We're Not Dead Yet

I can't even count the number of times that I planned to write a column titled "R.I.P. 2006 Red Sox Season" in the last two weeks. I'm an optimist, I think it helps me get through life on a relatively even keel. So when I thought the season was over for the Sox, you know the team was in dire straights. After two great pitching performances in a row, first Freddy Kreuger and now Kason Gaba-gaba-hey, the team is not only clinging to their slim playoff chances, but is showing a glimmer of hope. The return of Varitek this week is huge. Getting Papi, Nixon, and Gonzalez back into the lineup doesn't hurt, either. Hopefully Papelbon and Schilling won't be on the mend for too long.

I'm planning to write my NFL season preview tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Pats Prediction

Good thing it's only the pre-season as I failed to post a Pats Prediction last week. I had gone to see the Brockton Rox game last Saturday and forget to throw up a score before I left in the afternoon.

Here is tonight's prediction:

24 - 20 Pats over Redskins

Both teams have potential top 10 defenses but the Skins will really miss having Clinton Portis tonight.


I was in Toronto this week for business so I didn't post anything. I managed to see the Blue Jays play the Athletics on Tuesday. I'll post pictures and details soon.

Rotten Apple, Good Music

I'm definitely not an Apple person; I hate Macs and find them totally unnecessary. I like the internet image that shows a series of baby toys and the Mac one-button mouse with the tagline, "Macs, simple computers for simple people". Several years ago Macs served a purpose in graphical design and computer animation but those days are long gone. The new television commercials showing a middle-aged guy in a tweed jacket as a PC and a young punk as a Mac are clever but they work against Apple. Consumers sympathize with the PC and recognize the "Mac" as representative of its fanbase, smarmy spoiled loyalists.

The one thing that Apple has done right is the iPod. It's a wonderfully designed device. The execution is nearly, if not totally, flawless. The device is compact, simple to operate with one hand, and intuitive. I never read the manual for my iPod; I charged the battery and simply started using it. I am a manual-reading kind of guy, too. I'll spend the time to read the manual for even basic devices just to ensure that I have learned all the little tips and tricks. The iPod didn't require any reading.

Many detractors don't like the iPod because of the forced association with iTunes. Until today I never understood what the fuss was about. I installed iTunes a couple of years ago without any trouble and had not updated the software since. I read about the changes that Apple continually implemented in the digital rights management (DRM) of later versions of iTunes and I avoided all updates like the plague. As a result, I had no complaints. I could purchase music cheaply and easily without going to the store and subsequently burn music CDs for the car or stereo and then rip them back to MP3 format if I need to edit the files for ringtones or other purposes. The DRM had little effect on my music and use of it.

Today I wanted to purchase the new single from the Killers, "When You Were Young". I decided to pre-order the new album since "Hot Fuss" was so good and the new single is great. I heard the new single on the radio yesterday and immediately recognized the artist as the Killers.

When I tried to pre-order the new CD, "Sam's Town" iTunes forced me to upgrade to version 6. I was happily running version 4.7, thank you very much. I begrudgingly went to upgrade my iTunes version and was forced to install Quicktime 7(.1?), too. I'm sick of Apple's pathetic attempts to force the use of Quicktime upon iTunes users and iTunes upon Quicktime users. The only time I ever use Quicktime is if I want to view movie trailers at the Quicktime website. It's totally useless otherwise. Windows Media Player 9 and 10 support High Definition and offer more versatility.

After waiting 15 minutes for the Quicktime portion of the install to complete I shut down the install operation. I had to relaunch Windows and run the entire install again. Way to not piss me off, Apple. If you're going to bundle your crappy software, at least make sure the installation configuration is robust enough to work on PCs. In case you haven't heard, Apple, PCs dominate the market.

Time will tell if the new version of iTunes will really muck up my DRM and use of the software.

I've got my Killers single now and I'll have to wait until October 3rd for the rest of the CD.

I did buy the Angels and Airwaves (AvA) CD, "We Don't Need to Whisper" that I mentioned a few weeks ago. Simply put, this CD is one of the best I've ever heard. I'd be remiss to not mention it and explain it.

I don't for a second believe that "We Don't Need to Whisper" will be, or should be, universally praised and loved as much I love it. I understand the difference between something that will sell 10 million copies and something that might achieve a gold record. The beauty of this CD is that for those people who enjoy the genre of music it should really resonate. It struck a major chord with me.

Tom DeLonge clearly spent months crafting the CD. The major themes are repeated lyrically, as is the case on many a CD, but also musically, sort of like a movie score. There are hints of melodies that are contained in multiple songs. The end result is that the whole CD is simply brilliant. I can't remember another CD that made my spine tingle so much on the first listen.

Again, Tom isn't the world's best singer. The music isn't the most complicated or technically adept. The hooks are incredible though, and the emotion shines through.

I would recommend that anyone who likes alternative rock, rock, power-pop-punk, or similar check out the website at http://www.angelsandairwaves.com/ . You can watch the videos for "The Adventure" and "Do It For Me Now" at the site. If you enter the main site you can listen to "The Adventure" and "It Hurts". For some reason, the "Enter the Site" link will spawn new windows to clothing sites Tom is affiliated with. Click it a few times and you'll get into the site.

If you like the three songs you can hear on the site do yourself a huge favor and pick up the CD (even if you have to use iTunes).

I Like Mike... One Way More Than the Other

I watched a little bit of the Monday Night Football game on ESPN this week. I wanted to see how Tony Kornheiser would do in the booth. While he's not as bad as Dennis Miller, he's not a whole lot better. He seemed tentative to me and he didn't add anything substantive to the broadcast.

I'm actually somewhat annoyed, nay, peeved, that ESPN broke up the Mike Patrick - Paul Maguire - Joe Theismann combination. I really liked those guys as a team. I like Mike Patrick's voice and I have no problems with his calm and excited tones. Paul and Joe provided a "point-counterpoint" type of argument during games while sharing their experience and opinions.

I'm not a fan of Mike Tirico. I don't like his voice; he's too excitable and not even-keeled. He also seems to always have an agenda. I'm not convinced that he's a totally neutral observer.

Another MNF bummer is that Hank Williams Jr. is still going to provide his annoying pregame introduction song. I was hoping that he would be lost in the transition to ESPN. He's going to incorporate all kinds of different guest stars this year. >sarcasm< Woo hoo! >/sarcasm<

The Pats didn't quite live up to my lofty pre-season expectations ("Oh, a sarcasm detector, that's a real useful invention!"), but they did some things well. I was very pleased to see a Corey Dillon reminiscent of the 2004 version. He looks healthy again and appears ready to be a bruiser for the Pats. Laurence Maroney looked awesome last week. He reminded me of St. Louis' Steven Jackson, displaying speed and power (and dreds). I coveted Jackson in the draft a couple years ago, so I hope Maroney is even better.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

It's a Friday night party!

The NFL pre-season continues tonight as the Patriots face the Atlanta Falcons at 8PM on CBS. This is the first pre-season game for the Pats. They should provide a pleasant distraction from the suddenly pathetic Red Sox.

I was happy to find that the St. Louis / Indianapolis game was broadcast in HD on FOX last night. FOX has been showing Saturday baseball games in 16:9 standard-definition. The baseball games look absolutely terrible. I figured FOX might try to pull the same garbage on the fans during the NFL pre-season.

I have no idea if the game is in high-definition on CBS tonight. I hope so.

The NFL pre-season signals the start of many fantasy football leagues. I must admit that the NFL.com fantasy football commercials are pretty funny. I've seen two and they were both memorable. In the first ad one guy is telling the new player that kickers are drafted early and that running backs aren't important because you can always trade for one. He ends by telling the new guy that he's the new guy's friend. In the second ad a guy is trying to draft WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, but he can't pronounce "Hoosh-man-za-da".

And now for a new feature at Digital Sox, the "Pats Prediction". I will predict the outcome of every Patriots game this year.

Pats Prediction:
20 - 13 Pats over Falcons

Brady leads the team to a TD in his only series and the Falcons don't do much until Matt Schaub enters the game. Beyond that, nobody really cares as long as no one gets hurt.

Come On Baby, Light My Fire

The Sox dropped a game they should have won last night. That makes
four straight losses to the D-Rays and Royals, also commonly known as
"the two worst teams in the American League".

The losses are tough enough on their own merit. What bothers me more
than losing games against very bad teams is that no one on the Sox
seems to really care. Even Schilling commented on the fact that the
team maintains a very even keel. That was a positive in Schilling's
eyes.

Well, the laid back approach isn't working.

It's time for someone to light a fire under the Sox' collective backside.

On any other team that guy would be the manager. GL2:EB is too much of
a player's manager, though. By not chewing out the team he's affirming
his nickname (Grady Little 2: Electric Boogaloo, for the uninitiated).

In the absence of a fiery, gutsy manager, the Captain should seize the
opportunity to contribute from the DL. Varitek could light the much
needed fire behind closed doors and get the team pointed in the right
direction.

Be the guy who popped Slappy McPurplelips in the kisser when it was necessary.

We need that passion.

Moblogging, Mo Problems

Rejoice, rejoice, for this is my first ever moblog (mobile blog). I
just got the very awesome Cingular 8125 smartphone. It really is a
great cellphone and a great PDA. More on the phone at a later date.

I want to rant about Shaw's tonight. I enjoy the finer things in life
(at least when time allows). I don't ask much of this world (most of
the time). I only want three things from my grocery store.

1. The ability to redeem bottles and cans.

2. The ability to cash in my loose change.

3. The ability to buy fresh food.

Shaw's managed to pull an 0-fer tonight.

The bottle redemption machine wouldn't take the beer bottles from the
anniversary party we just had for my in-laws. At first I thought that
maybe it was a Crudweiser machine because it said that Sam Adams'
bottles weren't accepted. When it didn't take Crud Light bottles I
knew that Shaw's was starting to piss me off.

