In The Wake Of An Epic Collapse, Troubling Insights Into The Mind Of Adrian Gonzalez

Adrian Gonzalez’ comments from earlier in the week lead me to ask whether the Red Sox made a mistake in bringing him to Boston Boston Globe columnist Peter Abraham posted an interesting article on Boston.com yesterday morning on the subject of accountability. In the wake of the ballclub’s September debacle, he neatly juxtaposed the reactions […]

Fair Or Not, Terry Francona’s Departure From Boston Is Imminent And Necessary

According to published reports, the Red Sox and manager Terry Francona will agree to part company this morning after an eight-year marriage that brought the franchise a pair of World Series championships – its first titles since 1918. Tito won’t be fired… his contract expired on Wednesday night and it has been agreed by both […]

The Top 10 Reasons For The Red Sox EPIC September Collapse

In spite of blowing last night’s contest, closer Jonathan Papelbon is not on my list of the Top 10 Reasons the club fell apart in September… this debacle was about more than one game. Pundits across the baseball universe are characterizing the twin September collapses by the Red Sox and Atlanta Braves as the worst […]

Teddy Ballgame To Be Honored By USPS With Postage Stamp

Red Sox Hall-of-Fame OF Ted Williams was larger than life and possessed the stuff of legend. He was both a baseball hero and a war hero, serving as a naval aviator (USMC pilot) during WWII (1942-46) and the Korean War (1952-53). He was the last baseball player to hit .400 during the regular season while […]

Red Sox Absolutely MUST Acquire A Starting Pitcher Before Trade Deadline

Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz hasn’t pitched since June 16th, when he was pulled from his start in Tampa after allowing one run over five innings. The next morning, Red Sox Nation read that his back was acting up and he might have to go on the DL. Word was that he would have to […]

Red Sox Need To Resolve Right Field Issue Sooner Rather Than Later

Oakland OF Josh Willingham could be the answer to the Red Sox’ quandary in right field July is just around the corner. After starting the year 2-10, the Red Sox have been among the best teams in baseball – the recent four-game losing streak to San Diego and Pittsburgh notwithstanding. At 45-32, the ballclub has […]

Red Sox End-Of-May Report Card, Part II: The Hitters

Many pundits assert that the AL MVP discussion thus far in 2011 is primarily limited to debating the relative merits of Toronto’s Jose Bautista and the Red Sox’ Adrian Gonzalez, who has been everything Red Sox Nation hoped he would be – and more! After struggling through a brutal month of April, the Red Sox […]

Red Sox End-Of-May Report Card, Part I: The Pitching Staff

After a dismal 2010 campaign, Jonathan Papelbon has been markedly improved in the first two months of 2011. While he hasn’t been the dominant guy he was from 2006-08, he has shown glimpses of his old, over-powering self. He gets a “B+” from me for his efforts thus far… and it seems increasingly likely he […]

Matsuzaka Likely Needs Tommy John Surgery… Season, Remainder Of Red Sox Career, Hang In The Balance

Red Sox RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka and team officials will meet tomorrow to discuss the pitcher’s options with respect to his injured right elbow. Several published reports this evening have indicated Matsuzaka has already decided to have Tommy John surgery to repair a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament, and that he will use tomorrow’s meeting […]

The Replacements: Aceves And Wakefield Have Been Up To The Task

Amid all of the furor of heightened expectations leading up to the 2011 season, the BIG question that surrounded the Red Sox was how the #4 and #5 starters would perform. John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka were both coming off rough 2010 campaigns, and while Red Sox Nation had high hopes for a championship season, […]

Red Sox Front Office Must Confront The Lackey Dilemma

Red Sox pitcher John Lackey, with his wife Krista, during less troubling times… More than a dozen years ago, I struggled as my first marriage was disintegrating. While I had always prided myself on being able to separate my personal life and my professional life, I suddenly found myself unable to do so. I brought […]

