January 30, 2006
Happy Birthday Mr. Robinson
By Karlsie
On the eve of Jackie Robinson's 87th birthday, I wrote a letter to two of my siblings recalling the time we met him.
It was on a family trip to Florida during February school vacation week. Disney had just opened their east coast theme park and my folks thought it would be fun to take the three of us still home: my brother (who was a senior in high school), my younger sister (who was in the 4th grade) and me (who was in 7th grade). Because my father hadn't quite anticipated the draw of Disney during school vacation week, we found ourselves searching for a hotel room after our days in Orlando.
When we finally found one that had a room, my parents snagged it as quickly as they could. (It was cramped, but at least we didn't have to drive as far north as Georgia.) We kids went on an excursion to the lobby, somehow an ice fight started. I don't remember who started it, but it was a lot of fun when a door flew open and a tall, black man came out and started yelling at us.
"Who are you kids?! Where are your parents?"
I remember being scared - the guy had to be 10 feet tall (OK, he was actually 6 feet tall, but I was maybe all of 5 feet at that point if I stood on tip-toes) and he was ancient... at least as old as my dad, who was maybe 50, at that point. I was trying to cower behind my sister and she was trying to cower behind our brother. The fact that we didn't just run immediately still amazes me, we did recover and book towards the room, but we were all frozen for what felt like an eternity - but was probably just a second or two in reality.
Hearing the commotion, the folks came out of the room and made apologies for us the way parents do. Once the adrenaline rush was over, I remember thinking, "Man he was a jerk," which is what you'd expect from a 12 year old who just got bagged having an ice fight in a Florida hotel hallway.
When we were back in our own room and settled down, my father announced, "You know who that was, don't you?"
We all looked at him.
"That was Jackie Robinson, the first black baseball player."
Apparently he was in town for a celebrity pro-am golf tournament and had the misfortune of being across the hall and a few doors down from us... and the ice machine.
At the time I remember thinking, "What's the big deal, there are lots of black baseball players. In particular, at the time, was Hammerin' Hank Aaron who was chasing one of Babe Ruth's records. It was the first time in my life it ever occurred to me that this was a big deal. Of course, I was a girl and I wasn't supposed to like baseball so I remember trying to follow things on the sly if they went beyond trying to get Red Sox baseball cards - that was safe for girls but knowing stats was not.
I guess that's the real tribute to Jackie Robinson that a kid like me didn't think twice about black baseball players. When he crossed that line some 25 years earlier I wonder if he thought, "Some day they won't even notice a player's skin color, just their talent and stats."
As an adult, I learned Branch Rickey, the man responsible for bringing Robinson to the Dodgers from the Negro Leagues realized he had to win over Red Barber, the voice of the Dodgers, because how Barber called the games would be how people perceived Robinson. Two years before brining Robinson into the Dodgers, Rickey took Barber out for a meal to pitch his idea.
Barber was a Southern gentleman and proud of it. He recounted how Rickey took him out and told him over a meal about his plan and asked if Barber could call the games if there was a black player on the field. Barber wanted to think it over and he went home, ready to resign from his job when his wife asked him why. In that moment, Barber claimed to have had an ephiphany and understood that there was more to baseball and life than segregating people because of their skin color. The next day he went to Rickey and said he'd do it, he'd call the games. Rickey and Robinson both credited Barber for people accepting Robinson on the field because Barber called the games as if he were just another rookie rather than someone special because of his race.
When the rest of Brooklyn heard that, they came to see Robinson as just another player as well. The rest, as they say, is history.
I sometimes think that if I had a time machine, one of the things I would like to do is go back and watch Robinson in his rookie year. It must have been astounding to watch an athlete of his caliber endure what he did and still be able to deliver those numbers. He hit .297 that first year - the year he won "Rookie of the Year" honors - in spite of people throwing at his head, sliding into second with their spikes up trying to cripple him, the cat calls, epithets, threats and everything else. It sort of makes you wonder if we could do some of our best work under those conditions.
Sure there were other great black players in the Negro Leagues at the time, many of whom eventually came over to the majors, but Robinson's the one that took that giant leap of faith that forever changed the face of the game. His entry made it easier for guys like Roberto Clemente and other minorities to eventually just play ball.