Then I dumped my jar of coins onto the sorting tray of the Coinstar
machine. I look up at the screen and notice it says the machine is not
ready for service and please see a manager. As I'm picking up my
change an employee walks by and says the machine is "closed". What.
The. Hell.

So I'm buying my groceries and I'm nearly finished when I pick up some
cottage cheese. I happen to see that said cottage cheese expired FOUR
DAYS AGO!

I used to like my local Shaw's, but now I'm not so certain.

Holy Jet Lag, Batman!

We made it home safely yesterday after taking a red-eye flight to New York and then to Boston. I've never been so jet lagged in my life. Between the heat and humidity (and a hotel without air conditioning) and not getting any sleep overnight yesterday my body doesn't know which way is up. Hopefully by Friday or Saturday I will have recovered.

Comic-Con was fun; we can say we did it and we survived. Just as I suspected, I definitely rank pretty low on the geek scale at Comic-Con. I saw more costumes that I didn't recognize than ones I actually did.



*** Possible "Lost" Season 3 spoilers below. Read at your own risk. Skip to the next set of asteriks to avoid. ***





The "Lost" Q&A session was my highlight of the event. Some quick tidbits:

• Damon Lindleof said that Desmond returns in Season 3 and implied that Locke is alive and well.
• Lindleof also said that Season 3 has a twist in the middle that will blow your mind. By implication from earlier questions I gathered that the twist involves the perceived passage of time on the island.
• Kate will choose her man in the first pod of new episodes, which the producers call a sort of mini-series to start the season.
• The outside world (Penny et al.) will continue to play in a role going forward.
• The show seems planned for about 4 seasons. I had read that J.J. Abrams planned for 7, so this was news to me. The producers hope that ABC doesn't make them drag the show on indefinitely because they don't want to tap dance; they have a planned overall story arc.

.

.

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*** END OF SPOILERS ***

The second best part of the show for me was a tie between the Lionsgate films presentation and a demonstration by Lucasarts.

Lucasarts has been working on a new Indiana Jones game and a new Star Wars game. Both utilize two amazing new technologies. The first involves the artificial intelligence of the enemy. The AI is no longer scripted, but programmed to follow behaviors. As a result, the game is never the same twice. During a demo of the Indy game the bad guys never fell or reacted the same way twice. They tried to approach Indy and were staggered or thrown realistically and uniquely when hit or tossed.

The second technology that Lucasarts demonstrated involved the behavior of materials. If memory serves me correct, the name was "Digital Molecular Modeling". DMM allows materials to bend or break realistically. The demo showed thin wood, thick wood, soft metal, stone, glass, ice, crystal, graphite, and rubber objects all behave appropriately in a Star Wars themed location. The way that wood and glass break is unique depending on where and how the materials are struck. Soft metal gradually deforms while rubber is reflexive and returns to form.

One cool part of the demo had Storm Troopers spawn while being thrown at a wooden ceiling beam. Some, but not many, were able to grab onto the wood with one or both hands to prevent from falling. At one point a Storm Trooper holding the beam with one hand grabbed a fellow Storm Trooper with his free hand. The extra weight caused him to slip from the beam as the beam itself splintered and broke under their combined weight. Even the Lucasarts guys had never seen that happen before.

A brief video of gameplay from the new Star Wars game showed the DMM coupled with the AI. It was amazing. The Storm Troopers would react uniquely to the Jedi shown in the video. When the Jedi used the Force to push the Storm Troopers off the ledge several loose items on the ledge were also pushed over and one Storm Trooper lost his helmet. Then a different Jedi character was shown Force lifting three Storm Troopers and slamming them into the ground. Several small items were also lifted and slammed with the STs. One ST even lost hold of his weapon and tried to reach for it while both he and the gun were suspended in the air. The last part of the video showed a male Jedi lift a single ST and throw him against a large outcropped structure on a wall. The ST grabbed onto the structure to prevent from falling. The Jedi than Force pulled the ST sideways, eventually ripping the entire outcropping and ST from the wall.

Sadly both games are only in development for "Next Generation" consoles at the moment. Looks like you'll need an X-Box 360 or PS3 to play.

Lionsgate previewed several horror movies and a movie called "Crank". "Crank" stars Jason Statham as a hitman who has been injected with a poison. He has only 90 minutes to find out who injected him. Somehow his adrenaline level is involved, but it was not discussed during the panel. I believe he needs to maintain a high level to prevent the poison from taking effect. It was shot in HD and looks very cool.

The other Lionsgate film I'm excited about is "Saw III". A clip was shown at the end of the presentation that was most likely too graphic to receive an "R" rating. In the clip a man who was born into a privileged life yet has spent most of his life in chains in prison is forced to remove about a dozen bull ring style piercings from his body in 90 seconds. The three-to-four inch rings are pierced through his arms, legs, back, Achilles heels, and lower lip/jaw. It was brutal watching and listening to him struggle to save his life. It was more reminiscent of the first "Saw" than the sequel.

Tobin Bell, the actor who plays Jigsaw in the "Saw" movies, sounds just like the character he plays. I had previously assumed he used a deep, throaty, scary voice for the character in the films. It turns out that is his normal voice. If you had his cell phone number, he would scare the crap out of you.

Vacation

Here's my last post before leaving for San Diego tomorrow. We're going to the annual Comic-Con for the first time. It should be a blast. I'm most excited about "Family Guy" on Friday and "Lost" and "Spiderman 3" on Saturday. It should be fun going to a place where my level of geekiness only ranks about a 2 on a 10 scale.

I'm thinking of trying to start some shi* between the Star Wars and Star Trek fans.

The Sox eked out a win against the lowly Royals last night. Mirabelli should have walked on a 3-1 pitch, but a lousy call by plate ump Jim Joyce allowed him the opportunity to hit a game-tying 3-run homer. Thanks Jim!

I saw an interesting short article on Josh Beckett today. The author of "Feeding the Monster" reiterates what we all know about Beckett by now.

I saw Rotoworld questioned Jason Varitek's ability to call a decent game this year. I found the timing sort of interesting seeing that I just praised Varitek's defensive and leadership abilities in my "Mid-Season Musings" post. It made me realize that I'm not really in a position to evaluate Varitek's overall worth and that maybe he can't call a good game. I've always read and heard good things about him and would be a little surprised if he had suddenly become significantly worse than the last few years. I personally still have to think that the health of the starting pitching (and subsequently the quality of pitching) has had a big impact on the result this year as opposed to Varitek's abilities. The article on Beckett above would certainly seem to explain his troubles.



Now for something completely different. I had the chance to play Southers Marsh Golf Club last week. The course was easily one of the best manicured courses I've ever had the chance to play. It has been voted the best golf course in Plymouth four years in-a-row. It also has been voted the best burger in Plymouth. I certainly cannot disagree on either count. I wouldn't mind playing the course again this year, hopefully closer to the cranberry harvest to see the full color of the course.


Lastly, be sure to check out "What If" on NESN at 6PM on Thursday night. NESN has used computer statistical analysis to determine the outcome of Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS if Grady Little had removed Pedro. It should be a very interesting program. I've got the DVR set to record it.

Ch-ch-ch-change

I enabled email posting to my blog today.  This is my first attempt to send an email to Blogger as a post.  Keep your cyber-fingers crossed.  There's really no reason for me to do this, but in theory I could post from remote locations with only email access and not internet access.  I could also use other devices, like cellphones or PDAs, to post.

 

I also enabled the ability for readers to email posts to other people.  The link is at the bottom of each post, near the "comments" link.

 

Finally, I decided to write about life in general.  Yes, I want to write about the Sox and the Pats, but as I've said before, I don't want to rehash games.  Anyone can watch Sports Center or Sports Desk or read the Globe or the Herald.  If I can't say anything unique, or at least present it differently, I'd rather not say it.

 

On that note, I ate lunch at Ruby Tuesday's today.  As of today they have pared down their menu.  I was somewhat disappointed to discover that they only offered about a dozen types of burgers now.  Gone were many of the combinations containing bison meat.  They still offer bison, but it's a simple bacon and American cheese offering.

 

I didn't ask, but I'm hoping that Ruby T's would still make some of the old combinations.  I almost asked to have a bison burger with bacon, cheddar, and some blue cheese on top.  I settled for the smokehouse burger (beef, onion strings, BBQ sauce, cheddar, and bacon). 

 

I also think that Ruby T's needs to pay a royalty to the Rolling Stones so that motion sensors can be installed at the doors.  They would be the one-way directional sensors that detected when customers left the building.  As the customer leaves, the outdoor speaks would play the line, "Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday...".

Mid-Season Musings

Some thoughts from the last few days in sports and the Sox at the unofficial midpoint of the season...

The Sox need pitching help, both a starter and a reliever in my opinion, but given the lack of quality arms available I hope they don't mortgage the future by trading any solid prospects this year. I think the Sox pitching is good enough to make the playoffs and even win the World Series this year, but I think they would be able to bury the Yanks and Jays with some help.

I think a healthy Matt "Meltdown" Clement with his head screwed on straight could be the necessary addition to the rotation. He doesn't have to be amazing, just eat up some innings at the back of the rotation and keep games close, giving the Sox a chance to win.

Julian Tavarez has been hit or miss all year. He could be an asset down the stretch if he strings together some good outings.

Rudy Seanez is worthless. Throw him out with the garbage.

While we're talking about worthless garbage, dump Willie Harris A.S.A.P. He's the worst pinch runner I've ever seen; he's costing the Sox valuable outs and potential runs.

I think that Timlin, Delcarmen, and Papelbon are very solid. I think that Hansen is getting there, but he's still not quite a completely reliable set-up man. Part of the problem may be that Francona pushes him past 3-outs at a time, to which he's seemingly getting more comfortable with. It's the multiple inning appearances that are hurting his numbers.

Varitek should bat in the 8th spot until (hopefully) he heats up. Since Lowell has shown he can't bat 5th either, Nixon and Pena should platoon in the number five spot.

It will be nice to have Pena back (no more Willie!).

