Catching Up On The Boston Sports Scene

The Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots are riding a collective twenty two game win streak. As Ned Martin would say, "Mercy".


The Red Sox:

I was impressed by how many people turned out for the World Series parade given the timing (twenty four hours notice for a Tuesday noon parade) and I was thrilled to be able to fly home and attend the parade with my Mom. We even stopped at Taco Bell for our free Tacos on the way home afterwards. Thanks, Jacoby!

There was a woman just in front of us in line who, after standing in line for about ten minutes, turned and asked me what a taco was. I explained the general concept to her - crunchy vs. soft, etc. My Mom and I stayed an extra couple minutes to witness this woman take a bite from her first before leaving. In case any Taco Bell executives are reading this blog (Are there actual readers?) the woman opted for the soft taco and seemed to enjoy it. It's safe to say Taco Bell now has some new loyal customers in the Boston area as a result of the marketing campaign. There was even a television crew that set up shop for a good thirty seconds to get footage of the people in line.

I love the Schilling signing, an obvious win-win for both the Red Sox and for Schilling.

I try to remember to trust in Theo, since he made the right call by not matching bad contract offers to Pedro or Damon, but I dread the thought of Cashman talking to Mike Lowell and his agent, quietly nodding his head and saying "Sounds great. In fact, we'll even give you an extra $1M per year. I won't keep you long. The offer's good for the next five minutes. Sure, I think I have a pen around here somewhere. What? Oh. Today's the 19th." I believe Lowell when he says he wants to stay with the Sox but if the Yankees guarantee a fourth year and offer more per year than the Sox (and if I were Cashman, that's exactly what I'd do) then for Lowell to re-sign with the Sox would involve leaving $15-$20M on the table. It's tough to imagine he'd turn that down. I don't believe the reports from New York where Cashman has said he assumes Lowell will re-sign with the Sox. In fact, I expect to keep checking ESPN's site on a semi-regular basis with some dread until Lowell eventually signs a contract with someone. If that surprises you, you don't understand Red Sox fans.


The Celtics:

I was able to catch the second half of the Celtics v. Nets game recently. It's fun to watch the Celtics moving the ball around. Plus it's amazing to watch Garnett's infectious intensity and passion for the game. He was one of my favorite players to watch when he was with the Timberwolves and I'm still amazed that he's playing for the Celtics.

The team is just so much more fun to watch now, and not just because they're winning. When the Celtics reached the Eastern Conference finals a few years ago, I paid attention but wasn't able to enjoy watching the team play. Jim O'Brien got the most out of that team and got them to fight hard, but watching the team on offense was generally painful with far too many isolations and ball hogging. I still have flashbacks of Antoine Walker, who was a great passer when he remembered to pass, deciding that he was going to score in a way that was obvious to everyone in the building, including the defense, eventually going one-on-four before coughing the ball up or putting up an ugly shot.

This team is a lot more fun to watch because they're taking pride in distributing the ball. I believe Paul Pierce is a great player and that winning is more important to him than points, but he's never struck me as being a vocal leader. He's more likely to lead by example. To have Garnett on the team wanting to win, constantly preaching "team", backing it up with his passion, his general approach and helping the team win makes an enormous difference. I'm excited to try to catch a game while I'm home for Christmas. In fact, I'm going to try to change my flight back to Seattle so I can get back in time to see the game in Seattle. I haven't seen a Celtics game in Seattle since the days of Dino Radja, back in that one season that the Sonics played in the fabulous Tacoma Dome.


The Patriots:

It's fun watching the Patriots these days. The Patriots' brass deserves a lot of credit for upgrading (egregious understatement) the wide receivers and rightly so, but I would have expected that it would take a while for the passing game to gel because of the complete turnover at the position. Granted, that's based on my vast experience playing Nerf football at recess, so there's a chance I'm off a bit here. However, it is nice to see that Brady is now getting credit for more than just being a quarterback who "operates well in the system". In the Patriots first Super Bowl run, Brady seemed better known for throwing screen passes and not making mistakes rather than being a "great quarterback". It's nice to see him get credit for more than just being the quarterback on a winning team.

The Patriots hate also fascinates me. Simply put, I think that football fans had already had enough of the Patriots winning before this year started. I think that we (collectively) get tired of anyone winning constantly. Toss in the Red Sox' recent success and the Celtics sudden re-entrance into the NBA elite and there are a lot of people tired of happy Boston sports fans. I was tired of watching Jordan win NBA titles and kept hoping someone else would beat the Bulls back when they were on top. Much as I appreciated Jordan, seeing him win was getting old. I wanted to see Barkley or Malone finally get a ring instead of seeing Jordan win his sixth. I'm assuming most people who aren't Patriots fans were happy to see Manning finally win a Super Bowl. The Colts were now the top dog in the AFC and the Patriots run was over.

Except that it wasn't. And not only was the Patriots run not over, they'd addressed one of their biggest weaknesses by picking up a player who has a bad image in a deal that felt like the Yankees overpaying for the most expensive free agent in a way that no other team could. Add to that the videotaping scandal and the odd way the NFL handled it by asking for more evidence after issuing the initial punishment and then destroying that evidence while being rather evasive about what they found. Add to that mix Harrison testing positive for HGH and Belichick's general pleasant nature and snappy dressing and penchant for running up the score and kicking puppies and... We have ourselves the first "villain" team since the "glory" days of Al Davis' Raiders.

Except that they're not. The Patriots could not go simply outspend small market teams like the Yankees, Knicks, New York Rangers, Dallas Mavericks, or (tough as it is to admit) Red Sox could to acquire a player Moss because of the NFL's hard salary cap. In fact, they underpaid for him since Moss restructured his contract and took a pay cut to get out of Oakland. Feel free to hate Moss if you think he wasn't playing his hardest in Oakland, but the Patriots aren't to "blame" for picking him up. Brett Favre lobbied hard for Green Bay to get Moss and if Brett Favre had his way, Moss would be a Packer right now. Had that happened, I think the Packers would be getting some "win one more for Favre before he retires" love instead of the reaction the Patriots have gotten for the signing.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the sideline camera videotaping the opposing defense's signals leaves a bad taste in my mouth because I don't want to think teams I support need to resort to shenanigans like that. But I think it's a little much to imply that the Patriots videotaping the Jets defensive signals in the first half of the first game gave them a competitive advantage in that or any other game this year. The Patriots were penalized a first round draft pick based on the actions in that game alone. The NFL asked for other material gained by videotaping after issuing that punishment and decided no additional punishment was necessary. So, according to the NFL, the Patriots did nothing outside of that game that warranted punishment.

Seeing a player on the Steelers (was it Hines Ward?) say that now that he thinks about it...it was a little odd that the Patriots seemed to know what the Steelers offense was going to do in a playoff game five years ago is silly when you consider that the Patriots were recording defensive signals. Hearing Shula say that the Patriots legacy is tainted because they were penalized for an act so serious that they're losing a first round pick is comical when you consider that Shula's Dolphins were forced to forfeit a first round draft pick by breaking NFL rules by negotiating to hire Shula while he was still under contract with the Colts. Classic.

Harrison tested positive for HGH and was suspended according to the league rules. No Patriots fan I know thinks it was OK for Harrison to take HGH, but you don't see constant backlash against the Chargers organization because of Shawn Merriman using HGH. Treat Harrison the same way all other offenders have been treated. Except, unlike Merriman, don't vote him to the Pro Bowl.

The real focus of hate for the Patriots, beyond people simply being tired of them winning, is Belichick. He's far from the only non-likable coach around. The videotaping scandal didn't help his general image, but I think the bigger issue people have with them is how the Patriots have closed out games this year. They're winning big, scoring a lot of points and may set some records along the way, but the bigger concern seems to be the Patriots running up the score when the game is already decided.

