The annual switch from Football Mode to Baseball Mode

I shall not panic until the Red Sox until early June. In any capacity whatsoever. Here is my logic:

1) In football, you really shouldn't start panicking until around 3-4 games in. Since there are 16 games in the season, that means 25%.

2) In baseball, were one to panic 3 games in, there would still be about 98% of the season remaining. So employing football panic logic, there is no need until around a quarter of the season has transpired, which would put you 40 or so games in. I've just estimated that this would be mid-May, so panic need not ensue until that time. And even then, there is an awfully long time to correct mistakes, unlike in football.

That being said, it's a bit hard sometimes to switch modes, particularly after losing 2 out of 3 to the Evil Empire. I could say that I want Papi to get it together. I could be unimpressed with our bullpen and name names (Okajima/Delcarmen/Ramirez). But it's too early for all of that.

(Right?)

I do have to say, it's hard to switch modes. We were wicked awful at the beginning of last season though, and we got it together in the end.

I've cracked Theo Epstein's Strategic Plan

So I've found a crucial pattern in this year's Red Sox leaders. See graphic. Note first letter of 87.5% of the guys there. Note that remaining 12.5% has an adjacent letter in the alphabet. Clearly we need more people whose names start with 'J.'

When I started thinking this through, though, I realized that maybe this was no co-incidence, since it seems that we have been accumulating numerous players whose name starts with 'J.' Think about it. Our entire outfield comprises of J-guys: JD Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Jason Bay. We almost have an entire starting rotation made up of J-guys: Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Junichi Tazawa (what do you want to bet that Epstein gets Johan Santana in the off-season? Not very much, right, because now you see his plan!). Who do we keep putting in at shortstop? Jeb Lowry (even though I do not understand this since I think Alex Gonzalez has done very well....but now I've hit upon the answer). Of course, our closer is Jonathan Papelbon. Daniel Bard taking over that spot? Yeah, right!

This makes our trade of Justin Masterson all the more baffling. But I'm sure Theo has a plan to get him back.

Also, I hope that we aren't planning to re-sign Johnny Damon anytime soon.

Boston blog: Red Sox need to pull a Patriots D

The word right now in Boston (at least one version of it) is that massive change needs to happen for the team to stay competitive.

I think that this assessment is valid and that there do need to be some changes. While I don't want to point fingers at Francona, it is tempting because I felt like he had the wrong attitude into September. Things got very sloppy and that was exactly what I saw from most players in the series against the Angels. But then again, there was a real problem in production. So let's think that over...if I were Theo Epstein:

Staying: Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youk, Martinez, Gonzalez (you can unload a few of the other 82 shortstops we have in my opinion, Gonzalez stepped in and did a great job). I think we still have Drew too.

Go: Varitek (sniff), Bay looks like he will be gone, is Lowell done with his contract this year?

Can Varitek shift to coaching in some capacity?

Pitching: keep Lester, Buchholz, Beckett, Dice-K. Wakefield, although he had a great season and has contributed immensely, is not a reliable option considering his age. I would rather have him as the Red Sox equivalent of Junior Seau: someone who can come in later if we need him. Look for another starter just in case. Also, we do have Tazawa.

Bullpen: this gets tricky. I would keep Papelbon, I'm still not convinced Bard has it to be the closer (give it a season or two). Re-evaluate some of the middle relievers. Figure out what happened to Delcarmen and if that can be corrected. I'm not sure how I feel about the rest of them right now. Billy Wagner is probably done.

[Speaking of Junior Seau, apparently he is coming back with the Patriots. Already!]

Contrary to what you might believe from earlier posts, nobody gets any nickels

The Red Sox lost today, meaning that they are done for the season, losing in 3 straight games. My loyalties now fall to the Twins (beat the Yankees!) and failing that, the Angels (beat the Yankees!).

My no-win World Series would be the Yankees vs. the Phillies. Not as bad as a Manningbowl. But still not great.

Oh, and Papelbon was the one who blew it, which seems like a great description of our unpredictability and streakiness (in a bad way) this season. Even our (usually) dependable guys just didn't seem to have it.

I think it's over

Mind you, if you had a nickel for every time I thought it was over....okay, you wouldn't have that much, but you would have more than a nickel.

I think the Red Sox are done. They are down by 2 games in a best-of-5, they are not looking great and they have hit 1 run in two games. Mind you, they are coming back to Fenway now, which could help. But their effort to date has been pretty lackluster, as it was for a lot of September. I said it before: the problem is that they are streaky. The hitters have been drastically up and down all season and it seems like everyone follows the trend. Baseball is a fascinating game since the season is so long and people will not play the same way throughout. However, I think that the last couple weeks of the season did not bode well - as many Red Sox fans feared - and now we are in a pinch.

