That WAS what I was Hoping For!

Boston was really pissed yesterday, and they showed it with a frickin awesome 14-1 win over the Yanks. Youkilis, Pedroia, Martinez, Ortiz, Bay--they all had an awesome game and Youk even hit 2 home runs. They scored 13 out of their 14 runs with 2 outs!

And Tazawa? After complaining about Red Sox pitching yesterday, this guy made me unbelievably happy by throwing 6 shutout innings and even though he let some NYers get on, he never let them cross home plate. It was a great outing indeed.

And....this dude is my new favorite Yankee :)

So, let's talk negatives for a moment. The game was on FOX. So Tim McCarver talked (and went on for a good 10 minutes about his poorly hidden Derek Jeter love) nonsense, including these gems: "Tazawa's stuff is nowhere NEAR as good as A.J. Burnett's"--as Boston is up 7-0 against Burnett. He also tried to sound smart by saying the Food and Drug Act was passed in, what, 1906? Umm...I don't know where he was going with that, actually. But my favorite idiot saying came from his partner, Kenny Albert (what, no Joe Buck? What a shame...), when he said this, IN THE FIRST INNING: "Red Sox scoring all three of their runs in this inning."

I hate FOX!

Back in a Big Way

Big Papi is, that is. He is definitely looking like he is getting his groove back, and man, is it a welcome sight.

Who is doing just the opposite? As in, not grooving. That would be Matsuzaka, who has been pretty much a disappointment this season. After being moved to the 15-day DL yesterday, Francona had this to say: "This is not going to be a two-week DL. We have to figure this out. We have a lot of work ahead of us to get him back to being Daisuke."

Sounds bad. Shoulder weakness, they are saying. So that opens the door for John Smoltz to come waltzing in, right? And conveniently, "Topping out the radar gun around 91 mph, slightly slower than he's known for, Smoltz threw six innings of one-hit, one-run ball as the Pawtucket Red Sox edged the visiting Durham Bulls, 2-1, at McCoy Stadium." He threw 74 pitches, 51 for strikes. It's like it was all planned. As long as he does good, right.

What else is going on? Nick Green hit a walk off HR last night, and it was awesome. One pitch in the bottom of the 9th was all he needed, and after a pretty interesting game, with Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones getting thrown out after J.D. Drew RBI'd after taking what was clearly strike 3 and the ump called it a ball; and Ortiz getting on (and then scoring later) after a little pop up landed between the miscommunicating Jones and shortstop. You kinda felt bad for the Braves, really...never enough to want them to win, but you know. Sucks to play like that.

That's about it for now. I haven't been updating (why is summer never as relaxing as it should be?) but I have been watching the Sox, never fear :) And now Wimbledon is starting, and Nadal isn't playing...and life should be good for the next couple weeks.

Technically, Baseball Starts Today!

Baseball starts up again today! Not "real" baseball, but spring training is still technically baseball, I suppose. Before you know it, Monday night baseball and Baseball Tonight will be back, and life will be back to 60% Red Sox, 30% school, 10% TV. As it should be.

But we also have to get through the World Baseball Classic first. Red Sox players: Daisuke Matsuzaka (Japan), Jason Bay (Canada), David Ortiz (Dominican Republic), Dustin Pedroia (United States), Kevin Youkilis (United States) and Javier Lopez (Puerto Rico).

I was going to go with the Dominican Republic because of Ortiz, but there are too many Yankees on that team (including A-Roid). So I will be safe and go with Japan again. The U.S. team? Not so great. Except Pedroia, but I don't think he can carry the whole team.

But I really don't care about the WBC, actually. I'm more excited about April 6th.

Never Return to Fenway, EVER

So I'm reading this article on mlb.com about Ortiz and how he didn't perform as well as he usually does this October (he is human after all), and I came across this sentence and stopped:

"During the roughest portions of the American League Championship Series, when the Red Sox got pounded in Games 3 and 4, and again in the early stages of Game 5, Ortiz heard the most abnormal thing of all -- some boos from the fans who have adored him for so long."

Are you kidding me? PEOPLE BOOED DAVID ORTIZ??

You idiots better never call yourselves Red Sox fans again.

And that is all I have to say.

I CAN Believe My Eyes!

WOW! Was that not one of the best games you have ever watched? I feel really bad for everyone who went to bed when the Sox were down 7-0, only to have them come back to win in the bottom of the 9th!

INCREDIBLE.

THAT was the team we have watched and loved all year. Now I want to see them again for the next 2 games.

We did not even score until the 7th inning. 8 runs in 3 innings. You know the Rays are stunned. Yay!

All I seem to be able to say is Wow. That was SO awesome. Absolute joy right there. And the fact that everyone contributed...Pedroia, Ortiz, Crisp (WHAT an at bat!!), Drew (what a way to end it, for real), Papelbon, Masterson keeping us in the lead and getting that double play ball...what an amazing game.

I feel like I could run 20 miles after that game, I am so excited and pumped up. I really need to get some studying done, but all I can think about is how much I freaking ADORE this team!!

Very Nice

I would just like to point out that Dustin Pedroia has gone 4-for-4 for the last 2 games and that is pretty freaking awesome. Have I mentioned lately that he's my favorite?

Also, Boston scored 8 runs in both games. Kotsay and Bay are fitting in perfectly, ground rule doubles and RBIs galore. They are in a very good place right now, as a team.

QotD (because, as you surely noticed, DP was batting cleanup tonight): During his briefing with the media, Francona said, "I'll never hear the end of this from Pedroia or Ortiz. Pedroia said it's long overdue, and Ortiz said he's retiring."

This is Not What I Planned On

What on earth happened these last few days? Another sweep? We were winning, too, most of the time. I think we need to just forget that this series ever happened and move on to the next one.

Enter Jon Lester, who simply must do a good job tonight against Seattle! I refuse to accept another loss...

