Red Sox fans should salute J. D. Drew... yeah you read that right

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.

A payroll thought about the Red Sox and Diamondbacks

Here's something to think about when people bring up payroll and how money brings in pennants.

The Diamondbacks won 94 games, overtook the World Champion Giants and nearly got into the NLCS.

The Red Sox collapsed under the weight of their overblown expectations and lousy pitching staff.

The Diamondbacks payroll was $53.6 million.
The Red Sox payroll was $161 million.

Let me put that a different way:
The Diamondbacks payroll was lower than what the Red Sox paid John Lackey, Carl Crawford, J. D. Drew and Daisuke Matsuzaka for their 2011 seasons.

It might be time for the Red Sox to get younger.

Slamming out the string

Carl Crawford should have a nice talk with J. D. Drew. Drew's first year in Boston was a mess as expectations for big stats were flushed down the toilet in 2007 and he looked like a bust.

Then he hit that grand slam in the ALCS and had a great World Series. Say what you want about him. The Sox don't win the 2007 World Series without him.

And if the Red Sox won the 2008 ALCS, Drew would have been the MVP.

So Crawford's first year in Boston has been up and down. But if today's grand slam was any indication, he has a little in the tank to contribute in October.

As for the post season, it is looking more and more like it is in the bag.

Yeah they can get into a dog fight with the Yankees for the Division. But for what?

The Red Sox have a Magic Number of 16 to make the playoffs with 24 games left.

If the Sox go 12-12 in their last 24 games, the Rays would have to go 21-3 just to force a one game playoff.

I'm not saying the Red Sox should start sitting their regulars, but the only way they aren't playing in October is if their September looked like their April.

The Sox and Rays play each other 7 times between September 9th and September 18th. If the Red Sox go 3-4 in those games, that would take 6 off the Magic Number right there.

Maybe even J. D. Drew will be healthy for October.

Nahhhh.

The Red Sox were wild while I was at the Zoo

I took my family to the Los Angeles Zoo today. Please enjoy the picture of me with the hippos. (I'm on the left.)

At one point I checked my phone and I saw it was 2-2 in the Red Sox and A's game.

Then a quick trip the the kangaroos and koalas and I checked it again.

7-3 Red Sox going into the 9th.

I could relax. All was well. By the time I reached the giraffes, I checked my phone. I just like to see that little (F) next to the score.

It was 7-7 in the 10th. I said a very DIFFERENT *F* then.
How did they blow a 4 run lead in the 10th?

Then I saw the A's had a lead while we were looking at the elephants.
I had no clue what was happening in the game. All I know is that I was acting like a chimp in front of the chimps.


Well eventually, around the time we were by the otters, I saw the (F) I was looking for. The Sox won in 14 innings.

Evidently J. D. Drew won it, but in the end it doesn't matter.

A win is a win. Series won are series won.

But any more games like that and I'LL be the caged animal!

Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 17

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)
May 1 - 3-2 win against the Mariners. (Ichiro loses a ball in the sun that turns into a 9th inning triple for Lowrie. Crawford singles him home for the win.)
May 8 - 9-5 win against the Twins. (Dice-K lets up 3 runs in the first but settles down as the Red Sox clobber Carl Pavano.)

May 9 - 2-1 win against the Twins. (A bullpen breakdown cost Beckett the decision but Cark Crawford ended the game with an 11th inning walk off hit.)
May 13 - 5-4 win in the Bronx. (Youkilis homers off of Joba and Bard and Papelbon make it more interesting than it needed to be.)
May 15 - 7-5 win in the Bronx. (Sox fall behind 4-1 but come back as Youk, Papi and Salty all homer.)
May 16 - 8-7 win against the Orioles. (Down 6-0 after 6 innings, the Sox rally and win it with a 2 run walk off double by Adrian Gonzalez)
May 18 - 1-0 win against Detroit. (With 2 outs in the 8th, Salty doubles home Crawford from first for the only run. Papelbon gets himself in and out of 9th inning trouble.)
May 19 - 4-3 win against Detroit. (Bard blows Beckett's lead but Carl Crawford wins it with a walk off hit.)
May 24 - 4-2 win in Cleveland. (Varitek throws two runners out and homers as the Red Sox win their first game against the Indians.)
May 29 - 4-3 win in Detroit. (The Red Sox blow an early 3-0 lead but David Ortiz wins the game with a pinch 9th inning homer.)
June 3 - 8-6 win against Oakland. (Buchholz lets up 4 runs in the first but the Sox come back thanks to Carl Crawford's 2 run single.)
June 4 - 9-8 win against Oakland. (Red Sox blow a 4 run 9th inning lead and trail in the 11th before Ellsbury ties it and Drew wins it in 14.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 16

