Need some amusement...

Oh dear....

Here we go again....

Full MLB.tv package, now with 1.2Mb premium option.

Sleep will be hard to come by this year too....

Better to say too much....

Roger, Roger

10-4

Over and out.

Roger.

Like a thief caught red-handed, like an unfaithful spouse with proof of their infidelity shoved in their face, Roger Clemens is still denying that he ever took steroids.

buh-bye Roger. No way you're getting into the Hall in 2012.

-------

Follow up June 2008: The irony of course is that Clemens was an unfaithful spouse too.

Roger Clemens. Great fastball. Substandard human being.

Limbo

Ah, January.

Baseball is about as quiet as it can get, but possibly the calm before the storm. European football is mired in the post christmas cup/league fixture congestion. NFL is hyping the Super Bowl until the end of time ("Would you believe that Eli's season would still be going on when Peyton was playing golf, etc..."). Despite how much I'd rather it wouldn't happen, the Pats will win on Sunday and become the first 19-0 team in history. :(

As for the Boston team I actually like, the Santana trade is still going through the many permutations possible, but it seems as the Twins might have overestimated the market.

With the Yankees and Red Sox unwilling to hand over the future of the respective teams in Phil Hughes for the Yanks and Lester and Ellsbury of the Red Sox (in the Red Sox case one, but not both as the Twins wanted), the Twins seem to have painted themselves in a corner.

The Mets, with a lot less talent in the minors than the AL teams, clearly realises that they are the only ones interested in the Santana dance, while the Red Sox and the Yankees seem happy as long as the other team fail to land the mercurial lefty. There's an interesting thread on Santana on the Yanksfan vs. Sox Fan site

Also, for the Red Sox, there are some debate as to the possible efficiency of Santana at Fenway. Lefthanded flyball pitchers have rarely had success at Fenway, Santana included, although he's only played in two games there:

IP 15.2
ERA: 6.82
BA: .328
SLG: .469
OPS: .856

(And to put that in perspective, his stats against Boston overall:)

IP: 55.2
ERA: 3.40
BA: .250
SLG: .373
OPS: .673

Now, does that mean I would rather not have Santana at Fenway? Of course I would, but Lester and Ellsbury would be too much for my stomach. Lester has the enormous feel-good story of the return from cancer, and Ellsbury was simply a machine in 2007 call-ups. A rookie batting .458 in the second spot in the World Series? Ice in veins, people!

I personally think that another year of Beckett (20), Dice-K (18), Schill (15), Wakefield (15) and Lester (12) is as solid a rotation as you’ll find in the Majors. (My early spring prediction of wins in brackets – I’m sure it will be revised). Of course age and injuries are a clear issue for Wakefield and Schilling, but we also have no-hitting sensation Buchholz waiting in the wings for a spot in the rotation, and Snyder will also be able to fill holes.

As for the fielding side, the only (and fundamentally obvious) change from last years starting line-up will be the Red Sox CF for the next 5-10 years in own product Ellsbury. The other seven, Varitek, Youkilis, Pedroia, Lugo, Lowell, Ramirez and Drew will be the same, and hopefully Lugo and Drew can build on a nice 2007 finish as opposed to the torrid time they had offensively for the major part of the season. Of course we might get a look in from top prospect SS Jed Lowrie, possible heir apparent to Lugo, but with a lot more oomph at the plate.(.298 BA/ .393 OBP / .503 SLG in 497 AB in AA and AAA in 2007).

Karma Bus? Sadly, no....

As for other sports news, there is no getting away from the Patriots quest for perfection. Sadly, it couldn’t have happened to a worse guy than Belichick. Whilst he’s clearly a superb coach, he’s clearly a below average human being. Whilst I agree with many of Gene’s conclusions, the one I cannot get past is how the Patriots is a .500 team at best without Brady. As much as I loathe the Pats (thanks to Belichick and another Boston based low-life), I love to watch Brady spread the ball around. He’s like my first football hero, Joe Montana, but with more zip on the arm. For once I think I’ll skip the Super Bowl, as I really have no interest in neither the Giants nor the Pats. Now, if Brett had made it I would have been on the edge of my seat all evening, but alas…

Rednecks for Reds?

Finally, although there apparently is now a truce in effect between Benitez and the American owners of Liverpool, the Reds are clearly performing below both expectations and capabilities. Yes, there is a clear need to keep players fresh for the run-in during April, but if you’re already out of contention then, what does it matter??

