Media Movement All Over The Place

Posted by Bruce August 15, 2008 (6 days ago) at 8:30 am

Last night we learned about the changes at the Globe, which included Tony Massarotti moving over from the Herald, and Chad Finn earning himself a sweet promotion.

This morning, David Scott has more on the move, but also reports on new hires at weei.com, which include Jeff Goodman, Alex Speier and wait for it…Ron Borges.

Ron Borges? 

Seriously? Ken Powers wasn’t available? Mike Barnicle turned them down? Patricia Smith wasn’t interested?

My interest and enthusiasm in their new venture just sunk considerably. They were doing things right all the way up until that point. Michael Felger, Rob Bradford, Goodman and Speier are all relatively young guys who understand how things work in the new age of sportswriting. For the most part they have a fresh perspective on things, and don’t stir up stuff just to get noticed (well, except for Felger.)

Borges throws all that out the window. The quotes from Dennis and Callahan in Scott’s piece are just nauseating. Yeah, I’m sure Bill Belichick is shaking in his shoes at the thought of Borges back in Foxboro. That’s provided of course that he knows how to get there. He hasn’t been seen down there in a long time, even before his (wink wink) retirement from the Globe.

I had high hopes for this new weei.com. Borges just about kills it for me. You hire him, you lose your credibility. Simple as that.

Bad move, guys.

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The Red Sox hitters are surely sorry to see the Texas Rangers pitchers leave town. Boston finished off the sweep of the Rangers with a 10-0 victory at Fenway Park last night. The Red Sox scored 37 runs in 3 games off the Rangers…

Globe beat reporter Amalie Benjamin has the game story. Jeff Horrigan has the Red Sox continuing their hot hitting since the Manny Ramirez trade. Paul Kenyon has the Red Sox finishing off their roundup of the Rangers. Jeff Goldberg has Daisuke Matsuzaka once again letting the runners on, and once again not letting them score. Bob Stern has the Red Sox pounding the Rangers one more time. Garry Brown has more on the demolition at Fenway. Phil O’Neill has another big inning leading the way for Boston.

Tony Massarotti has David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis proving to be a formidable 3-3 combination. Barbara Matson has Ortiz especially sorry to see the Rangers go. Ortiz has regain his power stroke in this series, and even enjoyed an early departure last night. Still, I can’t help but remember the reaction from the media when Pedro Martinez left the ballpark early after a start. I’ve got absolutely no problem with Ortiz (or Pedro) going home early, but it’s interesting to note the difference in reaction. Steven Krasner analyzes the lack of success by the Rangers pitching in this series. Massarotti says that the Blue Jays will provide a much stiffer test for the Boston bats.

Marty Dobrow has a minor league notebook in the Globe, and examines a rash of oblique strains in the Red Sox organization. Rich Thompson’s minor league notebook has Bartolo Colon on the road back to the majors.

Benjamin’s notebook has Jon Lester trying to help out Clay Buchholz. Horrigan’s notebook has Dice-K once again walking a tightrope last night. The ProJo notebook has more on Matsuzaka. Goldberg’s notebook says that Kevin Youkilis is making a case for league MVP. Brown’s notebook has Paul Byrd getting ready for his first Red Sox start tonight. O’Neill’s notebook also makes the case for Youkilis as AL MVP.

Patriots

Over on Patriots Daily, Scott Benson examines whether the Patriots can or will carry five running backs on their roster.

Christopher L. Gasper has a look at the Patriots signing of veteran safety John Lynch. Christopher Price has more on the Lynch signing. Carolyn Thornton says that Lynch could end up being a big presence in the Patriots secondary. Eric McHugh thinks Lynch should fit well here. Jennifer Toland writes that Lynch could fill the void left by Tank Williams being placed on IR. Mark Farinella looks at this year’s carbon-dated addition to the Patriots roster.

Karen Guregian says that adding Dom Capers to the coaching staff might be the best move the Patriots made in the offseason. Thornton has rookie QB Kevin O’Connell doing all he can to learn from Tom Brady. Guregian has more on the rookie learning how to play the position in his first NFL camp. Farinella has a look at Kenny Smith, who gets a feature written about him for the second day in a row. Thompson has punter Chris Hanson secure in his role with the team.

