Congratulations, Pedro! (A little belated...)

Pedro Martinez is going to Cooperstown! Yeah, yeah... I know I'm a little late to the party but these days, I'm lucky if I remember my own name, so better late than never. Like most Red Sox fans, I loved Pedro. His way of getting the job done was always fun to watch, not to mention his ridiculous personality. He actually told TMZ Sports a couple days ago that he hoped his Jheri curl makes an appearance on his Hall of Fame plaque. I'm just hoping it's a Red Sox cap covering those curls.

I could go on and on about his accomplishments — three-time Cy Young winner, eight-time All-Star, five-time ERA champion and three-time strikeout champion, but who doesn't already know all this? He pitched in two World Series but only won one... one very, very memorable World Series for Red Sox fans. But really more impressive is the baseball era in which he dominated as a pitcher... the dreaded steroid era. And he always pitched clean.

During Pedro's career with the Red Sox, I never once got to see him pitch. Believe me, I'm still bitter about this. One summer, I honestly can't remember when, I went to a game with my parents. It was a drizzly, miserable night but Pedro was scheduled to pitch and I was so excited, it could've been snowing and I wouldn't have cared. About 15 minutes before the game was to start, the public address announcer says there's been a change in the line up and Pedro Martinez would not be pitching. I looked at my parents and said, "I want to go home." But we didn't because that would've been silly. I was so pissed!

It wasn't until 2006 when Martinez returned to pitch at Fenway Park as a New York Met that I finally got to see him live. The cheer he got as a visiting pitcher was thunderous. But the Sox kicked his ass so that was fun too!

I don't think I saw Pedro again at Fenway Park until April 20, 2012 — the 100th anniversary game. But that day, I saw just about everyone through my tears of joy. Pedro and Kevin Millar led all of Fenway Park in a toast to 100 years, complete with what appeared to be a bottle of champagne each. It was funny, touching and perfect.

Congratulations, Pedro... I can't think of any Red Sox pitcher in my lifetime that deserved a first ballot induction into the Hall of Fame more. I wish I could be in Cooperstown with you to celebrate! And congrats also to his classmates, Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson and John Smoltz.

Happy New Year! Now Get Writing... Oh and Football. Yay.

I think I had a case of blog burnout. For over six months, I've been unable to even so much as think about writing a blog post about sports. It used to be that all I wanted to talk about was sports, but after 365 days of all sports, I just couldn't. I needed to purge my mind. Plus, the fact that the Red Sox went from last to World Series champs back to last really took the wind out of my sails.

But then football season happened. I love football season. I love that every week is so crucial to a fan because there's only 17 of them in the regular season. And in the whole scheme of sports playoffs, football's is fleeting. NFL playoffs last less than a month and there are just 11 games so each one, for me, can't be missed. Even the teams I don't care about... which is most of them.

When the New England Patriots are in the mix, that's when it gets dicey. I have butterflies. I have anxiety. I have issues. You would think I was part of the team the way my insides turn to jelly. It's especially nerve wracking when they finish the regular season so weakly — barely beating the lowly Jets and then losing to the Bills in an unspectacular fashion. So basically, I'll be a mess come Saturday evening when the Ravens come to Foxboro!

But I digress... if I love football season so much, why couldn't I get back to writing about it? By the time I thought of it, it was too far into the season to risk jinxing the Patriots' amazing October run with Rah-Rah blog posts about how great they are and how Tom Brady isn't even close to retirement. Plus... I was still dealing with that whole burnout thing.

So it's a new year and new goals and resolutions and all that happy crap so back on the writing train I go. Plus, I'm convinced I'm getting stupider by the day by not writing. Especially after having the last 13 days off where I spent more time in my pajamas than out of them... watching endless hours of television and possibly drooling on myself a little bit.

Happy New Year to all... and I hope you'll visit Balls of All Sizes once in a while!

PS:  If the Patriots lose to the Ravens, I will completely blame this blog post. And myself.

Brock Holt: A Breath of Fresh Air for Red Sox

I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like watching the Red Sox this season is somewhat painful. They are definitely not that same bearded team we watched celebrate a World Series Championship last fall and frankly, it's just plain depressing. This group of guys can't seem to get out of their own way and it's hard to tell which team is going to show up day in and day out. They've got a whole Jekyll and Hyde thing going and it's not even remotely cute.

What Boston needs is a swift kick in the ass. I think that kick in the ass is called Brock Holt. Who? Honestly, I don't recall ever hearing his name before he was called up to the Red Sox earlier this season. In the 38 games with the Red Sox, Holt has 51 hits, 12 of those doubles, and a .329 batting average. Not bad for a 26-year-old who began his season in Triple-A Pawtucket.

