Hypocrites

One thing that absolutely infuriates me hypocrisy. I have far more respect for someone who takes a position and stands by me even when it provides an unfavorable light to be shined on them. The past few weeks (and beyond) have been full of this kind of crap in one my favorite areas to comment on, the world of sports and the Bad Boys from Beantown, the Boston Red Sox. Normally the primary culprit is large headed (in every way) Mikey Kaye, the long time sycophant of the Evil Empire. I've basically become used to his nonsense, even though it still irks, especially when he is wearing his so called neutral hat on ESPN. Some typical Kaye comments of the past would revolve around Manny Ramirez and his admiration of his HR's (which also annoyed me, and I am a Sox fan, but the difference is that I acknowledge it and say publicly that it is hard for me to come down on A-Rod for doing the same thing... which he does!) - The more glaring example, and one that has reared it's ugly head, is the topic of beanballs. So last week, when Jose Veras is pitching in the 7th inning of a game the Yankees are losing 7-0, on their way to their 6th straight loss to the Red Sox, Veras plunks Jason Bay square in the back. Now Bay has been a notorious Yankee killer, so it seems odd that the ball would just happen to smack Bay. But, you didn't hear Red Sox Nation erupt, or Terry Francona cry, or Jason Bay make statements in the press. Nope, instead you saw the Sox win 2 more against the Yankees, extending the winning streak to 8-0 this season!

However, when Brad Penny hits Alex Rodriguez in the 1st inning(!) of the game Thursday, Girardi whined and cried. "

A baseball official told 1050 ESPN Radio in New York that the Yankees called the commissioner's office Friday to ask that Brad Penny be suspended for hitting Alex Rodriguez in the back during the first inning of Thursday night's Red Sox win.

"Penny's control was good," Girardi said. "I thought it was on purpose. That is all part of baseball."

But how about Veras? "You know, we hit Bay, and I know Jose did not hit him on purpose. I mean, Jose has struggled with his control. But things like that happen. You know, you expect something could happen in return." - so a threat from Joey G now. This guy is a punk, an avg player, a nutbag ultraconservative uptight douchebag with a sub .500 winning pct. in his last job and a failure to make the playoffs last year with the highest payroll in all baseball. Too bad Penny won't be here in Aug, would love to see him throw a ball at Girardi's face in the dugout!

Hmm, there must be a lot of examples for Joey G to point to, beanballs and purpose pitches, right?! Let's look at some of those pesky "facts"

Yankees pitchers have hit Red Sox players nine times this season. Rodriguez was the third Yankee to be plunked. After Rodriguez was hit, the teams were warned and there were no further incidents. -

Oh, so your team is hitting the Sox at a 3-1 ratio, but they are the culprits. How about Joba the Grunt, with his nearly killing Youk multiple times? Guess that doesn't matter.

Loved Penny's response - ""I don't give two [expletives] what Joe Girardi says," Penny told the Globe. "I'm coming inside. I don't care. Anybody can say that. We can say that about the time they hit our guys. I'm just trying to pitch inside. Maybe he should worry about managing and not trying to be the commissioner."

Now Joba is an interesting addition here, because he is the link to the other team crying, the Mets. Those who read the blog know that I blasted Johan Santanna for his crying session regarding Youk, and my wishes for a karmic visiting of justice on Johan, but how about Keith Hernandez in the booth, telling Paplebon to sit down? I guess Keith doesn't like that demonstrative approach.... except when K-Rod does it. It's just exuberance, then, huh Keith? it also appears that oft injured big mouthed yankee relieveer Brian Bruney doesn't like K-Rod's antics, as he said yesterday. - So, does that mean Bruney doesn't like Joba's antics everytime he takes the mound? -

Bottom line - Red Sox are a better team, a better organization, with better (and classier) baseball players, a devoted fan base (notice no boos for Big Papi yet, when those animals in the Bronx have already booed both Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter!! Idiots

