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2012 MLB Team Preview: Boston Red Sox

Posted by on 19 March 2012, 11:56 am

The Boston Red Sox were the talk of sports after the 2011 season, but for all the wrong reasons.

Boston Red Sox logo.

After missing the playoffs on the last day of the season, revelations started pouring out about players’ lack of discipline in the clubhouse, as a collective group took to partying during games instead of supporting their teammates.

For Boston Fans, the humiliation from last season’s nightmare still lingers and now it is up to the players to earn back their trust.

Nothing is worse than underachieving when you have oodles of proven talent but lack the attitude to go with it.

As the great Vince Lombardi once said, “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.”

Now the question is do the 2012 Red Sox have the drive to work themselves back to the top in the face of adversity?

Let’s see how things are shaping up in Beantown:

THE POSITIVES:

The biggest positive for the Red Sox is that 2012 brings a fresh start so they can get things back on track again. The organization needs to show that last season will never be repeated, as their loyal fans deserve that. This has been a contending team enough times in the last decade to know how to win and there are no more excuses…THE PARTY IS OVER.

The Red Sox offense is almost the same as 2011, which is a good thing as the bats were the best in baseball. Collectively the Boston bats led the Majors last season in RBIs (842), doubles (352), hits (1600), runs (875), total bases (2631), OBP (.349), and slugging (.461). They hit the third most homers with 203 and had the second best batting average posting a .280. This line-up is terrifying and is littered with All-Stars like Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz.

THE NEGATIVES:  Continue reading ‘2012 MLB Team Preview: Boston Red Sox’ »

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Red Sox Hire Bobby Valentine

Posted by on 30 November 2011, 9:52 am
Red Sox Nation

Image by acme401 via Flickr

If you had not heard yet, ex-New York Mets skipper, turned ESPN analyst Booby Valentine has been named the new GM of the Boston Red Sox.

Valentine will have his hands full in Beantown, as he will have to crackdown on the Red Sox players who preferred hosting keg parties and eating fired chicken to cheering on their teammates.

Valentine knows that Boston fans are still stewing, and rightly so considering the level of betrayal they felt by their beloved Red Sox.

Luckily for Valentine, ringleader and pitcher John Lackey is already out for the entire 2012 season. Lackey was deemed injured about a week after the September collapse. The Red Sox declared that Lackey needed Tommy John surgery, which approximately has a 12-15 month recovery. Continue reading ‘Red Sox Hire Bobby Valentine’ »

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Red Sox John Lackey Needs Tommy John

Posted by on 25 October 2011, 4:38 pm
The Prudential Tower lit up for the 2007 World...

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Well, the good times are no longer rolling up in Boston as the Red Sox clubhouse turned frat-house will be without one founding member for the 2012 season, pitcher John Lackey.

Ben Cherington confirmed the news during his first official press conference as Boston’s new GM.

Cherington said that Dr. Lewis Yocum out in Los Angeles recently examined Lackey’s elbow and he determined that Tommy John surgery was the way to go.

Lackey has been a mess since arriving in Boston, and he made a ritual of beer drinking taking precedence over supporting fellow teammates during games. Lackey was dealing with off-the-field issues this season, but that is no excuse to be disrespectful.

Many people in the world deal with severe personal issues, and they still show up to work and do their job. The whole Lackey-issue seems to be a lack of immaturity, but even more worrisome is the negative effect it had in the clubhouse.

If Lackey actually rested his throwing arms in between starts, instead holding brewskies all the time, maybe he could have avoided this predicament in the first place. Whether the Red Sox would have made the playoffs if Lackey weren’t around, my answer is yes they would have. Continue reading ‘Red Sox John Lackey Needs Tommy John’ »

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Yankees Drama Ain’t Got Nothing On In Beantown

Posted by on 12 October 2011, 11:49 pm
Jon Lester, John Lackey and Josh Beckett

Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

It is hard to imagine that things could get much worse Boston, but it did.

ESPN’s Buster Onley reported today that Theo Epstein, the Red Sox’s GM is officially going to sign a 5-year deal with the Chicago Cubs.

That is the second prolific Red Sox leader to get the heck out of dodge, with skipper Terry Francona resigning the day after the Red Sox collapsed on their faces.

What a shame for the game of baseball and the fans to watch this historic sports franchise completely implode like this.

