Category: MLB

Red Sox Adviser and Sabermetrics Guru Bill James in Hot Water for Saying MLB Players Are as Valuable to Baseball as Beer Vendors

By on • ( Leave a comment )

CBS Sports –  In a series of since deleted tweets, sabermetrics godfather and Red Sox special consultant Bill James responded to general criticism by agent Scott Boras, who ripped teams for tanking during the GM Meetings earlier this week. In those since-deleted tweets, James called all players replaceable (transcript via Hardball Talk):

If the players all retired tomorrow, we would replace them, the game would go on; in three years it would make no difference whatsoever. The players are NOT the game, any more than the beer vendors are.

Yikes. Bill James is the godfather of modern day baseball. He made analytics, sabermetrics and Moneyball cool. He changed the game, there’s no denying that. But he’s also been know to say some pretty outlandish shit. Like back in 2012 when he defended Joe Paterno for turning a blind eye to child rape.

“During an interview on ESPN radio, James claimed…that it wasn’t Paterno’s responsibility to report allegations of child molestation to the police… When asked if he knew anyone who had showered with a boy they were not related to, James said it was a common practice when he was growing up. “That was actually quite common in the town I grew up in. That was quite common in America 40 years ago.”

Soo yea, Bill James is all over the place. Revolutionary baseball mind? Yup. A guy that probably has a few screws loose after spending the majority of his life playing baseball in excel sheets? You bet.

I can kind of understand what he means when he says baseball is bigger than any one player; its the centuries of fandom, its listening to the game on the radio with your dad, the old adage we all root for laundry. But to flat out say that if Mookie Betts, Chris Sale, JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and the rest of the Red Sox quit it wouldn’t make a difference?

If a high school baseball team was playing under the lights at Fenway rocking the classic white and red home unis, ya know what? That game would be unwatchable. There’s a reason minor league baseball is a niche sport in terms of spectators. Theres a reason nobody gives a shit about the CFL. Theres a reason nobody watches Boston College football. Theres a reason only degenerate gamblers watch Division II football. It’s the players. It’s the talent. If your team, league, or sport doesn’t have the best talent in the world then I’m not really interested.

Well it came as no surprise that the MLB Players Association was pretty cheesed when they heard Bill James say the players are as valuable to the game as BEER VENDORS!

MLBPA chief Tony Clark responded to James’ stunningly dense tweets with a statement Thursday morning.

“These comments Bill James made yesterday are both reckless and insulting considering our game’s history regarding the use of replacement players. The Players ARE the game. And our fans have an opportunity to enjoy the most talented baseball Players in the world every season. If these sentiments resonate beyond this one individual, then any challenges that lie ahead will be more difficult to overcome than initially anticipated.”

Not to mention, Bill James’ comments come right on the heels of Scott Boras accusing the entire league of collusion against big money free agents. So Tony Clark has every right to be bullshit here. If an employee consultant of the Boston Red Sox and someone with a vast influence as the most respected sabermatrician ever is publicly downplaying the value of the league’s players, you can imagine the conflict of interest. Maybe the GM of one team says you know what he’s right, I’ll just pay 25 beer vendors the league minimum instead and people will still show up. I mean, the Marlins tried it and they had 39 of the 50 Lowest Attended Games in baseball last year, but you get my point.

Players around the league, including the one who just won the Gold Glove for the team that employs Bill James, were less than pleased with his comments.

Even the guy who credits analytics for making him his fortune, Red Sox owner John Henry, is side stepping the bus to let his old friend Bill James take this hit on his own.

The Red Sox issued the following statement Thursday afternoon in response to James’ comments:

“Bill James is a consultant to the Red Sox. He is not an employee, nor does he speak for the club. His comments on Twitter were inappropriate and do not reflect the opinions of the Red Sox front office or its ownership group. Our Championships would not have been possible without our incredibly talented players — they are the backbone of our franchise and our industry. To insinuate otherwise is absurd.”

Live look at the Red Sox front office calling Bill James in for a meeting:

While nothing is quite as entertaining as the drama that is the NBA offseason, the MLB offseason is off to a roaring start with Bryce Harper turning down $300 Million contracts, Craig Kimbrel claiming to be the GOAT, Scott Boras blaming everyone for everything, and now Bill James is referring to real life MLB players like they’re his own personal MVP 2005 on PS2.

Craig Kimbrel’s Agent Made an OUTRAGEOUS Claim Yesterday

By on • ( Leave a comment )

This is hyperbole that would make Scott Boras blush and that’s a guy who just said JD Martinez was so good (the best free agent ever in fact) that teams should apologize for underpaying him!