At least there is hope on the horizon....Ortiz hitting all those home runs, hopefully he'll be back soon! They're saying Friday...oh please oh please oh please oh please etc.

The Goodness Lives On

Pretty much everyone was awesome today. After a 9-0 win, how could they not be? Homeruns coming from Ellsbury, Pedroia, Drew, and Crisp + fantastic pitching from Beckett and the bullpen = another win.

Potentially Good News (But Let's Not Get Our Hopes Up): David Ortiz is making progress as he heals the torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, and the hard cast, running from elbow to hand, could come off his left arm as soon as this week. "The pain is actually gone, which is good news," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
I miss Ortiz but I am pretty amazed by everyone (especially Mr. Drew) playing so great in his absence. What a team we have here!

Funny Quote of the Day: "Who cares about Beckett? Let's talk about me." -- Coco Crisp (joked!)

3 in a Row

Three wins in a row have put me in a good mood. Eh, I probably just jinxed it...but I think with Wakefield pitching it was risky anyway.

So I have been out of town since Friday and made a point to catch a glimpse of ESPN Friday night to see if we won....a grand slam from Ortiz? With 2 outs? All right! I love how everyone in the dugout waited...and waited...and then mobbed him. Awesome. And then Saturday, being down 3-2 in the 8th and seeing Ortiz tie it with a single and having Manny continue his absolute fantasticness (yes, a new word) by hitting a long home run to put us up by 2 (but man, how sad, that Texas pitcher looked like he was about to cry)? What a great couple of games.

Let's continue it at 1:35 today...

Beckett's Hot

Josh Beckett pitched 8 excellent innings last night, Manny hit 2 home runs, and Mussina only lasted 3 innings. It was a fantastic game!

Except for that whole Farnsworth-almost-took-out-Manny incident (though we did hit A-Rod the other night, after all), everything went well. Even Papelbon giving up 2 runs was acceptable, with a 7-3 lead you are allowed. Ortiz still has an unexpectedly low average at .111, but remember how Pedroia started last year and he ended up Rookie of the Year. No worries yet about The Man.

What's up with Ellsbury getting HBP twice? He must never be injured, we need him too much. Mussina must have something against him..

How Great!

That was a really great game last night, and I even stayed up to watch the whole thing! Glad I did, because that 9th inning was awesome. When we scored one run in the 9th to tie it at 4 apiece, and Ortiz got on with that bloop single, you just KNEW Manny was gonna hit a HR. And he did, and we won, all that 9th inning heroics is so much fun to watch.

7:05 tonight, the final game against Cleveland. Of course it is on NESN, but no TV game for me :(

He's Starting Early

It didn't take David Ortiz long to get back into his clutch-i-ness. What was a scoreless game in the 7th inning didn't last long--2 run shot from the man to put us on top, then a couple more runs and a HR from Captain Varitek. Puts our record at 3-1, not too shabby.

Thursday is an off day with a new series against the Blue Jays starting on Friday.

Bronson Arroyo pitches tonight for the Reds...yup, still following him. I do, after all, have his jersey!

My Favorite Part of the Week

From my beloved Mailbag:

What is with Manny Ramirez? Is he actually wanting to stay in Boston this year or when will trade rumors come up again?
-- Thomas S., St. David, Ariz.

Knock on wood, but it seems that Ramirez has finally found true happiness in Boston. It is a strange thing this time of year not to hear Ramirez's name in trade rumors. I think the team has never been on better footing with Ramirez than it is right now. It will be fascinating to see if they pick up his options for 2009 and '10. That once seemed like such big money, but not anymore the way the market has jumped.

Can we have an update on Big Papi? Haven't heard about his surgery in a while.
-- Annalesa A., Louisville, Ohio

No news is good news on this front. Ortiz is doing very well in his recovery and should be ready to go at full throttle in 2008.

Good news with both Manny and Ortiz! EVEN BETTER NEWS COMING UP:

Fenway Sports Group, an arm of the company that owns the Boston Red Sox and Fenway Park, said today it is buying a controlling stake of the minor league Salem Avalanche baseball franchise, based in Salem, Va.

PEOPLE! A Red Sox ANYTHING in Virginia would be so fantastic! We are so deprived down here...

Anyone Surprised?/LOWELL

Why?? Player, Club	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Points
Alex Rodriguez, NYY	26	2									328
Magglio Ordonez, DET	2	22	4								258
Vladimir Guerrero, LAA		3	10	9	3	3					203
David Ortiz, BOS		1	11	6	3		3	2	1		177
Mike Lowell, BOS			1	6	2	7	4	3	2		126
Jorge Posada, NYY				3	4	6	6	3	1	2	112
Victor Martinez, CLE				1	7	5	4	2	3	1	103
Ichiro Suzuki, SEA				1	6	2	5	3	3	1	89
Carlos Pena, TB			2			2	2	3	8	5	64
Curtis Granderson, DET				1	2	1		5	1	10	51
Derek Jeter, NYY					1	1	1		1		17
Grady Sizemore, CLE						1		1	3	1	15
J.J. Putz, SEA				1				1	1		12
C.C. Sabathia, CLE							1	1	2		11
Torii Hunter, MIN								1	1		5
Orlando Cabrera, LAA								1		2	5
Bobby Abreu, NYY							1				4
John Lackey, LAA							1				4
Placido Polanco, DET								1		1	4
Justin Morneau, MIN								1			3
Chone Figgins, LAA									1	1	3
Josh Beckett, BOS										2	2
Fausto Carmona, CLE										1	1
Frank Thomas, TOR										1	1

Do you all see where Lowell finished? Behind Ortiz, who I didn't even consider. Vlad? I love ya, but you are not the MVP. Ordonez? Who? A-Rod? But I don't like him!

Why don't they ask me before they make these decisions?

