In an era where people are more self-obsessed than ever, to me the dumbest thing that has come out of the "instant gratification" age is the "Gender Reveal "video. I fucking hate these things like poison. They are the "meeting that could've happened over email" of social media posts. These are the most unnecessary of the social media posts going. Look, I love to share stuff about myself online that nobody gives a shit about too, this website for example. But at least I'm trying to make people laugh. These ass holes are just bragging about the fact their eggs aren't scrambled. Congrats on the sex, again! People have decided that not only is a lengthy social media post revealing that you're expecting not enough, but now an elaborate production is necessary to tell your 517 facebook friends who don't give a shit that you're having a daughter. Congrats. Sure the videos can be unintentionally funny at times, Gordon Hayward's "daddy's always happy" video being a prime example of such.
But for the most part it's the same thing.
I don't even understand the whole reason for the party. Like are there gifts? What do you get someone for a gender reveal party other than new friends? Like you're pregnant, you can't even get fucked up. Maybe a glass of red wine for the antioxidants or a nice contact high at absolute best case scenario? Idk. I just cannot fathom a worse place to be on earth, than sober at a gender reveal party. Enter Dennis Dickey, a (I would have to assume former) Border Patrol agent who thought it'd be a good idea to shoot at explosives to tell the world he's having a son. It appears this reveal truly did backfire, as it caused a 45,000 acre fire that caused over 8 million dollars in damage.
In the terms of his settlement, Dennis Dickey has to pay back $500 a month for 20 years. $220,000 in total. Which all things considered isn't that bad. He's lucky nobody fucking died during due to his stupidity. I mean what was the end game here dude? .04 seconds of blue for your redneck friends to like on the facebook app of their cracked iPhone 4s? How can he be "smart" enough to make this explosive but dumb enough to not know that fire + trees = bad?
Personally, I'm upset this guy doesn't have to pay back the full 8 million. Screw that. Over 45,000 acres of this great nation is ruined because your dumbass thought an explosion in the middle of a dry ass desert was a good idea. I think this is clear evidence that this guy should not be a father. He might as well have just set his target up in a match factory, I mean look at that thing before it goes off. It might as well be in the jungle. I'd like to think there can be a happy ending from this story, maybe this will be a teaching moment for this nation and cause people to think? I mean fads come and go, there was a time where people got tricked into thinking a rock was a god damn pet, so anything is possible? I'm really just hoping 20 years from now we can laugh at how stupid and egomaniacal the age of gender reveal ceremonies were and not the loss of a national park due to wild-fire. As for those of you reading this, if you're with child, next time just tweet it out and worry about raising your kid instead of getting likes from people you wouldn't even call to tell you're expecting. P.S. I do feel really shitty for this kid. You get to live your whole life knowing that you're the reason you're family is poor. Yikes. I'm sure his father won't take it out on him at all. Every time you look at that kid you get a reminder that kids will ruin your life.
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Song: Sincerity is Scary (live) Artist: The 1975 Album: A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships
I love baseball and history, so the Baseball Hall of Fame is important to me. It's a big deal. These guys will live on in baseball lore forever. It means something. There's an exclusively. It's not like the basketball hall of fame where anybody who retired with over 15 ppg makes it in.
I don't love all of it. The days of 3,000 hits or 500 HR being automatic tickets to Cooperstown are no more. It's a case by case basis to me, but to me those milestones should get you in. There is still a heavy "this is exactly what is wrong with baseball" vibe to the way a lot of it goes into which guys go in. There's examples of guys who should be, but in aren't, or had to wait way too long to get in because of pettiness by voters (old, many times out of touch sportswriters). There's dudes who won't vote for anybody on the first ballot just because someone 30 years ago didn't get a high enough percentage of votes. I think it's a fucking joke that Pete Rose is kept out. But despite the flaws, I'm a big fan of the HOF and what it means to be a Hall of Famer. I love all of it. The speeches, the stories, the pieces of the fame kept at the hall. One of my favorite thing about whenever the ballot is announced is the poor guys who for sure had nice careers, but could receive no votes to stay on the ballot for the following year, your Travis Hafners, Ted Lillys and Jason Bays of the baseball world just don't look right being in the same realm as a Mariano Rivera. It's crazy to see some of these names already on the ballot, 2013 season doesn't seem that long ago. These are guys who's entire careers I witnessed a baseball fan. I grew up as a baseball fan watching these guys. It makes your boy feel v old. A trip to Cooperstown is close to the top of my life bucket list, I think when Papi gets inducted (which should be on the first ballot) I'll go to the ceremony. That's my guy. I went to his final regular season home game. 
