April 18, 2008

G18: Red Sox 11, Rangers 3

Rangers - 001 002 000 -  3  6  1
Red Sox - 004 500 02x - 11 11 0
First things first: that 4 in the third inning? A first-pitch grand slam from David Ortiz! Good Times!

Mendoza had retired the first eight batters, but Lowrie ended the perfect-game bid with a two-out double to left. Ellsbury walked on four pitches, Pedroia walked on five, and Ortiz unloaded his bomb over the Wall in left. Love those rallies that start from nothing and two outs.

Boston put the game away in the fourth: Drew walked, Varitek doubled (5-1), Casey singled, Rupe replaced Mendoza, Lowrie hit a sacrifice fly (6-1), Ellsbury tripled to center (7-1) and Pedroia homered to left (9-1).

Mendoza recap:
First 8 batters: 0-for-8, all outs in the infield, 2 K

Next 9 batters: 8-for-9 in reaching base, 3 BB, 2 singles, 2 doubles, one grand slam HR, 7 runs
In the ninth, Casey doubled and Ellsbury walked (his third tonight). Ortiz's single to right brought in Casey and Ellsbury raced home when the relay throw was bobbled at first base.

Dice threw a lot of pitches once again (24-13-25 19-14-6) and was pulled after giving up a two-run dong to Blalock in the sixth. Lopez did well in his 1.2 IP, Aardsma left the bases loaded in the eighth (a single, two walks and 30 pitches), and Timlin got three quick outs in the ninth on 11 pitches.

Baltimore beat New York 8-2, dropping the Yankees (9-9) 2 GB the Red Sox.

***

Luis Mendoza (1.80, 237 ERA+) / Daisuke Matsuzaka (2.70, 166 ERA+)

It's the start of a seven-game homestand (Rangers and Angels). Time for Flo to start hittin'.

Mendoza was originally signed by Boston as a free agent in June 2000. He was sent to Texas for Bryan Corey at the 2006 trade deadline. Speaking of Corey, he has decided to become a free agent rather than accept a Pawtucket assignment.

Don't be fooled by Mendoza's ERA: in his five innings of work this season (April 12 against Toronto), the 24-year-old right-hander gave up eight hits, three walks and four runs (but only one earned run). He pitched in six games (16 IP) with Texas last season.

Mendoza's got a good sinker (low 90s) and an average changeup and curve. Lay off the sinker, and wait until he leaves his other pitches up the zone -- like we so often did with Jose Contreras -- and we should be off to the races.

Mike Lowell, who sprained his left thumb on April 9, is antsy:
I can't eat any more gum or chew any more seeds. ... The swelling is almost entirely gone. Grip strength is another issue. I think that's what we're tackling now. I figure if in eight or nine days the swelling has gone down this much, hopefully I can make the same progress in movement.
Before last night, Jonathan Papelbon had pitched 29.2 innings of scoreless relief in 27 career April appearances, allowing only 11 hits while striking out 42 batters.

586 comments:

«Oldest   ‹Older   401 – 586 of 586
laura k said...

Jere, the pasta report, please?

Patrick said...

Celery takes more energy to eat than it gives you. Don't take my word for it.

allan said...

o'brien forgetting that broussard was PH for last inning and is no longer playing 1B.

laura k said...

Weird: last night I had 201 and 401. Tonight, 401 again.

Benjamin said...

Didn't they use to be another incarnation of the Senators?

allan said...

I hate celery. Hate.

laura k said...

Jere, called the same name, Texas Rangers or a previous name?

Jere said...

Farfale mixed with penne, with ground up Boca burger and Newman's Own marinara sauce, plus a little brown sugar. (I learned from The Godfather to put sugar in the sauce. We only had brown sugar, but it still works.)

Pretty....pret-ty..pret-ty..good.

allan said...

cash and aardsma in

Jere said...

Team meaning franchise.

laura k said...

It can't give you much energy, it's mostly water. And it does take a lot of energy to eat, all the chewing. And if you're Allan, the puking.

Benjamin said...

If you use good tomatoes, you don't need to add sugar.

