Lost Writers Predict Yankees in 2010

Future Damon Lindelof and Future Carlton Cuse came back from the future to warn Present Damon and Present Carlton of the mistakes that they'll make writing Lost that will lead to it's cancellation. But more importantly, future Damon is wearing a 2010 Yankees Championship jersey! You can watch the whole video at sl-LOST.com.

Fenway Flashback: An argument to keep Mike Lowell

September 19, 2007
Rogers Centre, Toronto

In an effort to make up for Clay Buchholz' throwing error, Mikey Lowell uses the ol' hidden ball trick to get an out. Awesome.

video courtesy of NESN

Now that's a cute cap..

Really it is. I'd totally get my mom one. She'd look really cute in it. It'd look really good in green. If they had it in green I'd get my brother one because he looks cute in his green B cap. Yup, this hat will even look cute in pink with glitter. cute cute cute. And that's just what I'm looking for in a uniform cap: cute. Yup, Josh Beckett sure will look cute in his new cap. And I can't wait to see Papelbon's fierce stare from under the brim of his cute new cap. I mean look at MDC, doesn't he look intimidating?

Fenway Flashback: Playing In the Band

September 11, 2007

The DEVIL Rays came to town, wearing green and grey vests and much fun ensued. It was late in the season and the team formerly known as the worst in the league was showing signs of what was to come. Much of that came in the form of Scott Kazmir, who out pitched Curt Schilling to win the first game of the series 1-0. As the score suggests, there wasn't a lot of action, other than pitching dominance. The highlight was the appearance of Clay Buchholz in the bullpen band and Julian Tavarez' refusal to participate, topped off by the always outstanding band play-by-play of Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo. Thanks to NESN for the clip.

American Music Awards

I was too busy watching Jack Bauer run around Africa to see much of the AMAs, but I did enjoy Sarah Mclachlan and Pink's duet of Angel. Pink is shockingly good live:

ohno, Coco!

Rumors are flying this morning that Coco Crisp will be heading to KC. Darn it! I knew this day would come but I love Coco and will definitely miss him, especially coming off the most fun (if not the best) season he's had with the Red Sox. Well it was fun for me, anyway...And I will miss him everytime someone drops a ball in the outfield.... And I'll be really pissed everytime this Ramirez guy sucks... But it may open the door for Masterson to become a starter should the Sox not pick one up this off-season. In the meanwhile, thanks for the memories, Coco... especially this one:

wooohoooo! M.V.Pedey!

Congrats to Dustin Pedroia, the Sox teeny little MVP. Nothing like a little off-season hardware to pump you up for next season, huh? Yup, our little Rookie of the Year is all grown up to GOLD GLOVE, SILVER SLUGGER, and AL MVP! Lovelovelove that little Pedey!

Madonna rocks forearm balances

While browsing ashtanga images seeking inspiration for our website redesign, I came across this picture of Madonna, heels, fishnets and all, rocking her second series forearm balances. Too funny....

A totally biased commentary on small businesses

Times are tough. Big corporations are flailing and valuable stocks have become almost worthless. Folks have seen their nesteggs evaporate before their eyes. Americans are scared. So we've tightened our belts. We've cut back on gas, on groceries, on anything that we can live without. But before you put away that Gold card, think for a minute about your favorite local shops -- those small businesses that you love, that enrich your life. Yeah, you can put off buying a new car until money starts to flow a little more freely. You can put off a new house until the mortgage companies get back on their feet. Don't worry, the government will save Ford and AIG. They'll save Fannie and Freddie. But they won't save the coffee shack down on the corner. The government won't step in and save that little salon where you've had your hair cut for the last decade. They won't save the corner bar. And they won't save your favorite little yoga studio.

No one knows how long this recession will last, but we've yet to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Everytime you drive by the coffee shack without opening your wallet, the owner goes a little deeper into debt. Soon there will be no money left for rent and the doors will be shut on him. In a year or so, your stocks will be back up. Your future will feel safe again, but your favorite shops will be gone. Only the big guys -- the Walmarts, the Starbucks, the Exxons will remain. Is that the future you want?

So the next time you drive by your favorite coffee shop, corner bar, or yoga studio, stop. Drop a couple of bucks. You can live without it, but the small businesses can't. Thank you.

Fenway Flashback: If the Orioles and Red Sox brawl, what side does Kevin Millar pick?

September 7, 2007
Camden Yards
Daniel Cabrera loses his shit and Julian Tavarez talks him down. Good times...

