I Dream of Baseball

Today was one of those rare days that desire and opportunity collide. Yes, I took a nap. And it was an awesome nap, complete with confusing dream fragments that you barely remember when you wake up. However, I remember bits and pieces: Daisuke Matsuzaka was involved, and I distinctly remember something about the logistics of VORP.

The man of my dreams... literally. I think I have a problem.

Normally, I forget my dreams so completely that I would doubt I ever had them, except that I learned in Psychology class that everybody dreams, no exceptions. The only thing I could think of upon waking was that if my dreams are always about baseball, I wish I could remember them better. This got me thinking: most people (specifically 19-year-old girls) don't dream of baseball and all of its statistical glory, and I'm willing to bet that if they did, they wouldn't be nearly as excited about it as I am.

Clearly, my subconscious understands that I thirst for baseball discourse in my everyday life, and though my friends humor me occasionally, I never really get to talk about it in any sort of depth (except on Twitter). You would think it would be easy to find people who want to talk baseball, but alas, that's not the case. Most of my friends don't follow it at all, and the rest know the basics (ERA, batting average, etc.); to them, Bill James might as well be that awkward kid in the dining hall who only eats white food.

From April- October (November this year) I survive this by watching baseball, and reading the copious amounts of material written about it. However, in the winter I mostly rely on baseball books, both fiction and nonfiction, for my daily fix. It's an expensive habit, but much cheaper than hiring a therapist to listen to me wax poetic about the value of WHIP and quality starts versus W-L%. However, I'm running out of things to read, and, much like an animal preparing to hibernate, I'm looking for literary suggestions for the bleak months ahead. What's your favorite baseball book? Do you prefer biographies, fiction, or history? Help!

Around the Horn: Game 162

On April 8, 2009, I wrote a post about the results of Opening Day by noting one good thing that each starter did, by batting order. Without further ado, I would like to do the same for the last game of the (regular) season:

1.) Jacoby Ellsbury (CF) - Golden Boy had a much better game today than in Game 1, when he went hitless. Ells picked up steal #70 today, despite Cleveland's apparent desperation to keep him on first. I'm a little unfair to Jacoby sometimes, but I want to make it clear that I value his baseball skills highly.

2.) Dustin Pedroia (2B) - In an example of wonderful symmetry, Pedey did the same thing in his last at-bat as he did in his very first: lofted a high-inside fastball into the Monster seats... Suck it, MLB 09: The Show! Did I mention I love him?

3.) Victor Martinez (C) - VMart had a quiet (and short outing). He wasn't, of course, in the Opening Day starting lineup for Boston, but there's no doubt that his presence has cemented the roster heading into the playoffs.

4.) Kevin Youkilis (3B) - On Opening Day, Youk was playing first, but we all know one of his most valuable traits is the ability to flit between third and first effortlessly. He also managed to notch a hit today before being removed from the game for *snigger* George Kottaras.

5.) David Ortiz (DH) - Papi has had a whirlwind season, but as it wrapped up today, I only wish he had notched one more RBI (99 on the season). However, it was very nice to see him honored on the field before the game.

6.) Jason Bay (LF) - In his first full season in Boston, the team's only AmeriCanadian notched 119 RBIs. All I have to say about that is #SIGNJASONBAY!

7.) JD Drew (RF) - One of the most maligned players to wear the uniform this season (excepting one John Smoltz), Drew has finally put together the type of numbers Theo had in mind when he signed him. I am a fan of Drew's and his two bombs this afternoon didn't hurt.

8.) Casey Kotchman (1B) - A midseason pickup (et tu, LaRoche?), Kotchman is an adequate fill-in, though he went hitless today.

9.) Alex Gonzalez (SS) - Gonzo went deep today, which is always fun. However, we all know that he was signed to be a defender, and any offense is a bonus.

This is essentially where I expected we'd be when I posted way back in April: headed to the playoffs. Bring on Soxtober!

Presumptions

I woke up feeling a little sick today, and then remembered that the game was on NESNplus, which I can't get at school. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed, and thus the only post I could muster the energy for was a picture post, featuring the presumptive ALDS Game 1 lineup:

Golden Boy (CF) - Ells has become the leadoff man we all hoped he would. In fact, has improved so much that I'm caving and buying his shirt (it says GOLDEN BOY rather than ELLSBURY... a backhanded compliment, but a compliment nonetheless).

Pedey (2B) - I won't waste anyone's time by reiterating my love for our feisty second baseman, but I will note his extraordinary ability to get hot at the right time... I for one think he's on the verge of one of those streaks that can't be stopped.