Beast

Back from the Anniversary Weekend

The wife and I returned today from a couple of days away celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary,and I wanted to check in with the Red Sox. So since I last checked in they were 3-4 on the road trip, winning the last game in Toronto to salvage things a bit. Then a sweep of the ALCS leading Detroit Tigers, which included a terrific performance by Beckett, which is nice coming on the heels of Lester's great 12 K start. They returned home and have split 2 games with the Rangers, leaders of the Al West. With Mariano rivera's implosion yesterday for the evil empire (hee, hee ) the Red Sox lead the entire A.L. Best record, and Lester nearly threw a perfect game yesterday, so now you have 2 of the aces looking like we need. Remember, this is being done with Ortiz still hitting under .200 and our shortstop situation deplorable. Currently the 19 game stretch of really tough games stands as 7-5, with todays game and then 6 with the empire and the NL east leading Phillies.

At the 54 game mark, 1/3 of the season, the team sat at 32-22. That's a pace for 96 wins, which at worst should get them in the playoffs. I still have visions of a return to the 2003/2004 ALCS battles of Evil Empire vs. Heroes from Boston.

Sox win Again

So the Nation is happy with another win today, after salvaging the Toronto series on Sunday. Dice K gets the win, a typical Dice-K outing; 5 innings, 6 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks, 6 K's, 96 pitches, his first win of the season, and a lowered ERA to 7.17. Not terrible, not great, but a win. Great bullpen work, as usual, terrible at bats for Big Crappi, as usual, but now the team is 4-4 on the 10 game road trip, the beginning of the tough 19 game stretch. With the evil empire continuing to tear it up (17 out of 23 won) the Sox just need to continue holding down a playoff spot, and they need to make a move regarding Papi. Victor Martinez would look terrific in boston, with his great hitting, and versatility between 1st base and Catcher. With Tek only having one more year, Martinez would help the offense, provide versatility, and maybe even become the catcher of the future. Plus, the Nation has done well in the past with the last name Martinez: Pedro and Ramon ring a bell?

A Good Day for Red Sox Nation

Today the nation rejoices; Sox win, Yanks lose (on a walk off single, no less), and Jon Lester pitches a gem, finally. I last checked in on May 25 and I pointed out the brutal stretch of games coming up for the Red Sox. 19 games in all, and my hope was for them to still maintain at least the wild card before embarking on a 25 game soft stretch.

They split two on the road with Minnesota, and they were facing a sweep today on the road to Toronto. Then the real Jon Lester showed up, notching the following: 6 innings, 1 earned run, and 12 Ks. Sox win 8-2 and salvage something from the trip. Up next is 3 with Detroit on the road, and 7 games into this trip they are 3-4. They haven't won a series since the earlier sweep of Toronto and could really use 2 of 3 from the Tigers before heading home for series with the Rangers and the Evil Empire. The Empire, despite todays loss, are on fire, winning 16 of 22, so the race is on!!

On the down side, big Crappi continues to be awful, going 1 for 5 and is now hitting .185. I love what he's meant to the franchise, but enough is enough! Sit him down, indefinitely, and start looking for a bat and a SS. Get on it Theo, cause the Empire isn't going anywhere.

Famous Bird Steal, huge mistake by Isiah Thomas

Whenever I'm down, I just watch this... the absolute greatest sports moment I've ever seen in my life. Man, Larry Joe Bird, the Hick from French Lick!!!

Aaand Order is Restored for the nation

Relax, Red Sox Nation - despite a pitching ERA that is 19th in baseball, a continued need for a legitimate, quality shortstop, an injured primary starter, and Red Sox hero Big Papi now batting below the Mendoza line, despite the evil empire obliterating our salary potential and getting yet another prized free agent.... as i sit here looking at the standings on Memorial Day, the Red Sox sit atop the A.L. East - a quarter of the way through the season, without a pitch thrown yet by John Smoltz, and with Jonathen Papelbons blown save (!) - the Sox still are sitting playoff bound.