Actually, I'm somewhat happy Lowell finished so high. I didn't think anyone but me (and the fans in the stands during that one postseason game) thought he should be MVP.

------------------------------

More important than that award, Mike Lowell will be back!! For 3 years!! YAY!

Multiple news outlets -- including ESPN.com, the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe -- reported on Monday afternoon that Lowell and the Red Sox have agreed in principle on a three-year deal that is believed to be worth between $36-$38 million.

They won't announce it until tomorrow, but we all know it now--things are right in Boston.

Yay!!!!!

Manny and David

Yeah, okay, so I'm a little behind. I just watched Ramirez on Leno and Ortiz on Conan (never realized what a huge Sox fan Conan is) and Live, and it pretty much doesn't get any better when Steve Carell and Jerry Seinfeld are the other guests! I love seeing the players in non-baseball situations, and getting Manny, Papi, and Papelbon is great fun.

Funny=
Manny: "Are you related to Kevin Youkilis? You guys have the same chin."
Jay: "My dad got around, I'll check."

Also funny=
Ortiz showing off his bedazzled jacket, just for Papelbon.

You cannot dislike these men!

The Parade

Today was the day when thousands of Red Sox fans waited along the streets of Boston to catch a glimpse of their favorite team as they rolled on by to thank the fans and celebrate with them. As always, I have many pictures to document the parade (there are way too many but I couldn't stop, they were all too good):

Something tells me Papelbon is a really fun guy to hang out with:

I was going to caption this one with something about how cool it would be to be on one of these flights, but I'm so distracted by the size of Varitek's arms...huge!

Love this kid:And I want his jersey!

More Papelbon being awesome:

Who doesn't love Don?

Gotta have a picture of the man, David Ortiz:

And the man that gave America free tacos eats his!

Love the Pedroia:

Our fearless leader:

Some pitchers for your viewing pleasure:

More Papelbon (never enough!):

And the best of them all, Varitek holding the "Resign Lowell" sign:

As far as actual news goes, there's Schilling writing goodbye letters to his teammates and filing for free agency. "There's a very realistic chance I won't ever play with them again."

It's too soon to think about all that. Can we just think about winning the World Series for the next few weeks? Slow it down, the game was only a couple days ago and they're already talking about next year!

Oh, Gagne

I am sure Eric Gagne is a very nice man.

I bet he is a lot of things, actually: maybe he can cook, maybe he's a really good dad, maybe he does a lot of charity work..

But I know one thing he can't do: close games. Wait, close games in a GOOD way.

It's a 6-6 game. Each team has played really well, actually, clawing their way back whenever they've been down. Papelbon has pitched more than he's pitched at any one time the whole season. Who is left in the bullpen? Eric Gagne, Javier Lopez, and Jon Lester. Who is the one man you don't pick in a 6-6 game in the 11th inning? Gagne. Who did Francona pick? Gagne.

He got one out, and I was thinking maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on him. Then Grady Sizemore swung his bat and from there, everything came crashing down. By the time Lopez came in to relieve Gagne, it was way, WAY too late.

I don't know. I feel bad for him, since he knows that every time the fans see him come in, we know we're gonna lose. He must feel like crap right now, I'm sure it isn't easy being called on in the 11th, knowing you haven't been throwing your best stuff for months now. But something has to happen to make him the way he used to be. He's like the Alex Rodriguez of Boston: get in a must-win situation for a major team in the playoffs and he chokes.

One thing I did NOT like last night: the booing. People, I know he sucked and he blew the game but you must not boo! That is certainly not how fans react to struggling players (and yes, I realize he's been struggling since he came to Boston), and the booing DOES NOT HELP.

By the way, Curt Schilling was so not great last night. A better outing from him would have gone a long way. The 3-run HR, that we could have done without. And I don't want to overlook Ortiz' hustle to get to 1st, followed by a Manny home run and a Lowell home run that without, we wouldn't have even gone to extra innings. So kudos to them, sorry it ended the way it did. And they were all so happy until the end...

It is Done

That's it, we are going to the ALCS!

The Red Sox just completed a 3-game sweep of the Angels, quite easily, to the tune of 9-1. A 7-run 8th inning sealed the deal for us. Those other 2 runs came early in the game from 2 solo home runs from Mr. Ortiz and Mr. Ramirez.

The Player of the Game was the starting pitcher, Mr. Curt Schilling, who went 7 innings and allowed absolutely nothing. Well, 6 hits, but nothing of meaning on the scoreboard. It was a really great outing from him, and with his postseason performances of past, it was expected!

Do you feel a ring??

Beckett's 20th Win

May I start off by asking what the hell the Sox did to make opposing pitchers want to hit them so much? We all know about Youkilis (and the Yankees) but tonight Hinske and Varitek got hit in the same inning! Then Ellsbury almost got hit in the 9th, and Pedroia did get hit! This is getting suspicious. We don't need anymore Youk-type injuries.

So Jacoby Ellsbury is definitely a new favorite. He ran into Boston's bullpen and over a chair, all to make a catch in foul territory that yes, he held on to. The Toronto commentators even said it was impressive, one of the best they've seen! Ellsbury and Pedroia, my two favorite players (remember the last 4 players I said that about were Bronson Arroyo, Mark Bellhorn, Alex Gonzalez aka The Gonz, and Trot Nixon...hopefully DP and JE will break the curse).

This is going to sound strange, but...the bullpen held a lead! Josh Beckett left after 6 fantastic innings, then Manny Delcarmen came in and pitched a 1-2-3 7th (2 strikeouts even).

Okay. 8th inning. Our new nemesis. A good start though, a solo Jason Varitek homer. But nothing else good for us. So who would guide us through the potential disaster known as the 8th inning? Delcarmen actually stayed in this time, unlike last time when he came out and Gagne killed it (in a bad, bad way). He got his first out, then as I'm witnessing Toronto's meltdown, they take him out! UHH, okay. Not what I would have done, but okay. Javier Lopez came in, got the second out, got the third out. Nice pitching, actually. You went against me, Francona, and it worked this time. Hopefully it will continue working.

