And with an almost impeccable timing we welcome back the pitchers' nightmare that is Big Papi. After my post, and RSN wide worrying about long term injury problems for our DH, Big Papi returned from New York and quickly proved the "doubters" (I use this phrase very lightly, in the long run nobody doubts BP) wrong.
With karma-like help to bring him closer to the Mendoza line of course he was aided by the Rangers SP Luis Mendoza. After a very solid start from Mendoza, allowing no baserunners in the first 2 innings, including two K's and getting BP out on a weak grounder in a 1-3 play, Mendoza took the mound and promptly got two outs, Varitek on a foul out and Casey on a line out to shortstop.
Then it all unraveled. First rookie 3B/SS Jed Lowrie doubled to left, then he walked Ellsbury and Pedroia on 9 pitches. After a visit from the pitching coach, (and you know the Rangers bench, slump or no slump were worried at this point) Ortiz lumbers up to plate, takes his normal effortless (for him, not for us mortals) swing straight through a 93mph fastball right over the plate and puts it opposite field over the Green Monster. Grand slam, thank you...ehh...Mendoza.
Last night also saw me venture to the famous Astoria club in London, for what might have been one of the last gigs there before it being torn down. Tom Delonge's acrimonious split from his other Blink-182 band members saw him venture into a new style of music with his new band Angels & Airwaves. Whilst his music might have changed, it was good to see that the infamous juvenile banter from his Blink-182 days have not changed a bit. Self proclaimed maturity was somewhat counter acted by admittedly quite amusing talks about various body parts. Despite horrible soundmixing in the beginning, the concert was enjoyable, with the highlights for me being Tom, alone with a guitar, playing the old 182 song "Reckless Abandon", and one of their encore songs - the opening song of their first album, Valkyrie Missile. Good fun was had.
Now to look forward to gigs with Clapton, Mayer, the Foos and Linkin Park/Jay-Z. And that's just barely into June!
The two pillars of the Red Sox lineup are enjoying success on a vastly different scale.
Manny, Oh Manny, Ramirez, in a contract year with the Red Sox having a $20m option for 09 and 10 is batting like a man on a...well, contract year. After 17 games, he's batting .343 with 5 homers and 18 RBI, including going .444 and hitting 4 homers in the last 7 games.
In the mean time, the surgically repaired David Ortiz now has the infamous negative triple crown position. He's last in the league (among players who've had the required number of at-bats) in average (.111), slugging (.179) and OPS (.401). Yes, last time he travelled to Japan he also had a slow start, but I'm wondering if everything is healthy with Big Papi.
Joshua Patrick however showed last night why he is possibly one of the two best pitchers in the league (albeit with a slightly inflated 5.12 ERA). Going 8 innings on a very controlled 105 pitches, he allowed 3 runs on 6 hits and only one walk against probably the second or third best (on paper) lineup in the league. His three runs came in the 5th inning when he allowed back to back hits to Jeter and Abreu, when the Red Sox where up 7-0. He followed the 5th by not allowing another Yankee baserunner in 3 innings, so clearly he has learned to control his previsiously somewhat troubesome composure. With Beckett in form after the spring training back problems, and Dice-K pitching lights out, the Red Sox 1-2 punch is one of the most fearsome lineups in the majors.
Today the Sox host the Rangers at Fenway with Dice-K taking the mound.
To steal a phrase from the NBA - I Love This Game.Which is more than I can say about my interest in the upcoming NBA playoffs. I don't know why, but it just doesn't appeal to me anymore...
Also, as if Fenway, The Girl and the Cape wasn't enough to have me chomping at the bits for my upcoming Boston trip, the official announcement of the impending summer was made on Kristen's excellent blog:
And finally, the third awesome thing that happened yesterday is that bars in Boston now have Sam's Summer on tap. Which means summer is officially coming. It can't get here fast enough.
Oh yes, can't wait.
Finally, tickets booked for flight to Boston for the first visit to Fenway of 2008 (or, as it shall be named, the back-to-back year). After the barren years of '05 and '06, I finished '07 with a fantastic 2 game visit for the final regular games at Fenway.
Travelling around the NE area for 9 days should allow me to take in at least two games at Fenway during the intraleague series against the Brewers and the following one against the Royals. Sadly, as intraleague game is held at the AL stadium, the DH rule will still be in effect. Although of course if it wasn't, one of Youk, Big Papi or Lowell would sit, and as I love all three, I guess I'll manage :)
On the agenda is also a goal I've had for a long time, a trip to a minor league game. Ever since I saw Bull Durham, the grind and authenticity of minor league baseball has been very close to my heart.
