Beating the Rays: A Prequel

Time to get ready for what will surely be an epic battle for the ALCS, and you know what that means: both sides have to get their trash talk ready. Oh wait, we're good: the Rays fans are already good to go.

That said, I was deeply, deeply disappointed in what I heard from the Fenway faithful during the top of the 9th inning of Monday’s Game Four. With the game tied, it sure sounded like they were chanting “Beat LA.”

Maybe they did that earlier and the night before too, but I’ve been either muting Chip Caray or relegating y’all to the picture-in-picture. But for the life of me, there is no reasonable explanation for why the Sox fans would be chanting that.

I can’t imagine they’re stupid enough to be looking past the Angels and our Devil Rays to a World Series date with the Dodgers.

But that leaves the equally stupid rationale that the LA they were referring to were the Angels.

Seriously Sox fans, were you really comparing the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to the Lakers?

Let me clear a few things up for ya, David:

1. Nope, that was the first time in the series. Glad to see you're keeping tabs on us, though.
2. You didn't mention the context for the chant: the bullpen was either about to surrender the lead or had just done so and was struggling for the last out (I don't remember exactly and I can't seem to get MLB.tv's feed to work properly. If I've got the context wrong, please feel free to let me know in the comments). Either way, fans in the stands were looking at the possibility of another late night, extra-inning loss and a trip back to LA for a tough game five. Reminding the boys in the field about that possibility (not to mention summing up that responsibility in an easily-repeatable chant) definitely falls under the responsibilities of a fan.
3. Celtics fans may have come up with "Beat LA" during the NBA playoffs, but that doesn't make the chant the province of basketball fans any more than it made "Yankees Suck" the province of baseball fans. Chanting "Beat LA" at a Sox/Angels game might have been contextually appropriate, but saying that a fan base was comparing their overhyped (if angry) foes to a basketball arch-rival completely misses the point: these are the fans that chanted "Beat LA" at a Mariners game in early June, the fans that for six or seven years pulled out a rousing chorus of "Yankees Suck" at sporting events as varied as Patriots games and UMass hockey games. It's a rallying cry. If your team had more than five fans, you might get that.
   

Playoff Bound

Four trips in five years and it's still just as sweet as it ever was to see the Sox make the post-season AL eight. It's officially time to start bringing the rock and take home another championship crown. Go Sox!!!

Game 64: The Bloom Comes Off the Rose

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 0, Seattle Mariners 8

Bartolo Colon has never gone 4 and 0 to start a season before...

He still hasn't done so.

Of course, to be fair, he would no doubt find it much easier to break that personal record if he hadn't helped commit two of the team's three errors last night; it's surprising how quickly six hits and a walk turns into six runs if you're not careful. So, on the balance, pity pluses to the big man for having a decent pitching line marred by three unearned runs and responsibility minuses for committing two of the errors that caused those runs. Summed up, it makes for a crappy night against a terrible team that's deep into confused mediocrity. And to think: not 18 hours ago a friend and I were wishing we could see yesterday's game in person instead of today.

And what of the offense? Seven hits and not a runner crossing plate? Nine men left on base? Talk about your case of the dry heaves. Playing without Manny, Ortiz, and Ellsbury didn't help, but I was ready to assign the blame to the theory posited by Yankee Mike (through Robin) in yesterday's post - i.e, that the Sox are just playing to the level of their opponents - until I looked at King Felix's splits in Fenway. Already a more than decent pitcher against the Sox - 12 earned runs, almost as many strikeouts as baserunners in 35.1 innings ain't bad at all - Hernandez has yet to give up a run in 15 innings in Fenway. Fifteen innings! Sounds like he should be in a Red Sox uniform when he hits free agency...

Speaking (sort of) of missing players: congrats to the Trot Nixon Seven on their suspensions after the brawl two days ago. None of the results surprise me except for Sean Casey; how does a man known as the Mayor end up making enough of an impression on tape to get suspended for fighting? He must have been sneaking in sucker punches like a madman. You know, kinda like Johnny Gomes.