The second quarter starts off brutally, with a 10 game road trip (4 against Minn, a team that is 17-9 at home, while the Sox are 9-12 away from Fenway. That series is followed by 3 with Det, the current AL Central leaders, then 3 with Toronto, who trail the Sox by 1/2 game. ) This leads to a return home, and a match up with Texas, the best team inthe American league. After that the yankees come to town for 3, followed by a trip to Phil. , the NL east leaders, for 3 in their ballpark. This 19 game stretch is rough, although we will look later at the 25 game stretch after that, in which the best team they will play will be the Atlanta Braves. If they can get through these 19 games with a share of at least the wild card slot, things will be looking very sweet indeed.

Mets vs. Sox game 2

I generally root for the Mets, mostly due to my need to have a local rooting interest, and because they are the other NY team, the one that is not the evil empire. Anyway, last night was a game i figured would go to the Mets, with the pitching matchup pitting the best pitcher in the NL (Johan Santana) vs. dice-K's first game back after a lenghty Dl stint. Game played out about as expected, although I saw enough of Dice-K to be encouraged. Really, the story of the game was Johan's childish outburst towards kevin Youkoulis. Johan hits him (no biggie, no intent, not angry at this point). Now I imagine getting hit with a baseball at around 90 miles an hour hurts, and hitting your elbow and or hand probably hurts a lot!! So Youkoulis had the AUDACITY to look at Johan (pretty natural, when someone hurts you, even by mistake, it's slightly annoying) - Youk , walking to first, smiling, and rubbing the injured area, led Johan to get whiny. his quote "he's looking at me, I don't appreciate that." What is this, two boys on a schoolyard. Is it a prison? Johan was a little bitch, and maybe he was trying to fire himself up, but the reality is simple. He was a punk, a whiner, and I lost quite a bit of respect for him. Let's hope he blows out his arm, fucking douchebag!!

One Week Later

O.K. it's been a week since I checked in. Let's see how the week has been for the Red Sox (hint, not so great!

The Sox were off on the 11th of May and coming off of a much needed series win against the Tampa Bay Rays. Beckett pitched well, and the team had the aforementioned off-day to look forward to before starting a west coast road trip. There were some concerns, including an injury to Youk that put him on the DL and an injury to Pedroia. Dice-K was still not ready to pitch and Big Papi was still struggling... and it would only get worse.

The team lost 2 out of 3 to the Angels, and david oritz hit (bad pun alert) a new low - in a game vs. the Angles, he went 0-7 and left 12 runners stranded! 12!! The team has since sat Papi down,with the hope that returning home and clearing his head will allow him to possible scrape out of this.- the jury is still way out on this one, and the team needs to consider the possibility that he will not return, and that they may have to move to plan B - ie. bring in another power bat, and if they can't find someone to replace him, they can at least strengthen the line-up. If Papi doesn't him, he is effectively worthless. I love the guy, but at DH he isn't like Varitek, who can justify a low BA. as long as he continue to play a good role behind the plate.

The team then went on to lost 2/3 to the Mariners. They are off today, and tomorrow start 6 straight games against division leaders, the Toronto Blue Jays and the NY Mets, respectively.

I like to check in periodicaly with the teams record, and project outwards over the 162 season. I checked in at the 16 game pt (1/10 of the way through), the 32 game pt, and then at 40, the quarter pt. At 16 games they were 10-6, projecting towards 100 wins. I certainly don't expect that to hold up. At 32 games they were 20-12. I like the consistency there, and the projection remains, although I still don't expect it. They are now 22-16 now, so depending on the next 2 games allowing them to hit 40 played, they could be projecting out from 88 to 96 wins. 88 won't make the playoffs, but I think 96 would win the division . 92 would be very, very tight. So we shall see.

Meanwhile the Yanks are starting to play very well, and with 3 straight walk off wins at home they are red hot! I suspect the next series between the 2 will start to take on more significance, and would love to see the sox dominance continue, but once again don't expect that to happen.

Beast

The More Things Change the More They Stay the Same

"I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men."

Woodrow Wilson, upon signing the Federal Reserve into existence.

