I Scored!

April 10, 1998 – Red Sox Home Opening Day

Opening Days are fun. The field is fresh. The uniforms are crisp. Everyone is in a good mood. In this case, the home opener was a few games into the season. The Sox had been off to a good start. Everyone was excited about the new pitcher they had acquired, Pedro Martinez. He had already shown that he could be a lot of fun to watch. It was under all the pageantry and excitement that this game took place.

A couple quick notes about the scorecard itself. As I’ve said before, I created my own scoresheet because I could never find one with the space and set-up I wanted. In this case, I copied the scoresheet over from an old version onto my new sheet so it would present better for viewing. The old sheet had scribbles all over the margins, especially for the pitchers, since there wasn’t enough space for what I needed. Since it was a copy, I thought it would be a good chance to try the red ink. I’ve often thought if they’re the Red Sox, maybe I should score in red ink. I don’t think I like it. What do you think? You can tell this is an earlier scoresheet since I wasn’t especially good at it. I didn’t even remember to get all the uniform numbers of the players. A little research could help me fill them in, but I’d rather leave it as was.

If you look at the game, you may notice a few things. The Sox line-up was shut down early in the game. But, they were able to score a ton of runs late. Since I didn’t include the Mariners side of the sheet, the reason for that isn’t obvious. The game was started by Randy Johnson. He completely smothered the Sox for eight innings, holding them to 2 hits and 2 runs. It was only in the ninth inning, with the 7-2 lead that he was lifted. Everyone in the stands knew that the Sox might have a chance after all when the call to the bullpen went to Heathcliff Slocumb. He had been the terrible Red Sox closer the year before. He was shipped off to Seattle for a bag of beans, and we were thrilled with it. (OK, the bag of beans ended up being Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe…but who knew?) The joking went through the stands…now the Sox were back in the game.

A quick look at the ninth inning shows that we were absolutely justified in our glee. Slocumb gave up a single, walk, and double to the only three batters he faced. Old friend Tony Fossas was the reason for the maneuvering that occurred next. Once the lefty Hatteberg was announced, lefty specialist Fossas came in. Another pinch hitter nullified that, and Fossas issued the walk. With the one batter limit reached, another new pitcher came in. Mike Timlin couldn’t stop the bleeding. A singe and a hit batter, and suddenly the Sox were within 2. Yet another ineffective pitching change occurred in time for Mo Vaughn. All Vaughn did was clear the bases for a walk-off opening day grand slam. The Sox had actually won the game!

Looking back now, it’s great to see the players involved. Of course, there’s future Hall-of-Famer Randy Johnson. He was just at the beginning of his greatness. Slocumb wasn’t yet the answer to a trivia question. Timlin was years away from solidifying the Sox pen in the World Series. On the Red Sox side, Garciaparra was still in the lead-off spot, having just finished his rookie-of-the-year season. Varitek was still wearing number 47, and didn’t have a “C” on his chest. Steve Avery was coming out of the pen for the Sox. Hall-of-Famer Dennis Eckersley was still pitching, in his last year in the bigs. Tom Gordon was yet to get all those consecutive saves, and yet to choke away 2004 for the Yanks. All those paths crossed in this one game.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

Thank You Yankees

Yes, the worst has happened. But, as is usually the case, there is a silver lining to the disgusting result of the World Series. There are a few reasons why it might not be the end of the world as we know it.

The Yankees are the bad guys again. A few too many people had started hating the Red Sox the last few years. Winning does bring some hatred from some groups of fans. That vile is now directed back at the pinstripes where it belongs. The Red Sox were also starting to collect some of the obnoxious bandwagon jumpers the last few seasons. That section of Red Sox Nation will now, also, be dropped back on the Yankees. Baseball is better when there’s a clear villain. It had been getting a little foggy lately, but now it’s all clear again.

If the Phillies had won, they would have two championships in the decade, just like the Red Sox. With a Phillies loss, the Red Sox stranglehold on “Team of the Decade” honors is secure for at least another year.

