The One Where I Agree With Shank

When he's right, he's right:

HOUSTON — Best World Series game ever?

Best World Series ever?

Or just a demonstration of bad pitching, juiced baseballs, and homer-happy ballparks?

A World Series is not supposed to have a Game For The Ages twice within a span of five days, but the 2017 Fall Classic already ranks as one of the best ever played and we still have one or two games left.

The Houston Astros, trying to win the first championship in the history of a franchise born in 1962, outlasted the Los Angeles Dodgers, 13-12, in 10 innings Sunday night/Monday morning to take a three-games-to-two lead in the 113th World Series, which resumes Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

Did you know that this game had a local angle? Of course you did!

So there. The balls are juiced, the games are too long, and baseball is putting on a show unlike any other in an event that started at Boston’s Huntington Grounds back in 1903. That series was a best-of-nine, won, 5-3, by Boston. May I suggest the Dodgers and ’Stros make this a best-of-nine? Or best of 19?

Oh, and pushing the local angle a bit, I can tell you that Houston fans were chanting “Beat LA, Beat LA” when they poured out of Minute Maid Park while you were sleeping Monday morning.

Yep - it's all about Boston!

Patriots Tweets, By Dan Shaughnessy

At least Shank is sparing us the 'tomato can' / 'double score' shtick somewhat:

Chargers in Foxboro. Prepare for visitors to look across the field at Belichick and forget everything they know about football. #tomatocans

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 29, 2017

Pats win toss. Defer.
We're on to Denver.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 29, 2017

The stupidity begins: "Let's not go for 4th and 1. We are losers. Let's go for a 51 yarder and miss it.''

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 29, 2017

Well, if I recall correctly, Novak (Chargers kicker) was never known for long-distance field goals.

The Obligatory World Series Game 3 Column

Shank half-heartedly bangs out a World Series column.

HOUSTON — An Ode To The ’Stros.

The World Series returned to Houston Friday and the resurgent Astros thumped the Dodgers, 5-3, to take a two-games-to-one lead in the 113th World Series.

Lord knows there’s a lot to love about the Astros this year.

Let’s start with the obvious:

Yep, go read a Globe sports columnist for obvious takes.

And Now For More Former Boston Globe Employee Bashing

Look who's whining about the cost of inflight wifi - none other than the grandfather of fake news!

Delta flight from L.A. to NYC offers in-flight Wi-Fi for $40...That makes Delta both an airline and a criminal enterprise. #stickemupinair

— Mike Barnicle (@mikebarnicle) October 27, 2017

Have you considered reading a book during the flight instead, Mr. Barnicle, say some work of fiction by a writer about how a local mobster 'kept the drugs out of Southie'?

World Series Game 2 Recap

Looks like Shank's making up for his no-show column for Game 1.

LOS ANGELES — Baseball wins. It is 1975 all over again.

The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers, tied 1-1, will resume the 113th World Series at Minute Maid Park Friday night. But before we go there, we must pay homage to what happened at Chavez Ravine Wednesday night.

It was without doubt one of the greatest World Series games ever played. It shook the foundation of the beautiful ballpark built by the O’Malleys in 1962.

I think that's kind of a stretch. From there, it's the standard game recap and a ton of Red Sox 1975 World Series references, which seems to be his primary motivation in writing this column.

The Obligatory Rich Hill Column

You're getting a column from Shank only because the Dodgers' starting pitcher for Game 2 is a local boy.

LOS ANGELES — The kid from the Bay State League, the kid who grew up playing on Cunningham Park in Milton, started Game 2 of the World Series Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

Thirty-seven-year-old Rich Hill — a guy who pitched for the Cubs, Orioles, Red Sox, Indians, Angels, Yankees, A’s, and yes, even the Long Island Ducks just two years ago — got the ball for the Dodgers against Houston’s Justin Verlander.

Hill pitched four perilous innings and picked up a no-decision in a game the Astros won, 7-6, in 11 innings. The pride of Milton allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out seven. Hill threw only 60 pitches, but evidently manager Dave Roberts did not want to give Houston batters a third go-around vs. the Dodgers lefthander. The Dodgers were hitless vs. Verlander in the first four frames and it looked like runs were going to be at a premium in Game 2.

'Working' Vacation?

The Boston Globe sent Shank out to Los Angeles, allegedly to cover the baseball World Series. The Dodgers beat the Astros last night, 3-1.

Did Shank write a column about it? Hell, no!

Math Be Hard

Ah, the thrills of listening to 'hard core LA baseball fans':

Hard core LA baseball fans already predicting "Dodgers in Three.''

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 25, 2017

It All Makes Sense Now

From the looks of it, Shank's in LA to cover the World Series, and his conversations are as forward looking as you'd expect:

Just talked a little 1955 (Yankees-Brooklyn Dodgers) World Series with Larry King . . . Good times.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 24, 2017

When I threw this by my roommate, he quipped - 'they (the Globe) wanted him out of Boston'.

Combined age of Shaughnessy and King = 147 years.

Pro Tip To Alex Cora

Shank on the last guy he said he would never rip, exactly three years ago today:

I promise never to rip Sandoval for being out of shape or going on the disabled list.

Shank, about fifteen minutes ago:

I promised Alex Cora I’d never rip him. Then fessed up and admitted, “Actually that’s probably a lie.” pic.twitter.com/M6M2zQYuSV

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 24, 2017

If / when the Red Sox go on a four game losing streak, that will change suddenly enough.

The Cooler Gets Shelved

Fewer things get Shank revved up and ready to write like taking a dump on a former member of the Boston Red Sox.

LOS ANGELES — The World Series is back in Los Angeles.

The Cooler is not.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Adrian Gonzalez is vacationing with his family in Europe as the Dodgers play in their first World Series 29 years. He went on the disabled list with a back injury Sept. 28 and has not been seen since that day. He still has a year left on a contract that pays him $21.5 million.

Does anyone think his salary would be mentioned if Gonzo was making $5 million? Yeah, me neither.

It’s probably a good thing for the Dodgers. Gonzalez, after all, is The Cooler. He rides shotgun with bad karma.

Red Sox fans certainly remember Gonzalez. He was the sweet-swinging middle-of-the-lineup guy who inspired Theo Epstein to trade prospect Anthony Rizzo to San Diego after the 2010 season.

Remember when Shank was singing his praises? Ancient history.

By the way that last link was the third column in successive days that Shank wrote, practically fellating the guy.

In Boston, Gonzalez was the sour clubhouse contrarian who complained about Sunday night games, said it was “God’s will’’ when the Sox perpetrated the greatest choke in September history, then explained the 2011 chicken-and-beer fiasco by saying, “A man’s got to eat.’’

Read the rest of the column. It's one of the decent columns he's written recently, and the only reason it's good is that he gets to take shots and otherwise write in negative terms about a former member of the Red Sox. It's the only time he seems engaged in his writing.

Shank On The New Red Sox Manager

Alex Cora is the newest manager of the Boston Red Sox. Shank talks to his good friend, former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, about the recent hiring.

LOS ANGELES — Terry Francona managed Alex Cora for 3½ seasons in Boston. He knows that Cora can be a good major league manager in Boston. But he’s reluctant to talk about Cora while Major League Baseball asks the Red Sox, the Astros, and Cora to refrain from commenting during the World Series.

“I told guys on Sunday that I wouldn’t comment on this because of the Boston thing,’’ Francona said from Cleveland Monday. “Just because it’s Boston I don’t need to be sticking my nose in there.’’

OK, then. What about Dave Roberts, I wondered? The manager of the Dodgers has a lot in common with Cora, who is still employed as the Astros’ bench coach for this World Series.

Like Cora, Roberts played for Francona in Boston and won a World Series with the Red Sox. Like Cora, Roberts was one of those “glue” bench players that Francona liked having in his clubhouse. Like Cora, Roberts got his managing job at a young age without having experience in the majors or minors. Like Cora, Roberts was thrust into a major media market with a big payroll and great expectations. Like Cora, Roberts was his franchise’s first minority manager.

