Tim Wakefield Keeps His Grip. Gordon Edes is on a roll, first with an in-depth look at the A-Rod negotiations, and now with a feature on Wakefield. The knuckleballer admits that after Game 7, he was terrified that after a season that was "the most fun I've ever had in my whole career," he "would be remembered like Buckner [and] wouldn't be able to show my face in Boston again." But as he discovered, Wakefield had nothing to worry about. Even Aaron Boone's name does not stir rancor among the Nation; sportswriters may want desperately to forge some idiotic connection between him and B.F. Dent, but does any fan despise Boone most of all?
"It's not Grady's fault," Wakefield says, refusing to indict that chronically over-matched, grinning jackass, loser of a (mis-)manager. "It's not anybody's fault. Do I wish he had taken Pedro out? Yes. Would it have changed the outcome of the game? I don't know. You don't know. But the way things were happening in the playoffs, Timlin and Embree were our go-to guys. ... The night we lost, Grady said, 'You guys have nothing to be disappointed about. You really entertained a lot of people.'" Entertained? Man, that's a poor choice of words. But it does emphasize Gump's utter cluelessness, right to the bitter end, about the club and its relationship to its fans. (When told how much anger there was towards him after the ALCS, he responded, "For what?") Following the Red Sox can be entertaining, but it is much more than entertainment.
There are new posts in the Game 7 Game Thread. "BrunanskysSlide" mentions the Simpsons episode "where Lisa gives Ralph a Valentine then tells him that it was a pity valentine. This thread reminds me of the part where Bart is showing Lisa the videotape of the scene and says, 'You can almost pinpoint the part where Ralph's heart breaks.'" ... "curly2" notes: "One of the franchise's darkest days was when Lucky gave Grady the card that said 'I choo-choo-choose you as manager.'"
Meanwhile, in stark contrast to Edes's excellent reporting, Tony Massarotti works on his ABCs. At SoSH, John Henry offers his thoughts on the Rodriguez/Ramirez talks:
"I think the post mortem (and it may sound overly simple) should emphasize that the Red Sox were afraid of losing a Hall of Fame shortstop and they were trying to accomodate another player in exchange for a great Hall of Famer who really wanted to play in Boston. However, 2004 and beyond are set up well enough that we had to have a deal within particular parameters for it to make sense. Was it a mistake to find out if it could happen? I don't think so. Ultimately, under the terms we were given to make it happen, making a major change in this team would have been a mistake - in our view - particularly in our GM's view. ... As in all baseball matters the GM here was the lead voice internally and essentially set parameters that made sense. ... The largest [tactical errors] occur when you move forward regardless - 'go for it' simply because of momentum, effort invested, impatience and potential disappointment. We are very much at peace with the end result. I hope you can be as well."
Paul Hopkins, the nation's oldest major league player, died last week at age 99. In his debut on September 29, 1927, Hopkins allowed Babe Ruth's 59th home run of that season. Jesse Orosco is now the nation's oldest major leaguer.
January 4, 2004
Gore Vidal, Patriot. "Franklin understood the American people better than [Washington, Adams and Jefferson]. ... Franklin saw danger everywhere. ... Jefferson said that once a generation we must have another Constitutional Convention and revise all that isn't working. ... Jefferson was the only pure democrat among the founders, and he thought the only way his idea of democracy could be achieved would be to give the people a chance to change the laws. ...
"The USA PATRIOT Act is as despotic as anything Hitler came up with – even using much of the same language. ... [T]he language used by the Clinton people to frighten Americans into going after terrorists like Timothy McVeigh – how their rights were going to be suspended only for a brief time – was precisely the language used by Hitler after the Reichstag fire. ... I have read not only the first PATRIOT Act but also the second one, which has not yet been totally made public nor approved by Congress ... An American citizen can be fingered as a terrorist, and with what proof? No proof. ... You can then be locked up without access to a lawyer, and then tried by military tribunal and even executed. Or, in a brand-new wrinkle, you can be exiled, stripped of your citizenship and packed off to another place not even organized as a country ... The Founding Fathers would have found this to be despotism in spades. And they would have hanged anybody who tried to get this through the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Hanged.
[So if George W. Bush or John Ashcroft had been around in the early days of the republic, they would have been indicted and then hanged by the Founders?]
"Bush and Ashcroft would have been considered so disreputable as to not belong in this country at all. ... They would not be called Americans – most Americans would not think of them as citizens.
[Do you not think of Bush and Ashcroft as Americans?]
"I think of them as an alien army. They have managed to take over everything, and quite in the open. We have a deranged president. We have despotism. We have no due process. ...
[Speaking of elections, is George W. Bush going to be re-elected next year?]
"No. At least if there is a fair election, an election that is not electronic. That would be dangerous. We don't want an election without a paper trail. ... Bush will probably win if the country is covered with these balloting machines. He can't lose. ... If we use old-fashioned paper ballots and have them counted in the precinct where they are cast, he will be swept from office."
