Grumpy Lady

My first two Sox games of the season have been rained out.

I was supposed to be at the game on the 12th against the Mariners, as well as the game yesterday (my birthday!) against the Angels - In addition to missing the game, I've missed seeing my name on the scoreboard as my VERY thoughtful boyfriend paid to have it there yesterday.

I still have two games this month. The 22nd Yankee game and the game in Baltimore on the 26th. The thing is, I don't know who will be pitching now. I was supposed to be seeing Daisuke. With my luck, it will be Tavarez. Time for me to call the Wah-mbulance.

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Dear Red Sox Offense,

Please. Please. Please realize you need to provide your phenomenal pitching rotation with some run support. You can't expect a pitcher, such as Tim Wakefield, to only give up one earned run and still lose. This is bringing back bad memories of the 2006 season.

Let's get it started offense, light those bats up!

Sincerely,
Soxy Lady

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Dice-KKKKKKKKKK

I haven't read my daily blogs yet and have tried to stay away from any form of news before I wrote my Daisuke update. I can image this is what everyone has been fosuing on, and rightly so. The kid didn't do us wrong, infact he was pretty darn good.

I'm really looking forward to watching him develop as an MLB pitcher this year. If you weren't able to see any of the game, check out ESPN's video highlights of Daisuke's debut.

(photo courtesy of the AP)

Matsuzaka went 7 innings and gave up 6 hits and 1 run. He had 10 strike outs (1 less than the Red Sox rookie debut record), walked only one and threw 108 pitches - 74 for strikes. Most impressive was the 4th inning where he struck out the side on 14 (I think) pitches. Even though he got in bit of trouble in the 1st (which he got out of by turning a double play) and gave up a DeJesus homerun, the Sox came out on top 7-1.

I think fans who were there got to see the first game of a Red Sox legend. Too easy to make those comments? I'm wishful. Apparently we could have all been at the game. We should have banded together and chartered a plane, according to this Boston.com article, it still would have been cheaper than us spending a day at Fenway!

On another note - The Daisuke Nike Commercial is great. I love it, almost as much as I love the beer commercial. Thank goodness for the Internet so we're all able to see stuff like this whenever we want.

Something else which deserves mention is Jon Lester's performance yesterday.

Lester made his first start of the year Thursday night for the Class-A Greenville Drive as he attempts to return to Boston's rotation after an offseason of cancer treatments and uncertainty. He shut out the New York Yankees' affiliate, the Charleston RiverDogs, on two hits over four innings before coming out.

When Lester left the game, he thought he had allowed only one hit, but afterward the official scorer ruled that Mitch Hilligoss' hard shot at Greenville third baseman Manny Arambarris was a hit. The scorer originally said Hilligoss reached base on an error.

I think it's safe to say we all wish Lester well and are excited about tracking his progress.

I'm listening to the Sox game at Texas. It's only the third inning, but....

Dear Dougie,

For the love of God. Please cut us a break.

Love,
Soxy Lady

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Red Sox vs. Kansas City - Game 2

1st Inning
8:10 - I still need to get used to seeing Lugo in a Red Sox uniform. For a guy who was supposed to bring a hot bat to the team, going 1-4 (opening day) and 0-1 (so far tonight) doesn't thrill me. I know, it's only the BEGINNING of the second game. Patience my dear Soxy Lady! I don't know why I am expecting miracles from the start. Afterall both Manny, Tek and Coco are 0-4
8:12 - Youk flies out to right field
8:14 - Papi walks, lets see what Manny can do...
8:15 - Line drive to left field! Yay Manny!
8:16 - "Lets go Red Sox" man, how I've missed that chant. Yes, I watched the game Monday night, but I was in a bar and couldn't hear the fans. JD Drew, RBI double down the right field line. 1-0 Sox!
8:19 - RBI double down the left field line for Mike Lowell! 3-0 Sox! Ok, Tek come on....do something here!
8:23 - Guess I should have been more specific, I didn't mean for Tek to fly out to center. But he did get a good piece of the ball. We should be thankful for that, at least.
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8:28 - Beckett gives up a walk to DeJesus
8:31 - 5-4-3 double play!
8:32 - followed by a double...
8:34 - and Beckett gets out of the inning by a 3-0 pop up to right field. End of inning pitch count 18.

