Despite some pretty ugly days back in 2004, he came back to Boston and sat down with Larry Luccino and Theo Epstein to sign a one-day contract and retire as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
Twitter, Facebook and the blogosphere exploded with phrases like "classy move" and "welcome home," but one man decided (admittedly) to be the fly in the ointment - Dan Shaughnessy.
Yesterday, Dan chose to focus on the negative, while everyone else put 2004 aside and cheered the return of a Red Sox legend. It's no secret that Dan and Nomar never really got along, but his article got me thinking...
Despite being human like the rest of us, pro athletes have been looked at like superheroes for a long time. Let's face it, the legend of Babe Ruth is as powerful as the legend of Hercules or Superman. But somewhere along the way, we started focusing alot of energy on destroying the legends with ugly details about their personal life and strange idiosyncrasies.
Don't get me wrong, TMZ didn't invent the idea of tabloid news, but I wonder if we are really better off villafying our favorite athletes in the same way that we tear down our favorite actors and musicians.
When did it become so enjoyable to see other people at their worst?
I understand that some feel that learning personal information about their favorite player, actor or musicians makes them feel closer to that person, but media machines like MTV VH1 and E! (just to name a few) seem to have taken this idea to a whole new level by creating TV shows like Tool Academy, The Soup and even the father of reality tv: The Real World. There are no legends or role models featured on Tool Academy, but the point is: All of these shows are specifically designed to showcase the worst in human behavior.And people love it.
Somewhere along the way, this cultural phenomenon crept into the world of sports.
Shaughnessy would probably kill me if he saw that I put him and Tool Academy in the same blog post, but yesterday he chose to focus on the negative because he knew it would sell papers - or increase click-throughs - and that doesn't make him all that different from the rest of today's media.
I'm ranting here, but my point is simple: What is more enjoyable, watching a potential legend like Jacoby Ellsbury grow through stories about stealing home plate and catching a running deer with his bare hands... or hearing stories about how your favorite player growing up was really a jerk in the clubhouse and had strange issues with personal space that made life difficult for the media.
Bottom Line: I'm not saying that media members should only write/talk about the good stuff, but sometimes the personal details take away from legend and I think that hurts the game. Kids look up to these guys whether we like it or not, so why not add to that culture, rather than destroy it.
WEEI's Lou Merloni is reporting that his good buddy Nomar Garciaparra plans to sign a one-day contract with the Boston Red Sox and retire as a member of the organization that developed him into one of the premiere players in the MLB throughout the 90's.
Most of you don't need a reminder of how great Nomar was while he played in Boston, so I won't bore you all with the details. I'll simply give you my personal take on the situation: Nomar and Pedro turned me from a casual Sox fan into the obsessed blogger you are reading now. The fact that Nomar is coming back to Boston after all the B.S. from 2004 is pretty awesome in my opinion.
I just got and email about Nomar's press conference, here are the details:
CSNNE.com and NECN.com will provide live on-line coverage of the Red Sox signing of Nomar Garciaparra and his retirment announcement. Coverage begins at 10:30 a.m.
As one of the few local TV outlets remaining in Fort Myers, Comcast SportsNet's Lou Merloni will also have an in-depth one-on-one with Nomar. Portions of the interview will be available on CSNNE.com and NECN.com and the full interview will run during tonight's SportsNet Central's at 6 p.m., 10:30 p.m. and 1 a.m.
Lastly, I'll leave you all with this... my "Nomar Story."
When I was about 18, a gentleman approached me with his two young children and asked me if I'd be willing to say hello to his kids... as Nomar.
Confused, I asked him what he meant and he was shocked to learn that I had never been told that I look just like Nomar. I told him that this was a first for me and we laughed as his children looked on with star-struck eyes. I reluctantly greeted the two kids and shook there hands, but never said that I was Nomar... it didn't seem right.
From that day forth, Nomar references seemed like a weekly occurance, especially among all the new people I met at college. As Nomar became a household name in New England, I enjoyed a small piece of the fame thanks to my brown hair, Red Sox hat and equally large nose. I even went to a Halloween party as Nomar, complete with the #5 jersey and 90's sideburns.
