When the Red Sox Won the World Series in 2004...

A Wednesday night in late October 2004, in a dorm's common room in Ithaca, NY, about 18 college students all focused on a low-def TV attached to a wall. On the screen, a ground ball bounced lazily up the middle to Red Sox closer Keith Foulke. After collecting the ball, he trotted a few steps toward first. As the ball left Foulke's hand and spun toward the waiting glove of Doug Mientkiewicz, time froze in my mind. It was happening. It was actually happening.

Until that moment, I feared the Red Sox would blow it somehow. That they'd find a way to lose Game 4, then the series, completing the worst collapse in the history of sports, because that's what I was convinced they had to do. In the years leading up to this moment, I had read and heard about Buckner in '86, and Dent in '78, and Enos Slaughter in '46. Aaron Boone's homerun the year prior was my generation's firsthand experience of The Curse. They must lose. That was the way of things.

Mientkiewicz would drop the ball, the Cardinals would rally in the 9th and win the game. The Sox would lose 4 straight, mirroring the 3-0 collapse of the Yankees in the ALCS, making the choke even more spectacularly painful. All that late-inning magic, all those stressful games, all of it a buildup to the biggest disappointment in sports history.

None of that happened.

Mientkiewicz caught the ball. Once I unfroze time, only a second had passed but it felt like more than a minute. Jumping around in jubilation in the common room wasn't enough. We ran outside to the quad, yelling, screaming, hugging. Our yells drew Sox fans from the surrounding buildings, who poured out into the night to join us. As the crowd grew, someone suggested we run to the fountains on the other side of campus. There, other groups of Sox fans from other parts of campus seemed to somehow know to meet us. It must have been some psychic connection, or some notion of a central location to gather. It wasn't coordinated on social media. Twitter didn't yet exist. We wouldn't know what Facebook was for another 2 weeks, when it swept across Ithaca College's campus in early November 2004.

Hours later, after we'd all returned to our dorms and our rooms, at about 1:30 a.m., a friend from North Reading came to my room and said he couldn't sleep. Neither could I. We decided to drive to Boston, along with our RA from Newton. We drove 6 hours. My friends slept, I stayed awake and watched the sun rise over Massachusetts, shining down on the home of the World Series Champs for the first time in 86 years. That's 1,032 months, 4,472 weeks, 31,411 days, 754,000 hours, 45.2 million minutes, 2.7 billion seconds.

2.7 billion seconds, and I still clearly remember that last second, the one I froze, as the ball and landed in Mientkiewicz's oversized first-baseman's glove. That moment felt like it lasted a minute. The feeling lasted longer. I can still go back to that moment and relive it, and feel that feeling again. It's great. Pure joy.

So yeah, it was pretty cool seeing the 2004 Red Sox back at Fenway Wednesday night.

Photo Credit:
Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

Just Put Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens in the Hall of Fame

I don't like Barry Bonds. I don't like Roger Clemens. I hate both of them and think the tremendous success they had in the late stages of their career was due to their PED usage. I also think they're both jerks. I enjoy seeing bad things happen to them.

However, they belong in the Hall of Fame. And the BBWAA has no right to act as self appointed avengers, bringing baseball "criminals" like Clemens and Bonds to justice for their sins. The BBWAA has no right. Because the BBWAA were silent partners in the PED era dominated by Bonds and Clemens.

Countless players were shooting up and cycling right under the noses of the BBWAA. Arm muscles grew to the sizes of leg muscles. Players recovered from injury at an inhuman pace. And the writers did next to nothing to investigate the real cause. These miracles were attributed to wondrous advances in sports medicine and training technology. The BBWAA made no effort to investigate the effects of PEDs, and then look for those effects being displayed by players. "You still have to hit the ball," was a common dismissal of the theoretical impact PEDs could have.

And even after baseball admitted it had a PED problem, moral indignation and outrage was selective. Writers and fans in Boston, for instance, were quick to attack New York players who were listed as PED users. Myself included. Those same writers and fans were just as quick to forgive and embrace David Ortiz. And we didn't question Manny Ramirez's production in Boston until he wasn't in Boston anymore.