For close to 60 years, baseball has been integrated. There are players from all over the world and it seems to go in phases. The Dominican players, while still a force in MLB, are starting to give way to the Venezualans after that, who knows. While the Greek Olympic team was made up mostly of Americans of Greek heritage (there's a reason Steven King refers to Kevin Youkilis as the Greek god of walks), maybe something will click in the Mediteranian and we'll start seeing Italians or Greeks or Cypriotes.
Maybe the next wave will be from the old Soviet block: Russians, Ukrainians, Serbians and such. More and more Japanese players are making the adjustment to the American leagues and you can't ignore that Korea has produced some pretty good pitchers over the past few years. Maybe it will be kids from Massachusetts or Florida that dominate soon - you never know.
It doesn't really matter much to someone like me who's been doing the happy dance over Covelli Loyce "Coco" Crisp. I told one of my brothers at Christmas time that we'd be signing him and he was convinced we were trading Wells for Roberts and Crisp would be staying with the tribe, but I knew better. (Speaking of Dominicans, I *really* wanted Vlad Guerrero - but I knew the Angels would never give him up. Coco was my second choice and Damon, quite frankly, was my third choice and I said as much as early as mid-October.... but I digress.)
This spring will be the World Baseball Classic where we'll have a real World Series. The US is in a tough bracket, but I'm excited to see how different teams will stack up. Finally I get to see the Cubans and the Japanese play against teams I suspect may dominate (like the Dominicans). It will be cool.
But the reality is, 60 years ago something like that wasn't even a thought, let alone a blip on the radar - which makes it that much cooler to me. That this is happening at all is something to be celebrated.
In the end, I think I'll hang onto that one brush of greatness we had that day in the hallway of some Florida hotel. Even if it was one of those stupid kid moments where you don't quite get it until you're old enough to realize what a moron you were as a kid. On the other hand, if it hadn't been for that ice fight in the hallway, we wouldn't have had that brush that has me rambling on at the end of a long week.
So on Tuesday, I think I'll kick back and raise my glass skyward and wish Jackie a happy 87th birthday before I go back to checking hot stove reports and counting the final days until pitchers and catchers report in and invite you to do the same.
January 23, 2006
The Crisp Trade
By Manny Ortiz
I had to go with a very generic title for this one, because all of those awful cereal jokes are making me cringe. In fact, I'm so ticked off that I'm going to ruin your day with this zinger from Baseball Musings' David Pinto:
"It's unknown if Snap, Crackle and Pop are included in the deal."
Hardy-har-har.
I have mixed emotions about this one. On one hand, I like Crisp. His numbers have been improving steadily over the past few years (his OPS going from .655 to .790 to. 810). The guy's got some speed, and is a potential 20-20 guy. Someone mentioned that he had 42 doubles last year, and that, in Fenway, many of those can turn into homers. That's encouraging.
And his OBP of .345 last year isn't great, but it's not a huge dropoff from Damon's, which was .366. And he batted .324 against righties last year; that's gonna be good against the Junkees, who, aside from the Big Unit, are stacked with righties.
But Boston is giving up a lot here. Andy Marte has received a lot of hype, being heralded as one of the top 5 prospects in the game. But again, once upon a time Gregg Jeffries was supposed to be the next big thing. So you can never take these things too seriously. But if Marte turns out to be a Scott Rolen type, then this will turn out to be a bad move. Crisp is a pretty good everyday player, but he's no all-star. He's not worth it for an all-star caliber player.
And I like Mota, so I wouldn't want to see him go. If they get Riske in return, then it's not as bad. Riske quietly put up some good numbers last year. But Mota definitely has a higher upside. The only thing I would hope for would be for Mota to continue to have bad years like last season.
The Sox are clearly at a disadvantage here, as they're desperate for a center fielder. So the Indians are getting the better of the deal no matter what. Unless, of course, Crisp turns into Willy Mays. But either way, the Red Sox have to make this deal. Should they have kept Damon? Totally different debate. But if this deal goes through, at least we won't see Adam Stern in the opening day lineup.
