SawxBlog

The Seven Year Itch - The End of SawxBlog

_{Cheers to all who've been with me, both new and old - been an excelent journey. (SawxBlog Photo)}

"If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story."
-Orson Welles

I type this final post through a haze of tears. Ending SawxBlog, something I've put so much of myself into, is not an easy decision. I'm confident in my choice to retire the site, but this confidence makes typing these words more hard than easy - and at times, impossible. SawxBlog has assisted in chronicling a personal journey for the better part of a decade, using baseball as a vehicle to touch on things greater than the greatest game. So much has happened since its inception on December 29, 2004: Eight very long years ago.

I've felt this way before, the first time being in the winter of 1997. The final buzzer resounded through a half-full High School Gym as a basketball shiftlessly bounced towards an unmanned corner. With that push of a button, a period was placed on the last sentence of my basketball career, and as the buzzing ascended towards the rafters, I walked to the end of our bench, placed my head in my hands, and cried - knowing a page had been turned. The second time was four years later in the Spring of 2001 while DJ-ing my last Radio show in college. I played "Good Night" by The Beatles, the final song off my favorite album, and again, this time on FM radio - I shed a tear, realizing another Chapter was over.

It doesn't surprise me that again I'm emotional - I've always been this way, the difference between then and now is that it's my choice this time, and frankly, that's empowering. I've been wrestling with doing this for some time now, but what really pushed me was an article I read regarding Jason Varitek and his future with the Red Sox and baseball.

Like any true Sox fan, I love Tek. He was the heart and soul of the Red Sox as they elevated from lovable losers, to perennial contenders. He had all the intangibles that made those Teams who they were. He hit, he caught, called a great game, led, and fought. But even wearing the rosiest colored glasses you couldn't deny his decline, and while flashes of Tek are there, he just isn't the same anymore. Father Time is relentless and cruel like that. The hardest thing for athletes to do is stop playing. Some have to in High School because their skill isn't there. Some throw in the towel because of an injury. Others simply quit because their time is up, and Tek's time is up, as is mine.

Comparing the writer of a blog to a professional athlete may seem ridiculous, but the analogy works for me. My passion isn't there on the day-to-day anymore, and I don't want to cheapen what I've worked so hard to build. Everything runs its course in life. I'm proud as hell of everything accomplished with SawxBlog, and appreciate the help and support I've received from everyone. It's given me more opportunities than I could have ever dreamed of. I was allowed to peak behind Oz's curtain, and the memories will be with me until my last breath.

I find the timing appropriate. Only David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, and the Red Sox Ownership are the same since when I began. The 2012 Red Sox are at the beginning of a new Chapter, which is why I think it's best to step aside.

During my time writing this blog I've gained friends and lost others. I went from dating a girl I liked, to marrying the woman I love. Have seen my Mother pass away far too early, and seen my family evolve as a result. This was a blog before most people even knew what that word meant. I've been able to take batting practice in Fenway, attend special events, meet Heroes and Mentors, and announce for the Jimmy Fund. I've  been interviewed on ESPNews, Radio Stations, and televisions shows, while also being mentioned in the New York Times, Boston Globe, and USA Today. I've achieved dreams while realizing others, and through it all stayed true to myself.

Now it's time for my next chapter, whatever that may be. But know this, I'll be rooting as hard as ever for the Red Sox, and will also be sticking around on Twitter for a bit. There's obviously so much more than this game in life, but that makes it none-the-less beautiful, it truly is the Greatest Game. So as the SawxBlog buzzer sounds through the corners of my mind, I'm the one who's writing the final sentence, and I'd have it no other way.

Thank you for reading. Happy New Year. Go Red Sox, and see you at Fenway.

Good night Good night Everybody
Everybody everywhere
Good night.

