The End of the 2009 Season

Well.

What a day.

Up 5-1 and then lose 7-6. That was not what I was expecting.

Everything had been going so well. Pedroia had a 2 RBI double, Drew hit a HR, they grabbed an insurance run in the 8th to go up 6-4....and Papelbon was coming in to pitch the 9th, after picking off some dude at 1st to end the 8th.


And then....the world fell off its axis and the Red Sox lost as Papelbon gave up 3 runs.

Still in shock. I thought for sure I'd have a Sox game to watch tomorrow night.

Did I say I liked the Angels before? Well, I think I changed my mind.

And P.S. What the HELL was up with the umpires this series? These fools are supposed to be the best of the best? Sad.

Oh, and....I'm not mad at Papelbon. I don't know what the hell happened to him, but I'm not mad. Shocked is still the only word I can come up with. No one is more mad at Papelbon than Papelbon...he doesn't need us fans mad at him, too.

Chad (Not)Fairchild Needs a Firing

I don't know if we're gonna win this game or lose it, but J.D. Drew just made one of the best catches I've ever seen in the bottom of the 14th with 2 on. If we do end up winning, it's because of him.

And seriously, WHAT THE HELL is wrong with Chad Fairchild, home plate umpire? I haven't seen this many bad calls since the Tampa Bay/Boston game last postseason. I feel bad for Tazawa, he's made some good pitches that were CLEARLY strikes that this damn fool called balls. Not just him, either, but most of the other Boston pitchers got screwed too. Pitches on the outside corner that were strikes earlier in the game are now balls. At least be consistent with your skewed strike zone, come on.

Whoa Melky Cabrera almost won the game with one down the 1st base line....JUST foul. Wow!

What a game. Into the 15th inning now. Reddick just struck out on a pitch that was a ball for us but a strike for NY. THIS IS NOT RIGHT! This idiot needs to be fired, like NOW.

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.

From Way Down to Feeling Great

Because I can actually watch this game, I might just do a streaming post:

7:12: The TV is on mute (as I am studying, blah) and I look up and see these new sharp red home jerseys. I wonder out loud to myself if these are new (because I am a little slow at times), unmute the TV and the Orioles announcers are discussing the debut of the new red jerseys. I think I am psychic (clearly).

7:14: First Oriole is a strikeout. This is a good sign!

7:15: And the next dude gets a hit. Strike that last comment.

7:27: I just noticed Youkilis's stupid chin-eating beard is back. Yuck.

7:40: Brad Penny just walked the last 2 guys and successfully walked in a run to put the O's up 1-0 WITH NO OUTS. UGH. It is not good when your starting pitcher already sucks in the 2nd inning. At least Mike Lowell can make awesome plays. 1 out. Brian Roberts just got a hit, 2-0. This is Crap. B.P. (interesting initials, considering he is making my BP rise) pitched well last time, what gives.

7:46: Walked in another run! You can hear the Fenway boos from miles away. I feel bad for him, actually, but I am still frustrated nonetheless.

7:47: GRAND SLAM SON OF A BITCH

7:55: Hey, something good! Jason Bay hit a 2-run HR! It's something, people, gotta dig away at this huge lead. 7-2.

8:02. Ellsbury hits a "single" in between 3 Orioles, RBI! 7-3.

8:09: Pedroia hauled ass to get a single, bases loaded with 1 out. Ortiz RBIs, 2 outs though. 7-4.

8:26: HR J.D. Drew! 7-5!

8:53: I left the room to make dinner, somehow the O's have 8. F.

9:06: J.D. Drew hit a triple to center, I love it. What will Jason Bay do? Walk! Mike Lowell? Walk! Jason Varitek? Lucky error for him, run in! Nick Green? Hits one waaaay back, 2 runs in, tie game!! Woo hoo!!!

9:40: Youkilis just got nailed in the head. The pitcher looked very concerned so I can't be mad...and he's up walking to first base. Guess he's okay, but I'm sure we'll hear more about it tomorrow. Maybe it shook Baez (O's pitcher) up because he just walked Drew to load the bases with one out!