Thinking purely of the scores of the Patriots games this year, I'll been a little embarrassed, at least initially. In fact, while watching the Cowboys game, I wanted the Patriots to take a knee or settle for a field goal late in the game rather than trying to run for a touchdown. The intense hate the Patriots have gotten as a result, especially when voiced by a couple close friends, made me think about the situation more closely. I've read articles and blogs on both sides - some logical, some passionate. I wasn't surprised to read that there were a number of parallels to recent teams (including the classy Colts a couple years) that had blown out teams in stretches like the Patriots had, but without the intense hate, but that's beside the point. In my mind, the point is more Machiavellian. The more I see out of the Patriots, the more I feel I understand Belichick's motivation in those situations, and I don't mean that in the sense that his motivation is to tell the rest of the league "screw you" or to try to consistently beat the spread. Here's what I see better now in hindsight.

The Patriots have brought their backup QB into games early in the fourth quarter when the games looked well in hand. That could be a sign of respect (i.e. not further running up the score) a way to get Cassel some reps or simply a way to rest Brady. In the Miami game, the Pats defense struggled and Cassel gave up a pick returned for a touchdown and suddenly the game wasn't so much in hand with 10+ minutes to go, especially given the fact that the Patriots couldn't run the ball. Brady came back in, threw a quick touchdown and things were back "in control". I couldn't find a game log to confirm this, but I seem to remember Cassel coming back in to finish that game. I'm sure Belichick would like to get Cassel some more reps before next year's pre-season, but Cassel has proven he can get the other team back into the game in a flash, which may make Belichick think twice (or more) before inserting him into a game that early again.

The Patriots don't have the running game they had in previous years. Even before Morris got hurt, this team struggled to run the ball. In traditional running situations, the Patriots pass the ball out of necessity, not disdain. Last year the Patriots could grind out first downs late in the game by having Corey Dillon bowl people over, especially in situations where they needed a yard or two to keep the drive and the clock moving. Regardless of whether Maroney isn't that type of runner or the offensive line isn't as effective, the Patriots don't have the ability to overpower the defense and pick up the two or three yards they need. When they're faced with a third and two and they need a first down, you don't typically see them running the ball even if they're trying to close out a game.

I mentioned earlier that I was a little embarrassed to see the Patriots giving the ball to Eckel for the touchdown late in the Cowboys game. I expected the Pats to bring out the field goal unit on fourth down or just take a knee at that point to hand the ball back to the Cowboys. But now that Morris is done for the year, the Patriots are probably one running back injury away from having to rely on Eckel in a close game which is even more important when you remember that Maroney has had problems staying healthy. Maybe getting Eckel a couple touches in a safe situation is something that means he'll be more in synch with the offensive line when the Pats need him to pick up a couple yards in the red zone or on a key third down late in the game. Or maybe the Pats coaches have a better sense for what plays put Eckel in the best position to pick up those yards.

The Patriots defense is strong, but it may not be as strong as it has been in previous years. Given how Addai seemed to tear holes through the Patriots' defensive line in the first three quarters of the Colts game, I was shocked that the Colts didn't go to him more often in the fourth quarter, especially since I thought Addai's running was the biggest reason the Colts beat the Pats in the AFC title game last year. The Patriots' cornerbacks still make me nervous and I still think Asante Samuel is terribly overrated. When the Colts got the ball back after the Patriots took the lead, I had awful mental images of Manning torching the Patriots' secondary right up until he coughed up the ball to seal the game. As last year's AFC game showed, this defense can give up a big lead if they have to stay on the field for a prolonged period of time, which is more likely to happen when you can't run the ball effectively. That's especially true when the defense is missing key players like Harrison and Seymour, guys they were missing for the first six games of the year.

Prior to the Colts game, the Patriots had not had to play hard in the fourth quarter. We've all seen teams, usually at the college level, who are untested since they've played a creampuff schedule suddenly look out of sorts in their first close contest of the year. Is there a chance that the Patriots playing hard late in other games enabled them to be less winded in the fourth quarter of the Colts game when they needed a comeback?

So, you have a team with and minimal ability to pick up a first down on the ground in situations where that's what everyone expects them to do and a less-than-elite defense. Obvious solution: Throw the ball and score a lot of points.

The more I see who the Patriots are, the less of a problem I have with them throwing the ball or in getting a backup running back touches in the red zone when some might say they already have "enough points". Are there limits to this view? Of course. I don't want to see the Patriots going for an onside kick while up twenty-some-odd points like an NCAA team did recently. But if the Patriots are up seventeen with the ball at the start of the fourth quarter, I don't expect to see them effectively ensure a three and out by trying to run Maroney three straight times.

I don't blame other fans for seeing things differently, since I'm sure I would if the situations were reversed. I also don't blame other coaches for complaining, especially when coaches look for any "us against the world" motivational edge. In fact, I fully expect Belichick is using all the Patriots hate to further motivate the team.

But getting back to the whole running up the score issue... Maybe, just maybe, this is a situation where a coach who knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl (something you don't have the opportunity to do in most seasons) knows that playing hard in the fourth quarter in a game whose outcome already appears decided isn't about making a statement in that game but is more about making sure the team is prepared to win in games later in the season.

Or maybe as a Pats fan, that's just how I choose to perceive the situation.

I love a parade

I've said it before but...wow.

Tessie has been running through my head for the past twenty four hours. I'm overtired but smiling constantly and every once in a while wonder how everything fell into place. Then I picture Varitek leaping into Papelbon's arms and Tessie starts playing again.

It was great watching the games at a local bar here in Seattle that the Boston fans have taken over. The back room had about thirty or forty Red Sox fans by first pitch and there were about seventy in the room when the game ended. People even brought iPod/Zune/whatevers and plugged them into the sound system to play Take Me Out To The Ballgame and Sweet Caroline between innings of the game. After the game, we were treated to Dirty Water and Tessie.

A couple minutes after the game ended, I sat in one of the comfy couch seats, watching the players celebrate on the field while people who may or may not have met before high fived each other and bought celebratory champagne and shots.

I still wonder how the ball Jamey Carroll hit stayed in the park, or how Timlin continues to get people out or how the Red Sox bullpen down the stretch of the last two games continued to give the Colorado fans hope but Papelbon simply would not let the Rockies come back all the way. I sent countless text messages to a friend believing that Francona was overusing Okajima and Papelbon in the last two games, actually expecting those home runs before they happened, that Timlin was running on fumes and should not be allowed to come out to start the seventh inning in Game 3. I had conversations with other people near me at the bar between innings where we threw out ideas as to who should pitch which inning. Forgive me, but after Game 3, I even started thinking the Red Sox should bolster their bullpen like the Yankees did in the ALDS by putting Dice-K on the DL and replacing him with Tavarez just to have another reliever available.

And yet...the bullpen held on when it had to. We got an insurance run here or there. If Kielty isn't the only player to homer on the only pitch he's seen in the World Series, he's at the very least in select company. One pitch. 5.000 OPS. Nicely done. Papelbon started looking a little gassed, especially on Carroll's deep drive, but he held on.

Speaking of Papelbon, it's time for me to wrap up this post. I need to finish packing and head to the airport to get back to Boston in time for the parade. I'm taking United red eye with a connection in Chicago, just like I did in 2004. I remember having a two and a half hour layover, and getting to the terminal in Chicago two hours before the flight. Two other fans wearing Sox hats and/or shirts there already. Every few minutes, more people, some individuals, some couples, some families. We all had that "I still can't believe it" look in our eyes. By the time they started boarding, it was obvious that more than half the people on the plane were headed for the parade.

Of course it's different this time. This isn't as cathartic. There's no "They finally won in my lifetime. All this devotion wasn't simply a waste." But it's fresh enough that winning in 2007 stirs a lot of the emotions from 2004. And more importantly...

I keep remembering how it felt to sit in that comfy leather chair, watch the celebration on the field and the celebration around me, smile and think to myself "This never gets old."

Thoughts leading up to Game 3

We're up 2-0 in the series, but as a true Red Sox fan, I'm worried leading up to Game 3.

Playing Ortiz at first base worries me. If I were the Rockies, I'd drop a few bunts up the first base line to test him. Even if Ortiz handles them well, I worry about the wear and tear at first on his bad knee. I'd much rather have Papi pinch hit for the pitcher (or Lugo) in the late innings. The situation isn't a surprise to Fancona. Hopefully, he's talked to Ortiz, worked him out at first and has figured out that this is the right move for the ballclub.

