***
Another rainout and another day-night doubleheader.
Saturday: 1 PM and 7:30 PM.
***
Anthony Lerew (6.52, 60 ERA+) / Devern Hansack (13.50, 32 ERA+)
Game Logs:
Lerew
IP H R ER BB K BF PIT
0508 SDP 6 2 2 2 2 7 23 98
0513 @PIT 3.2 7 5 5 3 2 21 74
HansackEast:
IP H R ER BB K BF PIT
0508 @TOR 0.2 1 1 1 3 1 6 33
W L PCT GB RS RA
Boston 28 12 .700 --- 213 136
New York 18 21 .462 9.5 212 185
Tampa Bay 18 22 .450 10.0 184 238
Toronto 18 22 .450 10.0 176 190
Baltimore 18 23 .439 10.5 177 191
And in New York:
78 comments:
redsock said:
Nothing in baseball can ever hurt me like 2003 did. It can't. I am now bulletproof. ... I'm having fun.
2 words: Tony Conigliaro. I pray that nothing that bad will happen again, but remember how bad it could really get.
Right now, it's a party. Thank god for that.
My son and I are going to tomorrow's Smoltz-Dice-K matchup. Anybody have any idea what time we should show up to see batting practice (assuming weather allows it)?
My wife is a life-long Mets fan, so good times in my house right now. We are both excited to watch the Mets and Sox help each other out over the next few days.
Thanks,
-Chief
I think JoS, besides being a football-free zone, should be a fairy-tale-free zone, too.
No curses, no spooks, no praying, no fates, no dieties, no rituals. No 1978, no 2003. No fallen comrades, no echoes, no footsteps.
Just the great baseball this great team is playing - and loving every minute of it.
Chief: Gates open two hours before game time.
My wife is a life-long Mets fan, so good times in my house right now. We are both excited to watch the Mets and Sox help each other out over the next few days.
Oh, very cool. I don't know how old you are - did you know each other in 1986? Or just shared your very different memories of the experience?
Allan and I have a close friend who was a complete diehard Mets fan in those days. (He doesn't follow them anymore because he doesn't have time to be 100% all-out, and believes it's that or nothing.) We didn't know him then, but Allan and he have talked about 86 a lot, with all those intense memories, and with mutual respect (and sympathy where it's due).
redsock: thanks, that should have been self evident. Are there no dumb questions here?
l-girl:
I'm 37 and she's 35. We met in college in the early '90s. In '86, during THAT game, she was babysitting, turned off the TV in disgust and drove home only to find her brother and father going nuts. So fond memories for her.
I however, was in a pre-baseball phase living in Oregon. We didn't, as a rule, root for anything from California, and the Mariners didn't capture my imagination. Everything else was "back East."
I've only been paying attention to baseball since the mid-90's when we lived in Athens, GA. We moved to MA in 2001 and the 2003 ALCS dagger made me a lifer where I'd only been a casual fan before.
There you have it, a brief version of my life story.
-chief
btw, anyone read Curt's blog today? It's kind of incredible that it's taken this long for an athlete (and a pitcher, especially) to have his own place to tell what really happened in the game.
I love love love that he talks about pitch locations and strategy and all that good stuff that no one ever talks about. Remy and D.O. are hella entertaining during the games, but how often do they really focus on the one-on-one battles between pitcher and catcher?
I want Curt saying that his information on the home plate ump was mostly correct, and how he adjusts during the game, the same way I want to know, say, how Tom Brady cuts down the safeties after a Pats' game.
We need more info, dammit. Kudos to Curt.
Chief, don't forget, Yawkey Way closes about a half hour before gates open. So, make sure you're toward the side you eventually want to be on at that time, or you'll be stuck on the wrong side, and have to go through some parking lots and round the block to get to the other side.
And I think redsock meant '03 was the worst thing baseball-wise. Of course death and serious injury is worse, but that's a whole other thing.
Thanks Jere -
I've been to the Park a few times, but never tried to catch batting practice, so this should be fun. We have seats on the Monster, so we are really excited. We are sitting just to the left of the right light tower, section M09.
-chief
Chief-
Even with the weather as it is, it'll be one of the best experiences of your life. Cherish it, because the monster seats are incredible.
