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By Zach, 4/30/2008 2:43 pm

This is outrageous, absurd, and indefensible.

Basically, if you don’t have box seats at a Dodger game, good luck getting an autograph.  Under the guise of answering complaints regarding “the crowded conditions pregame at [box] seats and on the concourse from fans trying to get close to the players,”  Dodger stadium no longer allows fans who don’t hold those seats  into that area.

What?!  If I have a seat near the dugout and I don’t feel like hounding players for autographs, I’m not at the game yet.  If you are, there are plenty of seats available three hours before game time.  Oh? You don’t want some of the rabble’s discarded hot dog wrapper on the ground in front of you?  Throw it away or don’t bother coming, asshole.

This is just another example of the elitism of baseball.  It’s long been a game for the rich, and that’s becoming more extreme.  As a proper capitalist, I have no problem with higher prices for premium seats, as long as there are some that are reasonably affordable and no fan is treated differently based on “class.”  We’ve all come together to enjoy this game, we’ll go to trendy nightclubs for the velvet rope.  I’ve sat “behind the ropes” in the best seats in Yankee Stadium, and frankly, been embarrassed at the waiter service and Stadium Club bullshit.  Its in baseball’s best interest to keep as many kids as possible as fans, and Frank McCourt, Charles Steinberg and the Dodgers clearly don’t care about poor kids.
I’ll forever celebrate the day John W. Henry bought the Sox, mostly because he wasn’t Frank McCourt.

(After writing this, I’ve realized the article is three weeks old.  Whatever, more people need to know.)

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By Zach,

A young man once walked into a doctor’s office after sprouting up six inches in a summer. “Doc, I’m confused.” He paused. “I’m having these new, strange feelings. Sometimes I can’t control my emotions.”

“Well Jonny, you know at a certain point in a boys life things start to…change.”

“Its not just that stuff, Doc. So much has changed in the last two years, I’m not the same person.”

“Yeah, you’ve had to deal with a lot. You’ve shown tremendous strength. Someday, I might even see you taking over for me, here at the Clinic.”

“Really? Gee, you think so?”

“Well, you’ve got a lot to learn. You’re still making a lot of mistakes, but I think you’ve got the ability. Now its just time you buckle down and show it, consistently.”

“Thanks, Doc. You know how much that means to kids like me. Everyone in this town looks up to you.”

The two strolled into the waiting room, all smiles. The young man’s long strides outpaced the grizzled old doctor and his three day beard. The doctor glanced up at the boy’s mother, an old flame from high school. He winked; she still looked as good as she did thirty years ago.

“Jonny, as far as I’m concerned, you’ve just made a giant step in the right direction.”
_____________

In what was the best game of the young 2008 season, the Red Sox were somehow able to nip Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays behind a stellar performance by Jon Lester. He walked four, but only gave up one hit in his 8 IP, 97 pitch performance.  His fastballs were on the black and he moved from inside to outside corner routinely.  In the face of a dominant Halladay, The kid stepped up in a game that could have easily been 3-0 Blue Jays, good night, thanks for coming, losing streak continues.

From the “anti-gamer” department, J.D. Drew left early with a “tight hamstring.” When my hamstring is tight, I STRETCH IT OUT. Bam, ready to go. I’ve been unbelievably patient with J.D., but to leave a game your team desperately wants to win due to a precautionary hamstring concern demonstrates a critical difference in philosophy. Would Dustin Pedroia have left that game early? Nope, he was in there, flashin’ the leather and swingin’ for the fences like usual. I’ll eat my words if there’s a serious concern, but if he’s back in there tonight I’ll roll my eyes and chalk it up to the perils of signing a player known more for his demeanor than talent.

Tonight, Dustin McGowan faces Daisuke Matsuzaka. Expectations are high for McGowan, and he’s been a disappointment thus far, walking 16 and allowing 32 hits in 28 innings. He’s got the high nineties fastball and more importantly, the best/worst facial hair in the game. Who knew Chester A. Arthur threw gas?

