April 2009
One Fine Day in Boston!
WOW! What a day for the city of Boston… It was a sports spectacle. It began early for millions with the “Original” Marathon taking place throughout the city. The race was won in 2:08 respectively for the men and 2:30 for the women. The morning continued with the Red Sox entertaining a large Patriot’s Day crowd with a true Boston Massacre of the Orioles to complete the sweep. Finally, the Celtics with their backs against the wall, down 0-1 to the Bulls, pulled off Game 2 with a buzzer-beater from Ray Allen!…. Whew….
Now, we are on the MLB BLOG network so I think that it is only fair that I spend at least a few more lines on my Red Sox. My last blog spoke about the Sox slow start. They were 2-6 at the time and struggling at the plate, mostly by keeping runners on. Today the Sox sit at 7-6 and out of last place. They are winners of 5 in a row and an outstanding sweep of the Orioles. I would be lying if I said that this series was more important than most Sox fans wanted to admit. All of the BBTN (Baseball Tonight) analysts continue to remain calm about the early season surprises in baseball this year, but last year proved how significant a good start is. Mostly because with good starts come bad ones as well. Last year Tampa Bay got off to a great start and never gave it up. So with the Sox off to the worst start since the ’99 campaign, Red Sox fans around the world were already beginning to worry.
The latter part of last week and this weekend settled the souls of the Fenway Faithful. The Red Sox, for the first time this season, began running on all cylinders. From top to bottom, the lineup was potent, consistent and best of all… intimidating. Orioles pitching had no match for Boston hitters. By the same token, Red Sox pitching held their own and kept balls in the park. I am sure the feeling is mutual when I see how comfortable Ellsbury and Ortiz looked at the plate. BBTN guys were already talking about what options Boston had in the market for another big bat to compensate for a struggling Ortiz. Both Holiday and Cabrera were in the clouds…
With Minnesota going into Boston tomorrow and struggling, let us all hope that the Boston bats remain hot and consistent. But for now let us enjoy what the day has brought to those in Boston and fans alike. An amazing performance by thousands of great athletes to begin the day, a slaughter at Fenway and RAY with a shot to lift the Celtics… One fine day indeed.
Slow Start
Well Red Sox fans…. the Sox have began the season in last place heading into tonight. We are currently 2-4, and stuck in dead last in our division. Fortunately for the team, the Yanks and Rays are only one game up. To everyone’s surprise, it’s the Orioles and the Jays who lead up the division.
Granted, the Sox have had two difficult series to start the season. Both teams we played (Angels and Rays) were amonst the elite teams in 2008. In addition, the games we have lost (except for the 7-2 loss to Tampa) have all been close. Let’s hope they get on track before they really fall behind….
The Red Sox stay on the West Coast tonight to face the Athletic’s who are 0-3 at home to begin their season. And, with Lester taking the mound, the A’s have not had good luck against left-handed pitching thus far.
Boston certainly needs Ortiz and Jacoby to step up and get into some kind of a groove. It pleases me to watch Youk, Tek, Lowell and Bay all rocketing off big flies early, but if we can’t get Ortiz and Jacoby going…. (sigh). I was thinking of calling Francona and asking him to change the lineup card tonight and bat Jacoby ninth and try Jed at the top. Or maybe placing him in the 7-spot. It will give us some speed near the bottom part of the order….
When it comes to our men at the mound… I am not worried. All five boys look great. I think we can give up on letting some homeruns go, but I would rather get them out of the park now than in October. Come on Sox… I want you to be in tip-top shape when I travel up there to catch a game.
Round 1
Last season the Rays surprised us all with a remarkable season filled with young talent and excellent pitching from top to bottom. Unfortunately for us Sox fans, this led to our demise in a thrilling seven-game defeat in October. The Rays were simply meant for a Cinderella story last year. In doing so, they also have changed the tide in the AL East, becoming a true contender. The Bronx Bombers were pushed aside and had to enjoy the show from the sidelines as the Sox and Rays battled it out all season. The Sox and Rays now have their own rivalry to contend for, which makes for exciting basball. Who will reign this year… In a division that clearly sets itself apart as the Elite division in baseball.
Few things have changed in the two teams since last season. Some minor acquisitions, but nothing major. Niether team really had the need for major overhauls. Unlike the Yankees, who plunged into the market head first, the Sox and Rays mearly had some cleaning up to do. So as the season begins, we can safely say that the heavyweight bout that concluded last season has simply stayed on course for a 2009 collision.
So it is only fitting that they should meet for “Round 1″ of a season long fight. The first series took place in Boston this week. Game one was commanded by a rejuvenated Beckett. He held the Rays in check by adding boost to his fastball…clocking in at 95! The Sox were able to manufacture five runs for him, including Varitek’s first homer of the season. Let’s hope it’s the look of things to come… The Sox won the game 5-3. Game two was quite the opposite as Lester took the mound and was hammered early in the game for 5 runs. The Sox never recovered and lost 7-2. The rubber-match was plagued by three early homeruns given up by Dice-K. The Sox never bounced back and lost 4-3, despite Tek’s second homer of the season late in the game.
Round 1 is in the books… The Rays looked more powerful in Fenway making the long-ball their best friend. The Sox on the other hand could not answer. The season looks to be exciting as these two teams continue to improve. The Sox will need much help from Ortiz, who doesn’t look quite as strong as he once was. Jacoby may be another concern for the Sox as his hitting has not come around since the ’07 World Series. Other than that, our Sawx look real serious this year. They will surely contend for the AL East title, and hopefully, a World Series.
Happy New Year!
The Braves and the W.S. Champs, the Phillies, got our baseball new year started on Sunday night. The excitement of baseball filled the air. Our new year is quite differant than that of the calander one. Our grasses turn green, our weather is warmer and we all come out to play. For anyone near the game… it means it’s time for baseball. What will the year bring??? We start this year with large free-agent moves, big trades, a declining economy, player drama and the unfortunate death of Angel’s pitcher Nick Adenhart.
The season is sure to be filled with various headlines and stories than none of us expect…. Will there be another story like Josh Hamilton’s of Texas; Maybe another race to .400; Or will we have another story like that of the Rays of ’08… Let’s hope not for the sake of Red Sox Nation. What we can hope for is baseball. And that is surely what we will get… at least 6 months of it.
So I welcome everyone back to the game. The year didn’t end in such a happy ending for my Sawx, but I am positive that we are looking at a great year! That is the great thing about another year. New beginnings, new faces, new uniforms and new ambitions. All of our teams, whether they finished dead last or up front, are in fact contenders. Even if for the first day of the Season, we are all undefeated. As the first week reaches it’s middle point, none of us are more than three games back (haha!)… Yes we are all contenders at this point. So let’s enjoy baseball for what it is. Let’s not worry about mid-season trades, injuries or even a meltdown by our relief pitchers. It’s a new year everybody. And baseball is back and I could not be happier.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Nick’s family and the entire Angel’s organization…. He will surely be missed…
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