Hanley Ramirez aims to bring second World Series to Red Sox (Nope, that's not a misprint)

Brothers in Arms: More celebrating to come?

David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia may be the only everyday players on the Red Sox who also played for Boston's 2007 World Series champions, but there is another guy in the lineup whose performance was a major factor in that title.

No use scouring the '07 lineup on baseballreference,com, you won't find him there.

American League Co-Player of the Week Hanley Ramirez has emerged as the hottest hitter in baseball, with 4 home runs and 9 RBI during a four-game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway this past weekend and 12 homers overall in his last 21 contests. Ramirez is finally fulfilling the expectations that former GM Ben Cherington was hoping for when he signed the free agent in the winter of 2014-15, and his surge has helped Boston to a 3.5-game lead over the second-place Orioles in the tight AL East race entering tonight's showdown in Baltimore,

If Ramirez is able to keep it up, and the Red Sox reach the postseason, it will be the second time he's paid big dividends on Yawkey Way. Back in 2005, after an excellent season in Class AA Portland, he was the key to a trade with the Florida Marlins that brought big right-handed pitcher Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell to Boston.

Beckett took a season to acclimate to the American League, but in 2007 he was 20-7 and the ace of a World Series championship Red Sox staff. Lowell, considered a throw-in from Florida in the original trade, was a quiet leader on and off the field whose unexpected offensive resurgence (.324 with 121 RBI) was also central to the '07 title. In fact, Lowell was MVP of that October's World Series, to which Beckett contributed a Game 1 victory.

Lowell delivered in '07 -- now it's Hanley's turn.

So while Cherington may have been forced to resign last summer after the poor performance of Ramirez (a .249 average and brutal defense in left field) and fellow free agent washout Pablo Sandoval, the signing isn't looking quite so bad now, In fact, Ramirez's booming bat and solid work at a new position of first base has been one of this season's greatest surprises.

If Hanley can keep it up for another month, there will be a lot more to celebrate than just a sweep of the Yankees.

Lackey, Beckett take different routes since chicken and beer

Beckett and Lackey -- partners in crime 

Three years ago, they were the poster boys for bad clubhouse behavior while with the Red Sox. This week, John Lackey and Josh Beckett were both in the headlines again -- and for dramatically different reasons.

On Monday, Lackey pitched seven stellar innings for the St. Louis Cardinals in Game Three of the NLDS, picking up the victory in a 3-1 Cardinals triumph over the Los Angeles Dodgers. St. Louis clinched the series the next evening, setting up an NLCS date with the Giants in a series that starts tomorrow night in San Francisco. 

Then, on Wednesday morning, as his Dodgers teammates were still lamenting the abrupt end of their season at the hands of Lackey and the Cards, Beckett announced he was retiring from the major leagues after 14 seasons. He faced surgery and months of rehab for a torn labrum in his left hip, and at age 34 figured enough was enough.

Things never came together in LA (USA Today)

It was a sad end to a rough few years for Beckett, who has struggled with injuries since his trade to the Dodgers in August 2012. Although he did pitch a no-hitter earlier this season, he made just 35 starts in his three seasons in LA.

It is hard to imagine two players taking more disparate paths than Beckett and Lackey have since the summer of 2011. In August of that year, Beckett was among the AL leaders in earned-run average while Lackey was at the other end of the Boston rotation -- with an ERA north of 6.00 and status as perhaps the most reviled athlete in New England with his bloated contract and hound-dog face.

In 2011, Lackey couldn't look

As long as the '11 Red Sox were cruising along in first place with the best record in the league, which they were as late as Sept. 1, Lackey's problems were confined to the back-burner. But when Boston had its monumental collapse in September with a 7-20 mark that left it out of the postseason, Big John was seen as one of the key causes for the meltdown. Beckett, after all, still finished 13-7 with a 2.89 ERA.

Then the news got worse. A few days after the season ended, a story by John Tomase of the Boston Herald broke that Boston starting pitchers had spent their off-days during the season hanging in the clubhouse scarfing down beers and fried chicken rather than sitting in the dugout. Beckett, Lackey, and lefty Jon Lester were eventually tabbed as the top offenders, and were raked over the coals by media and fans in a wave of bad publicity that helped cost manager Terry Francona his job.

