Sub-par Manning Primes Denver for an Early Playoff Exit

DENVER, Colo.—After Peyton Manning’s dismal four interception game and a 37-28 Denver loss to the Bengals, are the Broncos’ hopes of a Super Bowl Ring diminishing?

One could say that Manning single-handedly lost the game for the Broncos. Along with his four picks, Manning went 28-44 in passing attempts along with a Quarterback Rating (QBR) of 24.1.

Manning’s poor performance on Monday night was one of many within the past several weeks as well.

Prior to Monday, in week 15 Manning had a sub-par “Peyton” performance against the San Diego Chargers, throwing only one touchdown and 233 yards. Prior to that game, Manning had his worse in a Broncos uniform throwing two interceptions with zero touchdowns and only 173 yards.

Manning has slowed down at the most inopportune time if the Broncos plan on making back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.

Going back to Manning’s Monday night performance, after a five-yard pass from Manning to receiver Emmanuel Sanders in the second half to go up 28-27, Cincinnati cornerback Adam Jones picked off Manning on the team’s next drive.

The Bengals would take a chip-shot of a field goal to take the lead for good from the Broncos.

However, Manning continued to throw interceptions. With the Broncos’ final two drives, Manning would throw two picks to cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, one turning into a pick-six.

Lack of physical ability had nothing to do with Manning’s woes. Manning just was not there mentally.

Manning seemed fidgety throughout the game. He missed many open targets, targeting receiver Demaryius Thomas 14 times throughout the game and only throwing seven catchable balls.

At the end of the game, the Broncos had to make up 81 yards and two points in four minutes. Usually Manning can do that with ease. Last night, not so much.

Despite a loss, the Broncos can still clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs with a win against the 3-12 Oakland Raiders, a safe bet. However, with the recent slide of Manning, the Broncos seem susceptible. If Manning cannot keep up with the likes of Tom Brady, Andrew Luck and Philip Rivers in the playoffs, look for an early exit from the Denver Broncos.

Come October, Expect Rejuvenated Marlins to Compete

Once considered a team that could never compete, the Miami Marlins are aiming to take over the NL East division.

After signing hometown star Giancarlo Stanton to the biggest contract in Major League Baseball history, the team acquired all-star second baseman Dee Gordon and veteran starter Dan Haren in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shortly after, the team acquired Cincinnati ace Matt Latos. The two deals favor building a team around Stanton that can compete next year.

“We are going to be surrounding [Stanton], we have already started to surround him, with All-Star-caliber players,” said Jeff Loria via the Miami Herald.

The NL East is up for grabs and arguably is the easiest one to take. With these two trades, the Marlins took full advantage of that.

Last season, the Washington Nationals won the division with 96 wins. Second place went to the Atlanta Braves with 79 wins.

The Nationals are favorites to win the division again, but the Marlins can very well be contending for a wild card spot. No one else in the division seems like they will be getting better.

Atlanta traded away outfielder Jason Heyward for pitcher Shelby Miller while signing Oriole outfielder Nick Markakis. Not much of an upgrade at either position to warrant a winning percentage above .500 for the Braves.

The New York Mets are a mess. Amidst young, talented arms is aging veteran in 41 year old Bartolo Colon, injury plagued David Wright, disappointing Curtis Granderson and a mess of a lineup filled with below average players. Look for the Mets to digress from their 79-win season last year.

The Philadelphia Phillies finished last in the division last year. They too, are plagued by aging veterans on the downside of their careers. Looking to rebuild, the Phillies do not seem like a threat in the NL East.

Now inserts the rejuvenated Marlins. In trading for Gordon, Haren and Latos, while also signing underappreciated outfielder Michael Morse to a two-year deal, the Marlins have filled many of their holes in last year’s roster.

Gordon is inserted into the leadoff role while moving outfielder Christian Yelich into batting second. With Gordon’s league leading 64 stolen bases and Yelich’s .362 On-base percentage, the team can score early and often.

Morse also solidifies Miami’s three-four-five spots in the lineup when combined with Stanton and outfielder Marcell Ozuna. Morse also expects to play first base as well as the outfield for the Marlins, which solidifies the position after a dismal year from Garrett Jones.

The Marlins also have a potent staff when combining Latos and Haren with young guys Henderson Alvarez, Jarred Cosart and Jose Fernandez.

Expect Latos to pitch close to his career average 3.34 ERA and 200 innings post-knee and elbow injuries and Haren to provide leadership for the rest of the staff.

And if Fernandez comes back from Tommy John Surgery pitching like he did before the surgery, expect 85-90 wins from this team.

The Marlins have taken advantage of a lowly NL East. They acquired talented players to go along with their young core of guys that immediately fill most of their needs. By playing the Braves, Mets and Phillies 54 times throughout the season, expect the Marlins to be a contender come October.

With Rice's Reinstatement, Should Patriots Give Him a Try?

NFL running back Ray Rice won his appeal against his suspension and can now sign with any NFL team.

So, why not the New England Patriots?

With running back Stevan Ridley all but out the door at this point and no indication that Shane Vereen will resign or not, the Patriots could be down two backs next season. With Jonas Gray and LaGarrette Blount the only two running backs penciled in to the Patriots 53-man roster next season, they will most likely need to obtain a more versatile back.

The Patriots should consider Ray Rice to fill the position. Rice’s down year in 2013 and now his fiasco with his suspension and domestic charges will keep the price low in order to obtain his services. At a price that could be as low as the league minimum, players that have ran for over 1,000 yards four seasons in a row and caught for over 700 yards in one season twice are almost never up for grabs.

The Patriots also have a history of taking on troubled players. Their list includes Corey Dillon, Aaron Hernandez, Randy Moss, Rodney Harrison and Chad Ochocinco. Adding Rice to that list would not be an abnormality.

Ray Rice also has the potential to become one of the most versatile running backs in the NFL once again. At the age of 27, Rice has now had an entire year off to recuperate and come back stronger and better. A change of scenery could also help his situation and get back on track to dominance.

Rice stays away from injury as well. Since becoming a starter in 2009 and minus his lost 2014 season to date, Rice has played every game but one. After Ridley’s injury and the rotation of backs, the Patriots could use some of that consistency in their backfield.

After the initial phase of awkwardness once Rice returns to the NFL, he could reinstate himself as one of the best running backs in the game. With the unclear futures of half of the Patriots running backs and Rice’s incredibly low price, the Patriots should take a hit on Rice’s potential.

Through Thick and Thin: Athletic Director Nick Smith Still Comes Out On Top

WORCESTER—“This is not an I thing, this is a team thing,” resonates as the anthem for Assumption College Athletic Director Nick Smith.

And how a team effort it was to get Smith to where he is today.

 Not only did Smith put his family in financial instability for years, he left a quality job working at Gillette Stadium for a contemporary service company to do so.

“Sometimes you don’t realize what you miss until you leave it. I had left college athletics for about a year and a half and decided that this [job] was not for me and I wanted to go back to college athletics,” said Smith.

            So Smith went back to being an equipment manager, the same job he had prior to working at Gillette Stadium. He quit his cushioned job for a pay-cut, title-cut and long hours of work. Newly married, Smith’s family inherited his burden.

