Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observation.

The NBA three-team trade gone bad over the wrong Brooks reminds me of the story of how Angels owner Gene Autry once told his GM to "get that outfielder from the Red Sox" so the GM signed Rick Miller. Autry meant Dwight Evans... This is such a great story. Charles Barkey is an American treasure... I think the maximum an NHL coach should be with any one team is 9-years. That's the longest Scottie Bowman coached with one team (the Redwings - he spent 8-years with the Canadiens). Just like a US President has a max of 2-terms an NHL coach should have a max of 9-seasons. Call it the Scottie Bowman rule... Cool - California election resolved with Dungeons & Dragons dice...  9 also happens to be the number of Stanley Cup Championships Bowman won as head coach... Excellent life advice... Studies suggest that there has been a big uptick in women watching male gay porn (like guys watching girl on girl I guess). This poses two real dangers for straight married guys. First friends may find the Internet history and assume it is the husband watching the porn or second the wives may come to think that the average male is much better endowed and can "last" much longer than their hubby. Congress should do something about this!... 

Wade Boggs vs Dwight Evans

Dwight Evans finished with more triples, home runs, RBI, stolen bases and total bases than Wade Boggs. Evans career OPS+ is 127 but if you take way his last two seasons (which were regrettable) then Dewey’s OPS+ is equal to Boggs career OPS+ of 130. Did I mention the fact that Evans had 8 Gold Gloves and is widely regarded as the best defensive right fielder of his generation? Dwight Evans was a much better all-around player than Wade Boggs and yet it is Boggs who has his bust in Cooperstown.

Dwight Evans was flat out a  better player than Wade Boggs and that is why I still say having ingrate Boggs' #26 retired by the Red Sox is a slap in the face of Dwight Evans.

Just my opinion.

Red Sox Opening Day

Today is the Red Sox Opening Day (assuming their game in Cleveland doesn't get postponed). Boston's Magic Number to clinch the AL East now stands at just 163!

Here's a nice remembrance by Gordon Edes of one of my favorite Red Sox Opening Day memories.

Just saying but every Opening Day I wish for two things - a Red Sox victory and for Dan Shaughnessy to get explosive diarrhea. Let's hope my wishes go two-for-two today!

Is Andruw Jones a Hall of Famer?

Peter Gammons' site asked the question a couple of days ago - is Andruw Jones a Hall of Famer? The article mentions many of Jones accomplishments and in the course of the article named 13 different players in comparison to Andruw Jones. Two players jump out at me when thinking about the question, "Is Andruw Jones a Hall of Famer"? Neither of the players I thought of were mentioned in the article linked above.

The first player is Dwight Evans who as great as Jones was in centerfield - Dewey was that great in right. You had 10 Gold Gloves for Jones and 8 for Evans. Jones had 434 career HR to Evans' 385 but Evans had 540 more total bases than Andruw and his OPS+ of 127 is much more Hall of Fame worthy than Jones 111 OPS+ mark. WAR? Evans had a career mark of 66.9 (124th best all-time) to Jones' 62.8 (152nd all-time). How many people are still asking if Evans is a Hall of Famer?

The second player also played centerfield for the Braves - Dale Murphy. He was a 5-time Gold Glover and winner of back-to-back NL MVP Awards. According to Baseball-reference.com the most similar player to Dale Murphy? Andruw Jones.

So to answer the question - is Andruw Jones a Hall of Famer? The answer is no. And neither is Dale Murphy or Dwight Evans. For the record though - I am a fan of all three players.

Top 5 Living Red Sox Players

Here's who I consider the Top 5 living Red Sox players.

1. Carl Yastrzemski

2. Pedro Martinez

3. Jim Rice

4. David Ortiz

5. Tie: Dustin Pedroia, Dwight Evans, and Freddy Lynn

Missing the list - Roger Clemens and Wade Boggs. Clemens misses the list because of steroids and playing for the Yankees. Boggs misses the list because he's a douche (why do you think you never see him around Fenway Park - the team doesn't want him around).

