Posted by jayman |
April 23, 2008 – 5:51 am
In the ongoing debate about who should be the two hitters at the top of the lineup, we now have a 10 game sample to look at with Jacoby Ellsbury leading off for the Red Sox. And the sox record in those games is 9-1. While I’m not able to put my finger on it yet, the Ellsbury / Pedroia combo at the top seems to have a spark to it that a combo with Youklis in the second spot hasn’t been able to match.
Regardless, having a multitude of guys who can fill the leadoff and second spot in the lineup is a wonderful problem to have
Posted by jayman |
April 22, 2008 – 10:32 am
I’ve been reading all about Hank Steinbrenner’s outbust that Joba Chamberlain should be a starting pitcher right now and Brian Cashman’s response. All it has me thinking is that I’m glad the Sox aren’t toying around with Clay Bucholz.
Crundy and I actually disagree on this. Crundy thinks Bucholz should be a bullpen setup guy if there’s not a role for him in the starting rotations (for example,if Schill wasn’t injured). My opinion is that Clay Bucholz is in the Red Sox system and currently on their 25 man roster because he is a starting pitcher and not as a set up man.
Clay Bucholz’s future on the Red Sox is as a starting pitcher. Joba Chamberlain’s future with the Yankees is also probably as a starting pitcher. Yet one guy (Clay) keeps getting ball every 5 days and making a start….whether that start is in the majors or in Triple A doesn’t matter. Every 5 days he gets to continue to evolve as a starting pitcher. As for Joba, he’s getting pulled in different directions by his team’s owner, his manger and general manager. All the while, not being given the opportunity to shine in what his long term role will be. Joba may be helping his team more today as a reliever, but at the same time his growth as a staring pitcher is being stifled.
Posted by crundy |
April 22, 2008 – 6:06 am
“These were the happy days, the salad days as they say…” H. I. McDunnough.
“We need a Beckett, we don’t have one, and he’s the one that can do it.” Steinbrenner said.
This quote, the worry about the “cursed jersey”, I even heard Yankees fans chanting “Boston Sucks” during one of the games in NY last week…..
Talk about role reversal!
Meanwhile, has anyone noticed how friggin loose the Sox are playing right now? In NY last week there were a few plays where the reactions of the Sox players were almost as if they were playing a game?! How bizarre. It’s like they are actually enjoying themselves out there! On the play where Melkytoast threw behind Ortiz at second base, Ortiz laughed and pointed as if to say, “You almost got me with that trick play you little devil!”…meanwhile Melkytoast didn’t even crack a grimmace. Ditto when Sean Casey was surprised by Wang with a quick swivel and almost-throw to second (only there was no one to throw to) was left scrambling on all fours to get back to the bag the entire Sox team enjoyed it so much they were still teasing him a few innings later…
Right now it’s all Peaches and Cream (I stole that quote from Kevin Garnett).
The sox have 5 starters with OBP’s over .400 and in 6th is a guy named Pedroia who is hitting .337 with an OBP of .398. Heck, if we could just trade Lugo away and put Lowrie at short (or put him at second and move Pedroia over) we’d have another guy close to .400 as well (.389 OBP) >And the capper? None of these guys is Ortiz! So, if Ortiz gets going (which he will) we could conceivably field a nine man team with 8 +.400 OBP guys! Has that ever happened? In a game where everyone gets 4 at bats (36 at bats/game) that would mean you would expect the team to reach base 14 times per game, on average!
All that and smiles too. Imagine if the young pitching comes around by mid-summer.
Posted by jayman |
April 17, 2008 – 5:37 pm
Posted by jayman |
April 17, 2008 – 12:16 pm
I just checked out the tag cloud on this site and apparently we’re still fixated with Buckner and the Yankees. Despite winning two championships in the past 4 years, some things are just hard to let go of.
Posted by crundy |
April 16, 2008 – 7:53 pm
It’s a rivalry because they made us feel badly. A lot. Here are some off the top of my head:
1. 
Knobloch’s Phantom tag in the 99 ALCS.
As hard as it is for me to say this the Sox were not the better team. We had Pedro and Nomar at their zeniths but we didn’t have a complete team like we do now. It was a shame those two didn’t end up in a few world series when they were as good they were back in 99-00.
2. The Yankees sweep a five game series…..in Fenway…..in August
This ruined August!
3. Combo Aaron Boone Hr and Rivera Shutting us down for 3 Straight Innings:
Check out the game details here. There are some odd stats in that game. Clemens got rocked, Moose saved the day, Pedro picthed a great game until he wa sofrced back in the game in the 8th on fumes. Millar came through while Nomar didn’t…but the performace of Rivera in that game was outrageous. I can remember seeing Rivera just had to sit down right after the yankees won the game. He just couldn’t deal with the emotions/physical exertion. That game/series was the beginning of the Sox/Yanks rivalry becoming (almost) even. It was like the series the Celts stole from Pistons with Bird’s last second steal and pass to DJ. Detroit was better that year but they had to wait another year to move into the top spot in the East. Ditto Sox. they should have won that game, but the Yankee’s were the kings and had a few magic bullets left. And then Wayno and I spent the night walking around NYC being taunted by 10 Million people for wearing Sox gear.
4. Jeeter Fucked Your Momma!
the year was 1999. It was Sox/Yanks game in Fenway during the season. i was watching the game from Section 4 (staring at the outfield) with my two beers in hand….and Jeter came up to bat…Some jamokes in the stands start yelling at jeter..stuff like “Heyyyyyyy JEEEETEEERRRRR…JEEETER’S GOT NO PEEEEETERRRRRR”…on and on and on through the at bat: “JEEETER’S GOT NO PEEEEETERRRRRR”…..and then out of nowhere comes a young woman’s voice, crisp, clear, to the point: “JETER FUCKED YOUR MOMMA!” Right into the guy’s ear. Shut him up, Jeter got a hit….and ten seconds later I watched as a young family in our section (Dad carrying the two kids in his arms) left a Sox/Yanks game in the second inning.
5. Yankee’s Stranglehold on the Al East Crown:
Until last year, the Yankees had one 8 AL East titles in a row. Every year felt like the year we would hold off the Yankees but each year we would slip a little each month as the Yankees gained momentum…until we lost the AL East…until last year.
Posted by jayman |
April 16, 2008 – 4:10 pm
Jed Lowrie mad the first start of his career vs. the Indians Tuesday night. At third base. Has me wondering what his future role with the Red Sox is. Pretty clear the Pedroia is embedded at second for years to come. Lugo has a couple more years at $10 million a year and Lowell is in the first of his 3 year deal.
Where does that leave Jed Lowrie? Is his future the infielder utilityman currently occupied by Alex Cora. Is he going to challenge Lugo for the starting shortstop position? Can he even play that position every day?
Here’s my prediction.
Lugo isn’t going anywhere. At $10 million a year, no one will want him. Maybe sox will be willing to eat a part of the contract (a la the Renteria deal) and if Lugo does ever heat up and start hitting, well thats why the Sox got him in the first place. I think we’ll see Lowrie spending the year in the minors, then take over Cora’s spot as infield utilityman for a couple years. Lugo and Lowell become free agents after the 2010 season (that also happens to be Manny’s final option year) and that would seem the logical time to decide if Lowrie is an everyday player at shortstop or 3rd base or neither.
Then again, if we already know he’s not an everyday shortstop, perhaps he’s a useful trade asset now.
