Let’s Talk About Sox, Baby
Let me say it right up front. The Sox – yes, the world champion Sox – are just not that good. They are tied with the America-n Heroes in the loss column at the moment, but they are still in first place. No arguments. But here’s my beef. No team that has been so overwhelmingly dependant on two guys for all of their run production can be considered that dangerous. They have a knack for winning games, I’ll admit. I’m ready to give credit where it’s due. But every single time you turn on the highlights and see Bosto-n coming from behind, getting the huge hit, or winning a thriller, it’s always, always, always the same two guys. Sure, on occasion Damon will be the guy flying around third to score, ridiculous hair that he will regret in ten years flopping behind him, but it’s all about the dynamic duo. Let’s look at some numbers. Using the “runs produced” stat gives you a good idea of how many runs a person is responsible for. Its RUNS + RBI – HR (to eliminate the redundancy – when you hit a bomb, you get a run and a RBI). When you combine the runs produced for those two guys, they account for a full 50% of the Red Sox runs. That is an outlandish number. No other first place team has two guys that are even close to that. Certainly no two guys on the Yanks, which makes sense. Sheff and A-Rod would leave out Matsui and Jeter, etc. You just aren’t as dependant on the same guys.
Why did the Red Sox win the alcs last year? Please don’t say starting pitching. I’m sure that would be a more convenient post-script, but it just doesn’t work. The Sox starters were 2-3 in the alcs last year, and in five of the starts left the game on the hook for the “L”. So that doesn’t make sense, does it? So why did they win? Because Ortiz and Manny, mostly Ortiz, were absolutely unconscious in games 4-7. That’s the way it goes. Tim McCarver, who I can go either way on – sometimes he’s insightful, sometimes he’s pompous, self promoting and monotonous – said it best last year. He made the comment in the playoffs – “Barry Bonds must be sitting there scratching his head asking why Ortiz gets pitched to and he doesn’t.” He was dead on. Ortiz was every bit as ridiculously white-hot as Barry Bonds ever was, and they would always pitch to him. He had Manny behind him, okay, but good pitchers can get Manny out. Ortiz was as automatic as I’ve ever seen anybody last year. No one could get him out. And that’s why they will not repeat. As good as Manny and Ortiz are, they’re not going to get a performance like that two years in a row in all the clutch spots. Their luck will run out. And when it does, the Red Sox will run out, because they’ve got little else. They depend on those guys for fully one half of their runs. Besides, teams, like the Yankees, who were probably prevented partly by pride from doing what needed to be done, i.e. staying away from Ortiz and giving him a shave once in a while, will learn from their mistake. I’d love to be above that stuff, too, but I’d love to win more.
So who else makes up this vaunted Red Sox offense? Damon is having a great year, but is currently 45 points above his career average. The only starter on the Yankees that is even at their career average is A-Rod, and he’s only 11 points above. Varitek is having a solid year, but is also playing way over his head, hitting 31 points above his career average. Varitek is a career .274 hitter who is currently over .300. Probably won’t continue. I will admit – he’s a solid catcher. I’ve always said it was kind of a push between Varitek and Posada. Similar to Munson-Fisk. After that, a string of mediocrity. Mueller, Millar, Bellhorn, Renteria, and Trot Nixon. No one that really scares you. And how about the pitching? Clement? He’s already losing a lot of his first half steam. You knew that was coming, he’s never been that good. Wade Miller has been so-so, Wakefiel-d has been so-so, Wells is a time bomb, Arroyo’s on the trading block, and Schilling, well, he’s been the most fun of all.
I have to wonder. Is anyone in Bosto-n getting a little tired of Curt Schilling’s act? I know they must be, whether or not they want to admit it to Yankee fans. He is really too much. Even from here in NY, we have seen many guys who went to Bosto-n over the years with a Hollywoo-d script already secretly in hand starring them as the hero who single-handedly “broke the curse.” Schilling is the most egregious of these. I certainly don’t think he put ketchup on his sock, but I do think he made **** sure that there was blood high enough on the sock for the cameras to spot. And he knew **** sure the cameras would be zooming on the sock. Why not? He got POUNDED in game one, after shooting his mouth off about shutting up Yankee fans, so he had himself a ready-made excuse if he lost, and if he won, cue the “movie of the week”. No wonder his teammates hate him wherever he goes. You can really see why. He’s an over-the-top jack*ss.
Don’t get me wrong, the Yanks have their problems, too, as we talk about every other day on BPS. But we’re not talking about them today.
Are the Rangers really going to deal Soriano to the Mets? I don’t think it’s on the table now, but last year, Reyes for Soriano was (and is) a steal for the Mets any day of the week. Reyes is a .265 hitter with an on base percentage under .300 who is injury prone with no power. The Mets PR machine is in overdrive trying to hype the guy, even now, probably to deal him, eventually. Whenever you start hearing quotes from different guys (Willie, Pedro) popping up in succession right around the trading deadline like “When all is said and done, all of us will say – I played with Jose Reyes” – immediately hit the button and scream “bu*lsh*t!!” That’s an attempted robbery in progress, gentlemen, perpetrated for the benefit of the GMs around the league. The guy’s not that good. And he’s certainly not going to be Soriano. The one I heard today is Heilman, a middle reliever who was supposed to have potential five years ago, and Zambrano, a journeyman, for Soriano. I’m not sure if that was real or some hilariously unrealistic Met fan making up a ridiculous trade. Because if the Rangers did that, that’s what it would be. And if the Mets could pull it off, Manaya deserves “executive of the year,” if that is a real award.
Not bad for an off day, no?
Bleeding Pinstripes 
No game not much to chat about, with the exception of when you see headlines like this D-Rays pounce on Schilling, outlast Red Sox in 10. peteygoods eats a half of a watermelon in one sitting an lives to tell about it.