The Red Sox of Old

Former Manger Terry Francona (left) and former GM Theo Epstein (right)

Beer, chicken wings, and video games. These are three common interests for many adult males. They're also apparently very popular among the Red Sox pitching staff.

In a span of merely three weeks, the Boston Red Sox organization has seemingly fallen apart. On the last day of the season the Red Sox blew a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth to the Orioles to concede the wild card to the Tampa Bay Rays. This was just the beginning of heartbreak and anger for Red Sox fans. Just days after loss, the Sox decided to fire acclaimed manager Terry Francona, who led the team to two World Series championships in seven years with the team. Within weeks after Francona left, it was reported that general manager Theo Epstein was leaving to take a new position with the Cubs (now official). 

Now that both men have left the organization, reports have come out from members of the team's management that things had gotten out of control towards the end of the season. Rumors have been flown about saying that Francona was dealing with a divorce and medical problems, possibly leading him to lose control of his team. Evidence of mismanagement arose when a story in the Boston Globe reported that Boston's top three starting pitchers drank beer, ate friend chicken, and played video games on days that they weren't scheduled to pitch. What!?

As a Red Sox fan for most of my life, I've had the fortune of not having to deal with these types of heartbreaking, mind-boggling collapses. They've made it to the playoffs regularly over the past seven years, including two World Series titles. However, prior to 2004, the Red Sox were a franchise built upon suffering and late season mistakes, including not winning the one World Series since 1918. The names synonymous with these breakdowns include Aaron Boone, Grady Little, Bucky Dent, and, most  famously, Bill Buckner. It appears that these days are back.

With the Red Sox season over, reporters and fans of the team continue to look for the scapegoat and ultimate reason for this year's collapse. Some say it's Francona's leadership, others say it's because of a lack of proactive ownership (John Henry). Other reasons include mismanagement of players and player transactions, overpaying for disappointing players (I'm looking at you Carl Crawford and John Lackey), not developing a better farm system, and, of course, the most tried and true excuse: injuries.

No matter what the reason is for Boston's disappointing season (and it's most likely a combination of a few previously mentioned), some serious changes need to be made to this organization. In my opion, the Sox have become similar to the Yankees teams that I've always hated. They spend millions of dollars on mediocre free agents and don't develop the players in their farm system. Instead of paying Carl Crawford $150 million over seven years, let's accumulate some draft picks and look for the next Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis, or Dustin Pedroia. Making quick, rash decisions like Lackey and Crawford will ultimately hurt the Red Sox in the long run. In order for the Red Sox to reclaim their glory, they're going to need to rebuild from the ground up with players and management.

Oh yeah, the two winningest teams from this past season, the Yankees and Phillies, both lost in the first round of the playoffs in glorious fashion. Cheers to another lowly watched World Series.

Written by Josh Brackett

For those interested, here are some more stories about the Red Sox collapse: 

Epstein thanks Red Sox in ad
Jon Lester: Beer drinking "wrong"
Lester: "We're all still good guys"
Henry says he opposed Crawford signing
Varitek: Sox "got along just fine"
Varitek: No drinking in the dugout

The Nyjer Morgan Experience



Nyjer Morgan has taken Major League Baseball and the city of Milwaukee by storm this year. He has run away with the 2011 Brian Wilson Craziest Man in Baseball Award. His ability on the field is one thing, but what is going on inside his head is like entering a whole new world.

Morgan came up in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ farm system. Making his debut in 2007, his energy instantly brought new life to the team. The 2009 season was when Morgan really began to make his mark as many avid baseball fans may remember. The Pirates decided to trade the speedy Morgan to the Washington Nationals mid-way through the 2009 season. Morgan went on to steal 42 bases that year. During his brief tenure with the Nationals, Morgan’s contributions may have been highlighted more by an incident where he charged the mound than by his play on the field. The biggest move of Morgan’s career was when he was traded from the Nationals to the Milwaukee Brewers before the 2011 season. He has made his presence felt ever since.

If you had to describe Nyjer Morgan’s play on the field this season, you probably would have called it solid. If you had to describe Nyjer Morgan as a person this season, then one word definitely will not be enough. Morgan is a man with not one, but two explosive personalities, if you count his alter ego Tony Plush of course. Morgan’s post-game interviews have become so unpredictable and so wild that you almost root for him to be the player of the game just so you get to hear what’s on his mind. Whether he is talking about keeping it “real professional” or “tickling the ball into the outfield” or self-proclaiming himself Tony Plush or talking about his “plushdamentals” or running post-game interviews of Prince Fielder for the local TV station or dropping the f-bomb as a TBS reporter attempts to get an interview, you have to admit that the man adds great entertainment value. I mean, come on, we are talking about a man who had a walk-off double this year, and was confused when his team was rushing toward him because he thought it was the eighth inning. If that isn’t living in your own world, then I don’t know what is.

Nyjer Morgan has brought new life to the Milwaukee Brewers and has also brought media attention that the Brewers have never gotten from simply playing baseball. Recently Morgan has brought the “bear claws” to the Brewers. Basically after a big play, everybody on the team does bear claws (pictured above). Sound stupid to you? Well it shouldn’t because the Texas Rangers rode a similar campaign to the World Series last year. Whether you love Nyjer Morgan or hate Nyjer Morgan, he brings swagger to a team and teams ride swagger deep into the playoffs. Don’t believe me? The San Francisco Giants rode the Brian Wilson swagger train to a ring last year. The teams that you would expect to be in the World Series don’t have silly celebrations and they don’t have a single player with enough swagger to encapsulate an entire city. Name me a player on the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees or the Philadelphia Phillies that can do that. You can’t because there aren’t any. There is no coincidence that Nyjer Morgan and the Brewers are in the National League Championship Series and I wouldn’t be surprised if they rode him to the World Series. AHHHHHHH!

Agree or disagree? Leave a comment.

Written by Kevin Rossi

TV Ratings- Phils Push It To New Level

A very interesting piece from SportsBusiness Daily regarding this season's MLB TV ratings. Do the Phils have the push and the staying power to start their own regional network?

Read it here.