Red Sox Blog

Go Johnny, Go, Go -- Stay Johnny, Stay, Stay?

2010-08-24T06:46:00.000-07:00

So the Old Towne team put a waiver claim in for former lead idiot Johnny Damon. Now he is contemplating whether or not to leave the underachieving Detroit Tigers to come back where he made his name and brand. The fact that he is thinking about this proves he is really an idiot.

His pregame and post game comments about this being a hard decision may just be posturing but let's assume he is too stupid to try that tact.

Who wouldn't want to go from a team one game under .500 and out of playoff contention to a team the is eighteen games over .500 and within reach of the playoffs? If you are saying "Brian Giles" right now give yourself a high five. Pro athletes today are making huge sacrifices to win rings. What ever your thoughts on the former King James, he wants desperately to win a championship. If Damon really would rather play out the string on a losing team, please do.

Who wouldn't rather live in Boston over Detroit? Have you been to Detroit in the past 20 years? Granted he probably lives in one of the suburbs but really? His diva wife Michelle must be going nuts in those Detroit social circles. If you truly want to live there and not here, please do.

Who wouldn't want to turn boos into cheers again? It seems Damon was scarred by the reception he received here by the fans. If memory serves me correctly he left us for what amounted to less than five million dollars over five years to go play for your fiercest rival. That's like a girl breaking up with you for the guy you have been in a constant fight with over your entire lifetime and your loved ones giving her the cold shoulder. Did he expect anything different? He went to play for the Yankees! Undoubtedly, Fenway would turn friendly for him again but as fans we do not want an over sensitive wuss. If Damon cannot see why the Red Sox faithful had those feelings for him after he left, please stay.

I hope this guy agrees to get traded to the Sox because the offense could use his talents. If he chooses to remain with a team going no where, in a place that has seen better days, all because his feelings were hurt, he is truly an idiot.

Hanging by a String

2010-08-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

After getting blown out by the Blue Jays on Friday, the Sox take the final two games of the series. That puts the record on the homestand at 4-2. Good but not great. The season is slipping away. Seattle is next. The Sox NEED to win this series. The Rays and Yankees look like playoff teams right now. Our biggest hope lies in the twelve games we have left with these two clubs.

A couple of BTW's

It is extremely painful to watch Mike Lowell play. He literally cannot run. No wonder no team took a chance on him.

Josh Beckett is in a major funk right now. Good thing Clay Buchholz is pitching like the Beckett of '07.

Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury both look lost for the year. The injuries this team has been forced to overcome is truly unbelieveable. Making the playoffs without the top three hitters in the line up is unthinkable.

Disappointment

2010-08-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Awful, awful, awful loss. If the Sox miss the playlets by one game, we will remember August 12th. Papelbon blew it. Francona should not have had Lackey start the ninth. I know hindsight is 20/20 but .... Francona was just trying to show some confidence in Lackey since he has struggled of late.

Let the Bard vs. Papelbon debate begin.

Don't look now but ....

2010-08-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

The Sox all of sudden seem to be heating up winning eleven of their last sixteen games.

An impressive win on Tuesday after failing to protect a couple of leads. Scoring seven runs was a huge confidence boost.

Tonight's win was the first "comfortable" win in what seems like three months. Some guy that looks like Bill Hall hit two home runs giving him 15 for the year. This impostor has as many home runs as Evan Longaria. Clay Buchholz was outstanding.

The Rays loss this afternoon and the Yankees trail by three in the seventh. Things are getting interesting.

Could John Lacey please step up tomorrow!!!!

Roseanne Barr is singing

2010-08-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

The bad news is the Red Sox have ZERO chance of catching the Yankees for the division this year. I'll try not to over analyze this. Simply put, this team is not good enough to compete with the Yankees over 162 games. Injuries, lack of a consistent offense and a weakened bull pen are the biggest culprits.

The encouraging news is the fall of the Rays. Wholly collapse Batman!

A couple of notes from the series so far:

-- Errors!!!!!!!! Scutaro's first was errors was discussed last blog. He screwed up a run day the next day. Last night, Billy Hall gift wrapped a run by throwing a ball away that VMart made no attempt to stop. Kevin Cash throws away an errant pick off attempt after a strikeout. Both plays were not intelligent baseball plays but were also a bit unlucky.

-- Lackey is lacking in stuff. The biggest sign of this is his inability to pound the strike zone. Go after guys.

-- Beckett had good stuff last night. The Yanks hit a couple of good pitches. I have no worries about how he is throwing.

-- Wake looked real good last night.

-- I would have rather of seen AJ Burnett last night than Sugar Shane Mosley. hindsight is 20/20.

-- Ellsbury at the top of the order is killing the team. 0 for 16 since returning from the DL is not getting it done.

-- I really like listening to Joe Morgan and John Miller as much as I hate dealing with Joe Buck and Tim MacCarver. "I guess he is calling the front corner of the plate a strike." Huh??????????????? I get Sabathia's sweeping curveball could swipe the front corner of the plate but by definition of a strike, it is still not a strike!! Now I know why Bob Gibson threw so hard. He was trying to hurt his annoying catcher.

Game 1 to the Sox

2010-08-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

First of all I'm a little peeved by the headline in this morning's local newspaper -- "Yanks are a Bit Too Giving". It leads people to believe that the game was handed to the Sox. True, the Sox benefited from a miscue by the Yankee catcher and pitcher but that certainly was not the game.

Clay Buchholz was very efficient. The sequence of the game was when the Sox are up 4-1 and Scutaro fields a ground ball behind second base and inexplicably tries to glove toss the ball to Lowrie covering for the force out. Fielder's choice, E-6. First and second no one out. Instead of unraveling, Buc gets a double play grounder (nice play by Lowell) and strikeout. What did Vasquez (2004 ALCS game 7 starter)do when that pop up is not fielded? Walks two consecutive batters and allows a two run double to Scutaro. That my friends is the difference. It is not the error but how the pitcher responds after the miscue.

Big Papi's first inning homer got the team on the board and then Ryan Kalish (making an excellent first impression, not sure he is Trot Nixon reincarnated. Looks like a far better defender)hits a two run shot off of Vasquez for his first major league homer.

Bottom line is our starting pitcher out pitched their starter. Most games are decided by this. The Yankees did not hand the game to the Sox.

Today's match up is key for the Yanks. Sabathia vs Lackey is a must win for them. If the Sox can take two out of the next three, they still have a legit shot at the playoffs despite all of these injuries.

A couple of observations:

-- Great catch by Ellsbury in the eighth. Fell right onto those injured ribs. He did not look 100% before or after that.

-- Comical how far Joba has fallen. I'm sure when the organization was limiting his pitches, the infamous Joba Rules, they did not envision him pitching in the sixth inning of an important game. Why not show his dad in the stands last night?

--Not sure I want the team to trade for Casey Kotchman again. Reportedly, Carlos Delgado worked out for the team yesterday. That may be the better addition to platoon with Lowell at first base.

-- Joe Girardi, really? Aside from the fact that he is forty something years old and wearing braces, what does he do except stand there with his arms folded during games?

-- Classic at bat from Jeter in the ninth. It is so hard not to respect him.

Youkkkkkk = Yukkkkkkk

2010-08-05T15:40:00.000-07:00

Our MVP candidate first baseman is out for the year after injuring his thumb. There have been many nails in the Red Sox coffin recently. This I am afraid may be the most damaging. Youk is the player who's personality most resembles the team's. Youk grinds out at bats, plays hard, and plays with a passion that is infectious.

My tipping point is this upcoming four game series in New York. If the team cannot take 3 of 4 from the second place Yankees, this season may be over.

Youk, Lowell, Beckett and Ellsbury

2010-08-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

Much going on in the World of the Red Sox. Let's take a look at some major players.

Kevin Youkilis. Bum thumb places our most valuable hitter on the DL. Dear Baseball Gods, Whyyyyyyyyyy! This injury stuff is getting way out of hand. 55 games to play. Each game gets more and more important.

