Hester Prynne.Cy Young faced 1527 batters in 1902. Of course, that was back in the day when pitchers made 40 starts a year and rarely pitched anything less than a complete game.
Among active players, the record is held by Roger Clemens (he hasn't officially retired yet). He faced 1157 batters in 1987.Red Sox Card of the Day: Oil Can Boyd, 1988 ToppsJonathan Papelbon agreed to a one-year $755,000 contract with the Red Sox today.
Though not quite the $900,000 he wanted, it's a huge jump over what he would have earned had his contract simply been renewed.The 2008 Beckett Bowl has been announced. Last year's event raised $275,000 for the Children's Hospital in Boston, so it's a pretty cool thing. The 1996 Red Sox went 19 straight games with a home run from 7/4-7/25/1996.
They hit a total of 30 home runs over that span, with an OPS of .858. Red Sox Card of the Day: Ed Romero, 1988 ToppsDear Jonathan Papelbon, Prince Fielder, and Cole Hamels,
Please stop crying.
Randy Johnson did not cry when he exploded a dove with a fastball.
Dave Winfield did not cry when he killed a seagull with a warm up throw. He also did not cry when the police charged him with animal cruelty.
Jose Canseco did not cry when syringes were repeatedly stabbed into his ass.Jim Rice grounded into 36 double plays in 1984, breaking the old record of 32 set by Jackie Jensen in 1954. Red Sox Card of the Day: Jeff Sellers, 1988 ToppsI was opposed to the addition of the Coke bottles in 1997, but I have to admit I'll miss the Coke bottle shots now that they've been taken down.
I'm also saddened that we'll never get to see Bartolo Colon shimmy up the pole and try to drink them.
The bottles will be replaced by a Coca-Cola sign at the top of the upper deck in left field, where 412 new seats have been added. This section will now forever be known as Coca-Cola Corner. See, it's catchy because every letter starts with a C.Red Sox Card of the Day: Aaron Sele, 1995 Collector's ChoiceWade Boggs went four straight games with at least 6 plate appearances. His streak ran from 9/19-9/23/1989. Jonathan Papelbon hasn't been shy about wanting a new contract from the Red Sox.
He made $425,000 in 2007, and though he understands he doesn't have a lot of leverage with only two years of service, he feels undervalued given what other third year All-Stars have received. Ryan Howard got $900,000 in his third year, said Papelbon. “There it is. It’s staring (the Red Sox) right in the face." I don't normally like to post about new site features, but this is a pretty big one.
On the left rail, you'll now see Login/Register links. Registering is free, and I won't spam you or give out your email address. To quote the terms of service, I hate spam and won't contribute to it in anyway. That policy will never change.
Once registered, you can leave comments and access your profile. In your profile you can upload an avatar, upload photos, send private messages, etc.
You're welcome to promote your own site by entering your site URL in your profile. The URL works like a signature, in that a link to your site will appear below each comment you leave. Check out my comment on this entry for an example.
Don't bother spamming links in the comment fields, though -- no HTML is allowed there. Like I said, I hate spam:)
Let me know if you run into any problems.
KevinIn 2002, Rickey Henderson had an OPS of .721 despite a batting average of .223. He was 43 years old.Red Sox Card of the Day: Sam Horn, 1988 DonrussMike Lowell, Dustin Pedroia, Jonathan Papelbon and Alex Cora each made asses of themselves last night for charity.
At this point, would you flinch if Papelbon channeled Kevin Bacon in Footloose and did a back flip on the mound while yelling, Hey, hey! What's this I see? I thought this was a party. LET'S DANCE! In a brilliant display of passive-aggression, John Henry responded to Hank Steinbrenner's verbal bombs by giving him his very own Red Sox Nation citizenship card.
Red Sox Card of the Day: Spike Owen, 1989 DonrussIn 1978, Bill Campbell had an ERA of 3.91 despite a .391 BABIP. He gave up 62 hits in 50.2 innings, while opponents had a .362 OBP and .403 SLG.As if Manny wasn't Zen enough already, he's now meditating in his free time.
He says he skipped the Washington trip because it would have interfered with his meditation schedule, and laughed when he heard that President Bush singled him out.
In 1934, Lefty Grove had a season ERA of 6.50 over 109.1 innings.
No other hall of famer in Red Sox history has had a higher ERA with more than 50 innings pitched.Red Sox Card of the Day: Lee Smith, 1990 ToppsThe ever-heroic Jerry Remy was sworn in as president of Red Sox Nation in Washington on Wednesday. Just two days later, he's already facing his first national crisis.
