Thursday, April 30, 2009
Moving
For those of you that still occasionally poke around here, I'm doing a bit of consolodating with my sports blogs. I'm going to combine KC Bean Boy and The Scarlett Letter into one blog on WordPress here.
Someday all the entries will be on the new blog, however until that time I'll keep all previous posts in this blog.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Kings of the Castle
From 2-6 to 12-6 in a week and a half. Even with some of the pitching that's been on display since coming home to Fenway. The Sox still found a way to bat their way out of losses, pushing for extra innings and hitting walk-off homers.
Last night I saw one of the more incredible plays I've seen in quite some time, a strait steal of home plate from Jacoby Ellsbury. Andy Pettitte didn't have a clue, which was shocking juxtaposed against him picking off a couple Sox earlier in the night trying to steal second.
Now comes the part where they need to find their game on the road. The next nine will start with Cleveland tonight. This weekend will be the first trip down to Tampa with a short two gamer to follow against the Yankees next Monday and Tuesday in King George's billion dollar palace.
Looks like Big Papi may have found his stroke, Youkilis-Bay-Lowell are hot, and if the Sox can figure their pitching out they should come back to Boston with a winning record from this trip. They still sit one game behind division leading Toronto, however it's a long ways from ESPN pundits entertaining the idea of the Sox being done for the year already.
Tim Wakefield will take the mound for the Sox this evening at Progressive, and the Sox lineup will lock horns with '08 Cy Young winner Cliff Lee who comes in 1-3.
Last night I saw one of the more incredible plays I've seen in quite some time, a strait steal of home plate from Jacoby Ellsbury. Andy Pettitte didn't have a clue, which was shocking juxtaposed against him picking off a couple Sox earlier in the night trying to steal second.
Now comes the part where they need to find their game on the road. The next nine will start with Cleveland tonight. This weekend will be the first trip down to Tampa with a short two gamer to follow against the Yankees next Monday and Tuesday in King George's billion dollar palace.
Looks like Big Papi may have found his stroke, Youkilis-Bay-Lowell are hot, and if the Sox can figure their pitching out they should come back to Boston with a winning record from this trip. They still sit one game behind division leading Toronto, however it's a long ways from ESPN pundits entertaining the idea of the Sox being done for the year already.
Tim Wakefield will take the mound for the Sox this evening at Progressive, and the Sox lineup will lock horns with '08 Cy Young winner Cliff Lee who comes in 1-3.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Showtime
You know what time it is.
It's Red Sox, Yankees time. Lots of intrigue and drama at the Fens tonight. Will Teixeira make it from the dugout to the plate with his head in tact? I'm sure he'll be asking Johnny Damon for a few pointers. Will the Nebraska fan in me cheer for Joba Chamberlain if he has a good outing, or will my inner Sox fan curse the day he was born and wish ill upon his door? How the Hell will Jon Lester respond to the Friday night pressure of the opening Yankee game under the lights? So many questions, so many hours before the first pitch.
Boston fans are the girl you didn't call to go out with in high school like you promised. The only difference is most Boston fans on Landsdowne Street will be fully popped and have no regard for such trivialities as a classy vocabulary or a demure disposition. There will be gnashing of teeth, and seething hatred for Tex in town tonight.
I haven't checked the schedule, but if the game isn't on ESPN you can be sure I'll be squarely positioned in front of my laptop.
It's Red Sox, Yankees time. Lots of intrigue and drama at the Fens tonight. Will Teixeira make it from the dugout to the plate with his head in tact? I'm sure he'll be asking Johnny Damon for a few pointers. Will the Nebraska fan in me cheer for Joba Chamberlain if he has a good outing, or will my inner Sox fan curse the day he was born and wish ill upon his door? How the Hell will Jon Lester respond to the Friday night pressure of the opening Yankee game under the lights? So many questions, so many hours before the first pitch.
Boston fans are the girl you didn't call to go out with in high school like you promised. The only difference is most Boston fans on Landsdowne Street will be fully popped and have no regard for such trivialities as a classy vocabulary or a demure disposition. There will be gnashing of teeth, and seething hatred for Tex in town tonight.