The Pawtucket Red Sox host the Twins AAA affiliate Rochester Red Wings. Hopefully I'll get a real life glimpse of some of the future Red Sox major leaguers. Recently called up SS of the future Jed Lowrie should be down in Pawtucket by then, so it will be a treat to see him tear up minor league pitching.
Now, what to do for the next month? Oh yes, I think there's a Red Sox @ Yankees game on tonight. Here's to Lester finding his locations better than last time. And I don't only say that because he's on my fantasy team!
So, after a very, from a Red Sox perspective, uneventful Hot Stove league, the regular season is upon us. With the only real issues during Spring Training being the battle for CF between Coco and Elsbury and the sad, but but as it seems inevitable end of Gehrig38's career, not only in a Red Sox shirt, but as a player too, we're finally at a stage where games start to matter.
However, as "spring" is here, the snow hits London...go figure. Yes, I also realise this post is already a week into the season, but seeing as the Fenway home opener is tomorrow, after the Red Sox travelled about 10 time zones and four venues before returning home after a 20+ day roadtrip, it is fitting to look at the state of the nation, n'est-ce pas?
If we start with Schill, it is a sad end to a HOF career. With no.38 only having a one-year deal with the Sox, and at 42 years of age, it is not in the clubs interest to look at anything past 2008. Schilling's personal physician, the same doctor who performed shoulder surgery on Schill in the 80s, Dr. Craig Morgan, does not mince his words.
If Schilling has the surgery, there’s a “75- to 80-percent chance,” said Morgan. “And the percentage of him being able to pitch effectively with conservative treatment is probably between zero and five percent.”
Obviously, this is two different opinions coming from two very different sides. Red Sox is out $8m for a Schilling who they say would not be able to pitch in 2008 if he had surgery. Dr.Morgan has nothing invested in Schilling pitching this year, although one would assume it is his goal that Schilling pitches again.
The Red Sox said:
“Curt Schilling was examined by Red Sox doctors in January after he reported feeling right shoulder discomfort. Curt has started a program of rest, rehabilitation and shoulder strengthening in an attempt to return to pitching.”
Morgan replied with:
“In all honesty and respect for the Red Sox, they are relying on medical advice from people within their organization, and in doing so they truly believe that that’s the best thing for them and Curt,” said Morgan. “I’m not faulting them on that, and I want to make that clear. I just have to disagree with that — strongly.”
“I know his shoulder better than anybody who breathes on this planet,” said Morgan. “I’ve known it for thirteen years. The other two operations that I did are carbon copies of the controversy that is going on with this one. I was told by the organization he was with for those two other operations that my approach was way out on the fringe, wouldn’t work and had no shot at success. How did I do?”
One has to give Morgan a point here. Whilst I think Schilling sadly will not pitch again, I truly hope that Morgan for once is wrong. Let's hope the Red Sox are not blinded by the contract, but actually look past the next few months here.
On another note, what magic wand does the Blue Jays hold over the Red Sox. No team has beaten the Red Sox more times over the last three years than the Blue Jays, and it continued this weekend. Despite a relatively solid effort by Beckett (3 of his 5 earned runs came on Frank Thomas grand slam hit off Manny Delcarmen's poorly located fastball, but the base runners were inherited, thus they go against Beckett), the Blue Jays swept the BoSox on the horror that is the artificial turf in Rogers Stadium. How Scott Rolen, with his rickety body volutarily went there I don't know. I'm sure Torii Hunter is in heaven on the green grass of Angel's field, regardless of how they're doing or how crowded the outfield is.
Finally, despite having potentially the best lineup since the Yankees Murderers Row, the Tigers are experiencing that pitching and defence are still key to the game. The loss of Zumaya and Rodney is creating a big problem for Leyland, and as all MLB personnel guys (including the Red Sox in 2003) knows, one of the most diffcult holes to fill early in the season is relief pitching. (Remember the Byun Yung-Kim nightmare?)
All we need now is an actual spring here too...playing bball in cold weather is something we have to live with, but in snow - even I draw the line there...
And with an almost impeccable timing we welcome back the pitchers' nightmare that is Big Papi. After my post, and RSN wide worrying about long term injury problems for our DH, Big Papi returned from New York and quickly proved the "doubters" (I use this phrase very lightly, in the long run nobody doubts BP) wrong.