"The USA PATRIOT Act is as despotic as anything Hitler came up with – even using much of the same language. ... [T]he language used by the Clinton people to frighten Americans into going after terrorists like Timothy McVeigh – how their rights were going to be suspended only for a brief time – was precisely the language used by Hitler after the Reichstag fire. ... I have read not only the first PATRIOT Act but also the second one, which has not yet been totally made public nor approved by Congress ... An American citizen can be fingered as a terrorist, and with what proof? No proof. ... You can then be locked up without access to a lawyer, and then tried by military tribunal and even executed. Or, in a brand-new wrinkle, you can be exiled, stripped of your citizenship and packed off to another place not even organized as a country ... The Founding Fathers would have found this to be despotism in spades. And they would have hanged anybody who tried to get this through the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Hanged.
[So if George W. Bush or John Ashcroft had been around in the early days of the republic, they would have been indicted and then hanged by the Founders?]
"Bush and Ashcroft would have been considered so disreputable as to not belong in this country at all. ... They would not be called Americans – most Americans would not think of them as citizens.
[Do you not think of Bush and Ashcroft as Americans?]
"I think of them as an alien army. They have managed to take over everything, and quite in the open. We have a deranged president. We have despotism. We have no due process. ...
[Speaking of elections, is George W. Bush going to be re-elected next year?]
"No. At least if there is a fair election, an election that is not electronic. That would be dangerous. We don't want an election without a paper trail. ... Bush will probably win if the country is covered with these balloting machines. He can't lose. ... If we use old-fashioned paper ballots and have them counted in the precinct where they are cast, he will be swept from office."
January 3, 2004
Random Jottings. The Red Sox made a play for 1B Mark Sweeney, but he decided to sign with Colorado. ... Steve Bechler and ephedra ... Newsday's Jon Heyman on the departed David Wells: "On the postseason stage, almost no one was more dependable." Games 1 and 5 of the 2003 World Series say Hi. ... The Baseball Crank looks at the Hall of Fame balloting and Paul Molitor.
BlogWatch: Most blogs are quiet this time of year, but I did find four new Red Sox sites: Buckner Was Framed; Fenway Hotdogs in October; TN Red Sox Fan; and Top of the Ninth. If any readers know of any others that are not linked at the left, let me know. ... Looking at the baseball blogs listed here, Boston and the Cubs have the most (22), followed by Seattle (12) and the Yankees (11). Every team is represented by at least 2 blogs and there are some unaffiliated blogs as well.
This is from late October, but I found it today. Diamond Mind posted a list of who got into scoring position most often in 2003 (By the way, I hate the term "scoring position." I know that the general meaning is the base(s) from which a runner can score on any kind of base hit, but it is a rather weak definition. A runner generally will not score from second on an infield single or even a shallow hit to the outfield. Sometimes runners have to hold at third on an infield hit. And you would think that in this era of power hitting, first base would be considered scoring position, too. Literally all bases and the man at the plate are "in a position to score." And as Allen Barra pointed out several years ago in a similar rant, that in addition to being more precise, "runners at second and third" uses one fewer syllable (and thus takes less time to say) than "runners in scoring postions.") (SB2 is steals of second):
Box of Soap. So who were the suspected terrorists on last week's cancelled Paris-US flights? Because the US used surnames only (and assumed any evil doers would be using their real names), three were a Welsh insurance agent, a child and an elderly Chinese woman who once ran a restaurant in Paris. ... Some reports said the 3-hour delay of British Airways 223 was "not terrorist-related." ... And more proof that the Keystone Kops are in charge or these alerts are nothing more than diversionary scare tactics: the cancellations were due to "very hard intelligence" from a source "whose credibility US officials have been unable to confirm." Whaa? ... By cashing in stock options before the market crashed, presidential brother Neil "Silverado" Bush made at least $171,370 in a single day. "My timing on this transaction was very fortunate," Bush said, adding that because his name was not Hillary, the liberal media would likely never mention it again. ... The investigation into the criminal leak of a CIA agent's identity is heating up. ... Pat Robertson is hearing voices again. ... And finally, a cartoon.
BlogWatch: Most blogs are quiet this time of year, but I did find four new Red Sox sites: Buckner Was Framed; Fenway Hotdogs in October; TN Red Sox Fan; and Top of the Ninth. If any readers know of any others that are not linked at the left, let me know. ... Looking at the baseball blogs listed here, Boston and the Cubs have the most (22), followed by Seattle (12) and the Yankees (11). Every team is represented by at least 2 blogs and there are some unaffiliated blogs as well.
This is from late October, but I found it today. Diamond Mind posted a list of who got into scoring position most often in 2003 (By the way, I hate the term "scoring position." I know that the general meaning is the base(s) from which a runner can score on any kind of base hit, but it is a rather weak definition. A runner generally will not score from second on an infield single or even a shallow hit to the outfield. Sometimes runners have to hold at third on an infield hit. And you would think that in this era of power hitting, first base would be considered scoring position, too. Literally all bases and the man at the plate are "in a position to score." And as Allen Barra pointed out several years ago in a similar rant, that in addition to being more precise, "runners at second and third" uses one fewer syllable (and thus takes less time to say) than "runners in scoring postions.") (SB2 is steals of second):
Name 2B 3B HR SB2 TotA much longer list is here (Oct. 30). Diamond Mind also looked at the times in scoring position per plate appearance. Here are the top 16 with some random players thrown in afterwards):
Alfonso Soriano 36 5 38 30 109
Alex Rodriguez 30 6 47 17 100
Nomar Garciaparra 37 13 28 19 97
Albert Pujols 51 1 43 2 97
Gary Sheffield 37 2 39 15 93
Bret Boone 35 5 35 16 91
Preston Wilson 43 1 36 11 91
Juan Pierre 28 7 1 54 90
Vernon Wells 49 5 33 2 89
Edgar Renteria 47 1 13 26 87
Name 2B 3B HR SB2 Tot PA PerPAA much longer list of these guys is here (Oct. 31).
