Green With Envy

Jealousy doesn't look good on anyone. Somebody apparently forgot to tell that to our good friend, Dan Shaughnessy.

In yesterday's Globe, Shaughnessy decided to take a few swings at his well-publicized and now well-published rival, Curt Schilling, for the latter's foray into the world of personal blogging. Schilling's website, 38Pitches.com, is a simple Wordpress-hosted blog dedicated to giving Curt an outlet beyond the media middleman. The initial response was more like looking at a car crash, people craning their necks just to see what was going on, but as time has gone on it's turned into a great place for information and insight.

Fans today, particularly well-read fans, want more than just the typical newspaper fluff culled from the press conferences and postgame interviews. Heck, even I could write much of what's published in the Hartford Courant these days. No, today's fans won't settle for the old stuff. They want something that's never been said before, some new and unique way of looking at the sport they so dearly love. For that reason, the blogs put out by people like Schilling and the Eagle-Tribune's Rob Bradford are fantastic resources. Gone are the editors and the cutting for length, and in their place stands a commitment to providing information, to connecting with the fans on a level heretofore unreachable in professional sports.

Shaughnessy, however, thinks this is all a bunch of hooey. He's threatened, he's feeling the pinch of more insightful writers than he doing his job for little or no money. When was the last time Shaughnessy published anything more than a blog post in print and available for 50 cents? The columnist, so safe in his unreachable tower, is now feeling his walls start to crumble. He's not needed to put spin on things anymore, because the players and beat writers themselves are doing it for him. And, he no longer holds the trump card of "I'm a sportswriter and you're not, so there!" I'm a sportswriter, you're a sportswriter, we're all sportswriters of a sort.

It's simply unfortunate that Shaughnessy needed to waste valuable print space taking not only a shot at Schilling, but at the fans who make all the writers' jobs possible. Here's a particularly nasty bit aimed at all of us citizens of the blogosphere:

Lapdog38: Hey Curt. This blog is awesome. I mean, I can't believe it's really you. I'm nervous just typing, knowing you are there on the other end. Let me tell you a little about myself. I am 38 years old (pretty cool, huh, 38?) and I have your jersey in XXL (both home and away versions). I'm living at home, in the basement, rent free, and I've got cable and plasma TV. Domino's delivers. I guess you could say I'm living the dream. Anyway, I was wondering if you could tell us who's going to be on the final 25-man roster for the Sox this year?

Puerile, isn't it? It's not enough to take shots at a pitcher who is a hero to so many residents of New England, whether or not such praise is deserved. No, it's not enough to rip him down and tear up his efforts to connect with the fan base. The fans need to get picked on, too, don't they Dan? You need to make sure that everybody who lives and dies for the Red Sox blushes a little bit when they read that description, that they feel just the slightest bit of shame when you jab at them from the side. But of course, you're a sportswriter, sorry, a columnist, that most hallowed of all sportswriters, so it's not mean or uncalled for, it's just clever.

I don't buy it. Let us know when you grow up, then maybe we'll listen to you with some interest.

Sincerely,

Ryan M. Brodeur
Blogger, sportswriter, and fan

Beckett and Hinkse: Our Very Own Polar Opposites

This is going to be a big year for Josh Beckett, mark my words. Never mind that Beckett led the major leagues in home runs allowed last year, that his league-adjusted ERA was still 4.61 (his everyday ERA being 5.01), that his hits allowed jumped by almost 40, or that he allowed almost 50 more runs in only 30 more innings pitched; focus on his mentality.

Last year, Beckett was green, a National League hurler coming into the Pitcher's Nightmare Division, the American League East. He was trying to shake off accusations that he was incapable of reaching 200 IP, and that he would never be able to keep his blister problem under control. He's a Texan, and though it's a stereotype it's one we've seen repeatedly in pitchers from his neck of the woods, meaning that for a large part of last year he was grappling with his ego just as much as his pitching ability. This year, however, he's promised to be different.

As early as his arrival in Fort Myers, Beckett appeared a changed man. Gone is the sure-fire confidence in his own ability to lean on his talents, and in its stead is a maturity that sees no weakness in leaning on the game-calling abilities of Jason Varitek. Instead of throwing fastballs in trouble counts, Beckett has tuned in to the fact that his greatest strength is the ability to change speeds rapidly. When he beat the Yankees in the 2003 World Series, Beckett went from blistering heat to crisp curveballs, then to embarassingly effective changeups and back again.

