Running Commentary from Last Night's Game

Given the quality of the broadcasting team (or lack thereof) that Fox threw against the game, Jim and I decided to do a little color commentary of our own. These comments have been edited slightly to protect the innocent. Enjoy:


[20:34] Aaron: wait -- one of the announcers just said something funny!
[20:34] Lil' Jim: can someone please kill the guy banging that drum
[20:34] Aaron: paul byrd said "this may be the slowest throwing combo of starters of any game this year"
[20:34] Lil' Jim: ...and his geriatric father sitting next to him
[20:35] Aaron: Tim McCarver is going to tell us EVERYTHING there is to know about batting against a knuckleballer
[20:36] Aaron: but of course none of it will actually be true
[20:36] Lil' Jim: can we ask him to tell us how to hit someone who uses an old school wind-up
[20:36] Aaron: phew
[20:36] Lil' Jim: amen
[20:36] Aaron: I think you're about to find that out
[20:36] Aaron: in spades
[20:36] Lil' Jim: can you give me a moment before you announce what happens
[20:36] Lil' Jim: i'm on HD and about 5 seconds behind you
[20:37] Aaron: aha
[20:37] Aaron: sure thing ;)
[20:37] Lil' Jim: the fact that the guy in this Taco Bell commercial goes 1 - 2 - C has annoyed me since I first say it
[20:38] Lil' Jim: can they f-ing edit it a little better
[20:38] Aaron: sorry -- I'm already back to the game -- Lowell just hit a five run homer
[20:38] Aaron: oh, sox just won
[20:38] Aaron: sorry man, I forgot you were on delay
[20:38] Lil' Jim: lol


[20:41] Lil' Jim: double wind up to manny?
[20:41] Aaron: I wan't manny to hit a 600 foot shot and then just stand there for an hour
[20:41] Aaron: yes! first hit of the game
[20:41] Aaron: go Manny
[20:42] Lil' Jim: huh - i thought big papi was still up
[20:43] Aaron: it's already the fifth inning
[20:43] Aaron: what inning is it on your tv?
[20:43] Lil' Jim: game three - eighth inning
[20:43] Aaron: wow -- you're really behind
[20:44] Aaron: it's game seven on my tv -- sox are up 3 games to 2
[20:45] Aaron: Go JD!!!
[20:46] Lil' Jim: if they have another bases-loaded, no one out situation and don't score... i'm going to do a shot of barenjaegar
[20:46] Aaron: nope -- Coco will save us from that anguish
[20:47] Aaron: why do I smell a 1-0 combined 2 hitter going into the 9th inning in this one with the bad guys on top
[20:47] Lil' Jim: nope
[20:47] Aaron: it's like the reverse reverse lock
[20:50] Lil' Jim: dancing
[20:50] Aaron: knock on wood but it seems like good wakefield may have shown up for this game
[20:50] Lil' Jim: i'm knocking on my wood
[20:51] Aaron: huh, huh, huh, huh, hem, he, heh... you said "wood"
[20:51] Lil' Jim: yep
[20:52] Lil' Jim: wake will be taking questions between innings
[20:53] Aaron: not the way the sox are going -- 5 pitch innings
[20:53] Aaron: um, guys
[20:53] Aaron: there's no time limit on this game
[20:53] Lil' Jim: right
[20:54] Lil' Jim: feel free to take a pitch or two
[20:54] Lil' Jim: especially when you're behind in the count... "Paul Byrd knows how to throw balls for strikes when he's ahead in the count... it's uncanny!"
[20:55] Lil' Jim: thanks Tim
[20:55] Aaron: give Wake a chance to at least take a piss in between innings
[20:55] Aaron: yes - did you know that he's thrown more first pitch strikes than any other pitcher in MLB?
[20:56] Lil' Jim: double wind up coming
[20:57] Aaron: good thing about this game is that it will be over by 9:15
[20:57] Lil' Jim: i'm surprised this ump didn't call that a strike
[20:57] Aaron: the first 3-2 count of the game
[20:57] Lil' Jim: high and tight
[20:58] Aaron: "Tim, did you know that pitchers HAVE to throw strikes in 3-2 counts?"
[20:58] Aaron: "otherwise, the batter walks"
[21:01] Lil' Jim: chin music
[21:01] Lil' Jim: swear to god... i typed that before tim said it
[21:01] Aaron: guess those terrible towels didn't work so good
[21:03] Aaron: a HR here wouldn't suck
[21:03] Lil' Jim: hey big papi - how about a first pitch hack into the right field seats
[21:03] Lil' Jim: bad knee and all
[21:03] Aaron: yes
[21:06] Aaron: and he... ohhhh
[21:08] Lil' Jim: right to the shortstop... playing the the right of 2nd base
[21:09] Aaron: I'm not sure I get all this hype from the announcers and now the ads about Cleveland winning
[21:09] Aaron: they know that NOBODY will watch the world series if it's Colorado and Cleveland
[21:09] Aaron: well, maybe 50K people in Cleveland
[21:09] Aaron: that's it
[21:10] Lil' Jim: cleveland v colorado draws two markets... count 'em... 1...2....
[21:10] Aaron: I'm thinking just 1
[21:10] Aaron: I don't think the people in Colorado actually know there's a team outside the Broncos
[21:14] Lil' Jim: well
[21:14] Lil' Jim: they're in the f-ing world series
[21:14] Lil' Jim: MLB should pull the franchise
[21:14] Aaron: they'll find that out once the Broncos lose in the playoffs
[21:14] Aaron: the fans will be like, "I wonder how them Rockies did this year"
[21:14] Lil' Jim: mirabelli boxed it to look like a ball
[21:14] Aaron: and someone will say, "they f-ing won the world series you a-hole"
[21:15] Aaron: and they'll say, "but the broncos lost"
[21:15] Lil' Jim: tim just said stiff
[21:15] Aaron: huh, huh, huh, huh, hem, he, heh... you said "stiff"
[21:17] Lil' Jim: way to sacrifice the body Youk!