Benjamin said...

I assume the Senators used to be in the AL east, so yeah.

laura k said...

Franchise, the giveaway.

allan said...

Washington Senators (1891-1899), American Association & National League

Washington Senators (1901-1960), now the Minnesota Twins

Washington Senators (1961-1971), now the Texas Rangers

laura k said...

There is no reason to put sugar in tomato sauce. Godfather, shmodfather, good tomato sauce does not need sugar.

Jere said...

Yeah, Senators in AL East. So weird because I think of them as having existed only before divisional play. But the (second) Senators were there from '69-'71. When they moved to Tex and became the Rangers, they switched with the Brewers who had been in the AL West, which is also weird.

laura k said...

Hey, the Braves were in the West.

Benjamin said...

By his eighth game last year, Aardsma had an ERA of 0.77.

Jere said...

All this "need" talk about sugar in sauce.

I never said anything about need. It's just fun. To put sugar in stuff. And feel like you're doing something only mobsters know about.

Jere said...

Braves were in the west up until recently. 1992: How the west was won....

laura k said...

I meant to write the Atlanta Braves.

Patrick said...


Bradley's scary picture

laura k said...

Fun to put sugar in real food? Bleh. No need, no fun, no gangsters do it, either.

I actually don't know any gangsters, but I know a lot of Italian and Italian-American chefs and cooks, and you can be sure they don't put sugar in tomato sauce.

Benjamin said...

Bradley's a scary guy, but I'm not sure how that's a scary picture.

Jere said...

Yeah, Atlanta, in west until they broke into 3 divisions. Then they fixed that one.

Jere said...

1994 was the year the team in an east coast state finally got into the east division

Amy said...

Also, no onions in tomato sauce, according to the people I spoke to in Italy.

allan said...

i believe when the original senators moved, principal owner carl polhand said it was good because there weren't so many coloreds in minnesota.

Benjamin said...

8-2 O's after 7 1/2.

laura k said...

No onions. You don't need much, really.

laura k said...

So besides being a cheap bastard, Polhad was racist, too? Big surprise. Not.

Benjamin said...

A few onions are ok. A few mushrooms are ok.

Mostly you just need tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper, and maybe a little basil.

laura k said...

patrick showing off his new linkability

allan said...

quickly tired to find a link. no luck. was in a book though, i think.

Patrick said...

Timlin warning, no lead is safe.

Amy said...

Isn't it time to take Aardvark out?

laura k said...

I would say leave out the onions and mushrooms, but you need garlic.

laura k said...

Aardvark can finish this inning. But please, please, no WF tonight!!

Patrick said...

Timlin took a seat. put that asprin away.

johngoldfine said...

If the tomatoes are so acid, you're tempted to use sugar, you've got the wrong tomatoes. Putting sugar in makes sauce taste like the vinegar/sugar hiccup cure.

But I'd put in everything except sugar.

Amy said...

The way my friends in Italy made the sauce was with nothing but tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, maybe a bit of seasoning. Nothing else.

laura k said...

Yeah, leave 'em loaded.

Amy said...

Phew, good idea leaving him in. :)

Jere said...

I was using jarred sauce, anyway.

Patrick said...

We should save Okaji for another night.

Benjamin said...

Yes, garlic.

Not saying to add onions or mushrooms, but you wouldn't strictly ruin it if you did.

allan said...

Wait, it was Clark Griffith who said that.

Also found a note that after "an infamously racist speech given at a Lions Club dinner in 1978" Rod Carew left and signed with the Angels saying that he wasn't going to work on "Massa Calvin's plantation" anymore.

laura k said...

I am with Amy's Italian friends, as I learned to make tomato sauce from Italians, too. Tomatoes, EVOO, garlic, salt & pepper. Fresh basil is ok. Nothing else.

Which is not to say I do this. I open a jar of Newman's Own. But when I did... or perhaps will again one day... this is how.

laura k said...

Oh Clark Griffith. He was notorious. Famous for his virulent racism.

Benjamin said...

Hopefully we won't suck on Nippert.

laura k said...

