Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Tough run
Saturday: Sun Devils get shut out by USC.
Saturday night: The Red Sox lose in extra innings, partially due to at least three horrible calls that all went Tampa's way.
Sunday night: The Patriots get crushed in San Diego.
Monday: The Red Sox get blown out at home with their best pitcher on the hill.
Oh, and my money league fantasy team just lost by one point on a meaningless carry on Monday night and my starting QB that has been my best player is out for a month.
This was a particularly brutal stretch. I haven't had many bad runs like this lately and I almost forgot how much it sucks.
Saturday night: The Red Sox lose in extra innings, partially due to at least three horrible calls that all went Tampa's way.
Sunday night: The Patriots get crushed in San Diego.
Monday: The Red Sox get blown out at home with their best pitcher on the hill.
Oh, and my money league fantasy team just lost by one point on a meaningless carry on Monday night and my starting QB that has been my best player is out for a month.
This was a particularly brutal stretch. I haven't had many bad runs like this lately and I almost forgot how much it sucks.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Community service? Really?
A friend of mine got an e-mail chain started discussing how happy he was that the Red Sox selected Tim Wakefield to start game four of the ALCS. His e-mail included this line:
<<...but no one has given more to the team, community and fans.>>
I had to jump in. I should have just kept my mouth shut, but I honestly could not help it. Here is my full reply:
<<Okay, I'm sorry, but I have to chime in on one part of this--the bit about giving to the community and the fans. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Wake too. We all do. But how exactly does anything he has done for the community or the fans factor into this decision AT ALL? If Paul Byrd signed more autographs or gave millions to charity does that mean he should get the start? By your logic we should probably start Johnny Pesky.
Absurd. Come on. Give me a break.
Wake has been left off Red Sox post season rosters multiple times before, and it's because pitching him is so dangerous. The only thing that matters is who gives us a better chance to win. We both agree that it is probably Wakefield. I don't like Paul Byrd, I think he is basically the very definition of mediocre, but I was just making a case for why he would be, in some ways, a safer choice. Since you are busting on him, I'll play devil's advocate and make a case for him. He made eights starts for the Sox, and went at least five innings every time. He allowed between two and five runs every time, aside from one start in Texas when he gave up none. His career numbers are solidly consistent, and he is what he is: a guy who is probably going to give up one run every two innings. The debate isn't whether Paul Byrd is better or worse than that, it's just if getting that from him is enough to win game four. I don't know if it is. His career OPS against current Rays is a very solid .710, and a couple of their important hitters, including Evan Longoria, have never faced him. That is part of his upside.
So let's talk about Wake. He had two starts in September when he couldn't make it out of the third inning. He's also had three starts since August when he surrendered no runs. In other words, he's exactly what we think he is. The Rays stole two bases off him each time they faced him this year, whereas Byrd surrendered only five the entire season. We all like Wake because he throws a goofy pitch and he has been here since 1995. Neither of these are reasons for him to start an ALCS game. We also will tolerate a Wake blow-up a lot more readily than a Byrd one, because if Timmeh doesn't have it, then that is just Wake being Wake. But if Byrd were to get shelled, then he would get cursed by some for not being "a true Red Sock" or some such ridiculous thing, which veers perilously close to Yankee territory for me.
We're facing Andy Sonnanstine in game four, who shut us down in two huge back-to-back starts against us in September (13 IP, 7 hits, 0 earned runs, two wins), and that is a big part of why I think Wake is the way to go. We might need a shutout, and that is something you can never count on from Paul Fricking Byrd.
I guess the bottom line is that I agree with you but for completely different reasons.>>
Now I am clearly the bad guy of this thread, as a friend's girlfriend quickly chimed in with the following:
<<"But how exactly does anything he has done for the community or the fans factor into this decision AT ALL?"
Um, isn't it the income from the community and the fans that ultimately pays Wake's salary? And the salaries of everyone in the club for that matter? Aren't they inextricably linked as a result?
I lend one of the few distaff voices on this little email chain and so perhaps it will be viewed as overly romantic (and, admittedly, it is overly romantic) but, I don't see anything wrong with the motive for starting Wake being his efforts on and off the field. Kevin, I like your thinking. Especially when it seems that Byrd or Wake is six or one half dozen, so to speak, why not make it about who he is as a pitcher AND as a person to the fans and the club. Isn't that part of the reason we all love this club? The romance of the team? Did we not all eat up "Cowboy Up" and "Lovable idiots?" and, my personal favorite, a billboard in Fenway that read (before '04) "86 years and no ring but still happily married. Red Sox, a different breed of fan." Isn't it exactly this kind of connection and nostalgia that discerns us as a team and as fans from that other, hated, pinstripe army to the south (lately a fallen army, but whatever, they're still dicks)?