Then there were the San Francisco "journalists" and fans who vehemently defended Barry Bonds to the bitter end. Bonds was portrayed as a victim of being disliked, a victim of reputation, a victim of envy, even a victim of racism.

Most of us wanted asterisks added to records and achievements. In retrospect the entire era deserves an asterisk, not just a few players. And how come there are no movements to add asterisks to known spitball pitchers, or those who stole signs? Red Sox fans who wanted Bonds' records stigmatized with an asterisk don't request that the same be done to the 2004 World Series, or to series MVP Manny Ramirez.

In hindsight, it would be dumb for a player NOT to take PEDs during that era. There were no consequences. The sports media and BBWAA weren't putting any serious effort into questioning the gargantuan numbers and muscles of the era. The League ignored the issue, the Players Association denied it, the teams paid for it, we the fans LOVED it. The writers also gained financially as the game's popularity boomed because of the homerun explosion.

And now we want to punish a few players for what many/most did? Who are we to judge when we loved the product? Who are the BBWAA to determine the right and wrong of something they went out of their way to avoid discovering? The biggest sports story in decades was happening right in front of them and it took years and a Congressional investigation to unearth it? What right do the BBWAA have to judge an era's morality when they were part of it?

The Baseball Hall of Fame isn't a Hall of Morality. Just look at Ty Cobb, or the violent and overindulgent Babe Ruth, or the racist Tom Yawkey. How many other morally repugnant men have been enshrined? How many cheaters? What about admitted spitballer Gaylord Perry? If the BBWAA wants the Hall to be clean, they should start with the garbage inside before focusing on the garbage outside.

Removing morality from the equation, you can only assess players by comparing them to their peers who played in the same era. You can't, for instance, compare Rogers Hornsby's 301 career homeruns to Craig Biggio's 291 and say that they're comparable. But you can compare Biggio to players who played at the same time. So if we're comparing Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds within the context of the era in which they played, they were still the best. Bonds was the best hitter of the PED era. Clemens was one of the best pitchers. There's no arguing that.

The BBWAA wants to clean something that stained the game of baseball. But the BBWAA themselves are also stained. That entire era is. It's over. It happened. The BBWAA did its part to allow it to happen. It can't be reversed or righted. Certainly not by a bunch of holier-than-thou sportswriters who enjoyed the ride and profited from baseball's return to popularity. All that can be done now is to compare the players who played in that time, choose the best ones, and send them to Cooperstown.

The BBWAA failed to do its job back when Bonds and Clemens were playing. In an illogical response to that, they've assumed even more responsibilities. They've made themselves into judge, jury, and executioner of baseball sinners. And they don't have the right or the capability to fulfill that role. They should just vote for the best players.

Comparing the 2004 and 2012 Red Sox

Last night the 2004 World Series winning Red Sox team was honored at Fenway Park. For some reason, the Sox chose to commemorate the 8th anniversary of this event. Whatever. Must sell tickets. Must continue streak.

Compare the 2004 and 2012 Red Sox and the differences are extreme, top to bottom, on the field, in the clubhouse, inside the Front Office.

The pitching was better in 2004. They had two potential Hall of Famers in Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling. Then solidity after that with Wakefield, Lowe, and Arroyo. 933 combined career wins from those five guys.

The hitting was also better. Assisted by PEDs, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were the best 3-4 combo since Ruth/Gehrig. The Sox led the AL in runs, OBP, and SLG. The 2012 Sox offense is inconsistent, 4th in runs, 7th in OBP, 6th in SLG.

The 2004 Sox had a better attitude. The players were laid-back. They had a Manager that allowed that easygoing attitude. Kevin Millar, Johnny Damon, Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz were entertaining characters. Quieter guys like Bill Mueller and Derek Lowe seemed to enjoy the Millar/Manny sideshows drawing all the attention.

The Manager also balanced a pair of prima donnas (Pedro and Schilling). Both of them remained focused on the same goal: winning. Terry Francona got the most out of those two just like General Eisenhower got the most out of Patton and Montgomery in World War II. Francona kept everything low key.

