It’s Time to Make Christian Vazquez the Guy

After the best offensive season of his young career, Christian Vazquez has solidified himself as the mainstay behind the plate. All he needs to do in order to ascertain the starting role is to keep this momentum going. In addition to playing with a fire attitude, Vazquez has one of the best clubhouse and on-field personalities on the Red Sox. His excitement is on display on every pitch he catches. Just watch how fired up he was after hitting a walk-off home run:

The point of this article is not to bash Sandy Leon. Instead the intention is to point out why Vazquez should receive the most time behind the plate.

“Personal Catchers”

The “personal catcher problem” began in Boston with Jon Lester and David Ross. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was behind the plate to catch a significant amount of Jon Lester’s starts. In my opinion, the only time a personal catcher situation is acceptable is for a knuckleball pitcher and catcher. As Red Sox fans, we saw what Tim Wakefield was like when Doug Mirabelli was not with the team. As Chris Sale and Rick Porcello continue to be accustomed to Sandy Leon being behind the plate or their games, Alex Cora needs to take a firm stance behind Vazquez and not coddle the pitchers.

Sandy Leon

Sandy Leon is a good defensive catcher. However, watching his effort, or lack thereof in the playoffs, it is clear his playing time should take a hit. Leon would walk to fetch balls that sailed past him, even though there were runners on base. Vazquez will give a 110% effort on every single pitch. Sandy Leon had the best offensive season of his career in 2016. Leon hit .310 with an OPS of .845. In addition to the fact his season his numbers fell off to .225 and an OPS of .644, his effort behind the plate also fell.

Furthermore, I do not believe that Vazquez can keep up the numbers he put up this season. However his defense and knowledge of the game are more than enough to make him the mainstay. Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez can become one of the best catching tandems in Red Sox history. The pair has the highest caught stealing percentage of catchers since 1987, with a minimum of one hundred starts. Vazquez owns a career percentage of 46.4 percent, also Leon’s career percentage is 44.3 percent. Also Ivan Rodriguez’s career percentage is 41.7 percent.

Going Forward

I am arguing for Christian Vazquez to receive the majority of playing time going forward. Likewise, I believe Sandy Leon will continue to be an important part of the Red Sox. Having both of these guys fighting for playing time is a good situation for Alex Cora to have. A catching battle can only benefit the team as the pitching rotation continues to get comfortable with both of them.

Follow Matt McGurn on Twitter: @MickGurn

Are the Raptors the Celtics Biggest Threat in the East?

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To everyone’s surprise, the Eastern conference has been quite competitive this year. It’s usually a sure bet that the Cavs get the one or two seed, then everyone else is fighting for a spot. But with all the offseason trades and quiet development of some of these Eastern teams, we’ve got ourselves a real race.

Celtics Dominate the East

The Celtics sit atop the East with a record of 34-10. They started the season by losing two straight, only to then go on a sixteen-game win streak. At that time, they led the league in defensive efficiency, which was definitely a huge shock to everyone. They hit a bump in the road after the streak ended, mainly due to spotty defense and slow starts on offense. But let’s be real: they were tired! I’m pretty sure they were the only team that played forty games before we rang in the New Year. Anyways, the Cs still reign supreme having already beaten seven of the league’s top teams and holding them all under 100 points. There’s always room for improvement of course, though a more relaxed schedule should help with that.

Raptors Quietly Climbing

With all the focus on the Cavs trying to chase the Celtics in the East, no one is paying attention to anyone else. This has allowed the Raptors to quietly make their way into second place. Currently three games behind Boston, the Raptors are 29-11. On Thursday, they handed LeBron his second blowout loss in a row. Toronto put up 65 points in the first half alone—without Lowry and Ibaka! This team has all-stars in DeRozan, Lowry and Ibaka who lead by example and have a pretty decent bench to depend on as well. After watching the way they dismantled the Cavs, all of my doubts about the Raptors went out the window.