3-run shot in the 9th from David Ortiz! He is "more dangerous than dynamite," said the Tampa Bay guy. Follow that up with a Lowell solo shot, 8-1, this one was over (even with Gagne pitching the 9th). Ortiz and Lugo gave Mike an excited hug in the dugout, how nice :) Brandon Moss hit the first triple of his career, which is very awesome.

And yeah, Toronto? I HATE YOU. Up 4-0 going into the 9th against the Yankees and the next thing I see, it's 4-4. HATE HATE HATE. It was single after single after single, and those add up. It wasn't bad enough you swept Boston, NOOO, you had to blow a 4-run lead against NY in the bottom of the 9th! Extra innings--at least they won. Took 'em 14 freaking innings and a large percentage of my sanity though!

Rant of the Day:
Many fans are saying "as long as we get the Wild Card..." To them, I say: Not good enough! Had we been in second place all year, yes, the WC would be fine. But getting it now, after we've basically been in first place all season...hell no, I do not accept the WC. Plus, the Wild Card is just not as legitimate, really. I want to win. I want first place in the AL East, and settling for the Wild Card is not in the gameplan.

That's a No Hitter!

Congratulations Clay Buchholz! His second major league start and he throws a no hitter! That is something to be proud of :) That was quite an exciting game to watch, with all the runs and great defensive plays (I'm looking at you, Pedroia!) and of course, the wonderful pitching from the 23 year old.

The best part had to be the end when the entire team mobbed him and every single one of those players hugged him, congratulated him, rubbed his head. David Ortiz had the biggest smile on his face! Varitek ran up to him and picked him up, like when he picked up Foulke after winning the World Series...So yes, a really great performance by what looks to be a really great pitcher.

Not to mention those 10 runs we got.

Thank you Clay for stopping the 4-game losing streak!

Funny note: MASN wanted to know who we thought the player of the game was. Our choices?
A: Buchholz
B: Youkilis
C: Oritz

But...who the hell is Oritz?!

A Fantastic Game and Some Good Kids

Julio Lugo just came through with a 2-run single in the 5th. It's getting good up in here...Youk just singled with 2 on to reload the bases with no outs and yes, that means Ortiz is up. First pitch, Gameday says In play, run(s) and it's a GRAND SLAM OH MY GOD!!

(Is it bad that I'm thinking please don't blow this one Gagne)

Man, I am so happy he did that. I think David Ortiz needed that since maybe he hasn't been as clutch as usual with his injury and all. This is awesome. We're up 6-5 now with no outs! Thank you to the In Game Highlights on Gameday, because I watched that grand slam and noticed one key moment -- Manny's arms raised in excitement. Is he finally getting into this season?!

Fast forward to the bottom of the 8th. Cora started off with a single, Lugo was out on a bunt, Youkilis lined out, they put Ortiz on, and Manny doubled! Two runs in (Manny does not like to be insulted like that), and WOW he is having a great game. Drew walked, and Varitek RBI-singled to put the Sox up 9-5. Then Drew scored on a wild pitch...things were going well. And Papelbon is coming in to pitch the 9th, so we will win.

P.S. Manny made a really great catch at his feet to end the 4th inning. That is the effort I've been waiting for! Excitement, RBIs, great D...oh Manny, where have you been all season? I love it when you show that you really do care :)

So the Little League World Series...you all know I am into this. Unfortunately, my 2 teams are in the same pool so they will be playing each other soon. I'm going with the Massachusetts team (of course!) and Lake Oswego, Oregon, because I always pick the teams from Oregon (and I got that college team 2 wins, didn't I?). So I am cheering for Ohio right now to beat Georgia because GA beat Oswego and I need GA to lose so Oswego can go 2-1 and Mass can go 3-0. That's my plan here, hopefully these kids will work it out for me. And Ohio is helping me out big time, they are up 10-2 with 2 more outs to go. I won't lie, I have some favorites, and I usually pick which team I want to win based on which one has the most kids who like the Sox. Or whoever has the cutest kids, fine! But the kids I like the best so far are...Connor Shockley out of Maryland, Levi Rudolph from Lake Oswego (how goddamn cute is that kid!?), Reid Penney also from Oregon (he likes Ortiz!), Calvin Hermanson from Oregon (I call him Stilts), and some kid from Curacao who looked scared out of his mind when he got up to the plate and I automatically liked him. If you're not watching the LLWS, watch it, you will enjoy it!

The Trade Deadline

..is over. And we got Gagne for Gabbard. And Murphy. And Beltre. I guess they really wanted him!

I didn't pay too much attention to the trade talk, mostly because I thought we had such a great team already we wouldn't be interested in anyone. However, when I arrived home at 1:30 and ESPN was crazy with the Gagne talk (and of course, Teixeira), I figured something was up! And as 4:00 neared, the news became final, and Gabbard was no more.

(Hold up -- David Ortiz just hit his 2nd HR of the night! That's our man.)

So...I know Gagne will help the team, and we can never have too many GOOD pitchers (or else we'll trade them all away and last year will happen again...still mad about Bronson?!). But I liked Kason! And Murphy was gonna be so good...ahh, well. I guess when your 3 favorite players get traded away, nothing will bother you too much anymore!

No More Injuries, Thanks

This game has been quite good, except for the 6th inning slip up when Toronto tied the game. But then in the bottom of the 6th we scored 5 runs so that little problem was quickly taken care of. Crushing the opponent's hopes, that's what I like to see.

David Ortiz, Brendan Donnelly, Curt Schilling, J.D. Drew, all hurting... it is starting to feel reminiscent of last season's injuryfest and this is a BAD feeling! Hopefully they are getting all the injuries out of the way now before playoff time comes around.