Shitty game, that ended with the Blue Jays clinching a wild card spot.
Whatever, we're here for the HOF. I'm definitely skeptical about steroid guys making it into the hall; especially if they were the caliber of player you could just tell wouldn't have been nearly as good without them, a Ken Caminiti type player for example. Not a hall of famer at all, but just a pure steroid guy imo. But a Roger Clemens type to me is a completely different story. You never see 10 guys make it in on one ballot, but since you're given 10 votes. I'm picking 10 guys I think are worthy of the Hall of Fame. FTR I think over time more than 10 of these listed guys should/will get in. But this is what your boy Doz' ballot would look like if he had one for 2019. Team pictured in players photo is team I believe they should go into HOF with.
RP Mariano Rivera
New York Yankees 1995-2013 
The easiest pick of the list is Mariano Rivera. Mo is the greatest closer of all time. so of course he's a first ballot Hall of Famer. He pitched for the last true dynasty in baseball. The New York Yankees of a run that truly went from 1995-2004. They had division titles after, but it was not the same. IMO Mo is the best player of the 90's Yankees dynasty.
Mo is the all-time leader in saves, games finished, and ERA+. I still don't really understand ERA+ but baseball nerds say it matters a lot. His counting stats are incredible. 652 regular season saves, another 42 in the post season. Nearly 700 in total for his career. The numbers are stupid. 5 World Series Rings. Career 0.70 post season era. 2.21 in the regular season. 1999 World Series MVP, 2003 ALCS MVP, 2013 All Star Game MVP (used in the 8th inning, what a shame) 13 Time All-Star 5 Top 5 Finishes for Cy Young Last man to wear #42. What a way for the number to go out. As a Red Sox fan I have a great appreciation for Mariano Rivera. No way you watch the whole video, I didn't even. but Mo is a Yankee I'll always respect and not hate. Favorite Mariano Rivera Moment: I can't believe there's no clip on Youtube, but has to be when the Red Sox fans cheered him on 2005 Opening Day and how he played along. Awesome moment. SP Roy Halladay Toronto Blue Jays 1998-2009, Philadelphia Phillies 2010-2013 
One of the greatest pitchers of the 2000's Roy Halladay IMO is without a doubt a Hall of Famer. His unfortunate, and untimely death in a way immortalized him even more, he may have not been a 1st ballot HOFer, but I think with his passing he for sure will make it in. Doc was at times the lone bright spot on a lot of mediocre Jays teams of the 2000's. I think he finished in 3rd place like 18 years in his 16 year career. 203-105 record, but is a prime example of how wins should be much lower on the factors of determining how great a pitcher was. Doc ate innings, 4 times leading the league, a career 3.38 era in an era of offense when he had many starts against the Red Sox and Yankees at the high of their offensive era. 2117 strikeouts, to only 592 walks. 1.178 WHIP. Doc's best days may have been in Toronto, but his biggest moments were in Philly. His 2010 season was legendary. Cy Young winner, perfect game, and first post season no-hitter since Don Larsen's Perfect Game in the 1956 World Series. Doc Halladay was an 8 time All-Star. 2 time Cy Young winner. He finished in the Top 5 in Cy Young Voting 7 times, including six straight seasons from 2006-2011. Favorite Roy Halladay Moment: DH/3B Edgar Martinez Seattle Mariners 1987-2004 
Sure he was a DH for most his career, but after 9 years on the ballot, this is Edgar's last chance on the regular ballot. He deserves to be in. Perhaps it's because he played on Seattle his entire career, a team who had success, but never fully blossomed into a true winner.
In my eyes Edgar Martinez is a Hall of Famer. He's at worst 1b for greatest DH ever. Whether you like the DH or not, it's been a part of baseball for over 40 years. He is one of the best men ever to do it, he's a Hall of Famer. Career .312/.418/.515 hitter. 309 HR, 1261 RBI. 514 doubles. 7 time all-star. 5 time silver-slugger, 2 time batting champ. These are hall of fame numbers. If the 95-2001 Mariners ever even make a World Series, he's likely already in imo. In October Martinez numbers weren't jaw dropping but in 34 career playoff games he drove in 24 runs, although 10 came in one series. With a shade over 70% of the votes cast last year, I really hope this is the year Edgar gets his due.