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By Jimmy, 4/28/2008 2:49 pm

As we careen towards the end of April and observe a sample of roughly 30 MLB games, we have some interesting seasons in progress. The samples are small enough to yield some quirky results, but large enough to be somewhat significant.

Obviously, this idea was spurred by watching Eric Hinske, who has gone from black hole of ineptitude on the Boston bench to one of the top few hitters in the American League in Tampa Bay.

Eric…cut the shit, OK?

Let’s take a look at a few other surprises in the stats categories during this cold, miserable off-day.

Carlos Quentin: The White Sox outfielder was terrible last year while playing for Arizona, although he was only 24 at the time and had a ton of promise. Typically, people do not come from the NL to the AL and drastically improve. However, that is exactly what we are seeing, as Quientin is tied for second in the league in OPS+, a year after his pitiful .214/.298/.349 season.

Chipper Jones: Someone forgot to remind the future Hall of Famer in Atlanta that players are supposed to suck as they get older. Amazingly, Chipper has gradually improved in each of the past 5 years, from ages 32-36. We expect decent numbers from Chipper, but right now he is the best hitter in baseball (.433/.480/.711), outhitting Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, and everyone else. He’ll obviously come down to earth pretty sharply, but this start needs to be documented.

David Ortiz: .177/.288/.323. Lots of double plays, lots of frustration. I’d love to say he’ll eventually revert to MVP-level Big Papi, but hitters his size don’t have the best track record of longevity. The DH, probably baseball’s best hitter last season, could be playing hurt.

Robinson Cano: The biggest disappointment in baseball thus far, as the All Star 2B has a microscopic OPS+ of 20. New York is counting on Hollywood Cano to become a premiere top-of-the-order type of hitter, and right now he might be the worst regular in baseball. The combined batting average of Johan Santana and Danny Haren, two pitchers who are new to the NL, are better than Cano’s (.160 vs .158) as of today.

Barry Zito: The big money pitcher is doing his best to help the San Francisco Giants have a historically bad season. With their minor league offense, they need all the help they can get from the pitching staff, and their most expensive pitcher leads the league in earned runs and losses. I find it hilarious that Brian Sabean is still receiving paychecks from this organization. Imagine yourself filling 1,000 manila envelopes with fresh horse shit, and mailing them to the shareholders of your company. This is the corporate equivalent of the Zito contract.

Cliff Lee: A year after struggling with a 6.29 ERA, the Indians left-hander has pitched in 4 games and won all 4, with a K/BB ratio of 29/2. He has averaged about 8 innings per start, and has only given up 1 earned run on the season. His current ERA+ is 1527. That’s not a typo, it’s not 152 or 157 or 127. It is 1527. His ERA+ is higher than our high school valedictorian’s SAT score. Eventually, someone will remind ol’ Cliff that he is not Rube Waddell, and he will plummet back to reality. In the meantime, enjoy this while it lasts.

Justin Verlander / C.C. Sabathia: Everyone and their mothers picked one of these two guys to win the 2008 AL Cy Young Award. Currently, both pitchers are polluting Lake Erie with their sub-par pitching, as they are 3rd and 1st respectively in earned runs.

Small sample sizes, yadda yadda yadda, but the 1 month mark in the MLB season is essentially the point at which small samples begin to become meaningful. It will be interesting to take another peak at each of these guys in July, to see how far they have regressed towards the mean.

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By Jimmy, 4/27/2008 2:36 pm

Irwin
Ir – win
Inrwined, Irwining
-verb (used with object)

1. To be unexpectedly killed by a fish in the ray family of fishes.
The unfortunate man was Irwined by a stingray while diving off the coast of Key Largo.

2. To be swept in a three game series against the lowly Tampa Bay Rays.
The Red Sox were hitting like the Rockford Peaches, and were Irwined for the first time in history today.

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By Jimmy, 4/24/2008 4:33 am

The Great Influenza of 2008 claimed two more victims last night, as pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka (who was scheduled to start) and Manny Delcarmen are currently in a quarantined lab, getting hosed down by Rene Russo. Lucky bastards.

