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 Youk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Youk. Show all posts
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
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.
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:
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*
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.'"
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.
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*
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
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.
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
That's not too much to ask, is it?
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.
- Shouldn't the Mariners bunt against the pitcher with the bum ankle?
- 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.
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?
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