PhilSox Blog

A Very Memorable Day

2008-06-23T20:27:00.005-04:00

I am the proud father of four kids - a little yours, mine, and ours kind of deal. I have a three-year-old daughter, three today, as a matter of fact. I have a four-year-old son, who already knows about this whole Red Sox/Phillies dichotomy. He's dealing with it superbly. I have a ten-year-old step-daughter who attended her first minor league game with me this past April, and I have a 15-year-old daughter who lives with her mom. She hates baseball, but I lover her still.

Yesterday we celebrated the baby's third birthday with a little pool party out back. We had the usual suspects in attendance - grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. We had a princess cake, my wife's latest birthday masterpiece, complete with a Barbie jammed down inside up to her waist. I couldn't spend the afternoon in front of the computer watching the Sox on MLB.TV, but thanks to a rain delay and a 13 inning game, I did get to see quite a bit after the party wound down. The walk-off home run by Youkilis was the perfect ending to a very memorable day.

The day was memorable for the obvious reasons, but there was one other little nugget that will have it embedded in my mind. During the party we took the opportunity to announce to all that my wife is pregnant with what will be our third child together, my fifth, all things considered. If all works out well, we'll have a new arrival just before the start of spring training in '09.

Quite a day, wouldn't you say?

Deja Vu or A Whole New Ball Game?

2008-06-19T20:08:00.002-04:00

So far, this season for the Red Sox has been everything that we could have hoped for. Manny got his 500th only a little later than expected. Jon Lester is performing at or beyond most people's expectations. And J.D. Drew has risen to the occasion, taking up the slack for the wounded Papi. The Sox have the most wins in the Majors as of today, and the All Star Break is looming ever closer. With all the unusual things going on around the league, especially in the AL East (the Rays two games out of first and the Yankees doing rather poorly thus far) the Bronx Bombers have had a resurgence as of late and are now only 5 games out of first. Could we be in for a second half that resembles that of '07?

If you compare the standing as they exists today as compared to those of a year ago (both June 16) you notice some worrisome details. The Yankers, although they are in third now as opposed to second last year, they were nine games back a year ago today as opposed to five games we have on them now. The distance between the Red Sox and the third place team last June was greater than the current difference between the Sox and the last place team. Everything is tighter. Every game matters a bit more at this point.

As it does in many seasons, a lot will depend on what is done by the trading deadline. Rumors abound about possible moves. Will Ken Griffey go to the Rays? Will the Yankees try to get Sabathia? Will Kevin Millar get rid of his blond locks? (Just kidding!) Last years most noteworthy trade in the AL East was arguably Eric Gagne coming to the Sox. We all still have the bad taste in our mouth from that fiasco, the same bitter flavor the Brewers are currently trying to Listerine away. Theo undoubtedly has some thoughts as to what he'd like to do before that drop-dead date, but this year is seems like the biggest news could come from farther down the eastern seaboard.

Regardless of how the details play out, I'm betting that by September we Sox fans are waiting until the end of the month to clinch and that we have the Yankees directly behind us. All this is assuming that the Red Sox can play to the level they've been reaching thus far. The cushion this year is thinner all around the board.

Red Sox @ Phillies

2008-06-18T15:26:00.003-04:00

At the beginning of this series I was embroiled in an inner conflict. Red Sox? Phillies? How do I play this and not come out of it looking like wither a nut or a turd?

I'm not sure if I know the answer to that, even now. But these three days have not been lived without knowledge gained. The Philadelphia took the first game 8 - 2, then the Sox took game two, 3 - 2, and now today with the Red Sox up 7 - 4 in the bottom of the 7th, I'm seeing a pattern that seems to indicate something really positive for the Red Sox.

Here's the results of some recent games for Boston.

Ok. So the Red Sox swept the Rays (complete with a brawl). They then go to Seattle and drop the first game, winning the second two. Same in Baltimore. Same in Cincinnati. If the score holds out (now in the top of the ninth, same score), they will have done the same thing to the Phils. So, although they are dropping that frist game to teams that they haven't seen in awhile, Francona or Varitek or someone is evidently taking notes. They seem to be applying the info they gain in game one and applying it in games two and three.

This bodes well for the rest of their season, should they find themselves able to continue this process. That works out to just shy of .670 baseball. Not to mention it would make them the favorite in the post-season.

American Papi!

2008-06-12T09:51:00.004-04:00

Congrats to Big Papi! Now a citizen of the greatest country in the world.

What a Circus!

2008-06-06T09:47:00.006-04:00

Let's begin with the idea that no, Coco Crisp charging the mound was probably not the best thing to do. That having been said, the fracas that ensued was one for the archives, to be sure. Coco was ejected and rightly so. Shields was ejected and rightly so. That, if it were up to the Red Sox, would have been it. But the Sox weren't playing a team that is used to having games that matter. This was evidenced by the fact that Johnny Gomes was seen on top of Navarro (who was holding down Crisp), punching wildly and the pinned center fielder. Gome got tossed, too, and rightly so.

Where the "rightly so" ends is in the fact that Iwamura threw punches and did not get tossed. Carl Crawford can be clearly seen pounding on Crisp's head, and he did not get tossed. Suspensions don't necessarily follow ejections, so let's hope that they get some repercussions.

And for you Ray's fans, I challenge you to find one other Boston player besides Crisp that threw a punch. I've watched the play back at least a dozen times. What you see is a whole list of Ray's who felt they were entitled to throw punches. Let's remember that this all started with rookie Jason Bartlett dropping his knee to block second in the Wednesday night game. In all the years I've watched baseball, I have never seen a shortstop block second on a steal attempt. But all these things from Tampa...that knee drop, the beaning of Crisp, and the enventual pile-on, are no surprise. These guys are not used being where they are. Plus may their a little pissed-off as well because of all the empty seats at their home games!

There was also some baseball played. Manny hit a 3-run jack in the first and drove in two more later, for a 5 RBI night. And I can't help but wonder, didn't anyone think after losing the first two games of the series, dropping out of first by half a game, that the Ray's might forgo the attack on Crisp a little farther than the second inning? Thanks in part to the Ray's vengeance move removing their started in the second, the Red Sox trounced the visitors, 7 -1.

Jacoby then rolls his wrist on a typical Ellsbury stupendous catch. So far, the report is a strain, no breaks. Buy the MRI will be the real test. That left the outfield looking rather odd. Chris Carter in left (who went 2 for 3 at the plate), J.D. in center, and Youk, who was to have the night off, in left.

Youk was probably happy to get out of the dugout after Manny took a swing at him! What the heck was that all about? Good grief! Are there two guys less likely to be fighting in the dugout? Hopefully we'll get some insight on that disagreement in the days to come.

Manny, who spent most of his time in the dugout while acting as DH, was relieved of that job too when an inside pitch prompted him to move awkwardly out of the way and tweak an already tender hamstring. That brought Kevin Cash in as DH! Know, we all know Kevin Cash and his sun .200 career batting average in the minors, right. Only coming into last night's game, Cash was hitting .301! He only batted once, striking out, but in his defense, he was a bit distracted. He had to run out to the bullpen between his pinch running and then hitting in the DH spot to help warm up a reliever! Is there no one on the Red Sox coaching staff who could catch a pitcher for a warm-up?

In all, the game saw 5 hit batsmen. Pedrioa, Crisp, and Youklis for the Sox, Crawford (what a shame) and Iwamura (again, too bad) for the Rays.

The two team play again in Tampa for a four game set June 29 through July 2.

Can't wait.

I'm Still Here. Really!

2008-06-04T12:04:00.003-04:00

Remember when that nasty stomach flu ran through the Red Sox clubhouse awhile back. Well it ran through my house over the last two weeks, slapping every one of us on the way. I spent a lot of time holding a bucket for one sick child or another, wahcing my hands 20 times and hour in the hopes that I could escape getting it myself. I failed.

So much has gone on since then. First and foremost, Big Papi and Dice-K are both on the DL! What a nightmare. Except things are going OK, so far anyway. Juston Masterson got his second win last night. We took 3 out of 4 from the flailing O's. And as much as I missed David Ortiz horribly (he is pretty much my favorite player in baseball, running neck and neck with Manny) I have to admit that having Manny DH and having the Sox outfield read (from left to right) Ellsbury, Crisp, Drew, is a pretty fine defensive situation.

The Phillies are back in first, even if the Sox are still 1/2 a game out. They continue to be an offensive juggernaut, scoring 78 runs in their last 9 games, winning 8 of them! Our boy Utley continues to be spectacular at the plate and in the field. Jimmie Rollins, in what I think is a bit of a slight, is in 5th place for NL shortstops, and this coming off his MVP year. Ryan Howard is fourth among the 1 bag crew, which is no suprise considering his meager start.

Speaking of the All-Star ballot, the Red Sox are doing well in this popularity contest, too. Pedroia, Youkilis, Varitek, Ortiz, and Ramirez are all the leading vote-getters thus far for their respective positions. Lowell is in second behind A-Rod for third basemen, and even Lugo (yes, Lugo) is in the top 5 short stops. Crisp and Drew are within the top 12 outfielders, leaving only Ellsbury off the list, which is, in and of itself, shocking.

Manny finally got past old number 500 down in Oriole Park. No pomp, no circumstance. Not even a game break. Just back to the dugout and then a good round of applaus when they got back to the Fens last night. There's a lesson for T.O. to learn, who whined like a girl when he got his 100th TD and the planet continued to spin on.

More or Lester AWESOME!

2008-05-20T11:56:00.004-04:00

I logged on to MLB.tv last night in the hopes that Manny would crank two homers and then I'd be the winner of some contest that I'd entered in March. That was not to be. Instead, I had the honor of watching my first no-hitter, compliments of Jon Lester!

Jon threw 130 pitches, by far the most he's ever done. He struck out 9, walked two, and commited an error on a high throw to first. In the end, superb velocity, wonderous control, and a little defense (especially Ellsbury's diving catch!) and history was made.
I'm not usually a superstitious sort of guy, but I bought into it all last night! First of all, I'm watching the NESN feed and logged on to TalkSox.com. Neither of which was using the tern "no-hitter" because that is a "no-brainer". So round about the end of the sixth inning, while reading all the comments about how Lester's stuff was filthy and various other raves, I check out Gameday to see what the actual numbers are. I even posted the pitches thrown and a couple of other things, but never mentioned the zero hits. It was total happenstance! After I posted, I was looking again and said, out loud, to the empty kitchen where I was located, "Wait a minute! KC has not hits!" Although I was in the most uncomfortable place to watch this game (kitchen chair, Gateway notebook on the counter) and even though I suddenly and urgently needed a bathroom break, I did not move for the next 45 minutes or so.

I'd missed out on viewing Clay Buchholz's No-No last September. After Lester was done last night, and I was going through "Remedial Baseball Scoring" lessons with my wife, we were trying to figure out where the heck we were last year that I missed Clay's feat. I still can't figure it out. But I know where I was for Lester's. I suppose I'll never forget.

I won't mention the other obvious story elements that make Jon Lester's historic night all that more special. That topic has been beaten to death on "Baseball Tonight", "Sports Center", "Mike & Mike" and every website I have seen thus far. All I can say is what I posted on TalkSox last night after the final strike: God bless Jon Lester and the Red Sox!"

Joba's Fists

2008-05-13T09:03:00.015-04:00

Obviously, anyone who's a fan of the Red Sox and Jonathan Papelbon would be a hypocrite if they said that fist pumping and mound theatrics bothered them. So it's the opposite position that I take in this whole swirl of commentary about Joba Chamberlain, the Yankee reliever who has been on the hot seat because of his mini celebrations during games. I really have no problem with it.

Goose Gossage, the ex-Yankee reliever and soon-to-be Hall of Famer, has an issue with it. Do you want to know why? Because he didn't do it. He believes that Chamberlain is below him. It's a "Back in my day..." sort of looking down on current guys position, if you ask me. If you're not as good as Goose, you should be doing everything like he did it in hopes of improving yourself. Forget that!

I will admit that, for an eighth inning reliever, his choices of instances to get wound up seem suspect at times. He's not getting a save or a win in most appearances. Perhaps the third strike in the 8th of a game that the Yankees are up by 3 seems less than wanting of a celebration. This is his job, though, and when he does it well, he's happy. What a freak, right? Let's not forget, too, that the Yankees need whatever good vibes they can muster these days, or the fact that Chamberlain was out recently to go home to be with his ill father, a man who by all accounts is a huge reason why Joba is where he is. When he's doing well, he's excited, both for himself and for his dad. How can you knock that?

If nothing else, these little seizures that he goes through should inspire opponents to play harder, which is never a bad thing. Instead, some opposing players get all trite and use words like "bush." David Dellucci used that very term to comment on Chamberlain's enthusiasm after striking him out recently. This strike out came the night after Dellucci went yard off of Chamberlain. If you can't get excited about that, there's something wrong with you. And if you can't understand why someone would get excited about that, you need to be in a different job. Yes, Mr. Dellucci, I'm talking to you! This is a kid's game that you play. The key term being "game". You're supposed to get excited because it is supposed to be fun. You make seven figures to do a job that people everywhere would be willing to do for minimum wage. You're supposed to be in a good mood!

I wish there were more guys showing emotion on the diamond. I don't have a problem with Manny raising his arms when he smacks a home run. What I do have an issue with is when he strikes out with men on and the Red Sox trailing and he shrugs his shoulders as if to say, "Oh, well." It bothers me, too, when a guy like J.D. Drew goes 0 for 4 and still carries that thousand-yard-stare that he wears all the time. Or when Eric Gagne blows yet another save with the same expression he always wears, none. What endears fans to players even more than raw talent is the appearance that they care about the games somewhere near the same amount that we do. David Ortiz went through a huge slump to start off this year. While he wasn't breaking bats or going on profanity laden tirades, you could tell by he mannerisms and reactions that he was as disappointed in the turn of events as we were. Ryan Howard has the same thing going on. He's doing lousy and you can tell he's mad about it. I assume that guys like Drew and Gagne are upset when they perform poorly, but I can't really be sure because they appear to not care.

I have made fun of Chamberlain on many occasions and will continue to do so as long as he is a Yankee and as long as he has that funny jowl vibration when shaking off a sign from his catcher. But to chastise him for exuberance would be both hypocritical and contrary to what I really want to see in a baseball game.

Death of a Fan

2008-05-08T09:42:00.002-04:00

There are many things that could be the subject of a post today. There is the painful Red Sox loss last night to the Tigers that on the surface is attributed to Papelbon's first blown save of the season, but is really due to the Lugo error. I came very close to kicking the TV when that happened, and that's about all I can say on that, so...

The real story is one that I missed. How I missed it still baffles me. If you add up the time that I spend reading sports stuff online, listening to it on XM, and watching it on TV, the idea that I missed a story about a Yanker fan killing a Red Sox fan is just unfathomable. Yet, it happened and I missed it. On Sunday night, a Red Sox fan by the name of Matthew Beaudoin (29) was killed by Ivonne Hernandez (43) in Nashua, NH. The whole story can be found in many places, including here, but the gist of it is that he yelled "Yankees Suck!" and she ran her car into the group he was with and killed then man.

This is one of the the most ludicrous things that I have ever hear. There is one in the back of my mind about a football fan who was put in the hospital after a beating for wearing the opposing team's jersey (Was that in Philly? I can't seem to find anything on it.) This, however, is way off the chart of insanity.

We all take our sports seriously. We all get charged up when the Red Sox and Yankers play, and it never matters who's doing well and who's not, the rivalry is what it is. But when you get right down to it, none of it matters.

Let this be a lesson to all fanatics out there. Was there anything really wrong with yelling "Yankees Suck"? Not really. But won't we all think about doing stuff like that a little longer the next tiem the opportunity arises? I know I will.

Back and On a Roll

2008-05-07T13:16:00.002-04:00

Yeah, yeah! I know. I'm a slacker. No excuses. But I've been paying attention to both the Phils and the Sox over the last few days, and what a few days they've been, huh?

As for the Phillies, they played a 4 game series with San Francisco. Each game was decided by the winning team's last at bat. This included 3 walk-offs by the Phillies. Chase Utley continues to have a good portion of the time on talk radio with early predictions of NL MVP. Ryan Howard, on the other hand, continues to suck. As of today, he's got a .168 batting average, and 47 K's in 119 ABs.

Over in Detroit, the Red Sox have taken the the first two in a four game series against the offensively anemic Tigers. This is following a three game sweep of the Rays at Fenway. The Orioles have slowed down a bit, getting closer to what they really are. And the Yankers appear to be dealing with a start similar to last year's, without the talk of firing Torre, of course.

Papi and Manny went back-to-back last night, which puts Manny at 497! I think I have 5/19 in the pool.

Wicked Lester: Jays 0 - Red Sox 1

2008-04-30T10:54:00.003-04:00

Honestly, I got to see very little of last night's pitchers duel between Jon Lester and the Jay's Roy "Doc" Halladay. I teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can't even really keep up with the score, let alone watch the game. So I get to my car about 9:00 PM and get the XM rolling. I hear Lester strike out two and get a routine grounder from the third to clear the Jays in the 8th. I listen to the continued "next to nothing" of the Sox bats in the bottom of the frame. Papelbon comes in and as I'm parking, he has struck out one batter on 3 pitches, the second on 4. By the time I get in the house and fire up MLB.tv, I've missed a double by Rolen and the play of the game, a huge stop by Dustin Pedroia (that looked exactly like his huge stop during Buchholz's no-hitter last September). Then, as I ate my supper and wondered why the Blue Jays insisted on keeping Halladay in for the ninth. Sure enough, two out walk to Papi, Manny single, Youk walk-off. Game!

Lester was utterly awesome. One hit, 6 K's, 4 walks, no runs. What else can you ask for. In fact, the only hit almost wasn't a hit because of what would have been another great Pedroia play. He leaped on an line drive by Overbay to lead off the fifth. The ball went off his glove, but had he caught it, Lester would have been looking at a no-hitter of his own going into the ninth.

While the bats continue to suck, the Red Sox have had three virtuoso pitching performances in the last three games (Buchholz, Beckett, Lester). If they can get back to production at the plate, May will be looking very promising, indeed!

Is This an Opposites Sketch?

