RED
SOX RAMBLINGS - AUGUST 2002By Jack Cooney
| December 2004 | July 2003 | November 2002 | October 2002 | August 2002 | June 2002 | February 2002 |
| August 2001 | May 2001 | April 2001 | December 2000 | August 2000 | June 2000 | Patriots Passions |
With about 50 games to go (barring a possible strike which I don't think
is going to happen), it's time to evaluate the Red Sox. As you'll see,
the individual grades are pretty high. I was a little generous with some
people, but it's hard not to like most of these guys now that Jose
Offerman has gone Bye, Bye, Bye... That said, it seems to me that the
whole might be LESS than the sum of its parts. Why, I don't know... They
are 1st or 2nd in the league in batting average and ERA. Their defense
is up there too. But the last 50 games or so they've been about a .500
team, after a terrific start. Where will they be at season's end
??? That I DO know: with
the Yank-mees looking up at them !!! Here's
the report card, in alphabetical order:
|
Positional Players
|
Grade
|
Comments
|
| Baerga | B | 100% team guy; could play linebacker for the Pats' |
| Clark | C- | Great guy; good defense; Hitting ??? |
| Damon | B+ | Great defensively; super leadoff hitter; gentleman |
| Daubach | B- | Dawber is what he is: a streaky love him/hate him hitter |
| Floyd | I | Incomplete; future looks bright for Smiley Floyd |
| Garciaparra | A- | Spoils us with his consistent excellence; quiet but solid numbers |
| Henderson | C | Talks the talk but can't seem to Run the run any more |
| Hillenbrand | B+ | Similar to Nomar's numbers except for RBI's; still needs more patience |
| Merloni | C+ | Seems to be finally off the PawSox seesaw; valuable reserve |
| Mirabelli | C+ | Good backup; great arm with some power |
| Nixon | B | Improved his grade quite a bit in last month; Dewey has helped him |
| Ramirez | B+ | Boo boo on his finger was a minor setback; nice earrings |
| Sanchez | B+ | Hammy set him back a bit, but one of Duke's great finds |
| Varitek | B+ | Great catcher; really missed this guy last year |
| Pitchers | Grade | Comments |
| Arrojo | C+ | I'm getting sick of this guy, personally... |
| Burkett | B | Old guy has been more lucky than good so far |
| Castillo | C- | Gives it the old college try, but this ain't college, Frankie |
| Embree | B | Started super, but will his arm hold up ??? |
| Fossum | B+ | Young lefty could have pivotal role down the stretch |
| Gomes | I | Incomplete |
| Haney | B | Reminds me of my 8th grade chemistry teacher: scary |
| Hermanson | I | Incomplete; should let the wife do the dishes from now on |
| Howry | I | Incomplete; can only be improvement over El Guapo |
| Lowe | A | 15 wins, no hitter, better season than Pedro ??? |
| Martinez | A | Gangbusters lately; has gotten over his own concerns about his shoulder |
| Urbina | B | 0-6 with 25 saves; will he be the closer come season end ??? |
| Wakefield | B+ |
Versatile & valuable;
has adjusted his attitude this year
|
| Other | Grade | Comments |
| Little (Mgr) | B+ | Similar moves as Jimy Williams but Grady gets benefit of doubt for now |
| Port (GM) | A- | Inherited Duke's team, but also got Floyd and Embree; permanent GM ??? |
| Henry (Owner) | A- |
good PR; players' owner; will he
spend the BIG money when he has to ???
|
You can email Jack at JCooney@challiance.org