Fenway Flashback: Yo-Yo

September 4th, 2007

People ask me, "Now that baseball's over, what do you do with your time?" Of course, I've been watching baseball. I don't know if I could handle the cold, depressing weather without baseball! During last off-season I re-watched my way through to September of 2007. Good times back then. Although, I've been happy with the changes that Theo has made in the last year, there are things I miss like Julian Tavarez being his wacky self.

Why I'm Relieved..

After the first time I heard Palin speak, I avoided her the rest of the campaign for fear I might cut off my own ears. But I came across this gem this morning. Very very funny. Well, it's only funny because there is no longer a chance she'll be our next Vice-President. Let's face it folks, she makes George W. look smart.

Congrats, Pedey!

The Boston Globe reports the Dustin Pedroia will be named the Gold Glove 2nd baseman later this afternoon. Personally, I absolutely love watching Pedey play second... Although he's done it dozens of times, those diving catches where he pounces back to his feet in time for the throw, just never get old!

In other, even more exciting news, the Sox have requested to host the All-Star game in 2012. That's Fenway's 100th birthday! Sounds like a party!

A little political propaganda

I woke feeling proud to be an American and the Olympics aren't even on tv! That said, I present to you one last piece of political propaganda...
!

Welcome back, Wakey!

In the first play of the off-season, Theo and Co. resigned Tim Wakefield, bringing back the 42-year old knuckleballer for yet another season. Although ALCS Game 4 left a sour taste in my mouth, it really was a great season for Wakefield. His games were actually fun to watch!

Zack & Miri make me laugh...

Thanks to Tim McCarver, Phillies Win Big

Tim McCarver and FOX wanted everyone to know that the Phillies were struggling with men in scoring position. He reminded us every single time a man got in scoring position. Did you hear they were 2-33 with RISP coming into the game? Wow, it's no wonder the Phillies were losing, huh? If only they had hit with men in scoring position, they might have won. Wait. They did win. In fact, they were up in the series 2-1. Nonetheless, McCarver had a point to make and he made it perfectly clear when he said "it's almost as though the Phillies can't drive in a run unless they drive in themselves." Seriously! It's like he's writing the script for the mockumentary version of the World Series - yes it's the "Best in Show" for baseball fans. Now that's a great idea! But I digress... After McCarver's wise words, the Phillies did figure out how to drive in themselves. Ryan Howard really benefited from the baseball strategy lesson, hitting 2 homeruns and earning 5 RBIs.

Rant aside, FOX really rocks compared to TBS. Although I do miss Sager's suits.

Maddon and Sager
by beisbolct

Rollins takes one for the team

Rollins was called safe after getting a glove shoved up his ass. Ump obviously felt sorry for the guy. FOX was nice enough to put the image in a pretty frame.

No, thank you...

Now that the bitter sting of of that 3-1 Game 7 loss has faded, I can look back with a somewhat rational eye at the 2008 season. What a season it was, huh? What looked like it would be a sweet ride to the series became a long, hard fought battle that proved the character of the team, the players, and the front office. From Japan to the Fenway Flu, from Manny's high-fiving catch and his 500th homer to his adolescent melt-down, it was a wild ride. I'd like to thank the organization for a fantastic year and for all the great memories...

• the emergence of Justin Masterson


• Jon Lester's no-hitter and his rise to become one of baseball's best


• Jed Lowrie saving us from the E6


• Fight Night


• Youk's beard


• Youk badass at either corner


• Jason Bay was welcomed aboard in Fenway Fashion


• JD Drew replacing Papi's bat and winning All-Star MVP


• Pedey batting cleanup


• Ozzie intentionally walking a jockey


• Knuckleballs -- the old guys' shutout


• Dice-K's magical, yet baffling record


• Casey being Casey = hilarious


• Youk in right field


• Youk in right field again


• Game 5

Thank you, Boston Red Sox, thank you! I look forward to hearing what our fearless Theo has in store for the off-season...

Livin' On A Prayer

I almost didn't go. I'll admit to that. I found out the score was already 2-0 in the 2nd when I got off work and I considered not going to the bar to watch the game. You know, with economics being what they are and the last few games being well, downright depressing..But I had to see it through. I'm no goddamned pink hat. I've watched (or listened to) EVERY SINGLE GAME. I am Fenway Faithful. I will not desert the boys when they need me the most. HOLY FREAKING CRAP! I'm soooooooooooo glad I did. BESTGAMEVER! Well not ever because that yankees game in 2004 probably had it beat but I didn't see that, living on the west coast without cable has complicated my fandom. But it was definitely the best game I've ever seen and I'm madly in love with jd i'm-the-mvp-of-the-freaking-world-series,-punk, drew. But the real highlight was that the juke box was actually playing LIVING ON A PRAYER during Coco's at bat. DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAT THAT? Classic....

