To say new Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is a little different than Terry Francona is to say that Rex Ryan has a somewhat different media approach than Bill Belichick. Well, perhaps, the Valentine-Francona gap isn’t that large, but it is something new for Red Sox Nation to adjust to. Will the Valentine way work?
If it’s possible to be both optimistic and skeptical all in one thought, then I’ve managed when it comes to this subject. The optimistic side of me says this—Valentine’s blunt approach and his unwillingness to cover for his players with the media is exactly what this team needs right now. The current roster abused the right to be covered for when they partied away a playoff berth in the clubhouse last September. The skeptical side of me says that this isn’t San Diego, where a manager might be needed to call players to accountability. In Boston you have a huge fan base and vitriolic media establishment that’s more than ready to do that, and a smart manager can effectively use both the fans and press to his advantage in a Good Cop/Bad Cop routine.
Saltalamacchia enters his 2nd season as the Sox' primary catcher
Many were surprised at the start of spring training last year when the Red Sox were seemingly ready to hand the primary catcher’s job to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, whom they had traded for at the trading deadline in 2010 and spent the last few months of that season in Pawtucket. Saltalamacchia was a big time prospect in the Braves organization and was the centerpiece of the trade that sent first baseman Mark Teixeira from the Texas Rangers to Atlanta in July of 2010 but toiled in the Rangers organization for 3 years until the trade to Boston.
Salty was not an All-Star by any means in his first year as Red Sox catcher but he did show that the risk the Red Sox took on him might be worth the reward in the long run. Salty was solid at the plate for much of the regular season but tailed off towards the end as the increased work load caught up to him. He also had a disappointing end to the season after he got hit in the shoulder by a foul tip in the 3rd to last game of the season and had to sit out the crucial final 2 games for the Sox. Saltalamacchia’s work behind the plate was decent enough and he should be better this year with a year in the organization under his belt.
Here’s a look at Saltalamacchia’s 2011 season (career highs in parentheses)
As you can see above Salty set career highs in many offensive categories last year. He did deal with fatigue problems as the year went on. He played 101 games at catcher last season, 18 more than his previous career high of 83 in 2009 in Texas. Saltalamacchia’s numbers suffered in September as the fatigue set in. By the end of August Salty was hitting for a respectable .252 batting average. After a 11 for 68 month of September Salty lost 17 points on his average to finish at .235 for the season. Hopefully after the extended work at catcher last season Saltalamacchia has worked up his durability and his body will hold up at the plate for a full season. One thing that was encouraging last season was his increase in power and the fact that he didn’t lose that late in the season. His 16 home runs were a career high and even in September 3 of his 11 hits were long balls. He also had career bests in double, triples, and RBI last season.
Boston Sports Then and Now has teamed up with popular Celtics blog Red’s Army to bring you a Celtics viewing party.
What is a Celtics viewing party you ask?
We figured on a post-NFL Sunday we would bring like-minded individuals together to watch an afternoon Celtics/Lakers game. The event will be at The Place on Broad Street in Boston and will feature free food, fantastic raffle prizes (Celtics tickets, gift cards, and much more to come), and great company.
Please come on down in three and a half weeks and bring whoever you’d like.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s mentor,Tom Martinez passed away last night at the age of 66. Martinez was instrumental in Brady’s development as a NFL signal caller. Brady and Martinez maintained their relationship throughout the years and talked regularly on the phone. As you can see by the videos below, Martinez was respected and loved by many.
Tom Brady Conversation With James Brown On Martinez
NBC Super Bowl Spotlight on Brady & Martinez
Martinez Inspirational To The College Of San Mateo
BST&N will bring you Big Bad Bruins video memories of their upcoming opponents. You will get to re-live the great comebacks, brawls and games from days gone by. Grab your Bruins jersey, your favorite beer or adult beverage of choice and step back into time with the Black and Gold.
Hurricanes' Forward #15 Tuomo Ruutu is on the Bruins radar as the trade deadline approaches, but could prove costly
As the NHL Trade Deadline approaches, various teams throughout the league are deciding on whether or not they are “buyers” or “sellers”. If either of those terms are lost on you then allow me to explain; buyers are teams that feel as if they have a chance to make a playoff push so they make a few deals to bolster their depth. Sellers are the team trading away their expiring contracts in hopes of gathering valuable assets, like picks and prospects, to rebuild and play for the following season.
This season has been different from most as there is a severe shortage in “sellers”. There are a larger amount of teams in the thick of the playoff race than usual and for “buyers” like the Boston Bruins, acquiring help is as hard as it has ever been. Of course I say it is hard as it has ever been due to the asking prices on some of the players made available. You see the NHL trade market is just like any market, when there is a shortage of something, in this case players available, the prices skyrocket as one general manager tries to outbid the other. This is great for the sellers as they will undoubtedly reach maximum value for even the most marginally gifted talent, but lousy for teams who are in the thick of it looking for help.
I have said time and time again, Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli has done a masterful job at putting this team together now, and into the future. Unfortunately Chiarelli’s well crafted team has suffered some calamitous injuries which have left both Nathan Horton and Rich Peverley on the shelf for an extended amount of time. Losing these players has left a serious hole in the Bruins’ attack as they have been shutout four times in their last nine games. It is clear given the period in which Horton and Peverley are injured, that the Bruins brass needs to make an acquisition to help bolster the struggling Bruins offense. On top of the anemic offense it is clear that Zdeno Chara needs some help on defense after being a horrific minus 6 in his last 5 games. Boston clearly needs help both up front and on the back end, here is a list of three forwards and three defenseman who can help the Bruins.
BST&N has chosen former Bruins forward Normand Leveille as the Vintage Athlete Of The Month. The story of Leveille is one of lost opportunity and tragedy.
Norman Levielle was born January 10, 1963 in Montreal, Quebec. Levielle was highly touted prospect coming out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He broke the century point mark with 101 in his last year with Chicoutimi Saguenéens. The 18 year old scored 55 goals and tallied 46 assists in 72 games.
The Boston Bruins chose the gifted teenage in first round, 14th overall of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft. Levielle had a very promising start to his professional hockey career. As a rookie with Boston, Normand had 33 points in 66 games with a plus 16 +/- ratio. The sky was the limit for the talented winger from Montreal.
“Norm Levielle was a star in the making” said hockey broadcaster and writer, Stan Fischler.
Levielle’s star dimmed prematurely. Just nine games into his sophomore season, a the Bruins budding star was hit into the boards by Vancouver’s Marc Crawford. During the first intermission, Levielle who still was learning English told Jean Ratelle that he felt dizzy. The Bruins team therapist and the Canucks doctor took a look at the youngster. They noticed something was very wrong.
Levielle was rushed to surgery. It was discovered that he had a defective blood vessel since birth. This defect was a time bomb that went off because of the thunderous hit. The nineteen year old suffered a major stroke, putting him in a coma for three weeks.
The stroke/coma caused major brain and motor function damage. His bright hockey career ended before it began.
“He was destined to be a really, really great player” said Bruins GM Harry Sinden who drafted Leveille.
The Bruins made it all the way to the Wales Conference Finals in 1983 and many thought their run was fueled by Levielle.
To say new Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine is a little different than Terry Francona is to say that Rex Ryan has a somewhat different media approach than Bill Belichick. Well, perhaps, the Valentine-Francona gap isn’t that large, but it is something new for Red Sox Nation to adjust to. Will the Valentine way work?
Loading ...