The Beginning of the Daniel Bard era

Last night we lost 8-4 to the Angels but the best thing to come out of the game was Daniel Bard and his 100 mph fastball. He came in with runners on 2nd and 3rd and nobody out. That is how he made his major league debut. He promply came in and threw 3 pitches, 96 mph, 95 mph, and 98 mph and struck out Napoli. He ended up going 2 innings and did not give up a run. I will be keeping an eye on Bard and hopefully Theo won't "send him back down until he is ready". Ready is ready, right? He is ready.

Also, JBay hit another home run to help us out to another eary lead, only Wake couldn't hold it for us. Bay is on fire right now, and we should be getting Mighty Dustin back today. I expect a W coming out of Anaheim today!

Another Sweep of Yanks

We swept the Yanks in a short 2 game series in the new Yankee stadium (the House that Steroids Built) and then split another 2 game set with the Indians. And just this weekend we took 2 of three from the Rays. One thing over this last week that I have noticed is that Jason Bay is clutch. I am now expecting that game winning home run or base hit every time he comes to the plate. I hope he continues his hitting as Youk is stuck somewhere between the bench and the DL, although he says he will be playing soon. He says he has been hurting for a while and I can only imagine what he will be like when he comes back healthy. I mean he hit over .400 while injured - he could very well bat over .700 if he is feeling well. Another possible injury is little Dustin. He came out of last nights game hobbling after a ground out to third. He said he will sit out a game but expects to be back by Wednesday's game. I hope that is the case.

The news of Manny came as a shock to me. I am just glad that we have JBay now and that Manny is the Dodgers problem now. It is hard to think that I once cheered for him. The Yankee fans are already popping up saying things too. A judge I know that is a Yankee fan told me that the 2004 championship should have an asterisk next to it because we won it by cheaters. I guess the Yankee fans will always be like that even though I am sure half of their team was on the roids then.

Also, happy mothers day to my mom and birthday too! I still remember the mothers day miracle game a couple of years ago against the Orioles.

Anyway, off day today then off on a west coast trip - the last one of the season. Should have no problem with the Angels this week.

Sox Sweep Away the Yanks

We swept the hated Yankees over the weekend and every game was a typical Sox-Yankee game. On Friday night, down 4-2 in the ninth and Mari OH-No Rivera on the mound, I thought we were were pretty well done for. But it seems Rivera just has trouble closing out games against us doesn't it? With two outs, JBay hit a 2 run home run to tie it up and Youk hit the game winning home run to win it in extra innings. This is the type of game that takes years off my life, but it was worth it. An opening game win against the Yankees is always worth it.

The Saturday game was a slugfest. Before I knew what was going on, we were down 6-0 and it looked like AJ Burnett was pitching too well for our hitters. But in the 4th, Tek hits a grand slam and then we were just down 1 run. We battled back and forth and after over 4 hours of baseball, we won 16-11. The Yankees just don't have any pitching do they?

The Sunday night game we won 4-1, but the biggest play was Jacoby and his steal of home plate. It was the prettiest steal I have ever seen, but the ugliest slide too. It looked like he just fell on the plate. Anyway, we have now won 10 games in a row and knocking on first place on the Blue Jays door, but probably more importantly, we have knocked the Yankees further down the division.

I can only imagine what the Yankee papers are talking about this week. Here is a sample of some of the headlines. Let the good times roll!!! HA HA!!!

A Twin Killing at Fenway

The Sox swept the Twinkies in a doubleheader today 10-1 and 7-3. The first game was a makeup from yesterday which was rained out. Wakefield pitched another complete game (7 innings - called due to rain) and Penny pitched a good game in game 2. Our bats are coming together and just in time too, the Yanks are coming to town for a 3 game series over the weekend.

I don't understand NESN and their rain delays. On Tuesday, during the rain delay, NESN ran a replay of their beatdown of the Orioles on Patriots day. Now I enjoy watching a good replay of a good game, but I think NESN is missing the boat on this. Instead, I would have loved to see NESN cover about a half hour of Remy running his hot dog booth outside Fenway. Then they could go into the clubhouse and show Youk trying to wash raw meat and nickel beer out of his beard as Pedroia whacks him with a towel and the Big Papi laughing uncontrollably on the floor. And then to settle things down, wouldn't it have been nice to see about an hour of Heidi and Amalie Benjamin roaming the seats asking fans what their favorite Red Sox memory was while handing them a towel in order to dry off with? Now that would have been a great rain delay!



They did do a good job of covering the Dave Roberts return to Fenway though. He threw out the first pitch of game 2 and everytime I see him, I remember The Steal and how that one moment changed everything for us. I am sure not a day goes by that a Sox fan doesn't come up to him and tell him thank you for that 2004 season. Of all the Sox memories I have, that one will always stand out the most. They should put a statue out front of Fenway beside the Ted Williams statue of Roberts stealing the base - it was that big.

Now we have to get ready for the weekend series with the Yanks. Now I get really fired up when we play the Yanks (The Empire Formerly Known as Evil) which is probably why my wife will never allow me to go to a Yankee game. I would need a good bondsman or a good doctor, or maybe both after the game. Friday night they have Joba the Hutt Chamberlain pitching against Lester. I expect to see some fireworks especially when Joba starts throwing again at the head of Youk. I really dislike Joba the Hutt. Burnett is pitching game 2 against Beckett which will probably be the best game of the weekend. Game 3 has Pettitte against Masterson. Do you think Teixeira will get booed?? He only strung us along all offseason, and then signed with the Yanks. It is alright though, the 180 million dollar man is batting his weight - around .220! I only wish we could have CC SoBADthia pitch over the weekend against us. I would like us to put another 20 spot on the board.



Anyway, a big series coming up this weekend. It will be full of drama and tension, a lot booing of Yankee players and possibly a bench clearing incident, but in the end, I hope we are closer to the Jays and we push the Yanks further down the division. GO SOX !!!

Nothing But W's Against the O's

We just came off a 4 game sweep of the Orioles over the weekend to move from last place into second place. That game Friday night was crazy, coming back from down 7 runs to win 10-8 was unbelievable. It seems like we always have this type of game at least once per year against the Orioles. Remember the Mothers Day Miracle a couple of years back?

