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Archive for category Boston Red Sox

Skipping Vazquez a Panic Move

May 3

Posted by Jerry Milani in Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, News | No Comments

Amidst the Yankees’ terrific start — wins of all but one series and a 16-8 mark with 15 road games (including six against Boston and Tampa Bay) and one West Coast swing in the books — comes the first panic move of the year.  Javier Vazquez, it was announced today, will be held back three days, pitching at Detroit next Monday instead of in Boston this Friday.  With an off day this Thursday following a three-game home series with Baltimore, the move keeps Phil Hughes, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett on regular four-day rest for the games at Fenway.

I still hate the move.

Vazquez is a 13-year veteran, having thrown 200 or more innings in the past 10, except for 2004, when he threw 198.  He’s coming off his best year (15-10, 2.87 ERA, 238 K, 181 H in 219.1 IP).  He’s had five starts, all of them mediocre or worse, and has incurred the wrath of fans and talking heads who remember that 2004 season in Pinstripes, which was among his worst as a pro.

Vazquez is even getting the label as someone who can’t “handle the pressure” in New York, and some feel that pitching in the cauldron of Fenway Park on Friday would do more harm than good.

Not that Detroit on Monday will be a picnic; the Tigers are fourth in the league in runs scored (averaging about a run per game more than the Sox).  But Yanks-Red Sox is a different animal, and along with Yankees-Mets is the closest thing to a playoff atmosphere there is.

Which is exactly why I think Vazquez should pitch Friday.

The Yankees’ starting staff is shaping up to be as good as anyone’s in baseball, top to bottom, if Vazquez can veer back towards his 2009 numbers.  But he’s going to have to pitch in big games somewhere along the line; he’s one of the team’s five starters, he should go in regular rotation, particularly after just five appearances.  A great outing on Friday at Fenway would do more for his confidence — and that of the team and fans in him — than the same in Detroit.

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Wondering about the West Vest

Apr 5

Posted by Jerry Milani in Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Sports on TV | 1 Comment

Major League umpires took quite a hit last year, with missed calls getting even more attention than normal, it seemed.

And in last night’s Yankees-Sox game, there was Angel Hernandez blowing the first close call of the season, ruling Mike Cameron out on a bang-bang return to first on a Marco Scutaro liner.

At least he waited until the second inning.

But my umpire-related commentary toda is not about that play or the home plate work by Joe West, which I found to be quite good last night, even for Joe West.  I wonder though, what arrangement must have been in place for him to clearly display “West Vest” on his inside chest protector.

The West Vest is an apparatus developed by the 33-year MLB ump that offers umps better protection, and according to the company Website is used by more than 90% of the big league umpires and is the only chest protector endorsed by MLB.  And with all the injuries suffered by arbiters in recent years, anything that helps protect them is great by me.

But if a player were to invent a piece of equipment, would he be able to have its name displayed so prominently in a national televised game?  The “Pedroia Destroia” shoes with 5-inch lifts?  The “Ramirez Radar” for tracking fly balls?

I’ll be interested to see if the name is as visible on the other umps in today’s games, and if that exposure is part of MLB’s endorsement.

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For Starters, Yanks-Sox a Hit

Apr 4

Posted by Jerry Milani in Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Sports on TV | No Comments

Jack Chesbro

“You always get a special kick on opening day, no matter how many you go through. You look forward to it like a birthday party when you’re a kid. You think something wonderful is going to happen.” - Joe DiMaggio

For most of the 30+ years that I have been a baseball fan, I’ve looked forward to Yankees Opening Day almost from the last game of the previous season.  Because the Red Sox have been the Yankees’ Opening Day opponent only four times in the past 36 years, it seems like the matchup is a rare one.  The Yanks have opened on the West Coast, in Tokyo, and against Central and Western Division teams, but only in 1985, 1992 and 2005, and now tonight, have the Yanks and Sox gone at it in game one, since 1973.

