Theo Doing Work

The Hot Stove Season is in full swing. The Yankees add Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson, the Mariners spend some dough and acquire Cliff Lee, Chone Figgins and Milton Bradley, and the Phillies trade for Roy Halladay. The Red Sox have also been busy.

As insurance if the club does not re-sign left fielder Jason Bay. The Sox traded lefty reliever Hunter Jones to the Marlins for underachieving outfielder Jeremy Heredia. This seems to be a low risk trade. If Heredia is the everyday left fielder we are in trouble.

Grade -- C

Shortstop Alex Gonzalez does not wait too long and signs for two years with the Blue Jays. Theo plucks free agent shortstop Marco Scutaro for two years. Scutaro is coming off of a career year in Toronto. He is just a stop gap until 20 year old, Cuban defector Jose Iglesias is ready. I like the acquisition. Scutaro is not as good defensively than Gonzalez but is a superior offensive player. The idea of going into the year hoping Jed Lowire would be healthy was not the most comforting thought. Scutaro will hit in the either the eight or nine hole in the line up.

Grade -- B

While the signing of Scutaro was almost expected, John Lackey joining the starting rotation was not. The Sox add the former Angels' ace with a five year contract worth $82.5 million. Lackey's career numbers are very similar to Josh Beckett's. A rotation of Lackey, Beckett, Jon Lester, Dice-K and Clay Buchholz with Tim Wakefield and Michael Bowden in reserve is baseball's best. There is speculation that Lackey's signing may pave the way for trading Buchholz to acquire a hitter (Adrian Gonzalez, Miguel Cabrera). Also with Beckett in the last year of his contract, Lackey gives the organization the option of not being cornered into re-signing Beckett.

Grade -- A-

Thirty-seven year old Mike Cameron was signed for two years, $15.5 million. Cameron is a Gold Glove outfielder with some pop in his bat and reportedly a great clubhouse guy . He does strike out a great deal. At worst, Cameron is the right handed part of the left field platoon. The guess is he gets more at bats than Heredia. Like Scutaro, Cameron is a bottom of the order guy. Again, there is speculation that this signing may result in another deal this time involving involving Jacoby Ellsbury. Cameron, though willing to play left field, is a center fielder by trade.

Grade -- C+

A couple of thoughts ....

• I would trade Buchholz and Ellsbury for Adrian Gonzalez only if a long term deal with the sweet hitting first baseman could be worked out. I am a big fan of Ellsbury's athleticism and potential. I am not sold on Buchholz. Gonzalez is a star and they cost something to get. He would give us a threesome of Kevin Youkilis, Gonzalez and Victor Martinez hitting in the middle of the line up.
• I like the idea of holding onto the promising minor leaguers like pitcher Casey Kelly, and outfielder Ryan Westmoreland. I realize they do not always pan out (consider the fall of Lars Anderson, and names from the past like Frankie Rodriguez, Andy Marte) but we must have faith in the farm system and the scouting department.
• "Me no likey" the idea of bringing back Johnny Damon. Ditto for signing free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre.
• I enjoyed watching Jason Bay for the last year and a half. The price was simply too high. His absence does leave a void in the line up. My advice to him is to not sign with the Mets. That franchise is where free agents sign and get bad.

There is no tomorrow

With the opportunity to force a game four tomorrow night, the Sox blew a four run lead in eighth and a two run lead in the ninth.

Jonathon Papelbon entered with two on and two out in the eighth and surrendered a two run single but got the last out. In the ninth , he got the first two outs and appeared to be one batter away from attaining the series saving save.

Papelbon surrendered a single, a walk, a run scoring double, an intentional walk and a game winning two run single. Papelbon had gone twenty-one appearances and twenty-seven innings in his entire playoff career without allowing a run.

The Sox went quietly into the night in the ninth. Jed Lowrie ("Whyyyyyyy") hit for Gonzalez. Ellsbury and Pedrioa both proved to be not up to the task.

As a fan you invest an entire summer to rooting for a team. You spend more time with the players than you do members of your family and in one fall day with the temperatures falling, it all comes to an abrupt end.

Disappointment. Anger. Disbelief.

Visit the blog in the next couple of days for some final thoughts on the 2009 season and the upcoming off season.

Let Red Sox Nation unite and pray to the baseball gods in one clear voice -- "Please, do not let the Yankess win the World Series."

Sox 5-1 lead after 4

JD Drew hit a laser 2 run homer in the 4th after Dustin Pedroia's 2 run double in the 3rd gave the Sox the lead.

A couple of observations:

• Fenway looks weird. Must be the noon start.
• The home plate umpire has been pretty bad both ways. Gives the high strike and not anything else.
• Clay Buchholz looks okay. He has thrown ONE curve ball for a strike so far. At least he is challenging the Angels.
• Scott Kazmir does not look good at all. Even the outs have been hit hard.
• I'm trying to catch as much of the Cowboy game as I can. They are the worst coached team in football and yes that includes the micro division.

Game 2 and what we know

For Red Sox Nation, Game 2 of the 2009 ALDS is but a distant painful memory. Let us remain focused on the task at hand and deal with what we know.

• We know that the offense has to get better. One run and eight hits in eighteen innings is not good enough. There has been a great deal of analysis recently about the team's inability to hit good pitching. Proof is in the pudding. Lackey and Weaver had the Sox tied up.
• We know that the Red Sox are a dominant team at home. Home cooking is the best remedy for what is ailing us. The offense is better suited for Fenway.
• We know that Lester and Beckett both pitched well enough to win. With both primed to pitch in Games 4 and 5 respectively, the Sox have a chance.
• We know that recent history tells us that there is no more resilient team in all of sports when in a situation like this. The franchise have two (1999, 2003) of the four teams every to win a series after being down 2-0. The Sox are also the only team to come back from a 3-0 deficit. Even just last year, the Sox were down seven runs with nine outs left in their season and come back to win that game, the next game and force a game seven.
• We know that the Sox have to win game 3 before looking towards extending the series. This means that Clay Buchholz is the man on the spot.
• We know that the Angels have every ounce of momentum. Kazmir pitching in Fenway with an opportunity to eliminate the Red Sox is exactly why he was obtained by the Angels.
• We know that the Red Sox are at a crossroads. A loss on Sunday will have ripple effects. The front office will have to make some difficult decisions when answering the ultimate question -- Is this current nucleus good enough? Sure Papelbon, Youkilis, Pedroia, Lester, Ellsbury and Bard are untouchables. Martinez will be with the club for the rest of his contract. Are we seeing the last of the old guard? Varitek's club option for next year is certainly in question. Wakefiled may have thrown his last fluttering knuckler. Lowell is not the same guy. Bay is going to break the bank. Are the Sox willing to pay the man? Beckett has one more year on his contract. A decision to resign him is getting close. Regardless of his numbers since June, Ortiz is not the same hitter that carried the team.
• We know how much better we will feel with a win on Sunday. Just give the team a chance. As Kevin Millar said in the 2004 ALCS, "Don't let us win tomorrow." We know what happened then.

Game 1 Sox @ Angels

There is no editing tonight as I do a running view of tonight's action.

9:37 PM -- A little nervous, the unknown does this to me. Glad to see that The Thumb and Buck Martinez are doing the game. The other TBS announces are pretty bad.

9:45 PM -- Top of the first is complete. Lackey has yet to make the Sox swing and miss. Top three of Ellsbury, Pedroia and V Mart all work deep into the count. Confidence Counter is at 60 out of 100.

9:52 PM -- Lester just walked Abreu on a couple of close pitches. Lester is throwing cheese. I hope this plate umpire does not get too picky.

9:57 PM -- Nice play to end the inning by Lowell.

Disappointed that Baldelli did not make the roster. If Anderson starts a game in the ALDS, that is not a good sign. I'd rather see Drew in versus the lefties. BTW -- Matt Holiday has replaced Jackie Smith as "the sickest man in America".

10:03 PM -- Funny how PITCH TRAX has Ortiz's at bat as 5 balls and no strikes and he ends up grounding out to 1B. Squeeze a cancer survivor but allow the guy with the perpetual loooong face an extra two inches on the outside half, St. Peter take notice.

10:21 PM -- Channel 101 on Direct TV just advertised for the upcoming season of Friday Night Lights ... hold on interference call by Joe West. Replay showed (I ran back the DVR three times) no contact between Ellsbury's swing and Mathis' glove. Was this a case of Mr. West getting a text from the Pearly Gates? Regardless, Pedroia hits a lazy fly to right.

BTW -- Friday Night Lights is one of the best shows on tv. Direct TV viewers get to see it before the episodes air on NBC next spring. Season starts on October 28th. Coach Taylor leaves the Dillon Panthers for the newly reopened East Dillon H.S. while his wife stays as principal of Dillon? Good stuff.

10:37 PM -- Lester in some trouble in the bottom of the 3rd. Two on two out with Torii Hunter up.

10:40 PM -- Joe West is the devil. That 2-2 pitch was a strike!! Hunter walks. Bases loaded. Chances of Vlad walking? About the same as Joe Torre becoming the pitchman for a brand of shampoo.

10:43 PM -- Yesssss! Good thing I am in the man cave. Vlad whiffs. Lester is pretty fired up.

George is having a party!! Lopez Tonight makes me wonder about the other failed late night shows. Remember, ABC's answer to SNL, Fridays? How about the "very funny" Frank show on TBS? Me neither.

10:49 PM -- Question to Buck Martinez : Why are you the only person in the known world who cannot pronounce David Ortiz's last name correctly? Maybe everyone else is wrong and he is right.

The ABSOLUTE WORST late night talk show ever was Magic Johnson's!! Took me a couple of minutes to remember that.

