Pack Breaks 03/25

Today, between court hearings, I picked up a few packs.  For those that have not picked up on it, I am an attorney, I go to court a lot.

Anyway, I bought three rack packs today, two from 2013 Opening Day and one from 2012 Topps Chrome.  I do not buy a lot of either set, but I am getting to the point that I have most of the stuff from Flagship and Heritage.  I was a little apprehensive about the Chrome, because I was only getting 15 cards.  But for reasons that will become apparent, this was the best buy of the day.

The Opening Day stuff was not terribly impressive, especially since I now have three of several cards, including Mike Trout, which is a good problem to have.  Anyone want a 2013 Opening Day base Mike Trout?  Have any Red Sox from my wantlist?  Let me know.  I did pull some inserts as well.  Here is the breakdown:

Play Hard: Jay Bruce
Mascots: Bernie Brewer
Superstar Celebrations: Mike Olt
Ballpark Fun: Jurickson Profar
Opening Day Stars: Felix Hernandez
Blue Sparkle: Adam Wainwright
Base: Just ask

I did get #41 Dustin Pedroia for my Red Sox collection.

As for Chrome, I had a pretty good break.  The usual base cards, three orange retail refractors, and a regular refractor.  Here is the breakdown:

Refractor: Will Middlebrooks
Orange Refractor: Devin Mesoraco RC, Austin Romine RC, Ryan Howard
Base: Just ask

Obviously the Middlebrooks is the big one.  I am having pretty good luck with Middlebrooks cards in packs.  I have pulled three Middlebrooks parallels, and I only have 14 cards of him so far.  I also got the base Adrian Gonzalez, so two Red Sox, including a refractor, out of 15 cards.  Yep, the Chrome was well worth the money.  This time.

I apologize for the bad scan.

The non-Red Sox are for trade.

Red Sox - Dodgers Mega Deal

First the details:

Dodgers get:
Josh Beckett
Carl Crawford
Adrian Gonzalez
Nick Punto
12 million dollars

Red Sox get:
James Loney
Allen Webster
Rubby De La Rosa
Ivan De Jesus
Jerry Sands

Now this is mostly a sign that the Red Sox are blowing up the team and starting over.  Beckett, Crawford, and Gonzalez were their three highest-paid players and potentially all had bad contracts moving forward.  The players the Red Sox received are not stars, though Webster and De La Rosa both have potential.  This was a way for Boston to clear a ton of salary.  The Red Sox will only pay $12 million of the contracts on the four players they are moving, thus saving nearly $260 million through 2017.

This is bittersweet for me.  On the one hand, I am happy they are doing something to move forward.  On the other, I have never seen the Red Sox pull this kind of thing before.  A complete rebuilding without clear replacements for the players lost.  Loney will take over at first, but his numbers are not impressive and he will be a free agent after the season.  Boston does not have a clear first base prospect in the minors after trading Anthony Rizzo for Gonzalez and Lars Anderson earlier this season.  Ryan Lavarnway or Jarrod Saltalamacchia could spend some time there and Mike Napoli will be on the market this offseason.

Boxscore: May 7, 2012: Red Sox 11 Royals 5

For my birthday this year, my wife bought tickets to the Red Sox visiting the Royals on May 7.  This was the first game in six years that I been to, luckily it was another big offensive game for the Red Sox.

Felix Doubront took the mound for Boston on this night.  It was one of his big games after a Red Sox loss.  Doubront pitched 6.1 innings scattering seven hits.  He did give up five runs, only three of which were earned as Will Middlebrooks made an error in the game.  He struck out two and walked three.  This was not one of his better games, but it was enough.  Vicente Padilla pitched the rest of the game for a save.  His eephus pitch was used a few times that night.

The offensive hero of the night was Middlebrooks who connected for a three run home run in the first to right field and then a two run home run in the eighth to left.  He also doubled, going 3 for 5 on the night.  Dustin Pedroia hit a two-run home run and David Ortiz hit a solo shot as well.  Ortiz's was deep to center field.

