Manny To LA.....thoughts?

Me,Eric,and my family went up to Nashua for a game tonight. It was against Brockton and went into the 10th inning. Old friend Jamie Baker came in for Brockton for a couple of innings and held the Pride down....but they eventually played fundamental baseball and won the game on a walkoff single. It was fun up there,and me and Eric both enjoyed ourselves--I'd like to try to go to one more Can-Am game this summer before the season ends. Who's in? =]

Now......for some good discussion: What does everyone think of the Manny Ramirez trade?
Keep in mind that the Red Sox acquired outfielder Jason Bay from the Pirates and sent Manny to the Dodgers and outfielder Brandon Moss and RHP Craig Hansen to the Pirates in a three-team deal. While I think we should've got more then a decent outfielder out of all we gave up.......I'm pretty content with the trade.
It was evident he didn't want to play here the past few weeks and the mood in the clubhouse was definitly affected--and if the clubhouse is in a funk sometimes it carries over onto the field of play (wednesday night anyone?). Bay is a pretty good outfielder, and he is a decent hitter. He won't make up for Manny's bat in the order and won't make others fear him as bad-but at least he getds on base. At .282 Bay's hitting better then like half of the Sox,and has 64 RBI-making him 2nd on the team in that category. So he's a pretty good hitter,but like I said can't make up for what Manny brought.
Don't get me wrong,I love Manny. If it wasn't for him we wouldn't have those trophys.......but now he was just another distraction the team didn't need,and it festered. I appreciate what he did and am happy he'll eventually go intot he hall of fame (anyone wanna disagree?) but this deal is good not only for the team,but for him too.

So when it's all said and done I'm happy we got the trade done and think Bay will do pretty good. So what do you guys think?

The Red Sox indoors since 2003

Pretty staggering stuff.
****

2003
@Tampa 5-5
@Toronto 4-5
@Milwaukee 2-1
@Minnesota 1-2

2004
@Toronto 5-5
@Tampa 6-3
@Minnesota 1-2

2005
@Toronto 3-6
@Tampa 4-5
@Minnesota 1-2

2006
@Toronto 3-7
@Tampa 3-7
@Minnesota 0-3

2007
@Toronto 5-4
@Minnesota 2-1
@Arizona 2-1
@Tampa 6-3

2008
@Minnesota 1-3
@Toronto 0-3
@Tampa 0-3

Forthcoming:

...research that (I think) will prove my long-held thesis that the Red Sox suck in domes. Another series loss @ Minnesota. Luckily, the next stop on the 10-day road trip is Fenway South.

And how about those RAYS?

This one stings

Did anyone else see the Sox' 10-9 loss tonight? I feel like I jumped into a time warp and came out in 2003 - complete with the terrible pitching, the crazy comeback, the exciting offense, the late-innings drama, and the end-of-game meltdown.

This is the first really stinging loss of the season, IMO - a chance to sweep a good team on the road squandered due to, for the most part, bad luck.

I feel for Papelbon. Take a look at how it went down:

• A check-swing with 2 strikes that only resulted in an infield hit because it rolled so slowly
• An indecisive butcher-job by Lugo letting there be runners on 1st & 2nd with 0 out. It's easy to be angry with Lugo, although this was also a bit of bad luck - everyone watching the game was thinking 'lead runner,' but once again the ball was rolling slowly which really screwed things up.
• A successful bunt
• A simple 4-3 ground-out, which resulted in a run due to the aforementioned bad luck -> Tie game
  
• A little broken bat flair into very shallow left -> Loss

Papelbon was pretty good, things just rolled out of control with the crucial moment being the Lugo play and the subsequent sac bunt. Oddly enough, 'small ball,' which had been shooting Detroit in the foot all night (remember Magglio getting thrown out running to 3rd in the 8th? or the bunt with 2 on and 0 out while in the lead that resulted in 0 runs?), came back to be the deciding factor in the end, as without that bunt the tying run would not have scored. Go figure.