The Beatles - "Good Night"

-Derek

David Ortiz accepts arbitration

_{David Ortiz and new Manager Bobby Valentine chat it up down in the Dominican Republic. (AP Photo)}

If you're a Red Sox fan this is good news. Since storming onto the scene in 2003 Big Papi has been the face of the Red Sox, and has been one of the cornerstones to Boston's success over the past decade. Some wondered if his time was up, and in 2008 and 2009 he was plagued with some epic slow starts. Each year, however, Papi was able to bounce back and finish with respectable power numbers, and over the past two seasons he's reverted back to the clutch player we've come to expect.

In 2010 and 2011 Ortiz has averaged 30 HR's and 99 RBI with a .290 average each season, and is a premium DH where the market's fairly thin. With him accepting arbitration he's due to get a raise from the $12.5 million he made last year, and will make between $14 and $15 million next season. He's certainly being overpaid some, but for what he means to the Team, City, and brand it's a no brainer. This also helps further solidify some stability with the Sox which the fans at least, are in desperate need of.

Papi's one of my favorite players of all-time, his smile is infectious and his play a joy to watch. He takes the game as seriously as the next guy, but seems to have more fun than anyone. He's an ambassador to the league, and seemingly a friend of all, and today I'm glad that he's back where he belongs, in that lyric little bandbox of a ballpark we call Fenway Park.

How I Got Over

_{Hopefully Bobby Valentine has many lasting images during his time in Boston. (AP Photo)}

How I Got Over
By Kris Chandler

It has been two hundred and two days since I last wrote a piece for this blog. The world, particularly the sporting world, has seen some strange s**t go down. My last piece was coverage of the annual Charity Wine event the Red Sox host to promote their various player-inspired vintages. I met Jon Lester and got the chance to watch him and Clay Buchholz talk about what it means to be a part of a charity, and to see the time one volunteers bring happiness to someone's life. How quickly things would change. Buchholz would only pitch in fourteen games in 2011, and would not see the mound after June. Lester's season ended in mediocre fashion with three losses and a no-decision as the Sox collapsed in a rather epic manner. And, of course, we all know what happened next - Theo fled, Tito was run out of town, and Red Sox Nation began to take on the pall of one of the walkers from The Walking Dead.

But as the old saying goes, time heals all wounds. And it will. At 5:30PM last night, the Red Sox officially announced the ascension of Bobby Valentine to Manager of the 2012 Red Sox. In conjunction with the promotion of Ben Cherington to General Manager earlier this fall, the 2011 Red Sox were finally laid to rest, and the organization took the first step toward replacing this past fall's collapse with some fonder memories. While it's a little anxiety-inducing at the moment, I think the changes will herald a new era in Red Sox Nation. I'll reserve speculation about their chances in 2012 and beyond until the new year but, suffice it say, I'm excited. As sad as I was to see two of the cornerstones of the franchise for the past decade leave, I'm equally thrilled to have some new blood to revitalize a stagnant ball club.

I've been considering a post on the Patriots for some time now, but I just couldn't get a handle on who they are this year. They've played brilliantly at times, but have also shown some major flaws, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Brady and Co. have blistered opponents with an aerial attack we've come to take for granted, but have allowed some of the most inept teams in the league to score, seemingly at will. Recently they've begun playing professional defense, but I wonder how far that will take them in the post-season. Their secondary is young and inexperienced, but it has the advantage of being held up by Mr. Handsome and his armada of pass-catching receivers, backs, and tight ends. There is also the distinct boon of playing for one of the greatest football minds the NFL has ever seen. We're entering the final month of the season, five games left to play. If I had to lay a bet on how they'll fare come January, I'd put my money on them making it to the Super Bowl. Just don't ask me if I think they can handle Aaron Rodgers and the Pack.

Apparently, there will be basketball this year. I'm maintaining my role of jilted lover until I see just how the 2011-12 Celtics shape up. I won't get into a big rant about how both the players and the owners are self-entitled pricks with their heads up their asses. I will say I'm glad they finally figured out a deal that allows them to play the game again. Because, for all of the talk about who's taking money out of who's pocket, it's really the fans who've been paying the price all along. The fans, the concession workers, the bar owners who've lost countless business with no games being played to bring people out on game nights. Canal Street here in Boston is a graveyard on nights when the Bruins aren't playing, and it's costing the local business owners dearly. Let's hope they can recoup some of their losses later this month when the shortened season begins.

