Basebrawl at the Fens

So if you somehow missed what happened last night, the bottom of the eighth inning featured some fireworks, though the Fourth was over on Monday.  It started when Orioles pitcher Kevin Gregg hurled a few pitches in tight to David Ortiz - one coming so close that Papi took a few steps toward the mound, brandishing his bat at the O's righthander.

With the count at 3-0, Ortiz took a hack at the next pitch, which he popped up toward shallow right field.  Big Papi, obviously disgusted, began to jog slowly toward first base, when Gregg decided to take this opportunity to teach the Sox slugger about "baseball ethics," shouting and geturing at him to run out the play.

Needless to sat, Big Papi took exception to this, and charged the mound, just missing Gregg's face with a vicious uppercut before the benches (and bullpens) cleared and Demarlo Hale restrained him.  Papi, Gregg, Jarrod Saltalamacchia (from the bullpen), and Baltimore relief pitcher Jim Johnson (also from the pen) were all ejected for their roles in the scrum.

I know it's not exactly professional to reveal my glee at baseball fights, but I just LOVE the way it causes teams to come together.  Remember in 2004? There are a lot of people who credit Tek stuffing his glove in A*Rod's face as the catalyst that turned that season around for good.  And don't even pretend you weren't impressed with Coco Crisp's Matrix-impression against James Shields in 2008.

After the game, Papi's teammates certainly had his back, though Gregg and the O's uttered their share of tough talking.  Josh Beckett took the opportunity to express his confidence in the Red Sox's productive lineup: "Maybe they saw something they didn't like or whatever. But if it's just because we scored eight runs in the first inning and they start throwing at our ... guys, it's going to be a long year."

Hell. Yes. There's a lot more baseball to be played, and I am beyond excited to see this season to the end.

Religion: Boston Red Sox

 "Fenway Park is a shrine. People go there to worship." -Bill "Spaceman" Lee

I just got totally validated by a NESN commercial.  [Add that to the list of things I never thought I would have a reason to say.]  You've probably all seen it, they show a bunch of shots of fans at Fenway, and say things like "This isn't a fan club, it's a Nation," and "being a Red Sox fan is something you're born with," blah blah blah.

But then comes a statement that I will agree with until the day I die: "it's more than devotion; it's like a religion." [Possibly slightly misquoted. But that's the gist.]  I'm a secular person.  I haven't been to a church (in the traditional sense, at least) since I was a small child, and I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

On Facebook, my religion is listed as "Boston Red Sox," and though some people might think that's downright blasphemous, I think sports fandom often falls within the realm of religious.  One of Webster's definitions for religion is as follows: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.

If you look at it objectively, the "cause" for Red Sox fans is the team, and we certainly follow them with ardor and faith.  Personally, I know more about the Red Sox (and baseball generally) than many church-goers know about their religious tract of choice, and I while some people wear a cross around their neck, I wear a Boston "B."


Hopefully my more religious readers won't be offended by this post; please know that was not my intention.  But for those of you who find themselves feeling out of place at traditional churches, you can come with me to Fenway - my personal Baseball Mecca.

Some things never change.

Back in Little League (or, in my case, elementary school softball), you stuck the player you didn't want handling the ball too much in right field.  When I was in second grade and the youngest player on my softball teams, they stuck me in right field, so I could be distracted by dandelions in peace (do you know how rare lefthanded pull hitters are at that age?).

Last night was a similar story.  The Sox stuck Adrian Gonzalez in right field, and (I'm sure) practically prayed he wouldn't have to make any difficult plays.  It worker: he handled the ball just once defensively, playing it on a hop and getting it back in.  A pulse-quickening ball hit in the eighth went over his head and bounced of the wall, but it was ultimately corralled by center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury.

Hopefully this plan proves more fruitful tonight... as good as the Phillies are, I am NOT okay with being swept by them. 

Terry Francona: Maverick

The current mid-week series in Philly is being billed by many of the talking heads in the sports business as a Fall Classic preview.  The Sox and the Phils are the toast of the bigs, despite the fact that Boston is a game and a half behind New York in the standings right now.

