Bye Bye, Bay!

Massachusetts may still be the Bay State, but the Red Sox will no longer see him in the home locker room putting on his #44 jersey and playing in front of the Green Monster. Jason Bay's on his way to Flushing to play in not-quite-as-hitter-friendly Citi Field in a New York Mets uni. Well...at least it isn't that OTHER New York team, right???

When the Sox signed John Lackey and Mike Cameron earlier this month, the writing was on the wall as far as where they stood with Bay. When the offers didn't come pouring in from other teams--the Mets' offer being the only one out there besides the one he poo-pooed from the Red Sox--there was speculation that the Red Sox might revisit negotiations with the slugging Canadian who claimed to have sported a Red Sox onesie as a baby. If the were to do that, however, there would be a surplus of outfielders, including the one they just signed in Cameron. It is becoming increasingly less likely that Adrian Gonzalez will end up in a Red Sox uni by Opening Day and the idea of trading Ellsbury, who stole 70 bases last season, for anyone less than Gonzalez just doesn't make sense.

The Red Sox will miss Bay's 36 homers and 119 RBI, for sure. Offense was already a concern going into this off-season and now it has, on paper, gotten weaker. Without Bay, there is no legitimate 30-100 guy on the team. Youk comes just short of it, V-Mart comes close, and we just don't know what we're going to get ouf of Papi next year. Scutaro is an offensive upgrade at shortstop over Lugo/Lowrie/Green/Alex Gonzalez and a full season of V-Mart is better than less than half of one, but good pitchers are not going to be intimidated by this lineup. In the AL East, competing with the big sticks from the Bronx, this could be a problem.

Defensively, however, the Sox have significantly improved in several positions. Cameron's defense will be better than Bay's, even if his offense is a downgrade. Scutaro is a decent defensive SS and, while not quite Alex Gonzalez with the glove, is an upgrade over Lugo, Green, and probably Lowrie too. Defense at third depends on who's playing it next year. If Lowell is traded, it will likely be Youk. Youk's better defensively as a first baseman, but mobility-wise he would be a defensive upgrade on Lowell. Catcher is one area the Red Sox did not improve on defensively and that can also be problematic. Tek's defense has taken as sharp a decline as his offense, especially when it comes to throwing out baserunners. V-Mart is an average defensive catcher at best, but his bat is what means the most to the team. I'm concerned that Francona will use Tek more than he should out of loyalty and that could hinder the Sox both offensively and defensively.

The starting rotation looks to be the strength of the team going into 2010. Lester, Beckett, and Lackey in a 3-game series--I wouldn't want to be the other team! Dice, Buch, and Wake as 4, 5, and long reliever/spot starter/depth guy is much better than, say, Penny and Smoltz. As is the nature of the beast, it's hard to say what the Sox will get out of the bullpen from year to year. They'll have to keep their Ramon Ramirezes straight, for one thing. Bard and Paps are setup and closer, but the rest can be a crapshoot. MDC hasn't been dealt anywhere yet, so he's probably back. Boof Bonser will probably fit somewhere into the 'pen and it's anyone's guess how that will work out. Oki's back as well and could either be a lefty specialist or a 7th or 8th inning guy, depending on how things go in spring training and/or the beginning of the season. A stud lefty would be nice, since they lost Wagner to Atlanta.

The 2010 team will be a good one, but the jury's out as to whether it will be a great one. A lot of that depends on actually playing the games.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

Sox-Rangers Trade Fail

This can't be giving Mike Lowell any holiday cheer. First off, he rings in the new year recovering from thumb surgery. Second, the trade sending him to the Rangers for Max Ramirez got eighty-sixed yesterday, putting him in a position no player wants to be in: rejected by one team who vetoed a trade for him because of a failed physical and cast off by another team who has tried to trade him for the second off-season in a row. The former team is the Rangers and the latter, of course, is the Red Sox, who are put in an unsavory position themselves after the aborted trade.

The plan for improving defense takes a hit if Lowell is to be the starting third baseman and the plan for improving offense suffers because a roster spot is being taken up that could have been used for a big bat. Max Ramirez might have taken up a spot on the 40-man roster (perhaps catching in Pawtucket) but he also might have been flipped in a trade. Lowell, however, takes up a spot on the 25-man roster and makes trading for a bat like Gonzalez all the less likely. The Red Sox already have a DH in Big Papi and no team can afford roster space for two DHs.

Had the thumb injury not come up, an argument could be made that keeping Lowell would have been better than starting a low-power Kotchman at first and Youk at third. The bum thumb, and the fact that it was bad enough to call off that trade, changes things significantly. If the Rangers thought Lowell would be healed and ready to be productive at the start of the season, the trade would have gone through. Now, the Sox, besides having egg on their faces after the failed trade, have a real predicament on their hands as to what to do about Lowell. Cling to the pie-in-the-sky hope that both his hip and thumb will be just like new and he'll have a bounce-back season to prove the Sox wrong for trying to trade him? Continue the infield merry-go-round from last season (which, in my estimation, did more harm than good)? Release him and risk the effect such action could have on team chemistry? What a conundrum!

As much as I understand that baseball is a business, I hate to see this happening to such a pro as Mike Lowell. I hope some sort of arrangement can be reached that will minimize the negative ramifications on all parties involved. Not sure what the arrangement will be, but, thankfully, I'm not the one who has to come up with it.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

Power Outage

Yes, I know that any deal involving Ellsbury and Buchholz for Adrian Gonzalez is just rumor and speculation, flavored liberally with wishful thinking, but if it comes to making that choice, the Red Sox really need to go for it. It would be tough to lose these young players, especially Ells, who has put on a show on the basepaths. However, with the loss of Jason Bay, the Sox absolutely need a power bat in the middle of that lineup. The pitching got better with the addition of Lackey and the defense improved by adding Cameron, but a successful team needs to be strong in all three areas--offense, defense, and pitching. Lack of run support just puts pressure on the pitching staff, as well as on the defense, to be perfect in every pitch, every play. There's no room for error with an offense that can't consistently put up at least 4 runs per game. By not replacing the production Bay provided, the offense is significantly weakened, especially if the Sox lose Lowell too.

There is much talk about Kotchman playing first and Youk moving over to third. Kotchman as a 1B may work on a smaller market team, but on a team that wishes to play deep into October, a 1B that can hit for power is necessary. A .280 average with HR totals in the single digits won't cut it in Boston, not at a power position like first base. John Lackey came to Boston because he wanted to win. He'll need more run support than this lineup can consistently give him. Same with the rest of the rotation.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

Out in Left Field...Or Will It Be Center?

John Lackey is no longer the newest Red Sock. Tonight, the Sox agreed to a 2-year deal with OF Mike Cameron, effectively ending the comparatively brief Bay Era in front of the Green Monster. Cameron, 37 by the time the season begins, doesn't appear to have lost any of his defensive range and still has some pop in the bat, banging 24 dingers last year, albeit with a .250 average and a Bay-esque number of Ks. Seeing that he's a center fielder who has occasionally played right, it's possible that Ells could get moved to left while Cameron takes over in center. Or, with the short left field at Fenway, they could see how he feels about befriending the Monster.

This move means no Holliday shopping for the Red Sox either, but when they signed Lackey to a 5-year deal, they were headed in a different direction for left (or center) field. Now, all they need to do is resolve the Lowell trade situation and deal with the infield corners. Lowell's bat would not be too bad to keep around in the lineup, especially without Bay, and the increased time removed from hip surgery could improve his range, but it's still possible Buch gets shipped for a bat (*ahem* Adrian Gonzalez *ahem*)

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

Not Lacking for Pitching

So they decided to compete next year after all! The Red Sox have come to an agreement with free agent pitcher John Lackey for 5 years and somewhere in the $80 million range. While this most likely takes them out of the running for Holliday (Bay has reportedly decided to bid Boston farewell), it makes for a formidable 1-2-3 atop the rotation, with Lester, Lackey, and Beckett (I'm not yet sure in what order). This move could free up Buchholz to be shipped off to...I don't know...San Diego...for a certain power-hitting, strong-fielding first baseman. Left field and first or third base (if Lowell is indeed traded) still remain on the to-do list, but acquiring a pitcher of Lackey's caliber is a step in the right direction.

In other baseball news, one elite pitcher is traded out of the American League and another, back in. The Phillies, Blue Jays, and Mariners pulled off a blockbuster today with trading Halladay to Philly and Lee to Seattle. King Felix and Cliff Lee in the same rotation...shiver me timbers! Thank goodness the Ms are not in the AL East. I don't know who the Jays got in this deal, but Halladay and Lee are the only big names, I think.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!!

Bridge to Nowhere?

Yes, it's still early in the off-season and there are still deals to be made, but I'm not so sure I like what I've been hearing from the Red Sox suits this week. Should we really be hearing this much at all? The suits have been criticized for comments to the media (the Teixeira debacle last year) and now I'm beginning to see why. Telling the fans that next year will be a "bridge" year is not going to sell a lot of marked-up tickets now, is it? Which bridge do they have in mind, by the way? The Tobin? Will this off-season's moves or non-moves send fans plunging into the Mystic River? Or, less melodramatically speaking, will it threaten the sellout streak?

Let's talk a little bit about the division the Red Sox must play in. Sure, you have the Jays and the O's, then the upstart Rays, but you also have a team that has a significant financial advantage over all 29 other teams as well as over twice as many championships as even the winner of the second most World Series rings. We all know who that team is. The Yankees and the Rays each pose very different challenges to the Red Sox. The Yankees have the resources to have an all-star at virtually every position. They're the mansion that's out of place in the middle-class neighborhood. The Red Sox have a lot of resources too, especially compared to the Rays, Pirates, Royals, and other small-market teams, but the Yankees even dwarf the Red Sox payroll. The Yankees have a juggernaut offense and now some pretty good pitching too. Mariano Rivera's arm is age-proof. The Rays have young, athletic players like Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford and Ben Zobrist, a premiere power hitter in Carlos Pena and a very talented young pitching staff. Injuries and the pressures of having to follow up a phenomenal 2008 season caught up with the Rays in 2009, but I have no doubt they will contend next year and as long as those talented players are still on the team and still contributing like they have been.