V-Mart (C) - Here's hoping that the blue light special on hits continues all the way through Soxtober (and into November)... Victor has a hit in his last 29 starts, and would have an intact hitting streak if not for his pinch-hitting appearance in the Bronx last weekend.

Youk (1b) - Despite some doubters, Youkilis has managed to anchor the Red Sox lineup nicely this season: consistency has been his byword. The power numbers are there, along with the famous plate discipline that made him the Greek God of Walks.

Papi (DH) - Despite a horrendous first month, Papi has put together a respectable season, nearly reaching the 30-100 mark. And we all know that the postseason is a completely different beast: the real David Ortiz emerges in October.

The Token Canadian (LF) - Don't let the extreme paleness scare you away: Jason Bay is a very productive bat to have in the lineup. He plays average to above average defense (especially at Fenway), and is always dangerous at the plate.

Mikey (3B) - Though the hip has inevitably slowed him down, Lowell's bat is as dangerous as ever. His reflexes in the field are still good, even if his range is diminished... and, as evidenced by bis photo above, he has a knack for coming through in big situations.

DrewCrew (RF) - Despite his below average popularity with some (less than enlightened) fans, JD has quietly put together a very nice season. Also, his lack of feelings allows him to come through in the clutch, hitting three run bombs with all the excitement of rubber cement.


Gonzo (SS) - According to reports, Alex's hand is just fine, which is a HUGE sigh of relief. In the field, Gonzo's steady hands are invaluable, and his bat has been a nice surprise. On a totally unrelated note, Tito calls him "Gonzie," which to me evokes memories of the Fonz. Coincidence? I think not.

There's Only One Soxtober

When I woke up this morning, it was forty-three degrees in Hartford. I looked out the window, and the big maple tree on the lawn was brindled in red and gold. Fall is my favorite season, and it's officially here.

Full disclosure: Autumn was my favorite season before I was even aware that there was such a thing as Major League Baseball. ( I'm from the White Mountains in New Hampshire, and there's no foliage that can beat our foliage.)


When I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do was play in the piles of leaves in my front yard, at least until I got a rake handed to me at the age of six. However, when I discovered the wonderful world of the Boston Red Sox, my favorite time of year took on a whole new meaning.

Because I'm on the younger side, my first Sox related heartbreak was in 2003: Tim Wakefield is the classiest man I can think of, and the look on his face as he walked off the mound that night at Yankee Stadium broke my heart. Of course, what happened just a short year later all but erased that from the collective psyche of New England, but the excitement of the season is a constant.

Every year, when I feel the crispness start to creep into the air, and leaves begin to get the slightest tinge of yellow, I look forward to Soxtober (the only other franchise that can rival that catchphrase? Colorado, with "Rocktober"). NESN is right: I live for this.

Remember when Dane Cook was the height of cool? Still, this ad gives me goosebumps - in a good way.

Backing in?

There's been a lot of talk lately about the Sox "backing into the playoffs." Tito is resting the regulars, and trying to get the pitching lined up. I understand that it's frustrating for those who bought tickets to this series to watch a glorified PawSox lineup get beaten up by Roy Halladay, but you know what? I trust Tito, and I trust his staff, because they have led us to the promised land more often than anyone in living memory.

Now, some of you might subscribe to the Billy Beane theory: namely, that getting into the playoffs is the real test, and it's a crapshoot from there. I understand the logic, because anything can happen, especially in the LDS when the series is best of five, but I find it lacking. Normally, I swear by the theories of Bill James just as much as Beane does, but even more than that, I believe that good pitching will beat good hitting, every time.

Lester is giving me confidence tonight, he looks to have bounced back well from the beanball incident in the Bronx. Becks, assuming his "back spasms" were nothing more sinister, is not to be doubted in the postseason. Clay, of course, has yet to prove himself, but Daisuke looks to be on the right track. The bottom line, of course, is that if Lester and Beckett are at their best, they're practically unhittable, and can go deep into games. In a five OR seven game series, I like our chances behind those two.

In the Postseason, Josh does whatever the hell he wants. Including cursing in live press conferences. Suck it, FCC!

The Audacity of Yankees Fans: Part 2

Some of you might remember from this post that I have a class with a rather abrasive Yankees fan (he's from Jersey, so I expected nothing less). Today, I came into class, minding my own business, and sat down.


(him): So, what's your magic number now? Three? Two?



(me): We clinched last night, actually.



: Wow. It's about time.



: Do you remember the last time the Yankees won the division, and the Sox took the Wild Card?


