Strength beyond statistics: Dustin Pedroia's injury prone wrist may kill his swing, will not kill his worth

Red Sox second basemen, Dustin Pedroia is an amazing player with some terrible luck. 

Earlier this week, Pedroia, who had been feeling pain in his left wrist for months now, went in for a preventive MRI exam Tuesday afternoon. Soon after, WEEI's Alex Speier tweeted that "Farrell says MRI showed Pedroia dealing with soreness/inflammation in left wrist. Could be shut down for duration of year, but no decision yet." 

Not too long after that, the speculative report was confirmed to be of reality when it was announced that Pedroia's season would end with surgery. Through the MRI results, doctors discovered a wide array of scar tissue, damaged tendons and inflamed ligaments and proposed that such abnormalities be physically removed from Pedroia's wrist. 

Suddenly faced with a stark decision, the Red Sox chose to finally call it quits on a season Pedroia wanted desperately to finish. Doctors successfully completed surgery on Pedey's hand Thursday morning officially making 2014 the third consecutive season ending for Pedroia with an operation of some sort. The latter of those facts has begun to fringe upon the worrisome; especially given the fact that Pedroia is owed a total of 91 million dollars over the next 7 years.

Almost a decade into his career, his place in Red Sox history is well defined. Dustin Pedroia is one of the greatest second basemen to ever play for the Hub. He has carved this spot out of a massive block of setbacks thrown against him, the largest of which being the fact that he is anything but large. Standing 5 feet 8 inches tall, Pedroia does not necessarily have the power hitter's build. Nevertheless, he has hit 106 home runs to go alongside 546 RBI's logged in a stunning data set of consecutive seasons with more than 95% of games scheduled started. As he ages though, all those great statistics begin to fall away as Pedroia loses some of his strength. In 135 games played this season, Pedroia has hit a career low batting average of .270 while also striking his fewest home runs total ever. Additionally, his weakened wrists have been blamed for causing a suddenly "horrible" swing. 

“If you don’t have your hand strength, you’re not able to follow through (on your swing) like you normally do," Pedroia said just after the MRI, "It makes it tough. But you’ve got to try to find ways in other areas to help your team win.” 

And so it is revealed that the situation is grim. Dustin Pedroia has suffered his 3rd straight injury to his wrist and is visibly deteriorating in regards to his athletic prowess. Furthermore, much of Red Sox nation has now begun to ask the question; was last year's mega contract paid to Pedroia worth it? The answer is not clear but what we do know is that if in a few years Pedroia really begins to become a non-factor offensively, his place within the Red Sox roster will still be valued and that the contract will not be a total bust. Pedroia has a drive to win that helped compel him for example to play all last year with a broken finger.  He appreciates where he is in life and is grateful. Those are some of the most important qualities in a ball player.

“It means a lot to play baseball in the major leagues, especially with the Boston Red Sox. There shouldn’t be one guy in here that thinks they’re going to pack it in. We’re here for each other and trying to play. It doesn’t matter where we are in the standings," he said. 

Nothing can hold Dustin Pedroia back and even if that eventually causes his swing to die an untimely death, it is his stunning will to win that makes him great beyond his statistics.

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Red Sox wreck Jays in possible season changing win: 14-1 final

Let me just throw some of these numbers out for you. Four RBI's and a home run for Stephan Drew, two long balls for David Ortiz, 3 hits each for Xander Bogarts and Mike Napoli, and above all, 14 runs for the previously offensively challenged Boston Red Sox. 

After the Red Sox closed out the first half with an abysmal last few weeks, the team has come out of the break with something to prove. In winning all four games since the break, the Sox have combined to score 27 runs. That statistic is a huge improvement upon the pathetic numbers turned out by the same players in the first half of the season. 

Regardless though, Monday was just that much better than even the three games before that that took place on it. 

Beginning early, the Sox chased Jays starter, Drew Hutchinson from the game after he recorded just 8 outs against them. In just that two and two thirds inning span of time though, the Sox were able to nurse 9 hits, a home run and 6 scores out of the under matched Hutchinson. A true measure of the Sox easy exploitation of Hutchinson's incapability to throw a ball past the Sox bats was thus: in less than 3 innings, Boston sent 17 batters to the plate forcing a total of 68 pitches by Hutchinson. When he was finally pulled in the third inning it evoked that feeling among Red Sox fans that went somewhere along the lines of "oh come on leave him in, we were having ALOT of fun!" For Jays fans, it was merciful none the less. 

But as the game resumed, things prove to get no better for the Jays and thus, no worse for the Red Sox. After Brad Mills managed to draw Christian Vasquez into a fly out situation, John Lackey worked past back to back doubles given up to start the bottom half of the 3rd inning with just one run against his name. Over the course of the night, things like this were commonplace for Lackey who though lackluster at some points (only three strikeouts) more than made up for such shortcomings by walking nobody and allowing just 1 earned run.

Therefore, with their defense playing a strong game, the bats came out even harder in the middle innings than they had in the first 3. After Brock Holt hit a lead-off double, David Ortiz came in to rake a 4th inning two run home run deep into straightaway center field. By that point the Red Sox held a whopping 8-1 lead over the sputtering Blue Jays and the game seemed out of reach. 

The weight of these statements were amplified one inning later when Boston nearly doubled its lead. Rattling off 5 straight hits to lead off the 5th inning, the Sox sent their power trio of, Dustin Pedroia, Ortiz and Mike Napoli to the plate having already scored 3 times in the inning. That should have been enough. But no, like that one really great kid in the youth soccer leagues, the Sox continued to shell the outfield stands with souvenirs. With a runner on at second base, Ortiz cracked his second home run in as many innings. Napoli made it double when he came up next in the order, placing his 12th home run of the season just over the right field wall. Reliever Brad Mills was pulled following the back to back homes runs and left the game having allowed 8 runs. Finally the Sox quit their bombardment notching just 2 more hits before the end of the game. 

Nonetheless, when they walked off the field Monday night, the Red Sox did so knowing that they had played their best ball of the year in the game. They plated 14 runners and tallied 18 hits. They chewed through a substantial chunk of the Rays pitching staff and drew within 5 games of .500 for the first time since May. 

Overall, the team was buzzing after the game.

"We're getting good offensive approaches over the past 10 games or so," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "There's been good energy throughout and when David [Ortiz] is doing what he's capable of, it's the hub of what our offensive is."

John Lackey admired the ease with which the team scored and won Monday as well.

 "The guys swung the bats great tonight. it was a fun night, kind of fun to have them every now and then. The season can be a grind at times and it's nice to have a little fun," Lackey said. "The way they were swinging, I was trying to get quick outs and get our guys back in there, keep them in a rhythm."

