SB Nation User Blog: LouieTheLip

J Weaver To File Complaint Against MLB over Wakefield

LouieTheLip — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:07:33 -0000

Weaver was livid when he recently heard the reason Joe Maddon gave for choosing Wakefield as an all star. Maddon said it was a lifetime acheivement award of sorts.

You see Weaver has an incentive that pays him 1 million dollars if he makes the all star team and here is Maddon handing out awards to his buddy.

It isn't true but it sounds like something plausible.. Players do have these kinds of incentives and players use all star appearances on their resume' when settling a contract. The hall of fame voters will use all star selections as one of many criteria. All I am saying is that it isn't just a sentimental pick that hurts no one. Baseball is a buisness and I'm sure Weaver could turn some all star appearances into extra cash come time.

Another Boston HOMER on The National Stage

LouieTheLip — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:11:31 -0000

Add Ryen Russilo to the list.

The Scott Van Pelt show which is new to ESPN has Ryen Russilo co hosting. I am very familiar with this guy considering he's a Boston fan who works in the local media here in Mass. He isn't the worst of the bunch but I was watching the show for the first time today and it took all of five minutes before he was taking cheap shots at the Yankees players. Scott was talking about why pitchers expect batters to be humble but then you have certain pitchers, who he wouldn't name, who get excited. Before he could finish his sentence Ryen Russilo screams out Joba Chamberlains name. It isn' that he called out Joba. It's the fact that he is exactly what is wrong with the Boston sports fan. He is a hypocrite. I'm glad that Scott soon after mentioned Paplebon. If he had any sports IQ as a Boston fan who has Paplebon as their guy the better choice might have been calling out Zambrano. To shout out Joba's name before the guy could finish a sentence clesrly makes you a hypocritical unobjective homer and hater. This was a perfect example of how you can't listen to a Boston fan talk sports at any length before they are taking cheap shots at NY. Hypocritical cheap shots at that.

The difference between the NY and Boston media, and their fans is clear.

Guys like Mike Lupica and Francesca are CONSTANTLY being quoted here in Boston to support their irrational arguements. I hate that these guys are giving ammuntion to the fans in Boston, but I'm glad that as fans they try to be objective when doing their jobs. I miss that!! What Boston doesn't understand is that Lupica and Francesca work in a culture that doesn't want a yes man. New Yorkers want you to tell it like it is. If anything they are TOO CRITICAL most of the time. New York is diverse and there are as many Yankee haters as lovers. When you present a baseball arguement in the NY / tri state area you better have some facts and stats to back it up or you will get hammered. However in Boston when you present a sports opinion you better have your Pom Poms out or YOU WILL GET HAMMERED!

In New England 98% of the fans are fans of the same 4 teams. There is no debate, they are all on the same page as to who the best teams, players, and coaches are,.......theirs. NO DEBATE.

And yes I am obsessed. I am obsessed with their obsession over us.

And yes I have an Agenda. To expose fraudulent homers. To destroy their stronghold and superior influence in the world of sports talk and politics.

Wakefield Won't Get A Post Season Start

LouieTheLip — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 22:59:30 -0000

His own organization doesn't trust him enough to start a post season game, but they scream and hollar he should be an all star. Maybe it's because Wakefield has given up 5 runs or more in 5 starts, or 1/3 of his starts. Meanwhile Kevin Millwood has given up 5 runs ONCE. He has a lower ERA, Lower WHIP more K's more innings pitched, and Kevin Millwood lost 4 games giving up 2 runs or fewer!!!. Than there is Jared Weaver who also has better numbers across the board and has CARRIED the team as a NUMBER ONE while Lackey, Santana, and Escobar were out. I don't think Burnett or Sabathia have pitched particularly well but they still pitched better than Wakefield.

Show me another all star starter who has given up 5 runs ore more in 1/3 of their starts and I'll blow you!!!

Red Sox Nation Is Real,.........

LouieTheLip — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:51:54 -0000

And it's spiraling out of control. As I discussed on an earlier thread this Tim Wakefield all star lobbying is REDONKULOUS!! Well it's worse than I thought. I'm watching ESPN last night and they throw out 4 names while discussing who should start the ALL Star game for the AL. Tim Wakefield was one of the 4 guys they put up for discussion. Meanwhile he was just out pitched by Felix Hernandez. Felix Hernandez has been out pitching Wakefield ALL YEAR and has half his ERA and no luxury of 6 runs per game run support. Felix Hernandez is just one of about 10 guys who have out pitched Wakefield all year in the AL. How does Tim Wakefields name get brought up for discussion. I'll tell you how. The local media in Boston has infiltrated the national stage. You have Boston HOMERS with a ton of influence across the board. Little whispers in a PODUNK little city turn into national discussion. I think it's pathetic that the squeeky wheel gets the most oil but that's what happens. Don't be fooled by what is going on in Boston. They understand the influence they have and use it. Over hyping their players to get more value is going on CONSTANTLY through local media which the national guys who were once Boston guys now get wind of and then all of the sudden you hear something enough and it becomes real. I will not lay down without a fight. So here I am.

