Let's talk about that. First off, I completely agree with this. When Epstein was GM, the Red Sox were all about Moneyball, sabermetrics, Bill James, OBP, and the like. We had a farm system that was developed and became the core of two World Series-winning teams. All of this was coupled by key acquisitions. This quote, in reference to after the 2010 season, perfectly explains the kind of organization that Red Sox ownership wanted to put together. And frankly, it's not about baseball anymore. I talked about something like this after a month of the 2012 season, and I think that rang true throughout the year. Now, it's about looking good, and about being a brand name that you want people to buy into. Which I understand as a corporation, an organization, and a professional sports franchise, but I think that the ownership is going about it the completely wrong way. It's not about looking good, it's about being good. Frankly, I could care less if the Red Sox have sexy players - I care if they have ones that increase the total in the win column. Just look at the San Antonio Spurs, often referred to as the NBA's most boring team. The Spurs are perennial contenders for the NBA Championship, because they have a talented core who knows who their identity is as a basketball team. The Red Sox have fallen away from that, and it's happened with guys like John Lackey, Bobby Valentine, and Carl Crawford. Perhaps the pinnacle of this is Josh Beckett, who is more or less a microcosm of all of this. Back when we had the Beckett that was kicking ass, he just kept his mouth shut, pitched his game, and did his thing. But as the team went haywire, so did he, becoming a problem in the clubhouse, with the media, and ultimately, on the mound, leading to his trade to the Dodgers. The Red Sox are trying to do things the wrong way, and it doesn't look like things are going to change anytime soon. I've been saying it for a while now, but the Red Sox need a change of ownership. I gave them one year after the Francona/2011 collapse happened, and that one year consisted of the first losing record since 1997 and the fire of Valentine after one season. Things have to change on Yawkey Way, or else the downfall of the Boston Red Sox will become the norm, which is something that no one wants.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The wrong kind of moneyball
"They told us we didn't have any marketable players. We need some sexy guys...it was the farthest thing removed from what we set out to be." -Theo Epstein, former GM of the Boston Red Sox
Let's talk about that. First off, I completely agree with this. When Epstein was GM, the Red Sox were all about Moneyball, sabermetrics, Bill James, OBP, and the like. We had a farm system that was developed and became the core of two World Series-winning teams. All of this was coupled by key acquisitions. This quote, in reference to after the 2010 season, perfectly explains the kind of organization that Red Sox ownership wanted to put together. And frankly, it's not about baseball anymore. I talked about something like this after a month of the 2012 season, and I think that rang true throughout the year. Now, it's about looking good, and about being a brand name that you want people to buy into. Which I understand as a corporation, an organization, and a professional sports franchise, but I think that the ownership is going about it the completely wrong way. It's not about looking good, it's about being good. Frankly, I could care less if the Red Sox have sexy players - I care if they have ones that increase the total in the win column. Just look at the San Antonio Spurs, often referred to as the NBA's most boring team. The Spurs are perennial contenders for the NBA Championship, because they have a talented core who knows who their identity is as a basketball team. The Red Sox have fallen away from that, and it's happened with guys like John Lackey, Bobby Valentine, and Carl Crawford. Perhaps the pinnacle of this is Josh Beckett, who is more or less a microcosm of all of this. Back when we had the Beckett that was kicking ass, he just kept his mouth shut, pitched his game, and did his thing. But as the team went haywire, so did he, becoming a problem in the clubhouse, with the media, and ultimately, on the mound, leading to his trade to the Dodgers. The Red Sox are trying to do things the wrong way, and it doesn't look like things are going to change anytime soon. I've been saying it for a while now, but the Red Sox need a change of ownership. I gave them one year after the Francona/2011 collapse happened, and that one year consisted of the first losing record since 1997 and the fire of Valentine after one season. Things have to change on Yawkey Way, or else the downfall of the Boston Red Sox will become the norm, which is something that no one wants.
Let's talk about that. First off, I completely agree with this. When Epstein was GM, the Red Sox were all about Moneyball, sabermetrics, Bill James, OBP, and the like. We had a farm system that was developed and became the core of two World Series-winning teams. All of this was coupled by key acquisitions. This quote, in reference to after the 2010 season, perfectly explains the kind of organization that Red Sox ownership wanted to put together. And frankly, it's not about baseball anymore. I talked about something like this after a month of the 2012 season, and I think that rang true throughout the year. Now, it's about looking good, and about being a brand name that you want people to buy into. Which I understand as a corporation, an organization, and a professional sports franchise, but I think that the ownership is going about it the completely wrong way. It's not about looking good, it's about being good. Frankly, I could care less if the Red Sox have sexy players - I care if they have ones that increase the total in the win column. Just look at the San Antonio Spurs, often referred to as the NBA's most boring team. The Spurs are perennial contenders for the NBA Championship, because they have a talented core who knows who their identity is as a basketball team. The Red Sox have fallen away from that, and it's happened with guys like John Lackey, Bobby Valentine, and Carl Crawford. Perhaps the pinnacle of this is Josh Beckett, who is more or less a microcosm of all of this. Back when we had the Beckett that was kicking ass, he just kept his mouth shut, pitched his game, and did his thing. But as the team went haywire, so did he, becoming a problem in the clubhouse, with the media, and ultimately, on the mound, leading to his trade to the Dodgers. The Red Sox are trying to do things the wrong way, and it doesn't look like things are going to change anytime soon. I've been saying it for a while now, but the Red Sox need a change of ownership. I gave them one year after the Francona/2011 collapse happened, and that one year consisted of the first losing record since 1997 and the fire of Valentine after one season. Things have to change on Yawkey Way, or else the downfall of the Boston Red Sox will become the norm, which is something that no one wants.
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