Back to Business

With the trade deadline three hours or so in the books, the Boston Red Sox took one more stab at trying to bolster their bullpen. The Sox are very deep for their starting rotation and one of the surplus was jettisoned today in favor of getting out of the game earlier, rather than push the starters longer.

Starter of late Kason Gabbard and minor league outfielders David Murphy and Engel Beltre were dealt to the Texas Rangers in exchange for one Eric Gagne. How did I feel about this? I like the trade the more I thought about it. Gagne isn’t going to be a star in a bullpen of nobody’s and underachievers, he’s going to be joining an already top notch pen that won’t have to rely on him quite as much as the Rangers or the Los Angeles Dodgers did while he was in his prime. This will help the fact that he hasn't seen a game in September since 2004 because of elbow and back injuries. With Gabbard more than likely on his way back down with Curt Schilling on his way back up, he was an obvious choice and more than likely would have been anyway even if he didn’t pitch well in his last five starts.

It also helps in the fact that word was recently received after acquiring Gagne that reliever Brenden Donnelly will undergo season ending surgery on his throwing elbow. And with the meltdowns of reliever Manny Delcarmen (who was rumored to be apart of a trade with the White Sox for Jermaine Dye) and All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon over the weekend, it seems like the front office in Boston did not want to take any more chances and are serious about protecting their eight game lead in the AL East and not just willing to ride it out as they have in the past.

Gagne has been having a solid season with the Rangers and making a better comeback than most people expected him to have. I thought when he signed with the Rangers that would be the end of it. The Rangers are usually a graveyard for aging players and players on their way out. If you want to possibly kill your career, just go to Texas. Is he the end all be all of answers and the key to finishing out the season on top? I don't think so, but having him as an option on top of other great options isn't a bad thing by any stretch.

All previous sentiments aside, the idea of being able to have Josh Beckett or Daisuke Matsuzaka turn the game over to All- Star Hideki Okajima, Papelbon or Gagne is almost too much to not be thoroughly excited over. Gagne’s numbers for the season breakdown as follows. In 34 appearances and 33 1/3 innings pitched he has a 2-0 record, thrown 29 strike outs with 12 walks and has an ERA 2.16 with a 1.05 WHIP and batters only hitting .192 against him. Not another bad arm to be thrown in with the rest. From the sounds of it he’ll be primarily used as a set up man for Papelbon, but don’t be surprised if Francona gives him a crack at closing a few contests out this season. That is if Boston gets to an abundance of save situations which they have been avoiding like the plaque so far in 2007.

Boston is going to get labeled a winner today, and that’s fine with me. I’d rather sit back and watch how Francona decides to utilize his new pitcher and see how the rest of the season unfolds. This is obviously the biggest trade outside of Mark Texieria being sent to Atlanta just because of the name. We’ll have to wait and see if the impact Gagne may or may not bring on the rest of the season is as big a story as the headline grabbing trade itself. Is it going to be enough? Is this finally going to be the year that the Sox can grab the division title? More importantly, will this be a season that they can make a deep run into the playoffs and possibly the World Series again?

Today the Sox also traded already designated pitcher Joel Pinero to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash and a player to be named later.

Tonight, the Sox are back at home in Fenway Park for a three game series and Josh Beckett will get the nod for the start against Erik Bedard and the Baltimore Orioles. Beckett will be going for his 14th win on the year.

Off the Beaten Path

It’s not often that you’ll find a piece on another team on this site. You’d maybe be even more hard pressed to find anything written about a specific figure in sports not having anything to do with the Sox or baseball in general. With this site being dedicated to the Boston Red Sox and the baseball world that surrounds them, it has been my primary focus and intent to write solely on that facet of the sports world. However, today is a little different in the respect that one of two of my favorite football coaches of all time has passed away.

This morning Bill Walsh, former coach of the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford Cardinals, passed away at the age of 75 after his extensive battle with leukemia. Walsh led the 49ers to three Super Bowl Championships and six NFC West division titles during his 10-year career in San Francisco. Walsh was 102-63 with one tie as a head coach in the NFL.

