Nomar was the Red Sox Bledsoe

Dan Patrick just brought his up on his ESPNRadio show, and I thought it was fitting. I was never a big fan of Drew Bledsoe back when I was a Patriots fan. I always thought he was over-rated and quite frankly thought too much of himself. While it never really came out, he was behind the departure of Curtis Martin - and utimately my NY Jets conversion. Remarkably, as close as he took the Pats; even to the big game, he couldn't get it done. In comparison to Nomar it really is amazing. While not as cocky and full of himself as Bledsoe, he did clearly attempt to push the Sox management behind the scenes. Ultimately it got him a ticket out of town.

I don't want to spend a lot of time dwelling on the negative, but I think a few minutes to examine the impact of Nomar and his attitude on this team is appropriate. Here is a guy who turned down a pretty impressive four year contract extension in 2002. Then, after the signing of Tejada in Baltimore, turned down a market adjusted deal, and actually complained about it. As good a player as Nomar is, he is not as good as Tejada or Edgar Renteria for that matter. And beyond that, he has spent at least some part of the last three season injured. Then the unthinkable happened - the Red Sox had an opportunity to aquire Alex Rodriguez (perhaps the best all around player in baseball, not just shortstop). What an insult! Supposedly he heard about the trade on SportsCenter while on vacation in Hawaii. What a bunch of jerks in the Sox management for not calling him and notifying him that there were lots of offers and nothing was done yet...

Of course we all know how that panned out. The A-Rod trade was nixed by the MLB Players Association. Manny and Nomar were staying in Boston, Ordonez was staying in Chicago. Somehow, Manny was able to put this behind him (even after being put on waivers) before he even showed up to spring training. Not only did he put it behind him, he consigned himself to being a part of this team. With a little help from Kevin Millar, he opened up to the press, and we started to get a glimpse of what this guy was really like. On the flip side, Nomar was sulking. His achilles was injured in the first spring training game, and it was all downhill from there. It was very obvious that his heart just wasn't in it. I'm almost convinced that if it had not been a contract year for Nomar, he may not have made it back at all. But speculation aside, it was apparent to everyone that Nomar was not happy, and it was having an effect on the team.

Once he finally made it back into the lineup he struggled. He complained when he was dropped to the bottom of the lineup. When he finally warmed up and started to hit, it was apparent to everyone that his range in the field was not the same. As big a fan favorite as he was, when he was traded, the uproar was minimal. I'm not talking about the Boston media, anyone who reads my stuff knows I'm no fan of theirs. I'm talking about the fan base, who were disappointed, but could no longer put up with his attitude. For the first two weeks after the trade, OC struggled. Who could blame him? This guy was going from a place where they could barely get 5000 people in the stands to playing at Fenway where there aren't enough seats for everyone.

About a month after the trade, suddenly the few wimperings about the trade stopped. OC began to hit, and the Sox went on an unbelievable winning streak. Back to the subject: in comparison - Pats not playing well, Bledsoe gets hurt, Pats go on a winning streak. Nomar will always have his place in Red Sox history, but the loss was his. Instead of stepping up and making the most of his situation (ala Manny), he decided to take the low road.

Yahoo! News - Manny Ramirez Named World Series MVP

Yahoo! News - Manny Ramirez Named World Series MVP

Yahoo! News - A lot has happened since 1918

Yahoo! News - A lot has happened since 1918

Anticlimactic

I thought for sure that after actually getting into the Series, that it would certainly be more gratifying than just beating the Yankees in the ALCS. Maybe it's because after game one, the Cards never challenged for the lead, maybe it's because it was a four game sweep, but it was certainly more thrilling winning game seven of the ALCS than game four of the World Series for me. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that they finally got it done it just seems a bit hollow. I didn't expect this. When people were saying that it was enough to have beaten the Yankees, I initially disagreed, but now that's all said and done, it may have been after all.

Ode to the Red Sox

From Damon’s hair to Manny’s flair
From Papi’s smile to Pedro’s guile
From Nixon’s arm to Schilling’s charm
From Mueller’s glove to Veritek’s shove
From Millars’ talk to Bellhorn’s walks
From sinkers by Lowe to Arroyo’s rows
From Keith Foulke’s change to Cabby’s range
From Wakefield’s knucks to Timlin’s guts
No curse, no Babe, no ghosts so eerie
In my lifetime, never thought I’d see the Sox win the Series

Highs & Lows

Here are some quick hits on what were my high & low points of this post-season:

High: 8 innings of shutout ball from the bullpen in extra innings of games 4 & 5 in the ALCS.

High: Big Papi letting it fly by going for 22 for 55 in the three series.

High: Derek Lowe taking the mound in game in game 4 without any notice, after being left out of the post season starting rotation.

High: Curt Schilling making two starts after having a torn ankle tendon sutchered out of the way.

