Scott Baker

Perfect through 6.

Boooooooo

Generally speaking, the Sox are still in good shape...

To take something from this past series.
Schilling looks very healthy. That makes the 1-2-3 combo very strong. Our number 4 has 16 wins...The bullpen is very strong.

The pitching is definitely there. There were questions about Schilling, but he's been very good since "resting".

The glaring hole? No Manny. Without rehashing early season posts, there were great concerns about this offense. They have scored a lot of runs. But they've gone through very bad stretches. They have no bench...although that will change tomorrow with the call-ups...

Maybe the Sox will luck out and the Yankees will get the Angels in the first round. Then they won't have to face them in the playoffs. I think that the Sox should think about sending down Lopez today to bring up Ellsbury or someone just so they are eligible for the post-season roster without someone going to the DL (although I am thinking that Snyder will probably get hurt some time this month for that very reason...and perhaps Hinske...).

I think that even the relatively easy games aren't going to be very easy without Ramirez in the lineup. Who in their right mind is going to pitch to Papi?

I think that Drew should be the leadoff hitter for the rest of the year. He is fast. He likes to walk instead of swing. And don't move Lugo or Crisp to the top. Put Papi there.

Drew
Papi
Lowell
Youk
Tek
Crisp
Pedroia
Lugo
Guerrero (oh, wait we don't have him)

Yes, you have a weak bottom of the lineup...no doubt. But you get Papi and extra at bat...After the first go-round it doesn't really matter in the AL.

I don't know...they need something to happen. I am not thinking that the lead will grow this weekend with the Yankees playing the D-Rays and the Sox facing the O's....

I know why most Yankee fans are so ignorant

It has to be from listening to YES. No wonder their fans think the Yanks are so great. The guys on YES tell them for three hours every day. I would swear it is the Yankees who are up by 6 games and have the best record in baseball.

Let the bone picking commence.....

Can you spell retahded?

I figured that since I had a little momentum I'd go with it, so here's yet another random post:

I saw this note about the Phillie's relief pitcher getting into an arguing match with a reporter in the clubhouse after Brett Myer's gave up 2 homeruns and blew the save. The exchange what something like this:

(non-italics mine, italics are actual quotes)
Reporter: Brett, can you talk for a moment about your thoughts on those 2 homeruns?
Brett: You know, I felt good out there but I wasn't hitting my locations exactly right and you know those were good pitches but the hitter just got enough I mean those were just pop ups.
Inquirer: Brett, sorry to barge in here, but can you say more about why you thought those two homeruns were just pops ups?
Brett: (Standing up, looking pissed off!) You're not even a beat reporter, you're a fill-in, you don't know anything about baseball You're fuckin' retarded.
Inquirer: (Being a prick) Brett, can you spell retarded for me?
Brett: (Outraged being held back by Pat Burrell) You fuckin' piece of shit! I'll fuckin' spell retarded for ya', F - U - C -K - Y - O - U !!!

The Phillies by the way are on a four game skid and presently 7.0 games behind The Mets for the NL East Division and tied with Division rival, Atlanta for 4.0 games back in the wild card. As we all know, Atlanta made the most mid-season moves, but seems to have stalled (3-7 in their last ten, including 1-3 against the Reds). However the Phillies have more to worry about as it looks like their bullpen's wheels are coming off. Beer Leaguer blogs that last night was the 22nd loss given up by the bullpen. (There are some good comments on their game post, an impressive blog!) It looks like it's the Mets' Division to lose.

Did Theo Listen in?

Grieve, Earl and me got together to watch last Saturday's Sox game. I can't remember if it was Grieve or Earl that pointed it out, but the Sox were not swinging at the first pitch and it was SO frustrating.

Sounds like maybe Theo was listening, from Fire Brand:

Ortiz hit his 22nd and 23rd homeruns of the season in the fourth and fifth innings of the ball game both coming on first pitch of each at-bat.

I fell in love with her in 1984 so I might be blinded

So it turns out Alyssa Milano has a Dodger's blog. In a related story, I am rather bored today. Back to Alyssa. So I had a crush on her from 1984 through the early 90's, culminating in her leading role asAmy Fisher in the made for TV movie. Such good stuff. So I couldn't resist reading her blog. Here are some excerpts from some recent posts:

Just as we love our heroes, we also love a good villain. A villain and a hero are two sides of the same coin. They are, in fact, inseparable. A villain doesn’t care what he has to do to achieve a goal. The villain cheats because he feels rules just get in the way and he works alone for what he believes to be “good”. A villain uses intimidation. A villain defies the laws of nature. A villain is only driven by ego. A villain is a character whose actions are important to the entire plot of the story. Barry Bonds is important to the big picture of baseball. He is a great media-made villain to the great socially made hero: Hank Aaron.

Ah... cough... cough.. cough... that's good stuff... funny thing though, she finishes up with,

Right or wrong, it’s over. We are left with judgment relative to our own rights and our own wrongs. Hero or villain, Barry Bonds is our home run king and one of the greatest hitters baseball has ever known.

What are we left with? Nothing really. We are left with nothing and upon further reflection, that’s what makes me a bit melancholy. I sat with my dad and watched a game that I could care less about, while a man I have no compassion for, broke a record in the sport I love and I truly felt nothing. No tears of joy. No goose bumps. Not even anger.

Nothing.

At least it’s over.

Well put! Ah... I can go back to loving her. All is right in the world. Plus, she wrote a pretty funny letter to Grady Little.

I am so happy my youth wasn't wasted in front of the TV.

Red Sox Closer Admits Having a Slutter

No that's not a typo, it's just a slow news day. So slow in fact that I had to go back to Wednesday's Globe to find something interesting. Actually, I really first heard about the news from the folks at Fire Brand of the AL. They did a piece on Papelbon and whether or not he is the best closer in the league. They make a pretty good argument that Papelbon is a top closer. Still I don't think he is the best this year and still has a lot to prove. As the folks at Fire Brand point out, one of the other 4 players to start their career with 2 straight seasons of 30 saves was no other than Billy Koch! (Kaz Sasaki and Todd Worrell being the other two). Man, what happened to Billy Koch? As it turns out, he ended his career by sticking it to the Blue Jays (signed and then quit forcing them to pay the rest of his contract).

Anyway, back to Papelbon's slut... (Boobs of Hazel Mae?!)... I mean slutter. Apparently, Pap has a new pitch which is a cross between a cut-fast ball and a slider, hence "slutter". And if you're wondering what the chair has to do with this, well that's what you get when you google "slutter".

The GYS jinx continues

GR, 9:06 am:
"Meanwhile, Baltimore seems to be playing pretty good baseball."

Later in the day:
Texas 30 (most runs scored by a team in 110 years), Baltimore 3

Gabbard got the win; Wes Littleton got the save. Seriously.

Equal time

Since everyone followed Bronson Arroyo's home runs when he was traded to the Reds, it's only fair that we do the same for Wily Mo with the Nats...

In 3 games: 5 for 11, with 2 HR and 3 BB. 3RBI, 4R, OPS of 1.667

Damn.