The Pap App

There have been some big doings for the Red Sox lately what with the signing of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. I'm sure you all know the details about that so I'm not going to bother to get into it beyond saying that those two things almost make up for the loss of Victor (although what a nice lineup that would have been with Victor in it too).

No, I want to talk about Papelbon. I read this article on WEEI last week where Tito told reporters that no, he hadn't talked to Pap about the offer the Red Sox made to Mariano Rivera saying “No, I will. I’d reach out to Pap from time to time, but he may not even know.” I told this story to my husband that evening and mentioned this one from ESPN where Pap had professed to know nothing about last year's off-season moves. My husband decided that what Pap needs is a Pap App to download. A simple app that will show him with stick figures and simple drawings what is going on.  For example, a picture of Adrian Gonzalez wearing a Red Sox shirt. A picture of Youk with an arrow going from first base to third. It can push him notifications every week to check it and keep up to date. I think it's a brilliant idea.

Up Shit Creek with a Salty, Yippy Paddle?

The news of Victor Martinez signing with the Tigers came as a big blow to me. I shouldn't have been surprised since all signs were pointing to him not signing with the Red Sox and had I not been as emotionally invested in Martinez I would have conceded defeat weeks before. As it was however, I spent the good part of Tuesday wondering what the heck Theo was thinking and lamenting the huge loss.

Now that a few days have passed and I've reluctantly made my peace with Victor not being with us next year I've turned my attention to who is currently in line to be our starting catcher next: none other than the man with the longest name in the MLB, Jarrod Saltalamacchia. I remember when Salty played with the Rangers (who can forget a name like that?) and I always admired the horseshoe shape his name made around his number on his jersey. That's really all I noticed about him. When he got traded to the Red Sox in July I hurried out to buy his shirt because I wanted that cool looking horseshoe name on the back of a shirt. To my dismay, MLB chose to shrink his name down to little letters and not give me a horseshoe shape.

That of course is neither here nor there when it comes to his playing and his ability to be our everyday catcher. The thing I find most fascinating and frightening about Salty is the fact that he had the yips last season. For those of you who don't know the yips  "is an expression used to describe the apparent loss of certain fine motor skills seemingly without explanation in one of a number of different sports." (wikipedia) Salty had shoulder surgery at some point last season and when he returned he had these yips. Apparently he could throw fine unless he was throwing to the pitcher. He exhibited no sign of these yips during his time with the Red Sox although he only played in 10 games with 19 at bats last season (with a .167 average) so I'm not sure that's a good indicator.

However, not all is lost. Lest you think I'm just sour grapes about Victor leaving, I do think that Salty could turn out OK. He was a highly touted prospect not that long ago. He has a career average of .248 which isn't great but isn't alarming either. It increases the chances that Tek will stay next with Red Sox next season. And Josh Beckett seems to like him. Anything that might help Beckett get back to his old Beckett-ness is fine in my book so I'm throwing my support behind Salty as of now, despite the yips and the lack of horseshoe shape on my Saltalamacchia shirt.

A (Short-lived) Goalies Duel

What started as a duel between goalies Tim Thomas and Michal Neuvirth of the Washington Capitals, ended with both goalies being pulled before an entertaining 3rd period. Neither goalie got the decision. That means that Thomas is still 7-0-0 in the season, even though he let up 3 goals, his most of the season.

Tuukka Rask took Timmy's place to start the 3rd period, and held the Capitals at bay to let his team score 3 goals in 7 minutes to tie the game. But even with that comeback, the Caps were able to score 2 goals on Rask, and win the game. One of those games was scored by Ovechkin, his first against the Bruins this season.

The 3 Bruins goals were scored by Michael Ryder, Nathan Horton, and Shawn Thornton, each in a time of 6 minutes and and 44 seconds. This was Thorton's 300th career game. In the meantime, it was also Rask's 3rd loss of the season.

Overall, it was a pretty lack-luster game for the Bruins. There wasn't much intensity until the 3rd period. And it definitely wasn't the same stye of play that was in the first 2 games against the Caps. With all the chances they had, the B's just didn't jump on anything. And therefore, the team ended up with the loss.

All In a Good Night's Work

All in one night, the Bruins honored a 92-year-old legend got honored, and they pulled a win against Phil Kessel and the Leafs. Before the puck dropped, the Boston Bruins held a ceremony for legend Milt Schmidt. Schmidt was honored for the 75th anniversary of his signing with the B's. In his time with the team, Schmidt was a player, captain, coach, and general manager for the B's.

After the ceremony, the puck dropped between the two rivals and the game started. Phil Kessel was welcomed to the garden to boo's and taunting from the fans. During the game, Kessel was not able to score a goal with Tim Thomas. With that, his scoreless streak against the B's still stands.

In the meantime, Thomas got his fifth straight win in row to start the season, the fist time a B's goalie has done this since the 1937-38 season. Also, in another milestone of the game, Patrice Bergeron scored the first goal of the game, his first goal of the season, and his 100th goal of his career.

The other Bruins goal was scored by rookie Tyler Seguin, his 2nd of the season. Right after he scored, the Garden crowd started taunting Phil Kessel in cheering "Thank You Kessel". For those who don't know the story, to make it short: Kessel used to play for the Bruins, but in the offseason of '09 he basically wanted to leave, so the B's traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs (our oponent of the night) for the second overall draft pick in this year's draft. That pick ended up being Tyler Seguin, who scored the goal and thus, the chant.

So in the end, it was a great night. A legend was honored for his service to the team, and he got to watch that team win in a 2-0 shutout against their rivals. Thats what I call a successfull night.

I Love Off-Season Red Sox Talk but Let's Leave VMart Out of It

When baseball season is over and there aren't any games to talk about my inclination is to start discussing off-season moves. I really enjoy talking about the possibilities and changes that may occur. They are always tinged with regret though because usually I don't really want to give up anyone, just get new people, but the thought of what we could get and what it would take is exciting. Last year I worried about Jason Bay but wasn't particularly attached to him so when he left for the Mets I wasn't heartbroken. I also was concerned about Josh Beckett's contract last off-season but I knew that even if he didn't sign anything we would still have him for at least one more year. 

This off-season I am more than happy to discuss the utter impossibility of getting Cliff Lee, whether the Red Sox should go after Werth or Crawford, and if Youk will have to move to third because first basemen seem more plentiful than third. One thing I really don't want to discuss though, is Victor Martinez. All signs are pointing to him not staying here and the names being tossed about as his replacement don't make me happy. So unless you want to discuss how certain you are that we are going to keep VMart, let's just leave his name out of the discussion.

Tim Thomas Still Riding the Hot Hand

Last night, and even the game on Tuesday, Tim Thomas continued to show signs of his Vezina self. Playing Ovechkin and the Caps both nights, Thomas only allowed a goal in each game. Along with that, he made some incredible saves, showing that he can still stand on his head.

Thomas has started in 4 games in a row, allowing no more than a goal in each game. Add to that a .978 SV% and a .75 GAA, we can officially say that Timmy is no more of himself of lst year. No one knows yet who will start in net against the Rangers on Saturday, as everyone is staying mum.

As much as I love Timmy, I would like to see Tuukka in net, as its been a little too long since the last time he played. Plus, I don't want his record sitting there at 0-1. It would be nice to see him get a win.

