Author Archives: Matthew Martin

Playing from Massachusetts? Here’s How to Choose an Online Casino for Your Needs


Internet gambling has become a relatively new phenomenon. The first gambling sites were launched in the mid-1990s and became famous, especially in the United States. In fact, millions of people in the U.S. have engaged in gambling online despite its illegal nature.

Legal Issues

There were issues about Internet gambling before as the revenue was not determined because gambling sites were not allowed to operate in the country. Likewise, most countries that allowed them to operate didn’t collect or report the revenue status. At the same time, gambling websites might not be paying taxes to their home countries or paying taxes that are lower than the land-based real money blackjack establishments.

According to sources, there are no federal laws against playing online. As a matter of fact, it is legal to put wagers online as an example. Nevertheless, that wager must not be put on a website situated in the country.

The only way that you can play is when a website has been set up outside the United States. Therefore, you may bet on sites located in countries like Australian, Latin America, or the Caribbean. But it only includes casino and poker bets in which people from Massachusetts anywhere else in the U.S. can have fun and enjoy.

Online Gambling Sites

Unquestionably, there are tons of good online casinos accepting players from Boston, or other places in the U.S., it is not easy to find a reliable online casino with sports betting and poker room. The most important thing to remember when gambling online is to keep it safe. Therefore, you need to pick the most trusted apps you can find these days. One way to find the right apps is by referencing a trusted online casino guide and by following the tips below:

Tips On Finding A Trusted Online Casino

  1. You must first pick the one that suits your needs. So you have to decide whether you want to play video poker or blackjack or play live dealer games via webcam.
  2. Browse through online gambling sites. Basically, money is the main factor that motivates most online gambling sites. In fact, online casinos would pay huge amounts just to get their brand known to potential players. You can get more info here if you like to know more about online gambling sites. Some are in a form of referrals, commissions, or just a flat monthly fee for a banner.
  3. Look for software options where you can take your money. Only a tiny percentage would accept players from the U.S. These are powered mostly by 1 in a dozen software providers. Take note that most of these online casinos would only lease software from a company, so they don’t use proprietary software. Therefore, they might offer better games than others or vice versa. So pick one that will only suit your needs and disregard the rest.
  4. Find out more about the cash out policies at the casino. A lot of people complain about cashing out in slot machines or rigged games, but they might just be sour grapes. Cashing out at some online casinos will enable you to reverse your pending cash out. But the longer it is available for you, the worse it will be. This is because it will be moved back to your casino account, where you can lose it for another game you might find enjoyable.
  5. Find out where the casino was licensed. While online casinos accept players from the U.S. are usually licensed by governments, they are not necessarily as protective of their customers as some governments might be. Thus, they offer licensing with very little oversight. However, some states in the country started regulating online casinos which provide more oversight and player protection. The best thing to do is to stick to those local online casinos and stay away from those licensed offshore.
  6. Read reviews or comments made by online casino players. The best place to find them is to visit a number of forums from other sites about what players have to say publicly. Feedbacks can be bias but helpful on your part. Some might provide positive feedbacks because they have won, but negative from those who lost badly.

How To Win Casino Games

  • Pick The Online Casino Well Suited For Your Needs
  • Accept The Gifts They Provide
  • Select An Online Bank That You Can Trust
  • Learn Your Game
  • Manage Your Bankroll

Take note that gambling can be fun if you win, but it also demands you to accept the fact if you lose. This means that whenever you gamble, see to it that you don’t owe money to spend for it, rather gamble with money you are willing to lose without heartbreak.

How to Stay Safe When Participating in Water Sports

Water sports are exciting, thrilling and adventurous. In fact it is an addiction for water enthusiasts. Even though it seems challenging in the beginning, everything turns out to be smooth with practice.

However, safety comes first when we talk about water sports. There has been many water-related incidents in the past but that doesn’t mean skipping on the sport itself. Rather, one must increase awareness relating to water-associated threats and equip themselves with the right material.

Whether your are getting in the water yourself or just participating in water sports betting, here are some lifesaving tips for water sports enthusiasts out there to enjoy the activity to the fullest:

  • Equip yourself

It is imperative to utilize safety equipment before engaging into water sports. For example, life jackets are a must whichever water activity an individual is getting into. Inflatable kayaks must be used when kayaking. Similarly, swimsuits must be used. Furthermore, physical equipment is a pre-requisite, however, participants must be ready to understand all the risks associated with the activity and how they must be tackled in an effective manner. Being aware with all the possible scenarios is what participants must do in the first place.