I'm satisfied with Crisp in center, though. I know some people out there were all horny about Seattle's Jeremy Reed. But offensively, the guy's numbers were weak. He had very little major league experience, so you had no idea how he was going to hold up in the long run. Plus, the Sox can't afford that hole in the lineup, not with the light-hitting Alex Gonzalez at short. Crisp gives them an established major-league outfielder. Nothing spectacular, to be sure, but a guy who looks like he's still getting better.
(Meanwhile, the Tribe has said this deal will only go through if they find a replacement for Crisp. So this whole discussion might be a waste of time. We'll find out soon enough, hopefully.)
January 20, 2006
Dancing with the one that brought you
By Karlsie
In November I wrote the following about Theo Epstein's dramatic departure from the Red Sox:
"For a couple of weeks now I've been saying that I wonder if he needs to step out of the shadow of Fenway and spread his wings. If he needs to pick up his guitar and play for a while or try something different than baseball. Perhaps he's in that petulant child mode of "I'll show you I can do it, really I can," because he just isn't sure if it's him or not and is looking to see if the magic was his or those around him. Maybe it's a little of everything or all of nothing. We won't know until some tell-all biopic comes out.
No matter what he does, I wish him well. I only believe in a handful of villains and Sox management is not in that handful. This is a growing pains incident - one most of us have experienced from one side or another. This is the childish "up yours" as you slam the door on your way out to show your folks that you can do it, you are a grown up and won't they be sorry when you're gone. This is WP Kinsella's every man who went to college 3,000 miles away to get away from his father after reading "Catcher in the Rye" and whose last words to father were to say his hero, Shoeless Joe Jackson, was a cheater because that was the one thing he knew would break his spirit as well as his heart.
Hopefully, if Theo is really as good as we want to believe he is, in a couple of years he'll be back, more mature and slightly sheepish as he asks if we want to play a catch."
Last night, a couple of weeks of rumors were finally confirmed when the Sox announced it this way:
"As you know, we have spoken frequently during the last 10 weeks. We have engaged in healthy, spirited debates about what it will take over the long-term for the Red Sox to remain a great organization and, in fact, become a more effective organization in philosophy, approaches and ideals. Ironically, Theo's departure has brought us closer together in many respects, and, thanks to these conversations, we now enjoy the bonds of a shared vision for the organization's future that did not exist on October 31. With this vision in place, Theo will return to the Red Sox in a full-time baseball operations capacity, details of which will be announced next week."
John Henry sent out the email saying Larry Lucchino is still the president of the club with all the duties and responsibilities he has always had. The speculation is currently that Theo would take over player operations - a step back from the GM position but one that it just as important, especially since half of the two headed beast used to have that spot and is responsible for developing guys like Jon Papelbon.
So let me lay down my hopes right now.
Theo is young, as are Cherington and Hoyer. They have intelligence, energy, drive, vision but they don't have wisdom. This is where I hope a couple of the "old men" at Fenway - namely Dick Bresciani and Lou Gorman - can be the lighthouse beacon for these young Turks as they bravely rush in where fools dare not tread. Those two men have forgotten more than guys like Theo know. When you then turn to look at guys like Johnny Pesky, Jim Rice and Luis Tiant - all of whom are listed as "instructors" and are always nearby, you have a great team of elders from which to learn.
I keep hoping the diva that was Theo - the one that stomped out of the dance in a very public break up - is coming back wiser and ready to dance with the one that brought him. But as they say: only time will tell.
January 15, 2006
Sox Pen Looks Better
By Manny Ortiz
Editor's Note: Welcome to a new blogger, "Manny Ortiz." You can read more on his personal blog site: yankeedespiser.blogspot.com
Yankee fans may still be horny over getting Johnny Damon and creating their new version of "Murderer's Row", but hey, the games still have to be played. And pitched, mind you.
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that even after the Damon signing, the Red Sox may still be the better team in the rivalry. Now with the Tavarez signing, the Sox just got even better.
Now I know Yankee-fan readers of this blog may rip me apart because, after all, I mentioned recently that I wouldn't mind if the Yankees got Julian Tavarez, considering that I thought he might've only done well in St. Louis, where it seems like every reliever has success.
