Twenty Years Ago the Curse was Reversed

Twenty years ago the Boston Red Sox finally broke the 86-year old curse and won a 4-0 sweep of the World Series against Saint Louis.

A poignant reminder. 

Nobody in Boston even talks about a curse these days. It's a faded memory. But not Wake - he lives on in the hearts of many.

Stacy Wakefield

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- The price of forgetting. Colleges are purposefully miseducating our youth and this is the price we pay. Stupidity across the board.

- Words from Tim Wakefield

- Cool tips

- I would actually like to learn more about this urban wind turbine

Tim Wakefield

Tim Wakefield, aged just 57, has passed from brain cancer. I have an appreciation of the man up on Substack.

Red Sox Magic Number - 163 (Still)

Did you know that according to Wikipedia - Cy Young and Tim Wakefield both hit 163 batters in their careers? Well that's crap. Cy Young hit 161 batters in his career and Tim Wakefield hit 186 (how do you confuse 186 with 163?). As Abraham Lincoln is famous for saying - it just goes to show how much trust you should place in things you read on the Internet.

Seeing Tim Wakefield and Cy Young mentioned in the same sentence may look strange to people outside of Boston but Red Sox fans are well aware that Tim Wakefield was actually only 6 wins behind Cy Young (and Roger Clemens) for the team record for wins at 192 (Wikipedia probably has that number listed as 162).

Truth is Tim Wakefield never should have been allowed to get close to that number. The last two seasons in Boston were just bad. In 2010 Tim had an ERA of 5.34 and a WAR of -.07 and in 2011 he had an ERA of 5.12 with a WAR of -1.2. Tim Wakefield is a very likable guy but the naked truth is letting him have a combined 42 starts the last two season probably kept the Red Sox out of the playoffs both seasons. Sorry but that's just the truth.

Another uncomfortable truth for Red Sox fans is the fact that JD Drew was more valuable in his 5 years in Boston than Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek combined over that same period. As a member of the Red Sox - JD Drew had a combined WAR of 14.6 while Varitek (4.3) and Wakefield (4.2) had a combined 8.5. Yet on Opening Day at Fenway I'd guess that JD Drew's name won't even come up even though he also "retired" after last season just like Wakefield and Varitek. Yeah I know that Drew was overpaid and that WAR isn't the most accurate barometer of success but it just struck me strange that JD Drew probably will be a complete afterthought to almost everyone.

What does all this mean? Who knows. Nothing makes sense this early in the season. For example - the Baltimore Orioles are currently in first place.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Gordon Edes pointed out in a Tweet that Tim Wakefield did not mention either Theo Epstein or Terry Francona in his retirement speech. Supposedly Wakefield was not a real big fan of Francona because Tito pulled Wakefield from the rotation. I wouldn't be surprised if Wakefield doesn't blame Francona for not breaking the Red Sox record for wins... Watched Cedar Rapids last night. I thought it was a great movie. Then again - after watching Crocodile Dundee for the first time I was convinced it was the best movie ever made... 11 Brilliant Lifehacks. Some very cool ideas here... I knew that Shaefer is the one beer to have when you are having more than one but who knew that Shaefer was the top selling beer in Puerto Rico during the 70's and 80's?... For some perspective on Curt Schilling's overall career consider that Roy Halladay would have to have about 200 strikeouts a year for the next 6 seasons to match Schilling career strikeout mark... Keith Olbermann seems to be like one of those old world gods who ceased to exist if you stopped worshiping them... Meet a black guy in Aspen. Improv Everywhere's latest prank. I thought it was pretty funny.

Tim Wakefield

Tim Wakefield retired yesterday. It was time.

Wakefield was a fan favorite not just for his longevity in the league and with the Red Sox but also because many looked at him and thought, "I could do that." He was our surrogate. If only we had learned the knuckleball at an early age we too could have had a major league career. He was living the dream for us. Unfortunately the past two seasons as he went a combined 11-19 with a 5.22 ERA - many fans derisively also thought to themselves, "I could do that." It was time to retire.

