G151: Rays 2, Red Sox 1

Red Sox - 000 001 000 - 1  5  0
Rays    - 000 000 101 - 2  5  1

This was a tough loss to take after Beckett (8-3-1-1-7, 95) and Sonnanstine (6-3-1-2-5, 93) locked horns in another duel.

Justin Masterson came in for the ninth, as Beckett is still on a bit of a pitch count leash. Jason Bartlett blooped an 0-2 pitch over Kevin Youkilis into short right field to start things off. On a 1-1 pitch, Carlos Pena swung and missed, but the strike was disallowed, as the umpires said a ball had rolled onto the infield grass (from the left field bullpen, I suppose).

However, the replay showed the ball rolling into view while Masterson was getting the ball back from Jason Varitek, well after Pena's swing. There was no way Pena could have been distracted. So with the count back to 1-1, Masterson fell behind 3-1, got a swing and miss, then walked Pena on a close inside pitch.

Evan Longoria struck out looking for the first out. Masterson quickly got ahead of Cliff Floyd 0-2 before hitting him in the front foot, a wild pitch that loaded the bases and put the potential winning run at third. Both the infield and outfield played in. Masterson's 2-2 pitch to Dioner Navarro seemed to have little bite or movement, and he cranked it over Coco Crisp's head in center for the game-winning single.

The Red Sox are back to 1 GB. ... The White Sox beat the Yankees 6-2. Cleveland beat the Twins 12-9 in 11 innings. Minnesota stays 7 GB Boston in the wild card race.

***

Josh Beckett (4.10, 111 ERA+) / Andy Sonnanstine (4.47, 97 ERA+)

Ellsbury, LF      Iwamura, 2B
Pedroia, 2B       Bartlett, SS
Ortiz, DH         Pena, 1B
Youkilis, 1B      Longoria, 3B
Lowell, 3B        Floyd, DH 
Kotsay, RF        Navarro, C
Lowrie, SS        Hinske, LF
Varitek, C        Gross, RF
Crisp, CF         Perez, CF

Beckett has made two starts since getting a clean bill of health regarding his shoulder:

           IP   H   R  ER  BB   K  PIT
0905 @TEX   5   4   0   0   0   7   80
0910  TBR   6   6   1   1   2   7   84
           11  10   1   1   2  14

Sonnanstine, who also started that game last Wednesday, was a little bit better (7-4-1-0-7, and the run was unearned) as the Rays won in 14 innings.

***

White Sox/Yankees at 7
Twins/Cleveland at 7

East                     Magic #
Rays       88  60   ---
Red Sox    89  61   ---    14
Blue Jays  80  70   9.0     4
Yankees    80  70   9.0     4
Orioles    66  82  22.5     E
  
Wild Card                Magic #
Rays       88  60   ---
Red Sox    89  61   ---
Twins      82  68   7.0     6
Blue Jays  80  70   9.0     4
Yankees    80  70   9.0     4
  
White Sox  83  66   5.0     8
Lead AL Central by 1.5

Drew Improving, May Play Friday

Tampa Bay holds a barely-visible .002 lead over the Red Sox in the AL East. Soxaholix:

Gee, I wondah when Pythagoras is going to catch up to the Rays? Ah, how about right fucking now?

BP gives the Red Sox a slight edge at winning the division: 50.2 to 49.8, while Cool Standings has the Rays with better odds: 53.0 to 47.0.

J.D. Drew will likely return to the Red Sox today, but although Terry Francona says there is "marked improvement" with Drew's back, the earliest Drew would play would be Friday in Toronto.

The last time the Red Sox hit six home runs in a game was against the Orioles on August 3, 2003 (David Ortiz 2, Johnny Damon, Trot Nixon, Bill Mueller, Doug Mirabelli). Despite those six dongs, Boston scored only seven runs (and won 7-5).

Mike Timlin now holds the record for career relief appearances by a right-handed pitcher, with 1,051. "It's something I've been kind of eyeballing all year." Now will he retire? ... Blogger Paul SF is not as cranky as I am and he appreciates Timlin.

Since the All-Star break, Mike Lowell has hit .224 and slugged .360. He spoke about the partially torn labrum in his right hip and the possibility of off-season surgery after the season: "It bothers me every time I run and make a few steps defensively. It's more of a grab and a nag, as opposed to excruciating pain." It's time to move him down in the batting order. There is no reason on earth to continue to bat him ahead of Jason Bay.

Jonathan Papelbon says he is fine and wishes his critics would remember that he's human and stfu, not necessarily in that order. ... The Red Sox are considering moving Bartolo Colon to the pen for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.

The Herald's Steve Buckley asks: "If the plucky, exciting Tampa Bay Rays make the playoffs, shouldn't their games be moved to a place where fans actually care about the product? The Rays are averaging 21,573 fans per game -- better than only the A's and Royals. Last night's attendance was only 29,772.

With nothing better to do with his time, Dumbo revisits the 2003 ALCS brawl and Pedro Martinez fires back.

G150: Red Sox 13, Rays 5

Red Sox - 400 711 000 - 13 11  0
Rays    - 001 002 200 -  5  7  0

Six home runs for the Red Sox -- including three in the fourth inning -- help Boston rout Kazmir (3-6-9-4-2, 72) in one of the worst starts of his career.

It also moved the Red Sox into a virtual tie for first place in the AL East.

