Wilfork to host draft party for diabetes research
Posted by New England Patriots News Feed March 27, 2008 at 2:00 pm Vince Wilfork to host annual draft day party to raise money for diabetes research.
It’s Not a League of Their Own
Posted by ssilva March 27, 2008 at 12:34 pm
It's Not a League of Their Own
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The Sox Face Some Stiff Competition in Their Quest to Repeat
BDD's exclusive excerpt of the Maple Street Press 2008 Red Sox Annual
Sizing up the Competition: A Look Around the 2008 American League, by Jeff Kuhn
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For the second time in four years, the Boston Red Sox are World Series champions. Like 2004, the Sox won while sweeping the Angels in the AL Divisional Series, coming back from the brink of elimination in the AL Championship Series to win the pennant, and then sweeping a National League opponent. Unlike 2004, however, this Red Sox team led the AL East essentially wire to wire during the regular season and tied for the best record in baseball. For the first time since 1915, the Red Sox can boast that they thoroughly vanquished the league.
In 2008, the AL is still violently divided between the haves and the have-nots, with only the previous playoff teams and the Tigers serious contenders for the 2008 World Series from the Junior Circuit. Most of the separation is centered around the dearth of talent moving this past offseason, with only the Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis trade in, and the Johan Santana Oakland trades out even causing a blip serious enough to overthrow the balance of power. The story of 2008 in the second tier of the league will be how these teams build from within, to prime themselves to take the reins from the current Red Sox/Yankees/Angels triumvirate that have dominated the league over the last six years. The Indians and Tigers have elbowed into the ALs elite class, but eventually the current power will be old and grey. The spoils will go to those who aggressively improve over the next few seasons, starting with the ALs 107th season.
A LOOK AT THE SOX COMPETITION IN THE AL EAST
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
"Don't matter how many times you get burnt, you just keep doin' the same." Preston Bodie Broadus
With the Ravens finishing their latest campaign with five wins, and coachless, no NBA or NHL team to speak of, and the Orioles starting their second decade of irrelevancy, Baltimores only real contribution to the entertainment realm is The Wire, HBOs critically-acclaimed police drama that focuses on institutional dysfunction. In The Wire, a broken system actually prefers to stay broken than to work to fix itself. Charm City looks extremely bleak through this lens. This dovetails nicely with the state of Baltimores baseball franchise. Since the Os had their run of divisional success after the advent of the wild card, the Orioles have shown no ability to dig themselves out of the hole created by being a member of the American League East. The Orioles have been unable to execute a rebuilding plan over the last decade, and after a year where their major accomplishment was keeping the Rays in last place, the best that can be said for this dilapidated franchise is that it cant get much worse.
The only problem with that is the bottom is still to come. New honcho Andy MacPhail traded the declining Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard and is actively shopping Brian Roberts, which leaves Nick Markakis to carry the offense. There is a plan in place, however, with MacPhail signing the Orioles first two Scott Boras-represented draftees in the Peter Angelos era, by throwing cash at Matt Weiters and Jake Arrieta. Troy Patton was nice haul for Miguel Tejada too. MacPhail is tearing down the core of the Orioles with an eye towards 2010, and it makes it look like its morning in Baltimore. It has just been too long since the new boss has been different from the old.
NEW YORK YANKEES
After the Yankees bowed out to Cleveland in the playoffs last year the Bombers had what one can only describe as a crisis of confidence. Gone was George Steinbrenner, stepping aside for his sons, with Hank Steinbrenner overseeing the day-to-day operations of the team, and Joe Torre for Joe Girardi, which means the on-field team is under new stewardship for the first time since 1995. There were drawn-out negotiations with Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera, including Hank doing a good impression of his fathers feisty period by doing his best to make A-Rod cry during the negotiation process.
