Thanks for the Manneries

As a Red Sox fan I suppose I should weigh in with my thoughts on the Manny Ramirez saga. I would not have traded Manny but I understand why management did it. They simply felt they had no choice. Once a guy starts calling out management in the media, the point of no return is reached and that’s what happened here. I think Theo Epstein did the best he could in getting Jason Bay considering the corner Manny backed him into. Ramirez and David Ortiz were the best hitting combo in baseball and now that is over. That makes the Red Sox significantly less effective on the field. Yes, Bay will be more of a team guy and he’s a good player but I don’t know that he’s a difference maker. And that’s why Manny will be missed. He was always a threat and a clutch big game player. His aloofness allowed him to never be fazed by anything between the white lines. He was part of the aura of the Red Sox and they will miss that dearly. As for me, I say thanks for everything Manny. You gave Red Sox fans a great thrill for 8 years and two World Series titles that no one thought they’d ever see. For that, you will always be loved. It’s too bad that you allowed guys like Scott Boras to talk you into creating this mess over money. Yeah, it’s a business so no hard feelings but now the page turns and the Jason Bay era begins. It won’t be the same without you but, after all, it’s all about rooting for the laundry anyway and Bay is now wearing it and you aren’t. Good night and good luck in L.A.

Very Refreshing

Tonight is a great night for Major League Baseball and ESPN. For once, the “look at me” network is returning to its roots and showing an important pennant race matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. It is so great to see these two teams showcased on Wednesday Night Baseball instead of the usual Red Sox, Yankees, Mets and Dodgers fare. I chose to watch this tonight because it’s a nice change to see two teams I don’t see much of during the season battle for a division lead head-to-head. It’s also nice to watch and get to know these players because I think both teams will make the playoffs this year. It would be great for the sport if they did. It would mean having new blood in the playoffs. A lot has been said about each team in recent weeks as the small market Brewers have opened the wallet and are spending money to try to reach the playoffs for the first time since 1982. In getting guys like C.C. Sabathia and Ray Durham, the Brewers are stating that they are serious contenders. Of course, the Cubs in first place with Lou Piniella as manager is always a story as it’s now been 62 years since their last World Series appearance. It’s a four game series and the Cubs have dominated it so far. But more importantly, this series represents a contrast in styles. The Cubs have built their team with payroll while the Brewers have developed some of the finest young players in the game, proving that there is more than one way to win. I hope true fans of the game have watched and are watching this series because it showcases the turnaround of two perennial losing franchises and whenever that happens it can only make the sport more exciting. It’s interesting to watch some new contenders enter the pennant race mix. I, for one, am pulling for the Brewers to make the playoffs and do some damage because of all the young, exciting talent they have. It is a true team built from within and if they are able to win a World Series with this young team I bet they will be the new darlings of professional sports. We’ll see.

Nobody Did It Better

I was flipping channels the other night and came across the NFL Network. That night they were showing an old ‘98 NFC Divisional Playoff between the Packers and 49ers. It was the original live feed of the game from FOX complete with the original announcers, Pat Summerall and John Madden. I sat there for a while and watched a little of this old game just to hear Summerall’s brilliant voice once again. For me, Pat Summerall was the NFL Sunday experience. Now that he is retired, the NFL is just not the same. There’s truly a void in the broadcast booth these days. Hearing him do a game brings me back to my early days as a kid watching the NFL at my grandparent’s house on Sundays. Whenever I heard his voice, I knew it was game day and that it was a big game. I grew up on the NFL during the 1970’s and 80’s, an era when Summerall was at the height of his powers as the best in the broadcasting business. Nobody, even to this day, was ever better at NFL play-by-play work. Summerall was a man of few words but whose timing was impeccable and whose calls of different NFL games will always be etched in the minds of many men my age. He spoke so little doing the play-by-play but you never felt like you missed anything. Summerall was a master at letting the game talk to the fan and he would just add the necessary words to fill in the rest of the story. It is he who allowed John Madden to shine as an analyst and that is why their paring will never again be equaled on television. I often find myself longing for Summerall when the big games are played in January. Nobody can describe the big moments like he did. Joe Buck and Jim Nantz are competent lead network announcers but neither of them is Summerall. I don’t think there’ll ever be another like him. In fact, the only real peer left in the business is Dick Enberg at CBS. I grew up on Enberg also and he is fantastic but his style is a bit different than Summerall’s and a little less memorable. I guess I will always have a bias toward Summerall because he called so many games of my favorite team, the Cowboys, because he always worked for the network that covered the NFC. So, as the new NFL season approaches, if you’re passing by the NFL Network and you see an old CBS or FOX playoff game and you hear that familiar voice, stop for a moment. Stop and listen to a voice that is sorely missed now that it is retired.

