Is THIS what it has come to, Red Sox?

Seriously?
After the Red Sox swept 4 in Anaheim and went on the 5 game winning streak I thought "Man! The Sox are back!"

Now after losing back to back series to the Orioles and the FREAKING MARINERS AT FENWAY I am thinking "Man, the Sox that started the season 0-6 are back."

11 men left on base?
Being shutdown by the lawfirm of Fister, Laffey and League?
A wasted good Lackey start?
Having Milton Bradley of all people bust out the big bats?

This team is a disgrace until further notice.

Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 5

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 10

April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picke doff, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)
April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)
April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.)
April 29 - 5-4 loss to Mariners. (Bobby Jenks blows a 7th inning lead, wasting 2 Mike Cameron homers.)
April 30 - 2-0 loss to Mariners. (The Sox strand 11 runnerss and let Milton Bradley double home the go ahead run.)

-5.

How can May be worse?

These Indian Fans Get It

Progressive Field in Cleveland wasn't exactly packed for yesterday's game between Detroit and Cleveland.

But the fans who WERE there get to say they were on the bandwagon early.

They get to tell other fans that they were THERE when the Indians erased 3-0 and 5-2 holes and saw Asdrubal Cabrera hit a game tying homer and Carlos Santana crash a walk off grand slam.

If the Indians go far this year, last night's game will be prominently featured in any 2011 Highlight Reel.

These fans were there.

Pay attention Cleveland.
Something fun is happening.

Who the hell is Vance Worley?

One of the fun things about the Phillies this season is checking the box score to see which ace was throwing today.

You have an 80% chance of seeing a kick ass potential Cy Young contender. You have two former NLCS MVPs... and neither one of them is named Halladay or Lee.

So I saw the Mets were clobbered by the Phillies, who held New York scoreless until the 9th, I checked to see which ace was on the hill.

It was of course Vance Worley.

Who?
Seriously, hands up if you heard of Vance Worley.
(Put your hand down, Mrs. Worley.)

Here he is.

He is 23 years old and pitched fine as a September call up last year. This year he shut down the Mets in his first start of the season.

What if he continues to pitch well?
I mean he only has 4 aces to take him under his wing.

Good luck with your injury Joe Blanton.

Mattingly and Dotel: Unbelievably bad bad luck - My latest for The Hardball Times

In my latest article for The Hardball Times, I take a look at Don Mattingly and Octavio Dotel's career. These two guys don't have a lot in common, except that their luck for participating in the World Series is staggeringly awful.

To read the article, CLICK HERE.

So much for a .500 April

The Red Sox had a late lead. They were playing the Mariners, not exactly a team that was a preseason pennant pick for anyone.

All they needed to do was hold on to the lead and then on Saturday beat the Mariners at Fenway again. Then they would be 13-13.

I grant you that is the definition of a mediocre record after 26 games.
But with the rancid start the Red Sox had, finishing April at .500 would have been a good first step.

Instead Dice-K is hurt which could mean anything... and the White Sox are looking super smart for letting go of Bobby Jenks.

Another one run loss... now a losing record in April is clinched. And the tally must be updated.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 5

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 9

April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picke doff, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)
April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)
April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.)
April 29 - 5-4 loss to Mariners. (Bobby Jenks blows a 7th inning lead, wasting 2 Mike Cameron homers.)

-4.

Can we PLEASE end this awful month?

I am NOT going to make fun of people watching the Royal Wedding

When I heard there was a Royal wedding, I thought "Does it involve George Brett? U. L. Washington? Pete LaCock?"

The I realized it was Royal as in "someday king of England" royal.

I couldn't possibly care less about this wedding in England today.
It's not for me.

Two 20 somethings are getting married. Both will spend the rest of their lives waving and not paying taxes.

If you ARE caught up in it, I won't make fun of you. It's easy to act too cool for school and laugh at people who are crying over the wedded bliss of a gold digger and the dauphin's dauphin.

But guess what? We ALL get caught up in something that other people roll their eyes at and say "Who cares?"

Oh you can claim that all you do is work, charity, family work and catching up on classic literature, but EVERYONE has that obsessive vice.

It could be a show.
While you are talking excitedly about the latest episode of Glee, or Mad Men, or The Wire or Breaking Bad or True Blood or American Idol or Top Chef or Survivor or whatever your show is, there is someone who is thinking "Oh why are you wasting time watching that?"

