Mike Napoli resigns with Red Sox: Deal reportedly worth 32 million over 2 seasons

Good news Red Sox fans you will not need to bid adieu to Mike Napoli or his beard before the 2015 season. Why? Because as December 6th came to a close, the Boston Red Sox announced that they had signed the bearded 1st basemen to a substantial 32 million dollar 2 year contract that will hand him a hefty average annual salary of 16 million dollars. By comparison that is 11 million more than the contract that brought him in for the 2013 season and yet as we awake this morning there is no question that Napoli deserves 16 million. 

It seems like ages ago when we were questioning the capabilities of Napoli. It seems moronic that we were asking those questions. How well will he play 1st base? Will his hip hold up? Will we regret trading Adrian Gonzolez? By the midpoint of the 2013 season we were suddenly blessed with the answers to those questions. Yes, yes and no. 

Napoli caught fire in Boston as even with 2 catastrophic slumps that punctuated his season, Mike Napoli and the man who hit one spot ahead of him in the lineup (David Ortiz) packed a one two punch better than any other. Through a combined 276 games played, Papi and Napoli rammed up 195 RBI's going 1 two on the team leaders list in that category. They combined to collect hits on 28% of the pitches thrown to them and on 53 different occasions hit the ball out of the yard. 

All season long and even more so, Mike Napoli was the security package for the Boston DH and used that position in the lineup to drive both himself and as we know David Ortiz to greatness. But Ortiz is not the only thing that solicited Napoli's love for the city of Boston. He and his beard grew (pun intended) on any and all who even looked at this team and began one of the weirdest but unquestionably uniting traditions we have seen in a while. Furthermore, he never questioned his coach and or complained about anything to do with his play. For that reason he, even while struggling under a slump in which he compiled just 5 RBI's in 20 games, never had to endure the sound of any boo birds in Fenway.

“It’s a great fit for me,” Napoli said following the Series. “This is where I want to stay and I want to work something out. I love playing here, everything about it.”

It is a rare occasion when a player who strikes out as much as Napoli does channels so much love from his fans and yet in the days between the end of the season and now, the majority of Red Sox nation was literally scared that they might not be getting Mike back. Everyone loves him, recognizing not only his on the field defensive and offensive prowess but also his mood changing attitude that he carries with him at all times.

"Took ya long enough," Jon Lester said via Twitter last night but he was not the only person with a part in this situation to express his thoughts via Twitter.

For those who have not already seen, Mike Napoli himself personally came online to recognize his adopted city.  "The beard is coming back to Boston!!! Couldn't be happier!!" He posted just after 9:00 PM Friday night. 

Those tweets are good, the beards are good, and yet the biggest example of his love for Boston was the fact that Napoli left money on the table to stay with Boston as ESPN's Gordan Edes reported that either the Seattle Mariners or the Texas Rangers offered a payment larger than the 32 million dollar pay day dished out by the Red Sox. 

When the Red Sox assembled their "dream team" in 2011, they were a collection of human beings the only reason for their presence being the huge sums of money Theo Epsteen paid for them. In 2013 the Red Sox were a team brought together by the love of their fans and the game they played. In 2011, the lack of camaraderie within this clubhouse caused one of the worst collapses in baseball history while in 2013, the beards the walk-offs and Mike Napoli won it all.

You tell me which method is more advantageous for a team’s success.

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Nelson Mandela, The Rainbow Nation and an indiscribable legacy: How Nelson Mandela proved the ultimate power of sport

In a nation as racially divided as the 1960 American South, Nelson Mandela dismantled Apartheid using a tactic never approached by his American counterparts in their attempts to destroy the Jim Crow Laws of the 60's.

Upon his being released from a grueling 27 year prison sentence for his Anti-Apartheid actions, Mandela stormed onto the political stage screaming for the end of the British born South African form of segregation while soon realizing the power of a specific team that many of his black brothers absolutely despised. The Apartheid laws of South Africa were as bizarre as those that took place in the United States and like the long standing color barrier encountered by Jackie Robinson during his march to baseball fame those laws combined with a premeditated hatred whites had for their black country men drastically limited any black presence on the nations most followed team: Springbok rugby. 

