Beat the Best, Lose to the Worst

There are many things I don't understand about baseball and probably never will. One is the multitude of ways a balk can be called, but almost never is...it always just seems so arbitrary. Another is why managers are recycled so often, as if the guy might just get it right with his fifth different team after bombing with the other four. Or why Tony LaRussa hits his pitchers eight most of the time now.

But one that seems to happen all the time is playing great against a tough team only to get swept by a crappy team...only to play well against a great team again. The crazy ups and downs of baseball are just astounding.

Take the Cardinals last several games as an example.

They play three against Philadelphia, NL East leaders who were playing really well...and started the series off with a 20-2 pounding of the Cards...no, it was an anihilation...or something tremendously awful. Then, STL rebounds to win the last two, taking the series. Pretty good against a hot, 1st place team.

Then the Cards take on Kansas City, perennial bottom-dwellers of the AL Central. Should be able to take this momentum and beat up on a bad team, right? Apparently not. STL got swept. Yeah, swept, not just lost two of three. Swept. And that leading up to playing the Red Sox in Boston.

Great, Boston doesn't lose at home. They are, like, 56-2 at home or something and we are coming off of getting swept by the Royals...not looking good. Without Albert my faith in the team is similar to my faith in the Royals. But that's not how it turns out, is it? The Cardinals were within one bad JD Drew throw of a sweep of the Sox themselves...IN Boston.
What?!
How does this make sense?

I know there are reasons within reasons in any single game. But it is just weird how this happens. Going 4-5 against those three teams, I would have thought a sweep of the Royals would have been in there, not a sweep BY the Royals.

Crazy baseball.

Adam Dunn: Why the haters?

Adam Dunn leads the league in strike outs. Adam Dunn has a .228 batting average this season. All I hear all day on Columbus radio is Adam Dunn stinks, trade Adam Dunn, etc. Today the GM of the Blue Jays blasted him. I just watched the guys on Around the Horn agree.

Why does everyone hate Adam Dunn?

He has bad defense, but that's no rarity for right fielders. Other than that, he has a .396 OBP, a .511 SLG, has 18 home runs and he leads the league in walks!!

Not only that, he's been doing it every year!!

When will people learn that there's more to baseball than batting average? Dunn is still one of the best players in the league at not getting out AND he has power. I'd love him on my team.

I love everything about baseball...except one thing.

I love baseball. I could watch it all day. I could read as many books or ESPN articles as you would put in front of me. I would love it if it was all year round (kind of like much of America seems to be doing with the NFL now) so I would have games every day of the year. I love the history of the game. I love the amazing and unexpected things that seem to happen every week. I love the beauty of the field, the duel of pitcher and batter, the dimensions of the diamond that make the stolen base a challenge and yet not impossible. I love going to games. I love listening to games on the radio...any teams. I love being able to flip between three or four games on TV. I love talking about it, debating it-the players, teams, rules, etc. I love everything about it. Except one thing.

I don't love that it can distract me...or even enslave me. It can become a god. I want to enjoy the players and the game, not worship them. But sometimes it feels that way. And tonight was a good example of how I/we can get so wrapped up and focused on the fun of baseball that we push God out of His rightful place as the center of life.

This wasn't dramatic or anything, but as one of my roommates and I were debating Hall of Fame worthy players--who's in, who's out, what about so-and-so, etc.--our other roommate, who had come in, finally said, "God is putting some stuff on my heart and I could use some prayer...". Now, this didn't upset me, even though I would have enjoyed more baseball talk. And we ended up having a great time of discussion and prayer together. But we also noted that we end up spending so much time talking about ultimately worthless things (like whether Mike Mussina has been merely a good player for a long time or a truly great player deserving of a place with those in the Hall--for the record, I don't see him as great) that sometimes we miss those opportunities for where God is leading. Miss opportunities to really get into life issues with each other and seek God's face together...it's a lot easier most of the time to talk about what the Tiger's chances are of making the playoffs this year or which team's injuries are the most devastating than to really engage with one another about God. Praying together is a big one of those.

How many times have I not wanted to interupt my roommates or inconvenience someone else with initiating praying together or bringing up heart stuff? Or how many times have I been so wrapped up in reading articles or watching a game or talking Hot Stove League speculation and not been "available" for my roommates and friends? And how many times have I decided not to read my Bible, but to read about the history of the Cardinals or about sabermetrics...not just once, but a week in a row or more?

Baseball is great. And beautiful. God wants us tobe able to enjoy it. But when it begins to come before Him or keeps us from really being attentive to Him and what he is doing around us...well, that is a problem. That is the one thing about baseball that I don't like.
May we all enjoy baseball, but never in place of God.

