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Is Tuukka Rask Back to Vezina Form?

This season has been a rocky one for starting goalie Tuukka Rask. After getting off to a horrendous start to the season, the former Vezina winner lost his starting job. Rightfully so considering how Khudobin was playing compared to Rask. But after taking a seat for a few weeks it seems like Bruce Cassidy may have gotten the Finnish netminder refocused. However can Rask maintain his Vezina caliber play or will he return to early season form?

Slow Start

In the month of October Rask went 1-5 with an .896 SV% and a 2.93 GAA. Along with the terrible numbers the team looked lifeless when Rask was in goal. Tuukka was constantly off his angles, allowing soft goals inside the post. Along with having a tendency to get in the butterfly to quickly allowing himself to get beat high farside practically every night. Even though Tuukka was costing the team games his play still was sub par in November. Rask followed up one of the worst months of his career with another terrible one. In November Rask went 3-5 with a .901 SV% and a 2.78 GAA and the team was playing so poorly putting Rask in net was almost a guaranteed loss.

Tuukka’s horrible play brought on even more concern when reports came out that the Bruins’ locker room may have been getting tired of all the finger-pointing Rask was doing. This report was backed up when Tuukka said that “I’m not going to comment on the team play anymore”. Rask went on to say that the focus was purely on goaltending for him. So not only was Tuukka struggling in goal, it seemed like he was isolating himself in the locker room.

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Emergence

If anyone deserves credit for Tuukkas reemergence in goal, it’s Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy sent a message to the team and Rask, saying that just because you have the contract does not mean you have job security. It seems like the early season statement may have been the best move of the season. Since Rask got his starting job back, both Tuukka and the team look dangerous. In December Rask has otherworldly numbers in 4 games, posting a 3-0 record with an excellent .967 SV% and an 0.85 GAA along with his only shutout of the season.

Now the question becomes can Rask keep up this level of play for the rest of the season? Yes and no, it’s a tough question to answer straight up. Mainly because while Rask has been excellent he has a tendency to be rather streaky as the minutes begin to rack up. But this year the Bruins have leverage over the Finnish goalie. Anton Khudobin’s performance early on has provided Rask some much-needed competition. Now that there is another goalie who has performed at a high level waiting in the wings Tuukka has no room for a long slip.

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Conclusion

While Rask can be frustrating to watch his talent cannot be disbuted. When Tuukka is focused and on his angles he can be a gamechanger for Boston. So while he may never be able to play at vezina level again for an entire season. Rask still has the abilty to lead the Bruins on a cup run.

The Greatest Designated Hitters in Red Sox History

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Designated hitter is the final position to cover for Red Sox all-time greats. This is a spot that has had a lot of turnover since it came into existence, aside from a certain lovable Papi. The DH did not come into existence until 1973. Many guys have only played for two to three years as the primary DH on the Sox as Big Papi took up about one-fourth of that time. Keeping with the theme of these articles, here are the five greatest in Red Sox history.

David Ortiz

We can thank the Twins for one of the greatest players in franchise history, and maybe the most influential. Ortiz had shown promise with the Twins, posting an .818 OPS over his last three seasons. He hit 20 home runs in 2002 while posting a .500 slugging percentage. I remember thinking it was strange when they let him go and I wanted the Red Sox to sign him. Of course, nobody could have predicted the levels of success yet to come.

There are too many feats to list them all, but Big Papi helped the Red Sox to their first three World Series Championships in 86 years. When finally elevated into the lineup in 2003 over the terrible Jeremy Giambi, (took you long enough Grady Little!) Ortiz raked, hitting .293 with 29 homers and a 1.010 OPS from June 1st on. With his clutch hitting he managed to enter the MVP race, ultimately finishing 5th. It was the first of five consecutive seasons in which Ortiz would place in the top five for the MVP. Ortiz finished in 2nd and 3rd place once and in 4th place twice. In 2006 he set the franchise single-season record by hitting 54 home runs.

Of course there was all the timely hitting. Ortiz had walk-off hits in both game 4 and game 5 of the 2004 ALCS. This came after Ortiz took Jarrod Washburn over the green monster to walk-off the Angels and complete the ALDS sweep. For a stretch there it seemed like whenever he came up with a chance to win the game, he would. I remember watching one game in particular against the Indians; my brother called for Ortiz to hit a home run for the walk-off. My response was, “come on, he’s not going to continue to hit a home run every time, it isn’t possible.” Ortiz promptly took Fausto Carmona over the center field wall to win the game. He was simply unreal, the most clutch player I have ever watched.

Ortiz batted .290 and hit 483 home runs as a member of the Red Sox. He drove in 1530 runs, bashed 524 doubles and had a .386/.570/.956 slash line. Ortiz made 10 All-Star Games and won seven Silver Sluggers. Of course, he went out on top of his game still, batting .315 with 38 home runs and a league leading 48 doubles at the age of 41. In the playoffs, Ortiz hit 17 home runs and had a .947 OPS. They say good pitching beats good hitting in the playoffs, but Ortiz’ postseason numbers are right in line with his regular season ones. He then stepped it up even further in the World Series, batting .455 with a 1.372 OPS over three separate World Series.

Reggie Jefferson

Jefferson came to the Red Sox without a true role. The Sox already had Mo Vaughn at first base and Jose Canseco at DH. Jefferson ended up forcing his way into the lineup by hitting line drives all over the yard. His emergence may have played a role in Canseco being shipped out-of-town after the 1996 season. That year, Jefferson batted .347 with 19 home runs and a .981 OPS! He had the 2nd highest batting average in the American League and the highest OPS on the Red Sox that season.

