SawxBlog

Sox are No April Fools as they Eye the Ides

(AP Photo)

When all is said and done the Red Sox are walking away from this weekend with exactly what I wanted, 2 wins. Like I stated earlier, there was definitely a part of me that yearned for the sweep, however you can't be too choosy in high times such as these. According to ESPN.com, the Red Sox are assured at least a 3.5 game lead in the AL East at the end of April (say it with me know, "But it's only April...") depending on if Toronto can defeat Texas at home tonight. So there's a possibility of the Sox having a 4.5 game lead and the best record in MLB after one month of play, not too shabby.

It's OK to get a little excited about this if you're a Red Sox fan. Yes it's only April but these games really do count the same amount as they do in August or September. S#!&, you have to take all the wins you can as they're presented to you right? We all know the season's a marathon, and our heartbreak hill is still yet to be determined, but you have to like what you're seeing this year and it just doesn't seem like the Sox are a rabbit. The most important thing about those crucial games at the end of the season is momentum, and playoff placement. The real battles, and the ones that help teams jockey for position in order to have the opportunity to make the playoffs are the battles early on. No one hands you your wins in the big leagues, and you should take full satisfaction as a fan in the team Theo and company have given you this year, and you should also be satisfied with the way that said team is performing.

One month down, five more to go...

Wherever Lugo I Go - Sox Top Yanks Again

(AP Photo)

I know it's only April. I know it's too early to do this. I know this post may come back to bite me. But I also know that the Yankees run atop the AL East is over. This may be a silly thing to write, say, or even think, but I truly believe it. From their starting pitching, bullpen, and closer they're just not that good anymore. They have an amazing lineup, maybe the best in MLB. But how many games can they win 10-7?

I truly believe last night was the night where the end became official. I'm not saying they're going to finish and stay in last place, I'm just saying they're not going to finish in first. Someone has to say it. I'm sure there's numerous Sox fans who were thinking this same thing last night. It almost seems like a foregone conclusion that Torre's going to be out at the end of the year. And it's absolutely fitting that the only Yankee that's truly playing well is Alex Rodriguez. Yankee fans flip flop on their opinions of him more then a Mr. John Kerry.

If you're looking for a moment that rang the end of the Yanks run, it was when Torre had to pull Mariano Rivera last night. That was the moment, that's when I knew. And to tell the truth it's about time, this has been going on for over a decade now.

Daisuke Matsuzaka didn't look unhittable last night, and he even reminded me of Pedro at times when he was losing his control, but he was effective, gutsy, and tough out on that mound. Even with all his walks he had a give but not fold mentality and held the Yankees to only 4 runs, where it easily could have been more. Matsuzaka struck out seven Yankees for the second time in a week, and overall looked pretty solid.

The other player who may have had a coming out party of sorts for him in a Red Sox uniform was Julio Lugo. I've wanted this guy to be a Red Sox for years and last night he showed the many ways he can hurt you. Yes he made that error, but he made up for it the next batter, and did it all at the plate and on the bases.

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SawxBlog Player of the Game
Julio Lugo - SS
3/4, 3 RBI, 3 R

Wily Mo is NOT Less

(AP Photo)

Your Boston Red Sox came back from behind last night thanks in large part to a Wily Mo Pena grand slam in the 8th inning. I was actually about to start griping about Wily Mo, as I know a lot of my friends love to do. He was having a tough week with his error in center in Fenway, and his sub-par hitting. However, what he did last night, shows you the value he can bring to the club. If Wily Mo could just figure out how to handle the breaking and off-speed stuff he could be our next LF after (and if) Manny ever leaves Boston.

The other big story here again was Josh Beckett. Beckett pitcher another quality game to boost his record to 5-0, the only such record in MLB. He gave up 8 hits but only 2 runs, and pitched a deep 8 innings to hand the ball off to the seemingly untouchable Jon Jon Papelbon. You just have to love our pitching now. From our well heralded starters, to a restructured and strong bullpen, to the best closer in the game. Pitching wins games, and that may be a large reason why as we sit here this rainy afternoon in Boston, we have the best record in MLB.

Daisuke Matsuzaka gets the start tonight in the Bronx, and the Sox have a chance to increase their 5.5 game lead over their rivals if they can take 2/3. I wouldn't expect a sweep again, although I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't in the back of my mind. With the possibility of putting the Yanks back 8.5 games we have an opportunity to give them a fairly big, albeit early, hole to dig out of.

Lastly, I'm not even going to comment on Bloody Sock-Gate, it's ridiculous. That was one of the greatest performances in SPORTS history, and if a commentator felt the need to get his name in the news, there's better ways to do aside from dragging Curt's name in the mud.

Blame Canada - Blue Jays Crush Red Sox 10-3

(SawxBlog Illustration)

The Toronto Blue Jays completed a mini two game sweep of the Red Sox as Roy Halliday looked like an ace and Julian Tavarez looked like an emergency number five starter. It's hard to say this about a team that has just recently hit four homeruns in a row and scored seven runs in each of the past weekend games, however our offense just doesn't really look like the same run scoring offense we've been in the past, and maybe that''s a good thing.