I've been thinking a lot about sports, and fandom, and what it really means to follow sports in this day and age. I'm an ardent sports fan, and anyone who knows me knows that. I love every facet of sports, from the actual games to the coverage to the aftermath. Some of my fondest memories are of playing sports, watching sports, and writing about sports. I've written before about how athletes are our modern gods, their deeds equaling the feats of the gods of lore. About how we project our own hopes and fears onto them, and allow our own fantasies to play out as we watch them strive to succeed on the world's largest stages. There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, like being a sports fan. We take for granted every day just how lucky we are, especially here in Boston. Not just to have the titles and rings our local boys have accumulated over the past decade, but to live in a town so thoroughly populated by sports nuts. We're all brothers and sisters when the Sox take the field, or the Bruins take the ice. We collectively raise our voices and clap our hands when the decibel meter appears on the Jumbotron at the Garden, and we all leap out of our seats when the Pats score on a pretty pass play from TFB to Wes Welker. If that isn't the very definition of camaraderie, I don't know what is.

Establishing A Culture of Excellence

_{With Bobby Valentine on board, the new Red Sox leadership is now in place. (RedSox.com Screenshot)}

Something happened in September that I wasn't involved in, and I didn't see it first hand. You know I think that - reputation is something that other people think about you, and right now maybe this bunch of guys have a reputation that's not warranted. Because everything I've heard about the players that were in the uniform last year, and the coaching staff - says nothing but they have great character. There might have been a couple characters that kinda got out of line. There might of been situations that got spinning too fast - I don't know, because I wasn't there. But I can tell you that I am look forward to working with this group, and establishing a culture of excellence.

-Bobby Valentine - Manager - Boston Red Sox

Valentine's Day: Bobby Named Red Sox Manager

_{Needless to say, Bobby Valentine is a little different than Terry Francona.}

Everything had become too weird, so I hunkered down for another Salinger Seclusion. My last SawxBlog post was a long 37 days ago, and I again contemplated retiring this blog after its great seven year run. The Red Sox, stuck in a purgatory tailspin since September, had obtained the uncanny knack for making the bad, worse. There's no more Tito. There's no more Theo. There's no more Papelbon. There's no more Heidi even. It's a brave new world staring back at the fans, and the winds of change have been blowing ferociously since the September Collapse.

Change can often be good, is always needed, but more importantly - it's inevitable. All things must pass. That's what's helping me accept the weird. The organization is no longer headless, and with Bobby Valentine as our Manager we can start moving forward and make the past exactly that. Do I think Bobby's the best guy for the job? No. Do I think he'll be our Manager three years from now? No. I do think he'll be good for the Sox in the short term. Valentine's anything but stoic, and his presence will energize the players and fans alike. The one group who must be absolutely beaming today is the Media. Bobby's a great interview, and will be a breath of fresh air in comparison to the rote clichéd answers given by Francona. His run may be short, but it's sure to be memorable.

Regardless of how well Valentine does he's going to feel like a sneaky Step Dad to me. Tito developed so much good will over the years and felt like a kind patient Father. Everybody loved Tito. Bobby's going to come off, initially at least, as a cheap silicon snake salesman, smiling his way through both the good and bad. It'll take some time to earn my trust.

Everything is still weird, possibly weirder today than it was yesterday, but for the first time in two months Red Sox fans are thinking and talking about the future, which has to be a good thing - it's time to turn a new leaf over.

Theo Epstein Thanks Fans in Full Page Boston Globe Ad

Theo Epstein had a parting shot of his own as he left Boston, and it was one of thanks. There's been so much focus on the negative these past few weeks that it's been easy to lose perspective on how far Red Sox culture has come over the past decade. It's sad that Theo and Tito are gone because it means one of the best era's in Red Sox history is over. But it also affords a new chapter to be written, but whoever the author may be, they have one hell of an act to follow.

