Tag Archives: Red Sox

On the Red Sox-Yankees 19-inning marathon

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It’s all my fault. Sometime late in the 6th inning, I wrote this:

God, I was so stupid. Because I then went and watched the first episode of Daredevil, and when that was over, we turned to ABC WHAM-13 (which the Yankee game was simulcasting on here in Rochester) expecting to see the end of the news. And not only was the game on and in extra innings, they were in a blackout delay because of some problems with the lights.

  And when they did start again, the game went on, and on… and on…

David Ortiz hit a home run, but the Yankees then tied it up. The game went to the 17th inning.

 

Some began to lose it:

Other became philosophical:

Some tried to look towards survival:

But, eventually, it finally ended:

What do we do, indeed. Oh, and kudos to Dutch actress Clarice Van Houten (AKA Melisandre from Game of Thrones), who proved her Honkbal cred by staying for the entire game:

And now…maybe, we can go to sleep.

 

NAAAAAAHHHH, more games start today at one! We can sleep during the off-season!

“30 Teams, 30 Posts”: Happy Evacuation Day, Boston Red Sox (and a look at their off-season acquisitions)

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In 30 Teams, 30 Posts, I write a post about every MLB team in some way in the lead-up to the beginning of the 2015 season. Previous installments can be found here. Today, I celebrate Evacuation Day by talking Red Sox.

On March 17, 1776, as the Colonial forces reinforced their siege with cannons taken from Fort Ticonderoga, the British decided that their position in Boston was too threatened to be sustainable. So they left. And there was much rejoicing. In fact, to this day, Bostonians celebrate “Evacuation Day”, a city holiday that totally wasn’t chosen specifically as an excuse to give the heavy Irish-American population of Boston an excuse to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day without coming up with an excuse to leave work.

So, in honor of St. Patri- err… Evacuation Day, today we are talking Boston. Red Sox, that is.

To be more exact, let’s talk about the guys they acquired this off-season:

First off, the big guy (pun only somewhat intended): Pablo Sandoval. Some Red Sox fans, upon seeing him in spring training, thought he was overweight. Well, maybe he is, but that’s just Kung Fu Panda. He’s always like that. However, that hasn’t stopped him before, and he has the reflexes needed for third base. And he can still hit, of course, and with him now in the AL, he can DH at times, although of course David Ortiz will usually be in charge of that.

Next, Hanley Ramirez. He’s finally returned to Boston, after being traded by them way back in 2005 in the Josh Beckett deal. Now, he’s going to be a left-fielder. This could be interesting, seeing as how Hanley Ramirez has never played outfield before, much less had to deal with the odd bounces of the Green Monster. This will really be something to watch.

Wade Miley, acquired from the ever-anonymous Diamondbacks, is in some ways as anonymous as the team he came from. He’s good, but not great. He had a great rookie year in 2011, but has been middle-of-the-road since then, with a 3.94 ERA. Still, maybe a change in scenery will do him good and get him back to his rookie self.

Rick Porcello also has joined the Red Sox, acquired in the Cespedes deal, as well as Justin Masterson, signed the same day. Alexi Ogando and Craig Breslow also signed. Porcello should be a fine addition, but Masterson, Breslow and Ogando will have to bounce back from injuries and off-years.

How all these deals work out may determine how Boston does this year in the AL East.

 

 

 

Best of 2014- How Babe Ruth’s trade was reported (Updated!)

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Originally published on July 9, 2014.

This is an updated version of an article from last fall, now including things from The Sporting News of the era. Thanks to the Society of American Baseball Research (of which I am now a member!) for the access to the Sporting News archive, which made this update possible.
It could be said that the last vestige of the “Curse of the Bambino” fell last year, as the Boston Red Sox won the World Series in Fenway Park itself for the first time since 1918. To be more exact, they were the first Boston team to clinch the title at home since this game.