Maybe Gonzalez should bat 8th and Tek 9th for while. There's no shame in that. Tek brings a lot to the table as team captain and catcher of the staff even if he's not bringing a lot to the plate this year.


Other topics:

I hate the ESPN baseball power rankings. Whoever does them is a total suck-up and Yankee kiss-ass. I've felt this way for years and it's going to take a lot to change my mind.

How does Michelle Wie suffer from heatstroke? Didn't she grow up in hot and humid (and reportedly beautiful) Hawaii?

Barry Bonds is going to prison, Barry Bonds is going to prison! Ring the bells! Sing it with me, "Barry's going to prison!". It's only a matter of time now. It will be funny for that @$$hole to worry about his @$$hole, if you catch my drift.

I heard one of the guys on ESPN News pronounce Hanley Ramirez's first name "AHN-lay".

I heard the song "The Adventure" by Angels and Airwaves on the radio. I thought it was Blink-182. Turns out the band is fronted by Tom Delonge of Blink fame. Sounds like it could be a great CD.

We'll be heading to the Comic-Con International in San Diego on Wednesday. It should be fun. I can't wait for the presentation by the producers of the show "Lost".

Red Is Better Than White

The Red Sox handled the White Sox on the road this weekend but they couldn't finish the job yesterday. The good guys won the first two games of the series relatively easily before failing to put away the defending champs on Sunday.

Jermaine "Why Won't You" Dye hit a game-tying homerun in the bottom of the 9th off Jonathan Papelbon with two outs. The Sox then managed to score twice in the 11th inning but missed two key opportunities in the bottom of the inning. First, "Why Won't You" Dye failed to touch third base when returning to second base on a flyout. The Red Sox didn't notice and failed to appeal. The miscue gave the White Sox another opportunity to tie the game. The next batter hit a potential double-play ball but A.J. "the Punk" Pierzynski slid well outside the baseline with both arms raised. His actions helped the runner beat the throw. Had the Red Sox completed the second half of the double-play, the game would have been over. Rudy "How Am I Still Pitching In the Major Leagues This Year" Seanez didn't have enough gas in the tank to get through the 19th inning.

Winning the series against the White Sox was a nice pickup after tanking against the Devils Rays earlier in the week. I still don't understand how the D-Rays can play the Sox so well, but fold against the Yanks. The D-Rays at least came back from a 5-0 deficit to win Sunday.

Red Hot Sox

The title says "Sox", you pervert.

The Sox are absolutely smoking, having won 14 of their last 15 games. They won 12 in row before conceding defeat to the Marlins on Friday night. They threw Jason Johnson on the mound against Dontrelle Willis, the Marlins' ace, in what could only be viewed as a blatant waving of the white surrender flag. I assume that management was hoping Willis would have an off night and the Sox offense would overcome any deficit that Johnson would create. Well, Johnson was as bad as advertised early, allowing five runs in the first two innings. The Sox didn't recover and lost for the first time in two weeks. They did go on to win the last two games of the series. In doing so they managed to tie the all time best mark in interleague play for a season at 16-2.

The NESN broadcast tonight is stuttering as if the frame rate is not what it should be. In the past I had assumed that my Motorola 6412 had simply become too warm. Turns out it's only NESN that's the problem. I just checked my incoming signal strength and found that NESN was only "Fair". ESPN HD, on the other hand, was "Good" and had twice the signal-to-noise ratio. Come on, NESN, don't play me like that. Boost your signal strength. I haven't yet attempted to correlate the problem with the location of the team or the weather conditions. It's perfectly clear and warm here, though.

Yes, I think Schilling was snubbed by Ozzie Guillen in not being elected to the All-Star game. However, I think Francisco Liriano was a bigger Guillen snub. I'm also shocked that Nomar was not chosen for the NL team. Both Liriano and Nomar are eligible to voted in by the fans in the MLB Final Vote.

I would like to propose that in the future the managers of the All-Star game are only allowed to add a single player from their own team. That would ensure that fan and player balloting accounted for the primary selections and the managers would be mostly responsible for electing the representatives from crummy teams. It would also remove much of the nepotism that Guillen and Joe Torre are so found of. I would also hope that baseball either drops the stupid rule calling for each team to be represented, or better yet, finds a way to increase the parity among the big and small market teams.

A Perfect Ten

The Sox won their 10th game in a row last night. Lester pitched out of two difficult bases loaded jams in the fourth and fifth innings. His record now stands at 3-0 with an E.R.A. of 2.95. His batting average against is around .221 and he's averaging more than one strikeout per inning. If he cuts down on his walks, he won't be in as many jams. I definitely think that the kid is here to stay; he would have to have a Clement-like meltdown to be sent back to Pawtucket. I actually have more confidence in Lester right now that I've ever had with Clement. I think Lester will be fine down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Coupled with a Yankee loss the Jedi/Rebel Forces now have a three-and-a-half game lead over the Evil Empire.

We all know that the Yankees are the Evil Empire in the galaxy of baseball. The role of the Sox was never clearly identified. I think that historically the Red Sox would equate to simply an average band of Rebel Forces. Now that the ghosts of the past have been vanquished the case could be made that they play a more prominent role in the galaxy of baseball.

Here in an image I created in 2003 during the ALCS. I think that Clemens and Nomar came out the best.

I don't want to preach in this corner of cyberspace, but I will take a quick moment to stand on my virtual soapbox. I hate and abhor three types of people in this world: child molesters/abusers, wife-beaters, and drunk-drivers. I'm glad that the local and national media did not let the Philadelphia Phillies sweep the Brett Myers incident under the rug. Myers was seen assaulting his wife on Boylston Street in Boston last week. He is a foot taller and weighs twice that of his wife. What he did has no place in our society. The Phillies did not handle the incident correctly this weekend. Thanks to the media it appears that they may be taking steps in the right direction.

*steps down*

I was glad that Sox fans applauded Pedro yesterday. It was a classy move by the Sox to show the highlight clips and a classy move by the fans to show so much love and respect. Yes, Pedro was my favorite Sox player through my college years and beyond. No, I don't condone his actions when he left (it's never okay to agree verbally to a contract with a team only to have your agent leverage your verbal agreement against another team to get more money/years). Pedro didn't pull a Damon here; he didn't say that he could never play for the Yankees and then run to them. Pedro simply used the Sox to get a better contract from the Mets. His Koufaxian career has been like a comet, incredibly bright, but short-lived. He deserves to be remembered as one of the best, if not, the best, pitcher in Red Sox history.

The moron running Boston Dirt Dogs had been planning, nay, hoping and praying for, a boo-fest for Pedro for weeks. I'm glad the fans were smarter than him. Once he sold-out to Boston.com his content went from uber-fan who believed every rumor to be stone-cold truth to a simply rehashing the daily headlines and pushing his opinion on the rest of us. I liked him more when he still cared about the team and not the money. The only content worthwhile on his site these days are the custom illustrations.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Commissioner, Peter Gammons, and his family.

Walk This Way

Big Papi, the greatest clutch hitter in the history of the Boston Red Sox, did it again. Ortizzle hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th inning yesterday to give the Red Sox their 9th consecutive victory. Ortiz beat the Phillies with walk-off hits in back-to-back games to close out the three game series. That gives him three walk-off hits in the last 15 days. Somewhere, ARod is crying.

Kevin Youkilis scored the winning run and had a hit that was just as important yesterday. His game-tying double with two outs kept the Sox hopes alive and gave Big Papi a chance. I hope that Youk gets his due.

Craig Hansen got his first victory of the year after allowing an inherited run to score in the top of the 12th inning. Why does GL2:EB insist on bringing Hansen into games with runners on base? Let the kid cut his teeth with clean innings. Then if he gives up a hit, he's not giving up a run at the same time. He needs to gain the confidence that Papelbon possesses. Giving up runs every time out won't help him.

Bill Simmons wrote a piece about Papelbon for ESPN the Mag. I totally agree with his sentiment; my head says that Papelbon should be a starter next year, but my heart says he should remain the closer.

The Sports Guy somehow decided that Papelbon's nickname is "Paps". I think that sounds like a gynecological procedure. Simmons has had nickname issues ever since he moved to L.A. I don't know if he has faulty sources or if he's just too far out of touch with the east cost, but he misspells "Youk" and used to misspell "Big Papi". Someone needs to tell him to simply stop using nicknames altogether.

My last post was #50. So pop open the champagne (or better yet, a beer), but drink responsibly.

I Heard That You Missed Me

I suppose that I'm obligated to explain the dearth of posts here for the last month or so. The simple truth is really multi-faceted.

1. I've been crazy busy at work.
2. The Sox went through a funk and seemingly everyone had the injury bug.
3. Feedster claims that they were going to add Digital Sox to the list of Sox blogs on Boston.com. It hasn't happened yet.
4. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to capture thoughts and ideas and save them to write about at a convenient time.
5. I want to put the necessary time and effort into blogging so that I can write creatively and really find my voice. I don't want to simply rehash news or data that you can find on any website or blog.

Without giving away too much detail I will say that I currently work for a large consumer products company that is based in Boston. At least it was for the last ninety years or so. They "merged" with an even larger consumer products company based in Cincinnati. As a result I will be helping provide "the best a man can get" for only 5 more business days. Trying to launch three SKUs (possibly four), transition a chemical business, clean out your lab and desk, and find a new job is not all it's cracked up to be. A short while ago I was either taking a quick 15-minutes to post in the morning or leaving work on time and posting as soon as I got home. That hasn't happened for a while.

The Sox were starting to bum me out with the yearly June swoon. I certainly have become accustomed to it, but I've never attempted to blog through it in the past. The fact that the injury bug had seemingly bitten the team didn't help the matter. Sure, I poked fun at it with this post but frustrations with work made it difficult to blog about. I am by no means a fair weather Sox fan. I bleed Red Sox red through-and-through. I don't believe that real Sox fans could ever be fair weather fans given the history of the team. I watch way too many innings on NESN every year (at least according to my wonderful wife). Thankfully, the team has righted the ship and currently have an eight game winning streak.