So I'll admit that the Red Sox did sort of gamble here. But their gamble is costing about half as much as the Yankees' similar gamble, Kyle Farnsworth. Plus, it's two years vs. Farnsworth's three.
Tavarez has a career ERA slightly lower than Farnsworth's, actually (4.33 to 4.46). He doesn't have the gaudy strikeout numbers that Farnsworth puts up, and his K/BB ratio is nothing to write home about. But ultimately, they're pretty similar in that they've had a couple of very good years, but otherwise, nothing special.
I like the fact that Boston waited for the market for relievers to slow down before signing Tavarez. Even a month ago, when everyone was in a frenzy over relievers like Wagner, B.J. Ryan, Gordon, and, of course, Farnsworth, Tavarez could've made a good $6-7 million a year. But the Red Sox waited, and got a very good deal in the process.
And getting Tavarez gives the Red Sox some much-needed depth in the bullpen. They've got Foulke at closer, who, if healthy, should regain his 2004 form. Mota's been very good throughout his career, though you've gotta give him an asterisk for pitching in Dodger Stadium all those years. Timlin hasn't shown signs of slowing down, and Seanez is a total gamble.
As for the Yanks, their pen is still a mess. We all know about Farnsworth, we have no idea how long it'll take Dotel to fully recover from surgery, and Ron Villone is one of those guys who's bounced around and doesn't have a good track record. Mike Myers is a one-trick pony, as righties have hit .331 against him in the past three seasons. And then you have Sturtze, who was terrible in the second half last year (and who's much more suited for a "second righty" role that he had when Flush was a Junkee), and Scott Proctor (as if you want him in a big spot). So the bridge from the starting pitching to Rivera hasn't looked this tenuous since 2001.
And if the Yanks make it to October with this crew, when the bullpen becomes much more important than in the regular season, they're gonna either have to pull an Ozzie Guillen and keep all their starters in for a while, or they'll have to wear out Mo as in '01. (Hard to believe, but Mo is already 36. Can he still give you a two-inning save on a regular basis?)
Let's not forget that the Red Sox aren't done yet. They're gonna get good players at CF and SS. Maybe not on the caliber of Damon and Renteria, but regardless, they've got still got enough pop in the lineup to afford a mediocre bat or two.
January 13, 2006
Graf's Back
By Karlsie
The other night was a happy new flash: the Sox and Graff agreed to a one-year deal.
I like Graff. His first day in Boston, he stood at the corner of the dugout casually signing autographs while talking to news crews. I was there that day, wearing one of my son's caps, and he signed the cap next to Jim Lonborg's autograph. Later, in canvas alley, Curt Schilling signed and, while my rather sardonic 12 year old who claims to hate the Red Sox but loves Curt Schilling, muttered "whatever" when I handed it to him - he slept with his cap on that night.
Graff is the type of player that I love on the team: you know; that utility guy that isn't a superstar but plugs a lot of holes and can get the job done. He's also a nice guy, which is why it's unfortunate he's on the Cora/Pedroia bubble the way he is. It can't be easy for a guy like him to be sitting there either. He knows he's going to have earn his job at spring training and, if he's on the roster, is prime material for a trade.
Perhaps part of what I like about Graff is he reminds me of one of my favorite players: Nick Esasky, the baseball Ghod. Yes, long before Stephen King dubbed Kevin Youkilis the Greek god of walks, Fenway's infield was blessed by Nick Esasky for one wonderful season. Of course Esasky was on a bubble for years because Pete Rose misplayed him in Cincinnati (hey, Rose had records to break and bets to win) until he sent him to Boston in a "beat it kid, you bother me" move. And what a move it was. The shining star of the '89 Sox made my year only to go home to Atlanta, contract Lyme disease and fade into another summer memory. *sigh*
Graff is that kind of player for me. He's a good, solid and reliable. He may not have Damon's long hair or Papi's muscles, but he has a reassuring presence� a sort of maturity that people like me tend to gravitate towards.
