Relieving Boston of Some Old Sox

Just a year ago, former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt's stubborn refusal to relinquish control of his nearly insolvent baseball team but the image and the future of one of Major League Baseball's most iconic franchises into questionable uncertainty. A year later, the ownership group including Los Angeles sports legend Magic Johnson has the Dodgers in the thick of the playoff race and relieving other trouble franchises of toxic assets with massive contracts.

"We understand that you have to spend money to be good in this league." 

These are the words straight from the lips of Magic Johnson. The Dodgers have acted consistently with that statement. During the second half of the season, the Dodgers had acquired former batting champion Hanley Ramirez (.254, 20 HR, 79 RBI) from the Miami Marlins, and former All-Star and Gold Glove winner Shane Victorino (.260, 10 HR, 47 RBI) from the Philadelphia Phillies.

Those moves, in and of themselves, made a splash in the National League West race. It seemingly forced the hand of the (currently) first place San Francisco Giants to upgrade their anemic batting order via a trade to acquire Hunter Pence (.260, 18 HR, 75 RBI) from the Phillies. Those trades, however, are footnotes in light of the mega deal that went down between the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox last Friday.

A winner who knows how to win.

CHANGE OF SCENERY

The Hat Trick has run multiple articles this year about the dysfunction that is the Boston Red Sox. Going into the 2011 MLB season, many writers, myself included, thought that the season could be skipped and the Red Sox could just be handed the American League pennant. Boston made blockbuster hot stove transactions in the offseason leading into 2011, acquiring All-Stars left fielder Carl Crawford (.282, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 31 GP) and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (.298, 16 HR, 90 RBI).

The Red Sox's epic collapse at the end of last season and borderline lunacy in their clubhouse this season has resulted in a team with a losing record, a lot of finger pointing, and over a quarter-billion dollars in undesirable contracts. Nowhere did I mention that any of those players tied to the big contracts forgot how to play baseball because I don't think they did. I think they ran their courses in Boston.

Boston isn't always the most wholesome place to be.

GET WINS OR DIE TRYING

The Dodgers are a proud historic franchise. While they are regularly a playoff contender, they were once a fixture in the National League Championship Series and World Series until the late 1980s. The Dodgers have not won the National League since their World Series winning year of 1988, when Kirk Gibson was the Most Valuable Player of the National League and a hobbled hero delivering a pinch hit walk off homerun in Game 1 of the Fall Classic instead of the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In other words, the Dodgers have not tasted real glory in a very long time.

Last week, the Dodgers acquired Crawford, Gonzalez, and All-Star pitcher and 2007 World Series champion starting pitcher Josh Beckett (5-12, 5.21 ERA) in a trade that sent much lower profile players to the Red Sox, except for struggling first baseman James Loney (.254, 4 HR, 35 RBI). The Dodgers acquired what will either be a lottery of All-Star players or a booby prize of roughly $210 million in dead weight contracts.

Magic Johnson and the Guggenheim Group gambled that the three big names they acquired still know how to  play baseball at the highest level and, more importantly, are hungry to prove their former employer wrong and win a championship. The Dodgers will make a very serious run at the postseason in September while the only post-anything in the Red Sox's immediate future is Post Raisin Bran and sour grapes. Both teams in this trade could be really big winners or really big losers.

Matt Kemp: You wanted help? You got it!

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All images cited in prior editions of The Daily Hat Trick

The Man in the Mirror

The Boston Red Sox are officially in the Dysfunctional Franchise Club. They have joined the ranks of the New York Knicks, the Orlando Magic, the Washington Redskins, the Miami Dolphins, the Miami Marlins and the New York Mets. The difference between the Sox and the aforementioned teams is that those teams (even Ozzie Guillen’s Marlins) have taken steps to move in the right direction.

The Red Sox have been sinking into the abyss since last September. For those of you in a coma since last year, the Red Sox completed one of the most historic collapses in Major League Baseball history, completing the epitome of epic choke jobs with a loss to the last place Baltimore Orioles on the same night that the Tampa Bay Rays completed the epitome of epic comebacks against the first place New York Yankees, eliminating the Red Sox from the playoffs and leading to the firing of longtime manager Terry Francona.

Reports later surfaced that Red Sox starting pitchers (not up in the rotation) were drinking beer, playing video games, and eating fried chicken in the clubhouse during games. In the midst of a collapse during a pennant race, their antics made Ken Griffey, Jr. sleeping in the Mariners’ clubhouse and missing a pinch hitting opportunity seem like a minor blooper. Focus was not sharp in Beantown; management needed to shake things up.

Chicken and beer is fine for rapper Ludacris, not MLB pitchers fighting for a playoff spot. 2

MUTINY

ESPN reported yesterday that a number of Red Sox players met with Red Sox management to air grievances about the current manager, Bobby Valentine. Valentine’s reputation as a hard liner and a man who does things his way is well documented. Tension appeared to peak earlier this season following critical remarks Valentine made about longtime Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis. Second baseman and 2008 American League Most Valuable Player Dustin Pedroia responded in the media by saying that Valentine’s methods were not the way they do things in Boston.

Call me crazy, but the manager’s way IS the way things are done in any clubhouse as long as he is the manager. The whole Youkilis/Pedroia incident was the first red flag in a season that would be full of them. Youkilis would soon after be traded to the Chicago White Sox. Now the inmates are trying to run the asylum again. I think the “Youkilis treatment” may be in order.

Pedroia (left) and Valentine (right) are miles apart no matter how close they are in the dugout. 1 

WHEN YOU POINT ONE FINGER, THERE ARE THREE POINTING BACK AT YOU

The Red Sox have had sky high expectations, and the salaries to go with them, since the start of the 2011 season. At the moment, the Sox were under .500 and are probably not going to reach the playoffs this season. Bobby Valentine is the manager and shoulders much of the blame for the Red Sox’s underachievement in 2012. However, the puzzling series of events dragging the profile of the organization down preceded Valentine’s arrival.

