Too much?

W ow, never thought I'd get to this point...

Liverpool-Everton derby today, England-South Africa World Cup final tonight and then in the wee hours of the morning ALCS game 6, Schilling v Carmona at Fenway....

I need sleep.

BTW, why does MLB have no consideration for anyone outside the US West Coast? No, I'm not referring to Europe, in fact in this case even the baseball hotbed of the East Coast is mistreated. If MLB did care, why would playoff games start at 8 so they are almost guaranteed to go on past midnight??

Thank god for my parents. I managed a layover on a business trip, and for the first time in a month I managed to get to bed before midnight, with almost 8 1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Only another 30 odd hours to catch up then...

Which brings us back to the sport. How can someone consume this much in one day, on so many different time zones?

I know it is almost sacrilege, but I have actually decided not to watch the ALCS live. Instead I will get my father to start the MLB.tv feed for me tomorrow morning (as the major flaw in their webdesign is that there is no way you can load the feed without finding out the score...), and as I'm in the baseball equivalent of Siberia here in Sweden I fear not making it through the morning without finding out the score. So, "as-live" it is...

Egg chasers....

After a completely abysmal group stage, England managed to find their star player, their bottle, their team spirit and tackling ability to surprise not only Australia but also France, and now have a chance to avenge the 36-0 drubbing by the South Africans in the group stage. Lets not beat around the bush, as much as try rugby is fantastic, the success of England in this game relies on the play of Mr.Wilkinson, the most prolific point scorer in English history (and world cup history if my memory serves me right). You can all help by giving support at http://www.blesstheboot.com/, a very amusing page.

You'll never walk alone...

So, Liverpool host the Blues for the mid-day game today, and Stevie G must show that his less than stellar performance for the joke that is the England national team (or more accurately the joke that is their coach McIdiot) was a blip and not something indicative of his normal performance. New boy Torres does indeed seem to be the real thing, as shown by his 7 goals so far this season. Bring on the blues, most likely bottom feeders this year, but always dangerous in a derby. I wonder what lineup Rafa will produce, but even despite not having the most hawkeyed of attention the last few weeks, I would suspect it will be something along the lines of Reina-Finnan, Agger/Hyypia, Carra, Arbeloa - Pennant, Gerrard, Mascherano, Babel - Torres, Kuyt. Voronin/Crouch, Riise and perhaps even Kewell should come from the bench.

There's only one Actober...

Thankfully there's only one this year, but dear Dane, I think you'll find there's one every year...and sadly, unless the batting line-up and defense help out Schilling in the way they've helped out Beckett, then the RSN might have to look at next Actober. However, few people thrive on games on the line as Gehrig38, and even though his body is giving up on him a little, his transformation from a power pitcher to a finesse pitcher with one of the best splitters in baseball has been amazing to see. Prediction 5-3 to the Red Sox with Manny being Manny, and everything on the line for yet another sleep deprived Sunday and game 7.

...I so need to get another good nights sleep tonight...

Mea Culpa Joshua...

I hold my hand up.

I was one of the doubters.

When you had blister problems, yet again, in 2006, all while Lowell was struggling and the players who'd gone the other way, Photo from ESPN.com
Ramirez and Sanches fared...well, how should I put this...extremely well.

Hanley's Rookie of the Year season in a position the Red Sox have struggled to fill, sacrificing offense for a string of defensive wizards, all while Sanchez does what - a friggin perfect game??

But oh, what a difference a year makes. Lowell's probably the most underrated player in the league, a clear MVP lock if it wasn't for that guy in NY, while you have taken over from your idol to become the undisputed ace of the Red Sox rotation. Most wins in the AL, and a clear Cy Young favourite.

Joshua, I doubt no more. A nation now can comfortably rely upon you to bring your A-game every time you take the ball. Mea Culpa.

So, in one of the most anticipated duels of recent playoff history, a young 20 game winner against another young 19 game winner; Beckett v Sabathia, power-pitching galore, both being able to reach the upper echelons on the radar gun, while still displaying amazing control.

Midnight in the UK, sit down to watch a 1-0 Red Sox win...or so I thought....