Jon Lester started last night’s game instead of Dice-K, and had trouble missing bats, yielding 9 hits in 5 innings, while only striking out 1. Newly recalled Craig Hansen gave up the eventual losing run, but at least looked good doing it.

The big news, however, is the kid taking Matsuzaka’s place in the rotation: prospect Justin Masterson. Masterson has been dominant in 19 innings in AA, giving up only 2 runs on 14 hits while striking out 23. He’ll face the Angels’ Joe Saunders, who is 3-0 with a 2.15 ERA.

UPDATE: I had to edit the title, as today is a DAY game (1:35 PM).  Turn on those radios, re-up that subscription to MLB.com audio, and for you jobless freeloaders, you worthless lampreys of society…enjoy.  Let me know how he looks.

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By Zach, 4/23/2008 6:09 am

Red Sox management continued its obsessive protection of Josh Beckett on Tuesday, scratching him twice with different minor ailments.  First, it looked like he might not go because of the flu.  Ultimately, a stiff neck was to blame.  The paranoia may be unfounded, but it can’t be faulted.  The worst case scenario is a few of Beckett’s innings are replaced by someone less able.  On Tuesday, that was David Pauley.

In the first two frames, Pauley recorded four weak ground outs, a lazy fly to center and a strikeout.  Things went downhill from there.  The bottom of the Angels lineup began its dominance in the third with a string of walks and hits led by Jeff Mathis.  The battle for playing time behind the plate in Anaheim has reached a tipping point.  Mathis continued to strengthen his case to split time with Mike Napoli with his two hit, two run, three RBI night.   Mathis is hitting .379/.387/.759, compared to Napoli’s .227/.292/.523.  Mike Scioscia may often be guilty of over-managing, but his catching platoon appears to be working beautifully.

A pair of homers and a timely drag bunt single from Jacoby Ellbury were the key to the Red Sox victory.  The kid has made his case, he needs to be in the lineup daily.  It was another step in the right direction by Julio Lugo, who is apparently feeling the hot breath of Jed Lowrie on his neck.  He’s up to .324 on the season.  Julian Tavarez’s 1.2 scoreless innings to bridge the gap to Okajima can’t be overstated.  Love him or hate him, Tavarez steps up in unlikely scenarios.

Tonight, Daisuke Matsuzaka faces Jon Garland.  Manny may get to 500 dingers in a hurry, because he’s got three in only twenty-one at-bats versus Garland.  In all, he’s sporting a mere 1.738 OPS against the veteran righty.  Combined with the way Manny is swinging the bat, I hope Garland’s got his neck stretched out.

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By Jimmy, 4/22/2008 6:54 am

Texas 3
Boston 8

Seemingly unaffected by the dreaded trip to Japan (baseball’s version of “Mordor” judging by some of the complaints heard from certain teams over the past couple of years), the defending World Champion Boston Red Sox are now baseball’s hottest team.

They have won 9 out of their last 10, 5 in a row, and currently hold the best record in the American League. All of this has been accomplished while their best hitter is mired in the worst slump of his career, and their pitching staff is near the worst in the league in terms of runs, walks, and home runs allowed.

In other words, some luck has been on their side. This was apparent in the Patriots Day win against Texas, as that 4th inning was one of the crazier frames I have ever watched in my lifetime. When the team finally begins to run on all cylinders, they might be able to create a nice early cushion for themselves.

Julio Lugo is Christ for a day after going 4 for 4, and Clay Buchholz pitched a decent game. However, nobody’s talking about the man who has been the best hitter in the American League not named Ramirez: Kevin Youkilis. A bearded bastion of patience and versatility, “Youk” is among the league leaders in the following categories: batting average (2nd), OBP (5th), OPS (4th), hits (1st), doubles (4th), triples (1st!), total bases (5th), runs created (2nd) , and sacrifice flies (2nd).

Not too shabby.