At least we have Dustin Pedroia, whose performance this season has been a most pleasant surprise. And he will only get better!

A Loss is Never Good

Another loss. After the extra innings mess that went down yesterday, a win would have been nice -- but now they all have a few days to recover, as they don't play again until Thursday to start a series against Toronto. But not everyone...

"Following the game, Ramirez boarded principal owner John W. Henry's private plane, along with David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima, on a flight to the West Coast."

Look at all those Sox players! Doing us proud.

P.S. My other tennis team won today and we are going to the playoffs. So at least one good thing happened today (in addition to Federer beating Nadal, of course. Too bad about that Djokovic kid, I really wanted to see him in the finals!).

Took 'em Long Enough

Most shocking ejection of the year: David Ortiz! I have the severe misfortune of not seeing the games, but I can only imagine how bad the call must have been to make the normally easy-going and jovial David Ortiz mad enough to be ejected. Man, I need to see footage of that!

In better news...Dustin Pedroia started the game off with a 2-run shot -- can you imagine the future of this kid? Good things will come, and the booting of Loretta for Dustin is looking better by the minute.

In best news...we finally won a game! 10-2, and it feels good. And NY finally lost, which is also quite helpful. How did we get those 10 runs? Well, Pedroia of course, a Manny force out, a J.D. Drew 2-run double, a Pedroia single, a Drew single, Pedroia hit a 2-run double, and Wily Mo sent him home with a ground out. Really, if Pedroia and Drew can get into gear, they will be all the offense we need -- Pedroia was FIVE-FOR-FIVE with FIVE RBI!! Well...I didn't want to say it, but...I think I'm in love.

Best moment of the day: Dave Roberts received a loud standing ovation of nearly a minute when he dug in for his at-bat in the top of the first inning of Friday night's Red Sox-Giants game. Aww!! He said this earlier: "It's been marked on my calendar for a long time. Just flying in, it brought a smile to my face. Getting to walk around the city last night and taking a cab over here to Fenway Park and just seeing some of my old teammates, things like that ... it was just a special time and fans here, they waited a long time for what we did in 2004. To be a part of a great team like that and be a part of history, it's a humbling experience, it really is."

Schilling Was Superb

Could it be? The Red Sox won a game!!?

Of course, there has to be bad news: Curt Schilling came within one out of tossing the first no-hitter in his career. He'll probably always twitch when he hears the name 'Shannon Stewart.' But it was an incredible pitching outing when we really, really needed one. Plus, Boston only got one run (a HR from David Ortiz, of course) so it was the perfect time for Schilling's near-perfect game.

And Draft stuff: Boston selected University of Washington lefthander Nicholas Hagadone with the 55th pick of the draft. They took Ryan Dent, a high school shortstop out of Woodrow Wilson High School in California with the 62nd pick.

Keep it Up

What's this I see? Another Boston victory? And it was a beatdown as well? 9-3! And the best part is it was Matsuzaka pitching - 7 innings, 5 hits, 1 run. MUCH better!! Maybe he is finally getting in a groove.

A lot of HRs from our team tonight: Ortiz, Lugo, Manny, Lowell. I love it when the HR Bug bites these guys. Papi was 4-for-5 tonight, Pedroia was 2-for-4, and Lowell was 3-for-4. I hope it's like this forever and no one gets hurt to screw it up.

The Curt Schilling comments and subsequent apology? He says things all the time, you have to learn when to ignore and when to pay attention. Francona thought it was important, but me? I just ignore, ignore, ignore until I hear Bronson's name, or Trot's. I miss them.

The Less I Write...

I've noticed something. The less I update my site, the more the Red Sox win. Let's hope I don't jinx them for tonight's game.

But seriously, they've been pretty awesome over the last few days. I'm still excited about Manny's bottom of the 8th home run to win Matsuzaka's game (what is up with him, by the way?) a couple days ago. Wakefield was damn near perfect last night, allowing no runs and only 3 hits over 7 innings. I bet he was awfully frustrated with the lack of run support, until the 6th when Ortiz launched a solo shot to put the Sox ahead. Romero, Donnelly, Papelbon - the bullpen is NOT blowing games. Truly amazing, considering last year.

So Boston needs no help winning right now, they are 7-3 in their last 10 games and are sitting pretty on top of the AL East. They have a 6.5 game lead over everyone!

I guess now I need to address the serious matter of Tom Brady's latest faux pas. All the non-Sox fans say Sox fans shouldn't care. But...it's a big deal! Right?! How do you not know that people are going to think that's pretty crappy? I think he must be a little nutty, and that's my final conclusion.

5 Out of 6

MAN David Ortiz can hit the ball! He killed one in the first inning to give us an early lead. Then that lead increased when Coco Crisp tripled and went home on a Cora RBI.

Then a 3-run Yankee HR, blah.

But then Alex Cora came through with a two-run shot! He sent Coco home in the process, he was on base because he got hit by a pitch :( Cora showed his skills again later in the 7th with a triple, and he did score on a sac fly to make it 5-3.

But that wasn't all the offense Boston had in store. Manny hit his 3rd home run of the year to put the Sox up 7-3 (Ortiz had singled earlier). So at this point I was relieved that despite NY's win yesterday, we would still win the series.

But Mike Timlin would not feel right if he didn't give up some runs. Jeter hit a solo HR off him, and really, who didn't know that was coming? He even let ABREU get a hit, who was 0-for-19 up until he faced Old Reliable. Of course, then the other Old Reliable grounded into a double play (who? A-Rod of course).

Papelbon came in to pitch the 9th and protect a 7-4 lead. Giambi led off with a double, which was most shocking. In more normal fashion, Matsui struck out, Posada grounded out, and Cano ended the game with another ground out. THAT is how Papelbon works. Minor mistake to Steroidface.

