The Rays could deal Wade Davis... and make the playoffs AGAIN

It looks like the Tampa Bay Rays are going to trade pitcher Wade Davis.
And this should make Yankees and Red Sox fans soil themselves.

Normally it isn't wise to deal a 25 year old pitcher with playoff experience who is not eligible for free agency until 2016.

But that's what makes this brilliant.
Since the start of the 2008 season the Rays have matched the Yankees in playoff appearances, Division Titles and pennants.

They have exceeded the Red Sox in all of those counts.

And while the Yankees try to make sense of their pitching staff and aging roster and the Red Sox are looking at a team at the cross roads, the Rays could get better.

After 2010, they shed payroll, let key free agents go and picked 10 of the first 60 players chosen in the draft, including four pitchers.

They dealt Matt Garza to the Cubs and got a crap load of young players including starting outfielder Sam Fuld and Hak-Ju Lee, their shortstop of the future. They dealt Jason Bartlett to the Padres and got Brandon Gomes, Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos, all who were solid relievers for Tampa.

In other words, they know how to get value in their trades.
Right now the Rays could use a corner outfielder or a DH plus a catcher.

And what better piece of trade bait could there be than a pitcher?
A young talented pitcher with big league experience, playoff baseball under his belt and a reasonable price tag in terms of salary?

And take a look at the Tampa Bay pitching staff.
David Price is solid and is still only 25 years old.
James Shields is the Old Man River of this team at 30.
Jeremy Hellickson is 25.
Jeff Niemann is positively ancient at 29.

Relievers Gomes, Russell and Ramos are all under 30.

Jake McGee and Alex Cobb each have experience and are under 25.
And Matt Moore, the best pitching prospect in baseball, won a playoff game and will only be 23.

10 talented pitchers all 30 or under on a team that has made the playoffs 3 of the past 4 seasons?

And that DOESN'T include Wade Davis who will turn 26 next season and is signed through 2014 and under team control until 2016.

Now take a look at this off season. Which team needs pitching?
A few.
The Yankees.
The Red Sox.
The Blue Jays.
The Orioles.
The Mets.
The Nationals.
The Marlins.
The Reds.
The Brewers.
The Cardinals.
The Pirates.
The Rockies.
The Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers.
The Angels.
The A's.
The Rangers.

That's 17 teams off the top of my head who should probably be thinking about upgrading their pitching staff if they want a realistic shot at a playoff run in 2012.

Now with CC Sabathia off of the market, who is available via free agency?

C. J. Wilson? As I wrote before, he's a flop waiting to happen.

Mark Buehrle? He's probably going back to the White Sox. Besides as wonderful as Buehrle's career has been, is it wise to sign someone who is entering their mid 30s to an expensive long term contract?

Yu Darvish? Hisashi Iwakuma? Sorry. After seeing Dice-K break down, I will believe it when I see it.

Roy Oswalt? Mid 30s. On the decline. Will be expensive and cost picks. No thank you.

Hiroki Kuroda? He is talented but at age 37 is also a big risk.

Edwin Jackson? A nice #4 starter but hardly a difference maker.

Javier Vazquez? I wouldn't touch him with a cattle prod.

Eric Bedard? Joel Pineiro? Paul Maholm? Rich Harden? Jason Marquis? Sure they are all talented and all injury risks who may have their best days behind them.

Which one of those pitchers would you want over Wade Davis?
Especially at his current controlled salary?

So they could play a few teams off of each other.

So let's review:

A team with a lot of playoff experience and talent to spare and a smart front office who can make shrewd moves need to trade for a bat or 2 and have a young, inexpensive, talented, big league and playoff tested starting pitcher to trade who could be the best arm available.

If a team has a surplus of young outfielders and a young catcher it would behoove them to deal both to the Rays to improve their staff.

Meanwhile the Rays would go into 2012 with a deep rotation, nice bullpen and a new bat or two to go along with Longoria, Upton et al.

And the Yankees will throw money at the latest flavor of the month and the Red Sox will wander the woods hoping that fans still have their 2004 and 2007 DVDs.

I'll say it here and now... the Rays are going to win the 2012 AL East.

Less than 30,000 at a potential elimination playoff game?

I know I am beating a dead horse here...
But less than 30,000 at a playoff game?

Yes, I know Tropicana Field isn't located in the best place.
Yes, I know times are tough.
Yes, I know the start time was early.

This Rays team is one of the most exciting teams in baseball and they are on the verge of elimination.

28,299 showed up!

I'm not saying "Standing Room Only" at the Trop.
Heaven forbid.

But have 30,000 fans. You are a major league city. The team is a playoff team for the third time in four years.

They should be the talk of baseball.
Instead? They get fewer than 29,000 for a do or die game.

Good for those who showed up. But you never know how long this great run will last in St. Pete.

Why not go and savor it NOW?

The Greatest Last Day of the Season... the Worst First Day of the Post Season

After a mindbogglingly amazing (if agonizing for Red Sox fans) finale to the season, I thought "Man, if this is what the playoffs are going to be like then October is going to be incredible."

Well if tonight was any indication of how it is going to unfold, then this post season will be the biggest let down of anything that didn't have Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in the title.

Yeah it was cool that Matt Moore had his second ever big league start in the playoffs and he dominated the Defending American League Champs. But guess what? The game was a snooze fest.

And off to New York for the best game 1 match up of the year and we get one inning... and rain.
Enough rain to call the damn game.

Enough rain to make Verlander vs. Sabathia into Nova vs. Fister.
Enough rain to make the Yankees and Tigers waste their ace over one inning.

If the rain was that bad in the second, why start the game in the first?
Is this the 2008 World Series all over again?

The thing that made me pick the Tigers for the Division Series was the idea of Verlander pitching twice. I expected him to go deep in each game... deeper than one.

Personally I would start Verlander in Game 2.
Make someone do a double take to see him starting Game 1 and 2 of the playoffs.

