The Mayor Wants a Ring: 2008 Red Sox Thread

It seems like he would be worth $8M just to pitch in the playoffs. Though it certainly isn't guaranteed that they will make it.

Schilling out until All-Star break, at least

Let's see what you got, Clay!

Laptops?

it's blowback week in boston

youk in

Throughout, Bush was effusive in his praise for the Red Sox franchise.

"I love the fact that you've got some of the game's biggest stars. I mean, 'Big Papi,' the guy lights up the screen," Bush said of Ortiz. "He brings a great personality."

But he couldn't help but note the absence of Manny Ramirez, who also did not attend the first Red Sox visit to the Bush White House after the 2004 World Series.

"I'm sorry [Ortiz'] running mate, Manny Ramirez, isn't here. I guess his grandmother died again," Bush quipped, drawing laughter form he crowd but quickly adding, "Just kidding. Tell Manny I didn't mean it."

I love Papi in his suit and glasses:

http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2008/02/27/1204147306_9293.jpg

"I'm sorry [Ortiz'] running mate, Manny Ramirez, isn't here. I guess his grandmother died again," Bush quipped, drawing laughter form he crowd but quickly adding, "Just kidding. Tell Manny I didn't mean it."

-classy. what an ass.

Jesus Christ what an asshole.

Is there some context to that comment that makes it less awful?

maybe if he was about to get taken out by a sniper we wouldn't be quite as outraged by it. that's all i can think of.

papi looks like rosey grier in that photo.

Good for Manny.

Worst President in the History of the US being Worst President in the History of the US

ha hahha!

wait a minute, we have colon????!

RED SOX: WE HAS A COLON

haha yeah, it's the biggest news so far in ft myers.

Red Sox mob beats up Yankees fan in Cambridge

red sox threaten to boycott japan trip unless coahes are paid
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-BBA-Red-Sox-Boycott.html?_r=2&ref=sports&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

surprise! they got the money
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-BBA-Red-Sox-Boycott.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin

6 a.m. ET starts, the unemployed Sox fans don't even hafta go to bed

10am here!

F*(&*&(&£(**ing MLB.TV won't let me watch the game! Blackout restrictions?!??!

TITO TO THE PITCHING MOUND
TITO TO THE PITCHING MOUND

That's bizarre that the Red Sox play two regular season games in Japan and then have to play an exhibition game at the Coliseum before resuming regular schedule.

I'm not complaining, what with the Cubs' cupcake inter-league schedule this year.

This is a good game.

Keep Drew on the bench!

I just found out about Moss's home run through his wikipedia entry.

Who the hell watches a ballgame and thinks, "shit, I gotta go update wikipedia now"!

Oh, funny: DirecTV's signal for ESPN2 was out this morning; and ONLY ESPN2! I saw some of it on the "Sports Mix" channel where the image was one of six on the screen...

i just watched the 10th - my dad called me and started talking abt it and i was all what baseball is starting... in japan?

uh anyway papelbon did not look sharp there. at all.

also this moss guy who is he.

Jack Cust with a 4 "Perfect Outcomes" day

WOOOOO. Didn't see any of this cause I couldn't wake my ass up, caught some on radio but not the exciting parts.

Moss is a somewhat athletic 4th outfielder-type. 282/363/471 in AAA last year. Would totally be a backup OF on the '08 Sox except like Drew and Ellsbury he bats lefthanded.

wanted to watch this afternoon today on mlb.tv. i amazingly avoided knowledge of the outcome all morning by steering clear of the news, baseball fans, radio, mlb front page, facebook. went directly to the mlb.tv schedule page so as not to accidentally catch wind of the score, and that's when i stumbled upon mlb.tv's newest feature. Results of the game right there on the schedule, so there's no way to watch any archived game without knowing!
arrgh. sounded really exciting

lol nice one mlb.tv

Haha some of the ESPN Classic baseball rebroadcasts used to have in-game spoiler "trivia" as well.

Apparently ESPN2 was out on DirecTV in much of the country, incl New England (NESN to boot):

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9902581-7.html

Ramirez was presented with an oversized check for 1,000,000 yen (about $10,000) for being MVP of the game and smiled as he held it up on a stage placed near the mound. He also gets a color laser printer

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/03/25/sports/baseball/25redsox.span.jpg
gimme that printer!

Professional hitter Sean Casey steps up w/ new facial hair. Phillips: "He wants a ring."