Price tells us what to watch for during Sunday night’s game. Ian M. Clark has a Ruud family reunion on tap for Sunday night. Mike McMahon looks at former Boston Patriot Daryl Johnson going into the Morgan State Hall of Fame.

Gasper’s notebook has Jason Webster getting close to returning to action for the Patriots. Guregian’s notebook has more on the signing of Lynch. Toland’s notebook has Dean Pees talking about some of his young players on defense. McHugh’s notebook examines the impact on he safety depth chart that the Lynch signing will have.

Misc

Steve Bulpett and Marc J. Spears report on the Celtics signing first round pick J.R. Giddens.

Spears also has the United States’ men’s basketball team taking care of business with Greece yesterday.

Mark Blaudschun has a media column on NBC Sports reporter Bob Neumeier. Neumy mentions that WEEI wasn’t “fair” in their contract offer to him, which is why he left his show with Dale Arnold.  

What Would You Do If You Were Theo?

Posted by Mike Giardi July 16, 2008 at 1:49 pm

I couldn’t make it to he 15th inning last night, no matter how hard I tried. Further proof that I am old. Not good times. Not good times at all. Anyway…

We’re just 15 days from the July 31st trade deadline. Already you’re hearing rumors about the Sox making a run at a big bat, which means either a) this is just a bunch of hooey or b) they’re as concerned about David Ortiz’s left wrist as the rest of us are. The problem here is the Sox are hamstrung by Big Papi’s return date, July 25th. That doesn’t give the team much time to evaluate his health and his potential for the final two months and a possible playoff appearance. So what will Theo do?

Well, for starters, the Sox’s GM has rejected a reported offer for Kevin Youkilis and Craig Hansen. In return, the Sox would get Mark Teixeira. Tex is one of a few big bats rumored to be on the market, along with Matt Holliday of Colorado and the Cincy’s Adam Dunn. But with Scott Boras as his agent, the word is he’s looking for 24 million per season. 24! Tex isn’t that kind of player. Heck, few are. Throw in the talk that he grew up an Oriole fan, and you wonder if giving Youk and Hansen up for a possible rental is worth it. Actually, I don’t wonder at all. I wouldn’t do that deal.

Of course, there’s a downside to all this. There are very few well-rounded sluggers out there, and Teixeira is one of them. At the age of 28, he should be in the prime of his career. And if the Sox are going to walk away from Manny at season’s end, they’ll need a replacement. Of course, it would be better to acquire an outfielder to slide into that hole, which leads me to Holliday.

The kid can hit. And while his career home and away splits are stunning, he’s been better away from Coors this year, hitting at a .301 clip with 5 homers in 146 ABs. But those still don’t compare to what he does at home (.368, 9 HRs, 37 RBI in 163 ABs). So that begs the question, could he thrive in the American League, away from the humidor? I’ve wavered on this, but now I’m ready to dive in and make this deal. Holliday’s 28, also entering the prime of his career, and I think he’s capable of doing a reasonable impression of Manny for the next few seasons. Plus, he’s under contract for one more year, which means if it doesn’t work, you’re not making the long-term investment that would be necessary for someone like Teixeira.

So what do you give up? Our friend Joe Haggerty at Hacks with Haggs quotes Tracy Ringolsby as saying the Rockies want two Major League ready players now and a prospect. Would Hansen, Brandon Moss and someone like Lars Anderson get it done? Or perhaps flop Justin Masterson with Hansen? Considering Moss appears to be blocked here, and Hansen clearly could use a change of scenery, I wouldn’t be opposed to making that kind of swap. Including Masterson instead would be more difficult, because I think he can really help out of the pen during this final stretch. If Masterson goes, Theo then might be forced to make another move for a reliever, and that means depleting the farm system even more. See, and you thought being the GM of a baseball team is easy. Not by a long shot, but Sox fans should feel like they’re in good hands. Theo’s already got two titles on his resume, and apears poised to add a third. All he needs is that magic touch.

Francona discusses his, Ortiz’ ailments

Posted by Extra Bases July 16, 2008 at 1:45 pm

Red Sox manager Terry Francona confirmed a report by the Globe's Gordon Edes today that said he would have an injection to alleviate numbness and pain on his left side today at Massachusetts General Hospital. Francona told WEEI's Dale and Holley show that the procedure is connected to an old back injury, and that today's day off is, "the only time I could do it."

