What's Not To Love?

Wow – I just finished watching the Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 5-3. Watching every game gets me more stressed out than I need in the summer. Closer Jonathan Papelbon looked way too human tonight. More so that what I’ve seen for much of this season.

Off the subject, I’d still like to mention something quickly here. The Red Sox faithful that sit on the 1^st and 3^rd base lines need to relax and get their heads in the game as spectators. I know going to Fenway Park for a Red Sox fan or just a fan of the game is like going to Mecca for a Muslim, but good Allah, come on. I’m sick of seeing dumbass people reach over the wall on fair balls and the Sox getting fan interference called on them. Stop it, you fucking retards. I hate to put down my Sox brethren here, but come on. SS Julio Lugo hit a line shot in the bottom of the 8^th to score 2B Dustin Pedroia but was held up at 2^nd because, yup, that’s right, some moron reached over the wall and stopped the ball from rolling any further. "I almost cawght a wicked haad hit bawl down the 1st baseline, it was wicked awesome." Yeah, way to go asshole. Anyway…

Right now, the Sox are on cruse control and looking every bit a strong playoff squad. Dare I say World Series contender. Once again, see me in August before I christen them worthy for the Series. No team is without their flaws, and Boston has them and they are quite visible. Rather than focus on the bad, I’m going to talk a little bit tonight about the good. So far against AL Central opponents, the American League’s best division, the Sox are 8-3 on the year. They opened up the season 2-1 against the Kansas City Royals on the road, traveled to Minnesota and took two of three from the Twins, cooled off the hot (at the time) Detroit Tigers besting them three out of four games at Fenway Park, and tonight stopped Cleveland cold and will position themselves for taking the first series against four out of five teams in the Central. Not a bad resume for the first third of the season. To Cleveland’s credit they fought the entire game and did not give up, placing the tying run in the top of the 9^th in scoring position.

The Sox are going to wrap up the month of May with a double digit lead on whomever decides they want second place more in the AL East between Baltimore and Toronto. They are also currently enjoying a 13 game lead on the New York Yankees. Believe me, it's as much fun to type as it is to say out loud. The Yanks travel up I-95 (probably not, I’m sure opting for a plane) this weekend for a series at Fenway. Let’s consider something here for a moment. The Sox and Yankees will meet a total of 18 times this season. By the end of the first weekend in June the two teams will have played 12 times already. The two won’t see each other until the end of August in the Bronx and finally for the last time this season at Fenway in the middle of September. What does that mean, you ask? It probably means no seven game sweeps or heartbreaks in August. At least not at the hands of the Yankees.

" Things I’m Liking"

-Kevin Youkilis is coming off an injury plagued 2006 with a foot infection and looking absolutely stunning, especially the past two weeks. I wouldn’t predict him competing for the batting title at the end of the year, but he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down either. Also, I’ll take any player stepping up and having a hot streak at different points in the season to have at least one consistent fill in the blank player batting well for the entire duration of ’07. The past seven games Youk is batting .429 with a homer and five batted in. His run production isn’t what he’s providing however, it’s the fact that he gets on base all the Goddamn time for Papi or Manny or even Mike Lowell to drive him in. He’s scored seven times in seven days, which is helping out a lot. His inside the park home run tonight was pretty damn cool too.

-Mike Lowell had been known as “throw in Lowell” in his career including his inclusion with the Josh Beckett trade with the Florida Marlins. With A-Rod in a lame duck season with New York and that fact being well known from February, many people thought the Sox would make another run at the end of the season for the talented (yet dirty asshole-like) Rodriguez, no doubt opting for free agency. Now that Lowell is stepping up and becoming an invaluable asset to the team, I’m guessing Luccino and Epstein won’t go dipping into the expense budget for an overpriced A-Rod. Let’s hope anyway. His bat isn’t quite as hot as Youk’s, but he’s driving in as many runs Ortiz, and he’s coming up big when the Sox need him. See this past weekend against the Rangers.

-Beckett coming back tomorrow night will add that extra oomph that the starting rotation has been lacking since Mother’s Day when he injured his middle finger on his right hand (the one he throws with). He’s got a solid chance to obtain an 8-0 record tomorrow night against 1-4 Jeremy Sowers.

-As much as I rag on 5^th day starter Julian Tavarez, I’d have to say that I really like the guy. He’s got a great attitude with the media, the clubhouse loves him, and he gets wrapped up in the game when he’s pitching. Even if it does get a little annoying when he’s pointing at force-outs from the mound. He came within a few hits of pulling within .500 on the year after starting out 1-4. Instead, he got an “atta boy” and Joel Pinero ended up getting the win pitching in an inning and 2/3 with no runs. Maybe next time this weekend.

So, with the first two months almost in the books the Sox are no doubt the most consistent team in the majors. Now, before you go booking your October flights to Logan International, here is what is on tap for June. After the Yankees series this weekend the Sox travel out west for a seven game trip, which includes four out in Oakland. For those that didn’t know, the Sox don’t play that well on the coast. Most teams from the AL East don’t. At least to my recollection. Next up is a brief home stand against NL opponents “suddenly and unexpectedly hot” Colorado and struggling San Francisco. Sure, there will be a media circus following Bonds as he chases Aaron, but Boston is used to it. Also, I just counted it off and don’t expect to see Schilling and Bonds face off in Boston. Then it’s off to the friendly skies for a nine game roadie against Atlanta, San Diego, and Seattle all of whom play very well at home. To close the first half they also spend a weekend in D-Town against the Tigers. Boston has a tough road in June and it will no doubt test their meddle and their worth.

My First Pictorial

No, you sickos, not me. Although if the price is right, I will take my clothes off for the camera.

This is a brief picture history of Jason Giambi. I'm not saying he's the only guy to ever drink a um, "protein shake" or two, he's just the only one who seems so Goddamn desperate and hellbent to tell the world he drank about 57,000 "protein shakes" over the course of his career. Today, we'll take a look at the progress he has made in three easy steps. I'll let the pictures do the talking. Ready?

This is young Jason Giambi (shocking, I know) playing for Team USA on his 1991 Topps Traded card. Card collectors will know what I'm talking about there. Ready for the Oakland A's days?

Dude's made some progress. That's quite the set of guns after drinkin' shakes, rubbin' in cream, and liftin' weights. What does he look like now?

This is what you look like when you've been "Stienbrennered." Also see Johnny Damon.

Giambi Eats Japan!!

Just kidding...

None the less, Jason Giambi is a putz, just thought I would start my bitter entry on that note, after this cheater helped the Yankees with taking two of three from my Sawx. Bitchface. You have small balls.

In almost exactly a months time, the Sox drop their first series since the Blue Jays came to town and swept them in two games on April 23^rd & 24^th. I’m not about ready to jump off the Paseo Bridge here in KC, and I’m not too concerned with the team overall. The Yankees played well, despite A-Rod’s elbow almost disabling Dustin Pedroia’s nads on a slide up, as we’ll call it, into second on Tuesday's lone win. Boston gets a much needed day off today before they fly into Dallas in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow to open a weekend set with the Texas Rangers.