            W   L   PCT    GB
Rays       88  60  .595   ---
Red Sox    89  61  .593   ---
Blue Jays  80  70  .533   9.0
Yankees    80  70  .533   9.0
Orioles    66  82  .446  22.0

Kazmir was in trouble as soon as he took the mound. He walked Coco Crisp on four pitches. He walked Dustin Pedroia on four pitches. David Ortiz crushed a 1-1 pitch for a three-run homer. After Kevin Youkilis lined to left, Mike Lowell (who told the media before the game he has been playing with a partially torn labrum in his right hip) bashed a dong to left.

Red Dot got through the next two frames, but he was pulled after failing to retiring any of the first five batters in the fourth. Jason Bay hit a first-pitch home run to center (that got stuck in one of the catwalks and never came down), Jed Lowrie walked, Jason Varitek homered (giving him the most career HRs hit by a Red Sox catcher, with 158), Jacoby Ellsbury singled, and Crisp doubled.

At this point, Mitch Talbot came out of the pen for his major league debut. Pedroia singled in a run, Ortiz's fielder's choice scored another, and Youkilis hit a tater to deep left. 11-1 in the middle of the fourth! ... Ellsbury homered in the fifth and back-to-back doubles from Ortiz and Youkilis finished the Red Sox scoring.

Again, the entire starting lineup chipped in:

Crisp:    2B, 3 BB, 2 RS
Pedroia:  1B, 2 BB, RBI, RS
Ortiz:    HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 3 RS
Youkilis: HR, 2B, 3 RBI, RS
Lowell:   HR, RBI, RS
Bay:      HR, RBI, RS
Lowrie:   3 BB, RS
Varitek:  HR, RS, 2 RBI
Ellsbury: HR, 1B, RBI, 2 RS

Dice left after five innings (5-3-1-2-7, 101). Chris Smith allowed four runs in his two innings (two-run home runs from Justin Ruggiano and Dan Johnson) and Mike Timlin and David Pauley each tossed a scoreless frame.

The Yankees beat the White Sox 4-2 and Cleveland beat the Twins 3-1.

Boston is now tied for 1st place in the East (actually .002 behind the Rays) and 7 GA in the wild card. The Red Sox have 12 games remaining in the regular season.

***

Daisuke Matsuzaka (2.97, 153 ERA+) / Scott Kazmir (2.99, 145 ERA+)

1 GB with 13 left to play. The existence of the wild card saps a lot of the excitement from this series -- imagine if it was win the division or go home -- but it should still be very tense and entertaining.

Boston has to win at least two of these three games -- in a park where they are 0-6 this year -- to be in a position to win the division. A 2-1 record would leave the Red Sox tied for first place with 10 games left. Going 1-2 would leave them 2 GB -- not a great position, considering the Rays' last eight games are against the lowly Orioles and Tigers. And a Tampa Bay sweep would all but eliminate the Red Sox from the East race, 4 GB with 10 to go.

Last Tuesday, Kazmir (6-5-2-3-4, 108) faced Dice (5-8-3-4-5, 102) at Fenway. Tampa won the game 5-4.

Reamining Schedule

         BOS      TBR
0915   @ TBR    v Bos
0916   @ TBR    v Bos
0917   @ TBR    v Bos
0918            v Min
0919   @ Tor    v Min
0920   @ Tor    v Min
0921   @ Tor    v Min
0922   v Cle    @ Bal
0923   v Cle    @ Bal (2)
0924   v Cle    @ Bal
0925   v Cle    @ Det
0926   v NYY    @ Det
0927   v NYY    @ Det
0928   v NYY    @ Det

The second game of Tampa Bay's doubleheader next Tuesday against Baltimore is a makeup of an April 2 rainout.

***

White Sox/Yankees at 7
Twins/Cleveland at 7

East
Rays       88  59   ---   Magic #
Red Sox    88  61   1.0     14
Blue Jays  80  70   9.5      5
Yankees    79  70  11.0      5
Orioles    66  82  22.5      E
 
Wild Card
Red Sox    88  61   ---   Magic #
Twins      82  67   6.0      8
Blue Jays  80  70   8.5      5
Yankees    79  70   9.0      5
  
White Sox  82  65   5.0     10
Lead AL Central

G149: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 3

Blue Jays - 100 000 002 - 3  7  1
Red Sox -   110 000 11x - 4  7  0

Lester (8-4-1-2-6, 103) outdueled Halladay (7-6-3-0-5, 116) and an eighth-inning triple by David Ortiz and a sac fly from Kevin Youkilis gave Boston enough of a edge to withstand a rally against Jonathan Papelbon.

Lester's only blemish was a solo dong from Jose Bautisia in the first. Over the next seven innings, only three Jays reached second base -- and none of them got to third.

Boston tied the game quickly in the first on Jacoby Ellsbury's single and stolen base, a bunt from Dustin Pedroia and a groundout from Ortiz. Coco Crisp singled in runs in both the second and seventh innings. Halladay was working on three days rest and ended up throwing many more picthes than usual in the early innings (16-26-16).

The Yankees beat the Rays 8-4, so the Red Sox are 1 GB with 13 games remaining -- and the next three against the team they are chasing.

***

Roy Halladay (2.77, 154 ERA+) / Jon Lester (3.23, 140 ERA+)

Ellsbury, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Youkilis, 1B
Lowell, 3B
Bay, LF
Varitek, C
Cora, SS
Crisp, CF

Halladay and Lester faced each other on April 29, at Fenway:

           IP   H   R  BB   K   PIT
Halladay  8.2   5   1   1   6   112
Lester    8.0   1   0   4   6    97

Kevin Youkilis's single in the bottom of the ninth gave Boston a 1-0 win.

Last month, Halladay faced the Sox on August 16 (9-7-1-1-4, 111); he also had a start on April 6 (8-8-4-1-6, 107). Lester had a horrible outing against Toronto on August 23 (2.1-8-7-2-2, 78). It's the one truly dark spot on his 2008 resume, but in his three starts since that shelling, Lester has allowed only two runs in 19.1 innings (0.93 ERA).

