On the first official workout day of spring training, Bobby Valentine had his pitchers engage in a most unusual task. He said that the Rangers lost the World Series because pitcher Colby Lewis — the starter for Texas on Tuesday night at Fenway Park against the Red Sox — could not pull back on a sacrifice bunt attempt and enact a “slash play,” with a swing meant to bounce a ball past a charging infielder. Instead, Lewis bunted into a double play in the early innings of Game 6 of the World Series, and Valentine felt that the Rangers thus lost the World Series for the pitcher’s inability to execute a play, since the double play bunt cost Texas a run, Game 6 ended up being tied through nine innings and ultimately the Rangers suffered an unfathomable defeat in extra innings.

So, with that memory fresh, Valentine decided to have his pitchers practice the slash play on the first day of spring training. Valentine said at the time that he thought the Red Sox pitchers “want to be the world champions, so I just thought if they could work on a fundamental, a technique now of bunting and slashing, then in that time before interleague play where we get them to come out and practice, they can have already had a foundation of what they might be asked to do and then again, if it’s before the playoffs and they’re doing it again, they just build on that foundation.” (More on Valentine’s introduction of the slash play to Red Sox spring training is here.)

The Red Sox prioritized the play that Valentine said cost the Rangers the World Series. But, it seemed fair to wonder, did the Rangers?

Asked about whether he thought about the value of the slash play when Lewis bunted into the double play, Washington chuckled. He mentioned that over the course of a baseball game, there were innumerable moments where, if the play had been executed slightly differently, the outcome of a contest would have changed completely.

But Washington did not rue Lewis’ failed bunt, and he did not alter how he conducted spring training as a result of that one specific play.

“Being in the American League, I don’t like to see my guys swinging at balls. It’s easier to hurt yourself. In spring training, I try not to let them swing. If it’s a bunt situation [in a game], I let them go up and bunt, but if they go up there and nobody’s on the bag, I’ll make them take,” said Washington. “That’s just me. everyone does things differently, but no, I don’t work on the slash.

“You try to cover everything,” he added. “That’s one thing that Bobby feels like he needs to cover. That’s not something that I made a priority. My priority with my pitchers is fielding their positions and throwing to bags, and they’re pretty [expletive] good at that. [The slash is] an advantage they can probably have if they can do it, but that wasn’t a priority of mine.”

Rangers GM Jon Daniels has built a World Series-caliber team for the second straight year. (AP)

Long gone are the days when Jon Daniels received vexed looks by those who could not believe that he was old enough to be a major league general manager.

Daniels is still the youngest GM in the majors at 34, but he has spent six years in charge of building the Rangers’ organization, and in 2011, for the second straight year, he has steered Texas into the World Series. A combination of tremendously talented homegrown players, savvy trades and occasional dips into free agency have cemented the perception that the Rangers under Daniels have become one of the best organizations in the game.

For that reason, it is fascinating to consider his baseball roots — both where he did and did not get his start.

Daniels went to Cornell and received his degree in Applied Economics and Management. Out of college, he lived in the Boston area while working for Allied Domecq, a company that was dealing with the branding of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins. The undertaking was uninteresting, and so, following the path of college friend A.J. Preller (now the Rangers Senior Director of Player Personnel, who was then an intern with the Phillies), Daniels decided in 2001 to seek an internship in a baseball front office.

He lived in Boston, and so the first place to interview was obvious enough. Daniels submitted his resume to the Red Sox. At that time, the Sox were in the early stages of creating a baseball operations internship program, a task that had been entrusted to then-baseball operations assistant Ben Cherington by then-GM Dan Duquette as a means of injecting young talent into the team’s front office structure. Read the rest of this entry »

Javier Lopez, in his second stint with the Red Sox, served as an at-times vital cog in the team. He spent parts of four years with the Sox, from 2006-09, and in 172 appearances with the club, he had a 3.30 ERA.

But the end was rough. In 2009, he appeared in 14 games for the Sox, and allowed 20 hits and 12 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings. His 9.26 ERA — and the ascent of Daniel Bard in the minors — resulted in the left-hander being designated for assignment to clear a spot on the big league roster for Bard in early May.

“I really don’t think I threw the ball all that bad,” Lopez told Alden Gonzalez in a terrific feature on the left-hander on MLB.com. “But when I decided to get hit around pretty bad, I made sure I did a good job of it. I made sure I got hit around.”

He did a good enough job of it that the Sox could not be faulted for releasing him at the end of last season. But, much to his surprise, one year later Lopez has emerged as an enormous contributor for the Giants, who now lead the World Series, 2-0.