Now whoever gets the start, I hope they can keep up the blockage in net. This is litterally the best start to a season the Bruins have had in years. In my point of view, this may actually be the year the B's make it all the way. But we will have to wait and see how well that goes.

Team Timmy or Team Tuukka

To tell you the truth, I don't know the exact point where the story of the 2 Bruins goalies turned into the hockey version of the Twilight Saga, but apparently it did. We're about to play game 4 of the season and fans are already choosing sides. I mean seriously, yes, I do have my favorite out of the 2, who doesn't? And I'm sure Im guilty of this, but to complain just because your favorite goalie isn't getting the start is just plain stupid. And annoying.

Tim Thomas will be getting the start will be getting the start tonight against the Caps. I agree with the choice. Now before all you Team Tuukka people cut my throat out, let me explain. Or I can let Thomas' numbers eplain for themself: .984 save%, 0.50 GAA, 2nd in each of those categories; and a 2-0 win record. Yes, I agree, no one can rule Tuukka out because his first game wasn't the best, but why rule out Timmy? Yea sure, there was last season, but right now we're playing in this season, and so far Timmy's numbers are good for this year.

To be honest, all choices are made and should be made for the better of the team. If Tim Thomas is the starter for the game, I'll be happy. If Tuukka is the starter, I'll be happy then too, because he is also a part of the team, and he played a game where the loss wasn't completely his fault.

And to make another point, we have probably one of the best goalie pairs in the NHL. Both are good, both are dependable. I don't understand why some Bruins fans are choosing sides when we have 2 goalies who can both perfectly win a game. Not many teams have that. Then again, some teams don't even have 1 goalie thats good.

So if I had to choose a team, it would have to be team Bruins. If either goalie started, I'd be okay knowing that we always have the chance of winning the game. Now where do you stand? If you a person who prefers a goalie, which one?

Early Off-Season Moves Meet With My Approval

There will come a time this off-season I'm sure when I curse Theo Epstein's name and wonder why he wants to make my life miserable with the moves he has made. However, this early in the off-season I have nothing but praise for what he's done. Get rid of Kevin Cash? Yes! I have been hoping for that since Tek came off the DL. Get rid of Dusty Brown? I feel bad for the guy but I'm OK with that move. Get rid of Rich Hill to Pawtucket? Sure, why not? Sign Salty to a 1 year deal to avoid arbitration? Yes, please! I also appreciate that all the reports that I heard about the Salty signing mentioned that the contract has different amounts based on whether he is in the minors or the majors last year. Perhaps that is standard on this kind of contract but I like the thought the option is still there to start him in Pawtucket and have Tek and Victor back as our catchers next year.  So I will hold onto my good feelings for Theo for now until he inevitably drops a bomb on me and makes me rue the day I ever started watching the Red Sox.

Bruins Posessed the Devils

After almost a week since their last game in Prague, the Bruins beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1. Quite the physical game, overall the B's played a great game. All the goals of the game were scored in the 2nd period.

Tim Thomas started in his 2nd straight game in net, and showed why he deserved to be there. Thomas made 31 overall saves, a few of them spectaculer and important. This game, along with the start from last Sunday, just may be a sign the 2008-2009 Thomas is back in form.

The first goal of the game was scored by New Jersey's Dainius Zubrus 3:45 into the 2nd period. After that, the B's had 4 unanswered goals to pull them to the win. Rookie Jordan Caron got his first NHL goal of his career to tie the game 5:38 into the 2nd period. Rookie Tyler Seguin then got his first assist of his NHL career, when Michael Ryder scored 5 minutes later. At 16:43, Shawn Thorton got his first goal since October 3 of last season, putting the B's up 3-1. Finally, at 18:09 in the 2nd period, Milan Lucic scored the 4th Bruins goal.

Overall, the Bruins played a great game. They were physical, scored goals, and made important saves. They played like they wanted to win. If I must say so myself, if the Bruins keep this up, they will have so much more success than last season.

Now, what do you think of the Bruins' play tonight? Leave your opinion in a comment below.

Because It's Never to Early to Start Making Predictions About Next Year

Now that I've had a little time to digest the fact that the season is actually over and there will be no Red Sox to watch for quite a few months now, I'm ready to turn my attention to next year. Although I love watching baseball and miss it I must admit that I really, really enjoy talking about off-season moves. October, of course, is much too early to really make any predictions about next year so all of my outlandish predictions I am about to make are based solely in my imagination and have just a slight handhold on reality.

1. Josh Beckett will return in 2011 as a soulless, pitching monster and rightfully regain his place as the Red Sox ace. This one is really a no brainer. Things can't get worse for Josh, they can only get better. So if one is to assume that next year is going to be better for Josh, let's go whole hog and say not only will it be better, it will be his ultimate year. You thought 2007 was good? It was nothing compared to what 2011 will be like.

2. Jason Varitek will return to the Red Sox for one more year and announce he will retire at the end of 2011. A win-win for everyone. Tek gets to stay with the Red Sox for one more year and leave with the dignity and send-off he deserves. In the meantime, he will continue to be Josh's catcher (thus ensuring Josh of his monster year, see prediction #1), do some great hitting when he is in the lineup, and continue to do an excellent job of backing up VMart. Which brings us to ...

3. Victor Martinez will sign a 4 year deal with the Red Sox for a reasonable amount of money. Victor doesn't want a huge payout, he just wants what he deserves and a little job security to go with it. I predict Theo will see that this is the way to go with Salty not being ready to be the full-time catcher and no free agent or trade available catchers who are better than Victor. Combine that with the fact that Clay loves him and really, I don't see why it is a question whether he should be signed or not.

4. Youk moves to 3rd base and the Red Sox get some new 1st baseman. I'm not ready to predict who they might get to play 1st base but I have a hunch that Beltre won't be back next year and 1st basemen seem more plentiful than 3rd basemen. I prefer Youk at 1st myself.

5. Darnell McDonald comes back as a utility man but Daniel Nava does not. Darnell I can easily see slipping into the Bill Hall role (although hopefully we won't need him as much as we needed Hall) but I think Nava will go on to smaller, greener pastures. I wish him the best of luck.

6. Jacoby Ellsbury will be back in centerfield and all will be forgiven all around. Look, everyone had bad feelings last year about the Ellsbury situation. He wasn't happy, the Red Sox weren't happy, the media wasn't happy (or maybe they were because it made a good story), fans weren't happy. I predict next year Jacoby will regain his place in centerfield, steal a million bases, be a fantastic lead-off hitter, and make everyone forget about this debacle.

7. Lowrie and Scoots will have a knock down drag-em-out fight during Spring Training for the shortstop position. And Lowrie will win. Scoots will be back up. Lowrie is tougher than he looks and could totally take down Scoots.

8. Jon Lester will win the Cy Young award. I predicted this would happen this year but that's not looking like it will pan out so I'm going with 2011 being his year. Now remember, Josh is having a monster year this year so that means Jon has to be a smidgen better. This will make Josh even more motivated for 2012.

9. Papelbon will start the year out as the closer but Daniel Bard will finish the year as the closer. Pap is still good and I'd love to see him bounce back but my prediction is he won't and Bard will be eased in.