More than the numbers, which were impressive enough to induct him into the NFL Hall of Fame, is his mark on today’s NFL. That impression is as profound as the coach whose name resides on the Super Bowl trophy itself. His legacy spans from his assistant coaches George Seifert and Mike Holmgren who went on to win Super Bowls of their own, to coaches like John Gruden and Mike Shanahan who won Super Bowls with their own teams as products of an assistant to an assistant to Bill Walsh. Many more notable head coaches and assistant coaches came from the house that Walsh built including Andy Reid, Steve Mariucci, Marty Mornhinweg, Dennis Green and Dick Juron. This list goes on and on. The coaching tree is endless and now spans nearly two decades and nearly 30 current or former NFL head coaches. That number includes active head coaches in the NFL in Brad Childress, John Fox, Mike McCarthy, Jeff Fisher, Gary Kubiak, Brian Billick, Jack Del Rio, Scott Linehan, Tony Dungy, Rod Marinelli and Mike Tomlin. That’s 12 (not including Holmgren and Shanahan) coaches and over one third of all the coaches in the NFL that are decedents of the success that Walsh produced. Walsh was also a major proponent of having African-American coaches in not only his ranks, but as head coaches across the NFL and college football. The historic moment at Super Bowl XLI this past February where both head coaches were the first African-American’s to be head coaches of Super Bowl teams are in the Walsh coaching tree. Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy was the first African-American to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Both Dungy and Chicago Bears head Coach Lovie Smith, while not directly coach under Walsh, were pushed by the fact that Walsh assistant Dennis Green became one of the first prominent black head coaches in the NFL.

Even more indelible of a mark is the proliferation of the West Coast offense that is not only littered across the NFL, but college football as well. Walsh didn’t initially create the scheme known as the West Coast offense, but it will be forever tied to him from his glory days in San Francisco and the dynasty he created while coaching the 49ers and his days as offensive coordinator in Cincinnati under head coach Paul Brown. The term wasn’t even coined by Walsh himself, but by Sports Illustrated writer Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman in 1993. Whatever the circumstances of the phrase that is commonly used to describe the offense he made successful, it has been copied and redone to much success since the early 1980’s and is still used in many offensive schemes today.

Bill Walsh will be missed by the San Francisco community, the 49er and Cardinal fan base and by NFL fans across the world.

Doin' Damage

Boston waited until the middle of the contest with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays before going to work. The Sox didn’t even come up with a hit until the top of the 4^th inning when DH David Ortiz lined a two out single to right field. Starting pitcher Jason Hammel for the Rays retired the first 11 Sox he faced. Veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield surrendered his only run of the night in the bottom of the 2^nd inning on a single by C Dioner Navarro that scored Ty Wigginton. Boston eventually won the game 7-1, taking their time with the Devil Rays.

Once the Boston lineup shook off their jet lag from flying in from Cleveland early Friday morning, the runs came in abundance. 1B Kevin Youkilis got the party started in the top of the 6^th with a three run shot off Hammel, ending Youk’s 0-for-12 slump. Ray’s reliever Casey Fossum surrendered a single RBI to RF JD Drew in the 8^th, who pulled out of a slump of his own, scoring Ortiz. CF Coco Crisp would earn two more RBI’s that same inning and C Doug Mirabelli would drive him in to make the contest a six run game.

After Wake threw for six solid innings giving up six hits, walking three and fanning seven the Sox turned to the JV squad in the bullpen. I hate to say it because most of the 25 players that comprise a major league roster are all very important, but to say that Manny Delcarmen is as valuable as All-Star Hideki Okajima is a little off, to say the least. Normal long reliever Kyle Snyder came in and closed out the 9^th as manager Terry Francona will have him do when the Sox have a sizeable lead.

I’m sure that this series with the Rays is not on too many fans’ radars, however, these are the games that the Sox are expected to win. If they give up this series in the next two days they run the risk of losing the momentum they gained from the Cleveland series. Monday will be a much needed day off so if the Sox win tonight with Jon Lester on the mound, expect a lot of normal day starters to get some rest. Boston will go home to Fenway and open a three game mid-week series with the Baltimore Orioles before heading out on the road again for another nine game road trip. The Sox will face Seattle, Los Angeles and Baltimore before going back to Fenway on August 13^th.