As I hinted broadly above, I will be at today's game. Since moving to New York coming on five years ago, I've seen the Red Sox on the road at Yankee Stadium, and I've been to Fenway on a tour, but I haven't seen the Red Sox play at home. Needless to say, I'm about as excited as a kid about to see their first baseball game and I've developed an entirely irrational desire for everything to go my way: good weather, easy transportation, interesting ball game, a win. We'll see which things come true, but I'll place most of faith in Tim Wakefield. Go Sox!

Game 119: The Return of Lester and The Return of Walk-offs

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 2, Tampa Bay 1

Ok before I get into the great comeback details and the grandeur of Jon Lester, I just want to get something out of the way. Please excuse me a moment.

MIKE LOWEL!
COCO!
MIKE LOWEL!
COCO!
MIKE LOWEL!
COCO!
WOOOOOOO BABY!
IT’S SOOOOO GOOD!!

Ahem… thank you for that.

I know it was only the Rays, but Lester looked as good as I have EVER seen him. Low on the walks, got ahead of hitters and listened to every word Tek said. Maybe it was the OVERPOWERING THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE he got upon entry, but he looked mighty fine. He allowed just one run in that first inning and otherwise it was a spotless day.

It’s just too bad Scott Kazmir tossed near perfect ball and our collective salads for 6 innings. I was freaked out happy when he didn’t come out in the 7th, but it hardly mattered cause another mediocre nearly shut us down again. Some bad calls (another low strike calling ump), a bad bunt and a KILLER double play almost led to me to my window ledge. I’m just going by our track record and when I look at Delcarman, Timlin, and Gagne and I see some late inning runs being tacked on.

I guess I need to look again. Delcarman scared me… until Timlin came in a slammed the door on the 8th like it owned him money. Bedlam. Biggest strikeout of his season by far.

Then the REAL test. Eric “I make Robin’s eye twitch” Gagne for the 9th. The sounds you heard when he took the mound was thousands of Sox fans gnashing their teeth and preparing to rip him to shreds. So he did the exact opposite of what we thought… and struck out the side. Mayhem. Yeah there was a double mixed in, but it was near redemption (but not quite).

Then, like a bolt form the blue… down 0-1 in the 9th… Mike “LOL” Lowell hit one into the black. Pandemonium. Now it’s a tie game and for the first time… I think we can win this one. That’s depressing. Remember when NO lead was insurmountable? Now they’re 2-41 when trailing in the 9th. Sad days indeed.

Well actually TODAY wasn’t really sad. Tek hit a double that was THIIIIIIIIIS close to being a walk off homer and then Coco (who I full out man love now) knocked him home with the game winner. Chaos. Nuff Said.

Game 84: I Love Playing the Rays

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 15, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4

What better way to celebrate a night on the town than with a pants-down spanking of the teal trouble makers from the Florida Bay. Eric and I ventured to the always fantastic Sox bar Professor Thom’s (proud owners of the handmade Roger Clemens bobblehead doll you see to your left) to see Beckett get his 12th win in grand fashion. Nothing cures a hitting slump quite like a visit with the Rays and a three game sweep was just what the doctor ordered after a disappointing run last month. Why can’t we play these guys every week?? Wait… I guess we are pretty much going to after the All-Star break.

So much crazy stuff happened tonight I'm gonna break it down for you in bullet form:

• Beckett was nasty through 6 innings, had 9K’s and at least one fan that the bar who was willing to look past the fact that (in her words) she would be a one weekend girlfriend.


• Drew was 2 for 2… in the first inning. I was still on my second beer when he got his second hit. I want to see a stat for that.


• Coco Crisp had a grand slam in the first, but came up with the bases loaded 2 other times in this affair and only managed one more RBI. I honestly can’t tell if that’s good or bad.


• Even Lugo got in on this beat down. The shortstop that stops short got 2 RBI but also managed to ground into a killer double play just to make sure we didn’t forget who we were dealing with.


