Kuzul

Gone are the familiar names that have graced the grass of Fenway Park for the last couple years.

Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, Kevin Youkilis and others have either been traded or signed elsewhere. What is left is a team of aging and oft-injured veterans, as well as unproven prospects.

But this is Boston.

If there is a will, there is a way.

Key Newcomers

Joel Hanrahan, RHP (FA Pit  36 SV 2.72 ERA)

Mike Napoli, C/1B (FA Tex .227-24-56)

Jonny Gomes, OF (FA Oak .262-18-47)

Shane Victorino, OF (FA LAD .255-11-55-39SB)

Ryan Dempster, RHP (FA Tex 12-8 3.38 153K)

Stephen Drew, SS (FA Oak .223-7-28)

Key Departures

James Loney, 1B (FA TB .249-6-41)

Impact Player

Dustin Pedroia (2B) was one of the only constants during last season’s debacle.

Coming off an injury plagued 2011 season, Pedroia rebounded by hitting .290, leading the team in RBI (65) and stealing 20 bases.

Boston needs another healthy and productive year from Pedroia if they have any chance of competing in 2013.

Top Prospect

 Xander Bogaerts (SS)  had an excellent 2012 minor league season, batting .307-20-85 between Single and Double-A.

Expected to make his debut in 2014, Bogaerts will fit nicely with Pedroia as the future of Boston’s infield.

Projected Line-up

1. Shane Victorino, RF (.255-11-55-39SB)
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B (.290-15-65-20)
3. David Ortiz, DH (.318-23-60)
4. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C (.222-25-59)
5. Mike Napoli, 1B (.227-24-56)
6. Will Middlebrooks, 3B (.288-15-54)
7. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF (.271-4-26-14)
8. Jonny Gomes, LF (.262-18-47)
9. Stephen Drew, SS (.223-7-28)

Projected Rotation

1. Ryan Dempster, RHP (12-8 3.38 153K)
2. Clay Buchholz, RHP (11-8 4.56 129)
3. Jon Lester, LHP (9-14 4.82 166)
4. Felix Doubront, LHP (11-10 4.86 167)
5. John Lackey, RHP (Did not pitch in 2012)

Closer

 Joel Hanrahan, RHP (36 SV, 2.72 ERA)

The Good News

  If the team can stay healthy, the pitching holds u, and the off-season acquisitions adjust quickly, the Red Sox could be surprise contenders in the AL East.

The Bad News

 The team has been plagued by injuries for the last two years, and the off-season acquisitions are a group of aging veterans and has-beens.

The Reality

 This once strong tower, which crumbled to the ground at the end of the 2011 season, will not be rebuilt overnight.

The offseason moves will help lay a good foundation and also provide trade bait if the season gets out of hand quickly. Provided the injury bug does not bite again, I project that the Red Sox will be as competitive as they can be in the toughest division in baseball until they finally fade away down the stretch.

Projection

 79-83 No. 5 AL East

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With Opening Day only a few hours away, the crack of the bat is soon to be heard. The eyes of the sports world will shift from the dreariness of winter sports, to the excitement of baseball and the thrill of the approaching summer months. 

Last season was a memorable one for Major League Baseball. There were numerous perfect games (and near perfect games), including a perfect gem in the playoffs by Roy Halladay; Ken Griffey Jr’s retirement; the surge and disappointment of Stephen Strasburg; and the resurgence of the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants.

This season will be no different. There will be thrills and disappointment. But first, here are some players who will make the most impact in their respective leagues. These are the pre-season all-star teams.

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Earlier this week, the Cincinnati Reds signed veteran shortstop Edgar Renteria to a one-year, $2.1 million contract.

Renteria was signed to fill the hole left by Orlando Cabrera after the Reds announced that they would not re-sign him.

However, Renteria will not be the everyday shortstop. He will back up Paul Janish, who in his rookie season last year batted .260 with five home runs.

After having his option declined by the San Francisco Giants, Renteria signed with the Reds for much less. After sending the Giants to their first World Series title since 1954 and earning World Series Most Valuable Player, Renteria felt that he had been disrespected by their offer.

Edgar Renteria brings another veteran presence to this young Cincinnati clubhouse. Renteria, who played in St. Louis for five years, had connections with the Reds through general manager Walt Jocketty, formerly with St. Louis, and Scott Rolen, also a former Cardinals player.

“Edgar addresses the need for veteran leadership,” Jocketty said. “He’s a veteran middle infielder that can play shortstop and help Paul Janish. It’s a good move. He still has a lot left in him.”

Renteria, who turns 35 this year, was injured throughout most of last season. In 72 games, he batted .276. He has a .287 lifetime batting average and .344 on-base percentage. He is also a five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time Gold Glove winner.

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This slideshow is a tribute to baseball’s all-time team. The players have been selected due to their enduring accomplishments and achievements.

I must note that no players who have been involved in a steroid scandal are included in this slideshow.