It is that dedication to changing speeds that we've seen all spring, and it's yielded very productive results, with a 3.04 ERA, averaging over a strikeout per inning and yielding only 4 walks in 23 2/3 IP. Along with his Texas-sized confidence and 4-seamed leanings, Beckett is also incredibly driven to succeed. The AL East is his challenge, he's motivated to overcome it. Look for big things.



Just as Beckett is poised to contribute greatly to the succcess of the Sox this season, pine-riding super-sub Eric Hinske is poised to jack squat. Carrying a pricetag of a hair less than $3 million, Hinske has all the game-changing qualities you can get when you're dragging around a line that looks like .260/.337/.437 (that's a .774 career OPS, for those of you keeping score at home). Sure, he bats left-handed, but even in the most optimistic eyes he's a nonfactor on defense. His offense is standing on the fragments of the foundation his 2002 Rookie of the Year award laid for him, and there aren't many fragments left. In my opinion, Hinske's acquisition was one of the worst of the 2006 campaign, ranking high on the list of Theo's Uh-Ohs over the last several seasons: Rudy Seanez, Wade Miller, Jason Johnson, Dustin Mohr, Willie Harris... need I continue?

Chances are the Sox are going to carry 12 pitchers, like most teams in the East, meaning that every bench spot is a valuable commodity. Alex Cora is solid with the glove and has patience enough at the plate to compensate for his lack of real hitting ability. He can play any position in the field except catcher, and that's only because we've never tried it out. Wily Mo Peña may strike out a lot, but he's big and scary. Hinske lacks Cora's versatility, and even lack's Wily Mo's indimidation factor, looking like no more than Rob Dibble with a bat. (Sidenote: Wily Mo Peña needs to carry around a cinderblock and in between innings should take it out of the dugout and just punch it repeatedly, grunting like a Neanderthal. It would scare the hell out of anyone within earshot and make for great television. But, I digress...) Hinske is taking up a valuable bench spot, one that, in my opinion, would be better utilised if it were occupied by someone like David Murphy or Jacoby Ellsbury. They'd be able to get some major league time without the pressures of everyday use (the downside, of course, being lack of significant at-bats). At the very least they should carry Alex Ochoa, so he can throw lasers from the rightfield fence through the top hole of Wily Mo's cinderblock positioned so carefully on home plate.

Anyways, there's my rant. I can't stand Eric Hinske. He just sticks out too much for me to ignore him, and he's not talented enough for me to feel any sort of affection towards him. What's he good for? Exactly, a trade. I officially give my permission to all of you poor fans who miss Bronson to call for his return now, however misguided such pining might be.

Papelbon in the 9th

As you've no doubt heard by this point, Jonathan Papelbon will be reprising his breakout 2006 role as Red Sox closer in 2007. Despite all of the public statements by both the pitcher and the club that number 58 was bound for the starting rotation because of health reasons, it appears that health is no longer enough of a concern to keep Paps out of the closer spot.

I'm very lukewarm about this move, to tell the truth. With Papelbon moving to the bullpen, Julian "Grooveball" Tavarez is going to be shifting over to the fifth spot in the rotation until Jon Lester or a pitcher of similar comportment establishes himself and takes over. A rotation that appeared to be one of the best going into the 2007 campaign now looks significantly weaker. Of course, I'm pretty sure there are a number of complicated charts and formulas Baseball Prospectus has put together recently that explains exactly just how a fifth starter looks when compared to a dominant closer, and I'm also pretty sure that a closer holds more value, regardless of innings pitched.

The biggest reason for my trepidation is the one we're all talking about: Papelbon's long-term health and career. Nobody wants to see the Red Sox sacrifice a potentially very good starting pitcher over 10 years for a short-sighted fix to the closer situation. Everybody and their mom has been saying that Pap's shoulder will be best served by regular, rhythmic usage and preparation, something the rotation can provide and the bullpen does it's best to avoid.