SP Roger Clemens
Boston Red Sox 1984-1996, Toronto Blue Jays 1997-98, New York Yankees 1999-2003; 2007, Houston Astros 2004-2006 
Roger Clemens is one of the greatest pitchers of all time. His numbers speak for themselves. 7 time Cy Young Award Winner 7 time ERA leader 11 time all-star 2 time triple-crown winnner 2 time World Series Champ 354 wins 3.12 era 139.6 WAR 6 20 win seasons It's his 7th time on the ballot, just like the guy I'll get to next. There are obvious steroid allegations, but in my eyes just from his Red Sox career alone Roger should be in the HOF. He may he have done what hundreds of other players of his era did, but I am of the school of thought that you can't erase an era. The steroid era helped save baseball, you cannot just act like it never happened. The Rocket belongs in Cooperstown.
LF Barry Bonds
Pittsburgh Pirates 1986-1992, San Francisco Giants 1993-2007 
Barry Lamar Bonds is the greatest hitter of this generation, steroids or not. All-time home run leader.
7 time MVP 8 time Gold Glove winner 14 time All-Star 11 time Silver Slugger 2 time Batting Champ If you go on Barry Bonds baseball-reference you'll see a lot of bold. This man was a pitcher's nightmare. For four seasons in a row Barry Bonds OBP was over .500. You'll never see that again. Last year he received 56.4% of the vote. Likely won't get in this year, much like Clemens, they will be forever linked, but in my eyes they both should be in Cooperstown because the first halves of their careers between alleged steroid use began they were already HOFers.
SP Mike Mussina
Baltimore Orioles 1991-2000, New York Yankees 2001-2008 
Mike Mussina was a very good pitcher, for a really long time. Mussina's ERA was under 4.00 for 12 of his 18 major league seasons. His conventional numbers might not be jaw dropping, but he's a guy who's HOF case has been made by the advanced numbers. Fans around my age will likely remember Mussina more for his Yankee days, I know I do, his best days were in Baltimore, and his brightest moment was in a series he didn't win a game in. All 5 of his all-star appearances were in Baltimore. In the 1997 ALCS, a series the O's would lose to the Cleveland Indians in two starts Mussina pitched 15 innings, allowing only 1 run on 4 hits and 25 strikeouts. How the Orioles didn't win I'll never understand? My biggest Mussina takeaway is how the knock against him his entire career was how he never won 20 games, then he finally did in his final season, making many wonder what he may have had left in the tank. Although I hate the Yankees it kind of bums me out he didn't stay one more year to be a part of that 09 team. This is a guy who just pitched and did what he was supposed to do, and ended up having a fantastic career. Twice made it to the World Series, but never won. Mussina is 20th all-time in strikeouts with 2,813. 270 wins. 3.68 ERA. 7 gold gloves.
SP Curt Schilling
Baltimore Orioles 1998-1990, Houston Astros 1991, Philadelphia Phillies 1992-2000, Arizona Diamondbacks 2000-2003, Boston Red Sox 2004-2007 
Curt Schilling Red Sox jersey was my first ever baseball jersey so I may be biased here.
All-time leader in playoff victories. A stat that for sure matters. A true winner. Dude just got it done when it mattered most. 2001 World Series Co-MVP. 3 time World Series champ. Had some memorable moments and seasons for three different teams. Despite all the teams, many may not want to claim him because of shit I really don't wanna get into. I know a lot of New Englanders have turned their back on Curt Schilling, but I have not. Dude ended the fucking curse. Bloody Sock. Do I need to keep going? Numbers: 216 wins. 3.46 ERA 3116 strikeouts (15th all-time) 4 time top 5 finisher in Cy Young voting, including 3 second place finished. 11-2 in the postseason with a 2.23 ERA. 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA in 7 World Series starts. To me, winning championships is the most important thing about playing and watching sports. We can get enjoyment out of other things in the game, and reckongize that simply counting rings isn't want differentiates who is better over a career. Nobody thinks Chuck Knoblauch is better than Ted Williams. But in October Schilling was literally all-time. That combined with the stretches of brilliance over a long career gets him in (eventually) in my eyes. The hardest thing about Curt Schilling's case is what hat does he wear? The Phillies, D-backs and Red Sox all have strong claims. Most seasons in Philly, won his first WS and had best seasons of his career in Arizona, helped Red Sox break curse, and won two World Series in Boston.
1B Todd Helton
Colorado Rockies 1997-2013 
One of the best first basemen in all of baseball for a few years. IMO Todd Helton is the most deserving Rockies player of a spot in Cooperstown. I get the whole Coors Field thing, but does that just mean if you played for the Colorado Rockies you're ineligible for the Hall of Fame?
