Sox and Son

Over the Monster- Know Your Enemy Section

2009-04-24T08:54:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite blogs, Over the Monster, often feature of a section called "Know your enemy" where they profile Red Sox opponents. Here is the Yankees profile, which is very fitting because the Red Sox and Yankees are currently tied for second in the AL East.

Yes, friends, it's time to head into our first 'tilt' with the New York Yankees.
What's changed, in a year? What can really change beyond a lot of players getting older and a lot of other players making a lot of f'in money? The biggest addition, so far, has been Nick Swisher. We know, of course, about his ability to work the count and hit for power. He's also been pretty versatile for the Yanks, being an option in LF, RF, 1B, and at P. A.J. Burnett has also been a good signee so far, 17 Ks in 19 IP over 3 starts. Another big change the Yankees made was in CF. While Melky Cabrera saw most of the time out there last year, the Yankees decided to make a change and go with Brett Gardner as the starter. How has it worked? Gangbusters! Gardner's been tearing up the AL to the tune of a 1.211 OPS, while Melky has struggled to a .583 OPS. ...wait. Strike that, reverse it. The long-term for both of these guys is probably as 4th outfielders, but Melky has earned the bulk of the PT thusfar.
Somewhat quietly, a number of Yankee regulars are putting up their usual numbers. Jeter, Damon, Posada, and Matsui have all been as good as could have been expected or better. Swisher and Cano have probably been a bit above their heads, but they've also shown that their respective struggles last season may be behind them.
STRENGTHS
The offense. 4th in the AL in scoring runs while getting nothing from 3B and CF most of the time, with Alex Rodriguez coming back at some point and Mark Teixeira still having a cold April.
WEAKNESSES
In a small-sample way, this season, the bullpen. Beyond Rivera and Brian Bruney? A huge crap sandwich. It's not even a joke to say that Swisher has been among their best RPs this season.
YANKEES' KEYS TO SUCCESS IN 2009
Perhaps a swap out of some bullpen arms? The arrival of Mark Melancon? The offense will be fine, but the pitching isn't shaping up as intended. Pettitte and Burnett have been steady but Joba, Sabathia, and Wang have not been good. I keep waiting for Sabathia to get back on track, and young and inconsistent should actually have been an acceptable outcome for Joba this season. It's still early for both. It's probably pretty obvious to everyone right now that there's something wrong with the Yankees' Wang.
HOW THE SOX CAN BEAT THEM
Knock the starters out early. The Yankees probably have their 3 best (thusfar) going this weekend in Boston. Non-Bruney or Rivera RPs should be a welcome sight on the mound. In general, the pitching gives out a lot of walks, though CC's 14 in 24+ innings might be skewing that data a little bit. The pitchers should keep the ball down; the Yankees are slugging quite well thusfar.

2009 Season

2009-04-13T10:06:00.003-04:00

by Elise Amendola - AP

After falling just one game short of returning to the world series last year, the Red Sox are backat Fenway Park for the 2009 season. So far, the Red Sox has only showed glimpses of their former selves but the season is still early. The hits are coming but we're still falling short on the pitching side.

Above is a picture of Pedroia hitting a home run during Opening Day (his first at bat might I add).

Red Sox Legend of the Month: Carl Yastrzemski

2009-03-26T07:57:00.006-04:00

Credit: http://1.bp.blogspot.com

Carl Michael Yastrzemski, (born August 22, 1939), nicknamed "Yaz,"played his entire 23-year career with the Boston Red Sox, primarily as a left fielder, with part of his later career played at first base and as a designated hitter. Yaz is an 18-time all-star, the possessor of seven Gold Gloves, a member of the 3000 hit club, and the first American League player in that club to also accumulate over 400 home runs. He is second on the all-time list for games played, and third for total at-bats. He is the Red Sox' all-time leader in career RBIs, runs, hits, singles, doubles, total bases, and games played, and is second on the team's list for home runs (in a Red Sox uniform) behind another Red Sox great, Ted Williams, his predecessor in left field. In 1967, Yastrzemski achieved a peak in his career, leading the Red Sox to the American League pennant for the first time in over two decades, in that season being voted the American League MVP, and being the last winner of the triple crown for batters in the major leagues. He is a member of the Hall of Fame and his number 8 is retired at Fenway Park.