News of Note

Manager Terry Francona told reporters in a pre-game interview last night that starter Curt Schilling should join the rotation on August 5^th or 6^th which would put him on the mound for the first time in the majors since mid-June. That start would come against either Seattle or LA on the road. No word as to who will be sent down to make room for Schil.

SS Julio Lugo went 0-for-4 last night in Tampa, ending his 15 game hitting streak. After being in a slump for most of June, Lugo has been batting at the top of the lineup and is currently hitting .222.

Last night’s victory marked Boston’s seventh win in eight games, their best stretch of games this season. The win was also Tampa’s seventh straight loss and the Rays have lost 19 of 24 since June 25^th.

Other than bringing up starter Jon Lester and designating Joel Pinero for assignment, the Sox have been relatively quiet on the transaction front.

A Giant Orgy of Runs...Relatively Speaking

In stark contrast to the past two nights where the Sox and Indians traded one run outings over 18 innings, last night’s 14-to-9 affair was an absolute slugfest that saw the Sox come out on top for the third time in the series and taking 3-of-4 from the Tribe in their mid-week showdown. Manny blasted two home runs (16,17) last night, including a 481 foot bomb that was 3^rd longest in Jacob’s Field history (not a long one) and the Sox gained their game back the Yankee’s took from them the night before, now resting a little more comfortably on top of the American League East by seven and a half games.

When I was watching the game last night, the Indian’s broadcasters had nailed down an interesting stat about Manny. Over the span of his entire career, he’s only batting sub .300 in one American League ballpark which happens to be the Rodgers Center, the home of the Toronto Blue Jays where he’s hitting .293, I think. I know batting average can be an overrated statistic, but pretty significant none the less. This reminded me how much I miss the “Did You Know?” segment on SportsCenter. Or do they still do it? I guess I don’t watch much of that show anymore since it kind of sucks. I usually just watch ESPN News.

More on Manny, last night was his 49^th multi home run game of his career tying him with Eddie Matthews and Mel Ott for 12^th on the all time list.

In a game the Sox were looking for, Wily Mo Pena went 3-for-4 at the dish with a three run homer and four RBI’s. There have been less than inconspicuous reports out of the Sox front office that General Manager Theo Epstein is looking to shop Pena in order to bolster the bullpen a little bit. Pena was never really a good fit for Boston in the first place and I was skeptical when they brought him on in 2006. At this point in his career he needs to be an everyday player to get better, rather than a backup for the outfielders in Boston.

Kason Gabbard is doing his best to stay in the Boston starting rotation picking up his fifth win on the season last night. One thing (or several) hurt his chances last night, and that was letting the Indian’s back in after the Sox lineup spotted him nine runs in the first five innings. The bottom of the same inning saw Josh Barfield double deep on a hard shot to center. Grady Sizemore brought him in on a single. Sizemore eventually moved up to third after Gabbard walked Casey Blake and Victor Martinez. Then, Gabbard hit Travis Hafner with a pitch, scoring Sizemore. Luckily, newly christened reliever Julian Tavarez came in and saved the day. Now, that’s why the Sox picked him up, not to start, but to come in and get out of jams. Sox reliever and Pawtucket call up Javier Lopez had been the go to guy for tough spots so far in '07, but didn’t really have the experience to convert consistently or the juice to stay in past the inning he’d pitch, so this is where Tavarez will come in handy. Finally. Tavarez would stay on until the seventh where he gave up a three run homer to Ryan Garko in the bottom of said inning. Old habits die hard I guess.

Anyway, the key for the Sox success all year has been getting to the eighth inning with a lead so the setup and closers can go to work and bring home a win. All Star Hideki Okajima came in and pitched yet another stellar 8^th, setting up Lopez to come in and close out the game in a non-save situation.