But for Craig Kimbrel’s agent to say he is the *best* closer of ALL-TIME?

Only 319 more saves to go to tie Mariano Rivera, Craig.

Lets take a look at this outrageous statement. Yes, Kimbrel is 14th all-time in MLB history with 333 saves. In fact he and Fernando Rodney, who is 11 years older than Kimbrel, are the only active players in the Top 20 in career saves. But that 333 BARELY puts him halfway to the 652 saves that Rivera racked up in 19 seasons. So if Mo Rivera pitched until his age 43 season and Kimbrel just finished his 9th season at age 30, that means he’d have to average 25 saves a season for the next 13 seasons. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but what position is more fickle and fades faster than hard throwing relievers?

Hell, Jonathan Papelbon is the best closer in Red Sox history, one of the most dominant relievers I’ve ever seen, and he only lasted 12 seasons (7 with Boston). Papelbon is 9th on the all-time list with 368 career saves, but he fell off the map and was done at 35.

So yes, statistically Kimbrel is definitely up there with the best closers of all-time, but have you ever really felt secure when he comes into a game? Yankees fans went two goddamn decades of playing 8 inning games because when Mo Rivera came into the game in the 9th it was over. Meanwhile every single Craig Kimbrel save is a high wire act and god forbid someone is on base or it requires more than 3 outs.

Love ya, Craig. Mean it, wish ya the best. But you are not the greatest closer of all time and the Boston Red Sox will not be paying you anywhere near what you are looking for.

What is the Most Obscure Sports Memorabilia You Own?

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Aside from all the outdated 4x Time Super Bowl Champion and 04/07/13 World Series Champion banners, shirts, and posters that I own, one piece of sports memorabilia really takes the cake. My 2013 World Series Game 7 tickets are absolutely the most obscure piece of sports memorabilia that I own because as you may remember, that game never actually happened as the Red Sox won the World Series in six.

Funny story behind those tickets.

We all joke that Sox tickets have become much easier to get the last few years as “championship fatigue” sets in (Big Z told a story on a recent episode of The 300s Podcast how he once literally found tickets on the street), but when it comes to Green Monster seats and playoff tickets, good luck. Sure you can pay through the teeth and get in the building buying on the secondary market, but getting playoff tickets face value is nearly impossible. The only way to really do so is to enter the Ticket Lottery that the Sox put out each year for Opening Day, Patriots Day, Yankees games, Green Monster seats, and playoff tickets.

So back in 2013 it was really an incredible series of moments coming together. I lived in Allston with Papa Giorgio and our third roommate was a bartender right outside Fenway. With that being said, a lot of October 2013 is a blur. I entered into all of the lotteries as I normally do and I actually won the opportunity to buy tickets to the ALCS and wound up getting to see the greatest game of my entire life: October 13th, 2013 ALCS Game 2 AKA Big Papi’s Grand Slam.

Incredible game to be at. I was only about 20 feet from where the legendary dinger landed, as seen in this grizzly Sasquatch-like footage from the broadcast.

Anyways, I also wound up winning the lottery and an opportunity to buy tickets for the World Series. Unfortunately I was stuck in a meeting so I texted Big Z to grab the tickets and after passing on some nosebleeds in Game 1, the best he could find was Game 7 standing room.

Guys, you never go back in when buying tickets online! You take what you can get and say thank you.

So while the Red Sox winning the World Series at home in 6 games was something I’ll never forget, I will also never forget these obscure World Series Game 7 tickets I own for a game that never was.

Now I ask you, whats the most obscure piece of sports memorabilia that you own?

David Price Officially Opts Into Red Sox Contract

By on • ( 1 Comment )

NESN – David Price’s redemption tour will continue right where it began. The Boston Red Sox pitcher removed any uncertainty about his future Wednesday, declaring ahead of the team’s World Series championship parade he won’t exercise the opt-out clause in his contract and will remain with the team. “I’m opting in,” Price said, via Chris Mason of the The Eagle-Tribune. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to win here. We did that this year and I want to do it again.” Price has four years and $127 million remaining on the seven-year, $217 million contract he signed with Boston in 2016. He had until midnight Wednesday to decide whether to continue on that contract or to opt out and hit free agency, but it appears he’s already made his decision.

This should come as no surprise because the guy finally conquered his biggest demons on in the postseason, which has been the bane of his existence for the past 3 years. He’s finally figured it out in the playoffs, why leave now? All the grief David Price has taken over the years has been almost entirely rooted in his postseason failures. It would not shock me one bit to see him have a John Lackey type turnaround with Red Sox fans.

But theres also the fact that over his first three seasons with Boston, Price has gone 39-19 with a 3.74 ERA.

