Scoring Games

Saturday night the Boston Red Sox played the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Lately I haven't been able to watch too many games due to work and stuff, but I had Saturday completely free and planed on watching the game. However, my brother was finishing up his game in NCAA 2005 dynasty we started 2 years ago and are currently on year 5, so I was forced to listen to the beginning of the game on the radio. Lately for some reason I've had trouble focusing on baseball broadcasts. I bet its cause the Red Sox switched from Sports Radio AM 850 to Talk Radio WRKO AM 680. In order to help focus, I decided to score the game.

My brother finished his game around the second inning, so I switched to watching it (which, by the way, I have no problem focusing on since the games are still on NESN). However, I decided to keep scoring it. I hadn't scored a game in probably 10 years. I use to do it all the time as a little kid, especially when I went to games. Usually I'd get board of it in the fifth or sixth inning, but I was determined to complete this game. I had a pretty good score card too. I forgot to mark two batters all in all, but found out what happened to them their next at bat. I also stopped keeping track of who was pitching for Tampa Bay after the 6th, figuring I could get that later online. I used the standard scoring system, though sometimes I wrote more indepth descriptions. For instance, in the third, the official scorer gave Ortiz a double. I said it was a single and charged the shortstop with an error. Had he caught the perfectly thrown ball from the cutoff man, Ortiz would have been out. I therefore charged the official scorer with an error for mis-scoring the play. Also, in the 4th, Gomes hit a ball that seemed destined to bounce into the seats, but Manny came out of no where and made a spectacular running catch while slamming into the wall. I scored it "7... WHAT A CATCH!!!!" Manny's awesome.

Come the ninth, I was pumped, thinking that with Papelbon on and a 2 run lead, all I had to do was three more hitters and I'd have a complete score card. Unfortunately, checking my score card, I see D. Young RF lead off the inning with a single, which if memory serves correct was a broken bat single on the first pitch. J. Gomes LF came up next and hit a 2 run homer to tie the game. Gomes also hit a homer his previous at bat, a solo shot off Jon Lester according to the score card (which by the way, was is a couple of pages from a class notebook I didn't use up...).

The game went on into the tenth, and I was on my last column on the page. Still, I faithfully kept score. Then it went into the 11th. I had to use two more sheets and recopy the lineups and everything, but I was determined to finish sans the Tampa Bay pitchers. Finally, the Red Sox rewarded me in the 12th. With 2 outs, Julio Lugo drew a bases loaded walk (his second of the game!). All Star Snub Kevin Youkilis followed with a base clearing double. Ortiz drew a walk, and Manny came up and hit a liner to center that curved really weird. Red Sox analysis Jerry Remy said the Devil Rays had to have the airconditioning on too high or something, cause the ball was heading straight for CF B. J. Upton, but it curved around him at the last second. No one was backing him up either, and the ball was destined to roll all the way out to the wall. As the camera showed Ortiz rounding third, I thought to myself "Manny's gonna get a triple, might even get an inside the park homerun..." But alas! As the Devil Rays got the ball in, the camera showed a smiling Manny standing at second. That's one of the many reasons you gotta love him. Ortiz, on a bad knee, goes from first to home, and Manny jogs into second. I'd curse anyone else, but you can't curse Manny. He's pretty much the greatest player ever.


So yeah, the Sox got six in the 12th and Lopez came out and retired the Devil Rays in their half, giving the Red Sox the win. I'm glad I scored it. I don't know if I'll be doing it again anytime soon, unless of course, the Devil Rays want me to be their official scorer cause they obviously need a new one. But, yeah, it's fun once every few years or so.

Second Half

Begins tonight! And, I'm happy to report to the millions of readers in the Tampa area, the Devil Rays apparently do still exist. For the first time all year, the Red Sox will play the D-Rays.

I know I haven't seen them yet this year, but the Devil Rays perpetually suck. I'm gonna be mad if the Red Sox don't take all three games.

Around Boston

Everyone keeps talking about the Red Sox being 14.5 (now 13.5 games) up in the AL East. I've heard it on the talk radio shows and read it in both the Globe and the Herald. This is nice and all, but last time I checked, there are 5 teams in the American League East, including the Orioles and the Blue Jays who are 10.5 and 11.5 games back respectively. Believe it or not, the Orioles have won the AL East more recently than the Red Sox, so I don't know why everyone's counting them out.


That being said, it's time for the weekly Yankees-Red Sox series. I believe this will be the fifth or sixth series between the two teams, which, not to make too fine a point, is five or six more series than we've seen between Boston and Tampa Bay. The big thing nowadays seems to be A-Rod's behavior both on and off the field. I can't remember an opponent that was so hated. Others have been booed, but for the most part, out of respect. Everytime I think he's gone as low as he can, Alex Rodriguez does something else to lose whatever little respect for him I have. That probably sums up the feelings of most of Massachusetts. They'll be 36,000 "MINE!!!"s every popup hit to him this series. I can't promise him that'll be the worst he hears, and I also can't promise that there won't be a blond wig or two in the stands.

The general consensus around the area is this is the weekend the Sox bury the Bombers once and for all. As awesome as that would be, I'm always weary of the Yankees coming to town. I've followed the Red Sox too long and seen them get manhandled by New York too often to feel that confident. I think this is a big series. Obviously, it's more important for New York than Boston. It could turn the Yankees season around. If they win it, they'll have momentum going with the Rocket on the mound. Not good.

Tito realized since the Yanks are holding off Clemens, there's no reason to waste an Automatic Win Day, so Tavarez is being pushed back till Monday. We have Wang vs Wakefield, Mussina vs Schilling, and Pettitte vs Beckett. The series is at Fenway, so therefore, I'm expecting the Sox to take at least 2 of 3.

One last thing: don't bean A-Rod. Last thing anyone needs is a fight to break out and to have the Yankees rally around him. He's in my black book of people to get (actually, he's the only person in the book...), but now's not the time.