After the secret (sauce) got out

Beckett never really recovered. He went 5-11 for last-place Boston in 2012 before being traded to the Dodgers along with Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, and Nick Punto in a salary-dumping move that would help both teams. Away from the boo-birds and pressure-cooker atmosphere at Fenway, Beckett pitched much better in Los Angeles, but could not stay healthy. Shoulder injuries wrecked his 2013 season, and hip problems put him on the disabled list three times this year -- including for the postseason. 

Lackey, in contrast,enjoyed a dramatic resurgence after Chicken-Gate. When it was revealed just how hurt he was during 2011, and that he had pitched a full season in constant pain and without complaint, it won him back some respect. Things were so bad, in fact, that he needed to have Tommy John Surgery and sat out the entire 2012 campaign.

Nobody knew what to expect from Lackey in 2013, but he emerged as one of Boston's top starters during that championship summer with a 1.157 WHIP and 3.52 ERA that went down to 2.77 in the postseason -- when he went 3-1 and became the first man in MLB history to win a World Series clinching game for two different franchises (having done so with the Anaheim Angels as a rookie in 2002).

In 2013, jeers turned to cheers USA Today)

It was more of the same for Big John this year, when he pitched with better velocity and better results than at any time in his Boston tenure before being dispatched to St. Louis for Joe Kelly and Allen Craig as part of John Henry's trade deadline fire sale. Now he's back working his magic in the playoffs, and may even get a crack at a third world championship ring.

Neither Josh Beckett or John Lackey will make the Hall of Fame, but both were All-Star pitchers and key starters on two World Series champions -- Beckett getting his rings with the Florida Marlins in 2003 and the Red Sox in 2007, when he went 20-7 during the regular season and then 4-0 with a 1.20 ERA in October.

They made their mistakes in Boston, to be sure, but they should be remembered for the joy they helped bring to Yawkey Way -- not the buckets of extra-crispy breasts.

Thanks for the (good) memories (Getty Images)

One Red Sox fan’s incredible (and telling) Bobby Valentine encounter

Don't worry, Bobby, it's almost over.

            As the crazy saga of Bobby Valentine’s managerial meltdown in Boston continues, I thought I'd add another tale to the mix, courtesy of my friend and sometimes Fenway Park seat-mate Nancy.

            During the All-Star break, when Red Sox fans were in the midst of panicking over a surprisingly weak starting rotation, Nancy went for a jog on a blistering hot morning. About one mile from Fenway, along Huntington Avenue, she literally ran into a man in front of the swanky Colonnade Hotel.

            After a quick “sorry” she turned and started to jog away -- but then froze in her tracks. She was pretty sure the man in the khaki shorts and plaid shirt who she had hit was Bobby Valentine.

            Unlike many fans, Nancy had not yet soured on Bobby V. A season ticket holder, she had been very happy with the managerial change in Boston.

“I went to a game last September against the Rangers, when the Red Sox still had a big lead in the standings,” she recalls. “Lackey got bombed, they lost 11-4, and I remember having a bad feeling -- a sense they weren’t playing with purpose. They were just going through the motions – they were not Kevin Millar team; they were not Johnny Damon’s team.”

Nancy applauded the hiring of Bobby V.

            Nancy turned to her companions, her sisters-in-law, and said, “‘This is it. We’re done.’”

She was right. The epic 7-20 September collapse sealed manager Terry Francona’s fate, and Nancy applauded the hiring of Valentine – who had a reputation for being just the sort of tough-talking disciplinarian she felt was needed. Nancy, who once shouted down fans for singing “Sweet Caroline” during the eighth inning of a lopsided Red Sox deficit, liked tough guys.

            Now, even after a dismal first half-season, Nancy still hoped Bobby V. could turn things around. She ran back to him, smiled, and said, “'Are you my guy?'”

            He laughed and replied, “'Yeah, I guess I am!'”

            “'I love you!'” she shouted. “I know you can’t say anything, but we’ve got to get rid of Beckett, we’ve got to get rid of Lester, we've got to get rid of Lackey.”

            Valentine put his finger up to his lips, smiled, and said, “You know I can’t say anything.” He turned around to leave, but then walked back, crossed his fingers, and said, “But we can only hope.”

