Boston Sports Then and Now

BSB has risen from the ashes like a pissed Phoenix!

Just like phoenix rising from the ashes, ‘Palooza is back!

You can’t stop Boston Sports Blogapalooza; you only hope you can contain it!

The Baseball Tavern has stepped up in a very big way and the event has been rescheduled for Sunday, May 2nd.

To refresh everyone’s memory, Blogapalooza is an event where social media and Beantown sports collide. Bloggers, their fans, and Boston Media members will have the opportunity to meet, network, trade social media tips and of course talk sports.

Blogapalooza is a networking event with a festival feel. Mix in some great food (provided by The Baseball Tavern), cool music (The Hootchies and Brian Richard), wicked awesome companies (Swing Juice), some frosty beverages (cash bar), raffle prizes and you have the recipe for a fantastic Sunday!!

Are you ready to GET YOUR BLOG ON!?!?

Please RSVP for this event on Facebook.

This event is 21+.

Fellow Bloggers please spread the word to your readers. Let’s make this ten times better than the original!!

Also a special shout out to Kevin at Supahfans for helping in the rebirth of Blogapalooza!!

For a lineup of participating companies and blogs please visit the Boston Sports Blogapalooza website.

As a writer, I try to avoid sentimentality.  However, it is difficult for me not to think back to the role Curtis Leskanic filled for the 2004 Red Sox without drifting into the dreary and delirious mindset brought upon by fond nostalgia.

Before joining the Red Sox in June of 2004, Leskanic had pitched ten-and-a-half seasons between Colorado, Milwaukee, and Kansas City, experiencing varying levels of success.  In 2003, he posted a 2.22 ERA in 53 appearances between Milwaukee and Kansas City; this would prove to be his best Major League season.

Curtis Leskanic was instrumental in the 2004 Sox' historic postseason run.

The middle reliever, though, failed to follow up with any level of success the following year and was released outright on June 16 after posting an 8.04 ERA in 19 games for a beyond-bad Royals team.

Odd though it may seem now given the dominance of the bullpen’s he has built since 2007, in the early part of his career, finding capable middle relief was General Manager Theo Epstein’s Achilles’ Heel.  In need of help at the position, the Sox inked Leskanic to a minor league contract less than ten days after his release from the Royals.

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This past winter, Mike Lowell was set to be dealt from Boston to the Texas Rangers along with $9 million (which would cover 75% of Lowell’s contract) in exchange for highly regarded catching prospect Max Ramirez.  The Red Sox, in turn, planned on signing Adrian Beltre to replace their third baseman.

Mike Lowell is spending his Spring Training in limbo.

The latter part of the plan came to fruition.  A previously unknown injury to Lowell’s thumb, though, prevented the 2007 World Series MVP from finding a new home in the Lone Star State.

Since the trade’s fall-through, it has been widely expected that the Sox will again look to deal Lowell in Spring Training — for real this time.  While it would be foolish for the team not to consider all options to do with the hobbled fan favorite, there is certainly a case to be made for keeping him in Boston for the final year of his contract, even at a hefty 12 million dollars.

In 2009, the Red Sox depth ran rather thin.

The bench by season’s end consisted of Rocco Baldelli, Jason Varitek, Jed Lowrie, and Casey Kotchman.  While each of the foursome contributed something in part-time roles, Baldelli was the only one who could do much offensively, and even he was limited in that regard.  In 2010, Lowell could be quite a weapon as a bat off the bench.  That he is offensively capable is news to nobody.  However, Lowell is the type of hitter that can succeed as a role player.  History has been kinder to high-contact, low-strikeout types of hitters when faced with sporadic playing time.  According to baseball-reference.com, in 12 Major League seasons, Lowell has struck out in just 12.5% of his plate appearances, compared to the MLB average of 18.0% in the same period.  High-contact hitters generally require less of a groove and thus fare better coming off the bench than do the types of hitters that strike out and walk a lot (recall the Jeremy Giambi experiment); Lowell fits the former bill well and as such could be very successful in a limited role.

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Jacoby Ellsbury

Jacoby Ellsbury was signed by the Red Sox in 2005 as the 23rd overall pick. He began playing for the Lowell Spinners. From the start, he showed that his patience and great speed were an asset when he led off the game by walking on a 3-2 pitch, stealing second, continuing to third on a throwing error and then scoring on a wild pitch.

Ellsbury made his Major League debut on June 30th, 2007 when he was called upon to replace the injured Coco Crisp. Ellsbury was then sent back down, despite his recent success.

As the playoffs approached, Ellsbury was brought back up to the Sox, and fit in perfectly. In eleven total postseason games, he hit .360 in 25 at-bats with two stolen bases.

He began his career with 25 consecutive stolen bases, but that streak was ended in a game against Milwaukee when the Brewers used a pitch out to throw him out.

Ellsbury has a lot more than just speed and hitting. He knows how to play the outfield as well.

On April 12, Ellsbury played his 179th straight regular-season game without an error, breaking Mike Greenwell’s Red Sox franchise record for outfielders. On April 15, Ellsbury with six errorless chances passed Coco Crisp for most errorless chances by a center fielder, setting a new Red Sox franchise record of 433.

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Yesterday, the Twitterverse — and, for that matter, Red Sox-based media at large — was abuzz with talk of Jason Bay as the Sox trekked to Port St. Lucie for an exhibition with the left fielder’s new club, the New York Mets.  Bay’s departure from Boston, amidst concerns about his knees and shoulder, was perhaps the team’s biggest off-season story and is certainly the root of wide-spread concerns regarding the Sox’ offense in 2010.

Jason Bay left Boston for the Mets this offseason.

In Theo Epstein’s time as General Manager, several players have left the team as free agents, igniting debate amongst media and fans alike.  Here, I will look at some of the more controversial decisions to let a player walk in the Epstein era and categorize said decisions based on their effect upon the organization since having been made.  Perhaps of note, the six players examined were important parts of the 2004 World Champion Red Sox.

Theo is not sentimental.

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Tim Wakefield

When someone says the name Tim Wakefield, one of the most automatic thoughts is the knuckleball. The 43-year-old pitcher has been on the mound for the Red Sox since 1995 and could be there for a while longer.

After graduating from Florida Tech, Wakefield was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 8th round of the free agent draft in 1988. A scout told Wakefield that he would never make it past double A with his position skills.

At this point, Wakefield focused on improving his knuckleball that has made him so well known today. He had immediate success and it did not take long to make the majors.

In his Major League debut, Wakefield pitched a complete game against the Cardinals. He struck out ten batters and threw 146 pitches in doing so.

As the season continued, Wakefield started 13 games, going 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA. His success as a rookie earned him the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

The next season, Wakefield began to struggle and was eventually released by the pirates. Six days later, the Red Sox picked him up. He began Read the rest of this entry →