Final Thoughts

The Red Sox beat the Reds, 9-0. Florida is beating Tampa Bay 9-2 also in the ninth. If that score holds, the Red Sox will have a 2.5 game lead in the AL East. Objectively, I can see only two problems with this team. The first and most obvious is the bullpen. Okajima's no where near as effective as last year. He still has problems with allowing inherited runners to score and now he's also having trouble allowing his own to score, if that makes sense. Papelbon's been good as has David Aardsma. Both Craig Hanson and Manny DelCarmen have shown signs of being reliable setup men, but both have also gone through periods of struggle. Javier Lopez has been ok as the left handed specialist. Timlin's just getting too old. I don't think he has anything left. I would like to see Theo get a middle reliever this year, not a closer. I think they learned that doesn't work with Gagne. Trade for a reliable setup man. I honestly don't know who right now. As I said before, Brandon Morrow would be great...but I don't think that's reasonable.

The other problem they have is winning on the road. The Sox are 16-21 on the road, which actually is getting a lot better. If the Red Sox finish even a game or two above 500 on the road, they'll be all set. They're unstoppable at Fenway with a 28-7 record.

Everything else about the team is awesome. The rotation is phenominal...no matter who is in it. Right now, it's Beckett, Lester, Wakefield, Colon and Masterson. Also expected to come off the DL this year, the Sox have Diasuke, Buchholtz and Schilling. Even with Manny and Ortiz both out today hurt, the Sox lineup was able to score 9 runs (and counting). Manny's bothered by his ham string and would have DHed in an AL park. He'll be back. AM 680 WRKO is reporting that Ortiz wrist feels fine and he should be able to comeback without the surgery. In his absense, J.D. Drew finally figured out how to hit in the American League.

One last thing. In the first inning today, 72 games into the season, Jacoby Ellsbury set a Red Sox rookie record for stolen bases, stealing second for his 32nd steal. He celebrated by stealing third to set a new record, and we're not even halfway through the year yet. According to my uncle Michael, and backed up by Wikipedia, Tommy Harper has the overall Red Sox record with 54 steals. I think it's safe to assume that will be smashed by the time I get back from Alaska.

This is the time for the Red Sox. I don't know that a team's been set up this nicely in history. The team keeps getting both better and younger. And the salaries are cheaper. Papelbon, Pedrioa, Ellsbury, Buchholtz, Masterson. They'll all be around awhile and none of them make over a million. Theo's been brilliant. He's very Belichick-like, in that he's willing to part ways with fan favorites like Johnny Damon and Pedro Martinez-even if it pisses off the fan base-for the good of the team.

In terms of history, I don't know if the Red Sox will ever catch the Yankees...at least not in our life time. The Yankees have 26 World Championships and 39 pennants. The Red Sox have 7 World Championships and 12 pennants. Granted, 27 straight pennants to close the gap isn't very likely, but this is the time to close the gap, one baby step at a time. This millennium, the Red Sox have the only two World Series Titles of the rivalry. Both teams have 2 pennants but I think its safe to say the Red Sox are the better of the two since 2001.

Now that that's done, we can look at things in terms of my life time. Right now, the Yankees lead, 4 world championships to 2. When it comes to pennants, the Yankees have the 6-3 advantage. This 5 year period is the time to strike at that. I think the Red Sox could win 2-3 pennants and 1 or 2 World Series in the next 5 years. It's amazing. I never would have thought when I was 13 or 14 the Red Sox would have a shot at having as many pennants in my life as the Yankees, never mind World Championships. But it's a very real possibility now. Is it going to be easy? Nope. Not at all. But it definitely is possible.

Boston vs Cincinnati

For the first time since the 1975 World Series, the Red Sox will play the Reds. I didn't believe it at first when I read about it on redsox.com. For as long as Interleague has been going on, it seems every team would have played all the others at least once by now. I'm not sure if this will be the final National League team for the Red Sox. Looking at the teams real quick, I don't remember them ever playing the Astros in Interleague, who are on the schedule for later this year. I'm not sure about the Nationals, though they definitely played the Expos a bunch of times. I think I remember every other team playing Boston at least once in the regular season.

This will also probably be the last series I'll blog about for at least 6 weeks. I'm going off to Alaska on Monday. I'm told they have a really good semi pro league up there...on par with the Cape Cod League we have in Massachusetts. Maybe I'll check that out and let you know about it.

