Attack of the Sox Vol.1 Issue 4

I love how no matter how hard I get each blog entry to look exactly as perfect as I can get it in its preview state that in the long run it doesn't mean anything. In my last post all those stats were lined up in a beautiful little OCD world and then WAM! I hit the publish button and everything is incredibly hard to read. Screw you blogger.

All right as promised my Teixeira blog. First things first the man is a Scott Boras client. Does Mark Teixeira deserve more money then A-Rod? No. More money than the man he would essentially be replacing, Manny Ramirez? Yes. I am fully supporting anywhere between 22 and 26.5 mil a season for a player of his caliber entering his prime years.

The question of years is another matter though. I heard rumor that Boras was asking the angels for a ten year contract which is just insane. Does Scott Boras remember what happened to his client A-Rod who opted out of his long contract with the Yankees last year (then re signed without Boras help essentially screwing him of his cut). Does Boras remember the last time a Red Sox had a long term contract? It was only a few months ago when Manny Ramirez was faking his way out of his long term contract 2 1/2 years early. Within one year two of the biggest & longest contracts on the books found ways through loop holes to end early.

Ten Years is insane, but Mark Teixeira will be just 29 when the new season gets rolling and is definitely the type worthy of a longer then usual contract. I would justify somewhere up to 6 years for him. I would be OK with a 7th year, but anything more then that and I would get a little sick to my stomach. 

So why do we need him? A lot of people think are offense was fine with Jason Bay replacing Manny. Don't get me wrong at all I love Jason Bay and hopes he re-ups with the team, but Jason does not make up for the offense we lost when Manny left. Its hard to gauge Manny's worth after last year. He was a very good player for us and then turned into and absolute beast in the national league. I don't know which Manny his new team will get or if it will be a whole new Manny yet again.

Either way we could not get past the Tampa Bay Rays this year and I totally believe we need a kick to our offense. Youkilis will still be good, but will he be as great as he was in '08? Same question is thrown out to Dustin Pedroia. What if David Ortiz doesn't bounce back? Can Mike Lowell recover from major hip surgery? Those are way too many questions to put our hopes around for another title. Mark Teixeira is simply the best and most obvious choice to fill our holes this year and to build around in the future.

Below (hopefully more organized then the last post) is a comparison of stats for Manny in '04 (Probably his last great healthy season as a Red Sox), Teixeira in '08, Jason Bay in '08 and Mike Lowell in '06 (Probably his most true to form season for us).

                   G      R       H    HR  RBI   AVG.  OBP.   Win Share

Bay          155   111   165   31   101    .286     .373      25.6

Manny    152   108  178   43   130   .308     .397      24.1

Teixeira  157   102  177   33   121    .308      .410     27.8

Lowell     153   79     163  20   80     .284      .339     11.5

Yes, Jason Bay is only a few steps behind Manny, but Teixeira is right there and leagues above Mike Lowell. I do like Mike Lowell, but I honestly don't want to bet the farm on him for his final year in the contract. Mike Timlin didn't know when to throw in the towel and look what happened to him in '08. I don't want to see Mike Lowell coming back if he can't really do it and bring the team down more then help.

One of the things I always loved about Lowell was his great defense, but you saw at the end of the season how his injury was increased by his fielding. I can only think that his range will be hurt dramatically after an injury like the one he had. Yes, I know Youkilis won a gold glove at first, but he is equally good at third base and Teixeira has won 2 gold gloves.

A comparison of career fielding Stats for Teixeira and Youkilis (at 1b & 3b) and 2008 Al 3b gold glove winner Adrian Beltre. RF9 stands for range factor which is a handy stat some brainiacs have come up with. The lg in front of 2 of these stats means league average if given the same opportunities. For more crazy stats check out the Hardball Times.

                    G      E   F.PCT   lgFP   RF9   LgRF9

Teixeira    853   31   .996      .994   9.84     7.97     

Youk 1B    396   9     .997      .994   9.24     8.70

Youk 3B    154   14   .962      .955   2.94     2.69

Beltre        1553   191   .956   .956   2.82   2.71

As you can see Teixeira and Youk are on par at first although Mark might have a leg up on range. Youkilis numbers are just as good at the harder position of third. Teixeira would be worth nearly every penny. An upgrade in offense and defense. We have money to spend this year and I cannot think of another position that we can improve with free agent cash then 1b/3b. Next week I will weigh in on the catching conundrum and our many options for next year's rotation.

 

Why Don't I live Somewhere That Plays Movies

Attack of the Sox Vol. 1 Issue 3

Oh welcome to my winter wonderland! I might be the only baseball fan who finds the off season just as exciting as the regular season. I love the battle for free agents and the creativity (or lack of) in trades. I find it exciting to watch my team rebuild and retool for the future. I find it comical to see the Mets waste millions of dollars every year. I find it a great mystery to sit around and see what crazy shit Billy Beane will pull off next and who will be first to jump on his band wagon as his team again goes nowhere farther then the 1st round. I wait and wait on the edge of my seat to see which owner finally takes out a professional hit on Scott Boras. Oh its better then a Michael Bay movie.