From 2000-2004 Todd Helton was a 5 time all star, 3 time Top 10 MVP finisher, 3 gold gloves, 4 silver sluggers. For his career Helton hit 369 home runs, drove in 1406, with a slash line of .316/,414/.539. 2000 NL batting champ. Helton likely won't make it in on the first ballot, possibly may never make it, but as a career one team guy, he is the face of the Colorado Rockies, if they are ever gonna get someone in (and it's not Larry Walker) it should be Todd Helton. Let's not forget he was a key part of the 2007 Colorado Rockies. One of the most improbable World Series teams of all time. Even though they got swept by MY Boston Red Sox, they are still a team with a legacy. That 21 of 22 or whatever it was run is all-time.
OF/1B Lance Berkman
Houston Astros 1999-2010, New York Yankees 2010, St. Louis Cardinals 2011-2012, Texas Rangers 2013 
At first glance you might not think Fat Elvis is worthy of a HOF spot, but I am gonna prove you wrong.
I was actually thinking about this very topic last night, then the ballots came out, sort of weird, but whatever, I love Manny and think he should get in, but I mean it's hard to overlook the steroids, and how he quit on the Red Sox. Sammy Sosa I think is a pure product of steroids. Lance Berkman quietly had 6 top 10 MVP finishes on some pretty good Astros teams. Hit .293/.406/.537 for his career. 366 home runs, 1234 (fun!) RBI, 422 doubles, 6 x All-star. 59th all time in walks. 43rd all time in OBP% ( .406%) 39th all time in slugging % ( .537%) Played a major part of the St. Louis Cardinals 2011 World Series championship. Hit .436 in the 2011 fall classic. With a key hit in the game 6 rally that kept their season alive. A career .317 playoff hitter, batted .410 in 11 World Series games, 9 home runs and 41 RBI. Lance Berkman's 162 average is 32 HR and 106 RBI. To me he has a very intriguing HOF case. What do you think? Who would you vote for? I would also love to see Manny, McGriff, Andruw Jones, and Larry Walker get their due. I think Andy Pettite is borderline, he's usually lumped in with Mussina and Schilling, and if Schilling is gonna get in then I can definitely see people who want Andy ins POV. 
November 15th, 2018 was not a good day in the professional life of Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy. In a loss to the Seahawks that really hurt the team's playoff chances by pushing them below .500 past the midway point of the season, McCarthy had at least two (didn't watch the whole game) crucial mental errors that ultimately led to his team's defeat.
First, in the 4th quarter he didn't challenge what appeared to be a clear drop.
I almost understand it;t with only one time-out you don't wanna lose it and be out of time-outs in the 4th quarter. That being said, this was a pretty big fucking moment in the game and pretty obvious call. This is why you don't waste time-outs unless you absolutely have to. Many may disagree, but I feel like you almost are better taking a delay of game than giving up a timeout in a close game. Time-outs save the most precious resource in a game; time. Something the Packers simply ran out of thanks to poor coaching by one of the most overrated coaches in the NFL.
The Seahawks were down 24-20 at the 50 yard line with a little under seven minutes to play. This play brought them inside the red-zone down to the 16 yard line. Kind of a big play imo. 2nd and 10 at midfield is a lot different than 1st and 10 inside the 20. Might want to have the boys take a look. Mike was like me at Thanksgiving when someone offers me corn "all set". Three plays later the Seahawks took the lead for good. Corn is vile and has no real nutritional value. It is much better in bread and taco shell form. I know your team doesn't have a real owner, but don't you have someone whose job is to look at replays to check and see if a call is worth challenging? Do you need to sell more Packer stock to create the revenue? Even with the erratic catch rules in this league, it is pretty clear this ball it the ground. The challenge flag has to be thrown in this spot.
But, despite everything I just said, I can almost overlook all of that. Because either way you were gonna get the ball back with enough time to retake the lead, or try to run the clock out. Maybe he thought that timeout was more valuable for a game-winning drive? Idk man I'm tryna put myself in his shoes, but it's tough. I am a smart football mind.
This is where Mike McCarthy made one of the dumbest decisions I have ever seen. With 4:20 (nice) remaining in the game the Packers were trailing by 4 facing a 4th and 2 on their own 33 yard line. With only one timeout remaining the Packers chose to punt. My only question is
When asked McCarthy said he considered going for it.
That picture does him no favors, just captures a look of confusion. Like he knows he fucked up. Dude what are you even talking about with "playing the numbers"? You wanna play the numbers? Here are a couple for you.