The Red Sox Performance Earlier This Week Was Truly Remarkable

Josh Beckett looks to extend the current three-game winning streak when he takes the mound against Los Angeles tonight at Fenway Park As game time approached on Sunday, we learned from the NESN broadcast that Angels RHP Jered Weaver had been scratched from his start in Tampa, FL, due to a bout of intestinal flu. […]

Red Sox Report Card On May 1st… For Many Players, It Can Only Get Better

As bad as the Red Sox offense was in April, it would have been a lot worse if not for SuperSub Jed Lowrie So, April is finally (mercifully) done. Overall, it was a disappointing month that started with hundred-win potential and aspirations of a world championship and ended with an 11-14 record, including four losses […]

Matsuzaka Rolls Snake Eyes As Red Sox Roll Over Angels, 5-0

They say good starting pitching is contagious. After starting the year with a record of 2-5 and a cumulative ERA of 7.24 in the first ten games, the members of the rotation have gone 6-2, with an extraordinary ERA of 1.65, in the last ten games. Their performance has been even more extraordinary over the […]

Red Sox Pitchers In The Midst Of An Historic Stretch Of Dominance… Sox Win An Ugly One In LA, 4-3

The consecutive-game streak was broken last night, but the Red Sox got right back to work tonight as staff ace Jon Lester started a new one. No, obviously, I’m not talking about a win-streak because, as we all know, the Red Sox WON last night. The streak I’m talking about has to do with the […]

Red Sox And Adrian Gonzalez Finalize Highly-Anticipated Seven-Year Extension

The Red Sox and 1B Adrian Gonzalez have finalized a seven-year, $154 million contract extension. The highly-anticipated agreement, which has been speculated on for the last four months, will be formally announced by the parties at a 3 PM press conference this afternoon. It is the ninth-largest contract in Major League Baseball history, and the […]

MLB Releases Order For 2011 Draft… Red Sox Have 4 Of The First 40 Picks

Major League Baseball formally released the draft order for this June’s draft this afternoon. The Pittsburgh Pirates have the first pick overall, followed by the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals. The Red Sox will have four of the first 40 picks in the draft. The organization lost its own first-round […]

Beckett’s Outing Against Yankees Provides Encouragement and Hope

It was truly unexpected. If anyone tells you they “expected” Josh Beckett to give the Red Sox the kind of performance he gave them against the Yankees last night, then they are telling a tall tale (be prepared for a story about a 65-lb bass they caught at the local fishing hole last year). It was unexpected because the native […]

Red Sox Poor Start The Result Of A Lack Of Discipline And Poor Execution

Home plate ump Dale Scott tells a chagrined Jason Varitek the play at home plate required a tag because Youk had tagged the third base bag The Red Sox put forth an embarrassing effort last night and, in the process, saw their record fall to 0-5… just the sixth time in the franchise’s history that […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL East – Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox prospects for the 2011 season are so bright, Adrian Gonzalez has got to wear shades Boston Red Sox (2010 record: 89-73) The 2010 edition of the Boston Red Sox was a very good ballclub. Entering the season, it appeared they would have an extraordinary pitching staff but a questionable offense. As it […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL East – New York Yankees

NY Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira New York Yankees (2010 record: 95-67) The Yankees entered the off-season expecting to sign LHP Cliff Lee to a lucrative deal, but a funny thing happened on the way to the ballpark – the Philadelphia Phillies signed Lee out from under their nose at the eleventh hour. Hey, turn about […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL East – Tampa Bay Rays

CF BJ Upton Tampa Bay Rays (2010 record: 96-66) Everyone thinks the Rays will take a significant step backwards in 2011, but I am not so sure those people are right. Tampa is one of the best-run organizations in baseball, and I think they have the young horses needed to minimize the impact of the […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL East – Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays 3B Jose Bautista Toronto Blue Jays (2010 record: 85-77) The Blue Jays had the busiest off-season of any team in Major League Baseball. GM Alex Anthopoulos continued the re-structuring of the club – and its salary structure – in earnest… and, in the process, managed to rid his organization of the most untradeable […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL East – Baltimore Orioles

