Pride of the Yankees or Much Ado About Nothing?

News item --- With the closing of the Yankee Stadium, The New York Yankees are hosting the All Star Game this year. A promotion during the Home Run Derby would award a fan a new car and season tickets to any team.

We have seen these types of things before; halftime a guy kicking a field goal, some out of shape YMCA player takes a half court shot, a slap shot through a hole no bigger than the puck in hockey. I always find myself rooting for the person to make it big.

This Home Run Derby promotion has a lucky fan picking a spot in the stands for a player to try and hit a home run. This is to be done in reference to Babe Ruth's ( historically disputed) called home run in the 1932 World Series. Sounds like a great way to honor the "House that Ruth Built".

However, the Yankees (when people say this who exactly are they referring to?) are upset because the player chosen to attempt to call his shot is none other than David Ortiz. They feel that it should be a Yankee that "represents" their icon at Yankee Stadium.

My thinking is that the Boys in the Bronx need to realize they are not the top dogs anymore. Ortiz is one of the most popular players in the game, represents the cultural diversity of the game and has a body that is similar to Ruth's. Matt Stairs could probably do the best impersonation but I'm sure the Yanks wouldn't want a Canadian either.

ARod? --- I'm sure he is playing P Diddy and will be too busy hosting parties.
Giambi? -- I don't remember the Babe with a porn star moustache. The only shot I really think he can call with confidence would be the one that Debbie Clemens received in the buttocks.
Jeter? -- Come on. It is a home run promo not an E Television show entitled, "Mariah, this is what you could have had"
Shelly Duncan? -- funny.
Damon? -- There's an idea.

I propose we have Johnny Damon do it. Exactly what MLB needs. We should change the logo to have Damon's image trying to throw a baseball.

By the way, Ruth hit that home run at Wrigley Field.

A Whiff of Colon

The big guy looked good last night. Spotted the ball well and had some serious heat when he needed to. Does this guy have a mound presence or what? He looks really confident when he gets the ball. We all know pitching wins out over hitting and the Sox have the deepest rotation in the majors. Beckett, Dice K, Lester, Wakefield, Buchholz, Colon and Masterson are a solid seven. Don't forget that Schilling may be ready to contribute come August. Kudos to Theo and his guys for grabbing Colon.

Good to see the offense finally get going in the eighth.

Let's keep this going.

Road Wondering

Long time no blog!!

Since we last left you, the Sox have continued to look dominate at home (21-5) and mediocre on the road. The seven game sweep at home (Brewers, Royals) got the Old Towne Team back in first place. But the last two out in Oakland have left us wondering -- Is that the same team?

Granted, the A's are much better than the Brewers (their manager may be the first one fired this year) and Royals but the offense has not looked good on the road this year. The A's have pitched very well versus the Sox this year but you have to wonder -- Is it the pitcher throwing well or the offense not getting it done?

I wonder if the Sox are paying too much attention to crosstown Celtics. Let's take care of business at home and not worry about a thing. Newsflash, the Celts won a game on the road last night.

It would be wonderful if we could get some consistent play out west over the last game of this series and then in Seattle.

No,No Lester

Unreal. Absolutely unreal. Jon Lester looked dominant tonight. Got ahead of the hitters all night. Fastball was in the 92-95 mph range with a cutter at around 88. Throw in a breaking pitch for a strike and you've got stuff for a no hitter performance.

Granted the Royals are not an offensive machine but Lester had professional hitters swinging and missing all night. He challenged hitters all night with his stuff. First pitch strikes were ridiculous. Something like twenty-one out of thirty hitters. Hopefully, this propels him to trust himself.

Congrats to Jon Lester.

A couple of side notes: Jason Varitek now has caught a major league record four no hitters (Nomo, Lowe, Bucholz, Lester). Coincidence?? I think not. How about Francona taking out Lugo for Cora for defense in the ninth? Interesting. Very interesting.

Bizarro World for now but ...

The Yanks in last and the Rays in first??? Sounds like a Seinfeld episode. What is going on?

With only a quarter of the season over, it is no time to panic (Konrad -- relax we already established that pennants can be won and lost in May). With roughly 120 games to figure all of this out, one has to hope the Sox outlast the rest of the division. Let's handicap the field.

Baltimore -- Quite simply not enough pitching. These guys are playing much better than many thought going into the season but their lack of depth on the mound is going to prove to be their downfall. Guthrie and Cabrera have never done it over the course of the entire season. Prediction = 74 wins 88 losses.

Toronto -- Everyone's sleeper in the division to start the year has struggled. Without Mighty Mite Eckstein and Stone faced Wells over the next couple of weeks these guys may struggle. Gotta like the pitching of Halladay and Marcum. I have never been a big Burnett fan. Good stuff but doesn't challenge guys enough. Matt "the professional hitter"Stairs can't do it forever. Even with the Sox being awful at the Roger's Centre, I can't see this team challenging for the division. Prediction = 77 wins 85 losses.

Tampa Bay -- These guys are for real. Upton, Pena, Crawford, Longoria are excellent offensive weapons. Even cast off Eric Hinske is shining. Now that the staff has Kazmir the Red Sox Killer back they could hang around for a while. The other starters; Jackson, Garza, Sonnanstine and Sheilds have pitched well. Bullpen is much improved. Could this team be the Diamondbacks of 2008? In the end, their inexperience will cost them a shot at the division. Watchout in the future, whoever the G.M. is he is signing the good, young players to long contracts. Kazmir and Longoria are two examples.
Prediction 81 wins 81 losses.