In 2012, Bobby Valentine goes out of his way to keep players on edge. He criticizes them in the media, and he doesn't move on and let things go.

The GM is different too. In 2004, Theo Epstein had the balls and the authority to trade Nomar. Could you imagine, in a pennant race, Ben Cherington being allowed to trade a star player?

Players, managers, and GMs change. But the ownership is still the same. Or is it?

In 2004 the owners owned just the Red Sox. They had no other concerns. And their only goal was to win the World Series, at all costs.

Now they own a struggling soccer team in Liverpool. And the aims of the Red Sox is scattered and out of order. It's tough to figure out which objectives are the most important for them. They have to sell tickets, use the media to besmirch ex-players, lie about sellout streaks, market the ballpark, overspend on free agents, and somewhere in this mess of priorities is trying to win ballgames.

In 2004, the Red Sox were John Henry's biggest concern, his main focus. Now, when the '04 Sox are honored at Fenway, the owners aren't even present.

The Sox were once Fenway Sports Group's entire empire. Now they're just a colony, and Larry Lucchino is the Imperial Governor, appointed by King John to run day-to-day operations.

But Larry Lucchino hasn't run the Sox, he's ruined them.

The way ownership operate this team is the biggest difference between 2004 and 2012.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Athletics Sign Manny Ramirez

The Oakland Athletics have signed career controversy maker Manny Ramirez to a 1 year deal worth $500,000. The steroid assisted slugger will have to sit out 50 games before he can play, but I think this is a good signing for all parties involved. The Athletics risk almost nothing to acquire a player with 555 homeruns under his belt. He'll be able to play for over 100 games and if he doesn't work out, then little is lost. And for Manny, he gets an opportunity to earn a larger contract in 2013.

The Athletics' 51st game will be May 30th in Minnesota. The A's host the Red Sox for 3 games starting July 2nd. Sadly, the Athletics will make their only trip to Fenway Park well before Manny's suspension.

Hopefully one of those games gets rained out and a makeup game can be played in August or something.

Bloody Sock Award for Toughness

This Award typically goes to an athlete that fought through injuries, or severe adversity. Someone who displayed an almost inhuman ability to tolerate pain. However this year this Award is not going to an athlete. Nor is it going to someone who displayed physical toughness. This is going to someone who demonstrated an uncanny amount of mental toughness and character.

Former Red Sox Manager Terry Francona.

While in Boston, Terry Francona coached such lamentable people as Manny Ramirez and JD Drew. And in 2011, he managed a team that didn't seem to care about winning, a team with jackasses like John Lackey, and spoiled fake-tough-guys like Josh Beckett. And he has NEVER uttered a negative word about these guys to the media. That's saintlike patience and discretion.

Then he had an ownership group that saw fit to dismiss him. And he honorably took responsibility for losing the clubhouse and left Fenway with grace and class.

Then the same ownership group leaked stories about painkiller abuse. Only then did Francona speak up.

We as fans find it hard to tolerate Josh Beckett's tomfoolery. He as manager had to. And he did it as well as anyone can. Beckett had his contract, which was a luxury Francona didn't have in 2011. Beckett and his buddies acted like douchebags. Francona carried himself with class and he still hasn't said a thing about his former players, the guys who essentially cost him his job.

Manny Being Arrested

Manny Ramirez was arrested last night in Weston, Florida and was charged with battery. Allegedly, he slapped his wife Juliana in the face, which also caused the back of her head to strike the headboard of their bed.

Manny reportedly told deputies that he'd grabbed his wife by the shoulder's, "shrugged her" and that's how she hit the back of her head. However, Police say that she had bruising in the back of her head, as well as "red welling" on her face.

None of this story surprises me. We've seen Manny slap a teammate in public, we know that he tried using PEDs, even after being caught and harshly punished. Quite simply, he lacks that voice in the back of his head that says "Don't do that." He's a child that doesn't understand punishment.

And it's sad, because his on the field performances were the stuff of legend. And now he's a cautionary tale.

