Best Western Red Sox Bars: Connecticut Yankee, San Francisco

Opening Day will soon be here my baseball friends, and for Red Sox fans on the West Coast, that means finding a watering hole nearby with a big screen. Or any screen, for that matter. We get scraps from ESPN and Fox, but who can stand Tim McCarver?! Joe Morgan is a nice guy, is truly knowledgeable about the game, and has a smooth ‘sounding’ voice, but I frequently find myself tuning him out.

So where to go on the West Coast to catch Sox games with other Sox fans? Let’s start in Fenway West’s back yard.

While I’ve never watched a Sox game at the Connecticut Yankee in San Francisco, I have had the pleasure of enjoying some prime live music and their tasty comestibles as well. Local and upcoming bands such as Five Eyed Hand and Izabella are regulars here. National acts such as New Monsoon, Drive-By Truckers, and Yonder Mountain String Band have graced the stage here, too. I discovered The Connecticut Yankee through a large and active, local music discussion group on yahoo. I’ve met a lot of great folks through this board, but let’s get back to the Red Sox.

I’ll let Fritz, the owner of this fine establishment tell you about it in his own words:

My name is Fritz Frisbie and I own 'Connecticut Yankee' bar and restaurant in S.F. Our web site is http://www.theyankee.com/ We've been at it here since 4/1/89 and are ardent Sox fans. We were featured in the 2007 'Red Sox Nation Annual', one of 3 Northern California establishments mentioned. We've got tons of Sox/New England sports memorabilia hanging and feature 4 t.v.'s in our main dining/bar area with 2 big screens in our back dining area. We were the 'go to' bar for the TV news crews when the Sox did the deed in 2004. The first game that I went to in Fenway was game 6 of the 1967 Series, making a lasting impression on a then 9 yr. old. I moved from Portsmouth N.H. to S.F. in 1980, and although I've been a Giants season ticket holder for 15 years, the Sox are still my first love. We're also a MAJOR Pat's bar.

Check us out,

Fritz

Owner Fritz with Grace Potter

OK, so how does a Red Sox fan end up owning a bar with the word 'Yankee' in it? Fritz again:

Hey Dave. We are on Connecticut Street. I'm from NH, thus a 'Yankee' [as in Yankees and Rebels.] Mark Twain wrote 'A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court.' Mark Twain has a history in S.F. and [allegedly] once wrote "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco".

There is also an associated social networking group at tribe.net: http://tribes.tribe.net/theyankee (You have to join tribe to post, but not to read, and it’s free.)

I’ll be spending more time in San Francisco this summer, so I will be checking out an occasional game here this season and am looking forward to watching the Red Sox play at one of my favorite watering holes.

I like the font on the awning!

As we get closer to the start of the season, we’ll be highlighting other western bars that feature Red Sox games. If you have a favorite of your own that you would like to see in the spotlight, send as much info and photos as possible about the place in an e-mail to: redsoxsonoma (at) yahoo (dot) com, and we’ll write it up!

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Should We Be Worried About Big Papi?

Whenever the Red Sox say an injury is caused by sleeping on something the wrong way, it is time to start worrying. Last spring Josh Beckett had a sleep related injury and ended up missing the trip to Japan. David Ortiz has now missed two days of spring training with a sore shoulder because he "slept on the shoulder awkwardly."

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Drew Takes Every Pitch in BP

I know the Red Sox preach patience at the plate but watching every pitch go by in batting practice seems a bit extreme. At yesterday's first live BP J.D. Drew had a unique approach to improving his hitting:

J.D. Drew, who faced newcomer Ramon Ramírez, didn't take a swing. There will be plenty of time for that, he said.

"I just track," Drew said. "I really try to pick up the seam, pick up the rotation. I can go in there and take swings; it's going to look ugly. Those guys are throwing hard. Sliders are breaking nasty. Especially when they tell you a fastball is coming inside, the last thing you want to do is step into one. It's a matter of them getting work on location, but it's good to see some balls come at us off the mound, at 60 feet 6 inches."

Just hope he can start to hit some of those pitches come April.

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50 More Years at Fenway

You can put away the "Save Fenway" bumper stickers for the next half century because the America's Most Beloved Ballpark should be hosting the Red Sox for another generation.