Yaz official website is http://www.yaz8.com/index.shtml

Real Talk From Papelbon

2009-03-25T21:07:00.003-04:00

Nick Lahem/Getty Images

In the March Issue of Esquire, Red Sox's closer Jonathan Papelbon spills the beans on the Manny situation that ended in his trade to the Dodgers.

It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that’s exactly what was happening. Once we saw that, we weren’t afraid to get rid of him. It’s like cancer. That’s what he was. Cancer. He had to go.

There you have it. It doesn't get any worse than calling someone a cancer. The lesson to be learned here is to be a team player, run out every ground ball, and go all out on defense.

The worst part about this is that I got a Manny jersey for my birthday last year. I was debating whether to get a Manny or a Pedroia jersey but I ultimately chose Manny because of his veteran status. Rumors of an Ellsbury trade casted some doubts in my mind about Theo's commitment to young players so I went with Manny. Big Mistake! I'll probably get a Pedroia jersey this year and buy my son one as well. Us little guys have to stick together.

What should I do with my Manny jersey? Any suggestions?

Pedroia on the Cover of MLB: The Show

2009-03-25T20:45:00.006-04:00

Click to see commercials

Little Pedroia comes up big again by scoring the cover of MLB 09.

Red Sox Legend of the Month: Jim Rice

2009-02-04T10:57:00.006-05:00

Click on card for Stats

James Edward Rice (born March 8, 1953 in Anderson, South Carolina) is a former left fielder and a Baseball Hall of Fame-electee. Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox from 1974-1989. An 8-time American League(AL) All-Star , he was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1978 after becoming the first major league player in 19 years to hit for 400 total bases, and went on to become the ninth player to lead the major leagues in total bases in consecutive seasons, and join Ty Cobb as one of two players to lead the AL in total bases three years in a row. He batted .300 seven times, collected 100 runs batted in (RBI) eight times and 200 hits four times, and had eleven seasons with 20 home runs, also leading the league in home runs three times, RBIs and slugging average twice each.

In the late 1970s he was part of one of the sport's great outfields along with Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans, who was his teammate for his entire career; Rice continued the tradition of his predecessors Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski as a power-hitting left fielder who played his entire career for the Red Sox. He ended his career with a .502 slugging average, and then ranked tenth in AL history with 382 home runs; his career marks in homers, hits (2,452), RBI (1,451) and total bases (4,129) remain Red Sox records for a right-handed hitter, with Evans eventually surpassing his Boston records for career runs scored, at bats and extra base hits by a right-handed hitter. When Rice retired, his 1,503 career games in left field ranked seventh in AL history. Rice will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2009.

The Captain is Back

2009-02-01T11:28:00.004-05:00

Capt. Tek gets a deal

Jason Varitek signs a deal with the Red Sox and it's about time! Since he decided to forgo arbitration, Tek's deal isn't a lucrative as he would have like, but beggars can't be choosers.

Pedroia Standing Tall As MVP

2009-02-01T11:18:00.007-05:00

.Click for great article about Pedroia

I know that I'm a little late with the post but I wanted to make sure that my son sees that size doesn't really matter in life. Dustin Pedroia won the AL MVP in November '08 and it was a big achievement for all of the short people out there (I'm only 5'6 but hopefully my son takes after the tall people in my family). All that matters is the hard work and dedicate that you put into everything that you do. You must give everything to every catch and every swing! (Maybe that should be our family motto) . Click here for another MVP article in the Boston Globe.

New Location New Focus

2009-02-01T10:41:00.004-05:00

I'm back with a new location and a new focus for this blog. I am no longer in the great city of Boston but rather in my home state of Delaware. Currently, I am 354 miles away from Fenway Park (which is going to make raising my son a Red Sox fan that much harder) but through the use of the internet, my wife's iphone and my blackberry, I can still be close to my beloved Red Sox. Once again I plan on getting the MLB.TV package as well as the application for the iphone. Although MLB.TV is a little expense; it a small price to pay to watch the best team ever!