Overall, this win was convincing. It proved that the Sox still have the DNA within them that won the World Series last year. As of now, they sit in 4th place in the AL East 7.5 games out of first and 6 out of the second wild card. The hole is deep but with 63 games left to dig out of it, so is the mountain of possibilities. 

Who knows, the Boston Red Sox could surprise us once again.

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The difference between Bobby Valentine and John Farrell: Incumbant Sox manager manages morale, will not let team quit on 2014

As of now, the Red Sox are on pace to have a record of 73 and 89 come season's end. If that actually happens, the Sox will almost surely finish in the bottom half of the division missing the playoffs and unfortunately assuring fans that their 2013 season of drama and magic took a perfect storm of luck to pull off and may never be repeated with the same group. However, in a season that as of now (I urge you not to give up on them just yet) is just a few wins better than the famed 2012 season, the media perception and public opinion as it pertains to this team is slightly different. Guys who were not catching as much flack back then such as Dustin Pedroia or David Ortiz are getting crushed by the media while some guys like John Lackey who were absolutely hated that year are praised as lonely bright in the dark listless night that is this 2014 Red Sox team.  

                    

But while those differences are noticeable they are nothing compared to the differences in hatred directed at those filling the managerial positions in these two different seasons.

After the Sox September collapse in 2011 resulted in the firing of manager Terry Francona and resignation of Theo Epsteen as GM, the Sox appointed Ben Cherrington as their new GM and Cherrington soon hired former Rangers and Mets manager Bobby Valentine as manager of the club. As Sox fans soon learned, Valentine was a flamboyant manager who lacked a backbone much less any control over his team. Though there were no calls similar in badness to the chicken and beer scandal of 2011, there was anger in the clubhouse that spiraled into general bad mouthing of the team from within. There was a blatant hatred of Valentine by players like Dustin Pedroia and a two way feud that exploded mid-season between Kevin Youkolis and Valentine.  The battle between the manager and his 3rd basemen ultimately resulted in Youkolis' being traded to the White Sox. By the time Kevin was sent packing on June 24th, 2012, the Sox were actually above 500 in the winning percentage column and Valentine was still yet to hit rock bottom. Nevertheless he was still hated in Red Sox nation.  

But rock bottom did eventually come. In late August of the 2012 season, with his team teetering on the line of mathematical elimination, Bobby V had some choice words for WEEI's Glen Ordway when the host asked him on LIVE radio if he had checked out on the season. 

"What an embarrassing thing to say," said Valentine. "If I were there right now, I'd punch you right in the mouth. Ha. How's that sound? Is that like I checked out? What an embarrassing thing."  

Over the next 5 minutes, Ordway and fellow host Michael Holley shot back at Valentine who continued to spout excuses, diminish the skill of his team and punctuate the true idiocy of his reign as the head honcho of one of the most famous franchises in sports. 

Because of his inability to interact with the media, to motivate his team and to put in the hours needed to prepare for a professional baseball game, Bobby Valentine was fired within 24 hours of the conclusion of the season. His replacement was a welcome breath of fresh air into a Red Sox nation still stunned by the disaster that was 2012. 

Since he was signed on October 20th, 2012, John Farrell has managed his starting pitchers and bull pen personal with a level of precision that is almost artistic. Though he never had much expertise in regards to batting (Farrell was a pitching coach in Toronto), it was he who put together the gritty middle part of the lineup in David Ortiz and Mike Napoli that at least in 2013 worked wonders for Boston's run production. But as many would wisely point out, many of the managerial decisions that Farrell has implicated this season have not worked nearly as well as they did last season. However, one Farrell quality that has carried over from last season to the present one is the professionalism practiced in the clubhouse. 

Farrell fosters camaraderie and team accountability. But at the same time, when his team messes up, he stands by them, trusting the guys he pays and trying to remedy a problem using tools he already has. In the worst and best of times, Farrell works the morale of his team using diagnostic comments to the team and a scrupulous ethic regarding what he says and does not say to the media. 

As 2014 begins to look like a lost season, we begin to see the real makeup of the manager the Red Sox signed 2 seasons ago. We see that he is a smart man lacking the arrogance of his predecessor and worshiping the codes of baseball both written and unwritten. He stands by his team, never makes excuses and keeps his head on straight in even the worst of times.  

If the Red Sox do not turn things around in the second half of the season there will be huge questions asked about what went wrong. It will be easy to blame the manager because unfortunately, that is simply what happens in baseball. But hear me out, John Farrell is not to blame for this 2014 debacle. In fact, as bad as things are right now, Farrell is the kind of guy who could turn things around and get this team to sneak into the wild card game. Why? Because unlike Valentine in 2012, he will make sure his team does let their mindset eliminate them, before the math does. 

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Boston Red Sox dominating MLB hot stove talk of late: A brief look at each of the three changes involving the Red Sox in these past 48 hours

Between AJ Piersynski, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jarrod Saltilamaccia, the Boston Red Sox have been at the center of the MLB's offseason moves during these last 48 hours as they have changed their catching future and put their prosperity in center field in serious jeopardy. Jacoby Ellsbury has defected to the Yankees and the leagues most hated ball player is now a Red Sox.

It will be a while before we see any of these guys in action with their new teams but for now it is time to get to know an say goodbye to 3 great baseball players.

AJ Piersynski signs 1 year 3 million dollar deal with Red Sox 

Once voted the MLB's most hated player, 36 year old catcher: AJ Piesrzynski inked a widely accepted 1 year 8 million dollar deal that brought him in to bridge the gap to Boston's catching future.

Pierzynski's durability will take the pressure off of concussion plagued backup David Ross and also give the Red Sox the opportunity to dump terrible defensive catcher  Jarrod Saltilamaccia. He has a much better arm that Saltilmaccia and will likely hit in the mid to upper 200's in Boston.

It seems that the only problem with this deal is Piersynski's ego. He loves to be the big man on campus and frankly in Boston he will not get that opportunity. This is David Ortiz's team and Dustin Pedroia's game. There is no room for AJ Piersynski to try to become the moral leader of this team and instead what he must do is throw guys out and guide his pitchers to victory.

So long as AJ can understand his role, Boston will not regret this move.

Jacoby Ellsbury signs 7 year 153 million dollar deal with Yankees

Ellsbury is gone, snatched up by the cash crazed Yankees.

Let’s face it, this was a loose/loose scenario for Red Sox GM, Ben Cherrington. There was no way it was possible to scrounge up such a sum of money and yet by not doing so he lost one of the best center fielders in the league right now. This one will sting for Red Sox fans as via Jacoby's signing within the division we will be force to play him and his Yankees 19 times a season and barring any postseason sires, 133 times over the course of this contract.