Other Notables

If I’ve learned anything watching sports this year, it’s that you don’t count anyone out. Here are some teams in the East that I’m keeping a close eye on:

Miami Heat. These guys play the Celtics hard every single time. Pretty sure they won that series 2-1. But in all honestly, Spoelstra is a heck of a coach with a great group of guys. Though they’ve lost Waiters to season-ending surgery, I believe they can still shake things up come playoffs.
Indian Pacers. Victor Oladipo (24.4 ppg) is the best thing that could’ve happened to the Pacers after Paul George wanted out. Although we won both match-ups, the Pacers still fought hard. I expect the third meeting will be just as tough.
Detroit Pistons. The revitalized Pistons anger me every time we play them. I only know the names of two people on their roster, but the way they play is going to make me remember them all soon.

I’m not worried about the Wizards simply because they caught the Cs on a bad stretch. Plus, as Stephen A said, they are a disappointment. How are you going to have the fourth-easiest schedule and have eighteen losses? Not to mention having a disgraceful record against sub-.500 teams. Get it together Washington; or don’t. Doesn’t matter to me.

The Worst Center Fielders in Red Sox History

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Just as they have in left field, the Red Sox have a pretty good history of center fielders. Now, they don’t have a stretch of seven consecutive decades of stellar play, but it’s a good run nonetheless. So who are some of the less than stellar center fielders the Red Sox have employed?

Mike Cameron

Mike Cameron had a solid career prior to joining the Red Sox. He was never one hit to for a good average, batting .249 for his career, but he had some power and was a great defensive center fielder. He also was a good base stealer earlier in his career, but those days were starting to pass him by. At the age of 37, Cameron’s speed was waning and with it his range in center field. Couple these factors with Cameron’s swing and miss bat and the Red Sox decision to give Cameron two years at 7.75 million dollar per year at the age of 37 was a curious one.

That first season in Boston, Cameron’s bat was relatively similar to what he had been before, but his defense dropped off a cliff. He made two errors in just 43 games and missed some balls diving to make a play he may have been able to make in prior years. He also got injured, hurting his groin and missing most of the season. By 2011, Cameron had nothing left. He batted just .149 over 94 at-bats, posting a .212/.266/.477 slash line. The Red Sox sold him to the Marlins in July. During his time in Boston, Cameron batted .212 with 7 home runs and a .637 OPS. As for his defense, the former Gold Glove center fielder posted a -0.9 dWAR while in Boston.

Mike Cameron dives for a ball hit in the first inning on July 8 against Cleveland. (http://elyriact.smugmug.com/895212773_M3tfT-M.jpg)

Jose Tartabull

Tartabull has a spot in Red Sox history, throwing out Ken Berry at the plate to win a crucial game down the stretch in 1967 over the White Sox. However, Tartabull wasn’t really a good player, so thank him for what he did in that 1967 game and not much else. That season he batted .223, drove in just 10 runs and was caught stealing as many times as he successfully stole. Also, despite the famous assist from right field in 1967, Tartabull had one of the weakest outfield arms in the game. His defense was a negative, totaling a -1.4 dWAR during his time with the Red Sox.

At the plate, Tartabull didn’t offer much. Over parts of three seasons with the Red Sox, Tartabull failed to homer. He also walked just 35 times, leading to a .295 on-base percentage. Combined with his barely existent power, Tartabull posted a .594 OPS as a member of the Red Sox. At least Tartabull had his moment in the sun.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jose Tartabull slides into home plate around Detroit Tigers catcher Bill Freehan during a game at Fenway Park in Boston May 12, 1967. Red Sox outfielder Carl Yastrzemski looks on. (Photo by Dan Goshtigian/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Herm Winningham

Winningham is the only player in baseball history with “winning” in his name. Despite this, he didn’t help a lot, posting a negative wins above replacement for his career. With the Red Sox, he was less helpful than usual, posting a -0.8 over 105 games. Winningham was often brought in during the late innings, but wasn’t particularly good in the field or on the base paths. Along with his so-so defense, Winningham was caught stealing five times in 11 tries.

At the plate, Winningham batted .235 with a home run over 234 at-bats. He walked just 10 times as opposed to 53 strike outs, leading to a .266/.291/.557 triple slash line. Essentially, Winningham didn’t add any value in the field or on the base paths, and he most definitely brought negative value at the plate.