High: Pedro pitching seven shutout innings in game 3 of the World Series, looking like he was 25 again.

High: Manny & Papi flashing their defensive skills by throwing at runners at home and third respectively in game 3.

High: Interviews before game one with Johnny Pesky and Red Schoendienst who played against each other in the 1946 World Series between Boston & St. Louis. Classy gentlemen.

Low: Manny's foot catching turf while sliding to make a catch and having the fly ball bounce off his glove.

Low: Giving up 19 runs in game 3 of the ALCS, and eventually losing losing 19-8 at Fenway.

Low: Pedro intentionally hitting A-Rod with a pitch after giving up the homer to Olerud in the 2nd game of the ALCS.

Low: Fox shameless promotion of not only their own series, but also of their major advertisers. Interviews with Jimmy Fallon (and not Ben Affleck or Matt Damon?) and Tom Hanks, and the worst of all - the imaginary Leon surrounded by the 'slamma-lamma-ding-dong girls'.

Lowest: Jimmy Fallon on the field celebrating after the game.

10/27/04 WS Game4 at Cardinals W 3-0

It's rainy day in the desert, there was a lunar eclipse tonight, and apparently the next thing that will happen is that Hell will freeze over, because the Red Sox have won the World Series. Once again this team almost seemed to be playing unconciously with Damon's lead-off homer. From there on out D-Lowe took command and just laid out the Cards hitters one after another. Trot Nixon drove in the insurance runs in the third, and somehow Jason Marquis continued to pitch out of jams to keep it 3-0, but it really didn't matter, because the pitcher on the other side was absolutely lights out.

10/26/04 WS Game3 at Cardinals W 4-1

With rain throughout the day, it really looked as if they wouldn't get this one in, but as magical as this post-season has been for the Sox, the sky cleared just at the right time, and the game was not even delayed. Save for the rather large puddles in right field, one of which sent Trot Nixon down onto his butt, the wet field did not seem to play into the game. It was a pretty nasty fall for Trot, on a quick stop his feet went out from under him and he came down squarely on his backside. Hopefully there won't be an repercussions for his back.

For most of the day the talk on sports radio was "Which Pedro will we see tonight". My consistent thought was that if you've been watching the Red Sox all along, you'd expect the same Pedro we've seen all season. It amazes me how a career high ERA (3.90) - and that's not so bad folks; you can probably count on both hands how many AL starters with 200 IP had sub-four ERA's this season - makes people think that somehow he's lost his stuff. For the true Sox fans, everyone knows that other than losing some of his velocity, he's essentially the same pitcher we've been watching for the past seven seasons. While he's no longer blowing hitters away, he's never been a high innings pitcher, never even been a high pitch count pitcher. The difference is the strikeouts; when you're getting 10-12 per game, you're typically throwing less pitches than if you're only getting 6-9. And this season, he's been outstanding from pitch 20 to pitch 100. It's been the first and the seventh innings that he's had most of his trouble. It would have been no different tonight had it not been some outstanding fielding plays (and some poor base running for the Cards).

Then the talk shifts to the defensive liability that is David Ortiz. Now let's get a few things straigt here. This guy IS a first baseman, it just so happens that there are two guys on the roster that are better fielders than he is. If he was playing for an NL team, this guy would be playing in the field everyday - guaranteed. And then we saw how big a liability he is when he made an excellent throw over to third to get Suppan, something that a first baseman does not typically do, by the way...

The chips continue to fall our way. I can only say I'm cautiously optimistic at this point. I've seen enough of these to know "it ain't over till it's over". This post season has seemed different for some reason. I can't seem to put my finger on it, but since the blow out in Fenway that was game 3 of the ALCS, this team has played with a different attitude, almost a flair. For once, the other team is making the mistakes that cost the game, not us. It's a pretty good feeling.

10/24/04 WS Game2 vs Cardinals W 6-2

Enough cannot be said about Schill's performance in the post-season. Not only does he continue to perform on an ankle and a half, but he blew off 4 errors tonight while he was pitching and made sure that we didn't pay for any of them. Apparently now with a hip flexor problem on top of the ankle tendon, it would probably be best if it didn't come down to him having to pitch again. I'm sure the Red Sox medical staff would never do anything to jeopardize his career, but you have to wonder how much longer he should be pushing his luck.

Tek cam through huge with a first inning triple and OC and Bellhorn provided the rest of the offense as the bullpen nearly coasted to the victory. Embree seems to be getting hot just at the right time, and Keith Foulke is about as unhittable as a pitcher can get. It's looking like if we can get six solid out of Pedro and D-Lowe and a few runs from the offense, we might be able to wrap this up in St Louis.