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" - The Who, 'Won't Get Fooled Again'


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_System#Criticisms

Too tired to go off on a lengthy rant here, but I beg all people to do their best to educate themselves on the economy. If anyone believes that what is being done now is going to fix the problems (very, very severe problems) this country is having right now economically, you haven't done enough research. I'm not suggesting that Obama is nearly as bad as Bush, what I am suggesting is that in the big picture, it's nearly irrelevant who is president when it comes to the Federal Reserve. From the moment Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act in the last days of 1913, this country has effectively been run by one force; HUGE MONEY. Far beyond what you or i can even imagine, the cycle of booms and busts consistently has one winner, HUGE MONEY. Dem or Rep. doesn't really matter either, their political representatives are simply playing their part in an epic show, and the best they can hope for is a starring role, perhaps as a senator, or a president, or a lobbyist, or a talking head

So as you try to wrap your head around the dizzying array of numbers you see in the paper and on TV, remember that this game is rigged. Small example that many of you should be familiar with. Notice how the banks who received the enormous amounts of bailout money, (your taxpayer money!) That was pretty nice of us, Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer, so the banks must be pretty appreciative, right? So why are they arguing about their right to continue paying huge bonuses to the very same "economic elites", the analysts that took your pension fund and flushed it down the crapper, took your 401K and started buying up derivatives, while you can't make your mortgage payment? Why are they angry that their credit card policies of egregious fees and arbitrary rate fee increases are actually being questioned? Because these "people", (using the term loosely, since those at the top of these institutions are less than human, since I always believed a human has some form of soul) don't give a crap about you,me, or anyone but themselves, for that matter. As corporate thinkers, they are effectively sociopaths, and we are their victims.

Beast

Going for 5

I have lots of stuff to mention tonight, but the game is starting (hopefully) soon, so here is a quick hit, and I will try to add more a bit later when I sit down in front of the TV. I wanted to throw this out there now - I have a feeling that we may see some heat in tonights Red Sox game vs. the Evil Empire. The Empire is showing cracks all over, not the least is Joey G. from the bronx barking at first base coach Tim bogar last night in the 4th inning; apparently Joey thinks the Sox are stealing signs! Here's a sign - your 200 million dollar team just isn't good enough! However, with the Yanks dealing with the following right now (this is almost too sweet for those of use who see the Evil Empire for what it is; a bloated, greedy, arrogant bunch of whiny pricks who have outspent everyone for a decade and haven't won shit since 2000.

1. Jorge Posada (aka Dumbo, aka Douchebag) hurt his 37 yr. old hamstring last night and is hitting the DL for 2-3 wks. Listening to Joey G. on the way home he did not sound like a guy who expects Pissada back that soon. I try really hard not to celebrate injuries, but man, I hate this guy; always have, always will. Basically, he's a dick.

2. Joba Chamberlains mom arrested for methamphetamine sale, and here's the kicker: she needed a public defender because she can't afford anything else. Hey, way to take care of family of there, Joba, really classy. I figured Joba would like to take his anger out out and try to kill Youk again, but Youk is out due to a balky back, so perhaps someone else will be the target.

3. A-Hole - really, what is left to say about this guy. hell, even I feel like it's almost too much... but then I remember what a dick he is and say pile on, baby!

4. Whang - still trying to figure out what's wrong, he's probably close to a month away from returning.

5. The worst ERA in the A.L. - with a 200 million dollar payroll. = nice job, CashMoney!

6. 4 Straight losses to the Red Sox, who have been dealing with a variety of their own problems yet still find a way. Oh, and they do it with nearly half the payroll!!

All this leads to a feeling that Joba and Beckett might get in a beanball war, with my pick as the targeted Sox player being Jacoby Ellsbury, for that brilliant straight steal of home on Clueless hgh fan Andy "i'm a christian, and I repented, so all's well" Pettite. F' him.

OK, a bit longer than planned, but there is so much more, including Obama finally showing some stones and telling Corp. America to pay at least a bit of their fair share of taxes, what with the country in dire financial straits. Best yet are the Republicans, and places like the national Chamber of Commerce screaming bloody murder for daring to ask them to put some of their excessive profits back into the country that has allowed them such success. Wow, I though Republicans were uberpatriots, doesn't helping the U.S. by simply pumping money back into the system show patriotism, not to mention long term thinking?

