I live in Seattle, but I won't be in town for the Red Sox series this weekend. I mistakenly chose this particular weekend to fly back to Boston to visit family and friends. Words of wisdom: ALWAYS CHECK THE RED SOX SCHEDULE BEFORE BOOKING TRAVEL.

I took the redeye last night, so I'm not capable of coherent thought, but here are a few quick facts about Seattle:

• Contrary to it's image as "Rain City", the average annual rainfall in Seattle is less than Boston.

• The opinion of Mariners fans is that Manager, Mike Hargrove, is the in-game strategist equivalent of General Custer and they really want to see his "last stand".

• Ichiro! is awesome.

• I frequently daydream about the Garlic Fries at Safeco Field.
  

• Beware of the Pink Door.

Tonight! Snyder vs. Moyer 10:05 / 7:05 PT


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O Captain!

What a night. Jason Varitek caught his 991st game as a member of the Red Sox, he scored the only run and Jon Lester and Jonathan Papelbon combined to salute him with a one-hitter. Congratulations Tek!

Today! Josh Beckett vs Mark Redman 1:05 / 10:05 am PT

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Random: Johnny Damon played FIRST BASE for two innings of the Yankees - Mariners game last night.

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Livin' It Right

(Photo from Boston.com)

The Red Sox brought Doug Mirabelli back to Boston so that he could hit clutch home runs, right?

At 9:20 pm Monday the Sox were down by the score of 4-0. In the forty-one minute span between 9:20 pm and 10:01 pm the following occurred: Mirabelli hit a game-tying 3-run home run, Manny knocked in the game winner with a sacrifice fly, Papelbon earned his 27th save, I ate a half pound of grilled Cajun chicken and David Ortiz stole a base. Amazing. A 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals isn't exactly cause for "“tip over the nearest car"” excitement, but nevertheless, it was satisfying.

The bad news is that Tim Wakefield could go on the DL to give his ailing back a chance to heal. This would leave the Red Sox with three quality starters - Schilling, Beckett, and Lester. This is pure speculation, but it seems likely that the Sox will make a deal for a starting pitcher before the trade deadline.

One disturbing rumor is that the Sox have "called the Royals" about "All-Star" pitcher, Mark Redman. If the Sox could get Redman for a bag of baseballs and a two-toned Maine lobster, it wouldn't be a bad deal, but it would be tough to justify trading away a decent prospect for a guy with a 5.38 ERA.

Tonight! Jon Lester vs Brandon Duckworth 7:05 /4:05 PT

I'll be watching the game if I can stop laughing at this and this.

http://www.drunkenbleachers.com

Doug Mientkiewicz Comes To Town

Ah yes...hot on the heels of a bad weekend series and just when you thought that the unsavory little story about "The Ball" that ended the 2004 World Series had run its course, Doug Mientkiewicz comes to town.

Boston.com reports that Mientkiewicz has a "speech planned out" that he will deliver to the Red Sox organization while he is in Boston this week as a member of the Kansas City Royals. Mientkiewicz has promised that a Red Sox CEO will get "blasted [for what] he put me through." To help get his point across, Mientkiewicz has hired the writer who penned Bill Clinton's White House acceptance speech. Wow.

To add another bizarro twist to "The Ball" saga, the Herald reports that Keith Foulke actually asked Mientkiewicz for the ball and was refused:

"It was, I reckon, the day after the World Series, after we got back, and I blatantly asked (Mientkiewicz) for the baseball and his remarks were that I didn't want any of the other baseballs, so why would I want that one," recalled Foulke. "I happened to mention, because I didn'’t know if he remembered, that it was just the one that ended the World Series and, yes, I wanted it. He said, no, he was going to put his kids through college or something like that. I don't know what else I'm going to do."

To me, if Mientkiewicz did refuse to give "The Ball" to Foulke, that is more unforgivable than his withholding it from the Red Sox organization.

We had plenty of time to ponder Johnny Damon's return to Fenway and we prepared for Pedro's homecoming for over a week, but this one sort of crept up on us. Here is my question: does Doug Mientkiewicz deserve a round of boos tonight at Fenway for withholding "The Ball" or do we just collectively drink some gin and get revenge by coming up with as many misspellings of his name as possible?

Tonight: Tim Wakefield vs. Luke Hudson 7:05/4:05 PT

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The Best Snack Ever

Best eaten while viewing this Manny Ramirez instructional hitting video.

(Hat tip to Soxaholix for the video link.)

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Good News! Bad News!

Photo by Flickr user mikeyallswell

I stole the format for this post from U.S.S. Mariner, one of my favorite non-Red Sox blogs. I'm a sucker for exclamation points!! Here's some good news and some bad news as the Red Sox begin Part 2 of the 2006 baseball season:

Good News!
The three-day midsummer hiatus from real baseball (also known as the All-Star Break) will mercifully end tonight at 7:05 ET /4:05 PT.

Bad News!
Inexplicably the story about Manny Ramirez's knee and his choice not to attend the All-Star Game will not go away.

Good News!
Three Red Sox, David Ortiz, Jonathan Papelbon and Mark Loretta represented the team well at the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh.