12. That's the number of Aaron Rodgers, you know, that dude who's played quarterback and been the miracle child for idiots who think Tom Brady isn't the best quarterback in the NFL. Regardless of what I think about A-a-ron, he's pretty damn good. He's pulled a rabbit out of his ass a few times. What you did by punting is basically say you trust your defense (who isn't a hall of fame quarterback) to get you the ball back with enough time to re-take the lead. If I'm going down, I'm going down swinging with my best guys. At 4-4-1 going into the game, it was time to put your nuts on the table and say let's go. This was just simply coward football. 150-ish. That's how many rushing yards your defense already allowed before the final drive. How could you feel confident they would get you the ball back? With three solid running backs, plus maybe the most athletic QB in the league, I would not like my chances here. With the amount of time remaining and the time out situation, the Seahawks could milk some serious time off the clock (which they did). How can you believe in this defense more to get you a stop, than Aaron fucking Rodgers to get you 6 feet??? Just go in the gun 5 wide and he could scramble for it. I just don't understand this chicken-shit, pussy mindset by the Packers. 2. That's how many chances you have if you go for it. By punting you only have one. Hope you force a punt. Even if you fail on 4th down the game is still not over, there's over 4 minutes left in the game and you have two clock-stoppages left. This situation reminds me a lot of the Patriots-Saints game in 2013. Down 1 with like 4 minutes left the Patriots went for it deep in their own territory, failed, allowing a FG, but were still able to get the ball back (after throwing an INT) with enough time to drive the field for a game winning TD. Sure the Seahawks would've gotten the ball pretty close to field goal range, basically already in Seabass' range, but a FG would still keep the game a one score game. Now a touchdown ties it. But regardless, from my many years of madden this is the clear call. Look I get a video game isn't real life, but by going for it you're actually giving yourself more chances. Plain and simple. And it's not like it was fucking 4th and 11. It was 4th and 2. That is extremely make-able. Even with poor team numbers 4/11 on 4th up to this point in the year, to anybody with a brain, this is the right call. It's not a position you wanna be in, but if I'm McCarthy I'm playing to my strengths. And my strength is Aaron Rodgers. Taking the ball out of his hand in that spot is essentially inexcusable. Even Pete Carroll was shocked, and from reading between the lines thought it was a dumb move, and if Pete Carroll is questioning your decision making, you know you done fucked up.
“I was a little relieved,” Carroll told reporters after the 27-24 win via Pro Football Talk. “I really did like that they punted the ball to us right there, because we knew we had a shot to kill the game if we could, and kill the clock, and we did it. The thing about that that’s important is our belief in the running game, and we get the ball in that situation. It was like, oh here we go, this is our time. It’s four-minute time. Thrilled to see that happen. The mentality that’s coming around in those guys up front and the runners and all that, it’s really important, it’s obviously really valuable too, and it’s great to see that happen.”
via: clutchpoints.com/seahawks-news-pete-carroll-a-little-relieved-packers-decided-to-punt-on-fourth-down/
Even as it happened I knew the Packers made a mistake. I loveeeeeeeee Trump styled tweets when shitting on someone, it's hilarious idgaf.
This is why I understand that people think Belichick is why Brady is the GOAT because of how smart he is, and that Aaron Rodgers has a pussy-boy coach who would rather go down with a sinking ship then try and jump off. Punting was basically conceding the game. It's soft, it's embarrassing, and if I was a Packers fan I would think this was the straw that broke the camel's back. It's time for McCarthy to go.
After a 2018 regular season that included a batting title, an American League high 129 runs scored, lead all of baseball in slugging %, 32 homers, 30 stolen bases, a silver slugger, gold glove, and oh yeah for good measure in October he helped the Red Sox end their 4 year World Series drought! Markus Lynn Betts (MY favorite player in baseball) is the American League MVP. What's truly remarkable is Mookie was able to put up those numbers while missing nearly a months worth of games over the course of the season.
Mookie was able to accept the award with what looks like his entire family and circle of friends while holding his new born daughter.
I'm tellin ya, it's time to party! Mookie Betts is the American League MVP and arguably the best baseball player on the planet.
In 2018 Mookie was able to put himself in some very elite company, anytime you accomplish something that only the great Michael Jack Schmidt did you know had a great season.
