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.

Players Goodwill - Half Full, Half Empty, or Completely Dried Up?

As uproar over Josh Beckett's bad start to the season gets louder it occurred to me that Josh was been riding on stored up goodwill for a while now. It is my theory that each player has a store of fan goodwill that can be drawn upon in tough times that allows them to ride out storms of playing badly without as much outcry from the fans and media. Of course, if you go too long your cup of goodwill empties out or you could be one of those unfortunate players who never had much good will to begin with for one reason or another. Below is my assessment of where everyone stands with their good will.

Josh Beckett - Josh has been living on his 2007 season good will for a while now. He has replenished it regularly with streaks of brilliance in the years after 2007 and used it to ride out the rough patches he had in 2008 and 2009. But after a poor ending to the 2009 season and a horrendous start to the 2010 season coupled with his expensive new contract, I think his goodwill is perilously low. I could single handedly replenish it for a while with all the goodwill I have toward him but I'm afraid it won't hold him over through this season for long.

David Ortiz - Big Papi had a very, very full cup of goodwill. It tided him over nicely through his bad patch in 2009 and the steroid revelations. Unfortunately, his cup is also getting low. Not empty yet, mind you, but he's only got a couple inches left unless he makes a big turnaround.

J.D. Drew - J.D. is one of the unfortunates that never had any goodwill to begin with and never seemed to get any. I'm not entirely sure why since he has come through in a clutch often, plays the outfield beautifully, and doesn't cause any trouble. Perhaps it is this last one that is his downfall. People think J.D. doesn't try, doesn't care, etc. As long as J.D. keeps doing what he's doing the lack of goodwill doesn't affect him but the minute he does poorly...

Jon Lester - You'd think Jonny would have tons of goodwill and after this season I think he will. But as evidenced by his bad Aprils both this year and last it can be hard for fans and media to come off a Spring Training and watch their new ace do so badly. But around here we call Jon the Easter Bunny because who doesn't like the Easter Bunny?

Mike Lowell - Mike Lowell has so much good will stored up I can't imagine he'd ever use it all. If it were transferable he would gladly give some to struggling players (thereby increasing his goodwill even more).

Dustin Pedroia - Another one in no danger of using up his goodwill any time soon. Pedroia is gritty, team oriented, funny, and an all around good player. It would take a long, rough patch for him to get that glass even half full.

Kevin Youkalis - Youk is pretty much in the same boat as Pedroia but maybe with a tiny bit less goodwill. But again, he is in no danger of losing it soon.

Jacoby Ellsbury - Jacoby is also high in goodwill. Less than Youk and Pedroia simply because he's not as good a hitter and those UZR ratings made him look bad (although I am skeptical of them). He's a big fan favorite though and his stolen bases help boost his goodwill.

Jason Varitek - Tek's goodwill tends to fluctuate wildly. He can have tons of it one month and be completely out of it the next. Just look at last season when he was so hot at the beginning and his goodwill was overflowing. Then next thing you know it's completely empty and everyone wants him gone because his bat has gone cold.

Tim Wakefield - Another player with what seems like never ending goodwill due to his time with the team and his willingness to do anything asked of him. He can get away with being a little bitter this year because of all that goodwill.

DiceK Matsuzaka - Dice K had an outpouring of goodwill when he was first signed. Outrageous amounts of it in 2007. His goodwill quickly got used up however, and last year if it were possible he would have negative goodwill. His lack of goodwill explains why Josh Beckett's starts this year weren't decried nearly as much as DiceK's inability to get going this year.

Clay Buchholz - Clay got lots of early goodwill due to being such a good prospect and of course, that no hitter he threw. He used up a lot of it after that no hitter when he went on a bad streak that got him sent down to Pawtuket. He had enough left though, that when he came back last year every was excited to see him and forgave him some rocky starts last year. He continues to add to his goodwill this year.

Jonathan Papelbon - Pap has always been one of those guys you either love or hate. As such, his goodwill has never been as high as it should been for his performance. His goodwill was at its highest in 2007 (well, wasn't everyone's?) and has taken a nose dive since then. His lack of more than one pitch, his tendency to turn closes into high drama, and some of the comments he's made about salary and contracts has lowered his goodwill considerably.

Manny del Carmen, Ramon Ramirez, Okajima Hideki - I'm lumping them in together because they all have the tendency to have low amounts of goodwill that don't sustain them for very long. Our memories for relief pitching are short. You blow a couple of leads and we forget the five leads you maintained. Sorry guys, it is just the way of the world.

Victor Martinez - He's a little too new to have too much goodwill but he came in last year at a time when we desperately needed him and he delivered. As such, he has enough goodwill stored up to get him through this slump he's in.

Everyone else is too new or doesn't play enough to have goodwill. Some, like McDonald, are working on storing up goodwill for the future. Others, like Beltre, have no goodwill going for them yet.

The Red Sox Continue Their Schizophrenia

I was feeling confident going into the series against the Yankees after sweeping the Angels. After all, we were going up against them with Beckett, Buchholz, and Lester. Sure, we all know the Yankees are good this year and they'd be hard to beat but I thought the chances were good we'd take at least 2 games.

Friday night's game was heart sickening to watch. Beckett started out better than I have seen him since, well, since last August when he stopped pitching like Josh Beckett. Who knows what happened to him out there in the 6th inning but it was painful in the extreme to watch. It was like watching a car accident. You can't look away no matter how much you want to. Hitting 2 Yankees players and hitting Jason Varitek? What was going on with Josh Beckett that night? I am certain beyond a doubt that he didn't hit anyone on purpose but the whole thing was bizarre and painful.

