Toeing the Rubber

I have great faith in JPB's ability to help bring the team a win! Photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor/sittingstill.net and used with permission.

Well that stunk, no doubt about it. But, regardless of what the likes of our resident Yankee fan commenter thinks, one game does not make a series. Am I disappointed in how Game 1 went down? Hell, yeah. It sucked. But I’d be lying if I said that I woke up this morning worried about the team or their playoff chances. I just have too much faith in the talents of these guys to think losing the first game is indicative of anything more than their coming up against damn fine pitching in John Lackey and a few poorly placed pitches by Jon Lester and a bad night for Ramon Ramirez (the errors are non-issues to me since, really, there was only one even though the scoreboard said three).

And I don’t blame the umpires at all for last night’s loss but I will say that I truly believe CB Bucknor has no business being on a ball field, let alone in a playoff game and maybe some day MLB will actually hold umpires accountable for their poor performances – though I doubt it.  (Not that it means anything except that the players hate him, but twice Bucknor has been voted the league’s worst umpire by the players in Sports Illustrated polls – 2003 and 2006.)

What does bother me is having to wait, again, until 9:37pm for this to pick up!  I want redemption NOW!  :)

So yesterday we get the word that Tek will be catching Beckett and after the game the word comes out that Martinez will be catching him.  Before folks get all conspiracy-theoryish, keep in mind that Victor has good numbers against the Angels’ game 2 starter Jered Weaver and, especially given how the game went yesterday, do you want to see either Youkilis or Lowell taken out of that lineup just yet?  It’s a little sad to think that they’re a better team on that field with Tek in the dugout but, dammit, they are.  Kudos to Tito for playing this one to win.  I didn’t have any doubt that Tito would do what was best for the team but this move should certainly shut up those who were ready to give Tito crap for being “loyal” to his veterans.  I want Tek to do well with this team again but I also want them to win.  If one conflicts with the other I’ll choose winning over Tek’s ego every time.  We’re fortunate in that Tek is the kind of player to not outwardly show if he’s feeling slighted (regardless of how much the media wants to get him to say something).  The last thing the team needs is clubhouse drama playing itself out in the media.

Sox are a game down in a five game series.  We’re guaranteed at LEAST two more Sox games this post-season (and I’m planning on many more than that!) and the next one is tonight.  SO, once again, we’ll be live chatting here – join us if you dare!