Cinderella Re-write

It looks like the classic fairy-tale is getting a major re-write. In the role of the newly created step-brother, Cole Hamels is about to smash both of the Tampa Bay Rays glass slippers, which (as we know from the Disney version) will prevent Cinderella from ever getting together with Prince Charming.

Surprisingly, at least to me, the Rays find themselves down 3 - 1. Judging from the highlights, in what appears to be one of the most exciting World Series games in a while, the Phillies won Game 4, 5-4. Unfortunately, thanks to a long rain delay, nobody other than Philly and Tampa saw this game (which ended at some point after 1 am EST) on the East Coast. B.J. Upton continues his amazing post season, by single "footedly" scoring the tying run in the top of the 8th. However, a bases-loaded single (that traveled about 30 ft) brought home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth for the Phillies.


Ryan Howard, then, awoke from his post-season slumber to lead the Phillies to a 10 - 2 drubbing. He had 2 HRs and 5 RBIs.


This game, pretty much sealed up the World Series for the Phillies, as the best pitcher in MLB is heading to the hill tonight. Hamels is on the verge of a record 5th win for a starting pitcher in a single post-season. This, obviously, would his biggest win and bring home a World Series title to Philadelphia for the first time since 1980. Hamels has had an amazing post-season, and has put himself in the same category with the likes of Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Jack Morris, Orel Hershiser as clutch post-season pitchers.

Congrats to the Phillies

Missed Opportunities

No, I'm not talking about the 1 for 28 the Phillies are with runners in scoring position for the first two games of the World Series. Although, 1 for 28?, that is AMAZINGly inept.

I am talking about the missed opportunity of having this man pitch in Fenway Park in Game 2 of the World Series:

Brett Myers.

Oh, the chants the Fenway Faithful could have launched while he was on the mound. To the always effective "Rogahhhh, Rogahhhh" and "Toriiiiii, Toriiiii" (well, maybe that Torii chant didn't work out to well) and "Steroids, Steroids" for our friend Jason Giambi and other juicers, the "Wife Beat-er" chant could have been epic.

For those not familiar, back in 2006 when the Phillies were in town for an inter-league series against the Sox, Myers was arrested for hitting his wife in downtown Boston.

We, here in Boston, don't take to kindly to big, tough athletes beating up their wives or girlfriends. Just ask this guy:

I was glad to see the Rays beat...err defeat Myers last night, to even the World Series at 1-1. I'm not sure if I posted my prediction here, but I am taking the Rays in 6. I see Tampa getting to the elderly Jamie Moyer on Saturday, with the only other game they will drop is Game 5 against Cole Hamels.

In some Red Sox news, the team is bringing back the entire coaching staff with the exception of Luis Alicea. Alicea was the first base / infield coach for the past couple of season. Apparently there was a "philosophical" disagreement between him and manager, Terry Francona that has led to this departure. No word on who will replace him.

WOW! CRAZY! UNBELIEVABLE!

Let’s recap my evening last night.

I get my son into bed and back downstairs ready to watch the game at about 8:40 or 8:45. I turn on the TV, flip over to TBS and it is the top of the 2nd and the Rays already have a 2-0 lead. Christ! I sit down at the PC and head to ESPN.com to see how it happened. Iawmura hit followed by another Upton HR. Damn!

The Sox get a couple on against Kazmir, but can’t deliver. Kazmir seems to be pitching okay. Certainly not the Kazmir of old, but definitely not the Kazmir of recent either. However, it’s just a matter of time before the Sox get to him…right?

Top of the 3rd, and Upton gets another hit. Can we get this guy out yet? Pena HR, next. Longoria HR next. Gawd! Well, when 1 team is hitting on all cylinders and out pitching the opponent, what are you going to do? You just have to give credit to the Rays. It’s not going to be the year this year.

I check with the wife, see if she wants to watch a show. We’re both tired (my wife works nights, and worked Wed night, so she’s way more tired than me. But you know how it is with kids, your ALWAYS tired.), but I pull up the DVR and see what we have waiting to watch. How about Survivor? Great! We watch the Fang tribe (which could be like the Rays of old, or the Pirates, always losing) lose both challenges and GC get voted out.

The wife’s ready for bed, so she curls up on the couch with a blanket and is off to dreamland as I turn the game back on. It is the Top of the 7th, and Delcarmen just walked the 2nd of two batters, so the Rays have 1st & 2nd with nobody out and Upton (him again?) coming up. Francona, in a desperation moves, brings in Papelbon. However, after a double steal, runs are at 2nd and 3rd. Papelbon works back to a full count on Upton, but gives up a wall ball double that extends the lead to 7-0. That just about sealed up the MVP for Upton.

I get back on the PC, as I’m thinking about going to bed, and type up a little blog to congratulate the Rays, as I’ll probably type up more in the morning.

However, even though I am tired, it is a bit early for me to go to bed. I am a night owl. I like to stay up late. Not sure why, but I’ve always been that way. Sometimes I regret it in the morning, but most times I’m fine.