Named rightly for a limber but powerful breed of African Antelope, the Springboks flourished even with the hatred harbored by nearly every black man or women throughout the country burning strong in the background.

 By 1989 even while Apartheid began to fall under question the Springboks roster included just 1 black athlete (Chester Williams) who served as the only human associated with the team who was not truly hated by the indigenous population.

However is was the fully British captain of the team who Mandela connected the most with. Fact is it was no secret that when Mandela was elected there would instantly be a loud clamoring for the disbanding of the Springboks and yet when Mandela was elected and that clamoring soon surfaced. Mandela stood fast and to the dismay of those who had voted for him tried to do the unthinkable. Make the Springboks the nation's team rather than simply being the team of the whites. 

He hated Apartheid but recognized that even when it was repealed in 1990, the track that Mandela's newly inherited country was going down was almost no better. The blacks wanted no part of the whites and so long as Apartheid was gone, South Africa was a nation that would have willingly lived for eternity divided and yet Nelson Mandela recognized that a contempt community does not necessarily translate to prosperity as a people. He gave up his Afrikans name "Madiba" and soon only responded to Mandela. However, as was said before, Mandela's grandest unifying move came in 1995 when he publicly endorsed the hated Springboks.

It came down to this, as he utilized the years of thinking and realizations of human existence he underwent t during his Robbin Island prison time he knew that sports were powerful.

"We'd gone to jail for democracy, and this was a chance to show ourselves that we could put that into practice," said Marcus Solomons, who was jailed alongside "It helped overcome tensions and differences, and to break down the barriers between political factions. That was one of the main messages -- that sport is about developing people. It's a social activity."

To elaborate on sport's effect on Nelson Mandela's time in Robbin Island it is said that he would watch a team of inmates play soccer on the dusty field outside his cell and simply enjoy the scene of unification that the players showed. Robbin Island soon constructed a wall to block Mandela's view but the inspiration had already sunk in.

Nelson later sighted those observations as the first and strongest exhibitions he ever saw of the true power of sports.

As he looked for his outlet for sports unification, those Springboks seemed to nearly throw themselves towards Mandela as just 3 years after being returned to eligibility for the Rugby World Cup, they were in it again having assembled a great team while being pitted against their arch rivals New Zeland in the group stage.

It seemed that the only emotion stronger than the black hate for the Springboks was their love for their leader Mandela and so when that leader was seen hugging Springbok captain Francois Pienaar they begrudgingly swallowed their predispositions about the team and tentatively cheered for their team. Less than a month later, there was no question in regards to the black support for the Springboks. In a matter of days not years, Nelson Mandela completely changed the outlook on his team meaning that when the 95' World Cup of Rugby was won in extra time the ensuing moments were without a doubt some of the greatest in not only sport history but that of mankind itself.

As the clock hit zero, the words of delight that trickled out of the South African play by play announcer that night included a phrase that like the black love for the Springboks was just a few weeks old.

"IT'S OVER! Triumph for the Rainbow Nation!"

The Rainbow Nation, a phrase coined by Mandela created by Mandela that meant what you might guess it to mean. A nation of many colors coexisting as one and this time, that kind of compassion was never questioned.

In yet another famous quote Francois Pienaar nearly cried into the microphone before him.

"We didn't have the support of 63,000 South Africans today," Pienaar said. "We had the support of 42 million." 

"Thank you very much for what you have done for our country." Mandela then said with the intent for only Pienaar to hear. The captain nodded, taking the Webb Ellis Cup presented to his team and holding it close to his chest. "[Mr President], it is nothing compared to what you have done for our country."

When Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5th 2013, the world lost a great leader. On that dreadful day they lost a man who saved a nation and did it using a media previously regarded as one serving just 1 purpose: entertainment. 

On that day in 1995, South Africa was saved. South Africa was saved by Nelson Mandela and the aspect of humanity he held closest to his heart: competition and the unifying obsession that it brings about.

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UPDATE: Johnny Boychuck cleared to fly home with Bruins team

Following his suffering one of the nastier injuries we will see all season, Johnny Boychuck was cleared to fly home to Boston earlier today breathing a weak sense of relief into the Bruins fan base.

As most Bruins fans witnessed Thursday night, 29 year old star defenseman, Johnny Boychuck was violently thrown into the curved boards of the Bell Centre ice surface. Boychuck soon collapsed to the ice and never returned to his feet as after 10 minutes of gut wrenching medical tending at the side of the fallen combatant he was immobilized and wheeled off the ice via stretcher.

The seen looked grim and when the game concluded, the focus was not on the loss of the game but that of their teammate that was by then just beginning to respond to doctors.

"He was obviously in pain" said Zdeno Chara therefore putting words to a scene in which Boychuck was doubled over the only movements exhibited being those of his lungs gasping for air he seemingly did not have.

However, Bruins fans were blessed with some great words during the 2nd intermission of the game as Bruins GM Peter Charellie released a statement telling the world that Johnny Boychuck was capable of moving all of his extremities and that doctors had ruled out the possibility of a spinal paralysis injury. 

Meere hours later we were once again uplifted this time by the words of Boychuck's coach Claude Jullian. 

"He was cleared to fly back with us," Claude said. "He's still obviously injured. We don't know the severity of it and I don't know all the details, but it was an injury serious enough to bring him to the hospital. Definitely, it's going to be a little while before he's good to go. I don't know exactly how much time, but the good news is he's coming back with us tonight and he'll be reassessed by our doctors back in Boston." 

Miraculously, that same man who seemed well, dead, was back at the arena just 45 minutes after the game concluded ready to travel home with the Bruins.   

All hail that free Canadian Health Care. 

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JOHHNY BOYCHUCK INJURED: Bruin defenceman carted off during 1st period on strecher

Max Paccoretty has reason to dislike the Bruins and yet after he exacted what was dubbed by the cynical in all of us, his revenge, the feeling is now mutual.

With just under 15 minutes to go in the first period of a highly anticipated Thursday night meeting between the Bruins and Canadians, Canadian left wing, Max Paccoretty came up on Johnny Boychuck from behind and forcefully rammed the Bruins star face first into the protruding ledge on the boards.  Boychuck was shown to have cried out simultaneously with the hit and immediately fell to the ice where he remained kneeling for several seconds.

As the situation rapidly progressed, Bruins trainer Don Delnegro came flying off the bench and immediately made his attempts to engage the obviously distressed D-Man. However as the Bell Centre fell silent, Boychuck began gasping as his entire body nearly seemed desperate for oxygen. Upon recognizing his players distress, Delnegro immediately turned towards the opposite end of the rink making a fist with his hand thereby signaling that emergency protocol was now needed to evacuated Boychuck from the rink.

However, it would be almost 10 minutes before Johnny was finally moved from the ice accompanied by the cheers of the Bell Centre and the support of his captain and defensive partner, Zedeno Chara.   

As was later revealed, Boychuck was immediately rushed to a local Montreal hospital where he was reported to be moving all extremities thereby eliminating the possibility of a spinal cord injury.

The game went on and while the Boychuck hit undoubtedly ignited a slight fury within the Bruins bench, they soon surrendered 2 quick goals that put them down 2-1 going into the third period.  

More updates to come....

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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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Jacoby Ellsbury sings 7 year 153 million dollar deal with Yankees: Looking at what the signing means for both teams

Red Sox fans went to sleep Thursday night, buzzing with the anticipation of what new signing AJ Piezynski could bring to Boston and their imaginations spinning thrilling images of the new catcher creaming opposing catchers at the Fenway home plate. When they woke up on Wednesday morning their mood was instantly soured by a deed committed by Jacoby Ellsbury that in Red Sox nation is all but a cardinal sin. He signed with the New York Yankees.  

At exactly 8:39 eastern stranded time, Jacoby Ellsbury abandoned the team that had nurtured him to greatness and had given him 2 championship rings opting to instead march off to the one team they hated most. But can we blame him? 

Ellsbury who played in 7 different seasons with Boston and started 715 regular season games soon became one of the league's premier outfielders using his incomparable speed to track down anything that soared into his expansive center field grass. Because of that calmness with his glove, Ellsbury committed just 8 errors during his tenure with Boston while compiling 1,708 putouts and 19 assists. But as we look back on these wonderful years, it was not even his defense that made Jacoby Ellsbury so great. 

Using the same speed that gave him that center field ownership, Jacoby beat together 241 stolen bases and led the AL in that category 3 times the best of those seasons being one in which he compiled 70 thefts. There was never a doubt about Jacoby's on the field skill set but at the same time we always knew that the Beantown superstar was never fully contempt with his insane fame. He was isolated, and rarely talked to his teammates. He stayed out of the spotlight as best he could and if you look back on his days here, it was a rare occasion when someone was able to pry a useful quote out of any interactions with the media he had. To draw a comparison between Ellsbury's on the field and off the field goings on, one must simply look to the position he played. 

Where Ellsbury played in center field was often over 300 feet away from home plate while still beyond speaking distance away from the stands which stood a whopping 488 feet away from home. He was never within 100 feet of second basemen Dustin Pedroia and never even had to call for fly balls. When guys saw him coming they got out of the way no questioned asked. He did not have to deal with reading signs from his coaches meaning no shifts, no intentionally dropped balls and no coach advised description as to when he must utilize his cannon arm. For a guy with a personality that necessitates isolation, center field is the perfect position and yet in the end it was that isolation that likely caused his discomfort with Boston and by extension moved him to NY. 

So what now?

Jacoby is gone, taken away by the 3rd largest outfield contract in the history of baseball and so we now look to the guys in the wings and on the market asking one bold question. Who now fills the void and how to we cope with the fastest player in the league now playing against us 19 times a year? Unfortunately, that question really does not have much of an answer.  

Instead we have Jackie Bradly Jr. After he was drafted by the Red Sox back in 2011, the now 23 year old prospect marched up the ranks and actually began the year ahead of Sox current top prospect Xander Boagerts. This kind of recognition was breed via a spectacular preseason put up by Bradley in which he hit .419 with 12 RBI's in 62 at bats. However, that success did not directly translate into regular season prosperity. He played just over a month of baseball to start the season and while his okay glove and Ellsbury like speed did help in him the field, Bradley's offence was abysmal as he knocked up just 3 hits and no RBI's through 31 April at bats which was good enough to hand him a monthly batting average of .097 as well as a demotion back to Pawtucket. In time, his offence did get better and by the end of the year and after finally fighting his way back to Boston in order to fill the void left by a late season Ellsbury hand injury Bradly did manage to hike his average up to a still horrendous .189. 

I ask you this is that the guy you want replacing one of the best in the game? 

Well according to a recent Sports Nation ESPN poll , the answer is yes, 85% of the nation believes that the Red Sox were right in letting Ellsbury go and in turn believe that Bradley will not be an achilles heel to this team that will hopefully make a good run at defending their crown as champions come next October.  

But there is hope that the Sox will get some more veteran skill in outfield as they did last off-season. First and foremost we have free agent, Shin-Soo Choo who like Ellsbury uses speed to excel both defensively and offensively. He stole 20 bases in 2013 and commuted just 4 errors in 150 games played. Furthermore there is Matt Kemp who while he is currently under contract with the Dodgers, it seems to be true that the Dodgers want him out of town meaning that a small piece such as Ryan Dempster might be enough to bring the slugger to Boston.  