Monday was the annual Patriots Day game so the game started at 10 am at our house. Since I had to work, I had the game on the computer and had to watch dots move around the screen. From what I was able to interpret, Masterson pitched well giving up just one run over 5.1 innings and our bullpen continues to shut down the opposition. It looks like Papi is starting to hit (he even had a triple) and Tek hit another home run. Little Pedroia had a 4 hit day and finally Jacoby is starting to hit too. It looks like things are starting to come together - and just in time too - the Yankees are coming to town this weekend.

Beckett had his suspension knocked down to 5 games so it looks like he will be ready to pitch Saturday against the Yanks, and speaking of the Yanks series, I would be surprised if the Yanks throw out Wang against us on Friday. We very well could score 20 runs that night.

On Saturday, we had a Porsche Club rally and we had a lot of fun driving around but the highlight was after the rally, we stopped for pizza and on the TV was the Indians-Yankees game. It was 22-4 Indians! What a perfect way to end the day!

Also, what is it with the Washington Nationals? Did you see where some of the players were wearing their jersey and the team name was misspelled? Now how in the world does something like that happen? Doesn't even the players look at their jersey before putting it on? The equipment guy, seamstress, somebody should lose their job over that one. What an embarrassment! So whenever I think things couldn't get any worse, I guess I could be a "Natinals" fan.

Now a short 2 game series against the Twins, then the Yanks!

WakeField of Dreams - Almost

I left work early in order to catch the afternoon game against the A's today and what a game it was. Tim Wakefield took a no hitter into the 8th inning, saving our bullpen which was greatly needed, and took the win 8-2. I don't know what to think about Wakefield. There are days when I can't stand to watch a single pitch because he is walking every batter in sight, the catcher is running around trying to stop the knuckler from rolling to the backstop, and hitters are peppering the wall with every pitch that does land in the strike zone. And then there are days like today. One where he is almost perfect.

He knew going into the game he had to stay in past at least 6 or 7 innings to save our bullpen because of them pitching 11 innings the night before. I sat down and quickly saw Lowell hit a two run home run in the second to put us up 2-0. Then, slowly, Wakefield was like a machine going through their lineup. It was going into the 4th inning when I realized that he had the no-no going and this time I was not going to blow it for him. In the past, I have been known to blow the no hitter for the Sox pitchers by calling everyone I know about the game, and usually, by the time I hang up the phone, they give up the base hit and the no-no is gone. I did that for Schilling 2 years ago and I know it was my fault he didn't get the no hitter. So this time I refused to say a single word about it, not even to my kids who were watching the game with me.

In my mind, I kept thinking, "This is going to happen." Usually, with any no hitter, you can point to several key defensive plays that kept the no hitter alive and in this game the first one was the off-target throw by shortstop Nick Green that was handled by Youkilis, who tagged Mark Ellis, in the second inning. Then there was the warning track catch by Ellsbury in right-center in the sixth. After that catch, I just knew Timmy had the no hitter going. Then in the seventh, I saw a defensive play that confirmed the fact I was going to see a no hitter. There was that brilliant leaping, twisting, tumbling play behind second base by Green which prompted Wakefield to raise his arms and point to the Sox shortstop. He was smiling and pointing and down deep I knew it was going to happen and I was not going to say anything about the no hitter to anyone until the game was over.

Then I blew it. I knew the score going into the top of the 8th was still just 2-0 so I opened my mouth and knowing not to say anything about the no-hitter said, "It sure would be nice if we could get just a couple of runs." And sure enough, we batted around and scored 6 runs to take a 8-0 lead. The bad thing was, it took us nearly 30 minutes to score the runs and throughout the inning Wake was sitting there, trying to stay loose and surely thinking about the no hitter. When he came out to pitch the bottom of the 8th, he walked the first batter. Then got an out and then he gave up the base hit to ruin his no hitter. He eventually pitched a complete game and gave up 2 runs on just 4 hits.

So sorry Sox fans, this one was on me again. Just like the Schilling almost no hitter, I blew it for them again. Next time we are having a no hit bid, I think I will turn off the TV and check back in a couple of hours. Then we will get another no hitter.

Another Loss

We lost again last night this time to the Oakland A's 8-3. It is bad enough I have to stay up until past midnite hoping to see our bats get going only to see us continue to struggle at the plate. Lester was horrible, leaving pitches high in the strike zone and giving up home runs. It was good to see Nomar again even if he does now play for the other team. Tonight we have Dice so we will see how that goes.

I heard on the news that one of my favorite players as a child died today. He was Mark Fidrych and he played for the Detroit Tigers. I remember that he would actually talk to the baseball before throwing it and would pile mounds of dirt on the pitchers mound, or all of a sudden would start digging a hole. I remember one game where he stood behind the mound and took off his shoes, banged the dirt out of them and then took his time putting them back on. When he was done, he would motion to the crowd and to his teammates as if saying "sorry for taking too long, I just had to do it." The best thing about him was all of his antics were not for show, it was really how he was. He was like a 12 year old kid playing in the Majors. I remember the Monday Night game against the Yanks in 76, when he ran back onto the field after the game because the fans refused to leave until they saw him again. He ran onto the field in his socks and started to shake the fans hands, he hugged a policeman, and then he broke down and started to tear up. During the interview, he looked around the stadium with his "big bird" eyes in astonishment, and stated "I dont know how I feel, I have never pitched in front of this many people before."



He was a breath of fresh air for all of baseball for the short 5 seasons he played. I mostly remember the Sports Illustrated issue with him on the cover with Big Bird. Hey I was a kid, just like he was! Thanks for making baseball fun for me when I was young, I will always remember Mark "The Bird" Fidrych.

Too Manny Holes in Our Offense

We were only able to take one game from the Angels over the weekend as our offense continues to struggle and with Manny no longer in our lineup, we are continually leaving too many men on base. On Friday, we lost 6-3 and about the only thing I could see good about this game was that Wake pitched well, considering he throws a knuckleball, and I sort of liked our new "special" jerseys. The "Hanging Sox" hat looked a lot like a Christmas Tree ornament, but I did like the blue jerseys.