Play Reina, Finnan, Hyypia (Agger when healthy), Carra, Arbeloa/Riise, Benayoun, Gerrard, Mascherano, Kewell, Torres and Kuyt/Crouch and ride that puppy as long as it will hold.

Subs are just that – subs. Bring them on from the bench, but for god’s sake – we’re 12 points behind after 22 games!!!

At least I can enjoy our own Spring Training this week….got a new glove to break in!

Finally, best right now is John Mayer's new single "Say", from "The Bucket List" official soundtrack. Looking forward to hearing it live in June in Hyde Park!

Until next time,

N

Silence

No Santana, no winning season for the 49ers, LFC seems to be sold for the second time in 2 years....

This is no fun time for a sports fan. Especially a sports fan who despite the enormous love for the Red Sox hate the Patriots with a passion, mainly for reasons that are better left unstated.

Ah well, at least the spring is hopefully on the way, and I can start using the lovely new driver I bought in the US :)

Incommunicado

After my recent burst, I guess the month long sleep deprivation and the emotions of the World Series put a brief moratorium on my posting, with not a single post during the entire WS!?!

Like the feeling I had after the Beckett win in game 5 of the ALCS, I think I had a strange sense of calm. Sure, there were question remaining whether Dice-K could regain his form, whether Schilling would last past 60 pitches, whether a long season would snuff the magic from Pap's lazerlike pitches. Somehow I wasn't worried. (And yes, I do realise it's a hell of a lot easier to write this now, the night after raising the trophy)

(Photo from Reuters)

BTW, I wonder who makes a killing on those swim (champagne) goggles...

I "knew" Beckett would be very, very difficult to beat, so in a 7 game series that means at least 2 wins, if not three, and despite previous showings in the autumn, I still had faith in Dice-K - and did he come through? YES!

Now comes the long winter of discontent. I have a feeling that the Hot Stove will not be so hot for the Red Sox. They seem to have most pieces in place for a continual assault on the championship for years to come....

Now to watch the horrible mess that is the 49ers...

Sports Guy jr.

As an homage to one of my favourite sports writers, Bill Simmons, I will too keep a running log of the game tonight. Of course the twist being I'm in the UK, so it will highlight the madness of watching baseball across the pond.

01.55: V-Tek hits a double off the Green Monster to lead off the 2nd...damn the double play in to end the 1st...

02.06: Dice-K is getting ahead of every pitcher, compared to his previous start, where he went deep in almost every at bat. Good sign. Could this be the pre All-Star Matzusaka returning?

Note; honestly, how old is Kenny Lofton?? He can't be far off Julio Franco. I just wish I'll be even remotely as active when I hit his age...

02.15: I think the ump hosed Dice-K on that breaking pitch to Sizemore. Inning should be over now....And it is! Waist high fastball to strike out Sizemore. Boston 2 Indians 0, bottom 3rd.

02.21 Indians bullpen warming up, as Westbrook allows the third leadoff batter to get on base, Youk being 2 for 2, opening the inning with a double. And yet again the Fox commentators come with the They're not booing, they're saying "Yoouk" . Honestly, who doesn't know that by now??

02.28 Lowell hits a sac fly to right to score Youk, Boston 3 Indians 0. You have to wonder how long Westbrook stays in the game. TV picture shows Beckett sitting with the normal relievers in the bullpen clearly feeling like the odd man out..

[Somewhere around 2.45 I was flagging badly, and "watched" the rest of the game in bed without my laptop. How the hell does Simmons do it? Oh yes, he's 5 hours behind in time....]

Further notes from the game;

Looking back, I was surprised how long Westbrook stayed in, but alas it wasn't enough anyway. Although it would take until the non-DH games of the World Series for Tito to take my advice with the batting order, Ellsbury clearly gave the top of the order an additional spark (not like it really needed it with D-Po and Youk), and boy does the kid have wheels.

Dustin Pedroia, who to use a term from american football, has a non-stop "engine" clearly is playing at a level he shouldn't, based on his experience. He's scary. All "our" kids, including Youk (who of course looks older than I do) are scary. Truly the next generation. A generation that could be perennial contenders.

A week late, but at least I finished the post...Pap takes over from a flawless Okie, gets the last 5 outs and suddenly the Red Sox are in the World Series.

It's strange, somehow I wasn't worried. Don't know why.

"I want Vaughn..."

Is it just me, or is Schill turning into (despite the obvious reverse uniform issue) Eddie Harris?

Gone are the days of mid 90s fastballs, although I did see a few at 91 last night, so I guess he was up for it. Is he too resorting Crisco, Bardol and Vargisil, or is he, like Eddie, just "throwing any kind of junk he can think of at them?"