Thanks Theo, you gave reason to believe, helping to redefine both faith and hope. Best of luck in killing your next curse, the Cubbies couldn't be getting anyone better.

s

Unidentified Sources, Cowards, & Booze: Make the Bastards Deny It

_{A skinny Josh Becket and John Lackey in Kevin Fowler's "I Like Beer" Music Video. (YouTube Screenshot)}

Soap Opera - noun - a serial drama performed originally on a daytime radio or television program and chiefly characterized by tangled interpersonal situations and melodramatic or sentimental treatment.

Aside for the daytime part, I'd say it'd be fair to asses the current Red Sox situation as a full blown Soap Opera. Everyday there's a new leak, a new anonymous source, and a new denial. Channel 7 News has now thrown it's annonymous hat in the ring, claiming not only did Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and John Lackey drink beer in the clubhouse - but that they also drank beer in the dugout.

On nights when they were not pitching, Beckett, Lester and Lackey would exit the dugout as early as the 6th inning, walk back to the clubhouse, and fill cups with Bud Light beer. They would then return to the dugout with cups of beer and drink while watching the game.

Before I tore my ACL playing basketball in March, I played in a Softball league during the Summer and Fall. The league is loosely competitive, but still, my friends and I would buy some Bud Lights, fill up a few Nalgene bottles, and drink them during the game. Beer and softball aren't exactly foreign entities, they're actually a glorious combination - but comparing my friends and I drinking beers to the Red Sox top three paid pitchers isn't exactly fair. We play in a co-ed D Division softball league for fun - they play in front of thousands nightly for a hell of a lot of money. No matter where they were drinking, be it in the clubhouse or dugout, it really doesn't matter to me. They should have been able to wait until after work before popping open a cold one. Period. That's what we all do.

It took Channel 7's report to pull the other two Amigos out of their seclusion. But the tough guys couldn't even speak for themselves, they had to do it through a Red Sox Press Release. Let's take a look at both of their statements.

Josh Beckett
“I cannot let this allegation go without response; enough is enough. I admit that I made mistakes along the way this season, but this has gone too far. To say that we drank in the dugout during the game is not true.”

John Lackey
“There are things that went on this season that shouldn’t have happened, but this latest rumor is not true, and I felt that it was important to try to stop this from going any further.”

These guys are a bunch of frauds. Beckett's pulled the tough guy routine his whole career, and right now he's looking like a Paper Tiger. First off, denying this latest charge, while also trying to neatly sweep the other allegations under the rug via a Press Release is bourgeois and cowardly. Tough Guy Beckett can't look the fan base in the eye and say I screwed up, I'm sorry, won't happen again. He has to pull a Lackey and point his finger at others.

Like I said, where they were drinking isn't the point. The point is that these clowns cared less than the fans, fellow teammates, and apparently the Owners. The great Hunter S. Thompson wrote about the first time Lyndon Johnson was elected to Congress in 1948 in his book "Better Than Sex: Confessions of a Political Junkie", and the below is a quote from this account:

Lyndon was running about 10 points behind, with only nine days to go... He was sunk in despair. He was desperate... he called his equally depressed campaign manager and instructed him to call a press conference at two or two-thirty (just after lunch on a slow news day) and accuse his high-riding opponent (the pig farmer) of having routine carnal knowledge of his barnyard sows, despite the pleas of his wife and children... His campaign manager was shocked. 'We can't say that, Lyndon,' he said. 'It's not true.' 'Of course it's not,' Johnson barked at him, 'but let's make the bastard deny it.

Maybe this is the perverse logic that was needed with the dugout story to finally drag all Three Amigos out of their hideouts. The beauty of the story is that there was enough truth in it to make them comment, who cares if it's true - make the bastards deny it. I will admit that this parade of unnamed sources is just as gutless as the Three Amigo's inability to take ownership for their Frat mentality in 2011, and I do hope they end soon, they're not needed anymore.