Pitchers IP H R ER BB SO HR PC-ST ERA
J Beckett (W, 1-0) 6.0 4 2 2 0 7 1 80-53 3.00
C Sabathia (L, 0-1) 4.1 7 8 8 5 3 0 85-44 16.62

16.62 CC? Ouch! Then again, it can't be fun to face the Red Sox lineup right now, but no team will win if they allow the opposition's 2 through 5 batters to go 7-for-11 with 7 walks and 6 RBI.

Indians never got Manny or Big Papi out. Yes out, as in they reached base on every at bat...not a good recipy.

What has happened to CC? 19-7 in regular season, 0-2 in the post season....pressure too much, or simply a possibly too large body having 220+ innings catching up with it?

The one thing we knew about Beckett from his 2003 heroics with the Marlins was that as long as we got him to the playoffs, he'd have the mental makeup to perform there. Now we know we can rely on him to get us there too.

Tonight can see the Red Sox take a strangle hold on the series if Schilling continues against an admittely red hot Fausto....

....I love baseball in the autumn...

(Who needs sleep...)

Return to the motherland

With trepidation I got on the Amtrak at Penn Station, heading north to the city that had created so much emotions within - the horror of 2003, the enormity of 2004, and the subsequent struggles on so many levels...

Will Boston be the same? Will the good emotions win? As I get in the cab at Back Bay Station, lazy as I am with my bag filled with the bounties from Fifth Ave (and so much more to come from The Souvenir Store later..) and head for the brownstone B&B, the glorious weather takes over, and the prospect of witnessing first hand that very night when the Red Sox win their first AL East title since 1995 scatters any gloomy thoughts....

Dice-K was back on form, fanning 8, allowing only 2 runs, and the rookies continuined to perform, with both Pedroia and Ellsbury showing why they will be mainstays in the Red Sox lineup for years. Heck, even Drew is batting .375 for the last few weeks!

Fenway in the autumn, is there any place better? (Yes, I am English, so I say autumn, fall is a physical action someone takes - see Mets fall from the first place).

Friday night is just one of those magical nights, beer, dog, my old worn Red Sox cap, the crowd is completely behind the team, nobody asking "Why are they booing him" when Youkilis comes up to bat. Perfect weather, tight score until Big Papi (who else) put it away, more or less, with a solo HR in the 8th. (BP went 3-4 with a 2B and a HR, I guess he is really wearing down...:)

We watch the Yankees on the big screen, and by the end of the night, Papelbon is dancing in the infield, and the champagne is spraying as the Yankees lose to give the Red Sox the AL East title...

I spend Saturday with the thoughts if this is really a new mettle of Red Sox? Is this the team with the strength to stand up? Not the Cowboy Up self-proclaimed idiots of 2004, but the next evolution. The team that can grind out the ugly wins, a team where players like Youk, Lowell and Pedroia lift the team when Big Papi and Manny are playing below their own high standards.

With Beckett solving his blister problems and as the only 20 game winner in the majors surpassing even the standards he set as a Yankee Killer in 2003, combined with Okajima and Paps (ok, so I have selective memory recalls, I am for the sake of my own thoughts ignoring Okie's last month and the subsequent shoulder shutdown.) the Red Sox are as close as you can get to a guaranteed 2 wins in a 5 win series, and even possibly 3 starts from Beckett in a 7 game series.

However, unlike Brandon Webb and the Diamondbacks, the Red Sox have other options behind Beckett; A 15 game winner in Dice-K, one of the best post-season pitchers of the modern era in Schilling, which both allows the ultimate team pitcher - Wakefield to move to shore up the bullpen. BTW, the interesting stat nugget of the day comes from Wake's post season record. In his first year in the majors, with the Pirates in 1992, he pitched two complete game wins, allowing 6 runs over 18 innings, at the age of 25. Despite this, the Pirates lost the NLDS...

Sunday, and we decide to see if we can get a standing room only tickets, so we get to Landsdowne Road by gate E, and when I get there, on the dot 2 hours before game start (which is when the game day tickets are released), the queue is about 60-70yrds long. After about an hour, with the line stopping a few times, we finally get up to the booth, and I ask "I presume you only have standing room tickets, right?". The ticket seller looks at me and says, "no we have RF boxes, Grand Stand and...

....the Green Monster seats too...