  • Learn to swim

This is one of those tips that can be a life-saver in most of the time. It is essential to know how to swim. Most water-sports will entail swimming and participants must ensure that their accomplices also know how to swim. In a nutshell, you must know the important strokes of swimming to overcome any undesired circumstances.

  • Learn CPR

It is important to learn CPR if you are a water-sport enthusiast. One must not rely on lifeguards or any other medical personnel to come and save life of a family member or a friend. Every participant must know how to administer CPR in the soonest time, because a few seconds can make a large difference. There is a multitude of medical organizations that offer CPR sessions and how to make the best use of them in emergency times.

  • Prevent alcohol and drugs

Alcohol and drugs are the worst enemies a water-sport enthusiast can get. Scientific studies have proven that it can have a negative impact on your mental state. It decreases focus, concentration and makes you unconscious in cases of extreme activity. This is why many water-sport institutions carry out test whether participants have consumed alcohol and any type of drug. This is the reasons why traffic authorities have prohibited driving after alcohol and drug-intake.

  • Increase awareness

This is probably one of those tips that can be helpful lifetime. It is of paramount importance to increase awareness regarding threats associated with water-sports. Attend classes on what the safety rules are and how to address different cases in different ways. Make sure a drill is carried out as well before engaging into the actual water-sport activity.

The bottom line

Here were some of the important tips for water sport enthusiasts. It must be followed with immense care in a consistent manner to ensure safety and protection.

Playing the Odds: Betting Vegas Odds like a Pro

When the United States Supreme Court overturned the 1992 PASPA law in a landmark decision, it opened up all sorts of new betting opportunities for US residents in several states, most notably in New Jersey.

However, long before that, there had always been one place where sports bettors could go to bet on a wide range of sports, Las Vegas. The State of Nevada legalized sports betting back in 1949, and was the only place within the entire United States where one could make a legal bet on any sports match.

Las Vegas still leads the way in the US for sports betting turnover, and Nevada sports books average around $3 billion annually in sports betting revenue. Whether you choose to play at one of the many registered sports betting outlets, or at one of the big casino and resort hotels like the MGM, knowing how the Las Vegas odds work, and how to read them, is crucial to your chances of success.

Understanding How Vegas Odds Actually Work

We’ve all heard the word odds being thrown around in conversation from time to time, even when not used in a betting or gambling context. But what are odds really? The word is used in different contexts to mean different things. For instance, if you were talking about odds from a statistical point of view, you’d be referring to the probability of an event occurring, divided by the probability that the same event would not occur. This is usually represented in a simple formula: odds = p/p(1-p).

While the statistical use of odds may be a bit difficult to get your head around, the use of odds in the Las Vegas odds context, should make a bit more sense and be easier to digest. Las Vegas odds is a lot similar to how we would use the word odds in a more every day way. For instance, the odds of not getting stuck in traffic today could be around 3to1. This is essentially Las Vegas odds.

But what does that mean and how can you use it when playing the odds? The easiest way to understand odds that are expressed as 3-1 or 3:1, is that there are 3 chances to win, and one chance to lose. Another way to put it is as 3in4, meaning that there are 3 chances to win out of a total of 4 chances. When betting on sports, you may also see this expressed as .75 since 3/4 is equal to .75 when expressed as a decimal. If you were talking in statistical odds, you would say that the odds are 3 (odds = .75/(1-.75) = .75/.25 = 3).

But what about other Vegas odds? You may find odds in a given game offered as 3-2, which is equal to 1.5:1 when expressed as in decimal format. However, when it comes to Vegas odds, they are never expressed in the decimal format; you would more likely see that option with offshore betting sites and might find a few good options at https://top10bookie.com/w88/. So, in a nutshell, the odds of 3-2 lets you know that there are 3 chances of winning, and 2 chance so of losing. In other words, Vegas odds of 3-2 can also be read as a chance of 3 in 5, or 3 chances to win out of a total of 5 chances. It is quite straightforward when you get the hang of it.

