Uncase Study: The Boston Red Sox

The Premise

I recently spotted a blog post from Kipp Bodnar, who has a series of "Uncase Studies" about deconstructing a brand and generating ideas about how the brand could leverage social media. Before you roll your eyes on the nature of this post showing up here, I thought it would be appropriate to use the BP crew to start a brainstorm for four reasons:

1. Many of us are involved in social media for a living. What better way than to combine passions and interests with love for the Sawx.
   
2. Jim, Bryan and I met with a contact in Dallas in October at a business conference. He is trying to start a business based on extending sports fans' passion with technology during games and has some cool ideas. We had a great brainstorming dinner over some serious BBQ, but that's another story.
   
3. The folks who are not involved in social media here can be a sounding board and keep us grounded.
4. Many of us already live out some of the enjoyment for the Red Sox on various media platforms. I've had conversations with more than one of you about "Wouldn't it be great if..." Let's capture that. Who knows who is reading or who will have access to talk to the folks at Fenway - we can use this to make it count.
   

Background

The Boston Red Sox are one of the most well known brands in baseball. There are already substantial Sox-related blogs, communities, forums (my fave is SOSH by the way) and other programs out there to galvanize the masses, however a majority if not all are fan-initiated. On the flip side, MLB controls most if not all of the digital assets for redsox.com in a federated model. To change redsox.com (at least, technology-wise) you have to go through the mlb.com folks in New York, although I believe they have some flexibility as federated publishers.

The Question(s)

• How can the Boston Red Sox leverage and sponsor social media initiatives?
• Should the Red Sox front office bother investing in new social media programs, or does the fan base 'have it covered'?
  
• How would you handle the challenges between branding, revenue, and digital asset control between the Red Sox and MLB?

Have at it gents - I have some ideas but wanted to get this out there to percolate...Open to suggestions on how we package it up too.

Gotta Like Theo's Approach

That's right, the approach I'm talking about in the title of this post is that of a Mr. Theo Epstein, GM of yooouuuuurrrrr... Boston Red Sox. With a little luck in 2009, the Sox could have one of the two or three best teams in Major League Baseball...

Have you stopped laughing yet? I hope so because I'm serious. Want to know why I'm not crazy? Well, here's six reasons for starters:

1. The Sox already had three of the top 25 pitchers (who are all under the age of 27 btw) in baseball. There names are Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsusaka. This year, Josh Beckett should have a healthy back, Lester will be one more year removed from cancer and Dice K will have two years of facing MLB hitters under his belt. I'm willing to wager money that those three go a combined 52-21 this year.
2. IF Brad Penny is healthy (this is where the "little luck" part comes in), he could be the best number four starter in the league. Arguably if he's healthy, he could be even better than he was in 2006-7 when he finished 3rd in Cy Young voting in the NL given the fact that he'll have a much better offense and an equally good defense behind him. I'm predicting he goes 15-10 this year (slow April and May will give way to a rock star June - October).
3. As our number five in the starting rotation, the Sox can choose from the likes of Clay Bucholtz, Tim Wakefield, Jon Smoltz or Justin Masterson. My money says they start with Wake/Smoltz depending on Spring Training and then either move a AAA arm into that spot or give way to Justin Masterson whom they claim will play a key role in the bullpen again (IMHO he's too valuable an arm to waste on the pen just like Joba Chamberlain was for the Yanks).
4. While it sucks that we didn't get Teixeira, it would have been tough to have to part with Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz or Mike Lowell given the fact that they are three of the most dedicated/hard working/clutch guys in baseball. In 2009 a little more "luck" is needed here given Ortiz and Lowell's injuries last year. My $$ says Ortiz comes back in the best shape of his life and Lowell eases into the season hitting his stride by July.
5. The Sox have a pretty freaking solid outfield offensively and defensively with Bay, Ellsbury, Drew and now Baldelli (one more request for "luck"). They also have one of the top five offensive/defensive infields s in the AL (assuming Lowell is healthy and that they trade Lugo for a box of baseballs so that Lowrie can play short).
6. Did I mention the bullpen? The Sox have the most dominant closer in baseball. A former dominant closer/starter in Smoltz, a stud in the making in Masterson (who I still want starting), a new stud in Ramirez and a mostly-good-but-still-young Delcarmen. Oh yeah, let's not forget Oki-Dokie who seemed to come on strong in the second half of 2008. On top of that, you know Theo will pick up another 3-5 "maybes" to compete in spring training.

