JOHNNY GOMES AND 'THE THROWBACK KID'

JOHNNY GOMES and BRADY WEIN

BILL LANNO
THE RED SOCKS BLOG
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

Jonny Gomes first met Brady Wein at the Athletes Performance Institute in Scottsdale,Arizona in 2012. He was getting ready to join the A's for the 2012 season.

"I thought he was real young, but he grabbed a lacrosse stick and we were playing lacrosse and then we had to go down to the batting cage and then he wanted to hit. Then he wanted to throw to me. Then he wanted to play hockey. This kid was just so excited to be outside. He was so excited to be in the sun. It's kind of different these days seeing that. All these kids with iPhones, iPads, video games and Xboxes, it was just so cool. He was 3 years old and already he was a 'throwback'. I played with him a long time and I remember right at the end, I was talking to his dad and he was also a super-cool guy, from Boston, but I didn't play for Boston."

The one thing Johnny Gomes remembers is that Brady's dad Mike Wein, thanked him for playing with his son.

"I really didn't get it. Why would he thank me for playing with him ?" As Johnny talked to the father he learned the whole story. 

Brady Wein was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia at 3 months old.

"We got a bone marrow transplant," said his dad. "Four months later, the stuff came back, he got another transplant. He had gotten two transplants before he was two and then it came back a third time and he got full-body radiation in his skin. Our family came to say good-bye to him two months before he was 2."

The good-bye was premature. Brady is now five years old.

Mike Wein has a relative who works at API, which is why he continually took Brady there.

During the 2012 season Brady become friends with Jonny Gomes. "Unbelievable, this kid's story. His energy and his life and just the way he was outside, it was so contagious that it hit me right away that he is a special little kid." Brady visited Fenway in 2012 when the Oakland A's came to town.

Then before the  2013 season Jonny Gomes signed with the Red Sox.

Brady was ecstatic. Johnny was coming to the team Brady's dad had rooted for his whole life. This summer, Brady got to go to Fenway many times and play 'wiffle ball' on the field and 'hang around' with the 'bearded bunch'.

In the first game back after the 'Marathon Bombings' the Red Sox wore their 'special' home jerseys that said BOSTON on the front.

On Brady's first trip to Fenway after that game he was hanging around the 'batting cage' during the warm-up. Jon Lester, who has had his dealings with cancer approached the batting cage. There he presented his jersey from that day to Brady. 

Gomes recalled, "He signed it to Brady and walked down to the batting cage where we were and he gave it to him. Brady's reaction almost made it like a tear-jerker, emotional moment because Brady at 5 years old knew how important that was to receive a gift from Jon Lester. Jon Lester hands him this game-worn, Boston Strong jersey to Brady, and you might see another kid who would be like, 'No, I want candy.' or, 'That jersey's not going to fit me.' He was just so touched that Jon Lester gave him that jersey. There were probably about ten people down in the batting cage at the time, everyone about fell down from Brady's reaction."

"I just can't believe that guy Jonny Gomes," said Brady's dad. "If my son could grow up to be a little bit like Johnny Games, that would be magical."

Gomes has had his own health issues having a heart attack at Christmas in 2002. "From my adversity, I can't hold a candle to him. I had a measly heart attack. You talk about the things that he's gone through in his childhood. We kind of live for the same thing. It's for the moment. We definitely put everything into perspective. We feed of each other's energy."

Then came Game 4 of the World Series.

Gomes held up a sign from Boston's dugout during the MLB 'Stand Up to Cancer' ceremony. It simply said 'Brady's Bunch.'

Brady's dad commented, "I've been around a lot of pro athletes. You never really know how they feel toward you. I used to say to people, "I'm friends with Jonny Gomes.', And they're like, 'You are ?' And I'd follow up with , 'I don't know if I'm friends with him.', you know what I mean ? How can you describe if you are friends with a pro athlete ? You don't know. But when he came out with the sign, that was it. I knew."

The next at bat Johnny Gomes hit the biggest home run the Red Sox had in the World Series. It snapped at 1-1 tie and the Red Sox went on to even the Series that night. They went on to win games 5 and 6 to win the Series.

