The Individual or the Team?

I recently had the following question posed to me: Which is more important, the individual or the group?

Now, being who I am, I immediately thought of baseball. On teams with a high payroll and an expectation of success, it is considered uncouth to emphasize personal achievements, yet on teams with a recent tradition of failure, personal goals are all that players have to hope for, considering it might be their ticket out of the mediocre scene, via free agency.

For example, Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett is entering a contract year, yet every time someone asks about his status or his goals, he reiterates that it's not about him, but about the team. When asked who the number one pitcher was for the Sox this year, Jon Lester answered, "Well, we all are. You guys can label us whatever you want, but in my mind it takes five starters to win a championship."

"You're more important." "No, YOU'RE more important."

The company line for most big market teams is the same way. When Dustin Pedroia won the 2008 AL MVP award, he was disappointed, because his team finished short of where it had in 2007: they were runners up to the AL Pennant, rather than World Series Champions, and it just wasn't good enough for the Sox second baseman.

On the other hand, in Kansas City, Zack Greinke just won the AL Cy Young award, and the Royals celebrated the his individual achievement. On a team where winning just isn't in the cards, individuals make a huge difference: the Royals sell more tickets on days when Greinke pitches, while the Red Sox will sell out no matter who is playing, be it Beckett, Lester, or even someone like Michael Bowden.

Yet somehow, they can't even sell out Greinke's starts...

The same principle exists in society as a whole: those who are more privileged have the luxury of worrying about the big picture, while those from lower tax brackets must think of mundane personal things, like where they'll get the money to pay the bills. Is this fair? Not really. And anyway, who ever said life (or baseball) had to be fair?

Tim Wakefield: Mainer at Heart?

Is it just me, or would Tim Wakefield make a great Mainer? Wake was, of course, born not in Maine (or any other New England state), but in Melboure, Florida, and he still resides in the Sunshine State during the offseason.

However, something about Wakefield just screams Mainahh to me, and I'm not sure why. I know a great deal of native Mainers, as I live about 10 minutes from the state, and even spent three years there for boarding school. Wakefield embodies much of the spirit that I have come to associate with Maine: integrity, character, and a blue-collar work ethic among them.

In the above video, Wake clings to his position in the rotation fiercely, and he's certainly earned that right. Something about the posture, the ball cap, and the facial hair just made me nostalgic for all the days I spent in Maine... and just think how awesome Wake would look with a mullet.

Beckett has guts... No, Really.

This photo surfaced in Spring Training of 2008, causing many in Red Sox Nation to call foul. We wondered how a player making millions of dollars could show up so out of shape, and then Becks never seemed to be quite right all year, going on and off the disabled list for a variety of reasons, and winning his lone playoff decision on grit alone.

Now, we're two years into the future, and after a good 2009 (17-6, 3.86 ERA), Beckett shows up to camp looking like this:
Obviously, it's nowhere near as bad as it was in 2008, but it is a bit troubling. However, there's more than one way to look at this... You can be critical and suspicious, and accuse Beckett of spending more of the winter at McDonald's than the gym, or you can look at it logically.

Everyone is a different size and shape: I'm sure that many of you have struggled with your bodies in some way or another - most people experience frustratingly ineffective exercise/diet plans in their life; we all have that friend who couldn't gain weight even if he had an IV delivering straight lard into his bloodstream.

(Ahem... Clay Buchholz...)

It seems most likely that Josh Beckett has worked very hard, but that his body is simply shaped that way. He certainly has a very round face in comparison with his body, and one look at his legs will tell you that the righty has definitely not been neglecting his workouts... Still, he might want to take a leaf out of Jon Lester's book, and simply keep his shirt tucked in while he plays.

I don't know about you guys, but I prefer men with meat on their bones to stringbeans, anyway.

Pedroia isn't "A lot of guys..."

There's been a ton of talk (or, you know, panic) around Red Sox Nation this offseason that all this talk of "improved pitching and defense" is just code for "second rate team that can't score runs." For now, I'm willing to believe the company line... and the players, at least publicly, seem to be buying into it, too.


In fact, on an interview with WEEI's Mut and Bradford Show, Dustin Pedroia was very outspoken about the perception that [his] the team's offense will be weak:

“I think a lot of guys are going to take that personal, and as an offensive unit we need to score a lot of runs and I have a lot of confidence we’re going to do all kind of good things... It gets to you a little bit. Every time I’m on the show somebody is calling asking about that. It kind of gets to you a little bit. A lot of guys take pride in having good at-bats and doing everything we can to score runs."

Honestly, every time he says "a lot of guys," I mentally replace it with "I." We all know Pedroia is one of the most feisty and proud players in the game, and that he uses the words of doubters as motivation; I think it's pretty clear what the scrappy second baseman thinks of when he has to get through that last set of sprints.

Personally, I'm rather optimistic about the potential for a big year from the offense. Scutaro and Martinez will fill the vortexes that were in the lineup last year, and though David Ortiz's level of production is a BIG question mark, this team has the potential to be very, very good. And in the end, does it really matter if there were more games with scores of 2-0 than 12-8?

So long as we get to the promised land of October baseball, I think not.

Quote of the Day

Today's gem is brought to us by none other than the Globe's Dan Shaughnessy. I almost overlooked it, as it was in a bits and pieces column, and not linked on the Red Sox page. However, I'm certainly glad I found it:


"Did Cuban lefty Aroldis Chapman sign with the Cincinnati Reds because he thinks they’re communists?"