I should have realized it was Griffith from the teams, wasn't thinking. Sorry Mr. Polhad, you cheap fuck.

Patrick said...

SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOD

johngoldfine said...

I don't want a minimalist sauce, amy--it's got to be encyclopedic around here.

laura k said...

Nipper! You know who Nipper is? The RCA Victor dog.

Rob said...

37,902... gasp. A new record since WWII.

laura k said...

suck on nippert. phrenile :)

Jere said...

No, Nipper is a mustachioed Red Sox pitcher from the mid-80s.

Jere said...

Casey once again using all fields tonight.

laura k said...

But the encyclopedia stuff goes on the pasta, not in the sauce.

Mayor McDouble!

Benjamin said...

That's probably tomato concasse, not tomato sauce, by the way.

laura k said...

Nipper is also the RCA Victor dog, who I love.

allan said...

Nope, still wrong. It was Calvin Griffith:

"I'll tell you why we came to Minnesota. It was when we found out you only had 15,000 blacks here. Black people don't go to ballgames, but they'll fill up a rassling ring and put up such a chant it'll scare you to death. We came here because you've got good, hardworking white people here."

That was the speech that led to Carew's departure.

Benjamin said...

So no votes for calling Lowrie "Mountaineer"? Barely kept his family fed?

laura k said...

YOu know who I mean.

In the 80s there were some ads with a real dog who looked just like this, and a puppy - Chipper - to die for.

allan said...

Apparently Clark was not racist --not outwardly anyway.

laura k said...

The Mountaineer is good. Something else may present itself.

Jere said...

"Nipper is also the RCA Victor dog, who I love."

I was just stickin' to the "this is how stuff is done and it's set in stone" theme of the night.

As I licked my sugary tomato sauce lips.

johngoldfine said...

l-girl--very popular pup around the turn of the 20th century, but the breed has become the breed that dares not speak its name today....

laura k said...

I knew it was a C Griffith associated w/ that team. I didn't know there were two of them.

Jere said...

Grilled Cheese is still looking for a person to become attached to.

laura k said...

Anybody remember those ads with the two dogs? They were watching TV together.

Rob said...

EVOO

Very good, Rachel Ray.

I go for the Hunt's garlic and herb speghetti sauce in a can. The 99 cent kind. It's actually really good. I like putting together simple foods. I don't like chunks of tomato in my sauce. I like garlic. No mushrooms. No celery. No onions. My dad makes amazing meatball patties (ground pork, bread crumbs, shredded cheese, garlic, oregano, basil, etc.), and with a bit of garlic bread or ciabatta bread... That's an amazing dinner.

allan said...

I knew it was a C Griffith associated w/ that team. I didn't know there were two of them.

damn white people with similar names. hard to tell 'em apart.

laura k said...

John GF, what are you talking about? Not pit bulls, I hope? I am a huge fan of pits, they are amazing dogs. But perhaps you mean something else I'm not getting.

laura k said...

Ish! The expression EVOO predates Rachel Ray by several decades. (As do I!)

Rob said...

Ellsbury has had three walks tonight... 11 on the season so far.

allan said...

lyndon on for the 4th time tonight.

Jere said...

Surprisingly, "poop" gives you the soap kid, and not the brown screen.

Rob said...

Ish! The expression EVOO predates Rachel Ray by several decades. (As do I!)

Heh, I know it. But every time I hear EVOO I think of Rachel Ray.

johngoldfine said...

I think Nipper is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier which isn't all that much different from a pit bull as I understand it. I'm a secret fan of pit bulls too.

Jere said...

You know who was a real pit bull on the mound, was that Al Nipper.

allan said...

Did I hear that Toasty McWhiteflag is standing around waiting to come in for the 9th?

laura k said...

Oh ok. (Re EVOO)

Benjamin said...

l, here's a Chinese version.

johngoldfine said...

Yeah, the pit bull on the mound and the fire plug behind the plate....

Benjamin said...

Still 8-2 after 8 1/2.

Rob said...

Ortiz may need to bang a deuce and a half to make me feel okay about Toast coming into this game.

laura k said...