Has someone been working with Dice-K to help him (and Varitek) understand how the thin air affects his breaking pitches? Does he get to use the special Coors Field humidor balls when he's warming up? Have they used the special Coors technology to apply an indicator to the balls that turns blue when they've reached the correct weight?

I'm hoping Schilling's thrown his last pitches of the season (for obvious reasons) and it was great to see him hold the Rockies down for five and a third. Schilling's no longer the pitcher he was, but I hope Theo has a talk with him after the season and makes an offer for an incentive laden contract. I think he's making the right adjustments at this point in his career and has another one or two 12W 8L 4.25ERA seasons left in him.

I'm not sure who deserves the credit for giving Okajima a breather down the stretch (Theo, Francona, Farrell, Timlin) but I'm convinced that rest was exactly what he needed in order to be dominant once more in the postseason.

Yes, it's goofy, but I'm glad that "Tacoby Bellsbury" is responsible for the free tacos for everyone.

It was great to see Game 2 be a tight game from the first pitch to the last. Of course, it was even better to see the Sox prevail. Truth be told, I didn't see the top of the ninth. I know, I know. Blasphemy. My bowling team was in the playoffs and I was worried that if I stayed 'til the end of the game, I would have gotten to bowling late. I'm OK with missing out on things like that unless it affects friends of mine. I even volunteered to drive one of the people on the team who doesn't have a car to force my own hand a bit. I did get back to the car before Papelbon threw the first pitch in the ninth and listened to the rest of the game on the drive to the bowling alley.

A group of fifty or sixty Red Sox fans have been watching the playoffs at a bar in Seattle. We take over the entire back room and the staff generally closes the doors between the back room and the rest of the place because, apparently, we're rather vocal. For Game 2, there was a private party in the back room so we had to find space in the main section, which was awful. No couches, it took forever to get a drink, etc.

I'm not sure if it was the change in the atmosphere at the bar or the other fans' attitudes about the series with the Rockies, but there was a lot less life in the fans. That's not quite right. Focus. That's it. There was much less focus on the game. Even late in the game when Okajima was working out of the jam in the sixth inning, it didn't feel like the Sox fans were hanging on every pitch. That actually bothered me. I was tempted to head home and watch the game there. I stayed because watching the game with other fans felt more social and because my place is further away from the bowling alley. Let's hope there's a little more passion at Game 3 tonight.

Speaking of which, time for me to publish this post, grab my BP jersey (older blue one, never liked the red ones) and get going.

And the hits just keep on coming

Wow. I was surprised to see that the Red Sox scored more runs in the first four innings than the Rockies had allowed to the Diamondbacks in the entire NLCS.

Actually, there's still a part of me that's surprised to see the Sox are still playing at all. I believed that they could come back from the 3-1 deficit to the Indians, but I'm not so cocky as to say I expected it would happen. Despite what many people believe about Red Sox fans, we're still not terribly accustomed to this whole winning thing.

Beckett looked great (yes, again) but I cringed at the sight of him taking the mound in the seventh inning. I don't care if his pitch count was low, I want him as rested as possible for Game 5. For anyone who occasionally looks at Lugo and wishes the Sox had kept Hanley Ramirez, there is nothing more valuable to a team looking to win the World Series than a pitcher who can dominate in the postseason.

How great was it to see Pedroia go deep in his first at bat? Unbelievable. How could anyone not like this guy?

I'm more and more impressed with Ortiz the more I watch him in the playoffs. He's making amazing adjustments given the problem with his knee by coming out of his standard crouch while still smacking singles and doubles. Even though he's far from a speedster, he's been going full throttle on the basepaths, almost to the point where people I was watching the game with were begging him to coast a little bit. With that said, I still loved seeing him score from first base on Manny's "single" the other night. And speaking of that play...

Why can't science produce a remote that would allow us all to mute Tim McCarver? I think that every Red Sox fan would agree that Manny should run hard and should have legged out a double. The outrage from McCarver makes it sound like Manny dug up Abner Doubleday's grave and shat on his remains. It's so much fun watching the games in a room with fifty or sixty other Red Sox fans where you can barely hear the announcers, but you can always hear people say things like "Did McCarver just say that last pitch was a gyroball?!? Seriously?!?" or "Shut the <expletive_deleted> up, McCarver". It's nice to know I'm not the only person who feels this way about his broadcasting ... er ... tendencies.

It was really sad to hear that Wakefield is still having problems and won't pitch in the World Series. I enjoyed Bob Ryan's piece in today's Globe about Wakefield and what he's given to the team this year and in his time with the Red Sox. The article sort of hints at the fact that Wake may have thrown his last pitch. Let's all hope that's not the case and that he's back on the mound next year.

Right now I hope the Red Sox get a good night's sleep, get back to the ballpark tomorrow and get back to business. A good friend was worried during the game that the players and the fans might get a little too cocky given that the game was a blowout. Fox showed a stat about the biggest wins in Game 1 of the World Series (I think) and showed that both times a team had won Game 1 by 11 runs that the team that won Game 1 had ultimately lost the series. I don't want this to turn into the 1985 NBA Finals where the Celtics obliterated the Lakers in Game 1, but then lost four of the next five.

What's the baseball saying about momentum again? Momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher. Let's hope Schilling continues to add to his postseason resume.

And there will be a Game 7...

Wow.

So I was a little early in my visions of JD Drew's postgame interview. It was great to see Drew come up big in the first inning after a rough season. Here's hoping he gets a Drewwwww serenade from the Fenway crowd tomorrow. I really believe that a lot of his problems on the field this year have been due to adjustments between the leagues and issues off the field and that he's going to be just fine next year.

I have the same belief about Dice-K. He'll make adjustments and 'Tek will get a better sense for what he's comfortable with / capable of on a given night and he'll be just fine. Didn't we have similar concerns about Beckett last year?

Speaking of Beckett, it's a shame that the postseason isn't supposed to count in the Cy Young voting.

Watching Game 6, I couldn't help but notice how breaks that had gone the Indians' way earlier in the series seemed to go the Sox' way tonight. So many "ground balls with eyes" that I can't remember them all. The one that sticks out most in my mind was Youkilis' ground ball in the hole at short in the first that caught the lip of the infield grass and took an odd hop.

It was good to see Schilling come through and pitch seven strong innings. I trust that he knows that with that type of lead to pitch to contact and keep his pitch count low to keep the bullpen fresh for tomorrow. Francona managed to give me fits when Fox showed Okajima and Papelbon warming up in the seventh inning. My Dad and I had a quick conversation over the phone where I lobbied for two innings out of Lopez. I nearly got my wish. The bar where I was watching the game nearly erupted when Gagné trotted in from the bullpen. Don't get me wrong. I want to see the guy succeed and the lead was safe, but I didn't believe he'd get through the inning. I was fearful that two things would happen.

1. The Indians' bats would wake up. No Sox fan wants to see that the night before Game 7.
2. Francona would have to bring in another reliever to finish the ninth.

Thankfully, neither of those things happened and the game ended well for the Sox.

Now we move on to Game 7, which makes me think back to previous Game 7's.

I went to Games 6 and 7 of the '86 ALCS at Fenway. (Thanks again, Mom, for getting those tickets.) In those games, the stadium was full of positive energy. We'd staved off elimination at the hands of the Angels and broken their backs. It seemed like everyone at Fenway knew both games were foregone conclusions, especially Game 7.

I wish I could remember how I felt during Game 7 of the '86 World Series. I remember being crushed by Game 6, but I don't remember being pessimistic about Game 7.

I remember having trouble sleeping before Game 7 of the '03 ALCS. I remember "Please. Just this once. I can't take constantly losing to the Yankees much longer. Please let this be the year." running through my head from the last out of Game 6 until Aaron Boone connected. I remember not being able to focus at work the day of Game 7, wondering if I was going to a party or an execution.

I remember the same thoughts running through my head before Game 7 of the '04 ALCS. "Please. Just this once. No more heartbreak. Please not again. We were so down after Game 3. Please don't get our hopes up only to crush us again. Please. Just this once." I remember being in a daze at work before Game 7, not wanting to talk to anyone about how anxious I was.

