Against the Ropes

If it was a boxing match, we'd be on the verge of TKO. Luckily the bell sounded and they get to head back to their corner and regroup and try to change the game plan mid fight.

The Rays have been throwing and landing the haymakers. 31 runs in 3 games covering 29 innings is quite impressive. That is over 1 run per inning. Meanwhile, the jabs from the Red Sox have not been able to penetrate the tough defense.

The Rays really have the Sox on the ropes. This is a position that they have been in and have fought back from before. Will the Rays let them off the hook? In a curious move, Rays manager Joe Maddon is pushing up Scott Kazmir to pitch Game 5 tomorrow and pushing James Shields back to pitch game 6. With the way Kazmir has been struggling lately, it seems Maddon is conceding game 5 to the Sox, even though another get by Dice-K similar to game 1's outing is unlikely.

Is Maddon afraid of wasting another Shields outing, and having Kazmir have another bad outing in game 6, thus allowing the Sox to get back to even with Lester ready to go in a game 7? Or is it because of some history between Kazmir and umpire Daryll Cousins, who will be behind the plate for game 6? I don't know. The Red Sox bats have been quite stymied and frustrated the last 2 games, could Kazmir be the wake-up call they need to get back in the series?

It will be interesting to see how this move pans out for the Rays. While the Evan Longoria 1st inning HR off Beckett in game 2 seemed to revive the Rays, could Kazmir be the remedy for the Sox to get right back in this?

We'll see! Go Sox!

On a side note, there was a nice piece in today's USA Today about some legendary play-by-play guys. Vin Scully and Harry Kalas are broadcasting legends. I can remember NBC Saturday Baseball games manned by Scully and Joe Garagiola, not too mention the many World Series games he's called. I was more familiar with Harry Kalas as the narrator for a lot of the NFL Films productions, with his unique voice. While dating my wife, and the many times I drove to her place, for some reason the local Boston AM station wouldn't come in (mind boggling), but somehow I could pick up 1210 AM out of Phillie, and hear Kalas call the Phillies games for part of the ride. To me, these are the voice of baseball, along with Mel Allen who I knew mostly from This Week in Baseball. How about that? Anyway, a nice piece to take a look at.

Time to Panic?

It’s been a busy week, both for me and for baseball. Sorry for the absence of posts, however, I was helping the little woman prepare the house for a party in celebration of our daughter’s 1st Birthday / Baptism which took place on Sunday. The event was a success, while the Patriots game later that night was not a success.

Anyway, a lot has happened. The Phillies are on the verge of returning to the World Series for the first time since 1993 (oh Mitch Williams, your redemption may come) after taking a 3 – 1 series lead over the Dodgers. Game 3 of the series provide a weak attempt at recreating the Red Sox – Rays brawl from this summer. It was another humorous square dancing event, rather than a fight.

Meanwhile, our beloved Red Sox started out great, shutting out the Rays in Game 1 behind a great pitching performance by Dice-K. Red Sox fans had visions of a 3 game to zero lead in their head with Beckett and Lester to follow, but the Rays bats through in a monkey wrench. Tampa’s offense came alive with back-to-back games of 9 runs, bashing 7 HRs in the processes, reducing Beckett and Lester to the likes of John Wasdin and Matt Young (minus the walks).

Meanwhile (I feel like the narrator from the old Batman TV series with all of these meanwhiles), the Red Sox lumber have seem to take an extended slumber. Aside from Pedroia (.545), Youkilis (.429), and Bay (.455) not another batter is batting above .250. Ellsbury, Ortiz, and Varitek are all hitless in the series.

Should we be worrying? History says no. We all remember 2004, down 3 games to zero to the Yankees, don’t we? How about 2007 where we were down 3 games to 1 to the Indians and had to face their 2 best pitchers in games 6 and 7? So, being down 2 games to 1 while troublesome, is not worrisome on the whole.

Tonight, we have Tim Wakefield slated to start against Andy Sonnanstine in Game 4. In 3 starts this season versus TB, Wakefield is 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA. The Red Sox have lost all 3 of those games. Sonnanstine, in 2 starts, is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He has given up only 7 hits, 2 walks and 2 Unearned runs in 13 innings while Tampa has won both of those games. So, looking at those numbers, it doesn’t look good for tonight.

However, so far in these 3 games, nothing has really gone as anticipated. I mean, how many people predicted that Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz would combine for zero hits and 1 RBI in the 3 games? Would you be surprised if Wakefield went 8 innings of 3 hit baseball? Well, maybe! There is still lots of baseball to be played, and lots of thing could be happen. That one thing that would truly be surprising, though, is if Ortiz finishes the series still without a hit.

Go Sox!

Dreams Drowned Out. Can't we flood the domes?

Well, the Sox' dream of winning the AL East were drowned out last night, literally, as the Yanks spanked a plethora of pitcher in route to a 19-8 victory. Hey, that score rings a bell to me. Oh, yeah...I remember:


We all remember what happened after that game...