IDIOTS REUNITED: RAYS SIGN MANNY AND DAMON

The Rays stirred up the AL East over the weekend by signing former Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez, and former Sox and Yankee outfielder Johnny Damon.

If this were 2006, these would be monumental acquisitions. As it is, these pickups shouldn't shake up the standings too much. But it is something noteworthy to discuss. And if Tampa Bay has a fanbase, it will be entertaining for them to have some big name talent watch.

Manny Ramirez hasn't hit more than 20 homers since 2008. He hit 9 in 90 games last year. His OBP is still as impressive as ever (.409 last year. compared to a .411 career OBP), but his slugging numbers have dropped considerably, ever since he was suspended for PEDs. Coincidence? Perhaps. He's getting up there in years too. He's 38, and it's hard to imagine a resurrection at that age.

Damon hit .271 with Detroit last year. He's 37. He's a slightly less powerful hitter than in his prime, and he was never much of a slugger to begin with. He doesn't get on base (.355 OBP last year), doesn't run (11 SBs, although he was only caught once), and he strikes out (90 last season, 98 in '08).

Manny's contract is said to be worth $2 million for one year, while Damon's will pay him $5.25 million (Source: SI.com). Manny's salary seems reasonable, and should be recouped by the added attention he'll bring to the team. Damon's seems a bit high, especially if the primary goal was to generate interest in the team. Then again, both guys are Boras clients, and this was probably a packaged signing. So Manny is the 39 cent soda that comes with the Johnny Damon value meal.

These signings will give the Rays more press than they will victories. I guess they don't have much to lose with either signing, and at least they'll have some names on the field. But in the long run, these moves are a turn in the wrong direction for that franchise. This reminds me of when they signed Wade Boggs, and when Greg Vaughn was down there. They've acquired names, not talent.

But even when they had no-name talent, and made it to the World Series, their city failed to support them.

It should make Rays/Sox games more intriguing, even if it is just for off-field storylines. The Rays come to Fenway on April 11.

Photo Credit:
John Cordes/Icon SMI

MANNY BEING ANNOYING

Jayson Stark of ESPN wrote a brilliant column about Manny Ramirez's various exits from city to city. And while the ranks of Manny loyalists here in Boston have dramatically dwindled the past few years, there are still some out there who wish to praise this man.

It's true, the Sox won a pair of World Series thanks in no small part to him. That's two rings more than they'd won in the previous 8 decades. Then again, it was pitching that ultimately won those titles. Manny was indeed an irreplaceable part of those Championships, but not quite as irreplaceable as Derek Lowe in '04, or Josh Beckett in '07.

We didn't hear much about Manny's antics in LA, considering it was a few thousand miles, and a separate League away. But he pulled his same crap. He was always inexplicably hurting and couldn't play. He recently got kicked out of a game for arguing balls and strikes. Can you imagine that? Manny, while in a Red Sox uniform, was more docile at the plate than JD Drew. He'd only get kicked out if he wanted to, or if he didn't care if he did.

In Stark's column, he quotes an unnamed NL executive, who makes an exceedingly poignant point about Mr. Ramirez:

How could a true Hall of Famer be whisked out of town like this in two places? Not a lot of Hall of Famers get put on outright waivers -- just take the contract and he's yours -- two different times, the first time when he's still in his prime, right? You don't see that a whole lot.

Manny's career numbers are indeed astounding. 554 homers, 1,828 RBI so far. A career average of .313, with a .411 OBP and .589 SLG (that's an even 1.000 OPS, which is 9th all-time). Then there's 29 post-season HR in only 111 games, with 78 RBI. 12 time All-Star, 9 time Silver Slugger.

Manny Ramirez, despite that female fertility drug stuff, will likely make the Hall of Fame some day. But will he perhaps have an exit from Cooperstown as dramatic as his exits from Boston and Los Angeles? I wouldn't put it past him to harass some security guard, or maybe slap a fellow inductee during the speeches when he gets in.

IS THE SEASON OVER?

