World Series Champions

The stage was set. It was the first World Series clinching game at Fenway Park since 1918. They had the guy who they signed specifically for his playoff pitching.  They had their beards. They had their fans right behind them.

The Red Sox had no intentions of going to a Game 7 as they were able to close out the series last night, bringing the World Series trophy back to Boston.

A season that seemed to be right out of a storybook, it felt as if nothing could go wrong. Even when the team was down, you just had that feeling that they were going to pick themselves up and deliver. That is what they did. They never let the score get to them, they just kept playing the game.

A team one year removed from a 93 loss season and a team that was projected to finish last in the AL East this season is now on top of the baseball world.

The front office took a look at last season and decided that things needed to change. They got rid of their manager, they sent their big money contracts out West, and they signed guys that they felt would play hard. Ben Cherington struck gold in his signings as he was able to bring a group of guys together that immediately clicked.

They gave the city of Boston a reason to smile after the tragedy that occurred at the Boston Marathon. The guys who were new to Boston this season were able to see first hand what kind of brotherhood they joined as all these things were going on in Boston.

When you try and pin point who was responsible for all of this success you cannot look to any one guy. Sure, Ortiz was close to breaking the batting average record in the World Series and Jon Lester pitched lights out all postseason but this team was solid one through nine. It didn’t matter if they were striking out an abnormal amount of times in the playoffs, they always managed to find a way to win. They bought into the team concept and showed the city of Boston what it means to be Boston Strong.

Last night was just another chapter in the storybook season the Red Sox put together and with the last out by Uehara, they were end the storybook with a happy ending. It has been a crazy ride to the top, but these guys would not have wanted it any other way. To fly under the radar all season, basically until they hoisted the trophy over there head was something those guys loved. They just wanted to play baseball, they didn’t care what others thought, they let their game speak for itself.

Cheers to the 2013 Boston Red Sox as they are World Series Champions and are back on top of the baseball world where they belong.

Celtics 2013-2014 Preview

Last season, the Celtics took an early exit in the playoffs in the first round against the New York Knicks. This led to an off-season filled with moves that have the 2013-2014 Celtics looking completely different.

Major Departures:
Doc Rivers
Paul Pierce
Kevin Garnett
Jason Terry 

Major Additions:
Kelly Olynyk
Gerald Wallace
Kris Humphries
Marshon Brooks
Keith Bogans

Doc wanted out, he is now the coach of the Clippers. Danny Ainge saw that the 3 year plan turned 5 year plan was just about over with KG and Pierce and felt it was time to rebuild. This sent KG, Pierce and Terry to Brooklyn in a trade that brought a busload of guys to the Celtics from the Nets. In the end, the Celtics new look is something that fans may have a hard time getting used to. Time to break it down by position.

Head Coach:
Brad Stevens

The Celtics bring in young gun, Brad Stevens as he makes the leap from college to the NBA. For most, the memories of past coaches moving from college to the NBA are not very pretty. Notable coaches that made the leap to the NBA from college are Rick Pitino, John Calipari and P.J. Carlesimo. All had less than stellar careers in the NBA, so the odds for Stevens are against him.  Going into the season there are some big questions that will tag along with him the whole year:

Can he control Rondo’s attitude for the betterment of the team?
How will he develop young guys like Green, Olynyk and Sullinger?
How many wins will the Celtics team actually win this year?

Point Guard:
Rajon Rondo*
Avery Bradley
Phil Pressey

Asterisk next to Rondo as he continues to rehab and heal from his ACL tear that ended his season last year. It should be an even bigger asterisk as a Rondo-less Celtic team will have lack of command at the point guard position. Last years team faced many offensive woes after the All-Star point guard went down and we can probably expect the same until Rondo is back on the court. This leads Avery Bradley and Phil Pressey to pick up the slack. I don’t consider Bradley a point guard and taking over ball handling duties last season put some stress on his overall game.  Phil Pressey showed signs of brightness in the preseason and after a season under Rondo’s wing, I can see him being on his way to being a solid PG in this league. For now, he faces an uphill battle as he is the only true point guard on the roster while Rondo is sidelined.