I better see some closer games and closer inspection of the weather report tomorrow.
It's supposed to rain tomorrow. I hope they don't get 2 innings in and push it to Sunday.

What Fox Wants For The World Series... 2011 Edition

It has become a tradition at Sully Baseball. For the fifth consecutive, me and the staff try to figure out what Fox wants for their World Series match up and rank them from biggest ratings potential to absolute disaster.

We did it in 2007.

We did it in 2008.

We did it in 2009.

We made a video for it in 2010.

And now we have 2011.

Now keep in mind, this is not what I want nor what would make for the best baseball. This is solely taking into account what media markets and fan bases Fox wants to tap into.

And seeing that nobody in baseball seems to know how to market a team that doesn't play in Boston, New York or Philadelphia, there will be a lot of East Coast Bias.

Teams like the Rays, Diamondbacks and Brewers should be media darlings. But they aren't. That would take effort.

And of course Fox Sports executives wet their pants when the Red Sox stumbled out of the playoff picture. Lots of transplanted Red Sox fans are around the country which means lots of eyeballs on the TV. Now they have to do that thing that all TV networks hate to do: Make an effort to find an audience.

Now of course what they SHOULD want is a 7 game intense World Series. Short of that, let's see what they want to sell.

1. Yankees vs. Phillies

Once again, this is what they REALLY want. Two Northeastern teams and recent champs with lots of fans sprinkled across the country. Lots of recognizable names on both teams. A rematch of the 2009 series, which was one of the highest rated series in recent years. This would require the least amount of effort to sell and probably be the most popular. And of course, as fans bitch and moan about big budget East coast teams dominating the press, a meeting of two northeastern powers with the two biggest payrolls in baseball will undoubtedly draw the biggest ratings. Go figure.

2. Yankees vs. Cardinals

If any team can match the passion of the northeastern baseball fans, it is the Cardinals. With one of the biggest and most loyal fan bases in the country and many transplanted fans, this has the potential of being a great draw. The Cardinals didn't draw any viewers outside of their fan base in 2006, but against the Yankees there would be a clear villain.

3. Yankees vs. Diamondbacks

Normally any series involving Arizona wouldn't get much buzz (even though it should because they are a young exciting and energetic team.) But having the Yankees and Diamondbacks meet again on the 10th anniversary of the Post September 11th World Series would be pretty special. Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera are still suiting up for the Yankees 10 years later.

4. Yankees vs. Brewers

The last of the Yankee match ups, which means the last potential match up that Fox would possibly want. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun coming to Yankee Stadium would be sweet. So would Bob Uecker calling the games on the radio. Plus there are enough midwesterners all across the country who would adopt the Brewers.





Now after this, sadly, the match ups would require baseball and Fox to market their sport and not just rely on the fans they take for granted. Which will NEVER happen. So even though virtually every single OTHER match up would include young superstars, solid pitching and potentially exciting baseball, Fox and MLB are dreading each and every one of them.

Let's list them anyway.

5. Rays vs. Phillies

A rematch of the 2008 World Series best remembered for a prolonged rain delay. I put this one high up because if the Rays get this far it would probably mean they would have slain both the Red Sox and Yankees. The little team that could would take on all three Northeastern Goliaths and win. That would be an amazing story. Too bad you can't sell a story like that.

6. Tigers vs. Phillies

The Phillies are the only potential National brand in the National League. And Detroit has a lot of fans living across the country because... well... a lot of people wanted out of Detroit. A Verlander vs. Halladay Game 1 would be amazing. So would Hall and Oates singing the National Anthem in Philadelphia and Eminem singing in Detroit.

7. Rangers vs Phillies

Can Texas become a baseball haven? They are incredibly likable and exciting. But that's football country. Just ask any fan of Friday Night Lights! And this could be a little Good Ole Boys vs. South Jersey rivalry. Sirloin vs. Cheesesteaks.

8. Tigers vs. Cardinals

Because EVERYONE loved the 2006 World Series. It's the "Maybe Leyland will have the pitchers take infield practice before the Series" Series.

9. Rays vs. Cardinals

The "If you put money on this being the World Series match up on September 1st you will be a millionaire" Series. The two teams that stormed into the playoffs after being left for dead going head to head would be great TV. So would seeing the fun and loose Joe Maddon square off against hard nose by the book written about him Tony LaRussa.

10. Rangers vs. Cardinals

The "To Hell With Either Coast" Series. Pujols hitting in the launching pad of Arlington. Hamilton, Young et al taking aim in St. Louis. A city of great baseball tradition against a team with a budding tradition. The Cardinals will bring out Ozzie Smith, Stan Musial, Bruce Sutter, Lou Brock and Bob Gibson. The Rangers will have Nolan Ryan and... um... Toby Harrah?

11. Tigers vs. Brewers

Nothing like two franchises that have never met square off against each other in the World Series. Sadly that isn't happening here. Here you have two teams that not too long ago were in the same division. I guess the fans of Detroit and Milwaukee will have fun driving through Chicago and honking at Cub fans on the way to the World Series games.

12. Rangers vs. Brewers

It's the "We both got rid of Carlos Lee before his contract became a behemoth" Series. (Seriously, what other history do these two teams have?)

13. Rays vs. Brewers

The "Maybe we can convince everyone it is a Buccaneers vs. Packers game" Series. Again, the teams will be filled with some of the most exciting players in baseball each fighting for the franchise's first ever World Series title. But something like that can't be promoted or used to get fans attention. How can that? It's not New York, Boston or Chicago?

14. Rangers vs. Diamondbacks

The "Is it hot enough for you?" Series. Or perhaps the "It's Hot but it's a dry heat" Series. You certainly can't claim East Coast bias in a series played in Texas and the desert.

15. Rays vs. Diamondbacks

Ironically, THIS is the series that fans should be hoping for. Two low budget, small payroll team with home grown stars made smart moves and made it to the World Series with guts, determination and smart baseball. You stick Brad Pitt in the middle of this World Series and people would pay attention. Instead it will probably be a ratings disaster... which is a disgrace.