I submitted my blog to Feedster to submit to Boston.com's list of fan blogs during Spring Training. At the start of the season I was blogging almost every day. Feedster said they would be submitting my blog to the list. I haven't seen it yet. It was sort of disheartening knowing that I could have increased readership by being added to the list at Boston.com but that nothing was happening on that front.

I have to figure out how to save "seeds" of posts. I can always type a few sentences and save the post as a draft but for some silly reason Blogger will treat the date of creation of the draft as the post date no matter when the draft is actually finished and posted. This might work, but I don't know how it would handle posts that are seemingly out-of-order chronologically. Maybe I can start using my PDA or saving drafts in GMail or something. I'm open to suggestions.

I like using creative metaphors and analogies. I enjoy carefully crafting pieces. Sites like Blogspot make bloggers a dime a dozen. I want to be different if only in quality, not necessarily content. I want to put the effort into posting that results in a blog I can be proud of.

The good news is that I will have a lot more time in July to post. I will be starting a new job August 1st and will have to reevaluate the blogging situation at that time. In the interim I will be attempting to post 5 or 6 times a week in July, save for the trip to San Diego we'll be taking.

Back to the Sox. Today they try to win their 9th straight game. They haven't made an error in almost two weeks. They are 10-1 against the National League so far this year. If they lose today, it will probably be because I jinxed them and the team made three errors. Let me apologize right now if that happens.

He Ain't Pretty No More

Steelers' QB Ben Roethlisberger crashed his motorcycle on June 12th in Pittsburgh. While I don't ever wish harm on anyone, I think that Big Ben might have been the victim of some much needed karmic retribution. You see, Mr. Roethlisberger is a big, fat liar. In July 2005 he was interviewed about riding motorcycles by ESPN's Andrea Kremer. How many times did his proverbial pants catch on fire? At least three by my count. And everyone knows that it's three strikes and you're out.

Here are his own words compared to the facts.


Roethlisberger: But when you're riding a Harley or a chopper and you're riding with a group of people and you're not on the highway and you're cruising, you're relaxing. I don't think its as much of a risk as people make it out to be.

Strike 1: LIAR! Benny-boy was riding solo.


Roethlisberger: I think it can be a risk. It depends on how you ride. I don't ride a sport bike. If I'm riding a sport bike and trying to do tricks, and going 200 miles down the highway, that's probably pretty stupid... I ride a Harley and a chopper.

Strike 2: LIAR! He was riding a black 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa, a "large, racing-style bike".


ESPN: I assume you have your license?
Roethlisberger: Yes.

Strike 3: LIAR! Roethlisberger did not have license. That means he was required to wear a helmet and will face a whopping $388 in fines. He should be thrown in jail.


Roethlisberger is lucky to be alive. Helmet or no, he's lucky that he only scrambled his face and not his brains.

Riske Business

Ugh... The bullpen is decimated right now. Timlin went on the DL over the weekend which could cripple the Sox for a few weeks. After climbing back against the Jays last night and tying the game on a three run Varitek homerun David Riske promptly gives up the go-ahead run. I don't know why GL2:EB put Riske in that situation in only his second appearance of the season. Foulke and Papelbon were available last night. Bill James would have sent Papelbon into the game in the 8th inning. Is there any chance the Sox can hire James to be the manager?

Coco Crisp made an early return to team on Sunday. In fact, Sunday marked his Fenway debut. He's 3-for-9 since his return with a homerun. Soon enough he'll be batting leadoff again.

Wakefield was brilliant on Sunday throwing eight shutout innings. The bullpen nearly blew the 5-0 lead in the 9th inning. Certainly Mirabelli's inability to catch a 3rd strike, resulting in the Sox having to get four outs, didn't help the cause.

It was great to see the Sox complete a four game sweep of the Devil Rays over the weekend. It was even nicer to beat Scott Kazmir for a change. Papi dealt the killer blow with a three run double off the center field wall.

Injuries have hit hard this week. It looks like Clement might be feeling the effects of the line drive he took off the leg last week. Wells is going to miss his scheduled start tonight. Wily Mo joins Timlin on the DL. Keep your fingers crossed boys and girls.

Early Retirement

Tubby just took a line drive off his bad knee tonight. I'm betting that his career is now over.

I was hit in the knee by a baseball-sized rock thrown by a friend (I know, some friend!) back in my Little League days. I missed my next game because I couldn't run on the bad leg. Tubby has no cartilage in his right knee and was hit by a baseball traveling a lot faster than the rock that hit me. I can't see him returning.

It's a shame considering the rehab he required just to play this year and then the rehab required after his season debut. We need pitching. As good as Wily Mo plays, we could really use Bronson right now (see yesterday's closing paragraph).

Where's Jack Bauer When You Need Him?

"Slit his throat. Cut deep to sever the vocal chords and carotid artery." - 24's Jack Bauer

Jack Bauer is brutally efficient counter-terrorist agent. He saves the world 24-hours at a time without eating or using the bathroom. He's not afraid to torture, maim, or kill you to get critical information or to prevent disaster.

The Red Sox could have used a bit of Jack Bauer last night. The Yankees were licking their wounds with Posada and Damon on the bench nursing injuries. Randy Johnson was ineffective as advertised yesterday. Yet somehow the Red Sox could not finish off the Yankees and managed to lose the game.

Matt (insert nickname pertaining to "mental", "meltdown", or simply, "overpaid") Clement demonstrated exactly why GL2:EB skipped him in the rotation last week so Clement could avoid the Yanks. Look at how many times Papelbon has been hit by or has deflected the baseball coming off the bat and still made the play. Clement made no attempt to field the ball after getting hit in the leg last night.

I was okay with the Arroyo trade when it happened. I think I've changed my mind. Even if Bronson had an E.R.A. of 7.50 right now and didn't have a win to his name, I would still trade Clement to get him back on the team.

Rubberized

Tim Wakefield and Doug Mirabelli looked an awful lot like Tim Wakefield and Josh Bard last night. Ironically, as the game started I thought about how much more comfortable I feel having Mirabelli back in his familiar role of personal backstop to Wake. In the 6th inning last night Wakefield fell apart and Mirabelli was charged with three passed balls. The Yanks took advantage and held on for the 7-5 victory.

The ever more ugly (as a person and a visage) and ever less effective Randy Johnson faces up-and-down Matt Clement tonight in the rubber match of the series. The oddsmakers favor the Sox in this game and I'm not going to disagree. I think RJ is totally washed up and will retire after this season. He's a thrower, not a pitcher.

Wily Mo Pena is scheduled to return to the Sox lineup tonight. I think I would have gouged out one of my eyes if I had to suffer through three straight nights of Willie Harris. I understand and agree with the decision to leave Adam Stern in Pawtucket; he needs to get at bats and playing to continue to develop. I don't, however, understand how or why the Sox can't get a better backup outfielder in the short term. I suppose the problem will resolve itself when Coco returns from the DL.

10-4 Good Buddy

Or 9-5. Either way, the Yanks got it handed to them by the Sox once again last night. Schilling was excellent. This was the first game since Schilling threw 133 pitches against the Indians that he actually looked dominant. He had been scuffling a little bit since that outing. The Sox are now 4-1 against NY this year.

Patrick Hruby wrote a great piece on the number of homeruns that Bonds* would have hit without steroids. He discusses the key factors influenced by Barry's chemical intake and their affect on homerun output. It's a good read for stat-heads and casual fans alike.

Wanted: A Starting Pitcher

Must be able to throw 80-120 quality pitches every 5th day. Pitches should include a fastball between 88 and 100 MPH. Fastball in the 92-97 MPH range preferred. Must also possess at least two other quality pitches. Preferred pitches include 90-93 MPH slider, 82-86 MPH curveball (either a 12-6 break or 1-7 break), and a changeup in the 76-80 MPH range. Additional pitches, such a sinker or knuckleball, are also welcome. Applicants must possess excellent command of all pitches (see Greg Maddux). Applicants without excellent command must possess the ability to vary speeds and throw pitches with excellent movement (see Pedro Martinez).

Benefits include:

• the opportunity to reach the playoffs.
• a good chance to win a World Series ring.
• excellent run support.
• a very good bullpen.
• lots of media coverage and exposure.
• the opportunity to sign multiple endorsement deals.
• a great team physician, Dr. Bill Morgan, oops an adequate team physician

Serious applicants only. Relocation packages available. To inquire, call Theo Epstein, General Manager and Executive Vice President of the Boston Red Sox.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I hope that people in this area have made more progress building their respective arks than I have. I feel fortunate to live where I do as I have been relatively unaffected by the near constant rains of the last 10 days. The sunshine on Wednesday and Thursday was wonderful and the temperature was perfect. I finally got to play a round of golf this year. I feel for those individuals who have to deal with flooding and water damage. Stay dry and stay safe.

The Sox have had a quiet week so far. They have only played three games, going 2-1 against the Orioles. They had an off day yesterday and had two games rained out last weekend. Tonight they start a three game series in Philadelphia.

There has been a lot of jibber-jabber by the talking heads inside the radio and TV regarding the lineups that the Sox will or should use against the Phillies. If you believe D&C on WEEI, Youk will sit tonight as Ortiz plays first, then Youk will play 3rd as Lowell sits on Saturday, and finally Ortiz will rest on Sunday as Youk moves back to 1st base.

I disagree with the notion that Ortiz is a complete liability in the field. Big Papi should have dispelled that notion by his play in the 2004 World Series. I do agree that he's a big downgrade defensively from the stellar play of Kevin Youkilis, but he's not a disaster waiting to happen. I think that the rotating lineup is the best bet for this weekend. When the Sox travel to Atlanta and Florida later in the season the health of the team could dictate the lineups. Having a healthy team is a blessing that leads to healthy debate.

I was discussing the impact of the eventual return of Coco Crisp to the Sox lineup with a friend the other day. If Loretta had not broken out of his slump, Youkilis would have been well suited in the #2 spot behind Crisp. Loretta has been on fire lately, though, and I think he's better suited to move runners over with sac bunts and to protect runners when the hit-and-run is called. As it stands now, we figured that Youk would be best suited at #6, as opposed to #7, #8, or #9. His high average and on-base percentage would help keep innings alive and drive in runs behind the big bats in the order. I'd like to see the impact he could have at #6.