April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picked off, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)
April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)
April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.)
April 29 - 5-4 loss to Mariners. (Bobby Jenks blows a 7th inning lead, wasting 2 Mike Cameron homers.)
April 30 - 2-0 loss to Mariners. (The Sox strand 11 runners and let Milton Bradley double home the go ahead run.)
May 4 - 5-3 loss to Angels. (7 hours with rain delays and stranded runners. Marco Scutaro was thrown out at the plate in the 12th)
May 10 - 7-6 loss in Toronto. (8th and 9th inning heroics, including a homer by Adrian Gonzalez, are undone by a walk off sacrifice fly by David Cooper.)
May 21 - 9-3 loss to Cubs. (Up 3-1 in the 8th inning, the bullpen and defense implode. The Cubs score 8 runs while both teams wear their 1918 uniforms.)
May 23- 3-2 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox blow a 2-1 8th inning lead when the Indians rally with 2 outs. Crawford ends the game on a double play.)
May 29 - 3-0 loss in Detroit. (Verlander keeps the Sox off base and prevents the sweep.)
June 1 - 7-4 loss to White Sox. (Konerko drives in three, spoiling a game tying Ortiz homer.)

Up to +1.

Go for the sweep tomorrow.
Maybe I should go to the aquarium for that.

Just keep winning and hope the Rays and Yankees keep losing

Yeah I know the odds are against the Red Sox. In fact they are damn near impossible. They are 8 games back in the loss column with only 19 games left to play.

You don't have to be a math whiz (and I am not one) to see that their chances are not THAT much better than the Pirates chances. And the Pirates were eliminated around Cinco de Mayo.

The only remote way the Red Sox can ever get anything done this year is if they win and the Yankees and Rays lose.

Well guess what? Today, thanks to J. D. Drew's bat and a nice performance by Josh Beckett, the Red Sox won.

The Yankees got swept and the Rays let up a walk off bomb in the 9th.

If this keeps happening, they can make up those 8 games and possibly play for all the marbles this October.

Far fetched?
Sure, but until they are eliminated, they AREN'T eliminated.

Let's update the tally.

DODGED A BULLET GAMES - 48

April 4 - 9-7 win against Yankees (On Opening Night, the Red Sox overcome a 5-1 Yankee lead with a game tying HR by Pedroia and a go ahead passed ball.)
April 10 - 8-3 win against Kansas City (Beckett out pitches Zack Greinke and nearly gets decapitated by a line drive.)
April 14 - 6-3 win in Minnesota. (Okajima gets Morneau to pop up with the bases loaded in the 7th and Papelbon wiggled out of a 9th inning jam.)
April 20 - 7-6 win against Texas. (Darnell McDonald introduces himself to Boston with an 8th inning game tying homer and a walk off hit in the 9th.)
April 21 - 8-7 win against Texas. (The Red Sox were down 4-0 early only to win it on Youk's 2 out 11th inning double.)
April 23 - 4-3 win against Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 3-0 lead but win it on Adrian Beltre's bases loaded walk.)