I know that one thing that truly made me feel a connection to him was when his son was at Children's in Boston having a growth on his neck removed and biopsied 10 days after arriving in Boston. I know the waiting room he and his wife sat in too well as I have written about the agony of the slow clock in there while waiting for biopsy results. I know the look, feel, smell and ambience of that room all too well. I know the fear and sadness a parent feels while sitting there waiting as that clock slowly ticks the seconds as loud as your heart beats while you pray that everything's going to be OK. (To this day, I can't listen to Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" without smelling that waiting room because one of the things that kept running through my head was his voice singing "everything's gonna be all right, everything's gonna be all right.")
Like Graff, I received good news after that long, arduous wait. But that connection was made and it inspired me to pursue a project I conceived in that waiting room 10 years ago� just when he was starting his career in Atlanta - where Esasky ended his. How could I not feel connected to this player after that?
When the news came out about Graf's son, my first reaction was, "those poor people." I couldn't imagine going through that in a new city with no family, no support network and still surrounded by boxes and suitcases. While he had me with his casual nature during his first hours at Fenway, he sealed it with his strength 10 days later.
The other night, when the press release came through saying the Sox had worked out a one year deal with him, my 13 year old son (the one who had me sitting in that waiting room) and I rejoiced. The man he identifies as having some of the same characteristics as his mom was staying in Boston for another year and that was a sign for him that this coming year would be a good one for his hometown team.
I'm excited about the Marte-Pedroia combination coming up from Pawtucket. Really, I am - but those are kids with a career ahead of them. At least this spring and early summer, I get to enjoy watching a ten-year veteran with a personality and style that are my speed, play ball the way I like it: smart and consistent.
January 06, 2006
Beasts of the Same Mold
By Jack Jablin
We're gonna Tarantino this baby... Because it'll blow your mind...
"No".
That is the answer to the question I am about to pose; the last word that will be spoken in this article. This question is one which I have long debated; one that I have always known the answer to and yet buried in the back of my mind as a strange paranoia... Until recently.
Thanks to Manny Ramirez (something you will rarely hear from me) I have come to a conclusion that frightens me - a conclusion that I have discussed with others. The article that you are reading is one that I have tried to write for four months. However, I have yet to find the proper words to describe what it is that I am feeling. Never-the-less, I hope that this attempt will come out as more than entertaining - something that will be a guidebook to the next generation of fans, of players, of GM's.
I want you to think about the Yankees for a moment. If you hate the Yankees, you can probably think of more than a few reasons for why you loathe the Bronx Bombers; a few of these reasons would most likely be:
1. The Yankees steal players with their incredibly oversized payroll.
2. The Yankees' are an organization that is almost famed for betraying managers, coaches and GM's, when a scapegoat is needed.
3. The Yankee players are overpaid, overly catered to and still whine like spoiled children - A-Rod, Randy Johnson, Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield, namely.
4. The Yankee fans are notorious for turning their backs on their own players.
5. The Yankees are the epitome of evil - this one speaks for itself and should be taught as FACT in schools, like 2+2=4.
From the eyes of a man who has watched the Kansas City Royals fall from grace and be held down over the course of a decade, these are reasons to not just hate a team - but to loathe them with a passion so intense, the mere mention of their name melts any nearby objects. To be fair, none of the above is an illegal act, but when put in perspective, they all seem rotten.
Most recently, the Yankees broke open their payroll so that they could sign former Red Sock Johnny Damon. Will this move solidify the Yankees as contenders? Probably not, a slap hitter usually doesn't win championships - look at Wade Boggs - and his defense isn't much to write home about either. But this goes up on the Alan Embree boards; are the Sox really going to miss him? Not really, but he WAS stolen by a rival and he WAS at one time, a part of the Red Sox legacy.
Now, we all know why we hate the Yankees - but it's not your time to speak. Right now it is the turn of Yankee fans; think of why you hate the Red Sox. Make a list in your mind - go ahead... Ok, time's up! The odds are, you just wrote down the following reasons -
1. The Red Sox steal players with their incredibly oversized payroll, despite claiming that the Yankees' payroll is that much worse.
2. The Red Sox are an organization that is famous for betraying and leaving managers, coaches and GM's to take the fall for a team's bad year: want an example? Theo Epstein being betrayed by the boss' own newspaper and a man you might know: Grady Little. 'Nuff said.
