Celtics Score Two from Purdue

Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics must have briefly toyed with the idea of changing the Celtics’ mascot to the Boston Boilermakers after utilizing both of their picks on two players from the University of Purdue in last week’s 2011 NBA Draft.  It was a fairly unique situation but one that could pay off nicely and provide the team and the fan base with some much needed young talent and excitement.

With only seven players currently under contract for the upcoming 2011-2012 NBA season the Boston Celtics needed to not only add two more players to the roster, but they needed to add quality players who could contribute right away.  Luckily, it looks as though they were successful in that endeavor and their two newest stars are eager to lend a helping hand.

When the time for the 25^th pick rolled around, which was Boston’s spot in the first round, the Celtics apparently felt comfortable that the man they had their targets set on would still be available two picks later, because they traded the pick to the New Jersey Nets and slid down to the 27^th spot.  The Celtics must have been thrilled the way it panned out because not only did they gain another second round pick for the future, but the guy they coveted was waiting their ready to slip on that gorgeous green jersey. 

 

Jajuan Johnson said he was thrilled when he heard his name called out and he cannot wait to attend Kevin Garnett’s school for power forwards this summer and learn everything he possibly can from the future hall-of-famer.  This was an encouraging statement and on first look, it’s easy to see the similarities between the two players.  Johnson is a 6’10” lengthy player with a huge wingspan, a lot of offensive ability and an en explosive athlete.  As a senior at Purdue he average over 20 points per game, 8.6 rebounds and an impressive 2.4 blocks.  He was the 2011 Big Ten “Player of the Year” and earned First-Team, All-American honors while bringing home the Pete Newell Award, which is given out to the best low-post player in the country.

I was pleasantly surprised, as were the Celtics, when a player of this caliber was still on the board for Boston, especially considering the well-publicized weak label that had been placed on this year’s draft class.  If he puts in the work he should be able to provide an immediate impact and his selection points to the diminishing possibility of a return to Boston free-agent-to-be Glen “Big Baby” Davis.  Johnson has the opportunity to step right in and fill that void created by Davis’ departure and provide the C’s with a skilled scored off the bench, which the Celtics are desperately in need of.

The Celtics’ final pick came at number 55 and they didn’t have to search too much further than their first pick as they chose JuJuan Johnson’s teammate, E’twaun Moore.  Also a senior recently graduating from Purdue, his year didn’t finish with as many accolades as Johnson (although he’s no slouch either, as he was named an AP All-American Honorable Mention), but he certainly has the type of game that had the Celtics excited to select him so late in the draft.

At the shooting guard position, he averaged 18 points per game, 5. 1 rebounds and 3.2 assists.  The most intriguing aspect of his game is his long-range shooting ability, as he shot an even 40% from beyond the three-point line.  Just as Johnson looks to eventually replace KG, this move appeared to be one aimed at finding Ray Allen’s eventual replacement, since he will also be in the final year of his contract in Boston next season.

Along with his old running mate at Purdue, these two could have a promising future for the Celtics as they look to usher in a new era of young players with all of the veteran talent on the way out the door after next year.  While Boston still has several holes that need to be addressed (most likely through free agency), this was great first step in reloading for the upcoming season… That is if there is in fact a season after all.  But that’s an entirely different story for another day!

Trophy Town

The black and gold brought home Lord Stanley’s silver cup last week, and in doing so, they completed the four major sport championship sweep for the city of Boston.  The achievement itself is incredible but the amount of time that it took to accomplish this is what is most impressive.

Before the 2010-2011 season all other three of the major sports teams had won the championship in their respective leagues dating back to 2005, with the Patriots starting the trend and setting the standard (this was their 3^rd and most recent of their Super Bowls).   Since that time both the Red Sox and Celtics followed up with titles of their own, leaving the Bruins on an island all alone with no championships to speak of in the new millennium.

But all that changed this past week.  And with that amazing Stanley Cup playoff run, the six-year span in between the different sports championships set a new record and raised the bar of excellence and reached new heights of supremacy.  

Prior to the Bruins win the record was set at eleven years.  The bested record was previously held by New York of all places, and Boston now has to be seriously considered as the greatest sports town in America. 

The run by New York was similar to Boston’s, as the Jets got the party started in 1969 followed by the Mets (1969) and Knicks (1970), just as the Patriots (2005), Sox (2007) and Celtics (2008) did so.  But the win in Hockey didn’t come until almost ten years after the Knicks won, when the Islanders hoisted the Stanley Cup in 1980.  

The Bruins, however, didn’t feel like tacking on any more years to the 39-year drought, so they took down the Vancouver Canucks allowing Boston Bruins fans everywhere to celebrate the long anticipated victory and placing the city of Boston on the throne of the sporting world.

Making this accomplishment even more impressive is the fact that there are only four other cities in the country who can lay claim to this feat:  Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit.  Along with New York, L.A. and Chicago have multiple teams in some of the various major sports.  This obviously gives them a major advantage by increasing their odds at being able to complete this sweep (New York leads the pack with a total of seven possible sports teams with a chance to win).