When pumpkins drink too much

Lenny!

As if the game weren't good enough -- nesn posted Lenny Clark's appearance at the Yawkey NESN desk. Funny funny shit...

Huge Relief

It's a little sad, but at the same time, such a relief: Mike Timlin didn't make the ALDS roster. Potential disaster averted.

Josh Beckett looks FINE to me!

boston.com has a whole slideshow of rally pics

Josh Beckett Has Oblique Strain, Wall Street Panics

Okay, so one has little to do with the other, but it's definitely a day for panic. The good news is that our new ACE, Jon Lester, won AL Pitcher of the Month for September, proving that he's THE man to have on the mound in game 1. Sorry, I have to keep telling myself that, to try to avoid panic....

Because it's just too funny not to post...

and here I thought Giambi's stache was bad!

Because we could all use something to smile about

Chad Finn, at Touching All The Bases did a nice tribute to pitchers who've been around for a, well, since the mullet. He was kind enough to give us the above photo of Tim Wakefield with his MULLET!! lovelovelove it! =)

Talking myself off the ledge...

Apparently, Josh Beckett has an injured oblique. Yup, 3 days before the playoffs start, our Ace goes down..........

It's okay. Lester really is our ace. I mean, he's been the stopper all season. His season, and his record, were much better than Beckett's. So it's okay that Beckett won't start game one. Yeah, it's okay. Isn't it????

I should have seen it coming, really. I mean the Sox were extra cagey about the playoff rotation. When Francona fessed up to Beckett's oblique injury in last night's press conference, he did so with extraordinary reluctance -- as if news of this nature might send Red Sox Nation into a panicked frenzy, in the same way that a bank closure sends Wall Street spiraling.

I'm confident Beckett will be ready as promised in Game 3. A part of me thinks a sudden injury is a perfect excuse to get the rotation in order by their numbers and not by their reputation. I mean, if you base the rotation strictly on this season's numbers, Dice-K (18-3) is our guy. Since he can't play in the rain, he's not on track to start Wednesday, so we go with our number two guy, Lester (16-6), followed by Matsuzaka, followed by Beckett (12-10).

Handling Red Sox Nation is like handling a delicate political campaign. Beckett's injury allows Francona to explain away his rotation without taking responsibility. Especially after the rainy debacle that was Friday night, Francona is on unsteady ground. I try not to question the man that has brought us 2 World Championships, but handing the Rays the division title on a silver platter care of David Pauley was not my idea of championship baseball. Maybe it was smart to keep our best off the soggy field and in the end, it didn't matter. But it did throw some ice water on my playoff fever. I couldn't even sit through it. Blessedly, mlb.tv came through and dropped my connection when it was only 15 to something. I didn't bother to refresh....

Now, without cable and blacked on on mlb.tv, I'm off to plot my post season viewing strategy..

WHERE'S WALLY?

Even more fun that I thought!

Since the re-signing of Mike Lowell sometime around Thanksgiving of 2007, I knew that the Red Sox would make the post-season in 2008. I didn't, however, think it'd be so damn hard. And never, did I imagine we'd be in second place to the Devil-less Rays. Oftentimes, I've felt this season was a disappointment -- the lack of run support for Beckett, the failure for Buchholz to adapt to the bigs, the struggles of the bullpen, Mike Timlin. The list could go on and on. It hasn't really felt like a season to celebrate. But now that I'm celebrating along with the rest of Red Sox Nation, I've realized what an achievement this season has really been. Yes, the Sox looked hard to beat going into spring training, but the current team is a completely different team than the one they started the season with -- no Manny, no Schilling, no Buchholz, no Lugo, no Drew, no Lowell. And many more spent time on the DL -- Big Papi, Josh Beckett, Sean Casey, David Aardsma, among others. With so many veteran's down and out, the young guys had to pick up the slack. With the pressure on, the young Sox put together amazing seasons-- Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, Jed Lowrie, and Jacoby Ellsbury. And consider the phenomenal season of Mike Timlin, the perfectly timed comeback of Okajima's arm and Big Papi's bat. Yes, there is definitely reason to celebrate...

