Hot Stove Heats Up

            The 2013 MLB Hot Stove got off to a slow start but someone lit a match to it last Monday. That’s when the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers shook things up trading first baseman Prince Fielder to the Rangers for second baseman Ian Kinsler and cash.

            This trade looks to be a clear win for the Tigers as they get a .273 career hitter and defensive wall in Kinsler while giving up someone who has widely underperformed for Detroit.

            Fielder is a big name player and everyone expects a lot offensively out of him. While he may look appealing offensively there are other problems with him. At a reported 275 pounds it is hard for Prince to move around in the field. He is a defensive liability at first base. He’s found the position where he has to move the least but even there, he has a bad stretch, he’s not quick enough to stop anything down the line, and there are plays that make managers roll their eyes.

            Another example of Prince’s struggles came just one month ago in the ALCS against the Red Sox. Prince rounded third too hard and was caught in a pickle between third and home. Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who’s not fast and had full catcher’s gear on, chased Fielder back down the line to third.  When Fielder attempted to dive back to the bag, he flopped onto the ground and was tagged out as Salty landed on top of him. Many fans have laughed at this play but it is a perfect example of another problem with Fielder. He can’t successfully do one of the most basic things in baseball: the slide. With all that said though, Prince has good power numbers and he gets on base a lot.

            On the other side of the trade Ian Kinsler, who has played with Texas his entire career, hit .277 in 2013 with 72 RBIs. He had a fielding percentage of .978 making just 13 errors in his 124 games at second base. The Tigers will be replacing Omar Infante at second base. Kinsler is a three-time all AL all-star.

            There was some sadness with the trade as Miguel Cabrera expressed how much he will miss his brother-like ex-teammate by posting pictures of him and Fielder walking together and the translation of another tweet read: “Remembering a good friend, (wish you) all the success in the world (with your) new team. And another one read: “To remember is to live…what unforgettable moments, my brother.”

            This trade is of local interest for Red Sox fans because many think that now that the Rangers have Prince they won’t make a serious bid for outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. I find that hard to believe. The Rangers have dedicated owners who may be willing to make a big investment. It will, however, make life harder because anything that helps the Tigers essentially hurts the Sox. The Red Sox and Tigers are arguably the two best teams in the American League and it looks as though there is a well-established rivalry between them. This year’s ALCS was an epic battle between two very closely matched teams. Small moves can make a big difference and could easily shift the balance between these two teams.

***

            On another note, I was able to attend the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame dinner last Sunday evening. It was a great event with a great induction class. The hall inducted 12 new members of VT sports royalty. That class included skiing gold-medalists Barbra Cochran and Billy Kidd, basketball standout Keith Cieplicki, football superstar Ollie Dunlap, Boston Bruins founder Charles Adams (who, believe it or not, was actually a Vermonter), and many others. They also gave out a memorial award in honor of their late board chair David K. Hakins. This first ever award went to Ray Pecor, owner of the Vermont Lake Monsters. This year’s class is the second to go into the Vermont Sports Hall. You can see the all the inductees at this virtual hall at www.VermontSportsHall.com.

Follow Jasper Goodman on twitter:  @Jasper_Goodman

Sox moving Forward

            The 2013 Boston Red Sox season was one for the ages. The Red Sox made one of the most historical comebacks in their history: going from worst to first in the American League East, and then going on to win the World Series.

            From day one of spring training, the Red Sox recognized that they were terrible last year and from then on called the 2013 season the “road to redemption.” I think that spirit helped the team, sending out a positive vibe for this year but at the same time, not trying to sugar coat how last year went.

            The Sox took a chance bringing in a cast of characters that nobody thought would really be able to do anything. In the end those guys, who fans were skeptical about; Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes, Shane Victorino, those were the guys who made the clubhouse atmosphere positive, and in my mind, those were the guys who won them the world series because of what they did on and off the field.

Red Sox free agent watch

            All of us Red Sox fans want this World Series celebration to last a very long time, but now that the season has cooled down, it’s time for the hot stove to heat up. The Red Sox are now in a tough spot. They have a couple of free agents who a lot of fans want back but it might not be the best move for the team to make.