Jefferson batted .319 as the primary DH in 1997, hitting .352 against right-handers. He again batted over .300 in 1998 before a back injury shelved him for the remainder of the season in mid-July. In five seasons with the Red Sox, Jefferson batted .316 with a .363/.505/.868 slash line. He was even better in front of the home crowd, hitting .345 with a .928 OPS at Fenway Park. You can read more about him here.

Reggie Jefferson #18 of the Boston Red Sox bats during a game against the White Sox on July 1, 1997 at New Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Jose Canseco

Canseco was a beast at the plate during his two years with the Red Sox; when healthy. Canseco only played in 102 and 96 games in his two seasons, battling injuries. In his time on the field, Canseco managed to bat .298 with 52 home runs and a .960 OPS. Of course, he had some added help, but those are some monster numbers. If he could have stayed healthy he would have threatened 40 home runs both years.

Canseco batted behind Mo Vaughn in the order, providing him with some lineup protection. Teams still walked Big Mo to get to Canseco occasionally, and it seemed like whenever they did Canseco hit one onto Landsdowne Street. I used to think he would get angry in the on-deck circle at the disrespect. He ultimately slots in third on this list since he was only with the team for two years, but they were two very good offensive seasons.

Jose Canseco of the Red Sox drives in a run in the first inning of Boston’s game against the Yankees at Fenway Park. Canseco also had a home run and a tie-breaking two-run double as the Red Sox beat the Yankees 7-4. (JOHN MOTTERN /AFP/Getty Images)

Mike Easler

Easler is another guy who only spent two seasons with the Red Sox. There really aren’t many primary designated hitters who lasted for a while with the team. Easler’s 337 base hits actually rank 5th among Red Sox designated hitters. He batted .288 with 43 home runs and 165 runs batted in on the strength of his first season with the team. In 1984 he was great, hitting .313 with 27 homers and 91 RBI. And that, oddly enough for a position dedicated to guys who can hit, is good enough to make the top five.

April 13, 1984: Mike Easler bats during the Red Sox home opener against the Detroit Tigers on April 13, 1984.
(Photo by Peter Travers/Boston Red Sox)

Cecil Cooper

Cooper is a guy who should have been with the team longer than he was. An upcoming prospect coming off two solid seasons, the Red Sox traded the 27-year-old Cooper to Milwaukee. Boston brought back two former Red Sox on the wrong side of 30 in George Scott and Bernie Carbo. Scott and Carbo both had one more good season, Cooper went on to bat .302 over 11 seasons with the Brewers.

Before he was traded, Cooper had batted .283 with 40 home runs and a .772 OPS. His best season with the Sox was definitely in 1975, batting .311 with an .899 OPS. He was one of the team’s hottest hitters that summer before taking a pitch to the face in September. Although he would become a Gold Glover in Milwaukee, he was not considered to be a good fielder in his younger days so he had been relegated to DH.

Honorable Mentions:

Carl Yastrzemski (.264 46 HR .764 OPS at DH), Don Baylor, Andre Dawson

The Greatest Right Fielders in Red Sox History

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As I draw near the end of my series of articles on the greatest Red Sox at each position, I come to the right fielders. This group of five right fielders are the final defensive position left to cover. Following this article I will still have the designated hitters to go and a wrap up. There were not many competitors for the top five, yet the group is quite solid.

Dwight Evans

Dwight Evans is both the greatest offensive and greatest defensive right fielder in Red Sox history. Personally, I am a strong advocate of “Dewey” getting his number retired. Always underrated nationally, Dewey received frighteningly little support for the Hall of Fame and has not been brought up by any veteran’s committee for election. I believe if he had hit in the 70’s like he did during the 80’s he would probably be a Hall of Famer.

Evans batted .272 with 379 home runs, 1346 RBI and 2373 base hits as a Red Sox. He walked a lot, leading the league in walks three times. This helped him to a .369 on base percentage and .842 OPS. In Boston Red Sox history he ranks 5th in home runs, 4th in base hits, 4th in doubles, 5th in RBI, 3rd in runs scored and 3rd in walks. As I stated earlier, Dewey developed as a hitter over time and was a dangerous one at the plate in the 80’s. During that decade he hit 30 home runs three times and drove in over 100 runs four times. His average season was .280 with 26 home runs, 90 RBI and a .385/.497/.882. A great fielder who can put up numbers like that? How did he fall off the ballot after three years?

When it comes to fielding, Dwight Evans not only had a strong glove but a strongarm. He accumulated 155 assists from right field. He led the league in this category three times and in putouts four times. Evans had a career .987 fielding percentage in right field. All of this led to Dewey winning a total of eight Gold Gloves.

Evans twice finished in the top five for MVP votes. In 1981, a season shortened by a strike, Evans led the league in home runs, walks, OPS and WAR. He finished third in the MVP vote that year, but probably deserved better. Had he won the MVP like some statistics suggest he should have, maybe he would have garnered more respect from Hall of Fame voters. He was also batting .341 with a 1.031 OPS at the time of the strike on June 11th, so it interrupted a fantastic start to the season for him.

Jackie Jensen

I am giving Jackie Jensen the nod at number two given his dominance over a six-year stretch. Jensen spent seven years with the Sox after returning for one season following a short retirement. He batted .282 with the Red Sox, hitting 170 home runs. Jensen had an excellent .374/.478/.852 slash line.

During his first six seasons, 1954-59, Jensen batted .285 and averaged 26 home runs and 111 runs batted in per season. He had two 20-20 seasons and led the league in RBI three times in five seasons. The only season he didn’t reach 100 RBI was 1956, when he drove in 97 and led the league with 11 triples. He won the MVP in 1958 when he bashed 35 homers and drove in 122 runs. The next season he hit 28 home runs and won the Gold Glove Award.