All I can say is “keep the ball in the Goddamn park!!” The Rangers are cranking out a lot of home runs in the month of May. Also noteworthy, Texas is the only other team besides the Yankees and Blue Jays to hand the Sox a series loss this season. Texas is coming off of losing two in a row to the Minnesota Twins this week, and are no doubt looking to get back into the swing of things (lame, I know). They are more than capable of winning the series against Boston, however with a little rest on a travel day it might do the Sox some good.

This was sort of a downer week for my team. Pretty much the first one all year. Not that I doubted their perspective before this week, but maybe it will remind them they are human and can lose. For the record, losing two out of three to the Yanks always puts me in a grumpy mood. The only saving grace is that they didn’t get swept on the back of Julian Tavarez Tuesday night. Who’da thought out of Tavarez, Tim Wakefield and Curt Schilling that Tavarez would be the one to get the lone victory. Guess my Predict-o-meter was a little off this week. Next on the docket for the Sox will be a homestand against the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees. The Yankees only picked up one game on the Sox this weekend, and maybe a little confidence along the way. However, the Yanks are not quite out of the woods, not just yet. With Clemens not looking so hot in his AA start last night, Carl Pavano out for the rest of his life, and the Jason Giambi mess no doubt gripping the clubhouse, I’m sure it’s a little tough to be a Yankee now. Despite all of this, I’m not writing them off. For those that don't know, Giambi BASICALLY all but said "Yeah, I took 'roids, fuck you" in a USA Today story early this week. If he did the Yanks could void his contract. No big loss for me personally.

Anyway, with rain in the forecast for the weekend in KC you can bet that I’ll probably be on my ass during the games against Texas and Monday night against the Inidans. Oh, and I would be a fool not to give a shout out to my hometown team who is the hottest team in the bigs right now. It's hard for even me to say it folks. The Royals are going for a series sweep of Cleveland tonight at home, and have won eight of their last ten. The world was crazy this week.

Yeah...I said it.

If I sounded a little soft in yesterday's post, let it be known that I fucking hate the Yankees. Almost to an unhealthy degree. Do I care they are down 10 1/2 games? No. Do I feel sorry for their team and their situation? Hell no. Do I care that all the articles that I read today by the New York media label the Sox as being cocky when in reality they are just trying to stay focused and on top of their game? Fuck no. Once again the New York media is trying to stir up the series this week by misquoting and taking quotes out of context. As of today, this series lacks the pazazz it normally packs when these two teams square off. So, my words to close this short entry? Fuck the Yankees.

Sounding Off

I know that the Sox have another game to play with the Atlanta Braves. As of right now, they are on a rain delay coming off playing two in a row yesterday. They traded heavyweight shots with Boston winning the first contest 13-3 with Dice-K throwing an eight inning gem. Last night was the complete opposite. Remember when I said that the AAA boys starting this weekend might get shelled? Yeah, it happened. The Sox got shut out, losing 14-0, their biggest of the season.

I want to move on to another topic, one that obviously looms a little larger in Red Sox Nation than an interleague series with the Braves. If Boston happens to drop two of three this weekend it's not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. Obviously manager Terry Francona is using the fat of his pitching rotation for early this week when the Sox travel down to the Bronx to face the struggling Yankees.

Ah yes, the series against the Yankees. Ever since the new regime of principle owner John Henry, team President Larry Lucchino, and GM Theo Epstein took over the rivalry hit a new high. Adding players like David Ortiz, Curt Schilling, and Keith Foulke while the Yanks acquired Alex Rodriquez, Randy Johnson, and Jason Giambi positioned this to be the best rivalry with some of the best talent in any sport. That being said, I've always been a little uneasy with labeling this the greatest rivalry ever. The claim is not without merit, however subjective. The 2003 Red Sox squad was a far cry from the hodge podge squads of the Dan Duquette era. I'm not taking anything away from Pedro, Nomar, Mo, or even Carl, just sayin'. This team was assembled and grown to not only compete, but win.

After the '03 and '04 ALCS's it's hard to imagine any baseball series getting as much attention as these two did. Just look at the playoffs from '05 and '06 and tell me that anything matched the excitement that those two series generated. Like I said though, I struggle to admit that these two teams makes the baseball world go round. Being a fan of one of the teams involved I obviously can't get as much out of say Dodgers vs. Giants, or Cubs vs. Cardinals, but I still love watching them anyway. To a Cardinals fan saying that my rivalry is more important than their's is very pretentious slap in the face and something I personally steer clear of. The Yankees and Red Sox have the biggest payrolls, biggest fan base, and generally biggest market share when it comes to television ratings when they play. That much is fact. It all depends on how much you buy into the hype. You can tell me that it's just another 18 games on the schedule. Just like Baltimore, just like Toronto, and even just like Tampa. However, you can't tell me that the game against the Yankees on Saturday, July 24 2004 didn't turn the heat up under the Sox just enough. Just enough to nab a Wild Card berth and use that momentum and mentality when down 3-0 to the Yanks in the 2004 ALCS providing footage for the best comeback in sports history.

So, maybe this could be the Yankee's weekend to do the same thing. It's considerably earlier in the season than when the Sox did it in '04, however you can't pick your points in the season when you turn it around. Because it's always today. If not today, then when? I'm looking for the Yankees to try and use this series as a turning point before Clemens comes to town. I'm also looking for Boston to kick the Yanks while they're down to stretch that lead over them beyond 10 games. This is why I like baseball, because those twists and turns are always just around the corner. Teams have the ability to make up for earlier sins, much more so than say football. This is why I love watching this sport. Not just because of this particular storyline, but because there are these types of situations all across the league. I choose to focus on this particular one of course, but there are others out there as well. Maybe I'm just trying to separate myself from people that think this is the ONLY show in town. Maybe I'm just smart enough to realize that the game of baseball is bigger than these two teams. I wish everyone else was too, to some degree.

Rotation Woes and the Weekend

With my friend over at TwinsTown out on his tour of Midwest ballparks for his honeymoon, I'm wishing I was strolling down Yawkey Way right now. I can't want to go back next summer. Anyway, I hope he has a safe trip and a good time.

Boston heads in to the weekend using two AAA starters in Devern Hansack and Kason Gabbard. With Josh Beckett being out of the rotation on the DL, it looks like the Sox are anticipating handling the visiting Atlanta Braves with some offense and saving some pitching for New York. I’m not saying Hansack and Gabbard can’t and won’t do a good job, I’m just saying that the Braves may light them up. Gabbard hasn’t seen any action in the bigs this season, and Hansack came in relief at Toronto and only pitched 2/3 of an inning walked three, gave up a hit, and surrendered an earned run. Yeesh. Hopefully he comes up and pitches like he did in September against Baltimore last year.