UPDATE: I just checked out the webpage for the Alaska Baseball League. There are 6 teams. I'm staying in Anchorage, who apparently has two teams... the Anchorage Buccs and Anchorage Glacier Pilots. I'm going with Campus Crusade, and they have a branch known as Athletes in Action who also has a team in the league, the Fairbanks AIA Fire. Don't know who I'll root for yet. I like the name "Glacier Pilots" though...

interleague :(

Pirates record in interleague play: 57-94.

These two weeks ain't never pretty for the Buccos.

By the way, a new Indians blogger could be on the way soon.

6/13/08

I kept score again, but unfortunately Lester didn't repeat his no hitter. I was very upset when a slow ground ball went down the right field line for a single. Youkilis, as is his way, was playing a righty waaayyy off the bag. Normally, it helps take away line drives. This time, it burnt him as most other first basemen would have had it. But that wasn't the last hit Lester surrendered, so it really didn't matter much.

Offensively, the Sox scored 9 runs, including a grand slam by Mike Lowell. Manny came up with no one out and runners on second and third. The Orioles walked Manny to load the bases and Lowell made them pay. Youk and J.D. Drew also hit two run homers. The Fenway Faithful have started to greet J.D. with the "DRRREEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWW" call. I think that call should be reserved for the great Drew Bledsoe, so I boycotted it. Two or three good weeks, no matter how good, doesn't put you on the same page as a man who single handedly saved a franchise. Just my opinion. Anyway, the final was Boston 9, Baltimore 2.

I've been to many nonbaseball events, whether it be Patriots games, Celtics games, Patriots Super Bowl Championship rallies, UMass sporting events, weddings, classes, or Dropkick Murphy concerts where people chanted "Yankees Suck." Tonight, perhaps for the first time since the chant began in the late 90s, there wasn't a single "Yankees Suck" chant. However, there were plenty of "Beat L.A." chants, which is a nice transition to the real story of the night, the NBA Finals. When I got home, it was halftime and L.A. was up by 20. When I settled down to watch it, it was in the begining of the 3rd. The Celtics scored first, and I told my brother Boston was outscoring LA 2-0 in parts of the game I watch. I was just trying to be funny, and kept updating after every possession. For some reason, L.A. couldn't score. I'm not really a basketball expert or anything, so I can't give detailed analysis aside from the John Madden "they just couldn't shot the ball in the basket" comment.

Next thing you know, the leads down to 12 and LA's calling a time out. Then the lead drops to 10. Pierce gets fouled, hits the free throw knocking it down to 9. Then ABC announces Phil Jackson will be interviewed after the quarter. Lead is down to 4. I couldn't wait to see what Jackson would say. Mercyfully for the Lakers, the quarter ends with L.A. clinging to a 2 point lead.

Before play resumes in the fourth, they show the Jackson interview. I'm extremely disappointed. If I were coaching a team that blew a 20 point lead at home in a championship, I'd be furious, flipping out and throwing chairs. He said something stupid like "That's a good question. How did they get back in the game?" When the reporter pointed out he was the coach and it was his job to figure that out, he responded with "Momentum's a fiery lady, and she's jumped to the other side of the ship." He didn't even raise his voice or anything.

For the first half of the fourth quarter, Boston kept tying the game and getting the ball back, but couldn't get a lead. The Lakers would have some crappy possession filled with bad passes tipped by countless Celtic plays only to end up somehow getting a wide open dunk to regain the lead. Then finally, with four minutes left, Eddie House hit a jump shot to give the Celtics their first lead, and then Boston pretty much ran away with it at the end, winning 97-91. Series is 3-1 Celtics.

The sportscasters kept mentioning the Celtics great comeback in game 3 of the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals against the Nets. I think the comebacks are different for three reasons.

Firstly, in 2002, the Celtics were at home, which is a huge advantage. The crowd was so loud and supportive, especially at the defensive end. This game was on the road, with hostile Laker fans like Justin Timberlake. In that respect, tonight's comeback was more impressive.

Secondly, the in 2002, the team was down by something like 25 at the start of the 4th and were pretty much dead. Yeah, tonight the Celtics were trailing by 20, but they had an entire half to comeback. The Celtics had all the momentum going into the fourth. In that respect, the comeback in 2002 was more impressive.

Thirdly, the 2002 Celtics had Antoine Walker, my favorite Celtic ever. He was a huge motivating force in the comeback, literally screaming profanity after profanity in Paul Pierce's ear about how Pierce had to take the game over. The 2008 Celtics don't have Antoine to do that, though there were a few times tonight where I did bust out the "Walker Wiggle," the greatest basketball celebration ever.