As far as the focus for this blog, I'm only going to post major events (Manny traded to Dodgers) and other news worthy topics (Pedroia named AL's MVP award). In the past, I would write highlights of each game but I will leave that to the professionals. The purpose of this blog was to help my son understand why I'm a Red Sox fan and to give him all the tools that he needs to be informed about our favorite team.

Tiny Dustin Big All Star

2008-07-15T07:09:00.004-04:00

Click above for a article on Dustin Pedrioa

Blog is Suspended

2008-06-04T20:05:00.004-04:00

Although I thought I could do both, I have to suspend this blog until after Bar exam. In the meantime, I'll post occasionally with exciting Sox news but I won't do the daily game reports. Wish me luck !

Ellsbury on Pace to Break Sox Record

2008-05-29T22:32:00.002-04:00

Click on picture to read article

Sox Swept By Seattle

2008-05-29T12:45:00.001-04:00

Sox lose 1-0 to Seattle. Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell are the only two players who managed to get a hit yesterday.

Game Recap

Manny hits 499 In Losing Effort

2008-05-28T11:37:00.005-04:00

HR 499 was a 3-run shot that tied the game

Manny Ramirez hit home run number 499 last night in Seattle. However the Sox gave up a run in the bottom of the 9 to lose 4-3.

Game Recap

Sox Win On The Road

2008-05-27T07:13:00.002-04:00

8th inning rally sparked by Dustin Pedrioa lifts Sox 5-3 over Seattle.

From there, the floodgates opened. After an intentional walk to David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez belted an RBI single to right. Mike Lowell drilled an infield single that third baseman Adrian Beltre made a diving stop on, but had no other play, bringing in another run. Jason Varitek walked with the bases loaded to force in the fourth run of the inning.

Although Ortiz hit his 12 home run of the season, my Game MVP goes to Pedrioa.

Game Recap

A's Beat Sox Again

2008-05-25T20:34:00.003-04:00

Lester was no where near perfect today

Once again, David Ortiz was the only bright spot in the game. He hit his 11 home run of the season. Jon Lester followed up his no hitter by given up 3 earned runs in 5 innings. Sox lose 6-3.

Game Recap

Wrong Side of a 1 hitter

2008-05-25T17:53:00.002-04:00

David Ortiz saved the Sox from a no hitter last night when he manged to get a single in the seventh inning. Sox lost 3-0 to A's.

Game Recap

Couldn't Get It Going

2008-05-24T08:27:00.002-04:00

Sox couldn't get it going last night in Oakland and once again, Frank Thomas was the culprit. Different team but same result. I don't know if its just me but it seems as though Thomas has been a thorn in the Sox side all season.

The only bright spots was Dustin Pedrioa's Home run in the 4th inning. The other RBIs came from Jacoby Ellsbury. Sox lost 8-3.

Game Recap

Grand Slams R' Us

2008-05-22T22:07:00.003-04:00

Sox win with grand slams from J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell. Ace pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka remains undefeated (8-0). Great playing all around. Sox win 11-8 over Royals.

I have to give game MVP to both Drew and Lowell.

Game Recap

Speed = Ellsbury

2008-05-22T13:19:00.004-04:00

Click above to read a nice article on Ellsbury.

My speed is better than your speed.
-Nike

I really want my son to learn from Ellsbury how to utilize his speed in base running.

6 Game Win Streak

2008-05-22T06:37:00.003-04:00

Ellsbury's lead off HR

The Sox are on a roll. The combination of good hitting and solid pitching seems to be too much for their opponents. Bartolo Colon pitched a solid game last night, while Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Varitek went deep to put the game away. Sox beat the Royals 6-3.

I'm going to to give the game MVP to Varitek because he has been swinging the bat like a champ as of late. Also he guided Jon Lester, Justin Masterman, and Colon through some great pitching outings.