• The Rays catcher Navarro smashed his face into Beckett’s shoulder during a collision at first base. Beckett was fine (and continued to pitch) while Navarro broke his freaking jaw. Call me poetic, but I think this incident was a metaphor for the game overall.


• Lowell had 5 hits, 5 RBI and about 500 comparisons to George Clooney. Most of the bar patrons were certain he would be the classy gentleman at your Red Sox social gathering. I’m not convinced.


• As much as I bash Timlin, he looked good in his 2 innings of relief tonight. I suppose an 11 run lead is enough to make me comfortable seeing him pitch.


• One of the best moments of the evening goes to Okajima (who didn’t even pitch) because he was the recipient of the final fan vote for the AL All-Star game. Oki tipped his hat to the Fenway crowd while they gave him a standing ovation. However, the applause was slightly muffled due to rampant carpel tunnel syndrome caused by constant and repeated online voting. By my calculations, everyone in Boston and Japan voted for Oki at least 9 times.

That’s the final home game before the All-Star game in San Fran. Now we head to Detroit as the 1st place Tigers host the 1st place Sox. I’m not really a betting man (if I was, I'd see that BetUS.com gives the Tigers the advantage), but I would wager the Sox could use this little momentum boost to ride into Detroit for a few wins - say maybe 2 out of 3?

Come get some you overstuffed striped cats.

Only Hours Away...

This is it. In a little over three hours, Gil Meche will throw the first pitch of the first game of the Red Sox 2007 season and we'll be off to the races, trotting along with the unbridled enthusiasm that April brings: spring is here,
the earth begins the cycle of life anew and baseball is back again. Who cares what the statisticians say; anyone can be a winner in these beautiful early days where cold still tinges the air and hope still tinges the hearts of every fan, no matter what their team's payroll.

I spent yesterday afternoon at perhaps the best place in the world to distract the mind from the wait for real baseball: the ancient confines of Fenway Park, touring the ballpark. Because Fenway is such an old venue, a place where, in keeping with its location in a historically-minded city, the keepers of the place do as much as possible to blend old and new in way both functional and preservatory, the ballpark tour is as much about the 95 year story of Fenway as it is sitting in the kickass EMC deck seats in what used to be the .406 club.

Being a historically-minded person myself, I got a bit lost in the tradition seeping out of the walls and running down the concrete causeways, mixing with the water used by the grounds crew to clean off the seats. Big puddles of tradition, spreading across the floors where soon thousands of fans will tramp once again to the slow progression of spring to summer to fall, to the sounds and smells of baseball, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. I walked outside of the park, back into the cool Boston air on Yawkey Way, looked at the old brick walls and the stone Fenway moniker and knew: we're ready. Let the games begin.

Twas the Night Before Season's Start…

I can’t sleep because tomorrow is opening day. Is that strange? Is it abnormal that I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve? I know I’ve been good (good enough) and presents are coming by the truck load, but the anticipation is just too much. I feel like I’m about to be shot out of a cannon. It’s just baseball, right? I shouldn’t miss precious rest because I am chomping at the bit for that first pitch.

Stranger still is that my insomnia is not all from eagerness and excitement. I have this slight fear that is associated with my personality and the beginning of the Red Sox season. I know that my nights (and some afternoons) are pretty much “booked” for the next few months. My mind will now be 75% to 99% preoccupied with the Sox from here on out. My priorities will now be completely skewed towards baseball until Halloween. Isn’t it scary how resigned I am to that fact?

Hopefully my friends, family and job (HA) can get used to this again. Some find this side of me to be endearing, others… well… it can build rifts. I guess we will need to learn to deal with this situation just like last season.

All I know for sure is that tomorrow at 4:10 Eastern time, Curt Schilling will be pitching against Gil Meche in Kansas City. It counts, it’s real, and it’s about time. I can’t wait.

