Come on CC! Have ONE more bad outing in you

The Red Sox could very well be handing the Cy Young Award to Justin Verlander this year.

Why?

Because CC Sabathia has been so terrific against every other team except the Red Sox.

His numbers are Cy Young contender worthy.

17-7 record. 2.99 ERA. 205 innings pitched. 4th in the league in strikouts with 191.



But his WHIP and BAA fall far short.

And I wonder how much of that (plus his ERA which is good but not top 5) is due to his rancid 0-4 record against the Red Sox with a big fat 7.20 ERA.



If he were merely mediocre against the Sox he'd be a 19 game winner among the league leaders of ERA and maybe a few more strikeouts thrown in there.



Now the law of averages say that Sabathia will be good today.

And the Yankees are facing John Lackey, so his performance will probably be filed under "Who the hell knows?"



That being said...

One more Sabathia loss would not only mean the Magic Number for the Division would be 26 going into September...



Not only mean that the favorable match ups of Beckett vs. Hughes and Lester vs. Burnett would finish the series...



Not only give the Red Sox a 2 1/2 game lead (2 in the loss column over the Yankees)...



But put the ole "We're just not as good" doubt in the Yankees cranium.



That's always a good thing.

Let's play ball.

10 Reasons the Red Sox and Yankees Rivalry is still cool

Two recent champions are squaring off tonight. Two proud franchises who have memorably faced off in the LCS have some scores to settle. Two baseball crazed fan bases eagerly are watching the games this weekend seeing what will hopefully be a preview for the 2011 LCS. With stars on each side this weekend’s series is THE series to watch.

And the Red Sox and Yankees are also playing.

Of course the match up I was referring to in the first paragraph was the Giants and Phillies series, which has a little more electricity than the Red Sox and Yankees series.

Cliff Lee’s complete game gem last night gave the series an early boost. If baseball had ANY sense, they would be promoting the hell out of Philadelphia and San Francisco’s friction as a cool new rivalry for the 2010s.

But guess what?
Red Sox and Yankees still have a few sparks in them.

Here are 10 things that are cool about Red Sox vs. Yankees in 2011.

1. It’s Cano’s Yankees and Ellsbury’s Red Sox

Both Robinson Cano and Jacoby Ellsbury were young members of their teams most recent World Series titles. But this year, both players are standing center stage as the identity of the teams going into the new decade. And showing with a game that includes speed, power and defense they are complete players. And with a look at their lean physiques, they are the face of a ‘roid free era.


2. Granderson and Gonzalez want in!

The Yankees have brought in one of the truly good guys in all of baseball when they acquired Curtis Granderson from the Tigers. The Red Sox picked up one of the great players you never heard of from San Diego in Adrian Gonzalez. New blood gives the rivalry a nice boost. Both of their next rings will be their first. Good solid veterans deserve titles.



3. The last time for some familiar faces

When the Yankees and Red Sox played in the 1999 ALCS, Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera were all on the Yankees roster. Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield were in uniform as well. All 5 are still there. Wouldn’t it be something if they played for the pennant in 3 different decades?

(Yes I know that Wakefield wasn’t on the active roster for the 1999 ALCS, but you get my point.)



4. Yup they are still there too.

Since 2004, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez have been linked to something a little less savory than team spirit to boost up their numbers. Are they both clean now? Well at least we know they being tested. Will they savor a post “getting busted” ring? You can bet on that. (Don’t REALLY bet on it, A-Rod.)



5. The Padding of Sabathia, Lester and Beckett’s resumes
Jon Lester and CC Sabathia are two of the top left handed aces in the American League. Lester won a World Series clincher. Sabathia was an LCS MVP. Beckett? He spits on those credits. He was a World Series MVP for one team, an LCS MVP for another and threw a complete game shutout to clinch a World Series… IN Yankee Stadium! Another big October for them and they can call themselves some of the best post season arms in their era… something that comes in handy if they want to make a case for Cooperstown.


6. Alfredo Aceves wants to join an elite group

Ramiro Mendoza, Johnny Damon and Eric Hinske are the only three living people to play in the post season with a World Champion Red Sox and Yankee team. If the Red Sox win the 2011 World Series, add Alfredo Aceves to the list.

He seems like a nice guy.

He should have that distinction.


7. For all the complaining, there still seems to be a lot of Red Sox and Yankees fans out there

Remember how everyone said they were sick of American Idol? I was bored with it after Simon Cowell left. And everyone was saying how it was dead. And yet it was consistently the top rated show. So SOMEONE must have been interested.

