Paul Pierce had 15 points, nine assists and eight rebounds Tuesday night, moving into second all-time in Celtics’ scoring as the Celtics coasted to a 94-84 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. Kevin Garnett continued his strong play for the Celtics with 22 points and seven rebounds. Reggie Williams led the NBA worst 3-22 Bobcats 21 points and 5 assists.

Going into Tuesday’s game, Pierce trailed Celtics legend Larry Bird by nine points on the franchise’s all-time scoring leader board. Pierce drained a three-pointer with 10:23 to go in the third quarter to pass Bird and become the second leading scorer in Celtics history. The Celtics immediately fouled the Bobcats on the other end of the court to give Pierce a moment to take a bow at center court as the TD Banknorth Garden erupted.

The 10th pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, Pierce has scored 21,797 points as a member as the Boston Celtics. Pierce now trails only John Havelicek, who scored 26,395 as a Celtic.

Celtics Take Control in Second Half

The Celtics never trailed in the second half of Tuesday’s game en route to their fifth victory in a row. Boston has now won nine of their last 10 contests.  The Bobcats dropped their 12th straight game.

The Celtics had trouble from deep range and shot just 17 percent from beyond the arc. The Celtics’ three-point struggles can be traced back to Pierce, who shot 2-for-10. Ray Allen scored 17 points but shot just 1-for-5 from downtown.

Brandon Bass had 13 points off the Celtics bench a game after sitting out with a swollen knee. Bobcats’ rookie Kemba Walker had 16 points and seven rebounds in another losing effort for the squad.

The Boston Celtics hit the court again Thursday night when they host the Los Angeles Lakers for the lone time this season.

© Nathan for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Top Story.

Rob Gronkowski and Matt Light were caught on camera partying shirtless on stage with LMFAO at the Patriots after-party just hours after losing the Super Bowl on Sunday night/early Monday morning.

Is there anything wrong with this picture?

I have a few different feelings about this…

First, Light is 34 years old and a little long on the waistband. Are you seriously dancing topless on the stage at a LMFAO show?

Second, how the hell is Gronk moving so well on his severely injured ankle??? Yo soy fiesta, indeed.

Finally, I realize that Gronk and Light (and others) have had a very long season and worked like hell to get where they got. But after that loss, this looks pretty bad:

If I (as a fan) am feeling crappy and dejected and not in the mood to party after watching Sunday’s game, does it appear that I care more about the game than they do? It sure does appear that way, but let’s be honest, I have no idea how a loss like that feels for the players. I only know as a fan.

So, I guess it’s their life, and people have their own ways of coping with things.

If we want to look at it a different way… the players had a bad day at work on Sunday, and what do people usually want to do after a bad day of work? They drink. So, they drank.

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Now!, Opinion, Patriots.

Let’s take Sunday’s excruciating and heartbreaking Super Bowl loss to the Giants, for example. How can anything good come out of that?

Behold…

Get out of the way, AC Slater! (NEILSON BARNARD/GETTY IMAGES)

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Now!, Patriots.

Had to sit down and watch the game again without a crowd where men were yelling for a beer and wives yelling for people to be quiet during commercials. They still lost, sorry to say. Some thoughts and observations are below…

1. Biggest Plays of the Game:

1. Wes Welker’s drop – I’m adjusting my blame from 60% on Tom Brady to 50% / 50%
2. Tom Brady missing Deion Branch over the middle on the last drive
3. Twelve men on the field (somewhere Don Cherry is throwing up in his mouth)
4. Rob Ninkovich jumping offsides on the 16 with 13:18 left in the quarter (on what would have been fourth down and Eli starting to short arm the ball). Giants didn’t give up possession until 9:31, adding 40 yards of field position and costing 3:47 of critical time.
5. Crazy catch by Manningham on the last drive

2. Worst Player on the Field:

Though Vince Wilfork was getting knocked off the line and turned, while only being double-teamed a quarter of the time, Logan Mankins was the worst player on the field (easily):

* He was the last line of defense before the Intentional Grounding for the safety
* Got blown up forcing Brady to scramble outside and eventually throw the interception
* Whiffed on the sack on the last drive, forcing Brady to use up the final timeout on third down.
* Whiffs on play before fateful pass to Welker, allowing BJGE to be tackled for three-loss yard loss and then forcing a passing situation on second down and long.