3. The Red Sox players are overpaid, overly catered to and still whine like spoiled children - in 2005? There was Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez, Kevin Millar, Wade Miller, David Wells, Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke.
4. The Boston fans are almost expected to turn on their team, they're the definition of fair-weather fans.
5. The Red Sox are the epitome of "good by proxy" - just because they feud with the Yankees and are from a different city, it's almost EXPECTED that they be better, simply by presumption of their being good in the world.
Guess what Red Sock fans? You're the exact same thing as what you hate! I stuck on the train from 1994 until when Boston won the championship - then I go to Boston only to hear people talking (note: in the 2004 off-season) about how Tito has to go? How the team doesn't know what they're doing? That's whining, that's not sports. You're not allowed to shed a tear until opening day - unless you're the person who lost the World Series - and if you're the champion, you don't get to complain for another three years.
Now, now, I know that Red Sox fans are going to say: "But Curt Schilling doesn't whiiiiine!" Sure he does! If Alex Rodriguez talked the kind of smack that Curt Schilling did, we would have written him off as the biggest idiot on the face of the earth. You can't defend the Red Sox - don't say that they've been driven to be like the Yankees because of the need to compete, because they do the exact same dirty tricks. They don't HAVE a farm system - what they have they shopped former stars for.
The Red Sox use the local media as a tool to attack their own management and this is atrocious to me. How dare you attack Theo Epstein before he even made his decision to leave Boston. This is on par with Manny demanding a trade because of his privacy, despite the fact that (unless he goes to Colorado or Milwaukee) no baseball city will EVER let him live in peace! Johnny Damon?
I remember in 2004, people saying: "Johnny Damon is everything the Red Sox stand for". Yup, so now that you've seen the dark side of Johnny Damon, hate him - instead of hating the system that created him. Hate the Yankees because they opened the same checkbook that the Red Sox will to get THEIR new center fielder, hate the Yankees because their GM was actually in the capacity to make a deal. That's right, hate the Yankees because this year, they had EVERYTHING the Sox didn't. But don't forget, hate the Red Sox, because with a payroll $60,000,000 less than what they currently have, they're absolutely nothing.
Are the Red Sox and Yankees all that different? Are these two teams who are infamous based on their rivalry really all that much different? When I explained this to a friend of mine - as we watched the Eagles lay the smackdown on the 'greatest show on turf' - he asked me "does this ruin baseball for you"? I thought about this for a little while - I've always said that baseball is a sport that's easy to hate if you don't have a team to follow. On the one hand, the Red Sox are the team I've grown up with - but in the past two years I've been able to follow another team: the MLB team. A team consisting of great players like the Kansas City Royals, the Tampa Devil Rays, Texas Rangers, St Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals. The MLB is a team consisting of 30 players - I guess I'll just have to hate two of them.
"Does this ruin your love for baseball" - the question again ringing through my mind, I paused and looked back toward my friend, sorrowed gleam in eye replaced by one of revelation:
No.
Cheers,
Jack Jablin
Beasts of the Same Mold
By Jack Jablin
We're gonna Tarantino this baby... Because it'll blow your mind...
"No".
That is the answer to the question I am about to pose; the last word that will be spoken in this article. This question is one which I have long debated; one that I have always known the answer to and yet buried in the back of my mind as a strange paranoia... Until recently.
Thanks to Manny Ramirez (something you will rarely hear from me) I have come to a conclusion that frightens me - a conclusion that I have discussed with others. The article that you are reading is one that I have tried to write for four months. However, I have yet to find the proper words to describe what it is that I am feeling. Never-the-less, I hope that this attempt will come out as more than entertaining - something that will be a guidebook to the next generation of fans, of players, of GM's.
I want you to think about the Yankees for a moment. If you hate the Yankees, you can probably think of more than a few reasons for why you loathe the Bronx Bombers; a few of these reasons would most likely be:
1. The Yankees steal players with their incredibly oversized payroll.
2. The Yankees' are an organization that is almost famed for betraying managers, coaches and GM's, when a scapegoat is needed.