GAME 4 HOME RUN FOR BRADY !

"People think he's just a short ten year old. He's not shy. He's a little bit like me, to where he just literally lives every day like it's his last. Spilling your milk or dropping your food is not going to ruin your day. Just,on to the next. Looking at life for what the big picture is, and not the little picture. Like I said, he's just - they call me a throwback ballplayer. He's a throwback kid."

Johnny Gomes just can't wait to show Brady his World Series ring !

RED SOX : News & Notes November 30,2013.

RED SOX : News & Notes
November 30,2013.





~ Cable trouble for Dodgers : Time Warner is having trouble getting other cable systems to carry the new Dodgers channel. Already several pay-TV providers are balking at the expected asking price. It's the old 'Catch 22' situation. Time Warner needs to pay the Dodgers $ 8 billion over 25 years, that's what they agreed to pay for the Dodgers TV rights. Happy viewing !

~ More catching speculation: How about Hank Conger as the Red Sox catcher ? He seems to have all the qualifications the Red Sox need. He's 25 and caught 92 games for the L.A.Angels last season. Conger is also not eligible for free agency until 2018. Most important, Conger is a great pitch-framer. Conger saved more runs last year than all but four catchers.  

MLB & MLBPA RELEASE THEIR 2012-2013 DRUG REPORT

THE BIOGENESIS GANG

Jeffrey M.Andreson MD, administrator for the 'MLB Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program' has released his annual report.

The findings as reported:

~ There were 5,391 total drug tests. 4,022 were urine samples, 1,369 were blood samples.

~ There were eight positive tests resulting in discipline. All were for stimulants. Seven of the stimulant tests were for Adderall. One for Methylhexaneamine. 

~  13 non-analytical positives resulted in discipline. (Biogenesis 13).

~ 122 'Therapeutic Use Exemptions' were granted. The diagnoses were as follows: Attention Deficit Disorder: 119; Hypogonadism: 3.

The most interesting fact according to the report, baseball players have ADD at twice the level of the normal population.

Perhaps their being diagnosed that way to get a therapeutic exemption, which is a legal way to get a stimulant.

OK Jhonny Peralta !

WHICH STARTING PITCHER WILL THE RED SOX TRADE ?

JAKE PEAVY

BILL LANNO
THE RED SOCKS BLOG
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

Unlike a majority of teams,one concern the Red Sox do not have this offseason is starting pitching. The team has a surplus.

And so it is obvious to Red Sox fans, that if a trade is made by Ben Cherington you can bet a starting pitcher will be involved.And as the offseason moves on it is becoming more apparent a trade will have to be made.

The Red Sox have serious concerns at catcher and first base. Also the left side of the infield could use a little backup.

Ben Cherington earlier this week expressed his opinion thus, "We've had a number of conversations and I think it's no secret, one area we have a little bit of depth in is the rotation. That's a area other teams are sorting out, working through free agent options. Some of the free agents are starting to land, so I think that's probably to become more clear for other teams, too. We'll see what that means for us. I don't know yet really what it means, other than we've had a lot of conversations. We know we'll have to be compelled to do anything there because obviously a supposed surplus can turn into not one pretty quickly, so we want to be careful, not do something in the name of doing it, since there's downside to doing that. We'll see. We've had a lot of conversations."

The Red Sox now have six experienced starting pitchers. It is unrealistic to proceed into 2014 with that many. Felix Doubront could work out of the bullpen as he did last year but that would limit his total innings pitched by the end of the year. I don't think the Red Sox want to do that. 

More importantly, if you fast forward to three years down the road, the Red Sox rotation will change over completely. At the end of next season Jon Lester and Ryan Dempster will be eligible for free agency. At the end of 2015 John Lackey and Jake Peavy will also become free agents.

The Red Sox have a fine core of pitching in the minors. Pitching that will need to be integrated into the big leagues in the next few seasons. Pitchers like Brandon Workman, Allan Webster and Anthony Ranaudo.

So who are you having conversations about Ben ? Who's interesting other teams ?