A 1993 Topps card of Herm Winningham with the Red Sox.

Dishonorable Mentions:

Steve Lyons, Willie Harris, Tom Oliver, Mel Almada, Gary Geiger

Featured picture courtesy of overthemonster.com

https://www.overthemonster.com/2011/7/5/2260329/red-sox-trade-mike-cameron-florida-marlins

51 Super Bowls in 51 Days – Super Bowl XXXII

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The Super Bowl is just 20 days away. Let’s look at the Super Bowl from 20 years ago to honor this not-so-significant occasion!

San Diego hosted Super Bowl XXXII on January 25, 1998. The game pitted the defending World Champion Green Bay Packers against the Denver Broncos of the American Football Conference.

Green Bay Packers 20 Years Ago

Steve Apps

From day one, the Packers were the heavy favorites to repeat. In fact, there was preseason hype that this team could potentially go undefeated. However, they dropped two of their first 5 to temper the buzz somewhat. The Packers were awesome in the second half of the season. Mike Holmgren’s team went undefeated at home for the second straight season and Brett Favre won the league MVP for a third consecutive season.

The Packers were particularly excellent on defense in the playoffs. They defeated Tampa Bay 21-7 and won in San Francisco 23-10. The high-powered 49ers could not get anything going offensively. Indeed, the Niners’ only TD came on Chuck Levy’s kick return with less than four minutes remaining. Hence. Green Bay went into Super Bowl XXXII as an 11.5 favorite to defeat the Broncos.

Denver Broncos 20 Years Ago

Denver suffered a mind-numbing home loss to end the 1996 season to Jacksonville. But, they did not suffer a hangover as they bounced out of the gate with a 11-2 record. The Broncos had the #1 offense in football in 1997 thanks in large part to Terrell Davis’ gigantic 1750 rushing yards. At 37 years old, John Elway looked like he was back in his prime throwing 27 touchdowns against only 11 interceptions. He also had some superb receiving options in Rod Smith and Shannon Sharpe.

The Broncos revamped their defense as well. Under Mike Shanahan, emphasis was placed on complex blitzing schemes and staying in their base defense even as most teams would fall back in prevent mode. Pro Bowlers John Mobley and Neil Smith were keys to the unit leading the squad in tackles and sacks respectively. On the back-end, veteran safeties Steve Atwater and Tyrone Braxton were known for their hard-hitting. The ’97 Broncos were definitely a complete team ready to take the next step.

Wild Card Route

Unfortunately, late in the season, they slumped at Pittsburgh and San Francisco. The Chiefs passed them for the AFC West title. Denver would have to get to the Super Bowl the long way. First, they crushed Jacksonville to get their revenge for ’96. Next, they went into Kansas City and their raucous environment and upset the Chiefs. In the AFC Championship game, although they were on the road, the Broncos were the superior team against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The key score occurred with 13 seconds left in the first half putting Denver up 24-14. They held on to the win by constantly harassing Steelers’ QB Kordell Stewart. They forced into three interceptions and a fumble. That proved to the difference in Denver’s 24-21 win. It was on to John Elway’s fourth-career Super Bowl!

TD’s Heroic Performance

In the Super Bowl, the Packers strolled down the field with the opening kickoff like a bat out of hell. The Broncos responded immediately aided by a third down holding penalty. It was obvious from the outset what Denver was trying to do on this day. Feed TD. Terrell Davis battled through migraines in his hometown to rush for 157 yards and three touchdowns. The Broncos jumped out to a 17-7 lead. Green Bay tied it. Denver regained the lead in the third. The Packers tied it again.

With two minutes remaining, Davis burst to the left for a 17-yard gain. It was second and goal from the one. So, Holmgren instructed his defense to allow Davis to score. On the strength of four consecutive completions to Levens, Favre had the Pack in position to tie it. But, he threw three straight incompletions while dealing with serious pressure and the Broncos won the Super Bowl! It was the AFC’s first championship in 14 years. Elway was carried off the field. It was a terrific moment for football lovers as the 16-year veteran thanks in large part to his running back finally got his ring.

