John Henry’s disingenuous justification for trading Red Sox star Mookie Betts
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John Henry’s disingenuous justification for trading Red Sox star Mookie Betts

The Red Sox traded beloved outfielder Mookie Betts, one of the best players in baseball, along with pitcher David Price, to the LA Dodgers. They saved a boatload of money, in exchange for some younger but much less talented players. Fans are devastated. Team owner John Henry’s explanation is touching, in its way, but he…

Red Sox management lessons: What Alex Cora’s “Coralytics” means to you

Red Sox management lessons: What Alex Cora’s “Coralytics” means to you

Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox for winning the World Series. What made the difference? Was it the heart and talent of the players? Or was it the cold, hard Moneyball analytics that have made baseball as much science as art? It was a combination of both. This is “Coralytics,” the new approach of Red…

If you’re going to write “Yankees suck,” by all means, turn it into a vocabulary lesson

If you’re going to write “Yankees suck,” by all means, turn it into a vocabulary lesson

The analytical thinker (and writer) must soberly use facts to argue the case for the truth. But if you hate the Yankees — just viscerally hate them — and you’re literary enough, you can throw that out the window. That’s what David Bentley Hart did in his New York Times opinion piece. Here’s how it starts:…

How to fix baseball

How to fix baseball

I’ve always loved baseball. But it’s gotten slow and boring, and young people are losing interest. It’s time for some radical changes. Veteran sportswriter Dan Shaughnessy summed up the problem in the Boston Globe. It’s an average of 3 minutes and 45 seconds between balls put in play. There are interminable waits between innings and…

Could you thank the people who just fired you? Red Sox manager John Farrell did.

Could you thank the people who just fired you? Red Sox manager John Farrell did.

The Boston Red Sox fired their manager John Farrell yesterday. He then made a surprising statement thanking everyone he worked with, including the ownership and management team that just fired him. You need a little context to fully understand his statement. Farrell’s five years with the Red Sox featured extremes, including a surprising World Series…