On Saturday, the Red Sox played a national televised game. Well, I guess it was nationally televised, I guess everywhere but here in the beef jerkey triangle. Here we had to watch the Cardinals play the Astros and watch a complete blow out game while having to watch dots on a computer screen to keep up to date on the Sox game. We won 5-4 on Bay's 2 home runs and although Papelbon gave up a run in the ninth and also loaded the bases, we hung on for the win. Paps probably won't be cleared to pitch again until July after throwing 35+ pitches in the game, but hey, a win is a win.

On Easter Sunday, we sat down with all the Easter chocolate and candy and started to watch the rubber game and immediately a semi-fight broke out between the Angels and Sox. Evidently, Abreu thought Josh was throwing at him after Abreu called a late time out and the benches cleared. Of course, the umps knew he did nothing wrong and then kicked out 4 Angels including their manager. Now when this happened, I knew that Josh, being the Josh we all know, was going to get fired up and not only were the Angels going to get beat, but there were going to get demolished. Instead, Josh just never got it going and instead took the loss in another 5-4 game. Oki now scares me when he comes in, it seems he always gives up at least one run, and this time it hurt us as we came back to make it close in the ninth, but again, we just came up a little short.

Now onto Oakland and it will be fun to see Nomar again play against us. We need to start stringing together some wins and pretty soon too. With the A's and Orioles on the horizon, I can see some "W's" coming our way.

Rays Shake the Dice

Our 9th inning rally came up a run short and we lost again to the Rays 4-3. DiceK gave up 3 home runs which does not look good considering he has the tendency to give up the long ball (see 2007). He seemed to settle down last year, but maybe the old Dice is back?

Some positives to get out of this series is that Tek has hit 2 home runs which is about 2 more than I thought he would have at this time and Beckett is still our ace. I can't wait to get Lowrie out of there and get back Julio Lugo and each passing day brings him one day closer to coming back. Also, Youk is batting a solid .667 after 3 games and his stats look like he is playing against little leagers. Hopefully, his hitting continues.

On another note, I heard last night on MLB channel that Nick Adenhart, pitcher for the Angels died in a car crash last night after his start against the A's. He was 22 years old and just starting to live out his dream in the big leagues. I guess we never know when we have it coming. What bothered me was Scott Boras, his agent, getting up there and crying as if trying to show all of us he does actually have one ounce of heart in his body. I watched the video several times and he comes across as a fake. I really hope I am wrong, but I don't think that guy was sincere about anything that came out of his mouth.

Anyway, it will be a different type of series this weekend against the Angels. I read that someone left a ball at the stadium that said that Adenhart plays for another team of Angels now. Hope we can win a few in Anaheim over the weekend and hoping the Angels (team and family) get through this devestating news ok.

Lester gets banged around

Game 2 of the season started off well but ended around the 5th inning. I sat down expecting to see a nice pitchers duel and it looked that way with Lester striking out 5 batters the first 2 innings. But with our offense not able to muster up near enough runs and with the home plate umpire calling strikes that were over a foot outside, we didn't have a chance, we lost 7-2. I guess this is what they meant by our offense being "Mannyless". It was nice though to see Rocco in our lineup, I think he will be a good addition to our lineup and he made a real nice catch in the outfield to rob the Rays of a base hit. Jacoby will need to get on base more, and Tek looked lost once again at the plate. We will have to see what DiceK brings to mound our next game.

We will going to the west coast on Friday so it will be a late game for us here. I like the late games on the west coast on the weekend.

Fun to see the Yanks keep losing to the "slugging" Orioles. Will the Yanks win one this year?

BecKKKKKKKKKKett is Back

First Pitch

Opening day just like we all dreamed it would be. Josh Beckett went 7 innings, giving up just 2 hits and striking out 10 while getting the win 5-3 over the Rays. I think we should see great things from Josh this year - much better than last year anyway. And how about little Dustin hitting a home run in his first at bat this year? Even Tek got a home run, which hopefully is a sign of things to come from him this year. Paps came in and got the save striking out 2 batters in the ninth to close it out. All in all a great way to start the new season.


Dutin hits a monster shot.

Every opening day I like to think back of some of the other memorable opening day games that I have watched. Remember the 1986 opening day game where Dewey Evans hit the very first pitch of the season for a home run? This was after a horrible 1985 season and after that home run, I knew we were in for great things that year. Who would have known that the season would end with Wade Boggs crying in the dugout? Also that unbelievable comeback in 1998 when we were down 7-2 in the ninth and scored 7 runs in the bottom of the ninth capped by Mo Vaughn's grand slam to win it.

Anyway, the season is back on. It's like welcoming home an old friend who will be at your side throughout the long, lazy summer and into the early fall. It is now NESN 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, hot dogs on the grill, the sound of Remy and Orsillo in the background, Sullivan Tire commercials every 10 minutes, and the occasional report from Heidi. April is here!


Papelbon closes it out.

Opening Day Washed Away

The real games began today, well except for us. Our game was rained out and rescheduled for tomorrow. So instead of watching the Red Sox, we had our fun watching the Orioles beat up on the Yankees. CC Sabathia was wild and was walking people left and right and even threw some wild pitches. It was also nice to see Teixeira being booed by the fans in Baltimore.

I wonder why whoever does the scheduling didn't schedule us to open the season in Tampa instead of Boston. The weather is still cold in Boston in April and Tampa plays in a dome. Doesn't make sense to me. Anyway, the games are beginning to count now and for the next six months it will be nothing but us, Heidi, Remy and Orsillo every day. This is the best time of the year!

So Long Curt

Yesterday, it was announced that Curt Schilling retired. When it was announced, ESPN classic started to play a program focusing on Schilling's career and then they played game 6 of the 2004 ALCS game against the Yankees. You know, the bloody sock game. At first, I was going to just watch a couple of innings and get on with doing other stuff, but the game and the emotion of those several hours back in 2004 brought me back and I sat there and watched the entire game.

Unlike the first time back in '04, this time I sat there with my 5 year old son on my lap and we had the advantage of knowing the outcome. My son Austin would ask questions every now and then, not about the game but where we were standing when a certain play happened and what I was thinking when Bellhorn hit the 3 run home run in the fourth inning. I was amazed that he still remembered a lot of the players from back then, he remembered Trot (the one with the dirty hat), Bronson (his favorite pitcher), Manny (who had short hair back then), and even Johnny Damon (back when he was nice and played for us).