2008-04-28T10:07:00.004-04:00

Does anyone else have the feeling that we've stepped through the looking glass here? I mean, you have a Steinbrenner who recants (sort of) the numb-skull comments he made about idiots and relief pitching, you have Papi patting .077, then .305 (for a couple of weeks) with a grand-slam, now 0 for 6 on Friday then sitting two days. Beckett goes seven innings, gives up 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and 13 freakin' strike-outs, and LOSES!? Why? Because the Red Sox got shut out by the Rays, who are now tied with Baltimore for the lead in the AL East?

CUE MUSIC:"One pill makes you bigger..."

The Sox have squandered two excellent starts from Buchholz and Beckett, not to mention a decent early lead in the division. Today's day off will be a welcomed rest. With the Red Sox playing through a rather arduous April schedule, it was a matter of time before some stopped repeating the canned statements and let loose with a rant. That came yesterday from Josh Beckett. For my taste, I always much rather complain after I've done well because I think your comments are taken more seriously and less like whining. Josh had a career day and then went off about the schedule that the Sox have had to endure. Read here.

Tomorrow that Red Sox will take on Blue Jays at Fenway in the first of three, then a home weekend series against the Rays. This will bring them into May over .500 (one game over, at worst) and, as I'd mentioned to a friend during the first week, given the way the month was layed out, over .500 is a good place to be.

P.S. Bonus points if you the title rings a bell for you!

This Time, It's Personnel!

2008-04-25T11:17:00.007-04:00

Holy cow! is there ever a lot going on with the Red Sox and personnel? As a service to my readers (all three of you) let me encapsulate some of the many items.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Jed Lowrie

The "Young Ones" are doing there best to pick up where they left off last October. Jacoby is batting a decent .290, and his OBP is .423. He is 8/8 on steals, has 9 RBI, and 3 jacks. Peds, one of the few position players who's position is never really in question, is batting .351, with 13 RBI. Then, when you consider Jed Lowrie's play while filling in in an infield in constant flux, it really makes you smile thinking about how good this team could be for years to come!

Coco Crisp, Bobby Kielty

Well, these days, instead of talking about where we can trade Coco, it now seems we're talking about keeping our intermittently smiling and serious outfielder. With Bobby Kielty due for hand surgery, and Coco coming back in the line up, perhaps the Crispy one is not due for Chicago or elsewhere? Coco is batting .306 with 5 RBI so far this season and has only one error.

Mike Lowell, Sean Casey

Our Mike is due to take some starts at Pawtucket and be back in the line up shortly. Though we surely miss seeing him on third, you can't help but like the way Youk covers for him. To make matters better, Sean Casey has been more than adequate on first. Sean is batting .346 with 8 RBI and one error at 1st.

Josh Beckett, David Pauly

Josh goes down with a stiff neck (read as copious vomiting and the trots), so in comes David Pauly from AAA. Not a Beckett-like start by any means, but solid enough to let the offense win the game.

Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz

Manny just being Manny means 6 jacks, 20 RBI, a .356 BA, and a .423 OBP. Papi, who started off horribly slumped, has batted .305 with 12 RBI since April 14.

Dice-K, Jon Lester

What's worse that Dice getting the flu and missing a start? Filling in with Jon Lester, this young season's front runner for the "What Was I Thinking Award." I had Lester pegged to have a breakout season and possibly win 20. That sure doesn't look like one of my brighter posts! Also, he came in on 3 days rest, which is one more than the 2 innings he covered in the loss to the Angels. Dice has not made the trip to Tampa Bay, but wouldn't be scheduled to start anyway.

Clay Buchholz, Manny Delcarmen, Justin Masterson, Mike Timlin

Done typographically, that list of names above would look like a roller coaster, which is an accurate simile for the Sox pitching. Buchholz is off do a decent start (1-1, 4.89 ERA, 18 K's and 8 BB over 20 innings). Manny Delcarmen will look strong on one appearance, then like paper mache the next. Justin Masterson looked wonderful in his first major league start (6 IP, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K's), but our boy Mike Timlin is simply not the Mike Timlin we've seen before. (5.3 IP, ERA 13.50, 2 BB, 2 K's).

2008-04-22T10:58:00.003-04:00

Weekends are busy times for me, and as such, I find myself needing to catchup a bit here after a weekend packed with stuff to blog about.

Red Sox Sweep!

Most important of the weekend events was yesterday's completion of a sweep against the hapless Rangers. Boston came back from early deficits in the first three of those games, making for comebacks in 9 of their 14 wins so far! Timely hitting, some clutch jack action from Tek and Manny, plus surges from Lugo and Pedroia, and solid play from fill-ins Casey and Lowrie, were the stories with in the story. Most importantly, the unearthing of the Ortiz jersey from Yanker Stadium II has unearthed Papi's bat, as well. Ortiz had 10 RBI over the series, including 5 on Friday when he had a grand slam. His batting average was at .077 when the garment was recovered. Since then he is batting .322!

Manny Hits #496

One of those comeback wins was courtesy of Manny Ramirez who cranked a 2 run shot in the 8th inning of Saturday's game. The score was tied at the time and the lead held. Manny was ejected from Sunday's game in the 2nd for arguing a called third strike. He was scheduled to have a day off Monday and, even though he had most of Sunday off anyway, he did indeed ride the pine yesterday.

Hello, Kettle? This is Pot...

Only an idiot would have a guy with a 100 MPH fastball as a middle reliever. That was the latest bit of "wisdom" from Son-of-a-Steinbrenner, commonly known as Hank. Well, not really the latest, because he back peddled considerably the next day. Still, who exactly is the idiot he was referring to? Cashman, the guy who got Joba Chamberlain in the first place. Joe Torre who managed him last year, the year of the "Joba Rule"? Surely not Joe Girardi?

Can you identify the true idiot in this group?

Phils Majors and Minors

So, the Phillies managed to avoid the sweep from the Mets and, last night, finally figured out how to outscore the Rockies. The biggest story from the weekend though, the Iron Pigs game that I attended on Friday night. Boy, does the Phillies AAA team suck, or what? They got beaten 8 - 3, but that score makes the game seem a little less like the one-sided affair that it was. Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania is a great place to watch a ball game and both I and my step-daughter enjoyed the beautiful weather and post-game fireworks immensely. I have a little bit of post-game eye strain, however, from trying to identify the young prospects that the Phils are honing in Lehigh Valley. I couldn't see him.

"Moose" Owned by ManRam: Red Sox 7 - Yankees 5

2008-04-18T09:46:00.006-04:00

MANNY HITS #494 and #495

What a difference a day makes, huh? After the marathon loss of the night before, last night's win over the Bronx Bozos was made all the better because we received some more evidence that MANNY OWNS MUSSINA!

With two jacks in his first two AB's, Manny has himself 5 away from the 500 milestone and a little farther from the hearts of the Yanker faithful.

As an aside, while logged on to TalkSox.com last night for the game thread, I posted to following query:

"Ok. So, MLB.tv is blacked-out out for me because of YES. The radio feed audio isn't as sharp at it was on ESPN last night. My question is this: Are the less than classy left field fans yelling "Manny is an a#%hole" like last night?"

The one of the responses (from a Yanker fan, because many them are fixtures in this Red Sox forum) was this:

"Are you serious? I hadn't realized. Even that shocks me. Growing up just blocks from the Stadium, Manny is probably one of the few Sox players some, if not most, Yankee fans admire. I know I do at least. Except when we play you guys...then the dude drives me [expletive] crazyyyyyyy"

I met this comment with a combination of surprise and disbelief. There were people in the stands holding up impromptu "Moany Ramirez" signs when he complained (and rightly so) about the strange and lengthy delay that Wednesday's home plate ump, Tim McClelland, had when calling balls and strikes. The sound on ESPN that night was clear enough to hear all sorts of vile and vulgar shoutings from classless Yanker fans, so much so that I was glad my kids weren't watching. Yet, this guy, who claims to be a long time resident in the thick of it all, is surprised that Manny was chastised. Please!

Not to be outdone by the fans, Kyle Farnsworth took it upon himself to get payback for Manny's clubbing of Moose and throw a 98 mph burner that sailed just behind Manny's head. He was immediately warned by the home plate ump, as were both benches. In reality, Farnsworthless should have been tossed, fined, and suspended. A heater of that caliber in the head could surely be a career ending event! It was a move totally devoid of class, character, and respect for either the game, the opponent, or himself. What a total and utter clown!

The "wild pitch" as the Yankers wish to consider it, prompted this wondrous quote from Terry Francona:

“I’m glad he didn’t hit him...98 (miles per hour) at your lips is going to hurt.”

In the end, the really important thing is that we have left these two early series against the Yankers up by a game. we won't see them again until July when we return to their house for a 4 game jaunt. So, far at least May and June, they (the fans) can stew knowing they are 2 out of 5 against the Red Sox!

Texas Slaughter: Phillies 10 - Astros 2

2008-04-17T22:18:00.000-04:00

Home runs by Utley, Burrell, Howard, and Coste were the prime examples of what the Phillies thought about Huston's pitching in yesterday's rout.

This sums it up well:

Looking forward to this Met's series.

Like School in the Summer: No Class!

2008-04-17T18:08:00.002-04:00

Aside from the painful length of the game last night and the pitching that made Joe Borowski feel a little less like putting his head in the oven, there was one other lousy aspect to last night's Red Sox loss to the Yankers: The fans.

We've come to expect little in the way of class or decorum from many of the folks with seats in Yankee Stadium*. Last night was only one in a long line of examples, albeit a pretty pointed example, at that.

OK. So Manny gets booed for showing his temper over the "Rain Man" sort of method that home plate ump Tim McClelland used for calling balls and strikes. I understand that this will not endear anyone to NY fans, let alone Manny. But what the room temperature IQ's missed, was that Manny was not arguing the call, but the slowness of the call. That was an issue for several hitters on both side during the evening. Either way, had the hooting an hollering been limited to situation like this one, so be it.

Before too long, though, those of us watching on ESPN found our just what a challenge it can be to do live TV. When Manny got back out to left field, you could hear the resounding chant of "Manny is an A#%-Hole" clearly over the play-by-play. Now, is that doesn't say, "New York at its finest," what does.

Another wonderful moment was when Kevin Youkilis struck out, the camera caught squarely a older gent in a Yanker cap shouting "F##k You!" at Youkilis as he walked back to the dugout. Now, keep in mind, this is the same Kevin Youkilis that is batting .368, or, in other words, he's batting 41 points higher that any of the Yankees. Well, any of them with the exception of Chad "I'm hitting so far over my norm that I'm getting nosebleeds" Moeller's 4 out of 10 for the season.

I know that there is always extra passion when the Yankers host the red Sox. Just look at Cano and Cabrera after one of the shakiest wins in recent Yanker history...

Ugh! Red Sox 9 - Yankees 15

2008-04-17T11:10:00.004-04:00

This just in: The Red Sox's bullpen just gave up another hit.

Good grief! Was there ever anything as painful as sitting through all four hours+ of that game last night?

30 hits? 24 runs? One lone error by (who else?) Julio Lugo. 42 men on base on 341 pitches from a total of 9 pitchers? Yecch!

Oh, and Kevin Youkilis had to have x-rays (thankfully negative) after fouling a ball off of his left big toe. He, and his starters-leading .368 average, may miss tonight.

Some of those innings reminded me of this:

"Wham! A Homa! Wham! Anudda Homa!"

I don't know what to expect from tonight, but I'm sure glad last night is over!

The 9th ROCKS!: Phillies 4 - Astros 3

2008-04-16T13:33:00.005-04:00

First, as everyone seems to know, this blog is dedicated to the Phillies out of loyalty and nostalgia and to the Red Sox out of love, passion, and obsession. While the majority of my posts deal with the Sox, I'd be crazy to not add something about the late game magic that the Phillies conjured up last night!

Even with the Red Sox two 9th inning homers in as many days, last night's Phils take the cake. They entered the last frame down 3 zip. Jose Valverde comes in to try for a save for the Astros. First batter is Chris Snelling. He jacks one, making it 4-1. The next batter, Chase Utely, gets plunked. Next, Ryan Howard K's. This brings up Pat Burrell, who promtly homers. It's now tied at three. Geoff Jenkins strikes out, but takes first on a passed ball. This brings Pedro Feliz, who doubles. Jenkins doesn't see (uh, ignores) the stop sign and scores in a super close play at the plate. Jenkins was either safe or the recipient of some cosmic karma after the bogus game ending slide last week that gave the Mets a win over Philly.

Dr.'s Orders: Curt Says "N-No!"

2008-04-16T13:14:00.003-04:00

The Boston Globe (among others) is reporting a story that Curt Schilling's doctor, Craig Morgan, told WEEI that Curt would consider signing with the Yankees. Curt, in Cleveland with the rest of the team, claims to have been surprised by this revelation and insists that it is not true.

I watched an interview with Curt months back (think it might have been on Real Sports, but I am not sure) that was before he resigned with the Sox. Curt was talking about places he like to go and was adamant that the Yankers were not an option. While mentioning various options that he'd consider possible, he mentioned the Phils and the Diamondbacks. He specifically denied a chance of wearing the nauseating pinstripes on the Bronx Bozos. I believe the way he put it was that going the the Yankers would be like switching from the Hatfields to the McCoys.

But here we are, not too much later, reading about this supposed conversation. With the issues that exist between Schilling and the Red Sox front office over the shoulder problems he's having, or, more specifically, how to deal with them, this story might be getting a bit more credence than it would earn otherwise. Schilling is also reported to be voluntarily restructuring his contract to eliminate incentives he is scheduled to receive for making weight requirements. Schilling said this:

“It’s against probably the advice of the Players Association and my attorney, but it just didn’t seem like it made any logical sense. I’m already collecting money I’m not earning right now, and I’m going to make more?”

My hope is certainly that Curt is being honest. As things stand, if he never threw another pitch, he would still be an icon in Boston. If things end up being that he moves on from the Red Sox, I think fans could handle that. If, however, he were to go to the Yankers? Well, I think most would add his name to the list that holds Damon and Clemens.

Tek PH Homer: Red Sox 5 - Indians 3

2008-04-16T11:54:00.000-04:00

For the second night in a row, the Red Sox pulled off a little drama with a ninth inning jack. Instead of Manny this time, the pinch hitting Jason Varitek cranked a solo shot in the ninth to give the Sox a one run lead. Youk would also score a run in that inning to thwart the efforts of the Indians and Jensen Lewis.

After the homer that Manny hit on Monday, Joe Borowski, that Indians' closer wwent to the DL, the team citing triceps issues. MLB Home Plate reported that Borowski's issue wasn'T so much pain as it was a feeling like "throwing under water." Whatever the issue, last night's replacement being Lewis ended up feeling drowned a bit, too.

Perhaps the real story of the night was the MLB premier of Jed Lowrie. The game saw his first hit in the majors and also his first three RBI - not to be understated in a two run win!

David Ortiz, while he did ground into a double play, managed to get another hit, brining his average up to triple digits again (.113) Manny went 0 for 3, with a walk and a K.

So, off we go to NY!

Shirt Hoax Update: $50,000?

2008-04-15T16:45:00.006-04:00

Just in case the whole Cement Jersey Hoax was not, in and of itself, enough to make you despise the Yankers even more, the latest lie from the "House With a Papi Foundation" is that the recovery of the jersey from the concrete has cost the Yankers no less than $50,000!

Note to Hank: Start off slower. You can't pull off this caliber of bullshit this early in you tenure.

So, not only was the shirt mysteriously found in a service corridor, as opposed to the floor of the clubhouse where it was said to have been placed, now were are to believe that the hole in said service corridor has a $50,000 price tag on it. Please! While the photos in the story are certainly worthy of scrutiny, the hole appears to be about 4 feet wide and about 3 to 4 feet deep. There was some re bar reinforcements that had to be cut, and it will need to be filled back in.

If the Yankers paid $50,000 for that, they got robbed. I would have done it for $5,000 and 2 tickets to tomorrow's game. Of course I would have buried something far more "cursed" in the process, but I would have saved them over 43 grand!

Red Sox 6 - Indians 4

2008-04-15T16:32:00.003-04:00

Manny hits #493!

The match-up last night was the kind of game that I fantasized about during the hot stove season. You know, on those nights when I would lay awake, dreaming about the 2008 season and how wonderful it would be to kick back in the easy chair, pop open a beer and watch some baseball! Last night was just that sort of experience and it ended in glorious fashion with a 2 run shot by our Manny!

Seriously, how is it that Joe Borowski is still the closer for Cleveland? I sure as heck don't know. Our pals over at Soxaholic said it best. I won't repeat it, so follow the link.

Recovered Red Sox Jersey a Hoax!

2008-04-14T17:56:00.002-04:00

For this, the 100th post on the PhilSox blog, we humbly submit to all that the recovered Ortiz jersey supposedly pulled out of the concrete at the new Yankee Stadium is purely a hoax. The fake photo-op was contrived by the Yankee front office to nip in the bud any "curse" talk.

As the photo see clearly shows, the jersey that sources claim to have pulled out of a solid concrete slab of floor at the new venue wouldn't fool a child. PhilSox Blog consulted with a local contractor who asked to remain unnamed. "Anyone who has worked with cement at any time knows that fabric, when mixed with liquid cement, absorbs the mixture. When you took it out of the floor it would never be in as good shape as [the shirt in the photo]. A shirt that was actually submerged in concrete then dug up with jackhammers would be shredded and torn as the concrete was smashed. At least you'd expect to see like chunks of concrete hanging on [the shirt]. The shirt in the photo was not buried in cement!"

Perhaps we should be giving the Yankees some credit for going all out on this. It would seem though that even the most ardent Yankee fan would have to wonder about a few details:

After denying the story all along, they changed their minds and decided to "remove" it awfully fast.
They knew exactly where to jackhammer, even though the person who buried it was not there to assist.
The nailed the spot perfectly on the first try.
They happened to have a photographer on hand.
The shirt was in remarkably good shape, with bright, crisp red numbers and letters.

No one can blame the Yankees for wanting to solve this issue as quickly as it arose. Yankee fans got a ton of mileage out of "The Curse of the Bambino" for a long time. Chanting things like "1918" and such became the third most familiar line out of New Yorker's mouths, surpassed only by "I want to see a lawyer!", and "Yo, Joey, how's my hair look?" Having any possibility of a curse running the other way had to have struck fear in hearts of many a Yankee lover. I know that most of them can't wrap their minds around a concept like "karma", but they had to be worried about it, none the less.