I haven't checked the schedule, but if the game isn't on ESPN you can be sure I'll be squarely positioned in front of my laptop.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
"Hi, I'm Doug. Would you like to see my property?"
Hey everyone. This is former Red Sox catcher, Tim Wakefield personal assistant and World Series champion Doug Mirabelli. He would like to sell you a home as part of the Coldwell Banker team, fresh from spring training. For Realtors.
I'm not bagging on the guy, because as everyone knows when you retire, you can get a legitimate job or become John Kruk or John Salley. It's just sort of weird when a player leaves the game and turns to a job your uncool uncle does or used to do. He looks about as comfortable as an unarmed and pantsless Zack Efron in a Turkish bathhouse doesn't he?
Yet another loss on the Pac coast tonight. It's nice to see people who hate Boston and who have an axe to grind get frothy at the mouth while they are in the cellar with 95 percent still left on the year. It's sort of an odd dichotomy, I want to see Boston fade from from heads of frat boys with cargo shorts and flip flops who wear pink polo shirts on ladies night. But I also want them to win another World Series. Life is pain, brother.
I never thought I would be caught dead putting this on the record either, but part of me is glad to see Beckett get suspended for trying to give Bobby Abreu a labotomy on Sunday. Good thing he's still not pitching in the National League, or he probably wouldn't be pulling shit like this.
The other part of me thinks you're fucking retarded for thinking if Beckett wanted to nail Bobby he missed his mellon because his location was a little off.
I'm not bagging on the guy, because as everyone knows when you retire, you can get a legitimate job or become John Kruk or John Salley. It's just sort of weird when a player leaves the game and turns to a job your uncool uncle does or used to do. He looks about as comfortable as an unarmed and pantsless Zack Efron in a Turkish bathhouse doesn't he?
Yet another loss on the Pac coast tonight. It's nice to see people who hate Boston and who have an axe to grind get frothy at the mouth while they are in the cellar with 95 percent still left on the year. It's sort of an odd dichotomy, I want to see Boston fade from from heads of frat boys with cargo shorts and flip flops who wear pink polo shirts on ladies night. But I also want them to win another World Series. Life is pain, brother.
I never thought I would be caught dead putting this on the record either, but part of me is glad to see Beckett get suspended for trying to give Bobby Abreu a labotomy on Sunday. Good thing he's still not pitching in the National League, or he probably wouldn't be pulling shit like this.
The other part of me thinks you're fucking retarded for thinking if Beckett wanted to nail Bobby he missed his mellon because his location was a little off.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Brutality
Basically what is the Red Sox schedule in the first two months of the season. Nothing is going to come easy, and by the looks of the last few games they're going to need to get better. Fast.
Just a quick note, heartfelt pregame for the Halo's late Nick Adenhart. Classy. Surprised MLB.TV played it since they usually cut out while there is a break in the action.
West Coast road trips have been a killer for AL East teams for awhile. Boston has two stretches in the next two months. The Sox will play no one but division contenders and pre-season favorites until their trip to Detroit June 1st. Well, maybe not so much with Baltimore coming to town in a week.
I'm just disappointed in the pitching thus far, sans Beckett who was on fire and almost pitching in another galaxy Tuesday. Dice-K looks like his control is still a major issue. Wakefield looks another year older. I'm sure it will come around, it always does. It just sucks to start out this way and be 1-3 in the middle of a Pacific Coast swing.
For now I'll take my mind off by watching the Nationals trying to get back into the game against the Braves. Mike Gonzalez just had a grounder bounce off his glove and Washington tied it up in the top of the ninth. Good God, I'm glad it's April.
Just a quick note, heartfelt pregame for the Halo's late Nick Adenhart. Classy. Surprised MLB.TV played it since they usually cut out while there is a break in the action.
West Coast road trips have been a killer for AL East teams for awhile. Boston has two stretches in the next two months. The Sox will play no one but division contenders and pre-season favorites until their trip to Detroit June 1st. Well, maybe not so much with Baltimore coming to town in a week.
I'm just disappointed in the pitching thus far, sans Beckett who was on fire and almost pitching in another galaxy Tuesday. Dice-K looks like his control is still a major issue. Wakefield looks another year older. I'm sure it will come around, it always does. It just sucks to start out this way and be 1-3 in the middle of a Pacific Coast swing.
