Sox Take 2 Out Of 3

The Red Sox stay hot against contenders as they take 2 of 3 from Chicago this weekend. Not much offense today, though, as they lose 4-2. We could use Youk back in the line-up.

As long as we keep winning series, it will be hard for Minnesota or Chicago to catch us for the Wild Card with 20+ games left in September. The Yankees are on life support, but could help us by winning a few games this week in Tampa Bay. All it will take is one bad series by the Rays & we are right back in the AL East race.

However, as Eck said on the pre-game show Friday, the focus for now is keeping the lead in the Wild Card race.

Michael Bowden Gets Win #1 At 21

How many fans would like to be Michael Bowden?

At 21 years old Michael gets his first Major League appearance & earns his first Major League win by beating the Chicago White Sox. Being from Illinois it was a big thrill for him to defeat an Illinois team, even though he grew up a Cubs fan.

What were you doing at age 21? I was a Junior in college completing my worst year as a pitcher. I ended up 3-5 that year. (I had winning records in each of my other 3 years.) That summer I work at a cemetery & played baseball at night in the Concord, NH Sunset League. I can't complain. Life was good then & is still good now, but Michael Bowden beats me.

What were you doing at age 21? Feel free to leave a comment if you care to. Thanks!

Theo Finds Another Perfect Fit in Kotsay

Let's give Theo some love.

First, he brings in Jason Bay to replace you know who. Bay responds with a ton of RBI in August & plays flawlessly in LF.

Next, Jeff Bailey comes up from AAA & gets a few spot starts at 1B due to injuries. He contributes a home run tonight.

Tonight 21-year old Michael Bowden gets called up from Pawtucket for a spot start. He gives the Red Sox 5 innings of 2-run ball tonight & gets the win.

Earlier this week, corresponding with Drew's move to the DL, Mark Kotsay gets claimed off waivers as an insurance policy for J.D. Drew. He delivers 3 RBI tonight. Mark plays great defense in RF too. Kotsay seems to be another good fit, like Jason Bay, that Theo has orchestrated over the past month. Other than the Rays, the Sox have the best record in baseball for August.

Trips to the DL for Mike Lowell, J.D. Drew, Julio Lugo & Josh Beckett would have sunk the Sox in past years. But insert Jed Lowrie, Jason Bay, Alex Cora, Mark Kotsay, Michael Bowden & you have a team that won on the road -- all 3 series in Baltimore, Toronto & New York -- & their first series at home against the playoff contending White Sox.

Thanks, Theo. Keep searching the waiver wires & developing that young talent. We are going to the playoffs.

Pedroia For MVP

What else can the smallest guy on the field do this year? How about hitting 4th tonight?

Pedroia responds with a back-to-back 4 hit performance. He plays flawless in the field, including a great double play turn at second before getting taken out at the knees by Carlos Quentin.

Dustin has great numbers on offense including number of hits (180+), runs scored & extra base hits. I believe he has only 5 errors at 2B this year. Why wouldn't he be considered for MVP? Maybe his biggest challenge will come from Kevin Youkilis. How about Petey & Youk for co-MVP's?

Dustin Pedroia is following up his Rookie of the Year / World Series Championship with an even better year in 2008. Maybe it will end the same way as 2007 -- with a World Series Championship.

3 Aces for the Stretch Run

Lately, Lester & Matsuzaka have pitched like #1 starters. Add the return of Josh Beckett who is a real #1 starter & we have 3 aces going into the final month.

I wouldn't discount Wakefield's ability to go on a hot streak as well. The #5 spot may be a combination of AAA arms & Bartolo Colon. Given that pitching wins championships, I'd say the Red Sox staff is ready to compete with those of Tampa Bay, LA, Chicago & Minnesota.

Dice-K got his 16th win in a masterpiece against the White Sox last night. Jon Lester pitched well enough in New York to get a win. Beckett is physically & mentally over his injury bug. The staff is coming together at the right time for a big push in September.

Red Sox Roll Over White Sox

We could get use to this. Good pitching, good hitting, good defense.

Dice-K threw a gem against the #1 team in homers with 8 shutout innings. His fastball had zip. His curve & slider were thrown for strikes. Hitters, in fact very good hitters, were off-balance all night.