So, as far as Hank and George and the rest of the too-thin mustached Yankee faithful are concerned, the who messy situation is over. They probably even buried one of Giambi's sweaty jocks in the whole before they filled it in, just for good measure. But as for the rest of us out here in Red Sox Nation, we know the truth.

Red Sox Take 2/3 from Yankers!

2008-04-14T13:12:00.000-04:00

After a decidedly crappy beginning to the weekend, the boys from Boston came back on Saturday and Sunday so as to head off for Cleveland having taken 2 out of three from the Yankers. With many fans saying before hand that this year's April series at the Fens was decidedly less than exciting, many disagreed and believed that any Red Sox/Yanker match-up is good for getting the blood moving and the dander up.

On Saturday, the big story PhilSox territory was how someone at FOX almost got murdered after the network switched to NASCAR with two outs and two strikes in the Yankee 9th! After the 2 hour plus rain delay, the game resumed at roughly 8:20 PM EST. After Papelbon fanned A-Rod and the Sox made a quick time of the bottom of the 8th, the Yanks came up for what would be their last at-bat unless they rallied. we all sat, engrossed as Paps retired the first two batters in short order. Then, with two strikes on Cano, FOX switched to some race, with a quick announcement that the game could be viewed on FX. well, by the time I got there, the game was over! I had to wait until the game was archived on MLB.tv to see that Cano grounded out. In fact, things were so screwed up with FOX, that if you watch the archived game at that point, you see Papelbon dealing to Cano, but hear some announcer dealing with the opening moments of Saturday's installment of "Redneck Merry-Go-Round"!

Sunday night saw the red Sox jump out to a large 7 - 1 lead, despite a very shaky Dice-K. With the bats finally seeming to awaken a bit, the Sox held on to9 win 8 - 5. Papi took the night off, and here's hoping that the rest helps him a bit. Also out was Jeter, with Posada coming back in late in the game and pointedly not throwing to second on steals while nursing a bum shoulder. All the more good for the Sox.

On to Cleveland!

Yanked Back to Blogging

2008-04-12T10:55:00.003-04:00

After being away for a couple days and not getting posts done for the Tigers' first win and then the Red Sox coming back the next day to spank them 12 - 6, I'm "yanked" back here today after listening to the first Yanker-Sox match of 2008. The painful 4-1 loss the Red Sox suffered leaves one wondering which is more to blame; the virtuoso performance by Wang (complete game,2 hits, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's, 1HR) or the continued anemic plate performance of the Red Sox. Most notably, of course, is the pathetic .077 that David Ortiz is posting, which includes an 0 for 3 last night.

Buchholz had another good outing. (6 innings, 4 hits, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K's) But, like I mentioned, no run support. Right now, for Sox pitching, the first sing of a weak link is Jon Lester. He seems to break down consistently after about 4 innings. He looks like a deer in the headlights when he gets in trouble, which is not what I was thinking when I predicted him having a breakout season. Oh, and there ther's the bull pen, which I can't even bring myself to think about these days.

While stopping in at TalkSox.com for the usual camaraderie of other beleaguered Sox fans, I noticed many comments about the lack usual excitement around this Sox/Yanks series. These comments came from both Red Sox fans, as the oddball Yanker fans that always seem to be on TalkSox. (These guys puzzle me to no end, but maybe that's best saved for another post.) I, on the other hand, was juiced for this weekend since seeing in on the schedule. With both teams coming in dead even in the surreal AL East, who cares if it is only April?

Relegated to listening to the audio from WRKO (thanks to MLB.tv's blackout of YES carried games in my area) I sat in my kitchen with the laptop in front of me, wringing my hands and looking at a ridiculous box score as it built itself. I'm hoping for better things today, as FOX states they are carrying the game. Tomorrow, ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball promises the third game. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for both. I like the match-ups in the next two games. Mussina vs. Beckett will depend if Josh is closer to his mid season form that in his first start and if Mussina is closer to last years "suck" than in his previous start. Sunday feels really good. The recently smokin' Dice-K up against Phillip Hughes.

GO SOX!!!

Good Start: Tigers 0 - Red Sox 5

2008-04-09T15:34:00.004-04:00

With the first game at Fenway, the 2008 season can really begin, and what a way to start. Dice-K was superb again, throwing 6 2/3 shut-out innings. The bats finally woke up a bit (at least most of them) and the Red Six prevailed, 5 to zip, over the hapless Tigers.

There was so much more though, and all before the game began! Attended by representatives of Boston sports championships (Celtics, Bruins, Patriots) the 2007 rings were handed out. Of special note was the fact that players that were around for the '04 win received special rings, with two trophies depicted under their surnames where the new gents only have one trophy. The rings were gorgeous, and (at least on MLB.tv) they showed close-ups of most as they were dispersed.

There were lots more guests. Johnny Pesky was in attendance and, with a little help from Papi, hoisted the new 2007 World Series Champions flag. In perhaps the biggest surprise, the first pitch of the game was thrown by none other than Bill Buckner! A teary-eyed Buck emerged from behind the banner cloaked green monster and received one of the largest ovations of the day.

Buckner later went to the booth to chat with Jerry and Don. I have to be honest, it was the low point of the afternoon. First, I am not a big fan of interviews during the game. I want to see the game, you know? But poor Buckner! Let's just say that he's not a great public speaker. At one point Don Orsillo made a joke about Buck perhaps getting into the booth somewhere because if Jerry could do it, anyone could. I think Buckner's ten minutes of mumbling and extended pauses is proof that Don is way off.

It was still good to see Bill Buckner.

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith was on hand to belt of "God Bless America" during the stretch, but I did not get to see that thanks to MLB.tv.

So, now we move on with the rest of the season. Here's hoping we have another one of these to watch in April of '09!

Opening Day at Fenway

2008-04-08T09:55:00.006-04:00

At long last, the Red Sox have come back to Boston! Opening day at the Fens, but so much more than that! Today marks the the end of the Japan saga that has seen our beloved Sox literally running around the globe on an MLB good will tour that has left them all a bit sluggish. Today also holds the special designation of having the World Series ring ceremonies, with some surprises, including who will throw out the first pitch and who will sing the National Anthem.

Over the last few weeks we've all been reading the various interviews with players and coaches and we have all read them saying the right things. They talked about how it was an honor to represent MLB and Red Sox Nation in the far east. But we all know the truth, don't we? The trip has knocked the crap out of the team and cannot be left out of the list of reasons why we have begun 3 and 4. In fact, this world wind tour is the main reason things have begin shaky, and we should all be glad that things haven't been worse.

Now the guys have had the pleasure of sleeping in their own beds, seeing their families, and relaxing for a day. In to town come the Detroit Tigers, who while winless, have a line-up that makes us think of a stick of dynamite with a trick fuse. It's going to go off, it's only a matter of when. But the Tigers will have their work cut out for them at Fenway today. A lot of things that were working against the Red Sox are now in the past and the feeling that things are looking up can't be denied.

GO SOX!!!

Questioning Francona...Again!

2008-04-07T10:50:00.003-04:00

I'm watching yesterdays Red Sox game on MLB.tv, which means that I'm hearing the Toronto television feed. It's the bottom on the 5th, and Beckett has just loaded the bases with two out. It seems like Francona was giving Beckett one last chance to finish the inning and put himself in line for a win if the Sox could score in the 6th. It did not work.

In comes Manny Delcarmen. The announcers (the Blue Jay announcers) mention that this seems like an odd thing to do since the next batter is Frank Thomas, Blue Jay power hitting DH, seems to have Delcarmen's number lately. He bats about .333 against MDC and had smacked a t RBI double off him earlier in the series. So, at this point, I'm saying to myself, "Why is he using Delcarmen?" That was about the only statement I had time for because the first pitch went over the Center field wall for a grand slam.

I'm a fan of Sabermetrics. I'll admit it, I'm a geek. One of the things that I like about the Red Sox is that they are a team that pays attention to stats. But now I'm looking at the third game in a row where Tito has ignored the mathematical probabilities and it has proven to be a bad thing.

We're finally going home tomorrow for the Fenway season opener. Mathematically speaking, how likely is it that the 0 - 6 Detroit Tigers will be 0 - 9 by Friday?

Questioning Francona

2008-04-05T16:42:00.004-04:00

Being that the general concensus is that Terry Francona is horribly underrated and that his new $12 million deal is a reflection of his wonder, I'm hesitant to question him so soon in the season. However, after the Wakefield situation last night and the after pulling Youkilis today in favor of Casey. what else can a Red Sox fan do?

In last nights game, having no on warming in the 6th, Francona was forced to leave an obviously faltering Wakefield in to give up three runs. Wake quickly went from one half of a great pitchers duel with Toronto's Shaun Marcum, to being almost totally useless over the course of a few throws. Today, all were shocked to hear that Sean Casey was getting the start at first and Youk got to sit on the bench and watch the first error at first for the Sox since mid 2006. That error scored two runs. Casey was less than mighty at the plate as well, going one for four while filling in for Youkilis and his team best .316 average.

The Red Sox will surely wake up soon in terms of their bats, but the hole that is getting dug in the mean time is annoying to say the least. With Varitek, Lowell, Ramirez, and Ortiz (at a lowly .111) all batting under .250, they are asking a lot of their pitching. For their part, the hurlers are respectable, but sporadic. These first two games against the Jays have been nothing short of painful. With the home opener coming in the form of a series against the Tigers, hope holds that tomorrow's first start for Josh Beckett will let the Red Sox go home on a high note.

Sox Opening Day (3 of 4)

2008-04-04T10:58:00.004-04:00

The Red Sox will take the field tonight in Toronto for the Jays home opener. Counting the Japan trip, then the A's first home game, this will be the Sox third opener. They of course have one more, the most important, opening day at Fenway this coming Tuesday.

Yesterday was an off day which we're hoping will take the last of the team's jet lag away. There nothing like an off day to get creative juices flowing for folks when there isn't actually a game to talk about. I heard on Mike & Mike this morning a clip of some baseball pundit extolling the reasons why Papelbon should be a starter. I cannot remember who this lad was (If anyone knows, please leave a comment!) but he was taking a page out of some Sabermetrics guide and talking about how your best pitcher should not be a reliever and your best reliever should not be a closer. The geek view of this topic is that you should put your "closer" in whenever the game is really on the line. For instance, if you have a 1 run lead in the 6th, and the opponents meat is coming to the plate, that should be the clue to put in your "closer". The only flaw with this theory that I can think of was that the Red Sox tried this once and it was a downright disaster. Meanwhile, the Yankers have two closers; Rivera for the ninth, Chamberlain for the eighth. I vote we keep Paps where he is.

There's been discussion about center field and the Crisp/Ellsbury situation. The truth of this matter is that decisions on who is in the line-up are not being made strictly on numbers and perceived benefit towards a win. Crisp got a start Wednesday and will probably get more, not because he is better than Ellsbury, but because the front office wants to "showcase" him so that a trade can be worked out. He went 2 for 5 that night and scored a run. I suppose that isn't too bad a show, but I can't help but wish that Jacoby was in. (Drew, who went 1 for 5, is not being showcased for anything, as far as I know.)

It appears that Josh Beckett will make his first start on Sunday in the third game of the Toronto series. Here's some logic that I can't help but question. Starting Tuesday (for that Fens opener) the Sox will be facing Detroit who will be, at best, playing .500, assuming they sweep the White Sox. Based on their plate performance while being swept by the Royals, those Tigers may not be able to get three in their first home stand, but anyone who thinks that those bats aren't going to wake up at some point is nuts. Should we be leaving Beckett out until that Tuesday? I mean, he didn't get the Japan start, now he won't get to pitch in Fenway until the 11th or 12th against the Yankees? I say you let him have the Fens opener, which still leaves him ready for game three of the Yankee series (Which is the only one I'll actually get to see since MLB.tv will be blacked out for me and Sunday's game is on ESPN. (Thank you YES network!) Who do we need Beckett more against, the Toronto line-up or those of Detroit and New York?

Finally, folks are expressing their relief to see some players waking up a bit. Papi had hit first hits, his first RBI, and his first jack of the season on Wednesday. Matsuzaka looked much better in his second start, as did the young Jon Lester. Even Tek is performing better at the plate, getting a RBI double (He was robbed of a homer, pure and simple) and a homer this week. We have survived the worst part of this Homeric 2008 Opening Odyssey with a record of 3 and 1, and that is a good thing because April is not getting any easier.

Phillies Walk-off Walk

2008-04-04T10:42:00.004-04:00

Nothing plain about the extra inning win those Phils got yesterday. After trailing 6-0, a 6th inning small-ball clinic rendered 7 consecutive singles and they left the inning leading 7-1. Jump ahead to the 10th, tied at 7 and Jimmy Rollins scores the winning run through a walk-0ff walk by Jason Werth with the bases loaded!

Rollins went from first to third on a sac bunt by Victorino. The Nats chose to intentionally walk both Utley and Howard, which brought up Werth.

What in the...

2008-04-03T14:10:00.012-04:00

Can someone tell me what the deal is with these things on Alfonso Soriano's face? I hate to sound dumb, but do dark skinned players need light colored glare stickers? I mean, on MLB.tv, where things seem dark in many broadcasts, all I could see udner the bill of his batting helmet was these things and his teeth.

(Click on the images for larger view.)

Opening Day Redux: Red Sox 2 - A's 1

2008-04-02T11:58:00.004-04:00

As I expected, the first two days of the 2008 season have been filled with innings, stats, highlights, and articles read: Busy is not a big enough word. I did manage to clear my schedule to watch the Red Sox squeeze past the Athletics by a score of 2-1. Mostly what I had to "reschedule" was sleep, as the game started at 10:05 in my EST village.

The games should have left most Sox fans as it left me; a bit more relaxed. Matsuzaka looked like we all think he should, with 9 k's, 2 hits, no walks, and 1 run over 6 1/3. Okajima came in and managed to hold the fort, giving up only a single walk before being relieved by Paps with on out left in the 8th. Papelbon, the other source of bad nerves after two shaky appearances last week, looked worlds better, making short work of that last 8th inning out, then striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth.

The plate is still a spot where we all hope things liven up a bit. Papi is still hitless, and we did only manage 2 runs, but that should have been three. Jason Varitek was robbed of a homer in the 6th when his shot clearly hit the yellow above the A's out-of-town scoreboard. According to the announcers, no ump (meaning the first base ump) made any moves to position himself better to see the ball. In the end (some debate by Francona not withstanding) Tek was awarded the double, but Youkilis had scored from third (he scored both Red Sox runs, by the way) to take the lead.

This afternoon, we finish what feels like a marathon against the A's with a rematch of last week's Lester vs. Harden match-up. Let's hope Lester can get things straight so we can head to Toronto atop the AL East at 3-1.

No Flash to Gordon: Nats 11 - Phils 6

2008-04-01T09:16:00.001-04:00

Oh brother! That about sums it up. What else can you say when the Phillies manage to bring the game tied into the ninth and the Tom Gordon gives up 5 runs?

The Phils spread their runs out over the innings, including two jacks; one by Utley and one from Rollins. The unfortunate match for those two homers were the two errors, one my Rollins and one by Ruiz.

The real story will have to be the total selfdestruct of the Phillies bullpen. Between Madsen and Gordon seven runs were plated by the hot-off-the-start Nationals. Gordon looked absolutely lost on the mound, and now I get to listen to all the Yanker fans say brilliant lines like "That why we got rid of him!"

I know that it's too early to be looking at statistics, but opening day certainly make some interesting numbers. Based on what we've seen so far, Jim Thome of the White Sox is on pace for 324 home runs and 648 RBI this season, the Atlanta bullpen is on target to give up 810 runs, 324 in the form of homers. Then there's the Philly pen. Tom Gordon's current ERA is 135.00, and we'll see the relievers give up about 1134 runs this season.

Red Sox Grab Matsuo

2008-03-31T11:13:00.003-04:00

After a hot-stove season where I had to sometimes really search for things to post about, today is opening day and I have so many things to touch on that I had trouble figuring out where to begin. But after the lackluster start that Lester had last week and the poor showing of Buchholz over spring training (10.03 ERA) I decided that the Red Sox picking up another hurler was probably the biggest news of the weekend. The newest bit of Japanese for Sox fans to learn is Teramasu Matsuo, the free agent that the pick-up from Independent Shikoku League.

Matsou was the league MVP last season, posting a 15-3 record over 30 starts. He boasted a 1.72 ERA and 159 strike-outs, and his '06 season wasn't shabby either!

Matsuo is reporting to extended spring training in Florida and we'll just have to wait to see when and in exactly what capacity we get to see his first pitch in a Sox uniform.

Canseco’s Motives?

2008-03-26T23:36:00.001-04:00

For those of you who have been pining away for the next literary masterpiece from Jose Conseco, the waiting is almost over. Scheduled to be release on April 1^st (like that doesn't say something!) is his newest tome, "Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and The Battle to Save Baseball," which it is safe to assume will be written with the same middle-school flair (and writing level) as his first book, "Juiced." Of course the less than cerebral writing won't be the only thing that the two books have in common as the new release is said to contain new names. According to various press outlets, we'll* read about Roger Clemens (yawn) and what Jose knows about the Rocket's use. We'll also hear about how Canseco shot up Magglio Ordonez with some drug or another while the two were teammates on the White Sox. But the claim he'll et the most mileage out of is that he introduced Alex Rodriquez to a drug dealer named "Max" while Canseco and A-Rod were both on the Rangers. Excerpts from the book were apparently leaked and state that Canseco is claiming that A-Rod asked him for the introduction, but that Canseco never saw him actually using taking anything.

The "…Battle to Save Baseball" portion of that title invokes all sorts of thoughts about a valiant soul who's trying, though brutal honesty, to set things right again. Canseco portrays himself as one who wants to weed out the liars, believing (so it seems) that this is the only real way to break free of the steroid era in baseball once and for all.

While this is all very romantic and wonderful, it is important to remember a few realities. First, Canseco was successful as a baseball player because he cheated. He was not caught because he was (is?) an excellent sneak and an accomplished liar. "Juiced" was billed as a "tell all" book. The problem there (well, one of them) is that it didn't tell all, or at least that's what Canseco would have us believe. Now we have his second installment, with some new names. Add all this together and it, to be honest, smells funny.

