The fire is out in the Bronx

Irony has once again reared its ugly head in the Bronx.

With Scott Proctor setting fire to his equipment in a bout of frustration after today's loss and the miniseries "The Bronx is Burning" coming to a television near you, flames seem to be a regularly recurring theme for the Pinstripes.

In fact, the only place the fire seems to be lacking in the Yankee universe is within the team itself.

In an effort to break the Bombers of their losing ways, skipper Joe Torre threw a little bit of a hissy fit and cancelled batting practice before Thursday night's game.

So often we've heard of teams in similar situations, when offered the opportunity to take a day off, instead choosing to come in extra early for additional batting practice, video studying, or even team bonding.

The classiest team in sports, of course, took the afternoon off.

According to the New York Post, the Yankees clubhouse "was nearly empty with players, save for a few pitchers who reported early," at 4 p.m. "The final arrivals - Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Luis Vizcaino - showed up at 5:30, a half-hour before the official reporting time."

I could certainly understand some guys, especially those that are hurting, taking the afternoon to rest their aching limbs in preparation for this weekend's slate of games. But you're telling me there wasn't one Yankee starter who could have used a couple of extra hours in the batting cage right now? Where was Captain Intangibles himself, Derek Jeter, to call a team-only infield session?

He must have been doing some shopping on 34th street instead.

Admittedly, the Yankees will always be a serious threat in the American League as long as their payroll exceeds $200 million dollars. On the other hand, this team has been doing everything they can to display their complete inability to compete this year. Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte have beeen pitching in middle relief. Wil Nieves, who is hitting worse than Julio Lugo right now, is being thrust into the lineup once a rotation to cater to the whims of petulant "ace" Mike Mussina, and catcher Jorge Posada's bat is so desperately needed in those games that they have him taking reps at first base. Kei Igawa turned back into a pumpkin again tonight as the Yanks were one-hit by Oakland starter Chad Gaudin tonight en route to yet another loss.

As we stand on the precipice of July, the Yankees are dead in the water. I have no doubt that they will sputter and come back to life at some point before they pack it in for good this season. The Red Sox must do their damndest to hammer as many nails into the pinstriped coffin as they can before the Yanks make their impending run at the division title.

We may feel good for now, but as the old saying goes, I'll finally feel confident when we have a five game lead with four games to play.

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Justice from the Baseball Gods

A hush came over the cavernous hearing room. Walled in dark mahogany, the room wreaked of formality but colorful pennants representing all teams from the beginning of baseball history hanging from the ornately carved ceiling gave the room a vestige of vitality. The immense door to the judges' chamber opened and everyone rose. Five figures majestically made their way to a row of high backed leather chairs behind a marble raised desk. They were formally robed in white and each wore a powder blue baseball cap, bill forward, with the letters "BG" stitched on the front. Once they were seated, everyone else in the courtroom then sat down.

A secretary stood and read from a scroll. "Here ye, here ye. The court of the Baseball Gods is now in session. Presiding Deity HayZeus will now announce the Gods' decision in the case against the New York Yankees."

The Baseball Gods met in monthly sessions to rule on various issues involving America's Pastime. This particular session was the most significant, taking place in March prior to the season beginning. At this session, the Gods would make decisions that would have year long effects on the teams and individuals involved.

The ruling of the court which HayZeus was about to hand down involved a suit brought against the Yankees which charged that the New Yorkers had used their overwhelmingly unfair resources to attempt to circumvent the spirit of the sport...that of true competition.

Prosecuter Fadagudov DeGame had presented a compelling case that outlined the Yankees' systemic use of money and power to try and take over the sport. DeGame methodically illustrated how the Yankees began the payroll spiral in the 70's when they signed the first big money free agent Jim "Catfish" Hunter and then Reggie Jackson and their dealings through to the present day when they conintued to overpay for mediocre talent like Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu. He showed how by consistently outbidding everyone, they had amassed a $200 million payroll, which was as much as five times that of some teams. DeGame demanded that the Gods at long last come down hard on the Yanks.

The Yankees defense team led by Billy Martin had argued that the Yankees had done nothing wrong. He asserted that they had simply done everything within the rules to gain a legitimate advantage over their opponents. The defense also noted that despite the Yanks reckless spending, the Gods had prevented the Bombers from winning a championship since 2000 and they hadn't even won a playoff series since 2004. Wasn't that punishment enough?

They also argued that they were not alone in trying to gain an advantage through use of overwhelming resources. Rivals like the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets had also overspent, they retorted, and it was unfair for the Gods to single out the Yankees.

The defense had been presented well, and all present were in great anticipation of what the Gods would finally decide. Everyone held their breath as HayZeus leaned forward into the microphone to deliver the ruling of the august body.