What does all this mean for the Red Sox? For one, that an offense that replaces Mike Lowell's bat with that of Casey Kotchman (one of the rumors floating around) and lacks either Bay or Holliday in left field looks like a 80-85 win max team that could finish in 3rd or 4th place. Add Bay (or possibly Holliday) and Beltre (provided Fenway improves his hitting) and you get some improvement, but still not enough to mount much of a challenge to the Yankees. As far as challenging the Rays goes, well, we haven't picked up any defensive catchers yet, have we? They're stuck with another year of Tek due to putting that player option in the deal he signed last year and what player wouldn't turn $3M down? V-Mart has a great bat, but defensively he isn't much better than Tek, except for the fact that he can catch Wake. Max Ramirez (is it just me or are the Red Sox really into collecting Ramirezes?) should the trade go through, is also weak defensively.

If the Red Sox were in the AL Central, they might stand a chance with a mediocre offense, but we can't just pluck Boston out of Massachusetts and drop it somewhere in the midwest. If so, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, and Toronto would surely follow suit! The Yankees would get lonely over there with no one left to play and they'd pluck New York City out of New York and it would defeat the purpose entirely. The Big Apple just wouldn't look the same sitting in the middle of Iowa!

The only way the Red Sox can give the Yankees some serious competition is with a bat like Adrian Gonzalez in the middle of the order (and the glove that comes with that bat is not bad either) or if a bat is absolutely out of the question, an arm like Roy Halladay or Felix Hernandez at the head of the rotation. I have questions about Beckett coming into this year. Last year was a mixed bag; he won 17 games, but had some real problems with home runs late in the season, as well as a slow start early on. Lester is almost ready to be a true #1 starter (let's put him at a 1.5). Buchholz has shown he has the potential to be great, but I'm still seeing the shakiness. Daisuke--he should be better than last year (he'd BETTER be!) and Wake is Wake. Harden would have been a nice pickup, had the Rangers not beat them to it. Duchsherer is another possible pickup. They got Bonser, but that ERA north of 5 isn't convincing me of anything other then Penny 2.0. Dare we hope Wake finds the fountain of youth in the off-season?

Come on, Red Sox front office! Ditch the bridge and compete next season. The AL East race isn't the same without the Red Sox in the middle of it. If not for the fans, do it for the young core of the team, whose prime years you don't want to waste waiting for some prospects who may never pan out.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

Scoot Over

The Great Boston-Toronto Shortstop Swap is complete: Alex "Gonzo" Gonzalez to the Blue Jays and Marco "Scoot" Scutaro to the Red Sox. Pedey, I guess you're staying put at second, but thanks for the offer!

Scutaro, 34, is coming off a career year where he hit .282 with a .379 OBP and .409 slugging. He knocked 12 dingers and 60 RBI. Ok, so he's no Hanley Ramirez, but with Jose Iglesias waiting in the wings, he'll suffice as a stopgap. The swap with Toronto wasn't a trade, so to speak, as both Gonzalez and Scutaro were free agent pickups, but Theo Epstein & Co believe Scoots will provide a better OBP and a little more pop from the shortstop position while they wait for Iglesias to develop on the farm.

With next year's shortstop settled, the Sox must now turn their attention to left field and beyond. I hope they come to an agreement with Jason Bay, as he has shown he can hit in the AL East to the tune of 30+ HR and 100+ RBI. He has his drawbacks, such as defense and high number of strikeouts, but the Sox won two World Series with Manny's defense! Bay's bat isn't quite Manny's, but it gets the job done most of the time. Holliday is a decent alternative to Bay, but he's still unproven in the AL (especially the AL East) and his agent is none other than baseball's Beelzebub, Scott Boras. Beyond Bay, the Sox need another big bat that can strike fear in an opposing pitcher. Adrian Gonzalez, who would fit that bill perfectly, is sounding less and less likely and Miguel Cabrera comes with a hefty load of off-field baggage. The lineup as it is doesn't scare anyone and is streakier than most. It's going to be tough to fill that gaping hole, but in order to compete in the division they're in, it has to be done.

Starting pitching raises an interesting question. Is a rotation of Lester, Beckett, Matsuzaka, Buchholz and Wakefield "good enough" to get the Sox where they want to go next year? What kind of year will Beckett have? Last year for him was a mixed bag and the last really outstanding year he had was 2007. Jon Lester has just about eclipsed him as the staff ace. The Sox have been linked to Halladay in recent weeks, but a deal for Halladay would make a deal for a big bat all but impossible. There are only so many chips on the farm. Perhaps they should take a gamble on Rich Harden. I know, I know, Smoltz and Penny didn't blow 'em away last year, but Harden has had success in the AL while Smoltz and Penny had only ever pitched in the NL. When the team's biggest need is offense, perhaps this would make the most sense. Still, it's tempting to think about a rotation with Halladay and Lester as the 1 and 2.

The winter meetings are next week...

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!

The Boston Red Sox, Sesame Street Style

In honor of the 4oth anniversary of the best children's show ever, let's take a look at what might happen if our favorite Red Sox players were played by our favorite Muppets:

At first base, playing the role of Kevin Youkilis is...Bert!
At second base, playing the role of Dustin Pedroia...Ernie!
At third base, playing the role of Mike Lowell...Grover!
At shortstop, playing the role of Alex Gonzalez...Kermit the Frog!
Behind the plate, playing the role of Victor Martinez...Oscar The Grouch (not saying V-Mart is grouchy or anything, but someone had to be Oscar!)
In left field, playing the role of Jason Bay...Cookie Monster!
In center field, playing the role of Jacoby Ellsbury...Elmo!
In right field, playing the role of JD Drew...Count Von Count!
Your Designated Hitter, playing the role of David Ortiz...Big Bird!

On the mound, playing the role of Jon Lester... Snuffleupagus!

In the booth...muppetized versions of Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo!

Muppet Don: We're in the top of the third inning of a scoreless game at Fenway Park. The Muppet Sox are in the field and the Yankartoons are at bat. Bugs Bunny leads off this inning. Oscar's giving the signs to Snuffleupagus, but Snuffleupagus is shaking him off. Oscar, trash can and all, hops to the mound.

Oscar: For pete's sake, make up your mind on what you wanna throw!

Snuffleupagus: Calm down, Oscar. I'm only trying to interrupt the batter's timing.

Oscar: Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say. (hops back to position behind the plate)

Muppet Remy: By the way, children, this game is brought to you by the letters H and R and the number 9. What starts with an H, Don?

Muppet Don: How about a "hit"?

Muppet Remy: Very good, Don, but we don't want the Yankartoons to get a hit now, do we?

Muppet Don: No we do not. The pitch! Bugs Bunny lines one to right center field, well hit and...Elmo dives and makes the catch!

Elmo: Elmo caught the ball! Elmo caught the ball!

Count: One out!

Muppet Remy: Elmo is very excited about making that catch, isn't he, Don?

Muppet Don: Elmo gets excited about everything, Jerry. We hear about it every time he makes a diving catch or steals a base.

Muppet Remy: He's an excitable guy, our young centerfielder!

Muppet Don: Now, Snuffleupagus gets ready to make another pitch. A cutter down and in to Mickey Mouse. Mickey rolls it over to Ernie at second and Ernie throws to Bert for the out at first.

Count: Two outs!

Muppet Remy: Our right fielder always knows how many outs we have in the inning, how many bats we have in the dugout, how many lockers we have in the clubhouse.

Muppet Don: That's our Count! Now Garfield's up for the Yankartoons with two out and nobody on. The pitch by Snuffleupagus is a ball. And another ball. And another ball! A three and oh count to Garfield. Oscar is not happy about this at all.

Oscar: Throw strikes, will ya?

Muppet Don: Here's the 3-0 pitch to Garfield. And it's off the green monster. Cookie Monster hauls it in to keep Garfield, who can't run very fast, to a single. Now, Snoopy steps into the batter's box.

Muppet Remy: That was a nice play by Cookie Monster. He just gobbled that ball up, didn't he? Ha ha ha!

Muppet Don: He sure did, Jerry. Now, Snuffleupagus throws a fastball up and in to Snoopy. A swing and a miss. Strike one! Here comes a changeup. That one falls in for strike two! Snuffy goes back to the fastball and Snoopy swings and misses again. Strike three!

Count: Three outs! Inning over!

Muppet Don: Now we move on to the bottom of the third. Big Bird is up and Wile E. Coyote's on the mound. Wile E. is trying to get ahead in the count so he throws a first-pitch fastball. Big Bird hits it very hard into straightaway center field. Back, back, gone! Home run Big Bird! Muppet Sox take a 1-0 lead!

Muppet Remy: Hey Don, "home run" starts with an H too! And the "run" part starts with an R! I love when this happens!

Muppet Don: Our sponsors are thanking us for this! Ha ha ha!

(Six innings later. Game is over and the Muppet Sox win)

Muppet Don: That was a great game, wasn't it Jerry?

Muppet Remy: Yes it was. All 9 innings of it. The Muppet Sox scored 9 runs and the Yankartoons struck out 9 times. Big Bird had three RBI, which also starts with an R! Cookie Monster knocked in two runs of his own, and Oscar, Bert, Ernie, and Grover drove in a run apiece. We got all this information from the Count, of course. Kermit turned a nice double-play in the fifth, when Yosemite Sam grounded sharply to shortstop and Snuffleupagus threw all 9 innings, giving up only 2 runs. I'll say it was a great game! Goodnight, kids!

My Dream 2010 Lineup/Rotation

The GMs are meeting in Chicago this week and the much-talked-about winter meetings are coming up next month. So far this offseason, the Red Sox have traded for Jeremy Hermida, declined options on Alex Gonzalez and Tek, negotiated a new deal with Wake, and picked up V-Mart's option. Jason Bay is, or will soon be, a free agent.

That said, let's put aside that pesky thing called reality for a moment and take a look at my dream 2010 Red Sox team, a team that could challenge the Yankees, Angels, Rays, Rangers, or any other team that decides it wants to have a monster year.