10. J.D. Drew will continue to quietly kick ass. Yeah, J.D. had a slight off year in 2010 but I think next year he'll be back to form. No one will notice though because he will be so unobtrusive about it.

11. The Red Sox will win the World Series. Why not?

Prague Ends In a Split

For those that missed the opening Bruins series in Prague over the weekend, it ended in a split, 1-1, against the Coyotes.

It was a good start for rookie Tyler Seguin, who got his first regular season NHL goal on Sunday. Nathan Horton, also new to the team, had a good start himself on Saturday, providing the only 2 Bruins goals of the game.

Tuukka Rask took the start, along with the loss, in the season opener on Saturday. Tim Thomas had the start, and win, on Sunday.

The second game overall was better than the first. On Sunday, the Bruins played with more emotion and grit. This helped lead them to the win.

Though they've only played 2 games so far, and their next game isn't until this Saturday, I'm optomistic that this is the year of the bear. The front office made some needed improvements during the offseason, and they started to show on Sunday.

Hopefully, Marc Savard will recover soon enough and add to those improvements. With a 1-1 record to begin with. I can only see this team going up, and I hope its true.

What are your predictions for the season? Comment below with what you think.

There Was a Time When This Would Have Made Me Anxious

OK, I know that I get anxious about odd things that really have no bearing on my life at all but a Josh Beckett start against the Yankees is a sure bet to get my blood pressure ramped up and my stomach churning. So the one bright spot to the fact that the Red Sox are basically out of contention is that I won't have to worry about that tonight. I don't want Josh to get shelled out there but this isn't going to be edge of my seat, hands over my eyes, game watching tonight. Nope, this is going to be kicking back, enjoying a drink, making fun of Nick Swisher game watching. Feel free to join me this evening.

Maybe I'll Sleep Better When Baseball Season is Over

I had a horrible nightmare Saturday night that Josh Beckett got traded to the Mets for nothing in return. The Mets! My sister woke me up (I was staying over her house so I could go to Fenway Saturday and Sunday) and I mumbled to her "Is it true? Did they trade Josh to the Mets?" My sister says that I need to lay off the baseball because clearly I'm thinking about it way too much. She said that even before I told her about the dream I had the other night that Victor Martinez was working for me and threatened to quit if I didn't fire someone else, and I panicked because you know it's hard to replace a good catcher. So I may indeed sleep better when baseball ends in two weeks but then I get to thinking about off-season moves and realize that those kinds of things may keep me up at night.

Fenway this weekend was glorious, made even more so but the ticking down of days until there will be no more. Josh is starting to resemble himself again which is always good because you know the Mets probably would open him with welcome arms if Theo were to offer. Jon Lester was his usual pitching god self yesterday and Victor was Victor, being as close to perfect as one can get without actually being perfect, since no one is you know.

One more game for me this season, the last one on October 3rd. I'm hoping for a big blowout win against the Yankees just to send them to the off-season on a bad note but  I'll take any kind of good baseball the Red Sox are willing to give.

Hockey Season is Upon Us

Tonight is the first game Boston Bruins game fans get to see at the garden since May. Though it is just a rookie game and "doesn't count", it is a game after all and there will be black and gold. Both of the 2 games will be played against the Islander rookies at the TD Garden, tonight and tomorrow at 7. Tickets are at a great price of $5.

After the rookie games is the preseason, which starts next Wednesday, September 22. Though these games technically "don't count" either, they are a foresight into how the team will be doing during the regular season. Or at least thats the way I see it. And thats why I'll be watching.

Now mind you, there are only a few preseason games. Then on October 9 is the official start of the regualr season for the Boston Bruins. Really not that far away, but it feels like forever. Then again it just might be me. Or maybe not.

I may not be alone in saying that knowing Bruins games are in the very near future makes me extremely happy. But we'll see. I will be at the rookie game tomorrow night, Sept. 16, so I'll be keeping you all updated on twitter of whats going on. I hope to see some of you there.

It's Like Victor Always Says - No One Is Perfect

God, why is no one perfect?

Victor has had a lot of opportunities lately to remind us that no one is perfect. He only took two of those opportunities to actually say it out loud (when DiceK pitched last and after that terrible performance from Clay the other night) but he easily could have mentioned it at least a dozen times more. I honestly don't remember off the top of my head the outcomes of all the games in the last couple of series but I know there was plenty of not perfect playing going on.

John Lackey looked sharp on Saturday night (much sharper than I was since the game started so late) but as is his MO he had one bad inning and blew it. And then Daniel Bard came in and made things worse. I didn't like Bard's explanation that he didn't have enough adrenalin going. You keep that up buddy and I'll get your adrenaline going. Josh Beckett yesterday was both good and bad. Walking 4 batters in a row is never a good thing but he ended up with the win. I can just imagine Lackey thinking to himself that he had pitched better the day before and it was everyone else's fault that he didn't win.

As for me, I'm enjoying fall baseball and watching these exhibition games without looking over my shoulder at the Yankees and the Rays.  Soon enough we will be without.

Let's Just Revel in the Fact that There is Still Baseball on to Enjoy

After last night's loss to the Orioles it seemed as though the Red Sox faced the fact that we fans faced this past weekend - the chances of the Red Sox going to playoffs are close to nil. I had faced that particular demon after Sunday's loss and went into last night's game feeling oddly liberated, free to just watch the game and enjoy it for the game itself. Let's face it, with only four more weeks of baseball to go now is the time to savor it.

I often think that the team doesn't take it as hard as fans do when they lose (see the scene Fever Pitch touching on this same thing) but it seems as though many of them are taking the end of this season particularly hard, and who can blame them? The fact that they stayed in contention despite the rash of injuries, the unpredictability of both the starting pitching and the bullpen, and the lack of help from the front office to right any of these wrong during the season is nothing short of amazing. No doubt many on the team were hoping some of that amazing would keep on going.

My prescient son told me during Spring Training that he didn't think this was the year for the Red Sox. He predicted that they wouldn't even make the playoffs (I kid you not, he did). I scoffed at him then but I'm not scoffing now. For the record, my son also predicted that next year they would win the World Series. That is a prediction that I can get behind.

Doubleheader Day

Doubleheader day wasn't quite the sweep we were looking for but Victor Martinez telling me Josh was dominant and mentioning his cutter and curveball is always a good thing.

The idiot rookie ump who had Beltre thrown out in the 2nd inning of last night's game really should have some consequences heaped on him but we all know that that won't happen because umps think they are infallible. Peter Gammons was quite worked up about it on the post-game show. For the record, I adore Peter Gammons and would love to have him over to watch a game with me and do some commentary while we watch. I'll provide beer and snacks Pete! If he were accompanied by the Surviving Grady guys, even better.

Day off today and then on to Tampa Bay where we have a chance to really make a play at the wild card. It is almost too much for me to bear watching but you know I will be.

Some Rainy Day Reflections

On this, an unexpected off night for the Red Sox, I was inspired to write a blog post because I realized that we only have 6 weeks of regular baseball left. It's hard to believe as April 4th seems like it was just a few weeks ago but here we are in the home stretch with a great degree of uncertainty about whether the season will end on October 3rd or if the Sox will still be in it.