"We were impressed with the level of defense that the Yankees put forth in this case," HayZeus began. "However, the prepoderance of evidence is simply too great. We feel that the Yankees have clearly crossed the line. As for their arguments regarding the Red Sox and Mets...well, we took care of the Sox last August as you may recall and we dealth with the Mets in the 2006 posteason. Their frustrating loss to the mediocre Cardinals was not fate. It was us.

"But the question before the court today involves the Yankees. And our decision is unanimous," HayZeus intoned.

"On the charge of gross overspending and perverting the competitive spirit of the game we find the New York Yankees.....guilty as charged."

The crowd erupted in a cacophonous hubbub and HayZeus banged his gavel loudly to quiet the crowd and restore order. Fadagudov DeGame leaned back in his chair at the prosecution table and smiled. The veins in Martin's neck throbbed.

HayZeus continued. "And now we are ready for sentencing."

The Deity unrolled another piece of parchment and began to read from it. "The Yankees will suffer the punishment for their crimes in 2007. The following will befall them this season:

"Early in the year, the Yankees will suffer a series of debilitating injuries, especially to their pitching staff. Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina will be struck with hamstring injuries and be placed on the DL early in the season. Carl Pavano will have a few starts and then will not pitch again this year. Jeff Karstens will have his leg broken by...and this represents treble damages...Julio Lugo of the Red Sox. Phil Hughes will show some promise before he too will be struck down with an injury. Darrel Rasner will suffer a broken finger."

"Finally, the Yankees will overpay Roger Clemens who in "Joe Hardy-like fashion, will show his age become an average five inning starter. This will cause the Yankees to roll out 11 rookies as starting pitchers which in turn will then force Joe Torre to overuse and burn out his bullpen. "

"As for position players, Hideki Matsui will also go on the DL and Johnny Damon will start to break down. His back, legs and ribs will continue to deteriorate. Bobby Abreu will eventually revert to the non-entity he became in Philly. Giambi will also continue to suffer leg injuries and ultimately be unmasked as the steroid abuser he is. This will force Torre to use light hitting, big talking Doug Mientkiewicz and Josh Phelps at first base. Eventually, Mientkiewicz will nearly get his head taken off by Mike Lowell, suffer a broken jaw and be lost for months.

"Arod will have a great April but will come crashing to earth in May. Most importantly, we are going to pull the heart right out of the Yankees. Brian Cashman actually helped us with that one by trading Gary Sheffield. But by the end of June the Yankees will become a listless bunch, looking old and tired. We will then let things take their natural course from there."

"We have spoken," HayZeus concluded. He then rapped his gavel sharply.

Martin flew into a rage, tossing chairs across the room and trying to get at the Gods before being restrained by the court officers. The large crowd of disgruntled Yankee fans filed out of the courtroom mumbling about how unfair the ruling of the Baseball Gods was. However, by the time most of them had reached the front door, they had discarded their Yankee caps and had donned their Mets hats.

As the large door to the chamber began to close, the voice of the secretary could be heard intoning: "Next up for the Baseball Gods, the case against Barry Bonds...."

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Hurly Buehrle

Rumors are swirling around Yawkey Way regarding the possible acquisition of Chicago's Mark Buehrle to bolster the rotation for a playoff run. Although it is true that a club can never have enough good pitching, I don't think the benefits Buehrle would bring outweighs the king's ransom we'd need to pay for four months of his service.

Mark Buehrle, the 28-year old lefthander who has spent his entire career on the South Side of the Windy City, has accumulated a 3.80 lifetime ERA and a 101-70 record during the eight seasons and 1,521 innings he spent on the hill for the ChiSox. He has a lifetime WHIP of 1.249, striking out 5.2 and walking 2 batters per nine innings.

Reports out of Boston have indicated that Theo and the crew are considering Buehrle only has a mid-season rental, implying that they'd use him for the stretch run and then allow him to test the free agent waters. This is a normal gambit, which would provide insurance for a questionable Curt Schilling and keep the lefty out of any of our rival's rotations. The names being thrown about in speculation, however, are the marquee names of our minor league system: Buchholz, Bowden, Ellsbury, and Lowrie. If the front office saw Buehrle as the #3 starter for this ballclub for the forseeable future, I could fathom allowing one of these guys to leave; sacrificing these prospects to marginally improve the team with the best record in baseball seems a bit shortsighted.

Although he is a talented hurler and has a World Series ring to his credit, there are several factors that indicate to me that he may not be the best fit to contribute to a playoff-bound Sox club. Firstly, flyball-pitching lefthanders starting at Fenway Park are one of the leading causes of chest pain across New England. Also, most free agents who have made their maiden voyage to Boston in the past couple of years require a significant amount of time to adjust to the Northeastern pressure-cooker. Lugo, Drew, Crisp, Beckett, Pena, and Renteria are just a few marquee players who took a significant amount of time to adjust to the bright lights of Fenway.