I only caught a couple of innings of Saturday's rain delayed marathon of a game but it was enough to show me that the Red Sox hadn't shown up to play that game either. Clay was average at best and in the end it was an embarrassing rout.

So it was with some trepidation that I sat down to watch Sunday's game. The only thing that kept me from being completely pessimistic was the thought that Jon Lester was pitching and perhaps we would be spared a complete blowout. Well, not only did Jon Lester deliver (because he is a pitching god) but the offense decided to wake up and show the Yankees that they weren't dead after all. It seemed like everyone was in on the act last night (except for Victor Martinez). Jeremy Hermida and his great beard delivered just when we needed it. Scuturo seemed to get on base frequently. Beltre, sporting new glasses, got in some hits. Drew seemed to get a hit every time he was up and even Big Papi got in on it. And of course, the ever reliable Youk and Pedroia (sporting high socks no less) got in some hits as well. The sure sign for me that everything was going well was when the Yanks took Jeter and ARod out of the game because they knew it was already lost.

Now the Blue Jays are coming to town. The Sox swept them in Toronto last time they faced each other so I'm feeling smug. I'll be there on Tuesday and Wednesday. You can find me near the bullpen on Wednesday giving Josh encouragement that those Jays have nothing on him.

Random Red Sox Thoughts

- Two wins against the Angels! Who would have thought that after being swept by the Orioles last weekend.

- Jon Lester is a pitching god. There is just no other way to describe it.

- Booing your own players at Fenway Park is unacceptable no matter how they are playing. Talk trash about them in your living room, on your Twitter feed, or anywhere else but do not boo them at Fenway.

- Dustin Pedoria is a gritty ballplayer. That out he made last night was jaw dropping. I'm so glad he is on our team. Imagine if he wasn't?

- You know I love me a good Josh Beckett quote and so I often read Rob Bradford's articles because he seems to be the only reporter that Josh talks to. I got this gem from an article Bradford wrote about the team's chemistry. "I was actually noticing this the other day, that we've got an abnormal amount of beer-drinking buddies. Not that we drink too much beer, but that we get along." Right Josh. I know you and Lackey are putting away a case of Lone Star beer every night and Clay is trying to keep up with the two of you.

- Darnell McDonald is a good offensive player but mediocre in the outfield. Yes, I said it.

- I often feel bad for the losing team when they show them looking discouraged in the dugout. Not so with the Angels. I felt they deserved it by putting that really terrible relief guy in and because I just really don't like the Angels and Mike Scioscia.

- Lackey takes on his old team tonight. Looking forward to this match up!

What a Biting Game

Coming off an emotional game 1 win from Saturday, the Bruins won again 3-2 against the Philadelphia. In the midst, Marc Savard provided another story to tell, even though it wasn't exactly as epic as his goal on Saturday, but it was still good. After a rough up with Daniel Carcillo, it was claimed that Savard bit Carcillo on the fingers. According to Savard, Carcillo tried to pull his front teeth out and there was no biting involved. Apparently its elementary school all over again with finger pointing.

The Bruins were the first ones to score, again, with a goal in the first period from Johnny Boychuck. The winning goal was scored late in the third period by Milan Lucic, who has been having a couple troubles since his return from the high ankle sprain. He had 1 goal since March 25 and this was his first goal in the playoffs. For him, it was a relief and also a surprise. He wasn't expecting it to go in, nevermind the game winner.

Over all, it was another exciting game that was full of emotion and good plays. Now the Bruins have the lead in the series at 2-0, as they head to Philly for the next 2 games. The Flyers also have a perfect record at home during the playoffs, meaning the Bruins will have a little bit more of a challenge. The next game is Wednesday night at 7:00 on Versus.

How Do You Amuse Yourself on a Plane Ride After Being Swept by the Orioles?

You have got to hand it to The Orioles. They played some good baseball this weekend and swept a series against the Red Sox at home in their own Camden Yards, something that has not been seen since 1974. The look on Wigginton's face when they won yesterday said it all. They were ecstatic, as well they should be.

Unfortunately, you and I are not Orioles fans. We are Red Sox fans and watching them get stomped on by The Orioles of all people was humiliating and quite worrisome. We all knew going into this series that The Orioles weren't the sure win that they have been in the past, not with the way the Red Sox were playing lately, but I don't think anyone saw that sweep coming.

Josh Beckett said in his post-game interview that the plane ride home would have been a lot more pleasant after a win. This of course made me speculate on what does occur on a plane ride back to Boston after getting swept by the Orioles. Angry yelling and recriminations? Sullen silence and dirty looks? Public floggings of those most responsible? We can only imagine what did happen on that plane yesterday but I can assure you that big Red Sox fan that I am, I would not have wanted to be there for it.

The Happy Dance Done Around the Garden

Raise your hand if you thought the Bruins game would end the way it did. I certainly didn't, but I'm sure as hell glad it happened. For those who missed the glorious moment, in the winding moments of overtime, Marc Savard, with his only shot of the game (his first one in 2 months by the way), led the Bruins to a 5-4 win over the Philladelphia Flyers. And thus starts celebration and numberous happy dances. And a couple of tears.

Even though it was only game one of the series, it was by far the most memorable of any moment in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The game has a whole was well played, with both teams going to the net, and both goalies coming up with major saves.

There was lots of action. I would have traded in the little catch-up the Philly had. But that means I would also have to trade in arguably the best ending to a game, and I wouldn't do that for the world. So till the next epic win, keep dancing Savvy.