Other Happenings in Sports

There’s no doubting that Pete Carroll built one of the greatest college football teams ever. From 1996-2001, the Trojans were 37-35. Pete Carroll took over in 2001, and since then USC has a record of 86-18. But there’s no way Carroll will experience success anywhere near that in Seattle. College football dominance is based on recruiting. Hence, Pete Carroll could recruit better than anyone. Unfortunately for him, coaches in the NFL don’t recruit. I think Seahawks owner Paul Allen recognized the pro-style offense Carroll ran in SoCal, and plans on him being able to run a similar offense in Seattle. He’ll do that, for sure. But Pete Carroll just won’t have the talent he did when he was at USC. If you gave me the choice between Matt Barkley or Matt Hasselbeck, I’d take Matt Barkley. Until the Seahawks bring in better players, they can look forward to some more 5- or 6-win seasons over the next couple of years. What’s more significant in this story is that Carroll’s replacement will be former Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Volunteers football coach Lane Kiffin. When news of Carroll’s departure first surfaced, everyone wondered how USC could ever survive. Here’s how. Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at USC from 2001-2006, and will now be the top dog in Southern Cal. Also making the switch from Tennesse to USC are Carroll’s father and defensive guru Monte Kiffin, as well as the recruiting director there, Ed Orgeron. I really don’t think USC is left with a net loss at the end of all this (as long as they’re not slapped with any NCAA violations.) The fact that Lane Kiffin coached in the NFL and in the SEC will probably be a significant draw for future recruits; the fact that Lane Kiffin loves the spotlight will probably mean he’ll enjoy Southern California; and the fact that USC started only eight seniors last year means that Kiffin will have a lot of talent to work with. In five years, USC will have won one national championship, and the Seahawks will have had one winning season.

Just real quick, Mark McGuire came clean about steroids. I don’t care. I don’t care when you took them, why you took them, or what effects you claim they had on you. You used steroids and gave yourself an unfair advantage that skewed your natural ability—how much of McGuire’s success was natural, and how much does he owe to PEDs? “Grading” a user’s press conference is bull shit. Giambi used, A-Rod used, Pettite used, and Manny used. All these players had different excuses and, in many cases, they’re all perceived by fans in different ways based on how they admitted to steroid use. And that is preposterous. Anyone who has ever taken steroids should be treated the same.

One More 2010 Red Sox Preview

I have a problem with what the Red Sox have done this offseason. I know what they’re trying to do, but I don’t agree with it. Theo has crafted one of the deepest rosters in the MLB, but he doesn’t have the star power that championship teams must have—especially at the plate. Look at the World Series teams last year and they’re dangerous bats. The Yankees had A-Rod, Teixeira, and Jeter who can all harm you at any point in the game. The Phillies had J-Roll, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, and Jayson Werth.

We have three proven outfielders in Ellsbury, Cameron, and Drew. With this threesome, you know what you’re going to get: overall, they’re above-average defensively: Ellsbury and Cameron are definite Gold Glove candidates (Cameron already has three in his career). But no one will blow you away at the plate. They’re all decent hitters: together have a career batting average of .277 and 16 HR per year, which is okay, but it won’t win any championships. In the infield, it’s the same story: tons of depth, above-average defense, with mediocre bats. Between Adrian Beltre/Mike Lowell, Marco Scutaro, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Victor Martinez there are ten .300 seasons, two 30 HR seasons, and seven seasons of .500 SLG%. In the Bronx, between A-Rod, Jeter, Cano, Teixeira, and Posada, there are twenty-seven .300 seasons, twenty 30-HR seasons, and twenty-six seasons of .500SLG %. The Yanks probably even have the edge defensively: going around the infield, Beltre>A-Rod, Jeter> Scutaro, Cano = Pedroia, Teixeira>Youkilis, Posada = Marinez. We might have a little more depth with Lowie, Lowell, and Varitek as backups, but ten out of ten people would rather have the Yankee lineup at the four infield positions.

The star power that a team needs to make a long playoff run simply does not exist on the Red Sox lineup. If there’s ever an injury, I’m more comfortable with the Red Sox bench players; if both teams stay healthy, though, there’s no question as to which team is better. I’ve already said that the Sox have the best starting rotation in the MLB, and that still stands. I believe Buchholz and Matsuzaka have the potential to be shut-down starters, and if they play up what they’re capable of, we could be looking at one of the best starting rotations in the history of baseball. Nevertheless, I don’t necessarily feel comfortable with the 2010 Red Sox roster as it stands today.

