Sports of Boston

Sox Lose Battle of the Bullpens

David R. Phelps — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:54:53 +0000

It was one of those improbable pitching match-ups that make baseball such a wonderful game. Tim Wakefield, making his club-record 383rd start for the Red Sox, opposed by the Seattle Mariners’ young flamethrower Felix Hernandez.

Naturally, Mariners catcher Rob Johnson was the star of the game. Johnson, who entered the game hitting below .200, smacked three doubles and drove in three runs, including two in the top of the 11th inning that won the game for the visitors.

Manny Delcarmen and Jonathan Papelbon each pitched a scoreless inning, before Ramon Ramirez was called upon to pitch the 11th. Ramirez, struggling with his control, gave up Johnson’s go-ahead double before getting out of the inning without further damage.

Terry “Tito” Francona’s post-game presser was typically uneventful, although he did inform us that the team will “show up tomorrow and try to win.”

Notes

Sox catcher George Kottaras hit his first major league home run…Ramirez took the loss, to fall to 5-3…Tito flip-flopped Ortiz and Bay in the batting order…Thirty year-old rookie Chris Jakubauskas picked up the fifth win of what will no doubt be a journeyman career.

Are Signs of Struggling Reason Enough to Turn on Big Papi?

krazzouk — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:00:02 +0000

It is no secret that David Ortiz, Big Papi, struggled at the beginning of the season. But, was that reason enough to kick him to the curb? Do you put down your beloved dog when it breaks its leg, or do you spend the extra money to have old Lassie around for a few more years?

Some critics were quick to suggest bidding him farewell. Since when does a player struggling in the earlier part of the season indicate that he is a failure in the MLB? In many cases, we are eager to dump off our old junk for something shiny and new. However, would a kid fresh out of college and extremely wet behind the ears really satisfy our needs? Few young players in their first year in the league can stand up to the tremendous pressure of competing for the coveted spot in the World Series. Walking into the college baseball stadium in Oxford, MS is significantly different than walking up to bat at Fenway Park.

What qualifies a player as old within the league? A study performed in 2007 by a research team at the University of Colorado in Boulder found that the average career span for an MLB player is 5.6 years. Well, if time has proven anything in Ortiz’s career, it has shown that his talents only improve each season. In his second year playing in Boston, he was a pivotal figure in helping the Red Sox finally break the curse of the Great Bambino. Sorry Babe.

Ortiz has further proven his prowess and dedication since the 2004 World Series by continuing to play despite injuries in the last two seasons. He was again a major force in helping the Red Sox win the World Series in 2007, even though he suffered from both a knee and shoulder injury. His injury the next season may have kept him from playing in a third of the season’s games, yet his numbers remained steady with 23 home runs, 89 RBI, and a batting average of .264. The beginning of the 2009 season proved to be slightly difficult for Ortiz, but within the past few weeks he has come back swinging.

His slight slump shouldn’t have been reason enough to jump to the conclusion that he wouldn’t succeed this season. Clearly, he has been a major asset to the team lately. His recent three-run homer against the Nationals was a menacing warning to all of those who were quick to turn their backs on Ortiz.

If having a string of bad games called for a player’s removal from his team, then there would be a lot of new positions open every season on every team. Personally, I will be wearing my number thirty-four jersey to Fenway for several more seasons.

Eddie House: 2008-2009 Celtics Review

Geoff — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:30:37 +0000

Eddie House had a much better year than last and continues to be a threat off the bench for the Celts. He was able to start appearing in different situations not just as a point guard, but also has a shooting guard on occasion too. House really benefited from the arrival of Stephon Marbury as the two them really enjoyed being on the floor together and made a good guard set while Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen got to have a breather.

Mr. Catch and Shoot had a good regular season when he appeared in all but one game. He had solid numbers off the bench in 18.3 minutes per game, which was slightly lower then his 19 minutes per game in 2008. Eddie finished the regular season averaging 8.5 points, 1.1 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game. He also seemed to have improved his ball handling skills which I had criticized him for after last season.