Putting that thought aside for a moment, I noticed that my last post (aptly titled "The Clouds are Closing in) was written almost 20 days ago. How that could be, I don't know, since plenty has happened in Red Sox world in those 20 days. Had I been posting I'm sure I would have mentioned Josh Beckett's inconsistent starts, Jon Lester's inability to adjust to the new baby in his house, Clay's remarkable ability to adjust to his new baby, the addition of Saltalamacchia to the mix and his subsequent trip to the DL, Youk's season ending surgery, Pedroia's return to the lineup and then return to the DL, Ellsubry's return to the lineup and then return to the DL, Mike Lowell rejoining the team as an everyday player, Kalish showing why he was such a touted prospect, the return of Daniel Nava, the demotion of Jeremy Hermida, Okie's trip to the DL, Ramon Ramirez getting traded to somewhere, and the expressionless but mighty Felix Doubront joining the bullpen. I'm sure other things happened that I missed, so be sure to point them out in the comments.

And those are just the things that have happened in the past few weeks. If you take the whole season, boy do you have a story. So even if the Sox don't make the playoffs (admit it, the thought has crossed your mind a time or two) you can't say it hasn't been a good season. For pure drama alone this season has been gold.

I'm already planning my off-season - watching the 2004 World Series DVDs my Mom bought me for my birthday, watching my 2007 World Series highlights DVD again, planning my trip to Spring Training, you get the idea. Not that I'm giving up on this season (au contraire!) but it's good to plan ahead. Last season left me bereft so quickly, I plan on being better prepared this time around. And you, what are your plans for the off-season?

As an aside, if you have not heard Victor Martinez' accent here is your chance.

The Clouds Are Closing In

Maybe it is the weather today or perhaps it was that god awful game last night but I'm feeling a tad bit pessimistic about the Red Sox this morning. When Jon Lester takes the mound against the Indians I'm counting on a blowout win and by that I don't mean a blowout win for the Indians.

Jon Lester cannot be blamed solely for this loss, it was a team effort loss thanks to crappy errors by Scoots and VMart as well as some not so good pitching by Atchison. At least Manny del Carmen pitched well, which is really all the good that can be said about last night's game. After the triumphant return of Mike Lowell on Tuesday and the return of the crazy, angry Josh Beckett (as opposed to the cynical, stoic Josh Beckett) I was expecting more than that.

I will say this - last night's loss combined with Monday night's loss is making me much more worried about the upcoming Yankees series than I usually am. This could be make it or break it time. So step it up guys, forget about all those new babies that have arrived with their resulting life altering ways and play your little hearts out.

Seguin is a Done Deal

As of today, the Bruins signed 2nd overall draft pick Tyler Seguin to a 3-year entry level deal, worth $800k with a bonus. I cannot wait to see how well he does on the ice, and I'm sure, as do the rest of you. Literally every B's fan has been has been waiting to see if this deal would be done, and it was.

I don't think it positively effects our cap situation, but I DO think it is a good deal. Seguin will for sure help the lacking offense on the team. That is if the Marc Savard rumors don't ever come true. He is young, gives me a new person to fangirl over (sorry Looch, I need someone closer to my age. I still love you though.), and yet he still has to prove he has good hockey skills, I'm sure he does. Not to put all my eggs in 1 basket or anything.

So now we wait 49 days for the pres-season to start, and 66 days sor the first day of regular season to see how this all pans out. Am I positive about this? Yes. Now I want to know what you think.

A V-Mart Story in Honor of His Return to the Lineup

Now that it is official that V-Mart has returned to the lineup I feel inclined to share my V-Mart story with you. Most of my readers have probably heard this story in person but it bears repeating.

About a month ago I was at a Red Sox game watching Tim Wakefield warm up in the bullpen when V-Mart came over and started stretching. I stood up, waved, and yelled loudly "Hi Victor!!" and he looked over, nodded and smiled at me. That's right, nodded and smiled. If you don't believe me just ask @__fc. She was there.

Saturday I'm going to another Red Sox game. I'm planning on wearing my I Heart V-Mart shirt and yelling hi to him again. I'm hoping for more than a smile and a nod. Perhaps an "Hola!" or "Camisa agradable!" and of course I will respond with "Gracias! Buena suerte Victor!"

Cuts Like a Knife

Perhaps I am dating myself here but Bryan Adams' "Cuts Like a Knife" video was the first video I ever saw on MTV (at my grandmother's house, we didn't have cable at the time). Yesterday's Red Sox game reminded me of that video, minus the "but it feels so right" line and Bryan Adams hanging out in an empty swimming pool.

Watching Oki blow that game was like a knife to the gut. I was standing there pounding my forehead with my fist and screaming at Tito to get him out of there. The offense could have made a comeback. It was not beyond possibility but with the way they've been hitting lately it would have been surprising. 

Tonight (hopefully) we get the return of V-Mart which can only be good. I must admit to having some trepidation that his long absence will has cooled his bat off, especially since he got off to such a slow start this season. Also, I don't want to heap too much hope on one guy. V-Mart's a good hitter but he's not going to single-handedly turn things around. We do have John Lackey on the mound tonight and he has been pitching pretty well lately but if even Jon Lester couldn't get a win I'm not counting on starting pitching to win this for us. Three more nights of these west coast games and then the boys come home (and we can all go to bed at a reasonable hour again).

The Week There Was No Baseball

This past week I was on vacation without a TV and went an entire week without seeing a baseball game and let me tell you, it was no fun. I tried to convince my husband to bring our old satellite dish and a receiver but he just looked at me like I was crazy. Of course, Josh Beckett chose the week I was on vacation to make his return and I did listen to 3 innings of that game on Friday because it was Josh Beckett and I had to be present in some way for his return. Despite my having missed everything this week I still have some random thoughts about the Red Sox to share.

- How odd to come back to find Nava gone, Hermida back, and Lowrie raised from the dead.

- Patterson went from hero to the goat pretty quickly after his error broke up Lester's perfect game last night.

- I called my sister yesterday and told her that for now she can wear the Wacky for Lackey shirt I bought her with pride but not to get too comfortable in it.

- Victor Martinez could be back as soon as Monday! Woot! I have been pretty down on Kevin Cash but as @shelley1005 pointed out to me last night on Twitter imagine what the past few weeks would have been like without him. So a big hat tip to Cash.

- Could a couple of weeks on the DL really cause Clay to have that much rust to shake off?

- I know Big Papi hit a home run last night and it was great to see him prove the naysayers wrong by winning the Home Run Derby but I still think there is a correlation between his decreased home runs since All-Star break and his participation.

- Who would have thought Scott Atchison would be so durable and useful?

- Jon Lester angry is a scary sight. I wouldn't want to meet angry Jon Lester anywhere. I would bet Hanley Ramirez agrees with me.

- I think Youk's new beard is a good look for him.

- Found out this morning that Daniel Bard is the Red Sox union player's representative. Daniel Bard? If I were a player on the Red Sox I would want someone aggressive to be my rep. Maybe Youk or Beltre.

- Josh Beckett is back. Need I say more?

Do you have any random Red Sox thoughts? Share below.