And get a monster dog too. Best deal in baseball, no doubt.
Chief, thanks for that, I enjoyed it.
In '86, during THAT game, she was babysitting, turned off the TV in disgust and drove home only to find her brother and father going nuts. So fond memories for her.
Check this out. I was also babysitting. I was a nanny at the time, and I watched the game with my boy, his mom calling me every inning from where she was watching it with friends.
[Allan was still a few months away from living in NYC, so he was watching with friends in Vermont.]
However... that boy I was babysitting for? I turned him into a Yankees fan, when all his little friends where Mets fans. Allan and I took him to his first MLB game, and many afterwards. Much later, when he was in high school and college, he took me to many NYY post-season and WS games.
He's still a diehard Yankees fan - but very understanding about what happened to me.
We moved to MA in 2001 and the 2003 ALCS dagger made me a lifer where I'd only been a casual fan before.
Ah yes, I remember that now. As you know, that same dagger was also my initiation into The Nation.
And I think redsock meant '03 was the worst thing baseball-wise. Of course death and serious injury is worse, but that's a whole other thing.
It is?
Jeez, can't believe so many people missed the '99 fustercluck. No, it's not listed in the upper echelon of screwjobs we've had to endure, but perhaps it should be.
The umpires had to have been bought by the Yankees, especially because of the famous Phantom Tag:
http://www2.jsonline.com/sports/brew/image/1999/oct/chuck1017.jpg
Not even freaking close, and he was called out on contact. Unbelievable.
There was also the ridiculous call at home in one of the games, so it was generally bullshit. Were the Yankees the better team? Probably, but a fair fight shouldn't be too much to ask.
Anybody in the Boston area?
Do you think they will play tonight?
99 probably is the worst screwjob. There's a difference between those and heartbreaking losses.
I'm a few miles from Fenway. Is raining hard. And cold. And windy.
Further to our sort-of discussion of the 98 MFY and the 07 Sox, I see this in the Courant:
***
The Red Sox scored single runs in the first and third. Coco Crisp converted a heads-up play into the first run. Crisp slid under a tag going into second base to avoid a force, then ran to third when the Tigers argued without calling time out and leaving third base vacant.
"That's a play you see [Derek] Jeter make," Francona said.
***
I had to look at the screen very closely to make sure I wasn't imagining reading this.
When Crisp took off, Laura and I were talking about the comparison and I mentioned that Jeter does this crap seemingly at will, and often against the Sox. (It also plays into taking advatnage of any opposition mistake/distraction and often forcing them to react to your aggressiveness.)
Mind-melding with Tito!
Redsock, I think you just came dangerously close to praising something about Derek Jeter's baseball skills.
Please post some identifying phrase so I know you are really you and have not been kidnapped by aliens.
L-girl said...
Redsock, I think you just came dangerously close to praising something about Derek Jeter's baseball skills.
Please post some identifying phrase so I know you are really you and have not been kidnapped by aliens.
..........................
You are alot more funnier now that you are unemployed!!!
Redsock, I think you just came dangerously close to praising something about Derek Jeter's baseball skills.
I have never said he was devoid of skills. I just don't think he can do everything on a baseball field better than any other being in the history of the universe.
Please post some identifying phrase so I know you are really you and have not been kidnapped by aliens.
Identifying phrase? Hmmm ...
Salesmen?
Identifying phrase
"Why, yes, I'd love to have you come in and talk to me about the Bible."
I saw the press confeence where Tito said the Jeter line. It was kind of weird, the awkward pause that followed. I think he was expecting some kind of response but got silence, and had to move on without a segue, like a comedian whose joke just bombed.
You are alot more funnier now that you are unemployed!!!
Why thank you! :-)
like a comedian whose joke just bombed.
Tito doesn't have the same knack, I guess, being employed and all.
What response do you think he was looking for?
I have never said he was devoid of skills.
Are you sure? Cause I think you might have said that once or twice. Yes, the phrase "devoid of skills" sounds very familiar.
"Why, yes, I'd love to have you come in and talk to me about the Bible."
Send out the search party. Redsock has been taken to the Mother Ship.
L-girl said...