10:57 PM -- Just so we are all clear, Joe West and CB Buckner are both officially part of the conspiracy. How do you not see that tag?

11:06 PM -- Lead off single in the 5th by Bay goes for naught as Lowell dials 6-4-3 and Drew lines out. Confidence Counter has dipped to 58 out of 100.

11:16 PM -- Lester in trouble again after a lead off double to Aybar, sacrifice by Figgins and a walk to Abreu. 1st and 3rd, only 1 out. Hunter up again in an rbi situation.

11:18 PM -- Yikes! 3 run bomb by Hunter to center. He crushed that thing. Angels 3 Sox 0. Confidence Counter plummets to 20 out of 100.

11:24 PM -- Inning ends as A Gonzo makes a great diving to save another run.

11:33 PM -- Lackey is trying to give the Sox a shot. Gonzo swings at ball 3. Two outs Dusty singles and V Mart walks on four pitches. Youk is up 2-0 right now. Game tying swing coming.

11:36 PM -- Joe West (AGAIN!!) bails out Lackey by calling the 3-0 pitch a strike. Youk takes the next one right down the middle. Swings at ball four (no doubt due to West) and then bounces out to third. Exhale.

11:40 PM -- "Not even close". What is CB Buckner doing/thinking? Youk easily had the bag retouched three steps in front of the runner. Makes you wonder what CB stands for? The thing that kills me is he is trying to sell a call that is so bad. I bet you right now, he is thinking he got it right. Could he possibly think that Pedroia got away with one two innings earlier when covering the bag on a bunt?

11:46 PM -- Ellsbury matches Gonzo's play in the 5th by going all out for a ball on the gap.

11:58 PM -- Ramon Ramirez in and he is not getting it done. Abreu walks for the 11th time tonight and he hits Hunter.

12:02 AM -- Ramirez now stabs at a double play grounder, knocks it down and can't make a play. Bases loaded no outs. If Coco Crisp was pitching do you think he would have done worse? Confidence Counter dips to 13 out of 100.

12:11 AM -- Saito enters and gets a bases loaded double play that I have never seen before. Lowell to V Mart and back to Lowell. I feel the worm turning.

12:13 AM -- Morales dumps one into left for an rbi single and Lowell fails to glove the throw to third. Another run. Drew throws out a runner at the plate on a single to right. Last three innings have ended with outstanding plays to save runs. Plus, that is now 3 errors (2 by Lowell) on the Sox. Gross -- Angels 5 Sox 0.

12:31 AM -- Bard just hit a 100 mph. Yawn.

A couple of random thoughts;

• Tomorrow's game is pretty close to a must win by the Sox. Beckett needs to step up.
• When I went with this format, I was hoping to run a commentary on the announcers and their commentary. Both have been good. I thought the Thumb got a little too excited after Hunter's homer but he is trying to not be a homer.
• I support Varitek catching Beckett tomorrow. Lowell at 3B was shaky tonight.

12:35 AM -- Bard blows away another guy. Top of the ninth coming.

12:45 AM -- Game over. Sox go down without a whimper. The offense has to show up tomorrow night.

Red Sox vs. Angels

Here we go again. You gotta think that the Angels are about as sick of seeing the Red Sox in the playoffs as I am going to be watching Craig Sager's wardrobe over the next couple of weeks. Regardless, here goes some analysis.

Top ten things (in descending order of importance) that will determine the winner of the series.

10. The Managerial Battle.

Terry Francona and Mike Scioscia both know what they are doing. However, Francona has beaten the Scioscia's team three consecutive times (10-1).

9. Game 3's Starting Pitchers.

Scott Kazmir and Clay Buchholz oppose each other as the series moves to Fenway. Kazmir has always pitched well in Boston. This is Buchholz's first postseason appearance. Game three typically is the pivotal game of a series. Edge Angels.

8. Brian Fuentes.

This guy replaces K-Rod by leading the majors in saves with 48 but blew 7 saves and lost 5 of 6 decisions. Fuentes is a major step down for the Angels of previous years. In fact, their bull pen itself is not the same.

7. The result of Game 1.

I know it is hard to place so much importance on one game but Thursday's outcome may go a long way in determining the winner of the series. The Angels and John Lackey are certainly spooked by the Sox. A victory in the opening game will go a long way in allowing them to exorcise demons from the past three postseason match ups. If the Sox win, the Angels may be toast. I really like the Josh Beckett/ Jerad Weaver match up for the Sox.

6. Chone Figgins versus Jacoby Ellsbury

Simply put -- each team is considerably better when their lead off hitter is getting on base. The Angels have Bobby Abreu, Torri Hunter and Vlad batting behind Figgins. "Danger Will Robinson. Danger!" The same can be said of Ellsbury on base with Dustin Predoria, Victor Martinez and Kevin Youkilis hitting.

5. Team Defense

Extremely underrated aspect of playoff baseball. The Red Sox have played the best defense in the majors since August 15th. Yes, this is Alex Gonzalez time. You can argue his contributions have been greater than Billy Wagner and Victor Martinez. The Angels' ability to play aggressively is well known. However, they are an average defensive team. Hunter in center field and Mathis behind the plate are the only above average defenders.

4. The Red Sox Defending the Stolen Base.

There is no secret that the Red Sox have struggled throwing out would be base stealers. Also, no secret that the Angels steal bases at an alarming rate. Figgins (42) and Abreu (30) are the biggest concerns. I guess the good news is that Brad Penny, John Smoltz and Tom Wakefield will not be throwing in this series. Buchholz's inability to hold runners is a concern.

3. JD Drew and David Ortiz.

Again let's keep this simple -- when one of these guys is driving the ball, the Red Sox are a much better offensive team. If both these guys get hot over the next three weeks, the team's chances to win the World Series increases considerably. I do worry about who is going to hit for Drew when Kazmir pitches. Rocco Baldelli is still a question mark. I do think that Drew plays in game four against Joe Saunders.

2. The Effectiveness of the Red Sox Bull Pen.

While they look great on paper, this group has struggled of late. Daniel Bard, Wagner, Takashi Saito and Ramon Ramirez are all unproven in the playoffs. The key is Jonathon Papelbon. He has yet to allow an earned run in 16 playoff appearances that span over 25 innings. This is truly unbelievable. If the bull pen is able to shorten the game into a situation where the starter only needs to get 18 outs, you have to like the Sox chances in this round.

1. Starting Pitching.

It always comes down to this, doesn't it? Is there a better one-two punch than Lester and Beckett? The Angels have more depth in their rotation. The Sox will have the rotation set up so Lester (on short rest) and Beckett (regular rest) will start four of the five game. If the have a 2-1 lead heading into game four, look for Dice-K to get the start. Lackey (will lose a close game 1) and Weaver do not worry the Sox. Kazmir is a little scary as a sort of wild card. Joe Saunders beats the heck out of average teams but has not beaten good teams consistently.

Prediction: Red Sox in five. The teams split first two games, Angels take game 3, Sox dominate in game 4 and find a way to win game 5.

Feel free to post your own predictions!!!

BTW's

• Watch out for Angels' first baseman Kendry Morales at the bottom of their order. He was a beast in the regular season.
• Ellsbury is going to emerge in this series as one of the most exciting players in baseball.
• Scioscia will be on the field arguing a call at least three times in the series.
• Big props to a personal old friend that just got a big time job! Peter Abraham, formerly of the Norwich Bulletin, has left a job covering the Yankess (and writing an outstanding blog) to landing a position at the Boston Globe writing a blog on www.boston.com The Yankees loss is the Red Sox gain.

Playoff Rotation Analysis

Terry Francona announced the playoff rotation for the ALDS after today's final regular season game. As expected, Jon Lester gets the ball in game one followed by Josh Beckett in game two. There was some discussion over who would be the game three starter. Clay Buchholz gets the nod over Dice-K. What does this all mean?

Starting Lester in game one allows the team the option of bringing him back on short rest to start game four and throwing Beckett on regular rest in game five. What does this mean?

Dice-K is a near certainty to make the roster. He will serve as the long man out of the bull pen and the insurance policy for games four and five. What does this mean?

Paul Byrd will not make the roster for this round. Like Tim Wakefield and Michael Bowden, he will continue to throw just in case he gets the call in the ALCS.

Other playoff news:

• The Yankees, based on having the best regular season record in the AL, will decide whether or not to start their series on Wednesday or Thursday. With the Tigers and Twins playing at 5PM Tuesday night, the Yankees have to select the Wednesday option. If they went with Thursday, they would have to face Justin Verlander (he pitched today) in game one.
• The Sox playoff roster should include Joey Gaithwright as a pinch runner. There are some questions however. Who will be the back up infielder? Nick Green has not played in weeks. Jed Lowrie has improved physically over the past two weeks. Chris Woodward left the team recently to be with his wife for the birth of their son. I'd prefer a healthy Lowrie. Will Rocco Baldelli (if he makes the roster he starts one of the games versus lefties Joe Saunders and Scott Kazmir) be healthy enough to make it? It looks like Brian Anderson gets the back up outfielder spot if Baldelli can't go
• The roster could include Anderson, Gaithwright, Byrd, Woodward, along with definites Alex Gonzalez, Billy Wagner, Dice-K, Casey Kotchman and Victor Martinez. That would be nine spots out of twenty-five afforded to players who were not with the big league club on July 30th.
• The National League playoff participants do not measure up to the Yankees, Angels and Red Sox.
• It looks like the Yankees are going with CC Sabbathia, Andy Pettite, and AJ Burnett in that order. That leaves Joba Chamberlain in the Dice-K role. I doubt they give him any eighth inning opportunities. Phil Hughes, Phil Coke and Robertson have been too good.