Watch a Red Sox and Yankees ALCS get amazing ratings and become the talk of sports… even if the talk is people saying “I am so SICK of these two teams that I watched every game!”


8. It’s a new decade!

The Red Sox Yankees rivalry had its sparks in the 1940s and 1950s. The 1960s? Not so much. The 1970s? It seemed like a fever pitch. The 1980s? It was muted. The 1990s? It was rekindled. The 2000s? It reached Armageddon. It’s a new decade. We need new clips for the montages!

9. Hey. They are STILL the best teams in the American League!

Sure the Rangers are the defending champs and have a super deep pitching staff and solid line up. But as of this typing, the Sox and Yankees are tied for the best record in the American League. You can’t say the rivalry is dead when it is, statistically between the two best records with the most fans. You want YOUR teams to have a better rivalry? Win more games.

10. The Rivalry is Evolving

The Red Sox and Yankees rivalry used to be the proverbial “Lawn Mower versus Grass” match up. The Red Sox would get great players and put up a fight, but the chant 1918 had teeth. Then 2004 turned the tables on the Yankees and suddenly Red Sox fans had a come back.

Both teams have recent World Series titles. Both teams have had superstars tainted by steroids. Both teams have had euphoric wins and heart breaking losses. In other words the Red Sox and Yankees are entering new territory. Perhaps not equality, but in this century, the two teams each have two World Series titles and two LCS face plants.

We’re seeing the two franchises like we have never seen them before.
No more curses.
No more crying over grandparents graves.

Just baseball.

Guess what?
That’s worth watching!

So trash Red Sox and Yankees all you want.
Me?
I’m watching it.

I got whiplash from this game

No part of me thought the Red Sox were winning this game tonight.

Even going into it, I thought it was a "House Money" game. The Red Sox had won the first two games. Mission Accomplished. The goal should always be to take 2 out 3 in a series. And doing that on the road is an added bonus.

Doing it in the Bronx is sublime. So I literally felt no pressure going into tonights game. I figured the Sox had beaten CC before and Beckett looked great against the Yankees this year... so the law of averages said that Sabathia was going to win.

So the worst case scenario had a virtual tie for first place.
And secretly when I saw the game was delayed so long for rain, I thought "Ah just call it, make it a 2 game sweep and have Beckett start tomorrow in Toronto.

And when the game was 2-0 in the 7th and it was like 4 AM or something stupid in New York, I thought "Christ, I can't blame the bats for being asleep. The PLAYERS should be asleep and taking a flight north of the border!"

Then it happened. Ortiz, who was plunked earlier, got a meaningless hit. And Lowrie got what should have been a double down the line but Nick Swisher, clearly rattled from his shower with Papelbon, booted it into a triple and I thought Ortiz was not going to make it home. He looked as out of shape as one of those fat dudes riding a cart around the shopping mall.

Yet he scored. And the parade began. It was startling. It was "Marlins taking the lead after the Bartman play"-esque where one minute there was a pitcher dominating to a win... the next minute the game was out of hand for the other side.

A transition that fast usually gives someone the bends.

And oh yeah, the capper was Ortiz driving that 2 run double.

I wrote earlier in the week that I didn't care about beanballs and retaliation. I hoped the Red Sox just focused on winning.

Not only did they win... not only did they sweep them... not only did they embarrass each starting pitcher... but Papi got the last laugh.

He kicked their ass and stole their lunch.

And I get to update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 19

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)

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.)

+3.

This game was truly the $20 bill in your jacket you forgot you had.

Sox are in first place alone.
Ahead of the Yankees in the win column and fewer losses in the loss column.

Not bad for a night I was convinced they were going to lose.

NORTH OF THE BORDER IS NEXT!

Now THIS feels like Red Sox vs. Yankees!

When the Sox and the Yankees first met this year, the Red Sox were 0-6 and just wanted a freaking win!

When the Red Sox swept the Yankees in mid May, it got them to .500.

Yeah, the Sox winning 5 of 6 from the Yankees was cool... but how cool was it REALLY when the team stunk?

Things are different now.

The Yankees are the best team in the American League (thanks to Cleveland's recent slump)...

The Red Sox are one game out of first place (two in the loss column.)

And we are in the second third of the season, so the whole "It's early" excuse is gone.