April 24 - 7-6 win against Baltimore. (The Red Sox score 6 in the 7th and hold off a late Baltimore comeback attempt.)
April 26 - 13-12 win at Toronto. (The Sox blow an early 5-0 lead but hang on for dear life in a slugfest.)
April 27 - 2-1 win at Toronto. (Buchholz holds the Jays down for 8 but it takes a bases loaded walk in the 8th to go ahead.)
April 28 - 2-0 win at Toronto. (Daniel Bard wiggles out of trouble in the 8th to help Lester shut down the Blue Jays and finish the sweep.)
May 4 - 5-1 win against the Angels. (Juan Rivera misplays Jeremy Hermedia's 2 out flyball into a 3 run game winning double)
May 5 - 3-1 win against the Angels. (Papi and Beltre homer and the Sox hang on despite squandering many potential rallies.)
May 6 - 11-6 win against the Angels. (Dice-K puts the Red Sox in a 4-0 hole before they even bat. The Sox bats respond.)
May 10 - 7-6 win against the Blue Jays. (Sox blow an early 2-0 lead, take advantage of some errors and hang on.)
May 18 - 7-5 win in New York. (Sox climb back from a 5-1 hole. A day after hitting a walk off homer, Marcus Thames drops a fly ball to start the winning rally for the Sox.)
May 25 - 2-0 win in Tampa. (Big Papi supplies all the offense as Papelbon wiggles out of a 9th inning jam.)
May 29 - 1-0 win against Kansas City. (Zack Greinke holds the Sox to one run, but they make it stick)

June 1 - 9-4 win against Oakland. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 4-0 hole but Victor Martinez goes 5-5 and the Sox score 9 runs late.)
June 2 - 6-4 win against Oakland. (Dice-K puts the Sox in a 3-0 hole before they come to bat, but come back thanks to Papi's homer.)

June 8 - 3-2 win at Cleveland. (With Papelbon unavailable, Okajima, Ramirez and Bard hang on to make a winner out of Wakefield.)

June 19 - 5-4 win against the Dodgers. (Sox make 4 errors, blow a late lead and let Manny homer, but they win it in the bottom of the 9th on a Pedroia single.)
June 20 - 2-0 win against the Dodgers. (Dodgers blow an early bases loaded scoring opportunity and allow Buchholz to settle down for the win.)

June 24 - 13-11 win in Colorado. (The bullpen lets up 9 runs in 5 innings, but Pedroia homers 3 times including with 2 outs in the 10th to win a wild and stupid game.)
June 26 - 4-2 win in San Francisco. (An injury running the bases takes Buchholz out in the second, but the bullpen and Mike Cameron's bat and glove win the game.)
July 2 - 3-2 win against the Orioles. (Wakefield gets the win and J.D. Drew homers twice, but it is Nava's 2 out 8th inning bloop that landed between three fielders that breaks the tie.)

July 11 - 3-2 win in Toronto. (Jesse Litch took a no hitter into the 6th but back to back homers by McDonald and Big Papi win the game.)
July 17 - 3-2 win against Texas. (Youk ties the game in the 9th off of Cliff Lee and wins it in the 11th with a sacrifuce fly)
July 19 - 2-1 win at Oakland. (Beltre homers and Dice-K holds on to the win.)
July 22 - 8-6 win at Seattle. (Lackey lost a no hit bid in the 8th and the Mariners scored 5 in the 9th to tie before the Sox won in 13)
July 23 - 2-1 win at Seattle. (Bill Hall's barely fair homer gives the Sox the win on Beckett's return.)

July 26 - 6-3 win in Anaheim. (Papi homers twice and Buccholz and Papelbon each wiggle out of jams to get the win.)
July 27 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (Jed Lowrie's 2 run 7th inning double gives the Sox the lead and makes a winner out of John Lackey. )

July 28 - 7-3 win in Anaheim. (Youk ties the game in the 7th with a homer and Scutaro wins it with an 8th inning grand slam to sweep the Angels.)
July 31 - 5-4 win against Detrout. (Big Papi hits a 3 run walk off double to crush the Tigers in the 9th.)
August 1 - 4-3 win against Detroit. (Sox blow a 3 run 9th inning lead but the Tigers throw away a 9th inning sacrifice bunt to give the Sox the win.

