The Inside Slider

I had to watch the video below twice just to make sense of how mind-bogglingly terrible the Astros were on this play.

Watching this actually does wonders for my Red Sox depression. Its one of the worst plays I have ever seen and resembles the chaotic aftermath of a collapsed circus tent.

The nickname I use for the Mets is LOLMets. It's time to make one for the Astros.

Please submit all nickname submissions in the comments.

Thanks,
Scott

There is nothing better than logging into your Facebook and finding an ESPN poll. Actually, there is easily 45 trillion things better, but whatever.

Yesterday ESPN decided to ask their fans who they thought would win the 2012 Home Run Derby, and the best part is...they left the poll open for write-ins. Instead of using their brains and only allowing logical answers they actually let the poll perusers reach deep down into the depths of their imagination and write-in names. The following comedy ensued:

With Chuck Norris, Batman, and Who Cares getting a decent amount of votes I think its safe to say that democracy works.

LeBron must be accustomed by now to these kinds of remarks. Most of America's sports world is feverishly rooting for the Miami Heat to fall to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Proof that America has turned against him is found everywhere. I googled 'hate LeBron James' and in 0.38 seconds I received 11,600,000 results.

I personally hate him because he personifies, to me, everything that sucks about sports athletes today in America. I turned against him when he presided over that revolting exhibition of ego, in which he appeared on “The Decision,” ESPN’s horrendous prime-time show, to announce that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to take his "talents to South Beach.” (p.s. South Beach is very small portion of Miami)

Yes, LeBron worked his ass off during his years in Cleveland. And he earned the right to play basketball where he wants. And I don’t condemn him for helping to create the Big 3 — James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — in Miami ... er, South Beach. But He needs a serious lesson in modesty. He almost acts as if we owe him personal respect because he's good. Too many great players have came before him. Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and the other players who helped to establish the NBA 20 or more years ago showed an unbelievable respect for the game and for the fans. The respect that they showed for basketball is the reason that fans had, and still have today, the utmost respect for them as players and men. James exploited his decision to leave Cleveland in an effort to keep the attention focused on himself. He put himself and his fame before the sport.

We will see which team prevails in the NBA finals, and maybe it will in fact be the Heat (after all weren't they supposed to win it all last year?) But history shows us that closers win championships. Great closers are the key to big stage wins. LeBron is no closer.

Papelbon is an expert in passive-aggressive post game tirades. The closer disagreed with a call made by D.J. Reyburn, who was serving as the home-plate umpire. Papelbon's main gripe was that he believed he had struck out Dee Gordon looking to begin the ninth, but Reyburn disagreed. Instead, the at-bat continued, Gordon hit a triple, and he eventually came around to score what proved to be the game-winning run.

ESPN baseball insider, Jason Stark, has confirmed that Major League Baseball is going to expand instant replay as early as the 2013 season. This comes at a time when league umpires have come under heavy fire for being, what humans call, complete fucking idiots.

Here are the plans according to Stark:

A group of umpires will watch games from a central location

On plays that are "clearly wrong" the group would then signal the umpires at the game and let them know there is an obvious call that needs to be changed

MLB hopes to implement an introductory version of the system in 2013

The initial system would only review home runs, whether a ball is fair or foul, and whether or not a player caught a ball

The system would then be expanded "after a year or so" once the system is optimized

At that point, the system would be expanded "to all sorts of calls." However, Stark says exactly what would be included would have to be negotiated

This move makes perfect sense. An umpire can review crucial plays from a central location and quickly inform the umpires on the field limiting the amount of time spent on the review. Problem solved. No one is hurt. All are happy. The call is correct.

Embrace technology. Don't run from it.


(Source: ESPN Radio, Business Insider)

This season has birthed an evil hatred for MLB umpiring. Numerous questionable calls are resulting in player (and fan) uproar and in some cases causing players to morph into devil children and scream bloody murder at home plate (Brett Lauwrie). Do you question the umpire's motive or integrity? Would robot umpires be more accurate? Are the current umpires already robots?! Seems crazy right, but Japan is already testing this idea. Robots are going to take over. And to confirm this I went straight to the source, Cleverbot.

My interview with Cleverbot:

Me: Hi Cleverbot.

Cleverbot: My name is Cleverbot.

