Red Sox are a mess in 2020 - which is on brand for 2020 w/ the "Sportz Jerks"

Red Sox stink but MLB baseball is back (for now)

Let’s start with former Red Sox cult hero and Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly throwing behind Houston Astros Batters. 

Jeremy - every MLB team should have a guy on their roster like Joe Kelly, tell us why? 

Leave it to the red sox to beat Jake De Grom - At least Eovaldi is getting run support.  

Blame Pie - we go down the payroll and assign blame 

Active Payroll is $115 million, the injured reserve payroll is $52 million (so almost 33% of the salaries)… and if you adjust the salaries for the shortened season… $43.7 million for active payroll and $15.7 million for injured reserve, so either way over 25% of your salaries are going to dudes who are injured 

JD Martinez - I’m going with Base salaries not adjusted - he’s at $23.75 million

Xander Bogaerts - $20 million

Nathan Eovaldi - $17 million

Jackie Bradley Jr. - $11 million 

Martin Perez - Pitcher - $5.5mil

Kevin Pillar - $4.25mil 

Christian Vasquez - $4.2mil

Jonathan Lucroy - $1.5mil

Brandon Workman - $3.5mil

Andrew Benintendi - $3.4mil

Matt Barnes - $3.1 mil

There’s a bunch of dudes I don’t know or care about but we can go through them 

Mitch Moreland $2.5mil - play him

Rafael Devers - $692,500 - play him 

Alex Verdugo - $600,000 - play him

Michael Chavis - $571,000 - play him - but not a 1B

Chris Sale - $30million 

Dustin Pedroia - $13mil

Eduardo Rodriguez - $8.3million (he’s only on 10-IR — he pitched well in 2019 relative to these other guys)

Paying David Price - $5.9mill (and he counts $16,000 against the luxury tax)

Paying Pablo Sandoval - $5mil 

Paying Manny $2million in deferred money - that’s ok 

Rusney Castillo is getting $14.27 million this year in a “buried minor league contract” 

Who’s on the trade block - Xander has a full no trade clause 

Eovaldi ? is he worth a flyer for a contender? 

Jackie Bradley? same as Eovaldi? 

Underrated Prospects

Baseball Analytics is “dead” in a 60 game season. 

the manager Roenicke, seems to be going out of his way to “out do” Bobby Valentine as worst 1 year manager of the 21st century for the Red Sox. 

Airing of Grievances 

Predictions going forward — As Clubber Lang said in Rocky 3 - my prediction is pain! Red Sox are tanking 

It didn’t have to be like this - it started with the overreaction of firing Alex Cora and the Mookie Betts deal with the Dodgers was an exclamation point! But lots happened along the way.

Moreland got benched the day after 2 homers - team can’t score 

Verdugo vs. Lefties rant from Andrew 

Benintendi, Pillar, What else 

Can the Philadelphia Eagles repeat? Mid-term Mania. This Red Sox Parade was more than just Duck Boats!

Was 2018 the first “eff you parade” in Boston sports history? 

Seems like that attitude was pure jubilation and feeling bullet proof as a fanbase. 

Price has his eff you parade for towards then fans. 

The Boston sports fans had theirs towards the philly fans for stealing a super bowl.  

This title was a collective realization that even if Tom Brady is never gonna win another and even if the pats go back to being bad... Boston fans just realized - as long as the Sox have good ownership and tons of 💰- we have a franchise that’s won 4 titles in 15 seasons with 3 diff managers... dozens of different players. Hockey is super random. And Boston Celtics aren depended on outsmarting opponents because it’s tough for them  to get free agents. But the Sox - they can miss and take years off and hit bottom, but they’ll always get it right a couple times a decade

The Sox were our city’s first love and are now our best hope to keep the party going once the pats dynasty is no more 

places listening - Turkey, Ireland, UK, Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Philippines, Slovakia, Germany, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory & More 

Philadelphia Eagles What’s the mood right now at 4-4? 

Is getting each team’s best shot week after week what you expected? 

What’s the feeling for the next 8 games? Home & Away vs Cowboys and Skins, at Saints, at Rams, Home Giants, Home Texans

What’s the city’s feelings on your QB situation? 

Can your guys go on the road and get Saints or Rams? What about winning on road in playoffs? 

How was the raising of the banner on the first game of the year? 

Are people still basking in that Super Bowl win or are fans finally more focused on this seasons results? I felt like after Pats first title - i dealt with their 9-7 season in a way of saying well we’re still the champs until the super bowl… i’ve since stopped feeling that way about title teams. 

MID-TERMS!?!?!!? Any hot takes 

Red Sox World Series Game 1-5 and Parade Notes

Red Sox vs Dodgers world series 2019 

Game 1 notes 

Kershaw was getting the “Darrrrryl” treatment in the bottom of the first/ This ain’t Petco Park Boys 

Turner is the MLB player voted most likely to lead the Wildlings north of the wall in Westeros 

Noon Time! Just in Time - Nunez with 3 run shot
Kimbrell looked better in game 1

Both starters/ aces labored through 4+ / 5+ innings 

Game 2 notes 

Price good through first 2 innings 

Kinsler knocks in a 2 out run in the second to get the Sox on the board first in game 2. 

Kinsler gets tossed out at third to end the inning - great throw, tough base running miscue 

David Price brings it!