3. Officials:

* On the fumble with 12 men on the field, an official blew his whistle before the Patriots recovered – would have been interesting…
* Still think that the call for intentional grounding was unnecessary considering the situation (see Game 7 – Bruins vs. Tampa Bay)

4. Offense:

* Tom Brady had another intentional grounding in the game when he rolled right (out of pocket) and dumped it into the ground but never back to the line of scrimmage.
* Why wasn’t Tom Brady running the play clock down on the second to last drive
* Patriots scored two touchdowns from 4:00 left in the first half (96 yards) to  3:40 into the second half and then nothing
* Danny Woodhead huge game – big third down conversion / touchdown
* Could Ocho Cinco have stretched the field a little bit?
* In back to back Super Bowls – after two weeks of film study the Patriots came  out with offensive plays that were failures to start the game

5. Defense:

* Kyle Arrington, please work on wrapping up in the offseason
* Kyle Love and Vince Wilfork looked like the Washington Generals against the Harlem Globetrotters
* If you add a stud linebacker with Mayo and Spikes, you might have something there

6. NY Giants:

* Catch by Manningham is the second best catch in Super Bowl history behind Santonio Holmes, and then there’s Lynn Swann’s juggling catch
* NY Giants again pre-game talk trash and live to be champions
* Crazy rush by Tuck to hurt Brady’s shoulder – he was in coverage and came 20 yardsto get the hit and change the game.
* Huge drive after the Patriots scored twice by the Giants to regain momentum and score a field goal.

 7. Bill Belichick:

* Should he have challenged the time out by Eli Manning – don’t know if he signaled before zero on play clock – next play was the Nickovich off sides – ughh
* Great coaching job this year

 8. Giants that were hurt and stopped the clock:

* 47 - Beckham – out for the game
* 90 – Jones – out for one play
* 82 – Manningham – out for one play
* 85 – Ballard – out for the game
* 31 – Artrell Rolle – out for one play

9. Last Drive:

* Can’t believe Brady threw behind Branch – it was wide open for50 yards if he threw ahead – afterwards Branch motioned with his hand that Brady should have thrown it ahead of him
* Hernandez drop was a choke play
* Mankins getting blown up for sack caused Patriots to use last time out
* Amazing fourth and 16 conversion with Brady sliding to his left like in 2002 Super Bowl to Troy Brown
* Catch by Welker and downed the ball but two seconds went off clock after play whistled and not put back
* Too many men on field for Giants costs 9 seconds – NFL rule should be time put back on clock to original time (or shy not put 15 men on the field until the clock runs out)
* Amazing catch by Deion Branch out of bounds
* On the Hail Mary, Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker were transfixed watching the play instead of moving in toward the ball just like Phi Slamma Jamma was on the shot by Derrick Wittenberg of North Carolina State caught and dunked by Lorenzo Charles to win the 1983 NCAA Championship:

10. Randomocity:

* I hate to say it – but if I was with the Patriots, WBZ-TV or WEEI – I would not allow Roslindale native, Boston College’s Steve DeOssie, to work for my station after his talking during Super Bowl week to Giant crowd from stage: “I feel like I’ve come home here (to New York)…I struggle sometimes up in New England but I know I got home in New York. I love you guys (Giants fans)”

* Patriots beat one team with a .500 + record
* Giants punter destroyed the Patriots punter (low flat punt allowed Giants to start 4th quarter possession at Pats 48
* On the great break-up by Sterling Moore – Chris Collinsworth literally screamed that’s “interference!” causing Al Michaels to add – “big non call!”
* I agree with Gerry Callahan – Chevy has a nerve putting out that commercial of surviving the Mayan Apocalypse – as he said: “they couldn’t ever survive the recession on their own.”
* Great years for the Mara family – win the Super Bowl and family member nominated for an Oscar in Dragon Tattoo
* Tom Brady and the team has to pull a Larry Bird off-season and demand that they get better.
* Tom Brady the quarterback has to be a man on a mission and will his team to two more Super Bowls and play with a chip on his shoulder. Bill Belichick the GM has to be better. Bob Kraft the Owner has to lock up Bill Belichick for five years (% of ownership).