It's been a rollercoaster over the past couple of weeks. Just when I would get my hopes up that the Sox can win the division, they were quickly dashed (with runners left on). I've come to realize that the Sox can indeed win without Manny Ramirez, but I'm not sure they can win without both Mike Lowell and JD Drew. David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis just simply don't come up often enough in the batting order to make that happen. Well, Mikey Lowell seemed to be feeling much better trotting around Fenway with his champagne bottles in hand. And JD Drew looked and felt good in batting practice. Whew. That teeny clip of Drew in BP was about as sweet an image as I'd seen in sometime and then I saw Big Papi with his party hat and goggles on. Good times.

Sox Songs

Thanks to Extra Bases for this lineup of songs (one for each starter in the lineup) by Desmond Reed that are very funny!

Ain't Karma A Bitch?

A long, long time ago, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays swept the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. It was mid-season, but you wouldn't know it from the frenzy inside the often empty circus tent of a ballpark. Fans relished the win, waving brooms and ringing cowbells. Such celebrations are understood when major milestones are met -- when a team clinches a playoff berth, a division title, or wins a playoff series. But such celebrations midseason, during an ordinary series, are obnoxious and unsportsmanlike. But the icing on the cake in this one, was that the Rays' played "Sweet Caroline" after the final game of the sweep. They took it way too far. And with that bad karma, I was sure they had sealed their own fate. So I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for karma to come around and kick the Devil Rays in the ass. Finally, the day came...

After dropping 2 games to the flailing New York Yankees last weekend, the Rays pitching staff melted under the pressure when the Sox arrived at the Trop last night. The Sox hit more homeruns than I could count and made it clear that they are THE team to beat. In the end, the Sox finally moved into a tie for first place. Look, isn't that pretty??

Dave Grohl is really really funny

Thanks to Bill for pointing these out:

Dave Grohl and Will Ferrell duet:


Dave Grohl covers "Tiny Dancer":

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Don Orsillo, who not only got himself a nice, new contract, but announced his 1,000 game. Holy crap! That's a LOT of games.

Further congratulations to Dustin Pedroia who hit his 200th hit. Last week, Tim Wakefield threw his 500th game, but waited until he was home on Friday night to really celebrate with another 8 inning shutout. And congratulations to George Kottaras for scoring his first major league run, even though he struck out, and ran into a double play. Kottaras got to first on a 3rd strike that went to the back stop. Then Coco Crisp hit into an easy double play, but the ball was dropped as Kottaras arrived at the bag. Everyone was safe. Then George moved to third on a ground ball and scored on a pop fly.

Although that sounds a little crazy, it wasn't as crazy as the Sox defense at the time:

It looked a lot like a PawSox lineup, with a few exceptions, including Kevin Cash at third. YES, you read that right, Kevin Cash played third base. Luckily Devern Hansack felt mighty at home at Fenway, surrounding by all his PawSox boys and threw an outstanding 3 innings. Hansack managed to keep everyone from hitting down the third baseline, so we didn't really get to see Cash play third. It was probably for the best.

In case you missed it...

Comcast has the full video and of Papelbon, I mean, Cinco Ocho..

so good so good so good

September 9th

19 Games Remaining

AL East -0.5
AL Wildcard +7
Wildcard Magic # = 13

Bring It!

September 8th

20 Games Remaining

AL East -1.5
AL Wildcard +6.5
Wildcard Magic # = 14

September 2nd

25 games remaining

-5 AL East
+3 AL Wildcard

Wildcard Magic Number = 23

Games remaining vs TB = 6

September 1st

26 Games Left
-5.5 AL East
+2.5 AL Wildcard

BAL @ BOS
NYY @ TB
MIN @ TOR

King of the world

Nothing is better than watching Dustin Pedroia hitting in the clean-up spot. As if the guy doesn't play hard enough -- the pressure is really on to live up to his mouth when he's batting clean-up. So what does that little guy do -- he gets on base every single at bat and plays an extraordinary second base. He is phenomenal. The only thing that is more fun to watch is Terry Francona running out to argue a safe call on Pedoria's behalf. Here's the play

and Don and Jerry awarded Tito the "Twisted but True" award for the play:

Best Virgin Nominee

Big Papi was nominated for the Best Virgin Relly Award on Regis and Kelly. The Best Virgin Award goes to the best first time guest. You can vote for Papi until midnight tonight Vote often, because Papi's up against Brad Pitt! Good luck, Papi! Here's the clip from his award nominated performance:

Eck on Yankee Stadium

Booty-licious!

