Kuzul

Marco Scutaro was the “highlight” signing of 2009’s offseason. For those who are true fans and/or have played the game, you know that he was not the big solution. In fact, he should never have been signed in the first place. He is simply overpaid and overrated. If the Red Sox did want to sign him it should have been at a much cheaper annual salary. 

Fans were becoming increasingly frustrated with the product being put on the field. No disrespect to Boston‘s finest, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkillis, Jon Lester and Dustin Pedroia but the fans simply did not feel that the overall product being presented to them correlated to the ticket prices they had to pay (the highest in all of baseball). 

2010’s offseason was different. This offseason the Boston Red Sox were very busy and rightfully so. It is thought across the MLB that the Red Sox and the Phillies were the two teams that improved their teams the most this offseason. The Red Sox signed All-Star veterans Adrian Gonzalez (formerly of the San Diego Padres) and Carl Crawford (formerly of the Tampa Bay Rays). The Phils bolstered their starting pitching by signing Roy Halladay (formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays) and Cliff Lee (formerly of the Texas Rangers).

My question to you is…which player is better out of those the Red Sox signed and why? Is it the new Boston Left Fielder, speedy Carl Crawford or is it the always reliable, defensive machine Adrian Gonzalez?

Carl Crawford has tremendous speed, solid outfield play, a great bat and it seems like the only thing he can’t do is fly. Adrian Gonzalez is not quite as mobile but has more pop with his bat and is probably an even better defender at his position (1B) than Crawford is at his (LF). Gonzalez does not have much speed but he has a detailed goatee which gives him extra brownie points.

Gonzalez’s goatee aside and being completely serious, Carl Crawford seems to be the better overall player. It will be interesting to see them play on the same team as they should fuel one another’s game and they will likely have career years in 2011.

It’s an exciting time to be a Boston Red Sox fan.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It’s time we all take a breather from worrying about the sports themselves and focus on the players involved. This article is written with the intent of recognizing that there are bigger things that we should be focusing on at this time in the world rather than sports. On 3/11/2011, an unprecedented 8.9 earthquake rocked the country of Japan. It brought devastation, injuries, life loss and widespread panic, but that was only the beginning.

After the earthquake hit, a gigantic 23 foot tsunami tore through the coastal areas of Northeastern Japan. The waves pushed inland as much as six miles in certain spots, devouring everything and anything in their way. We are reminded how strong the forces of nature that are out of our control truly are. If you are reading this article now, then please take a moment of silence to meditate on this tragic event and to pray to God for the safety of Japan and it’s people.

We hope the worst is now in the past, but danger still looms, as nuclear meltdown is the newest concern in Japan thanks to damage at three nuclear power plants inflicted by the mega-quake and powerful tsunami. You may be asking yourself, “How could this terrible, horrific event possibly tie into sports?”

In this gigantic melting pot known as the United States of America, the land of the free and home of the brave, we have taken in many Japanese athletes as our own and have grown to respect them in the process. We have looked up to them, we have cheered their names and now it’s time we reach out and send our condolences to them, their families and their friends. Our hopes and prayers are with you and we are thankful to have you all here competing in our nation. May God Bless America, God Bless Japan and God bless the whole world.

Here is a brief slideshow that points out all active major leaguers that come from Japan. Be sure to pray for all of Japan and its people, but say a special prayer for these major leaguers and their families as they take time away from baseball to focus on this tragedy.

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The year is 1941. The world is at war. Battles are raging and have been for two years now since the beginning of World War II in 1939.

At this point, the United States has successfully managed to stay out of this international conflict and remain neutral. All of that was about to change.

At 6 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, 1941, six Japanese carriers with 423 planes took position in preparations to attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

It’s now 7:02 a.m. Two Army operators at Oahu’s northern shore radar station detect the Japanese air attack approaching. They contact a junior officer, who disregards their reports. He believes the planes to be American B-17 planes that are expected in from the U.S. West Coast.

Therefore, Pearl Harbor is not on a state of high alert as per their intelligence, and there is no reason to believe an attack is imminent. Many officers and crewmen are leisurely ashore.

At 7:53 a.m., the first Japanese assault wave, with 51 “Val” dive bombers, 40 “Kate” torpedo bombers, 50 high-level bombers and 43 “Zero” fighters, commences the attack with flight commander Mitsuo Fuchida sounding the battle cry: “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!).

The Americans are taken completely by surprise. The casualty list includes 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians killed, with 1,178 wounded. Included are 1,104 men aboard the battleship USS Arizona killed after a 1,760-pound air bomb penetrated into the forward magazine, causing catastrophic explosions.

On the following day, Monday, December 8, 1941, America declared war on Japan. Three days later they declared war on Italy and Germany as well. America’s Great Depression, regarded as having begun in 1929 with the Stock Market crash, had just ended with America’s entry into World War II. This new war needed soldiers in order to be fought, and soldiers it would get.

