Quote(s) of the Day

Both of these gems are from the same man. The first is referring to the size of the visitors' clubhouse at the new Yankee Stadium, but could also easily be describing the speaker's tribulations at the plate thus far:

"I got lost."

Notice that was in the past tense, because, due to a two-double, two walk performance last night, David Ortiz looks to be moving past his slump.  Only time will tell, but in the meantime, we can take comfort in the fact that Manager Terry Francona is all but too loyal to his veteran players.  Said Oritz of his skipper's handling of the situation: 

"I don't see Terry as my coach anymore.  I see him as my dad.  He's been so great to me that every time he talks, I'm nothing but ears."

That might be the cutest quote I have ever heard from a Sox player.  Also, I can't help picturing Tito teaching Ortiz to ride a bike, or giving him advice on girls, or any number of fatherly endeavors (hilarious mental pictures).  Well, if Oritz is going to hit like he did last night, he can call Brad Mills his uncle, John Farrell his cousin, and Kevin Youkilis his sister for all I care.

"Yeah, I like to think of Pedey as the family pet... like a dog or something..."

Panic!

There is entirely too much going on in my life this week.  It's finals week here at Trinity College (the home of basic cable and no NESNplus), and I have four of them (English tomorrow at noon, Constitutional Law Thursday at nine, American Political Thought Thursday at noon, and Urban Politics Friday at 3).  Yes, I have the very last final, all but ensuring that, by the time it's over, I won't be able to leave Hartford in time to catch the Sox play Tampa Bay once I get home (maybe that's a good thing, judging by this past series....).

Am I truly expected to be able to focus on studying when the Sox just lost three of four down at the Trop, and are now heading to New York to play a pair in that brand new launching pad in the Bronx?  I mean, in the grand scheme of things, what's more important: Charles Dickens' Bleak House or the fact that David Ortiz went approximately 0-for-5,084 this weekend?  The evolution of the Supreme Court's interpretation of privacy or our starting rotation possessing a 5.50 ERA?  I mean, I can see where the whole "right to privacy" debate might affect me, but the only Bleak House I'm worried about is Fenway Park if Ortiz doesn't stop impersonating Mo Vaughn - and fast.

Alright, the Yankees series will be over after my English final, but then there's Cleveland, and then Tampa Bay (luckily at friendly Fenway), and If you think I'll be able to focus while watching Justin Masterson try to get back on track (Wednesday night), or hoping Tim Wakefield continues his torrid pace (Thursday night), then you haven't been paying attention.  This could be a problem.  However, if the Sox can win 3-4 games out of their next five, and I escape the semester with a 3.4ish GPA, I'll consider this week a success... If I can even get through it.

My friend Becca and me at the new Yankee Stadium during their exhibition against the Cubs on April 4... Yes, she's the Yankee fan.

Calendar Boys: Where is Papelbon's Mojo?

Since Trinity College doesn't get anything more than basic cable, I couldn't watch the game last night on NESNplus, so I won't be writing about it (by all accounts it was a disappointment, so hopefully no one will be too upset).

However, as yesterday was May 1st, I had to switch my calendar page, and, being the obsessive compulsive fan that I am proud to be, it's a Red Sox calendar (obviously).  This month the picture is of the inimitable Jonathan Papelbon.  I'll admit to being a little disappointed last month when I turned to April (my favorite month, after October) and saw that the photo was of Jacoby Ellsbury.  Now, I've made my feelings about Ellsbury pretty clear, and the way he started off April didn't exactly inspire me to have confidence in him... if fact, I'm quite sure I dedicated at least one Off the Monster rant to his seeming inability be be a productive leadoff hitter.

Fortunately, by the end of the Month of Ellsbury, Golden Boy was was batting .273, which, on the surface, isn't really that impressive, but in the last two weeks he has been hitting at a .321 clip.  Perhaps that steal of home inspired him to not swing at the fist pitch get on base more often.  I'm convinced that once he learns to do that, he'll be a respectable leadoff man (meaning on base) and be able to utilize his game changing speed.

Now, on to my actual point.  Papelbon (Mr. May, on my calendar), has been somewhat less than impressive this year.  Though the closer boasts six saves and a 1.74 ERA, he has also allowed six walks.  Paps only allowed eight walks over the entire 2008 season.  He's also hit a batter.  Just one, you might ask? No big deal, except for the fact that he hasn't hit anyone with a pitch since 2007.  Papelbon has had an effective career thus far not because he can throw 95-98 MPH, because lots of pitchers can do that.  The Sox closer is effective because he throws at such velocities with pinpoint control, and has a splitter he can throw to keep batters off balance.  

