This Day In Red Sox History: January 6, 2004
By Administrator | January 6, 2009
Material for This Day In Red Sox History is drawn from Bill Nowlin’s “Day by Day with the Boston Red Sox”
Dennis Eckersley, who pitched for the Red Sox from 1978 - 1984 and again in 1998, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
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This Day In Baseball History: January 6th
By Administrator | January 6, 2009
In 1914, in order to help batters pick up the ball as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, baseball decreed all big league parks must have a center field wall which is green and blank… this safety measure would become known as the batter’s eye.
In 1942, Indians right-hander Bob Feller reported to Norfolk to begin his World War II enlistment in the Navy. “Rapid Robert”, a 20-game winner for the Tribe for each of the last three seasons, was the first major leaguer to enlist in the armed forces after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
In 1964, owner Charlie Finley signed a two-year deal to move the A’s from Kansas City to Louisville… American League owners vetoed the franchise shift and, as a result, the team stayed put until after the 1967 season when it was granted permission to move to Oakland.
In 1997, Phil Niekro became the 227th member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame… the Blaine, OH, native was only the 87th player to be elected by the BBWAA.
Also in 1997, Peter O’Malley, owner of the Dodgers, announced the team was for sale… the franchise had been owned by the O’Malley family since 1951.
In 2006, according to figures released by the commissioner’s office, the NY Yankees finished the year with a record payroll of $207 million, some $90 million more than the Red Sox (who spent the second largest amount on player payroll). By comparison, the World Champion Chicago White Sox spent only $73.2 million.
Born Today: Ralph Branca (1926), Ruben Amaro (1936), Don Gullett (1951)
Topics: MLB History | No Comments »
Public Autograph Show With Dustin Pedroia
By Administrator | January 6, 2009
Our friends at New England Picture Company will host a public autograph event this Friday night with Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia.
The reigning American League MVP will be making his first public appearance at an autograph event since the 2007 World Series. A lot has happened since his last autograph show… he was named the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year and the 2008 AL MVP, he was voted to the 2008 AL all-star team, and he became a world champion.
The event will be held at Sportsworld, at the Saugus Mall (352 Broadway, Saugus, MA)… it will run from 6:00 - 7:30 PM.
Tickets are limited, so advance purchase is encouraged. Flats and baseballs are $110, premium items are $150. Inscriptions are $40. For mail-in information, or questions, call 603-818-2007 or e-mail eric@newenglandpicture.com
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Around Baseball: January 5, 2009 — Rays Sign Burrell; Deals Near For Bradley, Giambi; Phils’ Romero To Be Suspended 50 Games For PEDs; RIP: Carl Pohlad
By Administrator | January 5, 2009
As the Red Sox continue to twiddle their thumbs, BOTH of the teams that will serve as their primary competition in the AL East have substantially improved themselves heading into the 2009 season.
We already knew about the Yankees acquisitions of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and (most recently) Mark Teixeira — who was the apple of Theo Epstein’s eye and the cornerstone of the Sox off-season plans. And we already knew that Tampa Bay would be improved as they begin defense of the AL pennant — if only because David Price will have a full rookie season to display his talents to major league hitters. Now, the Rays have signed free agent OF Pat Burrell away from the world champion Phillies, agreeing to a two-year, $16 million contract with the slugger.
Burrell has played left field in his nine seasons with the Phillies, but will serve (primarily) as the Ray’s designated hitter.
After making the announcement, Andrew Friedman, Tampa Bay’s vice-president of baseball operations, said: “(Pat) solidifies the middle of our already potent lineup… We weren’t just singularly focused on a right-handed hitter, but it certainly is an advantage for us in terms of the way our lineup stacks up… We feel like any time you can add a hitter like Pat to the middle of the lineup, we’re a much-improved team today than we were at the end of last season.”
Burrell is a .257 lifetime hitter. He has averaged 31 HR and 99 RBI over the past four seasons. Last year, he hit .250, with 33 HR and 86 RBI.
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A baseball source has told MLB.com that the Oakland A’s and free agent Jason Giambi may agree to a contract within the week now that Tampa Bay has settled on Pat BUrrell in their quest for a new DH. The conjecture is that the deal will be for one year, possibly with an option for a second year.
Giambi, 37, batted .247, with 32 HR, 96 RBI last season while posting a .373 OBP.
He made nearly $23.5 million while playing his final season for the Yankees.
ESPN.com and FOXSports.com have similarly reported an impending deal between the Athletics and Giambi, who played for Oakland from 1995 - 2001, winning an AL MVP while a member of the club in 2000.