"My body is falling apart at times," added Francona. "I've had a ton of numbness and weakness in my left arm. I've got to get it taken care of, because we've got a lot of baseball left to play." The Sox resume play Friday night in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels.

In other injury-related news, Francona said David Ortiz will play tomorrow in Pawtucket and will play for the PawSox until Sunday's game against the Toledo Mud Hens.

Ortiz showed flashes of his pre-injury self during batting practice before the All-Star game. "He was hitting some balls pretty deep up into that second deck, which is pretty good news for Red Sox fans," said Francona.

In the Eye of the Beholder

Posted by Mike Giardi July 13, 2008 at 9:38 pm

In honor of the Red Sox being in first-place at the A.L. East here at the All-Star break, I thought I’d run down the list of my favorite Sox players, from 30 some-odd years of watching these guys play. Without any delay, here’s what I got.

Fred Lynn - Built for Fenway. My favorite part of the Gold Dust Twins, although turns out Rice was the one who should be in the Hall, not Freddie. The man threw his body around the outfielder and had one of the great regular season performances in Sox history, with 3 HRs and 10 RBI against the Tigers. He had 39 dingers and 122 RBI back in 1979, before steroids dominated baseball. Those numbers were incredibly impressive then. How about now, knowing what we know? Once he left Boston, Lynn was good, but never reached the potential we thought he’d reach here.

Mo Vaughn - Oh sure, he had a thing for strip clubs. Hey, they treated him well and he could also get steak and eggs. And who doesn’t like steak and eggs? Actually, I’m pretty sure I’ve never had steak and eggs, but I like steak, and I like eggs; fried, scrambled, although not poached. Poached eggs are nasty, unless maybe its on Eggs Benedict, which reminds me, its probably been 10 years since I’ve had Eggs Benedict. Gotta put that on my things to do list. As for Mo, big power and an almost larger-than-life persona. Another guy who didn’t do jack once he left, but when he was here, I loved him.

Dwight Evans - His batting stance is what drew me to him. Always changing, but usually consisting of some sort of toe-tapping for timing mechanism. I may have duplicated that in Little League and Babe Ruth. Fortunately, there’s no visual proof. Lucky for me. Evans was a graceful rightfielder (8 Gold Gloves) with an arm that no one in baseball seems to possess anymore. Turns out he may have been a bit of a pain in the clubhouse, if what Cal Ripken and others will tell you, but I didn’t know that then.

Dustin Pedroia - Yes, its taken just a year-and-a-half for me to put in my top-10. Can he stay there? Why not? The kid is an unbelievable gamer, more talented than anyone gave/gives him credit for. Dusty consistently gives as good an at bat as anyone on this team, and that’s saying something when you look at the lineup and see Manny, Youk, David and J.D. I look forward to seeing him scrap for another half-dozen years. I really do.

Pedro Martinez - Quite simply, my favorite Sox pitcher. Maybe my favorite pitcher ever. What he did those first few seasons in Boston may never be matched! Never! When he was feeling good, as he often was during those seasons, he couldn’t get rid of the ball fast enough. Throw a nasty pitch, make the hitter look stupid, then repeat. All of his starts were events (until the Sox priced some of his fans out of the park), and the energy in the ballpark is unlike any I’ve felt, at least during the regular season. Plus, he’s responsible for one of my favorite Sox clubhouse stories ever, when he sat in a chair watching us wait for his brother Ramon, who had just pitched a tremendous game against the Yankees. Said Petey, with that big grin on his face, “I told you my brother would do that. I told you he’d show you a thing or two.” His pride was palpable. It was a cool moment.

Nomar Garciaparra - For years, he was an absolute joy to watch. I remember sitting alongside Dan Shaughnessy one time on “Sports Late Night” and he just threw up his hands and said something to the effect of Nomar being the perfect player, the perfect Sox (yes, Dan was speaking positively). I thought he’d be one of those guys who’d become a legend, and part of the first World Series winner in 80-plus years here. Turns out his getting shipped out of town was the catalyst for a champion. Stunning in how quickly it turned for him. For some reason, he thought the media had it out for him and his team. Maybe some did, but the man was treated like a King by most, untouchable by others. His is, to me, one of the saddest tales of any I’ve covered. I hope it was worth it, and I hope he’s happy out in L.A.

