The Boston Pro Sports Blog

If Beckett’s performance last night didn’t set of alarms to the Red Sox Nation that our pitching is hurting then nothing will. To say that our combined starters and bullpen are struggling is an understatement. Last night’s Canadian Home Run Derby by the Blue Jays at the expense of Josh Beckett brought us from orange to red on the Uh-Oh-o-meter.

This past week has been a pitching disaster and with each consecutive game it seems that our team ERA is swelling up larger than Jason Kidd’s son’s head. Clement’s line drive to the leg last week seemed to rekindle scarring memories of last years head-shot catastrophe and now it might take a hundred more sessions with Dr. Feinstein before the night terrors subside again.

Wakefield has been mediocre and has yet to really show that he is capable of repeating his 16 win season last year. Schilling has been solid atop the rotation but certainly not dominant in his last few appearances, equalizing his red hot start. Well’s career might well be over after an O’Henry-esque line-drive up the middle ironically drilled his recently healed surgically repaired knee, sending him to the Disabled List for his second time in as many months. Abe Alvarez hasn’t inspired confidence from anybody and Lenny DiNardo’s constant smile is the only thing keeping people from knowing that he cries himself to sleep.

Out most reliable set-up man and the guy we have had to rely on all too heavily, Mr. Mike Timlin has hit the 15 day Disabled List with a strained shoulder, something NESN play-by-play man Don Orsillo labeled a “fatigued arm” which seems more like something elderly men get after their first prescription of Viagra. Tavarez and Seanez are as inconsistent as a bipolar Danny Ainge and David Riske has made people wish he were back on the DL. Manny Delcarmen couldn’t seem to record an out if his sanity depended on it, and although he has been much improved in the last two outings, he is not nearly the prodigy we believed him to be in spring training. Foulke has been our only other set-up man even close to being called “consistent”, which leaves the rookie Papelbon as the only light in an otherwise dim bullpen. Seeing as our starters have imploded recently and our set-up men are non-existent, it will have to be our bats that allow us to see Papelbon in the ninth.

Red Sox Nation essentially woke up this morning at pitching rock bottom. Like some alcoholic holding a pounding head and hoping that the events of last night didn’t actually happen. Tomorrow is June 1st, 2006 and for Red Sox pitchers it doesn’t get any worse than this. At least we hope. Because if it there’s any more damage there will be quite a few people who aren’t as excited that school’s out for the summer.

The Red Sox will start Mike Pauley from AA Portland tonight to try to prevent a sweep from division rival Toronto. If her survives this task he’ll have the privilege to pitch against the Yankees in next weeks series. Don’t keep your fingers crossed folks. It’s the Red Sox folks. The chance of a legit fifth starter magically appearing out of Double A is about as likely as John Henry getting a tan.

Am I turning into a pessimist? Will I be tossing empty Budweiser cans at the Sox tonight screaming obscenities at Terry Francona and the Front Office like Old Uncle Hal? I hope not. However the recent pitching collapse has made me question the supposed shift from a hitting oriented team to a pitching and defensive team. Was the Red Sox brass really committed to a change of style in one off-season? Most of the moves said so. However why would they then deal Arroyo for Pena, a person who didn’t have a defensive bone in his body? Regardless of the future payoffs of that deal, its looking awfully regrettable right now. Hindsight is obviously 20/20 but had they stuck with the plan our decrepit pitching might not be in the crisis mode that it is in. And although Pena has struck the ball very well, his wrist injury will now keep him from doing so again for the next 6-8 weeks.

Is this panic time? Of course not. It’s June 1st tomorrow. And despite our pitching problems we have managed to stay a game over .500 with a 5-4 record over the last nine games and are tied for first in the AL East. But we have a tough few series ahead with games against Detroit, New York, and Texas, who are all in first place of their respective divisions. So this might be a good chance for these Sox to prove that their pitching isn’t in as much trouble as we think they are. We can only hope.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

So after two straight losses to the Yankees, I would certainly rather talk about something else. Even if that means lowering myself to the local gossip chain to discuss Theo Epstein’s recent engagement. Yes that’s right ladies. Sorry to inform you that The Red Sox General Manager and local cult hunk is off the market. Apparently Theo popped the question to long time girlfriend Marie Whitney Sunday night after dinner at Davio’s, an Italian restaurant in Park Square.