Following the 1959 season Jackie Jensen abruptly retired. A large reason for his retirement during his prime and at the age of 32 was due to a fear of flying. The Major Leagues were expanding and new teams were popping up on the other side of the country. Flying was becoming more constant and Jensen could hardly bear it. The other reason was being away from his family so many months of the year, but I’m sure if he didn’t have to fly he would not have retired. Jensen came back in 1961 after a year off. However, following a year layoff he was only okay. Jensen batted .263 with 13 home runs and decided to retire for good.

Harry Hooper

Hooper played with the Red Sox for 12 seasons during the dead-ball era. He was a part of the “golden outfield” with Tris Speaker and Duffy Lewis. The three of them formed one of the greatest outfields in the early days. Hooper was considered a great defender, leading the league in putouts seven times and assists three times. He had 30 outfield assists in 1910.

At the plate, Hooper batted .272 with 1707 base hits. Having played in the dead-ball era, Hooper did not hit many home runs. However, Hooper did hit 130 triples as a Red Sox. Hooper also stole 300 bases during his 12 seasons with the team. He also came up with some clutch hits, batting .293 in World Series play. In 1915 he batted .350 and hit two homers during the series against the Phillies. Hooper won four World Series with the Red Sox.

Outfielder Harry Hooper of the Boston Red Sox bats before a game during the 1909 season at Huntington Avenue Grounds. (Photo by National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

Tony Conigliaro

Everyone knows Tony C’s story. It is my belief had he not been hit by that pitch in the eye, Conigliaro would have hit 500 home runs and potentially threatened 600. It is practically a guarantee he would be at least number two on this list, if not first. As it stands, he is one of the biggest what-ifs in sports history. However, do not think he is only on here for what might have been. During the time he had with the Red Sox, Conigliaro hit 162 home runs. He hit 32 home runs at the age of 20 in 1965. He would then go on to become the youngest American Leaguer to ever reach 100 career home runs.

Conigliaro had 104 home runs at the time of his beaning. This came over the course of two full seasons and two partial seasons. He had averaged 35 home runs per 162 games played. In 1970, his second season back from the horrific beaning, Conigliaro hit a career high 36 home runs. Still just 25 years old, he seemed to have recuperated and be entering his prime. Unfortunately his eyesight took a turn for the worse in the offseason and he was never able to have success again. Despite the what-ifs, Tony C was still one of the bigger power hitters Fenway Park has seen.

Trot Nixon

The ultimate “dirt dog” rounds out the top five. Trot was seemingly a prospect forever, having been drafted seventh overall in 1993. Trot didn’t become a full-time Major Leaguer until 1999. He proceeded to have a few solid seasons and a couple excellent ones. Nixon was a .278 hitter in Boston with 133 home runs and 912 base hits. He had some very nice rate stats, hitting to a .366/.478/.845 slash line.

From 2001-2003, Nixon hit 79 home runs. 2003 was his best season, batting .306 with 28 home runs and a .975 OPS. He was also very good in 2004, when he was on the field. Nixon missed a lot of time that year but was able to contribute to the Red Sox breaking the curse. Thanks in part to his “all out” play, Nixon missed a lot of time over those next couple seasons with injuries.

Honorable Mentions:

One can expect a certain current Red Sox player to be joining these ranks in the not too distant future…

Mookie Betts, J.D. Drew, Tom Brunansky

Greatest Right-Handed Pitchers

Greatest Left-Handed Pitchers

Greatest Relief Pitchers

Greatest Catchers

Greatest First Basemen

Greatest Second Basemen

Greatest Third Basemen

Greatest Shortstops

Greatest Left Fielders

Greatest Center Fielders

Does Sweeney Deserve More Credit Than He Gets?

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The past few years Don Sweeney has been under fire by most Bruins fans. Justifiably so however. Most of his NHL moves have been downright wretched. But with the Bruins roster starting to get healthy and the mixture of veterans and young talent coming together, suddenly the Bruins’ roster looks better than expected. Sweeney, however, has not received much credit for his roster building. But should he?

Drafting

The key development for the Boston Bruins this season has been the growth of young talent. While Sweeney can’t get credit for drafting all of the impressive rookies, he has played a major role in it. After all, he drafted arguably the two most important young kids on the Bruins in Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. On top of that, he also brought in Jake Debrusk who has shown NHL level goal-scoring ability. Looking up and down the roster, Sweeney’s fingerprints are abundant.

Even the players he has not drafted, he deserves credit for developing. That includes Anders Bjork, Danton Heinen, and even David Pastranak to an extent. Sweeney has successfully replenished the once-depleted Bruins farm system and fans are starting to see the results.

Veteran Pieces

It has not been all perfect at the NHL level for Sweeney by any stretch of the imagination. But even with some horrible blunders, somehow the Bruins have a very good mixture of veteran talent. Sweeney does deserve credit for the moves that have gone his way. Signing 32-year-old David Backes to a five-year, $30M contract is a questionable move at best. But Backes has made an impact playing in a lesser role on the Bruins, and has provided a physical veteran presence for a rather finesee Bruins team.

The extensions that Sweeney has orchestrated with his star players have proven more important than his signings. Both Marchand and Pastranak, the most talented offensive players on the team, have signed under-market deals. Not giving in during the Pastranak negotiations may have been his best NHL move and deserves plenty of praise.

Fails

While Sweeney has made some solid moves, his bad ones tend to stand out more. Such as singing a third pairing defenseman in Torey Krug to a five-year, $21M contract with an AAV of $5.25M. Additionally, he signed Matt Beleskey to a five-year $19M dealt, with an AAV of $3.8M. And he kept Kevin Millar, who cannot stay healthy over a young, promising offensive defenseman in Colin Millar. Even more atrocious? Sweeney’s trade of a second-, third-, fourth-, and multiple fifth-round picks for Lee Stepniak and John-Michael Liles. Sweeney has racked up some major fails, however none have them have crippled the Bruins, unlike the previous regime had a tendency to do.