Shooting Guard:
Keith Bogans
Marshon Brooks
Jordan Crawford
Courtney Lee

A rather deep squad at shooting guard especially if you throw Avery Bradley into the mix. It’ll be very interesting to see how Stevens uses this group and how the minutes get divided up. Once Rondo comes back, Bradley will be the true starter but I can see Stevens mixing up lineups for the first few months. Bogans is someone who will give you good defensive minutes and will hit the occasional three but besides that there isn’t too much to him. Brooks is someone who is a wild card. Still into his young NBA career he has showed that he can score and be a solid option for an NBA team but he is still developing and getting adjusted to the league. If he can figure out how to get the ball in the hoop, he will be a solid option for the C’s off then bench.  Crawford has come out and said he wants to assume more but can he harness his abilities to truly help the team? He has been known to take a lot of forced shots, but in this offense he will need to take good shots and make good decisions. Courtney Lee is one who could go either way. He struggled last year to fit into the system but after a year to get his feet wet, he could provide a defensive spark for this team. He just needs to hit his open jumpers

 

Small Forward:
Jeff Green
Gerald Wallace

This position could be extremely beneficial for the Celtics, or it could be a dud. Jeff Green will be playing his second season removed from his life altering heart surgery. He was able to do proper offseason training without worrying about rehabbing from the surgery. This guy has a question mark next to his name. Can he take over the scoring role every night and become to go-to guy for the C’s? He showed signs that point toward yes last year, but can he do it consistently. The Celtic inside of me says he can but the basketball analyst sees that there is no safety net in Paul Pierce or KG, Jeff Green is all alone. He will get a lot more shots this year and his success will help steer the Celtics success. Gerald Wallace is another guy that you wonder about productivity. A once quick athletic player in Portland has lost a step or two and it shows in his game. He’s been in the league for 12 years for he needs to show some leadership with some of the younger guys and help them through the season.

Power Forward:
Brandon Bass
Kris Humphries
Jared Sullinger

This position may be the most rounded and clear cut position for the Celtics. Brandon Bass will be entering his third season in green and he has proven he is a solid power forward. His elbow jumper and his intense defense is something that has been a staple in the Celtics for the past couple seasons. He will be another Celtic that needs to emerge as a leader seeing he has been in green for a couple years. Kris Humphries is a guy who can average a double double. He plays hard and can give you quality minutes. The only thing that could hold him back is the “Kardashian Kurse”. Jared Sullinger is a guy who is going to be big for the Celtics. Before season ending back surgery, Sullinger was a great big man to turn to off the bench who would play hard, fight for rebounds, and could finish at the rim. He may be a little rusty out of the gate, but he will get back into the swing of things and do well for the C’s.

Center:
Kelly Olynyk
Vitor Faverani

The Center position is an interesting one for the Celitcs. It has the biggest question mark for all positions. Two players who are new to the NBA have made a solid impact for their team in the preseason. Kelly Olynyk is someone who could really grow within the Celtics organization and will have plenty of opportunities to shine this season. Vitor is someone who could go either way. An international player coming to the NBA has proved to be successful but there is also failure within that. I’m not saying he’s going to be a Manu Ginobili but he could be a solid player. You just don’t want to see him be a Darko Milicic. He showed the Celtics that he can be an asset with his relentless defense and his post play on offense.

 

Overall:

All in all, the Celtics do have some good players, but without Rondo, the Celtics are going to have a hard time competing. Danny Ainge shipped off KG and Pierce to begin a rebuilding stage with the Celtics so it is going to be some time before you see them contend for the playoffs. They are going to be at the bottom of the pack this year and will most likely look to lose some games to get into a better position for a potential lottery pick. It is hard to ignore next years draft class as there could be a potential franchise changer in there.

Game 5 Recap; Sox One Win Away

The team that finished last in the AL East a season ago and the team that was predicted to finish last this season in the AL East is now one win away from winning the World Series. The men with the crazy beards have flown under the radar all season and that’s the way they like. Let them keep doubting the Sox, they’ll just continue to prove you wrong.