The version of the story at Sports Illustrated shows a photo of Canseco all "Guido-ed" with his slicked back hair and his necklace-thing behind a suit and shirt minus the tie. He certainly dresses the part of an underworld hood, which seems like truth in advertising. When questioned about giving more details, Canseco asserted that he wants to wait to see if "they" call him a liar again. This must reference the initial reactions to "Juiced", and in the end, many of the claims that Canseco made in that volume bore out to be true.

In the end, Canseco's motives seem obvious to most. OK. Maybe we can give a ratio of 9/1 – 90% needing rent and hair gel money, 10% zeal for justice. That might even be too generous, though.

*Well, not "we'll", really. I'd opt for a root canal before picking up "Vindicated". I'm still not totally over my experience reading the first half of "Juiced".

Even at .500...A's 5 - Sox 1

2008-03-26T16:29:00.004-04:00

(PRE-GAME NOTES) What can I say... The Lord giveth and then he taketh away.

Manny hit his 491st jack in the sole bright spot in today's Red Sox loss. The low? Well, today's three strikeouts for Tek makes him zero for eight with 6 k's! Moss was nowhere near his second home run in the majors today, as he had three k's of his own. Lester gave up 6 hits and 4 earned runs in 4 innings. Also, Tito showed some questionable logic when he put Lopez in to face a left-handed Jake Cust (who drew a walk.) So, not a lot to focus on for a positive spin, you know.

Hey, at least this Japan trip is officially over.

Crunch Time

2008-03-25T12:35:00.004-04:00

The Red Sox have had to make some adjustments during this current visit to Japan. While many Japanese delicacies were available to the team, Kevin Cash still prefers his Cookie Crisp cereal. Unfortunately, there were no bowls available for the new back-up catchers breakfast, so bullpen coach Gary Tuck was utilized to help Cash.

"Breakfast, as you know," said Tuck, "is the most important meal of the day.

2008 Season Opener: Sox 6 - A's 5

2008-03-25T10:41:00.008-04:00

(PRE-GAME NOTES) Thank you, Jesus, for delivering me from the hot-stove desert into the promised land of the 2008 season! Thank you further for the base running error by Emil Brown, because that is truly what gave the Red Sox today's win. Thank you XM Radio for allowing me to hear the Brandon Moss homer in the top of the ninth that tied the game. Thank you MLB.tv, that allowed me to watch Paps in the bottom of the tenth squeak out his first save of the season. Thank you for this victory over the Athletics of Oakland.

Baseball is here! The Red Sox are a half game up on the Yankees (and everyone else, for that matter.) All is right in the world, at least until tomorrow.

What a game for an opener! Manny gets 4 RBI, thanks in part to the psychosis that so many opposing managers who like to IBB Ortiz to get to ManRam (Even in games such as this where Papi is hitless and Manny already has two RBI. Go figure.) J.D. Drew, a late scratch because of something back related, is replaced by Moss who comes through in the clutch. My favorite moment was Ellsbury's simply amazing catch in center that almost surely saved a run from scoring. I'd like to describe it to you, but you have to see it to understand.

I was up rather late last night so I did not get up for the first pitch, but I did tune in on ESPN 2 early enough to see the three run 6th that gave the Sox a short-lived lead. I then followed the game with a succession of ESPN, XM, and MLB.tv (that Jesus for acronyms, too!)

I won't be working late tonight, so I'm planning on setting the alarm to watch Lester (who I think is going to have a break-out season) take the mound tomorrow.

Finally, thank the Lord for baseball itself. It is truly a miracle!

Amen

Is Howard Destined to Leave?

2008-03-24T14:16:00.006-04:00

Without getting into any detail, the Philadelphia Inquirer posted a blurb in its "Phillies Notes" for today that, for me, seems to indicate the beginning of the end of Ryan Howard's time as a Phil. PI mentions Miguel Cabrera's gigantic contract extension with Detroit (8 years, $153.3 million) new starting point for Howard in future negotiations with the team. While Howard cannot become a free agent until 2011, some speculate that the Phillies would be looking to negotiate a long term deal much sooner. Is it realistic, though, to expect Philly to lay out that kind of dough?

Howard recently got his hand a bit deeper into the franchise's pockets after winning an arbitration hearing that got him more money than any player ever with less than 2 years service ($10 million). Their 2007 payroll was $89,428,213, with another $7 millions going out to Jim Thome. This year's payroll is (so I'm hearing) already going to be over $100 millions. Bringing Howard into Cabrera's "ballpark" would essentially double his yearly bill. Jimmy Rollin's current 5-year, $40 million contract ends after 2010. Chase Utley's 7-year, $85 million is good through 2013.

Do Philly fans need to be thinking about life after Howard today. Surely not. The season is about to start and we have every reason to believe we'll see Howard smack home run 300 in a Phillies uni. But after that? Well, let's not kid ourselves. The Phillies need to do this! Howard is the greatest thing to come from their farm system in a long, long time. The team likes to throw chunks of money at guys like Freddy Garcia, Adam Eaton, Rod Barajas and Wes Helms (with out much payoff) but took Howard to arbitration. Then the media (at least many of them) acted surprised when Howard won. Also, if they (the Phils) keep doing this kind of thing to Howard for the next two seasons, he just may decide to move on regardless of the offers.

So, the question then seems to be as to whether Phillies ownership reads guys like Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News. He's calling for the ownership to sell the team because of their unpreparedness to do what's going to win a championship. Or, on the other hand, do the powers that be look only at dollars in vs. dollars out?

こんにちは, Tigers!*

2008-03-22T11:13:00.005-04:00

Everyone else in my house was in bed last night when I sat down in front of my laptop to watch the Red Sox take on the Hanshin Tigers. I must say, it was an interesting experience.

On MLB.tv, there was no English play-by-play. Listening to the Japanese announcers was fun bordering on hilarity! Even the between pitch banter was funny to listen to, given the fact that I understood almost none of it. It was a little bit of a pain trying to follow the game because the on-screen graphic for score and count was on and off throughout the time I watched. I finally fell asleep about the 7th inning, but found out this morning that the Sox held on to win, 6 - 5.

Some noteworthy points. Buchholz looked a little less that impressive, giving up 4 of the Tigers 5 runs. I still believe that there is some correlation to this and the fact that the Japanese baseball is smaller that the MLB official size. Buchholz has several balls in the dirt and at least one wild pitch that moved runners.

Papi and J.D. Drew didn't seem to mind the difference in ball size, both hitting jacks in the first inning. Another cool thing to see was Dusty Brown gunning a speedy Fujimoto in the bottom of the ninth to help Papelbon get the save. But where is Cash? After all that news about Mirabelli being released because Cash can handle the knuckler, I don't even seem him listed on the 40-man roster. He came into pinch hit for Ortiz in the game (more confusion) but is still listed as a non-roster invitee? What's going on there?

As much fun as it was to watch the Sox in a game where there was a bit more emphasis on winning than in the Spring Training games, I'll still be very glad when this Japan trip is over and we can all concentrate on April.

*Translation: "Hello, Tigers!"

Fatherly Pride

2008-03-20T16:28:00.008-04:00

Recently, my mother, who loves to shop online, found something the just had to order for my four year old, Steven. When we were waiting for it to arrive, she described it as some "some sort of ball" that had something to do with the Red Sox. When it finally came, we say that it was a regualtion baseball, with the words "Boston Red Sox" on one side and the old fashioned logo on the other. Not only was it "dirtied", as in mudded like balls are when prepped for games, it came with a holder that looks like a Fenway seat! (OK, maybe not a Fenway seat, but a ballpark seat, and it folds up, too!) She said she only paid like $10 for it, but I thought it was pretty cool, and so did Steven, whose been staring at the three baseballs I received with the SI World Series package with lust in his eyes.

Steven goes to a preschool program at our local YMCA. Today they were scheduled to have show-and-tell. When I got up this morning, my wife says to my son, "Tell your father what you're taking for show-and-tell."

"I'm taking my baseball, Dad!" he exclaims. "I'm gonna tell then how the Red Sox won the World Series and how this is the old-time logo, and then I'll show them how to throw a curve, just like you showed me."

After advising him not to actually "throw" the curve as part of the demo, I just stood and smiled and realized how my plan to guide my son toward proper fandom is really working!

Thanks, Hank!

2008-03-19T11:17:00.002-04:00

The lastest in Hank Steinbrenner's jabs at the Red Sox was his comments about Jonathan Papelbon. In terms of keeping the Red Sox - Yanker rivalry interesting, I want to say "Thanks!" to the big Junior Windbag from the Bronx.

It all started, of course, when Hank made the comments about Red Sox Nation and expressed his delusion about how the United States should be subtitled "Yankeeland". The, Paps, when asked by The Courant about Hank's insult, stated:

"I don't know if he's trying to stir things up or not. I sure as hell don't
care, because he sure as hell hasn't stepped foot on a baseball field. He needs
to just stick to pencil-pushing, I guess.

Hank didn't like this. He responded:

"Being insulted by Papelbon is like being attacked by a mouse."

and then...

"So now, all of a sudden, this player, this 20-something kid who really doesn't
know his way in the world, comes out with a personal insult. There's no excuse
for that."

Somehow, Hank doesn't see how saying that Red Sox Nation is a "bunch of $#@!" might just be construed as insulting. No, in his mind, gentle ribbing was made into horrible mudslinging by Papelbon's assertion that Hank never played baseball. He hasn't ever played, has he?

But in the end, the truth of the matter is the the real difference between Papelbon's comments and Hank's is that Paps are for real. Hank's is all so much B.S., the intent of which is to make headlines and beef up a rivalry that Yankee fans have sort of tired of since it stopped being like the rivalry between a hammer and nail. Now that things are a bit more even, Hank wants to get the stuff stirred up because, in the end, it's all about the dollars. Just ask the teams that the Yankers "subsidize".

The rivalry does make the season more insteresting. If the majority of the Yanker fans that I know weren't prone to resort to horrible profanity and slurs against my mother when I make a valid point while discussing things, I'd be even more happy. But as it is, I want to say thanks to Hank. While he wants to do business with John Henry and he's a major contributor to the Jimmy Fund, he can keep pretending that his jabs at the Sox are about fun and passion when they're really about dollars and cents.

I Don't Get It

2008-03-17T10:51:00.004-04:00

What does this mean?

“If you've got any mirrors in your house, go look at them,”

Charlie Manuel, Phillies Manager, said this to the press recently about the teams abysmal spring training performance. (Read here.)

I'm upset, too. But someone clue me in on just what the heck that line means. Please!

xxx

Hamels Not Happy?

2008-03-17T10:28:00.013-04:00

The latest player who has forgotten what a lucky stiff he is: Cole Hamels of the Phillies. Cole doesn't have enough time in to qualify for arbitration, so he had to settle for the $500k the Phillies are giving him instead of the $700k that he wanted. While no one would have been upset if the Phils had given him the dough, I can't help but think how happy I'd be if I were in his shoes!

Top Three Reason Cole Hamels Should Be Happy:

3. This is his wife, Heidi*...

2. $500,000 is a good deal of money. When you complain about $500k, it isn't because you "need" more, it's because you believe you're worth more. Yes, Hamels had 15 wins in 28 starts last season. The year before he was 9 and 8 in 23 starts. He has some history of injuries. Is it so much to ask that the 24 year old put in a little more time before we assume he's the next Nolan Ryan?

1. He's playing baseball! His job is to play a game. In the end, this is the reason why I hat to hear any of these guys complain.

xx
*Yes. That is ex-Survivor star (season 6), ex-Playboy pin-up, Heidi Strobel!

Special Day for Dice-K

2008-03-15T16:17:00.002-04:00

Tomoyo, the wife of Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, gave birth to the couple's second child this morning. The story on the MLB site doesn't include the name of the baby, the couple's first son. One of the most talked about situations in this past off-season, the timing was an issue for Sox fans as it was unknown whether he'd be able to make the trip to Japan for the season opener against Oakland. MLB is now reporting that the birth (mother and son are said to be fine) all but assures Dice-K's inclusion in the Japan trip. This, of course, is welcomed news because of Josh Beckett's ailing back and Curt Schilling's recent (and very much expected) inclusion on the 60-day DL. Without Dice-K, the Red Sox were probably looking at Wakefield and Lester to start the two games against the AL East Althletics. While checking some links o gather a few details about Matsuzaka for this post, I stumbled across a story about some other special days in his history. Now, this is probably old news for folks in the know, but in case this is not true, let me pass on the story of the 1998 "Summer Kōshien", Japans national high school baseball championships.

Matsuzaka pitched a 140 pitch complete game shut-out to get Yokohama High School into the quarter finals. The next day, he pitched a 250 pitch, 17 inning masterpiece to lift his team over PL Gakuen. The next day, he started in the out field, but came in and threw 15 pitches in relief, getting his third win in three days when Yokohama scored 7 runs in the eighth and ninth innings to win the game and put them into the final. Matsuzaka started that final game, and got his fourth win in as many days with a perfect game! It was only the second shut-out ever in the history of "Summer Kōshien".

I suppose we can assume that the Japan fans will be as happy to see in the line-up as we are?

2008 Predicitons

2008-03-13T22:47:00.000-04:00

I've updated this ti include MVPs, ROYs, and Rolaids Relief Man for both leagues. I was reminded of these omissions by this contest. The original post was on 3/11/08.

Before teams pack up and head home from the lands of grapefruit and cacti (or, in the Sox case, head to the land of the rising sun,) I wanted to weigh in on the upcoming season and make soem predicitions to see if I really know as little as I think I do about everyone but the Phillies and Red Sox.

My Predictions:

Most Improved Team - Giants

I think once the focus is off the Barry Bonds, the rest of the team is going to step-up and be surprising.

Most Opposite-of-Improved Team - Rockies

Last year was a fluke. Pure and simple.

Greatest Decrease in Attendance - Giants

More wins not withstanding, less Barry, less gate.

Greatest Increase in Attendance - Rays

These guys are about to come out of the cellar and I think we'll see the fans come out of the woodwork.

Most Surprising (Good) Team Performance - Reds

Just a gut feeling.

Most Surprising (Bad) Team Performance - Padres

No reason why they should sink, but I think they will.

Manager of the Year - Joe Torre

Not quite "worst to first", but close.

Scapegoat of the Year - (3-way tie) Bud Black (Padres), Clint Hurdle (Rockies), Joe Girardi (Yankees)

The first two because a bad year after a good year always gets blamed on the manager, unless there are a ton of injuries. Girardi? No matter what he does, Hank is going to give him grief for not winning it all.

Most Surprising (Bad) Pitcher - Johan Santana

Again, just a gut feeling. Don't get me wrong, he's not going to be horrible, but no 20 wins, no Cy Young, no World Series. It's not sour grapes. There is just too much hype for him to live up to, while batting, to boot. I'm thinking 32 appearances, 2 complete, 14 wins, 3.30 ERA.

Most Surprising (Good) Pitcher - Jon Lester

Jon is going to win 20 this year and take up the Schilling slack. 33 starts, 1 complete, 20 wins, 2.89 ERA.

Most Surprising (Bad) Hitter - Prince Fielder

I don't think he'll have another year like last. Again, not horrible. just average. 29 HR, .296 BA.

Most Surprising (Good) Hitter - Alex Rodriguez

As much as it pains me, I think A-Rod will be AL MVP again. The only reason it is surprising is because the team will do worse and no ne would think that A-Rod could do that good two years runing! 61 HR, .340 BA, 152 RBI, and a Gold Glove at 3rd!

MVP AL
Alex Rodriguez - NYY

MVP NL
David Wright - NYM

Cy Young AL
Justin Verlander - DET

Cy Young NL
Jake Peavy - SD

ROY AL
Evan Longoria - TB

ROY NL
Kosuke Fukodome - CHC

Rolaids Relief Man AL
Jonathan Papelbon - BOS

Rolaids Relief Man NL
Takashi Saito - LAD

AL EAST			AL CENTRAL			AL WEST
	W	L		W	L		W	L
*Red Sox	97	65	*Tigers	100	62	*Mariners	96	66
Yankees	92	70	~Indians	95	67	Angels	93	69
Rays	91	71	Twins	93	69	Athletics	89	73
Orioles	86	76	White Sox	88	74	Rangers	80	82
Blue Jays	80	82	Royals	75	87

NL EAST			NL CENTRAL			NL WEST
	W	L		W	L		W	L
*Mets	100	62	*Brewers	97	65	Dodgers	100	62
~Phillies	98	64	Cubs	95	67	D-Backs	97	65
Atlanta	90	72	Reds	93	69	Giants	90	72
Florida	86	76	Astros	90	72	Padres	88	74
Washington	80	82	Cardinals	88	74	Rockies	81	81
			Pirates	75	87

*DIVISION ~WILDCARD

POST SEASON

2008 Phillies Projections

2008-03-13T16:47:00.004-04:00

These also are from a combination of sources.

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2008 Red Sox Projections

2008-03-13T15:56:00.004-04:00

The following charts and graphs are based on a combination of data gathered from Bill James and ZIPS.

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These pie charts are based on the batting data as seen above. They show the ratios of various events based on projected at bats.

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Shelley Duncan is Full of #$%!

2008-03-13T10:16:00.004-04:00

No long commentary. No wordy argument. Just two things. Shelley Duncan said of his slide into second base "There was no spiking in my eyes." Now I ask you. Does this look like the slide if a guy who's trying to beat the throw and get to the bag?

Photo Issues on This Blog

2008-03-12T11:46:00.002-04:00

I recently decided to move my personal domain hosting to a new provider. In the process, all the images I had hosted vai the old host have been lost. I have back-ups of all of these, but I need to get them to the new server. In the mean time, there are a lot of photos missing frim past posts.

Sorry 'bout that!

DS

Uncanny Comparison

2008-03-04T09:58:00.003-05:00

Hmmm?

Top 10 Reasons the Yankees Annoy Me

2008-03-02T09:52:00.006-05:00

10. Living in the past - Yankee fans were always the first to yell about how the Sox hadn't won a series since 1918. They're all "here and now" when it suits their purpose. But in every other argument they resurrect artifacts with more fervor than Indiana Jones. Just to name a few... Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and every mention of about 21 of their 26 World Series titles.