GIDP, oh well.

No shame in a tough game against Harden, who to this point is a health tragedy on the level of Wood or Prior (despite no one caring about Rich Harden).

Cue Shaughnessy column talking up the team's all-too-obvious shortcomings, and how they'll disappoint RSN yet again.

hey, i'm in CT visiting the family just in time to watch the Coliseum game.

"But they soared TOO HIGH...!"

xp

the defensive alignments for this game are from a beer league!

What is douchebaggery?

Given that BBTF is inundated w/ Sox fans, that's pretty rich (and creamy).

Tho there is one dude that will insist with a straight face and a Geir-like determination that:

1) Pedroia is better than Jeter
2) Ellsbury is comparable with Grady Sizemore

... so he's got more than enough Massengill in his shtick for 75% of RSN.

The hidden link being that Wiki Gonzalez is a creation of Baseball Think Factory, you see.

Statcock.

transcript of the gammons chat on boston.com today.

ugh still 10 more games against these guys

are you referring to the mighty blue jays!?

jason bay

schilling to retire? the blogosphere cringes...

BALTIMORE -- In the wake of the revelation by Terry Francona that Josh Beckett has been experiencing tingling and numbness in his right arm since Sunday, Beckett addressed the media in the visiting clubhouse here in Baltimore.

Beckett will be pushed back from Saturday to Tuesday because of the issue, and is undergoing tests to attempt to determine the source of the problem. Beckett said he slept awkwardly on the arm before Sunday's start against the Blue Jays, a start in which he gave up 8 runs in 2 2/3 innings.

"Just something I've been dealing with," Beckett said. "At some point in time, just got to figure out what the (heck) it is. Obviously it's not what I want, but I think at this juncture it's something that needs to happen. Obviously there's something going on."

"I'm going to continue my current day-off regimen with my Happy Fun Ball."

One of the least-pleasant 7-2 wins in recent memory.

Heaven help the AL if Dice-K learns how to get through a start w/out averaging 25 pitches per inning.

so what stats make Dice-k's 15-2, 2.77 era season less impressive?

4.21 FIP
5.06 xFIP
HR/9: 2007 1.1, 2008 .56

Twins are AWFULLY CLOSE in those WC standings...

"Just something I've been dealing with,"

In layman's terms -- he's skating on thin ice allowing so many free baserunners (AKA walks) and only getting away w/ it because his hit rate (and HR rate) has been ridiculous (and he still has a 1.37 WHIP). And he's killing the bullpen by failing to make it past the 6th inning on a regular basis -- he's failed to go at least 6 ELEVEN TIMES out of 22 this year (team record in those starts, tho = 7-4).

(xpost)

Twins are AWFULLY CLOSE in those WC standings...

yeah, that will be really satisfying when they're watching the playoffs. "man, we were AWFULLY CLOSE".

Fuck, Drew to DL, Joe Thurston called up. Kotsay pls, I guess....

football season = me not even checking box scores anymore.

lol @ Jack Nicholson in the crowd @ Yankee Stadium wearing a Yankee hat

also, lol @ Boston's 3B coach pulling a Sveum, getting Jason Bay thrown out @ home by 30 feet

also also, lol @ boxseat goobers gawking @ NESN report Heidi Watney -- so not gonna happen

Ask and you shall receive re: Kotsay

PEDDI CRACK

lmbo

“I never thought I would walk a jockey,” said Guillen after the 8-2 loss. “I must be the worst manager ever in the history of baseball right now, walking a guy that just came from being on the top of Big Brown to beat the White Sox. Right now, he’s on a roll.

“I get opportunities to walk him to face Big Papi, I will do it, whoever hits in front of him. This guy right now is on fire. No matter what you throw there he’s going to get it. I can’t believe it, you can change professions from one year to another. To go from the Kentucky Derby to the Boston Red Sox ballpark and perform, that’s amazing.”

http://www.metrobostonnews.com/us/article/2008/08/22/03/3117-72/index.xml

“He’s the best. He’s the best of the best. He’s the best thing that ever happened to this ballclub,” Ortiz said. “He’s a -expletive- great kid, dude. He’s the best. I love him. It’s great, man. I talk about Pedroia all the time to everybody because of how little he is and the way he plays the game.