Boston, of course, has only the four teams, but we’re a bunch who subscribes to the notion that quality is far better than quantity.  And as far as sport teams go, it would be very difficult to find more quality anywhere else.  

It’s a fantastic time to be a Boston sports fan and given the class of the current teams in contention year after year, that does not appear as if it’s going to change anytime soon.  Enjoy this unparalleled time of universal success.  It could very well be the most triumphant period in the history of sports.  As a Boston fan I commend our teams and thank them for allowing me to be a small part of this.  Keep up the good work!

Power Surge

Maybe the Boston Red Sox felt sorry that Canada does not celebrate Independence Day.  That could be the only possible justification for the offensive firework display they put on in Toronto over the weekend.  The sweep of the blue Jays ran their winning streak up to a season-high nine games and their recent play has them looking like they might not lose another game this year.

The streak has not only pushed the Sox to the top of the AL East but it has now given the team the best record in the American League at 39-26.  They now trail only the Philadelphia Phillies by a half game for the best record in all of baseball, which is a feat that seemed almost unthinkable a few weeks earlier in the year.

The Red Sox offense put up 35 runs over the three games north of the border, while the pitching staff only surrendered six runs.  The offensive onslaught was particularly impressive especially considering that the 35 runs scored over the weekend either matches or surpasses the number of runs scored by six major league teams over the entire month of June:  The Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Anaheim Angels and Washington Nationals.

While the Red Sox team as a whole has enjoyed great success in the month of June, there are several players in particular whose contributions have really sparked the 9-1 start to the month.  One week after being named the AL Player of the Week, David Ortiz has been red hot at the plate.

In his last ten games, “Big Papi” has batted .400 while blasting five home runs and driving in 16 runs over that span.  Not only has he been getting hits but they’ve been coming in bunches.  Six of those ten games have been multi-hit games.  His .325 average and 17 home runs for the year are both fourth best in the American League.  His OPS has risen all the way to 1.019 which, unbelievably, is second only to Toronto’s Jose Bautista.

Another player who is thriving in June for the Sox is Adrian Gonzalez.  For Gonzalez, this hot streak is just a carryover from another incredible month of May.  So far in his first ten games, he has a .410 average including five multi-hit games.  His 60 RBIs lead the entire MLB with 14 of those coming in this month.

Surviving an injury scare, Dustin Pedroia has definitely taken advantage of his return to the diamond.  Coming into the month, he was sporting a .240 average with only 11 extra base hits.  In his nine games in June, however, he has belted out 13 hits, raising his average 22 points (.262).  Five of those hits have been for extra bases and he has racked up ten RBIs as well.  Widely considered Boston’s vocal leader and inspirational figure, his renewed energy and production has had a profoundly positive impact up and down the roster.

Lastly, even with all of these fantastic performances, Jacoby Ellsbury might have the most impressive statistics of all.  He currently has a streak of six straight multi-hit games, inflating his season average to .318.  Over the month of June he has hit at an insane .429 clip being aided by two three-hit games and one four-hit effort. 

 

As the leadoff batter, his main focus is getting on base and scoring runs, both of which he has done extremely well.  Along with his multi-hit streak, he has also scored at least one run in nine straight games.  The 13 runs in June have bumped his season total to 49 which is the third highest in the majors.  In addition to his hitting, his speed has also seen a recent increase.  Piling up five more steals so far this month, his Major League lead now sits at 24 as no other player had even 20 entering Monday night’s action.

It’s incredible what a difference a couple of months make in this game.  April could not have been more of a nightmare for this Boston club who has now not only overcome that, but seems to playing at a pace that if continued would leave their opponents in the dust and blaze a path to another AL East crown and a shot at a World Series title.  

With all the hype surrounding this team before they even stepped on the field, it’s a relief to see them finally playing to their potential.  Watching this group gel together and round into form has been a treat and the recent results make it hard not to anticipate the summer of fun that awaits the Fenway faithful.

How Sweep It Is

 Not even "Cheese Cake" Sabathia could stop the recent, unstoppable rebel force known as the Boston Red Sox. Working on a shutout and two-run lead into the 7th inning, C.C. began to unravel and not only blew the shut out but allowed the Red Sox offense to blow the game wide open and out of reach.

Included in the monumental meltdown was an inning that saw an outburst of eight hits and seven runs for Boston. All but one of the runs were charged to New York's ace while the other run was scored on reliever David Robertson.

On a night that started with a three-plus hour rain delay, Josh Beckett did not start the game with his sharpest stuff after the prolonged wait. After hitting Jeter to begin the game, he then allowed a two-run bomb by Curtis Granderson. The Yankees were able to hold on to the early lead for most of the night until the top of the 7th debacle.

Josh Beckett went into absolute lock-down mode after allowing the first-inning home run. He is now 5-2 on the season with a sterling 2.06 ERA. This is a complete turnaround from the disastrous experience he suffered last season. Three of his wins have come at the Yankees' expense and in all three games he has out pitched Sabathia decidedly.

