Rambling Chat Session: Red Sox vs Angels (8/8/07)

A late night IM dialogue during last night's Sox/Angels game between Adawg and Jim last night...

Session Start Wed Aug 08 22:37:03 2007

[22:42] Jim: lester's getting roughed up
[22:43] Aaron | 4777: yes
[22:43] Aaron | 4777: I'm very [beep]ing frustrated
[22:43] Aaron | 4777: with the Sox right now
[22:43] Jim: but the yankees got killed
[22:43] Aaron | 4777: thank goodness the Yanks got their dicks knocked in the dirt
[22:43] Aaron | 4777: ha
[22:56] Jim: is it me or does this game feel like water torture?
[22:56] Aaron | 4777: yes
[22:57] Aaron | 4777: i think lester has already thrown 120 pitches
[22:57] Jim: like the angels are just going to stand there and kick us in the shins all night
[22:57] Aaron | 4777: yup
[23:05] Aaron | 4777: Lester's thinking -- phew, at least I didn't cool off after my 200 pitch 2nd inning...
[23:06] Jim: ha
[23:12] Aaron | 4777: only 50 pitches that inning
[23:12] Aaron | 4777: we're making progress
[23:12] Jim : right... he's up to 245 and counting
[23:13] Aaron | 4777: btw, bob ryan is such a NY putz it makes me sick
[23:14] Jim: def leppard, styx and foreignor at the tweeter ctr... i'm there
[23:14] Aaron | 4777: but of course!
[23:14] Jim: if only motley crue was there too... i'd wear my leopard skin spandex
[23:14] Aaron | 4777: someone forgot to tell Pedroia
[23:15] Aaron | 4777: that he's supposed to be on a "hitting" strike
[23:15] Aaron | 4777: no hits this series!!!
[23:15] Aaron | 4777: anyone hits, they get sent back to the minors
[23:15] Jim Storer: gotta love the let's go red sox chant
[23:15] Aaron | 4777: maybe he can get picked off at first like Lugo
[23:15] Aaron | 4777: no kidding
[23:15] Aaron | 4777: if the Angels weren't kicking their ass
[23:15] Aaron | 4777: I'd be a pissed off fan
[23:16] Aaron | 4777: (speaking for Angels fans that is)
[23:16] Aaron | 4777: wow!
[23:16] Aaron | 4777: I smell DP!!!
[23:16] Jim: is it me or does this pitcher look like a young dan shaugnessy?
[23:16] Aaron | 4777: yes
[23:16] Aaron | 4777: and that's not a compliment
[23:16] Jim: c'mon - give me a close up
[23:17] Aaron | 4777: [bleep]
[23:17] Aaron | 4777: that would have been nice if it was a HR
[23:17] Jim: shut the [bleep] up!
[23:17] Jim: he just doubled in two runs...
[23:17] Aaron | 4777: oh, I'm not complaining
[23:17] Aaron | 4777: just saying, when he first hit it
[23:18] Aaron | 4777: it looked like a HR
[23:18] Jim: "i wish i had the 40 oz sirloin... this ones only 32 oz"
[23:18] Aaron | 4777: I'm not ungrateful
[23:18] Jim: maybe it is shaughnessy?
[23:18] Aaron | 4777: maybe
[23:18] Jim: talk about the curse of the bambino
[23:18] Aaron | 4777: I wouldn't put it past him
[23:18] Aaron | 4777: same curly hair and weak chin
[23:19] Aaron | 4777: Mike Sciosia is such a fat-headed punk
[23:19] Aaron | 4777: if he wasn't a UMass boy
[23:19] Jim: not that there's anything wrong with that
[23:19] Aaron | 4777: I would really dislike him
[23:19] Aaron | 4777: Yeah kane!
[23:19] Aaron | 4777: what's up tie!
[23:19] Jim: i love JD Drew!
[23:19] Jim: he's awesome
[23:20] Aaron | 4777: wait
[23:20] Jim: let's hear some more "let's go red sox"
[23:20] Aaron | 4777: Junior Gong just wrote a Big P post
[23:20] Aaron | 4777: about how JD should get MVP consideration
[23:20] Aaron | 4777: what?
[23:20] Jim: lol
[23:20] Aaron | 4777: okay -- a HR hear and I can go to bed
[23:20] Aaron | 4777: sorry "here"
[23:22] Aaron | 4777: yes!!!!
[23:23] Aaron | 4777: what's up Shaugnessy
[23:23] Aaron | 4777: the wheels are starting to wobble a little
[23:23] Jim: that's definitely DS
[23:23] Aaron | 4777: yes
[23:23] Jim: you can't go to bed with this [bleep] going on
[23:24] Jim: way to go 'Cap
[23:24] Aaron | 4777: atta boy
[23:25] Jim: now it's time for some wily mo power
[23:25] Jim: exactly
[23:25] Aaron | 4777: waivers
[23:25] Jim: nicely done f-ing first pitch willy
[23:25] Jim: what's your middle name... nomar?
[23:25] Aaron | 4777: make sure you help out the struggling pitcher
[23:26] Aaron | 4777: there's a reason why those bottom feeders are batting 8 and 9
[23:26] Jim: we have a good end of the order
[23:26] Aaron | 4777: [bleep], let's go without the DH and let Lester hit
[23:26] Aaron | 4777: he can't do any worse than those two dildos
[23:26] Jim: lol
[23:29] Aaron | 4777: finally, Lester finds his mojo
[23:29] Aaron | 4777: just as he hits the 100 pitch mark
[23:30] Jim: let's see if we can hold a lead for an out or two
[23:31] Aaron | 4777: would be nice
[23:40] Aaron | 4777: nothing like the ump sweating the struggling pitcher with non-calls on close pitches
[23:40] Aaron | 4777: it pisses me off when they do that [bleep]
[23:40] Jim: taking lester out after 198 pitches
[23:40] Jim: good call
[23:46] Jim: nice
[23:46] Aaron | 4777: very
[23:49] Jim: wtf????
[23:49] Jim: http://tinyurl.com/yu5fh2 (reference to the news that Reggie Miller potentially joining the Celts)
[23:50] Aaron | 4777: yup
[23:50] Aaron | 4777: heard that on EEI on the way home from work
[23:50] Aaron | 4777: not a bad pickup if you ask me
[23:50] Jim: i still want them to go after CWeb
[23:50] Aaron | 4777: he's had two years to rest his legs
[23:50] Aaron | 4777: yup
[23:50] Aaron | 4777: don't be surprised if they do both
[23:50] Jim: cweb would really fit in nicely
[23:51] Aaron | 4777: they are playing with "house" money right now
[23:51] Aaron | 4777: that's what I love about lugo
[23:52] Jim: did you see him get out of the box?
[23:52] Jim: he took like 20 little baby steps to get moving
[23:53] Jim: memo to pedroia: show moss how a little guys hits the ball
[23:53] Aaron | 4777: no [bleep]
[23:54] Aaron | 4777: awwwww....
[23:54] Aaron | 4777: too bad
[23:55] Jim: youk should bunt
[23:58] Jim: wait... DS is still in there?
[23:58] Aaron | 4777: yes he is
[23:58] Aaron | 4777: Mike Scioscia is trying to throw us a bone
[23:58] Jim: how you like them apples scioscia
[23:58] Aaron | 4777: exactly
[23:58] Aaron | 4777: I got her numbah
[23:59] Aaron | 4777: tie game at least
[23:59] Aaron | 4777: and runner at 3rd with one out
[23:59] Aaron | 4777: this game is going to go on until 5:30 in the AM
[00:00] Aaron | 4777: $20 says many hits one out right here
[00:00] Jim: don't pitch inside to manny
[00:00] Aaron | 4777: oh, that was his pitch
[00:00] Jim: that was the pitch right there
[00:01] Aaron | 4777: now he'll work the count full
[00:01] Jim: right
[00:01] Aaron | 4777: and either walk or hit a HR
[00:01] Aaron | 4777: or fly out weekly to RF
[00:01] Jim: how do they know which water is their's on the bench?
[00:02] Aaron | 4777: i think they don't
[00:02] Aaron | 4777: which is why when one guy gets sick
[00:02] Aaron | 4777: they all get sick
[00:02] Aaron | 4777: wasn't darren oliver on the sox back in the early 80's?
[00:03] Jim: i think yes
[00:03] Aaron | 4777: he's gotta be at least 50
[00:03] Aaron | 4777: JD looks pissed off
[00:03] Jim: i think he's got his groove back
[00:03] Aaron | 4777: let's hope
[00:04] Aaron | 4777: can you believe that Detroit lost to Tampon Bay 8-1?
[00:04] Aaron | 4777: I guess they spent their wad on beating the Sox before the all star break
[00:04] Aaron | 4777: 'cause they've played .500 ball since then
[00:05] Jim: yeah
[00:05] Jim: i was going to comment on that
[00:05] Jim: bedtime soon
[00:05] Aaron | 4777: yup
[00:05] Jim: let's get a lead
[00:05] Aaron | 4777: I'm in the same boat -- just hoping the Sox could score two here
[00:06] Aaron | 4777: or three
[00:06] Jim: i'm just looking for the salisbury steak... one run
[00:06] Aaron | 4777: I'll take one
[00:06] Aaron | 4777: but three would be nice too
[00:07] Aaron | 4777: there you go Salisbury
[00:07] Aaron | 4777: now Varitek will hit into a DP
[00:07] Jim: a little gravy
[00:07] Jim: nice
[00:07] Aaron | 4777: even though there are two out
[00:07] Aaron | 4777: outs
[00:07] Aaron | 4777: let's see if Oliver comes out in a wheel chair
[00:07] Aaron | 4777: that dude is old
[00:07] Aaron | 4777: I hate this ad btw
[00:07] Jim: remember the baseball club car
[00:07] Aaron | 4777: yes
[00:08] Aaron | 4777: the WB mason ads are worse than the Jordan's and Bob's furniture ads
[00:08] Aaron | 4777: I doubt it!...
[00:09] Aaron | 4777: we should post an edited version of this dialogue on Big P tomorrow

[00:09] Jim: yup


Obviously we didn't stay up for the whole game (the Sox won!) but we hung in there through 6 tough innings

Big names, very big names, and at the right time?

