DHL Dan CXXIII - Show Him The Money!

Shank's latest 'effort' takes a look at Xander Bogaerts and whether he'll get a nice new contract:

Xander Bogaerts deserves a lucrative extension from the Red Sox, and other thoughts

Picked-up pieces while watching the NCAA basketball tournament …

▪ “We Take Care of Our Own.”

Rock bard Bruce Springsteen wrote this in 2012, and there are varying interpretations, but in the baseball spring of 2022, it’s clear that the Boston Red Sox — finally again spending like the big-market team they are — need to take care of their own as they prepare to launch the new season.

Sign Xander Bogaerts to a contract extension. As soon as possible. Lock him down from now until the end of the decade. Keep him in the fold.

Bogaerts is the Red Sox’ Patrice Bergeron. He is their Steve Grogan. He is their John Havlicek (OK, not quite that talented or impactful, but you get the idea).

Nice backhanded compliment!

A reader noted Shank's 'efforts' since the baseball work stoppage was resolved. We now have four columns in just under two weeks, for those keeping score at home.

Change Of Pace

With one signing, Shank's suddenly singing a different tune:

By signing Trevor Story, Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox finally show they’re willing to play ball

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Hallelujah. The Red Sox are behaving like a big-market ballclub again. After two-plus years of boring “payroll flexibility” and fiscal conservatism, your baseball team is back in the free-agent game.

The Sox agreed to terms with free agent shortstop Trevor Story on a reported six-year, $140 million contract. Story will fill a big hole at second base in 2022. If Sox veteran Xander Bogaerts opts out at the end of this season (a sad outcome that feels increasingly likely), Story can go back to short where he belongs.

Story is a 29-year-old two-time All-Star who hit at least 24 homers in five of his six seasons with the Rockies (he hit 11 in 59 games in the COVID-shortened 2020 season). His 72 homers in 2018 and 2019 — adjusted for Coors Field inflation — amounts to about 30 per season. He gives the Red Sox a powerhouse infield for 2022; just keep an eye on Story’s throwing elbow.

DHL Dan CXXII - Frugality

Now hitting his spring training stride, Shank discusses the recent spendthrift nature of the 2022 Boston Red Sox:

It looks as though the frugal, bottom-line Red Sox are here to stay, and other thoughts

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Picked-up pieces while loving a return to a new normal …

▪ Are you outraged about the Red Sox’ (thus far) still-life approach to player acquisition in the post-lockout spring of 2022?

Do you not care?

Or are you perhaps one of the loyal legions who think Red Sox ownership trimming costs and saving money makes the fan experience more enjoyable — as if you are some kind of profit-sharing partner with John Henry?

Barring something unexpected, it’s pretty clear that the 2022 Red Sox are the Bottom Line Red Sox. The Sox have about $20 million to spend under the luxury-tax threshold, but don’t seem interested in big-money talent, while most of their competition has been aggressive.

Swing And A Miss

While that's a theme that can be applied to some of Shank's work, the swing and a miss is on me, as Shank's been going at a good clip since the baseball lockout / labor dispute was resolved last week. Just go here and read them; regular Shank coverage will resume shortly!

Kyrie's Homecoming

The Boston Celtics beat Kyrie Irving's newest team, the Brooklyn Nets 126-120 on Sunday, and Shank writes about the warm, loving Boston reception Kyrie got:

The Garden was not a stomping ground this time for the unfiltered Kyrie Irving

Given all the history and weirdness, it seemed appropriate that Kyrie Irving made his return to the parquet floor one day after Boston’s indoor mask mandate was lifted.

Kyrie got the Rick Pitino-Manny Machado-Ulf Samuelsson reception you’d expect, but he was not the story of this day. The story of this day was Jayson Tatum (54 points) and the Celtics prevailing down the stretch of a thrilling 126-120 victory over the hot-mess Brooklyn Nets.

We saw two engaged teams go back and forth for more than 46 minutes before Tatum and the Celtics dropped the hammer. Celtic fans got their last laugh, chanting “Kyrie sucks,” when Jaylen Brown went to the line with 31.3 seconds left and victory secure.

DHL Dan CXX - Back On The Celtics Bandwagon

It's interesting what a decent sized winning streak can do to change the attitude of certain sports columnists:

It might be time to start thinking ‘why not us?’ about the Celtics, and other thoughts

Picked-up pieces while cursing baseball owners and players …

Except for his boss - don't want to mess up those paychecks!

▪ The Celtics are fun again. And they are good. Sunday afternoon at home against Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the Brooklyn Nets, the Celtics have a chance to go on national television and announce their candidacy for the 2022 NBA championship.

Wait … too much too soon, you think?

Probably. But maybe not. There are no current NBA monster teams (think 1985-86 Celtics), and given what the Celtics have been doing, you can make the “Why Not Us?” case for this group.

They have a terrific starting five, play the best defense in the league, and finally seem to be buying in on new coach Ime Udoka. In the cold and dark of March — with no football or baseball — this brings out the Full Scalabrine in some of us.

Two months ago he was calling the team annoying and frustrating. Winning cures a lot of things.

Shank On Sports Labor Disputes

As the baseball lockout drags on, Shank looks back at other pro sports labor disputes:

MLB’s lockout reminds us the history of sports and labor disputes is rife with regrettable moments

Sports and labor are contradictory terms. None of us who grow up playing sports think of it as work. We loathe sports labor stories. Sports strikes and lockouts are particularly odious when front-page headlines are dominated by a two-year pandemic and a war unfolding in Europe.

America has no appetite to debate the “issues” of contention in MLB’s lockout.

In this spirit, I’m ignoring the “negotiations” in Florida while looking back at some labor squabbles that tainted other sports seasons.

▪ Let’s start with the myth of the 1972 Red Sox getting robbed because a labor dispute denied them a chance to win the American League East. If you look at ‘72′s final standings, this appears to be true. The Tigers finished 86-70, won the AL East, and went to the playoffs while the Sox finished 85-70, a half-game out, and went home (no wild card in those days).