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According to multiple reports, the Chicago Cubs are on the verge of finalizing a three-year, $30 million contract with free-agent outfielder Milton Bradley. If the deal is completed, the Cubs are expected to trade pitcher Jason Marquis to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for reliever Luis Vizcaino in an effort to free up some salary.
Bradley has been a top priority for the Cubbies since the end of the 2008 campaign. The switch-hitter will fit nicely into the club’s heavily right-handed lineup. He hit .321, with 22 HR for the Texas Rangers in 2008… the all-star led the American League with a .436 on-base percentage.
He has a career .280 batting average, with 103 home runs and 399 RBIs.
Injuries have allowed him to surpass 400 at-bats in a season only twice in his career.
He will likely play right field in Chicago, with Kosuke Fukudome (who played RF in ;08) platooning with Reed Johnson in center field.
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Major League Baseball has judged Phillies relief pitcher J C Romero guilty of “negligence” in his use of an over-the-counter supplement that is said to have caused him to fail a league-administered drug test… as a result, he will be suspended for the first 50 games of the 2009 season.
Today, Romero said he bought the supplement in question from a GNC store in Cherry Hill, NJ, back in July. The Major League Baseball Players Association had told players the supplement could be used; however, that advice no appears to have been faulty.
After learning of the suspension, Romero said: “I still cannot see where I did something wrong. There is nothing that should take away from the rings of my teammates. I didn’t cheat. I tried to follow the rules”. Romero said he does not want to name the supplement because he does not want younger athletes to go out and purchase it.
Romero had been suspended earlier in the year, but appealed the matter to arbitration (in part to enable himself to pitch in the post-season).
At his arbitration hearing, it was learned that the National Center for Drug Free Sport had notified MLB of questions about the supplement Romero had purchased… somehow, Major League Baseball and the players’ union never got onto the same page as to whether the supplement was, or wasn’t, all right.
Romero, who was the winning pitcher in Games 3 and 5 of the World Series, has now earned his championship ring, but says “What’s most important is that I get back my honor. This just isn’t fair”.
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Minnesota Twins owner Carl Pohlad died at his home in Edina, MN, today at the age of 93.
A financier who came to be best known as a result of his 1984 acquisition of the Twins, Pohlad headed a family-owned network of banking, bottling, real estate and other companies. In its annual ranking of America’s wealthiest individuals (in September), Forbes magazine said that Pohlad was worth $3.6 billion.
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This Day In Red Sox History: January 5, 1990
By Administrator | January 5, 2009
Material for This Day In Red Sox History is drawn from Bill Nowlin’s “Day by Day with the Boston Red Sox”
The Red Sox announced that the team’s road uniforms would henceforth bear the name of the player over the numeral on the back of their jerseys. The innovation was reportedly pushed through by GM Lou Gorman. A Red Sox fan was quoted as grumbling “If you don’t know who the player is without a name, you don’t deserve to be a Red Sox fan”.
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This Day In Baseball History: January 5th (RIP: Rogers Hornsby)
By Administrator | January 5, 2009
In 1920, after the Yankees officially announced the purchase of Babe Ruth, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee defended selling Ruth to the Yankees by calling his former player “one of the most selfish and inconsiderate men ever to put on a baseball uniform”.
In 1925, during the White Sox and Giants European tour, the French Baseball Federation honored John McGraw, Charlie Comiskey and Hugh Jennings for their efforts in promoting the game in France.
In 1927, Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis began a three-day public hearing to investigate an allegation the Tigers threw a four-game series to the 1917 White Sox… a week later all the charges were cleared.
In 1934, the new center field bleachers at Fenway Park, being constructed of concrete and steel to replace the wooden grandstands, were destroyed in an early afternoon fire. The Red Sox rebuilt the bleachers and had the project finished in time for Opening Day.
In 1957, Jackie Robinson retired rather than move across town from the Dodgers to the Giants, to whom he had been traded in December.
In 1963, Hall-of-Famer Rogers Hornsby died at age 66 of a heart ailment.
In 1974, Rheingold Beer announced it would close its Brooklyn-based plant… as as a result, the brewery was forced to end its 13-year relationship with the Mets as its primary radio-TV sponsor.
In 1982, the BBWAA named Vince Scully the sixth recipient of the Ford Frick Award, an honor given for excellence in broadcasting the national pastime. The veteran Dodgers announcer followed mentor Red Barber, Mel Allen, Bob Elson, Russ Hodges and Ernie Harwell into the Hall of Fame.