All Star Ballot

Here's who I voted for. I voted not so much based on stats but more based on who I like...which is pretty much the Red Sox

American League
C-J. Varitek
1B- Youkilis
2B-Pedroia
3B-Lowell
SS-O.Cabrera (arguably my favorite shortstop of all time)
OF-Manny
OF-J.D. Drew (stepping up big without Ortiz. Gets the nod)
OF-M. Bradley (as someone with a temper myself, I appreciate the man)
DH-Ortiz

National League- a lot tougher. Never watch these guys.
C-B McCann- totally on stats. Don't even know his first name.
1B-D. Lee- I've always liked him. Don't know why.
2B-B. Phillips-played great in a game I went to last year, and even hit a homerun to win some guy a lifetime supply of pizza or something. I respect that.
3B-NOMAH!
SS-H. Ramirez- Went based on stats. Didn't hurt that he's the reason the Sox have Beckett and Lowell...
OF-Griffey
OF-W. Pena
OF-D. Roberts-if one man deserves to be a perennial All Star, it is without question Dave Roberts.

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday

My friend called me up with an extra ticket to Thursdays game against Baltimore. Interestingly enough, Lester's pitching again. I'm undecided as to whether or not I'll keep score this time.

Stadium Checklist

After the Braves game and the Yankees and Mets games, here is my new tally...

Stadiums been to:
Busch I (STL)
Busch II (STL)
Wrigley (CHI)
Comiskey I (CHI)--I even played a T-Ball game in the outfield before a game!
Comiskey II (CHI)
County Stadium (MIL)
Miller Park (MIL)
Tiger Stadium (DET)
Exhibition Stadium (TOR)--while Skydome is being built
Kauffman (KC)
Cinergy (CIN)
Camden Yards (BAL)
PNC (PIT)
Fenway (BOS)
Citizen's (PHI)
Coors (COL)
Tropicana (TB)
Yankee (NY)
Shea (NY)
Turner Field (ATL)
20 Parks

Hopeful other trips this summer:
Crapfest Park (Miami)--likely
Great American Ballpark (CIN)
The Jake (CLE)
Comerica (DET)

Someday I will have to hit all those West Coast parks. Someday.
Hooray for baseball!

Coca-Cola Stadium

Oh, that's not the name?

It's Turner Field?

Huh, I guess I was thrown off by all the Coke advertising and logos in the ballpark. You know, like this thing...

If you notice, the entire thing is made up of baseball equipment.

So, Saturday, I met stayed with a friend in Georgia on my way down to Orlando for overseas training. And since I had not yet been to Turner Field (and more importantly, because it was baseball) we went to a Braaves-Phillies game. Which Shunta was, of course, very jealous of...but also excited that I could see her Phils.

I have already mentioned the Pat Burrell homer, but other than that...

*They had a ridiculous variety of hotdogs you could order, from traditional chili-cheese, to Chicago style, to combos of just about anything you could put on one. I ended up going with a plain jumbo dog, which was the cheapest (but still over $5) and oddly, it was not jumbo in the way I had thought. It was really just a footlong, which is apparently the rough southern equivalent of a jumbo dog. I was ok with that except that the bun was waaay too thick and also really dry...overall, just crappy.

*I liked the park, which has its charms, but overall I don't know that there is anything special about it. I did like that there was an area of the upper deck promenade(?) with a dugout in front of a baseline kids could run on...and outside the bleacher area there is a mural timeline of the different team names and such which was pretty cool (also boasting the longest continuously running franchise in baseball).

*For $9 (eBay, down from $12) we sat in the left-centerfield bleachers, which is a great price. On top of that there was a random giveaway in the statue park beyond left field before the game. It was not at the gates when you come in, like promotion nights, just bags being handed out to passersby in that area about an hour to game time.
Contents of the bag:
twill Braves hat--good quality, not cheap
foam tomahawk
cheapo waterbottle
bag of Cracker Jack
Skittles
bag of salted peanuts in the shell
Combos crackers (disgusting, it turns out)

Not a bad haul!

The game was fun, a pitcher's duel until late...which was partly brought on by a foolish move by Bobby Cox.
The Braves had the bases loaded with two out and the starting pitcher, Jo Jo Reyes up to bat...in the bottom of the sixth in a tie game. Bobby let him hit. And he got out. WHY didn't he pinch hit? He got six great innings and had a great chance for a lead. Was the bullpen taxed? Does he not trust the pen? Is Jo Jo another Micah Owings? I thought it was weird. And a bad move.
Well, he pitched well in the seventh, then gave up a couple in the eighth and that was the game.
Final score 6-2 (with a couple more late runs).