Kottaras Watch: From the Globe:

Marie Kottaras was walking through the furniture section of a Sears in Toronto yesterday when she caught a glimpse of the Red Sox game on one of the televisions. It was at that moment that she saw her son, George, walking up to the plate. "They were there for an hour and a half watching the game," George said. "They said they were sitting on the recliners."

It was a doubleheader, so there was at least a decent chance Kottaras might see some action. Why were his parents wandering around a Sears?

SoSH has an interesting thread about Byrd and Beckett possibly tipping their pitches or the Blue Jays expertly stealing signs; most of the thread is from mid-August, but there is some stuff from yesterday as well.

***

The Rays split their doubleheader with the Yankees (7-1, 5-6) and the Twins swept the Orioles (12-2, 12-6). The White Sox's two games against the Tigers were washed out.

Rays/Yankees at 1
Twins/Orioles at 1:30
Tigers/White Sox at 2
Tigers/White Sox at 8

East
Rays       88  58   ---   Magic #
Red Sox    87  61   2.0     14
Blue Jays  80  69   9.5      6
Yankees    78  70  11.0      5
Orioles    65  82  23.5      E
 
Wild Card
Red Sox    87  61   ---   Magic #
White Sox  81  65   5.0     11
Twins      82  66   5.0     10
Blue Jays  80  69   7.5      7
Yankees    78  70   9.0      6

RIP, DFW

David Foster Wallace, the author of my favorite book of all time -- Infinite Jest -- committed suicide Friday night, hanging himself at his home in Claremont, California. He was 46.

I first saw this unconfirmed report at about 7 PM -- and I think I audibly gasped. Since then, I have felt vaguely ill, with a knot of dread in my stomach. It was only about an hour ago that I figured it out -- I'm heartbroken.

***

New York Times
Los Angeles Times

G148: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 5

Blue Jays - 050 000 000 - 5  7  1
Red Sox   - 200 001 13x - 7 11  2

The Red Sox rally to overcome Colon's unsteady second inning and split the twinbill.

Dustin Pedroia got three hits -- giving him 200 for the season. Jacoby Ellsbury singled, doubled, walked and scored three runs. His infield hit -- a play on which Scott Downs fell down on the grass -- gave the Red Sox the lead in the eighth inning.

***

Jesse Litsch (3.70, 115 ERA+) / Bartolo Colon (4.09, 111 ERA+)

Game 2 of the day-nighter.

MLB:

Litsch pitched the nightcap of Tuesday's day-night doubleheader against the White Sox ... He scattered six hits over seven innings and allowed two runs ... He's been dominant since his return from a short Minor League stint, allowing just five earned runs over 35.2 innings. He has faced Boston twice this year with great success, going 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA in those starts. ...

Colon last pitched on June 16 against the Phillies before heading to the disabled list with stiffness in his lower back. He's pitched admirably for Triple-A Pawtucket during his rehab starts, going 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA in seven starts -- including a postseason start against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. That particular start against the Yankees in the Governors' Cup semifinals was his finest -- a 7.2 inning performance, allowing no runs on just two hits.

Kottaras Is 3rd Canadian-Born Red Sox Catcher

George Kottaras made his major league debut in the first game of Saturday's day-night doubleheader against the Blue Jays. The Scarborough, Ontario native is the third Canadian-born catcher to play for the Red Sox -- and the only one to play for the team at Fenway Park.

Kottaras (#68) took over behind the plate in the 7th inning. He was 0-for-2. He struck out swinging in his first at-bat, but reached on a wild pitch and came around to score Boston's only run in a 8-1 loss. He recorded three putouts, all strikeouts by Devern Hansack.

Looking at BR's list of players from Canada, I counted 21 who played for Boston, including 11 pitchers.

Here are the three Canadian-born catchers in Red Sox history:

                        G    AVG    OBP    SLG
Art McGovern     1905  15   .114   .204   .136
Frank Owens      1905   1   0-for-2
George Kottaras  2008   1   0-for-2

Those 15 games were the extent of McGovern's major league career. He made his debut on April 21 and ended up going 5-for-44, with four singles, one double, and one RBI. He died ten years later, at the age of 33, in Danvers, Mass.

Frank Owens's one game for the Red Sox was his major league debut, at age 19. It came on September 11. McGovern's last major league game came less than one month later, on October 3.

Owens was released in February 1906, but returned to the bigs in 1909 with the White Sox. He also played two years in the Federal League: 1914 (Brooklyn Tip-Tops) and 1915 (Baltimore Terrapins).

If Kottaras stays with the Red Sox and earns some playing time in 2009, he has a very good chance of becoming the greatest Canadian-born catcher in Red Sox history.

G147: Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 1

Blue Jays - 100 133 000 - 8 13  1
Red Sox   - 000 000 100 - 1  5  0

Byrd's mid-innings implosion turned this one ugly in a hurry.

Travis Snider -- the youngest player in the AL -- drove in five of the Jays' six runs in the fifth and sixth innings, with a three-run dong to right and a two-run rope to right-center that was a ground rule double.

Devern Hansack pitched three perfect innings (on only 27 pitches) to close it out.

George Kottaras made his major league debut when he went behind the plate in the top of the seventh. The Ontario-born catcher reached on a K-WP in his first at-bat and came around to score Boston's only run (FC-E4, FC4-6, Pedroia sac fly to right). He flew to right in the ninth.