However, durability will continue to be a main question for Ellsbury even in the Bronx where Sox fans will hope the Yankees will be made to look foolish when their new center fielder misses 70 games a season with any assortment of injuries. But regardless of that, when Ellsbury is healthy, he will flourish in New York and might likely use the optimal placement of the right field porch at Yankee Stadium to crush home runs on a constant basis. 

Statistically speaking, Boston has no replacement for Ellsbury and while it would be easy to say they are at fault for letting Jacoby walk, this was a necessary non move by Ben Cherrington.  

To read more about the Ellsbury signing click here


Jarrod Saltalmaccia signs 3 year 21 million dollar deal with Marlins

  Game 3 of the World Series was a turning point in Jarrod Saltilamaccia's career. As he botched an easy throw to 3rd base thereby handing the win to the Cardinals, his time as a starter in Boston was done as backup David Ross got the start in each of the next 3 games.

Salty who played 4 seasons in Beantown was shaken by the benching and by the end of the series it seemed that the Sox were ready to cut ties with the man who had bridged them out of the Jason Varatek era. They made that final Tuesday afternoon when they signed Ranger free agent AJ Pierzynski thereby signaling that it was time for Salty to go. 

Upon taking this hint it did not take Jarrod long to ink a pretty respectable 21 million 3 year contract with the Miami Marlins a team who are desperate for the very offence that Jarrod Saltilamaccia will so willfully provide.

As it all trickles down, the Sox might nearly say good riddance to their former backstop as they do not need offence from the catcher position they need defense and Saltilamaccia could not provide that. Much like the Ellsbury situation this is a very good non move by Ben Cherrington.

To read more about Saltilamaccia's tenure in Boston click here

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NO I WANT TO WIN: A look back at when Bostonian competition gets a little heated

Professional freak-outs can be solicited by two underlying factors: failure or unthinkable sucsess. Boston sports often deal with the latter of those two reasons and it is the competition combined with those high expectations that make every play matter and when every play matters, there can sometimes be some disagreements.  

Below are 5 of the best "disagreements" in recent Boston history.

Note: A collection of phones, sticks and other various equipment were harmed in the makings of these videos.

2013 - The Phone

After a questionable strike call that eventually led to David Ortiz's striking out, the Red Sox DH completely lost it massacring a dugout phone before returning to the field to have a little chat with the home plate umpire. 

"Don't take my at bat away!" he said.



2011 - Tom Brady and Bill O'Brian go at it

After Tom Brady threw a weak interception in the end zone he was not exactly ready to shoulder all the blame. Upon returning to the bench, he and then Patriots offensive coordinator began to go at it with viscios anger. As the scuffle intensified O'Brian was soon forcibly removed from the situation by Bill Belicheck himself all while remaining heated for the better part of the next few minutes of the game.




2009 - Tuukka being Tuukka, Part 1

Throughout his career, it has been no secret that Tuukka Rask hates loosing in the shootout. Furthermore, it is a rare occasion when the stick Tuukka uses during such a loss escapes the ice unscathed. Following a March 2009 AHL game, the story was the same as a 21 year old Rask flipped out following 2 bad goal calls and the proceeded to smash his stick, assault the boards and then hurl a milk crate full of pucks back onto the ice. And yet, even through all this, Tuukka was just being Tuukka.



2013 - Koji slaps Shane Victorino

Koji Uehara is a character. He seeks very little English and weighs all but 195 points and yet the camaraderie he cultivates within his dugout is most nearly tangible. Sort of. Midway through the 2013 Red Sox season, Koji who had just closed out a close win for Boston came storming back into the dugout bent on delivering his patented high fives. Shane Victorino however was not ready but regardless of that, Koji was not waiting and so in an action that threw a rather surprised look onto the left fielders face he slapped him on the arm. Shane was back to normal mere seconds later smiling as Koji proceeded to high five some more prepared teammates.



 2013 - Tuukka Rask in angry Part 2

Frankly the on ice show, Tuukka put on mere days ago was not the reason this meltdown cracks the list of the top freak-outs in recent history. No, it was what was said when reporters tracked him down later on in the clubhouse that made you laugh.

"I don't f****g want it" Tuukka said when asked about the existence of the NHL shootout. "I'd gas it right away"

Furthermore, Claude Jullian finally acknowledged that Rask did evetually snap the stick he could no break during his on ice show.

“That’s his personality. He had a new stick in his hands today and I think he finally destroyed the other one after a few tries. I’m just doing the same thing as you guys; I’m laughing it off. It’s just a frustrated goaltender that really takes a lot of pride in winning games. No matter what he does, if he feels he didn’t pull his load, he’s going to be like that.”

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This is for you Boston: Part Two - The Fans

Prior to 2013, there had been 2 championship parades in Red Sox history.

In 2004 the entire city of Boston was gripped with delirious excitement as despite the violent riots that occurred following their championship just days earlier, millions took to the streets to celebrate the breaking of one of the most depressing curses in sports history.

3 years later we were back again cramming ourselves into the streets of Boston for yet another (abridged) rolling rally parade. But in 2013, the feel was different. Unlike in 04' and 07' no one expected the 2013 Red Sox to win in the fashion that they did this year and for that reason, the excitement felt throughout Boston was almost concrete.

I was there, feeling the atmosphere and forgoing the pain of waking up at 7 AM on a Saturday all in hopes of simply being there. I was and throughout my years of living I have never been in a situation quite like this. From the first minute you even made a move towards the city of Boston the presence of Red and White pride was firmly personified. As one marched through the train stations of greater Boston you could not see the floor as from above all that was visible was a sea of humans clad in jerseys all breathing a sense of relief, satisfaction and pure joy almost 2 hours before the parade even started. 

People came from far and wide to see today's celebration but for many, it meant so much more. As tough as Bostonians are what happened on April 15 was a moment of true terror in which the very worst and the very best of human nature was showcased. Our leaders flocked to Boston to heal our frayed nerves and remember our murdered friends but despite the words of Barrak Obama and regardless of the comedic sympathy expressed by nearly every TV host nationwide it was shown following the attacks the true unifying prowess that the insanely competitive joy of sports can bring to any city. 

When you look back on this year it is the "One day closer to the parade!" phrase repeated time and time again by this Sox team, it was the "This is our F*****G city battle cry made by David Ortiz and then the screams of joy we witnessed as the dugouts emptied time and time again throughout the 2013 season. Amidst all the sadness, the action, the wins and the commitment to the game on the part of the Red Sox provided relent to the pain of those involved with the tragedy. And that was the greatest gift this team made to its city. 

“There is nothing better than to be Boston Strong,” 29 year old parade attendee Liz Perkins aid. “We said it all season.”  

Pedroia backed up that mentality earlier on when during the pre-parade rally he took to the podium and delivered as much a speech as his miniature frame could muster. 

“We played for the whole city, what the city went through. Hopefully, we put a smile on ... everybody’s face. It was special. We wanted to do this and make it right for everybody.” He said. 

Once Pedroia and his teammates took to the streets, they were rapidly assaulted with a defining barrage of cheers and fists raised to the air as one. We saw Johnny Gomes and Mike Napoli showing their happy blend of childish nature and obscene immaturity as they pumped up the crowd and we felt Jacoby Ellsbury feeling of the awkward situation while fans near the Prudential Building screamed "STAY! STAY! STAY!". 

But the celebration was interrupted for a necessary acknowledgement of sorrow as the first of the 25 duck boats crossed the Marathon Finish line. 

The boats came to a complete stop before any did cross the, still painted, yellow and blue finish line. Through the crowd it could be seen that the World Series Trophy had been taken from its home on the boat with Jacoby Ellsbury and as it was, Johnny Gomes and Jarrod Saltalamaccia unceremoniously took to the street and came to a halt before the finish line. 

With the trophy in one hand and the famed 617 Jersey that had hung in every Boston dugout since the attack in the other, the two items were placed on top of one another and after some adjustments of the jersey, Gomes stood back and put an arm around Saltlamaccia as the near 6,000 in that portion of the route sang an assisted version of God Bless America. Tears were plentiful. 

But alas the parade soon resumed as in congruent action with that, so did the cheers, the high fives and the constant ringing of "BOSTON STRONG"

There were people hanging from windows, people piling into tiny balconies and a human behind every window with a view of the parade route. I Phones dotted ones view of the road and it was seen how nearly every one of the 2 million attendees of this parade were politely jockeying to be right as the edge of every inch of the near 4 miles of barricades assembled along the route. You could see through the confetti and hear through the musical yells of the Dropkick Murphys that these Boston Red Sox were genuinely thrilled to be a part of this city wide celebration. As for the fans, the indescribable roar of delight that echoed from Fenway to Copley Square, from Boston to Cambridge and from the parade route into the living rooms of the millions more watching from home described it all. 

We are the champions. No matter how tough we may be, this win more than any other involves more than  the 25 men in the Red Sox locker room. Just as the Marathon Bombing changed the lives of anyone who calls New England home, this Championship belonged to us all. And that is a fact. 

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This is for you Boston: Part 1 - The Team

"This is for you Boston, you've been through a lot, this one's for you!" ~David Ortiz after winning the World Series MVP 

There are times in each of our lives when the happiness we feel cannot be described. But in this case the thing is in most cases what makes that kind of happiness so indescribably memorable is the negativity and horror that preceded it. Not a single person in Massachusetts escaped last April without bearing the newly opened scars solicited by the brutality of the Boston Marathon Bombings of April 15th 2013.

What happened that day killed 3 people and mutilated the bodies and minds of hundreds and even millions across this city and nation. You didn't have to be there in Copley Square, we all felt it, we all panicked and sat glued to our TV screens as Boston was shut down and the Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics cancelled all their games for the week.

"They killed an 8 year old, my son is 8 years old." David Ortiz was reported as saying in the dugout prior to his now famed "This if our f*****g city" speech.

But while the days separating us and that dreadful day turned into weeks and then months we never forgot but we did move forward turning instead to focus on a team that symbolized the spirit of this town. You can knock the Red Sox down but you will never take them out.

They were the only team in baseball without a losing streak longer than 3 games and never went almost 3 months without losing back to back home games. They came back in 27 games. They nabbed 13 walk-offs and above all lost just 65 games. When you look back, so many facets of this, longest season in Red Sox history made it memorable.

You had the beards which were spearheaded by a Mike Napoli who, despite his struggled clocked 23 home runs in 2013. You cheered as David Ortiz recorded his 7th career 30 home run season and you watched with glee as he began his near 10 game playoff tear following his Game Two ALCS grand slam. We watched Johnny Gomes who spent all year magically making something out of nothing en route to a spectacular 5 pinch hit home runs. His Red Sox were 8-1 in games he started in this playoff run.

And then there was the defense.

Boston sported 2 gold glove award winners in 2013 as Dustin Pedroia played what seemed to be a career year in the field committing just 5 errors in 160 games played. That translates out to about to just .031 errors per game. But in a similar fashion to David Ortiz, Peady lead by more than just example. He was a driving force in the clubhouse and knew from day one the potential that the Red Sox had cultivated in the offseason.

"He had faith in the team even in spring training. In mid-March, Pedroia went to dinner with his agents, Cherington and the team’s owners. They were discussing his eventual contract extension, but he made it clear, even then, that he expected the Red Sox to win – and win big." Fox writer, Ken Rosenthal said in an article the day after the Sox victory. 

As for Boston's other gold glove winner: Shane Victorino, he was as good if not better than Pedroia. But in in a different way.  

Shane notched 122 starts in 2013 and batted just 6 points shy of 300. He belted 61 RBI's in 2013 providing quite a security policy for leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury. As for the defense that got him recognized in the postseason gold glove voting, he made a name for himself by plying right field the same way one would play center. That more often than not translated into running headlong into walls as if the simply were not there.  

Yet the Flyin Hawaiian always came up smiling. Apparently, he likes the feeling of broken ribs. He committed just 3 errors while being responsible for 264 of the near 1,700 that the Red Sox recorded in 2013. That is approximately 15% of team outs all recorded by a man who played just 110 games and spent that time in the outfield.  

He represented his city as well joining the ranks of supporting Bostonians with his post-game comments following Game Six. 

"We are affected in the tragedy, Boston strong" Shane Victorino screamed extending his fist high into the air thereby saluting his town. "That's all I'm gonna say!"

Yet while all the additions that the Red Sox made in preparation for what would be their 3rd Championship run in the past 10 years it was the subtractions that may have went the farthest towards bettering this team for the long run. Fact is, most Sox fans expected the run we saw this year...2 years before it happened. Between Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzolez and the expected excellence of the entire Sox pitching staff, the Red Sox were the overwhelming favorites to win it all in 2011. But as we know things did not work out that way. The 2011 Red Sox surrendered a 9 game September lead in the wildcard to miss the playoffs all together. As Bobby Valentine guided the Sox to a 69 win season in 2012, Kevin Youkolis was dished away to Chicago and nearly 200 million dollars’ worth of contracts were unloaded on LA via the famed Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzolez and Carl Crawford trade.

Beckett and Gozolez in particular were the polar opposite of the surprisingly compatible clubhouse that existed this season. Fact is they would have scoffed in disgust if you asked them to grow a beard and as they did in 2011 they might have even killed the healthy team building themes that brought this 2013 club together.  

By completely erasing the bad names assembled on that so called 2011 "dream team" it made room for the actuall dream team of 2013. Sure there were the additions: Mike Napoli, Johnny Gomes, Koji Uehara, Shane Victorino, David Ross and even Mike Carp but as you look at the numbers it would be safe to say that what made this team so great was the resurgence of the talent they had already cultivated.  

That fact is highlighted best when you look at the gleaming numbers of the Red Sox starting pitching. 

The only difference in starting pitching personnel between 2011 and 2013 was the presence of Josh Beckett. Lester played in 2011, Buchholz and Lackey too. They all were there yet in 2013, those 3 Sox went a combined 33 and 24 through  73 starts in 2011 while flipping it all around 2 years later with 37 wins and just 22 losses. Not only were the 2013 Red Sox putting up wins but they were doing it in every single sort of situation that was put before them. They never quit and when they needed to any Boston starter could realistically be asked to play 8 innings and they would do just that. Much like the framework that guided the LA Dodgers to their spectacular mid-season turnaround over in the NL, the Red Sox relied on the relentless work of a whole host of aces to bring home the wins.

The 2013 Red Sox season was just 15 days old when the bombs went off but even then, even with just over 2 weeks of real game action under their belt, the Red Sox knew one another like family and were ready to take their city on their shoulders and do whatever was necessary to give their fans something to cheer for. 

They hit 178 home runs, came to bat 5651 times and won a total of 108 games over 7 months of near game per day action.  

Yet when future generations look back on this, the greatest statistical, team turnaround in the history of American sports, it will be that last win those last 6 runs and that Koji Uehara strikeout that is remembered. 

The Boston Red Sox are the World Champions but for the hundreds of human beings throughout this organization that has now won 3 titles in 10 years it cannot be stressed how much more occurred this year than could be summed up by those few words. 

"This is our F*****G CITY!" ~ David Ortiz following the Marathon Attacks

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Red Sox ALDS recap: Positives and Negatives from Boston's 3-1 series win over Tampa Bay

It is a scene that had taken place twice in the 19 days. A collection of men wearing Red Sox jerseys storming the field and hugging the man who had played an intricate role in this season of redemption and glorious wins that has been 2013. They flooded onto the field hugging Koji Uehara and celebrating Boston's first ALCS berth in 5 seasons. Now while we still do not know who the Sox will face, you can get a good idea for at least some of how this coming series will play out by looking back at what DID happen against the Rays.

Below is a brief look at the positives negatives and the main story-lines of Boston's 3-1 ALDS victory against the Tampa Bay Rays.


David Ortiz Powering Onward - Papi causes distraction for Rays


 Through 4 games in this postseason, David Ortiz is batting .385 with 5 hits and 5 walks in 18 at bats. He has ripped up 3 RBI's and scored 4 times. 2 homers later, David Ortiz turned out to be a driving force in this series and even caused a huge distraction for the entire Rays team.                                                              

 After David Ortiz crushed his second of two homers in Boston's 7-4 Game Two victory at Fenway, reigning AL Cy Yong winner: David Price took to twitter and expressed his displeasure at what he called 'Ortiz' lack of sportsmanship'. Over the brief span that was the next 3 or 4 hours, Price bombarded Twitter with 7 appalling tweets in which he took to stating his resemue in the harshest of ways, "Better question is why do you follow me?? RT @theReal_JonJon: @DAVIDprice14why do you cry and complain about PAPI when he takes you yard?" He said in reaction to a tweet made by a Boston fan.

Price then continued his rant by verbally assaulting TBS commentators: Dirk Hayurst and Tom Verducci. "Dirk Hayhurst…COULDNT hack it…Tom Verducci wasn't even a water boy in high school…but yet they can still bash a player…SAVE IT NERDS" 

Ortiz of course saw this and would eventually solicit a public apology by Price. 

"Last night got out of hand and I apologize for the things that I said on here. … if I offended you I am very sorry for doing so."

Price would not pitch again in the ALDS but Ortiz did continue to play and would accumulate 2 more hits, an RBI and 3 walks before the series concluded. 

But as good as Papi has been, the Sox DH downplayed all praise as much a possible. 

"We have pretty much everybody getting things done," Ortiz said. "It's not just one or two guys. This team has been winning games as a group. We have a lot of teams coming in [saying], 'Oh, don't let Big Papi beat you.' But this ain't all about Big Papi. It's about everybody."

Koji Uehara Shakes off Walk-off Homer and Pitches Well When he is Needed

For Koji Uehara, so much about game 4 of the ALDS was almost identical to the game that clenched Boston's spot as winner of the AL East. On that late September night, Koji was forced to close out a game that still had 6 outs to go. Yet Koji did just what was asked of him recording 6 quick outs and striking out Jed Lawrie to win the East. 

But not all of this series was good for Uehara

With the Red Sox 1 out and 1 strike away from winning game 3 and completing a sweep of the Rays, Uehara left a pitch over the plate and watched in dismay as he allowed just his 6th home run of the season and his 1st since June 30th. The Rays would walk off with the win and questions soon arose surrounding the Boston closer who had been better than any other this season. 

“I mean, he’s human,” reminded catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. “You guys got to remember he is a human being and things are going to happen. The good thing is he’s able to bounce back. He’s done it all year long. I don’t expect anything different.”

Bounce back he would as just 1 day later he once again came into crucial game all with more than 3 outs to go. With Boston 1 win away from beating the Rays and winning the ALDS, the pressure was on but much like his performance in September, Koji struck out 2 batters, the second K being the one that put Boston into the ALCS.  

There is no doubt about it, Koji Uehara's Game 3 was not of the sort we had come to expect after he retired 37 straight batters back in July, August and September but he would gain redemption in game 4 getting back to basics and doing what so many contemporary pitchers forget to do in this modern MLB. Throw strike 3. 

Red Sox successful in blasting top pitchers 

Through the first two games of this ALDS, the Boston Red Sox bashed 19 runs against Matt More and David Price respectively. 

Those 2 pitchers combined for 27 wins in the 2013 season while allowing a combined ERA of 3.31 in 54 starts. But among the 26 runs they would latter accrue, not all of them came in the most traditional of ways. There were sac flys, sinking line drives but above all, a rather strange score that came off of a wild pitch back in game 4. 

"That's what our team is built on," said Dustin Pedroia when he was asked about that specific score. "We're going to find a way to beat you a thousand different ways. Tonight it was a wild pitch and an infield hit and [Shane Victorino] is flying down the line."

Looking ahead, the looming possibility of the Sox being forced to play the Tigers with Max Schurzer and Justin Verlander in the ALCS their proficiency in scoring against good pitching is truly comferting.

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Mighty Mike: Mike Carp rips game winning single in 8th inning - Red Sox drop Orioles 4-3

For 6 innings last night, it seemed that John Lackey was destined to be handed another difficult truth that he had become all to acquainted with of late. He hurls a very strong game, keeps his pitch count down, earn runs hovering around 3, but still the offence working for him cannot even break 1 run and when the night ends, he has no victory credited to his name.

For 6 innings it looked like that was the case but as has also been true in this 2013 season the Boston Red Sox were not so contempt at letting this one slip through their fingers.

As it stood, Lackey came to the mound at the end of the night having only allowed 3 runs on 7 hits. He had thrown just 92 pitches in over 7 innings of play but despite all this, he spent the majority of the night loosing 3-1. Why? Because of  mighty man named Chris Davis. With 47 home runs on the year, when  Davis saw Lackey leave a first pitch strike over the middle of the plate, the MLB's strongest hitter made him pay by belting a long ball over the monster to give Baltimore a dominant 3-1 lead.

But the deficit would soon evaporate as after Stephan Drew led off the 7th inning with a slicing double, Dustin Pedroia came to bat just a few batters later with Drew on 2nd and Jacoby Ellsbury on third. It was the 7th inning, Lackey had pitched so well but instead of leading the game like he should have, the Red Sox were down by 2 with just 2 and a 3rd at bats left in the game. Boston's pitcher watched intently from the bench. But even in this situation that could likely produce yet another loss or at best a no decision for Lackey, John was not fixating on statistics.

"I would like to have more wins than I have right now, but that's not the goal," said Lackey, who is 8-11 with a 3.19 ERA. "The goal is for the team to win games."

It seems strange but actually it is an obvious pattern. According to HIS win loss record, John Lackey is 8-11 with 5 no decisions on the year. If you subtract those no decisions and simply look at the record of the RED SOX in games that Lackey has started, Boston is 11-13. That can only mean that the large majority of those no decisions that turned into wins for the Sox went down as comebacks...which is exactly what happened last night. 

On the first pitch he saw in that crucial 2 out 7th inning at bat, Dustin Pedroia lined a screaming single into left field. Drew scored easily from third and after Jacoby Ellsbury had stolen second base he would come around from second to tie the game at 3. The comeback was in full swing. 

Amidst a double switch to start the inning and a pitching change after out one, the Sox would drop the Orioles in order come inning number 8 meaning that they were all fully charged to take on their second to last at bat of the game. 

Now things would not immediately get off to a good start as back to back strikeouts made it so that Jarrod Saltilamaccia came to bat in the 8th he was the one man standing between the Orioles and the 9th inning. But Salty didn't care. After a spectacular at bat that culminated with Saltilamaccia's working a full count, he got all of an 89 mile per hour cutter driving it high and far to left field. 

Red Sox fans jumped to the edge of their seats and NESN play by play announcer: Don Orsillo screamed the question all of Red Sox nation was asking at that point in time. "Dose it have enough?" 

At first it seemed like it didn't have enough but as the ball continued to rise one could picture that the next words out of the mouth of the voice of the Red Sox on NESN would be something along the lines of "GONE!" But then, at the lest second, the ball dropped just enough so that it firmly collided with a the Green Monster mere feet from its top. So here we were, the game was still tied and Jarrod Saltilamaccia had one more double in a season that had already yielded 34 for him. Salty is no sprinter so it seemed that in some way shape or form that Baltimore would eventually get out of the 8th with no damage done to the scoreboard. 

But after Tommy Hunter intentionally walked Stephan Drew, the Red Sox dugout was faced with a tough decision. The Red Sox had to get a hit here but with rookie Xander Bogarts set to come to bat, they cold not afford to allow nerves to come into play. According to Bogarts, manager John Farrell told him that if Drew walked that he would be pinch hit for. 

"I appreciated that he gave me a heads-up," Bogaerts said.

Fans booed as Bogarts walked out of the on deck circle only to be replaced by veteran: Mike Carp, but Xander was corgil. 

"Good luck." He supposedly said while shaking Carp's hand. Weather he needed Bogarts' wishing it or not, luck was on Carp's side as he soon weakly lined an RBI single over the dive of 3rd basemen Manny Muchado. 

"It's how we work as a team." Carp said. 

The Red Sox would go on to retire the Orioles in order in the top of the 9th inning, winning their 4th straight game, their 3rd straight series and putting them in a position to earn their first sweep in months.  

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The not so cheep seats: Why Boston's Sports teams are making us broke

The average American household earns approximately 48,000 dollars a year.

The average 26 year old American earns approximately 20,000 dollars a year.

Over 90% of New England and upstate New York's are loyal to Boston sports teams.

Red Sox tickets are the most expensive in baseball.

Life in the cheap seats. 20 years ago, it is what you did. Walk up to the Box office buy a ticket and worship the baseball, football, or hockey team that you grew up loving. It was the way life was and it was how Fenway became America’s most beloved ball park.

Through thick and thin, the fans never died down, they always came back and cheered so loud their throats burned like fire by the end of the night. They cheered their team to victory and watched every moment of

the famed decade of dominance that brought this town a Stanley Cup, 2 World Series, 3 Super Bowl titles and appearances and 2 more in 2007 and 2011 respectively.

Through thick and thin they were there. They filled TD Garden time and time again even after the Bruins blew a 3-0  series lead against the Flyers. They packed Gillette Stadium following the David Tye Ree catch that ended New England’s bid for a 19-0 season and they returned after so many Red Sox playoff losses to the Yankees, only to see the Sox do the unthinkable and win it all in ’04.

For 820 games, Fenway Park was packed to capacity as Boston Sports fans flocked to the ballpark and helped build the largest sellout streak in sports history.

Following the Marathon Bombing’s Boston fans sung their hearts out at TD Garden rallying around an aucapella national anthem as they watched their Bruins glide to the cup finals for the second time in 3 years.

Boston sports fans are often labeled as the most loyal in all of professional sports but while they won’t say it, a clear question still rises from this glowing orb that is our city of championships. Are the same teams that pick these fans up from the ashes of bombings and defeat also ripping them off?  

In the year 1991, you could go to a non-divisional Red Sox game and on average pay just over 10 dollars a ticket. At that point, that price was already 2 dollars more than the MLB average but by 1995, that difference had grown…to almost 4 dollars. Then by 2001, the Sox had successfully increased average ticket prices to almost 37 dollars…an increases of about 250% in just 10 years. 12 years later, prices have still continued to rise. According to the Red Sox box office, the average price for a Tuesday night Fenway game between the Sox and Orioles is….79 dollars. By comparison, the price for a game against those same Orioles at Yankee stadium would cost just between 35 and 40 dollars for second deck seating and as little as 15 dollars for bleacher seating.

But in the world of high ticket prices, the Boston Red Sox are not the only villain. In fact when it comes to insane ticket prices, the New England Patriots may be the kings.

According to SPORTS ILLUSTRATED writer: Greg Cohen's breakdown of the Patriots home games against AFC opponents, the large majority of average prices per game is between 290$ and 390$ with the cheapest seats often sitting around 100$ and 150$. I don’t know about you but in my book 150$ for a sporting event is not ‘cheep’.

By comparison, those prices are almost double of that of the Miami Dolphins average of just over 120$. Crazy right?

So by now I assume you have gotten the point. In order to bring a family of 4 to Gillette Stadium you need to fork over get this, 1,500$. Boston’s sports are overpriced but why?

If the Patriot’s manage to sell out each of their 3 games against AFC visitors (almost always the highest priced games), they will haul in 72,240,000$ that amounts to just 61% of the Patriots payroll as the mega salaries of guys like Brady and Wilfork account for almost 30 million dollars right then and there.

When you look at the Red Sox earnings, they haul in about 2,923,000$ per game. When multiplied by 81 (the number of home games in a season), the Sox have the yearly capacity to earn 236,763,000$ a year solely off of ticket prices. Those 236million dollars account for almost double what the Sox pay their players and staff.

But for baseball fans part of the thrill of going to a pro game goes beyond simply getting in.

Weeks before the game, you want a jersey, something to wear to the game. According to Amazon.com, a site notorious for selling products for well, less than the pro shop, a Dustin Pedroia replica Jersey costs nearly 50$. A baseball cap…25$.

Now statistically speaking, yeah the Sox do not get 100% of those income’s earned by Amazon but they do if you are foolish enough to buy your memorabilia within the walls of Fenway or Gillette.

According to a SPORTS ILLUSTRATED report, in order to buy a hot dog, prime ticket, and  ball cap at Fenway Park you have to pay 235$. That number almost doubles if you are in Gillette. It costs134$ to buy a Tom Brady Jersey, and well we have already talked about ticket prices.

“They’re kind of selfish.” 8 year old Keegan Antelman said when I asked him how he felt about high ticket prices.

Now granted the wonderful thought process that is ‘kid logic’ can be flawed but the premise that this 3^rdgrader outlined reigns supreme.

Do the Boston Red Sox really need almost 300 million dollars a year? Long story short, no. Why you may ask. Because they didn’t need 300 million dollars 10 years ago and things have not changed that much in such a short amount of time. 

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Leave it ALL on the feild...and then leave a little more: A look at the insane devotion of Jarrod Saltilamaccia and Dustin Pedroia

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Even coaches of 8 year old baseball teams know this word very well: hustle. 

It's a simple concept that is ever present while ever amplified in every level of sports.  You run as hard as you can, you dive with as little regard for you own health as possible. In baseball, you slide or dive, in soccer you sprint full out for an hour and a half and in football and hockey well, you break your ribs, you puncture your lung but still you play.

In youth sports it’s called hustle, in the world of pro sports it’s called sacrifice but for the Boston Red Sox this elusive form of devotion is simply called ‘what Jarrod Saltilamaccia and Dustin Pedroia do’.

Between the two of them, it is clear that there are really a select few teams in this MLB that have the kind of guys that the Red Sox. For Dustin Pedroia, his sacrifice shows in the constant line of sprawling stops that he constantly shows on a daily basis.

For Jarrod Saltilamaccia, his moments of sacrifice can be fairly captured by the sheer numbers that dominate his star sheet.

For Saltilamaccia his first taste of big league action came in 2003 when he was drafted 36^th overall by the Atlanta Braves. As it stood, Saltilamaccia would spend 2 years in the minors batting .314 and.373 in single A and double A respectively.

But before long, he was in the big leagues joining the Braves in 2007 and notching 47 starts before they needed to clear him off their roster. The man with the longest name in the history of baseball was either going back to the minors or to another team. The Texas Ranger’s made sure that the fate ‘Salty’ was treated to was the latter of those two.  In 2007, Jarrod Saltalamaccia was traded to the Texas Rangers.

But before long, Salty was a Red Sox and by 2011 he was once again a top starter. With Jason Varitek still firmly instituted as Boston’s catcher, Saltilamaccia admittedly spent 2011 as a student to his veteran teammate.

Saltilamaccia played 103 games in 2011 but after the September collapse that left his team in disgrace his workload threatened to increase even more after Varatek announced his retirement on March 1^st 2012.  

In 2012 Salty started 121 games as the struggling Kelley Shoppach made it painful for Sox fans to see Salty sitting on the bench.  121 games is a lot, almost 75% of the season in fact but in this 2013 season, Jarrod Saltilamaccia had blown it all away and is on pace not only top that career high in games set in 2011 but possibly climb onto the all-time leader board of appearances by a Red Sox catcher in one season.

To date, Saltilamaccia has started 100 games and with 33 games left in the season he is mathematically projected to bring his season start total to 127. But for the Sox that branch of statistics will likely be influenced by a factor that cannot be captured by any sort of mathematical computation.

With the Sox, Rays, Orioles and even Yankees now knotted in a pennant race for the history books many of the “big games” that now dominate the list of Boston’s 33 matchups between now and the end of the year will likely fall on the shoulders of Jarrod Saltilamaccia meaning that the possibility of a 130 start season might not be that far off.

But workload dose not even matter if you cannot produce on a consistent basis. Now more than ever, Saltilamaccia has done just that.

“There was a stretch there I was getting kind of sore. When I got to Houston and Kansas City I was pretty beat,” said Saltalamacchia, in a WEEI interview on August 20^th “But I want to be in every single day. I’m not a guy who is going to take a day off.”

Even while playing 29 fewer games than many other players on the Sox, Saltalamaccia leads the Red Sox in doubles with 34. He has notched together countless hitting streaks, the most recent of which spanning 9 games. He has belted 10 home runs but for mighty Saltilamaccia, while his offence is treasured, his pitchers appreciate a far more crucial facet of the game. 

He is dominant, in games that he has caught, the Sox have a winning percentage of over .600.

Pitchers like wins and Saltilamaccia helps guide them to them. It is as simple as that.

No what Saltilamaccia does is spectacular in it of itself. The sheer numbers that he complies, the unthinkable piles of starts and onslaughts of doubles show to the fullest what he can do. But for Dustin Pedroia there is no kind of number that can capture the facet of Pedroia’s game that makes him so wonderfully skilled: effort.  