Javy Lopez 29 3 43 0 75 495 .152
Corey Patterson 17 7 13 15 52 347 .150
Alfonso Soriano 36 5 38 30 109 734 .149
Richard Hidalgo 43 4 28 9 84 585 .144
Albert Pujols 51 1 43 2 97 685 .142
David Ortiz 39 2 31 0 72 509 .141
Carlos Beltran 14 10 26 35 85 602 .141
Alex Rodriguez 30 6 47 17 100 715 .140
Jim Edmonds 32 2 39 1 74 531 .139
Reggie Sanders 27 4 31 7 69 498 .139
Preston Wilson 43 1 36 11 91 661 .138
Gary Sheffield 37 2 39 15 93 678 .137
Barry Bonds 22 1 45 7 75 550 .136
Eric Hinske 45 3 12 10 70 514 .136
Milton Bradley 34 2 10 15 61 451 .135
Nomar Garciaparra 37 13 28 19 97 719 .135
...
Raul Mondesi 31 4 24 17 76 586 .130
Magglio Ordonez 46 3 29 8 86 674 .128
Vladimir Guerrero 20 3 25 9 57 467 .122
Trot Nixon 24 6 28 4 62 513 .121
Aaron Boone 32 3 24 20 79 656 .120
Bill Mueller 45 5 19 1 70 600 .117
Johnny Damon 32 6 12 30 80 690 .116
Jason Varitek 31 1 25 3 60 521 .115
Carlos Delgado 38 1 42 0 81 705 .115
Manny Ramirez 36 1 37 1 75 679 .110
Box of Soap. So who were the suspected terrorists on last week's cancelled Paris-US flights? Because the US used surnames only (and assumed any evil doers would be using their real names), three were a Welsh insurance agent, a child and an elderly Chinese woman who once ran a restaurant in Paris. ... Some reports said the 3-hour delay of British Airways 223 was "not terrorist-related." ... And more proof that the Keystone Kops are in charge or these alerts are nothing more than diversionary scare tactics: the cancellations were due to "very hard intelligence" from a source "whose credibility US officials have been unable to confirm." Whaa? ... By cashing in stock options before the market crashed, presidential brother Neil "Silverado" Bush made at least $171,370 in a single day. "My timing on this transaction was very fortunate," Bush said, adding that because his name was not Hillary, the liberal media would likely never mention it again. ... The investigation into the criminal leak of a CIA agent's identity is heating up. ... Pat Robertson is hearing voices again. ... And finally, a cartoon.
January 1, 2004
Happy New Year!
I've said this every January 1 since I've been a serious Red Sox fan -- beginning in 1976 -- and I'll say it again: "This is the Year!" 2004 could be the best shot at a title in decades.
Hmmmmm... "For years this guy professed to have a 'special relationship with God.' But it turns out he had a special relationship with a woman who was not his wife. When the wife found out, she went ballistic. The player had two choices: stay in New York with his mistress, or return home and play with a new team. ..."
Hmmmmm... "For years this guy professed to have a 'special relationship with God.' But it turns out he had a special relationship with a woman who was not his wife. When the wife found out, she went ballistic. The player had two choices: stay in New York with his mistress, or return home and play with a new team. ..."
December 31, 2003
How The A-Rod Negotiations Ended With Red Sox Shut Out. An absolute must-read article from Gordon Edes:
"Alex Rodriguez was alone when he walked past the magnificent Christmas trees that adorned the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel and went out into the bracing chill of the Manhattan night.
"It was after 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16, and East 57th Street had long since emptied of the throngs of shoppers that had filled its exclusive boutiques. The bars and restaurants were quiet, too, so Rodriguez, dressed in a camel-colored overcoat, went unnoticed as he pondered the possibility that had kept much of New England in thrall for weeks: that the best young player in baseball was about to become the new shortstop of the Boston Red Sox. ... "
"Alex Rodriguez was alone when he walked past the magnificent Christmas trees that adorned the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel and went out into the bracing chill of the Manhattan night.
"It was after 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16, and East 57th Street had long since emptied of the throngs of shoppers that had filled its exclusive boutiques. The bars and restaurants were quiet, too, so Rodriguez, dressed in a camel-colored overcoat, went unnoticed as he pondered the possibility that had kept much of New England in thrall for weeks: that the best young player in baseball was about to become the new shortstop of the Boston Red Sox. ... "
December 30, 2003
Memo To Tom Ridge: New Homeland Security directives will require selected international flights that cross into US airspace to carry an armed law enforcement officer aboard, if intelligence leads to a specific concern about that airplane. However, according to spokesman Dennis Murphy, "Homeland Security reviews the passenger and crew manifests of all planes bound for US airspace, generally after the plane has taken off ...". How is an armed marshall supposed to board a plane that is already in the air?
Strange But True Baseball Stories. From Jayson Stark's year-end wrap-up:
On August 21 in Milwaukee, the Phillies managed to get five straight hits without scoring a run. (They had one runner thrown out at the plate, another nailed at second trying to stretch a single and a third turn the wrong way after crossing first base and get tagged out.)
