WHY BOSTON GOT SERVED HUMBLE PIE

OK, I've been waiting to do this piece for months now. On January 2nd, a NESN.com writer wrote a piece on why the 2011 Red Sox could unseat the 1927 Yankees as the greatest team in the history of Major League Baseball. You can read the comedic gold HERE. Mind you, it was written before 1 pitch was thrown in spring training or even the season itself.

Casey was immediately outraged as well, and wrote WHY BOSTON SUCKS: PART II. Read it.

I saved the NESN piece the moment I read it. I knew at the time that this prediction would backfire on them easily and now, the season is over, the Red Sox didn't make the playoffs and, I just have to laugh. Who would dare suggest something so silly? Let's break it down. The piece started off saying: "The Red Sox have won 100 or more games three times in their 110-year existence. They will make it four in 2011."

We all know by now that he was way off in this prediction. The Red Sox finished with a 90-72 record and finished 3rd in the American League East. Meanwhile, the 1927 Yankees finished with an astounding 110-44 record. Can you say, EPIC fail? I can...oh, I did.

Next, the writer showcased the Red Sox lineup which looks like this:

CF. Jacoby Ellsbury- .321/.376/.552/.928 (BA/OBP/SLG/OPS), 32 Hrs, 105 RBI, 39 SBs
2B. Dustin Pedroia- .307/.387/.474/.861, 21 Hrs, 91 RBI, 26 SBsLF. Carl Crawford- .255/.289/.405/.694, 11 Hrs, 56 RBI, 18 SBs
1B. Adrian Gonzalez- .338/.410/.548/.957, 27 Hrs, 117 RBI
3B. Kevin Youkilis- .258/.373/.459/.833, 17 Hrs, 80 RBI
DH. David Ortiz- .309/.398/.554/.953, 29 Hrs, 96 RBI
RF. JD Drew- .222/.315/.302/.617, 4 Hrs, 22 RBI, 81 games
C. Jarrod Saltalamacchia- .235/.288/.450/.737, 16 Hrs, 56 RBI
SS. Marco Scutaro- .299/.358/.423/.781, 7 Hrs, 54 RBI
SS. Jed Lowrie- .252/.303/.382/.685, 6 Hrs, 36 RBI

That lineup looks pretty good, I mean, this team lead the majors in runs scored with 875, that's 8 runs ahead of the Yankees, but they're NOT the 1927 Yankees who scored 976 runs, 131 more runs than the second place Detroit Tigers... astounding. Also keep in mind that the 1927 Yankees had four Hall of Famers, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, and Earle Combs, in their lineup.Speaking of the 1927 Yankees lineup, let's take a look at how each individual fared that season:

CF. Earle Combs- .356/.414/.511/.925, 6 HRs, 64 RBI
SS. Mark Koenig- .285/.320/.382/.702, 3 HRs, 62 RBI
RF. Babe Ruth- .356/.486/.772/1.258, 60 HRs, 164 RBI...WOW
1B. Lou Gehrig- .373/.474/.765/1.240, 47 HRs, 175 RBI... WOW
LF. Bob Meusel- .337/.393/.510/.902, 8 HRs, 103 RBI, 24 SBs
2B. Tony Lazzeri- .309/.383/.482/.866, 18 HRs, 102 RBI, 22 SBs
3B. Joe Dugan- .269/.321/.362/.683, 2 HRs, 43 RBI
C. Pat Collins- .275/.407/.418/.825, 7 HRs, 36 RBI

Pretty good, huh? A couple of things...One, the writer of the NESN piece had us look at the Boston bench. It looks like this:

OF. Mike Cameron- He got DFA'd from the team in late June after hitting .149/.212/.266/.477 in 33 games with the Sox.
OF. Darnell McDonald- He hit .236/.303/.401/.704 in 79 games. Certainly doesn't strike fear to me.
INF. Marco Scutaro- .299/.358/.423/.781 (above)
INF. Jed Lowrie- .252/.303/.382/.685 (above)
C. Jason Varitek- Hit .221/.300/.423/.723 in 68 games, but he's the Captain of the team and wears that "C" on his jersey!

Now, in all fairness, the Red Sox improved their bench with the call up of outfielder Josh Reddick (.280/.327/.457/.784) and trading for utility man Mike Aviles (.317/.340/.436/.775 in 38 games for Boston).

And finally, I just wanted to say this before we conclude this piece. It is very hard, if not impossible, to compare different players performances between two completely different eras, not to mention that that 2011 season hadn't started yet. Baseball was an entirely different game way back when, and a lot of changed. But, the writer for that NESN piece brought it up in the first place, so it's his own fault.

Next we'll try and break down the pitching for you, comparing the 2011 Red Sox and 1927 Yankees. Stay tuned.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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WHY THIS YANKEES LOSS STINGS

Leave it to the Yankees and Red Sox to go extra innings in the last game of the year between the 2 clubs. No one ever said it would be easy and while the Red Sox are dear death, they clearly aren't dead yet. Long game.(Photo: Getty)
Mark Teixeira had a beautiful 2 run double in the first inning for the Yankees, it appeared we were on our way. Chris Dickerson had a sac RBI in the game.

