Ballgame’s Points

Two questions emerged from the Yankees’ 13-6 pasting of the Red Sox Thursday: 1) Is John Smoltz finished? 2) With the Sox fading fast and the Rays making a push, is it time for some good old-fashioned panic to engulf Boston? In Smoltz’s case, enough of an answer came Friday, when the Red Sox designated him for assignment, [Read More...]

Has anyone else noticed how machine-like the Red Sox have become? To this team, obstacles don’t register and negative storylines carry minimal weight.  Losses — when they come — seemingly dissipate into thin air while victories are greeted with little fanfare (like, for instance, any of the eight wins in eight tries they’ve piled up against [Read More...]

After lots of networking and prodding, I was given the opportunity to cover a Mets-Phillies game last week for MLB.com.  The story I ended up writing was on Ken Takahashi, the New York relief pitcher who served up the game-winning homer in extra innings to Raul Ibanez.  The link is below. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090612&content_id=5283844&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb Coincidentally, Takahashi was one of [Read More...]

Heady times in Boston once again. The Red Sox and Yankees are set to tango at Fenway in their inaugural ‘09 series beginning Friday. The Patriots will be on the clock Saturday, as the 2009 NFL Draft fires up. And once the Celtics take care of the Bulls, both the Green and Bruins will [Read More...]

The 2008 Red Sox were a deep and balanced team that fell just shy of the World Series.  If it weren’t for some big-time pitching from Matt Garza and David Price in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Rays, the Sox probably would have hung their third pennant in five years. Understanding how close they [Read More...]

Spring Training is in full swing for the Red Sox down in Fort Myers, but the vibe this year is different from past seasons. Since spring storylines have traditionally revolved around Manny Ramirez this decade, the lack of all things Manny has cast a calm over camp. If you recall, Spring Training 2008 was brief and full [Read More...]

Well it stomped and it growled after rising from the dead, made a valiant last stand on wounded hind legs … but in the end the mighty beast succumbed… Four score minus one year ago, the Philadelphia Athletics erased an eight-run deficit to best the Cubs in the fourth game of the 1929 World Series. [Read More...]

I received a text from a friend the night before the trade deadline when it looked like Manny Ramirez was headed to South Florida to join the Marlins. The text read: “Worried yet?” My response: “They won’t do it. Not with a dynasty on the line.” (One of the great sports debates is what constitutes [Read More...]

Someone needs to pass Manny the memo. You know, the one that tells him how not every long fly ball he hits is going out of the park, ending a game, and moving the Red Sox one step closer to a World Series. Ever since his walk-off home run in Game 2 of the ALDS, [Read More...]

Spring Training has barely gotten under way for the world champs in Fort Myers and there are already many questions coming to the forefront. Among them… Coco vs. Ellsbury? Jacoby Ellsbury will be patrolling the Fenway triangle for the next ten years. You can take that to the bank. If the Sox brass ultimately [Read More...]