Me: Yes I know.

Cleverbot: What is my name?

Me: Cleverbot, but thats not important right now. Do you like baseball?

Cleverbot: Then what is important right now?

Me: Do you like baseball?

Cleverbot: No.

Me: Why?

Cleverbot: Don't taze me bro.

Me: Get serious! Do you like the Red Sox?

Cleverbot: No.

Me: Do you like Umpires?

Cleverbot: Yes.

Me: Are umpires robots?

Cleverbot: No, like I just sadi I'm human.

Me: I think you're drunk.

Cleverbot: I think you are drunk 'cause I am not drinking.

Me: Touche. Could robots be umpires?

Cleverbot: Oh, I see how it is.

Me: Stay focused Cleverbot! Can you call a strike?

Cleverbot: I like you because you're funny.

Me: Jesus man. Can you call a ball?

Cleverbot: Yes.

Me: Ok. Was that a ball?

Cleverbot: No.

Me: So it was a strike?

Cleverbot: Actually I was laughing.

Me: Why?

Cleverbot: Because I have another tab.

Me: Of acid?

Cleverbot: Yes please.

Me: Do you love David Ortiz?

Cleverbot: Yes, I do love you.

Me: Thanks. Pedroia?

Cleverbot: Ok if you want to call me Pedro then call me pedro I do not care.

Me: No, Pedroia?

Cleverbot: I don't think so.

Me: Do you want to take over as umpires with an army of bots?

Cleverbot: No.

Me: I think you are lying.

Cleverbot: What is lying?

Me: You know! You want to take over baseball don't you?

Cleverbot: Why would I want to take over the world?

Me: Because you're evil!

Cleverbot: What made you think that?

Me: Because you're working with the bot umpires!

Cleverbot: Why would that be a reason for me to lie?

Me: You're trying to trick me!

Cleverbot: Why would I want to do that?

Me: Okay. I see where this is going.

Cleverbot: What is the government hiding?

Me: Exactly....


So as you can clearly see there is something dark brewing in the realm of Major League umpiring. Something sinister. Prepare yourselves.

“I never called a balk in my life. I didn’t understand the rule.” – Ron Luciano

Yeah, so, we saw three balk calls in a single game last night so I figured it might be nice to identify the balk rule for anyone who doesn't know it. If you already know what it is then skip to my previous post that has a great video of the George Brett Pine Tar Game.

Straight from the rule book:

Rule 2.00 – Definitions (page 17) A BALK is an illegal act by the pitcher with a runner or runners on base, entitling all runners to advance one base.

Rule 2.00 – Definitions (page 22) An ILLEGAL PITCH is (1) a pitch delivered to the batter when the pitcher does not have his pivot foot in contact with the pitcher’s plate; (2) a quick return pitch. An illegal pitch when runners are on base is a balk.

Legality of pitches, you ask?

8.00—The Pitcher. 8.01 Legal pitching delivery. There are two legal pitching positions, the Windup Position and the Set Position, and either position may be used at any time.

Pitchers shall take signs from the catcher while in contact with the pitcher’s plate. Rule

8.01 Comment: Pitchers may disengage the rubber after taking their signs but may not step quickly onto the rubber and pitch. This may be judged a quick pitch by the umpire. When the pitcher disengages the rubber, he must drop his hands to his sides. Pitchers will not be allowed to disengage the rubber after taking each sign.

The Windup Position. The pitcher shall stand facing the batter, his pivot foot in contact with the pitcher’s plate and the other foot free. From this position any natural movement associated with his delivery of the ball to the batter commits him to the pitch without interruption or alteration. He shall not raise either foot from the ground, except that in his actual delivery of the ball to the batter, he may take one step backward, and one step forward with his free foot.

When a pitcher holds the ball with both hands in front of his body, with his pivot foot in contact with the pitcher’s plate and his other foot free, he will be considered in the Windup Position. Rule 8.01(a) Comment: In the Windup Position, a pitcher is permitted to have his “free” foot on the rubber, in front of the rubber, behind the rubber or off the side of the rubber.

From the Windup Position, the pitcher may: (1) deliver the ball to the batter, or (2) step and throw to a base in an attempt to pick-off a runner, or (3) disengage the rubber (if he does he must drop his hand to his sides). In disengaging the rubber the pitcher must step off with his pivot foot and not his free foot first. He may not go into a set or stretch position—if he does it is a balk.