2nd Inning
8:39 - Coco stikes out looking
8:40 - Pedroia flies out to right
8:42 - 5-3 ground out for Lugo. 1 for 6 in the season
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8:46 - 1st strikeout of the night for Josh
8:52 - Ground out, two out walk and eventually a fly out. Beckett is throwing a lot of balls. I'd be curious to find out what his ball to strike ratio is. Important thing is that the score is still 3-0, good guys.

3rd Inning
8:56 - Youk grounds out. They didn't show him walking back to the dugout, I wonder if he was cursing at himself....cracks me up when he does that. **Edit: It was the top of the 9th and we are ahead 7-1 and Youk strikes out and screams "FU(K!!!" afterwards. Calm down dude, we won...you had a decent game, helluva homer. Let this one go.
8:56 - Quick pop out for Papi
8:58 - Strike three called on Manny.
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OK, so you know how earlier how I said I wasn't sure live blogging was my "thing?" Well, I am sure now. It's not my thing. I might make some periodic comments during the game. But not this batter by batter thing. It's a snore-fest to write so I'm sure it's as boring to read.

One thing I have to mention is that Mike Lowell just got back to back errors. I can't believe it! He only had six errors in all of last season! Poor Lowell and he was having a good offensive game. I hope this doesn't set him off for the rest of the game. **Edit: Make that three errors on the game. Bottom of the 9th, two outs Lowell gets a routine 5-3 ball and short hops it to first. OK, well I'm going to try and put this behind me like I'm going to try and put Curt's opening day behind me.

Jerry did give some comic relief in the top of the seventh..momentarily forgetting to call the game when he drew a diagram on some poor shirtless Royal's fan chest...advising him where to groom his chest hair. He called it "manscaping" and compared him to Austin Powers - Good times, I missed Jerry. In the middle of the inning they went back to the guy, showing his back hair and where it conntects to his chest hair. I love when they get bored. Don said it's like he's wearing a carpet and even though he's shirtless in the 30-some-odd degree weather, he's surely warm.

Sox win 7-1.

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Brrrrrr.....

Where did this cold weather (both here in the Boston area and in Kansas City!) come from? Snow in April? I do not approve!

Beckett is getting his '07 start tonight and there is a lot of hype around it. This is supposed to be "his" year - forget Dice K, people are saying Josh will be our star pitcher. Let's hope that starts with tonight. I have yet to decide if I'll live blog or not during the game. I'm not really sure it's my thing.

I also want to send best wishes to Jon Lester who will be starting tomorrow night with the Greenville Drive, under manager Gabe Kapler! If things go well with Jon, we could be seeing him as soon as May in a Boston uniform! I can only hope I'll be there for that reception when it happens :o)

GO SOX

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I <3 Opening Day

There is Opening Day of Baseball (today)...
Opening Day, the Sox first game (tomorrow)
and
Opening Day at Fenway Park on April 10th. I love and am excited about them all!

I started my new job last week, and you can imagine my delight when I found a Tek cut-out in one of the conference rooms. I also learned that the company will be closing early tomorrow, so all of us can head down to the bar to watch the game! Woooo hooooo! My company rocks!

While I don't have tickets to any of these games, I do for the Seattle game on the 12th (the last game in the home opener series).

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I was going to take this opportunity to write a letter to my dear Jason Varitek but while browsing around I found Kristen already wrote a pretty solid one. For that, I am also adding her to my daily reads. It will be nice to celebrate in Tek's success this season, right? I said SUCCESS!

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Also, my fantasy baseball draft was today. I think my team is OK. I give it a 6.5/10 - what do you think?