Ivan Nova pitched OK. In 6 innings, he gave up 4 runs on 8 hits. He's been better, but I ain't made at him. After Nova, the Yankees used 7 pitchers and held down the Sox until Scott Proctor blew it but, more on that in a moment.

(Photo: Getty)
In the 6th inning, an amazing play by Austin Romine tagging Dustin Pedroia trying to get home. The picture above clearly captures the out. But look, this is athletic on both ends and for Romine, a rookie to be thrown into that and succeeding is something special. They always said Romine's defense was great, here's a great example of that.

In the extra innings, there was a horrendous call at first. Dustin Pedroia sliding into first and a running quick throw from Ramiro Pena at third to Nick Swisher at first base. Pedroia was clearly out with the naked eye, but when I saw the play in YES-mo, I became a crazy person. Joe Girardi was right to fight that battle and he getting thrown out, was better than risking Nick arguing the call and getting tossed. It also was a tactic to energize the Yankees who weren't hitting in the later innings, but it didn't work.

Scott Proctor, who's really not too great, allowed Jacoby Ellsbury to give one a ride in the 14th inning, a 3 run shot to make it 7-4. Not too good. The Yankees really wanted this game, and it was a mistake by Proctor and perhaps, may I suggest, a mistake by Tony Pena to put him in. Look, I like Scott Proctor, but the numbers don't look too good. Clearly there's a reason why he let up that home run to Ellsbury. Why wouldn't we use Luis Ayala? He was available. Well, what can you do.

One final thought. Anyone hear Baba O'Riley by the Who being played when Brett Gardner came out? My take on this is simple, that's Paul O'Neill song. It's sacred and it shouldn't be played for any other player ever. Just saying, I loved the Warrior and everytime I hear that song, I think of Paul O'Neill.

Final Score of Game 2: Red Sox 7 - Yankees 4

Don't look now, the Red Sox aren't dead yet.

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WHY I BELIEVE IN THE CURSE

On August 15^th, Sports Illustrated posted a front page cover story about Dustin Pedoria titled “Heart of the Red Sox.” Immediately I joked in my head that this has got to be the curse all over again. You know, that strange "curse" talk about whomever is on the Sports Illustrated cover is cursed afterward? Anyway, I quickly forgot about it and to be honest, I don’t need to read about Dustin Pedoria and the dreaded Red Sox, it’s aggravating to me.

Yesterday I had a doctor’s appointment and I saw the cover again in the magazine rack in the waiting room and I realized something. With the Yankees thriving and the Red Sox imploding, maybe the curse DOES still live, just in another form. Man, I hope so.

I loved “The Curse of the Bambino” and since childhood, I bought into it. It was amazing to me to see that Sox team play some really good baseball, but then, in a flash, it was all gone. Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone, Bill Buckner, Babe Ruth and so on, all great memories for any Yankees fan. It was incredible the way it played out for years. I remember travelling through Boston for games at Fenway and seeing the Reverse Curve sign and seeing it defaced by a desperate fan who took a risk to change the Sox fate... Reverse the Curse it then read. Wow..."It must have sucked to be a Sox fan", I used to think.

I know some Red Sox fans and before the Red Sox won in 2004, they were beaten down, angry and annoyed with the Yankees. They would tell me that the Yankees bought their championships, yet, in 2004, it seems as though the Red Sox did too, weird right? After they won, they'd tell me the Yankees were finished and they’d tell me every year that the Red Sox were here to stay. Yeah, the Yankees made the playoffs every year except for 2008, but we never won again until 2009.

But I realized something important about Yankees fans... one thing Yankees fans don’t do is give up on their team. Do you remember 1987? How about 1988? Those years as a Yankees fan were brutal. We sucked and we had a stretch of sucking, but one thing was certain, Yankees fans never gave up. Yes, the stands were empty, but the fan base was always there. I remember feeling terrible, but I knew we’d win next year, and a year became a decade and suddenly, with Buck Showalter, we had a shot, but fell short against the Mariners in 1995. I remember where I was and I remember the heartbreak.

When Don Mattingly retired, I couldn’t believe it. “What is he doing? We almost made it!” I remember thinking. Well, no one could have predicted 1996 and beyond, but for a die hard Yankees fan like me and so many like me, the Yankees were back and never giving up on our team paid off for 5 more championships. It was beautiful.

Right now the evil Red Sox are imploding and if I can latch onto a little luck and just stare at that Sports Illustrated cover for another 2 weeks, I feel the vibe of the curse all over again. The curse is alive and well Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s just in a different form and while the Yankees are a great ball club, there’s nothing wrong with getting a little help on the side. A little luck, a little curse against the Red Sox. I’ll take what I can get.

