I thought the Red Sox should have dealt Josh Beckett after his All Star season in 2009. He had one year left on his contract, was affordable and was probably at peak value. Instead the Red Sox signed him to an extension.
Well here I am 2 years later and I am more than saying the Red Sox would be smart to trade him. I am saying the MUST trade him.
There are 5 factors of the current baseball climate that make a Josh Beckett trade imperative and forward thinking for the Red Sox.
2007, 2009 and 2011 he was an All Star. 2006, 2008 and 2010 he was underwhelming.
So 2012 looks like he is due for a sub par season. And if his 5.48 ERA in September was any indication, he might have a head start on a bad year. If he is going to lose with a high ERA, I'd rather it be with another team.
REASON TWO: C.J.WILSON AND THE HORRIBLE CROP OF AVAILABLE PITCHERS
C. J. Wilson is the most sought after free agent pitcher on the market right now. He was born the same year as Josh Beckett (1980) and he has 2 good seasons as a starting pitcher under his belt. Beckett has 3 All Star seasons with the Red Sox to go along with some good years in Florida.
Wilson has a spotty playoff record while Beckett has a World Series MVP and an ALCS MVP on his mantle.
I've been saying that C. J. Wilson is a contract disaster waiting to happen. But the need for starting pitching and the terrible crop of current pitchers will mean that SOMEONE will pay him over $100 million over the next six years.
Or they can pay Josh Beckett $45 million over the next three years. A team that loses (wins?) the C. J. Wilson derby after he signs elsewhere can get a cheaper shorter term contract with a pitcher the same age with a better career and a much sharper post season record.
Sounds like a good move to me.
REASON THREE: THE RED SOX LACK OF DEPTH
I don't think the Red Sox are winning the 2012 pennant. They lack depth in the rotation, in the bullpen, on the bench and even in the lineup.
Besides Lester, who can be trusted in the rotation? Buchholz is too much of a health risk to be counted on. The bullpen is a no man's land. The corner outfield spots, catcher and shortstop are a mystery and there is little firepower off the bench. The Red Sox need to address some of those problems and a trade for a younger player (or hopefully younger players) would help solve some problems. If the Sox can swing a deal and get a corner outfielder of the future or a good young reliever that can be a factor for the next bunch of years, then it is a deal worth making.
REASON FOUR: BOBBY V AND BECKETT WILL BE A MATCH MADE IN HELL
We all know this is true. Beckett isn't exactly Mr. Cute and Cuddly and he was an ornery dude with a lovable lug like Terry Francona running the team. Now he will be in the clubhouse with the Know-It-All who trashed Beckett down the stretch on ESPN.
How can this end well? How will they coexist? The answer is they won't. And on the heels of the great collapse of 2011 and Valentine putting his thumb print on the club, it is probably best not to do an experiment and put them in the same clubhouse.
Oh it would be entertaining. But I prefer peace and winning.
REASON FIVE: BECKETT DID HIS JOB. IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON.
If there is one thing the modern history of the Red Sox has shown us, it is Boston is quick to let stars rot on someone else's watch. Nomar, Pedro, Mo, Damon, Mueller, Millar, Lowe and Manny all had their "grumbling and limping" seasons on someone else's dime. No doubt we will add Papelbon to that list.
It means the Red Sox are not exactly a sentimental team. But the Sox should make the deal with Beckett while our memories of him are still positive.
He owes Red Sox fans nothing. He was brought in to be the brash bad ass ace that was missing from Fenway after Pedro Martinez left. He rewarded us Sox fans with a memorable 2007 regular season and a totally dominating post season. He went 4-0 with a complete game shutout, the ALCS MVP and probably would have won the World Series MVP if he had a second start.
He did what he was supposed to do. He secured that second championship, the won that showed 2004 was not a fluke. Let's remember THAT Josh Beckett instead of the player who will inevitably breakdown soon.
As a Red Sox fan I can't possibly thank Josh Beckett enough. But it is time to move on.
I have a feeling all of these reasons will fall on deaf ears. But dealing him makes sense.
When Sully Baseball was in its infancy, I got into an internet argument with several Red Sox fans.
They all wanted J. D. Drew. I didn't want the Sox to touch him with a cattle prod.
The J. D. Drew crew were all stat heads who were screaming about his OPS, his power, his ability to get on base and thought I was some stuck up fool for not seeing it.
I kept saying "He plays well when he has a contract on the line and is hurt all the other years." I pointed out that he wore out his welcome in St. Louis, jumped ship in both Atlanta and Los Angeles following his only 2 seasons of note.
I was practically holding candlelight vigils to keep Drew from signing with the Sox. And when he did, I wrote an early post explaining how the Sox should compensate a player who I thought was going to be a flop.
I felt that signing Drew for 5 years was going to be a disaster and there is no way he will live up to it and he will be on the DL for long stretches and not put up the numbers.
The contract is over. Let's review. So let's review...
