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The Boston Red Sox emptied the vault to obtain Cleveland Indians slugger Manny Ramirez earlier this week, signing him to an eight-year, $160 million deal.
Ramirez hit .351 with 38 homers and 122 RBIs in 439 at-bats last season.
Five veteran Eastern Maine baseball coaches were asked what kind of impact Ramirez might have and whether he could be the man who leads the franchise and its long-suffering fans to their first World Series championship since 1918?
University of Maine head coach Paul Kostacopoulos, Husson College assistant coach John Winkin and high school coaches Randy Harris (Lee Academy), Tim Olore (Presque Isle) and Dick Whitten (Waterville) were unanimous in their assessments: Ramirez will be a welcome addition to their lineup but they still have to address their pitching needs before they can exorcise the demons of Fenway Park.
“It’s a face-saving move. Obviously, he’s as good a hitter as there is in the game. But it doesn’t solve their problems,” said Winkin. “They need a second baseman to improve their ability to turn the double play and they need starting pitching. They’ve got a good bullpen but they need some pitchers [behind ace Pedro Martinez] who can give them some innings and get them to the bullpen.”
Winkin thinks Baltimore Orioles free agent righthander Mike Mussina, who signed with the New York Yankees, would have been a more valuable acquisition for the Red Sox.
Harris, a Yankee fan, said the Ramirez signing is a “cause for concern” among Yankee fans.
“The Red Sox overachieve and battle the Yankees to the wire and this closes the gap between the teams somewhat,” added Harris. “But the Red Sox have such a big disparity between Martinez and their No. 2 pitcher. The Yankees’ top four starters could be aces for a lot of teams.”
However, “The Red Sox are one good starting pitcher away from being a World Series contender,” he added.
Whitten liked the signing.
“It showed me something that they went out and got him. But maybe they’re just dangling cookies in front of our faces. They will have one of the best offenses they’ve had in a long time. But even if you score nine runs a game, if you give up 12, what good does it do you?,” posed Whitten. “They need a No. 2 starting pitcher who can go out every fourth and fifth day and give them a chance to win.”
Kostacopoulos feels Red Sox General Manager Dan Duquette “did the next best thing” after he failed to obtain Mussina or another front-line pitcher.
“Ramirez is a great pick-up,” said Kostacopoulos. “He does a lot of things. He expands their lineup to six guys. Nomar [Garciaparra] couldn’t be in a better spot. Carl Everett is a good player in spite of his antics. If you put those three together, they’re going to be very difficult to stop on a regular basis.
“There isn’t much pitching in the big leagues. After the top two pitchers on any team except the Yankees, the Red Sox could annihilate them,” said Kostacopoulous. “Good hitting beats sub-par pitching. Pitching wins World Series. But pitching beats good hitting. Good hitting makes you a playoff team. They have become a legitimate wild card-type team.
“Somebody made a great point the other day. Pedro lost a lot of 2-1, 1-0 games last year but he won’t lose those any more. Those are a precious four, five, six games, ” Kostacopoulos said.
He also pointed out of late-season acquisition Dante Bichette “He’s a good Fenway hitter,” said Kostacopoulos, who agreed with Winkin’s contention that the Red Sox are trying to save face in the wake of the announcement that ticket prices are going up an average of 40 percent .
“They had to do something,” said Kostacopoulos who thinks Ramirez could help the Red Sox get a new Fenway Park. He said a new Fenway has now become a necessity in order to pay the salaries.
Olore said they still need a first baseman in addition to more starting pitching but feels the Red Sox will be much better with Ramirez in the lineup and Garciaparra will get better pitches to hit.
“Pedro, Nomar and Ramirez are three pretty good guys to build around,” said Olore.
Snow excited about Lemieux
Speaking of acquisitions, former University of Maine hockey goalie Garth Snow said he and his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates are ecstatic about the return of team owner Mario Lemieux to the ice.
“He’s going to be a great addition,” said Snow. “You’re talking about the best offensive player to ever play the game. And we didn’t have to give up anybody to get him. He’s much harder to stop than [Wayne] Gretzky. Gretzky used the players around him. Lemieux had to do it on his own for many years.
“He knows what you’re thinking as a goalie. He exploits your weaknesses,” added Snow. “My practice stats are going to take a nose dive.”
Snow said even if it takes a while for Lemieux to adjust, he could still chip in on the power play until he’s 100 percent.
“It seems like there are twice as many power plays as there used to be,” said Snow.
He said he is fired up about Lemieux’s return and said the star center looks fit and trim. He feels they can legitimately contend for the Stanley Cup.
The media coverage has been crazy, according to Snow.
“It’s been like the Gong Show in our locker room,” said Snow.
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