Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Sports Bloggers, I Love You

Like any good start-up, I'm pivoting. That is, I'm changing up my focus as I've finally seen the light: the niche, the topic, the users that I love and admire and want to see succeed are sports bloggers. Time to do right by them.

As a result, I've launched Blog Don't Lie, a blog on sports blogging. I invite you to check it out and leave your take in the comments section after launch. Thanks!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

NESN Claims '11 Sox Better than '27 Yanks

Last week, NESN.com writer Eric Ortiz wrapped this late Christmas gift for Sox fans everywhere: the chance to vote on the nickname for new first baseman Adrian Gonzalez! (As you know, all great sports nicknames are artificially manufactured online then put to a fan vote before the player actually plays a game for that team...).


But this wasn't the mortal sin committed by Ortiz as he attempts, rather successfully, to ignore baseball before the year 2004.


No, Ortiz decided to spit on Red Sox and baseball history just a bit more by claiming, "There will never be another Ted Williams, but Adrian Gonzalez is close."


Sox fans everywhere should be crying, OUTRAGE! BLASPHEMY! SACRILEGE!


This week, Ortiz was at it again.


Clearly trying to irk Yanks fans everywhere, the title of his latest post reads, "2011 Red Sox Will Challenge 1927 Yankees for Title of Greatest Team in Major League History."


OUTRAGE! BLASPHEMY! SACRILEGE!


I need to hand this one to Ortiz: his ploy to prod the already frustrated Yankees fan base worked wonders, at least in the case of this Cranky Yankee Fan. Once I finished cleaning my room from tossing every movable object around in pure outrage and shock, I looked up the numbers from that '27 Yankees team:

  • 110-44 record.
  • Swept the Pirates in the World Series.
  • Four pitchers with 18 or more wins.
  • Team ERA of 3.20 and WHIP of 1.30.
  • Team BA of .307.
  • Murders' Row lineup that featured (in order of plate appearances): Earle Combs, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Tony Lazzeri, Bob Meusel, Mark Koenig, Joe Dugan, and Pat Collins.
In his ode to awful ideas, Ortiz essentially equates Dustin Pedroia, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis to Combs, Gehrig, Ruth and Lazzeri. 

By the way, those Yankee stat lines, in case you (or Ortiz) wanted to look at -- oh I don't know -- actual performance?

Combs: .356/.414/.511, 6 HR, 64 RBI, 15 SB
Gehrig: .373/.474/.765, 47 HR, 175 RBI
Ruth: .356/.486/.772, 60 HR, 164 RBI
Lazzeri:  .309/.383/.482, 18 HR, 102 RBI, 22 SB

If we toss in Meusel for good measure, that adds a none-too-pedestrian .337/.393/.510, 8 HR, 103 RBI, 24 SB.

I almost hate myself for needing to point this out. By arguing against this NESN blogger's homer hogwash, I almost dignify the idea that the 2011 Red Sox would compete with the 1927 Yankees for alleged "best team ever". But this had to be said -- it's too ridiculous a claim (ESPECIALLY before they've even won the World Series...OR EVEN REPORTED TO CAMP!).

The Ortiz blog on NESN.com is called "Instant Opinion."

I think it should be re-named "Instant Coffee." As in, crap.



And now, the Rundown...please save me from this insanity, Other Red Sox/Yankees News. Sigh...


  • The Yankees remain ahead of the Sox in ticket demand, according to this article by the Boston Herald.
  • The always-entertaining and informative Yankee U blog subscribes to the credo of Axl Rose: Patience.
  • MLB.com offers a list of league 2011 Resolutions, and equates Burnett to Beckett.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Yanks/Sox Worst Nightmare: The Boston Yanks

Part of the impetus of this blog was trying to discover and/or build a community of Yankees fans living in enemy territory in Boston.


I can say with certainty that there are thousands of Yankees fans living in and around Boston without a meeting place, bar, community hall or so much as a street corner where they can convene.


Yanks fans in Boston are, in a nut shell, hermits of the sports world: huddling inside, never revealing their true passions too loudly in public, and nary a glance outside (especially when the Sox sign major free agents...).


So you can imagine my shock and amusement when Googling "boston yanks" revealed the following: Boston Yanks, NFL team from 1944-48.




So, what if the Yanks moved to Boston and became the Boston Yankees? After all, it's not the franchise itself but the location that breeds a fan base (just look at teams that shift locations, from the baseball Giants to the Sonics/Thunder in the NBA.) Would I be forced into rooting for the Mets? For a Boston-based team?


Would New York suddenly despise Derek Jeter? How would the city of Boston receive the incoming Yankees? How would they sell any tickets in that market? What would happen to the rivalry? Would the Yanks suddenly sport tons of facial hair and stop showering?


Better move to the rundown before my head explodes -- this is like contemplating infinity.




  • It's no secret just how lefty-heavy the Sox will be...does the team agree that this is a problem?
  • Just uncovered a solid new site for deep fantasy leagues called DeepLeague.com: check out the second-tier prospects listed and how the Yanks and Sox stack up (hint: it's pretty lopsided).
  • Everyone is talking about how the Sox will be the team to beat in the AL East. But has there really been a changing of the guard in the division? Last time I checked, titles aren't won in December. Come to think of it, regular season games aren't won in December. Patience, people!

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Thanks for reading - Happy Holidays!



Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Future Free Agents Not So Bright

Since failing to sign Cliff Lee, the party line I've heard most from staunch Yankees fans has been to point out that the team known for spending smart and spending big now has a ton of extra cash to blow. This could only mean more/better players to surround an already potent core. Right?


Not so fast.


Take a look at the future class of free agents next offseason. Specifically, scroll down to the list of future available SPs.


Slim pickin's if you're the Yanks, no?


The best case scenario is that they sign somebody like CJ Wilson, who has proven himself to be a capable No. 2 starter, throws hard from the left side, and is, by his own admittance, a less talented Cliff Lee.


But he will be 31 next offseason, and the Yanks aren't getting any younger. Looking around the league at other top-of-the-rotation anchors worthy of long-term contracts and you'll see the trend -- all the good young arms came up in that team's system (for the most part). The list includes Felix Hernandez, Zack Greinke, Adam Wainwright, Tim Lincecum, David Price, John Lester, and Ubaldo Jimenez.


They all seem to have risen within their own organizations to prominence, which gives their teams a distinct financial advantage until they start to command more dollars after minor league contracts expire.


I'm not saying that the Yanks have no chance to land a solid young arm via trade, but I do believe it's time we start paying at least half as much attention to developing minor league talent that can one day elevate to the top of the rotation -- the next Phil Hughes or (gasp) Joba Chamberlain, if you will.


Otherwise, we risk the worst fate any team can suffer (and no, not losing) -- becoming a stale, aging, middle of the road team that reaches the playoffs but never wins.


This is a premature assumption, but given the A-Rod deal, Jeter, Mariano, Posada, and the rotation behind CC, it's a valid one as we enter a new decade.