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11/24 - Opinions Can Be A Pain
by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Nov 24, 2009 5:00 AM EST
in Daily Links
0 comments
Okay, so I lied about the Filter being daily this week. Yes, I realize this situation's stupid. Let's move on to the links, shall we? As an experiment, I'm not going to say much about most of the links - except these:
This Dirt Is Free - A Red Sox Fan From Pinstripe Territory
Not completely relevant, but I figure that some people are going to want to be on the lookout for this. Doesn't bother me too much, but I don't own a blog and I don't see most advertisements anyways. That's more of an aesthetic choice than a political one though - I don't enjoy explaining the presence of certain ads to anyone that glances over my shoulder. However, there is a political aspect to blogging that I'd love to discuss:
I don't particularly like Mr. Simmons's work. Most of it isn't entertaining, to me. But that doesn't mean I think that ESPN should be able to control what he can and can't say. (Yeah, I know, the stupid kid is ranting about stuff that he's not old enough to understand, but just bear with me.)
For one, maybe it's the young and naive view that needs to be considered here; I haven't been around long enough to be corrupted into thinking money is the only thing that matters. That'd be why I tend to over-romanticize simple stuff like curfews - but I digress. To me, there isn't a thing in the world more valuable than my voice. Without it, I wouldn't be able to write this post. Without it, I wouldn't be able to further my education through questioning the material. Without it, I wouldn't be able to express my many, hormone-driven emotions, I wouldn't be able to share my faith, and I wouldn't be able to be the die-hard fan I am. In short, I wouldn't be me without my voice.
Unless Mr. Simmons shares my flair for the dramatic and decided to sign an iron-clad contract with Lucifer so that he could have his voice amplified, I don't see how ESPN can justify censoring someone who was simply defending himself. Even though he probably could have found a more intelligent way of doing it than name-calling via Twitter, Mr. Simmons was not in the wrong to speak his mind. It may be part of the conditions that he agreed to when he signed onto ESPN, but I'm sure an insanity plea wouldn't be that hard to make for Mr. Simmons' case.
And now, onto the other links: some interesting, in not confusing, stuff about different parks and their effects upon stats; a couple of takes on recent Sox news; and plans for MLB domination!
0 comments | 0 recs |
Mauer = MVP
by 0157H7 on Nov 23, 2009 7:00 PM EST
in News
32 comments
Ladies and gentlemen, your BWAA Most Valuable Player is Joe Mauer. With all the wealth and recognition from this award, he should be able to finally buy some consonants for his last name (or at least donate the surplus vowels to Eastern Europe). The BWAA deserves props for making the right choice, as Mauer is clearly the best player in the American league, and, by extension, in the game. His .365 / .444 / .587 line led the league in AVG, OBP, and SLG, and he suddenly became a huge power hitter, clobbering 28 homers (previous high was 13 in '06).
Unfortunately, the BWAA's choices for the rest of the slots, 1-10, were less defensibly. Mark Teixeira and Derek Handbag as 2nd and 3rd? Miguel Cabrera (4th) with a 1st place vote?! Kevin "The Beard" Youkilis and Jason "I'm Too Good for $15 mil a year" Bay as low as 6th and 7th? The Yankees committed over $420 million in payroll to just three players this past offseason - the only MVP votes should be going to the Steinbrenner's checkbook. Detroit didn't even make the playoffs (although they were close to making them). Morales was a good choice, but not ahead of Youkilis.
But enough of my thoughts? How would you have voted if you were one of the brilliant, chosen people who compose the BWAA? Have at it in the comments!
32 comments | 0 recs |
DeMarlo Hale New Bench Coach, Other Coaches Finalized
by Randy Booth on Nov 23, 2009 3:40 PM EST
in News
0 comments
Come on down, DeMarlo Hale! You're the Red Sox's new bench coach!
Third base coach DeMarlo Hale will replace Brad Mills (now manager of the Astros) as bench coach. Tim Bogar will move from first base to third base and Triple-A Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson will become the first base coach.
John Farrell (pitching) and Dave Magadan (hitting) will stay in their jobs.
It's nice to see Ron Johnson getting some recognition and time in the big leagues. I don't think it'll be too long until he has a larger role within the organization.
The most pivotal coaching change, in my opinion, is Bogar moving from first to third. It's hard job coaching third base, so let's hope he is ready for it. Let's hope he knows the team's speed and opposing team's outfielder's arms. If you know that, you're golden.
0 comments | 0 recs |
A reminder to vote for the #2 prospect!
As Sox-Inda-South pointed out, this post got buried quickly, and we haven't gotten many votes since it ended up on page 2. So here it is again. Back on page 1!
about 20 hours ago
USG
0 comments
0 recs
Minor League Update -- 11/23/09
by USG on Nov 23, 2009 1:17 PM EST
3 comments
First, a weekly reminder to join in on voting for the OTM Top Prospects list here.
Arizona Fall League
Luis Exposito: 3-7, 2B, BB, 2 K -- .314/.364/.431
-A solid showing for Luis Exposito, if not quite as good as he did in Portland. Expo kept his strikeouts down and earned as many walks as he did in AA in about half as many ABs. Not a big step forward, but also not a step back.