It's hard to imagine the Red Sox trading Jon Lester. He is the staff 'Ace' and had a 15-8 record last year. Of concern next season is his contract. Will the Red Sox try to re-sign him ? In any case he isn't going anywhere. 

Ditto for John Lackey. His return last year after being in the 'chicken & ribs doghouse' was amazing. But Lackey is also viewed as a leader in the clubhouse because he works hard and mentors the young pitchers. He is respected by the older players and the rookies. He's highly unlikely to get traded because of the vesting option the Red Sox have on him for 2015 will see him paid the league-minimum that year. With the price of starting pitching on the rise the savings the Red Sox make on a starter for 2015 could be used to lock up some contracts for our young pitchers in preparation for 2016.

Clay Buchholz is another starter who will not be traded. His contract is under Red Sox control until the 2017 season. Clay will be around as long as he can stay healthy. 

That leaves Jake Peavy or Ryan Dempster.

Dempster has a year remaining on his contract. He turns 37 this year and if a trade were made, the other team may ask the Red Sox to assume some of this obligation if they were to get anything of value in return. In other words, Dempster may not be worth much on the trade market.

So that leaves Jake Peavy. To me he is the pitcher where the Red Sox will get the most in value back. He is younger than Dempster at 32 and with a $ 14.5 AAV over the last two years would have high value. 

Only Ben Cherington knows who's been calling. He also knows who their talking about.

One thing is sure. A starting pitcher will be moved.
Who, when, to whom ~ Only Ben knows.

RED SOX : News & Notes November 29,2013.

RED SOX : News & Notes
November 21,2013.





~ Chicago Suds : A bill introduced before City Council would allow the Cubs to sell beer outside of Wrigley Field. The Cubs would be allowed to sell beer and wine from kiosks at a open-air plaza adjacent to a renovated Wrigley Field. Sounds like a imitation of 'Yawkey Way'.

~ Boston Baseball Writers Dinner : The 75th annual Boston Baseball Writers Dinner will be held on January 23rd at the Westin Copley Place. Tickets are $ 200 each and tables of 10 can be purchased for $ 2000. For information call 617-624-1231 or visit the New Englans Sports Museum WEB site at  http://www.sportsmuseum.org/events/boston-baseball-writers-annual-dinner.aspx 

~ More Twins money : According to Georga A.King III of the New York Post the Twins are now interested in free agent pitcher Phil Hughes. Hughes is looking for a two year deal after coming off a not so hot season. He had a 5.19 ERA and was hurt by the home run ball.

NOLASCO LANDS BIGGEST 'FREE AGENT' CONTRACT IN TWINS HISTORY

RICKEY NOLASCO

According to reports this morning, right-handed pitcher Rickey Nolasco has reached a agreement with the Minnesota Twins for four years.

The contract is for $ 49 million, with a club option for 2018.

Nolasco now becomes the Twins staff 'Ace'. Minnesota had the worst starters in the majors last year with a staff ERA of 5.26.
Nolasco who is 30 had a 3.70 ERA last season between the Florida Marlins and the Dodgers.

The contract is the richest in Twins history, surpassing the $ 21 million deal with Josh Willingham three years ago.

RED SOX : News & Notes November 28,2013.

RED SOX : News & Notes
November 28,2013.





~ More Taxpayer Plans: The Washington Nationals would like to have a roof over their almost new 41,000 seat stadium in Southeast,D.C. Of course they want the taxpayers of D.C. to cover the projected $ 300 million cost. The Nationals have apparently contacted Mayor Vincent Gray's office to propose the idea. Their pleas will probably fall on deaf ears. The mayor has his hands full with another stadium proposal, this one from theD.C.United soccer club.

~ Hall of Fame Ballot 'SOLD' ! : Deadspin.com is at it again. They have convinced a BBWAA voter to sell his/her ballot for this years Hall of Fame voting. That person will submit the top ten names that are chosen by fans on the site. The voter promises to identify themselves after the ballot is cast. Deadspin claims it is, "making a stand against the idea that a somewhat random subsection of the baseball press should maintain the power to confer what is, regrettably, the game's most prestigious honor." No news as to if the BBWAA will invalidate this ballot if the person becomes identified. 

