Thank You’s and Correspondence

Ladies, and Gentlemen I'd like to introduce to you the Toronto Blue Jays. I would like to thank them for not showing up for the majority of the three game set in Beantown. I would also like to thank JP Ricciardi for getting rid of one of the more notorious Red Sox killers in their lineup, one Alex Rios. Also a big shout out to the GM for getting rid of the gold glover Scott Rolen and replacing him with Edwin Encarnacion. The biggest thank you of course goes to Roy Halladay whom upon not being traded is doing his best Carl Pavano impression in the history of Carl Pavano impressions. Get used to it Toronto fans, unless someone trades you a dearth of talent for Halladay in the offseason (this should happen) you're going to look a lot like These Guys.

And the ESPY goes to: Paul Byrd. For being the most goofy looking pitcher who tops out at speeds The Slowsky's would be proud to call their own. For some strange, otherworldly reason Paul Byrd outdueled the previously, highly coveted Roy Halladay for 6 innings giving up no runs en route to the 7-0 shellacking of the team from North of the Border. But let's not get too excited here. Yes we slapped around one of the Top 3 pitchers in Baseball, Yes we pulled out a rain saturated Friday night affair with the help of Varitek's foot of thunder, and Yes we pulled out a Saturday night affair that showed we may potentially have a 3^rd slot in our rotation solidified, but this is a team we should not only beat; but beat handily.

The Billy Wagner Era, couldn't have started much better, slicing through the Toronto order striking out the side. The only downside to this is that he will ONLY be available every third day. Providing we get into the playoffs, this could prove problematic. That means we can use him 2x in a 5 game series and MAYBE 3x in a 7 gamer. While you may think that that's ok, that leaves us STILL with one lefty in the bullpen for those other days. But boy, can this 38-year-old kid throw.

Inevitably we will be facing the Angels in the first round of the playoffs, if we are so fortunate as to make it that far. The perennial WildCard matchup just had a little fuel added to the fire with the Angels acquiring Scott Kazmir for a few minor leaguers. This could prove to be the equalizer in the post season for a pitching staff that has been mediocre at best this year. Scott Kazmir is still 26. He could regain his form of 2004-2006 and really wreak havoc on our Boston lineup. I'm going on record saying I DO NOT LIKE THIS MOVE, with regards to the Red Sox. Something in my stomach is telling me that this is not going to end well for us, but that could also be the chili that I ate this weekend so if you're waiting on which one it turns out to be, you should probably catch me on Twitter.

Have to love the voluntary correspondence report given to me to sum up He Who Shall Not Be Named's outing in the good ole Granite State. It goes as follows:

"So you should probably put this into your blog." Normally when I hear this I think that it's something will DEFINITELY not go into the blog but I was intrigued.

"He sucks! During the first inning, he got lit up for a homer the first batter of the game and 4 other runs. He couldn't find the strike zone if they handed it to him."

Well, there you have it folks. That's you're 103million dollar man. Upon further review I found that he threw 49 pitches in the 1^st inning. Just a quick tidbit: Zack Greinke was at 49 pitches in the 5^th inning on Sunday. The enigma lived on in the second inning where he retired the side on 9 pitches. Ugh. If he is going to be our savior, I think I'll follow Judas.

As I said on my Twitter I have finally come to the realization that this season much like 2007 will not be a Cy Young Year for Josh Beckett, Even if he throws 4, 9 inning shutout performances the rest of the way, Zack Greinke has that award on lockdown. Bob Gibson should just walk up to him and in his calm jazzy voice say, "Welcome, this is what being f*cking amazing is like."

Stay Tuned

Ryan

Nice Guys Finish Last

The only thank you that I have to throw out there after last nights' batting practice, I mean Sox game, is to Nick Green. This Jack-of-all-Trades goes out to the mound and fires aspirin up there touching 90 on 2 occasions in a 2 inning stint that left the wiseasses like myself wondering if Papelbon now has two competitors for the Closer role. Papelbon has put himself in much more white knuckled situations than those this year. The one comedic thing from Nick Green out on the mound was the ball that he snared to end the ninth and threw the ball at some speed hovering around Mach 5 to Casey Kotchman at first base.

I'm not sure about you all but I love watching the Little League World Series. Something about kids playing for the love of the game and pride of their state/country really makes me get the warm and fuzzies. But I have to admit, watching what Orel and Musburger refer to as sportsmanship makes me want to rip my testicles off and beat someone over the head with them.

When you are in the throes of an intense, possible season ending baseball game, you don't walk over and give the opposition "high-fives" after you knock out their ace, or the other team starts mounting a comeback and ties the game with one inning left. That is not "sportsmanship". That is precisely what's wrong with the youth athletic systems in America. There is no fire left, no cut throat attitude that people need to survive in this world. Right now, Ty Cobb is rolling over in his grave, and probably still sharpening his cleats to puncture the next 2^nd baseman that gets in the way of the bag. I'm not saying this is why they lost, but jesus it sure didn't help the cause.

The kids that are forced to listen to this drivel, are the ones that get F*CKED when it comes time for things that they want. They want to go to a top flight school to play baseball? Nope, there's someone out there that decided breaking up the double play was more advantageous than just getting out of the way for fear of injuring the other player. Want to go to the Majors'? Nope, someone decided that they didn't want to NOT keep score in Little League and therefore works that much harder to beat EVERYONE at EVERYTHING. Want a promotion at work? Nope, someone knows that it's not about making friends at some point it's about quality of work and if it means that you have to bypass everyone else to make yourself stand out then so be it.

This is so infuriating to someone such as myself. I am someone that busted my ass off to make Varsity as a Freshman in High School. I am someone that with a fever over 102^o I went out and caught 12 bullpens and took an extended batting practice in order to try and get onto a farm team for the Boston Red Sox. I didn't have time to shake someone's hand or congratulate them on doing something good out there. The second I did that was the second someone was going to put my d*ck in the dirt for showing any sign of mental weakness. If you want to make it in baseball you have to be hardnosed at some point. If you want to be successful in life you are going to need to ruffle some feathers.

I'm all for players having fun, and playing the game of baseball for love of the game, but when you're on the big stage (and let's face it, it doesn't get bigger than Howard J Lamade, in Little League) You need to have that fire in your belly and that cut throat attitude. Did you see Tim Wakefield walk up to Aaron F*cking Boone in 2003 after that crushing homerun and say, "Gee Golly your really hit the piss out of that one." No you didn't. I'm pretty sure that when Mitch Williams gave up that gopher ball to end the 1993 World Series he didn't run along side Joe Carter and congratulate him on his upcoming ring ceremony.

I realize that we are supposed to teach our kids to play fair, but there comes a point where if we don't teach them to have the competitive juices flowing that they will never learn how to deal with adversity or thrive under pressure. After all, Nice Guys Finish Last.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

The Large Father Delivers

On a night where nostalgia was filling the air, none of it was more glaring than the laser show that David Ortiz put on. But first, there was this pitcher who hobbled around like Smee from Peter Pan, whom absolutely dealt on Wednesday. Tim Wakefield came out of the gate not just on fire, but being able to harness his knuckleball in a Zeusian manner making the White Sox look foolish. I forgot what it was like to have a number 3 starter that could consistently win games. Traditionally, Wakefield has been left off the post season rosters, or not received any playing time except for mop up duty. But how can you keep a guy who's going to go 15-4 (projected) on the Bench. You can't. Impressive, Timmah, Very Impressive.

Every time David Ortiz hits a walk off he's essentially saying, "No traiga esa mierda aquí." Or for you less than bilingual readers, "Don't bring that shit in here." That was never more apparent than last night when he pissed all over the offering from Tony Pena DEEP into the Boston Night, prompting a massive dog pile and Dustin Pedroia slapping his ass so hard it's as if the Large Father was his horse on the last leg of the Kentucky Derby. After the abysmal start to the season that Papi had, did anyone think that he would end up with over 25 HRs and flirting with 100 RBIs? Is it just me or when David Ortiz is swinging the bat well ALL is right in Red Sox nation, who are now 19-2 when he hits a home run…ASTOUNDING.

This just in: Daniel Bard throws absolute Piss Missiles on the mound. Clearly, the Rook was feelin' good last night, coming out hot, throwin' 100mph on his first pitch and simply making the White Sox look like Jon Heder's character in "The Benchwarmers." His last pitch topping out at 101, is just his way of saying, "You and your 500+ HR country ass can take a seat. Thanks."