He gave the Red Sox 140 games once, his first year. That was also the only year he made 550 plate appearances. He never hit 25 homers. He never got more than 126 hits. He never drove in 70 runs. He never walked 85 times. He struck out 100 or more times three times. His average peaked at .280. He cracked the top 10 of OPS once.
He was mediocre and injury plagued. And his $14 million a year salary is coming off the books.
That's a good thing. And I turned out to be right about J. D. Drew.
Except I am saluting him and I believe all Red Sox fans should do the same.
Lest we forget some of the great memories that J. D. Drew gave Sox fans.
In Game 6 of the 2007 ALCS, after Beckett and company forced the series back to Fenway, Cleveland still had the advantage.
And when the Sox loaded the bases with nobody out in the first, it looked like they were going to squander the opportunity to draw first blood. Drew came up with 2 outs and the bases still juiced and still no score. Fausto Carmona was going to get out of it when he went 3-1 on Drew. Every Sox fan (including one that Fox cut to) thought "Just walk J. D. Get a run on the board."
He drove one deep to center... maybe an out. Sizemore went back... maybe a double. And it cleared the wall. NOBODY was thinking grand slam. Even Carmona's reaction was "Are you F---ing Kidding Me?"
Bill Simmons called it the $70 million homer. The Red Sox took control and Game 7 was inevitable. Drew drove in another run for good measure.
In Game 7, he drove in a key insurance run in the 8th as the Red Sox won the pennant.
In the World Series against Colorado, he drove in 2 runs in the opener and got 2 hits in Game 2 as the Red Sox rolled.
But his greatest moments came in 2008, his lone All Star year for the Sox. His home run in Yankee Stadium earned him All Star MVP honors.
Then in the Division Series he clubbed a go ahead homer off of Francisco Rodriguez to win Game 2 on the road.
In the ALCS against the Rays, he hit a home run to pull the Sox to within in and clubbed the walk off 9th inning hit giving the Red Sox the mindboggling 7 run deficit erasing victory in Game 5.
The Sox lost that series, but that Game 5 victory is still one of the great moments in recent Red Sox history.
So no, Drew wasn't worth the 5 years. He was never an elite player. I was right that he would spend a lot of time hurt and not living up to the potential.
But my goodness... he contributed big time to winning a World Series title and the next year gave us all thrills and the wonderful image of a Red Sox player being honored in Yankee Stadium.
That's got to be worth something. So salute him, Red Sox fans and NOT with the middle finger.
He's got a World Series ring on his finger and he earned it. That's got to be worth SOME love still.
Jonathan Papelbon is no longer a member of the Boston Red Sox. When he walked off the mound that awful night in Baltimore, that was his last day pitching for Boston.
He signed a big mongo contract with the Phillies. Four years and $50 million.
I'm not saying the Red Sox should have matched that deal. He will be 34 years old when it is over. And most closers have about a 5 or 6 window of being really good. Papelbon has already had 6 solid years as a closer.
And cynically I can say "I'd rather have him breakdown on someone else's dime." The Red Sox got his young energetic All Star closer days and the Phillies will pay for his expensive 30s.
But let's NOT be cynical.
Let's celebrate Jonathan Papelbon.
He came up as an energetic spot starter down the stretch in 2005. It's too bad Francona didn't stick him into the closer role. The Red Sox needed a closer in that stretch run (Schilling and Timlin couldn't cut it) and the Red Sox lost the Division by one game.
Keith Foulke broke down at the start of the 2006 season and Papelbon stepped in. The symbolism is wonderful in retrospect. Keith Foulke and Jonathan Papelbon are the only two pitchers since 1918 to clinch a World Series for the Red Sox... and the baton was passed during that first series in '06.
The Sox had a cool, cocky and arrogant closer. And we LOVED it! He was fun. He was silly. He did the whole Riverdance routine. He had Shipping Off To Boston as his theme song. And more often than not, he shut down the opposition.
Three times his season ERA was sub 2.00. In 2006, he finished with a 0.92 ERA. His strikeout per 9 innings regularly was in double digits. And in the 2005, 2007 and 2008 post season, he posted a 0.00 ERA.
And let's never forget the wonderful party that was the clinching Game 7 of the 2007 ALCS. The Red Sox clinched the 2004 AL Pennant and World Series on the road. But in '07, they had their pennant celebration at Fenway. And while the final score was lopsided, he faced the tying run at the plate in the 8th inning. He got out of it before Pedroia and Youkilis put the game out of reach in the bottom of the 8th.
And NEVER forget that he struck out Seth Smith and gave Red Sox fans a second World Series title to savor.
Never forget he came out in the 7th inning of the great comeback of Game 5, 2008 ALCS and threw 2 key shutout innings to let the Sox avoid elimination.
And never forget that when Lester, Lackey and Beckett were bombing, Papelbon was accountable to the media and gave his all, even after he lost the final game.
And never forget that he was fun.
Red Sox fan got a lot of great memories courtesy of Papelbon, including a World Series clincher.
So wish him well, Red Sox fans. Say thank you for the memories.
And one more time, for old time sake... Let's Ship Out To Boston.
The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals have a job opening! Their Hall of Fame manager is leaving on top. They have the foundation of a great team being left behind.
