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.