The Red Sox traded Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland to the Astros for reliever Mark Melancon.
It's a smart trade. The Red Sox need to rebuild their bullpen and Jed Lowrie is not a long term answer for the infield. Melancon is talented, piled up saves for an awful Astros team and has a good ERA+. And he's only 26 years old.
But before we bid good bye to Jed Lowrie, let's salute him. He was part of that 2005 First Round crop that supposedly was going to replenish the Red Sox.
Jacoby Ellsbury has held up his end of the bargain. When healthy Clay Buchholz has been a stud. Craig Hansen was supposed to be a the next bullpen ace. It didn't work out that way. And Jed Lowrie was going to provide depth SOMEWHERE in the infield.
The Sox got the Lowrie pick as a result of losing Orlando Cabrera to the Angels.
And it was against the Angels that he had his greatest moment.
In 2008 Division Series, the Red Sox were the defending World Champions but the Angels were the best team in the American League. If any team looked like they were in a position to unseat the World Champs, it was this Angels team. But the Sox took the first two games in Anaheim and then lost an extra inning thriller in Game 3.
Game 4 was a back and forth affair with the Angels tying the game in the 8th. In the 9th, Jason Bay dropped a bloop double in front of Reggie Willits. With 1 out, Mark Kotsay hit a linedrive that looked like it was going to clinch the series but Mark Teixeira made a diving catch at first base.
Up stepped Jed Lowrie who swung at Scot Shields' first pitch and smacked it into right field. Bay came around to score and the Red Sox were off to the ALCS.
It was the 16th post season series won by the Red Sox. (7 World Series, 4 ALCS and 5 Division Series).
And as of this writing, it was the last playoff series won by Boston.
In those 16 post season series victories, only 3 ended with a walk off hit. The 1912 World Series ended when Larry Gardner hit a 10th inning sacrifice fly. The 2004 Division Series ended with a David Ortiz home run. And the 2008 Division Series ended with Jed Lowrie's single.
We all jumped up and celebrated that night.
So before you head off to Houston, let's salute Jed Lowrie and say thank you.
And hopefully the number of Red Sox who ended a post season series with a walk off hit will increase before long.
When Sully Baseball was in its infancy, I got into an internet argument with several Red Sox fans.
They all wanted J. D. Drew. I didn't want the Sox to touch him with a cattle prod.
The J. D. Drew crew were all stat heads who were screaming about his OPS, his power, his ability to get on base and thought I was some stuck up fool for not seeing it.
I kept saying "He plays well when he has a contract on the line and is hurt all the other years." I pointed out that he wore out his welcome in St. Louis, jumped ship in both Atlanta and Los Angeles following his only 2 seasons of note.
I was practically holding candlelight vigils to keep Drew from signing with the Sox. And when he did, I wrote an early post explaining how the Sox should compensate a player who I thought was going to be a flop.
I felt that signing Drew for 5 years was going to be a disaster and there is no way he will live up to it and he will be on the DL for long stretches and not put up the numbers.
The contract is over. Let's review. So let's review...
He gave the Red Sox 140 games once, his first year. That was also the only year he made 550 plate appearances. He never hit 25 homers. He never got more than 126 hits. He never drove in 70 runs. He never walked 85 times. He struck out 100 or more times three times. His average peaked at .280. He cracked the top 10 of OPS once.
He was mediocre and injury plagued. And his $14 million a year salary is coming off the books.
That's a good thing. And I turned out to be right about J. D. Drew.
Except I am saluting him and I believe all Red Sox fans should do the same.
Lest we forget some of the great memories that J. D. Drew gave Sox fans.
In Game 6 of the 2007 ALCS, after Beckett and company forced the series back to Fenway, Cleveland still had the advantage.
And when the Sox loaded the bases with nobody out in the first, it looked like they were going to squander the opportunity to draw first blood. Drew came up with 2 outs and the bases still juiced and still no score. Fausto Carmona was going to get out of it when he went 3-1 on Drew. Every Sox fan (including one that Fox cut to) thought "Just walk J. D. Get a run on the board."
He drove one deep to center... maybe an out. Sizemore went back... maybe a double. And it cleared the wall. NOBODY was thinking grand slam. Even Carmona's reaction was "Are you F---ing Kidding Me?"
Bill Simmons called it the $70 million homer. The Red Sox took control and Game 7 was inevitable. Drew drove in another run for good measure.
In Game 7, he drove in a key insurance run in the 8th as the Red Sox won the pennant.
In the World Series against Colorado, he drove in 2 runs in the opener and got 2 hits in Game 2 as the Red Sox rolled.
But his greatest moments came in 2008, his lone All Star year for the Sox. His home run in Yankee Stadium earned him All Star MVP honors.
Then in the Division Series he clubbed a go ahead homer off of Francisco Rodriguez to win Game 2 on the road.
In the ALCS against the Rays, he hit a home run to pull the Sox to within in and clubbed the walk off 9th inning hit giving the Red Sox the mindboggling 7 run deficit erasing victory in Game 5.
