Kevin Youkilis, I Applaud You

There's an excellent feature in the Globe by Jackie MacMullen today on everyone's favorite first baseman/third baseman/emergency outfielder, and I urge everyone to check it out. Just to whet your appetite, here are some of the gems from the piece:

“He plays hard, puts the team in front of himself. I don’t know what else people want.’’ -Dustin Pedroia

“In 2006, I couldn’t understand why he could be 2 for 2, then line out and the world was going to end. He’s matured since then.’’ -Mikey Lowell

[On his 2008 brawl with Manny Ramirez in the dugout] “It wasn’t cool when I got hit in the chin. He said some stuff. I said some stuff. What I should have said was I couldn’t play in the outfield for him the next time he came up with a sore hamstring. Manny can’t understand where I’m coming from. He wasn’t an eighth-round pick. He didn’t have everyone doubting him. Manny works hard. Real, real hard. But it also comes very naturally to Manny. Nothing came naturally to me. We have two different approaches to the game. Winning and losing isn’t life and death to Manny.’’ - Kevin Youkilis

[Youk and Manny being separated in the dugout... The Mayor-who is featured in the Globe piece-is trying to calm things down.]

“You can’t get no better than Youk. If you don’t want to play with a guy like that, then there’s something wrong with you.’’ - David Ortiz

“Kevin would have played for a six-pack of beer." - Mike Youkilis [Kevin's father]

Now, of course, Youk doesn't have to settle for beer... he gets the good stuff (and then pours it on Julio Lugo's error prone head, as a good American should).

Disclaimer: All quotes are attributed to Jackie MacMullen and the Boston Globe... I can only DREAM to someday have this kind of access.

Five Years Ago Tonight...

On October 4, 2004, the Boston Red Sox beat the LA Angels of Anaheim, 8-3, and took a 2-0 series lead in the ALDS. Pedro Martinez went seven innings strong, giving up three earned runs, while his counter part, old friend Bartolo Colon, went just six, also giving up three runs. The difference was in the bullpens: Boston's kept the Angels to just one hit, while the LA delegation surrendered five hits and five runs.
The only men to appear in that game that are on Boston's roster today are Jason Varitek, David Ortiz, and Kevin Youkilis (defensive replacement at third base), and as different as the roster looks these days, the attitudes of Sox fans have been even more changed.

In 2004, we were just one year removed from Aaron Boone. We were at eighty-six years without a title, and (as far as the world was concerned), "wait 'til next year" was the regional motto. Red Sox fans of all ages looked at the 2-0 series lead and decided that the home town team would doubtless find some way to blow it, if not against that Angels then against the Yankees. As painful as it is to revisit that mindset, the 2004 Red Sox might have been lovable and talented "Idiots," but the skeptics always won out when it came to playoff predictions: after all, the pessimists had history on their side.

Of course, the moral of Sox fans would fall to its lowest point just ten days later, when New York took a 3-0 series lead in the ALCS. No one, we told ourselves, had ever come back from such a deficit in the history of professional baseball. You know the rest, but most fans (let's be honest, ourselves included) were convinced that they would somehow blow it until the very last out was made. As Yogi Berra so famously said: "It ain't over 'til it's over."

And then? It was over. The years of suffering, the "1918" chants, and the lovable losers moniker. The people of New England, raised in the Puritan tradition of self-inflicted torture, had something to celebrate, and celebrate we did. I was fourteen at the time, so I didn't celebrate in quite the same way most people did, and not just because I was seven years away from the legal drinking age. My relative youth meant that the victory just didn't have the same significance for me as it did for those who had lived through decades of disappointment: I'm not belittling the joy of young Sox fans, but it's a fact that we lacked a certain perspective.
Now, of course, we start every season with the expectation of making it to the playoffs, but we need to remember that wasn't always the case, and that even within my short lifetime the Sox were more likely to finish their season in September than October (or November). Let's not take the Angels for granted: it's miraculous what the death of a teammate or a loved one can do for motivation. The major networks are already advertising for a Red Sox/Yankees ALCS, and honestly, it's what most fans of both teams expect. There would be a certain poetic justice in celebrating the five year anniversary of Boston's fist World Title in living memory by going through the same teams (Anaheim, New York, and St. Louis) to get another one, but the playoffs are often more luck than skill.

So let's find out if Lady Luck is a Red Sox fan.

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!