Papi

Aye Aye, Captain

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Jason Varitek hit a 2-run shot to put the Sox over the Mariners last night. I feel like that needs its own headline.

072208_tek329__1216704928_9626.jpgI really hate west coast swings. I mean, the games go so late, and I have to work in the morning. But at least I got to go to bed happy.

Can we just discuss how much of a beast Lester is? I mean, in 103 pitches (which went well into the 8th inning) he threw 18 balls. That’s enough to walk 4 batters. Just 4. And he didn’t walk anyone. That boy is solid. And Pedroia. 22-game hit streak. 22 games. He doesn’t always hit deep or hard, but he’s a staple on base. Now if we could just get Papi back and get JD out of his double-play hitting streak, we’d be good. As for Ellsbury, I’m not too worried, I think he’s just in a slump, and these things happen. We, as fans, just have to keep the faith and hope. We still have one of the best teams in baseball, and we’re fierce down the stretch. I don’t know what has gotten me into such an upbeat mood, maybe its because my boy got a hit…I don’t know.

Lets talk about Tek. Tek is my boy. I have been waiting for him to battle out of this slump for months. And his contract is up this year…I don’t think we should give him a 4 year deal, but I think the dumbest move the Sox could make would be to get rid of Tek. I don’t care what he’s hitting, if he gets into too bad of a slump we can always pinch-hit for him. There is nothing that compares to the defense and intangibles that he brings to the team. You can’t get rid of the Captain…that doesn’t even make sense.

Next up, Dice-K vs. Dickey. Here’s to another late night. 🙂 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!

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! 

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!

Rock The All-Star Vote

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Yankees got crushed. Sox won a heart-stopping-last-minute victory against the D-Backs. If only the stupid Rays had lost, my life would be complete. They’re still a game back, but…eh. All I gotta say is we have to play sharp on the 30th.

Without Tek’s RBI last night, I don’t know where we’d be, but hopefully this can rally the Sox into getting their offensive mojo back. I mean, how cool would it be to get Papi back swinging hard and combining that with an already hot offense?

Good news all around: Youk is fine. He played last night, and they think he may be able to get in the batters box tonight. Papi is going to take a few shots off the tee (the baseball kind) today, which is always good. Schill’s surgery went well, and he hopes to pitch again (yay!)

Also, congrats to Chris Smith on his first Major League W.

Alright, Transplanters and Homeboys alike, listen up: GET GOING ON THE ALL-STAR VOTING! We’ve slowed down and now Tek is out of first and some of our leads are dwindling. AND a YANKEE has the most votes! This is not allowable. Get online and vote 25 times! It’s tedious, but I tell you what, it takes like, five minutes max to get all 25 in, so is it really that hard?

Vote HERE for our boys.

There are so many of us, we can really control this voting, but we gotta vote! Come on, how much would the Yanks hate us if the All-Star game played in their stomping grounds featured mostly Sox players?????????

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What are you waiting for? VOTE!