Everybody knows the September Collapse happened due to our starting pitchers, and now we know why. They were spoiled, uninspired, and lazy. You wanted answers, and now you have them. For the sake of all of us though I hope we can begin to move on, because I for one am sick of this Goddamn Soap Opera.

Jon Lester Breaks the Three Amigos Silence

_{Jon Lester stepped up to the plate yesterday, but did he swing and miss?}

Ask and you shall receive I guess. Last Friday I wrote that the Owners silence on all things September was both damning and deafening. A few hours later John Henry held court on the Felger and Mazz Show and helped clear a lot of doubt the Faithful had in him. Then yesterday I wrote the below:

"It'd be nice to see one of our multi-million dollar pitchers step up and take some blame or ownership for the collapse. Eye's have certainly shifted directly towards them now...we'll see if there's a real leader amongst the Three Amigos, but I'm not holding my breath."

Low and behold, a few hours later, there's a Peter Abraham piece in the Globe with Jon Lester breaking the silence and admitting to some of the claims that have been floating about in the media - most notably, that Starting Pitchers were indeed drinking beer and eating chicken in the Clubhouse during games. I applaud Lester for finally stepping up, however, I have to say the whole thing seemed a bit empty to me, and some of what he said was downright shocking.

Maybe this is a damned if he does, damned if he doesn't scenario - and I'm glad Lester wasn't just giving rote pre-packaged answers, but he seemed to skirt any real responsibility, while also throwing people who genuinely cared for him under the bus.

“Was it a bad habit? Yes. I should have been on the bench more than I was. But we just played bad baseball as a team in September. We stunk. To be honest, we were doing the same things all season when we had the best record in baseball.’’

So in the span of a few sentences Lester's admitting he did wrong, but is also acting like if they didn't suck in September it wouldn't have become an issue. Sure, that very well may be the case, but it doesn't f^(%ing matter. What they were doing was wrong - period. If I had a few nips before work starting say, tomorrow - I bet you I could perform to my expected level for quite awhile. However, seven months later (March to September) that may end up being a different case. I may not be having only one nip anymore. I may be starting to show up late. I may be letting myself go physically. I may not be eating as healthy. And through it all, it seems pretty reasonable to expect my performance to start to slip. I believe this is exactly what happened to the Three Amigos. All Lester had to say is I got into some bad habits, didn't help create a positive attitude towards winning, and it won't happen again. But no - he skirts any real responsibility, and it pretty disappointing.

I never saw guys purposely breaking rules or doing the wrong thing in front of him (Francona) and rubbing it in his face. But this particular team probably needed more structure. Tito was the perfect guy for this team for a long time but I think he got burnt out.

This is the most reprehensible thing Lester said in his interview. The translation of this is, 'Tito treated us like men, we acted like children'. I always thought Francona had a special relationship with Lester after his Cancer scare, he seemed more proud of Jon than any other pitcher, and for Lester then to say things like this is out right sickening. This obviously shows Tito had to go, the clubhouse was beyond lost, and there's some deep seeded issues in this clubhouse that are going to linger into next Season. Francona could have called out a hell of a lot of players on his way out, but he didn't - then Lester does this. It's disgusting.

Where John Henry helped mend tension with his open and honest interview, Lester seemed to have dug his hole deeper. These pitchers are coming off worse and worse the more we learn. Mike Giardi has a telling article over at Comcast SportsNet, and it refutes a lot of what Lester had to say. The most damning statement comes from a player, who is again unnamed - a problem that's reoccurring this off-season, and he had this to say about how Lester and the other Amigos treated Tito:

"It was the guys who should know better, the guys who have been here and often benefited from Tito's softer hand. I mean, how many times [did] Tito defend you to the press or stick by you, and this is how [you] repay him? It's bullshit."

I can't agree any more, it is bullshit - and it's going to be bullshit for quite awhile - as Winter looms and questions linger.

