Posts Tagged ‘MFY’
Welcome back! Photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor/sittingstill.net and used with permission.
Random thoughts:
* Hitting a home run against the Yankees in their stadium to help pad the lead and ensure the team’s win has to be the best way to get your first Major League home run. As Kelly O’Connor pointed out on Twitter: It was such an amazing feat that the team didn’t even consider giving Ryan Kalish the rookie silent treatment. He was greeted at the top of the dugout stairs by the Large Father with a bear hug. It’s always great to see the Red Sox beat the Yankees but seeing the “kids” be a big part of the reason why they did makes it that much more fun.
* Jacoby Ellsbury went all out, bouncing his body, including his ribs, off the outfield ground in a successful effort to catch a ball Lance Berkman drilled in the 8th inning. He briefly grabbed his ribs and later said that it “didn’t help” them, but he did it and he helped keep the game in check by doing so. That anyone seriously thinks this guy is “soft” baffles me.
* Mark Teixeira made, what Don Orsillo pointed out as, an impressive catch in the stands last night. He reached about two rows in and snagged the foul ball. The reason he made such a good catch? The group of seats he leaned over had no one in them. Had the Yankees filled the park, that catch wouldn’t have been made. It occurs to me that we’re fortunate in Boston where they let you sit where you want at Fenway (short of the “special” areas above the park like the Pavilion or Monster seats) until someone comes to you and tells you that you’re in their seat. (I bought an $8 standing room ticket this year and spent most of the game sitting in the field box seats).
* It’s amazing how one win can give so many so much hope. I’m still digging the pitching matchups and thinking today’s game will be the iffy one but I predict today will be the day John Lackey finally has his “good” day game!
* Last night’s game was on the MLB Network. Today’s game is on Fox at 4pm. Tomorrow’s game is on ESPN at 8pm and Monday’s game is, again, on the MLB Network at 2pm. While some might think the rivalry has cooled down, apparently it still brings in the big ratings nationally. Thankfully, last night’s and Monday’s games can still be seen on NESN but for the weekend we’re stuck with the likes of McCarver, Buck and Morgan. Be strong, Nation!
This just looks so wrong. So very wrong. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images and used without permission)
The only part of this upcoming series that bothers me is all the talk of how this will “make or break” the Red Sox. The Red Sox can barely “break” any more than they already have. I’ve not given up on this season. Never do until the numbers tell me I HAVE to. BUT I will admit to feeling less of an urgency for this team to get into the playoffs. My concern is mostly if they can actually claw their way to the post-season, how will they perform and whose limbs will end up being sacrificed? So I’m excited for the rest of the season but I’m not ready to freak out over the Yankees series. If the Sox can come out on top after this series is over, I’ll be absolutely delighted. If not, I won’t be devastated. Does that make sense?
It’s interesting to note that while Lance Berkman hasn’t really done much since he donned the pinstripes (a sight that really does give me the heebie jeebies), he has excellent stats against the Sox. So things could be exciting this weekend. Oddly enough, I’m digging most of the pitching matchups. Buchholz v Vazquez tonight doesn’t freak me out (as an aside, congrats to Clay and the missus on the addition of their little girl. With the Buchholz’ and Lester’s now ending the “when will their babies be born and will it mean they miss a start” speculation, we only have John Lackey to wonder about) and Lackey v Sabathia really could go either way on Saturday. Then we have Becket v Burnett and Lester v TBA. I write this without any sarcasm: I actually like the chances of our Sox this weekend.
Thanks to another solid pitching outing by Daisuke Matsuzaka and an Adrian Beltre grand slam, the Red Sox gained the series split last night. There’s still some life in this broken team, folks!
Classic Pedro/Nomar photo by Kuni Takahashi
So I wrote this as one of the two pieces I needed to write for the WEEI blogger contest (I was looking for the original piece I wrote that got me into the contest and can’t find it. It’s floating around here somewhere!). My final entry had photos for each item but I’m not posting them this time. I enjoy these kinds of entries and need to get back to writing more of them! (And, once again, a long entry awaits you. It seems MY personal favorite entries are usually of the long-winded kind!)
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An off night is a great time to reflect on the sports moments of the past. So, because I’m nothing if not specific, I give you five favorite moments and five least favorite moments in New England sports history and how they affected me. Moments that I was alive (and old enough) to witness (not necessarily in person). What this means is no Fisk’s home run (which I was alive for but, alas, have no memory of), no Impossible Dream team of 1967 (predates me), no Ted Williams. You get the point.
Also, I’m purposely leaving out the 2004 and 2007 post-seasons of the Red Sox. Because, truly, I could write a book about them both and we really don’t have that kind of space right now.
Let’s start with the good and countdown since that’s so darned popular these days:
Alex Gonzalez got traded to a contender today (Atlanta Braves). Good Luck, AGon! (Photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor/sittingstill.net and used with permission.)
