Fenway West - The Boston Red Sox Western Home: 9/21/08 - 9/28/08

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Mother Nature: "Psyche!"

That's just the way it goes in baseball sometimes.

Baseball gets rain delays and postponements. Football? Phpffphtt! No way! (Don't forget they only play 16 regular season games.) Baseball is different. Even the parks are of different dimensions from one to the next. But one of the biggest differences is that 2 teams could play 4 & 1/2 innings, and if the umpires and Mother Nature deemed it so, that partial game could be completely wiped off the books and started over again. Can you imagine the ugly howl that would have emanated from the bowels of the Evil Empire had the rain continued last night, wiping out a Yankee 13-4 lead?! Ol' dumbass Hank would have complained to the commissioner, weather.com, the governor, GW, and Jesus Christ himself had the umps called last nights game! You don't hear the Sox whining about resuming play or why it rained today and didn't rain enough last night.

Given the history between these two team, a thought did cross the back of my mind when the Sox had scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th and were threatening to score more. I thought, "I suppose it is within the realm of possibility that the Sox could score 15 runs in one inning." (I wonder how many Yank fans were thinking the same thing~ grin/snicker/chuckle.) A basketball team could be down by 15 points with 45 seconds left on the clock and you know there is no way to make up the difference (unless the opposition walks off the court.) In football, you could be down by 15 with less than a 45 seconds to go and the same scenario ensues. But in baseball, highly unlikely as it may be, it still could happen. Actually, the Sox scored 17 runs in one inning against Detroit on 18 June, 1953, 7th inning. (This being the MLB record of the modern era.)

These are just some of the differences that make this such a great game.

And that's just the way it goes in baseball.

(Get used to it, Hank.)

What's Your Lineup For Game 1?

Game 1 begins on Wednesday night, assuming Lowell and Drew are out what should be the Sox lineup for game 1? Who should pitch? Here's what I want, put your lineup in the comments.

1. Ellsbury RF
2. Pedroia 2B
3. David Ortiz DH
4. Kevin Youkilis 3B
5. Jason Bay LF
6. Jed Lowrie SS
7. Sean Casey 1B
8. Coco Crisp CF
9. Varitek C

Jon Lester SP

Evan's Lineup from Fire Brand of the A.L

CF Ellsbury
2B Pedroia
DH Ortiz
1B Youkilis
RF Drew
LF Bay
C Varitek
3B Lowrie
SS Cora

Rainout

Today's game has been rained out, it will be made up tomorrow night as the second game of a day/night doubleheader at 7:35.

Red Sox Rally Monday 3:30 at Fenway

The Red Sox will host a rally at Fenway before the playoffs start, here is some of the press release:

Fans are invited to come to Fenway Park at 3:30 on Monday, September 29, 2008 and enter Fenway Park through Gate D. The first 2500 fans to enter the ballpark will receive a coupon good for a free hot dog and soda, compliments of ARAMARK, at the Fenway Park concession stands.
The Rally will be hosted by NESN play-by-play commentator Don Orsillo, NESN on-field reporter Heidi Watney and NESN studio analyst and former Red Sox infielder, and Framingham, MA native, Lou Merloni. The Rally will feature live interviews with Red Sox Principal Owner John W. Henry, Chairman Tom Werner, President/CEO Larry Lucchino, Manager Terry Francona along with several of the Red Sox coaches and players and Bank of America representatives. Video tributes and montages to the 2008 Red Sox will be shown on the centerfield video board and live entertainment will be presented by local Roxbury band Quest.

Mike Lowell May Miss ALDS

Mike Lowell aggravated his hip injury during an at-bat last night. His status for the ALDS is up in the air. He spoke with reporters after the game:

Red Sox Playoff Schedule

Game	Matchup	Date	Network
Gm 1	BOS at LAA	Wed., Oct. 1	TBS
Gm 2	BOS at LAA	Fri., Oct. 3	TBS
Gm 3	LAA at BOS	Sun., Oct. 5	TBS
Gm 4	LAA at BOS	Mon., Oct. 6	TBS
Gm 5	BOS at LAA	Wed., Oct. 8	TBS

ALCS

Game	Matchup	Day	Date	Time ET	TV
Gm 1	SOX @ TBY	Fri	Oct. 10	8:00 PM	TBS
Gm 2	SOX @ TBY	Sat	Oct. 11	7:30 PM	TBS
Gm 3	TBY @ SOX	Mon	Oct. 13	4:00 PM	TBS
Gm 4	TBY @ SOX	Tue	Oct. 14	7:30 PM	TBS
Gm 5*	TBY @ SOX	Thu	Oct. 16	7:30 PM	TBS
Gm 6*	SOX @ TBY	Sat	Oct. 18	4:00 PM	TBS
Gm 7*	SOX @ TBY	Sun	Oct. 19	7:30 PM	TBS

Friday, September 26, 2008

Playoff bound, but.... OUCH!!!!