9:46: Sac fly! We are winning!

9:48: Lowell-RBI single! 10-8!

10:24: Boston is really having to work the bullpen tonight, but they are doing a great job. We've seen Delcarmen, Lopez (who walked a guy and gave up a single and was promptly yanked, haha. Guess they learned their lesson with him), Ramirez, and Okajima just got the last 2 O's of the 8th inning.

10:45: There's the Papelbon we love! I cannot believe they just came back from 7-0 down to win 10-8. Amazing.

My guess is they won because I wore my Sox visor all day. Just a theory. I'll be wearing it all day tomorrow too, though!

Hey, Look at That!

The Red Sox are capable of winning some more games! And Tim Wakefield was the main reason why.

Wakefield, a man whom I have often complained about in the past, really came through yesterday. He threw a complete game, giving the bullpen a much-needed rest after Matsuzaka's catastrophe (and oh great, he's on the DL). As a matter of fact, Tim didn't even allow a hit until the 8th inning....so very close to a no-hitter. I am quite pleased with Mr. Wakefield at the moment.

Boston's bats also woke up, gathering 8 runs over the game to Oakland's 2. Lowell hit a home run, as did J.D. Drew (a 3-run HR at that!). Everyone had at least one or two hits (except the AL MVP, but that's okay).

And take a look at Jacoby Ellsbury's catch--that's pretty nice. What was even better? Nick Green's catch! I believe right now, when you open the links it will take you to Mike Lowell's HR, but you know how to get to the other videos.

All in all a terrific game. Still sitting in last place, but it's early.

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!!

Yo Drew

J.D. Drew just hit a grand slam!!

Yo, it could not have been better scripted! He needed that in a big way for his confidence...and we needed it too! What a great way to start the game!

Hopefully when it ends we'll be as excited as we were when it began!

EDIT #1: 9:02: SCHILLING GIVES UP HR, NO SURPRISE THERE

EDIT #2: 10:01: 10-1 lead this is awesome!!

EDIT #3: 12:58: Game over! Huge 12-2 win. Schilling was so much better than I had even hoped for (7 strong); everyone was hitting, especially the bottom of the order (Lugo hit a beauty down the 3rd base line)..it was such a great game to watch. Funniest moment: Youkilis getting plunked on the head in a rundown (and he ended up safe!).

Game 7 time. Be there or be--wait, where else are you gonna be?!

A Perfect Friday

Don't expect the Angels to walk Ortiz to get to Manny again!

The walk-off 3-run home run from Ramirez was a perfect way to end the night, after Ortiz was IBB'd twice in the game. Manny was having none of that and this picture says it all:

Matsuzaka was not perfect, but he only gave up 3 runs; to Boston's offense, not that much of a threat. The bullpen, however, was perfect: they didn't allow a single run. Papelbon was so excited to get out of the 8th and 9th innings:

A special thanks to this kid, who saved an out by taking the ball from the Angels catcher and allowing the Sox to keep their inning going:

And without J.D. Drew, who singled in the first with bases loaded, the game might not have ended in our favor.

Also, the Yankees losing was fantastic.

Drew, What Took You So Long?

This is not something I have been able to say very often, so I will enjoy it:

J.D. Drew won the game for us!

It makes me sad when fans dislike players, and I heard A LOT of Drew Dislike while in Baltimore this month. So since we really need to win these last 2 games and get the best record, it's great that Drew came through. We were down 4-3 in the 7th and he hit a 3-run homer with 2 outs. No more scoring, so we won 6-4.

Cleveland is down by a run in the 8th, but that means nothing until the last out is made.

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!

That's What I Like

J.D. Drew just hit his second three-run home run of the game. PLEASE keep it up Mr. Drew!

Scary moment: Manny Ramirez was hit by a pitch on the wrist and was down for a while. He got up though and took his base, then Drew retaliated with his second HR. Nice team spirit!

9-1 lead, looks like Josh Beckett will be 9-0 after tonight. Niiice.