[21:24] Lil' Jim: not hard to get JD on a swinging strike
[21:24] Aaron: nope
[21:25] Aaron: go JD
[21:25] Aaron: who knew
[21:26] Lil' Jim: JD's gonna take second
[21:26] Aaron: fuck
[21:26] Aaron: how many hard hit fly outs are the Sox gonna hit
[21:26] Lil' Jim: yup
[21:26] Lil' Jim: it's killing us
[21:32] Aaron: that was the first hit by the Tribe tonight
[21:32] Aaron: of course it took McCarver 30 seconds more than me to figure that out
[21:32] Aaron: had to wake him up from his nap
[21:33] Lil' Jim: me too
[21:38] Aaron: you know it's a bad night when Doug Mirabelli is the most disciplined hitter on your team
[21:44] Aaron: okay, who called a 1-0 game going into the 9th?
[21:45] Aaron: blake almost fell over hitting that one
[21:47] Lil' Jim: i have Tom H heckling me
[21:47] Lil' Jim: this is bad
[21:48] Lil' Jim: that shouldn't have been called a hit by pitch
[21:48] Lil' Jim: he f-ing leaned into it
[21:52] Aaron: im sure
[21:56] Lil' Jim: we need our bats to come alive
[21:56] Aaron: ya think?
[21:56] Aaron: I told Melanie during that first game
[21:56] Lil' Jim: we can't go meekly
[21:56] Aaron: that I was nervous that the Sox were blowing their entire wad
[21:56] Aaron: and low and behold...
[21:56] Lil' Jim: wake's pitching a good game so far
[21:56] Aaron: yes
[21:56] Aaron: and if you think about it
[21:57] Lil' Jim: shut up joe
[21:57] Aaron: at least 50% of the time he makes that catch on the comebacker
[21:57] Aaron: and it's double play
[21:57] Lil' Jim: uhuh
[21:57] Lil' Jim: they're not gonna win if they don't f-ing score
[21:58] Aaron: that's a good point "Tim"
[21:58] Lil' Jim: "the interesting thing about this game is you just can't win if you don't score any runs"
[21:59] Aaron: you've gotta be kidding me
[21:59] Aaron: still the 5th
[21:59] Aaron: maybe all this waiting around will get to Byrd
[22:00] Lil' Jim: maybe
[22:00] Aaron: do you think Cleveland would notice if the Sox next pitcher warmed up for 45 minutes
[22:00] Aaron: Wake should have pretended he was hurt
[22:00] Lil' Jim: "paul byrd might need to go to the triple wind up to warm up after the layoff he's had between the the fifth and sixth innings"
[22:03] Aaron: game over
[22:03] Aaron: good night
[22:04] Lil' Jim: "manny delcarmen throws the ball a lot harder than Tim Wakefield... watch for clevland hitters to throw some balls over the right field wall...
[22:04] Lil' Jim: so discouraging
[22:04] Aaron: if's f-ing cleveland for god's sake
[22:05] Aaron: they have one good pitcher
[22:05] Aaron: and a bunch of guys named "ass druple"
[22:05] Lil' Jim: delcarmen's arm is dead
[22:05] Lil' Jim: i wish we had a guy like gagne
[22:05] Aaron: get him the freak out of there
[22:05] Aaron: can we trade gagne to them for a bag of sh!t
[22:06] Lil' Jim: tim, you lost me somewhere at leadoff
[22:07] Aaron: maybe the ump could throw us a bone here and call lofton out?
[22:07] Aaron: somewhere, Selig is calling the ump union saying guys
[22:07] Lil' Jim: he was safe
[22:08] Aaron: f-ing Cleveland and Colorado in the world series?
[22:08] Aaron: i don't think so
[22:08] Aaron: FIX THIS SITUATION NOW!!!
[22:08] Aaron: (I know he was safe)