He was the Babe Ruth of the 21st Century. The sensational Brooks Kieschnick's first three homers of the year came as a pinch hitter, as a pitcher and as a DH. And in the same three-game series in Baltimore, Kieschnick served as the Brewers' DH in one game, and pitched in the other two.
After hitting no grand slams in 2,999 consecutive at-bats, Boston's Bill Mueller switch-hit grand slams from each side of the plate in back-to-back innings, July 29 in Texas.
In a June 20 game in Arizona, Reds closer Scott Williamson blew a save without a bat touching a ball -- on a walk, wild pickoff and wild pitch.
In that crazy June 27 game in which the Red Sox scored 10 runs before the Marlins recorded an out and put up 14 runs in the first inning, Damon became the first player in history to get three different kinds of hits (single, double, triple) in one inning.
In a June 11 start against the Braves, Oakland's Ted Lilly gave up five homers -- and no other hits.
Texas third baseman Hank Blalock had maybe the most bizarre game of the season May 16. He drove in six runs and struck out four times -- in the same game.
In the same Yankees-Red Sox series in July, Byung Hyun-Kim had a win, a loss, a save and a blown save.
In five straight games starting July 24, the Dodgers played games in which the final scores were 1-0, 2-1, 1-0, 1-0 and 2-0. Last team to play five games in which that few runs were scored: the 1906 Cubs.
Also: Aaron Gleeman takes a look at Ben Grieve and Tony Batista. ... A Bronx man who lived alone in a 10-by-10-foot room crammed with a decade's worth of magazines, newspapers, books, catalogs and junk mail was buried standing up when some piles collapsed on Saturday. He was rescued on Monday afternoon. His landlord: "I heard him moaning for a couple of days, but he talks to himself all the time, so I didn't pay him any mind." ... According to the New York Times, "there is no agreement among experts on the causes of the phenomenon, which dates back thousands of years." I wish an example or two had been mentioned.
On August 21 in Milwaukee, the Phillies managed to get five straight hits without scoring a run. (They had one runner thrown out at the plate, another nailed at second trying to stretch a single and a third turn the wrong way after crossing first base and get tagged out.)
He was the Babe Ruth of the 21st Century. The sensational Brooks Kieschnick's first three homers of the year came as a pinch hitter, as a pitcher and as a DH. And in the same three-game series in Baltimore, Kieschnick served as the Brewers' DH in one game, and pitched in the other two.
After hitting no grand slams in 2,999 consecutive at-bats, Boston's Bill Mueller switch-hit grand slams from each side of the plate in back-to-back innings, July 29 in Texas.
In a June 20 game in Arizona, Reds closer Scott Williamson blew a save without a bat touching a ball -- on a walk, wild pickoff and wild pitch.
In that crazy June 27 game in which the Red Sox scored 10 runs before the Marlins recorded an out and put up 14 runs in the first inning, Damon became the first player in history to get three different kinds of hits (single, double, triple) in one inning.
In a June 11 start against the Braves, Oakland's Ted Lilly gave up five homers -- and no other hits.
Texas third baseman Hank Blalock had maybe the most bizarre game of the season May 16. He drove in six runs and struck out four times -- in the same game.
In the same Yankees-Red Sox series in July, Byung Hyun-Kim had a win, a loss, a save and a blown save.
In five straight games starting July 24, the Dodgers played games in which the final scores were 1-0, 2-1, 1-0, 1-0 and 2-0. Last team to play five games in which that few runs were scored: the 1906 Cubs.
Also: Aaron Gleeman takes a look at Ben Grieve and Tony Batista. ... A Bronx man who lived alone in a 10-by-10-foot room crammed with a decade's worth of magazines, newspapers, books, catalogs and junk mail was buried standing up when some piles collapsed on Saturday. He was rescued on Monday afternoon. His landlord: "I heard him moaning for a couple of days, but he talks to himself all the time, so I didn't pay him any mind." ... According to the New York Times, "there is no agreement among experts on the causes of the phenomenon, which dates back thousands of years." I wish an example or two had been mentioned.
December 29, 2003
Looks Like We Got Ourselves A Reader. The FBI is warning police nationwide to be alert for people carrying almanacs (especially if they are annotated in "suspicious ways") because the reference books could be used for terrorist planning. ... This is stupid -- will travel guides and maps be banned? -- but perhaps not as loopy as the warning in May 2002 to be on the lookout for terrorist scuba divers. ... IWI: "In 1942 a German spy was apprehended by the FBI after being landed on Long Island, New York, by a U-boat the night before. The impact of this event was felt all the way to Dublin, New Hampshire, because The Old Farmer's Almanac was found in his coat pocket. The US government speculated that the Germans were using the Almanac for weather forecasts, which meant that the book was indirectly supplying information to the enemy."
December 28, 2003
So Who's The Author? Laura Bush, on Meet the Press Sunday, admitted that a poem she had attributed to her husband back in October was, in fact, not written by him. I should have known; it sounded way too literate. Here is the deathless prose:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Oh my lump in the bed
How I've missed you.
Roses are redder
Bluer am I
Seeing you kissed by that charming French guy.
The dogs and the cat, they missed you too
Barney's still mad you dropped him, he ate your shoe
The distance, my dear, has been such a barrier
Next time you want an adventure, just land on a carrier.