First, the position players:

1B : Adrian Gonzalez--Make it happen, Theo, PLEASE!!!!
2B: Dustin Pedroia--No-brainer there.
SS: A guy with a decent stick and a decent glove. Any suggestions?
3B: Kevin Youkilis--Move Youk to 3rd full time.
C: Victor Martinez--Another no-brainer
LF: Jason Bay or Matt Holliday
CF: Jacoby Ellsbury--Speed's always a good thing
RF: JD Drew--Great defense and can put up some good offense too.
DH: Mike Lowell or David Ortiz--Gonna be a tough choice, that one!

Bench: Jeremy Hermida (OF), Jed Lowrie (SS, 2B, 3B) Backup catcher with good arm and good defense, Fifth outfielder/Second backup infielder

SP #1: Felix Hernandez or Roy Halladay
SP #2: Jon Lester
SP #3: Josh Beckett
SP#4: Daisuke Matsuzaka/Clay Buchholz
SP #5: Tim Wakefield/Rich Harden or some other FA pickup with recent American League experience

Bullpen: Daniel Bard, Hideki Okajima, Ramon Ramirez, Jonathan Papelbon, plus two more pickups, one of whom is a lefty.

Number one priority should be getting Adrian Gonzalez. They NEED a bat like his if they want to compete in a division that also includes the Bronx Bombers. He's also very good defensively. Fielder may have a great bat now, but with his size, I worry that he'll be in for a M0 Vaughn-esque decline in a few years. It will take a helluva lot to get him, but he's one of very few players who is worth it. Even if it means losing someone like Ellsbury or Buchholz. Seeing Ellsbury or Buchholz go would be very tough and I really hope it doesn't come to that, but getting a player like Gonzalez is an opportunity the Sox can't afford to pass up on. Not in the AL East.

Number two priority: Another starting pitcher. While the Sox probably don't have the chips to land both King Feliz or Halladay and Gonzalez, Lackey is available in free agency. Rich Harden would be a "reclamation project" worth trying because he pitched in the AL as recently as two years ago. Lester has the potential to be a #1 starter and I think he his very close to becoming one, but he needs to find his groove a little earlier in the season. Last year, it took until almost the end of May. Beckett these days is more like a #2 because he really only had that one outstanding year with the Red Sox, 2007. We saw some of that excellence this past season, but we also saw stretches where he served up gopher balls like it was going out of style.

Number three priority: Shortstop. This should be priority #2a, really. The Sox need a good everyday shortstop and they haven't been able to find what they want since Nomar left at the '04 trade deadline. Alex Gonzalez has a great glove, but the bat is generally subpar, despite the tear he went on at the end of last season. Jed Lowrie was too hampered by a left wrist injury to contribute anything at the plate last year and needs to prove that he can stay healthy. Signing FA Marco Scutaro is a possibility, but he's getting on in baseball years and depending on him to replicate his career '09 season this year might be asking a little too much. J.J. Hardy would have been worth a shot, but the Twins snapped him up.

Number four priority: Backup catcher. Sad to say, at this point I hope Tek does not exercise his $3 million player option with the Red Sox and opts instead to retire or give free agency another try. I appreciate what he has done for the team over the years, but his skills have declined to the point that he can no longer be effective the second half of the season. And that's just with the bat. Defensively, he has struggled as well, with passed balls and allowing an astonishing number of stolen bases. Part of the stolen base thing is on the pitcher, but a catcher with a stronger and more accurate throwing arm would help. V-Mart is almost as bad with allowing stolen bases (and throwing the ball into the outfield) but his bat and ability to back up first base is more than enough to make up for that deficiency. Plus, V-Mart can catch Wake's knuckler.

My dream Red Sox team has a snowball's chance in hell of happening, but adding a key offensive piece and a few other complementary pieces, plus playing with more joie de vivre on the road, would go a long way.


LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!

You Phillie Blockheads!

Oh good grief! You Phillies went and lost the World Series! That means I'll be avoiding reading or watching anything coming out of the Big Apple for the next couple of days (or weeks, could be some massive, protracted gloating going on. Months??) How could you? You were supposed to repeat, dang it! Could it be that ad in a Philly paper showing Phillies World Champs T-shirts pissed off the baseball gods--nothing riles them more than teams jumping the gun. Just ask the Red Sox after June 30th of this year. They leave the field with only two outs in the inning and then go on to blow an 8-run lead. So, anyway...

...Red Sox Nation was dealt a collective gut-punch tonight. The Enemy emerged with the big prize while our team had a blink-and-you-missed-it post-season. Was the whole ball of wax won last December when Steinbrenner, Cashman, & Co. won the free agent sweepstakes? Who knows, but they've spent in the past and had nothing to show for it. Maybe it was just their turn. Damn, it hurt to say that! Ow! Ow! Ow!

Despite what happened in the Bronx tonight, the world's still turning and there will be baseball next year. The Red Sox front office just might have some extra motivation to improve the team for next year, and it must improve in all facets of the game in order to compete with the Yanks, the Angels, and any of those up-and-coming teams like the Rangers and Rays. Leadership is needed in the clubhouse and it will have to come from someone other than Papi or Tek. Guys like Ells and Pedey are still a little too young to assume that role. V-Mart is a candidate. He was the new guy last year, having just come over at the trade deadline, but this year would be a great time to take those leadership qualities he had with the Tribe and use them to unify and motivate the Red Sox.

A power bat or two, a mid-rotation starter, a backup catcher with a decent throwing arm and maybe another sharp reliever could put them where the Yanks are now. After all, 2004...2007...is 2010 next??

LET'S GO RED SOX!!! WIN IT AGAIN IN 2010!!!!

October 27, 2004

Anyone who calls themselves a Red Sox fan knows the importance of that date. It has to be the greatest day in the long, storied history of the Boston Red Sox franchise. It marked the end of a nightmare that lasted for nearly a century for Red Sox Nation. 86 years without a World Series championship...that's longer than the average life expectancy, longer than the wait for Halley's Comet, long enough for the way we live to change dramatically. My great-grandfather, a lifelong New Englander, was born in 1897 and saw five Red Sox World Championships from the time he was six to the time he was 21, then didn't see another one for the rest of his life. He would have had to have lived to be 107 to have seen them win it all again in 2004! My father, also a New Englander and lifelong Red Sox fan, had to wait 56 years to see a World Series Championship for his beloved team. All the waiting, the "almosts," the frustration culminated in one euphoric moment as Keith Foulke tossed the ball to Doug Mientkiewicz for the final out of Game 4 that sealed the deal, completing a sweep of the team that twice (in 1946 and 1967) shattered their World Series dreams, the St. Louis Cardinals.

2004 was a year of destiny for New England sports fans, with the Pats winning the Super Bowl earlier that year and the Red Sox reversing the "curse" and winning the World Series in the fall. It couldn't have been scripted better by Hollywood's finest screenwriters. To have the Sox win it all again three years later, with a mix of the 2004 crowd and some new faces, made a statement to the sports world that the Boston Red Sox are a force to be reckoned with in the 21st century. Things won't always be easy and no team can win it all every year, but for the past six years, save for an injury-plagued 2006, the Sox have been contenders and I expect they will continue to be contenders with the talent they have in their system and through shrewd trades and free-agent pickups. When they can win as many games as they had this year and last with a streaky offense, inconsistent starting pitching, and middle-of-the-pack defense, they're one helluva team.

LET'S GO 2010 RED SOX!!!!!

May the Red Pinstripes Win

The Red Pinstripes would be the Philadelphia Phillies. Not only am I rooting for them to win the World Series because they have a chance to repeat, but also because of who they are playing. As any Red Sox fan will tell you, we root for two teams: The Red Sox and whoever is playing the Yankees. This post-season has been hard to stomach as a Sox fan, with the Yanks playing the way they are and Red Sox Nation Public Enemy #1, A-Rod, suddenly morphing into Mr. Clutch. CC Sabathia has transformed from post-season train wreck to ALCS MVP. It's enough for any sensible, well-adjusted, mature Red Sox fan to stomp her (or his) foot, pout, and wail "it's just not faaaaair!"

Ok, now that we've got that out of our systems, it was plain to see that it just wasn't the Red Sox year. Despite winning 95 games, the 2009 Red Sox were remarkably inconsistent, whether it be on the mound or at the plate. The home and road splits showed them to be a team that could dominate at home, but mediocre away from friendly Fenway. The bargain-bin acquisitions in the off-season didn't pan out and left the front office scrambling at the deadline and beyond to fill holes in the rotation and in the offense. Control of an opposing team's running game was nonexistent. Thanks to a strong first half of the season, especially for the offense and bullpen, the Sox won enough games to make it into the playoffs, but once they got there, the wheels came off again and their post-season was as short as it could possibly be.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, the front office has a lot of work to do to improve the team for 2010. The post-season isn't over yet and already I'm missing watching the Red Sox play. For the next week or so, I'll masquerade as a Phillies fan and hope Pedro can be his vintage self against the Yanks.

LET'S GO 2010 RED SOX!!! LET'S GO 2009 PHILLIES!!! BEAT THE YANKS!!!!

Looking To The Future

Today's 7-6 loss to the Angels ended the Red Sox' 2009 season. I don't want to go into how they lost; there's plenty of that already on the 'net. It's time to look to 2010 and how the front office can improve the team for next year.

1. Hire a new hitting coach. One of the biggest problems this season was inconsistent offense from a very talented and capable lineup. This was particularly problematic on the road and against quality pitching. Championship teams hit well enough on the road to win more games than they lose. In 2007, the Red Sox had a winning road record and we know how that season ended. The two years following, they did not and, while they got to the playoffs, they didn't go as far as they'd like. The Red Sox need a fresh approach to their offensive attack, an approach that can help them succeed better away from Fenway.

2. Sign or trade for another quality starting pitcher. Felix Hernandez would be ideal, but it would take a lot of prospects and maybe some major-league talent as well to pry him away from Seattle. Roy Halladay is another option. He's older, but still one of the best pitchers in the game. I've heard Rich Harden suggested. He's an injury concern, but when he's healthy he's much better than a Penny or a Smoltz. Plus, he has had success in the AL, having been an Oakland A not too long ago.

