Hi Everyone – I’ve had a great time being back in the booth at Fenway. I really missed being part of the action. As promised I wanted to answer some of the recent mailbag questions you sent my way. Let's get started...
If you were in Tito’s shoes what would be your biggest concern as you prepare for the playoffs? -John from Medford
ANSWER: To be honest, I can’t think of one area that Tito should be overly concerned about. The offense has been good. The starters and pen are on a roll (except for Monday night). What else could you ask for except to hope that they keep it going?
Hi Jerry, Welcome back. My name is Terry Davis from Fayetteville, N.C. My question is; Has Josh Beckett worked out of his slump enough to pitch well in the post season (if we make it)?
ANSWER: Slump or no slump, Josh has earned the right to pitch in key post-season situations. We all hope that he will pitch well. I believe he will. In fact the Sox pitching situation right now looks as good as anybody’s.
Do you think by having Bard & Wagner as possible closers that makes Papelbon trade bait for next year?
ANSWER: I think that Wagner is only here temporarily and that Bard may be Papelbon’s replacement at some point but he is not ready yet. That doesn’t mean that Papelbon is a certainty to stay, I am only commenting on the ability of the other two to adequately replace him.
With all this happening about the steroids, do you think Pete Rose should be reconsidered for the hall of fame? He has the numbers for it and he did it without steroids. So he bet on baseball--how many other players were doing it but just didn't get caught? -Patricia
ANSWER: It is, and has been, my opinion that Pete Rose has paid the price and should be allowed into the Hall of Fame. My opinion has nothing to do with steroids one way or another.
When there is a questionable call the TV people show us the electronic take on balls and strikes. I am not sure how it records and I would guess it is usually correct. However I do question the exact science of the system. The strike zone, as I understand it, is above the knees up to the letters using the natural batting stance of the batter so that the strike zone is actually different for every player. The box they show is exactly the same for every player. Also the ball does not have to cross the strike zone over the entire plate so that a ball that hits the zone at the front part could tail off out of the zone in the back of the plate and still should be a called a strike. Do I have this right? -Pete from New Bedford
ANSWER: Pete, you are totally correct, and for the reasons you mentioned I do not like the electronic strike zone. Umpires aren’t perfect, but I would vote for eliminating the machines.
That's it for now. Thanks to everyone for the great questions as well as the thoughtful notes of support. If you have more questions just send them to me at jerry@trufan.com.
Tags: Pete Rose electronic strike zone steroids Terry Francona 2009 MLB playoffs
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