This is different. I'm not sure if the rest of Red Sox Nation feels the way I do. I'm pretty mellow. It's not cockiness or overconfidence or a belief that the Red Sox are destined to prevail. The best way I could describe it is...hope but with the complete and surprising absence of dread.

Would beating the Yankees in the ALCS after we've already won the division be more satisfying than beating the Indians? Probably, but there would be more of a risk involved. If the Red Sox were playing the Yankees in this year's ALCS, there'd be dread and anxiousness. We finally won a World Series thanks to an epic comeback against the Yankees. I had thought we had exorcised so many demons. I didn't want to admit it at the time, but losing the division to the Yankees given the lead we'd had all season or losing the ALCS to the Yankees would have taken some of the shine off of the 2004 season.

When the Indians beat the Yankees in the ALDS, every Red Sox fan I know breathed a sigh of relief. We were now playing with house money. Winning the World Series would still be sweet, but there was no worry of landing flat on our backs after swinging at the air just after Lucy pulled the football away at the last possible moment.

This is different. Tonight I'm excited but mellow and looking forward to whatever tomorrow brings.

Now, onto other thoughts that have been running through my head since my last long-winded post...

The Joba Chamberlain suspension still bugs me. Everyone on the planet could read the Joba Rules posted in the Yankees bullpen that clearly stated that since Joba had pitched one and two-thirds innings that he would not pitch for the next two games. Then, Bob Watson hands down a two game suspension hours later. The length of the suspension seemed about right, but I can't remember any other situation in which MLB handed down a suspension so quickly in a situation like that. There was another suspension (the specific players and game escapes me) a week or so later, but it took two or three days for Watson to make his ruling. Am I the only person who found the timing and length of the Chamberlain suspension a bit odd?

The Mariners' collapse was almost as epic as the Mets'. Thankfully for the Mariners, their swoon came sooner and won't be as memorable as a result.

The end of the Rockies / Padres tiebreaker was the most thrilling non-Red Sox playoff-* finish I've watched since Sid Bream lumbered home to beat the Pirates in the '92 NLCS. Sorry, Mariners fans, but I was still too bummed about losing to the Indians in the '95 ALDS to get amped about Griffey's mad dash to beat the Yankees.

How about them Pats? I was at the game last week in Dallas with a good friend of mine who is a huge Cowboys fan. (Thanks again, Pete. Great seats.)

I bought a Randy Moss jersey just before hopping the plane to Dallas. My buddy laughed when I told him I was buying one because it didn't seem like me. I expected to catch more flack from Cowboys fans in the parking lot, but only one group said anything.

Cowboys Fan: "Is that a new <expletive_deleted> jersey?"
Me: "No, I've had this for about three years."
Cowboys Fan: "Oh."

Disappointing and yet amusing all at once.

It's still odd to see Randy Moss in a Pats uniform. It still feels like we're watching Belichick's version of a Madden game where made some pre-season trades that you wouldn't expect the game to allow.

Speaking of Belichick, I have a hunch that somewhere up there, Red Auerbach is watching and laughing, nodding with approval. Honestly? The videotaping does bug me. I'd like to think the Patriots don't (and didn't) need to resort to that. It doesn't taint their recent success to the extent that knowing that Bobby Thompson knew what Ralph Branca was going to throw taints the Shot Heard Round the World in '51, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

The television broadcast may have missed these two fourth quarter events.

1. There was a loud spontaneous cheer midway through the fourth quarter. The Patriots players seemed surprised and looked up into the stands to see that the vast majority of remaining fans were Pats fans and were giving the team a standing ovation.
2. There was a "Let's go, Red Sox!" chant at Texas Stadium.

The Cowboys looked like a team to be reckoned with, especially given how wide open the NFC is this season. I remember the Rams playing the Patriots in 2000 and saying "We may see those guys again later this year." I left Texas Stadium thinking the same thing about the Cowboys.

* - Yeah, yeah, tiebreakers aren't officially playoff games. So what?

Countdown to the playoffs

When last we left our heroes...

It's been a busy couple months to say the least. No time left to recap recent goings on before first pitch.

For the record, I am keeping an eye on flights to LA and trying to figure out how to score a couple tickets to Game 3 on Sunday.

Why do I keep having visions of JD Drew being interviewed after the series and congratulated on being the ALDS MVP? And am I jinxing any chance of that by putting that vision our there in the blogosphere? He's been hitting much better as of late and something tells me that's going to continue through the post-season.

I can't wait to see Beckett pitch.

I have complete faith that Manny will make a head scratching play in the outfield and follow it up with a 450 foot home run.

I fully trust that Matsuzaka understands pressure situations, given that he pitched brilliantly in the global summit thingie during the pre-season last year and in his time while pitching in Japan. My only concern is how he's looked fatigued down the stretch. And no, I have no idea why Francona had him pitch eight full innings and throw 119 pitches the other night. A friend of mine had stopped by for a drink and was asking similar questions when Dice K came out to start the eighth when my phone rang. Of course, it's my Dad asking the same thing. I think I actually answered the phone with "Why the hell is Dice K still on the mound?"

Okajima is the player I'm most anxious about. If he's close to the same pitcher he was in the first half of the year, I'll be a lot more relaxed about our chances.

At the All Star break, I was definitely concerned about Drew, Lugo and Crisp's hitting and had hoped that at least two of the three would hit above .280 the rest of the way. I checked some post-All Star break stats the other day and found the following:

• Drew: .286
• Lugo: .280
• Crisp: .272

Not bad at all. I'm still nervous about Varitek's hitting (.225 since the All Star break) but he had a few big hits down the stretch.

Speaking of catchers, I'm not sure why we have both Mirabelli and Cash on the ALDS roster, especially where Wakefield isn't on the roster. If we're that worried about Mirabelli getting re-injured, would it make more sense to drop him (sorry, Mom) and add Brandon Moss just in case Crisp is still battling dizziness? On second thought, I'm really nervous that without Wake, Tavarez or Snyder we don't have a long reliever on the roster.

Speaking of Tavarez, I loved his line about being OK with not being on the ALDS roster so long as he gets a ring and a big check. I'm not sure why it's easy to laugh at that comment and think it's being supportive of the team rather than selfish, but I guess we just trust that's just Tavarez. (I will not write "Julian being Julian"...um...damnit.)

The postseason pictures of Hinske chomping on a cigar, Pedroia howling at the moon to no one in particular, Papelbon (and again and again) celebrating like a madman were just priceless. Let's hope we get to see what they do for an encore.

A Sox Fan In Seattle

I grew up just outside of Boston and have been living in Seattle since '94. I haven't missed a Red Sox game here since '95, when I was back in Boston visiting family while the Sox were playing here. I've always enjoyed watching Sox games in Seattle because the Sox are playing (obviously) plus the fact that there has always been a large contingent of Sox fans at the games. The only member of the Red Sox organization who has attended more Sox games in Seattle than I have is Johnny Pesky.

It's fun to check the schedule and see when the Sox will be in town. I enjoy wearing my Sox cap while waiting in line a couple hours before single game seats go on sale. It's also fun to buy great seats from Mariners fans later just before the Sox come to town. I've even had a chance to sit in the front row along the third base line a couple times in the past year or two*. Sometimes they sell the tickets because the Mariners are out of contention, sometimes I think they sell the tickets because Sox fans will pay good money for them and help defray the overall cost of the ticket package. A lot of Mariners fans where I work sell exceptional seats (at face value) to anyone who'll take them if the Mariners don't look playoff bound. I love seeing that the tickets to Sox games are marked "Sold" in a heartbeat, even when the Sox aren't headed to the playoffs.

A number of good friends of mine are Mariners fans and it's an interesting fan base. Seattle has a large number of transplants. So few people who live here actually grew up out here, which is a shame. I trust that the chances of a child rooting for a particular team are much greater if at least one parent roots for that team. It's kinda like religion in that way. For many, it wasn't a conscious choice. It was just how they were raised.

It's easy to be a little spoiled as a Sox fan. I don't tend to like pictures of myself, but one of my favorites is a picture my father took of me with my grandfather at a game at Fenway when I must have been about five years old. I don't know if my grandfather was a Red Sox fan, but I know my Dad's been a Sox fan since he was a kid. Mariners fans my age don't have that. Thankfully, the next generation of Mariners fans might.

