Red Sox to Replace Kimbrel as Closer?

Red Sox to Replace Kimbrel as Closer?

Opinion: by Bill Russo - Retired Newspaper Editor

 

 In 2007 the Boston Red Sox won the World Series after gathering 96 victories in the regular season.  In 2018 some people are predicting that the 2018 Sox (who are 80-34 as of the morning of 8/8/2018) will probably set a new franchise record for wins. 

Many fans are expecting them to win at least 117 games – which would be one more than the major league record shared by the Cubs who won 116 in 1906 and the Seattle Pilots/Mariners who won 116 in 2001.

I have sad news.  It ain’t gonna happen if Craig Kimbrel has anything to say about it.  Kimbrel is currently Boston’s closer.  He was acquired by the Red Sox three years ago after starring in Atlanta where he routinely saved between 40 and 50 games.

 

On the big stage of Beantown, Kimbrel (also known as ‘The Vulture’ for his odd stance before delivering a pitch) in three seasons counting this one, he has not been able to get past 39 saves.  And in his last five outings he has given up five runs in five innings.  

Thanks to an unbelievable offensive display by the amazing 2018 wrecking crew led by Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, Kimbrel’s failures have been turned into victories.  But his ineffectiveness does not bode well for the playoffs.

In 2007, skipper Terry Francona had David Ortiz, Curt Schilling, Manny, and Jason Varitek.  A pretty good crew – but he also had J. D. Drew and a forgettable shortstop called Julio Lugo.

If the 2018 Red Sox were a deck of cards, a close look would find no jokers or deuces, but mostly ‘Aces’ – Sale, Porcello, Mookie, J.D., Jackie Bradley, Andy B., Xander, Raffie Devers, Brock Holt, Mitch, Steve Pierce, and more!

If they were a suit of armor, even a grenade launching RPG couldn’t hurt  them except for that great big dent in that armor – their closer Kimbrel.

Consider this, Johnathan Papelbon in 2007 had one of his typical great Boston years.  His ERA was a miserly 1.85 and he had 37 saves.

Kimbrel’s ERA in Atlanta was incredible.  One year it was 1.01.  But his first year in Boston it was 3.40 runs per game!

As of this date, 8/8/2018 he is in a funk which has included five stinkers in a row.  More than Papelbon probably had in his whole Boston career.

If Kimbrel doesn’t straighten out, BOLD PREDICTION COMING UP, he will be replaced in the post season by either Drew Pomerantz or David Price!

Remember, you read it here first.

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Confessions of a Soda Pop Salesman

Confessions of a Soda Pop Salesman

by Art Miller

So, one of the first jobs in my career was beverage salesman for a soft drink company.  This is a great position if you’re selling Coca-cola or Pepsi Cola.  You just go into a super market or convenience store and ask ‘how many cases do you want this week?’

But not so good if you’re trying to sell Moxie Soda, which I was.  ‘Trying to’ is the operative phrase here.  I was trying but nobody was buying.

Here’s what happened to me at the Main Street Market in Chatterboro, Massachusetts, on my last call of my very first day on the job.

I entered the store and announced, “Hello.  I’m Art Miller your new Moxie salesman.  How many cases can I get you this week?”

“Hello Mr. Art Miller. I’m very happy to see you.  You can get me zero. But I’ll get you two full cases.  That’s how many your last salesman talked me into four months ago and I haven’t sold a single bottle!  Take it back, get out, and don’t come back!”

After all the earlier calls I made, and counting the two return cases, my sales for the day were ‘negative two’.  Following  a solid week of similar rejection, I submitted my resignation to the boss - telling him that

“ Moxie soda has caused the figurative ‘death of a salesman’: yours truly, Arthur Miller.”

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In fairness there actually is a small but dedicated group of people who really do buy Moxie soda, they’re mostly located in New England but the parent company has six bottling locations in the U.S. from Worcester, Massachusetts to Washington State.  

At one time, during the early 1900s, Moxie was a big seller nationwide,  even out-vending the behemoth, Coca Cola.  Flash forward a hundred years; the Moxie market today is confined to a few pockets here and there; mostly in New England where two or three bottles sit on supermarket shelves next to row after row of Pepsi and Coke.

So what does this horrible Moxie stuff taste like?

Here are some random opinions harvested from the internet.

Mr. Shatter: “It tastes like soda – run through the crank case of a car. Rank!”

Amazon Reviewer D. Bradshaw, “This is worst-tasting soda I've ever had. I can't see how anyone could like it, but I guess there is something out there for everyone. I imagine it's what tar tastes like.”

Amazon Reviewer, Cliff:  “It's not bad, but that is all I can say. The smell is of toothpaste or vicks, and the taste at first is spicy with a little sweetness. The aftertaste is the rough part, I am finishing the drink but doubt I'd get again on my own, wouldn't refuse if given. It is definitely different, and I am glad that something like this is still around.

Here’s an excerpt from ‘Weird Soda Review’.  The reviewer bought the soda in Los Angeles:

 “Color: dark brown, just a hint of purple.
Scent: sweet cola, but with a strong herbal note. Maybe licorice? Smells a bit like Dandelion and Burdock soda.

Taste: Whoa. WHOA. What the heck? Is that cough syrup?

OK, here goes. The initial taste is quite sweet, vaguely cola-ish, but sweeter. Right behind that is a secondary sweet taste, with a strong chalky component, and a bit of mint. That part is odd--it reminds me vaguely of the tooth-polishing compound you get at the dentist, or quick-dissolve allergy medicine.