10/23/04 WS Game1 vs Cardinals W 11-9

For the rest of the series I will not blog during the game! I seriously considered it tonight, and went against me better judgement. Nice job talking about how well Arroyo was pitching, eh? He was still making good pitches, his line is a little decieveing with his throwing error with two out in the sixth. I don't think the game was as close as the score either. Everytime the Sox looked like they were pulling away, the let the Cards get back in it. Manny was charged with two errors in the same inning, the first one was bogus in my opinion because Marquis was clearly out at the plate. Veritek did an excellent job of blocking the plate and the home plate ump did not get into the proper position to make the call. Then I thought Joe Buck was a little harsh on the criticism on the second one when Manny's cleat got stuck in the turf and made his body skip up.

Keith Foulke was the hero, though. I think he actually is a much tougher ninth inning pitcher when has has already come in in the eighth. He looks much more sharp.

BA

Looks like Arroyo has found his curevball. Not that I ever thought he lost it. The outing he had in the ALCS was short (too short in my opinion) and he seemed a little unsettled. Toight he looks like he did at the end of the season, locked in and putting the pitches right where they need to be. Wake was really looking good up until the 4th, I wonder if the bottom of the the 3rd was just too long for him. Sometimes and long half inning from your batters can really either cool you off or throw off your timing. The knuckleball clearly was out of his control.

Currently 7-5 in the bottom of the fifth with two out and Manny at first.

Of All the Storylines

I can't believe the prevailing media winds were complaints about Francona bringing in Pedro. I too questioned the decision, but all-in-all, I think there are plenty of other topics that resound with a little more positive tone. My opinion on the Pedro outing is just this: Since game four, it was very obvious to me that Francona had a pitching plan going into each game (barring the idea of back-toback extra inning affairs). I think that he already had in mind the idea to throw D-Lowe six if he could do it, use Pedro for the seventh, Timlin in the eighth, and Foulke if needed in the ninth. I've mentioned previously, I thought he made some very gutsy calls in this series that had they gone the wrong way for him may have cost him his job. Just getting to the point that how many good decisions do you have to make to even out the bad mistakes? I guess that's a tough question for a Sox manager, eh?

First positive storyline: This team went to work. Down by three games, and absolutely run out on a rail in game three at Fenway, this team got down to business. They focused on the game at hand, and each day they were only concerned with the game they were playing. The Yankees on the other hand appeared to be playing like "there's always tomorrow".

Second positive storyline: David Oritz. It's not like he was an annonymous player like last year. Everyone who pays attention to baseball knew who he was by the end of the All-Star game. When it seemed like no one could get a key hit for the Sox, he picked this entire team up by their bootstraps, threw them on his back and got it done night after night. It's really too bad that the playoffs don't count for the regular season MVP award, because he would be the hands down winner now.

Third positive storyline: Derek Lowe. Given up for dead (arm that is - sorry) by everyone including myself, he came out with something to prove. I think maybe not only to the team, the Sox management, and the fans, but to himself as well. He admitted that even though he had complained about being left out of the rotation in the playoffs that is was the right decision based on the way he pitched down the stretch. But yet from somewhere down inside, he sucked it up and pitched two incredible games.

Fourth positive storyline: This is a TEAM. Call them idiots, unkempt, hairy, whatever. These guys play together, plain and simple. From the role players like Doug Mirabelli, to the defensive replacements like Minky and Pokey, to the designated pinch-runner Dave Roberts, each and everyone of these guys felt like they contributed.

Looks like the Cards are going to take care of the Astros. Too bad, I was hoping to see the Sox take on the paper thin Astros pitching staff. Still hope though, Isringhausen coming on...

10/20/04 CS Game7 at Yankees W 10-3

Yankees win! Yankees win! The-e-e-e-e Yankees win! NOT! Man, I cannot tell you how completely annoying that Yankee announcer is. An amazing turn of events, starting with two overturned calls last night, and some unbelievable plays tonight. When Damon got his first hit of the night I thought - this is a good sign. Then he got thrown out the plate - here we go again. Then the bomb by Papi - Dale Sveum is an idiot. By the time that Loaiza made a bad throw to second which ricocheted into center field - this is the kind of stuff that usually happens to us.

Dan "the Duke" Davis from ESPN Radio, a notorious Red Sox fan, claimed this morning on The Dan Patrick Show that losing the World Series would be fine since we would have beaten the Yankees. I have to say that it's not good enough for me. A remarkable win, some of the best baseball I have seen, our first World Series in 18 years. If we don't win it will be a disappointment, how could it not be.

Outstanding performances all around on this team as usual, from a couple of excellent plays from third, first by Millar, short, and an unbelievable stretch by Minky to get Jeter to start the bottom of the eighth. A little strange bullpen move by bringing in Pedro in the seventh, but after giving up a pair of doubles and a base hit, he was really cooking - I think he actually hit 96 with one of his fastballs. Mike Timlin got five excellent outs, including an A-Rod whiffing strikeout after going down 3-1.