Red Sox Update - no one out, Sox up 4-0, Joba gives up a 3 run homer to Jbay.

Sunday Check in- preview Sox/Evil Empire series 2, 2009

So it looks like the yanks willbe rained out today, so advantage them for a day of rest prior to the next series with the boys from Boston. Furthermore, the Sox are starting Brad Penny today, who carries the odd combo of a 2-0 record with an ERA over 8!! Yikes - that could mean major bullpen usage, weakening the team for tomorrow, but after that 4-0 sweep last week, the Yanks need all the help they can get.

So now what we have with both teams is the following:

The Sox have a team ERA of 4.66, 7th in the American league... not what was expected coming into the season. In addition, one of the big 3 remains on the DL (Dice K)

The Yanks, on the other hand, have an ERA of 5.93, worst in the A L. Certainly not what the evil empire anticipated, with Job, CC, and Burnett. They also have a problem with a foreign pitcher, and no ones able to exactly what is wrong with Wang.

Papi isn't hitting for crap, Tex isn.'t hitting for crap. Both teams are still fightig at thee top of the division, and who really believes Toronto is going to sustain? Exactly. Now problems in april are slow starts, just getting going, etc, but problems that remain through may into June are PROBLEMS that require addressing before deep into July. So stay tuned..

Beast

Manny Who?

So now this Red Sox train is really cruising along, 11 straight wins. This run started a few weeks ago, when the ageless Tim Wakefield took the mound for the series finale with Oakland 13 days ago, and he continues to drive this engine. Check out Wake's stats beginning with that game.

On the aforementioned date, April 15, Wake goes the full game, takes a no hit bid into the 8th, and ends with a 4 hit, 2 earned run game to start the streak.

1 week later he gives 7 innings of with 1 earned run in a 10-1 win against the twins, and finally last night he gives the Sox 7 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs scored. Wakefield is now 2-1, with last night's game a no decision. The dude is gonna be 43, yet he has pitched at least 6 innings in each start (with his first game his worst, a 6 inning, 3 earned run, 5 walk day. Even with that, Wakefield is giving the team length, sparing the bullpen, and now wins. With Dice-K out, what he and Masterson are doing can't be undersold.

Finally, Jason Bay, the quality team guy who replaced the bat of Manny Ramirez. Now there is no true replacement for what Manny does on with the bat, but I will take Bays's solid production and newly added clutch element. The 2 run blast against mariano on Friday, and now last nights blast, helping send the Sox to win 11 in a row!

Oh, and the Yankees lose... again. Now a 9-10 200 million dollar debacle!!

Monday night wrap-up

So here we are, a hot monday night, and I figured I would drop in to catch up with my peeps. So the Red Sox continue to win, extending their streak to 11 wins, the Yankees lose, again, (4 straight, beautiful). I've read a few graphic novels this weekend (transhuman, streets of glory, Savage, to name three). Watched a few movies. (Dead and Buried, a cult classic from 82, along with Time Crimes, a witty mind fuck.)

I took a nice walk tonight, need to exercise daily... walked just over 3 miles.

Now watching Office Space on demand, sweat dripping down my face, relaxing.

NIce.

Beast

Spring Sweeping!

Well, that makes 3 series sweeps in a row, and it is certainly safe to say the Red Sox are rolling!

What makes this even sweeter is the text I received from a buddy of mine, a Yankee fan. At 10:24 pm Fri. night he sent me a text "game over" - game over indeed. A blown save by Mo, a blown 6 run lead on Sat (first time in over 40 yrs the Sox have come back from 6 down to bean the empire), and then last night, with the steal of home(!) the Red Sox close the deal, 3-0 series beatdown. Sox have won 10 in a row, without Dice-K, without Ortiz doing much, and with their 3rd string SS.

Mo Who?