"I think a result of the investment that our ownership group has made is a Fenway Park that will be stable and solid and with a normal maintenance will be around for another 50 years," president and CEO Larry Lucchino said.

I can't think of any better news than that as we head into the '09 season.

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Lugo is This Year's Coco

Last year it was Elsbury and Crisp for the CF spot, this season we have Lowrie and Lugo. Coco showed how to deal with the situation as a professional and still contribute when you are called on. Julio Lugo looks like he is going to take the same approach:

“You want to be where people want you … Nobody’s going to be happy on the bench. I’m not going to be happy,” said Lugo. “I don’t worry about that. I just come here, do what I do, play baseball the best I can. I can’t make those decisions. They know what they’re going to get from me. It’s not my first rodeo.”

Lugo declined to answer whether he would request a trade if he were not the starter, though his non-answer was revealing enough.

“We’re going to have to see, we’re going to have to wait to see what happens,” said Lugo. “We’re going to see at the end of (spring training).”

The competition should make Lugo raise his game and I think he still has a good chance to be the opening day starting shortstop.

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Amalie Benjamin on David Ortiz

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Josh Beckett Tells Us What We All Thought Last Fall

Remember Beckett getting shelled in the ALCS followed by the press conference where everybody said he was fine? Nobody believed them then and now we find we were right all along. From the ProJo:

Beckett explained yesterday afternoon that his problem in the postseason was the
lack of explosiveness with all of his pitches due to the strained oblique.
"I
wasn't in excruciating pain or anything like that," he said. "It wasn't the most
comfortable thing I had ever done."

So why was he on the mound at all?

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Dr. Strangeglove

My local paper did some research on the best-ever negative baseball nickname now that people are focusing on all the A-Rod* choices. They picked Dick Stuart with his nickname: "Dr. Strangeglove"

"In 1964 -- the year Stanley Kubrick's classic black comedy about nuclear war, "Dr. Strangelove," hit the movie theaters. In 1963 with the Red Sox, Stewart made a career-high and AL-leading 29 errors at first base, for a fielding percentage of .979, 11 points below the league average.

As you can see they spelled his last name wrong. Now how about a nickname for Lugo?

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Ellsbury Bulked Up During Offseason

Wondering where the power might come from without Manny's bat? Look to the big guy playing center. Jacoby Ellsbury spent the offseason working out and is now 195 pounds causing Pedroia to say he was "jacked."

"I think Jacoby is already an impact defender and impact baserunner," said GM Theo Epstein. "With his track record in the minor leagues, he's a guy we feel will hit and get on base enough to be a real weapon offensively moreso than he already is."

With the sophomore slump over, Ellsbury could have and All-Star season. He will be playing everyday with Coco gone and he seems to be ready for the grind of a long season this year.

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The Sights and Sounds of Spring Training

Not exactly the most exciting thing in the world but "Play Ball!" can't be far away.

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Like it Or Not, Buchholz Still Under Pressure

He worked things out in the minors, he got his command back in the Arizona Fall League, he has better mental control now:

"I don't think there are any words for it," he said. "I never had to go through any adversity throughout my whole career. It was different last year. It was the first time I really struggled and it sort of snowballed on me. You have to live and learn, and I learned a lot from it last year."

Sound like something you have heard before? Unlike last season when Buchholz was given the benefit of the doubt when he struggled in spring training, this spring he will have to earn his spot in the rotation. Beckett, Lester, Dice-K and Wake are already in. Penny wants to be number 5 and Masterson will start the spring as a starter. Clay better bring his A game to Fort Myers if he wants a spot. He has had a hard time with pressure before and this spring is going to test him again.

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Tito is Confident in This Team

Red Sox skipper Terry Francona talks to the media at the start of spring training. For those of you that want to follow Tito's every move, he is now on Twitter.

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A Bigger A-Hole than A-Rod*

I have no love for the Yankee's third baseman and consider him to be everything the NY Post said he was on the cover. However, there is one person out there who has proven to be a bigger A-Hole than Arod* this week and his name is Sheriff Leon Lott of the Richland County Sheriff's Department in South Carolina. (not to be confused with a-hole Leon Lett) In case you missed the story, he is the guy who is going after swimmer Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps for *gasp* smoking marijuana at a college party. From Sheriff Lott:

"The Richland County Sheriff's Department is making an effort to determine if Mr. Phelps broke the law. If he did, he will be charged in the same manner as anyone else. The sheriff has a responsibility to be fair, to enforce the law and to not turn a blind eye because someone is a celebrity."