A win in the Series and the Sox will have a tie for first place and be only a few wins away from winning the season series.

A loss in the Series and the Yankees will show that their pieced together (and genetically spliced) pitching staff might actually hold together.

Garcia is the reclamation project for the Yankees and he is pitching like it is 2005!
Lester is the ace for the Red Sox who has been up and down.

They both clobbered a bunch of opponents recently.
It feels like a REAL Sox vs. Yankees series tonight.

Sorry rest of baseball... it's just a cool rivalry.

As always, Red Sox and Yankee fans should get along.

Leave the ass kicking to the players on the field.

PLAY BALL!

The big rivalry for the weekend... it isn't in the Bronx

Last year, I wrote about how the Cardinals and the Reds could become a dynamic new rivalry for the new decade.

And after the first two games of this series, I am not backing down from those words. The Reds win on a walk off extra innings hit by Joey Votto last night and today the two battled back and forth until Cincy pulled ahead.

The Reds have leap frogged over the Cardinals and probably put a little more bad blood between the two. I am as excited about Red Sox and Yankees as anyone, but first place isn't on the line in that series.

Put a little fire under this rivalry baseball. Besides, as I wrote for the Hardball Times, the Reds have the opportunity to be another national team.

I for one am excited about tomorrows game.

It's a good rivalry between traditional baseball powers.

Why am I the only one noticing this?

There's nothing to talk about with this game

This Red Sox - Yankees game was as entertaining as geometry class. It is in fact the exact kind of game that makes the rest of the country hate the Red Sox and Yankees rivalry.

Lots of build up, it was long, boring and didn't live up to the hype.

Nor does this Red Sox team. They can't win a Buchholz vs. Nova match up?

They will be 1-8 by the end of tomorrow.

OK, I should clean.

10 Reasons to watch this weekend's Red Sox/Yankees Series

When the 2010 schedule was published showing the season beginning and ending with Red Sox and Yankee series, it sure felt exciting, didn't it?

Perhaps there would be a great showdown for the AL East... maybe playoff positioning?

When the Red Sox were hovering around contention the 6 head to head meetings over the final 10 games sure looked inviting.

Now...
Flop.

The Red Sox are all but done... the tragic number is 4. They are playing out the string and getting ready to play golf this October.

The Yankees are cruising to another October appearance and trying to right their pitching staff while jockeying for position with the Rays and Twins.

So why should Red Sox fans even watch this series?
There are some reasons...


1. WIN THE SERIES AND THE RED SOX HOLD OFF ELIMINATION

Yeah elimination will be inevitable... but if it can be held off until Monday, then as a point of pride we can say "We weren't eliminated until the last week of the season."

With all the injuries on the team, that's a nice (if misleading) thing to say.


2. DELAY THE YANKEE CELEBRATION

It's clear by the way Joe Girardi is managing that he is simply trying to make the post season without worrying about the Division... sure he would LIKE to win the Division but he'd RATHER have a healthy pitching staff. So the Yankees clinching a playoff spot seems to be the goal.

They'll get there, but it doesn't have to be on OUR watch.


3. JON LESTER, COMPROMISE CY YOUNG CANDIDATE?

Can Jon Lester get to 20 wins? If he does will he be a Cy Young Candidate? (Sabathia's 20 wins seem to be his only qualification over Felix Hernandez but he is talked about as the front runner.)

If Lester gets 20, his name will be in the mix. He goes for win #19 on Saturday.


4. 90 WINS IS A GOOD GOAL FOR THIS TEAM

Seriously, with all the injuries and strife on this team to finish with 90 wins would be a real accomplishment.

They need to win 6 games out of their last 10 to pull that off. That would give Francona six 90 win seasons out of seven years in Boston. Not bad.


5. MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE WILL GET HURT

The Red Sox have had 19 guys on their disabled list.
Why not 20? Seriously... a nice round number is easier to remember. And that would be the legacy of the 2010 Red Sox... 20 dudes on the DL.

That would make 90 wins even MORE impressive.






6. IT WILL TAKE YOUR MIND OFF OF THE PATRIOTS/JETS LOSS

Perhaps seeing a New England team beat a New York team will take the sting out of it.

Yeah that is petty... but so are we!



7. YOU'LL GET TO SEE THE RED SOX SEE THE SUBTLE STEINBRENNER MEMORIAL

Then again they can probably see it from Fenway Park.






