Sports Writing

Sox 2005 schedule. When this first came out, I thought it was a bad idea to play the Yankees on Opening Day - thought Opening Day was already a huge enough event, and to save the Yankees for later. Now the idea of the Yankees having to watch as the Sox do some World Series celebration is sweet.

In the Globe, Bob Hohler notes that the Sox have not even shown any interest in the OC. Okay, the whole melodrama of “you never return my calls…” aside - hint: He’s Just Not That Into You - it kind of shows one thing. If you expect Pedro to be “loyal” and not even talk to the Yankees, then surely the Sox should at least talk to Cabrera. If you want the Sox to be run all business-like, then Pedro should get to be all business-like and at least see what the market is offering.

Here’s an article on monosopnistic competition, including references to the oligopsony that is Major League Baseball. (Hey, I’m an economist by training, but I never get to use the word “oligopsony” in regular conversation so I’m sneaking it in here.) Just as a reminder of the reserve clause days - while the way agents work may not be the most tasteful, it’s not like teams are fully altruistic either.

Just read T. Coraghessan Boyle’s old collection of short stories, Greasy Lake and Other Stories, which has a nice baseball story, “The Hector Quesadilla Story”, on a game that goes on into extra innings and the eternal nature of baseball:

So Gabe Kapler, sculpted bodybuilding backup outfielder, is moving to this side of the world. Well, I guess Dave Roberts can teach him the language. Seriously, though, seeing the world while you’re young and getting paid millions ($2 million, plus undisclosed and probably immense signing bonus, plus all living expenses) for it? Not a bad deal at all. Especially if Kapler wants regular paying time.

Dragging out an old article - remembering the 1967 Impossible Dream team.

Holiday shopping? Try David Ortiz and Cynthia Roquez, Bases Loaded. Presumably with an album title that’s Big Papi himself, although really the song titles seem to leave much to be desired - the album includes “For the Money” / “Per Dinero” (thankfully Ortiz signed for a lot less than he’s now worth) and “Punani”, which inspired the disturbing thought of Papi going all Ali G, aight?

Still would’ve liked them to be the Grays. Anyway, I predict at least one headline that reads “Nationals’ League”, one that reads “Capital Punishment” for a blowout loss, and a reference to filibustering for any games that go into extra innings. Ah, subediting.

Yes, the patch on the left sleeve says “World Series 04 Champions”. I don’t want to even peel off the World Series hologram above the “SOX”.

Harvard, the best team that doesn’t see a bowl game? Bob Ryan thinks so…. as for the Pacers-Pistons brawl, Detroit got off bloody easy. Okay, perhaps not really much to put on its players, but the fans & the organisation should have gotten some punishment. Otherwise what’s to stop a crowd from provoking its most hated rivals? If the drink-throwing fan can be identified, he should be banned from the Palace. And I like the idea of imposing a soccer-style penalty by making the team play a home game in an empty arena (i.e. lost revenue, lost homecrowd advantage).

The Battle Cry of the Red Sox. A seriously deranged cartoon. I’m a sucker for all these. Keeps me warm through the… um… warm November and December months.

Just added Red Sox Prospects to my blogroll, and that reminded me of something: why is the new Sox affliate down in Capital City called the Capital City Bombers, and not the Capital City Goofballs?

This is just pathetic: Just a few weeks after the Yankees’ ALCS self-destruction and the Red Sox’s first World Series parade in several years, the Yankees’ Double-A team in Trenton has announced the scheduling of Reset the Curse Day on April 16 - the first visit by Boston’s affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs.

So Newsday has Pedro being offered a guaranteed third year, while the Globe says it’s all-but-guaranteed. I guess it’s just dancing around with legalese: it’s probably near-impossible for Pedro to miss the 3rd year, but for insurance purposes it’ll count as 2 years, or something like that.

Dies happy, presumably: Born December 1, 1890, Hale last month watched his lifelong favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, win the World Series again after 86 years. (Link)

Regardless of where Pedro ends up, I’ll say this: I think he will have a better 2005 season than Curt Schilling. I think Curt’s going to be great. I just feel Pedro will be greater.

More on the Pedro negotiations, by Bob Hohler: At the very least, Martinez almost certainly needed to sense some willingness by the Sox to improve their initial offer if he were to maintain faith in the negotiations. And the Sox needed to determine whether they could afford to reasonably satisfy Martinez’s expectations, particularly if he believed his meeting with Steinbrenner improved his bargaining position.

Varitek looking for a no-trade clause. I must admit, initially I thought “oh, that’s another of Boras’s demands”, but then I realised, if, as people seem to think, Varitek is willing to take a “hometown discount” and settle for 3/$27, he wants to know that the Sox don’t just turn around and trade that contract, otherwise he’s making less than he would’ve got and he’s still out of Boston.

There are a few blogs that are devoted to Yankee hatred, but this is more specific than that: just a blog revolving around the 2004 ALCS (by a Mets fan). The blogger still hasn’t discovered this great story about Dave Roberts’ classic steal, though:

On the ethics and metaphysics of the Yankees sucking (from Majikthise).