Let the Booing Begin

Who will measure the decibels? I would wear earplugs if I were going to this game.

ESPN:

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Former President George W. Bush will throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day for the Texas Rangers.

Top 10 Reasons to Watch the WBC

The World Baseball Classic, if you were wondering if I was becoming a boxing fan. Just an excuse to point out that Dustin Pedroia is the American League MVP. And Dustin: Keep the day job.

Top 10 Reasons To Watch the World Baseball Classic
by beisbolct

Lie To Me, A-Fraud

NYTimes: Reading Microexpressions During a 2007 interview with Katie Couric, Alex Rodriguez demonstrated what Dr. Paul Ekman calls, from left, gestural slips, unilateral contempt and microfear.

The psychologist who inspired the new TV show "Lie to Me" reviews A-Fraud's 2007 interview with Katie Couric and finds lies aplenty. Shocking!

NYTimes: The Voice Was Lying. The Face May Have Told the Truth.

A-Fraud A Complete Fraud

ESPN: Report: A-Rod tested positive in 2003

According to a report by Sports Illustrated, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003, when he was with the Texas Rangers and won the AL home run title and MVP award.

According to the report, which was posted Saturday morning on SI.com, sources told the publication that Rodriguez was on a list of 104 players who tested positive that year, when Major League Baseball conducted tests to see if mandatory random drug testing was needed.

In 2003, there were no penalties for a positive result.

Put the tiny hypodermic next to his stats in the Baseball Encyclopedia, because he's just another Juice King. Fraud.

Happy birthday to Hank Aaron, BTW, he just turned 75 this week. Hank Aaron is the Home Run King of baseball and all these modern blow-up players are frauds. Liars, chest and thieves the lot of them.

White Sox, What Were You Waiting For?

How is that the Chicago White Sox waited so long to invite President Barack Obama to throw out the first pitch of the baseball season?

I mean, he is their Number One Fan!

I guarantee that Obama will NEVER declare that throwing out the first ball at any sporting event was the most anxious moment of his presidency, unlike some recently deposed moron we all know and despise.

Finally - Jim Rice Elected to Hall of Fame

Boston Herald: AP file
In this March 1989 file photo, Red Sox designated hitter Jim Rice gets set to take batting practice at training camp in Winter Haven, Fla.

'Bout time. Jim Ed's numbers look better and better as the steroid freaks shrink back to the size of their testicles. He got 76.4% of the vote; 75% is required.

Rice's stats, from the Jim Rice for the Baseball Hall of Fame website:

JIM RICE Highlights:
One of league's dominating hitters for 12 years, from 1975-1986
Averaged .304, 29 HR, 106 RBIs during this period
4 - 200 hit seasons, 11 - 20 HR seasons, 8 - 100 RBI seasons
only player to get 200 hits / 35 HRs 3 consecutive years
6 times Top 5 in MVP voting
8 time all-star
8 time Top 10 slugging, including 5 times in Top 2
4 times league leader in Total Bases
Only AL player since 1937 to have 400+ bases in one season
Outstanding defensive left fielder
Career Totals: 2,452 Hits, 382 HR, 1,451 RBI, 79 Triples

Remember: These achievements came in the pre-steroids era when hitting 30 HR a year was a big deal.

Oh, and Rickey Henderson was elected to the Hall of Fame today, too, but Jim Rice is the big story.


Boston.com: Rice Elected to Hall

Boston.com photo gallery: Rice Through the Years

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe: Nudging Rice over the borderline

Boston Herald: Sox’ Rice gets call to Hall, finally

Boston Herald Photo Gallery: Elected

Winter Break

For your offseason/holiday season pleasure, Sawxheads has audio of Jerry Remy singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Sleigh Ride.

Like Jerry Remy's dancing, they are both wonderful, awful and hilarious.

All Hail American League MVP Pedroia the Destroia

Boston Globe: Most Valuable: Pedroia

Pedroia was named the American League Most Valuable Player today, becoming the first Red Sox player to earn the honor since Mo Vaughn in 1995. It is the 10th MVP award in club history. Minnesota's Justin Morneau finished second, and Pedroia's teammate, Kevin Youkilis, finished third.