After San Francisco acquired him from the Pirates at the trade deadline, the 33-year-old had a 1.42 ERA in the regular season. In the postseason, he has delivered many crucial outs for the Giants, permitting just one hit, one walk and one run in 5 2/3 innings (1.59 ERA) while striking out six. He has been called upon to neutralize the best left-handed hitters of playoff opponents — Jason Heyward of the Braves, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard of the Phillies, Josh Hamilton of the Rangers — and he has succeeded.

“If you told me in May or June that I’d be here, in this spot, I’d tell you you’re lying to my face,” Lopez said in the MLB.com story. “It’s a dream. These are the spots that you try to play all your life for.”

Could the Sox have had a shot at Cliff Lee, who dominated the Rays and Yankees this postseason? (AP)

Just a few thoughts while watching the World Series:

Beckett, not Lackey, might be the one who cost the Red Sox a shot at Cliff Lee

The Red Sox signed John Lackey last December 14th. The Philadelphia Phillies traded Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners on December 17th. Before Lee was traded, it was believed that the Phillies would do anything they could to try to re-sign the lefty. Once he was traded to the Mariners, you had to believe that it was a one-year rental.

I don’t blame the Sox for not holding out for Lee by not signing Lackey, but you could question extending Beckett knowing that Lee would be on the market at the trade deadline or during the offseason. I really thought that the Sox would hold out and wait and see how Beckett did throughout the season, and more importantly late in the season, seeing that he had struggled down the stretch in the two previous years. Don’t get me wrong, once they signed him to the four-year deal, I may have been surprised they didn’t wait, but I still thought it was a good deal at the time. But, did it cost them a shot at Lee? I think it did.

You need more than an ace come playoff time

If you look back at the American League Championship Series, there were two clear cut aces in CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. After that, there were a lot of question marks.

Lee wasn’t available at the start of the ALCS, after pitching Game 5 against the Rays in the ALDS. So, to me, the big game to me in that series was Game 2. The Yanks used their playoff experience to come back and take advantage of a “fragile” Texas bullpen and take Game 1. It had me wondering if the Rangers could come back from that disappointing loss. It was left up to the Game 2 starters Phil Hughes and Colby Lewis. Lewis gave the Rangers exactly what they needed, keeping the Yankees bats in check early in that game. The same could not be said about Hughes, as the Rangers jumped all over him early. The same three guys in the Ranger ‘pen that got beat up during game 1 — Clay Rapada, Darren Oliver and Darren O’Day — bounced back and shut the door on the Yanks. After that game, it was over.

Fast forward to the World Series. After the much-hyped (but disappointing) pitching duel between Lee and Tim Lincecum, it was left to the Game 2 starters. Did you have more confidence in C.J. Wilson or Matt Cain?

The moral of the story: If your “ace” happens to get beaten in Game 1, you have to have confidence in the next guy to even the series.

Don’t underestimate Ortiz — a DH doesn’t come that easy

I expect that David Ortiz will have his option picked up. If you ask me, that option should be ripped up and replaced by a two-year deal this winter. I’m hearing a lot that the DH has been devalued these days. That’s because there just aren’t that many hitters in the game who can do what David Ortiz can do. Do you really think that the Tampa Rays are happy platooning Willy Aybar and Dan Johnson? No, they do because they don’t have a “David Ortiz” to plug in there everyday. (Tampa Bay tried to get a real DH with Pat Burrell. That was a failure. Burrell never produced for the Rays, who released him this summer.)

Ortiz’ struggles against left-handed pitchers are well documented. His numbers aren’t what they used to be. But at the end of the day, when the season is over, the numbers are there. Over the last two years, he has hit 60 home runs and has driven in over 200 runs. Good luck finding someone who can do that through free agency.

Bullpens are a must

I’ve always felt that World Series are won and lost because of bullpens. Obviously your starter needs to set the tone, but as we’ve seen in this World Series and ones of the past, even “good” starts may only last six innings. After that, the pressure is on. If you don’t have a guy that can get you out of a jam in the sixth and then have another two or three guys to hand it off to your closer, you are in big trouble. Which brings me to the closer. You often hear that pitching the ninth is a “different animal.” It is, but pitching the ninth in the playoffs or the World Series is a completely different level. The game has to be over if you have the lead in the ninth.