Game Recap

Masterson Gets First Win

2008-05-20T22:23:00.007-04:00

Masterson was masterful on the mound

On the heels of Jon Lester's no hitter, rookie Justin Masterson gets his first win in his second major league start, thanks to RBI efforts from Julie Lugo and Coco Crisp.
Sox win 2-1. The double edge sword is that Masterson has to go back to the minors because our roster is already overloaded with quality starting pitchers.

Masterson gets the game MVP. What do you know, I gave the MVP to two pitchers in a row.
Game Recap

No Hitter For Lester

2008-05-20T09:41:00.005-04:00

Jon Lester pitched the game of his life to lead the Sox 7-0 over Kansas City.

Lester is my MVP of the night.
Game Recap

Offense Wakes Up

2008-05-18T17:05:00.005-04:00

2 HR day for Ortiz

Sox win 11-7 and sweep the Brewers in the 3 games in 2 day series. David Ortiz hit 2 Home runs while Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis also contributes with homers. On a sad note, Jacoby Ellsbury was finally caught stealing today (after 25 successful attempts) but he did have 2 RBIs.

My game MVP goes to Ortiz.

Game Recap.

Double Header

2008-05-17T19:08:00.007-04:00

Game 1

Sox won 5-3 in the first game of a double header against Brewers.
David Ortiz is my MVP for game 1 of the double header.

Game 1 Recap

Game 2

Mike Lowell is my game 2 MVP with 4RBIs.

Game 2 Recap

Pedroia Aims To Be Better

2008-05-16T07:13:00.001-04:00

Click on the picture for a nice article on Dustin Pedroia.

Manny Eyes Gold Glove

2008-05-14T21:43:00.007-04:00

Manny makes an over-the-shoulder catch in Camden Yards

Click on the picture to read an article about Manny Ramirez's gold glove effort.

Okajima Blows It

2008-05-14T19:04:00.005-04:00

Okajima. Okajima. Okajima. The Sox were winning 3 to 2 in the bottom of the 7th, thanks to home runs by Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell However, when Hideki Okajma came in to relieve Craig Hanson, he gave right up a grand slam that put the game out of reach. Sox lose 6-3

Game Recap

Sox Fall 1 Short But Loses 2 Players

2008-05-14T07:03:00.007-04:00

Frustration in B-more.

Sox lost to the Orioles 5-4 last night and they also lost J.D. Drew (wrist injury) and Coco Crisp (stomach pains) in the process. Josh Beckett also wasn't at his best. He allowed 11 hits throughout the game.

Game Recap

Red Sox Legend of the Month: Ted Williams

2008-05-13T06:57:00.007-04:00

God gets you to the plate, but once your there your on your own.
-Ted Williams

In order to fully introduce my son to the greatest team ever, I decided to highlight a Red Sox legend each month. So, I think that its only right that I start with the greatest hitter of all time, Ted Williams.

Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002), best known as Ted Williams, nicknamed The Kid, the Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame and The Thumper, was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball. He played 19 seasons, twice interrupted by military service as a Marine Corps pilot, with the Boston Red Sox.

Williams was a two-time American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) winner, led the league in batting six times, and won the Triple Crown twice. He had a career batting average of .344, with 521 home runs, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. He is the last player in Major League Baseball to bat over .400 in a single season (.406 in 1941). Williams holds the highest career batting average of anyone with 500 or more home runs. His career year was 1941, when he hit .406 with 37 HR, 120 RBI, and 135 runs scored. His .551 on base percentage set a record that stood for 61 years.

More Dome Woes

2008-05-13T06:49:00.003-04:00

Home Run 498

Sox lost 7-3 last night to the Twins. However, the one bright spot is that Manny Ramirez is only 2 home runs shy of 500.

