Boston Sports Then and Now

The Brawl that changed it all.

Sometimes one play, one moment defines a season for a team.

For the 2001 Patriots, it was the game versus the New York Jets when starting quarterback, Drew Bledsoe was injured by a thunderous hit administered by Mo Lewis.

Out comes Bledsoe, in goes Brady.

And the rest is history.

Brady became a three time NFL champion and Bledsoe was thrown on the scrap heap.

The Boston Red Sox had their own defining moment on July 24, 2004.

The “Curse” was now 86 years old and no thanks to the NY Yankees.

The season before , the Sox pushed the Bronx Bombers to Game Seven of the ALCS.  However, they lost in heartbreaking fashion yet again. It wasn’t the ’46, ‘67’, ’75 or ’86 World Series kind of pain and sorrow, but Aaron “Bleeping” Boone still broke the heart and perhaps will of Red Sox Nation.

Every tormented and tortured Red Sox fan asked, “Will we ever win a World Series?”

In 2004, the Red Sox front office was very active in building a team that could compete with the Yankees in the A.L. East. They picked up workhorse and World Series champion, Curt Schilling to shore up the pitching staff.

They also pursued highly talented, Alex “A-Rod” Rodriquez. However, yet again the Yankees found a way to swoop down and acquire A-Rod right from under the Red Sox brass’ noses.

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The Red Sox will miss Dustin Pedroia, who has led the offensive charge in recent years.

In the standings, the Boston Red Sox fully recovered from a slow start.  Entering Independence Day, the Red Sox trailed the New York Yankees by just half a game for the best record in the Major League Baseball.

However, as the Red Sox recovered on-the-field, their health deteriorated off of it.  At the All Star Break, the Red Sox led the Major League in players on the Disable List with 10, always a dubious distinction.  They also had Adrian Beltre and Mike Cameron listed as day-to-day, and that list doesn’t include young reliever Junichi Tazawa, who is missing the entire season with Tommy John surgery.

The injuries have finally taken their toll.  Over the last eight days before the break, the Red Sox lost five of seven, including a sweep by the Tampa Bay Rays, which dropped the Red Sox five back from New York and three behind Tampa for the Wild Card.

Entering the second half of the season, the Red Sox need to recover physically before they can expect to contend for a playoff spot.

The Red Sox have gotten back to their form of recent years.  They’ve started dominating games at home, currently posting an impressive 29-17 at Fenway, trashed the National League, going 13-5 in Interleague Play, and boasting one of the best offenses in baseball, their 481 runs scored lead the Majors.

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Has the ship been righted?  Well, sort of.  The Sox’ pitching and defense seem to be coming around, and the club’s winning despite still missing Jacoby Ellsbury and Mike Cameron.  But it’s 1-6 record against New York and Tampa Bay is serious cause for concern.  In the long run, of course it’s good that the Sox are winners of 7 of their last 9.  In the short?  Let’s see how they do against some contenders.  Here’s the Stew.

• It feels like Spring Training again.  Tomorrow, a decision will be
  

  Daisuke Matsuzaka will return Saturday night.

  made and one left-handed reliever — either Alan Embree or Scott Schoenweis — will be designated for assignment to make room for the returning Daisuke Matsuzaka.  I’m a fan of Embree’s, but Schoenweis has pitched pretty well and there’s no guarantee that Embree will match him.  Since the Red Sox are a club that prides itself on its use of logic, I’d be surprised to see Embree still on the club tomorrow.  The Sox took a smart approach in signing a bunch of guys who might work out.  So far, Schoenweis has.  There’s no real reason to mess with what’s already working.

• Friday night, NESN debuted its new scoreboard.  It includes a pitch count for the given pitcher.  Let me be the first to say that this is just a very, very awesome inclusion in the broadcast.  It’s so simple and I don’t know why I never thought of such an addition, but I’m extremely pleased with it. Read the rest of this entry →

All week, I’ll be counting down to Opening Day by listing the 30 things that need to go right for the Red Sox’ off-season plans to become in-season realities.  Here are keys 15-11.

15. The Sox see more success against the American League West.

The Texas Rangers were 7-2 against Boston in 2009.

The talk around baseball is usually about the difficulty of  playing in the American League East, but in 2009 the Sox posted a 45-27 record in their division.  They also fared well against AL Central teams, posting a 28-15 record against their mid-western opponents.  It was against the AL West that they really faltered, posting just a .382 winning percentage (13-21).  West Coast swings are difficult for any Eastern club, but a .500 record against the division shouldn’t be too hard to come by.  In 2010, the Rangers and Mariners look better and the Angels and A’s seem worse.  If Boston can split wins and losses against their opposite coast foes, they’ll compete for their division crown and perhaps 100 wins.

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Jonathan Papelbon will earn $9.35 million this season.

Boston came to terms with three players to avoid arbitration. Jonathan Papelbon was signed for $9.35 million for this upcoming year. Ramon Ramirez and Manny Delcarmen have also agreed to terms with Boston.

Is Papelbon worth that much to the Red Sox? After all, he is the man who blew a save in game three of the ALDS last year.

Since Papelbon has been a closer with the Red Sox since 2006, he has blown 17 saves out of 168

opportunities. He has had at least 35 saves in each of the last four years and his ERA went over 2.00 only once, which was in 2008.

In 298 innings pitched, Papelbon has recorded 346 strikeouts. When he first came to the Red Sox, he opened eyes as one of the best closers in the game. About four years later now, fans have a little different approach to him.

He isn’t perfect anymore, as he had a 0.92 ERA in 2006. There was no way he was going to keep those numbers that low. Now, it seems like more and more people are starting to dislike the Boston closer.

Papelbon’s numbers have still been good, but should he be earning $9.35 million? Read the rest of this entry →

Will Jason Bay be roaming around left field for Boston next season?

With their arch rivals winning the World Series this year, you better believe the Red Sox will do whatever it takes to get back at the Yankees.

Boston played 162 games this past season only to get swept by the Angels in the playoffs. Almost seems like a waste. The Red Sox won’t let that happen again.

General manager Theo Epstein has his eyes on a few key players if the team cannot keep Bay.

Bay batted .267 with 36 homers and 119 RBI’s. He led the team with 94 walks, but he also led with 162 strikeouts.

Over 171 players applied for free agency, so there are plenty of big names on the market.

The Boston Herald reported that the Red Sox are currently interested in outfielders Matt Holliday and Rick Ankiel. Third basemen Adrian Beltre and reliever Mike Gonzalez are also on Boston’s radar.

Holliday did have a greater batting average compared to Bay. He hit .313 with 24 home runs and 109 RBI’s.

If the Red Sox do not sign Bay, I would expect them to go after Holliday. He would be a great fit in Boston. He has a little less power than Bay, but hits for more average.
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