So, I start surfing the net, checking out some other blogs. I went to a message board that I frequent. I played a few games, all as the game was still on.

Maddon decides not to bring Kamir out for the 7th, and goes with the flame thrower Grant Balfour. Lowrie crushes a ball to RF, that just misses a HR. However, that gets you to take notice. Then when Varitek and Kotsay fly out, oh well. However, Crisp lines a single, but too hard for Lowrie to score. Pedroia then singles, and the Sox are on the board. At least they won’t be shut out.

Now, up comes Papi. He crushes one deep into the night.

Fenway is rocking again, and now your thinking how HUGE those 2 runs the Rays just got in the top of the inning are. That HR could have made it 5-4, but Upton gave the Rays plenty of breathing room at 7-4. Maddon brings in Wheeler, and Youk flies out to end the inning.

Papelbon comes out and gets the Rays 1-2-3 in the 8th. Sweet!

Then, a 4 pitch lead-off walk to Bay, and you can just see how tightly Wheeler is squeezing that ball. Drew crushes a HR to right, and WOW! But, your still thinking how HUGE those 2 runs the Rays got in the top of 7th are. Walks will kill you. But, the Sox are now down a run. If you’re going to lose, if you’re going to get eliminated, this is the way to go out. Not some pathetic 7-0 loss. Wheeler gets Lowrie and Casey, and is almost out of the inning. But here is where some “weird” things happen:

- Kotsay’s line drive goes off the glove of B.J. Upton in CF )who has been tracking down EVERYTHING) for a double.

- Gabe Gross’ throw to home goes straight into the ground, allowing Kotsay to score on Crisp’s single to tie the game.

- Carlos Pena (who had ground into only 2 DPs all season) grouned into an inning ending DP with the leading run on 2nd.

- Evan Longoria, one of the best fielding 3B in the league, makes an error. That runner ends up scoring the winning run on J.D. Drew’s game winning hit.

There I am, dancing around the living room while my wife is fast asleep on the couch. Haha. But, who would have thought? Seriously!! Down 7-0 in the 7th?

We go back to Tampa. There is still a lot of work to be done, but ANYTHING can happen, as we just witnessed. There are lots of questions though:

Can Beckett be Beckett?

Is the offense back?

Should Francona swap Lester to game 6 (on normal rest) and Beckett for game 7 (on extra rest)?

Saturday can’t get here fast enough for me.

Whew!

What a night!

Go Sox!

*images from this post courtesey of AP/ESPN and CBS

Congrats to the Rays

Well, it's the top of the 7th. 2 men are on base as the Sox are down 5-0, and Papelbon is in the game. Looks like the inevitable is upon us. You have to give them all the credit in the world. The Rays can pitch, can hit, can run. They've done everything, while the stifled the Red Sox in every possible way.

Kazmir was our only hope, but Maddon had faith in him.

I'm sure the Fox executives are crying in their beer at this moment. Their dream match up of the Red Sox and Dodgers have been flushed down the toilet. No Mannywood triumphantly returning to Fenway Park.

The better team won. The only thing in doubt, is who is the ALCS MVP. Is it BJ Upton? Is it Evan Longoria? Can't go wrong with either one. However, I think Fox's Ken Rosenthal is already preparing a column, just in case it is not Upton. Actually, he just doubled in 2 more runs. That should seal it...the MVP I mean.

Go Sox! Next year though. I'm going to hit the hay.

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!

Boredom Sets In

Well, since the Sox beat the Angels last night in an incredibly exciting game (I guess if you aren't an Angels fan) and the Rays beat the pale hose that leaves me bored. Tonight could have been game 5 of either the Cubs-Dodgers series or Brewers-Phillies series, but know luck there. Thus, I am left without any baseball to watch not only tonight, but tomorrow.

"Wouldn't that leave you with the opportunity to watch history in the making, Greg?", you ask. Well, there is only one thing that I hate more than politics...

Holy '70's leisure suits, Batman. Somebody not only needs to help Craig Sager (you didn't think I was going to talk about Kevin Youkilis, did ya?) with his wardrobe, but please somebody help him with sideline reporting. He is probably the worst aspect of the TBS coverage. Just think, we'll probably get 7 more games of him and TBS as they cover the ALCS, but we will get a break from TBS with the NLCS on Fox.

Anyway, I do, actually, like how TBS was able to get James Woods to do some color commentary during the post season. He must be happy to get work after having his series, Shark, canceled by CBS. Seriously, though, am I the only one who thinks Ron Darling's voice is a dead ringer for James Wood's voice?

Enough about TBS. Seriously, I am bored and a presidential debate is not the cure for boredom in my book. Not only that, but because of this debate, there is no Fringe, no Mentalist, no Without a Trace (Tuesday seems to be a busy night TV wise), only NCIS that isn't getting pre-empted. I guess, I'll just watch a few back-to-back-to-back Law and Order's on TNT (jeez, I can't seem to get away from these Turner channels) and then hit the sack or something and dream about baseball...which will be back on Thursday and then Friday.

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!