I'm just really glad to see Mike Trout not win. No disrespect to Mike Trout, he's an amazing baseball player, and what he's accomplished in his career so far would already put him in Cooperstown if he woke up tomorrow and was like I'm all set with this life thing. But to me, I know the nerds don't wanna hear it, but the MVP should be on at least a competitive team. I'm sorry, but that matters to me. Fuck your computer-only thought process. Obviously there are some exceptions, but to me what Mookie has done...playing in Boston, in a playoff race, is much, much more impressive than Mike Trout just racking up numbers on an irrelevant team with no aspirations of success. Ohhhh he walks a lot on a 3rd place team, guys!
2018 was simply Mookie's year. Both on and off the diamond.
Sure, in October he might've struggled a little bit, but he picked a perfect time to break out of an 0-13 slump, extending the Red Sox lead against one of the greatest pitchers of this generation in the game that ultimately won his team a championship.
Red Sox players past and present were quick to congratulate him on his historic 2018 season.
(technically from before he won, but Brock Holt's son is the cutest kid on earth so of course I'm not excluding it from this post)
Now lock this man up for the next decade, @redsox. 
I was planning on writing this blog even without this news, but it looks like the Red Sox already made one great move to start the off-season by adding an additional year to manager Alex Cora's contract.
In year one all AC did was have statistically the best season in Red Sox history. It's been beaten to death, but that's let's make this narrative look like Emmett Till (which was a tragedy, yet fantastic analogy by your boy). The Red Sox won 108 games, a franchise record, and cruised through October to a 11-3 clip. His pressed all the right buttons, made all the right moves. And had the most successful rookie coaching/managing season I've ever seen.
He may have been runner-up to Manager of the Year to Bob Melvin, but make no mistakes about it, even after one season Alex Cora is regarded as one of the best managers in all of baseball. Alex Cora added his name with the likes of Terry Francona and John Farrell to managers who won the World Series during year one in Boston. Although the two could not be any more different in the eyes of Red Sox fans. I know personally I still have lots of love for Tito, and think John Farrell was kind of an idiot who lucked into a World Series win aided by tragedy and some clutch grand slams.
What makes AC different, apart from being a former World Champion as a player, he was a rookie manager. Both Tito, and Manager John had previous managerial experience before skipping the Sox.
Under the watchful eye of AC, this 108 win World Championship team has a lot of key pieces under contract for 2019. They should be back in a position to repeat, but there are also a lot of key pieces of this magical run who's contracts are expiring, there are also players currently under team control who could be potential trade candidates. There will be changes made. Some I believe will be significant. A team like the Red Sox, even with the luxury tax, has theoretically, all the money in the world to throw at guys, but as we've seen over time they have susceptible to the bad contract or 6. With a young core of studs, it means hard decisions are going to be made over the next few years. You can't just have a 400 million dollar pay roll. I'm just a fan, at times I think I'm smarter than the men making the big decisions (and dollars), but I know it's not as easy as writing blank checks. That how you get yourself in trouble with the Carl Crawfords, and Pablo Sandovals of the world. Without futher ado: My ideal Red Sox Off Season. Let Craig Kimbrel walk in free agency and re-sign Joe Kelly to be the closer. 
I'll be the first to say, perhaps Red Sox fans are too hard on Craig Kimbrel, myself included. His stupid ass pre-pitch routine does look ridiculous though. While he really was a true "white-knuckle closer" throughout most of October, he didn't blow any saves. So Dirty Craig got the job done. For the most part in his three seasons as a Boston Red Sox Kimbrel got the job done, and and did so at impressive level. In three seasons for the Sox Craig Kimbrel pitched 184.1 innings, with a 2.44 ERA, 108 saves, and 305 strikeouts. He was an all-star every season, and finished 6th in the 2017 Cy Young voting. Craig Kimbrel has been at times a great pitcher here, he has already at this time a border-line Hall of Fame resume, but I'd let him walk. Which is also his biggest issue: control. The Red Sox offered Kimbrel a 1 year 17.9 million dollar qualifying offer (which he declined). Now should he walk they get a sandwich pick, which has produced talents like Jacoby Ellsbury for this team in the past. Like I said, this team is going to have to make some really tough decisions, but this October showed that you don't need Craig Kimbrel to win a World Series. There are smarter ways to allocate resources than an aging closer with control problems. Maybe some will disagree with that idea, but with many guys who make much more of impact on games on a daily basis than a closer, coming up on FA I don't think spending premium dollars here is smart. Especially on a spot you could replace with Joe Kelly for much cheaper, to me makes all the sense in the world. Let some national league team overpay for Craig Kimbrel and use that money to never let Mookie Betts see another team's uniform. Joe Kelly showed flashed of brilliance this season, having a month long stretch with an ERA of 0.37. In October Kelly showed he could be the guy many baseball folks thought he could be for years with his high velocity and "stuff". Plus Joe Kelly loves it here and wants to stay, he was the only Red Sox player who showed up to be honored at the Bruins game. Joe Kelly has that Papelbon-like fire that you want out of closer, without being a piece of shit.
