Chris Benoit 1967-2007

I was all set to write a pre-series entry about the Sox in Seattle, and happened to flip to Monday Night RAW, and saw the tribute going on.

From AP:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. - WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and son were found dead Monday and police said they were investigating the deaths as a homicide.

Lt. Tommy Pope of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department said the three were found at their home about 2:30 p.m., but refused to release details.

Pope said results of autopsies on Benoit, his wife Nancy, and 7-year-old son Daniel were expected Tuesday.

Benoit, 40, was a former world heavyweight champion, Intercontinental champion and held several tag-team titles over his career.

I haven't followed the WWE in years, but I used to love it. This is just stunning.

Series Tied, Yankees lose, Buehrle to Boston?

Finally, a day off. For me, not the Red Sox. They play the rubber match against San Diego today after splitting the first two games. Daisuke Matsuzaka and the bullpen were fantastic Friday night, Sox win 2-1. Tim Wakefield was as bad as Dice-K was good, giving up 6 ER in 5.1 innings, Sox lose 6-1.

Josh Beckett (10-1, 3.14) vs. Jake Peavy (9-1, 1.98), battle of the AL's Cy Young contender vs the NL's Cy Young contender, should be a great matchup today.

The Yankees managed to break San Francisco's 8-game losing streak yesterday, way to go guys! It felt strange rooting for Barry Bonds.

Aaaand the crazy trade rumors begin. Mark Buehrle is intriguing, but there's no way I give up Clay Buchholz. I watched him pitch against Clemens earlier this year and he's got nasty stuff. He throws as hard as Papelbon, but with more movement. He just needs time to gain better control of his pitches. I'd do it for any of the other minor leaguers though.

Old Boston beats New Boston

Yeah, I know the Sox lost to the Braves tonight, 9-4. I temporarily have cable, so I watched most of the game. Curt Schilling (6-4, 4.20) got slapped around, he had NO fastball, and the splitter just wasn't diving. 4.1 IP, 10 Hits, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K's. Not a very impressive line for a guy who wants to pitch another year. Where's the guy who was just ONE out away from a no-hitter two starts ago?

Amazingly, Coco Crisp hit TWO home runs tonight, first time he's had two in a game in his career. JD hit another homer, too. I think I like him hitting leadoff, he sees a lot of pitches, can run the bases, and hits the ball everywhere.

Josh Beckett (9-1, 3.39) goes against Tim Hudson (6-4, 3.25) tomorrow, should be a good one.

Bruins hire Julien?

Apparently Wikipedia knows the future now:

 

Click the image and look at the bottom, it has tomorrow's date. Very strange.

I haven't seen any stories about the hire on any legit sites, but it's most likely true. Good for the B's, they need a coach who will teach the players to toughen up. The Bruins have been awful for so long, and last year was a particularly bad team to watch.

Red Sox 10, San Francisco 2

* exhale *

The offense finally broke out tonight, or at least JD Drew & Dustin Pedroia did. The first two batters in the Sox order went a combined 8-for-9 with 8 RBIs against the Giants. Pedroia just continues to impress and amaze me. Five-for-5, 5 RBIs, he's the 1st Red Sox rookie to get five hits since Brian Daubach in 1999, pretty impressive stuff for a guy fans wanted benched in favor of Alex Cora a month ago. He also out-homered Barry Bonds: 1-to-0.

Boy did the fans let Barry have it. Loud, constant booing, frequent "ster-oids!" chants, it was fantastic.

The reverse lock theory lives: Barry Zito vs Julian Tavarez, of course Tavarez wins.

Of course the fans went crazy for Roberts.

Oh, what's that? Roger pitched well for the Yankees, but Oliver Pérez and the rest of the Mets bullpen shut out the Bombers 2-0. The lead goes back up to 8.5 games.

You're getting a little too close

Is it time to panic yet? Maybe. We'll see after this weekend. The Sox just can't score runs lately, and their pitching has been horrendous over the past few games. Schilling got rocked two nights ago and Beckett was just as bad last night. So strange. Is Colorado better than I thought? The Red Sox lead over the Yankees in the AL East has gone from 14.5 games to 7.5 games in a New York minute. I'm officially concerned.

The Yanks, meanwhile, have won nine in a row and look like the team they were supposed to be when the season began. They get to play the slumping Mets, who have lost their last five, and old pal Roger Clemens starts for the Bad Guys tonight. Should be interesting to see how Clemens does against a decent lineup, I'll be rooting for the M-E-T-S all weekend.

Once again, Julian Tavarez (3-4, 5.25 ERA) has to pitch against the other team's #1 starter. In this case, it's San Francisco's Barry Zito (6-6, 4.02) who the Sox have seen plenty when he was with the A's. They're 5-5 with a 4.78 ERA in 13 career starts, but he's a lefty and they're having a ton of trouble against lefties this year.

