Boston Baseball is Broken Open
The Yankee haters are all happy that New York’s got no skin in the postseason baseball game. Fine by me. I haven’t seen more than an inning of baseball in a few years now; that’s what having little kids does to your pastimes and hobbies.
But I do feel that my years covering professional sports in the late 1990s gave me a unique perspective on games, ballplayers, and clubhouses. It’s a perspective that I carry with me today.
First and foremost, I would say that having a successful professional franchise year after year after year is not an easy thing to do—and not something easily bought. (Save it, payroll screamers.) I would also argue that like any good company, the “culture” of a place is critical to its success.
In general, I tend to believe that in all workplaces a demanding and even slightly off-balance leader inspires greatness (see: Jobs, Steve & Rob on Jobs). I also believe that small things, such as appearances, matter. The Yankees, for example, are still under the aura of the late George Steinbrenner and his family. Players are still not allowed to have beards or long hair. There is still a basic level of decency permeating the public face of the organization.
The Red Sox? Not so much. I am not the least bit surprised by any information in this article, which is inspiring mad chatter on Twitter today. I am a little shocked that it’s all thrown out there in the open in a pretty thoroughly reported way. It’s certainly an unusual coup for baseball reporters to 1) get this access and 2) be brave enough to put it in print. Here’s an excerpt, but do read it through. It's a devastating account of Boston's collapse:
By all accounts, the 2011 Sox perished from a rash of relatively small indignities. For every player committed to the team’s conditioning program, there was a slacker. For every Sox regular who rose early on the road to take optional batting practice, there were others who never bothered. For every player who dedicated himself to the quest for a championship, there were too many distracted by petty personal issues.
… “It’s hard for a guy making $80,000 to tell a $15 million pitcher he needs to get off his butt and do some work,’’ one source said.
I do think Terry Francona gets unfairly thrown under the bus a little bit in the first part of the story. As ESPN's Buster Olney wrote on Twitter:
Still waiting for someone to establish link between Francona's medication and how BOS played. If link not there, its nobody's business.
And,
And without link established between medication/Bos play, leaked information on Francona's painkillers is pure character assassination.
But what I’m getting at is this: if you pass yourselves off as “idiots” and talk admirably about a frat-boy culture and being “nuts” then all of that is going to come back and bite you. It may take a few years, but it will happen. Frat boys aren’t known to have much respect for authority. They’re prone to laziness. They choose fun over hard work.
Say what you want about the Yankees, but they are keeping up appearances. Maybe it’s the presence of captain Derek Jeter, a stellar fellow. Maybe it radiates from Brian Cashman, an eminently respectable human despite these allegations and, um, photos. Maybe a deep fear of the sometimes-crazy Steinbrenner has carried over into the team’s relationship with his sons, who are the current owners. Maybe former manager Joe Torre just had an air of respectability about him, an air that travels with current manager Joe Girardi, too.
In all my years covering the Yankees, I never saw anyone playing video games in the clubhouse. I never saw guys walking around naked. I never saw anyone drinking a beer. (Okay, well that’s not true. One time. ONE TIME! I saw Lee Mazzilli, the 3rd base coach in the 90s [and former Met], holding a beer – but it was long after the game was over. And he was kinda sheepish about it. Anyway…)
Although my first clubhouse experience was at Yankee Stadium, I eventually worked in other clubhouses where I witnessed numerous examples of distasteful behavior. I once saw a superstar slugger walking around stark naked after a game with open beer cans in BOTH hands. Others dropped trou (or towel) at the sight of me, a woman reporter. Just for kicks.
But this was not the Yankee culture, at least the Yankees of the 90s/2000s. I’m not naïve enough to believe the Yankees were angelic. I know they partook in their share of vices in the back players’ room or in private areas of the clubhouse. But that’s just it. They had the decency (or fear) to hide it. I’d be surprised if I ever read a story like this about the Yankees. That’s all.
Sorry, Sox fans. Just sayin’.
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Jan '11
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
I’m not naïve enough to believe the Yankees were angelic. …They had the decency (or fear) to hide it.
