Be Thankful Red Sox Fans

As the Los Angeles Dodgers implode with MLB taking over day-to-day operations from Frank McCourt, Boston fans should take a moment and be thankful it wasn't them.

McCourt was an early bidder for the Red Sox before they were sold to the group headed by John Henry and Tom Werner in 2002. He wanted to move the Sox from Fenway to a park to be constructed on land he owned in South Boston. But McCourt dropped out of the bidding when it topped $600 million.

In January 2004, McCourt acquired another trophy franchise, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unlike the Sox, the Dodgers don't have a cable network to generate cash for their owners -- but they do have Dodger Stadium, the Dodgertown spring training complex in Vero Beach, Florida, and a baseball academy in the Dominican Republic. The club and its properties sold for $430 million. 

The story goes on to mention how highly leveraged McCourt was to even buy the Dodgers. He borrowed every dollar he used to pay for the team and an extra $45 million for working capital.

And that is the dirty secret everyone forgets as MLB executes it's takeover of the Dodgers...they allowed a man to buy this team with 100% borrowed money. Which is insane. And then when the divorce came, one of the ugliest ever...is it surprising that McCourt couldn't afford to keep the team running?

It's a shame and a travesty all the way around for such a proud franchise. But I know I am saying "There but for the grace of God..." because it could easily have been the Red Sox in this position today.

Old School Beckett

Well, that was a nice thing to see last night.

With a dominant performance from former/future ace Josh Beckett, the Sox were able to beat the Yankees, take two out of three games in the series and inject a spark of hope into Boston fans everywhere. And while wins in April are as important as wins in September, it is important to keep perspective. Boston still has 153 games left to play and are only four games back, not fourteen. Crawford and Youk will not continue to have sub-.200 batting averages.

And we may be getting back the Josh Beckett we all know and love.

What makes this important is that Beckett didn't win this game against the Royals or the Mariners. He took apart a team that owned him last year. He outpitched one of the contenders for the 2010 CY Young award. And he did it easily.

Eight innings, only two hits, ten strikeouts and one walk. Most importantly, no runs. Here's some perspective. The last game Beckett had 10 strikeouts or more was July 27, 2009 against Oakland. The last game Beckett didn't give up an earned run was almost exactly a year ago. He got a no-decision in a 3-1 loss to the Rays on April 16, 2010. And the last time he did both in a single game? Try April 10, 2005, when he pitched a complete game, 11 strikeout shutout for the Marlins against the Washington Nationals. So this was an impressive performance by the standards of his own career.

As always, the big question is whether Beckett can continue to perform at this level. Only one time in 2010 was he able to record back-to-back wins. Hopefully that will not be the case in 2011.

But if Beckett can return to form while Lester and Buchholz get back in the groove, that will go a long way towards erasing an ugly opening week for the Sox.

Make Some Room, Kansas

With UConn's 53-41 win over Butler for the NCAA Championship, UConn moves into an elite group of colleges. Only seven schools have won three or more titles. They are: UCLA, Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas and now UConn is added to that list.

This is a huge achievement for a program that as recently as 1986 was playing games in the old Field House, a cramped facility that was more suited for 1950s basketball. In 25 years, Jim Calhoun has turned UConn into an elite program. For that, he deserves all the credit in the world.

There have been bumps along the way. I personally remember when he brought his son, Jeff, onto the team while I was a student at UConn. He had no business being on that squad. Then there were the unfortunate ethical issues that have cropped up this past year. And there is also the low graduation rate of 33.3%. However, that is due in part to the fact that a large number of UConn's players go pro before they finish school. When Kemba Walker goes in the top 10 of the 2011 NBA draft, should that be a black mark on Calhoun because Walker chose to leave as a junior?

But that view also ignores the massive amount of charity work that Calhoun does in the state along with his wife and the tireless devotion he has given to the university. It has been a great partnership and one that alumni like myself are thankful for.

To see UConn now with the great programs is something that is astounding and amazing and pretty wonderful. And they deserve to be there. Over the past 15 years, only one school has won three titles. And it's located in Storrs, CT.

Can Boston Win 100 Games?

That is a question being asked out and about the Intertubes. It's based off of a comment Josh Beckett made during spring training, where he said he thought this squad could win 100 games.

So can they? On the face of it, why not? The Sox have a much deadlier lineup with the addition of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez in particular should feast on pitching in Fenway. Consider some of the parks where he has had his best hitting efforts over the past three years:

From 2008-2010

Busch Stadium (2009-10): .375 Avg | 1.037 OPS


Citizens Bank Park: .357 Avg | 1.310 OPS


Miller Park: .419 Avg | 1.277 OPS


Wrigley Field: .293 Avg | 1.042 OPS

All these field have a right field line of 330 ft or more. Wrigley's is over 350 ft. Of course, as we all know, Fenway's right line is a mere 302 feet. And Gonzalez has an amazing talent for pulling the ball. Add to that Fenway's short left field line (310) and Gonzalez should be destroying Fenway down the lines in 2011.

Add in Carl Crawford and his abilities, and you have a lineup where you really can't pitch around anyone until you get to #7 in the lineup. Tack on their excellent gloves and they will be preventing runs from scoring as well. Then you have a revamped bullpen which, on paper, is one of the best in the AL.

So where does Boston's potential barrier to 100 wins reside? In the starting rotation. For as good as Lester and Buchholz were in 2010, there are a whole lot of questions coming after.