SOTD: Large Market Teams

There are 39 professional sports teams in NY/NJ, LA, BOS, CHI, DET, Pennsylvania, and Texas, across the four major sports of NHL, MLB, NBA, and NFL. There are a total of 122 professional sports teams in those four leagues. Since 1990, there has been a total of 76 championships, and one of those 39 teams have appeared in 60 of them (79%). In addition, they have a combined 78 appearances in the championships between them. The 39 teams lucky enough to be in such a large market account for 31.9% of all the professional teams in America. However, at the same time, they have more appearances in league championships than the other 83 teams do combined. WHat does this mean? The influx of money in professional sports, and the concentration of that money into major markets have left small market teams in the dust. Teams in Kansas City, Florida, New Orleans, or anywhere in the West outside of LA don't stand a chance anymore. Sure, they may have a run once in a while thanks to a bit of luck and a great star (Saints, Colts, Marlins, Lightning, Rays, and Rockies), but in the long run, they won't really make a dent in their respective sports. The Royals (Kansas City), Seahawks (Seattle), Grizzlies (Memphis), and Wild (Minnesota) will continue to be the punching bag of bigger and better teams, a game on the schedule they will always be able to mark down as a win before the season even starts.

The Minnesota Wild actually proves this best. Minnesota and the Northern part of America is hockey town: the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Wisconsin Badgers, and Michigan Wolverines are always contendors for the NCAA hockey championship. Why? Because kids grow up playing hockey there, and want to go to school close to home. Youth and high school hockey is HUGE up there, and the high school stars go play for the school they've rooted for throughout their childhood: usually the ones closest to their home. But as soon as money enters the picture, the story changes. If we were to follow the same pattern, the Minnesota college stars would want to play for the Minnesota Wild or the Winnipeg Jets: close to home. But how have these teams fared? Well, The Wild haven't been the Stanley Cup since their inception in 2000, and the Winnipeg Jets were forced to relocate to Phoenix. Big money teams like Detroit and Chicago can pay players more because they can sell more tickets, sell more merchandise, and attract more sponsers.

And until the leagues make some major revenue sharing moves or something else extraodinary, this will continue to be the case. Its been 12 years since we've had a World Series between two teams not from Chicago, Boston, Philly, or NYC. Its been six years for the NFL, three for the NHL; and if you throw in Texas, the NBA has NEVER had a finals between two small market teams.

Red Sox Offseason

SIGN
Mike Cameron -37 years old
-Never hit better than .275
-7 for 10 stealing in 2009 (fewest steals in 13 year career)
-Hit 20+ HR last 4 years
-Played 140+ games 10 of past 12 years, low injury risk
-2 Golden Gloves, 1 All-Star
-Against Yankees: .236 BA

Jeremy Hermida-26 years old
- Strong rookie season (.296 BA, .870 OPS)
-Benched in September for rookie Cameron Maybin
-.189 batting against lefties (.282 against righties) in ‘09
-1st round pick of 2002 draft
- 0 Gold Gloves, 0 All-Stars
-Against Yankees: 4-18, 5 SO

Marco Scutaro-34 years old
-Career year last year (.282 BA, .378 OBP, 1.2 BB: SO ratio)
-No power (50 HR in 840 game career, career .384 SLG)
-Solid fielder, can play virtually any position on the field
-6 year veteran (all in AL)
-0 Gold Gloves, 0 All-Star
-Against Yankees: .242 BA

LOSE
Jason Bay-32 years old
-100 RBI, 30HR 4 of 6 years in MLB
-Rookie of the Year in 2004
-3rd in HR, 2nd in RBI, Silver Slugger in 2009
-Accounted for 25% of runs scored by Red Sox in 2009
-Played 145+ in 5 of 6 years in MLB (162 in ’05)
-0 Gold Gloves, 3 All-Stars
- Against Yankees: .324 BA, .559 SLG

You do the math. Alex Gonzalez is gone, but Scutaro is a competent replacement. Let's face it, Gonzo may have been the fan favorite and we all wanted to see him stay, but Scutaro is just as good, and younger. We signed him for two years, with an option for the third year. Don't forget about Lowry either. If he stays healthy, he's a good person to have waiting in the wings. But then there's Jason Bay. Bay probably didn't add so much defense for the Red Sox in '09, but there's no way the outfield we have ligned up now (Ellsbury, Drew, Cameron/Hermida) will be able to replace what Bay meant for this offense--especially if Ortiz has another down year. Bay averages 33 HR and 107 RBI a year. Last year, no one else on the Sox had either 33 HR or 100 RBI.