The only real questionable managerial decision I think was whether or not to intentionally walk Granderson w/ runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, but I still think they made the right call by pitching to him. Granderson was struggling (he continued to struggle with a weak groundout that just so happened to drive in the tying run) and you never want to create a situation where you can walk in the tying run or winning run.

This doesn't suck as much as it would have in the pre-World Championship days, but it still stinks. Gotta have some of these days though - it's all part of the journey of baseball season.

On to the next phase of the road trip.

EDIT: Also: That game was Four. Hours. Long. Eff that.

Sports month in review: April 2008

I'm going to try out a new feature here at the blog - the Sports Month in review. I've been working on it as the month has gone along, with the thought that it can be a one-stop place to reminisce about each month's great sporting events. Let me know what you think. -JG

APRIL 2008

Biggest local story - BC wins hockey national championship (So shoot me, I'm biased)
Most pleasant surprise - the Bruins make the playoffs & push Montreal to the brink
Biggest disappointment - the much-ballyhooed Celtics start the playoffs 2-2
Most exciting game - Bruins vs. Montreal, Game 6: Bruins win, 5-4
Player of the month - Manny Ramirez, who has absolutely gone off this year and is approaching HR 500
Overrated event of the month - NFL Draft
Underrated event of the month - NCAA hockey tournament

QUOTE OF THE MONTH – "THERE IS NO CALL!" – Jack Edwards, after a non-penalty call against the Canadiens in Game 6
---

To me, April 2008 will be remembered as the month that re-affirmed my belief that nothing is better than playoff hockey at its best.

And no team perfected high-flying, exciting, offensive-minded hockey like the Boston College Eagles late in the season. BC scorched its opponents in the Hockey East tournament by a combined score of 21-6, then bulldozed powerhouses Minnesota and Miami in the NCAA regionals to earn a berth in the Frozen Four. The offense didn't slow down in Denver, as BC smoked North Dakota 6-1, then outlasted hated rival Notre Dame, 4-1, to bring home the third national championship in school history.

The on-ice fun didn't stop then, as the Boston Bruins brought hockey fever back to Boston for the first time in a long time with a scintillating first round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens - proving once again that Boston can and will get very excited over a good Bruins team.

Despite prognostications of doom, the Bruins did indeed show up at Le Centre Bell for game 1 of the playoffs on April 10, but they were blown out by Montreal, 4-1. In game 2, however, the Canadiens' armor cracked. The B's trailed 2-0 in the 3^rd period, but they dominated most of the game play. Finally, they cashed in with two goals to force overtime. Unfortunately, the Habs drew an overtime power play on a patented swan dive by Markov, and cashed in shortly thereafter with a game-winning goal.

Game 3 in Boston was a wild, nail-biting affair. I was there in person, and I can attest to how absolutely insane the atmosphere was. Milan Lucic put the Bruins on the board in the first period, but Alexander Kostitsyn evened it up with a second period tally. The teams remained deadlocked until overtime, when Marc Savard gave the B's their first win over Montreal in 13 games:

A 1-0 game 4 loss derailed the B's momentum, and hope appeared lost. But the Bruins regained their composure and blew the doors of the Canadiens in game 5 with four 3^rd period goals. This thrilling, season-saving win unleashed a wave of Bruins frenzy that I hadn't seen since I was just a wee lad. I went online to buy tickets to game 6. Tickets were previously so easy to get at face value that 6-8,000 Canadiens fans were able to bus down from Montreal and infest the Garden. Now, all of a sudden, a ticket was an impossible commodity to find: people were selling nosebleed seats for $150 on Craigs list, and trading tickets to the Celtics playoffs, Red Sox field box seats, and just about everything short of their wedding rings to get in the door for the highly-anticipated Game 6.

As it turned out, the game proved to be very, very worth it. Words can't describe the insanity of the game, but this video can:

The victory resulted in wide-spread looting, mass riots, and burning cop cars. Oh wait, I'm sorry, that's what Montreal did after they won game 7. Still, Bruins fans had quite a time after game 6:

Bruins Fever then shifted into overdrive. I was in Boston for the Sox game at Fenway the next day, and I was one of many people rocking a Bruins shirt. There was a definite buzz in the air.