Overall, Sweeney has been below average to downright bad at the NHL level. But it is starting to look like he has a couple of major hits from the draft to his credit. When the Bruins win their next Stanley Cup, the young talent on this team will be front and center.

The Greatest Center Fielders in Red Sox History

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Center field is a position with a lot of competition. Picking the greatest Sox center fielder ever was easy. Selecting the next four, not so much. Two through four were obviously going to make the top five, but determining an order was difficult. Again, at number five there were a few guys vying for the one spot, so pay attention to the honorable mentions at the end.

Tris Speaker

Tris Speaker is not only the greatest center fielder in Red Sox history, he is one of the very best of all-time. Although he put up better numbers after being traded to Cleveland, Speaker was already one of the best players in baseball with the Red Sox. From his first full season in 1909 until he was traded following the 1915 season, Speaker batted .342 with a .909 OPS. During this time he averaged 34 doubles, 15 triples and 38 stolen bases per season.

Speaker’s best season with the Sox came in 1912, when he won the MVP Award. That season he batted .383, leading the league with 10 home runs and 53 doubles. Speaker had 222 base hits and stole 52 bases that season while scoring 136 runs. Always a huge extra base guy, Speaker followed that season with a .363 average and 22 triples in 1913. He put up a 55.5 WAR over his seven full seasons.

Rookie outfielder Tris Speaker of the Boston Red Sox poses for a photo in 1908. (Photo by Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images)

Dom DiMaggio

My choice for the second spot on the list goes to the underrated Dominic DiMaggio. Overshadowed his entire career by his big brother Joe, Dom was a great ballplayer. He was widely considered the best defensive center fielder in the game, running balls down 460 feet from home plate. In addition to his great reads off the bat and his range, DiMaggio had a cannon for an arm for such a small guy. DiMaggio averaged over 13 assists per season.

Overshadowed some by Ted Williams during his career as well, Williams realized how important DiMaggio was to the team. Williams trumpeted Dom DiMaggio’s Hall of Fame case until he died, even having a pamphlet available at his museum covering why he believed Dom should be in the Hall. When the greatest hitter of all-time believes so strongly in that, who is anyone else to argue? Part of what hurt DiMaggio’s case is that he missed three seasons to the war. He finished with just 1680 base hits, but if the war hadn’t happened that number would easily surpass 2000. Couple that with his great fielding and his .298 batting average, he certainly has a case.

DiMaggio was the catalyst atop some vaunted Red Sox lineups, scoring over 100 runs six times and leading the league in that category twice. He also led the league in triples and stolen bases in 1950, in what was an outstanding season. His career 162 game average came out to .298 with 10 home runs, 36 doubles, 195 base hits and a .383/.419/.802 triple slash. He made seven all-star teams in 10 seasons.

Year	Tm	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1940	BOS	418	81	126	32	6	8	46	7	41	46	.301	.367	.464	.831
1941	BOS	584	117	165	37	6	8	58	13	90	57	.283	.385	.408	.792
1942	BOS	622	110	178	36	8	14	48	16	70	52	.286	.364	.437	.801
1943
1944
1945
1946	BOS	534	85	169	24	7	7	73	10	66	58	.316	.393	.427	.820
1947	BOS	513	75	145	21	5	8	71	10	74	62	.283	.376	.390	.766
1948	BOS	*648*	127	185	40	4	9	87	10	101	58	.285	.383	.401	.785
1949	BOS	605	126	186	34	5	8	60	9	96	55	.307	.404	.420	.824
1950	BOS	588	*131*	193	30	11	7	70	15	82	68	.328	.414	.452	.866
1951	BOS	639	113	189	34	4	12	72	4	73	53	.296	.370	.418	.788
1952	BOS	486	81	143	20	1	6	33	6	57	61	.294	.371	.377	.747
1953	BOS	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.333	.333	.333	.667
11 Y	11 Y	5640	1046	1680	308	57	87	618	100	750	571	.298	.383	.419	.802
162	162	653	121	195	36	7	10	72	12	87	66	.298	.383	.419	.802

Fred Lynn

Lynn should never have left the Red Sox. Fred Lynn spent the first six full seasons of his career in Boston and was on a Hall of Fame path. Fenway Park suited him perfectly. After leaving his production dropped off considerably. He was still a solid player, but no longer the potential Hall of Famer he had been.

Lynn came up late in 1974 and hinted at what was to come. He batted .419 with a 1.188 OPS in 43 at-bats. The next season he became the first player to ever win the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player Awards in the same season. Lynn batted .331 that season and led the league with 47 doubles and a .967 OPS. His best season however was arguably in 1979. Lynn was a monster that season, leading the league in batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS. In addition to that he hit 39 home runs and won the Gold Glove Award.

Fred Lynn batted .308 as a member of the Red Sox, hitting 124 home runs. He had 944 base hits and a slash line of .383/.520/.902. In addition to his Rookie of the Year and MVP, Lynn won four Gold Gloves and made six All-Star Games.

Fred Lynn of the Boston Red Sox bats against the New York Yankees during an MLB baseball game circa 1976 at Yankee Stadium. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

Reggie Smith

Another player who had his best seasons after leaving the Red Sox. The Red Sox made a mistake trading him as Smith went on to have two top five MVP finishes. Smith had plenty of good seasons in Boston though, hitting over 20 home runs in five consecutive seasons and batting over .300 during three of them. An underrated player, I have Smith as a top 20 center fielder of all-time.

While with the Red Sox, Smith batted .281 and hit 149 home runs out of 1064 base hits. Over his final five seasons with the team, Smith averaged a season of .294 with 24 home runs, 81 RBI and an .867 OPS. He also led the league in doubles in both 1968 and 1971. Smith made two All-Star Games and won a Gold Glove Award with the Red Sox.

