Fenway Bound

The Wizard of Ozzies

The Boston Red Sox have torn the Tin Men to ribbons. They've made the Cowardly Lion cringe. They've knocked the stuffing out of the Scarecrow, and they've exposed the Wizard of Ozzie as Chicago's South Siders hit a Yellow Brick Road full of Potholes.

Putting the allegory aside, if you're a Chicago White Sox fan, it's just plain gory the way the Red Sox have humiliated your ballclub this past weekend. How's 16 runs on 30 hits sound? How does being dominated by the Dice Man and a call up from Pawtucket sound? How does out burlying Buehrle sit with everyone in the Emerald City?

Pedroia is on fire. He's 8/8 this series. The Wizard, Ozzie, actually passed on walking Papi last night to intentionally walk Pedey, a guy who had never hit in the cleanup hole in his life!

And let's not forget about Mark Kotsay, a guy who came into Boston hitting 1 for his last 17, and has done nothing but clobber the stuffing out of The Scarecrow's head.

We can't forget about Jason "an RBI a game" Bay either. They picked the guy up on July 31. Here it is August 31 and he's driven in 30 runs since he came to Boston. Nobody ever saw him replacing Manny, but the guy has proved an astute pick up.

This was a pivotal series for the Sox -- both pairs -- and the Reds have come out wonderfully, while the Whites just stink like smelly feet after their 16-2 trouncing Friday/Saturday nights.

It almost doesn't matter what happens today. Ozzie can salvage a game, but the damage has been done. His Tin Men are nothing but unglorified scrap metal. Or is that more like Cowardly Lions headed out of town with their tails between their legs?

Bowden Things Together

Is there any doubt that Theo has built the best minor league system in baseball after last night's call up of 21 year old starter Michael Bowden handed the Chicago Ozzies an 8-2 defeat?

Bowden was playing with house money. Nobody knew him. Nobody knew what to expect. Nobody really expected him to give up two runs in five innings and leave the game with things well in hand.

Really, there are only so many Lesters and Lowries and Pedroias and Ellsburrys and Mastersons and Youkilises that you can lean on, right?

Bowden's start wasn't particularly amazing in and of itself. The guy got into some jams. He didn't have an easy inning all night. And he had to make big pitches to keep the Ozzies arrears.

But he did. He got out in front of batters. He made big pitches. He got into trouble, but he also got out of it. He did all he had to do, and may have bought himself some time at the big league level.

That being said, I've learnt from the Buchholz situation, and I'm not about to get ahead of myself by calling him The One. It's unfair to put that much pressure on a young man being asked to fill in for one of the game's elite pitchers. It's just simply unfair.

Beckett DL Bound

Well, it's a good news/bad news situation for Red Sox fans today as word came down that Josh Beckett was headed to the disabled list retroactive to August 18.

That's the bad news.

The good news is that Boston's ace got a clean bill of health from Dr. James Andrews yesterday and could be ready to pitch in Texas Friday.

This little blurb from the AP story on the subject caught my eye, after speculation Thursday that the Sox were going to rest Beckett for a few weeks and bring him back for the stretch run:

"...Now Francona hopes to have Beckett back for the stretch drive for a playoff spot.

“There were a number of tests and Josh came through with flying colors,” he said. “Obviously, we hoped for that. We needed to get some closure....”

I'm not altogether convinced that Beckett is going to be 100% by the time this season is over. Do I think they'll bring him back? It sounds that way. And it sounds like they're going to let him warm up for the playoffs.

I still say however, that they're going to re-examine Beckett after the season is done, and that I wouldn't be surprised if he did have to have surgery like Papi did.

It's not the same thing, but arm injuries rarely resolve themselves. I suspect that if everything were truly fine, Beckett would be out there throwing long before the club hits Texas on Friday. The pitching situation isn't exactly at its best right now, and they need every arm they can throw out there.

Daisuke Dominates in Sox Showdown

How could anyone still be doubting Daisuke after last night's performance, arguably his greatest effort in a Red Sox uniform?

The Dice Man dominated the Chicago Ozzies, tossing eight innings, fanning seven, walking two, and divvying out two hits to the AL Central leaders.

I guess we shouldn't be surprised though. Daisuke has owned the Ozzies this season, besting the South Siders 9-2 in Chi-Town a few weeks back, posting a 1.71 career ERA and a .121 OBA against them.

It's even more important given that Beckett has gone on the DL today, and the Sox need strong starting pitching from the Dice Master and Lester. They need everything Wakey has. Same for Byrd.

It's not over-stating things to say that Daisuke's career will be defined by how he pitches these next few weeks, and in Red Soxtober should we make the playoffs.