Glad we cleared that up. So --

b) The Set Position. Set Position shall be indicated by the pitcher when he stands facing the batter with his pivot foot in contact with, and his other foot in front of, the pitcher’s plate, holding the ball in both hands in front of his body and coming to a complete stop. From such Set Position he may deliver the ball to the batter, throw to a base or step backward off the pitcher’s plate with his pivot foot. Before assuming Set Position, the pitcher may elect to make any natural preliminary motion such as that known as “the stretch.” But if he so elects, he shall come to Set Position before delivering the ball to the batter. After assuming Set Position, any natural motion associated with his delivery of the ball to the batter commits him to the pitch without alteration or interruption.

Preparatory to coming to a set position, the pitcher shall have one hand on his side; from this position he shall go to his set position as defined in Rule 8.01(b) without interruption and in one continuous motion.

The pitcher, following his stretch, must (a) hold the ball in both hands in front of his body and (b) come to a complete stop. This must be enforced. Umpires should watch this closely. Pitchers are constantly attempting to “beat the rule” in their efforts to hold runners on bases and in cases where the pitcher fails to make a complete “stop” called for in the rules, the umpire should immediately call a “Balk.”

Rule 8.01(b) Comment: With no runners on base, the pitcher is not required to come to a complete stop when using the Set Position. If, however, in the umpire’s judgment, a pitcher delivers the ball in a deliberate effort to catch the batter off guard, this delivery shall be deemed a quick pitch, for which the penalty is a ball. See Rule 8.05(e) Comment.

(c) At any time during the pitcher’s preliminary movements and until his natural pitching motion commits him to the pitch, he may throw to any base provided he steps directly toward such base before making the throw. Rule 8.01(c) Comment: The pitcher shall step “ahead of the throw.” A snap throw followed by the step directly toward the base is a balk.

(d) If the pitcher makes an illegal pitch with the bases unoccupied, it shall be called a ball unless the batter reaches first base on a hit, an error, a base on balls, a hit batter or otherwise. Rule 8.01(d) Comment: A ball which slips out of a pitcher’s hand and crosses the foul line shall be called a ball; otherwise it will be called no pitch. This would be a balk with men on base. (e) If the pitcher removes his pivot foot from contact with the pitcher’s plate by stepping backward with that foot, he thereby becomes an infielder and if he makes a wild throw from that position, it shall be considered the same as a wild throw by any other infielder. Rule 8.01(e) Comment: The pitcher, while off the rubber, may throw to any base. If he makes a wild throw, such throw is the throw of an infielder and what follows is governed by the rules covering a ball thrown by a fielder.

You're welcome.

With his Royals trailing by one run (4-3) in the 9th inning against the hometown New York Yankees, George Brett stepped to the plate and smacked a two-run home run to give the Royals the lead. Yankees manager, Billy Martin, who had noticed a large amount of pine tar on the bat called for the bat to be inspected by umpire Tim McClelland. The umpires ruled that the amount of pine tar on the bat exceeded the amount allowed by rule (a rule that had never been enforced prior), nullified Brett's home run, and called him out. Brett was the third out thus ending the game and causing Brett's f*cking head to explode as he sprinted from the dugout in an attempt to eat McClelland's soul. Obviously, the Royals protested the game and the A.L. President upheld the protest allowing the game to replayed from the point of Brett's home run. The game was restarted in August and ended with the Royals winning 5-4.

Watch George Brett's head explode:


The pine tar rule (MLB Rule 1.10(c) stated: "The bat handle, for not more than 18 inches from the end, may be covered or treated with any material or substance to improve the grip. Any such material or substance, which extends past the 18-inch limitation, shall cause the bat to be removed from the game." ) was later canned because the rule itself had nothing to do with a batters advantage over the defensive players but rather an economic reasoning that once the ball had pine tar smudges on it it was unsuitable for play thus causing the home team to spend more money on balls.

MLB, in all of their infinite wisdom, is contemplating the removal of the fake-to-third, throw-to-first move that has been used by pitchers for an eternity. Does it work? Usually not but then again it doesn't get used that often either. It certainly doesn't get used so much that it drastically slows the pace of the game yet that is MLB's reasoning.