I felt so glad to be able to share that game with him. I told him that we are watching this because Curt Schilling retired and he won't ever pitch again. I told him that one day, whether it is 20 years from now or 50 years from now, you can sit and watch this same game with your children/grandchildren and let them know that you saw this, the game that changed everything.

This was the game that changed everything for me. I would like to be able to say that I always believed that we would win but I would have to say it was more of a hope than a belief. Watching this game again last night, I remembered feeling hope that we would win, but not really believing it. When Schilling took the mound with blood seeping through his sock, I remember I choked up a little and said that this guy is giving up his career for us to win. He is giving it all so he can "silence the 55,000 fans from New York". I remembered the feeling I had when Bellhorn hit the three run home run which was originally ruled a base hit and then later overturned. I told my wife that we would never in the past have gotten that call reversed. I sat there and watched in disbelief as I looked upon everything I hoped to happen slowly materialize.

Even in the later innings, I hoped but didn't believe. I was continually waiting for the "other shoe to fall". I thought that that had happened when Arod slapped the ball from Bronson which scored Jeter from first. I remember thinking, "here it is", but then even that call got reversed and we got out of the inning. In the ninth, with Tony Clark up with 2 men on, I hoped for a strike out, but believed that Clark would hit a 3 run home run to beat us. I got the strike out.

It is amazing how different things are now. For my son, I don't think watching that game even made sense to him. He saw things during that game that he doesn't see at games anymore. He would ask, "Why is that Yankee fan dressed like a ghost and wearing Babe Ruth on his back?" I told him, "back then, the Yankee ghosts of October would always show up and we would lose." He replied, "But now, we win." He asked about the 1918 chant and I explained that to him and then he saw a sign from a Yankee fan that read, "God is a Yankee fan." Austin simply said, "No He isn't" and I replied, "He answered our prayers that night." Sox fans lived in a different world than the one we live in today.

While watching the game with my son, he realized something that he learned from watching this game. He said that Schilling, on one hand, was hurt and still tried hard and did well, and on the other hand, the Yankees, especially ARod, had to cheat and hit the ball from Bronson to try to win. He said that is why God let the Red Sox win, He didn't like cheaters.

My biggest enjoyment from watching that game was the total look of shock on the Yankee fans near the end of the game and the smiles on the few Sox fans that were there at Yankee Stadium. It was like I was through the looking glass, where white is black and black is white.

Schilling did what he said when he first came to us back in November 2003. He silenced the Yankee crowd and he ended an 86 year old curse - just like what he said in the truck commercial. Thanks Curt for changing the way us Sox fans watch the games and for giving us something to remember 80 years down the road.

Opening day is less than 2 weeks away... it is getting close!

Happy Valentines Day

It may be Friday the 13th, but in our house it is just one day closer to baseball season. With Valentines Day coming up tomorrow, I would like to say Happy Valentines Day to my wife Debbie, my son Austin and daughter Aubrey. I would like to thank them for sharing their love of the Sox with me and it makes the seasons so much better having them to share it with.

For my wife - for knowing the Red Sox before what they are now. For understanding my years of heartbreak and watching all those hours of baseball with me knowing down deep in your heart that one day, they would win it all. For raising our kids and the compassion you give. Thanks for always being there with me, through the Boone home run, to the "underhand to first", to Papelbon's strike out. Thanks for sharing those memories with me.

For my daughter Aubrey - although you are not quite 2 years old, we already know deep in your heart that you are going to be a Sox fan one day. In your first October, we won the world series. I am looking forward to many years of sharing the sox with you. Your love of the Red Sox and Rocky make me smile. Just please don't ever bring home a boy who is a Yankee fan!!

For my son Austin - who cried that night Boone beat us with a home run. That picture of me holding you in front of the tv immediately before Faulke underhanded to first is my favorite picture of us. It was a picture I had seen in my mind for many years, and now I have it. You are a sox fan through and through - you know all the players and their jersey numbers better than me. I am so glad I got to share a couple world series wins with you.

And also to my mom - who was there with me in '86 when Buckner missed the grounder. Who absolutely hated the woman behind home plate at Shea Stadium waving her arms whenever Clemens took the mound. For never giving up on the sox, or with me. They finally did it!

Happy Valentines Day!

Also, the Steelers have won their 6th super bowl so now both of my kids have also witnessed a Steeler championship as well. Curt Schilling (big Steeler fan) posted an excellent blog about his trip to the super bowl with his kids. He put this picture in his blog and I thought it was appropriate here as well. It reminds me of me and my son, one generation of fan and another generation of fan, together going into the future with another championship. Congrats to the Steelers on winning number 6!

Winter is Over

Friday was Truck Day! You know, the day Winter officially ends and Spring begins. Truck day is so much better than that other day we have that determines the end of winter - Groundhog day. All I can say is no one saw a shadow around the truck as the truck left for Florida holding all the Red Sox equipment so Spring officially begins for us on Thursday when Pitchers and Catchers report to spring training. I read that John Lester has already reported (a week early) and soon Wake and DiceK and Paps will be there as well.

The only downside to Truck Day this year was this picture taken by a Boston Globe reporter after covering the truck leaving for Florida. He said the truck left Fenway Park and got behind this Porsche as it was getting on the highway. Check out the plates on the Porsche. Hope this is not a sign of things to come this year...



Also, as news came out that we had wrapped up Veritek to a one year deal, Sports Illustrated came out with news that A-Rod* tested positive to steroids back in 2003. He hasn't made any public statements about the allegations, but I heard that on Monday the 9th, he plans on talking to Peter Gammons of ESPN about the issue. We always knew A-roid*, A-rod*, or Slappy*, whatever you want to call him, is a cheater. Remember the 2004 playoffs slapping the ball from Bronson and looking around like "what did I do?" His numbers should forever have an asterisk next to it like Bonds and Clemens and all the other cheaters who have attempted to ruin baseball. I said it a long time ago, and I will say it again, "I am so glad we never got A-rod*." He is a mess and I hope he continues to tear down and ruin the Yankees again this year. And I am sure that he knows that us Boston fans will remember this the first time he walks into Fenway this summer. The "A-roid*" chants will shake the 97 year old ballpark like no other chant that stadium has held. Good luck on this one A-Fraud* !