Okay, so we have one glaring weakness (assuming health works in our favor) at the catcher position. While it was nice to get Josh Bard back, he's not much more than a nice upgrade over Doug "We Loved You Because You Could Catch Wakefield but Won't Be Said to See Your .201 Average Go Elsewhere" Mirabelli. Greg Zaun could be a decent stop gap for another year or so but really, they need to make a trade. here's the good news... with the acquisition of Smoltz, my money says they go after Jerod Saltamacchia of the Rangers with Bucholtz and one or two topp AAA prospects. I also wouldn't completely rule out 'Tek coming back for one more year, especially since Boras doesn't seem to be working his normal, "let me turn chicken shit into chicken salad" magic this year.

Have I got you fired up? At the very least, I've given all my BigP home boys some fodder to tell me why I'm off my rocker. Let 'em rip!

Photo: Courtesy MLB.com

Admiring the 'tough-guy' athletes

I know this will come as a surprise to my Boston-sports-oriented blogging comrades and readers here on Big Papelbon, but I'm writing about cricket for my inaugural post.

Yes, cricket -- that sport where the guys dress all in white (well, in some forms of the game) and take breaks for "tea" in the middle of the action.

You see, when living in Brisbane, Australia for two years from mid-2001 - mid-2003, I became a crazy cricket fan, and a particularly strong supporter of the Australian national squad. (That's me in the photo below, in November 2002, just after watching a day's worth of cricket in the city of Adelaide.)



Cricket has many similarities to my beloved game of baseball -- namely, the strategy, deliberate pace (games can last five days, at 6 hours a day), and romance with players of yesteryear.

And did you know that cricket was being played in the US before baseball was, and that the two sports were competing for our national attention until baseball won out around the time of World War I.

But before abandoning this post in a fit of hilarious laughter, just work with me here. There is a Boston sports tie-in here.

Playing with a broken hand

Some drama unfolded at the conclusion of today's Test match (a "Test" is one of those games that can last up to five days) between Australia and South Africa that I simply couldn't not write about.

South African captain Graeme Smith, who had been ruled out of the remainder of the match after breaking his hand a couple of days earlier, came to bat in the final hour of play to try and deny Australia a victory.

In the end, Smith was unsuccessful -- he was bowled out by Mitchell Johnson a mere 10 balls away from securing a hard-fought draw with the Aussies -- but he's already being hailed as the "bravest man in world cricket." The Australians congratulated Smith for his efforts, and the home-town Australian fans even stood in applause.

Much like a baseball hitter, a cricket batsman needs his hands to play the game. And Smith had a broken hand, yet still survived for 17 deliveries!

Which American athlete would do the same?

I have vague recollections of Kevin McHale playing in the NBA Finals on a broken foot in the 1980s, and Bruce Armstrong doing the same for the Patriots some 10 years ago. And Schilling and the bloody sock in 2004. (And yeah, I knew offensive linemen sometimes play with broken hands, too, but they're kind of loose cannons anyway, right?)

But who else from the Boston sports teams today can we imagine displaying the kind of integrity that Graeme Smith did?

Would Paul Pierce or KG play with a broken hand in a regular-season game in April against Cleveland, just to help secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs?

Would Randy Moss play through a stress fracture in October?

Would J.D. Drew ... OK, let's not use that comparison. Would Dustin Pedroia or Kevin Youkilis stay in a game with a broken foot in the middle of May ?

We've seen former Red Sox superstars like Manny and Nomar beg out of games -- even critical games -- in the past with seemingly minor injuries (or non-existent ones, in Manny's case)?

We typically admire the tough-guy athletes, the ones who play through intense pain on the big -- and small -- stage, and potentially risk their careers in the process.

That's what Smith did for South Africa today. Wonder if one of "our guys" will ultimately do the same the next time that circumstance comes along?