For all the hysterics that followed the Yankees around this offseason, they didnt improve the team very much on the field, which puts a huge burden on young players like Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Philip Hughes, and Joba Chamberlain to keep the Yankees a playoff-caliber team. Which is why they made overtures to the Twins for Johan Santana, since the Yankees pitching wasnt at all that consistent last year. Brian Cashman did a good job of staying the course and not overpaying for Santana by just blowing any rumored Red Sox proposals out of the water and sending Cabrera, Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Jeff Marquez over to the Twin Cities. The Yankees need pitching badly enough that there was pressure (internal or external) to overpay for Santana, but Cashman stood his ground. Likewise, in an effort to save Chamberlains arm, the pre-season signs are pointing to a return to the bullpen for Joba, though he would probably have more value to the Yankees in the rotation, where Chein-Ming Wang leads a crew of pitchers, who are either in the death throes of their careers (Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina) or in their beginning (Philip Hughes).
For the first time since Bill Clinton was impeached, the Yankees are going into a season without the AL East banner, and theyve been denied entry into the ALCS every year since 2004. The two biggest weaknesses in 2008 are age and rotation quality, and the only way to fight one is to sacrifice the other. Cashman has seemingly chosen youth, which is more risky, but will have the higher reward. It just wont come in 2008.
TAMPA BAY RAYS
My economics are rusty, but when you have an inferior product in a saturated, inelastic market, one strategy is to re-brand the product. Therefore, exit the Devil, and their aqua uniforms, to be replaced by the San Diego Padres kits with blue replacing sand brown.
The ironic thing is that the newly-branded Tampa Bay Rays are no longer an inferior product. The players they have are developing quite nicely and the farm system is still ripening some pretty tasty fruits, with top prospect Evan Longoria taking a break from Desperate Housewives to take over third base, joining a team already featuring under-27ers Dioner Navarro, Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton, Rocco Baldelli, Scott Kazmir, Edwin Jackson, Jason Shields, and Matt Garza, among others. Garza, in fact, came over in General Manager Andrew Friedmans shrewdest trade, dealing Delmon Young from the outfield surplus and Brendan Harris to Minnesota for the young hurler and projected starting shortstop Jason Bartlett. This never would have happened under Chuck LaMar, who preferred to stand pat rather than improve the team. Friedman actually even went ahead and found some capable vets to fill the roster and buy the kids their beer. Cliff Floyd can cover the inevitable Rocco Baldelli injury, and Willy Aybar is a nice backup in case anyone in the infield gets hurt. They even extended Carlos Pena for three years, which might be the first time an effective, young (hes the gray beard in the starting lineup at 30) player decided to stay with the Rays.
St. Petes isnt desolate anymore. Though the Rays arent quite competitors yet (or even good), they are most certainly taking the right steps towards creating a credible franchise. Now all they need is fans to pay attention.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Now entering the seventh year of the J.P. Ricciardi Save Our Team Reclamation Project, the Jays are at an interesting crossroads. When Ricciardi took over the reigns of the Jays, they had four straight third-place finishes, averaging almost 84 wins a year. Since then, he has navigated Good Ship Blue Jay to five third-place finishes and has the indignity of being the only team ever to finish lower in the standings than the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Throwing out that last place finish in 2004, the Jays have averaged 83 wins a year. So despite the free pass Ricciardi gets vis-à-vis the numbers GMs, the Toronto squad has at best run in place during his regime, and at worst, wasted a lot of Rogers Communications money.
This trend continued this offseason, with the bizarre Troy Glaus-for-Scott Rolen trade. Without considering injuries, the Jays effectively traded their second or third best hitter to the Cardinals for Scott Rolen, who is a year older, and has hit 35 home runs over the last three seasons combined. Rolen is also due $37 million over the next three seasons (with the Cards picking up $4 million of that in 2010), while Glauss obligation is $12.75 million for one more year, which can turn into $24 million over two if Glaus picks up his player option. No matter, Ricciardi seemingly said, Ill throw in $1.8 million with Glaus!
Even if you stipulate that Glaus is an injury risk, due to the nerve problem in his foot and the alleged steroid issue, the chances are that Rolen being on artificial turf can only hurt a back that has kept him out of the lineup quite frequently the last few seasons. This is not the Scott Rolen of 2002, which is something that Blue Jays fans will learn quickly.