Yankees Keep Spending

Well the Yankees keep spending money as if they have no end to it. During this offseason, the Yankees have committed to spending almost one half of a billion dollars on free agent signings. That is Billion, yes with a "B"!

They signed CC Sabathia to a 7 year, 161 million dollar contract and then later signed AJ Burnett to a 5 year, 82.5 million dollars. And then, out of the blue, they snagged Teixeira away from the Red Sox in a 180 million dollar deal.



Now I know the Yanks are upset at not making the playoffs last year (for the first time in 13 years - ha!) but this spending money and stacking their team with all-stars and hall of famers is getting out of hand. This is the reason everyone hates the Yankees. With these new signings, the Yankees final payroll will be 223 million dollars which is more than double the average teams salary of 96 million. And do you know that the Yankees payroll is more than eight times the salary of the Florida Marlins team of 27 million? The Yanks paid 26.9 million in luxury tax, so the Yanks luxury tax could field the entire Marlins team! Also, did you know that just the Yankee infielders make more than 14 other entire team payrolls?

Now I know the Red Sox throw money around too, but they have to just to compete with the Yanks, but if I were a Royal fan or Marlins fan, something would have to be done with the Yanks. The only hope they would have against a team like this would be for the Yanks to suffer numerous injuries and go through another collapse like they did last year. I really hope they collapse and although I usually don't root for injuries, I will this year. Watching the Yankees collapse is like driving your Honda to work each day and passing the millionaire in his Ferrari which is broken down alongside the road. Lets all hope for a breakdown!

In Red Sox news, we signed Youk to another 4 years and added Smoltz and Baldelli to our lineup. The deadline to sign Tek is coming up - it is not looking good on resigning our captain. Did you see Pedroia at the dinner the other night? They asked Tampa Rays player Fernando Perez what it was like beating the Red Sox in the ALCS last year. Perez told them how great it was and then little Pedroia looked over to him and leaned into the microphone and said, "Yeah, don't get used to it." I tell you, I would take 25 little Pedroia's over the stacked 25 players on the Yankees any time!

I would like to say congrats to Jim Rice for finally making it into the Hall of Fame. Speaking of Jim Rice reminds me of a story from when I was a child living in Florida. My dad had taken me to the store to get a new glove for little league and the first glove we picked out was signed by Reggie Jackson. I told him I didn't want that one because Reggie was a Yankee. So we went through about 20 gloves until I found one that was signed by a Red Sox player. When we get home, my dad got out a pen and wrote in the pocket of the glove under the name, "and Brian Miller". That glove is now in my sons closet and he loves how "old" it is and that it has his Dad's signature on it.

After my dad signed my glove, my dad then got out a new ball and still with pen in hand asked me who my favorite player was. He was going to make me an "autographed" ball. I still remember his face when I told him my favorite player was Carl Yastrzemski. I think he stood there for about a minute, probably thinking, "how in the world do you spell that" and then probably thought "even if I did know how to spell it, how would it all fit on the ball". After about a minute or so and some quick thinking on his part, he asked if there were any other players that I liked. I told him Jim Rice. I am sure after I told him that he took a deep breath and thought, "I can handle that!" So he quickly jotted down "Jim Rice" on the ball and tossed it to me. I loved that ball and I told everyone I had a ball signed by Jim Rice. No one knew it wasn't real, it was just my dad and I's secret. So today, somewhere in a box, I have a ball that is "signed" by a Hall of Famer. One day, when I pass it on to my son, I think I will keep our little secret.



Congrats Jim Rice !!

Most Valuable Pedroia

Little Dustin won the AL MVP. He is probably the best 2nd baseman we have had since Jerry "the RemDawg" Remy covered 2nd base for us so many years ago. I am happy he won and that we have signed him to a 6 year extension too.

Coco has gone to Kansas City and we have brought in Ramirez to help out in our bullpen. Timlin has retired and Schilling wants to pitch just partial seasons like Clemens did a couple of seasons ago. If he can keep his weight down, he should be ok - I will never say that Schilling couldn't do something.

We are still working on Tek and I think we will probably sign him in the next couple of weeks.

Congrats to our MVPedroia!!

The Offseason

Well we lost to the Rays in 7 games. My son keeps telling me that there are no more games until April and that sure feels a long time away. I am glad that the Rays lost to the Phillies in the World Series - I am beginning to really dislike the Rays (almost as much as my dislike for the Yankees).

Now we have to work on keeping Tek and it will be interesting to find out what Schilling will do. Timlin will probably retire and we will see what Wake does too.

At the end of every season, I am reminded what A. Bartlett Giamatti wrote about baseball and the Red Sox. He wrote, "Baseball breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as the chill rains come, and when you need it the most, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone."

I can't wait for April...

Sweeeeeep!

We have just swept the Baltimore Orioles and the Yankees have taken the first 2 games against the Rays. We are now just 3 games in back of the the Rays and if the Yanks take care of business tonight, we will be just 2.5 games back going into our series with the Rangers.

Game 1 against the Orioles we won 7-4. Pedroia again had 2 hits and 2 rbi's and scored a run. I still think Pedroia should be MVP. Byrd pitched well by keeping us in the game until we could take the lead in the 6th. Byrd allowed 4 runs (3 off of solo home runs) in 7 innings and got the win.

Game 2 we won 14-2. Lester pitched like... well, John Lester and got the win going 5 innings and allowing just 1 run. Offensively, Papi and Pedroia led the pack. Papi came up twice with the bases loaded and each time delivered a 2 rbi double. Pedroia hit a 3 run home run in the 4th and ended the night with 5 rbi's. Pedroia batted clean up again tonight and he is now hitting .330 !

Game 3 was a day game and luckily for me, I was home to pick up my son from school. When I left to pick him up we were down 4-0. When I came back we were down 4-2 going into the 8th inning. Kotsay then came up with a big 2 run triple to tie it up and I thought for sure he would score from 3rd, but we left him stranded at 3rd to end the inning. In the ninth, Alex Cora led off with a single, then Coco bunted a ball that looked like it would end up foul, but the ball hit a pebble and bounced back into fair territory and he wound up with an infield single moving Cora to second. Then Jacoby bunted a ball back to the pitcher and he threw wildly to third and Cora scored the game winning run on the throwing error. We were running around the house jumping up and down. It seems like whenever we play the Orioles, something like this always happens. Tampa lost later that night to the Yanks so we are just 3 games in back of Tampa, but probably even more important is we are 5 UP in the wildcard standings now.