[22:08] Lil' Jim: we're making cleveland looking like the 49 Yankees
[22:08] Lil' Jim: this is f-ing CLEVELAND
[22:09] Aaron: well, we came back from 3-0 in 2004
[22:09] Aaron: you've got to be sh!tting me
[22:09] Aaron: this is getting ridiculous
[22:09] Lil' Jim: holy sh!t
[22:09] Aaron: get him the hell out of the game NOW!!!
[22:09] Lil' Jim: they have a big f-ing horseshoe up their ass
[22:11] Lil' Jim: time for me to cry
[22:11] Aaron: go pats
[22:11] Lil' Jim: yupper
[22:12] Aaron: "Well Tim, something tells me the Sox shouldn't have scored all those runs on their first night"
[22:12] Aaron: oh good, Lester's loosening
[22:12] Aaron: that's almost as comforting as hearing "Gagne's coming in in a tied game in the 11th"
[22:13] Lil' Jim: how do you think byrd's feeling
[22:13] Aaron: right about now, a little stiff
[22:14] Aaron: if they can get three this inning
[22:14] Lil' Jim: they'll give him a really short leash
[22:14] Aaron: two in the seventh and three in the 8th
[22:14] Aaron: we're all set
[22:15] Aaron: that is of course if the sox can ever get a 3rd f-ing out in this inning
[22:15] Aaron: why is Francona not taking him out of the game?
[22:15] Aaron: he hasn't gotten an out yet
[22:15] Aaron: get him OUT
[22:15] Aaron: it's Kelly Shoppach for god's sake
[22:16] Aaron: I think he's batting .045
[22:16] Aaron: throw three pitches right down the plate
[22:16] Aaron: he's only got a 1-20 shot of hitting it
[22:18] Aaron: here we go Red Sox... here we go... here we go Red Sox... here we go
[22:19] Lil' Jim: this is our countrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry
[22:19] Aaron: has john cougar watermellon cougar melloncamp released a new album in the last twenty years?
[22:19] Lil' Jim: yes
[22:20] Aaron: I think he did one in the eighties and it just keeps getting recycled
[22:20] Lil' Jim: this is ooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuur countrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry
[22:20] Aaron: for Ford commercials
[22:21] Lil' Jim: have you played with web apps with the iphone?
[22:21] Aaron: nope
[22:21] Lil' Jim: some cool stuff
[22:22] Aaron: I'm sure
[22:22] Aaron: I'll have to check it out
[22:22] Lil' Jim: http://www.apple.com/webapps/
[22:22] Lil' Jim: i was playing with it this weekend
[22:22] Aaron: there's one back
[22:22] Aaron: 1 down, 6 to go
[22:22] Lil' Jim: ok
[22:22] Aaron: and byrd looks rusty
[22:22] Aaron: all of a sudden
[22:22] Lil' Jim: let's hope it's not too little too late
[22:22] Aaron: yes
[22:22] Aaron: if they can get 3-4 this inning
[22:22] Aaron: I think we can pull it off
[22:24] Lil' Jim: paul byrd is out soon
[22:24] Aaron: two down
[22:24] Aaron: five to go
[22:24] Aaron: here we go red sox, here we go
[22:24] Lil' Jim: bingo
[22:26] Aaron: wait, don't you want to leave Byrd in for a few more batters to see if he turns it around?
[22:26] Aaron: you should really save your bullpen for tomorrow night
[22:29] Aaron: you know, I wonder if any team has ever gone "back to back to back" in the ALCS
[22:30] Lil' Jim: shut up joe
[22:30] Lil' Jim: SHUT UP
[22:30] Lil' Jim: SHHHHHHHHUT UP
[22:31] Aaron: I would honestly chip in $50 to NOT hear these guys announce this series