Meanwhile, in the city in which I reside, the Kansas City Royals finally stepped up and beat the Yankees, stopping their six game winning streak. Did the Royals stop the Yanks? Or did they just finally run out gas? All I can say is this about the Royals. Billy Butler is going to be a stud. After his brief stint after a call up in May, and his second call up after regular DH/1B/Team Captain Mike’s Weeny went down with an injury, he’s been on fire for the most part. He’s batting .311 with 27 RBI’s in 135 at bats. Team leader Mark Teahen has 44 RBI’s in 375 at bats. Then again, being the smart kid in a dumb class isn’t the best way to get into Harvard, either. I’m going to start calling him “Billy Beltran” or “Johnny Butler” or “Billy Dye” or, or, or…

The Sox travel down to Tampa Bay today to face off against the now hapless Devil Rays. Remember when they weren’t in last place in May? I think I’m about the only one. Tim Wakefield will take the mound at Tropicana Field at 6:05 central.

Duel

I’ll be brief today for sure, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the game that went down in Cleveland last night. It featured one of the best pitchers in the American League, and one of the emerging star pitchers in the American League.

In a game where you are rewarded for not making mistakes and being successful means getting three hits in every ten at bats illustrated that last night’s display of pitching prowess by the Indian’s C.C. Sabathia and Boston’s Daisuke Matsuzaka, that pitching duels are an exciting portion of all possible scenarios in baseball. Last nights game was played the way the game is meant to be played, or at least how most managers would like to see them played. Dice-K, in maybe his finest outing of his MLB career, pitched seven scoreless innings against a potent Indian’s lineup. He also only gave up four hits and threw only 98 pitches before handing the keys over to fellow Japanese pitcher, All-Star Hideki Okajima. Okajima pitched another perfect 8^th inning setting up closer Jonathan Papelbon en route to his 23^rd save on the season.

The game’s only mistake came when Indian’s rookie left fielder Ben Francisco misread a seemingly easy out when Sabathia got Red Sox 3B Mile Lowell to swing hard at a well placed pitch that should have been out number three. Francisco took a step back, the came forward and instead of catching the ball, ended up making a diving stop that allowed 1B Kevin Youkillis to score. A lot of things go on during a baseball game to contribute to a victory. It’s not that often in today’s game you see the one play that makes all the difference.

Tonight, Josh Beckett will face off against surprise 12 game winner Fausto Carmona. Last season Carmona won only one game in seven starts. He was used out of the bullpen as well losing a total of 10 games with an ERA of 5.42. David Ortiz should also be back in the lineup, and was available last night to pinch hit. If the Sox can take tonight’s game it will guarantee them the series victory. With the Yankees playing the cellar dwellers the past several days in the American League, Boston needs to capitalize on their five game winning streak and keep pace on the Yanks.

Back In The Fold

Jon Lester made his return to the big leagues last night in impressive fashion. You would think that Boston would have waited for his time to come in the comfy confines of one Fenway Park, however the time was now to get Julian Tavarez to the bullpen.

All Lester did last night, after learning 11 months earlier he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, then overcoming the disease, then after a few setbacks in AAA Pawtucket, he reclaimed his starting position by going out and beating the team that has the best home record in all of baseball in their house. It’s truly a great story among all the steroid talk with Barry Bonds, the dog fighting allegations with Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick in the Numerous Felons League and the NBA now having to deal with rogue referee Tim Donaghy’s gambling addiction spilling over into possible points shaving. It’s nice to know that there are still some stories out there that encompass the personal triumph each of us are capable of if faced with adversity.

Last night's start obviously meant a great deal to Lester himself, but also to the entire team. It may be the kick in the pants the Sox need to get focused and keep their lead in the AL East. I don’t think that they should be above using inspiration from an inspiring story and applying it to themselves and the team as a whole. Ordeals like this can either pull a team together fighting for a common cause, or it can drive home the fact that you are playing on a team of individuals. I would like to think the former comes into play with this Red Sox team.

Looking at his pitching numbers from last night against one of the most dangerous teams in baseball, it’s easy to see that the young lefty’s comeback effort was equally as great of a story, at least for today. Lester only allowed five hits and two runs while striking out six, including one in dramatic fashion against Indians CF Grady Sizemore with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 5^th inning.

The Sox lineup did all they could to give Lester a hand by jumping out to a four run lead in the top of the 1^st against Indians hurler Jake Westbrook. CF Coco Crisp went to work right away at the beginning of the game with a leadoff single into left field. Crisp would go 4-for-5 with three runs scored for Boston. Crisp is doing his best in the leadoff spot going 14-for-29 in the last week. Manny is also coming back around in the second half which will be much needed if regular DH David Ortiz continues to break down.