John Henry Enters the Belly of the Weird

_{John Henry during his honest and emotional impromptu interview. (98.5 Sports Hub Photo)}

AUDIO: Listen to John Henry on the Felger and Mazz Show on 98.5 the Sports Hub

I've gained a hell of a lot of respect for John Henry. Last Friday morning the now infamous Boston Globe Collapse Article had taken on a life of its own. The popular opinion among Red Sox heads was that the Ownership Group was behind the anonymous sources, and were kicking Terry Francona on his way out. I was beginning to lean this was too, as the Owners were the only ones that didn't have mud on them by the end of the piece. I wrote the following on Friday morning in reference to the owners and the collapse article:

"Their collective silence has been as loud as Beckett, Lester, and Lackey's - and it's really making me question their ethics and savvy."

Little did I know that only a few hours later John Henry would break that silence with a style and passion only he could bring. I've always supported this Ownership Group, and truly belive they've been the best thing to ever happen to the Red Sox. Far too long the Red Sox organization was a racist country club, and was never run like a proper business. I have nothing but shame for Tom Yawkey, and think it's an embarrassment to every fan of the game that this spoiled, rich, arrogant, and bigoted man is in the Hall of Fame. It's a disgrace, and his legacy still left a foul stench around the franchise when John Henry took over in 2002, and he immediately started putting the futility and mediocrity that was associated with the Red Sox in the past. Instead of being behind the curve, Henry was now placing the Sox ahead of it by hiring the best baseball minds in the business, and embracing both the tried and true ways of Scouting, and the still unmined field of Sabermetrics. There never was a curse of the Bambino, just the Curse of having a racist drunk as your owner.

Henry's legacy should be shining with the public, he has not been cheap in Free Agency, has helped revitalize and save Fenway Park, and most importantly - helped bring two World Championships in a 10 year period. But despite these facts, he saw his image being tarnished with the passing of each hour, and on Friday he burst onto the airwaves unannounced at 98.5 the Sports Hub on the Felger and Mazz Show to defend his name, honor, and the ball club he owns. The silence was no more.

Henry's appearance erased any thoughts I had that he leaked information in the Globe article, but that ended up being secondary in my opinion. If this showed us, the fan, anything, it showed that he cares about this Team as much as us, and that the Sox are going to do whatever it takes to be in the thick of it next year. It was certainly a new chapter of weird having him show up unannounced to talk for an hour and a half. This off-season is one of never ending drama, but this is what you get when all parties, from the ownership to the fans, care so much. That said, it'd be nice to see one of our multi-million dollar pitchers step up and take some blame or ownership for the collapse. Eye's have certainly shifted directly towards them now...we'll see if there's a real leader amongst the Three Amigos, but I'm not holding my breath. To a man though, Henry owned up, and owned up with a passion, and that's all you can ask.

Keith Olbermann Blasts Red Sox Ownership and Boston Globe Article

I know, I know - what does Keith Olbermann have to do with the Red Sox, he's not exactly the "go to" source for my baseball needs. I do think he raises some excellent points here though - which others around the interwebs have raised as well. Until the Cubs introduce Theo Epstein as their new GM, and the Red Sox introduce Ben Cherington as his replacement, they'll be no moving forward for the organization or its fans, as it's gotten awful ugly in Fenwayville.

It is interesting to see how the tides have turned over these past few days. Before the Globe released it's ridiculous 1A article, everyone with an opinion on the Red Sox was playing the blame game, with fingers pointed in nearly every direction. Now the focus has come squarely down on the Ownership Group, who in the court of public opinion, have been named guilty of being the anonymous source in the Boston Globe article. Their collective silence has been as loud as Beckett, Lester, and Lackey's - and it's really making me question their ethics and savvy. I've been a strong defendant of this ownership group over the last month. They hired the right people, opened their wallets for top tier talent, saved Fenway Park, and brought two World Championships to Boston. But the way they're reacting in the bad times may be showing what their true colors look like.