During the playoffs, Eddie did more of the same for the Celtics. He came in to knock down quick points, especially three-pointers with his great catch and shoot ability. He averaged 7.7 points, 0.9 assists, and 1.4 rebounds per game during the playoffs while appearing in all 14 games during the C’s playoff run.

Eddie was going to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but decided to pick up his player option for the 2009-2010 season so I’m excited to see him back hitting three pointers off the bench next year as well. Eddie is a solid fit for the Celtics because he plays so well off the bench and he does not come too expensive. When Eddie gets hot, you cannot beat him and he is going to knock down shots left and right. The Celtics cannot go wrong with House and I’m glad he will continue to be a threat off the bench next season.

Hernandez, Mariners Open Final Homestand Before All-Star Break

Mike — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:00:36 +0000

The Red Sox continue to be hot and are holding off the surging Yankees in the division race. The Red Sox have won seven series in a row, though the last five were against teams considered to not be contenders and have Seattle, Oakland, and Kansas City, and their combined .455 winning percentage, at home to end the first half.

The Mariners took two of three in the teams’ only meeting in Seattle with Josh Beckett getting the only win for the Sox and have lost the first two games of their series with the Yankees before arriving in Boston on Friday.

Tim Wakefield will break his tie with Roger Clemens for most starts in franchise history when he takes the mound in the opener against Seattle ace Felix Hernandez (8-3, 2.54 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 107 K). Hernandez is having his best season yet, in his fourth full season in the bigs. He was highly touted and has been good for a bad team, but is finally having a Cy Young-type season while buoying the Mariners above .500 so far, in another season when they were not supposed to compete. He should turn out to be one of the league’s best pitchers for years to come, though the Red Sox will not see him that often, so watch him while you can. He is 3-1 lifetime in six starts against the Red Sox, including a one-hit shutout in Fenway in 2007.

Brad Penny takes on Garrett Olson (3-2, 4.81, 1.23) and Jon Lester battles Brandon Morrow (0-3, 5.14, 1.83, 6 SV) in the following two games. Yes, Morrow was the closer earlier this season, and was pretty good, converting his first five opportunities without allowing a run. However, he allowed a run but recorded the save in his sixth opportunity, and then blew up on consecutive days in Texas, costing him the role, which he yielded to former Red Sox reliever David Aardsma. In his four previous starts, he has yet to surpass five innings as he seems to be stretching into the role (his first start was a 64-pitch, three-inning outing).

Short starts are not necessarily a bad thing for the Mariners, who own the fourth best bullpen ERA, and third best staff ERA (and sixth by WHIP). Unlike most teams, they have reliable options in relief and can weather non-quality starts; playing in a pitcher’s park at Safeco Field no doubt helps. The pitching staff is a ’sum is greater then the whole’ group as they are very average in walks and strikeouts, but keep their hits and home runs allowed down, which in turn keeps the runs down. This is especially amazing considering they have the third most errors and third worst fielding percentage in the majors, but then again, errors lead to more unearned runs.

The Mariner offense is the second worst in the majors (behind only San Diego) and one of only three teams averaging fewer than four runs per game. The same effect that helps their pitching staff, being the large field, hinders the offense as well, which has the second lowest number of extra base hits. However, they put the ball in play a lot, walking the second fewest times in the majors and they do not strike out a lot either.

They lack any true power hitter with Russell Branyan (.298 BA, 19 HR, 40 RBI, 46 R) coming out of nowhere to be their biggest home run threat. Jose Lopez (.258, 10, 46, 30) and Ken Griffey, Jr. (.219, 10, 26, 23) are the only others to crack double digits in gopher balls. Ichiro Suzuki has been the face of the franchise since Griffey and Alex Rodriguez left town and is having another Ichiro season (with a .368 average) so far. He also has 112 hits (well on pace for another 200+ season), three triples, six dingers, 38 runs, 18 RBI, and 16 swipes.

The Red Sox could see their streak of series wins end against the Mariners, who match up well against the Red Sox, but the Sox should come from behind to get the series. Hernandez could dominate again at Fenway, but Olson and Morrow are the back of the rotation guys that the Red Sox could feast on.