Boston will need more of the offensive firepower they’ve displayed the past few days against Indian’s top pitcher, C.C. Sabathia (13-4). The Sox will counter with Daisuke Matsuzaka (11-7) at 6:05 for those in the middle of the country.

So-So Homestand

Wally and the Red Sox pounded their Pale Sox counterparts into a three out of four game series victory in Boston over the weekend. It was great to see the lineup return to early season form with plenty of home runs and RBI’s from most everyone in the order.

Now that the home stand is over, it’s time to see if the 2007 Boston Red Sox are for real. Before I’m ready to hand the keys over to the Detroit Tigers as the team to take the fast lane to the World Series, I’m waiting to see how the next five weeks play out. I said that the home stand after the All-Star Break would be crucial, and Boston came out 6-5. Not a disaster, but not great either. Especially with New York waking up and realizing, hey, we’re the New York Yankees. They’ve got a line up, and as they showed over the weekend making the Tampa Bay Devil Rays look like an average AAA team. One thing will still plague the Yankees the rest of the season, and that is their pitching.

Speaking of the Yanks, anytime Boston strings together a three game losing streak, everyone hits the panic button. I was under the impression that maybe after the 2004 ALCS those concerns would have been slammed shut with the coffin that the Curse now resides. Apparently, Red Sox Nation and the Boston media have a tough time letting the past be the past. Then again, that’s always been the fundamental issue as I’ve seen with most Red Sox fans. Of course after giving up the division title the past two seasons after their historic run probably hasn’t helped quell the paranoia that will sweep across the Nation in the next few weeks. When is the other shoe, err, sock going to drop?

So, here we stand at the precipice of the dreaded August I’ve worried about since they released the schedule. The month of August actually starts in July against a team that is almost unbeatable at home, the Cleveland Indians. It’s not quite as bad next week when they travel down to Florida to face the Devil Rays, then start the month of August with a home series against the Baltimore Orioles.

Here is where it gets a little dicey. After the series against the O's, it’s out to the west coast, a place where Boston has notoriously sucked to play the top two teams in the AL West. The Seattle Mariners come first, then the LA Angles. They’ll wrap up the nine game roadie in Baltimore. They’ll come home for two series against the Orioles and the Angels again for a four gamer. The one positive aspect about the coming month is the Sox will face teams they’ve seen once or twice or more so far. Some of those multiple matchups will be within weeks or days of each other. Of course, what is good for Boston will also be good for their opponents. The rest of the month is on the road, which isn’t bad when talking about two of the three teams they’ll face. First up is Tampa, then Chicago. Now, depending what happens to the White Sox before the trade deadline, they’ll either be the same mediocre to bad team they are now, or they’ll be an extremely shitty team that may be in the AL Central cellar by that time. Hard to believe the Royals are now tied for fourth place in the Central. After playing two sub .500 teams, there will be a showdown in the Bronx against the Yankees. It will be interesting to see if the Sox maintain their lead they have now, or if it will actually generate some excitement if the Yanks gain some ground in the next few weeks.

For now, I’m looking at one series at a time. This weeks series against Cleveland will be more challenging than normal with David Ortiz expected to not return to the lineup until Wednesday night. On the fun to watch side, there will be some great pitching duels in store for the series as well. Daisuke Matsuzaka will throw against C.C. Sabathia on Tuesday night, and Red Sox ace Josh Beckett will square off against twelve game winner Fausto Carmona the following night. Surprise 4-0 starter Kason Gabbard will get the final game on Thursday. Maybe more noteworthy, is that in place of Julian Tavarez tomorrow night in the opener will be Jon Lester’s return to the majors. The long awaited return will happen on the road against the toughest team to play at home in the AL. Out of the kitchen and into the fire for sure. CF Coco Crisp is having a great resurgence after the All Star Break, hitting over .300 in each game with 16 RBI’s in the month of July. Hopefully Francona is able to get a grasp on finalizing a solid line up card, something that the Sox skipper has been tinkering with for the past two months. Not surprisingly, the Sox have been playing .500 ball since then.

