Why ESPN Sucks:
This is from ESPN.com, could there be any worse reporting? How far from the truth are these statements:
5. Javy Lopez to the Red Sox from the Orioles for a player to be named later
Had Jason Varitek been the only big loss for Boston, this deal might have been a factor. But the Red Sox imploded like few contenders in recent memory, losing players to injury and illness and getting swept in an emotional five-game series at Yankee Stadium.This has been a bad, bad year for Theo Epstein and the catcher’s position. The Red Sox have started six different catchers, and it didn’t have to be that way. Boston opened the season with an outstanding backup for Varitek, but Epstein panicked when Josh Bard had trouble handling 40-year-old knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. He shipped Bard and right-hander Cla Meredith to the Padres to get back Doug Mirabelli, who had left as a free agent after 2005.
Wakefield made only 14 more starts before going on the disabled list with a strained rib cage, and Bard has emerged as a .325 hitter for the Padres. Meredith has been San Diego’s best set-up reliever, and the Red Sox exacerbated their problems by trading serviceable right-handed reliever David Riske to the White Sox for Javier Lopez, one of five lefty relievers they’ve tried. What a mess.
Phil Rogers is the national baseball writer for the Chicago Tribune, which has a Web site at www.chicagosports.com. His book, “Say It’s So,” a story about the 2005 White Sox, is available at bookstores, through amazon.com or direct order from Triumph Publishing (800-222-4657).
Is Phil Rogers so stupid to not know that Doug was traded for Loretta? And, Phil, the 5 game sweep was at Fenway. I really hope you don’t get paid for your work. Thinking Javy Lopez came from Chicago is like saying Venus came from Mars.