Boston

They’re Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

/ Sara / 1 Comment

Man, does it feel good to have the west-coast swing over with or what? I know I needed some sleep.

And the rivalry is renewed, and it matters, again. Despite pesky little Tampa Bay making this a ménage à trois, the Sox are in first place (tied with said Rays) and the Yankees are breathing down everyone’s necks, coming in on a hot streak. We all knew this would happen. I remember listening to ESPN Radio, the show Sportsnation. They asked who would be in the AL Wild Card Race, and I said the Yankees. The guys on the show disagreed and said that the Yankees just didn’t have the pitching to make it. Of course, the moment someone says that, the entire pitching staff in NY goes on a tear and plays out of their collective minds.

Its fate. The Rays are in the mix this year, and probably for a couple more years, but it always comes back to the Yankees and the Red Sox. Always. Its like God is sitting up there, laughing at us, because just when you think one team is out, they come roaring back in. Its why I have faith, that, at the end of the day, though Tampa Bay will continue to be a presence, it will always come back to the Yankees and the Red Sox. Its like, the Yankees and the Sox have been preforming this great dance, year after year, and one of them eventually falls, leaving the winner. The Rays have come in, and they look good, but it remains to be seen if maybe they will be  standing towards the end there.

Was that a weird analogy? Moving on. Back in the lineup tonight will be the big man, Big Papi, or as Paps calls him “The Large Father”. Do I think he’ll hit a homer? Not likely, it would be great, but I’m not getting my hopes up. Do I think he’ll be a force in the lineup to terrify platypus man Joba Chamberlain? Oh yes.

48a3093aa5_sox07252008.jpgSo here’s to a good outing by Papi, and a great outing by Beckett, who has looked better since the break.

Lets go Sox!

That Old Bull-Pen Magic

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I hate it when Clay Buchholz pitches. Hate it. It makes me very, very nervous. He looked good, though, which was a welcome and pleasant surprise. He looked leaps and bounds better than his first start coming out of the break, he had a lot more control. It was good.

Then we have the bullpen…as a Red Sox fan, especially this season, we are trained to say a Hail Mary and pray frantically when Tito pulls in Delcarmen, Hansen, Okajima or Timlin. Its always iffy. Masterson…I haven’t seen in anything but a start. We got to see almost all of them last night, and let me tell you, I actually dare to hope. Masterson was lights-out. Absolutely fabulous. Delcarmen: solid. Okajima: solid. Paps…came on in relief, and I got worried when he had guys on the corners. But Mikey and Dustin came through to get the double play. (in a side note, why is Dustin Pedroia’s nickname Petey?) Speaking of Paps, what was with that dribbler? I’m not sure Paps would have handled that even if he was using his glove. That thing was possesed.

Picture 1.pngThen the top of the 12th…Ellsubry got his firt hit of the night (what a clutch hit!). Pedroia grounded out but Wheels got to 2nd, JD took a walk, and Youk got a lucky (but also good) hit. Mikey came through in the clutch with a two-run single, and Casey added to it with an RBI single. And all of Boston started to breathe again. Hansen pulled out a strong save, despite starting a little shakey, and the Sox completed the sweep of the Mariners.

lowell2run.png So now the Sox head home on a day of rest before they take on the Yanks. And here’s the best news I’ll day: (note, if the Rays loose tonight, it will be tied as the best news) Papi is back in the line-up and ready to swing. Yay!

So some interesting things come out of the West Coast swing: the bull-pen looks much better. Its still not great, but it is no longer my greatest fear. Manny is being Manny. This is what he does in July. Go back every year and Manny is just like this, every July. The trade deadline will pass, it will become August and September, and the slugger will be back in form and back to loving being in Boston. I think its some kind of seasonal disorder. Mikey seems to be out of his mini slump, Jacoby can get back deeper in the order when Papi comes back, which will probably help get him out of his slump, Dustin is still on a hitting tear, JD Drew is hitting into fewer double plays, and Tek has a three game hitting streak. That’s right. The Captain may still be struggling with the stick, but he’s looking better all the time. Clay B. picked a batter off…man is he fast. Next up: Skankees. But we’re at the Fens, so all is well.