A Tale Of Two Tweets

Knowing that he can't continue to recycle columns, lest it become painfully obvious, Shank resorts to posting tweets during the early part of the Falcons / Patriots game last night:

Whoa. Dan Quinn trying to win this time. He's making the Pats do what they don't want to do. Elected to kick off.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 23, 2017

Quinn getting pantsedagain.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 23, 2017

Either the score became 21-0 within minutes of the opening kickoff or Shank's trying to have it both ways, again.

Low Hanging Fruit

It didn't take much imagination or effort to write this column - just ape the two you wrote after the last Super Bowl.

The Atlanta Falcons play the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.

We do not take the Falcons seriously. We pity them. We feel sorry for them. They are scarred and their city is scarred and they will never recover from what the Patriots did to them — and what they did to themselves — in Super Bowl LI in Houston 8½ months ago.

The Falcons met the fate that has awaited so many other Patriot opponents. They were pantsed. They were embarrassed in front of the world. They had a younger, faster team. They dominated the Patriots. They put themselves in position to win their first Super Bowl.

Milking It, By Dan Shaughnessy - Gordon Hayward Edition

This is the first time I can recall Shank writing about a Celtics opening night. It's simply an exercise for him to remind his reading audience how much this year's going to SUCK for the Celtics now that Hayward's out for a very long time.

The Celtics are a certified Boston brand, no less than the Pops, the Swan Boats, or the cream pie at the Parker House. They have brought 17 championships and global fame to our town and their first Garden game traditionally has been a feel-good date on the local sports calendar. Through the decades, the Garden opener has been a night for raising banners and hopes. Even Rick Pitino had a great home opener when his young Celtics beat the Michael Jordan champion Bulls way back in 1997.

This year’s Celtics home opener was wildly anticipated after a summer spree in which president of basketball operations Danny Ainge bagged Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving, Duke teen angel Jayson Tatum, and Gordon Hayward, the $128 million blue-chip free agent from the Hoosier heartland. The Celtics were championship-driven. They were a team on the way up and maybe even had a chance to return to the NBA Finals.

Nice of Shank to remind us in successive columns how much Hayward's contract is worth, isn't it?

And what would a Shank column on the Celtics be without the obligatory Larry Bird mention?

The Obligatory Gordon Hayward Injury Column

Shank bangs out a column on newly acquired Celtics forward Gordon Hayward and the devastation it might wreak on the 2017 - 2018 Boston Celtics.

CLEVELAND — Gruesome. Grotesque. Painful to watch.

The Celtics’ $128 million free agent acquisition, Gordon Hayward, broke his left ankle in the sixth minute of his first game with the team Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

Hayward crashed to the floor 5:15 into the season, in what turned out to be a 102-99 Celtics loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. While his teammates battled back from an 18-point deficit, Hayward was wheeled out of the arena, bound for the Celtics team charter, and New England Baptist Hospital in Boston. Hayward’s parents were with him on the flight.

DHL Dan LX - The Hunt Begins

In the latest issue of the Picked Up Pieces column, Shank tells us about the first candidate to be interviewed for the Red Sox' next manager.

Picked-up pieces along the baseball trail . . .

■ Red Sox baseball boss Dave Dombrowski is expected to be in New York Sunday to interview Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora for the Sox’ managerial opening. The 41-year-old Cora played 14 major league seasons, 3½ under then-Red Sox manager Terry Francona from 2005-08. Cora will be in New York Sunday with the Astros, during the day off between Games 2 and 3 of the American League Championship Series featuring Houston and the New York Yankees.

Also, self-awareness has never been a strong point for Shank:

■ Francona (who has his own problems now that he’s lost six straight elimination games) had this telling quote when he heard of Farrell’s firing: “I do think for whatever reason, that place is a little crazy . . . I think he’ll probably end up feeling like he’s in a better place, because I think that place can age you a little bit.’’ Continuing on this theme, we have Dombrowski’s answer when he was asked about the scrutiny of Boston: “I’ve had really qualified managers that I know and respect that said they would not manage in Boston.’’ Wow. So I guess we’re not making it up when we speak of the dreaded Boston Baseball Experience.

Being a Boston Globe sports columnist means never having to look in the mirror.

Farrell Fired

It seemed inevitable, with early and one-sided playoff exits over the past two years. For some reason, Shank seems to have a problem with it:

The Red Sox fired manager-under-siege John Farrell Wednesday. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, sitting at a dais without ownership, provided no explanation for the dismissal of the five-year skipper who won a World Series in 2013 and just finished in first place in back-to-back seasons.

And yet, the move will be almost unanimously applauded by Red Sox Nation.

It’s one of those “only in Boston” things.

It seems like Shank has a little problem with the firing, doesn't it? He then proceeds to reel off the reasons it's justified:

While the Sox were winning 93 games each of the last two seasons, fans fumed about Farrell’s strategic moves. The manager sometimes seemed to panic when the situation called for calm. The game often got too fast for him. His communication skills were challenged by some players.

How many times have we seen Shank bitch about Farrell leaving in Chris Sale over the past couple of weeks?

Farrell demonstrated zero leadership when $217 million ace David Price acted out. He claimed to have no knowledge of what was going on when his players were caught in an electronic-device cheating scandal.

Farrell’s daily press conferences were peppered with annoying corporate-speak. Local sports talk shows and social media platforms called for the manager’s head almost daily.

When the big-payroll, top-talent Red Sox flopped badly in the playoffs for the second straight October, there was little question Farrell would be sacrificed by a front office ever-focused on optics and television ratings (down 15 percent this year).

A ticket-price increase has already been announced for next season. The Red Sox needed to do something after getting pantsed by the Houston Astros in a four-game ALDS. So they gave fans a feel-good moment by firing the manager.

This is typical of Shank, attempting to have it both ways - he tweets out about Farrell leaving Sale in, constantly reminds us of the Red Sox lousy playoff record the past two years, and now he can't even state 'yeah, he should be fired'? Come on.

Shots Fired?

A few days ago, Shank was rubbing Dave Price's balls. Now we get this:

On today from 11-1 with @ZoandBertrand. Plenty of Red Sox.
The team that played in the image of its leader: David Price

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 10, 2017

Is this the usual Shank, trying to have it both ways or has he turned on David Price? Time will tell.

Dump Taken

In a column that he's been working on for a couple of days now, Shank finally gets to deliver his eulogy for the 2017 Boston Red Sox.

There were classic moments in the final hours of the 2017 Red Sox season. The last game of the season was a hardball epic, featuring multiple lead changes, Chris Sale and Justin Verlander locked in a late-game duel as relief pitchers, dozens of scoring chances, a (Red Sox) guy gunned down at home plate, the symbolic ejection of John Farrell, and a ninth-inning, inside-the-park homer by Rafael Devers — a doughboy third baseman who will be a Fenway thrill ride for years to come.

Despite all that, the last drops of blood drained from the Sox season at 5:16 p.m. on a gloomy Monday when Dustin Pedroia closed out a wildly entertaining 5-4 loss with a grounder to second base on a 3-and-2 pitch.

With that, the long-suffering Houston Astros are headed to the American League Championship Series.

Staying Alive

The Red Sox won big this afternoon, 10-3 with David Price making an excellent contribution out of the bullpen. To hear Shank describe that contribution, you'd think he had just cured cancer.

He was Sidney Wicks, Jack Clark, Rick Pitino, Adalius Thomas, Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez. He was a top talent who made his professional bones and bags of cash in some other town, then came to Boston and offended an entire base of loyal fans.

Some of the treatment David Price received was unfair. Some of it was not.

But in the end, the lessons of professional sports are universal. Boston fans are no different from fans in any other sports-crazed town: If you perform, they will love you. If you don’t perform, be prepared to hear slander, libel, and words you never heard in the Bible.

Shank's one of the perpetrators; has been for well over three decades. There's little doubt in my mind John Henry told Shank to tone it down with criticism of Price.

Price performed in Sunday’s elimination Game 3 of the ALDS, coming out of the bullpen to stop the bleeding when it looked as if the Red Sox would suffer an ignominious sweep for the second straight October. Price’s four innings of shutout relief kept the Astros on the launch pad while the Sox ran to a 10-3 season-saving victory over Houston.