So here's a funny story. My boss, who is a die hard Yankee fan (but a good guy anyway), and I stopped at Modell's so he could exchange some Yankee paraphenalia. He ended up being unable to complete his exhange, while I bought a new Red Sox hat that same trip. the Sox had been reeling, coming off the 2nd loss in Oakland, Dice-K was on the DL, and Beckett was facing a 6 game suspension. I realized that my previous 2 red sox hats had accomplished their goals (2004 hat, retired after 2005 season, and then the hat from 2005 to 2008, when they won but didn't repeat. It was time for new mojo!

Since I purchased that hat, the Sox haven't lost. They have won 8 straight. Swept 2 series. Beat the great Mariano in a come from behind win, they've got 2 wins from Brad Penny, 1 from Justin Masterson, Beckett won't miss his start, and my favorite player (youk) had a walk off homer to beat the team I hate most. Sweet. Now today, a cool matchup, Josh Beckett and his one time teammate, A.J. Burnett. Burnett iss 2-0 with a 3.2 ERA, so this should be a good matchup.

So now 22 minutes before gametime, I wait, with a summer sam nearby, in an almost too but not quite too living room.

Beast

NOM - Gathering Storm

Hilarious and disturbing at the same time, it's frightening that people like this still exist in 21st century America. Then again, we are coming out of 8 years of the Bush Regime.... I suggest you check out some of the parodies of this crap on Youtube in order to cleanse the mental palate of this rubbish!!

Since Wednesday

Since my last post, a quick, depressed, frustrated rant regarding the Red Sox, some good things have happened. First and foremost, the Red Sox have won 3 straight games, including a Wed. night gem pitched by old man Wakefield for a win against Oakland, followed by a terrific come from behind victory on Friday against the Orioles. In that game, Brad Penny came up heads down, and threw 3 innings with 8 earned runs! The Bullpen bore down and provided 6 innings of 0 runs baseball, and the offense finally cranked it up, coming back from a 7 run deficit to win 10-8. Sat. had Beckett, (still waiting to hear about his suspension) laboring through 6 innings but still able to keep the O's to 3 earned runs, and once again the bullpen came in to provide lights out relief and the Sox won 6-4. Additionally the team learned today that Josh Beckett could have his bogus suspension dropped to 5 games, allowing him to swap with Jon Lester for next weeks series with the Yankees, with Lester now pitchng Friday and Beckett pitching Sat, thus serving his suspension without missing a game. So.. FU Bob"I worked for the Yankees" Watson! Granted, the team still has no Dice-K, and Jed Lowrie may be lost for the season, but this minor leaguer Green is doing well in the short term and Lugo should be back soon enough.

Meanwhile, the evil empire opened their new Death Star and promptly were embarassed, losing their first real game ever in the new stadium. They were crushed 10-2 by the Cleveland indians, and big fat guy CC Sabathia, originally an Indian and currently the Yanks high priced ace. The empire squeaked a win out on Friday, only to suffer yesterdays joyful presentation for all other fans of baseball, parity, and american equality: an absolute embarassment of a loss to the Indians, 22-4, with a new record of runs scored against Vader's boys in one inning, 14 in the 2nd. As I type this, the Red sox are leading their game 2-0 in the 6th, Lester seems to have righted himself, with 7 Ks and 0 ER's, and the Empire is losing to old friend Carl Pavano 3-1. sweet!!

Son of a B**ch!!

Flip on the laptop, sip my coffee, check the score from the late night Red Sox game and ... Another loss (team now in the cellar of the Al East, at 2-6), the loss was 6-5 in 12 innings, and... Thank you WBC, for giving me a pitcher who won 18 games last year arm fatigue in April, during his 2nd start!!!!! - I have long been on record as saying that if I owned a team I would not allow my players to participate in world competitions; this is exactly why. As if it weren't bad enough that yankee lover Bob Watson laid down a 6 game suspension on Josh Beckett (after an incident in a game in which Beckett wasn't even ejected, or warned by the umps, the umps who say they saw no intent in Beckett's pitch after ex yankee Bobby Abreu called time out in a bush league manner, ) Nope, now I get to lose my other ace! This is not good, not good at all!!!

Sav