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By Zach, 4/21/2008 6:16 am

I was unfortunately occupied during the Red Sox marvelous comeback win on Sunday afternoon.  From reading the postgame analysis, it seems Wakefield and Lowrie should share the game ball.  As I say goodbye to one of the personally craziest weeks in recent memory, I’m excited to look ahead.  The Red Sox go for a sweep of the Texas Rangers Monday morning.

Texas at Boston, 11:05 AM ET
Kason Gabbard at Clay Buchholz

The spoils of the Eric Gagne heist are beginning to show fruit.  Not only has David Murphy laced eight doubles and stolen three bases, but lefty Kason Gabbard is sporting a nifty 2.41 ERA.  Drawing conclusions from an 18.2 inning sample is foolhardy, but Gabbard has been an enigma in his three starts.  His groundball rate is in Brandon Webb territory, but he’s only striking out 3.38 per 9.  His BABIP is a hefty .305, but all those hits haven’t translated into runs.  It appears he’s been both lucky and unlucky.  Maybe the Rangers have found something, but if he shuts down the Red Sox tomorrow I won’t be calling for anybody’s head.  We know all to well how this team fares against unfamiliar pitchers, more so lefties.

Milton Bradley (the baseball player) has officially taken over the top spot in my consciousness for that name.  Too bad I’ll no longer associate that collection of syllables with a fun-loving board game pioneer, but one of baseball’s leading misanthropes.  “The Game of Life” had a good run, it’s Bad Milton’s turn now.  He has taken advantage, pairing with Josh Hamilton to lead the Rangers offense.  If Hamilton makes it through the next few years without a relapse into addiction he will be legendary regardless of what happens on the field.  If he hits 30 home runs, the movie rights for his story should launch a bidding war of epic proportions.

After starting the season 3-43, David Ortiz has seven hits in his last twenty-eight at bats.  Not an abrupt about-face, but it’s a small step in the right direction.    Getting him and Clay Buchholz on track is the last step this team needs to take to officially be “running on all cylinders.”  The Red Sox have yet to win a game  Buchholz has started this season, and Patriot’s Day seems like a good day to turn that around.

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By Jimmy, 4/18/2008 3:50 pm

Bear with me for a moment, as I toss aside the concept of “small sample size” on a pleasant Friday afternoon.

Craig Hansen and Daniel Bard.

Two highly-touted college flamethrowers that had become synonymous with unfulfilled potential in the past two years.   Coming into the 2008 season, both had experienced major command problems in the minor leagues, and many analysts did not hesitate to stamp them as busts.

Not so fast…

Daniel Bard, converted into a reliever and throwing on a ~2 inning regimen, has been the biggest story from Greenville thus far.  In 9.2 scoreless innings, the right-hander has surrendered only 5 hits and notched 14 strikeouts.  The kicker: he’s only walked 1…ONE…batter, after a year in which he averaged about 9 per game.  Note: he’s at a pretty low level given his age, but the scouts are raving about his stuff and command thus far.

Craig Hansen, having supposedly recaptured the delivery which made him one of the most dominant pitchers in college, has thrown 9.1 scoreless innings, giving up only 2 hits and 3 walks to go along with 10 strikeouts.

Combined, these two pitchers have been quite impressive:

19 innings, 24/4 K/BB, 7 hits, 0 runs.

A cynic might note that this is ridiculously small sample.  And it is.  We’ll see how these guys are doing 1 month from now.

Is it worth noticing?  Given the raw potential of these two kids, absolutely.

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By Jimmy, 4/17/2008 4:14 am

Boston 9
New York 15

This game had the makings of an interesting pitching duel between two of the league’s exciting young stars.  Instead, it turned into a competitive “Who Can Suck More” contest between Clay Buchholz and Chien-Ming Wang, a duel which probably should be called a draw.

The bullpen in a different story, as the Yankees’ LaTroy Hawkins, Billy Traber (remember him?), and Brian Bruney managed to slam the door on Boston, while Julian Tavarez and Mike Timlin essentially offered valet service to the New York offense as they cruised around the bases repeatedly.