I don't think Nipper is a Staffy.

Pits can be Staffies, APBT (American Pit Bull Terriers), Bull Terriers, and a few other breeds. Altogether we call them Bully Boys.

You can see a pic of our Bully Boy, now gone, here my avatar.

Amy said...

OK, I give up. What is EVDO? Tried googling it and got a bunch of technological mumbo jumbo.

BTW, I haven't made tomato sauce in years, but that's how I made it when I did.

Whoa, Papi is BACK!

Jere said...

Thurston coming up!

Rob said...

Castig calls the ball getting away, the picture shows Papi on first, meanwhile Lyndon is in the dugout.

Benjamin said...

Welcome back, Papi. We missed you.

laura k said...

Whoa! More RBIs for Papi, and LBJ scores again. This is fun.

Patrick said...

BWAHAHAHAHHA!!!

Rob said...

Amy - EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil

laura k said...

Amy, it's EVOO. Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Benjamin said...

evoo = extra virgin olive oil.

Amy said...

Ahhhh, thanks, Ish. Just could not decode that. Now feeling really stupid.

[Putting head down in shame.]

Patrick said...

Amy, I didn't know either.

Rob said...

Every time Joe talks about a player and what minor league teams he came up in, I think of Star Wars.

He came up in the Cardinals system.

"Look, R2. The Dagoba system."

Jere said...

I learned EVOO in 2008. Like, a month ago Kim told me.

allan said...

top 9 at camden, mfy down 8-2.

laura k said...

For the best info (and amazing pictures) of Bully Boys (and Girls), see Bad Rap, my favourist animal rescue org. It's out Zenslinger's way.

Amy said...

Watch out, Patrick. You and I may get lectured on our failure to know cooking terms. :)

laura k said...

That's favourtist. As in most favourite.

Patrick said...

lots of talk about good cooking and I'm making phoney lasagna from a box.

Rob said...

Ahhhh, thanks, Ish. Just could not decode that. Now feeling really stupid.

I'm no good with acronyms.

Benjamin said...

EVDO = Evolution Data Optimized/Only.

Amy said...

So do you say it EE-VEW or just spell it out? I want to be able to impress my friends (who know I never cook).

laura k said...

No shame to not know what EVOO is, especially if you thought it was EVDO, that would be very hard to decode!

Jere said...

1-2-3 ninth, come on.

laura k said...

You spell it out, Eee Vee Oh Oh.

Benjamin said...

Is Timlin actually throwing 93mph?

Amy said...

Yeah, Phrenile, that's what I found. It sure didn't sound like something to put in tomato sauce. Even sugar and onions would be better.

laura k said...

There's an EVDO? Figures. There's an acronym for everything. My favourite is TLA.

Amy said...

So my real problem is not being able to tell a D from an O.

Back to kindergarten.

Jere said...

LMB, EVOO

johngoldfine said...

http://www.amazon.com/Bandit-Dossier-Dangerous-Vicki-Hearne/dp/158579046X

You might like this, l-girl.

Rob said...

Seems like whenever Lyndon's got that one sleeve, he plays very well.

allan said...

One out.

Timlin ERA Watch: From 27.00 to 23.63.

Amy said...

TLA? hmmm

Give a context.

Patrick said...

another link lesson L

laura k said...

I've read that, thanks. :)

allan said...

GDGD had 3 of those 6 pitches as 93 fastballs. Another one at 91.

Rob said...

Wow. For once, John Sterling didn't say "Ballgame over." When the ballgame... was over.

But... it is over!

Benjamin said...

Thaaaaaaa Yankees lose. 8-2.

Jere said...

One out away from a win and one out away from a Yankee loss.

Rob said...

GDGD had 3 of those 6 pitches as 93 fastballs. Another one at 91.

NESN concurs.

laura k said...

Oh man, I can't do the link lesson again tonight! :)

TLA: "LOL is my favourite TLA."

Not true, but an example for context.

allan said...

to kinsler
91 cutter
93 fb
94 fb

era ... dropping: 21.00

Jere said...