Sadly, once again, the Bruins were buzz-kills, losing 5-0 in the deciding seventh game. But Bruins fans can rest easy knowing that unlike the last time the Bruins lost in game 7 to Montreal, the future looks very bright for the black and gold.

The Garden's other inhabitants, the Boston Celtics, closed out the regular season in dominating fashion in April, then opened up what all parties assumed would be a very easy four-game coast against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Unfortunately, nobody alerted the Hawks to the fact that this was a goddamn show; they think it's a goddamn fight.

The Hawks made themselves look silly by celebrating their game 3 win like it was the NBA championship, with confetti pouring down from the rafters, many man-hugs shared in the stands, and Al Horford taunting Paul Pierce as the clock ran out. Everyone figured the Celtics would exact their revenge by kicking da ATL to the curb in game 4. But it didn't happen. The Hawks tied the series at 2, and the potential early exit of the supposed-juggernaut Celtics has the early lead for 'May 2008's biggest story.'

Meanwhile, the smell of beer, grilled meats, homeless people, dirt, grass, and a low-IQ mass of humanity returned to Kenmore Square in April. No, it wasn't the start of classes at BU; it was baseball – the return of the world champion Boston Red Sox. The Sox raised their flag honoring the '07 champs:

…then proceeded to have a bang-up stretch in which they started 15-6 despite a four-nation road trip to start the season. Unfortunately, they have hit the skids as of late, losing 5 in a row to the LA Angels and the Tampa Bay Rays (nee Devil), but they are still locked in a 3-way tie for the AL East division lead.

Also, this guy right here:

…had an awesome month, making pitchers shudder in fear and perfecting his patented 'stand there with his arms raised' technique. It won't be long before Manny joins the 500 HR club. I wish every year was Manny's contract year.

The next person who complains about Manny Ramirez is getting smacked in the mouth. Yeah, he's a kooky one, but that's all part of what makes him the most fun player to watch in all of baseball. Watching him hit is like watching Monet paint or Mozart compose symphonies.

Elsewhere in New England sports, the Revolution kicked off their much anticipated 2008 campaign, with millions of locals hoping and praying that "this is the year." OK, not really. But after 3 consecutive losses in the MLS Cup final, the Revs hope to finally take the next step in '08. They got off to an encouraging start, ripping into the hated Houston Dynamo, 3-0. Gambian sensations Mansally and Nyassi brought new life to the Revs attack, which was beleaguered early by injuries to Steve Ralston, Taylor Twellman, and Wells Thompson.

Since the opener, the Revs have been up-and-down, but they sit in a decent spot after a month of competition with a 3-2-1 record and 10 points, 2 behind conference-leading Columbus.

There was plenty of interesting sports action outside of route 128 in April as well.

The most hyped event, of course, was the NCAA Final Four, which was met with pants-wetting glee by Dick Vitale and other ESPN personalities as the 2^nd best thing to DOOK making it to the Final Four happened: all four #1 seeds made it to the Final Four, and one of them was UNC. It was talking-head heaven. People were dubbing it "The Greatest Final Four Ever" before tip-off. As such, I was greatly amused by the fact that the two semifinal games were absolute blowouts, with Memphis and Kansas wiping the floor with UCLA and UNC, respectively.

The final, however, lived up to expectations, as plucky underdog Memphis squandered a late lead against equally-plucky overdog Kansas, who nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force OT:

It truly was a great all-time highlight, and Kansas backed it up with a dominating OT performance, earning Jayhawk Nation a national championship.

Colleges across the nation also eagerly anticipated the annual ritual of spring football. Tens of thousands of fans packed the stadiums at places like Alabama, Nebraska, and Georgia to watch their teams participate in glorified practice sessions, confirming nationwide suspicions that there really is nothing to do in places like Alabama, Nebraska, and Georgia. BC had its spring game, in front of a frenzied (defined here as 'kind of awake') crowd of maybe 7,000, in which Chris Crane officially took the reins of the up-and-coming program.