P.S. What the hell South Carolina baseball team? You all had a 6-0 lead with a grand slam in there and you lost 9-6? WHAT is that?!?

Happy Birthday Tito, From Manny, J.D., Mike, & Jason

First inning - uh-oh. Matsuzaka got his first 2 outs, then struck out Abreu twice but he was walked because the crazy umpire called those strikes balls. So it ended up being 2-0 and things really didn't look good.

But um, WOW we were down 3-0 then Manny hit a home run, followed by J.D. Drew, then Lowell, then Varitek ALL IN A ROW! In 5 minutes we went from 3-0 to 4-3. When Varitek was up my mom said, "Aww, he won't get one," and I replied, "He got one the other night!" then he proceeded to kill one way over left field. Then I started to feel a little bad for the pitcher kid but... oh well. That was pretty damn exciting. First time in team history that 4 home runs in a row were hit. WOW. My mom and I were just laughing. Man, I wish that happened more often. It's too bad I can't get a picture of Manny's reaction - he was smiling and laughing and hugging people :)

But then Matsuzaka killed the mood by giving up a double to Mient-traitor-kiewicz. And I checked to see if I spelled his name right and I cannot believe I still remember how to spell that craziness. But hey, I did win a bunch of spelling bees in elementary school :) By the way, Matsuzaka did get out of that jam. But in the 5th, he gave up a solo shot to Take-a-Seater and it was 4-4. He also struck out A-Rod for the second time. But later on he did give up another run and we were down by one.

Things got interesting in the 7th when Manny led off with a single and Drew doubled off the wall. Then they got more than just interesting when Mike Lowell hit his 2nd HR of the game, off the top of the wall, to make it 7-5!

Daisuke went 7+ innings before Hideki Okajima came in to try and continue his Yankee dominance. Matsuzaka wasn't spectacular, but he wasn't bad either. I imagine he was pretty nervous, actually. H.O. got one out then gave up a single to get men on 1st and 2nd. And then he walked the bases loaded with only one out. I think maybe he had been used too much. In came Donnelly, and it looked like he might get a double play but Cairo screwed up Lugo's throw and we only got one out and a run scored. 7-6. And then Dustin Pedroia displayed his sweet defense and made a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL diving catch. It was so nice. And just to say, Pedroia had a pretty good night tonight, offense and defense. I like what I'm seeing. <--- I had actually typed that even BEFORE he made the freaking awesome catch to get out of the 8th. Yeah, he should have a good year.

Mr. Papelbon pitched the 9th. Got Damon to fly out, Jeter struck out (ha!), and Abreu walked. Eek. So Rodriguez was up, but he was no trouble at all. Another spectacular performance by Papelbon.

First time in 17 years the Sox swept the Yanks at home.

Get out the brooms!

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.

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.

Now That's a Beating

The Boston Red Sox put on QUITE a show today.

14-3!

Pitching: Beckett pitched SEVEN innings and gave up ONE run. Could this be his year??

(Who gave up the other 2 runs? None other than Timlin. How many guesses did you need?)

Offense: RBI leaders for the day: Drew and Varitek, each with 3. You'd think with 14 runs there would have been a lot of home runs, but there was only 1, by Mr. Drew, and it came early (2nd inning). Youkilis was 3-for-5, Lugo was 2-for-2, and Pena came in late and got hit by a pitch. Bad luck for him, but I want more Wily Mo! I like that guy.

Here's the man of the day, J.D. Yes, he's wearing #7, yes, I wish it was still Trot Nixon's number, but yes, I am happy he is on the team and doing well.

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

Gameday

HOLY COW Gameday is freaking awesome now! They totally retooled it and it looks really, really fantastic. Almost makes not having the games on TV okay.

Not. I'd much rather see Youkilis hit a HR than read about it on Gameday, but I have to say how great it is now. I love it.

So Boston got out of their funk and gave Kansas City hell tonight. Beckett worked 5 innings and only gave up one run, and the bullpen (Lopez, Snyder, Romero, Pineiro) was pretty snappy too. They didn't give up a single run, if you can believe that.