Boston gives another 2 for 1 today, but of course with Time Warner being complete fuckheads in their coverage on my MLB Extra Innings package there will be no afternoon games. Thanks a fuckin’ bunch go out to FOX as well. Dice-K was supposed to pitch against Braves starter John Smoltz tonight, instead he’ll be going up against Anthony Lerew and Hansack will get to dual against Smoltz in the nightcap.

Coming off taking 3 of 4 from what was dubbed the hottest team in the American League, the Detroit Tigers, I’m thinking the Sox confidence as a team should be at a season high. Going into a National League matchup should be a good tune up for the Yankees series staring on Monday in the Bronx. On the other hand, they cannot look past the Braves as they are a good, young, and dangerous team. Being two games out in the NL East behind the New York Mets you know they’ll want to steal a game or two on the road while up in Boston. Last year, the Sox swept the Braves in Atlanta with closer Jonathan Papelbon picking up saves (3) in each contest.

Freddy Krueger Wins!

AHHHH! Please excuse Boston Red Sox starter Julian Tavarez for not having a socially acceptable face.

At least his pitching was attractive today. But first... Detroit returned the favor Tuesday night, from Monday's 7-1 loss, by defeating the Boston Red Sox 7-2. The Tigers blew up on starter Tim Wakefield for five and jumped on reliever Brenden Donnelly in the 7^th for two more runs. Wakefield came into the game with a stunning ERA of 1.79. After Tuesday night’s outing he’s now at 2.41, still pretty low for Wake. Tiger’s ace Justin Verlander said he had one of his best bullpens before the game and it showed in his performance. I don’t know what to think of the Tigers. I’m not sure if I should like them or hate them.

Currently the Sox are in between same day games. Sox starter Julian Tavarez won a goddamn game!! He looked pretty damn good quieting the Tigers pitching seven complete innings, fanned three, and only ONLY gave up one earned. Like clockwork the bullpen went into action in the 8^th with Hideki Okajima and closer Jonathan Papelbon retiring six straight. I love a good pitchers dual and today was great in that aspect. I know Boston can score runs so I’m not that concerned they’ve only scored four runs in the past two days. Although only picking up two runs on emergency call up Zach Minor leaves me with a slight bad aftertaste in my mouth.

Starter Josh Beckett will not start on Friday in Boston’s inter-league kick off game for the ’07 season against the Atlanta Braves. The Sox are staying tight lipped about the short term for Beckett and hinted about a possible stint on the DL so it’s not rushed. They are also staying tight lipped about who will be called up from Pawtucket to pitch in his place. My guess is whoever they scratch from a start in any game scheduled for this weekend will get the call up. Devern Hansack maybe? Expect Javier Lopez to get sent back down to bring Hansack up. Hopefully Beckett is able to recover soon, and hopefully Francona doesn’t push him out too fast and it turns into a nagging issue over the season.

In other DL news, set up man Mike Timlin is making progress in his rehab. He’s been throwing on flat ground from 45-60 feet with no signs of his tendonitis flaring up. On to JD Drew. Yikes, I knew this guy was going to get injured it was only a question of when. I’m confident in backups Eric Hinske and (kinda) Wily Mo Pena, but I’d rather have Drew as the day to day and light in the injury department because he is the best right fielder on the team. Looks like it’s wait and see with him for now. Francona said it’s only a lower back contusion, but you never know with Drew.

The second game gets underway at 6:05 central with Curt Schilling up against Chad Durbin. Hopefully Schil can get back the win he probably could have picked up after being pulled in last Saturday’s contest against the Orioles. Schilling was pulled after 5 1/3 after giving up his 4^th earned run on the day to make the game a 4-4 tie. Boston went on to win 13-4.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

This blog is supposed to be strictly devoted the Boston Red Sox and baseball in general. However, I would like to take the time to unveil a new, and hopefully ongoing, award series. So, ladies and gentlemen welcome to the…

Inaugural, Infrequent, Non-Timetable, Shut the Fuck Up Awards

This award is not limited to baseball but all sports while in season or not. Also, as the title tells you, there is no frequency to when I will pass these out, just whenever I feel like it.

Best Supporting Player(s) StFU Award – Robert Horry & Bruce Bowen.

These guys have been pissing me off for years. I’ve always hated them from Horry’s goofy looking shot to the fact he has as many rings as Michael Jordan to Bowen’s inability to do anything on a basketball court that starts with “off” and ends “ence.” Now they are back up hatchet men for the least exciting team in NBA history this side of any team Mike Fratello has ever coached. To give you some more background on Bowen (the worse of the two), he’s an NBA vet and journeyman who has been an established hack since his days in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform. Last night in Game 4 of the Western Conference semi-finals Horry hip checked Phoenix Suns guard, multiple NBA MVP and Canadian Steve Nash into the scorers table. Bowen kneed him (Nash) in the balls the other night too. He also about kicked Amare Stoudemire’s leg out from under him last week. Why? Because they are fuckfaces. I know they didn’t technically say anything, but their actions speak louder than words ever could.

Robert Horry & Bruce Bowen, Shut the Fuck Up.

Most Annoying Radio Personality StFU Award – Colin Cowherd

Not only does this guy have a stupid name, it must make him inherently stupid when it comes to matters of everything. He constantly goes on and on and on about how much smarter he is than everyone else. He constantly tells his audience that they don’t get sports, they don’t know what to watch, or the fact they can’t think for themselves despite suffering from a case of severe mental retardation himself. I'm not trying to stick up for "The Herd" because to smart people, he does the Bill O'Reily routine where he pretends to be dumber than he really is to rile up his dumber audience. People that like this guy are ignorant. Today, for just one example (I have many), he talked about how the NBA isn’t worth watching during the regular season and the Eastern Conference isn’t worth watching in the playoffs. Why? Because none of those teams and their series are “chippy” enough like the Spurs/Suns match up. Basically, the NBA is only worth watching when players are reenacting Wrestlemania III. Dumbass. You’re the reason people believe that basketball hasn’t been worth watching since Jordan left.

Colin Cowherd, Shut the Fuck Up.

Repeat Offender StFU Award – Terrell Owens

Hey, T.O., you’ve played for one Hall of Fame coach and two solid coaches in your career and you still don’t have a Super Bowl win. Guess what, I hope you never do! If Owens ever gets a ring, I’ll stop watching football. Well, probably not but I may throw up at the Super Bowl party I’ll be attending the year he hypothetically wins. Yesterday, Owens complained about two time Super Bowl winner Bill Parcells. He then sang the praises of new coach Wade Phillips. Wade Goddamned Phillips. I hope Owens is hungry, because he’ll be dining on those words by about Week 6 this season. The picture depicts Parcells showing Owens how to not drop a football.

Terrell Owens, Shut the Fuck Up.