Mike Lowell. I see a Lifetime movie in his future. Left like a discarded old toy in the trash heap, Lowell is awaiting his fate (trade -- not to the Yanks, designated for assignment, cut) when Youk goes down and Lowell becomes the first baseman. Steps to the plate after getting a standing ovation and deposits one in the stands. Good story. Let's hope he can help the offense.

Josh Beckett looked awesome again last night. His ball has been exploding. Good sign. Benches cleared last night after Beckett threw inside twice. The Indians futile attempts to retaliate angered the Sox. The guy they threw at (Adrian Beltre) would not have beeny choice. Ever see the scene in the dugout when VMart touches his head? He would have snapped. Sox in a brawl I would avoid -- Beltre, Youk, Beckett, Kalish, Varitek, Lester and Papelbon.

Jacoby Ellsbury. The teen heartthrob returns. Scutaro will move to the bottom of the order. This should be huge. I'm really torn on this which of the great divide between Ellsbury and management I'm on. The bottom line is we could really use this guys speed on the base paths and defense in center. The eyes of Red Sox Nation will be on #2 tonight.

Big game tonight.

Another wild one

2010-08-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

Another solid win. Clay Buchholz was fantastic. He was bumping 93-95 MPH with some serious movement. Very impressive performance. Of course, Jonathon Papelbon coughed it up in the ninth. First pitch fastball to Miggy Cabrera = two run double. Jonny Peralta same pitch RBI single. He is not fooling anyone any more. My boy Slut (it is like calling a big kid Tiny) wants Bard already. Patience is needed in Red Sox Nation.

Four game series versus Cleveland. Three out of four is needed.

HUGE!!!!

2010-07-31T16:46:00.000-07:00

Big win this afternoon. Hopefully, this win can give the offense some momentum heading towards the dog days of August. Gotta love seeing the team celebrate a Papi walk off hit.

A couple of BTW's ...

awful angle taken by the Tiger left fielder on Papi's game winner
good move designating Hermida. He was given ample opportunities.
Ramon Ramirez fooled me. I truly thought he was going to be very good for the team. I have a hunch he does well for the Giants
not sold on Jarrod Saltalamacchia's ability
Ryan Kalish looks like he can swing it.
can't blame Leyland for intentionally walking the go ahead run in the ninth. Coke versus Papi is a good match up. Plus, the strategy worked in the seventh.
the Yankees get their guys when they need them. Cashman gets big props.

WSTD

2010-07-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

As the trade deadline draws near, What Should Theo Do????

Most reports have the Sox doing something very small if anything at all. A bull pen arm perhaps. But there are at least ten other teams looking for the same thing. Toronto asked for Casey Kelly for their lefty reliever Scott Downs. Way too much.

I guarantee you big time prospects Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo and Jose Igelesia are not going anywhere. Theo's track record shows he does not trade away the upper echelon prospects.

Today looks like a quiet day.

Game Notes Sox @ Angels Wednesday 3:30 PM

2010-07-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Pregame --

Joel Pinero not starting for the Angels. Advantage Sox.
Glen Ordway on WEEI called today's game "important". His reasoning was completing the sweep, finishing 6-4 on the trip and Beckett's second start since returning from the DL. I gotta agree.
JD Drew is out again with a hamstring. Anyone that has ever had a pulled, strained or cranky hamstring knows that it is not a joke. You cannot push off of that leg at all.
Jed Lowrie not in the line up? He's a little young to need a day off after a night game. VMart is back behind the dish.

Game --

I'm officially annoyed with the constant camera shots of Mike Scioscia in the dugout whining about balls and strikes.
Jeremy Hermida is awful. He laid up on the sinking line drive in in the second inning leading to two runs. Feel free to give an effort. Then he strikes out on six pitched balls with two in.
How many famous white guys are named Reggie?
I remember the Red Sox in the early eighties using three relievers every once in a while for a game. I believe Dick Dragoo started and pitched three followed by another three inning stint from some one else. Pretty effective. Gotta think it makes it harder for a hitter.
Remy needs to beat down The Thumb. The Opposable one just called Remy "old". BTW -- How about the Curse of the RemDawg? Ellsbury changes his number and now turns into Dave Chappelle.
You gotta think that old man did not know the swarm of bees were beneath him. Why wouldn't the fans that left that section tell him? California. They were all probably high on their medicinal marijuana.
Two (back to back walks) on no outs in the eighth. You MUST bunt Eric Patterson. I know the team has struggled with guys in scoring position but you play the percentages. Patterson reaches any way.
Scutaro goes ya ya for the grand slam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fernando Rodney is sick to his stomach.
I hope no one has Rodney or Ortiz on their fantasy teams. Papi just went down with his 4th strikeout in the game. 3 k's is a "hat trick", 4 k's is a "golden sombrero". What do you call a game where you strike out five times? Never saw nor heard of that.
Beckett out after seven solid innings. Very workman-like effort. Here comes Manny DelCarmen. I won't review his recent struggles. This might get interesting. There was a report that Bard and Papelbon are unavailable for this series finale.
Bill Hall. Big time play. DelCarmen's career can be summed up in that inning. He looks absolutely filthy at times and absolutely feeble at times. Wakefield's warming to pitch the ninth.
Ramirez pitches the ninth. Smooth.
Very good win to end the road trip.

One back ...

2010-07-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Review from yesterday's Red Sox happenings --

VMart returned, Ellsbury began his rehab assignment, Papi broke out of his HR Derby slump (predicted), Buchholz was solid, Atchinson -- not so much, and Paps got the dreaded 4 out save.

Hopefully, the team can get through this road trip with a winning record.

Lackey returns home tonight to pitch against his former team, he better bring it.

LET"S GO SOX!!!!!

Beckett Returns

2010-07-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

Josh Beckett's return last night is hopefully a sign of things to come. The Sox are four games out of the wild card spot. These injuries have certainly caught up to the team. Beckett's performance last night serves as some much needed hope to the team and its followers.

The starting pitching staff is now in its original form. The bullpen certainly could use a boost. Tim Wakefield's arrival there should help. The team was without a long set up man. Michael Bowden looks like he may help. What we desperately need is for Hideki Okajima to find his groove.

Offensively, the losses of Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Jeremy Hermida, Jacoby Ellsbury and to a lesser extent Jason Varitek has been crippling. Hermida returns today and Martinez is not too far behind. When Pedrioa returns we won't have to stomach seeing Daniel Nava, Eric Patterson or Darnell McDonald batting in the two hole. As far as Ellsbury is concerned, anything he can give us at this point is a plus.

Brighter days are on the horizon. We can only hope that by the time the team is at full strength, the sun has not set on the season.

Yo Adrian!!!!

2010-07-16T09:04:00.001-07:00

Adrian Beltre --- Are you serious?? You tweak your hamstring the game prior to the All Star game but deem yourself healthy enough to play in the midsummer classic. Now as the team is trying to cope with more injuries than General Hospital and you are out a couple of games because of that hamstring injury.

Why play in the All Star game if you were not 100% healthy. I realize it was your first appearance but how about honoring your contract and the organization that is paying you. The regular season is far more important than that glorified scrimmage game.

ARod didn't even get into the game. We need to use better judgment.

RIP

2010-07-13T07:11:00.001-07:00

Reports has "The Boss" passing away this morning.

First the voice of the Yankees dies and now the loud voice of the team passes days later.

Say what you want about the man's demeanor, but he made the Yanks winners after he took over the team. Then in the early nineties he realized that more "baseball men" should have control and he allowed that to happen. He also was a big supporter of U.S. Olympic efforts.

Rest in peace to the man born on the Fourth of July.

Papi HR Derby Winner!!!!

2010-07-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

Wahoooooo.

Now back to baseball. Vegas has 3-2 odds on him not hitting a home run in his next 10 games after that display last night. His swing looks totally screwed.

Tough one to take

2010-07-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

Last night's loss to the Rays was painful.