The addition of John Lackey makes the Sox rotation more dangerous than any other in Major League baseball. We have three shut-down starters, there's no doubt about that. But our lineup really has virtually no power threats, and one or two solid bats: Youkilis, Pedroia, and maybe Papi. The Yankees have A-Rod, Jeter, Texeira, as well as Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano, as well as two Cy-Young candidates in Sabathia and Burnett. For the Sox lineup, Ellsbury will continue to pose a threat on the basepaths, but his .350 OBP won't cut it as a leadoff hitter. Lowell is question mark: he could have a great offensive year, but I doubt his ability to touch his toes anymore. He's the oldest 35 year-old I've ever seen, and is one-year removed from a major hip surgery. The fact that Boston brass tried to get rid of once this offseason (trade to Rangers was called off after his physical) tells you the Red Sox doubt his potential to for another .290 season., a BA only four Red Sox topped last season. Pedroia, Youkilis, and Martinez will have solid years, but don't be surprised if their numbers dip a little with the loss of Bay's protection in the lineup. Like it or not, J.D. will continue to be J.D. He'll bat around .265 with tons of walks and tons of strikeouts, but don't expect anything more.

The Yankees didn't make any big splashes this offseason, but they didn't need to. They won the World Series last year and have virtually the same roster. Yeah, they'll probably end up losing Damon, but he's past his prime anyway. Plus the Steinbrenners will probably end up signing Mark DeRosa or some other bat that can at least replace Damon. They made a couple minor moves, like sending Melky Cabrera to the Braves for pitcher Javier Vasquez, which will probably put Joba back in the 'pen with some scrub named Mariano Rivera.

MLB Draft News

All 2009 MLB draftees have until August 17th to sign with their team. So far, the Red Sox have successfully signed first round pick outfielder, Reymond Fuentes out of his Puerto Rico high school, as well as their second rounder, pitcher Alex Wilson out of Texas A&M. Looking back at the draft results, the emphasis was undoubtedly on pitching and athleticism: out of the first 25 picks, 15 were pitchers and five were outfielders. I think that Red Sox front office look at natural ability in players they hope to draft, and anticipate them coming into their own as they mature both physically and mentally. Third round draft pick out of South Panola High School (Mississippi), David Renfroe is our highest pick that has yet to sign.

Elsewhere in the Majors, the Washington Nationals continue to struggle with their first round and #1 overall draft pick, flamethrower Stephen Strasburg. Despite offering him a record-breaking contract, this Boras-represented stud is still unsigned, just days away from the deadline by which all negotiations must be completed. If he does not reach a deal with the Nationals, he could find a team to play for in Japan, or finish his senior year at San Diego State and reenter the draft next year.

Thayer's Kyle McKenzie has not yet signed with the NY Yankees, although he has been in contact with the organization and has worked out for Yankee scouts at their stadium in the Bronx.

Stat of the Day: Scoring Efficiency

In last Sunday’s classic against the Yankees, the game went to New York, who won by three runs. However, the Red Sox managed to get nine hits throughout the game, to the Yankees ten. How did the Yankees manage to win by such a margin, despite getting practically the same number of hits as the BoSox? The Yankees are one of the best teams in the MLB at manufacturing runs. It’s becoming a lost art, but scoring runs efficiently is an extremely important piece to a winning ballclub. You can’t rely on all your hitters to create runs purely by hits; walks, stolen bases, bunts, an extra base hits can create runs without basing too much offense on the base hit. The MLB average of runs per hit is .509. Teams that are above the average are able to manufacture runs through things like the extra-base hit, stolen bases, timely hits, sac flies, etc. Teams that are below the average may have decent, even above-average hitters, but for whatever reason are not able to drive them in.