An important element of this transaction, however, is the fact that Buehrle is a Type A free agent, meaning whoever he ends the year with can offer him arbitration and will receive either another season from the southpaw at about $11 million dollars or a pair of compensatory draft picks in 2008. With the way the Sox have been drafting in the past couple of years, Yawkey Way could consider these two picks to carry more value than a pair of mid-level prospects.

So if Theo can lure Buehrle to Boston for a handful of minor-league filler we've never heard of, it'll be tough to complain. If he pays through the nose for this marginal upgrade, however, I'll be sure to scoff and shrug loud enough for all our loyal readers to hear.

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Aces Wild

With two of the best pitchers in the majors, Josh Beckett and Jake Peavey going at it today, I thought is was a good time to do a Bill Simmons-ripoff running diary of what might prove to be one of the best games of the season.

4:00 pm - I feel good about this one Despite looking helpless last night against Chris Young, I think the Sox will bounce back today. They are 18-4 in days games which bodes well for the contest today in sunny San Diego.

4:05 pm - Looks like a continuation of last night for the Sox in the first inning. Peavey is filthy. San Diego is for real based on their pitching. Watching the Sox feebly flail away at Greg Maddox, Young and now Peavey has been painful.

4:16 pm - Second Inning. Home plate umpire Dana Demuth is having a rough day to say the least. I don't blame the hitters and pitchers from both teams from scratching their heads. He just called a strike on J. D. Drew that was at least six inches outside. On the very next pitch, he obviously comes back with a makeup call on a ball that is right on the corner.

4:23 pm - The Padres are desperately trying to help the Sox by getting Peavey killed in this one. First Baseman Adrian Gonzalez waits for Peavey to cover first on a routine grounder he should have handled himself. Drew nearly tramples Peavey rushing over to cover. Then after Jason Varitek drops in a seeing eye blooper into short left field, Shortstop Khalil Greene and left fielder Russel Branyan collide. Branyan picks up the ball as Varitek barrells toward an uncovered third base. He tries to lead a diving Peavey who came over to cover. Tek nearly decapitates Peavey. This is very good for the BoSox. At this rate, Peavey will be dead by the fourth inning.

4:28 pm - Wtih two down and Tek on third Useless Lugo steps in. He takes three balls and I find myself hoping they walk him so Beckett will get a chance to drive in the run. That's how bad it has gotten for the $36 million bust out shortstop. Tito gives Lugo the green light on 3-0 and Mr. .193 fouls one off then takes a called strike. He predictably dribbles one to second base to kill another scoring chance.
Three and a half more years of Lugo at $9 mil per year is going to be difficult to fathom. Who is Theo going to pay this offseason to take this mistake off our hands.

4:40 pm - Third inning. Crisp is coming around finally. He drills one into the gap for a hit. Mike Cameron and Cruz Jr. look at each other as it drops between them. Think Cameron was having flashbacks of the horrific collision he was involved with several years ago with the Mets?

4:45 pm - Alex Cora battles Peavey in a great at-bat, fouling off pitch after pitch. He finally drills a single to right to put runners on first and second. Crisp and Cora made Peavey throw 17 pitches and ended up with two on and none out for this efforts. He is up to 50 pitches already. How to work him boys.
Speaking of Cora, he would look good at short for a few games in a row.

4:47 pm - Big Papi gets a single between first and second to score Coco. 1-0 Sox and Cora moves to third.

4:50 pm - Manny lifts a sac fly to right to score Cora to make it 2-0 Sox. That may be all we get today. Beckett is going to have to make that stand up, I fear. Although the pitch count continues to rise for Peavey. Of course the Padre bullpen is no day at the beach either.

4:55 pm - Geoff Blum butchers a ground ball but they give Drew a basehit on it. I'm thinking they will change that later. Clearly an error. First and third and two outs.

5:00 pm - Mike Lowell dinks one into right and Papi steams home to make it 3-0. Nice hand slide as Cruz Jr. hesitates just enough to allow Ortiz to get in there.

5:01 pm - Tek drills one to deep left, but Branyan runs it down to end the 23 minute inning.

5:05 pm - Good news from out of town. SF is leading the Yanks 2-0 in the third.

5:06 pm - Blum singles, advances on Peavey's sacrifice bunt and goes to third on a sac fly. Two down and runner on third. Routine grounder to Lugo, who is apparently still in there for his defense. He pumps and throws a one hopper at Papi's feet. Ortiz scoops it and saves Lugo from more embarassment. Lugo is awful.