We now have an off day and then off to Texas for a 3 game series. We will be travelling down to Texas to watch our team hopefully sweep up the Rangers. It would be nice if we could came back home in first place. Beckett is set to pitch Friday and it also looks like Lowell will be back too. Wake is set to pitch Saturday and Byrd on Sunday. We are looking forward to a fun trip down to Texas to watch our team. I will put pics up when I get back...

Go Sox!

Playoff Preview?

We took 2 of 3 from the White Sox over the weekend. At the beginning of the game on Friday, the interviewed Ozzie, the head coach of the White Sox, and he said that he is expecting them to come in here and win some games against he Red Sox because the Red Sox had just left Yankee Stadium and they are going to be soft after the Yankee series and all the hype that follows that. It was nice to see his words shoved back into his mouth. I hope the Twins win the division and the White Sox miss the playoffs entirely. I never have liked the White Sox much. Probably has to do with seeing Fisk wearing that jersey for so long...

Game 1 we won 8-0 on the 2 hitter of DiceK. Dice was almost unhittable and we scored our runs on the performance of our #2-4 hitters, Pedroia, Papi and Youk. Combined they went 9 for 12 with 6 runs and 4 rbi's. Pedroia had a 4 hit game and Youk and Bay each had 3 rbi's. I am really starting to think that Pedroia could be a strong candidate for MVP this year. Everyone has been talking Youk, but my vote would go to Pedroia. I just love watching him play.

Game 2 we won 8-2. I couldn't believe the lineup when I first saw it - it had Pedroia batting clean up! And he got another 4 hits tonight. The last 2 games he is 8 for 8! Ellsbury set the table for Pedroia by getting 3 hits and scoring 3 times and Kotsay came up big with 3 hits and 3 rbi's himself. Bowden made his major league debut by going 5 inning and giving up just 2 runs and getting the win. We are really starting to come together now - if only Tampa would start losing!

Game 3 we lost 4-2. Ellsbury had another 3 hits, but with Lowrie going 0-5 after him Ellsbury was left stranded many times. Wake took the loss going 6 innings and giving up 3 earned runs. We are now 5.5 back of Tampa who won again today and extended their winning streak to 5 games. Tampa now has the Yankees coming up and we have the Orioles. I hate to say it, but I will be rooting for the Yankees this week to get a sweep of Tampa. I hope lightning doesn't strike me down for saying that, but we really need Tampa to start losing. Go Yankees !?!?

Goodbye Yankee Stadium

We took 2 of 3 from the Bombers in the Bronx to close up Yankee Stadium. I was hoping for a sweep, but it is nice to know that the Yanks won't be making the playoffs in the last year at the Stadium.

Game 1 we won 7-3 in a game where just about everyone was involved in the production. Seven of our starters scored a run and everyone got at least 1 hit except for Pedroia. Even Minny Manny needs a day off every now and then. Wake pitched well and got the win and we crushed Pettite for 6 runs in 4.2 innings. The biggest thing I most happy about was Arod. He went 0-5 and struck out twice and left 7 men on base. The fans were booing him after every at bat and everytime a grounder was hit to him they would start to boo too. I hope he goes hitless the rest of the series.

Game 2 we won 11-3 and even though the score doesn't sound like it, it was actually a pretty close game, at least up until the 8th inning when we scored 7 runs. Pedroia had another great game going 3-5 with 4 rbi's and Bay also had 4 rbi's in the game. Watching this game, the Yankees just have no pitching. They are no longer the team they had in the past. Even if we are down some runs, with their pitching, I think we will always have a chance to come back.

Game 3 I couldn't watch because it was a day game and we lost 3-2 when Paps gave up a base hit in the ninth. Masterson took the loss. Lester pitched a strong game, but we just couldn't get any runs across against Mussina. Arod went 0-4 and struck out 3 times. Other than the outcome of the game, it was a perfect ending to Yankee stadium.

In other news, Beckett has been scratched from his next start against the White Sox and hopefully will be able to make the series coming up against the Rangers. Now we have a 6 game homestand against the Sox and Orioles. I think we can start to make a move on the Rays if we can win at least 4 or 5 of these games.

Taking 2 of 3 in Canada

We took 2 of 3 from the Blue Jays in Toronto over the weekend. I find myself watching the Tampa scores more often now, and occasionally skipping over to find the White Sox or the Twins and checking to see how they are doing. I even skip down to check out the Yanks every now and then even though we all know they are out of it. It must be getting close to September, which is the most fun month of all especially when we are in a playoff chase. I think we have good chance this year and I still think Tampa is going to fall sooner or later and we will catch them. I am hoping...

We won game 1 8-4 over the Blue Jays as Pedroia and Tek each hit homers. I am really impressed with Pedroia. I just love watching him swing the bat. For a little guy, he has a lot of power and he is always so intense while he is playing. He is a lot like me if would have ever made it as far as he did.

Game 2 we lost 11-0 and surprisingly, Lester was on the hill today. He only lasted 2.1 innings and allowed 7 earned runs. It was his shortest outing of the season. Hopefully he can bounce back from this against the Yanks coming up.

Game 3, we won 6-5 in 11 innings on Lowries home run in the 11th. Pedroia hit another home run, a 3 run shot in the third. DiceK was shaky through his 6 innings giving up 5 runs but our bullpen looked sharp going 5 innings and giving up just 1 hit. Papelbon got the win going 2 innings and Manny Delcarmen picked up his first save of the season.

Now there is an off day then off to the Bronx for a 3 game series there. This will be our last series there in the old Yankee stadium. I have a lot of memories in that stadium, most of them bad, but there was that one great one back in 2004. Remember when Pokey Reese fielded a slow roller to second and tossed it to first? Up to then, that was the biggest out I had ever seen. Of course, Foulke's out a week later topped that one but at the time, it was the best out ever. I remember Slappy hitting the ball from Bronson and the fans throwing stuff on the field and the police lining the field dressed in their riot gear. Those will be the memories that I will take with me of Yankee stadium. I despise the Yankees and I am loving it that they are wallowing around 4th place with the Blue Jays this year. I hope that we sweep them away this week and they (the Yankee fans) will always know what we did to them the last time we played in old Yankee stadium. Lets make it "Yankee Stadium - the House the Big Papi crushed." And end it on that note.