Game 3 notes

Epic 18 innings! Evoaldi is the man despite the loss

Kinsler almost becomes Bill Buckner (off the hook 48 hours later)

Game 4 notes

The Epic Comeback - Moreland, Pearce homers change it all

Game 5 notes

Mookie Betts , JD Martinez and Chris Sale save their best for last. David Price is avenged. Steve Pearce improbably becomes MVPearce

Nations listening Turkey, Ireland, UK, Colombia, Mexico, British Indian Ocean Territory, Vietnam, UAE, El Salvador, Senegal, Japan and More

Top cities listening NYC, Arlington Va, Cornelius NC, Carrickmacross Ireland, Vazec Slovakia, Venice Italy, Izmir Turkey

Red Sox Dodgers World Series 2018

Red Sox vs Dodgers world series 2019 

Places listening - Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Jawalakhel Nepal, Cape Town South Africa, Budapest, Los Angeles 

Top Nations listening The Phillippines, UK, Netherlands, Czech Republic 

Chappelle show had a skit in which Dave shared his views on the world at 18, 24 and 30

Pats have essentially been great in the regular season this whole 17 year period 

But with the Sox it’s more of a “check in” when they’re really good. They have the highest payroll or a top 3 payroll each year... but baseball is so random it doesn’t always work. 

So if I look at where I was when Sox clinched ALCS in ‘04, ‘07 and ‘13 it’s a very interesting  look at the past 14 or so years 

‘04 - living in Worcester Ma. Working 3 part time jobs. Sting of 03 Brett Boone homer still fresh. Sox still viewed as cursed. 

The come back in the series from Down 0-3 to the Yankees. Winning in yankee stadium. 

Francona bringing out Pedro for no reason and yankee stadium and the ghost of babe Ruth rising one last time to chant who’s your daddy as 56,000 people with one voice. 

The World Series sweep being an epilogue, as opposed to the climax - dude to the yankee history. 

Andrew Patterson walking down Lexington ave in head to toe Sox gear and spike lee acknowledging it, without saying a word

The idiots concept. The Red Sox needed a team of utter free spirits and irrational confidence guys - in order to escape the baggage of the curse 

2007 proved that the Sox could win as front runners, but not without drama. 
The JD Drew grand slam. Josh Beckett being a stud before he was acting like an entitled turf 

I was in philly - I was 28. I was in a new job, in a new city, more playing a the role of a “grown up” than actually being one at the time. This title gave me the ability to “breathe easy” for a bit, especially now knowing some very tough sledding that was about to occur. 

2013 - 34 years old - living at walnut academy - working in NH

Tigers series. Rosco and I were playing a show in Northampton Ma. David Ortiz hit that famous homer. With the cop in the bullpen

Changing the words of Daft Punks “get lucky” on stage as an homage to big papi. 

This was the marathon bombing year 

Celebrating with my brother and my cousin Doug - reminded me of the 1999 alcs when the Sox lost, but we were in college, so the fun of just having beers and screaming at the tv with friends. 

This was “The beards/ facial hair” team - a facial hair zenith. A perfect blend of youth, veterans having career years and health. Team came out of nowhere. 

The bridge title between the bruins and the pats 4th Super Bowl win

2018 - 39 years old. Living in charlotte, NC.  Best regular season team in sox history. An amazing outfield. David Price getting “over the hump” to win a series clincher. 

Cindy Harrington narrating the end of game 5 as I drove home from Winston-Salem a bullpen that is still a nightly adventure. Dustin Pedroia in the final days of a career that’s already ended, but thinking how vital he was to the 07 and 13 teams and thinking of the full circle journey. 

I have no idea what will happen- I can’t believe that two former Sox world champs Alex Cora and Dave Roberts are the managers. 

Imagine rooting against Dave Roberts ??  Only in baseball 

You’ve celebrated all but 1 of Boston’s 21st century championships in LA. The only real comparison to this would be the 2008 and 2010 NBA Finals — what’s it like to live the Boston/LA rivalry in LA?

If it wasn’t the red sox - would you be pulling for dodgers under every other circumstance? 

what’s your best guest on the ratio of Sox fans to Dodgers fans in Dodger Stadium?

What do the Dodgers do better than the Yankees or Astros that has you worried? 

You know how our grand parents had to live through the depression, and that period of time really shaped their sense of always conserving resources? To me that’s a little like sports. I can’t shake the feels that this run will end at one point, almost to the point of being too nervous to fully embrace it. 

Name that tune of the dodgers organ player during world series 

SCOTUS Hot takes on Anthony Kennedy retirement, plus Celtics, Red Sox & Patriots

Why is nobody upset with Justice Anthony Kennedy for announcing his retirement before the mid-term elections?

I mean you were appointed by Reagan and you’ve been the swing vote on the Supreme Court for decades. GOP already stole Garland’s spot — the timing of this announcement in July instead of December (post election) is dastardly at best. 

Latest and greatest from the Worcester Food Scene/ East Coast Wing

Favorite Worcester Summer time story (from back in the day or now) 

5 mins on red sox and pats - Do the sox have enough to win it? Will this be the year the Pats regress from AFC Title Game level of success? If so, will they ever get it back? 

5 mins on Celts and NBA Free agency Boogie to Warriors, Marcus Smart stays with Celtics, DeRozan for Kawhi, LeBron to the Lakers - does he get a title? does he get multiple titles?

Marky Sal Wall Decor & Man cook good

"Handmaid’s Tale" and Season Two of "Big Little Lies” w/ Chloe Peterson

Interview Jeremy Johnson, Marky Sal and Dan Ruttle - Ask the same question of 3 guests

If corporations are running the nation and the world, instead of nations — then shouldn’t we at least stop choosing the federal gov’t officials we elect based on a “state by state” basis? If Wyoming as a state, with 600,000 people deserves 2 senators — then I propose that cities larger Wyoming deserve 1 senator (in addition to the two their home state gets).