5:10 pm - Top of the fourth. Lugo leads off. Isn't that the way it always happens? The guys who makes the terrible play leads off the next inning. He hits a harmless grounder to third. He is now 0 for his last 25. Ugh.

5:12 pm - Beckett works a full count and drills a single to right. Shouldn't Beckett be batting eighth and Lugo ninth?

5:18 pm - No further damage but Peavey is up to 92 pitches after four innings. Action in the SD bullpen.

As an aside, the Padre fans came to play today. They are noticably louder than they were the last two days and the "Let's go Padres" chants are clearly drowning out the large Sox contingent.
Kevin, Corey and I witnessed this phenomenon first hand last year when we went to Philadelphia for a weekend series. On Friday and Saturday, Sox Nation took over Citizens Bank Park, clearly embarrassing the home town team. But on Sunday, the Philly folks were on a mission and were not going to be overrun by out of towners. We sat next to a particularly vocal one who was borderline violent and was not to be outshouted. Sitting quietly in our Sox gear, we didn't even try.

5:30 pm - Top of the fifth. Manny and Drew lead off with singles and Remy opines that all the running around Peavey had to do early may have taken something out of him. That may be the case since he is clearly not the same pitcher he was early in the game. He is approaching 100 pitches.

5:37 pm - Two out and Lugo coming up. Please walk him. No such luck, easy grounder to short to force Drew and end the inning. Why is Lugo playing while Youk and Pedroia are sitting out? Tito is going to have to sit this stiff soon. He is now 0 for his last 26.

5:44 pm - Gapper by pinch hitter Tremell Sledge (which I believe is a made up name) knocks in two to make it a one run game.

5:53 pm - No further damage as Beckett pitches out of it but now Sox lead is 3-2 after five.

5:55 pm - Top of the sixth. Royce Ring in to pitch. These can't be real names.

5:59 pm - Cora singles up the middle. He is 2 for 2 with a walk and an HBP. He has been on more today than Lugo has for the entire month of June.

6:00 pm - Papi strikes out and tosses his bat again. He got into a beef with Demuth on the second called strike. He probably needs to knock that off. As my two umpiring sons can attests, barking at the umps only makes things worse in the long run.

6:21 pm - Guzman crushes one but Manny hauls it in just in front of the 357 ft sign. At Fenway that is on the garage roof and the score is tied 3-3. Why would you build a beautiful ballpark but give it the dimensions of an airport? I like a good pitchers' duel as much as the next guy, but not every night. I don't see the Padres getting many free agent sluggers in this canyon. The Pitchers would be interested though.

6:28 pm - Bottom of the seventh. Beckett strikes out Cruz to end the inning. He's over 100 pitches and that's probably it for him. Good job. He clearly outdueled Peavey today.

6:32 pm - Top of the eighth. Tek hits a howitzer into the beach in right center to make it 4-2. Scott Linebrink grooved a 3-0 fastball and Tek croaked it.

6:34 pm - Lugo is up. It's 3-0. Maybe he'll walk!

6:34 pm - Strike one called.

6:34 pm - Strike two called.

6:34 pm - Foul ball.

6:35 pm - Ball four!

6:35 pm - It's been so long since Lugo has been on base, he is clearly confused and trots down the third base line. (only kidding).

6:36 pm - Beckett is hitting which means he is going out for the eighth. Not sure I like that. He fake bunts and slaps a liner to Linebrink who grabs it and promptly doubles Lugo off first. That's more like it. Back to the bench Julio.

6:45 pm - Beckett gets Greene to pop out to end the inning. Great job. That will definitely be it for him.

6:53 pm - Sox go quickly in the ninth and Papelbon is in to close it out.

6:55 pm - Pap K's Branyan on high heat for the first out.

6:57 pm - Pap K's Kouzmanoff on 3 fastballs

7:00 pm - Easy grounder to Cora at second to end it. Pap was unhittable. Gee, don't you wish we kept him as a fifth starter. I'm sure Piniero would have come in and done the same thing.

Taking two of three from the Pads is huge. The Sox only scored seven runs in the series but that is what pitching and timely hitting will do for you.

Beckett is now 11-1 best in the majors.

This San Diego team looks like the class of the NL. With that pitching, they will smother the Mets in a short series. The real question is whether they have enough hitting.

The Sox took four of six winning the first two series on this brutal road trip. Now on to Seattle and even one of three there will give them a successful 5-4 trip. Then back to home cooking at Fenway and a much easier July.

Looking Good!

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What can you get for $875,000?