Looks like I took some flak from the Tek Army after the semi-pointed comments about our beloved sure out, I mean Captain. Don't get me wrong I love Jason, but when the ONLY thing you bring to a game is pitch calling, it's time to move on. Oh who called that shit sandwich of a game against the Yanks' on Sunday? Varitek? Oops Freudian slip. He is more than 25% below his CAREER average for throwing out baserunners. Even if we take Brad "slower than the onset of Alzheimer's to the plate" Penny out of the equation he's still 15% away from his career average. His days as an everyday catcher are OVER. Oops another Freudian slip. Tek, thanks for the memories, the no-no's and the 8^th inning, rally killing pop-ups the last two years but do yourself a favor and save face and hang it up after this year. (Love to hear the comments to this one too, 'anonymous'.)

Does anyone else love the trade we made for Vintage Nomar, oh wait that's Alex Gonzalez? We were supposed to be getting a sure handed shortstop instead we're getting the second coming of Ernie Banks. MOST hitters, Jeremy Giambi and Darren Lewis not withstanding, hit better with that wall out there and Gonzalez looks pretty damn comfortable in Fenway in his sophomore season. Green will probably sign on with some form of the San Diego Padres or something of that sort, and we can finally use Lowrie in the role that he was built for, SUPER-UTILITY. Now, Do we bring Gonzo back this time? Gotta think yes, unless a major trade happens in the offseason.

As always love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

Sox Brass, Earning Their Keep.

Yes, we got Victor Martinez at the deadline, and he has been nothing short of Harmon Killebrew for 4 weeks. But let's face it this team was far from perfect even AFTER the acquisition of the switch hitting catcher. Since the July 31^st trade deadline the Red Sox front office has been about as busy as Jenna Jameson at a Ron Jeremy house party. We needed a shortstop, we called up A-Gon, and since Theo's phone call he has been hitting everything this side of the Mississippi. We needed to get rid of John Wasdin, I mean John Smoltz, See ya later. We needed a power lefty in the bullpen, Enter (original) Sandman. I don't know if we'll win the World Series, Hell I don't even for sure know we'll make the playoffs. All I know is that it won't be for lack of effort. We are putting together the best team out on the field (yes Jason, that means you'll be plopping your thunder thighs right beside Millsie) and we're going to make a run for this thing.

Let's face it. From here on out, WHENEVER Jon Lester and Josh Beckett start you HAVE TO WIN. It's not a question Sox Nation, I'm telling you. Jon Lester once again turned in a quality outing going 6 2/3 giving up 3 runs. But it was almost all for naught until Victor Martinez whom was begging Terry Francona to play him yesterday stepped into the batters' box in replace of Jason Varitek. Here's the first brainbuster of the day: WHAT THE F*** is Jason Varitek doing playing? I mean honestly I'm done with the calling a good game bullsh*t we need offense. And the last time I checked Victor Martinez has caught MORE Cy Young award winners than Varitek has. Victor Martinez is making a bigger impact than I EVER thought he would and I am now realizing why he was so coveted even while Adrian Gonzalez was on the block.

Jason Bay. He is seemingly becoming almost as much of an enigma as JD Drew. He slumps for a legit two months, and is coming back for the playoff run? Ok, I'll bite. We'll just pretend you were on Maternity Leave for the better part of two months and now you're coming back and hopefully earning your keep. If you want a bigger payday than Holliday you better start raping baseballs, all I'm gonna say.

So the ka-nuckleballer is back on the hill tonight for the first time since before the ASB and I for one am PUMPED. Only question I have is where they are going to put his Vespa in case he needs to cover first?

Stay Tuned

Ryan

Crunch Time

It's the home stretch, and every start counts. For a young man to earn a spot in the rotation come October, he's going to have to pitch a lot better than 4 2/3IP 7 runs. Especially with pitchers Tim Wakefield (starts Wednesday) and He Who Shall Not Be Named mounting the comeback trail he's going to need to pitch his ass off to cement his turn every fifth day. Normally Terry Francona shies away from using Wakefield in the playoffs but if he's healthy you have to think that he's going to start him this year. Clay Buchholz for all intents and purposes is a very good pitcher with 3 + pitches, but if he doesn't get rid of that awestruck look every time he gives up a bloop single he's going to amount to nothing.

Could the 2009 version of Mike Lowell be any more of a feel good story. After watching him drag his hind quarters around like Igor in the playoffs last year for him to have this kind of success speaks volumes of his character and his determination as a ball player and a human being. Seeing him hit that Ruthian blast last night was a sight to behold. I noticed a dent in my car up here in the good ole state of New Hampshire that I'm almost positive was the remnants of the ball he just uncovered. Is his range what it was? Absolutely not. However the doctors have told him that he will only get better with rest. There is a strong possibility that next year (for whatever team he's playing for) absolutely rakes and is a cog in the middle of their lineup.

Jose Contreras, prior to the 2003 season was coveted by the Theo Regime but ultimately signed with those guys down the road a ways for more money. (I think you know who I'm talking about.) Although he signed with the Yankees that year, is anyone else of the feeling that Theo secretly give him an annuity every time he pitches against the Red Sox at Fenway Park? I think you'll be hard-pressed to find ANY other pitcher that has pitched worse at a certain stadium. That error in the midst of that 6 run rally is completely indicative of his career in Fenway Park.

Looks like No Billy Wagner for the Boston 9. He has invoked his "No-Trade" clause, because the Red Sox didn't promise to not offer him Salary arbitration. Anyone want to hear why I think we would go after Billy Wagner, whom has made it abundantly clear that he wants to close? An insurance policy. Jonathan Papelbon, the last 3 seasons, has seen his base on balls increase, strikeouts decrease, and innings pitched decline. By signing Billy Wagner, who seems to still have something left in the tank, he would serve as an experienced closer in a big market if Daniel "The Heir" Bard should falter.

Apropos of Nothing:

1. The White Sox, should be winning their division by 4 games right now with their lineup but are underachieving like Jeff Spicoli.
   
2. The NL West is turning into a dogfight, and wouldn't it be something to see the Dodgers miss out on the playoffs altogether?
   
3. I'm starting to think that JP Ricciardi made the right decision not pulling the trigger on the Halladay trade after seeing Buchholz's inconsistencies and Bowden's inability to get AN out.
   
4. The Yankees are RUNNING AWAY with the AL East, But am I alone in thinking that the Red Sox will do VERY well against them in the Playoffs?
   
5. Varitek needs to catch once per week. BOTTOM LINE
   
6. I love paying 15 mil a year for a number 8 hitter, atleast he's earning his money down there.
   

Stay Tuned

Ryan

In a word: SHITUPON

So, How bout them Red Sox? I clearly saw that playing out differently in my mind. Let's get to it.

Brad Penny. Why is it that you feel the need to take a stick and shove it up the collective asses of Red Sox Nation? The bigger question is why is it that someone that can reach speed up to 97 and 98 with a fastball can't get major league hitters out? Here's why…BECAUSE THAT'S ALL HE THROWS. His feeble attempts at curveballs are something left to be desired. They are never thrown for a strike or even look like they are going to be strikes for that matter. He could get away with a sub-par curve if he could locate it every once in a while or make them appear to be strikes and then have them fall off the table. He dabbled in throwing a slider but that worked out as well as Obama's healthcare reform. He doesn't have a changeup, so keeping hitters honest with something off speed is out of the question. And he doesn't have a sinker (2-seam fastball). Which leads me to my next question, how did you get to the big leagues with one pitch? Are you Mariano Rivera? Henry Rowengartner anyone? The Yankees absolutely abused this one trick pony, and rightfully so. I don't care how hard you throw in the big leagues, if you don't have any compliments to your gas, you're going to get SHITUPON.

The one bright spot on an oh so dark shit storm of a night Friday was the offense. Putting up 11 runs and really clicking on all cylinders. For crying out loud, they were the 2^nd highest scoring offense in the Majors on Friday night! Only unfortunate thing is the Yankees' was 1^st.

