How many Cy Youngs should Pedro have?

I know ERA+ wasn’t used much then, but his 1.74 ERA was well over an earned run better than the next guy on the list. And Pedro did all this in a hitters park! A place where routine flyballs hit to left field turned into doubles.

When arguing who the greatest pitcher ever was, one should include that Pedro Martinez was the best pitcher in baseball four times, not three. And there was a fifth time, too, where it wasn’t all that far-fetched to say that Pedro was the greatest pitcher alive.

2009 Community Projection Results – Hitters

Given the Red Sox seeming wealth of pitching, in both a deep and talented rotation and bullpen, most people concerned with the team’s championship aspirations this season have been jumping on the “where’s the offense going to come from” bandwagon.

Sure this team may not be offensive juggernaut that we’ve seen in years past scoring 850+ runs consistently, but logic would tell you that with better pitching 850+ runs might not be required to post 95 wins in 2009.

Now that we’ve finished our first nine community projections, which includes the cast of characters most likely to fill the lineup card on any given evening, I thought it a fair time to give you a taste of how the collective Fire Brand community thinks that the 2009 Red Sox will shape up offensively.

TRIVIA: Alcohol at Fenway

When was the last time alcohol was banned at Fenway Park?

Examining the Red Sox’s defense via Defensive Runs

A couple years ago, The Fielding Bible
took baseball by storm with John Dewan’s Plus/Minus system to evaluate fielders. This year, he’s back at it with The Fielding Bible–Volume II in which he takes all the metrics created in the original volume and distills them into Defensive Runs, a statistic that can show how good a player is at preventing runs.

Coco’s Value > What I thought it was

And sure, I was understanding that he was worthy of a Gold Glove. But his overall value was well above what I would have guessed.
Coco was not the 48th best player in baseball at the time. But he may very well have had the 48th most valuable season that year. He could track down balls up the middle with the best of them, and that translated into a year that many overlooked his true value, or so it seemed.

Fireside Chats #35: Where we touch all the bases with Chad Finn from Boston.com and really…Julio Lugo?

With all quiet in Camp Tranquility down in Fort Myers, FL, we dig into the bag of tricks and call on Chad Finn from Boston.com to bring some fresh perspective. Whether it’s talking about your favorite Red Sox players of all time or ranking the 2009 team by importance from 25 down to 1, there’s never a shortage of Red Sox angles to talk about when Chad’s around.

And, oh yeah, are there really “Julio Lugo will be the starting shortstop” rumors floating around these parts? Say it ain’t so…

Poll: Better or Worse: Jason Varitek’s Average in 2009

New Poll Question: Better or Worse: Jason Varitek’s Average in 2009?
Coming off a career low batting average of .220 in 2008 and one of the lowest averages for a primary catcher in the past ten years, will Jason Varitek be able to right the ship and break the .240 barrier this season? Vote in the poll to the left and give your community projection for Varitek here. Find out how you all responded to our previous poll, “How many bases will Jacoby Ellsbury steal in 2009?” after the jump.

Jason Varitek: For Better or Worse 2009

Outside of the name Mark Teixeira, and albeit for very different reasons, no other name was uttered more this offseason than Jason Varitek. Now that the captain is back in Boston for at least one, and more likely two seasons, let’s put the “should we bring Varitek back talk” behind us and focus on the “now that we know he’s here, what do we expect in 2009″ talk.

Many people expect that given the Red Sox willingness to walk away from Varitek this offseason, that it is likely that the 2009 season marks the end of Varitek as a full time catcher. With Josh Bard on board for the upcoming season, some thing it likely that ‘Tek may only see 60% of the action this season (320 – 360 at bats).

While the Red Sox will certainly rest Jason Varitek more this season than only every fifth game when Tim Wakefield is pitching, given Terry Francona’s modus operandi with veteran players, I would prepare yourself for 400+ at bats from the captain this season.

The A.L. East loves Mark Teixeira

Mark Teixeira may be hated in Boston right now…but there something downright scarier waiting for him in Baltimore.

Video after the jump…

Red Sox out for money in woeful economy

Earlier today for MVN Outsider, I commented on the poor economy and how the Arizona Diamondbacks are taking steps to ensure that the consumer can still afford to go to a game while clubs such as our beloved Red Sox are content to squeeze us out of every last dollar.

To Henry’s credit, most of the profits have been put back into the team. Also, understand this: it’s a business. Businesses are not successful unless they make money.

But there’s a place where we all have to go, “Whoa, wait a second.”