It wasn't supposed to end this way. The Ray's dive to the bottom of the sea in their last three games, and the Sox thrash the Yanks in their last three. That's the way it was supposed to end. It even looked like Mother Nature was going to bat for the Sox as well. The Sox had a 3-1 lead after the 1st, but the Yanks would score in every inning afterward up until the game was mercifully stopped in the middle of the 5th with the Sox on a short end of a lopsided 13-4 score. If only the rain had continued, that score would have been wiped out and the game would start over, but it was not meant to be. The rain relented, the game ensued, the Yanks continued to vent their frustrations running the score up to 19-8. Ugh. This isn't the way it was supposed to end. Let's hope this bitch-slap the Sox got tonight knocks some playoff-winning sense into them.

Tonight's 9/26 Line-up v. Yankees

CF Ellsbury
SS Lowrie
DH Lowell
3B Youkilis
RF Kotsay
LF Bay
1B Casey
2B Velazquez

SP Pauley

5 PM (PDT) Rain delay
Weather.com Boston forecast

UPDATE: 5:35 PM (PDT) Game underway

Pesky to be Honored Sunday

The threat of rain today caused Sox officials to announce that the ceremony retiring #6 will be moved to Sunday. Pesky's birthday is on Saturday. He will be 89.

Sunday is a day game, and the ceremony will take place prior to the start of the game.

Happy Birthday Johnny and Congratulations to a true Red Sox hero.

In Lester We Trust

Jon Lester's got his grove on. His record stands at (16-6). He seems more than ready to give the Sox exactly what they are going to need in the postseason: solid pitching.

Last night he looked like he could be headed for another no-hitter. The Sox hurler took it all in stride, telling reporters, "if it ended up working out where I could have done it with not a lot of pitches, then great. If not, then no big deal."

Lester continues to impress with his performances on the field, and his ability to put the team first.

Pesky Will Have to Wait

My flight leaves Boston at 10 am and should be back in California before the start of the Red Sox/Yankees game but it is looking like the game will not be played tonight. The rain has already started here in Boston and it could rain more than 2 inches in the next 48 hours.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

RSN Governor Of California

The Red Sox announced the selection of the remaining 45 Governors and I was not one of them. I would like to thank all of you that took the time to vote for me and I congratulate California winner Karen Doherty.

Lester's Playoff Tune-up

The Sox hit the ground running and racked up 5 runs in the 1st two innings of today’s game, starting with an Ellsbury single on the 2nd pitch he saw. Given that cushion, Lester toyed with the Tribe for the rest of the game, flirting with history yet again. Except for 1 pitch, that 1 lousy pitch, ball #4 to Kelly Shoppach, Lester had a perfect game through 5 innings! No hits, no WP’s, no HBP, no errors, just that 1 pitch. He ended up with an interesting line: 6 IP, 2 hits, 1 BB, 1 ER, 1 WP, 1 Balk, 1 HBP, 4 K’s, 86 pitches (55 for strikes.) In a breakout season- which was highlighted by a no-hitter against KC in May- he finished with a 16-6 record and a 3.21 ERA. He also produced his staff-leading 20th quality start. Tito is keeping his main guys in the ‘pen sharp: Masterson came in for the 7th, Oki in the 8th, and Pap in the 9th. Those three combined for a perfect final 3 innings with 0 BB’s, 0 hits, 0 runs, and 1 K each. Offensively, Ellsbury, Lowrie, and Youk each had 2 hits and each scored 2 runs, including Youk’s #28 ‘tater.

The Tigers had seafood for dinner today, munching on the Ray’s and beating them 7-5.
And in Toronto, the Jay’s knocked the yanks around 8-2 in the battle for 3rd place.

SOX WIN 6-1 BOX SCORE

WS Trophies

FenwayWest blogger Matt O'Donnell , today, standing in the place where the 2008 World Series Trophy is to be located. Go Sox!

Tonight at Fenway

Lester Warming Up

Headed to Fenway

I'm on my way to Fenway for tonight's game. I'll be at Boston Beer Works for a beer before the game and will be sitting in row 8 of bleacher section 40 if anyone wants to say hi. This could be the last meaningful regular season game for the Red Sox now that Tampa's magic number is down to 1. For any of you that want a free Fenway souvenir, they are doing some renovation on the side of the park on Yawkey Way and chipping away some of the old bricks, you can grab a piece of Fenway brick off of the sidewalk before they clean it all up.