The franchise is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this season. Think about that. The franchise has finally been around long enough where the kids going to the games have parents who grew up with the franchise. That's huge. The parents of my Mariners friends don't have the same attachment to the team. They vaguely remember that there was baseball in Seattle one year, but that the team started playing before the city was ready and left the following year. Even into the early '90's, it seemed like there were annual rumors that the Mariners would move to San Jose or Tampa Bay. I think rumors like these had more of a negative impact on the fan base than the fact that the Mariners didn't have a winning record until 1991.

Safeco Field is beautiful. The retractable roof is a must in the area, not so much because it ensures that the game will be played, but because it prevents fans from thinking "I know we have tickets, but the weather looks gloomy. Maybe we should just stay home. If they play, we can probably catch the game on TV." The only thing I'd change is the ballpark's name. A good friend who grew up in the area was hoping a local coffee chain would win the naming rights and give a nod to the New York Giants' old stadium by naming the new ballpark "Seattle's Best Coffee Grounds".

Consider the Mariners home region. The Mariners are obviously home team for the greater Seattle area, but they also draw fans from Eastern Washington, the greater Portland area and the greater Vancouver area. This is a huge potential fan base.

The team has been going through a rough stretch, but they're a good team who has a legitimate chance to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2001.

So why do the Mariners have so much trouble drawing fans? It's sad to see a good team with a huge potential fan base and a beautiful ballpark struggle to draw 25,000 fans for mid week games. It was even more disappointing to hear that when the Red Sox fans were in town, there was apparently a pre-game segment on the Mariners cable broadcast wondering what percentage of the pro-Red Sox crowd were just bandwagon jumpers.

OK, so I admit to being a bit annoyed to hear from friends that I was part of the group of fans that the segment showed when wondering how many of the people in Red Sox gear were "true" Red Sox fans. I briefly chatted up a reported for the station prior to the third game of the series.

Me: "So I hear you guys did a segment last night wondering if the people wearing Red Sox gear were 'true' Red Sox fans."

Reporter: "I wasn't involved with that segment. Sorry."

Me: "I just think it's a shame that you worry about whether people rooting for the Red Sox are 'true' fans when you should be asking why you don't have many fans rooting for the Mariners."

Now-mildly-irate Reporter: "Fans?!? We have fans!!! We had forty five thousand fans at each game last weekend!!!"

Me: "Actually, you had forty five thousand people come to the game to cheer for a player who demanded to be traded away from the Mariners. You have a cute team and a nice ballpark. I just think it would be nice if you had people who showed up to actually cheer for the Mariners. Hey! You could use that as an idea for a segment. 'Come support the team.'"

The reporter made an odd noise and stormed off but I felt better.

I love attending Sox games in Seattle. While it's been a little while since I've seen the Sox win here, it's always fun to see the Sox score and take a quick scan of the stands and see how many people are cheering for the Sox. It's also fun to have people sitting near me wondering why I keep making odd marks inside my program if I'm keeping score, especially when someone starts with snide remarks and later asks "Ummm, dude? How many strikeouts does <PitcherX> have?"

Here are my favorite Sox games in Seattle:

• 8/25/1997 - The first Red Sox / Mariners game after the Slocumb / Lowe and Varitek trade. Bonus points awarded since I attended this game with my Dad. At the time, the Red Sox fans had no idea what they were really getting in the trade. All we knew was that we had gotten rid of Slocumb and had gotten something back. When Slocumb came in from the bullpen in the eighth inning in a save situation, the Red Sox fans immediately rose in unison. We all smiled and nodded to each other, knowing the outcome had been decided. Slocumb predictably blew the lead and took the loss.


• 9/2/1996 - Mike Greenwell single-handedly outscoring the Mariners 9-8, prompting one fan to bring a sign to the next game saying "Walk Greenwell".


• 8/02/2000 - The Mariners beat the Red Sox in 19 innings. A college buddy who grew up in the Seattle area and I attended this game, among others. The game featured a "14th inning stretch". At one point, my buddy and I were annoyed that the vendors had stopped serving alcohol six or seven innings ago. Two large Pepsis and the airline bottle of bourbon that was in the bottom of my backpack helped take the edge off. Both the Red Sox and Mariners fans still in attendance in the 19th inning sensed the inevitable about to happen as Fassero trotted in from the bullpen, and he didn't disappoint, giving up a walkoff homer to the first batter he faced.


• 5/13/2005 - The Red Sox play their first game in Seattle as the reigning World Series Champions.

There have been some lowlights, too. The most memorable lowlight was last year and it had nothing to do with the outcome of the game. The Sox were reeling with injuries by the time they played in Seattle late last year and Kevin Youkilis played a bit of left field down the stretch. The last game was a day game and the conditions were unkind, even for seasoned outfielders. Ichiro lost a ball in the sun early in the game. It was a terrible time to put Youkilis in the outfield and I remember being livid with Francona as soon as Youk trotted out to left. Youk lost two balls in left field over the course of the game. My seats were pretty close to the left field line and I cringed when I heard fans behind me getting on Youk's case, saying typical stuff like "You suck". When I heard people giving him a hard time and saying things like "Why don't you learn to catch, you overpaid slob?", I turned around as if there was something I could say to get these guys to lighten up, that he's an infielder and he's actually making damn near the league minimum. What shocked me was that these were Red Sox fans.

I don't mind the fact that more people are wearing Red Sox hats when the Sox are winning. That happens everywhere. Fans came out of nowhere for the Mariners run in 1995. Safeco field was rocking back in 2001 when the Mariners were a playoff team. After a few years finishing out of the playoffs, you could hear crickets chirping unless the scoreboard was informing fans that it was time to cheer. It happens. If the Red Sox fall apart and miss the playoffs for five straight years, I trust that there would be fewer people at road games wearing Red Sox gear. I'm sure that observant fans noticed more White Sox caps at their road games during the 2006 season. This year? Not so much.

So-called bandwagon fans are fine. You're allowed to cheer even if you couldn't pick JD Drew out of a lineup. Boo now and then if you want to, especially when the umpire blew a call or for lackadaisacal play that costs the team. But there's a line there somewhere. If you want to boo someone in a slump, go ahead but keep in mind that the chances of that booing helping are pretty slim. (In fact, I'm still impressed by whoever started the "Let's go, Lugo" chant just before he broke out of his horrific 0-33 slump.) A "Yankees Suck" chant? I'd like to think that Red Sox fans should be above that now, but I'll admit that I laugh when that chant brings together fans of various teams.

But there was something about the jeering of Youk that really made me cringe. The season was slipping away, but that shouldn't be as heartbreaking after 2004. I think it was the combination of their volume (these guys were loud), their proximity to Youk (I was close enough to see him scowl and mutter at the time) and their sheer ignorance that bothered me. I was embarrassed that people might lump me in with these "fans", not to mention that mean spirited taunting like that for one of your own players could make players want to play for less passionate fan bases.

I still can't believe how Keith Foulke and Mark Bellhorn were treated by fans as their time in Boston came to a close. While I think that Keith Foulke's "Johnny from Burger King" and "I'd be happy to be a normal reliever so long as I can still get paid like a closer" comments didn't enamor him to the Red Sox fan base at a time when he was struggling, I think it's awful that many fans remember him more for those comments than for his heroics in 2004. Bellhorn struggled mightily in 2005. While I had no problem with the Red Sox releasing him, I thought it was sad to see him getting booed at home games less than a year after he played such a key role in the Sox' playoff run.

Remember when Foulke was considering signing with the Sox and somehow the Sox got Bobby Orr to call Foulke and tell him that if he ever helped the Sox win a World Series, he'd be treated like royalty? I don't think Orr was talking about Johnny from Burger King. It bugs me that these guys (and Mirabelli) have taken so much heat from the fans. I don't like the thought of ex-players having such a negative impresssion of the Red Sox fan base. Ex-players don't deserve such venom. Plus, I don't want those players passing those impressions on to potential free agents. For my part, I'll cringe if Pena butchers balls in the outfield but will try not to boo.