            Nancy can't quite remember what he said next, either “I had no idea this is what it was like here” or “I had no idea it would be like this here.”

            “I looked at him and just wanted to hug him,” she recalls. Instead, she said, “This is one tough town.”

Nancy wants to believe again.

            Valentine sort of shrugged, so Nancy added “You listen to all this stuff, but not everybody is against you. I have season tickets -- look at my tattoos! [She has a Red Sox “B” on her right ankle and a “dangling Sox” on her right shoulder.] Plenty of people want you to succeed.”

            She describes what happened next. “Knowing he was a Catholic school boy, which means you’re required to take Latin in school, I said to him 'Illegitimi Non Carborundum,' which means 'Don’t let the bastards get you down.' I didn’t learn that from the nuns, but if you study Latin, you learn things.

            “He laughed, so I assumed he knew it too. If he was educated by the Jesuits, he knew it.”

            Prior to this interview, Nancy had told her story to only a few close friends with whom she shared her seats.

            “Why tell it to everyone now? I feel like it’s over,” she said. “They never stood behind him – Ben Cherington number one, along with the owners. I’m never going to forgive all of these people for the way it turned out. Tito was what I knew and it seemed to be working. But I was not a Tito guy before the end of last season, because he was enabling them to not 'Cowboy Up' and be our team.”

Nancy saw a bit of Vaentine's playful -- and honest -- sides.

            Now, with another disastrous season nearing its end, it's time for another change. What does Nancy think?

            “Now I’m really just sad. I love the Red Sox; I really just do not like this team. I can’t watch them. I feel really bad for Bobby V. This is not what he signed up for. It’s not what any of us -- including the few players still trying -- signed up for. We’re the embarrassment of MLB.”

            Besides an attitude overhaul, here are her other recommendations:

            “We have GOT to get rid of all the different jerseys -- red, navy, etc. You have your home whites and your travel grays – period.”

            “Sweet Caroline – kill it.”

            “The Wave – do not allow it.”

            “And they better not charge major-league prices next year -- for tickets and beer – when they’re not fielding a major league team!”

Tony Robbins tells the Red Sox “You CAN win” – and they listen

Fenway Fiction

Secret to their success?

When the Red Sox snapped their three-game losing streak in Cleveland last night, there was one man in the visitor's clubhouse who wasn't surprised in the least: Tony Robbins.

The self-help guru and motivational speaker, who has helped such world-class sports figures as Serena Williams, Greg Norman, and Pat Riley reach their peak performance, was at Progressive Field to help the Red Sox try and do the same.

“He was great; he told us, 'You CAN win, you have all the pieces, you just need to put them together and believe in yourself,'” said Clay Buchholz, Friday's starting pitcher. “When I let up that homer to Cabrera in the first, Tony called me over to the runway and looked right at me with those huge eyes of his. 'You CAN win and you WILL win,' he said, and I couldn't wait to get back out there.”

Buchholz is a believer.

Buchholz wound up pitching a two-hit, complete game victory, after which he enjoyed a beer toast with Robbins in the clubhouse. John Lackey proudly carried both cans over to them, after which he grabbed two more for himself.

Robbins, author of such bestselling books as Awaken the Giant Within and CDs like The Power to Shape Your Destiny was summoned to join the Red Sox on the second day of their crucial 10-game, 11-day roadtrip by team chairman Tom Werner, who credits Robbins for helping him out of a professional slump in Hollywood following his huge success in the 1980s and '90s producing TV series like “The Cosby Show” and “Roseanne.”

“Tony is the real deal,” said Werner. “When I went to him I was at my creative worst, and within two months I was coming up with '3rd Rock From the Sun.' He turned things around for me, and he can do it for this team.”

Werner believes Robbins can get the Red Sox back here.

A big part of Robbins' philosophy is based on gaining clarity about what you want and solving the conflicts between your emotions, desires, and beliefs. “The biggest problem is people want to know how to solve their problems, but what they need to do is create the life that they want – a life of their own design,” Robbins told the team before the game. “You have to start with what you want instead of what you don't want. Start with the end in mind.”