Boston is a sports town, we all know that. But I feel like I have died and gone to heaven in the last couple of weeks. We're turning into the sports town... And it's exciting. Granted the sox are slumping a bit - a 5 game lead in the AL east isn't comfortable, certainly not like the 12 that it was, or the 8. But they are still the team to beat in baseball. The Bruins are, well, the Bruins. BUT.. Wow, now the Celtics and Patriots have made some serious moves. We're stacked.

I can't think of a reason that we aren't going to see at least one, possibly 3, of our teams playing for championships. I admit that the NBA championship might be asking a bit much. But to Adawg's point, if Lebron James can get to the game single-handedly, there's no reason a healthy 3 superstars can't run through the East. You have to think that the Sox bats will get hot again, and certainly it's better to be in the fall than summer. Their pitching is on point, and stacked. Adding Gagne isn't exactly hurting their rotation. And the Patriots.. a dynasty that could have won 5 of the last 6 super bowls, have more than made up for a few crucial dropped passes. At least on paper.

The last 10 or so years I can remember a flow of big names moving into town, yet it seemed to always be a few years late. Like it was some sot of trap to sell a few jerseys around town before these guys retired. I can't understand why else these veterans were brought in. See: Jose Canseco, Rod Beck (RIP), Andre Dawson, Dominique Wilkins, Brian Leetch, Gary Payton (he could be a stretch here), to name a few. Thanksfully the Patriots have done well at not falling into this phenomenon. But then again, they sucked for the most part until the new millenimum.

Pulling some names from our modern day rosters we can see names like: Tom Brady, Josh Beckett, Paul Pierce, Curt Schilling, David Ortiz, Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Manny Ramirez, Ray Allen, Junior Seau, Adalius Thomas, Richard Seymour, Kevin Garnett!

Not that they are all Hall of Famers, but most will be. Wow. What's next?

Friday Musings (late edition) August 3

Yes, this edition of "Friday Musings" is a few days late. I had the best of intentions of posting last Friday but life got in the way. So enough with the excuses and on with the post...

• * Who is excited to see Manny Ramirez join the 500 HR club this season? I'm pretty sure he's going to do it. Right now, he's 11 HRs short of the major milestone. According to his season stats, he's hitting a home run every 20+ at bats. However, he's sped that pace up to a HR every 11+ at bats since the All Star game. My money says that he reaches the mark in the last series of the season against Minnesota (home.) You might want to buy your tickets now...
  
  
• * Have you seen this picture yet? According to my friend JonS who writes for this blog, we got scooped by barstool.com. I wouldn't have if I had gotten my act together and published this post on Friday. Either way seeing Big Papelbon and Mike Lowell drinking some pops is pretty humerous. I wonder what those two talk about. Props to Cogslice for scoring this gem.
  
  
• * I'm still a little floored by the number of people that are giving Ainge crap for trading Jefferson et al. for Garnett. While I'll admit that I'd like to see a little more of a supporting cast beyond the new big three (the Celts did sign Scot Pollard today), any GM would be lying if they said that they looked forward to playing the green this year. BTW, didn't LeBron single-handedly take the Cavs to the finals last year? I agree that he's an elite player but I'm not sure he's that much better than Kevin Garnett.
  
  
• * So Barry finally broke the record tonight. Yippee! Now we can all get on with our lives.
  
  
• * If you haven't seen the movie Borat yet, you're missing out on one of the best crafted pieces of comedy this century has to offer. Is it crass? Oh yeah. Would it make your grandmother blush? Most definitely. But does it bring you to the brink of wetting your pants repeatedly? Absolutely. As an add-on, if you have seen the movie but haven't seen Sasha Baron Cohen's appearance on Regis and Kelly you've got watch it now. In particular, pay attention to the reference to Kazakh's pop star, Corky Buchev. I laugh out loud every time I see it.
  
  
• * Sitting here watching the Sox step all over their dicks against Anaheim. They go ahead 1-0 in the first and then allow Anaheim to score two for the early lead. Then Dougie M. hits a laser over the left-field wall with a man on to make it 4-2. Then the wheels fell off and Wake gives up five runs in the 5th. The Sox come right back and put the lead off man (Lowell) on. Instead of having men on 2nd and 3rd with no outs, Lowell tries to score from first and gets thrown out at the dish. Inevitably, the next two batters ground out -- rally over. WTF?

I don't see any good coming from me staying up to watch the rest of tonight's game (it's already 12:08). If the Sox pull off a victory, great. If not, the Yanks will be 5 games back. No pressure.

IMPORTANT POST SCRIPT -- My boy JonS sent me this link from Boston.com that made me feel a little better (and reiterated my stance over the last few posts)

Friday Musings, July 27

It's Friday and we're gearing up for a hot weekend and a sweep of the D-rays. I know that this is going to crush the readers of this blog but no talk about Michael Vick, Tim Donaghy or Barry Bonds today...

• *A co-worker of mine has been giving me shit recently about the Sox/Yankees (he's a Mets fan so his dislike of the Yanks is not far behind mine). Every day he comes into work and asks me if I'm nervous. My answer is of course "no" but yesterday I put my money where my mouth was. I said "Derek, if the Yankees play .800 ball the rest of the season, I'll walk up and down the hall at work in my underwear."
  
  Yes, the Yanks are currently 7 1/2 behind the Sox and were only 6 1/2 as recently as yesterday. However, the odds of them continuing their torrid pace down the stretch just isn't in their favor. They've got a crappy bullpen, average defense and several talented pitchers that are a tweaked hammy away from landing on the 15 day DL. The Sox meanwhile have shown that they have superior pitching and apparently their bats have started to follow suit. It's not happening and that's that.
  
  
• * How can Dustin Pedroia not be your favorite Red Sox player? The guy is a dirt dog, he seems to get to every ball hit within 50 feet of him, he makes impossible throws... oh yeah, since May, he's also been one of the best and most consistent hitters on the team. Now I know why Theo was able to sleep peacefully after not resigning Mark Loretta.
  
  
• * I'm I the only one that yells at my radio on my morning commute to work? Against my better judgment, I've been tuning in to WEEI to hear John Dennis et al. talk some serious smack recently. This morning, JD was talking about the possibility of the Pats getting off to a slow start due to Brady needing to get used to the new receivers. WHAT? Okay, I know they do have a slew of new receivers but last time I checked, Reche Caldwell, Ben Watson (a receiver posing as a tight end), Chad Jackson, Jabar Gaffney and Troy Brown all played for the Pats last year. Did they get cut and someone forgot to announce it?
  
  
• * Going to see the Police tomorrow night at Fenway. Should be another great show in a string of many. Maybe we can get some post-concert reviews up this blog Sunday/Monday morning.
  
  
• * I know I promised not to talk about Michael Vick or Tim Donaghy but I just can't resist this question. If you had to trade places with one of these two dirt bags, which would it be? There's a good chance Vick is going to do some time but you know Donaghy is either going to end up wearing cement shoes at the bottom of the East River or find an inconspicuous residence in the midwest as a member of the Federal Witness Protection Program. I can't say that either of these options sounds all that appealing.
  
  
• * This may be a moot point because I think he's going to end up in Atlanta but I can't decide whether or not the Sox going after Teixiera is a good thing or not. On the plus side, he's relatively young, a great first baseman and hits for both average and power. On the downside, we already have a good, younger, first baseman who hits for average (and may eventually hit for power) who gets paid about 1/3 of what Teixiera makes. We also have a gold glove third baseman who is not as young, is in the last year of his contract but hits for both power and average and is a team leader that could be replaced if the above-mentioned Sox first basemen were to move over to Third. Bottom line -- I don't see Teixiera as a serious upgrade over Youk or Lowell and to get him, we'd be looking at losing at least Ellsbury and probably either Lester or Gabbard. Would love to see some "replies" with other opinions on this trade and other possibilities...
  

Toivonen for Soderberg Trade

An amusing e-mail exchange between me and my man Joey M. following yesterday's Tovionen for Soderberg trade. Thought you all might get a kick out of it

-----Original Message-----

From: Boston.com Newsletters [mailto:newsletters@boston.com]
Sent: Monday, July 23, 2007 5:01 PM
To: Aaron S.
Subject: Breaking Sports Alert: Toivonen traded

Hannu Toivonen has been traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Carl Soderberg.

To read more, visit http://www.boston.com

-----Original Message-----

From: Aaron S.

Sent: Monday, July 23, 2007 5:00 PM
To: Joe M.
Subject: FW: Breaking Sports Alert: Toivonen traded

Is this a good thing or bad thing? I know Toivonen is decent (he was our goalie, right?). Is Soderberg any good?

-----Original Message-----

From: Joe M.
Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 9:47 AM
To: Aaron S.
Subject: RE: Breaking Sports Alert: Toivonen traded

Hey, what's up...

Not sure if it is good or bad, never heard of Soderberg, unless he is the guy that directs movies... then it would be good..

Honestly..Who f*ing cares... the B's are so irrelevant it is not even funny. Not sure which team in pro-sports that is mired in failure that you can compare them to...

You can't compare them to the KC Royals/Tampa Bay, because the B's have spent money, but not well.

You can't compare them to the Washington Redskins, because they have spent money and gotten little performance for it... because as crazy as Dan Snyder is he at least will go after the big name proven guys without hesitation... and not sit on his hands while free agents that could help go to other teams without any B's interest

You can only compare them to themselves..haven't done anything in the playoffs in years on the rare occasion they have made it... and 36 years since last Cup...

( Although the Celtics are going to make a run at them soon )

Friday Musings, July 20

After a week of shit pie performances by the Sox (Monday excepted), I'm dragging myself into Blogger today to write my "Friday Musings" column. Here goes:

• * According to an anonymous source close to the Red Sox, Kevin Millar will "Cowboy Up" once again and become a member of the Red Sox. You may be thinking two things -- why and why? The answer to the first "why" as in "why would anyone want him" is, in spite of teetering along the Mendoza line the last few seasons, Millar has raised his average from .238 to .286 since June 14 and currently enjoys an OPS that is higher than Manny Ramirez. The answer to the second "why" as in "why do the Sox need him" is that they desperately need a right-hand bat for pinch hitting purposes late in the game. The Wily Mo experiment is obviously not working and we are getting killed with guys left on base.
  