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Sorry Mr. Red Sox

First and foremost, I want to say I truly feel sorry for Johnny Pesky. The Red Sox have been his life for longer than I have been alive. I feel he brings joy to the players and to the fans, and that he really is humbled by how much we love him for his presence.
(photo courtesy of id10t's flickr page)

By now you probably know that MLB is going to be enforcing a rule that limits the number of coaches allowed in uniform (Read the Boston.com story). What this means is the iconic presence of Johnny Pesky will no longer be allowed in the Sox dugout during games.

At first I was really angry. I love baseball. I do NOT love MLB. In fact, I think it's fair to say I loathe MLB. I took this latest news as another blow to the fans. But the more and more I thought about it, I can't find a legitimate reason why Pesky should be allowed to stay. Nothing more than sentiment. I'm a very sentimental person, so seeing him in a Red Sox uniform, in the dugout brings a lot. I love mixing the history of the club. But who's to say tomorrow 15
former Red Sox legends won't approach the Front Office and say they also want to sit in the dugout during games?

That being said, I understand limiting the number of people allowed in the dugout. Can't they make some sort of grandfather clause for Pesky? I don't know. How would I feel if this wasn't my team...if it was a Yankees figure they were talking about "tossing" - I'd probably be happy about it. I need to try and be objective.

The real question becomes WHY?

Some people are saying they are protecting Pesky's safety. Wasn't it last year (or two years ago?) That he got hit during spring training? He may be 87 years old, but he knows the risk he is taking. If it was all about worrying whether or not he'd get hurt, why don't they make pitchers wear masks in case they get hit in the head (we remember the Clement situation all too well)? Why don't they make outfielders wear padding in case they run into each other in the outfield or into walls trying to make a play (Hello, Demon!)? And if that was the only issue, it's nothing that couldn't get resolved by a waiver. There are fences up in front of the dugouts now..I don't know. He could also get hit by a foul ball sitting in the owners box during a game. I just can't justify that as the reason.

Others say it give the Sox (or whatever other team) an unfair advantage having another pair of eyes on the bench. That this extra person would be able to pick up signs others may have missed, blah blah blah....So when is MLB going to ban fans from sitting in the stands during games? Do they honestly think teams doesn't have "spies" situated throughout the park? There is a such thing as cell phones. Crap. Total crap.

So while I don't like the enforcement of this particular rule with my particular team, rules are rules. Sometimes is sucks, but you just gotta suck it up. Pesky, I love ya' and I'm sorry this has happened. Hopefully the FO can come up with some sort of resolution.

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I'm baaaccckkkk

Miss me?

I've been on a somewhat unplanned, extended vacation - but I'm here now. Ready to talk Sox. I've been reading up on the news and on my friends blogs so I don't feel too out of the loop. There are a few things I need to mention as I get back into the blogesphere.

Tek (photo courtesy of www.jason-varitek.com)
Finally his no-hit streak is over! I know it's only Spring Training, but it was a little disconcerting that he was 0-17. He came out of it with a "bang" - a solo homer in the 5th against Erik Bedard and the Orioles.

I have always stated that Tek's value matters more behind the plate than they do at the plate. That isn't to say that going 0-17 is ok. I really feel the ball club suffered when he was out with his injury. I'm also confident that he can make a "comeback" this year....regardless of what the recent numbers are saying. However, I'm starting to hear rumblings that Tek isn't really calling the games like I thought he was. Is it true that Tito and the front office are making most of the calls? Anyone have information on this matter. I'm definitely interested in hearing more.

Papelbon
Our Golden Boy Closer is back. I actually got the news from Schillings blog (more on that in a minute) and I had to say there was a big sigh of relief. Realistically though, is this the best thing? I mean they are saying his shoulder is fine. How much of that do we believe? Did this move come out of desperation? Lets face it there weren't many options and we're getting might close to opening day. This news does, however, change my opinion a little bit on wanting to get Roger back. I think if Tavarez becomes our 5th starter he'll do an OK job, but our pitching rotation has definitely been weakened. I think this is the only situation where I'll be happy if Roger comes back to the Sox, to put us back as the strongest pitching team out there (and if we aren't the strongest with this staff, and there are no injuries, does the blame fall on Tek? Or whoever is making the pitch calls?!?!)