Game Recap

Could Have Been a Hero

2008-05-12T08:47:00.001-04:00

This look says it all

At one point in the game, the Red Sox was down 7-1 in the 3rd but with an all around team effort, the Sox put themselves in a position to win the game in the 9th. Manny Rameriez had a opportunity in the bottom of the 9th (the score was 9-8) with Coco Crisp on second to either tie the game or put the Sox ahead but he grounded out to the short stop.

Game Recap

MLB.TV

2008-05-12T06:47:00.000-04:00

I finally got MLB.TV so now I can watch every game with my son. In the past, I would usually take the night shift with Alex and we would listen to the Sox games together. Now, Alex can put some faces to names. LOL.

Payback

2008-05-10T21:51:00.000-04:00

Lowrie was 1 triple shy of a cycle

The Sox are on a roll. Kevin Youkilis hit a solo home run in the 2nd to put the Sox on the board while Coco Crisp and Jed Lowrie hit back to back home runs in the 7th to pull the Sox ahead by And with a Mike Lowell homered in the 8th, the Sox sealed the deal with a RBI single in the 9th by Dustin Pedroia. Daisuke Matsuzaka is now has 6 wins for the season. I also have to mention that after blowing a save the night before, Jonathan Papelbon is back to his old self.

I'm going to give the MVP to Youkilis. He hit 6HRs in the last 7 games. However, rookie Lowrie deserves a honorable mention because he was 1 triple away from batting the cycle.

Game Recap

Pap Can't Close It Out

2008-05-10T16:46:00.000-04:00

The Sox had a dramatic comeback last night but they fell one run short one run when Jonathan Papelbon gave up a 2 run base hit in the ninth. Papelbon has now blown his the last two games. I hope this is not the start of something bad. Sox lost 6-5 to the Twins

Game Recap

Youukkkkk

2008-05-09T12:07:00.000-04:00

Sox win 5-1
Kevin Youkilis is on fire. The first baseman batted .350 with two doubles, four home runs, seven RBIs and five runs scored during the 3 game series with the Tigers. That includes his second career two-homer game, on Wednesday night. But none of it should come as a surprise, considering he has hit .310 with seven home runs and 17 RBIs in 14 career games at Comerica Park.

Game Recap

Almost Pulled It Out

2008-05-07T22:56:00.000-04:00

Great game. Great game. The Sox was down 4-0 in the 3rd and at one point they were down 8-4 in the 5th but they came back over the course of the game to tie it 8-8 in the 7th. Dustin
Pedroia hit a RBIs single in the 8th to put Sox up one but Johnathan Papelbon gave up 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth.

I'm going to start a new precedent today and not give the gave MVP to losses.

Game Recap

Back to Back

2008-05-06T20:47:00.000-04:00

David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez (497) hit back to back home runs in the 7th inning to win 5-0 . Tim Wakefield was specular on the mound as always allowing only 2 hits in 8 innings.

I was going to give the game MVP to Wakefield for his brilliant outing tonight but since I'm a sucker for the long ball, I'm going to give it to Manny.

Game Recap

Oh yeah, don't forget to vote for Jacoby Ellsbury for Rookie of the Month. From Mar-Apr, Ellsbury has hit 3HRs, 11 RBIs, 8 SB and 20R. Click here to vote

Lowell is Back!!!!

2008-05-05T22:43:00.000-04:00

Sox continue their winning steak last night with a great win against the Tigers 6-3. Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched a great game (he's now 5-0), while Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis, and David Ortiz contributed with a home run last night.

Lowell is tonight's MVP.

Game Recap

Sweep the Rays

2008-05-04T18:13:00.000-04:00

Red Sox sweep the Rays for sole possession of first place in the AL East with a 7-3 win this afternoon. This was a typical Sox win with great hitting and great pitching (Jon Lester) however, once again, Manny Delcarmen came into the game and almost blew the lead (Delcarmen now has a 6.00 era). I'm always a little nervous when Delcarmen is on the mound but I least whenever he enters the game; Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon are not too far behind.

Kevin Youkilis is the obvious game MVP with a career high tying 4 RBIs and a homer in the 7th.