David Ortiz has been dialed in since Game 1, and he didn’t miss a beat last night. With Pedroia on second, Ortiz came up to the plate and took the ball into right for a double bringing Dustin home for the first run of the game. He finished the game 3-4 and is hitting .733 in the series. The man has been possessed behind the plate, it has become an odd thing to see him not get on base. He even managed to get an “infield” hit when they put the shift on him. He is the clear leader on this team and if he brings his hitting performance to Game 5, the Red Sox will be put in a good position to win.
Jon Lester is another Red Sox player who brought their A-game to the World Series. In a crucial game that swayed the series one way or another, Lester showed why Farrell decided to give him the ball. Pitching 7.2 innings, it looked like he was going to be pitching a complete game until a minor jam came about in the 8th inning. He allowed only 4 hits, and one mistake of a home-run to Holliday. He controlled the whole game, and would not be denied a loss in Game 5. If it were possible, I would stick him in Game 6.

All tied up in the seventh, the Sox were able to get a hit from Xander and a walk from Drew to bring Ross up to the plate. It seems that every game someone different steps up for this Sox team and delivers. It was Gomes in Game 4 and in Game 5 it was Ross. With two men on he was able to pull the ball down the left field line for a ground rule double, bringing Xander around to score. After Lester failed to reach base, Ellsbury was able to bloop a single into center field bringing Drew home making it a 3-1 game as Ross got thrown out at the plate.

Seeing a different guy each night stepping up is truly a great thing to watch, yet it is also extremely stressful. Being able to count on any single person in the lineup is what makes a team great and is something that has gotten the Red Sox this far.

Game 6 is coming back to Boston, and the Red Sox will have a chance to clinch the World Series in Boston for the first time since 1918. Game 6 is a big one, and I know all of Boston will be rocking if they are able to win tomorrow night. John Lackey as as a rookie in 2002 was able to clinch the World Series for the Angels. Tomorrow night as a veteran, he will have the opportunity to do it again. If I was a betting man, I would say he is pretty ready to take the hill.

Game 6 is Wednesday night at 8:07pm EST. John Lackey vs Michael Wacha

Sunday in New England

For the first time in a couple years, we have been lucky enough to have Patriot football and Red Sox baseball in October. During October, the Patriots are starting to settle into the season hitting the halfway mark and the Sox have been competing in the playoffs and are now in the Fall Classic.  Yesterday, we were able to see both teams compete and were able to leave the couch very rarely all day.

The Patriots were the first to take the stage, and if you turned off the television in rage at the end of the first half, then you probably thought they lost. Heading into the locker room at halftime, the Patriots were down 17-3 to the Miami Dolphins. At no point in that half did the team show any signs of good football. The offense was lost, the defense was letting the Dolphins push them around and it looked like the Pats had no answer.

Kneeling the ball at the end of the half, the Patriots went back to the drawing board and came out and played lock-down defense in the second half. The offense came out in the second half and went a quick three and out but from that point until the rest of the game, the Patriots played complete football.

The defense allowed zero points for the rest of the game and the offense was able to put points on the board in the third quarter, which was something they have been struggling with all year. By the time it was all said and done, the Patriots closed out the game by a score of 27 to 17. 

This team finds a way to win each and every week regardless of the depth chart or the opponent they are going against. A lot of the success is because of Bill Belichick and his ability to put together a game plan with the squad he is given.

A team that also always find a way to win, is of course the AL Champion Boston Red Sox. They closed out the day for New England with Game 4 of the World Series.

After a dismal ending to Game 3, there were a lot of questions as to whether the Sox could bounce back after a walk off obstruction call. More questions arose when Buchholz came out and said he has “one more game” left.

Clay was clearing injured in Game 4, pitching with half an arm. The velocity was not what we saw at the beginning of the season, some of his pitches missed poorly, but he brought his intensity and pitched. He was able to last 4 innings and only let run cross the plate. All and all, he pitched as well as he could with the injury he is suffering.

