CBS Sports – The U.S. men’s national team will only be spectators during the 2018 World Cup in Russia. That’s because the USMNT lost 2-1 at Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday night in the final match of the hexagonal group stage. The loss, plus a winning goal from Panama in the dying seconds against Costa Rica gave the Panamanians the third and final direct spot in the group, eliminating Bruce Arena’s squad. Honduras defeated Mexico to earn the fourth spot.
For the first time since 1986 the United States won’t be playing in the World Cup. The USMNT failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup is downright embarrassing. The worst part? A goddamn DRAW against Trinidad and Tobago and they qualify, which was apparently too much to ask.
Just a quick side note, as of a September ranking by a little organization known as FIFA, the USA men’s team was ranked 28th in the world. Wanna guess what Trinidad and Tobago was? Come on, guess. Well, they came in at just under triple digits at No. 99.
A few spots behind Sierra Leone; a country made famous by Leo Dicaprio and Kanye West for fucking blood diamonds.
After a 2014 World Cup run that got people excited and legitimately asking if the US could finagle a Top-8 finish in 2018 and play with the big boys. Welp, a loss to motherfucking Trinidad and Tobago may have just killed an entire generation of young, budding soccer fans. Just to put this into perspective, the earliest the United States can make the World Cup next, I will be in my mid 30s.
People forget that qualifying for the World Cup isn’t exactly a foregone conclusion for the US, even if it should be. Well all that goodwill, excitement, and momentum that American soccer had built up over the last 7 years is gone. And they won’t even have a chance to redeem themselves for another 5 years. And who’s to say they’ll be any better?
American soccer has struggled to ever get a real foothold in the international scene. 2014 was one of the most exciting World Cup runs ever as the USMNT got to the round of 16 and were eliminated, but in absolutely thrilling fashion, which only got people that much more excited for 2018. Seriously, if you’re even half a soccer fan, read this quick recap of that final game and remember the good times. I know where I was. I was slugging beers at Clarke’s while the sun was still up like a goddamn soccer hooligan.
“The U.S. drew Belgium in the round of 16. After spending much of the match defending against Belgium’s potent attack, with goalkeeper Tim Howard setting a World Cup finals record for saves in a match, the U.S. survived with a 0–0 score after 90 minutes, sending the match to extra time. After quickly falling behind 2–0 to Belgium in extra time, the U.S. cut the deficit in half in the 107th minute when substitute Julian Green volleyed in a lobbed through ball from Michael Bradley, but were unable to score a second and were eliminated.”
Anddd now we’re back to square one. I don’t think anyone is more bullshit than our boy and former Revs player Taylor Twellman though. TAKE EM TO THE WOODSHED, TAYLOR.
Boston Herald – After five years of near constant scrutiny, which never went away despite three division titles and a World Series, John Farrell is out as Red Sox manager. He was fired on Wednesday, two days after the Red Sox lost in the division for the second year in a row.
Yesterday in our Red Sox post mortem I asked the question has the John Farrell era had finally come to an end? John Henry answered that resoundingly this morning, firing Manager John less than 48 hours after the season came to an end. Here’s what I said yesterday on the likelihood of Farrell losing his job.
“I think his ultimate downfall is his inability to be that armchair psychologist. Manager John is not the guy that will call someone into his office to lay down on his couch and just talk things through. One of my favorite stories of a manager excelling at this was one about how Terry Francona used to call players over to talk with him right behind home plate as the team took BP. So everyone in the world could see them, but no one could hear them. This is an area where Manager John is sorely lacking, which became painfully obvious on multiple occasions this year, none more so than David Price blowing up on Dennis Eckersley and then essentially defending Price and the situation was never really resolved. In a market like Boston, managing the clubhouse and all its personalities is the No. 1 job requirement, which is why I think Farrell is ultimately shown the door this offseason.“
For a guy the Red Sox literally had to trade draft picks to the Blue Jays to acquire, he never seemed to be the John Wayne character we were all led to believe he was. I don’t know if it was a matter of not adjusting to the additional media responsibilities as a manager or if he just doesn’t present well, but Farrell always seemed to be playing catch up. Whether it was defending players that never seemed to have his back or making questionable in-game decisions, the guy always had people second guessing him.