Our offense produced 8 unanswered runs with big hits from Ortiz, Kotsay & Bay. Pedroia the Destroya collected 4 more hits. The Red Sox bats put the game away with a big 6th inning after a close affair through the first 5.

Ellsbury starts the game with a huge catch in right center. Pedroia made a couple of great diving plays to his left. Other than that, the Dice-man gave the defense routine plays to make in a total domination of the White Sox.

Ozzie Guillen should know better than to taunt the Red Sox by saying there would be a letdown after the Yankees series. The Red Sox did their talking on the field.

Number 34 is Back in Swing

David Ortiz is quietly getting back to hitting the ball on a consistent basis. His OBP is around .380. A couple of hits plus a few walks & before you know it he is on base 4 out of 5 times a game. The way Youk & Bay are hitting behind him makes for lots of running the bases & scoring runs for the big man.

Big Papi is still the centerpiece of the Sox offense. When he is going good everyone before & after him get better pitches to hit. Just ask Pedroia, Youk & Bay.

Look for #34 to have a huge September.

What's Up With Beckett?

Josh Beckett was the MVP of the Red Sox playoff run last year. He shutdown Cleveland in the ALCS & Colorado in the World Series with his best stuff at the most critical time of the year. He should have won the Cy Young Award instead of C.C. Sabathia.

2008 has not been so kind to Josh. He started the year on the DL & may end it there. While Theo says that the trip to see a specialist in Alabama is "just for Josh's peace of mind" I'm not buying it. The story has changed from sleeping on his arm wrong to inflammation in the elbow to now visiting Alabama for peace of mind. Sound suspicious to you?

Beckett is a horse in the mold of a Curt Schilling or Roy Halladay. You expect big things every time he takes the mound. He makes hitters look ugly at the plate with his knee-buckling curveball or when firing his fastball with great location. We just haven't seen the Josh Beckett of 2007 during the 2008 campaign all that much. There has to be a reason & we may all find out after his trip to Alabama.

Good luck, Josh. We're all praying for you.

Sox End the Road 6-3

2 out of 3 in Baltimore. 2 out of 3 in Toronto. 2 out of 3 in New York. For a team that is well below .500 on the road for the season this Sox road trip was just excellent. It keeps them in the lead for the Wild Card & within striking distance of the Rays for the division lead.

With 20 of the final 28 games scheduled for Fenway you have to feel good about the last month of the season. The offense is hitting well & getting production throughout the lineup. The defense is solid. Starting pitching is going deep into the 6th or 7th. Even the bullpen has been better (until the 3-runs today).

Biggest concern for September has to be Josh Beckett who got moved back again today. If he can't go any further this year, the Sox will need Lester (who should have won today), Dice-K & Wakefield to really be consistent. Byrd is turning out better than expected. Pawtucket will need to supply the 5th starter.

Mike Lowell should be back soon. J.D. Drew is a mystery, but the acquisition of Mark Kotsay helps to re-tool the RF position. Lowell & Kotsay in the lineup will add more offense than Coco & Cora can muster.

This 6-win road trip keeps the Sox in the hunt for September.

Yankees Sent Back Into the Future

It was deja vu all over again. The faces on the Yankee fans in an 11-3 crushing defeat were familiar from 2004. The face on George Jr. in his box was saying to me "next year.". The post-game interviews in the Yankees clubhouse did not match the story in the eyes. The eyes of the players & manager said it's over for 2008.

Jason Bay drove in 4 of the first 5 Sox runs. "Pedroia the Destroya" sank the Yankees ship for this year with his first grand slam. (I called it to my wife before he hit it.) The Red Sox just keep doing it lately with contributions up & down the lineup.

A sweep for the last trip to Yankee Stadium with an afternoon win today would be icing on the cake.

Can Byrd Out-Pitch Ponson?

Paul Byrd is making his biggest start tonight since pitching in the playoffs against the Red Sox last year. A win gives the Red Sox this series against New York & a 6-2 road trip thus far. A loss sets up a pivotal 3rd game in the series finale on Thursday.