Tito doesn't have the same knack, I guess, being employed and all.
Good stuff.........I'd hate to fourth grade ya but........lol
Postponed.....shit that ruined my night... they were going to be on TBS tonight.......
Yes, the phrase "devoid of skills" sounds very familiar.
I know I've said my 90-year-old grandmother has a quicker first step to her left, but I do not think he is devoid of skills.
In fact, Jere once showed, in an drawing, how successful Jetes is in dumping cheap-o singles just beyond the second baseman.
Okay! Mets win and we're 10 games up.
Sing along!
Meet the Mets
Meet the Mets
Step right up and greet the Mets!
Bring your kiddies
Bring your wife
Guaranteed to have the time of your life
Because the Mets are really sockin' the ball
Knocking those home runs over the wall!
East side, West side,
Everybody's coming down
To meet the M-E-T-S Mets of New York town!
Oh, the butcher and the baker and the people on the streets
Where did they go?
To Meet the Mets!
Oh, they're hollerin' and cheerin' and they're jumpin' in their seats
Where did they go?
To Meet the Mets!
All the fans are true to the orange and blue
So hurry up and come on down
'cause we've got ourselves a ball club
The Mets of New York town!
Give 'em a yell!
Give 'em a hand!
And let 'em know your rootin' in the stand!
PPD?! Damn. I have so much to do tomorrow, since I fizzled away the day today. Oh well. Guess I'll just have to get it done around the games.
Allan, will you also be posting the lyrics to Let's Go Blue Jays?
we're 10 games up
Oo-ooo, dou-ble di-gits...
You know the tune.
will you also be posting the lyrics to Let's Go Blue Jays?
I wasn't planning to, but ...
OK BLUE JAYS
You've got a diamond
You've got nine men
You've got a hat and a bat
And that's not all
You've got the bleachers
Got 'em from spring 'til fall
You got a dog and a drink
And the umpire's call
Waddaya want?
Let's play ball!
Okay (okay)
Blue Jays (Blue Jays)
Let's (Let's) Play (Play) Ball!
Is that a fly ball
Or is it a seagull
Coming in from the lake
Just to catch the game?
It's the last inning
Our guys are winning
Dave's put down a smoker
A strike
And you've got no doubt
(You're out!)
Waddaya want?
Let's play ball!
Okay (okay)
Blue Jays (Blue Jays)
Let's (Let's) Play (Play) Ball!
It's a beautiful evenin', fans
At the ballpark
Warm summer breezes
Sun's goin' down
And it's all dark
At the ballpark
But that's okay…it's a night game
Waddaya want?
Let's play ball!
Okay (okay)
Blue Jays (Blue Jays)
Let's (Let's) Play (Play) Ball!
Bring on the White Sox
Bring on the BoSox
Bring on the Brewers
The Rangers and the Yankees too
We'll beat the Indians
We'll beat the Tigers
We'll beat the A's so bad it'll make Billy blue
Waddaya want?
Let's play ball!
***
A seagull???
Dave? Steib? I gotta assume Steib if the Brewers were still in the AL when this (absolutely ridiculous) song was written.
We need fewer rainouts, we're clearly losing our minds.
Why can't baseball always be like this?
I missed this story last week:
SAN FRANCISCO (May 9, 2007) -- For all of his accomplishments, you'd think snagging a foul ball in the stands would be small stuff for Rickey Henderson. Hardly the case.
Henderson, who caught a foul ball on Monday at AT&T Park, where he was watching the Mets play the Giants, kept the ball instead of handing it to a young fan.
"Everybody was asking me for the ball," Henderson said Tuesday, according to the Star-Ledger of Newark. "I said, 'You're not getting this ball. I always wanted to get a foul ball. This one's going on a shelf at home."
Also, notice they say bring on the BoSox, not we'll beat the BoSox. I believe this is particularly telling for their psyche, even if it is from the 80s.
No curses, no spooks, no praying, no fates, no dieties, no rituals. No 1978, no 2003. No fallen comrades, no echoes, no footsteps.
Not to beat a dead horse, but really, I think the superstition and other insanity is an essential part of the sports fan experience. Even though I don't *really* believe it... can't hurt to stay on the safe side, right? Pascal totally gets it. ;)
Rainout, eh? Expect full lyrics for "Double Digit Lead" later this evening!