Don Baylor - The mere fact that the man wouldn’t move and take a 95 MPH fastball off the arm, hip or leg told me all I needed to know about this guy. An absolute beast, and tremendous in RBI Baseball for Nintendo way back in the day.

David Ortiz - This is obvious, right? As clutch an athlete as I’ve ever encountered, even if he fails in big spots from here on out. What he’s done since the start of 2003 - heck, what he did in the 2004 playoffs against the Yankees - is almost fictional. Plus, the man’s hilarious. So he’s got that going for him, which is nice.

Greg Harris - He could throw lefty and righty? At the Major League level? Ridiculous. He transitioned from being a decent starter in Boston to a horse out of the pen. 70 appearances when he was 36, 80 when he was 37. When you pitch in essentially half your team’s games, you have my respect. Plus, he wore glasses and looked kinda dorky, which made his success even more improbable.

Spike Owen - Part of that ‘86 team, who came over in the trade with Dave Henderson if I remember correctly. He couldn’t hit, but he went to the University of Texas and he was bald at the age of 22, not that’s there’s anything wrong with that.

Nuggetpalooza

Posted by Rob Bradford June 26, 2008 at 4:35 pm

Headed for the airport en route to Houston, but wanted to give you some time to digest another round of Nuggetpalooza from Gary from Chapel Hill …

Stats are through Wednesday.  Thanks to Baseball-Reference!
 
* - Jon Lester has now allowed 4 ER or fewer in 22 consecutive starts dating back to last season, the longest active streak in the majors.  Jake Westbrook (18) has the second longest active streak.  The longest streak (since ‘56) by a Red Sox pitcher is 32 starts by Pedro (’99 through ‘00) and Clemens (’90-’91).  It’s interesting that in all 32 starts in Clemens’ streak, Roger allowed THREE earned runs or fewer.   Lester has quite a ways to go to catch the longest streak ever recorded:  106 straight starts by Greg Maddux from 1991 through 1994. 
 
* - Jonathan Papelbon’s K% with the bases empty:  38.6% this year versus 39.0% last year.
 
* - Jonathan Papelbon’s K% with runners on:  25.5% this year versus 34.9% last year.
 
* - Teams have only stolen 5+ bases in a game 8 times all season and the Red Sox claim 3 of them.  No other team has done it more than once.  Before this season, the Red Sox had only stolen 5+ bases in a game six times in the last 50 years (none since 2002).
 
* - The Red Sox have thrown 6 shutouts in 33 interleague games since the beginning of 2007.  That’s the most in the majors (Detroit, 4) during that time.
 
* - On Wednesday, the Red Sox allowed just 4 total bases to the Diamondbacks.  They have now won 24 straight interleague games in which they’ve allowed 8 or fewer total bases (dating back to 2002).
 
* - Last Sunday, the Cardinals’ Aaron Miles had 5 hits, but didn’t score or drive in a run.  It was just the 18th time in at least the last 52 years that it has happened in the major leagues.  It was the 2nd time that it was a Red Sox opponent.  13 of the 18 such occurrences have been by a visiting player.
 
* - Also on Sunday, Kevin Youkilis became the 45th player to have 3 or more multiple HR games in his Red Sox career.  Jim Rice had 35 such games, while David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez have 29 and 28, respectively.
 
* - JD Drew is going to have to rally late to set the June slugging percentage mark.  He is currently at .885, while the top two are Mark McGwire (.915 in ‘96) and Norm Cash (.901 in ‘61).  He still has a great shot at the Red Sox’ June record of .784 (Jackie Jensen, ‘58).
 
* - Since the beginning of 2007, the Red Sox have put up a major league best .859 OPS in the 8th inning when tied or trailing by three runs or less.  Their 5 for 7 performance (with a double) in Tuesday’s rousing comeback is included.  The Rockies (.828) are second and the Yankees (.790) are third.
 
* - Happy 26th anniversary to Mrs. Gary from Chapel Hill!  Maybe we’ll go to a ballgame to celebrate!

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Bats silent at Fenway

Posted by Projo SoxBlog June 24, 2008 at 2:31 pm

Click the play button below to hear Sean's comments, recorded this morning. The topics: whether the Red Sox are missing David Ortiz more now than a week ago, the odd situation at first base last night, and the prospects of a trade for a second starting pitcher.