~ Koji thinks beards are 'Nasty' : In the closing credits of the Red Sox 2013 season DVD, players were asked to rate and rank the best playoff beards on the team. When it was his turn to answer the question Koji Uehara said, "I think it's just nasty to grow a beard that long." Koji was clean-shaven all season.

DOES JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA HAVE A MEDICAL ISSUE ?

JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA

The issue was raised by Buster Olney of ESPN. Does Jarrod Saltalamacchia have medical issues ?

Olney was speaking during his weekly interview on WEEI radio, when he wondered whether medical issues might be behind Saltalamacchia's not catching on with another team yet.

"I think the big question about Saltalamacchia - and believe me, you hear a lot of different things about a lot of different guys and I don't know what's in Jarrod's file - but in some cases, some of the intransigence in the market is related to whatever's in the medical file. We saw it last winter with Mike Napoli where not only did the Red Sox reduce their file down to one year and $ 5 million but no other team jumped in based on the same information. With catchers, it's certainly going to be one of the first things you're going to look at. It says a lot that you have the Cubs and a number of other teams that are out there potentially looking at catchers, no one's jumping up."

 Later in the day Jim Munsey, Saltalamacchia's agent denied that teams and the Cubs in particular, had raised any concerns about 'Salty's' health.

"Salty has just finished his third straight year without being on the DL, which makes him different from Brian McCann and Carlos Ruiz. There are no medical issues hindering his market. Specifically,the Cubs are simply allocating funds elsewhere and don't believe they could compete for what is believed to be Salty's market and have a excellent catcher, Wellington Castillo in place already. There was simply no discussion whatever with them about any medical issue. None. To speculate otherwise is pretty irresponsible. To conclude that no one is 'jumping up' would likewise be speculative. Some agents prefer to perform their responsibilities outside of the media spotlight. Just because you're not hearing it doesn't mean it's not happening."

Saltalamacchia hit .273 with 14 homers last year. He also played in 121 regular season games.

Industry insiders claim the Red Sox will not go over a two year contract for a catcher as they believe Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart represent their future at the position.

A-ROD LAWYERS UPDATE HIS LAWSUIT AGAINST MLB

BUD SELIG & FAN

Alex Rodriguez's lawyers updated his lawsuit against Major League Baseball and Bud Selig yesterday.

The 33 page amended complaint, was filed in federal court in Manhattan yesterday.

The amendment added new criticism of commissioner Selig for not testifying in the union's grievance to overturn Rodriguez's suspension.

"Mr.Selig chose to hide in his office in Milwaukee rather than come testify at the grievance hearing in New York. In Mr.Selig's world, apparently the 'buck' does not stop with Bud. Mr.Selig lacked the courage of his convictions to explain under oath the reasons for the suspension and the conduct of the investigators. His silence on these issues speaks volumes and leads to only one logical conclusion - his actions, and those of the MLB personnel he controls, were aimed at destroying the reputation, career and business prospects of Alex Rodriguez."

The lawyers also accused Mr.Selig of conducting a 'witch hunt' against Rodriguez, repeating what was in the original complaint.

They also included a photograph of Selig posing with a fan wearing a red shirt that had 'A-ROID' written across the front. " Sadly, this cowardly stance by Mr.Selig is consistent with his past and highly inappropriate conduct in posing, smilingly, with a young fan wearing a T-shirt with a derogatory message directed at Mr.Rodriguez. One cannot imagine the Commissioner of any other professional sport - or indeed the CEO of any business - doing something similar with respect to one of his or her players or employees."

MLB has had the suit removed to federal court because Rodriguez claims Selig interfered with his business relationships. MLB says the case should be in federal court because of provisions of the Labor Managment Relations Act and intends to as for a dismissal. 
Rodriguez's lawyers meanwhile want to have it moved back to New York state courts. A hearing for this matter is scheduled for January 23rd.

The lawyers also released statements of people who were on Rodriguez's witness list but never got to testify.