But the teams have actually met 29 times in the opener, with New York holding an 18-10-1 advantage.  Just about every other year from 1917 through the 1930s, the rivals squared off for the first game, though not with the same anticipation as the 2005 game presented.  That, of course, was the first meeting between the teams after Boston’s first World Championship in 86 years (when they also opened the following season against the Yanks), and of course the Red Sox’ historic comeback from 0-3 in the ALCS.  That day, Randy Johnson beat David Wells as the Yanks won, 9-2.

The first time the two franchises met in the season opener was 1904, when the Highlanders’ Jack Chesbro won the first of his A.L.-record 41 games, beating none other than Cy Young, at the old Huntington Avenue Grounds, the team then known as the “Americans” coming off the first World Series title in 1903.  The Yankees won 14 of the 16 Opening Day matchups with Boston from 1923-1960, when expansion and increased air travel made it less likely that the teams would meet in the opener.  Indeed, they have played just seven times since then, the Sox winning five.

Some have argued that the Cincinnati Reds should host he first game of the year, as they did for more than 100 years because of their status as the first recognized major league team.  I think this former tradition, while nice, is easily usurped by a showcase of one of the two or three biggest rivalries in the game in prime time on ESPN on Sunday night.

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Baseball Bracketing

Mar 21

Posted by Jerry Milani in Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, History, New York Yankees | No Comments

It seems this time of year there’s a “bracket” for everything, modeled after the NCAA basketball tournament.  Some work well (SI.com’s “Best in Swimsuit”), some not as well (The Big Lead’s “Culture Bracket”).

Two baseball “bracket” setups are coming this week, as Was Watching is preparing a “Greatest/Favorite” Yankees tournament.  I hope that site proprietor Steve Lombardi decides on one of the two, because they are quite different questions.  I look forward to participating.

The other is on Baseball Daily Digest, which is teaming with Strat-O-Matic for a comprehensive, bracket-type elimination tournament with the 64 best teams of all time.  I’d be interested to see if they seed by record, or a subjective perceived greatness, or weighing teams against their own competition, rather than against teams all time.  I don’t know if those generally accepted superteams like the ‘27, ‘61 and ‘98 Yankees, ‘75 Reds, ‘84 Tigers and late-80s A’s teams translate to Strat.  And will the deadball era Cubs, Pirates and Red Sox be included?  “Selection Show” coming soon.

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Stylin’ in New Tommy Bahama MLB Team Shirts

Mar 8

Posted by Jerry Milani in Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Logos, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies | 5 Comments

It might be time for me to update my Yankees wardrobe — for games I usually go with the old-time 1903-era New York Highlanders cap and a home or away jersey over a Yanks or plain tee, at least during the warmer months.  While I don’t usually stray from the traditional (no multi-colored caps or inane “Got Rings?” t-shirts), these new offerings from Tommy Bahama combine the classic Yankees design with an updated look.

According to the Tommy Bahama news item, they will only be offering eight teams — the Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Mariners, Angels, Dodgers, Phillies and Cardinals. I’m not sure how the M’s got in there over, say, the Mets, though I suspect the Ichiro effect on the Asian market might have something to do with it.

In any case, the company says that the Yankees and Red Sox shirts will be rolled out first, in time for their season opener on April 4.

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Over/Under a Fun Preseason Game

Feb 16

Posted by Jerry Milani in Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals | No Comments

I’m not much of a gambler, as my results in various pools would attest, and baseball is an especially difficult sport to handicap on a day-to-day basis.  But I do think it’s interesting to look at the pre-season over/unders for teams, even more so than the straight odds on winning the pennant.

Just like other gambling lines, the numbers don’t necessarily represent the win total that the oddsmaker thinks each team will hit, but what number can entice action on both sides.

I checked out SportsInteraction.com, which listed their preseason odds here.

Not surprisingly, the Yankees, at 96.5, and Red Sox, at 94.5, are the two highest listed.

I found it interesting that the next team is the Cubs, at 91.5, the only other team listed over 90.  The Phillies and Mets are both at 89.5, which seems to be completely against what their respective off-season moves would indicate.  Philadelphia won 93 games in 2009, added Roy Halladay and Placido Polanco, kept the rest of the lineup intact and still have the best offensive team in the National League.   The Mets won 70 games, and added Jason Bay and… well… Henry Blanco. I just can’t see the Phils and Mets battling it out for the NL East crown.