The worst part is learning the truth about the on goings in the Red Sox’s clubhouse, which is supposed to be a team’s sacred place. So, the fact that personal issues are being made public to point fingers at who is to blame is despicable.

In all honesty, the Red Sox owners can blame themselves for not wanting to see what was happening right in front of them. You can bet the Boston brass is regretting ever giving the thumbs up to make John Lackey a Red Sox because things have gone downhill ever since he showed up.

Remember, Lackey is the same guy who criticized Fenway Park and said that it should be “blown-up” after the Angels playoff loss to the Red Sox in 2008. It was also the place where Lackey posted his worst career number as an Angel… how did that one slip by Bill James as it is against every theory he wrote.

Looking back at his Anaheim days, I recall watching many Angles games and seeing Lackey constantly throw pity parties or mini-hissy fits when his teammates made the slightest mistake behind him. Problem was that when a teammate made a play to save his fat behind, Lackey showed zero appreciation making clubhouse issues almost unavoidable. Continue reading ‘Yankees Drama Ain’t Got Nothing On In Beantown’ »

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Lady Loves Pinstripes: 2011 MLB August Monthly Power Rankings

Posted by on 1 September 2011, 12:06 am

The 2011 MLB season is heading into its last month, as the month of August comes to a close.

Once again, August was no short of drama, as teams battled it out to stay in contention with the hopes of playing in October.

While some teams are on the road to being crowned World Series Champions, others have no choice but to look towards next season.

So, how did your team finish the month of August?

Check out Lady Loves Pinstripes Monthly Power Rankings below:

Agree or Disagree…speak your mind by leaving a comment below the post.

Continue reading ‘Lady Loves Pinstripes: 2011 MLB August Monthly Power Rankings’ »

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New York Yankees: Lots To Prove In Boston

Posted by on 30 August 2011, 3:10 am

The New York Yankees are leaving Baltimore after taking two of four against the Orioles on route to Boston, but sans the Captain and possibly A-rod, who both have minor injuries.

Any baseball fan is well aware that the Yankees are the team with something to prove against the Red Sox, who have owned the Bombers in 2011.

The worst part is the Yankees most reliable ace CC Sabathia can’t seem to stop the AL East leading Red Sox either, as he is 0-4 this season, with a 7.20 ERA. The Red Sox are hitting .324 when Sabathia takes the hill, as well as racking up 33 hits, five doubles, one triple, two home-runs, 16 RBIs and 10 walks in four starts.

Sabathia is also having a rotten August, posting a 4.95 ERA and a 2-2 record over the five starts he has made so far this month.

So, not only are the odds against Sabathia statistically but it must also be mentally taxing. Sabathia will try to right himself in enemy terrain, aka. Fenway Park on Tuesday night to open the three games set; the first of nine games the Yankees have left vs. Boston.

The Yankees need CC to have a CC kind of night to get the series momentum going in their direction.

With the Yankees sitting one and a half back behind in the division heading into this series, this could get really ugly if the Yankees don’t take two of the three games at Fenway Park this week. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Lots To Prove In Boston’ »

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Weekend Series To Watch: New York Yankees Vs. Boston Red Sox

Posted by on 5 August 2011, 6:34 pm

The New York Yankees are in Boston to play a three game set against the Red Sox.

Everyone realizes the significance of this series for the Yankees, who are an embarrassing 1-8 against their torrid rivals so far this season.

The Yankees have nine games vs. Boston left to play in 2011, and the first three start tonight in Fenway Park.

Also, the Yankees have won their last seven-games and are hoping to extend that winning streak this weekend.

Both teams are now tied for first place in the AL East, but by Monday morning that will no longer be the case.

Here are the pitching match-ups for this weekend series:

Friday 08/05 – RHP Bartolo Colon (8-6, 3.50 ERA) vs. LHP Jon Lester (11-4, 3.17 ERA)
 
Saturday 08/06 – LHP CC Sabathia (16-5, 2.55 ERA) vs. RHP John Lackey (9-8, 6.23 ERA)
 
Sunday 08/07 – RHP Freddy Garcia (10-7, 3.22 ERA) vs. RHP Josh Beckett (9-4, 2.17 ERA)

These two teams match-up well, but predicting the outcome is almost impossible when you are a Yankee fan like myself.

All I can say is…

“The Bronx Bombers brought their BROOMS on this road trip and hopefully they did not leave them in Chicago.” – Kate of Lady Loves Pinstripes

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