Reggie Smith of the Boston Red Sox.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Ellsbury was always good with the Sox when he was healthy. Since leaving, he has continued to do a wonderful job by eating up a bunch of the Yankees money to be a below average player. What a guy! Ellsbury came up late in 2007 and showed very well down the stretch. He earned his way onto the playoff roster and batted .438 during the World Series. It was the first of two World Series he would win with the team.

2011 was far and away his best offensive season. Ellsbury had a huge second half of the year and probably would have won the MVP had the team not collapsed in September. He had 212 base hits that season, batting .321 with 32 home runs, 46 doubles and 39 stolen bases. He ended up the runner-up to Justin Verlander for the MVP Award.

Ellsbury was always a huge threat on the base paths, leading the league in steals three times. He had a career high 70 stolen bases in 2009. In 2013, his final year with the team, Ellsbury stole 52 bases while only being caught four times. Ellsbury made one all-star team, won a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger Award.

Ellsbury slices a line drive the other way.

Honorable Mentions:

Ellis Burks, Johnny Damon, Chick Stahl, Ira Flagstead, Tony Armas, Jimmy Piersall

Addressing Baseball’s Pace of Play

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Baseball was once America’s pastime. Not anymore. Today, the NFL dominates professional team sports. Baseball, despite the unbelievable quality of the game, is quickly becoming the old guys sport. Why? Because the pace of play makes it “boring”.

At least that’s what most non-baseball fans believe. We live in a time of instant gratification. People care less and less about strategy, tactics, and the intricacies of a defensive shift or a pitching match-up. And, while they may still appreciate of the beauty of a well-turned double play, they don’t want to endure a fifteen pitch, four mound visit at bat to get there. Baseball is boring because baseball is slow.

The Problem at Hand

I am not trying to be the old guy yelling “get off my lawn”, but something has to be done about the pace of play. Countless pitching changes in an inning, lefty and right specialists who face a single batter, and catchers who walk to the mound so many times you think they’re trying to meet their daily Fitbit goal have driven the average game length to over three hours.

This season’s average was almost five minutes higher than 2016 and seven more than in 2000. Of course the average Red Sox game is higher, and the average Sox-Yankees affair is much higher. It is even worse in the playoffs.

Average Length of MLB Game 2017
REG SEASON	BOS-NYY	BOS-HOU ALDS	WORLD SERIES
3:05	3:27	3:48	3:42

Part of this is to be expected. Deeper line-ups, runners on base, and higher-pressure games slow the pace of play. Pitchers and catchers strategize each at bat like it’s the Invasion of Normandy, while managers scroll through pages of data weighing match-ups and bullpen options.

Past Proposals

Major League Baseball recognized the problem years ago and has tried in vain to address it. The two biggest measures proposed by Commissioner Rob Manfred last year were a 20-second pitch clock and a limit on mound visits. The Players Union rejected both suggestions.

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The union argued that forcing pitchers to work more quickly could lead to more injuries. But, according to CBS Sports, the average time between pitches last season was 24.2 seconds. I’m not a doctor, so I can’t speak to the rehabilitative magic that an extra four seconds between pitches does for a throwing arm. But what I do know is that in a game with 300 cumulative pitches, those extra four seconds translates to 21 added minutes.

Options Moving Forward

Manfred was on the right path with his recommendations last year. There are plenty of ways to reduce the length of ball games. Here are a few:

Pitch clock.

Damn the union, the commissioner needs to exercise his “in the best interested of baseball” powers and implement the clock by fiat if necessary. If that means that, in order to prevent injuries, teams will need to lower pitch counts per start and carry more pitchers – then expand the rosters.

I do not believe that awarding a ball for each violation is a realistic punishment. That will alter the game too dramatically. Rather, I recommend that MLB impose a $100-500 fine to the team for every violation. The team can, if it chooses, pass that along to the pitcher or pay it outright.

Under this plan, a pitcher who throws 200 innings stands to lose about $40,000 a year if even just ten percent of their pitches violate the pitch clock. That’s motivation.

Eliminate the lefty-righty specialist.

What’s worse than watching Clay “Molasses” Buchholz pitch? Watching him get pulled for a lefty-specialist who faces one batter only to be pulled himself. The specialization of relief pitching may be supported by analytics, but pitching changes add tons of time to games.

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The simple solution is to eliminate the one-out specialist. Not eliminate the roster spot, just require that every pitcher face not less than two batters. The only exceptions to this rule is injury or if the pitcher comes in and records the final out of the inning or game.

Limit Mound Visits.

As cute as it was to listen to Crash and Nuke discuss what to get Jimmy and Mille for their wedding, we need to cap mound visits so we can all get on with our lives.

As Matt Snyder noted, in Game 1 of the 2016 NLCS, the Dodgers had a mound visit before every single batter in the eighth inning. The Cubs had nine guys come to the plate that inning. How much time do you think that added? A lot. They scored five runs. How effective were those visits? Not very.

Under this proposal, there can be no more than one player mound visit per inning and it cannot exceed thirty seconds. Any subsequent player mound visit or any violation of time not related to injury would result in a $1,000 fine to the team.

A pitching coach or manager may visit the mound once per inning (not per pitcher) for not more than one minute. A managerial time violation would result in a $5,000 fine to the manager. Subsequent mound visits by the pitching coach or manager are allowed for pitching changes.

How Big an Impact

The total effect of these proposals would be revolutionary.

Games were 12-minutes shorter in AA and AAA ballparks with 20-second pitch clocks in 2015 than in 2014. Eliminate even one pitching change per team per game and you trim another 10-15 minutes. Keep catchers and managers from wearing out the grass to the mound with all those visits and it’s easily another eight to ten minutes per game.