9. The pinstripes - I'm sorry. I just don't like the look, on anybody. Pinstripes don't symbolize speed, grace, or anything related to sports. They symbolize staunch, stuffed-shirt, pomposity.

8. The emblem - Again, Yankee fans may argue that it is the most popular insignia ever, almost as universally recognized as, well, the swastika, but I fail to see the beauty. Who the hell came up with that font? Take a look at it broken apart:

7. New York City - I know it hasn't been cool to complain about NYC since 9/11, but for every good/great thing about that metropolis, there is at least on bad/horrible thing. The last time I was there, I stood next to a man pissing in a bottle at 2 in the afternoon. We were in front of FAO Schwartz. Any questions?

6. RDD - Retail Delusional Disorder - You see, Yankee fans talk about a how the Yankee emblem and Yankee gear is the most popular of all teams. While this is certainly true, the fans never talk about just why. Sure, they have a huge fan base. No argument there. But the Yankee logo has become a fashion statement. There is a rather large segment of the population that wears the logo not because they know anything or care in the least about the Yankees. They have as much loyalty to the Bronx Bombers as they do the Dolce & Gabbana, or Fendi. Then you need to add in the rapper crowd that wears Yankee colors as a statement, but not the statement, "New York Yankees are the finest in baseball." I believe that if you could round up every person in the country that owns an article of officially licensed Yankee gear, that less than half would be able to tell you who the current manager is, how many rings the Yankees have, or what song is played at the end of games at Yankee stadium.

5. No Heart - While many teams (especially the Red Sox) have high priced talent, the Yankees players, more often than not, seem like hired guns. They smile little and they seem more like 1960's FBI agents than guys who get paid a ton of money to play the wonderful game of baseball.

4. No Loyalty - Yankees have no objections to taking the high-priced, high talented player that they ridiculed and screamed profanity at the season before. They took Damon, they tried for Martinez (after all that who's your daddy crap.)

3. The Rules - No, not the Joba Rules, though they annoy me, too. I'm referring to the no facial hair, no long hair, no personality, no style, no fun rules. Like I said, 1960's FBI.

2. The Steinbrenners - I always get asked the question about why I can stomach the Red Sox $146 million budget, but the Yankees payroll annoys me. The answer is the ownership. I can't impugn the business sense of these lads. They've created one of the most successful businesses in the world. But I'm not particularly interested in the business side of baseball. To me, it is the downside, to be sure. But if there is any doubt that business is the prime motivator for the Steinbrenners, I need to be versed. Sure, they make moves to win. But these moves are made with all the passion of an Exxon board meeting. Success is what they crave. Defeating the foes. Making as much money as humanly possible. Being able to pat themselves on the back. There is no love of baseball exhibited. There is absolutely nothing done in the name of fun. But worst of all, it is the ownership that is 50% responsible for the hatred that many feel for the Yankees. It's not the fact that they win so much. It's stories like that of Billy Martin, and now Joe Torre, showing the true hearts of the men at the helm, that sour so many to the Yankees.

1. The fans - Finally, the other 50%. The reason why the Yankees are hated is the people who love them. This vulgar group of sophomores that spends more time jeering at the Red Sox than they do cheering for the Yankees when the two teams play. The real reason the rivalry stays so heated no matter what. The way they can never, ever admit that anything the front office does was a mistake. The way the lambaste Sox fans for doing some of the same things that are accepted in Yankee fan circles. (Accents being the first thing that comes to mind.) While nothing could ever ruin the game for me, these folks come the closest. The constant ranting about 26 rings, blah, blah, blah. They try to sell you their team, ,talking about how wonderful and winning it is, then cry and moan about the "Pink Hat Brigade", the neo-Sox fans who have become Sox fans because of the team's recent success. Isn't jumping the bandwagon exactly what they'd like us to be doing? The issue isn't jumping on the bandwagon, its the wagon that gets chosen. Most of all, I get the impression that most of these fans are truly happiest when they are actively making some other, non-Yankee fan miserable.

Mike and Mike and Oscar

2008-02-27T17:45:00.004-05:00

Most years, I'm the guy who looks forward to the Oscars. I'm a big fan of the movies. I don't get to go all that often, and when I do, it's usually something animated, what with three kids 10 and under. So for me not to have seen the movies nominated for Best Picture is nothing new. I came close this year. I was in line at the box office and was trying to decide between "I am Legend" and "No Country for Old Men". I chose the former, which was a good movie. Anyway, I didn't see the eventual winner, but more than that, I'd barely heard of any of the other nominees. Or the nominees for Best Actor, Best Actress, and so on. So, when the awards show came on, I skipped it. And when I got up in the morning and tuned into "Mike & Mike" on ESPN 2, I was glad I'd skipped the show, because that was almost all they talked about.

First, I suppose I should say that on Monday morning, it really wasn't Mike & Mike. It was more like "Eric & Mike". See, Mike Greenberg was out and Eric Kuselias was in his place. This happens a lot on that show. It should probably be called "Mike & Guest Host In The Morning". But I digress. Eric and Mike Golic spent roughly all of the time I had to pay attention talking about the Oscars. I know that Eric had never seen "Gladiator" and that Golic thought this was a sin. I got to hear Golic mangle the pronunciation of various winners, but that speaks more to the idea that a lot of no one's won. All the while, I'm wondering where the sports talk is. The situation continued with "The Thundering Herd" a bit later in the morning.

I thought that I was kind of in the minority as a guy who's an avid sports fan and a fan of the Oscars. Even if that is not the case, why would ESPN think that I want to hear about the Academy Awards when I tune into their station? I realize that February is a bit of a drag when you're in the sports talk field. Football is done. Baseball hasn't quite begun. It's pre-March Madness, and the only thing worth talking about where the NHL or NBA is concerned are the playoffs, and they're not for months. I'm no NASCAR fan. (Let me repeat that because I want it emphasized: I AM NO NASCAR FAN.) I would still rather hear tidbits about the "Redneck Merry-Go-Round" when I tune into ESPN. How about golf, even. Tiger's undefeated so far. Most folks are probably thinking, "How could anyone talk about Tiger more than they already do?" Well, here's the answer!

Let's limit the "movie talk" that we hear on Sports Center and the other ESPN shows to movies that are about sports. "61*", "3", hell even "The Bronx is Burning" would be allowable. Outside of that, let's stick to talking about the kinds of scores that have numbers, not notes.

BTW - This post officially sets a PhilSox record for most links in a post.

Fake Flashback: 80 Phils vs. 80 Yanks - GAME 1

2008-02-26T15:25:00.008-05:00

Fun with SimMatch Baseball

Let your mind rush back to your childhood. It's a cool October. In a month our parents will collectively elect Ronald Reagan to his first term. The Phillies have taken the NL pennant from the Astros in typical "Cardiac Kid" fashion. But here's the switch. The Royals haven't beaten the Yanks 3-0 for the AL Championship. Instead, the Yankees prevail and now, with home field advantage, they take on the the Phils in the 1980 World Series!

Game 1 - Yankee Stadium

With two outs in the first, Michael jack Schmidt stepped to the plate. With a 1-1 count, Schmidt cranks a Tommy John fastball toward left field. The frozen rope shot barely clears the wall, giving Schmidt his first World Series homer and the Phillies a 1 run lead.

The lead was to be short lived, however. Will Randolph's double coupled with Reggie Jackson's walk gave the Bombers 1st and 2nd with one out. Oscar Gamble's lined one to left center for a single that scores Randolf and moves Jackson to 3rd. Bob Watson lines his own to center, scoring Jackson. Then, with runners at 1st and 2nd again, Graig Nettles launches a towering shot over the right field wall, clearing the bases and giving the Yankees a 5-1 lead at the end of the first, Bobby Brown having been caught stealing for the final out.

The bottom of the second sees Greg Luzinski score from third on a line drive single by Maddox. 5-2 Yanks, after 1 1/2.

Things settled down considerably for awhile. With the score still 5-2, the fifth inning saw Schmidt get to first on what could have been called a throwing error by Randolph after a slow roller. Schmidt was safe at first, but more importantly, Pete Rose scored from second, beating an excellent throw by Brown who charged in after the errant throw. Later in the frame, Schmidt scored from second on a left field shot by Lonnie Smith. McBride, on 2nd after a single of his own, ended up on 3rd after Smith's hit. A Luzinski sac-fly brought McBride home. The game was all tied after a 1-2-3 Yankee at bat that featured Jackson's second K of the game.

Several more 1-2-3 at bats brought both Phils and Yanks to the bottom of the 9th still tied at 5. With two outs, Rose found himself on second after his second double of the game. McBride, looking at a full count, lined a Ron Davis offering to left center. Rose was already eying home plate as soon as he left the 2nd base bag. Bobby Murcer made as good a throw from center as any Yankee fan could have hoped for, but in the end, Rose was too quick. He slid under the tag for the go-ahead run!

Tug McGraw came in to relieve Carlton for the bottom of the ninth. Things looked hopeful when he walked Cerone, but Brown grounded out to Manny Trillo on the first pitch of his at bat. The Phillies took game one with a score of 6-5.

Check back soon for Game 2 recaps!

New Joba Rule: Nipple Rings = OK

2008-02-19T11:02:00.004-05:00

"Baseball This Morning", featured on XM's MLB Home Plate Channell, reported today that Joba Chaimberlain showed up at spring training with both his nipples pierced.

Yuck!

This conjured up two competing images in my mind. The first was of the rip-chords on two badly packed parachutes. The second was this:

10 Reasons Why the SI Swimsuit Issue Annoys Me

2008-02-18T19:08:00.008-05:00

Realizing that I stand a chance of getting chastised by many, many of you guys out there, I hesitated at posting this at all. In the end, I had to do. But, as sort of a disclaimer, please accept the following: I still like women.

10. The calendar costs in the neighborhood of $15, and you don't get it, even if you have the expensive yearly subscription.

9. Celebrity guests. Will Ferrell. Great commedian. Not meant for swimsuit layouts.

8. They never take picture in places that I'd like to see these models. (I.E. my hometown.)

7. Half of the bikinis seen are not something you'd ever see at a beach. Lace? What in the world is lace on a swimsuit for, anyway?

6. Half of the bikinis are half bikinis! Again, topless gals are so few in my neck of the woods.

5. Sand. Sand, in general turns me off. Why? One word: Chaffing.

4. Body painting the swimsuits on. When the hell did this become cool? You know what you can't do to a model in a paint bikini? You can't touch her. You know what a model in a painted on swimsuit can't do? Swim!

3. Stupid poses. Not all, but many look like they're posing for the cover of cheap romance novels. Next year they'll probably have Fabio in Will Ferrell's place.

2. 99% of the models are under fed. This is not to say that they're not hot, but come on! Can't we get a model or two with some meat on their bones?

1. They post the prices of the swimsuits. First, who cares? My real issue is wondering what type of mathematically challenged, ego-maniacal twit would buy a bikini that cost that much? The girls would look every bit a hot in Wal-Mart swimsuits. The only one who'd suffer is the village idiot who establishes that $290 for 8 square inches of fabric is reasonable - he'd be out of a job.

MLB.tv and the Advent of Spring Training

2008-02-12T13:20:00.001-05:00

Between Opening Day and the trophy ceremony after the final Word Series game (and probably even a few weeks afterward, I log onto MLB.com at least once a day. Sometimes I'm there five of six times a day. But as the months of the Hot Stove begin and drag on, I visit less and less. This year, once the NFL playoffs began, I stopped almost totally. Today however, I went back looking for one particular piece of news. I found two, although one I knew anyway. The first tidbit, right on the main page reminded me that pitcher ans catchers report to Spring Training on Thursday. The other, the one I'd been waiting for, told me that MLB.tv now had its 2008 package ready for purchase.

These two small items have brought me more joy than I ever expect any Monday to hold, particularly a dreary and cold February Monday. My mind immediately transported away from thoughts of wind chill and snow forecasts to palm trees and Spring Training jerseys. The off season has whisked by in some ways and drug on in others. But the end is near. Spring is on the horizon and before we know it, opening day will be upon us.

First let me give my full endorsement to MLB.tv Premium. This will be my second season watching Red Sox games via the Internet, my first full one. While living in central PA gets me almost every Phillies game, it has historically offered me nothing much in terms of a way to follow my beloved Red Sox. Now, with MLB.tv, I can see every Sox game except those against the Yankers (which are every often on Fox or ESPN, anyway) and those where they might happen to play the Mets or the Pirates. You see, MLB.tv is subject to blackout restrictions and my house sits in an overlapping sector of Pittsburgh, Philly, and New York markets.

In the interest of fairness, let me outline the weak points of MLB.tv (as I see them) first. There's the blackout thing, of course. Now that upsets me much less since my lovely wife got me an XM Radio for Christmas. I'll get to hear the games that are blacked out. And honestly, how much does it suck to miss the Yanker games! The Sox play Philly this summer, and assuming I can't score tickets to one of those, they'll most likely be televised on the usual Phillies Comcast channel. Another drawback is the video quality. Don't get me wrong, with high speed Internet access and a decent monitor, the games on the PC or laptop are great. The video issue becomes a problem when I connect my laptop to the TV. You need to have an S-VIdeo jack to do this, but the games are no where near as clear as they are on broadcast or cable games.

Now on to the advantages! First and foremost is cost. With MLB.tv PRemium, I can watch every single Major League game. Using their Mosaic function, I can watch six at once if I want! It costs me $119 dollars for all the Spring Training games and every regular season games (minus the blackouts). Strangely enough, I couldn't find the exact price for MLB Extra Innings, the cable/satellite program that get you similar games, but if memory serves, it was about $250 last season from my cable provider. Extra Innings is also subject to the blackouts, plus I can't watch multiple games (that I know of). I get no Spring Training games with Extra Innings (again, that I am aware of) and it costs me more than double. What's more, with Extra Innings, I can only watch games at home. With MLB.tv, I can watch anywhere there is an Internet connection. In my home, with my laptop and wireless network, that means I can watch from the living room, bed room, or even out on my patio! The games that are blacked out I listen to on XM or on MLB Game Day, which gives me Internet access to the radio broadcast of either team! Hell, I can even sneak an afternoon game in at work on occasion. Let's see the Extra Innings guys pull that one off! When I do miss a game -- whether due to blackout, work, life, whatever -- I can watch the game, in its entirety later via MLB.tv! I can also watch highlights, condensed games (that show the all six outs and any scores within each inning), for every single game, whether or not it was blacked out! One more thing I can stack on top of all that? The MLB.com Baseball's Best. I can watch entire games like Game 5 of the 1980 NLCS (just finished that one!) I got to relive the 5 run 8th and Ruthven in shutting down the Astros in the 10th to send the Schmidt, Rose, and the rest of those Phils to the Worlds Series!

I know that these days everyone has a thing for HD. Games on MLB.tv, whether on the monitor or on the television, are definitely not HD. For me, nothing is HD, so I don't miss it. Plus, the $130 dollars that I save makes up for the diminished quality. Not to mention the fact that I have a wife and three kids and for some reason that TV in the living room is seldom free.

So I sit, raring to go. Waiting first for some spring training games to whet my whistle. The for opening day and the beginning of another season.

GO PHILS! GO SOX!

Carlin on Baseball

2008-01-17T14:52:00.001-05:00

Absolute classic!

Santana 's New Home?

2008-01-17T11:22:00.001-05:00

The current buzz seems to indicate that Johan Santana will be traded before Spring Training and that the current front runner is the Mets. The Yankers and Red Sox are still in the picture, but aside from not wanting the Sox to lay out too much for the Cy Young winner, I find myself torn. It appears my choices (not that they are rally mine to make) are either the Sox get him and lose Ellsbury, the Yankees get him and the Sox face him, or the Mets get him and the Phillies have to face him.

No really great option there.

I suppose that if I were asked to rank them, I'd put losing Ellsbury over letting the Mets get him, but I'd rather the Mets get him than the Yankers. All I need is to have to listen to the already annoying Yanker fans preen over their newest star acquisition. In both cases where Santana ends up not with the Sox, my real fear is not what he'll do when he pitches against my teams, but what his presence on either the Mets or Yankers would do for their overall record as the 2008 season progresses.

Of course, I can't expect the Sox to go the extra mile to keep him from the Mets. I do hope that the idea of keeping him from the Yankers is on Theo's mind. Maybe I'm daft, but in the end I still think I'd be happier seeing Ellsbury in center that I would seeing Johan on the mound in Boston.

T.O. Tears

2008-01-15T19:10:00.001-05:00

I know this is not a football blog, but I just had to post about the T.O. press conference. In the past, I have never had too much to say nice about the man. The future doesn't look to bright, either. For right now, though, after watching his tearful discourse with the media following the Cowboys playoff loss to the Giants, I honestly feel sorry for the guy.

Let me explain.

For those of you who did not see it, here's the video from YouTube. I have a feeling this may not remain posted for all that long, though...

Now, after listening to Mike & Mike, I understand that a lot of people out there have the opinion that T.O. was shedding crocodile tears. I do not believe this. I believe that what was shown that evening in front of all those media members was real emotion. Unfortunately for Mr. Owens, I believe it to be a symptom of his increasing mental illness. Aside from the "suicide attempt" that he claims wasn't, T.O. shows a lot of symptoms of depression, or possibly bipolar disorder.

There may also be some delusional thinking on the part of T.O. A few minutes later in the press conference, Owens was asked a question to the effect of "What is it about this quarterback or this tema that makes you get emotional like you did a few minutes ago?" Owens went on to explain that he is always emotional about his quarterbacks, that he has always had their backs! All over the country, fans we're sitting, mouth agape, looking at each other and asking if they'd heard him right. Donovan McNabb threw-up right on his plasma TV. Jeff Garcia fell out of his chair. Even Drew Bledsoe did a spit-take!

I hope that Mr. Owens has found Jesus the way he seems to. I hope that he continues to play hard and be quiet like he did this season. I even hope for his continued success (though I could deal with it better if he played for someone other than Dallas.) But I mostly hope that he gets himself some help. I'd I fear that, once the team he's on isn't 13-3 and isn't in the playoffs, that he'll probably shed fewer tears and be less sentimental about whoever his QB is at the time.

