Having just turned 37, I appreciate the features a little more than I did in the past because I'm now old enough to remember watching the subjects of many of the articles.
Among those featured this year is former Major League manager Grady Little, 63, who hasn't been heard from since 2007. Little managed the Boston Red Sox in 2002 and 2003 and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006 and 2007. He compiled a 385-290 career record for a respectable .552 winning percentage.
But, as the article notes, Little is best remembered for a game he lost -- Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship series. The Red Sox were leading the New York Yankees 5-2 in the eighth inning -- just six outs away from the World Series -- when Little was faced with a choice: Should he leave in ace Pedro Martinez, who was at 100 pitches and had just navigated a tough seventh inning? Or should he bring in left-handed reliever Alan Embree? Little stuck with Martinez, who gave up three runs in the eighth and surrendered the lead.
Boston lost the game 6-5 in 11 innings on Aaron Boone's famous home run off Tim Wakefield. The Yankees went to the World Series, and Little lost his job. He was never forgiven by the New England fans and media.
As I read the article, I got to thinking: Had Little really made a bad move? The more I thought about it, the more I believe he did the right thing.
Yes, that's right. He did the right thing, even though the Red Sox lost the game.
Think about it. It's Game 7 and the World Series is on the line. Martinez was 14-4 that season with a 2.22 ERA. He was among the best pitchers in the game. For a stretch of about eight years in the late 90s and early 2000s, he was a dominating force. So dominant that many people, including yours truly, believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame. He won three Cy Young Awards and finished second in the voting on two other occasions.
Embree? Well, he was a journeyman who played for 10 teams and had a career ERA of 4.59. In 2003, his ERA was 4.25. Was there any point in Embree's career where he could have been considered a sure bet to shut down an opponent? Not that I can recall. He was a mediocre reliever by any standard.
The Red Sox had bullpen troubles all season in 2003. They had a great lineup with Johnny Damon at the top, setting the table for the likes of Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. The rotation featured a solid top three in Martinez, Derek Lowe and Wakefield. The Achilles' heel was the relief corps. I wouldn't trust Embree, Mike Timlin or Byung-Hyun Kim very far.
So who are you going with in that spot? Martinez or Embree? Or somebody else from that bullpen? If it were me, I'd go with the future Hall of Famer, just like Little did.
Is it ever really a bad move to sink or swim with your best pitcher when the alternative is a journeyman left-hander? Not in my book. 100 pitches? Who cares? It's Game 7. There was no tomorrow and nothing to save Martinez for.
You see, in baseball sometimes a manager can make the right move and it still doesn't work out. Sometimes, too, a manager can make a move that makes no sense at all and have it come up aces. That's just the nature of the game.
I don't think a move that doesn't work is by definition a bad move. That's something they don't get up in Boston, and that's the reason Little has been lampooned as a bad manager up there through the years.
The real goat from Game 7 was Martinez. He was a great pitcher who had a bad inning at the worst possible time. It was a simple as that.
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