August 3 - 3-1 win against Cleveland. (Lowell homers on his first pitch back and plays sparkling defense to preserve the win.)

August 6 - 6-3 win in Yankee Stadium. (Cervelli drops an easy pop up, setting up the winning rally for the Sox.)
August 9 - 2-1 win in Yankees Stadium. (Marcus Thames' bid for a game tying homer hits the top of the wall as Lester, Bard and Papelbon hold on for the win.)

August 10 - 7-5 win in Toronto. (The Sox blow a late lead but Mike Lowell puts them on top for good with an 8th inning homer.)
August 14 - 3-1 win in Texas. (Lester wiggles out of jams and a botched hit and run play kills a potential 9th inning Texas rally.)
August 18 - 7-5 win against the Angels. (The Sox fell behind 5-2, but came back with Beltre's homer, a wild pitch, a hit by pitch and some great Nava defense)
August 21 - 5-4 win against Toronto. (Jed Lowrie hits a walk off 11th inning homer, masking a come back rally by the Jays against Dice-K.)
August 23 - 6-3 win against Seattle. (Scuatro drives in the go ahead runs and Lackey throws a gritty 8 innings)
August 25 - 5-3 win against Seattle. (Beckett throws a shutout into the 7th and the Sox rally for 4 in the 6th in the rain and fog, including a strange RBI single off the pitcher by Beltre.)
August 27 - 3-1 win at Tampa Bay. (Victor Martinez homers twice and Papelbon wiggles out of a 9th inning jam as Lester out duels David Price.)
September 1 - 9-6 win in Baltimore. (A 6 run seventh inning uprising turns an early Orioles lead into a Sox win.)
September 2 - 6-4 win in Baltimore. (The Sox score 5 in the second and hang on for dear life.)
September 12 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (J. D. sparks a comeback win and Beckett gets the win.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 44

April 6 - 6-4 loss against the Yankees. (Scutaro's error leads to the winning run.)
April 7 - 3-1 loss against the Yankees. (Sox leave the winning run on in the 9th only to lose on Granderson's 10th inning homer)
April 9 - 4-3 loss in Kansas City. (Bard coughs up the lead, denying Wakefield a win.)
April 17 - 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Sox can't score with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 11th... lost it in the 12th.)
April 17 - 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox comeback falls a run short, leaving two on in the 8th)
April 25 - 7-6 loss to Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 4-1 lead, leave the winning run on second in the 9th, let up 3 in the 10th and could only score 2 in the bottom of the 10th)
April 30 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (Tejada ties the game with a 2 out 8th inning homer and wins it with a bloop in the 10th)
May 1 - 12-9 loss in Baltimore. (Dice-K and Wakes get pounded, wasting 2 homers from Ortiz and an early 4-1 lead.)
May 2 - 3-2 loss in Baltimore. (Varitek is thrown at home trying to score with 2 outs in the 8th. Sox get swept in the 10th.
May 12 - 3-2 loss against the Blue Jays. (The Sox rally in the 9th comes up a run short and Kevin Gregg gets an ugly save.)
May 15 - 7-6 loss in Detroit. (The Sox blow a 6-1 lead and lose it on a 2 out bases loaded walk in the 12th.)
May 17 - 11-9 loss in New York. (The Sox come all the way back from a 5-0 first inning hole to take a 9-7 lead in the 9th... but Papelbon lets up a 2 run game tying shot to A-Rod and a 2 run walk off shot to Marcus Thames.)
May 21 - 5-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Big Papi's bid for a game tying 9th inning grand slam is caught at the warning track.)
May 27 - 4-3 loss to Kansas City. (Dice-K walks the go ahead run in and lets another score on a wild pitch as the Royals no name bullpen shut down the Hot Sox.)
May 28 - 12-5 loss to Kansas City. (Sox blow a 3-0 first inning lead to be blown out in Fenway.)
June 3 - 9-8 loss to Oakland. (Sox lose a slugfest where two Boston runners are thrown out at home.)