© Michael for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Now!, Patriots, Top Story.

Bruins fans have gotten use to seeing David Krejci centering a line with Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton on his wings. With Horton out of the line up due to a concussion, Rich Peverley jumped up to fill his spot. The first and only game that the Lucic-Krejci-Peverley played together was a loss against Pittsburgh, all three forwards recorded no shots on net.

As the center, Krejci has to get his wingers chances and still needs to look for his own offense. Krejci found himself centering a line with Benoit Pouliot and Zach Hamill in a win against Washington. Krejci has never been a player that can put up points every night, he is one of the more streaky regular season Bruins.

In the last five games Krejci has hit a bad streak with only one point during the stretch. An interesting stat on Krejci; 39 points on the season, 33 of those points came in games that the Bruins won. Krejci has eleven goals on the year so far and ten of those came in games that the Bruins won.

If the Bruins are going to win a lot of games heading into the playoffs and in the playoffs in general, Krejci and his line need to step up. Krejci practiced today with the third line again and could play there for some time, but he will be back in his normal spot at some point before the playoffs. Krejci took his game to another level in last years playoffs with 23 points in 25 games.

© Bobby Doherty for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Bruins, Featured.

The Boston University Terriers (17-8-1) and Boston College Eagles (17-10-1) each advanced to next Monday’s Beanpot final, dispatching the Harvard Crimson (7-7-9) and Northeastern Huskies (11-12-3) respectively at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass.

BU advanced to the title game with a 3-1 triumph over Harvard, while BC obliterated Northeastern 7-1. The game will be the 21st time BU and BC will play for the Beanpot Championship, with the Terriers possessing 12-8 series lead. It will also be their fourth match up of the year, with BU having won two of the first three match ups.

BostonUniversity 3, Harvard 1

Wade Megan led the offensive attack with a pair of goals, while BU goalie Kieran Millan turned away 29 of 30 shots en route to a 3-1 Boston University victory on Monday night.

The Terriers  jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 8:14 in, registering the first goal of the tournament on a neat Alex Nieto wrap around goal to beat Crimson goalie Steve Michalek. Alex Chiasson and Sean Escobedo each garnered assists on the play.

BU was able to extend their lead to 2-0 with 12:30 remaining in the second period, capitalizing on the man advantage. Sahir Gill passed to Escobedo, who found Megan who buried home the game-winner. The residents of Commonwealth Avenue took a 3-0 lead less than seven minutes later when Megan tallied his second score on the night, receiving a second assist from Gill.

Millan would not be able to parlay the effort into a shutout however, as Harvard cut the deficit to 3-1 when Alex Killorn scored on the power play in the second period. Marshall Everson found Killorn in the slot, who rifled his shot past Millan for the final goal of the contest with 4:23 remaining in the second.

The Crimson attack peppered Millan in the third, but he stood tall saving all 10 Harvard shots in the final frame.

Harvard out shot the terriers 30-25 throughout, but Millan was up to the challenge to send the Terriers to the Beanpot Championship.

Boston College 7, Northeastern 1

The Boston College Eagles scored early and often, pummeling the Northeastern Huskies 7-1 in the night cap of the 2012 Beanpot. Paul Carey, Johnny Gaudreau, Steven Whitney each scored a pair of goals, while Barry Almeida notched his 17th scored of the year in the rout.

Parker Milner, Boston College’s goaltender, turned away 22 of 23 shots in his Beanpot debut.

BC’s special teams dominated the action throughout, scoring two power play goals and twice shorthanded to generate the disparity in the score. The Eagles’ speed and talent was on display all evening, doubling the Huskies with a 46-23 advantage in shots, and constantly forcing Northeastern defenders into mistakes in their own end.