Pedroia, who became just the eighth player in AL history to earn MVP, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger awards in the same season

[]

The 25-year-old Pedroia emerged as a franchise cornerstone and an offensive force in his second full major league season, batting .326 with 17 home runs and 83 RBIs while establishing franchise records for a season by a second baseman in runs, hits, doubles, batting average, total bases, and extra-base hits. He is the first Red Sox second baseman ever to be named MVP and the first AL player at his position to be so honored since Nellie Fox of the White Sox in 1959.

[]

He became the third major league second baseman ever to tally 100 runs, 200 hits, 50 doubles, and 20 steals in a season, joining the Yankees' Alfonso Soriano (2002) and the Astros' Craig Biggio (1998).

After a slow start -- he was batting .260 on June 13 -- the fiery Pedroia was consistently outstanding through the rest of the summer, but his MVP candidacy gained momentum during a late-season stretch when he seemed to singlehandedly carry the Sox.

During a five-game period when Youkilis was briefly sidelined, Pedroia batted cleanup and hit .667 (12 for 18) with four doubles, two home runs, seven RBIs, and six runs scored. He batted .345 with an OPS of .949 in the second half, and in August and September, he batted a combined .353 with a .995 OPS.

Gold Glove awards aren't always the best indicator of good defensive play, but Pedroia truly did have an outstanding year with the glove. He made just six errors at second base, the same number of miscues he committed during his rookie season.

He finished second to Oakland's Mark Ellis in fielding percentage for AL players with at least 100 games at the position. His .992 was barely eclipsed by Ellis's .993, and it stands as the third-best percentage ever by a Red Sox second baseman, behind Mark Loretta (.994 in 2006) and Bobby Doerr (.993 in 1948).

[]

Youkilis finished sixth in the AL in batting (.312), sixth in on-base percentage (.390), third in slugging (.569), and fourth in OPS (.958). He won the Hank Aaron Award as the best offensive performer in the league, but did not win the Silver Slugger award at first base, losing out in a vote of managers and coaches to Morneau.

Pedroia, who made just $457,000 last season, didn't have an MVP bonus provision in his contract. Morneau earned $75,000, while Youkilis got $25,000.

ESPN: Pedroia beats out Morneau to win AL MVP

MLB.com: Pedroia named AL MVP
Teammate Youkilis gets two first-place votes, finishes third

NYTimes: Pedroia Is American League M.V.P.

I'm With The Spaceman

Bill "Spaceman" Lee holds court at the Red Sox Hall of Fame Induction Gala. (Brita Meng Outzen/MLB.com)

Boston.RedSox.mlb.com: 'Spaceman' lands in Sox Hall of Fame
Lee offers plenty of opinions during induction Friday night

The July 31 trade that sent Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers? That is a highly sore subject for Lee.

Perhaps it takes a free spirit like Lee to completely understand a free spirit like Ramirez.

"Manny was well loved, and then he'd have his little fits, and then we'd patch things up and we'd win a world championship," said Lee. "This year, I think Boston just kind of got fed up with winning. That's too bad."

The way Lee sees it, the Red Sox would have repeated as World Series champions if they had ignored all of Ramirez's off-field antics and just kept him around.

"We could have been world champions again," roared Lee. "And then he wouldn't have hit those 6-irons into the wind against the Cubs; he would have hit them against Tampa Bay. And we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. A prophet in his own time is not well received in this town. I was, for nine years and 142 days. And I told everybody on [sports radio station WEEI] and everything that they would not win it without Manny Ramirez. They told me to shut up. I told them, 'You guys don't like to win, do you?'

"He's the greatest hitter I ever saw. I loved the guy. He's a prima donna, and he pushed down the traveling secretary. Well, you pick the traveling secretary up, and you dust him off, and you apologize and you go back to work. He's the greatest I ever saw. I like Jason Bay. I'm not saying anything disparaging against Canadians, because I've married two of them."

Even Ramirez taking games off with injuries that didn't seem to be more than routine nags was no offense to Lee.