It would be nice if these two teams could play a game that doesn’t last 4 hours.  Tonight, the Red Sox are facing Mike Mussina (a guy who is probably in the Mike Timlin category of pitchers who no longer “have it”), so anything is possible.

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By Zach, 4/16/2008 12:19 pm

When my boss approached me a few months ago and said “Zach, you have to go to Cleveland,” I cursed the day I was hatched.  After a pause she followed with “anytime in April,” and there was much rejoicing.  If the Red Sox aren’t in town, Cleveland is right up there with Central Jersey and Wyoming as the least desirable destinations in the lower 48.  When they are, there are few places I’d rather be.

Jacobs Field, I mean, Progressive Field is a good place to watch a baseball game.  It has great proximity to downtown and restaurants, easy in/out, and nice site lines.   My seat in section 117 had a particularly nice view directly down the first base line after the sun went behind the neighboring arena.  Beer and food selection was F- poor, but that might have been due to the “dollar dog” promotion.  No trace of a sandwich or burger was found.  As I munched on six cheap weanies, I kept saying to myself “I’d be pissed if I paid $4.50 for this lame excuse for a pork product.”  But for a dollar, it was delicious.  Finding a beer other than Miller Lite was a challenge, though I had to remind myself of the close proximity to Milwaukee.  I’m all for cheap domestic beers when its 95 and sunny, but I was freezin’ my ass off and a nice thick Guiness would have been a welcome warmer.  How hard is it to include some specialty beer stands every few hundred yards?  It would make a lot of people happy.

The other new stadiums I’ve visited (Camden, Pac Bell, Safeco) are superior in every way, but Progressive is more than adequate.  Cleveland’s relative crappiness is an unintended benefit, because it was a cheap trip from New York with flight and hotel under $500 combined.  Oh, and the Red Sox won.

The big rematch of last Friday’s nailbiter in Fenway is upon us.  Wang-Buchholz, Round 2.  I’ll be at Yankee Stadium with three longtime pals.  I’m a lucky guy.

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By Jimmy, 4/15/2008 6:38 am

Boston 6
Cleveland 4

Many pundits have predicted Manny Ramirez to have an MVP caliber season this year. As of now, he’s not exactly making them regret their decision.

The superstar left fielder continues to pour more molten bronze onto his Hall of Fame plaque, as he had the game-winning HR last night in a come from behind win at Cleveland. A 2-out bloop single by the horribly slumping David Ortiz was the precursor for Manny’s blast. If Jerry Remy is to be believed, the bloop hit is the foremost slumpbusting remedy, (even more so than less-than-attractive road trim). We shall see if David’s production improves.

I can’t describe Lester’s outing with anything resembling rational analysis, as I only managed to catch the bad portion of it (after the 3rd inning). The walks are wearing on me, friends. Slowly making me lose my mind. Each free pass is akin to a drop of water on my forehead, as if I’m rotting away in a secret prison in the mountains of northern China, and Jack Bauer is nowhere to be seen.

In the past 2 games, Red Sox starters have issued 11 walks in 9.1 innings, and only 5 strikeouts. Amazingly, the team has managed to win both games. However, if these control issues persist, I fear the luck of the Red Sox will not.

Other notes:

• This is Joe Borowski’s second blown save of the young season, and he has given up 8 runs in 4 innings. Add this to a 5.07 ERA last season. Eric Wedge does not deserve to be let within 50 yards of the Manager of the Year Award as long as he lets Joe fester in the closer’s role.
• Coco Crisp is off to a very hot start, hitting .343 with a couple of steals and his usual excellent CF defense. He is either a) building a strong trade showcase for himself or b) vying for more playing time. Take your pick.
• Jed Lowrie will likely make his MLB debut tonight at third base, according to the Providence Journal.