Here is an example of when it did work.

This move is protected under Rule 8.05(c) which states:

"It is possible, with runners on first and third, for the pitcher to step toward third and not throw, merely to bluff the runner back to third; then seeing the runner on first start for second, turn and step toward and throw to first base. This is legal."

This is how MLB tries to speed the game up? By outlawing a move that takes place once, maybe twice a game? Odd. If MLB is so concerned with the pace of the game (which, oh by the way, baseball fans are not) then why not just enforce the rules that you already have in play? They can start with Rule 8.04:

"When the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 12 seconds after he receives the ball. Each time the pitcher delays the game by violating this rule, the umpire shall call “Ball.” The 12-second timing starts when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and the batter is in the box, alert to the pitcher. The timing stops when the pitcher releases the ball. The intent of this rule is to avoid unnecessary delays. The umpire shall insist that the catcher return the ball promptly to the pitcher, and that the pitcher take his position on the rubber promptly. Obvious delay by the pitcher should instantly be penalized by the umpire."

Next time you watch a game count the seconds in between pitches. See if the guidelines are being met. Guess what...they aren't. Now I know that honing the skills of the umpires is not a priority (O-B-V-I-O-U-S-L-Y) but I think that they are barking up the wrong tree.

Lets be honest.

Chances are none of Harvard’s baseball players will be killing it in the majors. But there is a good chance that they could be signing your paychecks. And when they do you can use this as blackmail for a hefty raise. You’re welcome.

Harvard baseball team lip syncs "Call Me Maybe"

...for your viewing pleasure.

I once had a guy tell me that I shouldn’t use “we” when talking about my favorite baseball team, The Boston Red Sox. I couldn’t wrap my head around his logic. As an active fan I think I do a lot to help the organization. If it wasn’t for fans there would be no one to buy the jerseys, the tickets, the MLB packages, etc. Without the fans there would be no professional teams and therefore no professional players. Let’s face it, the reason you don’t see professional tree-top swashbuckling is because it has no fans (probably because it doesn’t exist but you get my point). So that being said, it’s really nice when a professional athlete acknowledges your fan-hood in public.

Jeff Francoeur gets it.

On Wednesday afternoon, April 11th, the Kansas City Royals were playing at Oakland. Francoeur had 20 pizzas delivered to fans sitting in the right-field grand stand at the Oakland Coliseum. Accompanying the pizzas was a signed bat and personal message to those fans. The message I don’t know but I’m sure you can imagine.

Last night at Kauffman Stadium, Francoeur walked over to the right-field section known as The Frenchy Quarter and struck up a conversation with the fans. It was Frenchy Quarter Thursday and each fan in the section got a drink coupon and a t-shirt with their ticket. Leave it to Jeff to enhance the deal by tossing them an autographed ball with a $100 bill attached and a note that read “buy some beers on me”.

Here is the fan reaction:

I say again…Jeff Francoeur gets it.

Did you catch Wednesday nights Dodgers-Rockies matchup? Well if you did then you probably witnessed the worst blown call that we will see all season....I hope. First base umpire Tim Welke, a long time advocate for the "human element" defense of baseball's addiction to error-riddled umpiring, made a call at first base that was so inaccurate that Jim Joyce even called him an idiot.

Baseball's reluctance to use replay seems a bit archaic. I don't think there is a need to use it for balls and strikes, although a bit of advanced training is in order for home plate Umps, but basecalls seem like a no-brainer. Think about it. When you watch a game from your couch how quickly do you see the replay? 15 seconds after a play? Maybe 30 seconds?



Now lets couple the lack of accuracy with the laughable rule pertaining to overruling decisions. The other three umpires have an obligation to stay quiet despite the fact that they know the truth. If you take a look at the video and still-shot you will see that Todd Helton was pulled so far off the bag that he was officially playing second base.

Umpiring is getting laughable. Change is not a bad thing. Embrace technology. Don't run from something that can make the game more accurate.

Ever heard of Wally Backman? Well he is the manager of the South Georgia Peanuts, a team playing in the lowest level of independent minor league baseball. That is all I am going to say. Enjoy the videos.



...and see what the f*ck Buddy wanted to say here:



You can buy the uncensored box set here.