Note: I have no problem with Johnny Damon getting booed for signing with the Yankees. It's part of the territory, regardless of whether or not you win a World Series. The booing is louder if you immediately start singing the praises of "the Yankee way" as soon as you sign. It's probably a good way to endear yourself to your new teammates and fans, but expect a tad more heat when you return to Fenway.

The Sox are coming back to town next weekend. I trust the Sox fans will again outnumber and be louder than the M's fans, unless the M's fans try to boo down a "Let's go, Red Sox!" chant. Of course, I'm hoping that the Sox win, but I'm also hoping for less venom from Sox fans directed at the players if they lose. If you're a new fan, it's OK to let others know that you're new. The rest of us will explain that we're not booing the first baseman with the odd facial hair. And if you ask nicely, someone might even explain the heiroglyphic-like markings they're making inside their program.

* - If you ever have the chance to sit in the front row, take a minute or two to notice whether or not your seat is above the playing surface. I reached over to field a foul ball gently rolling directly to me at a game last year, but didn't realize my seat was a foot or so above the field. I never thought that I might have to lean forward and reach past where my feet were in order to touch the playing surface. The ball bounced off the wall and rolled away. *Sniff*

A-Rod's Contract

The Alex Rodriguez contact situation fascinates me. I'm sure I'll screw up some of the numbers, but it's the almost political posing back and forth in the press and the Rangers' indirect involvement that I find so interesting.

Let's take a step back and give Scott Boras some credit here. Forget about the fact that he got Tom Hicks and the Rangers to bid against themselves. He was able to get A-Rod the richest contract in the history of baseball, but also had the foresight to add an out clause so that A-Rod could become a free agent again at the end of the 2007 season in case he felt A-Rod could sign an even *more* lucrative contract at that point in his career.

A-Rod is due to earn $25M/yr for the next three years, but Boras has been suggesting that A-Rod could sign a contract for about $30M/yr for about six years if he were to become a free agent again. At the very least, it's not difficult to imagine that Boras could find someone to pay A-Rod more than he would be getting over the next three years. Plus, hitting the free agent market at thirty two sounds a lot better than hitting the free agent market at thirty five. That doesn't even take into consideration the fact that A-Rod may be sick of New York. You never know, he may be willing to take a pay cut just to get out of New York. So, we can see why A-Rod might want to opt out of his contract at the end of the season.

The Yankees recently announced (officially or otherwise) that they would like to talk to A-Rod about a contract extension but that they will not attempt to re-sign him if he opts out of his current contract to become a free agent. Remember that as part of the trade that brought A-Rod to New York, the Rangers are paying about $8M/yr of A-Rod's contract. So the Yankees are currently paying A-Rod "only" $17M/yr. If they extend A-Rod's contract, the Rangers continue to chip in towards A-Rod's salary. If A-Rod opts out, the Rangers are off the hook. It's pretty safe to say that the Rangers are silently rooting for A-Rod to opt out.

Of course, the Yankees have the financial resources necessary to pay A-Rod without the help of larger market teams like the Rangers. They could re-sign A-Rod if he decides to become a free agent and afford to pay him $30M/yr, but it makes sense that they'd prefer to have the Rangers continue to chip in. Plus, the Yankees may believe that A-Rod is worth $17M/yr to them over the next three years, but not $30M/yr. Actually, the numbers are even higher after you take the luxury tax into consideration. Regardless, I don't think the Yankees want to say that A-Rod is worth $30M/yr as they negotiate with Posada to deal with the fact that A-Rod would be earning almost twice as much as Jeter.

So the Yankees make the public threat that if A-Rod opts out that they won't re-sign him. Maybe that lowers A-Rod's market value. If A-Rod becomes a free agent and a team like the Angels or Cubs decide that they're interested, maybe they won't be as worried about the Yankees trumping their offers and won't make outrageous Tom Hicks bidding against himself offers of $180M over six years. Maybe A-Rod and/or Boras worry about that and decide to negotiate with the Yankees now. Maybe the Yankees are bluffing and would still be interested, but they hope/expect public threat will make A-Rod more affordable to them. Maybe the Yankees made the threat as a challenge in an attempt to get A-Rod to tear up the rest of his contract and end his time in the Bronx.

Here's the part that really shocked me. When asked about his contract status and the Yankees offer/threat, A-Rod said he won't discuss his contract during the season. The shocking part? It was the right thing to say and it got the issue out of the press fairly quickly. While I think that was the pretty obvious way to handle the situation, it still surprised me because I half expected A-Rod to say something calculated but ill advised. Maybe he'd talk about his favorite ballparks, the desire to raise his kids in an area of the country. Maybe a reporter would successfully bait him on whether he's considered playing for Lou Piniella again or the fact that a team that signed him to an eight year contract would likely receive the priveledge of having him setting the all time home run record in their uniform. A-Rod made the wise choice and kept his mouth shut.

Needless to say, I'm really curious to see what happens at the end of the season.

If A-Rod does opt out, I don't want to see the Red Sox sign him. While I'll admit I was bitter when the Yankees made the trade to get A-Rod, I was relieved when the Sox/Rangers trade talks over A-Rod broke down. As a friend at the time said, it seemed like the Red Sox were trying to out-Yankee the Yankees. He's exceptionally talented and one of the best players in baseball, but I just don't want him on my team. I don't think the Mariners or Rangers missed his leadership when he left.

For lack of a better explanation, I don't think he plays the game the right way, either on or off the field.

Years ago, a reporter asked A-Rod years ago about how he felt about comparisons to Jeter, his close friend at the time. A-Rod pointed out that Jeter had it easier than he did because opposing teams didn't consider "shutting down Jeter" as the top priority to winning the game. Was that an accurate statement? Absolutely. Jeter was still a very good hitter at the time, but Jeter was probably the fourth or fifth most feared hitter in the Yankees lineup at the time. Even now, Jeter gets praised for playing sound baseball by bunting runners over in the eighth or ninth inning with the Yankees down a run. How many other superstars aren't asked to swing away in that type of situation? Very few. I felt the same way about Jeter / Nomar comparisons when the Red Sox offense relied on Mo Vaughn and Nomar, and not always in that order. But no matter how accurate and heartfelt A-Rod's comment was, it was also ill advised and really damaged his relationship with Jeter. A-Rod would have been better off keeping his mouth shut, changing the subject, or flat out lying. Actually, that's a big reason I was surprised and pleased to see A-Rod shut down the contract talk by simply saying it wasn't something he would address during the regular season.

On the field, the lasting images I have of A-Rod are him celebrating after a walkoff home run in April as if he was a reserve infielder just called up from AAA but choking in the clutch when it matters. The other memorable A-Rod moments are him slapping the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove in the 2004 ALCS and then proclaiming his innocence, shouting "Mine", "Got it", or "Hah" (depending on who you believe) to successfully cause a backup third baseman to think his shortstop was going to catch the ball, and popping up awkwardly out of a slide into second to elbow Dustin Pedroia in the groin. To call these types of plays bush league or even little league might be giving A-Rod too much credit.

In fact, when I saw this item at The Onion's on line store, I immediately thought of A-Rod. Sure, there are people who say "If you're not cheating, you're not trying" or who consider everything from the hidden ball trick to deking a runner to be cheating. Maybe cheating isn't even the right term, maybe "bush league play that is likely to get you drilled in your next at bat" is, though it's a bit verbose. Had A-Rod had another at bat in that Blue Jays game or series, I would have expected the first pitch to be at his backside and I would have been surprised to see his teammates rush to his aid. The "Mine" play is my personal favorite because not even Joe Torre came to his defense after the game.

I didn't want to see A-Rod wearing a Red Sox uniform in 2004 and I feel more strongly about that now. The only real question is, as a Red Sox fan, do I want to see him still wearing pinstripes in 2008?

Yes, the Yankees still scare me

It's mid-July, they Yankees are in third place, ten back and a game below .500. And yet they still scare me.

