Podcast: Chatting with Mets 1st Rd Pick & Boston College Alum Justin Dunn

By Cam Fox (@FoxHSradio)

Listen in to this episode of The Fox High School Radio Podcast with Cam Fox, as he sits down with former Boston College baseball standout and New York Mets first round pick Justin Dunn.

Dunn talks ACC baseball, his recruitment to and experience at Boston College, the adjustment to the pros and, of course, playing with Tim Tebow.

All that and more in Fox's podcast below.

Bob Lobel: Tito and Theo

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

It was November 2003, and Grady Little was still manager of the Boston Red Sox, but not for long.

Aaron Boone had barely crossed home plate, but John Henry wanted to fire Little before he left Yankee Stadium. 

He was talked out of it by Larry Lucchino, which was probably not a bad idea at the moment.  Meanwhile. Terry Francona and his son, Nick, were visiting Georgetown University for their baseball dinner. 

Nick was a left handed pitcher and the Hoyas were recruiting him for the next season. Nick Barnicle, the son of former Globe columnist and current MSNBC star Mike Barnicle, was already playing for Georgetown which is why, obviously, they also were at that baseball dinner. 

Grady Little was still the manager of the Red Sox, but not for long. 

Bob Lobel: Why I'm Rooting Against the Cubs

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

The line "why can't we get players like that?” is getting annoying.

Can't believe I just said that. 

It's great now and then (thanks  to Dan Shaughnessy!), but enough is enough! This weekend, even Adam Vinatieri got into the conversation! That one seems to hurt more than most, but we are not here to talk about that. 

Is Cleveland Finally Getting Its Due? The Numbers Say Not Yet

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Cleveland went 52 years without a major sports championship, but is now on the cusp of, perhaps, winning two titles in the same year. With the Indians capturing the ALCS last night, they will open the World Series the same night the Cavaliers will raise their championship banner, next Tuesday.

Cleveland's past futility was on full display in the ESPN 30 for 30 "Believeland," which debuted just before the Cavs won the 2016 NBA Finals. The film not only listed the town's numerous on-field heartbreaks (of which there are many), but also the off-field issues that have shaped the psyche of Cleveland fandom. The Browns skipping town and "The Decision" were chief among them, obviously.

But now that Cleveland may be ready to win two titles in one year, a feat that only rival Pittsburgh has achieved in the last decade, is the math finally catching up? Well, sort of, but as you'll see, Cleveland will need far more success just to reach the average performance of a major sports market over the past 50+ years.

Listed below are the 19 other American markets with three or more professional sports teams, and all of their titles since 1964 (the last Cleveland championship before this year). We've then broken it down and listed an "average titles per team" figure for each market over that time span, and averaged out what a given market could have expected to win since 1964.

All this to give you an idea of how far below the mean Cleveland was/is.

Weekly Red Sox Report: July 24

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

Kyle Gibson stalled the otherwise-hot Red Sox offense on Friday, and Boston's injured bullpen hurt them on Saturday. John Farrell gave Clay Buchholz possibly one of his last shots for a while in Saturday’s loss, and he allowed three runs in just an inning.

Newly-acquired Brad Ziegler, now the team’s closer due to all the injuries, has yet to record a save with the team, but has thrown 4.2 scoreless innings and allowed just one hit.

Also, we will have a bit of a different look from my Red Sox articles moving forward. I hope you enjoy our three up and three down.

THREE UP

SP Eduardo Rodriguez was called up a week ago, and his stock is definitely rising. On Friday, he matched his second-most strikeouts in a MLB game, as he was a hard-luck loser with eight K’s in 5.1 innings of two-run ball against the visiting Minnesota Twins. Although the Twins strike out among the most in the league, the eight strikeouts are five more than Rodriguez had combined in his previous two starts.

Rodriguez is still searching for his first home win in 2016 after having six decisions go in his favor at Fenway Park last season. The 23-year-old did win his second game of the season on July 16, as he threw seven innings of one run-ball at Yankee Stadium in a 5-2 Red Sox win.

Rodriguez will take on the Detroit Tigers next Wednesday when Boston’s nine-game homestand ends.

Weekly Red Sox Report: July 9th

Outfielder Mookie Betts will make his first All-Star appearance next Tuesday.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

The Red Sox’s offense, which has added two-time Silver Slugger Aaron Hill, was very good over the last week, as quite a few players put up OPS’s above 1.000. They scored double digit runs in three of their last four games, and moved to 11-0 when scoring at least 10 runs this season.

