Cataracts and untruths

Pot. Meet Kettle.

Arsene Wenger (or to be crude, Arse W**ker, as he's known outside Northeast London), now calls Martin Jol a liar for not seeing two mortally wounded Arsenal players writhing on the ground (or milking a collision, depending on your view of it.).

Oh the irony...

Let me see if I can remember...

1. Robert Pires running into a defenders leg at Portsmouth - generally considered one of the most blatant dives of all time -
   
   "Not a dive", according to Wenger.
   
   
2. Bergkamp elbows Steve Lomas in the head in the FA Cup QF in 1998 -
   
   "Didn't see it", said Wenger.
   
   
3. Bergkamp tries to break Jamie Carraghers leg by stamping two-footed on him in an FA Cup game in 2002 -
   
   "(It) seems bad at first sight but if you really look then maybe he wanted only to impress rather than hurt", says Wenger.
   
   No such luck, straight red card, three game ban for Dennis.
   
   
4. Patrick Viera is sent off at West Ham and spits at Neil Ruddock. A photo, which I unfortunately can't find on the net, showed Viera spitting at Ruddock in the foreground, with Wenger on the touchline, no more than 15-20 yards away looking straight at the incident.
   
   "I did not see it", says hawkeyed Wenger.
   

...almost pointless to go on, isn't it? To be honest, I don't know whether to laugh or to cry whenever Monsieur Moron makes a spectacular fool of himself yet again.

At least I know who to support in the CL final - Go Barca!

Stubhub?

Ahh, Fenway...All set for White Sox and Blue Jays in September, especially after 11 hours in the online queue. Imagine then if you will my horror, when one of my best friends (very anti-sports best friend, I must add) sends out his wedding invitation for that particular weekend - in Sweden!

So, now I have to find tickets for July instead...

Anyone interested in 2 SRO tickets for the 3rd and 4th of September at Fenway?

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee

Normally, the departure of a back-up catcher is as eventful as watching a re-run of "How to wallpaper your shed". However, when that catcher is Doug Mirabelli, personal catcher extraordinaire to Tim Wakefield, the Red Sox resident knuckleballer, then it matters a lot more to the Nation. The catcher is a vital cog in any baseball team, but

As proven by new catcher Josh Bard (acquired from the Indians in the Crisp-Marte trade), catching Wakefield is no easy task - in fact when Mirabelli got injured in 2005, Varitek "caught" Wakefield, and Wake promptly saw his ERA close in on double figures. V-Tek said this about catching the knuckler:

You know, catching the knuckleball, it's like
trying to catch a fly with a chopstick.

So Josh, you have much to learn, grasshopper...6 passed balls in 2 games, including one that let the Rays into lead when Travis Lee got home from 3rd base in yesterdays game.

Let's hope that Bard's Zito-like steep learning curve is overcome quickly, otherwise this could be a long season for both him and Wake. Hmm, I wonder if Padres are interested in a Mirabelli-for-a-slighly-used-southpaw trade?

Welcome Sir, good to have you back...

Oh how we thought you might have sacrified the rest of your career for that ultimate price in October 2004...

We watched in horror the mere shadow of your former self that tried, tried and tried again during a personal "Annus Horriblis" in 2005. Trying and failing both as a starter and as a closer, and finishing with a, for you, dismal 8-8 record with a horrible 5.69 ERA, and generally having a miserable time.

Then came Spring Training 2006, and you looked the trimmest and healthiest since arriving on the East Coast back in 2004. We watched you get your arm in shape, throw long toss, simulated games and ST games.

Then came the Opening Day at the Rangers, and I actually had to rewind my PVR to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me?!? 96 MPH in the middle innings of your first start??

Three weeks later, and you're now 4-0 with a 1.61 ERA and demolishing opponents left, right and center. As if that wasn't enough, you are leading your two new proteges Joshua and Jonathan to places they have never been before, and they have responded with mindblowing performances (Joshua - 3-0, 1.29 ERA (AL #1), Jonathan - 7 saves in 7 attempts, 0.0 ERA).

Even as I write this, the emotions of 2004 are returning......

Welcome back Mr. Schilling..... (Photo from Boston Globe)

Bye Bye Boomer

My previous post should have concluded what the rest of the world knows now - Boomer is truly on his way out. Back on the DL, and as far as I can tell, out of the Red Sox rotation for good.

Note to Theo: This shows the fickle nature of roster moves...

2oth of March - Outfield looks like it needs support, and hey, we've got 7 starters anyway.

21st of March - Bronson Arroyo is traded to Reds, where he in his first three starts has gone 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA and has hit homers in back to back games, which also happens to be his career homeruns number 1 and 2! This from a guy who told the Boston Globe when asked if he likes to hit:

No I hate hitting, I hate bunting, I hate learning the signs, I hate sliding.

Could've fooled me....:)

18th of April: Boomers on DL, Arroyo's a hit in Cincy and Papelbon is lights out in the 9th. Of course I applaud the Sox for not messing with him and putting him into the obvious gap in the rotation, but instead riding the massive wave that is JP the Closer. Lenny DiNardo filled in admirably on Monday, but he seems more suited for long relief, so either Craig Hansen's ready to come up and close soon, or Jon Lester brings his southpaw with him up to the rotation, 'cuz I don't think Boomer's coming back. If he does, it's only to show prospective trade partners he still has something left in the tank (which I'm not sure he has...). In the mean time we now have Mohr, Stern, Nixon and Pena filling two spots in the OF, and that's even before Coco returns...

Finally, honestly, all I was praying for was a base hit by Loretta to allow Big Papi to hit a third one for the day, but instead our new 2B wallops it 3 rows deep into the Green Monster stands. The Boston faithful are really taking a shine to this new line-up....

Or as Kristen put it:

I especially loved the fact that nearly everyone
- and don't lie, you did it too - ignored the fact that Loretta was at bat and
saw only that Papi was on deck. And we all said, either out loud or to
ourselves, "Mark, just get on base. Do like Youks did. Hustle your ass off and
get on base so Papi can do what he does."

Dried up Well?

His curve, when it hits the outside corner of the plate is a thing of beauty, but so far, admittedly only one inning into the game, everything else David Wells throws looks eminently hittable...

Very nice play by Gonzalez in the 1st though. I'd be a bit more comfortable if his BA crept up at least to the Mason-Dixon line (.250).

Also, quick thanks to the very readable Iain who, through his musings, got me to sign up to mlb.com for a month. Even my wife loves that I can sit in bed with the laptop and a set of headphones and watch the Sox while she sleeps next to me....:) I might extend it to the rest of the season....