Bench-Clearing Brawls

first... a warm congrats to junior who finally got his 600th homer. think he can make it to 700? surpass bonds? i hope so!! for as many players as i like and greatly admire... no one else has a swing quite as pretty and perfect as ken griffey jr. it's just beautiful. so clean... balanced. stunning. so good for him. i hope he stays healthy and keeps going!

now... for the topic at hand: bench-clearing brawls.

i love them.

part of it's the adrenaline rush. part of it's seeing who throws punches and who gets beat up and how.

but i think the thing that i [as a woman] love the most is knowing that they're all running out there to fight for their teammate. it's men being men... not passively sitting around... but doing something brave when something's wrong. it's so, so good.

i also love it when managers get ejected for arguing with an umpire [standing up for their men!!].

it's weird to do what gomes and crawford did... they may have taken it a little bit too far. brutality isn't sexy. sissy-fighting isn't sexy, either. you know... slapping and clawing and stuff like that.

but... to run out there and show your opponent that if they wanna mess with your teammate that they have to go through you first... WOW.

men being men. when it's done with honor and passion... watch out. enough to make a girl's heart melt.

Suspensions

Boston
Crisp 7 games
Lester 5 games
Casey 3 games

Tampa Bay
Shields 6 games
Gomes 5 games
Jackson 5 games
Crawford 4 games
Iwamura 3 games


I was shocked when I saw Lester and Casey. I was away for the weekend and just got back, so for the first time I was able to review the tape. If you click on the link below, you'll see Casey (22) throw a punch at Shields in the very beginning of the fight. Therefore, I have no problem with it.

I kinda have a problem with Lester. The official reason is "hitting a batter after warnings had been issued." However, he wasn't even ejected from the game. Obviously it wasn't intentional. Can't say the same for Shields.

I Was On Sportscenter! (sort of)

I will have to write more about the Phillies-Braves game I went to last night at some point soon. But one of the fun parts was Pat Burrell's homerun, which went about 5 feet over my head in the bleachers. My buddy and I paused the replay on Sportscenter when we got back and there we were, a couple rows in front of the guy who nearly broke his hand trying to catch it. Most people wouldn't be able to recognize the back of my head, but it was us. Finally, after all these years of top notch plays, I finally got my time in the highlights!

Coco vs Tampa Bay

First, I'd like to point out that the DEVIL rays are a bunch of hooligans and rapscallions. Always have been, always will be. Always throw at Red Sox, and always charge the mound. One even charged the mound in a game Pedro took a no hitter into the ninth. Granted, he was the first hitter of the game, but still. Fools.

Anyway, as Laura said in the comments of my last post, Coco got beaned right in the leg in the second inning with the Sox up 3-1. He took a step towards first base, looked out to the mound, threw his helmet off and charged. DEVIL ray starter, James Sheilds (who earlier beaned Pedrioa), came off the mound took such a powerful swing at it...and just like every other DEVIL ray in history, whiffed. They can't hit anything. Must be the uniform. Crisp ducked and then landed a small punch before being tackled to Navaro. Before I post the link, I'll ask you watch it and look at the fight in it's entirety first, then watch the replays. Crisp throws one punch. See anyone else in the red and white throwing any? Now, Sheilds, understandably throws a punch. Those should be the only two. But look at the replays when they show Crisp up close. Watch how Gomes punches once, twice, three times... you'll lose count. And he's such a pansy about it. Navaro's on top of Crisp holding him down and Gomes is just decking him with punch after punch. I HATE GOMES. Watch Iwamura. He might be pissed still about last night, but he throws a punch or two on Crisp until someone (can't tell who...I think it's Beckett) in a Red Sox jacket pulls him off. Carl Crawford gets in on the action. As Crisp is held by Navaro, being walloped by Gomez and sucker punched by Iwamura, Crawford starts punching Crisp in the head and continues until Jacoby Ellsbury (46) pulls him off. Not one Red Sox besides Crisp throws a blow. Watch Lugo (23 wearing the batting helmet) all over the pile trying to make peace. Anyway, now that I've lectured you, here it is.

Part of me is happy no Red Sox got invovled. Less suspensions. A bigger part of me is disappointed, especially considering how many "men" ganged up on Coco.

I counted 9 punches Gomes threw. One hit Crawford. Stupid DEVIL rays can't hit anything they're suppose to. I count 1 by Iwamura, who was winding up for a second when he was dragged off. I count at least 6 by Crawford, several of which are as Ellsbury's dragging him away. Keep in mind, because players are running infront of cameras and the piles get big, you can't see every punch thrown. I can only imagine how many Gomes threw. Coco said they were scratching at him and pulling his hair. Sounds like a bunch of third grade girls to me.