Photo from http://letsgosox.blogspot.com/

Josh Beckett Pitches in a Game! and the Red Sox Finally Make it to All-Star Break

Yesterday I went to see Josh Beckett pitch in a rehab start in Pawtucket and it was everything I had hoped it would be. First off, let me say that if you haven't been to McCoy Stadium you should go. The tickets were cheap, parking was free, and the park was really, really nice. I got there early and watched Josh warm up in the pen. Then he pitched 4 innings and let me tell you, there is nothing better in baseball than watching Josh Beckett pitch.

That being said, I did promise an unbiased report of his pitching so I can say that although he looked good, he did look like a guy rehabbing after almost 2 months of being on the DL. He let guys get ahead in the count more than I would have liked. He let this one guy (Boomer was his name) foul off it seemed like a dozen pitches before getting him out, the outfield saved him from a couple of hits that I was worried about, and he did give up a homerun. However, for his first rehab start I was impressed.

In other news the Red Sox won against Toronto yesterday but Adrian Beltre was felled in the effort. He went down with a hamstring issue that may affect his ability to play in the All-Star game. I don't think I've ever been more relieved to see the All-Star break. I want to send them all home to go to bed for the next three days so they can rest up.

Romero Who?

There was a feeling of inevitability last night when Youk hobbled off the field with a hurt ankle. It seemed only fitting that will all the people on the DL, he'd be the next to be hurt. All I could do was sit there laughing and saying "you have got to be kidding me" as the trainer and Tito bent over him on the field. His replacement, Romero, was someone I had never heard of. Where did he come from? When did he get here? I had heard of Patterson, Nava, and Dubrount before they arrived but I was flummoxed by Romero. Unfortunately, Romero did not flummox the Rays, who took advantage of his spot in the lineup to repeatedly walk Ortiz to get to him. I think we've been spoiled by the crazy magic our replacement players have had. McDonald, Nava, and even Patterson have done things that have made us cheer and shout and there was part of me that expected the same of Romero. Unfortunately, he showed he was human and we've now dropped 2 games to the Devil Rays. There are low points and high points to every baseball season. We had a low one at the beginning of the season, went steadily up, and now I think we're on our way down again. But don't fret, because after every valley there is a peak (unless the season ends first).

In better news, Josh Beckett threw a simulated game yesterday in Florida and by all accounts did well. The sweet part of the story was that his teammates Bard, Clay, Lackey, and Lester all showed up to watch him pitch and that made him happy. Pete Abraham obviously knows me well because he went to the trouble of live blogging Josh's game here. I will be seeing Josh in person this Sunday in Pawtucket while he rehabs there and I'll be sure to give you an unbiased account of how it goes.

Image from http://mercifulcrap.wordpress.com/

Bruins Keep Making Moves In Off-season

The first move in the month of July is the resigning of Daniel Paille. He was signed to a 2-year contract extension. Paille spent most of the 2009-2010 season with the Bruins, playing only 2 games with the Buffalo Sabres. Of the time he spent here, he has been a significant presence. Hopefully he can continue that.

The B's have also signed three-year veteran, 2 of which were with the Bruins, Jeremy Reich to a 1 year contract. In the two years Reich spent in Boston (2006-2008) he played in 90 games and totaled 2-3=5 with 141 PIM. Hopefully this time around he can make an impact.

Lastly this week, the B's have announced their roster of players expected to play during Development Camp. The Camp is expected to take place July 6-10. Among this list are newly aquired Tyler Seguin, Yuri Alexandrov, and David Warsofsy, among others. Every day of this camp inludes a practice at Ristuccia Center. More new invloving the camp will come during the next week. Until then we'll have to see what other moves Peter Chiarelli decides to make.

Deals With the Devil Never Really Work Out

The other day I was talking to my brother-in-law and in jest told him that I thought the Yankees must have made a deal with the devil, similar to Led Zepplin's deal, in order to be so dominant. Well, I have amended my theory. I think perhaps Beltre has made a deal with the devil in order to have a dominant season, the kind of season none of us expected him to have. The price for this, however, is steep because the devil is exacting payment in terms of his teammates health. At this point, Beltre may be regretting his deal (because everyone does eventually). After all, now he knows these guys and likes them and if it keeps up they could lose their chance to make the post-season. But you know how it goes with deals with the devil. There's no return policy.

It Doesn't Matter Who the Sox Put Out There to Play - They Just Keep Winning

The Internet was alive with speculation during Monday's off day that despite all the injuries the team had that it wouldn't slow them down because the Red Sox have the right attitude, they have moxie, and they are going to grind it out without some of their best players.

I have been working on a big project at work this week and haven't had too much time to think about the Red Sox but when I have, I've worried that all this hyperbole about how gritty they are were would turn on them against the Rays last night. Lucky for us, the Rays have their own stories which are all over the Internet. Not to say the Rays didn't put up a fight last night but we won handily with our motley crew of players out there.

Homeruns by Ortiz and Bill Hall helped things, along with some fine pitching out of Lackey. It was nice to see Lackey digging in and getting strikes and outs and not struggling so much. The bullpen of course, remains a big issue. When Oki came in in the 7th the Sox were up by 7 points. By the 9th inning Tito had to have Pap come out because it turned into a save situation. This from the same bullpen who saved the day on Saturday when Clay got hurt. Why oh why can they not be more consistent?

I can't say my fears that the many injuries this team has sustained isn't going to effect their playing have been assuaged but last night was a good step in that direction.

The baseball gods claim another victim in their attempt to stop the Red Sox

Call it the curse of interleague play if you will but the Red Sox who returned to Boston last night are a battered, bruised bunch. Between Pedey, Clay, and now V-Mart we are lucky we have a team to put out on the field.

The number of times NESN replayed V-Mart getting hit on his toe with that foul ball was disturbing because every time they showed it all I could think about was the time I lost my baby toenail and then ran over it with a stroller. Victor had hit that same toe and lost the toe nail just a few weeks ago. It made me feel a little sick. Also, for the record, I'm pretty sure V-Mart was crying behind his mask, and really, can you blame the guy? If you haven't seen the video, take a look here and let me know if you think he's crying. The odd thing is that it wasn't even the toe that caused him to be pulled from the game, but his thumb, which broke after being hit twice with foul balls.

I'm crossing my fingers and toes that V-Mart is not out for long, because without him and Pedey things are going to get dicey. Now imagine if we lost Beltre and Youk as well. Oy vey!

Epic Bruins Stuff

Let me start of with the goodness of the Bruins resigning Johnny Boychuk. This is one extension the literally everyone wanted to happen. JBoy was signed to a 2 year deal putting him through the 2011-2012 season. He's one player everyone is glad to have back.

Another great story I like to hear is that Mark Recchi is staying with the team. Though he is older than 99% of the players in the NHL, Recchi still has so much life in him. At the age of 42, he is still a great player, still better than some younger than him, and 'm glad he is staying.

Now, the news of all news, the Boston Bruins, with the number 2 pick, pick..... Tyler Seguin. The Edmonton Oilers, with the first pick overall, pick Taylor Hall (not really much of a surprise if you think abou it), therefore leaving the Bruins with the choice of Tyler Seguin. I like it. Though, I admit, I would have prefered Hall, the more I think about ending up with Seguin, the more I like it. Unlike Taylor, Tyler has the ability to play both wing AND center. Taylor is just a winger. Though we have enough centers on the team already, I think Seguin's ability to play it can come in handy whenever we need him to do so. Plus if you think about it, Patrice Bergeron started off the same way. He came into the league playing the wing, then eventually moved to center. I have a feeling Seguin will eventually do the same thing. Add you, he has great scoring ability. Now all we have to do is wait and see how he makes out.