“The story of this one is David Price,’’ said Sox manager John Farrell, who might have been saved from the gallows with this win.

We'll see tomorrow, won't we?

It Begins

How could I possibly forget this angle? Shank is going to get multiple columns out of the 2017 Red Sox playoff exit.

The chair is hot in the corner office at Fenway. John Farrell could very well be managing his final game when the Red Sox take on the scalding Houston Astros in Game 3 of the ALDS Sunday afternoon on Yawkey Way.

The Fire Farrell chorus (includes me!) is loud and angry in the aftermath of bookend beatings the Sox endured at Minute Maid Park. Boston’s season-ending collapse is bearing remarkable similarity to the fall fold of 2016, and if the Red Sox are routed a third time by the Astros, something has to happen.

This time it might be the manager.

To be fair, I don't think there's any doubt that if the Sox lose this afternoon, Farrell gets the ax.

Gearing Up For The Big One

There can be little doubt that a) Shank's about to take a world class shit on the 2017 Boston Red Sox and b) the column's already halfway written, can it?

The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Porcello, Price, Sale, Pomeranz.
Started Gms 1 and 2 of ALDS last 2 yr
14.2 IP, 21 ER, 9 HR, 26 hits

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 6, 2017

Can I use the word "pantsed" two days in a row?

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 6, 2017

Once A Dick, Always A Dick - II

If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that fewer things make Shank happier than a playoff loss by the Boston Red Sox.

HOUSTON — One word and one word only best summarizes Chris Sale’s first career playoff start:

Yuck.

“It sucked,’’ Sale said after giving up seven runs (and three homers) in five-plus innings of an 8-2 Game 1 loss to the Astros. “A terrible time for it to happen . . . Just made bad mistakes . . . This one’s on me. I take full responsibility for this one . . . Got to be better. No excuses. Bad time to suck.’’

Read the rest of this column, no doubt started in the fourth inning of the game, where Shank piles on and spreads blame far and wide:

Oh, and since we’re in piling-on mode, let’s not forget that the “we do it our way and we’ll keep doing it our way” Red Sox ran into another out on the base paths when it was still a one-run game in the second inning. Dustin Pedroia was the culprit. One hundred and sixty-three games into the season, the stubborn Sox are still confusing foolishness for aggressiveness.

Once A Dick, Always A Dick

This one went up when the Sox were down 4-2 in Game 1 of the ALDS:

Farrell must be bringing Sale back to get his 300th K.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 5, 2017

Frauds

That's what Shank called the 2004 Boston Red Sox when they were down 3 - 0 to the Yankees. Kevin Millar, not too happy with that characterization, recalls his confrontation with Shank on the Toucher & Rich show this morning.

And Now For More Boston Globe Bashing - LIX

So much for realizing my lifelong dream of seeing 135 Morrisey Boulevard turned into dormitories for UMass-Boston.

The development company that has agreed to buy the former Boston Globe complex on Morrissey Boulevard is proposing to renovate and re-use the existing newspaper facility as a hub for high-tech jobs, including robotics.

Todd Fremont-Smith, senior vice president of development at Nordblom Co., offered a short but warmly received presentation on the 135 Morrissey project to the Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association at its monthly meeting on Monday.

Nordblom Co. agreed to purchase the 16.5-acre Globe property for an undisclosed sum earlier this year, but the final transaction has not yet happened. Fremont-Smith said his company has the property under a purchase and sale agreement, and has been putting in increasing deposits over time. They plan to close the sale in mid-November.

Rick Pitino Watch

Since Shank likes ripping former Boston area professional athletes, I'm left wondering why he's not ripping former Boston Celtic coaches who are now on the skids?

Rick Pitino could be in some serious trouble.

After the FBI announced its investigation into an NCAA corruption scheme earlier this week, the Louisville head coach was identified as "Coach 2" in federal court documents that claim he played a role in sending illegal payments to the family of a highly-touted recruit, CBS News' Dana Jacobson reports.

Prosecutors allege Adidas executives funneled $100,000 to the family of a top recruit - believed to be five-star freshman Brian Bowen - to ensure he'd play basketball at Louisville, an Adidas-sponsored school. Louisville reportedly suspended Bowen this week.

Pitino was placed on unpaid administrative leave Wednesday along with athletic director Tom Jurich, but has denied any wrongdoing.

The Hall of Fame coach was already due to serve a five-game suspension this season stemming from his role in the program's escort scandal.

Among a few posts, here's some of Shank's previous work on Pitino.

Retweets, By Dan Shaughnessy

Since Shank's under an obligation to no longer harshly criticize Red Sox players, instead he'll keep beating up former Red Sox players:

"I carried hate for that city for a long time,” Carl Crawford told @ScottMillerBbl. "But now, I'm over that.” https://t.co/tJVvC1goLS

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) September 28, 2017

I can't imagine how Carl Crawford could have come to that conclusion.

Likes And Dislikes

Shank gives us his good and bad take on this year's Red Sox as they get ready for the playoffs.

OK, so the Red Sox are in the playoffs and they are on to Cincinnati. They have six more games against moribund teams (Reds, Blue Jays), then a final four at home against the Houston Astros, who are still most likely Boston’s first-round opponent in the Division Series.

So here are some personal likes and dislikes about your first-place Boston Red Sox:

Dislike: John Farrell sending Chris Sale back out to the mound in the eighth inning of an 8-0 game just so that Sale could pick up his 300th strikeout of 2017. Lunacy.

I Think He's Pissed, McClane!

Shank's upset with Red Sox manager John Farrell over last night's personnel management / mismanagement:

What is Chris Sale doing still in this game?

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 21, 2017

After long inning, Sale back out for 8th in 8-0 game?
Getting to 300 Ks tonight bigger than playoffs?
This is SO Red Sox.
Grady Farrell.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 21, 2017

What the hell, Manager John? Sale still can get a shutout. Why not send him back out for the ninth?

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 21, 2017

I'm with Shank on this one - Farrell doesn't have the same in-game savvy that Francoa or Maddon have.

Fourth Rate Column

When you have nothing else to write about and you've used up your quota of 'picked-up pieces' columns for the month, you write about which team's on the bottom of the local sports totem pole.

Four is a number always associated with the Boston Bruins.

Bobby Orr — the greatest hockey player of all time — wore No. 4. Black-and-Gold No. 4 jerseys pepper the stands wherever the Bruins play. The best Boston sports bar is The Fours on Canal Street.

Now, as the Bruins get ready for a new season, they once again are all about number four . . . but this time not in a good way.

When I saw this column, I got the sense that Shank had written something like this before. A search of the archives did not ratify this belief, but you'll be shocked to find out that the overwhelming majority of Shank columns on the Boston Bruins were written... after a loss.

A Superdome Story

The New England Patriots won yesterday, 36-20, over the New Orleans Saints. Since the Boston Globe paid for his trip to the Big Easy, he's obliged to write something.

Oh, and some football happened here, too. Seven Super Bowls have been played in the 76,468-seat space-ship theater they now call the “Mercedes-Benz Superdome.’’ This includes three ultimate games that involved your New England Patriots.

This is where the Fridge scored a touchdown and the Bears crushed the Patriots in New England’s only Kraft-less Super Bowl. This is where Desmond Howard kept returning kicks before the Packers beat the Drew Bledsoe Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. And Bill Parcells didn’t fly home with the team.

DHL Dan LX - David Price Update, Etc.

I'm wondering why Shank is going out of his way to stay positive with his coverage of David Price. Normally this would be the stage in the relationship with the player when Shank's trashing him, just before the one or two 'run him out of town' columns.

Picked-up pieces while wondering how things will end for the 2017 Indians and Dodgers . . .

■ So now the Red Sox are paying David Price $217 million to be Heath Hembree?

The Sox activated Price Thursday, and manager John Farrell announced that the sour southpaw will work out of the bullpen for the rest of this year. I hate this.

I'd rather he not reinjure his elbow. Price in the bullpen will insure he won't be throwing 100 pitches in a given day. This is logical. How Shank thinks otherwise is baffling.

Perhaps it’s rational given Price’s recovery from elbow woes and his potential value as a lefthanded power arm out of the pen. But I still hate it because it’s letting Price off the hook too easily.