Bryan Person blogs regularly at BryanPerson.com

Virtual Waiting Room Purgatory

There has got to be a better way.  I am already resigned that I'm going to sit in front of my PC for the next couple of hours minimum.  Last year I missed the window having to leave for a flight.  Not this year.  I even sent my wife with my son to baseball practice (indoors at Frozen Ropes - great place).  I wasn't fortunate enough to get season tickets, so this is what I am resigned to look at:

Not to mention the Red Sox decided to sell both the 4-pax and individual game tickets on the same day this year.   ... How do you get tickets? 

What Do You Root For?

The Red Sox unveiled new hats and jerseys last night/this morning and my first thought was "so what." But soon I started hearing rumbling from my friends in Red Sox nation that they didn't like the change. The "B" on the hat is sacred and the red socks on the uniforms is cheesy, was what I heard from more than a few people.

I didn't really have a lot of time to think about it today, but it struck me when I was enjoying a beer o'clock conversation with my work colleague Derek.

In this day and age, the uniforms are what we root for... it's all we have left as fans. We long ago gave up the hope that a player would stay with the team for their entire career - free agency was the dagger in our heart there. So rooting for players is an annual affair, subdued by the revolving door also known as the "hot stove."

Team chemistry is annual roll of the dice, but those uniforms and hats... take 'em to the bank. We come to the Park year in and year out and feel an allegiance to a certain look, a certain color, a certain letter... quickly sewn onto a synthetic jersey somewhere in China. That's what being a fan has become.

So when Sox management has the audacity to change the logo and establish the "red socks" as de rigueu, we say "hold on a second."

As a business, it's certainly in their right to make some changes if it will help drive merchandise sales (the assumed reason behind the change). But the fans I'm talking to aren't buying it... whether it's a hat, an away jersey or a bumper sticker with the new logo. We're just fine with what we've got (or had, based on what you've just introduced).

What about you? What do you think about the hat and uniform changes. Should Theo Epstein and his team have asked you first?

I look forward to your comments, which will undoubtedly be better than this post. Thanks!

I Was Wrong About Cassel

While I'm not quite ready to annoint Patriot's interim quarterback, Matt Cassel, the second coming of Tom Brady, I have officially joined "Cassel's Corner" with all the other New England crazies. However, I do have a confession to make. At the end of this year's pre-season, I was convinced that the Pats would cut Cassel. I went so far as to send subliminal thoughts to Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli encouraging them to get rid of Cassel. When they didn't, I shook my head and asked, "what is it that Belichick sees that we don't?"

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that I wasn't the only one who who shared these feelings of being underwhelmed by Cassel's subpar pre-season. To be honest, I was a bit surprised given the fact Cassel has spent the last six years as a back up behind some of the best NCAA and NFL talent around i.e. Tom Brady, Matt Leinhart and Carson Palmer. If Cassel had learned anything from this trio of Heisman winning/MVP caliber QBs, he sure wasn't showing it in the pre-season.

I have to admit, I was somewhat surprised by his poor pre-season showing based on some of Cassel's garbage time performances at the end of the 2006 and 2007 seasons where he seemed to be progressing nicely. And with offensive weapons like Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Lawrence Maroney, and an All Pro offensive line, you or I should be able to step in and manage the Pats to at least a 10-6 record, right? Instead, it was third stringer, Matt Gutierrez who seemed to step up and deliver in July and August. Thus the look of horror on Pats fans' faces as Brady writhed on the ground clutching his knee. Pleas of "Please don't let it be the ACL!" gave way to "oh shit, we have 15+ weeks with Cassel at the helm." Our only hope was to potentially scoop up the likes of a Daunte Culpepper to try and salvage the rest of the season.

Well, it's eleven weeks later and many of us are saying, "Tom who?" My dad was even brazen enough to ask me last night at dinner, "Who do you think the Pats could get for Brady." He was serious. I said, "Dad, let's talk about who the Red Sox are going to get for David Ortiz, because as much of a stretch as it is that the Sox would get rid of Papi, it's still a million times more likely than the Pats trading Brady. This type of talk is a leading indicator that Cassel is making people forget about Tom Terrific.