Before my heart (and my bank manager's heart) slowly regains the beat, we're in what essentially is tantamount to heaven....

This is simpy the best seat in sports, an amazing intimacy whilst still giving a widescreen view of the entire playing field at Fenway. I saw every pitch Tavarez pitched, Lugo's fantastic stab and jump throw (a play that would have made Jeter green with envy) and Ellsbury's sliding catch in CF.

Sadly, I have now been corrupted and spoiled. Never again will "normal" seats at Fenway be as good as the experience I had on the Green Monster....oh well, I'll live.

Blameshifting?

I guess Gary Thorne didn't like the prospect of yet another losing season for the team he announces for, or perhaps his cupboard of stories was getting a bit bare, but honestly Gary? You couldn't do better than that?

To deliberately twist Doug Mirabelli's words into a "scoop" backfired a bit, and now he's there with egg on his face, trying to get out of a hole he dug when claiming that Schilling faked the blood on the famous sock in the 2004 play-offs.

Tish, tish Gary. As David Schoenfield wrote on ESPN's Page 2:

This is a more ridiculous urban myth than the stories about people waking up in bathrooms with their kidneys sliced out. Gary Thorne should be sentenced to broadcasting Orioles games for the rest of the year for further promoting this notion (oh, wait ...).

Bill Simmons also has some interesting views on the decline of the Yankees, including Torre's losing touch and the demise of the once-untouchable Mighty Mo Rivera - there's a new sherriff in town, and his name is Papelbon...

So, after a mini slump at the Blue Jays, The Sox took two against the Orioles who clearly must be suffering from vertigo in the standings - but don't worry, you'll be down in your normal seas level position soon. Then again, with the Yankees in free fall, the AL East could be (note the word could, I know this is still April!) a one horse race.

Ah, the joys of a 162 game season. All to play for still, unless you're the Devil Rays and Royals...

Bring out the brushes

Honestly.

Single smartest move of the pre-season.

Bringing Pap back to the closer role.

Did you SEE that 95 mph fastball he struck out Jeter with? Amazing poise, I shudder to think he's several years younger than my baby sister...

Three game sweep against the Yanks at Fenway, first since 1961, and the first in most likely a gazillion year where the Yankees led all three game and the Red Sox came back to will all of them.

The other thing we've seen in the first few weeks of the 2007 season is that the Yankees rotation is in ruins, which of course came completely out of the blue...NOT! Also, Josh Beckett seems to be on a mission to make us forget we traded away a guy who pitched a no-hitter and the NL Rookie of the Year last year for him. At 4-0, and back in his Yankees killing days of 2003, he's looking despite Schilling and the asian wunder kid as the star of the Red Sox rotation so far. Even on opening day at Fenway, on a very frigid day did he have absolutely no problems with controlling even his curve ball. He really seems to have found what he was missing last year.

The ever eloquent Iain muses about on his blog about the madness of european based baseball fans, and I must admit these early season late night games are killing me. I only caught the last of the three game series against the Yankees, as I was visiting friends without an uncapped broadband connection, and they are "normal" people who might look at me strangely when I wish them goodnight only to go up and watch baseball until 5am. Then again, there are another 16 games to come against the Yankees, and although I'm not keeping up with Ian's count, I'm not too disappointed with 5 full Red Sox games so far, and about 7-8 other games.

Yep, I need another sport to follow like I need a hole in my head.

And on that note - time to take the laptop to bed and catch a few innings of Red Sox - Blue Jays on MLB.tv.

'Til next time (which will be much sooner, and much more thought out than this rubbish post).

NH

Bikkuri, Yankee fans. Bikkuri.

Bikkuri, Yankee fans. Bikkuri.

From the always entertaining Bill Simmons, a.k.a the Sports Guy on ESPN, when writing a column on Dice-K's first start.

I admit readily I was caught up in the hype. Here's the Great Asian Hope! kinda thing.

Even so, when watching him pitch on a cold April day in Kansas, I find myself thinking - This kid has the STUFF!.

I lost count how many batters where frozen on a breaking pitch thrown for a strike on a 0-0 count. 10 strike-outs in his first 7 major league innings, 1 hit, 1 walk. Wow.

Now let's see what he's like when he faces anyone who's not the Royals...