Curt Schilling threw an impressive game in Pawtucket on Saturday, throwing six strikeouts in three scoreless innings. Schilling is expected to be back in the starting rotation by the beginning of next month. With Tavarez out and the option of using Gabbard or Lester the five spot should be a little more secure during the month of August and hopefully down the stretch in September. The Sox have basically nursed their dominating lead in the AL East since June, if they can play to potential in the final six weeks it may very well be rewarded with a return to the postseason.

Home Field Advantage?

Since the All-Star Break, the Boston Red Sox have posted a less than impressive 3-3 record. They’ve been playing .500 ball since the beginning of June and by the looks of it, aren’t about to let up yet. In 2004 the Sox did the same thing, they weren't in first, but I don’t think they’ll have the same season changing moment like they did in the comeback win over the Yankees at Fenway when Bill Mueller smacked a homerun in extra innings off the then untouchable Mariano Rivera. That was the same game that produced the indelible picture of Jason Varitek smashing his glove into A-Rod’s face. That was the catalyst that gave them their attitude for the rest of the year all the way to the World Series win. When I’m sad or in a bad mood, I look at that picture.

The Sox have not really looked that impressive in any of their victories in the first half. They’ve won by a few runs each time, but nothing to write home about. The loss last night to a team like Kansas City is bound to happen every once in awhile. The Royals have some great young bats in their lineup, and it’s only a matter of time before the team gets going against a pitcher like Tim Wakefield who gave up a lot of hits (9), but no walks and no home runs, which is usually Wake’s Achilles heel when he’s off.

Boston needs to win tonight to keep their margin on the Yankees. I’ve gotten used to and probably too comfortable having a double digit lead over the rest of AL East. With a struggling Chicago White Sox team coming in Thursday for a four game weekend series, I would hope that Boston should only lose about one or two more games until they hit the road and go to Cleveland next Monday. Cleveland owns the best home record in the bigs with a record of 31-14, tied with the LA Angels and the Milwaukee Brewers. After this weekend the Sox are at home for, get this, three more series in the next six weeks. August will be very unforgiving and Boston will need to find out what they are playing for and not get complacent. Right now, the Sox are their own worst enemy.

It would be nice to see some off season acquisitions step up and do their part. SS Julio Lugo and RF JD Drew should start heating up the rest of this month into August. I’m hoping that proven players like these two should come around. Terry Francona seems to have confidence in these two to get out of their slump, and Tito really hasn’t made too many mistakes the past few seasons. As long as Big Papi can hold it together for the rest of the year and stay off the DL, and Manny can continue to do as well as he has after his season starting slump and if rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia keeps making noise for rookie of the year, they should be in good enough shape to at least make it to the playoffs. Couple that with players that will grind out for the rest of the season in 1B Kevin Youkilis and All-Star 3B Mike Lowell, that gives them an even better shot. With the way Detroit, LA and Cleveland are playing though, and with Minnesota possibly heating up and lurking in the background, you’d think the Sox will need to step up and play to their potential like they did in April and May. And that’s when Manny and Pedroia were hitting under .200.

Trade Rumors, or Lack There Of

With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, that means only one thing for the Boston Red Sox. Not much. Ever since Nomar was dealt out of town to the Cubbies in ’04, there hasn’t been anything much to speak of when it came to mid-season trading. The only thing that GM Theo Epstein has allegedly been looking for is more right arms to bolster the bullpen a little bit. With Mike Timlin not getting any younger and Brenden Donally having repeated setbacks in his bid to return, a couple healthy arms would be nice.

Octavio Dotel, Kansas City Royals – Dotel was an offseason acquisition for incoming GM Dayton Moore in this past year and Moore may be looking to deal the veteran closer. With the Royals he’s posted a 2-1 record with a 3.32 ERA and has nine saves in 12 tries. He’s a second option if regular closer Joakim Soria is not available and has looked sharp in the first half of 2007, despite missing several weeks with an oblique injury.