People can stop calling Derek Jeter “Mr. November.” That annoying nickname had spring up on a technicality a few years ago because he hit a home run in a game played in November. Thanks to MLB ridiculous schedule, there were several games played in November this year. It is clear that Hideki Matsui is the real “Mr. November.” His performance in this series was much more deserving than Jeter’s fluke in 2001. So, that’s one less thing for announcers to fawn over Jeter about. Of course, I expect that they’ll come up with another one any day now.

This may bring the debate over a salary cap to the forefront again. The team that spent (by far) the most money finally won the title. The way it happened this year was even worse than usual. A team with money and high payroll misses the playoff. So, they go one a spending spree that off-season, throwing money around like it was on fire. After collecting the top three players available, they roll to a title. If that doesn’t make people sick, I don’t know what will.

Just wait until they sign Jason Bay this off-season.

Happy 36th!

Today, we wish a Happy 36^th Birthday to Johnny Damon!

Damon played for the Red Sox from 2002 to 2005. We’ll forget for a moment where he has played from 2006 ‘til now.

When he came to the Sox, he was exactly what the Sox needed. He was the typical lead-off guy. He could get on base. He could run. He would be a great person to have batting ahead of Manny Ramirez in the line-up. His Red Sox career ended up being even better than expected. He was everything fans hoped for on the field, and ended up as a rock star off it.

The numbers show a career where everything fell into place. He was on base as expected, and scored plenty of runs. His bat had a little bit more pop in it than some thought, and that was a great surprise. He played hard every day. He was great in centerfield, even if I could throw harder than he could. He got to every ball he was supposed to get to, and quite a few of the ones he wasn’t. Nobody could say he wasn’t a fantastic addition to the Sox.

In 2004, he took it one step further. He showed up at Spring Training with a head and face completely full of hair. Some people started referring to him as “Jesus”, and it took off from there. He gained an enormous cult following. Wigs and beards starting popping up all over Fenway Park. Damon may have evolved into the number one fan favorite on the team. It got so big, that Damon actually shaved off his beard once…for charity. A crowd of people showed up in the middle of a weekday to see his beard shaved off in exchange for a donation to charity from a razor company. (I have no idea what this says about Red Sox fans…but it definitely says something) By the time Damon led off Game 4 of the World Series with a home run, he could do no wrong. He was a hero, and a curse breaker. From there, it could all be downhill.

Which, is when we get to the elephant in the room. Following the 2005 season, Damon tested the free agent waters. As has become his standard, Theo offered a contract of a modest length. Damon realized that it was his last chance at a huge contract, and wanted a deal as long and profitable as he could. That deal came from the New York Yankees. I always thought the decision to sign with NY was another example of just how cocky Damon was. I read his book, and it is chock full of self-promotion. His post-game interviews were always just a touch too far for my liking. One clip that is always shown occurred during the 2004 ALCS. He had a terrible first couple games, 0-for-whatever with a ton of strikeouts. During the interview, he took responsibility for the losses. That’s fine. Many decent players would take the hit if they weren’t performing well. The iffy part to me was always when he went on to say that he was a catalyst for the team. I’m not sure where the line was, but I always thought he crossed it there. It’s one thing to say you stunk it up, and should be blamed. It’s another thing to say that the team doesn’t have a chance without you. But, I digress. The move to NY always made me think Damon didn’t get it. He was the rock star in Boston. He had the identity, the endorsements, everything. He was a World Champion. He’d never have to pay for dinner again. But, he didn’t quite realize the situation. He figured he could bring his star to NY, and really make a splash. But, once he went corporate, and shaved the hair, he was just another number. Suddenly, he wasn’t the top draw. Why go to Damon for endorsements? I’ve always wondered if he regretted leaving Boston. I sure would expect him to.

When it’s said and done, Damon was a 2004 World Champion, and an enormous part of that team. And if for no other reason than that, he deserves birthday wishes.

Happy Birthday Johnny!

Trailing with a 3-2 lead?

It’s becoming an interesting World Series. The Phillies didn’t really get it done when they should have. They needed to at least win two games at home. But, they were able to extend the series and bring it back to the Bronx. From here, things could get a little crazy.

