Digital-Derek's Red Sox Blog

R.I.P. Livejournal

2005-07-29T20:36:02Z

Well the time has finally come and I must bid livejournal farewell. I'm moving bosawk to http://www.sawxblog.com and am in the process of moving all of my LJ posts over there.

I thank you all for reading and commenting in the past and hope you still read at the new site. i ecsp. would like to thank dirty_devlin & mdyesowitch who read often and kept me honest. Thanks :)

Any suggestions on the new site would be awesome, and if you'd like to make a guest post let me know.

Thanks, and hope to see ya over there.

bosawk @ 2005-07-25T18:09:00

2005-07-25T22:21:13Z

Stranded Sox

The Boston Red Sox ended their 4-Game set with the Chicago White Sox last night with a 6-4 loss. The game was the Sox’s to win however when they ended up on the short end of the stick on more then one occasion.

The Sox ended the series with a 2-2 spilt and are off to Tampa Bay to play a feisty D-Rays team.

Yesterday was a frustrating game to watch and one that I really wanted to have the Sox win. Winning 3/4 would have been a fairly large statement for them to make, however, you can’t really complain with the split. David Wells takes the hill tonight as the Sox hope to get at least 2/3 from the D-Rays.

Trades, Signings, and the New Guys

1. Bronson, Millar, Mueller, and a slew of minor league Sox names have been thrown around in trade rumors a lot lately. The one I’d most like to see is the A.J deal. We’ll see.

2. Craig Hansen the Sox first round draft pick is signed. There was a lot of speculation on when they’d be able to sign him because of his representation by Boras. Now the rumors of him pitching as soon as this year will be out to no end. Baseball America predicted him as being the pitcher most ready fro the big leagues.
3. My skewed analysis:
Alex Cora -Great Defender; Mendoza line hitter.
Graffinao – OK Defender, OK hitter, Great Plate Presence.
The teams more solid with these two on the bench or in the game.

That’s all for now.

bosawk @ 2005-07-24T10:27:00

2005-07-24T14:27:49Z

Best Sox in Baseball

Alex Cora pulls a crucial double play for the Real Sox last night
The Boston Red Sox are guaranteed to at least split a four game set with a team that has the best record in MLB. Manny Ramirez hit a 2-Run HR against former Yankee rival El Duque which ended up being the difference in the game. Things got interesting in the 9th via Curt Schilling, however, the Sox pulled out the win with Manny making up for an eearlier outfield gaff by really in a tough over the shoulder catch. Hats off to Wade Miller, who pitched 7 shut-out innings and could still be the differance for the Right Sox this year.

The Wrong Sox are def. a good team this year, however, I'm not really or worried about the other team from Chicago. I mean come on, thye already are publishing their magic number in the newspaper. Don't get too ahead of yourselves guys...

The Right Sox have now opened up a 2.5 game lead in the talented and tight AL East thanks to the LA Angels & D-Rays. Speaking of the D-Rays, they're playing some really good ball so far in the second 1/2 and could be playing the part of spoiler for a couple of AL East teams down the stretch.
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In non-Sox news I'm officially moving this site to a more "blogger friendly" envirenment. The domain name is bought and I just have a few tweeks to make before I launch it. Again this being the main reason for my lack of recent posts. Stay tuned on that, and lets win this series today. Sox face off against another Ex-Yankee in Jose Contreas, who they've pretty much owned thus far.

bosawk @ 2005-07-15T13:09:00

2005-07-15T17:27:43Z

A-Blast

Alex trots the bases after his 2-Run Game Winning HR.
Being a Red Sox fan and watching the game last night felt a lot like "The Old Days". From a fans point of view I knew that it was going to be a high scoring affair. For the first five innings or so the umpire’s strike zone was about the size of a grapefruit and with the talented hitters on both side of the ball you knew that runs were going to be had.

With the Sox losing it was the same story different game. I've said it once, and I'll say it again, 6 runs should be more then enough to give us a win. I don't like seeing us in these slugfests, however they happen, esp. this year against the Yankees.

This all being said I'm not on the Tobin. This is one game, and we're still in first. Chad Bradford showed how valuable he may end up being for us, and our hitting is still there. We have some backend problems with our pitching yes, however I think the Yankees starting pitching is more of a problem for them. They almost need their offense to be scoring a lot of runs this year to get wins. So I'm not too worried yet, this is the Yankees though, and anyone who thought they'd go down without a fight just hasn't been paying attention to baseball the last decade.

Curt Schilling lost in possibly the worse way possible. People at the bar I was in were cheering when he came out...I was pacing. It's only one game, and if he's never the same again that's huge, but was worth it for the ring. The Sox face off against Redding tonight who they should be able to handle fine. We'll see which David Wells shows up tonight; Last time he threw a gem of a game in the stadium.