Simply put, they have resources like no other team in baseball. They can afford to pick up guys who are underperforming and have huge contracts even if those guys make only minimal contributions over their current players. If they have someone who is overpaid and is underperforming, they can ship the player out to another team while still paying most of his contract. As a Red Sox fan, I'm aware that the Red Sox have the ability to do this on occasion (how much are we paying Renteria this year and next to man short for the Braves again?) but not to the extent that the Yankees can. And if you think their resources are impressive now, keep in mind that they'll be playing in a new ballpark in 2009.

In other words, they have the means to address many weaknesses, which makes it tough to look at the standings and say "Ten back in the division, eight back in the wildcard, it's mid July and they're still below .500? Stick a fork in them!" They also have so many players on the team who are capable of putting together hot stretches that you almost expect the team to go through a couple stretches where they win eight in a row, sixteen out of twenty, etc.

I'm just not used to the Yankees struggling at this point in the season. It feels like being in a cheesey horror movie where you know the quasi-human villain isn't really dead, but one where your character is at least smart enough to observe the body from a distance rather than being the fool who stands over the body and says "I'm pretty sure he's dead."

It's so unnerving that back on May 30th, I sent the following mail to a friend who is a huge Yankees fan. (For those playing at home, the Yankees were thirteen and a half games back, and seven games below .500 and tied with the Devil Rays for last place at the time.)

What in the name of Billy Martin is going on in New York?

I was watching part of a Yankees game on YES over the weekend and I couldn't believe my ears. The announcers were talking about how the Yankees had gotten jobbed on two blown calls on stolen bases and a questionable strike call to end the game. No problem, it happens. (Especially since Jeter has all but patented the short-armed phantom tag on stolen base attempts.) What struck me was that the announcers said the Yankees were having a special meeting with MLB to discuss the calls. Ten minutes later, Michael Kay was talking about how the Yankees had just had a grueling stretch, facing three straight division leaders, and had acquitted themselves well by winning three out of eight games. He explained his logic in more depth by saying that if you combined those three teams' wins and losses, the rest of MLB had an average winning percentage of .350 against them, whereas the Yankees had just compiled a winning percentage of .375. The YES gang spent the rest of the evening talking about how Guidry led the team in '78 and how when one team faces more injuries than another team in the first half of the year, the commissioner's office instructs the injury fairy (who is apparently second cousin to the Aflac duck) to even things out after the all star break.

There are people pointing out that the Yankees flat out suck right now, right? No more "when you look at runs scored vs. runs allowed, we should be at least two games ahead of the Devil Rays" little victories or "if we sweep the next series, we'll be within eight games of the playoffs if the season were to end today" crap. I mean, there are actually sane Yankees fans on this planet who can look at what's going on intelligently, right?

I don't consider the season over by any stretch. I qualified "suck" with "right now". The Yankees still scare me. I'm assuming they won't stay in last place in the division for long. The Yankees have four pitchers on pace to pitch in over 80 games, but I trust Cashman will pick up additional serviceable relievers when Proctor, Myers and Vizcaino's arms all fall off. While I don't expect Posada will continue to hit over .350, I also don't expect Cano and Abreu to continue to hit below .250. I expect Cashman to fleece teams into somehow giving up Todd Helton, Torii Hunter, Johan Santana for Phelps, Pavano, some overhyped prospects who will completely wash out, a bag of balls and a blank check and go on an absolute tear in the not too distant future. I expect Jeter, Damon, Posada, Giambi, Cano and Matsui to take turns putting the team on their backs to eek out close games while A-Rod hits .800 with a 2.500 slugging percentage when the Yankees in games where either team is leading by at least four runs. I expect that at some point, there'll be at least a 50/50 chance that a Yankee starter can get through six innings and give up three runs or less. That, or Steinbrenner will actually name Costanza as the new GM.

Please tell me that there are Yankees fans who have some sense for what's going on with the team right now and that Michael Kay and Suzyn "That's the Most Dramatic Sandwich I've Ever Eaten" Waldman are just morons. I don't know why I need to know this, but I do. You're my only hope.

Thankfully, my friend has a sense of humor and didn't reply with something like "We so own you that even when we're fourteen games back you're scared."

Since that time, the Yankees have played better. They had a nine game win streak and are just a game below .500 at the time of this writing. (Although that does mean that apart from that stretch of games, they were still below .500.) If memory serves, their first twenty three games after the All Star break come against teams that are below .500, so they definitely have opportunities to get back on another hot streak.

Matsui and Cano have hit better. Jeter and Posada have cooled off a little but are still hitting well. Giambi's on the DL, though I've heard a few Yankees fans say that getting him out of the lineup is a huge plus for the team. Damon's struggled with injuries, has been in and out of the lineup and has even seen some time at first base. (Who had 1.5 seasons on the over/under for when the Yankees would start trying to move Damon? I thought he'd have an off year, but that Yankees fans would still be happy with the contract until the end of this year.)

I don't know what to make of A-Rod. His month-by-month OPS: 1.297 in April, .782 in May, 1.281 in June, .835 in July so far. He's having an incredible (contract) year, but he still doesn't scare me as much as guys like Jeter, Posada and Matsui if the game's on the line. A-Rod's contract situation and the Yankees' current stance fascinate me, but that's a topic for another post.

Clemens has not pitched well enough to justify his contract, but he has a lower ERA than Pettite, Mussina or Igawa and pitched better than you might expect from a soon-to-be forty five year old with a tired groin. Mussina has pitched better over the past six weeks. The Yankees haven't lost a starting pitcher in the past month or two and should have Hughes back in their rotation soon. The bullpen's still very much overworked. Farnsworth, Bruney, Myers, Vizcaino and Proctor are on pace to pitch in between 68 and 81 games each over the course of the season. I can't imagine their current non-Rivera relievers will be terribly dependable at the end of the season, but I still expect that the Yankees will pick up more serviceable relievers prior to the trade deadline. Otsuka and Gagne are the two names most commonly thrown out there in connection with the Yankees.

So what does this all mean? I keep telling myself that if the Red Sox play well that they make the playoffs and that's all that matters. And yet, I still peek at the Yankees' score while I'm watching or listening to the Sox. I check the box scores and laugh when I see Vizcaino and Proctor pitching in their third straight games. I cringe when I hear about MLB trade rumors that involve players who could help the Yankees (Teixeira and Helton come quickly to mind). I think about how the Yankees have yet to play their best ball.

I think about how the Red Sox have struggled over the past six weeks. Then I take a deep breath and exhale. I watch Papi put a ball into the right field seats at Fenway for the first time since April. I watch Crisp driving the ball to leg out a stand up triple. I watch Varitek put one into the center field bleachers. I watch Lugo place after a perfect bunt down the third base line. I watch Pedroia battle and battle and finally lift a ball over the second baseman to knock in a run. I see Crisp and Pedroia pull off a double steal. I watch Timlin run his scoreless innings streak into double digits. I watch Delcarmen start to trust his stuff. I see Drew looking comfortable in the leadoff role. I watch Hinske homer when he gets a start because Drew's hamstring is acting up. I remember that the Red Sox have yet to play their best ball either, but they have a ten game lead in the division.

Then I wonder what my father's friend, a die hard Yankees fan, will say during the Red Sox / Mariners games early next month and smile. As the t-shirts say, life is good.

At The Break

A ton of thoughts about what's happened so far and the rest of the season have been running through my head for weeks. I figured that creating a blog (like the other cool kids) would help me get the thoughts down on paper...er...HTML would help clear my head.

The All Star Break is winding down. I'm excited and anxious about the second half. I keep checking the standings to make sure they're right. Ten games up? That's real, right? I read all sorts of articles saying that if the Red Sox continue to play at least .500 ball the Yankees (or Blue Jays...hey, it could happen) would need to blah, blah, blah in order to catch them. We'll get to the Yankees in another post, but first let's take a closer look at the Sox.

The standings haven't changed much in the past month and a half, but that's part of what worries me. If my math is correct, the Sox have been playing .500 ball since June 1st. If you've been watching Manny, Big Papi, Drew, Lugo and Crisp hit over the past six weeks, this probably isn't much of a shock. What in the name of Papa Jack is going on here? There are too many nights where there's a single and/or a walk here or there, but if the wind's not blowing out, nothing's happening with the offense. I was at the extra inning loss in Seattle and watched the thirteen inning loss in Detroit and it feels like they haven't had a clutch hit since May. After two straight innings of missed opportunities, you could almost sense the fly balls, strikeouts and double plays coming. Tie game, top of the twelfth, bases loaded and one out? Sounds like a 5-4-3 ending to the inning.

Before I wonder about the team's hitting woes, let's hear it for Youk, Pedroia, Lowell and Varitek. You have to love the way Youk grinds out at bats and how both he and Pedroia always seem to be in the middle of any Sox rally. Hearing the fans cheer Yoooooouk at road games is always a treat. Pedroia is hitting as well as everyone expected. Yes, I'm kidding. Say what you will about Francona's stubbornness by continuing to stick by Timlin, but he's often made the right call when sticking with someone, like Pedroia this year and Bellhorn in 2004. Lowell and Varitek have been dependable (who expected Lowell to be tied for the team lead in homers at the break?) but you don't want to have to depend on those guys in the second half of the season.

Lugo, Drew and Crisp have strugged in the first half, but will we see more of the same for the rest of the season? Here's hoping the All Star break is exactly what Lugo needs to get out of his funk. Maybe Papi can help him change his last name since we saw that simply changing your number didn't help a former Red Sox shortstop. Crisp has been hitting the ball with more authority and has looked like the player he was prior to the injury early last year. I don't know what to make of Drew. He's looked completely lost so often this year, swinging and missing at pitches where he's badly fooled or making contact on weak swings. Given my vast experience playing the game (a year of T-ball and the following year where the fathers pitched the first half of the season) I have no idea how to tell when a player's problems are physical or mental, but it seemed like Drew was more confident and comfortable in the brief period where he hit leadoff. I'd love to see if he can find his groove again back in the leadoff spot with Youk hitting behind Papi.

Speaking of Papi, let's hope that he and Manny can get and stay healthy so they can get and stay hot. Ortiz has the highest OPS of the Sox regulars, but his power numbers and Manny's are way down from recent years and neither player has carried the offense this year for any stretch. Looking back at the extra inning game in Detroit, I'm still blown away that the Tigers intentionally walked Ortiz three times and Manny was unable to come through each time. Apparently, Papi's going in for an MRI. If he needs to go on the DL, waste no time. Let Manny DH, bring Ellsbury back up and get Ortiz healthy. As to Manny's struggles? Maybe he just needs to rub Tavarez' head more often.

I have to mention Mirabelli, partially because he's my Mother's favorite player. She and I were at a couple Sox/Braves games back in 2001, just after the Sox had picked up Mirabelli in a trade with Texas after Varitek had gone down with an injury. We had great seats for the Saturday and Sunday games and had a great view of Mirabelli spending most of those two games leaning over the dugout railing, talking non-stop to anyone and everyone who leaned over the railing. My mother has a signed Doug Mirabelli jersey and a Globe picture or three of him smiling held to the refrigerator by various magnets. I was at the game in San Diego where he was booed mercilessly by the Padres fans and was disappointed to read a Globe article that claimed that "Red Sox and Padres fans who were united only in booing Doug Mirabelli". I understand the Padres fans dislike him, but he never asked to be traded to the Padres and was told they'd traded for him so he could be their starting catcher...and then they signed Piazza. Both Towers and Mirabelli said things publicly that they shouldn't. The Padres fans side with Towers, and I'm sure I would too if I were a Padres fan, but I don't understand why so many people with Red Sox ties have taken shots at Mirabelli. If he can hit over .250 the rest of the way and catch Wakefield reliably, then leave Kotteras in Pawtucket. On a lighter note, he is remembered fondly (if comically) in San Francisco as I read one or two articles that referred to an area in the outfield as Mirabelli's Alley because he hit two triples to that area, including the first triple in the park's history.

The starting pitching hasn't been as dominant as some fans would hope, but they've been about what you'd expect. Beckett has been the pitcher most Sox fans expected he would be last year. I'll be honest and admit that I thought he'd struggle after coming back from the avulsion. Back when they traded for Beckett, I was hoping the Sox would also pick up Moises Alou to help toughen Beckett's skin. Dice-K has had flashes of brilliance, outings where he can't fool anyone, and the occasional inning where he can't find the plate. Prior to the last outing in Detroit, he had been pretty dominant. Is he making adjustments to pitching in the States and/or getting a better feel for which pitches of his will work on a given night? Or was the game in Detroit evidence that batters are more likely to adjust to him? Hmmm. Schilling has had great outings and awful outings and, as many would expect from a forty-something, is now on the DL. As with Ortiz, let's hope Schilling doesn't rush and comes back when he's healthy, preferably after an outing or two in the minors. Wakefield and Tavarez have had their moments and their struggles. You have to expect more of the same. Gabbard has been servicable and it will be interesting to see what happens when/if Lester is promoted. As everyone has been saying since April, if Lester can come back and pitch like he did while he was with the Sox last year, the starting pitching will be in great shape for the stretch.

The bullpen has been phenomenal. Okajima may well be the team MVP for the first half and Papelbon has been all but lights out. Delcarmen has looks great as of late. Lopez has done better than anyone could have expected. Donnelly pitched well while he was healthy, which is more than I expected. Snyder has been reliable. Timlin's recent outings may be proof that rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated. I'd still rather not see him in his old setup role until we've seen more, but I don't mind seeing him get an inning or two here and there when we're up or down three or more runs. If he can get close to his old form, he's a big help down the stretch on the mound. Plus, I just assume he's a positive influence on guys like Papelbon and Delcarmen. Pineiro has had his moments (a couple of them actually good) but he scares me. He lasted two batters longer than I thought he would in that extra inning game in Seattle. I was at that game and seeing him come in from the bullpen made me think of two things.

1. Shouldn't the Mariners bunt against the pitcher with the bum ankle?
2. The last Sox/M's game I'd attended that lasted this long was back in 2000. It lasted nineteen innings (eighteen and a half, really) and ended seconds after the Sox brought in an old Mariners castoff, Jeff Fassero, when Fassero gave up a home run to the first batter he faced.

Surprisingly, Pineiro lasted two batters and a third of an inning longer than Fassero did.

I thought Romero looked terrible and that releasing him was the right call. I remember hoping the Sox would pick him up in a trade in 2005, but from the moment they signed him I thought the move was a mistake. The sight of him coming in from the bullpen filled me with dread. I was shocked when I looked at Romero's stats just now. He had a sub-3 ERA in May and early June before the Sox cut him loose?!? Maybe I was too hard on the guy. He's yet to give up a run with the Phillies. His unique talents as a switch hitting reliever (seriously) are probably better served in the National League anyway.

So, here's my wish list for the second half of the season

• Papi, Schilling and Donnelly get healthy for the stretch run
• Manny goes back to being Manny and starts mashing the ball
• Youk continues to be Youk, ugly facial hair included
• Out of Lugo, Drew and Crisp, at least two of the three hit .280 the rest of the way
  
• Lowell avoids last year's second half swoon and gives Renteria back his glove
• Pena, who reminds me of Pedro Cerrano, butchers fly balls in a different uniform
• Varitek stays healthy and continues to hit the way he has - that .279 looks a lot better than last year's .238
• Pedroia continues to hit and manages his own inside the park home run to fuel the fire in the "Who's faster?" debate with Youkilis
• Ellsbury can bring back a little more life to the team if Papi needs to go on the DL
• Mirabelli goes back to being the happy chatty guy my Mom loves, who also catches Wake well and hits .250 or so
• Beckett continues to roll and doesn't need a trip to the DL, the doctor, or to Moises Alou
• Dice-K continues to adjust, rather than having the hitters adjust to him
• Wakefield finds his form once more
• Gabbard continues to be a serviceable option to pitch until Schilling returns
• Tavarez reminds his infielders where to throw the ball, acts as Manny's scratching post and pitches well, whether that's as a starter or a reliever
• Timlin finds his old form
• Delcarmen continues to shine
• Hansen finds his stuff and makes his way back to the majors
• Okajima continues to be the silent hero he hoped he'd be
• Papelbon stays healthy and continues to dominate
• The Sox play deep into October
  
• I get to fly home for another parade

That's not too much to ask, is it?