16. Tigers vs. Diamondbacks

The World Series will be shown regionally. The rest of the country will see "The Making of Terra Nova."



So I will be watching no matter who is playing. I don't think there is a bad match up in the bunch. But what do I know? I'm not at Fox.

So it has come to this

Five men left on base in the last 2 innings.
An inside the park homer off of Ellsbury's glove.
Beckett not being able to put the mighty Orioles away... AGAIN.

And the Yankees laying down to the Rays.

9 games have evaporated in 3 weeks.

The season is two games long.
I never thought it would come to this. The goodwill of the 14 inning win is gone.

Time to update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 47

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.)
June 7 - 6-4 win in the Bronx. (Papelbon strikes out A-Rod to end the game with a runner on base.)
June 9 - 8-3 win in the Bronx. (Down 2-0 to Sabathia in the 7th, the Sox score 7 runs as Papi exacts revenge after getting plunked. A 3+ hour rain delay pushed the game past 1:30 AM)

June 15 - 3-0 win in Tampa Bay. (Youkilis homers in the 7th for the only runs in Beckett's 1 hit masterpiece.)
June 16 - 4-2 win in Tampa Bay. (Papelbon wiggles out of a 2 on, nobody out jam in the 9th thanks to Youk's diving catch.)
June 26 - 4-2 win in Pittsburgh. (The Pirates make 4 errors and the Red Sox score 2 in the 7th to avoid a sweep by the Bucs.
June 30 - 5-2 win in Philadelphia.(An injury to Cole Hamels leads to the Red Sox bats waking up.)
July 1 - 7-5 win in Houston. (The Sox score 6 in the 7th inning to come back and win.)
July 3 - 2-1 win in Houston. (The Red Sox score a run in the top of the 9th on a walk to break a tie.)
July 5 - 3-2 win against Toronto. (Lester gets hurt but Darnel McDonald throws out the tying run at the plate to end the game.)
July 6 - 6-4 win against Toronto. (The Sox score 4 in the 4th to take the lead and Wakefield and company hang on for dear life.)
July 10 - 8-6 win against Baltimore. (The Orioles score 6 runs off of rookie Kyle Weiland in the second, but the Red Sox hit three homers in the bottom of the second to tie the game and hold for dear life.)
July 16 - 9-5 win in Tampa. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 3-0 first inning hole, but 3 Sox homers bring them back for the win.)
July 17 - 1-0 win in Tampa. (Beckett throws a masterpiece and the bullpen throws 8 amazing innings. But the Sox bats go dead, leaving 17 men on base before Pedroia drove in a run with 2 outs in the 16th inning.)
July 18 - 15-10 win in Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 6-2 lead but score 8 runs in the 8th to take the game.)
July 22 - 7-4 win against Seattle. (John Lackey beat Felix Hernandez and Mike Carp's error helped the Red Sox score 5 in the 7th to give them some breathing room.)
July 23 - 3-1 win against Seattle. (Ellsbury gets Beckett off the hook in a tight pitchers duel when he got a 2 out, 2 strike 2 run go ahead single in the 8th.)
July 26 - 13-9 win against the Royals. (The Sox trailed in the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th before the bats exploded in the 5th.
August 2 - 3-2 win against Cleveland. (Youk tied the game with a 6th inning homer and Salty dove home for the winning run in the 9th.)
August 3 - 4-3 win against Cleveland. (Ellsbury hits a walk off shot in the 9th.)
August 7 - 3-2 win against the Yankees (The Sox rally off of Rivera in the 9th and win on Josh Reddick's 10th inning single)
August 8 - 8-6 win in Minnesota. (Down 5-1, the Red Sox rally back, then score twice in the 9th to give the Sox the win.)
August 9 - 4-3 win in Minnesota. (Darnell McDonald's homer ties the game and Ortiz singles home the game winner as Bard worked out of trouble in the 7th.)
August 12 - 6-4 win in Seattle. (Reddick and Ortiz homered to bail out Lackey.)

August 16 - 3-1 win against Tampa Bay. (Pedroia makes a diving catch in the 9th to help preserve the win.)
August 18 - 4-3 win at Kansas City. (Sox hold on despite having three base runners thrown out by the outfielders.)
August 31 - 9-5 win against the Yankees. (Beckett blows a 4-1 lead but homers by Ellsbury and Varitek put the Sox on top.)
September 13 - 18-6 win against Toronto. (Wakefield blows 2 early leads but the Sox bats explode in the 6th to earn Wakes win #200.)

September 16 - 4-3 win against Tampa Bay. (Beckett, Aceves, Bard and Papelbon all wiggled out of jams to give the Red Sox a critical win.)
September 19 - 18-9 win against Baltimore. (Lackey was given 11 runs to work with but the Orioles cut it to 11-9 before a 7 run rally put the game away.)
September 25 - 7-4 win in the Bronx. (The Red Sox came back from a 3-0 hole to win in the 14th on Jacoby Ellsbury's 2 out 3 run homer and avoid a sweep.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 45

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.)

June 14 - 4-0 loss in Tampa Bay. (Wakefield's solid outing is spoiled. Longoria scores on a passed ball.)
June 18 - 4-2 loss to Milwaukee. (The Brewers hit three homers early off of Lester and hang on.)
June 21 - 5-4 loss to San Diego. (Ortiz hits a double play in the 9th to stifle a potential winning rally.)

June 24 - 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox strand 7 runners in scoring position.)
June 25 - 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox fall out of first as Pedroia's error leads to a Pirates run.)
June 29 - 2-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Vance Worley duels John Lackey and slumping Raul Ibanez drives in both runs.)
July 4 - 9-7 loss to Toronto. (John Lackey's miserable start puts the Sox in too big a hole to climb out of.)
July 19 - 6-2 loss in Baltimore. (Scutaro gets thrown out stealing and the Orioles tack on 3 big runs late.)