Millar still needs to go, or play less. That play at first last night was pathetic, and Bellhorn…*sigh* Don’t really know what to say there. I understand pitches seen per plate appearance and walks are good. And I also understand that BA is an overrated statistic, however when you’re near the Mendoza line, striking out a lot, and not hitting for power…something needs to be done.

bosawk @ 2005-07-14T14:30:00

2005-07-14T18:47:50Z

1/2 Way there, Living on A Prayer

Tek has been one of the consistent Sox thus far this year.
Well, well here we are already. Half way through the 2005 campaign and the Boston Red Sox are amid a swirl of controversy and uprising. There are whispers of player contempt, there have been a lot of major injuries, trade rumors, a very meager bullpen, among many more concerns for the Sox. With the tepid fever of New England as of late you'd expect us to be sitting 7.5 back of the Yanks in third place. Thankfully, that's not the case.

Half way through the season the Boston Red Sox are in first place in the American League East by two slim games. But seriously, where else would you rather us be? 10.5 games up? Yeah, well, me too. But look at the troubles our team has had as mentioned above. You take away Mariano Rivera and Randy Johnson from the NY Yankees and I guarentee you they'd be a lot farther back then the 2.5 they are. Take away the Ace and Closer of any team and in MLB and I gurantee you they wouldn't be in first in the toughest division in baseball. The Sox have dealt with their controversy and come out on top. Every team has woes, however I believe 95% of ours can be solved internally, and that's huge.

Getting Chad Bradford will be big for us, and if his back's OK he can be a deadly middle releaver. After reading the chapter devoted to him in "Moneyball" it makes me wonder if he'll be able to handle the Boston pressure, that's a time will tell story starting tonight. And speaking of time will tell, the warrior that is Curt Schilling is sort-of back tonight.

I hope to God he picks up a save for us in a 12 pitch 9th. It's fitting the Sox are starting the second half against the Yanks. It's fitting how hot the Yanks are too, we all remember what happened last time the 2005 NY Streakees faced the Sox. We more then saved face with a 17-1 murder and sent their team on a slide. This weekend won't answer all the questions of these two teams fates, however it can give us some insight. Should be a fun/nerve racking weekend. So lets get 3/4 this weekend and hope for the best.

Damn this is fun...

bosawk @ 2005-07-12T11:26:00

2005-07-12T15:45:40Z

Most Papi-lar

David was the first Boston Red Sox ever to lead the MLB in All*Star voting.
First off on my agenda today is to apologize for not updating as much as I would like to have been recently. I've been trying to decide on where I'd like to take this "blog" and since LJ isn't really blogging software I've been in the search of a good/cheap alternative so I can use this via RSS Feeds and XML. I'd also like a little fuller control of the HTML etc. Some of the content from this blog will be part of The Globe's new daily publication called Sidekick, and I would like to really dress this site up better. So yeah, that's taken me a little away from the updates, you'll know as soon as I know what I'll be doing. You can also check out some recent Photo Illustrations posted by me over at Boston Dirt Dogs.

Now that that's out of the way lets talk about the Sox. Big ups and congratulations go out to all of the Sox All*Stars including Cap Tek, Damon, Ortiz, Clement, Manny, and Tito. The AL East is also well represented in this game showing where a lot of the power and excitement in the AL is coming from.

David represented pretty well in the HR Derby last night hitting the 2nd most HR's ever in a round (17) before falling short in the second round. And did anyone see Freddy Lynn in the Celebrity Softball game? The kid still has it and looked like one of the more nimble players out there. Props also go out to Ozzie Smith for flying into second with a slide, he looked faster the 1/2 the guys on our current team!

Tonight's All*Star game should be fun, and our defending World Champs are represented the most in the starting line-up with W.W.J.D.D., Varitek, Manny, and Papi. Last year Manny and David each had HRs to help eventually give us homefield advantage in the World Series. Tito will be trying to do the same for the Sox tonight with a very potent line-up. Should be a fun one.

Tomorrow I'll be giving my mid season report which should be interesting, enjoy the game.

PS - If anyone has any tickets to Saturdays game I'd be very interested, my Dad will be in town and would love to go to the game.

bosawk @ 2005-07-05T17:56:00

2005-07-05T22:12:50Z

Another Foulke Up

Sigh. Well another blown win for the Sox thanks to another "Whopper" of a performance by Keith Foulke. The Good News, The Sox still lead the AL East by 3 games. The Bad news? It's getting pretty bunched up aside from the D-Rays. The Sox have lost a lot of momentum they had and have had some lackluster games. I f our starters can get solid for us again, then we'll start winning games.