By the ninth inning, the lineup card looked like what you might see in a spring training game:

Carter, LF
Cash, 3B
Bailey, DH
Cora, 2B
Casey, 1B
Van Every, RF
Lowrie, SS
Kottaras, C
Crisp, CF

Three Sox played more than one position: Lowrie started the game at SS, went to 3B in the 7th, then back to SS in the 8th. Cora took over at SS in the 7th and moved to 2B in the 8th. Van Every, after pinch-running, was in LF for the 7th, then in RF for the 8th and 9th.

***

A.J. Burnett (4.31, 99 ERA+) / Paul Byrd (4.39, 101 ERA+)

In his five starts for the Red Sox, Byrd is 3.82, 118 ERA+.

MLB:

Burnett will be pitching on short rest ... He was dominant Tuesday against the White Sox in Game 1 of a day-night doubleheader, allowing just one hit and one unearned run over seven innings. He struck out seven ... In two starts against Boston this season Burnett is 1-0 with a 3.07 ERA. He walked eight batters in those two starts combined, a total that will likely have to come down this time around. ...

[Byrd is] a perfect 6-0 in his past six road starts going back to July 21. Since that July 21 start, Byrd is 8-1 with a 2.61 ERA. His last time out, in unforgiving Rangers Ballpark, Byrd mixed his pitches well and kept them down in the zone to shut out the Rangers over 6.2 innings.

J.D. Drew will not play in the Toronto series. He received another injection to relax his lower back and his grandmother passed away. The Red Sox called up Jonathan Van Every for the busy weekend.

***

Lots of baseball today, including 12 American League games!

Rays/Yankees at 1
Rays/Yankees at 7
Twins/Orioles at 5
Twins/Orioles at ?
Tigers/White Sox at 3:45
Tigers/White Sox at ?

East
Rays       87  57   ---   Magic #
Red Sox    86  60   2.0     16
Blue Jays  79  68   9.5      8
Yankees    77  69  11.0      7
Orioles    65  80  22.5      E
 
Wild Card
Red Sox    86  60   ---   Magic #
Twins      80  66   6.0     11
Blue Jays  79  68   7.5      9
Yankees    77  69   9.0      8

If the Red Sox and Yankees both sweep their doubleheaders, Boston and Tampa Bay will be tied for first place -- actually, the Rays (87-59, .59589) would be still slightly ahead of the Red Sox (88-60, .59459).

G146: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 0

Blue Jays - 000 000 000 - 0  3  2
Red Sox   - 010 100 23x - 7  8  0

Wakefield mixed in a lot of fastballs and curves and had a superb night in the Boston rain: 8-3-0-0-4, 94. (Toronto's only baserunners of the night in bold.)

1:   K   L9   P3
2:  F8    K   2B   F8
3:  2B   F7   63   43
4:  53   F7   1B   F7
5:  53   53   P3
6:  F7    K    K
7:  F9   43   43
8:  53   53   63
9*: 43   F7   63

MDC pitched the 9th. ... It was the Red Sox's 15th shutout of the season -- tops in MLB.

Jed Lowrie had a great night: a sac fly in the second, an RBI double in the 4th, a double and a run scored in the seventh, and a 9-pitch walk and a run scored in the eighth.

David Ortiz doubled the Sox's lead from 2-0 to 4-0 with a two-run double in the seventh and Kevin Cash put the game on ice with a three-run dong in the eighth.

All other games involving East and wild card contenders were rained out. Boston is 2 GB in the East and 6 GA in the wild card.

***

David Purcey (5.23, 81 ERA+) / Tim Wakefield (4.11, 110 ERA+)

It will be four games in three days for the Red Sox against a team which has won 11 of its last 12 games.

LHP Purcey is a rookie who will be making his 11th start of the season. Check out his game log. Lately, he has been either superb (eight shutout innings over the FKR in his start) or terrible.

Alex Rios has hit in 12 straight games and has a .435/.458/.870 line in September. Lyle Overbay is also hot this month (.382/.400/.735). ... The Red Sox's September stats are here.

J.D. Drew's back stiffened up before Wednesday's game against the Rays and he is a question mark for tonight.

Terry Francona must stop penciling Jacoby Ellsbury in at leadoff spot. His OBP at the top of the lineup this season is a .311. His 1st inning OBP is a paltry .280.

All of Ellsbury's 21 starts since August 14 have been at the #1 spot: .221/.275/.305 -- no hits, no walks, no power. And he's batting only .172 this month (5-for-29).

***

This annoys me:

            EXPWL    RS   RA    DIF    W-L   DIF
Red Sox     87-58   766  611   +155   85-60   -2
Blue Jays   84-62   653  556   + 97   79-67   -5
Rays        81-63   667  582   + 85   87-57   +6
Yankees     76-70   704  670   + 34   77-69   +1
Orioles     68-77   733  779   - 46   65-80   -3

***

Rays/Yankees at 7
Twins/Orioles at 7
Tigers/White Sox at 8

East
Rays       87  57   ---   Magic #
Red Sox    85  60   2.5     16
Blue Jays  79  67   9.0      9
Yankees    77  69  11.0      7
Orioles    65  80  22.5      E
 
Wild Card
Red Sox    85  60   ---   Magic #
Twins      80  66   5.5     12
Blue Jays  79  67   6.5     11
Yankees    77  69   8.5      9

Schadenfreude 62 (A Continuing Series)

The Yankees begin their final homestand at the current Yankee Stadium tonight against Tampa Bay.

They will play the Rays, White Sox, and Orioles. It's likely that the Yankees will be mathematically eliminated from both the AL East (Tampa's magic number is 7) and the wild card race (Boston's magic number is 9) during the 10-game stand.