Sydney Ponson, the Yankees starter, has moved around from team to team after his scuffle with a judge in Aruba a few years ago. At best he is a fill-in 5th starter, just like Byrd.

It will be a battle of end-of-rotation guys tonight. Watch for balls leaving the yard since Byrd has given up quite a few HR's this season. As long as the Sox end up with one more run than the Yankees, we don't care. It doesn't have to be pretty. A win is a win.

A Team Win, An A-Rod Flop

A win over the Yankees is always a good thing, especially during a pennant race. Add a complete flop by A-Rod offensively & defensively even makes it better. Fans gave him the Bronx cheer several times late in the game for not performing under pressure.

As a fan, you have to be impressed over the past few weeks on how the Red Sox are getting contributions from everyone in the lineup. Ellsbury has only one hit last night, but that one hit drives in a run. Pedroia turns a beautiful double-play to nail A-Rod at first. Ortiz contributes 2 doubles & 2 walks. Youk continues his RBI march to 100. Bay adds 2 more RBI. Lowrie stays steady at SS or 3B, even though he made his 1st error last night. Bailey, Crisp & Cash contribute 7 hits from the 7-8-9 spots.

With Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett ready to return to the fold in the near future you have to like the Red Sox chances of making the playoffs. Tampa Bay's loss at home moves the Sox to within 4 games in the loss column.

The Sox are peaking at the right time of year.

Delcarmen Still Erratic

The offense spread it around with hits from 8 different players. Tim Wakefield pitched on guts through the first 5 innings in his return from the DL. The bullpen added 4 more innings of shutout relief. The lone dark spot in a Red Sox win in the Bronx -- Manny Delcarmen.

After 5 months of up & down performances I think it's time for Tito to move Masterson into the 7th inning role & move Delcarmen out. Even with a 4-run lead last night, Delcarmen walked 2 batters to load the basis & had to come out. Command is not there on a consistent basis. It hasn't been since a May-June stretch of 13 scoreless innings.

Even in the 11th inning on Sunday in Toronto, Delcarmen walked a batter before getting a "K" on a 3-2 pitch to end it. If I can feel the doubt every time Delcarmen comes into a tight ballgame, I'm sure Tito feels it too. Lopez, Masterson, Okajima & Papelbon are all better choices at this point.

Let's see how Tito uses Delcarmen during the last 31 games.

Last Series in Yankee Stadium

I'm with Terry Francona when he says this is no time to be sentimental. The Sox need to win this critical 3-game series & put the Yankees out of the Wild Card chase once & for all.

Don't forget that the White Sox are waiting at Fenway as soon as the Yankees series is over. It's going to be a critical week where the Red Sox could get some much needed breathing room in the Wild Card race.

Assuming good results from these final 2 series in August, the Sox can them focus on catching the Rays during the month of September.

"Mini-Men" Rule In Toronto

No Mike Lowell. No J.D. Drew. No problem.

The MASH unit put together a great win today with long balls from Dustin Pedroia, Coca Crisp & the game-winner from Jed Lowrie. It was a nice team effort to outlast A.J. Burnett & the Blue Jays in extra innings 6-5. 4 wins out of 6 games on this road trip is a good way to go into New York.

I had the "oh no" moment when Manny Delcarmen walked the 1st batter in the 11th. But it turned out fine in the end with Delcarmen joining Papelbon, Okajima & Masterson for shutout relief from the 7th inning on.

Chip in nice defense from Ellsbury & Bay with outstanding catches in the outfield. It was a day where the Sox would not be denied a win in late August during a pennant race.

There's still plenty of competitive fire in this team.

New Poll Question on Dice-K

Check out the new poll question on the right margin. How many wins will Dice-K get this year?

The Dice-man has taken an odd route to his 15 wins. His pitch count gets high in many outings which usually lands him on the bench by the 6th inning. But you can't take away his stinginess when it comes to giving up runs. He has an excellent ERA & a very low hits-to-innings ratio.

So weigh-in with your opinion. A few more wins & he may get consideration for the Cy Young. How many will he get??

Byrd Wins

Paul Byrd got his 1st Red Sox win. Good for him...

