Well, That wasn’t great

I guess that’s why they call it home field advantage. That means that when one good team meets another good team, the home team should win more than the visitors. So, going into the series in Detroit, a loss or two shouldn’t have been a shocker.

It still doesn’t mean that Saturday’s loss didn’t hurt. A lot. The game should not be in question with your ace on the mound, and a five-run lead. But, there it was. The Tigers chipped, and chipped, and dragged themselves right back it. Once it gets to extra innings, it’s all a crapshoot. Sure, the bases loaded walk is just a depressing way to end it. But, I doubt I’d feel much better if they got a game ending, bases loaded, double instead.

Yesterday’s loss was just one of those problems the Sox are going to run into. Especially missing so many starters like they were. They just didn’t score enough runs to cover for a somewhat shaky outing from their starter. It’ll happen, and it did.

But, that’s to Friday night’s triumph, the salvaged one win from the series, and head into New York. It’s a short series, which is just annoying. Lose two games, and people crow about being “swept.” And, really, you’d have to expect to lose at least one. Right? Cameron’s coming back though. So, that’s a good thing. No, he’s not a shining knight on a white horse or anything. But, he has to be a tick above Bill Hall in center, right? It’s definitely a step in the right direction.

With Ellsbury nearing a rehab start, the Sox are holding close while they wait for the cavalry to come. It’s all we could have expected. From here on out, let’s see what the entire, fully operational Red Sox can do.

You know…if they’re ever fully operational.

Wantlist: 1977 Topps

Adding more cards to my wantlist...

1977 TOPPS

COMPLETE!

I Scored! June 28, 2003

This is a rather depressing scorecard. The first thing you notice is the mass of colored squares in the middle. But, it was all for not. The eventual World Champs came back, and took the game right out from under the Sox.

One of the more interesting parts of the card is the “game notes” section. It states that this is Gabe Kapler’s first game with the Red Sox. Kapler was a shooting star when he entered the league. While he developed into a decent player, he certainly didn’t quite pan out. The Red Sox picked him up not long before to fill a hole in the outfield. How did he do? If only all holes were filled as well as this one. Kapler doubled in his first at-bat. He singled in his second. His third at-bat produced an RBI triple. That’s right. Six innings into his Red Sox career, and he’s a home run away from the cycle. Next time up? He didn’t quite do it. We had to settle for a double, driving in two runs. If you’re looking to become a fan favorite, going 4-4 with three RBI in your debut is a great way to start. The fact that he struck out in his final chance didn’t matter. He had us hooked. Gabe ended up homering in the next game…so he got a slightly extended cycle.

Who else had a good game? Nomar certainly stands out. He stands out in a lot of scorecards. He only went 2-4, but with a home run and four RBI. Who had a bad game? Brandon Lyon. He was entrusted with a three run lead, and only one inning left to play. He couldn’t do it. Four runs later, the Red Sox were losing and didn’t recover.

It was too bad, because it’s certainly a game the Sox should have won. It’s too bad because Kapler came in with such gusto. It’s too bad because the game was so much fun for 8 innings. It just didn’t end well.

And the scorecard shows how it happened.

Feeding the Monster By: Seth Mnookin

This book is an in-depth look at the interworkings of the Boston

Red Sox. As with any Red Sox book worth it’s salt, it begins with a brief history of the team itself, exploring the so-called curse, as well as the Yawkey ownership. It follows with a thorough account of the sale of the team to the group eventually led by John Henry. It then hit the big time with a behind the scenes look at the 2003 Red Sox team and front office. With unprecedented access to the front office, Mnookin shows readers what happens before something happens. It’s a hard look at personalities and egos both on the field, and in the offices.

The jacket of the book talks about Mnookin’s access. It brags that he had a key to Fenway Park, and a desk in the front office. The theory being that the kind of access he had must mean that he has the best information. In reality, it means he has the most one-sided information. I’m not saying the Red Sox front office spent time misleading him with false information or opinions. (Although, I wouldn’t put it past them.) But, there are two sides to every story, and Mnookin mostly got one side. The good thing? He told the side he had wonderfully. This is a fantastic book. The section on the sale of the team was especially interesting to me. The back and forth between the team and bidders, and bidders themselves was fascinating. It was also interesting to hear the Red Sox version of many of the personnel issues facing the team. After reading Becoming Manny, the opposite explanation for some of the incidents makes you think. This is certainly a must read for any Red Sox fan.

Rating: 4 bases

Birds of a Feather

Interesting what happens in a week, isn’t it?

Last week, I explained that there was no need to worry about the Sox. Even though they were a paltry 11-14, the world would not end. They could still play .613 ball the rest of the season and make it respectable. Since then? The Sox swept a four-game set from the Angels, took one of three from the Yankees, and the first game against Toronto. So, they are now 17-16 after 33 games. If I repeat my little exercise to see what they need to do the rest of the season…to get to 95 wins, the Sox need to go 78-51. That means playing ball at a .605 clip. Look at that. It’s even easier now!

I will admit, though. This weekend was not a lot of fun. I don’t know what happened to Josh Beckett on Friday. I can only assume that sometimes pitchers have that happen to them. He was pitching very well, and then just lost it. Hope he finds it again in the next couple days.

Clay pitched pretty well on Saturday, despite the monsoon that finally ended his day. I had the misfortune of being at that game, and didn’t enjoy very much of it. It was nice to see the Sox get to CC a little bit. He didn’t look like he was mowing through anybody. Clay held it together while he was there, and at least gave the Sox a chance. A couple surprising things, at least to me, from Saturday. Joba Chamberlain is huge. I saw him warming up, but couldn’t tell who he was. I just wondered who the chubby guy was blocking out the sun in the Yankees ‘pen. I almost fell out of my seat when I realized it was Joba. I also thought it was interesting that two pitchers got hurt following the rain delay, and nobody went out to check the mound. Sure, it was possible that the two injuries weren’t related. But, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen two of them go down in an inning. I think I would have tossed some kitty litter out there, just to be safe.

Sunday’s game was more of what I expect. Lester pitched wonderfully, and the Sox line-up took advantage of an inferior pitcher. It was exactly the kind of game that the Sox team was built for. It’s also a telling example of the problems with using stats early in the season. Entering the game, Burnett was undefeated, with an ERA under two. After the game? Not so much. So, what if he had this game to start the season, instead of waiting until now. Everything else would be the same, but his ERA would have looked awful all season. You’d assume he was struggling all year. Just a cautionary tale.

The Sox have another division foe in Fenway. They managed to take the first game. Once again, the pitching wasn’t great. But, it was good enough to win the game. I’m pretty sure that’s the whole point. Sure, I’d prefer lackey pitched more like Lester. But, I can forgive a hiccup…or six. Hopefully, this is the start of another seires victory. If they can take at least two, it will go a long way. It will give them a great homestand. It will inch them closer to the 95-win total. It will get even more games out of the way missing two outfielders. It will put the team in a pretty good place. And, with Dice and Wake going, I like their chances.

In one of the games, anyway.