The Blue Jays were a team starving for offense last year in the bat-rich American League. Ricciardi then traded Glaus for Rolen, and signed light-hitting shortstop David Eckstein. Thats a lot to wager on the continued development of Alex Rios and a prayer that Vernon Wells somehow justifies the $126 million that Ricciardi gave him.
A-Roid?
Posted by ssilva March 27, 2008 at 12:17 pm
A-Roid?
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(BDD and Wire Photo) |
Canseco Won't Stop Needling A-Rod About Steroids
ABC News: Canseco Says Rodriguez Asked About 'Roids
NY Times: Rodriguez Wont Comment on Contents of Book
3.27.08, New York Times: Canseco said that Rodriguez asked him about steroids in the late 1990s during their winter workouts at Cansecos home gym. Canseco said that he introduced Rodriguez to a steroids supplier, and noticed that Rodriguez had bulked up when he saw him weeks later.
Im confident it was the roids, Canseco wrote. I believed it then, and I believe it now.
Ive been down this road too many times with too many guys.
Canseco made no secret of his personal disdain for Rodriguez. The book portrayed Rodriguez as curious about steroids and infatuated with Cansecos former wife.
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Patriots.com News Blitz - 3/27/2008
Posted by New England Patriots News Feed March 27, 2008 at 9:00 am The Pats could be a focus of next week's NFL Annual Meeting, and one name keeps popping up at New England's slot in the latest mock drafts. Read all about it in today's Patriots.com News Blitz.
Pregame Notes: Toronto vs. Boston
Posted by Bruins Recent Headlines: March 27, 2008 at 8:50 am BOSTON BRUINS vs. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS Thursday, March 27, 2008 TD Banknorth Garden; Boston MA Game Time: 7:00 p.m. NESN and WBZ Radio Tonight’s Game The Bruins host the Maple Leafs tonight in the eighth and final game between t...
Breaking News: Pitchers will never again need to cover their mouths with their mitts
Posted by Seth Mnookin March 27, 2008 at 8:20 am
I haven’t been able to come up with words that adequately describe my amazement at this — the first ever demonstration of a voiceless cell phone call. Seriously — this is not a joke.
As Netscape founder Marc Andreessen put it, “my brain just exploded.”
B’s, WBCN Join for “Cuts for a Cause”
Posted by Boston Bruins March 27, 2008 at 5:14 am Boston, MA - Boston Bruins players Patrice Bergeron, Phil Kessel, Milan Lucic, Mark Stuart, Aaron Ward and Dennis Wideman have partnered with WBCN 104.1 FM to participate in “Cuts for a Cause,” a head-shaving event that will raise mone...
Ference Makes Sneaker Donation to PAL
Posted by Bruins Recent Headlines: March 27, 2008 at 4:21 am Boston, MA - Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference has partnered with the charitable organization Good Sports and Nike to donate 160 pairs of basketball sneakers to the Revere Police Activities League (PAL) Basketball League. Ference will ...
Krejci’s Cool Under Pressure
Posted by Angela Stefano | Student Correspondent | March 27, 2008 at 4:09 am Before Tuesday night’s game in Toronto against the Maple Leafs, with Boston's top point producer Marc Savard injured and out of the lineup, David Krejci was called on to try and temporarily fill the star center’s skates. He was plac...
Back to US in no time
Posted by Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist March 27, 2008 at 12:00 am Without the aid of a flux capacitor, the Sox lost to the Oakland A's in Tokyo last night, flew out of Japan early this morning, and landed in Los Angeles early last evening. Marty McFly meets Manny Delcarmen.
Boston.com -- Boston Celtics news
Celtics-Bobcats, Box
Boston.com -- Boston Celtics news
Celtics-Bobcats, Box
Mike Cranston, AP Sports Writer
Bobcats surprise Celtics 114-106 in OT
Mike Cranston, AP Sports Writer
Bobcats surprise Celtics 114-106 in OT
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