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By Zach, 4/14/2008 7:26 am

With two of baseball’s best offenses handicapped by injuries and slumping superstars, Phil Hughes and Daisuke Matsuzaka were victimized by patience and high pitch counts. The former didn’t get an out in the third, and the latter struggled mightily through five.  Matsuzaka was handed the big lead but couldn’t keep runners off base in the early innings. His fastball command was typically spotty, the difference Sunday was an inconsistent change-up. In his previous three starts he has relied on the change to lefties; without an out pitch he went to the curve more, with mixed results.

The back of the bullpen was unavailable, leading to tense middle innings and a tightrope act without a net. Mike Timlin didn’t retire a batter but was bailed out by Javy Lopez in the seventh. Lopez and David Aardsma were effective; early results on recent bullpen cuts suggest the right moves were made.

Turning to media watch, Jon Miller and Joe Morgan need to be led to pasture. If your job is announcing baseball games, it’s not acceptable to routinely get players’ names wrong. They’ve never offered thoughtful insight, but Sunday Night Baseball has become a tired repeat of the same stories over and over. Did we need a steroids/curse diatribe again? No, but we got them both.

Monday night, Jon Lester faces off against Jake Westbrook in Cleveland. Will David Ortiz be back in the lineup? Will his “mental health day” get him back on track?

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By Jimmy, 4/11/2008 7:01 am

Detroit 6
Boston 12

If Kevin Youkilis is indeed “The Greek God of Walks”, it appears that the citizens of Greece presented a fresh sacrifice to him atop Mount Olympus last night. There was a total of 17 walks in this game (only 1 was intentional, to the smoking-hot J.D. Drew), a wild pitch, and two hit batters.

Fortunately, 9 of the walks came from Detroit pitching, and the Red Sox capitalized on several of them. Tim Wakefield wasn’t exactly evoking memories of Bob Tewksbury, issuing 5 free passes himself in 5 innings of work. He still managed to escape with the victory, despite some lackluster relief pitching.

Whenever Julian Tavarez’s handlers (wearing their customary white lab coats and safety goggles) are instructed to loosen his straight jacket and let him run onto the field, there is always a good chance that a tense moment will follow. Typically, that moment is manifested in a bench-clearing incident or a uncomfortable pitching performance. Last night was the latter. I realize he’ll probably find the strike zone more consistently going forward, but…yikes.

An important side note – Mike Lowell has been placed on the 15-day DL with a thumb strain, and Alex Cora is also gimpy. This led to the call up of Boston’s top infield prospect: Jed Lowrie.

______________________________________________________

Tonight, it begins again: the greatest rivalry in American sports. I think I’d prefer a return to the old scheduling methodology of having this series begin in May (to add to the buildup), but I can’t really complain too vigorously about this.

Friday night.
Yanks/Sox.
Buchholz against Wang.

It doesn’t get much better.

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By Zach, 4/10/2008 6:40 am

Detroit 7
Boston 2

You knew the Tigers wouldn’t lose every game. Wednesday night their offense woke up with a little help from Jon Lester and the Red Sox bullpen. Lester was somewhere between mediocre and awful, with the usual problem: fastball command. None of his 2008 starts have been particularly encouraging, but last night’s 4 BB, 0 K performance was his worst yet. He was lucky in the early innings, the Tigers swung at bad pitches and made bad contact. That could have been a three inning, seven run night pretty easily, then we’d all be poopin’ our pants. To date he’s walked ten in sixteen innings while striking out seven. Color me extremely worried.

Bonderman wasn’t his best, but was unlucky to give up the runs he did in the second. The suddenly error prone Placido Polanco’s botched double play ball should have had him out of the inning before the bases loaded walk to Ellsbury. The four double plays hit into by the Red Sox quickly erased all threats. The maligned Tigers’ pen bested the vaunted Red Sox for the final four innings.

I never thought I’d be so happy to see Mike Timlin return from the disabled list. His extended spring training has allowed the Sox to sort out the mess that is their middle relief, and the answer is: it’s bad. The three candidates to get booted out of town Friday pitched last night in a do-or-die bullpen battle royale, and the loser was Bryan Corey. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk, and recorded one out. That decision looks pretty cut-and-dry. It sucks that one night should have such a huge impact on his career, but that’s the unfortunate truth. Aardsma will stick. The Bryan Corey Era is over. Hopefully Timlin can rescue a unit that has been utterly craptastic so far.