Lets not forget that he did manage the team to a World Series in 2013 though. That may have been a matter of Farrell being along for the ride with a talented and motivated team, but he was still a part of history.
So while I am never the guy clamoring for a manager to lose his job, I think a change was needed. Lets just not trash this guy on the way out the door like we’ve seen with this ownership group so many times before.
There is A LOT to unpack here less than 24 hours after the Red Sox bowed out in the ALDS for the second year in a row. Granted they didn’t get swept again this year, the Sox lost in 4 games after they started off poorly as it was too little too late against a stacked Astros squad. Where do they go from here? We’ve got the future of Manager John in question, Dustin Pedroia’s health, the absolute enigma that is our starting rotation, as well as questions around Hanley Ramirez, Xander Bogaerts, Craig Kimbrel and more. Lets get it.
Has the John Farrell Era Come to an End?
If so it finally does so in a fitting way; getting ejected defending a player who never really seemed to be all-in on him.
I’m never the guy clamoring for a manager to be fired because I think with the few exceptions, an MLB manager isn’t going to make or break a team. Just don’t screw it up, put players in a position to succeed, and most of all be the clubhouse therapist. And while Farrell certainly has his limitations with in-game adjustments, and even filling out the scorecard (honestly how do you bench arguably your best hitter in Hanley Ramirez for Game 1 in favor of a guy with a shitty knee?), but I think his ultimate downfall is his inability to be that armchair psychologist.
Manager John is not the guy that will call someone into his office to lay down on his couch and just talk things through. One of my favorite stories of a manager excelling at this was one about how Terry Francona used to call players over to talk with him right behind home plate as the team took BP. So everyone in the world could see them, but no one could hear them. This is an area where Manager John is sorely lacking, which became painfully obvious on multiple occasions this year, none more so than David Price blowing up on Dennis Eckersley and then essentially defending Price and the situation was never really resolved. In a market like Boston, managing the clubhouse and all its personalities is the No. 1 job requirement, which is why I think Farrell is ultimately shown the door this offseason.
What Should We Expect Out of Dustin Pedroia Moving Forward?
I don’t want to immediately overreact less than 24 hours after their season came to an end, but I am very, very concerned about Dustin Pedroia. Similar to old friend Kevin Youkilis, as he continues to get older, Pedroia’s balls out playing style is starting to catch up to him as he is routinely dealing with nagging injuries. This year it was the knee, which limited Pedroia to 105 games this year, and Dave Dombrowski sent me in to full blown panic earlier this year when he said that Pedroia’s knee would be something he’d have to deal with for the rest of his career. At 34 years old, that is a terrifying thing to hear. Now facing a number of options on what to do about his balky knee, Pedroia himself intimated that going the surgery route could put him out for a long time.
So while I know its the health thats affecting his play more than anything else, Pedroia just batted .125 in the ALDS this year, .167 in the ALDS last year, .238 in the 2013 playoffs, .167 in 2009, .233 in 2008, and .283 in 2007. Overall, he’s hitting just .204 in his last 26 playoff games. That my friends, is a bad trend. Maybe the Red Sox can do what the Yankees should have done with Jeter years before he retired and either limit his games in an effort to keep him healthy or perhaps move him to a less demanding position. While he’s not an ideal height or power profile, perhaps mixing in some games at first base would help lessen the demand on Pedroia’s body. Rotate him in at DH, where Pedroia has actually thrived in his career, to keep him fresh. Limit the number of games he’s throwing his body around at second base and maybe you get a healthy (and productive) Pedroia in the playoffs. But with four years left on his current deal, the Red Sox don’t really have much of a choice. While I’ve heard a lot of people slamming Pedroia’s leadership this season, I think the reality of an aging body that isn’t bouncing back the way it used to, coupled with the scrutiny of having to police his own locker room to keep dickheads like David Price in check, is mentally draining the guy. Keep him healthy and you’ll have a more energetic, engaged and productive Pedroia. He did hit .293 this season when he was on the field so he’s still a very strong hitter when he’s upright. But, he’s not 25 anymore, so maybe a revived role for the longterm second baseman gets him back to his hey day of shit talking Jeff Francis and Brady Quinn. Can’t ask the guy to do everything, so while I don’t want to defend his poor playoff performance, I think its something the Sox can mitigate by taking a few steps. Again, put the players in a position to succeed.