Times have changed

Yankee fans are drooling over this weekend's events and their team's upcoming AL East division "championship". Living in an area of Connecticut that is nearly 49% Red Sox -49% Yankee fans (The Mets get 1% and all other MLB teams comprise the other 1%), we have to listen to the banter that comes with this rivalry.

The recent resurgence of Yankee Pride is comical to me. All of a sudden CC Sabbithia, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher are "true Yankees" and Alex Rodriguez is just a rented player. Huh??? Recently, I witnessed a NY fan taunting a Sox fan with, "You guys are losers. Have been and will always be." Retort -- 2004 and 2007. "Two? Two? Come on we are the Yankees!"

Then it dawned on me, the New York Yankees have not won the division in two years. The Bombers have not won a World Series since 2000. They failed to even make the playoffs last year. For most (ages 9-25) Yankee fans, this is their longest drought ever. Imagine being twenty-five and your team has not won a world series since you were sixteen or seventeen years old? A lot has changed in that time.

The reality of Major League Baseball is the regular season means less now than it has at any time in its history. The real season begins in two weeks. Sox fans know this, I'm not sure Yankee fans can remember that far back.

Postseasoning Reasoning

As the Red Sox approach the clinching of their sixth postseason berth in the last seven years, the ere are a number of questions Sox Nation needs to ask itself;

Do we really care if the team wins the division or the wild card in 2009?

Try this scenario -- the Red Sox are 2 games out with 2 to play. Do you want to try and win the division by throwing either Beckett, Lester or Buchholz on the last weekend? It does not look like the team cares how it gets into the playoffs. Theo and company have lived on the "win 95 games mantra" the last seven years. Obviously, it has worked twice. But winning the division means home field advantage.

Who should start game one of the playoffs?

Is Beckett still the ace or has Lester overtaken him? Lester has been better over the past ten starts but Beckett single-handedly won the 2003 and 2007 world championships.


Should Victor Martinez be the everyday catcher in the playoffs?

He has caught everybody except Dice-K and the line up is at its strongest with Lowell at third, Youkilis at first and Martinez behind the plate. However, Varitek has been the starting catcher on two world championship teams and still is the better receiver of the two.

Participate in the polls to the right of the screen.

We interrupt college football ...

Breaking news --- For the first time, J.D. Drew has smiled. Yes, smiled. He hit an opposite field three home run and when the camera showed him in the dugout he was yucking it up and literally beaming.

We now send you back to the game in your area.

BTW's

Some scattered brain thoughts concerning the Sox;

• I really don't get excited until the playoff magic number gets down to single digits
• Did Heidi Watney (yeah her again) get suspended for a couple of days? The Boston Herald reported that she was getting personal with Nick Green at a dinner with Jacoby Ellsbury and his significant other. I'm pretty sure the Sox employees have a clause in their contracts prohibiting such relationships.
• So let me get this straight -- The Angels want nothing to do with the Red Sox, the Yankees want to avoid the Angels and everyone wants to play Detroit. Got it.
• Speaking of the Angels, did they really complain about a home field advantage? Weren't they the team with the Rally Monkey and those annoying blow up noise sticks? They think umpires give the Sox calls at Fenway. First of all, may be their manager should stay the hell off the field. He is on the field arguing more than some of his bench players are playing. Secondly, are they saying that they have lost to the Sox in the playoffs in 2004, 2007 and 2008 with home field advantage because of favorable calls? As OchoCinco would say, "Child please".
• Jason Varitek's passed balls in back to back games cost the team five runs and a loss. A bad stretch? Bad luck? I'm going with -- a sign of old age. I'm starting to wonder if the team should even resign him for next year.
• Hip, Hip Jorge! Posada is worried about his kids seeing him brawling. How about your kids seeing the punk move of you throwing an elbow at a defenseless guy? This after the Yankees throw at two Blue Jay players.
• The concept of NESN's Pocket Money is not a terrible idea. The guy hosting seems okay. However, he needs to stop referring to himself as "Your ole pal Fitzy". I don't know the guy and I'm pretty sure he is not one of my pals. Reminds me of the show "Everybody Loves Raymond". I did not love, like, or could even stand Ray Romano.
• Good to see Dice-K's performance on Tuesday night. He had a lot of life on his fastball. The two seam / cutter was moving in and out on both lefties and righties. He has two more starts to secure the #4 spot in the playoff rotation. Yes, Buchholz will be the #3 starter.

21 games to go

After today's sweep of a doubleheader over the Rays, the Red Sox enjoy at least a 3 game lead in the wild card chase. A couple of thoughts;

• The top 3 of Beckett, Lester and Buchholz combined to allow two runs and eleven hits over twenty innings this past weekend. Impressive but ....
• The Rays are not the same team that scared me this year. They lost for the 11th straight time today. How does that happen? I know they have been hit by injuries but they didn't even show up this weekend.
• Dice-K makes his bid to be the #4 starter in the playoffs on Tuesday. If he can give us his customary 5 innings, 1-2 runs, 8 hits, 3 bb, leave the bases loaded twice and 121 pitches, the Sox will welcome it.
• Does Heidi Watney have a crush on the Rays pitching coach? He gets interviewed by her before every Tampa game.
• Speaking of Watney, Jason Varitek looks refreshed. Victor Martinez catching seems to be his Fountain of Youth.
• When J.D. Drew is hitting the offense is much better.
• Let's hope the Sox can win the wild card a couple of days early so they can set up their rotation for the playoffs.
• This upcoming Angels series should be a good one.
• How the heck days it rain for three straight days on Arlington, Texas?

Big Start For Beckett today

How fitting on Labor Day that the team's workhorse takes the mound? Jon Lester's recent surge has moved him into the stratosphere of elite pitchers in the league. His teammate Josh Beckett is already there waiting for him.

We all know of Beckett's recent struggles. That will be a distant memory come postseason if Beckett returns to his June-July form. A one-two combination of a healthy Beckett and Lester would be devastating in a seven game playoff series.

This makes today's 2:05 PM start in Chicago significant. Where have things gone wrong? His four seam fastball is still in 93-95 mph range. His two seam still has that run away from lefties. His curve ball still has its 12 to 6 bite. The difference has been his location. I thought his last game he threw the ball well but made a number of mistakes that the opposition did not miss. Beckett needs to get his four seam in on righties for a strike. He has not executed this pitch well at all. The two seam is his money pitch to lefties. He has been elevating this pitch instead of running it down and away. The difference is a fly ball / line drive instead of a ground ball. Lastly, Beckett's tight curve ball needs to be thrown for a ball more often. He is starting that thing at the batter's letters and trying to drop it in for a strike. He should, especially up in the count, bounce it in the dirt.

Location, location. We will know early on today if Beckett has it going. It will not be whether hitters are swinging and missing but whether he is located all of his pitches.

BTW -- Josh Hamilton is out indefinitely for the Rangers. No Michael Young and Hamilton. This next home stand will be huge. Some distance before embarking on the last road trip will be nice.

Questions I am entitled answers to

#1 How inferior is the National League to the American League?

John Smoltz, Joel Pinero, and Brad Penny all struggled for the Sox and now are doing quite well in that other league. I know the Phillies are the defending champs but ...

#2 Will the Yankees be as dominant in a seven game playoff series as they have been in the regular season?

They are nearly forty games above .500. Outside of Sabathia, their starting pitching is suspect. Burnett, Joba, and Pettite should not strike fear in anyone.

#3 When will the Red Sox get an above average shortstop?

I know they won in 2004 and 2007 with average shortstops but that position has been a hole every since Nomar hurt his wrist. I do appreciate what Alex Gonzalez has done this year.

#4 Does a pitcher deserve a fine for not working fast enough?

Papelbon has been fined at least five times for taking too much time in between pitches and when he enters a game from the pen. If you were Papelbon would you accept the fine and continue your routine or change and risk being uncomfortable?

#5 Do the Sox have the wild card in hand?

Twenty-nine games left and a three game lead. Texas is without their best player Michael Young for about two weeks. Sox play twenty of their remaining games against teams with losing records.

#6 Are Josh Beckett's recent struggles a major concern?

Four straight poor outings. His velocity is still there but he is giving up an alarming amount of home runs.

#7 Should the Red Sox re-sign Jason Bay to a four year contract worth forty-four million dollars?

That is about how much it is going to cost to bring him back. Matt Holliday and Johnny Damon among others will become a free agents this winter.

Readers ... Feel free to offer your opinions to the questions above.

Byrd is the Word!

Paul Byrd very impressive performance today. Sox score on Halladay. A very pleasant surprise of a win.

The rotation is in shambles. Wakefield is getting skipped and may get an epidural. Tazawa gets sent down to the GCL. Some guy comes and goes in less than 12 hours. Beckett has had three straight poor outings. Dice-K is finishing up his P90X workout and Nutrasystem diet. The traitor Penny better not sign with the Yankees. On second thought, he definitely should.

Good news is, Buchholz was awesome the other night and we got Paul Byrd. Also Billy Wagner IS better than Gag-me was.

Tampa here we come.

Hello, anyone home?

Could someone please call down to the Tampa / St. Petersburgh area of Florida and see if the assistant to the assistant traveling secetary was the only one in the office last couple of days.

How else can we explain the trading of Scott Kazmir from the Rays to the Angels in exchange for two minor leaguers and the dreaded player to be named later? Do the Rays realize they have six games left with the wild card leading Red Sox? Obviously, this move helps the Sox in their bid to make the playoffs. But you have to wonder what the thinking is behind this move.

