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.