To be honest, I am actually not sorry to inform everyone of that. And it has nothing to do with me being genuinely and altruistically happy for him. It has to do with me being sick of women fawning all over Theo and claiming that he is “soooo hot.” It may sound ridiculous and petty, but this actually makes me angry.

Let get some things straight here. Theo Epstein is not hot. Tom Brady is hot. I am comfortable enough with my masculinity that I can say that without it being awkward. Plus I may or may not have a nonsexual man-crush on him. Although that probably has more to do with his jewelry than his looks.

Theo Epstein is no where near Tom Brady level. I would even go so far as to say he is borderline not attractive. In all truthfulness though, if Theo Epstein was your company’s IT guy, there wouldn’t slews of young women drooling over him. Its because he is the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox. And compared to a lot of other Front Office guys in baseball, Theo is younger and more athletic, and thus, perhaps, more handsome in the eyes of many. I am not exactly saying that Theo is Brian Cashman ugly(Lord knows I wouldn’t wish that on anybody), but in Boston Sport’s Most Beautiful People rankings, Theo probably wouldn’t crack my top ten. Not that I have or would make a top ten, because if you didn’t lose respect for me after that then I certainly would. But I think you get my point.

This whole thing just proves that women’s judgment is often skewed by money and power. Not that we didn’t all know this, but this seems to support the theory. [Desperate attempt not to alienate women readers coming in 3..2..1..] Not all women of course. Many are excellent judges of character and truly appreciate a person for who they are. For men, evaluation of attractiveness is different though, which may be why I struggle to understand the “Theo is attractive” pretense. If Lindsay Lohan was your local Dairy Queen cashier, guys would still be attracted to her. It has nothing to do with money or power. If anything, it has to do with availability and the perception of promiscuity. So for someone like Paris Hilton, her allure doesn’t have to do with her bankroll, as much as the fact that she emits the notion that she might just go home with you simply because you have a penis.

I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea here. I love Theo Epstein. I think he is a solid General Manager and I am mostly comfortable with him in charge of the Red Sox personnel(despite egregious mistakes such as Edgar Renteria, trading Arroyo instead of Clement, and shipping Hanley Ramirez and Andy Marte out). I just don’t think Theo is as gorgeous as many Red Sox lady fans believe. So lets just let Theo enjoy his engagement and stop talking about how this is a huge loss to the single and attractive guy pool.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

Yeah I know they are dilapidated by injuries. But they are still the Yankees. And any win over the Yankees is a good win. Schilling looked marvelous last night, pitching eight full innings in only 99 pitches while allowing only five hits, one run, and zero walks while fanning six in a 9-5 Sox win over the Bronx Bombers.

So I know what your thinking when you read that last statement. Schilling pitched eight full with one run allowed? What the hell happened in the ninth? Keith Foulke happened in the ninth my friend. Foulkie allowed 5 hits and 4 runs in the ninth turning a 9-1 blowout into a “don’t turn the channel yet” ballgame. Foulke allowed a single to begin the inning and then collected two quick outs, before giving up back to back home runs to Alex Rodriquez and Jorge Posada. He then allowed back to back doublesto Robinson Cano and Bernie Williams before finally recording the last out of the ballgame.

With a 9-1 lead in the ninth we can cut Foulke some slack. His main objective at that point in the game is to throw strikes. As long as he doesn’t walk anyone, some of those strikes will inevitably end up as outs. That’s the theory anyway. So perhaps we can attribute Foulke’s batting practice session yesterday to the fact that he simply just wanted to throw strikes. At least that’s what I am telling myself.

The problem with Foulke’s outing yesterday is a little more complex than four runs on five hits(four for extra bases). In a weird way it puts a lot more pressure on David Wells. Boomer, who finished his rehab stint this week, should be back pitching for the Red Sox Friday. As much as I love DiNardo’s guile, he has been largely ineffective. In his five starts, he is 1-2, although the Sox have won three of those five. But last time he pitched, we got blown out by the Phillies in a game in which Lenny didn’t make it past the fourth inning.