            Jacoby Ellsbury: Almost every Red Sox fan wants to see Jacoby back in a Red Sox uniform for a long while, but for the price that he is asking, I don’t see that happening. His agent is Scott Boras. Boras is someone who won’t settle for less and with the postseason that Ells just had, Boras is going to be laughing all the way to the bank.  He is looking at a likely $100 million contract for Ellsbury. The Sox offered him $14.1 million contract as a qualifying offer. For some fans it may seem like there’s not even any point in taking the extra coin when he is already making an ungodly amount, and could give a hometown discount and stay in Boston. For Ellsbury, it is all about the money. He will take the most money that he can get and unlike second baseman Dustin Pedroia, there won’t be a hometown discount.

            Mike Napoli: I think that it is very likely that you’ll see Mike Napoli back in a Red Sox uniform next year. Nap loves Boston, has embraced the Boston strong spirit, and had strong numbers this past year. I think that if the Sox can get him back at an affordable price, which they most likely will be able to, he will be back.

            Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Salty appears to be the most replaceable free agent that the Red Sox have to deal with this offseason. The Sox need a short-term catcher, maybe three or four yeas, before catching prospect Ryan Lavarnway can come up and be an everyday catcher at the big-league level.

            Stephen Drew: Drew is also a very replaceable player but because of the Red Sox’s never-ending shortstop problem, I think that they should keep Drew in Boston. Compared to some of the other guys who we have seen come through Bean Town, Drew has been more-or-less dependable.

***

On another note, I had the chance to be down at World Series parade. It was a great time. I was able to get into the park before the parade to hear the Red Sox owners, players, front office members, media members, Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick, Boston mayor Thomas Menino, and some others speak to the fans. The fans were so happy to really start to see the tides change in the Boston sports scene, watching the Red Sox win their third title in nine years. Some might think that the parade wasn’t as special since it was the third time that they’ve had one, but it was just the opposite. It may have been the best time that I have had with the Red Sox this year.

            

Sox in Series

            The 2013 Boston Red Sox have been described by many words: Resilient, relentless, scrappy, the list can go on. But one thing that has jumped out to me throughout this 2013 season is those who outfielder Johnny Gomes calls the 26^th man on their roster. The fans.

            Especially throughout the postseason, people who I never would’ve expected to be watching the Red Sox have been glued to the games. This includes friends, family members, teachers, and the millions of others who have gotten behind the Red Sox this season.

            The Red Sox haven’t always made it look pretty this season but they have found a way to get it done nonetheless. This postseason and World Series have been one for the ages. Maybe you’ve liked the crazy endings. Maybe it has put a little too much pressure on your heart for games that are so late at night. Either way, it has been one of the oddest and craziest World Series in my lifetime.

            Outfielder Jonny Gomes said in an ALDS press conference, “You play 162 games, a lot of innings, a lot of pitches, a lot of runs. One thing you can guarantee in the playoffs is that you are going to see something that you haven’t seen all year.”

            That has been an understatement. We’ve seen things this postseason that have never happened before. A playoff game has never ended with a runner getting picked off at first base, the way it did on Sunday.  A game has never ended on an obstruction call, with a runner being awarded home the way it did on Saturday.  And move over Babe (Ruth), the Red Sox have never had a postseason starter as young as Xander Bogaerts, who is just 21 years old.

            Unlike the NFL, which held its first official Super Bowl in 1967, baseball has had playoff and World Series games since 1903.,  That first World Series,  coincidentally, was won by the Boston Americans (now the Boston Red Sox). All those years of postseason play means a lot of games to set records, and a lot of unusual plays. So to see multiple record setting things in this World Series is really something special.

THREE KEYS TO THE REST OF THE SERIES

#1: Managing: John Farrell has been out-managed in this series. This is the first time that he has had to put thought into managing against a National League team in the postseason. Thankfully, the Red Sox won’t have any more games at Busch Stadium where they can’t use David Ortiz as a designated hitter. But Farrell has to start using the bunt more affectively, and maybe using the intentional walk more too. The decision to leave pitcher Brandon Workman in to hit against Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal in game 4 was a really bad one, and one that Farrell would like to have back.

#2: Craig Breslow: The Red Sox need relief pitcher Craig Breslow in the seventh inning. He was perfect through the ALDS and the ALCS but has allowed three runs (two of them earned) in the World Series prior to game five. If the Red Sox are going to keep pointing to him out of the bullpen in the seventh inning, he needs to be reliable. Breslow is a big fat question mark in my mind at this point.

