BOSOXBLOG

Poll: What should Manny give Pedroia for .300?

According to the Providence Journal, Manny Ramirez has been taking it upon himself to motivate Dustin Pedroia to perform better - buying him a number of suits during the 2007 season and a Rolex watch for winning rookie of the year.

Joe McDonald's story said Manny plans to buy Pedroia something else if he scores a .300 batting average this year.

So, BoSoxBlog reader(s) I think we should help Manny out. What should he get Pedroia if Dusty discovers how to swing for .300 during the 2008 season?

Congratulations to ROY Pedroia

I've said it all year--Dustin Pedroia is one terrific infielder and a great guy to have at the top of your lineup.  Pedroia won AL Rookie of the Year honors today and with the award became the first Red Sox player since Nomar to win the ROY.  Congrads Dusty, you deserve it.  Now announce Beckett's Cy Young award already!

Dustin Pedroia wins AL ROY

Red Sox World Series Roster Moves

Here is the announced roster that Boston will pit against Colorado.  Yaz will throw out the first pitch before the first game!

Pitchers (11): Josh Beckett, Manny Delcarmen, Eric Gagne, Jon Lester, Javier Lopez, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, Jonathan Papelbon, Curt Schilling, Kyle Snyder, Mike Timlin.

Catchers (2): Doug Mirabelli, Jason Varitek.

Infielders (7): Alex Cora, Eric Hinske, Mike Lowell, Julio Lugo, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis.

Outfielders (5): Coco Crisp, J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Bobby Kielty, Manny Ramirez.

Red Sox Game 7 Starting Lineup

1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Jason Varitek, C
8. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
9. Julio Lugo, SS

SP - Daisuke Matsuzaka

 

The face of Cleveland Fans

It's late. I have work in the morning, and therefore no time to make a full post, but I had to put this up.

This is the face of fans in Cleveland right now. The Sox took the series back to Boston, and everyone in Ohio knows that's a problem for the Indians.

Rally on.

It's to early to say this, but...

If the Indians win the American League Championship Series, I don't think I'll be able to feel bad about it.

The Red Sox have an excellent team this year, and while I could blame their playoff woes on starting pitchers that can't seem to gut their way through the fifth inning, the Indians are just on fire.

Look at the tribe's fielding in Tuesday's game. Their fielders snapped out of the air a handful of line drives that should have been base hits, if not extra-base hits.

Add to that their penchant for never missing a double play opportunity, and you've got a near impossible situation. The Sox just can't get on the board, and it's not for lack of ability or effort on Boston's part.

I think the Sox take the next game. Beckett will probably pitch seven innings, and maybe eight or nine. If we can get Schilling to repeat our post-season memories of him, he can push the series to game seven.

And the Red Sox are pretty at home in game seven.

But if that doesn't happen, we fans should take comfort in the fact that the Sox didn't lose, they were beaten. And the American League team going to the World Series won't be the Yankees.

Bring on the Wahoos!

So all the answers to this year's season begin and end with the Cleveland Indians.  Starting this Friday, the two best the American League has to offer will go toe-to-toe in a series that promises to be one for the ages.  The Indians and the Sox have nearly identical records, having both won 96 games.  Both teams feature the top pitchers in the AL in Josh Beckett and C.C. Sabathia.  The Indians and the Sox have power in Victor Martinez and David Ortiz respectively.  I expect this series to go the distance.

Boston went 5-2 against the Tribe the season including once game in which Dice-K beat Sabathia. Fausto Carmona, Cleveland's #2 handed Beckett a rare loss.  Cleveland soft-tosser Paul Byrd also beat the Sox this year.  The Sabathia and Carmona games were low-scoring affairs (both were 1-0).

But the Sox have not faced the Indians since July 26, and the Indians have the wind at their backs having just made a mockery of the Yankees.  If the Tribe were playing anyone else I would be rooting hard for the likes of Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, and Johnnie Peralta who all play tough and display the sort of passion that any fan of the game can appreciate.

But my Sox are battling for their second World Series of the century (Boston fans think in factors of 100) and nothing will stand in their way.  When I heard that the Sox dispatched the Angels this past Sunday (I was fishing) I realized that a Sox-Indians ALCS was in the offing.  I immediately thought of one brilliant memory...Pedro trotting out of the pen against the Tribe during the 1999 playoffs.  A new era of Red Sox magic began that night as Martinez pitched his guts out and led the way to the second greatest Red Sox comeback (first being against the Yanks in 2004 of course).