: Yeah, but what was that... way back in 2003?



: 2004, actually... You know, the greatest choke-job in the history of professional sports.



: *dirty look*



I definitely won that argument (which, I would like to point out, I did not initiate). What I would have liked to say to him, and to all Yankees fans, is just a bit more involved.

If the Yankees win the World Series, who cares? They should win, and anything less is a FAILURE. They dropped nearly half a billion dollars on three players over the offseason, and play in a billion dollar launching pad of a ballpark. Last season, the spoiled baby-Steinbrenners missed out on the postseason for the first time since 1993 (not including 1994, when everyone missed the playoffs). They panicked and authorized Brian Cashman to go out and buy anything he needed to field a winning team.

That's exactly what happened. It started with CC Sabathia, who obviously did not want to come to New York. CC had specified early on that he wanted to play for a National League team on the West Coast. Of course, the Yankees are neither of those things, so they made up for their shortcoming in their usual way: with money. The Yankees opening bid for Sabathia was worlds away from the next highest (rumored) offer. CC wasn't convinced, and he left New York's contract offer on the table for more than a week. Cashman saw that other teams weren't willing to come close to the first offer, so he bid against himself, adding more years and dollars so that Sabathia realistically had no choice. AJ Burnett came next, and he was easier to convince, though Cashman made sure there was no doubt by offering more than most GMs thought he was worth. Everyone knows about Mark "My Wife Has My Balls in a Vice-Grip" Teixeira, but his contract came down to money, too.

Don't get me wrong. I know that the Red Sox are hardly a struggling small market team. The point I am trying to make is that no one can compete with the bottomless budget that Brian Cashman is equipped with. The Yankees 2009 payroll is $214 million. That's $75 million more than the next highest (Chicago Cubs, $139 million). The Red Sox, for contrast, are obligated to pay their players $133 million this year. Our highest paid player, JD Drew, is getting $14 million. Alex Rodriguez alone is owed more than the entire roster of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

I'm not advocating for a salary cap (at least, not now - that's another post), but I do want to make the point that the Yankees should win. If they do: so what? If they don't, it's a flop of massive proportions. This is the reason fans like the one in my class get under the collective skin of baseball fans everywhere: they feel entitled, and they're not shy about expressing it. It's grating, to say the least. But you really can chalk New York's success this year (and over the last few) up to economics: if you buy up the best talent, you should win. Seems like a bittersweet victory to me.

"Yo Angelica, I'm really happy for you, and I'mma let you finish... But Yankees fans are the best spoiled brats of all time! OF ALL TIME!"

Thanks, Angels.

So we're in. Thanks to a collapse by the Rangers and a late-season surge by the Halos, Soxtober is about to begin once again. Maybe this wasn't the way you wanted to clinch a playoff spot? I'll admit, it isn't exactly what I had envisioned either, but Tim Wakefield had something to say about that. I don't know about you guys, but when Timmy Wakefield speaks, I listen.

"There's so much work that goes on, from the offseason, into spring training, with one goal in mind: to get to the postseason and win the World Series. It doesn't matter how you get in, as long as you get in."

Truer words were never spoken. I know watching Kevin Youkilis watch strike three was painful, especially after mounting what seemed like a magical comeback that would carry its momentum all the way through the World Series. And now, it's likely that we'll see a parade of second-stringers and late-season call-ups so that the veterans can get their rest in before the meaningful games start up again next week.

Though the ending left something to be desired, last night's game was exactly why I love baseball. It was suspenseful and exciting to the very last pitch, despite a less than encouraging performance by starter Clay Buchholz. I'm going to take the view that Clay is getting all the suck out of his system now, when it doesn't really matter, and that with a healthy Becks, Jonny Lester, and Daisuke, our playoff rotation will be formidable. I suspect we'll see more about the playoff roster in the coming days, and while most of it is already determined, there are a few mysteries I'm waiting to see solved: Tim Wakefield or Paul Byrd as a longman? George Kottaras or Dusty Brown as the third catcher (or no third catcher at all, should Tito choose an extra arm instead)? Is Nick Green healthy enough to be the utility guy, or will we see Jed Lowrie?

I know I'll continue to watch the games in the next few days, despite their apparent lack of meaning. Sooner than I want to admit, the World Series will be over, the champagne will have dried up, and another lucky city will have its celebratory parade (cross your fingers). And after that? Nothing. No baseball until spring training. Since those months without baseball are a sort of torture in my opinion, I plan to watch until there's nothing left. See you at 7:10!