We all know that the economic environment of Major League Baseball hasn't been based in any form of reality for the better part of twenty years. This alternate reality was taken to a new level this week, however, as the $28-million-dollar man Roger Clemens took the hill in Denver for the New York Yankees.

The math has been done over and over again in the media, but I'm so giddy that I have to put it in writing once again.

Roger, who is making approximately $875,000 a start, tossed 90 pitches and gave up 4 runs during his 4 1/3 inning offering on Thursday night.

That's almost $202,000 an inning.

That's about $10,000 a pitch.

In other words, if I had the money Roger made throwing the four balls that constituted the only walk he gave up on the night, I could buy Sox season tickets for all four members of my family.

And if I got his share of the check for his two offerings that left the yard, I could just about pay my grad school bills.

But baseball exists in an alternate dimension. Let's make some more useful comparisons.

Jon Papelbon had a pretty good season last year, right? He made approximately $335,400 for his season of work. So for that chunk of change, you could either have almost 70 innings of 0.92 ERA...or you could have the 2nd and 3rd inning of Clemens' Thursday performance, where he threw 41 pitches, allowing 2 runs and 3 hits.

I'm cherry picking, of course. Rudy Seanez made $1,900,000 off the Sox last year, and I'd rather have two Clemens starts than another season of Rudy.

But the bell needs to be answered by the Yankees. This is a terrible contract for an over-the-hill pitcher. He's got a 1-2 record and he hasn't pitched to an American League team yet. Sure, this team needed to shake things up, but teams with $200 million dollar payrolls should have the depth to withstand injuries to a couple of starters.

But more power to them, since they have the money. There are other teams that have the financial resources to make obscene and irrational deals like this, but they don't consider that ability reason enough to make poor business decisions.

But what do I know. I haven't won any World Series this century either.

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Me and Julian Down by the Ballyard

Has any player in recent Red Sox history turned the fan base around in more dramatic fashion than Julian Tavarez? From the doghouse...with the emphasis on "dog" in early 2006...to fan favorite in 2007, the quirky Tavarez has turned out to be fun to watch and one of Theo's better moves.

When the Sox signed Tavarez in the offseason following the 2005 season, we in Boston knew little about him. Most looked at him as a National League fruitcake, best known for breaking his pitching hand in a one round loss to the dugout phone in St. Louis. Sox fans also knew him for offering up the game winning two run gopher ball to Mark Bellhorn in Game 1 of the 2004 World Series.

He got off on the wrong foot with the Sox by whacking Joey Gathwright of the Devil Rays in a spring training game which cemented his reputation as a major loose canon. When he rejoined the Sox he proceeded to stink up the joint. He gave up 6 runs in his first 8 1/3 innings and posted a 5.40 ERA in April. And he heard it from the fans, who did not appreciate his performances.

He then commited the mortal sin of calling out the Sox fans and complained about how Red Sox nation treated its players. The handwriting appeared to be on the wall. Julian was not long for the Fenway hothouse.

Then a funny thing happened. As the Sox began to unravel in August and Tito was frantically searching for arms, he landed on Tavarez to give him a spot start on August 31. Julian's start was inauspicious as he gave up three runs in the first inning. But then he pitched two more scoreless innings before being taken out.

In his second start on September 4, Tavarez shut out the defending World Champion White Sox for six innings before tiring and giving up a pair of runs in the seventh. The Sox went on to win 3-2.

From there, Tavarez continued to play hard, something that can't be said for his hamstrung buddy Manny Ramirez. The rubber armed pitcher started four more games, winning three of them. In the process, he began earning back the admiration of the Sox fans for his attitude and work ethic.

He looked destined for some type of set up role in the 2007 Sox bullpen when the Sox brass toyed with the ill-fated "Let's-Make-The-Best-Closer-In-Baseball-a-Starter" experiment with Jonathan Papelbon. But when cooler heads prevailed and Pap was rightfully installed at the back end of the bullpen, the number five starting slot was up for grabs. Tito gave it to Tavarez as a reward for his end of 2006 effort.

Everyone knew he was just holding the spot awaiting the return of Jon Lester, who would quickly supplant the veteran. But something interesting happened. Tavarez became one of the best fifth starters in the game. He came out to pitch every fifth day and never complained about what his ultimate role would be, again endearing himself to the Boston fans.

Along the way, Tavarez also entertained us. Rolling a ball to first base instead of throwing it...TWICE...and playing traffic copy on grounders to the infield. He also endured a head massage from his buddy Manny that had NESN's Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo in stitches. He also reached base on a swing bunt. With Julian, you never know what you are going to get.

As a matter of fact, when my brother was planning a trip to Arizona to watch the Sox play the Diamondbacks, we worked through the rotation and determined he would be seeing Tavarez on the hill. He was dissapointed. But I reminded him that he was actually going to see the most entertaining pitcher on the Sox staff.