Drivers Aren't Athletes

Kurt Busch and Michael Waltrip have each thrown out the ceremonial first pitch at a Major League Baseball game this year. Both NASCAR drivers were simply awful. Awful. Busch threw like an effeminate wimp. Waltrip threw the ball into the 3rd base dugout.

These two drivers are helping to prove two points. Drivers are not athletes. NASCAR is not a sport.

NASCAR is an entertainment event. It should be covered under the Arts and Entertainment section of the newspaper. It should not take up time or space on sports shows, channels, or papers. NASCAR should receive as much coverage on SportsCenter as the WWE does.

NASCAR drivers are skilled individuals who can navigate crowded racetracks at very high speeds for hours at a time in brutal heat. They are not athletes. The more they pose as athletes the more they will be exposed.

If a kid can't go outside and play NASCAR, NASCAR is not a sport. I, for one, hope that NASCAR stops being covered as a sport.

Every Game Counts

The three game series the Sox just completed in New York went about as well as one could have hoped for. The Sox won two of the three games (hello, Marvin!) while facing the top of the Yankees rotation. Boston has now won three of four against the Yanks.

Game one was a romp, with the Sox pounding the now ineffective Randy Johnson. The national media continued to pump Johnson as a great pitcher before the game. His numbers and performance this year told a different story. After surrendering seven runs to the Sox and looking awful on the mound, the media has come around to see the light. Johnson's mechanics were simply awful and he isn't a pitcher ready to get by on smarts and location. Even at his peak he was never a great pitcher, but rather an intimidating thrower. Thanks to some of E-Rod's continued superb defense against the Sox Johnson was only charged with two earned runs. He actually lowered his E.R.A. from 5.02 to 5.01.

Mike Mussina has completely turned the corner this year and become a crafty pitcher. Mussina now mixes speeds and uses great control to fool batters. Game two featured the most intriguing matchup of the series, Mussina against Schilling. The Sox got to Mussina early, but failed to put him away. Jason Varitek's inability to get a big hit with the bases loaded allowed New York to climb back into the game. Mussina settled down and Schilling didn't. Schill missed his location with a few pitches and the Yankees managed to take him deep repeatedly. Game two showed New York's response to criticism from Georgie Porgie.

Game three featured textbook pitching and defense by the Sox but was an exercise in frustration at the plate. Boston left 15 men on base and left the bases loaded three times. The tying and winning runs scored when Miguel Cairo failed to hold onto a throw as Mark Loretta reached first and the two players collided. I'm sure that Loretta would have preferred to line a base hit into the outfield. Game three proved costly for New York as Hideki Matsui broke his wrist in the 1st inning, ending his consecutive games played streak.

If the rain holds off, the Sox are scheduled to play three games against the Rangers this weekend. Hopefully they can continue their 7-2 pace in the month of May.

Radio Plagiarism?

I was listening to Dennis and Callahan on WEEI 850 AM this morning from 7:20 to 7:40 AM. They were discussing Barry Bonds* and whether or not race was coming into play with the way that Barry is treated by fans and the media. They made every point that I wrote about last night. If I didn't know better, I would think that those guys had read my blog earlier this morning. They talked about how Bonds* is so disliked because he's a cheater and a fraud, not because of the color of his skin. They also speculated about the treatment and scrutiny that McGwire would be facing if he were still an active player.

It's Time...

...for Barry Bonds* to simply go away.

First, props to the Sox for going 5-1 on their homestand. They beat the Yanks, split two games with the Jays, and swept the O's. They have now won their last 11 games against the Orioles.

Now back to 'Roid Raging Barry. I'm sick of reading about the guy. First and foremost he's the biggest cheater that baseball has ever known. He tarnished his career, his reputation, and the game of baseball for his own personal gain. What really chaps my ass is that he was completely motivated by race. At least so say the authors of "Game of Shadows". Considering how often Bonds* plays the race card I don't find it hard to believe that he was jealous of Mark McGwire.

Why does Barry consider it racist for the media to call him a "cheater"? Steroids are regulated drugs. They are illegal without a prescription. Baseball even submitted a memo to all clubs in 1991 reminding them that steroids were illegal. To say that Bonds* or any other player was unaware of steroid rules regarding the game of baseball is to play the fool with your head in the sand. Barry is asking you to play that fool when he says that he is unfairly portrayed.

And why does Barry consider it okay to be jealous of a "white boy" when he so often hides behind the race card? Has he ever heard of "reverse racism"? In addition to McGwire, Bonds* has often talked about passing Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list. Ruth, being white, also provides extra motivation for Bonds*.

If Mark McGwire had been healthy enough to continue playing, he would be facing the same scrutiny today. McGwire was smart enough to leave the game before his joints were all bone-on-bone and before the accusations of illegal performance enhancers were too loud to ignore.

Bonds* is a child among men, a loser among legends, a cheater among those with true love for the game. It's time he went away.

This Just In - Bushwacked

The Houston Texans have agreed to a deal with defensive end Mario Williams making him the number one pick in the NFL draft. As I said on Thursday, I understand the logic behind selecting Williams. I certainly hope that the Texans exhausted all possible scenarios to trade down a slot or two before agreeing to terms with Williams.

The New Orleans Saints now should definitely make a trade out of the #2 spot. I think the Jets have to give up the necessary picks to move up and select Reggie Bush. There is a very slim chance that Bush could slip to New York if the Saints were to select D'Brickashaw Ferguson (I finally spelled his name correctly with the first "a") and the Titans were to select a quarterback. I don't the Jets should take that risk. Bush would make some sense for New Orleans because Deuce McAllister hasn't been able to stay healthy the past two seasons.

My quick-fix at the top (which I said I wouldn't do - so I lied, big freakin' deal!):

1. HOU - Mario Williams, DE, N.C. State
2. NO - *trade* - NYJ - Reggie Bush, RB, USC
3. TEN - Vince Young, QB, Texas
4. NYJ - *trade* - NO - A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State
5. GB - D'Brickashaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia
6. SF - Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland
7. OAK - Matt Leinart, QB, USC

Let's keep the rest the same for now...

Is It Drafty In Here?

All I can say about the Sox game last night is, "Ouch, baby. Very ouch."

With the NFL draft tomorrow I have a few questions. I've included my answers. You can leave your answers in the comments sections for this post.


What position should the Patriots address in the 1st round? DB, LB, RB, WR, other?

I hope they select a DB or LB in the 1st round.

Should the Patriots trade up from #21 to get an impact player at LB or WR?

I'm comfortable sitting at #21 and keeping all 11 picks.

Should the Patriots trade for Packers WR Javon Walker, a player coming off a very serious injury? It would likely take a second round pick and more.

This is a difficult question to answer. If they can trade only a second round pick and a backup player for Walker, I would make the trade. I wouldn't trade anything more for him.

Which players would you like to see the Pats draft on the 1st day?

I would like to see LB Chad Greenway or LB Bobby Carpenter in the 1st round, DB Cedric Griffin, S Darnell Bing, or S Ko Sampson in the 2nd round, and maybe RB Brian Calhoun and WR Maurice Stovall, WR Derek Hagan, or WR Jason Avant in the 3rd round.

A Day Early, A Dollar Extra

Here is my soon to be world famous NFL Draft 1st Round Prediction. I'm a day early thanks to the awful performance of the Sox last night.

1. HOU - Reggie Bush, RB, USC
Bush by all accounts is a special player. Houston cannot afford to pass on such a dynamic playmaker. After reading this Michael Smith column I do see the logic in drafting Mario Williams ahead of Bush. I don't think the Texans will pass on Bush, though.

2. NO - Mario Williams, DE, N.C. State
New Orleans seemed destined to draft Matt Leinart or Vince Young before they acquired Drew Brees in the offseason. Now the Saints are positioned to trade this pick to a team hoping to nab one of the two QBs. I don't think they will find any takers and they will be happy to select Williams.

3. TEN - Vince Young, QB, Texas
I think that Vince Young has a higher ceiling that Matt Leinart and that Young will fit the current system in Tennessee better than Leinart. Some have questioned Leinart's ability to throw the deep ball and his accuracy. Count me among them. I think the Titans are content to wait 1-2 seasons developing Young regardless of the status of Steve McNair's contract.

4. NYJ - Matt Leinart, QB, USC
Matt Leinart, who would be playing for the San Francisco 49's had he entered the draft last year, falls into the lap of the Jets. The Jets covet Leinart but aren't willing to trade up to get him. They luck out here and get a player made for the New York market. Leinart should be a good QB, if not a great one, but he'll be perfect for advertisers no matter his career path.

5. GB - D'Brickshaw Ferguson, OT, Virginia
In any other year Ferguson would be discussed as a candidate to be drafted #1 overall. Green Bay has a lot of needs and will get a solid player here. Ferguson helps an offensive line that was really hurt by free agency last year. If Ferguson is off the board, look for Green Bay to select A.J. Hawk. Either way the Packers will get an immediate upgrade at a position of need.

6. SF - Vernon Davis, TE, Maryland
The Niners have been targeting Davis as an offensive weapon to help the development of Alex Smith. Davis is a freak - 6'-3 1/4" with sub 4.4 speed - who will help define the current playmaking tight end in the NFL. He's the newest Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates will even better wheels and more upside.

7. OAK - A.J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State
Oakland takes the best player on the draft board with Hawk. By all accounts he's a smart player with great instincts. If he continues to grow his hair, he could easily fill the "Bill Romanowski Pyschopath Look" void in the NFL. He and Mario Williams will compete for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

8. BUF - *trade* - STL - Jay Cutler, QB, Vanderbilt
The Bills aren't thrilled about potentially drafting Haloti Ngata or Brodrick Bunkley here. Cutler, who theoretically could be drafted as high as #7 to Oakland or as low as #17 to Minnesota, is once again on the rise. Saint Louis is concerned that Arizona will take Cutler at #10 so they move up to grab him here.