One would think that the Rays would be buyers rather than sellers at this time. Though the Angels do have a couple of big time prospects in their minor league system, I doubt the Rays will be getting any real value for this swap. The biggest factor in this move is the team saved itself $24 million by letting him go. Kazmir is still only twenty-five years old. He has proven to be one of the better left handers in the American League winning at least ten games each of the past four years.

Sox Nation should be as weary of the Rays as we are the Yankees. The amount of young talent (Crawford, Longoria, Garza, Sheilds, Upton) they have is impressive. Plus, the have played their best baseball versus the Red Sox over the last two years. One could only hope Kazmir's trade hurts the Rays as much as it hurt the Mets when they traded Kazmir straight up for Victor Zambrano.

All is not good news for the Red Sox, their possible first round opponent in the playoffs just got better.

A Penny for my thoughts ...

While Red Sox Nation today basks in the warm fuzzy feeling of Daivid Ortiz's return to the land of walk offs and Tim Wakefield's impressive outing, one should not be completely blind to the fact that today the Red Sox admit to yet another mistake.

The release of Brad Penny is another kink in the armour of management. Let me say this, I respect Theo Epstein and am a charter member of the In Theo We Trust Society. That being said, what does Penny, Eric Gagne, Julio Lugo, Edgar Renteria, and John Smoltz all have in common? Theo signed or traded for these high profile guys and they have turned out to be total disasters. Total disasters that have cost the team millions of dollars. We will not argue JD Drew, Coco Crisp, and Matt Clement because each has had their moments and in my estimation were not total disasters.

John Henry has handed Theo the checkbook and the money has at times been invested intelligently. The Red Sox have consistently been able to draft and sign players whose price tags seem too risky for other teams. The long term signings of young stars like Dustin Pedroia, John Lester and Kevin Youkilis before they reached free agency has proven to be both beneficial to the club and the players. Not many teams have the financial resources to do this. But for every good move there seems to be one that does not work out.

During this past winter, the Red Sox lost out on Mark Teixeiria. Instead of adding a twenty-seven year old, middle of the line up, switching hitting, gold glove caliber first baseman, the Sox took a chance on bringing in four veteran players recovering from injuries. Smoltz never got it going. Takashi Saito has been okay in the pen. Penny struggled and it in his own words "did not work out". The often injured outfielder Rocco Baldelli has been well, often injured. Going into the season which one was your choice as the one with the most upside? The two players no longer with the team would have garnered the most attention.

Management has taken many chances of late on players (most recently Billy Wagner, Alex Gonzalez) to fill specific needs. These risks have not cost the team highly touted prospects but have cost ownership money. Smoltz and Penny have left without the Red Sox getting anything in return while ownership is still on the hook for the majority of their salaries. I'm not sure Theo would be spending so freely if it was his money that was going out the window.

We should not expect the general manager to get it right every time but his success rate should certainly be above fifty percent.

By the way, I did not mention Dice-K at all in this post because I cannot for the life of me come to a conclusion if his acquisition was good, bad, okay or terrible.

38 Special

With 38 games to go after tonight's win I find myself ...

... feeling cautiously confident that the Sox will make the playoffs.
... rooting, to no avail, for the Yankees to beat the snot out of the Rangers.
... hoping that either Dice-K or Wakefield can return and be the team's #3 starter in the playoffs.
... wondering if the National League is really that bad or was John Smoltz holding out on us.
... thinking Billy Wagner HAS to be better than Eric Gagne, right?
... guessing Jim Rice's appearance on tonight's pregame show forced producers to run the show on a ten second delay. Rather safe than sorry.
... sending Theo Epstein the same e.s.p. message --"Sign Jason Bay"-- over and over.
... shaking my head at Hideki Okajima's inability and lack of desire to catch a pop up.
... trying to picture what the rest of my night would be like if the Sox lost because the same guy who treated the pop up like a venereal disease failed to catch the return throw from the catcher.
... wishing Jacoby Ellsbury can stay healthy for his entire career with the Red Sox.
... praying the Rays fall apart because they frighten me.

Redemption Song

Junichi Tazawa was the star in a victory that many of us did not see coming. The team from New York went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position after hitting balls all over the park the night before. Meanwhile, the Red Sox scored 13 of their 14 runs with 2 out. Timely hitting, timely hitting and some more timely hitting.

I'm not too sure what today proved -- Did the Sox right the ship? Did the Yankees bubble burst? Was a new Japanese star pitcher born? -- but I do know the Red Sox moved a game closer to the playoffs.

Sunday night's game is going to be must see television. Set your dvr's to record True Blood and Entourage because this one has the makings of an instant classic. Beckett (has he ever been terrible in back to back starts?) versus CC (has he ever beaten the Sox at Fenway in a meaningful game?) pits horses against each other.

One quick note:

Though I only saw today's game up to the fifth inning, Tim MarCarver was actually pretty good. I'm sure the score had something to do with my evaluation but he actually made sense and earned brownie points by having Joe Morgan of Morgan's Magic in the booth.

U-G-L-Y

Just plain ugly. Twenty runs. Brad Penny had nothing. Michael Bowden had less.

The Yankees certainly dominated the Red Sox last night.

The Penny vs. Andy Pettite pitching match up certainly favored the Yankees. The bad news is that today's match up is not going to favor the Red Sox either. So believe it or not, today's game on Fox could be another long day for Sox fans.

As I attempt to stay positive, a couple of things to remember;

-- The Yankees' pitching rotation for this series features the team's #1, #2 and #4 starters while the Sox throw their #1, #4 and #5 starters. During the four game sweep in New York two weeks ago, the Yankees' Friday (vs. Lester) and Sunday (vs. Beckett) night wins (vs. Lester) were great games. The two blowout wins were against John Smoltz and Brad Penny.

-- The Red Sox scored eleven runs last night. Pettite did not look good.

-- Admittedly, the Yankees look unbeatable right now. However, let them peak early. It looks like the wild card gets the Angels (who we absolutely own) and the AL East winner gets the Tigers. The Sox championship in 2004 came courtesy of a wild card berth. There is little advantage to winning the division. Just get into the playoffs.

-- The Rays are going to win the series against the Rangers.

Sox v. Yanks

The Red Sox complete the sweep in Toronto but more importantly looked liked they have healed the wounds the Yankees inflicted upon them at the Stadium. The NY team is an absurd thirty-one games over .500.

Offensively, the Red Sox line up is finally complete. JD Drew in the eighth spot shows its depth. The Yankees boast similar depth. A big question is whether or not Jason Varitek gets a start this series. He is battling (wink, wink) a neck injury.

Pitching-wise, the bull pen had the day off yesterday as Lester gave the team eight strong. Tonight's match up of Brad Penny vs. Andy Petitte is not a great one.

Overall, this should be an interesting weekend.

That's What I'm Talking About

Great, great win tonight.

Clay Buchholz outpitched the guy everyone but Theo Epstein wanted him traded for. Throwing his two seam, change up and curve for strikes, Buchholz is beginning to look like a legitimate number three starter.

Ramon Ramirez, Hideki Okajima and Takashi Saito all pitched an effective inning in relief. The ball came out of Saito's hand like it had early in the year. Papelbon's recent struggles aside, the bull pen looked refreshed tonight. Could this be a sign of good things to come?

Offensively, David Ortiz (on fire since Hapi for Papi called for his benching), Jason Bay and Victor Martinez all went yard. Alex Gonzalez and Jacoby Ellsbury both added early clutch run scoring hits.

Forty-three games to go, let's hope the team will heat up.

BTW ...

• Good luck to John Smoltz in St. Louis. Undoubtedly, he'll be successful at least in the short term. Ask Julio Lugo.
• Still waiting for the team to put out its best line up. Pedroia has been missing.
• Is "The King" from those Burger King commercials a little scary to anyone else?
• Happy to hear that Jerry Remy will return on a part time basis starting Friday.
• In a related happening, Frank Viola is a tad worse than Dave Roberts. He gets the distinction of the worst Remy fill in due to his annoying cackle.
• We all just feel so much better with Gonzalez fielding a ball at short.
• The more and more I watch Victor Martinez play, the more I like him. I may pay him the ultimate compliment by calling him a "professional hitter".
• Personally, I fear the Rays far more than the Rangers in the wild card race.
• Brett Favre's inability to stay retired reminds me of a boxer. The skills have certainly faded but he still laces them up with the hope that it will all come together again. Due to the violence, he contemplates not competing anymore but the lure of the spotlight draws you back. Oscar De La Hoya finally got it, one could only hope Favre quits for good before he seriously hurts himself.

99 problems but Francona ain't one

There are many things wrong with the Red Sox right now but Terry Francona is not one of them. He is severely limited by the current roster and injuries.

It is making me a little cranky rooting for guys named Josh Reddick, Chris Anderson, Chris Woodward and Fernando Cabrera when the season is on the line. Did we not sign Rocco Baldelli to play when J.D. Drew pulled a groin? So Rocco hits a ball off his foot and goes on the 15 day DL. Throw in the fact that Kevin Youkilis serves a five game suspension during a big series in Texas and what is Francona supposed to do? Pinch running Clay Buchholz on Friday night, sitting Dustin Pedroia are both leading people to criticize the manager. Terry Francona is the best manager the Red Sox have ever had.

Here are the Red Sox three biggest problems in descending order;

#3 Opponents' ability to steal bases. If I heard this right the other day, Jason Varitek has thrown out just 9 out of 102 would be base stealers this season. When Brad Penny is pitching 27 out of 29 base stealers have been successful. Teams that give opponents a free ninety feet (walk, stolen base, error, passed ball) are usually going to struggle. I have always hated it when the team's philosophy is to give away a base. Remember the Grady Little years, when the team would allow the opponent to steal third with two outs without even a throw? That kind of stuff drives me nuts.