What the Hell Do the Red Sox Do About Their Pitching
Chris Sale had his worst start of the year at the worst possible time in the playoffs. Sound familiar? Now that we’ve got that out of the way, its important to note how he bounced back and was downright dominant out of the bullpen (on short rest) to give the Red Sox a lifeline in Game 4. Despite the fact he gave up that solo HR to cough up the lead, its important to note that he was lights out. Given the fact that it was his first career postseason start, I’m willing to give Sale the benefit of the doubt. Combined with the fact that Sale seemingly ran out of gas down the stretch, I think the Sox would benefit by working in some rest throughout the year for him, similar to how they used to do for Pedro Martinez. Sale was incredible this year where he was the hands down Cy Young winner before a shaky final 2 months. And while it was exciting to watch him chase that single season strikeout record that Pedro set, whats the point? If it left the guy gassed in October then its doing the team a disservice. So I think he’ll be back and better than ever next season.
As for David Price its hard what to make of him. He was downright dominant out of the bullpen for the Red Sox, which was encouraging to see, especially to see a pissed off emotional David Price. Seriously, the guy was screaming coming off the mound at opposing batters. That David Price I need to see more of. But again the Red Sox aren’t paying $217 Million for a bullpen guy. Price needs to replicate that, or at least come close to that as a starter in 2018 or the team’s cooked again. Most big free agents seem to struggle in Boston in Year 1 and Year 2 was a bit of a wash for Price due to his elbow injury. So maybe Year 3 he’s finally got that comfort level and makes a John Lackey type redemption with a bounce back year. That elbow is still a concern though so its tough to predict.
Rick Porcello followed up his 2016 Cy Young season with a terrible 2017 season going 11-17 with a 4.65 ERA and once again failing to go very far in the playoffs. He went 3 innings yesterday and only 4 1/3 in his ALDS start last year. Not a great trend. Maybe its a mechanical issue he can fix over the winter, but the back to back playoff shellackings are less than ideal.
Steven Wright, remember him? The knuckleballer who was an All-Star that John Farrell broke by having him run the fucking bases. He should be back next year, as well as Eduardo Rodriguez unless he has another knee injury doing nothing before the season starts. Drew Pomeranz had a really solid year going 17-6 with a 3.32 ERA, but another guy who got shelled in the playoffs. Doug Fister pitched admirabily in the regular season after being a guy Dombrowski picked up off the scrap heap in July, but he also shit the bed in the playoffs getting yanked in the second inning of Game 3 and finishing with an ERA over 20! He’s probably the odd man out next year assuming everyone else is healthy. So there’s not really a lot the Sox can do other than have the starting rotation get their shit together. Barring a huge trade, this is going to be the 2018 starting rotation.
The Rest of the Rest
Craig Kimbrel drives me fucking bananas. A two-pitch flamethrower with questionable control is a prescription for Tums. Kimbrel was incredible this season going 5-0 with a 1.43 ERA and 35 saves plus 126 Ks in just 69 innings. But like a lot of other guys with the ball in their hands, he shit the bed when it counted most. Kimbrel had a 4.50 ERA in the playoffs this year, more than triple his regular season ERA. And for a guy who is completely lights out with 3 outs to go in the game, he craters when asked to get a couple of extra outs.