On another note, my son said something to me that made me smile. Sometimes he asks me to tell him about when the Sox would always lose when I was little and why they win today. He tells me that they waited until he was born until they won and they won't lose anymore because he says they don't want to make him cry. He was telling me this while we were fielding grounders in the house (very carefully) when he all of a sudden broke off into doing the play by play from the Buckner play in 1986. He said, "A little roller up along first, behind the bag", then he picked up the ball that I rolled him. Then he continued, "Buckner has it, he steps on first, and the Boston Red Sox are the world champions!" He tossed the ball back to me and stood there for a moment. I smiled at him and he looked back at me. I could tell he was thinking of something and then in the most sincerest tone, he looked at me and said "Daddy, I wish that would have happened for you" and he ran up and gave me a hug. I hope the Sox never make him cry.

Jason Bay is for Real

After coming off 2 losses to the Blue Jays at home, Jason Bay came up big for us in game 1 against the O's. He hit 2 home runs and had 4 rbi's to lead us to a 6-3 win. He is hitting .348 since we picked him up in the Manny trade and it looks like he is fitting in well with us. Lester went 7 innings and gave up just 1 run. I really like him. Everytime he or Beckett is on the mound, we have a great chance of turning in a win.

Game 2 we won 7-2 on DiceK's pitching and the homers of Tek and Youk. Youk and Pedroia are both hitting .320 on the year and I have to agree with the RemDawg in that Youk is a strong candidate for mvp this year. If we can hang in there, make the playoffs and get somewhere in the postseason, I think Youk has an excellent chance.

Game 3 we lost 11-6 as Clay once again did nothing on the mound. He gave up 5 runs in 2.1 innings and I am sure he will be sent down after this game. In other news, Beckett is experiencing tingling in his fingers so his next start has been pushed back to next week against the Yanks. Wake is still out with his back/shoulder and Colon hopefully will working his way back soon. Also, Yaz had triple bypass heart surgery and is now doing well. I have always loved Yaz. He has been my favorite throughout the years. I start to realize that I am getting old when my favorite players when I was young are now getting old too. Get well soon Yaz!

A Sweep of the Rangers

What a crazy series it was against the Rangers! The first game was the most amazing game I had seen in quite a long time. We scored 10 runs in the first inning and 2 more in the third. We were up 12-2 to start the 5th inning and I even made a comment to my wife that this game is over. Then, Texas started to come back. They scored 8 runs in the 5th to make it 12-10, but then we added 2 more in the bottom of the frame to make it 14-10. I then told my wife this is like a little league game and we watched the Rangers take the lead by scoring 5 runs in the 6th inning. They then lead 16-14 after they scored another run in the 7th to which we responded with another run of our own making it 16-15. Then the bottom of the 8th happened and it was unbelievable. Youk hit a monster shot over the monster to give us a 19-16 lead and although they scored another run in the 9th, it wasn't enough and we won 19-17. The top of our lineup was crazy - combined, the top 4 men in our lineup went 12 for 19, scored 14 runs and had 14 rbi's. David Ortiz had 2 home runs just in the first inning, each of them 3 run shots. It was a crazy game!

Game 2 we won 8-4 on the pitching of Lester. He had a shutout going until the 8th when he allowed a home run and then Timlin came in and gave up a three run homer as well. Offensively, we are hitting on all cylinders. We need to keep it up.

Game 3 we won 10-0 as DiceK went 7 innings without giving up a run. Almost all of our offense came in the 2nd inning as we scored 9 runs that inning. Papi hit another 3 run homer and Dustin went 3 for 5 and scored twice.

Now a three game set with Toronto and then Baltimore. We need to win these divisional games.

Splitting the Sox

We had a 4 game split over the weekend against the White Sox in Chicago.

The first game, we lost 5-3. We were down 4-0 when Dustin hit a three run home run to get us to within 1 but we just simply ran out of innings. Lester took the loss going 7 innings and allowing 4 runs.

The second game, we won 6-2 as Ellsbury hit another home run and Big Papi had 3 rbi's and went 3 for 5. DiceK looked about as good as I had ever seen him and he went 8 innings only giving up 4 hits and 1 run.

The third game, we lost 6-5 even after we scored 3 runs in the first inning off of a Mike Lowell 3 run home run. Buchholz just looked horrible and he went just 3 innings and gave up 5 runs. I think he is done. He needs to go back to AAA or AA and work on things some. Hopefully, we will have Colon back soon and he can fill in Clay's spot in the rotation.

The final game of the series, we won 5-1. We didn't get our first hit until the 7th inning but then we started to pile them on. Beckett allowed just one run over 8 innings to get the win. We now have a three game set with Texas at home.

Back in KC

We took 2 of 3 from KC and we easily could have won all three.

In game one, we lost 4-3, but left the bases loaded in the ninth. Pedroia had a big day going 3 for 4 but Clay gave up 4 runs in his 6 innings and took the loss.

In game two, we won 8-2 on Beckett's pitching and Bay's hitting. Bay went 4-5, scored twice and had 2 rbi's and Beckett pitched 6.2 innings, struck out 7 and only allowed 2 runs. Our bullpen continued to not allow a run.

In game three, we won 8-2 again, this time off the bat of Ellsbury and the pitching of Wake. Jacoby went 3 for 4 including a 3 run home run to put us out on top for good and Wake went 6 innings giving up just one earned run. Once again, our bullpen went 3 innings and didn't give up a run.

Things are starting to look good...

Back On Track

We swept the A's in our first series in the Post-Manny era.

Our pitching kept us in the game in game 1 as we won 2-1 in 12 innings. Jason Bay, our Manny replacement scored both runs. Our bullpen was the story as they went 5.2 innings, gave up just 3 hits and 1 run. If our pitching continues like this we should have no problems.

Game 2 we won 12-2 as we jumped out to an early lead scoring 5 runs in the first and 4 more in the third. Bay hit a three run home run in the first and Lester went 7 innings giving up only 2 runs, both of which came in the first inning. Youk and Lowrie both came up big in fact Youk had 2 home runs, both 2 run shots.