3. Bring back Wake for half a season. Wake had a great first half, but an injury-plagued second half. He will have back surgery in the off-season. It might not be a bad idea to bring him back for help down the stretch, giving him extra tiem to recover from surgery and get his strength back.

4. Sign Jason Bay to a long-term contract. Bay has his drawbacks, such as high strikeout rate and not the world's best defense, but he's good for at least 30 HR and 100 RBI and those guys are not easy to come by, especially in this year's FA market.

5. Find a good bench bat that can stay healthy. One thing that hurt the Red Sox in the ALDS was lack of a decent bat off the bench, since Rocco Baldelli was injured. Rocco is a local boy with lots of talent and he's had a rough go of it with the channelopathy. However, they need a more durable bench bat for next year. I'm not sure who's available there. If they can find a young first or third baseman with decent pop, Lowell can be that bench bat.

6. Find a good defensive catcher to back up V-Mart. One with an arm who can throw out baserunners. I don't know who's available via trade or free agency, but the Sox need someone to help control the running game. Offer Varitek a coaching job somewhere in the system.

That's a lot of work, but the Red Sox, while they don't have the bottomless pit of money the Yanks do, have the resources to get much of this done. There are risks involved, but leaving the team as it is next year without making improvements is much riskier. They can't win every year and it may take a few years to build them back to being the team they were in 2007. Hopefully the next few years will see new leaders emerging in the clubhouse to give focus and drive to the team, the "mojo" they need to play their very best and win another championship in the not-too-distant future. Win or lose, and as disappointing and frustrating as those losses can be, the Red Sox will always be my team. It's in my blood. My great-grandfather saw the Sox win it all several times in the early 20th century and used to take my father and uncle to Fenway Park when the were little and they got to see Ted Williams play. He did not live to see them win again in 2004, as he passed away in 1992 at the age of 95. He would be happy to know that they've returned to their winning ways this decade after that 86-year drought.

LET'S GO 2010 RED SOX!!!!

Can a whole team fit under the bus?

Because that's where I'm throwing 'em! Damn the Red Sox for keeping me wide-eyed and pissed-off at 2 am. This team looks like it would rather be somewhere else. Anywhere but at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. They look sad, tired, defeated, overmatched, and OLD! This is the friggin' PLAYOFFS!!!! There are 22 other teams who would LOVE to be in the Red Sox' place. Take the Detroit Tigers, for example. They played 12 innings on Tuesday night, only to fall to Twins. If the Sox don't want to step it up and play to their abilities, then step aside and let another team play. The Angels are playing with a purpose and they're playing some pretty damn good baseball. I'd enjoy it if it weren't at the Red Sox' expense. If they beat the Red Sox in the ALDS, then they really deserved it.

The front office needs to address this bi-polar offense thing this off-season. Maybe a new hitting coach who can motivate them more on the road. This wasn't always a problem. As recently as 2007, the Sox had a winning road record. The decline began last year and just got worse this year. I'm afraid the acquisition of V-Mart, while it helped them get into the playoffs, isn't going to be enough to fix the offensive ineptitude away from Fenway. I expected a much better performance out of the Red Sox in these first two ALDS games. Maybe not like in 2007, but certainly comparable to how they performed last year. They may very well win the next two games at Fenway (or they may not) but they still have to win one on the road in order to advance.

To make things worse for Red Sox fans, the Yankees can't do wrong this post-season. Even Sabathia and A-Rod, two notorious post-season chokers, are suddenly clutch. So far, this season has been a Red Sox fan's worst nightmare. The Red Sox can change things, at least on their end, by coming up big both at Fenway in the next two games AND on the road for Game 5, should it get that far. However, they have to want it and right now, I'm not sure they want it badly enough.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!! DO OR DIE ON SUNDAY!

Zero runs never equals win.

Well, that was a hot mess of a game. The Sox were shut out by the Angels in a game with horrendous umpiring and even more horrendous lack of production from the bats. The Sox fielded their best lineup against Lackey, but couldn't get anything done. Just four hits. This is not good, boys! It's a recurring theme with the 2008 and 2009 offense, this ineptitude away from Fenway. In a series where you have to win at least one game on the road due to not having earned the home field advantage, it means something has to change.

Lester battled through six innings and I mean really battled. Having to get 4 outs due to bush-league umpiring (two blown calls at first and the ever-shrinking strike zone) can take a toll on a pitcher and Lester made one bad pitch to Sox-killer Torii Hunter and the game was basically over then. Oh, and will anyone be able to get Bobby Abreu out? Four walks handed out to this guy, four! Why waste the pitches, just point him in the direction of first base the minute he steps into the batter's box.

So, bottom line is, the Red Sox need to play better ball and not look so overmatched by the Halos. The umps need to go to their nearest optometrist's office and book an appointment before tomorrow night's game. Beckett needs to be the 2007 lights-out guy and the bats need to wake the hell up and produce some runs!

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!! STEP IT UP AND WIN GAME 2!!!!

A Song For The Red Sox Fan

So, I spent my baseball-free evening writing a little song about the 2009 season. Ok, it's a rather long song, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway;-)

Red Sox 2009 Season Song: “A Song For the Red Sox Fan”
To the tune of “Piano Man”
With apologies to Billy Joel

‘Twas on a Tuesday at Fenway Park
The Red Sox were facing the Rays
Josh Beckett, he fanned 10 Rays batters
James Shields, he had seen better days.

But Lester and Dice-K would struggle
The Red Sox would drop the next two
They went to the west coast and floundered
‘Till Wakefield his knuckleball threw

Chorus:

Sing us a song for the Red Sox fan
Pour us a glass of good wine
As we ride all the highs and we suffer the lows of
The season of two thousand nine!

Wake’s complete game performance
Spurred on a long winning streak
They had themselves a perfect homestand
And sure made the Yankees look weak

The starting rotation was getting rocked
Big Papi looked lost at the plate
If not for the clutch hits from Jason Bay
They would have faced a much worse fate

As April rolled over into May
Papi was looking forlorn
On the 20^th of May, a Wednesday
His mighty home run stroke reborn

Chorus

In June the Sox still owned the Yankees
They made out well in interleague play
John Smoltz made his debut in Washington
But they had to send down Dice-K

One night they were playing the Orioles
At Camden Yards in Baltimore
Up nine runs to one at the rain delay
But ten more runs those O’s did score

Tim Wakefield was named to the All-Star Team
But in the game he didn’t play
What a disappointment for Red Sox fan
But we saw Youk, Pap, Beckett, and Bay

Chorus

Clay Buchholz got called to Toronto
He pitched to the Blue Jays and won
The remaining games on the road trip,
They weren’t nearly as fun

The offense was putting up zeroes
Smoltz and Penny were giving up runs
The team’s ship was rapidly sinking
So many were saying “They’re done”

On July 31 Theo Epstein
Called Shapiro about a big trade
V-Mart for Masterson and prospects
‘Cause ‘Tek was in second-half fade

Chorus

Early in August, still scuffling
The Sox staggered into New York
No longer did they own the Yankees
Those devils had found their pitchforks

But soon that game-changer called V-Mart
Helped his bummed-out team turn around
Like Jason Bay had done before him,
He lead the team to a rebound

Buchholz was starting to dominate
But Beckett served up gopher balls
Penny and Smoltz, they got sent on their way
Replaced by the Byrdie named Paul

Chorus

Lowrie was struggling at shortstop
Lugo now plays in St. Lou
So back once again we saw Gonzo
Such a pleasure to see him turn two

September saw them play great baseball
They still were atop the Wild Card
But rain, Zach Greinke and Yankees
Made this team fall and fall hard

The Rangers and Rays they had faded
Soon the playoff berth was clinched
The cure for their slide was the Indians
Sweeping them was such a cinch!

Chorus

They ended the season winning 95
Matching their mark from last year
Here’s hoping the ’09 post-season
Brings this team and their fans lots of cheer!

My ALDS Roster

With the announcement of the Red Sox ALDS roster coming very soon, here are my picks:

Position Players

Starting Lineup:

Jacoby Ellsbury (CF)
Dustin Pedroia (2B)
Victor Martinez (C)
Kevin Youkilis (1B)
David Ortiz (DH)
Jason Bay (LF)
Mike Lowell (3B)
JD Drew (RF)
Alex Gonzalez (SS)

Bench: Brian Anderson (OF), Joey Gathright (OF), Jed Lowrie (2B, 3B, SS), Jason Varitek (C),
Casey Kotchman (1B)

Pitchers

Starting Rotation:

Jon Lester (Game 1, possibly Game 4)
Josh Beckett (Game 2, possibly Game 5)
Clay Buchholz* (Game 3)


* I went along with the rotation that has already been chosen, but my pick would have been Daisuke Matsuzaka as the Game 3 starter based on him having more playoff experience.

Bullpen:

Daisuke Matsuzaka (long relief, can start if necessary)
Paul Byrd (long or middle relief)
Ramon Ramirez (middle relief)
Takashi Saito (middle relief)
Daniel Bard (middle relief)
Billy Wagner (set-up)
Hideki Okajima (middle relief or set-up)
Jonathan Papelbon (closer)

It will be interesting to see how my picks jive with the Red Sox' picks, especially for the bench and bullpen.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!! KEEP ON HEXING THE HALOS!!!

The 2009 Soxie Awards

The regular season is now officially over and the 2009 Red Sox matched last year's 95-67 record, reaching their 95-win goal. The final game of the season was a good one, with the Sox beating the Tribe 12-7 and sweeping the 4-game series. Balls were flying off Sox bats, with 5 dingers among JD Drew (2!), Jed Lowrie (grand salami!), Pedey, and Gonzo. That's back-to-back games with a grand slam! For Lowrie, this was easily the highlight of his frustrating, injury-riddled season. Amazingly, he hit it left-handed and you could see the grimace on his face as he felt it in his left wrist. Oh, and George Kottaras played third, got two hits, and made some nice plays. Can he play short???