Hank, on his plans for October:

We're going to have to look at what has been done wrong over the last five years, which I've had one year to try and figure out. Clearly, a lot of mistakes were made. ... I'm going to be reviewing the entire organization.

More blather:

Suffice to say, there's not going to be any more, on my part, of trying to keep everybody happy. ... Even besides injuries, certain players didn't perform. Certain things didn't get done. It was somewhat the result of things that had been done over the last five years, and now I plan on fixing them. I'm very disappointed in this team.

We Need A Name For This

Jere asks the question:

"Has anyone's outs in a single game involved all nine defensive positions?"

I'm sure it has happened, but searching for it would be no easy task. As far I can tell, you'd have to go to Retrosheet or BR and begin, as Jere put it, "checking long games and looking at guys that went 1 for 10 or 0 for 8". Plus there are plenty of games in the first half of the 20th century for which no play-by-play information exists.

Well, one day later, Jere may have found someone: John Shelby, June 3, 1989:

0 for 10 with two Ks. ... A flyout to left. A third to second fielder's choice. A flyout to right. Already that's 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9, with several at bats left. It's getting exciting! In the 12th, he grounds out to short, taking care of 3 and 6. ...

He only needs a 1 and an 8 (pitcher and center field). In the 15th he strikes out. In the 17th he again grounds to short. Still waiting on 1 and 8. In the 20th, he flies to center! Only needs to involve the pitcher now. Last at bat, in the 22nd ... he flies to center again. And a nation falls silent. The Astros won in the bottom half, leaving Shelby one position short of the holy grail.

But wait! I check through all his at bats again. In the third inning, with Shelby on second after reaching on the fielder's choice and stealing a base, we see:

"Knepper threw a wild pitch [Murray scored, Shelby out at home (catcher to pitcher)]"

Shelby tried to score from second on a wild pitch! And was put out! By the pitcher! Shelby made outs which involved all nine positions in one game.

I questioned (via email) giving Shelby credit for the 5-4 FC, since he reached base and was not put out. But Jere pointed out that if he had grounded into a 5-4-3 DP, he would have received credit for the 5-4 that retired the lead runner.

Which is true, so this looks legit.

***

I'm now wondering what the craziest game is in the other direction. Has someone ever, for example, gone 0-for-7 with seven flyouts to right field?

A 9/11 Discussion

If you also follow my partner Laura's blog, then you already know that she is posting an email discussion the two of us had earlier this year with a friend of ours about possible US government complicity in the terrorist attacks that happened seven years ago today.

Here are the links to Intro/Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

Something Else #20: Sonny Rollins

Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins celebrated his 78th birthday this past Sunday.

We saw him play in May 2007 and while most of what we have on our shelves from his legendary career is from the mid-to-late 50s, reading his wiki page makes me curious about his bands in the 1970s/1980s (with electric guitars and more of a funk influence).

The first of these three shows took place about three months before Rollins recorded the classic Saxophone Colossus album. All information is from the respective text files that came with the recordings (FM radio broadcasts):

Sonny Rollins Trio
March 11, 1959
Aix En Provence, France
  
Woody'n You                     15:50
But Not For Me                  17:38
Lady Bird                       18:35
  
Sonny Rollins - tenor sax
Henry Grimes - bass
Kenny Clarke - drums
  
***
  
Sonny Rollins
Copenhagen Jazz Festival
Tivolis Koncertsal, Copenhagen 
Probably November 1, 1965
(or October 31, 1965)
  
Radio DJ Intro                    :39 
There'll Never Be Another You   11:34 
St. Thomas                      12:40 
Oleo                            13:01 
Darn That Dream                 12:04 
Three Little Words               7:03 
Outro                             :23 
[First part of "Darn That Dream" is "Sonnymoon for Two"]
  
Sonny Rollins - tenor sax 
Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen - bass 
Alan Dawson - drums 
  
***
  
Sonny Rollins
Half Note, New York, NY
February 11, 1966
  
(unk)                             8:59
Every Time we Say Goodbye/Four   17:42
Sonny Boy/Oleo/Dinah              5:44
I Remember You                    6:31
I've Told Every Little Star       7:02
  
Sonny Rollins - tenor sax
McCoy Tyner - piano
Walter Booker - bass
Mickey Roker - drums

Enjoy!

G145: Rays 4, Red Sox 2 (14)

Rays    - 010 000 000 000 03 - 4 12  2
Red Sox - 001 000 000 000 01 - 2  8  0

Hideki Okajima, Justin Masterson, Manny Delcarmen, and Javier Lopez held the line against the Rays for 7.1 innings (a combined 7.1-3-0-4-6 line), but the Boston bats could not push a single run across the plate to either take the lead or win the game. And so, finally, in the 14th inning, Mike Timlin trotted in from the pen.

He came into the 1-1 game with no one on and one out. He got the second out on his first pitch, a ground ball to third. Then Akinori Iwamura smacked a 3-0 pitch into center for a hit. Timlin got a swinging strike on Rocco Baldelli, but surrendered a line drive single to left. Still, all Timlin needed was one out.

Carlos Pena looked at a ball, then lofted a pitch high and deep to the opposite field. Jason Bay tracked it to his right in left field, but could only watch as the ball disappeared into the Monster Seats. The three-run dong gave Tampa a 4-1 lead. ... After a walk, Old Yeller got the final out.

Jacoby Ellsbury (0-for-6 to that point) began the bottom half of the 14th with a double to right-center off Troy Percival. Dustin Pedroia walked on five pitches (FY reached base six times tonight) and David Ortiz walked on four. With the potential winning run at the plate, Joe Maddon yanked Percival and went with Jason Hammel.