You know what else is pathetic. For the last week leading up to the end of all star voting, every time you watched a Red Sox game you would learn of the website you can go to to vote for your "favorite" Red Sox to send to ST. Louis. I. Even the way they phrased it was sketchy. "Vote for your favorite Red Sox". It is sad that fans who claim to be so sophisticated and knowledgeable are simple minded unobjective homers. I'm sorry. Ian Kinsler was GOING TO BE THE MVP LAST YEAR before he got hurt. It would be a shame to see the MVP by default start at first base when clearly Kinsler is the better player having the better season.

Yankee Universe needs to wake up because the nation and it's voice are getting louder and louder!

My Life In Boston

LouieTheLip — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:48:19 -0000

I'm sorry I have to be the guy who comes to the Yankee forum to hate on the Red Sox. It's not the only topic I'll be speaking on, but as a former Jersey Boy living outside of Boston I NEED AN OUTLET. I didn't know how real the hatred is for Yankee fans but it goes beyond baseball. Make no mistake when I give my sports opinion people change towards me. I will be reporting here and venting on what I'm hearing locally.

So what I'm hearing now is a whole region of the country (New England) lobbying to get Tim Wakefield a spot on the all star team. Their arguements are WEAK and here are a few.

"There should be a spot for a sentimental pick" I ask sentimental to who??? How would the rest of the country feel sentiment to a number 5 pitcher who doesn't even have good enough stuff to start a post season game for his team. I mean Wakefield is a class act but a sentimental favorite,....COME ON. Even if he was a sentimental favorite so what.

"He's never been an all star before". The best thing about the pitchers going to the game is that they are usually the most deserving bunch because they are picked by baseball people. not the fans. We complain about the fans picking their favorites instead of the most deserving and now these same people are asking for just that.

"He wants to be an all star! This is actually something I've heard more than once. "It would be refreshing to see a guy who actually wants it to go". I'm not making this stuff up people

Of course the 10 wins is what they all point to in the stats area. Of all the numbers we all know wins is at the bottom of the list as as far as performance goes. We all know Wakefield would be 7-6 with the same numbers in San Fran. If he was lucky 7-6

In my opinion Pettite has been every bit as good and has numbers just as good but I would never beg to have him be an an all star when there is obviously many more pitchers more deserving.

Since I have no objectivity in my life since I moved to Mass. please tell me If I'm wrong. Tell me if lobbying to have Wakefield be an all star is no big deal. Tell me it shouldn't bother me at all. Is it not pathetic to beg for awards and accolades? Is it not pathetic to scream and yell until you get your way??

Disturbing Trend

LouieTheLip — Thu, 28 May 2009 04:34:43 -0000

I was thinking about how awful the Red Sox look on the road this year. It left me wondering if there was a direct link. The Red Sox have one of the biggest home field advantages in baseball and have intelligently built their team around it. What I discovered may worry some.

I went back as far as 2004 when they started this run.

In 2007 the Red Sox clearly the best team in the league. There is no debate about it. They won the toughest division in baseball and rolled through the post season en route to a championship. The Red Sox road record was the best it's been during the magical run. They went 45-36.

In 2004 they won the wildcard and the championship. That year they had their second best road record over the run. They went 43-38. Almost as good as 2007, but not quite. Like the team itself.

In 2006 the red Sox finished in third and missed the playoffs. That year they had their worst road record over the past 5 years. they went 38-43

In 2005 they didn't win the division but had an identical record to the division winner and won the wildcard but lost in the playoffs. That year they had their 3rd best home record at 41-40

And finally last year 2nd place and their road record not quite as bad as in 2006 when they finished in 3rd. Last year their record was 39-42

It's uncanny. The link matches perfectly. Their best year 2007 they had the best road record. the second best year in 2004 led to the second best road record. Third best year in 2005 when they finished tied with the Yankees they had their 3rd best road record. The year they finished in 3rd and missed the playoffs they had their worst road record.

It's no surprise the Red Sox look great at home, but the last 5 years suggests the road record is a better barometer.

Leave The New Yankee Stadium Alone

LouieTheLip — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:10:28 -0000

I live outside of Boston and I'm taking a beaten over the jet stream at Yankee stadium. Which is why I LOVE THE NEW STADIUM AND THE JET STREAM. Red Sox fans have enjoyed the luxury of inflated numbers for a century now. When Peter Gammons (President of red Sox nation) calls the stadium the "Biggest Joke In Baseball" It infuriates me. All of Red Sox nation is hating it because they are hypocrited through and through. Here are some splits that support my argument.

Player         Fenway         Away
Pedroia        342                290
Ortiz              313                264      scrub and Minnesota knew it
Lugo             300               264       scrub
Ellsbury        313               276       eeeeh
Youkilis        303               285
Lowell          306               273        remember he was a contract dump for Florida

Drew is about the same and Bay doesn't have enough at bats to judge.
Everyone of these guys is a tremendous hitter at Fenway and some of them are Scrubs elsewhere. NOT ONE 300 hitter outside of the shoe box they call Fenway. Fenway makes Lugo look like a great hitter.