In 1993, Reggie Jackson was elected to the Hall of Fame… he received 93.6 % of the vote. While his .262 lifetime batting average is the lowest of any outfielder in the Hall, his 563 career home runs made him a hit with voters in his first year of eligibility.
In 1999, after receiving an apology from Yankees owner George Steinbrenner with regard to his 1985 dismissal as manager after only 16 games, HOFer Yogi Berra ended his self-exile from Yankee Stadium and the organization.
In 2001, the Mariners signed Ichiro Suzuki to a three-year deal worth $14,088,000l. The signing rights for the Japanese outfielder had been awarded to Seattle for approximately $13 million.
Born Today: Charlie Hough (1948), Ron Kittle (1958), Jeff Fassero (1963)
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Projo Makes Compelling Case That Varitek Needs To Re-Think His Contract Demands
By Administrator | January 4, 2009
Providence Journal reporter Daniel Barbarisi makes a compelling case in tomorrow’s edition that the time has come for Jason Varitek and agent Scott Boras to re-think their negotiation strategy.
While it seems obvious that the Red Sox want him back and that the team captain wants to return, it seems equally obvious that the Sox are not going to give him a two-year deal at anything close to $10 million a year. At this point, it also seems obvious that no other team is going to give him his asking price AND give the Red Sox the draft picks they would have to surrender.
Time is ticking. At some point, the Red Sox are going to have to see Jason’s name on a contract or they are going to have to go in a different direction… the club can’t afford to go to Fort Myers with Josh Bard and Greg Zaun as their catchers. At some point they’re going to have to have ‘Tek under contract or pull the trigger on a deal.
I firmly believe that the club will definitely turn the page on re-signing Jason on the day they have to part with prospects in a trade. If Jason allows Boras to continue jerking the team around, I believe he will seal his own fate.
The Red Sox modus operandi under this ownership group has demonstrated that they are willing to make the hard decisions on free agents… Exhibit 1: Johnny Damon; Exhibit 2: Derek Lowe; Exhibit 3: Pedro Martinez.
Will ‘Tek become Exhibit 4?
If he wants to come back to Boston, he and Boras are going to have to set their sights MUCH lower… and if he wants to come back to Boston I believe he had better make concessions soon. John Henry and Theo Epstein do not overpay players for sentimental reasons… and as they just demonstrated in the Teixeira negotiations, they will not pay a player more than the value THEY place on his services.
This is one time when the player is worth more to his old team than he is worth to a new team. Boras appears to be playing a waiting game, and this is a game he seems destined to lose. When and if the Red Sox turn the page, it seems likely that ‘Tek will be forced to take a one-year deal elsewhere — at significantly less money than the Red Sox are likely willing to give him.
The problem is, Boras has painted himself into a corner. He initially demanded a four-year deal worth $40 million for his client… he pointed to the contract signed by Jorge Posada last winter — a catcher who had just completed an extraordinary season offensively — and told his client he would get him a deal in that neighborhood. Problem is: the Red Sox aren’t the Yankees… they aren’t nearly as foolish or as cavalier as the folks in the Bronx. New York may have been bullied (by the media, the fans, and the ballplayer) into an embarrassingly laughable deal with Posada, but that does not mean the Red Sox were going to be bullied into a similarly foolish deal with Varitek.
Around baseball, while Varitek is still considered a savant behind the plate in terms of calling a game and cultivating young pitchers, he is viewed as a liability in terms of throwing out baserunners and with a bat in his hands.
Examining the statistics and salaries for catchers over the last two seasons, Barbarisi contends that, at $10 million annually, a team would be paying Varitek twice as much as paid to other catchers with equivalent production… and he argues that other, more economical options exist on the free-agent market that could replicate Varitek’s (offensive) production.
According to Barbarisi, major league teams got a .258 average, with 15 home runs, 73 rbi and 75 runs scored from the catching position in 2008. Comparing ‘Tek to the top 30 catchers (in terms of games played), he asserts that Jason is “a distinctly average catcher”, better than something less than half of the primary catchers in the majors (who averaged 119 games / 394 at-bats, a .259 average, 11 HR, and 53 rbi). In 2008, Varitek hit .220, with 13 HR and 42 RBI.
He compiled a .313 on-base percentage and a .359 slugging percentage - both below the average for the comparison group. His 122 strikeouts were almost twice as many as the average.
His .996 fielding percentage ranked him among the best in the league at avoiding errors, but his rate of throwing out would-be base stealers — 16 caught stealing, 56 steals — ranks him as below average in the group.