So I sit here tonight watching Tavarez mow down the Braves as the Sox cruise 8-0. It's the top of the seventh, and Tavarez is still out there. Forget that in his last start he limped off the mound. No babying him. "I'll be out there to pitch," he promised. And pitching he is. Through seven, he has allowed only three hits to a team that beat up Curt Schilling two nights ago.

After losing four of his first five starts (three of those to Kevin Millwood, Roy Halladay and Johan Santana), he is about to win his fourth game to up his record to 5-4. His ERA will be lowered to 4.50 from the 4.97 with which he entered the game. More importantly, the Sox have now won 8 of his 13 starts and have given them the luxury of allowing Lester to come back slowly from cancer. Not bad for a fifth starter.

Now with Schilling on the DL, Tavarez may not be leaving the rotation in the near future after all. Good for him.

He's earned it.

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Coco A-Gogo?

You may not have heard about it yet, but there is a possibility that the Sox just pulled off what could end up being the most crucial deal of the season.

It looks like they may have traded Coco Crisp '06/'07 for Coco Crisp '04/'05.


I know, I know, its waaaaay to early to be drawing any conclusions about Crisp's strong couple of days at the dish. Although the sample size may be small, I am not as impressed with his production as I am with the demeanor and attitude he has displayed in the batter's box.

For the first third of the season, Crisp was only able to keep his average above the Mendoza line with seeing-eye singles and well placed bunts. You could probably have counted the number of well-struck balls jumped off Coco's bat in April and May on one hand. Imagine how far his numbers would have dropped if he wasn't blessed with blazing speed?

This weekend's slate of games, however, revealed just how critical good hitting mechanics are to major league pitchers. Working with hitting coach Dave Magadan, Coco has started closing up his stance, adjusting his bat position, and standing taller in the ready position. The results speak for themselves - even when he has made outs over the past couple of days, they have been of the loud variety.

Am I expecting our center fielder to bat .500 the rest of the way? Of course not. In his best season in Cleveland, he finished up at .300 on the nose, and we can't expect him to reach that mark for the 2007 campaign. However, Tom opined just two days ago that Coco would be a great contributor if he could even hit .250...and with his 4-for-4 performance tonight, Mr. Crisp's batting average rests at .247.

And as Tom also pointed out, his fielding so far this season has been exceptional, especially at Fenway. Sure, he has no arm, but very few center fielders can cover as much ground as Crisp while also having the ability to gun runners out on the bases. Especially on those days when Drew needs a rest and Coco is flanked by Manny and Dr. Wily Mo Pena, I'll trade the noodle arm for the exceptional range.

So settle in, Coco. Don't try to do too much. Hopefully Tito will keep a calm head and let you hold your ground in the 8 slot, where you can focus on the glovework and everything you contribute with your bat is a bonus. I'd keep you there even if you stay hot; a couple of years ago we had a batting champion hitting 8th for an entire season, and that worked out pretty well, if I remember correctly.

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Holding Tight

The bridges around here are getting quite crowded with people lining up to jump off. The truth is, it may be just a tad early for that.

So as a Sox Community Service, some random thoughts as we try to maintain our composure during this rough patch.

1. Let's all get a grip, okay? The Yankmees have won 10 of 11, while the slumping Sox have won only 6 of 11. The Yanks feasted on a cupcake schedule, winning six of the 10 from Pittsburgh and Arizona at home. Meanwhile the Sox were out west and still managed three wins against Oakland and Arizona before stumbling against Colorado at home. They have ramped it back up against the Giants. The final toll? Over the past 11 days, the Yanks have played .909 ball while the Sox have hit a .545 patch. The net result? We're still up 8 1/2 games. Do you think New York will continue to play .900 ball? Be realistic. You knew the Yanks would make a run. Hopefully this is it and the result is still a healthy lead for the Sox. Chill out.

2. Coco is a black hole in the lineup, that is true. However, I still think if he can even hit .250 he will be worth it for the ground he covers in center. Be honest, don't you feel good about anything hit anywhere near him out there. His defense has been vastly underrated. As for the absurd suggestion of putting Wily Mo out there for a while, pullease. Pena not only can't hit, but he plays defense like a drunk trying to eat spaghetti with chopsticks. I'll take Coco out there and enjoy whatever offense he gives us.

3. There's really not much that can be done about the other gaping hole in Julio Lugo. Another failure due to Theo's mancrush on him, Lugo is going to have to fight his way through this. What are the alternatives? Alex Cora on a regular basis? I don't think so. They could bring up Hanley Ramirez....oh wait, that's not an option anymore. Oh well. We'll just have to suffer through the rest of the season watching him flail helpless away while he makes Youk dance at first saving all his bad throws. Then at the end of the season, Theo can pay someone else to take him off our hands while we overpay another overrated shortstop.