The Killer D's

Derek, David and Damon... they might not be the killer B's, but tonight they were just what we needed. I was worried that Francona relieved Lowe too quickly, he was really sitting them down. He hasn't had stuff like this in months, perhaps this was his most outstanding performance of the entire season. I'm a firm believer in judging a pitcher by the way he pitches when he has a lead, and I know I've mentioned it before, but Lowe had a pretty nice lead on July 4th and couldn't do anything with it. After watching him tonight it was like a completely different player. I'm beginning to wonder if he puts too much pressure on himself when he has too much advance warning that he is starting. He can complain all he wants that Francona doesn't inform him about anything if he keeps pitching like this.

David Ortiz is unbelievable. Plain and simple he hoysted this team on his back and carried the offense in games 4 & 5, and absolutely unloaded in the first inning with that bomb to right.

How about Johnny Damon? He got that seeing-eye single last night and I looked over at my wife and said "sometimes that's all it takes to get 'em back on track". Boy was that an understatement, he was back to hitting the ball with authority tonight, and if that continues if bodes well for the Sox in the upcoming series.

10/19/04 CS Game6 at Yankees W 4-2

Nothing like a heart attack ninth... From the first inning, it was apparent that the Red Sox hitters planned to take control of this game. And so they did, threatening several times in the first three innings, and breaking it open with four runs in the fourth off Jon Lieber. Officiating was the highlight of this game, with a changed call giving Bellhorn a home run - clearly over the wall in replays (I saw it when it happened, I don't know how Jim Joyce missed it) to the interference call on A-Rod who very clearly swiped at the glove of Bronson Arroyo knocking the ball away. Actually, he probably would have been better giving himself up, it's possible that Jeter may have gotten third had he backed up instead of smacking the glove.

A marvelous performance by Curt Schilling, and a tremendous ninth inning from Keith Foulke who seems to have not had a day off in a week. Although there were a few questionable balls & strikes that were called leading to a pair of walks.

Already having made history by forcing a seventh game, this year's Sox have an opportunity to give themselves a place in baseball history by winning tomorrow night.

Things That Legends Are Made Of

What we saw tonight was nothing short of brilliant. A guy who by all rights should be scheduling his surgery was instead bearing down and stepping up for his team. No one would have blamed him had he not stepped up, but it is clearly not in his nature. This guy is a gamer, and he came with his A game tonight. Bloody ankle and all, Schill pitched a masterful seven innings, the only blemish a solo home run to BW in the seventh. As I've said before, he pitches better with a lead than any other starter in baseball. He showed it tonight.

10/18/04 CS Game5 vs Yankees W 5-4 14 Innings

What is left to say? The bullpen is performing so far over its head, you just have to wonder when it's going to come crashing down. But, in the meantime, we can enjoy the brand of baseball that can only be created by matchups of these two teams.

Amazing that in the course of two games, the obvious MVP choice has swung from Matsui to Big Papi...

Unfortunately, I had to attend to my daughter's softball game tonight so I missed innings 9-13. Imagine my surprise when we got back to the car over 90 minutes later and the game was still on!

10/17/04 CS Game4 vs Yankees W 6-4 12 Innings

When the bullpen can hold on, the hitters will come through. It might take them 12 innings, but eventually it will happen! I have to admit I was a little concerned after Foulke came out of the game, this bullpen has been worked like a dog in this series. But Letspanic looked more like Dontpanic, and Big Papi made them pay. This game really reminded me of the 2003 post-season. Every game was exciting, down to the wire every night. I can honestly say that even though I was disappointed that the Sox lost game 7, I really felt like I had seen the best two weeks of baseball in my life. That and the fact that I was completely exhausted mentally.

The only choice we have at this point is a game at a time. If we win today, we play tomorrow. If they take that attitude, we might see this go to six. And don't be surprised if Schill steps up and takes the mound at Yankee Stadium.

I Missed the Point of that Change...

What was the point of replacing Embree with Myers? I thought that Embree looked like he still had some good stuff. Clearly, he was instructed to pitch around Sheffield, so why wouldn't he stay in to face Matsui? He certainly would not have thrown 4 straight balls.

Currently 4-4 in the top of the eleventh with the bases loaded. Letspanic.

Got Our Money's Worth

Finally! A close game, and who could ask for more than that? A win, well that would be nice too, but for the moment let's just savor the comeback for what its worth. Just an absolutely outstanding job by Keith Foulke. Literally had the entire Yankee lineup walking away shaking their heads. He did everything that was asked of him and more. More than we would even expect considering the way this bullpen has performed in this series.

I've said it before in this forum and I'll say it again: I love Dave Roberts. If only we had a place for him on our roster next season... Unfortunately, he will be someone's starting center fielder, and whatever someone pays for him they will have got a bargain in my eyes. He's just a gritty, leave it all on the field type of player. On top of that, he has blazing speed.