Buchholz struggled mightily once again, giving up 6 Tribe runs in 3 innings. The bright side, if there's one to be found in this troubling outing, is that only one of those runs was via the long ball. Buch once again had trouble with command and keeping the ball down in the zone. He's still nearly a rookie and rookies are going to have setbacks like this. He has a week to work with Farrell, V-Mart, and Tito to try and correct some of these issues with command, as he is still scheduled to pitch Game 3. Dice-K might be the better option for Game 3, given his strong post-DL outings and two years of playoff experience where he has, for the most part, pitched very well. However, Buch does have some amazing stuff and when he's on his game, he can be devastating.

It's time to hand out some virtual hardware for a season that was, on the whole, well-played. The 2009 InSOXicated Awards, or the Soxies for short are in their second year and they're my way to pay tribute, and in some cases, poke some good-natured fun at, the men who make the baseball season so special for me. Without further ado...

THE 2009 SOXIES

The King of the Hill Award: This year, the decision is not as clear cut as it was last year, but, after much deliberation, the result is the same. Jon Lester had a rough start to the season, but once he got himself straightened out, it was like 2008 all over again. His 225 strikeouts is good for third in the AL and if not for some tough-luck no-decisions and that bumpy first month and a half, he would be a serious Cy Young contender. So, for the second year in a row, Jon Lester wins the King of the Hill Soxie. Honorable Mentions: Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield (for his first half performance)

The Flashing Leather Award: He may not have been around the whole season, but Alex Gonzalez brought stability to a position that had been a defensive liability before he arrived. For filling the black hole at shortstop, he wins the 2009 Flashing Leather Soxie. Honorable Mention: Dustin Pedroia

The Teddy Yaz Award: Forget the dreadful midsummer slump, when Jason Bay's bat dropped off the face of the earth. With 36 homers and 118 RBI, he is very much deserving of the 2009 Teddy Yaz Soxie for best offensive player. Honorable Mentions: Kevin Youkilis, Victor Martinez

The Dirt Doggery Award: The Dirt-Doggiest Dirt Dog since Trot Nixon, Dustin Pedroia takes this one again. He grinds, he dives, he doesn't let up for a second. When's this guy's uniform NOT dirty? Honorable Mentions: Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury

The Golden Welcome Mat Award: All this guy did was save the Sox from revisiting 2006. One of Theo Epstein's best deadline pickups, Victor Martinez has made himself very welcome in Boston. He brings the stick, the winning attitude, and the leadership and is very deserving of the 2009 Golden Welcome Mat Soxie. Honorable Mentions: Alex Gonzalez, Billy Wagner

The You've Come A Long Way, Baby Award: Things looked gloomy for David Ortiz in April and May, and look where he is now: 28 HR, 97 RBI! Big Papi sure has come a long way. Honorable Mentions: Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, Daisuke Matsuzaka

The No I in Team Award: It takes a truly selfless player to put himself through what Tim Wakefield has to help his team rest starters for the playoffs. Carrying the pitching staff in April and May took a toll on his back and he's pitched through considerable pain and discomfort in August and September to buy his teammates an extra day of rest here and there. His efforts in the first half earned him an all-star nod and I hope he can come back next year and contribute as much as he is able to. Honorable Mentions: Kevin Youkilis, Victor Martinez, Mike Lowell

The About Face Award: Coming off of his second MVP performance in the World Baseball Classic, Daisuke Matsuzaka found himself unprepared to make the adjustment to regular season play. He was being lit up all over the place and when one DL stint didn't do the trick, he was sent down to Florida on an extended DL to start his conditioning from scratch. After some initial conflict with the organization about his training plan, he re-focused and dedicated himself to making a comeback during the stretch run. He came back strong in September, when the team needed him most and his presence solidifies the post-season rotation, earning him the 2009 About Face Soxie.

The It's A Bird It's A Plane Award: Shattering the previous Red Sox single-season steals record (54) held by Tommy Harper, Jacoby Ellsbury stole his 70th base this afternoon. He drives pitchers crazy with his constant threat of theft on the basepaths and his .301 average and .355 OBP show that he's getting on base consistently. After a season of adjustments in '08, Ells has become the lead-off hitter the Sox always knew he could be.

The Bullpen Cowboy Award: He's made it interesting many times this season, but Jon Papelbon gets it done, to the tune of 38 saves (out of 41 opportunities), breaking Bob Stanley's career saves record (132) with a total of 151. Paps is outspoken and sometimes throwing heat via mouth gets him into trouble, but he is who he is and he's who I want to see on the mound when there's a save to be had.

The Speak Softly and Carry A Big Stick Award: He's the definition of even-keeled and he quietly gets the job done. His name is David Jonathan (JD) Drew and don't look now but he's put together a nice season. With 24 homers, 68 RBI, and a .279 average, he has completed his first 20+ homer season in a Red Sox uniform. He has a knack for pulling off some post-season magic, going deep when the long ball is needed most. Let's hope he has more of that up his sleeve this post-season. If the two dingers today are any indication, pitchers beware!

The Hip to Square Up Award: So his hip needs the orthopedic equivalent of Jiffy Lube every once in awhile. He can still swing the lumber pretty well, to the tune of a .290 average with 17 HR and 75 RBI. Having him healthy for the playoffs will go a long way (and hopefully a ball or two off his bat will do the same thing!) Mike Lowell is a consummate professional and team player, the Tim Wakefield of the position players, if you will. He always puts the team first and maybe there's some more post-season hardware in his future.

The Commander Kick-Ass Award: When he's on, he's really ON. Josh Beckett showed his dominant 2007 self for much of 2009, save for some rough patches both at the beginning of the season and lately. He's done some legendary things in the post-season and I hope we see the Josh Beckett of October 2003 & 2007 on the mound for October 2009.

The He's Still Our Captain Award: There's no question that things have not come easily for Jason Varitek this season, both at the plate and behind it. However, he has to be the most prepared and knowledgeable catchers in the game and he has been credited by V-Mart as being a tremendous help to him in learning a new pitching staff. The pitchers respect him and I hope that someday soon he is offered a job as a coach in the Red Sox organization. For all he has contributed to the team in the decade-plus since he's worn the Red Sox uniform, including being a part of two World Series championship teams, it would be great to see him excel in helping others achieve their baseball success.

And finally, my vote for the 2009 Red Sox MVP Soxie goes to...

KEVIN YOUKILIS!!!

This was another tough one, because there are so many viable candidates. Youk, hitting .305 on the season, is the most consistent offensive and defensive player on the team. He selflessly moves across the diamond from first to third whenever needed, sacrificing his chances to win a Gold Glove at either position. He grinds out his at-bats and his passion for the game makes him extremely popular with teammates and fans alike. He was my pick last year, and true to his reputation for consistency, he gets my nod this year too. Honorable Mentions: Jason Bay, Tim Wakefield (1st half) Victor Martinez (2nd half), Jacoby Ellsbury.

And Then There Was One...

One game left in the regular season. Just one more tangle with the Tribe until the Sox can turn all eyes to the ALDS. Another injury bullet dodged when Gonzo's x-rays came back negative after his being plunked on the hand last night by a wild and dangerous Kerry Wood. After back-to-back bludgeonings by the Yanks and the Jays, the Sox figured it's time to start winning again and what better team to practice on than the Cleveland Indians, whose entire coaching staff is on the way out. Lester got the series off to a good start by shutting out the Tribe over 6 1/3 innings on Thursday night and further making his case for starting Game 1 of the ALDS. Dice-K turned in a quality start last night, going 6 and giving up 2 runs. Beckett started tonight and had a rough go of it in the first two innings, but settled down for frames 3-5. The Sox provided plenty of offense, with 4 dingers on the night, including a V-Mart grand salami and the first long ball of Dusty Brown's major-league career. Tomorrow, Buchholz gets his final tune-up. Let's hope it goes better than his last outing. No more Bombs-Away Buch, please!

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

Top Ten Red Sox...

Excuses for Late Season Losing Streak

With apologies to David Letterman

10. Paying tribute to the late Michael Jackson, the Red Sox are moonwalking into the post-season
9. Sweeping the Blue Jays is so last month
8. The Wild Card might have gotten a little too wild for our taste.
7. The Texas Rangers are doing it and what's good enough for Nolan Ryan is good enough for us.
6. Trying out a golf-inspired twist to the game where the lowest score wins
5. .600 winning percentages are overrated
4. Cito and Tito got together and agreed that the Jays could really use the extra batting practice
3. We're conserving our players' energy in an effort to stop global warming
2. Wednesday was Starter Skip Day. Nothing like a little manager-sanctioned hooky
1. Yankees, schmankees--We're number 2!

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!! GOOD LUCK IN THE POST-SEASON!!!!

Too Little Too Late

So, the Sox decided they cared about winning with only an inning to go tonight? It might have helped if they had made that decision, oh, 7 innings before. Before all the gopher balls dispensed like Halloween candy (speaking of Halloween, two guys sitting behind the plate were getting their tricks and treats early by dressing as umps) and before all the GIDPs that made them look like they didn't belong on the field at Fenway Park.

The team was doing so well earlier this month. As the Rays and Rangers were dropping by the wayside, the Sox looked to finally be firing on all cylinders. I don't know whether it was the rainy debacle in KC, the smackdown in the Bronx, or just the distance between them and their closest Wild Card competitors depriving them of a sense of urgency that got them all discombobulated, but right now they're a hot mess who will most likely get into the playoffs by default. A killer losing streak is no way to get psyched up for the playoffs. Perhaps it's not such a good thing that the Rays and Rangers fell off a cliff and couldn't keep things close and, therefore, keep the Sox motivated to WIN. It seems to me they do better when there's that sense of urgency.

The MLB schedulers didn't do the Sox any favors having them play out the last three weeks worth of games with no off-days. Last-minute pitcher snafus (Lester's quad, Beckett's back, and Buchholz's 2008 Throwback Night), "to hell with it" at-bats, and abandonment of the small-ball strategies that helped keep the Sox going earlier in the month have also contributed to the craptastic play that has halted their win count at 91 games. Ya think a couple of bunts could have been attempted to stay out of some of those infernal double plays? They were sac bunting all over the place two weeks ago. What happened?

