Tag: Yankees

Once Dominant Red Sox Reliever Daniel Bard is On the Comeback Tour

By on • ( Leave a comment )

danielbard

Yahoo! Sports – For a time, Daniel Bard was one of baseball’s most effective and feared relievers. Now the 31-year-old right-hander is scratching and clawing for one more opportunity in the big leagues, which he hopes will come this season with the St. Louis Cardinals.

I admit I had completely forgotten about Daniel Bard. The once heir apparent to the best closer in Red Sox history, Jonathan Papelbon. Guy was absolutely lights out as a setup man and then the Red Sox fucked everything up. Seriously, don’t mess with success.

Remember when the Yankees had the same EXACT situation on their hands with Joba Chamberlain? Guy was an absolutely dominant reliever who was in line to take over as closer for Mariano Rivera. Nope, Yankees tried to move him into the starting rotation and the guy folded. Admittedly he had some sparks of dominance as a starter. I was at a game at Fenway he started and the guy went 7-8 innings and struck out 10. But for whatever reason, his build, his control, his endurance the guy unraveled and was ruined as a pitcher. They had a specific set of rules called the Joba Rules to keep this guy in tact for christ’s sake. Probably not the ideal guy to be messing with his whole workload and mindset. But I digress…

This is the latest team in a long list of teams kicking the tires on Bard. Theo was the first to try and resurrect Bard’s career unsurprisingly, picking him off the scrap heap in 2013 after the Sox placed him on waivers. He signed with the Rangers next season before actually re-signing with the Cubs organization in 2015, signed with the Pirates organization in January 2016 and didn’t even make it to April before getting released. Bard ultimately signed with the Cardinals last year and that’s where the comeback tour rolls on.

Reports say Bard seems to have his control back and is still throwing 96 mph. And this isn’t from some scrub St. Louis reporter, by “reports” I mean that this is coming from Peter Gammons, the human Britannica of baseball himself. So that’s gotta count for something.

With guys like Bard who were absolutely filthy for a short stint and then flamed out just as fast, it always reminds me of the Stellan Skarsgard quote from Good Will Hunting.

goodwillhunting_wishinevermetyou

Best of luck, Dan.

Would Bryce Harper Spurn the Yankees Over His Lettuce?

By on • ( Leave a comment )

bryceharperhair

Yahoo – “Even the most ardent Bryce Harper haters have to admit one thing: The Washington Nationals outfielder has a strong hair game. We’re not just talking about the hair on his head, either, though it is spectacular…It’s no secret Harper rooted for the Yankees growing up, and there’s been speculation about him joining the club the instant he becomes a free-agent for years now. Knowing that, [Clint] Frazier took the opportunity to do a little recruiting for New York.”

If you’ve ever had any hope of Bryce Harper spurning the Yankees (who he’s long been rumored to be destined for in Free Agency), then this is your best shot. Bryce Harper, the young, cocky dude who mashes dingers all while rocking the best hair in baseball and a full beard. Not on the Yankees because of their nonsensical rules on hair and facial hair. Bryce would have to shave the beard and start rocking a boy’s regular. Not this guy.

bryceharperhairflip

Would his glorious lettuce be enough for Harper to say forget that, I’ll go mash somewhere else and look like Jayson Werth if I want? Thats what I’m hoping at least. I love Harper and I think he’d be a cult figure in Boston; a fiery asshole that lives and dies with every play, runs into walls and absolutely rakes? Yea I think Massholes would take a liking to him. Either way, anyone but the Yankees. Thats just what they need, an MVP slugger in his prime. Don’t do it Bryce. Just look at the damage the Yankees have done to lettuce over the years.

randyjohnsonyankees

johnnydamonyankees

nickswisherhair

PS – I’m already distraught over the lettuce that Yankees top prospect Clint Frazier will soon have to axe. RIP.

clintfrazierhair

Yankees Respond to Red Sox Trading for Chris Sale and Sign Aroldis Chapman to Monster Deal. Rivalry is Back On

By on • ( Leave a comment )

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The Yankees just signed Aroldis Chapman to a 5 year $86 Million deal the largest deal any reliever has ever received. My initial reaction? Shit. My next response? This is the not fucking around crew.

And I love it. As much as its going to suck having to fear Aroldis Chapman coming out of the pen to slam a close game shut 19 times a year, this is phenomenal for the Sox Yankees rivalry.

