Mike Napoli

2012 Stats: 108 Games, .227 BA, 24 HRs, 56 RBIs & .812 OPS

Mike Napoli signed with the Boston Red Sox this off-season. Napoli will spend most of his time playing 1B with the possibility of an occasional game as catcher. Napoli's deal was originally a 3 year contract worth $39 million but due to a hip injury they reworked the deal to be for only one year worth $5 million. Napoli has never hit more than 30 HRs in a season but has had great success at Fenway Park.

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: MLB Free Agency 2012

2. The Icky Shuffle: Shane Victorino

3. The Icky Shuffle: David Ortiz

Kevin Youkilis

2012 Stats: 122 Games, .235 BA, 19 HRs, 60 RBIs & .745 OPS

The New York Yankees signed Kevin Youkilis to a one year deal worth $12 million. Youk spent 2012 with the Red Sox & White Sox. He will play 3B to start the season as Alex Rodriguez will be out for a large portion of the season. Although he only batted .235 last season he still had a .336 OBP. Look for him to play well this year and get a big time contract next off-season.

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: MLB Free Agency 2012
2. The Icky Shuffle: Happy Birthday Paul O'Neill
3. The Icky Shuffle: Paul Konerko
4. The Icky Shuffle: This Day in Sports History - 4/20/1912

Shane Victorino

2012 Stats: 154 Games, .255 BA, 11 HRs, 55 RBIs, 39 SBs, .704 OPS and 72 Runs Scored

Shane Victorino spent the 2012 season between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Victorino signed this off-season with the Boston Red Sox for $39 million over 3 years. Victorino had a down year in 2012 but will look to rebound in a lineup that will include Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz & Jonny Gomes among others. Victorino will have the ability to bat in the lower part of the lineup and alleviate some of the pressure he felt in the first half of last season in Philadelphia. Victorino has been in the top five in the NL from 2008-2011 in triples and look for him to have a solid amount of triples this season as he will be playing in Fenway Park.

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: MLB Free Agency 2012
2. The Icky Shuffle: This Day in Sports History - 4/20/1912
3. The Icky Shuffle: RIP Gary Carter

This Day in Sports History - 4/20/1912

The Red Sox play their first regular-season game at Fenway Park and win, 7-6, in 11 innings over the New York Highlanders. The crowd is 27,000. Buck O'Brien is the starting pitcher for Boston and puts the club in a 5-1 hole in the third inning. The home team rallies with three runs in the fourth and ties the contest, 5-5, in the sixth. Both teams score in the eighth. In the 11th, Red Sox 2B Steve Yerkes reaches second on an error by 3B Cozy Dolan and scores on a single by CF Tris Speaker. Yerkes has five hits, two of them doubles, in seven at-bats, but also commits three errors. The winning pitcher is Charley "Sea Lion" Hall, his nickname derives from his deep, booming voice. The loser is James "Hippo" Vaughn, so named because at 6'4" and 215 lbs. he's one of the largest players of the era.

This Day in Sports History - 1/5/1920

The Yankees purchases 24-year-old Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox for the record price of $125,000. The sale is prompted by Ruth's salary demands, his frequent immature behavior, and the financial difficulties of Sox owner Harry Frazee. Ruth caused a national sensation in 1919 when he struck 29 homers, breaking the previous mark of 27 set by Ed Williamson of the Chicago White Stockings in 1884. The folly of selling Ruth will become apparent during the 1920 season when he will nearly double his previous home run record by clouting 54. The Yankees will win the World Series for the first time in 1923, but the Red Sox won't win a world championship again until 2004, in a historic lapse known as the "Curse of the Bambino."

Best by the Numbers - Boston Edition

Once again we have a players list based on their uniform numbers. This time we focus on the 4 professional sports teams in the Boston area (Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots & Bruins).