  
• *You want to talk about luck -- I took the family to the game this week (thanks to my dad for the tickets). You know which game I went to? The one game that didn't suck for weather or performance reasons i.e. Monday night. Great pitching performance by Kason Gabbard and HRs by Pedroia, Manny and Big Papi to boot. We had great seats and it was a perfect night for a game. I also met former Celtics Guard, David Wesley. It was almost surreal as the dialog (near the concessions) went something like this:
  
  

  ME: Hey, you used to play for the Celts, right?
  
  DAVID: (looking around), yes, that's right.
  
  ME: How are things? Enjoying the game?
  
  DAVID: Not bad and yeah, it's a good one.
  
  ME: So you went to Charlotte after the Celtics, right?
  
  DAVID: Yes, and then onto Houston and now Cleveland.
  
  ME: Things in Cleveland good?
  
  DAVID: Yeah, pretty good. Not bad.

  At this point, my daughter is looking at me cross-eyed because she has to use the Ladie's room. So I politely excuse myself and head on my way. What was particularly funny was that toward the end of our exchange, I think that if I asked him if he wanted to grab a beer and sit down with me and watch the game, he would have. No ego, no posse. Very cool
  
  
• * Is anyone else looking over their shoulders at the Yanks right now? I'm doing my best to fight the urge. I'll be honest, I still don't think the Yanks catch the Sox (although anything is possible) because the Yanks are not going to continue to play .750 ball. It's near impossible to do. Second, the Sox aren't going to continue to play .500 ball. They're too good.
  
  
• * Can the Sox possibly leave any more guys on base? I can't believe they got 11 hits last night and they were all singles. And they only scored two freaking runs. More of the same in Josh Beckett's last outing. Let's hope that streak of bad luck ends tonight.
  
  
• * My how quickly things change. A month ago, nobody wanted Lugo on the team. Three months ago, the same could be said about Dustin Pedroia. Now these two guys are the players I most expect to get a hit (other than maybe Mike Lowell). Unbelievable.
  
  
• * One more week until the Patriots camp opens. Can't wait!
  

Friday Musings, July 13

Happy Friday the 13th!

Here goes:

• * What the hell is wrong with Gary Sheffield? The guy is having a great season. His team is having a great season. His former team is having a shitty season and yet he feels the need to tee off on the coach and some of his former team members. If you haven't read about it, you should because it's nothing short of comical.
• * Looks like Manny and Ortiz' power outages are over. Both have hit the ground running post-All Star break. Now that everyone on the team is starting to hit, we could be in for a scary July and August.
• *Nice move by the Pats to re-sign Troy Brown. Ideally, this is his last season and then he moves into a cushy coaching position next season. If you look up the word "class act" in the dictionary, there is a picture of this guy next to the entry. Speaking of nice moves, the re-upping of Testaverde is not the worst idea in the world either. I love Cassell and do think he has the potential to be the next "Brady" but if he Brady goes down, I'd like someone in the game that's "been there, done that."
• *Another loss for the Rocket against the mighty D-Rays. Breaks my heart...
• *I know there has been a lot of discussion about JD Drew on this post -- most of it negative -- but it looks like he's taken to batting leadoff with a .317 avg. and .400 OBP. Let's hope that his removal from last night's game was just for precautionary measures.
• *Just four more weeks until the Pats first preason game. My prediction is that the first offensive play of the game is a 75 yard bomb to Randy for a TD. That play will set the tone for this very promising season.
• *So what does everyone think about A-Rod coming to the Sox next season. I hate the guy with every moral fiber of my being and he's been tagged with the nick-named the "Cooler" for a reason. However, the guy is arguably one of the 5 best players in the game right now. Thoughts?
  

Sox Trade Options Are Limited

As we begin to head into the second half of the baseball season it should be pretty clear to everyone that the Red Sox are going to win the East comfortably and be in the post-season. As such they need to figure out what moves they can make to maximize their chances in winning another World Series. Unfortunately, their trade options are limited. Their two biggest needs right now are a leadoff hitter and a #5 hitter but Theo invested huge money in the offseason to address both with the signings of Lugo and Drew. The Lugo signing was needed because an early move by Theo (Coco Crisp) failed to properly address the void left by Damon at the top of the order. Much like a gambler who takes a beating on the NFL on Sunday and tries to make it all up on Monday Night Football, Theo chased by overpaying for Lugo (.197, 5 HR this season) when they could have had Alex Gonzales (.250, 13 HR) for a fraction of the cost. Drew is starting to show some signs of coming around at least in terms of average but he only has 33 RBIs at the break which is piss poor production for a # 5 hitter.

I don't see how they can upgrade at leadoff or the #5 hole giving the investments made to Lugo & Drew. So that means this team will need to improve by making a move for pitching. With Schilling supposedly on the shelve to August they could really use a #3 starter giving his uncertainty. I would only have two untouchables in the farm system for the right deal and they are Ellbury (the next Grady Sizemore) and Buchholtz. If they have to give up Lester for a solid # 3 starter I make the move. This hedges your bet on Schilling's health and best case if he is healthy would also improve your bullpen by moving Taverez there.

I don't feel great about the Sox chances against either Anaheim or Detroit in the playoffs. Theo needs to make a move to improve this club for the championship run. It is just too bad his offseason moves have limited the options.

Friday Musings, July 6

Cleaning out the cobwebs from a week out of the office...

• * What about that Jacoby Ellsbury kid. Speed, power, defense. I can't wait until he gets his September call up and the Sox are 15 games up in the AL East. We are definitely going to enjoy watching this guy play.
  
• * To that end, you almost wonder if someone slipped some video highlights of Ellsbury into Coco Crisp's locker with a note that said "watch out" because Coco sure has hit A LOT better over the last few weeks. Nice grand slam last night in the first against Tampon Bay.
• * The Red Sox midseason grades provided by Chad Finn this week were entertaining and I have to say, I agree with most of them. However, I take exception with the "D" Chad gave Joel Pineiro. Taking out a three game stretch in May where Pineiro basically came in for mop-up duty, Joel would have a 3.99 ERA. For the most part, he has been a serviceable right-handed option out of the bullpen and I can honestly say, I don't mind seeing him come into a game, even when it's a tight one.
  
• * The fact that the idiots on WEEI are still giving Ainge shit about trading for Ray Allen blows me away. I will bet anyone a rack of ribs that a) the Celt's aren't done dealing yet and b) that even as currently constituted, they are good enough to contend for the 3-4 spot in the East next year. Any takers?
• * Tell me something. How is it possible that the Yankees are listed as "players" in half of the trade rumors on ESPN Insider? I'm quite sure they are interested in anyone and everyone but they have little of value to trade -- both in the farm system, and in the "bigs" -- and have said that they will not trade Philip Hughes. On top of that, they are 12 games behind the Sox with next to no chance of catching them and are 8 back in the wild card with four teams in front of them. I'm not ruling out a playoff appearance for them but seriously, this would be a great opportunity for the Yanks to acquiesce, become sellers and take the opportunity to rebuild their team around key players like Wang, Cano, and Cabrera. Fortunately for the Sox and the rest of the AL East, that's not the way George thinks so expect more payroll, fewer prospects and lots more overpaid veterans by the trade deadline.
  
• * Is it heresy to start salivating about football season with the Sox in first place and cruising toward the AL East tile? Training camp starts next week and the season opener is just seven weeks away!

Let's keep our fingers crossed that Papi's HR touch returns this weekend in Comerica Park!

Who Wins at Coney Island Tomorrow?

Tomorrow is the most anticipated Nathan's hot dog eating contest in the last decade as Kobayashi looks to win 6 in a row amid swirling reports of an injured jaw. He has a chance to match Bjorn Borg's 6-straight titles at the Big W and put himself among the all-time greatest individual athletes (if he is not already there). However, huge competition this year most notably in 23 year old Joey Chestnuts who recently dropped 59.5 dogs a few weeks back in a tune up event to break Kobayashi's world record. I also think you could see a dark horse shock the world as both Pat Bertoletti and Arturo Rios will probably jump to early leads as they eat very fast. I don't know if they can sustain the pace throughout as both Kobayashi and Chestnuts are great closers but it all adds up to just a must see American event on the 4th of July!

Friday Musings

A few thoughts to kick off your July 4th weekend (although I gotta say, the holiday falling on a Wednesday this year really screws things up)

• * People are going to be split 50/50 on last night's trade by the Celtics. In case you fell into a temporary sports coma, the Celtics gave up Jeff Green (no. 5 pick) plus Mssrs. Szczerbiak and West for Ray Allen and Glen "Big Baby" Davis (no. 35 pick). I know the C's still need defense in a big way but I think this move gives the Celts a great shot at the no. 4 seed in the East behind Cleveland, Detroit and Miami. The Celtics also got Gabe Pruitt -- a guard out of USC -- who was considered by many to be a first round pick.
• * Following up my first thought, I sent an e-mail last night to my friend, Rich Gotham, the new President of the Celtics:

Rich,

Assuming the trade goes through, this is a great move for the C's for three reasons:

1. You get a guy that was one of the top five scorers in the league
2. Al Jefferson is still a Celtic (and 2007 All Star to be)
3. You didn't pick Yi Jianlian (I know Danny liked him but he was too long term a project)

I smell a great 2007-08 season brewing!!!

Aaron

• * The Yankees totally got "Lugo-ed" last night. They are up 8-6 in the 8th inning after scoring 4 runs and then what happens? It starts to pour. The game gets postponed with play to resume at a later date. Just when they thought they were going to break their four game losing streak. Like many other members of Red Sox Nation, I was crushed...
  
