Obligatory Patriots Day Post

Boston Marathon, morning baseball, and playoff basketball/hockey... this day has to be one of the best sports days ever.  If the Bruins and Celtics can pull out wins tonight (both are within the realm of possibility as I write this), this will be the perfect day, beyond the fact that I missed the end of the Red Sox game because I decided that since college costs more than $50K a year, I should actually attend my 1:15 class.  When I left the Sox were holding onto a 3-1 lead, Masterson had just left, and the last thing I watched before I ran out the door was Manny Delcarmen induce that double play to escape the sixth inning.

I kept up with the score via my phone (you can text "red sox score" to GOOGLE [466453] and they instantaneously send you the score), and by the time I reached the classroom, the score was 6-1.  By the time the lecture was underway, it was already 12-1.  I will admit to feeling some resentment towards my professor for making me miss the exciting part of the game... though he mentioned at the beginning of class that he wanted to be watching, too.

That's all I have for today, at least until the hockey and basketball games are over... I love being a Boston Fan.

Five Minute Musings

Five points, based off of five reactionary Twitter posts I made during the game:

1.) "Can you please stop swinging at the first pitch?!?"  This one was the first of the game, in the very first inning, and it was directed towards, you guessed it, leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury.  Once again, he swung at the first pitch, which resulted in an out.  Does he know what his responsibilities as a leadoff hitter are?  In case he's wondering, he's supposed to GET. ON. BASE.  Ideally, this should happen after he sees a few pitches, in order to wear down the starting pitcher and let his teammates see what kind of stuff the guy has.  FAIL on both accounts.  However, the Pretty-Boy did collect two hits on the night.

2.) "JASON BAY IS MY FAVORITE CANADIAN!!!!"  Bay took the offering from Orioles' starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie and deposited it in the right field bullpen, making the score 7-2 Baltimore (Drew was on base, having taken a walk).  At this point in the game (bottom second), I was still reeling from the grand slam Nick Markakis hit off of Brad Penny earlier in the inning, and Bay's hit made me hopeful that the Sox' bats could come alive... after all, I'd witnessed it scarcely six months earlier, and the Rays are a tougher opponent than the Orioles.

3.) "JD Drew again!  All those bashers need to STFU."  I will admit to being guilty of Drew bashing at times, but it's all in fun, and always relates to his extensive injury history.  However, despite having a total lack of visible passion (walk? strikeout? home run? All get the same stony faced expression from Drew), he tends to come through when the Red Sox need him.  In this Tweet, I was referring directly to the triple in the fifth inning, but also to his round tripper in the third.  And speaking of coming through, we mustn't forget that Drew carried us through Papi's absence last June, and it's looking like he might have to step up again, as Ortiz's average fell to .158 today...

3.) a. (Bonus Tweet!) "Who are you, and what have you done with David Ortiz?"  Papi looks absolutely lost at the plate so far... I for one am scared.

4.) "Pedroia=Love"  You all already know my thoughts on this topic.  However, this reaction came in the sixth inning, when Pedroia led off with a single, advanced to second when Youk was hit (in the HELMET!) with a pitch, and reached third when Drew walked.  Jason Bay hit a sacrifice fly to left-center field, and Pedroia tagged up and scored, making the score 9-8 Boston.  Mike Lowell would single in another run before the inning was over, but at the time, Pedroia's run was huge.

5.) "Mikey Lowell > Mark Teixeira" This was actually my reaction to Lowell's aforementioned single in the sixth.  However, I would like to quote some statistics to show Red Sox Nation that Lowell is the better deal for Boston.  Mike Lowell is batting .229 with 8 RBIs and 2 HRs, coming off major hip surgery in the offseason, at the age of 35.  Teixeira is batting .160 with 3 RBIs and 1 HR, at the age of 29.  Lowell is owed $12.5 million for 2009, while Teixeira is slated to earn $20.6 million.  Add that to the fact that Teirxeira looks like a small child, and Lowell looks like your favorite uncle, and Boston clearly wins... And just remember the last time a young infielder coveted by the Sox went to the Yankees.  Yeah... I'd say that one turned out in our favor, too.

The two subjects of my posts that uses mathematical symbols.  Picture courtesy of bostonherald.com.

Wake Up Call!

(First, my apologies for the bad pun in the post title)

What a game!