He is a guy who will give up 4 runs a game as a #5 starter. Some games the Red Sox offense will score more than 4. Some games not. But Byrd was the best answer out there for a #5 starter, given the demise of Clay Buchholz.

The offense, led by Jason Varitek (yes Jason Varitek) & Dustin Pedroia, gave Byrd 8 runs tonight to take the 1st game of the series against Toronto. Given that Toronto has had their way with the Red Sox this year, a win at the Rogers Center is huge at this stage of the season. With Lester pitching tomorrow we have a chance to win a second consecutive road series. Not bad for a team which has been way under .500 on the road this year.

Maybe the Red Sox are hitting their stride at the right time. They need to pick-up 1 game in the standings per week to overcome the Rays for 1st place. It's not out of the question...

Buchholz Gone

Clay Buchholz just couldn't learn on the job at the big league level. It was obvious last night in Baltimore. Portland's Sea Dogs may be just the thing for him at this point.

Buchholz reminds me of the phrase "successful repetition builds competence & competence builds confidence." As an example, my assistant coach for many years would teach hitting fundamentals. He was very skilled at instruction on the mechanics of the swing. Then it was up to our kids to get the proper amount of repetitions in to develop muscle memory. During a game the kids who worked the hardest would have the proper mechanics without thinking about it.

Buchholz never got to the confidence point of learning his new arm angle on the fastball. It was obvious last night that he was thinking, more than doing. Just look at how many times he fell off to the left side of the mound, almost landing in a different spot on each pitch. You can't think out there, especially at the Major League level. It has to come naturally. More repetitions at the Double A level may just right the ship for Clay.

Don't be surprised to see him back with the big club if the Sox need a 5th starter in late September.

Instant Replay Is Coming

Dustin Pedroia hit what looked to be a home run in Baltimore last night. It was called a live ball instead & ended up being a triple.

For my two cents instant replay is long overdue. Ballparks today have too many nooks & crannies for umpires to get every call correct. Replay will help with fair or foul calls, as well as home run calls.

It's about time for baseball to use the existing technology to get calls right. Umps have been proven wrong too many times over the past few years.

Yooouuuk Stays Hot

While all the baseball experts are marveling at the Tampa Bay Rays season the home town Sox have had quite a season of their own.

First, we had David Ortiz go down for the month of June. Up steps J.D. Drew who had a huge month offensively. His play in June earned him a spot in the All-Star game where he garnered the MVP award.

Now we have the exit of Manny Ramirez in August. Up steps Kevin Youkilis who is having an August similar to Drew's June. Not only is Youk hitting in critical situations, he has found a power swing with several HR's lately. Last night was a great example of his skills. Offensively, he gets 3 hits including a key HR with 3 RBI. In the field he starts at 3rd, moves to 1st, then goes back to 3rd to make some big plays at the end of the game. This guy has to be the MVP hands down.

Lesson for today: Let's not forget about the season the Red Sox are putting together.

Eck Still Has It

I love listening to Dennis Eckersley on the NESN pre & post-game shows. He tells it like it is. No mixing of words.

His vocabulary regularly includes the words "cheese," "hair," "hook" & other descriptive phrases for pitches. Eck is a wild card as a commentator because he is never afraid to speak his mind. I think that is why I like him so much.

Coming from a guy who did it all, as a starter & closer, Eck gives you a pitcher's prospective on the game. The other analysts are position guys like Jim Rice or Dave McCarty. There is even a former manager in Ken Maccha.

How does Eck still have that long, dark hair at his age? I'm jealous.

Keep it up, Eck!

Jason Bay: A Nice Fit

Jerry Remy says that Jason Bay does nothing spectacular, but he is a solid player. Last night Bay hit 2 home runs, stole a base & contributed 4 RBI on a night where the Red Sox needed a spark to their offense in a much needed 6-3 win over the Orioles. Not bad for just a good player.

With Mike Lowell out for an indefinite period & J.D. Drew fighting back spasms the Sox had a less than electric line-up to face the Orioles best pitcher in Guthrie. But they got it done with timely hitting & shutdown pitching by Jon Lester.

Great team win to start this critical road trip.