I had the chance to go to the game today but I turned it down because of my final exams :-(

Game recap

The Bats are Back

2008-05-04T07:16:00.000-04:00

15 hits and 12 runs is exactly what the Red Sox produced last night against the second place Rays to win 12-4. The interesting point is that the Sox scored 12 runs and none of them came from a home run. This is pure hitting ladies and gentlemen.

Although Jason Varitek had 3 RBIs last night, I have to give the MVP of the game to Manny Ramirez. Manny only had 2 RBIs but his on-target throw from left field, that threw Carlos Pena out at the plate, complete a double play to end the fourth inning. That run would have made it 5-4, but instead the sox scored 2 more runs in the bottom of the fourth and never looked back.

Game Recap

Did I ever mention how much I love Dustin Pedroia. This guy puts in the work and produces almost every night. Although, I only played in the outfield, I'm starting to admire the scrappiness that it takes to play in the infield. I want my son to posses that scrappiness. I want Alex to play with the fearlessness of a Pedroia. I want Alex to play with the mantra: Size doesn't matter; when you have heart!

Battle for First Place

2008-05-03T08:22:00.000-04:00

The Tampa Bay Rays are in town and its a battle for first place in the AL East. Although, the Red Sox's bats have been MIA for the past 3 games, they finally arrived when it counts. After a 2 hr rain delay and a slow start, the Sox rallied in the bottom of the 4th inning (with 2 outs), to score 5 runs and they never looked back. The final score was 7-3. Brandon Moss is my MVP of the game but a honorable mention must go to Dustin Pedroia, who had 3 RBIs last night. The Boston Herald wrote a nice piece on Moss' contribution last night.

Game Recap

No Bats = No Win

2008-05-01T21:52:00.000-04:00

Sox loss tonight 3-0 due to the lack of hitting that has been displayed throughout the entire series with the Jays. Although we got away with sub-par hitting the last two games, it finally caught up with us tonight.

Tampa Bay is coming to town tomorrow so let's get the bats going and give them a red hot welcome.

Great Finish (again)!

2008-04-30T23:51:00.000-04:00

For the second night in the row, the Red Sox won in the bottom of the ninth. With the score tied 1-1 and Manny Ramirez on second, the captain, Jason Varitek, hit a walk off hit that brought Manny home. There was a play at the plate but Manny was called safe and winning the game 1-2. This was a huge sigh of relief because it was identical to the play before but with a positive result. Brandon Moss hit a single into center field, but with a perfect throw form the Blue Jays outfielder, the pinch runner, Jed Lowrie, was called out at the plate. The Red Sox are definitely on a roll now.

Boy, do I love the Sox!! I went to the game by myself but still had a great time. One woman, who was sitting on my right, was a mother of two and had lots of advice to dish out to this new parent. I told her how I wanted to bring my son tonight and she said that you can take him once a year but don't bank on them remembering anything until age 2. I thought 2 was pretty young but she insisted that she remember a few things at that age. I was thinking that I would bring Alex to a Red Sox game (or at least to Fenway Park) every year from now on. Traditions have to start somewhere.

Game Recap

Last Game Before the Move

2008-04-30T11:35:00.000-04:00

Tonight is my last game at Fenway before we move to Delaware. I feel bad because Alex is way too young to bring to the game tonight but I'll definitely bring him to a game in the near future. Did someone say October?

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

2008-04-29T22:56:00.000-04:00

The score was 0-0 for nine and 1/2 innings. It was a true pitching and fielding duel. One mistake from either would cost them the game. Fortunately, the Blue Jays were the one to make that mistake. In the bottom of the ninth, the Jays walked David Ortiz and Manny Ramriez, was is leading the AL in batting average with .343 , made them pay for it. Manny hit a single, sending Ortiz to second and with two runner on base, Kevin Youkilis, the MVP of the game, hit a single to center field that brought Ortiz home for the win. With this late win, the Sox snapped their their five game losing streak.

Bats Need to Wake Up

2008-04-27T16:11:00.000-04:00

5th straight loss. The Sox bats need to wake up. Last night they only produced one run and tonight they didn't produce any. Although the bullpen remains suspect (in my eyes), it really doesn't matter how good the pitching is; if the offense is only producing a couple of runs a game.