Defense…Defense…Defense

During the course of a season we see a lot of plays that, if they were made, would be considered great plays. If they are not made, more often than not they go down as a hit. In the postseason, those plays NEED to be made. The games are so intense that every mistake gets magnified. When you play the best teams in the game, you cannot give them outs by kicking the ball all over the field. Ask Brooks Conrad. If the poor guy didn’t have a meltdown in the field during the NLDS, the Giants may not be in the World Series.

Curt Young should be the next Red Sox pitching coach

Curt Young should replace John Farrell. Young was a minor league pitching coach with the A’s when Terry Francona was the big league bench coach. The Oakland A’s struggled to score runs but pitching was not their problem. Their staff had the lowest ERA in the American League. Curt Young is more than qualified and a great guy to boot.

Where did this come from with Javy Lopez?

Javy Lopez….really? Lefties hit .162 off of the former Red Sox lefty in 2010. That would have been nice to have, huh? Unfortunately for Javy, he got off to such a poor start with the Sox in 2009 that he just couldn’t recover. He is a left-handed specialist, not a mop-up guy. If you look back in April of ’09, Javy was brought in for some tough situations for someone who is asked to just get lefties out. Too often he was brought in to give the Sox innings in a blowout. Because of that, Lopez often found himself facing all right-handed hitters. That is not putting him a good position to succeed. He lost his confidence to get guys out, but as we are seeing in the postseason, he is still more than capable of getting the job done.

The Sox shouldn’t let the marketing department dictate their offseason

There is a feeling out there that the Sox need to make a splash this offseason in an attempt to create interest in their product. I don’t agree with that. If the marketing and sales department get involved in the team-building aspect of this organization, I will be shocked. The front office should not be concerned how their team is perceived by its fans. They should be concerned with doing what’s best for the organization and bringing a championship back to Boston.

All of last offseason, I listened to fans calling this station to voice their opinions of how bad this team was going to be, saying that because they let Jason Bay go, they weren’t going to score enough runs to compete. Theo Epstein and company knew that the team they put together would be just fine. I know they only won 89 games, but when they were healthy, scoring runs was not the problem. They were leading the major leagues in runs scored before they got hit with injuries.

As far as interest goes, those days are over. From 2004 to 2007, there were two seasons in this town, football and baseball. The other two big teams weren’t close to being championship caliber. Those were the glory days for both teams.

Why did ratings drop this year? It’s simple: The Celtics and Bruins were going deep in the playoffs and nobody really cared about the Sox for the first few months of the season. By the time the attention had switched over to Yawkey Way, the Sox started to lose piece after piece due to injury. Fans looked at this team and didn’t believe that they were capable of winning a World Series. That was the reality. No matter what they did at the trade deadline, the Sox could not win it all without Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury. Say what you want, but Kerry Wood was not bringing a championship to Boston.

Peter Gammons

MLB and NESN analyst Peter Gammons stopped by The Big Show on Thursday afternoon, and he expects the Red Sox to make some sort of free agent splash to reinvigorate a sagging fan base.

“There is a distinct game plan in that there are so many things they don’t know. I think they’re prepared to go in about 10 different directions,” said Gammons, before highlighting one such route. “There is no doubt in my mind that they are going to go really hard after Carl Crawford. That will be a matchup with the Angels, and you know there are some puffs of smoke coming out of New York that suggest the Yankees might go after him, even though their primary need is pitching.”

Although he expects the team to bring in a new face, Gammons also believes it could come at the cost of familiar ones. “I don’t expect Victor Martinez to come back, I think Detroit is going to give him four or five years. And I don’t think anybody else is going to give him four or five years to be a catcher.

“I’m not so sure Beltre will be back,” Gammons continued. “I can’t gauge that market. But I do think they will go very hard after Crawford, I really believe that. And I think they will go hard after some relief pitchers.”

Following is a transcript of the rest of the interview, where Gammons discusses the World Series, Barry Bonds, Cliff Lee‘s destination next season, former Red Sox reliever Javier Lopez, and more. To listen to the full interview, visit The Big Show audio on demand page.

Read the rest of this entry »

Pedro Martinez after throwing six no-hit innings of relief in an elimination game in 1999. AP.

Will Pedro show up for Game 6 in Yankee Stadium? Literally — will he show up?

The question is ridiculous, of course. Pedro Martinez will take the mound with the eyes of the baseball world upon him on Wednesday night, in a game that will decide whether the Yankees win the World Series tonight or whether there might be a winner-take-all Game 7.