Bad News!
Only two members of the Red Sox organization, Gabe Kapler (Bench) and Theo Epstein (GM), were selected for the "All Handsome Man Team 2006."

Good News!
Through 86 games, the Red Sox are 53-33, in First Place in the AL East, three games ahead of the Yankees and five games up on the Toronto Blue Jays. The Sox are also only five games behind the Detroit Tigers, the team with the best record in Major League baseball.

Bad News!
The Red Sox are only three games up in the AL East. The Yankees have been without Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui (among others) for the majority of the season but have still been able to keep within striking distance of the AL East lead.

Good News!
The Red Sox defense has been nothing short of awesome. As a team, they have committed only 30 errors, the least in MLB by a wide margin.

Bad News!
Despite the improved defense, the Sox team ERA is 4.54 which is eighth in the AL. The back end of the starting rotation has been an issue. (At least the Red Sox aren't desperate enough to sign Sidney Ponson.)

Good News!
David Ortiz has hit like a machine all season. He leads the universe with 31 home runs and 87 RBIs.

Bad News!
Ortiz is way too good to be human and there is a chance that his superior alien race will remove him from earth before the MLB playoffs start in October.

Good News!
Curt Schilling's 10-3 record is evidence that he has bounced back to his 2004 form and despite a few shaky outings, Josh Becket (11-4) is on pace to win 20 games.

Bad News!
Schilling was hit on the right elbow by a line drive of the bat of Jim Thome on Sunday. Remember? The x-Rays were negative, but there is swelling.

Good News!
The "young guys" in the bullpen have been stellar. Papelbon, Delcarmen and Hansen will all be expected to pitch in pressure situations the rest of the way.

Bad News!
With the exception of Mike Timlin, the "old guys" in the bullpen have struggled. Julian Tavarez did have a promising performance in Sunday's 19 inning marathon in Chicago.

Good News!
Kevin Youkilis has been a huge boost to the Sox in the leadoff role. Youk is among the league leaders in OBP (.407) ahead of two other top leadoff guys: Ichiro! (.398) and (gasp!) Johnny Damon (.367).

Bad News!
Coco Crisp (.268 BA /.323 OBP) and Jason Varitek (.232 BA / 9 HR / 40 RBI) have been disappointing offensively. Let's hope they can hit pick it up in the second half.

Good News!
The Red Sox will play 44 of the remaining 72 games at Fenway. That is more home games than any other team in the AL.

Bad News!
These kids won't be able to sneak into Fenway for any of the home games. I don' t get it. Why leak that huge secret to a Globe reporter?

Good News!
The game is on and it's time to open an Alaskan Summer Ale.

Go Sox!
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Seven More Years of Mute

Yesterday Major League Baseball announced that Fox Broadcasting Company will retain the rights to air the All-Star Game and World Series for another SEVEN YEARS. There is no escape from the monotonous blabber of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver through 2013. This also means that viewers won't be able to see the first pitch of any inning until at least 2014.

.... but on a happier note, an asteroid crashes into the California coast and destroys the entire earth.

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Asteroid image from NASA's Multimedia Gallery

Kneegate Continues

Seriously, I didn't want to expend any more mental energy thinking about MANNY'S RIGHT KNEE, but with all of the criticism he's had from the media and from MLB commissioner Bud Selig for not participating in the ASG, the urge is there to stick up for him, you know?

Even amidst reports that Manny has a "small tear in the medial meniscus of his right knee," Bud Selig "blasts Ramirez for bailing out." From today's Herald:

“The only thing I want to say in all fairness is that he’s the only player we had that problem with this year,” Selig said of Ramirez. “Everybody else has been terrific. Tommy Glavine does the right thing. He comes anyway. Of course he can’t pitch, but he comes anyway. And Reyes is also here and he can’t (play). But he’s here. This is an honor. Do you know how many people in life would give, would run through a brick wall to have this kind of honor?”
Selig then added, “I need a vacation too, but . . .”

Is the all-star game really that important? I would bet my big toe that 99% of Red Sox fans would prefer that Manny Ramirez rest and be ready for the second half of the season whether his knee is injured or not. Perhaps for Manny to be at his best, he needs a three-day mental break from baseball to spend time with his family and regroup. Is that so horrible?

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By the way, Bruce Allen over at Boston Sports Media Watch wrote a fantastic piece on the "media's role in the public perception of Manny Ramirez." The article is a must read. I agree with Bruce 100%.

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Sox are 5th Most Popular Team in Baseball

According to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive, these were the top five answers when 2,251 adults were asked: "What is your favorite Major League Baseball Team?"

1. New York Yankees
2. New York Mets
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Boston Red Sox

It is not hard to believe that the Yankees and Mets are 1 and 2, but the Atlanta Braves at 3? Braves fans don't even fill up their home stadium for playoff games.

The five least popular teams:

26. San Diego Padres
27. Florida Marlins
28. Texas Rangers
29. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
30. Toronto Blue Jays

The poll was conducted within the United States so that is probably why the Toronto Blue Jays ended up at 30. It is a little bit surprising to see the Texas Rangers at #28, but the other "least popular" teams make sense.