Joe Kelly was the Red Sox more reliable true-relief pitcher in October.
Don't Over Spend and Let Emotions Get In the Way of Nathan Eovaldi 
Don't get me wrong, I love what Nathan Eovaldi did for the Red Sox this season and would love to see him come back, but at the right price. The market in baseball has changed. Last year it took until close to the start of the season for Jake Arrieta to sign, and he only got three years. What Eovaldi did pitching as the "rover" in October will live for down in history forever. His game 3 relief effort being his signature moment. That being said this is a guy who's had two Tommy Johns and was used in an "interesting" way in October. I just don't want the Red Sox to think like fans and have the emotions of what he did in October over weigh whats right. If some team wants to offer Nathan Eovaldi 75 million over 4 years I feel like you gotta say thanks for everything and we'll see you when you come back to give you a ring. I just don't feel comfortable signing Eovaldi to a long-term deal, especially after his usage in October. But for a year, or two, even if the AAV is somewhere between 14-18 million I'm cool with that. Even though C.C. ended up being fine and brilliant at times for the Yankees, Evo reminds me of 2008 C.C. with the Brewers where they knew he was a rental and pitched him on short rest to get the most out of him to win a ring. They didn't, the Sox did. I just don't wanna see the Red Sox fall in love with him and spend 100 million on the guy. I don't think they ever would ftr.
Re-Sign Steve Pearce to a one-year deal
Just because I think David Price should've been World Series MVP doesn't mean I want to see Steve Pearce go anywhere. In his short time with the Red Sox Steve Pearce had clutch hit, after clutch hit. His three homer night against the Yankees in the kill-sweep which pretty much ended the idea of the Yankees winning the division is one of my favorite games of the season.
As a right-handed bat he's been the perfect compliment to Mitch Moreland at the first base platoon. Both guys are getting up their in age and I think it's mutually benefitical to the other to have the other guy around. Plus he's a DH insurance if J.D. ever misses serious time, although given his stretching ability I think you'd like to see Pearce with a glove on.
Oh did you know Steve Pearce also grew up a Red Sox fan? Of course you did, that and his age makes me think that both parties will work out a short-term deal that both rewards playoff Pearce for his contributions in 2018, but also for the help he could give in 2019 and maybe even 2020 (although I'm much more in favor of a year one deal). Gun to my head he comes back to Boston next season. I love Hanley but was so wrong about letting him go, and Pearce took his role perfectly, yet again Cora seems to hit all the right buttons.
Sign Andrew Miller
Offensively there aren't too many moves the Sox need to make. I mean when you finish first in basically every stat and have everybody coming back it doesn't make too much sense to switch things up. One thing the Red Sox need is pitching, and especially left-handed relief pitching. Andrew Miller pitched here from 2011-2014 and is why Eddie Rodriguez is a Red Sox. Although he's 33 years old and coming off a disappointing, injury filled season, Miller is both familiar with Boston (although he never really pitched for a winner, he missed most of 2013). He's gotten it done on the big stage, and fills a need the Red Sox could improve on. They had no left handed true relievers on the postseason roster. I've beaten the spend money the right way horse to death in this blog, but for the right price I'd love to see Miller back in Boston. Although I'm sure he's going to be a hot commodity in free agency so I think this signing is rather unlikely.
Extend (at-least) One Key Piece
This one is kind of ideallistic but, I mean it is the Red Sox we're talking about, not the Kansas City Royals.
I know Mookie is likely not going to resign before he gets to free agency, but I mean why not try? I'm serious. You're the Boston Red Sox. Basically can print money. Why not offer Mookie $350 million over 8 now and see if that works? In 2008 after MVP caliber years by Youk and the winner Pedroia they both got extensions. If not maybe see if you can renegotiate J.D.'s deal? All those opt-outs man. I would love to see a way to lock him up past last season. What J.D. off the field, in helping teammates is almost more valuable than what he actually did with the bat since it impacted more people. Benny? Idk man, the Red Sox in the past had said they took pride in developing their guys, and keeping their guys. So many homegrown players helped win this ring, it'd be nice to see them keep the band together. I know this window for sure has one more year, but with the resources this team has, with the money coming off the books, there's no reason to resort back to the last place ways after a championship like in 2014. Song: Eighteen Artist: Pale Waves Album: My Mind Makes Noises J.D. Martinez Becomes First Player In MLB History to Win Two Silver Sluggers in One Season11/8/2018 
The Silver Slugger award winners were announced tonight, as Major League Baseball loves to drag things out.