When all is said and done, it won't matter as much how they got into the playoffs, but I think it would be more beneficial to them to get those competitive fires brewing going into the dance because the Angels are super-hungry and playing with the spirit of their fallen teammate in their hearts. The Sox may have a long history of clipping the Angels' wings in the first round, but my gut feeling is that they are due in a big way. I wouldn't be surprised if Scioscia lobbies MLB to have the umpires for that series vetted.

The Sox are a talented team that has the potential to go far in the playoffs. They are the team I love and I will always root for and I would love nothing more for them to squash the smug Yankees and the national TV announcers that couldn't conceal their passion for the pinstripes if they tried. As much as I hate them, however, the Yanks are formidable and if the Sox are to beat them, it may play out very much like 2004, with the Sox digging themselves a 0-3 hole before clawing their way to a win. Hey, if they go on and sweep their NL opponents (I'm thinking Phils or Cards here), I'm all for it.

As I write this, I have learned that the Red Sox have clinched the Wild Card by Texas losing to LA. That's not the way I wanted it to play out and, I'm sure I'm not alone in this sentiment, but they're in and they can look ahead and do what needs to be done. It would be nice to win some games on this homestand while they're at it. They may be "meaningless" but it's time to get fired up for October baseball.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

Wild Thoughts on the Wild Card

Ok, they're not that "wild" per se;-) There are definite positives to having a Wild Card spot in the postseason playoff structure, the most salient being the disparate level of competition among the divisions. The AL Central is much weaker than the AL West and the AL East. Consequently, the winner of the Central has a considerably lower winning percentage than the winners of the other two divisions and often even the second-place teams of those divisions. Case in point: The AL East second place Red Sox have a .591 wpct. The AL West second place Texas Rangers have a .552 wpct. The AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers have a .539 wpct. If the Red Sox, Rangers, Yankees, and Angels were in the AL Central, they would all be ahead of the Tigers. The Wild Card mitigates the inequity to some extent by allowing the second place team with the best record among the second place teams in all three divisions a spot in the playoffs--that second place team with a superior record to one of the first-place teams. Incidentally, the Red Sox also have a better record than the AL-West-leading Angels.

Now for the fly in the Wild Card ointment: Teams like, say, the Red Sox, decide they want to back into a post-season spot, taking the Wild Card for granted, instead of playing their best team at least until a playoff spot is clinched. It's as if the Red Sox management didn't learn a lesson from the June 30th game this year where they were 8 runs up on the O's, but ended up losing the game, at one point walking off the field with only two outs in the inning. Right now, by not playing their best team against the Yankees while the Wild Card spot remains unclinched, they are doing the equivalent of walking off the field with two outs in the inning. The baseball gods frown on this type of thing, you know. The humiliating 11-10 O's victory is enough evidence of that. Red Sox, please don't choose to clinch the Wild Card by default (by having the Rangers lose three games). Have some pride and put your best team out there against the Yankees today and don't let them celebrate a division win on your watch. Play some REAL baseball today.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

Clinch First, Rest Later

Did I miss something? Did the Sox clinch a playoff berth while I was sleeping last night? If not, why was the bottom third of the lineup of this afternoon's game comprised of Baldelli, Lowrie, and Brian Anderson, with no Bay or Drew in sight? The Yankees have already wrapped up a spot in the post-season, yet they were putting their full-strength lineup on the field. There's a week left in the season, Red Sox management. Are you trying to clinch by default, by having Texas lose three? Not cool! Not cool at all! Suppose the Rangers go on an improbable hot streak, a la Colorado in '07? The Tortoise and the Hare ring a bell? Don't let the Sox be the hare that takes a nap while the tortoise catches up and wins the race. Isn't it better to clinch the Wild Card now so you can rest the players next week? Dice-K pitched a helluva game, going 7 innings and giving up only 1 run. He deserved more run support than what he got (zero, zilch, nada!).

The bullpen is really worrying me lately. I can't remember the last time they didn't give up a run. Wagner gives up 2 today, allowing the Yanks to win 3-0. Ramirez, Delcarmen, and Bard are human run dispensers. Oki's hurt. Saito's been okay for the most part and Pap has been getting it done when he has the chance, but five out of seven questionable relievers going into the playoffs (should they make them) puts a lot of pressure on those starters and on the offense to keep scoring runs later in the game to offset the runs being given up by the 'pen.

Also, if the Sox are to make the playoffs, they have to have a better plan in place for managing the running game. The Yankees are not usually a running team, but they know that the Sox run a loose ship when it comes to defending against stolen bases. The Angels are all about the running game. We know neither Tek nor V-Mart can throw quickly and accurately to second (or third) base, so the pitchers need to find a way to either get the ball to the plate quicker or cut out the middle man (the catcher) and pick slippery baserunners off themselves. Whenever I see that statistic about the Red Sox and stolen bases shown on TV broadcasts like the one of today's game, I cringe. It's like, if a Sox pitcher isn't perfect, he has to manage a track meet on the basepaths.

Well, that's enough ranting for today. Come on, Sox, win a few more games, if only for pride's sake. Isn't the goal to win at least 95 a year? Don't take the upcoming homestand for granted. They may be weaker teams, but those types of teams love to play spoiler. Remember Kansas City?

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!! THE SEASON ISN'T OVER YET!!!!

That didn't go well...

"That" meaning last night's disaster in Yankee Stadium. The Sox lost the game 9-5 and got a helluva scare to boot! Lester, who uncharacteristically labored through 2 1/3 innings and couldn't seem to do any right against the Yanks, took a Melky Cabrera line drive off the right leg near the knee in the 3rd inning and collapsed on the mound in pain as the fifth Yankee run scored. Could the timing be worse??? He limped off the field and came out of the game as Red Sox Nation reeled from the punch in the gut and held its collective breath for the results of the X-rays. Thankfully, they were negative; no bones were broken, but Lester has a nasty bruise on his leg. According to Terry Francona, he's expected to recover in time to make his next start. How he will fare in that start and how the leg injury will affect his delivery remains to be seen, but it could have been much, much worse.

Meanwhile, as Murphy's Law of the Red Sox dictated, Joba found his pitching mojo last night and kept the Sox to 3 runs. They scored 2 more off the bullpen, but it wasn't enough to offset the damage done by the Yanks against the Sox pitching. Manny Delcarmen proved once again that he's good for only one out. Michael Bowden impressed in one inning, striking out the side, but faltered in the next. As a result, the Yanks look all the mightier and their confidence has to be through the roof right now. Being able to snatch 7 bases off of Tek just added to the fun the Pinstripes had at the Sox' expense.

Today, Dice-K takes the mound and V-Mart catches him for the first time. It's a good thing to try this out before the playoffs, but too bad it has to be against the Yankees, who will exploit every miscue to the fullest. It's gonna be interesting, to say the least. If that's not enough, the Sox bats have to face C.C. Come on, Rays, beat those Rangers!!!!

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

Bring On The Yanks!

After ending the Royals series on a high note, taking the second two games of four for a split, the Sox march into Yankee Stadium 2.0 in a position to possibly put the Rangers away for the season (if the Rays do their part) and clinch a playoff spot for the sixth time in seven seasons since Theo Epstein took over as GM. The Magic Number is at 3 with 10 games to go. If the Sox win tonight and the Rangers lose, the number goes down to 1. This means that tomorrow, EITHER a Red Sox win or a Rangers loss will seal the deal.

Matchup-wise, tonight's game is the one that most favors the Red Sox, with a well-rested Jon Lester facing beleaguered Yankee starter Joba (the Hutt) Chamberlain. Tomorrow, Dice-K has the unenviable task of pitching against Big C.C. If Dice-K performs like he did in the Angels' series, the Sox have a chance, provided they can get to C.C. even just a little. If we're in for a 5-inning deal, having to rely on a recently yippy bullpen, that could be trouble. Sunday's matchup heavily favors the Yanks, with Paul Byrd facing Andy Pettitte. I'm hoping the Sox take at the very least one of the three games, preferably two. A Sox sweep of the Yanks would be fantastic, but I'm not counting on it. The Yanks are still playing great ball, as they have been all of the second half, but now the Sox are playing great ball too. These aren't the same Red Sox who came staggering into The Stadium in early August.

Props to Buch for another outstanding pitching performance last night in KC. He may have been under the weather, but that did not show at all on the mound. 6.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R 0 BB 8 K!

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!

A Wet, Muddy, Soggy Mess

It's time for me to eat some crow for speaking too soon. My excuse for putting the cart before the horse: I went to yesterday's game, got stuck in traffic on the way home and by the time I got around to writing the blog, my brain cells were fried for the day. Unfortunately, I had to wash down my serving of crow with tonight's gooey mess of a game. Blech! Ugh! Napkin, please!

Now that the theatrics are out of the way...

The game started out pretty well for the Sox; they put up a six-spot in the third and Wake was getting it done despite being held together by duct tape and determination. Then the rains came. Apparently, a wet knuckleball is easier to hit than a dry one because, as the monsoon picked up, the Royals were smashing the ball all over the place. When they weren't whacking the ball, they were watching knucklers dart and dash all over the place and taking their free bases. Wake gutted his way through 5 giving up 5 runs and walking 7. Still, he left with a lead after Bay made a fantastic catch against the left field wall to rob an extra base hit from Yuniesky Betancort.

Enter Manny "the firestarter" Delcarmen with a can of kerosene and a lighted match. Boom! Three runs! Enter Daniel Bard with more of the flammable stuff. Three more runs! Whoosh! A toilet flushes and down it goes the Red Sox lead. An inning later, Billy Wagner stokes the fire by walking two and allowing another Royals run. The bats, tired of trying to keep up with the nuclear bullpen, mailed in the last three frames and a game that should have been won ends up in the loss column, along with a chance to trim the Magic Number and possibly gain on the Yanks. This game gets the ol' Mr. Yuk Seal of Disapproval. Do they still make those green Mr. Yuk stickers or are they a relic from my childhood? Note to self: Wikipedia "Mr. Yuk"

Tomorrow's matchup is no picnic for the Sox, with Paul Byrd facing Cy hopeful Zack Greinke. On paper this looks like another loss, but once the teams take the field, anything can happen. Let's hope it turns out to be a pleasant surprise. Taking three out of four in KC would be nice. I'd take a split, but a series loss to the men in blue could let the Rangers back into the race.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

Well, That Was Sweepin' Good Fun!