July 25 - 3-1 loss to the Royals. (Scutaro botches a potential game winning squeeze play in the 12th as the Red Sox lose in 14.)

July 28 - 4-3 loss to the Royals. (Crawford's bid for a walk off homer falls just short.)
July 29 - 3-1 loss to the White Sox. (Sox blow a late 1-0 lead and spoil a solid Wakefield start.)

August 1 - 9-6 loss to Cleveland. (Asdrubal Cabrera's second home run was an 8th inning tie breaking shot off of Daniel Bard.)

August 4 - 7-3 loss to Cleveland. (Carlos Santana's homer broke a 3-3 tie.)
August 5 - 3-2 loss to the Yankees. (The Sox leave the bases loaded in the 5th and the Yankees score 3 in the 6th to take the lead.)
August 10 - 5-2 in Minnesota. (The Twins score 3 in the 8th, spoiling Ortiz's game tying homer.)
August 13 - 5-4 loss in Seattle. (Mariners score 5 in the first and the Red Sox come back falls short.)
August 14 - 5-3 loss in Seattle. (The Red Sox comeback falls short as Wakefield loses a complete game).

August 16 - 6-2 loss against Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox pull a triple play but a late rally by the Rays puts the game out of reach.)

August 21 - 9-4 loss at Kansas City. (The Royals' 8 run 6th spoils a 4-1 Sox lead and Wakefield's bid to win 200 games.)
August 30 - 5-2 loss to the Yankees. (Sabathia finally beats the Sox and Cervelli's homer sparks bean balls.)
September 1 - 4-2 loss to the Yankees. (Russell Martin's 2 run double in the 7th put the Yankees on top for good. Rivera struck out Gonzalez with the bases loaded to end the game.)

September 5 - 1-0 loss in Toronto. (Beckett sprains his ankle and Brett Lawrie homered in the 11th to win.)
September 7 - 11-10 loss in Toronto. (Bard melts down in the 8th, preventing Tim Wakefield's 200th win. Aviles is thrown out trying to steal to end the game.)
September 10 - 6-5 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox get 2 homers in the 9th to tie the game only to lose it in the 11th.)
September 14 - 5-4 loss to Toronto. (Adam Loewen singled home 2 runs in the Blue Jays 3 run 8th inning, making Bard a loser AGAIN!)
September 17 - 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay. (Scutaro grounds out to end the game with the tying run on second.)
September 19 - 6-5 loss to Baltimore. (Kyle Weiland gets bombed, Darnell McDonald drops a ball, a fair ball is called foul... just a bad day all around.)
September 20 - 7-5 loss to Baltimore. ( hit a 3 run double with 2 outs in the 8th to give Baltimore the win.)
September 21 - 6-4 loss to Baltimore. (Crawford goes 3-4 but Beckett can't hold onto a lead as the Orioles rally in the 8th.)
September 26 - 6-3 loss to Baltimore. (An inside the park homer off of Ellsbury's glove put the game away and the Rays caught Boston.)

Down to +2.

As many games as there are in the season.
I'm still not panicking.

For Red Sox fans, tonight was like the end of Jurassic Park

It was a bizarre night for Red Sox fans. The Sox blew a late lead and lost the 4 game series and the home finale to the supposedly lowly Orioles.

And the Yankees won a pair of games… once clinched a spot in the playoffs and the next clinched the American League East.

It’s a disaster… right?
Well not really. Most days you would want to have your team carve 2 off of the Magic Number.

And oddly something good happened when the Yankees stunned the Rays twice and the Red Sox benefitted despite not doing anything positive.

Remind you of any movie?
It’s the end of Jurassic Park!

(Spoiler Alerts for a movie that came out 18 years ago.)

Sam Neill, Laura Dern and the kids are trying to escape the raptors. No matter what they try, they can’t get away from them. Injured and exhausted they are surrounded by the resilient raptors who managed to open doors and sneak through vents to get them.

And then, when all hope is lost, how did the heroes win?
By just standing there and letting the T-Rex eat the raptors. Now the T-Rex is bigger, scarier and earlier in the movie was the source of terror.

But in the end it was the very thing that saved their butts.

Here’s the analogy…
The Rays are the raptors. Tough, sneaky and clever and probably scarier than you thought going into the movie.

The Yankees are the T-Rex. The scariest dinosaur from our childhood and the big beast that can crush anyone and fears no one.

The Red Sox are Sam Neill, Laura Dern and the kids. Just trying to survive and get on that helicopter off the island. They won even though they SHOULD have been eaten. And they escaped not because they outsmarted the raptor but because for an instant the overwhelming power of the T-Rex benefitted them.

One more week of games. We can’t keep counting on the T-Rex to save us.

Here is the scene for the 6 of you who never saw Jurassic Park.

Mike Lortz (aka Jordi Scrubbings) joins the Sully Baseball Show

Mike Lortz... aka Jordi Scrubbings... joins The Sully Baseball Show tonight.
That's right, I invited a Tampa Bay Rays fan onto the show to discuss the Red Sox collapse and the Rays rise from the TAMPA point of view.


It is the second hour of the Seamheads block on Monday night after What's On Second, the flagship show of the Seamheads National Podcasting Network.

Listen to internet radio with Seamheads on Blog Talk Radio

Yeah, this sucked

Doesn't it seem like EVERY GAME the Red Sox let up a 2 run home run in the first inning?

Man that is a lousy way to start a game. There's not a lot positive to take out of the game today. Hey! Bard didn't suck!
Hey! What hurts makes you stronger, right?