Eric Patterson hits two homers, Papi scores from first on a nifty slide, Beltre and Hall come up with big two out hits -- all leading to a commanding 5-1 lead. Commanding to any pitcher on the staff except Hideki Irabu.

Irabu pitches behind hitters all night, fails to get an out on a sac bunt, and for all the scratching and clawing the depleted team does to win a game, he coughs it up. The saddest part of it all is while we are watching all this unfold, we knew it was going to happen.

Offensively for the Sox, the sequence of the game was the bases loaded one out situation in the sixth. Beltre and Drew both strike out. We all realize these guys have had solid years and can't do it every time but can we get the ball in play?

Lost in all this is Joe Maddon's decision to put on a safety squeeze with first and third and no out, in a tie game, with his lead off (and one of the best hitters) man Ben Zobrist. What the heck is the thinking behind that? Scared of a strikeout? Okay you would still have first and third one out with Crawford up. A double play? You would still have the lead. Makes no sense. Jerry Remy is saying he would understand if it was a sacrifice to get the runner at first into scoring position. What?? That too makes no sense.

Just last week, Maddon up 6-1 attempted to bunt to put guys on second and third. Up 6-1???? I know it is hard to judge other people but some of this is just bizarre.

Maybe Joe Maddon can get Irabu back on track.

How long can this last?

2010-06-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

Are the Red Sox really winning behind the likes of Billy Hall, Daniel Nava, and Darnell McDonald? I'm not sure how long it will last but Red Sox Nation should not panic.

This team is built on defense and starting pitching. Though both of these parts of the game have their ups and downs, but they are far more consistent than a team's offense. Look at the struggles of the Phillies as a prime example. Offensively, they have yet to be totally healthy and thus have struggled. The Sox are built differently.

Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester and John Lackey are a combined 28-10. Defensively, the team is in the top five among American League teams in most defensive categories.

Offensively, the Red Sox are getting by without its lead off man that lead the league in steals, its middle of the order catcher and its former MVP second baseman. Each guy cannot be replaced but with David Ortiz and Adrian Beltre exceeding expectations, the offense can survive. Marco Scutaro and JD Drew have had their moments. It would be a big lift if Kevin Youkilis could snap out of his recent slump.

From now until the All Star Break the Sox play ten games against the AL East (Rays, Blue Jays, Orioles). This is an important stretch for the team to keep this going.

Enough!!

2010-06-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Enough with the injuries!!

Pedroia goes down. Buchholz goes down. They join Ellsbury (I don't think he is milking it), Beckett, Lowell (he's more important than Lowrie who I am not mentioning), Drew (he pinch hit today) and Hermedia (yeah, he's important) on the unable to perform due to injury.

Dice-K and Cameron have both missed time too.

It is amazing the team is only two games out of the wild card and first place.

Bullpen Blues

2010-06-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

This road trip in Colorado and San Franisco has been a nightmare for the bullpen. Papelbon's ineffectiveness has been well chronicled. But don't forget the rest of the relief corps (especially Okijima's) struggles.

The more we watch Major League Baseball the more the hard truth becomes painfully obvious, a team's bullpen will make or break a season or playoff series. The key to recent past world series champions (2007 White Sox being the exception) has been having a couple of dominant or reliable arms at the end of games. Starting pitchers are not going to give teams eight innings any more.

The game of baseball has evolved where starters give six or seven innings if you are lucky. Then a combination of one or two middle relievers turn the game over to the closer. The closer is expected to near perfect. Very similar to a kicker in the NFL. People only remember when you don't get it done.

This is what makes Mariano Rivera so incredible. He has been as near perfect as any closer in the history of the game. But what are the two most memorable Mariano moments? Luis Gonzalez's bloop to win game seven in the 2001 World Series and Bill Mueller's game tying single in game four of the 2004 ALDS.

Papelbon has had an amazing career as the Sox closer. We realize he won't be perfect but the last two outings have been hard to stomach. Daniel Bard is clearly the closer of the future but we cannot lose faith in Papelbon because the fortunes of this year's team rest heavily on the entire bullpen's ability to get key outs. This includes Papelbon, Bard and Okijima in particular because they will be getting the majority of the opportunities in the eighth and ninth innings.

Starting pitching, defense and timely offense are certainly important factors in determining the fate of the 2010 Red Sox but we will go only as far as the bullpen carries us.

Mannyworld

2010-06-19T12:01:00.001-07:00

Lukewarm reception for Manny last night. I think you gotta cheer for the guy. Two World Series . Pain in the backside but I repeat two World Series.

Sox Love Interleague Play

2010-06-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

Is the the National League that bad? The Sox have played very well over the past couple of years in these inter league games. Many remember the days of the 70's and 80's when the NL owned the American League during All Star games. Those days are long gone.

How much better is the "junior" circuit than its "senior" counterparts?

The Phillies have ruled the league over the past two seasons. The reason? The Phillies' offense is built like an American League team. They have a line up that has balance and power.

Right now the Sox, Rays and Yankees are clearly head and shoulders above anyone in the NL.

State of the Sox

2010-06-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

It is early June and the Sox are playing well. The glass is definitely half full.

Lester and Buchholz are the leaders of the pitching staff.

Bard, Delcarmen, Okijima, and Papelbon have been solid out of the bullpen.

Offensively, Papi's emergence has really propelled the club over the last month. Beltre is still hitting for average and mixes in the occasional bomb from one knee. V Mart, Pedroia and Youk have yet to hit their stride. When Ellsbury gets healthy the line up now gets much deeper.

Defensively, it looks like the kinks have been worked out. Run prevention. Run prevention. Run prevention.

The enormous problem is the fact that the Yankees and Rays are playing great too! The Blue Jays will fade like last year. This looks like 2008 all over again. Only two of these three teams will make the playoffs.

There is a great deal of time left in the season and things are going to get interesting!!!

New vs traditional

2010-05-31T05:26:00.000-07:00

Ok here's the scorecard:

I love the Green Monster seats. Many thought they would take away from the ambiance of Fenway.

I don't mind the advertisements on almost every wall of Fenway. John Henry has to get paid.

I love the home "special" red jerseys. They look sharp.

I'm okay with the away "special" blue jerseys. They don't make me want to throw up.

I do detest the white hats with red brims that the team wore yesterday to commemorate Memorial Day. Terry Francona made mention that they looked like the team was going to sell ice cream.

Weird

2010-05-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

So the Sox sweep the best team in baseball (the Rays) at home in impressive fashion. Return home to play the worst team in baseball (the Royals) and drop the first two games???? Wholly bizarro world.

Dice-K was absolutely gross on Monday night. Wakefield was no better last night.

Tough team to figure out.

Bore and snore

2010-05-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about this one for for the last couple of weeks: Are the 2010 Red Sox boring?

Let's look back at the team over the past ten years. Remember the days when Pedro pitched? That was an event. How about Nomah? We know the story didn't end well but he was one of the most beloved players the team has had in my lifetime. Who can forget the self proclaimed "idiots" of 2004? Millar, Damon, Schilling, Ortiz and that crew were certainly good players but were also characters that held our attention. There was no greater character than Manny Ramirez. Say what you want about his high maintenance style and idiot savant tendencies but it made for must see viewing.

Currently, the roster is loaded with solid citizens and talented players. Youkilis, Pedroia, V Mart, Ellsbury, Drew, Clay, Lackey, Lester and Beckett all seem to be "good" guys that play the game the right way. But aside from Pedroia's bravado (we only hear about this from beat writers) where's the interest? Do these guys make us watch?

I exclude Papelbon because to me he is the one guy that to me is must see. He has electric stuff and the persona to match.

Personally, I have only watched one game in its entirety this season. That was the opening night win over the Yankees. In an effort to maintain full disclosure, I must mention two things. Number one, I was at Fenway for the season opener. Number two, I also went to two other games at Fenway and did not stay for the whole game (one was the suspended game). I have yet to make it through watching a game from my couch.