Lifetime Achievement StFU Award – Stephen A. Smith

I was happy when ESPN finally shit canned Screamin’ A’s “talk show” “Quite Frankly” (his catchphrase) on ESPN 2. Quite frankly, I’m glad ESPN wised up and cut back on his face time. He’s now making guest appearances on General Hospital. No doubt blasting it because the hospital itself is painted all white. He’s like the Rush Limbaugh of sports commentating. He’s loud, obnoxious, and if your opinion is different than his you’re an idiot. He’s a blown up, over exaggerated caricature of what is wrong with ESPN and their mob of mostly idiot broadcasters. What’s worse? He’s not playing up to the camera or acting the part of an angry man like Rush does (I’m not defending the prescription addicted, Viagra popping, racist Republican either). He’s real. To top all of this, he’s a HUGE Yankee’s fan.

Stephen A. Smith, Shut the Fuck Up.

Honorable mention – Jim Rome. He was a close second. Maybe next time Jimbo. Presenting your award will be Jim Everett. But just for the heck of it because it's coming someday anyway...

Jim Rome, Shut the Fuck Up

'07 Xbox Sox

Yup, that's where it all started.

Each year since the days of Nintendo, I’ve enjoyed me some videogame baseball. The Bases Loaded series was all I needed until the Playstation came out when I was in high school. EA’s Triple Play series was something I played the shit out of while in high school and college when it became MVP baseball. I still maintain that MVP 2005 (with Manny on the cover) is the best non-baseball simulator ever. This year I decided to not buy MLB The Show for my PS2 and opted for MLB 2K7 for my Xbox 360. Even with Derek Jeter on the cover. The game play and franchise mode aren’t as deep as The Show, but the players, the movements, and the environments all look spectacular and feel real.

Obviously, I play with the Boston Red Sox, and every couple months or so you will get the benefit of seeing how my season progresses. Just a side note, I’m the general manager for the Kansas City Royals (and don’t actually play any ballgames) and building into my second season in a separate mode. As a rule, I play as the season goes along and try to stay about 3 or 4 weeks ahead of the regular schedule to pace myself for when Madden comes out. Anyway, here is how the AL East is shaking out 50 games in…

Boston 34 16 .680 -
Toronto 27 24 .529 7.5
Tampa 25 25 .500 9.0
New York 23 26 .469 10.5
Baltimore 23 28 .450 11.5

Not really unlike how the division looks right now. DH David Ortiz and 3B Mike Lowell are about a week away from coming off the 15 day DL for a sprained ankle and strained quad respectively. Here is the lineup I’ve had to use the past 10 days or so because of said injuries.

Avg HR RBI

SS Lugo .332 17 48
1B Youkillis .357 18 35
LF Ramirez .408 32 65 (in the early running for the Triple Crown)
DH Pena .229 3 9
RF Drew .358 12 35
3B Hinske .250 2 13
C Varitek .283 10 27
CF Crisp .296 10 26
2B Pedroia .248 5 16

Overall I’m hitting .315 as a team which is first in the bigs. Sometimes I’ll sub in Alex Cora for Pedroia or Lugo and swap Crisp and Youk around in the lineup depending on whom I play and who’s pitching. Two weeks before the Yankees nabbed Roger Clemens, I did the same thing in my game but only for the Red Sox benefit. Here is what my starting rotation is looking like in order…

W-L ERA SO BB BAA WHIP

Clemens 4-0 1.77 31 7 .222 1.04
Schilling 6-4 4.83 43 12 .285 1.37
Beckett 6-2 4.78 36 4 .246 1.03
Mills (DiceK) 7-3 2.55 53 11 .206 .094
Wakefield 3-5 7.11 28 19 .294 1.56

Lot’s of offense in this game as you can tell. On the games default, Jonathan Papelbon is in the starting rotation. After the team announced in spring training he was moving back to the bullpen as the closer I did the same…

Papelbon 2-2 3.00 17 5 .242 1.06

He’s got four out of five in save opportunities as well. I’d like to get him into some more save situations but save opportunities are few and far between in this game which kind of bugs me. So there you go, I know I’ll probably win the World Series because I do every year. I’m not a person that resets or quits if I’m losing either, because I’ve got the difficulty jacked all the way up so I don’t feel bad when I lose. I can play, manage, and run the GM duties as well which I love. It gives you the opportunity to manage your AAA and AA teams too. MVP let you play those games, which is a complete waste of time but a cool idea. As a result of my superior GM abilities I’ve been able to spend on Clemens, wrap up Ortiz for the rest of his career, and get Schilling to sign year to year until he retires. Of course selling out Fenway Park all the time and getting huge market share on TV broadcasts don’t hurt either.

2007 Budget - $183,640,000
2007 Expense - $178,950,000
Projected Inc. - $214,030,000
Projected Pft - $35,080,000
Ticket Avg - $42.50 (there are a lot of rich people in Boston apparently).

I still work in a bank by day you know. Just for the record for some dumb reason every team’s spending is up by $10-40 million over their real life spending. So I’m in first place playing on super duper All Star difficulty, I know how to manage my team to not only get them to win when I play but when I simulate games against the computer, and I’m in the black financially. Move over Theo, I’m takin’ over.

Dice-Komplete

So is he living up to expectations yet? He dominated in Toronto last week and he achieved his first complete game in the MLB tonight against the potent Detroit Tigers lineup. I think he's starting to settle in a bit seeing more lineups, and more situations. After he's seen the whole league and gets a good read on everyone is when he should really hit his stride. I even got a little annoyed with the hype, don't get me wrong, but I'm starting to believe he is going to pan out and be a great addition to the rotation for a long time to come. Fingers crossed of course.

Note: I'm not commenting on Jim Leyland's comments on Dice-K. I'm done writing about nominal controversy for a little while.

Here are the other vitals from today other than the nine innings pitched. He gave up six hits, one earned run, no walks, and five K's. Nothing spectacular, just solid pitching. He got his pitch count up in to the 120's and still looked strong and displayed some nice command in the last third of the game only giving up a single in the ninth to DH Gary Sheffield. Speaking of which, Shef got some boos his first at bat, no doubt due to his verbal scuffle with Boston fans in '05 while still in Yankee pinstripes.

For the third day in a row the Sox struggled to put runs on the board in the first half of the game. I know it's ticky-tack but when you play a team like the Tigers who step on the gas hard early, you need to match that. Boston lucked out and got a great start from Matsuzaka, but it's not guaranteed each night out from the entire rotation (ahem, Julian Tavarez, cough). They scored one run in the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings each to take a 3-1 lead, but you would think they may need to produce some more earlier to fend off the Tigers the rest of the week. The Sox did get some insurance in the bottom of the 8th when the lineup went off for four runs and didn't look back, probably knowing full well that the Tigers' lineup is more than capable of two or three runs in the top of the 9th.

Stevie Wonder could tell the Tigers looked a little road weary coming off the Minnesota Twins hanging 16 runs on them last night. Assuming they got into Boston around 4 or 5am this morning, I'm sure they had to be just a little tired. Tomorrow night may be a different story with Justin Verlander on the mound for the Motor City Kitties. Man that's a dumb nickname. Anyway, Tim Wakefield will go for his fifth win on the year. I'm expecting tonight's game to be a bit of a fluke and the next three contests to be a little more competitive from start to finish. Maybe Closer Jonathan Papelbon can get in a save situation for the first time since last Sunday's 10th save on the year against the Twins. Then again, I'm not going to argue with another five or six run win against this team.