Here's to 38...

He's opinionated, outspoken and doesn't mind the limelight.

I don't entirely agree with his political views, but then again, he's an athlete, and not a politician, and like everyone else completely entitled to his views.

However, in regards to the communication with fans, I don't think Curt Schilling, or Gehrig38 as he is known on the Sons of Sam Horn website, has an equal among his peers. He is a self confessed internet and computer games junkie, and his now legendary 2am visit to and several hour long discussion on SoSH on Thanksgiving in 2003 apparently played a big part in his decision to come to Boston.

Ever since his days in Philly has Schilling interacted with fans in a more direct way than any other athlete I can think of, and now he has launched his own blog site - www.38pitches.com, where he writes frankly and very openly about his life and interests.

He gives insights rarely seen outside a Peter Gammons column into the life in the clubhouse and on a major league team, and has made me learn actual facts about baseball rather than opinions printed in the regular press - also, his complete disdain for a majority of the mainstream sportswriters, especially the rabid Boston ones is another thing you've gotta like him for.

In his most recent Q & A on his blog, he talks about the upcoming season and what he expects from the Red Sox and other teams in 2007.

He talks about Daisuke:

Q-What’s Daisuke been like to watch in person?

A-Something new and fun every day. The best apart, aside from the fact that he’s probably the most polished 26 year old I’ve ever been around, is his demeanor, how much fun he has and how much he laughs every day. He’s got the far east work ethic, which is intense on a whole different level, and he seems to genuinely enjoy everything about what’s happening. I know I’m already better and learning from having him around.

It is very cool to read a 20 year old veteran being open enough to learn from a Major League rookie, albeit a rookie who's 108-60 with a 2.95 ERA in the Japanese league at 26 years of age.

On another note, I guess the debate whether a 15-20 game winner is more valuable than a lights out closer was settled this weekend when the Red Sox moved back Jonathan Papelbon to the closer role he grabbed with both hands in 2006.

Although there are some lingering questions, at least outside the Red Sox clubhouse about the shoulder tightness that shut Paps down in the latter part of last season, this means that the Red Sox go from a position of glaring weakness to having a top 10 closer and a much, much stronger bullpen than last year.

Ch..ch..ch..changes

Every spring sees something new, and this spring is no different.

Currently, the most nervous guys in baseball are Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti, Manager Bruce Bochy and GM Brian Sabean.

What you don't want is to spend $126m on your new star pitcher and have him report to Spring Training with a completely remodelled delivery.

Righetti wasn't too happy about it, and he made no bones about how he felt.

That'll wear him down. He's going to over-stride," Righetti said. "It's going to be tough on him. He's a good athlete and he got himself in shape for it. Maybe it's all tied in together and he felt he had to do something. To me, it'll be about making his pitches. If he loses the curveball, which he could because he'll be throwing from a different angle now -- we'll see how sore his groin is tomorrow."

If Zito loses his curveball but ups his fastball from 88mph to low 90s, will that make him a better pitcher? I wouldn't bet on it. Greg Maddux has made a very nice career on a fastball that doesn't hit the 90s, but does hit every imaginable corner of the strike zone.

Nobody's saying that Zito's got the extreme control that Maddux has, but his entire game has been locating his fastball and changeup for strikes and then snapping off one of those amazing curve balls for a strike three. I've seen games where Zito was a couple of steps on his way to the dug out on a 2 out, 2 strike count, as he knew as soon as he released the curve it would be either a called strike three or completely unhittable.

I'm not sure why Zito would want to jeopardise that, but then again, it's been a few years since his Cy Young season, and he's been struggling with some injuries.

I for one hope he doesn't lose his curve - it is a pitch anyone who loves baseball would be hard to not admit is a thing of beauty.

Saviour

For my recent birthday, my lovely mother bought me a book which has lightened my otherwise relatively gloom existense recently (the time between the Super Bowl and the start of baseball season is always the toughest of the year).

The author is now one of the marquee names at ESPN.com, but Bill Simmons, a.k.a. the Sports Guy, came from a much humbler sport journalism background.

His book, Now I Can Die In Peace, sees him go through his Sports Guy Red Sox blogs, from the beginning on AOL.com in Boston, up to the World Series win in 2004.