It could be movies.
If you are a film buff talking about classic or cult films or a movie lover who ran out to see the latest new release, someone is shrugging saying "that doesn't interest me at all."

Maybe it is music.
You know how interesting you find that latest band or some deep track? Well you sound like Charlie Brown's teacher talking to some of us.

Maybe it's art. Maybe it is politics. Maybe it is religion. Maybe it is your latest hiking expedition.
They mean everything to you but to some other people they think "Borrrrring."

I obsess over the Oscars and I have so many friends think "Why? They are lame."
But I do anyway.

And oh yeah. I write 2 or 3 times a day on this blog about baseball.

I can make fun of people crying over this wedding and act like I am above it all. But I bet most of the people watching the wedding with a box of Kleenex in their hands don't care about Daisuke Matsuzaka's start against Seattle tonight at Fenway.

So I won't throw stones.
Good luck William and Kate. You look like a cute couple.
And I assume you read this blog.

Now LET'S GO SOX!

A few facts about the Indians

No matter what happens the next two days, the Indians will finish April in first place in the American League Central.

Today, the Indians were the only AL Central team to win. The stumbling Twins got blown out TWICE today and the Tigers couldn't beat the Mariners at home. The White Sox lost to the Yankees and the Royals lost to the Tribe.

The Indians are currently the best team in the American League and the worst they can finish the month is tied for second best in the American League.

They have the biggest lead of any current division leader. (4 1/2 games. 5 in the loss column.)

They are an exciting brand of baseball with good pitching, clutch homers and deep bench.

They are having trouble selling tickets.

Turn this around, Indians fans. The Tribe is 1/6 of the way there. Yeah there still is a lot of season to be played, but you can't ask for a better START than this!

Who knows? If the gap continues to widen and the rest of the division can't get out of their own way, there might me something to cheer for.

The facts are undeniable.

Once again, Phil Hughes has become Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack

Remember when Phil Hughes was the Yankees solid #2 starter?
It seems a lot longer ago than last summer, doesn't it?

He was so bad in the second half of last year and in the playoffs that some people thought that maybe he wasn't all he was cracked up to be.

He has been godawful this year. So bad that the Yankees have put him on the disabled list, even though it isn't 100% clear why.

Chris DeLuca, creator of What Sucks, wrote on his Twitter page:

Breaking: Yankee doctors about to diagnose Phil Hughes with "sucking".

It's funny and it is also familiar.

I wrote about the same thing happening in 2008.

Hughes was pitching awfully for the Yankees and suddenly he was on the disabled list with what looked like a case of the "We can't send him to the minors because we'll look stupid for not including him in a trade for Johan Santana" syndrome.

Cut to 2011 and he has the "This will make it look even worse that we couldn't sign Cliff Lee and Phil Hughes sucks"-itis.

2 times in four years Hughes has been so bad that they had to shove him on the DL.
So if you are keeping score, he has one mediocre year in the bigs (2007, his rookie year.)

He has one good year as a set up man (2009, his World Series year.)

Half a year as an All Star starter (2010.)
Half a year where he was a below average starter (2010.)

And two seasons where he simply didn't look like a big leaguer (2008 and 2011.)

The ace half year could have been a Dontrelle Willis level fluke.

Meanwhile he is going on the DL after once again reenacting the "Ow My Arm!" scene form Caddyshack.

Gabe Carimi Chicago Bears Football Jersey

Gabe Carimi Chicago Bears NFL Football Jerseys

The Chicago Bears made it to the NFC Championship game during the 2011 NFL playoffs, but all season long the offensive line was a glaring hole. Jay Cutler was the most sacked quarterback in the NFL and was often running for his life.

The Bears picked 6 foot 7 inch Gabe Carimi to help out the Bears weak offensive line. At 315 pounds Carimi has the power and ability to help the run game and help protect Cutler.  The Bears addressed their most glaring need on the first day of the draft.

Gabe Carimi Chicago Bears Football Jersey

The 2011 season will be here before you know it. Be sure to grab a jersey of Chicago Bears new #1 draft pick!

Please Note : Once a number has been officially assigned to Carimi it will be added to this jersey and will be quickly shipped thereafter.