Currently 4-4 with one out in the bottom of the tenth inning.

What Was That?

What was Terry Francona thinking? That because Matsui had another big hit Lowe was finished? ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE! With one out in the top of the sixth and a one run lead, once Matsui hits the triple, why wouldn't you want Lowe to get BW to hit the grounder. He already got him to do it once tonight. Even if Timlin comes in and manages to get the last two outs of the inning, what happens next? Do we expect Timlin to get 5 outs and hang on to a one run lead and then expect Foulke to pitch the eighth and ninth? He made some tough decisions, but this one was just the wrong one. He simply pulled the trigger on Lowe too quickly.

Mr. McCarver, you are the one who is wrong, sir. WAY wrong... He just said that it would be wrong to second guess the decision to bring in Timlin because he got the ground ball. But, he didn't you friggin genius. BW hit a high slow chopper, not a grounder. It probably goes as a groundball in the scorebook, but we know the difference, don't we? Matsui would have been thrown out at the plate if it was a grounder.

Bellhorn made a nice stop up the middle, but then gave the run away when he failed to pickup the grounder in the hole by Tony Clark. Had he just taken his time after he knocked it down, this would still be a tie game. And again, Mr. McCarver I think if Pokey Reese is the second baseman, he probably makes that play. Which also begs the question: if you're dropping Bellhorn all the way to the 9-hole, why wouldn't you just give him the night off and take advantage of Pokey's glove at second. Perhaps it might have made the difference... And perhaps next year we will beat the Yankees.

D-Lowe Man on the Spot

Remarkably, the head case that has been Derek Lowe this season would make you believe that this could be the worst Red Sox managing decision since leaving Pedro in to pitch the eighth inning in NY last October. But instead what we've seen is a composed, deliberate performance from D-Lowe. Perhaps the key is that he probably wasn't sure if he would actually start tonight or not until he arrived at the park. I wouldn't doubt it took Francona that long to make the decision. And you have to hand it to him, if Lowe was to get pounded, it would certainly be his legacy. And the gutsy decision to go to Lowe and to move up OC to the 2-hole have both worked out so far tonight.

Currently 2-1 Yankees in the bottom of the 5th with bases loaded and two outs. Papi time!

Pitching Management

What the hell? First of all, I think he gave up on Arroyo way too quickly. What do you think it's going to do to him if he ends up pitching again in this series? He gives up a couple of hits and he's going to be looking to the dugout to see if he's being pulled. Second, if you're going to put Wake out there, why not do it in the 3rd inning? Why try to get outs from Mendoza and Letspanic this early on in the game? This truely makes no sense to me.

I would find it hard to believe that even the way Arroyo was pitching he would have made a bigger mess than this. 11 runs in 4 innings? And how many times did this pitching staff think they could tempt fate by putting runners on ahead of Sheffield?

Then on top of all this, what is the purpose of walking Posada? In my experience, one of the worst things you can do to a reliever is make him intentionally walk one of the first batters he faces. And after he was making some nice pitches, and got Bernie Williams to pop out.

If the Sox cannot pull this game out, I'm not sure what happens next. Clearly Wakefield cannot pitch tomorrow, so what will it be? If they are down 3-0 you cannot possibly throw Lowe out there, so it would have to be Pedro. Not that I'm giving up, these middle innings are where the Yankees pitchers are most vulnerable, and I don't think a 5 run lead is too far out for this lineup to catch them.

Challenge Your Opponent

The Red Sox need to be agressive on the bases. While I agree that you should never make the first or last out at 3rd or home, Sheff made a perfect throw, and after looking at the replay turns out Manny was safe. When you need to give your offense a lift, sometimes its necessary to take chances. I will defend Manny on that point. Nice to hear that no one made any comment on the fact that Sheff had to bare hand the ball and make a perfect throw to "get him".

Arroyo looks to be settling down. He made two mistakes when he was ahead in the count. He had Sheff 0-2 and got him on a long fly, and as soon as I saw that pitch I said - "you can't throw that pitch on that count". Sure enough, he did it again to Matsui on a 1-2 and he made him pay.

10/13/04 CS Game2 at Yankees L 3-1

Good ahead, prove me wrong. I thought the hitters could get to Jon Lieber. I thought the hitters could get to Mariano Rivera. I thought if the bullpen could hold the score down, the hitters could come back and score some runs. I was wrong. Plain and simple. No excuses, just wrong.

Jon Lieber pitched a heck of a game, allowing just two hit through seven innings before giving up a leadoff single in the eighth. Pedro pitched as well as he has in several weeks, but when it was all said and done, it just wasn't enough.

This could have been the best chance for the Sox to win in New York, and even if they are able to win all three at Fenway, they are going to have to find a way to win one in the Bronx. If not against Lieber in game six, then against Kevin Brown in game seven.

Tony Massarotti will you please Shut-up?!