Carey gave the Eagles an early edge just 5:14 in, beating NU netminder Chris Rawlings on his glove hand side for the 1-0 lead. Freshman defender Josh Manson turned the puck over near his own blueline to Pat Mullane, who found Johnny Gaudreau before he showcased a beautiful feed back to Carey in the slot for the game’s first tally.

Gaudreau doubled the Eagle’s advantage to 2-0 with 10:17 remaining in the first, stripping Northeastern defender Luke Eibler near the Huskies’ bench. Gaudreau skated in on Rawlings, and snuck a shot through the junior goaltender’s five-hole for the two-goal lead.

BC would let NU creep back into the contest with back-to-back penalties assessed to Chris Kreider and Whitney. The Huskies answered the call with the 5-on-3 advantage, with Anthony Bitteto one-timing a Ludwig Karlson pass to cut the score to 2-1. Garrett Vermeersh recorded a second assist on the play.

After six minutes of back-and-forth play in the second stanza, NU was awarded the man advantage at 5:43 after Kreider was whistled for his second penalty of the evening, a hitting from behind call. But another Huskies mistake near the Northeastern bench resulted in a shorthanded 2-on-1 opportunity for the Eagles, who ounce again pounced on the opportunity to take a 3-1 lead. Patch Alber wrestled the puck away from Bitteto, and found a streaking Alemida down the right side who fired a perfect pass to Whitney in the slot to beat Rawlings 6:41 in the second.

A little over two minutes later, Gaudreau put Boston College up 4-1 on a rebound opportunity after Alber’s shot from the right side ricocheted off the blocker of Rawlings, forcing NU to take their timeout.

Four and a half minutes later, the Eagles continued to convert NU errors when Almeida careened a Justin Daniels turnover once again in front of the Northeastern bench, and skated up the ice on a 2-on-1 opportunity. The senior needed not pass however, firing a pair of shots before beating Rawlings upstairs on the glove side for the 5-1 edge.

Backup goaltender Clay Witt entered in the third, but fared no better against a relentless Boston College attack. Barry Alemeida’s second goal of the night with occurred on the powerplay 8:43 remaining, assisted by Brian Dumoulin and Whitney. Carey capped the BC scoring with 2:40 remaining, notched his second goal with helpers from McCleod and Shea.

© Taylor for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: College, Featured.

Do you ever get the feeling like there’s no one on earth who loves you? That feeling that you’re completely alone in the world, completely abandoned by people who once cared so much for you?

I bet that Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles fans feel that way all the time. These two franchises had so much to look forward to at one point in their history: World titles, All-Star players and recorded-setting teams are now all gone. The fans of these teams have nothing left but to watch the Angels, Rangers, Red Sox and the Yankees dominate their respective divisions. There isn’t much to brag about or look forward to if you’re a Baltimore or Oakland fan. Almost as if the grace of God is non-existent.

And if anyone in either city still even believes in God, they’re about to have one more reason to abandon faith because Manny Ramirez may be headed to one of these two sorry, sorry franchises. Apparently, the rumor mill (and reputable news sources, but what’s the difference anymore) is spouting some talk of Manny being Manny in Baltimore or Oakland. I can’t even believe that the management of these (I almost wrote respected) teams are even considering taking in a player who is way past is prime and won’t even play in the first 50 games of the season. If I lived in Oakland or Baltimore and I read the headline “Manny’s coming to Town!,” I’d quickly flip to any and all stories about drive-byes and missing children to cheer me up.

Why Bother?

At this time, there’s no contract information available, but if the O’s and A’s are smart, which they aren’t, they better not sign him for more than the league minimum. Also, they should add in a ton of incentives. It’s a smart way to try to actually get something out of him.

The issue is: what’s left for Manny Ramirez to give? His last few seasons where way below the usual Manny production and after a year off, I highly doubt he’s found “it” again. He’d certainly be limited to just a designated hitter, but then again, if they’re considering Manny, then they’d probably let him play centerfield and maybe close a few games too.