For all of my avid readers, you know the deep seeded "bromance" that I've been professing for Junichi Tazawa but I think I, perhaps, didn't give him as much credit as he deserved. He gave the Red Sox EXACTLY what they needed Saturday afternoon. A quality start. And he stifled the juggernaut that is the New York Yankees. He threw six phenomenal innings, while giving up no runs and really keeping hitters guessing. As evidenced by standing Alex Rodriguez up on back-to-back yackers to end a Yankee Rally in the 4^th. Kudos Junichi-san there is a widening spot for you in this rotation with the much needed usurping of Brad Penny's turn in the rotation by the Ageless Wonder himself, Timmah!

How about the bitch-slap the Red Sox offense threw back in the Yankees' face on Saturday? In a classic case of "na-na-na boo boo," AJ Burnett was left to wonder aloud why he was throwing such pitches and it was quite funny as a Red Sox fan for him to go through such Hamlet-esque tribulations on the mound. I'm also going to give a huge standing ovation (verbally) to Kevin Youkilis, whose dear friend and former teammate in the Red Sox farm system, Greg Montalbano, passed away at the age of 31, finally succumbing to his Cancer. Youkilis put GM's initials on his hat and promptly went out and hit two bombs not to mention a double, and had an all around lights out game for his friend. Afterwards, saying, "That was for him." Well-Played Youkka.

This brings us to the Pitchers' duel that I have been clamoring about for going on 6 days or so now. Figuring that Beckett just had a not so Beckett like start up in Canada I assumed he was primed to strap the team on his back and will us to victory. Fail. From the get-go he didn't have it. To be fair, CC wasn't on top of his game either. Clearly shown by giving up a hit to Jason Varitek. (Interesting stat the other night. Jamie Moyer recorded two hits the other nights which at the time was one less than Varitek had on the MONTH OF AUGUST, yeesh.) I'm going to say that ANY pitcher that gives up a hit to him for the rest of the year is having an off game. Even if he twirls a one hitter and that one hit was yielded by "dying quail" to Jason Varitek, he was clearly not throwing well.

In other news, John Smoltz threw 5 scoreless innings while striking out 9, yes I said 9, Padres. To be fair, the Chula Vista Little League team (filthy by the way) could probably beat the Padres. But boy does that speak volumes on how different the 2 leagues are. Great work pitching to the JV Smoltz.

The Red Sox have put in a waiver claim for Billy Wagner. Now this gets me giddy. We need a power lefty. He could bring the same thing that Alan Embree brought us in the '03-'04 playoff runs. This move doesn't come without criticism from the widely stupid, I mean recognized, Jonathan Papelbon. Stupid comment after stupid comment comes out of his mouth saying things like, "what has he done this year" and "I don't know if we have room for him." OK, Paps, I realize that you've been one of the elite closers for the last 4 years, but this guy has been doing it since the mid 90's. You need to shut your mouth and add a lefty to the bullpen which CLEARLY gives you another weapon of versatility. If that means getting rid of Takashi Saito, then so be it. A lefty could be exactly what this team needs.

At least the Rays Dismantled the Rangers for 2 out of 3 over the weekend. Any pressing issues you all see about the Nation? Let me know and I'll gladly tell you what I think.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

Sweep Caroline

Tell me this lineup didn't give you chills when you saw it. You have Lefty, Righty going all the way 1-9, JD Drew in the 8 hole, and you take every bit of pressure off of Alex Gonzalez so that any hit he gives you is like waking up by reach around. Sorry, oh glorious captain, tis a far far better place when you're on the pine.

On a night where the offense shined, nothing overshadowed 8 outstanding innings by my favorite player and resident southpaw Jon Lester. He was lucky in the first after getting runners on 2^nd and 3^rd with no one else but then pitched out of it only giving up one run and limiting the damage and giving up NOTHING the rest of the way. It didn't seem like a dominant start even though for the last 6 innings of his outing he fast the minimum 3 batters per inning in each frame. But win number 10 has been elusive now for almost a month, and the 1-2 punch is now both in the double digits ready to kick ass and take names in the playoffs.

THIS JUST IN: WHEN JD DREW ISN'T EATING BON BONS AND PAINTING HIS TOENAILS he has the capability to go 4-4 2HRs 3RBI's. Not bad for a paraplegic right fielder who I swear is the second coming of Rupaul some days.

While the sweep is nice and has put them back atop the AL Wildcard, we mustn't forget that this is the TORONTO BLUE JAYS people! The only day they are good is when Roy Halladay is pitching. There were at least 2 errors off the top of my head that lead to runs and essential "nails in the coffin" throughout this series. Wins are wins but we have bigger fish to fry. Insert: New York Yankees.

This series is pivotal. While no one is expecting a sweep from EITHER side here's what I predict is going to happen. Brad Penny vs. Andy Pettite is going to be a slugfest. But "The Fens" is always kind to the Red Sox in those games and I have to believe that we will win that one. Saturday's matchup seems about as lopsided as War Admiral vs. Seabiscuit, with Junichi Tazawa being "the biscuit." Burnett, his last two outings against the Sox, has been nothing short of spectacular giving up less than 5 hits in the two starts combined. I love me some Tazawa-san but I don't think we're skating through scot-free on that one. SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY. The matchup that I've wanted to see ALL YEAR. Josh Beckett vs. CC Sabathia, Sunday Night Game, Nationally Televised, and all the eyes will be on the aces. This will be the rubber match of the series and I suspect that this will be one of those games for the ages. (ie. Derek Jeter jumping in the stands, Big Papi in the 2004 ALCS, 2009 Youkilis walk-off, 2009 A-Rod Walkoff) This game is going to be nothing short of magical and you can bet that the Red Sox will win this game by a score of 2-1 after CC and Beckett throw 8 innings of 1 run baseball. Red Sox will win it in the 9^th. Believe that!

So let's go through the checklist for tonights game:

42'' plasma…check

Beer…Getting it this afternoon.

Snacks…you betchya

Remote…ALWAYS IN HAND

Duct Tape for the wife…psh she knows better than to talk with the Yanks are in town. (Or when Heidi Watney's on the tube for that matter)

What does this mean?

Time To Sack-Up Sox fans and get back in this division!!!

Stay Tuned

Ryan

Buchholz Earning His Keep.

I guess the lasting image of getting thrown out at the plate in the hot summer sun in Texas didn't sit too well with Clay Buchholz. He came out and threw like a bulldog. EXACTLY WHAT I'VE BEEN PREACHING FOR, FOR AT LEAST 2 MONTHS!!! When you have runners' on, there comes a time in your development where you can't give up the runs and you have to be stalwart. Clay got himself into some jams, but he finally pitched out of them. Not only did Clay pitch well but he did it against Roy Halladay. Who wanted to trade this kid? Oh, you're saying I did? Eh, I still think he'd be better in a Toronto uniform. There's something about Clay I just don't trust. When Lester and Beckett take the mound is there EVER any doubt that they are going to own the opposition? Even when they BOTH hit a slump early in the season didn't you have confidence giving them the ball every fifth game? There's something about "The Kid" that doesn't invoke a lot of trust for me.

What did I tell you guys, ORTIZ IS BACK. I don't know what it is but there's something about his swing right now that is making it look more ferocious. Maybe he's realizing that his Batting Average isn't going to end up where he wants it, but he can still rake. I don't care if he ends up hitting under .240 if he finishes with 25+HR's he will have given us that bat that we've been longing for all season and gives our lineup the length that other lineups yearn for. Can you name any other lineup in baseball that has their #7 hitter having 25 HRs? nope you can't, because there isn't any. I am going to stop referring to you as Ortiz. Clark Kent has just ran into the building and came out Superman. Ortiz just ran into the clubhouse and emerged in the batter's box as Big Papi.

Were there some people worried about offense? How about back to back 3 HR games for the Boston 9? Papi has now homered in 3 straight games. Jason Bay seems to be out of his shnide and Justin Masterson seemed like a pretty small price to pay for the Sultan of Squat, Victor Martinez. We've seen the Yankees play .700 ball for the last month plus, let's give the boys from Beantown a turn. This offense is now clicking on all cylinders and with the quality starting pitching (Brad Penny you are not included, because you're an aberration) throwing atleast 6 innings every game we're in good shape. Did I mention we're back leading in the wildcard? Texas is having a tough time dealing with the soon to be MVP Joe Mauer. Who has almost tripled his career high in HR's for the year, and is rapidly approaching .400. If he hits .400 you heard it here, I will die my hair any color you guys want. Leave your color of choice in the comments section.