• * Fellow classmate of Melrose High School '86, Jeff Gorton, got let go as the assistant GM of the Bruins yesterday. It's hard to believe but this guy had been with the Bruins for 15 years. Yes, the same Bruins team that have seemingly had a new coach and GM every one of those fifteen years. Good luck Jeff -- I'm sure you'll land a nice job with a better franchise elsewhere.
• * The Sox need to make three moves before the trade deadline:
  1) get rid of Mirabelli for a real backup catcher
  2) find a replacement for Timlin in the bullpen (they may have one already in Delcarmen)
  3) pick up another "Cora" i.e. a serviceable veteran utility infielder that can backup Cora at short and Pedroia at second. Since there is no moving Lugo, he becomes a VERY expensive pinch runner/late inning defensive substitution for the Sox
• * Hope that one win was worth the $5M the Yanks have paid Rocket so far. Maybe the Bronx Bombers will be willing to trade Rocket for Matt Clement mid-season straight up.
  

Let's pray for another hot streak starting tonight so that we can officially put the AL East to bed by the All Star break!

Red Sox should jump on Buehrle

It certainly seems like there are some serious negotiations going on between the two Sox as Allard Baird was in Chicago scouting Buehrle over the weekend. The Red Sox should get this deal done provided it #1-doesn't cost them either Buchholtz and Ellsbury and #2-they can sign him to an extension. Buehrle is only 28 years old, has averaged over 15 wins in his first 6 full seasons in the bigs and in those 6 has never pitched less than 200 innings. From what I'm hearing it sounds like the Sox could probably complete the deal by offering SS prospect Jed Lowrie, P Michael Bowden and P Kason Gabbard.

This would give the Red Sox their top of the line rotation for years to come in Beckett (27), Dice-K (26) and Buehrle (28). They would still have Lester and Buchholtz to compete for the back-end of the rotation. Not only would I see this being great for Boston in the long-term but I think the Sox need Buehrle's arm for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs this year. If I'm Theo I look to get this deal done ASAP.

Desperate?

You know your team is in trouble when in late May, your captain starts telling the media that "every game from here on in is a playoff." That may work when your the Cleveland Cavaliers and you're down 2-0 to perennial powerhouse, Detroit, in the NBA Eastern Finals but not when you're the New York Yankees. The difference is, the Cavs knew they needed to win four games to make it to the NBA finals. The Yanks have to win closer to 64.

The Bronx Bombers did make a valiant effort at treating every game like a playoff after a horrific losing stretch put them 14 1/2 games behind the white hot Red Sox. The Yanks were able to win 14 of 17 and pull within 7 of the Sox. However, there's a reason why an MLB season is compared to a "marathon" vs. a "sprint" because there are 162 games to play over the course of five and a half months. That's A LOT of baseball.

This weekend, we saw the "playoff mentality" of the Yankees translate into desperation as the Giants took two of three from the men in pinstripes. When a team feels compelled to trot out their 45 year old "rent-an-ace" pitcher in relief in late June, it has problems. This is particularly concerning when the team's payroll is $190 million -- the largest in baseball -- and the team has has pitchers like Villone, Vizcaino, Proctor, Myers, Farnsworth and Rivera who are supposed to get the job done.

I understand that the Yanks played 13 innings on Saturday and had to burn through their their bullpen more than they would have liked, but therein lies the problem. If the Yankees hadn't fallen 14 1/2 games behind the Sox (6 1/2 back in the Wild Card) early on, they wouldn't be forced to make desperation moves this early.

The beauty of baseball is that anything can happen. The Oakland A's seem to demonstrate that in the second half of every season. The Minnesota Twins proved it to the Tigers as they came roaring back last year (although Detroit got the last laugh by making it to the "Fall Classic.") Certainly Sox Nation knows it can happen as Bucky "Bleeping" Dent and the season of 1978 will be forever emblazoned in their minds. I don't see it this year though. The Sox pitching is too good and their bats have yet to all get hot at the same time.

On a related note, how good does if feel knowing that you've already got a stacked rotation (third best ERA in MLB) with Jon Lester in the wings only to find out that your team is the front runner (at least according to ESPN) on the Mark Buehrle chase. It may be a ploy to bid up the market so that the Yanks can't get him but hey, I'm okay with that too!

Friday Musings

Several random thoughts/questions as we head into what promises to be an exciting summer:

1) I can honestly say that I would not want to be in Danny Ainge's shoes right now. In listening to WEEI, watching Sports Center and reading various articles/blog posts, it would appear that people are split down the middle 50/50 on whether or not to trade Jefferson, the no. 5 pick and Theo Ratliff for KG or Amare Stoudemire. Apparently, the KG deal has been called off because KG doesn't want to come to Boston (big surprise) and rumors are that the same thing is happening on the Stoudemire front.

In a perfect world, I say they draft Jeff Green (go Hoyas!) or Corey Brewer and then field offers for a package of Green/Brewer, Jefferson and Ratliffe's expiring contract. If someone of the caliber of a Kobe or Stoudemire comes along, seriously consider it. If not, roll the dice this year and consider a trade for Pierce at the deadline if the C's struggle. I would not do the KG deal because a) he's too old and b) he's never had post season success (accept on trip to the Western Conference Finals).

For more on this front, check out Simmons latest if you haven't seen it yet. He wrote an amusing article about the draft and who should draft/trade for whom.

2) It appears that Miguel Tejada's consecutive games streak of 1,152, the longest currently in the majors, is about to come to an end due to a fractured wrist. Amazingly, the player with the second longest streak at present is Juan Pierre with 343. Teixeira had owned the second longest with 507 but that ended last weekend when he was placed on the DL.

3) Can't wait for the Jake Peavey/Josh Beckett match up this weekend. I'm predicting a Sox 3-1 victory with two of the runs coming in the 8th or 9th inning. The series in general should be fantastic with a showcase of great hitting against great pitching.

4) Did anyone notice that the Bruin's hired a new coach...? Didn't think so.

5) I have a bet with my friend Lil' Jim that the Rocket goes on the DL in the next five days after yesterday's poor outing. Haven't heard any news to substantiate this but I just have a feeling. If it doesn't happen in the next five days, I guarantee it happens very soon. Ditto for Mssrs. Mussina and Pettite. Just as the Yanks are finding their sea legs.

6) Speaking of the Yankees, do you think it's frustrating to win 14 of 17 and creep back to within 7 1/2 of the Sox only to be swept by the Rockies while the Sox blank the Giants and take two out of three from Atlanta? I've gotta say, unless the Yanks can trick San Diego into trading Jake Peavey for Mike Meyers and then making similar deals for the likes of Vlad Guerrero, Big Papi and Albert Pujols, you can stick a fork in them. With Detroit, Cleveland, Anaheim, and even Seattle hanging tough along with the inevitable run that the A's and Twinkies will put together in the second half, I don't see the Yanks even sniffing the Wild Card (never mind the AL East). Kind of breaks my heart if you want to know the truth.

Play ball!

Theo Epstein...A Very Mixed Bag

I sincerely hope that Theo took Dave Roberts out to dinner every night this past weekend because his steal and subsequent 8 game run by the Red Sox dramatically changed the way Red Sox fans view our current GM. A review of his record show a very mixed bag at best yet his popularity remains very high because of their 2004 Championship where he is giving much credit for saving the season by trading Nosemar. Credit he should absolutely get but if Dave Roberts doesn't beat that throw by the slimmest of margins then the Sox would have been nothing but an also ran and Theo very well would not have a job right now.

Good moves by Theo?
Sure, he signed Ortiz for almost nothing and projected him as a backup for Jeremy Giambi. He traded for Schilling for a bunch of guys who haven't amounted to anything. He let Pedro walk instead of signing him for 4 years. He let Damon walk instead of signing him for 4 years. He hired Terry Francona as manager and while I still don't really like the guy I will give him his due as I think Terry has been very good and this season is by far his best managing job in my opinion.

Bad moves by Theo?
Free agent busts in Mendoza, Clement, Renteria, Bradford and Byung-Hyun Kim. Traded Cal Meredith and Josh Baird for Doug Mirabelli. He traded Josh Hancock for Jeremy Giambi. He traded Marte, Shoppach and Mota for Crisp, Riske and Josh Bard. He traded Freddie Sanchez, Mike Gonzalez and cash for Suppan, Lyon and Martinez.

Moves the jury is still out on by Theo?
Two recent ones that look awful so far are Lugo and Drew. Dice-K looks pretty good but it is still too early on all three.

Theo receives a ton of credit for reviving what most people perceived as an awful farm system when he took over. Really? He were the Sox top 10 prospects at that time:
1
Kevin Youkilis
2
Freddy Sanchez
3
Jorge de la Rosa
4
Kelly Shoppach
5
Hanley Ramirez
6
Chad Spann
7
David Murphy
8
Manny Delcarmen
9
Jeremy West
10
Juan Cedeno

There was some pretty good talent down on the farm when he took over although early returns do indicate that Theo has done a very good job of drafting good young arms and position players. Certainly Dustin Pedroia has exceeded expectations and I think Jacoby Ellsbury will be making a major impact on this team for years.

All in all a very mixed bag and one that doesn't mesh with his current popularity.

Note to Tito

1) Might not want to bring Mike Timlin in when there are guys on base. Last I checked, Timlin is one of the worst in the league at allowing inherited runners to score.
2) Come to think of it, Tito might not EVER want to bring in Timlin on account of the fact that he sucks 'cause he's old.
3) Has anyone seen Curt Schilling? There is an overweight guy that keeps leaving 88 mph fastballs over the plate for HRs that looks like Curt but definitely isn't the Curt of old. In spite of the 1-hitter against the A's, Theo is looking brighter by the day for not signing Schill to a contract extension.

UPDATE [6/19] : I just saw on Boston.com that Schilling is headed back to Boston for an MRI so he may be hurt. If so, that explains why his last two outings have been less than stellar. I'm wondering if he overdid it in his bid for a "no no"? Either way, I rescind my criticism of Schill-dog in the above post if that is the case.