The Sox lost that series, but that Game 5 victory is still one of the great moments in recent Red Sox history.
So no, Drew wasn't worth the 5 years. He was never an elite player. I was right that he would spend a lot of time hurt and not living up to the potential.
But my goodness... he contributed big time to winning a World Series title and the next year gave us all thrills and the wonderful image of a Red Sox player being honored in Yankee Stadium.
That's got to be worth something. So salute him, Red Sox fans and NOT with the middle finger.
He's got a World Series ring on his finger and he earned it. That's got to be worth SOME love still.
Josh Beckett’s tenure with the Red Sox is in sync with the quality of the Star Trek movies. Don’t believe me? Don’t understand me?
Follow along… it is logical.
Josh Beckett’s first season in Boston (2006) mirrored Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Both were eagerly anticipated by fans:
Red Sox fans were getting the 2003 World Series MVP who conquered the Yankees.
Star Trek fans were getting to return to the Enterprise for the first time in more than a decade.
Both were trying to recreate a success from 2 years before: The Red Sox needed an ace to fill Pedro Martinez’s shoes and replicate the 2004 World Championship.
Paramount needed a science fiction blockbuster in 1979 to answer the staggering success of Star Wars.
Both were incredibly expensive: Beckett cost the Red Sox budding superstar Hanley Ramirez, a good pitcher in Anibal Sanchez and a big fat $30 million contract extension.
Star Trek The Motion Picture was, at the time, the most expensive movie ever produced. It’s price tag was around $45 million.
Both were initially big let downs: Beckett let up way too many homers, his ERA soared to 5.01 and Red Sox fans shook their heads. “This is NOT what we wanted in an ace.”
Star Trek The Motion Picture lumbered along with a not exactly action packed plot. And the flight through V’Ger was the longest and most dull special effects sequence in history, rivaled only by the laborious introduction of the Enterprise.
Both had some decent numbers, but not what was expected: Beckett won 16 games and pitched over 200 innings, which would be fine for most pitchers. But for Pedro Martinez’s replacement, it was a let down.
Star Trek The Motion Picture grossed over $130 million world wide and made $30 million in profits for Paramount. Impressive, but not even close to Star Wars.
Both had, in retrospect, some bright spots: Beckett pitched brilliantly out of the gate, winning his first three starts convincingly. He homered in a game against the Phillies. And on September 21, in his second to last start of the season, he out pitched Johan Santana in a game where the Twins were trying to take over the Division lead. Beckett went 8 innings of shutout ball.
There are some cool scenes in Star Trek The Motion Picture. The Klingons attacking the V’Ger cloud at the opening was neat. Spock’s spacewalk and mindmeld with V’Ger was a cool scene. And in retrospect, the film plays like a very good episode that happened to have some overlong special effects sequences shoved into it.
Josh Beckett’s second season in Boston (2007) mirrored Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Both addressed what went wrong before: Beckett stopped relying on his fastball and learned how to pitch in the American League with his breaking stuff and location. And along the way reduced the walks and homers that plagued his 2006 season.
For Star Trek II, they brought in a whole new creative cast and crew. And (get ready for some blasphemy) removing Gene Roddenberry in favor of Harve Bennet was the best thing to ever happen to Star Trek! The Wrath of Khan acted like Star Trek The Motion Picture didn’t even happen. It picked the story up with Kirk wanting the Enterprise back and, unlike the first movie, acknowledged the fact that the cast was old. Now the age of Kirk was no longer a distraction but part of the story and it worked big time.
Both obliterated all of the earlier doubts: Beckett’s 2006 made people wonder if he was yet another National League pitcher who couldn’t make it in the American League. And some people started pointing out that his regular season stats weren’t exactly eye popping. Nobody was saying that after 2007.
Critics wondered if Star Trek was just a TV show that couldn’t translate to the big screen. I mean if they couldn’t make it work with a big budget and Robert Wise directing, what chance did it have? The new producers, writers and director solved that!
Both were so much better than anyone could have imagined: Beckett was hoping for a good rebound season. What he got was a Cy Young caliber season where he played the role of ace and etched his name into Red Sox lore.
The Wrath of Khan became the gold standard of every Star Trek movie and episode since. It was more than a good Star Trek movie. It was a good MOVIE. Even non Trekkies (or Trekkers) admit that it is a heck of a good sci fi action film.
Both had a cool bad ass quality: Beckett didn’t just win. He won with an unmistakable swagger and he was unflappable. Remember how the Red Sox were down 3-1 in the ALCS and Beckett had to save the season? He not only won, but he barely broke a sweat. The Indians hired his ex girlfriend to sing the national anthem. He didn’t care. Kenny Lofton tried to charge the mound, and Beckett shrugged. Nothing phased him.
Think Star Trek is nerdy? Check out Riccardo Montalban as Khan, chest out and out hamming William Shatner. There was nothing dorky about dropping creatures into Chekov’s ear. And Kirk was at his coolest, out smarting Khan and finding out he was a dad. Even Spock showed a unflappable side, lying in one scene taking one for the team at the end. The Enterprise was never cooler.