Bring on the Bombers. 

Dice-K and Dustin: The Road Warriors

/ Sara / 1 Comment

Okay. Dice-K wasn’t dicey. At least until the 8th. That was a switch. And the Sox are looking good on the road, I mean, its against the Mariners, but still. I’ll take what I can get. 

072308_dicek329__1216791268_2657.jpgSome really good things happened yesterday:

1. Dice-K went 7 1/3 and only let in 2 runs towards the end there…not too bad
2. Okajima looked good. It was like a flashback to last year, maybe he’s out of his slump?
3. Paps notched save #30. That’s the third year in a row he’s had a least 30 saves in a season. 
    And its only July. We’ve got a lot more baseball to play.
4. Tek had another hit. Do we dare to hope?
5. Mikey had a good day swinging the bat, possibly signifying that he’s coming out of his little mini-slump
6. Jacoby Ellsbury looked good. I mean, he didn’t have a great night for a lead-off man, but he looked good.
7. Manny and Dustin extended their game hit-streaks to 11 and 23, respectively.
8. This afternoon’s game will hopefully be the last one we play this season without Papi, who returns for Friday’s home stand against the Yanks.
9. JD Drew homered. That’s always a good thing.
10. The Rays lost. Actually, the Rays got spanked. Good stuff.

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So now that we’ve discussed the  10 good things that happened last night, lets talk about something magical. I  was watching the game, and there were a couple of balls hit to third, and I remember thinking: “okay, good, we got that out.” when in fact Mikey had barely begun to field the ball. The duo of Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis is the most comforting corner combination ever. They are both tremendous defensive players, and sometimes I feel like any ball hit to them is an automatic out. And obviously Dustin Pedroia is up there too, they’re all golden glove candidates (again in Mikey and Youk’s case) in my book. That should have been your All-Star infield: Youk, Pedroia, Jeter, Mikey. (A-Rod is WAY overrated. I mean, at least Jeter is good and a class-act, but A-Rod…eh. not so much.)

Clay B. is starting for the Sox this afternoon (what a weird time for a game, not that I’m complaining, because I’ve been up late every night this week watching the late night games. I mean, I know its a 1:40 game in Seattle, but 4:40 is just a bizarre time to start a game ) hopefully this start will be better than the last few, especially since the Sox are up against Felix Hernandez, which is quite scary (especially for righties).

What do we need?

We need a quality outing from Buchholz, good, clutch bats from the boys, and I want to see Paps out there in the 9th. And a Rays loss wouldn’t hurt either 🙂

Go Sox!!

Justin Masterson, the Savior of the Bull Pen?

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The righty with energy and a demonic sinker joins the pen today, and hopefully, will help turn around what has been a big struggle for the Red Sox, especially on the road.  Our pen masters, who used to be lights-out, have been struggling this year. But lets not put the blame entirely on their shoulders (though they make a solid contribution to every loss) but we have got to get some bats going. JD Drew, Mikey, Youk, and especially Dustin have been hitting consistently in almost every game. At times, I feel like JD and Dustin are carrying the team, because they get a hit, they get on base, and then…three strikes your out or a infielder fly…we have got to leave more men on base than any other team in the league.

Maybe that will be solved when Papi returns, which even if he doesn’t hit consistantly (which I think he will) he adds that threat. Because then you have Manny,Youk, Mikey, Papi, JD and Dustin. That’s a scary offense. I think they miss the big man on the road more than they do at home.

So maybe Papi will be the savior of the bats on the road, and Masterson will be the catalyst to get the bullpen back to the level it should be: lights out.

Either way, bring on the Mariners. Lester’s got the start and hopefully, the win.

Closing thoughts:

don’t forget, I’m running for Governor of Red Sox Nation for VA, so log on to RedSox.com and vote for me, Sara Hannon, email hannonse@gmail.com, today!

What Makes a Sox Fan a Sox Fan?

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I know I already posted today, but someone just asked me this question and I felt compelled to answer it. What makes a Sox fan a Sox fan? We are a unique set. We are the most knowledgeable fans in baseball, and we can go from the top of  the mountain to the lowest low in a matter of seconds, all because of a Lugo error or a bad inning.