Keeping Me Honest

Too often prognosticators make big predictions and then are never held accountable. Before the season started, I took a swag predicting records for the Sox starting five. Here's an update with a projected run rate for those five.

Note: I've subbed Julian Tavarez in for Papelbon given the change in their respective roles:

- C. Schilling: (prediction) 16-9 -------> (current) 6-3 ------> (projected*): 14-7
- J. Beckett: (prediction) 17-7 ---------> (current) 9-1 ------> (projected*): 21-2
- D. Matsuzaka: (prediction) 14-12 ----> (current) 8-5 ------> (projected*): 18-11-
- J. Tavarez: (prediction) 14-10 -------> (current): 4-4 ------> (projected*): 9-9
- T. Wakefield: (prediction) 12-14 -----> (current): 6-7 ------> (projected*): 14-16
- J. Lester: (prediction) 8-4 -----------> (current): 0-0 ------> (projected**): 8-4
- The rest: (prediction) 15-10 ---------> (current): 10-4 ------> (projected*: 20-9

Note: the Sox currently are currently 5th in the MLB for team ERA.

So far so good on my other prediction about the Sox being top five in the AL in runs scored, slugging %, OBP and OPS:

- Runs scored = 339 (5th)
- Slugging % = .432 (4th)
- OBP = .355 (2nd)
- OPS = .787 (4th)

One other thing. You know you live in Boston when you have an 8 1/2 game lead over the number two team and possess the best record in baseball and fans still find themselves looking over their shoulders...

*According to ESPN.com (straight line projections)
**My best guess

Julian Rising

Am I the only member of Red Sox nation that now feels that Julian Tavarez gives the Sox their best shot at winning on a day in/day out basis? Now obviously Beckett is the Sox current ace at 9-1 (the 6.8 runs/game has not hurt his cause.) However, he's had a couple of shaky starts over the last month. Schilling, Dice-K and Wakefield have all had their recent gems but all have also had their shit pies too.

Julian Tavarez has not only pitched an average of six innings per game over his last seven games but he's also matched up against the opposing team's ace in several of his starts -- the A's Haren, the Yank's Mussina, the Twin's Santana, the Jay's Halladay - twice, the Ranger's Millwood and the Giant's Zito. That's a tough stretch of pitchers. Tavarez has also only given up more than four runs twice (five against the O's and 6 against the Jays).

What's been so clutch about Tavarez this year is the fact that he actually gives the Sox a shot at winning. Remember last year when the likes of Jason Johnson, Kyle Snyder, et. al were crapping the bed every fifth day? Now I actually look forward to the days when Tavarez is pitching.

As much as I'd like to see Lester called up sooner rather than later, I'm not convinced he's going to give us any more than Tavarez has this season. In fact, I'd be fine with the Sox holding off on bringing Lester up until someone gets hurt or they need him for a spot start. The guy is what, 22? Give him a little time.

Random note I: God love the Mets for blanking Roger and the Yanks tonight. Not that I was getting nervous but seeing the Sox lead over the Yanks shrink by seven games in ten days was giving me a negative boner. Dare I say that it looks like JD Drew might be breaking out of his slump? Other than last night where he actually crushed the ball a few times, he's started to put together some decent at bats. That could go a long way toward igniting this line up.

Random note II: how is it possible that Maglio Ordonez can look in the mirror and not say, "oh my God, I look like an absolute dufus?" If he hasn't, he should.

Oh yeah, and what about that Pedroia kid. 5 for 5. Are you kidding me? Dustin, shame on us for ever doubting you...

Missing: Red Sox Offense

Last seen firing on all cylinders 2003/2004.
Formerly answered to, Cowboy Up, and, We're just Idiots.

So, where o' where has the once mighty Red Sox offense gone? Obviously this wasn't the main issue last night, but it was a big one. Some timely hitting might have motivated our pitching staff just enough to keep the game within reach. However, they never came through with the clutch hit, which seems to be way too big of a theme this year. Eeking out 1-0 or 2-1 wins is scary. Even worse, losing games 2-0, or 3-2 (all of which happened in the last two weeks).

I remember in '03/'04 you'd look up and down the lineup and 1-9 and just about anyone could come up big, and we were a damn scary team to face.

This year our offense has some enormous holes, and we could even get blanked on any given night. The main culprits go by the names of Drew, Crisp, and Lugo. Out of those three, I don't know what it is, but I think Lugo has the best chance of rebounding. JD Drew, I fear is going to be the $70m mistake people thought he might be…and Coco. I just can't seem to get a read on him. I keep thinking he's going to turn it around, but game after game he doesn't come up with the key hit…and that stance looks so freakin' awkward it's hard to imagine hitting consistently like that.

On top of that, you've got Mirabelli every 5th day. Our best bat off the bench is Cora, and he isn't exactly the Mr Clutch he was in April/May (though I'm still a huge fan). Hinske and Pena are downright miserable, and you can only hope for the occasional 500 foot home run from Pena. Other than that you just wait for him to strike out on the next breaking ball.

Papi is hitting, but not hitting the ball out of the park at his usual rate. Manny is bringing the average back, but same thing. Varitek is actually coming through occasionally, but then he'll look like the Varitek from the end of last year with horrible swings where he looks like he's actually falling away from the plate.

So basically you've got Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell carrying the offense at this point. My bet is that they can't carry it all year. Oh, and Pedroia has turned into a pleasant surprise after his scary start.

This is all leading up to the point, that I think something has to be done. You need to make a move soon to bolster this offense. One big bat might even be enough to spark the rest of the lineup.

As I said before. Drew is immovable due to his contract. Likely Lugo too (and you just have to hope that those two are eventually going to live up to their contracts). I think you really need to consider a Crisp/Pena combo to a team that's willing to take on relatively small salaries for some potential upside. The Rooster mentioned trying to nab Lofton or Hatteberg. Both sound intriguing.

Whatever it is, I think it's safe to say that you're not going to win another championship if the offense doesn't pick it up. While good options are down on the farm for the outfield, I think we're going to need at least one big trade to make this team complete.

One last thought to consider: Julian Tavarez, batting 1.000.

Cheers,
-JS

What Fuels the Rocket?

I am absolutely convinced that Bonds, Sosa, McGuire as well as a huge number of major league ballplayers used and continue to use steroids and HGH. In my opinion pitchers are using every bit as much as hitters. I thought ever since Clemens left Boston he was on something and Kevin Hench wrote a stellar piece for Fox Sports on the possibility:
Kevin Hench

I went to the University of Rhode Island from '89 to '94 and 30% of my fraternity brothers were on steroids just in order to lift more and look bigger walking around campus. My buddies on the football team told me greater than 50% of the team was on something and Rhody football was only 1AA. These guys had almost nothing to gain except maybe a blow job from a co-ed who likes muscles and considering the frequency that Rhody girls went down on my non-steroid self I'm not sure it was at all needed.

Fast forward more than a decade and scientist have developed synthetic steroids and places like BALCO have learned how to maximize the results and minimize the negative effects of performance enhancing drugs. Hell, there is no known test for HGH so a player can take it without any worries. There are millions of dollars at stake for these guys and even more important than money for some is the opportunity to break records and cement their place in baseball history.

If the non-using ballplayers were to stand up and complain about those doing drugs I would be in their corner. However, nobody has ever spoken up so until I hear they have an issue with it I'm not really going to complain. Heck, as a fan I appreciate these athletes maximizing their skills via drugs because it makes for a higher level of competition. However, lets not try to pretend that use isn't rampant today even with baseball's new steroid policy. The media shouldn't just call out Barry Bonds and not ask the same type of critical questions about Roger Clemens. Drug use doesn't begin and end with Barry and Roger by a long shot but they are the two biggest names in the sport and as such will receive the most media coverage. It seems very odd that one only gets darts thrown at him while the other only gets roses.

No "No No"

What a game. What a performance. Man did the Sox need yesterday's win. Driving through Boston after Wednesday night's fourth straight heart-breaker, I could swear I saw a few Red Sox fans teetering on the top of the Pru.

Speaking of heart breaking, I can't believe that Curt got within one out of the "no no" yesterday. I watched the last three innings of the game from the hospital (my third child, Audrey Catherine" was born last night). I joked with my wife as she lay her hospital bed dealing with the pain of contractions every fifteen minutes, "Honey, if Curt gets a no hitter today, we're going to have to go with 'Schilling' or 'Curtwina' for our daughter's middle name." Surprisingly, my wife was not amused by this notion.

Fortunately for my wife -- and daughter -- Shannon Stewart ended Schilling's bid for history with two outs in the ninth. In some ways, this was a blessing in disguise. Can you imagine the guilt Lugo would have felt knowing that he was the reason that Curt missed pitching the 18th perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball? Why has nobody mentioned this by the way? I know it's a moot point but when Lugo made his error in the seventh, all I could think was, "Lugo just blew Schilling's perfect game."

Being a glass half full kind of guy, I'll look at the fact that Schilling came up huge yesterday in spite of missing out on the "no no." He did what a stopper is supposed to do -- he won. That in the face of another anemic offensive performance. Can you imagine the pressure of pitching with a one run lead in a game knowing that a) you had to win and b) you really needed to go at least seven if not eight innings in order to spare your overworked bullpen?

Let's hope things turn around for the Sox bats this weekend. I guess at this point, they can't get much worse. One strategy they might employ is when they have a runner on first is to ALWAYS lay down a sacrifice bunt. Yes, I'm recommending this even if Ortiz or Manny is at the plate. How many double plays have they hit into in the last three games. Seven?

On that note, let's play ball!

Tough series ahead

Well, fortunately for the Sox, they will miss Randy Johnson in this series and get the #4 and #5 part of Arizona's pitching line-up, before having to face stud-boy Brandon Webb on Sunday. Unfortunately for the Sox, the #4 and #5 are pretty darn good this season. 4-6, but with a 3.05 era, and 4-1, 3.86 era, respectively. They also have some pretty strong middle guys like Pena and Lyon, and a closer with 21 of 24 saves converted in Velarde. Hope the Sox left their wiffle-ball bats in Oakland and brought the real wood home with them. While the D-Backs' hitting is less than stellar, they are ranked 4th in the majors in pitching. Maybe some more 3-2, 1-0 games, hopefully with the good guys on top.