Not only has he been producing at the plate, he's been a real trooper defensively. He has filled in at third base, first base, and most recently, the outfield. While he's not the greatest glove on the field, he's persistent and not afraid to throw his body around. And Jonny Gomes should be thankful for Holt's style of play because it totally bailed his ass out the other night.

Check out the best catch I've seen in a very long time...

Almost makes you want to hop back on that Red Sox train again, doesn't it? Maybe this acrobatic and somewhat impossible catch, coupled with the recent release of Grady Sizemore, are just the ingredients this team is looking for to help turn this season around. I have hope. It might be just a glimmer, but it's there.

Rest in Peace, Tony Gwynn... Mr. Padre.

Photo from HERE

Baseball lost a special person today. The greatest San Diego Padre to ever wear that hideous uniform, Anthony Keith "Tony" Gwynn, Sr., lost his battle with cancer at the young age of 54. Folks who knew him said he was also a pretty awesome guy which is nice to hear, especially with some of the douchebags in the game these days.

Having grown up a Red Sox fan, I never really got a chance to follow guys in the National League. But I knew he was special during the 1999 All-Star game at Fenway Park when he helped Ted Williams throw out the first pitch... making sure the old guy didn't fall over.

The Hall of Fame outfielder was a magician with the bat. In his 20 seasons, all with the Padres, he amassed some rather ridiculous numbers.

• 3,141 hits (good for #18 all time)
• 15 time All-Star
• 7 Silver Slugger Awards
• 5 Gold Gloves
• 8 National League batting titles
• 7 time National League hits leader
• .338 lifetime batting average (good for #16 all time)

Gwynn also hit .394 in the strike shortened 1994 season which was the highest season average since the Splendid Splinter, Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941.

ESPN.com had a couple of other pretty cool stats too:

• Over his 20-year career, Gwynn's .338 lifetime batting average was the highest of any player whose career started after World War II—no one with 5,000 or more plate appearances has even gotten close. 
• No hitter born after 1900 reached 3,000 hits in fewer games (2,284) or at-bats (8.874) than #19. 
• No 3,000-hit man who was born after 1900 had a higher lifetime batting average than Gwynn.
• No hitter who has played his entire career since the invention of the designated hitter has accumulated as many hits as Gwynn (3,141) without spending a large portion of his career in the American League. (I love this stat.)

For the last four years, Gwynn has been battling salivary gland cancer, most likely from using smokeless tobacco. He underwent multiple surgeries, but the cancer forced him to take a leave of absence from his head coaching job at San Diego State, his alma mater, where he had coached for 12 season.

Tony Gwynn never wanted your sympathy... so instead of feeling sad, let's celebrate the life and achievements of an amazing ballplayer and person. Rest in peace, Mr. Padre.

Oh Red Sox... Where has the Magic Gone?

I think it's safe to say that for a Red Sox fan, the 2013 season was just plain magical. It was a season where things just fell perfectly together — like you just knew at some point late last summer that this team was destined to win it all. Every game was fun. Every game was an adventure. And every game felt winnable.

Maybe it was that fateful event that occurred on April 15th that sparked this group of men to give their all for every inning of every game for the rest of that season. They did have that Boston Strong rally cry to live up to, after all. What kind of team would they have been if they couldn't boost the spirits of this city with win after dramatic win? They really had no choice but to excel. They were a team fueled by hometown spirit and pride.

It was just magical. I know that sounds corny, but for me, it's true. And I'm going to venture a guess that I'm not the only sappy fan out there that feels that way.

Was it the facial hair that carried that winning mojo? Or was it a particular player? Maybe it was David Ortiz's heartfelt speech on April 20th that sparked something that can never again be had. I have no idea what special force caused this ragtag group of guys to succeed when no one gave them a chance, but I do know this... that magic has left the effing building, my friends.

In April of 2013, the Red Sox were third in Major League Baseball in batting with a .271 team average. They had hit 26 home runs collectively, had an on-base percentage of .347 and slugged .446. In April of this season, their team batting average was .246 — good for 19th overall. Well that sucks. Orioles' left fielder, Nelson Cruz, has more home runs this season (21) than the Red Sox hit as a team in May (20). Seriously?

So needless to say, I'm annoyed. Sure there have been multiple injuries to key players like Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino and Will Middlebrooks. And the starting rotation has had some hiccups... like Clay Buchholz who went 5-0 with a 1.19 ERA last April... and this year, he was 1-2 with a 6.66 ERA. I'm not even going to tell you what the difference is year-to-year between opponents batting average because it will make you want to throw up.

