Tag: red sox

Top Red Sox Grapefruit League Performers – Mid-Season Analysis

With a scheduled off-day today, the Red Sox are just past the halfway point of spring training with a 9-9 record; 17 games remain before Opening Day at Yankees Stadium on 01 April. While Grapefruit League statistics don’t necessarily translate into regular season success, there is always interest in how well players have performed under the Florida sunshine. So, given that batting averages and earned run averages are often skewed at this point, how do you take what is a relatively small sample size and highlight the top performers this spring to date?

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Did You Know? – The Red Sox and Losing Seasons

The 2012 Boston Red Sox season is likely one that the organization and fans alike will want to soon forget.  In celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, the team finished 69-93, which broke a stretch of 14 straight winning seasons.  Before that, the last Red Sox team to suffer through a losing season was in 1997, when first-year manager Jimy Williams and rookie Nomar Garciaparra ended the season with a disappointing 78-84 record.  The team also finished in last place for the first time since 1992, when another first-year manager, Butch Hobson, and pitcher Roger Clemens finished in seventh place in the American League East.

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Today In History – Tom Yawkey Purchases The Red Sox

25 February 1933 – On this day eighty years ago, in the midst of the Great Depression, Bob Quinn sells the Red Sox franchise for $1.5 million to Thomas Austin Yawkey, who had celebrated his 30th birthday four days earlier. Yawkey served as the sole owner of the team for the next 44 years and became a Boston institution as well as a pillar of Major League Baseball, though the legacy of his ownership was not without controversy.

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Johnny Pesky, Former Red Sox Infielder, Passes Away at Age 92

Former Boston Red Sox infielder Johnny Pesky, who was a loyal part of the Boston organization for more than 60 seasons, passed away today at the age of 92.  Pesky played eight seasons between 1942 and 1951, missing time between 1943 and 1945 serving in World War II, and also managed the club twice, first for two years between 1963 and 1964, and then briefly at the end of the 1980 season.

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Why Did Beckett Get Booed? Media Should Look In The Mirror

After retiring the first eight batters in Boston’s 4-1, rain-shortened win over the Tigers Tuesday night, Josh Beckett allowed an infield single, hit the next batter, then walked two straight batters before calling for the trainers.  He eventually walked off the mound with what was later diagnosed as a back spasm, but not before hearing boos from the Fenway Park crowd.

Now Peter Abraham wants to know what the fans think about this atypical reaction. Continue reading “Why Did Beckett Get Booed? Media Should Look In The Mirror”

Did You Know? – David Ortiz and His Home Run Totals

On Wednesday afternoon in Oakland, Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz hit career home run number 400, making him the 49th player in MLB history to reach this milestone.  It was also his 342nd home run in a Boston uniform, which ranks him fifth all-time in team history behind Ted Williams (521), Carl Yastrzemski (452), Jim Rice (382), and Dwight Evans (379).  “Big Papi” also ranks second behind Manny Ramirez in number of at-bats per home run at 14.7, just ahead of Jimmie Foxx and Williams.

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Speak Out Against The Boston Sports Media This Weekend

“…all the negativity that’s in this town sucks.” – former Boston Celtics coach Rick Pitino, 01 March 2000

It doesn’t take much effort to realize that the Boston sports media — or the “mediots,” as I prefer to call them — love to drag the names of Red Sox players and coaches through the mud, to the point where the stories have become clear examples of “yellow journalism,” i.e., using sensationalism rather than well-researched news and objective evidence to sell newspapers and attract television viewers, radio listeners, and web site visitors.  Unfortunately, their collective efforts have given outsiders the perception that the fans, not counting misguided callers and anonymous web site commentators, think as they do.

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Today In History – Pedro Martinez Strikes Out Side On Nine Pitches

18 May 2002 – On this day ten years ago, Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez struck out the side on nine pitches in the first inning of a 4-1 win over the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park.  To date, he is the only pitcher to accomplish this remarkable feat in a Boston uniform. Continue reading “Today In History – Pedro Martinez Strikes Out Side On Nine Pitches”

Red Sox Mourn Loss of Carl Beane, Fenway Park PA Announcer

Carl Beane, the “voice of Fenway Park,” passed away today at the age of 59.  The public address announcer for Red Sox home games since 2003, he suffered an apparent heart attack as he was driving through Sturbridge, Massachusetts this afternoon, which resulted in his vehicle leaving the road and crashing into a tree.  Born and raised in Agawam, Massachusetts, he was a local radio announcer for many years, including at WBZ, before he took over from former PA announcer Ed Brickley after beating out several other applicants for the position.

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