A special note from your author - The 8.5 game lead Boston is currently enjoying over the New York Yankee's marks the Sox biggest lead in the AL East since the 1995 season. Significance? It was the same year they won their last AL East crown. Once again, I don't want to jinx my team. So I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

Test Time

Boston took two of three from the Baltimore Orioles this weekend. For other news of the obvious, you'll have to turn somewhere else. Boston has made a habit out of beating the O's so this weekend was no surprise. Yesterday's game finished in surprising fashion however. Starting pitcher Josh Beckett didn't collect his eighth win of the year and Boston did not score a run until the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Sox spent Saturday and Sunday whiffing on Oriole starters then deciding to bat and score runs when XYZ reliever from the bullpen came out to the mound. I don't really enjoy come from behind wins, exciting as they may be. I'd prefer a bit of a battle, rather than being down 5-0 to Baltimore with three outs until the game is in the books. Of course, manager Terry Francona was obviously preparing for the four game home stand against the AL Central leader Detroit Tigers. He gave 3B Mike Lowell and 2B Dustin Pedroia the day off. He also took LF Manny Ramirez out late in the game when a win seemed out of reach. Usual 1B Kevin Youkilis spent the day small gloving it at 3rd with Eric Hinske covering 1st. Not exactly Boston's potential playoff line up out there.

The Sox spent most of the day not hitting off O's righty Jeremy Guthrie and letting the visitors dink and dunk their way to a 5-0 lead. Then CF Coco Crisp got on with no one out and DH David Ortiz doubled to bring in Crisp. Ok, 5-1 and Boston will no doubt lose in the next five minutes. Well, LF sub Wily Mo Pena got on, RF JD Drew did the same and all of a sudden the bases were loaded. Youkilis walked and Ortiz scored. So now it's 5-2. Could they do it? Next batter was C Jason Varitek who likes to ground into double plays. He actually doubles to right center and brings in Pena and Drew, holy shit it's 5-4! SS Julio Lugo slapped a grounder to O's "closer" Chris Ray (he's 3-3 on the year) and was safe because of a throwing error on Ray's part. Lugo got there quick enough to disrupt the play. See my entry from the day before. I'm not saying I'm a genius, I'm just saying. Anyway, two more runs score. Ballgame. 6-5 Red Sox win in the bottom of the 9th. One of the best comebacks in recent history and I missed it. Yup, that's right. I left in the sixth inning to go to Stephanie's parents house for Mothers Day and I watched the play by play gamecast on my cell phone while her brothers watched NASCAR. Oh well.

Tonight Dice-K (4-2) is on the hill to take on Nate Robertson (3-2) and the Detroit Tigers (23-13) for a four game home series. This will be Boston's first real test to see what they are made out of. Sure they are 5-1 against the Yankees and took two of three on the road against the Minnesota Twins, but those teams struggled with injuries and were missing some key players. Detroit is coming off taking two of three from the same Twins team in the Metrodome and are 8-2 in their last 10 outings. The next several nights should be fun to watch and the Sox have done a good job rising up against solid teams and putting forth their best effort. Hopefully they continue the trend starting tonight.

A New Wrinkle

Team speed has never been a focal point for the Red Sox with the advent of brining big sluggers to populate the middle of the order. In 2001 with LF Manny Ramirez and in 2003 DH/1B with David Ortiz coming on, you knew they weren't going to manufacture too many runs. Former Red Sox CF Johnny Damon was almost an anomaly in his tenure with Boston. Having his speed at just the top of the lineup put virtually no pressure on the infield, something the Sox are actually starting to accomplish this year.

SS Julio Lugo, CF Coco Crisp, and even RF JD Drew have speed that hasn’t really been seen in Boston for quite some time. Players like Trot Nixon, Edgar Renteria, Mark Bellhorn, and even Orlando Cabrera didn’t provide too much get up and go. I’m not saying this team is going to turn into the go-go Sox or something like that, I’m just saying it adds another dimension to the offense. Rather than just lumbering around and plodding their way to a win, it gives the opposing team something else to have to scout.

Lugo seems to be at the apex of this new discovery. Like I said previously, don’t expect Francona to get away from out-slugging teams with the lineup’s considerable power, just expect runners to get in scoring position with fewer outs. Lugo had eight steals in April, the most since Damon had nine in 2002. Another Goddamn ’02 reference. His 10 steals overall will put him on pace for 49 on the year. He’s not an idiot when he’s out thievin’ bags either as he hasn’t been caught yet. The one thing I dislike about Lugo has to do with his batting stance and that's about it. If you've watched him step up to face a pitcher you know what I'm talking about. It's hard to look badass when you weigh in at a buck seventy-five and look like a 12 year old in your uniform.

Crisp is finally utilizing his skills more than he did last year. He started off the year in a bit of a slump and tried to fit in with the majority of the lineup by stepping in and swinging away. Now, he’s bunting and producing hard hit infield shots and using his speed to get on base. He even bunted twice successfully in a game in the past two weeks (can’t think of which one off the top of my head).

Drew is a mildly fast addition to the lineup even though he hasn’t showcased of what he can do on the base paths. Not yet anyway. He may not go out and grab 30 steals on the year, but he can run the bases when the ball is hit in play. I really don’t have much to say about Drew and his running, other than he's faster than Trot (and smarter, but his name isn't as cool) and the fact that he sort of looks like a rejected back up musician from Rascal Flats.

The final and maybe most important tidbit to chew on is that these three are distributed well within the one through nine. When Francona goes with the normal list Lugo leads off, Drew bats fifth behind Big Papi and Manny, and Crisp bats eighth. And when the Sox bat around the order as quickly as they do it makes a one run inning a two run inning, and a two run inning a four run inning. It’s a welcome addition and I hope Francona sticks with it for the duration.

Of course I can’t get out of this entry without bitching about "starter" Julian Tavarez (1-4). What can I say? The clubhouse loves him but he’s just not clicking in the five spot. Pawtucket starter Jon Lester has been working out with the team since last Saturday throwing from 120 feet, and eventually progressed to throwing on level ground to get used to being back in the bigs. Word out of Fenway is he’s been chucking not only fastballs and just playing catch, he’s also been throwing off-speed pitches well again. While Beckett goes for his eighth win tomorrow, Lester will be throwing his first bullpen session. He had some minor cramping in his throwing arm in his last start for the PawSox on May 2nd, but I wouldn’t expect it to be a lingering issue. Tavarez has been out of the AL loop for awhile now, and I think moving him back to the pen might restore some of his lost confidence. It will sort of be a shame since he is such a positive influence in the dugout. Maybe they can keep him as a motivational coach rather than a pitcher.