Granted, it has been a busy spring but still. We add Cameron, Lackey, Beltre and some relievers that are uninspiring. I can't believe I miss the "drama" at Fenway. Did Manny really just go into the Monster and miss a pitch? Did Millar have the guys do a shot of Jack before games in the 2004 playoffs? When will Pedro cut those geri-curls? Will the marbles in Johnny Damon's mouth fall out when he is being interviewed? I truly miss the good ole days.

We knew ...

2010-05-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

... this match up between Dice K and Phil Hughes would not go well, right? I mean the Yankees own the Sox right now and Dice-K is just awful. Thank god this is only a two game series.

I am seriously having doubts about this year. I am extremely patient person when it comes to the Sox but they have very little going for them right now. The starting pitching has been sub par and the lack of defense has been mind boggling. May be Theo was right that this is a "bridge" year.

Papi Power

2010-05-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

David Ortiz has two absolute bombs tonight. The first one went 450 feet. Big stretch of games forthcoming and we need the offense to get hot. Papi, Papi, Papi.

Buchholz looks sharp, too.

We can only hope this a start to bigger and better things.

I no heart Tim MacCarver

2010-05-08T20:18:00.000-07:00

Three hour game, Tex hits 3 homers, Van Every has to pitch the ninth, one hour rain delay, a sweep is inevitable!!

To top it all off, during the post game Tim MacCarver says (paraphrasing) "You have to wonder if the Red Sox are as good as either the Rays or Yankees. Five weeks is not a large sampling but ... I don't think they are close to those two teams."

I no heart Tim MacCarver because he is absolutely right.

This is the last season of one of my favorite tv shows of all time. It is ironic that this year is also shaping up to be a LOST season for the Sox.

Here's hoping David Ortiz's stick is as powerful as Mr. Ecko's.
Can Tito give the "we can all live together or we can all die alone" speech to motivate the troops like Jack did?
Papelbon needs to throw some serious "smoke" like the Man in Black/Christian Shepherd/The Loch Ness Montster.
When will Ellsbury return to swipe some bags like Sawyer runs a long con?
John Henry needs to spend some money to get us some players like Widmore has spent trying to rule the island.
Can Mike Cameron have the passion like Michael? "MY SON!!"
Sayid's assassin like stares need to be mastered by Beckett.
Pedroia does have some Benjamin Linius in him. Little guy that needs to prove himself.
Hurley could probably get more outs out of the bull pen right now than Manny Delcarmen (I know it's not true but I needed a Hurley reference).
JD Drew is about as useless as Juliet's fertilization research.
Who appears in more games / episodes Jonathon Van Every or Boone?
Can Dice-K talk to his dead career like Miles does to dead people?
Kate or Heidi Watney? Tough one.
Can Tim Wakefield continue to beat back time Richard Alpert?

"We all everybody" How can I fit that one in?

I hope this ends well.

Sweep away the Angels, here come the Yanks

2010-05-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Looks like the Sox have righted the ship by sweeping the punchless Angels. By here come the Yankees.

I don't get why and how the schedule makers can have the Sox play two 0f their three home Yankee series before May 11th. Nevertheless, this weekend is a great opportunity for the Sox to take a series from the world champs. The last time we saw the New Yorkers, Red Sox Nation was unsure about what to expect from this group. Since those opening three games, the team has been a model of inconsistency. The Sox swept Toronto at the Rogers Centre, got swept at Camden Yards and swept the Angels at the Fens.

This weekend should be fun. Phil Hughes against Josh Beckett looks like the best match up. Hughes has been lights out this year. Becket needs to find his groove. CC Sabbathia vs Clay Buchholz on Saturday seems to favor the visitors. Sunday's hurlers are AJ Burnett and Jon Lester. Gotta like the the Sox here.

Something to look at is how well the Sox can limit the Yankee running game. Jason Varitek and Victor Martinez along with the pitching staff have made great strides.

Swept Away in Baltimore

2010-05-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

After evening their overall record on the road in Toronto (and seemingly gaining some much needed momentum), the Sox get swept in Baltimore.

The painful part is the fact that all three games were winnable.

Friday night featured a one run loss where the bull pen (Bard, Ramirez) could not hold the lead.

Saturday night Dice-K was staked a 4-1 lead in his season debut and then imploded (anyone surprised?) in the fifth giving up six runs. Wake then gave up five runs in his two innings. Papi's two home runs wasted.

Today, we waste a very good start from Beckett. The only offense we could muster were solo home runs from Varitek and Drew.

The Angels now come to Boston. We are in desperate need of some kind of winning streak. The Rays and Yanks look like that may run away from the pack.

Buc to the rescue!!

2010-04-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

Clay Buchholz gives the bull pen some much needed rest with a sparkling performance tonight. He has clearly been the best starter so far this year. Most impressive was his ability to throw his change up in any count.

Other big news was Mike Lowell pinch hitting for David Ortiz in a big spot. Looks like Lowell will be taking at bats away from Papi.

Also, not lost is Adrian Beltre's error in the eighth. Gotta make that play.

All of these one run games are taxing the bull pen.

End story is the club is 2-0 in Toronto. We need some kind of winning streak.

State of Sox

2010-04-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

The Sox finished their 10 game home stand at 4-6. So where do we currently stand?

No Ellsbury or Cameron. Our outfield has been the worst in baseball. Hermida, Van Every, Hall, MacDonald and Reddick does not remind anyone of Evans, Rice and Lynn or even Damon, Nixon and Ramirez for that matter.

The bullpen has been inconsistent. Okijima gave one up yesterday. Delcarmen has still a shadow of himself. Some guy named Acthinson pitched the other day and Ramon the Elder makes it look like we got shafted giving up CoCo Crisp.

Offensively, Youkilis, Martinez, Drew, Ortiz and Scutaro are all off to very slow starts.

The starting pitching has been suspect. Lackey has been up and down, Lester looks out of sync, Buchholz still nibbles too much and Wake has been banished to the pen. Beckett has been only okay.

Defensively, the team cannot throw out base runners and makes some untimely errors. This whole run differential thing has not panned out just yet.

So in short, we look to be in a great deal of trouble. The Rays and Yanks look to be 95-100 win teams right now. We can only hope that we turn this thing around.

Absolutely Ridiculous

2010-04-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

9 stolen bases in 6 innings!!!!!!

Unbelievable. Victor Martinez is losing a lot of free agent money.

Why the Rays are a bad match up for the Red Sox

2010-04-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

The four game sweep at Fenway is complete. The Sox are obviously in a very bad place right now. The Rays are extremely hot. We should not panic, there is a very long way to go. However one thing is very clear, The Sox do not match up well with the Rays.

Here's why:

The Rays make the Sox look very unathletic. BJ Upton and Carl Crawford are considerably better athletes than anyone the Sox have. Jacoby Ellsbury is athletic but not on the level of these two guys. Athleticism in baseball is not imperative. For instance, the 2009 Sox were more athletic than the 2009 Yankees. Having better athletes does not guarantee a better team but it sure helps. Which leads us to ...

The Red Sox have no answer to the Rays' running game. Crawford has stole thirty-one straight bases against the Old Towne team. But it is not just Crawford. Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria, Jason Bartlett and even Carlos Pena have successfully swiped bags versus the Boston battery. Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek have been awful but some of the blame has to go to the starting pitchers. Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz have to give them a chance. We know it is not easy but the Rays will continue to take advantage of this aspect of the game because ...

Joe Maddon has the Red Sox' number. This guy, who worked under Mike Scioscia in Anaheim, has made all the right moves against the Sox. I like the fact that he is unafraid to make a gutsy move. Be it introducing a shift for many dead pull lefty hitters to bringing in a fifth infielder with a runner on third, Maddon loves to take calculated risks. Maddon has also done a great job managing match ups in his bullpen. Of course, it is not too difficult when you have talented players like ..

Evan Longoria. Simply put --- he is the best young position player in the game. Albert Pujols is the best but I would take Longoria and his fifteen more years in the majors right now. Longoria is young, drives in runs, hits bombs and plays sound defense. He also has "game". This means he gets it done when the game is on the line.

