Players Goodwill - Half Full, Half Empty, or Completely Dried Up?

As uproar over Josh Beckett's bad start to the season gets louder it occurred to me that Josh was been riding on stored up goodwill for a while now. It is my theory that each player has a store of fan goodwill that can be drawn upon in tough times that allows them to ride out storms of playing badly without as much outcry from the fans and media. Of course, if you go too long your cup of goodwill empties out or you could be one of those unfortunate players who never had much good will to begin with for one reason or another. Below is my assessment of where everyone stands with their good will.

Josh Beckett - Josh has been living on his 2007 season good will for a while now. He has replenished it regularly with streaks of brilliance in the years after 2007 and used it to ride out the rough patches he had in 2008 and 2009. But after a poor ending to the 2009 season and a horrendous start to the 2010 season coupled with his expensive new contract, I think his goodwill is perilously low. I could single handedly replenish it for a while with all the goodwill I have toward him but I'm afraid it won't hold him over through this season for long.

David Ortiz - Big Papi had a very, very full cup of goodwill. It tided him over nicely through his bad patch in 2009 and the steroid revelations. Unfortunately, his cup is also getting low. Not empty yet, mind you, but he's only got a couple inches left unless he makes a big turnaround.

J.D. Drew - J.D. is one of the unfortunates that never had any goodwill to begin with and never seemed to get any. I'm not entirely sure why since he has come through in a clutch often, plays the outfield beautifully, and doesn't cause any trouble. Perhaps it is this last one that is his downfall. People think J.D. doesn't try, doesn't care, etc. As long as J.D. keeps doing what he's doing the lack of goodwill doesn't affect him but the minute he does poorly...

Jon Lester - You'd think Jonny would have tons of goodwill and after this season I think he will. But as evidenced by his bad Aprils both this year and last it can be hard for fans and media to come off a Spring Training and watch their new ace do so badly. But around here we call Jon the Easter Bunny because who doesn't like the Easter Bunny?

Mike Lowell - Mike Lowell has so much good will stored up I can't imagine he'd ever use it all. If it were transferable he would gladly give some to struggling players (thereby increasing his goodwill even more).

Dustin Pedroia - Another one in no danger of using up his goodwill any time soon. Pedroia is gritty, team oriented, funny, and an all around good player. It would take a long, rough patch for him to get that glass even half full.

Kevin Youkalis - Youk is pretty much in the same boat as Pedroia but maybe with a tiny bit less goodwill. But again, he is in no danger of losing it soon.

Jacoby Ellsbury - Jacoby is also high in goodwill. Less than Youk and Pedroia simply because he's not as good a hitter and those UZR ratings made him look bad (although I am skeptical of them). He's a big fan favorite though and his stolen bases help boost his goodwill.

Jason Varitek - Tek's goodwill tends to fluctuate wildly. He can have tons of it one month and be completely out of it the next. Just look at last season when he was so hot at the beginning and his goodwill was overflowing. Then next thing you know it's completely empty and everyone wants him gone because his bat has gone cold.

Tim Wakefield - Another player with what seems like never ending goodwill due to his time with the team and his willingness to do anything asked of him. He can get away with being a little bitter this year because of all that goodwill.

DiceK Matsuzaka - Dice K had an outpouring of goodwill when he was first signed. Outrageous amounts of it in 2007. His goodwill quickly got used up however, and last year if it were possible he would have negative goodwill. His lack of goodwill explains why Josh Beckett's starts this year weren't decried nearly as much as DiceK's inability to get going this year.

Clay Buchholz - Clay got lots of early goodwill due to being such a good prospect and of course, that no hitter he threw. He used up a lot of it after that no hitter when he went on a bad streak that got him sent down to Pawtuket. He had enough left though, that when he came back last year every was excited to see him and forgave him some rocky starts last year. He continues to add to his goodwill this year.

Jonathan Papelbon - Pap has always been one of those guys you either love or hate. As such, his goodwill has never been as high as it should been for his performance. His goodwill was at its highest in 2007 (well, wasn't everyone's?) and has taken a nose dive since then. His lack of more than one pitch, his tendency to turn closes into high drama, and some of the comments he's made about salary and contracts has lowered his goodwill considerably.