  • 2016
    • 17-9
    • 3.99 ERA
    • 228 K’s
    • 35 Starts and 230 IP
  • 2017
    • 6-3
    • 3.38 ERA
    • 76 K’s
    • 11 Starts and 74.2 IP
  • 2018
    • 16-7
    • 3.58 ERA
    • 177 K’s
    • 30 Starts and 176 IP

Not terrible numbers, but not exactly elite. Sure some of those ERA numbers are inflated by a few horrendous starts, but they all count. Price has shown he is prone to streaky pitching though where he follows up a bad month with stretches of being untouchable.

Those numbers coupled with the fact Price is now 33-years-old would make it unlikely for him command the same $127 Million over 4 years on the open market. Plus it seems like his teammates genuinely like the guy so you put all those factors together and it’s no surprise David Price chose to stay with the Sox. Not to mention with 2 straight years of health issues for Chris Sale down the stretch, the Sox are in no position to be jettisoning starters.

David Price does indeed hold all the cards now.

The Red Sox Are Boom Roasting Everyone on Twitter Who Doubted Them

By on • ( Leave a comment )

**checks my Twitter mentions with one eye closed**

I am a huge proponent of being petty. Holding a grudge is what makes winning all that sweeter, rubbing it in the faces of Yankees fans and haters alike. So I can respect this from the Red Sox. Hall of Fame petty move by the team here, just smoking fools on Twitter who doubted the team after one game.

And I have to admit, I was certainly one of those guys.

Welp, thats why they play for seven months. From Opening Day disaster to World Series Champions!

These Are the Best Red Sox World Series Videos (So Far)

By on • ( Leave a comment )

These videos will be rolling in for awhile, and thats before we even get to Wednesday’s Duckboats parade, but as of right now these are the best Red Sox World Series videos (so far).

Is Dave Dombrowski the Smartest Man Alive or Did He Kinda Sorta Get Lucky?

By on • ( 1 Comment )

This will be one of the most fiercely debated questions when we look back at the 2018 World Series. Is Dave Dombrowski the smartest man alive for the way he built this team or is he just lucky?

Before the playoffs started everyone, myself included, ripped Dombrowski for not making the “big name” move and getting an arm for the bullpen at the trade deadline. And it was a completely justifiable question as this team’s relievers were struggling bad down the stretch. The only guy that you could trust was essentially Craig Kimbrel, who ironically enough you could not trust in the playoffs. Then the playoffs come and they turned into the ’98 Yankees. Some real Freaky Friday shit.

Ryan Brasier, formerly of the Japanese League, became a dominant 7th/8th inning guy out of absolutely nowhere. Joe Kelly went from blowing the first game of the year to excellent to benches clearing brawl spark plug back to awful during the season and almost didn’t even make the postseason roster. Kelly morphed into a triple digit hurling shutdown setup man. And Nathan Eovaldi, who was coming off his SECOND Tommy John Surgery and who the Sox acquired for the immortal Jalen Beeks(!), became “The Rover.” The ultimate weapon out of the bullpen. I honestly don’t know if the Sox win the Series without Eovaldi. For my money (literally) he should have been World Series MVP, which he probably would have won if the Sox took the 18 inning affair in Game 3.

Now my main point is whether we’ll look back at this championship and praise Dombrowski for being a genius with moves like adding Eovaldi and World Series MVP Steve Pearce. Incredible moves. Or will we look back and say wow I can’t believe that actually worked out.

I can’t help but imagine Dealer Dave as Happy Gilmore after this championship run though. Looootta luck involved.

Dave Dombrowksi:

Plus I would argue most, if not all, of the credit should go to Alex Cora. The way he managed that bullpen was absolutely flawless, if not dangerous. I heard Cora use the phrase “All in, all the time” and it just perfectly captures what this team was doing. From the very first game in the ALDS, Cora was bringing out starters rather than trust it to a traditional bullpen guy. He had David Price starting, relieving, or warming up in just about every single World Series game, then brought in their ace in Chris Sale to close it out. You just don’t see that.

So yes ultimately Dombrowski’s moves paid off in the end, but without Alex Cora and all the shrewd managerial moves he made, I think this team falters much earlier on and Dombrowski is on the hottest of hot seats.

PS – Jon Wallach made a great point on Toucher and Rich this morning. It looks like Cora may have established the new norm for how to manage a bullpen in the playoffs. You never see this habitual usage of starters in the playoffs outside of Game 7 scenarios. Now, as Wallach said, you could very easily wreck your staff by the sheer amount of usage, but hey it worked.