I wish I could tell you more, but this is seriously the only big trade that could happen, and expect to see prospects traded for Dotel, no players off the 25 man roster. The only real possibility for a regular player is Wily Mo Pena, which wouldn’t be a huge loss. The only other big name circulating that hasn’t been shut down was been Texas closer Eric Gagne, however that seems about as likely as trading for Mariano Rivera with All-Stars Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima trading save opportunities. There were some rumblings about Houston Astro Brandon Lidge, but the ‘Stros shut that one down pretty quick.

With the way the Sox are rolling, I’d be surprised if they did anything drastic. Teams wheel and deal during the season when they are trying to jettison some veterans for prospects or teams that are looking for a kick in the pants to try and compete for a playoff spot. The Sox are doing neither, and haven’t been for the past few years relying mainly on off season free agent signings.

Tonight, the Sox will face off against the Royals for the second game in a three game series. First time Royals starter Leo Nunez will start against Sox veteran Tim Wakefield, who is going for his fourth straight win.

Golden Balls

Is it just me, or does Vladimir Gurrero look like Arsenio Hall? Seriously, look at that mother fucker. It’s Arsenio with some dreads. I’ve said it before, it’s painful for me to watch the guy bat. That crazy ass swing of his wasn't doing him any favors to start the night. Then, in stepped a Red Sox player to save the day. In his (Gurrero's) first round at bat, David Ortiz reminded me that baseball players can be fun and not just self-centered pricks. When Vlad failed to hit a homer in his first several swings, Ortiz brought a box out to the plate with Ortiz’s bat inside. Vlad stepped up and made it to the second round. It was a funny moment and it’s nice to see players loosen up. After watching two stiff as a board interviews with Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds it was a nice change of pace. It was also fun to watch him blast 450 plus foot shots into the outfield and over the outfield. His longest was 503 feet with nothing but Scotch tape on his hands. Pretty sweet, Arsenio.

Guerrero ended up winning, which was pretty cool because I’ve always liked him as a player. I’ve always had an affinity for the unorthodox players. Especially unorthodox players who use bats from my team's player to win. Then it all went south. My DVR cut the final round off, and that made me realize something. ESPN sucks. They make a three hour event out of something that should take two. They're notorious for that over the last five or six years. Here's something you may have not known, you want to know why the Baseball Tonight team wasn’t there? Because when TBS was announcing the All-Star roster (which boggles my mind as to why TBS was doing anything besides covering the Braves) ESPN cut in before TBS's show was over and re-announced the same thing. So, Bud Selig grounded the Baseball Tonight crew from San Francisco. This is why the circus that is in baseball and surrounds it boggles my mind. At least the games themselves are nestled square in the eye of the storm so I can enjoy that at the very least.

I got a kick out of Chris Berman when he was calling the Derby this year. Not because I like Berman, quite the opposite actually. I loath hearing “back, back, back, back, back, that one is all the way to Sausalito!” Or, “back, back, back, back, back, back, that one is all the way over the Golden Gate Bridge!” Here is a geography lesson for you, Chris. The Golden Gate Bridge is about six miles behind home plate in relation to AT&T Park. That was the Bay Bridge they were hitting towards. What a moron, the Bay Bridge isn't even the same color as the Golden Gate Bridge. Last I checked, the Golden Gate Bridge was a fairly famous structure in the States and easily identified. This guy even went to Harvard. And he didn't just say it once. Oh no, he kept repeating it after someone probably told him that he was marking home runs that were still about two miles away from the wrong San Fran landmark. I’d watch NFL Countdown, Prime Time, or anything else ESPN puts on the air with Berman but I don’t watch it because I fucking hate Chris Berman. Pretty simple. Anyway, when a slugger would get down to their last out State Farm (the sponsor for the Derby) contributed cash to some charity every time a player hit a home run on said ninth out. I loved Berman referring to them as “many golden balls” or "golden balls a plenty." Or my particular favorite "Justin Morneau's pair of golden balls." I don’t think I’ll ever evolve past the age of 13 in my own mind.

Finally, for about 25 seconds Toronto Blue Jay Alex Rios reminded me why I actually tune in to watch the Home Run Derby every year. Then he reminded me that baseball players are mostly assholes when he gave a pen back to a young kid who was requesting his autograph after Rios’s 12 home run second round. What a dick, I think he said he had to do an interview and he didn’t have time. You want kids to be interested in what you do? Sign a couple cards and a baseball, ass.