Kimbrel came into yesterday’s game in the 8th inning with a man on first and two outs. Just get the final out of the 8th and the Sox are still tied heading into the bottom of the frame. Kimbrel proceeds to go: Wild Pitch (advancing runner to second) Walk, and RBI Single to give the Astros a 1-run lead before getting the third out. He then hits a guy in the 9th before giving up an RBI Double to put the Sox in a 2-run hole before getting yanked for Closer B Addison Russell. Can’t have that from a guy that everyone praises all year long for his dominance.
If we can get Playoff Hanley Ramirez and not store brand Manny Ramirez, then the Red Sox are golden. But as we all know, Hanley is off more often than he is on, which is a problem. Maybe he had a “Come to Jesus” moment in the ALDS this year. Maybe Big Papi got in his ear. I don’t know, but if he can actually give a shit for an entire season then the Sox are cooking with gas. But, it would be fool’s gold to bank on that for 2018.
Xander Bogaerts needs to start drinking his protein shakes or something after struggling badly down the stretch for the second consecutive season and then hitting .059 in the playoffs this year. Before the All-Star break this year X hit .303 and after the All-Star break X hit .235. Last year his splits were .329/.253. Granted two years ago he actually hit 30 points higher in the second half, but Xander needs to figure out how to stay fresh or he could quickly find himself on the way out of town.
2018 Silver Linings
Despite some hit or miss defense, Rafael Devers looks like the real fucking deal. Devers was called up on July 24th and was the youngest player in the league at 20 years old. Ya know, after a whole NINE GAMES in Triple-A. All he did was proceed to hit .284 with 10 HR’s and 30 RBIs. Then he became the youngest player in Red Sox history to hit a postseason HR and then he hit another one; and inside the park job in the 9th inning of Game 4 as he nearly kept the Red Sox alive singlehandedly. Unreal. After the disaster that was Pablo Sandoval and trading away Travis Shaw, who hit 30 dingers himself this season, it seems like the Sox have found another young budding star. Thank god Dombrowski didn’t trade him too.
Not a ton else to look forward to as I don’t see a team thats already pressed up against the Luxury Tax making too many additions. Barring a huge trade, this will be the same squad trotting out there in 2018. So maybe another year of playoff experience, a new manager, and maybe a new bench player acting as the glue guy (i.e. Kevin Millar, David Ross, Jonny Gomes) gets this team over the hump next year. Thats it.
Get it? Because Carl Crawford bitched and moaned about the Red Sox for years like the team forced him to sign a $142 million contract. Poor guy. Bleacher Report just smoked him with that headline. By the way, Crawford is STILL on that original contract the Red Sox signed him to back when I was still in college.
“Now in the final weeks of the monster seven-year, $142 million deal he signed before the 2011 season, Crawford is being paid nearly $22 million by the Dodgers this summer to not play baseball.”
And guess what? I alllllmost started feeling bad for the guy with quotes like this:
“It just seems like my hamstrings started hurting one day and never stopped,” Crawford shrugs, shaking his head. “Then you compensate, and something else hurts.”
As a guy rapidly nearing 30 I can totally relate to my body just falling apart. My knees randomly hurt and I never played past high school.
And this:
“Lonely? Nah,” Crawford, who turned 36 last month, says from behind that wall. He gets that question a lot, and it’s easy to see why…It’s so funny, man,” he says. “I’d really like to get it on record: Everybody thinks I’m sad and lonely, and it’s just not the case. It’s not the case at all.”
I really was turning a corner on Carl Crawford. I was almost there. But then he starts up with THIS shit all over again. Even in retirement, collecting $22 million to do nothing, he still talks shit about Boston.
