Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Tucker Carlson Episode 44.  

- Mookie Betts to be full-time 2nd baseman.

- The rise of the US dollar since the 19th century. The dominance of the dollar is a relatively new thing and should not be assumed to be permanent. 

- Spotify lays off 1,500 workers. CEO keeps job. (HT Steve Landry)

Mookie Betts

So Mookie Betts is signing a 12-year $365 million extension with the Dodgers. How did I react to the news? By placing a large bet on the Red Sox to finish under the season predicted win total of 30.5 wins (out of 60 games). 

Good for Mookie he deserved to get paid. He's one athlete that has earned a BIG contract. Shame on the Red Sox for not getting a deal done with Betts and for trading a fan favorite. 

The Red Sox are going to suck this year. The Yankees are loaded and will run away with the AL East and the Red Sox just don't have the pitching to complete. With Chris Sale out for the year - Boston doesn't have the pitching even to fight for a Wildcard spot. Most fans can't name the starting rotation (or closer for that matter). I can name two current starters and then in my mind it's all TBD.

Also would not be surprised if Jackie Bradley Jr. is traded before the August 31st trade deadline. He's a free agent at the end of the season and Scott Boras is his agent. 

Very little interest in this team this year (outside of them not winning 31 games).

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Reminder "Joe Biden" is an anagram for "I Need Job"... Heh heh - very clever... For what it's worth I know multiple groups of guys who car pooled from Massachusetts to attend the Trump rally in Manchester, NH. I'm starting to think that Trump may carry liberal Mass in the general election... "Facts don't cease to exist because they are ignored." - Aldous Huxley... The Mookie Betts trade is giving me flashbacks to when the Bruins traded Joe Thornton who went on to win the NHL MVP award that season. Like the Betts trade the Bruins got back three prospects for Thornton. None of them really panned out and now Joe Thornton will go into the Hall of Fame as a member of the San Jose Sharks... Birds of Prey is flopping at the box office. Is it because it's a "woke" feminist vehicle? Is it because there's no Joker in the movie (which is in no way chauvinistic - it's just that Harley Quinn is joined at the hip with Joker in the DC Comic universe)? The movie has an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score so it's not a bad movie. Is it because this isn't the DC universe movie that James Gunn is directing (that would be next year's The Suicide Squad)? Not sure the reason but I'm in no hurry to see the flick. Based on the box office I guess I'm not alone... 

Mookie Betts

The Boston Red Sox just traded away this generation's Fred Lynn. I was 9 when Freddy Lynn won the Rookie of the Year and the MVP for a team that came ever so close to beating Cincinnati's  Big Red Machine in the 1975 World Series. Lynn quickly became my favorite player something which was true for a generation of Sox fans. Then Boston traded him away in 1981 for no good reason. I still can't explain it to this day. The Red Sox got back a washed up Joe Rudi and one year of Frank Tananna who went 4-10 with a 4.01 ERA.

Now the Red Sox have traded Mookie Betts to the Dodgers. The deal is Boston sends Betts and David Price (with the Red Sox paying half his remaining contract) to Los Angeles and in return they get outfielder Alex Verdugo from the Dodgers and pitcher Brusdar Graterol from Minnesota. Two top prospects both with significant injury history.

I'm happy to see David Price go in the trade. He was the poster child for entitled, pretentious athletes. And his huge contract was one of the reasons the Boston front office felt it wouldn't be possible to afford to sign Mookie once Betts got to free agency at the end of this upcoming season. To be fair to Price Boston probably doesn't win the World Series over the Dodgers without him. Still happy to see him go though.

Of the three teams involved in the deal - the Red Sox, Dodgers and Twins - would it be a surprise to anyone if Boston now finishes with the worst record in 2020? Depressing.

I've said it before but John Henry has quickly become the most unlikable Boston pro sports team owner in my lifetime. Billionaire Henry could have easily let Betts play out this season then did his best to sign him. That would have earned the gratitude of so many fans like me. But no - Boston needed to get under the luxury tax this season instead. I understand the reasons for this but damn! Fuck John Henry!

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- This is kinda why regular people distrust the media on climate change

- 10 principles to live an anti-fragile life

- Tolstoy's 10 rules for life. Think I completely disagree with his 7th rule.

- Dilbert's Unified Theory of Everything Financial. Good to review this every once and a while.

- These tires actually look pretty cool

- We don't need a green new deal. The Earth is already getting greener (according to NASA)

- Mookie Betts may be the best athlete alive

Flotsam and Jetsam - World Series Edition

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations from last night's epic 18-inning World Series game.

I admit that I only watched last night's marathon World Series game up to the 14th inning. The reason I quit then is because I cut the cord with cable 6-years ago and the bar I was watching the game had to close at 2:00 am... If you want a reason to root against the Dodgers - here's how much they gouge you for beer... Random thought - neither Frank Sinatra nor Humphrey Bogart (both big baseball fans) would ever, ever wear a fucking rally cap... Random observation - there seemed to be a lot more hair product in the Dodgers dugout last night than in the Red Sox dugout (not that there's anything wrong with that)... If you want a reason to root for the Red Sox - here's the type of players they have on that team... If I were Governor Baker of Massachusetts I would have sent out an emergency alert last night about 1:00 am saying the law requiring bars close at 2:00 am in Mass has been lifted and that there is no last call as long as the game was still going. That would have guaranteed re-election (he's getting re-elected anyway).... I enjoy baseball but I still laughed at this...

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- There is no reason US taxpayers should be subsidizing college football booster programs. Especially if the potential cost is $1.9 billion over 10-years.

