Tales from Tru – III

Note from Cyn: Longtime readers and friends of the RSC know “Tru” very well! He’s graciously offered to occasionally contribute to the blog in times when the spirit moves him. Below is his latest offering to help pick up my slack!

Boston, MA
May 13, 2008

Boston Gullible

 

Sox Eye New Infielder?

By U. Ben Hadd

To hear Larry Lucchino, the Boston Red Sox CEO tell it, his frequent visits to Japan were not all about visiting the Meji Shrine in Yoyogi. His scouting trips, searching for players, including Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima, the successful pitchers on the 2007 championship team were not the only agenda items he had sketched out. Since taking the reins of the Red Sox, the management team has busied itself in the growth of the brand, on and off the field, with the rewards seen in their business practice and ultimate goal, winning the World Series. They have become the darlings of investors, willing to line up and sink their money into the many segments of financial successes the Red Sox have been harvesting.

Who’s that with Larry?

Lucchino has been to Japan no less than ten times in the last 18 months. He travels with a handful of people, who have expertise in their own right. One such subordinate is Marie Anotonello. Anotonello is not a baseball expert. She, like all her colleagues loves the Red Sox, of course. But her interest in baseball goes well beyond statistics and how well a young guy fills out the team uniform. Marie Anotonello is a robotics engineer, who received her degree from Purdue, and then went on to a career with movie animatronics pioneers Industrial Light and Magic. She also has degrees in artificial intelligence computing from Rochester Institute of Technology, and has blended her academic accomplishments and work experience trying to construct robots that can respond to real life conditions.

Red Sox chairman, Tom Werner first met Anotonello out at Skywalker Ranch in the foothills just north of Marin County, California. Anotonello who happened to be sporting a 2004 championship tee shirt at the time recalls the meeting. “Mr. Werner came up to me and asked if I was a fan, and where I was from. I told him yes, that I was a life long fan, and my earliest recollections of going to Fenway were with my grandparents, who took me there from Braintree, where I grew up.” As Werner spent more time chatting, he learned that Anotonello was working on a new animatronics concept that had captured the interest of the US military; robots that had programmed abilities to interact beyond simple commands of being drones.

We’re not here for the Sushi…

Utsunomiya is located less than an hour north of Tokyo by bullet train, and is home to Honda’s research and development facilities for hybrid vehicles. Within their sprawling campus is building known as HTRI, which is the home of ASIMO, Honda’s human sized robot that has traveled the world, impressing scientists and engineers, as they ponder the endless possibilities for use in industrial applications. Anotonello has been visiting HRTI since Werner persuaded her to join the Red Sox and join Lucchino’s team. The Red Sox have engaged in a partnership between Honda, Industrial Light and Magic and Motorola Electronics, which has set a course to design and build a baseball robot, capable of performing at the major league level. The Red Sox have set up offices in Tochigi prefecture, just outside nearby Oyama. These high-tech facilities boast research clean rooms, design teams that incorporate computing experts from around the globe, representing eleven countries and dedicated Internet II access to their partners in California and Illinois.

It’s the development, stupid…

Theo Epstein, the Red Sox executive vice-president and general manager has a reputation for a keen eye when scouting for and developing players. As baseball uses these potential big leaguers in trade, or as the case has been witnessed lately, roles with the Red Sox, Epstein has been considered an advanced thinker, using the power of computer models to calculate out as much risk as possible in identifying which players will most likely perform at the highest levels. “It’s no secret that we have employed a lot of different and unconventional methods to target success in building competitive, championship teams. Tom (Werner), and I were sitting together discussing the innovative procedure used on Curt’s (Schilling), ankle. At the time, Tom was pondering how technology could be put to use in ways that helped the team. When he mentioned his trip to California, and meeting Marie, we agreed to broach Larry to see if this was something we should explore.” Lucchino agreed and Anotonello began efforts in assembling the team that is now in place.

The MLBPA wishes to inquire…

The Major League Baseball Players Association is monitoring the situation carefully, as Bob Lenaghan, assistant general counsel has been tasked to research how the use of robots will impact the collective bargaining agreement. Although the MLBPA has not released any official position, there is speculation among industry insiders that a war over robots is looming on the horizon. “The union is in a quandary, as these droids will not have any issues, other than to play baseball. They have no needs beyond recharging their batteries, and how much money does that take? It’s not as though you’re going to see them sunning on holiday in Bermuda”, an unnamed source quipped.

No one is certain when a robot will make their first appearance on a baseball diamond, or if they will have to work their way through the minor league system. However, sources close to the Red Sox research point out that it is going to be a lot sooner than anyone thinks. The union, meanwhile is working to modification of the bargaining agreement is expected to meet with player representatives to discuss how all of this will impact the future of the game, as well as the salary, benefits, residual marketing and licensing rights that were fought for over the span of so many years.

The game is in good hands…

In New York, baseball’s commissioner, Allan “Bud” Selig was not aware of any efforts to introduce robots into the game. His office released an official statement: “Baseball is a family sport, and enriches us all for its beauty and purity. We are blessed to have such a gift and I will continue to press all available resources into ensuring the integrity of the game remains pure.”

Around the Horn…

Other team executives were reluctant to take a stance and comment one way or another. Meanwhile, John Rocker, the former Atlanta Braves relief pitcher, long associated with train transportation in New York was outwardly vocal in raising his objections. “It stinks. This is not what baseball is about. I don’t think it’s right, and nobody should have to play with a guy who is not as smart, and we all know what that means. Let them gulp Valvoline for all I care, just as long as they’re not in my hotel.”

Curt Schilling, Boston’s hero in the 2004 World Series sees it somewhat differently, and thinks technology is not being used to its fullest potential. “Where else can you talk without being interrupted by Dan Shaughnessy? The internet has given us that.”

Julio Lugo, Boston’s shortstop and member of the 2007 World Series team is not so reticent. “I was shown a picture of one of those things. It was my height. It was my weight. It looked like me, too. Ortiz told me to relax. How can I relax? They had me get all dressed up in this spandex suit with wires running all over the place. They said catch ball Julio, and had Youkilis hitting at me for hours. Okay, maybe some of those were hot shots and tough to handle, but I kept tripping over the wires and was getting zaps and shocks in my glove. What can I do?”

Edgar Renteria, the former Red Sox and current Detroit Tigers shortstop said he was also asked to don the same suit Julio Lugo wore. “I said, man, are you kidding me? I’m not wearing that thing. Trade me, or DFA me, but I am not going to get into all of that.”

Senior vice president, baseball operations and general manager, J. P. Ricciardi, of the Toronto Blue Jays thinks the idea is terrific and bold. “I would love to be associated with something like this. It has winner written all over it and is the future of the game. I’ve contacted Larry and Theo and wished them good luck. I hope to have lunch with them soon.”