8. MAYBE THEY'LL SHOW SOME CLIPS OF THE 2004 ALCS

Those are always fun to see.

Granted they will also show clips of Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone etc... but those don't hurt as much since '04 and '07.

Plus it is always interesting to see how they can spin the rivalry since the whole Bambino thing is over.




9. NO MATTER WHAT THE STANDINGS ARE, IT IS ALWAYS FUN TO SEE THE YANKEES LOSE

It isn't nice to admit that, but it is true.

Admit it Sox fans... when you saw that the Yankees were getting killed last night, you checked in... hoping to see Joba and Vazquez get slapped around. Seeing the seed of doubt creep into Yankee land, especially on the dawn of the playoffs, is a beautiful thing. Why not see the Sox contribute to that?


10. YOU WILL SEE THE BEGINNING OF THE GREATEST END OF THE SEASON COLLAPSE IN YANKEE HISTORY AND THE RED SOX STORM INTO THE PLAYOFFS

Hey... how is that any less likely than the Red Sox coming back from a 3-0 series hole, trailing in the 9th facing Mariano Rivera?

I bet you thought we were dead then too!

The come back starts NOW!



So have fun, and remember Sox fans who make the trip, you will be in THEIR home. Play nicely.

Besides, Red Sox fans and Yankee fans should be friends.

So play ball! Go Sox and make us proud in what is left of this season.
(And let's hope Joba gets an appearance or two.)

Cardinals vs. Reds could be the rivalry of the 2010s

Hey baseball… want to do something SMART regarding the marketing of your sport?
OK, I didn’t think so.

But in case you do, let me point out something that is going on. The two most popular teams remain the Yankees and the Red Sox and yes, most of the TV and marketing attention is being pushed towards them.

However, the rivalry is getting a little stale… and this is coming from a die hard Red Sox fan and a classic Yankee hater. It reached its fever pitch in 2003-2004 and 2005, although the baseball world was denied a third straight Red Sox/Yankees ALCS in 2005 when neither team made it out of the Division Series.

Both teams have won a World Series since… both teams have missed the playoffs at least once since… the Yankees went through a big transformation and the Red Sox are rebuilding.

The rivalry isn’t what it was 5 years ago and I think the rest of the baseball world is bored of it.

But looming out there is a potential rivalry… one with two franchises with deep traditions, great players and now some legitimate bad feelings.

I’m talking about the Reds and the Cardinals.
And if you were smart, you’d build up these two teams and their mutual dislike to make their games burn redder than their uniforms.

People think there is too much Northeast focus? Then here’s two Midwest teams whose appeal can stretch far beyond their city limits the way the Red Sox appeal travels throughout New England and the Yankees have fans… well… everywhere!


Ohio (save for the sadists in Cleveland), Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee.. that could all be Reds territory.

And the Cardinals already dominate the Midwest with one of the best fan bases in the game.

Both teams have terrific players and are young enough that they might both be good for a while. Perhaps the Albert Pujols vs. Joey Votto debate can be the great argument for the next few years.

They both have rich history, but they never seem to be good at the same time.
The Cardinals won multiple World Series in the 1960s.
The Reds won multiple World Series in the 1970s.
The Cardinals won a World Series in the 1980s.
The Reds won a World Series in the 1990s.
The Cardinals won a World Series in the 2000s.
And now it looks like the Reds will be in the post season this year.

They both have respected managers who don’t seem to like each other and their teams… well their mutual dislike is as subtle as an Albert Pujols homer.

Brandon Phillips talking trash. Former Cardinals Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen brawling against their old teammates. Former Red Jason LaRue being clocked by Cincy’s Johnny Cueto and possibly having his career end?

These games could be hyped up and made to be a clash of traditional division rivals that is not so friendly.

I am not talking about trying to make the Rockies and the Diamondbacks blood enemies. These are teams whose fan base goes back into the 19th Century… and there are plenty of transplanted Ohians and Missourians through out the country

The Northeast (and us transplants) will always get up for Yankees and Red Sox. And if the Mets ever get good again, they’ll care about Mets and Phillies.

Now imagine ANOTHER region of the country that pumped up for regular season baseball.

It’s being served to you on a red plate.

Yankees/Red Sox? That was so 2000s!
Reds/Cardinals? That’s THIS decade. (Or it could be.)

It's ANYONE'S Division to win but Wainwright's Cy Young to lose

I am sure this is not how Brandon Phillips saw this series unfold... The Reds went from 2 up to 1 back... and Cincinnati has 47 games to get back on track.