To be honest its been pretty dull the past few years as both teams really haven’t been very good at the same time. Sox win the AL East last year? Yankees finish 9 games back. So it will be good to have a new stud on the other side for us all to hate. Plus both teams are young and getting better, which is great for breeding that next generation of contempt. You need guys going head to head beating each others brains in every season for years to really get that bad blood going. Throw in a nut job like Chris Sale and I think we’ve got a dog days of summer bench clearing brawl just waiting to happen.

chrissale

This reminds me of the good old days back in the early 2000s when these two teams were getting after it like the Cold War, constantly trying to one up the other side with big signings, trades, digging up international gems (cue Theo Epstein trashing his hotel room after losing out on Jose Contreras to the Yankees). We had Theo and the whole front office flying out to Arizona to have fucking Thanksgiving dinner with Curt Schilling, all in hopes of getting him to waive his no-trade clause for the Sox over the Yankees. Reminds me of the days when each side was calling the other the Evil Empire. Red Sox trade for one of the top 3 pitchers in baseball? Literally the next day the Yankees sign arguably the best closer in baseball. Giving this rivalry the juice it needed. Love it.

Red Sox Riding 40 Year Old DH and Knuckleballer to Early Success

By on • ( Leave a comment )

 

Courtesy of Boston Globe

Courtesy of Boston Globe

ESPN – Ortiz’s strong night overshadowed that of Steven Wright, who had another strong start in a season full of them. Wright tossed a complete game, allowed three hits and faced two batters more than the minimum in the win. The knuckleballer extended his streak of games in which he pitched at least six innings and allowed two or fewer runs to six. In the past 50 years, only Roger Clemens (1993, 1991) and Clay Buchholz (2013) have started seasons with at least six such games for the Red Sox.

Led by a 40 year old DH and a Knuckleballer, the 2016 Red Sox continue to defy expectations. Again, let me repeat that; David Ortiz, a guy who is 40 years old and in the final year of his career is crushing the ball with 9 HR’s so far (MVP type start) and Steven Wright, a former journeyman Knuckleball pitcher, who was slotted as your No. 5 starter, is throwing zeroes and is currently trailing only 3 pitchers in all of baseball in ERA. Not to mention, going the distance and throwing a complete game 3-hitter against your biggest rival on Sunday Night Baseball; you know the stuff Aces do.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Meanwhile the $217 offseason acquisition has been bad more often than good with an ERA of 6.75. I fully expect David Price to pick it up, for no other reason than it would be a fall off of epic proportions to go from Cy Young contender to guy with an era in the 6’s. Boston does indeed take some getting used to, but I think a guy with his track record figures it out. Probably won’t be in the Cy voting this year, but reel off a few good starts and we’re back on track and the Sox become a dangerous team both with the bat and on the mound.

Right now sitting 1/2 game out of first, most people picked the Sox to be a mediocre team and likely miss the playoffs with the 98.5 Sports Hub guys even dubbing May 5th, “Cinco de Fire-o” for John Farrell. But the offense has been dominant as the Red Sox lead the AL in Runs, Hits, Doubles, Triples, RBIs, AVG, OBP, SLG, and OPS. So in other words – the best offense in the league. That has allowed the pitching to be very meh over the first 30 games.

Things will really get interesting when last year’s rookie stud Eduardo Rodriguez comes back from the DL and then again when Machine Gun Joe Kelly comes back. I think most people initially expected Wright to get the shaft once E-Rod came off the DL, but there is no way in hell John Farrell can yank Wright now. Not while he continues to carry the goddamn team.

AR-150309168

My vote would be for Buchholz to take his annual vacation on the DL. The guy weights 150 pounds, it’s prob for the best if he doesn’t make 32 starts. Give me 20-25 great starts and just be ready for the playoffs and we’re good. No need to force it and try to get more out of a guy when it’s just not coming. He’s been on the Sox for 9 years now, he is what he is. A decent middle of the rotation pitcher who can be lights out when everything is going his way. Put guys in a position to succeed, especially in a sport with athletes as coddled as baseball. And then when he asks for a $150 million dollar contract you politely tell him to kick rocks.

Sacramento Kings Getting People to Tattoo New Logo On Themselves

By on • ( Leave a comment )
Courtesy of ESPN

Courtesy of ESPN

SB Nation – The team, however, has decided to go even further by inviting fans to get tattoos of the logos for free on Wednesday. So, at five designated tattoo parlors, fans lined up immediately.

As a guy that loves tattoos, but has never had the stones to pull the trigger and get one, this is bananas. Yet I respect the hell out of it. Getting a tattoo as part of a publicity stunt is some bold stuff, especially for a team that has changed its logo yet again. It’s not like the Yankees “NY” or something that hasn’t changed in a hundred years. But tattooed folk are like a guy sitting at a hot blackjack table. If you’ve already got a couple, whats another one? Hit me. ESPECIALLY if that shit is free. All while being branded for a garbage basketball team.

With that being said..the secondary logo of the lion is fire.

 

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js