A Kid in the Hall of Fame

Hey baseball fans! I realize I haven’t blogged about actual baseball history in about a week and I apologize for that. Today, I will be blogging about one of my favorite catchers of all time. Yes, I am a Yankee fan, but I’m not talking about Yogi Berra or Bill Dickey. I’m also not talking about Mike Piazza, who [...]

The Kid from Santa Barbara

Hey baseball fans! I’m sure you know who has the most career home runs (Barry Bonds with 762), who has the most career wins (Cy Young with 511), and who has the longest consecutive hitting streak in baseball history (Joe DiMaggio with 56). However, do you know who holds the record for most games played in as a [...]

ML”what would”B: What if Tex was a Red Sox Part Two

Hey baseball fans! I just put up another ML”what would”B post on More Than a Fan. In every ML”what would”B alternative history post, I discuss what would have happened if a famous event in baseball history had gone differently than it did in reality. For my latest post, I continued the discussion I started back in February [...]

Clearing The Bases

Tonight’s column isn’t going to deal with the fantasy relevance of Major League Baseball, but more of some of the rules I would like to change if I were the commissioner.  I wrote a similar column last season and I’m happy to say that Bud Selig listened to one of my suggestions and moved a [...]

Clearing The Bases

Clearing The Bases                                                                                                                          May 22, 2012 by George Kurtz In my mind, Memorial Day marks the end of the first third of the season.  We have had time to adjust our rosters somewhat, but if things still aren’t going your way and you’re still at the bottom of the standings, than it’s time to make [...]

Clearing The Bases

Pretty big night in the world of sports this Thursday.  We have the NFL draft, which I will be following closely along with two Game 7s in the NHL not to mention a smattering of games in MLB, doesn’t really get much better.  As for fantasy owners I have another Top 9 list for you, [...]

Ben Cherington Needs To Pick It Up

It has barely been two months since Ben Cherington took over as Red Sox GM, but to date his work has been extremely underwhelming. This impression has been in place ever since the prolonged and possibly botched managerial search, which ultimately netted Bobby Valentine. Although Cherington and the team professed that Bobby V. was their [...]

Bobby V. is Coming to Town

Well, it’s happened. After two months of speculation and plenty of smoke and mirrors, the Red Sox are set to announce Bobby Valentine as their next manager. The world hasn’t come to an end; at least everything looks peaceful when I look out my window. I was not in favor of this move when I [...]

Can Dan Duquette Save the Baltimore Orioles?

Media reports indicate that the Baltimore Orioles are on the verge of naming Dan Duquette as their new general manager. This may prove to be one of the better decisions that embattled team owner Peter Angelos has made in some time. The Orioles have been amongst the laughing stock of baseball for the majority of [...]

Terry Francona Deserved Better

I will not argue with anyone who says that the Red Sox made the right move by parting ways with former manager Terry Francona following the nightmarish end to the 2011 regular season. However, with allegations surrounding his departure starting to come out in the media, I have begun to bristle at the way the [...]

Ryan Dent: The Building Block

The recent collapse of the Red Sox has brought into question the leadership of the team. Even though Terry Francona will not be returning as manager, it is clear that areas that the front office of Boston are secure in from year to year are drafting and developing their farm system. Each year they stock [...]

The Bitter Farewell to Terry Francona

The Red Sox just announced that they mutually agreed with Terry Francona that he will not return as the team’s manager in 2012. This news is something I am having a difficult time trying to wrap my mind around, but I do believe that the team will come to regret this decision. Like most Boston [...]

Clearing The Bases

Wow, what a last couple of days in the baseball season.   Hard to believe that both the Braves and Red Sox choked up huge leads in the month of September, but as everyone likes to say, “that is why they play the games”.  The playoff matchups in the Wildcard round offer up some intriguing possibilities.  [...]

Fair Or Not, Terry Francona’s Departure From Boston Is Imminent And Necessary

According to published reports, the Red Sox and manager Terry Francona will agree to part company this morning after an eight-year marriage that brought the franchise a pair of World Series championships – its first titles since 1918. Tito won’t be fired… his contract expired on Wednesday night and it has been agreed by both [...]

Clearing The Bases

We’ve had to take a few weeks off due to some software problems, but we’re back today, just in time to watch all of the players that major league teams will call up to fortify their bullpen and bench during this final month.  The Yanks and Red Sox have been playing a big series this [...]

The Punishment Doesn’t Fit The Crime

Following a vicious brawl between the Red Sox’s David Ortiz and the Orioles’ Kevin Gregg, Major League Baseball has punished both with a four-game suspension and a fine of an undisclosed amount. However, many initial media reports speculate the amount is around $2,500. This situation once again exemplifies the severe lack of respect players have [...]

The Most Egregious MVP Snubs of All Time (at Least on Paper)

Not long ago I was watching an episode of “Prime 9″ on the MLB Network about the nine biggest MVP snubs of all time. Before the show even began, I knew what would be ranked number one because it’s always mentioned as the biggest injustice in the history of MVP voting: Yankees second baseman Joe [...]

Boston Sweeps Yanks but Playoff Hopes Remain Dim

Boston has finally reached .500 this season but now midway through May it’s a likely bet the Red Sox playoff hopes in this overly-hyped season remain iffy at best. Their position in the standings is certainly not bleak, however, for the Red Sox to have any chance of reaching the playoffs, the team would have [...]

Red Sox Front Office Must Confront The Lackey Dilemma

Red Sox pitcher John Lackey, with his wife Krista, during less troubling times… More than a dozen years ago, I struggled as my first marriage was disintegrating. While I had always prided myself on being able to separate my personal life and my professional life, I suddenly found myself unable to do so. I brought [...]