If they don't they can look squarely at this weekend as a big time lost opportunity... when they showed they couldn't play with the big boys.

The Reds are part of my "Less Than Magnificent Seven"... the seven teams that went from 2000 to 2009 without making the post season once.

They can get off the schnide with a division title in a month and a half... and the lead in the NL Central hasn't been more than 2 games since May 9th with the exception of one day where the Reds opened up a 3 game lead.

In other words, a tradition filled midwestern team that has a lot of red in their uniform will be playing in October this year... your guess is as good as mine as which one.

But despite Ubaldo Jimene's solid performance last night in New York, Adam Wainwright at this point has to be the Cy Young winner.

He came up big in today's big game that put the Cardinals in first by themselves.

He's matched Jimenez's 17 wins... his ERA has joined Josh Johnson as sub 2.00. Wainwright's 1.99 ERA trailed Johnson's league leading ERA by 0.02 points.

His 0.97 WHIP is the lowest in the league.

His 176 1/3 innings pitched is second only to Roy Halladay. His batting average against is third in the league.

It's an amazing year for aces, and a strong August and September could put Jimenez, Johnson, Halladay and even Lincecum into the winner's circle.

But right now, it needs to be wrestled from Wainwright.

I can't help but feel partially responsible for the brawl tonight

I thought it was fun that Brandon Phillips wants to get the Cardinals' goat.

Why not put a little electricity into a potential rivalry. I mean have the Cardinals and Reds, two of the oldest franchises in baseball, EVER been considered rivals?

Why not start now?

What I DIDN'T expect is to see an all out brawl in the first inning.

But I guess that's what a rivalry is like. It's bad blood. It's "I want to beat you because I don't like you."

I tell you something I found very interesting... not that Brandon Phillips got under the Cardinals skin or that LaRussa and Dusty Baker were at each other (there is no love lost between them.)

It was Scott Rolen going after Chris Carpenter.

Carpenter said something to Dusty that got an f--- you from Baker.

And then Rolen, who earlier was trying to be a peacemaker, went right after his former teammate and fellow 2006 World Series winner.

So Rolen, the former Cardinal and current Red, is smack dab in the middle of this rivalry. And to quote Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi... There is no conflict!

They play tomorrow, 9:30 AM Pacific time, and three more times in September.

This could be good folks.

GOOD FOR BRANDON PHILLIPS!

Seriously... there can sometimes be too much gentile friendliness among baseball players these days.

Look, I understand that most of the ballplayers are friends now and you aren't going to get any true bad blood between the teams. We hear how rivalries are media creations and teams don't really care who they beat.

Yeah, as if Aaron Boone's homer would have meant the same to the players if it beat the A's... or the 2004 ALCS comeback would have been as sweet for the Red Sox if it were against the Twins.

Well Cincinnati is in its first REAL pennant race in over a decade. (Sorry, I am not counting the end of the 2006 season when the Reds almost backed into the playoffs because the Cardinals imploded down the stretch... even though the Cardinals went on to win the whole shebang.)

Cincinnati fans are coming back. There is reason to be excited again.
And the Reds and Cardinals are starting a TRULY meaningful series. I'm not talking about the "Can the Sox struggle back into the race" series they had with the Yankees.

I'm talking a "Two teams tied in the loss column for first place in mid August playing each other" series.

Now the midwest is supposed to be above anger, hatred and meanness (or so I have read) but Brandon Phillips is having none of it.

He threw a Molotov Cocktail in the direction of St. Louis. According to Rob Neyer (and why would he lie to me?) Brandon not so diplomatically declared “I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear: I hate the Cardinals.”

I love the caveat that he needs to compare his hatred of the Cardinals with the relatively low hatred of the Cubs. As if we ALL knew how much he hates the Cubs and we'd think "Holy Cats! He hates them more than the CUBS! Thems is fighting words!"

How much of this was show? How much of this was playing for the fans?
Who knows and who cares?

Baseball needs to let loose every once in a while. There needs to be a few Kevin Millars and David Wells and Brandon Phillips out there willing to pop off and be fun.

It's fun, remember?

Now Millar and Wells also both came up big in games that led to a World Series title.

If Phillips comes up small down the stretch, he'll be all talk.

But hey, at least it is fun to see this energy out of Cincy.

Keep talking, Brandon. Tell us what you REALLY think.