They included statements by Marcelo Albir and Lazaro Collazo accused MLB investigators of harassment. Gary Jones, a friend of Porter Fischer claims he was paid $ 125,000 in $ 100 bills by MLB Senior VP Dan Mullin at the Cosmos Diner in Pompano Beach last March and $ 25,000 by Mullin for additional documents the following month. Fischer also claims he told Mullin that the documents had been stolen.

MLB says the first payment was $ 100,000 and denies the comments Jones made to Mullin.

PLENTY OF RED SOX ON HALL OF FAME BALLOT

CURT SCHILLING

The Boston Red Sox have seven former players on the 'Hall of Fame' ballot released by the BBWAA yesterday.

Under consideration for the first time are pitchers Hideo Nomo, Mike Timlin, Todd Jones and Eric Gagne. Joining the four pitchers are first basemen Sean Casey and J.T.Snow.

Other former Red Sox's Lee Smith, Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens are also included in the 36 player ballot.

Other notables on the ballot for the first time are Tom Glavin who won 302 games for Atlanta and the Mets. Four-time Cy Young Award winner Gred Maddox and two time AL MVP Frank Thomas. 

It will be interesting to see how the writers treat the steroid-tainted holdovers on the ballot.

Last year making their first appearances on the ballot Clemens recieved 37.6 %, Bonds 36.2% and on his seventh try McGwire recieved 16.9 %.

Players remain on the ballot for fifteen years provided they receive at least 5 % support.

The deadline for voting is December 31st. The results will be announced on January 8th.

ARE RED SOX USING 'SOUND JUDGEMENT' ?

HOT STOVE TALK

BILL LANNO
THE RED SOCKS BLOG
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

As the offseason moves along we are two weeks from the 'winter meetings'.

So far the only move Ben Cherington has made is to acquire pitcher Burke Badenhop from the Milwaukee Brewers.Presumably,there will be more Red Sox action in the market around the meetings.

One of the things I have noticed that is of particular concern is the vibes (when you can find Ben),I'm getting from management about sticking to the blueprint of last year. For example,they seem,from the 'hot stove' gossip not willing to go past the two year contract.

The message that seems to be coming from management is we'll just replace the players we lose with one or two year contracts and sign players that have no draft picks attached to them. In other words,repeat what we did last year.

That is something I don't believe can be done. 

Last year the Red Sox,due to the class of free agents available and that they were able to use their financial clout a year before all the owners received $ 20 - $ 25 million in television revenue,were able to secure seven of the top fifty free agents for less than $ 100 million. That by the way is not the cost of just 2013 but the total cost of their contracts which total 11 combined seasons. The price,they signed all seven for less than $ 10 million per season. 

That will not happen this year.

The MLB owners are recieving their television revenue this year. This will move a lot of teams up into the middle-class of baseball. This in itself will increase the players salaries. For example,last year Shane Victorino signed for $ 39 million. This year Shane Victorino would cost about $ 59 million. 

Which brings us to the present. The first problem is Mike Napoli. Mike's making a lot of noise about town,appearing here and there. But hanging over the Red Sox head are the Texas Rangers a team he has played for before. Mike seems to want more than a three year contract and that seems to be the sticking point.

The Red Sox,who are possibly going to lose all their free agents need to sign him. Not to mention the replacement of his 23 home runs and 92 RBI's.

Let's say they should give him a three year contract now with a club option for the fourth. Surely he would sign and first base would be locked up for the foreseeable future. If the Red Sox were willing to go for three years last offseason,there is no reason they should not go for it now that Napoli has proven he's healthy and can produce.

In salary commitments for the future the Red Sox have only $ 41 million for 2015 and $ 13.3 million for 2016. They could easily sign Napoli over their self-imposed two year limit.

The catching position is different.

The market moved quickly for this position. In any case the free agents that were available did not fit into the Red Sox model. And both Brian McCann and Carlos Ruiz signed for more than two years.

Some are speculating that the Red Sox should re-sign 'Salty'. This would be a great idea if not for two things. First,he wants more than two years. As the top rated free agent catcher he should now be able to secure at least a three and possibly a four year deal.