Foulke's season is inexcusable. If he really is hurt then he, or the Sox management should have made a move a long time ago. Lets hope they can make it 3.5 after tonight.

bosawk @ 2005-06-29T16:44:00

2005-06-29T21:07:01Z

Sox Salvage Series

Mirabelli strikes a familiar pose, as he rounds third. (Check two entries ago)
Well the Sox were able to beat the Cleveland Indians today and win the season series against the Indians at 4-2. Wakefield gave the Sox a solid outing and his batterymate, Doug Mirabelli, made the most of his start with a roundtripper of his own.

Now that I'm back from my travels I can focus more on the Sox, and what an interesting team to focus on. They are still one of the hottest teams in baseball (even though they lost this series) and are looking like the defending champs they are. Why the big turn around you ask? The answers more simple than you may imagine.
1. Strong solid efforts by out starting pitchers.
2. More consistent hitting 1-9.
The Sox have played more road games then anyone in baseball, have had their #1 starter on the shelf almost the entire season, and have had horrible woes in the bullpen. What's our reward? First place in the AL East by 3 games over the Baltimore Orioles. I'm very happy and confident with this team right now. They're scoring a lot of runs and maximizing their outs. Manny, who was never struggling as much as people were saying, has gone from: "What's wrong with this guy?" to "MVP Canidate". Insane.

If the Sox make any moves this month it will be to bolster their bullpen. And no one in baseball will be making a mid-season move as big as getting back a Curt Schilling. I'm a little freaked out that we're not having our normal June Swoon, we'll see though, the race is almost 1/2 over and we're in ideal shape. With the majority of our games home in the 2nd half the grass may be even greener after the All*Star break.

Now get off your butt, create a new e-mail account, and vote 25 more times for Damon. Homeboy deserves to start this year!

bosawk @ 2005-06-22T22:35:00

2005-06-23T02:55:49Z

Sweep Stakes

Boston has been jumping all over the opposition the last couple of weeks.
Well Boston started this away series against one of the hottest teams in baseball (winners of 9 in a row), and they're walking away with their second sweep in the last 3 series. The Sox have won 8/9 and are only 1 game out of first place in the AL East. Wade Miller had a really solid outing (I think Tito left him in too long) and the Sox showed some gusto by going out there and coming from behind a couple of times. With Bronson's effort last night, and Miller getting it done tonight the Sox starters may be finding a little bit of a groove.

Theo's shows his shrewdness again with Olerud having another solid outing. Not bad for a minor league contract. And Edgar proved to be clutch tonight getting a round bagger and the GW-RBI. Keith Choke "got the job done" but damn, still not happy with him.

This team's just rolling right now and you almost don't want to see the off day they have tomorrow. They need it though with Johhny a little banged up as well as the ER. Our team depth is starting to show, and if we can just righten the back end of our bullpen (not you Timlin) these runs could be a regularity for this team.

bosawk @ 2005-06-21T09:52:00

2005-06-21T14:15:23Z

Johnny Be Good

Damon heads home after his GW-RBI last night in Cleveland
Before I start talking about last nights win let me touch up quickly on the weekend series against the Pirates. The Sox had a very successful homestand winning 5/6 and scoring a total of 37 runs. Each and every start we had had a common theme, solid, consistent starting pitching. Besides our pitching we started to see some of our hitters break out of their respective "slumps". Bill "The Professional Hitter" Mueller led the way with a week that he had a .400 average, 10 RBIs, 5 extra base hits. Also having notable weeks with the stick were Papi, Millar (yes THE Kevin Millar), and Manny Baseball. This was a great way for us to get some wins underneath our belts and build us some confidence for our competition coming up, such as last night.

The Sox ran into the hottest team in baseball last night, and the Indians showed us why. In a game that was feeling like a total blow-out for the Sox, the Indians kept on clawing back into the game. This was a great example of a team that just doesn't believe it's ever out of a game, and gained a lot of respect for this young Indian team. Our bullpen went back to its road ways after David Wells gave us a solid, but not great, start.

I'll pre-face the following harshness by saying that I really like and respect Alan Embree and Keith Choke...er...Foulke. (That was cheap) However, this is becoming a problem. Embree has been a rock for us, ecsp. over the last few playoff runs, however, he's thrown a lot of pitches during our runs and we may be seeing some of the results from this. We'll see, he's saying all the right things but this is something that has to eventually be addressed if we're going to make a serious run at the division and pennant. Foulke...eh...he just looks like a different pitcher this year. I hope and pray it's a mechanical issue (ball transfer) but I don't know.

bosawk @ 2005-06-17T13:43:00

2005-06-17T17:59:47Z

Draft Analysis, Michael Bowden

I was listening to Baseball Prospectus Radio today and they were talking about the draft. Speaking of which, it's really nice to find any coverage on this because, as they stated, it's not as "sexy" as some of the other drafts. One thing that really stood out to me was them talking about one of the "shrewdest" picks in the draft, and the team that made it? Your Boston Red Sox. They believe that Michael Bowden could be one of the best picks in the draft because of, get this, he pitched in a cold weather state, and ecsp. Illinois. Apparently there's been studies that show Illinois is one of the most looked over states when scouting and recruiting high school players.