Real Red Sox fans won't let the last two seasons sully the memory of what Tim Wakefield meant to the team. Consider the fact that since Wakefield came to the Red Sox in 1995 - only 8 pitchers had more wins in the majors and the list reads like a who's who; Jamie Moyer, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Roy Halladay, Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux. With Wakefield retiring - Roy Halladay becomes the active MLB leader in wins with 188.

I hope the Red Sox do the right thing and have Tim Wakefield throw out the first pitch on Opening Day.

Red Sox Demise - I'm Sick to My Stomach

Seriously. I've eaten more Tums the past few hours than I have in the past year. And why? I thought the Red Sox would win last night and either have a play-in game today or be matched up against Texas in the first round. Either way this team was heading for an early exit. So why did last night's debacle so upset my tummy?

If there was a game today - who would have any confidence in John Lackey pitching the team to victory? Even if they made the playoffs the team just didn't have the pitching to win a series. The team was doomed either way. There wasn't even a "Little left Pedro in too long" situation to gripe about. So why is it that every time I hiccup it feels like acid might squirt through my tear ducts?

So what's next? What does the team do to fix this? Here's my suggestions.

The first step is to get rid of John "F*cking" Lackey. If anyone deserves to be the scapegoat - this piece of sh*t deserves it. Opposing batters hit .353 against him in September - a month where he posted a 9.13 ERA. Those 5 starts for Lackey in September easily was a difference between making the playoffs and not making the playoffs. Giving Lackey those starts may be what in the end costs Terry Francona his job. And it's not like this is a Monday morning QB situation. EVERYONE knew Lackey was hurting the team!

Top off the Lackey situation with the fact that Lackey is divorcing his wife who had a double mastectomy and is still fighting cancer. The Red Sox have long supported the Jimmy Fund and all facets in the fight against cancer. No way they can keep this loser.

The question is who will take Lackey? If the Red Sox eat $30 million of the remaining $45 million - I think (hope) some West Coast team would take a chance. If they can't find a taker - my hope is the Red Sox exile Lackey to pitch in Pawtucket the way the Yankees exiled Kei Igawa to the minor leagues.

Some quick thoughts:

- JD Drew is gone. He will retire. That clears $14 million off the books.

- Do the Red Sox bring back David Ortiz? Would a 2-year $25 million offer get it done?

- Will Jonathan Papelbon come back? He's a free agent and will some team just throw the moon at him or will the Red Sox be able to bring him back? I was one of those guys who thought the team should go with Daniel Bard as closer next year but right now none of us guys feel comfortable with that thought. You could argue that it was Bard's September meltdown that was just as responsible for the team missing the playoffs. Bard went 0-4 with a 10.64 ERA in September.

- Do the Red Sox trade Kevin Youkilis? He's got one year and an option on his contract so he would be attractive trade bait which could bring back the pieces needed to fill any hole in the roster.

- The Red Sox should bring back Marco Scutaro who has a $6 million team option.

- I'm guessing that the team will part ways with both Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek -who will both probably retire. Wakefield could open a knuckleball academy while it would be cool if Varitek could stay with the team as assistant pitching coach and emergency 3rd catcher.

- As far as free agents - I would make a strong push for Mark Buehrle and maybe Chris Young (if he passes a physical) but otherwise I don't trust Theo to make a big splash.

- Bring back Theo and Tito for another year. Give them extensions and one more shot.

- I would love if the Red Sox traded for Marlins ace Josh Johnson who is coming back after injury but is owed about $26 million for the next 2-years. Offer them a big package for Johnson - please!

