Massacred again...

At least we are still five up and coming back to Fenway for a little while... thats all I have to say about that.

Lets keep the streak going. Double digit wins over the empire would be nice!

Lets go Sox. The last house of pain series before the playoffs. Hey, I mean if we can sweep a team who won the world series in the last five years, then who's to say we can't be a team who hasn't? AND WE HAVE TO BOO CLEMENS BIG TIME! Yelling at the TV screen is acceptable, nay, recommended! Game is being shown tonight on NASN. GO SOX!

Going for the Southside sweep.

The Red Sox continue their domination in Chicago with a third straight win against the White Sox. The Red Sox now already have two 16 game winners with at least month yet to go in the season. Wakefield's knuckler was unhittable for his whole outing and his run support was immense. Again, as par for the rest of the season, Boston was getting it done with singles and doubles instead of home runs, but this didn't the Sox from blowing out Chicago 14-2. The Chicago pen fell to pieces in the 8th where the Red Sox scored 8 runs against 3 different pitchers in a 40 minute half inning.

Wakefield definitely has a chance to surpass his season win record of 17 and may even get to the 20 win mark, hopefully with some nice postseason outings! Hey may be old, but he's still got it!

The blog is back from vacation.

Now, I'm not going to even bother going into detail with everything that has gone on since my last post. I will just briefly discuss some of the stuff I'm excited about, and a couple things I'm worried about too.

Things I am excited about.

1. The Red Sox are still in first place!
   This really is special, and it seems as though the gap is widening again. What was once a 14 and a half game lead over the Yankees is now at 6.5 after plummeting to 4 a couple weeks ago. This means we have the biggest lead between 1st and 2nd place in any division in the league. A very positive thing for us Sox fans who are used to only vying for that blessed wildcard spot. It seems as though, possibly, the hot streak of the Yankees is diminishing and the only thing keeping them going is 43HR leading Rodriguez.
   
   
2. The Yankees are in second place and not even secure in the wildcard slot.
   It would just make my year if the Yankees don't make the postseason. Nuff said.
   
   
3. All-stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett have joined the Celtics.
   Although I was really skeptical about all the players and draft picks we were giving away including Al Jefferson and Sebastian Telfair amongst others to start with, this set-up has started to grow on me. I think the Celtics have a decent chance of taking the East and taking us green fans to the finals! Nice to think the gamblers agree with us. Odds before Allen & Garnett: 90-to-1. Odds after: 5-1. That's a pretty hefty leap up the rankings!
   
   
4. The Patriots are contenders AGAIN!
   There are only a handful of teams that can boast the offense that the Patriots have since all of their offseason moves. Having acquired Moss, Stallworth and Thomas, the Pats are conceived by many as the top seed in the AFC. The new father Tom Brady has his O-line returning for this season and a plethora of guys to throw to. In last nights pre-season matchup with Carolina, Brady looked pretty keyed in.
   
   
5. Boston sports could make the triple this year.
   I really think its possible for the Sox, Celtics and Pats to win their respective titles this season. And who knows, at the current rate the Revs might do too. As for the Bruins, I reckon there may need to be some more work done on that front.
   
   
6. Consistency is probably the key thing keeping the Sox in first. Its really visible. Neither Ortiz or Ramirez are having power years, but still, they are both hitting for good average and getting the hits that win games. As for the starters, although there has been some shuffling with a Schilling injury and then the return of Lester and the debut of Clay Bucholz, we are still a pretty scary team to face with our pitching with still a chance to have three 15 game winners. (Beckett 16, Wakefield 15 and Matsuzaka 13).
   
   
7. Finally, Wily Mo has gone.
   It was about time that our strikeout prone power man left Fenway for a more suitable team, the Nats. As for his replacement Carter, is yet to be seen, but his spot on the roster made way for Bobby Kielty who has acclimatised very well.
   
   
8. A-Rod could become a free agent.
   I know this isn't a popular one, but if A-Rod doesn't go for his team option and the Yankees don't sign him (Cashman has already warned), then there are only a few teams with the financial capacity to pick him up, the Sox being one of them. Its hard not to like the idea of Youk, Dustin, A-Rod and Lowell in the infield, as long as they just switch Alex to an SS!
   

Things that are worrying me.

1. Eric Gagné hasn't impressed me yet. I'm still waiting to see the lights out stuff he has shown everywhere else.
   
   
2. The Yankees are still second.
   We all know by now not to count the MFY out just yet. Lets just hope we don't get a repeat of the Massacre from last year!

Ok, well maybe I did cover most of what happened while I was away. Now its off my chest. Go Boston!

What a bad day for the Yankees. No sympathy from me though...

