JustSON Numbers: Kevin Youkilis is a stud

My baseball fandom has reached a new level of geekiness thanks to a tip from a coworker. If you have no social life, please go to fangraphs.com which will completely change the way you look at the game of baseball.

After taking a quick look at the Boston Red Sox roster on fangraphs and loading up the Value Page, I've discovered that Kevin Youkilis is the most valuable player on the team (at least offensively). The Value formula on this site basically determines how much more value a player holds compared to a AAA replacement.

Here's Kevin Youkilis' numbers in a dumbed down version of the value page.

Youkilis is worth 4.6 more wins a season. (Assuming that a team of AAA replacements would win 50 games in a season)

He also will score 33.1 runs more than your regular AAA replacement during a season.

Okay maybe it's just me, but I find this absolutely facinating. Another thing you'll notice when you look at this value page is the fact that for the most part, the Boston Red Sox defensive value is terrible. That's what you get when you have Nick Green at shortstop and Mike Lowell's miracle hip at third base.

Check the site out, you will not regret it.

Epic Video: This is how you re-engerize a baseball team

Thank you Kevin Youkilis, you may have saved the season in Boston. By the way, Sox win 7-5.

JustSON the Numbers: Jason Bay

With this edition of JustSON the Numbers I'll be breaking down the Boston Red Sox Jason Bay (.324 batting average, .468 on base average, 9 home runs, 34 RBI, 29 runs scored in 32 games) and his propensity to come up with big hits in what is becoming to seem like every game.

Manny who? I think all of Red Sox Nation can easily say that with the clutch hitting that Jason Bay has exhibited just a little over a month into this season. So far this season Bay has gotten a hit in or after the 5th inning that has driven in the run(s) that have tied, put the Sox ahead or ended up being the winning run. Once he did it twice in one game and five times he has done it to the Yankees (3) and Rays (2).

On April 11th the Red Sox were in Los Angeles playing the Angels and desperately needed a win after losing their previous three games. That's when Bay stepped in and hit a 2-run home run in the 7th to put the Sox up 4-3, he then added a solo shot in the 9th to make it 5-3 and it turned out to be the winning run as the Sox won 5-4.

Next up was Baltimore on the 17th at Fenway. After Brad Penny spotted the Orioles 7 runs Bay and the rest of the Red Sox got to work, with of course Bay starting things off in the bottom of the 2nd with a 2-run home run. He eventually put the game away for good with his sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 6th to make it 9-8 Red Sox. The Sox went on to win 10-8.

Then it was time to torment the Yankees in back to back games on April 24 and 25th. The first game saw Bay tie the game in the bottom of the ninth with a two out 2-run home run off of Mariano Rivera, then Kevin Youkilis won it in the 11th with a solo home run. The next day Boston won a wild won over New York 16-11 with Bay getting the offense going in the bottom of the 4th, with the Sox down 6-0 Bay singled in Dustin Pedroia, then put Boston ahead in the bottom of the 5th with a 2-run double that put them up 8-6.

Two days later in Cleveland, Bay hit a 3-run home run in the top of the 9th in a 0-0 game, which Boston eventually won 3-1. After a trip to Tampa Bay, Boston made their first visit to the new Yankee Stadium on May 4th and Bay felt right at home their as he hit a 2-run home run in the top of the 7th to make it 6-3 Boston. At the time it was a couple added insurance runs but ended up being the game winner as New York tacked on a run in the bottom of the 8th which would have tied the score.

And just this past week Bay has come up with a run scoring double in the 6th to tie the game on the 7th against Cleveland, which the Sox won in a landslide 13-3. Then the Rays came to town the following night and Bay did it again as he hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 6th to tie it at 3, he was then followed a few batters later by a 2-run shot off the bat of J.D. Drew. Boston went on to win 7-3. Then to finish off this home stand on Mothers Day Bay decided to give his mom the best gift and that was a run scoring double in the bottom of the 8th to put the Sox up for good 4-3.

So as you can see it looks as if Jason Bay has stepped in quite nicely for the Red Sox in providing clutch hits. I'd say not bad for a former Pittsburgh Pirate and Gonzaga Bulldog.

Former Zag a star for the Red Sox

Sweeping the Yankees is like bringing home a girl from the bar. The next day you're all giddy around your friends, you've got an extra hop in your step and people high five you and congratulate you.

That is, of course, if the girl is cute.

Now, the Red Sox have struggled through their share of injuries, and seem to be coming out just fine. That just goes to show you the kind of depth this team has - Dice K isn't pitching right now, Youk's missed some games due to a sore back, Smoltz isn't even pitching yet and there's a lot of other dings and scraps affecting the team.

And then factor in that Big Papi is more like Big Sacrifice Fly or Big Double (Which, I don't care, I still love the guy), Beckett and Lester have had less than stellar starts to the season, Brad Penny is quickly pitching himself into AAA, the shortstop position is a big gaping hole in the lineup for the Sox (With 63-year old Julio Lugo and his magical glove) and Varitek is flirting with the medoza line - everything so far this season has been very impressive for the Sox, hand down.

One of those keys to the Red Sox sucess so far has been Jason Bay. The Trail, B.C. native and former Gonzaga Bulldog has been money for Boston so far this year. He leads the team with seven home runs and has provided some very clutch at-bats. 

And here's the difference between Bay and the so-called sluggers in the Yankees' lineup. When Bay gets up to bat and there's runners on base, he can hit a home run that changes the makeup of the game and breaks it wide open for the Sox. Sure the Bronx Bombers will get their home runs, but they have a knack for solo shots, and striking out with runners on when they need a couple runs in the later part of the game. COUGH COUGH A-ROD COUGH COUGH!

Bay's quickly making us forget about Manny Ramirez, and lets hope the team can lock him down with a longer contract. 

I had to shave my chin because of Kevin Youkilis

So at the start of the season, Dylan Kitzan and I had sworn to not shave our rather wispy goatees until Kevin Youkilis had his batting average dip below .400. Well that happen today in a 13-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Youkilis went 0-2 and now has an average of .395.

And my goatee was doing such a good job of covering my second chin...

Is it alright if I have a man crush on Kevin Youkilis?

Here are the texts conversations with my buddies that I had after Kevin Youkilis belted the game-winning home run to lift the Red Sox over the Yankees 5-4 tonight.

Dylan Kitzan (Red Sox fan): Youkilis walk off in the 11th!
Brandon Hansen: Save the Goatees! Save the Goatees! (You see, Dylan and I have this pact where will be keeping our facial hair until Kevin Youkilis' average drops below .400. This might be a long summer for us.)
Moon (Yankees fan): Fudge. (Only it wasn't fudge. It was the mother of all cuss words, it was the f***)
Brandon Hansen: Yooooouk!
Brandon Hansen to Dylan: Moon just texted me "fudge"
Dylan Kitzan: Haha, I love it.
Moon: I hope (Youkilis) dies of vd... (that's something bad for all of you out there in blogger land)
Dylan Kitzan (upon hearing the VD comment): Unless he is wearing the golden thong that the yanks passed around last season, I doubt it.
Brandon Hansen: Hey now! Keep in mind that A-rod has been sleeping around.
Moon: He's on the DL, doesn't count yet.
Moon: Could be ... He did date Madonna.

Ladies and gentlemen, your New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry. Best in sports.

Red Sox To Unleash 100 Year Old Weapon

If you live in Boston or New York, or you are just a fan of the Red Sox or Yankees, this weekend is an eventful time. Starting today the Red Sox and Yankees square off in the first series of the year between the two long time rivals at Fenway Park.

Today's game is the 1st of 18 between these two storied franchises this year and will pit local product (to us folks in Warshington) Jon Lester against Joba Chamberlain, who is from Casey's favorite state (he also has tried to rearrange the face of one Kevin Youkilis multiple times, he was even suspended 2 games in 2007 for throwing behind him on consecutive pitches).

For this occasion the Boston Red Sox have decided to bring back Arthur Giddon who turns a century old on Sunday, to be the honorary bat boy for the series. Giddon was a bat boy for the Boston Braves from 1922-1923 when he was the ripe old age of 13. You can read more about this great story at redsox.com

I know I speak for 3 of us here at Just South of North when I say "Go Sox!!" I also know I can speak for everyone here at Just South of North when I say "Yankees Suck!!"

I've noticed something about the Boston sports scene...

Observe some of the popular sports figures in Boston...






If I didn't know the complete bio of Captian Jean Luc-Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation, I would have assumed he was from Boston. What is it with everyone being bald in that city? Might need to check the water.

 
Oh wait... maybe not. Thanks Randy Moss!