Beckett is not the sole benefit of this recent domination of the Yanks. The Red Sox are now 8-1 against their hated rivals to start the year and have won seven games in a row at Yankee Stadium, dating back to last season. This year alone they are 6-0 and, amazingly enough, in their historic rivalry they have never started out the season with six straight wins in New York.

Given all the slow starts and various injuries, this feat is really an impressive accomplishment. The most recent sweep is especially remarkable considering the high level of play and the confidence that accompanied this Yankee team after returning home from a successful west coast road trip in which they were really rolling,

On the injury front, the Red Sox look as though they were able to dodge a bullet concerning the health of Dustin Pedroia's ailing knee. The diagnosis is optimistic in that it appears only to be a bruised knee cap. The injury will not require any type of surgery at this point as was originally predicted and, according to Terry Francona, he is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow night in Toronto.

Good news all around for the boys sporting the red "B" on their caps. Hopefully this momentum will board the red-eye flight with the team as they travel north of the border to take on the Blue Jays. One thing is for sure, they are playing their best baseball so far this year and, given their recent dominance in all phases of the game, it doesn't appear that will be be changing anytime soon.

New Crop

The off-season acquisition of Adrian Gonzalez was a huge deal for the Boston Red Sox this winter.  He will play an integral role in Boston for the foreseeable future.  Netting the first base slugger did however come at a price.  The farm system for the Sox was significantly weakened by shipping off two of their top prospects in Anthony Rizzo and Casey Kelly.  The first round of the MLB Draft was the first step in replenishing that talent void.

While many people around baseball view the Red Sox as a big market bully who snatches up all of their players via free agency and trades, this perception is a bit misguided.  While a portion of their roster is a product of those means, they have a significant number of impactful players who were raised through the Boston minor league system.

Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, Daniel Bard, Clay Buchholz, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jon Lester are all homegrown players.  Ever since Theo Epstein took over as General Manager this has been the adopted philosophy and a real point of emphasis for Boston.  Now let’s meet the newest potential members and hope that this young wave will surge their way through the minors and make their way to the big leagues soon.

With the 19^th overall selection the Red Sox took a right-handed pitcher out of UConn by the name of Matt Barnes.  Thankfully there’s no relation to the LA Laker forward who shares the same name.  There was however a bit of an issue that I initially noticed.  In his player profile he stated that one of his favorite players is Joba Chamberlain… He might want to rethink that statement before being introduced in Boston.

The rest of the story on this guy looks pretty positive though.  At 6’4” and 203 pounds, he’s a big guy with a big arm.  Although he is currently being used as a starting pitcher, early indications are that his skills set would translate better as a reliever in the big leagues.  With a fast ball that touches upwards of 98 MPH, he’s been compared to a Daniel Bard type talent and has a good chance of taking a similarly fast route to the majors.

With their second pick and 26^th overall, the Sox selected Blake Swihart.  He is a high school catcher out of New Mexico.  He is a switch-handed hitter and is considered as the top catching prospect in this year’s draft.  The offense seems to be there already but the defense needs a lot of work.  If he remains behind the plate, as is the case with most prospects at this position, his journey to the majors will take quite a bit of time. 

 

The Red Sox next selection came at pick 36 and with it they took another high school player.  Henry Owens is a tall left-handed pitcher from the southern California area.  He is 6’7”  and 200 pounds his tall lanky build suggests he’ll need to spend a little time in the weight room but his fastball already travels over 90 MPH. 

 

At this position, he became the highest left-handed high school pitcher ever taken by the Red Sox.  The previous player to hold that distinction:  Jon Lester.  His high school stats are very impressive as he has posted a career record of 29-3 and an incredible 1.14 ERA.  Needless to say the Sox think very highly of this young pitcher and he certainly has some lofty expectations surrounding his arrival.

Finally, with the 40^th overall selection the Red Sox finished off their first round of moves by picking Jackie Bradley, Jr.  The outfielder is a Junior at the University of South Carolina.  He is a plus defender who hits for average and possesses a little bit of power. 

 

Prior to this season he was projected to be a middle-of-the first round prospect, but an injury caused him to slip to the Red Sox late in the compensatory round.  A torn ligament in his wrist has ended his 2011 season, so he will certainly be a player that has something to prove once he recovers.

When all is said and done, the MLB draft is probably one of the most difficult evaluations of talent.  There are so many young players and so many rounds in which they are selected.  Aside from a few stand-out athletes each year, it’s nearly impossible to predict who will make the big leagues and who will spend a career mired in the minors.

The hope for Red Sox nation rests in the reputation of the regime that was ushered in when Theo Epstein took the reins.  His knack for plucking out talented players is well documented and the evidence of that can be seen in the number of players on the current roster who were products of this very same process. 

 

Therefore let’s hope that this success rate continues as the draft progresses and we watch these young players develop and advance through the system.  Who knows?  Your next favorite Red Sox player could have started his career in Boston this past Monday night.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see.