4th Straight Loss

2008-04-27T09:27:00.000-04:00

Last night was the first game of the season that I didn't follow the entire game (I was sick with food poisoning), but with the Sox losing their 4th straight game, I probably would have felt worse. According to the post game report, the Sox was up the entire game until the Rays hit a 2run homerun in the 8th.

Cursed Jersey

2008-04-24T21:35:00.001-04:00

Auction for $175,100 for charity

At first I thought maybe the curse backfired, David Ortiz was off to a terrible start batting .077 (3-39) in the Red Sox first 11 games, but now I thinking, maybe there is something to this curse. For those of you who do not live in Boston or New York, I'm talking about the cursed Ortiz jersey that was buried in the foundation of the Yankees' new stadium by a construction worker who is a self professed Red Sox fan. Although it is too early to know if the curse is working or not (It took the Sox 86 years to break the Curse of the Bambino), but as of today, the Yankees are playing without A-Rod and they are 2 games behind the Sox. You be the judge.

Suspect Pen

2008-04-24T20:19:00.000-04:00

Justin Masterson was masterful for 6 innings

Sox lost 7-5 today. Maybe it's just me but I think the Sox bullpen so far this year has suspect. Although starters such as Dice-K and even Tim Wakefield are off to a good start, pitchers such as Manny Delcarmen and Javier Lopez are not getting the job done. For example, in his major league debut today, Justin Masterson pitched 6 great innings allowing only 2 hits, but when Delcarmen came in to relive Masterson, he blew the lead. If it wasn't for the big bats of Pedroia, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis, I don't think they would have won a lot of the games in the past 2 weeks. Just click on their names and look at the batting averages.

However, on a good note, Ortiz seems to be back in true form. He hit a 2 Run HR in the 9th inning to start a mini rally but it didn't pan out. Ortiz is now tied with Manny with 20 RBI.

Red Sox Nation

2008-04-23T22:08:00.000-04:00

It's official. I am a member of Red Sox Nation. I think I'll sign Alex up for Red Sox Kid Nation when he gets a little bit older. Kid nation members get all kinds of cool stuff.

p.s.
The Sox lost tonight 6-4 and I couldn't listen to the game because WRKO wasn't working properly. I had to watch the game on ESPN game cast but you could hardly call it "watching the game," because its on a delay and little dots represent the players and the ball.

Countdown to 500

2008-04-22T23:12:00.000-04:00

Click on the picture for a nice article on Manny. He is currently at 496 HR.

Ellsbury & Pedroia in '08

2008-04-22T21:22:00.000-04:00

Jocoby Ellsbury is the man!! I've been singing his praises ever since last season and now I have a venue to proclaim his greatness. With his 2 homer night against the Angles, I think Ellsbury sealed his fate as a starter this year. Ellsbury had to share time with Coco Crisp for the starting Center Field job during spring training and the beginning of the season, but I think he is making a strong case for the starting position. Oh yeah, I failed to mention last time that I actually saw Ellsbury play in Wilmington, Delaware. Ellsbury was playing for the Blue Rocks which was the Red Sox A team a few years ago.

Dustin Pedroia is a machine in the 8th inning. He knocked in Ellsbury when the game was tied 6-6 in the bottom of the 8th to bring the Red Sox ahead by 1 run. The two of them was a great team during the World Series (check game 3) and they are continuing to burn up the AL East this season.

Johnathan Papelbon as always closed the game in true Pap style for their 6 straight win.

Red Sox Playdate

2008-04-22T10:12:00.000-04:00

Alexander and fellow little Sox Fan, Mack, had their first Red Sox Playdate on Sunday. We watched the Sox rallied from behind in the 8th inning to beat the Texas Rangers 6-5.
Click here for the recap of the game

Although the link says Ortiz speed was the key, I think Dustin Pedroia was the hero of the game. The 2007 Rookie of the Year sat almost the entire game and then stepped up in the 8th inning to hit a monster double to bring home Ortiz from first. Now think about this how far Pedroia had to hit that ball, if Ortiz came home from first.