But then it hits you. Right behind that--no more than a second behind--a bitter herbal taste surges up. It's not strong, the sweet is stronger, but it's quite distinct.”

In conclusion, if you happen to be wandering through a store in your town and you spy a bottle of Moxie tucked away in a corner, hiding behind a thousand units of Coke and Pepsi; you may be tempted to try it.

Don’t.

If you do, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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Bit Coin Fully Explained in Just Six Words!

First built in 1796 this was the only genuine bit coin.

It still is!

 

Still two bits after all the years and still costs only 25 cents! 

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The Bittterweet Days of August

The Bittersweet Days

by Bill Russo

Bittersweet days are these; those that come in August.

The nights are cool while the days are pleasantly warm.

The bloom of summer is now - but leave soon it must.

The last days are best but are also the door to autumn

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A Story of Brown Stockings, White Stockings, Red Stockings, Boston Redcaps, Boston Doves, Boston Braves, and Altlanta Braves

In Major League Baseball back in the day,

there were far too many stockings!

by bill Russo 

As a native of Massachusetts,

(Pronounced: "Mass achoo -God Bless You- sets") 

it seems like only yesterday to me, but it was actually about 150 years ago when our beloved Boston Red Stockings joined the new National League in 1876 and had to change their handle for a while to the 'Boston Red Caps'. 

You see there were a lot of "Stockings" back in the day. Not only were there the Brown Stockings of St. Louis, but also the White Stockings of Chicago - not to mention the Red Stockings of Cincinnati.

How could a league have two teams with identical names you ask?

The names weren't exactly identical; there were two clubs named The Red Stockings but one was from Boston and the other was from Cincinnati - hence the Boston Red Stockings and the Cincinnati Red Stockings! To save confusion, the Boston Socks became the Red Caps.

This silly situation wasn't all that uncommon.  In the Canadian Football league for decades there were only six teams and two of them were named the Rough Riders!

Back to baseball.  The Boston Red Stockings were the kings of the American Association (had been for five years!) but didn't do too well at first in the new National League. They finished fourth: beaten by the White Stockings, the Hartford Dark Blues, and the Brown Stockings. The top batter was Jim O'Rourke who slugged 327 with two home runs. The club used a 3 man pitching rotation for the 70 game season with the ace Jack Manning notching 17 ups and only three downs.

In case you're keeping score, the Red Stockings had many name changes with the most famous being The Boston Braves. The Boston Braves became the best team in the world from about 1877 up until 1900.  The Boston Braves won the National League Championship many times right up until the start of the American League in 1901.

Though the Boston Braves were the hub's senior team, New England fell in love with the new kids on the block, the Boston Red Sox with Cy Young and company.  Within a few years Babe Ruth joined the crowd and the Boston Red Sox became the dominant team in the game, winning world titles in 1903, 1912, 1915 and 1918. (After 1918 they would go 86 years without another World Series Champion ship until they started their next run -- winning in 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018)

Meanwhile the Boston Braves during the same period won only three world series.  The first was in 1914 when the Boston Miracle Braves became only team ever to come from last place in late July to win the Pennant and the World Series.  

The next championship for the Boston Braves didn't happen until 1957.  Their third and last world series win was in 1995.  I should mention that the Boston Braves have been using an alias for a while.  Starting in the mid 1950s they changed their name to the Milwaukee Braves.  Shortly after that they went into hiding as the Atlanta Braves.  

Today the Boston Braves still play in the national league but they  don't have very many home games in Braves Field.  Boston University uses the stadium most of the time.  But stalwart Bostonians know that the Boston Braves are only on loan to the South and will be coming home soon.  New Englanders say it's only a question of time before the Braves come back to the Athens of America.

Meanwhile, on America's Main Street (Route 95) about a thousand miles South of Boston,  people in Georgia are saying, "sure the Braves will go back North - when Atlanta Freezes over!"

Fifteen Classic Christmas Tales Collected in One Free Book

Fifteen Classic Christmas Tales 

Collected in One Free Book

by Bill Russo 

 

 After 40,000 downloads last season, the free E-book, Christmas Classics Refreshed is summering on Cape Cod, but will soon be ready for season two as a FREE Collection of heartwarming but virtually unknown holiday tales. 

 Read it on Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Apple, and many more online retailers. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/731417

The individual stories were first annotated and published on this blog and are still available.  Each has received thousands of views. Due to the success of these tales, I decided to pack them together in a single volume and offer them free of charge. 

  

Fifteen obscure heartwarming Christmas tales, most of them more than a century old, are brought to life in this delightful, family friendly collection. Unearthed from ancient magazines, books, and newspapers I have updated and annotated the stories for today’s readers. From the "Bizarro Scrooge", to the "Rodney Dangerfield Christmas Tree", and on to “Twas the Night AFTER Christmas” you’ll find humor and joy in these once forgotten gems. 

Read the individual stories on my blog, Adventures in Type and Space or get the whole group bundled into the book.  More than a dozen beautiful period photographs, illustrations, and vintage greeting cards are included.The book is available at many of the world's greatest online retail sites including Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple and more. 

Comments and suggestions are always welcome.  My email is Billrrrrr@yahoo.com.  Don't wait too long to write.  I'm 75 (as of this year, 2018) and still run a mile a day, work out in the gym, and continute hit baseballs in the batting cage at 50 mph in hopes of a tryout with the Boston Red Sox - but life is uncertain and one never knows.  

Here's the Smashwords link for the Free Book..
 Read it on Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Apple, and many more online retailers. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/731417

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