Schilling (4-1) is on the mound today against Steve Trachsel (1-3) who Boston will be facing for the first time this season. Hopefully Schil’ can keep from making any more idiotic statements and just pitch. I’m sort of sick of having the spotlight on the guy for dumbass discussions. One was his fault, the other wasn’t. Hopefully we can just move on and I can stop watching Sports Center because they are as active on keeping dumb stories alive as PETA is on keeping animals alive.

Finally

Next door over here is a picture of 3B Mike Lowell and LF Manny Ramirez celebrating Lowell’s second three run home run in two nights. This picture of Manny is dedicated to my friend over at TwinsTown, who is a huge fan of his. I’d love to provoke a fellow baseball blogger further, however I have some good news for Red Sox fans…

The Boston Red Sox finally swept the Toronto Blue Jays! This hasn't happened in Toronto since 2002. Last year sucked fat hairy monkey balls because the Jays to the Sox were what Kryptonite is to Superman. CF Vernon Wells hit 486 home runs and drove in four times as many runs and Roy Halladay looked like a Cy Young award contender. Early on this year (even though it’s still early anyway) almost looked to be more of the same. The first series between the two ball clubs ended with the Sox taking the series up in Toronto, however it could have just as easily gone the other way. Boston needed two runs in the eighth and ninth innings to win 5-3 in the rubber match. Less than a week later the Jays came to Fenway and hung 24 runs on the Sox in two days and I was breathing a sigh of disappointment, especially after sweeping the New York Yankees at home.

Since then it’s been a tale of two teams with Boston soaring to the best record in the American League (23-10) and Toronto ending up in the AL East cellar (13-21) and only a couple games ahead of the laughing stock of the AL, the Kansas City Royals. The Sox flexed both lineup and pitching staff muscles outscoring the Blue Jays 26 to 5. On top of sweeping the Jays, they also came away with two of three in the Metrodome against the Minnesota Twins and finishing their road trip with a record of 5 and 1.

2B Dustin Pedroia did his best to quell the media scrutiny he has faced with IF backup Alex Cora showing his stuff. Pedroia hit 9 for 14, drove in four runs, and hit his first home run on Tuesday night en route to a 9-3 rout in Toronto. Hopefully this was his wakeup call after having a very forgettable April. However when you’re a rookie it does take time to adjust.

The past seven days the Boston lineup hit 10 home runs, had 33 RBI’s, batted a combined .293 as a team, and maintained an on base percentage of .374. Boston has even managed to find themselves on pace to reach 80 stolen bases this year. I know it’s a pretty anemic number, however Manager Terry Francona is about as opposed to small ball as I am opposed to trading in my Johnny Damon Red Sox jersey for a Yankee’s Damon jersey.

Despite all the fireworks, the offense wasn’t the only thing clicking the past week. Boston’s pitching staff churned out 53 innings pitched, only allowed 10 runs, averaged 7.3 strike outs per nine innings (not huge, but notable), and finished up with an ERA of 1.70. In this fan’s humble opinion that’s pretty fucking good considering who they played the last week.

Being a Boston fan is all about taking things week to week and try to keep it all in perspective and not get ahead of yourself. It seems like the team in the past has always been one or two key injuries from completely derailing. This year seems a little different with even non day to day players stepping up and doing well and even some excellent outfield prospects down in Pawtucket coming along quite well. Of course in 2002 the Sox had an outstanding month and a half to open the season at 24-7 including taking three of four from the Yankees and squeezing in a nine game winning streak. They went on to miss the playoffs. So this fact coupled with the fact the last time the Sox swept the Jays at home was in the same year my superstitions are kicking into overdrive. What I’m saying is I’ll start getting happy if they have the same sort of separation from the pack in late August or early September.

Give Me a Break

Why do I have a picture of AJ Pierzynski on my blog? Because I think he’s a goofy looking dude and this picture makes me laugh. Ah, but there is a point. The point is this, which may or may not be news to you, professional athletes sometimes make asses out of themselves. For example:

I figured I’d write a little bit about the “controversy” regarding Boston Red Sox starter Curt Schilling’s comments on San Francisco Giant’s slugger Barry Bonds. Why? Because Boston played a boring (yet excellent) game last night. If you think I watch each game during the regular season like it’s the Goddamn playoffs you’re crazy. So to begin, do I hate the fact that the media will slam a magnifying glass up against crap like this? Yes. Do I hate the fact players slam each other through said media? Yes. Do I hate the fact that radio talk show hosts and Sports Center tell us it’s our fault because they know it’s what we want to hear? More than life itself. It’s the Terrell Owens defense the media uses for everything else. For the record, I fucking hate Owens despite playing for my favorite NFL team at one time.

Ok, so Schilling made a dumb comment while being interviewed on WEEI’s morning show the other day. For those of you that did not hear his comments Schilling basically said that Bonds cheated on his taxes, his wife, and the game. If you listened to the interview you can tell he just rolled out of bed or was still in it. I’ll say anything in the morning. For instance, “sure I’ll go shopping with you today.” Or “my you look beautiful in the morning.” Back to Schilling’s comments. You know what I have to say about it? Big fucking deal. That’s right, BFD. Did he go too far with the wife and taxes thing? Sure, that has nothing to do with baseball and maybe the outspoken veteran should have shut his yap when it comes to things having to do with Bonds outside of baseball. Schil is no stranger to the steroid controversy, so if I were him, I wouldn’t have answered the question anyway, or in the direct fashion that he did. It’s always a little dicey when one player decides to call out another. That being said, I hate Barry Bonds so it makes it a little easier to handle.

Why do I hate Bonds, do you ask? Because he seems like an total asshat and treats a majority of his teammates like shit because he has a problem with insecurity. Relax, Bar, you’re about to break the most sacred of records, have millions of dollars in the bank, and have a career most kids (and adults) would sell their mother for. I’m sick of being told that I should feel sorry for people in that position because no one understands them. Fuck that. Why don’t you come work my job for a six month period and see how much of a hassle it isn’t to play baseball for a living? That being said, I’m not a class warrior type, and I’m not jealous of his money. I have a good job and make decent bank myself. Why am I not envious of his dough? Well, you know a wise man once said mo’ money mo’ problems. Anyway, he just seems like he has no love for the game or the fans, I don't think he ever has. All the baseball cards I have of Bonds he just looks like an asshole. Even when his head was a normal size.

I’m cutting off this Bonds rant before it really gets going. Should Schilling apologize? Yeah, probably. If he called Bonds out on just the steroid thing? Hell no. If you think Bonds hasn’t used ‘roids or hasn't taken HGH, then you’re a giant douche. Stop giving him the benefit of the doubt. It’s fucking obvious. I love how national and local sports jockeys vilify Bonds then turn around and will stick up for him when someone calls him out on his shit that isn’t from their community. That’s why I hate sports talk radio some days.