            “It was tough because you work a lot of hours, I just got married and then you don’t get to see your wife very much,” said Smith. “In this job, there’s a lot of hours so my family sometimes suffers because of that. I now have a seven and a four year old daughter and it can be difficult but I couldn’t do my job without them. I wouldn’t get to come home until two in the morning sometimes but that is what you sign up for.”

            But then Smith’s time had come. There was an opening at Assumption College for an athletic director and Smith was awarded the job.

            However, there came a price with taking the position.

            Assumption was the worst ranked team in the conference, ranked 16 out of 16. Mediocrity was the consensus on campus along with their players and personnel.

            “In my interview, I did say we were going to win the President’s Cup while I was here and people thought I was joking,” said Smith. “Some actually left. I wasn’t joking and I still remain not joking. We will win the President’s Cup before my time is over.”

            The first thing that needed to change on campus, according to Smith was the culture.

            “When I first came here, there was a culture, from my understanding, a culture of mediocrity, borderline losing,” said Smith. “I don’t know if they had the vision or the support of whether it be the administration, whether it be the resources or things of that nature and I think that there was doubt. On my interview, they wouldn’t show me the football locker room. I’m pretty sure I know why now.”

            Smith’s first course of action was to change up the coaching staff. By the end of Smith’s first year as athletic director, 11 out of 18 head coaches were fired and replaced. Smith stressed that the changes were made because of opposing vantage points.

            “Unfortunately certain things happen and you have to make some judgment calls,” said Smith. “What happened was I think it was kind of a blend of a few things. I think the first year there was a couple of identifiable problems that we needed to make and we made those adjustments there. But there were other things where I might have had a vision [and] I don’t know if [coaches] agreed with the direction of things so they chose that maybe this wasn’t the right thing for them.”

            Along with the changes in head coaches, the administration hired eight new people within their own sector. There are only 15 jobs total within the athletic administration.

            However, Smith believes that the changes have made athletics better.

            “I truly believe that we have the best staff in the NE-10 and the reason I say that is because we are hungry to get things moving in the right direction and that’s what is exciting,” said Smith. “You see a lot of passion and a lot of dedicated, hard-working individuals all working towards the improvement of Assumption College.”

            The campus and athletes seem to believe Smith. Winning is now the general consensus amongst both groups.

            “We know that we may not have the best facilities, we may not have the most money, but we know that we’re going to outwork everybody else,” said Smith. “Our student athletes are committed, our coaches, our staff are all committed to improving what we have here at Assumption College.”

            Even through all of the improvements, Smith’s ultimate goal is still to win the President’s Cup.

            “My favorite [memory] hasn’t happened yet,” said Smith. “Because I know what it is going to be”

Royals Continue to Impress During October

KANSAS CITY, Miss.—You could have tried to analyze what has occurred this postseason, manipulate your favorite statistics and show how lackluster power would turn into offensive juggernauts, threatening to take the American League pennant and possibly the World Series. You were probably unsuccessful.

            Welcome to the story of the Kansas City Royals, the dark horse team dominating the 2014 Major League Baseball Postseason, stealing away the hearts of America.

            Admit it. The last time you fell for someone like this was freshman year of high school at the school dance. You squeaked and squealed then and you are doing it now for the Royals as they play Lorde’s hit song “Royals” along the way.

            The Royals went into Camden Yards like bullies on the playground. After a 10-inning 8-6 win in Game one, they took Game two in similar fashion with a 6-4 win in the ninth inning, sending them back home with a 2-0 series lead against Baltimore.

            The road was rather slippery for the Royals along the way. They went into the last game of the regular season unsure as to whether they would actually make the playoffs or not. They finally clinched a spot after the Seattle Mariners lost their final game. It was all but over when they trailed the Oakland A’s 7-3 in the eighth inning of the one-game wild card playoff. Seven stolen bases later, the team walked off to “Royals” once again. Kansas City nine, Oakland eight.

            Then they shut down Mike Trout and the team with the best record in baseball in the Angels with a three game sweep. The Angels’ three best players (Pujols, Hamilton and Trout) batted a combined three for 37 (.081 Batting Average).

            And don’t forget the Royals’ sudden high power offense.

            The Royals have more runs, doubles, triples and stolen bases than any other postseason team. They have eight home runs and 61 hits— both good for second place. They have become extra inning masterminds, winning four extra-inning games so far.

            In contrast, the Royals hit the fewest home runs in the big leagues during the season. The San Diego Padres, who play at Petco Park (the biggest ballpark dimensions-wise) with a pitcher batting once out of every nine at-bats, hit 14 more home runs than them. The last-place Red Sox beat them six out of seven times during the regular season.

            To put it into perspective, Third baseman Mike Moustakas ended the year with one home run in his final 163 at-bats. So far he has four in 22 at-bats this postseason.

            Energy. Want. Two of the greatest and unquantifiable characteristics that show up during October baseball.

            Out of the dark depths have come three emerging stars in Eric Hosmer, Alex Gordon, and Lorenzo Cain. Eric Hosmer, the under-performing first baseman who had rumors surface around his release all season, was the winning run against the A’s. He has batted .435 so far this postseason with 10 hits and 5 runs, along with 2 home runs and 7 runs batted in. Gordon, who was hit in the back of the neck by Orioles reliever Andrew Miller with a 97-mph fastball has strived ever since. He has one home run, eight runs batted in and three doubles throughout the postseason. Fan favorite and late bloomer Lorenzo Cain has been stellar on both sides of the ball. Along with his great defense that has single-handedly decided multiple games, is batting .370 with eight runs.

            It is impossible to measure the effect of having every game, every pitch count no matter what people say. Just believe what the games show us— baseball players don’t necessarily play the way their regular season statistics suggest. The Kansas City Royals look great this October. They run-wild, never give up and play well on both sides of the ball. Now in Kansas City, everyone knows who they are.

             So let “Royals” fill those streets and party like its 1985, Kansas City.

Keys to Patriots 41-14 loss: The Good, The Bad, and They Ughly

The Good: WR Brandon LaFell, 6 catches 119 Yards and 1 Touchdown.

            While there were not many positive things about the Patriots Monday night loss, one positive was wide receiver Brandon LaFell. LaFell had no targets from Brady in the first two games of the season and then only four catches for 45 yards in the third game. LaFell seemed like another botched wide receiver signing in the same column as Danny Amendola and Chad Ochocinco. Then all of a sudden between Brady and Garopollo, LaFell gets 10 targets for six catches, along with a great 44-yard touchdown (play is shown here). Brady and LaFell seemed as if they were finally on the same page.  With the Bills, Jets, and Bears coming up after a hard Cincy matchup, look for more out of LaFell within the coming weeks.

The Bad: Tom Brady being benched for the fourth quarter and Jimmy Garopollo outplays him.

            Tom Brady was awful last night and it was not because of the offensive line. He was overthrowing targets, forcing passes and looked scared to be outside of the pocket. His own awful play led to his benching after a Kansas City interception returned for a touchdown. What makes it worse is that backup quarterback Jimmy Garopollo entered the game and outplayed Brady. Three time Super Bowl champion, two time Super Bowl MVP, along with two time league MVP was outplayed by a rookie out of Eastern Illinois. Garopollo came in and had an opening drive touchdown to Rob Gronkowski, going six for seven on the night for 70 yards and a touchdown. Although Brady will not be replaced, it is never good when your backup out performs your franchise quarterback and future hall of famer.