To that end, through week twelve Cassel is starting to put up some impressive numbers. While his TD to INT ratio is only 3:2 (15 TDs vs. 10 INTs), he's already thrown for 2,868 yards -- 415 and 400 yards respectively in his last two games alone. He's also rushed for 198 yards which is almost unheard of in the history of the Patriots QBs. What's most important to note is that over the last two games, Cassel has really stepped up his game and has been a TD/passing machine! Let's also not forget that thanks to Matt "Big Game" Cassel, the Pats are now sitting at 7-4 alone in second place in the AFC East and are tied with the Colts and Ravens for the Wild Card with five games to go.

What's most interesting are comparisons that SI beat writer (and NFL guru) Peter King, included in this morning's Monday Morning Quarterback column:

"Now this stat is eerie: After Tom Brady's first 11 starts in the NFL, his completion percentage was 66.3. After Matt Cassel's 11 NFL games this season, his completion percentage is ... well, 66.3...

It's crazy and all-too-soon and slightly irreverent. But it is also unavoidable. Life is imitating art. The career path of Cassel is following Brady's. Brady's record after 11 games: 8-3. Cassel's: 7-4 -- and if the Pats had won the overtime coin flip a week ago Thursday, I bet those records would be the same. Brady's rating: 91.6. Cassel's: 90.5. Cassel leads Brady by 377 passing yards, thanks to Cassel's back-to-back 400-yard passing games. (Been on Mars? That's no misprint.) As for touchdowns, Brady leads Cassel by three.

Bringing this conversation back around to reality... IF the Patriots make it to the playoffs this year and that is a big IF, and Cassel lays an egg, everyone will once again be clammering for Tommy B. to be back in blue and silver next season. But if the Pats do make it to the post season, it will be interesting to see if Cassel can continue to Channel Brady. Who knows, we all thought we could never live with out Bledsoe, right?

Hock a Lugo

Just read about this in the Globe:

"Red Sox, Tigers talking trade involving Lugo;
Sox would get Willis or Robertson in return

The Globe's Nick Cafardo reported on Sunday that the Tigers are contemplating a trade with the Red Sox that would send either lefthanded starter Nate Robertson or Dontrelle Willis to Boston in exchange for Lugo, but that some money issues would have to be resolved. Lugo appeared in just 82 games in 2008 and was lost for the season when he suffered a severly torn left quadriceps on July 11. He posted a . 268 average with one home run and 22 RBIs. Lugo also struggled defensively, committing 16 errors in 292 total chances... The Sox do not appear to have any budgetary restraints on eating some of Lugo's contract if they have to. ... Theo Epstein said Lugo is 100 percent recovered from his quadriceps tear and likely will play winter ball in the Dominican. ... From the Globe's Tony Massarotti: Should the Red Sox find a taker for Lugo this offseason, they will find themselves in a familiar predicament: paying a shortstop to play for someone else. Lugo has two years and $18 million remaining on his contract, and in all likelihood, the Sox would have to eat at least half of his salary in any deal, which means they'd be paying him in the vicinity of $4.5 million this season to ply his trade elsewhere."

Any scenario where Lugo goes somewhere else would be a good trade. I would take Dontrelle Willis' glove in return. Make this trade happen

Greg Oden

While at the time (last years lottery), it appeared that the balls were not bouncing the Celtics way, not getting Greg Oden may not have been the worst thing in the world. With the recent news that he will be out 2 to 4 weeks, in addition to him missing all of last year, I can only surmise that the Celtics, instead of being World Champs, would have been crossing their fingers again at the most recent lottery, hoping for a good bounce. The Celtics would not have Garnett, Allen, or Pierce (most likely), and we would have been saying yet again, wait until next year. While the jury is still out on Oden, it appears that he will be an injury hazard for years to come. While the Celtics have an older team, they have plenty of mentors to bring along the new guys they draft, instead of letting the rookies figure it out on their own. We need look no further than the Tampa Bay Rays to see what a difference a few steady veterans can make on some talented, but jittery, rookies.

Sign of the Apocalypse

Just noticed that Tom Jackson picked the Patriots to win this week.

Hey, where's everybody going?