Interleague Play Go Away

I know it’s not going to happen but baseball needs to end the interleague play experiment right now. Yeah, I know its all about the money and that’s why it will keep going but from a pure game standpoint this is an exercise in futility. You want Exhibit A as to why? Try this on for size: Can someone explain to me how in the rotating division setup you have the AL East playing the NL Central this year and neither the Red Sox or Yankees played the Cubs? I mean, come on, that’s a joke. The Cubs still haven’t visited Fenway Park since this fiasco began!!! Now does that make any sense?? I know as a big baseball fan that it makes zero sense to me. Red Sox or Yankees vs the Cubs would actually be something people would want to see. Instead we are treated to such gems as Red Sox-Astros and Yankees-Pirates. If the intent is to give fans something different then schedule the right teams against each other when the division alignments match up. But there doesn’t even seem to be division alignment anymore. For example, this year it was AL East-NL Central yet the Red Sox played Arizona (NL West) and Philadelphia (NL East) while the Yankees played San Diego (NL West) The Yankees didn’t even play the Cardinals!! I don’t understand this scheduling at all. It makes no sense and simply sends teams back and forth across the country for no good reason. It’s time to go back to tradition so the World Series has more drama to it. It actually might boost viewership if in the Series we get to see something we didn’t already see during the season. But that would be logical and Bud Selig and his cronies certainly have little of that at their disposal. But they have plenty of money as they continue to kowtow to their TV partners at ESPN and FOX. Interleague play exists only to rake in TV cash and promote inner-city or state rivalries such as Yankees-Mets, Reds-Indians and White Sox-Cubs. For the rest of the teams with no natural rival, it is just a forced entity that got tired long ago. Please end the madness now, Bud, for the good of the game. Yeah, again, I know. It ain’t happening.

I’m Back, But Same Old Road Sox

Well, It’s been a month since I’ve been in here and it was a much needed respite from things. My last post was about J.D. Drew and how he needed to step up in David Ortiz’ absence from the Red Sox lineup. I’m glad to say that I was wrong about Drew. He really does have a passion for the game. I still don’t like him or his contract but I must admit that he has sacked up big time in June and helped this team immensely. He now looks like someone that can actually help this team win. As for the rest of the team, it’s the same old story: dominant at home and clueless on the road. 19-25 away from Fenway and looking worse each series. I actually thought they were coming out of this road coma on the last road trip through Cincinnati and Philly where they won both series on a 4-2 trip. But now it’s back to the same suck we saw in May and early June. When they pitch they don’t hit, when they hit they don’t pitch. Losing a series this past weekend to the Astros? That ain’t the mark of a team destined for a championship. It is the mark of mediocrity and it is maddening. Right now they are 1-3 on this current 10-game trip (their third 10-gamer in four trips: that’s another blog piece altogether, which I’ll get to) and headed for a disaster the rest of the way. If they lose to Tampa tonight they will get swept here because they never beat Scott Kazmir and then it’s on to New York minus their number one Yankee killer, Ortiz. Can’t see them winning more than 2 there and the way they are playing now they will be lucky to get one. Tampa isn’t going away in this division and the Red Sox look old and slow next to these guys away from Fenway. I fear this Sox team is built like those of the 1970’s in that they are built to hit in Fenway and nowhere else. They are like the Rockies of the 1990’s. All good at home and all crap on the road. Somebody better light a fire under someone’s ass or the silde down the AL East pole will continue. Next up in the blog: My thoughts on MLB scheduling and the disgrace that is interleague play.