Coco Crisp wins gold medal in vault

video courtesy of MASN and MLB.tv

Life is like a box of chocolates abscessed anal sac

My dog has an infected anal sac. Yup, it's as nasty as it sounds. It pretty much sums up life these days. Nothing life threatening, but definitely not pretty. Sums up last night's game too. The Sox are supposed to be a favorite to win the World Series, yet they have their utility infielder in the bullpen... Not pretty, but it is kinda funny. It really had Jim Palmer perplexed. In later innings, when the Sox didn't use Cora, thanks to a surprisingly great outing by Hideki Okajimi, Palmer decided that Cora must have just been goofing around out there. I wish that were the case!

video courtesy of MASN and MLB.tv

Congratulations, Dice-K

Thanks to his five walk outing last night, Daisuke Matsuzaka now leads the American League in walks. Somehow, he's also fourth in wins...
has the lowest opponent batting average with runners in scoring position and....

hasn't given up a run in the 14 times that he's loaded the bases. That's really amazing. And really, really, REALLY stressful.

Dear Sean Casey,

First of all, let me just say that I'm a big fan. I think you bring a great energy to the Red Sox and have really helped out the Sox this season. I think you are hilarious and fun and I love watching you laugh and smile. You hit like Ichiro-- knocking in everything thrown at you for a bloop hit. However, you do not run like Ichiro. You run more like an elephant..... with his feet tied together... You make Mike Lowell look speedy. It's okay. You are awesome and you do not need to run. Let the rookie do the running. Accept the fact that you cannot run and be okay with that. Please please please stop trying to stretch out hits for an extra base. You will be called out. Every time. Even if you are safe, because it'll be impossible for the umpire to believe that you beat the throw. Yeah, you really do look that slow. Sorry... peace, love, and double-plays, lynne

An argument against vest jerseys

I've always hated vest jerseys, but then again baseball fashion is, well, not exactly fashionable. And it's not like the guys aren't wearing t-shirts under the vests. I'd really be worked up if the boys were bearing armpits. I just pretend that they are wearing different colored sleeves. But last night, poor Tommy Hunter proved that vests are not okay.

Oh the screen cap barely does it justice.... Hunter had a tight tee on under his vest. I think the tight sleeves are probably far more functional than the lose sleeves, especially for a pitcher. You don't want all sorts of extra fabric bunching up around your shoulder and tighter is definitely warmer. However tight shirt + vest = fashion disaster. It's worse than high socks. It's worse than stirrups! I think that Jason Bay is happy to be a Red Sox not because of the chance to be on winning team, but he's happy to escape the god-awful VEST!

Nearing the end?

I've been worrying that Jason Varitek's recent batting slump is a sign that his career is nearing the end. However, boston.com reports that it's not his career, but his marriage that is ending. Apparently Tek filed for divorce at the end of July. Tek was married for 11 years with 3 kids, so I am sure it's a sad and stressful time for the captain. Undoubtedly, it's had an effect at the plate as well. I'm sure that once the dust settles, Tek's swing will be back in fine form.

Forgive and forget?

Alright, the boys did a good job of trying to distract me last night -- the baby-faced knuckler and the nearly 40 runs. What a wild ride it was. But it's morning and I'm still mad. Surely Sox fans remember the ALCS last year against the Cleveland Indians and we remember that Paul Byrd was busted for HGH use during that series, missing his start. Are we supposed to have forgiven and forgotten?? Come on -- we're Red Sox fans. Red Sox fans never forget...

I know the Sox need a starter as they make a playoff bid, I really do get it. I want the Red Sox to win. But I'm not convinced I want an admitted HGH user in the clubhouse. But I didn't want to be quick to judge, so I looked around. Byrd claims to have a tumor on his pituitary gland which causes him to be deficient in HGH, so his doctor prescribed it for him. . Ah that sounds convincing enough. But just to be sure, I looked him up in the Mitchell Report. Here's what George had to say:

On October 21, 2007, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd had bought nearly $25,000 worth of human growth hormone and syringes from the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center, one of the anti-aging clinics implicated in the Signature Pharmacy investigation, in thirteen transactions between August 2002 and January 2005. According to the story, Byrd used his credit card to purchase the substance and received more than 1,000 vials of human growth hormone in the transactions, which were sent to his home in Georgia, to the spring training facility of the Atlanta Braves, where he was playing at the time, and in one instance to a New York hotel.

In public comments in response to the article, Byrd admitted that he had been taking human growth hormone but said that he had been using it to treat a tumor on his pituitary gland. Byrd reportedly said that he had never taken “any hormone or drug that was not prescribed” to him by a doctor. The Chronicle reported that two of Byrd’s prescriptions had been written by a Florida dentist whose license was suspended in 2003. Byrd also reportedly said that “[t]he Indians, my coaches and MLB have known that I have had a pituitary gland issue for some time,” but Rob Manfred in the Commissioner’s Office denied that Major League Baseball had given Byrd or any other player a therapeutic use exemption for human growth hormone.

A dentist? The same dentist that prescribed HGH to other ballplayers, like Jose Guillen. Oh brother. If you want to really clear your name, you clear it. You show the MRIs of your tumor. He show your medical charts. You show your prescriptions. Your doctor speaks on your behalf.... Byrd knew that HGH was a banned substance in baseball, but has yet to present documentation that he was indeed a medical exception to the rule. If you know you are breaking the rules, you'd better document your excuses. I don't know if Byrd is telling the truth or not, but I can't find anything to convince me he's not guilty, that he didn't cheat. Yet, I'm supposed to cheer him on and hope he helps the Red Sox on the way to a championship. Maybe after his first win, I'll be able to put the past in the past. I'll forgive and forget. Who am I kidding? I'm a Red Sox fan...

What slump?

Jacoby Ellsbury ended his long slump this week in KC, concluding the trip with this lovely 3 run homer:
Redsox.com has the video

Big Papi celebrates Bay's 4 hits

Damn that wall!

There's a teeny little wall in the outfield in Kansas City that is getting the best of Jason Bay. When you are used to seeing the Green Monster out there, the Royals' little fence looks like a little league fence. It looks like it'd be easy to hit a ball over it. But somehow Jason Bay managed to hit 2 balls off the wall rather than over it. Just when I started cursing the little wall, this happened:

Video courtesy of FSN KC
It was reminiscent of Johnny Damon's near catch at Yankee Stadium early this year. Then a Kevin Youkilis would-be homer was knocked out of Damon's glove and perch on the top of the wall. This play was even more unlikely as the ball, while rolling along the top of the wall, was knocked down by the left fielder and put back into play, robbing Jason Bay of a homerun. The Sox went on to score all those runs on a Jed Lowrie base clearing triple, so no damage done!

A light moment

Last night I made a discovery -- the only thing harder to watch than a Dice-K walk-fest is a Clay Buccholz' walk-fest. In a disaster of a game, there was a light moment. The FSN announcers noticed gum stuck to Dustin Pedroia's helmet. It's good to know that at least the guys are having some fun in the dugout. =)

Red Sox sweep and Papi steals a base!

It's official: I love Jason Bay

I went out of my way to watch some Manny-wood clips. They made me miss him. Then this happened.... Manny who?

Now that just looks weird...

Manny in a dodgers uniform. Messed up... It'll look even more messed up when he cuts his hair! No wonder Manny had last minute second thoughts ;) BTW, while Jason Bay hit a clutch triple last night, Manny hit into a clutch double play....

That ain't Manny

'nuff said

Bay's Welcome

Jason Bay was greeted with a standing O in his first at bat in Fenway park. The way the Sox fans treated the left field replacement makes me proud to call myself a sox fan....

Bay walked and went on to score the Sox first run of the game.

Born Into It... Your Left Fielder, #44 Jason Bay

Jason Bay has arrived in the Bay State. He addressed the media this afternoon and said he grew up in BC wearing a Red Sox onsie. Last night I was sad, but after reading that the veterans met with Theo before trade day and encouraged him to make a move, I'm getting more and more excited for the post-Manny era...


Love his comments on playing the wall -- he's looking forward to a lot less running ;) Sidenote, Jason Bay looks much cuter in red! =)

Bittersweet goodbye

Last night was, unimpressively, Manny's last night as a Boston Red Sox. If you had told me a month ago that the Sox would trade the slugger by the trade deadline, I would have undoubtedly been angry and horrified. But considering how ugly things have become over the past week, I find myself relieved and excited by the new guy, Jason Bay. I don't know a thing about him, other than this season's numbers are comparable to Manny's but I'm willing to go out on a limb and guess that he's probably easier to deal with than Manny. I mean, he looks like a guy that might even run down the first base line. I came across this nice blog about the fellow. Apparently he's Canadian and he's getting to big for the Pirates who won't be able to afford him next year. I also came across this and freaked out a little because he looks like Canadian version of Manny. I wonder if he has hair? Will he grow dreads?

And then I came across a quote in which he's less than kind about the Pirates management and I started to freak out again. But then I saw this:

"Whether you're playing chess, checkers or major league baseball, no one likes to lose," Bay said. "When you lose over and over, it's very frustrating. You want to win, but there's a lot of ways that people can help you do that."

Aha!! The man wants to win. Halle-freaking-lujah! I like him already even if he isn't the polar opposite of Manny Ramirez, but then again, we already have JD Drew ;)

On a sad and surprising note, we do say goodbye to Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss. It sure did take a lot to trade Manny, huh? Both Moss and Hansen have had moments of bright promise. But I've never really seen an upcoming hole in the Sox lineup that would create room for Moss, and I never really thought poor Hansen would learn to deal with the pressure of the pen. I hope each find much more success elsewhere, just like Eric Hinske did.

Masterson joins the band...

Questionable umpiring, Manny's questionable absence from the line-up, Joba's questionable sanity, and questionable shift with runners aboard, all combined for a 1-0 loss to the Yankees. The one highlight was the incorporation of Justin Masterson into the bullpen band. Welcome to the pen, Rookie!

Duchovny on Letterman

Duchovny.net has the video of DD on Letterman:

DD also cohosted Regis today. LiveRegisandKelly.com has the host chat on their homepage.

Lowell on Papelbon's Blunder

The Courant had some some hilarious comments by Mike Lowell on Papelbon's trippy defense on Wednesday.

"Him and [Josh] Beckett talk about getting a Gold Glove," Gold Glove third baseman Mike Lowell said. "They stink. Pap whiffed at the ball twice and if he let it go, it would have gone foul. Then he kicked it, or spit on it or kneed it, I don't know. He got there quick, but I want to see a replay of it, because that was terrible. Pitchers always say they can hit and they can field and they get their chance and they screw it up. It's like me saying I can go on the mound and start getting guys out, although I went 9-0 in high school with a 1.74 ERA."

If you haven't seen the play, do check the video below. Many laughs..

Sweeeeet sweet relief!

It wasn't long ago that the Sox decided that Justin Masterson would be a great reliever. They sent him to Pawtucket to make the transition just a little bit ago. Suddenly, tonight he was in the pen, warming early, in just the 6th inning. He ended up coming in in that 6th inning, gathering the last 2 outs and stayed in for the next 2 innings. Masterson was nearly perfect in his 2 and 2/3 inning. It was amazing. The bullpen had been so hard to watch all season, but tonight, it was awesome, powerful, impressive. The Sox front office folks are geniuses. Masterson is not a power pitcher and why someone there thought he'd work out of the pen, I can't imagine, but if tonight is any indication, it was a brillant move. And now with the trade deadline approaching, I can safely say 'We don't need no stinking Gagne'. Please Front Office, do not make any desperate disaster trades like last year. We have what it takes.

The rest of the pen must have sensed the turn of the tides, as Oki and Delcarmen also went hitless. In fact, there were no hits given up by relievers for FIVE innings, when Papelbon tripped over himself trying to get to a little bloop down the first base line. Clearly, tripping over yourself is an error, but the generous scorer called it a hit, just to mess up the relief no-hitter the Sox had in motion. Pap was undoubtedly trying to show up Buchholz, who also fell on his ass fielding a ball...

back in seattle

Josh Beckett was spotted reading the Mariners' media guide. I don't know why I find it so funny. I guess I just assume he's making fun of everyone...

Finally a little bit of video success...

From my very own server:

Video courtesy of MLB.com and FSN Northwest
Not only is it prettier, but it also goes full screen and has a menu to embed! And even better, youtube can't delete it!

The player is FlowPlayer. It's free and pretty easy to use. It requires javascript which doesn't work in a blogger blog post, but if you post it elsewhere, you can embed a nice little embed tag that gets the job done.

X-Files Media Blitz

How good is it to see these two back together! There will be lots more DD stuff coming. He's supposed to do Kimmel tonight and Regis on Friday!

Wardrobe Malfunction

Video courtesy of MLB.com and FSN Northwest
Last night, Lester grabbed his, ahem, groin in the 7th inning, prompting a visit from Jason Varitek, followed by Terry Francona and Paul Lessard. It was later reported that it was "discreet equipment adjustment". Now that's as funny as Manny getting in trouble for jaywalking!

BTW, I'm still having trouble with the flash player. It's playing the videos twice, still, so if you bother to watch them, hit pause at the midpoint. I spent most of today trying out other players but haven't been able to get any to cooperate with blogger.

screw you youtube

Still mad at the youtube and aol conspiracy and all those kind folks who go around reporting copyright violators, I spent much of the day test driving different flash converters. The results of my experimenting is this little clip of manny losing the ball under his ass. It gets funnier each time I see it. Which is good because I can't seem to stop the video from looping through twice.

This video belongs to MLB.com and FSN West

And this man wants a Gold Glove

Big Papi on Regis and Kelly Minus the Regis Again

Silly me. When I heard that David Ortiz was not going to be able to play in the All-Star game, I didn't think he'd be there. At all. Not only was he there, but he was the center of attention at much of batting practice and he made the media rounds. Here he is on Regis and Kelly, but again Regis was not there. Why is this always the case? Is Regis afraid of the power of the Papi? His loving charm might convert him to the dark side -- the Red Sox side??

JJ's at it again...

Have you heard the buzz about the new JJ Abram's show on Fox? It sounds a lot like the X-Files with an FBI agent investigating the paranormal with a woman who looks a tad like Sydney Bristow who seriously kicks ass just like Sydney Bristow.

It starts out with a plane crash just like LOST. I'm sure we'll see an elevator crash too! I can't wait =)

Is Boston's bad boy ruining his reputation?

According to ESPN, while other players were off at the beach and whatnot for the All-Star break, Josh Beckett was back home in Texas working on his pitches. And according to sources there, Beckett sounds like a real nice guy! =o

The relationship between the Sox ace and the [Trinity University] players progressed to the point where they'd hang out together off the field. In the evening, Beckett would pick up some of the older guys in his truck and take them out to dinner or for a beer. (Fregosi: "I would offer to split the check. He said, 'When you're making more money then me you can start buying.") And this past November, Beckett took 22 Trinity players to a Spurs game. "It was awesome," Bronson says of the time with Beckett. "There was no separation. He basically acted like one of us, like one of our good friends."

Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on...let's play and play and keep on playing well past the point that you are out of players...

Innings 1-5 prove my theory that all-star games are boring as hell. Inning 6, I realize that we might actually lose home field advantage in the world series. Inning 7, I start to get stressed out that we will lose home field advantage. What the heck? Doesn't the AL always win??? Inning 7, JD Freaking Drew, I love you! I pray for you to get a base hit and what do you do, in your first all-star appearance? You hit a 2-run homerun!! In Yankee stadium!!! Lovelovelove drew! Tied game... Inning 8, reliving all the papelbon bum controvery and realize that Navarro and the DEVIL Rays from which he hails SUCK. Papelbon proves that with a decent catcher, he rules the MLB. I begin to regret the pinch hit for the slumping Tek and begin to rethink the logic in making the all-star game count... Inning 8, I, in my head, challenge Eva, I mean, Evan, Longoria to prove the the Rays aren't flukey crap. He does. I am temporarily grateful as the game is again tied. Inning 9, Tito goes to Riveria as he suspects his boys will score in the 9th. Tito is wrong. It is too good to be true that JD Drew might hit two out of the park... Inning 10, Mo's a go. I'm starting to think this is a freaking good game. Starting to rethink Tito's little league strategy of everyone plays. He's out of bench players. But it's not like the boys he has in suck or anything,,, . ... .... 15th inning, I awake covered in mosquito bites. Am I camping? The game is still on. holy crap. Jeter is showered and wearing a golf shirt and mocking Tito, who is wearing a uniform shirt. Youk is seen drinking a red bullnot a slumpbuster.. It's 1:30am EST and it's all up to Drew. He walks. Bases loaded. Corey Hart (who doesn't wear his sunglasses at night) hits a walk off sac fly and Tito is happier than he was when the Sox won the series. Whew! and JD Freaking Drew rocks the MVP in his first All-Star game! I have to take this opportunity to say I've loved JD since he was better known as Nancy Drew!

Joe does yoga

I love this commercial, especially when Torre stumbles around on a yoga mat ;)

I'm a Chase Utley fan!

That's funny! In case you couldn't hear him, he said "Boo? F@#$ You." Gotta love live tv! I don't know much about Chase Utley, but if the Yankee fans hate him so much to boo him at the All-Star game, he must be cool! ;) And Big Papi received a chorus of boos during batting practice, to whichhe flexed his muscles. Also booed was poor Wally and the Mets' mascot too... Gotta love Yankee Stadium =)

It's Millar Time

I like it when the Orioles come to town because you can always count on Kevin Millar to be entertaining even in the dullest of games. Last night was a perfect example. I spent the first half of the game trying to figure out if Millar had orange pom poms on his shoes. From a distance pom poms was my best guess.

Equally entertained by Millar's feet, Don and Jerry gave us a close up, revealing the heavy orange laces. Perfect!

Those also revealed Millar's new do, which they called bright yellow. I think it was just bleached, actually, but it's entertaining nonetheless! Lovelovelove Kevin Millar!