They can hand the reigns of the team over to a coach like Jose Oquendo or Dave McKay or Joe Pettini.
Maybe long time pitching coach guru Dave Duncan can manage the team.
Or 800 pound gorilla Mark McGwire.
OR they can insert a respected manager who happened to have a bad month. Someone with two World Series titles of his own... including one at the expense of the Cardinals.
Terry Francona... Cardinals manager. St. Louis is just as great a baseball city as Boston without the grief or inferiority complex.
The inferiority complex is in Chicago... and who is running the Cubs now? THEO!
Oh this could be a NEW wrinkle in the Cubs/Cardinals rivalry!!!
Become the Cardinals manager, win a World Series title in St. Louis... be beloved forever and rehearse your Cooperstown speech.
Carl Crawford should have a nice talk with J. D. Drew. Drew's first year in Boston was a mess as expectations for big stats were flushed down the toilet in 2007 and he looked like a bust.
Then he hit that grand slam in the ALCS and had a great World Series. Say what you want about him. The Sox don't win the 2007 World Series without him.
And if the Red Sox won the 2008 ALCS, Drew would have been the MVP.
So Crawford's first year in Boston has been up and down. But if today's grand slam was any indication, he has a little in the tank to contribute in October.
As for the post season, it is looking more and more like it is in the bag.
Yeah they can get into a dog fight with the Yankees for the Division. But for what?
The Red Sox have a Magic Number of 16 to make the playoffs with 24 games left.
If the Sox go 12-12 in their last 24 games, the Rays would have to go 21-3 just to force a one game playoff.
I'm not saying the Red Sox should start sitting their regulars, but the only way they aren't playing in October is if their September looked like their April.
The Sox and Rays play each other 7 times between September 9th and September 18th. If the Red Sox go 3-4 in those games, that would take 6 off the Magic Number right there.
Maybe even J. D. Drew will be healthy for October.
Josh Beckett’s tenure with the Red Sox is in sync with the quality of the Star Trek movies. Don’t believe me? Don’t understand me?
Follow along… it is logical.
Josh Beckett’s first season in Boston (2006) mirrored Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Both were eagerly anticipated by fans:
Red Sox fans were getting the 2003 World Series MVP who conquered the Yankees.
Star Trek fans were getting to return to the Enterprise for the first time in more than a decade.
Both were trying to recreate a success from 2 years before: The Red Sox needed an ace to fill Pedro Martinez’s shoes and replicate the 2004 World Championship.
Paramount needed a science fiction blockbuster in 1979 to answer the staggering success of Star Wars.
Both were incredibly expensive: Beckett cost the Red Sox budding superstar Hanley Ramirez, a good pitcher in Anibal Sanchez and a big fat $30 million contract extension.
Star Trek The Motion Picture was, at the time, the most expensive movie ever produced. It’s price tag was around $45 million.
Both were initially big let downs: Beckett let up way too many homers, his ERA soared to 5.01 and Red Sox fans shook their heads. “This is NOT what we wanted in an ace.”
Star Trek The Motion Picture lumbered along with a not exactly action packed plot. And the flight through V’Ger was the longest and most dull special effects sequence in history, rivaled only by the laborious introduction of the Enterprise.
Both had some decent numbers, but not what was expected: Beckett won 16 games and pitched over 200 innings, which would be fine for most pitchers. But for Pedro Martinez’s replacement, it was a let down.
Star Trek The Motion Picture grossed over $130 million world wide and made $30 million in profits for Paramount. Impressive, but not even close to Star Wars.
Both had, in retrospect, some bright spots: Beckett pitched brilliantly out of the gate, winning his first three starts convincingly. He homered in a game against the Phillies. And on September 21, in his second to last start of the season, he out pitched Johan Santana in a game where the Twins were trying to take over the Division lead. Beckett went 8 innings of shutout ball.
There are some cool scenes in Star Trek The Motion Picture. The Klingons attacking the V’Ger cloud at the opening was neat. Spock’s spacewalk and mindmeld with V’Ger was a cool scene. And in retrospect, the film plays like a very good episode that happened to have some overlong special effects sequences shoved into it.
Josh Beckett’s second season in Boston (2007) mirrored Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Both addressed what went wrong before: Beckett stopped relying on his fastball and learned how to pitch in the American League with his breaking stuff and location. And along the way reduced the walks and homers that plagued his 2006 season.
For Star Trek II, they brought in a whole new creative cast and crew. And (get ready for some blasphemy) removing Gene Roddenberry in favor of Harve Bennet was the best thing to ever happen to Star Trek! The Wrath of Khan acted like Star Trek The Motion Picture didn’t even happen. It picked the story up with Kirk wanting the Enterprise back and, unlike the first movie, acknowledged the fact that the cast was old. Now the age of Kirk was no longer a distraction but part of the story and it worked big time.
Both obliterated all of the earlier doubts: Beckett’s 2006 made people wonder if he was yet another National League pitcher who couldn’t make it in the American League. And some people started pointing out that his regular season stats weren’t exactly eye popping. Nobody was saying that after 2007.