I’m Making November 1st a Fast Food Holiday

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Business Insider – Taco Bell is giving away Doritos Locos Tacos on November 1.

Before the World Series, Taco Bell announced it would bring back the “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” promotion: If a player steals a base, Taco Bell will give away tacos across the US.

Taco fans didn’t have to wait long for the free tacos to be unlocked. On Tuesday, the first night of the series, the Red Sox’s Mookie Betts stole second base.

Taco Bell’s “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” promotion has always seemed a bit tacky to me. Has there ever been a World Series without a stolen base? Just one, actually. As Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune wrote last October:

Only once in 112 World Series has no one stolen a base. That was in 1944 when the St. Louis Cardinals downed the St. Louis Browns in six games.

Nevertheless, I’m not one to say no to free food.

Related image

I’m also not one to pass up deals. Right now there are plenty of deals in the fast food world, and I’m not talking about $5 boxes. I’m talking about even better deals. So on November 1st, in honor of Taco Bell giving out free tacos, I’m going to take advantage of all of them and hit for the fast food cycle. What is the fast food cycle, you ask?

Image result for burger king nuggets $1

Image result for wendy's fries $1

Image result for mcdonalds $1 soft drink

That’s 10 nuggets, a large fry, a large Coke and a Doritos Locos Taco all for three bucks (plus tax) on November 1. Name a better fast food meal with more variety for a better price. I’ll wait.

Before you complain about having to drive all over town to hit for the cycle, keep in mind that at least two of these four restaurants are probably right next to each other in your town. I have a Taco Bell literally next to a Burger King on my way home from work. The Burger King in my home town was across the street from the McDonald’s. Hitting all four restaurants will not be as challenging as you think. Even if it is a bit more challenging than just plunking down $8 for a Quarter Pounder meal at McDonald’s, how could you say no this kind of deal?

Image result for cheapness is not a sense george

Make no doubt about it, there has never been a better time in history to enjoy fast food in this country. And don’t look now, but the McRib will soon be back, too.

Top 5 Takeaways from Game 2 of the World Series

By on • ( Leave a comment )

The Red Sox took a commanding 2-0 lead in the World Series last night as the series shifts back to LA for the weekend. The Sox will look to do exactly what they did in 2004 and 2007 with a World Series sweep of the Dodgers. Last night was David Price’s night though as he proved his impressive start in the ALCS was not an anomaly. Lets breakdown the Top 5 Takeaways from Game 2 of the World Series.

David Price Learned How to Putt

Similar to Happy Gilmore at the Tour Championship, David Price has seemingly learned how to fix his biggest weakness and now the competition is shook. Admittedly a sentence I wasn’t sure I’d ever type, but numbers don’t lie. Price gave up 2 runs over 6 innings and struck out 5 while looking dominant at times. After going more than a decade without getting a postseason win as a starter, Price now has 2 in less than a week. Incredible.

The real question is, what did David Price figure out in that ALCS Game 4 bullpen session?

It was while going through his warm-ups that Price discovered a new trick — one he wasn’t divulging — that he believed helped his start Thursday.

“I threw 40 pitches in the bullpen [Wednesday],” Price said. “I figured something out warming up in the bullpen, and it kind of just carried over into the game.”

Who taught David Price how to putt? Who was his Chubbs?

The 2018 Boston Red Sox are Lethal With Two Outs

This is a very good Red Sox team led by statistically the best offense in baseball, but get 2 outs on them? They’re even better. After getting 2 quick outs in the 5th inning it looked like the Dodgers would be able to hold onto a mid-game 2-1 lead. You didn’t think it would be that easy did you? It’s like any horror movie you’ve ever seen. Always make sure the killer is dead because if you’re not sure, if you don’t see his cold dead body then he will come back to haunt you. The Red Sox have become Jason Voorhees this postseason.

So with two outs Christian Vazquez singled, then Mookie Betts singled, then Andrew Benintendi walked, then Steve Pearce walked, then JD Martinez singled to drive in 2 runs and put the Sox up 4-2. Bingo. Bango. Game over.

Joe Kelly Has Morphed into 2007 Jonathan Papelbon 

For the second night in a row, Joe Kelly was just blowing guys away. It wasn’t just his triple digits fastball either though, Kelly had impeccable control on his breaking balls. He was just dropping pitches in wherever he wanted and the Dodgers couldn’t touch him. Kelly finished the night with 2 K’s in his lone inning pitched.

Andrew Benintendi May Have Been the Smart Bet for World Series MVP

After racking up 4 hits in his first career World Season game, Benintendi came back and flashed the leather in Game 2 to continue building his case against my bankroll.