Standing 6’3″, 205 pounds and heading into the last day of the 1941 MLB season, 22-year-old Theodore “Teddy” Samuel Williams was statistically hitting .400 (.3995). Manager Joe Cronin offered to rest Williams to preserve the batting average mark and give him the rare feat of hitting .400 in the major leagues.

Instead, “Teddy Ballgame,” AKA “The Splendid Splinter,” played in both games of a doubleheader and went 6-for-8 to raise his final average to .406. This type of fearless confidence defined “The Kid” in his young career and would continue to define him in years to come.

Ted Williams went on to play the 1942 season and hit a whopping .356 as an encore to his historic 1941 season. He missed the 1943-1945 seasons as he served his country as a fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps. In 1946 Williams returned to Major League Baseball. It was as if he didn’t miss a beat…as if the war didn’t even faze him.

In that, his first year back at 27, “Thumper” batted .342 with 38 home runs, 123 runs batted in and a .497 on-base percentage to win the AL MVP award. In the years leading up to 1952, Teddy Williams would enjoy similar achievements and success on the baseball diamond.

In 1952 he would once again serve his nation by fighting in the Korean War. He would also serve in 1953. Williams only salvaged 101 total at-bats between the two seasons that he served in Korea.

In 1954 Williams would return from war for a second time and play baseball for the Boston Red Sox. This time he was 35 years old but still he managed to hit .345 with 29 home runs and 89 runs batted in and did so in only 386 at-bats. Williams was a natural and would continue to tear the cover off the baseball in his later years.

In 1958, at the age of 39, he batted an amazing .388. To add an exclamation point to his career, in his last at-bat in Fenway Park, he hit a home run into the right field bleachers, No. 521 and the last of his illustrious career. That mark is good for a Red Sox franchise record and stands to this day.

Williams retired in 1960 after 19 seasons with the Red Sox and easily won election to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1966. He is also only one of five former Red Sox players to have his number (9) retired by the organization.

Picture what could have been had Williams not missed those five seasons from serving in WWII and the Korean War. Instead of hitting 521 home runs, he may have finished with about 671 home runs (based on an average of 30 HRs per year). This would have had him sitting at about fourth on the all-time home run list instead of sitting tied for 18th overall on the all-time MLB home run list, tied with Willie McCovey and Frank Thomas.

Can you even ponder what he would have accomplished if he had played even longer, which he probably should have?

Lastly, envisage how many home runs he would have knocked out of the park if he took HGH and/or steroids like the so-called superstars of modern Major League Baseball. The thought of what could have been brings goose bumps to my skin.

Teddy Ballgame is a poster child of baseball. His confident mentality, dedication, determination and passion for the game were, are and will always be second to none. He was a soldier, a hero, a legend…an American icon. If men such as this are still produced, then I have yet to meet one. I would bet those earlier goose bumps that you haven’t met anyone like him either.

Boston’s iconic left fielder passed away on July 5, 2002 at age 83. He is gone but not forgotten. We remember his valor and his talent. There will never be another man who walks God’s green earth who is quite like Ted Williams.

R.I.P. Teddy! I hope that you hit home runs from here to heaven.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

We have been waiting since last October for the fun of the MLB season to start anew. On Mar. 31, 2011 we will get our wish. By that day, all clubs are required to reduce rosters to 25 players and play ball! We have seen changes occurs this offseason as we typically do each year but one thing seems to remain consistent. The same powerhouse teams appear to be set to make a run at the postseason and the World Series.

The Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies highlighted the offseason free-agent frenzy. The Red Sox’s biggest moves were signing both Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez to long-term deals. They simultaneously managed to re-sign their tenured slugger David Ortiz to a one-year contract.

Meanwhile, the Phillies signed Cliff Lee to bolster their already stellar starting rotation and make them favorites in the NL to make a trip to the World Series.

Many other teams have made significant moves as well. Rather than go into further detail about which teams have made what moves, let us go over who the best players are from each of the 30 MLB teams’ rosters as they stand today. This analysis will help determine which players to draft for your fantasy squads heading into the 2011 fantasy baseball season.

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It’s time we all take a breather from worrying about the sports themselves and focus on the players involved. This article is written with the intent of recognizing that there are bigger things that we should be focusing on at this time in the world rather than sports. On 3/11/2011 an unprecedented 8.9 earthquake rocked the country of Japan. It brought devastation, injuries, life loss and widespread panic but that was only the beginning.

After the earthquake hit, a gigantic 23 foot tsunami tore throw the coastal areas of Northeastern Japan. The waves pushed inland as much as six miles in certain spots devouring everything and anything in their way. We are reminded how strong the forces of nature that are out of our control truly are. If you are reading this article now, then please take a moment of silence to meditate on this tragic event and to pray to God for the safety of Japan and it’s people.

We hope the worst is now in the past but danger still looms as nuclear meltdown is the newest concern in Japan thanks to damage at three nuclear power plants inflicted by the mega-quake and powerful tsunami. You may be asking yourself, “How could this terrible, horrific event possibly tie into sports?”