Last year, I pleaded with the Red Sox to bean A-Rod. I think it's blatantly obvious that this year, Johnny Gomes, Iwamura, and Carl Crawford all have to get it. Iwamura and Crawford got hit tonight. I honestly don't recall Crawford's cause I stepped out for a while. Iwamura was barely grazed on his protective wrist pad on a 3-2 pitch. Doesn't count for retaliation. I'm willing to bet neither did Crawford's, since Lester wasn't ejected after both sides had been warned. I might hit Gomes a few times. I'm really pissed at him. But don't be like the foolish DEVIL rays. They only thing they can do right is lose. Have your starting pitcher throw at someone and get ejected in the second inning in an important game.

No. Wait till your up by 10 runs. This is the DEVIL rays. It's bound to happen, sooner rather than later. Then hit all three in a row. I wouldn't be surprised if the DEVIL rays stranded the bases loaded in that situation.

I don't buy into Tampa Bay. I still doubt they'll finish over .500, never mind make the playoffs. Joe, if the Pirates can put together a winning season anytime in the next 10 years, don't worry about that record. Tampa Bay will surpass the Pirates.

Anyway, a lot happened this game. Ellsbury got hurt making a great catch, Manny got hurt taking a pitch, Manny and Youkilis had a fight in the dugout. Why? Shrug. No one's talking about it. Crazy game. The Red Sox won though, but I guess I don't even really have to mention that, considering who they were playing.

Woes

I have a big problem.

One of our family friends [Kevin Mench] plays for the Toronto Blue Jays. Now... normally, I cheer for his team as I did with both the Rangers and the Brewers. Texas was a bit of a stretch for me since I generally don't like any sports teams that come out of Texas or Florida. But I survived.

The major conflict here is that Scott Rolen also plays for the Jays. I loathe Scott Rolen and spent the last however many years disliking the Cards [sorry Ken] because he was in St. Louis. Why do I loathe him so much? Simple. He used to play for the Phillies... and wanted to leave badly enough that he started playing poorly so he'd get traded. And all of Philadelphia hates him for it.

It suddenly dawned on me yesterday morning that Kevin and Rolen are on the same team. Why I didn't realize that before... the world will never know.

So... do I go against all of my natural Rolen-loathing instincts and root for the Jays [but not Rolen] for Kevin's sake? [And let's be honest... it'd be for my sake and my family's sake as well.] Or... do I just root for Kevin to do well... but maintain my hope that any team Rolen plays for loses horribly... therefore spiting that arrogant cuss of a man.

Perhaps I should also include in this decision the fact that the Jays are in the same division as the O's... my "tied for second" team. [Phillies... obviously #1. Tigers and O's... tied for #2.]

It seems most logical to be moderately indifferent toward the Jays.... and just hope that Rolen blows and Kevin's awesome. And hope that the Jays end the season below the O's.

I'm having a similar conflict over the NBA Finals. I don't like the Lakers or Phil Jackson... but I've grown weary of Boston teams winning and/or almost winning. [Sorry John.] Alas.... I think I have to root for the Celtics.

See how hard it is for a woman to be a sports fan?!? It becomes soooooooo emotional. But... maybe that's what makes it so beautiful for a woman to love sports. We bring our femininity into it... and I think that's awesome. So don't judge. : )

The Battle for First Place

Since the beginning of the month, Drew's been one of the most reliable of the Red Sox. He's 7 for 13 with 2 homers, 5 RBIs and a stolen base. Plus, he's made at least three tremendous catches out in Right Field.

Today he went 2-3, made one of the great catches, drove in a run and scored two others as the Red Sox took sole possession of first place from the Tampa Bay Rays. It's about time. Both for Drew to be preforming and for the Red Sox to be ahead of Tampa Bay. Tonight J.D. got to hit third in front of Manny, so maybe he's seeing better pitches or something.

In other news, Coco Crisp seems to be in the middle of a feud with Tampa Bay. I didn't notice all this during the game, but I found it on the Red Sox web page. Crisp stole second in the sixth, and apparently jammed his finger because Shortstop Jason Bartlett put his leg in front of the bag to block him. Crisp called Bartlett's actions "shady" after the game and went on to say something along the lines of, "If you try to hurt me, I'm gonna come back and try to hurt you."

In the eighth, Coco again tried to steal second, but this time slid feet first and hard as if breaking up a double play. The only problem was Bartlett wasn't covering, Akinori Iwamura was. Yeah, it was a hard slid, but watching it live, I thought it was a good hustle play, and maybe I'm wearing my Boston tinted glasses, but I think the tags high and Crisp is safe. Granted at the time I didn't know Crisps intents, but at least he didn't pull an A-Rod and give Iwamura a flying elbow smash. I don't know. You be the judge.

Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon was pretty mad about it and later on while making a pitching change, started screaming at Crisp who yelled right back at him and did his version of the P.J. Stock wave, only with a Red Sox jersey (note the Hockey reference, Cale.). Coco played well tonight, going 2-2 and adding a run and an RBI to his stolen base. It'll be interesting to see if anything carries over to tomorrow night's game.

The House That Ruth Built and The Shanty That Marv Throneberry Built?

For the last couple years my buddy Brian and I have been talking about getting out to see Yankee Stadium before they tear it down and since this is the last summer for it, well, we decided to make those plans a reality. So, last weekend we met up in NY for a weekend of baseball and hanging out in the city. And since we were there, we thought it was a good idea to see Shea before the Mets move into Citi Park or whatever they are calling it. Two games in two days. I wish I could do that every weekend.

Here are some thoughts on the ballparks and experience:

1) The two New York teams reminded us both of the two Chicago teams...not how they play, win, etc, but in the dynamic between the teams in the city.

a)The Yankees are obviously the historical favorite and "big brother" just like the Cubs.

b)The Yankees play in more of a neighborhood setting like the Cubs in Wrigleyville, with no real parking at either.

c)The Yankees have the more wealthy fanbase (and ticket prices) just like the Cubs.

d)The Yankees fans are mostly white or Asian, while the Mets had many more hispanic or black fans...just like the Sox. There were also more Jews (Queens) which is not exactly a parallel, but noticeable because of the yarmulkes.

e)Yankee Stadium is to Wrigley what Shea is to Comiskey.

2) There was practically airport security to get into Yankee Stadium, which was strange and it took at least 10-15 minutes of standing in line to get in. I don't know how long they have been screening that way, but I have not seen anything like that other than when GW Bush threw out the first pitch on opening day at Busch Stadium a few years ago (there were sniper all around the roof, which was cool). There was only smiling, happy faces to greet us at Shea.

3) The atmosphere at the parks was different. This was twofold (at least):

a) The fans: Brian put it well when he said of the Yankee fans, "They were much more cohesive and invested in the game." Truly, there was a lot more "fan unity" at Yankee and maybe some of that had to do with it being sold out as opposed to Shea being maybe 3/4ths or so full.

b) The "aura": Part of this is the history of the parks, for sure, but you also feel closer to the field at Yankee and it is more enclosed than at Shea. The word intimacy is used a lot, but I think it fits. Everything is just so open and spread out at Shea. Even the announcer at Yankee Stadium sounds like he is still in the 30's or something. Not his 30's but the 30's. Just the pace of his voice and way he would say, "Now batting, shortstop,...Derek...Jeter...". It just seemed more "New York" to me. (After some looking, I found this is Bob Sheppard, who has been doing this since '51) What Shea offered was planes overhead every 2 or 3 minutes, literally. It is hard to sum up how it felt at the games, but it was markedly different...and not just because of expectations.

4) I was not overly impressed with either Stadium, really. I doubt anyone thinks Shea is one of the great parks in the game, but seeing Yankee Stadium on TV I expected something different. I think the renovations a few years back ('74-'75) diminish the look. There are no more support beams/poles and the facade around the top no longer has the "arches" or whatever you would call these. I could see why they are building new parks, since neither really has luxury boxes and the outfield backdrops are pretty crappy. They just seem so old, rundown, ugly. Monument Park might be cool, but you really can't see it for the most part. The Mets really should do something about that Homerun Apple, too. It looks like a bad paper mache project.

5) The hunt for nachos. We both love nachos and looked forward to enjoying some at the games. Well, we never did find them at Yankee. The girl at one concession stand looked at me weird and said she didn't think they had them in the Stadium. What?!

When we were at Shea it didn't seem much better...until we spotted a sign pointing the way to different concessions, which included "Super Nachos". Promise! So, we walked around and found the solitary nacho stand in the whole place, all the way on the other side of the park. Mediocre. But what is the deal with the lack of nachos in NY. Isn't it a ballpark/stadium staple? Very weird.

6) Maybe the coolest thing of either game was the Yankee "Roll Call" from the right field bleachers. I had no idea they did this, but the bleacher fans began chanting the names of the outfielders at the beginning of the game, which the fielder then turned and acknowleged the fans with a tip of the cap, wave of the glove, etc. "Jon-ny, Da-mon" "Bah-bee, Bah-bee" and so on. Nice connection with the outfielders, I thought...and then they carried that to chanting for the infielders, too. I liked the acknowlegement of the fans that it brought. That doesn't happen all that often.