The Sox landed him in the first round supplemental draft with their 47th pick. You can read a fun article on his experiance HERE. He's an All American ballplayer and according to Baseball America he has one of the best breaking balls among high school pitchers. This is promising since this is usually a skill developed later in careers. Take a look at these stats:

That is just sick. This shows incredible control and an ability to shut down aluminum bats. It will be interesting to see how they progress with his development.

bosawk @ 2005-06-16T11:32:00

2005-06-16T15:56:40Z

Sweep Emotion

The Sox have been in fine tune as of late, winning 4 in a row.

"When your offense scores you 6 runs two days in a row you should have two victories underneath your belt." - This Blog only 4 days ago after disappointing losses in Chicago.

Wow, apparently it wasn't the Sox hitters who were missing Fenway but our pitchers. Bronson Arroyo finally got out of his slump last night and looked much like the pitcher who started the year for us. Arroyo pitched another solid 7 innings for the Sox yielding only one run while K-ing eight. Awesome showing by our starters over the past four games. I don't care if these last three were against a struggling Reds team either, the Sox need these wins to gain confidence and to keep that Fenway Vibe rolling.

And how about our bullpen the last few days. Mike Timlin and Keith "No longer do I like to choke" Foulke pitched two innings for a combined 5 K's. Can't type anymore on Foulke due to fear that I may jinx him.

Another guy who likes playing in Fenway, and Yankee Stadium, and Camden Yards, and...well...the park doesn't really matter, is David "Big Papi" Ortiz. David was 2/4 with 3 RBI and two key doubles last night to continue his hot swinging ways. And lets all stand up and give a strong hand for one of my personal fav. players in the league, Bill "The Professional Hitter" Mueller. This guy's hotter then Paris in that new Bently car wash commercial. All he did in the Cincy series was hit .333 with 6 RBI and 2 BB. Solid, solid, solid production from your #8 hitter. Keep it up Bill-Boe. The Sox outscored the Reds 23-4, take that Joe Morgan you hack of an announcer.

Wade Miller looks to keep our pitching splooge-fest rolling tonight as the Sox try not to get commandeered by the Pitsburg Pirates.

Would like to give a quick shot out to loyal reader, Chicago resident, and great Twin fan Bob Lam. Thanks for reading! And what's up with The Giants doubling your boys up!?? Ha hah!

bosawk @ 2005-06-15T13:30:00

2005-06-15T17:59:12Z

Wish we had Pedro?

I'm writing this article for a couple of different reasons which I will explain. One is that I just finished reading Alan Schwarz's 'Numbers Game' and it's inspired me to question the way I listen and view baseball games once again. Also, with all of the nationally televised games that have been on T.V. recently (The Yankee series & interleague play) I've heard some of the announcers try and explain why the Sox don't have a better record then they currently owned. Without fail almost everytime they mention this they state that our pitching is to "blame". I agree 100% with that statement (Since as of today we're #1 in the AL in Runs Scored), however, where I do disagree is with what comes out of either Buck, Morgan, McCarver, or whoever's mouth next. And that's that it's not just our pitching, but it's because we don't have Pedro or D-Lowe anymore. So basically what they're saying is:

Boston Red Sox Pedro/D.Lowe > Boston Red Sox Clement/Wells/W.Miller

On the instant I hear these words I get frustrated and disagree, and there are numerous ways to look at this. I believe we made the right moves instinctively because:
a) I trust in our management 100% in making the right decisions for us. (I know this is blind)
b) Just simply looking at their salaries for the year makes it a great deal for the Sox:

Salaries
Matt Clement$6,500,000
David Wells $4,075,000
Wade Miller $1,500,000
Total $12,075,000
Avg. $4,025,000

Pedro Martinez $10,875,000
Derek Lowe $7,000,000
Total $17,875,000
Avg. $8,937,500

Now on money alone I believe that the Sox have done better for the team as a whole. I hope Pedro does win the NL Cy Young, I'm pulling for him to do it. But that doesn't necessarily mean we should have kept him. By looking at the above salaries Pedro's contract is almost as big this year as all three of the pitchers we got to replace him. Is Pedro better then those three combined? I don't think so.