The Ugly: The Patriots defense giving up 207 rushing yards, 443 total yards, and 41 points.

            The Patriots have seven first round picks playing on the defensive side of the ball and they still looked atrocious. They let running back Jamaal Charles do whatever he wanted. Even backup Knile Davis got in on the fun with 107 yards on 16 carries. The Patriots defense had no way of stopping the run last night and it doesn’t look any better going into the future. They ranked dead last against the run last year and rank 23^rd this year through four games. And they still have to face the likes of Giovani Bernard, CJ Spiller, Matt Forte and Eddie Lacy. If the Patriots want to improve upon last night’s performance and their 2-2 record, it starts with defending the run game.

The Future of Washington: Kirk Cousins

On Sunday, the Washington Redskins were not supposed to have any chance at winning. Not without their franchise quarterback.

In fact, if it were not for poor special team’s play that led to a kick returned for a touchdown, along with a missed 33-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, the Redskins would have won the game.

The fact that the Redskins lost due to special teams indicates that quarterback Kirk Cousins is the team’s future.

In his spot start for Robert Griffin III, Cousins had 427 passing yards along with three touchdowns and an 81-yard touchdown pass to receiver DeSean Jackson. The previous week Cousins came in after Griffin III went down to injury. He had 250 passing yards and two touchdowns en route to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 41-10.

This kid needs to be the future.

Part of his success could be due to new head coach Jay Gruden. Gruden runs the West Coast offense, which fits Cousins’s play style perfectly. He looks more comfortable than Griffin III does taking snaps. Cousins also has a rocket for an arm and great football instincts. He isn’t some do-good backup like Matt Cassel was when Tom Brady went down during the 2008 season.

While Cousins has played, the Redskins have scored 75 total points. Yes, 75 points in two games. Previously the Redskins had only scored 110 points in their last eight games, all while Griffin III started. Cousins has gone three-and-out only twice this season as well.

He also has uncanny speed when releasing the ball. The guy never waits, leading to zero sacks the entire game, the second time since the start of the 2013 season.

Cousins hasn’t been perfect, seeing he has only 284 career passing attempts in a limited amount of games, but he shows signs of a soon-to-be great quarterback. He has exceptional decision-making skills. He rarely tries to jam passes to receivers. It should also be noted that Cousins began the game 12 for 13 when passing and then went 18 for 35 after that stretch. Cousins does have some things he needs to work on.

But with all that said, Cousins has more positives than Robert Griffin III. As long as Cousins continues to progress, there is no reason why he can’t take over the starting role and the franchise. The only thing in his way is three first round picks and a second.

Guest Writer: Keys to Patriots Loss; Preview for Week Two

This article was written by guest writer Abdul Rauf, a sophomore at Assumption College and New England Patriots Fan. This article was written solely for the purpose of lewisandsports.blogspot.com

By Abdul Rauf

What happened Sunday? A common question amongst Patriots fans. The Patriots 33-20 loss to the Dolphins was a game of two halves. The first was about a stout defense and an efficient offense. The second half was about an offense that could not even muster up 100 yards and a defense that allowed 23 unanswered points. The following is my breakdown of what went right and wrong for the Pats on Sunday.

Quarterback- Despite Tom Brady leading the Patriots to 20 first-half points and a 10 point lead, he never looked comfortable. Brady had too many underthrows, overthrows and even a few lobs that, lucky enough, were not intercepted. For me, there were two big problems.

One: Brady kept trying to jam passes to Tight End Rob Gronkowski and Wide Receiver Julian Edelman. This was highlighted by Brady clearly overthrowing Edelman, and then proceeding to show his frustration. On an earlier play, Brady proceeded to throw at Gronkowski’s feet in double coverage, but to no avail. The frustration showed in the second half when Brady had several key chances, but ultimately could not put together a meaningful drive. Although the receivers did a valiant job, “Tom Terrific” could not find an open receiver. When he locked onto a receiver, Miami’s defense knew and took advantage.

Two: Body language. We have all seen Brady frustrated. I think he does this out of his frustration knowing he can do better. On Sunday, Brady did not look frustrated, he looked defeated. This would of course be fine in the playoffs, but not week one against Miami (not exactly the Broncos there). These are all areas that Brady needs to fix and although I will always believe in him, I cannot say he believes in himself. Can someone say declining? Whoops.

Offensive Line- Lets cut to the chase, they were bad. The amount of times Brady got rushed by Miami’s defense would kill any quarterback. I do not understand why they traded Logan Mankins and then kept Marcus Cannon not starting, but that is a discussion for another day. Whoever makes these decisions has to do a better job than this. The second half was brutal to watch Brady try to get a drive together, all while the o-line did not do him any favors. The o-line has to step up, or at least try to do their jobs. While coach Belichick will blame it on executions, he should be given some of the blame for the offensive line.

Defensive Line- I worry the most about the defensive line. The d-line was getting beat regularly, and not because they were blowing assignments. The Dolphins faced almost no pressure in the second while Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill had more than enough time to execute his passes. As sports radio host Mike Felger said on his show, it is not like they did anything wrong, they just did not play well enough. We shall truly see what the defense is made of against the Vikings’ receiver Cordarrelle Patterson and running game. Once again, I do not understand the coaching assignments. Why is Chandler Jones two-gapping? Vince Wilfork by himself? My hope this was only an assignment problem and not a problem of personal ability. If not, the Pats could be in trouble.

Coaching- Where do I even begin? I do not understand any of the coaching decisions on Sunday. What is going on with the offensive line rotation? Why is there so much passing and abandonment of the run? What happened to the aggressive defense? Why all the zone play? It does not even stop there. It seemed as in the first half the defense had the ability do what it wanted, but then had to play so conservative in the second half? I was hoping for a smash-mouth Patriots defense, but what I received was a confused ball of mess. The coaching needs to get back to the basics and let everybody play aggressive and smart. No more unnecessary complex plays. Josh McDaniels said he did not his offense throwing as much, so why did he not do anything about during the game? The Patriots certainly had enough drives to attack with a balanced approach. The coaching looked as though they were adapting with the times, but in the second half they looked like more the Patriots defense of the past.

Looking Towards Next Week- I expect the Patriots to get much better. Despite the poor play on defense and turnovers, the receivers made good plays, especially receiver Kenbrell Thompkins. Brady needs to take more chances in order to succeed. There were too many short passes and predictable offensive situations. The receivers need to continue to do what they do best. The o-line needs to get back to the basics and the defense needs to put on pressure. Both performances on Sunday were unacceptable. The Vikings will test the Patriots in both offensive versatility and with a stout defense. Hopefully the Patriots are able to get firing on all cylinders and win decisively on this Sunday.

Any disagreements? Comments feel free to comment below or contact me at abdul.rauf@assumption.edu

Bill James the Source to Red Sox Woes?

When trying to find the reason why the Boston Red Sox performed poorly so far this season, one must look at senior advisor of baseball operations and statistician Bill James. Annually, James publishes a baseball handbook full of player projections and statistics. In this year’s publication, James has projected many Red Sox players higher than their actual production. As a man hired by the Red Sox with a position of importance, the Red Sox probably take his projections more serious than other teams. Here are a couple of players that James missed horribly with his projections.