I would rather have the Sox play anyone (including the 2009 World Champs) than the Rays.

Dear Tim letter

2010-04-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Tim Bogar,

Tie game, no one out, in the sixth last night and you send Youkilis from first on Ortiz's double??? Are you serious? There's no one out! Did you not feel comfortable having runners on second and third and no one out? Mark Balfour was not lights out, plus Beltre, Hermida and Varitek were all swinging the bat well.

Last night's game was the first of ten home games in a row. The suspended game pitted our #1 Beckett vs. the Rays' #5 Davis, the only run scored by Tampa Bay was on a ground ball lost in the lights (read that again for effect)! This is a game we needed to have and you decide to channel your best Wave 'em in Wendel Kim.

Timmy, Timmy, Timmy, we demand better from you.

Don't even tell me you ...

2010-04-12T05:09:00.000-07:00

... are not worried about David Ortiz' start to the season. He has not looked good against hard throwing righties, soft throwing lefties, breaking pitches, pitches up, down, away, or in. It is obvious he is trying to jack everything sees. When he was going good, he would drive the ball the left center field gap. He isn't even trying to do that.

... don't like the Royals' uniforms on Sunday. The baby blues were sweet.

... didn't smile when Tek hit two home runs on Saturday.

... miss JD Drew. His stiff neck/back has allowed us to watch the stroke of one Jeremy
Hermida.

... think the Red Sox - Yankee games are too long. Dear Joe West, the lack of a time limit is one of the reasons baseball is a great sport. I understand the commissioner's office wants to speed up the games but some of us actually enjoy the "gamesmanship" of baseball.

... are against signing Josh Beckett to a four year extension. The Sox now have the best rotation (Beckett, Lester, Lackey, Buchholz, Dice-K) in baseball signed until 2012.

... aren't concerned that Victor Martinez has thrown out one of ten base stealers thus far this season. The Rays come to Fenway this weekend. If you have Carl Crawford on your fantasy team, my guess is you will win steals this week. Many of the throws haven't even been close.

Did the opening series versus Yankees tell us anything?

2010-04-08T17:57:00.000-07:00

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!

First of all, why would the MLB schedule makers have a Red Sox - Yankee series to kick off the season? I went to both Sunday's opener and Tuesday night's game and the electricity that was in the air on Sunday night was simply because it was the opener. The Sox could have been playing the Connecticut Tigers and it would have been just as loud. Neil Diamond, Steven Tyler, a 5 year old yelling "screw 'em", and Pedro will do that to a sell out crowd.

Tuesday's game did not feel like a typical rivalry game. Seemed like a waste of guaranteed buzz to me.

The series itself told of us very little.

David Ortiz's 0 for 7 start means nothing. These sportswriters need to find other things to write about.
Joba Chamberlain had one good outing and one bad. Sounds like a typical reliever.
Curtis Granderson is not the next Willie Mays, Bernie Williams or even Melky Cabrera.
JD Drew is not going to be replaced by Josh Reddick.
Josh Beckett is going to be fine. Signing him for four additional years is good, smart business.
The Sox offense will be fine. There is far more balance this year than since Manny left a year and a half ago. Mike Cameron, Marco Scutaro and Adrian Beltre combined are a better trio than Jason Bay, Julio Lugo and Mike Lowell.
Scutaro's error on Tuesday does not make run prevention a failed experiment like the 2003's closer by committee.

Keep faith Sox fans and don't overreact Yankee followers, there is a long way to go. The 2009 Sox taught us that after the eight consecutive victories to open the rivalry.

Gone Bay-B Gone

2010-01-02T17:29:00.000-08:00

Jason Bay's signing with the New York Mets brings his one and a half year stay in Boston to a close. The Mets are getting a very good player that will hit for power (even in that stadium), take his walks and play 150-160 games. The Red Sox knew Bay's talents and contributions well but ultimately decided the cost was too much. Their initial offer of four years, sixty million was about as high as the team was going to go.

What does this mean for the team? Simply put -- Mike Cameron is the left fielder for the start of the season. There has been some talk about Cameron's signing meaning that Jacoby Ellsbury could be moved in a deal for a big time player. Past history tells us that Theo does not like to move his proven young players. Ellsbury gives the club athleticism (defense and on the bases) that the team seriously lacks. His contract is very club friendly.

An outfield of Cameron, Ellsbury and JD Drew in right is very good defensively. Cameron can move to center to give Ellsbury the occasional day off with Jeremy Heredia backing up in both left and right field.

The question is, Are the Red Sox content with the current roster? My guess is that the baseball operations people are okay with starting spring training with who they currently have under contract. I do think the team will add another arm or two with incentive laden deals -- think low risk money with a possible high reward (i.e. Smoltz, Penny, Saito). These type of deals do not always work out but seem to be worth the risk.

The fun should come in June and July at the trade deadline. However, we are a long way from that.

Theo Doing Work

2009-12-19T16:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-08T18:37:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-27T06:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-23T13:39:00.000-07:00

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 ...

2009-09-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-18T18:25:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-13T16:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-07T07:13:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

#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!

2009-08-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-08-29T04:30:00.000-07:00

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 ...

2009-08-27T13:15:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-08-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

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"

2009-08-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-28T19:37:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

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"

2009-07-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

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.

Home game, right?

2009-07-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

To the Red Sox fan near the front row in between the third base dugout and home plate on Friday, July 3rd versus the Mariners --- Let Youk catch the damn ball.

Why you ask?

Youk looks like the craziest guy on the team. That death stare he gave you looked like he had a beheading in mind.
Think risk vs reward. Is the risk of you being put in the same sentence as Bartman ( I know it wasn't a LCS but still people will compare) and facing the ridicule from the Nation worth the glory of saying you caught a $4 ball at Fenway?
I know you were assuming Wake wasn't going to give up those three runs but we were facing Felix Hernandez. He is really good and close to filthy at Fenway in his career.
Assuming you are a Red Sox fan, I hope for your sake the team does not fall short of the playoffs by one game. If that happens you will become far more famous then you ever hoped.
Red Sox are supposed to be some of the most knowledgeable in all of sports. This is a mark against us.

Blow a nine run lead ... no worries

2009-07-01T06:06:00.000-07:00

Last night's disappointing loss could drive some team's fans crazy. The Mets have suffered a couple of losses -- runner does not tag third and dropped pop up -- that could take weeks off a fan's life. The Cubs ... well they certainly have found interesting ways to lose. By the way Milton and Lou, dysfunction is spelled with a "y". So when the Red Sox lose a game after being up 10-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, with the best bull pen in the league, with the entire infield jogging in after the second out of an inning, with the manager removing the starting catcher (has anyone else noticed how uncomfortable the relievers, especially Papelbon, are with the Greek?), with all the crazy bloop, swinging bunt, seeing eye hits, with Lugo failing to get down a bunt what is a Red Sox fan supposed to do?

I watched the expressions / body language of the team. Francona sprinted to the clubhouse. Saito sat there in disbelief (I really like him), Papelbon had that crazed Jack Bauer look about him, and Pedroia quietly watched the Orioles celebrate their World Series win. I then turned off the plasma (and unplugged it because someone said if you leave it plugged in it still sucks your power) and calmly retreated to the bedroom to finish a good book.

Absolutely no increased heart rate, no heading out to bar to relieve the pain, no swearing, no throwing the remote (2003 ALDS game 1 vs Oakland - Ramon Hernandez lays down a perfect bunt with two outs and the winning run on third !!! Who does that?), no waking up the wife to tell her the play by play what happened and no way was I going to post an emotion filled blog at midnight. What has happened to me? Well, that's when the book comes in.

I have a big brother who I have figuratively (not literally since I was 13 and he was 20) looked up to. He sent me a Father's Day gift in the mail realizing I had recently had a minor disappointment and needed a little reminder that life was good. He sent me a book entitled, "No I Can Die in Peace" by Bill Simmons.