Top three teams, scoring efficiency
1. Phillies (top five OBP, SLG, HR, SB% in MLB)
2. Rays (most stolen bases in MLB)
3. Rockies (most sacrifice flies in MLB)

Bottom three teams, scoring efficiency
28. Giants (lowest OBP in MLB)
29. Astros (ground into most double plays in MLB)
30. Mariners (bottom five in XBH, BB, OBP in MLB)

Fighting Out of the Red Corner...

In Tuesday’s matchup against the Detroit Tigers, Kevin Youkilis was hit by a pitch in the second inning, and proceeded to charge the mound. There’s debate as to whether the ensuing brawl energized the Boston clubhouse or was just selfish behavior on the part of Youkilis. If it did indeed energize the Red Sox, they did not pay close attention to the fight. If anything, it should have humiliated the club to the point where they are ashamed to stay in the batter’s box. Youkilis is a 220 lb. beast—monster go-tee, shaved head, and the body of a Viking warrior. The head-hunting pitcher, Rick Porcello, on the other hand is a 200 lb. scarecrow—a 20 year-old rookie with the body of a fashion designer. Now let’s think about this. If these two squared off in the octagon, Youkilis would compete as a Heavyweight, the same weight class as juiced-up giant Brock Lesnar; whereas Porcello would fight in the smaller Light Heavyweight division. Since MLB owns the rights to the film, I’ll recap how the showdown went down.

Youkilis gets hit in the back, charges the mound, throws his batting helmet at Porcello (which is a dead givaway he has no idea what he's doing), and instead of throwing a punch at Porcello like any decent fighter would do, he opts to tackle Porcello, if you could call it that. Porcello doesn’t even know what’s going on, and throws his hands in the air like a spoiled hockey player getting called for a penalty. Then Youkilis wraps his arms around the Tigers rookie as if he were giving him a goodbye hug, not trying to tackle him to the ground. Don’t forget, Youkilis is trying to make a statement here: don’t mess with the Boston Red Sox, or you’ll be sorry. However, the statement he ended up making was more like: we’re pussies and don’t know how to defend ourselves. Porcello, who I must say is as lanky as lanky can be, basically throws Youkilis off him and lands on top of him, pinning him to the infield grass. If he wanted, Ricky Porcello could have started throwing wild punches at our All-Star hitter; luckily for Youkilis, Tigers and Red Sox alike just started piling on top of each other instead of letting the two go at it. There’s no doubt about this one. By unanimous decision, the fight goes to Rick Porcello.

Both players ended up getting suspended for five games by Major League Baseball after the bench-clearing brawl. I think professional sports should adopt the punishment system of Midway Sport’s NHL Hitz: the loser of the fight gets handed a huge penalty, but the winner essentially gets off the hook. In this case, I would suspend Youkilis for ten games for making a fool of himself and all who support the Red Sox, and fine Porcello a few thousand dollars.

Why the Sox are Slumping

Since the All Star Break, the Red Sox have gone from leading the AL East by 3.0 games, to being down 6.5 to the dreaded Spankees. Let's take a look at why:

1. Jason Varitek has had one multi-hit game in his past 23 games. I know he’s not an offensive catcher, but come on. Plus, he throws out a humiliating 15.1% of basestealers, which is last in the Majors, and way below the MLB average of 25.3%.
2. They’re on a stretch of 24 days, playing 23 games. They need a rest. Coming off days of rest, the Red Sox are 11-2 this season. Off days are turning us on.
3. Mike Lowell can’t field—he’s below the MLB median in assists, range factor, and fielding percentage. I can’t tell you how many plays I’ve seen him fail to execute because he moves like an old man. Sure, he can still make routine plays, but diving catches and off-balance throws are out of the question. He’s 35, coming off offseason hip surgery and is the oldest position player on the roster. You know, steroids are being called the fountain of youth, keeping muscles and joints young and healthy…maybe Lowell should have hopped on that bandwagon awhile ago.
4. Big Papi can’t hit. In the past 30 days, he has the third worst slugging percentage of all DHs. He can’t hit, he can’t field. But he’s good in the clutch, right? In late and close games (7th inning or later, with his team tied, ahead by one run, or with the tying at least on deck) his BA is .167 with a .250 SLG. Not really that good in the clutch. If I see Ortiz starting over Kotchman, Lowell, or V-Mart, I’m going to blow a fuse.
5. Jason Bay had 5 RBI in July, with a .295 SLG and .192 BA. Had more strikeouts than total bases. We had come to rely too much on our left-fielder, and he may have felt pressure to play while hurt with an apparent hamstring injury. Six days of rest in seven games this month have done him well. He has as many total bases in seven games as he did the entire month of July.
6. The only thing John Smoltz did effectively was wear out the bullpen. He never pitched more than six innings in eight starts, and in his final four starts, he gave up 35 hits. Everyone wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but when the Sox lost their sixth game started by Smoltz, they designated him for assignment. That was a waste of $5.5 million.