38 Pitches
What do ya'll think of Curt's blog? I, for one, have some mixed reactions to it. On the one hand, I think it's really freaking cool that he's taking the time to do this. I work in the Marketing Industry and Social Media is the "wave of the future" - Curt is doing a great job getting his name and his company out there. He's gathering interest from current baseball fans and maybe making some new fans out of video-gamers.

I like the inside thoughts, but he's never going to go "there" which is where I want him to go. I'm most interested in learning what life is like in the clubhouse and he's clearly stated he won't talk about that at all. I see his point, but I still wish he would dish a little.

On the other hand, I really don't give a cr@p about the gaming industry and tend to skip over the parts of his posts where he talks about it. When he's talking about baseball he holds my interest at first, but then to be honest my eyes start to gloss over. He's giving really in-depth information, which is great...but man he talks a lot. That shouldn't be a surprise, right?

I'm looking forward to see how much publicity he generates for charities through the blog. I love how he gave a plug to the little boy with Ewing’s Sarcoma who is the Cardinals fan (http://www.peterdespain.com/blog/index.php) - he's even having a shoe designed with the phrase "For Pete's Sake" to support him. That's pretty cool.

There is a blog post on there that Schilling called and talked to Pete. It's really cute.
http://peterdespain.com/blog/?p=14

Wow! Thanks to our friends, the Close’s, Pete was introduced to Curt Schilling. Mr. Schilling made several calls during the week on his way to spring training to check on Pete. In the picture he’s giving Pete a pep talk on his last day of chemo therapy. He wants Pete to call him with an update after every chemo session. Being a pitcher, Pete has always been a Curt Schilling fan. He admires his mental and physical toughness…and the way he plays the game. Pete admitted to being a little nervous on the call…all we heard was “awesome…wow…okay…really” in response to Mr. Schilling’s offer to meet him for a game. Looks like Pete may be wearing the Red and Blue of the Red Sox!

Schilling even left him a comment

1. Curt Schilling Says:
   March 4th, 2007 at 5:57 pm

   PETE! My man! Curt Schilling here! I haven’t heard from you in a few weeks and wanted to stop by and say hello. The Close family sent me the link to your site, pretty awesome! You have my number buddy, gimme a ring when you get some free time!
   God Bless
   Curt

See stuff like this makes his blog worth it and a positive thing in my book. I'll just continue to "gloss over" when needed.

OK, that's it for now. Happy to be back, hope to hear from you guys!

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Dear Tom Brady,

We need to talk.

How do I say this nicely? Ok, I don't..."Man, you need to wrap it up!"

I don't want to hear about your religion anymore, I don't want to hear about your girlfriends anymore and I sure as hell don't want to hear that you've sperminated any more women! In fact, all I want to hear about is how you're preparing for another Super Bowl season.

So yeah, I joked about how "lucky" Bridget is that she's carrying your golden ticket. I think I take that back. I'm starting to think, my fair Brady, that you're kind of a dick. I thought you were responsible. I thought you were one of the "good guys" and while maybe you're not out there robbing banks or stealing purses from old ladies you are acting completely irresponsible.

I don't want to see you in the gossip magazines anymore, or on the pages of Perez Hilton or TMZ. From this point forward, the only way I want to see you is in a football uniform.

The thing is, your personal life is no ones business. However, my concern is how you score on the field, not off of it. I'm worried your extra-curricular activities are going to take you away from the task at hand. And these poor kids (hahaha, pun intended - ok, maybe not - they have hot, famous parents.) Their lives are going to be perfect, right? Hmph. Do you honestly plan to be a father to either one of these children? What if one is a girl and one is a boy? Are you going to mold one into the next generation of sports super-stardom and ignore the other? What if they're both girls? Ha. What if? Will you love them the way children need to be loved?

I hate to say I'm kind of disgusted by you. Let's just leave it at that.

Sincerely,
Soxy Lady

P.S. - If there rumors turn out to be false, well we'll deal with that then.

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Timlin is Hurt...

...still.
Thoughts?
Hello, bullpen? Anyone there?

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