Some things are taditional, like not saying "no-hitter". Or wearing lucky clothes, drinking lucky beer or wine, leaving the room when a relief pitcher comes in to pitch (it worked!), etc.
Other stuff, like not laughing at the Yankees because we might anger the baseball gods, or bring punishment down on ourselves later, well ... that strikes me as no better than how fans babbled about trying to end the Curse.
Not to beat a dead horse, but really, I think the superstition and other insanity is an essential part of the sports fan experience.
Personal superstition like a lucky shirt, sure, why not.
But talk of team-wide or franchise-wide curses, ghosts and goblins, not to mention ancient (1978 or any other date) history repeating itself should be buried for all time, in my decidedly non-humble opinion. Like Jere said elsewhere, I 2004ple dare them!
Dave? Steib?
Yes, Dave Steib. It's from that era. Amazingly awful, isn't it? At Skydome games these days, they only sing the chorus. That's bad enough.
leaving the room when a relief pitcher comes in to pitch (it worked!)
Hee hee. I did this. I thought when I watched Foulke pitch, he gave up home runs. So I would leave the room and peek at the TV around the corner.
Oh wow, what a week that was.
Still, pride goeth before a fall and all that. I don't mean to say I actually think you're tempting Fate or that the Sox are cursed or anything. But early gloating is just one of those things that makes me irrationally uncomfortable. Kind of like how you don't talk about the no-hitter while it's still in progress. Of course everyone is aware of it, you're just... not supposed to point it out.
Not sure if you guys have seen this but I thought it was pretty good.
I agree with Jackie, if for no other reason than the interweb is searchable. I'd hate to say THE YANKEES ARE DEAD only to have some putz post that to me on the day of their parade. That would just really bum me out.
But early gloating is just one of those things that makes me irrationally uncomfortable.
Well, then obviously you won't indulge in it. Others enjoy it, and will.
People who've been on the receiving end of gloating for so long have a right to give as they've gotten, IMO. Looking at the history of The Rivalry, I think Sox fans would be insane not to gloat - early, late and often.
Jackie said:
But early gloating is just one of those things that makes me irrationally uncomfortable.
well said....we must realize we are only at the quarter turn ......
Long way to go.....
I don't think jackie is being superstitious I think she is being realistic.......
And the reality is we are rolling , lets just hope it continues and none of us can control that....
Long way to go, yes, but we have a HUGE cushion to see us through the inevitable dip (injuries, slumps, what have you), and a lead that will be very difficult for other teams to surmount. Enjoy it!
Nothing lasts forever. Enjoy it while you got it. (And gloat while you can, I say.)
Well, then obviously you won't indulge in it. Others enjoy it, and will.
Okay then, but if we end the season 55 GB I know who I'm blaming. ;) For the record, I have no problem gloating about past performance. There is nothing I love more than taunting Yankee fans, and I've done plenty of ribbing about the 5-of-6, and the Yanks poor record so far. I just can't bring myself to say anything about the end of the season.
Good point about the quotability too, Sean; I think you hit the nail on the head with that one. The only thing worse than blowing a big lead is blowing the lead *and* having your own gloating thrown in your face at the same time.
Just remember, as I posted on one of my other homes for the Reds, the Twins were 12 games behind on July 14th. And while the Tigers did have a collapse, same goes for the White Sox a year earlier, it does happen. That would still be 2 more months away, and it can definitely happen.
Of course, we have an offense, while the Tigers had/have Sean Casey.
Nothing lasts forever. Enjoy it while you got it.
I think that's something we can definitely agree upon. I'm enjoying the heck out of the way this team is playing right now!
The only thing worse than blowing a big lead is blowing the lead *and* having your own gloating thrown in your face at the same time.
I don't get that. If it's on the internet, and you don't want to see/hear it, don't go to the site. It's easily done.
Gloating in person, of course, is different. But the searchability of the internet shouldn't be a problem. You have control over who you see online.
Anyway Jackie, I'm glad you enjoy gloating under some circumstances. You'd be missing out on so much fun if you didn't. :)
So I make fun of the Yankees on the blog and the Red Sox collapse ... what'll happen?