For now I'll take my mind off by watching the Nationals trying to get back into the game against the Braves. Mike Gonzalez just had a grounder bounce off his glove and Washington tied it up in the top of the ninth. Good God, I'm glad it's April.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Not like they drew it up...
Well, the opener with the Rays opened with a bang and landed with a limp thud. While watching Dice-K toss more meat than a butcher on a Saturday morning, it was hard to contain my discontent while I was in class. Did I say that out loud? Of course I didn't watch baseball in class...how is that even possible? McKay doesn't even have air conditioning, let alone cable.
The Rays took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth when Boston remembered they were in the middle of an actual game. Watching them sleepwalk through the first two-thirds of the game was about all I could stand. It felt like we were picking up right where we left off last year, being out hustled and even outhit by the young bucks from Florida.
The middle of the lineup woke up with Jason Bay driving in Kevin Youkilis on a shot to dead center on a Manny double. For those of you that don't know, a Manny double is a triple, or a play that 99% of all major league hitters should get to third on, while Manny would have "hustled" for a stand up double. I don't hate Manny, if it weren't for him this team wouldn't have rings. It's just something fans have done with a half joking, half sick sort of sense of humor. Anyway...
The Sox made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth with Jason Varitek blasting a dinger to right field, but were unable to muster up enough to pull into a tie or even pull out some late inning heroics.
Boston takes their 1-2 record to L.A. to play an Angles team reeling from the tragic loss of 22-year-old pitcher Nick Adenhart. It's always sad to see someone who has their life stolen from them with everything still yet to come. Truly a sad day for the Angles, baseball, and well, pretty much everyone.
The Rays took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth when Boston remembered they were in the middle of an actual game. Watching them sleepwalk through the first two-thirds of the game was about all I could stand. It felt like we were picking up right where we left off last year, being out hustled and even outhit by the young bucks from Florida.
The middle of the lineup woke up with Jason Bay driving in Kevin Youkilis on a shot to dead center on a Manny double. For those of you that don't know, a Manny double is a triple, or a play that 99% of all major league hitters should get to third on, while Manny would have "hustled" for a stand up double. I don't hate Manny, if it weren't for him this team wouldn't have rings. It's just something fans have done with a half joking, half sick sort of sense of humor. Anyway...
The Sox made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth with Jason Varitek blasting a dinger to right field, but were unable to muster up enough to pull into a tie or even pull out some late inning heroics.
Boston takes their 1-2 record to L.A. to play an Angles team reeling from the tragic loss of 22-year-old pitcher Nick Adenhart. It's always sad to see someone who has their life stolen from them with everything still yet to come. Truly a sad day for the Angles, baseball, and well, pretty much everyone.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Opening Day Blahs
I've always been quick to jump on the Yankees for bad performances in April. Most of my Red Sox loving career it comes back to bite me in the ass in September, or earlier this decade, October. So, this is me not piling on.
Today, as the Sox make up their game from yesterday against the Rays, I will not point out that C.C. Sabathia pitched four and a third and gave up eight hits with six earned. I won't fan the flames on Mark Teixeira going o-fer his first day, or Xavier Nady leaving three on base and being yanked for Nick Swisher.
The only thing that makes me happy is that the subpar performance was in the new Yankee Stadium. What? It was in Baltimore? Shit, I was hoping that would make up for the ho-hum Opening Day.
Sox on at 3:05 against the newly hated Rayvals. That's a good one, copyright on the way. Hope MLB.TV has all the bugs out today.
Today, as the Sox make up their game from yesterday against the Rays, I will not point out that C.C. Sabathia pitched four and a third and gave up eight hits with six earned. I won't fan the flames on Mark Teixeira going o-fer his first day, or Xavier Nady leaving three on base and being yanked for Nick Swisher.
The only thing that makes me happy is that the subpar performance was in the new Yankee Stadium. What? It was in Baltimore? Shit, I was hoping that would make up for the ho-hum Opening Day.
