By now, most of you have already heard that Red Sox great, Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk was arrested on charges of driving under the influence. He was found asleep behind the wheel in the middle of a cornfield. There was an open bottle of Vodka on the floor of his vehicle. Fisk was brought to the hospital and released from custody the next morning after posting bail.
During his 24 year playing career, Carlton Fisk is most remembered for running down the line, waving his home run fair during the 1975 World Series.
John Farrell was officially introduced as the 46th manager of the Boston Red Sox today at noon. Everyone down the line from Owners, Chairmen, General Manager, and even former and current players were on board to congratulate Farrell. Most of them even stood up to say a few words about him and everyone spoke so highly of him. With much praise about his leadership skills and intelligence all around the game of baseball, it is no wonder why the Sox made this choice so quickly, as soon as they were given permission to speak to him from the Toronto Blue Jays.
As the search for a Red Sox Manager continues, many people believe that the Sox have already interviewed their best option. Although most people want John Farrell, that is very unlikely due to the fact that he is still the head coach of the Blue Jays for one more season. So far, the team has interviewed four candidates:
LA Dodgers third-base coach Tim Wallach: 55 years old, played 3rd base for 16 seasons, 5 time all star. He has only been a minor league head coach, but has been a hitting coach and third-base coach in the majors.
NY Yankees bench coach Tony Pena: 55 years old, played catcher for 18 seasons (with Sox from 1990-93), 5 time All-Star as a player, 2003 AL Manager of the Year
SD Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus: 43 years old, the only candidate without experience as a coach or manager. 1-time All-Star in 1999, 3-time Gold Glove winner.
Baltimore Orioles third-base coach DeMarlo Hale(Pictured): 51 years old, only played 4 seasons (split between Oakland and Boston), left the Sox when Francona did. He is the most popular choice of the candidates so far. He is known for his down-to-earth coaching style and knows how to treat and adapt to each player, unlike Bobby V did last season. He was a minor league coach in our organization for years as well, this guy could be the best choice to keep the job ‘in the family’.
Who do you think the Red Sox should choose as their next manager to rebound us from our horribly disappointing season?
Monster free agent signing in the MLB yesterday. Prince Fielder joined Miguel Cabrera and the reigning AL Cy Young and MVP Justin Verlander in Detroit. I thought two things when I saw this signing. First, was HOLY SHIT. This was simply due to Fielders NINE year $214 million dollar contract. I can’t believe the Tigers agreed to such a long contract with a 27 year old guy like Prince.
Second thing I thought of (and the point of this article) was that this has created one of the best 3-4 batters in a lineup in a while. Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder have a chance to do something real special over in Detroit. I immediately thought of Manny-Big Papi for the Red Sox in 2004 and 2005. They were the best in business (maybe steroids had a bit to do with it) and they were a force for years. More importantly, they were consistent and incredibly clutch, clutch enough to break an 86 year old curse.
Here is the 2004 and 2005 seasons in stats for Manny and Ortiz and Feilder and Miguel Cabrera’s individual stats for last year:
Before anyone gets on my case, I understand Prince just came from a pretty good 3-4 punch on the Brewers with Ryan Braun, but Miguel has never batted around the type of talent Prince has, thus inflating his stats in future years (and no Victor Martinez, who batted behind Cabrera last year, does not count). Braun has had the protection of Prince for 5 years and I like to think this has influenced his stats a great deal. Don’t get me wrong, he is a great player, but I like Miguel Cabrera as a hitter more than steroid boy Braun.
After throwing up this comparison, in some ways I feel stupid. The numbers from Ortiz and Manny are jaw dropping. That’s all that can be said. Granted they may have had some help from a few friendly needles up their ass, but those numbers are rediculous. I think Cabrera will have an incredible year this year and Fielder might even have a better year in hitter friendly Comerica Park, but who knows if they can touch Manny and Papi’s numbers. The big factor will be whether they can win a couple World Series rings together, like the former two led the Sox to do.
Boston Sports Blog 