In addition to wondering who else would call Laura Bush "my lump in the bed" besides her husband, I'm curious if there is anything that these people will not lie about?
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Oh my lump in the bed
How I've missed you.
Roses are redder
Bluer am I
Seeing you kissed by that charming French guy.
The dogs and the cat, they missed you too
Barney's still mad you dropped him, he ate your shoe
The distance, my dear, has been such a barrier
Next time you want an adventure, just land on a carrier.
In addition to wondering who else would call Laura Bush "my lump in the bed" besides her husband, I'm curious if there is anything that these people will not lie about?
The Battle Is Only Beginning. Nick Cafardo looks at how the Red Sox and Yankees match up after their respective winter dealings. He rates Boston's staff as much better than New York's and writes "the one move that might shift the balance of power Boston's way is the signing of closer Keith Foulke." ... The Red Sox should announce tomorrow that Brian Daubach will be invited to spring training to battle for a spot as a LH bat off the bench and a spare 1B/OF. ... More on Steinbrenner fainting. ... The Genius of Earl Weaver. ... Rich Lederer on Bert Blyleven.
Box of Soap. Operation Get The F*ck Out Of Iraq Before The Election is in full swing. ... Dennis Kucinich on the Ernie Alert and news of Al-Qaeda targeting luxury cruise ships: "The government is trying to place fear everywhere. ... My whole campaign is to challenge this fear, this fear about the Patriot Act, the fear about Iraq. The fear of Iraq was not founded. They didn't attack us. They didn't have weapons of mass destruction." ... Suicides in Iraq. ... Get your story straight, fellas. ... The AP reports that meat cut from a Holstein sick with mad cow disease was sent to Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Guam. How big was that cow, anyway?
December 27, 2003
40-Man Roster. According to mlb.com:
Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB 61 Bronson Arroyo R/R 6-5 190 02/24/77 -- Colter Bean R/R 6-6 255 01/16/77 -- Jamie Brown R/R 6-2 200 03/31/77 -- Lenny Dinardo L/L 6-4 195 09/19/79 43 Alan Embree L/L 6-2 190 01/23/70 -- Keith Foulke R/R 6-0 210 10/19/72 -- Jerome Gamble R/R 6-2 200 04/05/80 -- Tim Hamulack L/L 6-4 210 11/14/76 -- Bryan Hebson R/R 6-5 210 03/12/76 51 Byung-Hyun Kim R/R 5-9 180 01/19/79 32 Derek Lowe R/R 6-6 215 06/01/73 -- Mark Malaska L/L 6-3 190 01/17/78 -- Anastacio Martinez R/R 6-2 180 11/03/78 45 Pedro Martinez R/R 5-11 180 10/25/71 26 Ramiro Mendoza R/R 6-2 195 06/15/72 38 Curt Schilling R/R 6-5 235 11/14/66 -- Phil Seibel L/L 6-1 195 01/28/79 50 Mike Timlin R/R 6-4 210 03/10/66 49 Tim Wakefield R/R 6-2 215 08/02/66 48 Scott Williamson R/R 6-0 185 02/17/76 Catchers B/T Ht Wt DOB -- Andy Dominique R/R 6-0 220 10/30/75 28 Doug Mirabelli R/R 6-1 225 10/18/70 33 Jason Varitek S/R 6-2 235 04/11/72 Infielders B/T Ht Wt DOB -- Mark Bellhorn S/R 6-1 205 08/23/74 5 Nomar Garciaparra R/R 6-0 190 07/23/73 15 Kevin Millar R/R 6-0 210 09/24/71 11 Bill Mueller S/R 5-10 180 03/17/71 34 David Ortiz L/L 6-4 230 11/18/75 -- Pokey Reese R/R 5-11 190 06/10/73 -- Kevin Youkilis R/R 6-1 220 03/15/79 Outfielders B/T Ht Wt DOB 18 Johnny Damon L/L 6-2 190 11/05/73 29 Gabe Kapler R/R 6-2 210 07/31/75 7 Trot Nixon L/L 6-2 210 04/11/74 24 Manny Ramirez R/R 6-0 215 05/30/72There was a report at SoSH that the Sox had signed Brian Daubach to a (minor league?) deal, but I haven't seen any news report of it. ... George Steinbrenner fainted Saturday and was taken to a Sarasota hospital. Reports say he's doing fine, which is good, because I don't want anyone with any baseball savvy running that club at the moment. ... Xymphora has a good round-up of the reporting on the cancelled Air France flights. Service has resumed, but the story seems to have dropped off a cliff. There was not one word about it in today's New York Times.
December 26, 2003
Year in Review. Ian Browne looks at 2003. ... In an article praising the Red Sox for their winter moves, Michael Silverman of the Herald writes: "The Red Sox failed to win a World Series in 2003 because they did not have enough pitching, plain and simple." No. The Red Sox had plenty of pitching, but their manager knew next to nothing about how to use it. Boston had two almost completely different bullpens during the season and both of them were horribly mismanaged. Which Silverman himself alludes to in his very next sentence, referring to "one of the most notorious Red Sox blunders." There were several pitchers in that white-hot bullpen waiting to come in and carry the Red Sox into the World Series, and Idiot Loser Gump decided to save them for Game 8.