Varitek and Cash

As the Red Sox start a critical road trip with 9 games against division opponents, I thought it would be good to lighten the mood & "goof" on the catchers a little -- Jason Varitek & Kevin Cash.

Question: Who will reach a .220 batting average by the end of the season? Both Varitek & Cash are under that number now. Little or no production is coming from the 8th or 9th position that they occupy in the batter order.

On the positive side, both are excellent receivers. Varitek calls a great game & at times looks like Youk by pulling balls out of the dirt. He helps the entire pitching staff with their confidence just knowing that he is behind the plate.

Cash does the impossible by catching Wakefield's knuckleball every 5th day. (Get off the DL soon, Wake.) Very few past balls this year with Cash behind the plate. He also possesses a great throwing arm.

Add your comment to weigh-in on who will hit for higher average this year. Maybe the catchers will get hot on this road trip.

"Stinko" Start for Beckett

Beckett didn't have it today. Cause for concern? No.

Every starter gets 30 to 34 starts a year. You can expect 5 or 6 will be "stinko." 20 or so will be average. 8 or 9 will be excellent. Put this one down as one of his "stinko" ones.

If he gets this one out of his system, he should be good from now until the end of the season. While it hasn't been 2007 for Beckett by any means, Josh still has the overpowering stuff to dominate for several starts at a time. He is too good of a competitor not to come through for this team down the stretch.

Blog Updates

The "Show Me Your Red Sox Gear" section is taking off. We have our 3rd picture from my nephew Micah. Micah is an avid Red Sox fan & now lives in South Carolina. He traveled to Maine to feast on good old New England seafood.

We also added a "Poll Question" towards the bottom right about the Manny trade. Feel free to vote your conscious on the issue. I'll change the poll question every week.

The Sox lost tonight 4-1, so not much to write about there. Beckett will get us even tomorrow.

Big Papi's Big Stick

A hand injury to a DH is like a cobbler with a hole in his shoe. Big Papi, however, has overcome his wrist injury to become a force in the 3rd spot again.

Ortiz may require a day off here & there, but it sure beats season ending surgery like Carl Crawford just had done. With Youk providing plenty of protection behind Ortiz the #3 hitter should see plenty of good pitches to hit. A more consistent offense makes life easier for the pitching staff.

Speaking of pitching, it will be interesting to see how the Red Sox hitters adjust to the Toronto pitching staff with the best ERA in the AL. We get Halladay, Marcum & Burnett this weekend. I predict we take 2 out of 3.

Show Me Your Gear

Blog readers will find a new section called "Show Me Your Gear." This is where we are showcasing pictures of fans in their Red Sox hats, shirts, etc. You can send your pictures to 3nohitters@gmail.com & watch for them to show-up in this section.

Our 1st picture includes Camden from Manchester, NH with his grandfather's dog. Camden is 4 years old & already knows that "Yankees" is a bad word.

The next picture is of Jacob from Bow, NH. "Jake" is 5 years old & is my grandson. This picture was taken by my daughter on a recent family trip to Vermont.

We hope to have many more pictures from Red Sox fans throughout the New England area & beyond. Just include a first name, city & state. Age is optional.

Baseball is a family game. Red Sox baseball spans generations. We intend to display a wide variety of fans in the coming months.

Thanks for your future contributions.

Masterson Closes One Out

Justin Masterson started the year at Portland. He gets the call-up to the big team & makes several starts, giving the Red Sox a dependable arm. The Sox then send him back to Pawtucket to become a reliever. Justin is now back with the Sox, helping to fill a void in crucial 7th & 8th inning situations.

Last night Masterson comes into the game in the 9th to save the arm of "Cinco Ocho" who threw 20+ pitches the night before. First pitch is a double off the green monster. Next, four pitches & a walk to the 2nd batter he faces. Not a good start. If you have ever pitched at any level, you know that losing the battle to the first 2 batters is not a confidence builder. Up comes Ian Kinsler who parked a home run off Jon Lester earlier.

Masterson got Kinsler to hit a slow chopper back to the mound. Given the situation with the first 2 batters, Justin could have gone to 3rd for a out with the lead runner. He could have gone to first for a sure out. But he made the right choice & went to second with a perfect throw, starting a 1-6-3 double play. Game over at that point.