Secondly,from what I observed on the field in the final months of 2013,the pitchers are not happy with the way he catches. John Lester at this point uses David Ross in all his starts. Jake Peavy too has had trouble understanding Saltalamacchia. I think the decision has already been made that he will not be returning,although both sides are putting on a brave face.

That leaves a trade as the only option. But it becomes a crisis the more the offseason drags on. We can only hope Ben Cherington has the situation in hand. But since trading is such a sensitive issue we'll be the last to know.

The key for the Red Sox is not to let what happened last year reflect their judgments this year. Because last year was a enigma and will never happen again.

No matter what CEO Larry Lucchino believes about "falling in love with your veterans" they need to sign Mike Napoli now.

They need to use the proper judgement for down the road a bit. They have some real stars whose contracts are quickly running out in the not to distant future.

Let's remember,championship aside,this is still a team that will have to rebuild around spring 2016. 

RED SOX : News & Notes November 27,2013.

RED SOX : News & Notes
November 27,2013.





~ Own a piece of history Dept. : MLB has started to auction off souvenirs from the 2013 World Series. Up for grabs is the now famous third base involved in the 'obstruction call' that ended game 3. At last look the current high bid was $ 3000.

THE 'BAGGIE'

~ Own a piece of history Part 2 : Collectors are bringing home the 'Baggie' from the Metrodome. When the Twins played there left-handed hitters took aim at the dark blue wall that stood only 327 feet from home. When balls bounced off the wall it rippled like a garbage bag,thus the nickname. Combined price $ 3025.

~ Cobb County says "Yes" to Braves : Commissioners of  suburban Cobb County approved a deal to build a new $ 672 million stadium yesterday. The commission voted 4-1 to enter into a 'memo of understanding' with the Braves. The deal will require millions of dollars in public funds.

BBWAA ANNOUNCES 'HALL OF FAME' BALLOT FOR 2014

BASEBALL HALL OF FAME

2014 Hall of Fame Ballot





The BBWAA have announced the ballot for this years election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The 2014 ballot: Moises Alou, Jeff Bagwell, Armando Benitez, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Sean Casey, Roger Clemens, Ray Durham, Eric Gagne, Tom Glavine, Luis Gonzalez, Jacque Jones, Todd Jones, Jeff Kent, Paul Lo Duca, Greg Maddux, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Mike Mussina, Hideo Nomo, Rafael Palmeiro, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Kenny Rogers, Curt Schilling, Richie Sexson, Lee Smith, J.T. Snow, Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, Mike Timlin, Alan Trammell, Larry Walker.

Results will be announced at 2 p.m. on January 8,2014.

RED SOX MAY BE FORCED TO TRADE FOR CATCHER

JARROD SALTALAMACCHIA

With the signing of Brian McCann by the Yankees this past weekend Jarrod Saltalamacchia finds himself the number one 'free agent' catcher left available.

Where does this leave a Boston Red Sox team that refuses to budge from a two year deal for 'Salty' ?

It leaves them looking for a catcher. And with each passing moment it looks like they may have to downgrade from Saltalamacchia's performance last season.

There are only two other 'free agent' catchers the Red Sox could sign and both would be less than what they had last year.

A.J.Pierzynski will be 36 by the start of next season but he has played in at least 125 games every year since 2002. He hit 44 home runs the past two seasons and threw out 33 percent of runners who attempted to steal last season. Some say Pierzynski has a bad personality and can be a distraction in the clubhouse.

Dioner Navarro had a good season last year but he's considered a poor defensive catcher and not very durable.

Beyond these two the only other option is to obtain a catcher by trade.

The Red Sox have a abundance of pitching but it's hard to speculate who they might trade for. Unlike 'free agents' GM's are not advertising who they have on the trade market.
One name that is out there is Ryan Hanigan who may be on his way out of Cincinnati now that the Reds have signed Brayan Pena. If he becomes available he has a career .359 OBP and is considered an 'elite' defensive catcher.

Ben Cherington was coy about his plans yesterday,"I guess that leaves us still talking. We have interest in a handful of free agents. We've also talked to teams about trades. And we think we're in a pretty strong position long-term with the young catching we have here in the organization and so we have,we're in a position to be a little choosy,a little selective. If we could do something there,we'd love to. So we'll see what happens."