Barbarisi poses a question: who does Varitek most-closely resemble statistically and what have they been paid? He asserts the most comparable players last season were KC’s John Buck, Toronto’s Rod Barajas, Philadelphia’s Carlos Ruiz, Texas’ Gerald Laird (now in Detroit), and NY Mets’ Brian Schneider. Within this group, Barbarisi says that Varitek’s salary demands are dramatically higher than what the others earned last season.
Their salaries in 2008? Buck made $2.2 million… Barajas earned $1.2 million (and will make $2.5 million in 2009)… Laird earned $1.6 million… Schneider was paid $4.9 million. (Ruiz just completed his rookie year and made just over the league minimum, so for the sake of this comparison he will be set aside).
Another interesting comparable is 37-year-old free agent Ivan Rodriguez, who is considered one of the best defensive catchers in the history of the game. He had a year very similar to Varitek in 2008 and is likewise represented by Boras. Not coincidentally, he is drawing very little interest in the free-agent market due to his agent’s laughable contract demands.
Barbarisi argues that the best free-agent comparable for Varitek is former Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun, who made $3.75 million in 2008.
Towards the end of the article, Barbarisi concludes: “(N)one of this takes into account Varitek’s unmatched preparation, his clubhouse leadership, his veteran presence or his meaning to the fan base. He is the team captain, and the C on his jersey was hard-earned over 11 years in Boston. While less quantifiable, that is certainly worth something in dollar terms, and both Boras and the Red Sox know this.”
The writer contends that veteran players producing at Varitek’s level were generally paid between $2 million to $5 million in 2008 (with the notable exception of Rodriguez). He concludes: “If Varitek’s price were to drop that low, the Red Sox would probably be happy to bring him back for at least two more years. But if Varitek and Boras stick to their initial demands, the Red Sox will probably go another way, and end up with the same production for half the cost”.
(NOTE: Based on the aforementioned intangibles, I place Jason’s value at closer to $7 - $7.5 million annually and believe a deal can, and should, be struck at two-years, $15 million)
Topics: Sox Front Office, Sox Players | No Comments »
This Day In Red Sox History: January 4, 1947 (Give Me Light!)
By Administrator | January 4, 2009
Material for This Day In Red Sox History is drawn from Bill Nowlin’s “Day by Day with the Boston Red Sox”
Workers began the process of installing seven light towers at Fenway Park, with a total of 1,120 lights, to enable night games to be played.
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This Day In Baseball History: January 4th
By Administrator | January 4, 2009
In 1932, Casey Stengel returned from the minor leagues to become a coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
In 1936, as the second part of the December 10th deal for Jimmie Foxx, the Boston Red Sox got Doc Cramer and Eric McNair from the A’s in exchange for Hank Johnson, Al Niemiec, and $75,000… the Red Sox would get the best of the deal — Foxx hit .300 five times, swatted 222 HR and was an All-Star six times in seven seasons while in a Red Sox uniform.
In 1942, Rogers Hornsby became the 14th player selected to the Hall of Fame — amazingly, with only 78% of the vote. His offensive numbers rival those of any player before or since. He and Ted Williams are the only players to win the Triple Crown twice… and his .424 batting average in 1924 was the highest National League mark in the 20th century.
In 1957, the Dodgers became the first team to own its own aircraft when it bought a 44-passenger two-engine airplane for $775,000.
In 1971, Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium was dedicated.
In 2004, five-time batting champ Wade Boggs became the 41st player elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility… the BBWAA also inducted Ryne Sandberg into the Hall.
Born Today: Tito Fuentes (1944), Daryl Boston (1963), Ted Lilly (1976)
Topics: MLB History | No Comments »
Prospect Interview: The Chronicles of Reddick, Part Three
By Administrator | January 3, 2009
Portland Sea Dogs first baseman Lars Anderson is universally considered to be the Red Sox top prospect heading into 2009. His teammate, outfielder Josh Reddick, is regularly listed among the Red Sox top ten prospects (he was recently listed the organization’s #5 prospect by Baseball America) in spite of the struggles he endured during the second half of the 2008 season.
The Georgia native has hit well at every level of amateur and professional baseball, but he has not typically drawn many walks. At the insistence of the team, he modified his approach in the batter’s box and the mechanics of his swing in order to improve his pitch selection. The short-term results of the experiment were disastrous… Reddick abandoned the team-initiated changes.
The struggles he endured in the second half of 2008 were his first experience with failure on a baseball diamond; thus, he will begin the 2009 season not knowing what to expect. He professes to understand the organization’s philosophy of hitting and has tweaked his mechanics in a manner that is familiar to him and less extreme. He hopes to achieve the desired improvements in pitch selection without experiencing the adverse effects on his batting average.