The next month or so is going to be a clusterfuck of Biblical proportions with Bonds approaching Henry Aaron’s record of 755 career home runs. Which begs another question, do we take too much stock in our records? What’s the big deal anyway? At the end of the day it’s just a number. Even though numbers gets you into Cooperstown. That’s an entirely separate issue and another entry however. I’m just hoping he gets it over with ASAP, and with the Giants coming into town (Boston that is) in a little over a month it may very well happen at Fenway Park. I’m not sure how I’d feel about Bonds hitting his historical 756 at Fenway off Schilling. Wouldn’t that be a media field day? I’m getting queasy just thinking about it. Anyway, I hope he does it at home in San Fran and Boston sweeps the Giants when they come to town. Because that’s the shit that matters to me, winning ball games and championships. If you like what has happened the past few days, go watch fucking General Hospital or something.

Around The American League East

Week 6 in the MLB is in full swing and there are a few early season surprises, some things that are not so surprising, and are there some pre-season predictions on their way to fulfillment? We are about 20% through the 2007 season and for me personally, it comes in as a close second to my favorite time of the season. Teams are jocking for position within their divisions and hope is still alive for most them. I’m going to go ahead and grade these teams in the Boston Red Sox division like my elementary school teachers graded me, by effort (living up to potential/hype/preseason predictions) and achievement (raw wins and losses measured against preseason hype).

Boston Red Sox (21-10)

First place Boston, with their narrow margin as the team with the best record in the AL, looks stronger than last years team that started in first place for a number of reasons. The regulars are staying healthy and the pitching staff is looking very sharp from top to bottom. The only injury plagued staffer (so far) is reliever Mike Timlin. Bit players are filling their roles when called upon to win games or stretch leads, and while they might not make Sports Center, they make this team what they are. Is it enough to earn Boston their first division crown since 1995? Everyone outside of Red Sox Nation is thinking yes, however I’m a Sox fan and I know a thing or two about the ways of the Sox. There are lots of warm and fuzzies when you’re winning, however Manny started slow, JD Drew is slowing down, and Ortiz is not in full stride yet. Day five starter Julian Tavarez is making things difficult for me to give the starting ‘ro a hardy pat on the back, but the rest of them give me hope. With 2/5^th’s of the rotation starting to age I’ll just say this, if Boston wants to win another World Series with this team the time is now.

Achievement: A-

Effort: B+

New York Yankees (15-16)

The Yankees are lucky to be in second place in the AL East. A-Rod made a lot of noise and carried the team for much of April, but he does that every April and May so it was no big shock to me. I loved how everyone freaked out about his 14 home runs last month like it had never been done before. He only tied St. Louis Cardinal’s 1B Albert Pujols who did it last fucking year. Minor injuries to Damon, Giambi, and Posada are made it difficult for the Yanks lineup to get into a rhythm. Constant tinkering from manager Joe Torre didn’t help much either. At least team owner George Steinbrenner got to fire someone, their strength and conditioning coach. Yippy. Bobby Abreu not doing dick didn’t really help either and he was healthy. Once the bats wake up I’d expect the Yankees to start competing again, and not just beat up on the Texas Rangers. With all their firepower how could they not? The lack of offense just added to the real problem with the Bombers, and that’s pitching. Too many injuries and underachieving spelled the first losing April since Torre took over the team. With the addition of Roger Clemens it should add a few more wins, leadership quality, and experience. However, do the Yankees have too many chiefs and not enough Indians now? I know it’s been asked before, but is this the year it all falls apart?

Achievement: C+

Effort: B

Baltimore Orioles (15-18)

So here begins the cluster that is usually the middle of the pack in the AL East. For years it’s been the Red Sox and Yankees then everyone else. Last year saw a bit of change with the Toronto Blue Jays displacing the Red Sox in second place behind the Yankees for the first time since 1997. The O’s tried to go out and fix their big problem from last year when they came off the rails in the second half of 2006, and that was their bullpen. So far it really hasn’t helped that much. Erik Bedard and Daniel Cabrera are off to mediocre starts and the rest of the starting rotation has looked the same. Young hurler Adam Loewen is out for the next 8 weeks with a throwing elbow stress fracture. The bullpen they wanted to work on is doing a serviceable job while closer Chris Ray has blown a couple saves with an ERA of over 3.00, not exactly where you want your closer to be. Still the O’s are somehow in 3^rd and only 1 game behind the 2^nd place Yankees. The lineup has been below average with a division low 145 runs scored. That’s three less than usual AL East cellar dweller Tampa Bay. SS Miguel Tejada is hitting well at .344, but the top of lineup needs to find a way to get on base so he can start driving in some much needed runs.

Achievement: C

Effort: C-

Tampa Bay Devil Rays (14-18)

The Rays find themselves in unfamiliar territory, and that’s being in the month of May and not in last place. They’ve started to slip the past couple weeks, but western Florida is still abuzz with their better than usual April. Believe me, I was Florida just 50 miles south of Tampa and they are excited, still. The young lineup is batting .260 but still look fairly promising. Young rising hitters 2B BJ Upton, LF Carl Crawford, and 3B Akinori Iwamura are batting a combined .319 and have 44 runs batted in. Of course, having Iwamura on the DL isn’t helping them at the moment. Even most of the time hitter/sometimes bat tosser RF Delmon Young is showing the tendencies of a solid player. Starting pitching is nothing to write home about, their starters get a lot of no decisions which means the bullpen isn’t carrying their weight. The team as a whole is giving up more runs (198) than any other team in the AL, and the lineup just doesn’t have the bats to keep up. Starter James Shields is emerging as a bright spot in their rotation. Closer Al Reyes is looking as good as I thought he might provided the Rays could get him into some save situations. Currently he’s picked up 10 saves, one win, an ERA of 1.20, and batters only hitting once in about every ten tries when facing him. All in all, landing somewhere other than last place gives them a higher grade automatically.

Achievement: C

Effort: B-

Toronto Blue Jays (13-19)

Where to start? At least they still know how to beat the Red Sox. That’s about the only positive thing to say about the Jays after starting well the first couple weeks of April. They’ve fallen off in a major way losing seven in a row and eight of their last 10. Picking up DH Frank Thomas is a move I wouldn’t have made when offensive production wasn’t really a question many were asking in the off season. Pitching is where they needed to fill holes in the home run happy AL. Those holes are starting to become more apparent even in this early stage of the season. Games against the Devil Rays and Oriole’s at home and may solve some issues. The line up is not even close to producing what they were last season and it’s starting to show. Outside of Jay’s ace Roy Holladay the starters are looking atrocious. The bullpen actually looked kind of sharp against the Red Sox last night, but not so much over the course of their losing streak. Closer BJ Ryan is looking to be out past the All Star break, but with the team playing as is, does it really make that much of a difference?