A Fox Among the Chickens

Remember Ego and Super Ego, the feature where Robin and I simulate the thought processes of a typical Red Sox fan in word form? Well, the announced return of the Papal-Bon to the role of closer snapped something inside both of us, so Ego and Super Ego is back. My comments in normal text, Robin's in italics. Enjoy...

It's official: Jonathan Papelbon will be the closer for 2007, ending weeks of speculation about the future owner of the job, the health of Papelbon's shoulder, the foolishness of the Sox for moving him out of the position, the need for a closer, etc., etc., etc. While I'm glad the wait is over, because I was getting really sick of every sportscaster feeling the need to add their opinion to the mix, that doesn't mean I don't have some mixed feelings about seeing Paps back in the pen. Being the logical, organized type, I've laid out the pros and cons of making this transition.

Being the pissed off psycho type, I am gonna break down his lame assumptions and tell you what the real deal is with this freaking travesty of a no-win, zero sum, awful choice this team just made. Honestly… I’m a little excited.

Pros:

• Proven track record: the seven runs over 70 innings, the 75 strikeouts and 13 walks, the sheer badassity of a closer who didn't give up his first run until halfway through 2006 all speak for themselves.
  
  Oh come on! Everyone knows Paps is the second coming. That’s the freaking point. He comes in = the game ends.
  
  
• Stronger arm: after last year's shoulder scare, Papelbon has gone through a boatload of strengthening exercises and, according to his quote in the Herald, has talked to a "million doctors" who all seem to agree that his new exercise regimen will give him the arm strength he needs to keep a live arm all season. He now feels he can perform in either role, as the team needs him.
  
  Stronger than what? He looked fine until the end of last season when he collapsed like someone whose name rhymes “Crap Lament” last season. And what’s this magic strength training? Tai-Bo? Or has he been hitting the medicine balls so hard that anything larger than a cantaloupe gives him fits?
  
  
• A much better option: was I worried about Julian Tavarez or Joel Pineiro coming in to shoot down the opposition Rivera-style in close contests? You bet your ass I was. We know Paps can get the job done and get it done well and that counts for a lot of peace of mind.
  
  No crap. Last time I checked everyone was getting rocked this spring. And you usually can’t get piece of mind from a guy who played Tony Montana in the Sox clubhouse version of Scarface.
  

Cons:

• Arm health: what if the doctors are wrong or the exercise regimen doesn't work and Papelbon's arm falls off, as I keep fearing it will? I admit my irrational fears don't go up very well against a "million doctors," but I won't feel any better if I'm right and Paps can't pitch anymore. Plus, Papelbon is a warrior: he'll probably keep pitching until his arm does fall off because he's so committed (although Curt Schilling seems to feel otherwise).
  
  Plus, this is idiotic. Severe arm damage is something you’d notice in his performance. If he ends up sucking cause he’s hurt, we are back at square screwed.
  
  
• Pitching limitations: according to the quotes in the Herald, there are big limitations on how often and how long Papelbon can pitch - no multiple inning outings and no pitching four or five nights in a row. I trust Francona not to blow this restriction, but do I trust the rest of the bullpen to step up and keep the runs off the board on those nights when Papelbon can't pitch? It's a big risk.
  
  This I really don’t understand. If we are risking this guy by making him the closer, then why not run him into the ground and get all the wins we can get out of him. What? If he’s gonna get hurt anyway, we might as well bleed him dry.
  
  
• Replacement effectiveness: with Papelbon back in the 'pen, Julian Tavarez will take his spot in the rotation. He did well enough in the role at the end of last year to be a fifth starter and he definitely wants to be there, but we're talking about Julian Tavarez, the man most likely in 2006 to suffer a mound meltdown - after Rudy Seanez, of course - taking the reins in 2007 at the back of the rotation. Ignoring the loss in quality that lowers the rotation from godlike to pretty good, Tavarez is a scary unknown factor as a pitcher in general and a starter in particular.
  Lord, Tavarez again? Can you imagine every 5 days dealing with “Mask and Chainsaw” night at Fenway? Could somebody go check the white blood cell count on Jon Lester?
  