            Xander Bogaerts: .283 BA, .357 OBP, 19 HR, 84 RBI

            Jackie Bradley Jr.: .248 BA, .329 OBP, 15 HR, 55 RBI, 13 SB

            Wil Middlebrooks: .266 BA, .310 OBP, 32 HR, 102 RBI

            Jake Peavy: 11-7, 163 IP, 3.31 ERA, 150 SO

            Clay Buchholz: 12-9, 190 IP, 3.64 ERA, 153 SO

            Without going into their actual statistics (which are bad), clearly James had these players as key components to a playoff run by the Red Sox. Being in an important position for the Red Sox, one is led to believe that they took these projections seriously. So when entering the offseason, it puts emphasis on that maybe the Red Sox did not go after a third baseman because Middlebrooks would probably bounce back. Maybe they did not get another starting pitcher because Peavy and Buchholz seemed solid. Maybe they saw Bradley Jr. as a viable offensive weapon.

            Bill James is a smart guy. I like viewing his projections each year before the season. But I do not view them as a great source for what the future looks like. I think that the Red Sox do. When Cherington has James whispering in his ear all of these projections on players bouncing back and having great seasons, one has to question whether it changes how the Red Sox went about fixing this team. Clearly it did not work, showing how they completely stripped down their roster since the start of the season. I like the prospectus of the 2015 Red Sox and I think James is not part of it.

Verlander evidence that Red Sox ownership's philosophy is correct?

After many years of “power pitching” from Justin Verlander, it has finally caught up to him. After being pulled from his last start due to  shoulder soreness, Verlander has not been his spectacular self this season, pitching to a 4.76 ERA in 158 innings, along with a league leading 171 hits and 84 earned runs. His strikeouts remain down (118) while his walks have increased (55). Now at 31 years old with six years and $162 million left on his contract, does Justin Verlander support Red Sox ownership’s philosophy of not giving out long term deals to players over thirty?

Before turning 30, Verlander was the most dominant pitcher in the game. He averaged 17 wins, 220 innings, and 206 strikeouts. During this time, Verlander led the league in strikeouts three times, innings three times, and wins three times. In 2011, when Verlander was 28 years old, he pitched 251 innings, gathering 250 strikeouts, 24 wins, and an ERA of 2.40, leading the league in all categories, earning himself a Cy Young award and MVP in the same year. In seasons where Verlander was 30 or older, he has a combined 23-23 record and a 4.02 ERA. His strikeouts and innings have decreased as well. Injuries have probably caused these decreases, but old age has caused these injuries.

            During the offseason, Verlander suffered an injury that required “core muscle repair” surgery. Very vague, I am not even sure what this is. Research tells me that this is somewhat like a sports hernia, where hip movement is rather hard and painful. High levels of torque causes pain, thus needing the surgery. Verlander’s power pitching mechanics leave him vulnerable to high torque situations, which probably causes the problems in his mechanics.

            Verlander delivers that ball with a big leg kick, as you can see in this video. From his leg kick, Verlander begins to twist his hips towards the plate. If he cannot fully twist his hips, gaining that torque, his mechanics will be off. I believe this injury has effected Verlander’s poor season the most. The reason for this injury? Old age.

            When pitchers rely on velocity, they breakdown as they age. Having pitched 1,800 innings adds to Verlander’s sudden decline as well. Justin Verlander’s sudden decline due to injuries is proof that the Red Sox are right in saying that players over 30 usually do not live up to the contract.

Red Sox Rant: Does Bradley Jr. have a place in Red Sox future?

            Two years ago, owners assured Red Sox Nation that Jackie Bradley Jr. would be next in line to take over center field duties. They assured that Bradley Jr. would be a big time player, able to compete at a high level. Once considered a valuable trade chip, now he would be a throw-in in a deal for Giancarlo Stanton. Jackie Bradley Jr. has been awful at the plate. So bad that the Red Sox should look elsewhere for a center fielder.

            With 427 major league at bats under his belt, Bradley Jr. is hitting .206/.281/.300. Even worse is his strikeout numbers. Bradley Jr. has 138 career strikeouts, accounting for 32 percent of his at bats. In contrast, he only has 88 career hits and 70 so far through the 2014 season, third worse among MLB starters. Statistician Bill Chuck took Bradley Jr.’s numbers to another level, making it seem even more gruesome. Chuck reported that Bradley Jr. has been held hitless in 52 games this season and has struck out in 68 games, as well as 28 multiple strikeout games. He has the most strikeouts for hitters with less than five home runs. Also, Bradley Jr. has a .214 batting average at Fenway Park and .218 in other parks. His numbers are terrible.

            Still think that Bradley Jr. has room to improve due to his age? Not so much. Of all players that have 400 plate appearances with an at-bat-to-strikeout ratio of 4.5 and Isolated Power (ISO) of .100 or less, Michael Bourn tops the list. Bradley Jr. and Bourn have similar defensive capabilities, but Bourn could run the bases much better before his injuries than Bradley Jr. can. Most of his value as a starter is in his base running abilities, able to steal bases at high rates. Bradley Jr. does not have that capability. The rest of the players on the list include Lorenzo Cain, Gregor Blanco, and Brendan Ryan. All three had high expectations (like Bradley Jr.) coming into the league, but have faltered into backup roles without much value for a franchise. Bradley Jr. fits into that category much better than with Michael Bourn.

            Jackie Bradley Jr. has disappointed owners, managers, and fans alike with his sub-par plate discipline. Bradley Jr. will never hit for power, which makes his strikeout ratios rather scary. Now that Mookie Betts is knocking on the door, Bradley Jr. could very well lose his starting role come the start of next season. Without improvement at the plate, Bradley Jr. will find himself as a non-impact bench player for the Boston Red Sox.

Red Sox Rant: Contenders or Pretenders?

      With this year’s trade deadline behind us, the Red Sox made several key moves for the future. They brought in outfielders Yeonis Cespedes and Allen Craig, along with pitcher Joe Kelly rather than prospects. General manager Ben Cherington assured the fans that they will be competing next year. Red Sox Nation feels like a honey-moon phase following the deadline: everybody wants to watch this team again, buy their jerseys, and purchase tickets in preparation for next year. Personally, I find this as the biggest PR move the Red Sox ownership and front office has ever pulled off under the regime of John Henry.

     The Red Sox stink. They are in last place and the sixth worst team in baseball. And as I previously mentioned, fans are buying jerseys, tickets, and watching every game in excitement to see these newly acquired players. Ownership is making enormous amounts of money on a last place team, and I just don’t want to buy in. I don’t want to cheer for this last place team like it is 2004. Sorry, but I just can’t stress how much I won’t buy into this PR move.

     Ownership also has a small market mentality, which I hate. They traded Jon Lester because they were not going to resign him. No one knows if they will resign Cespedes when his contract expires after the 2015 season. It feels like the Red Sox will let their top talent leave after arbitration years from now on, a move similar to the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, and pretty much every team with a very small payroll.