Orioles RF Nick Markakis Baltimore Orioles (2010 record: 66-96) Two words: Buck Showalter. His hiring has meant instant credibility for a moribund franchise. He brought energy, intensity, knowledge and savvy to the baseball diamond and the clubhouse… and he directed the team to a 34-23 finish after his arrival in Charm City – the second-best […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL Central – Chicago White Sox

White Sox 1B Paul Konerko Chicago White Sox (2010 record: 88-74) The White Sox won 88 games last season and still didn’t get a sniff of the division title due to the success of the Minnesota Twins. During the off-season, GM Kenny Williams decided to re-shuffle the deck to play to his team’s strengths – […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL Central – Minnesota Twins

Twins slugger Justin Morneau The Minnesota Twins are coming off back-to-back AL Central division championships. They are looking to become the first club to win the division title in three consecutive years since they pulled off the feat in the 2002-04 seasons. If they are able to do so, it would tie for the second-longest […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL Central – Detroit Tigers

Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers (2010 record: 81-81) The Detroit Tigers finished the 2009 season tied for first place in the AL Central (86-76) after having relinquished a seven-game lead to the Minnesota Twins during the last four weeks of the season. They then lost a one-game playoff in The Metrodome in 12 innings, […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL Central – Kansas City Royals

Royals Designated Hitter Billy Butler Kansas City Royals (2010 record: 67-95) Kansas City is one more year away from beginning their slow, inexorable climb up the standings. While Royals fans have heard similar promises for years, their patience is finally (mercifully) about to pay off. GM Dayton Moore and his front office staff have developed […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL Central – Cleveland Indians

Indians CF Grady Sizemore Cleveland Indians (2010 record: 69-93) If there is little reason to buy a ticket in Houston, there is even less reason to buy a ticket in Cleveland. The Indians did very little this winter in terms of improving the roster… and since everyone else in the division is as good or […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL West – Texas Rangers

  Rangers LF Josh Hamilton Texas Rangers (2010 record: 90-72) The Texas Rangers won their first American League pennant, but eventually lost the World Series to the San Francisco Giants. Their drive to the Fall Classic was spurred by an MVP season from LF Josh Hamilton, a Rookie-of-the-Year campaign from closer Neftali Feliz, and all-star […]

2011 MLB Pre-Season Preview: AL West – Oakland Athletics

Athletics staff ace, Brett Anderson Oakland Athletics (2010 record: 81-81) The Oakland Athletics finished last season with a .500 record after three consecutive losing seasons. They were able to do so thanks largely to an excellent young rotation, a good bullpen and a solid defense. Little of what they accomplished was owing to their offense […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL West – Los Angeles Angels

LA Angels right fielder Torii Hunter Los Angeles Angels (2010 record: 80-82) The Angels had a rough off-season. It pales in comparison to the one suffered by the NY Mets (the Madoff effects, a lawsuit, a loan from MLB, cleaning house in the front office, etc), but it was bad nonetheless. The team failed to […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL West – Seattle Mariners

Staff ace, Felix Hernandez Seattle Mariners (2010 record: 61-101) Many pundits believed the Mariners could win the American League West last season – I am numbered among those people. The joke was on us. Instead of making a run at the Angels and the Rangers, the Mariners turned in one of the more disappointing efforts […]

Gonzalez’ Agent Encouraged After Negotiation Session With Red Sox

John Boggs, the agent for Red Sox 1B Adrian Gonzalez, arrived in Fort Myers yesterday afternoon. He didn’t waste any time getting down to business, as he met earlier today with Theo Epstein and Ben Cherington to discuss a contract extension for A-Gon. After the meeting, he said he would be “extremely surprised” if the […]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: NL East – Philadelphia Phillies

Phillies 1B Ryan Howard Philadelphia Phillies (2010 record: 97-65) The Phillies entered the new year as one of the handful of teams with a legitimate claim to the designation as the best team in baseball. They entered the free agent fray towards the end of the process and lured southpaw Cliff Lee away from both […]

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