It is a very funny book, and I'll add some snippets as I read it - but it is time for bed now, as it is way, way too late for me now....I know, I've turned into a wuss.

Spring is in the air...

So, we're less than 4 days away from the first set of pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training....truly the sun has returned!

Obviously, this hot stove season has seen spending on free agents look like money was going out of fashion. $55m for a lifetime 4.65 ERA pitcher? Or, if you want to count absolutes, $1m per career win so far...did every agent become Scott Boras this winter?

BoSox have finally stopped pretending they are the poor little step child to the mighty Yankees in financial terms and blew everyone out of the water for the new boy wonder Dice-K by paying $50m+ just to TALK to him!

On paper, the Red Sox look improved in almost every aspect of the lineup, with the glaring exception being the crucial closer position. Then again, I remember last years spring training, when everyone was mulling over the possible return to form of World Series hero Keith Foulke, and yet Super-Jon stepped up from out of nowhere. Now Papelbon is in the rotation, as the doctors say he cannot pitch every day, so Fort Myers will be the spot for closer auditions from the illustrious group of Joel Pineiro, Brendan Donnelly, Mike Timlin, Julian Tavarez, Craig Hansen and Manny Delcarmen.

Tavarez stepped up as a spot starter last year, but Hansen came out of college as the "closer of the future" - a burden you wouldn't want your worst enemy to be stuck with.

All I know is that it soon time to get that MLB.com subscription up and running again.

Welcome back baseball - rarely have I needed you as much as now.

Return?

Wow, the last few years have been mad, but I'm trying to focus on some of the lighter things in life.

More baseball comments will come soon...

Location, location, location

Like in real estate, if you rely on your fastball only, location is key, and right now, Josh Beckett would not get fat being a realtor...

What in de hell is going on with his fastball?!?

What are the pitching coaches doing?

Dagnabbit!

Here we go again....

I know it's 19 games per year, but I must admit I sometimes struggle to get the same emotion up for each Red Sox-Yankees series this time of the year, as it seems there's one every week. At least this is the last one until mid-august, and if there ever was a time to take on the Yanks, this is one.

Jeter might miss the series with a sore hand, Giambi's feeling the effects of 5 years of abuse (did I write that?:)), Matsui's gone for the season, Sheffield's wrist won't heal, the Unit's realised the AL post the 40s is not as fun, etc, etc. I could go on ad nauseum.

Still, we've got Beckett going up against the only reliable starter the Yanks have, Moose, so I'll stay tuned this time.

On the youngster note, I can't wait for Lester to make his debut this weekend against the Rangers...

Fizzled rocket

I don't always agree with Bob Ryan, especially when he fills in on PTI, but this is one of his better articles about what could have been...

The only sliver of hope is that the 'Stros collapse and they offer Roger up in the trade deadline, but that's probably as likely as me being Jessica Alba's date to the MTV Movie Awards...

Reality

Although I, and others like me, regard sports as one of the more important things in life, sometimes you stumble upon something that puts everything into perspective.

For a dose of reality, I wholeheartedly recommend reading through the vastly more eloquent and gripping writings of Anya, also known as Wandering Scribe.

Sometimes the safety net is more holes than net.

Finally

How do you destroy a legacy?

First take a true five tool talent, add a hall of fame god father and a major leaguer father. Then play like a future hall of famer for 13 years, including 3 MVP and 8 Gold Glove awards, while trying to get out of your father's shadow.

Then move to your home town, be accepted as a saviour, play like a demon and win accolades and awards, despite having a less than an outgoing and bubbly personality.

Then, and this is the turning point, develop a chip on your shoulder the size of Texas, and decide to inject god knows what into your body, only so that your percieved injustice, a lack of public respect, can be changed so that you, not a white man from St.Louis, own the biggest record in sports, damn the asterix and the consequences. Then finish by producing more bile and lies than ever before in sports.

So instead of being a shoe-in hall of famer, you will forever be tainted and will now finally not have the public respect you so frantically craved.

I hope it was worth it.

Now let's hope your overgrown body finally fails you completely so that at least there will be no tainting of the overall record, held by a man who had to endure a lot more than just a lack of respect.