With Foulke still inconsistent, Papelbon is almost guaranteed to stay as the closer for the rest of the season. This leaves Timlin as once again our only really reliable set-up man. Starting pitching is obviously important, but it only goes as far as the bullpen can take it. If Boomer’s knees only allow him to throw a few solid innings, it could wear out our already thin bullpen. When we activate Wells, there is a chance DiNardo might head back down to Triple A for a while to get his head back on straight. It is important that he does that considering he might be one of the better long inning set-up men we have in the organization.

I’ve almost felt bad for DiNardo. I have always liked him and had a lot of respect for him as well. No matter what the situation is, Lenny has never turned down an opportunity to take the mound. Whether its long-distance set-up out of the bullpen, Pawtucket, or keeping the seat warm for Wells, Lenny has done whatever he could for the Sox organization. It didn’t help that Francona seemed to throw in the towel for DiNardo’s starts before a pitch was ever thrown out either. How many times in only five starts did we see Willie Harris, Dustan Mohr, or Alex Cora in the lineup with DiNardo pitching? With this last start, Francona sat David Ortiz. Tito stated before the interleague series that Youklis, Lowell, and Ortiz were all going to get one day off. He gave Ortiz the DiNardo start off, and sat Lowell the second game of the series despite Mike going 3 for 3 the night before. Is it just me or would it have made more sense to put our best hitters against our interim number five pitcher?

In any event, the DiNardo experiment is over. For now. If Wells implodes again this Friday we might have a bigger problem on our hands. I can gaurentee the result of Wells’ start on Friday night will have a direct impact on the amount of Dontrelle Willis/Roger Clemens rumors on Monday. Frankly I’d rather just see him pitch well.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

The Red Sox win streak over the Orioles was ended yesterday after a 4-3 loss. Wakefield didn’t get much run support although give credit to Baltimore pitcher Eric Bedard who held Sox batters to two hits and only one run in seven strong innings. The Sox led 1-0 after a first inning RBI from David Ortiz, but fell behind 2-1 after former Red Sock Kevin Millar took a Wakefield knuckler deep for a 2-run homer.

Big Papi then made it close by drilling a two run shot off Chris Ray in the top of the ninth inning. Wily Mo Pena then singled to short after Manny and Mike Lowell both struck out looking. Willie Harris entered the game to run for Pena, and Trot Nixon came to the plate with a man on first and two out.

The story of the night came two pitches later, when, after Trot took the first pitch for a ball, Harris decided to steal second base despite getting the hold sign from third base coach Bill Haselman and skipper Terry Francona. Harris has a 77% success rate with stealing(50 for 65 career) so obviously he knows what he is doing and is good at his job. But last I heard, the reason the coaching staff is there is for situations exactly like this. You can’t just go around ignoring the coaches and just doing whatever you want. I mean, this isn’t the NBA here. You are suppose to take the signs. Francona might have known something about Nixon facing Chris Ray. Had Harris not stolen, Trot would be sitting on a 2-0 hitters count as well. Although I do understand that if he had stolen second and Trot had gotten a hit we would be singing a different tune.

After that game Nixon said that “'’I thought he was in there. That’s Willie’s game. Obviously, I did want to bat, but I’d never blame a guy for playing hard to get in scoring position.” I guess we cant come down too hard on Willie. Although I hate when people play ‘hard to get’ when I’m about to score. Next time Willie will focus more on the signs. Honest mistake I guess. We move on. Hopefully he’ll will have that much more motivation to swipe a base when we need it next chance he gets.

Sox are off today and begin inter-league play this weekend playing at Philadelphia before hosting the Bronx Bombers next week.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

Doug Flutie announced his retirement today, stating that he would not return for his 22nd season of professional football. Flutie, a Natick native, spent most of his time with Canadian Football League but also did tours with the United States Football League and the National Football League. He is perhaps best known around these parts for his legendary career at Boston College. Flutie led the Eagles from 1981-84, a career that transcended BC football to national fame and left him as a local deity, a reputation that has continued to subsist at the Heights throughout the post-Flutie decades.