Take a look at that game. And notice how different it was: it took only 1:56 to play, it was a day game and only 15,238 were in attendance. It took place in September since the season was shortened due to WWI travel restirctions. Hall of Famers Harry Hooper and Babe Ruth (who was used as a defensive replacement, despite still being primarily a pitcher at the time) were on Boston, and HOF umpires Bill Klem and Hank O’Day were working the corner bases (there were only four umpires in the playoffs back then).

Of course, that ended up being the last World Series game that Ruth would play for the Red Sox, because on December 26 of the following year, he was infamously sold to the New York Yankees. And that’s what brings us to this article, where I take a look at how the Ruth sale was reported in the papers of 1919.. or, rather, 1920, since it took TEN DAYS for them to officially announce it.

(JUMP)

Continue reading →

How Babe Ruth’s trade was reported (Updated!)

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This is an updated version of an article from last fall, now including things from The Sporting News of the era. Thanks to the Society of American Baseball Research (of which I am now a member!) for the access to the Sporting News archive, which made this update possible.
It could be said that the last vestige of the “Curse of the Bambino” fell last year, as the Boston Red Sox won the World Series in Fenway Park itself for the first time since 1918. To be more exact, they were the first Boston team to clinch the title at home since this game.

Take a look at that game. And notice how different it was: it took only 1:56 to play, it was a day game and only 15,238 were in attendance. It took place in September since the season was shortened due to WWI travel restirctions. Hall of Famers Harry Hooper and Babe Ruth (who was used as a defensive replacement, despite still being primarily a pitcher at the time) were on Boston, and HOF umpires Bill Klem and Hank O’Day were working the corner bases (there were only four umpires in the playoffs back then).

Of course, that ended up being the last World Series game that Ruth would play for the Red Sox, because on December 26 of the following year, he was infamously sold to the New York Yankees. And that’s what brings us to this article, where I take a look at how the Ruth sale was reported in the papers of 1919.. or, rather, 1920, since it took TEN DAYS for them to officially announce it.

(JUMP)

Continue reading →

Baseball Card Haiku Project #15: 1992 Score Ellis Burks

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In which I write Haiku-style poetry about a potpourri of baseball cards I found in a value pack. Because, well, it’s my blog.

1992 Score Ellis Burks

EllisBurks1992ScoreEllis Burks played for

the Red Sox in Nineteen Nine-

–ty two. Centerfield.

Headlines from around the Continuum: October 31, 2013

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Baseball-related headlines from the Newseum:

(Note that I try to copy the style of the paper as well, hence why some are in ALL CAPS while others aren’t. Also, I ignored extremely basic headlines like “World Series Preview” or “Cardinals Win”. I’ll occasionally make an exception for the team’s “home” newspapers)

Headline: Red Sox win 2013 World Series with Game 6 rout of Cardinals

Boston Globe: TESTED AND TRIUMPHANT

Boston Herald: PAPI PARTY! (Another cover on Twitter, possibly for a special section or whatever, says HOME FREE!)

Metro-Boston Edition: BOSTON STRONGEST

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: IT’S OVER

Bakersfield (CA) Californian: SOX IN SIX

La Opinión (Spanish-language Los Angeles): !REYES DEL BEISBOL! (KINGS OF BASEBALL!)

The Gazette (Colorado Springs): BOSTON REIGNS

Hartford (CT) Courant: Boston’s Redemption Song

New Haven (CT) Register: BOSTON THREE PARTY

Fort Myers (FL) News-Press: CHAMPIONS! (Fort Myers is the spring training home of the Red Sox)

Tampa Tribune: FRENZY IN FENWAY

Honolulu Star-Tribune: ‘FLYIN’ HAWAIIAN’ SOARS

Belleville (IL) News-Democrat: Cards go out with a whimper

News-Gazette (Champaign, IL): END OF THE ROAD

Sun-Journal (Lewiston, Maine): SO GOOD, SO GOOD!