Still, if Papelbon is destined to be as lights-out in the first 21 outs as he is in the last 3, wouldn't it be better to hedge all bets and pursue the best option for the hurler's arm? In today's blog Peter Gammons addresses this with the kind of proof one only gets with the press pass:

"There is no legitimate bullpen help to be acquired right now," said another AL GM. "And what we saw in Papelbon this spring is that he'd start out at 92-94 mph and gradually fall down to 88. Our people feel that he may throw so many pitches as a starter he's a five-inning guy. And the Red Sox cannot afford to blow five leads in April with Papelbon sitting out there."

If that's the case, then the bullpen is the place to be. As long as the front office can have restrictions in place for Papelbon's usage (no eight-inning, non-playoff saves, par exemple) and can enforce them, then maybe he'll be able to keep his health and help the team.

Before I close this, the first substantial post in some time, let me offer one crazy, unfounded notion to the mix. If Papelbon is the closer, that potentially opens up a rotation spot for Roger Clemens, should he decide to come back, placing him in a powerful rotation, potent offense, and in front of a lights-out closer to boot. Hey, it could happen.

Checking In On Spring Training

Now several weeks into Spring Training and through the first week of Grapefruit League exhibition games, all I can think about is one thing: pitching.

That's the key, isn't it? Outside the whole "Manny's-coming-late" story and the Schilling contract saga, there's not much to talk about. The offense is the offense, looking good for the most part with predictable producers in Lugo, Ortiz, Ramirez, and Drew making up the core group of what could potentially be one of the best offenses in the majors this year. The defense is going to be average, no big standouts outside of Varitek and Lowell, and (depending who you ask) Drew. Thing is, when you get to pitching, nobody knows what we're going to get.

Here's what we do know. The brightest upside of the Red Sox staff is going to be their starters. Curt Schilling promises to do his usual thing, winning upwards of 12 games and exuding confidence at the top of the rotation. On the other end, an older Tim Wakefield hopes to pencil in 200 innings and a decent number of wins as the guy everybody wants to lean on at the end of the rotation. In between, Josh Beckett will hopefully have learned his lesson and spent the winter months reflecting on his errors. He has professed a desire to listen to Jason Varitek more often this year, trusting his knowledge of lineups. Jonathan Papelbon, fresh off a rookie season full of giving New England fanboys a summer's worth of late-inning wet dreams, looks to transfer his poise and potential into a 7 inning tool. Even Daisuke Matsuzaka looks a bit more convincing in his role of savior from the East, after causing scouts, general managers, and the above-referenced fanboys to go slack-jawed in his appearance against the Marlins several days ago.

The real question, then, is the bullpen. Then again, when is it not? We're all making a huge deal out of the fact that Brendan Donnely, Joel Pineiro, Julian Tavarez, J.C. Romero, Hideki Okajima, et. al. are what we have to choose our closer from, but how much worse is it than last year? Keith Foulke, our "closer" was coming off a disastrous, injury-ridden 2005. Mike Timlin was 40 and had pitched in the World Baseball Classic, putting his arm in game situations weeks before he should've. Julian Tavarez and Rudy Seanez were known for their gopher-esque tendencies, and Manny Delcarmen was still a young lad. There was zero certainty going into 2006, only the positive thoughts being projected by the club and optimists.

Up until today, Mike Timlin was the guy being focused on for the closer role, but he's 41, and his back has done everything in it's power to make sure he doesn't get a proper look prior to Opening Day. Joel Pineiro, after a rough opener, has made some noise with several scoreless appearances, but his celebrated new arm slot is just as new to him as it is to the hitters and hangers-on. Hideki Okajima, as a curveball-tossing lefty, probably has no real chance at the job, and J. C. Romero never even entered the conversation.

Fact of the matter is, it's going to be the biggest question this team faces. There is no guarantee that they will be able to fill the role effectively, even if they put together a package for Washington's Chad Cordero, as his fly-ball tendencies have taken some of the shine off his talent.

Jonathan Papelbon's success in that role last year was a godsend. The most successful closers seem to have an innate talent for it. Despite the arguments it's not a position for which one can be groomed. So, despite the protestations of the medical staff and the trepidation of the ownership, it may make the most sense in the end to just put Papelbon back where he grew up: in the last three outs of the game.