Critics wondered if Star Trek was just a TV show that couldn’t translate to the big screen. I mean if they couldn’t make it work with a big budget and Robert Wise directing, what chance did it have? The new producers, writers and director solved that!
Both were so much better than anyone could have imagined: Beckett was hoping for a good rebound season. What he got was a Cy Young caliber season where he played the role of ace and etched his name into Red Sox lore.
The Wrath of Khan became the gold standard of every Star Trek movie and episode since. It was more than a good Star Trek movie. It was a good MOVIE. Even non Trekkies (or Trekkers) admit that it is a heck of a good sci fi action film.
Both had a cool bad ass quality: Beckett didn’t just win. He won with an unmistakable swagger and he was unflappable. Remember how the Red Sox were down 3-1 in the ALCS and Beckett had to save the season? He not only won, but he barely broke a sweat. The Indians hired his ex girlfriend to sing the national anthem. He didn’t care. Kenny Lofton tried to charge the mound, and Beckett shrugged. Nothing phased him.
Think Star Trek is nerdy? Check out Riccardo Montalban as Khan, chest out and out hamming William Shatner. There was nothing dorky about dropping creatures into Chekov’s ear. And Kirk was at his coolest, out smarting Khan and finding out he was a dad. Even Spock showed a unflappable side, lying in one scene taking one for the team at the end. The Enterprise was never cooler.
It just kept betting better: Beckett just kept winning. On September 15th he faced off against the Yankees supposed ace Chien-Ming Wang and won easily. He opened the Division Series with a complete game shutout of the Angels. Won the ALCS MVP and probably would have been the World Series MVP if he got another start.
Wrath of Khan kept topping itself. The Khan sneak attack. The Genesis planet. Kirk screaming Khaaaaaaaan! The battle in the Nebula. And just when the film couldn’t get any better, Spock had a death scene. Are you kidding me?
The ending was not delivered goose bumps but promised more greatness: Beckett won the opener of the World Series and set the tone for the Red Sox sweep. When they won, it felt different than 2004. There was the possibility of more titles on the way.
Wrath of Khan ended with the funeral of Spock. But then the camera swooped down to the Genesis planet with all new life forming from death… AND SPOCK’S COFFIN WAS INTACT! And the “Space The Final Frontier” monologue was said by Spock, not Kirk. You know what that means: There was going to be an awesome sequel with Spock in it!
Josh Beckett’s third season in Boston (2008) mirrored Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
Both had an impossible act to follow: How could Beckett top his near Cy Young winning 2007 season where he built on his reputation of being an all time Post Season pitcher? He couldn’t.
Could The Search for Spock even come close to the awesome roller coaster that was Wrath of Khan? Nope.
Both seemed like hollow facsimiles of the previous triumph: Beckett got some big wins to be sure. But he hovered around .500 around most of the season and his ERA hovered around 4.00. Not bad, but not great.
There were some nice scenes in The Search for Spock. But Christopher Lloyd was a poor man’s Khan. And destroying the Enterprise and killing Kirk’s son just didn’t hold a candle to Spock’s sacrifice.
Both saved the best for last: Despite some bad outings against the Angels and Rays in the playoffs, Beckett won Game 6 forcing the ALCS to go the limit. It didn’t have the cool ending as 2007, but Beckett did his job at the end.
The Search for Spock felt a little cheap and slapped together after Wrath of Khan. But the finale on Vulcan and Spock raising his eyebrow was a great ending.
Josh Beckett’s fourth season in Boston (2009) mirrored Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Both were fun if a little light and less ambitious: Beckett won a bunch of games including a terrific opening day start against the Rays and a complete game shutout against the Braves. He also showed his fire was there when he threw at Bobby Abreu’s head and got suspended. The Angels got revenge by beating Beckett in the playoffs.
The Voyage Home had no intention of topping Wrath of Khan. There was no bad guy and no great sacrifice. There were funny scenes in San Francisco and a save the whales message. It was the big screen equivalent of The Trouble with Tribbles.
Both were a nice return to form: While he didn’t dominate in the playoffs, Beckett became an All Star starter and along side Jon Lester, it looked like the Red Sox had their aces back.
The Voyage Home was no Wrath of Khan. But all the crew was back and in uniform. Rand and Chapel had cameos. Even Spock’s mom showed up to say hello. And at the end, a new Enterprise was introduced meaning that the series was going to get a fresh start.
Josh Beckett’s fifth season in Boston (2010) mirrored Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Both looked bad right from the beginning: Beckett started the season against the Yankees got clobbered, being chased in the 5th inning. He looked bad and it wasn’t going to get better.
The Final Frontier opened with Spock, McCoy and Kirk singing "Row Row Row your boat" around a camp fire. It was worse than embarrassing. It was Mystery Science Theater material.
Both tried but failed to fix things in mid stream: Beckett sat out a start in May before getting his butt kicked by the Yankees again. He was put on the disabled list after the Yankee start. But when he came back, he was dreadful, watching his ERA rising to 6.67 in mid August.
The Final Frontier went through so many different script changes and reedits that I am convinced that none of the actors knew what the plot was from scene to scene.
Both were so bad that you wondered if there was any hope for the future: Forget being an ace. A 30 year old pitcher going 6-6 with a 5.78 ERA could be filed in the “he’s done” bin.
With the incomprehensible ending on the God planet, a return to the camp fire and a fat and old cast, the idea of another Star Trek voyage seemed unlikely. Both made you think “better leave it to the next generation”:
Beckett was no longer the ace. Buchholz and Lester had that title. Should Beckett step down and give the Michael Bowden and Felix Doubronts of the world a shot?
Kirk, Spock and McCoy? By 1989 they should leave the “boldly going” to Piccard and company.
So where does this leave Beckett for 2011?
The good news is that Star Trek VI was the best written film of the series other than Wrath of Khan and gave the crew a great send off. So things look good for the Sox and Beckett.
Bad news is the NEXT Star Trek film, Generations, blew a great chance to have Kirk and Piccard team up. The film was a mess. Which means Beckett will probably flop in 2012.
However Star Trek: First Contact was a terrific and fun film. The Borg on the big screen? Awesome. Which bodes well for Beckett and the Sox in 2013.
The last year of Beckett’s contract is 2014. Sadly Star Trek: Insurrection was so forgettable that I forgot I saw it while I was in the theater. Doesn’t look good for Beckett that year.
And if a team signs him for 2015, bad news. I couldn’t finish Star Trek: Nemesis. I am guessing Beckett won’t finish that season.
A ray of hope for 2016? The Star Trek reboot wasn’t bad. Maybe he’ll finish in style.
Live long and prosper, Josh Beckett.
(How often can I combine two different childhood obsessions into one post?)
You know that awkward feeling you get when you give someone a long and heartfelt good bye, maybe even shed a tear or two, only to find out they are going to stick around for a few more days.
It kind of makes whatever good bye you say later look kind of silly.
That happened with me here on Sully Baseball.
On December 5th, Hideki Okajima was nontendered by the Red Sox. I made sure on the blog that his time with the Sox did not end without a fitting tribute for a playoff and World Series hero.
Well, on New Year's Eve, Oke-Dokey resigned with the Red Sox. He's coming back. I knew he'd find another job. He's left handed and has a pulse. I just didn't think it would be the Sox.
OK, Hideki... next time you leave, I am giving you a VERY SHORT post.
Today the Red Sox took a flier on former White Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks for some bullpen depth. How could it hurt?
But as Jenks changes the color of his Sox, he has a unique bond with current Boston pitchers Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon:
All three were the pitchers on the mound when their team won the World Series.
Beckett tagged out Jorge Posada on a little dribbler to end the 2003 World Series for the Marlins.
Jenks got Orlando Palmeiro to ground out to end the 2005 World Series for the White Sox.
And Papelbon struck out Seth Smith to end the 2007 World Seris for the Red Sox.
Personally, I can't think of anything cooler in all of sports than being the pitcher to end the World Series. More than a game winning home run. I used to reenact clinching a World Series as a pitcher on our front lawn... jumping up and being mobbed on the mound.
And I've written a few posts like this one and this one about my fascination with the pitcher who got the final out.
I can't help but wonder if they will talk about it amongst each other in spring training.
They MUST talk about it. Heck, that's how I would preface every sentence. "As a man who clinched the World Series... I will order the chicken salad."
The Red Sox non tendered Hideki Okajima the other day, thus ending his 4 year run in Boston. It was probably time. He had a mediocre 2010 and pitchers in their mid 30s tend to not improve over the years.
But before he goes off (and as a left handed reliever will inevitably find work) I ask my fellow Red Sox fans to tip their hats to him.
Remember this was the guy who was basically supposed to be Daisuke Matsusaka's caddy. A fellow countryman to keep the new ace company.
When he let up a homer to John Buck on the first pitch he ever threw, it looked like Okajima was Japanese for "Bust."
He didn't let up a run the rest of his outing... nor his next outing... nor the next one. In fact he didn't let up a run in his next 20 outings.
And he had that bad ass delivery where he literally wasn't looking at the batter as he pitched. I have no clue how that worked... but it did.
His ERA was 0.42 in late May. By the All Star break it was 0.82 and he was voted in by the fans (presumably by Red Sox Nation and the Nation of Japan) to the All Star Game.
As late as August 8th, his ERA remained sub 1. Then his arm started to tire and the league caught up with him.
Theo and Tito rested him for a few weeks so he would be fresh for the playoffs... and he delivered.
He was unscored upon in the Division Series and ALCS, pitching 2 key innings in Game 7 against Cleveland.
Then, in the second game of the World Series, in a tense 2-1 victory, he pitched 2 1/3 perfect innings striking out 4.
He looked like a potential MVP candidate before letting up a homer in Denver. But he was a key player for the 2007 World Champs.
So off he goes to begin the journeyman part of his career. But thanks Oke-Doke. You combined with Papelbon in 2007 to give the Sox one of the best 1-2 bullpen punches in Red Sox history.
I do NOT want to hear Giant fans before this game saying crap like “I’d rather see the Giants clinch at home.”
You can’t be picky about how you want your franchise’s defining moment.
When the Red Sox were closing in on the 2004 World Series title, I had a couple of people who were RED SOX FANS say “I wouldn’t mind seeing them drop a few games and clinch in Fenway Park.”
I of course beat those people with ski poles.
We had been waiting 86 years for a World Series title after every sort of cruel near miss imaginable and these lunatics were thinking “Let’s tempt fate.”
It was the equivalent of having food air lifted into a starving country and one of the recipients saying “I’m going to wait. I hear the next airlift has better food.”
EAT THE FOOD! YOU ARE STARVING!
I heard more of this nonsense in 2007. “Oh it would be better to win it at home.”
So which games was I supposed to be rooting AGAINST the Red Sox? And remember in 2007 they had played a tough game against the Rockies in Game 2 and a back and forth Game 3… beating a team that had rattled off an incredible winning streak. Yeah, better let THEM refind their mojo so you can have your wittle party at home.
I will not have any tolerance of such insanity.
You root for your team to win. When the Red Sox celebrated in St. Louis and in Denver… guess what? IT WAS AWESOME!
The only thing that compared to it emotionally was when the Red Sox won the 2004 ALCS and celebrated… in New York.
If the Giants win tonight, and I hope they do, you will be remembering this moment forever and reliving it in your head over and over.
And you won’t be thinking “Ah… it wasn’t that great.”
I remember when my Red Sox won the 2004 and 2007 World Series, I got flack from a few of my Giant fan friends.
One of them, let’s call him Greg Lee… because that is his name… said “You couldn’t have been excited by those World Series. They were blow outs.”
I responded “Don’t blame the Red Sox for making those World Series boring. Blame the Cardinals and Rockies for not winning a game.”
The person we will call Greg Lee responded “Wouldn’t you rather have the games be dramatic?”
And I replied “I had enough drama as a Red Sox fan. Between 1986 and 2003 I had enough drama to last a lifetime. In 2004 I had to live through the 3-0 hole and facing elimination with Mariano Rivera on the mound. In 2007, the Sox came back from another 3-1 hole. I HAD DRAMA! I wanted a title.”
Then the hypothetical person I have dubbed Greg Lee asked “Wouldn’t you rather win the series at HOME?”
I responded “That would mean I would have to root AGAINST the Red Sox in a few games. I root for the Sox in every game. The celebration was sweet on the road.”
So now let me turn the question around.
If the Giants win big tonight… would you be excited? Wouldn’t you rather have a close series? Don’t you want the games to be dramatic? Wouldn’t you want to clinch the series at home?
Or have you earned a blow out? Have you seen enough close calls that you just want to win it as fast as possible?
The brand of baseball the Giants have played has been called torture.
If the Giants win the next two games with ease, I have a feeling Giant fans will be quite happy… just like I was in 2004 and 2007.
It's a cruel place, Coors Field. Old friend Manny Delcarmen, whom I paid tribute to the other day, let up a game tying homer to Jayson Werth in his first appearance as a Colorado Rockie.
The thin air stinks sometimes.
Bear down Manny... you still have a friend in Sully.
Another member of a World Champion Red Sox team is gone. And if I could salute Julio Lugo then I can damn sure salute Manny Delcarmen, who got traded to the Colorado Rockies (ironically the team he helped beat in the 2007 World Series.)
It may not have ended well in Boston, let's not forget what a wonderful Red Sox story his is. He is a native Bostonian and "The Pride of Hyde Park" pitched at West Roxbury High School, dreaming of pitching for the Red Sox.
The Sox drafted him in the second round and in 2005 was called up to pitch for the Defending World Champs.
In 2007 he was up for good and contributing. With Papelbon and Okajima anchoring an All Star Bullpen, Delcarmen posted a 2.05 ERA over 44 relief innings. He kept the Angels off the board with 1 1/3 perfect innings in Game 2 of the Division Series that year (which ended on Manny Ramirez's walk off homer.)
He pitched in the clinching Game 4 of the World Series where he got to accomplish what so many kids in Boston had dreamed of and so few ACTUALLY have achieved:
He won a World Series ring as a player for the Red Sox.
He did it. All of us who grew up in New England all wanted what he actually got done.
So while this year has been rocky and his season will end AS a Rockie, let me just say, from one life long Red Sox fan to another, thank you Manny Delcarmen for living out all of our dreams.
It was fun for us. I assume it was even more fun for you.
Seriously, Youk gets hurt, Lowell comes back and BAM! Sox take the lead, Lowell makes a nice play in the field, Beckett looks dominating and the Red Sox beat Cleveland.
It's 2007 all over again!
OK, probably not. We'll probably have a MUCH different result. Yeah I know Lowell and Hall are essentially replacing Youk and Pedroia right now and they both homered last night. But the Sox are still a little too far back to realistically make a run at this.
But as long as they keep winning and the Yankees keep dropping games to Toronto... who knows?
Let's update the tally.
DODGED A BULLET GAMES - 35
April 4 - 9-7 win against Yankees (On Opening Night, the Red Sox overcome a 5-1 Yankee lead with a game tying HR by Pedroia and a go ahead passed ball.) April 10 - 8-3 win against Kansas City (Beckett out pitches Zack Greinke and nearly gets decapitated by a line drive.) April 14 - 6-3 win in Minnesota. (Okajima gets Morneau to pop up with the bases loaded in the 7th and Papelbon wiggled out of a 9th inning jam.) April 20 - 7-6 win against Texas. (Darnell McDonald introduces himself to Boston with an 8th inning game tying homer and a walk off hit in the 9th.) April 21 - 8-7 win against Texas. (The Red Sox were down 4-0 early only to win it on Youk's 2 out 11th inning double.) April 23 - 4-3 win against Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 3-0 lead but win it on Adrian Beltre's bases loaded walk.)
April 24 - 7-6 win against Baltimore. (The Red Sox score 6 in the 7th and hold off a late Baltimore comeback attempt.) April 26 - 13-12 win at Toronto. (The Sox blow an early 5-0 lead but hang on for dear life in a slugfest.) April 27 - 2-1 win at Toronto. (Buchholz holds the Jays down for 8 but it takes a bases loaded walk in the 8th to go ahead.) April 28 - 2-0 win at Toronto. (Daniel Bard wiggles out of trouble in the 8th to help Lester shut down the Blue Jays and finish the sweep.) May 4 - 5-1 win against the Angels. (Juan Rivera misplays Jeremy Hermedia's 2 out flyball into a 3 run game winning double) May 5 - 3-1 win against the Angels. (Papi and Beltre homer and the Sox hang on despite squandering many potential rallies.) May 6 - 11-6 win against the Angels. (Dice-K puts the Red Sox in a 4-0 hole before they even bat. The Sox bats respond.) May 10 - 7-6 win against the Blue Jays. (Sox blow an early 2-0 lead, take advantage of some errors and hang on.) May 18 - 7-5 win in New York. (Sox climb back from a 5-1 hole. A day after hitting a walk off homer, Marcus Thames drops a fly ball to start the winning rally for the Sox.) May 25 - 2-0 win in Tampa. (Big Papi supplies all the offense as Papelbon wiggles out of a 9th inning jam.) May 29 - 1-0 win against Kansas City. (Zack Greinke holds the Sox to one run, but they make it stick)
June 1 - 9-4 win against Oakland. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 4-0 hole but Victor Martinez goes 5-5 and the Sox score 9 runs late.) June 2 - 6-4 win against Oakland. (Dice-K puts the Sox in a 3-0 hole before they come to bat, but come back thanks to Papi's homer.)
June 8 - 3-2 win at Cleveland. (With Papelbon unavailable, Okajima, Ramirez and Bard hang on to make a winner out of Wakefield.)
June 19 - 5-4 win against the Dodgers. (Sox make 4 errors, blow a late lead and let Manny homer, but they win it in the bottom of the 9th on a Pedroia single.) June 20 - 2-0 win against the Dodgers. (Dodgers blow an early bases loaded scoring opportunity and allow Buchholz to settle down for the win.)
June 24 - 13-11 win in Colorado. (The bullpen lets up 9 runs in 5 innings, but Pedroia homers 3 times including with 2 outs in the 10th to win a wild and stupid game.) June 26 - 4-2 win in San Francisco. (An injury running the bases takes Buchholz out in the second, but the bullpen and Mike Cameron's bat and glove win the game.) July 2 - 3-2 win against the Orioles. (Wakefield gets the win and J.D. Drew homers twice, but it is Nava's 2 out 8th inning bloop that landed between three fielders that breaks the tie.)
July 11 - 3-2 win in Toronto. (Jesse Litch took a no hitter into the 6th but back to back homers by McDonald and Big Papi win the game.) July 17 - 3-2 win against Texas. (Youk ties the game in the 9th off of Cliff Lee and wins it in the 11th with a sacrifuce fly) July 19 - 2-1 win at Oakland. (Beltre homers and Dice-K holds on to the win.) July 22 - 8-6 win at Seattle. (Lackey lost a no hit bid in the 8th and the Mariners scored 5 in the 9th to tie before the Sox won in 13) July 23 - 2-1 win at Seattle. (Bill Hall's barely fair homer gives the Sox the win on Beckett's return.)
July 26 - 6-3 win in Anaheim. (Papi homers twice and Buccholz and Papelbon each wiggle out of jams to get the win.) July 27 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (Jed Lowrie's 2 run 7th inning double gives the Sox the lead and makes a winner out of John Lackey. )
July 28 - 7-3 win in Anaheim. (Youk ties the game in the 7th with a homer and Scutaro wins it with an 8th inning grand slam to sweep the Angels.) July 31 - 5-4 win against Detrout. (Big Papi hits a 3 run walk off double to crush the Tigers in the 9th.) August 1 - 4-3 win against Detroit. (Sox blow a 3 run 9th inning lead but the Tigers throw away a 9th inning sacrifice bunt to give the Sox the win.
August 3 - 3-1 win against Cleveland. (Lowell homers on his first pitch back and plays sparkling defense to preserve the win.)
TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 33
April 6 - 6-4 loss against the Yankees. (Scutaro's error leads to the winning run.) April 7 - 3-1 loss against the Yankees. (Sox leave the winning run on in the 9th only to lose on Granderson's 10th inning homer) April 9 - 4-3 loss in Kansas City. (Bard coughs up the lead, denying Wakefield a win.) April 17 - 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Sox can't score with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 11th... lost it in the 12th.) April 17 - 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox comeback falls a run short, leaving two on in the 8th) April 25 - 7-6 loss to Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 4-1 lead, leave the winning run on second in the 9th, let up 3 in the 10th and could only score 2 in the bottom of the 10th) April 30 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (Tejada ties the game with a 2 out 8th inning homer and wins it with a bloop in the 10th) May 1 - 12-9 loss in Baltimore. (Dice-K and Wakes get pounded, wasting 2 homers from Ortiz and an early 4-1 lead.) May 2 - 3-2 loss in Baltimore. (Varitek is thrown at home trying to score with 2 outs in the 8th. Sox get swept in the 10th. May 12 - 3-2 loss against the Blue Jays. (The Sox rally in the 9th comes up a run short and Kevin Gregg gets an ugly save.) May 15 - 7-6 loss in Detroit. (The Sox blow a 6-1 lead and lose it on a 2 out bases loaded walk in the 12th.) May 17 - 11-9 loss in New York. (The Sox come all the way back from a 5-0 first inning hole to take a 9-7 lead in the 9th... but Papelbon lets up a 2 run game tying shot to A-Rod and a 2 run walk off shot to Marcus Thames.) May 21 - 5-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Big Papi's bid for a game tying 9th inning grand slam is caught at the warning track.) May 27 - 4-3 loss to Kansas City. (Dice-K walks the go ahead run in and lets another score on a wild pitch as the Royals no name bullpen shut down the Hot Sox.) May 28 - 12-5 loss to Kansas City. (Sox blow a 3-0 first inning lead to be blown out in Fenway.) June 3 - 9-8 loss to Oakland. (Sox lose a slugfest where two Boston runners are thrown out at home.)
June 6 - 4-3 loss in Baltimore. (Sox rally to tie the game in the 9th only to lose it on a small ball rally in the 11th.) June 10 - 8-7 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow an early 5-0 lead and then after rallying in the 9th to take the lead coughed it up with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th) June 13 - 5-3 loss to Philadelphia. (Sox 9th inning rally comes up short) June 22 - 2-1 loss in Colorado. (The Sox waste a solid Lester start and twice leave the bases loaded.) June 23 - 8-6 loss in Colorado. (The Sox batter Ubaldo Jimenez around but Papelbon lets up 2 homers in the 9th to lose it.) June 25 - 5-4 loss in San Francisco. (The Sox strand 11 runners in the last 4 innings wasting a solid Wakefield performance.) July 5 - 6-5 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox spoil a 5-1 lead and 2 homers by Eric Patterson when Dice-K and the bullpen couldn't hold down the Rays.) July 6 - 3-2 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox bats go dead and Kevin Youkilis goes down to injury.) July 7 - 6-4 loss in Tampa Bay. (Matt Garza comes out of the pen, shuts down a late rally as the Rays sweep the Sox.) July 10 - 9-5 loss in Toronto. (The Sox give Lackey an early 5-3 lead that he couldn't hold.) July 18 - 4-2 loss to the Rangers. (Lester loses a rare game at home that included a Rangers steal of home.)July 20 - 5-4 loss in Oakland. (The Sox go up 4-0 after 2 but don't score again and lose it in the 10th) July 21 - 6-4 loss in Oakland. (Buchholz can't hold on to an early lead as the Sox lose the series.) July 24 - 5-1 loss in Seattle. (Lester's perfect game is foiled and the Red Sox bats die.) July 25 - 4-2 loss in Seattle. (Okajima misplays a sacrifice bunt and the Mariners rally in the 8th to win.) July 30 - 6-5 loss to Detroit. (Papi's grand slam makes it a 1 run game in the 9th but Cameron strikes out looking with the winning runs on base.) August 2 - 6-5 loss to Cleveland. (Beltre drives in 5 runs by himself but the Red Sox leave the tying run on base with Big Papi on deck.)
Back up to +2
Lester tomorrow... hey he won the clinching game of the 2007 World Series. Maybe the 2007 feel good party can continue!
REASON ONE: THE STAR TREK EFFECT
REASON TWO: C.J.WILSON AND THE HORRIBLE CROP OF AVAILABLE PITCHERS
REASON THREE: THE RED SOX LACK OF DEPTH
REASON FOUR: BOBBY V AND BECKETT WILL BE A MATCH MADE IN HELL
REASON FIVE: BECKETT DID HIS JOB. IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON.