Another day, another beat-the-Yankees-fiesta. Tomorrow is an off day, and a series against Oakland begins Tuesday.

Just My Luck

This is a perfect example of my luck: The very first Baltimore/Boston game of the season, the first time we have MASN and MASN2 in my area and I'm all excited about watching the game tonight - AND THEN

the power goes off today at 1 pm.

ONLY in my neighborhood, and then ONLY on my SIDE of the road.

It didn't come back on till almost 10.

So I missed the game, except for the 9th inning so I know they won and quite easily. I know Schilling was great, and Youkilis, Ortiz, Ramirez, and Cora all had good nights...and you know what else I know?

The Yankees are in last place in the AL East!

Is Rivera on NY's Payroll....Or Boston's?

Because that man has given us so many wins, I've lost count.

But let's start from the beginning. Varitek got off to a good start, hitting his first home run of the season. Of course, Rodriguez had to hit two HRs tonight, both off Schilling. Schilling actually wasn't too great today, but he didn't do too terribly. Just really not his best.

Now I'll skip everything else and get to the good stuff. Down 6-2 in the 8th. Ortiz gets on with a double. Manny went from an 0-2 count to get walked (patience pays!). Then Drew made an out but moved both players up a base (Drew had a pretty good night, actually, except for some bad attempt at base stealing). Lowell hit one through the hole to make it 6-3, then in came our good friend Mariano Rivera. Tek hit an RBI and then...the best moment of the night. COCO CRISP TRIPLED and in came 2 runs to make it 6-6. You all have no idea how happy I am for him...and you know, I told you he was coming! Just don't prove me wrong and go back to being bad, Coco.

Then Cora even got in on the action and hit an RBI single. 7-6. And Mariano, we thank you deeply.

I thought Papelbon would close it out, but Francona went with Okajima. He got his three outs and I tell you, the smile on his face could not be contained. Everyone was so happy, and why shouldn't they be? They had one hell of a comeback and man, was it enjoyable to watch.

And they wore the great green jerseys with the Virginia Tech logo on the sleeves and also on their hats. It was really nice to see.

It Happened Again

Tim Wakefield got 4 more runs of support than he usually gets - which is, of course, zero. Three solo shots by Lowell, Mirabelli, and (of course) Ortiz contributed 75% of the runs, with a RBI-single by Mirabelli adding the final blow. Wakefield pitched brilliantly, going 7 innings and only giving up one run. Only 4 hits, too. His ERA? 1.35! With my track record, I'll probably be seeing him when I go to the game in September, but if this keeps up I won't mind so much.

Coco's struggles continued - he went 0-for-4 and his average dropped to .136. At least he's not alone with his problems: Manny is batting .191 and Pedroia is only .188. Eh, no biggie. They'll get in their respective grooves soon.

Yes Sir

Damn. Josh Beckett is ON.

Of course, he had a lot of help from his seriously Hot offense, who scored SIX runs in the first inning alone!

Getting back to Beckett, he allowed one earned run over 6 innings, which is fantastic. He has been really, really good thus far.

Ortiz hit a HR, his 4th of the year. Wily Mo Pena got in there today (he was 0-for-3, but had an outfield assist), Cora had a hit, and a lot of folks had RBI.

And on a more personal note.... I was trying to find the game on the radio at work this afternoon and came across the Virginia Tech tragedy. Almost all of the people that live where I live have Tech signs, flags, shirts, bumper stickers....I am incredibly saddened by this news and my thoughts are with everyone who has been affected, in any way. Very sad day.

I Was Duped

Hey! The game was on FOX! I was Gameday-ing it until the bottom of the 2nd inning when my mom informed me of the great news. Of course I still had GD up because it does provide some good stats. Like how Schilling only threw 14 pitches through the first 2 innings.

Mike Lowell made a really nice diving catch in the 3rd, then in the bottom half of the same inning Hinske started things off with a triple off the wall. It was pretty, especially because Ortiz and Manny were right behind him in the lineup. But...they did nothing. Drew walked, and then Lowell was walked but the umpire was drunk and called the 4th ball a strike, but he did walk eventually. So they had bases loaded in the 2nd and nothing happened, now the bases were loaded again (remember last season how many, MANY times they loaded the bases and did nothing?)..Varitek hit a hard ball to Matthews in center field, and it looked like Matthews might have it but the ball went right off his glove and 2 runs scored!

Another run scored in the 4th on a wild pitch. LA's 3rd pitcher of the day and he'd only thrown like 2 pitches.

The 6th inning was a pretty good one for the Sox - the first 2 men in the order made outs, so it didn't look like it would be very special. Then came the magic: 2 walks readied things for Big Papi, who RBI-singled to Vlad. Not to be outdone, Ramirez also RBI-singled in a run to make it 5-0. J.D. Drew couldn't keep it going, but at the end of the inning, things were looking pretty good for another Boston victory.

And it was David Ortiz who made the day with an 8th inning 3-run home run to make it a little worse for the Angels.

Schilling pitched a fabulous 8 innings and allowed no runs at all. I was hoping he'd come out for the 9th, but it was not to be. Donnelly closed out the game by pitching a scoreless one.

Another huge win for Boston. Man, what has gotten into them lately? Whatever it is, I like it. And they should most definitely keep it up.

Who Had a Good Night?

All the Red Sox players did! Schilling, Ortiz, Papelbon...they all had great nights. Ortiz had a 2-home run evening (contributing all 3 RBI), Schilling gave up one earned run in 7 strong innings, and Papelbon got the final 5 outs in dominant fashion.

Who had a bad night? The Rangers. Too bad.
The Yankees had a bad day courtesy of Baltimore, which was cool with me.

Timlin also had a good day, since he might be ready to pitch by Tuesday. What that means for us is yet to be determined, because who knows what kind of outings he will have.

