SawxBlog

We're Talking About the Playoffs - Red Sox Clinch Playoff Spot!!!

The Red Sox celebrate their win last night. (AP Photo)

No matter which way you slice it, it's always a sweet feelings seeing the Red Sox make it to the playoffs. This is just step one in what's now a short list of goals, but getting into the dance is half the battle, and if the Sox can make it out of the ALDS I honestly like our chances to repeat. That's looking a little farther into the future then we should now, but still, we're now one of eight. I'm hoping the Red Sox organization just gives up trying to win the division because the 1.7% chance to win doesn't seem so hot. Rest the players that need it, set-up that rotation, and lets prepare to kick some Angel ass. Go Sox!

PS - Hank Steinbrenner, you're just an embarrassing train wreck. Stop your whining and crying and just do your job. You're so not your Dad and your Dad in the same breath it's laughable.

No Party for Red Sox, Just Disappointment

Josh Beckett was not up to his ace status last night. (AP Photo)

I was hoping that last night would be a celebration of sorts for the Boston Red Sox, however the Cleveland Indians decided to deviate from the script as they topped Boston 4-3, in what turned out to be a bummer of a movie. The stars seemed to be aligned as the Red Sox were back in the confines of Fenway with their clutch pressure pitching ace, Josh Beckett, on the mound. The Boston air just seemed to posses the postseason bite that we've come to know and love in recent years, and a party almost seemed inevitable.

As Beckett's control was nil in the early innings it looked like the game was going to be of the horror flick variety, however the game soon gained the potential momentum to turn into a feel good movie. As leading man David Ortiz put on his postseason face, he looked to will the Red Sox to victory once again under a September sky. All the right players were up to bat in the bottom of the ninth, and things seemed to be taking a turn for the storybook type of ending we've almost come to expect this time of year. Pedroia, Papi, and Youk were to lead it off.

Pedroia and Papi were unceremoniously out in four pitches, but Youk gave the faithful some hope, and Jason Bay continued the good vibe. However it all ended with a swing and a miss as Jed Lowrie made a touch night at the plate, and even harder pill to swallow. Even though this scene ended poorly, this was my absolute favorite part of the night, and it's one of the more beautiful things about baseball.

Here we were, bottom of the ninth in Fenway Park, with runners on second and third. A base hit could potentially win the game, and up at the plate was a rookie who no one thought would be in this position back in April. With a base hit the rookie could have sent his team to the playoffs, and a city into celebration. The script wrote itself there, and it's probably an at-bat he's replayed in his head a bunch already. Like I said, swing in a miss, but the beauty of baseball was most certainly at its pinnacle with that at bat.

With the Red Sox loss and the St. Pete Devil Rays win the AL East is most definitely lost, but a I'll take a ticket to the postseason any year, and would love to punch that ticket in tonight, Cliff Lee or not. Either way you look at it, this movie's just begun, and there's sure to be plenty of drama ahead.

Paul Byrd Looks to Stifle Blue Jays Tonight

Paul Byrd takes the hill tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays in what what will officially become his first real audition to be on the Red Sox postseason roster. I for one would rather have him on the mound rather then Tim Wakefield just for the pure fact that you wouldn't have to worry about:

• Past Balls
• Taking V-Tek out for a weaker hitter (yes I just wrote that)
• The threat of the stolen base decreases a lot.
• Wakefield although giving a lot of inning and being an admirable starter for the Sox, has seemed to fizzle towards the end of the year.
• Plus Wake's last start against the Rays put the fear in me.

Only 1.5 back of the Devil Rays now, but we still only have a 21.4% of winning the division, but who knows stranger thing have happened.

Lets just hope Byrd can get us the win tonight, one at a time, one at a time.

How the East was Lost - SawxBlog on ESPNews

Derek briefly gets to talk about the Red Sox on ESPNews!;

Click the above to see my brief appearance on ESPNews, wish I had something better to say!

Well last night was pretty much an utter disaster for the Red Sox as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays smoked the Sox 10-3 in what ultimately will be the deciding game in the AL East race. I was fortunate enough to be contacted by ESPN during the day to give an "in game update" on ESPNews and...well...lets just say the circumstances I was facing weren't very favorable! As I was on hold waiting for David Amber to cue me in the score was at 6-2, and I was just trying to think of a way to sound optimistic, which honestly, wasn't too easy. You can view a ghetto video take of it above, hopefully next time it doesn't have to be so brief :-)

As far as the game went it looked like the only person who actually cared or showed up to play was Big Papi (OK Jacoby too) as the entire rest of the team looked F-L-A-T. The Sox basically have to make up 3 games out of 10 to win the East due to them losing any tiebreaker that could occur with the Devil Rays. The off day today seems more of a necessity then anything, and any and all momentum the Sox did have going into this series currently seems to now be at a standstill.