See the full list here.

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So, I am well aware that the 2006 MLB All-Star game really does count and I am sure that it will be both competitive and riveting (never mind all of the witty insight and fascinating tales that will surely be provided by Fox announcers Joe Buck and Tim McCarver) but I think I am going to "pull a Manny" and skip the game tonight to go see Superman Returns.

Here is my question: Has anyone seen Superman Returns in 3D at an IMAX theater?

Here is the dilemma: The regular ol' movie theater is a 5 block walk from my apartment but the IMAX theater would require a trek on public transportation. Is it worth the extra effort it to see the 3D version?

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At least Bronson Arroyo is honest

A snippet about Bronson Arroyo in the Boston Herald today:

Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo did not try to hide why he couldn’t make a noon wake-up call to attend a media session with his fellow NL All-Stars.
“Late night at the bar,” said the ex-Red Sox who failed to notch his 10th win of the season Sunday in Atlanta. He said he could pitch if needed tonight. . . .

At least he is honest, right? On the subject of Arroyo, I stumbled upon this article in the Cincinnati Enquirer about his childhood in Key West, Florida. This photo (included with the article) cracks me up:



All Star, rock star [The Cincinnati Enquirer]

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One Big reason to watch the Home Run Derby Tonight

There is only one good reason to grab a six pack of Alaskan Summer Ale and sit through the Home Run Derby tonight: David Ortiz.

Just in case the so called Home Run Derby Curse is real, I would be more than happy to watch Big Papi launch a few monster shots and then bow out of the contest in the first or second round -- let Troy Glaus or Jermaine Dye win the derby and screw up his swing. But that's just me.

Home Run Derby Tonight: ESPN 8 ET / 5 PT

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For other transplanted Red Sox fans who were doomed to watch Sunday's 19 inning ordeal via the Chicago White Sox broadcast, Earl has kindly provided the link to Heave the Hawk, a website "dedicated to the removal of White Sox television broadcaster Ken 'Hawk' Harrelson." Yes! The broadcast was that bad.

Of course, if you're nestled safely in NESN territory you have no idea what I am talking about. Just imagine what it would take for you to pine for a Bob's Discount Furniture commercial or an inning of Remy fantasizing about a "NESN Helicopter." You don't know how good you have it.

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The Red Sox rarely have bobble head giveaway nights at Fenway and unless there's a plan in place for a doll to celebrate Big Papi's impending MVP Award, it's not something I would get too excited about anyway. Of course minor league baseball teams have to resort to special promotions to attract a crowd, but this has to be the most ridiculous giveaway ever:

The Lake Elsinore Storm, an affiliate of the San Diego Padres, gave away the "Tom Cruise Jumping the Couch Bobble head" to several thousand fans at a recent game to commemorate "Tom's jumping the couch episode on the Oprah Winfrey show."

What's even more disturbing is that these freakin' things are now selling for $40+ dollars on eBay.

Wow.

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Hat tip to Deadspin.com for the link.

"White Devils" and "Blowhards"

Gordon Edes has an interesting piece today in the Boston Globe about Seth Mnookin's new book, Feeding the Monster. The book details the inner workings of the Red Sox front office since it was taken over by Henry, Lucchino and Werner.

Here are a few of the juicier snippets:

Manny Rami­rez asked Henry to be traded on the first day he met the new owner in spring training, 2002: ``Look, man, you gotta get me out of here," Rami­rez told Henry. ``I hate the pressure. I hate the manager [Joe Kerrigan, at the time]."

Other Rami­rez tidbits: stat analyst Bill James did a study in the 2003 season in which Rami­rez was cited for half of the 60 instances in which Sox players did not hustle, and this spring, after the Sox did not trade him yet again after he'd asked to be dealt, Rami­rez directed a rant at the owners in which he referred to them as ``[expletive] white devils."

White devils?

During the 2005 season, as the Sox struggled without Pedro Marti­nez, Lucchino walked around Fenway Park humming the tune to Simon and Garfunkel's song, ``Mrs. Robinson," changing the lyrics of the song to: ``Where have you gone, Pedro Marti­nez, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

Ooooh ooooh oooh.

Epstein last year complained about veteran players who ``become blowhards" and talk excessively to the media, a comment that seemed directed at Kevin Millar.

Kevin Millar a blowhard?

Henry, who felt "pure rage" toward manager Grady Little when he left in Marti­nez to pitch the eighth inning of Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series against the Yankees, was unhappy with the manager all season. ``Henry had taken to joking that if the Red Sox did not win the World Series and he was tapped to star in one of the iconic `I'm going to Disney World,' commercials, he would instead announce to the world, `I'm going to fire Grady Little.' "

Feeding the Monster also reveals that Dan Shaughnessy's October 30th article criticizing Theo Epstein led directly to Theo's resignation (is anyone surprised?) although there was an existing rift between Epstein and Lucchino well before the article was written. Anyway, Mnookin's book hits bookshelves on July 11 and it should be a good read.

P.S. How exactly is "Mnookin" pronounced?

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This Kid Is Cool

This kid knows how to spot a good catch.


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