June 6 - 4-3 loss in Baltimore. (Sox rally to tie the game in the 9th only to lose it on a small ball rally in the 11th.)
June 10 - 8-7 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow an early 5-0 lead and then after rallying in the 9th to take the lead coughed it up with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th)
June 13 - 5-3 loss to Philadelphia. (Sox 9th inning rally comes up short)
June 22 - 2-1 loss in Colorado. (The Sox waste a solid Lester start and twice leave the bases loaded.)
June 23 - 8-6 loss in Colorado. (The Sox batter Ubaldo Jimenez around but Papelbon lets up 2 homers in the 9th to lose it.)
June 25 - 5-4 loss in San Francisco. (The Sox strand 11 runners in the last 4 innings wasting a solid Wakefield performance.)
July 5 - 6-5 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox spoil a 5-1 lead and 2 homers by Eric Patterson when Dice-K and the bullpen couldn't hold down the Rays.)
July 6 - 3-2 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox bats go dead and Kevin Youkilis goes down to injury.)
July 7 - 6-4 loss in Tampa Bay. (Matt Garza comes out of the pen, shuts down a late rally as the Rays sweep the Sox.)
July 10 - 9-5 loss in Toronto. (The Sox give Lackey an early 5-3 lead that he couldn't hold.)
July 18 - 4-2 loss to the Rangers. (Lester loses a rare game at home that included a Rangers steal of home.) July 20 - 5-4 loss in Oakland. (The Sox go up 4-0 after 2 but don't score again and lose it in the 10th)
July 21 - 6-4 loss in Oakland. (Buchholz can't hold on to an early lead as the Sox lose the series.)
July 24 - 5-1 loss in Seattle. (Lester's perfect game is foiled and the Red Sox bats die.)
July 25 - 4-2 loss in Seattle. (Okajima misplays a sacrifice bunt and the Mariners rally in the 8th to win.)
July 30 - 6-5 loss to Detroit. (Papi's grand slam makes it a 1 run game in the 9th but Cameron strikes out looking with the winning runs on base.)
August 2 - 6-5 loss to Cleveland. (Beltre drives in 5 runs by himself but the Red Sox leave the tying run on base with Big Papi on deck.)
August 12 - 6-5 loss in Toronto. (The Jays score 4 in the 9th inning to avoid the sweep.)
August 13 - 10-9 loss in Texas. (Beckett can't hold an early 8-1 lead as the Sox lose in 11.)
August 15 - 7-3 loss in Texas. (Young's homer breaks open a tight game.)
August 25 - 4-2 loss to Seattle. (The Sox knock out King Felix but can't score on the bullpen.)
August 28 - 3-2 loss in Tampa. (Buchholz was wonderful but Upton's homer in the 8th tied it and Dan Johnson's homer in the 10th was the winner)
August 29 - 5-3 loss in Tampa. (Dan Johnson once again sinks the Sox with a late game RBI single)

August 31 - 5-2 loss in Baltimore. (Beckett pitches well but 2 8th inning homers sink the Sox.)
September 4 - 3-1 loss to Chicago. (Manny acts contrite, Konerko gets 3 hits and Danks shuts down a lifeless Sox team.)
September 4 - 3-1 loss to Chicago. (Nope, it isn't a typo. They lost twice in the same day by the same score.)
September 5 - 7-5 loss to Chicago. (Papelbon implodes as the Red Sox blow a 5-3 lead in the 9th thanks to 5 ninth inning walks.)
September 11 - 4-3 loss in Oakland. (Lackey pitches well but the A's rally in the 7th, highlighted by a Rajai Davis triple just out of Ryan Kalish's reach.)

Back up to +4.

Let's go Sox. If you are going to make it, make sure it is because the Yankees and Rays EARNED it.

David Price's season is taking some of the sting out of 2008... but not all of it

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."

I still would

The only good thing about April is it is ENDING

I had a blog post already written in my head...

Yet another bullet was dodged, thanks to a pair of homers by J.D. Drew, a decent game by John Lackey and a key walk by Darnell McDonald.