Turning it over to Doubront for the second night in a row, Felix was able to pitch another great night of relief, coming up big for the Sox. After coming into a jam, Farrell decided to go with Craig Breslow hoping he would be the shutdown pitcher that he has been all year. Unfortunately, Breslow continued to struggle as he has during the World Series and was unable to get a batter out.

The story of the offensive side was the production Johnny Gomes. Hit-less in the World Series, he smacked a three-run blast into the left field bullpen. It is truly remarkable how these Sox hitters are able to get out of their slumps at the most opportune time and are able to step up for their team.

That home run was able to put the team up 4-1 and really silenced the questions of whether the team would bounce back after Game 3.  A guy who also needs to be recognized is none other than David Ortiz. The ball is coming in like a beach ball for him as he has a .727 average in the World Series. His bat is not the only thing making an impact with the team. His leadership in the dugout is something that has really brought the guys together and has kept them focused. If David can keep this up, the Red Sox will be put in a great position to win it all.

Game 5 is right now, and none other and Big Papi has driven in the first run of the game. Lester put the Cards down in order and the top of the second is about to start.

Rule 7.06

“If a play is being made on the obstructed runner, or if the batter-runner is obstructed before he touches first base, the ball is dead and all runners shall advance, without liability to be put out, to the bases they would have reached, in the umpire’s judgement, if there had been no obstruction. The obstructed runner shall be awarded at least one base beyond the base he had last legally touched before the obstruction. Any preceding runners, forced to advance by the award of bases as the penalty for obstruction, shall advance without liability to be put out.”

Rule 7.06 links to the obstruction call that was made in the bottom of the ninth last night in Game 3.

Before the obstruction call, there was a poor throw by Salty that led to the obstruction. That was the deciding factor of the game. The umps did not make the wrong call, Salty made the wrong throw. Back to back games, the Sox have made poor decisions throwing to third that have cost them runs, and the game. This is the World Series, you have to keep your poise and you have to play the game you have been playing all year.

The Sox are getting away from the consistent baseball they have been playing all year and if they don;t get back on course soon, this series will be over.

The Red Sox played down for most of the game as Jake Peavy was a little off his game in the first inning as he let up 2 runs on 4 hits. The Sox were able to come back to tie it by tacking on runs in the 5th and 6th inning until the Cards put up 2 runs in the 7th. The game was going back and forth when the Sox were able to tie it up at 4 in the 8th.

The Sox went down in the ninth and in the bottom half of the inning the throw by Salty and the call by the umps decided the game.

 

Tough one to swallow, but its in the past and the Red Sox need to focus on tonight’s task. Clay gets the ball in a crucial spot as I dub this one a must-win.

First pitch for Game 4 is 8:07pm EST. Clay Buchholz takes the mound against Lance Lynn.

Red Sox Drop Game 2

I could re-post yesterday’s breakdown of Game 1 and change around some words and swap team names and it would essentially be the same post. The team who makes the least errors will win the game. That is the name of the game, especially come playoff time. Last night the St. Louis Cardinals made the least mistakes and came out on top.

For the most of the game John Lackey and Michael Wacha were trading punches. The seasoned veteran versus the young gun. Lackey looked like the Lackey of 2002. It was Game 3 of the ALCS all over again. Wacha was pitching as he pitched all postseason; lights out.

With a big mistake to Matt Holiday, the Cardinals were able to get a lead off triple and convert a few batters later to go up 1-0 in the top of the fourth. The way the two starters were pitching, many thought that only one run would do the job.

David Ortiz had other plans. Fast forward to the sixth inning, Big Papi took Wacha deep for a 2 run shot to go up 2-1 on the young gun. This was the nail in the coffin. With the two aces throwing their best stuff, there was no way that anyone was going to score anymore runs. The Red Sox bullpen would take the ball from Lackey, and they would close it out just like they have done all postseason.

The team who makes the least mistakes, wins the game. In the seventh, the Red Sox made the most mistakes and they came in the seventh which lead to a 3 run inning. 

That’s all Wacha and the Cardinals needed. The Cards were able to close out the game 4-2 to knot up the series at one apiece.