As Nomar's career faded and he left Boston, I got fewer Nomar "shout-outs," but it still happens on ocassion. Now that I'm 30, I think the resemblance might have actually grown, but I'll throw it out there for you guys to decide. On a scale of 1 to 10... how Nomar-esque do you think I am?
Keep in mind that I have perfected the toe-tap, glove adjustment and signature side-arm sling from the shortstop position...
2010 Fan Projections: As we fight our way through February and March towards the start of a new baseball season, we'll be looking at each player on the Red Sox roster and predicting how they will perform in 2010. But we want you guys to get in on the action too! Use the form at the bottom of each post to submit your projections for each player. After the 2010 season, we'll announce who did the best and award some prizes to the winners!
Ellsbury had a a career year in 2009, stealing 70 bases while hitting .301. But as the leadoff man for one of the more patient teams in the league, many are hoping he can improve on his OBP numbers going forward. Ellsbury's .355 OPB mark from 2009 was good, and a solid improvement on his .336 number from 2008, but the Sox would love to see him get a little closer to the .400 mark, which would place him among elite leadoff men like Derek Jeter (.406), Chone Figgins (.395) and Ichiro (.386).
With three teammates in the AL's top 20 in this category - Youkilis: .413, 2nd, Drew: .392, 9th, Martinez: .381, 16th and Pedroia, 20th, .371, Ellsbury should continue to develop this aspect of his game, but the Red Sox might want to be careful while tinkering with Ellsbury's approach. Ellsbury knows that his number one job is to get on base, but with a .300 average and a Ichiro-like K-rate (11.9 JE, 11.1 IS) in 2009, his approach may be just fine.
He hasn't earned the respect that Ichiro has, so his first-pitch strike rate is up around 60%, compared to Ichiro's 52% last season, but thanks to the Red Sox philosophy, Ellsbury swings at fewer pitches both inside and outside of the strike zone while posting an equivalent contact rate of 88%. If Jacoby can get his line drive percentage back up over 20% and his flyball rate back down under 30%, pitchers will begin to fear pitching to him.
Ellsbury has already said that he wants double-digit homers this season, but swinging for the fences often leads to an increased flyball rate. While it would be nice to see Ellsbury be a .300, 15 HR player, I think the Red Sox would prefer he focus on reaching base and turning singles into doubles and triples with his speed. That said, if Jacoby wants feature more pop in 2010, my guess is we will see 10-12 ding dongs AND 30-40 doubles... and there's nothing wrong with that.
So, knowing that Ellsbury wants to show off his ever-growing muscles... and knowing that he Sox offense may take a half-a-step backwards this season... I see another career year for Jacoby Ellsbury in 2010.
Make your predictions using the form below. Just plug in your email address and the stats you expect to see from Jacoby this season and hit the SUBMIT button. We'll give away some prizes during the offseason for those who come closest...
Okay... maybe that didn't happen, but Kevin Youkilis is helping kids with his facial hair.
Over on the Youk's Hits for Kidswebsite, you can vote for your favorite version of Youk and he will sport the winning look on Opening Day against the Yankees.
You can chose from the his now-famous goatee, the Youk-Man Chu from last year's photo day, the Magnum P.I. mustcahe, or the clean cut look from his earlier years (boring!) and the donations go towards helping children in need.
“If I have to look like Magnum, P.I., to raise some money for kids, I’ll do it,” said Youkilis.
I love th 5-cent mustache ride joke as much as the mext guy, but the 'satche reminds me of Giambi and that doesn't work for me. I'm voting to bring back the Youk Man-Chu.
The guys at YFSF turned me on to this cool Balls In Play (BIP) tool that enables you to stick a players hits from 2009 inside Fenway Park and see how differently they would have landed.
Example: Here are Mike Camerons BIPs while playing for the Brewers in Miller Park and what they look like had they been hit in Fenway Park:
Cam' hit 14 ding dongs at Miller last year, but had he playing his home games at Fenway, he could have hit as many as 20 if all six of those doubles (light blue) had enough height under them. You can also see eight pop/line outs that would have been off the Monster, or close to it.