Now I want to know what you guys think of these desicions. So you can comment below, anonymously if you want, and tell me your opinions.

Yup, Pedey is All That and a Bag of Chips

I don't think I spend nearly enough time on this blog talking about Dustin Pedroia and his awesomeness. I think this may be because he is so consistently great that I take him for granted. Sure, he had that slump a month ago but his defense more than made up for his plate struggles. Now that he is out of his slump (and boy, is he out of his slump) I think it is time I gave him a credit where credit is due.

I honestly cannot imagine what the Red Sox would do without Pedey. Sure, I know, baseball is a team sport and it takes all of them to win (Odd that it isn't often the case that it takes all of them to lose as well. One guy can do that single handed) but Pedey is often the driving force behind them. Last night was the perfect example. After Pap blew things in the 9th (for the 2nd night in a row, no less) Pedey hit a homerun in the 10th and helped Pap get back on that bus and finish off the game.

Speaking of Pap and by extension, the bullpen, I've got to say they worry me quite a bit lately. I still trust Pap and hope that these two games are just a blip on the radar and I have a lot of faith in Bard, but none of the others inspire a whole lot of confidence. I'm hoping Theo does some bullpen shopping soon. Speaking of things we want before the trade deadline, a new outfielder would be nice as well. Having Reddick leave the game hurt last night was a reminder of how vulnerable our outfield is at this point, so hopefully Theo has that on his list as well.

Rocky Mountain High

The Red Sox are in Colorado today for some more interleague play. Despite my complaints about interleague play, the Red Sox have shown that they are more than up to the task, tearing through the competition and putting themselves within spitting distance of the Yankees for first place in the AL East.Colorado in particular is an National League park that holds a fond place in all our hearts since the Sox swept the Rockies there in the 2007 World Series. The spoils are much more modest this time around but a sweep here could put us in the lead. I like to imagine John Denver is looking benevolently down and wishing us well, although in all honesty, he's probably a Rockies fan.

What is most amazing about this tear that the Sox are on is that they've been doing it with that ragtag outfield they throw out there every night. Who would have thought that we would be doing this well with people like Bill Hall, Darnell McDonald, and Daniel Nava out there? Tonight it is even more ragtag as usual with J.D. Drew taking another day off to rest his hamstring (no DL for him though, thank God) and Josh Reddick joining the crew. Although Mike Cameron will be there and that man is not ragtag at all.

In other news, I hear word that Josh Beckett threw a bullpen session on Monday and will be doing another one or two before doing a minor league rehab. Minor league rehab? In a small park where you get good views of the players? I may be planning a road trip to Portland or Pawtucket in the near future. Who's in?

A Bruins Trade and Other Stories

As most of you know already, the Boston Bruins made a trade today. While I was on Twitter I noticed that there were a few people who disagreed with it, but mostly the feedback was positive and respectful towards the people involved. The trade in question is the one that brought Nate Horton and Gregory Campbell from Florida to the B's. In return, the Bruins sent over Dennis Wideman, the 15th draft pick for this year's draft, and a 3rd round pick in next years draft.

Overall, I think this is a good move made by Peter Chiarelli. It opens up a little bit of salary cap space, therefore making it easier to resign both Johnny Boychuck and Mark Stuart (both people needed back). Also, with the NHL Draft coming up in a few days and either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin coming to the team, that is some added scoring, something the Bruins needed this past season.

Now, I'm just gonna get this out there, there were a lot of rumors that Marc Savard was going to get out of his contract, and therefore go to another team. According to reliable sources, this is not true. And I'm glad its not true. I don't want to see Saavy go to another team. He's too important to the team and to the fans to go somewhere else.

But someone who might be out of their contract soon though is Tim Thomas. I'm sad to say this, but unfortunately the Bruins are shopping Thomas around. It doesn't come as a surprise after the year he has had, but Timmy is personally one of my favorite players I don't want to see go. Then again, if he is going to have more success somewhere else I will gladly still cheer him on, though keeping my allegiance to the black and gold. One question though that I saw someone on twitter ask in general, and its a very good one: who's going to be the backup goalie for Tuukka Rask? This is a question that will probably be answered after Thomas is gone, if he does end up getting traded.

Now that the draft is coming up and the rumor mill is in full swing, the will be more posts to come. Till then, comment with what you think about all the stuff in this one. I'm interested in whats on your mind.

In Other Bruins News

Since the season ended for the Bruins a few things have happened already. Two players have been resigned, signed a new player to an entry level contract, and a former-and-yet-classic Bruin got a major promotion. Just so you know, its been a month since our season has ended.

But anyways, unless you've been living under a rock, you have heard that recently Cam Neely was promoted to President of the team. Now who doesn't love this? If you don't you got a problem. No offense. The only thing that most of us would love more than this is if Neely became president of the country. I feel a campaign coming on.

But until that campaign starts, I should tell you that the Bruins have resigned to major players. The first player was Shawn Thornton, who was signed to 2-year contract extension. This will put him with a spoked B on his chest through the 2011-2012 season. The other person with a spoked B that was resigned was Dennis Seidenberg. Now this extension was for 4 years, and will keep him here until the 2013-2014 season.

The last little piece of news is that the Boston Bruins have signed Yuri Alexandrov to an entry-level contract. Now I know most of you probably don't know who he is (cuz neither do I really), so I'll tell you what I found about him. He is a 21-year-old from Cherepovets, Russia, and has been playing for his hometown team, the Cherepovets Severstal, for the past 5 seasons. During his five seasons for Cherepovets, Alexandrov has skated in 206 regular season games and has notched 16-27-43 totals. He has also appeared in 15 postseason contests. He is 6' 1", 185 pounds. He was selected 37th overall by the Bruins in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. That is what I found about Alexandrov. Hopefully we'll see some good of him in the future.

This is all the news that has happened in the past month. I'll be here the next time something big happens. Till then, keep a Hall or Seguin in balck and gold in your dreams.

A Confession

The big news on everyone's mind this week has been Manny Ramirez' return to Fenway with the Red Sox taking on the LA Dodgers. There has been so much speculation ahead of time about whether he would be booed or cheered and I think the consensus is that it was pretty much half and half. I have refrained from having an opinion about it because I don't feel like it is really my place to have an opinion. And that is where my confession comes in - I was not a Red Sox fan when Manny Ramirez played for the Red Sox. Yes, that means I was not a Red Sox fan in 2008. I was not a Red Sox fan when they won their two World Series. Heck, if I'm going to confess I might as well tell you that in 2007 I was rooting vaguely for the Rockies since they were the underdog (not that I watched any games or really payed attention). Nope, I became a Red Sox fan last year around May or June, I can't quite remember. So I don't consider myself a bandwagoner, since I became a fan in a random year when they didn't win anything and hadn't won anything the year before either. I don't consider myself a Pink Hatter (I think I'm a little too informed for that). My sister, who has been a Red Sox fan for much longer but it not as well informed as me, calls me a Johnny-come-lately fan. I'll except that designation since I am a new fan, even if that doesn't sound very nice.