Ugh.
Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 45

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.)
June 7 - 6-4 win in the Bronx. (Papelbon strikes out A-Rod to end the game with a runner on base.)
June 9 - 8-3 win in the Bronx. (Down 2-0 to Sabathia in the 7th, the Sox score 7 runs as Papi exacts revenge after getting plunked. A 3+ hour rain delay pushed the game past 1:30 AM)

June 15 - 3-0 win in Tampa Bay. (Youkilis homers in the 7th for the only runs in Beckett's 1 hit masterpiece.)
June 16 - 4-2 win in Tampa Bay. (Papelbon wiggles out of a 2 on, nobody out jam in the 9th thanks to Youk's diving catch.)
June 26 - 4-2 win in Pittsburgh. (The Pirates make 4 errors and the Red Sox score 2 in the 7th to avoid a sweep by the Bucs.
June 30 - 5-2 win in Philadelphia.(An injury to Cole Hamels leads to the Red Sox bats waking up.)
July 1 - 7-5 win in Houston. (The Sox score 6 in the 7th inning to come back and win.)
July 3 - 2-1 win in Houston. (The Red Sox score a run in the top of the 9th on a walk to break a tie.)
July 5 - 3-2 win against Toronto. (Lester gets hurt but Darnel McDonald throws out the tying run at the plate to end the game.)
July 6 - 6-4 win against Toronto. (The Sox score 4 in the 4th to take the lead and Wakefield and company hang on for dear life.)
July 10 - 8-6 win against Baltimore. (The Orioles score 6 runs off of rookie Kyle Weiland in the second, but the Red Sox hit three homers in the bottom of the second to tie the game and hold for dear life.)
July 16 - 9-5 win in Tampa. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 3-0 first inning hole, but 3 Sox homers bring them back for the win.)
July 17 - 1-0 win in Tampa. (Beckett throws a masterpiece and the bullpen throws 8 amazing innings. But the Sox bats go dead, leaving 17 men on base before Pedroia drove in a run with 2 outs in the 16th inning.)
July 18 - 15-10 win in Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 6-2 lead but score 8 runs in the 8th to take the game.)
July 22 - 7-4 win against Seattle. (John Lackey beat Felix Hernandez and Mike Carp's error helped the Red Sox score 5 in the 7th to give them some breathing room.)
July 23 - 3-1 win against Seattle. (Ellsbury gets Beckett off the hook in a tight pitchers duel when he got a 2 out, 2 strike 2 run go ahead single in the 8th.)
July 26 - 13-9 win against the Royals. (The Sox trailed in the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th before the bats exploded in the 5th.
August 2 - 3-2 win against Cleveland. (Youk tied the game with a 6th inning homer and Salty dove home for the winning run in the 9th.)
August 3 - 4-3 win against Cleveland. (Ellsbury hits a walk off shot in the 9th.)
August 7 - 3-2 win against the Yankees (The Sox rally off of Rivera in the 9th and win on Josh Reddick's 10th inning single)
August 8 - 8-6 win in Minnesota. (Down 5-1, the Red Sox rally back, then score twice in the 9th to give the Sox the win.)
August 9 - 4-3 win in Minnesota. (Darnell McDonald's homer ties the game and Ortiz singles home the game winner as Bard worked out of trouble in the 7th.)
August 12 - 6-4 win in Seattle. (Reddick and Ortiz homered to bail out Lackey.)

August 16 - 3-1 win against Tampa Bay. (Pedroia makes a diving catch in the 9th to help preserve the win.)
August 18 - 4-3 win at Kansas City. (Sox hold on despite having three base runners thrown out by the outfielders.)
August 31 - 9-5 win against the Yankees. (Beckett blows a 4-1 lead but homers by Ellsbury and Varitek put the Sox on top.)
September 13 - 18-6 win against Toronto. (Wakefield blows 2 early leads but the Sox bats explode in the 6th to earn Wakes win #200.)

September 16 - 4-3 win against Tampa Bay. (Beckett, Aceves, Bard and Papelbon all wiggled out of jams to give the Red Sox a critical win.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 41

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.)

June 14 - 4-0 loss in Tampa Bay. (Wakefield's solid outing is spoiled. Longoria scores on a passed ball.)
June 18 - 4-2 loss to Milwaukee. (The Brewers hit three homers early off of Lester and hang on.)
June 21 - 5-4 loss to San Diego. (Ortiz hits a double play in the 9th to stifle a potential winning rally.)

June 24 - 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox strand 7 runners in scoring position.)
June 25 - 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox fall out of first as Pedroia's error leads to a Pirates run.)
June 29 - 2-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Vance Worley duels John Lackey and slumping Raul Ibanez drives in both runs.)
July 4 - 9-7 loss to Toronto. (John Lackey's miserable start puts the Sox in too big a hole to climb out of.)
July 19 - 6-2 loss in Baltimore. (Scutaro gets thrown out stealing and the Orioles tack on 3 big runs late.)

July 25 - 3-1 loss to the Royals. (Scutaro botches a potential game winning squeeze play in the 12th as the Red Sox lose in 14.)

July 28 - 4-3 loss to the Royals. (Crawford's bid for a walk off homer falls just short.)
July 29 - 3-1 loss to the White Sox. (Sox blow a late 1-0 lead and spoil a solid Wakefield start.)

August 1 - 9-6 loss to Cleveland. (Asdrubal Cabrera's second home run was an 8th inning tie breaking shot off of Daniel Bard.)

August 4 - 7-3 loss to Cleveland. (Carlos Santana's homer broke a 3-3 tie.)
August 5 - 3-2 loss to the Yankees. (The Sox leave the bases loaded in the 5th and the Yankees score 3 in the 6th to take the lead.)
August 10 - 5-2 in Minnesota. (The Twins score 3 in the 8th, spoiling Ortiz's game tying homer.)
August 13 - 5-4 loss in Seattle. (Mariners score 5 in the first and the Red Sox come back falls short.)
August 14 - 5-3 loss in Seattle. (The Red Sox comeback falls short as Wakefield loses a complete game).

August 16 - 6-2 loss against Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox pull a triple play but a late rally by the Rays puts the game out of reach.)