Less than 140 freakin days until pitchers and catchers.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Tim Wakefield finally got his 200th career win last night. In one of the stranger stats you will see anywhere - Wakefield is now tied with Dennis Martinez for most career wins of any MLB pitcher who never had a 20-win season [EDIT: Martinez actually has 245 wins not 200 - not sure what I was thinking]... Erin Andrew really is in pretty good shape... Exhibit A on why football's QB rating is a lousy stat: Tom Brady threw for 517 yards with 4 TD's but is still just 4th in the NFL in QB rating... Tim Wakefield is also just 2 strikeouts from tying Dennis Martinez for 56th place on the all-time strikeout list. Wakefield now has 2,147 K's in his career... Someday I want to own a nice yacht but I think these are too big. These are more like ocean liners than yachts... Is it sad that when I learned that Kevin Youkilis has a sports hernia but will play through the pain and have surgery in the off-season - my first thought was if he was going to wear a truss (like Fred Garvin - Male Prostitute)... The Red Sox had policeman Steven McNulty sing the National Anthem last night. He was REALLY good. Seeing how the Red Sox scored 18 runs last night (baseball people are notoriously superstitious) - I would expect to see McNulty back at Fenway (maybe for the playoffs)... If I were a pro baseball player - I'd want a nickname like Noodles or Chief. Something old-timey... Heh heh - the Legend of Jim Brockmire... Tom Brady is started by 97% of the fantasy football teams on Yahoo! Sports. What the heck is wrong with that other 3%?...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

OK I'll say it! President Obama reaches out to Palin supporters... John Lackey has a 6.11 ERA. That's hard to fathom. Andrew Miller has a 5.27 ERA. Well that's understandable since he was considered a reclamation project (can we say a failed reclamation project at this point?). Tim Wakefield has 4.95 ERA. I wonder what he must think when he gets skipped in the rotation and has to watch Lackey and Miller make starts... For Wire fans - wonderful interview of McNulty and Freamon... The trade for Adrian Gonzalez may work out to be a better value for the Red Sox than even the one-sided trade that netted them Pedro Martinez. The main reasons I say this is because Gonzalez seems made for Fenway Park and because the team has him under contract for 8-years while Pedro only played 7-seasons in Boston. It should be noted that Pedro averaged 6.8 WAR per year in his Red Sox career (that's why he's a Hall of Famer). If Gonzalez can average 6.8 WAR he'll have won multiple MVP awards... 10 people who switched careers after age 50 with great success... For no reason whatsoever I am going to try and replace the word "hello" with "ahoy" in my everyday vocabulary... I find it interesting that Baseball-reference.com lists Curt Schilling as the most similar pitcher to Pedro Martinez... I'm a complete sucker for any videos of people wearing those flying squirrel wingsuits.

Red Sox Magic Number - 30

The Red Sox magic number to clinch the AL East is now just 30 (their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is just 22).

The Los Angeles Angels (aka California Angels) retired the number 30 to honor Nolan Ryan (whose number 34 was also retired by the Astros and Rangers). Nobody like Nolan Ryan has ever worn the number 30 for the Red Sox. Boston has had to settle for people like Matt Clement (for who the phrase "don't trust anyone over 30" really did apply) and current occupant of the number 30 - Andrew Miller.

Miller is an interesting case. He was the 6th pick of the 2006 MLB draft with players like Clayton Kershaw (7th) and Tim Lincecum (10th) taken after Miller (that was how prized his talents were at the time). He went to North Carolina so he has the support of alum Peter Gammons and Tarheel teammate Daniel Bard. The guy is 6'7" and a lefty - plus the Red Sox didn't give up anything to get him. You would think it would be all upside.

The problem with Miller is he just hasn't been that great. Sure he's 6-1 but his ERA of 4.42 is just OK. The other problem is when Clay Buccholtz is healthy then the last starter slot comes down to Miller and fan favorite Tim Wakefield. Many fans are torn between the more predictable Miller and the knuckleballer Wakefield. Myself included.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Today is JaMarcus Russell's 26th birthday. I think it speaks volumes to just how big of an NFL bust he was to the fact that you don't even see a sniff of a rumor of any team having interest in him... 10 Incredibly Cool Staircases... I wonder how much money California could save if it passed a law saying no public employee can be paid more than President of US? The President is paid $400,000 a year and I really can't see a justification for any public employee being paid more than that... Betty Boop turns 81 today. She looks great for 81... Who knew? Red Sox third base coach Tim Bogar is actually three months younger than Tim Wakefield... Happy 83rd birthday to Boston Celtics and NBA legend Bob Cousy... 16 Sequels Nobody Has Ever Heard Of... Interesting stat from ESPN's Gordon Edes; "If either Sox and Yanks play .500 ball rest of way, they'll have 94 wins. Angels would have to go 32-16, a .667 clip, to tie for wild card"... It was 23-years ago today that Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the LA Kings... Tweet of the day from @_otis_

Brazilians use the same word for "thank you" & "congratulations," which I think would make for some really interesting pillow talk.