Here’s a short table that clearly shows how Vegas odds work when related to chance, statistical odds and probability:

Vegas OddsChanceStatistical OddsProbability
10-110in1110.00000.9091
9-19in109.0000    0.9000
8-18in9    
8.0000    0.8889
7-17in87.0000    0.8750
6-16in76.0000    0.8571
5-15in65.0000    0.8333
4-14in54.00000.8000
3-13in43.00000.7500
7-37in102.33330.7000
2-12in32.00000.6667
3-23in51.50000.6000
1-11in21.00000.5000

How to Bet on Different Sports Using Vegas Odds

Now that you have a better understanding of how Vegas odds work, you can begin to play the odds like a pro.

Firstly, you’ll need a site where you can find odds for your choice of game, whether that be NFL, NBA, college sports, or whatever it may be that you feel like betting on. Vegasodds.com, for example, have odds for most of the major US sports that you can bet on, and they even include guides and tips for each of the individual sports.

Understanding Betting Options and Types

All sports come with their own type of betting options and types. The main ones are Moneyline, Point Spread, and Totals. For the more advanced bettors looking to step up their wagering game, sportsbooks also offer more complex betting types, such as Parlays, Teasers, Props, and Futures. It’s important that you understand what each of these mean for the sport that you wish to bet on, because they are not always the same across the different sports.

For example, NBA and NFL offer such similar wager options that at first glance, most amateur bettors would assume they’re identical and therefore employ the same betting strategy. This is a big mistake and can easily get you burned.

Know Your Sport

Just as important as knowing the different types of wagers is knowing the teams and players of the sport you wish to bet on. Once again, using the NBA and NFL as examples, these two sports have very different game schedules. While the NFL teams play roughly once a week, NBA teams frequently plays 3-4 games per week.

So, how does this affect your betting? Well, since the games are farther apart for the NFL, this means you have more time to do all your research on the matchups, study the players’ recent performance and injuries. NBA, on the other hand, only gives bettors 1-2 days to carry out the same analysis, which typically results in more frequent impulsive bets.

In the end, it comes down to gathering as much information as possible in order to improve your chances of winning any sports bet.

Vegas odds can be applied to most sports and you will find plenty to choose from, giving you a diverse range of betting options, as well as an exciting number of high intensity sports to choose from.  

Red Sox Sign Infield Veteran Brandon Phillips

The Red Sox have signed 36-year old infielder Brandon Phillips to a minor league contract. He has spent parts of 15 seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves, and the Los Angeles Angels. Phillips is primarily a second baseman, the position at which he has won four gold gloves. Before getting promoted to the majors, Brandon will probably go through an “extended spring training” of sorts. He hasn’t played a major league since September 30, 2017. What role will he have with the Red Sox?

Phillips Provides Infield Depth

The Red Sox have been in need of infield depth for a large part of the season. Dustin Pedroia is currently on the DL, Xander Bogaerts has spent time on the DL, and Rafael Devers and Eduardo Nunez have struggled. The defense has also had it’s struggles, with Devers being second in the majors in errors (15) and Nunez not being as consistent with the leather. Brandon Phillips’ four gold gloves should immensely help on this side of the field and could also serve as a mentor to the 21-year old Rafael Devers.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, “Source: Brandon Phillips will play 3B for at Triple A. Second source says “no connection” between his signing and Pedroia situation. Phillips, however, certainly offers team protection for Pedroia/Nunez.” (Twitter: @Ken_Rosenthal)

Phillips Hits Well Against Lefties

The Red Sox have also shown their struggles against left-handed pitching. As a team, they are hitting for a .250 average and a .740 OPS against lefties, which certainly leaves much to be desired. In fact, their worst hitting performances this year include getting no-hit by A’s lefty Sean Manaea and getting shutout over 7 2/3 innings by Mariners’ lefty Wade LeBlanc.

Brandon Phillips has been exceptional against left-handed pitching in his career. He sports a .285/.333/.450/.782 slash line in 1,922 career at-bats against lefties. Phillips’ career damage against left-handed starters is even more impressive (.292/.334/.456/.790).

It goes without saying that Phillips is an immediate upgrade to the Bosox. Let’s see if it pans out that way on the diamond.