Solution -- Penny needs to quicken his delivery with runners on base. His response of "I just won't allow base runners" is not acceptable. Varitek catches John Lester and Josh Beckett only. Give Victor Martinez the other three starters.

#2 Bottom third of the batting order. Varitek and Alex Gonzalez are not threats. With Drew out of the line up, so is Reddick and Anderson. I like Drew in the seventh spot. I agree with Lou Merloni this morning when he said, "other than Youkilis no player is having a good offensive year". The line up resembles a good National League one.

Solution -- Casey Kotchman and Mike Lowell get additional at bats in the games that Varitek does not catch. This in itself is helpful. We can really only hope that Bay, Ortiz(should not dh versus lefties), Pedroia, and Ellsbury get hot.

#1 Starting pitchers #3, #4, and #5. Throwing five innings and giving up four runs is simply not good enough. Penny, Buchholz, Junichi Tazawa and the departed John Smoltz all have been supplying this type of line far too much. When Tazawa went five innings and gave up three runs (one earned) versus the Tigers, we all smiled. This type of performance should be expected not celebrated. These five inning stints are also taxing the bull pen.

Solution -- Hmmmm. Paul Byrd is readying himself for a September call up. Tim Wakefield (shoulder then back now calf) is about ten days away. Who has the second most wins for the Sox -- yup, Wakefield with eleven. Dice K is losing weight and getting is shoulder ready for a September addition to the roster. Michael Bowden has struggled over the last two months in Pawtucket. We are going to have to pray that the current three can keep it together until reinforcements arrive.

These next two weeks are CRUCIAL. I cannot believe we must hope that Dice-K or Byrd come up big. In Dice-K/Byrd we trust does not sound too inviting.

Biggest Win and so much more

Last night's win was by far the biggest of the season. Is this the signature win we were looking for? Down 4-2 entering the ninth. Down 4-3 with Clay Buchholz pinch running for Jason Varitek, Dustin Pedroia doubles and Buchholz gets thrown out at the plate. Victor Martinez follows with a huge two run double. Jason Bay adds an rbi single and JD Drew tacks on a two run homer.

A loss last night would have hurt. The team needs to win games started by Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. The last three starters have been inconsistent. Beating Texas last night is huge for three reasons. #1 They are the closest competition in the wild card chase. #2 Texas was 5-1 versus the Sox this year. #3 Texas' Kevin Millwood is their workhorse and his stymied the Sox this year.

Hopefully not lost in this win is the fact that David Ortiz finally channelled his 2003/2004/2005/2006/2007 self by drilling a clutch, game tying, two run homer in the sixth against lefty specialist Eddie Guardado. He also added a double in three official at bats. There has been much discussion lately saying that it was time for Ortiz to lose some of his at bats to Mike Lowell and Casey Kotchman. Granted he has struggled over the past three weeks, but Ortiz gets a reprieve after last night's performance.

John Smoltz has declined the club's demotion to the minor leagues. The Sox have until Sunday to trade him or release him. Believe it or not, the Cardinals have shown interest.

Chris Woodward -- we hardly knew you. How can an utility infielder not get a sacrifice bunt down?

Hello Alex Gonzalez. Hopefully, he is not too far removed from the defensive whiz of the 2006 season. I like the trade because the likelihood of me having to watch a ground ball hit towards Nick Green in the ninth inning has diminished considerably.

This new acquisition makes one wonder, what is the team's best starting line up?


Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Martinez 1B
Youkilis 3B
Drew RF
Bay LF
Ortiz DH
Varitek C
Gonzalez SS

or

Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Martinez C
Youkilis 1B
Bay LF
Drew RF
Lowell 3B
Ortiz DH
Gonzalez SS

or

Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Martinez C
Youkilis 3B
Drew RF
Bay LF
Lowell DH
Kotchman 1B
Gonzalez SS

I'm assuming Gonzalez is better than Green and Lowrie. Drew/Bay are interchangeable in the 5th and 6th spots. Should Martinez catch over Varitek. Should Lowell and Ortiz platoon at dh? Can the line up be successful with Varitek and Gonzalez at the bottom of the order?

My guess is that Francona is going to mix and match the line up for the remainder of the regular season. The question is, is the team better off without having a standard line up?

I'll do it if no one else will

When I see a wrong, I fell like I must make it right.

John Sterling's signature call for Alex Rodriguez's home runs is an 100% inappropriate comment. When you consider the world of political correctiveness that we live in, it is hard to believe that this man has not been fired yet.

Has anyone explained to Rodriguez's Yankee teammate Hideki Matsui what "An A-Bomb for Arod" is referring to? How about when Dice-K serves one up to the purple lipped one -- "Arod drops an A-Bomb on Dice K". Don Imus, Jimmy "The Greek", Al Campanis, Ross Perot and now John Sterling.

I'm sure there are some people out there that may think this is being a little picky. How about if Larry Bird was of Spanish descent? Would calling him the Spic from French Lick be okay? What if Jacoby Ellsbury hits a would be homer that is robbed by Melky Cabrera and Sterling screams, "Melky with an outstanding catch. Ellsbury rounds second but must now walk the Trail of Tears back to Boston's dugout." Joba Chamberlain strikes out Kevin Youkilis (certainly after throwing at his head again), are you okay with Sterling saying, "The only way Youkilis can be saved from Joba is if Schindler puts him on a list"?

I understand Sterling is not trying to demean people of Japanese ancestry but why is he getting away with this? The dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan during World War II is one of the most despicable events in our country's history. I am officially starting a movement to get John Sterling from using that call.

If you support this, please email the Yankees from the following link explaining your displeasure. Together, we can make a difference.

https://secure.mlb.com/help/email.jsp?c_id=nyy&primarySubject=Other&secondarySubject=None&dest=fanfeedback@yankees.mlb.com

Yuck Youk

I guess it could have been worse. Kevin Youkilis could have been posterized like Robin Ventura was by Nolan Ryan.

When you charge the mound as a hitter, you do not have much time to make things happen. The catcher and corner infielders have one job and that is to protect the pitcher. With that in mind, Youk made his move.

He had Porcello buying time by back pedaling. Youk tosses the helmet at him. I'm okay with that. He gets entangled with the scrawny rookie. Youk then gets slammed to the ground by Porcello. Not a good showing by the veteran.

Youk's performance is the second worst in Red Sox history. Pedro Martinez's constant back pedalling and girl slapping versus Tampa Bay's Gerald Williams is the clear leader.

By the way, the best modern day rush of the mound by a hitter was Toronto's George "Taco" Bell's karate kick into the side of the pitcher. Pawtucket's Izzy Alcantra's karate kick of the squatting catcher and subsequent charge at the pitcher does not count because it was in AAA.

Sunday Night in the Bronx

Myself and two buddies attended the Sunday game at the new Yankee Stadium. Actually was a great game to watch. When Victor Martinez hit the go ahead homer in the seventh I screamed, " We scored, we actually scored!!". Of course, Damon and Teixeira's back to back homers off of Bard in the eighth cooled my mood. Nonetheless, I was very impressed with the new park.

I got a call from a friend who is a Yankee fan Sunday morning. He had three tickets to a "party suite" for the Sox-Yanks game. As we approached the stadium, I really liked how it looked . It is huge yet an architectural marvel in the midst of the Bronx. We arrived at the stadium about two hours before game time and walked the outside of the stadium. There were roughly twenty Yankee fans for every one Sox fan. Our group of three had one buddy dressed in a Jeter jersey another in a Sox hat and sweatshirt. I decided to wear jeans and a polo shirt. My past experiences wearing Red Sox gear at the old Yankee Stadium have not been great. Whether I sat in the lower bowl or the upper deck made no difference. Some Yankee fans are unintelligent and just plain rude. Needless to say, I have had my share of back and forth banter there.

We took an elevator to the suite level and walked towards our suite that seats about forty people. There are at least 70 of these suites and each are numbered. This carpeted, bending hallway was decorated with countless Yankee photographs. As we passed suite number 42 there were pictures of Mariano Rivera. This was true for many suites that had significant numbers. The Wade Boggs pictures made me vomit in my mouth. There were numerous employees there greeting us as we walked. My Red Sox attired friend was the recipient of a couple of comments but they were harmless. Our Mickey Mantle suite was nice. There was a bar and food area that offered hot dogs, chicken, mac and cheese, peanuts and Cracker Jack. We sat outside for batting practice even though are seats were actually inside the box on stools. We had seats numbered 11,12 and 13. However, there were only 12 seats.

The Yankee fan among us spoke to a worker in the box who called another Yankee employee. I have expected George Constanza to show up. This guy shows up and apologizes to us and tells us "we are going to make this right". First, he takes us to a bar on the suite level where the Yankees buy us a drink. With drink in hand we go the Delta Suites behind home plate. These second tier seats were legit. They were similar distance to the standing room area behind the plate at Fenway. The guy also gave us two tickets each to the Mohegan Sun bar in center field and the Audio bar area in left field. We also were each given a glossy Yankee magazine ($10 value). The customer service was incredible.

As the Sox continued to struggle, the two Red Sox fans went to a patio area on this level directly behind home plate and watched the last three innings from there. I liked this view. We were the only Sox fans in this area and when Martinez hit that bomb we got some long looks. As the momentum switched back to the home team these fans were not bad at all.

The crowd last night was really abuzz. The idea of sweeping the Sox was too good to be true for them. The back to back homers in the eighth sent the crowd into a frenzy. It got real loud. When Rivera came into the game as "Enter Sandman" played I turned to my buddy and said, "That's pretty cool."

My only negative was the lack of parking around the stadium. We waited in the garage about an hour before we got out.