Manny del Carmen, Ramon Ramirez, Okajima Hideki - I'm lumping them in together because they all have the tendency to have low amounts of goodwill that don't sustain them for very long. Our memories for relief pitching are short. You blow a couple of leads and we forget the five leads you maintained. Sorry guys, it is just the way of the world.

Victor Martinez - He's a little too new to have too much goodwill but he came in last year at a time when we desperately needed him and he delivered. As such, he has enough goodwill stored up to get him through this slump he's in.

Everyone else is too new or doesn't play enough to have goodwill. Some, like McDonald, are working on storing up goodwill for the future. Others, like Beltre, have no goodwill going for them yet.

The Red Sox Continue Their Schizophrenia

I was feeling confident going into the series against the Yankees after sweeping the Angels. After all, we were going up against them with Beckett, Buchholz, and Lester. Sure, we all know the Yankees are good this year and they'd be hard to beat but I thought the chances were good we'd take at least 2 games.

Friday night's game was heart sickening to watch. Beckett started out better than I have seen him since, well, since last August when he stopped pitching like Josh Beckett. Who knows what happened to him out there in the 6th inning but it was painful in the extreme to watch. It was like watching a car accident. You can't look away no matter how much you want to. Hitting 2 Yankees players and hitting Jason Varitek? What was going on with Josh Beckett that night? I am certain beyond a doubt that he didn't hit anyone on purpose but the whole thing was bizarre and painful.

I only caught a couple of innings of Saturday's rain delayed marathon of a game but it was enough to show me that the Red Sox hadn't shown up to play that game either. Clay was average at best and in the end it was an embarrassing rout.

So it was with some trepidation that I sat down to watch Sunday's game. The only thing that kept me from being completely pessimistic was the thought that Jon Lester was pitching and perhaps we would be spared a complete blowout. Well, not only did Jon Lester deliver (because he is a pitching god) but the offense decided to wake up and show the Yankees that they weren't dead after all. It seemed like everyone was in on the act last night (except for Victor Martinez). Jeremy Hermida and his great beard delivered just when we needed it. Scuturo seemed to get on base frequently. Beltre, sporting new glasses, got in some hits. Drew seemed to get a hit every time he was up and even Big Papi got in on it. And of course, the ever reliable Youk and Pedroia (sporting high socks no less) got in some hits as well. The sure sign for me that everything was going well was when the Yanks took Jeter and ARod out of the game because they knew it was already lost.

Now the Blue Jays are coming to town. The Sox swept them in Toronto last time they faced each other so I'm feeling smug. I'll be there on Tuesday and Wednesday. You can find me near the bullpen on Wednesday giving Josh encouragement that those Jays have nothing on him.

Random Red Sox Thoughts

- Two wins against the Angels! Who would have thought that after being swept by the Orioles last weekend.

- Jon Lester is a pitching god. There is just no other way to describe it.

- Booing your own players at Fenway Park is unacceptable no matter how they are playing. Talk trash about them in your living room, on your Twitter feed, or anywhere else but do not boo them at Fenway.

- Dustin Pedoria is a gritty ballplayer. That out he made last night was jaw dropping. I'm so glad he is on our team. Imagine if he wasn't?

- You know I love me a good Josh Beckett quote and so I often read Rob Bradford's articles because he seems to be the only reporter that Josh talks to. I got this gem from an article Bradford wrote about the team's chemistry. "I was actually noticing this the other day, that we've got an abnormal amount of beer-drinking buddies. Not that we drink too much beer, but that we get along." Right Josh. I know you and Lackey are putting away a case of Lone Star beer every night and Clay is trying to keep up with the two of you.

- Darnell McDonald is a good offensive player but mediocre in the outfield. Yes, I said it.

- I often feel bad for the losing team when they show them looking discouraged in the dugout. Not so with the Angels. I felt they deserved it by putting that really terrible relief guy in and because I just really don't like the Angels and Mike Scioscia.

- Lackey takes on his old team tonight. Looking forward to this match up!

What a Biting Game

Coming off an emotional game 1 win from Saturday, the Bruins won again 3-2 against the Philadelphia. In the midst, Marc Savard provided another story to tell, even though it wasn't exactly as epic as his goal on Saturday, but it was still good. After a rough up with Daniel Carcillo, it was claimed that Savard bit Carcillo on the fingers. According to Savard, Carcillo tried to pull his front teeth out and there was no biting involved. Apparently its elementary school all over again with finger pointing.