Player Comparison

Here's a player comparison I've been thinking of these past few days:

Player A - .272 BA/ .370 OBP/ .470 SLG/ .840 OPS/ 127 OPS+
Player B - .283 BA/ .359 OBP/ .496 SLG/ .854 OPS/ 122 OPS+

Pretty close right? How about compiled numbers?

Player A - 1470 R / 385 HR / 1384 RBI / 78 SB
Player B - 1346 R / 358 HR / 1327 RBI / 308 SB

Player A played 2606 games while Player B has played 2064 games and is still playing. Very good chance that Player B passes Player A if he stays healthy but playing healthy has always been a concern with Player B. It should be noted that Player A was an 8-time Gold Glove winner and is regarded as one of the best all-around defenders at his position in baseball history. Player B has 3 Gold Gloves.

Player A is Dwight Evans and he's not going into the Hall of Fame. Player B is Carlos Beltran and all those people thinking he's a Hall of Famer need to take a deep breath.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I'm not impressed by the Red Sox so-called 794 game "sell-out" streak which ended last night. What is impressive is Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon being on Billboard's top album list for 741 consecutive weeks... Beaver bites man to death. Thank God this wasn't - you know - a euphemism...  I disagree with the underlying sentiments but I have to admit I have new respect for Russell Brand's writing ability. His article on the death of Margaret Thatcher was strangely mesmerizing...  Dwight Evans has 331 more career hits and almost 300 more HR for the Red Sox than Wade Boggs but you never hear Dewey whining about him getting his number retired... I can't bypass the movie Goon without stopping to watch. Goon, Slapshot and Casablanca... Happy 41st birthday to former Red Sox captain Jason Varitek. My guess is even the most die-hard Yankee fans smile at this photo given the past couple of years...

Top 5 - Red Sox All-Time HR Leaders

David Ortiz hit his 400th HR today and his 342nd as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Ortiz is in 5th place on the Red Sox all-time HR list. If he stays one more season - then both Dewey and Rice could be in his sights. That's pretty incredible when you stop to think about it.

1. Ted Williams - 521
2. Carl Yastrzemski - 452
3. Jim Rice - 382
4. Dwight Evans - 379
5. David Ortiz - 342

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Happy 60th birthday to Dwight Evans. The 8-time Gold Glove winning Dewey should have gotten much more Hall of Fame consideration then he got... Promising Assistant GM's want nothing to do with the Orioles - that's why it could be opportunity for someone like Dan Duquette who once was a big deal but now has trouble even getting interviews... Best part about the Baseball-reference.com front page update is the disclaimer... So was real reason Herman Cain chief of staff Mark Block was smoking that cigarette in that commercial post coital related?... Today would have been Charles Bronson's 90th birthday. In his dreams Chuck Norris wishes he'd be as badass as Charles Bronson... Big Adrian Gonzalez fan and big Red Sox fan but Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers should have won Silver Slugger for 1st base... Awesome beer map... On this day in 1913 the US introduced the income tax. A day that will live in infamy... Yesterday was Palindrome Day (11/02/2011) and I just wanted to note that best palindrome ever is "Lisa Bonet ate no basil"... 10 Retro Illustrations of Pop Culture Icons... Today is Michael Dukakis' 78th birthday. Funny how you never hear anyone wistfully thinking of how great a Dukakis Presidency would have been.

Lies Damned Lies and Statistics

I had forgotten that Jim Edmonds was still playing for the Brewers. I saw he hit a home run last night and was curious of where Edmonds stood on the all-time list and whether a case could be made that Edmonds was a potential Hall of Fame player.

What I learned got me thinking about stats and whether they are all that people are cracking them up to be.