Anyway, congratulations to the Tampa Bay Rays on officially winning the AL East last night. What an amazing season they've had, indeed. It is actually refreshing to see a team other than the Yankees or Red Sox winning the AL East. I probably wouldn't be saying that if the Red Sox didn't clinch the wild card, but they did finish third in 2005. The Rays are actually a team I could root for, except for the 2 things:

1) They play in the AL East.
2) They play in a Dome.

I hate domes. For baseball or football, it doesn't matter, it is just strange to watch a game in those venues. Basketball is an indoor sport. Not baseball. Not football. Not too mention, the game should be played on REAL grass, definitely not turf. It is one of the reasons I am hoping the White Sox win the Central instead of the Twins. The Metrodome is one of the ugliest looking places I've seen. Thank goodness Minnesota is getting a new stadium in 2010.

This playoff race is getting great. Twins still lead the White Sox by a 1/2 game after each team lost last night. The Twins have 2 to play while the White Sox may have 3 to play. The Mets lost while both the Phillies and Brewers won, seriously crippling the Mets playoff chances. Phillies need 1 win in the final 2 to lock up the East, or just need the Mets to lose again which is the more likely scenario. The Brewers took a 1 game lead in the Wild Card with 2 games to play. Any Brewers win and Mets loss clinches the post season for Milwaukee.

I wish I had the MLB Ticket today, 4 must watch games, plus Yankees - Red Sox. I will definately refreshing ESPN MLB Scoreboard quite a bit today.

Anyway, the Sox will send Beckett out today and Matsuzaka to the hill on Sunday as it appears they will be setting their post season rotation as: 1) Beckett, 2) Matsuzaka, 3) Lester, and 4) Depends on if Angels pick "Series A" or "Series B". There had been a lot of debate on the airwaves about whether Lester or Matsuzaka should be the #2 pitcher in the post season. Most of the arugments stemmed from Matsuzaka's performance on the road this season and Lester performance at Fenway while others argued that your 2nd best pitcher should start #2 no matter the circumstances.

The biggest news, though, is the status of Mike Lowell. He left last night's game after he appeared to be in a lot of pain. So, his status for the post season remains in doubt. It will be a big blow if he is not on the roster.

It's not raining right now, so hopefully they'll be able to get in today's game and hopefully we can finish the regular season on a good note.

Go Sox!

Manny Craziness

Marlins, 3-way with Pirates and Marlins, Dodgers, Deal is Dead, Dodgers, now it is being reported Manny has been traded. Details are scarce, but it looks like the deal will involve the Dodgers and possibly the Pirates. This shall be exciting to find out….

Go SOX!!!!!!!!!

Vending, Yankees, Manny, Trade Deadline

Well, I'm back. It was a busy weekend.

There is nothing like working at Fenway during a Sox / Yankees series. The buzz in the park is great. It is ALWAYS busy. And the TIPS are the best. I can't tell you why, but maybe those Yankee fans are better tippers. Haha.

Anyway, it was a dissappointing series. I figured the Sox would be able to win the Ponson start, which they did. But, losing to both Joba and Pettite...I thought they'd get one of those. The Joba / Beckett game was a rare low scoring Yanks / Sox game. However, I'd say that was more because of the wide strike zone of the ump. Although Joba did have better stuff than Beckett, in my opinion.

The sad thing was Manny sitting out this game. Peter Gammons had a great blog this weekend about Manny. That says it all right there.

However, all these Manny bickering and whining is just getting OLD. Manny, it is time to shut up and play!!! I don't think there is any way the Sox can trade Manny, though. I don't see any teams giving up enough to get a guy for 2 months. A guy who can hit, but otherwise has proven to be a pain in the rump. It was talked about that since Manny is a 10-5 guy (10 year vet, 5 with 1 team), that he can veto any trade, and will only sign-off on a trade if the new team agrees in writing not to pick-up the option years. I would be shocked if Manny got traded.

However, the Sox are indeed in need of some bullpen help. Masterson will be a big help, but they still need more. Hanson is not the answer right now. Delcarmen has been inconsistent, and walks too many guys. Apparently, the Sox have their eyes on Doug Brocail and Will Ohman. However, with the Yanks and Angels making moves, and the Sox floundering a bit, the Sox are going to need to make a move or two to prove that the front office wants it just as much as most of the players.

That's all for now

Go Sox.

The Sox should have beaten Pettitte, but once again the pitching and the bullpen was a negative factor.

Call me a manager?? Manny out again

The Red Sox posted their line-up tonight, and according to Rob Bradford's blog the line-up was as follows:

Pedroia 2B
Youkilis 1B
Ortiz DH
Ramirez LF
Lowell 3B
Drew RF
Lowrie SS
Varitek C
Ellsbury CF

I almost nailed it. Haha.

Anyway, some bad news, as Manny Ramirez has been scratched. According to Sean McAdam on WEEI, Manny still felt some pain during BP, and has since been scratched.