That said, while the question now seems absurd, it is worth remembering that it was once a genuine issue whether Martinez would, in fact, show up at the ballpark when his team faced elimination in a Game 6 in Yankee Stadium. After the pitcher navigated a tightrope for six innings while allowing four runs in Game 5 of the ALCS (more on that in a bit), Martinez declared that he would not accompany the Sox to New York for Game 6 against the Yankees. Instead, he stayed in Boston, feeling that doing so somehow helped him should he be needed in relief for a potential Game 7.

The line of thinking made little sense. What could Martinez do in Boston that he could not do to prepare in New York?

Some in the Red Sox organization were disgusted by the pitcher’s decision, feeling it was completely selfish, a borderline act of betrayal, for him to be apart from his team on a night when they faced elimination.

Though it was a story at the time, it became an afterthought in the rest of the Sox’ remarkable run to the 2004 title. And the incident is rightly relegated to the status of a footnote — if that — when considering the arc of Martinez’ incredible career, both in Boston and in the majors.

On Wednesday night, Martinez will show up in Yankee Stadium, and for the fifth time in his career, the game will be on his shoulders in a postseason elimination game, this one representing the most significant of his three career World Series starts.

In his prior four significant elimination games (not including his mop-up role in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS), he has a 2-1 record and 4.10 ERA. The Sox have a 3-1 record in those contests. But numbers do not tell the story.

If history is a guide, the combination of Pedro and a win-or-go-home scenario will lend itself to an unforgettable game. Here are the previous four times that those two elements have been combined:

Oct. 11, 1999: ALDS Game 5, at Indians

Martinez, sidelined for most of the American League Division Series by a back injury, enters as a reliever in the fourth inning of the winner-take-all Game 5 against the Indians. He fires six no-hit innings of relief, as the Sox take a 12-8 win and complete the first-ever comeback from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five ALDS.

Oct. 6, 2003: ALDS Game 5, at A’s

Once again, Martinez is the man on the mound for the Sox as they try to complete a comeback from a 2-0 hole in the ALDS. This time, the opponent is Oakland. Martinez carries a 4-2 lead into the eighth inning but allows a pair of hits for a run to start the eighth. With the Sox clinging to a 4-3 lead, the Boston bullpen comes up huge, punctuated by Derek Lowe’s infamous crotch chop after punching out Terrence Long with the bases loaded.

Oct. 16, 2003: ALCS Game 7, at Yankees

This one was rehashed once or twice in New England after the fact. Martinez was dominant through much of the game but started to fade in the middle innings. After he gave up a run in the seventh inning, it appeared that the Sox ace considered his work done. But he was sent back to the mound for the eighth inning, and the Yankees — who entered the inning trailing 5-2 — jumped on a gasping-for-air Martinez for three runs as his pitch count drifted up to 123.

Martinez left with a no-decision, and the game marched on. Aaron Boone’s leadoff homer in the bottom of the 11th inning served as the dagger in the Sox’ season.

Oct. 18, 2004: ALCS Game 5, vs. Yankees

By this point, the Yankees were beyond intimidation with Martinez. After the right-hander allowed a bases-clearing, three-run double to Derek Jeter in the top of the sixth inning, it appeared that the impending free agent would absorb the loss in his final game as a Red Sox, a contest he left with his team trailing, 4-2.

But the Sox came back against New York’s bullpen, setting the stage for an agonizingly exciting, 14-inning contest in which the Sox claimed a 5-4 win on David Ortiz’ walkoff single after 5 hours, 49 minutes of play. By that point, Martinez had been rendered an afterthought, but the game will not be forgotten in baseball lore anytime soon.

Red Sox players start the celebration in St. Louis after winning the 2004 World Series. (AP)

Five years ago, a total lunar eclipse — the first ever during a World Series game — occurred in the night sky shortly before midnight at Busch Stadium, shortly before Keith Foulke prepared to launch what would be the final pitch of the 2004 season to Edgar Renteria.

A swing and a soft ground ball later, the ball would find its way back into the glove of the Red Sox closer, and he lofted it over to first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, who eagerly awaited the underhand toss. Sealing it in his glove with one foot on the bag, Mientkiewicz threw his arms up, lifting his right index finger in the air, while Foulke turned in jubilation toward Jason Varitek, catching him in an elated leap of triumph. The Red Sox, on the strength of a 3-0 win in Game 4, were World Series champions for the first time since 1918 after sweeping the Cardinals.

When Mientkiewicz caught the ball — a ball he later would refuse to give to Red Sox management — every citizen of the diehard, passionate and avid fan base known as Red Sox Nation erupted into a frenzied state of mass hysteria. In Boston, delirious fans jumped into ponds, ran up and down Yawkey Way riding on broomsticks like they were Bette Midler in “Hocus Pocus,” and flipped over cars.