A naturally shy, private person, Crawford was no match for the high-volume baseball experience of Fenway Park. Former outfielder Torii Hunter was with the Los Angeles Angels at the time and attempted to recruit Crawford there, but the Boston money spoke louder. “I should have listened, man. They say, ‘Don’t go chasing waterfalls,”
He hated Boston. The feeling was mutual. And after the Dodgers acquired him…he was more than happy to sling public arrows at Boston every chance he got. “I carried hate for that city for a long time,” Crawford says. “But now, I’m over that. I feel much better, because I learned that you can’t hate something or you never get over it. It definitely was a learning experience, definitely that. I got that out of it, if nothing else.”
Like we ruined his life. You were massively overpaid and massively underperformed and the city let you know about it. For better or for worse, thats Boston. We shit you not.
NHL – It will be the first time the Golden Knights ever take the ice for a game at T-Mobile Arena…To represent a city that’s never had a major league franchise of its own to cheer for, to be a rallying point for people in this area who recognize this place as home more than a place to visit on vacation….Just inside the blue line on the end of the ice the Golden Knights defends twice will be inscribed the names of all the team’s season ticket members. So as much as visiting teams will have to defeat Vegas, the team, they’ll also have to defeat Vegas, the people… “That it was feasible, if we wanted to do something special on the ice, that we had the ability to put texture to something on the ice, before the laid the last round of it.”
This idea is so fire that it might actually melt the Golden Knight’s ice. Being a season ticket holder for any team usually means having the opportunity to fork over thousands of dollars and buy $10 dollar beers while maybe getting access to a couple extra events and press conferences.
But this? Getting your name permanently inscribed under the ice as one of the inaugural season ticket members? That is some badass legacy right there. Props to Vegas for having some new ideas of how to entice and engage fans rather than the same old bullshit everyone else does. Take a look at the process below and check out the video here.
Something I wanted to touch on as it does directly affect the Boston Celtics was Carmelo Anthony getting traded to the Thunder over the weekend. Now obviously Melo’s trade value has plummeted over the years, especially with the $54 Million he’s due to make over the next two years, but it was still a pretty measly return for the Knicks. I guess they just wanted to close that chapter and move on and rebuild (AROUND DOUGIE MCBUCKETS!)
But hats off to Sam Presti. This guy has been getting roasted for years, rightfully so, for blowing up the Thunder and trading away “bench players” like James Harden who has only grown into a Top 5 player in the league. So getting Carmelo Anthony and Paul George this offseason for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, a 2018 second-round pick, Victor Oladipo, and Domantas Sabonis is the definition of pulling a rabbit out of your ass.
Now how does this affect the Celtics? Well its always good to see an elite scorer not land with your biggest rival in Cleveland, which is where a lot of rumors had Melo going. Problem is GM LeBron has gutted this team of assets so the Cavs don’t really have much to offer anyone aside from that brand new Brooklyn pick, which was obviously never gonna happen. But, Melo on the Cavs was a scary thought. Say what you want about the guy, but if he’s the second or third option and can just hang out in the corner waiting for his shot, thats lethal. So him going to OKC helps Boston avoid an even larger uphill battle against the Cavs.
Remember when LeBron said Super Teams weren’t a thing? Welp, What is dead may never die. There are now like 4-5 teams (read: Golden State) that have a real shot at winning the title, which is bad for the league, but great for NBA2K because OKC just became a must play team.
Also, hopefully Carmelo, Paul George and Russell Westbrook don’t murder each other when they’re all gunning for the last shot. Hopefully it works out because I NEED Russell to win a title in OKC soon just to see him essentially host the Haters Ball in his victory speech. I don’t think Kevin Durant would ever recover from the things Russ might say in that speech. Need to see it.
PS – While Carmelo on the Knicks was basically a dumpster fire for the better part of six years, let us never forget that trade spawned one of the best sports commercials of all-time. I’m not even a Knicks fan and that commercial still gives me goosebumps.
So last night the Sox went into extra innings AGAIN, which I believe Dave O’Brien said was their 5th game with bonus cantos of this road trip. With last nights W, the Sox are now 15-3 in extra innings games, which is tied for the most wins in extra innings in franchise history. 18 extra innings games is insane. Thats gotta be at the top of the league if not the league leader for extra innings games played this season. For some reason this is not an easy stat to find so I’m gonna need the baseball nerds to hammer out that research for me.