It just kept betting better: Beckett just kept winning. On September 15th he faced off against the Yankees supposed ace Chien-Ming Wang and won easily. He opened the Division Series with a complete game shutout of the Angels. Won the ALCS MVP and probably would have been the World Series MVP if he got another start.
Wrath of Khan kept topping itself. The Khan sneak attack. The Genesis planet. Kirk screaming Khaaaaaaaan! The battle in the Nebula. And just when the film couldn’t get any better, Spock had a death scene. Are you kidding me?
The ending was not delivered goose bumps but promised more greatness: Beckett won the opener of the World Series and set the tone for the Red Sox sweep. When they won, it felt different than 2004. There was the possibility of more titles on the way.
Wrath of Khan ended with the funeral of Spock. But then the camera swooped down to the Genesis planet with all new life forming from death… AND SPOCK’S COFFIN WAS INTACT! And the “Space The Final Frontier” monologue was said by Spock, not Kirk. You know what that means: There was going to be an awesome sequel with Spock in it!
Josh Beckett’s third season in Boston (2008) mirrored Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
Both had an impossible act to follow: How could Beckett top his near Cy Young winning 2007 season where he built on his reputation of being an all time Post Season pitcher? He couldn’t.
Could The Search for Spock even come close to the awesome roller coaster that was Wrath of Khan? Nope.
Both seemed like hollow facsimiles of the previous triumph: Beckett got some big wins to be sure. But he hovered around .500 around most of the season and his ERA hovered around 4.00. Not bad, but not great.
There were some nice scenes in The Search for Spock. But Christopher Lloyd was a poor man’s Khan. And destroying the Enterprise and killing Kirk’s son just didn’t hold a candle to Spock’s sacrifice.
Both saved the best for last: Despite some bad outings against the Angels and Rays in the playoffs, Beckett won Game 6 forcing the ALCS to go the limit. It didn’t have the cool ending as 2007, but Beckett did his job at the end.
The Search for Spock felt a little cheap and slapped together after Wrath of Khan. But the finale on Vulcan and Spock raising his eyebrow was a great ending.
Josh Beckett’s fourth season in Boston (2009) mirrored Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Both were fun if a little light and less ambitious: Beckett won a bunch of games including a terrific opening day start against the Rays and a complete game shutout against the Braves. He also showed his fire was there when he threw at Bobby Abreu’s head and got suspended. The Angels got revenge by beating Beckett in the playoffs.
The Voyage Home had no intention of topping Wrath of Khan. There was no bad guy and no great sacrifice. There were funny scenes in San Francisco and a save the whales message. It was the big screen equivalent of The Trouble with Tribbles.
Both were a nice return to form: While he didn’t dominate in the playoffs, Beckett became an All Star starter and along side Jon Lester, it looked like the Red Sox had their aces back.
The Voyage Home was no Wrath of Khan. But all the crew was back and in uniform. Rand and Chapel had cameos. Even Spock’s mom showed up to say hello. And at the end, a new Enterprise was introduced meaning that the series was going to get a fresh start.
Josh Beckett’s fifth season in Boston (2010) mirrored Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Both looked bad right from the beginning: Beckett started the season against the Yankees got clobbered, being chased in the 5th inning. He looked bad and it wasn’t going to get better.
The Final Frontier opened with Spock, McCoy and Kirk singing "Row Row Row your boat" around a camp fire. It was worse than embarrassing. It was Mystery Science Theater material.
Both tried but failed to fix things in mid stream: Beckett sat out a start in May before getting his butt kicked by the Yankees again. He was put on the disabled list after the Yankee start. But when he came back, he was dreadful, watching his ERA rising to 6.67 in mid August.
The Final Frontier went through so many different script changes and reedits that I am convinced that none of the actors knew what the plot was from scene to scene.
Both were so bad that you wondered if there was any hope for the future: Forget being an ace. A 30 year old pitcher going 6-6 with a 5.78 ERA could be filed in the “he’s done” bin.
With the incomprehensible ending on the God planet, a return to the camp fire and a fat and old cast, the idea of another Star Trek voyage seemed unlikely. Both made you think “better leave it to the next generation”:
Beckett was no longer the ace. Buchholz and Lester had that title. Should Beckett step down and give the Michael Bowden and Felix Doubronts of the world a shot?
Kirk, Spock and McCoy? By 1989 they should leave the “boldly going” to Piccard and company.
So where does this leave Beckett for 2011?
The good news is that Star Trek VI was the best written film of the series other than Wrath of Khan and gave the crew a great send off. So things look good for the Sox and Beckett.
Bad news is the NEXT Star Trek film, Generations, blew a great chance to have Kirk and Piccard team up. The film was a mess. Which means Beckett will probably flop in 2012.
However Star Trek: First Contact was a terrific and fun film. The Borg on the big screen? Awesome. Which bodes well for Beckett and the Sox in 2013.
