We’re Not Going To Take It, Anymore
Never underestimate the rallying effect a Furious Bald Guy will have on an organization, whether it’s a labor union, a Los Angeles police precinct, or even a Major League Baseball team.
After Rick Porcello “unintentionally” his Kevin Youkilis right between the numbers on the first pitch, Youkilis went into raging bull mode, charged the mound, and hugged the pitcher for a bit before a mutual tackle ended the melee. While this move might seem inspiring, it will probably cost the Red Sox their best hitter for a period of five games or more.
Stuffing clumps of grass down the shirt of your opponent results in automatic victory, according to ancient Greek wrestling rules.
Look, both sides of this were in the wrong in some way or another, but Rick Porcello is a textbook New Jersey douchebag. This was apparent when we witnessed his reaction to getting tossed; pretending to be “held back” while spitting and swearing uncontrollably. He’s textbook. Porcello should just embrace who he is, and start using a Dodge Charger with a “Tap Out” bumper sticker to transport him to and from the pitcher’s mound.
Did I enjoy Youk chasing him around the infield for a bit? Sure. But the consequences are going to hurt a team with some tendencies to enter prolonged offensive lapses.
Anyway, the Sox hit a few bombs after the brawl and ended up beating the Tigers. The true stories of the game were Mike Lowell, who had two home runs, and Junichi Tazawa, who showed incredible poise for a guy making his first MLB start amidst a very heated environment (more on Tazawa later today). Lowell is beginning to look more and more like a platoon partner for David Ortiz at the very least.
Given Lowell’s lack of range at 3B, it’s difficult to insert him into the lineup in that capacity for any regular amount of games, but at some point his defensive shortcomings will be offset by the offensive improvement he brings over Jason Varitek.
Just a reminder. At 3B good reflexes and a strong throwing arm are both more important than range. Lowell has both reflexes and throwing arm, so his lack of range doesn’t hurt his defense as much as it would if he were a middle infielder or a CF.