Consider the following:

Boston Red Sox – 2011

• Record at the beginning of September: 83-52, first place.
• Lead in division: 1.5 games over the Yankees, 9 games over the Rays.
• Result: 90-72 (7-20 record in September), third place, eliminated from the playoffs, one game back of the Rays.
• Manager: Terry Francona (someone who is not Bobby Valentine)
• Key players: Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester

Boston Red Sox – 2012

• Record: 57-60, fourth place
• Games back: 12.5 games back of the Yankees in the division; 6.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot.
• Manager: Bobby Valentine
• Key players at the start of the season: Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester

Hmm…both profiles are unflattering, but the one constant is the key players. Let’s dig a little deeper.

Dustin Pedroia, 2B

• Batting average, 2012: .280
• Batting average, career: .302
• On base percentage, 2012: .338
• On base percentage, career: .369
• At bats per home run, 2012: 44 (9 HRs in 2012)
• At bats per home run, career: 38 (84 career HRs)
• 2012 salary: $8 million

Adrian Gonzalez, 1B

• Batting average, 2012: .307
• Batting average, career: .295
• On base percentage, 2012: .352
• On base percentage, career: .373
• At bats per home run, 2012: 35 (13 HRs in 2012)
• At bats per home run, career: 20 (208 career HRs)
• 2012 salary: $21 million

Josh Beckett, SP

• Winning pct., 2012: .333
• Winning pct., career: .588
• ERA, 2012: 5.19
• ERA, career: 3.93
• Ks/9 IP, 2012: 6.5
• Ks/9 IP, career: 8.3
• 2012 salary: $16 million

Jon Lester, SP

• Winning pct., 2012: .375
• Winning pct., career: .651
• ERA, 2012: 5.20
• ERA, career: 3.76
• Ks/9 IP, 2012: 7.9
• Ks/9 IP, career: 8.3
• 2012 salary: $8 million

Less complaining and more batting practice may cut down on the strikeouts. 3

Wow! Four key players declining in key statistics compared to the course of their careers, almost across the board? Of the aforementioned key players not statistically detailed, on Big Papi Ortiz has improved relative to his career numbers. I don’t think that is Bobby Valentine’s fault.

Reportedly, Pedroia and Gonzalez were the ringleaders in the players’ meeting with management. I can’t help but think, considering the behavior of the players and the undesirable results since last season, that these guys are making a bunch of excuses for losing. Should Valentine shoulder a chunk of the blame? Absolutely. But managers manage and players play. Key players, team leaders, should play up to their abilities before complaining about the manager.

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The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

1) Image from http://articles.nydailynews.com
2) Image from www.cbsnews.com
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Word on the Tweet - March 2, 2011

George Karl, after Carmelo Anthony's defensive effort against LeBron James on Sunday:

@carmeloanthony Where the hell was THAT the last 8 years!?!? #SandBagging

1

Chauncey Billups, after draining the go-ahead jumper heading into the final minute of Sunday's game against the Heat:

@Amare1 Gee, ya think I deserve some of that action, now??? RT @carmeloanthony Don't forget you and I have the shoot for the new promotional poster on Monday. #GiveMeSomeEFFingCredit

Amare Stoudemire:
@ChaunceyDangerfield Fo sho! I'll make a few calls. RT @Amare1 Gee, ya think I deserve some of that action, now??? #WeCanHaveABig3Too

"Now we have a big three. Nyah!" 2

Mike Bibby, after securing a buyout from the Washington Wizards, at a possible cost to him of up to $6.1 million:

@KingJames Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty! I'm free at last!!! #TakingMyTalentsToSouthBeach #TakingRingMeasurements #NoMoreWizards

Gilbert Arenas:

@LightChocolate Smart move. The gun laws are more reasonable in Florida, too. RT @KingJames Free at last! Free at last! ... #StillOnProbation

I'm sure the NRA was ready to race to Agent Zero's defense. 3

NFL Owners, in response to an offer from the Players Union:

@NFLPA Don't call us, we'll call you. #PaulieFromGoodFellas #GotBills? #Hardball #BillionairesDontSweat

Union Rep:
@WeWhoHaveTheGoldMakeTheRules We have options. #UFL #CFL #AFL #NoGamesNoGain #PayTheBills RT @NFLPA Don't call us, we'll call you. ...

CBS Sports Representative:
@WeWhoHaveTheGoldMakeTheRules Get your s__t together, guys!  #PlayingWithMyMoneyIsLikePlayingWithMyEmotions


Kendrick Perkins, after learning he was traded from the defending Eastern Conference Boston Celtics to the Oklahoma City Thunder:

@BigPerkFans This feels like the worst day of my life. Thanks for your support. #DontJump

After signing a $36 million contract extension with the Thunder a few days later:

@BigPerkFans THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!! #ImRiiichBitch

Perkins has 36 million new friends in OKC. 4

Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, after being hit in the head with a ball during batting practice and suffering mild concussion-like symptoms:

@TitoJunior SKIPPER! WHY am I pitching in batting practice? This is #PRACTICE! We're talkin' about PRACTICE! #WTF #AllenIverson #WhyIDontPlayFootball

Red Sox GM Theo Epstein:

@TitoJunior SKIPPER! WHY is he pitching in batting practice? This is #PRACTICE! We're talkin' about PRACTICE! #SixteenMillionReasonsNotTo

Former NFL QB Brett Favre:

@LordBeckett Welcome to my world. #HeadTrauma

At least Favre only had so much at risk up here to begin with. 5

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1) Image from espn.com
2) Image from sportingopinions.com
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