Overall, the new Yankee stadium is very impressive. The building and its amenities are awesome and the fans seem to be a little less combative.

Is This Season Lost?

August 8, 2009 -- The Red Sox have just lost to the Yankees for the third consecutive time thus falling 5.5 games out of first place. Depending on the outcome of late games tonight the team could be tied for the wild card lead.

There are 53 games (just under 1/3 of the season) remaining in the regular season. But realistically, is this the end? The team has not performed well since the all star break winning only eight games out of twenty-one. While other playoff contenders have played well enough to catch and in the case of the Yankees pass the Sox.

Offensively, the team has been in a funk for roughly two months (minus the recent series in Baltimore). Plenty of blame to go around. Ortiz, Bay, Drew, Pedroia, Green/Lowrie all have performed well below expectations during the skid. On the mound, other than Lester and Beckett the starters simply have not been good enough. Smoltz, Penny, Buchholz have not allowed the team to get on a hot streak. More significantly, these three starters have taxed the bull pen to the point of exhaustion.

A solid start masked many of the team's deficiencies. Obviously, the injuries to Bay, Lowell and Wakefield could not be predicted. But doesn't every team go through these types of things? Dice-K's ineffectiveness is seriously testing the depth of the staff. An off season of spending at TJ Maxx (Baldelli, Smoltz, Penny, Saito) was once applauded as low risk -- high reward. Now the Yankees spending spree at Ralph Lauren (Teixeira, Sabathia, Burnett) makes the Sox moves look frivolous and idiotic.

Is it too early to count out the 2009 Red Sox? Is it always darkest before the dawn? Will Wakefield's return propel the team into the playoffs? Will the offense finally start to click?

Or is this the beginning of the end? The team's lack of firepower will continue to be its downfall? Is the starting pitching too inferior? Has the age of veterans Varitek, Lowell, Ortiz and Wakefield finally caught up with the team?

Chicken Little

Is the sky actually falling? A six game stretch on the road against the Rays and Yanks. What could possibly go wrong? Here's a run down;

Game 1 -- Extra inning loss on a walk off homer after losing a 2-0 lead. Game's low light -- the manager should have walked the other team's best player with first base open.
Game 2 -- Rays connect for four homers on the way to a 6-4 win. Game's low light -- Brad Penny's expression after Carlos Pena's mammoth home run.
Game 3 -- The Yanks snap an eight game losing streak to the Sox and send John Smoltz into retirement. Game low light -- Billy Traber taking one for the team.
Game 4 -- AROD hits a walk off homer in the fifteenth breaking up a scoreless tie. Game low light -- Having to endure YES network's endless walk off home run footage from the past 46 years.

Aside from the game results, what else has happened?

• David Ortiz has turned into OJ Simpson searching for the truth behind what really happened.
• Jed Lowrie has re-injured his wrist. We have the worst shortstop production in all of baseball. This from a team that has financial resources unlike all but one team. Solution is to acquire Chris Woodward. Chris Woodward!
• JD Drew and Jason Bay battle an assortment of injuries while the immortal Josh Reddick replaces them.
• Theo Epstein jumps on a plane and flies to NY to personally tell John Smoltz his services would no longer be needed. Smoltz' Red Sox career earned run average is 8.32.
• Junichi Tawaza has the greatest day of his life turned upside down. He has good stuff but didn't anyone else think of BK Kim last night?
• Terry Francona has twice given the ball to Saito with the game on the line. Scary stuff.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have been on vacation twice this summer. While away from home the Red Sox have won one game out of ten. Blame it on me.

Clay Buchholz needs to step today. How about drilling someone in response to Dustin Predoria getting hit on Thursday night? We need to change our luck. At least we won't have to listen to Dave Roberts today.

As Justin Timberlake would sing: "Bye, bye, bye"

So long John Smoltz. The Nation was so full of hope when you signed this past winter. Your first start in Baltimore was highly anticipated. You were given ample opportunities to show that you still had enough to pitch here but to no avail. It is the All Sox blog's hope that you do not feel cheated.

As a 42 year old exits a 23 year old enters. Junichi Tazawa gets called up and will pitch out of the pen tonight. The starter for Tuesday night's game is either Tazawa or Michael Bowden. I assume if Tazawa is needed out of the pen prior to Tuesday then Bowden will be called up to replace him and get that start.

Davis Ortiz will hold a press conference tomorrow at 12:30 PM. I hope he comes "clean'.

Big game tonight. Josh Beckett gets the ball in a important game.

Big six game stretch starts with loss

Painful loss last night. Bard is human after all. Both teams in and out of jams. Francona does not walk Longoria with first base open. Painful loss.

What makes this even more hurtful is the fact that Penny and Smoltz take the mound the next two nights. Confidence is not high. Penny has been acceptable every two of three starts. May be Smoltz in Yankee Stadium will get him going. Hard to believe that NY, Boston or Tampa will not be making the playoffs. These six road games are not quite crucial for the Sox but they could prove to be hurtful if we go 1-5. Starting out 0-3 will discourage a large amount of fans.

Whatever happens, there is such a long way to go in the season we do not need to panic.

A couple of things;

• Dave Roberts is not good.
• Evan Longoria is really good.
• The Rays look like they feel very comfortable playing the Sox. Not a good sign.
• JD Drew hits one ball to the warning track a game.
• Does Victor Martinez have any power. Holy smokes, he swings like a single hitter.
• Once more, Nick Green fails to make an above average play for a major league shortstop in the seventh last night.

Trade Deadline Analysis

The 4 PM deadline has come and gone. Some thoughts on the deals that were and were not made;

• Yawn. LaRoche and cash for Kotchman looks even. Kotchman seems to be a better fit for the Sox. He is a better defensive first baseman , younger and reportedly will accept his role better than LaRoche.
• As reported by ESPN, the Sox could have had Halladay but would not include both Buchholz and Bard in addition to other players in the deal. I think JP Ricciardi was asking for far too much. I really think Halladay would put the Sox over the top but at what price?
• Victor Martinez for Justin Masterson, Nick Hadagone and Bryan Price. Sox get some much needed offensive punch. Martinez should bat either third or fourth in the line up and give Varitek additional time off. Who does this effect the most? I say Mike Lowell. Martinez is going to play in 95% of the time at either catcher, first base or designated hitter. My guess is Youkilis moves over to third for up to half of the remaining games. Masterson, who I loved last year, was expendable. The key to the trade looks like left hander Nick Hadagone. Big, former second round choice who is returning to action after Tommy John surgery. Overall, I like this trade .
• In Theo We Trust. Theo Epstein did not want to trade certain guys and he did not. Buchholz, Kelly, Bard, Anderson are all coveted by the baseball operations people. I have complete faith in their decision making. Epstein has made plenty of mistakes (i.e. Lugo, Renteria, Clement, etc.) but he continues to take chances. Bottom line is the Red Sox are a better baseball team right now than they were when the day started. This was done without losing some important pieces in the farm system.
• The Yankees (Jerry Hairston??), Rays, Rangers and Angels did not improve themselves today.
• Can Terry Francona mix and match Martinez, Varitek, Kotchman, Youkilis, Ortiz and Lowell into into four daily spots -- catcher, first base, third base and dh? Let's assume Kotchman gets one start a week, one of these other guys who are everyday players is not going to play. This will be interesting.

Check out the poll on the right of the screen

Reality Bites

I'm going to be realistic about David Ortiz's inclusion on the list of baseball players that tested positive for performance enhancing drugs (PED's) during the 2003 season. I am assuming that this New York Times report is accurate.

I am a big fan of Ortiz. His rise as a player for the Red Sox in 2003 coincided with the team's ascension to winning two World Series. Does this "tarnish" those two world titles? Yes. Just like the careers of Sosa, McGwire, Palmerio, Clemens and Bonds have lost some luster after their use of PED's become known. Does Ortiz look foolish following his comments earlier this year when Arod's name was leaked? Absolutely. Do I feel sorry for Ortiz? No. Am I less of a fan now? No. Should any of us be surprised by this announcement? No.

I am of the opinion that there is not one player from the past decade who I would guess never used PED's. There have been all kind of players named in the Mitchell Report or otherwise "outed"; middle relievers, sluggers, closers, light hitting shortstops, starting pitchers, European - Americans, Latinos, African-Americans, good guys, bad guys, you name it. Realistically, who is more likely to have taken PED's Schilling or Papelbon? Papelbon, but that does not mean he did. Still would you bet your life on the fact that either of these guys never took PED's. I wouldn't.

I do not consider Papi a bad guy.

I am in a profession that does not pay for performance (that is for another blog). Let's say I am an artist. If I knew there was something I could put into my body that would make me a better artist and thus allow me to provide financial stability for my family, I would take it. In 2003 baseball did not test for steroids. Be realistic!!! You take three or four cycles of steroids. You get into the weight room and build strength and muscle endurance. You recover quicker from injuries. You feel better about yourself. You perform better. Now instead of being a free agent player, you get a multi-year contract totaling $40 million. This is what Ortiz did. Whether or not he said something like, "everyone else is doing it, why not me?" I don't know but I'll tell you this -- If there was something I could take that would make me produce a painting that will
fetch a million dollars at an auction, I would do it. I am sorry that, I AM NOT SORRY.

Is that cheating? Yes, but look at how many minor leaguers have been suspended since drug testing has been administered. Those guys are trying to make a living. I may be in the minority but I understand where they are coming from. Arod takes the juice to prove that he is worth $252 million. Is there a difference? To me, yes. Clemens did not take PED's so that his wife and kids could have a good life. He took them because he is a competitive s.o.b. that wanted to win. I'm sure Papi is at least in part the same way. However, Ortiz will not be another ARod or Clemens.