Let's look at some present and former Yankees

Jeter             322                    309
ARod             310                    300
Bernie          295                     299
Great hitter regardless.

A few more to chew on

Varitek          278                      247    basically a scrub
Rice               320                     277    HOF????
Boggs           369                     302
Ted Williams 355                   320

It seems to me that Fenway can turn scrubs in to great players and great players in to legends and Hall of Famers. There is nothoing to fix at Yankee Stadium and if they do they are playing right in to the Red Sox hands. Leave it alone

Here Come The Smoltz, Here Come the Smoltz

LouieTheLip — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:17:48 -0000

There was only one move the Sox made that made me a little jealous. That was John Smoltz. I thought you stole this guy. Coming off major surgery, but not injury prone. Smoltz could end up being the ACE when it's all said and done. When he's right he's dominant consistently. Unlike Beckett who dominates from time to time. Smoltz worries me.

As far as Beckett goes I don't know what you expect. There is only one problem with Becett. He is way to over rated in this town and the expectations are that this guy will dominate all season. The facts are he's always been inconsistent and he's had only one good season with the Sox. It was a super human performance in 2007 and I became a believer. I drafted him on my fantasy team in 2008 and he was inconsistent all year long. It was the same old Beckett. It was flashes of dominance and then back to five runs a game. Sure you remember he was hurt towards the end of the last season and tend to think that was the story all season. It wasn't. The fact is the entire season was,.......ehhhhh. The 2007 season was phenomnal. It's funny what a great defense and a ton of run support can do when it coincides with a career year. Josh Beckett has always been inconsistent and has always been a guy who doesn't pitch so well unless everything is right for him. You see this tough guy persona which makes it hard for you to see how fragile he really is. He has had nagging injuries throughout his career and has proved he doesn't pitch so well through them. He throws the fast ball too much at times and is rarely on the same page with Varitek. You tell me that Varitek knows the batters better than anyone, but don't knock Josh for not trusting him.

John Lester is young. Big league batters adjust. He'll adjust

To All The Know Nothings

LouieTheLip — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 02:28:01 -0000

Anyone who thinks that the Red Sox and Rays are the Class of the AL East. Think about this and then think again.

The Yankees had their worst season in 12 years, and the Rays had their best season ever, yet we went 11-7 against them during the regular season. As far as the Red Sox go. People need to stop acting as if the Red Sox have been beating up on the Yankees on their way to championships. They beat us ONCE when it counted. Once in 90 years that is all. That was in 2004 and it was a good thing they did. If they wouldn't have beat us in 2004 the rivalry may have died. After all the other team has to win sometimes for it to be a rivalry.

JOSH BECKETT DOES NOT SCARY ANYONE!!!! Sorry Boston. he had a storybook season in 07, but that's not what he does year in and year out. His 4 plus ERA in the AL over the last 3 years is more like it.

The Yankees #1 pitcher last year, who they didn't have for most of the year, is now their number 3. The Yankees best starting pitcher is their #5. THAT'S RIGHT. I said it!! Everyone keeps talking about the big 3, but statistically speaking JOBA is hands down the most dominant. I wish they would just take the gloves off this guy already. If he was the #4,.....IT'S GAME OVER!!!!!!

The Yankees, Rays and Sox were neck and neck last year, and the Yankees are the most improved from a season ago. Do the math!

Buying Championships??

LouieTheLip — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:39:42 -0000

I have a trivia question for you. There are only 2 teams that have won the world series with a payroll over 100 million. Can you name them? Answer: The 2004 and 2007 Boston red Sox. The Yankees last won a world series in 2000, the Yankees payroll was 93 million. Sounds like Boston decided to start spending some money shortly there after. That's why the Red Sox have been successful lately. They opened up their wallets finally. It only took 26 rings and 90 years to understand you better play like the Yankees to compete with the Yankees. The NEW OWNERSHIP OF THE RED SOX GOT IT! The Yankees aren't doing anything new. THE RED SOX ARE! The Red Sox are keeping up but they tend to be a little smarter with their money because they have to be. A smaller empire, but an empire none the less. The Yankees over pay because they can. The talent is equal, but Theo pays less. PERIOD!! They have won 2 championships over the last four years and outspend 95% percent of the other teams, yet the fans complain about the system they have benn very successful in with the new ownership group. It doesn't matter how much a player makes. Julio Lugo gets 9 million per season and Pedroia 8. As a matter of fact in 2009 Pedroia's salary will be 1.5 million. What does that mean?? Lugo is HORRIBLE and Pedroia the MVP. Look at Drew who is currently the highest paid player on the Sox yet I'd rather have Bay in a heartbeat. The salary doesn't always reflect the talent. The Red Sox are one of the big boys now.

75 million for Drew. 100 million for Matsuzaka. Now 200 million for Tex??? If you ever have the balls to complain about spending again I may have a heart attack. Manny, Ortiz, Beckett, Schilling. Lowell These five guys are the biggest reason for the success of Boston the last four years. These players were purchased. Whether you traded young talent for them or just payed cash. YOU BOUGHT YOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS