Not So Fast…

It’s taken all season, but finally there is reason for Red Sox fans to be excited-  the pitching staff, so praised throughout last off season has finally come together and pitched to its potential.  Josh Beckett and Jon Lester have been givens most of the season but now that Clay Buchholz has matched his hype and Daisuke Matsuzaka has (potentially) shown he is back to form, the Red Sox suddenly have a real chance in the upcoming playoffs.  It certainly didn’t look that way the first week of August when Boston was swept out of Yankee Stadium and mocked by fans and foes alike.  But before Hank Steinbrenner sets up plans for a victory parade at the Canyon of Heroes, realize there is still some baseball left to be played.  And with the pitching staff currently as hot as it is, The Sox have a real shot to neutralize New York’s Murderer’s Row lineup.  Yes, the Sox will have to get past their annual playoff opponent, the Los Angeles Angels.  But the last two nights at Fenway have shown that Boston appears to be in the Angels’ heads once again.  Add to that the fact that Brian Fuentes is by far the weakest closer among the American League playoff teams and the Angels could be in trouble.  If  it does come down to Red Sox-Yankees in the ALCS, don’t be so quick to crown the Yankees AL champs.  They have pitching problems now that the Sox had in mid-season.  Is A.J. Burnett up to the task?  Is Andy Pettitte healthy?  Will Joba Chamberlain contribute anything meaningful?  They can’t really answer those questions right now.  If Boston can start to win some games on the road it could make for a very interesting October.  Yankees fans’ worst nightmare is slowly unfolding-  the nemesis Sox are peaking as the playoffs near.  You can feel the nervousness emanating from the Bronx.  Stay tuned.

What to Do?

The 2009 Red Sox have a serious problem on their hands after 35 games:   What to do with David Ortiz?  It has become apparent that the notorious Big Papi can’t hit anymore.  This is a blow to the construction of the entire team considering General Manager Theo Epstein built this team with Ortiz in mind as one of the cornerstones.   It was one of the reasons Boston felt compelled to pass on Mark Teixeira and now this lineup is looking shaky at best.  The team still has Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis and Jason Bay (provided he’s given a contract extension) to build around.  But for this season what happens to the lineup?  Terry Francona is loyal to his players, particularly his stars.  That’s why he’s so good as a manager.  But at some point he has to cut his losses and realize he can’t keep running Ortiz out there day after day in this state.  It’s nice for everyone (including Ortiz) to say that this is just an extended slump and he’ll eventually come out of it.  But where is the evidence of that happening?  He has no home runs and is hitting .208.  He hit absolute bottom yesterday in a 5-4, 12 inning loss to the Angles in which Ortiz went 0-7 and left 12 runners on base by himself.  As Bill Parcells says, “you are what the record says you are.”  His current performance raises questions that Ortiz may  have been involved with steroids at some point in his career.  Can it be proven for certain?  No.  But do the math-  players don’t just naturally lose their ability this quickly.  There were signs of a downturn last year but that was written off due to Ortiz’ wrist injury.  But that time has now long passed.  Yes, the injury could still be affecting him but what is the real reason for his current play?  This is an impossible situation for the Red Sox.  How do they handle this gracefully?  Ortiz is postseason hero who will never be forgotten for what he did in the championship years of 2004 and 2007.  But Red Sox management is notoriously unsentimental about making changes when they decide a player is no longer effective.  (See: Garciaparra, Nomar;  Damon, Johnny and Martinez, Pedro).  I suppose Francona could drop Ortiz in the lineup but that isn’t a solution.  A guy who can’t hit won’t hit whether he’s batting third, seventh or ninth.  I’m not suggesting Ortiz will be released (he won’t be) but I have to wonder where Theo is going to go to try and replace Ortiz if that is his intent.  The other problem is the idea of Ortiz sitting on the bench.  He can’t really help there.  Pinch hitting isn’t exactly an easy art.  Theo has the minor league chips to go out and get a power hitter and I think he has to seriously think about that.  People say it’s a soap opera over in the Bronx with A-Rod and company.  But if this Ortiz dilemma goes on like this through the summer Boston will make the Bronx look like paradise.

Cancer Cured

What can I say?  Today is a great sports day.  A-Roid is out 10 weeks and T.O. the cancer is no longer a Dallas Cowboy.  As a Red Sox and Cowboys fan it doesn’t get much better than this!  The A-Rod injury is what it is and the Yankees will still be expected to win the AL East without him because of their pitching.  But the real story here is the release of T.O.  As a Cowboys fan, you can never be sure what owner Jerry Jones is going to do and after the collapse in Philly last January my fear was he’d keep everything status quo because he simply saw 2008 as a fluke.  My biggest fear was that we’d have another year of the cancer that is T.O. in the locker room.  Now, the problems last year were not all the fault of T.O. but subtracting him from the mess that was the end of last season cannot hurt.  I’m surprised Jerry sucked it up and admitted he lost his devil’s bet in acquiring Owens and cut his losses.  I believe Dallas will be a better team without Owens next year.  I have confidence Roy Williams will step in as the #1 receiver and Tony Romo will improve because he can finally play in peace.  Owens is a proven distraction.  Again, he wasn’t solely responsible for this team’s underachievement last year, but being a cancer is what he does.  It’s his M.O. and he can’t help himself when he feels disrespected.  He did it in Philly and San Francisco and he’ll do it at his next landing spot.  Good riddance!  I never wanted the guy in Dallas in the first place.  Super Bowls were won in Dallas before he came and they’ll be won again now that he’s gone.  Hopefully Jerry will learn from this high profile mistake and procure team oriented guys first in the future.  This release gives me hope that Jerry MAY have turned the corner as a GM.

Digging a Deeper Hole

Here’s the bottom line on the Alex Rodriguez steroid fiasco: two meetings with the press, zero clarification. Yes, we all know he took steroids (though he himself has never uttered the actual word) but the details remain murky. Why? Because A-Rod thinks he can dance around the details and be forgiven for merely being “young and stupid.” Now he has brought another character into this drama- a “cousin” who allegedly provided the drugs and injected him with them as well. Is this cousin an actual person or a fabrication? That’s a question no one has asked yet but is certainly a possibility. A-Rod and his handlers just don’t get the fact that the media is not going to let him skate on this without details that make sense. Does the A-Rod team really believe that if this cousin really exists that the media will not hunt him down and that the cousin himself will not sell out to a media entity with his version of the story once the price becomes an offer he can’t refuse? That’s the disaster waiting for A-Rod around the next corner. That day is coming- bank on it. As you can see from this blog, even I have more questions as a result of the answers A-Rod provided yesterday. The fact of the matter is I am not gullible enough to believe that any human being, never mind a world class athlete, would repeatedly inject any substance that had a potential to harm them 36 times over a three year period no questions asked. It just makes no sense and anyone with a brain can see that. Then again, there are plenty of people that will ignore that reasoning because this is, after all a country of fools who can’t wait to find out who the next American Idol will be and nothing else. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why A-Rod chose the road he did. He knows that the majority of America is either too dumb or ignorant to understand or care about what he did so why not roll the dice? I don’t happen to agree with that strategy (because I have a clue) but I can understand why he went the way he did. He thinks his audience is clueless. And in some ways he is right to think that because Americans will forgive anything with time. That is both a blessing and a curse.

Thanks for the Manneries

As a Red Sox fan I suppose I should weigh in with my thoughts on the Manny Ramirez saga. I would not have traded Manny but I understand why management did it. They simply felt they had no choice. Once a guy starts calling out management in the media, the point of no return is reached and that’s what happened here. I think Theo Epstein did the best he could in getting Jason Bay considering the corner Manny backed him into. Ramirez and David Ortiz were the best hitting combo in baseball and now that is over. That makes the Red Sox significantly less effective on the field. Yes, Bay will be more of a team guy and he’s a good player but I don’t know that he’s a difference maker. And that’s why Manny will be missed. He was always a threat and a clutch big game player. His aloofness allowed him to never be fazed by anything between the white lines. He was part of the aura of the Red Sox and they will miss that dearly. As for me, I say thanks for everything Manny. You gave Red Sox fans a great thrill for 8 years and two World Series titles that no one thought they’d ever see. For that, you will always be loved. It’s too bad that you allowed guys like Scott Boras to talk you into creating this mess over money. Yeah, it’s a business so no hard feelings but now the page turns and the Jason Bay era begins. It won’t be the same without you but, after all, it’s all about rooting for the laundry anyway and Bay is now wearing it and you aren’t. Good night and good luck in L.A.

Very Refreshing

Tonight is a great night for Major League Baseball and ESPN. For once, the “look at me” network is returning to its roots and showing an important pennant race matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. It is so great to see these two teams showcased on Wednesday Night Baseball instead of the usual Red Sox, Yankees, Mets and Dodgers fare. I chose to watch this tonight because it’s a nice change to see two teams I don’t see much of during the season battle for a division lead head-to-head. It’s also nice to watch and get to know these players because I think both teams will make the playoffs this year. It would be great for the sport if they did. It would mean having new blood in the playoffs. A lot has been said about each team in recent weeks as the small market Brewers have opened the wallet and are spending money to try to reach the playoffs for the first time since 1982. In getting guys like C.C. Sabathia and Ray Durham, the Brewers are stating that they are serious contenders. Of course, the Cubs in first place with Lou Piniella as manager is always a story as it’s now been 62 years since their last World Series appearance. It’s a four game series and the Cubs have dominated it so far. But more importantly, this series represents a contrast in styles. The Cubs have built their team with payroll while the Brewers have developed some of the finest young players in the game, proving that there is more than one way to win. I hope true fans of the game have watched and are watching this series because it showcases the turnaround of two perennial losing franchises and whenever that happens it can only make the sport more exciting. It’s interesting to watch some new contenders enter the pennant race mix. I, for one, am pulling for the Brewers to make the playoffs and do some damage because of all the young, exciting talent they have. It is a true team built from within and if they are able to win a World Series with this young team I bet they will be the new darlings of professional sports. We’ll see.

Interleague Play Go Away

I know it’s not going to happen but baseball needs to end the interleague play experiment right now. Yeah, I know its all about the money and that’s why it will keep going but from a pure game standpoint this is an exercise in futility. You want Exhibit A as to why? Try this on for size: Can someone explain to me how in the rotating division setup you have the AL East playing the NL Central this year and neither the Red Sox or Yankees played the Cubs? I mean, come on, that’s a joke. The Cubs still haven’t visited Fenway Park since this fiasco began!!! Now does that make any sense?? I know as a big baseball fan that it makes zero sense to me. Red Sox or Yankees vs the Cubs would actually be something people would want to see. Instead we are treated to such gems as Red Sox-Astros and Yankees-Pirates. If the intent is to give fans something different then schedule the right teams against each other when the division alignments match up. But there doesn’t even seem to be division alignment anymore. For example, this year it was AL East-NL Central yet the Red Sox played Arizona (NL West) and Philadelphia (NL East) while the Yankees played San Diego (NL West) The Yankees didn’t even play the Cardinals!! I don’t understand this scheduling at all. It makes no sense and simply sends teams back and forth across the country for no good reason. It’s time to go back to tradition so the World Series has more drama to it. It actually might boost viewership if in the Series we get to see something we didn’t already see during the season. But that would be logical and Bud Selig and his cronies certainly have little of that at their disposal. But they have plenty of money as they continue to kowtow to their TV partners at ESPN and FOX. Interleague play exists only to rake in TV cash and promote inner-city or state rivalries such as Yankees-Mets, Reds-Indians and White Sox-Cubs. For the rest of the teams with no natural rival, it is just a forced entity that got tired long ago. Please end the madness now, Bud, for the good of the game. Yeah, again, I know. It ain’t happening.

I’m Back, But Same Old Road Sox

Well, It’s been a month since I’ve been in here and it was a much needed respite from things. My last post was about J.D. Drew and how he needed to step up in David Ortiz’ absence from the Red Sox lineup. I’m glad to say that I was wrong about Drew. He really does have a passion for the game. I still don’t like him or his contract but I must admit that he has sacked up big time in June and helped this team immensely. He now looks like someone that can actually help this team win. As for the rest of the team, it’s the same old story: dominant at home and clueless on the road. 19-25 away from Fenway and looking worse each series. I actually thought they were coming out of this road coma on the last road trip through Cincinnati and Philly where they won both series on a 4-2 trip. But now it’s back to the same suck we saw in May and early June. When they pitch they don’t hit, when they hit they don’t pitch. Losing a series this past weekend to the Astros? That ain’t the mark of a team destined for a championship. It is the mark of mediocrity and it is maddening. Right now they are 1-3 on this current 10-game trip (their third 10-gamer in four trips: that’s another blog piece altogether, which I’ll get to) and headed for a disaster the rest of the way. If they lose to Tampa tonight they will get swept here because they never beat Scott Kazmir and then it’s on to New York minus their number one Yankee killer, Ortiz. Can’t see them winning more than 2 there and the way they are playing now they will be lucky to get one. Tampa isn’t going away in this division and the Red Sox look old and slow next to these guys away from Fenway. I fear this Sox team is built like those of the 1970’s in that they are built to hit in Fenway and nowhere else. They are like the Rockies of the 1990’s. All good at home and all crap on the road. Somebody better light a fire under someone’s ass or the silde down the AL East pole will continue. Next up in the blog: My thoughts on MLB scheduling and the disgrace that is interleague play.

Time to Step It Up

The news that David Ortiz has an injured tendon sheath in his wrist and will miss a month is a tough break for the Red Sox and their fans. We keep hearing from manager Terry Francona the different ways the team will seek to replace Big Papi. Things like more playing time for Sean Casey, Coco Crisp and Brandon Moss. The team will need increased contributions from several players to help weather this storm. But the bottom line is you can’t replace Ortiz’ production. It’s just too much of a reach. But one guy who could really help the Red Sox out in terms of increased production is one J.D Drew. Now, I’ve been on this guy since he was signed by the Red Sox and have considered him a waste of money. Except for the grand slam in Game 6 of the ALCS last October, he’s done nothing for the Red Sox. He has little to no power, hits too many ground balls to the right side of the infield and looks to take walks in most situations. If the Red Sox are to survive the Ortiz injury, Drew must be the lead guy to step it up. He’s getting paid $14 million per year, apparently has the ability to produce at a high level yet his production stinks so far. If he wants to win over Red Sox Nation then he needs to go on a hot streak right now to help replace some of Ortiz’ numbers. He needs to become a main cog in the team’s machine, something the Red Sox thought they were getting when they signed him. The team has been winning for the most part since Drew got here so he hasn’t gotten much heat or negative attention. But the guy really has done nothing since signing that big contract. For what they’re paying him, the Red Sox are not getting a good return on their investment. It’s time for J.D. Drew to show why he got all that money. I don’t expect he’ll do it, but his stepping it up right now could go a long way toward saving the Red Sox’ fortunes during this difficult period without Big Papi. It remains to be seen if Drew has the stomach for it.  Red Sox Nation will be watching closely.

Mark of Inconsistency

One of the most frustrating aspects of this baseball season so far has been the maddening inconsistency of the Boston Red Sox. Many have called this team the best in baseball but there’s no way I can agree with that. Yes, they are 21-5 at home but they have been awful on the road at 11-18 including 1-4 so far on this 10 game trip. Championship caliber teams win road games, period. And right now I don’t see the Red Sox as anywhere near that. They just can’t play a complete game on the road. When they pitch well they don’t hit. When they hit, their pitching implodes. That is the mark of a mediocre team, not a big winner. I don’t care how many games they win at home. Unless they start winning more consistently away from Fenway Park their record is going to stay where it is now- floating around 8 or 9 games over .500 and that ain’t gonna get it done. That’s an 85 win, mediocre team not a playoff contender. I can’t explain what the problem is except to say that the team has no comeback ability away from Fenway. They look listless and like a team that is willing to accept defeat when things go south early in a game. That is extremely frustrating to watch. I expect better from a team filled with experienced veterans who have had a lot of road success. Guys like Jason Varitek and David Ortiz need to turn over some post-game buffet tables to get this team going. Because if they don’t, this team’s road play is going to cost them a chance to win an AL East that isn’t all that good. All the teams have bad flaws. The Yankees can’t pitch, Toronto can’t hit, the Rays are a bit young to think they will last the whole year and the Orioles are just overachieving right now. This should be a recipe for the Red Sox to coast to the division title. But until or unless they fix these road woes they will remain stuck in neutral for most of the season.