Before the invasion of Iraq, the US military tried to recruit from Canada's native population, citing as its justification a 1794 treaty that it said granted aboriginal Canadians dual US-Canadian citizenship. ... The P.U.-litzers: Norman Solomon announces his selections for the "foulest media performances of 2003."
Before the invasion of Iraq, the US military tried to recruit from Canada's native population, citing as its justification a 1794 treaty that it said granted aboriginal Canadians dual US-Canadian citizenship. ... The P.U.-litzers: Norman Solomon announces his selections for the "foulest media performances of 2003."
December 24, 2003
The Stupidity Tax. Reading the New York papers on the now-dead Rodriguez/Ramirez swap is like falling into Bizarro World, a universe of opposites where day is night, up is down and an insane dictator without WMDs is more dangerous that one with them. Jon Heyman's column in Newsday is headlined "Boston Got Too Greedy"; Joel Sherman of the Post calls the Red Sox the "biggest losers." Objective reports agree it was Hicks who was the greedy one, trying to milk as much extra dough from the Red Sox as possible. But the Red Sox were not as desperate for this deal as Texas (they have Manny and Nomar after all), so they walked away. ... To be fair, John Harper of the Daily News had it right: "Hicks significantly reduced his demand for the second time in recent days on the money he wanted the Sox to send his way along with the Ramirez contract, but the Sox weren't budging. One person close to the situation said the Sox weren't willing to swap Ramirez straight up for Rodriguez without the $28 million-$30 million restructuring of the contract that was nixed by the players' association last week." And Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune was blunt: "In the end, the Red Sox wouldn't pay the stupidity tax. They weren't willing to bail out Rangers owner Tom Hicks, who appears to have doomed his franchise in the short term after agreeing to shell out $252 million for Alex Rodriguez."
Reports that Hicks dropped all additional money considerations were apparently inaccurate. Hicks: "I talked to John, who said that without serious concessions from the Players Association, he was not in a position to negotiate at all. It was very easy to see we were too far apart. We agreed it was too big a gulf to bridge, and we decided to call it off." ... Pokey Reese: "My goal was to one day play behind Pedro, and I got that opportunity and I couldn't turn it down. I played for the Pirates and the Reds most of my career, but when Pedro went over to Boston I'd always keep an eye on the Red Sox. I love Pedro Martinez, I love the way he goes out and takes care of business, so it was an opportunity I couldn't turn down."
Reports that Hicks dropped all additional money considerations were apparently inaccurate. Hicks: "I talked to John, who said that without serious concessions from the Players Association, he was not in a position to negotiate at all. It was very easy to see we were too far apart. We agreed it was too big a gulf to bridge, and we decided to call it off." ... Pokey Reese: "My goal was to one day play behind Pedro, and I got that opportunity and I couldn't turn it down. I played for the Pirates and the Reds most of my career, but when Pedro went over to Boston I'd always keep an eye on the Red Sox. I love Pedro Martinez, I love the way he goes out and takes care of business, so it was an opportunity I couldn't turn down."
Box of Soap. Get me rewrite! It turns out the account of Saddam Hussein offering to negotiate, only to be told by one GI: "Regards from President Bush" was pure fiction. Now the story is that Hussein spat at American soldiers moments after his capture and was promptly punched by one of them. ... "New intelligence information indicates that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his top deputy personally approved the suspected terrorist attack plan that led the government to raise the nation's terror threat assessment ... US intelligence agencies had gathered detailed information about the plan, in which they said al-Qaida operatives would hijack foreign airliners and fly them into targets in the United States. In some instances, the intelligence is so detailed as to include specific flight numbers..."
At a Pentagon briefing yesterday, Donald Rumsfeld was asked about "a recently declassified memo -- 20 years ago, the use of chemical against Iranians and Kurds, it wasn't sufficient to sever ties with Iraq. And indeed the United States government was trying to improve that relationship, and you played a role in that. ... Twenty years later, the same use of those weapons in those same instances was one of the main reasons cited for going to war." ... Rumsfeld hems and haws, but what was interesting what was CNN and MSNBC both cut away from their coverage of the briefing as soon as that first question was asked. Seems like that would be an important news item, but maybe Michael Jackson sneezed or someone spied a shark off the Carolina coast. The transcript is here.
At a Pentagon briefing yesterday, Donald Rumsfeld was asked about "a recently declassified memo -- 20 years ago, the use of chemical against Iranians and Kurds, it wasn't sufficient to sever ties with Iraq. And indeed the United States government was trying to improve that relationship, and you played a role in that. ... Twenty years later, the same use of those weapons in those same instances was one of the main reasons cited for going to war." ... Rumsfeld hems and haws, but what was interesting what was CNN and MSNBC both cut away from their coverage of the briefing as soon as that first question was asked. Seems like that would be an important news item, but maybe Michael Jackson sneezed or someone spied a shark off the Carolina coast. The transcript is here.
December 23, 2003
A-Rod Deal Is Stone-Diddley-Dead.
