So Games 3 and 4 will be at Fenway

The National League won the All Star Game.
So that means the National League gets the Homefield Advantage.

Good! Let me tell you why.

When the Red Sox won the 2004 and 2007 World Series, I kept hearing from Red Sox fans "Wouldn't it be better if the Red Sox won at Fenway?"

Of which I would ask in response "If I am rooting for the Red Sox to win in 6, which two games am I rooting for them to lose?"

Well if the Red Sox make the World Series THIS year, then I won't have to hear such nonsense.
Then we will ALL be rooting for a sweep.

So for those of you keeping score...

Games 1 and 2 will be at AT&T in San Francisco.
Then Games 3 and 4 will be at Fenway.

The Sox will clinch Game 4.

Hope this was helpful.

Come to Fenway, Carl

It's a little better than the Trop.

There is the Green Monster in left rather than those stupid rings in the Trop that you could hit with a flyball.

And oh yeah, they don't have to literally GIVE tickets away to fill up the place.
I think you'll like it.

I know trying to sign Crawford away from Tampa, which the Red Sox are evidently trying to do, makes my team as greedy and as vulture like as the Yankees.

And do you know what?
I don't care!

My team plays for fans who PAID ADMISSION.

First Vazquez... then Redding... will the Yankees bring back Kevin Brown next?

The Yankees signed Tim Redding today and are bringing him back for his second go round with the club.

This picture is from his first stint with the Yankees in 2005. In fact I can't believe I could find it on the internet...

It's from the only game he ever pitched in a Yankees uniform.

The first time around he was gone before he could even be fitted for pinstipes. The Yankees pitching staff in 2005 was a mess and only their bats and Mariano Rivera's dominance kept them in contention.

So on July 15th, the Yankees brought in Tim Redding from San Diego to start a game in Fenway Park.

It didn't go well. Both Trot Nixon and Jason Varitek hit RBI doubles in the first to make it 3-0.
In the second he walked Mark Bellhorn and Johnny Damon and allowed a single to Edgar Renteria. (Man, what a time capsule that game was... Idiots like Millar, Mueller, Manny and Mirabelli all played in that game. As did the late Geremi Gonzalez.)

Torre lifted him and all of the runners would come around to score.
The Red Sox won 17-1 that day.
Redding's line was 1 inning pitched, 4 hits, 6 runs (all earned) 4 walks, 2 strikeouts.

The other pitchers Darrell May, Jason Anderson and Buddy Groom fared poorly as well... and like Redding were all long gone by the time the playoffs got started.

The Yankees wound up winning the east thanks to unlikely contributions from Shawn Chacon, Chein Ming Wang and Aaron Small... all of whom made up for the failures of Jaret Wright, Carl Pavano, Kevin Brown, Sean Henn and of course Tim Reding.

With 2004 flop Vazquez coming back and yesterday not withstanding being a disaster it seems like they are trying to have a reunion of those mid 2000s pitching flops.

Of course Vazquez and Redding weren't teammates in 2005... you had to be quick to have called him a teammate that year. You only had 24 hours.

There is a playoff preview this weekend... and it isn't in Fenway

Today there is a game between First Place American League teams. Technically it is an "If the Playoffs Started Today" match up.

One team has the best record in baseball and the other has had a surprising run to tie for the division lead.

And I am NOT talking about the Yankees and the Red Sox.

Oakland, who is tied with Texas for the top of the AL West (and might stay up there if the Angels and the Mariners keep collapsing) is hosting the Tampa Bay Rays, who at 21-7 has the best record in the game.

This should be an exciting and talked about game... and if ANY of the games draws 20,000 I'll be stunned.

Come on fans! You are sick of everything being Red Sox/Yankees? Then pay attention when there IS a good match up.

Let's go A's fans. This is a year you can steal the division and a team that is LOADED with exciting young talent is coming to town.

This could be a huge test for the A's right after winning the series against Texas.

Let's see at least 20,000 there tonight. Tickets are cheap.
You could be a Cubs or Mets fans and paying premium prices for a subpar product.