In the case of the Red Sox, the logical end point is the playoffs – but Robbins wants them to focus on getting there a piece at a time. He is taking a special interest in fallen aces Jon Lester and Josh Beckett, the underachieving pitching duo who have won one game between them in two months.

Lester channels his inner Shallow Hal.

“He keeps telling me not to think about the fact I'm 5-10, but to focus on the fact I had nearly a .700 winning percentage coming into this year,” Lester explained. “If he can make Jack Black think a 300-pound girl is Gwyneth Paltrow, he can get me back to where I want to be on the mound.”

Lester's first test with this new philosophy will come Sunday, when he faces Cleveland rookie Corey Kluber in the series finale. There is no word yet on how long Robbins will stay with the team, but it is believed he will fly on with the club to Baltimore and New York.

Please, no more “consistent” starts from Josh Beckett

It must be the end of the first.

There were a lot of late-arriving fans at Fenway Park Friday night, and they had the right idea: this year, with Josh Beckett pitching, the worst parts of the game for the Red Sox almost always come early.

Beckett had another dismal start to his start, and the Red Sox were down 4-0 to the Blue Jays after just two innings. A few hours before the game, Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington had told Tony Massarotti of 98.5 The Sports Hub that Beckett has “been very consistent if you look at the entire year.”

That seems like a stretch, unless you consider the early parts of games – when the Texas Chicken King has been consistently bad.

Beckett allowed two runs in the first inning Friday, raising his first-inning ERA to 10.69 for the season. He allowed two more in the second, and has now averaged 6.65 runs allowed over the first three innings of his 16 starts. The fact he does far better from the fourth inning on is of little consolation; Beckett consistently puts the Red Sox in an early hole, and the team has won just six of his starts.

The Sox need Beckett to raise his game -- before it's too late.

This latest lackluster start was especially frustrating coming on the heels of Boston's exhilarating walk-off win Thursday, and left fans wondering once again if the Red Sox can ever turn this season around. It also again raises the question of how long it will take before Cherington and the Red Sox brass say enough is enough and dump the Texas Chicken King.

When Massarotti asked Cherington Friday whether Beckett (now 5-8) or fellow underachieving starter Jon Lester (5-7) was on the trading block,the GM would not confirm either way but did say that the clubhouse problems that helped derail last year's team have not been a factor in this year's struggles.

“I haven't seen anything from anybody in our clubhouse this year, including the pitchers, that has been anything but professionalism and trying to get the job done on the field,” Cherington said.

The beer is gone -- but where are the wins?

There may be no longer be beer and chicken to worry about, but with the team now 12-22 in games pitched by its two “aces,” more than the menu has to change if Boston expects to stay in the wildcard hunt.

Tomorrow it's Lester's turn in the rotation. The trade deadline is July 31. Red Sox Nation is watching.

Reasons to stay positive about the Red Sox -- for now

Ellsbury is back -- but is it too late?

If you have been listening to sports talk radio in Boston during the past four days, you know that fans and media pundits have all but thrown in their Morgan Magic towels on the 2012 Red Sox season.

They believe Ben Cherington should trade Josh Beckett or Jon Lester to break up the dysfunctional, disappointing pitching staff, bring in more young kids and start playing for next season. Bobby Valentine should be shown the door at year's end as well, unless he somehow steers this miserable ship into the postseason.

But as much as there is reason for fans to be frustrated, there are still 76 more games to play—and a lot of big changes on the horizon for the team. There are also several very plausible scenarios that could work out in Boston's favor. Call me a 100th-anniversary-toast-cup-full kind of guy, but I'm not ready to give up just yet.

Why should Red Sox fans stay positive? Here are a few reasons:

Boston fans hope Jacoby has plenty to smile about.

After missing almost the entire season with a shoulder injury suffered on April 13, Gold Glove outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is expected to be in the Boston lineup for tonight's game against the Rays. The 2011 AL MVP runner-up had a 30-30 season last year and was one of the few Red Sox players not to wilt in September.

While it can't be expected that Ellsbury returns to his 2011 form immediately, he should immediately give the team a boost offensively and defensively. And if he takes a while getting into form, Valentine has Daniel Nava—who filled in very admirably in Ellsbury's absence—to step in when needed.