The Red Sox have to leave this game behind them, and maybe they should just concede the East over to the Devil Rays now. We'll clinch the Wild Card in a matter of days, and everything should now be designed to get players ready and healthy for what's going to be a very difficult ALDS against the Angels.

Either way, this game will always be remembered by me as the "ESPN Game". As I was waiting for the call the outlook grew to become more and more dim, and the pages of notes in front of me became about as useful as a helicopter with an ejection seat. The humor was there for sure, but it was a worst case scenario for my "ESPN Debut". My verdict for now is that Bill Simmons job is safe :-)

Hopefully the Sox can end this season healthy and ready, today seems best reserved for some wound licking. All I'll say is Jason Bay, Mike Lowell, and J.D. Drew sure would have looked nice in the lineup last night...

Just Out of Reach - Rays Pull Back Ahead of Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury is just out of reach of Carlos Peña's HR last night. (AP Photo)

My hat is completely off, and my head is bowed. Complete and utter props are being sent to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the unreal season they're having. Each and every time they've been tested they seem to either rise to the occasion, or have the ability to bounce back, a trait normally reserved for a veteran team. When looking at this season for them almost every single game they've played since the All-Star break has been the biggest game in their franchises history. Their ability to deal with that pressure, or not feel it, has been rather uncanny.

Last night was another perfect example of being able to stand with the lions and come out on top. They faced Josh Beckett, arguably the greatest big game pitcher of his generation, at the top of his game and came out on top. Unbelievable. I watched the first five innings with Krazy Kris and Josh in Somerville before heading over to Charlestown for a softball game (a 36-6 win by the way) and you could just see by the look in Devil Rays pitcher Andy Sonnanstine that he was not going to bend, and neither were the Devil Rays.

The obvious is to point a finger Justin Masterson's way, but that just seems lazy and unfair to me. We can't expect too much from this kid too soon, I mean geez, he's technically not even supposed to be pitching at this level yet. Yesterday was most definetly the most pressure packed game HE'S ever pitched in and I'll chaulk it up to experiance. Our hitting, in the end, is what held us back last night.

Hopefully Papelnuts can pitch tonight, and it's now up to our ol' reliable, Tim Wakefield, to bring us into a tie again with the Devil Rays. The ultimate showing of old vs. new. Two games up at this point could be too much to make up with so few games, bringing it to a tie again on the other hand will make this last 100m of the regular season an all out sprint.

Damn...this really is fun to watch, and hat's off again to the Devil Rays, you deserve a better city to play in where the fans actually will show up to watch you play for a pennant...

For Whom the Cowbell Tolls: Red Sox Grab Share of First Place from Da' Rays

David Ortiz greets Mike Lowell after one of the six Boston jacks on the night. (AP Photo)

Last night was an utter statement made by the Boston Red Sox as they demolished the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 13-5 in a laugher at the Trop. The Red Sox came into Tampa with a mission at hand, reclaim the AL East lead, and they sure looked up to the task last night. The game was over by the fifth inning as the Sox finally got to Scott Kazmir and made the Devil Rays #1 starter look lost, scared, and lonely on the mound. Mission Soxtober indeed.

It all started with a giant three run blast by the Red Sox emotional leader, David Ortiz, and didn't stop there. By the end of the night six homeruns blasted by the Sox became the most hit by the club since 2003. If this was a close game Dice-K would be a larger issue here, however he did get squeezed pretty hard early-on, and in the end, he got us the win. Come playoff time no start of his will have me feeling easy, but that's talk to have in a few weeks, right now the Sox are tied for first.

The Red Sox magic number is now any combination of six Twins losses or Red Sox wins, and with Josh Beckett toeing the rubber tonight, they may very well be in first place all by their lonesome come Wednesday. One game at a time I know, but it's hard to fight the inevitable turning of tide that's happening.

One question I have: Is September the 15th finally the date the Rays show the pressure of an inexperienced club that people have thought would happen months ago? I sure hope so, that's for sure.