Courtesy thesportsgeek.com

Why the Red Sox Need to Make a Trade Now

Our Boston Red Sox are 51-26 and one game back from the Yankees as of June 22. We have the most wins in the MLB and first place is well within our grasp. Everything sounds like it is going swimmingly, right? I wouldn’t say so. After dropping two games to the Twins and the Mariners each on the road, there is room for concern. The Red Sox pitching has been good, not stellar, and our offense (before the last two games) was struggling. Here’s why they need to act now:

Trade Season May Be Now

Per Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston, “As … trade season picks up, the Red Sox have an eye on adding a reliever and a right-handed bat, a source with knowledge of the team’s thinking said.” Drellich makes a great point in saying that trade season is starting to pick up. We have already seen a couple noteworthy trades happen, with Kelvin Herrera going to the Nationals and Alex Colome and Denard Span (noted Red Sox destroyer) now Mariners.

These trades are noteworthy because they initiate the theme of this trading season: late inning relievers. With the Astros, possibly the Indians, and our Red Sox looking for relief help, these teams will be opening up their prospect-wallets and paying up for the available relievers. Some of the relievers expected to be available are Brad Hand of the Padres, Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Brad Brach of the Orioles, and Blake Treinen of the A’s among others. As you can see, the elite options are not plentiful, and it’s crucial to act before the other teams.

The Early Trade Pays Off

According to history, trades in early July and late June tend to pay off. Last season, the Cubs traded for former White Sox starter Jose Quintana on July 13, and this caught the MLB world off guard. At the time of the Quintana trade, the Cubs were 5 1/2 games back from the first place Brewers. The Cubs ended up winning the NL Central, and advanced to the NLCS, where the Dodgers defeated them in five games. That is a drastic improvement for the Cubs, and just imagine what that would for the Red Sox.

Rewind to the 2016 season. On July 14, 17 days before the 2016 trade deadline, our Boston Red Sox traded for former Padres starter Drew Pomeranz. At this point in the season, they were two games back from the Orioles, who were in first place. This was just the boost they needed, as they had a big void in that rotation, for we did not have Chris Sale yet. Sure, the Red Sox were swept in the ALDS that year by the Astros, but again, improvement.

A Trade Idea for the Red Sox

(AP Photo/John Minchillo)

One idea for a trade is with Andrew Benintendi’s hometown team, the Cincinnati Reds. They are at a pitiful 30-45 record, which is good for last place in the NL Central. Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston said they are looking for a reliever and a right-handed bat. The Reds have closer Raisel Iglesias and infielder Eugenio Suarez, who would be great fits.

Iglesias, so far this season, has a 2.30 ERA in 31 1/3 innings pitched with 12 saves. He is 28, so he is in the midst of prime, and is known for his sinker, which would be great weapon for situations with runners on base. Suarez is primarily a third baseman, but can move over to shortstop or second. This would help give Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts days off.

Eugenio Suarez would also help immensely against left-handed pitching. The Red Sox have a weak .685 OPS against left-handed pitching this season, which is 8th worst in the MLB. Suarez has been stellar against left-handed pitching, hitting .357/.486/.679/1.164 against them. This would be a huge boost to the lineup.

The package going to the Reds would be a bit pricey, and I recommend they offer them catcher Blake Swihart, pitcher Bryan Mata (Red Sox No. 4 prospect)*, first baseman Sam Travis (Red Sox No. 5 prospect)*, and shortstop CJ Chatham (Red Sox No. 10 prospect)*.

Happy trading!

*All prospect rankings come from http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=bos

Who Will be the Red Sox Appointees at the 2018 MLB All-Star Game?

MLB released the first American League All-Star fan voting update last week. It is very clear that Red Sox Nation is participating in the voting. Two Red Sox players are slated to be appointees in the midsummer classic if the voting were to end today. Here are my predictions:

Clear-Cut Appointees

Mookie Betts

There is no chance Mookie will be left off the All-Star team. As of June 16, Mookie is hitting .348 (leads majors), slugging .721 (leads majors), has an OPS of 1.148 (leads majors), and has scored 55 runs (second in majors). Do you see a pattern here? Mookie Betts will make his third straight All-Star game in 2018.

J.D. Martinez

J.D. is also having an otherworldly season. Martinez has already hit 22 home runs (second in majors) and driven in 55 runs (leads majors). He is on pace to hit 50 homers and drive in 125 runs, which is incredible. He also is third in the majors in slugging percentage (.648) and OPS (1.040). This would be J.D.’s second All-Star appearance, as he appeared in the 2015 All-Star game as a member of the Detroit Tigers.