Remy must defend his people from an attack by Hank Steinbrenner, who continues to make an ass of himself.
Red Sox Nation? Hank says. What a bunch of [expletive] that is. That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans. Go anywhere in America and you won’t see Red Sox hats and jackets, you’ll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We’re going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order.
I'd like to see that $9.95 Red Sox Nation membership fee invested in a Hank Steinbrenner missile defense system.David Wells was 42.107 years old when he pitched a complete game vs. Baltimore on 9/4/2005.Red Sox Card of the Day: Tom Brunansky, 1991 LeafThe annual exhibition game vs. Boston College is a lot like the first week of NCAA football when all the good teams pair themselves up with terrible teams and beat the living crap out of them for sixty minutes just to build up some hype and inflate their BCS numbers.
If the Red Sox had lost, Sean Casey, The Nicest Man on Earth, would have speared a kid when he snapped a bat in half and threw it like a javelin into the Boston College celebration pile.On Dennis and Callahan yesterday, Jonathan Papelbon confessed that his celebratory jig dancing skills earned him an invite to be a contestant on Dancing With the Stars.
This is not good.Earl Webb hit 67 doubles in 1931. He finished the season with a .333 BA and .932 OPS. Red Sox Card of the Day: Scott Cooper, 1992 DonrussManny didn't take the trip to Washington today, and George Bush took the opportunity to roast him for it.
Manny Ramirez isn't here, I guess his grandmother died again, the president said.
Ouch.
It would have been fine to mention the grill. It would have been fine to mention the car. Hell, even make a joke about how the Red Sox had to leave him behind because his dreadlocks wouldn't fit in the overhead bin or the seat in front of him. The grandmother thing is just a little below the belt, but I guess that's just George being George.Wally Schang stole 15 bases in 1919, the most ever by a Red Sox catcher.Red Sox Card of the Day: Bill Buckner, 1987 DonrussBartolo Colon did not have a Slim Fast shake in his hand when he reported to camp today.
I knew he was going to be big, but the dude's bigger than I expected.
Just to give myself a little ray of hope for Colon, I thought I'd make a list of the 10 biggest pitchers ever to have a good season in the major leagues. To qualify for this list, a pitcher must have been a big dude, posted a season ERA of less than 4.00, and logged at least 80 innings. As far as gambling odds go, the Red Sox are the favorites to win the World Series.
The Sox are +300 to repeat as World Series champions, meaning that you'd get $3 for a winning $1 wager.
The Yankees and Mets are tied for second with +325, and the Orioles, Pirates, Giants and Nationals are given virtually no chance. They're all 100-1 long shots (+10,000).
He may not be a true DH, but Manny Ramirez played that role for 87 games in 2001. Over the course of the season, he struck out 147 times. Red Sox Card of the Day: Otis Nixon, 1994 FlairEight individuals have been selected for induction to the Red Sox Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held on November 7th at the Marriott Copley Hotel in Boston.
Here's a quick breakdown of the honorees:
Mike Greenwell: He was my second favorite Red Sox when I was growing up, coming in just a hair behind Wade Boggs. Pulling a Mike Greenwell card was always a treat, because you knew it was worth big money. And by big money, I mean $1.00 -- which was pretty good for a time when commons went for a nickel and packs cost 40 cents.The Red Sox have set a date on which they'll measure Colon's effectiveness and decide whether or not to pursue the out clause. However, they're not going to reveal that date to the media -- and rightly so. It would put counterproductive pressure on Colon.
I'm still skeptical that Bartolo will ever pitch a meaningful inning for the Red Sox, but it would be really nice if I'm wrong.Francona's extension will earn him $12 million over the next three seasons, and he'll make $250,000 for each/any World Series appearance (I'm trying really hard not to jinx us here, but the wording is tricky).
The contract also includes a two year club option that would raise the total value of the contract to $20 million and keep Francona with the Red Sox through 2013. Dwight Evans was 30 years old when he hit 2 triples on 5/11/1982. I'm a bit surprised that this record has held up for 25 seasons...but we have enough over 30 sluggers on the roster this season that this record could fall. Red Sox Card of the Day: Roger Clemens, 1990 ScoreAn unnamed source told Jerry Crasnik that the Red Sox have reached an agreement with Bartolo Colon on a minor league deal.
I have to admit that I was a bit blindsided by this move. I'd heard some rumors that the Red Sox might be interested, but none of them were terribly credible. I expected him to end up with the White Sox or Astros. Terry Francona has agreed to a three year extension reportedly worth between $3-4 million annually, putting him among the highest paid managers in the game.
