Wow.
A lot of the Sox fans out here in Seattle took over the Owl & Thistle last night for Game 6. We couldn't get the back room at our usual haunt (Spitfire) and the owner of the Owl & Thistle is a Sox fan, so it was the best available fallback option. It was a better backup option than TBS'. We turned on TBS expecting to see the pregame, only to find Bloopers and Practical Jokes, followed by the Steve Harvey Show. I had to call my Dad to make sure we were on the right channel. Then Mom called to keep me up to date with Crisp reaching and then getting picked off. Thankfully, a few people had their internet-enabled cell phones pointing at the mlb.com web site so we knew about Upton's home run before the TBS broadcast resumed.
My biggest hope for the game was to see Beckett channel Pedro back in Game 5 of the '99 ALDS, to just gut and guile it out without his best stuff. I figured if he could just keep the Rays at bay for five innings or so...maybe we could force a Game 7. I smiled as the TBS announcers made a comment about Pedro's performance in that playoff game later in the inning.
What the hell is going on with the TBS announcers, by the way? I know they're not technically Rays announcers, but it sure seems like it. Even the on screen graphics seem a bit slanted. When the Rays have a runner on first, we're treated to tidbits about the number of stolen bases by the Rays or that player. When the Red Sox have a runner on first, the graphics point out how many double plays the batter has hit into. When Beckett took the mound for the bottom of the third after Youuuuuuk's second RBI, TBS showed a graphic saying that Beckett had been given four leads so far in the playoffs and had given the lead back in the next half inning each time. I was half expecting a graphic when Francona was on camera saying that he didn't support the troops.
The only pitcher to cough up a lead last night was "Big Game" James Shields, and on the very first batter. I'm at a complete loss as to how he got his nickname. I even looked up Shields' stats, figuring that maybe he'd pitched with another team and had won a big game. Nope. He's now 0-2 in his the two biggest games of his career. Maybe someone with the Rays was a Lakers fan back in the 80's and tried to re-use James Worthy's nickname to build up Shields' confidence. That's the only possible explanation.
Speaking of someone who needed a confidence builder, how about 'Tek? I hope the Sox brass re-signs him for two years, that he gets his batting average back up over .260 and that the Sox manage to come up with a prospect to try to fill his shoes once he's ready to hang them up.
The Sox bullpen did quite the job, not giving up a hit for the next four innings. I'm still having trouble believing that Okajima got through two innings. I really expected Tito to go with Delcarmen for the seventh, especially the bottom of the Rays' lineup was due up that inning. Masterson looks great when he remembers to slow down, breathe and throw strikes. Papelbon sounds exhausted according to quotes in the Globe sports page, but the Rays' batters looked like the ones who were exhausted in the ninth.
And the Sox have forced another Game 7. Mercy.
Showing posts with label Papelbon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Papelbon. Show all posts
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Monday, October 29, 2007
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."
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."
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
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.
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:
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.
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