New York -- The $200 million kids are built for the long haul. No Posada or FakeRod has hurt but the worry has to be the pitching. The guy that has saved the Yanks is Mussina. He is looking more and more like Greg Maddux. As long as he is not throwing to Manny he may do ok. Wang is been real good (BTW who throws a 93 mph sinker). Pettite will win his share. Rasner is pitched well in his first two starts. Kennedy and Hughes have been disappointments. I hate to do it but I agree that Joba the Hut should become a starter. This offense will break out sooner or later. (BTW how is Girardi coaching in the All Star game?)
Prediction 93 wins 69 losses. Wildcard contenders.

Boston -- Best rotation. Best closer. Balanced line up. Solid manager. Think about it, other than Dice K no one is having an unbelievable start to the season. JD Drew should be doing what he is doing. Ellsbury, Youkilis, Pedroia, Beckett and Manny are all doing their thing. Papi, Lowell and Wakefield will heat up. The big plus may be a whiff of Colon. With Clay and Lester both inconsistent, we have a great insurance policy. Just a hunch: Theo makes a deal for a major player before the trade deadline. Lot of chips to offer.
Prediction 95 wins 67 losses.

At the halfway point I reserve the right to update these predictions.

Fenway South

Losing three out of four to the Twins was not that surprising. Bullpen has been inconsistent, Clay seems to be looking over his shoulder for Colon, (in addition to his glove) Lugo has something wrong with his head, Papi is poising behind Francona during an in game interview and Manny's best friend / interpreter Julian gets designated for assignment. As a wise man once said, "We're dealing with alot of sh*t." (What movie?).

All is well because the Sox get a "home" game over the next two nights when they visit the Orioles. If you have never been to Camden Yards to see the Sox it is pretty unbelievable.

#1 --The ballpark is incredible. The best I have ever been to. The stadium is within walking distance to the Inner Harbor and many attractions. Boog Powell has a BBQ stand in right field. When watching the games at home, I see the smoke and it brings me back to the glory of the pulled pork sandwich. There is not a terrible seat in the house, too.

#2 -- There are more Sox fans than Oriole fans. My wife and I went three years ago for a three game series. We had great seats that were literally half the price of Fenway's same seats. The Sox fans are borderline invading the city each time the Sox play there (Yankee fans do the same when the most expensive team in baseball plays too). The hotels, pubs and restaurants are full of the faithful.

#3 -- Lastly, we have Beckett going. He is the human losing streak stopper. Hopefully, the offense gives him some runs to work with.

We cans till finish over .500 on the road trip. LET'S GO RED SOX ... LET'S GO RED SOX ...

Smooth Sailing

All is well after the first four games of the ten game road trip. Taking three out of four from the Tigers was just want we wanted.

Can't help but think of what could of been if Lugo could have made one of those three plays in the ninth of game three. The bare handed, slow roller was by far the most difficult. The next one was the easiest. Why Lugo was looking at second base is beyond me. His only play was first base. The game winning blooper would have been an above average play but not a great one. If he makes one of those plays the Sox are no worse than playing extra innings.

I guess with all going so well, we have to criticize someone or something.

Looking forward to the Twins series. Can't wait to see Carlos Gomez. He is the guy(and others) the Mets traded away for Santana. He is quite the talent.

Road Warriors

So the Sox have proven they are pretty unbeatable (as far as series go) at the friendly confines of Fenway Park. Let us now solidify ourselves and start winning some series on the road.

Getting swept in Toronto and St. Pete was not a great sign. Excuses (Japan trip, flu) aside, it is time to take care of business.

Tonight we open up with a four game set versus the underachieving Detroit Tigers. Dice K has to set the tone with a strong performance. Seven innings would be beautiful. The AL East has too many teams bunched up and if we can go on a 8-2 tear, some separation will occur. Yes, pennants can be won in May.

Playing .700 ball at home and below .500 on the road won't get it done. Tonight and this series we establish ourselves and start to creep ahead of the division.

Clay

Our guy looked great last night. For those that stayed up (I was still reeling from the Celts), witnessed a solid win by the Sox. Clay's breaker was dropping off the table. In back to back starts versus the Rays, he has thrown very well. Two seam is diving away from lefties and has even shown an improved change.

Clay's counterpart in New York -- Franchise Philip Hughes -- has landed on the DL after an 0-4 start with an ERA of 9.00. He also got his eyes checked by a doctor and has been found to be nearsighted. My guess is that he ends up with those Charlie Sheen glasses from Major League (skull and crossbones). Ian Kennedy?? Please, he is no better than a #5 starter.

The Man of Clay is the real deal. For at least the next three years we have Beckett (27 years old), Dice K (27), Clay (24), and Lester (24) all in the rotation. We all know Masterson (23) was very impressive in his debut last week. Oh yeah, our closer some guy named Papelbon is only 27 and right now is the best closer in the game.

Pitching wins championships and the Sox have more young arms than anyone else in baseball. Advantage Red Sox. Getting swept in St. Pete last week was about the offense not the pitching staff. The team has everything in place to make this year (and ones in the immediate future) very successful.

El Guapo update

Former Red Sox great Rich "The Handsome One" Garces just signed with the Independent League's Nashua Pride. Reports have his weight under 300 pounds. There is no truth to the rumor that his original problems controlling his weight were due to taking huge amounts of performance enhancing drugs and then just laying around during seista.

Good Luck El Guapo we are all rooting for you.