He has also used his fame to promote his Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation, which helps raise money and awareness for autism. Doug is also known for routinely joining in local pick-up basketball games as well as helping to promote a lot of the clubs and student organizations at Boston College. You would be hard-pressed to find a lot of New Englanders who would speak ill of Doug, although he will be the first to tell you that he’s always had critics.

His football career in the States is most notably highlighted by a November 22, 1984 Hail Mary pass to Gerard Phelan on the last play to upset #1 ranked Miami, a 1984 Heisman Trophy, and of course, his own cereal called ‘Flutie Flakes’. Which should be the true mark of an athlete’s career if you ask me. I mean, say what you want about Count Dracula’s pro tennis career, but the guy’s still got his own cereal. And despite Tony the Tiger’s lifetime ban for violating every performance enhancing drug policy known to man, his cereal is pretty popular.

Flutie’s best years were the eight seasons he spent with the Canadian Football League, where he took home six Most Outstanding Player awards and three Championship rings while racking up 41,355 yards and 270 touchdown passes. His career in the NFL was spotty at best, highlighted by a lone Pro-Bowl appearance. However, watching Flutie was anything but dull and, as ESPN’s Mark Kreidler explains, his career as a ‘professional’ football player just might be Canton worthy after all.

Regardless of his numbers, Flutie was a great football player and a joy to watch. He almost epitomized the Cinderella story, constantly ignoring or proving all of his critics wrong. I agree that we were all lucky to witness Doug’s career.

Doug Flutie will forever go down as one of the greatest athletes in Boston’s history. And if you ask me, one hell of a good guy.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

Last night was just an example of how fragile and capricious personal emotions can be during the months of a baseball season. Yesterday my psyche was on cloud nine, this morning it sat by the blue rubbermaid barrels waiting to be dragged off and slung onto a pile of other Red Sox fans’ disheartened mindsets. This will last for another few hours until Tom Caron and the NESN pregame show will arouse my Red Sox libido back to its rightful spot on a small dip in between the twin peaks of hopeful inspiration and dreaded fear.

I thought about the nature of my relationship with baseball, in light of yesterdays 7-3 loss to the Yankees, over my Rice Crispies this morning. My key realization, however obvious, is that baseball is indeed a game of averages. Not just numbers on a piece of paper, but emotional averages as well. As with any competitive league, there is essentially only one team, and their fans, who are left happy, satisfied, and fulfilled at the conclusion of any given season. However, I believe it to be how happy your team has made you on average, that is the ultimate test of a successful season, week, or month in the game of baseball. There is certainly the relevance of how much you enjoyed watching your team play. As well as the lesser details of how much your team causes you to invest your time, how hopeful you are before a given contest or season, and how much you believe they could win a title. But those are less essential than an over-simplified summary of just how happy your team actually made you.

You could rank your team on a .1000 percentage scale as to how happy they made you if you would prefer to stay loyal to the Bill James school of baseball numbers. I am sure you could create a mathematical formula as well that would include such numerical variables as how many hours you spent watching, thinking, or talking about your team; how many souvenir items you purchased within the last year; and how much you would be willing to pay for a playoff ticket. You could also throw in the team’s record as well.

As residents of a city that has enjoyed an abundance of championship trophies in the past few years, it might be a little more difficult to fully embrace this concept. After the Patriots’ streak of dominance, its almost hard to comprehend that anything but a championship could still be considered a good season. But if you really try to empathize with an average fan from an average franchise(and remind yourself you are a Celtics and Bruins fan too), its less difficult than you think. For example, I am sure Buffalo Bills fans of the ‘90s were pretty happy with their teams during the seasons. And if you don’t think Philly fans were happy just to have gotten to the Superbowl, well, then you need to talk with a member of the Department of Public Works. I am sure there are also a few(perhaps very few) Tampa Bay fans who actually enjoy watching Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, and Scott Kazmir play on a daily basis, despite their abysmal record. And likewise a group of Yankee fans who can’t possibly enjoy watching their team play.

Baseball is the ultimate example of how this concept is important. On any given day their could be a slew of fans around the country happy with how their team played that day, regardless of whether they lived in St. Louis, Pittsburg, Chicago, or Kansas City. However, it is exactly the average feeling that is most important. Just as any big league slugger is not judged on any single game performance, but rather his average over a particular span of time. That time period could range from a week, to a season, to a decade, to a history of the franchise. For me and the Red Sox right now, it’s this season, with the occasional streak thrown in as well. And despite last nights hurtful loss, I’m pretty happy. Cautious, intrigued, anxious, and excited, and sometimes frustrated as well, but pretty happy nevertheless.