Bill Simmons is the popular columnist for ESPN.com's Page 2. He is a die hard Patriot, Bruin, Celtic and Red Sox fan. He started off writing a blog as the "Boston Sports Guy". No known simply as the "Sport's Guy", Simmons is very entertaining incorporating pop culture into his perspectives. This book was published in 2005 and includes many of the on line posts that Simmons wrote either for his original web site and then ESPN concerning his journey as a Sox fan up to Edgar Renteria's come backer to Keith Foulke.

I would read some of these passages and start laughing out loud getting quizzical looks from people on the beach, my children and most of all my wife. Two examples. Page 5 -- Simmons is explaining rules that people should live by when rooting for a team. Rule No. 5 was "If you marry someone who roots for another team, you can't be bullied into switching allegiances." His footnote to this had me crying. "By the way, I have to question any Red Sox fan who would marry a Yankee fan. Unless you have never been laid before and this is legitimately your only chance to having sex, it's simply unacceptable. Would you marry someone from Al-Qaeda?" I do have a friend who married a Yankee fan. Enough said. Page 314 -- Commenting on the AROD -- Arroyo play in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS, " (it) clearly exposed A-Rod as a liar and cheater of the highest order - the kind who would turn over an R in Scrabble and pretend it's a blank letter." Not less than a week ago my wife tried this on me in a game of Scrabble. She was "amazed" I noticed an extra blank on the board.

These are just two examples of things I could relate to in this book. Movies (Shawshank, Godfather, Rocky), television (White Shadow, Beverly Hills 90210) and people (Bush, Jessica Biel vs Alba) are used as examples or metaphors in explaining his point of view or what he was feeling. Made for an enjoyable read.

The message from this book is -- We are no longer a joke. Because what that group did and how they did it in 2004, baseball fans especially Yankee fans have a lot less ammunition. Even before the 2007 championship, we could hold our heads high and be proud of that one year. Now? We live in the Golden Era of the Boston Red Sox. It is just that simple. There have been many of Red Sox fans from 1918 to 2003 that would have negotiated parts of their lives to see the Red Sox win a World Series. Having the team in the playoffs, winning the division, going to the ALCS and winning it all not once but twice in our lifetimes makes us spoiled and very, very fortunate. So losing a nine run lead may make me wonder but does not discourage me.

I want to thank my brother for sending me this book and making me realize I have it as Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm would say, "Prettay, prettay good".

With Wakefield we wonder ...

2009-06-28T06:44:00.000-07:00

How the heck does this guy do it? His next start will mark the most by any pitcher in Red Sox history. Three hundred and eighty-three (think about this number - 383) times he has been given the ball and I sincerely think he has been as prepared as he possibly could be each and every time. Obviously, there have been times when he has been pretty bad but it was not because he did not do what he was supposed to in between starts. Can you say that about Pedro (leaving early at the All Star break to go home), Clemens (if you take steroids you still have to actually workout -- the Duke's "twilight" comment motivated him to break the law)or any other starting pitcher in Sox history?

Wake has always been the consumate professional and great teammate. In 1999, he was asked to be the closer and did not complain. He was left off the World Series roster in 2007 and did not complain when a young Jon Lester took his start in the clinching game. He has also been heavily involved in charity work during his fifeteen seasons in Boston.

Personally, my favorite Wake moment was during the 2004 ALCS versus the Yankees. With the Sox down two games to none and the Bombers absolutely crushing the Sox on their way to a seemingly insurmountable three games to none lead, Wakefield volunteered to eat up some innings so the bull pen could get some much needed rest. He was the first guy to believe the team could come back. Wake went out there and pitched four innings in a 19-8 ALCS game so guys like Curtis Leskanic, Mike Timlin, Alan Embree, Bronson Arroyo and Keith Foulke could pitch meaningful innings in games four, five, six and seven. It does not matter that the one game he started in the World Series he got crushed (Sox still won), his contributions may have been bigger than Pedro's game four performance, the bloody sock and Derek Lowe's game seven masterpiece on two days rest. Imagine the dug out or locker room during and after Game 3. I guarantee you at least a half dozen teammates either said it to themselves or out loud -- "Tim Wakefield is sacrificing his own interests for those of the team" or --- "Wake is out there taking blows so we have a shot at this thing". Talk about inspirational.

Congratulations to Tim Wakefield on his durability, talent and determination in reaching this team record. You have certainly paid your dues and are most deserving for being a great teammate and competitor.

Road worthy and waiting for Smoltz

2009-06-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Great start to the nine game road trip. Both games in D.C. have featured some timely hitting and the steady bull pen doing its job. The team is on a definite roll. Good to see the road record climb above .500 Of course the Nationals have relinquished their home field advantage to the throngs of Sox fans that have invaded D.C.

Tomorrow night is the debut of John Smoltz in a Red Sox uniform. NESN has been over hyping this "event" for the past couple of weeks. While I am excited to see the man who is not Dice-K toe the rubber, I cannot help but remain realistic. Smoltz has not pitched in the majors in over a year. Let us not expect too much. I'll take five innings, two runs and then turn it over to the pen. The reason the guy signed with the Sox is to pitch in October and make us not miss Curt Schilling in those spots.

The Off day

2009-06-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

Am I a little off on this off day or ...

... is Heidi Watney better than Hazel Mae? There is something about her.

... is Eck better than Remy in the booth? I know RemDawg is going through some serious health issues but I do enjoy watching a game and not hearing about his web site, hot dogs and presidency of Red Sox Nation.

... is Big Papi looking like he is getting out of his doldrums? That two run opposite field bomb through a stiff wind versus Atlanta was impressive.

... does Ramon Ramirez look like he needs a little time away from "hold" opportunities? Opposing hitters have been teeing off on him of late.

... is Terry Francona the perfect manager for this team? He has handled the team well during crisis (Manny, Papi's slump, etc.), he seems to always say the right thing and he hardly ever gets out managed during a game.

... are the Red Sox almost unbeatable during home stands? The Friendly Fenway advantage is certainly hard to beat.

... do those road gray uniform tops need to burned in favor of the alternate blue tops? Those things look too much like the Yankee road jerseys.

... do the Boston Red Sox look like the favorites to win the 2009 World Series?

Sayonara

2009-06-20T05:12:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of talk recently throughout Red Sox Nation concerning what to do with six healthy starting pitchers. As John Smoltz joins the rotation next week, Terry Francona and John Farrell have to decide what to do. Here's the obvious; Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Tim Wakefield are not going anywhere. Brad Penny has been mentioned in trade talks but has responded by being spectacular in his last two starts. He answered many people's questions.

Dice-K has not responded well. Last night, he attacked the strike zone early and got rocked. Then he decided to try and in Farrell's words became too "fine". Even last year's 18-3 mark was not without its high wire act; pitching in and out of trouble. Dice-K has not provided the answers the Nation is looking for. Not to digress but one needs to ask how was it that he was so dominant in the World Baseball Classic for his home country of Japan?

Options? As part of the Scott Boras negotiated contract, Dice-K cannot be sent to the minors without the player's approval. He also possesses the only no trade clause on the team. Francona mentioned this nugget in a recent interview, it takes He Who Is Not Fooling Anyone up to 45 minutes to get ready to pitch. I guess the bull pen is out of the question. A six man rotation would limit Beckett and Lester to roughly six or seven less starts this year. Do we really want Dice-K to start (Sox are 2-5 when he does) 12 games that would normally go to Beckett and Lester? As Whitney Houston once said; "Hell to the no!!"

So what can be done? It comes down to effectiveness. The other 25 guys on the roster, management, coaches and fans deserve to from the team to be given the best opportunity to make the playoffs. Right now, this guy is not it. Maybe, someone comes up with an oblique/shoulder/elbow/buttocks strain and could use a skip in the rotation. Maybe the 42 year old Smoltz breaks down. Even if any of this happens, wouldn't Clay Buchholz be a better option? He has been tearing up the Triple A International League.

Dice-K does not deserve another start. The Red Sox have better options presently on the roster and in the minors. My guess is the team throws him on the DL with some sort of mystery ailment for two weeks. After that, is anyone's guess.