What almost amazes me most is how much I've grown to dislike this team...and especially their "fans" which leads me to:

Top 10 Reason to not Like the Devil Rays or their Fans:

1. The goddamn cowbells at the games. Seriously, you need cowbells to make it appear loud in your ballpark?
2. Tropicaana Field is the worst stadium in baseball. Between the faux dirt and dead atmosphere the place just reeks of stale Florida consumerism.
3. The catwalk. Please build a stadium that can handle fly balls. It's like playing a volleyball game at the middle school in your home town, totally unsuitable.
4. Cheerleaders. You guys have figgen cheerleaders on top of your dugouts. The day this happens at Fenway is the day I stop going to games there. Mark my word.
5. Joe Maddon. This guy is the first, and only, metro-hipster coaching in MLB. Someone should tell him which way to the "Death Cab for Cutie" concert. He bothers me, I can't help it.
6. Of all the players you boo Coco Crisp the loudest. Seriosly, get over a hard slide.
7. The Red Sox sell more tickets in Spring Training then the Devil Rays do during the regular season. (Totally fabricated but I bet it's closer then you think)
8. You played "Sweet Caroliine" after a victory. I'll never forget that. I mean....you're the Tampa Bay &$%^$%^ Devil Rays...seriously.
9. You took the word "Devil" out of your name, the only cool thing about your club.
10. Your mascot disrespects Wally.

Red Sox Split Double Header with Hot Jays

Dustin Pedroia picked up his 200th hit of the season last night. (AP Photo)

The Boston Red Sox were able to salvage a double header against the red hot Jays yesterday as they stayed even in all races. Like I said yesterday, even if we didn't necessarily gain ground, two games were crossed off of the schedule, making the postseason that much more of a reality. Also, statistically the Yankees can no longer win the division :-)

I was at a party last night and Krazy Kris made a great point after the game. Any series win you can salvage, ugly or pretty, against the Toronto Blue Jays right now is a great series. That team is just so hot and their pitching so solid, I'd be pretty bummed if I was a Jays fan. No team would want to face them in the playoffs, and they definetly could do some damage. The AL East is going to be a Cluster Eff next year, but should be fun.

So the Red Sox go for the series win today at 1:35pm as it'll be a battle of two studs, Jon Lester and Roy Halladay. I just made a run to get some coffee and drop off some dry cleaning and it's not looking so hot out there. The rain's coming down pretty good and I'd be suprised if this game isn't at least delayed.

Lastly, hats off to Dustin Pedroia as he became the first Boston Red Sox player to gain 200 hits in a season since big Mo Vaughn did it a decade ago back in 1998. MVP? I'm still not 100% sold, but obtaining milestone numbers like this will certainly help his cause.

PS - GO PATS! I HATE the J-E-T-S and and also hate the cry baby that is Brett Favre. A win today would be very nice.

Riders on the Storm, Red Sox Crush Jays 7-0

Red Sox fans enjoy the rain during the seventh inning stretch. (AP Photo)

A baseball game was played in Boston last evening despite constant rain being dropping down on Fenway Park. The bad weather was courtesy of Hurricane Ike, however the seven runs were courtesy of a well balanced Red Sox attack. There were contributions from all over the lineup and every Red Sox bat except for Youk & Kotsay reached base. The win helped the Sox gain a half game on the Devil Rays in the East, and also extended our Wild Card lead to six games in the AL.

Even though the Wild Card seems to be a foregone conclusion for us you still have to take every game with a sense of urgency from here on out. Each victory is a step towards clinching a spot in the playoffs, and until this happens, I won't be fully relaxed. The 2008 season really does feel like bizzarro world when I'm hoping that the Yankees sweep the Devil Rays in a double header in mid September. Strange times I say, strange times indeed.

During a week when some of us (I'm in the front row raising his hand) kinda threw tried and true veteran Mike Timlin under the bus, another veteran stepped up to a difficult challenge and showed us why we love him so. What Tim Wakefield did for the ballclub last night is just par for the course when compared to the rest of his Red Sox career. He's our old reliable, kind of like that favorite T-Shirt you have that doesn't even feel like clothing, but more like an extension of ones self. Pitching those eight innings of shutout ball against the hottest team in baseball in the midst of a rain storm can not be overlooked. Put on top of that the fact he was expected to consistently throw knuckleballs just makes you tip your cap once again to the ol' workhorse. Another fine show by Mr. Red Sox, and a needed win after the last two heart breakers.

We should be in first right now, but like Krazy Kris said, you can't look in the rear view, and we still have games left to get ready for the playoffs, and make one more push in the East.