How will Lackey pitch? Will we get a vintage Beckett from 2007 or 2009? Will we get a sub-par Beckett from 2008 or 2010? Which Daisuke will we see? And God forbid this happens, but how will Boston cope with an injury? We have Wakes and then...what exactly?

The rotation is strong but there is little if any depth behind it. And that will be the single biggest determining factor as to whether Boston can win 100 games this year.

There is one other factor...history. Boston has won 100 or more games just three times. The last time was in 1946, when Boston went 104-50. And that took two 20-game winners (Tex Hughson and Dave "Boo" Ferriss), Mickey Harris having a career season (17-9, he never won more than eight games in any other season) and the team ranking first in the AL in batting average, OBP, slugging, OPS and fielding percentage. The closest Boston has come since then is 1978 (99-64) and 2004 (98-64).

Bottom line? Boston definitely has the talent to win 100 games. But it hinges on their starting pitching remaining healthy and some key players returning to form.

The Top Five Red Sox Players to Wear Number 15

If you have perused this site for even a moment or two, you will notice that there is a HUGE gap in writing. Suffice it to say, I had some major issues going on in my life. "Major" being an all-time understatement. I am now trying to get back into the swing and I thought I would start by reprinting a piece from an ongoing series I had (and will hopefully restart). This is from way back in 2008.

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The '15' has been around quite a bit. An astonishing 51 players have worn the jersey. More than once it has seen multiple holders in a single season. But it has seen some remarkable seasons and players in its time, including it's current owner.

5. Earl Webb (1931-32) - Webb was the original owner of the '15' jersey. He joined the Sox in 1930 when he was traded by the Senators to Boston for "Whispering Bill" Barrett, a native of Cambridge*. Webb had a decent season that year, hitting .323 with 16 homers and 66 RBI. But Webb busted out in a big way in 1931. He hit .333, had 14 homers and 104 RBI. His OPS was .932, he had 196 hits and led the AL with 67 doubles. That mark still stands as the all-time doubles record in one season for the Sox. And Webb did all that at the age of 33. He finished sixth in the AL MVP voting that year


Webb fell off in 1932, starting the season with a .281 average. After 52 games the Sox traded Webb to the Tigers for Dale Alexander and Roy Johnson. Alexander came and went but Johnson had a couple of decent years.


4. Kevin Millar (2003-05) - Cowboy up, indeed. The funny thing about Kevin Millar is that you think he didn't do all that much on the field. And then you look at his numbers and realize that wasn't the case. He hit 25 homers and had 96 RBI in 2003. In 2004 he was just shy of a .300 average (.297), knocked in 18 homers and 74 RBI, and had an OPS of .857. The man could swing the stick.


And he could field as well. Millar usually covered first. His worst fielding percentage over that three-year period was .989. That's not Youkilis good, but it isn't bad either. He was one of those guys who holds the team together and contributes in almost a stealth fashion. I still think the Sox made a mistake in not holding onto him.

Oki Heads To The Bucket

I can't say this was particularly surprising:

This could not have been an easy day for Hideki Okajima. After four seasons as Boston's No. 1 left-handed option out of the bullpen, the one-time "hero in the shadows" was optioned Monday to Triple-A Pawtucket as the Red Sox made their final roster decisions.

The Red Sox announced that Alfredo Aceves also was optioned to Pawtucket, with Dennys Reyes retained as the bullpen's only left-hander and former Orioles reliever Matt Albers kept as a right-handed long man.

Okajima had two things working against him: diminishing performance over the past two seasons and remaining options. Put those together and it was a no-brainer of a move. And, as Gordon Edes points out, it preserves some depth for the season.

On the downside, the Sox now have only one left-hander in the 'pen. Dennys Reyes will be 34 on April 19. He has been a reliable, if not stellar, arm in relief. But is it wise for Boston to have just one lefty? I guess we'll find out if that is actually a requirement. Of course, if Matt Albers continues pitching like he has, then no one will even care about how many lefties are in the pen.

Big East Breakdown

I grew up in Connecticut (aka Newyorkachusetts) and UConn is my alma mater, so I am obviously rooting for the Huskies in the NCAA Tournament and, in a larger sense, the Big East as a whole.

I remember making fun of the Big 10 over the years, how they'd send five or six teams to the Big Dance and then they'd crash out in grand style in the first round. Not us, though. We were the Big East, the toughest conference in the college game. And this season seemed to prove it, with the Big East sending a record 11 teams to the tournament.

But oh, how the mighty have fallen. Perhaps the conference is too loaded, too tough. The conference wars - and they are wars, the Big East is physical - seem to have taken their toll. Out of 11 teams, only two - my UConn and Marquette - have made it to the Sweet 16.

The other nine? Some were victims of internecine warfare (UConn took out Cincy, Marquette shot down Syracuse), some got taken down by questionable calls (Pitt) and some just didn't bother showing up (Louisville, ND in round 2*).

The end result is that the Big East is now the Big 10 - a conference that is somewhat riding its reputation. And it will have an effect next year and in the years to come. I doubt you'll ever see 11 teams go again. Maybe even 10. It looks bad for the selection committee when so many picks don't play up to their seeding. And they hate looking bad.

But on the upside, UConn is still in. Although they have a tough road if they want to get to Houston. San Diego State is up and then the winner of Duke/Arizona. Another Duke/UConn bout? It'd be great basketball...and I really dislike Duke.