That's eight!

2009-06-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

Eight straight versus the Yanks. The New Yorkers look helpless right now against the Sox. The biggest difference between the two teams is the bull pen. Girardi has few options getting to Rivera while the Sox have at least five reliable guys to hand the ball to Papelbon.

A couple of observations:

Penny threw very well tonight, as did CC.
Papi looks more comfortable.
Nick Green's play on Jeter's grounder in the 9th was huge. Lugo is sinking deeper and deeper.
The Sox seem far more athletic than the Yanks
The Rays seem far more athletic than the Sox
Teixiera is a very good player.
I admit it now -- Baldelli was a good signing
I'm not sure Girardi knows what he is doing all the time
Who is out of the rotation if Smoltz is pitching next week? Certainly not Beckett or Lester. Wakefield has been great this year. We have too many invested in Dice-K. Penny is starting throw well. Six man rotation?

What the heck, Eck?

2009-05-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

Did I hear Dennis Eckersley correctly tonight. Youk gets hit by a pitch and after the replay Eck reads his lips for the viewers. I half expected a big hook to come out and relieve us of our new color analyst. It will be interesting to see if NESN does anything.

BTW -- Lugo's inability to ATTEMPT to complete the back end of a double play in the fourth led to three runs. Unbelievable! All he needed to do was sidestep the bag and make a throw. Instead he stands flat footed and tosses a lazy ball to first that the runner barely beats. What was he thinking? Arrgghhhhh.

Nick Green, really?

2009-05-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

Are you kidding me? I find it hard to believe that the Red Sox do not have a better option at shortstop than Nick Green. Green is a journeyman utility infielder. Shortstop is the position that he struggles with the most. How can the franchise not have a major league ready defensive shortstop in the minor league system? To me, that throw today sealed his fate.

Julio Lugo is not the answer either. Defensively, he is also a liability. The recent leg injury has taken his most desirable asset -- his speed and quickness.

The timetable for Jed Lowrie's return is still questionable. Can the Sox wait this out?

Here's a thought. Toronto comes to town on Tuesday. They have one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball that is currently buried behind the middle infield of Marco Scutaro and Aaron Hill. John MacDonald will make plays. Exactly what the Sox need. I understand Toronto will be reluctant to trade within the division especially if it helps the team that it is being chased by.

I was a big fan of Alex Gonzalez. The offense can suffer with a solid defensive shortstop. I know this much; Green and Lugo are not the answer, Lowrie is a question mark and we need help.

BayWatch

2009-05-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

The good news is Jason Bay's production this year has come at the most opportune time for the Sox. With Ortiz struggling and Youkilis out, Bay has carried the Sox. However, this production will come at a price.

Bay's contract is up at the end of this year. Each timely three run homer adds to his asking price. I am pleading to Theo and his bosses to sign this guy ASAP. Bay seems to be the consummate teammate and professional athlete; unassuming, hard working, selfless and willing to play every day. After our former left fielder's drama filled departure last year and suspension announcement this week, I have an even greater appreciation for our current left fielder.

The longer we wait to sign this guy the more it may cost. Give Bay his contract now. He has proven to be a great fit in Boston.

#34 after 25 games

2009-05-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

David Ortiz: Stats after 25 games = .208 batting average (20 hits in 96 at bats), 7 doubles, 1 triple, 10 runs scored, 12 runs batted in and 0 home runs.

This is the longest home run drought in Papi's career. The cause for these struggles can be any number of different factors; old age, wrist, no Manny, trying too hard. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that Big Papi is not the hitter he once was. Take a look at his strikeout to walk ratio. This year he has walked 12 times and strikeout nearly twice as many (23). In past years with the Sox Ortiz has managed this ratio far better.

2008 -- 70 BB/ 74K

2007 -- 111/103

2006 -- 119/117

2005 -- 102/124

2004 -- 75/133

2003 -- 58/83

These numbers make it clear that he is not comfortable in the batter's box. A big part of this is the fact that Ortiz is not catching up to fastballs. The inability to hit a pitcher's fastball causes a player to try and gear up for that pitch. When the pitcher throws something off speed, Ortiz is so out in front and off balance he has no chance in driving the baseball.

Terry Francona recently stated that the Sox line up is set. With the way Youkilis and Bay are swinging the bat a change makes sense. Francona is known as a loyal manager to his veteran players. At this pace, sooner or later a change will have to come.

Why Do Red Sox - Yankee games take so long?

2009-04-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

A friend asked me this question last night. Granted, there were twenty-seven runs scored yesterday so a 4 hour 21 minute game was expected but how about Friday night's game?A 5-4 eleven inning win by the Sox lasted exactly the same 4 hours and 21 minutes.

Anyone that watches a major league baseball game live or at home realizes that it can be a long experience. By the way, not having a game clock is one of the many reasons why I love baseball. But Red Sox - Yankee games take it to another level. MLB contests average just under three hours. I could not find what these rivalry games average but my guess would be at least 45 minutes more than the league average. The question is why? There are two reasons but both are caused by the intensity of the rivalry.

Both teams use their bull pens extensively each time they play each other. Because each of the eighteen regular season games is intensified, both managers use their relievers to match up against specific hitters. Mike Myers (hum the Halloween movie theme here) is a great example. As a Red Sox he was used versus Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui. The Yankees signed him to get out David Ortiz. He would appear in each and every game because the managers were attempting to play the percentages. This happens every time the two teams play. Both Friday and Saturday's games featured ten relievers. Each reliever is granted eight warm up pitches from the game mound. Factor in the manager's visit, the time it takes for the pitcher to arrive from the bull pen and my best guess is this must take about 2 minutes and 30 seconds (the length of a commercial break). If this happens 10 times we are looking at an additional 25 minutes at the very least.

The next factor leading to the extended game time focuses on the intensity of the rivalry. Both teams know each other very well. Due to this familiarity, players and coaches know each other so well that the game slows down. All MLB teams have advanced scouts that prepare game plans. These reports focus a great deal on tendencies of players. The Red Sox and Yankees have played so many games over the years that the game slows down. For example, during the Grady Little years, the Yankees were constantly stealing third base off the Sox (often times while the infield was in a shift versus Giambi -- arrrrghhh). Little was fired due to his lack of paying attention to these reports. Remember 2003's Game 7 with Pedro being left in the game too long? Regardless, since Terry Francona has become the skipper less of that has happened. In fact, you see the Sox pitchers stepping off to change up their pace to the plate. Johnny Damon was picked off second base attempting to steal at a key junction yesterday. All of this advance scouting leads to a longer game.

I could not find any support for my last reason but I will provide the rationale. Many of these rivalry games are nationally televised (Fox or ESPN). I'm pretty sure the time between innings is longer for a national broadcast rather than a game on NESN or YES. This is due to the increased advertisement revenue.

Tonight's game is a ESPN Sunday night game that starts at 8:05 PM. My guess is the last pitch will be thrown at 11:50 PM. A 3 hour 45 minute game. I can't tell you who will win but game that will approach midnight is a safe bet.

Is there such as thing as too much starting pitching?

2009-04-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

There is an old baseball adage that you can never have too much starting pitching. No team in MLB has the depth on the mound as the Red Sox do.

A look at each major league ready starting pitcher the Sox have at their disposal;

Josh Beckett is the ace of the staff. At 28 years old he was worth trading Hanley Ramirez for.

Jon Lester is one of the best young left handers in all of baseball. The most valuable guy on the team's 40 man roster.

Dice-K, regardless of current frustrations, is a pitcher that finds ways to win games. The strongest #3 pitcher in baseball?

Tim Wakefield is an ageless wonder. Eats up innings every year.

Brad Penny got bombed the other day and started his press conference by noting he felt really good out there. Interesting. He did win a combined 32 games in 2006 and 2007.

Justin Masterson is a versatile side winder that will get a start tomorrow.

Clay Buchholz has major league stuff but has struggled with the mental part of the game.

Michael Bowden along with Buchholz is always desired by other organizations when the Sox are exploring trades.