I just cut the average baseball game down by 37 minutes from 3:05 to 2:28. You’re welcome.

Why Brady Is Better Than Eli — Period

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I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of all the talk about Eli Manning this week. His team is playing like a bunch of pylons and Coach McAdoo decides to bench Eli Manning. Personally, that’s like firing the engine room guy when it’s the coach steering the ship. Also, with this benching there has been a lot of talk from Giants’ fans how Eli is better than Tom Brady. Well, other than the two Super Bowl victories over the Patriots, there is not really anything for a comparison.

Bitter Giants’ fans are trying to use the two Super Bowl victories over Brady to make this ridiculous statement. I think there is no way you can even attempt to make a statement like that. You first need to compare their careers overall and not just two games. That is why I will show you once and for all that Brady is the GOAT and Eli is just a sad sheep.

IT’S LIKE COMPARING APPLES AND ORANGES

The best analogy I can think of when comparing Eli Manning to Tom Brady is that it’s like comparing apples to oranges. Yes, both of these players are quarterbacks who have won Super Bowls and have had long careers. Manning is entering his 14th NFL season and has had a very solid career. Eli Manning has won two Super Bowls (both over the Brady-led Patriots), and has put up some impressive career stats. He has passed for more than 50,000 yards in his career and also for 334 touchdowns, which are both impressive milestones. Manning has also been the reigning NFL iron man for quarterbacks, with 212 straight starts since his career began. All in all, I would give Eli a career grade of B+, or maybe even an A-.

Now Giants’ fans are trying to say that Eli is better than Tom. This is why it’s not true. Brady has won five Super Bowls, more than the entire Manning family, including their father Archie. That should be enough to win all comparisons all by itself but I have much more. Tom is playing in his 18th season in the NFL and plays better now then he likely ever has. Eli can’t say the same thing in that regard.

Before all of you Giants’ fans and Brady haters go even more nuts, think of this. Tom has dealt with as many injured players and issues if not more than Eli ever did. Tom and the Patriots played most of last season without Gronk and won the Super Bowl. Brady played most of last week’s game with a third-string player on his offensive line and threw for four touchdowns. Eli is without Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall this season, and that is tough for sure. Brady is without Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, and the list goes on. That excuse is just that; a sad reason to explain why Eli is declining or at least slowing down.

There are a couple of other stats that make this whole foolish comparison a moot point as well. The biggest stat that leaves no doubt that Brady is so much better than Eli is the number of respective wins. Brady has the most wins in NFL history by any quarterback, including the post season. Brady’s 217 regular-season wins and 25 post-season wins are just marks that may not ever be matched. How can you even think that Eli is in that class, let alone ahead of Brady? Manning has 118 wins, so just digest that stat for a minute. Brady is ahead of him by almost 100 wins, the equivalent of winning out including playoffs for five straight years.

Another stat that Eli is far behind Brady in would be their career TD/INT ratios. Eli has thrown an impressive 334 TD passes over his career but has amassed 222 INTs also. Tom Brady has thrown a jaw dropping 482 career TD passes and only 155 INTs over his playing time. Brady has significantly more TD passes, and not just because he has played longer. The fact that Brady has played quite a bit longer with only he only 155 INTs, almost 70 less than Manning, is amazing.

(Mexico City 11/19/17) New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady congratulates wide receiver Brandin Cooks’s touchdown during the third quarter of the NFL game against the Oakland Raiders at Azteca Stadium on Sunday, November 19, 2017. Staff Photo by Matt Stone

NOT A FAIR FIGHT

Besides the number of Super Bowl appearances and wins versus Manning, there is another reason why Brady is just plain better. You will never see Tom Brady complain to the media or anyone that he does not have the tools to do his job. I honestly think that Brady could have a great season with only using other teams’ players that they released from their rosters. There is no way you could ever say the same thing about Eli Manning.

Tom Brady also realised that he must stay in fantastic shape to be able to play at age 40. And Brady is not just playing at age 40, he’s excelling. He remains one of the front-runners for the league MVP this season. He has adapted his playing style to bounce around in the pocket to allow his receivers to get open. Eli Manning has the agility of a refrigerator and is just a sitting duck in the pocket.

Before all of you Giants’ fans and haters go off on a tangent of saying that Brady plays in the weak AFC East, just hang on a minute. Brady also plays in the AFC, which has been the stronger conference in the NFL for some time. The AFC contains teams like the Steelers, Ravens, Chiefs, Raiders, Bengals, who have been consistently solid for many years during Brady’s career. The NFC usually has the Packers, Seahawks, Saints and maybe one team for the NFC East be solid every season. It is just not a fair fight to say that where you play makes that much difference.

The NFL schedule is also weighted, where the better you finish the previous season gives you a harder time next year. The Patriots won the Super Bowl last year and are at a record of 9-2 at this point of their schedule. It has not been a cake walk and the team and the Patriots are dealing with a boat load of injuries and not missing a beat. Can Eli Manning and the Giants say anything like that? I didn’t think so, but thanks for trying.

Before Giants’ fans or Brady haters start spreading fertilizer all over social media, they should check their facts. The only thing that matters is the W and Tom continues to put those up regardless. You do not see him whining about things other players or his coaches are doing. You certainly wouldn’t see him crying in the locker room about it to the media. Get used to it people, you hate us cuz you ain’t us and that’s about it.

Charlie Mcavoy Has Gone Above and Beyond

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Entering the NHL season expectations for the 19-year-old defenseman were set pretty high. So high that at one point it started to seem unrealistic. But so far McAvoy has shocked everyone with his skill and makeup. Through 23 games this season, McAvoy has not only been excellent on the offensive end with 3 goals and 10 assists. He’s also been quite stout defensively during a time when Boston needed him most.