Craig Kimbrel

While Kimbrel is not having the greatest season ever, he is still putting up great numbers. He is second in the majors in saves with 22 of them, and has a 2.40 ERA with 0.90 WHIP. He will probably make the All-Star team this year because he’s been a top three closer in the American League for the last three years, and he continues to put up great numbers.

Chris Sale

Again, Chris Sale is not having a historic season, but he is still putting up respectable numbers. So far, he has went 6-4 with a 2.75 ERA, but there is a good chance he is about to really heat up. In his last two starts, he has given up two earned runs and posted 19 strikeouts in 14 innings. As of right now, he is one strikeout behind Astros right-hander Gerrit Cole for the American League lead in strikeouts. While he may not start the All-Star game, he will probably make an appearance.

Feasible Appointees

Mitch Moreland

According to the first AL fan-voting update, Mitch was second place for AL first-basemen, only around 26,000 votes behind White Sox 1B Jose Abreu. Recently, Moreland has not been hitting well at all. He has three hits in his last 31 at-bats and has not recorded an RBI since June 3. Many things need to go right, for Moreland needs to get hot, Red Sox Nation needs to continue to have a huge presence in the AL fan-voting, and the other AL 1st basemen need to continue to struggle.

Andrew Benintendi

Benintendi ranked sixth among AL outfielders in the first fan-voting update, and with good reason. He is hitting .296/.383/.545/.928 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs, which are great numbers at this point in the season. The problem is that many AL outfielders are having great seasons. Other than Mookie, Mike Trout (LAA), Aaron Judge (NYY), Michael Brantley (CLE), George Springer (HOU), and Mitch Haniger (SEA) are all having great seasons.

Joe Kelly

This is an intriguing case to make. Joe Kelly has pitched exceptionally well this season, posting a 2.61 ERA with 32 K’s in 31.0 innings. While non-closer relievers do not usually make the All-Star team, I felt the need to make a case for him.

Honorable Mention

Xander Bogaerts

Usually, the kind of season Xander is having this year would warrant an All-Star season, but this is no ordinary year. There are many great AL shortstops this year, as Manny Machado (BAL), Francisco Lindor (CLE), Carlos Correa (HOU), Jean Segura (SEA), and Andrelton Simmons (LAA) are all having exceptional seasons. There are really only two slots for American League shortstops, and those probably go to Machado and Lindor at this point. Xander Bogaerts still deserves some credit.

Price's

Will David Price Opt-Out?

At the end of the 2018 MLB season, Red Sox left-hander David Price has a decision to make. The 32-year old (33 in August) has the ability to opt-out of his 7-year, $217 million contract at the end of the season. This means that David Price can end his Red Sox career and move on to another team just by deciding to opt-out of this lucrative contract. There are many factors that will play into this decision, and here are some.

Price’s Price

David Price’s potential salary next year will, of course, play a big part in this decision. If Price were to stay with the Sox, he would be earning $31 million in 2019, and $32 million in 2020, 2021, and 2022. This makes him the highest paid pitcher in the majors, which could change by the end of his deal. The point is it won’t be easy to get much more money than that, but it is not impossible. There are teams out there that are not afraid to pay big money, like the Yankees (Giancarlo Stanton for 10 years and $265 million) and the Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw for 7 years and $215 million).

Price’s Happiness

Image result for david price dennis eckersley

Getty Images

Price’s time in Boston has been defined by conflicts with the Boston sports media and it’s fanbase. Many in Boston know about the conflict he had with Dennis Eckersley, Hall of Fame pitcher and NESN analyst. This incident has caused many in Boston to dislike Price. This universal dislike of Price has caused him to possibly dislike Boston as a city. Why would anyone, no matter the profession, want to work somewhere where they are hated? If David Price opts-out of his contract, I would most certainly bet on his happiness playing a huge factor.

Price’s Performance Down the Stretch

One of the biggest factors teams look at when they pay for free agents is their performance. David Price started the 2018 season slow, posting a 5.11 ERA in his first 7 starts of the year. Since then, Price has definitely been living up to his contract, posting a 2.69 ERA in 44 1/3 innings. If he continues to pitch like his last 7 starts, there is definitely a chance a team would give him more money than he’s making. If he looks more like his first 7 starts for the rest of the year, he will probably be on the Red Sox roster next year.