So lets get the basics out of the way first. The Yankees lose to the Red Sox again with a score of 11-6. Now the background... Torre is on thin ice because of the lack of numbers in the W column as well as the lack of both offensive and pitching production due to a team breakdown as well as injuries.

So although the Yankees were leading at three different times in the game, they were unable to sustain it until the end of the 9th. Giambi, their big hitter, was already out of this one and may not be back til 2008 and so with Wil Nieves doing the catching and Posada DHing, it was already a modified lineup. Lets add some spice here... Lowell decides to body check (totally legal) Robbie Cano to try and srcrub the double play. Cano hits the sand but somehow manages to release completing the double play. Still, us Sox fans had something to cheer about; A Yankee was tackled to the ground! Then in the meantime, we find out that Roger Clemens has a 'fatigued groin' (code for 'I'm in my 40s and shouldn't be pitching anymore') and won't start on Monday and may not start for another two weeks. HAH ROOOOOOOOOOGEEEEEEEEER!

Then after Lowell and Varitek go deep back-to-back, Lowell goes out again and makes another Yankee hit the floor. This time I'm laughing until I realise that Doug Mientkewicz wasn't getting up. Yes it scored Sox runs but it was an awful moment. 2004WS-star Doug was down and even when he got up and stretchered out his eyes did not look too good.

The only thing bad for the Red Sox was that Youkilis' hitting streak ended (even though he was on base 3 times with walks). Dustin Pedroia continued to be hotter than a jalapeño dipped in lava with another multiple hit game.

The Bottom Line Is The Yankees Suck!

And English people say they don't like baseball...

Shove it in their face whenever they call Baseball, rounders by making a huge deal when they unintentionally use these phrases (or similar).

• "Just [touch base] with me to let me know."
  
• "It's time to [step up (to the plate)] and prove yourself."
  
• "I tried to pull but went [down swinging]."
• "Don't [second-guess] me, you know I'm right."
• "Could you give me a [ballpark figure] on the price of that?"
• "I got to [first/second/third base] with her."
• "She got the question correct [right off of the bat]."
• "Stop giving me a hard time and just [play ball].
• "They were coming at me [left, right and center]."
  
• "Have you made sure you [covered all the bases]?"
• "It ain't over 'til its over" -- Yogi Berra

Thought this little list would help you out. Have fun.

Going Quackers for the Mighty Ducks

Yes its Stanley cup time and the Mighty Ducks continue their impressive performance with their second win (1-0) in the series against the Ottawa Senators. Anaheim's amazing goalie (Giguere) has been all over the place and has proven to be the big problem for the Senators because they are unable to capitalize on the very few offensive chances that the Ducks have given to them.

PS. I refuse to call them the Anaheim Ducks still. In my heart they are still the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and play on a pond, not a Honda Center. :P Go Ducks.

Feels good winning, doesn't it?

So it seems that the only thing making me blog is the fact that it is a distraction from revision. So here goes. Yes its been a month since the last post, I'm very sorry, but you know how it is... or not. So much has happened. What has remained constant is the Red Sox domination of Major League Baseball. The Red Sox are top of the AL East and the majors altogether with 36-16 and a 10.5 game lead over second place which isn't the Yankees, YAY! The Yanks are in fact in a fantastic fourth place tied with our perennial bottom-feeders, the Rays.

It seems that every single player on the Sox squad is really playing at an MVP standard. Going round the diamond Youk has been amazing with two homers (one being and inside-the-parker) in two days this week along with a 22game hitting streak. Dustin Pedroia has certainly settled into the lineup hitting often and often for extra bases. A Red Sox team dispute of who was faster Kevin or Dustin was settled when Youk hustled his way around the bases when he hit into the triangle of death in center field. Mike Lowell, although having some difficulty initially in defense has shown that he has great offensive prowess also by hitting home runs. Our SS has been average in my opinion, certainly a downgrade defensively but not by a large margin. Tek started slow but built up speed and continues to be strong base for the team. As for the outfield, you can't complain really. Coco has been making some amazing running grabs and Manny is Manny. Drew is yet to show me anything astonishing in right, but he does what needs to to get by. Papi although recently out for a few games (feeling sick), has been his usual self and has assumed even more so the role of unofficial captain and morale seems to be boosted by his presence.

As for pitching, its been great. Even with Tavarez picking up the back end of the rotation, the wins have kept coming. Beckett suffered a minor injury which slowed his 7-0 season but he returned two nights ago and won in a stunning fashion. Schilling looks to have improved after one particularly shaky start, he struck out 10 in his last outing. Dice-K although not being as dominating as I thought he would be when we acquired him, he has been fairly solid and reliable. Not much to say about Wake, same ole.

Don't forget to vote for all of our beloved Sox in the All-Star game. Due to it being played in an NL park, you have to decide to either select David Ortiz for 1B or write in Youk.