Of course that makes Pap Rick Vaughn, but with better control....

Bloody sock redux? (...and lineup musings)

With Drew (shock horror) and Coco struggling, will we see Jacoby Ellsbury starting for the first time in the post season in the outfield for the Red Sox tonight? I for one would love to see if he can continue his regular season performance. Not only being an above average defender, he also batted .353 in 33 regular season games since his call up with 11 extrabase hits including 3 home runs in 41 hits. Clearly the boy also has wheels, as indicated by his 9 stolen bases without getting caught once.

The question would be, who would he replace? Drew or Coco? JD, for all of his maligned regular season is batting .259 in the postseason after going on a tear and batting .371 in his last ten regular season games, while poor Coco, who finished the season batting .219 in his last 10 regular season games (.268 reg season avg) and has gone downhill, batting 5-for-31 (.161) in the post season. Thus, as even Tito has acknowledged, Coco's struggling, so Jacoby might get his first start. (Also, he's never played RF in the Majors, although I must admit I haven't looked up if he's done so in the minors - still RF at Fenway takes some adjusting to, so perhaps not the best game to do so in)

Question is where would he bat?

The most common line-up recently has been:

Pedroia
Youk
Big Papi
Manny
Lowell
Drew
Varitek
Crisp
Lugo

A straight swap would see him bat 8th, but perhaps Tito has some balls to change it around, and Ellsbury's .394 OBP would indicate he could be a great table setter, with power at the top of the order.

I would like to see

1. Pedroia
2. Ellsbury
3. Big Papi
4. Manny
5. Lowell
6. Youk
7. Drew
8. Tek
9. Lugo

If Jacoby can bat like he has in regular season (and he actually has a 10 point higher average against lefties, as Carmona's on the mound tonight), with Pedroia finding his groove again in game 5, that's a very strong 1-6 lineup, with potential from 7 as well.

Gehrig38

So, it's game 6 of the ALCS again, bloody sock redux, and the intimidation factor of Schilling and Fenway returns. Can you imagine what would go through the heads of the Tribe if the Red Sox actually pull out a win tonight? Will they be the lame ducks in game 7 that the Yankees were in 2004? So many intriguing threads, so many, many stories to follow. Dane is perhaps right, there is only one Actober.

...although, despite being a Dane Cook fan I must admit the SNL parody is pretty fun too...

All fun and games, now to stick with the vow of not staying up until 6am to watch it...

Mea Culpa pt II

I forgot in this morning's post to add another round of Mea Culpa's towards Joshua.

Honestly, although I think he'll go on to win 200+ games in the majors, he's almost ensuring his HOF status on his post season play alone.

5-2 with 1.75 ERA with one complete game shut out in 9 games in the post season at the age of 27?? 73 K's in in 65.2 innings pitched with a almost tauntingly low 13 walks. The guy's a machine.

His at bat against Cabrera on Thursday is a prime example. One 97mph fastball for a strike to lead off, then four vicious curveballs, the last one at 77, but looking like it travelled at 87 for a strike out looking. He's taken his game to a whole other level this year.

So Joshy boy, can you recover from your 109 pitch outing to come out in relief on Sunday to bridge it between Dice-K and Pap? If we could get the Dice-K from before the All Star game to return (and yes, I know that Dice-K is sadly conspicious in his absence), that must simply be one of the worst pitching lineups an opponent could imagine...

Tito, do me one favour though. Send Gagne, or as my blogging friend Iain aptly named him, Perdu, home to Canada for the rest of the season. I was very happy when I heard that the Sox had traded for him, but now that horrible feeling of pitchers and 'roids keep popping into my head when I see his fastball having lost so, so much.

I know, he's had a horrible injury period, but when a changeup is your outpitch, it works wonders if your fastball is mid-high 90s, not when your fastball is 88 and your changeup is 83. When that happens, you outpitch becomes a batting practice pitch....

Sadly, it doesn't matter if you look like the next coming of Rick Vaughn, when you toss meatballs and niggle the corners, we simply struggle to trust your ability. Please Eric, show us doubters the old Eric, and go 1-2-3 in the 7th with the game on the line, and we''ll love you as much as we love Youk....well ok, not quite, but we'll still like you!

Honestly, doesn't Youk just embody everything the RSN is about? Every at-bat like it's your last, every ball dug out of the dirt like it's the final out of a winning World Series, every baserun like it's the tying run in a 9th inning comeback.

My family is going to kill me, but I think I need to get yet another Red Sox shirt

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?