[22:31] Aaron: I'll bet others would to
[22:31] Aaron: maybe that could be a PR stunt/money maker for Fox
[22:31] Lil' Jim: good at bat by manny
[22:31] Aaron: shall we suggest it?
[22:31] Lil' Jim: looking for a pitch to hit
[22:31] Aaron: he is the king of 0-2 to 3-2 counts
[22:31] Aaron: I'll bet he leads the league in that category
[22:32] Lil' Jim: is that his pocket hanging out? only manny
[22:32] Aaron: of course
[22:32] Aaron: so there goes ALCS history
[22:33] Aaron: let's see, what did I say?
[22:33] Lil' Jim: what was tek doing there
[22:33] Aaron: if the sox get 3 in this inning
[22:33] Aaron: 2 in the 7th
[22:33] Aaron: and three in the 8th?
[22:33] Lil' Jim: BACK TO BACK TO BACK
[22:33] Aaron: kind of wishing that delcarmen hadn't given up that 3 run homer right now
[22:34] Lil' Jim: right
[22:34] Lil' Jim: well... would be a great comeback
[22:34] Lil' Jim: speaking of a back breaker
[22:34] Aaron: yes
[22:35] Aaron: i like their referencing of that four consecutive HR game against the Yanks
[22:35] Aaron: Tim and chums must have just received the call from Selig
[22:36] Aaron: "Gents, if Cleveland wins this series, you're all fired"
[22:36] Aaron: Tim - shut the "f" up
[22:36] Lil' Jim: is it just the sixth?
[22:36] Aaron: Varitek is easily twice as good a defensive player as Mirabelli
[22:36] Aaron: yup
[22:36] Lil' Jim: right
[22:37] Lil' Jim: TIM - SHUT UP
[22:40] Lil' Jim: Lester
[22:40] Lil' Jim: heaven help us
[22:40] Aaron: no kidding
[22:40] Aaron: at least it's a clean inning
[22:41] Aaron: he hasn't thrown four straight balls
[22:41] Aaron: that's the upside
[22:43] Aaron: oops, spoke too soon
[22:43] Aaron: wow -- that last sentence had 7 "o's" in it
[22:50] Aaron: okay
[22:50] Aaron: all we need is two here
[22:54] Aaron: here we go!
[22:55] Lil' Jim: ok
[22:55] Aaron: oh good, I thought you had gone to bed
[22:57] Lil' Jim: nice twin killing
[22:58] Aaron: you've got to be kidding me with that catch
[23:07] Aaron: "kenny, when the ball goes down the middle of the plate and you have two strikes on you, it's a good idea to swing"
[23:07] Lil' Jim: lol
[23:08] Aaron: where was lester in the 5th?
[23:08] Lil' Jim: i have to keep you minimized because you're like 15 secs ahead of me
[23:08] Lil' Jim: this guy iritates me
[23:09] Aaron: which guy? remember, you're two games behind me
[23:09] Lil' Jim: the iphone guy
[23:09] Aaron: oh yeah
[23:10] Lil' Jim: " i needed a bag to carry them all around"
[23:10] Lil' Jim: don't be a f-ing loser
[23:10] Aaron: btw, ortiz and manny just went back to back
[23:10] Lil' Jim: get a phone - use it - if you need a new one - get one
[23:10] Lil' Jim: and you are now... minimized
[23:11] Lil' Jim: now or never man
[23:11] Aaron: yup
[23:14] Aaron: do we get points for pop ups?
[23:16] Lil' Jim: yeah
[23:16] Lil' Jim: selig's keeping track
[23:17] Lil' Jim: each one is a bullet in the umps if the sox lose the series
[23:18] Aaron: yup
[23:18] Aaron: the announcers have already started trying way too hard to tempt fate
[23:19] Aaron: they've mentioned 2004 three times
[23:34] Aaron: of course
[23:34] Aaron: how fitting
[23:34] Aaron: good night and good luck
[23:36] Lil' Jim: gnight