The final option of course is to re-sign Saltalamacchia.

But the Red Sox don't seem willing to sign a contract that doesn't fit the overall philosophy of two years. The Sox would have to at least go for three years to sign 'Salty'. The price tag should be about $ 30 million.

CEO Larry Lucchino said yesterday,"One of the lessons I learned a long time ago was that you can't fall in love with your veterans. You can't do that. That's not the way to run the railroad. We are not going to be a stand-pat team. That's just not the way we run the railroad here. That's probably a losing proposition every year. Every year has to have its own personality,composition as well as personality."

It's Ben Cherington's move.

RED SOX : News & Notes November 26,2013.

RED SOX : News & Notes
November 26,2013.





~ Matt Barnes hosts Newtown clinic : Red Sox prospect Matt Barnes brought a contingent of players and coaches to the Newtown Youth Academy for a free instructional clinic on Sunday. "It's awesome," Barnes said. "Anytime you can come home in the offseason and give back to the community you grew up in,I think it's something special." Barnes is a native of Bethel,Connecticut. Nearly a year has passed since the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School and all over town cars have bumper stickers that simply read,"We are Sandy Hook. We choose love."

KEN HARRELSON

~ 'Hawk' on way to Cooperstown : Ken Harrelson is one of the ten finalists this year for the Ford C.Frick award. Each year it honors one broadcaster for major contributions to baseball broadcasting. Ken has been the White Sox play by play man for the past 28 seasons. His broadcasting career began in 1975 with the Red Sox.

~ St.Louis defends decision on  Peralta: GM John Mozeliak of the Cardinals defended their decision to sign Peralta yesterday. "Character and makeup are something we weigh into our decision making. In his case,he admitted what he did,he took responsibility for it. I feel like he has paid for his mistakes,and obviously if he were to make another one,then it would be a huge disappointment."

~ Question of the day ? : When a team signs a player who has been involved with PED's how do they know the stats their signing him for were not inflated by the PED's ?

"IT PAYS TO CHEAT" ~ PLAYERS ANGERED BY PERALTA SIGNING

PERALTA & P.E.D.'s

The signing of Jhonny Peralta for $ 53 million has sparked a hostile response from some players and may lead to the Joint Drug Agreement (JDA) between the MLBPA and owners being changed.

Immediately after the signing was announced free agent pitcher David Aardsma tweeted,"Apparently getting suspended for PED's means you get a raise. Whats stopping anyone from doing it ?"

Joining the chorus,was Brad Ziegler the Arizona Diamondbacks player representative,who tweeted,"It pays to cheat. Thanks,owners,for encouraging PED use." He added in a separate tweet,"We thought 50 games would be a deterrent. Obviously it's not. So we are working on it again."

This is a sensitive issue with players. Many players feel the way Ziegler and Aardsma do,but most players declined to make any comments yesterday under the apparent instructions of the MLBPA.

Players are likely to ask for changes to the JDA at the union's annual meeting in early December. Any changes recommended would have to be collectively bargained for with the owners.

Many players feel it is wrong for Peralta to be signed to such a huge contract only four months after admitting he used PED's.

Under the current JDA players receive a 50 game suspension for the first offense,100 for the second and a lifetime ban for the third.

Some players would like to see this changed to a one or two year suspension for the first offense and a lifetime ban for the second.

Other ideas include ~ having a two tiered system that distinguishes between those players who cheat intentionally and those who do not. For example taking a prescribed medication that the player did not know was banned or delaying the players free agency eligibility delayed for one year.

As one player recently told Ken Rosenthal of FOX sports,"We've just got to figure out what actually makes sense. What we don't want to do is rush into something,make a rash decision based on emotion and have it down the road causing major problems. It's all stuff that has to be evaluated and looked at from both sides. It's not all about money. We're role models. We need to act on it."

Stay tuned.