Beckett To Miss Pivotal Start

Even as the Red Sox headed back to Boston with a 6-3 road trip behind them, the news wasn't all roses and sunshine as ESPN reported that ace Josh Beckett will miss his second start since being roughed up by Toronto nearly two weeks ago.

In lieu of Beckett, the Sox will be throwing the Dice Friday night as they try to put a little distance between themselves, the Ozzies, and the Twins in the ever fluid Wild Card Chase.

Francona insists that Beckett's trip to Alabama (sans a banjo on his knee) and Dr. James Andrews is purely precautionary, however it's a bit unsettling when you consider that the Sox playoff hopes, much less World Series hopes, ride on a healthy Beckett.

I suspect they are going to do one of two things. They're either going to shut Beckett down for the season, or they're going to give him a couple more weeks off and try to tread water. At that point, he'll probably try and soldier through the stretch run/playoffs and then have offseason surgery like Papi did last year.

That's pure speculation, I'll confess, but if his situation hasn't gotten markedly better at this point, it's not going to get better without medical attention. You can only rest so much afterall. 

I also think that if Beckett were remotely healthy, he would be out there tossing rocks at Ozzie's boys tomorrow night, or over the weekend. The stakes are high, and our fellas need all the help they can get in what could be the team's biggest series all year.

Mission Accomplished: Sox Take 6 of 9 on Road Trip

Despite their 3-2 loss to the Hankees today, the Boston Red Sox did everything they had to do to keep themselves in the chase for Red Soxtober.

I know, Francona could've swept Skid Row Joe's Bronx Water Bombers if he'd gone with Masterson instead of Oki in the seevnth. I know, he probably could've gone with Pappy to start the ninth instead of bringing the closer in with the bases loaded.

Having said that, the Sox never beat Mussina. We already stole a game against Pettitte, and we thoroughly whacked Ponson & Friends last night.

In short, Francona's men did what they had to do. They took two out of three in Baltimore. They took two out of three in Toronto. And they took two out of three in the A-Rotten Apple.

With the exception of today's contest, the Sox have become a greatly improved road team. They chalked up 18 runs in the first two games of this series. They put up 14 runs in their two Toronto wins, and they put up 13 in their two Baltimore victories.

Yeah, there were some rotten eggs. Getting smoked 11-0 in Toronto; getting blistered 11-5 in Baltimore, and losing today after leading into the seventh.

But I'm being consistent. The Sox had to win six games this trip. They had to win each of their three series. They had to dominate, and they did.

Look on the bright side. We're headed back to Boston having totally knocked the Yankees out of playoff contention, having put our own club 1-2 games clear of the Twins/White Sox, and having gained a game on the Guppies as of this moment.

Alex 'n' Andy

Let's be honest with each other, Sox fans.

Did you really think Francona's men would put up a six pack, ten hits, and three walks against "Big Game Pitcher" Andy Pettitte? In 4.2 innings of work?

I didn't. Not with J.D. Drew going to the DL. Not with Mike Lowell already there. Not with Kevin Cash and Jeff Bailey in the lineup. Not with Wakey not having pitched in three weeks.

This was the Hankees game to lose, and they lost it. Anytime Coco gets three hits, Bailey or Cash get infield hits, you know you've got a gift horse, and youu'd better not let him kick you in the....

Speaking of donkeys, let's talk about A-Rot, the Hankee "third baseman" who finished the night 0/5 at the plate, fumbled and bumbled his way through "Third Base for Dummies", and brought out the Bronx Cheer more times than Papelbon did All Star Week.

Then again, leaving seven on base will bring out the Boo Birds, won't it? Look on the bright side, Hankee fan. Ya got 'im locked up for the long haul, so ya better get used to watching somebody else play in October. 

As the Knuckle Ball Flutters...

If ever there were a time for Tim Wakefield's knuckler to dip, dance, dive and deceive, tonight's showdown at Hankee Heaven would be it.

Wakey, 7-8 with a 3.67 ERA and countless tough luck no decisions this season, hasn't exactly spun beauties against the Hated Hankees over his career, going 9-17 with an ERA of 5.14 in a season's worth of starts (200IP+).

And Wakey, known for his ability to eat innings and keep a game close, has pitched less then New Haven's Jericho Scott over the past month. (At least there's one place where Wakey's fastball would be deemed too fast!)

But I digress. The Sox are up against it with Andy Pettitte on the hill. As historically bad as Wakefield is against the Yankees, Pettitte is dominant against the Sox. He's 16-7 with a 3.54 lifetime ERA against the Sox. He's coming off a win, he's one of the few good things the Hankees have going for them this year. They're going to make this one count.