In this gigantic melting pot known as the United States of America, the land of the free and home of the brave, we have taken in many Japanese athletes as our own and have grown to respect them in the process. We have looked up to them, we have cheered their names and now it’s time we reach out and send our condolences to them, their families and their friends. Our hopes and prayers are with you and we are thankful to have you all here competing in our nation. May God Bless America, God Bless Japan and God bless the whole world.

Here is a brief slideshow that points out all active major leaguers that come from Japan. Be sure to pray for all of Japan and it’s people but say a special prayer for these major leaguers and their families as they take time away from baseball to focus on this tragedy.

Begin Slideshow

Derek Jeter now has five Gold Glove awards, winning his fifth gold glove at SS in 2010. Jeter has never ranked highly in advanced defensive statistics, typically ranking somewhere between below average and awful. Nevertheless, a legion of New York Yankees fans will swear he’s a great defender.

However, Jeter winning the 2010 AL Gold Glove has raised a lot of eyebrows. Many saw him winning as a clear sign that there are obvious flaws with the Rawlings Gold Glove selection system. This was not the first time that the system’s “flaws” have been brought to light.

“It has long been accepted—and for good reason—that the worst choice ever for Gold Glove was Rafael Palmeiro in 1999.” — Joe Posnanski

Raffy played only 28 games at first base that year and 135 games as a designated hitter. This is a pure case of laziness on the part of the coaches/managers. Selecting a player who had such limited showings at the position he won a gold glove at is insulting to the other players who work so hard throughout the year to attain that very award; it is irresponsible. Proper time and effort needs to be put into the decision making process of who wins a gold glove, but as you can see from this example, that is not always the case.

My question to you is, what system isn’t flawed? If we do change from the current Rawlings Gold Glove system that started in 1957, then what would we change to? Regardless of the system, the coaches and managers should collectively vote to determine the victors.

No matter what that system is there will be lazy selections and there will always be debate over whether one player deserved the award more than another player in that given year. I open up this article to you the fan for suggestions on how this system can be corrected or improved.

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Spring training is upon us. The Red Sox have been busy this offseason. The Yankees, on the other hand, were uncharacteristically quiet. How could the New York Yankees make noise this offseason with a payroll of over 200 million dollars? Yes, even the “Evil Empire of New York” has limitations on how much they can spend.

This article will break down the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry as it stands today and forecast what the 2011 season may hold for each team and/or their players.

Looking at the resurgence of the Boston Red Sox this offseason by means of key acquisitions Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, one has to wonder, will the Red Sox push the Yankees around in 2011? Are they better than the Yankees? 

When Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman was asked if he agrees that the Red Sox are better on paper today than the Yankees, he said,

“I would agree because they have a deeper starting rotation. I’m not saying they’re going to beat us. We’re not conceding anything. But if somebody asked me right now, they might be a finished product. We’re an unfinished product,” he said last night at a charity event.

“But you don’t win championships in the winter, you win them in the summer. We’re looking forward to going head-to-head with everybody and anybody.” 

“That does not discount anything I have got here,” Cashman said. “It’s just that I have more work to do. I might have the answers right here in front of me. I like what we have coming. Is it ready right now or not yet for an American League pennant race? We’re going to find out and weigh that vs. what becomes available over time. But what I do have, I’m very proud of. And what I do have is going to compete for that title. Can I make it better? I can make it better.”

His opinion that, as of now, the Red Sox are better is shared by most in baseball. There are of course exceptions, including Hank Steinbrenner.

On Tuesday, Hank Steinbrenner had this to say about Brian Cashman’s comments and where his team stands heading into the 2011 MLB season..

“I think we’re the hunter. At the end of the day, listen, no one’s conceding anything. No one’s conceding anything. But as I described the other day in full force, if this was the start of a race..from their winter, they (the Red Sox) qualified for the pole position. Their pole position right now is better than ours because of the winter that they had compared to the winter that I personally had.”

“When you guys are looking at me straight-faced in the eye and (say) what did you think about their winter and where does that put them compared to you, I think they’re the hunted, we’re the hunter and that’s as simple as that and I don’t think anybody would disagree with that,” Cashman said.

“You can make with it whatever you want, I don’t really care, but that’s not selling us short. I like our talent. I like our talent a lot. I give myself an incomplete. Simple as that. If you want to insult anybody …I’m insulting myself. It’s as simple as that. I have more work to do.”

Brian Cashman also was quoted as saying, “We have a lot of talent here because they (the Steinbrenners) allow us to go the extra mile to try and find as much as we can to put us in position to succeed,” Cashman said.

“We almost got back to the World Series but almost obviously is not good enough in our market, so every now and then, a healthy reminder of what comes with not crossing the finish line, that’s going to happen. Why we fell short, how we fell short, the bottom line is we fell short.”

Now that we have heard the sentiment from around the league, let’s now analyze for ourselves which team is better. A good place to start is by looking at the projected opening day lineups. Next, an assessment of the two team’s defenses and pitching staffs will be in order. Lastly, every team is only as good as the coach(es) behind it, so we will take a look at each team’s coaching staff.

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