Favre would never get back to the Super Bowl despite his own illustrious career. Elway, though, would be back one season later!

Brandon Fazzolari is a Super Bowl expert…@spot_Bills

Tom Brady Plans Life After Football

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Tom Terrific’s Documentary

Earlier this week Tom Brady released a trailer for a documentary series on Facebook Watch called “Tom vs. Time”. The trailer features Brady saying, “There’s a warrior spirit about me”, and there is speculation that the documentary will be all about the Patriots. Some who believe that Brady is only thinking about himself instead of his team. Is he preparing his life after football with his TB12 brand?

Selling the TB12 Method

Brady has released a book, a special meal plan, and workout plan. Forty is the new thirty with the TB12 method. Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time, and the reason why he’s still playing is because he wants to prove that even at forty he still can play football at a high level. So why stop now? Brady wouldn’t talk about his documentary during today’s press conference saying, “This is about Tennessee. We’re two days from the biggest game of the year”.

Brady Focused on the Playoffs

Tom Brady is locked in on the playoffs. It’s what is best for the team. His TB12 brand is important to him, and will probably develop into something more after he retires from football. Some people say that Brady is just doing the documentary so he can sell something.

Shannon Sharpe said on his show ‘Undisputed’,

“Now he wants to offer us a glimpse inside of Tom Brady? What’s he selling? People will always open up if they pitch him something. Got a book, got a movie, in this case got a documentary series. Really Tom Brady? You spent the better part of 18 years being private, it wasn’t until you started promoting these health and wellness centers, the TB12 method, now all of a sudden you want to open up. I want to show you what’s in my refrigerator. He wants to open up only after he started to pitch something. So what happened to Year 10, why didn’t he open up? What happened to Year 15, why didn’t he open up? Now as he starts to move past it, he’s not playing to 45, he wants to prop up this TB12.”

Ignoring the Noise

Sharpe and many others believe that Brady is more about selling his brand than being loyal to the Patriots this year. Patriots fans don’t think that’s true. He is focused on the playoffs. However he really has to start thinking about what he is doing after football. He will be forty-one in August and his TB12 method has worked for him, so why not sell the product? At least he has a plan for what might come next.

51 Super Bowls in 51 Days – Super Bowl XXXI

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The Super Bowl is just 21 days away. Let’s look at the Super Bowl from 21 years ago to honor this not-so-significant occasion!

New Orleans hosted Super Bowl XXXI on January 26, 1997. The game pitted the NFC champion Green Bay Packers against the New England Patriots of the American Football Conference.

Green Bay Packers 21 Years Ago

The Packers would be playing in their first Super Bowl since the Lombardi era. Eve before the season, they were the popular pick to dethrone the Cowboys & 49ers. Brett Favre was the best player in the league in the mid-90’s and ’96 may have been his campaign of his Hall of Fame career.

Coach Mike Holmgren had a staff of future stars as well. They brought with them the offense that was virtually unstoppable under Bill Walsh in San Francisco. Favre did a great job of spreading the ball around. No Packers’ receiver caught more balls for more yards than Antonio Freeman. Yet, his numbers were very modest. Even their running backs, Edgar Bennett and Dorsey Levens, did not wow statistically, but their offense by committee was good enough for first in points and fifth in yards in the NFL.

However, Green Bay’s defense was #1 in points and yards. They were led by first-team All Pro Leroy Butler and a superb defensive line. Veterans Reggie White, Gilbert Brown, Santana Dotson and Sean Jones anchored a unit that was able to have each of their starters play every game of the season!

Packers Playoff Drive

Their defense was at their best in the slop of Lambeau Field in a 35-14 win over the 49ers. The Pack benefited from knocking Steve Young out of game and 2 electrifying punt returns from Desmond Howard. Howard scored on one of those foreshadowing his Super Bowl effort.

In the NFC championship game, Green Bay faced second-year Carolina in the single-digit Wisconsin temps. The Panthers took the early lead, but were no match for the Packers. Green Bay won 30-13 finishing the season with a 10-0 home record.