Off day tomorrow, with Opening Day on Tuesday. Beckett vs. Seattle. Be there or be square. I, of course, will be working till forever, so I am very, very square.

Oh yeah, and congrats to Zach Johnson for winning the golf thing. I was watching it while I was cleaning, and while I wanted Rory Sabbatini to win, I was happy for Johnson. I kind of like watching golf. But only like 2 or 3 times a year, any more than that I can't do.

Bad Night

Javier Lopez came in after Julian Tavarez had a good inning (and he only ended up pitching 4) and gave up a triple with no outs. Tavarez had a great first inning, an okay second, a bad third, a good fourth, and then he was gone. Of course he did have 87 pitches, so that was probably why. He gave up 4 runs, all earned, all in one inning. If only that third inning hadn't happened, he would have had a pretty good outing.

So what happened after Lopez gave up the leadoff triple? Ground out x2, walk, fly out. He worked his way out of a pretty big jam. Nice work from Javier.

The Sox put together another run in the 6th inning, with Varitek RBI-doubling Drew home. That made it 4-3 in favor of Texas.

So in came Kyle Snyder, who gave up a double and got an out before he was replaced by J.C. Romero. Mistake? I'd say. He threw 3 balls and one strike before giving up a run, then let Sosa hit one out of the park to make it 7-3. Then a single, another single, maybe time to take him out??! Nope. Just a visit to the mound. Another single, this one an RBI. 8-3. FINALLY he came out and Brendan Donnelly came in. A little too late, if you ask me. It took Donnelly 22 pitches to get 2 outs, but hey, he got the outs and didn't give up any runs. I'm looking at you, ROMERO.

So Boston's offense was fed up with the bad pitching and decided they had to do something. Lugo started it off with a single, (Youk flied out), Ortiz walked, and Manny singled in Julio. Okay, down by 4 now. J.D. Drew popped out and made me miss Trot Nixon some more, Lowell did nothing, and I was wrong -- seems that only Lugo, Papi, and Ramirez wanted to do something about that awful score.

Okajima was 1-2-3. The one good thing.

Even though he had a perfect inning, Okajima was replaced by Pineiro in the 8th. But I'm not complaining, because he had a pretty good inning himself.

You know, it's really hard to get excited about games when you know there's a really good chance the bullpen will blow it in the end. This time, even though the relievers did give up a lot of runs, it didn't matter since the Sox offense didn't make up for Tavarez' earned runs. All in all, a very bad, forgettable game.

Oh yeah, and Youkilis hurt his ankle. Swell. Though, he should be ready to play again tomorrow. When Curt Schilling gets his first win of the season.

Funny Quote of the Day: Headline on redsox.com: Bullpen source of strength

The First Game of the 2007 Season

...started off great with a David Ortiz RBI double. As usual, Ortiz didn't need any time to get going.

Schilling, on the other hand....whoa. Did not bring his A-game. Maybe his D-game, and that's being nice. By the time he was done, it was 5-1, not in our favor, and I was depressed. Javier Lopez impressed me more. That poor Okajima: his very first Major League pitch, and it goes out of the park. Just nerves, I hope. And Pineiro wasn't too good either, which brings us back to really bad pitching as our major problem.

There were highlights: a sweet double play courtesy of Lopez that went Lugo-Pedroia-Youkilis; an almost comeback in the 8th (even though it ended with a Papi K); I got a good laugh at Youkilis' beard thing; and oh yeah, baseball is back on!

So it wasn't the best start I could have imagined, but I have to be happy, because even bad baseball is better than no baseball...right?

Sadness and Happiness

Well, I think the thrill of liking Tom Brady is gone. He gets two women pregnant in the same time period, and I think that's the kiss of death. He's still hot and his calendar will still remain on my wall, but...oh, Tom. I'm sighing deep sighs of disappointment.

In less stupid news, Mike Timlin is still having problems, and has been sidelined for the time being because of his strained side muscle. And the Sox won today 11-10, despite a 4-run 9th inning by Philly. Kason Gabbard allowed three runs (two earned) in two innings, and Ortiz, Lugo, and Mirabelli contributed offensively.

23 days until Opening Day! Man, I so cannot wait. The Sox will be on national TV on Wednesday, March 21st at 1 on ESPN; I will have to DVR that since I have a stupid job now.

I miss Baseball Tonight.

It Happened

Matsuzaka made his debut and everyone's talking about it. He gave up a leadoff double (wha?) but retired the next 6 men he saw. In his 2 innings of work, he threw 25 pitches, 19 being strikes, and allowed only that one hit. I don't know how much a win over Boston College means, and it is of course still very early, but we got a preview of what he's all about, and it was a good one!

Our other Japanese acquisition, Hideki Okajima, made his debut yesterday as well. He had a perfect inning in the loss to the Jays, getting his outs on curveballs and a fastball. I hope he doesn't get lost in the mix, I think he will surely help the bullpen out this year.

And then there was Manny, who fouled out to the catcher and got walked in his two plate appearances yesterday. After he took a huge rip for his first swing, Tito had this to say: "I don't know how a guy can come out of winter and, first at-bat, have your head be so still. I just don't know how you do it. I'm glad he's with us because he's special. Even David [Ortiz] is laughing. He says, 'I don't know how the guy does it.'"

So today, Tim Wakefield and Jonathan Papelbon will both be pitching against the Phillies. They'll each go two innings, and the game starts in about 15 minutes, at 1:05.

And the Patriots apparently picked up a coveted linebacker by the name of Adalius Thomas. I know very little about non-Patriots players, so if they tell me this is a good thing, I'll go with it.

And hey, I just realized I won't have to say Henin-Hardenne anymore, since Justine is separated from her husband. I was wondering why people were just saying Henin...yay! It's a small stupid thing but really, it was annoying having to add that Hardenne!

BASEBALL!