So all this to say, I don't feel entitled to have an opinion about Manny. Anything that happened in 2009 and beyond, yes, I have an opinion and will not be shy to tell you about it. I think the VMart trade was great. I'm still angry that we didn't keep Gonzo even though Scutaro is definitely growing on me. I hate the John Lackey signing and may never like it. Getting rid of Lugo was the best thing that happened to the team last year. Sometimes I still think it would be nice to have Nick Green around. So when I ask my sister who Bill Mueller is and what Pap's comment about Billy Wagner being "like the Gagne" thing, she takes pity on me. Because she can't tell you what team Bill Hall came from and I can.

Lackey - Performing Up to My Low Expectations

I hate to write a negative post about a pitcher before a game he starts but the more I think about John Lackey's start this evening, the more I just don't want to watch him pitch. I have already blogged a once or twice about how I feel about Lackey and I've always maintained that if he started pitching better I would be willing to throw my support his way. Alas, as the season goes on he hasn't pitched much better and my initial reaction to him is starting to solidify.

Its Been a Little Bitter-Sweet

As the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers in six games, I couldn't help but feel a little bitter-sweet. I had an idea that Chicago would do as much since I was asked the question of who would win the cup a few months back. Thats where the sweet part comes in. I pretty much knew inside myself that Chicago would be the team to beat since even before the Winter Classic marked the New Year.

But that doesn't help the bitter feeling I got seeing the Flyers in the Finals and thinking: "What if that were the Bruins right there fighting for their chance to hold the cup?" Again, that was just a huge what if. It would been so amazing to see the Bruins to even be in the finals, after the season they had. But after their unfortunate loss to the Flyers in the second round, all the finals have been were mainly bitterness.

Chicago winning the Stanley Cup, to me, was the only sweet part of the finals, after the B's making it past the first round and, of course Marc Savard's amazing goal. It made me good to know that I knew enough about the sport to successfuly predict who would win, and also that one team I was rotting for was able to win. It was just a shame it wasn't my #1 team. At this point, all I can say is congratulations to the Blackhawks, and good luck next year.

Comment with what you think about Chicago winning the cup. You don't have to sign in to say anything, so it can be totally anonymous.

There is No Justice in Interleague Play (and some VMart talk)

You know how NESN wants to get you fired up for the next series and shows you some vignettes of the Red Sox playing whoever is coming up next with some intriguing voice over? Well, last night they had a whole commercial devoted to the interleague play coming up and my first thought was that wow, there is a lot of interleague play coming up and then I was angry about the inequity of our interleague schedule all over again (and I had just gotten over it recently too). How is it that the Red Sox play the Philles and the Dodgers (the Phillies twice no less!) while the Dvil Rays get the Marlins and the Yankees get the Mets. Sure we've got the Giants and the Diamondbacks in the mix too but that really doesn't make up for the Phillies and Dodgers. I know these match-ups are based on "natural rivalry" but the Devil Rays and the Marlins are rivals at what? Competing for fans in a market that has no fans for either of them? And why are the Red Sox and Phillies "natural rivals?" Because they are both awesome teams? I can see the rationale behind the Yankees/Mets but it seems more like the big class bully beating up on the younger, wimpier kid. Either way, I don't think I like it. Beyond the novelty of seeing pitchers hit, there isn't much in it for us.

In other news on my mind lately Victor Martinez is not only back to kicking butt in the lineup but apparently he is just a really nice guy as well. Gordon Edes has this story about Victor and his host family from when he was playing in the minors and living in Cleveland. Then there is this article about Victor on mlb.com which I also really enjoyed. And then there is this, I really enjoyed this.

Hey, Grumpy Guy Sitting Next to Me Yesterday - I Have A Few Things to Say to You

So yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of attending Fan Appreciation Day at Fenway where I got to shake hands with all sorts of players like Bill Hall, John Lackey, Jeremy Hermida, Bill Cameron, Jason Varitek, Dustin Pedroia, Keven Youkalis, Ramon Ramirez, J.D. Drew, and Joe Nelson. Josh Beckett, to my dismay, did not grace us with his presence. I assume he was off getting a massage or something.

I was lucky enough to enjoy this experience with some Twitter friends @shelley1005, @__fc, and @pinkberryoasis but my seat for the game was a single seat all by myself (in case you missed it, here is why I had a seat all by my lonesome). I was on the end of a row next to the grumpiest guy ever to come to a Red Sox game. He sat with his arms folded for most of the game and made comments to his companion (a young man who's replies I never quite caught). Here are a few of the things I would have said to him yesterday had I not feared his grumpy wrath:

1. Dice-K is not getting traded before the All-Star break. No way, no how. And I don't think any West coast teams are interested in trading for him just so he can go to California and be with more Japanese people.

2. The Red Sox didn't trade anyone for Marco Scutaro. He was a free agent that we picked up in the off-season. That 10 minutes you just wasted trying to remember who we traded him for is time you are never getting back.

3. Manny del Carmen is actually a good pitcher despite what you think. Now I know why you didn't respond to my enthusiastic "Oh look, Manny del Carmen is pitching now!" Your bad vibes alone is what caused those 2 home runs.

4. And if you didn't like MDC why did you have nothing to say about Scott Atchison, who frankly deserves more bad will than MDC? Or do you not know who Scott Atchison is?

5. So Tito put both J.D. Drew and Ortiz in to pinch hit for 2 different players. When Ortiz struck out the 2nd time you can't tell Tito he should have hit Drew for Ortiz. That just isn't possible.

6. I think I heard you muttering something not so nice about Josh Beckett. You are lucky I didn't hear what you said because that would have been enough to make me stand up and kick your grumpy ass.

Josh Beckett is Frustrated About Not Coming Off the DL? Yeah, Me Too.

When I realized that Josh Beckett was coming off the DL on June 3rd and that it was a day game I jumped at the opportunity to purchase a ticket so I could see him pitch fresh off his rest. I spent a while on the Red Sox website and Precise Seating picking a seat that wasn't outrageously priced and yet, close enough to enjoy watching pitching from. So imagine my frustration when I found out on Saturday that Josh was not coming off the DL and that I would be seeing Wakefield again (nothing against Wakefield but he's not Josh Beckett). I will not get to watch him warm up in the bullpen before the game, and I have a more-than-I-would-have-paid-for-to-see-Wakefield-pitch ticket. Josh is just as frustrated as I am as evidenced by his comments in this article on WEEI. The worst part is that there seems to be no timetable at this point.

Of course, a Red Sox game is a Red Sox game and I am quite excited to go on Thursday despite the absence of Beckett's pitching. This will be my 3rd Wakefield game this season and, as I'm sure you know, I haven't seen him get a win yet (although I did see his 2000th strikeout). So I'll be rooting hard for Wakefield on Thursday but wearing a Beckett shirt.

Either the Rays Aren't as Good as We All Thought or the Red Sox Aren't as Bad as We All Thought

Well then. Who could have predicted after that horrible loss to the Yankees last Monday that we'd be sitting here riding high on 4 straight wins against the Phillies and the Devil Rays? Finally everything that Theo promised is started to come together. The starting pitching has been phenomenal, the defense has been tight and effective, and disparaged offense has even put in a strong appearance.