How dare you make me hold a modicum of respect for the Yankees?
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
Okay, enough Sox-bashing.
How was the Army 10-miler???
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
Rob Long: Okay, enough Sox-bashing.
How was the Army 10-miler??? · Oct 12 at 12:58pm
Okay, okay. Just making up for the 2004 ALCS. (Kidding.)
The ATM was great fun. Except for the 7 hour ride down and 8 hour ride back through six traffic jams with three children who couldn't coordinate their bathroom needs meaning we also visited every single rest stop along I-95. Twice. With a Dora potty seat slung over my arm. Killed any pride I had after a nice run.
And the hotel pillow was just enough "off" that I didn't sleep the night before. I'm a bit of a pillow diva.
Seriously, though, it was fun and inspiring. Patriotic and all that. My husband spotted Allen West kicking A in the lead pack.
Jul '11
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
Red Sox for LIFE!!!!!!.....did you say something? I'm sorry I lose all my faculties around Yankees' fans.
Oct '11
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
I may live in Brooklyn, but I grew up in Maine. I can never support the Yankees...
Oct '10
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
Funny how that dysfunctional, messed up team in Beantown...led the AL East by 1.5 games on September 1st and was arguably the best team in baseball throughout the summer.
I don't place a whole lot of stock in those reports.
The Sox' pitching staff spit the bit - in no small part because of injuries - in September. That's all. (Go back and look at some of the guys who started games for the Sox, and some of the guys who were DL'd and couldn't pitch.) An anomalous happening at the worst possible time, but not because of the things alleged to have happened in the clubhouse.
Oh, and only one franchise has won multiple World Series championships in the 21st century (and both were four-game sweeps).
The Boston Red Sox. Under Terry Francona (a manager who never lost a WS game).
Edited on Oct 12, 2011 at 1:38pmRe: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
I wouldn't be surprised if the kids have made it impossible for you to see it yet, but I'd just love to hear what you make of the movie version of Moneyball. When you finally see the darned thing, would you let us know?
Jun '11
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
Well, we'll get to see if Larry Lucchino is the genius he thinks he is?
Jun '11
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
This criticism is misguided. The Red Sox had a sustained run: The 2003-2004 tong war with the Yankees culminating in the 2004 WS win. They won in 2007 and nearly got back to the WS in 2008. Other points:
May '10
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
A couple of thoughts:
1) Ursula, don't become a Democrat. Limiting debate by saying, "Save it, payroll screamers" is beneath you. Boston's free-spending ways is a factor. When you're constantly buying major leaguers that's money you're not spending on player development. And the prospects the Sox have developed they use to acquire the Adrian Gonzalez's of the world.
2) I don't think "a demanding and even slightly off-balance leader inspires greatness," especially in baseball. At 162 games (with another month of Spring Training thrown in) the schedule demands a more even-keel approach. As the late Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson used to say a manager can't treat all 25 guys the same - you have to know who needs praise, who needs left alone and who needs a kick in the rear.
3) The type of dynasty the Yankees built through the Ruth-DiMaggio-Mantle era will never be seen again. That was built on the reserve clause. What's left will be these short bursts of greatness from big market teams with deep pockets and an occasional uprising from a small market team with good scouting.
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
You guessed correctly, Peter. I haven't seen it yet. But this is the best review I've seen yet, if a bit 'inside baseball' (no pun intended) and long for the average fan. Basically, it points out all the minor factual errors the film makes, ones it didn't have to. As someone who was actually paying close attention during those years, I got a kick out of it. Will definitely check in when/if I see it.
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
Fricosis Guy
Lots of great points, Fricosis. Thanks for the comment. I would say that even though Damon contrasts it, he still thinks that type of approach -- knowing how to have fun, etc. -- is important. At their high point, that kind of ragtag bunch of comedians seemed appealing to them/fans. It was always a little distasteful for me, despite my admiration for their ability to win, and win in charismatic fashion.