9. DET - Michael Huff, DB, Texas
Detroit gets the player they want here. Huff is a DB with experience at cornerback and safety. Most scouts think he'll be a better utilized as a cornerback in the NFL. The Lions can't go wrong with Huff and could use him at either DB spot.

10. ARI - Jimmy Williams, CB, Virginia Tech
Dennis Green and the Cardinals are afraid that LB Ernie Sims may have a history of suffering concussions. Sims potential injury history will scare the Cardinals. Green, however, is not scared by potential character issues (see Randy Moss). Arizona takes a player with fluctuating draft stock in Williams who can help this team right away but has some character concerns.

11. STL - *trade* - BUF - Winston Justice, OT, USC
Buffalo is able to slide down a few spots and select Justice without making too big of a reach for him. Justice is yet another player with some questions about character. His performance at the Trojans workout day did improve his draft stock enough that he will be selected in the #10-15 range.

12. CLE - Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon
Cleveland is thrilled to find that Ngata falls into their lap. They would like to select Ngata or Kamerion Wimbley here. Both players will help Romeo Crennel shore up the Browns defense.

13. BAL - Santonio Holmes, WR, Ohio State
Baltimore is disappointed that Winston Justice is off the board because they hoped to trade down with Dallas or Tampa Bay. Baltimore is stuck and takes the best player who fits a need. Holmes is more polished than Chad Jackson and should help Kyle Boller more than Jackson would. That said, don't be surprised if Jackson and Holmes flip-flop positions here.

14. PHI - Chad Jackson, WR, Florida State
Philly is also disappointed to see Winston Justice gone. They will take Holmes or Jackson here, whichever player remains available. They need to try and replace the playmaking ability of Terrell Owens.

15. DEN - *trade* - NE - Chad Greenway, LB, Iowa
Denver wanted to select Holmes or Jackson here. It's too much of a reach to grab Laurence Maroney here. New England is rumored to be interested in trading up. I would be shocked if Belichick and Company selected a wide receiver or running back this high in the draft. Greenway played under head coach Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, who is a Belicheck disciple from their days with the Cleveland Browns (now Baltimore Ravens). He's a natural fit for the Patriots here.

16. MIA - Kamerion Wimbley, DE/LB, Florida State
Miami is happy to select Wimbley who can help improve an aging defense under the guidance of head coach Nick Saban. Wimbley can play defensive end or outside linebacker in a Willie McGinest or Terrell Suggs type of role.

17. MIN - Ernie Sims, LB, Florida State
Minnesota doesn't get Jay Cutler but the Vikes do get a great value selection by taking Sims here. Minnesota seems to be a franchise in disarray under its new ownership. Trading Culpepper was a stupid move. Drafting Sims is a smart move.

18. DAL - Donte Whitner, S, Ohio State
Dallas doesn't get Winston Justice by trading up and can't reach for offensive line help here. They take second best safety prospect in the draft in Whitner.

19. SD - Brodrick Bunkley, DT, Florida State
The Chargers make it three Seminoles in four picks by selecting Bunkley here. The Chargers are a very good team that should have made the playoffs last year. They have the luxury of selecting the best available player, such as Bunkley, who could be drafted in the top 10.

20. KC - Johnathan Joseph, CB, South Carolina
Herm Edwards and the Chiefs need DB help to improve their defense. Last year's top pick, linebacker Derrick Johnson, will appreciate the addition of Joseph.

21. NE - *trade* - DEN - Laurence Maroney, RB, Minnesota
Denver is able to trade down and select the running back who best fits their zone blocking scheme. Maroney is a much better value at #21 than at #15. Denver could try to trade down further with a team like Jacksonville who could lose out on a top running back by having Carolina sitting in the spot before them.

22. SF - Manny Lawson, DE, N.C. State
San Francisco got an impact player on offense in Vernon Davis at #6. They get an impact player on defense at #22 in Manny Lawson. Niner fans and coaches should be happy with the first round.

23. TB - Antonio Cromartie, CB, Florida State
Cromartie is a bit of an enigma. He hasn't played that much due to injuries but has been brilliant in flashes. He has great measurables for a cornerback. He could be drafted in the late teens so he's a great value here for Tampa Bay.

24. CIN - Jason Allen, S, Tennessee
Cincinnati is a good young team. Allen fills a need and is a great value. If Dallas selects Allen at #18, look for the Bengals to take Donte Whitner here.

25. NYG - Tye Hill, CB, Clemson
The Giants don't have many holes to fill. They could use more help at cornerback and at receiver/returner. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Giants select Sinorice Moss here, but I think he's a bit of a reach. The Giants have no pressure to reach for a player and Hill is a better value.

26. CHI - *trade* - IND - DeAngelo Williams, RB, Memphis
The Bears need a tight end. The Colts need a running back. Any TE would be a reach here. Williams is a steal. This trade makes a lot of sense for both teams. If Indy doesn't move up, they will either be forced to wait for a running back in a later round or reach for Joseph Addai.

27. CAR - LenDale White, RB, USC
White was the #2 running back in the draft until he got hurt and got fat. I still think he's a excellent prospect and would love to see him in a Pats uniform. Carolina is in need of running back help and won't let White fall to Jacksonville.

28. JAX - Ashton Youboty, CB, Ohio State
Jacksonville would love to DeAngelo Williams or LenDale White. Unfortunately they won't. They select the best available player in Youboty. Bobby Carpenter is a possibility but he won't be as valuable to the Jaguars.

29. NYJ - Nick Mangold, C, Ohio State
The Jets got a franchise QB at #4 and they get him some protection here. Mangold is a solid selection for the Jets. Marcus McNeill wouldn't surprise me, either.

30. IND - *trade* - CHI - Leonard Pope, TE, Georgia
Pope is a good value here for the Bears. He's a bit of a reach if they stay at #26. Tight end is the Bear's biggest need.

31. SEA - Kelly Jennings, CB, Miami
The Seahawks could take Sinorice Moss but elect to go with his teammate Jennings. Seattle signed Nate Burleson to help their receiving core so Jennings makes more sense here.

32. PIT - Sinorice Moss, WR, Miami
The Steelers lost a great receiver/returner in Antwaan Randle El when he signed with Washington. They take his replacement here. Moss is a deep threat receiver with return skills. I doubt he will be as effective as Randle El when running the wide receiver pass-option play, though.


Whew, that's a long post. It took me a total of about five hours to finalize my selections and do the write ups. I haven't checked ESPN in hours and I'm not making any changes from here on out. This is my best guess as of the morning of April 27th. I look forward to doing this again next year.

That Didn't Take Long

Well, Francona has officially lost every ounce of goodwill that he earned at the start of the 2006 season. "Francoma" is officially back and managing once again. It was painfully obvious that Tito was trying too hard to get Schilling the win last night. Schilling would have joined elite company if he managed to go 5-0 in April - see yesterday's post. Rather than try to win the game GL2:EB (Grady Little 2: Electric Boogaloo) decided history was more important. There's no questioning the fact that GL2:EB is a player's manager. He can't, and doesn't, make the difficult decisions.

What made Francona so great at the start of the season was the number of good decisions he made. He was making appropriate offensive and defensive substitutions and he made a difficult choice to use Jonathan Papelbon as the closer. Papelbon has been GL2:EB's saving grace this year.

Last night Schilling was off just a little and the powerful Indians lineup probably had a lot to do with it. Rather than turn the game over the bullpen after getting 6 mediocre innings and 110 pitches out of Schilling, Francona sent Curt out to start the 7th. Back-to-back hits then tied the game at 5. If GL2:EB cared about history and wanted to win the game, he could have let Schilling face a single batter and then removed him.

History Lesson

Tonight Curt Schilling will attempt to become only the third pitcher in Red Sox history to win five games in the month of April. He will face a tough Cleveland Indians lineup at Jacobs Field while being opposed by Jake Westbrook. Schilling has already stymied the powerful Texas Rangers' and Baltimore Orioles' lineups this season. If successful, Schilling will join Babe Ruth and Pedro Martinez in Sox lore.

I'd like to propose using "C"s instead of "K"s when Schilling pitches at home. "C" is for "Curt" and there is one in "Schilling". It would make his starts a little more unique.

I still can't believe that Papelbon won a bet and cut his hair to look like Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn. The kid has stones.

It's too bad that Coco won't be playing in this series. It would be interesting to see how he would be received by the fans in Cleveland. He was, and is, a very likeable player.

I forgot to mention this previously, but I have added the xml feed for the site to links on the right. Now you can add Digital Sox to your news feeder.

Poor Exchange Rate

Well, the Sox dropped two out of three games to the Blue Jays in Toronto over the weekend. Apparently Marvin Lee Aday is inverted in Oh, Canada. The Sox have gone 2-4 against the Jays in April. Beckett imploded a bit on Friday and started serving up homeruns in the 8th. Timlin came in an promptly served up a meatball himself to Troy Glaus. If Francona had entrusted Papelbon to get the last five outs of the game, the Sox would have won the game.

On Saturday the Jays pounded Lenny DiNardo. It may be time to give Abe Alvarez or Matt Ginter a chance to fill Tubby's spot in the rotation.

Clement pitched reasonably well on Sunday. Foulke pitched two excellent innings and really gave Johnny from Burger King something to chew on. Papelbon then got his league-leading 8th save in as many chances.

Francona is starting to revert back to form. The good will from his great managing over the first 10 days of the season is almost gone. He's starting to give J.T. Snow too many at bats and he continues to sub half the team at a time. I wonder if he even realizes that Coco Crisp is injured.

The NFL draft is only five days away. I'm probably more prepared this year than ever before. I'll have my 1st round prediction posted on Friday, in plenty of time for you to copy it and try to win my 23-inch LCD HDTV from ESPN.com.

Same Old Song and Dance

Wasn't feeling like myself earlier this week, but I'm back to normal and the show must go on.