Matt Ryan, BC's star quarterback, became saddled with the burden of high expectations, as he was arguably the highest-profile pick in this month's NFL draft. He was picked #3 by the Atlanta Falcons, who hope they can rebuild their franchise around Ryan. He seems like the kind of guy Southerners can really embrace: polite, hard-working, motivated, clean-cut, and white.

The Patriots addressed their biggest need during the NFL draft: they set Ellis Hobbs on fire. No, seriously, they drafted a mess of linebackers and cornerbacks, including Tennessee inside linebacker Jerod Mayo at #10 overall.

Internationally, soccer once again provided great theatre, as the European Champions League, the world's most watch professional sports competition, moved into the quarterfinal and semifinal stages.

English clubs Liverpool and Arsenal clashed in the quarterfinals in what would become an absolute game for the ages. For those unfamiliar with the Champions League, the playoff rounds are contested as two-game playoffs. Each team plays one game at home, and whoever scores the most total goals between the two games wins. If the teams are tied on total goals, whoever scores more goals on the road wins. If both teams have equal away goals, the game goes to overtime, then penalty kicks.

Here was the situation going into game 2: Liverpool and Arsenal tied 1-1 at Arsenal in the first leg. Arsenal came out swinging in the first fifteen minutes of game 2, scoring a precious away goal to go up 2-1. Liverpool equalized before halftime, then added a thunderbolt by Spanish sensation Fernando Torres to go up 3-2 at the 60 minute mark.

Then, all hell broke loose. Arsenal scored with less than ten minutes to play to tie the score at 3, but because they had more away goals, Arsenal was poised to advance to the semi-finals. But less than one minute later, Liverpool earned a penalty kick which their talisman, Steven Gerrard, knocked home to give Liverpool a 4-3 lead. Liverpool added a late insurance goal to earn the dramatic 5-3 victory.

Following the game, Grant had the runner-up for 'quote of the month: "Oh, so that's why British people like soccer. What a game."

I strongly encourage watching this video, if only to see the goals. Most of them came on incredible efforts.

Chelsea and Manchester United also won their quarterfinal matches to put 3 English teams in the final four. Spain's Barcelona FC topped Roma to punch their ticket to the semi-finals.

Both semifinal matchups are through game 1 – Liverpool and Chelsea are tied 1-1, while Man U and Barcelona are tied, 0-0.

Back at home, NASCAR had another uninspiring month, continuing the once-proud sanctioning body's death march. However, its most recent race bucked that trend, as Kyle Busch won an incredible race at Talladega, which featured 53 lead changes, laps clocked at over 200 MPH, and two late-race incidents which totally shook up the running order. Jeff Burton leads the points standings, but who cares? They're going to re-set the points for the Chase anyway.

The Spanish commentary makes this the most unintentionally funny video of all time:

The NHL playoffs continue to be the nation's most exciting event, with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on course for an all-Pennsylvania clash in the Eastern Conference Finals. Detroit continues to be heavily favored in the West.

With April coming to an end, the biggest stories in May are shaping up. Locally, the big question will be whether or not the Celtics can re-gain their once-dominant form, while the specter of RED SOX NATION!!!111 always looms large in the background. Nationally, the NHL and NBA playoffs will heat up, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes will go off, and an Indy 500 champion will be crowned. And internationally, a European champion will be crowned in soccer, while liberals and conservatives both will line up at torch relay sites all over the world for the right to throw rocks at the Olympic Torch.

The excitement never ends.

1-0: Thoughts

-Any time your starting pitcher only goes five innings, you’re trailing in the ninth, Papelbon gives you a crappy outing, and you’re relying on a backup, rookie outfielder to drive in two runs, that’s definitely a win to put in The Bank – you know, the Bank you withdraw from when you blow leads, guys make boneheaded plays (see: Emil Brown today for Oakland), and you just have general bad luck overall throughout the year. Good win.