Boom brothers pt.2

It is very telling when teams are pitching around David Ortiz, such is the fear he imparts on opposing teams.

Even worse, when they try to do that, as the Yankees' Wang did today with three consecutive inside pitches, and then fail, as Wang did on the 3 and oh-so greenlight situation which Big Papi promptly took the other way for a 2 RBI single.

What does then await the Yankees is the other flaw in the plan is that the Red Sox clean-up hitter is a certain Mr. Manny Ramirez. Cue a fastball straight down the pipe on a 0-2 count (WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WANG?) - and voila, 4-1 to the Sox.

BTW, what is it with the DD smoothies all of a sudden? It seems RemDawg can't stop talking about them? Must have been Iain's blog then...

Right, m u s t f i n i s h n o t e s for tomorrow's lecture now. Or rather, today's lecture, as it starts in less than 8 hours.

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....

The proverbial beaver..

Wow, the last 3-4 weeks have really flown past in a hurry...I didn't have any time to comment any of these highlights:

• WBC starting - baseball on TV, yay!
  
• Baseball Tonight - back on NASN!
  
• Chelsea's manager complaining about other teams playacting - oh the sweet irony...:D
  
• Liverpool unceremoniously bumped out of the Champions League - when the top scorer in the club is a midfielder, Stevie G, and has scored more (17 goals) than the starting striker pair, Crouch and Morientes, has scored COMBINED in the season, then you're in for a tough time. No Olympiakos this time.
  
• The Incredible Sulk finally publicly confirmed as a drug user - Game of Shadows excerpts were printed in this weeks Sports Illustrated. The book's out on March 27.
  
• Spring Training starts for amateurs too! I was able to fit in two indoor sessions, but will get my first outdoor session this coming Sunday - can't wait!

I'll try to fit more in, but the next 3 weeks are very packed, so please bear with me.

Too little, too late

Wow.

This could have actually been considered slightly classy...if it had come in late December.

Now it's just sad.

Johnny, you think the Red Sox didn't "respect" you? I still think $40m is a lot of respect, but I guess everything is relative.

We'll move on, as we'll be going Loco for Coco, but you might not when you realise what a cavernous park Yankee Stadium is.

That might happen not only when you're running for a fly ball, but also when you can't seem to get your average above .300. There's a reason why Yankee Stadium is considered a pitchers park, whereas Fenway is traditionally a hitters park (at least for the home team...).

Cheese

The "Special One" has now broken the silence over the previously mentioned Robbengate, a.k.a How to hit the deck in 1 second flat without pain. Although Chelsea have reportedly been privately embarrassed about Robben's behaviour, Mourinho now feels enough is enough.

His main defensive argument goes back to the obviously still stinging Champions League defeat to Liverpool.

Liverpool question the moral actions of our player, but I do not remember them questioning anyone last May when the ball did not cross the line and the players were running to the officials putting pressure on them to give a goal.

It is almost comical how everyone affiliated to Chelsea have conveniently left out the part that if ref Lubos Michel had not played the advantage for Garcia, he would have had no other option than to give a penalty to Liverpool and send off Peter Cech for clattering into Milan Baros.

Don't think 'Pool would have won with a penalty kick to be taken and Chelsea down to 10 men after 4 minutes? As an American female teenager would have said - Puh-lease...

Fall guys

I got an interesting idea in this article in the Times, regarding our favourite thespian Arjen Robben.

From now on, I'll create my own weekly Letterman top five, highlighting the top floppers, divers and cheaters in the Premiership, starting this weekend.

Stay tuned.

Quotes, stones and concrete

Quick post with the quote of the day from the always funny Kristen's blog:

The Stones no longer cheat death. They now openly mock it and refer to it as "their bitch."

Superb...

Also, although I know the story lines have more holes in it than O.J's alibi, some elements are fantastically implausible and it's aired on satan's network - a.k.a. Fox, Prison Break is a very entertaining 42 minutes of television. UK viewers can catch this gem on Monday evenings on Five.

The resident Hollywood baddie Swede, Peter Stormare, co-stars as the mob-boss in the 'Pen', and although I love Peter's acting chops, his "Italian mob dialect" could do with some fine tuning.

Despite that, it might even tie me over until the 3rd series of Entourage starts in June. In the UK, ITV have bought the rights to series 1 and 2 and rumour has it they will air it on ITV3.