I wrote a long, rambling blog entry yesterday that drew parallels between George Steinbrenner dying and my losing an aunt on the same day. I scrapped it because my emotions are pretty raw right now and that’s probably a bad time to be writing about the dead – especially when all I want to write about Steinbrenner is how much I disliked him and how annoying all of the “He was a good man and great for baseball” stories that are out there right now.
I’ve had some time to take deep breaths so here goes draft two (without any mention of my aunt because, honestly, it’s an insult to her memory to lump her in with Steinbrenner).
George Steinbrenner was generous to the Jimmy Fund and to most of his players (at least with their salaries). These two things I won’t dispute. The list of reasons why he doesn’t deserve glowing obituaries that make him sound like the Second Coming is too long to rehash here but we all know it exists. I don’t expect to read headlines like “George Steinbrenner is dead – woo-hoo!” but I also don’t expect tweets like the one the official Oakland A’s Twitter account published yesterday:
…baseball lost a good one today
My reaction was a loud “Are you shitting me?”.
Baseball lost a notorious one today. Baseball lost an infamous one today. Baseball lost a scandalous one today. These all would have worked. Baseball lost a good one today is just mind-bogglingly ridiculous. George Steinbrenner did amazing things for the New York Yankees team and fans, often times to the detriment of the rest of the league. This does not make him a “good one”.
I understand when someone dies folks want to put a halt to the negative talk for a day or two. What I will never get (and will never join in on) is acting like someone was a wonderful human being just because they had the misfortune of dying. This is a man who called one of his own players a “fat toad”. This is a man who took the time to mock the Red Sox after their loss at Yankee Stadium in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS with “Go back to Boston, boys!”. This is a man who insisted Don Mattingly be benched because of his facial hair. This is a man who was a convicted felon. This is a man who was suspended TWICE from baseball. This is a man who hired someone to dig up dirt on one of his own players and got a lifetime suspension from then commissioner Fay Vincent because of it (as an aside, guess who reinstated him? Fellow team owner Bud Selig. I didn’t know weasels ran in packs). Instead of being good for baseball, as so many claim today, he made a mockery of it and now that he’s dead we’re supposed to pretend he was the most amazing man to ever work in MLB? Not me. Not doing it.
I’m sorry that his family and others who love him are going through what they are because I know how much that truly sucks and I don’t wish it on anyone. That doesn’t mean his entire slate gets wiped clean…that’s all I’m saying. I’m not here to dump on the dead guy but I’ll be damned if I sit idly by while revisionist history runs amuck.
Now that I got that off my chest…
Local Yankee troll “Lou” commented last night that Big Papi lost the game for the American League with his poor base running (I deleted the comment because Lou lost commenting privileges a while ago, but he wasn’t the only Yankee fan I encountered who gave that argument).
How’s this for a dose of reality? Joe Girardi manages his first All Star Game and the American League loses after 13 straight wins on the back of Phil Hughes’ poor pitching performance (check the box score folks, the “L” is next to Phil’s name).
Last week, when Joba choked up the lead by giving up a grand slam to the Mariners just after Girardi picked Paul Konerko over Kevin Youkilis for the All Star team, I jokingly tweeted:
Mariners win. Maybe the curse of Joe Girardi being a horse’s ass begins tonight?
Yanks won the next game but they lost both Bob Sheppard and George Steinbrenner and now have to face the realization that Mr Girardi (and Mr. Hughes) blew home field advantage for whichever AL team makes it to the World Series (I figure this way the Sox can win the next one in Boston!). I don’t wish death on anyone (especially not sweet Mr. Bob Sheppard) so I take no glee from either death, but maybe there is a cloud forming over the house that Ruth didn’t build?
And finally, some of you mocked me when I began calling Jon Lester “Crabcakes”. He’s finally letting his guard down. Unlike Steve Buckley, I get no joy from reading about one of our players backhandedly insulting another player who hasn’t engaged first. This isn’t a Sox/Yanks Sox/Rays Sox/anyone rivalry. STFU and just say “no”, Jon. You’re a major league ball player, try acting like an adult.
Guess I still don’t have the cranky out. It’s going to be a long week and I really need a game that counts to get me through!
There was JUST a bit of rain at Fenway yesterday. Photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor and used with permission.