Some moran will send me an email? Or post a comment which I will immediately delete?
Sounds like a good trade-off to me.
Stems > Chokers!
Different Matchups tomorrow:
Afternoon: Lerew / Dice
Night: Smoltz / Hansack
Is the cushion we have now overrated? Lots of writerss have brought to mind the Yanks' poor start in 2005 -- but we're tempted to start thinking it's different this time. After all, we're a quarter of the way through the season, right?
Well, obviously the Yanks can still catch us and even leave us in the dust if we collapse badly enough. But 2005 was a different deal. Check it out (damn I like baseball-reference.com):
On May 6, the Yanks were 11-19 and nine games out. But the O's were in first and we were 2.5 behind them at a pretty modest 17-12.
By May 17, 2005, the Yanks had already gone on their tear, winning nine in a row to rise to 21-19. Still five behind the O's, who had pretty much stayed on pace. We were still 2.5 behind at 23-16.
So the difference is simply that the Yanks are somewhat worse and we're quite a bit better than at the same point in 2005. There's still plenty of time for them to get their act together, but it's no longer such a small sample to work from. Their hole is significantly deeper than it was in 2005.
I was reading comments on the Replacement Level blog and someone said the Yanks chances were rated (although I don't remember by whom) at 4%. Also not sure if that was to make the playoffs at all or to win the division, but either way, it furthers the point.
My take on gloating is that I will do it privately but won't get in Yankee fans' faces about it. Just a golden rule kind of thing -- I hate when people get in my face about Boston losing.
My take on gloating is that I will do it privately but won't get in Yankee fans' faces about it. Just a golden rule kind of thing -- I hate when people get in my face about Boston losing.
If a Red Sox venue like this one counts as private, I can say me too.
I can't imagine going to a Yankees blog to gloat. Anyone on either side of the rivalry who does that, if they're older than 12 years old, is ridiculous.
I don't have much opportunity to gloat in actual person anymore. But I never did it when I was a Yankees fan, I sure as hell wouldn't start now.
But I never did it when I was a Yankees fan, I sure as hell wouldn't start now.
Including in my own home, I might add.
Hansack, pitching tommorrow night, got that ...But no pitcher named for Sunday .....Holding Wake for Monday?
Saying maybe Gabbard on Sunday.......The Braves aren't the Marlins......
Interesting choices
NYY - 000 20
NYM - 100 02
Shemp hit a 2-run HR to give the MFY a 2-1 lead, but Chavez answered with a two-run bop in the 5th.
NYY - 000 200 0
NYM - 100 020 0
:>)
Man, you see those intangibles watching that strike 3? Jeter is awesome. And how he jumped out of the way of a pitch on the outside corner, brilliant strategy.
MFY 9th against Wagner:
Mr. April grounds out 6-3.
Dumbo whiffs on high heat.
Shemp beats out an infield single.
HGH strikes out.
Mets 3, MFY 2.
Red Sox lead AL East by 10 games!
10 GAME LEAD!
10 GAME LEAD!
10 GAME LEAD!
10 GAME LEAD!
10 GAME LEAD!
10 GAME LEAD!
10 GAME LEAD!
10 GAME LEAD!
10 GAME LEAD!
10 GAME LEAD!
10 GAME LEAD!
10 GAME LEAD!
Okajima's ERA+ is now up to 996!!!
you just kinda knew they were gonna lose ;)
GRRRRRRREAT SUCCESS!
And I didn't know that O-K! BLUE JAYS! LETS! PLAY! BALL! had that many lyrics, jesus.
looking forward to an afternoon of baseball and golf, followed by a night of baseball.
played a solid 5 hours of my buddy's wii system yesterday, chrissakes i feel like i just pitched a complete game. my shoulder's wrecked, son!
Lets not get cocky, with these rain outs our pitching staff will be stretched going into the Yankee series. It also looks like the Sox will face the top three of Wang, Mussina and Pettitte with Wakefield (even), Tavarez (Mussina) and Schilling (Pettitte).