If they were smart they'd have a big awards show like the NFL and NHL does to celebrate the season and all the great talent in the league. Instead what the MLB does is announce every award semi-randomly throughout the weeks following the end of the season. Speaking of, HUGE s/o to JBJ winning his first career gold glove. Incredibly overdue (and I'm a lazy scumbag for not blogging it earlier) They had a night just announcing the finalist for the major awards. As we've seen over the years, if there's one thing baseball loves to do, it's make stupid marketing decisions. Anyways, when I saw the award list on twitter I thought there was a mistake, like how did J.D. win two Silver Sluggers? He's only one dude. But no, it was very much intentional, J.D. Martinez won a silver slugger as an outfielder AND designated hitter in 2018.
At first glance I though it was kind of ridiculous, I mean J.D. was a DH this year. I didn't really think of him as an outfielder, but to my surprise he appeared in 57 games between the two corner spots. Generally I think it's kind of gimmicky to do this, I remember a few years ago Khalil Mack was All-Pro at two different positions and thinking it was dumb, but then I saw the numbers: ​​
Martinez started 93 games at DH and had 350 at-bats. He had 57 starts in the outfield (32 in left and 25 in right) while accumulating 219 at-bats.
Winning at both positions was made possible by the way Martinez seemed to rake whenever he got to play defense. In those 57 outfield starts, Martinez slashed .384/.450/.680 with 16 homers and 51 RBIs. As a DH, his line was .297/.373/.597 with 27 homers and 79 RBIs. via: www.mlb.com/news/jd-martinez-makes-silver-slugger-history/c-300468394
When you see his splits between DH-ing and playing the field it makes me understand why this happened. J.D. showed his appreciation for the recognition on instagram shortly after winning 2 (two) silver sluggers.
Banner year for Joses!
It is kind of weird though, as we've never seen this happen before in baseball. Makes me wonder if we'll ever see the day someone wins two gold gloves in a year? I'm interested to see what his baseball reference page will look like now for 2018 with two silver sluggers to fit in the award column. It's gotta kind of suck for the other guys out there who had great seasons in the outfield, like really dude? Couldn't give him just the DH award? I know I'd be pissed. Suck on that with your Chiclets, Aaron. 
​Even though he only played 57 games in the outfield, in those games J.D. was a stud. People will say he was a below average outfielder under all the sabermetrics, but he had one of the most memorable catches a Red Sox player has all season banging into the outfield wall in Detroit. ​J.D. also did not commit an error in 2018. ​That slash line blows my mind. I know nerds will try to de-value batting average, but I am not in that camp. Dude hit fucking .384 while playing the field, which to me is kind of surprising. That's basically .400. Granted it's not a gigantic sample size, but it's still two months of the season. It makes me wonder if maybe J.D. should be a full time outfielder? Idk if the numbers will hold up but that is a pretty major discrepancy between batting averages. You'd think being off your feet, just chillen as a DH his numbers would be better...jk J.D. does not just chill, he analyzes the swings of everybody, and made many guys on this team better in 2018. Which makes him incredibly valuable despite "below-average" defense metrics. I couldn't have been more wrong about him. I was a little apprehensive to signing him just because I didn't believe in his durability (this was only the 2nd time in his career he played in over 125 games) but J.D. Martinez, even with only one season under his belt has proven to be one of the best free agent signings in Red Sox history. 1st or 2nd in the triple crown stats. 43 homers, league leading 130 RBIs and .330 batting average. Year one the team wins a 108 games and this little thing called a World Series title, oh and for good measure in lieu of a MVP "finalist" (he'll still likely finish top 5 in the voting) he's been awarded two silver sluggers. 
It doesn't really matter since Mookie is going to win MVP, it's not like the should-be-winner got slighted, but it's fucking lunacy to me that a dude that was top 2 in the triple crown stats didn't get the recognition he deserves as an MVP finalist.
​Whatever, I think he's cool with this. 
P.S. S/o to Mookie too, winning everything and he's a new dad. Best team in baseball. Please keep this team in tact (minus letting Kimbrel walk).
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