I was watching the game on Gameday, but thought Beckett did well. And really, we should be able to generate more offense than 1 run for him. He may have 'unraveled' in the 7th, but allowing 4 runs is not exactly a complete meltdown.

Also, I don't think TBS wants us to win since they have that dramatic Adenhart commercial for the Angels and we have nothing (not that it wouldn't be great for the Angels to win in dedication to him. Or at least beat the Yankees should it come to that). But Joba Chamberlain has one, the Cardinals have one, the Angels have one...what about us? How about 'The Saga of J.D. Drew'? Or Alex Gonzalez seeks to make himself seem worthy? Or Francona recovers from food poisoning? Surely these are also compelling narratives.

What is with the umpires?

I feel like the 1st base umpire must be a Ravens fan or something. That is two plays now where the Red Sox made the out but the runner was safe (also the same runner, Kendrick). Maybe baseball does need an instant replay?

I would have thrown the red flag on that one.

Ask and ye shall be informed

Here's a summary of what has happened to Delcarmen.

Apparently his technique is off but they have identified the problem. Actually fixing the problem is another question.

And his ERA as of late? 21.60. Yikes.

I have to record this for posterity

From the Red Sox broadcast on Friday night (they were playing the White Sox and had wrapped up a series against the Rays the night before at Tropicana Field):

Dave O'Brien: I'm still hearing cowbells.
Joe Castiglione: You won't come October.

And for something completely different...

I really must give credit to the Yankees and Red Sox. They rarely make it boring.

In a complete reversal from yesterday's result, today the Red Sox won 14-1. Tazawa was the winning pitcher and allowed no runs in 6 innings. Tomorrow will be Beckett and Sabathia (plus it is on ESPN so I can watch it!).

In the best news of the day, though, Wakefield is scheduled for Wednesday, which was supposed to be Penny's day.

Gagne of the Year

I am hereby inaugurating a new award in baseball. It is called the 'Gagne of the Year.' Awarded to the most recent pitching acquisition who turns out to be a complete disaster. Of course, this award is in honor (?) of Eric Gagne, who was so brutal during the 2007 playoffs that the only safe time to play him was when the Red Sox had a 5-run lead late...that way he would be unable to blow it in the case of a grand slam.

This year's 'Gagne of the Year' goes to Brad Penny. Not only has he pitched quite incompetently late in the season, he capped off his awfulness tonight by conceding 6 runs to the Yankees in the first two innings. Final score: 20-11 (that was 20-11 for the Yankees of course...there was no last-minute comeback here).

Congratulations (?), Brad Penny.

Wakefield pitched tonight in Pawtucket as part of rehab. His comments:

"I feel very comfortable that I can pitch in the big leagues again." He added that he felt well. "Physically, I feel great."

We want -- nay need -- you to come back. Please come back. Please!

Posting on Red Sox meet-up group in Tampa

Sent on the email list today:

'Just saying hi from Boston. Not only do I get to watch the games on Nesn but I get to see 3 hrs of pre and post game shows delving into the sorry state of the Red Sox at this moment. The Nation in Boston is in PANIC MODE.'

Incidentally, this comes after a series sweep against the Blue Jays with Bay, Ortiz, and Drew apparently deciding to wake up and hit some baseballs.

PR People should maybe liase with Front Office People more often

The Cleveland Indians traded Victor Martinez to the Red Sox yesterday in a last-minute deal. While this fact in and of itself is noteworthy (particularly because now we have another Youk-type player who can play virtually anywhere at any time), there is now a headache in Cleveland since they had planned for not one but two Martinez give-aways this week.

Oops.

As for how this affects the Red Sox: Martinez can play either 1st base or catcher. I see an eventual replacement for Varitek here, although probably not immediately (at least the club says that is not the plan). Supposedly, he will take over sometimes at first when Lowell needs a break so that Youkilis can move over. Also, he can serve as a DH in case our DH is not producing. However, Papi seems to be doing just fine in that department these days.

We traded three pitchers including Justin Masterson, who was one of those up-and-coming talents. I guess that the management figured there were sufficient up-and-comers, although with the pitching I have seen of late from Penny and Smoltz, I am not so sure about that. I do see the logic, though, since Masterson was primarily coming out of the bullpen and for once we seem to actually have a decent bullpen.

Bearing in mind that it is still August, of course. Naturally the bullpen can still fall completely apart. Ah, the mid-summer skepticism of a Red Sox fan, can't be beat.

Now he's not

(I'm back in the States so time to take control of this blog again!).

No Favre with the Vikings this year. He claims to have figured out that he is too old and rusty to get through another season. This leaves them in a bit of an awkward situation since there are two QBs who were about to be left behind for Favre. Now they get to play. And all this a week before their training camp starts.

Is it just me, or did the Patriots start training, like, months ago?

In baseball news, the Red Sox and Yankees are battling it out for top of the AL East. More importantly, I will get to see the Red Sox three times in the next month, once at Fenway. Yay!