"He always took August off," said Lee. "In France, they give you a month vacation and give you two hours for lunch."

Even more entertaining -- or outlandish -- was Lee's take on what the Red Sox should do this offseason.

"Sign Manny Ramirez," Lee said. "We just had that conversation. He's already saved L.A. Sure, they should patch it up with Manny. You're going to have to see his number on the wall sooner or later here, aren't you? He's going to be standing right where I'm standing. Mark my words. Because if he doesn't go in the Red Sox Hall of Fame, [it's not right]."

Oh Captain, My Captain

Matt Stone, Boston Herald
Jason Varitek hits a solo home run in the sixth inning.

One more game. One more win.

Last night was a great win for the Red Sox, but it was not fun. It was tense. And it started out with a cable disaster, as TBS didn't have the game on. They were showing a rerun of some not-funny show. We were in full panic mode. Checked Fox, the nets, ESPN, no game. Ran to computer, no video. My friend is on the floor trying to find a radio station -- we are lost in the wilds of Central Mass., lousy radio. Then after about 10 minutes TBS finally runs the technical difficulties crawl. Finally find the game at 1280 AM and THEY STARTED WITHOUT US! They couldn't postpone the game until the fans could see it? We hear that Upton has hit a home run, but don't know if anyone was on and the score.

Finally, picture and we learn that it is only 1-0. Much cursing of TBS. If our curses work, Ted Turner is going to hell. Go and take your lousy announcers with you. (OK, you can leave Ron Darling behind.)

The game itself was tight. We were tight. Beckett was pitching like a pitcher, not a young fireball, not trying (probably unable) to blow by hitters with his diminished fastball. Most of the scoring came from one run homers that landed in the front row. We kept leaving men on base, 12 in total, which made everything all the more ominous. Wasted opportunities, leaving the door open for the Rays.

When Varitek got up with two outs in the 6th I (dramatically) announced, oh, just call the inning and take the field; the guy's 0-for-the-series. And Varitek promptly hit the homer! I took full credit. And Crisp gets on, Bartlett commits an error (which ends up wiping out his HR) and The Large Father singles in an insurance rune. But even with a lead we were still quiet. Could this really be happening? Yes, it is. Okajima looked like 2007 Okajima. Masterson put on one runner but settled down after John Farrell came out to the mound and talked to him. And Pap was Pap, Mr. I Do Not Give Up Postseason Runs. Ever. shut down the Rays and lifted his index finger as Youkilis caught the final out. One more win. One more game.

The Red Sox are 9-1 in elimination games, including 9-0 in ALCS elimination games, with Terry Francona as manager. Let's make it 10-1 tonight.

Boston Globe Photo Gallery: Game 6 ALCS

Boston Globe Photo Gallery: The scene in St. Pete

Boston Herald Photo Gallery: Game 6 ALCS

Boston Globe: For Varitek, 'C' stands for clutch
Captain hits crucial blow

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe: Captain deserves a big salute

Boston Herald: Homer is good sign for Sox
’Tek adds to crazy run

But on those occasions when Varitek produced anything even remotely above average on offense, the Red Sox were nearly unbeatable. They went 9-0 when he recorded a two-out RBI with runners in scoring position, 11-0 when he recorded a two-out RBI of any kind, and 29-5 (.853) when he drove in a run, period.

Boston Herald: Storybook ending
Time to write off the Rays

Nancy Lane, Boston Herald
Jonathan Papelbon celebrates the Red Sox win.

One more game for all the marbles, baby. One more game.

Sleep Is For Fans Whose Teams Aren't In the Playoffs Any More

Red Sox players celebrated after J.D. Drew's walkoff hit in the bottom of the ninth inning kept their season alive.
(Getty Images Photo / Elsa)


Boston Globe: Game 5 ALCS Photo Gallery

Call the Wahhhmbulance for the Angels

Nominee for Best Postseason W(h)ine (California vintage)


Joy of Sox: Schadenfreude 64 (A Continuing Series)
Special Los Angeles Angels Edition!


Read the whole post at Joy of Sox, it's hilarious.

The Angels feel they should have won the series. That would have required better fielding, pitching and hitting. And less whining.