I am nearly certain that he will take responsibility for his actions. Ortiz will not blame his cousin. Or say he did not know what he was taking. Or deny it and deny it some more. Can you imagine Papi saying that he had some medical issues that were private? I hope he stands up and says, "I took PED's because I wanted to get paid. The Twins released me and I thought the Red Sox were my last shot. I apologize to my teammates, management, the fans and most importantly, the game of baseball. I am not proud of this and am embarrassed that I made a poor judgment and had a moment of weakness." Be realistic, could you fault him? No testing! Yes, steroids are and were illegal at that time. It is all about risk -reward. Was it worth it to him?

Lastly, would you admit to doing something that you knew was wrong but were pretty sure you had gotten away with some six years ago? Really, think about it. That list of those who failed the 2003 drug test was supposed to be concealed. If you were Ortiz and saw that Arod's name was leaked, would you had stood up and said, "Yeah, I took PED's at that time too." I am not a strong enough person to do that. If I was Papi I certainly would not have made the comments he did concerning penalties for users. He should have kept his mouth shut.

John Wooden once said, "A true athlete should have character, not be a character. " David Ortiz made a mistake and his image will suffer due to showing a lack of character. His standing among major leaguers and his place in the game will now forever be questioned. He should ask himself "was it worth it?". We should ask ourselves, would we had done it? Be realistic. The true test of character is what we do when no one is watching.

Trade Banter

Trade deadline (without having to go through waivers) is this Friday at 4:00 PM EST. A couple of thoughts concerning the Red Sox and their options;

• I truly think Theo is going to do something. He has been quoted as saying the goal is to outscore the opponent be it by adding offense or looking to reduce the other team's scoring. Translation = pitching or offense does not matter. Anyway to improve the club short term or long term.
• I would be willing to trade Buchholz. I like his potential but to help the club but he is not going to be a dominant starter. Maybe, and I mean maybe a solid number four starter.
• I rate the following (avoiding the obvious ones) as nearly untouchable; Bard, last year's #1 pick Casey Kelly, and Ellsbury. Everyone else is fair game.
• If the Gordon Edes' report -- Bowden, Buchholz, Westmoreland for Halladay -- is correct, I would do that trade in a minute. However, there is a better chance of Bigfoot landing Kim Kardashian than the Blue Jays making that trade. The Sox would have to add another player.
• I would love to see Halladay in a Red Sox uniform. We can sweeten the pot and so can the Jays. I'm sick of watching Nick Green's inept defense lose us games. The Jays are shopping Marco Scutaro. So how about this -- Halladay and Scutaro for Bowden, Buchholz, Lowrie, Delcarmen and another low level prospect not named Westmoreland or Kelly. We can hit Scutaro lead off and he can be the everyday shortstop.
• Victor Martinez has been on Theo's radar for a while. I love him as a hitter, even though he is slumping. I'm okay with his defense behind the plate and at 1B. Rumor was the Sox declined a straight up deal for Buchholz. I disagree.
• Martinez's teammate in Cleveland Cliff Lee is an interesting pitcher. Last year's Cy Young winner has struggled on a bad team this year. I would be okay with Bowden and Delcarmen for him.
• San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez is a pipe dream. No way the Sox would offer enough to get him. He (and his contract) is too good of a fit for the Padres.
• The Sox could use a left handed reliever but it is not necessary. They would likely have to over pay.
• A couple of starting pitchers to look out for -- Arizona's Doug Davis (rhp), Seattle's Erik Bedard (lhp), Florida's Josh Johnson (rhp). Johnson would cost the most.
• With all of the starting pitching to start the year, it is incredible we could use a guy. Right now our #3-#5 guys are Buchholz, Penny and Smoltz. Scary, scary scary.
• Beware of the Yankees!!!!!! The fact that they have not made so much as a peep so far worries me. I got a funny feeling they will be swooping in at the last second. i.e. ARod and Teixeira.
• You can bet I'll be watching NESN's trade deadline show on Friday at 3:00 PM. It may turn out to be like Geraldo Rivera opening Al Capone's vault or opening a room under the Sphinx but it should be must see television.

Dear John letter

Dear John Smoltz,

Let me start by saying, it is my opinion that you are a hall of fame pitcher. A seven time all star, 211 wins, 154 saves, 1996 Cy Young Award winner and a 15-4 record in the postseason. As part of the Atlanta Braves you won fourteen consecutive division titles and appeared in five world series including winning the 1996 world championship. However, as a Red Sox I must sing to you the title of my favorite Janet Jackson song, 'What you have done for me lately?".

I was enthused as was most of Red Sox nation when you signed with our club. The thought of you taking the ball in a postseason game for the Sox was thrilling. The team was replacing a big game pitcher (Curt Schilling) with THE big game pitcher. Management did not rush you back from off season shoulder surgery. Your first start on June 25th in Washington was must see television. After allowing five runs in five innings, we tried to give you the benefit of the doubt that night. However, you have duplicated that same type of performance in three of your five starts. In your six starts, the team has only one win.

It seems your forty-two year old arm has lost its gitty up. Though your velocity is still up in the low 90's and your slider still has some bite to it, batters are teeing off on your mistakes. Of the twenty-four runs you have allowed in thirty plus hours, fifteen of them have come with two outs. Pitching is about deceiving the batters and your ball is not moving enough to do this. Everything seems so straight. It is not like you have faced a great team (Baltimore twice, Washington, KC, Oakland and Texas) yet either. How can we continue to give you the ball to start games any longer?

It is with deep regret and an equally deep amount of respect that I type the next line -- I do not wish to see you start another game for the Boston Red Sox. Your services as a starter should no longer be desired. You are at the "twilight of your career".

Sincerely,

All Sox Blog

P.S. If you do start again, I truly hope you prove me wrong.

Jim Rice, Hall of Famer

A big time congratulations to Jim Ed Rice on his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. To say it was a long time coming is a huge understatement. The debate of whether or not Rice was worthy of this honor raged on for nearly fifteen years. All that waiting must make this feel even more special for him.

Personally, the Red Sox of the late 70's to mid 80's were a significant part of my childhood. Playing tennis ball baseball daily, I would copy the stances and swings of Rice, Fred Lynn, Yaz, Rick Burleson, Jerry Remy, Wade Boggs, Carney Lansford, Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman. Rice's stance was simple and felt great comfortable even for a left handed hitter. One of my earliest MLB memories is the 1978 Red Sox season. Though it did not end well, that was a fantastic season for Rice. He was as dominant as any offensive player of his era.

What stands out is the the quickness and speed of his bat. Look at the old footage. It seems with a flick of the wrist the ball was launched into the net above the Monster. This takes strength but also some serious quickness. Rice was also a great athlete. He played balls off the Monster as well anyone and also could run as evidenced by his league leading 15 triples.

One other memory from his career that sticks out was Rice's actions after he hit a foul ball into the stands. The screaming line drive hit a fan (I believe a young boy) and Rice went into the Fenway stands and carried the fan into the clubhouse where medical personnel waited. Imagine that scene.



BTW's from the ceremony;

• GREAT to see Yaz make an appearance to honor Rice. Yaz is the most beloved Red Sox player during the 60's, 70's and 80's .
• Rickey Henderson's suit was pretty sweet
• If you have never visited Cooperstown, I suggest you make it a point to go. The town is beautiful and the museum is amazing. Making it a day trip will not do the the Hall of Fame justice, plan for an overnight stay.
• I love the fact that a baseball fan can recognize 75% of the player's names in baseball's HOF. Football and basketball cannot say that. It is an exclusive club.
• The likeness on Rice's plaque looked nothing like him.
• Many wondered how Henderson's speech would go considering his tendency to refer to himself in the third person. I thought the speech was very well done.

"We're streaking"

Obviously, the Sox are struggling. Listening to the idiot callers on WEEI today panicking made me want to puke. Is it hard to watch the feeble at bats? Yeah. Is it frustrating to know that each deep fly ball is going to end up on the warning track? Sure. Do I shake my head when J.D. Drew overthrows a cut off man? Oh yeah. Am I going to bust open a bottle of $100 champagne when the offense actually scores five runs in a game? Yup. What you want find me doing is wanting to jump ship after a five game losing streak.

A MLB regular season is 162 games for a reason. Teams get hot, cool off and tread water all the time. Looking at the Yanks they have gotten hot since the All Star break. The week before, as the Sox built a three game, they looked pitiful. The Sox will heat up again. The offense is in a funk for sure. Bay and Drew are my biggest concerns. Their futility (.250 and .237 batting averages) and the lack of a true lead off hitter has rendered the offense stagnant.

A home stand is just what the doctor ordered. Adam LaRoche will help against righties. The pitching (except Smoltz) and defense have remained consistent. If you remember back to both 2004 and 2007, the team went through stretches similar to this. So please, do not be one of those Sox fans. We do not need to trade Ellsbury, Bard, Buchholz, Anderson, Bowden and Kelly for Roy Halladay.

Things will turn around; they usually do.

Toronto -- game 3

Aaarghhhhhhhhh!

Beautiful day to watch a game. Blah, blah, blah.

Lester gets squeezed by the home plate umpire and issues two walks. The immortal Rod Barajas dumps a two run double down the line and two runs score. Meanwhile, the Red Sox had scored one run on five hits and the outs went something like this --- Ortiz screaming line drive sac fly, Bay bomb to dead center with two on, Bay drive into the right center gap that gets run down. 2-1 lead by the Jays seems way more than that.

Halladay got stronger as the game progressed. He was as Eck says painting. I'm sure his price went up considerably yesterday. Nightmares of him going to the Yankees dancing like Elaine from Seinfeld in my head.