New England Patriots 21 Years Ago

Their opponent in Super Bowl XXXI would be the Patriots coached by Bill Parcells. The Pats finished second on the season to Green Bay in points scored. QB Drew Bledsoe and running back Curtis Martin both had excellent seasons for offensive coordinator Ray Perkins. Ben Coates also made the Pro Bowl at tight end. He came out of nowhere to be one of the best players at that position in the ‘90s.

The young Patriots’ defense was a work in progress. Willie McGinest was the lone star on the unit. But, Ty Law, Lawyer Milloy, and Tedy Bruschi played a lot off the bench and that experience proved to be invaluable as the Patriots would become a fixture in the AFC postseason during the 2000’s.

Things did not get off to a wonderful start for the 1996 Pats. The Patriots dropped their first two games and Parcells was clearly not impressed with rookie Terry Glenn. But, as the season went on, New England surged to the top of the AFC East. In the season finale, the Patriots, inspired by a praiseworthy performance by an injured Glenn, roared back to beat the Giants 23-22. New England dramatically overcame a 22-point deficit. With the win, the Patriots clinched a first-round bye.

Patriots to the Super Bowl

They used that bye to crush Pittsburgh in the fog 28-3. Martin had a spectacular game rushing for 166 yards and 2 scores. Incredibly, Steelers’ dual threat Kordell Stewart was 0 for 10 passing on the day. In the AFC championship game, New England scored two touchdowns. The first came after a botched Jaguars’ punt attempt two minutes into the game. The second score was probably the most exciting moment in Patriots’ history during the pre-Brady era.

With 3 minutes remaining, Jacksonville trailed 13-6. Mark Brunell handed off to James Stewart. Stewart took the draw play through a big hole, veered to his left, was hit and fumbled right into waiting hands of Otis Smith. Smith darted 47 yards for the AFC Championship-winning touchdown! New England was on their way to the franchise’s second Super Bowl.

Back and Forth On the Bayou

The first 12 minutes of Super Bowl XXXI were wild and wooly. On the Packers’ second play from scrimmage, Favre connected with Andre Rison for a 54-yard TD. Moments later, Bledsoe threw the first of 4 interceptions. This one resulted in a field goal. However, New England did not rollover.

They responded with two consecutive touchdown drives. Each drive lasted less than two minutes and included big plays. The first one ended in a 1-yard TD reception by Keith Byars. The second score came on a rollout strike fired by Bledsoe. Coates made the remarkable catch to give the Patriots the 14-10 lead.

The Lombardi Goes Home

Green Bay dominated the second quarter on both sides of the ball. They outscored New England 17-0. Favre threw an 81-yarder to Freeman early in the frame and made a tremendous run to the pylon for the other score late in the quarter.

In the second half, the Patriots had one very nice scoring drive which culminated with an 18-yard Curtis Martin scamper. Unfortunately for the Pats, Green Bay responded immediately. Desmond Howard took the ensuing kickoff back to the house giving the Pack a 35-21 lead. Howard was named Super Bowl MVP due to his phenomenal 244 total return yards. Reggie White could have also received the award as he finished with three sacks. The fourth quarter was a nightmare for Bledsoe as he continued to be sacked and intercepted throughout. The Packers were just too good in 1996 for anybody to stop them. Thus, they won their first Super Bowl in twenty-nine years.

And, they would be back for Super Bowl XXXII. We’ll talk more about that fantastic game tomorrow!

Brandon Fazzolari is a Super Bowl expert…@spot_Bills

51 Super Bowls in 51 Days – Super Bowl XXX

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The Super Bowl is just 22 days away. Let’s look at the Super Bowl from 22 years ago to honor this not-that-significant occasion!

Tempe hosted Super Bowl XXX on January 28, 1996. The game pitted the NFC champion Dallas Cowboys against the Pittsburgh Steelers of the American Football Conference. This was the first and only time that franchises met in the Super Bowl on a third occasion. The Steelers won both tussles in the 70’s. This time, they were the decided underdog.