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:

On missing Ortiz: "I think it is starting to catch up to them. They seemed to be OK for the first couple of weeks. They were certainly riding J.D. Drew for the first couple of weeks of June, as he slid into that number-three spot and for a while at least there was no dropoff. But I suppose that it's inevitable that if you take a run producer of that magnitude out of the lineup for this long, it starts showing some effects, and I think we've seen it in the last week."

On the market for starting pitching: "Last year and the year before there was virtually no quality starting pitching available [at the trade deadline]. This year it looks like there's going to be a number of guys, including a number of left-handed guys, who are usually at even more of a premium. There will be some opportunities if the Red Sox want to upgrade. It will not be cheap of course. ... There will be plenty of teams looking -- the Yankees, Philadelphia, a number of teams are going to be in the market for starting pitching, and the Red Sox have to, like every other team, weigh the cost."

Did I Just Hear Remy Right?

Posted by Mike Giardi June 14, 2008 at 4:45 pm

I don’t know if you are out enjoying another hot, summery day, or listening to the radio, or what, but if you aren’t watching the Red Sox/Reds game this afternoon, you missed something I consider pretty telling. Red Sox color commentator Jerry Remy is doing the National Broadcast this afternoon, and he said he spoke to injured DH David Ortiz a couple of days ago and Big Papi said he still feels clicking in that wrist.

Now the Sox said Ortiz could play with clicking so long as there wasn’t pain (or too much pain). But Remy seems skeptical that the Big Bopper will be back at all, let alone anytime soon. Does he have more inside information than us, considering he’s with the team every day? Or is he just speculating? Only RemDawg knows. If Ortiz can’t return, what do you think that does to the Sox’s chances? Can they win the Division without him? More importantly, can they win a title without him? Don’t hesitate to get involved and get the comment section on this blog cooking.

 

Big Papi and Big Hoops

Posted by Mike Giardi June 3, 2008 at 7:15 pm

Before I get on to the Celtics, let me just say that the David Ortiz injury worries me, but I won’t get panicky unless the wrist won’t get right. Right away you worry about Manny. Unless J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell and Chris Carter (no, not that one. He spells it Cris…and he’’s an idiot) rake, there is absolutely no reason to ever throw Manny a strike again. And the Sox slugger is such a patient hitter, he’ll take walks. I say if Ortiz misses a month, Manny will take between 35 and 40 base on balls during this stretch. Its great for the OBP, but dudes below him better swing big bats or you might be talking about a couple of walks per game.

The only reason I don’t get crazy is because the Sox are better built to manufacture runs then they’ve ever been in my lifetime, even more so if Coco could get on base every once in a blue moon. Jacoby Elllsbury has a chance to be a very special player, and I wasn’t convinced that would be the case 7 or 8 months ago.

As for the Celtics, another busy day at the team’s practice facility in Waltham. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce held court for a second day, basically repeating their takes from a day ago. I get the feeling that Ray may have a good series now that his confidence has been restored. Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind if Kobe tortures him for 40. Hey, I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid.

Other bits and pieces…Kendrick Perkins thinks that Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess got him well prepared for Pau Gasol. In fact, I think Perk thinks this will be an easier task. You know what? I think he’s right.

Sam Cassell thinks there’s very little pressure on Rajon Rondo. He said it was similar to his situation in his rookie season with Houston, when he didn’t have any plays designed for him, and didn’t need to carry the offense. Cassell noted he had Hakeem and Clyde Drexler - 2 Hall of Famers - and Rondo plays with 3 future HOf’ers. The late-season acquisition also noted that nothing prepares you for the NBA Finals. The atmosphere is “crazy.”

James Posey wouldn’t reveal just how much time he’ll get matching up with Kobe (see my one-on-one interview with him on NECN.com), but says that its all about “team defense,” again a theme that has been very prevalent these last couple days (and all season, of course). It will be crucial for the C’s to make sure Kobe has to work defensively as well, something they did a nice job with in the two regular season meetings.

Doc Rivers is a huge fan of Derek Fisher, citing his character and basketball smarts. The C’s tried to get Fish this offseason, but he was no dummy, sticking to his West Coast roots and Kobe. Can’t blame a guy for that.