For those who haven't seen Entourage, this is the HBO comedy show based on Mark 'Funky Bunch' Wahlberg's experiences when trying to break into Hollywood. Adrian Grenier stars as Vincent Chase, up and coming movie star (competing with the likes of Colin Farrell), his half-brother Johnny 'Drama' Chase (played brilliantly by Kevin Dillon), and Eric and Turtle, two of Vincent's friend from his childhood in Queens.

However, the shining star of the show is Ari Gold - Vincent's high-powered agent, played supremely by Jeremy Piven.

The man is a quote machine, probably one of the best in the industry to deliver the slightly manic 30+ word sentences perfectly. He shone in Old School, Very Bad Things, PCU, Grosse Point Blank and Serendipity, which admittedly was quite a sappy movie, but had John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, and a couple of fantastic quotes from Piven, including:

Pimple-faced college drop outs who have made unhealthy sums of money forming internet companies that create no concrete products, provide no viable services, and still manage to generate profits for all of its lazy day-trading son-of-a bitch shareholders.

You know Piven's up to his usual high standards when in the first Entourage episode, while driving and on the phone to Eric, stops talking on the phone temporarily and screams out the side window:

Is that the way they drive in Tiananmen Square, bitch?

Instant classic.

3rd series reportedly starts on June 20th on HBO or a torrent near you.

Hospitalised?

Nothing frustrates me more than a talented athlete that feel the need to cheat to reach his or her goals - be it doping, diving or faking.

I don't subscribe to the theory that the increase of foreign players in the Premiership are the only reason that players have increased their theatrics - Gary Lineker is famous for not being booked in his entire playing career, yet he's admitted that had the yellow card for diving rule been in place during his era, his unblemished record might be slightly less clean. Also, some of the more prolific divers are English, such as Michael Owen, Joe Cole and Emile Heskey.

However, the cream of the crop in the Premiership are, in no ranking order: Jose Reyes, Robert Pires, Ruud Van Nistelroy and Arjen Robben.

Reyes have taken a tumble so many times that it almost seems that he won't even get a legitimate free kick nowadays.

Yesterday in the Chelsea-Liverpool game, which BTW Chelsea won relatively deservedly due to Liverpool's lack of forward firepower, Robben and Chelsea stooped to new lows.

Having remarkably managed to get out of a clear cut yellow card for dissent earlier in the game, Robben came up and said something to Liverpool 'keeper Reina I'm sure shouldn't be repeated when children can hear it. Reina, who the second earlier committed a foolish tackle on Chelsea's Gudjohnsen, for which he was about to get booked, seemed to push Robben in the face (with his soft goalkeeper gloves), and Robben went down on the deck like punched by Mike Tyson, only to peek up to ensure that Reina got sent off.

Only one word can summarise that.

Scum.

Cheat. (Oops, my math has always been poor.)

Robben is a remarkably gifted footballer, but clearly sub-standard as a human being...I'd like to say I'm sure he's slightly ashamed when he sees the replay images, but I'm not sure he has any shame whatsoever.

Forest for the trees

This is a bizarre feeling - we're in what used to be the holiest of weekends for me - Super Bowl weekend, and yet I was thinking more about baseball than football.

Yes, the last few seasons haven't been fun from an 49er fan point of view, but I almost fear it's more than that. I can't quite put my finger on what has made me absorb baseball to the point that there is almost no room for football.

I still consider the slow motion replay of a deep football pass the purest form of poetry in motion in the world of sport. The build-up and quick rush of excitement when a rusher hits the hole right and seemingly slithers through 5 defenders. The power surge when the unblocked blitzing linebacker or defensive end comes free and blindsides the QB, but also the excitement of watching Mike Vick evade four defensive players in the backfield and turn a guaranteed sack into a 20 yard gain.

Despite all this, I can't seem to get worked up for a football game. Instead being glued to the screen, I'll surf in and watch 5-10 minutes, and then continue my channel surfing....

Coach Nolan, please make my Niners at least an 8-8 team, so I don't have to wear a paper bag over my head.

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On another note, I found this cool thing through the great Cursed to First blog:

Go here to make your own word cloud.