The last year of Beckett’s contract is 2014. Sadly Star Trek: Insurrection was so forgettable that I forgot I saw it while I was in the theater. Doesn’t look good for Beckett that year.
And if a team signs him for 2015, bad news. I couldn’t finish Star Trek: Nemesis. I am guessing Beckett won’t finish that season.
A ray of hope for 2016? The Star Trek reboot wasn’t bad. Maybe he’ll finish in style.
Live long and prosper, Josh Beckett.
(How often can I combine two different childhood obsessions into one post?)
The Red Sox today welcomed back old friend and knuckleball catching specialist Kevin Cash in a deal with Houston.
With Victor Martinez hurt, it is good to have someone with big league experience backing up "The Lobster" and catching Wakefield (who goes tonight in search if his 178th win in a Red Sox uniform.)
Cash was on the 2007 Division Series roster but didn't get into a game. (He played and homered in the 2008 ALCS for the Sox.)
So he earned a ring with the '07 Red Sox.
But remember, he also played for the 2009 Yankees... which as painful as it is to remember... also won the World Series.
Now he only played 10 games for the Yankees that year and was released in September... but I wonder if he got a ring from the Yankees as well.
But I have a hard time putting him in that list because Mendoza, Damon and Hinske were all on the active roster for the post season while Cash was cut from the team before the season was over.
It's the sort of thing that a lunatic like me thinks about at this late hour.
David Price had another terrific outing today, this time throwing 6 innings and no earned runs and as of this writing, the Rays are cruising to a victory against Cleveland.
Price is quickly becoming an All Star caliber starter. If the score holds up he'll be 6-1 with a 1.81 ERA.
So I guess Price coming out of the bullpen with only 14 innings of big league experience and ending the Red Sox World Series defense in Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS with a 4 out save including a bases loaded strikeout of J. D. Drew isn't so bad in retrospect.
He was a stud they had barely seen... oh but still I WANTED that game. It would have made the comeback from the 7-0 Game 5 even sweeter... a chance to go back to back.
I remember talking to someone about my shaky Patriot fandom. I told him "I would trade all three Patriots Super Bowl Titles in exchange for a double by J. D. Drew off of David Price."
If that applies to the Red Sox, then it doesn't bode well.
They are a sub .500 team in mid May and 9 games out in the loss column from first place.
And in order to make up games against the Rays and the Yankees, they need to start winning head to head games.
They've played 11 games so far against the Rays and Yankees... and have won 2.
My friend Ed, who is a rabid Yankee fan, reminded me that the Yankees got off to a rancid start in 2005 and won the Division... and last year looked lost and were 0-8 against the Red Sox to start the season.
That's nice and it's always cool to have a Yankee fan try to cheer you up after a brutal loss... but a more apt year to take a look at is 2008.
The Yankees got off to a mediocre start and hovered around .500. Eventually they heated up and went on a huge winning streak that pulled them to within 3 games of first.
But here was the problem for them: They never got out of third place. There were TWO 90+ teams in the division. There was no way they were catching them both.
And there was another harsh fact about the 2008 Yankees... the 2008 Red Sox and 2008 Rays were better teams.
And that is the brutal honesty about the 2010 Boston Red Sox.
They aren't as good as the Yankees and Rays. The Yankees have more firepower and their aces are throwing the ball really well.
(Don't whine about payroll, Red Sox fans... the Sox are gluttonous as well.)
And the Rays are younger, faster and have a deeper pitching staff.
In the standings they are both better than the Sox. Head to head they are clearly better than the Sox.
So here's the even more brutal question to ask: Should they be thinking about 2011?
I said in my podcast last October that the Red Sox should have considered trading Josh Beckett. I said they got everything they could ever want out of Beckett and signing him to a long term deal would be risky... Why not try to get a piece (or two) for the long term success? A team might give up an outfielder or thirdbaseman for the future for Beckett coming off an All Star season.
The Beckett extension was a mistake, but there are ways to make 2011 a great year for the Sox. First of all, Ortiz, Varitek, Lowell and Wakefield are all probably not coming back... which means there will be $25 million off the books.
Now granted, some other players will get some raises... but there will be a chance to sign a big free agent or absorb another team's big contract.
But I think they should make another trade now.
J. D. Drew is starting to heat up and might never have this type of value again... especially with his up and down nature and injury history.
AND there is a perfect suitor for the Sox:
The Giants.
The Giants need ANY offense and have some young pitching to spare. Maybe the Sox wouldn't be able to pry away a top prospect like Madison Bumgarner or Zack Wheeler... but a young arm to plug into the rotation or the bullpen while making the team younger, leaner and cheaper would go a long way to making 2011 look better.
Think I am giving up too soon?
Hey, I am just seeing what the mirror is reflecting back!
So it is official... Jason Bay is a Met and his days as a Red Sox left fielder are over.
And even though the signing was announced less than 24 hours ago, it has already been declared a bust by SI.com, Yahoo Sports, The Post, and many bloggers.
Tough crowd.