Like Nava, who was not even invited to spring training, Will Middlebrooks has given the Red Sox far more than they ever expected in his first season. His hustle, steady defense and production—10 homers and 37 RBI in just 48 games—prompted management to trade incumbent third baseman Kevin Youkilis and hand his job to the rookie.

Middlebrooks has perfected the Youk glare.

A sore hamstring has kept Middlebrooks on the shelf for the last seven games, but he's back tonight as well. Even if he can't keep up his .298 batting average, he's a big upgrade at third from Nick Punto, a .212 hitter with just eight RBI in 49 games.

On the surface, the 2012 season has been a disaster for Boston's top three starters. The team is just 12-20 in games started by Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz has been on the disabled list since June 24 with a gastrointestinal bleed.

Forget about the wings -- just win.

But things may not be as dismal as they seem. Buchholz was 4-0 with a 2.40 ERA in four June starts before his illness kicked in, and since it was a non-pitching-related injury, there is good reason to believe he'll return to that form. He looked strong in a rehab appearance for Pawtucket, and is slated to start Sunday's game against the Rays.

Beckett and Lester have been major disappointments, no doubt about it. Watching each of them get shelled in the first inning in their starts against the Yankees was maddening to Boston fans. But before sending one or both of them out of town, management should show a little more patience.

Throw out the New York outing, and Beckett had been pitching much better of late—with a 3.80 ERA in eight starts during May and June. And while Lester is just 5-6, his strikeout-walk ratio and WHIP are not too far off his terrific career averages. 

There is still time for both these guys to turn things around.

Dustin Pedroia is small in stature but huge on guts. He played weeks with a thumb injury that resulted in one of the worst slumps of his career, before finally relenting and going on the disabled list.

David Ortiz and Co. can't wait for Petey's return.

He's expected back for the Toronto series starting July 20, and since his cast came off a week earlier than originally anticipated, chances are the injury was less serious than initially feared.

Everybody in baseball knows that Pedroia is not a .266 hitter. He won't be the rest of the season.

Before fans write off Carl Crawford as the worst free agent signing in Red Sox history, they should give the guy another chance to show what he can do.

Carl Crawford has something to prove.

He was a Gold Glove outfielder and a Silver Bat hitter in Florida, and at age 30 should still be in his prime. His first year in Boston was a dud, for sure, but we all know what the Boston pressure can do to players—especially those coming from places like Tampa Bay, where baseball is not religion.

Crawford has a reputation as a hard-working, smart, determined athlete. Surely missing this entire season with a succession of injuries has been difficult for him, and now that he knows how tough things can get in Boston, he won't be surprised the second time around.

Fan expectations are down. That might be just what Crawford—and the rest of the Red Sox—need to turn things around.

What is the woeful stat haunting this year's Red Sox?

Jon Lester pitched well, but it wasn't enough.

If the Red Sox expect to be in the running for a playoff spot in the second half of the season, there is one area they certainly need to improve in: their record in low-scoring games.

After last night’s heartbreaking 3-2 setback at Oakland, the Sox are just 4-29 in games in which they have scored three or fewer runs. This translates out to a .121 winning percentage, one of the worst such marks in the majors. It also points to a key deficiency on the year's team—top-notch starting pitching.

Unlike past years—when the Red Sox always had at least one clear ace who could match up against top opposing starters—the inconsistency on this year's Boston staff has made for many frustrating nights. Even when a pitcher has a strong start, like Jon Lester Tuesday, he seldom makes it through seven innings due to high pitch counts and a quick hook from Bobby Valentine.

Adding to the angst is that the Sox still have one of baseball's best offensive clubs overall, ranking third in the AL in average (.268), slugging (.444) and OPS (.772) through Monday. They have won their share of 9-4 and 15-5 games, but have struggled along at around .500 all year because of their low-scoring losses.

June offers a perfect microcosm of the problem. While the Red Sox had a decent 15-12 record overall for the month, they were 1-9 when scoring three or less runs—including 1-0 and 3-2 losses to the lowly Mariners last week. 

Strasburg and the Nationals had the Sox' number.

 During a 1-5 homestand against Baltimore and Washington earlier in June, Boston lost games of 2-1, 4-2 and 4-3. They were swept by the Nationals—who got excellent starting performances from their terrific trio of Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman. The Red Sox got decent pitching as well during that series, but it wasn't quite good enough.