#3: End of the lineup: The bottom of the lineup has been dismal for the Red Sox so far this World Series. It consists of Jonny Gomes/Daniel Nava, Jarrod Saltalamacchia/David Ross, Stephen Drew, and Xander Bogaerts. I have wanted shortstop Stephen Drew out of the lineup for a little while now but I can understand John Farrell’s desire to keep him in. He is a wall for them at shortstop. Drew is hitting .083 in the postseason and a devastatingly bad .085 in the Series. Little Leaguers across the nation have had to cover their eyes trying to watch Drew hit. He has been off balance at the plate, he has been finishing his swing with only his top hand on the bat, and has contradicted many of the game’s basic fundamentals with his at bats.

            I think that the Red Sox will squeak out the win in the series. Game 6 of the 2013 World Series will be tomorrow night at Fenway Park in Boston.

Follow Jasper Goodman on Twitter:

@Jasper_Goodman

Sox in ALCS & Mountaineers

            The Boston Red Sox don’t make it easy for themselves in the playoffs. The Red Sox have survived numerous near death moments in the October: Being down three games to none against the Yankees in 2004… losing two straight on the road in the ALCS in Cleveland in 2007… and now in 2013, starting the ALCS against Detroit by going 15 straight innings without a hit.

But with one swing of the bat, the whole season turned around. As they say in Boston, “It ain’t over ‘til the Big Papi swings.”

            That was the case on Sunday night. It was the eighth inning of Game 2 in ALCS against Detroit. The Red Sox were losing 5-1. The best offense in the MLB had gone ice cold. But when you’re down by four and the bases are loaded, there is no guy who you’d rather have up than David Ortiz.

            “I was just trying to put a good swing on the ball,” Ortiz said after the game. “My idea wasn’t just to go up there and hit a grand slam.” But when Ortiz got the first pitch changeup that he was looking for, he put a great swing on the ball and gave it a ride into the Red Sox bullpen.

            We now go to Detroit for three games to face one of the best postseason pitchers of this generation, Justin Verlander, and then Doug Fister.  John Lackey will take the rubber in game three for Boston and Jake Peavy in game four.

            I think that the Tigers may have an edge from here on out because we now have to play three straight games at Comerica Park in Detroit. Ordinarily I’m not big on home field advantages but here it matters for a few reasons: 1. John Lackey has remarkably better numbers at home. 2. Comerica Park is huge and it will pose a challenge for outfielders. 3. The Red Sox as a team in the regular season were 53-28 at home and 44-37 on the road.

            One the other hand, the Red Sox scored more runs than any other team in baseball so if those bats light up, watch out. There are ups and downs for the rest of the series for both teams.

            Game three of the American League Championship Series between the Red Sox and the Tigers is tonight at 4:00 pm on FOX.

***

            On another note, the Vermont Mountaineers are gearing up for their 2014 season and there is some very encouraging news for Mountaineers fans about the upcoming season.

            The Mountaineers announced to the public in their newsletter that manager Joe Brown will be back for the 2014 season.

            “I felt very confortable that he did a good job with the team and he brought in a good roster of players,” said long time Mountaineers GM Brian Gallagher.  “He had good leadership under a tough situation when we had all of those injuries.”

            Brown lead the Mountaineers to a 24-20 regular season record, good for second place the NECBL Western Division.

            For Brown, it wan “an interesting decision” to come back to Vermont. “I enjoyed it up there,” he said. “It’d be nice to see how we could do with a group of guys from the start of the summer to the end of the summer.”

            For most Mountaineers fans the offseason is just the offseason and they wait until June 5^th to start thinking about the team too much but for Gallagher, Brown, and the rest of the Mountaineers organization, the recruiting for next year is well under way.

            The recruiting “is probably about 75% done,” Brown told me. “We’ve been very fortunate to get some of the kids we wanted.”

            “So far I’ve sent out 20 contracts,” Gallagher said. “We still are very short on pitching right now but the guys we have coming in are very good. We just haven’t gone after a lot of pitching yet.”

            The entire Mountaineers community has also been very closely following the story of Mountaineers OF from last year, Pat Wiese. Pat was diagnosed with bone cancer in September.

            Pat hit .306 in 21 games with the Mountaineers before leaving with an injury in his knee that was later found to be a tumor.

            “We’re all pulling for him and he’s had a heck of a battle. His baseball career is pretty much done with, but at this point we just want him to beat cancer and come back and have a healthy and productive life,” Gallagher told me.  “It’s been pretty inspiring to see how much support he’s gotten from Vermont. He had surgery in early October, and he’s now going though treatments to try to get this thing taken care of.”

