tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.comments2023-09-16T07:45:45.305-04:00GronktasticAaron_Strouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09964204478772858370noreply@blogger.comBlogger1097125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-19399764456296261822011-05-04T00:06:16.968-04:002011-05-04T00:06:16.968-04:00"Alex" is excusable. We used to have an..."Alex" is excusable. We used to have an Alex Gonzalez. But hasn't everyone heard of the <a href="http://rsnalberta.blogspot.com/2011/04/boston-jed-sox.html" rel="nofollow">Legend of Jed LowRIE?</a>Ruben (Red Sox Nation - Alberta)https://www.blogger.com/profile/09043460797783966428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-55390031669193647302011-05-03T18:36:52.665-04:002011-05-03T18:36:52.665-04:00I was listening to this at-bat through the eyes of...I was listening to this at-bat through the eyes of Joe and Dave O'Brien. It went on and on and on ... but the "good guy" won the battle in the end. I tend not to be a big "momentum" guy, especially in baseball, but there's no doubt that play sparked the team the rest of the way.<br /><br />Loved that "Alex" Gonzalez play, too!Bryan Personhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09142787880577328759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-86524923684983490732011-05-03T18:28:05.518-04:002011-05-03T18:28:05.518-04:00"Four pitches and nine minutes later..."..."Four pitches and nine minutes later..." that statement may explain why television ratings and attendance at ballparks is in such steep decline ;)Kyle Flahertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00370708864042561084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-27026444232720884012011-05-03T11:47:10.244-04:002011-05-03T11:47:10.244-04:00Jim - I know. It's very confusing. What is a b...Jim - I know. It's very confusing. What is a blog, anyway?Aaron_Strouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09964204478772858370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-32195683747376273152011-05-03T11:45:33.635-04:002011-05-03T11:45:33.635-04:00How do I "like" this post? I'm confu...How do I "like" this post? I'm confused... this isn't Facebook.Jim Storerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02319071534216133962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-30812767937783484192011-01-20T16:05:12.733-05:002011-01-20T16:05:12.733-05:00Shit!Shit!Jim Storerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02319071534216133962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-12675766773248351722011-01-16T10:37:55.267-05:002011-01-16T10:37:55.267-05:00Kyle - wow. Who knew you liked football?
On a ser...Kyle - wow. Who knew you liked football?<br /><br />On a serious note, so far so good (although what about that GB ass kicking of the Falcons). I too predicted a win by the Pack but I don't think any of us knew it would be such a dominating performance. To your point about "'07 Giants," I think we've found 'em.<br /><br />Looking forward to today's battle royale between Pats/Jets. I too am nervous but cautiously optimistic. Bring it on!Aaron_Strouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09964204478772858370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-77394192721367476622011-01-16T09:49:06.913-05:002011-01-16T09:49:06.913-05:00Nice one Howie ;)Nice one Howie ;)Kyle Flahertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00370708864042561084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-2866082515748842432011-01-15T22:27:51.609-05:002011-01-15T22:27:51.609-05:002 for 2 I am pretty sure. Oops. Pretty is saved fo...2 for 2 I am pretty sure. Oops. Pretty is saved for the Tomster.Howeezerhttp://www.twitter.com/skypulsemedianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-38996286971885946592011-01-15T12:43:51.758-05:002011-01-15T12:43:51.758-05:00Awesome post Kyle. I was in the sports book at th...Awesome post Kyle. I was in the sports book at the Bellagio for the Pats/Steelers AFC championship game in '01 (the game when Bledsoe came in for an injured Brady to throw a TD). The place was full of Patriot fans watching a giant 50' x 65' TV angled down from the ceiling. We all thought it was arguably better than being at the game (free drinks helped). I've never experienced an atmosphere like that - it's worth it.<br /><br />Looking forward to the season wrap-up post but as BB says, right now it's a one game season. Go Pats!adamcohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03637344107273278348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-80394186934935591862011-01-07T15:52:17.180-05:002011-01-07T15:52:17.180-05:00Aerosmith unlikely. They just did last year. McC...Aerosmith unlikely. They just did last year. McCartney unlikely as he did the year before. Bet on Elton (he cancelled with Billy Joel last year as you may recall) or U2 (they have a show in NY around June 10th (the rumored first concert date). Wildcard would be Stevie Wonder or Springsteen. They match the model and both played moons ago (Stevie in 1973 there).Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06006712447087126057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-40787802649767430562010-12-13T22:16:36.876-05:002010-12-13T22:16:36.876-05:00I, of course, have a special place in my heart for...I, of course, have a special place in my heart for OL. They are the most critical part of a team, yet nobody ever talks about them until they make a mistake. The Patriots turned it up a notch after week six, and not surprisingly because Mankins returned.