Another Shining Example of a Well-Built Team

The Pittsburgh Pirates are the first team to reach 50 wins in 2013 and though they have a ludicrously long streak of finishing seasons under .500, this is surely the year it will be washed out. The Pirates are in this position in part from smart team and franchise management from Neal Huntington. Since he’s […]

Clearing The Bases

As Fantasy owners we have been complaining all season about one of three things.  Players who are off to slow starts (Albert Pujols, Jose Bautista), injuries (Jacoby Ellsbury, Chris Carpenter, Carl Crawford), and the weekly merry-go-round that has been the closer situation throughout baseball (half the league).  This week however, we are starting to get […]

The Lighting of the Hot Stove

Perhaps the Hot Stove season does not commence until after the World Series. Or maybe it adds fuel to the fire. Either way there are instructive failures from last year to consider. There were Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth–just two of the biggest disappointments among the 2011 free agent class. Then at the summit is […]

Termino La Regular…Comienza el Juego De Verdad (Finished the Regular Season…Real Game Begins)

Se termino la temporada regular de las grandes ligas. este mes de septiembre supero con creces la emociones de Agosto. Todo definido. Listos los equipos para la siguiente fase. Al hacer el análisis de este periodo ,tenemos que comentar por obligatorio,por extraordinario , lo ocurrido en los últimos días del campeonato regular. En el Este […]

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 […]

Surviving Your Team’s Collapse

Until just a few weeks ago, I was traipsing down the path of the content and just, confident in my knowledge that my Boston Red Sox were well on their way to a deep run in the playoffs. They had the most dominant offense in baseball, a pitching staff that was at least adequate, and […]

Who Will Win the American League MVP

As the home stretch to the playoffs approaches, it is time to start thinking about the individual player awards. In particular, the American League MVP race has been tight all year, with no clear-cut candidate having completely separated themselves from the pack. Fortunately, I have evaluated the evidence and determined the current frontrunner for the […]

Boston Hitting .500 in $20 Mil Club

Much can be said about the Boston Red Sox foray into the $20 million club. This year, for the first time in its history, the club signed a player for $20 million…a year. And, Boston followed that up a while later and signed a second player for $20 million…a year. Boston lost its first six games […]

Boston Sweeps Yanks but Playoff Hopes Remain Dim

Boston has finally reached .500 this season but now midway through May it’s a likely bet the Red Sox playoff hopes in this overly-hyped season remain iffy at best. Their position in the standings is certainly not bleak, however, for the Red Sox to have any chance of reaching the playoffs, the team would have […]

Boston Suffers from an Identity Crisis

Everyone knew (free agency) was affecting our club, but we didn’t talk much about it. The thing was, the fun had gone out of the game, not only that year but in the following seasons as well. Baseball went from a team orientation toward an individual orientation. Instead, new guys were coming in and the […]

Starting With Three Losses: A Historical Perspective of The Olde Towne Team

A long, cold, wet winter that still hasn’t completely transformed into spring here in the Pacific Northwest was made much more palatable by the thought of All-Stars Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Bobby Jenks wearing Boston’s carmine hose for the first time, not to mention veteran reliever Dan Wheeler, who wrapped a 2.36 ERA for […]

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 […]

Guaranteed 2011 AL East Predictions!

Led by a rejuvenated Manny Ramirez, Tampa Bay will lead the division at the all-star break.  On his return from the All-Star game in Phoenix, Manny will become rejuveniled and absent-mindedly enter Boston’s clubhouse when the Rays resume their season in Beantown on July 15th.  He’ll don a Red Sox uniform and shag balls in […]

Clearing The Bases: Outfielders

Outfield seems to be a jumbled mess of players once you get thru the first dozen or so.  This position is nowhere near as deep as it once was, and even most of the top ten players come with question marks, whether it be their injury history or resume.  This list assumes you are playing […]

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 […]

Clearing The Bases: 3rd Base

Clearing The Bases                                                                                                                                          March 22, 2011 By George Kurtz Outside of Shortstop, Third Base may be the toughest position to judge come draft time.  There are a bunch of interesting players here but what order to put them in is the big question.  Traditionally 3B is a power position, so you would like a player […]

Clearing The Bases: Shortstops

Today, or tonight depending upon when you are reading this, we will finish up our look at the middle infielders with a look at our top 15 shortstops.  There is not a lot to like here as this position has two outstanding players, then maybe three or four other players you wouldn’t mind having, then […]

Ruminations On Carl Crawford: The Evolution From Ted To Jim-Ed To The Future

Throughout the years, the last few generations of baseball fans in Boston became accustomed to the “Red Sox brand of baseball”, characterized by slower, plodding players who routinely traveled 90 feet at a time around the base paths, except when they (or a teammate) launched a baseball over the Green Monster or into the right […]

Spring Training Wrap-up, 2/18/11… Crawford: “I figure as each and every day goes on, I’m going to get more comfortable.”

OF Carl Crawford met the media today in Fort Myers Red Sox left fielder Carl Crawford spoke with the media today at the Red Sox complex in Fort Myers. He was glib and very animated. He laughed a lot, especially when asked if his stolen base totals would go down because he wouldn’t be playing […]

AL East Positional Analysis And Ranking: Left Field

I am in the midst of a series examining the relative strengths and weaknesses of each of the teams in the AL East, on a position-by-position basis. The players at each position are being ranked in relation to their peers within the division, with teams being assigned points based on where their player ranks in […]

Beltre Signs With The Rangers… And The Red Sox Keep Getting Richer

I posted this article about Adrian Beltre’s new contract with Texas on my website a few days ago… I am re-publishing a portion of that article here today: As the 2010 season unfolded, the Red Sox front office declared it was interested in re-signing soon-to-be-free-agents Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez. And as the off-season began GM […]

Winter Recess

“In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan; Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone.” – Christina Rossetti Doubleday Field, Cooperstown The winter meetings have come and gone. Theo Epstein (currently known in New England as Santa Claus) and the Boston Red Sox have succeeded brilliantly in signing both Adrian Gonzalez and Carl […]

Indies Have Banner Day With Five Taken In Draft

While Boston’s apparent signing of Carl Crawford seemed certain to steal the spotlight on the last day of the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Thursday also was a banner day for Independent Baseball. No fewer than five former Indy players, including three who signed during or after the season, were taken by new organizations during the […]

Boston Finally Gets Their Man

The Boston Red Sox held a press conference early Monday morning to make an announcement that has been in the works for over two years. Joined at Fenway Park by principal owner John Henry and General Manager Theo Epstein, newly acquired first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was introduced to the Boston media for the first time. To his […]

Triples: The Forgotten Base

The art of the triple sculpted by the master, John “Chief” Wilson in 1912.

For a Few Dollars More

Cliff Lee is the best hired gun since Clint Eastwood starting taking himself too seriously. The Texas Rangers, born the expansion Washington Senators in 1961, went almost fifty years without winning a post-season series. Then like poor campesinos faced with hired guns from the hacienda, they brought in Cliff Lee. Cue the music as Cliff […]