Tonight pitted Josh Beckett against Cliff Lee.  Though Cliff claimed the "W," I won't hold a grudge because I still worship the ground mound he walks on for spurning the advances of the Evil Empire during the offseason.  He's an honorary favorite for life, though that might change if we actually end up meeting him in October.

Despite the fact that I generally approve of Cliff Lee (and Philadelphia generally) I was very happy when Lee gacve up his first hit to the Red Sox, a single to Marco Scutaro in the sixth inning.  The only other Sox hit of the night was clubbed by Darnell McDonald, who doubled to lead off the top of the eighth inning.

We have John Lackey going for us tomorrow, and the big righty has been a bit of a mystery this season.  Personally, I'm inclined to cut him rather more slack than I normally would, because his wife Krista has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and I know how draining, distressing, and rattling it can be to watch a family member fight that battle.

Tito (a better maverick than John McCain ever was), has been hinting that he will combat the uncertainty of Lackey on the bump by putting David Ortiz in the lineup.  As all of you know, playing in Philly means Papi will have to play first base... thus sliding Adrian Gonzalez to right field. Yes, right field.

I could give you my perspective on this plan, but, as always, Dustin Pedroia's take is much more entertaining, so I'll leave it with this sentiment from my favorite second-baseman: "It'll be good offensively, but damn, I've gotta play second, first and right. That's a lot of ground to cover, man. I've got small legs."

Help - I'm being taunted by a Cleveland fan! [Part 2]

You may remember my friend Mike from this post back in April.  Sadly, we're into late June and despite the fact the Red Sox have won FOUR MORE games than the Tribe, he's still finding things to laugh about.

So today I'll keep it simple, and just hope the Sox shut him up :)

Red Sox Canine Soulmates

Since there was  no game yesterday for me to recap (Sox offdays are DEATH for my fantasy team - and my sanity), I decided to get a little silly with today's post.  If you were looking for insight, statistics, or reasoned discourse, you should come back tomorrow, because I found a website that is too fun to be allowed.

It's called Doggelganger, and yes, it does exactly what you think it does.  So of course, being me, instead of putting my own photo into the matcher, I put in tonight's (presumable) starting lineup.  So without further ado, the canine soulmates of the Boston Red Sox [click the photos to enlarge]:

CF: Jacoby Ellsbury and Max

 2B: Dustin Pedroia and Kim

1B: Adrian Gonzalez and Tiki

3B: Kevin Youkilis and Grace

DH: David Ortiz and Ella

LF: Darnell McDonald and Seamus

RF: JD Drew and Grace (Yes, the site paired Youk and Drew with the same dog. I don't know about you, but the mental image of them sharing a pet brings me to tears of hilarity.)

 SS: Marco Sutaro and Sheilah

C: Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Cade

P: Jon Lester and Lady

Yes, I know, useless from a baseball point of view... But some of these dogs are probably really good defensively.

Boston is Titletown

Let's face it.  We're spoiled.  Since the Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2002, Boston (with most of New England by its side) has celebrated a major sports championship in every year except 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2010 - and there were two in 2004.

Boston-area teams have also set another record, winning one of each major championships within a span of six years (Patriots in 2005, Red Sox in 2007, Celtics in 2008, and Bruins in 2011); the next shortest span is twety-one years, and that distinction is held by New York.

It goes without saying that I am a HUGE fan of this trend, despite the fact that my devotion to the Bruins, Celtics, and Patriots pales in comparison for my love for the local nine.  However, I think it also goes without saying that we need to be careful how we handle these new found riches.  Like the multi-millionaire who complains about the price of milk, we should probably tone down the crying when one of our teams goes through a minor losing streak.

I know what you're thinking: "HYPOCRITE!"  Yes, I moan about small misfortunes in this space all the time, but I don't honestly think that Boston fans have problems, not when compared to what I've seen my friends from Cleveland go through.

Likewise, I plan to try to avoid bragging as much as possible - after about a week's grace period to celebrate the Stanley Cup - lest I come off like an obnoxious Yankees fan who can't say anything except "TWENTY-SEVEN RINGS WOOOOO!!!1!!1!!!!"

However, since I have a seven-day window to celebrate like the loud and proud Boston sports fan I am, GO BRUINS!!! [And Red Sox since you're the only Boston team currently playing.]