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.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
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.
... 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.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
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.
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.
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.
Friday, August 21, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
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 ...
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.
Monday, August 17, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
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?
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?
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
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
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
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
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.
Monday, August 10, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
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?
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?
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.
Friday, August 7, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
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.
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.
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