<br /><br />But it's not just his talent as an OL, it's also how he allows the rest of the line to move into their natural positions. Everyone on that line is now working better together. Just watch how Vollmer and Connelly get to the second level now. See how Light is making crack down blocks while pulling. I mean it is an unreal difference in the team.<br /><br />And I haven't even talked about how much protection Brady gets.<br /><br />These are the guys that absolutely make a team a contender and eventually a champion. If the Pats do what I think they might Logan Mankins is my MVP.<br /><br />Thanks Aaron for respecting the OL.Kyle Flahertyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00370708864042561084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-400783034147260372010-12-13T13:58:28.761-05:002010-12-13T13:58:28.761-05:00Late to this thread of the CC party. I'll just...Late to this thread of the CC party. I'll just add that I think Crawford is a terrible base runner. Blazing fast and can steal bases, but watching him a lot over the years, including a series live at TB, I noticed that he just never seemed to have a sense of the game, its situation, and where he was. <br /><br />He gets by on athletic skill, but I don't see a high baseball IQ here, especially in baserunning. Expect him to screw up on the basepaths, especially on 1st -to-third situations, a lotDoug Haslamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18158443201361799614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-80597772842236630452010-12-11T22:55:04.349-05:002010-12-11T22:55:04.349-05:00Tim - as I said on Twitter, great post. And thank ...Tim - as I said on Twitter, great post. And thank you for dusting off some of the cobwebs over here. I must admit, it has been fun talking shop on the BigP Facebook page however.<br /><br />As you probably know, I am a fan of the Crawford signing. With that said, I also agree with many of the assertions you made in your post. Here's the wild card for me, however. Crawford played for five full seasons before Evan Longoria arrived on the scene. During those years, the Rays finished last or second to last in the AL East. Then came 2008 when the Rays finally turned things around and Crawford (after being one of the more durable guys in the league) gets injured and misses 53 games.<br /><br />What am I getting at? Well, we've only really see Crawford fully healthy with a good (not great) lineup behind him offensively. In those two years - 2009 and 2010 - he put up some of the best numbers of his career. In fact, this year, Crawford had a career high in slugging percentage and OPS and his batting average was his second highest ever. More importantly, he enjoyed his two highest .OBP these last two years -- .364 in '09 and .356 in '10. While he'll never be Kevin Youkilis when it comes to plate discipline, he's no schmuck when he has protection in the lineup. We've all agreed, there will be even more protection now that he'll be batting for arguably the best hitting team in baseball.<br /><br />And let's not forget how much better he'll make Pedroia (or whomever hits behind him) because his speed drives opposing pitchers crazy.<br /><br />So bottom line, is Crawford worth the money the Sox paid for him? Probably not. But neither is Jason Werth. Neither will Cliff Lee at the money and years he gets signed for. Nor will Zach Greinke. That doesn't mean they aren't some of the best players in baseball, just that baseball is experiencing some irrational exuberance unlike anything we've seen in a while. The real key, as you point out, is that they took Crawford away from division rivals TB and NY and regular nemesis, Los Angeles.Aaron_Strouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09964204478772858370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-64529048832127569612010-12-11T11:52:48.235-05:002010-12-11T11:52:48.235-05:00Thanks for the comment, Adam. I forgot to address ...Thanks for the comment, Adam. I forgot to address the signing in terms of our division rivals. Shoring up ourselves (because Crawford is clearly better than, say, Ellsbury) while also weakening the Rays and denying the Yankees the chance to improve is definitely a meta-win for us.<br /><br />Re left field: it's the easiest outfield position, and one of the two easiest defensive positions (with 1B) on the diamond. Center fielders must cover more ground and throw a little better; right fielders (esp. at Fenway) have to cover more ground and throw a *lot* better.<br /><br />Basically, I'm following Bill James's old idea about the defensive spectrum. There's a reason we see so many heart-of-the-order sluggers who play LF and 1B, and so few who play C or SS.<br /><br />Put it another way: of all the greatest defensive outfielders ever, only one that I can think of (Barry Bonds) regularly played LF throughout his career. All the others (from Sam Crawford to Ichiro Suzuki) played CF, RF, or some mix of both.Tim Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03081770448216226755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-56731046202990550422010-12-11T11:37:43.064-05:002010-12-11T11:37:43.064-05:00Great points Tim. Perhaps the best one is about A-...Great points Tim. Perhaps the best one is about A-Gon being the steak. Is it just me, or is Crawford-palooza 10X more than the A-Gon signing? <br /><br />I don't know how we'd get stats for this, but Crawford has always been a Red Sox killer. Clutch situations, etc. This is about adding to the Sox just as much about taking away from the Rays and preventing him going to the Yankees. <br /><br />A question - why "good left fielders will never be worth as much defensively as similarly good defenders in center or right"? Not sure I follow that.adamcohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03637344107273278348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-14663048254159158402010-09-27T18:52:27.125-04:002010-09-27T18:52:27.125-04:00Papelbon has never, in my opinion, been a truly do...Papelbon has never, in my opinion, been a truly dominant closer. Good pitcher? Yes. Great pitcher? Maybe at key moments in the past, but certainly not for quite some time now. Great pitchers make batters miss even when the batters know what's coming, and Paps seldom does that now.<br /><br />No need to freak out about it -- the Sox (and all teams) should always be restocking their bullpen, and the pecking order, with Bard as the next closer, seems clear.<br /><br />Beyond that: a bat in left field, good health, and any elite starting pitchers who happen to come available.<br /><br />The "good health" thing is maybe the most important out of all of these.Tim Walkerhttp://tewalkerjr.com/blog/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-90773996020309108262010-09-07T17:35:44.945-04:002010-09-07T17:35:44.945-04:00Sorry Anonymous - just saw your comment (got trapp...Sorry Anonymous - just saw your comment (got trapped in Blogger's special "spam" folder. Done and done!Aaron_Strouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09964204478772858370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-88531591917424166092010-08-10T11:28:09.151-04:002010-08-10T11:28:09.151-04:00Kyle - I read this when you first posted and have ...Kyle - I read this when you first posted and have been mulling over my answer. My initial gut reaction was that while it would be REALLY difficult for me to get excited about my son playing for the Yankees or Colts or Lakers, I'm with Adam on this one. The thought of my child participating on a college or pro sports team would transcend anything else.<br /><br />As Jim said, it's a little tricky from a collegiate standpoint for us folks original to the northeast to truly understand some of the big college rivalries (although I'm starting to get there living in Horns country). However, I did have a little bit of a chance to experience the collegiate rivalry thing when I was at Georgetown. I learned quickly to pretty much hate anyone else in the Big East... although my dislike of Duke overtook all of that in a hurry (not that it's hard to dislike Duke).<br /><br />Thanks for stirring up the pot on BigP. I've had a post brewing for a little while and just haven't had the time to fully execute. Hopefully this week I'll finally "get 'er done!"Aaron_Strouthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09964204478772858370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-59583841158314886962010-08-10T09:28:21.463-04:002010-08-10T09:28:21.463-04:00It's hard for those of us that grew up in the ...It's hard for those of us that grew up in the Northeast to understand just how bitter college rivalries are in the South and Southwest (most other parts of the US for that matter). The BC v Notre Dame rivalry is as close as they come, but it's not on par with other parts of the country. <br /><br />My brother went to Clemson and I had the chance to see a few games in Death Valley. It's a different world. With no professional teams to water down their allegiances, they truly do bleed orange. <br /><br />Our co-authors from Austin likely have this sort of allegiance to the Horns and can speak to the topic better than this UMass/Amherst alum. Sure, we hated Syracuse when it came to lacrosse, but that was only because they pretty much always kicked our ass. We did have a nice run of basketball their in "the cage", but again, can you really have a rivalry with Temple?Jim Storerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02319071534216133962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-16769173377424172182010-08-09T20:36:35.521-04:002010-08-09T20:36:35.521-04:00Kyle - Well done on firing up this joint, about ti...Kyle - Well done on firing up this joint, about time someone took the reigns and messed up the place a little. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that my son could play for the most hated team out there in professional sports - Yankees, Lakers, Rockets (Sampson is a Sissy!), Colts, Steelers or any other "antithesis of New England" franchise, and I would proudly wear the hat on ESPN. That doesn't mean I wouldn't die a little on the inside, but it would be unreal to know that my kid is contributing to the rivalry. I just might be that sappy of a proud dad. I have 3 boys, so it's not outside the realm of possibilities that I could have one Patriot playing a Steeler, and then it would be a struggle...but I'd debate it from my retirement ski home in Aspen...<br /><br />Full disclosure, UVM had no football team, and the UVM-RPI hockey rivalry was fun for a weekend at most. I actually could see an argument that college colors run deeper than pro sports...perhaps another blog post down the road...adamcohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03637344107273278348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-83623816746703669222010-08-09T01:00:12.582-04:002010-08-09T01:00:12.582-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-32294692902386645932010-08-06T23:15:40.864-04:002010-08-06T23:15:40.864-04:00How about correcting the title and offering a link...How about correcting the title and offering a link to the Washington Post's STYLE Invitational? http://www.washingtonpost.com/styleinvitationalAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-36008924286913990152010-08-06T04:56:16.120-04:002010-08-06T04:56:16.120-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29213404.post-66370581419539422002010-08-03T11:37:15.754-04:002010-08-03T11:37:15.754-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com