Looking forward to the Yankee-Sox matchup this weekend. You will be able to catch a game with Jonny and JC on Sunday night at 1 on five.

We own the Yankees!

So after a little road trip where we pick up two Ws at Camden Yard and still have trouble against our new AL East contender, the Jays... The Yankees are becoming the dropouts of the AL now below the Rays in the standing, which in my mind should be remembered for all eternity. Sox are now 15-7, Yanks are 8-13, HAH. Sorry George, you spent how much?

As for the other games, Wily Mo continued his strikeout or send one to the moon pattern by getting a grand-slam in the 8th inning of the second O's game which gave Josh Beckett his 5th win in April. The only other pitchers to do that for the Sox are Babe Ruth and Pedro Martinez... good company to be in.

Last nights game saw Lugo and Youkilis perform amazingly, proving that its not just the ones with huge salaries that perform, unlike a certain Bronx team. Both of them homered and contributed to our 11-4 win over the Yankees IN NEW YORK. Got me pretty happy. Dice-K was a little shaky at one point where he walked the bases loaded, but so was Pettitte who had to leave by the 5th. At least Matsuzaka struck out 7.

Got two more games at Yankee stadium lets hope we can keep it up.

Oh and as for Coco and Dustin, I have decided to partially retract my negative thoughts about them as they have been getting it done recently :P

The Red Sox are Back to Back to Back to Back!

Does it get any better than this? Total humiliation of the Yankees! Well all we need now is some 2007 jewelry. For only the second time in baseball history, a team smashed four consecutive home runs against the same pitcher. The last time for it to occur was in 1963 where the Indians carried out the feat. It started with Manny, then our new boy JD, Mike and finishing up with our captain Jason. Mike Lowell also had a second homer scoring three runs in the 7th, eventually the winning hit after Papelbon shut the Yankees down in the 9th with the final score being 7-6. The third straight win for the Sox by 7 runs making the series 777. A sign?

This is the first time since September 2nd, 1990 that the Red Sox have swept the Yankees at Fenway. These records are making me excited. I know its early still... records being broken can only be good. Also last night's game saw the kick start of Manny Ramirez offensively and rookie Pedroia was actually able to make a name for himself getting a couple of hits and making a crazy dive to stop a Josh Phelps drive.

The greatest thing about this series is that Joe Torre went in on Friday saying that he is not going to get stressed out over this series because it is so early in the season. HAH. The Yankees were playing postseason emergency ball and still got whooped. They played their backup catcher, FIRSTBASEMAN, Josh Phelps and also used their starter Pettitte as a relief... Doesn't sound like game #18 situations to me. As for the Sox, we kept it cool with out starters going really deep into the game and our new star reliever, Hideki Okajima, picking up the slack and Papelbon closing it out. This has gotta be a formula for success.

Believe.

Start with Cora?

Maybe its about time we gave good ole reliable back up AC a chance and start him every game. I have never seen what Tito sees in Pedroia, hah of course I'm not there at training, but I am not convinced as of yet. What I do see is a scared management, they don't want to do a Hanley Ramirez or Cla Meredith on this guys ass. They believe he has a future and are willing to risk it but naming him number 1 second baseman. I personally think he should be in Pawtucket a bit longer. Cora has been around forever, has experience and, recently, has been making clutch winning plays. My vote... keep him on.

In a little over half the number of games Pedroia has played in, Cora has got one less run (5) a double and a triple along with a .300 era and 3 ribbies. Pedroia on the other hand with 14 games played doesn't have an RBI yet!

Funnily enough, if it weren't for this past weekend, I would have also been taking my rage out on Coco Crispy, but he done good against this Yanks so far, so I will stay quiet for a little longer.

The blog is back in town...

Yes I know my absence is inexcusable, but I'm not getting paid for this (yet), so when there's a lot going on, it gets tough. So here's my attempt at a feeble excuse anyway. I've been busy looking for universities and over the states. Also been sick for a couple weeks since my last blog with some allergy. I'm convinced that I am allergic to England and that I should be instantly deported back to New England, but that hasn't worked as of yet, sadly.

So! What have I missed discussion on? Well not only the first game of the season, which was a loss to the Royals, but also the ending of the Bruins season and in essence the Celtics are out of contention too. That makes New England a baseball only zone! WOO. And right now we are in the midst of a Yankee series, is there a more exciting way to restart my journalistic tendencies? I think not. So here we are top of the American League, three weeks into this fresh season and have already won a Yankee series. Pretty cool in my opinion. The last two games have been saves by the back of the lineup, another thing which astonishes me... this team is good, if our 7,8,9s are getting the job too. CORA RULES. (I may never say that again so take notice).