From what is being reported, Oakland needs a DH and they find Manny to be an intriguing signing. As for the Orioles, Dan Duquette is Baltimore’s GM and he’s obviously dealt with Manny before, so he’s willing to take this risk. In 2001, he signed Ramirez to a $160 million deal with Boston and referred to him in his press conference as both “interesting”and “entertaining.” I highly doubt he’ll use either of those words when all the Orioles fans slash his car’s tires.

Do These Teams Have Anything to Gain?

I don’t entirely blame two of the lowest ranking teams in baseball to want to shake things up and stir some interest in their teams. The circus atmosphere will certainly have people coming to witness what could be a giant calamity. I don’t know how many national ESPN or FOX games one single player would help these teams get to, if any. Oakland actually has a decent, young team, which with the right management and signings could actually redeem the franchise a little.

I’d hate to see Manny come in and alienate people and pout/get bored when the losing streaks start. The A’s actually have hope (the O’s not so much), but Oakland can do something someday, much like Texas very slowly built a two-time AL champion. They need to be smart right now, not naive to “entertaining” signings. They may even move to San Jose in a few years, so positive press is a must right now.

Baltimore’s Motives

As for Baltimore, if they want to use Manny to bring in more to Camden Yards, that’s fine. He may even hit a little, considering it’s a small ballpark. But, this too has disaster written all over it because I don’t think Manny is really the Buck Showalter “type.” He has an attitude problem and Buck isn’t the type of guy who’s going to sit back and take the typical Manny being Manny being an ass, especially since Manny wouldn’t be in the same position in Baltimore as he was in Boston. Showalter would have much more of a right to complain about Manny and call him out in interviews. I don’t see these two mixing well, not one bit.

And yes, I am aware that in a recent interview, Ramirez told ESPN and Pedro Gomez that he wants to show everyone that he can change and that he can still play ball. I’m not saying Manny is a bad guy atall. I’m sure he’s actually a pretty decent man if you met him, but I don’t really believe what he told ESPN. Maybe he’ll change for a day, a week or a month. And then what? He gets bored and like a little kid, he starts trouble. He’ll open his mouth and it’ll rub someone, or everyone, the wrong way. Then, when that happens, you’ll end up (just like in Boston) with a whole mess of people angry at him and one or two making excuses for him. Does any team really need that?

He Won’t Change

He’s going to be sitting out the first 50 games. Let’s remember this; he’ll be sitting around doing nothing for 50 straight games. He’s better off serving the suspension at home because there’s no need for him to sit in the dugout, unavailable,
watching his team lose until mid-May.

Usually, when it comes to players with bad attitudes, I’m fairly passive. I’ve always adopted the stance that as long as they keep their attitudes and off-the-field drama away from the stadium and batter’s box, it’s fine by me. But Manny brings his issues with him where ever he goes. It’s not like I’m trying to make Manny out to be some brood, dark trouble maker. No, if anything, he’s like a child. He can have that childlike characteristic about him where he can make you love him, but also he can kick and scream until everyone’s good time is ruined.

And unfortunately for Oakland and Baltimore, they hardly ever have any good times to begin with.

© andrew macdonald for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Opinion, Red Sox.

After going 4-0 last week, the Boston Celtics were already potentially poised to put up some straight A’s. They had their revenge (93-90 over the Cleveland Cavaliers), wiped out the dinosaurs (a 36-point drubbing of the Toronto Raptors), got gritty in MSG (beating the New York Knicks 91-89), and proved themselves against a younger, more athletic opponent (topping the Memphis Grizzlies 98-80). That left the Celtics at 13-10, the first time Boston has seen the right side of .500 since they were 4-3.

Then Super Bowl XLVI happened.

(Excuse me while I go drown my pain in unintelligible Kurt Cobain lyrics and grungy power chords.)

Without rehashing the gory details, let’s just move ahead with this week’s grades, with the important caveat that I am clinically depressed from Sunday night’s devastating loss. Just know I will be assigning massive grade inflation simply to assuage my severely bruised and battered ego. I need something to hold onto, both literally (to support myself) and emotionally (my tear ducts no longer function properly).