Hopefully, this is not anything too serious. And, hopefully it is not just some ploy that the talk heads on WEEI think it may be in regards to Manny not being happy with the options on his contract hanging over him.

Is it Manny being Manny or is it a legit injury. Hopefully we'll know more after the game.

Go Sox!

Papi, Ellsbury, and more

Well, it’s the day we’ve been waiting for. Big Papi is BACK! After 54 days and 45 games, in which the Red Sox were 26-19, Big Papi is BACK! Tonight, David Ortiz will step back on the field and take his first cracks in almost 2 months, against the hated rival, New York Yankees.

When Papi went out injured in that May 31st game against the Orioles, the Red Sox trailed the first place Rays by 1 game. Today, they are tied for first with them, just percentage points behind.

The Sox did a great job of really not suffering a dramatic slump with Ortiz out. J.D. Drew did an incredible job of filling in Ortiz’s hole in the line-up. However, now with Ortiz back, how is this going to affect the line-up. Here is what my line-up would be tonight:

Pedroia, 2b
Drew, rf
Ortiz, dh
Ramirez, lf
Lowell, 3b
Youkilis, 1b
Varitek, c
Lowrie, ss
Ellsbury, cf

Now, we know it is unusual to have 2 lefties in a row in a line-up these days. Also, Drew is not a prototypical #2 hitter. However, the Yanks do not have a left-hander in the bullpen. Ellsbury’s production has really dropped, and it seems like this would be the right down to drop him in the order and take some pressure of him, especially with how hot Pedroia has been. By hitting Ellsbury 9th, as the rest of the game goes, you end up keeping the Ellsbury, Pedroia, Drew three-some which may help alleviate the change.

I doubt we will see a line-up like that, and will more likely see the same line-up as usual except with Ortiz back at #3, and J.D. Drew probably back at #5 or #6 and everybody else bumped back down a slot.

I am not sure what the problem Ellsbury is going through. The 1st 2 months, he hit .282 and .281 with a combined 27 walks. The last 2 months, he has hit .245 and .232 with a combined 5 walks. I don’t know what to really attribute that to, but you can see that it has been affecting his confidence, and he is not swinging at good pitches. I love Ellsbury, and believe he can work his way out of this. The first step would be dropping him down, and see if that can get him going.

Finally, WEEI was reporting yesterday the Sox were in “serious” negotiations with the White Sox for Juan Uribe. I am not sure why, as I think Lowrie is more than capable to fill in for Lugo, and hopefully, possibly, take over full-time for Lugo. I don’t even think Uribe is an upgrade over Cora, so I didn’t see where the interest is from the Sox stand point.

It should be a great series this weekend, with some nice pitching match-ups. Tonight’s match-up for Joba vs Beckett could be a good duel. Joba is emerging into the perfect Yankee to hate for us Red Sox fans, which is great for the rivalry. Then we have Wakefield and Pettitte. Both are coming of some quality starts. The final game will see Lester and Ponson. I think the Sox will take 2 out of 3, as it will be tough to get to both Joba and Pettite.

Go Sox!

Here I Am, my introduction.

Well, I've decided to break into the blogging business. Haha. I was inspired to create this blog as a tribute to my favorite team, the Boston Red Sox, because I wanted to be the first Red Sox blogger to get linked on Rob Neyer's blog on ESPN.com.

I know, that is lame, what can I say.

I don't plan to make a job from this, nor am I going to try and be a blog that "breaks news" as some blogs do out there. I just hope to consistently talk about the Red Sox and everything about them.

I have seemed to jump on board the blogging express at a busy time of year for the Red Sox and baseball. The Sox are in the midst of a 3-way dogfight for the AL East Title trapped between the 1st-place (yes, no kidding) Rays and the 3rd-place Yanks while topping the AL Wild Card standings.

A little about myself. I am a 36 year-old, married (sorry, ladies), father of two young children.

(Yes, I am molding them into Red Sox fans, Haha. My 3 year-old son can already recite most of the players on the team, as well as belt out the Star Spangled Banner, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and God Bless America since he was about 2 years-old or so. Okay, back on topic.)

Like I said, I am 36, married with children, and a life long Red Sox fan. I currently employed in the financial industry and as the title of my blog page says, work part time as a food vendor at Fenway. My earliest memories of the Sox, are the days of Fred Lynn roaming center-field. He is my all-time Red Sox favorite, and I remember being disappointed when he left for the Angels. Damn that front office. Haha.

I don't really remember the Bucky Dent homer too well, as I was still young and in school probably at that time. However, I remember Buckner's miscue like everyone else. I remember watching Brunansky fall out of view to make that clinching catch on my TV in college. Clemens getting tossed in the Oakland playoff series. Yada, yada, yada.

An interesting note for me, my son born in September of 2004 and the Sox went on to win the first World Series of many people's lifetime. I followed that up with having my daughter born in October of 2007, and then we get the 2nd World Series title. So, I will be sure to keep all up to date on the next child, as that will lead into the next World Series title. Sorry to say, there is nothing in the oven now.