Papelbon says Manny was ‘cancer’
The popular Red Sox (and sports?) story today is going to be Jonathan Papelbon coming out with both barrels aflame at one Manuel Aristides Ramirez. Read on to hear Papelbon's quotes and my reaction...
Category: Jason Varitek
Chat Transcript: Ortiz, Yankees, Buchholz and more
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| David Ortiz - Samara Pearlstein |
I talk about which minor leaguers to keep an eye on... what the Sox need to do to win this year... how important David Ortiz is to us.
Oh, I also throw out predictions such as who will finish at first... scoff at the Yankees... and talk about who the heck can be our future catcher.
Poll: Better or Worse: Josh Beckett’s ERA in 2009
New Poll Question: Better or Worse: Josh Beckett's ERA in 2009?
Josh Beckett pitched better than his 4.03 ERA might suggest in 2008, so it's safe to assume he'll better that total in 2009. The question is, "by how much?". How low can he go? How does 3.50 sound for a bar? Vote in the poll to the left and give your community projection for Beckett here.
Find out how you all responded to our previous poll, "Will Jason Varitek hit .240+ in 2009?" after the jump.
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.
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.
Which TV characters resemble Red Sox players?
I was thinking about the multitude of TV shows that I watch and I thought it would be pretty funny and cool to pair up who I think represents a certain character best on the Red Sox. I'm not limiting this to one show (but am limiting it to shows currently on the air), so... let's check out my comparisons. In the comments, leave your own!
My favorite Red Sox players
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| Pedro - drgandy |
It made me ask myself "who would be on my personal 'favorite Red Sox' team?" My list is here and includes famous names such as Pedro Martinez and obscure names such as Jeff Frye
The dreaded transition period
36 home runs surrendered (ridiculous), an increase in walks (74), and a 5.01 ERA (although the defense wasn't exactly helping too much that season), were all contributions to a year in which Josh Beckett wasn't exactly proud of (nor were we after giving up Hanley Ramirez AND watching Anibel Sanchez throw a "No-No"). But I firmly believe that an abundance of fastballs was also a contributing factor to his lack of success.
Fireside Chats #33: Where it’s all Arod, all the time and, oh yeah…pitchers and catchers
While we'll mention the conclusion to the 'Tek saga and give a quick nod to the impending beginning of Spring Training, Episode #33 (the honorary Jason Varitek edition) is all about two things; Arod and Steroids. Come beat that horse a few times with us by the Fireside...
The dream of 9 league-average hitters is dead
Jason Varitek, you ended my dream. It may have been a long shot, but it's over. And although having you back at least fills the backstop, it does crush my desire to have nine league average hitters in the Red Sox lineup.
Was this a longshot? Yes. Having nine hitters be either average or better than average probably isn't likely. Had the Red Sox acquired a catcher via a trade, they would have been counting on three young players to achieve their goal.