As much as it might be dangerous for the Sox, I wanted to see Price get the ball for a playoff start in 2017 (with double-barrel action in the Boston bullpen during the anthem). It’s my thirst for great sports theater.

That, and pints at The Fours.

He still hates the Red Sox, in case you're still wondering:

■ Kudos to the New York Post for placing an asterisk next to “Boston” in its daily American League standings. Below the standings, the asterisk denotes, “Caught stealing.’’

When the Sox got caught cheating, how come nobody made the connection to “Damn Yankees”? The name of the devil in the famed Faustian show/movie is “Applegate.’’

One of my favorite readers reminds us, “You can’t hold a whole baseball team responsible for the behavior of a few sick, perverted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn’t we blame the whole major league system . . . ?’’

Shank realizes the movie 'Animal House' is almost forty years old, right?

He still hates the Patriots:

■ Hate to rub it in, but the New York Football Giants will salute their 2007 Super Bowl champs when they play their home opener in the Meadowlands Monday night against the Lions. Eli Manning and Zak DeOssie are the only players left from that squad. David Tyree currently works for the Giants as director of player development.

...and Federal judge Richard Berman, of Deflategate 'fame':

■ When it comes to the Yankees, Judge Sonia Sotomayor makes Fanboy Richard Berman look neutral. The Supreme Court justice donned a robe and sat in the “Judge’s Chambers” in right field (named for Aaron Judge) when the Red Sox visited New York last month. She cheered madly for her Yankees.

But that's different!

The End Of An Era

Shank laments the lack of interest in a particular college football game.

Did you know that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are coming to Chestnut Hill to play the Boston College Eagles Saturday at 3:30 at Alumni Stadium?

Of course not.

Nobody knows.

I knew, but only because they announced it at the end of the Notre Dame - Georgia game on Saturday.

Shake down the thunder and dropkick me Touchdown Jesus through the goalposts of life. Our region’s abject apathy about this game is the latest demonstration that we are the worst college sports town in America.

There’s no shame in this. Not in my book anyway. I love the fact that we have evolved into a pro sports-only town. The Four Horsemen of Boston sports — the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins — provide more than enough fodder to fill these pages and fuel four all-sports local radio and television stations.

He then goes on to rue the lack of college football. Typical of Shank to try and have it both ways.

Choose The Headline

The choices - 'Beating A Dead Horse' or 'Plucking The Carcass of a Dead Animal Like a Vulture':

On today with @ZoandBertrand from 11-1. More dissection of KC loss. Zo and I are literally on to New Orleans where we will party once more.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 12, 2017

What 'more dissection' is really necessary?

And Now For More Boston Globe Bashing - LVIII

I'm sure they'll get it right, eventually...

Due to production problems the paper may be delivered at any point throughout the day or on Monday. We apologize for the inconvenience.

— Boston Globe Support (@GlobeSupport) September 10, 2017

Remind me why in 2017 we should stay tethered to a paper subscription that is so unpredictable and unreliable? 2/2

— RobHalpinⓋ (@Niplahr) September 10, 2017

I remember @John_W_Henry indicated these issues would be solved by Labor Day. But he didn't say which year....

— Greg Cunningham (@gregcjr) September 10, 2017

Newspapers are losing subscribers and it seems you are trying to lose more.

— Paul G. Watts III (@PaulWattsIII) September 10, 2017

Ask And You Shall Receive

Not a tough call, but a good call nonetheless.

FOXBOROUGH — “Bad defense, bad coaching, bad plan, bad football.’’

This was Bill Belichick’s post-midnight confession after the Patriots were spanked by Kansas City Chiefs, 42-27, in their season opener Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.

I guess this means 19-0 is out of the question.

Firm grasp of the obvious there...

Yeesh.

We all know the Patriots and their fans were getting a little full of themselves. After winning the greatest Super Bowl ever, they won the offseason. They went all in and assembled the perfect football team. Here in New England, football was not about competition anymore. Simply coronation.

After winning the Super Bowl in Houston, the Patriots partied. They handed out gaudy rings with 283 diamonds (get it, Falcons? 283 diamonds, as in 28-3). Team Trump went to the White House, patented the “Blitz for Six,’’ motto, and gleefully cooperated with another NFL Films homage to their superior preparation and brainpower. The Patriots not only beat you, they embarrassed you. They made sure everyone knows that they are smarter than all the other teams they play. They anticipate everything.

This column exhibits an earnestness and glee that Shank writes with when he's infatuated with the subject at hand, which generally involves a losing local professional sports team.

Aren't We All Waiting

...for Shank to bang out another column taking a massive dump on the Patriots after they lose to the Chiefs 42-27 tonight?

The One Where Shank Lectures Pats Fans, Again

Now we have our answer as to why Shank wasn't tweeting all the usual crap during the first half of tonight's Chiefs / Patriots game:

FOXBOROUGH — OK, Patriots fans. You can let it go now. You had your fun. You won the Super Bowl with the greatest comeback in NFL championship history. You got to shout down the commissioner with a spontaneous outburst of booing when he tried to speak on the postgame stage in Houston. You got to insult Roger Goodell again Thursday night at Gillette with shirts and towels bearing the commissioner’s clown-altered image. You got to see the unveiling of championship No. 5 and then you got to see the Patriots kick off their inexorable quest for No. 6 vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s probably time to release the ghosts of Deflategate and get on with your lives.

This, from a guy who still bears a grudge that he held for years and still continues to this day with the Pats' second Super Bowl appearance, against Green Bay.

Shaughnessy’s digs are predictable…and despicable. That breakfast snub 15 years ago or so really burns him up so much to this day?

More Shank:

Except for one parking lot photo with some Patriots fans (who should have their Fan Cards revoked), Goodell in August pretty much got in and out of town without anyone noticing.

Didn't he just tell Patriots fans to give it up?

You get the gist of it - more Nurse Ratched at the link.

Love To Hate The Red Sox

Any bad Red Sox news is good news for Shank:

The New York Post has an asterisk next to Red Sox W-L record atop the AL East with
"Caught Stealing" featured under the standings.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 8, 2017

Predictions

1) Will Shank tweet before and during the game?
2) How many tweets will contain the following - defer the kickoff, double score and / or tomato cans?
3) Any more comparisons of Deflategate and the Red Sox' sign stealing saga?

Leave your own predictions in the comments.

Frontrunners

Look who's back on the bandwagon:

Mark Wahlberg is at Gillette going through pre-game ceremony. Do we get to tease him for leaving Super Bowl 51 early?

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 7, 2017

Answer - HELL YEAH!

Other Than That, The Tweet Was Accurate

Shank was just a bit too eager to take a shot at the Red Sox. By the way, every level of management apologized to Eck, even though they should not have had to do that. Price has never done so.

Electronics in dugout, Goofy base running, ambushing Eck, headhunting Machado . . Red Sox never admit they are wrong

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 6, 2017

uh, they admitted the apple watch thing..keepup dude!

— Dudley DooRagz(@DudleyDooRagz) September 6, 2017

Yeah, Dombrowskiwas a suuuuuperapologetic in his presser last night. Keep up dude!

— HoHo(@EvCoEatManyHoHo) September 6, 2017

Almost as bad as making a name for yourself from writing about a nonexistent curse

— Brad Strowger (@BradStrowger) September 6, 2017

@PeteAbe "I'm the worst writer at the Globe".. @Dan_Shaughnessy .. "holdmy beer"..

— Mike Johnson (@Draftman516) September 6, 2017

@Dan_Shaughnessy a Red Sox scandal is basically porn for you

— Aggie Pug (@yieldguy) September 6, 2017

Tweet Of The Day

Presented without comment...

Hey @Dan_Shaughnessy ..maybe the @BostonGlobe can do another hit piece on Brady to deflect from signgate

— Scott Zolak (@scottzolak) September 5, 2017

Mountain Out Of A Molehill - II

Shank's latest column allows him to mount his Shetland pony high horse and moralize a bit about the Red Sox.

Boston’s reputation in sports takes another hit

Where do we start on this one?