Remind yourself why you've been a fan all your life. Yes, most of us were born there so maybe it was incidental at the outset. And, yes, the strategy discussion to which much of this email chain has been devoted is, of course, paramount in choosing postseason pitching rotation. However, there is some of what Kevin is talking about in the decision making process (or at least the club lets the fans believe that and that's part of our pride). So, I address only that portion of the email exchange.>>
Once again, I cannot let this go unanswered. So I replied:
<<"Um, isn't it the income from the community and the fans that ultimately pays Wake's salary? And the salaries of everyone in the club for that matter? Aren't they inextricably linked as a result?">>
Well, the Red Sox home attendance was over 100% of Fenway's capacity this year, just as it has been every year dating back to 2003. Byrd's starts sell just as many tickets as Wake's, so I really see no connection there at all. Wakefield should pitch because fans like him more? If anything, this regime has shown that they are more than willing to make unpopular decisions that benefit the team on the field. Trading Nomar was generally a wildly unpopular move at the time and all it did was win us the World Series. Many people were in an uproar over the Manny trade this year and so far that one is working out too. And last season Wake himself was left off the World Series roster and all we did was sweep our way to another title. I feel bad because somehow it seems like I'm coming off anti-Wake in all of this, and I'm not at all. But if you think Tito and Theo and John Farrell sat down to discuss the ALCS rotation and Wake's popularity, service to the community, or anything like that factored into the decision then, well...I don't even know what to tell you. It's beyond ludicrous. Look, I hope Wake goes out and the knuckle is dancing and he throws eight innings of shutout ball. I understand the appeal of that as a great story, and I would love it, but ultimately I don't care if we win 1-0 behind a Wakefield gem or 9-8 in a Paul Byrd slugfest. I just want the Red Sox to win. Baseball is overly romanticized and the Red Sox get that treatment more than anyone. I love the Red Sox because I was born and raised in Massachusetts and that is all I know. If I was born in Pittsburgh then I'd probably be pining for the beloved Pirates to get back to the playoffs. I like this Red Sox team, and I like a lot of the players, but I most certainly root for the uniform. David Wells was one of my all-time most hated players, and it took less than one inning of him pitching for us for me to yell "yeah, Boomer!" at the TV and to mean it. Manny Ramirez provided some of the most enjoyable baseball viewing experiences I have ever had and now I cannot wait to boo him like a convicted felon. Obviously if Wake wins game four that is a great story, and better than anything Paul Byrd could do. I understand all of that. But as for the spot in the rotation, to quote one of (the topic starter's) favorites, Clint Eastwood in "Unforgiven," "deserve's got nothing to do with it."
(Topic starter) mentioned the notion of being offended earlier (if Byrd were considered). Well, I would be outraged if sentimentality played any part in making a decision this important. I'm a Red Sox fan. I want the Red Sox to win. Every time I watch, I want them to win that game, and every year I want them to win the World Series. All of my rooting interests come solely from that.
I'm flabbergasted that anyone that is a real fan could think even remotely differently.
<<...but no one has given more to the team, community and fans.>>
I had to jump in. I should have just kept my mouth shut, but I honestly could not help it. Here is my full reply:
<<Okay, I'm sorry, but I have to chime in on one part of this--the bit about giving to the community and the fans. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Wake too. We all do. But how exactly does anything he has done for the community or the fans factor into this decision AT ALL? If Paul Byrd signed more autographs or gave millions to charity does that mean he should get the start? By your logic we should probably start Johnny Pesky.
Absurd. Come on. Give me a break.
Wake has been left off Red Sox post season rosters multiple times before, and it's because pitching him is so dangerous. The only thing that matters is who gives us a better chance to win. We both agree that it is probably Wakefield. I don't like Paul Byrd, I think he is basically the very definition of mediocre, but I was just making a case for why he would be, in some ways, a safer choice. Since you are busting on him, I'll play devil's advocate and make a case for him. He made eights starts for the Sox, and went at least five innings every time. He allowed between two and five runs every time, aside from one start in Texas when he gave up none. His career numbers are solidly consistent, and he is what he is: a guy who is probably going to give up one run every two innings. The debate isn't whether Paul Byrd is better or worse than that, it's just if getting that from him is enough to win game four. I don't know if it is. His career OPS against current Rays is a very solid .710, and a couple of their important hitters, including Evan Longoria, have never faced him. That is part of his upside.
So let's talk about Wake. He had two starts in September when he couldn't make it out of the third inning. He's also had three starts since August when he surrendered no runs. In other words, he's exactly what we think he is. The Rays stole two bases off him each time they faced him this year, whereas Byrd surrendered only five the entire season. We all like Wake because he throws a goofy pitch and he has been here since 1995. Neither of these are reasons for him to start an ALCS game. We also will tolerate a Wake blow-up a lot more readily than a Byrd one, because if Timmeh doesn't have it, then that is just Wake being Wake. But if Byrd were to get shelled, then he would get cursed by some for not being "a true Red Sock" or some such ridiculous thing, which veers perilously close to Yankee territory for me.