My list of idiots on this blog continues to grow. I just hear him on ESPN Radio talking about how Schill might not pitch again. This is SO typical of the Boston sports media. Everyone thinks the Red Sox fans are doomsayers; I disagree. I think it's them. They are the ones that constantly have to make something out of nothing. They are the ones who consistently focus on the negative.

Let's look at exactly what Curt had to say last night: "If I can't go out there with something better than I had, I'm not going back out there''. Everyone knows what a gamer this guy is. I doubt anyone was more disappointed in his performance than Curt Schilling himself. He is his biggest critic. That's why he takes these guys to task, that's why he can't let foolish statements go when he hears them on the radio.

This is the best part of his article: "If this is all Schilling can give them, if this is all he has, maybe the Red Sox are better off not pitching him at all. Maybe they are better off with Derek Lowe in Game 5." Yeah, that's right.. we'd be better off with Derek Lowe. The guy who was 2-2 with a 6.52 ERA in 6 September starts.

Perhaps Mr. Massarotti should pay a little closer attention to game. The Yankees made some good hits against Schill. The poke by Matsui in the first was WAY outside, the drive down first was JUST fair. That happens, that's baseball. Losing game one is not the end of the world. It was however, the Yankees best chance to win a game in this series, and they did.

10/12/04 CS Game1 at Yankees L 10-7

There's not much more I can say about this game. If the bullpen cannot keep the Yankees from scoring this is going to be a very short series. Period.

I am convinced that the hitters can come back from nearly any deficit, but at some point your pitchers have got to stop the other team from scoring. It didn't happen tonight, and now we are down 1-0. I'm not particularly concerned, though. While some peoples opinion was that Schill was under considerable pressure tonight, I think the pressure was on Mussina. He has stepped up on this pitching staff, he understands that he is the key. This rotation is paper thin, and looking at Jon Lieber and the temperamental Kevin Brown up next has the Sox hitters licking their chops.

Pedro will come with it tomorrow night, don't bet against him.

Patience, Patience Redux

I happen to have a bit of timely blogging going on just now. I cracked open the laptop cover to write a quick complaint about how Tim McCarver just called Bronson Arroyo Brandon. More proof that he is an idiot. You would have thought that whoever is on the other end of his earpiece would have corrected him so that he could correct himself since there are only about 50 million people watching this broadcast and it would be nice to get the Sox #3 starters name correct. I say the blogging WAS timely because at the time Bellhorn broke up the perfecto, and Tek hit the bomb to make it 8-5 and my laptop promptly ran out of juice without warning. Hence the redux.

My next observation was that Mussina had been pitching very well. Of course, he was getting a little help from the Red Sox batters. First because they were watching strikes go by, then because they seemed to be swinging at everything. Clearly after he gave up the hit to Bellhorn his rhythm was broken and he could not get it back.

After that I went on to complain about the pitching choice of Wakefield. Not that I don't like him, he's pitched great this year. Unfortunately, I don't think he has pitched for about two weeks. When they announced the ALDS roster, they claimed to leave off Mendoza because Lowe was filling the long relief role. My big question is, where was he tonight? It seemed like the perfect opportunity for him. I doubt he would have done much worse than giving up two runs in one inning.

I really doubt that there is any kind of mental pressure on Rivera that would keep him from pitching. What no one has been talking about is his two blown saves against the Sox in his last four appearances against them. Or that his numbers against Boston this year are 0-2 with a 4.22 ERA and just 3 saves in 9 games. If the pen can manage to keep the Yanks from putting a cushion on this lead, it's still within reach, even with Rivera on to close it out.

Further proof that McCarver is a fool. No one AND I MEAN NO ONE in New England has turned off their TVs because the Sox are losing. What a dipwad...

Tough to Watch

This team is looking like they stepped back in time 3 months. All three strikeouts in the 4th inning were looking. This is not the aggressive hitting style that mopped up the Angels in the ALDS. While they might be a little rusty after having a few days off, they need to get the bats off their shoulders and start fighting some of these close pitches off.

I must say I was a little concerned when Francona went to Letspanic to replace Schill, but the middle infielders bailed him out with a nice double-play turn.

Tim McCarver was making quite a big deal about a potential problem with Schilling, but I'm not really sure that is true. He appeared to be making his pitches, they just happened to hit them where they could fall. Followed by a couple of walks (which is a little uncharacteristic) that turns out to be a dangerous combination. Besides, I think Tim McCarver is an idiot.

10/08/04 DS Game3 vs Angels W 8-6 10 innings

David Ortiz is a giant and Fenway Park is his sandbox. It's as simple as that. Going 4 for 6 with 3 RBI's today including the game winning homer in the 10th inning. Meanwhile, after a minor meltdown by Mike Timlin; Alan Embree, Keith Foulke and Derek Lowe combined to hold the Angels scoreless after the big blast by Vlad.