I think languages that use the same word for both "Thank you" and "You're welcome" have the same issue after climax.

Red Sox Magic Number - 102

It may be a little silly to start a Magic Number countdown at this point of the season but with the Red Sox in first place, playing in New York and the Magic Number at 102 - I couldn't help myself.

The reason I couldn't help myself is because I associate the number 102 with the Empire State Building since that American icon has 102 stories.

Tim Wakefield got the win last night and that was significant in that it was his 196th of his career which ties him for 119th place all-time with Claude Osteen and Bullet Dave Bush. The comparison between Wakefield and Bullet Dave Bush is interesting because both players played for both Pittsburgh and Boston (Bush played with several teams), both won World Series championships for the Red Sox (Bush won in 1918) and both players were known for an unusual pitch. Of course Wakefield is famous for his knuckleball but Bush is often credited as the inventor of the forkball.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Not a big fan of Lebron James but it should be pointed out he's "only" 26-years old. A very immature 26-years old. Maybe the fact is that he just can't handle the pressure... Tim Wakefield vs. Derek Jeter: A matchup for the ages... Someone should come up with a "Frank McCourt has made payroll" site similar to the "Abe Vigoda is still alive" site... A pet peeve if you'll allow me. People today associating LBJ with LeBron James and not Lyndon Johnson has to be part of the dumbing down of America... Another Deadwood actor is cast on Sons of Anarchy, continuing the "Deadwood"/ "Sons"/ "Justified" competition... I have to wonder if what Mark Jackson will make with Golden State is actually less money than what Steve Lavin makes at St John's? I think St. John's missed the boat on alumni Jackson... By letting Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre walk away, the Red Sox set themselves up to diversify their portfolio in the draft... Speaking of the MLB Draft - whatever happened with Red Sox prospect Mike Rozier? I think he left baseball after being hit in the head twice. Why did he also quit Tennessee football? Was that related to him getting hit in the head? What's the story?... Very funny old Conan O'Brian clip with Dave Chappelle.

Tim Wakefield

The Red Sox win tonight gives starter Tim Wakefield 192 for his career. That puts him in a tie with Lon Warneke "The Arkansas Hummingbird" for 134th place on the all-time wins list.

Surprisingly - Wakefield is also 60th all-time in strikeouts with 2030. He needs another 15 to tie Dazzy Vance. Wakefield is ahead of some very well known names on that list like Orel Hershiser, Catfish Hunter, Whitey Ford and he's 200 ahead of Old Hoss Radbourn. Wakefield has amassed those K's in 4 less games started than Hall of Famer Whitey Ford too.

Daisuke Matsuzaka

Red Sox fans have about had it with Daisuke Matsuzake. After an injury plagued 2009 season - a season in which Dice-K's conditioning was in question - the Japanese import is 1-1 with a 9.90 ERA.

Fans outside of Boston may not understand the frustration Red Sox fans have with a guy who just 2 seasons ago was 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA. Teams would love to have a guy like that right? Here's the two main reasons the frustration exists:

- Dice-K is a tight rope walker. The year he won 18 games it was not uncommon for Dice-K to walk the bases full, then strike out two batters and then get a fly ball out. Seriously. People were cracking jokes about Dice-K only feeling comfortable with the bases loaded. If a few of those fly balls turned into Texas-leaguers then suddenly he's 12-12 with a 4.10 ERA. Take the other night for example. In the first inning there was a grounder that was 50/50 being a double play. If it is a double play then he's out of the inning with just one run surrendered. He probably gets the win with 2 earned runs for the night. Instead he gave up 4 runs that inning and 5 for the night BUT STILL GOT THE W! Boston fans have enough drama in their lives. They don't need a tightrope walker in their lives to add more seemingly self-created drama.