Game 10 Notes

• There’s one thing I’d like to see from the Red Sox on Thursday, and that’s a 2-4 night from David Ortiz. Even if they lose, getting Ortiz going is vital. If it was anyone else, I’d write it off as a bad stretch, but we haven’t seen a slump like this from Ortiz since August of 2004. He’ll face Nate Robertson, whom he is 3-19 against.
• Coco Crisp will likely get a start, as he’s faced Robertson 38 times with reasonable success (.853 OPS).
• Tim Wakefield will go for the Sox. Watch out for Magglio, who is 15-33 with a 1.288 OPS against the knuckler.
• Mike Lowell is day-to-day, expect to see Casey at first for Thursday and possibly the weekend.

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By Jimmy, 4/9/2008 7:06 am

Detroit 0
Boston 5

After a quick and painful sweep at the hands of the division rival Toronto Blue Jays, yesterday’s home opener could not have been scripted any better. Between weather, the aforementioned Buckner appearance, the rings, and of course, the final result of the ballgame, there was absolutely nothing to complain about (always a poignant moment for Red Sox fans).

Before this season began, the Las Vegas odds had Detroit Tigers as a decent bet to win their first championship since 1984. It’s safe to say that those odds have since been recalibrated, as the Tigers are now 0-7. The odds of a catastrophic riot occurring in Detroit this summer, however, is now somewhat high.

As of right now, while the season is still in its embryonic stage, there are three guys on the Red Sox who have been drawing rave reviews after slightly disappointing 2007 campaigns. Please keep in mind that these are very small samples, though they are encouraging.

J.D. Drew: The big money signing of 2007 had become a whipping post for the casual Red Sox fan after a slow start. Drew ended the year on a very strong note (including some post-season heroics), but the majority of fans are still quite wary of his weaknesses. This was only exacerbated after Drew missed a week in March, but he has since been the most productive hitter on the team. The outfielder is hitting .368/.400/.787.

Jason Varitek: When Tek was is the prime of his career, he was usually quick out of the gate, so his strong start shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. With a terrible hitter as his backup, it is only critical that Varitek stay healthy. Any above-average offensive production is pure gravy. Tek is hitting .296/.345/.556, and while he still looks terrible while swinging at certain pitches, he doesn’t seem to have lost much pop at his advanced age.

Daisuke Matsuzaka: The most glaring performance on the pitching staff has been Daisuke. His fastball appeared to have a bit more life against the tough Detroit lineup yesterday, hovering around 95 MPH, and he has been utilizing his arsenal much better in his three 2008 starts. The walks are still coming in droves, but Daisuke has had success in getting hitters to chase his stuff out of the zone. Thus far, he has given up only 8 hits in 18.1 innings while striking out 22.

Tonight, in the first 2008 game I will actually be attending, Jon Lester (3.38 ERA) takes on Jeremy Bonderman (5.68 ERA).

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By Jimmy, 4/8/2008 1:31 pm

Speculation was rampant.

Prior to today’s festivities, Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner was quoted as proclaiming that the person selected to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the 2008 Home Opener will cause fans to have “goosebumps”. Some eye-popping names were being tossed around: Pedro Martinez, Tom Brady, Larry Bird, Roger Clemens’ steroid dealer, among others.

When the name was revealed this morning, it boggled my mind: Bill Buckner. Bill Buckner from 1986.

After hearing this, I wondered how the fans at Fenway would react. I figured it would be mostly resounding cheers, but my Theory of Human Nature is this: in any statistically significant sample of humans, at least 25% of the sample will consist of obtuse assholes.

I’m glad to report that Jimmy’s Theory of Human Nature was not in effect at Fenway Park today. Buckner received a raucous ovation, and could be seen wiping tears from his weathered eye. It was just a nice little moment. If there’s a guy who has been unjustifiably shit upon by the collective ass of New England, it’s Bill.