After the loss to the Yankees last Monday and then the subsequent come from behind win I read an article somewhere (and it kills me that I can't remember where because you know I like to be good about citing sources) in which the author was saying that clearly the Red Sox were not playing bad baseball because a bad baseball team does not come back from a loss like they had on Monday and gain a win on Tuesday in a tough game. Nothing could be more true. Finally we are getting to see the Red Sox play good baseball.

The wins against the Phillies were surprising and satisfying but really, it's the wins against the Devil Rays that make me even happier since they are in our division and basically running away with it. Yes, Devil Rays you may have 32 wins this season but the train stops here.

Alas, I Have Not Had Much Time for Baseball

I'll admit it - I haven't seen a full Red Sox game since Sunday's game and it isn't because Sunday's game was so boring and bad that I didn't want to watch, it was just that life got in the way of watching. It is hard to fit in a full baseball game that starts at 7pm every night. So as a result, I caught the last half of Monday's devastating loss, the beginning of Tuesday's come from behind win, the first three innings of Wednesday's incredible effort from Clay, and the 9th inning of last night's Lester fest.

As the Sox head to Philly and then on to Tampa Bay I am hoping to fit in a lot more baseball in the next week. After all, the boys are just starting to pick up. The pitching and the offense have been showing up at the same time for the last few nights. If the Sox ever needed to ride some momentum, now is the time.

And can I make a confession? It is somewhat of a relief to have Beckett on the DL. If Josh Beckett is not going to pitch like Josh Beckett than I would rather have him on the DL. Otherwise it is just much too painful to watch and so much harder to defend him when people put him down. So Josh - get healthy and get it together and come back and show those young whippersnappers Clay and Jon that you are every bit as good as them, if not a smidgen better.

Accentuate the Positive

Plenty has been written this morning about last night's crushing defeat at the hands of the Yankees - a game that frankly we deserved to win after clawing our way back from a 5-1 deficit. I could write paragraphs and paragraphs about it but I'm not going to because after losing 3 straight games with no one thing you can blame for it, I think it's time to be positive and think about the good things that have happened lately. I know, I know, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades but at this point what else do we have to hold on to but the feeling that things could turn around at any second.

- V-Mart. That man has been in such a slump that I cringe when he comes up to bat with 2 outs. That's not how I viewed V-Mart last year. Well, last night he had 2 home runs. That's right, 2!

- J.D. Drew. Everyone's favorite outfielder (did you see the beautiful diving/sliding play he made on Saturday?) was the man of the hour last night, coming through in a clutch with a 3 run home run and putting the Red Sox back in the game.

- David Ortiz. He may not be the Big Papi we remember but he isn't the sad sack he was last month. He's been doing some damage lately and showing some fire.

- Marco Scutaro. Nope, I didn't like Marco's signing. I loved Gonzo and didn't want to see him gone. Marco though, has been making some really nice looking plays out there and he has filled in the lead off spot very admirably for Ellsbury. Combine that with his funny facial expressions and we've got a winner.

- Dice-K. He's proven that he can only pitch well with Varitek behind the plate and when he does he's brilliant. Oh wait, this is getting into negative territory so I should stop there.

- Josh Beckett. No, he hasn't done anything great lately but I can feel it in my bones that he's going to tear through those Yankees tonight and avenge Tim Wakefield. Then he might punch Papelbon for good measure.

Any high points I have missed? Feel free to comment. Kara and I changed our blog settings so that anyone can comment without logging in so if you've been wanting to disagree (or agree) with me anonymously, here's your chance.

Talking About Embarrassment

Sorry this post came a few days late but I was totally stunned by the current state of the Boston Bruins. I still can wrap my mind around it. For those of you who don't know, the Bruins were kicked out of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Flyers, in a series that at one point was 3-0 in favor of Boston. Only 2 teams in NHL History before now have ever blown a 3-0 series lead to lose. Now Boston is number 3 on that list.

I will admit that the Flyers played a better game 7 than us. But there is no reason Boston shouldn't have been the team to move on. If the B's had played games 4, 5, or 6 the way the played game 1-3 there would have been no need for a game 7. The Bruins would also be playing the Montreal Canadiens right now in the Eastern Conference Finals.

I'm sure I am not the only one still in any sort of denial, still a little bit hurt. Hell I'll admit I'm also a little bit bitter. You know why? That was our series to win, but we couldn't get it together to move on. So here we go waiting till September with still a small tear in our eyes.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

During Friday night's game I told my husband that I thought the Red Sox had really turned a corner and were going to start winning more games now. They were playing better and seemed to have formed a more cohesive team, despite the loss on Wednesday. I was so optimistic on Saturday night that I had a title for a blog post all picked out which I will now have to shelve until Jon Lester's next win.

At this point I would have to say that the Red Sox haven't entirely turned that corner. They are maybe halfway around it, having stopped to have a drink at the corner bar in Detroit. After Saturday's hard loss after 12 innings, the Red Sox who showed up on Sunday seemed a little checked out of the game. It is hard for me to get bored by a baseball game. I can find interest in the most minute details of a game but yesterday's game had me getting up and hanging laundry on the line and emptying the dishwasher rather than watch Lackey pitch.

Tonight we've got Dice K taking on the Yankees and odd as it sounds, that gives us more reason to be optimistic. Having seen Dice K pitch in person the last two times he pitched (how did that happen?) I am feeling good about tonight. Dice K last Tuesday was a sight to behold. Normally he's the pitcher I skip watching to do laundry but if he keeps up the way he's been pitching I'll save the laundry for Lackey's next start.

Tuesday we've got Josh Beckett on the mound. It just speaks highly of Josh's charisma that last week I was convinced he was either having a nervous breakdown or about to have season ending surgery, and this week I am feeling confident of a high quality start out of him. But that could just be me. Perhaps none of you jumped to such high drama conclusions last week and are thinking he very well could stink on Tuesday. Either way, Josh is long overdue for a turnaround and you can be sure that laundry and emptying the dishwasher will be the last thing on my mind on Tuesday.

The Sox Start a Grueling Road Trip Today

When I'm trying to go to sleep at night I often come up with wonderful blog posts in my head and sometimes I think I should get up and write them right then, but then I think no, I'll just write it in the morning. Inevitably, I have forgotten my brilliant post by the morning and today is no exception. I had a great, witty, post in my head last night. I think it had something to do with Jon Lester and I know the Tigers were involved but for the life of me I can't even remember what the crux of it was going to be. So instead of that post you're getting this.

The Red Sox are in Detroit today to start a a 3 game series against the Tigers who have been quite dominant lately. Then off to New York to visit the Yankees, who the less said about the better. Then home again for an odd 2 game series against the Twins before heading off to Philly for some inter-league play. Thank goodness the Devil Rays aren't involved is really the only upside I can see. In actuality, the Red Sox have been playing much better as of late. But is it good enough to beat these teams? And on the road no less?

As an aside, for those of you who missed it, J.D. Drew was the postgame guest on WEEI the other day and it is worth a listen if not only to hear his lovely Georgia accent but because he made a joke, an honest to God joke that sounded natural.