Paul Pierce thinks Kobe has great trust not just in Gasol, but all his teammates, and Doc feels like Phil Jackson has loaded up on shooters when those two are on the floor, making life easier for both, and Lamar Odom.

More tomorrow….

Big Pap-ain

Posted by Chris Collins June 2, 2008 at 10:34 pm

Personality Plus, Version 1

Posted by Mike Giardi May 10, 2008 at 8:43 am

On the weekends, we have a feature we call “Outside the Box.” Its when I fired off a bunch of questions to the guest that don’t always relate to the person’s area of expertise (though they sometimes do. Am I clear on this?). We’re going to start this on the web as well, using my guests, athletes and anyone else I find interesting to answer some tough, tough, tough questions. The only difference, I’m calling the blog version, “Personality Plus.” Truthfully, that’s what I wish we used for, the TV segment, but for some reason, I didn’t think of calling it that a year ago. Oh well.

This week’s victim, tomorrow night’s guest, Joe Haggerty. Hags writes for the Metro, Woburn Daily Times Chronicle, USCHO and is a regular contributor to Mike Felger’s radio show on ESPN 890. He also has a terrific blog, HackswithHaggs.com Call this is a cross-blognization, if you will. Without further adieu…here’s Hags managing to work killer viruses, Nomar and chain-smoking managers into one segment.

1) Biggest Surprise to the Sox’s start? That the Sox were able to get off to a 17-12 start through the end of April despite the travel issues, the raging Ebola virus that infiltrated the clubhouse and the fact that Mike Lowell not knocking in a run and David Ortiz ending the month hitting .198. I thought they would be two or three games under .500 at best. I was way wrong.
2) Best Interview in the Clubhouse? Love him or Hate him, Curt Schilling always has more to say than anybody else in the Sox clubhouse. I just need to make sure I bring a red light with me whenever I talk to him.
3) Best Interview You’ve Ever Done? There’s a few that come to mind. Boston pro sports-wise it would have to be Pat Murphy, Dustin Pedroia’s college baseball coach at Arizona State University. I still have the transcript up at my blog http://hackswithhaggs.com/2007/08/26/did-you-hear-the-story-about-pedroia.aspx and it was the single most popular thing I’ve ever put on there. I think that interview touched people because A) Murphy is really funny and B) People of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds can really associate with a fiery, undersized underdog. Outside of pro sports, I once interviewed a Stoneham High School quarterback who was playing in a summer football game designed to raise money for cancer research, and he was playing in the game as his older brother was dying of cancer at Mass General Hospital. I visited the older brother in the hospital and interviewed him, and it was the single hardest/most rewarding interview I’ve ever undertaken. It was a great reminder of how precious life is. Sorry to get so deep there.
4) Give me an off-the-radar name of a player the Bruins will chase in free agency or via trade (in other words, not Hossa). Good question. Brian Rolston. Yes, he’s 34 but this would also be a final mea culpa that the Jacobs, Harry Sinden and O’Connell completely botched the job coming out of the lock-out. If you can go out and get Mike Knuble and Michael Nylander, then even better. He would be great at the point on the power play with Zdeno Chara.
5) Is Dennis Wideman worth a big raise. I like Wideman and I think he’s going to get better. The fact that he is only 25 and was playing with a balky groin (that just sounds so bad) that needs surgery explains his slump at the end of the season. He has certainly proven he’s a top four defenseman, and something tells me Peter Chiarelli isn’t going to let go of the guy he traded Brad Boyes away to the St. Louis Blues for. Boyes scored 40 goals this season, right?
6) CD playing in your car right now. I have XM Radio, which has curbed my CD listening quite a bit. I’m a big fan of Ray LaMontagne. I have a shiny nickel for anyone in the audience who knows who that is. I’m just glad you didn’t ask me for the most embarrassing CD in my collection.
7) Worst Player Who’s Gotten a World Series ring for the Sox in 2004/2007? Nomar…oh, I’m sorry. I thought you said Worst Guy Who’s Gotten a World Series ring for the Sox. My bad!
Best Manager in Baseball…Love Jim Leyland despite the fact that the Tigers are underachieving. Gotta love a guy that still smokes in the visitors dugout at Fenway and then stamps out his cigarette with a Louisville Slugger. Good times.

Thanks to Hags, and again, check him out in a variety of spots, including HackswithHaggs.com.

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