Sox on at 3:05 against the newly hated Rayvals. That's a good one, copyright on the way. Hope MLB.TV has all the bugs out today.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Not wasting any time
The Sox will pick up where they left off last season, playing the American League Pennant winning Tampa Rays. Or is it Tampa Bay Rays? Just don't say "Devil." A few of the sports publications that find their way into my mailbox are predicting that both these teams will battle it out for the top spot in the East. Looks like ESPN thinks the Yankees will pull a Detroit Tigers from 2008. Remember that? Cabrera. Willis. I fell for it. Hook, line and sinker.
Number one for things that will have to work for the season to come together for the Sox will be remaining healthy. There are a couple ways this season will go, and without checking, I'm pretty sure this is the exact same prediction that I made last season.
If Boston keeps their training staff busy, it could be a long year. At least by recent standards set since around 2002 when John Henry and company took over. If the team and players like David Ortiz, not getting any younger at 33, Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell keep the injuries to a minimum the sky is the limit for this team like it was in '07.
If we have issues and have to raid Pawtuckett and call up players a bit too early, then the season could turn into '06 very quickly. Let's hope for the former. Nothing would make me more pleased than seeing the Yankees miss the playoffs. Again. I will be intregued to see if the Rays can duplicate the same success they had last year. Naturally, they can wait until next Thursday or Friday to start winning.
Number one for things that will have to work for the season to come together for the Sox will be remaining healthy. There are a couple ways this season will go, and without checking, I'm pretty sure this is the exact same prediction that I made last season.
If Boston keeps their training staff busy, it could be a long year. At least by recent standards set since around 2002 when John Henry and company took over. If the team and players like David Ortiz, not getting any younger at 33, Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell keep the injuries to a minimum the sky is the limit for this team like it was in '07.
If we have issues and have to raid Pawtuckett and call up players a bit too early, then the season could turn into '06 very quickly. Let's hope for the former. Nothing would make me more pleased than seeing the Yankees miss the playoffs. Again. I will be intregued to see if the Rays can duplicate the same success they had last year. Naturally, they can wait until next Thursday or Friday to start winning.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Around the Bend
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Outspoken
With the tease of 60 degree days, it's hard not to imagine it's April right now. This is always the toughest part of the year, convincing myself I'm an NBA fan to kill the time. I watched Texas and Texas A&M last night. I can't impart on how boring college hoops is if it's not your team or if you don't have a few bills on the game.
With Spring Training around the bend, things are moving off the stove and onto the field, thank God.
Two big questions surrounding training camp right now is the injury status of '07 World Series MVP Mike Lowell and Jason Bay (probably right about him tomorrow). Rumor is that Lowell is planning to be ready to roll for the Sox opener against the Rays April 6th. Lowell comes in probably in a strange state of mind. Coming off being a folk hero to spending a lot of last season, especially toward the end, riding the bench due to some nagging injuries was a little hard to swallow I'm sure. On top of that whole flirting heavily with Mark Teixeria thing could have made for some awkward moments.
Word is that he's not bitter about the whole thing, because he would have ended up on the block had Teixeria been signed. You have to be able to see past what he's saying. From what I read Lowell acknowledged Teixeria is a better offensive player but more goes into signing a player than numbers, basically saying he's probably an asshole and will disrupt the team's chemistry. Hey, after all the clamor of trying to resign the guy after '07 I'd be a little pissed too.
A-Rod and Bonds are both on trial. One in the all important court of public opinion and the other in real court. David Ortiz decided to use a camera and a couple microphones to sound off about the whole issue. Watching it sort of felt like what it must have been like watching Senator Larry Craig talk about how much he didn't like gay guys and gals wanting to get married. Two minutes before being busted in a Minneapolis airport playing footsie with an undercover cop in the men's room.
If he's clean, then fine. He's just being a holier than thou asshole, which is okay too because he has a point. If he's lying and he winds up on some report of him juicing, yesterday's interview will be played non-stop. My advice to players wanting to take a stand, take a stand. Just don't do it for an audience. Do it behind closed doors and under the protection (whatever is left) of your organization or the players union.