Don't bury the Red Sox quite yet, but you may want to keep your schedule clear for their funeral. A heartbreaking weekend in Florida has all but sealed their fate. The Sox are now 6.5 behind the Rays and Yankees, and 7 behind in the loss column. With only 31 games remaining, they'd have to pick up one game on either team, once every four games, or about 3 games every 2 weeks. Barring a stupendous run, coupled by a collapse from either Tampa Bay or New York, it's safe to say that the Sox will see their season finish at 162 games.

I'll blame the injuries a bit for this weekend's failures. Certainly Youkilis and Pedroia would have scored some runs. Both teams pitched well, as evidenced by the 17 total runs scored in the series. The Rays just got a few more hits.

But a 162 game season isn't lost in 3 days. The Sox are now 5-9 against the Rays, their direct competitor for a playoff spot. They're also 5-7 against the Yankees.

The Sox play the Rays 3 more times. They also play the Yanks 6 more times. So there's still a glimmer of hope. But the Sox have been 23-19 since the All-Star Break. Like I said, it's not just been one bad weekend, it's been an extended period of slightly above average play.

The Sox have a day off then travel to Baltimore. Beckett faces Brian Matusz. The Sox are 6-6 against the O's this season.

But look on the bright side. It seems as though Manny Ramirez will be returning to Fenway, as a member of the White Sox. That series begins September 3rd.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

RED SOX 2008 PREVIEW: LEFT FIELD

Throughout Red Sox history, left field has been the most prestigious position on the team. It's just coincidence, but a list of the best Red Sox of all-time is littered with left-fielders. Duffy Lewis from 1910 to 1917. Ted Williams from 1939 to 1960 (with a few years missed due to war). Carl Yastrzemski from 1961 to the 1970s. Jim Rice from 1975 to 1987. Mike Greenwell from 1988 to 1995. Then Manny Ramirez from 2001 to 2008.

This may be Manny's last year with the Red Sox. He's turning 36 in May (unbelievable, right?), he's in the last year of his $160M contract, and quite frankly his production dipped in 2007.

Manny's average (.296) and OBP (.388) were fine last year, but his slugging was down. Way down. His .493 slugging percentage was by far his lowest since becoming a full-time player. That .493 is exactly .100 lower than his career slugging percentage of .593.

What caused this fall in slugging? A lack of homeruns. Manny only hit 20. He hit 17 his rookie season (in 193 fewer ABs). Since then, he hadn't hit fewer than 26. And since 1998, he hadn't hit fewer than 33.

Manny didn't win a Silver Slugger for outfielder in 2007. The last time he didn't win one was 1998. He also wasn't in the top 20 of MVP voting for the first time since 1997.

But then all of a sudden, he got his stroke back in the playoffs. He had 4 homeruns, 16 RBI, a .348 average (including .409 in the ALCS), a .516 OBP, and slugged .739.

What should we expect from Manny this year? He'll miss some time due to injury, real or exaggerated. But not much time. And I don't think his homerun hitting will return to him. But he can still be an extremely productive player. With Youkilis and Ortiz in front of him, he'll have plenty of RBI opportunities. And if JD drew turns a corner, and Mike Lowell stays solid, they'll be people behind Manny to knock HIM in.

Manny should pass a few milestones in 2008. He's 10 homers shy of 500, which doesn't hold the same cache as it once had, but is still a milestone. He's 29 doubles shy of 500 for his career. With 31 or more HRs, he'll be in the top 15 all-time. 100 more RBI will get him into the top 20 of that category. And he's just 22 away from 1,000 career extra base hits.

Who will play when Manny sits or disapears to Florida for two weeks? Bobby Kielty looks like the backup outfielder for the year. If the Sox can't deal Coco, expect to see either him or Ellsbury patrolling left-field.

Brandon Moss had a nice little stint with the Sox last year and will be in AAA Pawtucket. If Manny hits the DL, look for Moss to be the call-up. For all the hype surrounding Ellsbury last year, people may not have noticed Moss's 7 hits in 25 at-bats. Or his .282 average in Pawtucket. These aren't earth shattering numbers, but at least Moss can be a fill-in for Manny just in case.

Sources:
Baseball-Reference.com
ESPN.com
The Baseball Cube