Lets take a look at what each pitcher has done thus far this year:

Now we all know that both W.Miller & D.Wells have spent stints on the DL so that is one of the first things I take into account looking at these stats. The second thing I notice is that Pedro is carrying D.Lowe (imagine that). And the third thing I'll point out is that both Ex-Sox are facing a much less deadly NL and are out of the potent AL East. Not bad then huh? I'll take Wells over D.Lowe, and Clement has the same record as Pedro. Pedro's Pedro and you can't get a new 1999 Pedro, but dang, Clement's finally getting the run support he lacked last year with the Cubs and it's showing. Then you throw Wade Miller in the mix and it just shocks me that someone who gets paid to only follow baseball (Someday...) can say such a blanket statement. Lets look at each pitchers recent outings now that it's warmer, they're not injured, and they're more comfortable.

Ah, now (to me at least) it all seems to come much more into view. We're getting more innings for less money and they're quality starts at that. This frees up money for other concerns while not weakening the core of our staff. Oh yeah, some guy named Curt Schilling has basically been out all year. Once we get him back we'll have the beautiful problem of having too many good starting pitchers (which I've been talking about since Spring Training).

bosawk @ 2005-06-15T08:13:00

2005-06-15T12:30:45Z

Wells One-Hit Gem

David Wells during his gem of a game last night.
Last night was a perfect marrige of what the Sox would like to see everyday on the diamond. Great pitching, and great hitting. David Wells, Mike TImlin, and Keith Foulke combined to throw the Sox first 1-Hitter since 1990. Yes...even Keith Foulke looked good, these are scary times. Result: Sox win third in a row, 7-0.

David Wells was simply on point last night with pin-point accuaracy and great pitch selections. This was his second strait solid start and is a very welcome site to the Fenway Faithful. Boomer may be able to fill that dominant LH role the Sox have been missing for quite some time. On related pitching news Schilling was supposed to throw down in Arizona yesterday and is slated to possibly be back before the All*Star break. If we can get Schilling at 80% of what he was last year then the O's may soon be checking out the back of our jerseys. More on thestate of our "new" pitchers later today.

On the other side of the ball the Sox bats are smiling being back in Fenway and even Millar has been looking like the Millar people like again. Manny hit his third HR (a blast for Stubby) in three games and Professional Hitter had another clutch hitting game. ER & Ortiz were the only starters not to have a hit last night. We're getting solid hits with 2 out maximising our production potential, and our outs are even "good" ones. I remember 4 or 5 outs last night on sharply hit line drives.

Sox look for the series sweep tonight as Arroyo looks to get a solid start underneath his belt.

bosawk @ 2005-06-14T09:18:00

2005-06-14T13:47:10Z

Sox Win Game 8

Carlton Fisk looks down onto the field next to the newly annoited Fisk Pole

"Home, home again.
I like to be here when I can.
When I come home cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones beside the fire.
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells."
Pink Floyd - Breathe (reprise)

Ah, home again is right. It felt good to be back in the Fens on a muggy 88 degree night. The Red Sox faced off against the Cincinnati Reds for the first time in 30 years last night and erected a little revenge for their 1975 World Series loss. The game was preceded by a recap of Game 6 of the '75 World Series, which has been said to be one of the greatest games ever played in October, or any month for that matter. After a video recap (which gave me chills) Fisk came out on the Monster as they officially named the left field foul pole, 'The Fisk Pole'. I still think 'Pudges Pole' has a better ring to it, but whatever. Carlton then threw the first pitch to fellow battery mate, Luis Tiant (El Tiante) to get the game started. Click HERE to view some scenes from '75.

And what a game we had. Matt Clement rebounded beautifully from his previous outing and threw a great game with a much needed 8 innings pitched. The "struggling" Manny Ramirez had a solid game with a four bagger and a double, as he continues to be productive. W.W.J.D.D had another great night with a 3/4 showing that raised his BA to .349.

This could be just what the doctor ordered. I really think that the Sox are going to go on a little run now. They have a six game home stand against teams that are struggling a bit, the weather's getting warmer, and s***, did I mention they're home? I'm hoping for 5/6 on this home stand, and to see us gain a couple of games on the O's. Right now this team just needs to be concerned with wins, you win games, and usually the rest will fall into place.

Boomer takes the mound tonight in hopes of getting the Sox their 3rd win in a row.

Edit: I almost forgot. During the traditional playing of 'Sweet Caroline' yesterday, they announced that Jason and Karen Varitek had a child they named Caroline Morgan Varitek earlier in the morning. It was probably the most enthusiastic singing of the song I've ever heard at Fenway with the announcement on the scoreboard, the Sox winning easily, and with all the beer consumption to stay cool. It was pretty neat to be there. Congrats Teks!