And while as a Red Sox fan I would rather see him break down on someone else's dime (and pick up a few draft picks from the Mets) I think Bay is worth a nice salute before he leaves.
He played well for the Sox (with a few slumps here and there) over a year and a half. And to the morons who say that the Red Sox lost the 2008 pennant because they had Bay instead of Ramirez, please do a little homework.
Bay would have been the MVP of the Division Series in 2008 if they gave out that award. (I do.)
He batted .412 in the (and a 1.356 OPS) in the Division Series, including a key home run in Game 1 amd doubling in the 9th inning of Game 4 and scoring the series ending run.
And the Red Sox didn't lose the ALCS to the Rays because of Bay (and his .927 OPS.) They lost because Beckett got crushed in Game 2, Lester got crushed in Game 3, Wakefield got crushed in Game 4 and the Red Sox couldn't hit Garza nor Price in Game 7.
It's always about pitching.
Oh and lest we forget Bay's home run against Mariano Rivera last spring. (Doesn't that seem like a lifetime ago?)
So the Sox aren't being sentimental... they are piling up draft picks and hoping to make the next big smash.
But Bay, while still ringless (and will probably remain that in Flushing) he is still worth a Red Sox fan salute.
One strike from winning the game, putting Lester on the hill... and a Game 4 win would send the game back to Anaheim (sorry Angels, that's where you play) with the pressure on THEIR shoulders.
And instead we get a monumental collapse.
But some Sox fans are getting carried away.
Bob Ryan said this was the worst Red Sox post season loss since 1986.
Really?
It's not even the worst Red Sox post season loss in the last 12 months!!!
Come on... the Red Sox had the tying runs on base with nobody out in the 8th... heart of the line up coming up... just a few days removed from the mind boggling Game 5 come back... a trip to the World Series on the line... and they got a goose egg.
I'll think of J. D. Drew striking out against David Price a hell of a lot more than the Angels rallying against Papelbon.
Last year was a chance to make it back to back pennants... have a great shot to repeat as World Champs and maybe have the word dynasty mentioned.
Instead we got a World Series opening in the Trop!
This year? Holding off a Division Series sweep.
Not as much on the line. And how quickly we forgot the devastation that was 2003!
Lest we forget the Sox had a 5-2 lead in the 8th inning... 1 out and nobody on.
The Yankee dragon was about to be slain by a gritty and lovable bunch.
Plus we all knew that the Yankees for what ever reason couldn't hit Embree, Timlin nor Williamson... and if Pedro let up a hit, Grady would have those three guys to record 5 outs.
And then the most agonizing inning since the 10th of Game 6 in 1986 happened.
We replayed that inning, batter by batter until Posada's little bloop tied the game... and a few innings later when Aaron Boone ended it.
In some ways that was WORSE than Game 6 in 1986.
We had felt we couldn't be burnt again after that... and then let us feel hope as the outs piled up.
And when the ball rolled through Buckner's legs, not only was the game already tied, but there was a Game 7 on the horizon.
When Boone's homer landed... that was it. End of season. End of hope. Many of us wondered if we should just stop rooting for the team.
It was time to buy a copy of Noose Making For Dummies.
A little less devastating than trying to prevent a Division Series sweep.
So folks, it hurt yesterday. But it doesn't carry the weight of "Will we ever see a World Series title in our life times?"
It doesn't have the "will we EVER beat the Yankees" question hanging over it.
Nor does it have the "I wanted to see a Dynasty!" possibility.
It was quite simply "I hope we don't get swept by a better team in the Division Series" situation.
Let's not go nuts folks.
(We wouldn't want Red Sox fans to be irrational!!!)
Well now with Lester, Beckett and now Buchholz pitching well and the offense clicking and the bullpen looking deep...
Dare I hope?
Dare I dream?
Ah, let's just get into October. And update the tally.
DODGED A BULLET GAMES - 25
April 17 - 10-8 win against Orioles. (Overcame 7-0 deficit.)
April 24 - 5-4 win against Yankees. (Bay homers off of Rivera in 9th to tie it.)
April 25 - 16-11 win against Yankees. (Overcame 6-0 deficit.)
April 29 - 6-5 win at Cleveland. (Overcame 5-0 deficit.)
May 12 - 4-3 win at Anaheim. (Down 3-1 in the 8th.) June 11 - 4-3 win against Yankees. (Down 3-1 in the 8th. Rallied against Sabathia.)
June 12 - 5-2 win at Philadelphia. (Overcame Ryan Howard's 9th inning shot to win in 13)
June 21 - 6-5 win against Atlanta. (The wind turns Nick Green's fly ball into a walk off shot)
June 27 - 1-0 win at Atlanta. (Masterson and Papelbon wiggle out of late jams.) July 1 - 6-5 win at Baltimore. (Sox score 4 in the 9th and Lugo wins in in the 11th)
July 8 - 5-4 win against Oakland. (Wind keeps Hairston's 9th inning go ahead homer in the ballpark)
July 10 - 1-0 win against Kansas City. (Pedroia drives in the only run with 2 outs in the 8th.)