Every Red Sox starter had at least one hit.  Pedroia and Cody Ross doubled, everyone else contributed at least a single.  Mike Aviles, Darnell McDonald, and Kelly Shoppach each had one hit.  Adrian Gonzalez and Marlon Byrd had two, with Gonzalez driving in a run.  Aviles and Pedroia each stole a base.  Nick Punto made it into the game at the end as a defensive replacement.

There was not a lot to say about the Royals offense.  Mike Moustakas doubled, but all of their other hits were singles.

Red Sox Trade for Adrian Gonzalez

Link.

This one is huge. Adrian Gonzalez has been targeted by Boston for several years now and it finally looks like he is headed over. This effectively ends the pursuit of Adrian Beltre as Gonzalez will shift Kevin Youkilis over to third base, his original position.

The cost is significant. Boston is sending first round draft picks Casey Kelly and Rey Fuentes, along with first base prospect Anthony Rizzo and a player to be named to San Diego. But to pick up a player of Gonzalez's caliber, you have to give up quite a bit. Boston also has five early draft picks next year to help absorb some of that loss to the organization as Beltre, Victor Martinez, and Felipe Lopez will all bring compensatory draft picks.

Gonzalez will be 29 next May, so he is still young. He is also a big-time power threat as he has hit 30 or more home runs each of the last four years while playing in San Diego, a notorious pitcher's park. This is a good pickup for Boston.

Boxscore: August 8, 2006: Royals 6 vs. Red Sox 4

This is, to this date, the last Red Sox game I have attended. My friend from work and I went down to Kansas City to see the Red Sox take on the Royals. This was during a particularly cold streak for Boston and they could not win a single game against the Royals that series. Injuries had decimated the team and the pitching was particularly hurt.

Jon Lester started the game, but he was a rookie and was very wild. He pitched five innings, giving up four runs, three walks, and five strikeouts. Of course, the bullpen was pretty bad and Craig Hansen and Rudy Seanez each gave up a run. Julian Tavarez also pitched in the game.

The big bright spot for the game was Wily Mo Pena who hit a ball so hard that the outfielders did not even move. The ball landed on top of the concession stand and was one of the furthest hit home runs in Kaufman Stadium history. David Ortiz also hit a home run in the game, his 41st. Manny Ramirez, Alex Gonzalez, and recent pickup Javy Lopez each had two hits in the game. Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis also each had a hit. Ramirez, Lopez, Youkilis, and Gonzalez each had a double. Coco Crisp stole a base, and Mark Loretta and Alex Cora each had two hitless at-bats.

The Royals simply played better than the Red Sox that game.

Boxscore: May 26, 2006 Red Sox 8 vs. Devil Rays 4

This is the only game so far that I have attended at Fenway Park.

My parents took me to Boston as a gift for graduating from law school. We spent a long weekend there doing a bunch of tourist stuff. The main reason for going though was to see this game. We were lucky to see a game at all as it was raining pretty hard immediately before the game.

David Wells started the game and pitched pretty well for 4.1 innings until being taken out after a line drive caught him in the knee. He gave up five hits and one earned run on a home run to Carl Crawford. Julian Tavarez came in to pitch 2.1 innings to pick up the win. He gave up two more runs. Keith Foulke pitched .1 innings and gave up another run. Rudy Seanez then came in to pitch 1.2 innings and handed it off to Jonathan Papelbon, the rookie closer who saved the game, getting the last out. The Red Sox bullpen got the job done, but it was pretty ugly. That was not a good year for the bullpen other than Papelbon.

The offensive star was Mike Lowell who had three hits, including a home run and a double. He drove in two runs. David Ortiz also added a double and single, driving in four. The other two runs were driven in by Mark Loretta and Trot Nixon. Kevin Youkilis, Jason Varitek, and Wily Mo Pena each had a single and a run. Alex Gonzalez had three hits and a run. Manny Ramirez also had a single and Willie Harris appeared as a defensive replacement for Pena.

All in all, this was a great game and is still the only time I have been to Fenway Park.