3. The Yankee players are overpaid, overly catered to and still whine like spoiled children - A-Rod, Randy Johnson, Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield, namely.
4. The Yankee fans are notorious for turning their backs on their own players.
5. The Yankees are the epitome of evil - this one speaks for itself and should be taught as FACT in schools, like 2+2=4.
From the eyes of a man who has watched the Kansas City Royals fall from grace and be held down over the course of a decade, these are reasons to not just hate a team - but to loathe them with a passion so intense, the mere mention of their name melts any nearby objects. To be fair, none of the above is an illegal act, but when put in perspective, they all seem rotten.
Most recently, the Yankees broke open their payroll so that they could sign former Red Sock Johnny Damon. Will this move solidify the Yankees as contenders? Probably not, a slap hitter usually doesn't win championships - look at Wade Boggs - and his defense isn't much to write home about either. But this goes up on the Alan Embree boards; are the Sox really going to miss him? Not really, but he WAS stolen by a rival and he WAS at one time, a part of the Red Sox legacy.
Now, we all know why we hate the Yankees - but it's not your time to speak. Right now it is the turn of Yankee fans; think of why you hate the Red Sox. Make a list in your mind - go ahead... Ok, time's up! The odds are, you just wrote down the following reasons -
1. The Red Sox steal players with their incredibly oversized payroll, despite claiming that the Yankees' payroll is that much worse.
2. The Red Sox are an organization that is famous for betraying and leaving managers, coaches and GM's to take the fall for a team's bad year: want an example? Theo Epstein being betrayed by the boss' own newspaper and a man you might know: Grady Little. 'Nuff said.
3. The Red Sox players are overpaid, overly catered to and still whine like spoiled children - in 2005? There was Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez, Kevin Millar, Wade Miller, David Wells, Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke.
4. The Boston fans are almost expected to turn on their team, they're the definition of fair-weather fans.
5. The Red Sox are the epitome of "good by proxy" - just because they feud with the Yankees and are from a different city, it's almost EXPECTED that they be better, simply by presumption of their being good in the world.
Guess what Red Sock fans? You're the exact same thing as what you hate! I stuck on the train from 1994 until when Boston won the championship - then I go to Boston only to hear people talking (note: in the 2004 off-season) about how Tito has to go? How the team doesn't know what they're doing? That's whining, that's not sports. You're not allowed to shed a tear until opening day - unless you're the person who lost the World Series - and if you're the champion, you don't get to complain for another three years.
Now, now, I know that Red Sox fans are going to say: "But Curt Schilling doesn't whiiiiine!" Sure he does! If Alex Rodriguez talked the kind of smack that Curt Schilling did, we would have written him off as the biggest idiot on the face of the earth. You can't defend the Red Sox - don't say that they've been driven to be like the Yankees because of the need to compete, because they do the exact same dirty tricks. They don't HAVE a farm system - what they have they shopped former stars for.
The Red Sox use the local media as a tool to attack their own management and this is atrocious to me. How dare you attack Theo Epstein before he even made his decision to leave Boston. This is on par with Manny demanding a trade because of his privacy, despite the fact that (unless he goes to Colorado or Milwaukee) no baseball city will EVER let him live in peace! Johnny Damon?
I remember in 2004, people saying: "Johnny Damon is everything the Red Sox stand for". Yup, so now that you've seen the dark side of Johnny Damon, hate him - instead of hating the system that created him. Hate the Yankees because they opened the same checkbook that the Red Sox will to get THEIR new center fielder, hate the Yankees because their GM was actually in the capacity to make a deal. That's right, hate the Yankees because this year, they had EVERYTHING the Sox didn't. But don't forget, hate the Red Sox, because with a payroll $60,000,000 less than what they currently have, they're absolutely nothing.
Are the Red Sox and Yankees all that different? Are these two teams who are infamous based on their rivalry really all that much different? When I explained this to a friend of mine - as we watched the Eagles lay the smackdown on the 'greatest show on turf' - he asked me "does this ruin baseball for you"? I thought about this for a little while - I've always said that baseball is a sport that's easy to hate if you don't have a team to follow. On the one hand, the Red Sox are the team I've grown up with - but in the past two years I've been able to follow another team: the MLB team. A team consisting of great players like the Kansas City Royals, the Tampa Devil Rays, Texas Rangers, St Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and the Washington Nationals. The MLB is a team consisting of 30 players - I guess I'll just have to hate two of them.