Proud to be a Red Sox Fan!

2008-01-14T21:49:00.000-05:00

I Stumbled Upon this video on YouTube. It was Disability Awareness Day at Fenway Park. One of the special guests was singing the National Anthem and when he got nervous, the crowd helped him out. Pretty wonderful!

God Bless Red Sox Fans!

Roger Clemens: Capable of a Lie?

2008-01-07T16:11:00.000-05:00

I watched the 60 Minutes interview with Roger Clemens last night. I couldn't help but think that he just might be telling the truth. He did seem a bit shaky. He looked like a man who'd not had enough sleep as of late. Otherwise, he seemed to say the right things. He talked about Lidocaine and B-12. He asked why, if the 'roids worked so well, would ha have only done them in the sporadic time frames that his accuser spoke of? He asked why, if he supposedly provided the juice and the needles, was there no one willing to say they supplied them to him, or that he'd purchased them, or any proof such purchases? All excellent points.

So, just as I'm about cross over and begin feeling sorry for him, something crossed my mind. That something was the 2000 Worlds Series. You all should remember that one, if for no other reason because that was the series where, in the first inning of game 2, Clemens picked up the large, pointed barrel of Mike Piazza's broken bat and threw it at the Mets' slugger as e jogged toward first. The ball had gone fowl, which had caused Piazza to slow up and avoid actually getting hit with the projectile.

All of this is old news, and given the animosity between Piazza and Clemens that year (Clemens had tried to turn Piazza into Rain Man in June with a fast ball to the skull) the idea of Clemens over reacting was not too surprising. What was a surprize, and what I'm thinking of today, was Clemens reaction when Piazza headed toward him after the bat throw. First, I think Piazza would have kicked Clemens ass. They are of comparable size, but Roger seemed a but puss-i-fied in that moment, actively dodging behind the home plate ump who came to head off Piazza. Either way, in replays (that you can only find on MLB.com, you can clearly see Roger mouth the words "I thought it was the ball" to Piazza.

Pardon me while I laugh uncontrollably. That part always gets me.

So, what we are to take from this then is that due to a reflex born of decades on the mound, Clemens pick up the two-foot, jagged section of lumber and thought he had the baseball.

Right. Sure.

Even if we suspend disbelief (And what a suspension that load of BS requires!) we are then supposed to think that he would, if he had the ball, throw it not to the first baseman for the out, but side-arm it at the runner as he went up the line?

So, what does all this mean to the current bit of Clemens news? Well, let's sum it all up:

Roger Clemens hates Mike Piazza (not really relevant)
Roger Clemens may have serious eyesight issues (bat looked like ball)
Roger Clemens can lie, but only when given time to think of something not moronic (very relevant)
Roger Clemens is a goof (pretty relevant)

Seriously, although he did not go through a comic book type transformation the way "heroes" like Bonds and McGuire did, Clemens did grow a bit after his career was about a third over (circa Blue Jays). Now, he says, as recently as last night's interview, that he has always had the same, hardcore workout regimen, so that can't be it, right?

Wht then? The B-12, of course!

Schilling Rule?

2007-12-07T09:57:00.000-05:00

First, read this: "Writers' New Rule no Bonus for Schill"

The important part of this:

Beginning in 2013, any player who has a clause in his contract that contains financial incentives for postseason awards voted on by the BBWAA will be ineligible.
The impetus for the rule was thought to be a clause in Schilling’s contract calling for a $1 million bonus if he received a single Cy Young Award vote next season. The BBWAA viewed the clause as a potential conflict of interest for voters.

First, why should the BBWAA have any influence over contracts what-so-ever? This whole idea of writers having any say in how contracts are done is ludicrous.

Secondly, who really has an issue with athletes being paid based on performance? Come on! In a world where Physicians, cancer researchers, and soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and paid far, far less that guys who dribble or hit well, what is the crime in actually saying to one of them that if they play poor they get paid less than if they play very well?

Certain folks I know who have weighed in have mentioned the concept of a writer giving a guy like Schilling a vote as a "favor" the bonus will be given. Oh, yes. This sounds logical. Just as logical as writers who don't vote for players who weren't press friendly. (Case in point: Roger Maris not in the Hall of Fame. And if you think his numbers are too weak, keep in mind he held one of the most revered record in baseball for 37 years. Then look at the numbers of Bill Mazeroski!)

Baseball writer have consistently high opinions on one topic: Themselves. The idea that they should have any influence, individually or by committee, on player contracts is inappropriate and, to be blunt, moronic.

A-Rod Crawls Back

2007-11-15T15:37:00.001-05:00

Since I published this post, A-Rod has in fact fired Scott Boras. Boras, to my knowledge, has not yet closed up shop.

DPS - 1/7/2008

As I type this, A-Rod is close to signing a deal with the Yankees. Supposedly, this deal would be for 10 years, around $270 million. And the clincher? A-Rod went to the Steinbrenner twins with C-Rod (his wife, Cynthia) at his side, but without Scott Boras, his mega-agent. While most Yankee fans will simply go on as nothing happened because, well, they're Yankee fans, I can't help but wonder what all this means in the big picture and what it would have been like to have been a fly on the wall for all of this.

After the debacle that Boras caused by announcing A-Rods intentions to opt out of his contract during the World Series, there has been a wave of bad feeling washing over the agent and his most famous client from all around the sports world. As such, this coming together of the Yankee front office with A-Rod and wife was contingent on Boras not being involved. Mike Greenberg tried to make some convoluted analogy that likened the whole thing to a wimp beating a bully and then the bully never being able to bully again. Well, while you could get away with calling Boras a bully, what person with a grip on reality would refer to the Yankee's FO as "wimpy"? Forget it! They are the evil empire. Sure, the general feeling is that they are moving down the first few inches of a slide into crappy that may (hopefully) last awhile, but wimps? Please! I do think that Greeny has one thing right, though. This screw-up will probably take a lot of the mojo out of Boras's future dealing power.

This just in...Yankees are allowing Boras into discussions about the finer points of the deal. How nice of them.

At first sight, we thought this would mean that a front runner for signing Mike Lowell would be out of the picture. That is not the case, as the Yankees are reportedly looking to see what Lowell would think about moving to first. I'm wondering what Shelley Duncan and Jason "The Wet Look" Giambi have to say about that.

The Yankees have gotten Posada to stay. Bobby Abreau will still be there. They've offered Rivera a boat load of money to stay, and now A-Rod will still be there. The question that still remains to be answered is whether the loss of Torre will make the difference that logic would dictate it will.

And let's not forget one other factor of this whole A-Rod thing. Aside from being just about the best hitter in the MLB (possibly ever), Alex also has shown himself to have the thinnest skin. Might the Yankees need to schedule some therapy for their third-baseman? Will A-Rod suffer some crisis of confidence after finding out that no teams were willing to fawn all over him and pour money into his lap? I think it's a pretty reasonable scenario.

Yankee Propaganda

2007-11-14T21:58:00.001-05:00

After the 2004 World Series, I began to find articles and blog posts and such about how the Red Sox may become the new "Evil Empire." This was a reference to Larry Luccino's term he used to name the Yankees. Since then, the world outside of Red Sox Nation has had to replace taunts like "1918" and "Curse of the Bambino" and many have decided to recycle Larry's jab and say that the Sox are taking over as the bad guys. This years mind blowingly dominant run from April through October, cluminating in the the second WS title in 4 years, these sentiments are getting more mileage than ever. I would like to submit, however, that it is all Yankee subterfuge, a way for the Yankees to finally get off of every decent fan's radar as the Sith Lords.

The first argument that comes up is that the Sox throw money around like the Yankees. In truth, the Sox had the second highest payroll in 2007. Second to the Yankees, of course. The Red Sox had a total payroll of $143,026,214, which puts them behind the Yankees by $46,612,831. That difference between number one and number two in the salary game is the same as the difference between number two and number nine, the Detroit Tigers. In between you have (low to high) the Cubs, Mariners, Dodgers, White Sox, Angels, and Mets. For my money (pardon the pun) that places the Red Sox closer to seven other franchise that it places them in the same category as the Yankees.

Another difference between the Sox and an evil empire is, as the Yankee fans love to remind us, about 19 World Series Championships. When you win two 90 years, only a moron calls you the bad guy.

In the end, though, that main thing that keeps this comparison, well, no comparison at all, is the front office. The Red Sox don't fire managers, then rehire them, then fire them again, etcetera, ad naseum. The Red Sox front office doesn't make announcements during the playoffs that their manager will be let go if the team gets eliminated. The Red Sox would not consider firing a manager who'd been with the team 12 years and delivered 12 post-season appearances and four World Series titles, especially after bring his team back from 14 games out in June to the post season that year.

This year, the Red Sox had Dustin Pedroia, rookie ofthe year, and a stellar debut from Jacoby Ellsbury, both of whom came from the farm system as young talent. The Yankees took a page from that book this year with guys like Joba the Hutt, but as far as the evil empire goes, who has the reputation for hire guns? A-Rod, Sheffield, Abreau, Clemens, all add logs to that fire.

No, in the end, the whole concept of the Red Sox as the dark character in the play is just not credible as long as the Yankees are still fielding teams. And there's one more piece of evidence...the rest of the league's fans don't hate the Red Sox. Well, probably the fans in Colorado, but even they hate the Yankees, too.

Patriots, Shula, Asterisk, Oh My!

2007-11-07T10:21:00.001-05:00

I wrote this as a thread for TalkSox.com and even though it is off topic, I thought I include it here. Truth be known, I imagine there will be many "off topic" posts during the Hot Stove season. -

Generally speaking, I'm not a huge Pats fan. I'm an Eagles fan, as hard as that usually is. I certainly enjoy watching the Pats this year. They are exciting and, most likely, historical in their 2007 domination. As such, my interest was peaked when I heard the talk on ESPN Radio about Don Shula's comments that, should the Pats go undefeated this year, the record should have an asterisk because of the "Spygate" sideline camera cheating infraction.

Don Shula said, referring to the fines and draft choice loss that the league imposed on the Pats:

"That tells you the seriousness or significance of what they found," Shula said, according to the Daily News. "I guess you got the same thing as putting an asterisk by Barry Bonds' home run record."

In response, Mike Vrabel, pats linebacker, had this to say:

"I think that we try to go out there and play hard every week. And I don't think that guys are going to draw on an old retired coach and old washed up players to pump us up. We play hard. We try to go out there and play hard. That's our job every week is to go out there and play hard. To play for our team, my teammates, my coaches, the respect factor, that's what I try to go out and play for, and I think everybody else on our team does the same thing."

First, to compare what the Pats did in one game (because that was all that was "proven"), something that may or may not have made a difference, to Barry Bonds' half-career of steroid laden home runs , where the juice definitely affected the outcome, is like comparing a Cub Scout slap fight to World War II. Not even close.

Second, the punishment , as such, was the fines to the coach and franchise and the pending draft choice losses. That is the punishment. Bonds has received no punishments as yet, but either way, I believe the Pats have paid the piper sufficiently.

As far as Shula is concerned, what else should we expect? That undefeated Dolphins team is the only thing that Shula is really remembered for, other than being the coach who was so wonderful he couldn't win a Super Bowl with one of the top QB's of all time at the helm. Whenever a team starts off undefeated and then loses, Shula and Csonka and whomever else is left get together for a little d to congratulate themselves for the 35th or so time. I'd have more respect for Shula if he just came out and said, "Screw these guys! I love that record and I want to keep it all for myself!"

Vrabel? Well said. He wasn't vulgar or rude. He was honest.

And here's the kicker... This quote from USA today:

"[Shula] was still the coach of the Baltimore Colts at the end of the 1969 season, when then-Miami owner Joe Robbie approached him and signed Shula to a contract. The NFL charged the Dolphins with tampering and awarded their first-round pick to the Colts. Undaunted, Miami reached the Super Bowl in 1971, then rebounded from a loss to the Dallas Cowboys by winning the next two, including the perfect 17-0 campaign."

So, aside from being a bitter old fart, Shula is also a bit of a hypocrite.

Rockies Where They Should Be?

2007-11-05T15:58:00.001-05:00

Boston.com reported a story about kids in Denver who requested the name of their little league team be changed from the Red Sox to, well, anything else. In the aftermath of the Rockies demise on the World Series, the lads just cannot stomach the reference to the team that humiliated their hometown club. I certainly feel sorry for the kids. Having rooted for the Phillies as a kid and sitting through the '83 and '93 WS losses, I can relate. Sort of. Things were a little different for me because Philly won in '80. The Rockies still do not have a championship. They have only been around sonce 1998, and tha t is the issue.

See, the Phillies began their franchise in '83. 1883, that is. The were the Philadelphia Quakers until the 1890 season when they became the Phillies. 1980 was their first championship. Do tha math and you see that they had to wait 97 years for a world series title. They were the last non-expansion team to win one. The Rockies have been waiting for nine years. That is, truly, a weekend compared to the wait Phillies fans endured. This is not even mentioning the long wait to repeat that franchises like the Indians and Cubs are enduring. Not only is there no shame in the Rockies not winning the 2007 series, by historical standards they are nearly ready for such an honor. Sure, it would have been grand to have gotten it. No one would begrudge them the early success. But not having gotten it should not be leaving such a bad taste in their mouths.

Also paining me is the idea that, in their fans' eyes, the onus falls on the Red Sox, not the Rockies, for the loss. I am not sure what to take from that. They are not saying that the Sox cheated. They have not even asserted that they played dirty (they most certainly did not) or that they got some sort of preferential treatment (they did not get that, either.) What would the Rockies fans have rathered? A team that rolled over so they could have a title in their team's infancy? There's not honor, or even fun, in that.

Perhaps they should blame the crazy changes in the post season schedule that added to the eight day lay-off they had to sit through. Perhaps they could simply admit that the National League is generally inferior to the American League. Lets look at the last few facts:

World Series matchups:

2000 WS - Yankees 4 games, Mets 1
2001 WS - Diamondbacks 4 games, Yankees 3
2002 WS - Angels 4 games, Giants, 3
2003 WS - Marlins 4 games, Yankees 2
2004 WS - Red Sox 4 games, Cardinals 0
2005 WS - White Sox 4 games,
Astros 0
2006 WS - Cardinals 4 games, Tigers 1

Totals: AL = 22 wins
NL = 16

All-Star Games:

Since 2000, the AL record in All-Star Games is 7-0-1 (There was that tie in 02 then Selig called the game in extra innings.)

Interleague Play:

Play began in 1997. Since then the AL has come out ahead on the deal 6 out of 10 years (I couldn't find the tallies for 2007, but if memory serves, the AL was on top.)

Runs Scored:

NL
AL
YEAR
11,995
12,976
2000
11,013
12,186
2001
10,892
11,516
2002
11,033
11,945
2003
11,358
12,018
2004
10,790
11,535
2005
11,262
12,337
2006
11,114
12,208
2007

Batting Average:

AL
NL
YEAR
.276 (.27565)
.266 (.26586)
2000
.267 (.26687)
.261 (.26137)
2001
.264 (.26378)
.259 (.25915)
2002
.267 (.26728)
.262 (.26152)
2003
.270 (.26991)
.263 (.26258)
2004
.268 (.26763)
.262 (.26166)
2005
.275 (.27481)
.265 (.26451)
2006
.271 (.27053)
.266 (.26591)
2007

Because of the Rockies improable and unsuccessful run to the WS, do the Red Sox now have to address the idea that they are going to be hated like the Yankees? I suppose if the Sox have to have something in common with the Yankees, it might as well be that they're hated. There'll still be one major difference...the Yankees suck!!!

Looking Back

2007-10-31T22:00:00.000-04:00

WOW!

How else could I begin? Two days after the Sox second WS sweep in four years and I'm still feeling a bit euphoric, a bit sleep derived, and, yes, still a bit high!

My first thoughts on this fantastic season relate to how different it is from 2004.

In 2004, the Sox were a group of veterans, some more seasoned than others.
In 2007, they were few favorites, a few imports, and those awesome rookies!
In 2004, we had a Sox team that skidded into the post-season on the wild card pony.
In 2007, we had a Sox team that took the division lead in April and never let go.
In 2004, it was another year chasing the Yankees, culminating the ALCS 4-game comeback.
In 2007, aside from a bad series or two in the regular season (that mattered not) the Yankees only ever seen in our rear-view mirrors.
In 2004, we lost what most people thought was out biggest impact player in July (Nomar).
In 2007, we called up out biggest impact player in September (Jacoby).
In 2004, a three game deficit to in the ALCS terrified RSN.
In 2007, the 3-1 deficit in the ALCS barely registered.

But how about the similarities? There were many.

In 2004, we had Papi and Manny hitting jacks.
In 2007, ditto.
In 2004, we had clutch pitching performances.
In 2007, ditto.
In 2004, the ALCS was the real series, the winner almost certain (although we didn't know) to roll.
In 2007, (sadly for the Rockies) ditto.

I don't know if we'll ever have another season like this one. A lead over the Yankees that lasted virtually the whole season. Clay Buchholz's no-hitter. Schilling's almost no-hitter. Jacoby's arrival, thanks to Manny's oblique. The rise of Pedroia the Destroyah! Dice-K! Okajima! The Jon Lester comeback story. Waiting patiently for J.D. to open up (still waiting, although his ending showed promise.) The Mother's Day Miracle, Back-to-back-to-back-to-back against the Yankers. Walk-offs from some of the guys, most notably Manny's in the ALDS. A lock for the Cy Young in Beckett! A lock for the Rookie of the year for Pedroia! The World Series MVP Mike Lowell!

Now, looking back, how huge was getting the home field advantage for the ALCS? While it didn't seem to mater in the divisional series, and it surely didn't matter in the World Series, wasn't the biggest part of the reason why no one freaked when they were down 3-1 to the Tribe the fact that we had Becket for Game 5, then a trip home to the Fens?

It was a year rife with special moments around the whole league. Jim Thome, Frank Thomas, and Alex Rodriquez all made the 500 club. There was the one game playoff between the Padre's and Rockies. Tom Glavine got his 300th win and Roger "Way Past His Prime" Clemens got his 350th while managing to prove how unworthy he was of all the special treatment the Yankers afforded him. Mark Buerhle and Justin Verlander had no hitters. Trevor Hoffman got his 500th save. And on a sad note, reputed steroid whore Barry Bonds broke the sacred career home run record held by Hank Aaron, dooming yet another record to the dreaded asterisk, at least until A-Rod catches up.