August 21 - 9-4 loss at Kansas City. (The Royals' 8 run 6th spoils a 4-1 Sox lead and Wakefield's bid to win 200 games.)
August 30 - 5-2 loss to the Yankees. (Sabathia finally beats the Sox and Cervelli's homer sparks bean balls.)
September 1 - 4-2 loss to the Yankees. (Russell Martin's 2 run double in the 7th put the Yankees on top for good. Rivera struck out Gonzalez with the bases loaded to end the game.)

September 5 - 1-0 loss in Toronto. (Beckett sprains his ankle and Brett Lawrie homered in the 11th to win.)
September 7 - 11-10 loss in Toronto. (Bard melts down in the 8th, preventing Tim Wakefield's 200th win. Aviles is thrown out trying to steal to end the game.)
September 10 - 6-5 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox get 2 homers in the 9th to tie the game only to lose it in the 11th.)
September 14 - 5-4 loss to Toronto. (Adam Loewen singled home 2 runs in the Blue Jays 3 run 8th inning, making Bard a loser AGAIN!)
September 17 - 4-3 loss to Tampa Bay. (Scutaro grounds out to end the game with the tying run on second.)

Down to +4.

Put this behind the Sox... and maybe Wakefield can beat David Price tomorrow.
Sure, why not?

Relax a little, Red Sox fans

A win.

2 chopped off of the magic number.

A day chopped off of the schedule.

A little less tension in the air.

Beckett looked solid, so not ALL the pressure is on Lester.

Bard was shaky but held the lead, so maybe his confidence is coming back.

Ortiz and Crawford were hitting the ball well.

If the Red Sox just split the next two games, then they will have a 4 game lead with 10 to play and the magic number will be 7.

And oh yeah, there will be 7 out of 10 games against the Orioles.

I'm not saying all the work has been done. It has just gotten a little easier.

Time to update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 45

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.)
June 7 - 6-4 win in the Bronx. (Papelbon strikes out A-Rod to end the game with a runner on base.)
June 9 - 8-3 win in the Bronx. (Down 2-0 to Sabathia in the 7th, the Sox score 7 runs as Papi exacts revenge after getting plunked. A 3+ hour rain delay pushed the game past 1:30 AM)

June 15 - 3-0 win in Tampa Bay. (Youkilis homers in the 7th for the only runs in Beckett's 1 hit masterpiece.)
June 16 - 4-2 win in Tampa Bay. (Papelbon wiggles out of a 2 on, nobody out jam in the 9th thanks to Youk's diving catch.)
June 26 - 4-2 win in Pittsburgh. (The Pirates make 4 errors and the Red Sox score 2 in the 7th to avoid a sweep by the Bucs.
June 30 - 5-2 win in Philadelphia.(An injury to Cole Hamels leads to the Red Sox bats waking up.)
July 1 - 7-5 win in Houston. (The Sox score 6 in the 7th inning to come back and win.)
July 3 - 2-1 win in Houston. (The Red Sox score a run in the top of the 9th on a walk to break a tie.)
July 5 - 3-2 win against Toronto. (Lester gets hurt but Darnel McDonald throws out the tying run at the plate to end the game.)
July 6 - 6-4 win against Toronto. (The Sox score 4 in the 4th to take the lead and Wakefield and company hang on for dear life.)
July 10 - 8-6 win against Baltimore. (The Orioles score 6 runs off of rookie Kyle Weiland in the second, but the Red Sox hit three homers in the bottom of the second to tie the game and hold for dear life.)
July 16 - 9-5 win in Tampa. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 3-0 first inning hole, but 3 Sox homers bring them back for the win.)
July 17 - 1-0 win in Tampa. (Beckett throws a masterpiece and the bullpen throws 8 amazing innings. But the Sox bats go dead, leaving 17 men on base before Pedroia drove in a run with 2 outs in the 16th inning.)
July 18 - 15-10 win in Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 6-2 lead but score 8 runs in the 8th to take the game.)
July 22 - 7-4 win against Seattle. (John Lackey beat Felix Hernandez and Mike Carp's error helped the Red Sox score 5 in the 7th to give them some breathing room.)
July 23 - 3-1 win against Seattle. (Ellsbury gets Beckett off the hook in a tight pitchers duel when he got a 2 out, 2 strike 2 run go ahead single in the 8th.)
July 26 - 13-9 win against the Royals. (The Sox trailed in the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th before the bats exploded in the 5th.
August 2 - 3-2 win against Cleveland. (Youk tied the game with a 6th inning homer and Salty dove home for the winning run in the 9th.)
August 3 - 4-3 win against Cleveland. (Ellsbury hits a walk off shot in the 9th.)
August 7 - 3-2 win against the Yankees (The Sox rally off of Rivera in the 9th and win on Josh Reddick's 10th inning single)
August 8 - 8-6 win in Minnesota. (Down 5-1, the Red Sox rally back, then score twice in the 9th to give the Sox the win.)
August 9 - 4-3 win in Minnesota. (Darnell McDonald's homer ties the game and Ortiz singles home the game winner as Bard worked out of trouble in the 7th.)
August 12 - 6-4 win in Seattle. (Reddick and Ortiz homered to bail out Lackey.)

August 16 - 3-1 win against Tampa Bay. (Pedroia makes a diving catch in the 9th to help preserve the win.)
August 18 - 4-3 win at Kansas City. (Sox hold on despite having three base runners thrown out by the outfielders.)
August 31 - 9-5 win against the Yankees. (Beckett blows a 4-1 lead but homers by Ellsbury and Varitek put the Sox on top.)
September 13 - 18-6 win against Toronto. (Wakefield blows 2 early leads but the Sox bats explode in the 6th to earn Wakes win #200.)

September 16 - 4-3 win against Tampa Bay. (Beckett, Aceves, Bard and Papelbon all wiggled out of jams to give the Red Sox a critical win.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 40

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.)