Top 10 'punishments' for those who left the game early last night:

10. A stalled battery in the parking lot, at least until the game was over.

9. The kids cry all the way home after pooping in the car.

8. The babysitter, watching the entire game, gets so excited that she breaks a vase.

7. Bad gas all night from too many Fenway Franks in only 7 innings.

6. When ordering tickets for next year, their computer will crash over and over and over again.

5. Shoes are ruined from stepping in puke while taking that last piss on the way out.

4. TV reception will be mysteriously fuzzy during all future Sox games from 7 inning and on in the 'leavers' homes.

3. Papercuts.

2. Traffic and tolls so bad they couldve stayed for the rest of game and still got home in the same amount of time.

1. Knowing for a lifetime that they missed out on one of the great, all-time, Sox victories. And when they try to say that they were there and saw it all, a rash shaped like the Yankees insignia will appear on their forehead for all to see.

Remember the Idiots

All right folks, we've been down but not out before, and hopefully, we can do it again. We are missing a few pieces,like Lowell and a 100% Ortiz, but the beauty of baseball is that its not over until yada yada yada. We as fans cant lose hope. Also, granted, Wake had a horrible game, but lets not hate. He has given the Sox plenty of solid games in the past, and he deserves some respect regardless of last night. So lets give Tampon Bay some serious Red Sox business for the next 3 games. Lets go, Red Sox, clap, clap, clap-clap-clap!

JD Drew's 9th Inning Dagger in K-Rod's Heart

Imagine my surprise (not quite pleasant given the fact that the Sox were up 5-1 when I went to bed) to wake up and find out that the Red Sox beat the Halos last night in the top of the 9th courtesy of J.D. Drew's two run, home run. The first thing that came to mind was what a dagger in the heart this must be for the Angels. How could it not be the proverbial "gut punch" that Sportsguy, Bill Simmons, so frequently references to have the best closer in baseball give up the game winning runs after his team has clawed back from a 4-0 first inning hole?

Trust me, I've been there. All I need to do is mention 1978, 1986, and 2003 to remind my fellow Sox fans that we've felt the pain. Granted, this was only game two of the ALDS so it's not quite the same as some of the heart wrenching losses the Sox suffered (plus, the Halos did win the World Series as recently as 2002) bu still, the Angles won 100 games this year, they beefed up the middle of their lineup with studs like Torii Hunter and Mark Teixeira and arguably had the best closer in baseball in K-Rod after his record setting 62 save season.

As an Angel's fan (yes, I'm talking to you Mr. Humbarger) one has to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask what on earth could you could have possibly done to merit this "Groundhog Day" like misery. Seriously, the Sox dominating the Halos in the ALDS is becoming almost as automatic as the Celtics and Lakers meeting in the finals back in the early eighties. It's like the Duke's hoops team punching an automatic ticket to the Final Four during the 90's. It's like knowing that the Patriots were a favorite for the Super Bowl as long as Tom Brady was at the helm in the 2000's.

It's good to see that Angel's skipper, Mike Scioscia, hasn't given up hope yet. Then again, what else is he going to say after a demoralizing loss last night when faced with the prospect of going to one of the unfriendliest places on earth (since 10/17, 2004 the Sox are 9 for 11 int he post season at home) down 0-2. Oh yeah, and he's facing this century's version of Bob Gibson in game three in Josh Beckett.

Mike tried to keep his chin up after the game saying, "This game ain't over until somebody wins three games," said Scioscia. "The [players] are down, [but] we go into Boston, win a game, and the pressure is back on them." I give Mike credit for putting his best game face on but seriously, there will be next to no pressure on the Sox if they lose game three at home. You know why? Because they have another home game the next night and history has show that they own the Halos in the ALDS.

What do you think? I'm I being to cocksure? Your comments are welcome below.

Photo Credit: LA Times Newspaper

Red Sox Clinch: Why Are We Not More Excited?

Shame on me for not getting this up sooner. It truly demonstrates that we Boston sports fans are getting too lackadaisical in our passion for our sport's teams when our team makes the playoffs and we can't even take the time to do a quick celebratory blog post about it. I guess that's what two World Series wins, three Super Bowl wins (four appearances) and an NBA Championship in the span of seven years will do to you.

Rewinding to that last statement, I'm thinking that maybe our seeming complacency has less to do with being lackadaisical and more about high expectations for our local teams. Thinking back to the early eighties, I remember many Boston Celtic sports fans waiting until late February/early March to really check into the season. It wasn't because they didn't love the Celtics but rather they expected that they would be in the playoffs. In fact, they assumed that anything short of making it to the finals was a disappointment. That may come off as arrogant or detached but it's a reality. I believe it's one of the main reasons we as Red Sox fans have hated Yankee fans and Cowboy fans so much in the past. By the way, we're obviously starting to inspire some of this same hate in other fans (thanks to friend, Adam Cohen, for passing this along).

With all that said, I am very excited that the Sox are in the playoffs. It's been a little bit of an odd season as some of the posts on this blog have noted. The season opening in Japan and then pausing for a few west coast exhibition games was a weird start. Then we seem to have hit a disproportionate number of west coast games early on (I'm an early-to-bedder most nights so I can't stay up until 1:00 AM watching those games). Plus, the Sox seemed to be in cruise control most of the season in spite of the Rays besting them in August and September. Still, this is the fifth time in six years the boys from Beantown have been to the post season and I'm thrilled.

The big question now is how will we fare? Personally, I'm a little nervous but feeling better every day. Getting JD Drew back into the lineup last night was huge. More important is nursing Lowell back to a quasi-healthy state. I think we'll end up missing Manny's "clutchedness" in some of the big at bats but it seems like Youk and Pedroia are starting to fill some of that need. Also, Ellsbury is coming on at the right time. Pitching is mostly good and with the addition of Masterson to the core bullpen team, it seems like we're finding some stability beyond just Papelbon in the late innings.

There's no doubt that the Angels will be tougher this year than in years past. The Sox dropping eight out of nine to them this year is testiment to that fact. The Rays are also a force to be reckoned with although I'll be interested to see how they do in their first year ever in the playoffs. As we've seen in the past, having "been there" before matters more than ever in October although we've seen another team from Florida win twice over the last 12 years in spite of being a "rookie" team.

So ladies and gentlemen, stock up your refrigerators and your snack cabinets and grab your remotes. Hopefully we're in for a long ride over the next several weeks. Any predictions for a Manny vs. Ortiz world series?

Photo credit: Moon Battery

Strangely Liberated

As with everyone else that even remotely follows football, I was shocked by the news that Tom Brady suffered a season ending injury to his knee. (Living in Washington, DC, I did not find out this news until later in the day, not being able to watch the game on TV.) Maybe I shouldn't have been shocked - the Patriots O-line was exposed for its weaknesses in the last games of the past season and in the preseason. Plus, these type of injuries happen to the best of players (with Manning and Favre being the exceptions). But Brady has the third longest active streak behind previously mentioned Manning and Favre, so it was shocking that the indomitable Brady, had been dominated. By a belly flop, no less.

However, I digress from my title. On revelation that Mr. Brady will be out for the season, I felt strangely liberated. At the opening of the season, the Patriots had been named again as favorites to win the Superbowl for the umpteenth year in a row. Anything less than a Superbowl win would be a letdown. Each game had to be won and every loss would be studied and dissected to no end by both coaches and the talking heads. Now, I can just enjoy the season as every other fan of the other NFL teams not named the Patriots. If the Pats go to the Superbowl, it would be a joyous occassion, not a required "date with destiny." I will continue to be upset by the losses and expect the best, but now will be excited when the Pats win, not disappointed if they don't win by enough.

Don't get me wrong, I would still much rather have Brady in the game, but I just feel that maybe I can enjoy this season a little more knowing there are no preordained requirements. Also, knowing that Brady will have a full year to rest and recover makes me look forward to next year, in addition to enjoying this year.

Steady at the Helm: The Terry Francona Story

"Story" might be a stretch since this is going to be a short blog post but the point of my title is that Terry Francona's success at the helm of the Red Sox is worthy of much more ink than he's received to date. I'm not implying that people are dissing him but merely that he is one of the most underrated managers in baseball (and possibly all sports for that matter).

After two World Series wins and three trips to the post season (soon to be four) in his five years as manager of the Red Sox, it's hard to argue with the fact that Terry Francona is a good manager. What makes him special, however, is his ability to stay calm under pressure. By pressure, I don't just mean in the game but during the season. I'll argue that it's this ability that allowed the Sox to win the WS last year and is what will get them deep into the playoffs this year.

Unlike former Yankee manager (who as many of you know now has the pleasure of coaching "Red Sox West" aka the LA Dodgers), Francona doesn't burn out his bullpen. He doesn't panic and keep guys off the DL when they need time to heal. Francona isn't affraid to run with a rookie even when he's struggling mightily (remember how poorly MVPedroia started off last season?) or to stick with a veteran that needs to work himself out of a deep slump (hello msr. Varitek). That's not as much of a knock on Torre as it is a compliment to Francona.

One of the things that ultimately did Torre in in New York was the pressure from Steinbrenner to win at all costs. It forced him to constantly ride his best 2-3 relievers in the pen ( I remember a dozen times over the last few years where Torre brought Rivera in for 4+ out saves, mainly because the Yankees early season losses constantly put the team in must win situations starting as early as August). This ultimately lead to the Yanks exiting the playoffs early (see 20002, and then 2005-2007) because by the time they got into the playoffs, there bullpen was so worn out they didn't have the horses to win in tight games.

Francona on the other hand has taken extremet caution with players like Beckett, Papelbon, Schilling, Wakefield, Dice-K, Lowell, Youkilis, Ortiz and others during the regular season, sometimes seeming to thumb his nose at opportunities to win the division and instead settling for the Wild Card. Even this year, up until a few games ago, it appeared that the Sox were headed for the Wild Card but with Tampa Bay hitting the wall and Boston getting back some of their studs (Beckett, Lowell, Youkilis and soon, Drew), a win tonight against Texas would put the Sox just 1 1/2 games back in the division with six left against the Rays.

Now I must also give credit where credit is due to Theo Epstein who has not only completely restocked the Sox farm system (4th best in the majors) but made the tough decisions like trading Nomar in 2004, not emptying the bank for Johan Santana and ultimately pulling the trigger on the Manny for Bay trade at the trading deadline this year (a deal that apparently has worked out well for both teams with the Sox a near lock for the playoffs and the Dodgers with a 1/2 game lead in the West). It doesn't hurt to have owners with deep pockets but the Yankees, Cubs and Dodgers have equally deep pockets and look how they've faired up until this year.

What do you think? Is Terry the man? Or is he just lucky?

Late Summer Doldrums

Anyone else having a hard time getting into the BoSox? Don't get me wrong, I still check the box scores every evening/morning to see if the Sox have made up ground on the Rays and I do watch more games than not but I'm having a hard time kicking it into gear. Given the fact that we're moving into the stretch playoff run, I need to turn that trend around soon.

Same problem with the Patriots. I'm not worried that they've now lost three straight pre-season games. In fairness, I'm more concerned with Tom Brady's foot injury than anything given the fact that we all know that the Pats fate remains firmly in the hands of Tommy B. I have started to engage with football ONLY because I've had to do my pre-season picks (I'm in three leagues this year - my brothers, Derek Showerman's and Peter Kim's).

I know that once the first real football game starts, I'll start to kick it into gear. I also know that as the nights get colder and we drift toward the end of September, my heart will start racing with every close late inning game. Maybe part of the issue is the fact that the Rays are the ones leading the AL East this year. I am happy for them but don't really see them as a real competitor... yet. The Yanks are the ones I like to loath and they've clearly been ravaged by injuries, poor investments and a general lack of team spirit this year. The Angels still don't scare me either. I know they have more arms and bats in their always competitive lineup but given their past October woes, I still don't see them advancing to the WS this year.

What do you think? I'm sure Mssrs. Cohen, Storer, Strout (John), Quinan, Humbarger (Halos fan), Person, Sukernek and Haslam have something to say. My bro-in-law, "Redfish" should also give us an NL pennant race update (he's a Marlins fan). Let's bring it in the comments!

Newest Arch-enemy, Brett Favre

Well, guess all you east-coasters are waking up today to the news that Brett Favre is now in our AFC East as a member of the NY Jets. I cant say how disapointed I am at this based on the fact that Favre has been a 'must-watch-and-root-for' player in my book for a long time, but now that he is a Jet, and I am a Dolphin fan, I must root against him, no matter what. No more hoping to see him pull one out in the end of a great game, I just want his Jet-ass to get slammed on the turf hard, and have a crappy time on Sunday and/or Monday nights. Lots of angles on this one, so chime in everyone on Bretts' Jets. Uggh.