Achievement: D

Effort: D+

Commander In Chief

Starting pitcher Josh Beckett is off to one of the best starts in Boston Red Sox history. Sure, he's got the 2nd best run support in all of Major League Baseball (9.35 per start, wow), however this minor nugget of info should not diminish the fact he came into tonight's game with a 2.51 ERA with an equally strong 1.03 WHIP. Beckett turns 27 next Tuesday and I'm hoping that he turns into a long term type ace and provides the Sox with strong starting pitching for years. Something Boston has missed with the departure of Pedro Martinez after the 2004 World Series Victory. For all of his issues and Jheri curl problems, I still missed him in '05.

Fact: look up "Jheri Curl" on Wikipedia and scroll down to the bottom section of famous people that sported the 'do. He's last on the list.

Despite Beckett's success and in my humble opinion, he is still the second best starting pitcher on the team behind veteran knuckleball king Tim Wakefield. He's only 3-3 on the year but is sporting an ERA of 2.11 and batters only hitting .197 off of the 40 year old. Now if he had the same run support as Beckett, we'd have two six or seven game winners. The Sox are only averaging a little over 3 runs each time Wake takes the mound.

The game I was bitching about in my last entry where the Seattle Mariners were up 5-0 in the top of the 1st inning ended in a 8-7 Sox win. Reliever Mike Timlin, after getting the save against Oakland the night before, was placed on the 15-day DL last week making way for AAA pitcher Devern Hansack. This is the same dude who pitched a five inning gem against the Baltimore Orioles last year to close out the disappointing 2006 campaign.

This weekend saw the Sox go out on the road for the first leg of their six game road trip taking two of three from the perennial American League Central Champion Minnesota Twins. The Metrodome in Minneapolis has not been kind to the Sox over the years since the Twins finally decided to put together a real team and avoid contraction earlier this decade. The games were very low scoring yet very exciting. I'll never get over when people complain about a 2-0 or 4-3 game being "boring." I missed most of them since I was in Sarasota/Long Boat Key, Florida this weekend. My Fiance' said watching baseball while in Florida on a beach while she was on it wearing a bikini was "unacceptable." Anyway, my favorite pariah Julian Tavarez was the pitcher that gave up the only loss, however he still pitched well striking out 7, walking 3 and only giving up 2 runs. The problem was Twins Cy Young winner Johan Santana was on the mound and the Twinkies only ended up giving up one run on Saturday.

Tonight Beckett took the mound in an attempt to capture his 7th win of the year. He did so by only giving up one run in the 1st inning and striking out five. Surprisingly, he struck out three of the five on off speed pitches. Credit this to veteran catcher and team captain Jason Varitek. After giving up a home run in the 1st and surrendering a double immediately after, Varitek took over the calls and ordered up a blend of Beckett's 12-6 curve, controlled change up, and award winning fastball to get out of the inning. God bless you Tek.

The game also saw 2B Dustin Pedroia hit his first home run of the season, a three run shot in the top of the 2nd with two out. Toronto Blue Jay's starter Victor Zambrano, one year off of Tommy John Surgery, gave up two 3 run two out home runs in the ballgame. Both coming when the bases were empty after getting the second out each time, and the second coming to slumping 3B Mike Lowell. Timlin's replacement Devern Hansack pitched 2/3rds of an inning giving up one run and putting too many runners in position to make the game respectable than I'd care to remember. Looks like he needed one to shake out the rust. Better tonight than if the Sox were actually in a situation that called for an experienced reliever to get them into the 9th. JC Romero came in with one out to go in the 8th and stopped the mild bleeding. Usual long reliever Kyle Snyder, who was picked up on waivers from my hometown Kansas City Royals last offseason, finished out the game to give the Sox a 21-10 record overall and 12-6 record on the road. If they keep playing like this they may be a playoff contender. However, I've been a fan long enough to know that the second I get ahead of myself, they go on a huge skid. For now they enjoy a six game lead over the New York Yankees who are working their way back to what we are used to winning seven of their last ten.

Speaking of the most hated team in my life, the weekend's biggest news was that the Yankees picked up the soon to be 45-year old Roger Clemens. I just have a few things to say about this in no particular order of importance. I wasn't a big Sox fan when Clemens pitched for them, so I have no warm gushy feelings about the old days of The Rocket pitching in a Red Sox uniform again. He hasn't pitched for the Sox in almost 10 years so if you do care, get over it. He's still good, but nowhere near as good as what the Yankee's need to help their starting pitching problems. With Carl Pavano likely pussing out for the rest of the season and Mike Mussina not getting any younger, they have a lot of gaps to fill. Even $20+ million pitcher Kei Igawa didn't pan out like they'd hoped and is now on assignment in Steinbrennerville, better known as Tampa Bay, Florida. So is Clemens enough to correct the damage? I'm not sure. I'm expecting the Yankees to come around, I just wouldn't credit Clemens with this happening. As far as the special treatment? I could really care less other than the fact that it sets a precedent. Hopefully most GM's, agents, and players will realize that it's sort of anomaly and shouldn't expect to see it get out of control in the future. Then again, this is baseball we're talking about. For all the people that bitch about it, you just saw the crack team of Yankee negotiators in action led by GM Brian Cashman. Is there any more coinsidental name in all of baseball? Imagine the conversation with Roger's agent, Randy Hendricks and one of Cashman's staff.

Randy Hendricks: "I want my client to get a prorated salary of $28 million over four months, no questions asked."
Special Yankees Road Secretary George Costanza: "You got it, no problem. We've got plenty of over the hill money to burn now that Randy Johnson is gone."
RH: "Oh yeah, and he only has to show up on days he pitches. And he gets a plane, no questions asked."
GC: "Super, this deal is as good as done. When can your client start?"
RH: "I'm thinking around the end of the month or sometime after June 1st. My client is all about helping your team win a championship."
GC: "I can assure you and your client that we only have the same thing in mind. You know if we don't win a World Series it's not a success in our organization? You're aware of that right?"
RH: "Well, my client did pitch for you in the 2000 World Series, remember? He threw a pitch and almost killed the other teams catcher."
GC: "That's our Rocket! How does he feel about cotton by the way?"

So yeah, something like that. I'm not upset he's not pitching for my team because my team doesn't need him. Sure any team could use him, but not every team needs him. Especially a team with a record of 18-9 coming from their starting rotation already. The Yankees showed their desperation over the weekend and total disregard for team chemistry. Of course with starter Andy Pettite back in the fold starting this year if you didn't see Clemens going back to the Yanks you either don't pay attention, or you're an idiot, or both. As far as Padres sumo wrestler/starter David "Boomer" Wells slamming a former teammate I say good for you Boom. I'd also like to see them square off in some celebrity boxing match. I'd take Clemens if it goes past two rounds by way of technical knock out,with Wells dying of heart attack 2 minutes into round 3.

Dice-K is on the mound tomorrow night and the Jays are tinkering around with the idea of moving up Tomo Okha's start to tomorrow so they can get ace Roy Halladay on the mound for Thursday's game on short rest. Halladay suffered his first loss of the year against the Texas Rangers giving up 9 earned in 5 and 1/3 innings last Saturday. Damn it, Boston better take this series against the Jays, I'm sick of losing to them.