Basically, it's a tie - it's nice to know the man closing out games is as reliable as they come, but Papelbon's return to the pen opens up a whole new set of potential problems to worry about as the season opens. I'm excited, but more than a little freaked out about what could happen.

It’s brutal that a “tie” means that we take a potential 15-18 game winner and turn him into a 35+ save closer who has a chance to burnout in August. But there really aren’t any other good options are there.

The Return of Captain Crunch

Among the many other subplots swirling at the start of Spring Training '07 (Schilling's contract, Dice Clay's abilities, the extent of Lester's cancer recovery, J.D. Drew, whether or not Matt Clement will be able to throw a ball without his arm falling off - and whether anyone really cares - and all of the other things Robin's already mentioned) is the (hopefully) imminent return of Coco Crisp to form after last year's disastrous campaign. Crisp, who turned out to be the first casualty of the Year of the Walking Dead needed surgery in September to repair his finger and comes to Spring Training wondering whether or not he'll get back on track after his monster start last Spring.

Does Crisp think he's ready? Of course he does - but then again, he's a ballplayer; it's his job to talk up his abilities. I'm convinced more teams would have a stat-head focus if so much of the business wasn't made up of people who've spent their whole careers talking up their skills. In any case, two points in Captain Crunch's (Crunch! Like Crisp! It's funny, right?) favor:

1. He admits his finger is still stiff when he wakes up in the mornings, but works itself out by the time he has to play. I'm not sure if this sort of honesty impresses me, or makes me nervous. At least he's telling the truth.
2. Now that the Sox have a real lead-off hitter, the foolish Coco-Bats-First experiment is over. The Herald has him batting second, Robin has him batting eighth, but I don't really care one way or another - just as long as he doesn't do any more head-first slides into third.
   

I just thought about Lugo and Crisp/Youkilis getting on before Papi and experienced a body-rocking shudder of glee. This lineup is intense, people. I'm very, very excited for baseball.

Everybody’s Pumped! Well Almost Everybody.

Pitchers and catchers have been on duty since the weekend, but now the rest of the 2007 Sox herd is beginning to file in for Spring Training. I am so freaking excited... well pretty much everyone is excited.

Papelbon is excited to be starting.

Tavarez, Pineiro, Hansen, Romero and Donnally are excited because they think they’re closing.

Lester is excited because he had FREAKING CANCER and is playing.

Dice-K or D-Mat or WHATEVER his freaking nickname is excited to actually throw some pitches and turn about 12,000 Japanese reporters heads.

Schilling, Wakefield and Timlin are excited for the new Metamucil tablets.

Lugo is excited to finally try on the new laundry.

Wily Mo is excited to get his contract taken care of (it’s a steal for someone with his upside).

Coco is excited about batting 7th (I hope).

Okajima is excited to have the 2nd most unpronounceable name on the team, and very excited to nail Dice-K’s leftovers.

Breslow, Lopez, Delcarmen, Pauley, Snyder, Gabbard, Murphy, Moss, Kottaras and Hinske better get really excited for AAA until about August.

Youk is excited because people still think he’s Greek (he’s Jewish).

Lowell is excited because people still think he’s George Clooney (he’s Puerto Rican).

Ortiz is excited because people still think they can pitch to him past the 7th inning (he will own you).

Tek doesn’t get “excited”.

Drew is excited because when his ears popped on the plane ride over, it didn’t put him on the 15 day DL.

Pedroia is excited because he gets to play with the big-boys and only has to carry HALF of all their gear this year.

Cora and Belli are excited because even though they play like once a week, they still will have their names in the paper more than the starting lineup of the Kansas City Royals.

And finally, Manny is excited because once again, he doesn’t have to show up until March 1st even though he is like two hours away chilling at his mom’s house. Whatever, as long as you hit your 120 RBI and 35 HR. Whatever.