     And do not start with the “they still have a $160 million payroll” crap. They have such a high payroll because they overspent on B rated players. They spent $13 million on Victorino, $10 million on Drew, $14 million on Dempster, and $8 million on Pierzynski. All this money could have gone to Lester, maybe Shin-Soo Choo, possibly Zach Greinke, or even Josh Hamilton. The Red Sox wasted their money on all of these B rated players and brain washed us (the fans) because they won a world series. They got everyone to believe that B rated players are worth more than franchise players.

     Then they used another small market tactic and said they have all this talent, readily available within the next three years. Potential never works. Very few guys have lived up to their potential in the Major Leagues, and none have lived up to potential so far for the Red Sox. Middlebrooks has lost his job twice and was destined to lose it a third time this year. Bradley Jr. cannot hit major league pitchers. Bogaerts has switched positions three different times now and has been pretty bad at the plate. Allen Webster couldn’t even hit a parked car to save his life the way he has pitched in the major leagues.

     But I agree that the Red Sox were smart in what they did. They moved most of their expiring contracts for talent that can help in the future and under team control for several years. But I still believe ownership keeps brain-washing the fans. They make fans buy into “next year” and make everything about “next year” and how they have all these wonderful prospects. I don’t want to wait for next year and I certainly do not want to wait for prospects. They are the Boston Red Sox. They have access to large amounts of money and can buy any player they want. They need to dish out big contracts. They need to compete every year, and they need to be a World Series or bust team. No more small market tactics, just put a playoff team on the field every year.

Red Sox Rant: Lester, Matt Kemp, and Failed Prospects

     Many Red Sox fans are still contemplating owner John Henry’s words on players of 30 (He doesn’t want big contracts to players over 30). His reasoning is that the player performance is never up to par with the contract. This is often used in referral to the contracts of Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, and Carl Crawford.

     I counter that argument. Beckett led the Red Sox to a World Series win back in 2007. That same year he competed for the CY Young award, coming in second. In six full years with the Red Sox, he had 15 or more wins three times and 10 or more five times. In the back-end of his contract, now with the Dodgers, Beckett has thrown a no-hitter and a sub-3 Earned Run Average twice in three years. In one and a half years with the Red Sox, Gonzalez hit .338 one year and .300 the half year. During the full year in Boston, Gonzalez hit 27 Home Runs and 117 RBI, along with 45 doubles. Gonzalez was a major offensive threat the Red Sox need and continues to be for the Dodgers. Yes, Crawford was a botched signing. But to call all three signing botched because of Crawford?

     And yet, the Red Sox completely throw away their philosophy when it comes to David Ortiz. For a 38 year old man (40 in the Dominican), the Red Sox have been giving him above market money for the past three years. I do not understand how ownership can make these statements upon evaluating player performance when they continuously resign David Ortiz to above market contracts.

     My secondary point is that I am completely in favor of trading Jon Lester for center fielder Matt Kemp. Let’s face it: the Red Sox have no intention of resigning Jon Lester. They keep sugarcoating it so they can seem like the victim when he takes a bigger contract elsewhere. But now, you are telling me they have a chance to get some real value in return? Regardless of injuries, Matt Kemp still is a good player and has the MVP-caliber talent in him. Giving up two months of Jon Lester for that kind of player-who is only 29 and has five years remaining on a contract-is a no brainer to me.

     Lastly, I would like to showcase the Red Sox failures when dealing with prospects since 2005. Assuming all trades were made believing that the guys they kept are the real deal and every traded prospect is/was not, they have completely misjudged all of their talent. I present the prospects they kept and the prospects they have traded. The prospects they kept are nowhere near the same caliber as those traded.

Kept:

OF Jason Place, P Daniel Bard, OF Ryan Kalish, 1B Lars Anderson, 3B Wil Middlebrooks. OF Ryan Westmoreland, C Ryan Lavarnway, C Christian Vazquez, 2B Kolbrin Vitek, P Brandon Workman, P Anthony Ranaudo, OF Jackie Bradley Jr.

Traded:

P Justin Masterson, P Nick Hagadone, 1B Anthony Rizzo, P Casey Kelly, 2B Jed Lowrie, OF David Murphy

I would take the traded list over the kept list any day.

Jon Lester to St.Louis, Cole Hamels to Boston?

     I believe that at this year’s trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox will trade pitcher Jon Lester to the St. Louis Cardinals. In return, they will make another trade to acquire pitcher Cole Hamels from the Philadelphia Phillies. I have evidence to back this up as well. I will make this as easy to follow as possible.

The Information

·         ESPN’s Jayson Stark suggests that the Red Sox will be buyers and sellers at the trade deadline.

·              The Red Sox recently tabled extension talks with pitcher Jon Lester.

·         The Red Sox have sent scouts to watch the Cardinal’s farm system and St.Louis sent scouts to Boston within the last two weeks. In return, the Phillies have sent their best scouts to Portland, Red Sox’s double A team recently. Prospects in Portland include Blake Swihart and Henry Owens (pitched 7/24).

·              The Red Sox have been linked to pitcher Cole Hamels within the last two weeks.

The Outcome

·         Jon Lester goes to St. Louis. In return, the Red Sox acquire three top prospects from their organization (most likely one positional player and two pitching prospects).

·              Then Red Sox trade three top prospects to Philadelphia in exchange for pitcher Cole Hamels. This trade would contain a similar package of one positional player and two pitching prospects. I suggest the deal would include catcher Blake Swihart, pitcher Henry Owens, and another pitching prospects (Trey Ball, Allen Webster?)

The Motivation to make this happen

Continually, Red Sox ownership has talked down about handing out long-term deals to players over thirty. In the past, the Red Sox offered Jon Lester four years at a total of $70 million, which many believe that this was a basis and the Red Sox would be willing to go as high as $90 million. If GM Ben Cherington is running the organization, Lester is gone. In return, they get a Jon Lester-esque pitcher in Cole Hamels (same age, similar stats) at the deal that they want (Hamels has four years left at just under $90 million). Both moves make sense together and recent news suggest that this could happen.

*Credit on knowledge of scouting goes to mlbtraderumors.com and Dan O'Mara

Golfer Rickie Fowler's Recent Success Leads to Eventual Major Championship Win

     You might know him as the man in the orange, golfer Rickie Fowler (my personal favorite) is hotter than ever. Last weekend at Royal Liverpool, Fowler posted four rounds shooting in the 60s which includes a bogey free fourth round. He has finished within the top five in all three major championships held so far this year. In twenty events played, Fowler also has two second place finishes, one third place finish, and five top 10s. By far Rickie Fowler has outplayed his 18^th place in the World Rankings.

     However, Fowler has only one win on the PGA tour, a stat that has many followers still complaining over his Rookie of the Year award over fellow 25 year old Rory McIlroy in 2010. Regardless Fowler has not played bad at all. Last week, Fowler had the most birdies (23) in the Open Championship. In all major championships, Fowler is a combined 18 under par this year. In his career, Fowler has made the top twenty five in 39 percent of the tournaments he has played in, along with 28 top ten finishes, 3 third place finishes, 7 second place finishes, and one win. Fowler has gotten the bad end of the stick his entire career.