Jose Iglesias: 1-8, 3 K -- .275/.324/.420, 3/3 SB
-Iglesias ends on a down note, but once again the story is that he wasn't completely overwhelmed in the small sample size (73 plate appearances) against higher-level minor league competition. This showing may have cleared the way for Iglesias to start in AA next year, which would be nice if only to keep him with buddy/interpreter Exposito. Also of note is the 2 home runs, which hopefully indicate some unpredicted power potential.
Ryan Kalish: 3-11, 2B, BB, 4 K -- .301/.384/.384, 6/7 SB
-While Kalish didn't exactly carry his hot streak from late in the year over to the AFL, he put on another good OBP performance. The power was a bit lacking, but this is coming on the tail end of a year in which he hit 18 home runs during the regular season—far more than he ever had before. Kalish also put on a good show on the basepaths, as he has done in years past (for instance, stealing 12 bases in 13 attempts in the 2008 winter leagues while getting under 100 plate appearances).
Casey Kelly: 0-12, 6 K -- .171/.261/.244, 1/1 SB
-Kelly keeps moving towards full time pitching. While the level of competition was predictably way over his head, he struck out in nearly half of his at bats, which is a bit too much no matter how advanced the opposition. This performance may have cleared the way to full-time pitching in 2010.
Randor Bierd: 3.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K – 6.04 ERA, 17:12 K:BB, 1.47 WHIP
-An uninspiring performance by an uninspiring pitcher.
Richie Lentz: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 3 K – 4.11 ERA, 16:3 K:BB, 1.04 WHIP
-Lentz ended the year very poorly, giving up 6 ER over his last 2 appearances to squander a great start to the AFL. But the huge improvement in K:BB shouldn't be overlooked, and if nothing else maybe this will help him be ignored in the Rule 5 Draft.
Chris Province: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 3.46 ERA, 9:5 K:BB, 1.08 WHIP
-Not too bad for Province, if not as good as his year in Portland. Would have liked to have seen some K:BB improvement.
Dustin Richardson: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K – 5.40 ERA, 18:10 K:BB, 1.97 WHIP
-Certainly not as good as his regular season performance, which brought Richardson back into the picture as a prospect. Should still get a shot for a bullpen spot during spring training, though.
3 comments | 0 recs |
Drew Has Surgery; Lowell To Play First In 2010?
by Randy Booth on Nov 22, 2009 12:51 PM EST
in News
18 comments
A few tidbits coming out of the Globe, including J.D. Drew having surgery on his left shoulder last week and Mike Lowell potentially playing some first base next season:
2. J.D. Drew, RF, Red Sox - He had surgery on his left shoulder last week to help alleviate the inflammation he was experiencing in the second half of the season. He should be able to take part in spring training without missing any time.
[...]
7. Mike Lowell, 3B, Red Sox - Will his hip improve enough for him to play third regularly? The Sox don’t know at this point. Don’t be surprised if the subject of Lowell putting on a first baseman’s mitt comes up during spring training. It apparently has been discussed internally.
Sounds like the Drew surgery isn't anything that will hold him back. Great news. So despite inflammation last season, Drew played through it and still put up an impressive campaign. What a gamer.
As far as Lowell goes, I like this idea. I think he could be a pretty solid first baseman. He needs less range at first and I think we'll see some good numbers from him. Since Victor Martinez will likely catch most games, Lowell can back up Youk and we'll probably see Jed Lowrie or another infielder take grounders at third base.
18 comments | 0 recs |
Heidi Watney And Me. Happiest Day Of My Life.
by Randy Booth on Nov 21, 2009 11:11 PM EST
in News
21 comments
I am so happy right now. I may shed a tear, actually. And just so you all know, she is just as good looking in person. Maybe even better.
21 comments | 0 recs |
Granite State Baseball Dinner Is Tonight
by Randy Booth on Nov 21, 2009 4:30 PM EST
in News
16 comments
If you haven't been following Over The Monster for long, you might not know that I'm from New Hampshire. I love New Hampshire. It's my homeboy. Live free or die, ladies and gentlemen.
What comes with New Hampshire, though, is the Granite State Baseball Dinner in Manchester. The dinner is tonight and I was given a couple of free tickets the other day by my uncle. I debated about actually buying tickets before they were given to me, but I guess this works too.
What is the dinner? Well, it's everything baseball. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (the AA team of the Blue Jays) is the host and it features a lot of big names in baseball. The biggest and best name? The Heidi Watney. Yup. NESN's own sideline reporter will be there. If you're there, you'll recognize me: I'll be the one being escorted out of the building because I was hovering too close to Heidi. Damn security.
Oh yeah, Jim Rice and Chris Carpenter will also be there. But didn't you hear me? HEIDI WATNEY!
If you're there, find me. I'll be at table 71 sharing cocktails with Heidi and swapping war stories with Jim Rice. And don't you worry: I will find out who Jim wants as the left fielder in Boston next year. Don't you worry.
16 comments | 0 recs
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