July 30 - 8-5 win against Oakland. (Ortiz tests postive then hits a 2 out 3 run go ahead homer.)
July 31 - 6-5 win at Baltimore. (Youk's 2 run homer saves Smoltz from another bad start.)
August 10 - 6-5 win against Detroit. (Sox snap 6 game losing streak with 7th inning rally.)
August 14 - 8-4 win at Texas. (Victor Martinez hits a 2 run 2 strike 2 out double to take the lead and make up for Buchholz's baserunning mishap.)
August 18 - 10-9 win at Toronto. (Ortiz homers and the Jays defense collapses, saving Beckett from a bad start.) August 24 - 12-8 win against White Sox. (Red Sox overcome early 4-1 lead and a bad Buchholz start.)
August 25 - 6-3 win against White Sox. (Red Sox win with 4 unanswered runs despite some sloppy defense.)
August 26 - 3-2 win against White Sox. (Wakes pitches 7 strong and Papi homers twice including a walk off)
August 28 - 6-5 win against Toronto. (Sox come back from early 3-0 hole and Paps wiggles out of a bases loaded jam in the 9th.)
August 29 - 3-2 win against Toronto. (Buchholz dominates but needs help from Paps to finish the 9th)
September 1 - 8-4 win at Tampa Bay. (Papelbon enters the game with the bases loaded, nobody out and go ahead run at the plate... and gets a 2 innings save.)
September 9 - 7-5 win against Baltimore. (Martinez's double gives the Sox the lead and Papelbon wiggles out of two jams.)
September 13 - 3-1 win against Tampa Bay. (Pedroia's 8th inning homer off of Matt Garza breaks a 1-1 tie)
TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 23
April 14 - 6-5 loss at Oakland. (Sox blow early 3-0 lead. Lose in 12)
April 28 - 9-8 loss at Cleveland. (Sox blow early 5-1 lead. Lopez drops 3rd out.) May 14 - 5-4 loss at Anaheim. (Ortiz goes 0-7 stranding 12 runners.) May 15 - 5-4 loss at Seattle. (Red Sox blow their second 4-0 lead in three days.)
May 17 - 3-2 loss at Seattle. (Red Sox strand two in the 9th. Lose in the bottom of the 9th.)
May 23 - 3-2 loss to the Mets. (Papelbon lets up a 2 out 2 run homer in the 9th to Omir Santos)
June 18 - 2-1 loss to the Marlins. (Rain washes out a tight game after 5+ innings.)
June 28 - 2-1 loss to the Braves. (Tying run on base in the 9th. Solid Penny outing wasted) June 30 - 11-10 loss at Baltimore. (The Red Sox blow a late 10-1 to the lowly Orioles.) July 3 - 7-6 loss to Seattle. (Red Sox comeback in the 8th only to lose in the 11th.)
July 4 - 3-2 loss to Seattle. (Saito walks three in the 9th as the Mariners rally to win)
July 9 - 8-6 loss to the Royals. (Bullpen blows early 4-0 lead.)
July 21 - 4-2 loss at Texas. (Beckett loses a complete game and the Yankees take over first.)
July 22 - 3-1 loss at Texas. (Sox are swept for the first time all season.)
July 28 - 9-8 loss to Oakland. (Sox blow 3 run lead in 9th. A's rally with 2 outs in 9th and 11th.)
July 29 - 8-6 loss to Oakland. (Down 5-0 in the first, Sox comeback falls short)
August 4 - 4-2 loss in Tampa Bay. (Longoria hits 13th inning walk off with first base open.)
August 5 - 6-4 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox gets swept in a 2 game series with the tying run at the plate).
August 7 - 2-0 loss in New York. (A-Rod's walk off with 2 outs in the 15 ends a teeth grinding marathon.)
August 9 - 5-2 loss in New York. (4 outs from avoiding a sweep, Bard lets up back to back homers to Damon and Teixeira.)
August 13 - 2-0 loss to Detroit. (Verlander wiggles out of early and late jams.)
August 16 - 4-3 loss at Texas. (Red Sox can't rally and fall behind the Rangers in the Wild Card race)
Setpember 2 - 8-5 loss at Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox recover from a bad Beckett outing to tie the game in the 8th, only to give back the lead the next inning.)
Up to +2 with 20 games to go.
The Angels come into town on Tuesday for what I am hoping is a playoff preview.
Some guy named Matsuzaka is pitching. There's no way it could be Daisuke!
Right now his $126 million contract that he inked before the 2007 season is always brought up as one of the worst in baseball history.
Last year not only did he not pitch like an ace, but as a 17 game loser with an ERA of 5.15, he didn't pitch like a #5 starter.
I saw him pitch at a game in AT&T Park earlier this year with my mother and two kids. He got clubbed so badly that my mother in law felt bad for him when he got booed.
But there is an easy way to make people forget all of that, even with 4 more years left on the deal:
Pitch like he did tonight and win some more big games.
He's let up 1 run in his last 20 1/3 innings.
And if Cain can right his ship, suddenly the Giants would have three aces.