- If the Red Sox are going to have a guy who can either throw a shutout or bomb completely - the fans would prefer that guy be Tim Wakefield. It's really that simple. Wakefield is a hard working old guy who does more community service than anyone on the team. Dice-K is taking Wake's spot in the rotation. Many fans aren't happy with that.

If anyone can sympathize with this situation it will probably be Philly fans. In 4 seasons with the Red Sox - Daisuke is 38-22 with a 4.14 ERA. In 5 seasons with the Phillies - Cole Hamels 50-36 with a 3.70 ERA. In both cases the numbers don't tell the story. Maybe the two teams could trade tightrope walkers?

Red Sox Magic Number - 85

With the 1-0 victory over the Braves yesterday - the Red Sox magic number is now 85.

Today most people think Ochocinco (Chad Johnson's new surname) when the number 85 comes up in sports. Count me as as "not a fan" when it comes to Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson. Remind me - what has he won? Good thing that the Red Sox are the anti-ochocinco type team. No "look at me" attention seekers who place themselves above the team. Makes the Red Sox that much more likable.

With his win yesterday - Tim Wakefield now has 188 for his career. There have only been 139 pitchers in the history of baseball to have more career victories. Wakefield has never had a 20-win season but with 10 before the All-Star break this might be his best chance.

Red Sox Magic Number



Is it just a coincidence that the Red Sox get their magic number to 49 on the same day that number 49 - Tim Wakefield - is placed on the DL?

Baseball Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous baseball thoughts and observations.

I think if the Rookie of the Year Awards were given today - then the Cubs Geovany Soto would win in the NL and the Rays Evan Longoria would win in the AL. Jair Jurrjens was the leader for the NL award a little while ago but has since cooled off.... Tim Wakefield has been an under appreciated hero for the Red Sox this season. A quality start in baseball is when the starting pitcher goes at least 6 innings and gives up 3 runs or less. Wakefield has 16 quality starts in the 23 starts he has made this season. Only two pitchers in the AL have more quality starts (Jeremy Guthrie and James Shields). The ability of Wakefield to save the Boston bullpen from wear and tear is a very important but as I said unappreciated factor in the Red Sox being poised to make a run at another playoff run... You would think that a AAA pitcher who is 13-4 with a 2.89 ERA would be a hot commodity for pitching starved teams - right? Wrong. That pitcher in question is Charlie Zink who plays for the Pawtucket Red Sox. His problem is that he's a knuckleball pitcher. It seems nobody wants to take a risk on a knuckleball pitcher. Have people learned nothing from Tim Wakefield's example?... Greg Maddux needs 10 more innings to pass Bert Blyleven's 4970 IP for 13th place on the all-time list. The reason Maddux will be a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer while Blyleven remains on the cusp of election after so many years is because Maddux got 353 wins and 222 losses out of those innings while Blyleven managed just a 287-250 record. I'm not Joe Morgan and I know "wins" are an iffy stat but I am just pointing out the obvious. When I watched Maddux pitch - I thought I was watching a Hall of Famer. I never thought Blyleven was as good as Louis Tiant

Tim Wakefield

Happy birthday to Tim Wakefield who turned 42 today. Did you realize that if Wakefield pitched for the Oakland A's - he'd be one win away from tying the team record for wins and already be the team's all-time leader in strikeouts? Wakefield has 160 wins for the Red Sox with 1772 K's. Catfish Hunter had 161 wins for the A's but just 1520 K's.

Of course Wakefield would still have a ways to go to catch some of the pitchers of the Philadelphia A's. Eddie Plank (284), Lefty Grove (195) and Chief Bender (193) would still be ahead of Wakefield in wins and Plank would still have him beat for K's with 1985.