1. Andrew Raycroft
2. Eddie Shore
3. Dennis Johnson - This Celtic great played with Bird, McHale & Parish and had his #3 retired by the team in 1991
4. Adam Vinetieri - I know that Hall of Famer Bobby Orr wore #4 for the Bruins but I went with Vinetieri to show some love for the kickers
5. Kevin Garnett
6. Bill Russell - The 11 time NBA Champion was an excellent defensive player
7. Trot Nixon
8. Carl Yastrzemski - in 1967 "Yaz" became the last player to complete the Triple Crown
9. Ted Williams - Not only was he a feared hitter, but he was also a Veteran from WWII and the Korean War
10. Jo Jo White
11. Drew Bledsoe
12. Tom Brady
13. Delonte West
14. Bob Cousy - Cousy lead the league in assists for 11 straight years.
15. Kevin Millar
16. Satch Sanders
17. John Havlicek - "Hondo" played his college ball at The Ohio State University
18. Daisuke Matsuzaka
19. Josh Beckett
20. Ray Allen
21. Roger Clemens
22. Asante Samuel
23. Craig Janney
24. Manny Ramirez - Man-Ram was the MVP of the 2004 World Series
25. K.C. Jones
26. Wade Boggs
27. Carlton Fisk - One of the greatest catchers of all time was immortalized in 1975 against the Reds in the World Series
28. Curtis Martin
29. Shawn Springs
30. Tim Thomas - The Hockey player; not the Basketball player
31. Cedric Maxwell
32. Kevin McHale
33. Larry Bird - In his career he averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds a game
34. David Ortiz
35. Reggie Lewis
36. Lawyer Milloy
37. Rodney Harrison
38. Curt Schilling - Two words: "Bloody Sock"
39. Lawrence Maroney
40. Mike Haynes
41. Victor Martinez
42. Mo Vaughn - Won the MVP award in 1995
43. Kendrick Perkins
44. Danny Ainge
45. Pedro Martinez - One of the greatest moments of his career was the 1999 All-Star game when he struck out 5 of the 6 batters he faced
46. Jacoby Ellsbury
47. Rod Beck
48. Lee Smith - Is currently 3rd on the All-Time Saves list with 478 Saves
49. Tim Wakefield
50. Mike Vrabel - The former Ohio State LB was used as an eligible receiver many times and has caught over 10 TDs in his career
51. Jerod Mayo
52. Ted Johnson
53. Larry Izzo
54. Tedy Bruschi - In 2005 Bruschi suffered a stroke, but came back to play later that year getting the Comeback Player of the Year Award
55. Junior Seau
56. Andre Tippett
57. Steve Nelson
58. Jonathan Pappelbon
59. Vincent Brown
60. Scott Rehberg
61. Clay Buchholz
62. Jon Lester - Less than 2 years after being diagnosed with lymphoma he threw a no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals
63. Joe Andruzzi
64. Dave Wohlabaugh
65. Damien Woody
66. Scott Pollard
67. Dan Koppen
68. Ryan O'Callaghan
69. Ryan Wendell
70. Logan Mankins
71. Russ Hochstein
72. Matt Light
73. John Hannah - His last name is a palindrome
74. Rich Baldinger
75. Vince Wilfork
76. Brandon Gorin
77. Ray Bourque - From 1985 - 2000 Bourque was the team captain of the Bruins
78. Bruce Armstrong
79. Jim Lee Hunt
80. Troy Brown
81. Randy Moss
82. Daniel Graham
83. Wes Welker
84. Ben Watson
85. Nick Buoniconti - Was probably best known for being part of the '72 Miami Dolphins team; but before that he played for the Patriots
86. Stanley Morgan
87. Ben Coates
88. Terry Glenn
89. Bob Dee
90. Toby Williams
91. Marc Savard
92. Ray Agnew
93. Richard Seymour
94. Ty Warren
95. Tully Banta-Cain
96. Adalius Thomas
97. Jarvis Green
98. Shawn Crable
99. Mike Wright

Honorable Mention: 00. Robert Parish - I don't give the # 0 or 00 on this list normally but "The Chief" was a great player for the Celtics for a long time