He deserves his day.

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By Zach, 4/7/2008 7:02 am

Boston 4
Toronto 7

In an afternoon of fireworks and faults Julio Lugo and Manny Delcarmen are the goats, but the real blame should fall on Bud Selig and MLB. On the road since going to Japan, the Red Sox looked physically and mentally tired — and it’s April. Spreading the game internationally is important, but handcuffing a team for two weeks afterwards is not an acceptable side effect.

This is a complicated issue. It’s in everyone’s best interest to increase international revenue streams. Domestic sales are approaching saturation and some growth internationally will allow the boom times of the 1990s to continue. A preseason exhibition series would be ignored and have equally negative effects. If post-season play is moved an ocean away there will be riots in the streets. Adding an exhibition series following the World Series would extend an already stretched schedule and pose injury risks. There’s an intriguing and obvious solution: play an international all-star game. MLB’s best versus Japan’s best for one game in July. Alternate home sites. Add a few days to the ASB then resume business as usual. There could even be a rotating list of opponents.

The World Series home field advantage by virtue of the ASG has benefited the American League for five consecutive seasons, but is far too arbitrary a reason for an important part of the ultimate goal. Home field advantage should go to the team with the better record or the league with a better interleague record. Most importantly, an international all-star game wouldn’t have such a skewed effect on one or two teams. Yes, players would be tired, but at least all teams would have a tired player or two. Teammates will have to pick up the slack for the following few series. One player from each team would be selected and fatigue is distributed equitably.

Players would opt out of coming. Some procedure would have to exist to prevent players from skipping the game. That touches on a larger issue; they should be killing each other to receive this honor, and the attitude of those who consistently excuse themselves is the real problem. A possible solution is to bar the absentees from appearing in the next five regular season games. Truly injured players wouldn’t mind, and healthy players would have to participate. Getting the MLBPA to sign off would require some major concessions on the owners part, but the increased revenue should start with the players. A few million bucks each should smooth this over.

If someone has to go and play an international series, at least split the burden equally.

The Red Sox welcome Kenny Rogers and the struggling Detroit Tigers to Fenway on Tuesday. This series looked a lot more challenging two weeks ago. Manny and Rogers have squared off 58 times, a .900 OPS the result. Lets get off this schnide.

Comments Off

By Jimmy, 4/6/2008 11:27 am

Not surprising news.

ProJo

Comments (2)

By Jimmy, 4/4/2008 9:13 am

So it begins. Game 1 of 836 against the Toronto Blue Jays in 2008, this one at the Rogers Centre/SkyDome.

In the world of stadiums, the SkyDome is an odd bird. Can anyone think of another sports venue that has seen its image drop from “state of the art” to “festering mound of feces” in a span of roughly 10 years? I suppose it was an interesting novelty when it was first built:

“Wow, a hotel in the stadium! Look, there’s a naked chick in the window! The Blue Jays are baseball’s best team! Kelly Gruber’s power knows no bounds! Juan Guzman is the next Marichal. This is great!”

15 years and several Raul Mondesi type players later, the SkyDome is baseball’s puss-filled cyst: too expensive and painful to remove. Perhaps a playoff contending season will vault the once proud dome to popularity level near that of the storied 1990’s. Perhaps Candlebox will release another platinum record…

Anyway, let’s take a gander at an interesting development from The Land of Coffee Milk and Vinegar French Fries.

Bartolo Colon, the story of spring training with his resurgence of low 90’s heat, spun a gem in Pawtucket yesterday, pitching 5 innings of 1-hit ball against Indianapolis in the AAA opener. Colon struck out 5 and walked 1 on his way to the victory. Pawtucket’s bullpen, most notably Craig Hansen (2 IP, 3 K), complimented Colon by finishing off the 1-hit shutout of Indy.

Let’s face it, the Red Sox starting rotation isn’t quite as bulletproof as we thought 3 months ago. If Colon can provide above league average innings at the MLB level, it would be a huge boost to the team’s hopes of adding another brick to a possible dynasty.