The Enterprise (Brockton, Mass.): SOX STRONG

Herald News (Fall River, Mass.): WORLD DOMINATION

Metro West Daily News (Framingham, Mass.): TRIPLE CROWNED

Cape Cod Times: One more time!

Milford (Mass.) Daily News: Believe It!

Standard-Times (New Bedford, Mass.): RAGS to RICHES

Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Mass.): FEN-TASTIC

News Tribune (Jefferson City, MO): WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY

Concord (NH) Monitor: REDEMPTION

Union Leader (Manchester, NH): Finally, Fenway!

The Telegraph (Nashua, NH): REDEEMED

Providence (RI) Journal: CHUMPS TO CHAMPS

Salt Lake Tribune: BOSTON 3 PARTY

Burlington (VT) Free Press: FENWAY MAGIC!

USA TODAY: SOX BRING IT HOME

Edmonton Sun: RED SOX ROCK

Waterloo Region Record (Kitchener, Canada): Party like it’s 1918

Toronto Metro: SOX SOAK IN THE GLORY

Toronto Star: BOSTON STRONGEST

Imagen de Veracruz (Boca del Rio, Mexico): !Solo Boston! (“Only Boston!”)

Reforma (Mexico City): !Con toda la barba! (Roughly “With full beards!” or “In full beards!”)

(Headlines from other countries were more-or-less Spanish translations of some of the more cliche headlines)

How Babe Ruth’s trade was reported

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It may be premature, but it could be said that the last vestige of the “Curse of the Bambino” is about to fall, as the Boston Red Sox have a chance to win the World Series in Fenway for the first time since 1918. To be more exact, they have have a chance to be the first Boston team to clinch the title at home since this game. In 1918, due to WWI restrictions, the 1918 season was shorter and the World Series happened in September.

Take a look at that game. And notice how different it was: it took only 1:56 to play, it was a day game and only 15,238 were in attendance. Hall of Famers Harry Hooper and Babe Ruth (who was used as a defensive replacement, despite still being primarily a pitcher at the time) were on Boston, and HOF umpires Bill Klem and Hank O’Day were working the corner bases (there were only four umpires in the playoffs back then).

Of course, that ended up being the last World Series game that Ruth would play for the Red Sox, because on December 26 of the following year, he was infamously sold to the New York Yankees. And that’s what brings us to this article, where I take a look at how the Ruth sale was reported in the papers of 1919.. or, rather, 1920, since it took TEN DAYS for them to officially announce it.

(JUMP)

Continue reading →

Game 1 of the World Series summed up in one GIF

Image

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It was that kind of night for the St. Louis Cardinals. Look for more tomorrow, including the “Mr. Octobers” of tonight. Spoiler alert: Both of them were members of the Boston Red Sox.

The 2013 World Series Preview/Prediction Spectacular

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It’s time to preview the 2013 World Series!

…After the jump, of course:

Continue reading →

Headlines from around the Continuum: October 20, 2013

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Baseball-related headlines from the Newseum:

Story: Red Sox win Game 6, advance to World Series

Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT): A GRAND VICTORY

Honolulu Star-Advertiser: VICTORINO GRAND SLAM SENDS BOSTON TO THE WORLD SERIES

Boston Globe: The improbable dream team soars into World Series

Boston Herald: VICTORINO LAP!

Herald News (Fall River, Mass.): WE’RE BACK, BABY

Metro West Daily News (Framingham, Mass.): AIN’T IT GRAND

Cape Cod Times: GRAND FINALE

Detroit Free Press: SLAMMED SHUT

La Prensa (Managua, Nicarauga): Del sótano a la Serie Mundial (Roughly “From the basement to the World Series”)

(There were also plenty of other front page headlines, including some from Mexico, Venezuela and Asian countries, but they were all either rather generic or in a script that I can’t put into a Google translator. Oh, there was also some headline from Mexico that seemed to be about how a government official was in Boston watching the playoffs, but I wasn’t sure enough to include it.)