Gagne.

Again, he sucks.

Death and Taxes

So imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to find out that the Sox won in walk off fashion last night to go up 2-0 on the Halos. I stayed up a late as I could (11:40) but decided to record innings 8-9 on my DVR. Of course I was wide awake at 5:45 this morning so I got up to watch the rest of the game. Wow!

This dramatic win (thank you Danny Vinik for taking the ball away from Anaheim catcher, Jeff Mathis) combined with the Yanks equally dramatic -- and buggy -- loss last night, got me to thinking about the big picture. I've always been told that there are two certainties in life, death and taxes. I think we can now add two more:

1. Red Sox always beat the Angels in the ALDS. My buddies (yes, that's you Lil' Jim) keep giving me a hard time about being over confident before the deal is done. I don't care. We've seen enough historical data to make this assertion. Sox will fly home from Anaheim/Los Angeles/Long Beach with the series in hand.
   
   
2. ARod continues to play the role of "cooler" in the playoffs. I don't care that he batted .900 this year, hit 650 HRs and knocked in 2,000 RBI during the regular season - come playoff time, he becomes a different player. So far, he is 0-6 in this year's ALDS, part of a 28 at bat hitless streak in the playoffs.
   
   There was talk earlier about Boston signing him if he opts out of his contract. The Sox under NO circumstances should do this, not even if he agrees to come and play for free.
   

If we had Tim Wakefield or Jon Lester going in game three, I might not be so sure about a Sox sweep. But for all his blow-hardedness, Schilling is a big game pitcher, especially after his boy Beckett pitched lights out in game one. Plus, the Angels have to be feeling a little demoralized after their eighth straight post-season loss to the Sox. It's not like bringing Lackey back on three days rest is going to solve the problem either. For as good as that guy has been this season, he's been horrendous against Boston.

This might be sound like heresy because I dislike the Yanks as much as anyone but I wouldn't mind seeing the Bronx Bombers win a game or two just to make things tense for both teams. Even better would be to have three more extra inning games with the Tribe winning a dramatic game 5 16 inning victory. Ideally, Fausto Carmona will have to come in to pitch 5 of those innings and won't be able to pitch until game four of the ALCS>

Are you ready for some football?

Cahhhhhhhhstanza!

I take it all back.


BTW, some smart guy got quoted in this article.

Redemption!

Magic number is now zero. The playoff matchups are set (I'm not so secretly relieved to be playing Anaheim vs. Cleveland in the first round).

One picture sums it up...

Three Reasons Why the Sox Needed this Win

The Sox win over Tampa Bay tonight was a big one. A REALLY big one. Below are three reasons we needed this win more than any other win this season:

1. They clinched a playoff spot. Yes, nobody in Red Sox Nation will be happy with anything short of the AL East title but at a minimum, we're in the playoffs. The magic number to clinch the east is now 6.
   
2. The Sox stay 2 1/2 ahead of the Yanks who pulled one out of their ass in a slugfest against the pesky Blue Jays. I was praying for another 14 inning heartbreaker for the Yanks but what can you do. At least it happened last night.
3. The Sox still have the best record in baseball. Maintaining this status will make the Sox job of getting back to the fall classic immeasurably easier.

Two other reasons why this game was much needed:

1. This was a come from behind win. These types of wins have been few and far between this season. It's really too bad that Javier Lopez had to blow this game for Dice K who pitched a great game tonight (two good starts in a row now.)
2. Gagne and Papelbon looked "Gagne" and "Papelbon-esque". Even better, Jacoby Ellsbury continues his otherworldly hitting. Varitek finally has a big game (including a game tying HR in the 9th) and even JD Drew chipped in with his bat.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring but history says that Wake pitches well in TB. His last outing was okay so maybe tomorrow he can turn things around. At least for tonight, we can feel a little bit good about our home time boys.

September Swoon? Who Cares

Although the Sox don't WANT to lose the American League East to the Yanquis, it may not matter. There's a recent track record of teams (check out who wont the World Series last year) of teams that don't do well in September yet succeed in October. See what Tom Caron of NESN has to say about this matter...

Ouch.

4 thoughts that I could not get out of my head during the Gagne filth of last night:

1. He sucks, I hate him. Why was I excited for 3 days fro when I heard the sox were signing him until he actually pitched this summer? Tito, sit his ass on the bench and don't bring him into any games unless we have a double digit lead.

2. I have the worst fantasy football team on Earth. And it drives me insane. And I made it even worse by listening to people say that Alex Smith will have a big year. No, he won't. And I put Jake Delhomme on waivers to pick Smith up. I am dumb. My team was bad enough as it is.

3. When Manny is ready to come back (now please). JD Drew should be on the bench too. Ramirez, Crisp, and Ellsbury should be our outfield. Every game. I don't care. They are good. Drew sucks.

4. Ouch. Unless I am going to play professional football or hockey I should not be deadlifting in the gym. I can't get out of this chair on my own. Everything hurts in my body (and my mind now that the sox are going to be fighting for the wild card - and I can't even look forward to my fantasy football team).

Axe to Grind

Am I the only one that's more than a little annoyed with the bull shit that's coming out of New Jersey these days? Let's get one thing clear -- I'm not a Patriot's apologist. Belichick and the Pats cheated, they got caught, they got punished, story over. But that's not good enough for Eric Mangina. He wants more trouble to come the Patriots way.

Let me throw a few simple facts on the table. The Jets got crushed by the Pats in week one. Jarvis Green alone sacked Chad Pennington three times, eventually knocking Pennington out of the game. The Jets got crushed last week by Balitmore. The score said 20-13 but it wasn't that close. It was 20-3 up until the fourth quarter.

