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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