I didn’t grow up anywhere near Boston, but my Dad did. I think the
reason we’re so cynical and prone to curl up in a ball and die every
time things start to look bad is because we were so close for so long
and always came up empty handed. We don’t know how to react to this new
era of Sox winning. My Dad heard stories from his Dad who heard stories
from his Dad about the Royal Rooters and the Curse.

 From 1918 on it was
all pain. When my Dad was growing up, he experienced loss after loss
while hearing about the losses he wasn’t around for. But we watch
anyway. My grandfather was dying of cancer, and he stayed alive six
months longer than he was supposed to just to watch the Sox play in ’67.
Despite their losing, anyone who really loves the Red Sox can’t help
but be emotionally and physically invested in them. They’re like part
of our family, in our homes from April to October (hopefully). I think
because we love them so much, we have this uncrushable hope. The hope
that has been beaten down so many times, it can no longer be defeated.
We’re tough. We’re quick to give up temporarily, but we will never
truly give up. We  don’t know how to quit.

I think the new generation of Sox fans will be a
different set. We who remember the bad years have grown up with the
stories of the losses, the Curse, and legends about the Rooters and the
good ‘ole days will always swing between joy and defeat in the blink of an eye, but
our children? They’ll hear the stories and say “that was the old Red
Sox, the new guys…they’re great, they won’t let us down” That hope will continue, without the
scars of the past.

These new fans may not be scarred, like those of us who remember the days before 2004, but they will certainly know about them. This scarred mentality is what makes Sox fans so very
unique. They know their history, they know how many times we’ve been so close only to lose it all in the end. They may not have experienced it, but they understand where they come from. That is how you tell a bandwagon jumper from a real fan. True Sox fans know
about baseball. They’re probably the smartest fans in the game. They
know stats, history and can make good judgments on games.

I think that defines what makes a Sox fan. Knowledge, history, hope and love. And scars. Lots and lots of scars.

And The Hits Go On

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After a few games one-hit wonder one run squeaks, the Sox let it all go for Wednesday’s game against the Twins. Final score? 18-5. Score in the first inning? 0-3. Yeah. We all got worried, and then, it was like someone flipped a switch.

Tek got some great hits. Maybe he’s coming out of his slump to go on a hot streak. (Being a catcher myself, it is really hard to concentrate on anything but catching, so working out of a batting slump along with being a game manager…its really, really hard. So I’ve been rooting for him) The best part? His hits were RBI singles.

tek.jpgAnd if that weren’t enough, Jacoby got 4 hits, Manny, Youk and Casey got three (including Youk hitting a homer) The Sox had 23 hits, 10 for extra bases. Jeez.

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And this wasn’t the Mariners we were beating here, its the Twins. The Twins who came to Fenway winning 19 of their last 25 games. Why can’t we play like this against Tampa Bay? Maybe we can now. Maybe it won’t matter, if the Rays continue the slump they are on. The Sox are 1.5 games back on the Rays, hanging around and making things difficult for the young team.

Congrats to the All-Stars. I think Mikey should be at third, but that’s a rant for another day…and Cheers to the Nation for giving J.D. Drew one of the biggest voting boosts in the history of the All-Star game. Nice. We’ve got seven, eight if you count the skipper, I think that’s a fitting way to end the days of Yankee Stadium – filling it with Red Sox players. 🙂

This may sound terrible, but I need Evan Longoria to suck it up from now on and I need Jacoby to have the season of his life from now on. I want him to win Rookie of the Year, but as long as everyone is in love with Longoria, that’s not going to happen. I’m not saying this out of spite for the Rays, I want Jacoby to be the Rookie of the Year, and anyone who stands in the way of that goal is the enemy.

Clay Buchholz is back after his stint in the minors, and since he had such a strong few games in Pawtucket, spending that time to work on his mechanics, we’ll be getting a really good pitcher back who can take out the O’s.

Final thoughts: Manny is always going to be Manny. It’s how life is. But this? I feel like we could have a highlight reel of Manny’s antics and never mention how good a slugger he is. I mean, you have the catch, give a fan a high five, and still get the double play highlight, his often confused base-running, or this:

499w.jpg

Manny has climbed into the Monster before. But the cell phone? Oh well, its just Manny being Manny.

Dice-K Goes Deep, Manny Delivers

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Two things I didn’t think I’d see for a while. Manny’s been slumping, whether the hamstring, or lack of chemistry w/out Papi is the culprit, I don’t know. Fact is, he’s been in a slump. Dice-K usually goes 5 innings. Maybe. And then we have to bring on the middle relief, which is zero relief for the fans. How glad am I that they’re turning Masterson into a middle reliever? I mean, the kid is great. He’s got a lot of poise and grit to be so young, so I think him as middle relief is going to be lights out. (fingers crossed)

But last night, Dice-K went into the 8th. No, that is not a typo, he went into the EIGHTH inning. Yay! That’s almost as great as the Rays losing to the Royals last night. Always good. Okajima settled down and didn’t disappoint, and Paps was Paps. Solid. If they can figure out a way to make him lights out against lefties…wow. I mean, he would go from a great closer to an almost unbelievable closer. And how ’bout Youk’s diving catch? Is he an All-Star or what?

Speaking of All-Stars, we gotta start gearing up for the Red Sox vs. Cubbies Midsummer Classic. Some people are saying the only reason that there are so many Red Sox on the roster is because of how many fans there are. I tend to disagree. Youk? Gold Glove, wherever you play him, batting over .300, and totally gritty and full of heart. Pedroia? Not only has he been a great defender, and he’s been on a tear hitting for almost a month. Jeter. Okay, as much as I hate the fact that he’s a Yankee, he’s JETER. He’s a great player, and I have to respect him for it. Third base I have a problem. Womanizing, ice-cold A-Rod gets third base and the World Series MVP, Golden Glove Third Baseman Mike Lowell gets the snub. Of course, Tito wanted to put him on the final ballot, but Mikey declined. Then we have Manny, even slumping, he’s a threat, and Paps and Drew and Tek – all great. Tek may be having a hard time with the hitting but can you ask for a better game manager? I don’t think so.

Papi took BP and was at the game, which I think helped, even ig he’s not playing, he’s a presence. A necessary presence.

Tonight is Lester v. Blackburn.  Here’s to more Sox wins and more Rays and Yankees losses! 

Can We Get Some Relief for the Middle Relief?

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Our pitching staff single-handedly lost last night’s game. Dustin Pedroia did everything he could to keep the sweep from happening, Dice-K did great, and then…Manny D forgets to cover 1st. We let the Rays load the bases so that slugger B.J. Upton (who is a very nice guy – I graduated with his little brother) can step up to the plate. All we had to do was maintain the lead so Pap can come in and keep us from getting swept by the Rays.

Oh well, it’s only the beginning of July. And as insider to baseball, Cal Ripkin said “It still hinges upon Boston and New York. Tampa Bay is going to play a
role in the Wild Card and in the division title down the stretch, but I
think New York and Boston have too much experience and too much talent
and those players will start stepping up. This is about gathering
momentum and believing in yourself down the stretch.”

Which is exactly what I’ve been saying. The Rays are good, no denying that, but when it comes to the post-season, their lack of experience is going to hurt.  So now the two-way battle for first in the AL East has become a 3-way. The Boston-Yankees battle has now become a Boston-Yankees-DEVIL Rays hate triangle.

I gotta say, as any good sports fan, I’m worried. But then I’m not, because we’ve been here before, we’ll get back to the top.

Keep Rocking The All-Star Vote!

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We lost. I know. Our bullpen is killing us right now. Guys who have been good, who have been consistent are suddenly losing it. We’ll shape up. We’ll turn it around, and I’m predicting the young, inexperienced-in-the-post-season Rays will fall into place behind Boston.

    I gotta respect what Tampa is doing, but like most people, I’m dubious. Not because they’re the Rays and they’re historically bad, but because they’re young. While young does mean they’re fast, more athletic, and yes, right now, they’re batting smart, but how is this team going to be later in the year? I think they’ll be around, and they’ll trade first place back and forth for a while, but I just think that once they’re on the big stage, where they’ve never been as a team before, I don’t trust the grit of the second-youngest team in baseball when compared to the Phillies, Cubs, and Red Sox. I mean, these teams have been there, They’ve been in the post-season and they’ve been on the big stage and they understand the differences between regular season and post season games. So yes, I think the Rays are contenders, but I don’t think they’ll make it to the top this year.

On another note, we have ONE day left in the All-Star voting, and Tek may get bumped from the list! Here’s the All Star roster if we started right now:
1. Youk
2. Pedroia
3. Satan’s overpaid spawn (A-Rod)
        *Lowell is in a distant 2nd place by over 1,000,000,000 votes
S. Just-as-overpaid Jeter
C. Mauer
DH. Papi
O. Manny
O. Hamilton
O. Suzuki

Note: J.D. Drew moved up two spots last week, meaning he earned almost 400,000 votes in a week. Get voting people! We don’t have much more time! Tek is about 100,000 votes behind Mauer. We are Red Sox Nation! We can do this. Seriously!

We Apologize, J.D. Drew

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Here’s a little snippit from the Sports Guy after the so-called $14 million grand slam against the Indians last year, with regards to J.D. Drew: (you can read the entire column here)

For posterity’s sake, I’m leaving you with a selected sampling of
reader e-mails that trickled into my mailbox in the time frame
immediately preceding the grand slam to a few hours after it happened.
Some day, we’ll be able to place this moment in proper perspective.
Just not today.

(Or tomorrow. Or the day after that …)

James R. from Chapel Hill, N.C.: J.D. Drew is up with the bases loaded and two outs. Fox should just go to commercial now to make a few extra bucks.

Emilt from West Lafayette, Ind., and Boston: OH, MY GOD!!!!!
J.D. DREW JUST HIT A GRAND SLAM!!!!!!!!!! OH, MY GOD! OH, MY GOD! OH,
MY
GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ian from Tallahassee, Fla.: Is it too late to pretend we were saying, “Drewwwwwwww” all year long?

Matty from Newburyport, Mass.: I just bet my buddy $1 million that J.D. would strike out. I’m not even mad.

Michael S. from Weehawken, N.J.:
Do I hear “Winter Wonderland” being played in Hell?

Zack R. from Chicago: Seriously? Are you kidding me? J.D. Drew
hitting a grand slam in an important playoff game is as likely as Casey
Affleck getting a starring role in a major motion picture. I don’t
think that just happened.

Tom from Philly: How many J.D. Drew jerseys just got ordered in
Boston? Did you place your order? How awkward was the David Ortiz and
Drew high-five after his grand slam? I think either that was the first
time they met or the first time J.D. drove him home this season.

Matt from Malden, Mass.: FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS! FOUR MORE YEARS!

John from Charlottesville, Va.: How many more grand slams does J.D. have to hit before all is forgiven?

Andy W. from Collegeville, Pa.: And with one swing of the bat, 20 million people around this country simultaneously forgave J.D. Drew …

Rory from Boston: Did that really just happen? I called my brother to make sure, but I need a third opinion.

Dan G. from Baltimore: Everyone is watching the Sox in their
dorm rooms right now, and after J.D. Drew just hit that home run, 40
half-drunk college kids opened their doors and wandered into the
hallway wondering if the world was going to end or they were more drunk
that they thought. It was unbelievable.

That’s from a Sports Guys World post by Bill Simmons last year. Such is the cynical Boston Sports World we live in. This is now an apology to Mr. Drew:

J.D. Drew, we love you

You are like a dream come true

For all those years we boo-ed and hissed

You had something we all missed

Now I take this time to say

How sorry we are for acting this way

You are no longer our biggest joke

(remember the Nation are emotional folk)

and we are very proud to say

That your RBI-hitting way

And all the ways you play the game

make you a Red Sox player worthy of Fame

JD Drew’s been huge in the City of Brotherly Hate (how can they possibly boo JD?) and here’s to a great year!