Starting Backcourt: B+

Avery Bradley was reasonably solid in his two starts, even managing to contribute 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting (albeit against the Raptors, who really give their Jurassic Park counterparts a bad name).

Not exactly the kind of efficient production Celtics fans hope to get from Ray Allen, but he did manage to contribute a consistent dozen points per game.

Of course, the big story of the week was Rajon Rondo suiting up to play. Coming off an eight game layoff due to a nagging wrist injury, Rondo’s return Friday against the Knicks was predictably sluggish (7 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 turnovers). Rondo only mustered five points in his second game back, but dished out 14 dimes and led the Celtics to 26 fast-break points (more than the previous three games combined). He appeared to have a much better sense of timing and rhythm (as evidenced by this gorgeous feed to Jermaine O’Neal for the flush). Just his mere presence is enough to bump the backcourt up to a B+ for this week (or so I tell myself).

Starting Frontcourt: A-

I can’t say enough about Paul Pierce, who has absolutely elevated his play recently and took home the Offensive Player of the Week award for filling up the stat sheet night in and night out. His masterpiece, of course, was a vintage Pierce appearance against the Knicks, when he went off for 30 points, including a couple of absurd three-pointers to barely beat the shot clock in the game’s final minutes (one of which was waved off, but no less insane – just listen to the Garden roar).

Kevin Garnett has been draining some threes of his own, which he will incessantly remind you is within his range. Much to my preference, though, it was nice to see Garnett down on the block in the second half against the Grizzlies en route to 24 points (tying his season-high).

Meanwhile, O’Neal has been doing all the dirty work on the defensive end, drawing charge after charge at the cost of his already creaky knees. Hopefully they hold up and he continues to (pun alert!) take charge defensively (I warned you).

Altogether, I’d say that merits the first A of the season.

Bench Backcourt: C

Bradley continues to struggle when not hidden among the starting five (you mean not playing with perennial All-Stars hurts his stats? A revelation, I know); E’Twaun Moore remains lightning in a bottle (still waiting for him to strike twice); and Sasha Pavlovic has officially leapfrogged Marquis Daniels in the Celtics rotation (I’m pretty sure that was what the Mayans were talking about).

Bench Frontcourt: A-

The second unit of bigs gets our second A of the season! Doc Rivers is singing Chris Wilcox’s praises (following my lead from last week), while Brandon Bass and Mickael Pietrus are doing their thing (shooting, shooting, and more shooting for Bass; for Pietrus, that means being French).

In the surprise of the week, JaJuan Johnson showed a lot of promise for the future with some impressive garbage time performances (insert grain of salt here). In 32 total minutes of playing time, Johnson poured in 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting, with six rebounds and a couple of blocks. Johnson should be an exciting young player to watch develop as this year goes on. He has a chance to be the greatest Boston athlete to ever wear #12 (shhhhhh!).

© Nick Bohlen for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Celtics, Featured, Opinion.

A heartbreaking loss for New England; another well-fought victory for New York. New York won again behind a season eerily similar to four years ago. Tom Coughlin continues to expand his record for most times being fired without actually being fired, and now has another Super Bowl to his credit. And the AFC finally won a coin toss for the first time in 15 years. The last AFC team before the Pats to win one? The Pats.

With most votes going with city lines, the Giants pulled off the upset in our Pick ‘Em contest. Scoring, turnovers and passing were all low, leading to few points across the board. But that doesn’t mean the scoring wasn’t close. In fact, despite double points, the final score came down to four points. And the winner of the 2012 NFL Playoffs Pick ‘Em is…Edward. Given the Super Bowl, I suppose it’s only fitting that the New Yorker of the contest wins. Solid picks throughout the rounds allowed Edward to come out on top.

So with the contest over, check below for the final results and standings. And remember to come back next September for next season’s Pick ‘Em.

Table Legend:

• Four-point picks are boldfaced.
• Two-point picks are italicized.
• Zero-poin picks are crossed out.