The New York Times says that the first-place Red Sox are cheaters. The Times says that the Sox admitted it. Evidently, the Sox got dimed out by the Yankees (Brian Cashman is the new Fredo) and they totally fessed up when caught.

So where do we go with this now? What do we tell our out-of-town friends? Every time we start talking about all those duck boat parades, they’ll have an answer.

As far as I can tell, sign stealing's been around as long as I can remember. I don't know whether or not there are prohibitions on using technology to do this (EDIT - there are!). We'll see what commissioner Rob Manfred says about it, and what penalties go with it.

To me, here's the more interesting part:

Michael Schmidt — the same guy who broke the news in 2009 that David Ortiz tested positive for PEDs in 2003 — reported the story for the Times. At the end of his story, Schmidt wrote, “Some in baseball would like for Mr. Manfred to take away some of Boston’s victories . . .”

I'd trust a New York Times reporter as far as I could throw him down a set of stairs, but that's just me. Still, this is the perfect thing to have happened as far as Shank's concerned.

Missed Golf Column

It looks like Shank wrote his yearly golf column after all.

NORTON — Justin and Jordan.

Jordan and Justin.

I have grown to despise this trite technique of his.

Both 24 years old. Both American. Both golf stars at NCAA football factories. Each one praised at one time or another as the next superstar of golf. Both winners of coveted majors — three for Jordan Spieth, one for Justin Thomas.

If you don't know a lot about these two, it's worth a read.

What's In A Tweet?

It's not too difficult to translate this one. The Red Sox are currently in a tailspin and Shank will have the next five months of passive-aggressive behavior to simultaneously shit on and offer false praise for the New England Patriots. Both situations make him happer than a pig in slop.

😀⚾️🏈👍

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 5, 2017

When It Rains, It Pours

Shank's recent prolific column output has nothing to do with the Red Sox losing three out of four games to the New York Yankees, does it?

NEW YORK — Panic?

Not yet. Probably nobody wants to hear it, but despite last night’s 9-2 beatdown in the Bronx, the Red Sox are still in pretty good shape to win the American League East. They certainly have trouble with the Yankees and Orioles, but they are coming home for a nine-game stay vs. the dregs of the American League. The Yankees, meanwhile, are heading out on the dusty trail, starting in Baltimore. The Sox can’t possible squander their 3½-game division lead. Can they?

Surely that's a rhetorical question for Shank...

Glass Half Empty

What a shocker - Shank isn't too keen on the Red Sox come playoff time!

NEW YORK — How are you feeling about the prospects for your first-place Red Sox when the playoffs get going next month?

Me? I’m not feeling great about this team.

Sorry. I know these guys have good pitching and they’ve had all those walkoff wins and they have been in first place since Aug. 1 and they have one of the top six records in all of baseball. Closer Craig Kimbrel is enjoying a historic season.

But I just don’t feel good about this team in October.

More doubt and pessimism at the link.

Live From The Yankees Clubhouse - II

Amazing that you can get an entire column out of a single bunt.

NEW YORK — We’ve waited a long time for this. The Red Sox and Yankees are in first and second place respectively, and national television networks still love them, but everybody knows the rivalry has been somewhat tepid since the passionate, angry golden days of 2003 and 2004.

But some of the old hard feelings resurfaced Thursday and Friday when pantload CC Sabathia called the Red Sox “weak” and challenged anyone who doesn’t like it to “meet in center field . . . I’m out there early every day.’’

And all this because Sox infielder Eduardo Nunez had the audacity to do his job and lay down a bunt in the first inning of Thursday’s 6-2 Yankee win. Nunez swung away in third inning Friday night and belted a two-run homer in the the Sox’ 4-1 victory.)

You Heard It Here First

Longtime readers of this blog know how well Shank loves the Neil Diamond song 'Sweet Caroline'. About an hour or so ago I'm on ESPN 3 watching one of the World Cup qualifiers (Malta vs. England) and the Maltese crowd was singing, you guessed it, 'Sweet Caroline' just before the first half kickoff. My prediction - with that insipid car commercial fueling the fire, this might catch on worldwide, displacing 'Seven Nation Army' by the White Stripes as the song of choice.

Live From The Yankees Clubhouse

... Our Man Shank is there!

NEW YORK — Welcome to the visitors’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium. This is where stuff happens.

This is where David Price had his first Jack Nicholson-esque, five-star nutty back in June when he hurled insults at writers and equipment into his locker. This is where the Sox staged that goofy champagne-and-goggles celebration last Sept. 29 moments after Craig Kimbrel surrendered a walkoff grand slam to the retiring Mark Teixeira. This is where Terry Francona, then-employed by ESPN, pulled up a chair and started a bull session with his ex-players in 2012 while “new” Sox skipper Bobby Valentine fumed in the corner office.

Looks like Shank has found a Red Sox player to latch onto and trash for the rest of the season.

When Golf Tournaments Were Wicked Pissa

The TPC Boston returns to Norton, MA this weekend. It's now known as the Dell Technologies Championship, formerly known as the Deutsche Bank Championship (likely due to recent financial difficulties).

Since the likes of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer will not be playing, Shank will not show much interest in the event. That is, unless someone's using a portable urinal to take a piss.

Trolling Tweets, By Dan Shaughnessy

A few days after getting swept at home by the Baltimore Orioles, Shank goes with this tweet:

Red Sox might clinch AL East before 10 p.m.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) August 30, 2017

Isn't That Lovely?

Guess what we're going to get tortured with over the next six months?

On today with @ZoandBertrand from 11-1. Pats roster (Zo sys O'Shaughnessy is in!), Celtic-Cavs trade and Sox fold on agenda.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) August 29, 2017

Just fuckin' shoot me now...

Addition By Subtraction

For me, ESPN is ruined by the self-important, egotistical Sports Center characters like Stuart Scott, Kenny Mayne (a whole 'nother level of douchebaggery), Scott Van Pelt and this guy, who started it all. Enjoy your retirement.

It was one of those special nights, a reward for a job well done, a life well lived. Best known as “Boomer” to sports fans of America, Chris Berman had Citi Field box seats by the dugout for himself, his 30-year-old son Doug, and Doug’s fiancee Clare. It was the eve of Berman’s 62nd birthday and they were going to watch the Mets play the San Francisco Giants, his favorite team since his days as a boy in New York’s Westchester County.

It was Tuesday, May 9, and Berman, ESPN’s original franchise player, was enjoying the early months of a victory lap, accepting daily congrats after stepping down from his 31-year position as host of the network’s NFL game-day studio programming.

If It's The Patriots Preseason

...it's Shank's season to shit on the Kraft family:

#Patriots https://t.co/XuwqVJwnBz

— Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) August 26, 2017

Caption contest? https://t.co/5ukHJ5CmWA

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) August 26, 2017

You stay classy, Shank!

Shank On The Kyrie Irving Trade

Looks like the latest Celtics trade gave Shank something to write about.

At long last, fireworks.

I am all in on the Celtics’ acquisition of Kyrie Irving. I haven’t been this sold on a Boston sports transaction since the Red Sox signed free agent third baseman Pablo Sandoval for five years and $95 million.

OK, bad example. The Panda thing didn’t work out. And truthfully, Danny Ainge’s bold trade could blow up on him if the Brooklyn pick becomes Hakeem Olajuwon and Irving goes all Carl Everett on us.

But that’s not going to happen. The Celtics just picked up one of the best point guards in the NBA, the second-best player in the Eastern Conference, a 25-year-old Basketball Jones who scored 25 points per game last season and can lead Boston to the NBA Finals.

Of course, that's what the Celtics were thinking when they picked up Gordon Hayward earlier this summer. Here's hoping it doesn't wind up being a repeat of the crap sandwich clash of egos that trashed the Cavaliers after the NBA finals.

DHL Dan LIX / Rewriting History

Red Sox owner John Henry's is the latest in a torrent of politically correct efforts to rewrite history by removing the names of people they do not approve of. Shank is there to cover it:

Picked-up pieces while wondering whether angry Patriots fans still believe Roger Goodell (about to sign a five-year contract extension) is going to lose his job over his grotesque “mishandling” of Deflategate.