Offensively

The former 1st round pick has always had the skill set to be a productive two-way defenseman. But some scouts were optimistic about it translating to the NHL level. So far McAvoy has shown that his offense is no fluke. Bruins fans have been out of their seats with this kid’s skill set. He has excellent skating ability, great vision through all three zones, and as fabulous hands as Jonathan Quick. Cory Schneider got to witness that first hand.

But what has been most impressive about his offensive game is his intelligence. While McAvoy has the talent that many could only dream about, he has shown an excellent level of discipline for a 19-year-old rookie. He has shown great timing on when to pinch down the boards and make a play. He also has the awareness to give up on the risky play that could hurt them defensively. Something that he was doing earlier on, credit to the coaching staff for developing him thus far. At times its hard to remember McAvoy is a defenseman because of how gifted he is offensively.

Defensively

With the non-stop ravishing of injuries the Bruins have faced this season, it’s been hard to find a player who has played every night. But McAvoy has and Cassidy has leaned on him as a result. The rookie is currently averaging 23:42 TOI, and played 28:11 against the Lightning in the Bruins’ 3-2 win at the Garden. That ranks 26th in the NHL, at the age of 19 lets not forget. The rookie has made his mistakes, which is expected when your out there in high pressure situations. McAvoy has shown the ability to learn from them and rapidly improve on the defensive end.

Physicality

Whats been most impressive is his physicality up and down the ice. McAvoy lines up players coming through the neutral zone showing a willingness to defend the blue line. Also his toughness has been eye-opening for spectators. McAvoy has also been on the receiving end of quite a few collisions too. But every time he pops back up and even got into it with Lucic. This kid has the heart and the guts to play a physical game, and the talent to go end to end.

Bruins fans: get ready because this type of player doesn’t come around often. At the young age of 19 its hard not to get excited about the future with Charlie McAvoy leading the way.

Jake Debrusk: Future NHL Superstar

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Every time a team rebuilds fans search for players to latch onto. Most fans and writers have been drawn to the fabulous talent of Charlie McAvoy. Rightfully so though, because McAvoy is a special player. But another young prospect on this team with exceptional talent has been flying under the radar. Jake Debrusk has been highly touted since being drafted number 14th overall in the 2015 NHL draft. For the first time Debrusk has flashed the talent that scouts have been raving about since his youth hockey days.

Backstory

Jake Debrusk has always had the heart and passion for the game. But early on in his hockey journey he lacked a scoring touch to go along with his determination. Jake Debrusk is the son of former New York Ranger Louie Debrusk. He has always been viewed as the guy who will do the dirty work in the corners. Through the early stages of his development this was crucial for him because his exceptional goal scoring ability was still developing. He is not a physical hockey player, only being 6 feet tall and weighing in at 188 pounds. However, he does have the grit and determination to do whatever it takes to get high percentage shots. This eventually got him drafted by the Swift Current in the 7th round (137th overall) in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft.

Breakout

In 2013-2014 the hard-working mentality of Debrusk helped him lead all Swift Current rookie forwards in goals (15) and assists (24) through 72 games. Debrusk’s speed and shot began to develop to catch pace with his exceptional hockey IQ. However, it was not until the 2014-2015 season that Debrusk flashed his full potential. The young left winger opened the eyes of scouts everywhere, scoring 42 goals and adding 39 assist to account for 81 points, which ranked 4th in the WHL among left wingers. Debrusk showed that scoring ability that so many scouts around the league had been waiting for making him a highly touted prospect. In his final two regular season games he propelled the Broncos to a playoff spot scoring 7 points, 3 goals and 4 assist.

Adversity

After the winger’s stellar season he rapidly rose draft boards across the league. Many projected that he would be a late first round pick. The Boston Bruins thought highly of the Edmonton native, drafting him with the 14th overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft. However it was not all smooth sailing. Debrusk’s pro career started off on the wrong foot. The ex-Bronco failed a conditioning test only a few months after the 2015 draft. On top of that the young sniper’s WHL season was a bumpy one. With injuries plaguing Debrusk causing him to play only 24 games for the Broncos. The once potential NHL superstar was rapidly losing stock as each day passed.

Perseverance

Debrusk took the same approach off the ice as he would on the ice, grinding out every shift. Despite the sobering start to his pro career, the rookie continued to push through and thrived in the AHL. Posting impressive numbers across the board with 19 goals, 40 points, and a +11 rating. His hardworking nature and exceptional sniping ability had transferred to the pro game better than anyone believed it would. The wing once thought to be bust all of the sudden was the next great forward in the Bruins’ farm system.

Entering the season Debrusk was put into a top 6 role by Bruce Cassidy due to his exceptional scoring ability. After a rather pedestrian start the rookie looked tepid at times. In the past few weeks Debrusk has shown why he was such a highly touted prospect. Using both his speed and strength along the puck to create prime scoring chances for him and his line mates. Debrusk has always head the work ethic and the brain to play at the NHL level. But now with his rapidly improved offensive game, the sky is the limit for number 74.

The Greatest Shortstops in Red Sox History

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The Red Sox have had a rich history at the shortstop position. On this list are five Red Sox Hall of Famers and some worthy candidates in the honorable mention category. Placement of the players after the top couple was difficult, but one thing is for sure; I had no trouble finding five qualified candidates at this position.

Nomar Garciaparra

Nomah was the greatest shortstop to ever play at Fenway Pahk! Going to a Sox game in the late nineties and early 2000s one could hear “Nomaaahhhh” yelled all over the ballpark. The 12th overall pick in 1994, Nomar had no trouble climbing through the minors before debuting in 1996. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1997, then placed 2nd in the MVP vote in 1998. He proceeded to win the batting title in each of the next two seasons, batting .357 and .372. Nomar was getting better and better, spraying line drives all over the yard.