Schilling won his fourth straight start to begin the young season. It's the first time he's ever been 4-0 after his first four starts. This has been incorrectly reported in some parts. After his win on Wednesday night the Sox had the best record in baseball. Let's see if ESPN's Power Rankings reflect that today. Whoever does the MLB Power Rankings is a huge Yankee kiss ass. ESPN predicts Schilling to go 43-0 this year (and yes, I stole that from Dirt Dogs).

Wakefield got screwed again last night. In his three quality starts the Red Sox have only managed a total of five runs. Scott Kazmir simply continues to baffle the Sox. I don't get it. Same with Ted Lilly. Both pitchers are mediocre at best but they dominate the Sox time and again.

I stumbled across this column earlier in the week. It's one of those, "uh-oh, I'm looking stupid and need reassurance" columns. If the columnists had the testicular fortitude to actually pick against the Yankees in the first place, they wouldn't need to write column like this. The last time I checked Georgie Porgie wasn't writing checks for ABC/ESPN. Until he does I'm pretty sure that the Bill of Rights has the back of any writer daring to boldly proclaim that the Yankees do, in fact, suck. Looks like Jayson Stark is the first columnist to cave under pressure this year.

Pedro earned win number 200 of his career this week. Jayson Stark tried to make up for his earlier column with this one. He has some pretty powerful numbers to back the argument that Pedro is the greatest pitcher of the live ball/juiced batter era. I also stumbled upon a story explaining Pedro's success.

The Sage Wisdom of Marvin Lee Aday

It turns out that Marvin Lee Aday was actually referring to baseball. The artist commonly known as Meatloaf once sang that, "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad". In baseball winning two out of every three games leads to 108 wins. The Red Sox won Friday, lost Saturday, and won on Sunday. They now sit at 8-4, which ain't bad at all.

Schilling was phenomenal on Friday night. He held the Mariners to only three hits and a single run over 8 strong innings in the 2-1 victory. Schilling struck out 7, including Ichiro in the 6th inning with a runner on third base and only one out. He lowered his E.R.A. to 1.64 while improving to 3-0. Only Forrest Gump, who I'm told, is in fact a Yankees fan, could now question how effective Schilling will be this year. He is healthy, healed, and pitching better than ever. He's a bona-fide Cy Young contender again and a legitimate staff ace.

On Saturday Francona either had a brain fart or regressed to his old ways. Josh Bard is clearly an inferior offensive player when compared to Jason Varitek. Trot Nixon is nursing a sore groin (although he's expected to play today). Rather put the best available lineup on the field in support of Tim Wakefield, Francona decides to give Mr. Professional, Mark Loretta, and the Doubles Machine, Mike Lowell, the day off. So Wakefield pitches well, despite some Bard difficulties, and only allows two earned runs (3 overall) in a complete game effort. The meager Sox lineup only produces 5 hits and scores exactly as many runs as the Patriots scored points on Saturday, ZERO. Great game by Wake, unfortunately wasted by Grady Little 2, Electric Boogaloo.

Beckett became the second Sox starter to go 3-0 this year in a brilliant effort on Sunday. The Sox were able to scratch out a couple of runs in the first inning. In the third Seattle was able to tie the game thanks in part to some poor fielding. Wily Mo looks more and more like Jose Canseco every day. Alex Gonzalez drove in the winning run in the fourth, just as he drove in both runs on Friday. With a runner on 3rd with one out in the 6th inning Beckett reached back and fired... a curveball to Richie Sexson. It was a thing of beauty delivered on a 3-2 count. Sexson flailed and missed causing traffic on the Turnpike to swerve in the stiff breeze. Then Beckett fired a fastball, as fast as 98 MPH by some counts, past Adrian Beltre to end the inning. Beckett managed to maintain his league leading 1.29 E.R.A. by allowing only the one earned run in seven innings. Ace number two, and two only by nature of the rotation, is thriving so far in Boston.

Papelbon saved both one run games this weekend. He's now six-for-six in save opportunities with four saves coming in one-run games. He is holding opponents to a mere .087 batting average. He's throwing all of his pitches effectively and for strikes. He maintains a calm steady demeanor that belies the fire burning inside his eyes. I want a number 58 jersey, be it a replica, authentic, or tee-shirt. The future is now with Papelbon.

The Sox complete their four game series with the Mariners today. Today is the traditional 11:05 AM start on Patriots Day. Lenny DiNardo subs for Tubby today and will face Gil Meche. Strangely the Sox will remain home for three games with the Devil Rays before traveling to Oh, Canada for a weekend series with the Jays. If the Sox can continue to win two out of three games, it won't be bad. No, it won't be bad at all.

We're Streaking...

...but it's in the wrong the direction. Matt Clement left everything up in the strike zone last night. I hope it was a singular instance of a pitcher having a bad game and not a prolonged funk. If he's planning to compete with Tubby for "most likely to be replaced in the rotation by Papelbon", he should reconsider. Tubby will probably land on the DL at some point this year so Clement should focus on trying to pitch well.

Here's hoping that the first losing streak of 2006 ends at two games with a victory tonight. Schilling is going for his third win in as many chances. I like his chances to start my weekend off on the right foot. A victory tonight could turn Good Friday into a great Friday.

I saw a link to a great article on romance and baseball that is worth a read. The author is a Blue Jays fan, so consider yourself warned. It's very well written and contains many truthful insights on relationships with one sports nut and one non-fan.



On a different note, please leave some feedback on the site. I've enabled anonymous feedback so no one needs to register. I've been able to post every day since the season started and I have no plans to stop doing so. I want to know what works and what doesn't. Should I spend a little more time on the writing to craft great metaphors and grammatically challenging sentences? Should I leave open ended questions at the end of each post? I'm thinking about adding questions next week. Do I need to start adding pictures to every post? In addition to feedback, your comments will help me to understand how much traffic I may or may not be getting. I've submitted the blog to Boston.com to be added to their list of user Red Sox blogs and their Feedster site of blog updates. Once added that should increase the traffic.

Extensions for Everyone

Two great pieces of news crossed the wire just after I posted yesterday. The Red Sox signed Coco Crisp to a 3-year contract extension and the Patriots signed Richard Seymour to a 4-year contract extension.

The Crisp deal is excellent for the Red Sox. Crisp receives a $1-million signing bonus and will be paid $3.5-million in 2007, $4.75-million in 2008, and $5.75-million in 2009. There is an $8-million option for 2010. I've said all along that Crisp would outperform Johnny Damon for the entire life of Damon's 4-year deal with the Yankees. To think that Crisp will average just over $4-million per year for the next four years while Damon robs Steinbrenner of $13-million annually makes me smile.

Seymour is rumored to have signed for about $30-million over four years. He will now be one of the highest paid defensive players in the NFL. This is great news for Patriots fans. It's been a long and dark offseason so far, with an exodus of talent and no apparent influx of quality new players. The Seymour extension sheds a positive light on the Patriots heading into the NFL draft which is just over two weeks away.



So... David Wells stunk out loud yesterday. Is anyone really surprised? That fat lard needs to shut his cakehole. He shouldn't be running his mouth about being in the rotation (and wanted to be the number 2 starter?!!!) and he shouldn't be eating so much junk food. He'd be in a lot less trouble and he might actually be in a physical condition that would allow him to pitch moderately well. I hope he goes on the DL soon so he can actually try rehabbing and find the time to join Jenny Craig. His new official monicker is "Tubby".



And the envelope please....

AL MVP: Travis Hafner, 1B, Indians
Runner-up: David Ortiz, DH, Red Sox

AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Blue Jays
Runner-up: Josh Beckett, Red Sox

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals
Runner-up: David Wright, 3B, Mets

NL Cy Young: Roy Oswalt, Astros
Runner-up: Jake Peavy, Padres

Great Start to Season, If Not to Game

Great start for the Sox. They sit at 6-1 with a 3.0-game lead over the O's, Rays, Jays, and Yanks.

Once again Beckett struggled in the first inning, but stronger as the game wore on. He seemed to overthrow in the first. His velocity was down and his location was off. He was pretty lights out after that. If he's shakes the first inning bug, he's going to be dangerous. I'm starting to think that if he stays healthy, my prediction of 20 wins is going to be on the low side.

Awesome double play turned by Loretta-Gonzalez-Youkilis yesterday. Loretta skied to attempt to snare a liner by Molina but ended up deflecting the ball towards SS. Gonzalez alertly scooped up the ball, stepped on second, and fired to first.

Coco broke his index finger, not his pinky. I saw a picture of him with the splint.

Papelbon looks like a seasoned veteran. I'm amazed by his excellent control. He's been hitting his spots will all his pitches this year. His stare is awesome and ice cold.

I really, really like the new "Baseball Tonight" graphics. They consist of animated baseball cards arranged in a house-of-cards fashion. They also have slick matching backgrounds with a slightly older feel to them. The team logos are shown burnt onto the barrel of a baseball bat. All-in-all a very cool new set of graphics.

Good to see Big Papi tie old friend Bronson Arroyo with his second homerun yesterday.

Wily Mo was looking liking Jose Canseco yesterday with his fielding skills. At least the ball didn't bounce directly off his head and then go over the wall.

Tomorrow I'll predict the major award winners.

I've Got Good News and I've Got Bad News...

Bad News:
Coco Crisp broke his left pinky finger near the base of the finger. I broke my knuckle playing hoops a couple years ago and I remember how difficult it was to bend my finger when I removed the splint. I had no range of motion and it hurt like hell to even try to move it. I hope that Coco doesn't have as much pain or as much difficulty of movement.

Good News:
Crisp has a non-displaced fracture and will be re-evaluated in 10 days. Hopefully he won't miss more than a couple of weeks. A couple of weeks would be great news considering that early reports by CBS4 indicated he could miss 6-8 weeks.

Bad News:
The home opener is at 2PM today. I can't leave work until almost 4PM at the earliest.

Good News:
I'm DVR'ing the game. I'll watch it when I get home. I'm excited to see Beckett's Fenway debut.