Can you imagine the Giants in a short series against Philadelphia with Lincecum throwing 2 games, Cain throwing a game and Zito pitching like this in game 3?
That would make a lot of people forget 2 1/2 unremarkable seasons.
Post season success can be quite a cure all.
If I, Paul Sullivan, the man who did NOT want J. D. Drew in a Red Sox uniform, could become the founder of the J. D. Drew Fan Club based solely on his post season heroics, then Barry Zito can become a fan favorite in San Francisco.
The facts kind of speak for themselves. He was a lousy defensive infielder, was inconsistent at best at the plate, and cost way too much.
And he was a walking reminder that one of Theo's few mistakes as a G.M. was not bringing back Orlando Cabrera and instead replacing him with the merry go round of Edgar Renteria, Alex Gonzalez, Julio Lugo, Jed Lowrie and Nick Green.
All this for $36 million over 4 years (including next year which I assume the Red Sox are paying for.)
But I am going to do what might seem to be the impossible: I am going to write a PRO Lugo piece from the point of view of a Red Sox fan.
SULLY BASEBALL HONORS JULIO LUGO FOR THESE TEN REASONS...
1. He had a terrific hitting streak in 2007.
His 14 game hitting streak in July included a grand slam against Jose Contreras on July 20th.
From the leadoff spot, Lugo went 3-4 with a homer, a double and two stolen bases as the Sox crushed the Yankees 11-4. It's fun to beat the Yankees.
3. He "drove in" the winning 2 runs on the Mother's Day Massacre
Granted, he actually grounded out to end the game, but the Orioles butchered the play and the tying and winning runs scored on May 13, 2007 and Julio was the de facto hero.
4. He went 5-6 on my birthday this year.
Granted, on May 14th 2009 the Red Sox LOST in Anaheim, but Lugo got 5 hits and made a few nice defensive plays in one of those bizarro games where Lugo came up big but Papi choked.
5. He got on base to set up the Manny homer
In Game 2 of the 2007 Division Series, he singled off of Angels pitcher Justin Speier. That set the chain of events that led to Manny standing at first and admiring his blast.
6. He helped break open Game 6
Yeah J. D. Drew was the key hero in Game 6 of the 2007 ALCS with his grand slam. But Lugo drove in a pair himself and didn't let Cleveland off of the mat.
7. He got three hits to start off the World Series
I know it is a popular theory to say that David Ortiz's struggles are because he no longer has Manny Ramirez hitting behind him.
And I'm not buying it.
That theory implies that without Manny's protection, Ortiz isn't seeing the same pitches, ergo he is currently tied with me in the home run column.
That would make sense except Youkilis, Bay and Lowell are all off to terrific starts.
It just could be over. It reminds me of when Jim Rice had his sudden drop after the 1987 season.
The best right handed hitter in the AL for the previous 12 seasons suddenly because an automatic double play.
And like Ortiz, he was being overshadowed by young hitters. Guys like Burks, Greenwell and Benzinger were more productive and veterans like Boggs and Evans were still producing.
And all the while we kept waiting for Jim to break out of the slump... and he never did. And he hung around for the 1987, 1988 and 1989 seasons, a shell of his former self (and probably damaging his Cooperstown chances until this year.)
Papi could be done.
Sluggers of this era don't have a gradual decline. It is more like a slam cut to black for a lot of them.
Ortiz is no different.
Maybe there is a solution!
Don't drop him in the order! Make him the #2 guy!
Think of it. Everyone still thinks of him as Big Papi and they employ the shift... and he lays down the bunt each time.
He could bat .400 doing that and be on base for Pedroia, Youk, Bay, Lowell and Drew to drive him home.
Manny Ramirez had a $20 million option for 2009 and for 2010 with the Red Sox.
He wanted out so badly he destroyed all of his good will in Boston, went to LA and spent the whole off season sulking about his $45 million Dodger offer during the worst economy in generations…
When my wife and I first started dating in 2002, I was watching a Red Sox game (as I do) and Lisa, who doesn't really care about baseball, sat down with me.
She saw Varitek squatting behind the plate with the red chest protector, the red glove, the red mask and the red shin guards. She asked me "Who's the Lobster?"
And we've called him "Lobster" ever since.
And let's face it... Lobster is such a better nickname than Tek!
You have the tough shell... you have the pinchers, which no doubt he would have used on A-Rod during that fight. You get the New England flavor with all the lobsters off the shore.
I should have started a campaign to have that be his nickname.
You can hear Bostonians chanting that, can't you?
LOB-STAH! LOB-STAH!
He throws a guy out and someone will yell "DIP THAT GUY IN BUTTAH!"
But he may have played his last game as a Red Sox catcher.
I'm glad he got one last great highlight with his game winning shot in game 6 of the ALCS... but he might be done.
With his contract up and off of a horrific season offensively, there's no way the Red Sox will offer him the huge Posada like contract.