June 14 - 4-0 loss in Tampa Bay. (Wakefield's solid outing is spoiled. Longoria scores on a passed ball.)
June 18 - 4-2 loss to Milwaukee. (The Brewers hit three homers early off of Lester and hang on.)
June 21 - 5-4 loss to San Diego. (Ortiz hits a double play in the 9th to stifle a potential winning rally.)

June 24 - 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox strand 7 runners in scoring position.)
June 25 - 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox fall out of first as Pedroia's error leads to a Pirates run.)
June 29 - 2-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Vance Worley duels John Lackey and slumping Raul Ibanez drives in both runs.)
July 4 - 9-7 loss to Toronto. (John Lackey's miserable start puts the Sox in too big a hole to climb out of.)
July 19 - 6-2 loss in Baltimore. (Scutaro gets thrown out stealing and the Orioles tack on 3 big runs late.)

July 25 - 3-1 loss to the Royals. (Scutaro botches a potential game winning squeeze play in the 12th as the Red Sox lose in 14.)

July 28 - 4-3 loss to the Royals. (Crawford's bid for a walk off homer falls just short.)
July 29 - 3-1 loss to the White Sox. (Sox blow a late 1-0 lead and spoil a solid Wakefield start.)

August 1 - 9-6 loss to Cleveland. (Asdrubal Cabrera's second home run was an 8th inning tie breaking shot off of Daniel Bard.)

August 4 - 7-3 loss to Cleveland. (Carlos Santana's homer broke a 3-3 tie.)
August 5 - 3-2 loss to the Yankees. (The Sox leave the bases loaded in the 5th and the Yankees score 3 in the 6th to take the lead.)
August 10 - 5-2 in Minnesota. (The Twins score 3 in the 8th, spoiling Ortiz's game tying homer.)
August 13 - 5-4 loss in Seattle. (Mariners score 5 in the first and the Red Sox come back falls short.)
August 14 - 5-3 loss in Seattle. (The Red Sox comeback falls short as Wakefield loses a complete game).

August 16 - 6-2 loss against Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox pull a triple play but a late rally by the Rays puts the game out of reach.)

August 21 - 9-4 loss at Kansas City. (The Royals' 8 run 6th spoils a 4-1 Sox lead and Wakefield's bid to win 200 games.)
August 30 - 5-2 loss to the Yankees. (Sabathia finally beats the Sox and Cervelli's homer sparks bean balls.)
September 1 - 4-2 loss to the Yankees. (Russell Martin's 2 run double in the 7th put the Yankees on top for good. Rivera struck out Gonzalez with the bases loaded to end the game.)

September 5 - 1-0 loss in Toronto. (Beckett sprains his ankle and Brett Lawrie homered in the 11th to win.)
September 7 - 11-10 loss in Toronto. (Bard melts down in the 8th, preventing Tim Wakefield's 200th win. Aviles is thrown out trying to steal to end the game.)
September 10 - 6-5 loss in Tampa Bay. (Sox get 2 homers in the 9th to tie the game only to lose it in the 11th.)
September 14 - 5-4 loss to Toronto. (Adam Loewen singled home 2 runs in the Blue Jays 3 run 8th inning, making Bard a loser AGAIN!)

Back up to +5.

Hell, with the Yankees lost. DAMN IT! I AM NOT GIVING UP HOPES ON THE DIVISION!!!!!

A Nation Tested

There are all sorts of tests going on regarding the Red Sox.

The Red Sox themselves are having their resolve tested. They stumbled out of the gate, cruised through the summer and are now seeing what they are made of to make it into the October dance. I am positive that if they can make it into October, that this sucky September will be a positive thing for the team. A "Wow... we made it in. Now let's kick some butt moment" that helped the Cardinals and White Sox win the World Series last decade.

And as bad as last night was, I'd STILL rather be up 3 games even stumbling than down 3 games and charging with 13 left.

Let's say the Red Sox win just one game in the series.
They'd be up 2 games with 10 to play.
6 of those games are against Baltimore.

I'll take my chances with those odds.

As for us Red Sox fans, this is the latest test to see if our lives really have changed.

Since 2004 and 2007 we've seen the Red Sox lose an agonizing 7 game series in 2008, choke in the 2009 playoffs and watch the Yankees win it all and miss the playoffs altogether.

And now they have a chance for an all time collapse.

IF THAT HAPPENS, we'll see how the 2004 and 2007 blanket will protect us.

And IF THAT HAPPENS we can look and think about what our lives would be like had Dave Roberts not stolen a base... and had the Indians not collapsed in 2007.

We'd be losing our minds.
Let's see if we can keep them, dear Nation.

Video of me talking to Red Sox fans during tonight's game

10 Reasons why the Tampa Bay Rays winning the 2011 World Series would be good for baseball

There are only a few more weeks left to the season and the contenders are dwindling down. I am running out of time to finish my Why Each Team's Potential World Championship Would Be Good For The Game series.

We continue with the Tampa Bay Rays.
When I started writing these, I didn't even have Tampa Bay on the list but I DID have the White Sox and the Indians, who as if this writing are below .500.

But thanks to the Rays surge this September and a 3 game sweep of the Red Sox, they are very much in the hunt. They need a lot of help, but sweeping the Red Sox again starting tonight would tie them for a playoff spot with 10 games to play.

If they do that, it would be a monumental pre-2004 esque collapse for the Red Sox and the third playoff berth in four years for Tampa Bay.

Would a Rays World Series title be good for the game?
Oh let me count the ways.

10 Reasons why the
Tampa Bay Rays
winning the 2011 World Series
would be good for baseball

1. A Rays World Champion could put Joe Maddon on the fast track to Cooperstown.

He's only been the Rays manager for 6 seasons, but a World Series title this year would make his Hall of Fame candidacy very interesting. With a title, he would have already done the hard work. He took over a team that lost at least 91 games for each of their 10 years of existence and put them in the World Series. Throw in another Division Title and four straight winning seasons and he can take a huge piece of credit for turning a laughing stock into a contender. Not even Lou Piniella could do that. Like Ron Roenicke in Milwaukee, he is a protege of Mike Scioscia who was a protege of Tom Lasorda who was a protege of Walter Alston. It could be a legacy of Hall of Fame managers.