He Who Shall Not Be Named is said to have just thrown about 100 or so pitches in a bullpen session and is on the comeback trail to join the team sometime in September. Now I have went on record saying that he won't be back and that I don't want him back not only this year but EVER, but it looks like I was incorrect in assessing his injury, listed as eating too many won tons and eggrolls, I mean shoulder fatigue. I'll leave this up to you because I haven't made up my mind yet as to who would start the third playoff game, because we WILL be there in October. Will it be Brad "100 pitches in 4 2/3" Penny, doubtful. Junichi Tazawa? While I think he's got the makeup, he's not ready yet. So it's between Buch, He Who Shall Not Be Named, and Wake. It won't be Wake unless he gets back sometime soon to establish some sort of foothold before the playoffs start. Down to Two. If Buchholz continues to pitch as he has in his last 3 starts you would think it would be him, but with the amount of money that "He" is owed you have to think there will be pressure from above that he needs to pitch in the playoffs.

Food for thought~ Everyone has heard about the "outstanding athleticism" (as evidenced on Friday in a one run ball game running the bases, but I digress) that Clay Buchholz possesses. Does anyone see any parallels between 2009 Clay Buchholz and 2000 Rick Ankiel? We'll know more come October, but the "stuff" they both have is generally unmatched. Let's just hope that "Wild Thing" Vaughn doesn't come a callin' for Clay come playoff time.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

Superman May Not Be Invincible.

If you would have told me that Josh Beckett was going to give up 5 runs in under 6 innnings of work, I'd probably tell you we were going to lose. Not on this night. The bats came alive for a game in which Dustin Pedroia was gone for the birth of his son, Dillon, (who coincidentally is already taller than his father) and Jason Varitek is out with "muscle spasms" in his neck. But the bats brought the thunder and Papelbon produced another white knuckle save.

Josh Beckett for the better part of the last 3 months has been nothing short of Bob Gibson with a splash of Nolan Ryan and a dollop of Pedro Martinez. He has been a force on the mound and has made it clear that he is not only the ace of staff but THE best pitcher in baseball in this the year of the Ox. You have to think though that he was due for a chink in the armor sometime soon, preferably before October. But from the first pitch something just didn't seem right. Normally being able to spot things that the normal fans' eyes can't see because of my exemplary knowledge of pitching (If that's not tooting one's own horn I don't know what is) I couldn't put my finger on it. Then I looked 60 feet 6 inches away and realized that his battery mate was not Jason Varitek. Maybe this is Tito's way of saying, "Tek your arm is about as useful as tits on a bull, and it's causing us games. We'll tell the press you have some strange nagging injury to save face." If not, than it should be. Tek or not, Beckett said this game was a fluke and Victor Martinez did a "great" job back there and that he's caught the last 2 Cy Young award winners so he must be doing something right. I will not mess with Beckett. Because on the off chance he reads this I value my first born children and if he hasn't stolen your girlfriend yet, you are a lucky sonofabitch.

With the diminutive leader out, someone needed to step up. Insert: David Ortiz. Wait a tick, was that a typo? Nope you heard it here first; David Ortiz did something to help the ball club. With home runs in consecutive games David Ortiz seems to be hitting his stride, if you can call .225 hitting "a stride." I will however proclaim that if he gets another 2-3 hits tonight you can expect BIG things from the Large Father for the rest of the season. I really think that he was pressing so much because of those allegations that he wasn't thinking about baseball. And in a season where our DH has for the most part been nonexistent, hitting .325 for the rest of August and September will put us on his back like the Papi of old and hoist us into the playoffs, rather than the jalopy that breaks down at its final destination. As good as Youkilis, Martinez, and Pedroia are, the two people that this offense rests on the most is Jacoby "Grand Theft" Ellsbury and David Americo Ortiz. The Nation still needs you David, slump or not, you are the 1000lb gorilla in this lineup that EVERYONE still fears. This is evident with your intentional walk yesterday while in the 7 hole.

After blowing multiple leads in this game we brought on a less than stellar version of Jonathan Papelbon for a four-out, white knuckle, breath taking save. His excuse? "I felt 10 pounds overweight today,'' said Papelbon, who added that he sat in a spa for four hours Monday. "After an offday like that I had yesterday, I just, my body wasn't clicking. It wasn't in that usual state that it's in after the offday." Our supposed, tough as nails closer was at a spa for 4 hours. Is it just me or is our team getting gayer? Jason Varitek clearly has been wearing a skirt with more regularity behind the dish, Nancy Drew doesn't want to play right because he may break a nail, and now Papelbon is sitting at a spa with cukes on his eyes and that green guacamole crap all over his face. Well that part was made up but you get what I'm saying. I think someone needs to charge the mound, grab their crotch, or throw in the double horseshoe challenge (double-packed lips, top and bottom) to prove that this team still has some masculinity to it.

Today we get Doc and oppose him with Clay Buchholz. While it doesn't look great on paper, who's going to step up and have a huge game against the perennial Cy Young candidate? My guess? Jason Bay. I think he's about ready to catch fire again, but secretly I'm hoping it's David Ortiz. Good Luck and God speed Sox fans.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

Things to Ponder After an Off Day

With a much needed off day yesterday following an arduous series in the heat of Texas, I have a renewed confidence in this team. While I do think that they are going to coast into September on fumes, when the rosters expand this team will be MUCH better off. I've got a few things to ponder regarding the sox and the rest of the league.

• Whether the Sox make the playoffs or not, you can expect some sort of youth overhaul at the end of the season, someone that MAY be intriguing for Boston is Chone Figgins. He fits the mold: plays 3B, OF, Steals bases and is a patient hitter.
  
• I wouldn't rule out the Sox re-opening the talks with Toronto for Halladay, Seattle for Felix, and/or San Diego for Gonzalez.
  
• I am pretty confident that Lowell will not be back next year.
  
• Albert Pujols is leading in 2 of the 3 legs of the triple crown (HR's and RBI's) but is 30 or so points away from the batting title lead. If anyone can do it The Machine can. Bring it home Winnie, make Stan The Man proud.
  
• Jason Bay's value is plummeting and he should have signed the contract that he was offered at the ASB. Look for the Sox to push HARD for Holliday if he'll sign with someone other than the Cards.
  
• I am CONVINCED that the Giants are getting into the playoffs and they are going to wreak havoc all over the NL Post Season.
  
• Although the Sox just got swept by the Yankees I still feel like there is NO advantage to either team head-head.
  
• Josh Beckett will win the Cy Young.
  
• The Braves are going to sneak up on the Mets' and create quite a race down the stretch.
  
• The Marlins are one more LEGIT pitcher away from being a World Series winner.
  
• Jake Peavy is going to get the White Sox in the playoffs.
  

That's what I got for today folks, but let's sees what Tito does with the lineup tonight. Does Ortiz, who seemed to have found his pseudo-stroke again sit twice against the lefties in this series. When will Mike Lowell get the playing time he deserves. Someone hitting a shade under .300 should get the nod over a jelly armed catcher skating by at .223.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

Wild or Not We’ve Got Issues.

I feel as if a punch square in the ball sac would be more welcoming than the atrocity that ensued at The Ballpark in Arlington this weekend. We had a momentous comeback that should have propelled us through at least the entire weekend. Insert: The Legend of VMART starts here. The puzzle that is JD Drew is about to get verbally hanged in this one so shade your children's eyes before reading. This series pissed me off in more ways than one so I figure I'm done trying to think of quirky little ways to serve as prelude to this series. So let's go.

Friday was looking like what I considered to be Worst Case Scenario. Kevin Milwood for some reason is made to look like Roy Halladay EVERY time he toes the rubber against the Sox. We can't muster a clutch hit to save our collective asses, and he seems to have elite pitcher status when he's on the bump against Boston. Of course when he plays the Oakland A's he looks more like Kevin Tapani but I guess that's neither here nor there. Lester gave up 2 quick runs and then settled in and DEFINITELY pitched well enough to win but he would not be factored into the decision. When Milwood finally came out of the game there was a glimmer of hope for the Sox. In the ninth David "I'm going to pretend my bat is dead" Ortiz started a rally, Varitek got on by a blown call by the umpire (whom consequentially were egregious this weekend). The captain was lifted for a pinch runner, Clay Buchholz. Yes I said Clay Buchholz. He's supposed to be the fastest pitcher on the staff. Dustin Pedroia gets a ball that I immediately screamed "LATA BALL" off the bat. Clay who was on second, stops, starts to go back, and then thinks he can still score when the ball is already in the cutoff man's hand. This is what we refer to as a, "dumb shit." Had the game ended like that I would have shit a kitten and as stated in the previous blog, "punched a dog." Victor Martinez took it upon himself to take Texas by the throat and choke slam them, Big Show style. With THE best at-bat of the season, and probably the most clutch since last postseason's Coco Crisp epic I was VERY optimistic for the rest of this series.

While my projecting of the rotation was slightly off, thinking that Penny was pitching "Getaway Day", he didn't and I was chalking this up for a loss on the first pitch. The most glaring thing about this game was the supplanting of Derek Holland as Red Sox Killer. I knew they were in for it when Ellsbury couldn't read Holland's move to first. This was telling considering when Holland was delivering a pitch, Ellsbury was diving back to first. Holland was on point all night, throwin gas and painting the black. I rescind what I said previously that the Rangers don't have pitching. They have pitching and what's scary is they have YOUNG pitching. For the novices that don't know what that means, it means the years to come are going to be just as difficult to beat these guys. We made the mistake, I mean acquisition of signing Alex Gonzalez. We already have holes in our offense the size of Christina Aguilera's *watch your mouth*, and we bring in a .210 hitter on the season. When JJ Hardy is available via trade and we grab another player flirting with the Mendoza line it's almost as if the Brass is packing it in this year. Great work! Brian Anderson is hitting in the .210's, Jason "linguine arm" Varitek is hovering around .220, and David "The Enigma" Ortiz is more puzzling than someone buying tickets to watch Chumbawumba in Concert. I'm comparing this lineup to a little league lineup, where you put your worst player in right field and hope they don't hit it out there and after the top 6 in your order the drop-off in production and talent is bottomless.

Junichi Tazawa, while I still think he's a VERY good pitcher, it seems as if he's still at least a year away after getting his tits lit on Sunday's Matinee. Without a quality start from him I knew we weren't going to win. The one thing to take from this game, you ask? I'll give you two. Ian Kinsler seems to put this team on his back EVERY time they play us. And Dustin Pedroia's power surge is back, and let's hopes he can go on a 2008-like stretch where he hit .500 for an unprecedented 30 games.

The two most nagging things NOT NAMED the Red Sox offense, are the "pissing me offish nature" of JD Drew, and Jason Varitek's inability to throw ANYONE out.

After Friday's game Terry Francona made public that JD Drew asked out of the game after his at bat in the Top of the Ninth. First off, Tito doesn't make ANYTHING public unless he's fed up but for a player to ask out of a game because of a pseudo injury that pisses me off! Now, if he had a broken leg I MAY consider taking him out. But, other than the Yankee series this is the most important/intense game of the year thus far, and you ask out. Who are you? There is no one else available to go in, that's 1, you are getting paid 14+ mil/year to PLAY, that's 2, you just stuck a dagger in Texas' heart and your testosterone should be flowing but instead estrogen is seeping out of your veins. You are supposed to be an above average defender (I'm suspicious), an above average arm (I'm not convinced, above average, see: VINTAGE VLAD GUERRERO), "Mantle like Power" (as stated by Tony Larussa, but Walt Weiss like power seems more plausible), and above average speed (Ellsbury laughs at you as he passes you by). You are a pansy, you are NOT a ball player, and you are more importantly NOT a Red Sox. A ballplayer does not ask out of a game no matter what injury. Mickey Mantle is turning over in his grave. You were an All-American football player and now if a blade of grass is in your way you're out 4-5 days with a sprained pinky toe nail. You are not an asset to this team, you are an absolute abomination to this sport, and give all players a bad name for being prima donna pussies. IF you go out and break every record tomorrow I still can't stand you, and I sincerely hope at the end of this season you are no longer on the Red Sox, I don't care if we have to take on all of your salary in return for a bullpen coach to be named later I loathe you, and hope that the warning track gives you turf toe for the rest of your career.

A topic that is very near and dear to my heart is catching attempted base runners stealing. When the opposition is able to steal at a rate of above 90% you not only have a problem, you have a giant sign on your back that says, "You should steal because Lifetime is my favorite channel and my hosiery is bunching." Every time you throw you're thinking about it now. You have absolutely no confidence, there's a hitch in your arm, and it's almost as if your wishing it to beat the runner there rather than taking the pill and firing it there no holds barred. This is alarming when the powerhouse teams in the AL have players such as, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Julio Borbon, Chone Figgins, Curtis Granderson, Scott Podsednik, not to mention EVERY player on the Rays starting 9 for Christ's sake. There is no remedy for this, sorry to say Sox fans. The best case scenario will be addressing the issue, this offseason, by checking the "DO NOT PICK UP HIS OPTION" box. The only disheartening thing about his contract is the fact that he can pick up his own option for a salary about half as much as he gets paid now and we may be forced to use him as a back up next season.

Finally, I will write a retraction, per one of my avid BOTN fans, the Texas Rangers ARE for real. I still think they will win the AL West, but the Wildcard is coming out of the East. The young pitching that they have IS good enough to get into the playoffs. And their middle relief with Feliz and CJ Wilson is as close to Bard and Ramirez from our bullpen as I've seen. If pitching wins ball games, Texas has MANY more games to add to the W column and make a run at the division crown.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

We’ve Just Been Verlander’d

This is why Justin Verlander is in the midst of all the Cy Young talk with Josh Beckett, Roy Halladay, and Zack Greinke. He flat out, out-classed the Red Sox on Thursday, and he should have! On a day where we trot out the Cactus League All Stars (Kotchman, Reddick, Woodman, (I may start lumping Papi in here)) we deserved to lose. Justin Verlander with his, on average 97.3mph fastball, and his changeup (harder than 65% of the Big Leagues fastballs) were slicing and dicing his way through the Pedroia-less Boston 9. He threw 123 pitches and his last pitch to Jason Bay was clocked at 100mph. Verlander did what he had to do for his team on a day where he was facing essentially the Toronto Blue Jays. And I'm going to say that he is the RAREST pitcher in baseball. He is the only person in the league that for 8 innings can throw upwards of 98-100 mph, and throw 70% of his pitches for strikes. That makes for a very long day for ANYONE's offense. Let's face it Sox fans, we've been Verlander'd.

What didn't go unnoticed was another well tossed ballgame by the biggest enigma in Boston Sports, Clay Buchholz. What's the difference between Clay Buchholz and Josh Beckett, aside from the sheer kick-ass nature that radiates through JB's pores? Beckett can bend but he won't give in and give up a run. Buchholz although the first run was unearned had to find a way to pitch out of that jam. He needs to get downright dirty when there are runners in scoring position. Get that bulldog mentality and get rid of the deer in the headlights look. You have all the make up to be a front line starter, please don't turn into Craig Hansen. But I have to give credit where credit is due. Say Hey Clay twirled in his best game since his no-no, but picked the wrong day to give up a run. I think it's safe to say he has just been Verlander'd.

While you could chalk it up to a dazzling pitching performance by the aforementioned Justin Verlander, David Ortiz looked like he brought a knife to a gun fight, with Verlander having an AK-47 and Papi holding a plastic butter knife. David Ortiz is no longer the Big Papi we know and love. While I'll give him the benefit of the doubt with regards to his steroid allegations (I think I owe him that much) I have come to the painstaking realization that this team is NOT better with David Ortiz in the lineup. Yes, Mike Lowell is on fire, and NO it's not going to last, not to this extent anyway. He needs to be sat when Youkilis comes back from his suspension in favor or Mike Lowell. He can't get around on any fastball over 94mph with any regularity. He's off-balance when Uncle Charlie comes a callin'. He hasn't been able to come through with that big hit when we need him to like the Papi of Yesteryear. I'm not mad at Papi for hitting like Argenis Diaz, I thank him for all the memories that he has given us, but it's time to grab some pine. Just another case of being Verlander'd.

Moving forward, we are going to really find out what the Dog Days in summer are like down in Arlington with the Wild Card Lead on the line. Here's what I think. THE RANGERS ARE NOT THAT GOOD. Their offense is phenomenal, but their pitching is marginal at best. The Wild Card IS coming from the AL EAST. That being said I think they are going to catch the Angels who also, this year, can't seem to pitch their way out of a paper bag. They are however going to lose some ground in this series. Boston will win 2 out of 3. They will lose the Brad Penny, getaway day game. Tazawa will throw a gem and Lester will be flat out dominant tonight. The one person I'm excited to see is the rookie fireballer in Texas, Neftali Perez. As easy as Daniel Bard makes throwing 100mph look, this kid looks like he's throwing 120.

Lastly, I just heard that the Sox put in a waiver claim for Reds SS Alex Gonzalez. I'm gonna call bullshit on this one because you should have kept him 3 f'n years ago! I don't want him now. They need to find a way to get JJ Hardy if they are going to splash into the shortstop waiver market. Buckle up Sox fans, the next week and a half WILL, in fact, tell you how good our hometown heroes are. But as far as yesterday is concerned, we were Verlander'd and there's not much we can do about it. But let it be known if we get Milwood'd tonight, I'm probably going to go Chris Brown on someone.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

The Brawl and The White Sox MACHINE

So I guess there was a brawl last night. I'm not sure I'm going to actually call it a brawl. Do you guys remember that pseudo fight from Me Myself & Irene, in the parking lot of the gas station? That's closer to what it was like, than a "brawl."

Rick Porcello, a 20 year old, toed the slab at Fenway for the first time. In the top of the first, the Superstar of his lineup (Cabrera) got plunked CLEARLY not on purpose, with 2 runners on in his first start of his major league career. In the bottom frame, he took it upon himself to go up and in on Victor Martinez after getting two quick outs. While it did stand V-Mart up, and induced a stare down, he eventually got him to strike out. The point was made, he threw some chin music, made it known that he wanted to protect his slugger and that was honorable. Even had he have hit Victor I would have been OK with it.

What I did have a problem with was that first pitch coming high, and in on Kevin Youkilis. For a man that has had only hit one batter ALL YEAR to that point, he clearly has a surgeons' precision on the mound. Youkilis also getting dotted the night before had enough. He looked towards the dugout quickly and then charged the mound. At first Porcello had the dear in the headlights look, and then did a "flying Luchador" like move to spin throw Youkilis onto the ground.

I have however come to a revelation. Mike Lowell needs to play. It does stem somewhat from the 2 dingers he hit last night. That being said here is what needs to happen going forward. Martinez needs to catch Penny, Buchholz, Wakefield, Tazawa, insert every pitcher OTHER THAN Lester and Beckett. Varitek only plays when the aces pitch. Youkilis slides back to his Gold Glove winning position and Lowell plays third. On the days that Varitek catches then Lowell platoons with Papi, not necessarily righty/lefty, but based on career numbers if someone hits well against a pitcher whether it's a right OR a lefty that person plays. But Varitek's bat is inducing an automatic out in the 7/8 hole and our best lineup most days is without him in it.

The verdict on Junichi Tazawa? I LOVE HIM! Had Nick "Stone Hands" Green have been able to start the front end of an inning ending double play twice, he could have gotten out of the inning unscathed and saved himself about 20 pitches, in turn pitched deeper into the ball game. I like this kid, he brings a LOT to the table, and I look forward to seeing him dissect that Texas Ranger Lineup that Smoltz couldn't finish the deal on. DOMO ARIGATO JUNICHI-SAN.

To show all you BOTNers that I'm not oblivious to the rest of the baseball world, and that I know a thing or two about other teams/players in Major League Baseball. Here's something to wet your whistle.

If I can say one thing about the White Sox GM Kenny Williams, He has BALLS. Apparently so does Lady Gaga. He trades 4 minor leaguers for Jake Peavy who despite being on the DL till the end of August is one of the top 10 pitchers in baseball to join a rotation with Mark Buehrle, and now he has put in a waiver claim AND won the rights to the contract heavy Alex Rios.

Alex Rios, despite underperforming with a gargantuan contract, is a huge pick up for the White Sox and I am recognizing them now as the AL Central powerhouse. Enough about the Tigers. Yes, they have Verlander and Cabrera and Edwin Jackson has over performed. But Magglio Ordonez is a shell of his self, Brandon Inge is NOT a home run threat I don't care what Karl Ravech tells me, and Clete Thomas is not a major league ball player (remnants of Benny Agbayani come to mind.)

Kenny Williams is building a machine for an offense with a middle of the order comprised of Carlos Quentin, Alexei Ramirez, Jim Thome, Gordon Beckham, Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, and now Alex Rios. Rios has not yet peaked as a ballplayer and is going to be one of the most underrated waiver claims in recent years. Is it a risk? Of course it's a risk but he's still just 28 and has PLENTY of good baseball years left.

This team while being very equipped for a "win now" season is also setting themselves up nicely with ONLY 61 million in committed salary next year. Jake Peavy gives them the back end of a 1-2 punch to combat with the likes of Beckett-Lester, Sabathia-Burnett, Garza-Shields, Lincecum-Cain, Billingsley-Kershaw, and Hamels-Lee. Peavy, when healthy, is a Roy Halladay-esque pitcher. He wants to win first and foremost, can throw upwards of 130 pitches every time he's out there and still shut down good offenses with 4+ pitches.

The Red Sox have not yet played the White Sox this year and all I know is that Rios is a notorious Boston Killer. These two moves could make them a VERY formidable opponent in the playoffs.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

Hallelujah

What is it about Fenway Park that makes everything seem all right. The Red Sox as expected by me, snapped their 6 game skid, and more importantly FINALLY picked up a game in the standings to take sole possession of the Wild Card, and clawing their way within 5.5 games of the Division crown. As stated yesterday, this race is not over. It's like the Yankees whom we'll call Vintage Muhammad Ali, the Red Sox whom we'll call George Foreman (Circa The Rumble in the Jungle), and the Rays named Evander Holyfield prior to the "de-earing" by Mike Tyson. In short we're a bunch of heavyweights housing the snot out of eachother. Buckle up AL East this one's going 12 rounds.

Before getting into the game, I need to gripe about some of the fans around New England. I've been listening pretty regularly to WEEI lately (mostly for comedic purposes.) It seems that the only people that know who they are talking about on that show are Michael Holley and Dale Arnold. But when people are calling up saying that Terry Francona needs to be fired, or we should just Eat a contract of Ortiz's stature they should probably be shot. People should untie their nooses and get back into the swing of things because it ain't over till it's over baby.

Francona, once again, made the right move by demoting J Bay to 7^th in the lineup. No, he isn't a #7 in the lineup kind of guy but he needed a wakeup call. He's been positively wretched and he responded brilliantly. Hitting a homerun and just missing another one. If not for Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury would be my Sox MVP this year. Although had a little rough patch early in the season he's over .300 for the year, plays gold glove defense, and is 2^nd in the league in stolen bases.

I do have one bone to pick with you BOTN readers. When you ask a question to someone do you expect an answer? If not than disregard this paragraph. If you like 98.8% of American's like a response when speaking to someone not named Hellen Keller you should probably leave the answer to the questions in the comment section. So I will break it down a little further. If you see this symbol ? at the end of a sentence, you should instantly think, "oh, shit he's asking me a question I should answer him." Great.

So here are some questions.

Do you think the AL EAST Race is over?

Are the Red Sox good enough to make the playoffs?

If the AL East is betrothed to the Yankees, can they still win the Wild Card?

Let's see what you got BOTNers.

Ryan

The Night That Could Have Been

You know that when Jon Lester takes the mound, especially against the Yankees, he's going to dazzle. He certainly didn't disappoint. He struck out 7 Bombers, 5 of them of the backwards K variety. While Andy Pettite was not as dominating as the young lefty he did match him pitch for pitch through 7 innings. I thought Lester's performance was going to be all for naught when he threw a fastball over the heart of the plate to Alex Rodriguez, who prior to the HR was hitting below .100 against Lester in his career.

On a side note, this series was monumental for the Yankee 3^rd baseman. Most of you have probably heard that when you go to a team you are not necessarily enshrined in the team lore until you have proven infallible against an arch enemy or coming up big in the playoffs (ie JD Drew). While JD Drew is mired in a funk and not worth half of the salary that he's getting paid, Alex Rodriguez however is coming up big not just by hitting but just his presence hitting behind Teixeira is making the entire team better. Tex + A-Rod=Manny + Papi or Gherig + Ruth. Maybe a little premature but starting to look that way.

For an offense that was reminiscent of Shaq's free-throw shooting ability for 31 innings they needed a lift. In Step: Victor Martinez. Before we get into what V-mart did I have a question. What the hell is Joe Girardi thinking throwing Phil Coke against anyone when he has the newly emerged Phil Hughes in his bullpen? Back to the action. Victor is clearly wanting a fastball. How do I know this? For the first three pitches ALL CURVEBALLS he's swinging out of his ass and ahead of all of them. Phil Joke did him a favor and tossed him a cookie on the inner third and Victor creased the ball and put it out into the grandstand in left.

This may have woken up the sleeping giant that is the Red Sox offense, but this lead lasted about as long as Paris Hilton's clothes at a P Diddy party. In Step: Daniel Bard. What should have been the major sub plot of this 2009 season, Bard definitely looked like a rookie on this night. While it is infuriating that a batter who swings with one-arm can turn around and hit a 98 mph fastball. The curve ball to Teixeira was a bad decision. Yes hindsight is 20/20 and his defense is palatable (He hadn't thrown back to back breaking balls all season) but look back to the marathon 15 inning Friday affair. You blew him away with a 99mph fastball to which Sexy Texy mouthed, "WOW" when he chased a fastball up and away. You HAVE to come back with the cheese there. Not the easy cheese you need to pump it in there at triple digits and say, "Hit this."

At the conclusion of the inning, the sox were down 5-2 and didn't lead an entire FULL inning during the 4 game set, and were essentially 6.5 games back in the standings. But while looking into ELIAS Sports Bureau I found out that the Yankees have NEVER in their history blown a lead of 6 or more games, this season isn't over yet. It's August 10^th, and we still have 2 series left against each other not to mention we don't have ANY more West Coast Trips remaining. We still have a shot at the division. While we have to take this race 1 game at a time we are still tied for the lead in the wild card and we have a series against the other Wild Card leader Texas upcoming.

Some encouraging things (I realize they are few and far between) that I saw during this pivotal series.

1. Clay Buchholz is capable of throwing in a hostile environment and a big game. He not only gave us a chance to win but if we had ANY semblance of an offense we would have probably won that game.
   
2. Our Bullpen is still FANTASTIC. Although we lost all four of those games our bullpen was like The Rock in Walking Tall. Bad ass and you don't want to mess with them. EVEN MANNY DELCARMEN.
   
3. The Junichi Tazawa era is here and I for one am flabbergasted with how excited I am. I think my man crush has left Albert Pujols and I think has now started meandering over to J-Taz (one man crush per man, and yes J Taz is his new nickname.) He reminds me of an unpolished Tim Lincecum with less violence in his pitching motion. Don't look at that home run as a bad thing, it's one bad pitch and he's not a relieve he's a starter! He's starting on Tuesday and here's my synopsis on him. I think he's young enough to NOT hit that three year wall. He didn't pitch in Japan long enough to be on their regimen. I'm EXCITED.
   

That's about all I got for you guys. But we have the Tigers now and we swept them once, let's do it again.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

The Truth Shall Set You Free.

The day that was Saturday was not a particularly favorable one for this blogger. For those of you who don't know I am expecting my second child, a little girl. The mother of my children was feeling some discomfort so we took her to the hospital. Once at the hospital they said we have a problem and we need to rush her to a hospital that has a NICU. If you don't have children you don't want to know how horrible it feels to be so helpess when all you want to do is grab the bull by the horns and save your children. Once at the new hospital everything was calmed down and the crisis was averted, but not before many tears and fears from both prospective parents. I'm not a religious man but maybe Josh Hamilton was onto something with that revelation.

What a great segway!

On the morn after two admissions/apologies from David Ortiz and Josh Hamilton there are conflicting emotions running through my body in both cases. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that everyone and their second cousin twice removed has heard of the PED scandal with David Ortiz, but for those who haven't heard about the former number 1 pick here's the low down.

This past January, Hamilton went out to a bar in Arizona (without his wife) and there were some shall we say provocative photos taken. Clearly alcohol was involved and for a man on the path to sobriety that isn't a good combination.

Hamilton did something far more noble AND honorable than hitting a game winning homerun (which are few and far between this year but that's not the point of this post.) The day after his binge he called his wife, teammates, and Rangers' ownership to let them know about the slip off the wagon. He not only informed but apologized for the distraction it could present. Since the pictures flared recently he said he would issue a private statement to his teammates to clear the air for the stretch run in their pennant race. Admirable and in my eyes, Forgiven.

Now, to a topic a little bit more controversial, David Americo Ortiz. With the infamous 104 player list looming over his head he took the stand (as he said he would) and fielded questions with a beleaguered stature and what seemed to be an honest plight. Not just looking at his batting average over the last 10 days but you can tell that this situation was physically and emotionally draining our DH.

He said that he has "never bought or used steroids." Is this the truth? He certainly has plausible deniability in this situation. Donald Fehr's heir, Michael Weiner, certainly did his job very well saying that there are some people on the test that didn't necessarily test positive in '03. Here's the 100,000 dollar question though: Do we believe him because he's David Ortiz and he would never do Red Sox Nation wrong or is it because the facts say that he's innocent?

I would have been inclined to believe both until Sean McAdam, nationally renowned writer for The Herald, asked him point blank if he had ever taken androstenedione. (The drug Mark McGwire took while it was legal during his record breaking season.) He said, "I can't really say." That, like this entire era, is speculative at best and it does implicate him to taking something to get an "edge."

I'm not sure how to feel about the "clutchest" hitter in BoSox history, but this interview was a lot more reminiscent of Andy Pettite's rather than Alex Rodriguez. And there's a lot to be said about that. When you think steroids or PED's do you think Andy Pettite? I don't, and going forward in the years to come hopefully Ortiz' name will be obsolved as well.

There’s Almost Not a Good Enough Title for That Shitshow of a Game.

That game was absolutely heinous. Smoltz was well, in a word, Carl Pavano. It's pretty telling that after they took the 11-4 lead I turned on the Disney Channel to watch the pre-pubescent Shia LaBeouf in "The Even Stevens Movie." I'm more ashamed to say that I was watching the Sox game last night.

First off, the Dave Roberts' experiment is working about as well as the John Smoltz trial (and error). At one point last night when Jed Lowrie struck out on three pitches Dave "The Steal" Roberts said this: "That's just a case of nerves right there." No it's not! He started him up with a backdoor slider on the outer edge. Then came inside with that slider that he check swung at, and he couldn't hold his swing. Then put him away with a fastball on the black about 4 inches off the plate. That's not nerves jackass that's called an excellent example of pitch execution by Joba Chamberlain. I don't know how much more I can take of the desecration of the color man by Dave Roberts. Stick to stealing bases. I've got a fever and the only prescription, is more Eckersley.

EXTRA EXTRA DAVID ORTIZ WILL BE ADDRESSING THE MEDIA ON SATURDAY. Although it's taken him just over a week it is time for this prolific slugger to come clean. I don't want to hear lies. I don't want to hear about your pseudo-cousin in El Dominica that gave you "boli." Give it to me straight up. If you took a needle, say it. If you took a supplement that you think was tainted, say it. And if you absolutely didn't do it then you need to come out and say it and then say why it took you a week to even deny the fact that you did anything at all.

Smoltzy, Smoltzy, Smoltzy. What are we going to do with you? You bust your ass to get back here and then you come out throwing like Chase Wright. You think its correctable. I'm not so sure anymore. You clearly weren't reading that piece that I wrote the other day that said something to the effect of MOVE THEM OFF THE FUCKING PLATE. You look like a nine year old throwing against Albert Pujols. And when Melky Cabrera looks like The Machine, we have a serious discrepancy. Thanks for the time and effort Smoltz but I think I've about had my fill now.

On a lighter note, Dustin Pedroia hit an "oppo-bomb" as he said in his post game interview for the first game in his career. OK I'm sorry but when he is hitting opposite field home runs you know there's a problem with your stadium. That stadium is going to be about as bad for the home run records as Winstrol and DecaDurabolin combined.

I would personally like to thank Kevin Youkilis for being the 2^nd most versatile player in the game (1^st Mark Derosa) in taking hold of left field. You didn't look pretty but you got the job done.