I thought that Masterson showed great poise & calm in the face of potentially big inning. He continues to contribute to wins in a year where he was not even on the radar chart.

Big Papi & Youk -- New 3-4 Combo

Walking David Ortiz intentionally to get to Kevin Youkilis didn't workout so good for the Rangers last night. Youk promptly hit the game winning 3-run homer, his 2nd of the night.

Might this be the beginning of a new era of Big Papi - Youk versus Big Papi - Manny in the 3-4 spots in the order. It certainly looks like this duo will continue there for the rest of this season.

Mike Lowell seems to hit better in the 5 hole. J.D. Drew & Big Papi would make 2 lefties in a row & easier to manage against. Speaking of Mike Lowell, let's hope that he is not out for the rest of the season.

Manny -- we're surviving just fine without you.

Love Those Texas Pitchers

Sounds like a football score: Red Sox 19, Rangers 17.

As a fan, I was OK at 10-0, 12-2, even 12-10. When the Rangers took the lead 15-14 & then 16-14 it finally came to me. We have nothing to worry about. That's because the Texas pitching staff is the worst in the league. Their defense is last as well. And sure enough they proved me right.

Can you imagine the Texas locker room after that game? You score 17 runs & lose a game. I saw Texas play in Spring Training at their facility in Surprise, Arizona. The pitching & defense were bad then & it hasn't improved.

I think Nolin Ryan has his work cut out for himself in turning that franchise around. The Rangers looks years away after last night.

We'll take an ugly win vs. an ugly loss anytime. Tampa Bay's loss to the A's moved the Sox up a game in the standings.

Drew Comes Through

Last night's win is one of those that could go a long way. No David Ortiz in the lineup. Josh Beckett pitching very well, but losing 1-0 for most of the game. The opposing pitcher takes a no-hitter into the 7th. It looked like another hostile road loss in the making.

J.D. Drew changed that with his 2-run double to left center. The Sox never looked back after that & won handily 5-1 to end their road trip on a positive note. Solid defense, timely hitting & good pitching -- sounds like a good recipe for more wins.

This upcoming home stand for the Sox will be critical to erasing a few games from the Tampa Bay lead in the division. With Longoria out on the 15-day DL the Rays will lose their best run producer for the next few weeks. This is the time for the Red Sox to make hay in the standings.

Notice that the Yankees are irrelevant at this point. Ha! Ha!

Who Will Lead The Way In Chicago?

As we get ready for a very important wrap-around series with the AL Central leading White Sox, who do you think will come up big for the Red Sox?

I'm betting on Dustin Pedroia.  Pedroia has been a force all year, but he especially picked-up the team since the All-Star break with his bat & play in the field.  Hitting out of the 2nd spot is a great way for him to get on-base, as well as drive-in runs.  Dustin has done both.

Use your "crystal ball" & leave a comment below as to who you think will be the star of the weekend in the Sox vs. Sox 4-game series.

Ellsbury Nights, Lowries Week

It looks like Jacoby Ellsbury listened to Ken Macha on the NESN pre-game show.  Ken was saying that Jacoby should shoot fastballs to left by staying on the ball longer &, as a result, pull change-ups to right when he gets fooled.  Ells did that & more with a couple of hits plus a 3-run HR to center that sealed last night's victory.  Add an amazing acrobatic catch is short center field at a critical time & you can say that Ellsbury is coming out of his rookie slump.  Look for Tito to move him back to leadoff in Chicago.

And how about the RBI production from Jed Lowrie this past week.  First out of the 7-hole & then from the 2-spot last night, Lowrie came up with big hits all week.  His bat has allowed Big Papi & Mike Lowell to nurse their injuries as they get more AB's under their belts.

Nice job, player development people, to add 2 more contributing youngster to the starting lineup.

Beckett Dominates

Josh Beckett has struggled with location most of the season as evidenced by the 16 HR's he has given up.  No struggle last night in Kansas City.  He made it look easy against the Royals.