And Jeter ends it.

And we end it.

Sweet!

laura k said...

Great win! A laugher.

Rob said...

and BOOF. About as quickly as Pluto stopped being a planet... The Red Sox are 2 games ahead of the Yankees.

Benjamin said...

Wow. Guess we'll have Timlin to kick around some more.

allan said...

Good work from Mike "the Mop".

allan said...

Jeter -- Cap't 27.

(27th out, that is)

Amy said...

Nice! We win.

Well, I am sad that I will miss the next three, though I may catch the two day games in the car as we go back and forth to destinations. But not likely any game threading.

It just won't be the same. So much educational stuff here! What was that foreskin torture thing from last night? Tomato sauce tonight and pit bulls. Where could we possibly go from here!

laura k said...

Our range of material is amazing. Have a good trip.

TLA = three letter acronym :)

Jere said...

"Guess we'll have Timlin to kick around some more."

Some of us realize he's just a normal, fairly good, not bad, pitcher who fits in totally fine with this team and is looking to win his third ring with us in '08.

Jere said...

TLA:

That's like when TLA bands were out of control, and finally bands would just call themselves "ATI": Any Three Initials.

Benjamin said...

Kynodesme and tomato sauce don't mix.

laura k said...

Is JohnGoldfine calling me I-girl or is that lower case? John, it's L-girl. Blogger can be so annoying in this view.

Time to take care of some pups. Good night all!

Rob said...

Kynodesme and tomato sauce don't mix.

One could stir the other.

Amy said...

Thanks! And happy Passover to all. Whether you like it or not.

laura k said...

Some of us realize he's just a normal, fairly good, not bad, pitcher who fits in totally fine with this team and is looking to win his third ring with us in '08.

And everyone besides you knows that he SUCKS.

laura k said...

pointy penises and tomato sauce. who would have guessed it.

Rob said...

pointy penises and tomato sauce. who would have guessed it.

Hey, if David Eckstein could play baseball, I'm sure a penis could stir tomato sauce.

Jere said...

L: The joke's getting old. Are you really gonna judge a guy (who did fine last year) on three innings pitched? I really don't get this, other than he's a right wing guy off the field. If we hated all those types, we wouldn't be fans of many players at all.

Benjamin said...

This blog really needs more penis content.

laura k said...

Jere, I was not joking. Not at all. Timlin is long past his prime and a complete liability in the pen. I don't understand why you don't know that, but please, I am not joking.

laura k said...

Phrenile, one of the reasons I like it here is because it's not very penisy and ballsy. I hope it doesn't get more penisy.

Not a big fan.

laura k said...

Hey, I'm not talking about his politics AT ALL. I am only talking about his pitching. I don't go in for that stuff. I never call Mussina "the bigot" or whathisname "the Nazi". I hate that crap, because we don't know much about any of these people. I don't like Timlin's politics, what I know of them, but I am only talking about his pitching, and I'm sure that's the case for everyone else on JoS who cringes when they see him warming.

Rob said...

one of the reasons I like it here is because it's not very penisy and ballsy. I hope it doesn't get more penisy.

Fun to joke about once in awhile, but I think we're a group who won't let that sort of thing get out of hand.

That's why we shift to tomato sauce. And pit bulls.

laura k said...

Well, I'll leave this to other Timlin-haters to sort out. I gotta go take care of my dogs. Good night again!

9casey said...

I'm with Jere , Timlin has equity with me also........

and Timlin also has this:
As of 2007, Timlin is the only active player to have played on four non-New York Yankees championship teams: (the 1992 and 1993 Toronto Blue Jays and the 2004 and 2007 Boston Red Sox).

Jere said...

Fine, so what's it based on? If we had some horrible, shitty pitcher on our team, I'd want him out of here. But Timlin isn't horrible. People were pissed after one appearance. I think giving it a little while is fine. He can obviously still throw the baseball.

allan said...

and Timlin also has this:
As of 2007, Timlin is the only active player to have played on four non-New York Yankees championship teams: (the 1992 and 1993 Toronto Blue Jays and the 2004 and 2007 Boston Red Sox)


All other Timlin matters aside, that seems really close to the "count the rings!!11!!1" talk of Yankees fans.