7) The other cool thing was the Rocky-Yankee montage before the Yankees batted in the 8th. They were down 6-3, but then Rocky began training, spliced together with great Yankee moments of the past few years and then...4 run rally. 7-6. Culminating with Ichiro failing to catch a fly ball in right-center. I don't know if it was the sun, but it was misjudged. And Molina (Jose..."America's favorite game, Name That Molina!") drove in the winning run. Well, winning after Mariano came in from the bullpen to Enter Sandman, which a surprisingly large percentage of fans sang all the words to...verses and all. It was a good game.

8) One last thing...NY fans boo a lot. Whether it was Ichiro coming up to bat, Shelley Duncan making an error, Jose Reyes botching a grounder, Delgado popping up...there was a lot of booing. I understand both teams are underplaying expectations and all, but you don't hear that much at most parks (Philly excepted). Maybe I should have booed the lack of nachos. I think I would have fit in.

Manny Rameriz, David Ortiz, Barry Bonds

I just got back from Ohio and Joe's wedding. It was a really good time, though I foolishly forgot my keys along with a few other items...

Lots happened when I was away on the Red Sox front. Manny celebrated Joe's wedding by hitting career home run number 500. The next day he hit number 501. Today, 502. I had a feeling he'd go on a rampage as soon as he got 500 out of the way.

Unfortunately, the Red Sox will be without David Ortiz for at least a month, and perhaps the rest of the season. Here's the video of him getting hurt. I don't really see what happened, but the possibility of losing him for the year begs the question. Who can replace Ortiz?

I thought about how it's Theo's job...nay, moral obligation, to get someone. Citizens of Boston are paying way too much for tickets to not replace him. But I'm a fan of the Ellsburys and Lesters and Papelbons of the world...so I don't want to ruin the farm system. The first name that popped into my head, and granted I'm a bit tired, was Barry Bonds.

Think about it. Who better to replace an excellent left handed hitter who can't play the field than an excellent left handed hitter who can't play the field.

There are two drawbacks. First, from what I hear is he's a complete total jerk. I'm not so worried about that. Winning seems to fix that. Just ask the Cincinnati Bengals about Corey Dillion and the Oakland Raiders about Randy Moss. Then ask the New England Patriots about the same two.

The bigger problem is the mutual hatred between Barry Bonds and the city of Boston. And no, this has nothing to do with steroids. It has to do with the fact Bonds is a complete total ignorant imbecile, and the first time the Sox played the Giants, Bonds said the following

"Boston is too racist for me. I couldn't play there. That's been going on ever
since my dad was playing baseball. I can't play like that. That's not for me, brother."
When the reporter countered that the racial climate has changed in Boston, Bonds
responded, "It ain't changing. It ain't changing nowhere."

That was taken from here. However, as far as I know, Bonds wants to play, and nobody seems to want him. He might very well take an incentive laden contract. Especially if it's the only offer on the table. Even if it costs a bunch to get him, who cares? There's no salary cap and the Red Sox make an obscene amount of money. This isn't the Kansas City Royals. Theo can afford to be wrong, and in my opinion, owes it to the Boston fans to at least call Bonds' agent.

And yes, I think Bonds would be booed by the home crowd at Fenway. That is, until he hits his first home run...

This would be the lineup:
Ellsbury, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Rameriz, LF (Neither Manny nor David likes to hit cleanup...)
Bonds, DH
Lowell, 3B
Youkilis, 1B
Drew, RF
Varitek, C
Lugo, SS

P.S.-The author in the above link actually agrees with Barry, and then goes on to supply all sorts of "evidence." He forgets to mention Bonds admitted to never once stepping foot in Boston, and neglects to mention if he's ever been here himself. I won't refute everything he said, cause yeah, stuff that happened is horrible. I won't mention how the St. Louis Hawks refused to draft Bill Russell based on race. I won't mention how Red Auerbach, often accused of being a racist himself, traded for the draft pick to get Russell. Or how Auerbach was the first coach to start five black players. Or even mention how he was the first to hire a black head coach in any sport. I won't even mention how the Bruins were the first NHL team to have a black player. Neither will anyone else, as it doesn't work very well with Boston's racist reputation. But I will comment on his "Chicago and New York" thing. I get a little upset when people root for New York over Boston cause of race. The Yankees were pretty white themselves, also being the one of the last teams to integrate. If race is your reason for hating the Red Sox, so be it. But don't be an ignorant fool about it. Root for the Indians or Orioles in the AL. Cleveland was first in the AL to have a black player (and first in the AL to have a black pitcher). Baltimore, on the other hand, was second and has a less offensive name.