They were unfazed by the armored Boston Police officers who looked ready to pounce on the first fanatic to get in their way. They did not care about midterms, deadlines or their Yankees-fan bosses’ threats that they would be fired if they did not arrive on time for work the next morning. This was the party they anticipated for decades. It was here at last.

Many laughed, many cried. Some screamed and others shouted. There were sighs of relief and howls of joy. “Dirty Water” blasted through stereos and “Sweet Caroline” echoed its “So good!” feeling in the exhilarated atmosphere. Bill Buckner received a full pardon.

College students climbed up lamp posts, hollering at the top of their lungs. People of all ages danced better than Patrick Swayze throughout Kenmore Square. And the celebration was not limited to those in America, but those in all corners of the globe. Those lying six feet under were given recognition for their loyalty as well, as many greeted their loved ones with World Series memorabilia.

This was the moment every member of the Nation had long awaited. Eighty-six years after the Red Sox had won their fifth World Series championship, the title was returning to Boston. They had accomplished the seemingly impossible. They were not just another championship team. They were the team. The best. The world’s greatest.

No team had ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in any playoff series to win four straight. This team did. The fans had suffered long enough. Those who died waiting, it was said over and over, were finally able to rest in peace.

Boston Red Sox, 2004 World Series champions: Could it get any better than this?

In the aftermath of Renteria’s final out, Red Sox players stormed the field in a celebration that would carry them all the way back to Boston. In the clubhouse, showering under the ice cold spray of bottled champagne, Johnny Pesky was at last able to receive the trophy he had whole-heartedly desired since his Red Sox team lost the 1946 World Series in St. Louis 58 years earlier. Curt Schilling gave a toast to the “greatest Red Sox team ever.” Shortstop Orlando Cabrera labeled the team a dynasty.

And Manny Ramirez, the World Series MVP, the disgruntled outfielder who was almost packaged in an offseason trade that would have sent Alex Rodriguez to the Sox and Manny to the Texas Rangers, offered one of his more profound statements, saying, “God sent me back here for a reason, and that’s why I am here.”

Theo Epstein, the engineer who built the band of lovable idiots, took part in the festivities as both a fan and a proud employee of the franchise. “A whole lot of people can die happy now, and a whole lot of people can live happy now — and we plan on doing it,” he said.

Terry Francona, in his first year as the team’s manager, got his wish to see his eccentric group of ballplayers jump onto each other like kids bouncing on a trampoline. Reliever Curtis Leskanic fell to the ground and attempted to make a snow angel in the grass in honor of how the Patriots celebrated a playoff victory.

Emotions were high throughout the Nation. Kevin Millar, who drew the leadoff walk off Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the ALCS, reflected after the game that it was an “amazing feeling.”

Fans who had lived through a lifetime of letdown and disappointment were finally rewarded. There were converts from the dark Yankee Universe who finally were able to validate their reasoning for crossing over. And there was 18-year veteran Ellis Burks, who was at last able to end his career by bringing home a championship.

Already, people were talking about the parade. Already, fans were preparing to hate on the Yankees (as Manny Ramirez did when he held a poster reading “Jeter is playing golf today. This is better!”). And Derek Lowe already was anticipating returning to Yankee Stadium without having to hear the “1918″ chants (though that would be the last night he would wear a Sox uniform).

Lowe’s jersey that he wore during his win in Game 4 would be immortalized in the Hall of Fame along with Cabrera’s glove, Schilling’s and Foulke’s spikes, Pedro Martinez’ cap, and several other treasured artifacts.

Not since the Boston Tea Party, it seemed, had the city exploded in such a fervent and zealous outburst. Red and navy shirts and jerseys streamed across the Boston Common and alongside the Charles River. It was a declaration of independence from the so-called Curse of the Bambino. The Sox were finally champions.

These are the images and the sounds that will forever be etched in the memories of Red Sox fans around the country. It was a night that no Sox fan will ever forget. Whenever someone asks a citizen where he or she was on Oct, 27, 2009, at 11:40 p.m., the answer will be an easy one. Everyone can distinctly remember what they were doing. Whether they celebrated from the comfort of their home, from the streets lining Beantown, or at the park in St. Louis, Red Sox fans will surely remember the moment that their prayers were answered and their faith rewarded.

The championship drought was over. Red Sox fans could ask for nothing more than the opportunity to soak in that moment of glory.