I can't wait to see the reception Barry Bonds gets, Sox fans love booing a villain. "Steeeeeroiiiiids!"

On the other hand, one Mr. Dave Roberts will get a HUGE ovation when he steps up to the plate. He deserves it. "The Steal" will never be forgotten.

JD Drew, where are you? Lugo? Coco? Start hitting now kthx.

From round balls to oval ones

Since this is an off day for the Red Sox and suddenly surging Yankees, I'd just like to take a moment to remind everyone that the team that came within one bug-eyed Reche Caldwell dropped pass from going to and winning their 4th Super Bowl, will be back and even better than last year. The Patriots were one defensive stop away, and man have they loaded up: Pro Bowl linebacker Adalius Thomas, Donte Stallworth, Wes Welker, Sammy Morris, and potential game-breaker Randy Moss. This is without a doubt the most talented Patriots team I've ever seen, I'm giddy with excitement for the season to get started.

The only thing I worry about is: too much talent? The Pats won their first Super Bowl in 2001 by grinding it out with a gaggle of no-names and playing as a team. The Yankees have proven that you don't win championships by acquiring a bunch of All Stars and throwing them together. I really hope that the core of the team, Tom Brady, Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, Larry Izzo, Mike Vrabel, and Troy Brown can rally the new guys into that 'team' mentality that has been so successful over the years.

Peyton Manning is gonna eat dirt! Or turf, or whatever the hell they play on in that pansy dome in Indianapolis.

Diamondbacks 5, Red Sox 1

Perhaps Mike Timlin needs to take some lessons on how to throw the ball to 1st base from Julian Tavarez. Rolling it like a bowling ball would have worked better than the errant throw Timlin made, leading to two runs. It was only 2-1 'Backs at that point, so those two runs were huge. He then gave up an RBI single to Chris Young, giving them a three run lead. I've been saying it for a while: Timlin is done. He hasn't pitched effectively in well over a year, and I just don't trust him anymore. I'd rather see one of the Pawtucket kids getting some innings, or even JC Romero, who they just let go to make room for Timlin.

At least the Sox won the series, which they needed after losing 3 out of 4 in Oakland. Dice-K (7-5) pitched well today, only 2 ER over 6 innings, 4 hits, and 9 K's, but once again the offense disappeared and he gets the loss. It was great to see JD Drew bust out on Saturday, but Julio Lugo is just awful right now. He went 0-for-4 today, dropping his already pathetic average to .210. This is our leadoff hitter for the next four years? Yikes.

One out away!

Now THAT's how to end a four game losing streak!

Curt Schilling was one solitary out away from throwing his first no-hitter, but Oakland's Shannon Stewart broke it up with a two-out single in the 9th. I was just getting home from work when the 9th started, and I caught the end at the bar below my apartment. So intense. All the drunks were clapping like crazy with each out, and then swearing like.. well, drunken Red Sox fans, when Stewart hit the single.

Not bad for a 41-year-old pitcher, eh? A complete game 1-hit shutout for Mr. 38 Pitches. He just said that he shook Varitek off on the hit, and that he'll wonder for the rest of his life if he shouldn't have. SO SO CLOSE! It's still an incredible accomplishment, and a win for the Good Guys.

Let's see Clemens do that.

"Ten more of those and you'll be in 2nd place."

Just found this great clip of Matt Damon on Letterman, from last night's show I think... He comes out in a Red Sox jersey and totally trashes the Yankees.

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Matsuzaka pitches tonight! Call me crazy, but I still get excited about his starts. Maybe he hasn't quite lived up to expectations (7-3, 4.83 ERA), but it's fun watching him on the mound, executing so many different pitches. I feel like he has the potential to throw a complete game shutout every time he goes out there. I'm confident he'll prove to be well worth the investment over the course of his six-year deal. He's still adjusting to American baseball, and more importantly, American life.

That'll do it

Eric Chavez just hit a walk-off home run off Kyle Snyder to win it for the A's in the bottom of the 11th. :(

See, this is why west coast games suck, now I have to go to bed all grumpy!

Aargh, so close!

Big Papi just came within a few feet of putting the Sox ahead by two. He just missed hitting a home run, instead it was a double that Pedroia tried to score from first on. Unfortunately he's slower than Youkilis, and was out by 10 feet.

Onto the bottom of the 10th, and Oakland's Mark Ellis just hit a single for the cycle. Gotta give him a hand for that accomplishment.

Strange situation

Since the Red Sox used catcher Jason Varitek as a pinch hitter, then pinch ran for him after he got a hit, what would happen if current catcher Doug Mirabelli got hurt? They've used all their bench players, so they can't substitute someone off the bench. Would they have to have someone like Hinske or Youkilis catch, and put a pitcher in the outfield? I wonder...

It's tied 4-4 in the 10th, our bullpen is scary right now.