TGIF: 2009 BABIP Leaders and Losers (Pitchers)

Pete — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:00:07 +0000

Last week, I touched upon the hitters in baseball who were benefiting and the hitters who were suffering as a result of Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP). As a matter of fact, click right here to read all about it. It’s ok, I will wait a few minutes. You done? Great!

Now it is time to examine pitchers. If a pitcher’s BABIP is way above average, then you can expect their season to turn around and have the balls stop falling in for hits. If a pitcher has a BABIP in the .290-.300 range and a really good batting average against, then you can expect them to maintain that batting average against.

Now if a pitcher has a normal BABIP and a high batting average against, then they will continue to be a bad pitcher.

Is this getting confusing? Here are some examples to show you what I mean. These numbers are coming into Thursday’s games.

Pitchers Who Will Continue to Be Great

Roy Halladay (.245 avg, .305 BABIP, 2.56 ERA): Halladay’s avg is not a result of luck. He is just that damn good.

Felix Hernandez (.237 avg, .306 BABIP, 2.54 ERA): Again, his low BAA stems from skill and not luck.

Javier Vazquez (.230 avg, .313 BABIP, 3.04 ERA): The BABIP is slightly above the norm, but still, you get my point by now.

These Guys Will Continue To Be Bad (THEY SUCK!)

Jamie Moyer (.305 avg, .312 BABIP, 6.05 ERA): The slightly above normal BABIP and terrible .305 avg means that hitters will be hitting well off Moyer for the rest of the season.

Armando Galaragga (.284 avg, .299 BABIP, 5.34 ERA): Why was Galaragga so promising last season with a 13-7 record and 3.77 ERA? Ask the incredibly lucky .247 BABIP.

Jon Garland (.288 avg, .297 BABIP, 4.81 ERA): Just like the rest, if your BABIP is normal and your BAA is that bad, then it will stay that bad.

Trade for These Pitchers

Cole Hamels (.309 avg, .371 BABIP, 4.98 ERA): The incredibly high BABIP is inflating the BAA and the ERA. So once the BABIP regresses to the norm, everything else will drop as well.

Kevin Slowey (.304 avg, .348 BABIP, 4.41 ERA): Same story as Hamels. He has just been unlucky. Plus, Slowey’s other numbers (7.29 K/9 and 4.73 K:B) point to a better pitcher than his ERA suggests.

Jon Lester (.263 avg, .344 BABIP, 4.35 ERA): His bad start to the season was a result of a very high BABIP. Hitters are getting this lucky off of him and his BAA is still below the norm. Throw in a 10.33 K/9 and you have an ace. It may be too late to buy low, but hey, it doesn’t hurt to try.

Marc Savard Snubbed by Canadian Olympic Committee

Erikk — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:38:43 +0000

After Hockey Canada announced its list of invitees to Team Canada Olympic Orientation Camp, Bruin Marc Savard was mentioned repeatedly. However, it’s not because he will be joining Stanley Cup champion Sidney Crosby or fellow Bruin Milan Lucic at the camp. It’s because he won’t.

Savard, who recorded 88 points in 82 regular season games for the Bruins this past year, was not one of the 46 players invited to the camp. While this does not mean that Savard cannot make the team, it does not bode well for his chances of playing for Team Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. In the last two Olympics, only players invited to the camp made the team. The odds are further stacked against him in terms of sheer numbers. Olympic hockey teams are only allowed to field 23 players, meaning that Steve Yzerman, the executive director of the program, will have to cut the number of invitees exactly in half.

While there are certainly a great number of talented Canadian hockey players, Marc Savard was snubbed. Of the fifteen centers invited – which includes former Bruin Joe Thornton, the two Staals, Eric and Jordan (of the Carolina Hurricans and Pittsburgh Penguins, respectively), and Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanch (who has not even decided if he will be returning to hockey) – only two had more points than Savard this past season and he was the fourth leading scoring in the NHL amongst Canadians. While Savard’s defensive ability has been viewed as lacking, his +25 rating last season was superior to all of the invited centers’ ratings.