Previous Results

• Pro Bowl
• Conference Championships
• Divisional Round
• Wildcard Round

© John for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, NFL, Now!, Opinion, Patriots.

The Boston Red Sox have been rumored to be after just about every starting pitcher for the past fifteen seasons. There will never be a winter where the Sox aren’t in the running, even if it’s hearsay, for a free agent. With a little less than three weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, we know for sure that starting pitcher Edwin Jackson will not be headed to Fort Meyers as a Red Sox. The 28-year-old Scott Boras client was a modest 12-9 with an ERA of 3.79 in 2011, which was divided between the Chicago White Sox and the Cardinals. The Red Sox had offered Jackson about $5 million for one-year, but were outbid by the Washington Nationals, who doubled their offer.

Boston Does Have Other Options

The Red Sox didn’t need Edwin Jackson, but he would have been a good fit as a back-of-the-rotation starter. He has very solid numbers last season and over the course of his nine-year career, has been the model of consistency and durability. Over the past four seasons, Jackson has thrown 806 1/3 innings, just missing the 200-inning mark last season for the first time in two years.

I really like this model of pitcher. The work horse is a much underrated member of the pitching staff. Most “work horses” aren’t very flashy, but they are valuable assets to teams, but once again, the Red Sox don’t need him. Boston already has a long list of fourth and fifth starter hopefuls for next season.

The Sox haves names like Aaron Cook, Alfredo Aceves and Daniel Bard vying for those last remaining spots. I have full faith that anyone of these pitchers could easily fit into this role and could very easily find themselves fairly successful on the fourth and fifth days. The back of the rotation doesn’t ask for much. They don’t have to be flashy or worth big money. Jackson will be a second or third starter in Washington and that’s great for him, as he’ll have a great place to grow and advance some more as a player. In Boston, he would have been fifth out and under the biggest microscope. This is something he may have considered in his decision.

Oswalt May Not Be a Good Fit For The Red Sox

Roy Oswalt is still out there and, to be honest, I’m not too big on him. Much like Jackson, Oswalt is a worker and he does have an advantage when it comes to playoff experience, but he just doesn’t fit with Boston at the moment. If this was three years ago, I’d be ecstatic just to hear that the Red Sox were even mentioned in the “Roy Oswalt sweepstakes.”

Today, however, I find it laughable that there are journalists even bothering with the phrase “Roy Oswalt sweepstakes.” This isn’t a sweepstakes. The team that “wins” Roy Oswalt gets a starter with back injuries and a declining set of skills. He missed 23 games for the Phillies last season and was only able to muster up nine wins and a 3.69 ERA. Yes, I understand that most of the blame on Oswalt’s season was his back and a very good pitcher like Mr. Oswalt could bounce back, but why take the chance? He’s not going to be the pitcher he once was and the Red Sox are in no position to take on any charity cases right now.

This isn’t the “bridge” year for the Sox, it’s a redemption year. They can’t test out players with one year deals and make experimental signings, like they did with Adrian Beltre a few seasons ago. Yes, that worked out well for the Sox and his career has been back on track ever since, but this is a completely different scenario. Beltre was a good hitter, who had lost it, coming into a hitter’s ballpark and Boston had nothing to lose.

In Oswalt’s case, he’s a good (but declining) pitcher coming into the AL East. There’s a lot at stake here. There’s a lot that can go wrong, I mean, I’m sure the Sox brand new GM doesn’t want to look ridiculous in his first year by signing an unnecessary pitcher who could very well be a bust. Anything short of a strong playoff run will be considered a failure for the Red Sox in 2012. The team is still very good with what they have.

What’s a one-year deal for Oswalt really going to accomplish for the Red Sox? If the top three starters can’t get the job done, then what chance do the Red Sox have? Oswalt or no Oswalt: the team’s success isn’t going to come out of the fourth starter position. It’s going to hang on the balance of the (hopefully newfound and rejuvenated) work-ethic and discipline of Beckett, Bucholtz and Jon Lester.

© andrew macdonald for Sports of Boston, 2012. | Permalink | No comment
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