So maybe the Pats had an advantage in week one against the Jets because they cheated (although I doubt it). In week two after getting severely punished by the NFL ($750k in penalties and likely the loss of a first round pick), there is no chance the Pats are still cheating in week two. What do they do? They come out and absolutely demolish San Diego, the team that many experts picked as third best in the league, 38-14 (and it wasn't that close.)

Honestly, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at the Pats and realize that they are so loaded with talent and heart, they are head and shoulders better than anyone in the league with the exception of maybe the Colts. It was stupid of them to even think about cheating given that fact but they did. But they got caught and paid the price.

Here's where the real rub is. Didn't Eric Mangini used to work for Belichick? That's right, as his defensive coordinator if I'm not mistaken. So how did he know about the Pats illegally taping his signals on defense. Did he divine it? Or is there a chance that he may have participated in a little taping himself when he was with the Pats?

What I can guarantee you is that Mangini is finished in this league. His team is going 7-9 this season. They'll go 5-11 next season and he'll get fired. After that, he'll be lucky if he gets a job as a Pop Warner coach. There's an unwritten rule in football (and any pro sport for that matter) that you don't tattle on other coaches, especially when there's no heat on you to do so. Mangini broke ranks and not only snitched on his former boss once but now is pushing the issue and claiming that the Pats were also illegally communicating with their defensive players by sending in signals into electronic ear pieces in week one.

Enough is enough. To make it worse, you get jerks like Chris Collinsworth (this guy really played football?) saying that the Pats should forfeit their next game against the Jets and a playoff game if they make the playoffs. Really Chris? Really? Maybe we should tar and feather Belichick and then hang him in Copley Square. He cheated, it was stupid, he and the Patriots were punished, let's move on.

Would you want to be the Buffalo Bills next week? Didn't think so.

Walk Off

Wow. We needed that one. How long has it been since Papi came to the plate in the 9th with the tying run on first base this season and actually driven in the winning run? Yes, we were spoiled last season. And yes, Papi has hit some clutch hits this season. But it seems like he had so many of those games last year.

It would have been a real shame to piss this one away considering the fact that the D-Rays scored all their runs in the 1st inning. They also needed this one to give them a little cushion going into the series with NY this weekend.

The player of the game? Yes, Papi was the king but Julian Tavarez was a close second. Go Sox!

Simply Amazin'

Wow, what a range of emotions last night's game brought. When I looked at the score on my iPhone, it was already 5-1, TB, and Wakefield was getting pulled from the game. Next thing I knew, it was 9-6, TB, and at this point, I decided to flip the game on. It didn't take much longer for the Tampa Bay bullpen to complete its implosion.

What amazes me is how a crappy Tampa Bay team can hold one of the most potent offenses in the league to no runs the night before in a 1-0 loss, only to give up 20 hits and 16 runs the following night. The silver lining is the fact that Schilling looked sharp in spite of taking the loss. The Sox bullpen also held their ground.

Two other pieces of good news. Ellsbury hit his 3rd HR of the season and extended his hitting streak to 11 games last night. The magic number is also 12 (a number which could be cut in half with a sweep this weekend).

I can't say as though I feel completely confident about the Sox playoff run given their hitting and pitching inconsistencies but we're in a hell of a lot better situation this year then we were last year at this point of the season. This weekend will tell us a lot about what the Sox are made of. Bring on the Bombers!

1 of 3?

I'm going to go back to my comment, way back when, at the beginning of the season when we were just edging towards a double digit lead in the division. At the time, I think I said something like, 'it doesn't feel like the Sox are that good.' Well it doesn't. And they aren't. They have good pitching. But they still just can't put a good offensive game together against any decent pitching.

Last night was brutal watching an ancient Clemens throw that many walks but still carry a no-no into the 6th inning. Papi's dinger brought welcome relief, and it simply seemed unbelievable that JD Drew actually got a hit. Of course his next at bat when he could have plated the tying run he flailed at a slider, looking as pathetic as he did the night before.

So continuing a theme...we need some offense! Hopefully the answers are down on the farm and our 25 man roster looks slightly different going into the post-season when rosters contract again.

Seems crazy that I was calling for a Red Sox sweep three days ago. Now I just hope that we can limp out of the Bronx with at least one win.

Here's looking at you Schilling.

Cheers,
-JS

Deja Vu All Over Again

Cross-posted on dicenation.com

Last night's loss to the Yankees was tough to stomach. Although it wasn't quite a gut punch game, it was definitely frustrating. Yes, the Sox are still 7 games up in the AL East -- a lead they will maintain with a win tonight or tomorrow -- but this game dredged up bad memories of past Yankee dominance.

To me, this game was reminiscent of 2003. Good starting pitching from both sides. A sprinkling of home runs shifting the balance of the game back and forth. A crushing blow in the 7th inning (in this case, a 2 run HR by Damon) and then a lights out performance by the Yank's pen. It's been a while since anyone not named Mariano Rivera (and even he has been shaky at times) has instilled fear into the hearts of batters in the bigs.

I've gotta tell you, new guy, Joba Chamberlain, can bring it. I was a little skeptical when I first heard that the Yanks were trading one of their arms (Proctor), for a bat (Betimet) with the assumption that Chamberlain would fill the void in the already leaky bullpen. Memories of Craig Hanson replacing dart throwing closer, Keith Foulke, came to mind. The kid has been darn good though and has brought an element of stability to the Yanks staff.

One has to feel for the Yankees fans just a little. Now I know that the season's not over and that the Yanks very well could be the entrant for the AL Wild Card, but they seem to be doing too little too late. After a serious ass kicking at the hands of Detroit (hello 16-0), they come back and play some serious baseball against the league leading Sox. If they had done a little more of that before the All Star break, the Sox would be in some serious poop right now.

With that said, I like the Sox odds tonight with the young Texan, Beckett, matching up against his idol and fellow Texan, Clemens. Clemens still has game left in him but I don't see him overpowering the Sox tonight. Having Manny out of the lineup tonight will hurt but with the way Papi, Lowell, Pedroia, Crisp and Lugo have been swinging the bats, we should be fine.

One can't help but wonder, however, if the Sox can stand to wait two more days for September call ups before promoting rookie phenom, Jacoby Ellsbury, to provide some pop in the outfield. Boston.com just reported that neither Manny nor Bobby Kielty will be available tonight so Lugo is the emergency 4th outfielder (ouch). On that happy note, go Sox!

Time to Sweep out The Yankees

OK. After last night's 16-0 loss to the Tigers in which we saw Mike Mussina's 3rd(?) bad loss in a row, I think it's finally, finally, time to put the Yankees to bed. It did get scary there for awhile. Less so, because of how close it got in the standings, but more around the fact that they were playing great and the Sox were just plodding along. Coming off a glorious four game sweep of the White Sox, granted they suck, where the Good Sox scored 46 runs, our guys have to be feeling pretty confident...and the Yanks must be feeling like John Daly waking up with a new wife after a hard bender.

So, in order for the Spankees to have any hope of getting back into the division race, hah, they need to sweep. If they win 2 of 3 this series, it's a loss for them. One game is not enough. On the other hand if the Red Sox win 2 of 3 the Spanks can probably start booking their October tee times, as they will have lost 8 of their last 10 games.

Now I don't want to jinx it, (knock, knock) but I think we might be in for a treat in which the Red Sox get some revenge for the Boston Massacre of last year, and sweep the Yankees right out their home park. Baseball gods please don't get angry, but there it is. Just like we needed the pain of '03 to make '04 happen, I think the pain of '06 will help to make '07 glorious.

Here's looking forward to a great series in which the Red Sox can finally claim the division.

Cheers,
-JS

It Starts with Nos. 4 and 5

Let me start by saying that the Sox magic number is 26. If they can take two out of three from the Yanks starting on Tuesday, it's game over (officially this time.)

I do find it amusing that I live in a town where the baseball team owns the best record in the majors, is second in the majors in ERA, 8th in defense, 4th in runs scored and 6 1/2 up on the second place team in the division yet you hear nothing but doom and gloom on the radio. C'mon guys, really? I know it's been tough losing hold of a seemingly insurmountable 14 1/2 game lead (reminiscent of 1978, I know) but it hasn't been like the Sox have been stinking out the joint.

Let's hope that yesterday's twin-killing combined with today's massacre of the hapless ChiSox (35 runs scored in three games) is the start of a resurgence of the Sox bats. We know that Papi has been coming on strong. He's been lights out the last couple of weeks. Lugo and Crisp have finally turned things around. Lowell has continued to be Lowell of 2003 hitting for both power and average. Pedroia is rookie of the year material and Youkilis is finally showing signs of coming out of his two month slump.

So back to the title of this post... The thing I've been most impressed with this season (and a major but often uncited reason for the Sox's success this season) is the production from their 4th and 5th pitchers. During the last few years, the no. 5 in particular was a killer. Last year they marched out a dozen options in the five slot -- Snyder, Tavarez, Hansack, Dinardo, Johnson, Lester, etc. -- with very little success. Lester offered the most stability in that slot but that was short-lived after his diagnosis with cancer.