This is the World Series. You cannot make mistakes. When you have John Lackey pitching like its 2002, you need to reward him and give him the win. A huge momentum shift occurred last night and now instead of going to St. Louis up two games, it is now tied.

It will be interesting to see how losing the DH slot in the lineup affects the Red Sox and their ability to string hits together to get runs across the plate. Farrell has said that Ortiz will take over first base duties now that the DH slot will not be in the lineup for the next three games. Interesting move seeing as David has not played much first base this year, but it’s David Ortiz and you need him and his postseason bat in the lineup.

Jake Peavy faces the biggest start of his career, as he looks to go up 2-1 on the Cardinals. He needs to bring what Lester and Lackey brought in games one and two.

First pitch of Game 3 is Saturday 8:07pm EST. Jake Peavy takes the mound against Joe Kelly.

Sox Capitalize on Miscues and Errors

If you didn’t know any better, you would have thought the Cardinals were unaware that Game 1 of the World Series was last night. Miscues and errors led to extended innings, which turned into runs for the Red Sox. This is the World Series, you cannot make mistakes. Usually, the team who makes the least mistakes will win. The team who capitalizes on mistakes will win.

Last night, the Red Sox capitalized on errors and miscues and won a lopsided Game 1 to go up in the series 1 game to 0. In the first inning, Kozma was unable to handle a double play exchange that extended the inning to have the bases loaded for Mike Napoli. Napoli, capitalized on his mistake and cleared the bases with a double to put the Sox up 3-0.

Two of those runs would have been enough on this night because Lester was ON. Jon Lester brought his stuff and showed everyone why he was the Game 1 starter. Pitching 7 2/3 innings with 8 Ks, he let up no runs and cruised through the Cardinals lineup. Only facing a few tight situations, Lester was cool, calm and collected as he got the Game 1 win.

To add some salt to the wound, David Ortiz hit a 2 run home-run in the 7th inning, to get redemption after being robbed of a Grand Slam earlier by Carlos Beltran.

The Sox showed poise in Game 1 and many could not have predicted the outcome of Game 1. Don’t let the first game suddenly count out this Cardinals team. This team made it to the Fall Classic for a reason and expect them to bounce back with Wacha tonight.

First pitch is at 8:07PM EST.  Lackey takes the mound against Wacha.

We Will See You in the Fall Classic

After finishing last in the AL East last year, the Red Sox have put the pieces together and have made it back to the Fall Classic, the first time since 2007.

While watching the game last night, the Sox had a 1-0 lead but I was not satisfied with it. Sure enough, the next inning was riddled with walks and a wall ball of the Green Monster, that gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead. Frustrated with Farrell’s call on bringing in Morales, I thought that the run was going to be impossible to get back. I thought we were going to Game 7 and we were gonna see Verlander on the mound, but you can never count this team out.

Gomes was able to launch one off the Monster, inches short of a home run, the young gun X-Man(nickname pending) drew a pivotal walk, and one costly error from Iglesias had the bases loaded. Next up was the Flying Hawaiian.  Shane was the definition of struggling. Striking out, grounding out, just flat out not hitting. Going down 0-2 in the count, the next pitch was a breaking ball left over the middle of the plate and he made Veras pay. The Flying Hawaiian launched the ball over the Green Monster and cleared the bases for the Grand Slam.

The moment that ball cleared the wall, I knew the Sox were gonna finish the game on top. Uehara came in to pitch in the ninth and 3 outs later, the Sox were American League Champions.

From worst to first, the Red Sox are going to have the 2004 World Series rematch with St. Louis.

This team is something special, they always find a way to win and come out on top. Wednesday marks Game 1 in Fenway.

We will see you then.

Red Sox vs Tigers Recap

460 feet. That was the length of Mike Napoli’s home run that launched the Sox to a 1-0 lead on the pitcher that struck them out twelve times and took a no-hitter into the 6th inning before getting taken out.  David Ortiz said he’s never seen a ball hit harder. It did get out in a hurry. This early first run was able to get Sanchez off his game, and the Sox were able to rattle 2 more runs off him in the same inning. 