Price’s Health

David Price has had his bouts with staying healthy. We all know about the “mild carpal tunnel syndrome” and the elbow problems he had last year. If he feels that he wouldn’t be able to pass a physical, he will not opt-out. It’s as simple as that.

Prediction Time

If I were to give my prediction, I would say he doesn’t opt-out. There is no way to be sure that he will earn that kind of money from another team, but you can’t rule out the possibility that he might leave. It is something worth thinking about, as it could help the Red Sox clear up enough cap space to extend their young stars.

Wright

The Rise of Steven Wright

With Drew Pomeranz struggling mightily as of late, changes could be made in the Red Sox rotation. The answer to this problem is sitting in the bullpen. Since Steven Wright has come off the DL, he has shown shades of his 2016 All-Star self. Here are a few reasons why Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright should switch places:

Pomeranz’s Success in the Bullpen

Drew Pomeranz has pitched well when coming out of the bullpen in his career. In 64.1 innings pitched as a reliever, he has a 2.10 ERA with a WHIP of 0.995. The Red Sox could use another lefty out of the bullpen with fellow southpaw Brian Johnson struggling. Johnson had an ERA of 6.30 in ten innings pitched in May. Batters hit an ERA of .293 off of him last month. An important split to look at is how lefty hitters fare against Brian Johnson (.273). The reason why lefties are used out of the bullpen is get left-handed batters off base, and he is not doing that. Pomeranz could be useful out of the bullpen until he works things out.

Wright’s Efficiency

Image result for steven wright

AP

A noted problem with Drew Pomeranz is his inability to go deep into games. This is mostly due to his pitch counts getting to triple-digits by the fourth inning. Steven Wright has thrown around 109 pitches per seven innings, which is much more efficient than Pomeranz. Drew has thrown an astounding 137 pitches per seven innings. It is critical that we can get innings out of starters because it is supposed to be a strength for the Red Sox. Efficiency turns into more innings, which will translate to a more rested bullpen.

Overall Performance

Steven Wright has just been an all-around better pitcher this year than Drew Pomeranz. Wright has a 2.77 ERA in 13 innings. Pomeranz has a 6.81 ERA in 37 innings. Sure, you can make the point that portion sizes are not close enough to compare, but the difference in ERA should be enough. Alex Cora needs to give serious consideration to the idea of giving Pomeranz’s next start to the knuckleballer Steven Wright.

Red Sox May in Review

This Red Sox team is playing well. In May, the Sox had a 18-11 record, putting them in first place in the AL East. This month was not overflowing with equal competition, but that should not matter. While May did not measure up to the 19-6 record the Red Sox had in April, it was still a very exciting month. Let’s go in depth.

May Offense

Image result for mookie betts jd martinez

Courtesy Matthew J. Lee/Globe

If Red Sox fans are going to get excited about one thing, it has to be this lineup. This lineup features a dynamic duo, who both should compete for the triple crown. J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts both have been tearing the cover off the ball.

In May, J.D. Martinez hit .308 with 13 homers and 25 RBIs in 104 at-bats. No Red Sox player has hit 13 home runs in a month since David Ortiz in 2006. By the way, that was the season where Ortiz finished with 54 home runs. Martinez is on pace to finish the season with 52 home runs. At the point in time, J.D. is in a four-way tie for the major league lead in home runs with 18. This tie includes Mike Trout of the Angels, Bryce Harper of the Nationals, and Jose Ramirez of the Indians.

Mookie Betts also had a great month. He hit .372/.434/.766/1.200 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs in May. Those stats are great, but Mookie is also scoring a lot of runs. He scored 23 runs in May, and has already scored 52 runs this season. That means he is on pace to score 147 runs, which is absurd. That would be an insane pace to keep, as that would fall three short of the all-time Red Sox record held by Ted Williams. Mookie Betts also leads the league in hitting with a .359 batting average.

Also, watch out for Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr. Both are on hot streaks as of late, and should become big contributors to the lineup. It’s also impossible to forget about the release of Hanley Ramirez, but the lineup does not appear to be affected by it, so I wouldn’t worry about it.