This off season for the sox started before I could even get my first off season blog off. Last week the sox traded Coco Crisp to the Kansas City Royals for Ramon Ramirez. A hard throwing middle relief pitcher who could possibly become our new set up man. Good ol Pessimistic Keith Law is back at it hinting that both teams will be disappointed.

Coco Crisp did a very good job for us in a more limited role this year. He kept his mouth shut and did his job. He deserved this trade. He earned it. There is no reason to keep a player as good as him on the bench as a fourth outfielder. The Red Sox can get another fourth outfielder easily, but what they cannot seem to get is a stable top line bullpen.

So first thing's first. Is Jacoby Ellsbury better then Coco Crisp? Jacoby has only played one full year for the Red Sox so its hard to really tell, but lets compare his '08 season to Coco's best season for the sox ('07 in my opinion).

                  G         R        H      RBI      SB      SB%       OBP   WS (HIT) Fielding  WS (FLD)
Jacoby    145      98      155      47       50      82%       .336         9             1.000           6.5
Coco        145       85      141      60       28      82%       .330       7.5              .998           8.5
Rocco     136      79      145      74        17      81%       .326     10.4              .978           4.9



You will notice a line for Rocco Baldelli up there. It is from his last fully healthy year back in 2004. Keep in mind the Rays were 70-91 that year.I bring him into the equation because he is a free agent who was in town last week to talk to Boston about that 4Th outfielder spot. In my opinion if his mitochondrial disorder is all better (and doesn't go all Parasite Eve on him) then he is worth the risk. Moving Coco so he can get a full time gig and picking up Baldelli would be a great set of moves to start the off season.

Now as far Ramon Ramirez goes I don't see how this hurts us at all either. A lot of people are saying he will come in and be the new set up man because of how Okajima apparently let everyone down last year. I don't know what Okie I was watching, but I never felt let down. Was he not as good as his debut year when no one knew who the hell he was? Yes. Was he bad? Not by a long shot.

Ramirez would be a good middle relief man as well. They say getting Ramon could allow for Justin Masterson to get put back in the rotation (where I think he belongs), but they just lost Mike Timlin to retirement so they had a hole to fill anyway (granted Timlin's hole could be filled by a baked potato). So getting Ramirez not only makes the bullpen better, but does something to it that I have not seen in awhile: He makes it flexible.



                          G      ERA  WHIP   HR     K     INN    Win Shares
Masterson    36    3.16    1.22    10    68    88.3        8
Ramirez        71     2.64   1.23      2     70    71.7       8.9
Okie                64     2.61   1.16      6      60     62          8
Timlin            47    5.66   1.62      9      32     49.3      1.4



Keep in mind that 9 of those games for Masteron were starts. Now that I look at those numbers on screen it blows my mind even more that people were upset by Okie's performance this year. 2.61 is a damn good ERA for a reliever. Well anyway that's it for now. Next time I have a chance to write it will be about why the Red Sox should be going hard after Mark Teixeira and why the naysayers to that plan should shut their mouths.

Then Again This Might Have My Vote

DK has my vote so far

From Here

Its What I Was Thinking

from here

Great Googely

A continuing series of articles in which i wet myself over everything that is Google.

About one month ago my phone broke. I had it for just over a year (like days over) and I was suddenly left with the problem of having to buy a new phone that I really didn't have the money for all because the damn select button on my cell phone stopped working. That button, I would come to realize, controls everything. I could no longer text, check my call log, access my phone book or even make a phone call. Since it was just a year over my contract their was nothing to be done except buy a new phone. What phone will I get? What could I afford? What the hell I am I gonna do?! All those thoughts screamed through my head and then finally the clouds cleared and I saw this:

That's right once again Google has come out to save my ass. Last year I switched over to T-Mobile from Sprint and now I am glad I did. The problem with paying for it was eliminated. T-mobile allowed me to pre-purchase it for $0. They just add the cost of the phone to my bill and that wont even be added until the phone is actually shipped. That would be around November before I need to cough up the $300 dollars for it. That's easy. 

Why does this phone excite me so much? Well its not quite as pretty as an iphone, but in my mind the rest of its features out does the iphone. How? Its the iphone without rules. The G1 is using the new android operating system developed by the open handset alliance. This alliance of technology and mobile companies (including Google) was set to make software that can work without boundaries. You wont need one phone company (like AT&T) to use certain features. They will be available to any phone running the android operating system. Big whoop I am sure your saying, but you have to use your imagination. For instance what if someone built a program that you could download that would allow you to use the phone's camera to read a bar code and automatically find better prices online or for stores your already near? That's impressive technology and its real:

That's amazing and its just the start. The future will be amazing and Google is their on the forefront helping to free technology for everyone and for making technology better and better. I will see you in one month with another report on this phone when its in my hand and my pants have dried.

P.S. Happy Birthday Mom.