The Yankees have gone with a three-man rotation for the World Series. (I can’t believe they couldn’t buy a decent fourth starter at some point.) Now that they’ve started it, there’s really no turning back. Burnett’s performance last night didn’t exactly scream “great idea!” It remains to be seen how Pettitte responds. On the surface, a Pedro-Pettitte match-up is probably a draw. Pettitte will be working on short rest. As an older pitcher, that has to take its toll. Pedro, however, will be on normal rest. Pedro’s performance was better than Pettitte’s the first time around in the Series. I also never bet against Pedro. If anyone can win a game on guts alone, I’m betting on Martinez. As if Pedro needed any more ammunition, this could be the final start of his career. Would he write it up any better than winning a World Series game in New York? Well, maybe pulling a Randy Johnson, win game six and game seven in relief. But, dominating game six would be a pretty good second option. I don’t imagine Pedro will be holding anything back. That could be fun.

As for game seven. The Yankees would go with Sabathia, once again on short rest. I know last year being used over and over on short rest got to CC. He was worn down by the time the playoffs came around. Each of his starts this postseason has been a little worse than the one before it. What will game seven bring? As for the Phillies, it’s all hands on deck. There will be a decision to be made even as to who will be the starter. Last year, it would have been an obvious classic match-up with Cole Hamels getting the ball against CC. This year…not so clear. Obviously, Hamels is an option. Cliff Lee could give some outs, I presume. (Tim McCarver pointed out last night that Lee would be available since it would be his throw day. I’ll renew my question as to what that means. It’s game seven of the World Series…what is he “throwing” for?) Basically, can the Phils get innings from enough people to add up to nine?

When do the Yankees start doubting themselves? Can they really blow another 3-1 lead? Did Jeter forget how to win? The media must be having a field day in NY. I wonder what will happen.

Go Phillies!

36 Questions: What’s the difference between an excuse and a reason?

You hear a lot about excuses this time of year. When the baseball season reaches the playoffs, postgame interviews are covered with references to excuses. Mostly, it’s one team or player not wanting to use something as an excuse. Apparently, it makes you weaker to use something as an excuse. I’m just not exactly sure why.

After a poor performance, most reporters ask a player or team the same question. “What happened?” For some reason, though, the player isn’t really allowed to answer. If he does, he’s just making excuses. I just wonder, why can’t it simply be a reason, and not an excuse? If the player gives a reason, does that mean they couldn’t have done anything to prevent it? Isn’t it just an answer to a question?

Earlier in this postseason, Matt Holliday made a costly error on a fly ball. It has been suggested that he lost the ball in white towels that the fans were waving. But, he wouldn’t say that himself. That would have been making excuses. Why can’t he say, “I lost it in the little white towels. I should have done a better job of blocking them out, but couldn’t. If the towels weren’t there, I’m sure I would have made the catch.” Is that not all true? Is that somehow not taking fault for the error because he explained why he made it?

You see the “excuse” word used a lot when it comes to injuries. If a team loses it’s best player, the rest of the team will try to ignore it. Sometimes, they’ll actually say they won’t use it as an excuse? Why not? Isn’t it fair to say that if Mark Teixeira goes down with an injury during a game, that the Yankees will be at a disadvantage? Why can’t they say that? “Boy, we lost our best player, and top run producer. It really put us in a hole that we couldn’t climb out of.” Instead, Jeter will trot out something closer to “We can’t make excuses. We just need to buckle down, and get the job done.” Which begs the question, if the Yankees could just buckle down and get the job done without Teix, why give him the $150 million in the first place?

Maybe we’d get actual answer from players if they were allowed to give actual answers. If it’s 30 degrees out, so Beckett can’t grip his curveball correctly leading to control problems, I want to know that. I don’t want to know that he needed to try harder. If Drew has a pulled hamstring, and couldn’t make it to that ball in the gap in time, I want to know. It’s not an excuse. It’s a legitimate point. Why not make it? Whenever one team wins, and another loses there are plenty of reasons why.

Why can’t everyone just talk about them?