Gold. It's quips like that one that allowed Shaughnessy to become one of Boston's best sportswriters, and though all we tend to hear about is how snarky and cynical he is, it's obvious that he loves sports. It's tough to make it in Boston, whether as an athlete or someone who covers them, but quotes like that one make me glad that Shaughnessy is around.

Move over, Shaughnessy... There's a new cynic in town.

In a shocking new development, the Boston Globe has a bitter cynic working in the sports section. No, I'm not talking about CHB, but [relatively] new blogger Chris Gasper. He wrote a patronizing post the other day about the "farce" that is Truck Day, and even bashes his own paper (among others) for covering it so heavily.

Gasper is biting the hand that feeds him, though I'm sure the Globe won't mind - anything that stirs up controversy and enhances site traffic is just fine by them. Insulting the fans, however, is another matter entirely. Gasper tries to cover his bases by offering up a few cheap compliments:

"Red Sox fans you're better than this. You are the most astute, educated and critical fans in the game. You cheer the outstanding plays of opposing players. You argue endlessly over a manager's decisions, can debate the importance of .OPS vs. UZR and explain why Jose Iglesias has more upside at shortstop than Derrik Gibson."

Personally, I'm tempering my enthusiasm on Iglesias for now... But he sure looks good, doesn't he?

But then he drops the ball quicker than Julio Lugo in the rain (or the sun), and lets us all know how stupid and irrational we're being. Thanks, Chris, but we know that watching a truck leave Fenway Park isn't the most sensible thing to be doing.

But seriously, how can you look at this photo and not smile?

Then again, for many years, rooting for the Red Sox wasn't the most sensible thing to be doing either, and no one at the Globe asked us to stop reading their coverage of the team. I don't know about you, but for me Truck Day is about more than a truck full of bats, balls, exercise bikes, and buckets of Dubble Bubble... Truck Day means baseball is coming. Yes, I know in my heart that baseball will come whether or not I click through the gallery of the Truck Day photos, just as the folks who turn out to oggle Punxsutawney Phil don't really believe that the rodent is predicting the weather.

Gasper was just trying to stir things up, and he succeeded. For his sake, I hope he wasn't always this cynical, though perhaps he spent his childhood disillusioning his peers about the alleged existence of the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. I've never actually been at Fenway for Truck Day, and don't have any immediate plans to do so... But who does Gasper think he is to judge those who, as he says, "believe the truck isn't just carrying bats and balls it's carrying the hopes and dreams of Red Sox Nation."

He asks us to "Spare him." Next time, Chris, spare me the cynicism and coldhearted analysis... We're in the middle of a New England winter, and things are cold enough.

Cast of Characters

This morning, as I was wasting my life away on the internet, I came across the following Tweet:

Jerry_Remy Someone just told me that #RedSox lack personality-they're all just "nice guys"-no Mannys,no Millars, no Damons--what do you think?-Jerry

First off, for those of you wondering, that is in fact the REAL Jerry Remy... Follow him! Secondly, whoever told him that the Sox lack personality was clearly crazy. Immediately, people starting replying, listing off current players with "personality," and it got me thinking about the different types of characters in the Red Sox clubhouse, and how well they've gelled for the past few years.

Let's start with Timmy Wakefield, the elder statesman. Wake does more for charity than any other member of the team, and is universally respected throughout the game for his hard-work and perseverance.

Lester was forced to grow up quickly, and though he's pretty reserved, you've got to believe that when he speaks, people listen. Also, he isn't too cool to walk around Fort Myers with a glove on his head. Personality points for him!

Yes, this is Josh Beckett with a puppy. The fiery righty EXUDES personality... Sure, he might utter some *baseball terms* to thick-headed members of the media (I'm looking at you, Heidi Watney), but his heart is definitely in the right place.

Tell me again how this team has no personality? David Ortiz has arguably the biggest personality in the game, to go along with the biggest grin. He hasn't clowned around as much publicly since the departure of his partner in crime, Manny Ramirez, but he's still a presence in the clubhouse.

Now, I've never seen much of new center fielder Mike Cameron, but he's been a member of several notoriously tight ballclubs, and is cited over and over as a favorite on and off the field for his leadership.

On October 2, 2009 Jonathan Papelbon told the Globe's Amalie Benjamin "to put the fact that he's a sheriff in Mississippi into a story. Also called himself Lord CincoOcho. Seriously." Yeah, Paps has no personality... his bullpen cohorts must be bored to tears.

According to Ian Brown, Youkilis has a quick wit about him as well.: "'This is what brings teams together. Bad haircuts.' -Kevin Youkilis, as a mob of teammates surround [Nick] Green in the bathroom. (Via Twitter, Sept. 12, 2009). The first baseman even has a Twitter page devoted to his facial hair.

Okay, okay... I saved my favorite for last. But how could you argue that a team with this guy on it has no personality? According to Joe Haggerty, "Dustin Pedroia was rocking a GI Joe T-shirt [presumably the same one in the photo] in the clubhouse, and yelled at Ortiz: 'That's right. I am a Real American Hero.'" He also reportedly told Amalie Benjamin that Curt Schilling's contribution to the US Senate would be "Probably a big appetite."