The Fourth Starter

Going into the playoffs the Sox will have Beckett, Lester, and Dice-K as shoe-ins for a start, who will be the fourth guy? I say it has to be Wake. With Wakefield you know what you have early in the start and if Tito is not afraid to pull him right away if he does not have it: there is a lot of upside. When Wake is on, he can totally shut down a team.

Paul Byrd did what he was supposed to do when he joined the Sox; fill in for some injuries and help the team reach the playoffs. Boston has received what they needed from him and the Sox should not expect much more. You know when Byrd starts a game the opposing team is going to score runs, if the offense does not come up big the team is headed for a loss. Picking Wake over Byrd is a gamble but one the Red Sox must take if it is needed.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Dumbass Hank Blames Yankee Elimination on MLB Playoff System

If you listen to Hank Steinbrenner you would know that the Yankees did not make the playoffs because of the unfair playoff system in Major League Baseball:

"Baseball went to a multidivision setup to create more races, rivalries and excitement,'' Steinbrenner wrote. "But it isn't fair. You see it this season, with plenty of people in the media pointing out that Joe Torre and the Dodgers are going to the playoffs while we're not. This is by no means a knock on Torre -- let me make that clear -- but look at the division they're in. If L.A. were in the AL East, it wouldn't be in the playoff discussion.''

And if the Yankees played in Japan they might have won 4 more games, and if the Yankees got to use metal bats they could hit more home runs. Funny, I don't remember the Yankees complaining about the playoff system until this year.

Sox Win, but what up with BJ's and O's?

The Sox jumped all over Fausto Carmona for 4 runs in the 1st inning tonight. Carmona was so awful that he didn’t even get sent out for the 2nd inning after having thrown 51 pitches in that one inning. 51 pitches in one inning! I remember Wake throwing less pitches in 5 (five) innings! He’s no Beckett or Lester, but the well-seasoned Byrd can give you 6 innings and keep you in the game without his cage getting rattled. It was looking like the Sox were going to fly away with this one after the 1st inning, but the Tribe chipped away at the 4 run cushion the Sox gave him, tying it 4-4 in the 5th inning. No longer in line for the win, Byrd had his feathers plucked, and Timlin came in the 6th inning. Timlin?! Yikes! Hoping for an ‘on-again’ performance (Y’know how he’s been on-again, off-again? Please don't be a turkey today!), we watched him go 1.1 innings, 1 hit, 1 K, 1 BB. Aardsma, similar numbers. Bottom of the 8th, Bailey triples, Kotsay doubles, 5-4 Sox up. Manny pitches in the 9th and garners his save #2 of the season with 1 BB and 2 K’s.

Meanwhile in Toronto and Baltimore….

Yankees and Blue Jay’s were tied at 2-2 going into the 10th when the yanks erupted for 4 runs. Sheesh Toronto! Give the Sox headaches and then go belly up on the yanks! WTFiuwTHAT?!
In Baltimore, the O’s went up 5-0 over the Ray’s by the 2nd inning. It is now 7-6 Ray’s in the 8th.

Sox win, 5-4 BOX SCORE

SEX ROD

Apparently, a Yankee fan (and most likely Darwin award candidate) thought he could slip a fast one by the Red Sox and attempted to register the mark “SEX ROD” in the same style as the “RED SOX” logo of the American League Baseball Club.

John L. Welch is a registered patent attorney with more than 30 years of experience in patent and trademark litigation, prosecution and counseling, has represented clients in scores of patent, trademark, copyright, unfair competition, and domain name lawsuits across the country, and has handled hundreds of opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

In his blog, “The TTABlog ® (Keeping Tabs on the TTAB ®), he examines the case of New Yorker and self-proclaimed "humorist" Brad Francis Sherman v. Boston Red Sox and his attempt to register the “SEX ROD” logo. The TTAB sided with the Red Sox finding that Sherman lacked a bona fide intent to use the mark, and further that the mark is both scandalous and disparaging.

If you’re looking for a light, easy reading entertainment piece, this is not it. Rather it discusses the finer points of trademark and copyright infringement as it pertains to this case involving the Red Sox.

