Time for TitoBall

Okay. To Kevin from New York's point, all that matters is the numbers. Best record in baseball. 10 game lead in the AL East.

But let's not fool ourselves. The Sox have the same record they had last year. The only reason they have a double digit lead in the division instead of the 4 game bulge they enjoyed last year at the break is because the Yankees and Blue Jays have been so impotent so far.

I don't believe that will continue. And the SS Sox has started springing some leaks, most particularly in their inability to score any runs or hit in the clutch. So how do we capitalize on the big lead and the futility of the East pretenders and cruise to our first division crown in ten years?

As the second half begins, it's time to roll out some TitoBall.


TitoBall you ask? Why it's version of BillyBall, popularized by Billy Martin in the early 80's. The fiery manager used this aggressive style of play to revive a moribund Oakland A's team that climbed from last place in the AL West in 1979 to second place in 1980.

Martin had a dominating pitching staff but a lineup that could not score runs. Sound familiar? Martin used every hocus pocus trick in the book, from the hit and run, double steal, and sacrifice bunt to the hidden ball trick. He tried anything he could to score runs so his strong pitching staff could take over. And it worked.

It's obvious the Sox have become a collection of Punch and Judy hitters (from Baseball Slang Dictionary: "Punch and Judy Hitter refers to a competent but light-hitting batsmen who keeps his job by racking up singles, infield hits and sacrifice bunts.") Again, sound familar? So with Papi and Manny now working on their averages instead of thumping the long ball, Tito should consider playing LittleBall to get some runs for his outstanding pitching staff.

And why not?

We have all been playing the percentage game. You know: "If the Sox play .500 ball for the rest of the year, the Yankees would have to play xxxx percent baseball to catch them." Well how would you feel if the Sox could play .750 ball the rest of the way? Pretty good, I'll bet.

In the first half, the Sox compiled an impressive 46-15 record when scoring 3 runs or more. That's .754 baseball. So then let's shoot for the magic number - 3 - every game! And let's not wait until the end of the game to do it. Let's play for one run at a time right out of the gate until we hit three. From there, the odds of victory swing dramatically in the favor of the Sox.

And ironically, this year Tito has the weapons to do it.

They have great OBP guys in Youkilis, Drew, Pedroia, Papi. They have speed in Lugo, Crisp and Drew. They have guys that can handle the bat in Varitek and Lowell. Crisp leads off with a walk or hit? Move him immediately into scoring position with a steal, hit and run or sacrifice. Score a run an inning in the first three and we're on our way.

Sure I know that the Sox fans would much rather see Earl Weaver Ball - "The key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three run homers"- but it has become painfully obvious that the Sox have fewer and fewer hitters who can belt three run homers. Papi and Manny are not doing it and how much longer can Lowell keep it up?

And I don't know about you, but if I have to keep watching Ortiz, Ramirez and Drew stranding runners in scoring position, I am going to take up projectile vomiting. So let's face the facts. The Big Bad Sox have become the Go Go Sox, the Hitless Wonders. Let's adjust the style of play to fit the talent. After all, we all know that you win championships with pitching and defense, so we are in good shape there. We just need to scratch out enough runs so Beckett, Dice K and the rest of the staff can rack up the w's.

Let the TitoBall Era begin!