"Does this ruin your love for baseball" - the question again ringing through my mind, I paused and looked back toward my friend, sorrowed gleam in eye replaced by one of revelation:
No.
Cheers,
Jack Jablin
January 03, 2006
Winter Reflections
By Karlsie
Since it's a new year and everyone is doing the reflection thing, I figured I'd reflect a bit on the why I'm a Sox fan thing.
Every so often, the kids ask if I'd be such a Sox fan if I had grown up outside of Boston. Would I be a Yankees fan if I grew up in NYC or a fan of the Tribe if I lived in a city where the river once caught fire? The honest answer is I don't know. I became a fan early on because of my big brother, Stevie. As a teen babysitting his pesty baby sister, he wanted to watch the game and I, being the adorable toddler that I was, wanted to play. When the announcer talked about a foul into the box seats, I asked him what a box seat was. He went out into the garage, found a box and stuffed me in it saying, "There's your box seat, now shut up and watch the game."
I've been hooked ever since.
Some forty odd years later, it's hard to know if that's a family legend, truth or something in between - sort of like the time one of my siblings dared me to shove my father's cufflinks in the electrical outlet to see sparks, and I did (that sibling now claims it never happened, but others remember me blowing myself across the family room) - but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Stevie is the same brother who used to bring home a bobblehead doll and the paper megaphone with the Red Sox logo on it you got when you bought popcorn at the game for me. I used to have a stack of those megaphones on my dresser in my bedroom before my mother threw them out declaring we'd be "overrun with ants" if I didn't.
I am ready to confess I didn't watch the game where the '67 Sox won the pennant. I was outside playing with some kids from my suburban neighborhood. It was one of those, "You need to get outside and play more�" sort of nags from my mother. I was also in one of those modes where I couldn't play little league (girls need not apply in those days) in a time when it was more fun to play baseball than watch it, so I had a bit of an attitude when it came to watching televised games.
There was a collective roar that went up from the houses on the street and the teens in the neighborhood soon came rushing past on their Raleigh choppers and Schwinn Stingrays - leaving skid marks and popping wheelies in excitement - the Red Sox had won the pennant!
When you grow up in the Boston area, the Sox are part of the background consciousness that comes with labeling yourself a Bostonian. My moments as a Sox fan can be defined by certain things. I remember sitting in the bleachers checking out Fred Lynn's backside in '78 - when the choice was a six pack of beer or a bleacher seat for your $3. We used to chant "Freddy, Freddy" to try and get him to wave to us. I took both of my boys to their first games before they were born. In 1989, I was opening day with my friends to celebrate the arrival of the Baseball Ghod himself: Nick Esasky. (Yes, his framed 8x10 still hangs in my office with the sentiment: to Karla from Nick Esasky, "Baseball Ghod.")
It is a part of who I am. I can't imagine a time when I was ever not a Sox fan. Baseball has surged and faded - like the tide rolling in and out of my life - but it has always been there in the background. I think it also gives me a sense of perspective. I remember when the Sox were so bad that you couldn't give tickets away. I look at today's depth chart and think: we're not doing too badly. Sure, there are holes I'd love to plug, but overall we're in decent shape. Young people today are spoiled - three years in a row we've made it to the post season. We're in a cycle where our hearts are broken in October instead of August and even had a year where it wasn't broken at all with a World Series win.
You're spoiled, I'm not. I can watch the hot stove (mis)dealings with a smile of wry amusement and hope. I've seen how pathetic this team can be and, trust me, we are head and shoulders over that pathos.
Pitchers and catchers report for duty in just over six weeks. In between there are the Winter Olympics in Turino, driving kids to curling (or, as I prefer to call it, Canadian bowling) and lacrosse practice as well as baseball clinics and everything else. But come February, you'll hear me cry: "Play Ball!" to herald the coming summer months when the world is right again.