■ Red Sox owner John Henry is “haunted” by the Yawkey legacy of racism and would like Yawkey Way renamed to Big Papi Way. The Globe’s Adrian Walker, in a December 2015 column headlined, “It’s time to banish the racist legacy of Tom Yawkey,’’ wrote, “Why on earth does Boston have a street called Yawkey Way? . . . Changing the name of a street is simple enough . . . The time has come.’’

So Red Sox ownership sat on its hands for two years (and more) until there's sufficient cover to make the move? Brave stance, guys!

So now the debate is on. The climate is ripe for change.

Henry said that former Mayor Thomas Menino was not agreeable to a street-name change, which was suggested by former Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino shortly after the turn of the century, but current Mayor Marty Walsh seems ready to move on the combustible issue.

However, there's backup on this one. All that and more in the latest edition of the Shank mailbag...

The Judge / Benintendi Postulation

Shank comes back from vacation / extended hiatus to compare the two rookies:

Aaron Judge vs. Andrew Benintendi.

Forget 2017 American League Rookie of the Year. I’m asking . . . which guy would you rather have on your team for the next 15 seasons?

We love these Yankee-Red Sox mano-a-manos. It’s as old as the rivalry itself.

You know the drill from here - comparisons to Yankees / Red Sox players of yesteryear ensues, as does the Judge / Benintendi comparison.

Fred Lynn Watch?

I'd sure hate to change the name of this blog, but Shank keeps bringing up his name whenever he writes about Red Sox second year player Andrew Benintendi.

NEW YORK — Andrew Benintendi hit a pair of three-run homers off Yankee ace Luis Severino in Saturday’s 10-5 Red Sox win over the Yankees. Benintendi’s performance reminded some of us of Freddie Lynn in 1975.

Lynn was American League MVP and Rookie of the Year in ’75 and led the Red Sox all the way to the seventh game of the World Series. He hit .331 with 21 homers and 105 RBIs. He also enjoyed one of the great days at the plate in Red Sox history.

Hop into the Wayback Machine for a moment:

I'll pass, unless I can find my bell bottoms and a few 8-tracks.

Get Me Rewrite!

How many times do you think Shank has written this column?

The legendary Joe DiMaggio was ever-jealous of the legendary Ted Williams. Late in life, when both superstars were in their 70s and occasionally appeared at the same event, Joe insisted on being introduced as “the greatest living ballplayer.’’

Bill Lee hated Billy Martin, Graig Nettles, and the rest of the 1970s Yankees. He called the Bronx Bombers “Yankee brownshirts.”

Also - third column in a row where comments have been disabled.

How Soon...

... is now?

But seriously, folks - about nineteen hours from now, the New England Patriots will play their first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Foxborough. A few of the top starters will not be playing, among them Tom Brady, Julian Edelman and Gronk.

Here's what I want to know - how soon does Shank first deploy that vastly overused phrase 'tomato can(s)' to describe any and all Patriots opponents?

Shank On The Baseball Show

So I'm in the car and I turn on 98.5 around 6:22 this afternoon, just in time to hear the second caller of the hour slam the fill-in host for Tony Massarotti, which would be Our Man Shank. The guy got past the call screener(s) and ambushed Shank, telling him he sucked. That made my day.

DHL Dan - LVIII

Shank cleverly (or not so cleverly) disguises a Picked Up Pieces column as the first shot this season in his ongoing war with the New England Patriots.

■ We all love Tom Brady. Great leader. Great champion. Greatest quarterback of all time. Maybe greatest football player of all time. But his answer about his wife’s televised contention that he had a concussion last year (and that he’s had concussions pretty much every year) is unacceptable in light of his nonstop promotion of the “TB12 Method.’’

When asked Friday about his wife’s statement that he had a concussion last season, Brady answered, “I really don’t think that’s anybody’s business, you know, what happened last year.”

To be fair, I think Shank has a point, now with all the CTE cases coming out and some implied level of obligation to discuss his own situation or the situation in general.

Two other points on this part of the column - I think there's still some institutional Globe butthurt about getting called out on this column (for which I'll support Tom Brady flipping the bird to the media in spite of the previous paragraph), and in what may be a related item, there are no comments to this current column, making it two columns in a row.

The rest of the column is worth reading, and I'm not just saying that after a couple of brewskis...

Should I Pass?

I'll go check in just to see how Shank can negatively spin a six game winning streak.

On CSNNE's The Baseball Show now with Lou and Evan. Til 8. Tune in and we'll take your questions.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) August 6, 2017

UPDATE AT 10:30 PM - It was a surprisingly good show. Shank had no negative agenda against the Red Sox (other than with Jared Carrabis, who's finally figured out Shank is an enemy).

And Now For More Boston Globe Bashing - LVII

It takes a special kind of douche to bring politics into an article about a solar eclipse:

The path of viewing spots for this month’s solar eclipse cuts overwhelmingly through places that voted for Trump. https://t.co/uymDqqKAsO pic.twitter.com/1yoUuN0Wp5

— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) August 1, 2017

The Boston Baseball Experience

The David Price / Dennis Eckersley kerfuffle sure brings back some memories for Shank.

Imagine being a young pitching star in Boston. You’ve got a Cy Young Award at home. You’ve won 20 games in a season. You do a ton of charity work and you’ve got your own foundation. Your first child is a baby boy. Your Red Sox are in first place.

Life should be good. But you’re getting crushed by Sox fans and sports talk radio. Fans think you make too much money. They say you never win in the playoffs. And they are mad because you said some regrettable things when you thought you were defending your teammates.

David Price, 2017?

No.

Say hello to Roger Clemens, circa 1988.

I'm sure I don't need to mention who was one of the people doing the 'getting crushed' dance in the print media, now do I?

Of course, that attitude Shank had towards Clemens sure changed - just time the delivery of a stuffed doll to perfection.

It's Not Me, It's You

David Price spoke on Saturday and the tone was not exactly one of reconciliation. Dennis Eckersley flips him the bird right back:

Dennis Eckersley has no interest in meeting with David Price. And he has no intention of changing his broadcasting style.

“I’m cool with everything,’’ Eckersley told the Globe before Tuesday night’s dramatic 12-10 walkoff victory over the Indians. “I’ve moved on. I’m just going to keep doing what I do, which is call it like I see it. It’s all about the Red Sox and the ultimate goal of winning it all.’’

Eckersley returned to Fenway Tuesday to fulfill a commitment to appear in the club’s Legends Suite during the Red Sox-Indians game. He is scheduled to return to the NESN booth Thursday when the Red Sox play the White Sox at Fenway.

Good - I hope Eck starts trolling the mother fucker.

News You Can Use

Or - since he's not Cleveland's general manager, what else do you think he'd be doing right about now?

Tito is in his Fenway office playing cribbage as deadline nears.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) July 31, 2017

The Parochial Shaughnessy

Shank was in Cooperstown this weekend, and he discovers a common theme:

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Everything is about Boston. Everything is about the Red Sox. Even on a weekend when the Sox didn’t have anyone getting inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Here are some vignettes from induction weekend, as the family of baseball gathered to enshrine Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, Pudge Rodriguez, John Schuerholz, and Bud Selig:

■ Juan Marichal and Rich Gossage spent part of Saturday morning in the village of Cooperstown, sitting side-by-side signing autographs for the benefit of a local fire department. Both looked as if they could still pitch. Marichal pitched for the Red Sox at the end of his career. Gossage had many big moments against the Red Sox. He’s the guy who got Carl Yastrzemski to pop to Graig Nettles to end the 1978 one-game playoff.

Wade Boggs gives some perspective on David Price running his mouth and confronting Dennis Eckersley:

■ “David Price has no idea what I went through,’’ said Wade Boggs, who played 11 calamity-filled seasons in Boston. “ ‘Yuck?’ That’s it?’’ Boggs asked. “Try living in my shoes back then.’’ Boggs showed me a photo of himself from his last trip to Boston, standing next to a statue of Paul Revere. “Two guys famous for riding horses,’’’ Boggs chuckled.

And on and on it goes, in that vein. His writing of stories that put Boston at the center of the sports universe seems to have diminshed somewhat recently.