Crazed Yankees vs. Red Sox series

So Friday night turned out to be one of those nail-biting extra inning games, which Youkilis won in the bottom of the 11th with a walk-off homer. Phew! Oh, and Papelbon did show up (and didn't do so well, but at least allowed no runs. Phew!).

Yesterday the Yankees had a 6-0 lead which they then blew, losing the game 16-11. There was a grand slam. It was insanity. Fabulous game, even if it was very, very long.

One game remains in the series tonight at 8pm. Then we are back to boring.

Oh, and my new concept, Yankeeerwerbungschadenfreude, is being presented in its full glory this season. The term roughly means, 'taking joy in the failure of expensive acquisitions by the Yankees.' See, for instance, Teixiera in Friday night's game.

Red Sox may have momentum

I stress the 'may.' Because if they do have momentum, then it's a 1-game win streak momentum interrupted by a day off.

However, on Wednesday they faced the As and Wakefield almost had a no-hitter. That is a seriously unexpected development. Tonight they face the Orioles with Brad Penny pitching. Baltimore, unlike us, is red hot so far this season, so let's hope that there is some slight momentum, no matter how slight.

I want football to start again

It would be nice to cheer for at least one team that has a winning record.

Josh Beckett was suspended for 6 games today over a pitch that he allegedly threw during Saturday's game. It went near the head of a player. The Angels have been up in arms about this incident, whereas the Red Sox are claiming it is just one of those things that, you know, happens in baseball. Also worthy of note: the Red Sox have exactly one winning starting pitcher at this time: Josh Beckett.

Last night they got slaughtered again, this time by the Oakland As in an 8-2 blow-out of icky.

Apparently, we have not yet hit the 'panic number,' which is 1-6. However, we are 2-5, which really isn't all that much better.

Red Sox after 5: meh

Greetings from the basement of the AL East. Sure, after yesterday we've had to share that basement with Tampa, but we are still in there. Oh the irony of Tampa and Boston being in the basement. Oh the irony.

Anyway, what I have seen thus far of the Red Sox has not been all that impressive. Starting pitchers are not quite there yet. Papelbon last night managed to load the bases in the 9th inning before finally delivering a save (and he gave up a homerun in that inning, bringing the Angels to within 1 run). I hope that he is just getting off to a slow start and/or having the worst slump of the season now and getting it over with. I saw him pitch at Fort Myers (where I believe he also gave up a homerun) and he hasn't quite looked like himself yet in my eyes.

Baseball, of course, is a super long season and there are still plenty of games to go. Hopefully the Red Sox will pick it up, though.

Spring Training

So obviously, spring training is happening and I've managed to make it to a couple of games. Today I will be headed to Fort Myers to take in the Red Sox at their spring training home. Should be fantastic, particularly because Beckett and Papelbon are scheduled to pitch!

Yesterday the Sox beat the Blue Jays 6-4 in what was a pretty good game. The Sox definitely came out swinging and got a number of very nice hits. Of the regular starters, Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew were in, along with Lowrie at shortstop who had a decent day (great hitting, not bad fielding. He was a mess on the Monday before against the Pirates though). It looks like Lowrie may be our starter because apparently Lugo needs surgery.

Chris Carter, who played center field yesterday (I think), had a very good day at the plate as well, getting a home run in the fifth inning. Also, they were hitting Halladay, who is actually one of the Blue Jays' starters and one of their better pitchers.

Not nearly as exciting as the previous Monday, where the Sox won 15-14 in 10 innings against the Pirates, but still a good game.

Varitek back with Sox, Torre's book looks awesome

Yesterday Jason Varitek signed a 1-year deal to catch for the Red Sox again. I think that this is great. Varitek haters be gone with you. He's been an important part of the team for too long to let go.

Also, I simply must read Joe Torre's book about how insane the Yankees are. Apparently, A-Rod basically stalked Jeter. It's just too easy to make the Yankee jokes on that one.

Red Sox filling in bullpen, outfield

It looks like there will be two signings today: John Smoltz from Atlanta and Rocco Baldelli from the Rays. Smoltz would be a closer presumably in that 'oh God, when does Papelbon go in?' void that we've been experiencing; however, he has been injured and would probably still be rehabbing until June. That's okay. We will probably need him more August/September.

Baldelli has suffered from some kind of disease that has made him fatigued but apparently he can now be treated. He will presumably fill in for J.D. Drew who has been suffering from injuries and vertigo. I was once at a game in Tampa where this hardcore Red Sox fan from New Hampshire (now naturally retired here) kept listing all of the players she 'didn't care for.' Every time J.D. Drew stepped up to the plate, she'd say, 'I don't care for him.' It was hilarious. The game was in September 2007; I suspect the man has redeemed himself, particularly in the post-season, between then and now.