Boston fans have been spoiled for most of the past 25 years. Even when the Red Sox didn't make the playoffs, they had a dominating pitcher who could win the 2-1 and 4-2 games. First it was Roger Clemens, then Pedro Martinez, and then Curt Schilling. To a slightly lesser degree, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester have fit this bill the last couple of seasons, but this has been an ace-less year.

Beckett (4-7), Lester (5-5) and the demoted Daniel Bard (5-6) have all been disappointments; and while Clay Buchholz (8-2) and Felix Doubront (8-4) both have winning records, their ERAs of 5.53 and 4.42 make it clear they have been the beneficiary of very strong run support.

Although closer Alfredo Aceves blew Tuesday's game, for the most part Boston's surprisingly efficient relief corps have kept them from falling even further into mediocrity. There is not much these guys can do, however, if they usually get the ball with the Sox already behind.

Pedro is gone, but the Sox need an ace.

After the end of this woeful West Coast string, Boston has four big games with the AL East-leading Yankees heading into the all-star break. Somebody on the starting staff needs to step up against New York and in the weeks that follow if the Red Sox want to be playing come October.

Can Beckett put an end to his "Saberhagen Syndrome" with Red Sox?

Josh Beckett certainly pitched well enough to win last Saturday, but a no-decision against the Rays kept his record at a ho-hum 4-4. Even after three straight strong starts, his ERA is still a less-than-impressive 4.15 and the question remains: 

Beckett's inconsistency can be maddening.

Is Beckett suffering from Saberhagen Syndrome?


Many baseball fans are familiar with Steve Blass Disease, named after the Pirates right-hander who was a World Series hero and 19-game winner in the early 1970s, and then suddenly found himself unable to get the ball over the plate. Blass lost his effectiveness all at once, never to get it back, but Beckett's troubles more closely mirror another former pitcher who suited up for the Royals, Mets, Red Sox, and Rockies from 1984-2001.


Bret Saberhagen was a two-time Cy Young Award winner before he turned 26, and earned the MVP award in the 1985 World Series for two complete-game victories over the Cardinals. There was something about his career, however, that confounded his managers and kept him from reaching the Hall of Fame heights once predicted for him.


I call it Saberhagen Syndrome. For nearly a decade, each time the slim righty had a winning season, he followed it up with a losing one. Starting with his rookie year, the stretch went like this:


1984: 10-11
1985: 20-6 Cy Young Award) 
1986: 7-12
1987: 18-10
1988: 14-16
1989:  23-6 (Cy Young Award)
1990:  5-9
1991:  13-8 
1992:  3-5
Record in even years: 39-53 (.423 winning percentage) 
Record in odd years: 74-30 (.711)

Saberhagen's ups and downs left everyone perplexed.

Saberhagen had several injuries during the stretch, and in some years his ERA was better than his record showed, but in terms of wins and losses there is no denying a pattern. He would pitch more consistently with Boston in the late '90s, but by then a bad shoulder had rendered him far less durable -- and his career was effectively over at age 35.


Beckett's case is a bit more complicated. He too has a propensity for pitching far better in odd years than even ones, when his earned-run average really shoots up. Starting with his first year in Boston, during which he somehow went 16-11, his stats look like this:


2006: 16-11, 5.01 ERA
2007: 20-7, 3.27
2008: 12-10, 4.03
2009: 17-6, 3.86
2010: 6-6. 5.78
2011: 13-7, 2.89
2012: 4-4, 4.15
Record and ERA in even years: 38-31, 4.79
Record and ERA in odd years: 50-20, 3.35


It's still unclear at this point if the trend is going to continue all the way through 2012; Beckett's ERA is actually far lower than his even-year average, and he's given up three runs or less in seven of nine starts. Like Saberhagen, Beckett has shown an ability to be among the best pitchers in baseball, and he too has shined in the postseason -- with two World Series rings to show for it.


But at age 32 -- the same age Steve Blass lost it all -- Beckett is still seeking the consistency that is a trademark of great stars. Will he be able to find it this year, or will be continue to be an every-other-year ace?

Which Beckett are we going to get this year?