Bonus - a Larry Bird sighting!

Prize Claimed

A Patriots themed post whilst we wait for Shank to turn his lonely eyes to Foxborough...

On Monday I posted something on the David Price / Dennis Eckersley situation (for lack of a more accurate word or phrase), wherein it was mentioned an obvious truth - the Boston sports media are generally a bunch of negative assholes. A commenter who is fully versed in this local dynamic said in part the following:

I cannot wait until Belichick gives them the first hearty "go get your shinebox" of training camp come Thursday afternoon.

Newspapers can't die fast enough.

Mr. Anonymous, step up and claim your prize!

Covering Bill Belichick seems like it must be absolutely brutal. Belichick gives stubbornly unhelpful answers to almost all inquiries, and when he does elaborate, it typically involves berating the questioner.

But while this must be quite exhausting for the dutiful Patriots beat writers who have to confront it day-to-day, it’s kind of fun for the rest of us to watch from afar.

On Friday, Belichick was asked about the performance of Austin Carr, an undrafted rookie who made highlight reels with his impressive catch at training camp Thursday. Sounds like an innocent question, right? Well instead of offering some platitude about how Carr looked good and the team was excited to see what he could do, Belichick totally rejected the premise.

Here was his response, via the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin:

It may be the preseason, but Bill Belichick is in midseason media form. There's partial audio at the link. Since it was Ben Volin asking the question, I'm glad Belichick smacked him in the face with the verbal 2"x 4".

Man Overboard?

Red Sox rookie Rafael Devers smacks a home run in his second game in the major leagues, and Shank devotes a column to it.

SEATTLE — It was quite a week for 20-year-old Red Sox rookie Rafael Devers. He made his first six-hour flight, got his first $60 haircut (clubhouse barber), and hit his first major league home run in a much-needed, 4-0 Red Sox victory (thank you, Chris Sale) over the Mariners Wednesday.

So what’s the reward?

No one knows. Devers went 2 for 4 in his second career game, but might be headed right back to the minors before the reeling Red Sox come home for David Price’s return party at Fenway Friday night.

Tony C. and Fred Lynn are also mentioned; I'm sure that's just a coincidence.

Strange Days Indeed

The Red Sox have lost their last four games and 11 of their last 17 games. Raise your hand if you think Shank's going to devote a column to it!

SEATTLE — These are strange days for the Red Sox. They are in first place in the American League East. They are almost certain to be in first place when they return to Fenway against the Royals Friday night. Unless the Yankees, who defeated the Reds, 4-2, on Tuesday night, win their next two games while Boston continues to stumble in Seattle.

But John Henry’s team has been taking on water since just before the All-Star break. Going into Tuesday night’s game and the major league debut of Rafael Devers, the Sox had dropped 11 of 17. There’s been a power outage, a gaping hole at third base, and some well-publicized bad behavior. A team that’s been characterized as a tad “boring” (NESN ratings were down 20 percent in the first half of the season), has finally become a topic of discussion back home in New England, but it’s not exactly the kind of attention a franchise wants. Just as the wildly popular Patriots are ready to start training camp, the Sox are back in the news cycle, but it’s not their fine play that has tongues wagging.

Which means we can expect columns from Shank with greater frequency, now that he has multiple targets,

The First Rafael Devers Column

The latest member of the Boston Red Sox got the call yesterday and will be playing third base tonight. Shank does the write-up:

SEATTLE — Rafael Devers is the Next Big Thing in Red Sox Nation.

Devers is only 20. He played only 86 games above the A-ball level and now he’s in the majors. Devers did not play in the Red Sox’ 4-0 loss to the Mariners on Monday night, although he was available for pinch-hitting duties. He is expected to make his first big league appearance Tuesday against Seattle’s Felix Hernandez.

Welcome to the big leagues, kid.

No cheap baseball clichés here!

Shank On That Price / Eckersley Brouhaha

Looks like the details have finally come out, and Shank pieces it together:

Sportswriters stopped flying with ballclubs a quarter-century ago, but 10 ancillary team employees (two WEEI broadcasters and eight members of NESN) still fly with the Red Sox. NESN’s longtime color commentator Jerry Remy is recovering from cancer surgery and has not been with the team since June 21. Steve Lyons typically fills in for Remy on the road, but he has curiously disappeared from all NESN broadcasts, citing a “personal situation.’’

Eckersley does not like to travel with the team. He’s a recovering alcoholic and seeks to avoid the trappings of the road. He’s also aware that many Sox players dislike his blunt, sometimes critical style. One would think that his Hall of Fame resume and 24 major league seasons (which included two divorces, getting released, career-threatening injuries, and being a stand-up guy after epic failures) would insulate him from the anger of today’s players. That would be incorrect.
...
For Price, the tipping point came when he learned Eckersley said “Yuck” when Eduardo Rodriguez’s poor stats were flashed on the NESN screen after a rehab start in Pawtucket June 29.

On the day of the episode, Price was standing near the middle of the team aircraft, surrounded by fellow players, waiting for Eckersley. When Eckersley approached, on his way to the back of the plane (Sox broadcasters traditionally sit in the rear of the aircraft), a grandstanding Price stood in front of Eckersley and shouted, “Here he is — the greatest pitcher who ever lived! This game is easy for him!’’

When a stunned Eckersley tried to speak, Price shot back with, “Get the [expletive] out of here!’’

Many players applauded.

Eckersley made his way to the back of the plane as players in the middle of the plane started their card games. In the middle of the short flight, Eckersley got up and walked toward the front where Sox boss Dave Dombrowski was seated. When Eckersley passed through the card-playing section in the middle, Price went at him again, shouting, “Get the [expletive] out of here!’’

When Price was asked about it the next day, he said only, “Some people just don’t understand how hard this game is.’’

I'm of two minds on this - the Boston sports media are generally a bunch of negative assholes. However, I have a hard time understanding just how offensive the word 'Yuck' is in terms of professional criticism, and it wasn't even directed at Price. David Price is the asshole here, not Eckersley.

California Dreaming

Shank thinks there's going to be a World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, complete with a few classic Shankisms.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — It’s a perfect time to be out here in the future home of LeBron James; the land of swimming pools, movie stars, and Kardashians.

The sons of John Farrell are in Anaheim for a weekend joust with the Angels and I am taking this opportunity to book a swanky hotel for the 2017 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and your Boston Red Sox.

Red Sox-Dodgers.

The Red Sox are out in California to play the Angels; it makes you wonder how Shank comes up with stuff like this.

Another David Price Column

Shank can't seem to get enough of David Price:

Is Price an overpaid, thin-skinned, prima donna ill-suited for Boston baseball? Or is he the Red Sox’ secret weapon destined to establish his value and earn fans’ love with a strong 2017 finish and (gulp) postseason glory? We’re pretty sure Price hates Boston, but could he yet emerge as a rich man’s John Lackey? Could Price wind up being a guy who delivers the goods even though he hates Boston with the power of a thousand suns?

Looks a lot like this column from last month, doesn't it?

Is David Price destined to become a Red Sox lefty hero on a par with Jon Lester, or an overpaid free agent flop like Jack Clark and Pablo Sandoval?

Price is a Fenway lightning rod in the spring of 2017. At this hour, the big questions around Price are:

■ Can he pitch in Boston?

■ Does he hate it here?

■ Will he exercise his option to leave Boston after the 2018 season?

■ Should he have taken less money to sign with the Cardinals?

■ Does he spend more time and energy on Twitter than Donald Trump?

Can't imagine why am athlete would hate playing in Boston with all this positive, supportive media coverage...

And Now For More Boston Globe Bashing - LVI

The Boston Globe Media CEO Doug Franklin is now the former Boston Globe Media CEO after a whopping six months on the job:

Doug we hardly knew ye. Last December, Boston Globe Media named veteran newspaper executive Doug Franklin as chief executive officer to replace Mike Sheehan, who was leaving after three years in charge. Now Franklin is leaving, citing “differences” with owner John Henry over “how to strategically achieve our financial sustainability.”