“And I’ll be like, ‘Dude, seriously, he’s a bad little kid.’ Pedroia is always going to be like a 16- or 17-year-old because he’s little and he’s got a baby face, but he just rakes. Dude, he comes up with some lines, and you’ll be laughing. He hit a ball off the Green Monster once, and he came back to the dugout and said to me, ‘Hey, Big Punish, you know it’s going to rain, right?’ And I was like, ‘Why?’ He goes, ‘Didn’t you just see the lightning show?’”

You wouldn't see Manny round first base on a single like that, would you? WOULD YOU?

And now the kid just SLID into second base. Wow.

This guy right now is on fire. No matter what you throw there he’s going to get it. I can’t believe it, you can change professions from one year to another. To go from the Kentucky Derby to the Boston Red Sox ballpark and perform, that’s amazing.

LOOOL

that was a nice ballgame last night

If I didn't know any better, Morbs, I'd say you're itching to do to this thread what Shasta did to the Mets thread. DON'T DO IT.

Also, Boston & Tampa are locks for the playoffs, so nyeah.

This series was a thrilling series, I can't wait for the playoffs.

Sox / Sox / Angels / Rays

That is a damn good lineup

No DR, I'm not that base.

LOVED Sutcliffe's argument last night that DHs should be ineligible for the batting title (or was it MVP?) (probably both) (take away each World Series ring while you're at it).

i would go one further and suggest that any player who gets a hit while DHing should be automatically called out.

yeah, I think I said aloud "you fucking undeserving Cy Young-winning mouthbreathing choad" when I heard that DH / batting title thing.

i picked an interesting night for my one trip to fenway this year :/

i got to move way up front after everyone started leaving though which was neat

My predictions, from August 6:

D-Rays & Sox maintain, Yankees flop despite 11th-hour acquisitions of Jarrod Washburn, Brian Fuentes, and Oscar Azocar. Kazmir wins his final 5 starts of the season. Damon will come up lame. Wang will try to make a September start & get shelled. I will lose my shit whenever Dice-K turns an 0-2 count into a burgeoning walk and/or when Mike Timlin enters a game.

Whither Azocar?

Chris (NJ): You watch the sox game last night on the NESN feed? Remy illustrated a called strike to Bay on that video strike zone thing, and the ball wasn't even on my TV screen. How bad was that ump? Ever a situation where after a game or series of game MLB tells an ump that he's done for the year?

Keith Law: (1:26 PM ET ) The HP ump was horrendous, and the crew blew at least two calls in the field. It was like having Doug Eddings at every position. Not that you'd want a competent crew in a game that unimportant.

"I never thought I'd walk a jockey" lol I hope Guillen coaches those guys forever.

Wakefield with a masterpiece in the rain tonight. 8 inning, three-hit shutout. Really big win with a doubleheader tomorrow.

C. Carter LF
K. Cash 3B
J. Bailey DH
A. Cora 2B
S. Casey 1B
J. Van Every RF
J. Lowrie SS
G. Kottaras C
C. Crisp CF

the boston red sox

Lester has gold-plated balls

I luv'im

http://assets.espn.go.com/media/apphoto/18f309fa-c913-4d3a-9a7d-6733063a8d38.jpg

A friend of mine predicted yesterday that the Sox will clinch on Sep. 24 when Alex Cora laces a shot to center that hits the wall, bounces straight up, rolls for 25 feet along the top of the wall, glances off the glove of Jackie Gutierrez, and is borne over the fence by the soundwaves emanating from the Manny Delcarmen Fife & Drum Corps.

― Tracer Hand, Wednesday, August 6, 2008 5:09 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i wanted to believe...

Tony Maz, in the Globe, sez:

"Win or lose, the end of every baseball season inevitably leaves us wondering what will happen next. The 2008 Red Sox ultimately won 101 games and came within five victories of a fifth world title during a five-year span, and yet we can only wonder how close they really were. Minus the final three innings of historic Game 5 of the ALCS, the 2008 Sox batted a mere .226 and slugged just .374 in 11 postseason games. Once the Sox got past the No. 6 spot in their batting order, it was safe to walk the dog.

I take his point about the sluggish hitting in the postseason, but the fact is, we know exactly "how close they really were". The Sox didn't get eliminated because, ultimately, they were out of their league playing the Rays. They got eliminated because, in a stretch of seven baseball games with a good team, they lost four while winning only three.

... and didn't look good doing it.

...which tends to happen when you lose.