Looks like dropping the last game in the Angels series did nothing to stop the Red Sox' September momentum, at least not during this weekend's romp at Camden. Baltimore has to feel like the Sox' home away from home because the way they play there, they might as well be at Fenway. The sweep of the O's by their daddies, the Red Sox has impacted not one, but TWO playoff races. With the Rangers dropping two of three to the Angels, the Sox have lowered the magic number for the Wild Card to seven and an eight-game lead over Texas. In the division race, which looked like a longshot as recently as a week ago, the Sox have gained some ground on the Yanks, with the help of the Seattle Mariners. The Yanks' division lead now stands at five, with a tough series in L.A. this week. The Red Sox are heading for Kansas City for a set of four. Three of the pitchers they face at Kaufmann Stadium are not named Zach Greinke. The Sox should take at the very minimum two of four. Three would be better and a sweep of the men in blue would put a TON of pressure on the Bronx Boys, especially if said boys run into a little trouble with the Halos.

Back to the O's series, while none of the Sox starters were lights-out, they didn't have to be. In each game, the starter (Buchholz for Friday, Lester for Saturday, and Matsuzaka this afternoon) kept the team in the game and the bats did the rest. Bay may have had the flu, but his bat was as healthy as a horse, with two dingers in the series. Ells added two of his own, further evidence that September is his favorite month at the plate. The O's pitching staff must be relieved that they wouldn't have to face the Boston bats any more this season.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

You Win Some, You Lose Some, but...

...this is one game the Red Sox should have WON! You could argue that the second game was one they should have lost, with the controversial call on the 3-2 pitch to Nick Green and tonight's loss was the baseball gods' way of evening the score. You can also argue that Tek was the MVP of the game...for the Angels! Really, Captain, two nights in a ROW? To be fair, Wagner also made a critical mistake by walking the leadoff batter in the ninth. With Scioscia's crowd and their dedication to small ball, a walk might as well be a double. Predictably, a bunt put the runner in scoring position and tonight's Sox Killer Du Jour was Howie Kendrick (the honors went to Erick Aybar last night), who blooped a single over Pedey's outstretched glove and the pinch runner scored. In the bottom of the ninth, Francona pinch-hit for Drew not with the disciplined, .300+ hitter Youk, but the free-swinging Baldelli and the result was a game-ending pop-up.

Now for Beckett's outing. It was a quality start by all standards, going 8 innings and surrendering 3 runs, but there were a couple of things about his outing that worried me a little. One was the long ball he gave up to, who else, Howie Kendrick, he of the single-digit dinger tally for the season. It was a solo shot and the only home run he allowed, but given what we've seen with him in recent weeks, it raised a red flag. The outing had a kind of uneven feel to it, with innings of dominance being offset by episodes of shakiness, Kendrick's long ball included. It would be an A outing for a mid-to-end of rotation starter, but for the ace, it's a B. Coupled with the fact that he wants Tek catching his starts, this makes me wonder if Lester might be a better #1 starter should they make the playoffs.

If I were managing this team, I would ask Beckett to give VMart another shot. Since Dice-K is just making his way back to the rotation, it would be unfair to ask him to switch catchers, and Tek, with his declining skills in all but the preparation part of the game, should only catch one of the four starters. Maybe two for the remainder of the regular season, but if they hold onto the Wild Card, you have to put your best team on the field as much as possible. The best team has VMart catching, Youk at first and Lowell at third.

It's time for the Sox to hit the road and not let teams like the O's and the Royals play spoiler like they've been doing to other contenders. The Yankee series will be another tough one and it doesn't look like the pitching lines up favorably for the Red Sox; Beckett, Buchholz and Lester all pitch in the Royals series after Wake pitches the opener if he's able. Dice-K is scheduled to open the series, which shouldn't be too bad if he pitches like he did on Tuesday. However, game 2 would most likely be Byrd, since Wake is not likely to be pitching every five days for the rest of the season. Byrd against the Yanks lineup frightens me. Beckett pitches the finale. I sure wish Lester was in the mix for this series, but no such luck. Three righties with that lefty-heavy lineup and the short porch in right field has the potential to be a real romp for the Pinstripe Posse. Thank goodness Toronto and Cleveland await them when they come back home!

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

What's Japanese for Redemption?

Whatever it is, Dice-K's start tonight was his first step on the path to it. And, it was a giant step. 2009 Matsuzaka 2.0 went 6 + shutout innings in his return to the big-league mound. He wasn't facing any of the doormats of the American League either--he was baffling a lineup stacked with near .300 hitters on that team called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. On a night when two of the Sox' best hitters, Youk and V-Mart, were not in the lineup, Dice-K's performance was all the more important. His line: 6+ IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB and 5 K. Going into tonight, I honestly didn't know what to expect out of him, but this pretty much falls into the "best case scenario" category.

Of course, Paul Byrd's first outing of the season had similar results and then he was used as a pinata by the White Sox in his next start. However, the level of competition in that first start (the Toronto Blue Jays) is not the same as what Dice-K faced tonight. I think we will continue to see good performances out of Dice-K this month, but won't all necessarily be shutouts. He is younger than Byrd and he's hungry to get into that playoff rotation, should the Sox hold onto their Wild Card lead. If he follows tonight up with 3 or 4 more quality starts and Beckett, Lester, and Buchholz keep pitching like they have lately, the Sox have an excellent chance of making the playoffs and being a force to be reckoned with once they get there.

Magic Number: 15, but if Oakland holds on to their lead over Texas, it could soon be 14. Oh, and the Jays are routing the Yanks.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!

Cuz I don't watch football: Off-Day Sox musings

Mathematical musings on the final weeks of the Red Sox 2009 season:

20 = Games left to play
6 = Series left to play
2 = Series against teams with a better record than the Red Sox (NYY and LAA, 6 games)
4 = Series against teams with records under .500 (BAL, KC, TOR, CLE, 14 games)
12-8 = Win-loss record in remaining games to match 2007 record of 96-66
11-9 = Win-loss record to match 2008 record of 95-67
16 = Magic number to clinch Wild Card, including tiebreaker game should the Red Sox and Rangers end the season with the same record.
12 = Combination of Yankee wins and Red Sox losses before the Red Sox are eliminated from the division race. In other words, the Yanks' magic number to clinch the division.


LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!

What Great Pitching Looks Like

The rain may have picked up the W on Friday night, but the Sox gobbled up the Rays in a whirlwhind 3-game sweep with three outstanding performances by Sox starters against a team that had the Sox' number for most of the season. Now said team appears to be in a free-fall after the trade of Scott Kazmir and the injury to Carlos Pena. Sox pitching held the Rays to a mere two runs over the entire series (one game was cut short by rain, but still...). Saturday night, Beckett spun 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball while the Sox teed off on Rays rookie Wade Davis and assorted relievers. He threw only 5 1/3 because that's all the game they got in before the tarp was rolled out and the game was eventually called.

High noon today, Clay Buchholz took the mound and promptly engaged in a pitching duel with Sox nemesis Matt "Gargamel" Garza. The hometown team struck first with an RBI double by V-Mart, scoring Pedey, who also doubled. The Rays tied it in the top of the 7th and almost plated the go-ahead run, but Gabe Gross was nailed at the plate by V-Mart. Since Buch left the game after the inning and the score was still tied when Oki took the mound in the 8th, he did not pick up the W, but I'm sure he's happy with his performance and with the team's win. Oki, who had been scuffling lately, returned to form by retiring the side in order. Then, in the bottom of the 8th, Papi stroked a pinch-hit double in the place of Nick Green and Pedey took Garza deep to make the score 3-1. Pap sealed the deal and the Sox clinched a series win.

Game two had Lester on the hill and he was lights-out, pitching 8 shutout innings of 2-hit ball. Unfortunately, due to blackout restrictions where I live, I couldn't see the game on TV and had to settle for following it online. Not. The. Same. The runs were scored on an RBI groundout by Lowell, a 2-RBI single by Tek and a Bay dinger (#32 on the season). Despite the crazy weather and all the waiting through rain delays, the Sox had a victorious weekend and kept the pressure on the Rangers, gaining at least a game on their Wild Card lead.

I like seeing the Red Sox play some small ball to manufacture runs. When up against tough pitchers like Garza and Shields, playing for the big inning isn't always the best way to go. With Gonzo coming from the NL and having experience laying down sac bunts, the Sox add more dimension to their offensive attack and that can only help as they fight for a spot in the playoffs.

The Sox get a well-deserved break tomorrow, their last off-day of the season, and then here come the Angels. Tuesday will be very interesting, with Dice-K making his first start in nearly three months. If he can even give us 5-6 innings of quality pitching (3 runs or less), that would be a big boost for the team. Right now, Beckett, Lester, and Buchholz look like as good of a 1-2-3 as any team has. If Matsuzaka can pitch well enough to be a solid #4, it will take some pressure off of Wake, who has to pitch through pain that severely limits his ability to field his position.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!

September Sox Musings

Where do the Red Sox stand now, with three weeks and change? The Sox have a two-game lead over those feisty Texas Rangers in the Wild Card race. Seven series remain to be played, starting with the dare-we-say-they're-fading Tampa Bay Rays, who come to Fenway tomorrow. The Rays are without their slugging first baseman Carlos Pena, whose fingers were broken by a C.C. Sabathia pitch over the weekend, and they've fallen nine and a half games behind the Red Sox. The Sox recently defeated them in their home dome (or is it "dome home"?). Does this mean the Rays are cooked for the season or will those reigning AL Champs come to The Fens seeking revenge? Despite the Rays' woebegone late-season state, the Sox can't afford to take these guys lightly. After all, there's still the superhuman-against-the-Red Sox Evan Longoria to consider. The Sox send their current best three to the mound in Lester, Beckett and Buchholz, so I like their chances, even if they do have to face Gargamel--I mean Garza on Sunday.