Glass is half full again.

Krazy Kris talks Patriots, Red Sox, & More!

Where do I start? The pennant race is as exciting as ever, with my beloved Red Sox chasing the upstart Rays, the Yankees planning some exhilarating golf outings for October, and the erstwhile Patriots dealing with what many are calling the biggest injury in Boston sports history. Jesus...

First, the Pats. Now, I know it's hard to look at this objectively (we are Boston fans after all), but I've not lost all hope. I may be more a realist than ever, but this is still a very good, if not great, AFC team, helmed by arguably one of the top two or three coaches to ever set foot on a football field. Tom Brady is considered to be a football god. But, as my good friend Nega-Dan pointed out, Brady is a mortal; it is Belichick who is the god. We have the same receiving core, the same front line and an improved D-line (watch out for Jerod Mayo). And, we have Sammy Morris back to back up MannyPants Maroney. I'm not the biggest Matt Cassel fan, but I still woudn't bet against the Pats. Watching football will be much more riveting this year...

Now, about the Red Sox. I know, we should have swept Tampa Bay this week. We should be a half-game up in the AL East. We should this and we should that. I'm here to remind you that this is not only the first season in far too long we will not have to suffer the Yankees in the post-season, but we are also a much more healthy and complete club that just about anyone in the AL. The Rays are good, I will not deny that. But think of how much tougher they'd be with Carl Crawford still in the lineup. We've just gotten Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett and JD Drew back, though Drew has yet to play a full game. We can win this pennant. We have a favorable schedule (the Jays can't keep winning), we play more games at home through the end of the season, and we are the defending World Series champs. Now, this guarantees nothing. We are all but guaranteed a trip to the post-season (barring a complete and total collapse, as well as a resurgence in the AL Central). But to win the pennant means a lot. To continue to fight and win, and climb back to the top of the AL East means a lot. Tampa Bay has played a great season, they'll go to the playoffs and they will lose. To us, to the Los Angelos Angels of Anaheim's Angels of America, it does not matter. It won't be easy, and we may not be the favorites to the rest of the world. But, with the hopes of a nation and the pride these guys have for the game and for each other (thank f**king God Man-Ram is gone) on the line, I know the Red Sox can triumph...

Just like football, the end of this baseball season will be one of the most compelling things to behold. As a fan of baseball, and sports in general, is there anything more we can ask for? GO RED SOX!!!!!

The Curse of the Mike Timlin

OK, so the whole "Curse of the Mike Timlin" may be a little bit of hyperbole on my part, but how predictable was Mike Timlin blowing the game for the Sox last night? The worst part about it all is that I know I wasn't the only one to think this...

1. I turned to my friend Becky at one point during the game and said, "I just had a bad vision involving Mike Timlin..." and left it at that.
2. At 10:59pm my friend Jessie, who was at the game, texted me this - "At least they didn't bring in Timlin"
3. And at 11:39pm, while in a cab and listening with a sickening stomach, I texted my buddy Josh - "Oh man Timlin..."
4. 11:58pm, Jessie texts me back - "F^#& Timlin in his red neck billy goat f^@$ing a$$"

When I heard the anguish of Joe Castiglione scream the homerun off the bat of the pride of Northeastern, Mr. Carlos Pena, I think I gave my cabbie a semi-heart attack as I wailed in the "Nooooooo!" from the back seat. Taxi Cab Confessions Mike Timlin style...

So aside from the inevitable force that is Mike Timln this series has set-up the post season in a most interesting way. The Devil Rays now know that they can win insanely pressure packed games in Fenway Park. And if they can win them in Fenway, they can most certainly win them anywhere else. I have to tip my cap to them, they're an amazing story, and are a new generations "Impossible Dream" team, just with less passionate fans and a metro manager.

While there's still games left to catch Tampa Bay, losing these last two games (in a rather gut punch way) has pushed us squarely "Into the Wild", as the Wild Card seems to be our 2008 destiney. Whatever though, as long as we get in the dance I'm happy, but getting the division would be very nice.

Having homefield advantage in Fenway is invaluable come October, and we could still have it for three series in a row. I fear that this series may give the Devil Rays all the momentum they need for the final stretch though. The interesting thing to watch now is how the Angels play out the rest of the season. Now that they've clinched the utterly pathetic AL West will they rest players or still strive for the best record in the league? Will be interesting, either way though, it looks like the Sox will be flying out to LAneheim come ALDS time, and hopefully it's sans Mike Timlin...