Forty-two year old Tim Wakefield had a no-hitter going into the eighth inning this afternoon when Kurt Suzuki broke through with a single to left field with one out.  I may or may not have cussed out Suzuki on Twitter...

Aside from the near no-no, Wake did exactly what the Sox needed him to do, namely, pitching deep into the game to spare the exhausted 'pen, and keeping the score close to give us a chance for the win.  Every year you hear the mutinous murmurings about Wakefield being too old to be a major league starter (they were more like impassioned cries this year), and every year he goes about his business, quietly providing his fifteen year team with 10-15 quality starts for $4 million.  I'm not sure Red Sox Nation realizes what a bargain this is: Tim Wakefield is the consummate professional, a role model for the younger players and a respected peer for the veterans. 

It's all about the team for Wakefield, which is partly why I would have been so excited for him to achieve this no-hitter, a (mostly) personal feat.  Wake is practically selfless: from the mop-up duty he volunteered for in Game 3 of the 2004 ALCS, allowing Tito to spare the bullpen; to voluntarily taking himself off Postseason series' rosters in 2007 and 2008, in order to give his spot to someone he felt had a better chance to get it done.  Though Wakefield can't help young pitchers with their mechanics, he is an invaluable source of wisdom, demonstrating perseverance and dedication every day.  Wakefield is the longest-tenured member of the Boston Red Sox, having joined the team in 1995, and he has contributed in whatever role the team has asked of him: starter, long relief, hell, he was even a closer!

But Wake wouldn't want anyone to describe his achievements and strengths while ignoring the contributions of teammates who made them possible, so here's a list of awesome plays of the day by athletes not named Tim Wakefield:

Youkilis' awesome tag on the bad throw in the second; Jacoby Ellsbury's catches in center all day; Green's ranging play, and especially that spectacular catch in the seventh; the hits by everyone but Pedroia (poor guy)...

Honorable mentions go to: Kottaras taking that foul tip off his you-know-what and continuing to play like a champ; Mike Lowell carrying on an animated conversation with the home plate umpire while being intentionally walked; JD Drew being the most nonchalant baseball player ever to hit a home run/strike out/make a play/exist.

Oh, and for the record, I blame Don Orsillo for the fact that the no-hit bid got broken up.  You don't talk about that while it's in progress! EVER.  I have long since accepted that my attire, eating habits, GPA, shoe size, etc. have nothing to do with how the Sox play, but I make an exception to my no-superstitions rule when there's a no-hitter in the works.  Perhaps Orsillo should do that same.

And all of a sudden...

Alright, we've learned that old adage is always true: you can never have enough pitching.  The thought a week and a half ago was that the Red Sox had the deepest pitching staff in the Majors.  We had arguably the best top 3 with Beckett, Matsuzaka, and Lester.  Wake is good for 10ish wins every year, and Penny is a rehabbing All-Star.  We have a surefire future Hall of Famer slated for a June Sox debut, and the "B" triple-threat at AAA: Buchholz, Bowden, and Bard.  Try to name another team that wouldn't have rushed to have Smoltz ready in April, or who would have sent a young pitcher with a no-no to his name back to AAA after the kind of Spring Training Buchholz had.  Sure, the lineup looked a little slimmer than we were used to, but we were told to believe in the pitching.

But all of a sudden, the pitching is looking thinner.  While the bullpen was amazing last night (11 innings pitched, 1 run), it is now almost totally worn out, the man who started that game, and your 2009 WBC MVP, Daisuke Matsuzaka has landed himself on the Disabled List with what the Red Sox are deeming "mild right shoulder sprain."  Yes, well, that can happen when you ask a Major League pitcher to pitch high pitch counts with playoff intensity in APRIL.

No problem, right?  Smoltz needs another six-ish weeks, but Buchholz is ready to go... except for the fact that he went just 3 2/3 innings in his last start.  I seem to remember reading somewhere that he had a sore hamstring...? Although I can't find that anywhere so I may be "misremembering," to quote old friend Roger Clemens.   I don't suppose he's looking for a job? (Ok, that might be reaching too far).  

The Sox have recalled lefty relief pitcher Hunter Jones from AAA Pawtucket, and it's looking like Masterson will be sliding into Matsuzaka's rotation spot.  Masterson, of course, went through most of Spring Training with a starter's workload, and he demonstrated that he still has the endurance to make those starts last night when he pitched four sterling innings of relief in last night's debacle.  