I know -- it's the Royals, not the Yankees or Rays.  From a pitcher's perspective, however, it doesn't matter.  A good game can get you back on a roll.  And the Sox will need Beckett to make a run during the final 50 games of the season.

Josh should pitch against the White Sox on Monday.  Let's see if the win in KC gives him momemtum going into a game against a division leader.

Clay Buchholz--A Few Pitches Away

Take away the home run to Alex Gordon & the HBP to John Buck & the Red Sox win last night 3-2 instead of losing 4-3. It seems like Buchholz is just that close to turning things around. At least Tampa Bay & the Yankees lost last night as well, so we lose ground.


The fastball command continues to be the missing element to his game. His breaking pitch & change are excellent out-pitches. Like all the other 20-somethings on the roster, Clay is someone developing at the Major League level while the team competes in a pennant race.


It's frustrating on an individual game, but the long-term looks rosey for a Sox starting pitching staff that could be all 20's next season if Wakefield calls it a career. We are getting younger while the Yankees keep re-signing the 30-somethings & keep getting older.


Let see if Buchholz can use August to get on-track with the fastball before Batolo Colon surfaces in September.

The Case For Tampering Charges Against Boras

Like most of you, I heard non-stop report after report about the Manny deal over the weekend.  Let's be sure we have the right story. 

The Red Sox did not trade Manny Ramirez.  Manny Ramirez quit on his teammates & the organization.  He should have been fired without severance pay. 

But thanks to Scott Boras & the MLB Players Association he gets to go to LA-LA-land with full pay.  One sports program indicated that Boras contacted the Red Sox one hour after the trade went down.  Boras wanted the Red Sox to know that they could bid on Manny's services in the future & he would make sure that Manny would not quit on them.  Doesn't that border on tampering charges?  Sounds like insider trading at the least.  Even Martha Stewart went to the big house for that.

Manny & Boras are reminders of everything wrong about this game.  In fact, I thought Theo was so restrained & classy in his press conference about the trade that I wanted to say "Theo, it's OK.  Tell everyone that you fired Manny for being a self-centered, individualistic money-grabber that became a cancer in the locker room."  Manny & Boras should get along fine.  Two opportunistic bozos.

Wouldn't it be great if no one signed Manny after the season for the big money he expects.  We can only hope.  That's my last word on Manny.

Bay and Co. Sweep A's

As a player traded to a new big market team, Jason Bay couldn't ask for a better start than contributing to 3 wins.  The weekend sweep of the A's keeps the Sox on pace with the Rays who swept the Tigers.

From the standing "O" from the fans on his first at-bat to his timely hitting and outfield play it was all-good all-weekend for the Bay-man.  He had some help from Jed Lowrie, Youk, Pedroia, etal as well, but Jason Bay certainly did his part to contribute to all 3 wins. 

Let's see if Jason can help reverse the Sox woes on the road.

Manny who?

Youk In A Breakout Year

Kevin Youkilis is hitting on all cylinders at the right time. 

He has now added a power swing to his offense this season with 20 homeruns.  He continues to hit for average, hit in the clutch with a huge RBI total and has an OBP approaching .400.  Could the timing be any better?

Youk got his first Gold Glove last year and is well on his way to another in 2008.  How many times did Youk save our friend Julio Lugo from several additional errors by digging balls out of the dirt?  His errorless streak of games was amazing.

Kevin was a first-time All-Star this year, but it won't be his last.  The Red Sox organization should be proud of the system that produced Youk & several other 20 something year olds like Pedroia, Papelbon, Ellsbury, Lowrie, Masterson, etc.  The youth moment is paying big dividends. 

Off the field, Youk has started his own charity which fits right into the community service model adopted by other players like Schilling, Timlin, Varitek & Beckett.  The Red Sox encourage community participation which connects the team to so many fans.

You have to admire a dirt dog like Youk who plays hard every day.  He has taken his total game to a new level this year.

Team 2, A's 1

The Red Sox pulled off an extra innings, opening series win against the Oakland A's last night 2-1 as they unveiled Jason Bay to their fans.  Bay responded with a timely hit & 2 runs scored to help the T-E-A-M win.  Good pitching & good defense led the way.