What I do know about this team is that Stephen Drew is NOT the answer. He wasn't the answer in the off-season at $14 million a year, and he's sure as hell not the answer for $10 million after sitting out the first two months of the season. He hit a whopping .111 in the entire 2013 postseason, and is batting a big fat ZERO since he's returned to the lineup. (Ok, so it's only been a couple games but I don't care!)

Something needs to happen and it needs to happen tout de suite. If you don't know, that's French for RIGHT THE EFF NOW! This season is slowly slipping to the point of no return. SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!!

So I Took a Little Balls Break...

Blogging is hard. It's as simple as that. And it's especially hard when you decide to do something as utterly ridiculous as... oh, I don't know... saying that you're going to write a blog post a day for 365 straight days. That's some serious pressure.

Some days I want to say, "eff it..." and call it a day. But I didn't and that's why I've been pretty much MIA for the past nearly two months. I was burned out. Every time I looked at my laptop sitting on the table beside the couch, I wanted to vomit. It was mocking me. My laptop was being a total a-hole. And it's not like there wasn't shit to write about. The Bruins were epically failing... the Red Sox were epically failing... you know, riveting subject matter.

Plus, it's really hard to write about the Red Sox when they're dead to me. DEAD. Although with this most recent three-game winning streak... they might be twitching just a little. Where did the magic go? (Personally, I think AJ Pierzynski sucked all the magic out of the team, but that's another story.)

Courtesy of the Boston Globe.

But what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't mention MANNY RAMIREZ'S HAIR!!! What in the deep depths of hell is going on there? I don't even know what to say. And from the looks of it, neither does Big Papi. In fact, he can't even keep a straight face. He looks like he's about to pee his pants. I think Papi liked those stupid dreadlocks better. Now he just looks like he was viciously attacked by a rogue Flowbee.

I've never been a huge Manny fan. The dude is just a total douche nugget. A lazy, 'roided up, meany. He pushed down old folks. He let his team down when the needed him most. And he likes to hit girls. I'm glad his hair looks stupid.

So this morning I tweeted about Manny. I don't tweet much which is something I really need to be better at if this damn blog is ever going to go global. And because I'm a big loser, I had to make sure my morning talk show buddies saw it because I thought it was pretty funny.

And GUESS WHAT?? Gerry Callahan RETWEETED it!! Why do I find such joy in shit like that? It's the little things, really. This is how Twitter is like golf. You could hit 97 bad shots but if you sink that one 35 foot putt, that's what you remember. Most of my tweets pass like a ship in the night. But when one gets a little attention, it makes me want to spend my whole day on the Twitter.

So I guess I'm back at it. Don't expect something every day because you'll just set yourself up for disappointment. What I recommend is signing up to receive an email when I do post... just a suggestion.

One Year Ago Today...

April 15, 2013—just another Patriots Day (for Maine and Massachusetts, at least.) That day when the Red Sox play early enough that you can watch while still clad in pajamas. (Isn't everyone still in their PJs at 11am on a day off from work?) That day that I mark as the deadline to get all that crappy raking done—that is if the snow has melted. And every Patriots Day, the Boston Marathon snakes through the streets as Fenway comes alive with the sounds of baseball.

But April 15, 2013 was anything but just another Patriots Day. At 2:49pm, as runners and spectators crowded the Marathon finish line, an explosion rocked a city.

One year ago today... a tragedy shook the Boston Marathon. A vile, terrorist act that took the lives of three innocent souls and injured over 260 others. When you think of how gravely many of those were hurt, it's a miracle there weren't more casualties.

One year ago today... we learned of a young man named Jeff Bauman who viciously lost both legs in the blast, but perseveres. He's not angry, he's thankful. He's thankful for the people who rushed to his aid, the people who saved his life, and the people who cheered him on throughout his recovery. Jeff played a pivotal part in the identification of the terrorists.

One year ago today... we learned of a man named Carlos Arredondo who, like many others, rushed towards the blast to provide help to the injured. He was the first to get Jeff Bauman and saved his life.

One year ago today... we learned about the Richard family. They stood closest to the backpack. Mother Denise lost an eye. Father Bill suffered damage to his eardrums. They lost their 8-year-old son, Martin. Their daughter Jane lost her leg, endured 14 grueling surgeries and had to learn to walk again.

One year ago today... changed the lives of hundreds of people, their families and the city. Two backpacks. Two bombs. Two loathsome and deplorable monsters. A day the people of Boston and the country will never forget.

One year ago today... a city came together to become Boston Strong.

I don't live in Boston. I didn't run in the Marathon. I didn't know anyone injured in this horrific act. I'm not going to pretend to know what the people involved went through or are still going through. But like many, I'm inspired by the stories of those who refused to give up in the face of adversity.