Last Laugh

Hey, Twins fan(s) that have been commenting on my blog, this is a picture of some spoons. Grab one, line up, and eat my ass. Okajima in, Neshek out. Have a nice day.

All-Stars a Plenty

I’m not a Celtics fan, or an NBA fan, but that’s new Celtic acquisition Ray Allen throwing out the first pitch before last night's game against the Texas Rangers. Good move Danny Ainge, yikes.

In between voting for Hideki Okajima today, I’ve been trying to work. He’s on the “final vote” ballot for the American League against Detroit starter Jeremy Bonderman, LA starter Kelvim Escobar who forgot that his first name ended in an ‘n’ when applying for citizenship, Toronto ace Roy Halladay, Minnesota reliever Pat Neshek and Boston set up man Hideki Okajima. Personally, I think it will be a three horse race between Bonderman, Neshek and Okajima.

The Sox evened up the series with Texas last night, and got to 50 wins as a team as well. Kason Gabbard looked decent in his second win of the year pitching five and two-thirds giving up three earned, waking four and striking out five. The Sox relied on their mix of stellar bullpen pitchers to keep the lead at four runs. Eric Hinske, who was a late injury replacement for Kevin Youkillis smacked in a three run triple to put the Sox up 7-3 in the bottom of the fifth after Gabbard gave up a three run homer in the top of the same inning to Rangers 1B Brad Wilkerson. Even CF replacement Jacoby Ellsbury got in on the action last night going 2-for-2, scoring twice and drawing two walks. Anyway, nice to see them snap out their offense impotency as of late.

Boston opens up their first series of the year against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays tonight. Hard to believe we’re halfway done with the season and they are yet to play the D-Rays. Once this series is over with it’s on to Detroit for a possible playoff preview against the Tigers at Comerica Park to close out the first half.

In no particular order here is the list of Boston Red Sox on their way to San Francisco for the 2007 All-Star Game.

Josh Beckett – This will be Beckett’s first appearance as an All-Star. He is 11-2 this season as a starter, has an ERA of 3.38, a 1.10 WHIP, and opponents are batting .234 against him. Not much else to say about him other than list his numbers.

Jonathan Papelbon – Boston’s lights out closer makes it into his second straight All-Star Game. He has racked up 19 saves and that’s with not even pitching every save opportunity that comes Boston’s way. His ERA is at 1.50 with a WHIP of 0.87 and 42 strike outs.

Manny Ramirez – I didn’t think he’d really get in, but I guess since it’s Manny he’s at least there. I’ve never cared too much if this guy doesn’t show up for the All-Star Game because I don’t really give a shit about All-Star games, Pro Bowls, Senior Bowls, Battle of the Stars type of thing. Getting named to the team is an honor, but playing? No one gripes about the myriad of NFL players that no show for the Pro Bowl. But, you people and the players keep voting for the guy.

Mike Lowell – I think it’s great that Lowell is playing behind A-Rod in the 3B spot, I really do. A-Rod has the numbers and accolades and attention. But Lowell has something A-Rod doesn’t and that’s a World Series ring from beating the same Yankees in 2003 with the Florida Marlins. And he probably isn’t carrying a venereal disease that A-Rod probably has on him from screwing stripper she-males. Lowell is batting .292 on the season with 55 RBI’s, a slugging percentage of .505 and OBP of .345. Not bad for “throw in Lowell.”

David Ortiz – Some people hate it, most people love it. David Ortiz will be the starting first baseman for the American League. He’s a name, so he’s got that over most other players that may be a little more deserving this year. But fans vote from what players have done the past few years, not just this year. It’s popularity. That’s not to say that Ortiz hasn’t had a good year hitting .312 with 49 RBI’s, and OBP of .426 and slugging of .551. When you stack him up against let’s say…Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins, it’s basically a wash as to who’s having a better season. Batting that is. Since there is no DH in the All-Star Game and you have to put Ortiz somewhere, a player like Morneau is going to get bumped from the starting position. Sorry, that’s just how it is.

Oh yeah, vote for this guy. You'll be happy you did. "Internet savvy" relief pitchers be damned.