Jere said...

9casey immediately proves the "everybody" theory wrong. As does the team who signed him to play for us this year.

Look, if he pitches horribly, for an extended period and proves he's' done, I'll be happy to say he should go.

Rob said...

I think giving it a little while is fine. He can obviously still throw the baseball.

93 on the gun was good to see tonight. It means he just needs to refine the movement and selection of his pitches, and location location location. And he'll be fine.

allan said...

Fine, so what's it based on? If we had some horrible, shitty pitcher on our team, I'd want him out of here. But Timlin isn't horrible. People were pissed after one appearance.

Some people like him and want him around, some people thinks he's toast and want him gone.

There are things that can make both cases.

That's baseball. Simple as that.

allan said...

How can Timlin be any good if he's called "Toasty McWhiteflag"?

Point me.

Benjamin said...

Another option for Lowrie: "mind trick".

allan said...

Seriously - if anyone wants to do some work on Timlin's appearances -- how he did when given an x-run lead -- over the last few seasons -- I'd love to see it.

Not season stats or anything, but how he did in high leverage vs low leverage spots.

Jere said...

"Some people like him and want him around, some people thinks he's toast and want him gone.

There are things that can make both cases.

That's baseball. Simple as that."

I totally agree.

Rob said...

18 hours since the end of the 22 inning game - Rox/Pads, with the Rockies winning that game 2-1...

Tonight:
Colorado 9, Houston 4, Top 8th.
San Diego 0, Arizona 7, Top 4th.

9casey said...

redsock said...


All other Timlin matters aside, that seems really close to the "count the rings!!11!!1" talk of Yankees fans.


The guy helps teams win....who would you rather have in that spot..
Hansen? Corey? Snyder? Hawkins? Bruney? Heilman? Farnsworth? the list can go on and on for medicore relief pitchers who hunt...

allan said...

Mod back on while I go eat food.

allan said...

who would you rather have in that spot..

That's a different question.

Being on WS winners doesn't necessarily mean anything. If it did, Clay Bellinger and Chad Curtis were better players than Ted Williams and Ernie Banks.

P.S.: Hansen is doing great work in Pawtucket.

9casey said...

redsock said...

P.S.: Hansen is doing great work in Pawtucket

Through 9 innings

In 2007 he walked 32 in 51 innings
I'd rather watch Timlin give up solo shots to HGH the watch Hansen walk the ballpark.....as you can see walks irritate the living shit out of me....

laura k said...

Well, anytime anyone says "everyone" it's going to be wrong, so I shouldn't have said that.

I have a feeling his inherited runners scoring stats are pretty bad.

The number of championship rings a player has really has no part in any discussion of baseball worth. Ted Williams had none. Let's leave that count to Yankee fans.

Also, I didn't say Timlin had never been good. Of course he had value, and for many years.

I do think that whatever value he has left - whatever good he may do - will be far outweighed by the price we will pay for keeping him and for Tito continuing to use him.

laura k said...

The guy helps teams win

This doesn't make any sense. You must know that. He's not a good luck charm.

Two of those rings were in 92 and 93. He's not the same pitcher - it's not possible.

He's been *on* four championship teams, but you can't use that as a judgement of his current value.

laura k said...

Look, if he pitches horribly, for an extended period and proves he's' done, I'll be happy to say he should go.

I thought he proved it last year. He pitched horribly for an extended period in 07.

The people who want Timlin gone are not reacting to his recent HRs served up to Giambi. It's not like you just started hearing negative talk about Timlin this year. Many of us were saying this through most of last season. It's cumulative.

He had some good appearances last year, but they were outweighed by the bad.

Benjamin said...

Royce Clayton has more world series rings than A-rod.

laura k said...

Are you really gonna judge a guy (who did fine last year) on three innings pitched?

Jere, do you not remember all the Timlin-plaining here last year? It was last year we gave him the name Toast and White Flag. Not after three innings pitched in '08 - after many games pitched in '07.