Youkils worked a full count before hitting a routine fly ball to right. Lyndon scored and FY took third. Bay looked overmatched, eventually striking out by lunging at an outside pitch he could not have reached with an oar. That left the Sox's fate in the hands of Alex Cora -- who hacked on 2-0 and flew harmlessly to center.

Lost among the late-inning action was the positively horrific umpiring, especially Dan Iassogna behind the plate. His strike zone to left-handed hitters -- especially Red Sox left-handed hitters -- grew an extra foot outside. And Ron Kulpa blew an easy call at first base in the bottom of the ninth, when Ellsbury beat out a grounder to third. It would have given Pedroia a chance to bat with the bases loaded, but Kulpa's incorrect call (replays showed he clearly blew it) ended the inning.

Boston fell back to 2.5 GB in the East -- with 17 games remaining. The Twins beat the Royals 7-1 to move 5 GB in the wild card. The Angels clinched the AL West with a 4-2> win over the Yankees and the White Sox edged the Blue Jays 6-5.

***

Andy Sonnanstine (4.66, 93 ERA+) / Josh Beckett (4.20, 108 ERA+)

Sonnanstine has not faced the Red Sox this season.

The BR preview says Beckett has never faced the Rays, but that's not true. He has made eight starts against them: three in 2006 (May 25, July 3, and September 27), two in 2007 (July 5 and September 21) and three times this year (April 27, May 3, and June 4).

***

Yankees/Angels at 3:30
Blue Jays/White Sox at 8
Royals/Twins at 8

East
Rays       86  57   ---   Magic #
Red Sox    85  59   1.5     18
Blue Jays  78  66   8.5     11
Yankees    77  68  10.0      9
Orioles    64  79  22.0      E
 
Wild Card
Red Sox    85  59   ---   Magic #
Twins      79  65   6.0     13
Blue Jays  78  66   7.0     12
Yankees    77  68   8.5     10

Papelbon High-School Dancing Video

David Ortiz invited the media to a team meeting before last night's game. He played a DVD of then-high school senior Jonathan Papelbon -- in a wig and dress -- dancing in a talent show spoof. The video (which came from Bot's parents) will be shown on New England Comcast SportsNet's pre-game show tonight at 6:30 PM.

Julio Lugo thinks he'll be back by the end of the regular season -- "I am the shortstop" -- but time is running out.

Notes: Kevin Youkilis has reached base (hit, walk or hit-by-pitch) in 43 consecutive games (since July 12), tops in the majors this season. ... Coco Crisp's is hitting .524 (22-for-42) in his 11-game hitting streak. ... Mike Lowell has gone (7-for-16) .438 since returning to the lineup.

NYP: "Fake Joba Bedded 100 Girls"

From the Post.

September 4:

A New Jersey screwball who is a dead ringer for Joba Chamberlain impersonated the Yankees pitcher in order to improve his stats with the ladies while scoring free food and drinks along the way, police said yesterday.

Ryan Ward, 29, of Asbury Park, was taken out of the game on Aug. 13, his two-week run of free drinks, Jersey-girl phone numbers, and autographs allegedly cut short by a failed attempt to snag free bagels.

September 5:

Ward said he first started getting mistaken for the corn-fed Nebraska native last fall.

"Ever since the playoffs last year, where [Joba] was attacked by the bugs in Cleveland, people started insisting I was him on the street," he said. "It got to the point where my clothes were getting ripped off when I went out to bars."

But it wasn't until June that he started to play along - even wearing a Joba-style flat-brimmed hat and sunglasses.

September 6:

[Ward] says he used the striking resemblance to reach home plate with women as many as 100 times since he began stealing the fireballer's identity in June.

"Well, I hooked up with over 62 at least," he said, making reference to Chamberlain's number. ...

The real Joba, meanwhile, told The Post he'd "like to meet" Ward.

According to what Ward told Howard Stern, he'll meet JtC on Friday.

G144: Rays 5, Red Sox 4

Rays    - 002 100 002 - 5 12  1
Red Sox - 100 100 020 - 4  6  1

Jason Bay's two-run home run to left in the eighth gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead and it looked like Boston would move into first place in the East once Jonathan Papelbon disposed of the Rays in the ninth.

But leadoff hitter (and pinch-hitter) Dan Johnson cranked a 3-2 pitch over the Red Sox bullpen in right-center for a game-tying home run. Then, with one out, Fernando Perez doubled high off the Monster and Dioner Navarro doubled into the left field corner to give Tampa Bay a 5-4 lead. (Where's Bot's splitter?)

In the home half of the ninth, Troy Percival walked Mark Kotsay. Jason Varitek tried in vain to bunt, and was then frozen on a nasty 1-2 curveball for the first out. Percival fell behind David Ortiz 3-1 -- was he pitching around him? -- before Flo flew out to right field. Terry Francona then sent Jacoby Ellsbury in to pinch-run for Kotsay at first. Why didn't Tito do this as soon as Kotsay walked? With no outs or two outs, Ellsbury was the potential tying run -- and giving him an opportunity to run with Varitek and Ortiz at the plate would have been wise.

With Coco Crisp at the plate and two outs, Lyndon did run -- stealing second easily and going to third when Navarro's throw short-hopped into center field. Alas, Crisp ended the game by popping out to second base.

The Twins beat the Royals 7-2 to move 6 GB the Red Sox in the wild card. The Blue Jays swept a day-night doubleheader from the White Sox 3-1 and 8-2.

With Toronto 7 GB Boston in the wild card race with 18 games to play, the Canadian sports media will insist that the Jays, with seven games remaining against the Red Sox, have a decent shot at the post-season. It's sad to see such rampant delusion go untreated -- in a country with universal health care, no less.