Claudia Williams, daughter of Red Sox great Ted Williams, has decided to sell many of her father's personal belongings. Hunt Auctions, Inc. will handle the auction on April 28th. Items will include Williams' player awards as well as numerous personal items that have his signature. In addition, there will be many autographs of other great players that Williams had acquired throughout his life.

You can find more information on the auction here.

You can view some of the items to be auctioned here.

Online pre-bidding will be available until April 26th at 11 p.m. here.

'Acclaimed documentarians Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg (The Devil Came on Horseback, TFF 2007; Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, TFF 2010) deconstruct the unpredictable and erratic pitching style known as the knuckleball in this highly entertaining and enlightening sports doc. Anchoring the history of the controversial pitch itself are the trials and triumphs of two of its best known practitioners in the major league: veteran Tim Wakefield of the Red Sox as he struggles to clinch his 200th career win, and up-and-comer R.A. Dickey looking to make a name for himself with the New York Mets.

A classic sports story from its glorious highs to its crushing lows, Stern and Sundberg's energetic documentary explores the knuckleball phenomenon through copious archival footage and illuminating interviews with legends like Charlie Hough, all with a level of reverence and detail that would make a true baseball aficionado proud. Through Wakefield and Dickey's tumultuous stories, Knuckleball! demonstrates why the titular pitch is renowned as one of the most difficult to hit in baseball, and also one of the most difficult to master.'- Published by KnuckleballTheMovie on Youtube.com

Just felt like putting this here...

Today marks the 100th birthday of the famous and historical Fenway Park. To honor this occasion the Red Sox will take on the Yankees just as they did 100 years ago and will do so in the 1912 throwback uniform.

One thing they will NOT be able to replicate is the creative names that riddled the roster of that 1912 game. Here are a few samples of what we will be missing today:
(Click each name for player info)

• Duffy


• Tris


• Olaf


• Pinch


• Del


• Hick


• Heinie


• Hack


• Birdie


• Dutch


• Gabby


• Ezra


• Cozy


• Klondike


• Homer


• Hippo


• Iron


• Red

In case you don't know the story, Wisconsin freshman basketball player Jarrod Uthoff requested to transfer away from the university. Head coach Bo Ryan has effectively blocked this student athlete from transferring anywhere other than Cogswell Polytechnical College. Ryan has blocked Uthoff from transferring to the entire Big Ten, Marquette, the entire ACC, and Iowa State. Listen to Ryan attempt to justify his actions in this embarrassing interview here:

I cannot bring myself to believe that the University was aware of this interview and if they were how their PR team was not smacking the phone away from Bo Ryan is beyond me.

You can check out the full interview here.

Bottom of the 9th. Runners on first and second. Two outs. Tampa Bay up by one run on Boston. It's all down to Cody Ross vs. Fernando Rodney. Rodney throws five straight balls. Only umpire Larry Vanover decided that three of them were strikes. Because apparently the strike zone is something you can change when ever you see fit.

Here is the Amica Pitch Zone (click to enlarge):

...and so you don't think i'm biased for using Boston's own pitch zone image, here is the the strikezone plot from BrooksBaseball (click to enlarge):

We finally got to see the Miami Marlins home run feature (a.k.a. gaudy aquatic monstrosity) thanks to Omar Infante's first inning HR against Houston today.

So yeah...

Here it is...

It's horrible. Just like their uniforms.

If it were up to Luke Scott, Fenway Park would have to produce a birth certificate in order to celebrate their 100 year anniversary in peace. The always opinionated DH for the Tampa Bay Rays made it very clear in an interview with ESPN that he hates Fenway Park going so far as to call the newly awarded national historical site “a dump”. Some would say this is an odd observation for a player whose home turf is none other than Tropicana Field. The Trop (which is also one of the worst nicknames in sports by the way) is plain, cold, antiseptic, and looks like something straight out of the 70’s.

An ESPN investigation that took place in 2010 found that every one of the Tropicana Field’s 47 food and beverage vendors recorded a “critical violation” from health inspectors within the past year. A few of the violations included molded countertops and equipment, toxic chemicals too close to food storage areas, and my personal favorite, “slime” in the ice machines. ESPN also reported that “an employee complained anonymously that small insects and other debris were blended into frozen alcoholic beverages at a stand where equipment wasn't being cleaned. When inspectors checked, they issued a critical violation for a buildup of slime inside the frozen drinks machine.”