Big Papi did make a great point regarding the treatment of players who either admitted or were outed in regard to their steroid usage. Parading them in front of Congress like they are capital murderers or child rapists is ridiculous. The economy sucks, we're still fighting a war most people disagree with and my state tax refund could be held up if Missouri follows Kansas' lead. Stop worrying about fucking baseball. If the people running the show can't take care of the problem, don't want to take care of the problem or just pretend it doesn't exist. Why not follow your lead you've taken with the rest of privatly owned business and deregulate? Why baseball? Wanting attention can make you do funny things.
All ranting aside, Ortiz said they should ban A-Rod for the whole year. I agree, I want my team to win the East again.
With Spring Training around the bend, things are moving off the stove and onto the field, thank God.
Two big questions surrounding training camp right now is the injury status of '07 World Series MVP Mike Lowell and Jason Bay (probably right about him tomorrow). Rumor is that Lowell is planning to be ready to roll for the Sox opener against the Rays April 6th. Lowell comes in probably in a strange state of mind. Coming off being a folk hero to spending a lot of last season, especially toward the end, riding the bench due to some nagging injuries was a little hard to swallow I'm sure. On top of that whole flirting heavily with Mark Teixeria thing could have made for some awkward moments.
Word is that he's not bitter about the whole thing, because he would have ended up on the block had Teixeria been signed. You have to be able to see past what he's saying. From what I read Lowell acknowledged Teixeria is a better offensive player but more goes into signing a player than numbers, basically saying he's probably an asshole and will disrupt the team's chemistry. Hey, after all the clamor of trying to resign the guy after '07 I'd be a little pissed too.
A-Rod and Bonds are both on trial. One in the all important court of public opinion and the other in real court. David Ortiz decided to use a camera and a couple microphones to sound off about the whole issue. Watching it sort of felt like what it must have been like watching Senator Larry Craig talk about how much he didn't like gay guys and gals wanting to get married. Two minutes before being busted in a Minneapolis airport playing footsie with an undercover cop in the men's room.
If he's clean, then fine. He's just being a holier than thou asshole, which is okay too because he has a point. If he's lying and he winds up on some report of him juicing, yesterday's interview will be played non-stop. My advice to players wanting to take a stand, take a stand. Just don't do it for an audience. Do it behind closed doors and under the protection (whatever is left) of your organization or the players union.
Big Papi did make a great point regarding the treatment of players who either admitted or were outed in regard to their steroid usage. Parading them in front of Congress like they are capital murderers or child rapists is ridiculous. The economy sucks, we're still fighting a war most people disagree with and my state tax refund could be held up if Missouri follows Kansas' lead. Stop worrying about fucking baseball. If the people running the show can't take care of the problem, don't want to take care of the problem or just pretend it doesn't exist. Why not follow your lead you've taken with the rest of privatly owned business and deregulate? Why baseball? Wanting attention can make you do funny things.
All ranting aside, Ortiz said they should ban A-Rod for the whole year. I agree, I want my team to win the East again.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Everyone and Their Brother
Ignoring this will make it go away, right? Because not getting involved in the self-serving, empty and greedy practices of this era in baseball will make it non-existent in my reality. It's basically the ending of "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4," a complete laugh of a movie, but somewhat plausible.
If reporters and sportswriters are trying to save the game from itself by exposing the game's biggest stars, then a gold star should be reserved for the reporter privy to the report that listed Alex Rodriguez as a participant in the steroid era. Everyone knows. It has been on the front page of the paper here in Kansas City. Like it or not, it's news.
You'd be kidding yourself to think that baseball is the national past time any longer. Telling those of us that would rather watch the Padres and Diamondbacks play out an extra innings pitchers dual at 12:30am on a Wednesday night than go to bed could be difficult, but the NFL displacing baseball in terms of popularity is an argument you won't hear from me.
Of course, this doesn't diminish the cultural relevance and impact. You could spend time relating the mirrored implications between society and baseball, most of which are true. But the elephant in the room is America's willingness to cast stones at fallen superstars, yet line up to slam down their hard earned pay and watch them cheat away as the circus travels from city to city. Our propensity to knock the top 1% off their pedestal and rescue them by telling them they are just like us is as American as apple pie at this point.