John Smoltz is a future hall of famer that should be ready by early June.

The Red Sox have nine guys that would start for every other major league team (Yes, the Yanks would gladly take Bowden, Buchholz or Wakefield over Chamberlain. Thus allowing Joba to go to the bull pen). Obviously, depth at any position is a great thing but there are drawbacks. There are just so many innings and starts available in a season. Guys like to be in a routine. Start, run, toss, throw long, bull pen / side session, toss and then get next start. This is why six man rotations have not worked. Guys want to throw every fifth day. Having guys (Buchholz, Bowden) in the minors that are major league ready helps the franchise but not necessarily the player. Players can grow frustrated "wasting away" in the minors. Often times, confidence counts for more than people realize. Knowing that you are being counted on by the organization goes a long way in one's progression as a player.

The idea of having so many arms available is due to the fact that team's rarely go through an entire season injury free. Also, team's are able to bring guys along slowly (remember the Mets' three studs of Paul Wilson, Jason Isringhausen and Bill Pulsipher?). Many players do not recover from being rushed to the majors. Craig Hanson is a great example. In the current day and age of pitch counts and limiting the number of innings for all pitchers, it makes sense to stock up on as many quality arms as possible.

I am going to agree with the idea of never having enough starting pitching. The Sox are able to rest Dice-K for a couple of weeks and start Masterson. I'm not sure the Sox lose too much with this exchange. Personally, I cannot wait to see Smoltz toe the rubber for the Sox. But, I can be patient because I know the Sox won't rush him back. The depth (bull pen too) the team has on the mound, should give Red Sox Nation much confidence over the course of the season.

Five games down ... 157 to go

2009-04-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

First blog of the new season. Sorry about the delay. Some observations from the first week ...

Brad Penny is a huge man. I'm not saying he has a Schilling-esque belly, he is just big.
The bullpen is the best in baseball. Delcarmen, Lopez,Okijima, Masterson, Ramirez, Saito and Papelbon should be able to both hold leads and keep the Sox in games.
The starting rotation of Beckett, Lester, Dice-K, Wakefield, and Penny with Buchholz and Smoltz in reserve is very good. Theo did a nice job here.
Why can't Dice-K pitch for the Sox like he does for Japan in the WBC?
Opening Day at Fenway featured the cool sight of the players walking down to the field from the aisles. Very nice touch by management. Let's introduce the visiting Yankees the same way.
Something seems wrong with big #34 of the Sox. Pitchers are feeding him some mistakes and he is missing them. Let's hope that it is just a timing thing. Youk batting third may not be far away.
The new / retro, gray, away jerseys are going to take some getting used to. The big red socks on the sleeve seem out of place.
I know Wake eats up innings and can go on some serious streaks but I personally would rather see Buchholz or even Bowden in there. He still fools people but he also comes in flat alot and batters eat that stuff up.
The Rays and Yanks scare me. Both teams are very talented. Consider how bad the AL Central is this year (Royals, Twins, ChiSox, Indians and Tigers oh my) and the lack of a quality team to battle the Angels in the AL West. My big worry is that the triumvirate of Big AL East teams beat up on each other over the course of 36 games against each other.

Comings and goings ...

2008-11-19T14:24:00.000-08:00

Lustin for Dustin wins the MVP of the American League. The most suprising part of this is the fact the he won by such a comfortable margin. Well deserved. Pedroia plays the game the right way all the time. Side note: how the heck could this writer from Texas not even put Dusty on his ballot? The guy went on WEEI yesterday and tried to explain how this could happen and he was very unconvincing.

Coco Crisp gets traded to Kansas City for a middle reliever. First of all, this Ramirez guy looks to be a very good addition. Solid numbers in seventy-one appearances last year. I wonder if this gets Masterson some consideration for the starting rotation next season.

Coco Crisp came to the Sox as the popular Johnny Damon's replacement. Many baseball "people" (whomever they really are) thought this was going to be a great trade for the Sox who subsequently signed Crisp to a baseball operations friendly contract. I would have to say that Crisp did not live up to the hype. He was a solid defensive center fielder who struggled offensively. A wrist injury interrupted his first season. He lost his job to Ellsbury in the playoffs last fall. This past season he jump started the team in the playoffs.

His legacy as a member of the Red Sox may be getting nearly run over by a mascot in Seattle. I'll remember him as a good teammate that gave his all to the club but never really reached that potential.

Question: Who becomes the fourth outfielder? I heard Sheffield's name -- don't want him and I doubt he'll take reserve role.

Question: Can Ellsbury handle the full time duties? You bet.

Question: Who is the next to go? Got to think Lugo. I have no interest in Dontrelle. Robertson maybe.

Wake to return in 2009

2008-10-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

The Red Sox announced today that they have exercised the club's $ 4 million dollar option for their most tenured player.

Wakefield's 10-11 record in 2008 was a bit misleading. The bull pen surrendered leads roughly five to six times that cost him wins.

I like the move. Wake eats up innings (181 in 2008) and is a strong fourth or fifth starter. With Beckett, Lester and Dice-K in the first three spots, the team can afford a guy like Wake at the back at the rotation. More than likely, this means the fifth spot will be between Michael Bowden, Clay Buchholz or Justin Masterson. We'll examine the upcoming free agent troops in a couple of weeks.

Resigning Wake will make my wife happy. She enjoys watching his sweaty neck on the Plasma HD. Don't ask me.

Fin

2008-10-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

So, this is how the season ends.

After battling back by fending off elimination in games 5 and 6, the Boston Red Sox 2008 season came to an end Sunday night in St. Petersburg. Entering the decisive game 7, the Sox seemingly had taken over the momentum of the series from the Rays. One of my favorite baseball sayings is "momentum is only as good as the next day's starting pitcher".

The story of the game was the fact that Matt Garza out pitched Jon Lester. Lester pitched pretty well but not well enough. Garza had electric stuff. Aside from Dustin Pedroia's first inning homer, Garza was in complete control. A fastball topping out at 95 MPH was complimented by a knee buckling 12 to 6 curve ball. The Sox (Jason Bay in particular) took some of the ugliest swings you will ever see at the major league level.

The defending champions best chance at victory came in the top half of the eighth inning. Jason Bartlett booted Alex Cora's routine grounder and Coco Crisp followed with a clutch single to right. The Nation was feeling it. The heart of the order up and the Rays were into their bull pen. Pedroia popped out to left (huge out) and David Ortiz bounced into a fielder's choice (Crisp's decision to do a take out slide proved costly). Kevin Youkilis walked to the load the bases. In a moment that unfortunately may live in the minds of Red Sox fans for sometime, young stud lefty David Price came on and blew away JD Drew.

With the lower part of the line up due up Joe Maddon made the best decision of the series by not doing anything. Price was left in the game instead of bringing in the hittable Grant Balfour. Bay walked but Kotsay (pitch was outside), Jason Varitek and pinch hitter Jed Lowrie were each overpowered. Forget Joba Chamberlin, David Price is the future of the AL East.

That is how it ended.

Let us not be quick to assign blame to individuals. Nor should fans seek out excuses (injury to Lowell) for the team's inability to return to the World Series. Experience tells us to let the dust settle and then make some rational judgments. We can rest assured that there will be plenty of analysis of what has transpired over the past week. Let us be clear on one important fact --- the 2008 Boston Red Sox did not fail in the ALCS because of a lack of effort, poor preparation or being out hustled. As hard as it is to admit, the team was outplayed by a talented team that performed extremely well on the big stage.

Congratulations to the Rays and their increasing fan base. What they were able to accomplish this season is extremely impressive. The last to first talk aside, they did what the Yankees in 2004 and the Indians in 2007 could not do -- stop the surging Boston Red Sox after losing big leads in the ALCS.

After digesting the happenings of the ALCS, I will continue the blog throughout the off season. Hot stove baseball keeps things always interesting. I would like to thank all those that participated in this blog by reading, commenting and voting in the polls throughout the year. Please check in over the course of the off season.