There have been some worrisome signs from Mr. Papelbon during the month of April.  The control is not where we have come to expect it to be, and though he is first in the league is saves right now, it's only a matter of time before those walk totals come back to bite him.  There's been some talk that John Farrell is working with Paps on some minor mechanical adjustment: hopefully that will help him get his pitches where they need to be.  I would like it very much if Papelbon continued the trend of the player on my calendar improving during his month.  (Julio Lugo is in November... when this year's World Series is... gulp.)

Unfortunately, Josh Beckett's scheduled Month of Improvement isn't until August. David Ortiz? December. Oh, dear...

There can be only ONE...

So, I was on Twitter last night while I watched the game, and I had an epiphany.  Cyn at Toeing the Rubber asked "Who broke Josh Beckett?"  And it came to me.  Now, I have to give credit to Texy over at Center Field for this post, without which I never would have figured out Josh's problems.

Obviously, as I said on Twitter, "The pitching gods are mad that he tried to clone himself in Lester... There can only be ONE Josh Beckett." Now, without that insightful post from Center Field, I might not have noticed the alarming rate at which Lester is transforming from Beckett's protege to some sort of creepy clone of the man with the soul patch, but it all fits together now.  Obviously, some higher power of baseball is upset... I can only imagine that if Lester were right-handed like Beckett is, the top 40% of our rotation would have already been struck by lightning.  Or maybe a plague of locusts.

I mean, think about it: the two were already similar, just by virtue of both being tall, fireballing badasses who were drafted straight out of high school.  Now, Beckett seems to have made it his mission to make Lester his carbon copy (this would be more awesome if either of them were pitching better).  I say enough is enough.  Obviously, someone is upset at this travesty.  Only Josh Beckett is allowed to talk of "executing pitches" like it's the be-all, end-all.  Only Josh Beckett is allowed to go on crazy hunting trips with Mike Timlin (in all fairness, I don't know if this has technically ever occurred).  And only Josh Beckett can pull of the awkward soul-patch, under the chin goatee thing (seriously Lester, this is a bad look).

I also decided that Beckett is allergic to Tropicana Field... I mean, I know it makes me want to vomit.  So all we have to do to get the vintage Beckett back (beyond getting the heck out of Tampa) is get someone to slap some sense into Lester and give him the advice that every fifth grader needs: "Just be yourself.  I promise we'll still love you."  Once we have two distinct pitchers at the top of the rotation, I'm confident the pitching gods will lift the plague they've put on the Boston starters (all those under the age of forty, that is).  I'm not religious, but if the pitching gods want a sacrifice, I'm offering Matt Garza: we'll ask Coco Crisp to fight him in a steel cage match... everyone knows that Coco owns Tampa Bay pitching, at least in fist fights.

Can someone explain how Lester is listed as three inches shorter than Beckett?

Quote of the Day

As I'm sure everyone is aware, Selena Roberts was the reporter who first divulged that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003.  Well, now the enterprising Ms. Roberts has come out with a book alleging that baseball's most highly paid player used as far back as high school, and even while with the Bronx Bombers.

In a story on boston.com's Extra Bases Blog, A*Rod, when asked about the assertions, said "I'm not going there."  Good choice, Alex... but you know what the better choice would have been? Never using in the first place.  Oh, well, that ship sailed years ago.

Asked if he was tired of hearing about steroids, A*Rod said "Ahhh, ya."  I like to imagine that his tone of voice evoked memories of Stephanie from Full House rattling off her trademark quote: "How rude!"

Five Minute Musings

Five quick notes, while I figure out another way to procrastinate.

1.) It's nice to win a game that way, isn't it?  Jonathan Van Every had the game of his life, with not one, but two spectacular catches in the field, and there was that little home run in the top of the ninth that provided the Sox with their margin of victory.  Van Every, interestingly enough, was initially drafted by Cleveland, but never made it further than their Triple-A affiliate, making his major league debut with the Sox last season after he was signed as a minor-league free agent.  Last night's blast was Van Every's first career home run.

2.)  There's a column on weei.com called "Five Things We Learned..." and it recaps the previous night's game (I never miss it, and highly recommend it).  However, in today's column, Rob Bradford seems to be implying that Ellsbury is a good leadoff man because his OBP is seventeenth in the majors... Is it just me, or does "good" seem to mean he's be better than most regular leadoff hitters, not somewhere in the lower-middle?  The other part of the Ellsbury piece talks about how he's becoming affective with two strikes... at least that's something that bodes well for a leadoff hitter.  Seventeenth out of thirty? Seriously?