I think it was a miscalculation by Francona to relieve Arroyo after the sixth inning. He was cruising, had only allowed 6 base runners and 2 runs on 91 pitches. 62 of those he threw for strikes.

Ah, but to complain would be ridiculous. We're going to the ALCS for the second year in a row, and this year the outcome will be different!

Four outs in an inning = Loss

The Angels continue to five the Red Sox extra outs. I almost feel bad for Chone Figgins. This guy has been the uber-utilityman for the Angels this year, and he's going to be the goat. No question that he should have fielded some of these balls that he bobbled, juggled, and just plain missed.

I love the way the Sox hitters are approaching these games. Back in the middle of the summer, it seemed to me they were taking too many pitches. I recall the end of June series in New York where they couldn't seem to get the bats off their shoulders. On the flip side, Sheffield and Jeter were out the battling every pitch, fouling away three, four and sometimes more until they put the ball in play. Manny must have struck out 5 times in that series... it was driving me crazy.

This is the way they need to play. The way they HAVE to play if they are going all the way.

Papi is just absolutely smoking hot. Another double and an RBI.

Currently 4-1 Sox with 1 out in the bottom of the fourth.

10/06/04 DS Game2 at Angels W 8-3

This game could very well have been another blow out. Twice the Sox had the bases loaded in the first two innings, and only mustered one run and that came on a bases loaded walk to Manny.

An incredible performance by Pedro, who despite reports to the contrary from some broadcasters, was dominant in my opionion.

Only one additional comment today: Welcome to Fenway, Angels. Your 2004 season ends here!

Relentless

The only word to describe this team. You can't disrespect Trot Nixon like that. Intentional walk to Papi once, OK. Twice you pay. OC makes up for his rediculous 2 strike bunt with a HUGE triple (scored a double) off Donnelly. This series ain't coming back to Anaheim!

Currently 8-3 in the middle of the 9th. And very nearly 2:00 AM on the East Coast. I bet Shawn is still awake... If he isn't, he's going to kick himself in the butt.

Lesson Learned

Apparently Francona learned his lesson after leaving Pedro in too long in his last start against the Yanks. He is also sending a powerful message to the bullpen: Alot is going to be expected out of you in close games from here on out. I can't stress how important I think it is to have clearly defined roles on the pitching staff. I'm a little disappointed that Willie got left off the roster, but I understand because you've got to carry Youk and Dave Roberts.

Sveum was caught napping on that wild pitch with Minky at 2nd. As soon as he saw the ball carrom and K-Rob not covering home, he should have waved him on. Had Minky known he had a chance to score, he probably would have been running harder into third. K-Rob was so disgusted, he didn't even think to cover the plate until he saw Damon waving Minky in.

Currently 4-3 with 1 out in the bottom of the 8th.

Bonehead Bellhorn

What are you doing? I realize that he slipped, but why would you be off the base so far? Two outs and the bases loaded, you cannot afford to take the bat out of Papi's hands.

Pedro is looking pretty good. He threw alot of pitches in the second, but on several occasions reached back for the heater like he hasn't been able to do in quite a while.

Currenty 1-1 in after 2 innings.

10/05/04 DS Game1 at Angels W 9-3

This team means business. What a difference between game ones of '03 & '04. Last year they seemed tentative, almost surprised to be in the playoffs. This season, they will accept no less than playing in the World Series. It shows. It shows big time.

Schill was masterful, Manny, Papi, and Millah provided all the necessary offense. Several excellent defensive plays including a nice play by Millah to get a FC at second base, and a bunt RBI base hit by Minky. They were clicking today.

I'm a bit concerned about Timlin pitching two innings, although he didn't need to throw many pitches. He seems like a different pitcher come post-season.

Nice win guys. Ten more wins and it will be absolute chaos in the city of Boston. For now, though, we'll just take 'em one at a time.

Schilling is my Hero

This guy pitches with a lead better than any other pitcher I have ever seen. As soon as the Sox score enough runs to put them ahead, he always seems to bear down and make his pitches. Will they hit a solo homer once in a while (ala Erstad in the 7th), sure they will, but solo is the key word. He knows that success with a lead is to throw strikes. He has a solid defense behind him. He's going to give up a few hits. He nearly always gets the win. Had it not been for that errant throw, I'm pretty sure he would have finished the seventh.

As soon as he looked like he might have something wrong, he probably should have been pulled, though. He apparently felt something in his ankle after fielding the ball, and I'm not sure why he was left in after that.

Currently 8-3 Red Sox in the top of the eighth.

Washed Up

Angels starter Jerrod Washburn could not work his way out of the fourth inning after giving up a two run homer to Millah and back-toback walks to Tek and OC. A poor throw on a fielders choice by Chone Figgins cost them dealer, but it was clear that Washburn did not have good stuff today.