The way the bats are not supporting Wake and Tavarez, most likely Schilling will be on the mound trying to stop the sweep.
s1c said:
The way the bats are not supporting Wake and Tavarez, most likely Schilling will be on the mound trying to stop the sweep.
What are you hungover?
What are you hungover?
Really. ... "Most likely"? Bah.
Let's not get cocky??? What planet are you on??
9casey said...
What are you hungover?
Actually, when you work 7 days a week at two jobs the drinking is pretty much limited to holidays. So no I am not hung over. If the Sox lose 2 of 3 (Smoltz and Hudson) and Yanks win both of the next two games and then sweep the Sox the lead is 5 1/2 which is not insurmountable.
L-girl said...
Let's not get cocky??? What planet are you on??
Last time I looked it was the planet Earth. I could have been transported to Bizarro World, especially since the Yankees are 10 games back for the first time since 1995. Enjoy the lead, but lets get through the next two weeks without losing 50$% of the games before we buy the playoff tickets.
As for the run support!!! Wakefield 8 games 32 runs
Tavarez 7 games 25 runs.
Yankees are still averaging over 4 runs per game.
But "the bats" don't really know who is pitching. They are pieces of wood.
The run support is more of a fluke than anything else.
If the Sox lose 2 of 3 (Smoltz and Hudson) and Yanks win both of the next two games and then sweep the Sox the lead is 5 1/2 which is not insurmountable.
(it could just as easily be 15 1/2)
Anyway, that's a lot of IFs. 8 to be exact.
One game at a time.
Redsock said
The run support is more of a fluke than anything else..
From the man who has posted the following "In Wakefield's last 11 starts -- going back to July 17 -- the Red Sox have scored 16 runs while he's been in the game."
Of course that was at game 33 of this year so every thing is now csme up rosy for Wakefield since then.
That sentence is a simple fact.
An oddity -- and worth noting for its simple existence.
Nothing more than that.
Last time I looked it was the planet Earth. I could have been transported to Bizarro World, especially since the Yankees are 10 games back for the first time since 1995. Enjoy the lead, but lets get through the next two weeks without losing 50$% of the games before we buy the playoff tickets.
Well, s1c, each to his/her own. You hold your breath and tote up the worst-case scenarios, I'll enjoy the present hilarity. Either way, we'll be watching the same games in September and October, but I'll have had a whole lot more fun than you.
Redsock said
The run support is more of a fluke than anything else..
From the man who has posted the following "In Wakefield's last 11 starts -- going back to July 17 -- the Red Sox have scored 16 runs while he's been in the game."
Did you interpret that to mean that Tim Wakefield must always get poor run support? Or that he will get poor run support in the future?
Of course it's a fluke. Huge differentials in run support are always coincidences - unless there's some consistency in matchups, which there are not.
First off, I am hugely enjoying this season. Every game, every win, every MFY loss. However, I am not counting my chickens until they hatch. If you look at any of my predictions for this year you will see that I picked the sox to win 95 games this year and the wild card. So, I thought that the Sox would be good this year.
I also thought the pitching would be good since I had Daisuke winning 16 games and not leading the staff.
To me its hard to start gloating when you have 12 games to play against the team behind you and you have 20 weeks left in the season. Once a lead is over 1 game per week left then I consider it safe, until then, I root hard for them to win. I try to temper my enthusiasm, and every time I see my father in law I say the words "how about them yankees?".
Damon drops a ball over the center field wall and Mets lead 6-2.
Damon drops a ball over the center field wall and Mets lead 6-2.
Didn't see that one, but ...
BWHAHAHAHA!
(I'm not booking any non-refundable hotel rooms in Boston for late October either, but damn, seeing the Yankees fall on their faces -- while we storm through the schedule -- is non-stop fun.)
s1c, I'm glad you're enjoying it. That's all that matters. My methods are a little different than yours, but my background is different, too.
I'm not really counting my chickens, as I know baseball is far too unpredictable, and life is far too strange.
But Allan and I have talked a lot about growing up as a Sox fan vs a Yankees fan, the pessimism vs the optimism, how it changes your outlook - on everything. I know in my head anything could happen to change the complexion of our season - but in my heart, we've already won the division. :)
By the way, I picked the Red Sox to win 102 games and the division.
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