4. J. D. Drew will come around. He has a history and is too good not to put it together. The concern was his passion and durability, not his talent. That will come. Leadoff may be just the right place for him.

5. They were right about Pedroia. He has been successful at every level, and he's doing it here. Not a bad deal with him for 300K.

6. Varitek hitting .270 is more than we could have hoped for. Hopefully he can hold up for the entire season.

7. Dice K seems to be settling in nicely. Four solid starts although due to Battis Anemia from the Sox has resulted in him getting only one win out of the stretch. He gets better with each start.

8. Every one keeps talking about Jon Lester coming up and bouncing Julian Tavarez from the rotation. I hate to say it, but the better choice might be Wake. I love Timmy, but Tavarez has been more effective and you pretty much know what you are going to get with him. With Wake, he can be very, very good, or very, very not.

9. Tito continues to be superb handling his lineups and his team. He gives his players enough rope to hang themselves, but finally does make a move when he needs to. Contrast that with 1978 when Zimmer refused to sit down Butch Hobson, who was playing with bone chips in his elbow and couldn't hit or throw down the stretch when the Sox coughed up their big lead.

10. This could be the end for Mike Timlin. I hate to say it, but I actually prefer to see Joel Pinata before Timlin in a game that means something.

I'll leave you with the good news. The Yanks fly out west after today to play the Rockies and Giants, then go to Baltimore for three. They return home to face Oakland, Minnesota and the Angels prior to the All Star Break.

I'll go out on a limb here and say they won't be playing .900 ball during that stretch.

Relax.

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I've seen this movie before.

When the Yankees were sinking like a stone, I bit my tongue. Buried behind enemy lines as I am, I consider keeping the joy of Sox to myself to be both polite and a smart way to avoid physical violence.

I even went so far as to feel bad for about a quarter of a second for some of my pinstripe-loving friends, who were suffering through what appeared to be an insurmountable series of losses.

What an idiot I am.


Like the killer in a B-horror-movie sequel, the Yankees are rising from the depths once again to strike fear into the heart of the Nation. And those formerly pitiable Yanks fans feel as if they've already closed the gap and are ready to assume their birthright atop the American League East.

But let's not go crazy just yet, Sox fans. Sure, this team has looked downright depressing for the past week or so. Sure, the pinstripes have now cut that 14.5 game lead in half. Sure, the Yanks have run off nine straight and we just dropped a series to a National League West ballclub.

After all that, we're still seven games up. Its not great, but we shouldn't be shocked that the Yanks got hot - we knew they were going to score a lot of runs, and the Olde Towne Team's current malaise is being magnified by the winning streak.

But let me propose a hypothetical. What if the Metropolitans come out tomorrow night and run Clemens out of the game in three innings, and the Sox get back on the winning track against San Fransisco?

I'd feel pretty good about that eight game lead.

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It's All My Fault

To quote the former leader of TedNation, "I APOLOGIZE A THOUSAND TIMES!"

Everything was going fine. The Sox were cruising. The Yankees were bruising and losing. And I had to go and screw it all up.

I went on vacation.

I should have known better.

Usually, I won't even move from the chair I'm sitting in if things are going well for the Sox. So what do I do when things couldn't be going better for the local nine? I head south with my family, including my Blog Co-Authors, abandoning the cause and the wheels start to come off. The Sox sleepwalk through Oakland losing three of four and needed a near perfect performance from Curt Schilling to escape with one win. Yea they came alive a bit and took two out of three from the D-backs, but a 3-4 road trip was not what we were looking for.

Meanwhile, the Yanks have finally awakened. Walkin' Bobby Abreu has begun swinging the bat again. (Interestingly enough coinciding with New York feasting on Minor (i.e.) National League teams.) They win six in a row, slice 5 games off the lead and are now are only 9 1/2 games out and in second place.

Again, I'm sorry.

Now don't get me wrong. Spending a week with my family, Mickey, Minnie and millions of my closest friends in the hot house known as Disney World was fantastic. But I get what I deserve for deserting the Sox.

It's always an experience following the Sox from a baseball hotbed like Orlando, Florida. After a day of working the parks, coming back to the hotel room and trying to find a score is always a trip. Flipping on ESPN night after night and seeing the losses mount was truly depressing. The first night was the Pap loss to New York on A Rod's homer. That was followed by three successive losses to the A's. By Thursday, I thought I might have to cut my vacation short and fly home to end the losing streak. Thank God The Big Schill pitched his best game of the year and allowed me to finish my visit to the Magic Kingdom.