Stat of the Day: Steals

The common belief is that the National League plays baseball more strategically than the American League. Is it? Well, NL teams sacrifice bunt almost twice as much AL teams, and they also intentially walk batters more frequently than the AL by a considerable margin. However, the American League has stolen more bases per game than the National League for the eighth time in the past nine years (thanks to, in large part, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford combining for 102 SB, compared to the top to NL base stealers combining for 75). So on the basepaths, the American Leaguers do take more risks and play with somewhat of a strategy, but I'd still like to see the Sox do some more bunting. Tito needs to stop relying on batters like Nick Green (.306 OPB) and Jason Varitek (.329 OPB) to move a runner over with their swings. If you think about it (giving them a few more points for a fielder's choice here and there), batters like these two will move a runner over 35% of the time if you let them swing away. (Green and Tek will strikeout 35% and 22%, respectively). And if they bunt, the chances of them moving the runner over a base are virtually 100%. As of today, Boston is second to last in the MLB with 11 sac bunts. Maybe it's an AL East thing--the Sox, Yanks, Rays, Jays, and O's are five of the bottom six teams in the MLB in sacrifice bunts.

Give Varitek a Break

To all you Varitek-bashers out there, chill out. Don’t jump to conclusions and ask for his demotion to Pawtucket, don’t yell and scream and plead for V-Mart to become out permanent backstop. Here’s why: Varitek ranks 12th in AL with 64 hits and 5th in the Majors with 13 HR, among catchers. His .229 average is what sets lots of people off. Compared to a deep Red Sox lineup everywhere else, he is a poor hitter--his average is almost 40 points below the team average. However, that’s the case in most clubhouses these days. Catching is the most physically demanding position in all of baseball, and those who play it are no longer the offensive threats they used to be. The days of Mike Piazza and Pudge and Sandy Alomar are over. We’re in the age of the Russell Martins, Dioner Navarros, and Geovany Sotos—catchers who can call a great game, allow few past balls, and have great baseball IQs. They’re main role on the team is to help the pitching staff feel comfortable and play smart, with offense swirling around in the back of their minds. And as far as that all goes, Varitek is as good as it gets. He’s caught more no-hitters (4) than any other catcher in Major League history, has helped Sox farmhands Lester, Buchholz, and Papelbon transition to the Big Leagues fluidly, and his unparalleled leadership often goes unnoticed—he is the team captain, after all. To understand how catching has changed from a hitter’s position to a thinking game, here are some stats.
This year, seven catchers have batting averages over .275. In 2006, that number was eighteen. In 2003, ten. 2000: fifteen. 1997: twelve. So ease up on Varitek, and let him bat in the 8th spot, maintain a low BA and drive in a run every once in a while. It's been 67 years since a catcher has won the batting title (Ernie Lombardi of the Braves did so in 1942). It’s not in a catcher’s job description to bat .320 with 45 HR anymore.

P.S. As far as Varitek’s contract goes, he has a dual-option next year. He has a club option for $5 million, and a player option for $3 million. Depending on how the Victor Martinez experiment goes, I don’t think Theo will pick up the club option, but I do believe ‘Tek will take the $3 million player option and finish his career with the Sox after the 2010 season.

K-Mack Update

Taken from nomaas.org, "The definitive source on Yankee draft news, by Lane Meyer"

July 17, 2009
30th Round, KYLE MCKENZIE: The diminuitive RHP from Massachussets throws gas on the hill, and has a strong commitment to Tulane. As a lifelong Red Sox fan, his selection by the Yankees had to sting a little, but I’ve heard a rumor that he MAY have been the unidentified third guy at The Stadium on Tuesday, so that would at least indicate some level of interest on both ends if true. Chances of Signing: 20%

July 18, 2009
As for the third guy at the Stadium workout last Tuesday, the unconfirmed rumor I head about it being Kyle McKenzie is true. I was in contact with the young righty yesterday and he told me that yes, the Yankees wanted to get a look at him and he had a great time at the Stadium.