The Bruins were the first ones to score, again, with a goal in the first period from Johnny Boychuck. The winning goal was scored late in the third period by Milan Lucic, who has been having a couple troubles since his return from the high ankle sprain. He had 1 goal since March 25 and this was his first goal in the playoffs. For him, it was a relief and also a surprise. He wasn't expecting it to go in, nevermind the game winner.

Over all, it was another exciting game that was full of emotion and good plays. Now the Bruins have the lead in the series at 2-0, as they head to Philly for the next 2 games. The Flyers also have a perfect record at home during the playoffs, meaning the Bruins will have a little bit more of a challenge. The next game is Wednesday night at 7:00 on Versus.

How Do You Amuse Yourself on a Plane Ride After Being Swept by the Orioles?

You have got to hand it to The Orioles. They played some good baseball this weekend and swept a series against the Red Sox at home in their own Camden Yards, something that has not been seen since 1974. The look on Wigginton's face when they won yesterday said it all. They were ecstatic, as well they should be.

Unfortunately, you and I are not Orioles fans. We are Red Sox fans and watching them get stomped on by The Orioles of all people was humiliating and quite worrisome. We all knew going into this series that The Orioles weren't the sure win that they have been in the past, not with the way the Red Sox were playing lately, but I don't think anyone saw that sweep coming.

Josh Beckett said in his post-game interview that the plane ride home would have been a lot more pleasant after a win. This of course made me speculate on what does occur on a plane ride back to Boston after getting swept by the Orioles. Angry yelling and recriminations? Sullen silence and dirty looks? Public floggings of those most responsible? We can only imagine what did happen on that plane yesterday but I can assure you that big Red Sox fan that I am, I would not have wanted to be there for it.

The Happy Dance Done Around the Garden

Raise your hand if you thought the Bruins game would end the way it did. I certainly didn't, but I'm sure as hell glad it happened. For those who missed the glorious moment, in the winding moments of overtime, Marc Savard, with his only shot of the game (his first one in 2 months by the way), led the Bruins to a 5-4 win over the Philladelphia Flyers. And thus starts celebration and numberous happy dances. And a couple of tears.

Even though it was only game one of the series, it was by far the most memorable of any moment in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The game has a whole was well played, with both teams going to the net, and both goalies coming up with major saves.

There was lots of action. I would have traded in the little catch-up the Philly had. But that means I would also have to trade in arguably the best ending to a game, and I wouldn't do that for the world. So till the next epic win, keep dancing Savvy.

So That's What Pitching & Defense Look Like

I had an image in my mind of Theo Esptein calling up Larry Lucchino last night to tell him that finally his pitching and defense idea is catching on. Low score games with phenomenal pitching, that's what we've all been counting on and for the last two nights the Red Sox have delivered.

After Clay's stellar outing yesterday, Jon Lester slightly one upped him by having an even better outing (hard to believe, but true). Lester had 11 strikeouts. That's right, 11! He was the ace we all know he is and effectively erased all memory of his previous bad starts.

Let's not forget to give props to both Bard and Papelbon who effectively held on to the 2 run lead and even made it look easy. It's always nice when Pap just does his job without trying to up the ante on excitement.

Darnell McDonald continues to amaze. Count me in the camp that viewed his debut as a fluke but he has more than proved me wrong and, for once, I am happy to say I was wrong. I'm also very happy to see Pedroia back in the 2nd spot in the lineup because for some reason it seems to be making a difference with his hitting. Watching Lowell pinch hit for Ortiz brought up usual mixed feeling for me. I would like to think Big Papi is not finished but it isn't looking so good for him, is it?

As an aside, I don't know if it is his ease at being back in Toronto (although how anyone could feel at ease in the cavernous Rogers Stadium is beyond me) but Marco Scutaro is beginning to show his personality. He exhibited a variety of different faces, tossed his bat and gloves, and even threw his batting helmet down in the dugout. Keep it up Marco!

Now that the Red Sox have swept the Blue Jays (A sweep! Finally!) they head down to Baltimore to show the Orioles that the one win they got on Sunday was an aberration and will not be happening again.