Obviously the main focus of the 2007 campaign is on our pitching, however our line-up should be a lot more potent then it is, and we definitely should have more runs scored then the D-Rays (108), especially with our payroll what it is now. We're only one run away (95) from having the least amount of runs scored in the AL East (Baltimore - 94). On the other side of the coin we've given up far less runs then everyone else in the AL East only giving up 70 runs with Baltimore again in second with 86 runs scored. Probably not a coincidence they're currently in second place then, huh?

Speaking of Baltimore, Kevin Millar and the boys host the Red Sox for another short two game set that could catapult them in front of the Sox in the standings if we don't right our ship. Again, I know it's only April, but a trend's a trend, and I hope we start seeing our $100+ Boys start producing on a more consistent basis.

SawxBlog is Back!

Well this video isn't going to get old...ever. And when I type ever, I really mean EVER. OK, when I type EVER, I really mean EVER. Seeing the Boston Red Sox hit 4 consecutive homeruns against the New York Yankees in the final game of a three game set at Fenway Park where they sweep the Yankees is something that's not EVER going to get old. And yes, that was a run-on sentence. I'm way behind on my commentary here, (was away on business among other things) but this was just too good not to talk about. So, instead of writing about the last week or so, here's some things I've noticed in my travels and beyond.

• Indianapolis, IN is a lot different then Boston, MA. And no I didn't mention I was a Patriots fan once, not because I was scared of what the Colts fans would say to me, but because I don't think Colts fans are worth it yet.
• People are way more nice in Indiana then in Boston and I don't like. Stop taking your time, and don't talk to strangers who are in the sports bar because they have NESN.
• Yankee fans in the Midwest are more annoying then Yankee fans on the East Coast. All I'm saying is that it seems forced on their part. Meeting one does make me strangely feel like I'm in that movie Highlander..."There can be only ONE!!!"
• FOUR - HOMERUNS - IN - A - ROW
• Mariano Rivera does not frighten me in the slightest anymore. I dare a Yankee fan to say Papelbon doesn't scare them, shoot, he scares me.
• "Four!"
• It's only April, but I like what I'm seeing.
• Get Lester up in Boston ASAP. Tavarez just creeps me out, something's wrong with that guy.
• All I have to say is the Red Sox wore green uniforms on 4/20, coincidence....?
• Toronto may be in the midst of mini-sweeping us right now, and all I have to think about is Sunday night and it's A-OK.
• Good to be back, sorry it's been so long.

Red Sox Knuckle-Up in 8th, Pull Away With Win

Wake tips his cap to the Fenway Faithful. (AP Photo)

In looking at last nights game you have to give a lot of credit to how Terry Francona managed the game. A lot of managers in the big leagues feel like their closer is an asset only to be used in the 9th inning when it's a 1 or 2 run game, but Francona recognizes that you want to have your best pitcher in the game during its most critical situations.

Bringing in Jonathan Papelbon in that critical situation in the eight was a smart move by Tito, and Papelbon didn't disappoint getting 2 outs on 6 pitches (including one strikeout) for the Sox. I'd like to think that the Red Sox carried over some of the momentum and confidence that Papelbon gives into the eighth as they pulled away from the Angels and scored six runs, for a 10-1 victory.

Now with that said about Papelbon and momentum, the same could be said about Tim Wakefield. Everybody loves Wake, that's a fact. He's been on the Red Sox the longest and he's the most charitable player on the team by far. But you also have to recognize that maybe he doesn't get the run support other Sox pitchers get because of how he pitches and the pace of the game that then follows. Also, Mirabelli was good tonight, but having to have Wakefield AND a specialized catcher can be a little too specialized in my opinion. However, if Wakefield continues to pitch like he has, I don't see too much complaining going on in Red Sox Nation, especially from your number four starter.

Now this leads me to my last point of this post, our offense. If I had to compare it to anything right now it'd be Josh Beckett's pitching last year. Very Dr.Jeckle and Mr. Hyde. Just looking at our last five games we've scored 10, 0, 14, 3, & 4 runs. I'm not expecting the Sox to not put up runs when all is said and done, but it does peak my interest to see this trend. Right now we have the least amount of runs scored n the AL East, which doesn't bode well, for our very talented pitching staff in the long-run.

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SawxBlog Player of the Game
David Ortiz - DH
2/5, 3 RBI, 1 R

This is hilarious...

Blame It On the Rain - Red Sox vs. M's Cancelled

(SawxBlog Illustration)

No-No Dice-K for Sox, Felix Hernandez Brilliant for Seattle

And in the end, one hit is all the Red Sox could muster.(SawxBlog Photo - Dan Sundell)

Daisuke Matsuzaka's Fenway debut didn't go exactly as planned as young pitching phenom Felix Hernandez absolutely stole the show and threw a gem of a game (complete game, 1 hit). When it was all said and done the Sox bats looked like they were tired from their Opening Day onslaught and only managed one meager hit. There's numerous things that were going through my mind during this game, and I think it was sometime in the 6th where I actually thought that we were going to get no hit.