Wow

So as most of you probably already know, Manny is going to LA, and the Red Sox get Jason Bay in return. As part of the deal, the Sox had to give up Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss. Maybe I am living in the past, but this seems like a lot to give up for Jason Bay - I thinks fans aren't going to be super-psyched about this deal and I sort of feel sorry for Bay already. Bay has the same power as Manny, but does not have the career lifetime BA that Manny has. Plus to give up a power arm like Hansen - granted he has control issues, but he is still really young - plus Moss makes it appear that the Sox were pretty desperate to get rid of Manny. Maybe they were.

Maybe this is just sour grapes, but if they Yankees were the ones trading Manny, they would have gotten back Bay plus prospects, not given up prospects.

Maybe Manny had to go, but the Sox are going to miss that feared one-two (or should I say three-four?) punch of Ortiz and Manny. Oh well.

The King is dead. Long live the King.

Best Albums

This is somewhat spawned from the previous posting on Yankee stadium, so not a total non sequitur. I was contemplating how much I hate the YMCA song and how appropriate the Yankees play it all the time. Being a positive person and not wanting to linger on such hate of the YMCA song, I thought "what are the best albums of all time - for me personally, not what are considered the best by all the world.{ For me, a great album is one I can listen to from beginning to end, singing or humming the words to each song, with little desire to forward on to the next one, not because I don't want to get to the next song, but because I am fully enjoying the current song. An album that you could listen to each day and not get tired of it. In short, an album where I fully enjoy each song as its own, not because it is a great song on one album. Three examples for me are the Weezer - Weezer (their 1st(?) album), the Smiths - the Queen is Dead, and Dave Matthews - Under the Table and Dreaming.

Was just curious if other people had such albums that they would recommend - even though such a question may be outdated in this day and age of downloading music.

Into the Belly of the Beast

I've been to many ballparks. By far, Fenway and Wrigley are my favorites for many reasons, but the primary reasons are the passion of the fans and the aura, tradition and old school feel. It wasn't for a Red Sox game, but last night I attended my first game at Yankee Stadium. Here are some anecdotes and thoughts from the game. First, my view from the seats, upper deck behind home plate, a great spot to see balls and strikes:

1. The park looks a thousand times nicer and more intimidating on TV. In reality it's just a big, cold ballpark with awful infrastructure.
2. It is painfully clear why a new park is needed. The place sucks - in an emergency, there is no way I could ever get out when sitting in the upper deck. The advertising is old, tired and consists mostly of translucent panes backlit with fluorescent lights.
3. The scoreboard is old and there are no replays shown. This was annoying when a very controversial "safe" call was made at 1B.
4. The sound system is atrocious. I was stupefied by this - is it that hard to wire speakers around the park? They only have one stack of giant speakers in a pile atop the center field bleacher wall. I think my fraternity house had the same stack in the basement for parties back in the day.
5. I've heard much about the field dimensions and how they are no longer the House that Ruth Built. The center and LF wall configurations are just plain odd to look at, and the fans seem so far away from the game.
6. The field was in horrible shape. The grass had been worn down from the all-star game and looked like my backyard after a 4-year-old's slip-n-slide birthday party.
7. The lighting is weird - all those lights shine on the field but there are pockets of darkness covering the fans. It made it look cloudy even at night.
8. The ballpark frankly looks tired. The hallways look like a dirty subway station. The place has just been neglected over the years and it shows. It really makes me appreciate the Fenway ownership and what they have done to invest in the infrastructure, down to details like getting rid of the trough toilets.
9. My buddy Larry who brought me is a season ticket holder and has been for 12+ years. 5 years ago, the seats were $18. Today they are $60. In the new park they will be at least $100 and have TVs and waitress service.
10. One tradition I kinda liked - in the first inning the right field bleachers chant each NYY fielder's name until they wave or acknowledge them in some way - even when the pitcher is about to throw. I also liked that Jeter has a recording of the old announcer still announce his name when he comes up to bat.

Sure, I'm biased, but I did want to see the park before it gets replaced. Now that I've been? Good riddance.