May Starting Pitching

If there is something to worry about, it’s the rotation. Sure, Chris Sale put up solid numbers this month, going 3-1 with a 3.15 ERA. Also, Eduardo Rodriguez turned some heads this month with a 3-1 record and 3.18 ERA. The other three starters were just not good enough.

Drew Pomeranz has been awful. In May, he had a 6.56 ERA in 23.1 innings. Since the quality start he had against the Yankees on May 8, he has not been able to go more than five innings without giving up at least three runs. His start against the Braves on May 26 sums up Pomeranz’s May perfectly. He went 3.1 innings, giving up five runs on 89 pitches. Drew has just been inefficient, and he has not had any confidence in his stuff, which led to a couple bad outings. I personally recommend a bullpen stint.

David Price and Rick Porcello also weren’t too sharp. Price had a 4.34 ERA in 29 innings and Porcello had a 5.35 ERA in 33 innings in May. I wouldn’t worry too much about either. Porcello ended his month with a 6.2 inning start against the Blue Jays giving up only two runs. Price recovered after a come-backer to the chest going five innings and giving up two runs also against the Jays. These starters are on the up and should give the Sox quality innings.

May Bullpen

The bullpen has been pitching extremely well. We already know Craig Kimbrel is really reliable in the ninth inning, so I’d like to focus on two other pitchers. These pitchers are Joe Kelly and Steven Wright.

Joe Kelly only gave up one run in 14.1 innings in May. He has only given up five runs in 26 innings pitched all season. Look for him to become the eighth inning man and become the bridge to Kimbrel. Steven Wright has also been pitching well, only giving up four runs in 13 innings in May. Wright hasn’t given up a run in his last nine innings pitched. He has been a great long-relief option out of the ‘pen, but if a rotation spot opens up, don’t be surprised if Wright gets a shot.

P.S. The Alumni game was a lot of fun, and I sincerely hope it comes back next year.

Why It May Be a Good Idea to Trade Kyrie Irving

The Boston Celtics have performed way beyond expectations in these playoffs. Without Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving they have been able to beat good teams. Everyone said they would lose to the Bucks. Well, the Celtics beat them in seven games. They said the same about the 76ers. That series only lasted five games. With these injuries, other players had to step up their games, and one player in particular has really ramped up his play. Terry Rozier has become somewhat of a legend in Boston, averaging an impressive 17.4 PPG and 5.6 PPG. This could be an opening for a new point guard in Boston. Here is why it may be a good idea to trade Kyrie Irving:

Image result for kyrie irving terry rozier

Credit: USA Today

Durability

Kyrie Irving does not have a respectable track record when it comes to health. Irving has never played more than 75 games in a season in his career. In four out of seven seasons, including 2017-2018 with the Celtics, he didn’t play more than 60 games. He has many injuries over the years, including the knee surgery he’s currently dealing with. Type in to Google “Kyrie Irving Injuries” and you’ll find a long list of injury problems he’s had since 2013.

On the other hand, Terry Rozier has only had two injuries in his three-year career. These injuries were minor and he only missed one game for each. On top of all of that, he is two years younger than Kyrie.

Contract

Irving signed five-year, $94.3 million deal with the Cavaliers in 2015. After next season, Kyrie has a player option, so there is a great chance he could leave. The worst thing to happen would be for the Celtics to not get any value from Kyrie before he becomes a free agent. Also, it would cost a lot of cap space to lock him up with an extension, because, well, Kyrie Irving is Kyrie Irving.

The Celtics have Terry Rozier locked up for next season, plus he has a qualifying offer for the season after. He is much less of cap hit, for his AAV (adjusted annual value) is $16 million less than Kyrie.

Value

Do you know the phrase “strike while the iron is hot”? Well, that iron is burning hot in terms of a Kyrie Irving trade. If Irving had played all 82 games, he most definitely would’ve been a contender for the MVP award. Irving put up great numbers this season, averaging 24.4 PPG on 49.1 FG% and 40.8 FG3%. Also, Irving is only 25 years old. With his trade value, you could get almost anyone, including Anthony Davis or Kawhi Leonard. That would make the Celtics instant championship contenders, especially if LeBron James leaves the Eastern Conference.

Maybe Terry Rozier is the future point guard of the Boston Celtics. Perhaps it’s time to trade Kyrie Irving.