Newbies

In his first night in a Boston uniform last night, Victor Martinez went a less-than-impressive 1-5. When he went 1-5 on June 19, he followed it up with a dismal streak of 0-15 through 4 games. Not this time, though. Today against the Orioles he got a season-high 5 hits, going 5-6 with 4 RBI (also a season-high). It's nice to see V-Mart bounce back like he did today; he also got to see a variety of Boston pitchers in his first game behind the plate, as Clay Buchholz, Manny Delcarmen, Ramon Ramirez, and Takashi Saito all got to the mound today.

Newcomer Josh Reddick has also looked impressive in his first two Major League starts. Yesterday, he became the first Red Sox rookie in over twenty years to hit two extra-base knocks in his first Major League start, and today, he hit his first Major League homerun. I love seeing the young guys, so if J.D. and Bay continue to struggle I'd love to see more of this 22 year-old, who just gives more depth to this Red Sox staff. On soxprospects.com, he's the #2 prospect for the Red Sox, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him optioned back down to double or triple-A in the coming weeks, but when the roster expands to 40 guys on September 1st, we could be seeing deja-vu of the 2007 season, when Jacoby Ellsbury debuted for the Sox and gave them a push through the postseason.

Kasey Kotchman also got some playing time today, his first game with the Red Sox. He did not start, but came in late in the game to hit for Lowell. He went 0-1, but I'm sure Lowell was happy to get the start, go 3-5, and come out early to hit the showers--or whatever old men do after a day's work.

Stat of the Day: Playing their Cards Right

The St. Louis Cardinals have three starting pitchers with ERAs under 3.00. Chris Carpenter leads the NL with a 2.10 ERA, while Adam Wrainwright has earned 12 wins with his 2.80 ERA, and Joel Pineiro maintains a slim 2.84 ERA. How many Red Sox starters have a sub-3.00 ERA? Zero. What about the Yankees? Zero. Tampa Bay? Nada. As a team, the Cards have the third-lowest ERA in the Majors, to go along with the second-fewest walks. With the acquisition of Matt Holliday (.606 BA, 10 RBI, 3 HR, 1.061 SLG in nine games since joining the Cardinals), look for the Cardinals to make a run here in the second half. As of today, they lead the Cubs by 0.5 games in the NL Central, and are 7-3 in their last ten games.

$100 Million Not-So-Well-Spent

Last Friday, the Red Sox moved Daisuke Matsuzaka from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL. This means he’ll start rehabbing with Pawtucket in two months, at the end of September. Oh, wait, scratch that—Pawtucket’s season ends September 7th. The chances of seeing Daisuke pitch in October for the Red Sox? Well, not so good. Looks like we’ve seen the end of Daisuke this season.

Trade Deadline 2009

This is my first ever in-game blog, and I’ll use a play that happened just moments ago in the Sox-O’s game to explain why the Red Sox acquired Casey Kotchman and Victor Martinez, despite already having an All-Star –laden group of infielders.

Matt Wieters on second, Brian Roberts hits a grounder to the backhand of shortstop Nick Green. Not having the best throwing arm, Green decides against making a Jeter-esque jumping toss to get the speedy Roberts at first base. Instead, he opts to make the quick throw to Mike Lowell covering 3rd base so that he can lay down the tag and get the runner trying to advance on a non-force out. 35-year-old Lowell hobbles to the bag so Green can throw him the ball from maybe thirty away. Green throws it low, but not really to either side of the 3rd baseman, who underwent offseason hip surgery. Low is generally a good place to throw the ball when trying to tag out a runner, but not today. It was painful watching Lowell barely to bend his knees, and attempt to make a shoestring catch without moving a single one of the fragile joints in his body. The ball rolled past Lowell, allowing Weiters to not only advance to third, but to score the tying run as the ball went out-of-play into the Sox dugout. The next batter comes to the plate with a runner on second and one out, instead of a runner on first with two outs. With such a favorable situation, he hits a two-run homer that puts Baltimore up by two runs.