Baseball starts tomorrow night! Here are the expected pitchers that we will probably see Wednesday evening: Curt Schilling, Joel Pineiro, Brendan Donnelly, Julian Tavarez, Manny Delcarmen, J.C. Romero, Bryan Corey, and Renelvys Hernandez. BASEBALL IS BACK! And the lineup will be:

1. Julio Lugo, SS
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Jason Varitek, C
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. Wily Mo Pena, RF
7. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
8. David Murphy, LF
9. Jacob Ellsbury, CF

I cannot freaking wait.

I wouldn't be a true Red Sox blogger if I neglected Manny's return, which people say was early but it was later than everyone else, so...make of that what you will. His agent said he is healthy "and very, very excited to start the season." We shall see.

At least Coco won't be the only one on the team with bad hair. Though I have to give him credit for going with red hair and not gray or pinstripes...hey, you never know!

In "What?" news, Sox reliever Craig Hansen underwent a precautionary MRI on his back and Francona said, “everything was normal.” I guess that's good but I don't like hearing about MRIs and Sox players. Usually means bad news.

And this picture of Ortiz, Pena, and Manny just makes me smile. Everyone is back together and baseball will be here in less than a day. FINALLY!

Ohhhh Snap

Looks like Tom Brady's got some trouble - his ex, Bridget Moynahan, is apparently with child. And we all know he's got a new girlfriend...oooh! As long as it doesn't interfere with football, I do not care.

And um, in real news, we have this: Some Boston players have decided to (or were told to) lose weight over the offseason. Dustin Pedroia will look better, as will a certain Mr. Ortiz: from Francona, "He's in very good shape. He lost some weight and got firmer." Perhaps the weight loss will be the equivalent of Manny's new hair from last year?

Speaking of Manny, what will the deal be with him this year? The Globe reports:

There's been no word from Camp Manny since he curiously quit in the middle of the crucial Yankees series at Fenway in late August. Nothing from agent Greg Genske. Nothing from Red Sox management. Nothing from Manny's teammates who loathe his attitude but bite their tongues and say nothing in the hope that Manny will return and post his customary .320, 35, 110. Certainly, there has been nothing from Manny. And please remember that we're all OK with that...Everyone assumes Manny is going to show up this week and act as if nothing happened last year.

I guess we find out this week just what's going on with Manny. Hopefully, we can avoid any drama and just get back to baseball.

Oh, and we'll get our first real look at Matsuzaka March 2nd, when he will be pitching against Boston College. 6:05 pm. Not too far away at all!

In closer news, John Farrell said this the other day, "We haven't actually anointed a closer, as we sit here today. Certainly, there are candidates with Mike Timlin, Joel Pineiro, Brendan Donnelly or Julian Tavarez." To which I say, HOLD UP. Where's Hansen? Why are Timlin and Tavarez options? Do they not remember what happened last year when Mike Timlin and Julian Tavarez tried to end games? WHY?

I Hope It's a Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone out there. I hope this year turns out to be a great one, and here are a few things that will help make that happen:

1. Find a closer. The Red Sox once again have their work cut out for them when it comes to closing games - with Papelbon as one of the starting 5, the job is up for grabs. It would be nice if one of the guys we have on the team now would step up during Spring Training and take the job with ferocity.

2. Figure out what the hell is going on with J.D. Drew -- we're all sick of writing about him.

3. The Patriots need to win the Super Bowl. Because we can all use a little more Tom Brady pictures in our lives.

4. David Ortiz needs to be the AL MVP. We all know he has been for the past 2 years, a little recognition would be nice.

5. Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield need to improve in the way of reliability. Who can forget Josh Beckett's first inning disaster against the Yankees? No more of that, please.

6. Coco Crisp should have a better year. He wasn't right after the injury to his hand in Baltimore (I remember because I was there and I told him not to try to steal that base and he did it anyway), but he should be ready to go in the spring. Plus, he won't have to be leadoff now that Julio Lugo is on the team.

7. Somebody will have to free me from my depression over losing Trot Nixon, Mark Loretta, Gabe Kapler, and my beautiful beloved Alex "The Gonz" Gonzalez. His defense was incredible and, to me, made up for his not-so-hot offense. I will miss the hell out of him, but I am glad he will join Bronson Arroyo in Cincy. I hope he has another great year.

And Trot? What can I say. I wanted him to stay on the team more than anyone (even the Gonz), he was my favorite Boston player. It sucks going to the Red Sox roster site and not seeing Trot there, he's been a staple for so long. One month ago we were reading about the possibility that he might stay in Boston, but... Right field misses him already, and it will never be the same!

David Ortiz is a Gentleman

Barry Zito is signing with the Giants, which means he isn't going to the Yanks. Good news. Big Stein must not be too happy.

I have to post these pictures because they are proof that David Ortiz is a fantastic and loving human being - and I've felt the need to prove that ever since I overheard those horrible NYers say they'd shoot him in an alley. But anyway, Ortiz gave $200,000 to the Heart Care Dominica, which provides heart surgery to indigent children.


How can you not love him?

Life Without Manny

We may just have to get used to life without Manny Ramirez -- and soon. "[One big league official] wouldn't be shocked if the Red Sox traded him by Saturday." Of course, that's assuming we get J.D. Drew by Saturday; trading Manny hinges on the completion of the Drew deal.

The most important thing to consider was said well by a scout: "[David Ortiz] will draw about 200 walks next year without Manny hitting behind him. I don't care who it is who bats fourth instead of Manny -- J.D. Drew, or Wily Mo Pena, whoever -- he won't be as dangerous as Manny was, because Manny can hit good pitching."

They HAVE to find a bat to replace Manny's... and if they can't, don't deal him. Ortiz needs some protection and Manny does it perfectly. Can you imagine what it will be like for Ortiz without Manny behind him? A very scary thought.