Tag Archives: Jacoby Ellsbury

December 6, 2012 · 5:48 AM

Just Starting?

Wow, I go on vacation and the Red Sox find their checkbook.

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Flying Hawaiian, Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, and Jonny Gomes all in the fold. The rumor is the team secretly met with Josh Hamilton, and could be shopping Ellsbury.

Here’s my theory.

The team signed Napoli to play first but also signed him so Hamilton has a friend in the clubhouse. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is already one of Hamilton’s close friends. I think the team wants him and they’re trying to insulate themselves with good guys so Hamilton is insulated.

Then the team can trade Ellsbury for a starter, move Hamilton to center, and keep Victorino in right. Or flip flop the two and Hamilton is in right.

I think the team is actively shopping Ellsbury even though the Sox are saying no. One rumor was even Cliff Lee coming from Philly straight up for Ellsbury. I’d make that trade. Lee’s a horse. A rotation of Lester, Buchholz, Lee, Lackey (remember he’s coming back, and apparently helped recruit Napoli), and Doubront doesn’t look too shabby on paper. Of course we know, paper teams win nothing (see 2011 Red Sox).

So let’s hope the team isn’t done and a big trade and possibly Hamilton are in their plans. I’m still not buying tickets, but at least they’re trying to improve themselves.

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July 30, 2012 · 5:38 AM

I’ll Take This One

ESPN led their article on last night’s recap with the following:

Could a stirring, 10th-inning win, punctuated by Bobby V’s ejection, save the season for the Red Sox?

No. No it could not.

It’s time to seriously take stock in your team. You’re just back to .500. You’re in last place, 9.5 games out of the division. You’re 4 games out of the Wild Card spots. You’re starting up at Oakland (playing the hottest baseball in the AL), the Angels (who just got Zach Greinke at the deadline), along with divisional foes Baltimore, Toronto, and Tampa. Oh and Detroit who you start play with on Monday is sitting 3 games ahead of you in the standings.

Instead of conceding the season you have Uncle Larry sending letters to season ticket holders advising them not to give up. You haven’t heard about this? Well, thanks to my awesome Googling ability I’m able to supply you with an actual copy:

Can you imagine if any other major team in our market sent this letter? Just how naive does this assholeface Uncle Larry think the fans are? Apparently very. I’m this letter is not even worth the paper it’s written on. If I had got one of these in the mail I would use it as toilet paper on my next trip to America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.

Beloved by who fuckfaces? Rich people? People that watch the game on TV? It’s certainly not beloved by men that are taller than 5’6″ that have to cram themselves into a grandstand seat. Or sit in seats that don’t even face the action.

It’s not meant to be another I HATE FENWAY rant. It’s not. It is supposed to be a “STOP THE MADNESS” rant.

So how about we call a spade a spade. The season is a lost one. Your front office is a clusterfuck. The GM didn’t hire his own manager. The president did. The GM hired a pitching coach, and then the manager brought in his own. The decisions are being made by six different people, none of which communicate with each other.

You have an outfielder in Carl Crawford who’s a free agent bust. Period. Playing like a minor leaguer most of last season he hit the DL to start this season. As he’s ready to come off the DL turns out that Dr James Andrews says his elbow could blow up at any moment. He need Tommy John surgery. But this stupid management chooses to play him on a regular basis instead of letting him have surgery in the midst of a lost season. Why? Because they don’t want the fans to see their free agent signing is a bust.

Hey management, he’s a bust. We see it. So is Lachey and Matzucrappa while we’re talking about it.

So please, please, please, BLOW IT UP. Make some bold moves. Let Crawford have his surgery. Trade Beckett. Trade some of the outfielders. If someone calls you for a king’s ransom for Ellsbury, let them have him. Start listening to your REAL fan base that HATES Josh Beckett. Get him out of here. Work this off season to trade Lachey who the fans also hate. Let Dice-K walk in free agency. Let guys like Morales pitch. At least we know they still give a shit.

Firing Francona was like doing a bathroom remodel, removing the toilet and leaving the shit. It’s quite apparent the manager had little to do with it as the same core group of underachievers is still underachieving. I blame the players first and foremost and in a close second, Uncle Larry and Puppet Ben.

BLOW IT UP. The clock is ticking.

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July 19, 2012 · 5:46 AM

Trade Crawford?

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With the MLB non-waiver trading deadline coming up, I’m watching the rumor mills like a hawk. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/ is really the best site I’ve found for this stuff. It’s a cornucopia of trade rumors and you can sort by team.

Yesterday’s big headline was the Sox had started calling around offering Carl Crawford. The rumor was Crawford to the Marlins for Hanley Ramirez. Then it was Ramirez and Jose Reyes. Then it was Ramirez or Reyes.

This report came from Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. A respected journalist who certainly has reputable sources. His reports were shot down by Peter Gammons when he was on with Felger and Mazz yesterday afternoon.

Here’s my issue. Gammons is a guy I used to go to for everything. But then he left ESPN. Now he works part time for MLB and part time for the Sox. The second one is suspect.

