Grand Wizards, Demotion and Promotion?

Just finished getting pounded by a blizzard last night which was kind of a waste for me as I'm on March Break anyhow. I still had to get out and shovel to get my wife off to work and suddenly realized my spring break is on the backside. The positive part of that awareness is the fact that Opening Day is fast approaching, and a more regular lineup will be featured in the remaining Grapefruit League games.

Following the Sawx on Twitter this past week has certainly been entertaining with all the banter around Boston beat writers and racial baiting. I had mentioned the racial tension that was alluded to by David Price in my last entry, and the door has literally been kicked in due some misguided comments made by people who should know better. Before touching on the furor associated with the Boston media personnel on Twitter and the airwaves, there are two other items I'd like to touch on that actually deal with baseball.

• Bogie Demoted

The return of Xander Bogaerts had an unexpected surprise when he got a gander at today's lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Manager John Farrell decided that Bogaerts would bat 6th and even went so far to say that this could be the opening day lineup with the exception of Blake Swihart behind the plate in the 9 hole.

It must have felt like a swift kick in the arse for Xander to think Farrell could go with this lineup long term. He only hit 6th twice in 2016 while spending 105 games batting third and 50 games in the #2 spot. John seems to be outthinking himself here with the lefty/righty scenario. Why would you bat Mitch Moreland ahead of Bogaerts? Moreland is having a terrific spring and looks like he'll be a great fit, especially with his early use of the opposite field. But he shouldn't be batting ahead of Bogie. Xander more than doubled his total in homers while almost mirroring his numbers in doubles and RBI. He lost a little over 20 points off his batting average, but he's capable of retaining those numbers as a plus .300 hitter. His reward? Dropping him 3 spots in the order. Is Farrell now in the business of pissing off young players? 

The lineup would be just fine with Pedey at the top followed by Benny, Bogie, Betts  Hanley, Moreland, Pablo, JBJ and Leon. Both Sandoval and Leon are switch hitters so the lefties are broken up  at the bottom, and when Vazquez plays, he's a righty. The other argument of getting the most productive hitter in Mookie Betts up in the first inning is a reach. Christ, in 2004 we had one of the best right-handed hitters that ever played the game in Manny Ramirez batting fourth. How did that work out? You want your best hitters getting more ABs, and this moves flies in the face of that basic theory of a successful offense. Wake up, John!

• In Marco, I Trust

I know... I know... he bats left. Yeah, I get it, but as you read above, I believe that gets overplayed. Marco Hernandez has done everything he can possibly do to prove he belongs. Farrell even went as far to say that Hernandez could start for many other teams, and I think he's right this time. Boston demonstrated that they will go with the best player when they gave the third base job to Travis Shaw last year. No need to back away from that now for a spot on the bench.

Hernandez is batting a sizzling .422 with 5 triples, 6 doubles, 6 RBI and 12 runs. Spring training games aside, you can't discount these numbers totally. I said before, spring training means different things to different types of players. The established guys can afford to have slow springs with a track record of big league success. If a young guy or a fringe player like Kyle Kendrick have a slow spring, they don't get noticed. Marco now is getting some attention along with Kendrick, and what he does with that is up to him. From where I sit, Hernandez sure looks like he's ready to help the big club. 

Steve Selsky and Josh Rutledge are also looking to be Sandoval's caddy as right-handed options, but their numbers aren't close to Marco's. Selsky has shown a decent bat, and he is just re-learning third base after having last played there in high school. Send Selsky down so he can get more reps as he is an outfielder by trade which offers more versatility. As far as Rutledge goes, he never really impressed me and hasn't turned heads this spring. If Josh moves on, I don't think that would be a huge loss.

• Slave Owners and Grand Wizards

What a shitstorm this has turned out to be! At the end of the day, if it reminds people about the dangers of flippantly labelling others on the internet and stereotyping, then maybe it served a purpose.

Many of you Twitter followers are well-aware of the comments made by Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. Abraham made a comment toward a fan who was not a supporter of Sawx pitcher David Price. The label "Grand Wizard" was uttered by Abraham towards this person as he ridiculously brought race into the conversation when it clearly wasn't warranted. Well-known Red Sox writer Jared Carrabis of Barstool Sports quickly latched on to this exchange and clearly had an axe to grind with Abraham. Carrabis unleashed his fury and vitriol as he totally unloaded on Abraham, recounting past interactions they shared and imparted many other occasions on Twitter that Pete's condescending attitude belittled others' viewpoints and opinions. 

I have noted Abraham's "keep of the gate" shtick many times and have experienced it once or twice myself. I had been following Pete for a while because beat reporters are essential on getting information from the players and the team. However, I don't know why it took me so long to unfollow this pretentious tool as there are many other writers that provide the same info and are more savvy when dealing with the public. Abraham's material is far from insightful and really is as common as... well... water.

Then you have John Tomase who is employed by WEEI.

John also decided to delve into race relations with regards to the city of Boston. He had the audacity to compare Boston sports fans to slave owners. Hmmm... good take for a guy who wants Red Sox fans to actually read or listen to what he has to say. I tried to comprehend his convoluted exchange on this Kirk and Callahan episode. Tomase's ranting had me as confused as his stunt double below.

The jist of his sermon was that white people cannot speak on racism in Boston. I get that Black people would experience racism in Boston. I don't doubt that. Undeniably, there has been a history of racism in the city that existed in the past. But is it fair to carry that over to present day? Do you paint the city now with that same brush? And if someone says Boston is a racist city, do people not have a right to refute that? 

Unfortunately, the  issue of racism felt everywhere, and I think a more sensitive approach is needed instead of callously categorizing individuals with such a damning descriptor like racist. Definitely not the finest hour for Boston sports media though, I'm afraid.