Bad Guys 6, Good Guys 5

I don't even know what to say. You just don't expect Papelbon to give up a homer to that bitch A-Rod. It doesn't happen. It shouldn't happen, especially on an 0-2 count! I gotta give it to Rodriguez, though... actually, no, nevermind, I don't have to give him anything! I WILL say that if you're a fan of baseball, it was a good game to watch. Not that I saw it, since I don't have cable, but it sounded great on the radio. Yankees still suck. They needed to sweep, taking 2 out of 3 isn't going to do it. I wonder if Pettitte is hurt...

It's off to Oakland for a 4-game series starting tonight. I hate west coast trips, the games don't start 'til 10:05 pm. I'm not quite sure how our rotation got all screwed up, but wild man Julian Tavarez (3-4, 5.40 ERA) goes tonight for the Sox instead of Dice-K, who normally follows Beckett. I'm guessing Matsuzaka starts tomorrow, then maybe back to Wakefield on Weds? I should look it up. Anyway, the A's kind of remind me of the 2004 Red Sox with the long hair and scruffy faces. Tavarez will oppose the bearded Dan Haren (6-2, 1.60) tonight, not the best pitching matchup for the Good Guys, especially after having to fly across the country following a tough loss. Hopefully we can at least split the series.

Good Guys 11, Bad Guys 6

Ahh, sweet victory. The Sox basically beat the Yankees the same way they were beaten the night before: beat up on the bullpen. Nice to see Okajima get his 1st MLB win.

Kevin Youkilis proved he's a team guy by taking two walks rather than swinging freely just to try and extend his 23-game hitting streak. Good man.

I really hope former Sox 1B Doug Mientkiewicz is okay after that collision with Mike Lowell. It sounded like he might have a concussion.

Gotta give it to the Fenway faithful in these first two games. Last night a bunch of people wore blonde female wigs, poking fun at A-Rod, and today in the 9th inning they started a humorous chant: "Where is Roger?"

Speaking of, it was reported during the game that Clemens will not make his first start in Chicago tomorrow because of groin fatigue. Uhm, what? First they're afraid to pitch him against the Sox, now he's got groin issues? I'm starting to wonder if Clemens is having second thoughts about coming back to the Yankees. Maybe he wants to take another week to see how far they fall behind before being officially put on the roster? Hmmm!

Got SP?

The starting pitching for both teams has been pretty bad. Schilling had a 3-1 lead in the 6th, but lost the strike zone, then gave up a 3-run homer to Jorge. Luckily, Mussina just gave up back-to-back homers to Lowell and Varitek (who was .118 lifetime vs. Mussina), and we're all tied up at 5.

Bad Guys 9, Good Guys 5

Yeash. That was ugly. In more ways than one. On the other hand, it's nice to see a little piss and vinegar back in this rivalry. The umpires will probably warn both teams before the game tomorrow about hitting batters, so nothing fun will happen. It figures that the guys I call out as not hitting, promptly start hitting doubles all over the place. Bastards. Wakefield sucked, Snyder sucked, no clutch hitting, that's about the size of it.

I have faith in the big Schill to even the series tomorrow.

You had your chance

Oh JD Drew, how you disappoint me. Up with the bases loaded and a chance to put the Sox ahead, Nancy hits a weak popup to A-Rod to end the inning. Yanks up 3-2, Wake needs to get it under control.

Speaking of Alex, don't fuck with Manny! You go down!

Up against it

Well, well, well. Here we go again.... Red Sox vs Yankees. First, the pitching matchups for this weekend's series:

Friday:
NYY: Chien-Ming Wang (3-4, 4.13 ERA) vs. BOS: Tim Wakefield (5-5, 3.36)
Saturday:
NYY: Mike Mussina (2-3, 5.86) vs. BOS: Curt Schilling (5-2, 3.68)
Sunday:
NYY: Andy Pettitte (3-4, 2.51) vs. BOS: Josh Beckett (8-0, 2.65)

It's hard to say who has the pitching edge, considering every pitcher involved, with the exception of Beckett, has been up and down this year. But the Sox's bullpen has been incredible so far, while the Yankees staff keeps giving up leads late in games, including three straight against the Sox a few weeks ago. New York really needs to sweep the series to keep their division hopes alive, especially since they won't see the Sox again 'til August.

Things are not looking good for NY. They're 13.5 games back, Giambi's out for the season, Abreu can't hit, Phil Hughes somehow hurt himself worse WHILE he was hurt and will be out even longer, Melky can't hit, Jeter has become an error machine, Cano can't hit, Damon's banged up, and A-Rod is reportedly cheating on his wife AND the baseball gods. Clemens is supposed to save this mess? Doubt it.

I always get excited AND nervous when these two teams meet. I HATE seeing the Red Sox lose to the Yankees, I'd rather get swept by the Devil Rays. Boston has a chance to bury 'em this weekend, let's hope this downward spiral continues for the Evil Empire.