Category: Sports

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The 2013 Baseball Schedule

I am still not sure how I feel about year-long interleague play. I would prefer it if they simply allowed the DH in all of baseball.

Ben Buchanan at *Over the Monster* [has some of the Red Sox specific notes](http://www.overthemonster.com/2012/9/12/3321876/boston-red-sox-2013-schedule):

> So long as the Sox can keep it close in the first five months, they’ll have their chance to win–or lose–the division in September as the year winds down to a crazy finish starting on September 5: four in New York, three in Tampa, three more against the Yankees, and then six against Baltimore and Toronto. Oddly enough, the year will end with a pair of two-game road series against Colorado (this is the first year of even leagues and year-long interleague play) and Baltimore.

I think the proverbial jury is still out on whether the Red Sox are going to add enough to contend for the division next year. If they are in contention though, the schedule lays out nicely for an exciting September.

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Notre Dame, the ACC, and Scheduling

Some more of the details related to the scheduling:

> The arrangement will obviously be unusual. Notre Dame will play close to a full ACC schedule – the full members of the conference play eight league games – but not be part of the league. Notre Dame could go 5-0 in games against regularly scheduled ACC foes but wouldn’t claim the conference championship, at least officially.

[Dan Wetzel explains why this is important](http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaab–notre-dame-protects-treasure-football-schedule-in-move-to-acc.html) to Notre Dame:

> As other conferences grew in size – the SEC expanded to 14 teams, the Pac-12 and Big 10 went to 12 – so too did the threat that the Irish couldn’t just pick and choose opponents, especially in October and November, as they always have. The other conferences might go to nine league games (as the Pac 12 already does), eliminating one slot for a tough non-conference opponent. Earlier this year, the Big Ten and Pac-12 set up a scheduling agreement that concerned Notre Dame – although it later fell apart when the Pac-12 pulled out.

> Notre Dame currently must schedule all of its 12 games per year. This drops to seven games with the ACC scheduling the other five. ACC teams will likely be featured during the more challenging dates later in the season. It’s a far easier task.

Even though I would have preferred an arrangement where Clemson got to play Notre Dame every year, knowing the Irish will be on the Clemson schedule in the very near future is pretty exciting.

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How to Fail at Managing

Marc Normandin writing on *Over the Monster* about the excellent piece [R.J. Anderson wrote about failing managers](http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=18312):

> One point I’ve made in the past (more on the podcast than anywhere) is that it’s fine if Valentine isn’t the perfect strategist in today’s game — what matters the most is that he keeps the clubhouse together, like Francona used to. He hasn’t succeeded in doing that, though, at least in the iterations of the clubhouse that no longer exist

> …

> If Valentine had the clubhouse together a la Francona, but was Washington-esque with his dugout skills, would you be so willing to cut him loose?

I still cannot believe how much of a failure Bobby Valentine has turned out to be.

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Sports

Pedroia Leaves Game with Wife in Labor

Congratulations to Dustin and his wife.

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Sports

Harper with 4 Hit Night against Dickey

So much for that “he can’t hit the knuckleball” thing.

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Sports

Notre Dame to the ACC for All Sports Except Football

*Except football,* That is a pretty exception when Notre Dame is concerned.

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Sports

Ticket Prices Plunge for Red Sox v. Yankees Series

Maybe that meant some real Red Sox fans got to see them beat the Yankees tonight.

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Sports

Sammy Watkins adds a “New Dimension” to the Clemson Offense

I am ready to see him blow by a few defensive backs this week.

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Sports

Do Not Slide Into First Base

Kids in Little League all over the world hear this all the time “Do not slide into first base. Run *through the base.” Maybe Mark Teixeira will actually listen to that advice next time.

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Sports

Optimism at Clemson

This might be the most promising development:

> The offensive line has some depth: Saturday, the Tigers’ line played without starting right tackle Gifford Timothy, who missed the game with lingering knee soreness from an August knee surgery. Starting left guard David Beasley left the game in the first half with a knee injury which is not believed to be serious. Clemson shuffled in its entire second-string line midway through the second quarter but still rolled up 526 yards of total offense, marking the first time since 1980 that the Tigers have had 500-plus yards of offense in the season’s first two games. While it must continue to protect Tajh Boyd, the first two games are a positive sign.

Only one more tune-up game before Florida State. I am already starting to get nervous.

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Things we Can Learn from the BMW Championship

Let me summarize: Rory is the best golfer in the world.

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Sports

More “It Has Been Worse for the Red Sox” Facts

These still do not make me feel better.

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Sports

It’s going to be a Fun Week for Aaron Rodgers

Even if he lost the bet, anyone who counts Boyz II Men in his or her favorite artists is good in my book.

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Sports

More on Clemson’s Run Defense

> “They ran the ball for too many yards,” said [Clemson Defensive Coordinator Brent] Venables. “Whether it was physicality or technique or a combination of the two, we’ve got to get those things corrected.

Clemson fans agree with both of these points. Thankfully, they have anther game to figure it out before they face FSU.

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It Has Got the Distance

Congratulations to Clemson’s Spencer Benton for kicking his way into the ACC record books.

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Sports

He Looks Out to Me

What? Jerry Meals made the right call in my book[^note].

[^note]: Yes, I am a bitter, bitter Red Sox fan.

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Clemson wins Big against Ball State

Dr. B with the full breakdown, including the continuing issues with Clemson’s run defense.

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Trying to Make the Red Sox Season Brighter

At least we can all look at Aaron Cook’s mohwawk.

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Sports

The Inevitable End of Bobby V in Boston

The [cover of Sports Illustrated](http://joyofsox.blogspot.com/2012/09/summing-up-2012-with-one-picture.html) was only the beginning[^article] to what has not been the best of weeks for Bobby Valentine. For example, there is [the strange Radio outburst](http://www.overthemonster.com/2012/9/5/3294704/bobby-valentine-has-snapped) and the [horrific road trip](http://articles.boston.com/2012-09-06/sports/33631292_1_bobby-valentine-sox-playoff-spot). Combine that with [John Farrell, the heir apparent,](http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/john-farrell-name-already-being-thrown-around-bobby-152821338–mlb.html) being in town, and if Valentine is not thinking about making an exit himself, there has to be people in the Red Sox organization who are thinking it is time he moves on.

Unfortunately, the removal of Valentine does not mean that next manager will necessarily have things any easier. As [Fenway West cautions,](http://www.fenwaywest.com/2012-articles/september/bobby-v-strike-three.html) the Red Sox have to be careful with the next manager:

> If the team does replace Bobby V, they must be very careful who they bring in. John Farrell is an obvious choice. He knows the Sox situation and is used to working with younger players. But Toronto will want compensation, and that might be tricky. The worst thing they could do is bring in a retread like Eric Wedge. The time has come to look in a new direction, perhaps even someone in their own organization.

This offseason might end up being more exciting than this previous season.

[^article]: The [actual article](http://www.sportsillustratedeverywhere.com/issues/protected/com.timeinc.si.web.inapp.09102012/the-epic-red-sox-fail-17929.html) in Sports Illustrated is pretty damning too. Unfortunately, I think you need to be a SI subscriber to read it.

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Sports

The Five Worst Modern Red Sox Seasons

> This season has not been one of Beantown’s finest, and if this list went five teams deeper, 2012 would likely be on it. But even when the team stinks, it has managed to do enough things well on the field to avoid being truly deplorable. This season has been no different, and while doom and gloom sells newspapers in New England by the truckload, things can be — and have — been worse

I cannot say that makes me feel *better* about this year’s Red Sox team.