What about Adrian Beltre and his dismal Safeco Field splits you ask?
Looks like Beltre has at least five doubles that might have been homers at Fenway Park, which would have doubled his total of four at Safeco last season. I also see at least three outs that are hugging the wall at Fenway and could have been homers, or at least doubles.
Let's flip the script and look at a pitcher. Here are John Lackey's dots from L.A.
Lackey coughed up 11 dingers in Anaheim last year, but one of those would have been in the triangle at Fenway and another might have been off the short bullpen wall in right... maybe. Unfortunately, I also see four long balls that might have been homers or wall-ball doubles in Fenway. Lackey has averaged 20 homers allowed per year... and it looks like the smaller Fenway Park isn't going to help.
Okay, cool stuff right? Let's mix it up again and look at one of our guys in another ballpark. Here's how Dustin Pedroia would have done last year if he played 81 home games at Safeco Field instead of The Fens.
Poor Pedey... He's always had better numbers at home, but 8 of his 10 home field ding dongs from last year would stayed in the park if he played in Seattle. I'm sure Pedroia would tell us that this tool is a piece of junk and that he would tear up Safeco if he played there... but this does add some validity to Beltre's splits and comments.
Speaking of players that enjoyed hitting at Fenway last year, here's an idea on how Jason Bay will fair in the larger Citi Field.
Yikes.Bay actually hit 21 homers on the road and 15 at Fenway last year, but only two of them hit the white on the Citi Field map. It should be noted that some of the homers to left probably sailed onto Landsdowne St. and would have carried out of Citi Fied also... but the map also shows us that Bay had at least 12 doubles that appear to have bounced off the Monster and would have been outs in New York.
Lastly... here's a peek at how Adrian Gonzalez' 2009 BIPs would have played out in Fenway...
I see 12 outs that would have hit or cleared the walls of Fenway Park. I also see five doubles that might have been homers at the Fens. Assuming half of these had the height to be home runs, A-Gon could have logged 25 home field dingers instead of 16 and at least 48 dingers overall. Interestingly, the dots also show us how well the left-handed AS-Gon spreads the field. This tells me that he is a perfect candidate for the Red Sox because he will put plenty of dents in the Monster while also enjoying the short porch in right.
Bottom Line: These dots don't acount for the trajectory of the ball or the weather, but it's funn to get a rough idea on how different fields effect the game.
Assuming the projected starting lineups hold true and remain intact for 162 games, Tim's research says the Red Sox will finish 2010 with the second best offense in the AL with 5.371 runs per game. The Yankees will top the league with 5.826 RPG and the Rays and Twins will finish just behind the Sox with 5.273 and 5.250 RPG, respectively.
So... everybody can stop worrying. The stats have spoken.
ps. I found it interesting that the Angels are projected to fall from 2nd in the league last year (883 R) to 9th with 4.719 RPG or 764 total. Were Vladdy and Figgins that important to the offense? Guess we'll find out...
2010 Fan Projections: As we fight our way through February and March towards the start of a new baseball season, we'll be looking at each player on the Red Sox roster and predicting how they will perform in 2010. But we want you guys to get in on the action too! Use the form at the bottom of each post to submit your projections for each player. After the 2010 season, we'll announce who did the best and award some prizes to the winners!
When we signed Mike Cameron and moved to Jacoby to left, I wasn't too excited. Personally, I think another year in center would have enabled Ellsbury to fine tune his routes and range. But the other option was to overpay for Jason Bay or Matt Holliday, so I understand why Theo did what he did.
But now we have an aging center fielder, with little to no experience in Fenway Park, who will hit .260 at best this year.
Predicting Cameron's 2010 season will be tricky. At 36, he's no spring chicken, but he did tally 544 at-bats with the Brewers last year. With Jeremy Hermida on the bench the Sox will likely load the lineup with lefties on occasion and give Cameron a rest, so I'm not sure he'll reach the 500 AB mark this season.