-I think everyone saw Dice-K’s early shakiness coming, but it was really nice to see him recover the way he did. I still say he is going to have a really good season. Also, how good was Bryan Corey? When it comes to reliable bullpen arms, you can never have too many – so let’s hope he becomes someone we can turn to. I don’t have much faith in Aardsma, although it is cool to have the first entry in the Baseball Encyclopedia on the Red Sox.

-I figured the game was over when Ortiz and Ramirez failed to drive in a runner in scoring position with one out in the 8^th. ‘Lowell, Moss, Varitek’ didn’t inspire me with confidence going into the 9^th.

-Why do teams continue to walk Ortiz to get to Ramirez in anything other than walk-off situations? Manny’s stats are absolutely absurd following intentional walks to Ortiz and he made the A’s pay again today. Didn’t they learn anything from the Angels series last year? Pitching to Manny is hard enough in general, doing it with runners on is even harder.

-The ‘6 AM opening game’ experience was pretty cool (although I think I’m ready for a nap now). As a college student, no time of day is weird to me, and I’m perfectly used to being awake for 6, 7, 8 hours after a Sox or B’s game. So the weirdest part of the experience for me wasn’t waking up at 5, it was the lack of gameday buildup on Opening Day. I walked out onto campus at around 11 and people had their Sox jerseys, caps and shirts on, but people are already talking about the game that was, rather than building up to the game. It’s odd.

Anyone else up & watching the Sox?

Not a good start for Dice-K so far.

UPDATE: Sox came back to win 6-5 in 10! No win for Dice-K, but Okajima gets the win in front of his home crowd. Awesome. How about Brandon Moss?

Quick Sox note - then more NECBL

The Sox are on the clock - this is the last day for exclusive negotiations for Lowell. I have a feeling that it's not getting done today. I think Lowell wants to see what's out there. WEEI reports the Yankees, Angels and Phillies have interest.

Dustin Pedroia will most likely be named AL Rookie of the Year today.

Soon I will make a post responding to the issues raised in the comments re: the dawn of the NECBL era at Fraser Field.

Also, I appreciate healthy arguments, but no more crazy attacks in the comments, please. I don't like to delete/regulate/moderate stuff. I've always had that policy since the blog started.

Yook=1B Gold Glove

Well deserved.

Sox re-sign Schil

Buster Olney reports that Curt Schilling & the Red Sox have agreed to a one-year deal worth $8 mil. base salary and $2 mil. in incentives.

This one was a no-brainer.

Next step: Lowell.

ROLLING RALLY TOMORROW: 12 PM

"The parade will begin at on Lansdowne Street, circle Fenway Park and take Boylston Street to Boston Common. It will go left on Tremont Street and follow Cambridge Street until the intersection of New Chardon Street, where the parade will stop near City Hall Plaza." -Boston.com

My current plan is to meet at Copley Station at 7 AM, but that's all TBA - I'll post something more definitive later.

These are "The Days."

1903
1912
1915
1916
1918
2004
2007

I love you guys, it's been a thrill. The offseason is coming and as it goes along, people will begin to drift away from this blog, never to return. So while you're all still reading -- thanks for making these the best years ever.

World champs. :)

One last event: the parade. Stay tuned if you want to make plans with us to go together. I'll let you know if I hear anything.

Now: ENJOY!

World Series Game 4 Open Thread

Tonight's the night, y'all. Let's go Lester!

Sox Lead W.S. 3-0!

First off,let me say that seeing a few of the Fraser Regulars at Victoria's party tonight was awesome.
But let's get back to topic: THE RED SOX %^$&ING OWN!!
Winning 6-0,leading 6-5,then blowing it open and winning 10-5.......amazing!

Comeon boys,let's win tomorrow & bring another one home!!!


ALSO: Remember to pray that Patrice Bergeron comes out of his ordeal without too much wrong with him. I just saw the hit and feel the hit might've just been a regular body check gone VERY wrong. He's got a concussion and broken nose (according to the Bruins website)....so let's hope it doesn't affect it to much.