2. Maybe Brad Pitt could play Andrew Friedman as well if the Rays win it all.

The Rays were a bigger mess than the Oakland A's ever were and with Andrew Friedman as GM, they've won more pennants than Billy Beane's A's! So where's the Brad Pitt film about Friedman?

He is putting contenders (and Division Champions in 2 out of 3 years) in a Division that features the two big bad wolves (New York and Boston.) He didn't listen to the whining of "Nobody can compete with them" and found a way to. And he is STILL doing it with one of the lowest payrolls in the game. They are putting a winning product on the field and by letting key free agents walk, they had what seemed like 100 first round picks. So the talent pipeline to the majors will remain fruitful.

Seriously, it's a great story.



3. Finally Johnny Damon would have a World Series ring that EVERYONE can feel good about!

Johnny won a World Series ring with the Red Sox. But Yankee fans and people who like grooming didn't like that.

Then he won a World Series ring with the Yankees. But Red Sox fans and Yankee haters didn't like THAT!

If he wins one with the Rays, who could have a problem with him? It's like the porridge that Goldilocks chose.

4. A World Series title could be the overdue fulfillment of Kyle Farnsworth's potential.

Since coming up with the Cubs, Kyle Farnsworth has had jaw dropping potential but never fulfilled it. He threw hard but the balls went out of the park even faster. Even in Atlanta, where he had his best regular season, he blew a key playoff lead that led to the Braves elimination in the 2005 Division Series. Yankees fans dubbed him "Farnsworth-less."

But in Tampa Bay he found his groove and has become an effective closer. What better place of redemption than on the mound for a World Series title?

5. A ring for David Price and what could become the best staff in baseball.

At age 25, David Price is already a seasoned battle tested veteran. 29 year old Big Game James Shields is the elder statesman of the rotation. Pitchers Wade Davis, Jeremy Hellickson, Jeff Niemann and Alex Cobb all made Matt Garza and Scott Kazimir expendable. This team is so loaded with young pitching (Matt Moore and Jake McGee are the latest to make the leap to the big leagues) that they should keep Tampa Bay competitive for the next 4 or 5 years.

A World Championship could spotlight this staff and pitching coach Jim Hickey and create a blueprint of how to build a team around pitching.


6. A World Championship would force the spotlight on Evan Longoria and B. J. Upton.

Baseball needs new heroes to emerge in the post Steroid years. Neither Longoria nor Upton have put up numbers that match their potential. But perhaps World Series heroics and highlights can put these two talented and exciting players in the public consciousness.

And maybe THEN Longoria would be able to afford a new hat.




7. Would Manny Ramirez get a World Series ring?

Hey! He played 5 games for the Rays.

Yeah, he retired in disgrace.
Yeah, he is sinking further into Pariah-ville and has as good a change to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the Baseball Hall of Fame.

But he DID play for the Rays. If they win, it would be an interesting debate.


8. It would interesting to talk with a Cubs fan the day after a Rays World Championship.

Seriously, it would be nothing short of cruel for a Cub fan to witness yet ANOTHER expansion team win the World Series. The Cubs last PLAYED in a World Series 16 years before the first expansion.

14 teams have come into the league since the 1945 World Series and 12 of them have made the World Series.

The Cubs last won the World Series when Roosevelt was in office... TEDDY Roosevelt. The Marlins and Diamondbacks have each won a World Series and they were created when CLINTON was in office. If a third recent expansion team wins while the Cubs wait would be borderline cruel.

Hey! At least the Cubs have Matt Garza and Carlos Pena!


9. A World Series title would give us SOMETHING positive to say about the Trop.

The Rays have been trying to get out of the Trop since their first game IN the Trop! I have yet to step foot in Tropicana Field. It just looks like an idea that was great in the mid 1980s but just is out of date now. It is the BetaMax of stadiums.

But guess what? Some ugly parks can have some nice memories. The Metrodome was ugly, but the Twins had their greatest moments there. The Vet was a hole, but the Phillies had some glorious victories in that cold ugly donut. The Kingdome was an eyesore, but that's where Griffey scored from first!

Eventually the Rays will have a new park or a new city. If the Trop is leveled, it would be nice to have one great moment there.

10. A Rays World Series title is supposedly what EVERYONE IN THE WORLD WANTS!

What are the biggest complaints about baseball?

Only big market clubs win.
The Yankees and Red Sox make it unfair.
You need deep pockets and a huge payroll to have a shot.
A team needs a state of the art stadium to have the revenue to contend.

Well the Rays have raised a middle finger to all of those sentiments! The Rays, filled with homegrown stars, a sense of fun and a wonderfully likable manager, should be the darlings of every casual baseball fan. They should be the glorious underdog who spit in the face of convention and are saying "We'll defy logic and show all of you how to do it!"

The draft well, they trade well and play hard. (Are you taking notes, Royals and Pirates?) And they are not afraid of the Goliaths of their Division. I swear if I weren't already a Red Sox fan, I'd probably rooting hard for them this weekend.

The fact that baseball DOESN'T sell this team better just is another example of MLB's incredible incompetence to promote their own sport!


So there you have it.
I am writing this AS my beloved Red Sox are trying to keep Tampa OUT of the playoffs. But if Tampa does get in, there are plenty of reasons to cheer them on.

Oh I am such an optimist!




If you liked this then go ahead and read the entries for the other teams.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
CHICAGO WHITE SOX

CLEVELAND INDIANS
DETROIT TIGERS
LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
MILWAUKEE BREWERS
NEW YORK YANKEES
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS