Monday, October 29, 2007
World Champs!!!
Twice in four years. Can you believe it? No more curse. No more curse! Jon Papelbon for president!!!
Photo courtesy Boston.com (whether they like it or not)
Friday, October 26, 2007
Oh What a Night (live from game 2 of the World Series)
Working on filling in the blanks on the color commentary from last night's game (game 2 of the 2007 World Series) but in the meantime, I have two cool videos and some photos you all might want to check out.
The first is local boy, James Taylor singing the National Anthem
The second is Papelbon striking out Brad Hawpe for the last out of the game -- and the save. Then the crowd -- including moi - goes wild.
Other pics
The first is local boy, James Taylor singing the National Anthem
The second is Papelbon striking out Brad Hawpe for the last out of the game -- and the save. Then the crowd -- including moi - goes wild.
Other pics
Cool projection of "2007 World Series" one one of the walls at Fenway
One of Game 2's heros, Mike Lowell (warming up)
Former Red Sox (and now announcer), Dewey Evans
The field during the fifth inning
Post game victory handshakes
Big Papelbon founder, Aaron (right) and his little bro, John (left)
Sunday, October 21, 2007
World Series Bound Baby
What a win. How much do you love Dustin Pedroia. And for that matter, Jacoby Ellsbury. Even JD Drew came through with another clutch hit. The piece de resistance? Coco Crisp's phenomenal catch to end the game. WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!Colorado may have taken 2 out of 3 from us back in June but they have just run into a buzz saw called the Boston Red Sox. The playoff Red Sox. Just ask the '04 Yankees, '04 Angels, '04 Cardinals, '07 Angels and '07 Indians how that feels.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The Indians Rock
Cleveland definitely does not rock. But the Indians sure do. I have to say that The Jake is putting Fenway to shame right now. And that team is just clicking on every level.
Also the vibe coming from the Indians right now feels a lot like how it felt with the Sox in the playoffs in '03 (minus the blunder) and '04. They feel destined.
That being said, I hope we come back and kick their asses tonight, and bring it back to Fenway. And hopefully Francona wakes up starts putting Elsbury in the lineup.
Cheers,
-JS
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
If the Sox give up as a team, is it ok for me to give up as a fan? I feel like I am wasting my energy on this team. I didn't see the patient, work the pitcher Sox last night, it was the impatient, swing at all the bad pitches Sox. Granted, Paul Byrd won 15 or 16 games this year, but the Sox should kill a guy like this. They have given up and thrown their gameplan out the window.
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
[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
Monday, October 15, 2007
Saturday, October 06, 2007
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:
- 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.
- 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.
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?
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
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...
Saturday, September 22, 2007
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:- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
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).
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).
Monday, September 17, 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
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!
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!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
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!
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!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
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
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
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