That memory kept me warm over several long New England winters.  And now it's time once again to break the spirits of Cleveland Indians fans.  It will not be easy--the Indians are a fantastic team that looks hungry.  But the stars are beginning to align for the Sox.  Over the past few months it has been the Boston offense that has caused worry, but all of a sudden the Red Sox run machine appears to be back on track and is performing consistently.  Dare I even say that J.D. Drew is playing better?

So hold on to your hats and don't miss one pitch of what promises to be a great pennant series.

Yankees go down on Wang, not Roger

I normally don't criticize a gifts, but wouldn't it have been more fun to see the Yankees choke their way out of October on Clemens' blunder instead of Wang's?

For those of you that missed the game, Wang  allowed four runs over two innings, failing to secure even one out in the second inning. The Bronx Bastards panicked and brought in another starter - Mussina - to pick up where Wang left off.

And Mussina did, allowing two more runs in the fourth inning that pushed the Indians over the top in a 6-4 victory.

Clemens suffered a similarly dismal outing Sunday - he let up three runs in three innings - but the bullpen and the Yankees bats came to his aid.

I, personally, would have preferred to see the choke masters lose on failings of the one-time-rocket and (likely) steroids user.

But, like in 2003, it seems like that perennial hemorrhoid is made of Teflon when he's wearing pinstripes during the playoffs.

Well, enough griping about the Sox's unworthy rivals. On to the ALCS!

Memo to Boss... Don't Fire Joe

Last night, the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs by the Cleveland Indians, whom we will face in Friday's opener of the ALCS. When the Yankees were down in the series 2-0, George Steinbrenner announced that Joe Torre probably will not be back next year should the team not make it deep enough into the playoffs.
That is absolutely despicable.
Hey, Boss, let me remind you that your team, supposedly one of the best in baseball, were at one point 14 games back of the first-place BoSox, and you guys made a push and landed back in the postseason. That didn't happen because you decided to pay people even more than you already are. That didn't happen by giving Roger Clemens a prorated $28 million for 6 wins (and 6 losses), a 4.18 ERA, a blown shoulder, and finally, a strained hammy.
Joe Torre saved this team's season. Any manager can just roll over and die in the cellar. What's to stop the Yankees, an absurd 14 games back only two months in, from packing it up and coasting the rest of the year?

Absolutely nothing. But hey, Joe Torre isn't just any manager. Sorry, Red Sox Nation, but Joe Torre has been to New York over this past decade what Teddy Ballgame or Big Papi is to us. However gruff his mood, he went out there and he won games. That's what any manager can be expected to do.
George, if you fire Joe Torre, you will come to regret it. Come on, the guy has only gives you 26 postseason series in the past 12 seasons.

So you haven't won a World Series in seven years.
Oh, boo-hoo. Try eighty-six.

Five-Card Stud, Deuces Wild

Today the magic number is two.
The playoff teams from the American League are set. The Sox, Indians, Angels, and Yankees have all punched their tickets to October. If the season ended today, the best-of-five Division Series would be as follows...
Red Sox v.s. Angels
Yankees v.s. Indians

In this case, the AL Championship Series is obvious.
The Sox have absolutely owned the Angels this year, going 6-4 against them, including Clay Bucholz's major league debut in which their ace, John Lackey, got touched up for 4 in the first en route to an 8-5 Sox win. Earlier this year, Schill put a smackdown on them as he pitched eight innings of shutout ball as the Sox again smothered the Halos, 8-0.
EDGE: Seriously, who do you think?

Now for the Evil Empire against the Tribe.
This year, it seems the Yankees have had the A-bomb against the Tribe crossbows. The Yankees have gone undefeated against the Indians this year, defeating them all six times they've faced off. However, this time this may be different. Although the Indians have the far superior pitching staff, headed by Cy Young hopeful C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona. But neither have playoff experience.
EDGE: Look for the Yanks to take this series in five.

In a couple of days, I'll take my picks for the National League, as well as the remainder of the playoff push.