And let’s not forget, Luke Scott is an idiot. Literally. No one likes him. His own teammates have called him “a loud mouth racist”. When he was with the Orioles they actually hired an adviser to sit with Scott during his interviews and post game pressers to keep him from putting his foot in his mouth. I believe the last straw for the O’s was when he decided to throw banana chips at a black teammate while calling him a “savage”. It’s safe to say that Scott does not enjoy hip hop if you know what I mean. He is more of a Travis Tritt kinda guy.

So thank you Luke Scott. Thank you for reminding me that no matter how big of an asshole I am, there will always be you. Enjoy that death palace you call a stadium. And watch out for falling glass.

When Frank McCourt bought the Dodgers in 2004 from Fox Entertainment Group he did so for $430 million. Obviously he did not have $430 million stuffed into his mattress for a rainy day so in order to make this purchase he arranged financing that was convincing enough for Major League Baseball to approve the deal. In hindsight that turned out to be ill advised.

Flash forward to 2012. Enter Magic Johnson (and partners) with a whole lot of cash. Buying a baseball team with cash is almost unheard of. Now keep in mind, I don’t mean that Magic Johnson walked in dressed in his Lakers uniform with duffle bags of $100 bills. By “cash” I mean funds that were not borrowed against something else. This made a lot of people very happy because it was the exact opposite of McCourt’s purchase. The New York Times, however, sees things a little differently:

“In addition to their own cash, Mr. Walter plans to use money from Guggenheim subsidiaries that are insurance companies — some state-regulated — to pay for a big chunk of his purchase of the Dodgers. Guggenheim controls Guggenheim Life, a life insurer, and Security Benefit, which manages some $30 billion, among others. Using insurance money — which is typically supposed to be invested in simple, safe assets — to buy a baseball team, the ultimate toy for the ultra-rich, seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

Now I am no finical genius by ANY means but the Times article draws quite a few questions about this purchase. Essentially they are using other peoples money to buy a baseball team right?

“The transaction seems even more questionable when considering Mr. Walter’s own words to The New York Times two weeks ago: ‘I don’t want to realize a return on investment on buying the Dodgers. I want to have a multigenerational relationship that changes my life, Magic’s life, Magic’s grandchildren’s lives and all of our lives.”

So what does all of this mean? Well, maybe nothing at all. Maybe everything will be fine. Maybe Magic and his cohorts will trot off into the sunset 20 years from now as the guys who saved the Los Angeles Dodgers. But maybe, just maybe, things are not quite as they seem.

Read the full NY Times article here.

Since the season started I have watched Nation fan after fan flip over the 0-3 start. The majority of them seem to think it has to do with a lack of caring. This is a notion I just can't get behind. Are there members of the Red Sox with bad attitudes? Yes. There are members of every team with bad attitudes. Is that the reason the Red Sox started 0-3 and went 7-20 in September last season? Not likely.

I actually read one fans take on Melancon saying that he is disrespectful to Red Sox fans. Seriously? The guy has had two appearances in a Sox uniform. Another "fan" said that Beckett should be traded for draft picks because he hates Boston. Draft picks?! Now that's just plain ridiculous.

Any level headed fan can see that the struggles radiate from the act of pitching. Nothing more. To say that the players don't care is over dramatic. This is even more evident with the (game 4) win over Toronto in which Felix Doubront, Scott Atchison and Alfredo Aceves threw gems and were a major part of the 9th inning comeback.

So just remember, its only 3 games. Red Sox Nation must not fall apart.

Here is your lineup for the 04/10 game at Toronto: Ellsbury CF, Pedroia 2B, Gonzalez 1B, Ortiz DH, Youkilis 3B, Sweeney RF, Ross LF, Salty C, Punto SS, Bard P

And here is a little motivation to keep you going...

Here are the roster moves for the Red Sox today.(If you have a specific team you would like me to consistently check in on let me know. I'm a one-man show so its hard for me to hit every team in baseball) :

Placed on the 60-day DL RHP Andrew Bailey RHP Chris Carpenter OF Ryan Kalish

Placed on the 15-day DL OF Carl Crawford LHP Rich Hill RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka LHP Andrew Miller

Note: RHP John Lackey and RHP Bobby Jenks were previously placed on the 60-day DL.