153 million dollars is a lot of money and lets face it, we cannot blame Ben Cherrington for refusing to fork it over. But the Sox and their fans will miss Jacoby Ellsbury and so, the boos will rain down whether we want them to or not. 

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AJ Pierzynski reportedly signs 1 year deal with Red Sox: Why he is a better fit in Boston than Jarrod Saltilamaccia

Has it worn off yet?

As the weather gets colder and our hours with the illumination of the sun begin to dwindle, even now it remains a obvious fact that almost anyone who followed the Red Sox through their storybook 2013 Championship winning season finds it difficult to fell gloomy in a season notorious for bringing about such feelings. 

We are the champions and while it is the opposite of my intent to dampen the elation of Red Sox Nation it deserves pointing out that the Red Sox who are now over a month into their off-season still have failed to lock down any of their big name free agents. As we look across the league, names like Mike Napoli, Joel Hanrahan, Stephan Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury are all still without teams and yet, the reason for that is clear. For each of those respectable ball players, their futures in relation to the Red Sox are clear. Mike Napoli will PROBABLY return. Joel Hanrahan will go wherever he is given more money and despite the Red Sox front office's fascination with Stephan Drew, he too will likely leave largely for the purpose of making room for Xander Bogaerts to make the jump to the MLB full time. As for Jacoby Ellsbury, he has made it pretty clear that he wants to go anywhere but Boston.  

And yet, there is one name and the position that name (for the time being fills) that has quietly climbed to the top on Ben Cherrington's list of priorities. That name is Sox catcher, Jarrod Saltilamaccia. 

For 4 seasons now, Saltilamaccia or Salty as he is known by his fans, has been smacking doubles while then turning around and botching any and all plays he had to make that involved his throwing of the baseball. Do not get me wrong, in most scenarios a guy with the offensive power of Jarrod would be reason enough to hand him 700 trillion dollars and his own summer house on the moon but in Boston that is not the case. The Red Sox have power in David Ortiz, and speed in Shane Victorino as well and young talent in Xander Boagaerts. They scored 853 runs in 2013 and even when you subtract the 65 runs that Salty smacked home, it is still a fact that the Red Sox need no more offence. They were fine there and what they need more than anything else is a strong personality behind the plate and a personality whose person has the capability to throw out a runner at second base. 

If you do not agree yet, all that needs to be mentioned in order to sway your opinion is one simple word: obstruction. Yes it was the right call and while it was easy to blame our plight on the umpire who made the call or Will Middlebrooks who committed the penalty as we look back on that already famed finish to game 3 it is Jarrod Saltilamaccia, the man who made the throw that careened into left field who deserves the biggest piece of the blame pie.

As we look back on Saltilamaccia's 2 years as a starter and 355 games started in Boston, while he did bat close to .235 in every season and successfully smacked in 83 doubles during his tenure, he allowed 252 stolen bases over the same time period and committed a whopping 20 errors. By comparison, coveted Cardinals catcher: Yadiar Molina allowed just 165 stolen bases and committed  17 errors during that same 4 year span. 

When it comes to hitting, Jarrod Saltilmaccia is the best of best and yet when he fields the ball he is down at the bottom of the barrel. 

The man brought in to replace Saltilmaccia following the disastrous postseason that cost him his job in Boston, is good in both aspects of the game. Earlier Tuesday afternoon, the Boston Red Sox signed former Rangers catcher AJ Piezynski to a 1 year 8.25 million dollar contract.

Piezynski who was recently voted the MLB's most hated player allowed just 49 stolen bases in 2013 and committed an all-star quality 2 errors. As for his batting the man who has been in the big leagues since 1998 has a career average of .283 and slammed in 70 RBI's in 2013. Miraculously, AJ hits better than Jarrod Saltilamaccia and fields better. He is the perfect fix.

As for the actions that earn him the title of most hated player, when that player plays for your team, many do not complain when the opposing catcher gets creamed at the plate or trash talked into punching AJ in the face.

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