Quote of the Day

"I hope it never gets used."

Today's quote is courtesy of Commander Badass and Sox Ace, Josh Beckett.  Beckett just donated over $100,000 to Children's Hospital Boston for the Josh Beckett Cancer Treatment Room, to which today's quote refers.  Beckett has also pledged $100 for each strikeout he accrues this season:

I think we can all agree with Josh on this one... to donate to the hospital, click here.

*****

In other Beckett news, MLB is suspending #19 for his actions in Sunday's game... who else thinks he'll be calling up Timlin and setting off for Selig's house for some Texas style vengeance??

*****

Another notable Beckett quote, referring to his reaction to the situation in his last start: "I wasn't really in a hugging mood."  The gold just keeps on coming.

The [Good?], the Bad, and the Ugly

The good:

Jon Lester has a great pick off move.  After reading the now-infamous Moneyball, I never thought I would see the Oakland A's of all teams run themselves out of an inning, but that's exactly what happened in the bottom of the fourth last night.  Lester allowed back to back base hits to Ryan Sweeney and Orlando Cabrera, and then erased them both via the pickoff.  Billy Beane must have been freaking out in the parking lot with his white box... [If you haven't read Moneyball, do it.  Right now.]

Jason Varitek still has zero strikeouts this season.  Last season, he struck out nearly once a game, with 122 K's in 131 games played.  Varitek is the only Red Sox batter who has not yet recorded a strikeout.

Nomar still loves us.  The Globe  ran a story this morning about how the 2004 Red Sox shortstops have been united in Oakland this year for the first time.  It's a great read, especially if you like reminiscing about the good old days before Garciaparra was sullen, paranoid, and then practically chased out of town.  Nevertheless, Boston's pre-Pedroia Golden Boy has a soft spot for the Sox in his heart, and says he'd love to return to us.  Also, he can't get through a day without a member of Red Sox Nation yelling "NOMAHHHHH!!"

The bad:

The Sox just aren't hitting.  Besides the once doubted cleanup hitter, and the man who replaced the last cleanup hitter [Youkilis and Bay], the lineup is looking positively anemic.  For all of Ortiz's offseason hints that he needed more protection, it doesn't seem to be the protector that's the problem, but Papi himself, who is 5-for-24 (.208).

Lester's ERA is at an even 9.00.  Ouch.  But hey, no worries, because Lester doesn't think he's pitching that badly... Ahem, though he's now given up 18 hits in 11 inning... he has struck out ten while walking only two, so perhaps the control is just a bit rusty.  Hopefully the Jon Lester we know and love will be back soon... like next week.

Mike Lowell has hit into as many double plays as he has hits.  I'm not a big fan of this trend, although maybe the double play numbers will go down as Lowell's hip continues to heal.  Oh, that has little to nothing to do with it?  Well, I'm still hoping.

The ugly:

Dustin Pedroia is 5-for-38 (.179).  Ok, here I think I can take a little comfort: Pedroia is a notoriously slow starter, having a career .252 batting average for April (.310 overall).  In 2007, if you recall, fans were clammoring for the short second baseman to be replaced.  Thank god Tito doesn't listen to fans.  Personally, I'll stick with Dustin for the long haul.

The #5 starter has as many wins as the rest of the staff combined.  Lester, Matsuzaka, and Wakefield have yet to record a win.  All five losses so far have been charged to the starting pitching.  Is Smoltz ready yet?

Our dear old friend Nomar hit a homah off of Lester last night, adding insult to injury:

Deep breaths... the Sox play again tonight at 10... we have to win eventually, right?

Quote of the Day

"That's baseball.  It's Easter.  I guess the guys just wanted to get together."

Today's quote of the day is technically from yesterday, but whatever.  This was in reference to the benches clearing almost-brawl that Badass Beckett started yesterday.  So who said it? JD Drew:

This picture represents the closest JD has been to fighting anyone, ever:

Pedroia: "Nice hit, dude! We #$#%* won!!"

Drew: "Ouchie, I broke a nail... 15 day DL!"

Pedroia: "Seriously?! i barely touched you."

Drew: *cries*

Tito: *facepalm*