I’m still holding out hope for my guy Nathan Eovaldi who came in at +5000 to win MVP. He looked excellent yet again last night striking out one in a 13 pitch 1-2-3 8th inning, but with the way this series is going I worry he just might not get into enough games. Especially with Rick Porcello getting the nod for Game 3, it looks like Eovaldi has gone from Rover to setup man for Boston.

The Dodgers Are Softer Than Charmin

First we had the Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycut complaining that the Boston bullpen is too close to the fans. Dude it literally has not moved in over 50 years. Then last night we saw Ryan Madson come into a 2 outs bases loaded jam and proceed to immediately walk in a run and then give up a 2-run single before recording the 3rd out.

The final blow was this shot of Yasiel Puig:

This came after any and every Dodgers player went out of their way to say the chilly New England temperatures don’t make a difference to them. Picture’s worth a thousand words.

PS – The Red Sox bullpen retired 16 straight Dodgers hitters to end the game. Duct tape and bubblegum aside, this bullpen is money right now.

Top 5 Takeaways from Game 1 of the World Series

By on • ( Leave a comment )

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the World Series after a thrilling Game 1 last night. After jumping on Clayton Kershaw early it seemed like the Sox were going to throttle the guy who had never pitched in a game below 50 degrees before. With 1 out and 2 runs already in, JD Martinez got picked off at first and Xander Bogaerts popped out to end the inning though and Kershaw settled in. The Sox were able to pull out the W with contributions from pretty much everyone, so lets look at the Top 5 Takeaways from Game 1 of the World Series.

1.) Alex Cora Practices the Dark Arts

Big Z and I joked on The 300s Podcast preview of the World Series that Alex Cora has a horseshoe firmly shoved where the sun doesn’t shine. This guy can do no wrong. It seems every move he makes, despite all evidence to the contrary, is the right one and he proved it again last night. Like most of Red Sox Nation I groaned at my TV when I saw Cora pinch hit for Rafael Devers with Eduardo Nunez. Devers was second on the team in batting average this postseason heading into last night, already had an RBI on the night, and Nunez had been struggling mightily. What does Nunez do? Proceeds to SMOKE a three run home run to put the Red Sox up 8-4. Incredible.

2.) Chris Sale Still Isn’t Right 

Don’t get me wrong, the guy was throwing gas to start the game and actually ended up with 7 K’s in 4 innings. But it took him 91 pitches, only 54 of which were strikes, to get through 4. His K/9 IP remain elite, but he doesn’t have the stamina or the health or whatever you want to call it to go deep into games. Perhaps the Sox can use Sale out of the bullpen in this series and just squeeze whatever magic they can out of him, but I am still concerned about his ability to bounce back considering everything he’s dealing with.

3.) The Red Sox Bullpen Continues to Feel Its Way Through the Dark 

As we all know, the Boston bullpen was a huge concern heading into the playoffs and Cora has made it work relying primarily on Ryan Brasier, Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly, and Craig Kimbrel. Last night it was those four guys once again leading the way. Joe Kelly was throwing freakin wiffleballs last night as he had arguably his best outing since he’s been in Boston. Oh and Craig Kimbrel was absolutely filthy with 2 K’s to shut it down (thanks Eric Gagne).

4.) We Officially Have a Name for the Swingman Starter/Reliever

Before Game 1, Cora officially gave a name to what I had been referring to as a swingman/super utility bullpen arm all month. The Rover. For guys like Nathan Eovaldi and Rick Porcello who have started games, pitched in long relief, emergency relief, as setup men; basically doing whatever it takes despite the role. Henceforth, this shall be known as The Rover.

5.) The Red Sox Remain Undefeated Against Instant Replay

Steve Pearce grounded into an inning ending double play and it was a real rally killer. Bummer. Only to come back from the commercial break to find out that Cora was challenging the play at first. And wouldn’t you know it, Pearce beat the throw by a hair and was safe at first to extend the inning. What happens next? JD Martinez absolutely smokes a ball to center field to score Pearce and put the Sox back on top 3-2.

Looking Ahead to Game 2

Tonight we get David Price back on the mound for his first start since his excellent outing in the ALCS. Has he truly exorcised those playoff demons and is he ready to give the Sox a commanding 2-0 lead in the World Series? Or will he revert back to the shaky guy we’ve seen all too much?

Either way, jump on the train now and buy a YUCK sticker before they’re all gone.

The Dodgers will counter with Hyun-Jin Ryu who is 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA this postseason. First pitch is tonight at 8:09 pm. Make sure to grab a coffee on your way home after work because it’s gonna be another long night!

PS – Don’t forget about your free lunch today.