The most efficient way to fully evaluate your team based on this philosophy, would be to judge them at the end of the season, but prior to playoffs. This is a lot like giving a grade before the final exam, but it would put things in perspective a little more. As a fan, you might be more appreciative if you took as second to think about how your team made you feel during the duration of the season. No we’re not going to hold hands, take deep breaths, and really open up to the lesbian hippy moderator sitting Indian style across the circle, nodding her head like she really cares. But maybe you can crack a beer and appreciate(or scorn) how happy your team made you that season, before the ultimate disappointment of them not winning a championship.

As this strategy exists on averages, it is appropriate especially for baseball. As it transcends numbers, it can be universally applicable. As a baseball fan, it can be emotionally exhausting riding the highs and lows of a 162 game season. And many of us are not quite seasoned vets at it. Its tough to balance the appropriate detachment with the necessary passion of being a dedicated fan. So at any given time during the duration of a season, you can stop and think about the overall sensation of rooting for you team. If you’re a die-hard Pirates fan, you might not want to do this around razor blades, thick rope, or a medicine cabinet filled with old half-full prescription bottles. Or maybe you don’t want to think about it at all. But for the average Red Sox fan, it might be imperative for your sanity to think about the slightly bigger picture every now and again.

Or maybe you could just listen to what your Rice Crispies have to say.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

Oh man. There are not too many ways last night could have gone any better. Beckett was solid, Randy Johnson SUCKED. The Yankees defense bumble-fucked around for a slew of errors and unearned runs. The seemingly steady Bernie Williams tossed his helmet at the home plate ump in frustration, probably more from the game as a whole than the specific call. Johnson got booed by 54,000 of his own fans. Damon is still hitless. A-Rod’s O-fer brought him to a .259 average. And then there’s this. It just doesn’t get much better than last night.

I know that the proper thing to do is remind ourselves that its only May and that we still have 17 more games against the Yankees who undoubtedly have the scariest lineup in baseball. But I don’t care. This is too good. Say what you want about this Sox club so far this season, but one thing you must admire is the fact they have played their best baseball against the Yankees. And what Sox fan doesn’t love that?

Sixteen hits. Fourteen runs with thirteen men left on base. God the Yankees are lucky last night wasn’t more embarrassing than it was. If tonight’s results are any similar to last nights, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Yanks throw at Ortiz, just out of frustration. I would say a nice plunking of A-Rod would be good retaliation but, as you know, we don’t throw at .260 hitters.

The good and bad thing about baseball is that the next day it’s a whole new ballgame. I just wish they all went like last night.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

The Sox finished up a six(would have been seven without a rainout) game homestand yesterday by defeating Baltimore for the sixth straight time this season, leaving them 5-1 for those games and tied for first in the AL East(technically second if you count percentage points). Our bats seemed to come alive after previously slumping a little during the previous roadtrip.

I was happy to see Lenny DiNardo get his first win yesterday as well. If he can get some control back(he walked in a run) he might be able to stay in the rotation considering he only gave up two hits in five innings. I was even happier to see Varitek hit a grand slam. I was surprised to know that it was only his second of his career. I would have thought he would have a few more than two. Seeing Loretta go 8-16 in the homestand was another major plus. We definitely need him to put up some numbers considering our lineup isn’t as hitting-centered as in the past.

Manny Delcarmen was sent back down to Pawtucket today. Expect a roster move tomorrow. I would say it will probably some more bullpen help. The two main possibilities are lefty Mike Holtz or righty Jermaine Van Buren. We could also see short stop Dustin Pedroia. Right-handed relief pitcher David Riske threw side sessions yesterday as well so he could be back in the line-up in the near future. Whether that’s good or bad remains to be seen. The one thing we do know is that our bullpen needs to improve. Outside of Timlin, Foulke, and Papelbon it’s a crap-shoot.