It appears that Tom Hicks's latest deadline of 5:00 pm this afternoon was for real. According to some reports, late in the day Texas offered Rodriguez for Ramirez straight-up -- contract for contract -- but Boston didn't bite. John Henry didn't want to assume A-Rod's contract any more than Hicks wanted to keep it. It seems that once the Players Association nixed any type of sizeable reduction of Rodriguez's upcoming salaries, the Red Sox were going to walk. And since the deal kept getting worse for Boston as time went on (Williamson, prospect Jon Lester and maybe Kim being added to the deal), it was good to let the clock run out. ... Peter Gammons reported that "Rodriguez appealed to Hicks to drop his demand of $13 million from the Red Sox. Rodriguez was willing to give up $27 million -- $13 million in givebacks to the Red Sox and $14 million in Massachusetts state income taxes -- to get to Boston and what's shaping up to be a winning team there." [Yeah, the Red Sox are slowly crawling towards respectability; they're almost there, maybe a few more years. ... Jesus]
Boston signed Pokey Reese for 2004 at a cool million. Theo said he was going for defensive over offense at 2B and he's being true to his word: Pokey contributes zilch with the stick. His seasonal OPS+: 50, 70, 89, 73, 62, 76, 41 (for a career mark of 70). By comparison, Todd Walker's OPS+ last year was 95. On the plus side, Reese has some speed (but a .310 career OBP), he won gold gloves in 1999 and 2000, and his Range Factors are consistently above league average. ... Speaking of Walker, he signed a 1-year deal with the Cubs.
You Can't Make This Stuff Up: "[Darryl] Strawberry, a member of the Without Walls International Church in Tampa, ministered to [Michael] Jackson during a trip to the singer's Neverland Ranch this weekend, said Randy White, the church's head pastor."
It appears that Tom Hicks's latest deadline of 5:00 pm this afternoon was for real. According to some reports, late in the day Texas offered Rodriguez for Ramirez straight-up -- contract for contract -- but Boston didn't bite. John Henry didn't want to assume A-Rod's contract any more than Hicks wanted to keep it. It seems that once the Players Association nixed any type of sizeable reduction of Rodriguez's upcoming salaries, the Red Sox were going to walk. And since the deal kept getting worse for Boston as time went on (Williamson, prospect Jon Lester and maybe Kim being added to the deal), it was good to let the clock run out. ... Peter Gammons reported that "Rodriguez appealed to Hicks to drop his demand of $13 million from the Red Sox. Rodriguez was willing to give up $27 million -- $13 million in givebacks to the Red Sox and $14 million in Massachusetts state income taxes -- to get to Boston and what's shaping up to be a winning team there." [Yeah, the Red Sox are slowly crawling towards respectability; they're almost there, maybe a few more years. ... Jesus]
Boston signed Pokey Reese for 2004 at a cool million. Theo said he was going for defensive over offense at 2B and he's being true to his word: Pokey contributes zilch with the stick. His seasonal OPS+: 50, 70, 89, 73, 62, 76, 41 (for a career mark of 70). By comparison, Todd Walker's OPS+ last year was 95. On the plus side, Reese has some speed (but a .310 career OBP), he won gold gloves in 1999 and 2000, and his Range Factors are consistently above league average. ... Speaking of Walker, he signed a 1-year deal with the Cubs.
You Can't Make This Stuff Up: "[Darryl] Strawberry, a member of the Without Walls International Church in Tampa, ministered to [Michael] Jackson during a trip to the singer's Neverland Ranch this weekend, said Randy White, the church's head pastor."
December 22, 2003
Line In The Sand. Tom Hicks has announced a new final deadline: "[General manager] John Hart has been forced to work in two directions. I've told John if we don't have a deal by [Tuesday at 5:00 pm (est)], he's to move forward with Alex as part of our team. We've got to have some finality."
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is arguing over ground rules for her upcoming appearance before the 9/11 Commission because she does not want to testify under oath or in public. Having seen her on the Sunday morning talk shows and speaking at press conferences, I can't say that I blame her. Her ability to lie is actually worse than her boss's. Her eyes dart quickly to the sides: left, right, left; she even shakes a little bit. I've seen 5-year-olds fib more convincingly. Still, it is awfully nice of the Commission to start conducting these incredibly important sessions as its time to investigate dwindles to mere weeks. ... The Los Angeles Times reports that the Justice Department has inflated the number of terrorism-related prosecutions. For example, at least 20 men caught in a driver's license scam are included on a list of more than 280 cases that has been cited as evidence that the US is winning the war on terrorism.
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is arguing over ground rules for her upcoming appearance before the 9/11 Commission because she does not want to testify under oath or in public. Having seen her on the Sunday morning talk shows and speaking at press conferences, I can't say that I blame her. Her ability to lie is actually worse than her boss's. Her eyes dart quickly to the sides: left, right, left; she even shakes a little bit. I've seen 5-year-olds fib more convincingly. Still, it is awfully nice of the Commission to start conducting these incredibly important sessions as its time to investigate dwindles to mere weeks. ... The Los Angeles Times reports that the Justice Department has inflated the number of terrorism-related prosecutions. For example, at least 20 men caught in a driver's license scam are included on a list of more than 280 cases that has been cited as evidence that the US is winning the war on terrorism.
Statheads in 1917. Two good articles: An excellent review of "Moneyball" and proof that sabremetrics was alive and well in 1917. Legendary baseball writer F.C. Lane loves the much-maligned base on balls: "The base on balls is indeed an outcast and a stranger in the records. The most the scorers do for the homeless wanderer is to ignore it utterly. The batter gets no credit for getting a base on balls either through his wits or through respect for his batting powers. But magnanimously, the fact that he is given a pass doesn’t react against him. He isn't fined or anything like that. His voyage to first base merely doesn't appear at all, isn't called a time at bat, plays no part whatever either for or against his batting average."
