If you wish to work in a liberal city, you must obey the dictates of the tyrants.

There was a reason for the delayed introduction that the Red Sox gave infielder Trevor Story after agreeing to a six-year, $140 million contract, according to a recent report. As described by ESPN reporter Jeff Passan, the holdup — a period which lasted approximately 72 hours — pertained to Story’s vaccination status.

The 29-year-old was unvaccinated against COVID-19, according to Passan. This caused a delay in finalizing the deal, and could have potentially resulted in it falling apart. “There were concerns the agreement could fall apart because Story was reluctant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” Passan explained.

But in the end, Story put Red Sox “fears” to rest, and he was able to officially sign.
— Boston.com, 3/25/22

Of course, it can’t have anything to do with the fact that COVID-19 vaccine-pharmaceutical Moderna is a very public sponsor of the Boston Red Sox….

So, the Red Sox’ “fears” were put to rest but what about consideration for the long-standing “fears” of Trevor Story and his family?

With all that’s come out about the fact the COVID-19 vaccine has documented inconsistent effectiveness, growing studies of dangerous side effects, growing numbers of what the pro-vaccination call “breakthrough” cases of the vaccinated still catching the coronavirus, healthy professional and amateur athletes dropping dead, as well as high-profile entertainers succumbing at relatively young ages, there are profound and understandable reasons why Story remained unvaccinated in Colorado up until it was time to sign on the line in Boston.

And they certainly couldn’t have a player show any public doubts in a city where Moderna advertises on the Green Monster and during local broadcasts where play-by-play, color announcers and players (with zero medical credentials) told their viewers to get vaccinated.

Knowing the tyrannical left as we do (Red Sox ownership oozes liberal Democrat), there’s probably a clause in that $140 million dollar contract that absolves the team of any liability from side effects (near or long term) that may affect Trevor Story. Let’s hope the Red Sox, Moderna, the City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts didn’t pressure Mallie Story to get vaccinated just so she can have access to team and/or social events. Their newborn baby is safe for now, but we are talking Massachusetts, so it may be on borrowed time.

After almost two years, the Red Sox are taking down their 254-foot Black Lives Matter billboard that has been stationed behind Fenway Park facing the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Bekah Salwasser, the Sox’ executive vice president of social impact and executive director of the Red Sox Foundation, told the Herald on Thursday that the organization has been proud of its support for the BLM movement, but now wants to use that signage to promote the 20th anniversary of the foundation. The change of billboards will take place in the next couple of days.

“We felt it very important to take advantage of one of the most prominent tools this organization has, which is this billboard, to really shed a light on and celebrate the 20 years of incredible impact the Red Sox Foundation has had across New England,” Salwasser said.
— Boston Herald, 3/24/22

Don’t get me started again on the unfortunate impact and imposition of halfricans who are absorbed into legitimate businesses to create “social impact” through division they magnify to justify their existence. Yes, the Red Sox have unruly fans but so does a lot of other teams and while racism shouldn’t be tolerated, at least there aren’t the assaults, knifings, shootings and the people falling to their deaths from upper decks we hear about happening in other stadiums around the nation.

Call me old fashioned but as a lifelong Red Sox fan who starting at age 8, walked down Massachusetts Avenue from Central Square, across the bridge to Kenmore Square (okay, if I had an additional quarter, I’d take the T), and went to day and night games when bleacher seats cost $1, I was only interested in watching the team compete and ultimately beat the Yankees. I went to dozens of games during my youth and never encountered a feeling I didn’t belong there. I wasn’t a black life that mattered. I was (and still am) a loyal Red Sox fan.

So, why the need to “remove” the sign from the side of the stadium? Could it be because Black Lives Matter has been proven to be the political sham many understood from inception?

In July 2020, with the nation mourning the death of George Floyd, Red Sox decision makers thought they were joining an important movement.

Hmm… they “thought”. Who did they ask, Monica Cannon-Grant?

Team president Sam Kennedy announced a call to action as he asked members of the Sox front office and fans alike to work toward diversity inclusion and racial justice in their communities. To show their support, the Red Sox revealed the billboard, later to be joined by a large banner in the Red Sox bleachers and a permanent BLM sign in the Sox outfield.

Never could they have expected some of their fans to turn on them so quickly.

Sorry, unless you have winning championships down to a science, maybe that’s where members of the Sox front office should have been spending their paid time addressing. Actual baseball “fans”, as opposed to social justice activists, seemed to understand that.

Despite an overflowing show of support from a majority of their fanbase, the organization was also flooded with negative phone calls from what it views as a “vocal minority” of folks who didn’t like the sign.

“No one could predict the future; we certainly couldn’t,” Salwasser said. “So no, we had no idea what really to expect.

Arrogant liberals assume everyone thinks like them and are usually horrified, thus caught off guard, by the slightest pushback.

“I’ll be honest, it was a really challenging time for our organization when that board went up. Because as often happens, there is a loud vocal minority that expressed discontent with the board. And that was regrettable with us because we felt so proud when that billboard went up. We were taken aback by the negative feedback. But again, as oftentimes happens, there’s a very loud, vocal minority that likes to make their feelings known.

Project much?

Unfortunately a lot of our staff had to bear the brunt of some of those really tough conversations from those fans.”

Given current ticket prices, the staff was probably overpaid for the “brunt” they had to bear.

As usual, it was all about them, their “social” impact, or lack thereof. Between the pandemic and the “Summer of Love”, the Red Sox finished the abbreviated 2020 season with an abysmal 24 wins and 36 losses. But having visible support for Black Lives Matter was more important. Ask any fan who may have missed a few innings, trying to get home after being stuck in a spontaneous traffic disruption by BLM activists who demanded commuters check their privilege.

“I also think it’s important to note that last season we also had permanent signage of Black Lives Matter up in the park. So the statement isn’t going away. That’s not changing at all. That will stay permanently affixed to the interior of Fenway Park for all our fans of Red Sox nation to see. We’re proud of that.”

And while the billboard is coming down, the organization said its commitment to racial justice won’t change.

So why are the Red Sox visually distancing themselves from Black Lives Matter?

BLM co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors’ million-dollar real estate buying binge
Concerns Raised Over $60 Million in Black Lives Matter Funds
‘The BLM Foundation’ Raised Millions. Not Affiliated With The BLM Movement
CA threatens to hold BLM’s leaders personally liable over missing financial records
Where Did All the Money Shaun King Raised for Black Lives Go?

Aside from the greed of their grifter founder and supporters, they’ve been exposed as yet another liberal entity using willing black people (whom the left would call “house negroes”) for political and personal gain.

The Washington Examiner revealed last week that prominent Democratic lawyer Marc Elias and former White House political director Minyon Moore, both longtime Clinton allies, have taken on key leadership roles with BLM. Filings from the organization show Elias represents the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation through Elias Law Group, and Moore, who is also advising President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court confirmation team, is now a member of BLM’s board of directors.

The reason this matters is twofold.

First, it proves BLM is directly engaging known Democratic political operatives, undermining its claim that it functions as a charity. And second, it shows Democrats are actively trying to direct BLM and help it deal with the financial transparency scandal it finds itself in.
— Washington Examiner, 2/24/22

Actually threefold: Elias and Moore smell, and can attach themselves to, a lot of political money.

Sorry, Bekah. The socially-compliant in Back Bay and along the affluent Route 9 corridor may accept this on face value but you can only count on WGBH consumers who’ve never watched a game on television to buy the bullshit.

As for the Red Sox organization, it would be sad to think that winning is not one of the priorities of the franchise and instead infecting the product with hires from nonprofits with social agendas that have little to do with wins and losses.

Boston fans are often called the most intelligent in all of sports. Unfortunately, the socially arrogant in the Red Sox front office don’t appear to agree.

Two immediately come to mind so far during the current Major League Baseball playoff rounds: one a check swing called a game-ending strike three and a blown call that should have ended an inning but instead gave a good team a second chance….

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Giants trailing 2–1, Gabe Morales called a decisive third strike on an apparent check swing by Giants infielder Wilmer Flores, resulting in a strikeout that ended San Francisco’s 107-win season. The Giants had a runner on first base. After Max Scherzer’s pitch—a slider out of the strike zone—home plate umpire Doug Eddings signaled to Morales for help on the call. Morales determined that Flores went far enough around for a strike, but video showed that he checked his swing.
— Sports Illustrated, 10/15/21

Laz Diaz made a strike call so bad on Tuesday night that he let Alex Cora come out and scream about it without ejecting the Boston manager. If only Cora and Boston knew what was to come later on in the evening.

In the top of the ninth inning, with Game 4 of the ALCS between the Red Sox and Astros tied at 2-2, Nathan Eovaldi was looking to pitch out of his own jam and end his relief appearance with a curveball to pinch hitter Jason Castro. Eovaldi threw the perfect pitch, and he began his walk to the dugout. Only the strike three call from Diaz never came. The umpire called it ball two. Two pitches later, Castro ripped Eovaldi’s 88 mph splitter into center field, driving in what proved to be the winning run of the ballgame.
— CBS Boston, 10/20/21

Before a suggestion is presented, a couple issues need be addressed.

One question is why baseball umpires are allowed to make so many mistakes during the course of a game, let alone the season?

The MLB Umpire Union is more powerful than the NBA’s , NFL’s and NHL’s officials because their level of accountability has a significant chasm between MLB Umpires Union and the other league’s officials. For instance, MLB home plate umpires are “allowed” to determine their “own strike zone” but every other major sport has a strict adherence to the established rules and those officials are constantly “graded” to ensure a higher quality is maintained. Those officials in the other leagues not meeting this passing grade, soon find themselves replaced by more qualified officials. Only the highest graded officials (by the governing body and coaches) are allowed to officiate playoff and championships games. MLB allows their officials to participate at the championship levels strictly on a rotational basis where there minimal incentives to be graded the “best” and be rewarded for extra bonuses for officiating these playoff and W.S. Games.
— Terence Imai, Quora

I originally found that insightful answer while trying to see if their was a clinical correlation between very visual obesity and umpires of questionable performance. Imai continued….

The other sports requires their officials to cover a larger field of play along with having to constantly be in motion either running or skating to ensure all infractions are identified and properly accessed in a timely matter. Baseball officials only cover a relatively smaller area and their fitness is not required when compared to the other sports.

Yeah, no shit.

So, the million dollar could be “Could obesity affect eyesight” especially when it comes to MLB umpires?

Umpires aren’t specifically addressed because no one appears to have asked the Union, possibly for good reason….

Studies show that obesity increases the risk of serious eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, wet macular degeneration and glaucoma.
— Optometrists.org

Among different eye diseases, obesity has been linked with age-related cataract, glaucoma, age-related maculopathy, and diabetic retinopathy. Numerous population-based and prospective studies support an association between obesity and risk of age-related cataract. There is strong evidence that obesity is associated with elevated intraocular pressure, but there is no convincing data to support a more direct association between obesity and glaucomatous optic neuropathy.
—– National Institutes of Health

The nation’s twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes are beginning to rob more Americans of their sight, a new study in The Journal of the American Medical Association shows. Researchers defined impairment as anything worse than 20/40 vision that can’t be corrected with glasses, a problem that disqualifies people from driving in many states.
— USA Today, 12/10/12

If you decide to do a deeper dive, you’ll find news stories of umpires who’ve passed away and you can guess what a consistent cause was.

So as long as we retain that “human element”, we’ll have bad calls in sports. But that’s not to say the damage can’t be minimized.

One Possible Remedy…?

How about during MLB playoff games from the ninth inning on, every pitch is subject to review AFTER the second strike has been called. That way, someone monitoring in New York can push a button and a red light comes on, stopping play on the field while that ball or strike is reviewed. Heaven forbid an egregious blown call potentially affect the outcome of a game or season. Sure, it will add a few more minutes to a game but with so much on the line, every effort should be made to assure the calls are correct.

Is that too much to ask?

In the case of the #SpyGate scandal, there were a very few active head coaches who publicly went on record to excoriate the Patriots. Now with Major League Baseball’s investigation into the Astros and Red Sox, there are also very few other managers around the league who are piling on  A.J. Hinch or Alex Cora and like in the football scandal, it begs the question. Why?

Could it be because a lot of other teams do it and just haven’t been caught yet or their teams are still really bad despite any supposed advantage?

And let’s not conveniently let the high-and-mighties in the MLB front office off the hook because THEY have allowed sign stealing to be that much easier. Major League Baseball licenses out the games for broadcast and have the ultimate say on how games and teams are presented to the public. There are certain things MLB doesn’t allow, like live cameras in the clubhouse before, during or after games. There are no live microphones in the clubhouses, dugouts or bullpens during that same time. So, if there was a camera or mic in place that could potentially alter the outcome of a game, one would think MLB would take the appropriate action and remove that device.

From back in the early broadcast days until present, we made do with one center field camera angle to the plate….

But thanks to innovation, we now have 4K cameras that can zoom way in to give color blabbermouths so much more to talk about and make it so much easier for those on the team whose job it was to steal signs.

Seriously, what genius in the MLB front office approved of this shot and we now get it dozens of times during every Major League Baseball broadcast, local and national? The same geniuses who are now pointing fingers of authority elsewhere….

The Boston Red Sox used their video replay room to steal signs from opposing pitchers and catchers during their 2018 World Series championship season, according to a report published Tuesday by The Athletic.
— ESPN 1/7/20

Will this be addressed by Major League Baseball in their findings and will the elimination of the unnecessary cosmetic shot be on the agenda during the Winter Meetings?

Teams that didn’t win the World Series (or even make it to the playoffs) will be the first to whine that cheating was the factor. It was also retorted during the #Spygate controversy that no matter how many signs are stolen, players have to still perform of the field. Seeing how sign stealing has been done by all teams since the birth of the baseball, if your team still loses you can’t blame the achievers.

Baseball is a sport built on mediocrity. The best hitters, who command contracts that eclipse $300 million for a few precious years, are lucky if they can hit a consistent .300 batting average. Anything above that puts those players into the elite class. But for any other employee of almost any other job, a 30% rate of performance would’ve had you being fired within a couple months. Tipping a batter off that the next pitch will be either a breaking ball or fastball is huge but that hitter still has to make contact. Anyone who’s watched a Home Run Derby knows that throws straight over the plate aren’t always sent out of the park, thus the intrigue of the event.

While a general manager and two (possibly three?) managers are being publicly strung up in the town square for public ridicule, let’s not let those high-priced athletes off the hook. Many knew about the electronic sign stealing, were okay with it and are now clamming up.

Citing three anonymous people who were with the Red Sox in 2018, The Athletic reported that Boston players would visit the replay room to decipher their opponents’ sign sequence and then relay the information to the dugout.

Just because a few players are sounding off doesn’t reflect the vast majority who have and will relay catcher signs they see while standing on second base, as has been done for decades which is why signs are always being changed during the course of a game.

Athlete salaries are astronomical, the average career is not that long, and consistent performance is not guaranteed in a game based on mediocrity. The dirty little secret is as long as there’s professional sports, every team will push the rules for any competitive advantage. Baseball is no different. Catchers will continue to trot out to the mound to have that talk with pitchers, base coaches will continue to brush dust off their sleeves and tap their ears and noses, and opposing players will try to decipher the dance and relay that information back to their dugout. Major League Baseball shouldn’t allow sign stealing to be easier and then bitch about it.

Is this shot really necessary, or maybe a better wording would be if it would be missed? Some baseball fans may enjoy the intrigue of not knowing what the pitcher will throw and what the batter may or may not be expecting. But if this camera angle isn’t shown on the ballpark jumbotron, then it’s not all that necessary at home.

Then we can back to the old fashioned sign stealing everybody knows happens and no one really gives a damn about.

The 2018 Boston Red Sox won it all last year and after their last upcoming road game in Baltimore, the reigning champions have been invited to the White House to culminate their achievement with a meeting in the White House with President Trump.

They will not be going as a team.

Puerto Rico is very important to me. During the winter I spent a lot of time back home, visiting my family and friends. Unfortunately, we are still struggling, still fighting. Some people still lack basic necessities, others remain without electricity and many homes and schools are in pretty bad shape almost a year and a half after Hurricane María struck.

Even though the United States Government has helped, there’s still a long road ahead and that is OUR reality. I’ve used my voice on many occasions so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten and my absence (from the White House) is no different. As such, at this moment, I don’t feel comfortable celebrating in the White House.
— Alex Cora, manager of the Boston Red Sox

Unless Cora gets his only news from CNN and MSNBC, it’s also a known fact that one of the single most reasons for any delays in aid actually reaching the people of Puerto Rico is the well-documented corrupt government officials that have taken care of their own families and friends first. Routine corruption that has made any suggestion of Puerto Rico becoming a state a bad joke.

Flashback: Puerto Rican Officials Hoarded FEMA Aid, Bash President Trump

Other Red Sox players deciding not to go to the White House are Xander Bogaerts, David Price, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Rafael Devers, Hector Velazquez, and Christian Vazquez: most of whom deciding not to publicly offer any insights as to why not.

But this, again, is a blown opportunity many would pay many dollars to have.

As much as Cora believes he knows all about what’s going on in Puerto Rico, is there even the most remote possibility that President Trump just may have some insights that haven’t been reported in the media? Probably. Are there some things Cora knows that would be beneficial for the president to be aware of? Probably.

Granted, with all the pomp and circumstance happening on Thursday, a political discussion might not be apropos. But had Alex Cora and the other boycotting players attended, it’s not like one of them couldn’t ask Donald Trump for an appointment next time they’re in town and it’s not like Donald Trump would say “no”.

But the Red Sox manager and players will happily never know what they don’t know because they blew off a chance for that rare opportunity for a dialogue with the president.

…
I guess they showed him.

However, there are parts in the north where stereotypes have a basis in truth. In Massachusetts, we affectionately refer to these people as “townies” or “Massholes”. Today, the Massholes made national news.

The bizarre case of a Red Sox division title banner that went missing Monday came to an abrupt end Wednesday afternoon when a Malden man who says he found it in Somerville brought it to Fenway Park.

The Sox confirmed shortly before 4 p.m. that the banner, which they plan to unveil outside Fenway if they clinch the American League East crown as expected, was in their possession. A team spokeswoman said the people who returned it received nothing in exchange for the item.

Louie Iacuzzi, a 44-year-old Malden resident described himself as a good Samaritan. “[W]e’re trying to do the right thing, but I’m not just going to hand it to them, know what I mean?” Iacuzzi said.

“If I didn’t pick it up, a hundred people would have ran over it,” he said. “I don’t want a million dollars. I don’t need a million dollars. All I wanted was to maybe bring my family, my friends to a [expletive] baseball game, maybe meet a player…. The flag is back home with the Boston Red Sox.”
— Boston Globe, 9/19/18

Had these two men simply made a phonecall to the Red Sox, let them know that they found the banner and where they could pick it up, who knows? The person doing the pickup may have brought some souvenirs, maybe some tickets to the upcoming New York Yankees season finale at Fenway.

His friend, James Amaral, noted, “We’re hoping they do the right thing. You know, we did the right thing. We could have kept it, we could have put it on eBay. You know, we got connections where we could have reached out to other sources.”

Asked whether they wanted cash from the Red Sox, Iacuzzi at first said, “Yes, financial [compensation], maybe some tickets, we want something. We don’t know what we want. We want to return it, 100 percent, but we would like to get something.”

But it sounded almost like blackmail, they acted like the Massholes they are, appropriately got nothing in return and are lucky the visit they got wasn’t from the State Police to take them for a ride.

UPDATE

We’ll settle for local law enforcement….

What exactly happened to the banner printed for the Red Sox to hang at Fenway Park when they clinch the American League East title? Somerville Police are trying to find out. Tony Lafuente, the owner of Flagraphics, which made the banner, told the Globe he did not believe the banner fell off a truck.

“These guys stole my banner,” he told the newspaper.

Somerville Police confirmed to WBZ-TV on Thursday they are investigating whether the banner was stolen or found. “This matter is currently under investigation. As this is an active and ongoing investigation, no further information will be provided at this time,” police said.
— CBS Boston, 9/20/18

UPDATE

Tony LaFuente, the owner of the company that makes the Red Sox banners, told the The Boston Globe Friday morning that he had filed a report with Somerville police in an attempt to figure out “what happened.” However, the department said Friday afternoon that they had ended the investigation at his request.

“The investigation has been closed at the request of the complainant,” Somerville police said in a statement. “The SPD is no longer looking into the matter.”
— Boston.com, 9/21/18

There are people called “Massholes” for a reason.

“That is a longstanding legal principle that fans who chose to sit where balls or shards of bat could hit them have a duty to pay attention for their own safety,” Steven A. Adelman, a sports attorney focusing on venue safety, tells the Boston Globe, which is owned by John Henry, the owner of the Red Sox.

But the so-called “Baseball Rule” was adopted when the game was a lot different. Things happen a lot faster now. The sport also creates more “sideshows” to distract fans from what’s happening on the field.
— Minnesota Public Radio, 6/8/15

I’m not sure exactly what “sideshows” this Minnesota Public Radio writer (who appears to know zip about baseball) is talking about that distracts from the action on the field but you only have to watch a game on television to see many fans, especially females, not paying attention to game but staring into their smartphones, totally oblivious to whatever may be incoming.

Did the Farrelly Brothers, who created the cinematic homage to Red Sox fans, add a certain scene as a zinger to those who really shouldn’t be occupying a coveted seat at the ballpark if they can’t be bothered to watch the game and are more interested in what’s happening online?

If you’re not paying attention, bad things can happen.

As she competes for a promotion, she says Ben won’t be affected by her at work all the time. But things really get out of hand when Lindsey gets hit by a line drive foul ball off of Baltimore Orioles’ Miguel Tejada.
— Fever Pitch “plot summary”, 2005

Personally, I can’t say I sympathize much for any of these people who are now suddenly being hit by items we were all prepared for back in the day. And of course, because people can’t go to a game and WATCH the game, we now have all kinds of “glass barriers”, netting and other visual obstructions placed to protect those whose minds are elsewhere. Yes, there are those instances of a line drive or a splinted bat flying towards the fans. Those used to be called souvenirs.

But a few can, and do, ruin things for everyone.

Stephanie Taubin of Massachusetts is suing the Red Sox and their owner John Henry for $9.5 million, claiming that it was their negligence that caused a ball to hit her in the face. Taubin claims that the ball fractured her face and caused neurological damage, and the incident occurred because the Red Sox took a pane of glass that divided the luxury boxes from the field out in 2005 and never replaced it. The ball hit Taubin in 2014.
— CBS Sports, 6/7/18

Okay, more than a few.

As we’re talking about a woman who was injured, no one will dare request the forensics of what she was doing at the moment she was hit but if someone where to go back and look at how many fans were hurt yearly, pre-and-post the mass introduction of smartphones into society, we may see a distinct pattern.

How about breaking those numbers of fans being hit by gender and age?

When we went to Fenway Park as children (bleacher seats were a dollar), balls, bats, and players came flying into the stands and there were no serious injuries reported. Then again, there wasn’t live streaming or selfies being transmitted back to Facebook.

My friends and I went to WATCH THE GAME and children used to bring their gloves to the game for just this kind of golden opportunity. We knew and accepted the potential risk involved.

A Suffolk County jury yesterday found the Red Sox and owner John Henry were not negligent when a fan was struck in the face in 2014 by a foul ball hit by former Sox slugger David Ortiz.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed at the result,” said Stephanie Taubin’s lawyer Marc Diller. “It needs to be known that Ms. Taubin was paying attention, and the speed of the ball was so fast that she couldn’t avoid it.”
— Boston Herald, 6/14/18

Sure.