Dallas Cowboys 22 Years Ago

Under Coach Barry Switzer, the Cowboys were one of three very strong NFC teams. They would battle the 49ers led by Steve Young and the Packers with NFL MVP Brett Favre for conference supremacy. The Cowboys whisked Deion Sanders away from San Francisco during the offseason. Therefore, teams would frequently go after the “other” starting cornerback, Larry Brown.

The 1995 regular season was absolutely wild for the Cowboys. Switzer focused on the run game. Thus, Emmitt Smith broke the then-record with 25 touchdowns in one season – all rushing. Dallas secured several exciting wins amid their 12-4 campaign. On opening night, they blasted the Giants. A few weeks later, they got a great OT against Minnesota. And, on Thanksgiving, they showed the AFC-leading Chiefs who was boss with a 24-12 victory.

The season featured some confounding losses as well. They were swept by the 6-10 Redskins, crushed at home by the 49ers, and lost at Philadelphia in perhaps the most memorable game of the season. On a 4^th and one with two minutes to go, the Eagles stuffed Smith on the Cowboys’ twenty-nine. The whistle had blown, so Dallas ran the same play. And…Philly stopped them again. The Eagles won, 20-17.

In the playoffs, Dallas walloped Philly and overcame Favre and the Pack in a fun NFC championship game. Dallas was on their way to their third Super Bowl in four seasons. Could they do the unprecedented and win it?

Pittsburgh Steelers 22 Years Ago

Alfredo Quintana

They would be facing the Steelers under young coach Bill Cowher. Cowher developed a team in his own image. They were tough, hard-nosed and relentless. Their best player on offense was WR Yancey Thigpen. Thigpen finished with over 1300 yards receiving. Overall, the Steelers finished 5^th in the league in offense behind QB Neil O’Donnell and the running tandem of Erric Pegram and Bam Morris.

The Steelers 3^rd-ranked defense was led by Kevin Greene, Carnell Lake and first team All-pro Greg Lloyd. During the early portion of the ’95 season, the Steelers’ defense underachieved. Hence, Pittsburgh limped to a 3-4 start. But, the Steelers got their act together and did not lose until the final week in the season when Thigpen dropped a potential game-winner at Green Bay.

The 11-5 Steelers survived a gutsy effort from the banged-up Bills to get to the AFC championship game. When Indianapolis shocked the top-seeded KC Chiefs, it meant the Steelers would get to host the AFC championship game. In a superb game, Pittsburgh came back to win with just 2 minutes to go. The Colts had one last-ditch “Hail Mary” thrown by Jim Harbaugh that barely fell incomplete. So, Pittsburgh won their first AFC championship in 17 seasons!

Surprise MVP

The Cowboys were not particularly sharp on this Super Bowl Sunday on offense. They only compiled 250 total yards. But, in the first half, they got a big gainer to Deion Sanders and a TD pass to Jay Novacek. This paved the way to a 13-0 lead. However, the Steelers kept hanging around. O’Donnell hit Thigpen to cut the lead to six points at the break.

Pittsburgh moved the ball well when they fed Morris. When they threw, though, the results were disastrous. O’Donnell tried to avoid Sanders. But, he lacked good communication with his receivers. He tossed three interceptions total. Two of those were by Larry Brown. Both of Brown’s returns ended up in the Steelers’ red zone and resulted in Emmitt Smith scores.

The Steelers got very close when they kicked a field goal and recovered an onside kick. Their TD moments later cut the lead to 20-17. Unfortunately, O’Donnell’s last interception sealed the deal. Dallas won their third championship in 4 seasons, the first team ever to accomplish such an achievement.

Those Cowboys have a secure place in NFL history. Aikman, Irvin, Emmitt, Deion, and Charles Haley are all in the Hall of Fame. However, the ’95 team is the last to play in the Super Bowl.

For the Steelers, coach Cowher would get his Super Bowl victory ten seasons later. Subsequently, Cowher passed the torch to Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh continues to be one of the top organizations in the NFL.

Tomorrow, we’ll read about the rise of a gunslinger and Super Bowl XXXI.

Brandon Fazzolari is a Super Bowl expert…@spot_Bills

The Red Sox Don’t Need JD Martinez

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It seems that the Red Sox are the only team in the MLB that are staying put during free agency. However there’s no need to rush to meet JD Martinez’s demands to get the slugger the team needs.

We’re still waiting for big free agents to sign this winter. As of today, outfielder JD Martinez will wait out spring training in order to get the deal he wants. I’m not sure about the rest of Red Sox Nation, but I don’t want that sort of selfish player on my team. Unless this standoff comes to a close before truck day, I would consider other options until him and Boras get a reality check.

Before we throw away the idea of signing Martinez, let’s crunch some numbers. We are all aware of his stats last season. In previous years the numbers tell us a completely different story. His former best statistical season was 2015. In 158 games played, he hit a .282 batting average with 38 home runs and 102 RBIs. Sounds like a great season, right? In the three seasons prior he hit for twenty-three, seven, and eleven home runs. His slugging percentage in the previous three seasons were a modest .553, .378, and .375. The league averages for those years were .386, .396, and .405. In a hitter-friendly ballpark such as Fenway, those numbers aren’t going to cut it.

There’s no guarantee that he can’t reproduce the same or close to the same numbers as he did last year. Does that mean a team who hasn’t had the best of luck with long-term deals should dish out a seven-year commitment based on one good season? In all reality, they will most likely agree on a deal in the 3-5 year range. Here is a list of other options just in case:

Mike Moustakas 3B, Kansas City Royals

The third baseman is also struggling to find a long-term deal. There have been rumblings that he might settle for a one or two-year deal to improve his worth. If his value continues to decline, Moustakas would be an easy steal if his bat is willing to be a full-time DH. Potential deal: one year, $18 million.

Jose Bautista OF, Toronto Blue Jays

The longtime outfielder for the division rival Blue Jays has definitely played his last game at the Rogers Centre. While being on the Red Sox’s radar as of last offseason, the 37-year-old should only be offered a one year deal. Potential deal: one year, $8.5 million.

Hanley Ramirez DH/1B, Boston Red Sox

There’s a saying that goes, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. That applies with this situation. Hanley’s success with the Red Sox has grown since his return to the team. The power hitter did well in the home run department but lulled fans with his .242 batting average. If new coaches and staff can help revamp this offense into a dangerous home run hitting team, then there’s no problem keeping the lineup the same.

Yu Darvish P, Los Angeles Dodgers

If the stalemate doesn’t come to a resolution, the team could turn to bolster their starting rotation. If Dave Dombrowski and company have enough faith in their offense, this could be their best route financially to set up for next year’s free agency class. Potential deal: four years, $80 million.

No matter where this saga takes the team, the Red Sox have enough talent to keep them in the playoff hunt. With a new staff that is built to improve home run efficiency, the Red Sox have nothing to worry about for now.

Boston: The City of Champions

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City of Champions

In recent years Boston has been called the City of Champions. It has inherited this name due to its sports teams winning an incredible ten championships since 2000. Each professional team has won at least one championship, while the Patriots have won the most with five titles. Even when the quartet of teams that includes the Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox, and Patriots don’t win it all they’ve still been successful. This year has proven to be no different.

New England Patriots

Over the past eighteen years, the Patriots have been the most successful franchise in football and all of sports. They’ve won five titles and made the playoffs fourteen times. They have arguably the best coach and quarterback in the history of the game. Every year they are competitive, and unlike other teams have not needed to rebuild. They are the most controversial team in sports, but that’s what happens when you’re good for eighteen straight years. Today they play the Tennessee Titans to begin their playoff run. They are again favorites to win another championship, which would give them three in a four-year span.

Photo Credit: AP/ Photo Darron Cummings

Boston Celtics

The Celtics have struggled at times over the years. That does not mean that it’s all been bad. In 2008 after acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join Paul Pierce, the Celtics won their first title since 1976. The Big three made back to the finals in 2010 but lost in seven games to the Lakers. They were unable to win another championship before the blockbuster trade that changed the franchise in 2011. The Celtics, however, have used that trade to build the current roster and speed up their rebuild, which only took two seasons. For the past three years, the Celtics have made it to the playoffs but have been unable to advance very far. This year the Celtics are primed to win a title and have a core in place to keep them competitive for the foreseeable future.

Photo Credit: Tim Cato

Boston Bruins

Boston is said to be a hockey town at heart and that was apparent when they won the Cup in 2011. Since 2000 the Bruins have made it to the playoffs eleven times and the Stanley Cup Finals twice. Last year they made it to the playoffs for the first time in two years. This season they have been one of the best which has come as a surprise to many. Like the Celtics, they are full of young talent and primed to be good for years to come. The Bruins have struggled at times over the years but have made the playoffs the majority of the time. Their future looks bright and they are primed to win a title with this core before the end of the decade.

Photo Credit: Elsa- Getty Images

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox like the Patriots have been very successful since. They’ve won three titles and made the playoffs nine times. They’ve provided the city with some of its most thrilling postseason moments. In 2004 they came back and stunned the world against their arch-rivals. Some seasons have been tough, but the Red Sox have been able to recover without going through extended rebuilds. They’ve lifted up the city when it needed them the most such as in 2013 after the marathon bombings. In what is a common theme among Boston sports teams they are rich with young talent. Going into next year the Red Sox are not the favorites, but they aren’t that far off from being champions again.

Photo Credit: Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Why Boston Fans Should Be Thankful

For the past eighteen years, Boston fans have been spoiled. Unlike any other city, the teams are almost always good and at least one team is always a favorite to win a championship. Some sports fans never see their team win a championship. In Boston, it’s considered a failure if these teams go two years without a title. That excellence is rare, and all these teams are filled with young talent. This impressive run won’t end anytime soon meaning Boston will be considered the city of champions for a while.

Merrimack and the Long Road Back

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Merrimack and the Long Road Back

On December 8th, 2017 it was shaping up to be another long season for the Warriors. Merrimack’s record was 2-9-3, with no bright spots to be found. Since then, however, it appears that the Warriors have turned a corner and are heating up in the Hockey East. Since that day, Merrimack is 4-2-1 and sits ninth in Hockey East standings with a measly 8 points. If this hot pace can continue, the Warriors may be making a run. Seniors Jace Hennig and Brett Seney have been tearing it up and leading the team with nineteen points. The Warriors will be leaning heavy on their veterans. But overall they need to step up and deliver.

Early Season

The early months of the season did not bring many good moments for the Merrimack Warriors. The team limped out of the gates in October with only one win in seven games. They finished 1-5-2 in the first month of the season. The only silver lining is five of those games were against tough, non-conference teams. The list includes Colgate, Wisconsin, and Minnesota-Duluth. November did not fare any better with two losses to Boston College and a loss to Providence College. The Warriors ended the month blowing a 5-1 lead against the Friars, finishing with a 6-6 overtime tie. Merrimack was on fire to begin the game but could not keep it all together.

December

December is where tough teams continue to fight it out, and the rest are left behind. The Warriors are surprising everyone as of late. Following two losses to the mighty Northeastern, Merrimack scored big wins over Army and the University of New Hampshire. A tie against Northeastern kept the momentum rolling and led to a win over Denver. Merrimack ended the month on a sour note with a loss to Colorado College. There is no denying that Merrimack is no longer an “easy win”.

Going Forward

The Warriors have started the month of January off with a 1-1-0 record. The schedule does not let up with Boston University on the horizon. However, UConn, Vermont, UMaine, and UMass Amherst are coming up. All those programs have been struggling. Merrimack could make up ground in the Hockey East Standings and shock the college hockey world.

Jace Hennig, Brett Seney, and Jared Kolquist must continue to produce. If Merrimack wants to survive in Hockey East they must meet the challenge. Craig Pantano has been an unsung hero in Hockey East. Though 6-6-2 is not that impressive, his 2.42 GAA and .915 Sv % are nothing to sneeze at. The junior should receive the most time between the pipes for the rest of the season. If he can continue to improve, the Warriors will be in it for the long haul. Merrimack’s biggest fan, Mike Babcock, father of junior Michael Babcock, will be there to see the Warriors making a run.

Follow Matt McGurn on Twitter: @MickGurn