15 replies to this topic

[Orel Miraculous]

I was going to post this in the "Fellowship of the Miserable" thread as an example of a great piece of Red Sox reporting that you just don't see in the Globe anymore, but screw it. 

 

For a few years now, Alex Speier has been consistently producing the best Red Sox-related content around and he needs a thread dedicated to his work.  His knowledge of the minor league system is as vast as anyone in the Boston media, he understands statistical analysis, and, most importantly, he treats his readers with respect.

 

This opus he posted yesterday, The Blueprint:  Defining the Path to the Next Great Red Sox Team,  is essentially the defining article of the 2013 Boston Red Sox.  Read it, and then use this thread to continue to discuss his work throughout the season.

[DaveRoberts'Shoes]

I'm a big fan of his work -  having spoken to him about Sox' injuries on a few occasions, can vouch for him being a very intelligent and thoughtful guy, unlike a lot of sports writers.

 

Then again, most of us Harvard guys are

[absintheofmalaise]

Speier is, by far, the best Sox beat writer out there right now. I read his work almost exclusively, followed up by BMac, Britton and Bradford. He's a good guy too. He's always  willing to help out with our various charity endeavors. 

[BellhornsBiatch]

Speier is, by far, the best Sox beat writer out there right now. I read his work almost exclusively, followed up by BMac, Britton and Bradford. He's a good guy too. He's always  willing to help out with our various charity endeavors. 

I'm with you abs. Speier has been the best in town for a few years now, but MacPherson and Britton have that lauriat/lit-geek vibe that I find pretty refreshing in comparison to your standard, rote chronological record-of-event folks. Speier must love it here because he'd wipe the floor with a lot of the national guys too.

Edited by BellhornsBiatch, 13 February 2013 - 01:55 PM.

[SoxLegacy]

I read that article yesterday and thought it was an outstanding piece of work--very insightful and filled with fascinating information. I agree, he's a great read and I enjoy listening to him on the Hot Stove podcasts as well.

[Orel Miraculous]

This is what I'm talking about:  1500 words just about "power shagging" and JBJ's defense.  I love this stuff.

 

While those who watch Bradley and the outfielder himself note that his outstanding defense reflects incredible instincts, it's far more than that. Bradley spends batting practice adding to two databases that give him a mature sense of where a ball will conclude its flight. The first incorporates weather, trajectory, spin, field conditions and batter strength; the second involves the precise movements -- stride, angle, glove position -- that permit him to get to such a tremendous volume of balls hit between left-center and right-center.

And so, when Bradley amplifies the degree of difficulty in his power shagging, it is not eyewash.

"Sometimes, instead of getting around [the ball], I try to put myself in a difficult situation to see if I can re-enact a play," said Bradley. "You never know -- the spin, the wind, if you slip. I actually slow down in order to make a play more difficult sometimes.

 

 

 

How good is Bradley's defense? Consider the following:

When Bradley played with High-A Salem in the first half of 2012, the team gave up 4.3 runs per nine innings. After his promotion, the club permitted 5.6 runs per game, an increase of roughly 30 percent.

Prior to Bradley's arrival, Double-A Portland gave up 4.9 runs per game. Once he joined the Sea Dogs, Portland yielded 4.2 runs per game, a decrease of roughly 14 percent.

Perhaps other factors explained those changes in the fortunes of the two clubs. Perhaps.

 

[SoxLegacy]

Just finished reading that JBJ article by Speier and thought I'd come here and share, but Orel beat me to it! It was another terrific piece of writing--definitely worth the read both for the information about JBJ as well as the excellent writing of Speier,

[riboflav]

Alex is killing it this month. What a shot in the face to every sports commentator who complains there's nothing write about or talk about, especially this time of year.

[mabrowndog]

He was on with D&C this morning, outclassing the hosts with both his attitude and intellect.

http://audio.weei.com/a/71151439/alex-speier-weei-com-sits-in-with-dennis-and-callahan-to-look-back-over-the-weekend-in-fort-myers.htm

Edited by mabrowndog, 18 February 2013 - 04:18 PM.

[Clears Cleaver]

Speier is tremendous. He writes like hes angling for a job within the organization. I mean that as a complement. It's always smart and cuts through the press conference directives we get from every other sox beat writer or columnist. But he needs to cut or shave that chest/neck hair. Lol

[riboflav]

<p>He was on with D&C this morning, outclassing the hosts with both his attitude and intellect.

http://audio.weei.co...-fort-myers.htm</p>

 

Many cringe worthy moments in that listen and Alex handled them with graceful aplomb.

[mabrowndog]

Many cringe worthy moments in that listen and Alex handled them with graceful aplomb.

 

What struck me was how often he had to correct the hosts, who are clearly too lazy to verify easily verifiable facts like Aceves' salary and the nature of Napoli's hip condition. And as you note, Alex did so while remaining upbeat and without a shred of condescension.

[Red(s)HawksFan]

He's kicking their asses again this morning. This is great.

He tells them they're "empirically wrong" to say the Sox are too slow in bringing up prospects. Callahan asks "what does empirically mean?"

Edited by Red(s)HawksFan, 20 February 2013 - 08:04 AM.

[Snodgrass'Muff]

I just read the blueprint article and I'm glad I checked here before starting a thread on the main board, as it would have been redundant to a degree.  We've covered most of what he talks about in one thread or another since the end of last season, and while it puts a lot of answers in one place for easy reference, more discussion of the same wouldn't really serve that much purpose.  The main thrust of starting such a thread would have been to funnel some traffic to that article because it was a really well done piece and is worth the fifteen minutes or so it takes to dig into it.

[mabrowndog]

Alex also has a really great piece titled "The Long Road From The Top" in the 2013 Lindy's Red Sox annual (being discussed on the main board). It's a detailed, sometimes castigating but brutally honest assessment of the tumultuous stretch from Sept 2011 through last fall, followed by a solid overview of what the FO appears to be doing to climb out of the grave.

[SoxLegacy]

Alex with another excellent piece of writing here on Allen Webster: http://www.weei.com/...x-pitcher-allen-