8-0. 2-0. 7-0.

It just keeps getting better.

GAME SEVEN: $51.1 mil, all worth it for this one win

Unlike Sparky, I DO think that Beckett might pitch tonight, if you need someone to get you from, say, the 4th thru the 6th - or if we have a marathon in the making. But hopefully, Dice-K comes up big and has his best outing of the year.

I'll be here sporadically to comment and discuss the game, so feel free to drop by and react. GO RED SOX.

Watch it and smile

2004 ALCS Documentary Red Sox Yankees
Uploaded by BigRedSoxFan

There's joy in Fenwayville again tonight -- huge win. Grant and I will be heading to Fenway very early to camp out for tickets to see Schilling win Game 6 on Saturday night.

"Don't let us win tonight..." -Kevin Millar

I'm still confident...

...Sox in 7.

It starts tonight.

Let's go Wake.

P.S.: Don't go to the Spirit website unless you want to get upset.

News from GlobeNorth:

AGREEMENT REACHED - Lynn and the North Shore Spirit baseball team have reached an agreement for the city to pay $74,660 for 1,339 seats the team installed at Fraser Field. The professional baseball team, which folded last month, installed them at a cost of $200 per seat as part of a multimillion-dollar upgrade to the city-owned park. The city will pay $60 per seat for 1,197 flip-up seats, and $20 per seat for 142 fixed seats. A five-year lease signed between the Spirit and the city gave the team the right to remove any fixtures added to the ballpark. The Spirit has removed the video scoreboard, modular buildings used as team offices, and locker rooms, City Solicitor Michael Barry said. - Kathy McCabe

Also, from the Nashua Telegraph:

-Nashua will announce whether or not they are returning on Oct. 25.

-According to 'league sources,' one other un-named CanAm League team is in jeopardy of folding.

ALCS TOMORROW NIGHT!

The ALCS starts tomorrow night.......Josh Beckett and C.C. Sabthia take the mound for the Sox & Indians.
Sabathia is 1-1 with a 2.35 ERA in his career at Fenway Park.
Beckett is 3-2 with a 1.74 ERA lifetime in the postseason.

I don't know about you guys--but I never liked the playoff broadcasters and wished I could still listen to Remy & Orsillo instead. I saw the comic belw and laughed--so I figured I'd share it...





IN OTHER NEWS: Jonathan Papelbon has won the DHL presents the MLB Delivery Man Of The Year....congrats Paps,you deserve it.

Red Sox Advance To 07 ALCS!

Behind a strong pitching performance from Curt Schilling and back-to-back homers from Big Papi & Manny the Red Sox swept the Angels and advance to the ALCS for the first time since 04 with a 9-1 win!

Now we need to wait and see if the Yankees' aging starter,Roger Clemens, can hold off the Indians and keep the Yankees' playff dreams alive....or see if the Indians can beat the future HoFer and advance to face the BoSox.

As of 7:21 PM it's the Indians 2, Yankees 0 after 2....
7:32 PM: Clemens stirkes out batter and is pulled from the game. As he leaves he meets a standing ovation. Will this be his last game ever? Who knows.......especially with his actions these past few years. Phillip Hughes now in for the Yanks,still losing 2-0 in the 3rd
7:59 PM: Damon rbi-single makes it 3-1 Indians after 3. Inning ended on a Jeter double-play...the Yanks 3rd of the game so far--ouch!
9:54 PM:Took an hour and a half trip to Wendy's,CVS,Flax Pond and back.....I come back in and the Yanks are up 8-4 after 7.5 innings. We should now add the Yankees to a list of things that won't die that includes Freedy Kruger & Jason
10:16 PM: Yankees hold on to force game 4, an 8-4 win

=========================================
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES TV SECHDULE:
*Times TBA*
2007 NLCS: Rockies @ Diamondbacks -- Game 1, Thursday on TBS
2007 ALCS: TBD @ Red Sox -- Game 1, Friday on Fox