3.) The sun [won't] come out, tomorrow (or today, or all weekend).  That's right, the Red Sox are headed to Tampa for a four-game series with the floundering Rays in that godawful dome.  The Rays are back to their once-familiar place a the bottom of the American League East with an 8-14 record, having just lost a series to the Minnesota Twins.  Thus far, the Rays have lost to the Sox (1), Baltimore (2), New York (2), Chicago (3), Seattle (2), Oakland (2), and Minnesota (2).  Only five of these losses have come at home however, where the Rays enjoyed a .704 winning percentage last year... it should be a good series.

4.) Who would have thought that, 20+ games into the season, the AL East would look like it does.  Boston on top? Check.  New York in third? Understandable.  Baltimore in fourth? Yep.  But... the Rays last? Toronto in second? Huh?  Toronto, we all decided during the offseason, couldn't compete; the only good piece they had was Roy Halladay, and he can only take the ball every fifth day.  The Rays hadn't lost anyone terribly important, and had even added a true cleanup man in Pat Burrell... Well, that's the beauty of baseball: the games aren't played on paper, becasue if they were, everyone would concede to the Yankees, every year.

5.) This: 

Allegedly, A*Roid did take steroids while in the Bronx, and even as early as high school... Tsk, Tsk, Alex, can't you ever stay out of the papers??

In defense of Javier Lopez

There's absolutely no excuse for botching the play the way Lopez did last night in the bottom of the ninth.  I mean, I know second string Little Leaguers that would have caught that feed from Youkilis.  However, that game was not lost solely on a fielding error by the unfortunate Mr. Lopez.

Remember the third inning, when Lugo got a nearly perfect throw from Youkilis while covering second, and a clean catch would probably have meant an inning ending double play?  Well, E6 dropped it, and instead of being out of the inning, Ben Francisco took Sox starter Brad Penny deep for a three-run homer.  Alright, so Julio just needs to shake the cobwebs off, right? He can't be that bad... but wait.  

Lugo, seemingly determined to make Sox fans forget the two hits he notched last night, made a nearly unforgivable mistake: he ignored a center fielder calling for the ball.  The rules of fly ball catching are simple: the shortstop has priority over the infielders, the center fielder over the other outfielders, and the center fielder over the shortstop.  Lugo, perhaps thinking that a spectacular running catch in short center field would endear him to the fans who have previously disparaged his performance, ran out into Jacoby Ellsbury's territory and tried to make the play.  Now, had he made the catch, it wouldn't matter, but he didn't.  Instead, Ellsbury goes into a slide, seemingly hoping to avoid a collision with Lugo, and Lugo, of course, misses the ball, which bounces off Ellsbury and into left field... I'm just assuming the inimitable Jason Bay returned it to the infield, because I was too busy screaming profanities at my television to notice.

Lugo had this to say: "It's going to take me a little while to get back.  I'm not 100 percent right now. I haven't played for a long time, and I'm going to be off a little bit. I don't have my skills put together. It's going to take me a little while to get back in playing shape and for my knee to feel good and be 100 percent."  Oh, okay.  But if Lugo's not 100%, what is he doing back with the big club? Isn't the purpose of a rehab assignment to get the player back to his full potential!?!? Whew. Deep breaths...

Not that this was a one man show: the Sox made other errors last night, including one on a throw from Mike Lowell, usually an exemplary fielder, throwing over Pedroia's head (cue the "Pedroia is short" joke).  Penny gave up seven runs in 2 2/3 innings, though only four were earned.  

Obviously, Lopez's drop of the Kevin Youkilis feed that would have meant extra innings was the most visible sign of defeat, since, technically, it was the play during which the winning run was scored.  However, it's important to remember that even if Lopez had made the play, there's no guarantee that the Sox would have won in the extra frames.  I'm a bit of a Lopez apologist, and I'll admit that it's partially because he generally seems like such a good guy (also, slightly hilarious, see his comments in this video).  But I genuinely believe that Lopez has something to offer this team: at this time last year, Sox fans were doubting the effectiveness of Manny Delcarmen, and to this point this season, MDC has not surrendered an earned run.  I have faith that Lopez will pick it up, and really, he pitched a scoreless ninth, except for his own error that allowed an unearned run.

An unfortunate way to end the eleven game winning streak, to be sure, but in the wise words of Kevin Youkilis, "You don't like losing, but we're playing good ball.  There's too many games to sit around and mope.  Just go home, get some rest, and get back at it again." And really, if anyone has the right to dismiss this loss, it's the man who had two of his throws turned into errors instead of outs.

I imagine his thoughts as this picture was taken closely mirror the words we see Pedroia use after he strikes out... But that's just a guess.