After the Rays pack it up and leave Beantown, in come the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. This will be a toughie because these guys have a helluva road record and they wreak havoc on the basepaths. Since the top three starters are being used in the Rays series, that leaves the "pray for rain" end of the rotation to face a lineup stacked with .300 hitters who are well-schooled in the art of small ball. I'm getting a truly frightening image of a hobbled Wake, who has always had trouble with the Halos, trying to field bunts with a badly balking back. That's not a team he needs to be facing in his condition and let's hope they hold him until after that series. The image of Byrd, Bowden, or Tazawa facing Scioscia's men isn't much prettier. There's a possibility of one Daisuke Matsuzaka returning to the mound for this series with the Angels. He pitched well in his final rehab start, albeit against single-A competition. At this point, how much worse could he be than the other options? With the off-day on Monday, the Sox can start Lester as early as next Wednesday and then Beckett on Thursday, both on regular rest.

A ten-game road trip follows the Angels series--the last road trip of the regular season. First stop: Baltimore, to kick around the O's some more. Then, off to Kansas City for fun with the Royals. The trip culminates in a Sox-Yankees series in New York. Tum-ta-tum-tum TUMS!

Coming back home to finish out the season will feel like the last week of school, with a jaunt with the Jays and a tangle with the Tribe. So the Sox will be playing in October, that's for sure. The bigger question this year is: will they be playing in November? Game 4 of the World Series is to be played November 1, so baseball will be played in the eleventh month. Do I think they'll make the playoffs? They have a very good chance, but they'll need to hold off those Rangers in the last weeks of the season to get it done. The best way to do that is by winning games, rather than just hoping Texas loses.


LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!

Now Playing The Role of Evan Longoria: Mark Kotsay

So, can I call him a Sox killer when what he did this weekend helped the OTHER team with "Sox" in their name? Probably not, but he sure got his revenge on the Red Sox for DFA-ing him. I'm typing this a few hours after the Red Sox got bested by the White Sox at The Cell, only winning one game in a 4-game series. The game they won was the one Lester pitched. Lester, who pitched six scoreless innings yesterday and racked up 8 Ks, now has over 200 Ks on the season. 204, to be exact. Nice work, Jon!

For the first game of the series, it was "shame on the pitching". Byrd got buried by the White Sox bats and long-reliever Tazawa didn't fare much better. White Sox set the tone for the series, embarrassing the Red Sox in a 12-2 blowout. For games 2 and 4, it was "shame on the offense". One run apiece in those two games, folks! Gavin Floyd might have brought his best stuff to game 2, but did the Red Sox have to be the team to give today's starter Mark Buehrle his first win since his July 23 perfect game? Beckett gave them a quality start (3 runs over 7 innings and no long balls!), but couldn't get help from the guys wielding the sticks.

Why, oh why isn't Tek batting 9th on the days where V-Mart needs a break behind the plate? Gonzo's hitting better than him (who isn't?) and he deserves to bat before Tek. Glad to see Lowell get the nod at DH today. He should DH more often, especially when Tek is in the lineup. Papi's been very streaky this year and now his bat's back in the deep-freeze. Lowell, on the other hand, has been consistent for the most part. Shouldn't such consistency be rewarded with more playing time? Just sayin'...

After a mixed-bag of a road trip that brought long-awaited triumph at the Trop, but abject disappointment in The Windy City, the Sox head home to the Fens for 8 games. The first two are against the O's (who will be lucky not to see Lester on that mound) and then the Rays and Angels. The Rays, I'm sure, will not back down even as their wild card chances slip away and the Angels own the Red Sox in the regular season, so home might not be quite so sweet this time around. Then again, this is baseball and anything can happen.

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!

As Refreshing As a Glass of...

...Tropicana Orange Juice! After almost two years (and one team's name change) the Red Sox have won a series at Tropicana Field! Young Buch helped guide his team to last night's victory, further strengthening his campaign for the #3 spot in the rotation. He was a little shaky in the early going, but kept the damage to a minimum. He got better as the game went on, retiring the last nine batters he faced. His line: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER 1 BB 3K Wagner, Bard, and Pap kept the door shut tight while the Sox added to the 4-3 lead they had when Buchholz left the game. Bay, Youk, V-Mart, Lowell, and Baldelli lead the offensive attack. The former Ray Rocco crushed one into the left field seats to break what was at the time a 2-2 tie in the 2nd inning. Bay got the Sox on the board with a 2-RBI double the inning before. Lowell's sac fly in the 6th put the Sox ahead of the Rays for good; Youk and V-Mart added insurance in the 7th.

I'm so proud of my Red Sox for playing their best ball and taking their stand against the Rays in a place where they've found it hard to succeed in the past two years. Buchholz deserves special props for stepping up and throwing a quality start in a crucial, playoff-atmosphere game against a division rival. The Sox are now 6 games up on the Rays in the wild card chase. The Yanks have it super-easy lately, playing the Jays and the O's, so catching up to them for the division, while not mathematically impossible, will require some massive implosion on the part of the pinstripe posse. But, it's all about getting INTO the playoffs, right? Get in, whether it be the front door or the back, and anything's possible. Just ask the 2004 team.

It's a battle of the laundry this weekend: Red Sox vs. White Sox at The Cell. Wake's due to pitch tomorrow afternoon and I hope V-Mart is behind the plate. He did just fine catching Wake's last start and at this point in the season, the Red Sox really need his bat to stay in the lineup. Tonight, Byrd's on the hill, trying to go 2 for 2 in as many starts. The battle of Sox supremacy continues...

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!

This Longoria thing is getting REALLY old!

Seriously, can the Red Sox have at least ONE series where Evan Longoria doesn't hit a home run off of them? He looks like freakin' Babe Ruth against the Sox. Chew on these stats: 8 HR and 26 RBI against the Red Sox this season with a .362 BA and 1.280 OPS! Sure, he's in the same division and faces the Sox a lot, but let's look at his stats against the rest of the AL East:

Yanks: 4 HR 9 RBI .250 BA .990 OPS
O's: 4 HR 10 RBI, .326 BA 1.100 OPS
Jays: O HR 7 RBI, .246 BA .634 OPS

He does some damage against the O's and even the Yanks, but the Jays, interestingly enough, have a way of keeping his bat quiet. He may be just one player, but he's a Sox-killer if I've ever seen one. For a kid who's, like, 24 with less than two years of major league experience under his belt, that's some serious ownage of one team. It doesn't help that he shares a last name with a Desperate Housewife...

Tonight it's up to Young Buch to step up and pretend the Rays are the Jays. In other words, get a WIN for the Sox at the Trop. Is that too much to ask? Winning a series in St. Pete?? If the Sox are a playoff-caliber team, it shouldn't be. The batters have to stop swinging at bad pitches and the skipper has to make the tough decisions necessary to give the team the best chance of winning. That means V-Mart behind the plate and Lowell at third. It means putting the best relievers in if the game is close or if the team is behind, but within reach. It means pulling struggling pitchers BEFORE things get out of hand. Shoot, Maddon pulls a reliever when he looks at him funny!

LET'S GO RED SOX! BEAT THOSE BLEEPIN' RAYS!!!!

Long Time, No See...

...A walkoff blast from Big Papi, that is! It's been almost two years, the last one coming in September of '07. Tonight, in a game that marked Wake's return to the rotation, and a very strong return at that, Papi broke a 2-all tie in the bottom of the ninth by taking a Tony Pena pitch high and deep into the right field seats. In the commercial break before that half-inning began, I was just thinking to myself how cool it would be if, for old time's sake, Papi did the walkoff thing he did time after time several years ago. Not that I'm taking credit for any ESP (Extra Sports Perception *wink*), but it sure was nice to watch my pseudo-prediction come true and see the team gather at the mound to greet the once and future Red Sox Nation hero. The patented Papi walkoff magic was actually his second long ball of the night. The first one came in the second inning, tying the game at one.

Wake and V-Mart, the other big story of the game: Wake went 7 innings, allowing 1 run, walking 1, and fanning 3. V-Mart, who had never caught a knuckler in a game situation before, did a fabulous job, with the only ball eluding his glove coming in the first inning with no-one on base. He embraced the challenge of catching the most unpredictable pitch known to man and came out on top. It's great to see Wake have such a strong outing after over a month on the DL; it's as if he never left. If he can keep it up, with V-Mart behind the plate, that's great news for the Red Sox.

Tomorrow they go for the sweep of those other Sox with Junichi Tazawa on the hill. Last time we saw Tazawa, he was blanking the Yanks over six innings. Dare we hope for a similar outing against the White Sox?

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!!

The One Where The Rookie Outpitches The Ace

It's about time to take a Missing Persons ad out for Commander Kick-Ass. The Imposter was on the mound again last night and he was baking some delicious cookies for the Yanks, tossing them out over the plate through eight innings as if to say "Snack time, boys!" The only thing missing was the milk.

Sabathia, on the other hand, wasn't lights out either, but he didn't have to be while his teammates were gobbling up the cookies and sending them flying out of the park. The only bright spot in that game was my mute button, so I didn't have to listen to the Yankee rah-rah spewing out of the mouths of Miller and Morgan.

Saturday's game was far more pleasant to watch, with the Sox hammering A.J. Burnett & Co. to the tune of 14 runs while Japanese rookie Junichi Tazawa spins 6 scoreless frames, escaping jams in a way his hero Dice-K would be proud of (while being a little less maddening to watch in the process). His dazzling performance bumped rapidly-declining Brad, the author of Friday night's debacle, to the bullpenny with Wake taking his spot in the rotation on Wednesday.

Tazawa's start was encouraging, especially after last Sunday's loss in Texas. Buchholz, who has put together a string of encouraging starts himself, toes the rubber tonight against favorite Red Sox pinata Jose Contreras. Sox-on-Sox action this week. May the best (*Red*) Sox win!

LET'S GO RED SOX!!!!