How are we supposed to believe that Gammons isn’t on the Sox payroll? Meaning he’s collecting a check from the Sox can they compromise his integrity? “Peter, when you go on the air, deny the Crawford rumors.” And like a good soldier he follows orders?

I’d like to think it’s not true but at the same time I picture Lucchino standing next to him while he’s on the phone making sure he says what the Sox want out there.

I know Crawford sucked last year, will need Tommy John, and has a contract he’ll never be worth. But you know Ellsbury is leaving when his contract is up, and since they’re essentially the same player wouldn’t you try and move Ellsbury?

Or is the plan to dump Crawford’s contract and throw the kitchen sink at the oft injured Ellsbury?

Regardless, I have to say, I love hearing this kind of rumor. It shows the club wants to win now and wants to make a bold move to do it. Now whether or not they have the balls to pull the trigger…

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July 10, 2012 · 6:33 AM

The Break

The Red Sox season has taken a merciful break. The wrapped up the first half limping to a .500 finish while dropping three of four to the Yankees over the weekend. They currently sit 9.5 games out of first place and in last place in the AL East.

Where do they go from here?

Well, the fans don’t think very far according to a poll over on ESPN.com. I have to agree.

Take out the likeness factor that I’ve talked about for most of the year and even back to last year. We know we don’t like this incarnation of the Red Sox. But it’s about the name on the front as my buddy Matty says.

The team is set to get back Buchholz (upset tummy), Crawford (Sally wrist), and Ellsbury (longest shoulder injury ever). In theory that would upgrade any team in a minute. But let’s look at it a little closer.

Buchholz is actually having the worst season of the “big three” in the rotation. His ERA is currently the 6th worse in the AL. So getting him back from the DL on an upset tummy, not really a good thing. If they said something was off on his mechanics and he needed to work it out, you’d feel so much better than an upset tummy.

Crawford has already said he’ll need surgery after the season. Don’t do us any favors Carl. You just go have it now. Your anemic .220 batting average can find its way back to the lineup next year. We’re in no rush to see you.

Finally Ellsbury and his shoulder. After his MVP like season last year, we really hoped he’d gotten over his sandyvagititus. He hasn’t. With Boras coaching him along to stay on the DL, his potential will never be realized. Hall of Famers are Hall of Famers because they put up those MVP type seasons every year. They don’t sit out half a season with an ouchie. Jacoby will never be the player he could be because he refuses to toughen up.

So think back to the Johan Santana for Ellsbury and Lester trade that was offered a couple years back. You’d pull the trigger on it today right? I mean for all that Santana was hurt in NY, Ellsbury was hurt up here. Lester has become mediocre almost overnight. It’s sad.

So I’m in the belief of a team that will possibly finish below .500. Sure they may get over .500 a few more times but I think last September will repeat itself. So again, I hope they blow it up. Start trading guys. Ellsbury, Beckett, Matzucrappa, even Lester. Watching the young guys play .500 baseball beats the shit out of watching these multi-year millionaire contracted assholes on the field.

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August 25, 2011 · 6:38 AM

Then and Now

On a night when the Sox saw David Ortiz return to the lineup and dump a 13 spot on the Rangers it’s time to take a closer look at a couple of players in the lineup.

I’ll start with Jacoby Ellsbury. Here’s a guy that last year was on the DL for all but 18 games. Many speculated that his agent, Scott Boras, was acting as a puppet master. Boras telling his client to stay out as long as possible so he’d be healthy to cash in on his pending free agency (even though it’s still a couple years away).

In the off season we all had Ellsbury being sent to San Diego in the Adrian Gonzalez trade. We didn’t care. We thought this guy was soft, had (dare I say) sandyvagititus. Then he showed up at camp, not traded to San Diego, and we still questioned whether he would be tough enough to play.

We had Johnny Damon. Now think pre went to the Yankees Damon. He was the toughest guy in the Sox lineup. He would crash into the walls with reckless abandon, play hurt, and was a tough guy. It took a concussion from Damien Jackson to knock this guy out of the game (and many would argue cost the Sox the 2003 ALCS).

Flash forward to this year and Ellsbury has been an MVP caliber player. Last night was just another snapshot in what’s been a spectacular season. He’s batting .315 with 23 home runs (obviously a career high), 81 RBI’s and 93 runs. He’s clearly the spark plug for this Sox offense as was evident of the Sox offense going to sleep when he was out of the lineup.

If he wins the MVP this year, I think it will be great (Gonzalez will give him a run for his money). He’s proved, so far, that his injuries last year were the real deal and that when healthy he’s a legit good player.

Then you have Carl Crawford. Coming off a career high in so many categories he cashed in huge this past off-season with a massive seven year $142 million free agent contract. Then proceeded to puke on his shoes out of the gate and never really recovered.

Taking last night’s performance out of the argument, he has not lived up to expectations. So much so that the Sox placed him on waivers yesterday. Sure the team won’t really allow him to go in a trade with no contingency plan, it’s still interesting to see the Sox put him out there. The last guy with a contract like his that was placed on waivers at this time of year? Manny Ramirez and we all remember how that ended.

Here’s hoping the Sox keep up this offensive push with one more today against Texas. Then back to Fenway for a hurricane series with the A’s.

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