So what did this play tell us? Mike Lowell is far from Gold Glove 3rd baseman he was in ’05. We need someone to man the hot corner and give Lowell a rest a few times a week. Who can we put at third? We have Youk, but he’s an excellent defensive 1st baseman, and only a decent fielder at 3rd. So we look to acquire one via trade who can play good defense, all the while able to create runs at the plate. Since there’s no one available, we’re forced to move Youkilis to 3rd base. Adam LaRoche was our original replacement 1st baseman, but his strength is really on offense, rather than on defense. Since we lost some fielding ability by moving Youk away from 1st base, so LaRoche wasn’t the perfect fit. So Theo went to the Braves to trade LaRoche (5-19, 1 HR, 3 RBI in 6 games with the Red Sox) for defensive-minded Casey Kotchman. So here’s the breakdown again: lose defense at first by moving Youkilis to third, but get more offense at third from Youk than from Lowell; get offense with LaRoche, but Theo sees the need for more defense in the infield; gets Kotchman, despite sacrificing a little at the plate.

What about Victory Martinez? Jason Varitek is undoubtedly feeling the wear and tear of his 12-year catching career. His knees, ankles, and shoulder are as beat up as they can be before landing on the DL. His 78 AB in May have decreased in June, and again in July, where he will probably end up seeing close to 62 AB. With all due respect to George Kottaras, he doesn’t belong in a Red Sox uniform; he’s just not good enough. V-Mart will be able to take some pressure off Varitek and his knees, and Tito won’t hesitate to throw him behind the plate because he’s such an offensive force. Plus, he can also play 1st base or DH, offering Papi and Youk/Kotchman the day off. It’s amazing how much flexibility Terry Francona has, lining up his infield. Lowell, Youkilis, Green, Lowrie, Pedroia, Kotchman, Martinez, and Varitek can all play interchangeably. If one needs a rest, or can’t hit righties, Francona won’t have to think twice about giving him the day off; they can all replace each other without the team missing a beat.

However, what is most intriguing about the Martinez deal is how little the Theo ended up giving Cleveland. We kept Buchholz, Bard, and our main pitching prospects of Michael Bowden and Junichi Tazawa, as well as hitting phenom Ryan Westmoreland. We traded middle reliever Justin Masterson, and 1st round draft picks of the 2007 and 2008 Drafts, LHP Nick Hagadone and RHP Bryan Price.

What’d the Yankees do? Roy Halladay? No. Jarrod Washburn? Guess again. Jerry Hairston Jr. is who the Yanks got today. In his 2009 season with the Reds, he was batting a whopping .254 with 8 HR. Whoop dee doo. He’s more of a utility guy, and the Red Sox need not worry about him at all. It was a good day.

Stat of the Day: In the Field

People point to a poor back of the rotation, untimely hitting, and lack of offense when they look at the Red Sox' woes. But what about defense? In terms of errors and fielding percentage, the Sox are middle of the pack, 15th and 18th respectively. But they have turned the second fewest double plays, and have allowed the most steals in the Majors, and have the lowest DER of any team. "DER" is an interesting stat I looked up, and it stands for Defense Efficiency Ratio, and it equals the percent of batted balls that are turned into outs by a defense. Boston's .689 DER means that only 68.9% of any ball put in play will become an out. A low DER like this typically means that our pitching staff relies too heavily on the strikeout and don't give their fielders a chance to make a play. Not surprisingly, the Sox have the most strikeouts in the AL. Pitchers should be making it a priority to keep their fielders on their toes by making a pitch not that is nit so good it cannot be hit and risk walking too many batters, but a pitch that's bad enough to be hit, but good enough to not be hit well. Look at Derek Lowe's no hitter of 2002: only 6 strikeouts. It's not about striking batters out, it's about recording outs, however that can be done. This seems like the first year where the Red Sox don't really have any defensive specialists--a David Roberts, Alex Cora, Gabe Kapler, or Doug Menkevich-type player.

Stat of the Day: The Unearned Run

Bartolo Colon and Daniel Cabrera lead the Majors in unearned runs. In just 12 games, 13 unearned runs have found their way to the scoreboard for the North Siders' Colon. He has a decent 4.19 ERA, but a record of only 3-6. Sloppy defense probably has something to do with that. Daniel Cabrera, formerly of the Baltimore Orioles, now with the Washington Nationals, has also given up 13 unearned runs. He is 0-5 in 8 starts with an ERA approaching 6.00. Lo and behold, the Nationals have more errors than any other ballclub, and the White Sox are 5th worst in the MLB.