Tonight's Lineup 9/24 vs. the Tribe

Jacoby Ellsbury CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
J.D. Drew, RF
Mark Kotsay, 1B
Jason Varitek, C
Chris Carter, LF
Alex Cora, SS

Paul Byrd, SP

Red Sox Will Retire Pesky's 6 on Friday

The Boston Red Sox will retire Johnny Pesky's number 6 on Friday before the Yankee game. I meed Pesky 3 years ago at New Hampshire Speedway, he was the nicest guy you could meet; he took the time to write out a long note for my son. It is so great for the Red Sox to amend their rules to let his number be retired for all he has done for the Sox throughout the years.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

RED SOX ARE BACK IN THE PLAYOFFS

With tonight's win over the Indians the Red Sox have clinched a playoff spot. To add to the fun the Yankees have been eliminated.

Separated at birth?

Jamey Carroll of CLE and I-Rod of NYY?

You decide!

The Fenway Tour

I have been on the Fenway Park tour every year for the last 5 years and I have to say that today's was not as good as it has been. Usually they try to accommodate the fans and show some unique things but the guide was rushing trough the tour. No press box, no walk on the warning track. The worst part is he told the exact same jokes as last year, even the Manny Ramirez ones. Time for an update. That being said, spending some time at Fenway on a beautiful morning is always fun.

Wakefield adds yet another 6 innings to his resume

Tim Wakefield produced another quality start, turning in another solid, (yet not overwhelming), 6 innings. Except for that 1 inning (HBP, single, single, double, double), Wake was looking good again: 6 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER's, 1 BB, 99 pitches.

Cliff Lee was good, but not good enough, as he was most likely due for another loss before the season was over: 9 hits, 5 ER's, 3 BB's, 8 K's, and another Youk HR (his 27th this season) into the Monster seats.

Masterson, Okajima, and Lopez decided the game wasn't over yet with the Sox ahead 5-4 in the 8th inning getting two outs but loading the bases in the process to pave the way for Papelbon's early entrance. Pap got Jamey Carroll out on 1 pitch.

Lee would not go the distance as relief came in the form of..... Brendan Donnelly! That firey Irishman who was in the Sox 'pen in 2007, he of the 8.00+ ERA entering the game. Alex Cora worked him for 10 pitches before getting a free pass, one that was nullified moments later when he was caught stealing.

Pap comes back out for the 9th inning, but which Pap? The overwhelming Pap of 2006, or the just slightly super-human Pap who's been keeping us guessing this season? He started off with 2 straight balls to Choo. Who? Choo. And then he struck him out. Struck out Peralta, too. Martinez popped up on the 1st pitch he saw. It took Pap 10 pitches to garner the last 4 outs and his 41st save of the season.

Offensive stars of the game for the Sox were Pedroia (2-4, 2 RBI's), and Youk (HR, 3 BB's.)

On to NYY, TOR, and TBY: NYY beat TOR 3-1, leaving the Yanks in 3rd place, and 3 games up on the Jay's. The Ray's are losing to the O's, 4-1 in the 6th, after taking the 1st game of their double header, 5-2. Chad Bradford was on the mound for TBY, starter Talbot getting pulled in the 5th inning.

Kevin Cash

I meet Kevin Cash today, he was extremely nice and he signed a note for my son.

This Morning at Fenway

celebration begins in a few hours

Can the Red Sox Win it Without Lowell and Drew?

This week could be a good time for the Red Sox to get ready for the post-season but they are without two of their starters. Drew has had one of the type of seasons he used to have before joining the Sox; good offense and injuries. His back has been a problem for the entire year from the Japan trip right through September. An epidural will keep him out of the lineup again today and likely until the Yankees series. With Ellsbury, Crisp, Bay, and Kotsay the Sox can easily survive Drew's absense and possibly win the division.

Mike Lowell is having hip problems and will continue to have them for the rest of the season. His Wednesday return may be pushed back, but he should be able to go for the last few games of the regular season. With Lowrie going cold the Red Sox need to get Lowell back in a hurry if they want to catch the Rays.

Tampa plays two today in Baltimore so the Red Sox will know if they have a legitmate chance of winning the division by the end of the night. I'm off to Fenway for a tour, I try to post some pictures tonight.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Not Much of a Welcome

It was great to be able to catch the last few innings of the Red Sox game at the hotel, but they did not give me a very warm welcome back to Boston. Masterson and Oki both did a great job of relieving Beckett and giving the Red Sox the chance to clinch tonight but it was not to be. The goat of the game has got to be Lowrie who struck out in two key late inning at bats with players in scoring postition. I will be at Fenway at 9 am for a tour tomorrow and will bring some good karma to the team so get your champagne on ice for tomorrow's game.

Beckett didn't bring is best stuff today, but...