I was going to write about how the Red Sox, despite a slew of set backs including Beckett and Ortiz being miserable, Wakefield being demoted, Cameron and Ellsbury being hurt and losing 6 of 7 at home to the Yankees and Tampa, were ending April with a winning record.

But noooooooooooooo.

Miguel Tejada had to homer and the O's had to win it in 10.
And I started thinking of Marco Scutaro swinging at ball four with the runners moving in the 5th... and the strike em out, throw em out double play turned a bases loaded 1 out inning into a goose egg.

This month stunk. The Red Sox are in 4th place with mediocre pitching, inconsistent hitting and an unhappy clubhouse.

And oh yeah, the Rays and the Yankees are both playing like possessed teams.

Turn the page and roll the Dice (K). It's a brand new month.
Sadly it IS time to update the tally.

DODGED A BULLET GAMES - 10

April 4 - 9-7 win against Yankees (On Opening Night, the Red Sox overcome a 5-1 Yankee lead with a game tying HR by Pedroia and a go ahead passed ball.)
April 10 - 8-3 win against Kansas City (Beckett out pitches Zack Greinke and nearly gets decapitated by a line drive.)
April 14 - 6-3 win in Minnesota. (Okajima gets Morneau to pop up with the bases loaded in the 7th and Papelbon wiggled out of a 9th inning jam.)
April 20 - 7-6 win against Texas. (Darnell McDonald introduces himself to Boston with an 8th inning game tying homer and a walk off hit in the 9th.)
April 21 - 8-7 win against Texas. (The Red Sox were down 4-0 early only to win it on Youk's 2 out 11th inning double.)
April 23 - 4-3 win against Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 3-0 lead but win it on Adrian Beltre's bases loaded walk.)

April 24 - 7-6 win against Baltimore. (The Red Sox score 6 in the 7th and hold off a late Baltimore comeback attempt.)
April 26 - 13-12 win at Toronto. (The Sox blow an early 5-0 lead but hang on for dear life in a slugfest.)
April 27 - 2-1 win at Toronto. (Buchholz holds the Jays down for 8 but it takes a bases loaded walk in the 8th to go ahead.)
April 28 - 2-0 win at Toronto. (Daniel Bard wiggles out of trouble in the 8th to help Lester shut down the Blue Jays and finish the sweep.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 7

April 6 - 6-4 loss against the Yankees. (Scutaro's error leads to the winning run.)
April 7 - 3-1 loss against the Yankees. (Sox leave the winning run on in the 9th only to lose on Granderson's 10th inning homer)
April 9 - 4-3 loss in Kansas City. (Bard coughs up the lead, denying Wakefield a win.)
April 17 - 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Sox can't score with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 11th... lost it in the 12th.)
April 17 - 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox comeback falls a run short, leaving two on in the 8th)
April 25 - 7-6 loss to Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 4-1 lead, leave the winning run on second in the 9th, let up 3 in the 10th and could only score 2 in the bottom of the 10th)
April 30 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (Tejada ties the game with a 2 out 8th inning homer and wins it with a bloop in the 10th)

+3... and sub .500

Let's home these April Showers will indeed bring May Flowers

Barry Zito can become the Giants answer to J. D. Drew

I know a way to heaven for Barry Zito.

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.

Calmly and cooly getting the job done

I love wins like the opening game against the Orioles.

I clicked on my Yahoo Sports ticker and I saw that 2 batters into the game, the Sox were up 1-0, and I relaxed.

Seriously, I never for one moment felt nervous after Pedroia knocked in Drew in the first.

Lester calmly took care of business and another number was shaved off of the magic number.

If starting pitching wins titles, then let's look at what the Sox have done their last four games:

Beckett threw 7 shutout innings last Friday.

Wakes threw 6 shutout innings on Saturday.

Penny threw 6 innings and let up 2 runs on Sunday.

Lester threw 7 shutout innings on Monday.

Four games where the bullpen wasn't blown to hell and the pitchers threw to a 0.69 ERA.