I would love to see them bring back The Lobster (see? doesn't it sound cool?) and make him a "player/coach." Basically have him catch 81 games, take George Kottaras under his wing and keep him in the organization until he is ready to be manager.
But that's not going to happen. Scott Boras will try to get top dollar for him... and as we've seen, Theo isn't exactly the most sentimental guy in the world!
So chances are next year we will be without the Captain.
Driving back from Santa Monica to South Pasadena last night, stewing over the end of the Red Sox season and listening to Talking Heads Remain In Light, I remembered we were out of grapefruit juice.
My kids drink about 90 gallons of Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice a day... don't ask me why.
I stopped by a Ralph's in Pasadena and while in the check out line, strike up a conversation with the guy at the register about the ball game.
When the topic turned to the World Series, the guy said "Who's even on the Phillies? Is Pete Rose still there?"
I responded "Yeah. Steve Carlton is throwing game 1."
Just then an old guy... I'm talking a REALLY old guy... a guy who probably voted for Teddy Roosevelt... leaned over and said "Are they still the Whiz Kids?"
But I knew he was referring to the 1950s NL Champion Phillies. So I responded "Yeah, Robin Roberts is throwing game 1."
His face lit up.
He responded "Richie Ashburn is playing?" I countered "Yeah. They won on Dick Sisler's home run!"
Now he was positively beaming. He saw I knew that the Phillies won the pennant on Dick Sisler's 10th inning homer against the Dodgers on the last day of the season.
The guy behind the cash register had no idea what was going on but he was laughing.
I kept going. "I hear Sawyer is going to START Konstanty." A reference to the fact that the Phillies started their top reliever in game 1 of the World Series and it almost worked.
The old timer laughed and made a Jim Bunning reference. I decided not to correct him by telling him that Bunning wasn't on the 1950 team.
But I threw a Dick Allen reference for good measure.
Finally the guy's wife, who looked even older, started dragging him away. As he was leaving, the old timer pointed at me and said "Now THAT is a real Phillies fan!"
I didn't have the heart to tell him I wasn't a Phillies fan... that I was just a Red Sox fan with a sponge like memory for baseball facts.
He probably went home beaming that he finally was able to talk a little baseball. If his wife didn't drag him, we'd still be there talking.
And yes, I thought when Pedroia hit that homer in the first inning last night that they were going to win it. I thought they were going to put a 2 or 3 spot on the board in the first and it would be enough for Lester.
And it didn't happen.
But I won't be one of those people who think "anything short of a World Series title is a failure." The 2008 Red Sox weren't the successes of the '04 and '07 Champs. But man were they fun!
Heck you can argue the 2008 post season had more thrilling wins than the 2007 title team.
The other wins against the Angels, Indians and Rockies were pretty decisive. Oh sure, the Rockies put up a fight in games 3 and 4 in Colorado... but as I wrote, it never REALLY seemed that close.
The 2008 team gave us the wild game 1 in Anaheim, the 9th inning homer by J. D. Drew off of K-Rod to win game 2 in Anaheim, the heart stopping game 4 clincher in Boston with Jed Lowrie ending the series with a base hit to right, Dice-K throwing shut out ball into the 8th inning of game 1 of the ALCS, Beckett's gutsy game 6 performance to tie the series...
And of course game 5... the great comeback... one of the epic games that will be shown on ESPN Classic and be referred to whenever a team has a big lead in a post season game.
So yeah, we can look back at the extra inning game 2 loss or the game 7 heartbreaker and wallow in "What ifs".
But this isn't 1986... This isn't 2003...
Those years we ended with the thought "my God... will we EVER win a World Series?" Those years we were brought down by New York. And those teams defeated themselves!
And this isn't 2005 when we were swept by the White Sox and basically didn't give Red Sox fans a single post season highlight to cling to.
This was a fun team that gave us joy... not the ultimate joy of course... but still joy.
It's best to savor these seasons. Some day the Red Sox will fall back.
The Torre Yankees are no more. The Bobby Cox Braves have collapsed. The LaRussa A's eventually ran out of gas. So did the Blue Jays of the early 1990s.
Eventually the Francona Red Sox will be done and they'll fall back to the pack.
And so I am savoring this time. I've wanted a great Red Sox team my whole life... and now I have one. Just pile up the memories and enjoy the good days.
BUT the Red Sox didn't lose because Jason Bay was in the line up. They lost because Josh Beckett got HAMMERED in game 2. And Jon Lester got HAMMERED in game 3. And Tim Wakefield got HAMMERED in game 4.
This should never have turned into a "Can they come back from a 3-1 hole?" series.
It's always about pitching.
In the come back of 2004, with all the emotion going the Red Sox way, the main reason they won wasn't because of ghosts being exorcised or the Yankees choking.
It was because Kevin Brown and Javier Lopez were the only two choices for game 7. And they made sure it was 8-1 before you could say "Harry Frazee."
The starting pitching was horrific in games 2, 3, 4 and 5. It took a comeback of historic proportions to go 1-4 in the middle games of the series.
THAT'S why they lost.
Not because of Manny. Get that through your heads!