Sox were down 4-2 going into the 7th inning. Beckett threw 105 pitches in 6 innings, struck out 6, but allowed 4 ER's and 7 hits. He only walked 1 batter, but hit 2 others. Not looking good getting deep into the 9th inning, down 4-3, 2 outs. But wait! There's more! Youk singles! Bay doubles! SOAB! Lowrie strikes out swinging to kill the rally.

This post ain't over yet. Tampa Bay beat the O's 4-2. (Kevin Millar popped out to end their rally, as well as not hitting that last HR at Yankee Stadium like he said he was going to do.)

SOAB is right. Sox are now 2.5 games behind the Ray's (I thought they were supposed to go belly up in September?) On the brighter side, Masterson and Okajima pitched 2.2 innings: no hits, no runs, no walks, 3 strikeouts.

Lookin' like it might be Sox and Halo's in the ALDS. Let's hope Tito has a few cards up his sleeve for that series.

Sox lose 4-3 BOX SCORE

Goin Back Home

Every September I am lucky enough to take a school group from California to Boston for a week to visit some historic sites and a few colleges. We are departing for the Hub this morning for a direct flight back to the land of NESN. Red Sox Sonoma will be covering things from the West Coast and I will throw up a few posts throughout the week. Even though not all of the students are baseball fans, I make them all go on the Fenway Park tour; gotta get some culture in 'em. I've done the tour countless times but it is different every time. I'm going to Thursday's game against the Tribe, sitting in bleacher section 40. I'll be the one catching Big Papi's home run ball.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Dice-K Goes 18-2 as Sox Shutout Toronto, 3-0

After tossing 45 pitches in the first 2 innings, Dice-K then went 5 more scoreless innings, throwing only 64 more pitches and issuing only 2 free passes along the way. The win makes Dice-K the first Sox pitcher to win 18 of his first 20 decisions, while going 9-0 on the road.

Ellsbury ripped a leadoff triple in the 1st and scored on Pedroia's sac fly. Ellsbury had a 3 for 4 day, including 2 doubles. Papi followed one of those doubles with a home run to give the Sox a 3 run lead. Pedroia also hit a league leading 52nd double and stole 3rd base, taboot. Oki pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning, and Pap got his 40th save.

The Sox did their job today, a Yankee loss tonight in their last game in the House That was Built for Ruth will put the Sox in the postseason, and send the pinstripers to dusting off their golf clubs.

TBS also noted at the end of the game that the Yankee-Sox finale at Fenway next Sunday is one of four games that could be broadcast that day.

Minnesota beat Tampa Bay 4-1 today, leaving only the Sox only 1.5 games out of 1st.

Sox win 3-0 BOX SCORE

A Yankee Loss In Their Final Game at the Stadium Puts Red Sox in Playoffs

If the Red Sox hold on to win the game today we can be doubly rewarded if Baltimore can beat the Yanks. The Yankees will close the history of their stadium on a low note and to rub some salt in the wound it would guarantee the Red Sox a spot in the post season. We also have to root for Kevin Millar to get the last homer in Yankee Stadium history. Nothing could be finer.

Good and Bad Memories of Yankee Stadium

I lived in New Jersey in the late 80's and early 90's and went to a lot of games in Yankee Stadium, I would make a game in almost every Red Sox series. I never liked the stadium very much, it was usually pretty dirty, the beers were unfordable, and the fans were pretty obnoxious. I have been to two playoff games there and witnessed players like George Brett and Cal Ripken hit homers there.

I have had the honor of being thrown out of Yankee Stadium after my brother got into an altercation with an a-hole sitting next to us in a box seat. It wasn't even a Red Sox-Yankee game and the altercation was not even over that, just some loser wanting to fight. My friend was also ejected with us and he is a Yankee fan. The strangest thing was having Yankee fans all high five me on the way out (I was not wearing a Red Sox hat, and I guess this guy had been an a-hole at every game.) It is pretty wierd to see 40,000 people staring at you as you get escorted out, but it was pre YouTube days so we don't get to relive it. We had a cooler full of beers in the car so it wasn't so bad even though we had good seat.

At one game I was at a fan jumped from the upper deck into the screen behind home plate, he got up and started dancing around before he was arrested.

They used to have this really fat guy, I think everyone called him "Chico," who would sit in the first row of the bleachers and take orders for pizza at the start of the game and then around the 5th a couple of pizzas would show up from a Bronx pizzeria. He had some security guard on the take and must have made a ton of cash. He would also take odds on the great subway race on the big screen.

Even though I despise the Yankees and everything they are about, I am a little sad they are taking down Yankee Stadium. I am a big history guy and hate to see when places that ment so much to the game are dismanteled.

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