Lane quotes Hall of Famer Johnny Evers (of "Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance" fame): "I pay no attention to batting averages and no other sensible person pays much attention to them. They tell little of a player's ability. ... Some lumbering bone head who does make a specialty of hitting and nothing else may forge well across the .300 line and everybody says 'what a great batter!' ... Jimmy Sheckard didn't use to hit so very high, according to averages. But if you remember he used to get to first an awful lot of the time. ... He believed that a good share of the time he would be doing his club a better service by trying to wear down the opposing pitcher and get him in the hole all the time ... In my own case I have frequently faced the pitcher when I had no desire whatever to hit. I wanted to get a base on balls. That was what I was working for. If I didn't get it my average suffered and if I did get it my average wasn't benefited in the least. That is why I say the averages mean nothing. They don't give a player credit for playing brainy ball."
But, but, but, Billy Beane is a know-nothing stat-geek and anyone who agrees with him should put down his slide rule and actually go see a game ... blah ... blah ... blah .... Clark Booth seems to be a staunch advocate of this ostrichian world-view, but my question is: Who are these relief pitchers Kevin Foulke and Manny Rivera? Yeesh.
At Democratic Underground, Old Soldier asks: "Did "Kurds Caught Saddam" Make Your Morning Paper?" So far every answer is NO: New York Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, Newsday, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, St. Petersburg Times, Miami Herald, New Haven Register, Syracuse Post Standard, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bergen (NJ) Record, Columbus Dispatch, Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Hartford Courant and Portland (Maine) Press Herald. And nothing on Associated Press radio. ... I've really had it with the liberal media. According to Google News, most newspapers carrying it are in Australia, Asia, and the Middle East.
Lane quotes Hall of Famer Johnny Evers (of "Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance" fame): "I pay no attention to batting averages and no other sensible person pays much attention to them. They tell little of a player's ability. ... Some lumbering bone head who does make a specialty of hitting and nothing else may forge well across the .300 line and everybody says 'what a great batter!' ... Jimmy Sheckard didn't use to hit so very high, according to averages. But if you remember he used to get to first an awful lot of the time. ... He believed that a good share of the time he would be doing his club a better service by trying to wear down the opposing pitcher and get him in the hole all the time ... In my own case I have frequently faced the pitcher when I had no desire whatever to hit. I wanted to get a base on balls. That was what I was working for. If I didn't get it my average suffered and if I did get it my average wasn't benefited in the least. That is why I say the averages mean nothing. They don't give a player credit for playing brainy ball."
But, but, but, Billy Beane is a know-nothing stat-geek and anyone who agrees with him should put down his slide rule and actually go see a game ... blah ... blah ... blah .... Clark Booth seems to be a staunch advocate of this ostrichian world-view, but my question is: Who are these relief pitchers Kevin Foulke and Manny Rivera? Yeesh.
At Democratic Underground, Old Soldier asks: "Did "Kurds Caught Saddam" Make Your Morning Paper?" So far every answer is NO: New York Times, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, Newsday, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, St. Petersburg Times, Miami Herald, New Haven Register, Syracuse Post Standard, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bergen (NJ) Record, Columbus Dispatch, Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Hartford Courant and Portland (Maine) Press Herald. And nothing on Associated Press radio. ... I've really had it with the liberal media. According to Google News, most newspapers carrying it are in Australia, Asia, and the Middle East.
December 21, 2003
Tender Mercies. Doug Mirabelli agreed to a $825,000 contract for next season, with a possible additional $100,000 in performance bonuses. The Red Sox offered contracts to Trot Nixon, Byung-Hyun Kim, Scott Williamson and David Ortiz. The club reached agreements on new contracts with Gabe Kapler (1-year, $750,000), Jason Shiell and Edwin Almonte. Not offered contracts: Damian Jackson, Lou Merloni and Scott Sauerbeck.
Art Martone on The Deal. ... Things Ain't What They Used To Be, Part 78,905,862. ... Gammons checks in this afternoon (he offers a book title, but no theme songs); all mention of the Incensed A-Rod that was a big part of his story yesterday article is gone.
Art Martone on The Deal. ... Things Ain't What They Used To Be, Part 78,905,862. ... Gammons checks in this afternoon (he offers a book title, but no theme songs); all mention of the Incensed A-Rod that was a big part of his story yesterday article is gone.
Look, A Shiny Orange Rock! Hmmm, stories breaking this morning that the US's role in capturing Saddam Hussein might have been exaggerated just a tad and ... presto! ... the terror level is raised to Ernie.
Be afraid, but keep shopping (don't worry, you can get duct tape in Xmas colors). ... Howard Dean was attacked last week for saying that the capture of Saddam wouldn't make Americans any safer. So why is the terror level at Ernie? If Dean was clueless, shouldn't it be going down to Cookie Monster? I wonder how many apologies Dean will receive?
Be afraid, but keep shopping (don't worry, you can get duct tape in Xmas colors). ... Howard Dean was attacked last week for saying that the capture of Saddam wouldn't make Americans any safer. So why is the terror level at Ernie? If Dean was clueless, shouldn't it be going down to Cookie Monster? I wonder how many apologies Dean will receive?
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