Go Sox.

Rooster Ramblings

-- Here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write: I’ll be relieved if the Sox have a double digit lead over the Yankees at the All-Star break.

-- Manny’s agent should send J.D. Drew a thank you card. He has single-handedly made Manny seems like Lou Gehrig after years of complaints about Ramirez' mysterious line-up no-shows. Fact is, Manny has played more games than Derek Jeter since 2003. And the Japanese Iron Horse, Hideki Matsui? 68 fewer games played than Manny since 2003. The only shame here is that we have to suffer through J.D. Drew to fully appreciate what we’ve had in left field. Hopefully, Manny’s here for many more 100 RBI seasons.

-- I’ll be stunned if the Celtics don’t draft the Chinese 7-footer, Yi Jianlian, if he’s there at No. 5. Our comrade-in-blog Junior Gong makes a great counterpoint that Ainge needs to get the most NBA-ready player to save his job. Still, I can’t see Wyc Grousbeck turning his back on the potential marketing income from China. Call it the Dice K ripple effect. Jianlian’s sure to move a lot of green jerseys overseas – he’s already got his own Nike commercial in rotation in China. We can only hope he’s good enough to crack the C’s rotation here.

-- Time to kill a myth left over from the NFL draft. One of the more oft-quoted lines – from Mel Kiper to Trey Wingo – was “you don’t pass up a potential franchise quarterback with the first pick if your team needs one.” The Raiders were hailed for following this rule and the Dolphins were KILLED for ignoring it and leaving Brady Quinn on the board. After hearing that concept spouted a million times in a week, you actually start to think it makes perfect sense. One small problem -- it doesn’t make sense at all. If any one man has shown the folly in this concept, it’s A.J. Smith of the San Diego Chargers. Twice in the last six drafts, Smith has been in the No. 1 spot where his team could’ve had Mike Vick and Eli Manning, both hailed as franchise saviors at the time. In both cases, the Chargers went away from the franchise QB (Manning actually forced them, too) and spun those two picks into LaDanian Tomlinson, Shawn Merriman, Philip Rivers, Nate Kaeding, Roman Oben, Tim Dwight, Reche Caldwell and Tay Cody. Not a bad haul, eh? By going away from the lure of the savior college QB, the Chargers actually saved their franchise. On the flip side, the Falcons are left with an all-star dogfighter and the Giants have a poor-man’s David Carr. Ouch. So what does this mean to the Raiders and Dolphins? If the Chargers are any guide, both franchises will regret not trading out of their spots to address more needs.

-- I’m a huge hoops fan, and like many of you, I miss the Celtic glory days. However, as much as it sucks to see Tim Duncan still raising trophies with the Spurs rather than here in Boston, not once have I ever watched Duncan play and actually felt cheated I haven’t had the chance to watch him play every night. I know, I know – he’s one the all-time greats, but has anyone ever considered a Tim Duncan game required TV viewing?

-- Just curious: are we SURE that Flip Saunders knows defensive double-teams are allowed in the NBA?

June Sw_ _ n and Franc the Tank.

Hope these past few games are not a sign of things to come. Looking at the standings, it seems as if the Sox need to really worry about not dropping the ball against the other divisions in a strong American League, rather than a comparitively weak East. 6 of those 9 teams are at least .500, with some of them well over the mark. The ChiSox are only a few games under, and the Angels actually have more wins than Boston does. While the Rangers just flat-out suck, even KC has given the BoSox trouble at times in recent years. Games against Arizona, Atlanta, and San Fran are gonna be tough games as well.

Fortunately, this is their first stumble this season, and even the great teams are due a losing streak here and there. They are definitely talented enough to be able to right the ship after these past few days, but if they dont watch out, a 10 game lead can quickly turn into a 7, 6, or 5 game lead with plenty of baseball left to play. Hope Schilling can stop the bleeding tonight, followed by another Beckett gem. Maybe Theo does need to pull a trade for another bat sooner than expected, but damn, that catch by CoCo last night was sweet, and good defense like that doesnt always come around so easily. Saving runs can be just as important as scoring runs.

Much respect for Tito last night in getting thrown out over one of the worst strike calls I have ever seen. Cool to see him whip the chaw from his mouth, and especially cool when another umpire tried to butt in, only to have Francona tell him to butt-out. He must have said, "All Fuckin' Night" a half-dozen times. Great stuff. Real stuff. Not like the crap that Lou-ser Piniella pulled this past week. (But certainly not as creative as the minor league manager who threw the rosin bag grenade.) Hope this can provide a spark to the team. Go Sox.

For a good laugh..

Check out Matt Damon on Letterman last night.. Speaking about the Sox, Yankees, Clemens, and laughing in the face of all those New yorkers. Good stuff...

Cheers.

Moves?

Trading deadline starting to inch closer. If things don't change I think you need a bat in the outfield, as Coco/Drew/Pena/Hinske, cannot seem to get it together. Since Drew is untradable (wow is this turning out to be a crap deal) I think it'll have to be some type of combo of Coco/Pena/Hinske, for I don't know who. Even though I really don't want to move Coco, I think it's getting to that point where you have to consider it.

Also, we need a backup catcher. Mirabelli is older than Varitek…oh and he sucks. He can catch Wake and has an occasional big hit. But he can't run the staff and his bat is too weak. And Kottaras waiting in the wings is not a good security blanket.

I never propose trade targets since I never know what makes a guy available. BTW, I heard that NY and Chicago are talking about an Abreu for Jermaine Dye trade. Ummm…I don't get it. Why the f*ck would you do that if you were Chicago? It's like the Yankees can cast some spell on other teams that make them trade away their best players to them. I guess that spell is called, CASH. Oh well. Maybe the newly spendy Red Sox should try and move in on Dye. Something needs to happen to bolster the end of the lineup. Minor holes to fill. Good problems to have.

Cheers,
-JS

Lowell to the Bruins?

As a Florida Marlins fan and a big Mike Lowell fan, may I be the first to say how feckin' cool it was to see Mikey put -a-hurtin' on Robinson Cano yesterday, (even though he was able turn the double-play). Not much to opine upon, but Ive seen alot of baseball, as have we all, and cannot remember ever seeing a play like that one- at least so far away from the ice. I mean, he waited for Cano to get anywhere near him, got set up, and then checked Cano. Hockey style. Lowell is as genuinely nice a guy as you will ever know, and it was a clean play, but WOW- what a baller. It was great. As was his 3-4, 4 RBI day against the Yanks.

And as for Doug Mientkiewicz, do ya'll think that he wants to keep the ball that he almost caught before getting clobbered by Bonecrusher Lowell?

Quid pro quo

It is pretty much the only Latin phrase I know and strikes me as the most plausible reason that Theo shelled out $70M over 5 for this stiff in right field. There had to have been a deal brokered by Boras that signing JD equals signing Dice-K. I don't find myself in agreement much with Bob Ryan but boy did he tag this one on that conference call with Theo before the deal was finalized. How bad have things gotten? Well, the vast majority of fans were most concerned about Drew's ability to stay on the field when this deal was announced and yet last night most were probably pumped to have him out of the game with a sore hammy. I would love to see him go on the DL right now because Hinske looks like an upgrade. At the very least can we get him out of the 5-hole already? Manny is heating up like crazy right now but he isn't going to get any pitches with Nancy batting behind him. I thought at the beginning of the season that Jacoby Ellsbury very well might be brought up in the 2nd half to take over for Coco in center field but now I'm wondering if we might need him to replace Drew. Theo has made a lot of questionable moves but none look worse right now than JD. For my sanity please tell me there was a Quid pro quo.

Kobe in Green?

Well, it seems as if Kobe Bryant wants to be traded, as he told a reporter yesterday. Could this be the Celtics chance to bring in a franchise player that they sorely need to compliment Paul Pierce? He is still young, and he can put up 50 points on any given night, as well as put people in the seats at the New Garden (or the Old Fleet Center, whatever it is now.) And he would command a price. Therefore:

Is Kobe Bryant worth the Celtics top pick this year, and say, a conditional 1st round pick next year? This probably translates to 2 potentially good players for a great player in Kobe. Contrary to my past post where I was against trading the pick , I say go for it, Green. Pull the trigger, Danny.

How about some NBA chatter and feedback from ya'll.

Sox Magic Number is 102

In case anyone was wondering, the Sox magic number is now 102. That puts them on track to clinch by late August. Go ahead and throw 1978 out but it ain't happening this year.

By the way, is it me or will it be a little anticlimactic if the Yankees are officially out of it by the time that Roger joins the team next week?

Happy Memorial Day!

And with the 5th pick...a winner

Well, its too bad that the Celtics didnt get the opportunity to choose one of the top two guys in this years draft. Danny Ainge, while falling victim to another bad break and a somewhat flawed drafting system, didnt help the situation by whining about it to reporters- we saw that nationally- as if his was the only team to miss out on Oden or Durant. He looked and sounded like such a weenie, with all due respect to the fine work he did as a player for the Green. I did read some of his quotes afterwards, and he did try to put a positive spin on things, but you could see and tell that he was absolutely crushed.

Unnecessarily.

Ya'll should be glad that you guys got the #5 pick, because historically, that pick turns out to be pretty darn good.
Lets look at some number 5 picks from the last 23 years, since 1984:

At the top of the list stand Sir Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen, both Hall of Famers.

Next up we have Mitch Richmond, Duane Wade, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Vince Carter, all of them bonafide stars w/ a few potential H.O.Fers

Then there’s Juwaan Howard, Jason Richardson, Mike Miller, and Steve Smith, all solid players in their own right.

The drop-off starts here with a smattering of Tony Batties, Kendall Gills, Kenny 'Sky' Walkers, and on down.

