It's Been Quite A May

Even though the White Sox spoiled a beautiful Memorial Day by beating the Sox 7-3, it has been quite a month of May for the Boston 9. The Sox go into tonight's game with a 30-24 record tied for first with the Yankees.

The entire month of April we hoped, but never reached, the elusive .500 mark. An 0-6 start evolved into 2-10. Since then, however, the Sox have gone 28-14 to turn things around.

The pitching has been dominant at times. The offense has been pounding out runs on a more regular basis. The Sox have been winning the close 1-run games, some in dramatic fashion like with Ortiz' pinch-hit HR in Detroit. While they may still lose a game here & there the fact is that they have been winning series after series which is what they need to do.

It would be a great end to a great month of May with a win tonight at home.

Sox Split Twin Bill in Detroit

Thanks to late inning heroics by David Ortiz the Boston Red Sox took game 1 by a score of 4-3 before losing the nightcap to Justin Verlander 3-0. The Sox take 3 out of 4 in Detroit & now return home for a 6-game homestand against the White Sox & Athletics.

Some thoughts about yesterday's doubleheader:

- I'm glad we won game 1. However, after the Ortiz home run, why did Tito rush to get Pap up to pitch the 9th when Bard was warm & ready? He could have started Bard & brought Pap in if things went astray. It worked out as Pap got the Tigers 1-2-3 in the 9th. Sometimes I think that this whole closer role takes precedence over common sense.

- Is Jose Valverde the goofiest looking closer in the game? I'm glad Ortiz hit a game-winning jack off of him. His antics on the mound after every out are getting old. I saw his act in Arizona when he was the closer there. Someone will charge the mound after him or put on a good display rounding the bases after he gives it up. Big Papi was too classy to show Valverde up yesterday, but somebody will.

- I'm a fan of Adrian Gonzalez. One of his many excellent defensive plays that he makes routinely might have gone unnoticed in game 2. On a deep ground ball to first base he fired a perfect strike to Josh Beckett covering first to beat a runner by a step. All you pitchers out there & all you first-basemen out there know how hard a play that is on both ends.

- Are you like me - surprised when Beckett, Lester or Buchholz give up a run now? Each mound appearance by the big 3 is a shutout waiting to happen. When Buck gave up 3 & Beckett 2 it seemed like 5 or 6 runs had scored. These guys are pitching well enough to win every time out there, even though neither got a win yesterday.

We start the week in first place with 30 wins. A good homestand with a day off on Thursday should keep us there to start the month of June.

Bruins to Stanley Cup Finals

I'm a day late late, but let's give the Bruins their due. Tim Thomas, Nathan horton & Co. eeked out a 1-0 win in Game 7 to advance to the Stanley cup finals. First appearance for the Bruins in the finals since 1990.

Of the 2 fall teams - the Celtics & the Bruins - I would have given the Celtics the better chance of being in the finals. But the B's have been better than their playoff opponents in Montreal, Philadelphia & Tampa Bay. Now only the Vancouver Canucks stand in their way.

Congrats to the black & gold! Bring the Cup back to Boston.

Sox Keep Winning

Aceves & Wakefield pass the test in Detroit. Wake goes 7 last night in a 6-3 win. Sports shows today are wondering who falls out of the rotation when Lackey returns. That's a positive problem.

Ellsbury & Crawford go yard to stay hot at the plate. The Red Sox look pretty unbeatable lately by winning 12 out of 14. Everything seems to be clicking on all cylinders.

By the way the Sox have gone from last to first from April to May. Maybe they needed the poor April to get their heads on straight for the rest of the year.

Weigh-In on Buster Posey Situation

Personally, I think the injury to Buster Posey is unfortunate. Do we need to change the rules about collisions with catchers? Absolutely not.

First, this is such a kinder, gentler league where players from opposite teams hang out together before & after games. (You think Carleton Fisk hung out with Yankees players in his days?) My point is that there are so many players today who won't go into home hard that it's almost a non-issue. I'm sure that Cousins from the Marlins will get a talking-to by the Florida player's association rep about not taking out a fellow player. They wouldn't want to injure one of their own.

Second, catchers know how to protect themselves & it's usually the player sliding home that gets the worst of it. Remember - the catcher has metal gear on to protect himself. (Didn't Manny break a finger sliding home once?) Coaches teach catchers how to tag & avoid direct contact.

Again, it's unfortunate what happened to Posey, but let's not go crazy with rule changes. Feel free to weigh-in on this subject by clicking the comment button below.

Another Blowout By Sox Offense

Another day, another 14 runs scored by the Boston offense. Sox win a rain-shortened opening game in Detroit by a score of 14-1. It's always nice to win the first game of any series as a win takes the pressure off of the remaining games.

Who do you start with? Aceves, Crawford, Ells, Sutton & others all contributed to this win.

The Sox will have their hands full with Porcello tomorrow night, so let's enjoy another blowout while we can.

Sox Destroy Indians in Finale 14-2

It was a nice series win after dropping the first game. The Sox win 2 out of 3 in Cleveland. 7 first inning runs put this afternoon game out of reach for the Indians very early.

Besides the offensive explosion, it was nice to see Jon Lester have a good game with 7 K's & only 1 walk. Lester had been having command problems in his previous starts.

How about the production at catcher! Varitek last night. Saltie today. Both go yard in back to back games.

The 4 games in Detroit will be "iffy" given that Aceves & Wakefied will pitch 2 of the games. We need at least one win between those two.

My prediction of 30-26 at the end of May is looking pretty good.

Varitek Has A Game

Who was that man behind the catcher's mask last night?

Jason Varitek was 2 for 2 throwing out runners last night. Both throws hit the glove perfectly in front of the second-base bag.

Jason Varitek hit a huge 2-run homer to give the Sox a 4-1 lead late in the game. It's the first HR for Varitek in almost a year.

In a tight 4-2 win for the Sox, & the 1st win over the Indians this year, Jason Varitek certainly did his part to contribute to this big win.

Dice-K Getting Second Opinion

Scott Boras & Dice-K are getting a 2nd opinion on his ailing elbow. Signs are not good as the Dice-man could be heading for Tommy John surgery which would effectively keep him out for the rest of this year & most of next.

After 2 better-than-average years in 2007 & 2008 the remaining 3 years on his contract may be a wash. 2009 & 2010 were injury plagued, as is 2011 now. There were also flair-ups with the coaching staff over the pitcher's training regime in-between starts.

We may have seen the last of Dice-K in a Red Sox uniform.

Cleveland Is For Real

Yes, despite what Eck may think, I believe that Cleveland is for real. It takes a good team to mount a comeback against a goliath like the Red Sox & the Indians did just that with 2 runs in the 8th to earn a comeback 3-2 win. Success breads confidence & the Indians are a confident & posed team right now. The Sox are 0-4 this year in Ohio.

The final 2 games will be a test of the Sox metal to see if they can win this short series with 2 W's in a row. Lester & Beckett give us a chance to do so.

Daniel Bard has been up & down lately. If Bard can't perform on a more consistent basis, it will really create havoc in the bullpen for Terry Francona. Bobby Jenks is scheduled to join the team in Detroit which should be a lift to Bard & Pap.

I'm predicting a 4-3 road trip. So far we are 0-1. Good news - both the Rays & Yankees lost on Monday, so we lost no ground.

Sox Back to Winning Ways

A 5-1 win last night to take the Cubs series was a great finish to a remarkable homestand that produced 6 wins in 7 tries. Add 3 wins in New York before that & the Sox go 9 for their last 10. If not for planned rest for Daniel Bard, the Sox could have been 10 for 10.

Tim Wakefield, Adrian Gonzalez & Kevin Youkilis all play a big role in last night's win. Wake throws 6 2/3 of 1 run ball. Adrian goes 4 for 4. Youk gets a big 2-run triple late in the game for breathing room.

Now it's off to Cleveland who swept a home series this weekend against their interstate rival, the Cincinnati Reds. The Tribe has the best record in baseball. Since our first trip to Cleveland was 0-3 we can only do better this time. Buchholz, Beckett & Lester get a chance to cool off the Indians bats. Should be a good series.

Comedy of Errors Leads to Loss

I guess we will take 7 out of 8 wins anytime, but the way the Sox turned a win into a loss was pretty outrageous. Sox lose to the Cubs 9-3 by giving up 8 runs in the 8th.

Matt Albers & Franklin Morales were both off-kilter, giving up many hits & walks. The defense looked like a 1918 comedic vaudeville show. Lowry dropped a simple pop-up. Varitek & Youk couldn't throw & catch.

The Sox were due to lose a game. I hope Wakefield can duplicate the 5 innings, 1 run of Alfredo Aceves to give the Sox a chance to win tonight & win the series with the Cubs before hitting the road.

Sox Offense Pounds Out 15 Runs

The Cubs may not want to see Fenway Park for another 93 years after last night's 15-5 loss to the Sox. The Cubs looked totally overmatched in the first game of a 3-game weekend series.

But the pitching matchups favor the Cubs in the final 2 games. Alfredo Aceves & Tim Wakefield join the starting rotation on Saturday night & Sunday night. Question marks abound as to how these 2 guys will fare as replacements for Lackey & Matsuzaka.

The Sox need to keep winning at home as they start a 7-game road trip on Monday to Cleveland & Detroit. We may need the 10+ run offense each of the next 2 games.

Pitching Injuries Result in Pitching Changes

John Lackey & Dice-K are on the DL. Lackey will be back sooner than Dice-K who may be out until July.

Theo has been busy find quality replacements. Tim Wakefield can be pressed into service to replace Lackey for a few starts. Felix Dubront or Alfredo Aceves can handle the duties for Dice-K. As an insurance policy, the Sox signed Kevin Millwood to a contract to see if he can be of assistance in the future.

Not stopping at Millwood, Theo is still looking for an effective lefty out of the bullpen. Rich Hill has been serviceable, but who knows? The Sox released Hideki Okajima to make room for Franklin Morales, a lefty from Colorado. Oki has been on the downside of his career with the Sox for the past 2 years. It appears that Theo believed that the Sox had gotten everything they could out of Oki & it was time to part company.

I give Theo credit for not standing pat & for bringing new guys in.

Crawford Walks Off Again

If you're not going to hit much, you might as well make the hits you get count. Carl Crawford added a 3rd walk-off hit to his resume last night as the Sox beat the Tigers 4-3 & sweep their 2-game series.

All the players on the Sox team mention how hard Crawford is working to come out of his slump. I find that the saying "the harder I work, the luckier I get" is very true & it applies to sports & life. There is no shortcut & hard work pays off.

Nice to see Crawford getting his due.

Another 1-Run Win

Sox beat the Tigers 1-0 for their 5th straight win. The Sox ground crew also beat the weather by keeping the field playable.

Buchholz, Bard & Papelbon shutout the Tigers on 5 hits. The Sox only get 4 hits, but Saltie's double in the 8th drives home Carl Crawford for the only run of the game.

You know things are going well when you score 1 run & win. We'll ride the wave of good luck as long as we can.

Tonight's matchup of Verlander & Beckett could be something special.

Harmon Killebrew Passes

Harmon Killebrew has passed away at the age of 74. I remember seeing him hit mammoth home runs with those big arms for the Minnesota Twins in the 1960's.

There use to be a baseball show on Saturday's when I was a kid called Home Run Derby. Each week 2 players would square off against each other. Killebrew, Aaron, Mays, Banks, Mantle, Maris and others would participate. It was a great way to listen to each hitter on how they stand at the plate & what they look for from the pitcher during a game.

I understand from other reports that Mr. Killebrew was also a very nice human being. We all lose something when athletes who are good people on & off the field pass away. May he rest in peace.

John Lackey to the DL

No surprise. The $17 million man needs time to get his head on straight & start pitching better to give his team a chance to win when he starts. 7 to 9 runs given up per start takes your team out of a game pretty fast.

The 15-day DL stint, retro to May 12th, has Lackey missing 2 starts. He will probably throw again in Detroit on Friday, May 27th or Saturday, May 28th. With all the rain in the forecast it could play havoc with his return date.

The DL time will allow Lackey to clear his head. He can get ready to rejoin the team on the road & resume his starts every 5 days.

Sox Walk-Off Against O's

It had the makings of another long night with Dice-K walking the park. 7 walks & 5 hits in 4+ innings. Time for Dice-K to visit John Lackey on the DL.

The offense came to the rescue, however, & finished off a memorable comeback with an 8-7 win in the 9th. No doubt that Adrian Gonzalez is all-world in the month of May & his wall ball drove in the tying & winning runs in the 9th. But the entire lineup contributed, from a 10-pitch walk to Dustin Pedroia to an RBI single by Jason Varitek. The offense pounded out 15 hits over 7 different Baltimore pitchers.

This was a team victory.

Jorge Posada, Joe Girardi & Brian Cashman

One thing I've learned in coaching. You praise in public & you criticize in private. I guess the Yankees players, coaches & management don't agree.

Go back to Spring Training & the public spectacle that was Derek Jeter's contract renewal. The Yankees brass laid out their current version of Joe Dimaggio to dry over how much & how long they should pay Jeter to remain a Yankee.

The Posada event could have been handled much better on both sides. Instead of "telling" a veteran like Posada that he was hitting 9th, wouldn't a brief closed door chat to soften the blow made it an easier transition? And how about Cashman doing an in-game interview on the subject? And then Posada's wife gets involved with a tweet. Way too much public communication.

99% of all coaching problems relate to communication. Any coach out there will tell you the same thing. It appears that the Yankees prefer to communicate in public.

Good for us. More free agents will think twice about New York as a destination stop for their career.

Sox Sweep Yankees to Reach .500

Get out the brooms! The Sox took advantage of a slupping Yankees offense & a team in disarray to complete a 3-game sweep last night in New York 7-5. The win put the Sox at 20-20 & allows them to reach .500 for the first time this year.

While it is great to reach .500 after 40 games you can't look too far ahead or behind. The Sox are 1 game behind the Yankees who are 20-18. Toronto is also at 20-20. And Baltimore is 19-20. The AL East is packed like sardines in a can. The leader, Tampa Bay, starts a series with the Yankees tonight.

It was the long ball that spelled the demise of the Yankees pitchers last night. Freddy Garcia gave up a 3-run bomb to Kevin Youkilis to tie the game at 4. Big Papi hit a solo shot to put the Sox ahead 5-4. And yes, a Red Sox catcher, Saltie hit a solo shot off of Joba to ice the win.

Great weekend in New York. Now it's time to make some hay on a 7-game home stand.

Jacoby Ellsbury Getting It Done

Who's a better leadoff hitter in all of baseball right now than Jacoby Ellsbury? After a year of questions about injuries & toughness Jacoby is showing Red Sox fans why he deserves their praise.

If not for Adrian Gonzalez living on another planet offensively, Ells would be the talk of the town. His 2-run double got the Sox going against the Yankees last night. He is the AL leader in steals. And his defense is superb. You can't ask any more of a leadoff batter.

It's nice to see such a great comeback year in the making.

C.C. No Longer Unhittable

When the Yankees signed C.C. Sabathia for multi-years he absolutely was unhittable for his first 2 years in the AL East. Not so much anymore as the Sox beat C.C. & the Yanks 6-0 last night.

Sabathia use to light up the Sox & it seemed like he would get a turn in the rotation ever series they played. He had to have 4 or 5 wins each of the last 2 seasons against the Boston nine.

But past years of 250 innings, a heavy frame & overuse are starting to catch up to him. And so are the Sox batters. C.C. is no longer the scary dude you fear when playing the Yankees.

Youk Beats Joba

It was nice to see Youk get a little payback when he hit a home run off of Joba Chamberlain last night. Instead of Chamberlain looking to decapitate Youk, Youk drove a ball out to right-field for a big 2-run homer. Joba's ineffectiveness cost the Yankees the game.

You know what they say about payback. How's it feel, Joba!

Sox Beat Yanks 5-4

It wasn't pretty, but it was a win. Adrian & Youk went yard. Buck gave the Sox an excellent start for 7 innings. Bard & Pap scared the hell out of everyone. But we got the "W."

Can the Sox eek out 2 more wins in New York to get to .500? Who knows? We've been 1 or 2 games off .500 several times this year & we haven't made it there yet. Maybe this is the weekend, though, since Beckett & Lester are going the next 2 games.

Still we are only 5 behind the Rays.

International Viewers Growing on Blog

Thanks to everyone who is reading the blog & listening to our podcasts. The number of viewers are up substantially this year.

Also, interesting is the number of international readers that have checked out the blog lately. Just this week we had visitors from:

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Fonthill, Ontario, Canada

Dublin, Ireland

In the past weeks we have also had visitors from Taiwan & Japan.

Please keep checking the blog as the Sox season progresses. Red Sox Nation is truly everywhere.

How About the Good News?

Ok, I know that the Sox just lost 2 in a row in Toronto. Pitching & hitting still inconsistent. Team not firing on all cylinders at once - yet. As they go into the Bronx for a 3-game series over the weekend, what's the good news for the Sox?

The good news is the number 5. For as bad & as inconsistent as the Sox have been, they are only 5 games behind the Rays for top spot in the AL East.

Many analysts are saying that this could be a year where all 5 teams in the AL East win 81+ games. Maybe the pennant goes to a team with 91 or 92 wins.

The Sox need to get back to winning series. They need to take 2 out of 3 in New York, then make hay on a 7-game homestand against Baltimore, Detroit & the Chicago Cubbies. They have a stretch of 20 games in 20 days which may just be the thing to turn this around.

I'm still thinking 30-26 by the end of the month.

Sad Sack Lackey Fails Again

John Lackey looked cranky & out of control. And Tito stuck with him too long in a game that the Sox would have lost anyways.

Wasn't Tito around last year when he tried to get one extra inning out of Lackey & it always backfired in his face? I don't understand the reluctance to go to the pen when you have a day off today.

Tito needs to treat Lackey like Dice-K. If you can get 5 innings of less than 5 runs given up, call it a day. Giving up 6, 7, 8, 9 runs on a regular basis takes your team right out of a game. Once the bleeding starts Lackey doesn't know how to stop it.

It may be time for John lackey to get a mysterious illness & take a 15-day time out on the DL.

Bad Lester, Great Gonzo

If you score 6 runs for Jon Lester, he will get you a win 95 times out of 100. Last night was one of those other 5% of games. Lester picked a bad time for a bad outing, walking 5 batters in 5+ innings & giving up 3 first-inning runs. And the 2011 curse of reaching .500 strikes again. The Sox get close once again, but just can't reach that brass ring.

On the other hand, Adrian Gonzalez was a one-man battering ram with 2 opposite field homers. Gonzo has 13 RBI in the month of May & is scorching the ball. Add David Ortiz to the mix who hit a long homer to CF. He is quietly having his best April & May in the last 3 years.

I'm wondering about Tito's decision in the bottom of the 10th to pitch to the Toronto batter with the game-winning run on 3rd & less than 2 out. Wouldn't you have loaded the bases intentionally to set-up a force? With an off-day on Thursday I would've gotten Pap up as well & brought him in to relieve Albers. But that's me.

Maybe it will be sweeter to reach .500 at Yankee Stadium.

Justin Morneau & His Concussion

I listened to the pre-game & in-game comments about Justin Morneau & his attempt to come back from his concussion sustained last year. You have to feel for a guy like Morneau who was an offensive force for the past several years. Does it even make sense for the Twins to have him on the field?

Mauer & Morneau were the M & M boys in Minnesota, similar to the Mantle & Maris haydays with the Yankees in the 60's. Both have been injured recently with Mauer still working his way back from the DL. But Morneau is trying to shake off lingering symptoms from his concussion which made him miss about half the season last year.

I hope the Twins do what's best for Morneau, even if it means giving him more time on the DL this year to fully recover. Just look at football & the effects of concussions.

Sox Win in Extras 2-1

Who would of thought that the combination of Lowrie-Iglesias-Crawford would produce the winning run in the bottom of the 12th? We'll take it for sure.

Sox take 3 out of 4 from the Twins & move to within a game - once again - of the elusive .500 mark for the season. 2 wins in Toronto would be a nice way to head into the Yankees series in New York this weekend.

I have to mention Josh Beckett pitching well enough for a win & again getting no decision. Beckett & Lester have been the most consistent starters to date. Too bad Josh got nothing to show for it.

No comment about the Cowboy Joe West umpiring circus & another balk call last night. There's a saying that a good umpire is one you don't notice. I'll leave it at that.

Sox Win Again 9-5

Nice day for the offense stringing together several hits & runs to score 9 times off Minnesota pitchers. Adrian hit the light tower in left for another opposite field home run.

It started out looking like a short day for Dice-K as he gave up 3 runs in the first. the Dice-man settled down, however, & ended up throwing 6 innings while giving up a total of 4 runs. Thanks to Matt Albers & Daniel Bard the damage went no further.

Anytime you get a win with your #5 starter it's a good day. Beckett goes tomorrow night shooting for 3 out of 4 from the Twins. Another win before heading out on the road to Toronto would be great.

Bruins Sweep Flyers in 4

Congrats to the Boston Bruins! They swept the Flyers to advance through the 2nd round of the playoffs.

My attention to the Bruins is in-between innings of the Red Sox. But that doesn't mean that they don't deserve credit. Tim Thomas was the difference-maker.

Boston teams continue to be among the best in all 4 pro sports. We are lucky as New England fans to enjoy so much playoff action. For some of us older folks we know it wasn't always like that.

Go Bruins!

Buchholz, Relievers Blank Twins 4-0

I think I called that one. My last article said good starting pitching by Buck, Beckett & Lester will get the Sox out of their funk. And Buchholz did his job today, even enduring a 2-hour rain delay between innings.

The offense is still sputtering, but Ells came up with a big 2-out single in the 8th to score 2 insurance runs. 4 runs was enough to win today & a win was objective #1.

Let's keep it going.

Another Bad Day All Around

Sox get embarassed by the Minnesota Twins 9-2 & lose their 3rd game in a row at home. No pitching. No hitting. Time for Tim Wakefield to call it a career & give his roster spot to a younger arm.

Angela Hernandez - worst umpire in Major League baseball. Period. He should be released.

Joe West - an overweight, overpaid actor who pretends to be an umpire & should have retired 10 years ago. He is an embarassment to baseball. Why is he still umpiring?

Lester, Beckett & Buchholz are our best chance to win the next 3 in a row. This malaise needs to stop soon & the Sox need to go back to winning series. It's not April anymore.

Bad Lackey

4 innings - 8 runs given up. Hit after hit after hit. Not one of John Lackey's better performances. Sox lose big & split the series with Anaheim after winning the first 2 games.

Minnesota is in town for 4 games this weekend. If the Sox are going to finish out May with a 30-26 record as I predicted (check latest podcast), they need to start a winning streak at home. Minnesota comes in without Mauer & now would be a good time to start that win streak.

New Podcast Today

A new podcast is coming. We are recording it today & should have it uploaded to the blog by the weekend.

We will review the Sox performance in April & give our guesses about how May will go.

Keep a watch out & give a listen.

How Long Did You Stay Up?

Due to a 2 hour plus rain delay the Sox did not finish their game, which went into extra innings, until 2:45 AM. How long did you stay up?

I made it until the top of the 9th. Oki had 1st & 3rd with no outs & I figured it didn't look good. It was about 1 AM then. However, the Sox tied it in the bottom of the 9th sending the game into extras. Sox eventually lost in 13 innings 5-3.

I bet the Eck was real happy about the extended game. He was chirping to Orsillo about nothing to do during the 2 hour rain delay. Extra innings was just an added bonus to his long night.

Where's Rem Dawg?

Jerry Remy has been sick for a week plus. All that the NESN people will say is that Remy is under the weather.

Given his previous illnesses with cancer & depression, I hope he has not suffered another health setback.

Get better, Rem, & hope you're back soon!

Another Game, Another Win

The mojo is back that the Sox had on the west coast. 9 runs & 7 runs scored in the past 2 games. Good starting pitching. A recipe for success for sure.

Sox knocked off the Angels again 7-3. Jon Lester pitched 7 strong innings for his 4th win. Gonzo, Ortiz & Scutaro all go deep. Crawford gets 2 hits.

One more win tonight & we reach the magical .500 mark. As nice as it was to see Scutaro go yard, let's hope Youk is feeling better & back in the lineup tonight.

Sox Explode in 7th

It finally happened. An offensive explosion for 6 runs in the 7th inning to propel the Sox to a 9-5 win over the LA Angels of Anaheim.

Big Papi had a 2-run jack over the Green Monster. Adrian G. had a big bases-clearing double also off the Monster in deep center. And Dustin Pedroia wore out Jered Weaver with a 13 pitch at-bat that ended in a 2-run single up the middle. Nice work by the offense.

The Sox have beaten the best lately in Felix Hernandez & Jered Weaver. Their streak against tough starters continues tonight as they face another ace in Dan Haran. Jon Lester will oppose Haran in what shapes up to be a good pitcher's duel.

The Sox are 13-15 & once again closing in on that elusive .500 mark.

Bin Ladin Hunted Down & Finally Killed

Every American was effected by the events of 9/11. Athletes were no exception.

I was coaching at Notre Dame College in New Hampshire at the time. We thought about canceling the season, but the players agreed to play through it as a small way of showing terrorists that they could not disrupt our American way of life. I was very proud of them.

For all American who were directly effected by the destruction on 9/11 & other terrorist events the killing of Osama bin Laden is welcomed point of closure for them. For those of us who were indirectly effected we too appreciate that justice has been served by U.S. special forces.

At Last, A Walk-Off Win!

It doesn't matter that Bobby Jenks had another bad outing. It doesn't matter that the Sox left the bases loaded - again - in the 1st without scoring. It doesn't matter that Ichiro made a rare misplay on a sun ball by Jed Lowrie in the 9th.

All that matters is a Red Sox win 3-2 to salvage the last game of the series against the Mariners. And the fact that Carl Crawford got the game winning walk-off hit is nothing short of a miracle. Kudos to Tim Wakefield for a huge spot start & kudos to Big Papi for driving in the first 2 runs.

If a walk-off win doesn't get this team pumped, nothing will. We need to take at least 3 out of 4 against the Angels.

How to Fix It?

How do the Boston Red Sox fix their problems? Based upon what I've heard & read, along with my own experience as a player & coach, I come away with the following ideas.

1) RELAX. Too many players are pressing at the bat. If I was pitching against the Sox, I would throw a fastball for show & give every hitter a steady diet of off-speed stuff. Each hitter is going up there tense & trying to hit the ball onto the Mass. Pike. As a result, most outs are easy ground balls or strikeouts. RELAX.

2) PLAY THROUGH IT. With the 2nd month of the season approaching & the grind setting in players will start to lose some of their April adrenaline. Fatigue will set-in & that's a good thing. Instead of thinking, players will just start reacting. Normal abilities will come out & guys should achieve their historical averages. PLAY THROUGH IT.

3) BELIEVE. Management, coaches & players have to believe that this version of the Red Sox is as good, if not better, than other playoff additions. Just believing in each other, supporting each other during this down time, can lead to a spark that catches fire - like what happened on the west coast. They need to get that spark back. BELIEVE.

This sounds simple, but it's really not rocket science. I'm looking forward to a much better product on the field in May.

Thank Goodness April is Over!

A month into the 2011 season & no one can be happy about the results to date. From 0-6 to 10-12 to 11-15. What a down & up & down month!

The Sox have reached a 2nd low-point in the early season after starting 0-6 against the Texas Rangers & Cleveland Indians. In this past week the Boston 9 has lost 2 series to the lowly Baltimore Orioles & Seattle Mariners, going 1-4 so far. And they face King Felix today in an attempt to salvage 1 game in this Seattle series with Tim Wakefield as a substitute starter for Clay Buchholz.

The Sox start today 6 games behind the Yankees in the loss column. 5 months is plenty of time to make up 6 games, but the catch-up process needs to start soon. Guys who aren't hitting, especially with RISP, need to start driving in runs. Relievers who give up leads need to pitch more effectively.

The Sox need to straighten out these things & have a big month of May to finish above .500. That's a tall order right now given the way the team is playing.