***

Scott Kazmir (2.99, 144 ERA+) / Daisuke Matsuzaka (2.88, 157 ERA+)

The Red Sox have won 10 of their last 13 games and a win tonight could put them into first place for the first time since the All-Star Game. The three-day break was the only time Boston has been atop the AL East since June 28.

Coco Crisp has had six consecutive multi-hit games, during which time he has batted .682 (15-for-22), with a .720 OBP. In his last 13 starts, Crisp is hitting .531 (26-for-49).

At the same time, Jacoby Ellsbury continues to slump -- .232/.305/.305 since August 10, and a .327 OBP and .690 OPS for the season. Lyndon's OPS+ this season (79) is roughly the same as Jason Varitek's (78) and Julio Lugo's (80).

In his two starts against Boston this season (May 4 and July 2), Kazmir has pitched a total of nine innings: 13 hits, seven walks and eight runs.

***

Blue Jays/White Sox at 2
Blue Jays/White Sox at 8
Royals/Twins at 8
Yankees/Angels at 10

East
Rays       85  57   ---   Magic #
Red Sox    85  58   0.5     20
Blue Jays  76  66   9.0     12
Yankees    76  68  10.0     10
Orioles    64  78  21.0      E
 
Wild Card
Red Sox    85  58   ---   Magic #
Twins      78  65   7.0     13
Blue Jays  76  66   8.5     12
Yankees    76  68   9.5     10

Sox Call Up Canadian Catcher

Canadian-born catching prospect George Kottaras is wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform (#68).

After getting the news of his call-up yesterday, he tried calling his parents in Markham, but

"nobody was home. So then I called my grandparents, and everyone was over there having dinner and hanging out. I got my dad on the phone, and by his response, my mother figured out what was happening and I could hear her screaming in the background."

Kottaras is the fourth catcher on the Red Sox's expanded roster (behind Jason Varitek, Kevin Cash, and David Ross), so it's up in the air if he ends up seeing any action in the season's final 18 games. He was acquired in September 2006 in the deal that sent David Wells to the Padres.

SoxProspects has a scouting report. SoSH's Adopt-A-Prospect thread on Kottaras is here, though it had not been updated since June. He has been in Pawtucket for three seasons, steadily improving his hitting:

        AVG    OBP    SLG    OPS
2006   .210   .286   .361   .647
2007   .241   .316   .408   .724
2008   .243   .348   .456   .804

Kottaras is a free agent at the end of this year, and with Ross on the roster and minor league Dusty Brown having a little more promise, his time in Boston may be very brief.

***

Jon Lester said it was almost a playoff atmosphere at Fenway Park last night. He said that being more consistent with his mechanics has made him stronger.

I don't have to use as much energy, wasted energy, as before. Now it just seems more efficient. I'm not wasting energy on bad thoughts or anything like that.

Terry Francona:

I thought all his stuff was good. Two-seamer. Had some explosion on his fastball. Cutter. Again, when you start throwing 94, 95 with some movement on both sides, then you throw a breaking ball, give you a little different look. He's got a lot of ways to expand the plate.

Neither Clay Buchholz nor Michael Bowden will pitch in Boston this season. Bowden (who turns 22 today) has thrown 149.1 innings - pretty close to his limit for 2008. ... Bartolo Colon is still in line to start one of Saturday's two games against the Blue Jays.

Art Martone collects some Tampa media links (but beware of the highly-distressing photo that kicks off his column):

"Good times never seemed so bad" for the Rays was the (very clever) lead on the Tampa Tribune's Marc Lancaster's game story today, and that's the prevailing sentiment in central Florida. Colleague Joe Henderson says the Rays are finding out what September pressure is all about, and a cold month it's been so far. The St. Petersburg Times' John Romano goes a step beyond, writing that while "there is no shame in being caught from behind by the Red Sox . . . there is considerable shame in the way the Rays are allowing this to happen." The players are doing all they can to stop the slide, including holding a player's-only meeting prior to last night's game. (Tampa Tribune)

And now it looks like the Rays will be without both B.J. Upton and Shawn Riggans for the rest of the series. (Tampa Tribune) It may mean another Fenway sighting of Jonny Gomes, last seen in these parts raining punches on Coco Crisp.

Schadenfreude 61 (A Continuing Series)

Daily News:

The Yankees finally showed some fight Monday night, though it didn't help them get back in the win column.

A bench-clearing incident put a spark into what was otherwise a one-sided affair, as the Yankees' march toward October vacation continued with a 12-1 loss to the Angels.

Ivan Rodriguez and Torii Hunter tangled at the plate after a mild collision in the bottom of the sixth, prompting both benches and bullpens to clear and the two players to be ejected.

Post:

... the Yankees are 9½ games back [in the wild card race] with 18 left and waiting for the end of a season that can't come quick enough.

"People are here early and doing their work," Joe Girardi said. "The approach is good."

And the results lousy.

East
Rays       85  57   ---   Magic #
Red Sox    85  58   0.5     20
Blue Jays  76  66   9.0     12
Yankees    76  68  10.0     10
Orioles    64  78  21.0      E
 
Wild Card
Red Sox    85  58   ---   Magic #
Twins      78  65   7.0     13
Blue Jays  76  66   8.5     12
Yankees    76  68   9.5     10

G143: Red Sox 3, Rays 0

Rays    - 000 000 000 - 0  7  0
Red Sox - 300 000 00x - 3  9  0

The Red Sox are only 0.5 GB the Rays in the East -- with 19 games to go in the regular season.