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GOING INSIDE THE NUMBERS WITH THE AL MVP

As of September, there are probably five candidates who can win the American League MVP. Those five guys are Curtis Granderson, Adrian Gonzalez, Justin Verlander, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Dustin Pedroia. The two front runners for the award are most likely Curtis Granderson and Adrian Gonzalez. Verlander, Ellsbury, and Pedroia are all having great years, but they either don't have quite the offensive numbers as Grandy and AGon, or they're a starting pitcher like Justin Verlander, who doesn't contribute to the team's success nearly every game like Granderson and Gonzalez.



Let's look at both of the front runner's numbers (As of 8/31):Curtis Granderson: 38 home runs, 107 RBI, 123 runs, and 10 triples all lead the league. Grandy also has a .963 OPS, fourth in the AL, and 24 stolen bases, good for 10th.



Adrian Gonzalez: .342 average, and 184 hits both lead the AL. He is 13th in homers, but is second in RBI with 103. But, he trails Granderson in stolen bases by 23, runs scored by 33, and triples by seven. He's also fifth in the league in OPS at .957.



With those stats in mind, baseball experts believe Gonzalez is right there in the AL MVP race, and some believe he should still win it. But not so fast, if you go inside those numbers you can clearly tell Granderson is by far the better candidate to win the award.Look at how Granderson does against opponents who have a .500 record or better, and against opponents with sub .500 records:

• Above .500 opponents: 63 games, .276 average, 22 homers, 54 RBI, 13 steals, 60 runs, .381 OBP, .627 slugging %, 1.009 OPS

• Below .500 opponents: 68 games, .273 average, 16 homers, 53 RBI, 11 steals, 63 runs, .371 OBP, .553 slugging %, .924 OPS

Now, if you look at those numbers you can see Granderson is pretty much the same player against all types of competition, which is good, because he doesn't fold against elite competition, and that's who he'll face in the postseason.Here are Gonzalez' numbers against above and below .500 opponents:

• Above .500 opponents: 66 games .261 average 68 hits, 13 homers, 48 RBI, .339 OBP, .487 slugging %, .826 OPS.

• Below .500 opponents: 66 games .419 average, 116 hits, 10 homers, 55 RBI, .464 OBP, .617 slugging %, 1.081 OPS.

If you look at Gonzalez' power numbers between the two splits, they're pretty much the same. But the main reason why he's in the MVP discussion is because of his batting average and hits. As you see, his numbers completely drop off when the competition gets tougher. Baseball writers, take note of this.



Sure it's nice Adrian Gonzalez can feed off against the bottom feeders of the league. That's fine and dandy, but anyone can do that. But it's a red flag when his signature batting average and total hits take a huge drop off when he plays better teams. In my eye, to be the most valuable player you have to continue to produce against all kinds of competition, and Granderson is either the same in some categories, or he's better. For Gonzalez, he's the same in some categories, but he drops off significantly against the better teams. I really hope I've caught the voter's eye on this, it really shows that Gonzalez really shouldn't be a front runner for the American League MVP, and that Granderson should be ahead of the pack.









--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer









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WHY JETER IS THE PERFECT ROLE MODEL

Now-a-days when you look at the top shortstops and infielders in Major League Baseball, you tend to think of Troy Tulowitzki, Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, Asdrubal Cabrera, Robinson Cano and Dustin Pedroia.

Why does this matter? Well, most of these player's had 1 role model in their lives, it was Derek Jeter. For example, Troy Tulowitzki and Hanley Ramirez wear #2 in honor of the Captain.

Although Derek Jeter may not be a top 5 shortstop in baseball anymore, he has proven that he is one of the best shortstops of all time. He first of all is the Captain of the most storied franchise in all of sports, he has won 5 World Series Championships, he owns a career batting average of .312, and is also a member of the 3000 hit club, and he is 37 years old which is quite young for all of those accomplishments, if you think about it.As DJ is definitely on the decline, he is no longer as feared or good as he once was, but he is still the most respected ballplayer ever; Respected among the New York Yankees, among the entire league, and respected by parents and children around the globe.Figure this, many players respect Babe Ruth a hell of a lot and would wear #3 in honor of him such as A-Rod did with Texas. David Wells worshipped the Babe and wore a number 3 in 9 of the 11 teams uniform numbers he wore while a player. In a much similar fashion, I believe that Derek Jeter's number 2 is on the same level as the great Bambino which is pretty crazy when you think about it. Why? Well, the Babe played well before many of us were even alive. Our grandparents saw him play. On the other side, most of us have seen DJ's career unfold from a rookie into a true leader and World Champion to his 3000 hits, to literally transforming into an icon.Although his career isn't over, here's to you Jeet to a great career. We have loved every moment of watching you from the Jeffrey Maier home run, to the Flip Play, to your full out dive into the stands. But most importantly, your 3000th hit. We appreciate all you have done and will continue to do for us.

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--Will Cohen, BYB Staff Writer

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