At this early stage I have no idea what went wrong. I will point out that the Globe has been sending out frequent emails apologizing for late delivery of the print edition since shifting from its old Morrissey Boulevard headquarters to a new plant in Taunton — but I can’t say I know whether that has anything to do with Franklin’s departure.

We can read between the lines - Franklin's the fall guy.

Seems to be a lot of executive deck clearing this month - the new CFO is someone with impeccable leftist credentials:

Vinay Mehra, the chief financial officer of Politico and a former executive at WGBH, will become the president and chief financial officer of Boston Globe Media, according to a memo to the staff from publisher and owner John Henry.

But the media isn't biased - just remember that!

And the last thing to point out:

Henry also says that he and his wife, managing partner Linda Pizzuti Henry, plan to take a more active role.

Like telling a Boston Globe columnist to stop writing all those vicious articles about Red Sox players?

Boston Sports Media Watch - I

Well, since the official Boston Sports Media Watch is now dormant, I'll go off the Shank script occasionally, with this being one of those times.

So I went and checked out Kirk Minihane's Twitter feed earlier today, and I saw some angry tweets and re-tweets (nothing new there), but the name Samer stood out to me like a sore thumb. Samer Kalaf is one of the hangers-on at Deadspin and in my opinion is their laziest / least prolific writer on what's left of their staff. It seems that Samer wrote a post 'discussing' the local sports talk radio scene. Well, 'discussing' isn't quite the right word to use - it's pretty much a pile-on in the mold of the traditionally negative Boston sports media. Given the subject matter at hand, it's next to impossible to expect anything positive or even-handed, and Samer delivers. I'd like to say it was a good overall column, but I have a few nitpicks about it - he shortchanges a few people like devoting a single sentence to Marc Bertrand (like Samer couldn't at least mention he was Felger & Mazz's booth guy until a few years ago), and he seems to go out of his way to a) denigrate each person in at least one offhand manner and / or b) make sure you remember their worst moment on the radio, like the time Dennis & Callahan goofed (badly) on inner-city Boston Metco students from fourteen years ago and were suspended for it.

Let's note Samer's professional take on Mr. Minihane:

Kirk is the rat a ratfucker fucks. He is on the lowest rung of the ladder that is Boston sports radio, which is quite an accomplishment. He replaced John Dennis as Gerry Callahan’s partner for Kirk and Callahan on WEEI, which is like replacing the rat a ratfucker fucks with a dead rat.

Far be it for me to criticize others for using profanity in a blog post, but I am sparing in its use. Deadspin writers (aside from Kevin Draper, now at the New York Yimes) seem like they drop F-bombs in every third sentence. If you want to detract from the point your making, I suppose they should have at it.

It looks like Barstool Sports isn't too thrilled with him, either:

OMG look at this! Worst writer on the Internet Samer Kalif jumped in on the Rihanna fat blog controversy today. WHAT A SHOCK. Now before I address what he said let me just say this. Samer Kalif is the worst writer on the internet. He’s clickbait city. He’s a kid who grew up popping his zits at UNH idolizing me and then threw a tantrum when he wasn’t good enough to work here and has had an axe to grind ever since.

Jeez - UNH will admit just about anybody, won't they (like they did with me)?

Mea Culpa Tweets, By Dan Shaughnessy

Nice of him to eat some crow once in a while:

As I was saying . . . https://t.co/vL0COg1A9P

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) July 14, 2017

The Red Sox can’t sign Pablo Sandoval fast enough, @Dan_Shaughnessy writes. http://t.co/9oVyjLoRyY pic.twitter.com/Yf8qIxDDZK

— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) October 25, 2014

Familiar Ground

Shank writes his 276th column about a Red Sox / Yankees series.

The second-place Yankees are coming to town to face the first-place Red Sox for four games over three days at Fenway this weekend. The Sox could put their cleats on the throats of the struggling New Yorkers and send them away for good . . . or . . . the Yankees could vault into first with a four-game sweep. Some thoughts:

■ These could be the final days, indeed the final hours of the Pablo Sandoval debacle in Boston. That’s right, folks, the Red Sox could release the Kung Fu Panda any minute, certainly by Monday when they have to make a decision on Sandoval’s status as his rehab assignment officially ends. Outright release feels like an option. If it happens, the Sox will have gotten exactly 161 games of virtually nothing (.239, 14 homers, 59 RBIs) in exchange for $95 million. The Sox are 69-81 when Sandoval starts. And according to one metric, his glove costs them 34 runs per season. Dumping Sandoval is an ownership call more than a Dave Dombrowski call. Panda is Ben Cherington’s signing, so Dombro has no pride of authorship here. When Panda is finally released, debate can commence on the worst Sox free agent signing ever. Carl Crawford ($142 million), Rusney Castillo ($72.5 million as an international free agent), and Panda can jostle for the top spot on the medal platform, but let’s never forget worthy contenders such as Jose Offerman, Jack Clark, Matt Young, Matt Clement, Edgar Renteria, and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Botched Tweets, By Dan Shaughnessy

I remember Dustin Pedroia taking a good shot at Shank last year (concerning Mookie Betts advancing an extra base or two on steals / hit & run plays, and doing it on multiple occasions) - "Watch the games." It's apparent that Shank still does not watch the games:

Thirty two year old Matt Scherzer is the OLDEST starter in tonight's All Star Game. Wow.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) July 11, 2017

Matt Scherzer... never heard of him 🤔

— John LeClair(@JLeClair_) July 11, 2017

Max? 🤔

— Connor Dunphy(@Dunph25) July 11, 2017

The Gene Conley Column

He sounds like he was an interesting guy:

Willie Mays. Wilt Chamberlain. Mickey Mantle. Bill Russell. Stan Musial. Elgin Baylor. Jackie Robinson. Bob Cousy. Hank Aaron. Jerry West. Warren Spahn. Oscar Robertson. Ted Williams.

Gene Conley played ball against all of the above. He struck out Mantle and posted up Chamberlain. In the same year.

He played against a chorus line of superstars, but none of those Hall of Famers ever did what Conley did.

That Explains Everything

I don't listen to a lot of local sports talk radio, although I do like Mike Felger. I do know that Adam Jones, for whatever reason(s), isn't well liked. Then I was reminded about one of those reasons:

On today til 1:00 on @ZoandBertrand with Adam Jones and Sean McAdam filling in. Jones got his big break hosting "The Dan Shaughnessy Show".

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) July 6, 2017

DHL Dan - LVII

You can tell it's summer when Shank starts mailing in columns every other week.

Picked-up pieces while waiting for Danny Ainge fireworks and wondering if Tom Brady and Kelly Olynyk are available for Gordon Hayward recruitment . . .

■ It’s disturbing to hear that David Price got into a verbal altercation with Dennis Eckersley on the Red Sox charter to Toronto after Thursday night’s win. This is a no-win venture for Price, who already has a bull’s-eye on his back because of his contract, his playoff failures, and his new layer of thin skin since coming to Boston. No Sox player is going to win a hissing contest with Eckersley, a Hall of Fame pitcher and the most refreshing color commentator in our market. Eck was a stand-up guy when he pitched and he’s been the same as an analyst. Boston fans love Eckersley. Price, who appears to be finding himself on the mound, increasingly looks like an unhappy camper who wants out of Boston. Not good. Price’s brief explanation of his confrontation with Eckersley was a true head-scratcher. When asked about the episode, Price told the Globe’s Nick Cafardo, “Some people just don’t understand how hard this game is.’’ What? Eckersley is the last guy you’d drop that on. Eckersley understands everything that can happen to a big league ballplayer. As a major leaguer, Eckersley survived career-threatening injuries, multiple trades, getting released, alcohol addiction, a brother in prison, and two failed marriages. He was part of the Red Sox’ collapse in 1978 and took every ounce of heat when he surrendered one of the most famous homers in history — the World Series walkoff by Kirk Gibson. With all that, Eck rightfully sailed into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. The Sox are going to need David Price to get where they want to go this year. Now it looks like Price is being swallowed whole by the dreaded Boston Baseball Experience. Maybe he should have talked with his former teammate Carl Crawford before taking the money to play here.

It does look like the pressure exerted by local media on David Price finally caused him to crack. My only surprise is Shank's lack of participation in the whole thing.