If Alexander turns out to be on the short side (I'm only 5' 6), I think Pedroia would be a great role model for him. At only 5' 8, Pedroia has the hitting power and the fielding skills (2nd base) to be a really great player.

Jocoby Factor

2008-04-22T10:07:00.000-04:00

Click on the picture to read a great article on Jocoby Ellsbury!

I truly believe that Ellsbury is going to be the face of the Red Sox in the future. From his natural base running ablility to way he approach the game, Ellsbury is the complete package.

I hope Alex inspires to be a player like Ellsbury. Our mantra during Alex's formative years will be to become a complete player.

Manny being Manny

2008-04-22T09:22:00.001-04:00

Although he was tossed out of the game on Sunday, Manny Ramirez is off to a great start 2008.

20 G 74 AB 20 RBI 6 HR AVG. 338

David "Big Papi" Ortiz said that Manny was going to have a Monster year and their is no doubt in my mind that Ortiz was speaking the truth.

Although I don't want Alex to take after Manny in the outfield, (Jacoby Ellsbury is a better role model for fielding,) his swing on the other hand is a thing of beauty. Even his strike outs look good.

Greatest Hitter of All Time

2008-04-22T07:44:00.000-04:00

Although I wasn't around to see Ted Williams play, I can still appreciate the greatness of his swing. In 1941, in only his 3rd season in the big leagues, Williams hit for an unprecedented .406. And nobody has batted over .400 since.

The story goes that at season's end, with one more double-header to play the next day, Williams' batting average stood at .39955. Manager Joe Cronin offered to let him sit out the games in order to guarantee the rounded-up .400 average. Williams and clubhouse boy Johnny Orlando walked the streets of Philadelphia that night and just talked about hitting, the A's pitchers he might face and whether he should play the game. Williams finally said,

"The record's no good unless it's made in all the games."

And so he played, batting 6 for 8 and bringing his average up to the now seemingly insurmountable .406.

p.s.
I purchased Williams' book, "The Science of Hitting" from half.com. I hope to put it to good use when Alexander is old enough to swing a bat.

Tour of Fenway

2008-04-21T23:51:00.000-04:00

Last week was my 28th birthday and to celebrate, I decided to take my 2 month year old son to Fenway Park. We had a blast learning about the park history as well as other cool info about our favorite team. Although I knew a lot of the stories, it was sill a thrill to sit in the Green Monster Seats and gaze upon the park from above. My wife even enjoyed the tour and she's not even a huge baseball fan.

I'm truly looking forward to bringing Alex to his first Red Sox game when he is older.

1st Entry

2008-04-21T22:38:00.000-04:00

The purpose of this blog is to channel my obsession with the Red Sox into a positive outlet, mainly, my son, Alexander. I am originally from Wilmington Delaware but I've been living in Boston for 6 years for my graduate studies (I received a masters at Harvard and a J.D. from Boston College Law School). In my 6 years in Boston, I've seen the Red Sox go from cursed to first and it has been awesome to have a first hand experience of this transformation. I personally became a Sox fan in 2002 but what really sealed it for me was their playoff lost to the Yankees in 2003. It truly broke my heart to watch a team lose that year. Boston held it breathe during that series but their was alway a hint of skepticism that the Sox would find a way to mess it up. I loved the fact the Red Sox was always the underdog. I felt a real connection to the city as we all hoped that they would pull through but secretly knew that it probably wouldn't happen in our life time. Well, everybody knows that we won in 2004 and now 2007, and its kind of hard to recognize Red Sox fans anymore. Skepticism is now replaced by optimisms and the "lovable losers" are now replaced by the "lovable leaders of the AL East."

So now, with the birth of my son, I want to raise him as a Red Sox fan but its kind of a catch 22. I him to know the history of the team as the perpetual underdog because only then will he be able to truly appreciate the world series victories of late.