Although the pitching has not been very consistent, eight Red Sox had hits and runs in Wednesday’s rubber match victory against Texas.

Weekly Red Sox Hitter Notes: June 28

It may be a small sample size, but catcher Sandy Leon  has been mashing for the Red Sox at the plate.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

Ed. Note- Now that summer is here, we're brining back our weekly look at how each of Boston's position players are contributing offensively. Each week, our resident stat guru Adam Lowenstein will break down who's trending up, who's spiraling down, and how it will affect the Red Sox.

Losers of their previous two series, the Red Sox close out June with a three-game series against the struggling Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. However, just like Clay Buchholz, Eduardo Rodriguez continued to struggle in the first inning on Monday. John Farrell tried to keep the newest Pawtucket Red Sox player in the game as long as possible, but E-Rod became the main reason for the Rays setting a new season high in hits.

RF Mookie Betts continues to lead off games well, but his on-base percentage took a dip in Monday’s blowout at the hands of the Rays. His five-game hitting streak ended in the 13-6 loss, as he went 0-for-5, including two unsuccessful at-bats with runners in scoring position. However, he is not a person to worry about, as he readies to start his first All-Star Game.

Bob Lobel: Tweaking Major League Baseball's All-Star Game

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Ever sit down in front of the computer and try, try, and try again to make sense of what you're supposed to write? 

The subject is sports, and the cupboard is bare. But hey, let's talk about the baseball All-Star game. Flawed, but not like other sports' All-Star presentations. 

Football is a joke, and they just can't figure it out. They know the Ideal Gas Law, but the only gas the NFL can pump into the sagging Pro Bowl is very similar to what your dog brings to a quiet evening in the living room. 

The one embarrassment for the baseball All-Star game is the system of picking the players to play. Fans vote. It was not always this way.    

Bob Lobel: Golf's Wasted Potential and Snowy Opening Days

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

I still don’t get it, and I never will. Furthermore, I could care less.

I'm betting most of you reading this are in total agreement with me. How could you not be? We are talking about the… shhh! The FedEx Cup. 

This has to be the worst use of competitive money in the history of sport, unless you count the US men's soccer team. 

There are some out there who think one of the greatest marketing logos is FedEx. The subtlety of the logo is found in the arrow, in plain sight if you know where it is, hard to find if you don’t. It's about the coolest thing if you find someone who doesn’t know where it is in the logo, but it's even more rare to find someone who can explain the workings of the FedEx Cup, and why we should care. 

Sure, it's about money. So is USA soccer, which is about the dumbest of all professional inequities. They are just plain ignorant to what the women mean to the casual USA soccer fan.

Everything, actually! 

Bob Lobel: Times are Changing for Broadcasting and Baseball

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

What does "trending now" really mean? 

I realize the obvious, but it is so overused that anything "trending now" was probably "trending now" eight hours before. Clearly, some radio management person thought it brought a sense of immediacy that life itself could never match. 

Getting this off the mind is a space for movie reviews. There are three things I really would have wanted to do on television other than sit down at the anchor desk. Don’t get me wrong, I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to scratch out a career, but I still am left wanting, and it looks like it's going to stay that way.     

Bob Lobel: Beware the Price of Winning, Cubs Fans

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

Stop Cubs, before you ruin everything you have worked so hard for over the last century!  

You're going to tell me that you are desperate to win it all. I'm telling you, it will be like being stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean with no water to drink. You're going to come back with the logic that saltwater will be just fine. 

Ok, go for it, but I'm here to tell you that, if your dreams of a Chicago Cubs world championship come true, EVERYTHING will change! 

And not necessarily for the better. 

Bob Lobel: So, Gambling is Okay Now? The NFL & MLB's Hypocrisy over DraftKings & FanDuel

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

There is no such thing as a good bye week. 

Not anymore, not since NFL football became an engine running the economy. This is now a week for local restraint in pulling out the wallet.

But wait, Sunday is back to the screen, as the newest crazy game to grip our nation continues to explode, at least until they all go to jail: DraftKings and FanDuel.

Weekly Red Sox Hitter Notes: August 4th

Other than a disappointing Saturday, Mike Napoli has been mashing for the Red Sox lately.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

The non-waiver trade deadline came and went last Friday and Ryan Cook came to the Red Sox from the Oakland Athletics for a player to be named later. Then, on Sunday, Boston placed Rick Porcello on the 15-day disabled list with a right triceps strain and activated Cook.