Tuesday Smoltz tries again after his rotten first start and then Beckett throws. I take my chances to win this series.

Man, I love playing the Orioles!

Tim Wakefield... conquerer!

Ahhh Interleague Play… I’ll miss you.

Another day and another win for Tim Wakefield.

The dude even got a hit!

174 in all in a Red Sox uniform and a mere 18 behind Roger Clemens and Cy Young for the all time lead in Red Sox history.

I thought Francona was going to manage Wakefield out of a win when he mysteriously lifted DelCarmen for Masterson in the 8th…

And yeah… I thought that McCann hit was gone… and I still don’t know why Drew took the ball away from Ellsbury…

And of course Garret Anderson had to get a 2 out double..

But the Sox wiggled out of it and have won their 7th series in a row.

Keep winning series and the Sox will be in great shape.

After tomorrow, the Sox won’t face the NL again… unless October goes according to plan.

Cocky?
Maybe.

The Magic Number is 85.

Anytime we can get past 86 is fine by me… whether it is 86 years or 1986 that number gives me the willies.

But there were enough moments where I thought the Braves were going to score that I can call this a dodged bullet game.

DODGED A BULLET GAMES - 9

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.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 7

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.)

Up to +2.

Go for the sweep tomorrow before heading up to Baltimore!

Keep doing that Papi... you might pull something

People think I am kidding when I say we need to fake an injury with David Ortiz.

I couldn't be more serious. At this point, if he knicks himself shaving, I want Papi on the 60 Day DL!

Papi on the disabled list I think will start a great domino effect for the Red Sox that could put the Sox in great shape for the long haul.

STEP ONE: 

David Ortiz, one of the great sports heroes in Boston history, is on the 60 Day Disabled List. 

Official reason: 

He had a bad dream last night.

STEP TWO: 

Clay Buchholz (Remember him? Our next ace?) is summoned from Pawtucket where he is 3-0 with a 1.30 ERA.

He is inserted into the rotation.

(I always have to check if it is two C's or two H's!)

STEP THREE: 

Brad Penny is dealt. Yes his 5-1 record looks sexy but his 5.96 ERA and Larry Bowa's rant about his work ethic paint an uglier picture.

However the Sox are in a unique position. His last few starts haven't been bad and it seems like every single team is drooling for pitching.

Peavy is out there (but he's evidently a smidge picky.)

And there is Cliff Lee as well.

Other than those two, who else is really up for grabs? How many people have a pitcher that in 2007 finished third in the Cy Young vote available?

Plus with Peavy not going to an East Coast team, maybe the Red Sox can get the Phillies and Mets scared of each other and pry away a quality minor leaguer.

(Brad Penny is better than Victor Zambrano. I wonder if they have another Scott Kazmir down there!)

STEP FOUR:

Trade for a young position player.

Imagine swiping a good young position player from, say, the Mets. 

Let's say a young third baseman... or a swift outfielder...

Then imagine that player joining the young nucleus with Ellsbury and Pedroia et al.

And then imagine shifting Mike Lowell or J. D. Drew to the DH slot where they can just concentrate on hitting rather than risking injury in the field.

STEP FIVE:

Activate John Smoltz and have him scare the Bejesus out of the young pitchers.

It's always a good thing to have a future Hall of Famer hanging around who was a Cy Young caliber starter AND reliever.

Boom!

You've shored up the rotation, the line up and keep either Drew or Lowell healthy all year.

And all you need is Big Papi to pretend he's hurt!

Come on! The checks will still clear!

OFFICIAL SULLY BASEBALL NOTIFICATION: My Application To Be Reinstated As A New England Patriots Fan

My readers, your friend Sully is going to announce officially that I am applying for reinstatement to be a New England Patriots Fan.

Now some of you might be confused.
"Sully" you say "aren't you already a Patriots fan?"

Well technically no.
I've been a New York Giants fan in Football since I moved to New York in 1990.
And along the way I saw them win two Super Bowls, including the last one against the New England Patriots.

But now I must leave Giant fandom and embrace the Pats.