THE 'STADIUM' CAPER ~ HOW BILLIONAIRE OWNERS TAKE YOUR TAX DOLLARS

THE OLDEST STADIUM

BILL LANNO
THE RED SOCKS BLOG
SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

The oldest sports stadium in the world is located at the corner of via die Fori Imperiali and Piazza dei Colosseo in Rome.

It was built in 80 AD and is currently 1933 years old.

Considerably older than Turner Field.

The Atlanta Braves announced last week that they will be moving from Turner Field for the suburb of Cobb County,twelve miles up the interstate in time for the 2017 season. Turner Field is to be demolished.

As one pundit said last week,"It's not even as old as Miley Cyrus."

Then why are the Braves leaving ? Apparently,according to the Braves front office there are several factors. First,$ 150 million would be required to pay for seats and for other unspecified upgrades. Secondly,$ 200 million to 'improve the fan experience.' And finally a lack of mass transit options in the area,no parking and limited freeway access.

That's 'Bull' !

The real reason the Braves are leaving is that baseball owners want to control the surrounding areas of their ballparks. They want to make money on the drinking,shopping and entertainment around the neighborhood,if you have any money left after your fleeced at the actual game.

And the bigger reason - well you the taxpayer of Cobb County are paying for it. Never mind that schools in your county had to have five furlough days this year because the schools have no money.

Now here's the kicker. The City of Atlanta would have coughed up the money had the NFL Falcons not beat the Braves to the city's bank account using the same scam. There was no money left.

But this idea of generating development and creating jobs in neighborhoods around ballparks has been tried before and it doesn't work. What it ends up doing is getting a taxpayer 'paid for' stadium for a billionaire owner.

The Metrodome in Minnesota will be closing this year after 31 years. The only business that stadium has generated around the neighborhood is Hubert's Sports Bar.

In Queens,the only benefits of the New York Mets new $ 800 million stadium are a couple of auto repair shops and salvage yards.

And then there's Miami. Jeffrey Loria is the master of spending someone else's money.

Loria tried his scam first in Montreal during his brief attempt to run the Expos. Claiming he was to be 'the Saviour' of baseball in Montreal while trying to get the local provincial (state) government to build a new downtown stadium for the Expos. 

What was needed was not a new stadium but for the Expos to put up some money and improve their team on the field. But this required Loria to 'put his hands in his own pockets',something you will never see Jeffrey Loria do.

So as the Expos received large payments from the other teams through 'revenue sharing' these payments did not go to improving the team.
They went in Jeffery Loria's pocket. 

When the government in Quebec gave a final 'no' to Loria he abandoned Montreal and left the team under the care of the other baseball owners and with the help of MLB took his act to Miami.

Here he had more success.

Loria took over a Marlins team playing in a football stadium. While he negotiated a new stadium deal for Miami those  'revenue sharing' payments were still going in his pocket as the Marlins did not improve on the field. The website deadspin.com has obtained leaked documents that show the Marlins made $ 48 million in 2008 and 2009.

Loria was pocketing so much money that in January of 2010 the Marlins had to reach a agreement with the MLBPA to increase their payroll,as the union had complained they refused to spend and had the lowest payroll in baseball.

Loria's excuse was of course that he would not spend money until the Marlins had a new stadium,which at this time was under construction at a cost to taxpayers ( city & county) of $ 514 million to the Marlins contribution of $ 120 million.

The Marlins were forced to increase their payroll by $ 55.2 million for the 2012 season. Not because Loria had intention of improving the team but because he was forced to by the MLBPA.

The scam was completed when at the end of the 2012 season most of this payroll increase was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. Loria had his almost 'free' stadium and the Marlins finished 2013 with 62 wins and 34 games out of first place.The finger pointing is in full swing at city hall.

Now back to the Braves. The bottom line is they have gotten someone else to pay for their new ballpark.

What is a ballpark ? It is a place that is generational. A place where sons go with fathers who went with grandfathers. I remember telling my daughter,"When I was your age.." while pointing to a particular aspect of our local stadium.

The owners in baseball are 'greedy'. I have no objection to that - everyone is 'greedy' in today's 'I want it now !' world.

What I have a problem with is when people who are worth billions take away millions from our schoolchildren as in Cobb County.

It is a disgrace !