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
EJHill: A couple of thoughts:
1) Ursula, don't become a Democrat. Limiting debate by saying, "Save it, payroll screamers" is beneath you.
Again, lots of great points, EJ. Thanks. I do get tired of the "they bought the pennant" approach. So much money has been spent in vain on NYC teams (Knicks, Rangers) that I know it takes so, so, SO much more than $ to be successful. That's all I meant. I will never believe that $ alone can buy it. It's like saying $ for a family buys happiness. We all know a million cases where it can actually kill happiness, kill love, etc. I just don't think there's a definitive link ever to be made between huge salaries and sustained success. There's always something else -- many other something elses, actually -- that propels a team to win.
May '10
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
I think that the ability to "buy" success works better in baseball than it does in any other sport. Winning baseball is still predicated on individual success. The other sports are much more "designer" games where you can draw up an offense. In baseball it boils down to the Tony Perez philosophy: See de ball. Heet de ball. Run de bases.
Sep '10
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
As a Boston native and sox fan, I disagree with the analysis of the 2011 Red Sox downfall. The idiots really were idiots, which was their great strength. The complexion of the team and attitude has changed since then and most of the idiots are gone. The problem this year was a massive month long choke job at the end of the year.
Baseball is about aquring skills through repetition and recalling them in order to act and react subconsciously to the situation during a game. Choking is a function of over thinking something that you've done thousands of times before. This year's team was too introspective and suffered paralysis by analysis. The reason David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were clutch is that they were not really aware or were indifferent to the significance of the moment. There is a reason Ricky Henderson is a hall of famer.
Apr '11
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
In the short term, simply spending a lot of money can of course result in huge success in baseball (1997 Marlins, anyone?). But it sounds like Ursula is arguing that teams need more than just money to sustain a high level of performance over the medium to long term. I agree with this. I am also sympathetic to her argument about the importance of a team's culture to its long-term success. The Yankees have cultivated an environment that requires a high level of professionalism and excellence in both appearance and performance. I have no doubt that this approach has contributed to their incredible success over the last 15 years.
Oh, and, uh, GO BREWERS!
May '10
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
The Yankees may be the Yankees, but they still couldn't get C C Sabathia to pitch under pressure -- or do a sit-up -- any more than the Indians could. Money can't buy everything.
(But by all accounts, he's still a nice guy.)
Jul '10
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
If money bought Championships, then Managers would have the players' salary next to Their Name when turning in the line up. Greatest over all salary would win the ballgame without a single pitch thrown.
Edited on Oct 12, 2011 at 9:08pmJul '10
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
I don't really care about the Red Sox, but I do take exception to the characterization of "frat boys." All of us are pretty aware that it is easy to paint with a wide brush when the only thing that makes the news is negative. A few benefits of my experience: learning how to live on my own, dealing with different personalities in a close setting, representing the interests of others, and developing my leadership potential. I'll add the commitment to community service that is found in other organizations, but somehow escapes the notice of most when it comes to fraternities and sororities.
As with any organization, say the Red Sox, a culture is created by its leaders. You have to be careful in choosing who you want to be a part of your team and when you get away from core values, it shouldn't be surprising when the organization suffers. Accountability is often lacking whether the setting is corporate, athletic, or greek...hmm, or Greece for that matter!
I don't accept the premise that it's tough for someone who makes $80k to hold a millionaire accountable. It's easy if the organization backs you.
Apr '11
Re: Boston Baseball is Broken Open
EJHill:
3) The type of dynasty the Yankees built through the Ruth-DiMaggio-Mantle era will never be seen again. That was built on the reserve clause. What's left will be these short bursts of greatness from big market teams with deep pockets and an occasional uprising from a small market team with good scouting. · Oct 12 at 3:10pm
Excellent point. Also worth noting that that's really 3 different eras:
Ruth 1920-34, 7 pennants, 4 WS
DiMaggio 1936-42, 1946-51, 10 pennants, 9 WS
Mantle 1951-68, 12 pennants, 7 WS
Berra 1946-63, 14 pennants, 10 WS
h/t to Bill James