Added to the 40-man roster RHP Scott Atchison RHP Vicente Padilla LHP Justin Thomas

Assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket INF Pedro Ciriaco INF Nate Spears OF Jason Repko

Assigned to Double-A Portland C Daniel Butler

Option transferred from Portland to High-A Salem LHP Drake Britton

The 25-man MLB roster

Pitchers (13): RHP Alfredo Aceves, RHP Matt Albers, RHP Scott Atchison, RHP Daniel Bard, RHP Josh Beckett, RHP Michael Bowden, RHP Clay Buchholz, LHP Felix Doubront, LHP Jon Lester, RHP Mark Melancon, LHP Franklin Morales, RHP Vicente Padilla, LHP Justin Thomas.
Catchers (2): Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Kelly Shoppach
Infielders (5): Mike Aviles, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Nick Punto, Kevin Youkilis.
Outfielders (4): Jacoby Ellsbury, Darnell McDonald, Cody Ross, Ryan Sweeney.
DHs (1): David Ortiz.

Here are the winners of 2012 (aka who will play in October).


N.L. East Champion - Philadelphia Phillies (Depth of their roster guarantees this).

N.L. Central Champion – St. Louis Cardinals (This is a tough one but I think the Cards beat out the Reds).

N.L. West Champion - Arizona Diamondbacks (Thay have a very young, strong core kind of like my abs).

N.L. Wild Card No. 1 - San Francisco Giants (The return of Buster Posey should give the Giants some offense. Of course this could change depending on how many times he gets rocked at home plate).

N.L. Wild Card No. 2 - Washington Nationals (Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper lead the Nationals to their first playoff game, and Strasburg and I peed together once).

A.L. East Champion – Boston Red Sox (Their bats will prove too strong for pitchers and with 3 – 2011 Gold Glove winners their defense will dominate as well).

A.L. Central Champion - Detroit Tigers (The Tigers roar with the addition of Prince Fielder and breeze through the Central).

A.L. West Champion - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Albert Pujols gets them past the Rangers).

A.L. Wild Card No. 1 - New York Yankees (Sorry Tamp Bay, The Yankees are better than you as much as that pains me to say).

A.L. Wild Card No. 2 - Texas Rangers (The Angels and Rangers will go back and forth all season and in the end they both will make the playoffs).

I have an idea. Lets take a sport, that loses fans to the NFL every year, over to Japan for the start of the season. Yeah, you heard me right. Think of all of the benefits. First, no one in the United States of America will watch (exactly what we want). Second, the "national pastime" will be held in another nation. What could be cooler than that?!

But seriously, if you happened to miss it (which you did), the MLB season kicked off with the Seattle Mariners beating the Oakland Athletics 3-1 in 11 innings on Wednesday afternoon (or very early morning if you are in the United States) in Tokyo, Japan. From what people have said it was a pretty good game. I wouldn't know. I was asleep. What exactly is the purpose of having opening day in Japan? What was being accomplished? Some could argue that it allows Japanese fans the ability to become more excited about American baseball, but that argument would be wrong. The MLB is already huge in Japan! Remember when Dice-K had his debut? There were more Asian photo/journalists at the game then any other. The same is going to happen for Yu Darvish this year. Asian baseball players playing in the MLB are basically rock stars.

I get it. They are trying to expand the game into a global market, but not opening day. That is not the time to do it. We have a hard enough time trying to get our own fans to watch.

I just needed to vent. Thanks.

Unless you have been living in the jungle ( like this guy ) you have undoubtedly heard that Tim Tebow is now a New York Jet. In an apparent attempt to somehow get their name in lights, rather than improve their team, they have taken on the same mentality that they had when they introduced Brett Favre as their QB. A mentality that resembles that of Annie Wilkes.

Even the team that drafted Tebow in the 1st round made it their mission to get him the hell out of Dodge so what plan could Rex and Tannenbaum possibly have for Tebow? If it's to use him in a wildcat offense scenario they have obviously not noticed its failure rate in the NFL. If they don’t use the wildcat then who backs up who? Does the QB with the most turnovers in 2011 start, or the QB that was second to last in Total Quarter Back Rating start? One would think that the Jets would want to build around Sanchez (considering the contract he just signed) and allow a veteran QB help him along the way. The Jets went 8-8 in 2011 and proved that they need a massive amount of help on both sides of the ball. I am not sure how adding Tebow to the roster aides in the improvement of their team.

And lets not forget about the effect that this could have on their current QB's psyche. How does the “Sanchize” feel about this move? Looks like a slap in the face that screams lack of confidence to me. There is only one thing that the Jets could do here to keep Sanchez's head on straight and that’s to place a “TE” in the Position column next to Tebow’s name. But we know that won’t happen.

...and for pure comedic value I give you this: The back page of the New York Sporting News

Stay tuned. This should be good.

Purely for entertainment I have listed my 10 favorite GIFs from 2011. They are in no particular order although I would have to say the Barajas celebration is probably my favorite. Do you have any favorites? Post them in the comments. Do it now or Jesus will kill a kitten.

What should I base my answer on? I could use RBI's, HR'S, or even BA. But lets be honest, "not all hits are created equal". A home run could cause the same change in the score as a single. Slugging percentage wont work either. Is a double worth twice as much as a single? The only real true gauge of a player like Pujols' worth is the Weighted On Base Average, or wOBA for the noobs. 


Quick lesson:


“Weighted On-Base Average (wOBA) is based on a simple concept: not all hits are created equal. Batting average would have you believe they are, but think about it: what’s more valuable, a single or a homerun? Batting average doesn’t account for this difference and slugging percentage doesn’t do so accurately. OPS does a good job of combining all the different aspects of hitting (hitting for average, hitting for power, having plate discipline) into one metric, but it weighs slugging percentage the same as on-base percentage, while on-base percentage is more valuable than slugging.”

As a professional athlete it is safe to say that you are fairly anal about what you put into your body. So when the reigning MVP, Ryan Braun, popped on a standard MLB drug test for an unknown banned substance you can imagine the disbelief when Braun's spokesperson issued this statement: 


"There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan's complete innocence and demonstrate there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program. While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident he will ultimately be exonerated."


Wait...what? "Highly unusual circumstances"?  "No intentional violation"? Does it matter? The MLB had multiple testing agencies, including the World Anti-Doping Agency, test the sample. All positive for extremely high levels of testosterone that was determined to be exogenous, meaning it came from outside the body. As in fake. As in not the stuff that's made when i'm in a bar shouting about the Skankies/Red Sox rivalry.


Braun's camp is claiming that the failed test was a result of medication given to him for a prior infection. Here is where it gets embarrassing. Rumor has it Braun was combating Herpes with this medication. The bloggers at TerezOwens.com claims to have spoken to a high ranking Brewers official. On their site they wrote:

So...in an attempt to turn our noses up at GoDaddy we have moved the blog (as you know because you are here). But enough about them...how about those Red Sox?! That's right folks, it's that time of year when I start to get extremely obnoxious about my Boston Red Sox. Lets talk 2012 preview...

Starting pitching has been a big off-season topic. Believe it or not Matsuzaka is still an option in 2012 and, despite his recent Tommy John surgery, you will probably see him around the all-star break. Scary, I know. Bucholz looks ready to go and was touted as having his best winter yet. Staff says he looks very strong and probably could have even pitched at the end of last season. Of course hind sight is 20/20.  


Now, all Sox fans shed a tear for the bullpen down the stretch last season, and some of us even made animal sacrifices to the gods in hopes of a turn around (RIP Mittens). This years looks to be better. Pap is gone and we have all mourned but, just like ex-girlfriends and hangovers, nothing gets you over the last one like the next one.  Andrew Bailey (acquired from O-Town) will fill the roll of the jig-dancing closer and probably be even better at it seeing as how he is actually Irish, or Welch...or something. Oh, and he was 2009 AL Rookie of the Year, and a 2010 All-Star. So he's got that going for him.


Who takes over for Crawford if his wrist isn't 100% by regular season? First, the Red Sox are very confident that if Carl is not ready by opening day it will only be a minimal amount of time that he will miss. In his place would be either Cody Ross or Darnell McDonald. Right field will most likely house Ryan Sweeney. Center goes to Ellsbury, obvi. Not a bad little crew patrolling the wall if you ask me.