This year, the Sox have had much better production out of the 4th spot -- Wake has 16 "league leading" wins and has been mostly untouchable -- and that's led to less stress on the bullpen. The 5th slot hasn't been quite as reliable as Wake but it's done pretty darn good. Tavarez (see my earlier post, Julian Rising) has been a better than serviceable fifth starter. Lester has been good, not great. One might argue that 9-10 isn't exactly something to jump up and down about but given the fact that many of those starters by the no. 5 pitcher have been quality (or at least 5+ innings) has been a godsend. It's one of the reasons that the Sox bullpen has been near the tops in the majors this year.

A few other random notes to mention:

• * When I saw the score of the Rangers and O's game the other night, 30-3 with our own, Kason Gabbard (6-1) getting the win, I thought it was a misprint. I thought to myself, that's got to be some sort of a record. Well, in fact it was the most runs scored in an MLB game since 1940. Pretty amazing.
  
  
• * Think Doug Mirabelli has polished off his resume yet? Cash has looked pretty darn respectable in catching two of Wakie's games so far. Oh yeah, he may not hit much but he's got the same average as Mirabelli, makes 50% what he does and he's 7 years younger.
  
  
• * Amazing how much more polished the Pats looked in their third game last night. Supposedly, this is the one that counts the most in the pre-season as the starters traditionally don't play more than a few downs in the final exhibition. Barring any injuries, the defense is going to be ruthless this year.

Big series between the Sox and the Yankees next week. To be honest, I'd love to see the Sox win every game 1-0 just to tweak the Yankees noses. Probably won't happen. In fact, if I were a betting man, I'd say the games are going to go 4-2, 7-5, and 2-1. My money is on the Sox winning the first and last games.

Anyone miss Wily Mo yet?

Going Elvis

It is the top of the 6th inning and in honor the upcoming anniversary of the King's death, I am thinking of going Elvis on my computer screen. Hide the freaking shotgun, cause this is one frustrating game.

Pitching and Defense

This has been cross-posted on sister site - http://dicenation.com

Pitching and defense wins games. At least that's what they say when it comes playoff time in Major League Baseball. There are two reasons why I agree with that theory:

1. Anyone that has ever tried to hit a ball in 50 degree weather (the average nighttime temperature in late September/early October) can tell you that it's not a pleasant feeling. It's essential that you hit the ball with the meat of the bat. Anything below that and your hands sting for hours afterward.
2. By the time you've played a 162 game season, players are tired. Most batters have 400-500 plate appearances which translates into somewhere between 1,500-2,000 "rip your arms out of your sockets" swings for many big leaguers. Granted, pitchers grind through the same 162 games but in most cases, starting pitchers have only pitched 35-40 times at an average of 6-7 innings/game.
   

Why I'm harping on this age old concept of "pitching and defense?" is because it's exactly the thing that will win the Red Sox their 2nd World Series in three years. It's also the reason I am not worried about the Yankees unbelievable post-All Star break push where the Bronx Bombers have won 24 of their last 33 (25 if you count the delayed game they won against the O's).

I'd be lying if I told you that I wasn't impressed by what the Yanks have done over the last month. I'd also be lying if I didn't tell you that I've kept a closer eye on the out-of-town scoreboard every night. But at the end of the day, the Sox are just too good to blow this lead. Put it this way. The Sox have been playing just slightly better than .500 ball since June and yet they still maintain the best record in baseball and are five games better than the second place Yanks.

Two things that support the "pitching and defense" theory. For one, the Yankees offense has averaged just a hair over 7 runs/game during their last 33 games. However, they've also given up an average of 4.9 runs/game in that same stretch including losses to bottom dwellers Baltimore ( 0-12), Toronto (4-15), Chicago (9-13) and Tampa Bay (4-14.)

If you look at the ERAs of the projected playoff teams in the AL -- Sox (3.77), Angels (4.09), Detroit (4.65) and potentially Seattle (4.61) -- the Yanks, on paper at least, don't win many games against these teams. Given the Yankees upcoming schedule (3 with LA, 8 with Detroit, 3 with Boston and 3 with the Sox), we can see if this theory holds true.

The second item that supports the theory of "pitching and defense" leading to victory for the Sox is the law of averages. If the Red Sox own the 2nd best ERA in MLB (1st in the AL) while the Yankees are 14th overall (7th in the AL), the 6th best fielding percentage in MLB (3rd in the AL) and 4th best offense in the MLB (3rd in the AL -- NY is first overall in MLB), this says that the Red Sox have to hang on to their lead over the next 43 games.

There is still a lot of baseball to be played before the fat lady sings but you have to like the Sox chances. A lot of apologists (myself included) have tried to argue that the upcoming schedule for the Sox and Yanks will level the playing field a bit. At the end of the day though, it's about execution. The Sox have it where it counts -- the Yanks don't.

See you in October!

Good Times at Fenway South Almost Over

Yikes:
O's Fans to Reclaim Camden Yards

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