Bottom of the barrel

As we approach the end of April, I have to think that the Red Sox are beginning to feel the desparation.
Micheal Bowden, a several time pitching prospect sent to the Cubs, another lovable loser, for Marlon Byrd. 
Byrd joins the team and will find time platooning with Ryan Sweeney or Darnell MacDonald, to bolster an offense not clicking on all cylinders.  But one that had a 9 run lead over the Yankees on Saturday.

So, I am sure the Sox are scouting this Keith Olbermann chap, perhaps he can help them get an 11 run lead, because nobody trusts the Sox bullpen, let alone the rotation.

Last weekend, if you remember, the Sox were 3 quarters the way to a series win over the Tampa Bay Rays, and by the end of the 3rd game, we suddenly watch them defending Kevin Youkilis for a rough start. Pedroia took issue at comments made by the current manager, Bobby Valentine. Bobby cast some doubts as to Youk's make up, this after the Bosoton's had taken 2 of the first 3 on the Rays.

Great timing coach !  By the end of this weekend, the bullpen is in tatters, Danny Bard is being sent from the rotation to the pen presumably to save their back sides.  The Sox, if you remember started poorly last year, Crawford couldn't hit, Pedroia was scuffling, Papi was okay but not mashing balls, the rotation had issues, Jenks blew saves, but it was a different feel.  Francona was there, and they would rebound, they had a playoff nucleus, with pedigree.  No one , save for Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe was really worried.

A win here or there, get some deeper starts from the starters, and guess what, everything got sorted out, well, until August 31st that is. Then troubles that even Francona could not identify tripped them up.
Hear this...it has not changed., not one bit. Life in Boston, Mass revolves around their icons, The Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins.
Right now, the Sox are coming up the rear, the Pats went to another Super Bowl, Bruins are defending a Stanle Cup and the Celts have at least secured a playoff berth, in a rebuilding year. The Sox have more pressure than all 3 put together, and they know it.

If you watched Saturday's game, it serves as a microcosm of where they are on baseball landscape. They have the bats to put up runs, in bunches.  Then their bats go dry, inexplicably as they did the last 4 innings. When they could have tallied more, they seemed to let up, and lost focus. The Yanks, bouyed by long relief keep trying to chip away, chip away.  Sox starter Felix Doubrant stiffled them over 6 plus innings, but then an innocent Mark Texiera big fly poked a hole in the Sox 100 year celebration balloon.

Ah, it's only one run, but as the top of the 8th rolled around, some of the patrons were leaving, an 9-1 lead with 2 innings left.
Have the townsfolk forgotten the wonders that Fenway reveals, the sudden wind shifts, and the inviting left field wall, the nooks and crannies that serve to bounce a ball in two differnt directions, sending the outfielders in opposite directions.

Well, 14 more runs clammered home, while Bobby Valentine wore out his cleats making pitching changes, and one of the biggest swings had robbed the Sox of what would have been an important win.

Them Damn Yankees had one, and the Boston media begin the Valentine death watch. Rain killed the ESPN Sunday night, primetime game, and maybe that was a repreive for Boston.

I did very much predict a down fall year for Boston, and a 4rth place finish. Let's hope for them, the Orioles don't get their game together, or it's the basement for them.

Put a sock in it Ozzie

I am old enough to remember George Steinbrenner and some of his odd ball remarks, and also am reminded of Marge Schott , the owner of the Cincinnati Reds. I also watched a series on the game where Curt Flood spoke to Auggie Busch, who claimed all his players bunked in the finest hotels, which in the mid 60's was not even close to being right. That was ignorance and he was not aware, Schott was an uncouth as a Roseanne Barr appearance singing the national anthem, the grabbing her loins.

Georgie stumbled over the truth, and stretched it , and was bombastic as they come.

Ozzie Guillen has leat past them all.

In this day and age, there are always those that take offense to the slightest remark that is anti this or that, and there are media teams, and lawyers at the ready to spin the politically correct story, the vanilla and shallow story where no one is offended, just bored.

Ozzie's latest has offended the Miami community, many of whom are refugees from Cuba, and principally a Castro regime that was dictatorial , murderous, and oppresive. It's not that Ozzie's comments were not free speech, it's that this organisation is trying to attract the spanish community, I mean heavens, they hired a  Latin manager, brought in Reyes, kicked the tires on Cuban defectee Cespedes, and even signed that blob Zambrano.  Can anyone think of a worse environment.

Oh and they just opened a new swanky new ballpark, hoping the turnstiles would be bustly with activity.

I won't grace this blog with Guillen's likeness, nor a photo of Fidel, but ardently wish that the Marlins hire a guy to follow him around and at the slightest hint, stick a muzzle on him, or sedate him heavily.

A good first week of the season has been overshadowed by these comments, and also I had the over-under on 3 weeks before he'd get into hot water, so well done Ozzie.

Put a sock in it !

Opening Day

Life begins on Opening Day,. all teams have identical records, and hope springs eternal, and all that crap.

Life is not fair, teams are imbalanced, and the Pirates are hereby eliminated from post season because they choose to pocket there share of the pot, while not adding needed support players.

Well there it is, the Yankees will continue to win divisions, the rich will continue to increase their odds bolstered by their bank account, the big spenders win more than they El Cheapos, and teams that cannot decide make up the soft mushy middle ground.

The Rays eventually with success lessen the impact draftees, they will move stars before they command major salaries, and they will begin their slow slide back to reality.

Money makes good team great, great teams winners, and the poor well, they wait for transfer payments, and quite frankly the poor teams are not that poor, they just do not have motivation to spend more than they do.

But here we are 59 minutes from the Jays opener hoping our team has enough good fortune, and dough to compete against the spenders.

I am prediciting 87 wins, and a close shot at a wild card.

No matter how I see things, hope exists on Opening Day, and we should all be excited, I know Luke and Mike cannot stand the suspense, to the point of being annoying. Well that's Luke for you.

Oh, that is Mike there in the front in the striped shirt, Luke is yelling something, and poor Brad is stuck at ther back, saying "I just wanna see".


Me, I am watching on the couch with a cold one, and will be all long weekend.

Enjoy responsibly folks.

A season begins

I am hoping for sunshine to greet the new season, but April is a saucy month, remember Cleveland was snowed out a few years back.

Certainly the schedule makers attempt to find domes, and southern stadiums to begin the early games, but weather is a unpredictable mother, and never predictable.

Jays will be in Ohio for a 3 game weekend against the Indians, hoping the winds off the lake do not bring rain, or worse. A scheduled off day is worked in for Friday, the schedule makers attempt to squeeze in a second Opening Day opportunity.



Rosters are almost set, maybe a handful of positions need settling, and 5th starters get sent to the minors ( if they have options ) to get work in before a 5th starter is needed , sometime in mid April.
I think Jays fans must be very stoked, they have taken to root for the team at Leaf games no less.

Last chance for 40 winks before The Show begins, and folks there is nothing that compares with Opening Day, as Yogi says, even if it's on the road.

Get your caps ready, check the laces on your gloves, warm up the excuses for Thursday, and let's get this party started.


Time to Play Ball !!!