“He’s a very good player and at the end of the day, when we put this list together, we wanted to bring in some different types of players – maybe some guys who aren’t leading their teams in scoring but are very good players in a different role,” said Yzerman on Savard.

The camp, which is scheduled to take place August 24-27 at the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, will also be missing many other familiar names, including Detroit Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood, who played with Yzerman, was managed by Team Canada general manger Ken Holland, and is currently coached by Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock. Jason Spezza, Marty Turco, and Steven Stamkos were also not extended invitations.

For the Bruins, the positive news is that Lucic was given a well-deserved invite to the Saddledome, meaning that he could be representing Team Canada in his hometown. Lucic is the third Bruin to be invited to an Olympic camp, joining Phil Kessel and Tim Thomas, who were invited to participate in with Team USA. While Savard will certainly be wishing his teammates well in their Olympic campaigns, he deserves to be playing alongside and against them.

Save Leon Powe Petition is a Little Ridiculous

Geoff — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:25:50 +0000

The Celtics have decided to part ways with forward/center Leon Powe after not offering him a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. General manager Danny Ainge does not necessarily want to sign Powe since he will most likely not be ready to play until mid-December. They have not completely ruled out re-signing him if no one else picks up Powe, but most likely he will not suit up in the Green this fall.

Powe became a fan favorite after the 07-08 season, when he exploded off the bench and showed what talent he truly had. It is one thing for fans to be upset about losing Powe, but some fans. The petition makes claims to how much Powe can do for the Celtics, mentions the hardships he has gone through in life, and that he does not deserve this kind of treatment. I love Leon Powe as much as the next Celtics fan, but I have to say this “Powe-tition” is completely ridiculous.

Do these fans honestly think they are going to be taken seriously? Professional sports have become a business now with the salaries that players make today. There is no way that Danny Ainge and the rest of the Celtics front office are going to be swayed to keep Leon Powe just because some fans signed an online petition. Sure, it is terrible to see such a good and developing player leave, but I completely understand where Ainge is headed with this move and I think the general manager of a championship team knows what he is doing. I trust Danny Ainge after he put together the 2008 champs, and I continue to trust him in this decision.

The Celtics are very interested in Rasheed Wallace and he would be a huge step up from Powe, who really can just basically stand under the basket and dunk. Wallace has championship experience, has a good mid range shot for his size, and can really be a force to be reckoned with off the bench, which is where his role will be. He is a better fit to come in for Kevin Garnett in a game and is really just better that Powe. I understand that he is older, but for the time being I feel the Celtics will be better off with Wallace than Powe.

So to the fans who sign that petition, I think you are fools. It is great that you can support a player who you do not even know so much, but you can still support him even if he is not on your team. Hey, I still root for James Posey as well any other ex-Celtic who left the team in good standing. It is not the end of the world, especially if the move improves a team and gives them a chance to raise another banner to the rafters. So, farewell Leon, if it comes to that. We love you and best of luck wherever you end up.

Alfonso Soriano Rocks John Cena’s “You Can’t See Me”

John — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:37:49 +0000

Professional Wrestler John Cena, of West Newbury, Massachusetts, has always been active outside the ring, notably with his generous work with the Make a Wish Foundation. He’s also been quite outspoken in support of Boston area sports; his song “Beantown” from his first hip hop album “You Can’t See Me” pays perfect homage to several decades of history. But every now and then, some other athlete picks up on his mannerisms. These days, that athlete is Chicago Cubs left fielder, Alfonso Soriano.

After making a clutch play, Soriano has taken to copying Cena’s “You Can’t See Me” hand motion, in which he waves his hand in front of his place as a taunt to his opponent. The imitation led to Cena being a guest at Wrigley Field on June 20, where the Cubs beat the Indians 6-5 in 13 innings. Cena threw out the first pitch and was even a guest announcer for an inning.

This followed an appearance by Soriano at World Wrestling Entertainment’s Judgment Day Pay Per View on May 17. A short clip of Cena’s day in Chicago can be found at WWE.com.