Where he hits in the lineup will also effect his overall production.Some think he best suited in the 9-hole, but others think having Scutaro in 9th and Cameron 8th would work better as the lineup turns over. But with 20+ HR potential, Cameron might actually do well higher in the order like he did last season with Milwaukee. Adrian Beltre is the other candidate for the 6th spot, and Tito could rotate the two righties all season, depending on which guy has the hotter bat at the time.
If Cameron spends enough time in the 6th spot, he should be able to drive in 70 runs with our best hitter ahead of him. But if he finds himself at the bottom of the order, his RBI totals will be dependent on how well J.D. Drew, Beltre and possibly Scutaro hit in front of him. That said, pitchers might be more aggressive against Cameron if they know Ellsbury and the top of the order are to follow... and that could play into Cameron's strengths as a good fastball hitter.
Cameron will strikeout 150 times this season, but he has managed to keep his OPS numbers near .800 thanks to a decent walk rate (11.9 BB% in 2009). For comparison, the more patient Johnny Damon walked 11.3% of the time last season and posted a .854 OPS. It's a little late to teach an old dog new tricks, but Cameron could learn a few things about working the count from guys like Youk, Pedroia and Drew, and that would make him a more productive player.
So what can we expect from Cam' this season? Bill James expects him to log 561 at-bats, but hit a Tek-like .237... I think he'll play less, but hit a little better.
Bottom Line Projection: 490 AB, 23 HR, 31 2B, 65 R, 70 RBI, .252 BA, .780 OPS, Special Category: 162 SO
Make your predictions using the form below. Just plug in your email address and the stats you expect to see from Cameron this season and hit the SUBMIT button. We'll give away some prizes during the offseason for those who come closest...
The Red Sox beat the Northeastern Huskies 15-0 today in the first of two games against Boston-area college squads.
David Ortiz hit a 2-run homer in the 4th... it's early, but that's a good sign.
Catching prospect Luis Exposito had a huge day, going 2 for 3 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored after taking over for Victor Martinez.
Rookies Ryan Khoury and Che-Hsuan Lin each knocked in a pair of runs and Gil Valzquez went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored at the bottom of the order.
There was no shortage of offense, but the story of the day was Casey Kelly. In his first outing as a full-time pitcher, Casey did not disapoint. Here's the full beeak down of his inning from WEEI's Full Count:
He retired the Huskies in order. After falling behind leadoff man Tucker Roeder, 2-0, he then came back with three straight strikes to punch him out swinging. He then got Tony DiCesare on a first-pitch groundout to second, then finished the inning by punching out Northeastern’s Frank Compagnone on four pitches, the last one a swing-and-miss fastball.
Kelly’s line was a perfect inning with two strikeouts, in which he threw 10 pitches (seven strikes).
the rest of the pitchers domintaed the Huskies as well. Click over for the Box Score.
NESN will have tonight's game, so be sure to check in as the rest of the Sox take on B.C.
It may be snowing in your neck of Massachusetts right now, but the boys of summer are set to play their first game of the 2010 baseball season today.
The Red Sox have two games on the bill today, first against Northeastern at 12:05 and later tonight at 6:05 against BC. The day game won't be televised, but we'll be able to watch our first baseball game on NESN tonight.
Here's the lineup for the day game, courtesy of Peter Abrahm of Extra Bases:
Jacoby Ellsbury CF Bill Hall 3B Victor Martinez C David Ortiz DH Jed Lowrie SS Lars Anderson 1B Darnell McDonald RF Che-Hsuan Lin CF Gil Velazquez 2B
Pitching phenom Casey Kelly will get the start, but is expected to get just one inning of work.
I'll be rooting for strong performances from Big Papi and Jed Lowrie (I just wanna see the kid stay healthy and show us we he's got)... and I'm hoping to see good things from Anderson, who regressed in 2009, and Lin, who I think is going to develop into a nice player and is currently the 12th ranked prospect on SoxProspects.com.
What are you guys looking forward to today?
ps. I stole this photo from my biddies as Surviving Grady ... because it was too funny not to.
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Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
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