Not all was good. We still had home field advantage in the World Series determined by what used to be a fun exhibition contest: The All-Star Game. There was Paul Byrd who took flight in the first round of the playoffs, only to have his wings clipped when his large HGH receipts came to light. There was the nonsense with Milton Bradley sustaining and injury while arguing with an umpire. The injury ended his season with the Padre's who ended up needing him in that one game playoff (which they lost by one run, by the way.) There was A-Rod with the stripper, Prince Fielder's paternal angst, and all the ridiculous hype Bud Selig caused by his refusal to commit one way or the other to being in attendance for Bond's 756th.

But hey! You take the good with the bad. MLB didn't have a scandal like the NBA had with an official on the take. There was no MLB player up on federal charges for dog fighting, or any other federal charges, for that matter. Also, people watched baseball games this year, so that sets it apart from Major League Soccer, the WNBA, and (gulp) the NHL!

As we move into the "Hot Stove League" part of the year, many questions come to play. Where will A-Rod play in '08? Where will Mike Lowell play? How about the other number of free agents? What city's media will Barry Bonds scorn and pout for next summer? Will Bud Selig drink an espresso or two so he appears conscious? Will Tim McCarver be replaced by Fox for next years post-season? (If you have a rudimentary grasp on the game and can form sentences, you're a step ahead of old Timmy. If you can ad lib, you're a lock.) Will Joba Chamberlain enter rehab to get that Krispy-Kreme monkey off his back? Will Jason Giambi finally address his overactive sweat gland issue?

Baseball Fever! Catch it!

Tessie!

2007-10-30T15:08:00.000-04:00

Dropkick Murphys playing at the Fens!

OOPS! THEY DID IT AGAIN!

2007-10-29T23:38:00.001-04:00

BOSTON RED SOX
2007 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!

SOX MAKE THE SERIES!!!!!

2007-10-21T23:50:00.001-04:00

Way to Go, Joe!

2007-10-19T11:59:00.001-04:00

Just before the All Star Game, Sports Center and every other media outlet was talking (ad naseum) about the Yankers being in a huge hole (Red Sox with the high ground) and the Joe Torre, the manager who'd gotten that New York franchise to the post season 12 seasons in a row, was on the chopping block. Cut to October. The Yankers rage into a comeback, they get the AL Wild Card, narrowly missing the division championship. Off to the playoffs, where they lose to a remarkably tough Indian team, 3 games to 1.

Since that last game, the buzz had started buzzing again about Torre's future with the Yankers. This happened mostly because, true to his ass-head history, George Steinbrenner made a statement to the press that Torre "probably" wouldn't be brought back if they lost the ALDS. Making such a statement in the middle of the ALDSis just the typical jerk behavior that you come to expect from the egomaniacal tyrant that owns baseball's most storied team.

Yesterday, after a week of screwing around, the Yanker brass, including Steinbrenner's sons, Dill and Doe, summon Torre to Tampa to make him an offer. A cut of 1/3 in his salary, a deal limited to one year, and incentives for each level of the post season. To his credit, Torre told them to go crap in their caps.

First, only an idiot would ever take a one year deal to manage the Yankers. He would spend his whole season looking over his shoulder for the ax at every sign of trouble. Then there's the 33% cut. Sure, Torre is the highest paid manager in the MLB. He still would be, even with the cut. But when you manage the team with the highest payroll, the highest profits, and the highest expectations, you should be the highest paid manager. Moreover, when a guy manages his team to twelve consecutive post-season appearances (four of them World Series titles) lowering his salary should be considered only after things like launching the owner into space or changing the team colors to orange and pink. In other words: Never! If this were any other team in the league in the same situation with the same recent history, would they even remotely consider letting go the skipper? Absolutely not.

Let's not forget the fact that the Yankers will in all probability suck without Torre (at least initially.) Mariano Rivera is less likely to stay, as is Posada, and A-Rod, too, I think. I'm not guaranteeing that these guys are gone, but that if they do stay, it will be a bit of a surprise considering the Torre exit.

In a world where everything changes, maybe some comfort can be had by all of this. For all the years that Steinbrenner has owned the Yankees, they sucked (for the most part) until Torre. Most of the reason they were lousy? George. Now that the owner is pushing eighty, his son's first public action is to insult the man who is responsible for the first dynasty of the free-agent era in baseball. So, does it follow that we can look forward to another generation if borderline mentally ill ownership for the Bronx Bombers?

I for one hope that Torre (after a probable year off) takes a job with an AL team and kick the living you-know-what out of the Yankers every time he faces them.

See ya, Joe. You're the goods!

Wedgie the Clown

2007-10-18T09:42:00.002-04:00

The Gagne Solution

2007-10-18T09:06:00.001-04:00

On the Brink

2007-10-17T10:52:00.001-04:00

I've been busy over the last week...busy watching the Sox blow the ALCS! After that initial win (10 - 3), they've lost 3 in a row and are now on the brink of elimination.

Some thoughts...

Why does Manny raise his arms and stare at a home run when it is the third run in a game they are losing 8 -3? I know it's cool to do when it's a walk-off (like against the Angels), but he looks like a twit when he does that crap while the Sox are taking a pounding. I will say this, however, his was the third HR in a back-to-back-to-back set. Something that had never been done in the ALCS.
What is up with the Cleveland fans? I'm watching lest nights game 4, the Indians are up by 5 runs, and the fans at Jacob's field were absolutely caustic. What the hell? If there was a long standing rivalry (ala Sox-Yankers), or if our pitchers were beaning their batters, I could see the acrimony. Even if they were simply losing, there'd be some logic. As it was, they're up (at that point) 2 games to 1, with a commanding lead in the current game, and they're booing the ump for calling balls 8 inches off the plate? Taunting Youklis while he's trying to catch a foul. Throwing the HR ball hit by Youklis back onto the field? How classless is that?!
How is it that the Sox can tear apart C.C. Sabathia and can't hit junk-baller Byrd? Byrd is simply not that good! The Sox batters looked like they were doped up or something. They all swung like they were J.D. Drew when, thankfully, only one of them is.
Speaking of J.D. Drew, where the hell is Ellsbury? Our offense is for shit and Ellsbury was a great spark in August - September? His defensive skills are great, but yet we've got Crisp and Drew in the outfield, impressing no one with stellar defense and totally sucking at the plate. What gives?
I hate to say it, but all the pundits were right. Beckett should have started game 4. Wake is a solid pitcher, but not against the line-up that Cleveland boasts. Not in an ALCS setting. The team has a four million dollar option on Wake and they should keep him. He is a solid piece of the rotation. But in a do-or-die, Beckett should have been in.
Could somebody please kidnap Tim McCarver until the post season is over? He's killing me!

Tonight there is no game, even though there's still one to play in Cleveland (Fox blows!) So tonight, I'll forget about baseball for a little while, maybe watch a movie with the kids and hit the hay early. Tomorrow is game 5. Truly do-or-die. Beckett vs. Sabathia.

Even though I'm a Christian, I never pray for my teams to win. I won't go as far to say that I think it is sacrilegious, but it seems at least irreverent. Tomorrow, however, it will be a good deal tougher to avoid that plea for intercession. What's one "Our Father" on the Sox behalf?

Catching Up

2007-10-10T14:51:00.000-04:00

Let's see...

The Phillies. They got swept. I truly believe that this has to be chalked up to the momentum of the Colorado Rockies. This momentum thing, should it last, will probably take them clear to the WS. The Philles bats took a major dump in this series. At one point, Chase Utely struck out four times on 13 pitches!

The Yankers? Gone! They lose their divisional series to Cleveland 3-1. For the most part, this makes me very happy. My first wish, as always, is for the Phils and Sox to play in the series. Since that won't happen, we go to my next wish, which is a resounding victory by the Sox in the WS over whoever they would end up with. If that cannot be, if the Indians are destined to go to the big show, at least I'll be able to live through the hot stove season with two facts: A) The Sox did not get knocked out by the Yankers. B) The Sox got one step farther than the Yankers.

All I can say is thank the Lord for Canadian Soldiers!

This loss by the Yankers could also bode well for next season. It looks as though Steinbrenner is going to fire Torre. While everyone who has a half of a brain knows that firing the manager that has taken you to the post season every season he's held the job is a stupid move. Not to mention the fact that even with the ALDS loss, this season can arguably be considered Torre's greatest managerial year. Has Georgie Boy forgotten the HUGE mountain that the team had to overcome to get into the playoffs? The Yankers without Torre are worse than the Yankers with him, at least in 2008. This is a good thing for Red Sox Nation. Also, if Torre is fired, I believe that the move will significantly reduce the chances of resigning Posada, Rivera, and A-Rod. More good news.

My beloved Sox! They begin the ALCS against those Indians on Friday. Now, while rooting for Cleveland over the last week, it occurred to me that they share the best record in MLB with the Sox for a reason. Perhaps the Yankers were not the strongest team. Perhaps we have more to worry about facing the Indians than we would have with NY? In the end, though, reasons A and B above far outweigh the advantage. This will not be a sweep by the Sox, but I still have faith that we'll be watching them facing the NL Champ.

Today it Begins!

2007-10-03T14:29:00.000-04:00

Colorado Rockies @ Philadelphia Phillies - 3 PM EST

The first pitch of the 2007 Major League Baseball Post Season will be thrown by a Philadelphia Phillie! What's more, it will be the first post season pitch thrown by a Phillie since Mitch Williams lobbed that biscuit to Joe Carter in the 1993 World Series. You remember that pitch, don't you? Carter hit it for a series winning home run (that I believe still has not landed!) I suppose those of us lucky enough to be in front of the television for the pregame will get to see footage of that. I will not be one of those folks, as I am at work.

Can I get some info on this 3 PM start? What's up with that? The damn Cubs vs. D-Back games won't be on until freakin' 10:10 PM EST so that they can have a more reasonable 6:10 start in Arizona. So why do the Phils have to have the late-lunch start? I don't get it! I've been yearning and dreaming about this day for a long time, and now I have to listen to it in my office.

At any rate, we have Cole Hammels taking the mound against Jeff Francis. From what I gather, this is a favorable first game match-up. Hammels is, by far, the Phillies best starter. Francis has faced the Phils twice this year. Here are his stats:

Of course, the other side to this coin us that Hammels has not faced the Rockies this year, so we don't know what to expect from Cole in this outing.

GO PHILS!

End of an Awesome Season!

2007-10-01T16:55:00.001-04:00

To be honest, I don't even know how to act.

I have been thinking about writing this post since yesterday afternoon, but could not get my head in the right place. My thoughts are muddled and I keep going off in tangents within my own reality. The sheer thrill that was this past weekend (or maybe the past week would be more accurate) defies explanation. When I began this blog I only dreamed what is the reality of this Monday afternoon: The Red Sox and the Phillies have both made it to the playoffs!

First, the Sox take two from Oakland. It needed to be done and it was done. Then, to stretch out the drama, they lose one to the Twins. Then Friday, after a come from behind victory in the second of four games, I check the Yanker score and they're winning. "OK. Our magic number is at one. We need only win one of the next two and we have the division." I go to sleep.

Saturday morning, after milling around with some coffee and the kids, I get on line and goto the Sox site. What to I see? I photo of Ortiz doused in champagne! As it turned out, after I'd retired for the evening, those Baltimore Orioles, who while sucking for most of the year had given top ranked teams headaches, gave N.Y. one more. Baltimore had come back and won the game! The Sox had clinched!

Meanwhile, over in the N.L., the Mets downward spiral was staved off one game on Saturday when they poured on a 13 run performance in a thrashing of the lowly Marlins. The Phils, who'd taken a one game lead in the N.L. East the night before, lost to the lowly Nationals and the division was tied heading into game 162, the last day of the regular season.

Sunday came and the Mets took the field first. By the time they were announcing lineups at Citizen's Bank Park, the Met's were losing. By the time the game in Philly got underway, Tom Glavine was out of the game for NY ., having given up seven runs in the top of the first inning! The story was half over. A few hours later, with the Mets gam final at 8-1, and with the Phillies up 6-1, and Brett Myers on the mound, Willy Mo (traded to the Nats from who? That's right, the Red Sox!) strikes out in the midst of sheer insanity among the Philly Phaithful! The Philles clinch the N.L. East for the first time since 1993! The Mets take over the top spot on the list of all-time greatest collapses.

One last hoorah, though. Thanks to my MLB.tv subscription, I am able to browse the remaining games for anything of interest. I see that not only is San Diego losing, but the Rockies have tied their game a one in the seventh inning. I see the last out the the Brewers ring up on the Pads. I "flip" over and watch that last two innings of the game in Colorado. I get to see the Rockies score three runs in the eighth, then give up two in the ninth before getting the final out. No matter, though, because in winning 4-3, the Rockies and their amazing 13 out of 14 run (including an 11 game streak!) force a one game playoff against San Diego for the N.L. Wild Card !

The possibility of this blog's existence being justified (as if that were necessary) by a Sox/Phils World Series lives on, at least for one more week.

What more could this season offer? Do we have the right to ask for even one more drop of nectar out of this flower? What have we seen?

The Yankers, sucking like a chest wound from April to July, come back and pour it on to be the winningest team in the second half, coming within a 1.5 games of taking the A.L. East away from my beloved Sox!

June 12th sees a 12 K no-hitter from Justin Verlander of the
Tigers.
August 8th sees Barry Bonds and his ever expanding skull hits home run 756*.
August 22nd sees the lowly Texas Rangers score thirty (30) runs against the Orioles on the same day that Garret Anderson of the Angels gets 10 RBI in one game.
September 1 sees Clay Buchholz of our own beloved Red Sox throw a no-hitter in only his second major league start.

And lets name drop a bit, shall we?

Alex Rodriguez - Best season ever
Jake Peavy - NL Cy Young?
Josh Beckett - AL Cy Young?
Prince Fielder - Power hitting monster
Magglio Ordonez - AL Batting Title?
Joba Chaimberlain - Is it "The Joba Rules" or "Joba RULZ!"
Dice-K - Sox $$$ Ace
Craig Biggio - 3000 hits and he's retiring
Matt Holiday - NL Batting title, MVP candidate
Jimmy Rollins - Enters the 20-20-20-20 club and WILL get the
N.L. MVP!
C.C. Sabathia - Indian's Ace, Cy Young contender
Rick Ankiel - Pitcher turned power hitter!
Dustin Pedroia -AL Rookie of the year?
Shelley Duncan - Future Yankee slugger?
Curtis Granderson - Tigers 20-20-20-20 club man

So, let's all gather round tonight and see the final pre-postseason game play out. Who will the Phils face first? (Try saying that 10 times fast!) Will it be the Padres or the Rockies? The onto to October and the MLB Post Season!

God Bless Baseball!!!

PhilSox Series Still Possible!

2007-09-26T17:46:00.000-04:00

Perhaps I'm putting the jinx on both teams by even mentioning this again, but the wild craziness that would be a Phillies-Red Sox World Series is still a possibility!

The Sox are in. All that remains to be seen at this point is whether we can take the A.L. East for the first time since '95 (and end the Yanker's 9 season streak.) The magic number right now is 3 for that honor, but if that doesn't work out, the wild card is Boston's.

Philly is still fighting. They are 2 games behind the Mets for the N.L. East, 1 game behind the Padres (still the dumbest name in all of professional sports) for the wild card. Philly is playing those lousy Braces, who weren't so lousy last night when they beat the Phils. The Mets lost last night, too.

So, with 4 or five games left for each of these teams, the plot thickens!

GO PHILS! GO SOX!

Yankers Go Home!

2007-09-20T17:15:00.000-04:00

Even with the demise of the Red Sox large lead in the A.L. and the surge that the Yankers have been having, I'm still watching the Sox on MLB.tv and grimacing all the way. While I do so, most times I log onto TalkSox.com (TS) and make/read posts on the thread for that days game. I like the idea of being able to interact with other members of RSN, of which there are not many in my locale. But peppered in this forum are a handful of Yanker fans, and as much as I want to be magnanimous, I wish they would leave.

You see, I have never been one for either trashing someone's team, nor have I ever gotten much joy out of raving about my own team's successes and jamming them up the nose of people who don't like my favorite teams. My enjoyment has always come from reveling in the teams' successes with other fans and the camaraderie that comes with those successes as well as the losses we comfort each other through. That is why I go to TS.

The appearance of Yanker fans there sometimes makes for spirited debate about real baseball issues. Usually though, it degenerates into the discussion thread version of a shouting match. Not my style.

Many of the posters on TS assert that Yanker fans are welcome to post just for the debate and mention how it makes things more interesting. I can see their points, but I truly feel that the Yanker fans bring too little to the table to merit their detractions.

First, I really get annoyed at how quiet the Yanker fans are when the Yankers are losing. This is, of course, especially true when it is an actual game between the Red Sox and Yankers. One the Red Sox fall behind, or the Yankers surge ahead in their game, all of a sudden the Yanker posts grow exponentially. Couple that with the idea that while many exhibit a true wealth of baseball knowledge, their comments always come back to name calling and stock epithets about 26 rings and such.

What puzzles me the most is that a Yanker fan would want to spend so much time (some with thousands of posts since joining) on a Red Sox discussion forum. Aside from not understanding why they would not want to hang out and trade comments on a board set up for Yanker fans, it also seems to me that their mere presence would indicate less that honorable intentions. I mean, truly, why else would you step into enemy territory other than to pick a fight?

While I really can not stand the Yankers at all, I have no desire to explain to Yanker fans why. I feel no need to argue the virtues of my team or why I love them, mostly because they aren't easily explained reasons. As I have mentioned before, I believe your team chooses you, not the other way around.

I'm willing to make a deal. If you guys leave the Sox forums alone, I'll leave the Yankers forums alone. I'll even do you one better. I'll promise not to grow a cheesy moustache and shorten my name so that it ends in a "y".

Deal?

Frustration, Not Horror?