Henry Owens will take Porcello’s spot on Tuesday, but there also have been some interesting substitutions in the lineup over the last week.

Weekly Red Sox Hitter Notes: July 28th

Pablo Sandoval broke out of a slump over the weekend to record back-to-back multi-hit games.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

After seeing how Joe Kelly pitched on Monday, this looks to be a very up-hill climb for the Red Sox. With the team scoring eight runs against the Chicago White Sox, just after plating 11 on Sunday in the rubber match win over the Detroit Tigers, Boston should be winning more games.

If the offense can continue to be consistent, then the pitching needs to hold up its end of the bargain.

Bob Lobel: Placing Blame for the Red Sox

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

It’s a lot more fun sitting in front of the computer and writing happy, happy, happy. This isn’t, of course. 

Living together in the gloom and doom of this Red Sox season has taken some getting used to. But I think we expect it now. Realistic, but true. Blame seems to be a short term fix, and there is plenty of blame to go around. 

Weekly Red Sox Hitter Notes: July 22

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

Well, those Los Angeles run totals escalated quickly at Angel Stadium on Monday.

The Angels scored the first seven runs of the first game of the doubleheader, en route to their 11-1 victory. Then, later in the evening, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout led the way to six straight Angel runs before the Red Sox scored in the second game.

The sweep at the hands of Los Angeles pushed Boston nine games below .500, and nine games behind the first-place New York Yankees. Boston’s horrific pitching performance against the Angels pushed the ERA of John Farrell’s squad to an American League-worst 4.45 on the season. I’m sure Cole Hamels can change all that.

Weekly Red Sox Hitter Notes: All-Star Break Edition

Utility man Brock Holt represented the Red Sox in Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

The Red Sox headed into Friday’s contest against the New York Yankees as winners of their last four series. However, the Red Sox allowed their rival to score first in all three games of the series. After losing two of the three contests to the Yankees, the Red Sox fell to 11-35 when their opponent has scored first this season.

With the series loss, Boston remained in last place of the American League East, two games behind the fourth-place Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are the last team not named the Red Sox to be in last place of the division – it was June 9, the day John Farrell’s squad started a three-game set against the O’s in Baltimore, and it was the beginning of the Red Sox’s season-worst seven-game losing streak.

Bob Lobel: A Red Sox Letdown and the Impending Brady Decision

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

It's one of those few weak weeks that float by every once in a while…
     
A  Tom Brady decision would certainly spice it up. No matter what comes down on ATOM Brady, there will be disagreement and applause.  Will two games be  accepted by the Brady Bunch? Will zero games be accepted by the goody Goodell clan? Lots of people ask and I have no clue. 

I do say two games but what do I know about how they operate in the NFL. Why would they keep the most important face in the NFL on the sidelines for the league opener against Pittsburgh? It goes against everything they stand for. That would be ratings, ratings and more ratings, which translate into money, money and more money.  

Hey, they may be stupid to prove a point but the point they would be proving is that they are stupid.

Weekly Red Sox Hitter Notes: July 8th

Utility man Brock Holt is Boston's only All-Star (so far), and Boston's chances of winning jump dramatically from to 36% with him on the bench, to 51% when he's in the lineup.

 By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

Just before Red Sox fans witnessed the lackluster fireworks display at Fenway Park on Friday night, the Houston Astros moved to 48-34, tying their season-best number of games above .500 on the year.

Friday’s 12-8 extra-inning loss was only the 12th time this season that Boston was defeated when scoring first. However, the Red Sox bounced back to score first in their wins on Saturday and Sunday.

Entering Tuesday’s series against the visiting Miami Marlins, John Farrell’s squad was 29-12 in games it scored the first run in.

Weekly Red Sox Hitter Notes: June 29th

David Ortiz has been inconsistent lately, but belted a pair of home runs last week.

By Adam Lowenstein (@StatsAdam)

After registering just one extra-base hit in their loss on Saturday, the Red Sox bounced back to slug three home runs as a part of a 5-3 win in the rubber game against the Tampa Bay Rays. With Boston's victory on Sunday, they have alternated wins and losses every game since June 19th. From Thursday to Sunday, the Red Sox batted their best three wins above replacement players as the top three in their lineup: Mookie Betts, Brock Holt and Xander Bogaerts.