As I mentioned, Youkilis contributed a HR to the winning effort; that along with offensive production by Drew, Lowell, Varitek, and Lugo sealed the deal for Boston. Glad to report a win tonight, I'm feeling a lot better about this season than I was a couple days ago!

See y'all tomorrow night, when we finish up the KC series with a pitching performance by Matsuzaka. Ooh, I can't wait!

Here's a pic of HR Youk - but an older one, without the crazy hair thing:

Ahh, Valentine's Day

I may not have had a conventional V-Day, but it was pretty much perfect. So I'm in a state of extreme happiness here, and I will pretend like I care about anything else in the world...

...like J.D. Drew officially being on the roster. And Lenny DiNardo leaving. Or something to do with someone buying something about racing or something.

But one thing I do care about? Craig Hansen in trade rumors! What?! No! He's our future closer! Though he doesn't seem too enthusiastic about it ("My goal is just to make the team, be on the team and help out the team as much as I can," he said. "I'm just trying to earn any spot. I'm not going for a certain role on the team. I'm just looking for a role in any key situation to help out the team"), he is a key guy for the future and I want him to stay.

Wait! Maybe he does care: "If I had the choice I would like to close but that's basically not in my hands." He can do it...just has to try!

And one more thing...

This looks good, doesn't it?


He's here!

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!

Strange But True Happenings

Jayson Stark over at ESPN.com has a funny article detailing all the strange things that happened over the 2006 season, and it's a good read on a Saturday morning. Here's what pertained to the Red Sox:

"Mike Piazza, Alex Rodriguez, Garret Anderson and Manny Ramirez all got their 2,000th hit last season. Naturally, Piazza and A-Rod both got their hit on the same day (July 21) -- and Anderson and Manny got their 2,000th hit on the same day, too (July 1)."

Wait till you read the last one. It's pretty awesome.

And it appears that the Drew Situation might finally be resolved - next week, that is. Apparently, Drew's shoulder has been seen by more than one doctor (including Boston's own Thomas Gill) in an effort to figure out if he'll be okay to play. Both the Drew and Boston camps say it's not a deal-breaker, but with all the drama, it sure seems like it could be.

And finally..this looks good, doesn't it? It's from an ad that will be airing in Japan, and it's just getting me even more excited about the 2007 season.

Bits and Pieces

1. Manny - With teams around the league complaining that Boston was asking too much for Ramirez, it appears that maybe Theo never really had any intention of trading him at all. And who can blame him? He did talk with the Dodgers, Angels, Mariners, Giants and Indians, after all. Manny should know that he did try, but this should also make him happy: though the front office did consider (and try) it, he is just far too valuable to get away easily. And he's worth too much to consider the deals on the table. I just wonder how he will play next season.

2. Matsuzaka - What's the hold up? We have until December 14th to make a deal, and Matsuzaka is supposed to be coming to the U.S. today. Apparently Boras will update him on the state of the negotiations and he'll tell Boras what he feels about it all. I don't think he'll care too much about the money, it seems like he just wants to play in the Majors. Well, I hope.

3. J.D. Drew - He said this after everything that's been said about him: "People will just have to get to know me and my game. People think I don't care enough, which couldn't be farther from the truth. I care very deeply about the game and what ever team I've been on and how to help that team win games. I'm just quiet. I'm the type of person who keeps things inside."
I don't really care what he does or says off the field, but when he comes to Boston, he better play his heart out. And if he does that, I'll be happy. Especially since he is the replacement for my favorite Red Sox player (guess I better find a new one now!).

Better quotes from Drew: "I'm looking forward to being [Schilling's] teammate and getting to know him better along with all the guys up there like Big Papi and Manny and Mike Lowell. It seems like a true family atmosphere up there and when we were trying to decide about coming to Boston, we took those things into consideration."
"I discussed the Boston situation with my agents and my family and it's just fans being passionate about their team. People love baseball in Boston. They expect excellence from the players and if you do your job and leave everything on the field, I suspect people will accept you."
I don't think we'll have any problems with him.