Labels: baseball, family, Phillies, Red Sox

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.

Labels: baseball, Rays, Red Sox, Yankees

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.

Labels: baseball, Phillies, Red Sox

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.

Labels: baseball, fight, Rays, Red Sox

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.

Labels: All-Star, baseball, Orioles, Phillies, Red Sox

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!"

Labels: baseball, Lester, no-hitter, Red Sox, Royals

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.

Labels: baseball, Jobe, Red Sox, Yankers

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.

Labels: baseball, Red Sox, Yankers

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.

Labels: Giants, Orioles, Phillies, Rays, Red Sox, standings, Tigers, Yankers

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!

Labels: baseball, Blue Jays, Red Sox

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!

Labels: baseball, Blue Jays, Orioles, Rays, Red Sox

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).

Labels: baseball, Red Sox

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.

Labels: baseball, Iron Pigs, Mets, Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox, Rockies, Yankers

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!

Labels: baseball, Red Sox, Yankers

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...

Labels: baseball, obnoxious fans, Red Sox, Yankers

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!

Labels: baseball, Red Sox, Yankers

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.

Labels: Astros, baseball, Phillies, Red Sox

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.

Labels: baseball, Curt Schilling, Red Sox, Yankers

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!

Labels: baseball, Indians, Red Sox

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!

Labels: baseball, hoax, Red Sox, Yankers