Why would anyone use, let alone call up, Billy Traber. This kid throws like Jonathan Lipnicki at the end of Jerry Maguire. You can see the ball the entire time he goes through his wind up and was absolutely no mystery on the mound. Bowden would have been a much more viable option. But at least Reddick is coming back to provide some sort of spark in our offense. VICTOR CAN'T DO IT ALONE PEOPLE.

I'm going to go out on a limb for tonights game and GUARANTEE victory behind Commander Kick Ass. I'm also going to say that within the first three innings he announces his presence with authority (Thank You Bull Durham) and plunks someone or at the very least sits them on their ass. They were way too comfortable in that box and that's going to change tonight. Time to sit back and let the Ace work. Good luck.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

Swept Away

I realize that through the rigors of a baseball season there are peaks and valleys, but when we have our foot on someone's (Rays) throat and then they pull a Bruce Lee and grab our ankle and flip us into submission, there's cause for concern. I don't know that they have better hitters than the Red Sox, but I'll tell you this: These "sonsabitches" are fast. Upton, Crawford and Bartlett aside, Varitek is getting a slap in the face when Evan Longoria whom upon last night had 2 steals on the season stole second base. Then Probably the slowest person on their team aside from Michel Hernandez (who names their son Michelle) Carlos Pena thought he could get in on the theft party. Luckily The Captain threw out his first baserunner in 3 weeks.

Now we enter the Bronx. We are playing a team that we have beaten 8 times out of 8. But is this the same team? Their bullpen is improved with the emergence of Phil "I'm trying to be Mariano of 1996" Hughes, Teixiera is probably going to win the AL MVP this year, and AJ Burnett is throwing the shit out of the ball. Let's not mention that since Alex Rodriguez returned from his injury that the Yankees have the best record in baseball. This is a team that is much more complete and is hitting their stride. But, is there any way they can keep up this pace for the rest of the season?

So what do we do to combat the surging Rays and the seemingly insurmountable New York Yankees? PAUL BYRD. I'm not entirely sure this makes a lot of sense but it couldn't be worse than Smoltz has been or as inconsistent as Brad Penny.

I'll have more for you guys after the first round of this 4 game slugfest.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

The Turning Point

If the Red Sox don't make the playoffs, and the Rays can find a way to sneak in this will be the turning point in both of our seasons. It seems like the game went for 5 hours, oh it did, scratch that. Inside this game were some of the best and worst display of "baseball" that I've seen.

First off I'm giving credit where credit is due, both bullpens were phenomenal. I have never seen so many jams in one game averted, as they were last night, and into the wee hours of this morning. Origami (or Manny DelCarmen [folds under pressure, remember?]) came in and cleaned up Daniel Bard's mess. For the first time, I'm going to say ever, do I have a little bit of confidence in him. Bard just didn't have it last night. Not sure if the gun was a tick or two slow but he wasn't 98-100 but 94-96 mostly. He threw a cock shot to Evan Longoria who deposited it about 430 feet, atop the CF backdrop. Then he couldn't throw his breaking ball for a strike but it's no cause for alarm. The kid is electric and WILL help this team. Just a blip in the radar. Was anyone looking for Justin Masterson in the bullpen? I certainly was.

Evan Longoria. Where to begin. HOLY SHIT THIS KID IS GOOD. He made 2-3 above average plays at the Hot corner. Hits the game tying HR and later in the game or the next day if you will hits the game winner to which I turned my TV off on contact. I didn't want to see it land for fear that that ball was going to hit my car here in New Hampshire. Here's the next tier of superstar staring at us in the face essentially saying, "I just owned your ass."

Situational baseball. I KNOW that it's not Tito's style to bunt or move the runner with small ball, but wouldn't that be the most advantageous time to do it. Joe Maddon knows that you're not going to bunt so move the runner over! In the same token, the Rays should have won the game FAR before the 13^th last night. There is no way that you can squander two bases loaded no out chances. Had they have lost that game I would have written the Rays off and they probably would have tail-spinned for the remainder of the season. Now I am worried, this is not just a two team race, and the Rays are armed for the rest of the grind.

Josh Reddick is quickly becoming a pretty important guy on this team. Although he did strike out and look like a rookie at times last night, he came through with what could have been a huge hit had the rest of the Red Sox been able to muster anything off of the Rays 'pen.

This sets up the "Money" Battle tonight. Penny vs. Price. See what I did there? I made an atrocious attempt at a play on words and it really didn't work but I thought it was funny at first. I'm not sure who I like in this game but hopefully Brad "Shrek" Penny can come through for the sox tonight.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

The Slayer.

So if you're following me on Twitter you would have realized that I was watching a movie last night. While it started off interesting and the plotline was fantastic, Nicholas Cage and all of the supporting actors, to put in perspective, was like watching the high school play with way too much over-acting. The movie I am of course referring to is "Knowing." Now history should have told me don't watch it because once you go from a kick-ass movie like "Face/Off" to an abomination like "The Family Man" you're career is pretty much over. But me being the eternal optimist (ok that was a stretch) said, "Give him a shot." I ended up wanting to shoot myself by the end of it and actually said out loud, Nicholas Cage, YOU SLAY ME.

So speaking of slaying, Matt Cain the second leg of the Giants 1-2 tandem, is wading into Juan Marichal Territory right now. Although he lost yesterday, his ERA is down hovering around 2.2. In short, he's absolutely dealing. His teammate Tim "The Freak" Lincecum just struck out 15 the other day, and with a couple of minor deadline deals to pick up Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Garko gave them atleast some semblance of an offense which may lead them to October. If they get there…LOOK OUT WORLD!

I'm a little worried playing the Rays. Their entire lineup is going to run all over both of our catchers, and it could be a quick two game sweep. Hopefully Lester can get us started off on the right foot. But he's opposed by the Red Sox Killer Matt Garza. Good luck.

Stay Tuned

Ryan

The Deadline, The Disappointment, The Optomism

Call me pessimistic but I'm only giving this deadline a B-. While Victor Martinez is definitely an upgrade to the offense and gives the Red Sox even more depth than they already had. He is a sub par defensive catcher, ( I say that knowing that Jason Varitek has only thrown out an abysmal 13 of 90 base runners.) He is a sub par defensive first basemen but if you asked me if I could get an .300 hitter for Justin Masterson and Nick Hagadone. Yes I would.

What did we give away? Justin Masterson is THE most versatile pitcher in Major League Baseball. But in this, his first full season he has been very inconsistent when facing lefties. With Carlos Pena, Mark Teixeira, Nick Markakis and Robinson Cano in our division that cancels him out against some of the leagues toughest hitters. He is going to be made a starter in Cleveland and will be a SOLID #3 starter for them for years.

Nick Hagadone for those of you that don't know much about him is essentially the new Toronto phenom Ricky Romero, but with an asterisk. He is just returning from Tommy John surgery. He throws 97 from the left side and has the makeup for a front line starter if he stays healthy.

Ya know the thing about Brian Price is....crickets...crickets...Who the hell is this guy? He was their number 1 pick in 2008 so he should be somewhat good but damned if i know.

There was however some disappointment at the deadline. I'm not sure that Beckett and Lester are going to be enough to lead us to the post season. Buchholz is 25, and in a word, disappointing. The No hitter he threw was against the Baltimore AAA team in late September and it has only deterred his development. Smoltz is STILL not getting the job done (See previous blog post) and Penny is such an enigma He'll go 5 innings and look like Bob Gibson (ok that's a stretch how about Bob Stanley?) and then he'll look like Rick Ankiel from the Cardinals playoff run. It's maddening.

They didn't give away ANY of the players that Toronto wanted in the haul that would have commanded Roy Halladay. So it is wonder to me why they didn't pull the trigger. I was absolutely floored when I was reading on MLBTradeRumors.com when I heard that the Red Sox were inquiring on King Felix from Seattle. I will say this that I would rather have Felix than Halladay. Felix, whom I have seen throw 98 mph with a 2-seam, is 23 years old and would be an Ace of the staff for 10 plus years. Well there's still the waiver deadline.

Josh Reddick got the call up due to the depleting health of our outfield and he has done nothing short of been sensational. He is on an absolute tear and hit his first Major League Home run in the slugfest that was Sunday's ball game. Anyone having 2007 Jacoby Ellsbury flashbacks? Anyone? Ok well its just 2 games but he's electric and can't wait to see more of him.

Stay Tuned

Ryan