However, there are several players who endured off the field controversies. I chose to include these players because I felt that these off-field scandals neither increased nor hampered their performances.

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George Lee Anderson, otherwise known as “Sparky,” passed away at a hospice near his California home on Wednesday.

Anderson was a manager in Major League Baseball for 26 years. He is best known as the manager of the “Big Red Machine” from 1970-1978, where he led the team to two World Series.

A native of South Dakota, Sparky was signed out of high school by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1953. Sparky labored for five years in the Dodgers’ minor league system before being traded to Philadelphia.

The Phillies immediately thrust Anderson in the starting lineup, where he played 152 games at second base but only batted .218. The next year, Sparky returned to the minor leagues. He never played another game in a big league uniform.

Sparky decided to become a manager and was given the job of managing the Triple-A Toronto Maple Leafs in 1964. He was a coach for the San Diego Padres during the 1969 season. After the season, Sparky accepted the job as manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

Immediately, there was an outcry in the city of Cincinnati. No one had ever heard of Sparky Anderson. The headline in The Cincinnati Enquirer read: “Sparky Who?” Reds fans were outraged that the club had hired a no-name outsider.

But the outcry did not last for long, as Sparky led the Reds to 102 wins and a trip to the World Series in his first year. The Reds lost the series to the Orioles, but Sparky was now a Cincinnati legend. The Reds made the World Series again in 1972 but lost to Reggie Jackson and the Oakland Athletics.

In 1975, the Reds won a team-record 108 games and finally won the World Series by beating Boston in a famous seven-game series, which is considered by some to be the best World Series ever. Anderson and the Reds brought home another World Series in 1976 by sweeping the New York Yankees.

During his time with the Reds, Sparky was known as “Captain Hook” for his impatience with his starters.

The Reds fired Anderson (maybe the worst move in Reds history) in 1978 after missing the playoffs for two years in a row.

The Detroit Tigers jumped on the chance to hire Sparky, which they did halfway through the 1979 season. The Tigers won a franchise-record 104 games in 1984 and also beat the San Diego Padres in the World Series. Anderson was named American League manager of the year that year.

In 1986, Sparky became the first manager to win 600 games in both leagues. However, after finishing in second place in the division in 1987, the Tigers lost 103 games in 1989, a season in which Sparky left the team for one month due to stress.

Sparky retired from baseball following the 1995 season, a season in which the start was delayed due to the strike.

Sparky Anderson was elected, as a Cincinnati Red, to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. The Reds also elected him to their Hall of Fame and retired his No. 10 jersey.

Sparky holds a very unique legacy. He is the first of only two managers to win a World Series in both leagues.

Sparky will be missed by baseball fans around the world, not only for his winning teams, but also for his contributions to charity. In 1987, Anderson founded a charity geared toward children’s hospitals.

George Lee “Sparky” Anderson: 1934-2010

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For the first time in my life, I am ashamed to call myself a Cincinnati Reds fan. I have endured 15 straight years without a playoff appearance, twelve of which have been losing seasons. In 2000, Ken Griffey Jr. was traded to the Reds. He was supposed to be the missing piece to a team that had just missed the playoffs the year before, after going 96-66. Instead, Griffey spent time on the disabled list during every season in Cincinnati.

Great American Ballpark opened in 2003 and was supposed to bring a fresh start. Instead, the Reds lost over 90 games and were forced to rebuild their roster. They traded stars Aaron Boone and Jose Guillen, in an effort to implode the roster and rebuild.

The Reds have had rocky leadership during these 15 years. They have had several owners, presidents and general managers. In addition, the Reds have had seven different managers since 1995.

Through all of this, I have stuck with the Reds. I was never ashamed to call the Reds my favorite team because, even though they were terrible, they played hard and never quit. They did not win very many games because they just did not have the talent or leadership. But they never quit.

I was overjoyed when the Reds won the National League Central Division and made the playoffs this year. I felt, along with most Reds fans, that my loyalty had been rewarded.

But when the Phillies completed the three game sweep of the Reds in the NLDS, I felt like I had been cheated. The Phillies did not defeat the Reds. The Reds beat themselves. They had the opportunity to win, but they played like they just did not care about winning. They did not play with enthusiasm and intensity. They abandoned the fundamentals and it seemed like they just gave up.

The Reds had six errors in three NLDS games. They looked like a bunch of little leaguers wearing Reds jerseys. They were making bad throws, and dropping and bobbling balls.

The Reds left 23 runners on base in three games. That was inept. The Reds could not turn the Phillies mistakes into runs scored. 

They also could not hit the ball. The Reds only had 11 hits in the series. Granted, they faced great pitching, but they could have at least put the bat on the ball. The Reds struck out 24 times. The Phillies’ pitchers made the Reds look like children.

As a Reds fan, I am passionate about my team. I love baseball and I love the Reds, but I was embarrassed. This is the worst performance that I have ever seen from an MLB team. I hope the Reds have learned their lesson from this series. Perhaps next year, they will try to win the games, instead of trying to lose them.

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