 with 8 HR in 195 AB

Ryan Howard is hitting .288/.347/.455 with 8 HR in 198 AB

And Youkilis? ‘Nuff
said. Could this be his year to loft the
MVP trophy that he deserved in 2008?

-Not quite sure why we’re not in first place. We’ve finally proved that we can compete with
the best (Phillies, Tampa) so why not?
Ortiz and Youkilis have shown themselves to be elite players again, and
while Pedroia is in a slight slump V-Mart has shown signs of life. Ellsbury is on the DL again, but Cameron is
back. And our bench? Please.
Bill Hall has been subpar, but Hermida has stepped up (as the Globe’s
Chad Finn points out, his stats look pathetic but with 2 outs he has 18 RBI and
.953 OPS). And Jason Varitek? Wow. The
former face of the franchise and captain has a 1.055 OPS. And no Wakefield/Lowell complaining for him.

-While I’m on the track of Chad Finn (an incredible blogger,
by the way), why not grade the Red Sox like he did?

Victor Martinez: Meh.
Is in a somewhat upward turn, though.
B-

Kevin Youkilis: Doesn’t need explanation. A++

Dustin Pedroia: Is still the gritty guy RSN has grown to
love, but his production doesn’t show it.
B

Marco Scutaro: Does what we need of him, which is not a
lot. B+

Adrian Beltre: I mean, he’s had a lot of errors on the
diamond, but he’s such a skilled player he could end up with 7 errors. And his BA?
A

Jacoby Ellsbury: Umm, well…C-

Mike Cameron: See Jacoby
Ellsbury

JD Drew: Drew is Drew.
Not flashy, not amazing, but nevertheless always there. He’s done what we needed of him, like
Scutaro. B+

Jeremy Hermida: Had that clutch double of Mariano (have we
finally cracked the guy?). He’s stepped
up and filled a huge gap. A

Darnell McDonald: That first game is enough to give him a
B.

Mike Lowell: He wanted a release. I like the guy, but not his attitude. I’d be mad too, but be classy enough to hold
it back. Hopefully he gets traded, for
his and our sake. C

Bill Hall: He’s not been very good, but he can play a lot of
positions. Ultra utility guy. That merits a C-.

Jon Lester: I never lost faith, even during that brutal
April. A

Clay Buchholz: Currently the best pitcher on our staff. Knew we shouldn’t have traded for A-Gon. A

John Lackey: Ugh. C-

Josh Beckett: FFFFFFFFFF

Daisuke Matsuzaka: Just seeing him shut down the Phillies would
have landed him a B. But his subsequent
outing…Let’s say that he gives RSN a collective coronary when he
pitches. C-

Tim Wakefield: Happy that he’s getting a chance at the Red
Sox win record. B-

Jonathan Papelbon: He terrifies me when he pitches, but he’s
better than most closers. B

Daniel Bard: Absolutely SHUT DOWN. But at the rate that Francona is using him he’ll
drop dead by August.

Hideki Okajima: How the great fall. Although he wasn’t a superstar, he certainly wasn’t
a Dice-K. C

Ramon Ramirez: Jeez.
C-

Manny Delcarmen: See Ramon
Ramirez

Red Sox: They’ve underperformed, but I’m confident. B

-Note to Epstein: Screw Adrian Gonzalez. Go get a relief pitcher.

May 16, 2010

The Problems

The media has got it all wrong.
The offense is not the problem. The pitching is.
The so-called “best pitching staff” in the MLB has proved itself to be, well, a basement dweller. In ERA, we rank 26th in the MLB, ahead of only the Royals, Brewers, Diamondbacks and Pirates. Pathetic? I know. We are 7th in home runs allowed: 7th most.
On the other hand, our assumed-to-be pathetic offense has generated the second most homeruns in the league, as well as the ninth-highest team average.
Back to pitching. Our opening day starter, Beckett, has a 7.46 ERA. Depressing.

So. How can we fix this absolutely ridiculous problem? It’s not a problem with Lester or Buchholz. Our bullpen just needs one more quality lefty, because while Okajima has struggled Bard and Delcarmen have shown themselves as above-average relievers.
I know that this whole entry is sorta angry in tone…but I personally feel that the only thing we need is time. History has shown Okajima and Ramon Ramirez to be great players, and teh same can be said for Beckett and Lackey. Although Dice-K has been inconsistent, Dice-K at his best has terrifying stuff. When Ellsbury, who’s 2010 second half was dominant, and Cameron, who can provide pop at the bottom of the order, this team can only go up.
-Sun-Ui

April 25, 2010

3 Quick Things

Hey, it’s Sun-Ui.
Three quick things:

1. Not liking how Delcarmen didn’t start the tenth. He came in about five batters too late.

2. Wakefield is classy usually, but not now.

3. Dice-K just needs to put everything together.

April 21, 2010

Darnell McDonald

Let’s just say that I feel like a fool. I will never doubt Darnell again.

Ladies and gentlemen, your new starting right fielder for the Red Sox haha…

-Sun-Ui

April 20, 2010

Oh my God.

What the HECKKKK??

The Five Stages of Ellsbury

1. Gets jabbed in the ribs by Adrian Beltre, a perfect shot. Except Beltre is his teammate. Hmmm.

2. “He’s fine, he’ll be back in the next couple games.”

3. “He’s fine, he’ll be back after the road trip.”

4. “He’s fine, we’re just waiting for a diagnosis on Cameron.”

5. “He’s fine, he’s just on the DL for a week or two and we signed this guy who has a career .231 BA to replace his spot on the roster.”

WHAT IS WITH THIS TEAM???????????????????? Tell us what is wrong with the guys so we can actually trust you. And please. Don’t tell me Darnell McDonald is the best option out there. Sign Elijah Dukes (ignore the clubhouse problems. This is pathetic). I’d rather take my chances with Kevin Millar in the outfield. You know what, heck, put Tim Bogar out there. That way he can’t wave in any more runners *coughcoughYOUKILIScoughORTIZDOUBLEcoughRAYS*. No, I’m not bitter.

-Sun-Ui