That’s 11 quality players out of 23 years- nearly a 50% success rate; a chance to get a goodie of your choice, not the choice of a ping-pong ball. So as long as ya’ll dont pick a project player, or a skinny, Euro, eighteen-year old that no one has ever heard about, or trade a decent pick before a chance at development, or trade the pick for a #9 and a #16, or trade 'the Truth' Paul Pierce for 3 lesser players, the Celts are in a good position to improve their team significantly, especially in the East. All these other up and coming teams did it, so can the Celts. Another bright spot is that both Oden and Durant will be playing in the West, so the Celts wont have to play against them very often, except hopefully in a 7-game series a few years down the road.
So while the #5 pick wont sell as many season tickets as Oden and Durant would have at first, a proper pick will insure, at the least, some better basketball to come from the Celts in the near future, and hopefully improve their image as a quality franchise once again, both locally and nationally. Go Green.


p.s.- I know that this is borderline old news, but I just had to throw some hoops onto the blog. And I so wanted the Celts to get Durant.

Idol Thoughts

Schilling is at best a # 3 or 4 starter for the rest of this season unless the velocity on his fastball increases.

I'm not sure whether I should be proud or ashamed of the fact that I picked Jordan Sparks to win it all two months ago

It looked to me, Jerry & Don last night that Lugo and ARod were jawing over his elbow to Pedroia when ARod was on 2nd base last night...I see Beckett plunking him next weekend

Anyone catch the crowd shot of Terry Hatcher on Idol last night? She looks like a surgery gone bad on Nip/Tuck...I thought it was Michael Jackson for a second

While good arguments can be made for either Brady or Manning as the best NFL QB there has never been a doubt that Manning is superior when it comes to fantasy football but I have a feeling this year Brady shoots to the top and will probably go very early in a lot of drafts

Boston is really having a bad week...The Sox lose 2 of 3 to the Yanks, The Celtics fall all the way to 5th in the draft and finally last night our own Joe Perry was on stage performing with Sanjaya. How low can you go Joe?

Nice of ESPN to show Roger going against the Sea Dogs last night, he definitely didn't look ready for prime time

Carrie Underwood in Playboy would set sales records

Are the Yankees Tiger Woods?

And the Red Sox Phil Mickelson?

How come there aren't more national articles about how the Red Sox are kicking ass and taking names in the AL East? Doesn't the team with the best record in MLB deserve some national attention?

A quick scan of ESPN.com and SI.com MLB front pages shows a link to one article about the Sox-Braves series and a multitude of articles about the Yankees' turmoil.

This led me to wonder if the Yankees are the MLB equivalient of Tiger Woods. When Woods is +2 on a Friday in any big tournament and Golfer X (call him Sean O'Hair if you want to) is -4, the headline is never Golfer X leads the Blankety-Blank Classic, it's always, Tiger Woods is 6 Strokes off the Lead. Now we all know that Tiger can and has made extraordinary comebacks over the weekend in a given tournament, but until it's Sunday and he's clearly out of it, they won't stop showing him.

So, here we are. The Red Sox have the best record in baseball and there are articles about Joe Torre, Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu, and a highlight clip of Derek Jeter, but only one article about the Red Sox in both of the major sports sites.

I guess we'll have to wait for the Sunday of the MLB season (August/September) to get any real attention.

If that's the case, in the end, I guess I don't really mind that much. I'd rather be Phil Mickelson wrapping up The Players on Sunday and taking home the trophy…

…and maybe Sunday will come early this year with another series victory in the Bronx.

Cheers,
-JS

2004 Redux

Any members of Patriot/Sox Nation remember 2004? Yes, that's the year we pulled off the bifecta winning our second Superbowl and our first World Series in 86 years. That was something else. Could this be the year that we repeat that feat?

Yes, it's only May and so my prediction is premature to say the least but I can't help feeling really good about both our local sports teams. According to ESPN, the Patriots and Red Sox are number 1 in their respective power ranking polls. Injuries could certainly change things in a hurry but that's the case for any team, right?

What is somewhat astounding to me is that right now the Sox have a 9 1/2 game lead on the Yankees. As the A's, Twins and other MLB teams have proven in recent years, no lead is ever safe in baseball but there is evidence to show that the Yanks have a tough road ahead. If the Sox go a mere 62-60 down the stretch (just a game over .500), they will win 90 games. The Yanks on the other hand would need to go 72-51 down the stretch to reach that same milestone. Not impossible mind you, but still a challenge given their starting pitching.

At the end of the day, the games still need to be played. Playoffs need to be won and rosters need to stay healthy. You gotta love our chances though. And with any luck, we may even end up with a franchise player in the NBA draft. If that happens, might we be looking at a trifecta in 2009?

A Letter to Ricky Marley (err... Williams)

Dear Ricky,

How are you doing? It's been a while since we've spoken, but I heard through the grapevine that you've had another tussle with the Commissioner. How does that happen?

You were so close to making a triumphant return to the NFL and now it looks like you're headed back to the CFL or maybe for a stint in Europe (gasp!).

Did someone sneak you a *brownie* or was it second hand smoke? Please tell me it wasn't by your own free will?

What's this going to cost you? A couple of million? How much pot would that buy you after you retire?

Have you thought about Dolphin fans? They must be crushed by this news. Hopefully, we'll have a post or two from them here.

Please take a minute to repond here... We'd love to hear what's really going on.

Best - Jim

The Incredible Shrinking Globe

Junior Gong leaves his fortified compound in Johnsvegas every morning and before he hops on the train grabs a copy of the Boston Globe for his morning commute to South Station. This costs him $0.75 and most days it isn't worth the money. He isn't sure the exact date that the Globe morphed into The Lowell Sun but sure enough their sports section today is no better than the local Lowell rag he read as a lad every evening.

The Sunday sports section used to be close to an hour's read in their heyday but now is finished within 15 to 20 minutes tops. During the week you can get through it during a 5 minute shit. Half the time the weekday editions contains as many AP articles as those by Globe columnists. Their so-called Big 4 are simply atrocious and all are well past their prime. Here is my quick rundown of their team:

• Shaughnessy-The only thing consistent about him is that he mails it in on a regular basis. I will actually be very surprised if we don't get an October preview of Detroit vs. Boston in the ALCS this week with the Tigers in town. Detroit has George Romney...we have Mitt. They have Kid Rock, we have Aerosmith. Comerica Tower and the Handcock Tower. Break out the template Dan.
• Ryan-The last interesting thing he had to say was that Joumana Kidd should be slapped. Boorish BC columns and pining away for the 80's NBA to return is no way to ride into the sunset. His bloated ego leads him to believe that his piss is really champagne.
• MacMullan-Great reading for an insomniac but hasn't produced a memorable article in the last several years
• Borges-Continues the fine tradition of plagiarism at the Globe picking up the torch from Mike Barnicle, Patricia Smith and Jeff Jacoby. He has had a major hard on for Belichick every since Bledsoe went down which makes his football articles mostly unbearable.

One of the most amazing things about these 4 is that print isn't even their worst medium. Ever catch any of them on TV?

I do enjoy McCabe on golf, Reiss on football and Blaudschun on horses & the NCAA but none of these talented folks get enough print in my opinion. Until the Globe puts out to pasture the aforementioned dinosaurs Junior Gong will continue to feel cheated most days when he drops down his $0.75.

Shame on me

I admit it, I threw in the towel yesterday in the 8th inning. I stopped watching the game just a bit too early. Just like most of the others that I have talked to. Ugh.

Thoughts that went through my head at the time:

• 7-1 is still a great record for Beckett, he was bound to lose at some point; and I'll take this loss over one from the Yankees or any meaningful game. And we can't take any risks with those blisters...
• If it was 5-3 I'd have time to watch the end of this game
• Manny is hurt, what the eff? Strike out Mo Pena, no thanks .. BTW, when is the last time that he has hit a meaningful homer/extra base hit any way? And we need one.
• There's probably going to be some cape traffic that I can beat if I leave now (I wasn't home, and needed to drive from the south shore into Boston); and I really would like to go for a run before the sun goes down
• Who is Jeremy Guthrie? Because I have never heard of him and he is lights out right against the best (and hottest) line up in baseball. Let him have his one day to out pitch someone like Beckett. Fine.
• That really pissed me off when Ortiz grounded into that double play (in the 6th I believe?) - they just don't have it together today

I was wrong. I, like many others let myself down by giving up yesterday. Perhaps I should go to red sox nation confession. I was bitter, and I walked away on my boys. I have to thank that Baltimore defense for their gifts though, much love to them and their mothers on this special day. They must be proud.

There's something special here though. Good teams don't come back when they are down 5 runs with 1 out in the 9th. This team is certainly not a good team. They are special. Would love to fast forward to October... when we are still up 8 games.

Strange Daze

Is it me or does it seem like this is too easy? The Sox take two out of three from Minnesota in the Metrodome, and three from the Jays where the home team forgot to show up. Unless Beckett suddenly pulls a Matt Clement on us, we'll take the rubber game of the series against the O's today.

To date, the starting pitching has been outstanding. Amazingly, the bullpen has been even better (2.20 ERA if you throw out Davern Hansack's garbage time against the Jays). The bats have started to heat up to the tune of 42 runs in the last five games. Oh yeah, the Sox are actually stealing bases, bunting and manufacturing runs too. Who are these guys?

What scares me is our lack of injuries when the teams around us are falling apart at the seams. The numerous woes in the Bronx have been well-documented in this blog. The Jays and O's must have been jealous and decided to follow the Yanks lead losing key components like BJ Ryan (Jays) and half the starting rotation (O's). Based on Doc Halladay's last two starts, he'll be on the DL soon.

As much as I love our early season success, I'm starting to get a little nervous. We've seen this pattern before where a team goes out and blows away the field early. The knights of the keyboard talk about how the team is going to run away with it. Next thing you know, the team is struggling down the stretch and either limps into the playoffs or misses the playoffs because they catch the losing bug when the games count.

The Sox, at least on paper, seem to be different. We know that the the starting rotation is a proven commodity. None of us are surprised that Beckett, Dice-K, Schilling and Wake are all off to good starts. We also expected the line up to produce and at least pieces of the bullpen to hold down the fort once Papelbon was re-elected to close. What we didn't expect is to be this healthy (was I the only one that thought JD Drew might already be on the 60 day DL?)