Bad News:
David Ortiz could have been a free agent after the season if the Red Sox bought out his 2007 option.

Good News:
The Sox and Ortiz came to terms on a new 4-year contract extension that will pay Big Papi $52 million over the next four years. This is actually great, not good, news. The Sox keep the best hitter in baseball off the market and he signs for less than market value. $12.5 million per year is quite manageable in this era of bloated contracts.

Prediction Time

Once again I'll attempt to gaze into my crystal ball and see the oft-clouded future. Here are my season predictions for the key Sox personnel. Remember, I'm predicting a 98-win season and a division title.


Hitters
Crisp: .310 14 HR 61 RBI 32 SB
Loretta: .301 11 HR 78 RBI
Ortiz: .317 43 HR 141 RBI
Ramirez: .276 34 HR 118 RBI
Nixon: .272 18 HR 102 RBI
Varitek: .289 15 HR 94 RBI
Lowell: .264 23 HR 87 RBI
Youkilis: .271 12 HR 76 RBI
Gonzalez: .247 10 HR 52 RBI

Pena: .239 14 HR 34 RBI
Pedroia: .286 1 HR 18 RBI


Pitchers
Schilling: 20-7 3.62 ERA
Wakefield: 14-12 4.53 ERA
Beckett: 20-8 3.44 ERA
Clement: 16-10 3.98 ERA
Wells: 9-9 4.47 ERA
Papelbon: 7-3 3.16 ERA 14 S 1 BS
Foulke: 2-5 3.88 ERA 11 S 4 BS

Hansen: 2-1 2.74 ERA 10 S 2 BS

Party Like It's 1999

We're going to party like it's 1999 because at 5-1 the Red Sox are off to their best start since 1999. The Sox completed the three game sweep of the Orioles and have completed their season-opening road trip. Josh Beckett makes his Fenway debut in the home opener on Tuesday.

I'm going with a quick-hits style post today.

- I thought Schilling got squeezed yesterday. It happened to Papelbon today. Good to see him work through it, not let it affect him, and earn his 3rd save in as many chances without allowing a run.

- Miguel Tejada is a big hypocrite. He complained (and cried) when DLowe make a crotch-related gesture after getting the final out in the series clincher against the A's in 2003. Tejada said his kids were watching and that the gesture was inappropriate. If you've ever read Tejada's lips during a game, he's one of the most foul-mouthed athletes in the game today.

- Wakefield and Bard looked much better today. What a relief. In fact Wakefield didn't allow an earned run today.

- Foulke looked great today. He's gotten better with each appearance. Personally, I hope he stays in the 8th inning set-up role and Papelbon remains the closer. I think Timlin-Foulke-Papelbon is great sequence to close out the tight games.

- Alex Gonzalez has made some great plays in the field and almost made some others. He doesn't seem quite as smooth as Orlando Cabrera or Pokey Reese but I think he has a better arm. I also feel like he's not totally in rhythm yet and that he will continue to appear more smooth and make more plays.

- Lowell has been great defensively so far. Hopefully he can hit for a respectable average with moderate power.

- Ortiz had two hits today against the defensive shift. It was a great job after struggling earlier in the series.

- Adam Stern came through today. He could be a good contributor next year for the big league club.

- Wily Mo looked awful yesterday. He chased every fastball that was high and away. So much for his supposedly improved plate discipline.

Deja Vu All Over Again

Well they did it again. The Sox played a tight 2-1 game and came out victorious for the second time in a week. Once again Jonathan Papelbon secured the save. Today Schilling pitched his second gem of the season. He's definitely primed for a huge year.

Today's victory comes on the heels of an Orioles' pounding last night. The Sox had 14 at bats with the bases loaded in the win. Clement pitched very well. He gave up several hits with two down in the 7th leading to four Baltimore runs. He was unscathed through the first six innings.

Francona has done an excellent job managing the first five games of the year. He just might change my opinion of him after all. Previously, I've really felt that he was no more than Grady Little 2, Electric Boogaloo with a better playoff record. This year, however, he has made some good defensive substitutions (Sterns for Manny, Snow for Youkilis) and even offensive ones (Trot for Pena today). All this on top of using Papelbon in one-run games. I hope he continues the great job he's done this year.

Goodbye Old Friend

I recorded the first few innings of the Mets-Nats game last night. I wanted to see how Pedro Martinez pitched. He had a good year last year: 2.82 E.R.A., 208 K's, .204 BAA, and he won 15 games. As good as he was I never really got the sense that he was dominant at any point last year. I think he's continuing a slow decline, which is unfortunate.

Petey and I go way back. The Sox acquired Pedro in the Fall of my Freshman year of college. My friends and I would walk to the park on game nights and buy bleacher seats to see him pitch. Often we would splurge for the more expensive lower bleacher seats, a mere $10 at the time, rather than pay the $8 price for the upper bleachers. We had many great nights watching Petey strike out 10+ batters while heckling the opposing outfielders. We got in Ken Griffey Jr.'s head one time and he started yelling back at us. It was great.

Last night Petey didn't have great velocity or control. He was topping out in the high 80 MPH range. He hit three batters. It wasn't fun to watch.

Pedro Martinez will end up in the Hall of Fame one day. He was absolutely brilliant for seven years. I hope that fans will remember that he dominated in the era of steroids, HGH, and other illegal performance enhancers. That should make his accomplishments all the greater. I hope that he is able to finish out his contract with the Mets and put up respectable numbers.

One final note: Nick Johnson has the worst mustache on a professional athlete that I've ever seen. It's about a 7/10 on the unintentional comedy scale.

He Does Have a Brain

Wow, Francona let Papelbon pitch the 9th in a 2-1 game. I'm shocked. I figured he'd let Foulke blow 4 or 5 saves before giving Papelbon a chance. I have to say that I'm very happy that Francona made the right move last night.

Beckett started somewhat slowly; he was dancing out of trouble for the first few innings. He seemed to settle down, though, and did retire 12 of the last 13 he faced. He and Schilling are going to be fun to watch this year. I really hope they both push each other to another plane of greatness.

I love hearing the home crowd chant, "Let's go Red Sox!", *clap*, *clap*, *clap*clap*clap* when the Sox are on the road. I heard that during the 2nd and 3rd games of the opening series. I meant to mention that yesterday.

My lovely wife and I bought a dual-reclining over-stuffed loveseat on Tuesday. It arrived today. I'm going to now go and enjoy some HD coverage of the Masters in total comfort. *Homer Simpson drool...*

There Goes the Perfect Season

And just like that, the dream of 162-0 is gone...

Some quick thoughts about last night's game:

- Coco Crisp looks like he's going to be great. And he's fast.
- Jerry Remy is now reading the catcher's signs, i.e., "fastball away". This could get old really fast.
- Josh Bard looked scary behind home plate. I was reminded of Varitek trying to catch Wake in the 2004 ALCS.
- Demarlo Hale actually prevented a runner from being thrown out at home plate last night. Looks like it might not be the Sveum old song and dance after all.
- Manny looks awful right now. Just like April and May of last year. He looks lost at the plate.
- Ortiz is already locked in. Every year he gets better. Sign him to an extension NOW.
- Why was the radar gun for NESN not working last night? Opening day is one thing, but two days in a row?
- Why was Alex Cora playing last night? I don't care if he's 12-for-13 against Padilla. This smells rank, like Francona starting to play the veterans too much.
- Why is J.T. Snow playing today? Is Youkilis so out of shape that he can't play 3 days in a row?
- Why does Bill Simmons, ESPN's Sportsguy, spell Youk as "Yook"? Just abbreviate, Bill, don't over think.

I'm looking forward to Josh Beckett's first start today. He and Schilling give the Sox a legitimate chance for a pair of 20-game winners. The Sox haven't had that since... oh, Pedro and Schilling in 2004. Things worked out well for the Sox in 2004. Let's hope Beckett can stay off the DL this year.

We're Undefeated!

Yeah! The Sox are on pace to go 162-0 this year. By my calculations David Ortiz in on pace for 162 homeruns.

All kidding aside, it was great to see Schilling pitch as well as he did. He hit 93 MPH on his 115th pitch of the day. I think his ankle must finally be normal again. He looks thinner than last year, too. I think start #1 was a great one for Curt.

I was glad to see Papelbon yesterday. He looked solid. Foulke on the other hand looked very shaky. I don't think Foulke is closing by the end of April. I think Papelbon will be closing games from late April until around late June/early July when Hansen takes over. At that point I think Papelbon will be back in the rotation. I think Wells will end up on the DL in June, clearing a rotation spot for Papelbon.

The new guys looked good yesterday. Coco scored from 1st base twice. Loretta had an RBI double. Gonzalez had two hits. Lowell even hit a solo homerun.

As long as Francona doesn't screw things up (like letting Foulke close games when he has already blown 4 or 5 saves by May) this team looks very good. Francona even made some nice defensive substitutions yesterday, replacing Manny with the Canadian Babe and Youkilis with Snow.

Play Ball!

It's like Christmas in April today; the Red Sox season opener starts at 2 PM EST. I'm running out the door at 4 PM today to watch the NESN HD broadcast on my DVR. I will be avoiding the score like the plague until I get home. Okay, maybe not the plague, but I will avoid any updates like a really bad head cold with fever.

Here are my brief season predictions.

Sox win 98 games and the division crown. Yanks and Jays battle for second place in the division, but both finish out of the wild card. If Burnett is healthy, the Jays should edge the Yanks for second.

White Sox win the Central. The Indians will battle Oakland for the wild card.

Angels win the A.L. West title. I think Oakland will lose out to the Indians for the wild card, but I wouldn't be surprised if the A's hold off Cleveland and win it.

The Mets edge the Braves for the N.L. East crown. I think the N.L. East will be a dog fight this year. I think Atlanta wins the wild card.

The Cards will run away with the Central.

The Dodgers should finish ahead of both the Giants and Padres.

I'll throw up some quick numerical predictions and individual award winners in the next couple of days.