Former UMass Stars Get a Shot at the NBA

Ty Scheiner — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:20:05 +0000

When you think of former UMass Minutemen who succeed in the NBA, only a handful of names come to mind: Julius Erving, Marcus Camby and Al Skinner, to name a few. It is very difficult to get a shot at playing in the NBA while not coming from a major conference.

In last week’s draft, UMass had two hopefuls in Tony Gaffney and Chris Lowe. Realistically, Gaffney was the only one who had a shot of having his name called, but the night came and went and no UMass player was selected. The only Atlantic 10 player who was selected was Derrick Brown from Xavier, taken by Charlotte with the 40^th overall pick.

Even if their name is not called on draft night, players still have a shot of proving themselves through free agency and summer leagues. The day after the draft, Gaffney joined the Los Angeles Lakers Summer League team and will have almost two weeks to impress the Lakers, and other NBA teams, and earn a roster spot or, at the very least, playing in the NBA Development League.

Gaffney, a 6′8″-205 pound senior center, played to his potential during his senior season at UMass where he led the A-10 in blocks (3.8 pg), finished second in rebounds (10.2 pg) and steals (2.0 pg), and averaged a double-double (11.5 ppg and 10.2 rpg). These defensive accomplishments earned him the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and he was also named to the A-10 Second Team and All-Defensive Team. Gaffney did see a big increase in minutes to improve his statistics, so he will have to prove that he is not a one year wonder.

Joining Gaffney in the Summer League is former UMass guard Gary Forbes. Forbes went undrafted a year ago and has bounced around in different leagues since then. He has played in the NBA Summer League and D-League and this summer will be on the 76ers squad.

Going undrafted definitely leaves a little chip on a player’s shoulder and might ignite the fire that helps motivate these players into earning a spot on an NBA team or even stealing a spot away from a second round draft pick. Overall, Gaffney and Forbes both are talented enough to get a chance to play in the NBA and they hope to prove it during the Summer League later this month.

Leon Powe Not Returning to the Celtics

Pat Cusick — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:35:51 +0000

Wednesday, the Boston Herald reported that Leon Powe believes his days in Boston have come to an end. The third-year forward was not offered a qualifying offer from the Celtics and now has become an unrestricted free agent. While I am a little sad to see Leon go, it is not an overly surprising move. With the severe knee injury he suffered, Powe is going to be out for a good length of time, estimates range from December to February on when he will be ready to play again.

The Celtics were not willing to tie up money and a roster space on a player they were uncertain would be healthy and ready to play come the start of the season. Powe was a good young player while in Boston and will be missed. He is a player who always gave it all and did things the right way. He was an important piece to a championship team and will be remembered fondly in the city.

Now where does this leave the Celtics off season plans? What it certainly does is increase the need to re-sign Glen “Big Baby” Davis. Right now the only big men under contract for the Celtics are Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, and the always lovable but rarely useful Brian Scalabrine. If the Celtics can bring back Big Baby, then they will have done a little to shore up their front court depth issues. Also, now that Powe is definitely not coming back, their No. 1 priority besides bringing back Davis must be to find another reliable backup big man.

The Celtics only have their mid-level exception available to spend so they will not be bringing in a Shaquille O’Neal or a Vince Carter caliber player. However, there are some intriguing options available. There is a crop of older veteran players who could fit in well with the Celtics including Rasheed Wallace, Joe Smith, and Antonio McDyess. If the Celtics choose to go the route of youth, there are players available like Chris Anderson, Zaza Pachullia, Drew Gooden, and Marcin Gortart to name a few. Also available are some really low cost big guys who could offer some production for little money like Sean Marks, Rasho Nesterovic, and Juwan Howard.

Whichever route the Celtics choose to take it is clear that they need to bring in an additional big man. Personally I would like to see them go after a veteran presence like Wallace or Joe Smith. Bringing someone in who can add what P.J. Brown did in 2007 would help the Celtics counter the moves by the other top Eastern Conference teams.