“I’m looking at the numbers, the numbers are close and one guy’s numbers are a little bit better. “I took the guy whose numbers are a little bit better.’’ – Joe Girardi on why he chose Paul Konerko over Kevin Youkilis to replace Justin Morneau in the All Star Game
I did my ranting about this on Twitter yesterday (Some PG-13 rated tweets there, possible R) and this morning the sun is shining, the birds are singing and the Yankees lost because Joba Chamberlain gave up a grand slam in the 8th inning, so I’m a lot less cranky about everything today and don’t feel like rehashing it all – I’ll just say this: If you’re going to cite statistics as a reason for your choice, Joe, you should probably actually look at them (here’s a hint: You DIDN’T take the guy whose numbers are a little bit better, Wile E.). My hopes for the All Star Game are that the Red Sox there represent themselves well and Joe Girardi’s team (except for our guys) gets demolished. If the Sox are fortunate enough to get to the World Series, I have faith in their abilities to not need home field advantage. I’m spiteful enough that I’d prefer every move Girardi makes Tuesday night be mocked mercilessly. That is all. 
More disappointing is that yesterday was the fifth annual “Futures at Fenway” day and the rain shortened the Lowell Spinners game and made it necessary to cancel the Salem Red Sox game. The Salem team has never played in the Futures game and it was not only a disappointment for the fans, but for the players too (all of them, even the non-Sox ones, I’m sure). It’s a bummer when Mother Nature throws her monkey wrench around.
Also disappointing: Jacoby Ellsbury coming out of hiding with his pile of notes to, basically, shit on the Red Sox. Fair or not, when he dumped his agent and signed with Boras my attachment to him was pretty much lost but I still liked him being on the team and wanted him to do well. When people started calling him “soft” this year, I defended him because no two injuries are alike and I don’t think it’s anyone’s place to judge how much pain someone is in except that person. But his performance for the media yesterday left me feeling quite “meh” and thinking that I won’t miss him much when he forces his way out of Boston. Folks can’t blame the perceptions people have about him now on the media or on the Red Sox trying to make him look bad…he’s done it all himself as far as I’m concerned. That press conference yesterday was nothing more than a bunch of “I’m hurt and it’s their fault” to me. Get better and come back and help the team or get lost, Jacoby. In either case, quit your bitching. (For the record, I’m not one who believes the Red Sox hire dolts as their medical professionals nor do I think they would do something – or not do something – in the best interest of the health of their players. So while I appreciate that Jacoby wants folks to think the Red Sox dropped the ball here and can acknowledge that there was either miscommunication or just misunderstanding going on, I believe he’s letting Mr. Boras lead him around (it’s always the team’s fault, right?) and that annoys the hell out of me.
At 1:07 this afternoon, Daisuke leads the Sox into the All Star Break by, hopefully, salvaging the series win in Toronto. It would be nice for the team to go into the break with a win, if only to shut up all the writers who keep talking about how tough the schedule in July will be for the Red Sox. For what they’ve endured in this first half, I’m damn proud of this team for fighting through it and being in the position they are right now. I choose to enjoy that and let the rest of it work itself out.
Chosen because I need to be reminded of the players who play for love of the game and aren't money or publicity whores. Plus the sticker is timely!
Well the Yankees PR machine did us in but we gave it a good shot. Sorry we came up short, Youk. Hopefully the rest will do you good and you come back after the all star break and break the Yankees (and the rest of the American League) into tiny pieces. As has been written, we all know you deserved to be an All Star. Hope you know it too.
Between the news about Youk and the ridiculousness surrounding LeBron James, I decided to go offline early last night and purge my brain of sports thoughts…so waking up this morning to the news that the Mariners will, most likely, trade Cliff Lee to the Yankees wasn’t quit how I was hoping things would go.
Of all the months in a baseball season, I hate July the most. Between the All Star Game (which I used to enjoy but Bud Selig making it “count” just to save his own ass has turned me off of it) and the trade deadline I spend most of the month on edge. (Fair warning for the crankiness and snark that might permeate this blog for the next couple of weeks. I’ll try my best to contain it.) Youk getting out-voted by Nick Swisher and the possibility of the Yankees acquiring Lee has made me temporarily lose all hope in humanity. All the stars are aligning for the Yanks right now and that isn’t a baseball world I enjoy participating in.
Tomorrow I’m taking my 9 year-old niece to the Futures at Fenway double header. We’ll get to watch players playing because they enjoy the game and not because they’re looking for money or attention. For a few hours tomorrow, I’ll forget that the Yankees are back to owning the universe and just focus on what the future of the Red Sox looks like. Maybe it’ll help clear my head and make me not want to stab MLB to death? Maybe I’ll come home to the news that Cliff Lee got traded to a team that could actually use his help and not one that just wants to add to their collection? At least I’ll get an afternoon to pretend that baseball is about how much talent you have and not about how much money or pull you have. I’m looking forward to the day even more than I already was.
I’m on the fence about the All Star live chat right now. If the Lee trade to the Yankees does go through, it’s definitely off. The idea of listening to Buck and McCarver slurp all over the Yanks for four hours makes me extremely stabby (it’ll be bad enough listening to it without the trade happening). So stay tuned!