There's no crying in baseball.

See you next year, weenies.

On to Tampa Bay

Happy, happy, joy, joy

In Jon Lester we trust.

Boston Globe Photo Gallery: Game 4

Boston Globe Photo Gallery: Celebration: Red Sox Advance to ALCS

LATimes Photo Gallery - ALDS Game 4

The winning run, scored by Jason Bay State, RBI to Jed Lowry. Neither were on the roster on opening day. In Theo we trust, too.

Jacoby!

yahoo: Boston Red Soxs' center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury makes a diving catch in the 8th inning against Los Angeles Angels Mark Teixeira during Game 1 of their MLB American League Divisional Series playoff baseball game in Anaheim, October 1, 2008.
REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES)
Soxs'?

Ellsbury was awesome in the Red Sox win over the Angels last night, from his 3 for 5 night from the plate (which should have been 4 for 5 as one of his hits was deemed an error by the scorer, depite the centerfielder never laying a glove on the ball), 2 stolen bases, a run, an RBI, and a great, great catch in the 8th inning. Watch the catch here on MLB.com.

The picture of horizontal Ellsbury reminds me of this famous picture of Bobby Orr (wikipedia):



And Jacoby has a blog! Jacoby Ellsbury's Postseason Blog

Boston Globe: Ellsbury stole some of the spotlight
Rookie is off and running again (there's a post-game interview with Ellsbury at the top of the article)

NYTimes: Pesky Ellsbury Beats Angels at Own Game

Boston Herald: Jacoby Ellsbury does it all
Comes up big at the plate, in the field

Video Lasts Forever

Comcast New England: Jonathan Papelbon: The High School Years

Click on the link to see three videos of Jonathan Papelbon, the intimidating closer of the Red Sox, dancing in a high school talent show. (He's actually quite good!) The videos were supplied by his mother to the Red Sox, so the first video is of the Red Sox team showing them in the lockerroom before last night's game. Hilarious.

Tearjerker

Jackson, Mason and Weston Taylor

Boston Globe: A promise kept
Utah children live their father's dream of seeing Red Sox play at Fenway

Photo Gallery: A promise lives

Ellsbury Is a Human Highlght Film

yahoo: Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury makes a diving catch on Chicago White Sox's Orlando Cabrera during the first inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008.
(AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

Robs Aubrey Huff of a home run.

I can't put mlb.com videos directly onto my blog, so once you get to MLB.com, click the "Jacoby Ellsbury" tag next to the video for more great catches.

I'm so glad we didn't trade him in the offseason.

Our Little MVP

Boston Red Sox's Dustin Pedroia watches his two-run single during the sixth inning of Boston's 7-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles in a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Monday, Sept. 1, 2008. Pedroia's single was his 184th hit of the season, a record for Red Sox second baseman, breaking Del Pratt's mark from 1922.
(AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

He's only the best hitter in baseball: Number one in the AL in batting average, hits, runs scored, and multihit games, third in doubles and hardest to strike out, fifth in total bases. One of the smallest guys in the league, too, with tiny hands. Hats off to Pedroia the Destroia.

Lynn Item: Red Sox second baseman Pedroia is simply first-rate

BOSTON -- It seems every time Dustin Pedroia is in the vicinity of the baseball, the chants begin: 'M-V-P, M-V-P.'

And why not? His name litters each game's box score as much as it does the list of American League offensive leaders: batting average, number one at .326 entering last night's game against the Orioles; hits (first, 183); multihit games (first, 53); runs scored (first, 106); doubles (third, 42); total bases (fifth, 274); hardest to strike out (third-best, every 13.1 plate appearances).

A Final Paean to Manny

A final ode to Manny from Charlie Pierce.

Charles Pierce, Boston Globe: Manny Ramirez's Long Goodbye
Exit stage left, dude. It's been fun.

Charlie Pierce on Manny

Charles Pierce is hilarious. He's the guy who coined "C+ Augustus" for Bush, and for that he has a special place in my heart.

slate.com: Burning Manny
Who's crazier, Manny Ramirez or the Bostonians who grew to despise him?