And seeing this is Sully Baseball, I must list the reasons.


1. EVERYONE ALREADY THINKS OF ME AS A PATRIOTS FAN.

I bet YOU thought I was a Pats fan, didn't you?
Even if you read my Championship Grand Slam post I bet your forgot I considered myself a New York Giants fan.

And nobody else seems to remember it either.
While working on the shortlived Sports Unfiltered with Dennis Miller my colleague Kevin Hench and I celebrated the Red Sox World Series win last year... and then he tried to root for the Pats with me only to have me remind him EVERY WEEK that I was a Giants fan.

My Red Sox friends would see if I was watching the game.
Not only was I not, but I was following another team.

And New York fans, knowing my Red Sox allegiance, seemed weary to have me cheer along side them. Like I was a spy. And I guess with Belichick's video scandal, sending Sully in to get the inside dope doesn't sound so outlandish.

And then when the Giants beat the Patriots... I could celebrate with exactly nobody!


I couldn't taunt my Patriot friends who I celebrated with in October and later celebrated with when the Celtics won it.

And when I tried to high five other Giants fans, they looked at me like I was crazy.
I tried to crow with my friend Chris DeLuca, a lifelong Giants and Yankee fans and he literally said "What are you talking about? WE BEAT YOU!"

The last straw was this weekend when I was at a birthday party with my kids, I introduced myself to the birthday boy's father.
He told me he was from New York. I told him I was a native New Englander.

He said "Sorry... I'm a Giants fan."

And I was about to explain to him "No, I am too!" but I think I gave up at that moment.


2. THE GIANTS ARE BETTER THAN THE PATRIOTS THIS YEAR...

By jumping ship when the Giants have as good a chance of making the Super Bowl as anyone and the Patriots are going to have to scramble just to make the playoffs... doesn't that make me the REVERSE of a fair weather fan?

I would have been a Patriots fan EXCEPT for the times they won all of those Super Bowls!


3. I ROOTED FOR THE PATRIOTS AS A KID

Truth be told, I didn't really care about the NFL as a kid.
But I did watch Patriot games and I cheered for them when Raymond Berry put together a playoff team.

I remember Steve Grogan, Tony Eason, Stanley Morgan, Irving Fryar and his crazy wife with the knife. I remember Steve Nelson, Fred Marion, Craig James and Andre Tippett.

So I can blend right back in.
I felt Grogan was a better choice than Eason.
I know what Squish The Fish refers to.

The Stadium was called Sullivan Stadium back then!
Do you know who I used to watch Patriots games with?
Dave Kraft!
The son of Bob Kraft, the current owner of the Patriots!


Heck, I can sing along with New England, The Patriots And Me!




4. IN THE END... IT'S JUST EASIER

I'm not a big football fan.
Obviously I don't wear my emotions on my sleeve for my football team because nobody knows I root for them!

The Giants beat the Patriots in possibly the biggest Super Bowl upset in history and I would have traded it in a heart beat for a J. D. Drew double off of David Price in the 8th inning of game 7 of the ALCS.

So if being a Patriots fan makes it less confusing, then so be it.

If my fellow Red Sox fans and Celtic fans will have me back... Let me say "Bring Back Pat Patriot on the helmet!"

Go Patriots.

Go Celtics.

Go Red Sox.

And go SAN JOSE SHARKS!

That's right... I'm sticking with the Sharks.
And if it turns into a Sharks/Bruins finals... I WILL BE VOCAL!

The J. D. Drew Fan Club should be gaining members

And to think I used to hate this guy.

After he hit the grand slam off of Carmona last October, I declared myself the President of the J. D. Drew Fan Club.


And I was one of the people who agreed with Bill Simmons that if J. D. Drew only hit that grand slam in game 6 and then did nothing else for the Red Sox, then the contract was worth it.

Well let me just say that if he hits a major, jump off your seat, didn't expect it, take the other team out at the knees home run (like the one against K-Rod tonight) then the contract has been worth it ten times over.

Hell, just sit out next year J. D.... you've earned it.