Jim Edmonds is in his 17th major league season. He won 8 Gold Gloves in a 9-year stretch during the prime of his career and was a feared slugger during that same stretch. He currently has 387 HR which places him 54th on the all-time list. That puts him just below Albert Pujols (388 and counting) and Johnny Bench (389). He's also just above Dwight Evans (385) who seems like the natural comparable in my mind.

Evans also won 8 Gold Gloves in his career and was also known more for his glove than his bat. That's not to belittle the offensive prowess of either player (Edmonds or Evans). What's strange is that in certain circles Dwight Evans is elevated above teammate Jim Rice in regards to offensive accomplishments.

Where am I going with this? Well I was just wondering if the type of person who argues that Dwight Evans was the superior player to Jim Rice would also try to argue that Jim Edmonds is a superior hitter to Johnny Bench. As has been pointed out both players are basically equal in HR and Bench played in 17 seasons - just like Edmonds. However, Edmonds has the better career OBP (.376 to .342), OPS (.903 to .817) and OPS+ (131 to 126) compared to Bench. Those are the type of stats that sabermetric minded folks eat up.

I would never dream of putting Jim Edmonds ahead of Johnny Bench but now I won't be shocked when someone makes that argument. You know it's coming.

Johnny Pesky

It is right and fitting that the Red Sox will retire Johnny Pesky's #6 on Friday. Pesky turns 89 on Saturday and has spent the better part of his life as a member of the Red Sox organization. For almost every year since 1942 Pesky has been associated with the Red Sox in one form or another.

Retiring Pesky's number required "bending" the rules the Red Sox had established that stated a player's number can only be retired if the player spent 10 years with the Red Sox, was a Hall of Fame player and also retired with the Red Sox. Technically Johnny Pesky did not meet a single one of the conditions (he last played with the Washington Senators) but the Red Sox owners wisely viewed the rules more as just guidelines.

That leaves open the question of other players such as:

Jim Rice - he will have his number 14 retired. The Red Sox are waiting to see if he gets voted into the Hall of Fame this year. If he does not - then the Red Sox will "bend" the rules once again. Rice still works for the Red Sox as a studio analyst.

Roger Clemens - nope - not gonna happen. Clemens is tied for all-time wins for the Red Sox but his number 21 won't be retired. It's not just the steroids business either. Clemens left the Red Sox with bad blood and many Red Sox fans have no love for him. Heck he's tied with Cy Young for wins and do you see Young being recognized by the Red Sox?

Wade Boggs - nope - not gonna happen. Boggs can get misty about his days with the Yankees or Devil Rays but there's a reason you never see him around Fenway Park (unless he's selling hair plugs).

Dwight Evans - many stat heads will argue that Evans was every bit the player Jim Rice was and if you include defense then I won't argue the point. However, there's a reason contemporaries voted Jim Rice in the top 5 in MVP voting 6 times and Evans just twice. Evans left the Red Sox with bad blood and look no further to the fact that the Red Sox gave 24 to among others Kevin Mitchell as evidence that they had no plans to retire 24. That could have changed if Manny Ramirez stayed with Boston but now you'll see someone else wearing 24 shortly.

Tony Conigliaro - some oldtimers will argue for the retirement of number 25 but you don't retire numbers for "could have beens". Gord Kluzak could have been one of the greatest defensemen in NHL history but knee injuries caused him to retire early. You don't see the Bruins retiring his number. There have been 12 players to wear 25 since Tony C - the most current being Mike Lowell.

Dewey, Garret and Manny

Compare the career numbers of these two players:

Player A - .272 BA / 1470 R / 385 HR / 1384 RBI / 127 OPS+
Player B - .295 BA / 1000 R / 266 HR / 1259 RBI / 105 OPS+

It should be noted that Player A played 20 seasons while Player B is in the midst of his 15th season. I'm not treating this as a quiz because I'm guessing the title of the post was too big of a hint. Player A is 3-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove winner Dwight Evans. Player B is 3-time All-Star Garret Anderson.