He’ll attend the Rookie Development Program in Boston later in the month. I expect he’ll have at least one discussion with the Red Sox brain trust about his struggles, and where he goes from here.
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S1F: Those of us on the east coast have heard horror stories about the winds at Clear Channel Stadium (aka, The Launching Pad, in Lancaster, CA). Most players have a favorite story about playing in Lancaster… do you have a story that sticks out?
JR: I’ll give you two.
My first game playing in Lancaster was my third game with the team. I was playing in right field and the wind was blowing out. The first batter of the game is a right-handed hitter. He hit the third pitch of the game and I thought “I’ve got this easy”. It looked like a routine fly ball, but the ball just kept going and must have carried at least thirty feet past me, and I said “What the heck was THAT?”
Another time against Lake Elsinore, again I was in right field, a guy hit the ball over my head and I went back and jumped over the wall to rob a home run. That is my personal favorite, because I kept him from getting a homerun.
S1F: Does the wind in Lancaster impact play as much as they say it does?
JR: Oh yeah. I mean, you’ve still got to get ahold of it, but it’s really ridiculous how many extra base hits you get because of the wind. You can miss balls all together, even get jammed, and still hit them out of the park because of the wind.
S1F: There are pundits out there who discount the numbers put up in Clear Channel Stadium because of the ballpark… how much of that is legitimate and how much of it is misplaced?
JR: Well, it can work both ways… you’ve still got to be a good hitter. In 2007, I hit eighteen home runs in 370 at-bats (in Greenville) in the South Atlantic League… this year, I hit seventeen home runs in 320 at-bats in Lancaster. So I don’t looking at it as if the wind was much of a factor for me. (The pundits) can say what they want, I obviously can’t stop them. But I feel like the ball is going to get out of the park if I make solid contact, regardless.
S1F: What is the best thing about being on a baseball diamond?
JR: Being in front of the fans. In college ball you usually don’t have a lot of fans in the stands, but when you play for the Red Sox organization it’s like, “wow!”. In Greenville we averaged probably 4000 fans a game… and in Portland its like 10,000 a game. It’s just great. It gives you an adrenaline rush.
S1F: Is there a least favorite thing about being on a baseball field?
JR: For me, the only thing that gets a little old is all of these 30-year-old men coming out here with twenty baseball cards wanting me to sign them all. I might sign five before the game, and then the same guy will come back after the game and want me to sign a bunch more.
I went to games when I was a little kid and I would wait like all of these kids here, and I don’t think that I ever got an autograph. I like to sign for the kids because I don’t want them to feel like I used to feel. I don’t mind signing for the older folks, but three to five cards should be enough. Then they get mad because that is all you’ll sign. I think that is the only thing that bothers me.
S1F: What is the happiest moment you’ve ever had on a baseball diamond?
JR: Up to this point I haven’t hit a walk-off home run, so I’d have to say it was when I was in college and we won our regional tournament. That was a really great feeling… we were down the whole game and then I hit a double to tie it up and the guy behind me hit a home run to put us up. And when we won we got to do the dog-pile and everything, and that was really fun.
S1F: Let me give you a couple of names, and please sat the first word or first phrase that comes to your mind… Reid Engel.
JR: Athletic
S1F Ryan Kalish
JR: Wow! He is the total package. He’s fast. He can hit. And he’s got a great arm.
S1F: Jason Place
JR: Raw talent. He’s got a ton of raw talent, but he hasn’t quite figured it out yet. He hasn’t figured out his swing yet, but when he finally does he’s going to go places.
S1F: Lars Anderson
JR: Oh man. Powerful. I’ve never seen a left-hand hitter with the kind of power he has to left field.
S1F: They say his swing is made for Fenway Park…
JR: Oh yeah, it is, definitely. We played in Greenville where they have the mini-monster and I think he hit half of his homers out to left field. I’ve never seen anyone drive the ball to left field the way he does… he’ll take the ball outside and go with it and hammer it. But by the same token, when he turns on one (pulls it) it’s going. He just has great power.
S1F: Have you been to Fenway Park yet?
JR: Actually, no. I’ve been to two big league fields – Turner Field and Jacob’s Field. We were in the Cleveland area last year and we had an early game, so Gabe Kapler called Trot Nixon and he left us tickets to an Indians game.
S1F: Well, you’ll be in Fenway Park in January…
JR: Yeah, finally. I’m really looking forward to that…
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This was the final installment of my three-part series on Josh Reddick… Happy New Year to members of SOX1FANation. You can find Part One of the series here, and Part Two of the series here
Topics: Sox Prospect Interviews, Sox Prospects | 1 Comment »