     The difference now though is how much Rickie Fowler has matured. When he first joined the tour, Fowler changed the game with fast play and his quirky get-ups, also while showing a bit of cockiness. Now he has taken a different approach. Since the hiring of his new swing coach Butch Harmon in 2013, Fowler has taken a more relaxed approach. He looks more comfortable with his swing and calm while on the golf course. In a recent interview per bleacherreport.com, Fowler was asked about his game, saying “You can’t get ahead of yourself. You have to stay patient. You have to stay in the moment and keep going through the process.”

     With his new approach, it is only time when Fowler wins again on the PGA Tour. As Fowler keeps practicing those putts and staying out of trouble on the golf course, I believe Rickie Fowler will win a major in his lifetime, probably sooner rather than later.

Red Sox Rant: The Case for Jon Lester

     Fans love him and want him. Ownership? Not so much. The player: Jon Lester. The hot topic within the Red Sox organization is the pursuit of resigning Jon Lester. They have the money to pay him and they cannot afford to lose him, so it makes sense to resign him correct? So what are they Red Sox waiting for?

     Ownership is being very careful in saying they do not want to bring him back. In a quote from the Boston Globe, owner John Henry said “virtually all of the underpaid players are under 30 and virtually all the overpaid players are over 30. Yet teams continue to extravagantly overpay for players above the age of 30.” The message: We are not going to pay Jon Lester.

     During the Theo Epstein times, the team faulted on the contracts of Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Josh Beckett. Since, they have dished out user friendly contracts to players such as Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, Jonny Gomes, etc. They elect to give out two or three year deals at the expense of more money per year. Simply, Henry refuses to commit big money in the long term.

     However, Henry must give a little. Signing Jon Lester is a must. No more disgustingly low contract offers, no more gimmicks, just give the man his money and accept that he is willing to take a slight discount in order to stay at home in Boston. Here is what the Red Sox miss not signing Lester:

2008: 210 innings pitched (IP), 16 Wins, 3.21 Earned Run Average (ERA).

2009: 203 IP, 15 Wins, 3.41 ERA

2010: 208 IP, 19 Wins, 3.25 ERA

2011: 191 IP, 15 Wins, 3.47 ERA

2012: 205 IP, 9 Wins, 4.82 ERA

2013: 213 IP, 15 Wins, 3.75 ERA

2014*:  137 IP, 10 Wins, 2.50 ERA

*Season still in progress

     Need I remind you of his stats in the playoffs? In eleven starts, Lester has six wins and an ERA of 2.11. In the World Series? Three starts, three wins, 0.43 ERA. Lester is amazingly good in the regular season and abnormally good in the playoffs.

     If the Red Sox refuse to budge from their offer, they must have a replacement in mind. Cole Hamels’s name has been thrown around. It would take three good prospects to get him here though. They could pursue James Shields in free agency, a personal favorite of mine. They can also look internally for a solution.

Rubby De La Rosa has pitched very well this year, along with Brandon Workman. They will both find themselves in the rotation next year. Allen Webster has experience in the majors and has pitched to a 4-4 record and a 3.05 ERA in Triple A this year. They also have prospects Henry Owens, Matt Barnes, and Anthony Ranaudo waiting in the wings.

     Lester’s situation is not easy. Teams such as the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Detroit Tigers will give him the money he wants, but if Lester really wants to stay in Boston, he will have to put up with the negotiations. The Red Sox must get serious as well. No more low-balling. Give the man his money because the Red Sox will lose one of the best starters in the American League to a rival.

Monday's Red Sox Rant: Pierzynski, Pedroia, and Uehara

     What a difference a week makes. At this time last week, I said the Red Sox were out. Now after an A.J. Pierzynski DFA and three wins in four days, I somehow believe the Red Sox are back in it. I even have a pending bet that the Red Sox will only be four games out of the wild card at the trade deadline. This youth movement feels like a completely new team.

     Regardless, I don’t believe the Red Sox should be buyers. They should still trade Jake Peavy and maybe John Lackey, but they should not break the bank for someone like Andre Ethier or Giancarlo Stanton. The rookies are what makes this team watchable, fun, and win. Don’t ruin this. However, Whatever the Red Sox do, do not trade Koji Uehara! I know I was all in favor of trading him, but this now goes beyond the point of getting value for him. If the Sox trade Uehara, it signals to fans that this season is over, a wash, it doesn’t mean anything. In fact, they should resign Uehara next year as well. Having a dominant closer indicates that the team will compete. If they throw anybody in there, it indicates that the Sox are not trying to compete. Trading Uehara is now very risky, a risk the Sox should not take.

     For my next point, I want to address the acquisitions the Red Sox made this offseason. Thinking about the unofficial halfway point of the season, I now consider their offseason a failure. Look at who they got: Pierzynski, Burke Badenhop, Edward Mujica, Jonathan Herrera, and Grady Sizemore. Pierzynski and Sizemore are gone. Herrera played so bad that he was demoted. Mujica is so unstable he can only come in during mop up situations. The only successful acquisition was Badenhop, a staple in the bullpen. Cherington’s offseason deserves a big, fat F.

     Also, good luck to those participating in tonight’s home run derby. My prediction is Yeonis Cespedes over against Troy Tulowitzki. Too bad Pedroia is not an all-star. He has the perfect swing for the event. If he ever participated in the event, hands-down I would pick him to win. Just look at this swing:

MLB's Five Biggest All-star Snubs

     Now that Major League Baseball’s All-Star rosters have settled in, per usual players make the team that most don’t believe should have and then players get left off that most believe should have made the team. Everybody wants that one player from their home team to make it or that one player that they kept tabs on. In the end, we always get disappointed. I have created the best list of five players that got snubbed by this year’s all-star selections.

5.OF Corey Dickerson (Colorado Rockies)

Stat Line: 11 Home Runs, 34 Runs batted in, 6 stolen bases, 14 doubles, 3 triples, and a .328 AVG with 0 Fielding Errors

     Dickerson doesn’t get any consideration coming from the second worst team in baseball and only having 223 Plate Appearances. But in those Plate Appearances, Dickerson has been very productive. Not only has Dickerson been good at the plate, he has been pretty good playing the field as well. I don’t think Dickerson gathers enough evidence to take a spot from someone else, but Dickerson has been very productive for a bad team and it would have been great to see him get some acknowledgement for that.

4. CL Koji Uehara (Boston Red Sox)

Stat Line: 18 Saves, 1.30 ERA, 52 Strikeouts, 25 Hits, 6 Walks, 0.74 WHIP in 41 Innings pitched

     Uehara gets the short end of the stick being on a last place team in a group of very good closers amongst the American League. Still, Uehara has been the most consistent pitcher on the Red Sox staff. For a 39 year old pitcher, this was probably his only chance to get onto the team as well. If the Red Sox were in first place, I bet he makes it on, but for now Uehara sits as the fourth biggest snub.

3. 1B Anthony Rizzo (Chicago Cubs)

Stat Line: 18 Home Runs, 47 Runs Batted In, 13 doubles, 57 Runs, 50 walks, .274 AVG

     Rizzo falls short at a very stacked position in the National League. However, Rizzo still has a chance to make the roster via MLB’s final vote. Rizzo has my vote. The fact that Rizzo plays for the Chicago Cubs might have impacted the decision, because I argued that Rizzo has a bigger impact than Freddie Freeman, the reserve. Rizzo doesn’t match up in batting average and doubles compared to Freeman (.299 average and 26 doubles) but he has a bigger role on the Cubs than Freeman and the Braves. Definitely a big snub here. 

2. SP Alfredo Simon (Cincinnati Reds)

Stat Line: 11-3 record, 2.78 ERA, 67 Strikeouts, 90 Hits, 1.05 WHIP in 110 Innings pitched

Before the selections came out, I was pushing for Simon. I was really surprised when he was not selected due to his success. Currently Simon is tied for second in wins in baseball (tied for first in the National League). Who is he tied with? Adam Wainwright and Zach Grienke, both all-stars. Simon also has the lowest WHIP and the least amount of hits out of the three. What makes it even worse is that teammate Aroldis Chapman was selected. Chapman missed the first month of the season with an injury. Big snub right here.

1. CL Houston Street (San Diego Padres)

Stat Line: 23 Saves, 1.13 ERA, 33 strikeouts, 18 Hits in 33 Innings pitched

     Leaving Houston Street off of the NL roster is perplexing because of the other players who made it.  Tony Walker of the Pirates and Pat Neshek of the Cardinals? One could even question Chapman again here. They have all pitched well, but better than Street? What makes it even more perplexing is his teammate, pitcher Tyson Ross, was selected instead. Ross has pitched well (2.93 ERA in 116 innings) but I don’t think anyone thought he would get it over Street, the anchor to a poor Padres staff. The surrounding circumstances makes Street the number one biggest all-star snub.

Monday's Red Sox Rant: July's Trade Deadline

     When the Red Sox took two out of three from the Yankees, things were looking better for the Sox. Then they followed up with being swept by the Chicago Cubs, along with going 1-5 on this current home stand. Now it cannot look any bleaker. With a record of 39-49 and sitting in last place, the Red Sox probably will not be playing October baseball this year.

    So, other than October baseball, July brings another one of my favorite times- the trade deadline. I love the wheeling and dealing, moving prospects out of desperation and seeing teams make a push for the missing pieces as they attempt to make a run at the playoffs. It’s where teams show their true identities and make gambles. I love it.

     With the trade deadline on my mind, I have devised a couple of thoughts about how the Red Sox’s deadline should look like for this Red Sox Rant:

At the Deadline, Red Sox need to trade Catcher A.J. Pierzynski and call up Christian Vazquez

     A.J. Pierzynski has no impact on this Red Sox team. With or without Pierzynski, the Red Sox have the same chances at a playoff run. And, if they ultimately decide they are not in contention, Red Sox Nation will not blame it on a Pierzynski trade.

     At first, I thought the Sox should bring up Dan Butler. Butler is 27 years old and has more service time in the minors than Vazquez, who is only 23. But then I looked up Butler's struggles at triple A and how he is not really considered a prospect, so I elected to decide to call up Vazquez. Vazquez is considered as the Red Sox’s ninth best prospect. Bringing up Vazquez falls in line with the Mookie Betts call up and the awarded playing time to Bogaerts and Bradley Jr. in attempt to let the youth play. They should give Vazquez a small taste of the big leagues before he earns full time catching duties. Now is the best time to do so.

Dealing closer Koji Uehara is a must at the deadline.

     At 39 years old, many will consider Uehara as the current best closer in the game. Until last week. The untouchable closer was hit hard twice, giving up three runs and four hits in three innings. Uehara was granted the loss in one of those games. At 39, all pitchers have one leg out the door and I think Uehara is finally showing signs. This makes it the perfect time to deal him away. With the Red Sox struggling, they should maximize their future gains through Uehara by getting a good prospect in return. The best closer in the game will not make a difference on this team.

If the Red Sox trade Uehara, Andrew Miller should become the new closer

     Back in 2012 when Andrew Bailey went down to a thumb injury, my top two picks (in order) to take over closing situations were Andrew Miller and Alfredo Aceves. In a failed experiment, unfortunately the Red Sox granted Aceves the role. But still, Miller has a good frame (6’7”) and has the stats to back him up. In 33.2 innings, Miller has a 2.41 ERA with 22 hits and 55 strikeouts. If Uehara is not closing, Miller is the best candidate. I would give Miller the chance, and then the team could always fall back on Junichi Tazawa.

     With the Red Sox sitting at nine games out of a wild card spot, the Red Sox probably will not be buyers at this year’s deadline. But in a perfect world, the Red Sox would be the best team in baseball. If it were so, I have a couple moves that would fit the team. They would solidify the right side of their infield and acquire someone in the outfield who is actually good. I would have them acquiring third baseman Chase Headley of the San Diego Padres and left fielder Josh Willingham of the Minnesota Twins. With Headley rather down this season, he wouldn’t cost a huge prospect. The same goes for Willingham who is coming off injury.

Introducing Monday's Red Sox Rants: Betts, Doubront, and More

Happy Monday! Maybe not for everybody, but alas, Mondays are getting better! Because starting this Monday, Lewis and sports introduces their newest column, Monday Red Sox Rants! Mondays will be used for informative biases against the Boston Red Sox, made with love. They consist of nothing but Red Sox, ranging from player performance, to personnel decisions, to just broad comments about the Red Sox. As a test, this week I will broadly speak about some decisions and thoughts about the Red Sox to see what works and what does not. So, without further ado, I present to you, the very first Red Sox Rant:

Mookie Betts does not deserve the call up.

Sitting at six games below .500 and fading offensively, the call up was waiting in the mist. While Betts was hitting .346 this season in the minor leagues with 46 RBIs and 21 doubles, I understand why Red Sox Nation beckoned for the call up. But still, the timing is very off.  Betts comes to the team as an aid in the struggles, expected to produce the moment he gets into game. There is no room for error here. Why does the team want to do this to the kid? Farrell doesn’t even want Betts up. In a recent article published by Telegram.com, Farrell quotes “It’s a quick ascent, no doubt about it. Players tell you when the time has come,” about Betts’s call up.  In his first game up, Betts didn’t even see play. The Sox are wasting Betts’s time. Keep getting him plate appearances in the minors, then bring him up in September.

Felix Doubront Should Never Come Back to the Rotation ever

Doubront’s stuff is flat, his mechanics have been awful, and he has flat out stinks. Upon coming back from “injury” (how do you injure your arm by hitting it against a car door?), the Sox placed him in the bullpen. And guess what, he actually pitched pretty well. In last Tuesday’s game, Doubront pitched two hitless/scoreless innings. I was able to see him pitch that game and even I was actually semi-impressed with his stuff. Then it got me thinking back to his first time in the majors, where he pitched out of the bullpen. Again, he pitched well then. It makes me think that Doubront’s best bet is to come out of the ‘pen in mop-up fashion, wait it out until the deadline, and then Boston trades his sorry stuff out of this city. Hasta le Vista Doubront.

Mike Napoli is a true dirt dawg

Over the past couple of weeks, I had been thinking about the old days where Red Sox Nation referred to the team as “dirt dawgs.” Missing the days of Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez, and Kevin Millar, I started to picture some of the players on this year’s team in a similar role. I came to consider Mike Napoli a dirt dawg, and more and more every day I believe Napoli it as truth. Calling Tanaka an idiot sealed the deal. With his nice tats, mean beard, and hard core attitude, Napoli plays the game with true class and grit. He is hardcore and I love it. Napoli, you get an induction to the dirt dawgs of Boston, Right next to Kevin Youkilis and Trot Nixon.

Why Jake Peavy Needs to Go (To the National League)

     Let's face it. Jake Peavy has been awful so far during his time with the Red Sox. Peavy has earned a 5-7 record with an ERA of 4.57 with the Sox. This year, he has earned a 1-6 record and an ERA of 4.93. Yikes! With both Brandon Workman and Rubby De La Rosa pitching extremely well, and with Doubront and Buchholz coming back from injuries, someone has to get booted out of the rotation. Out of all of Boston's starters, Peavy should be the guy.
     However, Peavy is not a lost cause. In fact, he pitches extremely well against National League teams and in National League Ballparks. Figures, seeing how he won a CY Young award with the Padres. His stats line with and against National League teams has such an extreme difference from the American League that you would think they are from two different pitchers. Let me explain: With the Padres, Peavy earned a 92-68 record with an ERA of 3.29 in eight seasons. He averaged 190 strikeouts a season, 189 innings, and with only 61 walks. In the AL (with the White Sox and Red Sox combined) he averages 97 strikeouts, 114 innings, and with an improved 31 walks a season. A Huge difference between the two.
     The difference between ballparks is also astronomical. In NL ballparks, Peavy has an ERA of 3.18, averages 6 strikeouts a game, 6 innings, and has a winning percentage of .610. In AL ballparks, Peavy has an ERA of 4.01, averages 5 strikeouts a game, 6 innings, and has a winning percentage of .509. Also, NL batters only hit .239 against him-compared to .276 against AL opponents.
     In Boston, Jake Peavy just isn't getting it done. And he probably won't get it done for any AL team either. Boston's best bet-as well as Peavy's- is to try a trade to the NL. How about the Phillies (probably not happening though)? Against teams other than the Phillies in that division, Peavy has 18 wins in 40 starts (not a whole lot of impressing there) but in 261 innings pitched, he only has given up 228 hits with 285 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.43. Seems like a good fit, doesn't it?

Breakdown of the "Redskins" case

     Recently, the most aggressive attack against the Washington Redskins happened. The U.S. Patent Office cancelled their patent on the Redskins brand on the basis of its "disparaging to Native Americans." Most likely this will start the hot pursuit of forcing Washington's team to change their name.
     When I heard the news, I could not help but feel sad. Sad, because when I hear "Redskins" I think of Washington football. Never do I think of it as a derogatory term towards Native Americans.
     See, my generation grew up never knowing racism, sexism, etc. Women have always had the right to vote. There has always been equality amongst all races. We have never once called Native Americans "Indians," and we lived by the rule of treating others the way you want to be treated. So when I see this case, I feel ashamed. Ashamed that people are trying to make this about race and sex once again. We have learned and moved past those bad times.
     So I ask those who want the name changed, if the term "Redskin" offends you, how come "Cleveland Indians" does not? How come "Chicago Blackhawks" does not? How come "Kansas City Chiefs" does not? How come "Dallas Cowboys" does not? The term cowboy was first used as a derogatory term to call southerns who were poor and had to work on farms. It now is one of the most violent gangs in the south, were these cowboys gang up on the helpless and kill them. Bet you didn't know that one.
     Which brings my argument all-together. Our society has erased so many of these discrimination's that these terms mean nothing anymore. They are simply sports terms. So why do we have to make politics about our sports? My generation loves sports because they hate politics. So why make this about politics! And if we are going to make our sports about politics, lets fix all of it. But we won't.
     I do not believe the Redskins should change their name. Not because I am a traditionalist, ignorant (like how some articles would classify me), or stubborn, but because I want my sports to not be about politics.

Why the NBA is a Joke

Before reading, please watch the following clip first:

*Disclaimer. I am in no way a fan of the NBA
The other day, while I was getting my daily dose of ESPN's Sports Center, I watched a segment on photobombs in the NBA. After watching the segment, I lost almost all of the respect I had for the league, which was very little to begin with. The NBA is a joke. It is a league where players do whatever they want and make a joke about it by doing things like photobombs. I have a couple reasons as to how come I feel this way.
Players rule the league, practically hand picking where they play
The league has become about the best free agents. Players switch teams almost yearly and the best all team up and play for one team. It has become the norm that in order to win, a team has to have a "big three". Teams can no longer build through the draft because it takes proven stars to win in the NBA. It has become about the players and their careers rather than the teams and the history.
Players complain and moan about everything and act unprofessional about it
This stems from the photobombs. Those are professional interviews that the players are breaking up. It disrespects the league, media personnel, and networks in which interviews air. These players have become unprofessional. They complain on the court about every foul and flop like they are actors. And now the referees have to buy into this because they can't disrespect the players. It has become a mess
Dunks now rule the league
I am a fan of super dunks just as much as the next guy, but there is a point where it becomes boring. Players dunk so much that they have wikipedia pages on the different types and websites dedicated to the best of the best. To me, the jump shot has become pretty much useless. If players are given a lane and can take five steps before lift-off, why go for the jump shot?

I have never really been a fan of the game. I will always know about the best players, the Boston Celtics, and how "King Lebron" rules ESPN, but I will never become a fan of the NBA. I can't stand the players, their attitudes, and how the league has become a show rather than a sport. And that is just what the NBA is, a show.

Is Eleven year old Lucy Li What's Best for Golf?

     Last Monday, golfer Lucy Li became the youngest to qualify from California for the U.S. Women's Open, clinching the qualification at eleven years old. She will compete against women mainly three times older than her. Previously, Lexi Thompson was the youngest to qualify at the age of twelve years old. Li is a great story for the game of golf, but is this what is best for the game of golf?

     Is Lucy Li giving up her childhood for golf?

     Eleven is extremely young to be playing on the biggest stage. I don't believe that an eleven year old is mature enough to compete mentally. There is a point when a child experiences too much at one time and will become overwhelmed mentally. Eleven is too young to be going through this.

     Also at eleven, children should be playing, gaining knowledge, and learning how to become and make friends. It is a critical part and age in the transition of child to young adolescent. I think Li misses out on this critical point.

     Li has golfed since seven years old, working with some of the best trainers ever since. She also has great composure while playing, rarely ever getting upset, always staying calm. Is this usual? I don't believe it is normal for a seven year old to never get upset, scream, throw things, etc. She has the credentials however. She has won many tournaments already, which include a Drive, Putt, and Chip Championship, a national competition of skills. The time and effort have definitely paid off skills wise for Li.

     But I still remain critical of allowing her to play, regardless if she plays just as well as any one else on the LPGA tour. I think it would be uncomfortable for a 30 year old women to play against her. And what happens if Li is in the hunt to win? What would that 30 year old feel facing them? I'm not sure how comfortable it would be to beat an eleven year old on the last hole, last round, last putt...

     Maybe it is just me, but I don't think letting Lucy Li is what is best for the LPGA. People have played who are relatively the same age as Li and no one made a big deal of it, but I just would not feel comfortable having her playing in one of the most prestigious tournaments against women three times her age.