Terry Francona’s Do or Die Mission

“I think Francona should be gone by the end of the month and the pitching coach also. They both suck.” That’s not me saying it. I intercepted a message on an answering machine from one lifelong Red Sox fan (who lives in Rhode Island) to another lifelong fan. And, no I’m not talking the Twenty-oh-fours. [...]

Red Sox Poor Start The Result Of A Lack Of Discipline And Poor Execution

Home plate ump Dale Scott tells a chagrined Jason Varitek the play at home plate required a tag because Youk had tagged the third base bag The Red Sox put forth an embarrassing effort last night and, in the process, saw their record fall to 0-5… just the sixth time in the franchise’s history that [...]

Fearless forecast for 2011 flag chases

The first rule in making baseball predictions is to expect the unexpected. Don’t go with last year’s winners, popular favorites, or big-money ballclubs. Unless they deserve it, of course. Now that we’ve gotten past the obvious rules, there are the string of unknowns that can pop up anywhere during the course of a 162-game schedule, [...]

Guaranteed 2011 AL East Predictions!

Led by a rejuvenated Manny Ramirez, Tampa Bay will lead the division at the all-star break.  On his return from the All-Star game in Phoenix, Manny will become rejuveniled and absent-mindedly enter Boston’s clubhouse when the Rays resume their season in Beantown on July 15th.  He’ll don a Red Sox uniform and shag balls in [...]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL Central – Kansas City Royals

Royals Designated Hitter Billy Butler Kansas City Royals (2010 record: 67-95) Kansas City is one more year away from beginning their slow, inexorable climb up the standings. While Royals fans have heard similar promises for years, their patience is finally (mercifully) about to pay off. GM Dayton Moore and his front office staff have developed [...]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL Central – Cleveland Indians

Indians CF Grady Sizemore Cleveland Indians (2010 record: 69-93) If there is little reason to buy a ticket in Houston, there is even less reason to buy a ticket in Cleveland. The Indians did very little this winter in terms of improving the roster… and since everyone else in the division is as good or [...]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL West – Texas Rangers

  Rangers LF Josh Hamilton Texas Rangers (2010 record: 90-72) The Texas Rangers won their first American League pennant, but eventually lost the World Series to the San Francisco Giants. Their drive to the Fall Classic was spurred by an MVP season from LF Josh Hamilton, a Rookie-of-the-Year campaign from closer Neftali Feliz, and all-star [...]

2011 MLB Pre-Season Preview: AL West – Oakland Athletics

Athletics staff ace, Brett Anderson Oakland Athletics (2010 record: 81-81) The Oakland Athletics finished last season with a .500 record after three consecutive losing seasons. They were able to do so thanks largely to an excellent young rotation, a good bullpen and a solid defense. Little of what they accomplished was owing to their offense [...]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL West – Los Angeles Angels

LA Angels right fielder Torii Hunter Los Angeles Angels (2010 record: 80-82) The Angels had a rough off-season. It pales in comparison to the one suffered by the NY Mets (the Madoff effects, a lawsuit, a loan from MLB, cleaning house in the front office, etc), but it was bad nonetheless. The team failed to [...]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: AL West – Seattle Mariners

Staff ace, Felix Hernandez Seattle Mariners (2010 record: 61-101) Many pundits believed the Mariners could win the American League West last season – I am numbered among those people. The joke was on us. Instead of making a run at the Angels and the Rangers, the Mariners turned in one of the more disappointing efforts [...]

Gonzalez’ Agent Encouraged After Negotiation Session With Red Sox

John Boggs, the agent for Red Sox 1B Adrian Gonzalez, arrived in Fort Myers yesterday afternoon. He didn’t waste any time getting down to business, as he met earlier today with Theo Epstein and Ben Cherington to discuss a contract extension for A-Gon. After the meeting, he said he would be “extremely surprised” if the [...]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: NL East – Philadelphia Phillies

Phillies 1B Ryan Howard Philadelphia Phillies (2010 record: 97-65) The Phillies entered the new year as one of the handful of teams with a legitimate claim to the designation as the best team in baseball. They entered the free agent fray towards the end of the process and lured southpaw Cliff Lee away from both [...]

Is Marco Scutaro Clearly The Starting Shortstop For The Red Sox In 2011?

Red Sox shortstop Marco Scutaro There was an excellent article about Marco Scutaro in today’s Boston Globe. Columnist Nick Cafardo crafted an insightful story in which he detailed the shortstop’s health issues last season, providing a considerable amount of behind-the-scenes information that fans had not previously known. But does that mean Scutaro should be the [...]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: NL East – Atlanta Braves

Braves 3B Chipper Jones The Braves begin the new season without long-time manager, Bobby Cox, who stewarded the team to a succession of fourteen consecutive division titles (from 1991-2005, absent the strike-shortened 1994 season), five World Series appearances and a world championship in his 20+ years at the help. The 2011 season will usher in [...]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: NL East – Florida Marlins

Florida’s enigmatic shortstop, Hanley Ramirez Florida Marlins (2010 record: 80-82) The Marlins finished 2010 with an 80-82 record, in third place in the National League East, and it appears they’re destined to finish the upcoming season in much the same position. They won’t be able to compete with the Phillies and it is unlikely they’ll [...]

2011 Pre-Season Preview: NL East – New York Mets

Mets 3B David Wright New York Mets (2010 record: 79-83) The NY Mets had what is widely considered to be the worst off-season among all of Major League Baseball’s thirty clubs… maybe it was a case of “lesson learned”. Like their cross-town rivals, the Metropolitans have tried to buy a contending team over the last [...]

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