His contract will run through the 2011 season.Red Sox Card of the Day: Ellis Burks, 1988 ToppsOn 6/20/1961, Bill Monbouquette allowed 8 runs over 7 innings and still managed to pick up the win. His final line: 7 ER, 7 BB, 7 SO, 8 H, 3 HR. Interesting story today by Rob Bradford about the adjustments JD Drew made at the plate in the postseason.
Apparently when David Ortiz digs in at the plate, he leaves craters in the dirt. Drew noticed that he was planting his feet in the holes left by Ortiz, who stands really close to the plate. Red Sox Card of the Day: John Kennedy, 1973 ToppsIn 1993, Tony Pena had only 55 hits in 304 at bats. His season average was .181.On Tuesday, Kevin Youkilis suggested the spring training equivalent of a sunset duel, offering to play anyone at ping pong at anytime if someone would get him a table.
Comcast SportsNet brought the table, a round robin tournament was setup between Youkilis, Pedroia and Lowell, and Lowell kicked everyone's ass.The Red Sox will visit the White House on Wednesday, February 27th, as part of what figures to be a long day.
It will be interesting to see who boycotts the trip this year...though it's pretty much a given that Schilling, Timlin and Lowell will be there.Manny Ramirez seems to be gearing up for the possibility that the Red Sox won't exercise their $20 million option at the end of the season.
Manny has switched agents, and is now represented by Scott Boras.Red Sox Card of the Day: Jim Rice, 1987 DonrussIn 1992, Tony Fossas pitched 30 straight games in relief without giving up a run. His streak ran from 6/20-8/29/1992. After playing most of last season with a bum right knee, David Ortiz is back and ready to rock.
Ortiz underwent surgery immediately following the World Series, and after months of rehabilitation he's getting almost 100 percent.After checking through the medical records for their past and present major and minor league players, the White Sox believe that none of their players, either on the major league or minor league level, has undergone the type of surgical procedure Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling believes he needs to keep pitching.
Tony Romeo, a member of the White Sox medical staff, had previously stated that he'd performed the surgery on at least two pitchers in their minor league system, but he refused to provide the Red Sox with names. Now that his claims have been discounted, it appears that no professional baseball player has ever had the type of surgery that Dr. Morgan recommended.
Looks like a good call by the Red Sox to go with the rehab route...Jerry Stephenson pitched a complete game on 6/21/1968 -- and the Red Sox lost by a score of 4-10. Seven of the ten runs were earned. Stephenson struck out seven, walked five, and gave up thirteen hits.Red Sox Card of the Day: Rick Cerone, 1990 FleerIt must have been a tough winter for Coco Crisp.
For most of the offseason he faced the immediate possibility of having to pack up his bags and move to a new city. He saw his skills and personality repeatedly dissected on the national stage during the Santana talks. And once those talks fell apart, he knew that he was probably going to lose his job.
A lot of people would have spoken up about one, if not all of those issues. But Crisp remained silent, just as he did when he was benched in the World Series.Manny Ramirez made good on his word and reported to spring training on time today for the first time in years.
It's great that he showed up to spring training on time, but I have to admit I'm a little disappointed. We didn't get any antics this year, and there wasn't any fodder for the "Manny being Manny" media train. Thankfully, he did provide a little bit of showmanship. Tom Carey is the oldest player to ever play second base for the Red Sox. He was 39 when he played 3 games at the position in 1946. Red Sox Card of the Day: Greg Harris, 1990 DonrussCurt Schilling made a blog entry tonight that adds some additional details to the timetable of his injury and recovery.
Interestingly, the tone in Schilling's blog entry feels more positive than it was the last time we heard from him. Maybe that's just what happens when you can edit yourself before your words hit the press, or maybe it signals a new willingness to toe the company line.
Terry Francona met with the Red Sox last night to discuss his contract extension. Red Sox Card of the Day: Mo Vaughn, 1992 Triple PlayWilly Mo Pena struck out in 21 consecutive games from 5/19/2006 through 6/17/2007. In 74 at bats, he struck out an impressive 34 times.
Pena shattered the old record of consecutive games with a strikeout. It was formerly held by Tony Armas and Billy Conigliaro. Their record was nine straight games.Curt Schilling spoke to a group of reporters this morning, ending his spring training silence.
Though he clearly sides with Dr. Morgan and disagrees with the team's rehabilitation plans, he's promised to dedicate himself to the process. " />
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