I can't remember the last time the Red Sox used just about every position player plus 6 different pitchers in a win.  You can't deny that the chemistry is back.  Even better, the Yankees lost.  It has the making of a fun August & September.

When Winning Isn't Everything

Is it a contradiction in professional sports to say winning isn't everything?  Do values like hard work, integrity & unselfishness make sense to today's athletes?

The Red Sox front office thinks so with their statement move of Manny Ramirez to the LA Dodgers.  Instead of talking about Manny, Manny, Manny, I give a thumbs up to the front office for bringing chemistry back to the clubhouse for the final 2 months of this season.  Don't be surprised to see a unitied Red Sox team get on a roll and make the playoffs.

As for Manny, good luck LA with the antics.  Joe Torre should start getting a supply of antacids now.  It's regretful that Manny will end up getting his spoils at the end of the season by another team offering him big money so they can win at any cost.

I applaud Red Sox management on this one.

Hold 'Em Or Fold 'Em

With the Yankees and Angels making trades to better their ballclubs it will be interesting to see if Theo changes his mind about holding onto the players they have, especially in the bullpen.  A holding strategy means that management is willing to let the young guns like Hansen & Delcarmen go through the up's & down's of the maturing process.

Given the turmoil with Manny Ramirez, should Theo rethink his strategy & get a couple of veteran set-up guys to make another run this year since everyone assumes Manny's bat will be in another city next year?  It depends on who's available, at what price & what prospects will need to go. 

With Timlin relegated to mop-up innings & Okajima trying to find himself again the bullpen is not what it was in 2007, even though the names are the same.  A "hold" strategy means there is an expectation by management that the current bullpen will perform at a higher level over the final 2 months as opposed to the first 4 months of this year.

Personally, I don't see the pen getting any better.  I'd like to see Theo make a run at a new arm or two to so the Red Sox can compete this year.  Forget the Eric Gagne deal.  Be brave, Theo!

Thank You Petey and Youk

Losing is bad enough, but a no-hitter at home by an opposing pitcher is crushing.  Thank God we didn't have to endure that cross.

Dustin Pedroia & Kevin Youkilis rose to the occasion in the 9th to give Red Sox fans some dignity in a 6-2 loss to the Angels.  Lackey lost the no-no to Pedroia on a single & then the shutout to Youkilis on his 18th HR with 1 out in the 9th. 

Did Lackey pitch well? Yes.  Did the Red Sox batters swing at many bad pitches out of the strike zone? Yes.  I think the combination of both lead to the downfall tonight.   

Let's hope Beckett can right the ship tomorrow.  LA seems to have our number this year.

Good Manny, Bad Manny

"Good Manny" took the field on Sunday night & went 3-5 with 2 doubles & 2 RBI.  He helped the Red Sox beat the Yankees 9-2 in the series finale.  Question: Will we see Good Manny for the remainder of this season & for the playoffs?

Manny's alter ego, "Bad Manny", was around more of this weekend than Good Manny.  Bad Manny did a bunch of things, like:

- Ruin the return of Big Papi on Friday night.  Instead of having the best 3-4 hitters in the league back in the lineup, we had 3 without 4 due to a mysterious knee injury that was undetectable by an MRI.  Bad Manny!

- Ruin a great pitching performance by Josh Beckett in a tough 1-0 loss which his bat could have helped.  Bad Manny!

- Ruin a win on Sunday night with great pitching by Jon Lester due to the controversy swirling around his pre-game comments of unhappiness at $20 million a year.  Bad Manny!

It's hard for the average fan to feel sorry that Bad Manny will ONLY make $20 million for each of the next 2 option seasons instead of $25 million a year somewhere else.  Most people I know are wondering how they are going to afford to heat their home this winter.

Let's hope that the on-the-field performance of Good Manny is worth putting up with the off-the-field antics of Bad Manny.

Boston Red Sox

Welcome to the latest blog devoted 24/7 to the Boston Red Sox!

As time goes on, you can expect to see upgrades that will include your pictures of Red Sox fans young & old.

Watch for my first post after the Yankees & Red Sox finish up their 3-game series tonight.  Looking forward to your thoughts & comments.

Thanks!