A sweet little homage to Fenway's 95th birthday also was the fact that we replicated the score of our first game 7-6W over the New York Highlanders, the team that became the Yankees... Pretty neat huh? So tonight is Matsuzaka's chance to really show his stuff. Although he has been amazing... getting the W has been harder than expected for him, but he should be able to beat the rookie the Yanks are sending to the mound.

Our pitching has been pretty lights out with both Beckett and Wakefield giving ace-like performances, Beckett now 4-0, and even Tavarez seemed comfortable on his last start as he keeps the roster spot warm for Lester who is to return within the next weeks. Schilling has been his normal self too getting wins when necessary. Great stuff. Our defense so far isn't replicating that of last year with the very few errors we had, but our offense has been on fire while the league as a whole has been down. An example of this is last year Mike Lowell gave 6 errors over the entire season, and so far this season he has 5. Nevertheless, we are now 11-5 and ahead of the Yankees, which I know is early to state, but still makes me feel good.

Having been to my first game this season (Wake's 10-1 win over Anaheim), I really saw a productive team that is ready to utilize everything, even small ball if necessary to get runs from behind. Also, it seems the intensity of the fans just fuels Papelbon as he is welcomed into the game with a standing ovation as well as when he leaves the mound. Also, other Japanese newbie, Hideki Okajima, proved that he can deal with closing pressure against the Yankees, which is an awesome backup tool to have sitting out in RF.

Sox down the Tampa Yankees.

The only game of spring training in which the Sox face the Yankees got off to an unusual start. New Red Sox pitchers Hideki Okajima and Daisuke Matsuzaka made their way to home plate to meet New York star Hideki Matsui. The huge media entourage (mainly Japanese media, from New York, Boston and Tokyo) went wild for the moment of hand shaking and traditional Japanese bowing. After that had been done, it was time to play ball.

On the mound for the Sox was Timmy W. who again showed a rough first inning letting in 3runs, but seemed to sort it out in the second and third innings. Starting for the Yankees was Carl Pavano who has had a tough time of getting to play for the bombers, but looked impressive and a contender for one of their starter spots this season.

To note, JD Drew hit his first home run in a Red Sox uniform in the sixth inning off of Darrell Rasner. The Yankees took the early lead however, even after leaving A Rod and Jeter at home. Only the first four of the Yanks lineup are predicted to be there on opening day, so for half of the time, they could have been playing the Tampa Yankees... but you wouldn't have known. Some great plays by Yankees farm players made a game of it while the Sox sent out their predicted opening day lineup (with Wake & Dougie). Anyways, the Sox were able to pick up three in the 7th to win the game 7 to 5.

That's all that is important really. It would have been awful to go into the season knowing that AAA New York Yankees beat you, so that's that done. Time to move onto the next game. Toronto...grrr... the team that beat us to 2nd.

Three more games have passed. So many games, so little time.

Here's the quick rundown of the key evenst of the past few days. Schilling pitched an amazing 3 1/3 innings against the Twins only coming off when the Twins hit a solo jack off of him. The home run scored off of Schilling was to be the only point on the board for the Twins who gave way to the Sox first victory of 6-1. Main action on the Sox offense was Coco with a 2ribby single and Lugo who went 2for3. Great news that our ace is on form and seemed to really dominate the game. Theo wondering if he should have given that extension? Maybe he forgot that Schilling was overweight going into the hallowed '04 season...

Also against the Twins, the Sox played a 'B' game which starred our fully recovered Jon Lester who pitched one perfect first inning to start the game off.

Today's game was against the Los Angeles Dodgers which saw Beckett take it to the mound for a second time. It seems all of our pitchers are on point as Beckett notched up three scoreless innings in his start with two strikeouts. Sox newbie, Brendan Donnelly pitched after Josh and was charged with the 2-1 loss.

Next up is Matsuzaka's first Grapefruit League start against the Florida Marlins. Will the monstah from Japan step up or lose it against Major League opposition. Maybe we will see that mythical-slider-like-ball aka. The Gyroball... gotta wait and see...

Now, I know its really early on, I know its only spring training and I know we have only won one game, but this rotation is really pleasing me. Most or all of the losses have come due to pitching changes around the middle innings. By the time the season starts, our starters, with any luck should be able to cope with going at least five. Haha. So that leaves space for a more concentrated effort from the pen and what in my mind should be a very successful year for Red Sox pitching. Could Theo have managed to get the perfect balance between sheer AL-monstah-crushing-bicep-offense and mound-dominating-ass-whooping-pitching? As well as keeping a pretty solid defense? We'll get to see more and more as time progresses. I'm visualizing success!

Possibly the best photo of Spring Training.

I just had to share this with you. What a great shot! Its Papi and his Puppy, Mikey. Too funny. I bet its good at fetch and catch...