The Sox had the day off today and head down to the Bronx tomorrow. Hopefully well rested and ready to go.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

Well Clement showed that he can be the 10-2 Matt that we saw at the beginning of last season. Or he at least has the potential to. He held the Jays to two hits in six innings last night. He must have read Eric Wilbur’s blog.

It was our inconsistent bullpen that decided to make things interesting, with Seanez giving up a two run shot and Tavarez giving up a solo homer in the late innings last night. Papelbon got to pad his stats with his eleventh save after a 7-1 lead eroded to 7-4.

One good thing was our balance of offense. We got 7 Runs Batted In from 5 different players. As much as I would still criticize Theo’s trade, I can at least take some solace in the fact that Wily Mo Pena is hitting .322.

Schilling goes for his fifth tonight. But we said that last time. It would be nice to have a hot May. Tonights as good a night as any to start that. Go Sox.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

Take a deep breath. Soak it up. Enjoy it. Last night was the best game the Red Sox have played this season. With more storylines than a Brothers Grimm collection, last nights 7-3 win over the Yankees was a perfect way to kick off the greatest rivalry in sports. I am slightly disappointed at the intense hatred toward Johnny Damon displayed last night. I am not going to get into it much since we would need the dental records to identify this horse its been beat so bad. But Johnny played hard everyday in a Sox uniform, he catered to the fans, and above all he brought us a World Championship. The Yankees gave him $12 million more than we offered and he accepted. He may be a hypocrite, he has always been an idiot, but he is no son of Satan. I will leave it at that.

On to the happier events of last night. In one of the most bad-ass displays of player exchanging, Doug Mirabelli exited his limo in full uniform upon arriving at Fenway 12 minutes after landing in Logan. Many thanks to the Massachusetts State Police and the Big Dig for this goose-bump inducing Red Sox moment. I know its not nearly on the same stratosphere but Doug’s return in full uniform was vaguely reminiscent of Larry’s reappearance from the Garden’s tunnel after suffering a concussion. I know, I know. He’s a back-up catcher hitting .192. I don’t care. I was much more excited about Doug’s return last night than hearing the verdict about Damon. Our knuckleballer Yankee killer got his personal catcher back just in time to allow 3 runs on 4 hits in seven full. I am not going to apologize for being excited about that.

There were few things more obvious than the problem Josh Bard had catching Timmy. Bard’s a great backup catcher and a hard worker, but he just couldn’t catch the knuckleball. It was clear it was throwing Tim off a little as well. How could it not. Bard had as many passed balls in 5 games than Mirabelli had all last season. So Theo made the swap and Dougie’s back in town. Welcome back Doug. This could be the missing variable to make Wake’s starts equal wins. Well, that and us hitting the ball.

Which we didn’t have a problem doing last night. I know everyone is praising David Ortiz today for his four RBIs, and rightly so. Not only did Big Papi’s three run homer in the eighth add insurance to our lead, it crushed any Yankee hopes of a win and solidified him as one of the most clutch hitters in baseball(and a certified Yankee killer). However I would just like to point out that it was Mark Loretta that hit a two-out single with two men on to give the Sox a 4-3 lead. Loretta’s hit scooted past the mound and right up the middle of the infield to drive in Willie Harris who was on second and running for Alex Cora. Loretta’s game winning RBI was very Bill Mueller-esque and hopefully induced a spark that will pull him out of his mini-slump. Had Ortiz recorded the third out of the eighth, it would have been Loretta’s hit that would have been the celebrated winning run. However, Papi stepped up and proved why he is the best hitter in the American League by crushing a 3-2 pitch to deep center, into the wind.

The best part about Ortiz’s home run was that it came off of Mike Myers, the lefty specialist that the Yankees acquired specifically to face Ortiz in late inning situations. Oh man, it just doesn’t get any better than this. And if you didn’t have enough reason to get pumped for The Rivalry, just keep in mind that the Sox lost the American League East title last year on a 10-9 tiebreaker. So yeah, its early May and its only the first of many Sox-Yanks games this season. But they are all important. As if I had to remind you.

Tonight Beckett hits the mound tonight. Hopefully to prove that 2003 wasn’t a fluke and that he is in fact the Yankee killer we all hope him to be. Go Sox.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com