Boston was able to jump out to a 4-0 lead at the end of the third inning and with Lester on the mound, it seemed to be smooth sailing. It became a little uneasy in fifth and sixth but Lester was able to get through 5.1 innings with only 2 earned runs. 

Turning it over to the bullpen, the Sox were once again able to rely on the their relievers as they continued where Lester left off. Besides Tazawa’s minor uncharacteristic hiccup, the bullpen was able to secure the 4-3 win with a 5 out save from Uehara. Securing the win means the Red Sox are now one win away from the World Series. 

Heading back to Boston, they now have two chances to get one win to go the big stage. This is not as easy as it sounds. The Red Sox are going to have to face Max Scherzer on Saturday night and if necessary they are going to have to bat against Justin Verlander. Arguably the best tandem pitching combination poses a huge threat to the Sox bats and their chances at making the World Series. 

The Red Sox just need to continue to execute their game plan, which is work the count and wear down the starters to get to the faulty Detroit bullpen.

A side note for last nights game and going forward is Xander Bogaerts. At 21 years old he became the youngest player since Babe Ruth to start a playoff game for the Red Sox. He provided a spark in the lineup that was able to show the world that he is something special.

Pending the NLCS outcome the Red Sox will play tomorrow at either 4:30pm or 8:30pm

Probable Starters: Max Scherzer vs Clay Buchholz  

You Never Leave a Sporting Event Until the Game is Over

If you weren’t sitting on your couch from 4 until midnight yesterday, you missed an assortment of magical moments in the Boston sports world. Lets recap.

4:25pm EST
The Patriots kicked off the against the undefeated Saints. Leading for most of the game, the Patriots hit a bit of a lull as their lead disappeared right before the fans eyes and had most of them heading for the exits at Foxboro. The Patriots were able to get more than enough chances to go and win the game as they had 3 drives in the remaining 3 minutes of the game. The first two were dismal but the last drive was classic Tom. Cool, calm, and collected, Tom marched his offense down the field with key catches by recently acquired Austin Collie, and was able to get within the 20 yard line, with 10 seconds remaining. Tom Terrific lofted a ball over the defender with 5 seconds to go and undrafted rookie Kenbrell Thompkins jumped up and caught it to put the Pats up and 3 and to seal the game. This was a game that went under the category of “Why you never leave a sporting event early.” Needless to say, all of New England was going bonkers and one radio announcer captured it perfectly…..and a little nutty too

https://soundcloud.com/airchecked/tom-brady-to-kenbrell

Fired up from the Patriots win in Foxboro, Boston sport fans did not even need to change the channel to watch some playoff baseball.

8pm EST
Game 2 of the ALCS began in Boston, as Clay Buchholz had the challenge of helping the Sox bounce back after a tough Game 1 loss as he faced Max Scherzer on the mound. Scherzer who will more than likely win the AL Cy Young Award, came in dealing as the Boston bats were still at a stand still. After not getting a hit until the 9th inning, the Red Sox continued to struggle as they were unable to get a hit until the 6th inning. Scherzer was dealing and ended up striking out 13 as the Tigers roughed up Buchholz and jumped out to a 5-1 lead. With the Detroit pitching and the lack of offense for the Sox, it looked like Boston was heading to Detroit down 0-2. Fast forward to the 8th inning, the Sox were able to load the bases for none other than David Ortiz. With one swing of the bat, Papi sent Fenway into a frenzy as he tied the game with a Grand Slam. Going into the 9th inning, the tables were turned and with some miscues by the Tigers, Gomes was able to reach third and Saltalamacchia was able to drive him in with walk off fashion.

http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=31137879&topic_id=60133816

Two reasons why the whole sporting world was a little jealous of Boston sport fans last night. The best kind of wins are comeback wins and two bone chilling finishes have all of New England smiling from ear to ear. If you weren’t watching both games yesterday, I feel bad for you. The picture below with the Boston Police Officer is the only way to describe Sunday’s events.