We're facing Andy Sonnanstine in game four, who shut us down in two huge back-to-back starts against us in September (13 IP, 7 hits, 0 earned runs, two wins), and that is a big part of why I think Wake is the way to go. We might need a shutout, and that is something you can never count on from Paul Fricking Byrd.
I guess the bottom line is that I agree with you but for completely different reasons.>>
Now I am clearly the bad guy of this thread, as a friend's girlfriend quickly chimed in with the following:
<<"But how exactly does anything he has done for the community or the fans factor into this decision AT ALL?"
Um, isn't it the income from the community and the fans that ultimately pays Wake's salary? And the salaries of everyone in the club for that matter? Aren't they inextricably linked as a result?
I lend one of the few distaff voices on this little email chain and so perhaps it will be viewed as overly romantic (and, admittedly, it is overly romantic) but, I don't see anything wrong with the motive for starting Wake being his efforts on and off the field. Kevin, I like your thinking. Especially when it seems that Byrd or Wake is six or one half dozen, so to speak, why not make it about who he is as a pitcher AND as a person to the fans and the club. Isn't that part of the reason we all love this club? The romance of the team? Did we not all eat up "Cowboy Up" and "Lovable idiots?" and, my personal favorite, a billboard in Fenway that read (before '04) "86 years and no ring but still happily married. Red Sox, a different breed of fan." Isn't it exactly this kind of connection and nostalgia that discerns us as a team and as fans from that other, hated, pinstripe army to the south (lately a fallen army, but whatever, they're still dicks)?
Remind yourself why you've been a fan all your life. Yes, most of us were born there so maybe it was incidental at the outset. And, yes, the strategy discussion to which much of this email chain has been devoted is, of course, paramount in choosing postseason pitching rotation. However, there is some of what Kevin is talking about in the decision making process (or at least the club lets the fans believe that and that's part of our pride). So, I address only that portion of the email exchange.>>
Once again, I cannot let this go unanswered. So I replied:
<<"Um, isn't it the income from the community and the fans that ultimately pays Wake's salary? And the salaries of everyone in the club for that matter? Aren't they inextricably linked as a result?">>
Well, the Red Sox home attendance was over 100% of Fenway's capacity this year, just as it has been every year dating back to 2003. Byrd's starts sell just as many tickets as Wake's, so I really see no connection there at all. Wakefield should pitch because fans like him more? If anything, this regime has shown that they are more than willing to make unpopular decisions that benefit the team on the field. Trading Nomar was generally a wildly unpopular move at the time and all it did was win us the World Series. Many people were in an uproar over the Manny trade this year and so far that one is working out too. And last season Wake himself was left off the World Series roster and all we did was sweep our way to another title. I feel bad because somehow it seems like I'm coming off anti-Wake in all of this, and I'm not at all. But if you think Tito and Theo and John Farrell sat down to discuss the ALCS rotation and Wake's popularity, service to the community, or anything like that factored into the decision then, well...I don't even know what to tell you. It's beyond ludicrous. Look, I hope Wake goes out and the knuckle is dancing and he throws eight innings of shutout ball. I understand the appeal of that as a great story, and I would love it, but ultimately I don't care if we win 1-0 behind a Wakefield gem or 9-8 in a Paul Byrd slugfest. I just want the Red Sox to win. Baseball is overly romanticized and the Red Sox get that treatment more than anyone. I love the Red Sox because I was born and raised in Massachusetts and that is all I know. If I was born in Pittsburgh then I'd probably be pining for the beloved Pirates to get back to the playoffs. I like this Red Sox team, and I like a lot of the players, but I most certainly root for the uniform. David Wells was one of my all-time most hated players, and it took less than one inning of him pitching for us for me to yell "yeah, Boomer!" at the TV and to mean it. Manny Ramirez provided some of the most enjoyable baseball viewing experiences I have ever had and now I cannot wait to boo him like a convicted felon. Obviously if Wake wins game four that is a great story, and better than anything Paul Byrd could do. I understand all of that. But as for the spot in the rotation, to quote one of (the topic starter's) favorites, Clint Eastwood in "Unforgiven," "deserve's got nothing to do with it."
(Topic starter) mentioned the notion of being offended earlier (if Byrd were considered). Well, I would be outraged if sentimentality played any part in making a decision this important. I'm a Red Sox fan. I want the Red Sox to win. Every time I watch, I want them to win that game, and every year I want them to win the World Series. All of my rooting interests come solely from that.
I'm flabbergasted that anyone that is a real fan could think even remotely differently.
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