What would send the biggest message to Donald Fehr and the players association he presides over? By not consuming the product they put out. It's hard to imagine a game I used to play with friends as a kid as a product in the same way as I view Coke or Pepsi. If Doritos changed their flavors to just liver and onions, would you keep eating them?
It's hard to imagine not spending Saturday nights at 'the K' here in town, or beautiful summer Sunday afternoons on the couch watching the Brewers and Pirates. This latest transgression won't change my wanton desire to waste my summer away watching too many games that exceed normal human consumption. I've even put my name into the lottery to secure my Kansas City Royals Opening Day (well, home opener) tickets because they play, that's right, the New York Yankees. Not that I wouldn't do this anyway (actually, my thoughtful wife did it for me), but I'd be lying if I didn't acknowledge there wasn't some special incentive.
Now we live in a world where the games top player cheated. It's hard not to recall Roger Clemens mowing down would-be Boston hitters in the third game of the 2003 ALCS after giving up two runs in the first. You remember this game even if you don't think you do. Manny takes exception to a high pitch from Clemens, the benches clear and Pedro takes Yankee bench coach Don Zimmer down to the ground. Sure we know Clemens is guilty, but who is to say some of the Sox weren't either?
It's hard to put a stamp on this and say it's over, because it's not. Not until everything that happened from the mid-to late ninties until earlier this decade is brought up and stumped to everyone under the sun. They either admit there was a problem, fix it now and move on. Or, we continue in the perpetual motion of waiting for a juicy scrap to fall from the table to bring back to the rest of the hive to buzz over. I'm just hoping that the biggest fish has been fried and we can get on.
If reporters and sportswriters are trying to save the game from itself by exposing the game's biggest stars, then a gold star should be reserved for the reporter privy to the report that listed Alex Rodriguez as a participant in the steroid era. Everyone knows. It has been on the front page of the paper here in Kansas City. Like it or not, it's news.
You'd be kidding yourself to think that baseball is the national past time any longer. Telling those of us that would rather watch the Padres and Diamondbacks play out an extra innings pitchers dual at 12:30am on a Wednesday night than go to bed could be difficult, but the NFL displacing baseball in terms of popularity is an argument you won't hear from me.
Of course, this doesn't diminish the cultural relevance and impact. You could spend time relating the mirrored implications between society and baseball, most of which are true. But the elephant in the room is America's willingness to cast stones at fallen superstars, yet line up to slam down their hard earned pay and watch them cheat away as the circus travels from city to city. Our propensity to knock the top 1% off their pedestal and rescue them by telling them they are just like us is as American as apple pie at this point.
What would send the biggest message to Donald Fehr and the players association he presides over? By not consuming the product they put out. It's hard to imagine a game I used to play with friends as a kid as a product in the same way as I view Coke or Pepsi. If Doritos changed their flavors to just liver and onions, would you keep eating them?
It's hard to imagine not spending Saturday nights at 'the K' here in town, or beautiful summer Sunday afternoons on the couch watching the Brewers and Pirates. This latest transgression won't change my wanton desire to waste my summer away watching too many games that exceed normal human consumption. I've even put my name into the lottery to secure my Kansas City Royals Opening Day (well, home opener) tickets because they play, that's right, the New York Yankees. Not that I wouldn't do this anyway (actually, my thoughtful wife did it for me), but I'd be lying if I didn't acknowledge there wasn't some special incentive.
Now we live in a world where the games top player cheated. It's hard not to recall Roger Clemens mowing down would-be Boston hitters in the third game of the 2003 ALCS after giving up two runs in the first. You remember this game even if you don't think you do. Manny takes exception to a high pitch from Clemens, the benches clear and Pedro takes Yankee bench coach Don Zimmer down to the ground. Sure we know Clemens is guilty, but who is to say some of the Sox weren't either?
It's hard to put a stamp on this and say it's over, because it's not. Not until everything that happened from the mid-to late ninties until earlier this decade is brought up and stumped to everyone under the sun. They either admit there was a problem, fix it now and move on. Or, we continue in the perpetual motion of waiting for a juicy scrap to fall from the table to bring back to the rest of the hive to buzz over. I'm just hoping that the biggest fish has been fried and we can get on.
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