What the Red Sox Need to Do At the Deadline

What the Red Sox don't need to do is go after Roy Halladay. The Jays are asking for basically our whole farm system to get Halladay for the year and two months left on his contract. As great as Halladay is, I don't think it's worth it. As a team, Red Sox pitching is best in the AL East, and 8th best overall. Smoltz is bound to find his groove one of these days, Daisuke could come back rested in September, Wakefield will soon be off the DL, and Buchholz will continue to settle in. Pitching isn't really our greatest need right now. Furthermore, over his career, Halladay has only a .613 win percentage after the break, compared to a .710 before. Also, Fenway Park is one of only two stadiums at which Halladay has a losing record (5-8)*, and is the only place he has allowed more than 10 HR (15). I don't see Halladay carrying the Sox to the World Series.

Who the Red Sox should continue to pursue is Adrian Gonzalez of the San Diego Padres. Boston only has one player with 20+ HR this year, Jason Bay, while other World Series hopefuls like the Phillies have four. Adrian Gonzalez is this year's Mark Teixera: a good defensive first basemen with the power to hit one deep at any point in the game. With Lowell struggling, Youk could take some load off and play more games at third, leaving first base open for Adrian Gonzalez. Lars Anderson, a top prospect for the Sox, should be included in the deal because, with Gonzalez locked up for the next couple years, Boston could get away with trading this Minor League slugger.

With Pittsburgh's Jack Wilson getting dealt to Seattle in a 7-man trade this afternoon, the market for shortstops is meager. It looks like Nick Green and Jed Lowrie will have to step up their game for the remainder of the season, and be the 10the tenth man who steps up as the season draws to an end.

I can't think of a much better acquisition than Victor Martinez. This great offensive-minded catcher from the Cleveland Indians could take the place of George Kottaras as the backup for Jason Varitek. Kottaras is a non-threat at the plate, and is on the roster simply because he can catch Tim Wakefield. We're seeing more of Kottaras recently, and it seems like Varitek's 37 year-old body isn't up to the task of catching every day. Since 2003, Martinez is the only catcher to rank in the top three in BA, HR, RBI, and TB among catchers.

*mimimum of 2 starts

Stat of the Day: Dan Bard

In rookie Dan Bard's 23 appearances this season, he has allowed an earned run in only three of them. So as you can imagine, his 2.28 ERA is somewhat misleading. In fact, if you discard one outing on June 14 against the Phillies, his ERA would be a microscopic 1.11. The Red Sox are effectively easing Bard into the big leagues: at the end of July, he'll have increased his total innings pitched by one inning each month since his debut on May 13. July has undoubtedly been his best month of the season: in 9.1 innings, he's given up no runs and surrendered only two hits, while K'ing 17 and walking zero. A 17:0 K:BB ratio is unheard of in the Majors, as is averaging 2 strikeouts per inning pitched. Plus--always an important for a reliever--he has yet to give up a HR in his big league career. Look out, Pap.

Holliday Celebration in St. Louis

In his first game after being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals by the Oakland A’s, Matt Holliday tied a career high in hits, going 4-5. In his 93 games with the Athletics, he had got 4 hits in a game only twice. Yesterday in Philly, he also had a stolen base, a double, and an RBI. I don’t think this will be a flash in the pan for Holliday; I predict a great second-half from this three-time All-Star. Moving to the NL, he might be another Edgar Renteria-type player, who seems to thrive exclusively in the National League. (Renteria played in Boston in 2005 and in Detroit last year. Since 2002, his ’05 and ’08 totals are his two worst seasons in SB, BA, SLG, OPS, HR, E, and FPCT.) Matt Holliday was a huge success in Colorado playing in the NL, and now that he’s back in his comfort zone, we’ll see more of the 2006-2008 Holliday, who won three consecutive Silver Slugger Awards and three consecutive trips to the All-Star game. Another reason he’ll continue to hit with St. Louis is that he is now on a competitive team where every game matters. Oakland is 17.0 games behind the Angels in the NL West and has the worst attendance in all of baseball. St. Louis leads the NL Central and has the fifth-best attendance in the MLB. Holliday prefers a full stadium, as evidenced by his .428 BA in stadiums that average more than 30,000 fans per game, compared to his .270 BA everywhere else. The Cardinals’ Busch Stadium averages over 40,000 per game, so look for continued success from Matt Holliday in St. Louis this season.