But now I'm back and things may be turning around. The Sox have won two of three since I returned and with some appetizing AAAA teams on the menu, things should stabilize from here. Hopefully this was the bad stretch we all knew was coming, but the Sox better start hitting or we could be in for some rough times ahead.

For now though, I'm back at my post so never fear.

I may have to consider off season vacations from now on.

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I Like Mike

Watching Saturday afternoon's game against the Yankmees, I began to get a familiar sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Between Schilling and Wakefield spitting the bit again, Wily Mo flailing at curve balls like a drunk swatting away imaginary flying elephants, Julio Lugo careening toward the Mendoza line and the Sox leaving men on base at an alarming rate, I began to seriously wonder if this 2007 team possessed the killer instinct it is going to need to win a championship.

And then Mike Lowell happened.

With the Yanks on life support, 13 1/2 games behind, this was the weekend to finally put them away. A sweep would surely cause massive problems both on and off the field and finally pull the wheels off this train-wreck-waiting-to-happen. But Wakefield got us off on the wrong knuckle with a bout of wildness reminiscent of Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn. The Bummers came in perfectly willing to lay down on the mat, but Wakefield extended them a helping hand, pulled them up while the rest of the Sox dusted them off and pushed them back into the ring. The 9-5 beating Friday night was just the oxygen New York needed to continue living one more day and pump up hopes for a three game sweep that would give them a reason to live on.

That put the Sox, and Schilling squarely in the pressure cooker for Saturday's game. Staked to a 3-1 lead heading into the sixth, The Big Schill made Theo's decision not to extend him look good again by giving up a single to Matsui, walking Arod and then giving up a three run bomb to Jorge Posada. I'm sure it was "fastball location" and "command" issues. Whatever. It was quickly 4-3 Yanks and when Javier Lopez gave up another run, it was 5-3 and visions of sweeping danced in the New Yorkers' heads.

Just as it looked like the Sox were morphing into the softest 35 win team in recent memory, Mike Lowell took over.

The Sox needed a spark. Someone to step up and slap the smug Bombers around a bit. Someone to make something happen. In years past that would be Trot Nixon. But you may recall the Dirt Dog and his .276 average were banished to Cleveland so we could watch JD Drew hit .222, snap hamstrings, experience "virus like symptoms" and dribble harmless grounders to second base for $92,000 a game.

So who is the next dirt dog? Enter Mike Lowell.

A mandatory throw in on the Josh Beckett deal because of his $9 million salary, Lowell came in with zero expectations. His bat was too slow, they said. He was done. Instead, the classy veteran came in and hit .284 with 20 homers and played sparkling third base defense. This year has been more of the same offensively as he is hitting .333 with 11 homers. The defense has suffered a bit, but I'm still never worried when a ball is hit his way.

On Saturday. Lowell had broken a 1-1 tie in the fourth by singling with the bases loaded. When Varitek followed with a grounder to second base, Lowell delivered a Patriot-like cross body block on Robby Cano in an attempt to break it up. The throw nipped Tek, but a message had been sent.

Now trailing 5-3 in the sixth and drifting toward dropping two in a row to their hated rivals, Lowell again went into action. He led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo homer into the monster seats to cut the lead to 5-4. Tek then went back to back to tie the game at 5-5.

In the seventh, Tito brain cramped and inexplicably put Joel Pinata into a game that actually meant something and the predictable happened. Derek Jeter greeted him with a homer to give New York a 6-5 lead.

Drifting again. More Lowell please.

Coming up with the bases loaded in the seventh, Lowell hit a grounder to second, Cano threw poorly to Jeter on the front end of an attempted double play who threw wide to first. Lowell, hustling all the way, nearly decapitated first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz as he tried to beat the throw. The Yank was taken off in a cart. Lowell end up on second and two runs came in, giving the Sox the lead back at 7-6. The Sox scored three more to take a 10-6 lead.

Lowell topped off his big day with an RBI double in the eighth to account for the final 11-6 score. His final tally: 5 at bats, two runs scored, a single, double, homer and walk and four RBI's. One TKO and another near miss and a couple of nice plays in the field. Put some pine tar on the man's helmet.

So let's review. JD Drew tweaked a hammy Friday night and sat out the dance on Saturday. Lowell nearly had his wrist broken by a Wang fast ball Friday night, threw some dirt on it and came out and singlehandedly roughed up the Yanks on Saturday. Difference? You think?

The adjacent headlines on Red Sox.com Saturday evening says it all:

"Lowell Powers Red Sox Past Yankees"

"Drew Rests Ailing Hamstring"

'Nuf said. Perhaps lovesick Kevin from New York would consider moving from number 7 to number 25. He could do a lot worse.

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