This is the same sheriff that thought it would be a good use of taxpayer money to buy an armoured personell carrier complete with a .50 caliber machine gun. I wonder what they do if you jaywalk in their county...look out Manny! On the Richland County Sheriff's Department's website they list 17 unsolved homicides, good thing they are wasting their time going after a guy who was in a picture smoking weed. Better get that menace to society off of the streets.

UPDATE: Now that they have arrested some of the people at the party they are continuing to focus on Phelps and not the bigger issues in Richland County:

“After they arrested him, they didn’t ask him, ’Where did you get the marijuana?’ or ’Who sold it to you?’ Almost all the questions they asked him were about Michael Phelps,”

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Penny Throws

This spring we get to find out what Theo pulled out of the bargain bin. Brad Penny is coming off a shoulder injury and may be a great find or could be a mediocre fill-in a la Bartolo Colon. He took to the hill in Fort Myers today and spoke with Extra Bases about his session:

"The way I feel now I shouldn't have any setbacks," said Penny, who threw all fastballs. "I've just got to stay after my shoulder work, do the best I can to stay in the best shape I can. Everything else will take care of itself."

The staying in shape part may prove elusive when you look at this photo from Boston Dirt Dogs.

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Wednesday in the Nation

Here's your quick look at what's going on in Red Sox Nation today:

Josh Beckett is throwing in Fort Myers and without the spare tire from last spring. (Extra Bases)

Pedroia is writing a book (Sox & Dawgs) and Manny's wife and former agent contribute to another one. (Red Sox Monster).

Red Sox bloggers love Smotz (The Bottom Line)

and Youk speaks...watch below:

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Late Show w/Letterman - Top 10 Messages Left on A-Rod's Answering Machine

10. "Hey, it's Mark McGwire. Want to get together this week and not talk about the past?"

9. "Joe Torre here -- thanks for helping book sales"

8. "Could you find a steroid that keeps you from choking in the playoffs?"

7. "Are you worried this will taint all the championships you didn't win?"

6. "It's Bernie Madoff. Nice try but I'm still the most hated man in New York"

5. "Michael Phelps here. Got any snacks?"

4. "This is Sammy Sosa. Just pretend you don't speak English"

3. "Michael Phelps again. Did I call you or did you call me?"

2. "Hey, it's Rod Blagojevich -- I'll say you're innocent, if you say I am"

1. "It's Madonna. You got a phone number for Jeter?"

Video Link: Late Show - Top Ten Messages Left on Alex Rodriguez's Answering Machine

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Mike Lowell's Health is Key to Red Sox Chances

The Nation is worried about their guy on the hot corner. The Red Sox can ill afford to have Mike Lowell injured for a significant part of the season. If the Sox are to return to the promised land in '09, Mikey need to put up numbers like he did in '07, without Manny's bat in the lineup the team cannot do well without a solid hitting performance by Lowell. Baseball Prospectus does not think that is likely to happen:

Lowell's rehab is supposedly going well, but the combination of a severe injury and a player in his mid-30s rarely augurs heightened production. Baseball Prospectus's PECOTA forecasting system envisions him showing no more durability than he did in 2008, while projecting a further decline in offensive production, dropping to .272/.332/.442.

Lowell will not participate in the WBC and will not be back at full strength until April. Cross your fingers folks, this season could depend on what he can bring to the table.

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Spring is in the Air

The Boston media has descended on Fort Myers to start to cover spring training. Finally we get some updates about the players that have arrived and what they have been up to. President Obama will be in Fort Myers today to deliver a speech so there may be some traffic around town. I have to admit it does seem strange to not have the "When will Manny arrive?" storyline out there, although we do have the "When will Manny sign with a team?" storyline.

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I Warned You This Was Coming

Shocked by the leaking of the A-Rod* test results? You shouldn't be, I warned you that this was going to happen back in May.

...and for those of you saying "what's the big deal? he didn't break any rules when he took roids in '03." Steroids were against MLB rules from 1991 on. Check out the memo below:

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Red Sox Bloggers Pick the Best Offseason Move

Red Sox bloggers have weighed in on the best move by the team this offseason. Take a look at my response and others over at The Bottom Line.

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