Why am I making this player comparison?

It occurred to me that when Anderson is done playing the Angels will be retiring his number. That's fitting seeing that Anderson holds almost all the franchise batting records except triples, stolen bases and home runs. Also consider that the Angels only have a couple of player numbers retired and those players (Fregosi, Carew and Ryan) didn't even play 90% of their careers with the Angels.

It can be argued that Dwight Evans was the much better all-around player. Anderson can play for 4 more years and still not pass Evans in many offensive categories. Yet Dwight Evans won't have his number retired by the team he played 19 seasons for while Anderson will. Irony isn't quite the word that I'm looking for but the comparison struck me nonetheless.

Where does Manny Ramirez fit into the discussion?

Going into this season a perfect storm was brewing to get Dwight Evans' number 24 retired by the Boston Red Sox. It looks like Jim Rice may finally get elected to the Hall of Fame this year and that opens the way for his number 14 to be retired by the Red Sox. Rice has to be honored by the Sox before Evans is - that's just the way it is. Going into the season it looked like Manny wanted to retire as a member of the Red Sox and that would have made retiring his number 24 (the same 24 that was worn by Evans) a no-brainer. Now it looks like Manny may separate from the team at the end of the year on maybe not the best of terms. That could dash any future plans to retire the number 24.

My guess always was that the Red Sox would honor both Manny and Dewey during a retirement of the number 24. I could see a 24 on the right field porch with a DE (for Dwight Evans) above and a MR (for Manny Ramirez) below. Now my guess is that the number 24 may not be retired at all.

But Garret Anderson's number 16 will.

Red Sox Magic Number - 24

With the Yankees getting absolutely pasted by the Tigers last night - the Red Sox magic number is now 24.

The number 24 will present a quandary for the Red Sox front office in the coming years. It happens to be the uniform number of certain first ballot Hall of Famer Manny Ramirez who should easily be in the top 20 in HR and RBI when he retires. Manny is under contract for 2008 and the team holds options for the 2009 and 2010 seasons but those options will come at a cost of $20 million per year. I have the suspicion that this is Manny's last contract and that his last year in a Red Sox uniform will also be his last year in baseball.

The quandary for the Red Sox will be threefold. First - do the Red Sox exercise the option years? Manny's numbers are down this year. Is this a trend? The Red Sox should have a clear idea by the end of next season. Second - unless Manny stays with the team through the 2010 season - he will have fewer than 10 seasons with the Red Sox. One of the official team guidelines for retiring a player's number is having played at least 10 seasons with the Red Sox (the other two are being elected to the Hall of Fame and having retired in a Red Sox uniform). Do they waive the 10-year rule for Manny? Manny has been an All-Star every year he's been in Boston and he was the MVP of the Red Sox first World Series victory in 86 years.

The final quandary will be if they do retire Manny's number - what do they say to Dwight Evans and Jim Rice? Dwight Evans also wore the number 24 and he's currently over 120 HR and over 500 RBI ahead of Manny on the Red Sox all-time lists for HR and RBI. If they honor Manny by retiring the number 24 - what do they say to the man who played 19 seasons for the Red Sox and who will probably have as many Gold Gloves for the Red Sox as Manny has All-Star game appearances? Do they retire the number 24 and say it is for both Manny and Dewey?

If they do that - what do they say to Jim Rice? No player has worn Jim Rice's 14 since Rice retired. If Jim Rice gets elected to the Hall of Fame - then it is almost a given that the Red Sox will retire his number. That's a big "if" though and realistically it looks like Rice will fall just short of election to the Hall. Retring Rice's number is a pretty easy call in my mind.

Maybe the biggest question to answer is the first one.

The number 24 also happens to be the number of beers in a case. I think I'll go out this afternoon and buy myself a case of beer to watch the Red Sox dash the Yankees Wildcard hopes. My quandary will also be threefold - do I buy Sam Adams, Bud Light or Wachusett?