Then Al Reyes happened. A Reyes pitch hit Nomar on the wrist and would later require surgery. When Nomar returned he was still a good player, but wasn’t the same. He popped the ball up more, hitting a few less line drives. Hard to complain with a .310 average, 24 home runs and 56 doubles in 2002 followed by 28 home runs in 2003 though. For his Red Sox career Nomar batted .323 with 178 home runs and a .923 OPS. He was something else in his prime.

Year	Tm	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	Awards
1996	BOS	87	11	21	2	3	4	16	5	.241	.272	.471	.743
1997	BOS	*684*	122	209	44	11	30	98	22	.306	.342	.534	.875	AS,MVP-8,RoY-1,SS
1998	BOS	604	111	195	37	8	35	122	12	.323	.362	.584	.946	MVP-2
1999	BOS	532	103	190	42	4	27	104	14	.357	.418	.603	1.022	AS,MVP-7
2000	BOS	529	104	197	51	3	21	96	5	.372	.434	.599	1.033	AS,MVP-9
2001	BOS	83	13	24	3	0	4	8	0	.289	.352	.470	.822
2002	BOS	635	101	197	56	5	24	120	5	.310	.352	.528	.880	AS,MVP-11
2003	BOS	658	120	198	37	13	28	105	19	.301	.345	.524	.870	AS,MVP-7
2004	BOS	156	24	50	7	3	5	21	2	.321	.367	.500	.867
BOS	BOS	3968	709	1281	279	50	178	690	84	.323	.370	.553	.923

Joe Cronin

Joe Cronin was an extremely influential person in both Red Sox history and Major League Baseball history. He not only played for the Red Sox, he managed them and later became the General Manager. After his term as General Manager ended, Cronin became the President of the American League in 1959, a position he held for 15 years.

Cronin was a Hall of Fame ballplayer, and could have put up even bigger numbers had he not been managing. By 1942 he was a little used utility player while managing, despite the fact he was coming off a season during which he batted .311 with 16 homers and 95 RBI. He’d bat over .300 each of the next two seasons as well in limited playing time. For his Red Sox career Cronin was a .300 hitter, hitting 119 home runs and 1168 base hits. He had a beautiful slash line of .394/.484/.878. All three of those numbers rank second among Red Sox shortstops. Cronin made five All-Star Games while with the Red Sox.

Johnny Pesky

I think a lot of people remember Pesky as the lovable old man always hanging around the Red Sox dugout and don’t realize just how good of a player he was. Pesky led the league in hits during each of his first three seasons in the majors. He batted .331 during his rookie season, placing 3rd in the MVP vote. Following that, Pesky went to fight in the war and missed the next three seasons. When he came back he batted .335 and placed 4th in the MVP vote. The following year he again led the league in hits and batted .324. He was a great hitter and would have over 600 hits likely added to his career total had the war not occurred.

He was one of many guys who lost stats due to this time period that the Hall of Fame doesn’t seem to have taken into consideration. Had the war not happened, Pesky would be a shortstop who hit well over .300 with somewhere over 2000 career hits. Laughably, as an illustration to New York bias, Phil Rizzuto is in the Hall of Fame. Rizzuto batted .273 with a .351/.355/.706 triple slash playing the same position and during the exact same era as Pesky. Pesky batted .307 with a .394/.386/.780 slash line. Focusing on just his Red Sox career, Pesky batted .313 with 1277 hits and a .401 on base percentage. He twice finished in the top five for MVP voting.

Rico Petrocelli

Rico gets the nod fourth thanks to his counting numbers. He leads all Red Sox shortstop with 210 home runs and 1352 base hits. Of course, he moved to third base in the seventies so as just a shortstop he doesn’t rank first. While playing short, Petrocelli batted .259 while hitting 127 of his home runs. Rico made his first All-Star Game during the “Impossible Dream” season of 1967. He really broke out in 1969 though when he made his 2nd all-star team. That season Rico batted .297 with 40 home runs and a .992 OPS! Those 40 home runs stood as an American League shortstop record until 1998, when it took some foreign substances to likely surpass it.

Rico’s newfound power extended into the early seventies, hitting 29 home runs in 1970 and 28 in 1971. That gave him a three-year total of 97 home runs. His 39.1 career WAR places him second out of guys on this list behind only Nomar. He was also a part of two Red Sox pennant winning teams.

John Valentin

John Valentin was an excellent and underrated player prior to knee injuries that hobbled him and shortened his career after he turned 30. Valentin hit 121 home runs and collected 1042 base hits as a member of the Red Sox. He was their shortstop from 1992-96 before Nomar arrived. After a brief move to second base, he became their third baseman after Tim Naehring’s injury and remained there for a few years. As just a shortstop, Valentin batted .292 with a .375/.470/.845 triple slash line. He had an 11.8 dWAR with the Sox, 2nd among the guys on this list.

In 1995 Valentin really busted out, batting .298 with 27 home runs, 102 RBI and 20 stolen bases. He led all American Leaguers in WAR that season. From 1994-97 he averaged a season of .303 with 17 home runs, 35 doubles and an .876 OPS. He still hit 23 home runs in 1998 but his average dropped as his knees started causing him discomfort. Despite a mediocre season in 1999, Valentin had a huge postseason. A clutch player, Valentin batted .347 with 5 home runs and a 1.046 OPS during his postseason career. He drove in 12 runners in the 5 game ALDS versus Cleveland in 1999 and was one of the few Red Sox players to hit in the ALCS that year. His clutch play is one reason he slots into the top five.

John Valentin of the Boston Red Sox watches his two-run home run in the first inning against the Yankees during game three of the ALCS at Fenway Park. The Yankees have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES

Honorable Mentions

Vern Stephens, Rick Burleson, Heinie Wagner, Everett Scott