So the Sox need something out of Papi. They need something out of Youkie. And they most definitely need something out of Jason Bay, who, despite hitting .333 since he came to town, will be seen as a choker if he fails to come through against the Yankees these next few weeks.

The Sox have to dig deep for this one or they may find themselves down 0-2 in the series with Mussina waiting on deck. That, paired with wins out of the Twins and White Sox, would put the Sox in the hole by the time they get back to Fenway Friday.

The Sox ought to be looking at their last trip to Hankeeland this way: The Yankees will never forget their last home series against us if we go in there and sweeeeep our way to victory!

It ain't gonna happen, but wouldn't it be nice, if Wakey got us rollin'!

New Haven Pre-K League A Bunch of Babies

The New Haven (CT) Youth Development League should be disbanded after its disgraceful treatment of 9 year old pitcher Jericho Scott and his team mates.

What exactly did these Einsteins do?

Did they ban Scott for being too old? No. Did they throw him out for using drugs? Starting fights? Bullying teammates? Swearing at umps? Head hunting? None of the above.

They banned the boy from pitching, because he throws too hard! Because some lawyer's little thumb sucker can't hit Scott's 40 mph fastball.

The league lawyer -- since when does youth baseball need a lawyer??? --- told the AP:

"He [Scott] is a very skilled player, a very hard thrower," [League attorney Peter] Noble said. "There are a lot of beginners. This is not a high-powered league. This is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport."

What a bunch of wusses! Somebody might actually get their uniform dirty. Somebody might get a bloody nose! Some poor little nine year old might actually...cry! Think of the horror, the devastation, the lifelong psychodrama that would cause in households across the Greater New Haven area!

Sadly, this is the norm. There are little leagues, development leagues across the country that do not keep score. That, in lieu of putting too much pressure on the youth of America, do not put any pressure on the youth of America.

These kids are young men. They are going to have to learn, somehow, someday, that getting a bloody nose or a dusty uniform isn't the end of the world. They're going to be our future leaders for Cripes sake! And all these lawyers and overprotective parents are concerned about how these poor babies feel!

As if Scott isn't being punished enough, the league has seen fit to disband his team, divvy up all its players to the other teams, and erase their accomplishments! I kid you not!

"Officials for the three-year-old league, which has eight teams and about 100 players, said they will disband Jericho's team, redistributing its players among other squads, and offered to refund $50 sign-up fees to anyone who asks for it."

Well, the whole $5,000 ought to be refunded. The sponsors of these teams ought to insist that they be refunded, and the parents who did this ought to be ashamed.

Kids are tough. Kids want to compete. They learn through disappointment as well as victory. Sure, every kid who has ever played a competitive sport wishes they could win all the time. But you know what? It ain't ever happened yet. Not in baseball. Not in basketball, football, cross country, swimming, archery.

Remember that story about Francona being blamed for Os closer George Sherill going on the DL? This is how we got there, folks. That same mentality. We baby our players from wiffle ball right on up to the big leagues, and the game is suffering because of it.

Let these boys grow into men. Quit meddling and let them learn the game. Let them grow up. Learn respect. Learn honesty. Learn that while winning isn't everything, you better give your all if you're going to settle for a loss.

What these parents, lawyers, administrators are doing has ripple effects. it's not just a sport on some diamond in suburban New England, it's got implications for the whole darn country and the values we as Americans have shared for 230+ years.

Sox/Yanks: For the Good Times

Beyond this being the last time Red Sox and Yankees renew hostilities in the House that Ruth built, let's put aside the sentiment and admit that both teams have seen better days.

The Yankees -- affectionately known here as the Hankees -- are done for. They're over. They are a husk of their pre-2001 glory, and have been almost since management parted ways with Joe Torre.

The Red Sox -- fresh off their second World Heavyweight Title in four years -- are staggering to the finish line, barely holding off the Ozzies and the Twinkies for a go at the wild card.

The Hankees are ten out of first left to close out their historic ballpark against their mortal rivals in August. The Red Sox are five out of first and have to run the table in this midweek series to keep the glimmer of an AL East title alive.

The Hankees are rehabbing Haz Matsui at the major league level. The Sox are rehabbing Wakey in the bigs. The Hankees discovered that Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes weren't the future they'd hyped. The Sox found out that Clay Pigeon Buchholz needs a bit more seasoning in Sea-Doggie Heaven.

In short, the rivalry has seen better days. The great bastion of baseball bounty has gone barren. The ghosts of the Babe and the Splendid Splinter won't be renewing acquaintences this October. Not at Fenway. Not at Yankee Stadium.