            While Brian and everyone else with the Mountaineers got to know him over the summer, the connection was made long before then for coach Brown and Pat. “Being a central New York coach, I’m only 25 minutes from his campus,” said Brown. “And having known Pat in high school so I certainly feel for the whole family and I give him a tremendous amount of credit for how he’s handling it.”

            I personally would like to send my thoughts and prayers to Pat and his family.

            You can follow Pat’s story online at www.CaringBridge.org/visit/PatWiese2.

            Follow Jasper Goodman on Twitter:

@Jasper_Godman

Column--9/15/13 (Mariana Rivera)

“And here comes Mariana Rivera out of the bullpen” may be the most dreadful sentence to hear in the 9^th inning.  When I walked into Fenway Park early to see the Red Sox honor that man who has put the dagger in our hearts so many times, I was a bit skeptical at first.

            In Minnesota, the Twins gave Mo a rocking chair made out of all of the bats that he broke there; in Texas, the Rangers gave Rivera cowboy boots and a cowboy hat for his last game there; in Tampa Bay, the Rays gave him a sandman; in Cleveland the Indians gave him a framed golden record.  And then there’s Boston.  How would the Fenway faithful react? I wasn’t sure myself upon walking in through the gates.

            But instead of sending Rivera off with a wet kiss like the rest of the league, as emcee Dave O’Brien put it in the ceremony, we’ll send you off with a roast instead of a toast.  The Fenway Park jumbotron then showed the famous moment in 2004 when Mo blew the save in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) that ultimately led to the Red Sox winning the World Series that year.  Kevin Millar and Dave Roberts gave the commentary as they showed Millar get walked on five pitches by Rivera, Dave Roberts pinch running and stealing second base, and Bill Muller driving in the tying run to send the game into extras which the Red Sox later won on a walk off in the 12^th inning.

            Mo and the rest of the Yankees dugout were exploding with laughter and took it in stride while Red Sox Nation got one last laugh as we said goodbye to the great Mariano Rivera.

            When WEEI Red Sox Radio Network asked listeners what should the Red Sox thank Rivera for in his last voyage to Fenway, one fan texted in: “The 2004 World Series.  We couldn’t have done it without you.”  I thought to myself what a classic Red Sox fan answer that was.            

But in all seriousness, Mariano, congratulations.  You are the best closer that this game has ever had.  Every time I’ve seen you come out of the door in right field to enter the game in the 9^th inning, I would think to myself: “Oh no, here comes Mo to drive a dagger into the hearts of Red Sox fans.” 

But on this Sunday night it was our turn, as Red Sox fans, to salute you and appreciate your greatness.  While what we gave you may not match up to the Chevrolet Corvette that you got at the All-Star Game this year, what you got from us is in some ways harder earned. The respect of Red Sox Nation isn’t something that is easy to get.  Just ask A-Rod.  When a Yankees player of any position or any year walks out onto the green grass of Fenway Park and gets cheered, that means something.  So to add to your very impressive collection of accomplishments, including 13-time all-star, five-time World Series champion, World Series MVP, MLB record for career saves, three-time delivery man of the year award, and many others, we add that you got a standing ovation from Red Sox fans as a New York Yankee.

            The celebration of Mo that has been going on all year long at numerous ballparks is something that has never really been done before.  It’s not often that those who are as great as Rivera retire and in his case it wasn’t just because of how he played on the field. 

Mo was and is a class act.  He always shakes the hand of his catcher when he gets a save, and he respects his opponents more than anyone else on that field. Mo is the definition of a good sport.  That is why he is getting the respect that he does from his opponents. 

There’s an old saying that they often tell us at school, and that’s what goes around comes around.  Mariano Rivera is the perfect example to illustrate that point.

            ***

            On a much more serious note, I would like to send my thoughts and prayers to this year’s Mountaineers outfielder, Pat Wiese and his family. On September 10^th, Pat was diagnosed with bone cancer in his knee.  All has gone well thus far for Pat and I hope that it continues that way.  I wish all my best to Pat and his family as they fight to win this battle against cancer.

Follow Jasper Goodman on twitter:  @Jasper_Goodman

Check out Jasper’s blog:

www.goodmansports.blogspot.com