- What a horrible run for MLB umpires. Has there ever been a stretch of playoff games with more blown calls? In any sport?
The important question now is whether this will lead to increased video review for the 2010 season. It could lead to very long games, but fans want the calls to be right. And a lot of those calls have been wrong this month. Terry Francona has long said MLB should put an additional umpire in the press box with replays at his disposal. The idea’s time has come.
- Having a tough time watching these Yankees win? Joe Girardi did his best to manage a loss in Game 3, but New York has been dominant in nearly every other game. And guess what? The bullpen has been outstanding. What was once a weakness for the New Yorkers is now a strength, and will be next year.
- Speaking of which, Joba Chamberlain may never start another game for the Yankees. And that’s bad news for the rest of the AL East. He has fit back into the bullpen superbly, and should take the place as setup man/closer-in-waiting behind Mariano Rivera next year. In fact, he should’ve been there this year, too.
- Theo Epstein was on Boston sports radio station WEEI this morning, and spent a lot of time talking about J.D. Drew. I can’t think of a general manager who has had to spend more time defending the signing of one player.
- With Marc Savard’s injury (on the heels of Milan Lucic’s injury) the Bruins have taken a serious blow to their hopes of winning the division. That said, they are still very much a playoff contender, as long as they can tread water until the two forwards return. They’ve got plenty of draft picks to deal, so if they’re in the hunt come trade deadline time, they can really improve themselves.
- Daniel Paille was a good short-term signing for the B’s. He assisted on Steve Begin’s game-winning goal Wednesday night, and will help provide some of the physical play lost in Lucic’s absence. Shawn Thornton was also out, making that void even greater. A change of scenery should help awaken Paille, who was a first-round draft choice of the Sabres. He’s only 25, so he is not yet in his prime hockey years.
- Rumors are that Jed Hoyer is the front-runner for the San Diego Padres’ GM position. He’ll join Josh Byrnes (Arizona) as former Red Sox front-office men now running teams in the NL West. Craig Shipley and Ben Cherington are also ready to run their own teams. Epstein has done more than develop young talent for the Red Sox’ farm system. He’s helped develop some of the best front-office minds in the game.
- In 2001, Grady Little was Charlie Manuel’s bench coach in Cleveland. I have no idea if the two men are still close, but you have to wonder if Little was lurking in Manuel’s subconscious last Friday when the Phillies manager took Pedro Martinez out of a game too soon. Pedro was dominant through seven innings, and had thrown fewer than 90 pitches when Manuel removed him — and gave the Dodgers’ bats new life. Had Little followed that strategy in 2003, he probably would’ve returned to manage the Red Sox in 2004. Who knows what would’ve happened in that alternate universe.
- That was former Hockey East Rookie of the Year Colin Wilson scoring the first goal of his NHL career when he returned to Boston on Wednesday night. His new coach, Nashville’s Barry Trotz, calls him a “Rod Brind’Amour type.” Pretty high praise for the former BU Terrier.
- Speaking of Hockey East, Northeastern University spent some $12 million renovating Matthews Arena during the offseason. It’s the oldest continually operating hockey arena in the country, and it looks fantastic. The Huskies now have a weight room and locker facility that rivals many NHL setups. The fans have responded, with more than 2,700 NU students on hand for an opening night sellout.