He had played his entire career to date with the Red Sox and will likely end it that way after he signed a monster multi-million dollar contract a few months back. He has played 128 games this year, missing just one of his team’s 129.

But like I said before, much of Dustin Pedroia’s game cannot be adequately represented by simple numbers.

His swing: violent and crushing. He has an almost non-existent leg kick meaning that he swings from the shoulders whipping his arms, legs and hips in a brutal speedy fashion. Such a swing does not agree with the human body. Such a swing takes a toll on a human’s body after 3,898 at bats. You get hurt, and Dustin Pedroia is no different.  

He breaks thumbs, damages ankles but still he plays. In 2012 he broke his thumb but was back in action within 11 games, a spectacularly short healing time for a bone broken in half.  1 year later Pedroia broke bones once again when midway through an 8^th inning affair with the Yankees, he fouled a ball hard off his left foot.

He fell to the ground writhing in obvious pain but in the end after X-Rays came back showing that Pedroia could play…he did.

"Pedey's a gamer, man," said Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino. "You never see that guy back down from a challenge. It's impressive. He wanted to stay in that at-bat. I sure it was killing him and he was hurting, but that just shows who he is and what he is. It's impressive. I'll take him on my team any day."

Dustin Pedroia and Jarrod Saltilamaccia. Two men, two positions, two styles of play all with one thing in common: commitment, hustle and above all…sacrafice.

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Dustin Pedroia signed to long term deal: Why such a signing is risky business in pro sports

Dustin Pedroia MIGHT be in the hall of fame someday. He MIGHT lead the Red Sox to another World Series win. Dustin Pedroia is a young devoted guy who will be in baseball for a long time. Dustin Pedroia is a young guy who, when David Ortiz leaves in a few years, MIGHT be the face of the franchise for the Boston Red Sox.

Patrice Bergeron MIGHT be in the hall of fame someday. He MIGHT lead the Bruins to another Stanley Cup win. Patrice Bergeron is one of the most devoted players in the NHL and will be in hockey for a long time. Patrice Bergeron is a pretty young guy who, when Zedeno Chara leaves in a few years, MIGHT be the face of the franchise for the Boston Bruins.

Dustin Pedroia and Patrice Bergeron the Red Sox and Bruins 2 players, 2 teams, and 2 different sports, 2 fan base and 2 different Hall of Fames where each athlete will be making a case to join someday.

Those 2 men: Patrice Bergeron and Dustin Pedroia are 2 of the best in their businesses, and 2 men who are crucial to their team’s success. But nevertheless, as profiled in the first 2 paragraphs of this post, those 2 men are 2 different players who, even with all that sits upon their resumes, still pose a lot of IFs and MIGHTs for their respective teams, thus drawing up one final commonality between those 2 guys.

Perhaps the biggest fact of these two players careers that does not include the words IF or MIGHT are deals signed each mere days apart from one another.

Patrice Bergeron will be a Bruin for the rest of his career and Dustin Pedroia will be a Red Sox for the rest of his career.

“This is my home and it’s the only thing I've ever known”~Dustin Pedrioa

On July 12th, Patrice Bergeron was signed to an 8 year, 52 million dollar contract that will hold him in Boston through the 2021 NHL season.

On July 22nd, Dustin Pedroia was signed to a 7 year 100 million dollar contract that will keep him in Boston through the 2021 MLB season.

Nevertheless on this 23^rd day in July, its Pedroia making headlines.

After being drafted 65th overall back in 2004, Pedroia was originally playing ball as a shortstop: a style that still remains evident even 7 years after making the switch to 2nd base. Nevertheless, 7 years after he made his debut back in 2006 Pedroia's commitment has never come under question. He has played 956 career games, and is still yet to miss a single match-up this season. He has committed just 38 career errors (that is 15 less than Mr Perfect Kevin Youkilis himself.) and is one of the greatest in recent history at turning the double play. But even with all that, does Dustin Pedroia deserve over 14 million dollars a year from 2014-2021?

Pedroia averages almost 150 hits a season, over 30 doubles a year and just under 15 homers each season. But still does he deserve all this money? 

Dustin Pedroia is now just 34 RBI’s short 500 and has a career batting average of .303. He turns 30 in just a few weeks yet his OBP and slugging percentage remain seated at .385 and .422 respectively. But still dose he deserve 100 million dollars?

NO!

Fact is, in the world of pro sports, well, nobody deserves any of the big name contracts that get handed out time and time again.

In Baseball: Albert Pujols, fresh off his second career World Series win, Pujols became a free agent during the 2011 offseason all before he was handed a historic 254 million dollar, 10 year contract with the LA Angles.  

In the immediate wake of that huge contract, the Angles immediately fell under question as sure enough his batting average immediately dropped off as he went from hitting .299 with St Louis to hammering .249 just 2 season later in this 2013 campaign.

Then in football: we all remember the fun we had with Chad Ochocinco. After averaging over 1,000 yards a season in Cinicnatti, Ochocinco came to the Pats a team with one of the best Quarterbacks in history throwing to him (Tom Brady) , and one of the best coaches in history (Bill Belicheck) barking at him from the sidelines and still he dropped off going from catching 67 balls the year before to snagging just 15 with New England.

So alright, with those to examples the case can be made that while these athletes DID drop off at older ages, yes they also changed teams which can shake a guy up.

But nevertheless, even looking at contract extensions alone, the drop-offs and underperformances are still there.

Rick Dipetro for the Islanders, Tyler Seguin for the Bruins, Aaron Hernandez, even Rob Gronkowski. All guys who either got injured, just stopped preforming, or, in the case of Hernandez got arrested, and all guys who, when they began to struggle, got hurt or ended up behind bars, left their team’s fighting pathetically to dump their contracts.  

So, with all this against them, why do pro sports teams continue to hand out these high risk contracts and extensions? One word --- sentiment and leadership.

Even with the word loyalty basically torn out of a player’s dictionary, it is still widely prevalent in the vocabularies of a team’s ownership and fans. With fans literally serving as the heart and soul of a team’s revenue, while players don’t really care, guys like Peter Charelli and Ben Cherrington do not want to tick off their fans.  

So, in attempt to satisfy us moody fans, these guys send millions and millions of dollars in the direction of guys like Pedroia and Bergeron for what?

So that us fans don’t have to feel torn when we were our Kevin Youkilis Red Sox jersey while in NY his name is emblazoned on the back of one running with pinstripes?

No matter how good he is, no matter how many punctured lungs he plays through, no matter how many times he dives into the dirt to block a ground ball, what if? What if one day Pedroia goes down and wrecks his knee? What if, the next time Matt Cooke takes a run at a Bruin it is Bergeron on the other end and he succumbed to the same fate that has now befallen Marc Savard?

Then what?

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