But to go 15-3 in all those extra innings games is downright impressive. Resilience like you read about. Thats the kind of identity this team has been looking for all season. Seriously, look at this shit:
The Red Sox lead the majors with 16 wins when tied or trailing after 8 innings.
Still not sold on this team going very far in the playoffs unless they put Chris Sale on the Game 1, Game 3, and Game 7 Randy Johnson schedule, but this team battles can’t deny that.
UPDATE: It would appear the Red Sox are second in extra innings games played this season in the AL, according to Boston Sports Info, but LOOK AT THAT BULLPEN!
So the trailer for “Only the Brave” premiered during Monday Night Football and I had only one thought. Umm what the fuck is this? Vinny Chase already made this movie. Its called Smoke Jumpers. Seriously, its the same exact movie.
I mean, come on. Here’s Ari Gold pitching Vinny the synopsis for this same exact movie back in 2008. I’m onto you, Brolin.
Vinny Chase is so hot right night. Vinny Chase. Seriously, for all the shit people give Entourage despite it being a defining comedy for any guy in their late twenties, Hollywood is just pumping out movies that Vinny already made. Aquaman? Vinny made that in 2005:
*This was literally my only frame of reference for the Santa Monica Pier for about 10 years until I recently visited LA for the first time*
Now Hollywood is re-releasing Aquaman with Khal Drogo next year. Narcos? A little film my man Vinny made called Medellin, ever heard of it? Got into Sundance on its trailer alone, NBD.
And now this new movie about elite firefighters in the mountains fighting the biggest fire they’ve ever seen? THAT IS SMOKE JUMPERS. And I will not stand for this any longer until Mr. Chase is given the respect he deserves.
Not to mention, Vinny also got cast in Gatsby before Leo Dicarpio made his version so thats four movies Hollywood has snaked out of Vinny. For shame Hollywood, for shame.
PS – I’ll never forget the face of utter dismay on this girl I went to college with when I told her that no, Queens Boulevard was not actually a real movie. Pure shock.
CBS Boston – David Price is off of the disabled list and heading to the Boston bullpen.
The Red Sox activated the 32-year-old lefty on Thursday after a seven-week stay on the disabled list with left elbow inflammation. He threw a three-inning simulated game at Fenway Park on Wednesday, and Boston manager John Farrell hopes to have Price available out of the bullpen on Sunday or Monday.
David Price hasn’t made an appearance out of the bullpen in a regular season game since 2010, but the bullpen is actually where he’s found most of his success in the postseason. Price’s postseason woes are well known, but he’s actually been pretty good out of the bullpen in October. Both of his playoff wins were out of the bullpen.
Price pitched exclusively out of the bullpen in 2008 and was 1-0 with a save in five appearances. He posted a 1.59 ERA over 5.2 innings, struck out 8 of the 24 batters he faced, and allowed just two hits. His sole relief appearance as a Blue Jay in 2015 against the Rangers wasn’t as impressive, but he did manage to get a win out of it.
It’ll be interesting to see how John Farrell chooses to use Price going forward. Will he be used a lefty specialist, as an eighth-inning guy, or a as a general fireman? Also interesting to see will be Price’s reaction to being placed in the bullpen. I know he’s coming back from an injury and has to work his arm strength back up, which is difficult to do this late in the season, but it still feels like a demotion. Even after his rough outing last night, I’d still rather give the ball to Doug Fister in game three or four of the playoffs than David Price.
Regardless of what happens down the stretch, it’s hard not view year two of David Price in Boston as a disappointment. A strong late-season run would help make this deal look less like the Pablo Sandoval disaster, but this is not the guy the Red Sox thought they were getting. The Red Sox thought they were getting a guy who could drive the bus, not a guy who would yell at the team broadcaster on the bus.
The 300s 