Good news not only because we jumped out to a bug lead, but that we also forced them to their bullpen early. Black Jack McDowell can give the Angels the edge in bullpen all he wants, but no matter how good they are, they're not going to be as effective if they're forced to pitch a bunch of innings.

Currently 8-1 Red Sox starting the bottom of the sixth.

I still don't think Schill should pitch past the 7th, regardless how well he might be pitching.

10/03/04 at Orioles L 3-2

The last game of the regular season was completely meaningless from the Sox perspective. Wild card wrapped up, finally beat the Orioles in a series this season. What was left to be accomplished? How about we try to get Dave McCarty a Win? That's right, first baseman Dave McCarty pitched two scoreless frames, and had a chance to notch the win had the Sox scored a couple more runs after the 5th inning.

I have to say that I am not thrilled with the prospect of playing the first series against the Angels. I would have much preferred we draw either of the limping teams (A's and Twins). The Twins shot themselves in the foot in their series with the Yankees earlier this week. Ron Gardenhire managed the games like they were playing out the string, and it cost them home field for the first round of the playoffs. I am also not so thrilled at the idea that the teams with the best records don't get the home field advantage. If you're going to assert the idea that the Wild Card winner should not start in their own division, then why not award them home field if they have the second best record in the League? I'll start my letter to Bud right away...

I think we have an excellent chance to come out of Anaheim 1-1, 2-0 if Playoff Pedro shows up. Looking at Schill's post season numbers (5-1 1.66 in 11 starts), I'm pretty happy with that, if we don't win game one tomorrow, it will most likely not be his fault. If we can pull off two wins in Anaheim, I think a sweep will be more than a possibility. My prediction for the 2004 post-season: Bronson Arroyo becomes a household name outside of New England. This guy has been throwing the heck out of the ball since the All-Star break. His overall numbers may not reflect it, but throw out just four poor starts over that three month period, and his numbers reveal a dominant pitcher (7-2 2.25 65K 11BB .896 WHIP), only one of the starts did he fail to go six innings: October 2.

Our bullpen for this first series: Foulke, Timlin, Embree, Letspanic, Myers, Adams, Lowe, and Williamson. After working out Willie in the last two games, I think they probably wanted to see how he would react to pitching on back-to-back days. He looked good to me, and I don't see how you can leave someone with his experience and talent behind. If I'm Francona, my relievers are Timlin/Embree depending on a lefty or righty hitter for the seventh, Willie for the eighth, and Foulke in the ninth. Save situation or not, regardless of the lead, if you can sweep the Angels or even win the series 3-1, they'll have time to rest up for the next round.

One last thing... Note to Terry Francona: I don't care how well the starter is pitching - seven innings is the limit! I don't give a crap if Schilling is throwing a no-hitter - bring in relief for the eighth.

10/02/04 at Orioles W 7-5 Both Games

The first and second of three meaningless games over the weekend, the relievers that are on the bubble of being on the post-season roster each got work, and Foulke pushed the limits to get his 32nd save in game one.

The good news is that the team played well in both games; Damon and OC provided most of the offense. BK Kim actually got some hitters out and Letspanic managed to notch a save. Arroyo looked like he was just tuning up, and I predict he will be a force throughout the playoffs. On the other hand, Pedro Astacio probably won't be starting a game anytime soon, and we may need to be a little concerned about Mendoza and Timlin giving up runs.

Manny took the entire day off, which might actually hurt his chances for MVP. What might hurt those chances the most was the play of Vlad over the weekend. All the talk surrounded Manny and Sheff, but I have to believe now that the Angels made the playoffs that Vlad will be the man. Without the obnoxious Jose Guillen, he strapped his team to his back and carried them through the Texas and Oakland series offensively.

10/01/04 at Orioles W 8-3

Will the Red Sox 4th starter please stand up? That's what happened tonight when Tim Wakefield pitched better than he has in over a month. From all indications, he had the flutter back tonight, and just in time with the playoffs starting in a few days. I think this has got to lead everyone to believe that Derek Lowe will be the odd man out of the playoff rotation. A note of congratulations has to go out to Wake, who won more games this year than he had since 1998. A remarkable season from a guy that was out of baseball 10 years ago.

Toot, toot. Another game, another hit. Manny extended his current hitting to 11 games, while Papi hit another dinger and Sheffield took the night off.

Orlando Hernandez has a lazy shoulder and that spells BIG trouble for the Yanks. It looks now like Hernandez may not be available to pitch in the playoffs. Clearly, a week ago he was considered their #1 starter.

I can't say I'm very happy watching the Angels stride toward the AL West crown. They are on quite a winning streak, and I would much rather see the Sox face the weak hitting A's who they have handled quite easily this season. The Angels on the other hand can hit with just about anyone with Anderson & Guerrero in the heart of their order, and the Sox had a difficult time winning in Anaheim this season.