Boston scored three quick runs off Jackson in the first and Lester (7.2-6-0-3-9) and Jonathan Papelbon (1.1-1-0-0-3, 18) made it stand up.

Mark Kotsay walked on five pitches. Dustin Pedroia lined out to second, as Akinori Iwamura dove to his right and snared the ball. David Ortiz doubled off the Wall in left-center, scoring Kotsay. Kevin Youkilis lined a single to center, as Jackson had to duck to avoid being hit, scoring Flo, but was caught in a run down trying to get to second base. Jason Bay followed with a solo home run off the light tower in left-center.

Lester allowed only one Tampa Bay runner to reach second base through the first five innings. After seven innings, he had thrown 105 pitches and seemed done for the night, but he was back out on the hill for the eighth. Lester got the first two outs before allowing a single to Ben Zobrist and a ground-rule double to Carlos Pena. With the tying run at the plate -- Rocco Baldelli -- Terry Francona called on Papelbon.

Bot struck out Baldelli to end the threat. It was also the Tampa Clipper's fourth whiff of the night, earning him the Golden Shower. In the ninth, Papelbon allowed a two-out single to pinch-hitter Eric Hinske, but struck out Gabe Gross to preserve the shutout.

It was the first time Tampa Bay was shutout in consecutive games since April 28-29, 2004 -- and those whitewashes were also at Fenway Park.

Coco Crisp went 3-for-3 with a stolen base and Kotsay added two singles to his first-inning walk.

In other games, the Angels routed the Yankees 12-1. The Central-leading White Sox and Blue Jays were rained out in Chicago.

***

Edwin Jackson (4.07, 106 ERA+) / Jon Lester (3.37, 134 ERA+)

The last game the Rays played at Fenway Park ...




There has been eight years of bad blood between these two rivals.

Jackson lasted a season-low 3.1 innings against the Yankees in his last start, allowing 10 hits and six runs. In each of his four starts before that outing, he pitched at least six innings and allowed two or fewer runs. ... Lester has allowed a total of two runs in his last two starts (11.2 innings).

Tampa Bay activated third baseman Evan Longoria on Saturday. Longoria, who fractured his right wrist on August 8, says the pain is "very minimal" and the wrist is "almost 100 percent". ... J.D. Drew may return to the Red Sox lineup tonight.

All 12 meetings between the Red Sox and Rays so far this season have been won by the home team. There is a huge amount of pressure for the Rays this week. They were swept on the road by the Blue Jays -- the last two losses being a 13-inning heartbreaker and a 1-0 shutout. Now their lead is as low as it's been since July 28 -- and they are coming into Fenway, where the Red Sox are playing .716 ball (48-19, a 116-win pace).

Eric Hinske:

We have definitely got to get one win there for sure and hopefully win the series. ... You have just got to treat it as any other kind of game if you can. It's not, but you have to just treat it like it's any other game.

Marc Lancaster, Tampa Tribune:

The AL East upstarts continue to insist there is no need to panic and the next three games won't make or break their season, but they're more vulnerable now than at any time since the All-Star break and running out of margin for error.

"We know what we've got to do and they know what they've got to do," Rays starter Matt Garza said of the Red Sox. "Right now, we're up top. They're chasing us. We keep playing our ball and this thing will turn around. Right now we're in a little bit of a rut - what is that, five out of the last six? That's nothing bad." ...

The first challenge for the Rays the next three evenings will be keeping the games close. In going 0-6 at Fenway this season, the nearest the Rays have come to the Red Sox is three runs, in a 7-4 loss June 3. ... The Red Sox have averaged more than seven runs per game while hosting the Rays, outscoring Tampa Bay 45-16 in six meetings.

Tonight's starter, Edwin Jackson, has been among the primary culprits. In two losses at Fenway in May and June, Jackson allowed a combined 15 hits and 10 runs in nine innings.

Marc Topkin, St. Petersburg Times:

The Rays insist they aren't doing anything differently, the pennant race isn't affecting them and, despite being swept by the Blue Jays and losing five of their past six, they aren't feeling any extra pressure going into tonight's opener of the showdown series in Boston.

At least, that's what they're saying.

The evidence, compounded by a 1-0 loss Sunday, says otherwise. They're not getting the big hits when they need them, they're making more mistakes and, most significantly, they're not winning like they did most of the past five months. ...

As much as they talk about how, with three weeks left, there is no reason to panic — manager Joe Maddon, perhaps symbolically, had a schedule in his hands during his postgame media session — they have reason to be wary of what lies ahead.

The Sox, with their top three pitchers lined up and their lineup fortified, have a chance to take over first place with a sweep, and Fenway Park — where the Rays haven't won since last September and will be playing for the first time since the June 5 brawl — will be ferocious the next three nights.

Joe Maddon:

We really do need to win a game or two in Boston. I've said that from the very beginning. It would be nice to get a win up there, possibly two, whatever ...

Extra Bases has a few more links to Tampa media.

Tonight will be the 456th consecutive sellout crowd at Fenway Park, which will break Cleveland's major league record of 455 set from June 12, 1995 to April 2, 2001. The Red Sox's streak began on May 15, 2003.

On Thursday morning, I want the AL East standings to look like this:


Of lesser importance:

Blue Jays/White Sox at 8
Yankees/Angels at 10

East
Rays       85  56   ---   Magic #
Red Sox    84  58   1.5     20
Blue Jays  76  66   9.5     12
Yankees    76  67  10.0     11
Orioles    63  78  22.0      E

Wild Card
Red Sox    84  58   ---   Magic #
Twins      78  65   6.5     14
Blue Jays  76  66   8.0     13
Yankees    76  67   8.5     12