2007-09-17T20:55:00.000-04:00

I feel like I've earned a little bit more of my membership in Red Sox Nation over the last three days while watching the series at the Fens with the Yankers. Unlike the previous series when we got swept, where each game was over almost before it began, the two losses this weekend were gut wrenching because we blew leads. Friday's 8th inning debacle left me literally nauseous when the Bronx Bobos scored 6 runs to take the 8-6 lead. Saturday's win left me almost high, having watched every pitch of the 10-1 drubbing. Then last night, again in the 8th inning, Jeter smacks one of only two bad pitches by Schilling onto the Monster for a 4-1 lead.

That would have been enough to leave me drained and sullen. But it was not all. In the ninth, against Mariano Rivera, who can't possibly like the Red Sox based on his luck against them, we load the bases with two out and Papi steps to the plate. I though I was going to explode. By this time the score was 4-3. He need not homer. He could slap a bloop single and all would be right in Bean Town (and where I was!) But even Papi can not prevail every time. His pop fly (to of all people, the grinning Jeter) ended the game.

As I have learned from various life long Sox fans, I have not begun to experience the true torture that being a Red Sox fan has held for countless faithful. What's more, I may never know. At least for now, the Sox still have a 4 1/2 game lead in the AL East with only about 12 games left. (As I typed this, I went to MLB.com to check the actual number and noticed in the process that while the Yankers are beating Baltimore 5-2, the Sox are losing to the Jays, 4-1!)

"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."

-Andy Dufresne

Acrimony at Shea

2007-09-17T17:11:00.001-04:00

For the second time in the last month and the third time this season, the Phillies swept the Mets. This most recent drubbing of the NL East leading team by its close runner up was highlighted by some outstanding play, some horrid play, and some foul play.

The outstanding play was, of course, the Phillies. In all three games, the Phils came from behind to win out on the strength of their offense. The horrid play, at least in game three, came from the Mets middle infield, who recorded 5 error. The foul play cam in the stands at Shea, where during game two, wearing a Phillies gear landed numerous fans in fist throwing brawls with the disgruntled supporters of New York's second best baseball club.

While I can certainly not surprised by the acrimony that the visiting teams supporters experienced (New Yorkers are only known for their brotherly love immediately after tragedies), it still seems very out of place. The Mets have no true rivalry with the Phillies. This is the closest that the Phils have been to passing the Mets in years. And even with the sweep, the Phils are still 3 1/2 games behind the Mets. Rather than the emotions of the Met fans being based in any true fear of being overtaken, I believe that the reaction of those idiots who resorted to violence is instead the byproduct of the culture that surrounds New York sports fans. They simply don't know any better.

Isn't it funny how the Mets fans feel threatened while holding a 3 1/2 game lead, while the Yanker fans insist that their 4 1/2 game deficit is not at all insurmountable. I, for one, don't think Mets have any more chance of losing the NL East than the Yankers have of winning the AL East.

Stadium Wallpaper

2007-09-13T13:56:00.001-04:00

I created this using Google Earth. Really makes me wish domed stadiums were outlawed!

Downloadable version is 1280 x 1024

Eggs in One Basket

2007-09-10T18:33:00.001-04:00

I root for the Sox and the Phils on baseball. In football, I'm a Notre Dame fan for college and like the Eagles on Sundays. (None of this, by the way, makes me insanely popular among my friends.) With both those gridiron teams starting their respective seasons with losses (N.D. has lost to Gerogia Tech and Penn State, the Eagles lost on a last second field goal to Green Bay) you'd think I'd be in a funk. The truth is, I have barely noticed because I am so focused on MLB. I'm sort of putting my eggs in one basket, but it's not really a choice. As I've mentioned earlier, I'm obsessed.

Now that I paid for MLB.tv for the month of September, I'm able to watch the Sox on-line and the Phils on Comcast. I can see the Sox unless they are playing the Yankers, as I am considered within the Yanker market and those games are blacked out, as are Phillies, Mets, and Pirates games. Now, I can listen to the Sox/Yanker games on Gameday Live, and I get a choice of the home or away teams radio feed (like I'd listen to the Yanker hacks do play-by-play!). This won't be an issue this weekend, as it appears all three games are getting televised on either FOX or ESPN (but they get blacked out sometimes, too.

Someone asked me what I'm going to do if the Yankers sweep the Sox again. I didn't know how to reply. First, until that moment, I had not even considered it. Having that happen in two consecutive series is so unlikely as to be ludicrous. NY has no Clemens this round. The Sox (had better be) should be riled up after that decimation they endured the last go round. Plus, this one is at the Fens. But in the end, I really don't think that the Yankers will be within three games when the series begins. In any event, to answer the original question... I'd dive on my sword!

The bottom line is that I don't envision myself watching NFL action this Sunday when (if) the Sox and Yankers are on TV.

Natural Selection

2007-09-06T19:12:00.001-04:00

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Rookie Wallpaper

2007-09-05T16:37:00.000-04:00

Good grief, but those young newbies are hot as of late!

Here's some original wallpaper (1024 x 768) for all PhilSox readers.

Right-click and choose "Save Target As..."

Some Wonderful Yanker Quotes

2007-09-05T15:31:00.001-04:00

"Sympathy is something that shouldn't be bestowed on the Yankees. Apparently it angers them."
- Hall of Fame Pitcher Bob Feller

"Hating the Yankees isn't part of my act. It is one of those exquisite times when life and art are in perfect conjunction."
- White Sox Owner Bill Veeck

"The more self-centered and egotistical a guy is, the better ballplayer he's going to be. You take a team with twenty-five assholes and I'll show you a pennant. I'll show you the New York Yankees."
- Pitcher Bill 'Spaceman' Lee

"All literary men are Red Sox fans - to be a Yankee fan in a literate society is to endanger your life."
- John Cheever

"We plan absentee ownership as far as running the Yankees is concerned."
- George Steinbrenner

"OK, he's a Yankees fan. Now I know why I don't like him."
- Dave Winer

"I heard doctors revived a man who had been dead for 4-1/2 minutes. When they asked him what it was like being dead, he said it was like listening to Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto during a rain delay."
- David Letterman

"Man, it was tough. The wind was blowing about 100 degrees."
- Mickey Rivers, referring the the weather during a game

"Rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for the house in blackjack."
- Adam Morrow

Jim Caple Answers His Own Question

2007-08-31T10:57:00.000-04:00

I'd never heard of Jim Caple until I stumbled upon his recent "article" on ESPN.com's Page 2. He is asking the pointless question of "Who's fans are the most Obnoxious?". He then goes on to state his belief as an ex-Red Sox fan, that the Red Sox fans who don't bail on the team are the winners of the award.

First of all, Jimmy, I really don't have a lot of respect for an ex-fan of anything. Abandoning your team, especially to root for their main rival, shows an elemental lack of spine and trustworthiness. Now that you have immersed yourself in Italian-American pseudo-toughs with cheesy mustaches and exquisitely monosyllabic vocabularies, your compelled to switch (like all Yankee fans) from chanting cerebral epithets like "1918" and "Who's Your Daddy", to now explaining the the Red Sox Nation has magically transformed from pathetic to obnoxious after one World Series. If this particular "logic" isn't proof of who's the most obnoxious (not to mention pathetic) group of fans, nothing will ever prove it!

So, along with the Sox, who makes for the most hated fan-base? The Yankers, Duke, Notre Dame, Cowboys, and Lakers. So let's see... Notre Dame has 11 national championships (football). The Yankers have 26 World Series. The Lakers have 15. Duke has 3 national championships (basketball). The Cowboys have five Super Bowl rings, and the Raiders have three. Can you follow me on this? How does one World Series since 1918 automatically qualify Sox fans for this list?

Caple goes on to compare Red Sox Nation to the Cowboys claim of being America's Team. I can see why he'd go this route since the only team hated by more people that Dallas would be the Yankers. But the elemental flaw in his logic is the fact that by calling yourself America's Team, you insinuate that the country is behind you and that rooting for others is some how unpatriotic. The term Red Sox Nation indoctrinates or drafts no one. It merely signifies that the fan base extends across the country. Only a fool would argue the geography.

Perhaps the clearest evidence of bias and stupidity is Caple's assertion that Red Sox Nation only exists when they are winning. Considering the total history of the Red Sox franchise, has there ever been a more shocking dumb-ass comment? Ever?

So lets talk about true obnoxiousness. Yanker lemmings complain (at least Jim does) about the playing of "Sweet Caroline" at the Fens like there has ever been anything more trite and nauseating that hearing the late Frank "Johnny Fontaine" Sinatra belt out "New York, New York" after games at The Toilet. Next, I'll mention the fans that truly blend into the woodwork when the falls short. And notice I do not use the words "suck" or "stink". It's been a long time since the Yankers were that bad. But their fans become quieter than Marcel Marceau on a putting green if the Yankees don't win the World Series every year. They also become rather quiet when the subject of the teams maniacal, mentally ill, and monstrously wealthy owner comes up. They live in the past more so than any team with 5 championships in the last decade would be expected to (although that has waned a bit since the whole "1918" thing has become pointless.) They refuse to admit that outside of the 5 boroughs, Yanker fans in the 25 to 35 year old range cease to exist because all of the out-of-town Yanker fans are such for one reason - they jumped onto the band wagon of the hot team (circa 1977 and 1998). How many guys do you know who were middle-school age on 1985 who are Yanker fans? They even have a TV series that explores the dysfunctional 1977 championship team, making total asses out of Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, and George Steinbrenner, and they love it!

"Yo, did you see The Bronx is Burnin' last night?" says Mikey.

"$#&@ing-A right, I saw it!" says Sal.

"Awesome!" says Mikey.

"$#&@ing-A!" says Sal.

I know that Yanker fans are not supposed to like Red Sox fans. I understand that Red Sox fans aren't supposed to like Yanker fans (don't worry...we don't). But lets stick to realistic arguments about tangible things remotely based in reality. (Perhaps like who was the bigger disappointment, Damon or Drew.) The whole you're-more-obnoxious-than-us thing is A) Not remotely plausible, and B)Whiny and annoying, even as compared to your usual nonsense.

As for you, Jimmy? My mother always told me not to say anything if I didn't have something nice to say, so...

You're a twit, Jim.

Sorry, Mom.

Dude! Sweep!

2007-08-30T19:19:00.000-04:00

Great googly-moogly! What a week for the Phillies, huh? Four wins over the division leading Mets have pulled the Phils within 2 in the the NL East! Two games, my friends!

And what a set of games! Especially games two, three and four. On Tuesday, Ryan Howard clubbed a tenth inning two-run, walk-off homer in the tenth. Yesterday's game ended on an interference call against Marlon Anderson that not only kept the tying run from counting, but garnished the game ending out. Today, after losing a 5 run lead and finding themselves down 10 to 8, the Phils scored 1 in the eighth and 2 in the ninth, including a walk-off hit by Chase Utley to finish the broom job.

The star studded Mets could simply not deal with the red-hot offense of the Phils. Outscoring New York 27 to 26 in the series, the Phils have placed them selves on the brink of a division lead as they head to Florida to face the cellar dwelling Marlins while the Mets move on to the always dangerous Atlanta Braves.

Could it be that my dream of a Sox/Phils Series isn't quite dashed like I'd thought? I know my Red Sox looked like crappola this week, getting swept themselves by the Yankers. But they still have a 5 game lead in the AL East and I'm hoping they are not capable of the titanic slump they'd need to screw themselves out of both the division and the wild card. (They are the Red Sox, though.)

Nonetheless, I must be positive. I cannot let myself be pessimistic. Sure, the possibility of my two favorite teams facing each other in the World Series is still ridiculously slim. But the sheer madness of the thought is too much to ignore. The feeling of looking at all those folks (mostly Yanker fans with a spattering of Met fans, too) and being able to say; "Hey, whose two-favorite teams are in the big show?" Or possibly, "Who's got taste? Oh, yeah! IT'S ME!!!!"

To dream a dream!

What's Your Stance?

2007-08-29T18:45:00.000-04:00

Is it just me or does Aaron Rowand have one of the weirdest looking batting stances in the history of the game? He looks sort of like he's trying to hold in a big fart.

I was looking to get a photo of him from the pitcher's perspective because that's where it looks the goofiest.

On the other hand, he's hitting about .310 with something like 21 jacks and 74 RBIs. As far as I'm concerned, he could stand with his finger up his nose with numbers like that.

Note to Phillies Head Office: KEEP ROWAND!!!

Risking a Jinx?

2007-08-27T19:47:00.000-04:00

I was reading a thread on SOSH and was smiling a bit at the discussions of who we (Sox fans) would rather the team have to meet in the post season. Some feel that the Indians would be the best option for the ALDS, then an Angel team that has knocked out the Yankers. (According to SOSH, if the Yankers get the WC and the rest of things stay as is, this would be possible.) Others stipulate that they will enjoy the playoffs much more if even the most remote chance of a Yankee WS win is removed by their lack of a post season berth, period. Some fans say that Seattle is the better choice for an opponent in the ALDS. The theories abound.

Me? I have not processed quite that far, yet. I'm still trying to fight off the feeling that all of this talk is dangerous since the Sox have not clinched anything, yet. I hate to be a pessimist, but I'd feel safer if we simply focus our collective energies on kicking the snot out of NY in their house, then just plain having fun when they come to the Fens. I hate to look too far forward, but should that surprise anyone, given the name of this blog?

I did have hopes of that rarest of happenings, a Philly/Boston World Series. I suppose that is as forward thinking and silly optimistic as I could be. The thought of having started this blog in a season where both of my teams made the big show was just too delicious to ignore. Can you imagine the mileage I'd get out of that one? It would almost be wonderful enough to counter act the internal turmoil I'd feel watching the games.

Now, with Philly 3 games out of a Wild Card spot, a series with the Mets beginning, and the Padres looking tough, my hopes of this unbelievable turn of events, aligning of planets, and convergences of fortune, are all but dashed. Still, the hated Braves are sinking ever lower, even with the stellar performance of Mark Teixeira, RBI robot. That always brings a dry smile to even the darkest Phillies face.

I'm not a particularly superstitious person, but I know that it is a ruling force in the realm of baseball. So, maybe we should stop being quite so sure of things just yet.

Maybe?

Caught on Camera

2007-08-27T19:16:00.000-04:00

Don't you think that sometimes players wish they had the option of vetoing photos taken during games?

No More Boxed Up

2007-08-27T19:11:00.000-04:00

As much as I was enjoying it, I have abandoned the "Boxed Up" posts that I was doing. My schedule simply doesn't allow for them. I found that I was spending too much time preparing the box scores and too little thinking and blogging about by beloved Phils and Sox!

GM's Worth The Time

2007-08-13T21:14:00.000-04:00

I suppose any one who has actually read this blog must be on a true search for all things Phillies-related or Sox-related. But just in case you haven't heard of this yet, check out We Should Be GM's, a really interesting (and, in my opinion, occasionally hilarious) blog focused on the Phillies and Pirates.

In particular, check out the "Angry Blogger Arrested Post" from 8/12. It's a riot!

I'm linking to these guys. Here's hoping they'll link to me.

756? 7 3/4? 13?

2007-08-09T17:49:00.000-04:00

Barry Bonds has lots of answers for questions about his alleged performance enhancing substance use. Here's two I would like answers to:

Barry, how is it your head has grown from 7 1/8 to 7 3/4?

Barry, how is it that your feet have gone from a 10 1/2 to a 13?

My shoe size and hat size have not gone up since I was a senior in high school, even though I am about 80lbs heavier now than back then. On the other hand, if you had allowed a bobble-head to be done in your likeness, the proportions would be pretty accurate.

Please, Mr. Bonds, email your answer to philsox@spieles.com.

Thanks in advance.

Puzzling & Toubling

2007-08-09T17:43:00.001-04:00

I can't figure these guys out at all. The Yankers beat up on the Jays for two games, then lose the third by something like 11 runs. The Sox get man handled by the Angels for two games, scoring a total of 6 runs to LA's 14, they come back on the third night and score 9, and the bull pen holds for a win. The Phillies split with the Cubs, lose two to the slumping Brewers, the beat them in the third. Now they are poised to sweep the Marlins (based on the other series I've mentioned, what are the odds of that?)

I have fond that it is harder to block out time to write in this blog when the Sox or Philles lose. When they both lose, it's almost impossible. But I'm trying.

Here's another thought for the sake of jinxing the whole deal: With the Sox leading their division and the Phillies only one game from the wild card, the odds are better than they have been in a long time (possibly 1ever) that the Phillies and the Red Sox could face each other in the World Series It's a long shot, sure, but not as long as most years! What would I do then? This exercise in duality would really get interesting then, no? Who would I really be pulling for in that one?

I can't even think about that now - it's making my head hurt!

8/8/07 Boxed Up

2007-08-09T17:13:00.000-04:00

I came back from vacation with the Sox and Phils in about the same spots they were when I left. The Phils are a little better off, tied for second place in the division with Atlanta at 3.5 games back. They are only one game behind the Padres for the NL wild card.

Now that I think about it...they are better off than when I left.

The Sox were 7 games behind the Yankers when I left. Yesterday, it was 5, but now we're back to six. The good news is that the Yankers play the AL Central leading Indians, while the Red Sox play the cellar based Orioles. Looking at the schedules for New York and Boston from now until the end, the major challenge for both might be each other. The Yankers still need to play the Angels (in not in Yanker Stadium) and recently slumping Detroit. But the Sox and Yankers play two more series against each other, one in Boston and one in New York.

755

2007-08-06T07:01:00.000-04:00

I've been away on vacation, which is why there has not been a "Boxed Up" in awhile. My apologies.

While I was gone, Barry hit #755 to tie Aaron. Nothing much I can say on this except to show this little bit of statistical info and some images and let it speak for itself.

NL	AL	YEAR
11,995	12,976	2000
11,013	12,186	2001
10,892	11,516	2002
11,033	11,945	2003
11,358	12,018	2004
10,790	11,535	2005
11,262	12,337	2006
11,114	12,208	2007

AL	NL	YEAR
.276 (.27565)	.266 (.26586)	2000
.267 (.26687)	.261 (.26137)	2001
.264 (.26378)	.259 (.25915)	2002
.267 (.26728)	.262 (.26152)	2003
.270 (.26991)	.263 (.26258)	2004
.268 (.26763)	.262 (.26166)	2005
.275 (.27481)	.265 (.26451)	2006
.271 (.27053)	.266 (.26591)	2007