I even tried my best to Hex young Felix on a post reply from the previous day, which worked...I guess.  What most concerns me right now (and yes I understand how young this season is, and yes I know people will produce) but our offense has been inconsistent at best, which is most definitely raising some eyebrows in Red Sox Nation.

Daisuke Matsuzaka did not throw a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, however he also didn't throw a dominating game. He went deep for the Red Sox, giving them 7 innings, 8 hits, and only 3 ER's which should give him a 'W' on most night, however the night that was supposed to be his certainly ended up being the coming out party for Felix Hernandez. The kid is plain nasty, and I'm not even sure if he can order a $7.00 Bud Light at Fenway yet.

On most night's like this I would be pretty bummed about the Sox losing so bad, however two things happened to make the night a little easier to deal with for me.

During one of Manny's first at-bats I saw my good friend Dan sitting right behind him with some sick third baseline seats. I don't know why, but still to this day seeing a friend on T.V. get's me excited. I know it's stupid and doesn't really mean much, but yeah, I figured if I can't be there someone I know might as well be there. So yeah that was good, and Dan was kind enough to provide the pics we see in this post. Good stuff D.

He also wrote me this in the e-mail which I found just hilarious, "I hate JD Drew so much right now. If you're going to have to sit through a game like that it might as well have been a no hitter!" And I can only semi-agree on that, I never want to see the Sox get no-hit, but he does have a point.

And lastly what truly made my day is an e-mail I received from a reader of mine from Brookline named William. He let me know that if you type in "Yankees" in Google and then go to the images section there's a picture of my brother Chris and I that we took right before the 2004 World Series.

We're either on the first or second page (depending on your browser and monitor settings) and right next to Mayor Giuliani. This is beyond classic, this is epic. I LOVE the fact that if Yankee fans are going to search for images they're going to see two a$$**le brothers standing next to a Yankee's choke sign. This makes me beyond happy, and for that reason alone, last night wasn't so bad at all, at least in my apartment.

(SawxBlog Photo - Derek Hixon)

Matsuzaka vs. Ichiro Video From 1999

Although this video is all in Japanese, you really can see baseball as a universal and global language when Matsuzaka is pitching to Ichiro. And you can definitely see why that  even at the age of 18 Daisuke still had filthy pitches. Looking at his slide and fastball in these video's is pretty crazy, and to think he was only 18 here. Hopefully we'll see more of the same today, but Beckett struck out Ichiro three times yesterday, and I'd be very surprised to see it happen again.

Either way, this is going to be another fun first for Matsuzaka as he again faces off against his countrymate Ichiro. A note to anyone lucky enough to be there tonight (I'm still on the fence about trying to scalp a ticket) don't get the spicy tuna...sushi and Fenway Park just can't be a good idea! Have some post-victory rolls at Fugakyu in Brookline instead :-)

Opening Yay! Sox Bats Look "Impossible" to Get Out

(SawxBlog Montage)

As far as Opening Day home openers go, it just doesn't get too much better then it was today. The Red Sox cruised to a 14-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners as Josh Beckett looked to be in Cy Young-esque form for his second strait start in a row.

With all the hoopla that Daisuke Matsuzaka is receiving this Spring, the main benefactor may be a Mr. Josh Beckett. So much has been written about and covered on our Japanese ace that Beckett has been able to fly underneath the radar and focus on what he cares most about, and that's baseball (well that and probably deer hunting, homeboy owns his own deer hunting ranch, Trot would be proud). But seriously, it was only a short year a go when Beckett, Lowell, and Crisp were the huge headlines in Boston. I read probably 1,397 articles last spring in both the Globe and Herald about Beckett and his blisters. Remember when those were headlines? Seems kinda silly huh?

Beckett has a lot of critics, and last year he didn't do too much to silence his curly haired boyfriends. His Jeckle and Hyde persona was a tired act, and it was just frustrating to see his talent wasted. Maybe last year was an adjustment year, maybe Daisuke Matsuzaka is taking a lot of media and fan pressures off of him, but whatever it is, Beckett looks freaking awesome.

Through his two starts he's looked like our best pitcher, and if he can keep this up, we may be seeing him hunting for a start in the All-Star Game this year, and maybe even more.

Random Opening Day Notes:

• J.D. Drew nay-sayers, where you at? What was so trendy in December seems (again) rather silly during this early season. He's Boston's best player so far, which shouldn't be too surprising.
• My work building rules. They had free hot dogs, nachos, popcorn and the Sox game on a huge screen T.V. in our large lobby. 75 Arlington St. represent.
• Awesome seeing the Impossible Dream be honored.
• And nothing says Boston like...Harry Connick Jr.?!?