Next month is Autism Acceptance Month and I am running a fundraiser with Boston Sports Mania apparel where all profits will go to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. The Flutie Foundation is an organization who helps people and families affected by autism live life to the fullest.
Apex Entertainment decided to support me again when they learned I designed a new Boston Sports Mania logo to commemorate my 7 year blog anniversary, and also recognize the Flutie Foundation for their contributions to my success. As you can see from the logo below, the Flutie Foundation logo represents the second “O” in the word Boston.
Receive a FREE Apex Entertainment attraction voucher with every purchase of BostonSportsMania.com apparel
The Boston Red Sox have also joined to help the apparel campaign. As a result, you can win an additional prize just for placing an order.
The largest three April orders by total order dollar amount will win an additional prize as follows (please see photos below of the prizes):
1st place prize: Autographed Chris Sale jersey 2nd place prize: Autographed Rafael Devers baseball 3rd place prize: Autographed box of Flutie Flakes (from the Flutie Foundation)
I also want to give a special thanks to Spectrum Designs, a business that helps individuals with autism lead full and productive lives through the world of work. They produced the apparel and donated the ordering website.
The best part of this campaign is that every dollar raised will benefit the autism community in some way, because the Flutie Foundation helps people and families affected by autism and Spectrum Designs employs people with autism.
Purchase your apparel and/or make a donation to support the Flutie Foundation by clicking HERE
Welcome to my annual preseason Baseball Bits article!
If you were unaware, today marks 5 years since I started my Boston Sports Mania blog! The Red Sox were just about to begin their regular season when I started, and just like this year, they were coming off a World Series victory. On my first day, I posted an article titled “MLB 2014 Preview”, which included my predictions for the 2014 MLB season. I still write these prediction articles every year, including this year.
I call March 25th my “blog-a-versary”, and this year is a big milestone. All of my opportunities are a result of this blog. Most recently, I delivered a motivational keynote speech about my story so far at the Visions of Community Conference hosted by the Federation for Children with Special Needs at the Boston Seaport World Trade Center (see below):
I started this blog to write about my favorite sports like baseball, which is what today’s post is about.
Top: After the Red Sox’s 100th win Bottom: After the Red Sox’s World Series win
In 2018 the Red Sox became the 16th team in the 162-game era to win over 100 regular season games and then go on to win the World Series. They were led by new manager Alex Cora and a new star in J.D. Martinez. But what most Boston sports fans are wondering about now is how the Red Sox will do in 2019 and whether they will repeat. I did some research on 100+ win World Series winners in the 162-game era and how they did in their next season below.
Note: In the context of this article, a team who repeats for 2 years in a row is counted for 1 repeat, 3 years in a row is counted for 2 repeats, 4 years in a row is counted for 3 repeats, etc
Only 23 of 115 (20%) World Series winners have repeated
In the 162-game era, only 16 of 57 (28%) 100-win teams have won the World Series, including the 2018 Red Sox
In the 162-game era, only 9 of 56 (16%) World Series winners excluding the 2018 Red Sox have repeated, with 4 of the teams repeating after 100-win seasons
Of the 15 100 win World Series winners excluding the 2018 Red Sox:9 teams (60%) made the playoffs4 teams (26.67% of the 15) repeated2 of those teams reached 100 wins when they repeated:1976 Cincinnati Reds
1978 New York Yankees
2 of those teams failed to reach 100 wins again when they repeated:1962 New York Yankees
1999 New York Yankees (repeated again in 2000
The Red Sox did not win the World Series in an 100 win season in the 162-game era until 2018
Another 2 of the 15 (13.33%) lost the World Series:1968 St. Louis Cardinals
1978 Baltimore Orioles
3 of the 15 (20%) lost in the LCS2010 New York Yankees
2017 Chicago Cubs
2018 Houston Astros
6 of the 15 (40%) missed the playoffs entirely1969 Detroit Tigers
1970 New York Mets
1977 Cincinnati Reds
1979 New York Yankees
1985 Detroit Tigers
1987 New York Mets
Each of the last 3 100-win World Series winners lost in the LCS the next year
The Verdict
Based on the research, I believe the Red Sox have a 20 to 25% chance to repeat. I believe that there is still a select group of elite teams that could win the World Series this year. World Series repeats are less common during the 162-game era as just 9 of 56 (16%) World Series winners repeated. However, 4 of those teams were 100-win teams. World Series winners who did not reach 100 wins in this time frame only repeated 12.1% of the time since 1961. That’s more like a 1 in 8 chance. 100-win World Series winners have repeated 26.67% of the time during the same time frame. I think the significance of being a 100-win team helps improve the Sox chances to repeat.
However, as much as I hate to admit it as a huge Boston fan, I am sticking with my prediction that the Sox will fail to reverse the trend of World Series winners. I think they will lose in the ALCS to either the New York Yankees or Houston Astros. The odds are stacked against the Sox reaching 100 wins as well since only 4 of the 15 100-win World Series winners even reached 100 wins again the next year. I don’t think the Red Sox will reach the century mark but will come close at somewhere between 92 and 96 games. A bullpen with no proven closer to start the season helps support my prediction A World Series repeat is unlikely to happen, though you shouldn’t rule it out yet.
Alex Cora did wonders for this team last year, so maybe he’ll be able to recreate the magic of 2018. If he can, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be 2019 AL Manager of the Year.
That’s all for today’s Baseball Bits. After all I have accomplished in the last 5 years, I look forward to creating even better content over the next 5 years. Stay tuned for more soon, including the next portion of my MLB Preseason Power Rankings.
For those of you who did not know, I was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. Autistic people often face numerous challenges throughout their life – they often struggle socially, and it often takes them longer to learn life skills than most, which can hold them back from becoming independent.
Though I have faced many challenges, I believe I can do anything I put my mind to, and there are plenty of benefits of autism. I will always be autistic, and I am willing to embrace that.
Like many on the autism spectrum, I tend to grow obsessed with things I enjoy. One thing I have been obsessed with for most of my life is sports.
Obsessions are often portrayed as a bad thing. But obsessions can be a good thing. Almost 5 years ago, I took my obsession and turned it into a passion – this sports blog. I’ve grown to really enjoy writing this blog, and over the years, I have gained valuable sportscasting experiences from it. Now, I hope that this passion can lead me to a career in sports journalism.
This Saturday, I will be telling the story of my autistic struggles and my budding sports career as the keynote speaker at the Visions of Community Conference, an annual special education conference hosted by the Federation for Children with Special Needs at the World Trade Center in Boston.
After the conference, I will be posting a video of my speech that will go on the FCSN website and on my blog.
I am really looking forward to this once in a lifetime experience, and I’d like to thank my former preschool aide, Kristin LaRose for providing me with this amazing opportunity! Kristin now works for the FCSN – she was inspired by my story, and in October, she asked me if I was interested in being the Youth Keynote at this conference. Much like when I was given the opportunity to be a NESN junior announcer, I couldn’t turn the opportunity down, and I would like to thank Kristin and the rest of the Federation for thinking of me.
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