- I would actually like to see this become a thing

- Mookie Betts rolled a perfect 300 in the PBA World Series of Bowling

- Actual conversation between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair

- Important thing to remember about Louis CK's "apology"

- Typos often make for the best band names

- Oh snap!

- This is nuts! I get nervous just watching it.

Top 5 - Red Sox First Half Story-lines

So it's the All-Star break and here's what I consider to be the Top 5 Red Sox story-lines from the first half of the season.

1. The Kids are Alright! Xander Bogaearts (23), Jackie Bradley Jr. (26), and Mookie Betts (23) are All-Stars and the core of this team. The future is bright in Boston.
2. Big Papi-mania! David Ortiz is on track for 40+ HR and 130+ RBI and in his final season his current OPS+ of 184 is the highest of his career by far! Ortiz is putting together one of the best final seasons in pro sports history.
3. The starting pitching stinks! I'm comfortable with the fact that David Price will come around and be give the Red Sox a Cy Young contender-type second half. Steven Wright is a well deserved All-Star and I'm also good with Rick Porcello, So with 3 of the 5 starters being OK - why do I say the starting pitching stinks? Imagine a five course meal where the first three courses were good or very good but the last two courses were a shit sandwich and chocolate covered dung. Would you say that was a good meal or that is stinks? Boston has had a combined 29 starts from Clay Buchholz (5.91 ERA), Edwardo Rodriguez (8.59 ERA), Joe Kelly (8.46 ERA) and Sean O'Sullivan (6.75 ERA) which have been the equivalent of a shit sandwich for Red Sox fans so far this season.
4. Travis Shaw replaces Pablo Sandoval. Shaw is on pace for 18 HR and 90 RBI and he doesn't look like a Weight Watchers' before picture. Like many fans - I hope we have seen the last of Sandoval in a Red Sox uniform.
5. Is John Farrell on the hot seat? The team has served up a shit sandwich of 40% of the starting pitching staff and yet the team is just 2 games back. Why would Farrell be on the hot seat? Because Boston sportswriters and sports talk radio people are the worst. Same bunch of jackasses that insisted that Terry Francona had to go too. Farrell won the World Series for Boston not too long ago.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I hope that during the Super Bowl Media Day at least one player answers every question by simply saying, "I am Groot"... The US jobs picture without Texas is not pretty... Good advice often comes from unexpected places at unexpected times... Stephen Strasburg for Mookie Betts? I think a Tanner Roark for Betts works better (no pun intended) or how about Shane Victorino (and prospect) for Doug Fister?... Heh heh - Star Wars (Age of Ultron Style)... Its been pointed out elsewhere but President Obama's foreign policy can be explained in a nutshell by pointing out he plans to attend the funeral of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah but he skipped the funeral of Margaret Thatcher... Heh heh... If you've been anywhere on the Internet the past five days you probably already seen the video of this incredible archer... Forget the Legion of Boom - how will the Seahawks score against the Patriots?...

A Modest Proposal

Here's an idea that's been floating around my head for some time and I'm not even sure if I'm advocating it - I'm just throwing it out there for consideration: maybe the Boston Red Sox should move Dustin Pedroia to shortstop.

Wait - wait! It's not a crazy idea. Pedroia was a shortstop in college so the position wouldn't be new to him and let's be honest defensively he'd be better than Xander Bogaerts. In this scenario Bogaerts would be moved to third base. Offensively Pedroia, even with his diminished power, would be in the top half of shortstops in MLB.

This scenario allows Mookie Betts to take over at second base. Boston could really use Betts as a lead-off man but with the Red Sox' full outfield would make it difficult to get him at bats on a regular basis. Who in the outfield is going to sit to make room for Betts? Yoenis Cespedes? Rusney Castillo? Shane Victorino (if healthy)? Daniel Nava? Allen Craig? This doesn't even mention Gold Glove caliber centerfielder Jackie Bradley Jr.

This scenario would give the Red Sox an infield of Mike Napoli, Betts, Pedroia and Bogaerts. That's pretty solid. Of course some off season trades may clarify where everyone will play next year but I just wanted to throw this idea out there.

State of the Red Sox

As I write this the Red Sox are 8 games back in the AL East and 7 back in the AL Wild Card. Time to panic and become sellers? Yes and no. Here are the five moves I'd suggest Boston make in the next two weeks.

1. Trade Jake Peavy. Like right now. Peavy has his World Series ring and his Duck Boat. All he is doing now is taking up a spot in the rotation that would be better used by a returning Clay Buchholz or a Rubby Del La Rosa. He's 1-6 (not his fault) with a 4.93 ERA (his fault). He's got an ERA+ of 81. That's below replacement level - replace him. Eat half his contract and send him to an NL team in need of a 4th or 5th starter. Look for this move to happen. It's just so apparent at this point to everyone involved.

2. Bring up Mookie Betts who has a .960 OPS with 29 steals so far in AA and AAA this season. Gordon Edes seems to be arguing against this move but I think it is one that has to happen and the sooner the better.

3. Trade Jonny Gomes. If you bring up Mookie Betts you have to play him and Gomes would be one of the guys standing in his way. Gomes has the reputation as a winner and a good clubhouse guy - use that reputation to trade him to an NL team in the playoff hunt for a bag of balls.

4. Trade AJ Pierzynski. The guy is a dick and I feel dirty rooting for him. Christian Vazquez would be a big improvement defensively and the team needs to learn if he can hit at the MLB level. Besides what are you really losing offensively with Pierzynski posting a 75 OPS+?

5. Sign Jon Lester to a 5-year $100 million contract. It's going to happen anyway so do it now to show the fans the team is thinking long term.

Bonus move - once Shane Victorino is healthy trade him too.