So maybe we will be more like the 1998 Yanks who won 114 games and went on to win the World Series. That team averaged 19 wins a month and maintained momentum all year long. Let's hope we're not the 2001 Mariners who won 116 but then lost in the second round to the Yanks.

Looking forward to today's game and Beckett being the first 8 game winner in MLB. Until then...

Rooster Ramblings

-- Seeing as the Red Sox have always been a major backer of the Jimmy Fund, I've got a fundraising idea sure to be a hit with the fans. The Sox brass donates a $1000 each time Curt Schilling issues a "no comment." The Rooster, for one, would be glad to donate to that cause.

-- If David Ortiz isn't convinced that Barry Bonds took steroids, who are the baseball reporters to argue? In the land of the talking heads and knights of the keyboards, there's an eery silence surrounding the physical validity of a certain soon-to-be 45-year-old who's returning and throwing in the 90s. I guess we're to assume these gifts are natural, fellas? The journalist silence on this is reminiscent of the lack of digging that occurred when Bonds broke the McGwire's single-season record. (Oh, and in related news, George Mitchell just ordered a steak at Abe & Louie's.)

-- Because he has been the era's most dominant closer (and player perhaps), the tendency is to assume that Mariano Rivera will, of course, bounce back from his early season troubles. But there are some troubling signs for the Yankees. Namely, when you faced Rivera in his prime -- well, even just last year -- and you went down two strikes early in the count, you knew what was coming: the high fastball. And was it the most unhittable pitch in the game. This year? Not so much. Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro (Marco Scutaro!) have already beaten Rivera in the ninth with home runs off the high heat and our own Jason Varitek repeatedly fought off the two-strike high heat in the Bronx (as big an indictment of the pitch as you'll find). It says here that the Yankees' fortunes the rest of the way will be tied more closely to Rivera finding that pitch than they will to Roger Clemens giving them five innings every fifth day.

-- Tom Caron is to NESN what Ernie Johnson, Jr. is to TNT.

-- Yeah, Year One was frightening, but how's Year Two of the Hanley Ramirez trade treating you? Beckett's 7-0 and Mike Lowell is on pace for a career year (making his feared $9MM salary a bargain). Meanwhile, Anibel Sanchez was just sent back to AAA by the Marlins. Props to you, Theo. (Now about that Arroyo deal ....)

-- This just in: Floyd Mayweather likes money.

-- There's a rumor floating around the NBA that if the Suns flame out against the Spurs, they are going to make a run at the No. 2 pick and Kevin Durant, sacrificing their first round pick (which could be as high as No. 5) and any player outside of Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. This, of course, could raise some interesting possibilities for the C's. Would you sacrifice Durant and a player (Gomes?) for the No. 5 pick and, say, Shawn Marion? I would. The scary part of this, however, is that the decision rests with Danny Ainge. While Danny has drafted well, he consistently has been fleeced in trades. This draft -- and subsequent off-season of moves -- is culmination of three years of playing the young'ns and building their value. Make the wrong moves now, and it will be devastating for the franchise. The lottery is May 22.

-- It's great to see old friend Christopher Trotman Nixon go 8-for-10 in back-to-back games against Orioles. Not so nice: seeing that SS Alex Gonzalez has 7 dingers for the Reds. I'm not so sure we will see a better defensive shortstop suit up for the Sox in our lifetimes.

-- Finally some sad news to report: I went to get me some ribs before a Sox game last week and discovered dust gathering on the tables and chairs at the Linwood Grille. Yup, the barbecue has been shut down for good. Apparently, it is going to re-open as an "American grille" at some point. Like we need more of those ... Bastards.

Money it's a gas...Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash

Money get back

I'm all right Jack keep your hands off my stack.

Money it's a hit

Don't give me that do goody good bullshit

I'm in the hi-fidelity first class traveling set

And I think I need a Lear jet

Today's announcement that Roger Clemens is coming out of retirement (the 4th time for those that are counting) and joining the New York Yankees came as no surprise to this observer. In fact I predicted as much in my earlier blog about Mo Rivera and his struggles. At almost every step of his career Roger has always been about the money and the Yankees were always going to be the highest bidder. I'm just thankful this happened as quick as it did so we wouldn't have to read crap article after crap article about this being such a tough decision for Roger and how torn he is over 3 teams. Roger is all about the money and if you can kiss his ass while handing over a king's ransom than all the better. Kudos the Yankee's organization for doing a great job on both counts.

This is a solid move for New York but one that they absolutely had to make given the state of their pitching. While it makes the Yankees better I remain quite happy he didn't come back to Boston. It would kill me to have to root for a Sox starting rotation that included two guys that make me cringe almost every time they address the media. Roger is a complete phony and despite his better living through chemistry I have doubts on just how effective he is going to be in the American League at age 45.

I prefer my lasting memories of Roger in a Red Sox uniform to be:

• Asking out of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series (go ask McNamara about this one)
• Wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shoe laces and eye paint before purposely getting himself tossed out of the final game of Oakland's sweep of Boston in 1990
• Being fat and out of shape his final four years here where he compiled a 40-39 record and cavorted around town with someone definitely not named Debbie

Rooster Ramblings

Let me get right to it ...

-- Big ups to the Sox brass for the annual new wrinkles to Fenway and their orchestrated tributes to the past. But who knew that this year’s loudest nod to the past would be to ... Schaeffer Stadium? I’m talking about the new Conigliaro’s Corner seats at Fenway. Um, steel benches surrounded by chain link fence and tacked on top of the right field skyboxes? I can’t confirm this, but rumor has it that Rod Rust is escorting people to their seats up there. And, as if the skyboxes themselves weren’t cold enough on April/early May nights ... by the seventh inning of Thursday’s game versus Seattle, those poor bastards atop the new seats looked like the plane crash survivors from the movie “Alive,” huddling together to protect from the wind. If that game went extra innings, there was definitely going to be bonfires lit and limbs barbecued up there.

-- If Dustin Pedroia wants to get a hit in his next at-bat, he should start his swing right ... about ... NOW! There’s only one pertinent Pedroia question left: before sending him back to Triple A, is management trying to merely strip him of his confidence or are they trying to crush his soul, too.

-- Reason No. 7607 to decline that invite to sit in the Green Room on draft day: just seconds after being selected 20 spots lower than you expected, a giggly Deion Sanders asks you on live TV how it feels to lose out on so many millions of dollars. Ouch ... Btw, the lasting memory of the Emasculated Brady Quinn era may be him sheepishly mouthing the words “Wow” to his girlfriend when Ginn’s name got called rather than his. With each successive pick, his girlfriend looked like she was morphing into a pissed-off Kelly Preston from “Jerry Maguire.” Brady, you PROMISED me you’d be a top five pick -- you LOSER! Homeboy better be careful or before long she’s going to be sending shots of herself in a bikini to Rich Eisen.

-- And another thing about the draft coverage – Hey, Suzy Kolber. I wannna kiiisssssss youuuu. In a perfect world, we'd get a drunk Joe Namath evaluating each draft pick. Now THAT would required viewing.

-- I've listened to more than a few people say that they are digging the NBA playoffs this year. Maybe the Golden State upset had a lot to do with that. Still, when I'm flipping channels and I see Barkley and the halftime show, I'm stopping and watching him for the halftime duration. The game action itself? As Borat would say,"Nawwwwwwwwwwt."

-- Finally, the Rooster comes to you today with a plea: it’s time we Boston sports fans band together and demand term limits be placed on sports writers and broadcasters in this town. The idea is simple. If you get a job as a writer at the Globe or a broadcaster at WBZ, you get four years in the dream job and you’re audi – no exceptions. New blood gets cycled in, and the old jaded blood can do as many guest spots on different shows as he or she wants. I mean, for a town that boasts of its educated population, how are we stuck year-after-year with the likes of Bob Lobel, who on his best day can only boast of being lucid? Then there’s his stooge sidekick Steve Burton and his comical habit of finishing his thoughts by looking straight into the camera, earnestly tilting his head and pursing his lips as if he’s just delivered some pearl of wisdom on Tom Brady being a “gamer.” (Note to Steve: the phrase “Really?”is NOT an acceptable follow-up question in an interview.) The Globe? Well, do I even need to waste my energy on them? The answer, friends: term limits! In fact, why not have open campaigns for national writers we’d like to have here to cover our teams? I’m ready to start The Committee to Elect TJ Simers. Who’s with me?

-- I lied. One last thing, a riddle: What makes a Rooster smile? A: A 10-game lead over the Yankees at the All-Star break.

The Josh Hancock Legacy

I don't even know where to start with this whole Josh Hancock situation, so I guess a stream of consciousness will have to do...

When the news first came out, I was a bit surprised everyone (the entire league) was jumping on the "Josh Hancock is a hero that was taken from us too soon" bandwagon. I had a conversation with Aaron right after the initial news came out, commenting on how it seemed premature. Let's see... he was 29, single, in his hometown on a Saturday night (after 12:15am) and driving on a highway when he slammed into the back end of a tow truck with its emergency lights on... it sounded a bit like alcohol might have been involved.

The only tragedy here is the poor decisions he made that night:
1. Drinking too much (twice the legal limit in Missouri)
2. Refusing a cab ride from the restaurant manager.
3. Talking on the phone while driving too fast.
4. Not wearing a seatbelt (although experts say this wouldn't have saved his life in this case).

The irony is that his team (St Louis Cardinals) is owned by the Busch family, who made their fortune brewing beer, which might just have been at the center of this "tragedy." They're now planning to ban beer in the St Louis clubhouse after games... what's next, banning brats for the Brewers?

I'll echo what St Louis Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklaszf wrote this morning... "If you want to honor Josh Hancock, remember how he died and call a taxi for yourself, or for someone next to you."

Your thoughts?

Boston Sucks Chant?

Apparently it actually happened:
Boston Sucks Chant Heard in Bronx

Wow. That's awesome. See my post on 4/25 if you're wondering why I think this is cool.

Did anyone else here this?

Cheers,
-JS