Edit #2: I just went to http://www.redsox.com and spotted myself in the stands, pretty funny :-)

bosawk @ 2005-06-13T16:29:00

2005-06-13T20:41:16Z

Cubs Clubbed

Wakefield of Dreams slides into home, a rare sight.
Well, well, imagine this, the Sox played in yet another game that wasn't close. I'm not saying I wish they were playing in a plethora of one run games, however, it just seems most games they play is a blowout for someone. This shows me a basic lack of consistency on both sides of the ball.

Lets look at some good things the Sox have going for them now. They're playing at home now! I almost forget what the home whites look like, but I'll be there live in effect tonight right next to the Pesky Pole to see Pudge get a certain Left Field pole named after him. More on that tomorrow though.

Last nights game went very well, and it looks like Mirabelli being out effected Wake a little more then everyone thought. Hopefully Timmy will be able to shake himself out of that funk he was in and get some more solid innings underneath his belt. And how 'bout his hustle around the bases? When he was waved around I held my collective breath in utter fear though, good job Tim. Youk continued to fight for a spot in the line-up being "only" a 3B away from the cycle. Speaking of cycles, Damon was a single away from the cycle and this is after he got Rob Based in the first inning. Johhny continues to be the best leadoff man in baseball and I hope he can "sneak" onto the All*Star team.

Since we're on the cycle subject this brings me to why

I HATE JOE MORGAN.

So during all this cycle talk he was asked if he ever hit for the cycle and he said, and this is for real, "I don't know."

What?!?? That's like someone asking me if I slept with Eva Longoria and me being like...Maybe...I'm not too sure though." Give me a break Joe, 1975 is over, no need to hate on the Sox anymore.

*Sigh* 20 min. and I'm out.

bosawk @ 2005-06-12T18:15:00

2005-06-12T22:26:11Z

Curses!!!

Why didn't Tito pinch hit me again
A day after getting hammered by the cubbies 14-6, the Sox blew a 4-0 lead and lost their second in a row 7-6. This was just an utterly frustrating game to watch. Wade let them back in by allowing 5 singles in a row (you'd think the bullpen would be warming up here. To boot with two on and one out in the seventh (I think) they let the 2/2 Wade Miller hit again! Horrible, horrible, horrible managing. Wouldn't you rather have Olerud, Millar, Youk, or Payton hitting here?!? Miller didn't get his 3 hit (IMAGINE THAT) and to boot, Damon struck out looking. They made a comeback but it was too little too late. I'm used to losing games after being down huge early, but giving up the 4 run lead like we did is unexcusable. When your offense scores you 6 runs two days in a row you should have two victories underneath your belt.

Within the next two week expect some major shake-ups with this team, Adios Millar.

bosawk @ 2005-06-09T16:41:00

2005-06-09T20:41:51Z

The Tale of Two Cities

bosawk @ 2005-06-09T10:32:00

2005-06-09T17:42:16Z

Well Done

David Wells get some well earned congratulations from his fellow teammates
The Boston Red Sox avoided being swept last night behind a very strong outing by David Wells with a 4-0 win. Boomer has been pitching fairly well as of late and last night was no exception. He easily could have pitched his second complete game of the year, however, it was probably smart for Tito to take him out, we want him to be throwing those type of games in August, September, & October. I'm glad we won't have to face this talented Cards team again, unless there's a certain October date that wants to be repeated...

This weekend should be a very fun series with us going into Chicago to play the Cubbies. This will be the first time these two clubs have faced off since the 1918 World Series, and we all know how that turned out. Those games weren't even played at Wrigley because they wanted to have more room, so they played at nearby Comiskey Park (The Old Comiskey).

I'll be slightly torn because I've adopted the Cubbies as my NL team, and due to the fans passion, history, and heartache, these two franchises have been linked together for awhile now. Should be fun to see my boys in Wrigley, I just wish I could be there!

Here's to a good weekend.

bosawk @ 2005-06-08T16:42:00

2005-06-08T20:58:16Z

Boo Birds

I honestly can't comment too much on last nights game becuase I had a 9:00pm softball game in Medford, however, I do know that the Sox had the same amount of hits as the Cards, however, in the end, they took another beating from the NL Champs.

Also if you look at the AL East in general no one's doing too well as of late. No one's above .500 over the past 10 games and all 5 teams have some sort of losing streak under the way right now. Not too sure exactly what this means, except for the fact that if the Sox have won a few more game they could have gained/distanced themselves.

Clement looked human last night and took his first loss of the season on some mental lapses. This happens, and I'd take 6/7 every time. We look to avoid getting swept for the second time this year tonight. (Interesting fact: This years Boston Red Sox are the only MLB team not to get shut-out thus far.)

Blood Feud Book Review

Last week I finally picked up one of the many post Sox WS books and I deceded upon Bill Nowlin & Jim Prime's Blood Feud : The Red Sox, the Yankees, and the Struggle of Good versus Evil. I started reading this right before theweekend series and breezed through it in about a week. First off, this is a book written for Red Sox fans. They write like fans, however, they did a lot of research and include a lot of great facts about the two teams history with each other. They have a lot of Sox background and both have written numerous books on them and Ted Williams.

There really wasn't anything new here, and there was no real behind the scenes stuff. However due to its coverage of the entire history it's a keeper. I may check out Tony M's book on the 2004 season next and would love to hear any suggestions.

I would suggest this book to the Sox fan who would like to know a little more on the history of these two great franchises (from a little skewed angle be it) from the begining to now. Johhny Pesky's afterward and Bill Lee's Froeward are complete opposites, yet highlights of the book. Bill Lee is a Yankee hater true and through, while Pesky is very respectful and dosn't write one even remote bad thing about his lifetime rivals.

I'm reading Numbers game now and will post a review when done with it. (Let mwe know if this should be behind a cut)

bosawk @ 2005-06-07T15:38:00

2005-06-07T19:53:00Z

Not in Cards for Wake

Wake wipes his brow as the Cards take "Game 5".
In a game that started off very much in the Sox favor, the Cards crushed the Sox and got some October revenge on their AL foes. The game started with the Sox hitting the ball really well off of St.Louis starter Matt Morris, however he settled down nicely and rendered the potent Sox bats useless. I don't have too much to say here, the Sox went against a pitcher who obviously brought his 'A' game tonight. I am starting to get a little discouraged with (Sorry Jason) the .500 type ball we've been playing. We have had some tough competition though (3 first place teams in last 3 series) so hopefully once we play some of the lighter teams in the league we can get a couple 6 game winning streaks under our belts. I think a reasonable goal would be to be 2 back of the O's at the break.

I've heard a lot of talk about how classy etc. the Cardinal fans are and I just don't see it. They are good fans who root hard for their team yes, but are no better (or worse) then Sox fans. I mean you're not supposed to be nice all the time. Maybe that's just the Northeast A-Hole in me popping off. You can hear them rooting extra hard against the Sox which is kind of fun. I hope ER shuts up the boo birds tonight with a big game.

Sox Draft Phenom Craig Hansen

The Sox may have gotten a steal with the 26 pick in the first round while drafting RHP Craig Hansen. Hansen was a pitcher for St. Johns who just has some sick stats. For example, according to Baseball America, he pitched 22 1/3 innings in the Cape Cod league. He struck out 41, walked two, gave up just nine hits and was BA's No. 3 prospect coming out of the Cape. That is some sick s***. He was projected to go as high as number 15 and was a no brainer for the Sox. Oddly enough he's been compared to a Matt Clement or Derek Lowe. You can read a great review on him from Baseball America HERE.

We also had a pick two spots ahead of Hansen with Jacoby Ellsbury who may very well be the future of our outfield (this is assuming a lot). Great pick though with a lot of ceiling.

23. Red Sox: Jacoby Ellsbury, of, Oregon State U.

Ellsbury has few holes in his game and is capable of beating teams in a lot of ways. He has excellent makeup and instincts. His best tool is his speed, and it’s evident both on the bases and in center field, where he catches everything hit his way. He has been clocked in 6.55 seconds over 60 yards. He has become more patient, rarely swings and misses and is comfortable hitting with two strikes. His style of play and physical appearance have drawn comparisons to Johnny Damon at a similar age, but scouts say Ellsbury has a better swing. They question whether he’ll grow into the same power, though.

26. Red Sox: Craig Hansen, rhp, St. John's U.

Hansen pounds the strike zone with a fastball that has been clocked consistently in the mid-90s and tops out at 97 mph. The velocity on his slider has been even more impressive, sitting at 85-86 mph with a high of 90. Though his fastball command wavers, he has an excellent approach to pitching and isn’t afraid to go right at hitters. He should be even more effective against wood bats. He’s suited to be a closer because of his temperament, short arm stroke and full-effort delivery.

bosawk @ 2005-06-06T20:12:00

2005-06-07T00:22:34Z

Back in Saint Louie

The Sox celebrate in St. Louis moments after winning it all last year.
First off I'd like to say that it was good to see the Sox win the series against the as always tough L.A. Angels. I can't really write too much up on it though bcause I was out of town at a best friends wedding, however, 2/3 against the Angels is always good.

It sure looks like the Sox have a championship schedule this year. Aside from all of their road games, this series will be there 3rd strait series against a team that is in first place in their division. We're 4 and 3 thus far and I'm hoping for another 2/3 in this series. When is it again that we get to play the Royals?

bosawk @ 2005-06-02T17:28:00

2005-06-02T21:48:47Z

PAPI DELIEVERS!!!

Ortiz makes the Baltimore Orioles see red in the bottom of the ninth.
If the MVP was based more on clubhouse leadership and clutch play David Ortiz would make it pretty hard not to vote for him. On the 7th pitch on a 3-2 count with two down in the bottom of the ninth Big Papi hit a monster shot to deep center to end the game. I, unfortunetly, was "watching" the game via the internet, but I still almost screamed from my cubicle. Every batter before him, including Damon, put in good long at bats to maybe tire out the hard throwing closer. And how 'bout Renteria with that push bunt down the 3rd base line? Smart.

A big glaring hole in this game was Keith Foulke not getting the job done again. To his credit not one hit was hit out of the infield, and Palmero did hit a DP ball...but still, the job wasn't done. Clement (6-0) stays unbeaten for the hometown boys and the Sox grabbed a "they better win" win. Matt keeps on pitching some solid games for us and he allowed us to have the chance for the win by keeping it close. This may help with a little mental edge the next time these two teams meet.

This can help us roll with some momentum now, however, I thought that after the weekend series so we'll see. Great win either way.

Thank God for David Ortiz.

bosawk @ 2005-06-02T12:07:00

2005-06-02T16:31:20Z

Orioles Murder Sox, 9-3

Again the Sox put themselves in too big of a hole last night by creating a big deficet early. This is a double edged sword because:

1. If you're down big early you got a lot more time to stage a comeback.
2. Your whole mindset seems to change when down big early. People seem to swing for the "5-Run HR" etc.

The Sox are yet, in my memory, able to make a signifigant comeback yet this year when down by 5 or more runs early. That was a trait that seemed to live more in the 'Cowboy Up' day of 2003. Either way, the scores of our games in the past 10 games have been: 3-9, 5-1, 1-8, 7-2, 17-1, 3-6, 1-8, 1-6, 6-9, & 5-2. On the surface that leaves us minus 3 runs at 49 to 52. However, we had a game where we scored 17 runs thrown into that mix, so it really isn't that close. It's felt better then it really is because we won a series in the Bronx, however, it's not that good for us.

Wakefields whiffles weren't knuckling at all and it looked like BP for the O's. The real sad thing about all of this is that we came off a real hot series against the NYY and were playing a struggling O's team who just put 3 key players on the DL and were swept by the Detroit Tigers. Plus, last night they even had Dave Roberts (And no I had nothing to do with it) on the DL. The best we can do know is tie, and I'm not saying it's a must win, that's silly, but it's a better win.

The Orioles are a lot more real then I gave them credit for early on. Their "suspect" pitching looks solid, and their bats can hang with the Sox or Yanks no problem.

bosawk @ 2005-06-01T11:23:00

2005-06-01T15:45:38Z

Sox Bang Out Win Against the O's

Johnny Damon right after running into a wall in the 3rd inning.
Well for second night in a row (And third time this season) I saw the Sox take on the first place (For Now) Orioles live and in full effect. (Much thanks to my GF and Tommy-Oh) The Sox snagged the game 5-1 and basically did all the work in one inning of play. And yes, once again it was sparked by Bill "The Professional Hitter" Mueller and a great long at bat that drew him a walk. So far this season he's walked walked 25 times and struck out only 19, a great ratio.

Daniel Cabrera was pitching a gem against us until that at bat (4 1/3 innings of no hit ball) and then it just seemed like the flood gates were opened. Key hits were had by John "Soon Your Starting 1B" Olerud, ER-ER...The Red Sox Nation!, and Big Papi. That's all Wade Miller needed as he had his longest outing yet in Sox uniform going seven strong innings. Mike Timlin, who gave me a wave from my section 41 seat, came in for some needed and good bullpen work, and Mike Myers came right after him to seal the deal, this giving the Sox 2 hittless relief innings. This was great to see, and when Foulke was warming-up in the 9th, I was hoping (praying) that M.M. could get the two lefties out...can't wait 'till I stop feeling like that.

Fun side note from the live tip. The crowd was very fiesty last night and if I see one more 13 year old try and start "The Wave" I'm going to prob. end up in the big house. When Myers is about to throw his first pitch they played the 'Halloween' music, classic. Ice Cream out of those little hats still tastes good. The lower bleachers are more fun then the upper bleachers.

Sidney Ponson vs. Tim Wakefield tonight. I realized last night this is a four game set which could bring us within one game of first in the AL East. Lets grab these next two.