Sorry to go back to this older comment, but I misread it before. I didn't realize you were saying that I (and others) were judging Timlin based on 1 or 2 appearances in '08.

Benjamin said...

Timlin '07 first half and Timlin '07 second half were two completely different pitchers. If Timlin wants to get all his sucking out of the way by April instead of July, I'm cool with that.

9casey said...

L-girl said...
"The guy helps teams win

This doesn't make any sense. You must know that. He's not a good luck charm. "


He may not be, but I think teams , championship teams, are made up a lot of different ingredients, this organization wants him here thats obvious, so they must think that he offers something..


redsock said...
"Being on WS winners doesn't necessarily mean anything. If it did, Clay Bellinger and Chad Curtis were better players than Ted Williams and Ernie Banks."


Really, they are role players , every team through every season needs them, you can't question that...
some guys just bring a little something to help teams win .....Timlin might just be the guy who keeps Bot loose all game long and makes rookies feel like veterans, They like his presence , and it may never ,this season, work on the field but I think it works in different ways.....

What I think I am saying is Championship Teams are made by a lot of things we never see.........

9casey said...

I have spoken way too much about Mike Timlin......G'Night all......

allan said...

What I think I am saying is Championship Teams are made by a lot of things we never see

Absolutely. No question about it.

s1c said...

What a game!!!

Ok, didn't join the game thread because was in the dungeon with the lights off and the TV on trying to get rest between jobs, but have some thoughts on tonights game.

1) Papi dong was great, though I thought we would have some different sayings! Was looking for dong slam or slam the dong. Was interesting watching the way the players greeted him, all high fives/tens and then Lowrie slaps him on the butt.

2) Timlin has been a solid contributor to the Sox since '03 so he probably should get some love, but he is on the downside and scares the hell out of me every time he comes into a close game vs good hitters. I prefer him in the mop up category, but knowing Francona it ain't happening (see Millar 05 while Olerud was sitting on the bench).

3) The kids can play, it excites me no end to think of Lowrie, LBJ and FY terrorizing the league for the next 4-5 years!

4) Worst trade in Theo's tenure, Murphy and Gabbard for Gagme.

5) Remy has a massive one for the kids!

6) Any tomato sauce has to have evoo and garlic, fresh mushrooms are always enjoyed but no onions in the sauce with sugar, unless you really want it to be sweet.

s1c said...

oh, one more thing, not sure if you guys saw this at Baseball Musings. Pretty good stuff about Jackie R. and Latino players.

andy said...

What matters to me is that Gagne got a ring because he helped us to the win. I also love Timlin because of the good stuff he gave us for so long but come one he needs to be put out to pasture. bring up a new minor leaguer. this is the time to bring up the rest of that pawtucket team. Isn't it funny that our AAA team could probably have won this game today themselves. 2004-2008 PawSox vs AL/NL All Star team?

laura k said...

What I think I am saying is Championship Teams are made by a lot of things we never see

Yes, that has to be true. I absolutely agree.

However, "they put him on the team, so he must be good" isn't much of an argument. No one is an infallible decision maker. You're saying everyone the FO ever wanted on the team was a good choice simply because "they wanted him there"?

laura k said...

s1c, thanks for that link - it looks good, I'll read it.

Amy said...

Sorry I missed the Timlin debate. I do remember him doing well the second half of the season. In fact, I was puzzled when I first started reading JOS by the reference to him as White Flag.

So far he has had two decent innings and two dreadful innings this season. If he were 25, I'd say give him a shot. Look at Buchholz, for example. But at 41 (42?), I don't think he is going to improve, just get worse. If his performance is now at 50%, that seems too risky.

Now I am a sentimenalist, and anyone on the 2004 team has a place in my heart (except Damon), but even I think it's time for Timlin to be a pitching coach, not a pitcher.

(Will anyone even see this, now that it is tomorrow? Oh, well, always nice to talk to myself!)

laura k said...

I saw it.

«Oldest ‹Older   401 – 586 of 586   Newer› Newest»