Here are a few over/unders that stand out for me, and my thoughts:

Orioles OVER 70.5 – I think this could be the surprise team in the A.L.  They won’t have enough to challenge the top three in the division, and it won’t help that they have to play 60 games against the Sox, Yanks and Rays, but 71 wins is very doable.

Reds UNDER 79.5 – The Reds have gotten a lot of notice among baseball circles for some strong off-season moves, and they’d only need to improve by 2 games from last year to hit this number, but their top-to-bottom pitching and inexperienced outfield make me think around .500 might be ambitious.

Royals UNDER 74.5 – That’s a low number to come under, and even with Zack Greinke going every fifth day and probably winning 15 to 17, the Royals would still need 60 or so wins in the other 130 games.  But Jason Kendall is the starting catcher, Yunieski Betancourt is the shortstop, and Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies and Brian Bannister are pitching three of the other four games.  Or Kyle Farnsworth, who may be tried out as a starter.  No, thanks.

Dodgers OVER 84.5 – I feel like they’re really teasing me here.  After all, the Dodgers won 95 games last year, and it’s basically the same team, with a couple of exceptions, albeit in what I think will be a stronger division across the board.  Still, I don’t see this team being 11 games worse than last year, with Kershaw, Billingsley, Kuroda and Padilla going four of every five games.

Mets UNDER 89.5 – This could be a trap. But I don’t think it is.

Phillies OVER 89.5 – Ditto.

Pirates OVER 68.5 – Maybe I just want this once proud franchise to break through, and there isn’t a whole lot to be optomistic about, except some good young talent and a so-so division that could maybe just lead to about 70 wins.  If God drops everything.

Nationals OVER 65.5 – The division is going to be tougher, but there’s some hope, and 66 wins is still a pretty low bar, so I’ll take the over, especially if Stephen Strasburg gets some innings beginning mid-year and Ryan Zimmerman gets some help from young guys like Nyjer Morgan and Elijah Dukes.

As for the Yankees, 97 is a lot of wins, with Boston and Tampa fielding strong teams and the Orioles improved.  But they won 103 last year, pretty much coasting to the finish, so I think the number is set at an interesting spot.  I’d reluctantly take the over, even not knowing how the outfield situation will settle, especially since the rotation is so strong.

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Luis, Luis

Dec 29

Posted by Jerry Milani in Boston Red Sox, History, Movies, New York Yankees | No Comments

I really only got to see Luis Tiant pitch near the end of his career… a little bit when he was with Boston in the late 70’s and his two semi-serviceable years with the Yankees in ‘79 and ‘80.  I knew a little about his story, that he was born in Cuba and had been one of the top pitchers before reviving his career with the Sox (after being traded or released by three teams, I later learned).  And I vaguely remember the hot dog commercial he made when he came to New York, in which he declared “It’s good to be with a winner” in his exaggerated Spanish accent.  He seemed like a fun, cheery guy off the mound and a determined pitcher on it.

But I didn’t know much else until watching Lost Son of Havana, the excellent documentary which made the film festival circuit this year and was featured across some of the ESPN networks, including Deportes.  It’s well worth a look, available on Netflix, or you can get it online here.

If you are so inclined, check out my interview with the film’s director and writer, Jonathan Hock, on BaseballDigest.com.

What I like so much about the film is how much it humanizes Tiant.  We think of players as spots on a roster or numbers on a page or athletes performing on the field.  The movie captures the sense of loss that Tiant felt not being able to see his parents for more than a decade while he made a run at the Majors in the 60’s and early 70’s, then the near-diplomatic miracle it took to get them to the U.S. to see him pitch in Boston in 1975.

The hook is his return to Havana more than 40 years after he left, to see his remaining family.  It’s compelling stuff, a must-see for Sox fans and pretty much all fans of the human race.

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