I did catch my first foul ball ever at a major league game yesterday. Our seats 25 rows behind home plate were in prime territory. The Rogers Centre has a low scrren which makes things knd of dangerous. My wife and I kept reminding our gilrs to be aware. Bottom of the sixth, Alex Rios up and he fouls one straight back. My eldest daughter and wife were on the concourse getting lemonade. Ball seemed like it was heading right towards my eight year old. I just stuck out the hand and the ball found its way there.

Still. losing two out of three to the Jays is not good. Believe me it is not panic time but the offense is becoming a great cause for concern. More on this later.

Notes from Toronto game 2

Forget the small talk, here we go;

• Dome was open today. What a huge difference from last night. The atmosphere was considerably better. Plus, with the roof open you have the CN Tower looming over the field. Pretty impressive. Beautiful day for a game.



• Me, the wife and three daughters all show up early to see the Red Sox take batting practice. We like to chase home run and foul balls. Unfortunately, the Sox chose to not take bp. Afternoon game after a night game. This is not an uncommon occurrence. But after the lack of firepower today, one must question the move.



• For some odd reason it seems the Sox struggle mightily against soft throwing lefties. This rookie guy for Toronto was nothing special. He pitched in and out of trouble all day. It seems after Rocco's rbi single and Lowell's hustle play going to third the ball game was over. Second and third, no outs. Lowrie strikes out looking, the Greek pops up and JD rolls over on a breaking pitch. Ball game.



• Annoying Canuck behind us today was really loud. You could imagine as the game went on he become more and more obnoxious. The guy started the game by saying how bad the Jays were and how awful their starting pitcher was. Then all of a sudden he is their biggest fan. I usually let guys like this have their day but when he said, "This guy (rookie pitcher for Toronto with all the constants) is better than Lester." I turned to him and simple said, "Easy." A couple of Red Sox fans around us laughed. I can sit and take a lot but when something way out of line is said ...



• Penny did not fool them too often today. He is a two trick pony -- fastball and slider.



• Home plate umpire was bad for both sides.



• Lowrie's two base error on the dropped pop up was originally ruled a double. Huh?



• Tomorrow's game will be interesting. Halladay vs. Lester. Rubber game.



• I'm starting to get used to the North People saying "Ay?" at the end of their sentences. I originally thought it was a way for them to ask you to respond to their statement. For example, "That was a great play Scott Rolen made, ay?" But I have found this to not be the case the majority of the time. I've been hearing more of the, "That Scott Rolen is a ballplayer. He makes plays like that all the time, ay." This "ay" serves as a sort of exclamation. Real interesting stuff.



• For some reason, the Blue Jay fans hate Alex Rios. I guess it is because he signed a huge contract and has not performed well. Sox fans realize JD Drew is stealing money but don't hate him for it. I kind of admire a guy that got so much for seemingly putting 10% of his efforts into something. Drew is so talented but just goes through the motions. I am not 100% sure he even likes the game of baseball.

Canadian trivia of the day;

There have been 131 Canadian born players to play in the majors. Larry Walker was their only MVP. Jason Bay their only rookie of the year. George Kottaras is even Canadian. Who is the only player from Canada in baseball's hall of fame? No Internet help.

Notes from Toronto -- game 1

Observation time upon my first trip to Toronto to see the Sox;

• Trip stuff -- Trip took "only" 8.5 hours not including a hour stop over to see the Falls. Hotel, booked through Priceline in January, is on the longest (or so I was told) "street" in North America. Yonge Street has a section that is like a mini Times Square with the huge neon signs and the like. Time to the Rogers Centre from the hotel is like 10 minutes via the Subway. City is currently on day 26 of its garbage union strike.



• Clay looked good tonight. First pitch strikes showed how much he has matured. He challenged the hitters which was not the case last year. I'm very happy for him. No doubt, unless a trade, he gets sent back to the minors.



• Called for tickets the day of the game at 3:oo PM. Asked for best available and got two seats on the third base side about even with the shortstop. Eleven rows from the field. $52 per ticket before the exchange. Not too shabby.



• Rogers Centre had its dome closed. Chance of rain was about 10%. This made for a "stuffy" atmosphere. I have visited the Metrodome and caught a game there. There was a better feel here in Toronto. I am curious to attend a game with the roof open. BTW -- I was told it takes twenty minutes to open/close the roof and they delay the game when it is being closed. The stadium itself is huge. Best part is the concourse. You can be in line to get food and turn around and watch the game.



• Good to see Lowell's back. Pun intended.



• Jason Bay is either squaring up balls or looking feeble. No in between with this guy.



• Connecticut's own John MacDonald got into the game in left field. One of baseball's best defensive shortstops as a back up outfielder. Hmmmm -- interesting.



• It was odd not to hear the Dropkick Murphy's playing when Papelbon entered the game. My daughter and I hummed "Shipping Out to Boston" anyway. Words are tough.



• Crowd was about 35% Sox fans.



• The Blue Jays have this song they play and these "cheerleaders" that sing, dance and stretch to during the seventh inning stretch. Really weird to see many of the fans singing this song and stretching like Jack Lalanne to it. Actually I found it comical. Thank goodness they also played "Take Me Out To the Ballgame".
  

Today's Canadian Trivia:

We all know about our neighbor's health care system but how about this? There are FIVE hospitals within a city block of each other in downtown Toronto and one of them was the place where insulin was discovered.

All Star Game

Though I switched back and forth from the Joe Jackson interview here are a couple of quick questions regarding the All Star game;

• Do you really think selected players were okay with being named and not playing? I don't think so.



• When the Fox cameras "flashed" to that freaky, pale skinned, bald headed guy from Fringe, I jumped from the couch. Was he still in character as The Observer or did he just happen to be sitting in the front row?

• Did all the players get to have their kids in the dugout or is Maraino really that special? Those two even got into the celebratory Thatta Boy line on the field. Was almost as disgusting as seeing Drew "I don't take showers because it would ruin my greasy hair" Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon on the field after the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years.



• Does that Murdoch guy or anyone else at Fox truly know how bad Tim McCarver is?

• Did Joe Torre tell anyone in the National League dugout to pack up their stuff when Rivera entered the game in the ninth?



• Did we really need a 45 minute pregame show? How about the MLB network's Red Carpet Show at 3PM as the players arrived?



• Did anyone else wonder who was going to win the MVP award? I am not saying Crawford was not deserving but I was thinking they give it to the Yankee closer for a lifetime achievement award. That's three mentions for him.



• Did anyone catch McCarver's graphic comparing Youk (at $6 million a year) as a 1B/3B to the Arod and Teixeira combo? He actually said, "Now. I know he can't play both positions at once." Do you have to be a former major league to figure that one out?

State of the Nation Address

My fellow members of Red Sox Nation:

We are gathered here today to evaluate where our beloved team stands at the beautiful game's all star break. Best record in the league, three game lead in the division, six game lead in the wild card chase -- all of these are moot points. Playoff appearances are earned in August and September. Championships are won in October.

Let's see where we stand;

Starting pitching -- Beckett and Wake have been phenomenal. Lester, after some early problems, has emerged as THE top left hander (Seriously, who would you rather have? CC?) in the American League. Penny has done his job as the #5 starter. Dice-K seems to be a lost cause for 2009. Smoltz has been inconsistent.



Relief Pitching -- After being lights out up to June, this group has come back to earth but still ranks as the best in the league. Ramirez, Bard, Okijima, Delcarmen and Papelbon have all pitched up to or beyond expectations. Masterson and Saito need to pick it up



Catcher -- Varitek has regained his power. We can't measure how comfortable guys are throwing to him. His ability to throw out would be base stealers is suspect. Kottaras has done what the team needs him to do -- catch the knuckleballer. Offensively, he is not good.



Infield -- Youk's recent struggles aside, he has been very good. Pedroia is fine. He is not getting a lot of good pitches to hit. He'll benefit hitting with runners on base. Green has been a savior. Think where the team would be without his steadiness in the field. Lugo sucks. I know he has done well offensively, but watching him try to play defense is truly difficult. Lowell had a great start to the year. These next couple of weeks will be big. Kotsay is doing what he is supposed to do. Bates and Bailey are two fill ins that if they get important at bats in October means we are in trouble.



Outfield -- Bay's average is plummeting but his power and runs batted in have been impressive. He is very underrated defensively too. Ellsbury is hitting nearly .300 with 40 steals. The line up has far more balance when he bats lead off. Drew has been healthy which is nice. If Bill James and the boys did not come up with the OPS stat we would think he is awful. Drew, while not worth 14 million a year, has done his job. Rocco from Rhody has proved to be a good pick up.



Designated Hitter -- Ortiz has heated up over the last thirty games. Hopefully, he keeps it going.



Overall, there is room for improvement but the boys have performed well as a whole. Offensively, the team has yet to hit its stride. Bay carried them early while Youk and Ortiz have gone through hot streaks.



Things to look for in the coming weeks.



Lowell's return. This is big time. If he is not 100% the team will be forced to trade away a valuable reliever or minor leaguer.



Lowrie's return. If healthy gives great insurance at 3B and probably platoons at SS. Also means bye bye Julio.



Clay's day. Buchholz gets the start this Friday in Toronto. Can they really send him back down if he fires off a 7 inning, four hits, eight k's, no runs game? A great problem to have.



Smoltz's effectiveness. So far a mixed bag. He has shown flashes of dominance. Interesting to see how well and quickly he can progress.

Theo's Move. Hello Halladay? Victor Martinez? Garrett Atkins? Good Bye Penny? Bowden? Buchholz? Saito? We'll cover this in the next blog. This should be most interesting.