Game 3 we won 5-2 as Bay again scored 2 runs. Our bullpen went 3 innings of one hit ball and DiceK went 6 innings striking out 8 and giving up just 2 runs.

Now, what should be an easy series against Kansas City...

So Long Manny

Well it has happened. Manny is gone. I don't really know how to feel about it yet, maybe it was something that needed to be done. It looked like he was ready to go. I still remember his first at bat for us him hitting a home run. That was the beginning of the Manny Era. He helped us to 2 world series wins which is 2 more than I ever dreamed of witnessing. With him in the lineup, I always felt we always had a chance.

But anymore, it seemed he didn't like being around. Over the last couple of weeks, I guess I could see it coming, but down deep I wished it wouldn't. Manny's number 24 was the first 'real' jersey I ever bought my son. He was one at the time and as much as my wife doesn't believe me, his first word was actually "Manny" and not "Mommy" as she had wanted. My son learned the "Manny wave" before he could talk and we even learned the "Manny-Papi" handshake as our own personal handshake. He learned to swing the bat by watching Manny in the batters box. I don't think he understands that Manny is gone yet. This is the part of baseball that I wish I could keep him away from.

The saddest part for me is my daughter who just turned one will never know who Manny was. Like my son who will be five next month, has no idea who Nomar is. He doesn't even know Nomar used to play for us. I am sad that in five years, she will have no memory of Manny.

Thanks Manny for all your goofy moments over the years, and for all your great ones too. I will always remember your home run against the Angels last year in the playoffs where you just stood in the batters box and raised your arms after the ball left the yard. Thanks for being a big part of my family, even though you don't even know me. Maybe it was all of our "destination". So long...

This Time, Swept at Home

We were swept by the Angels and really, none of the games were even that close. We are in a big time slump and need to do something quick or we could miss the playoffs entirely.

The first game we lost 7-5 and DiceK got ripped for 6 runs in 5+ innings. He pitched to 5 batters in the 6th and couldn't get anyone out. It always seems he runs into one trouble inning per game. Only this time he couldn't get out of it. Manny did hit a solo home run with 2 out in the ninth but it wasn't enough.

The second game we lost 6-2. Lackey had a no hitter going into the 9th until little Dustin came up and got a base hit. Then Youk hit a home run to put us on the board. Buchholz didn't have it tonight as he went 6.1 innings and gave up 5 earned runs.

We lost the last game of the series 9-2 as Beckett looks horrible only going 5.1 innings and giving up 7 earned runs. Manny went 0-3 in what could be his last game in a sox jersey. I watched his final at bat and told everyone this could be his last time with us. The trade deadline is tomorrow, we will see how it unfolds...

Return of Papi

We were only able to take 1 game from the Yanks over the weekend.

We lost the first game 1-0. Beckett pitched all he could but our bats could do nothing against Joba and Manny sat the game out with a sore knee for the second straight game. The biggest news of the game though was the return of Big Papi. He went 1-4 but is was nice to see him back in the lineup. What is up with Joba (the Hutt) and Youk? Joba (the Hutt) threw another one at Youk that was right at his head and Youk had to be restrained by the home plate umpire and both sides received warnings. Now normally, that is not a big deal, but last August at Yankee Stadium, Joba threw back-to-back pitches that went behind Youkilis. Joba was suspended for two games. Three weeks ago at Yankee Stadium, Chamberlain threw one up and in on Youkilis. There is clearly a history here of Joba going after Youk. Varitek said after the game that Joba's pitches to Youk bothered the team. You know the Yanks are always talking about the type of command Chamberlain has, isn't strange that all of his overly inside pitches against Boston seem to occur with Youkilis at the plate. Even Francona stated, "He has great command until Youk gets in there. I don't know [if there was intent]. I would not have that answer." Something needs to be done to Joba the Hutt. We need to bring in a pitcher for the sole purpose of hitting Jeter and Arod. It is getting hard to put up with Joba anymore. I can't stand him.

On Saturday we lost 10-3 and Wakefield got shelled for 6 runs in 5.1 innings. It was good to see Papi and Manny in the same lineup again even though Manny went 0-4. From what the reports are saying, something is going on with Manny - they are calling it "some kind of disconnect between the player and the club". Evidently, his injured knee wasn't injured and he has been unhappy about the ownership not doing something about his contract. The part that mad me sad was that in the first inning when they announced Manny to the crowd, there were more boos than cheers. I heard that if Manny made himself unavailable for this game, he would be disciplined or even suspended. Something is going on with Manny and I sure hope they can work out whatever it is. Maybe the Manny era is coming to an end. Oh - and about the game, the only thing good I can see from this game was Arod getting hit. It was about time.

Game 3 we won 9-2 as both Papi and Manny had big games. Combined, they went 5-9 with 4 runs and 5 rbi's. The big news though was the comments Manny made about wanting to be traded and that he would waive his no trade clause. He said, "I am tired of them and they are tired of me". Manny said he doesn't think we will trade him because, "they know what they have in me." It was almost like he was daring us to trade him. I have now done a 180 and will have to say that Manny has to go. Once he thinks he is bigger than the team, he's got to go. I will miss him if he does, but I am now beginning to think it will be better for the team.

Now three at home against the Angels and then the trade deadline. Something might be brewing...

Sweeping the Mariners

Coming off our 3 game losing streak to the Angels, it was nice to finally get back on track against the Mariners. We swept the M's in Seattle and kept pace with Tampa.

The first game we won 4-0 on the strong pitching of Lester and Paps got his 29th save. Manny got 3 hits and Tek is coming back with 2 rbi's as well.

The second game we won 4-2 on the pitching of DiceK and Paps got his 30th save. JD Drew hit a home run and had 2 rbi's as he continues to fill in for Papi. I can't wait for Papi to come back and from what the reports are saying, he should be back in a week or so.

The third game we won 6-3 in 12 innings. Manny sat this one out with a sore knee so Youk had to step up and bat clean up. He did just that going 2-6 and scoring twice with an rbi. Papelbon ran into trouble in the 11th but got out of the jam and got the win. Now an off day then a three game homestand against the Yankees. We can really put them out of this thing if we take care of business over the weekend.