Features :

• Mesh
• Jock tag on lower left of jersey
• Rib knit, v-neck collar
• Screen printed numbers and letters
• Officially licensed

Related :

• Walter Payton Throwback Jersey
• Mike Ditka Chicago Bears Jersey

A 6-3 road trip isn't bad.

The Red Sox had a 2-10 record at one point.

They began this roadtrip after their Patriots Day win with a still awful 5-10 record.

They come back to Boston 11-13. Still not great, but a mere 2 wins against the mediocre Mariners away from .500.

The Mariners are coming into Boston with a 3 game winning streak. The law of averages say they are bound to lose a few coming up.

If they drop the first two in the Red Sox series, then Boston will finish April at 13-13.
When you consider the strife, the frustration and the dreadful start the Sox had, even the possibility of finishing April at .500 is reassuring.

So is the sight of Lester, Beckett, Lackey and Dice-K pitching well.

Maybe the sky ISN'T falling.

JJ Watt Houston Texans Jersey - NFL Draft Day

JJ Watt Houston Texans Jersey

JJ Watt is a high adrenaline defensive end who has a high motor. He is athletic (4.80 40 yard dash, and 37 inch vertical) that is quite surprising for a man his size. He excels at stopping the run and can also bring a big time pass rush. Houston Texans should be happy to have another defensive force on the line. A good defensive line that can bring the pressure makes the entire defensive unit better!

JJ Watt plays the game at 100 miles per hour every play. At 6 feet 5 inches, not many can match his intensity play after play like he can. From being a walk on at Wisconsin to being a first round draft pick is quite a remarkable story. Be the first fan at the sports bar to be wearing a JJ Watt Houston Texans Jersey!

JJ Watt Houston Texans Jersey

JJ Watt Houston Texans Jersey

Please Note "Watt" will be printed on the back of this jersey

Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans NFL Jersey - Made by Reebok

Jake Locker was thought to have fallen out of the top 15 in most mock drafts, but the Tennessee Titans couldn't pass up the potential that he possess. Locker is agile in the pocket, with good speed and mobility. He has a rocket arm and can make any throw in the league. Some say that he needs to improve on his accuracy, but that should improve in time.

Now that the Titans are in the "post Vince Young era", they needed a quarterback. Can Jake Locker be the man who leads the Titans back to the playoffs? He has all the talent in the world, and Titan fans have a lot to be excited about. Be one of the first Titan fans to own a Jake Locker jersey. Made by Reebok. Officially licensed by the NFL.

Jake Locker Tennessee Titans NFL Jersey

Made by Reebok

 Jake Locker Tennessee Titans Football Jersey

Please Note : Locker's Name will be on the back of this jersey, and will ship after an official number has been assigned.

Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons Football Jersey

Julio Jones is a big time playmaker, and the thought of him playing on the same field as Michael Turner, Roddy White, and Matt Ryan is downright scary. Julio Jones is 6 '2 and is a deep play threat. He also is a physical blocker who can run well. Mel Kiper said that he is the best blocking wide receiver that he has ever graded.

The Atlanta Falcons offense is as dangerous as any team in the NFL. Matt Ryan now has all the weapons that he needs to make a run at multiple Super Bowls in the future. Jones was a star at Alabama, and seems poised to become a #1 caliber wide receiver for the Falcons. Buy up those season tickets, because the Falcons are going to be fun to watch!

Julio Jones Atlanta Falcons Jersey

Order a Julio Jones Atlanta Falcons Football Jersey

AJ Green, Cincinnati Bengals NFL Jersey, T-Shirt - Draft Day Cap

AJ Green, Cincinnati Bengals NFL Football Jersey

Many analysts say that AJ Green was the best player in the 2011 NFL draft. He has the size, speed, and great hands to be a star for the Cincinnati Bengals. Will this pick help convince Carson Palmer to return to the team? Now, he will have a deep threat that will stretch the field for their running backs.

AJ Green has blazing speed. He ran the 40 yard dash in 4.38!  He has excellent hands and most experts say that he is NFL draft ready!

These officially licensed AJ Green jerseys are hot off the presses. Be the first to place an order and proudly display a new era in Bengals football.

AJ Green Cincinnati Bengals T-Shirt- First Round Draft Pick Tee

AJ Green Draft Pick T-Shirt

AJ Green Cincinnati Bengals Jersey

Marcell Dareus, Buffalo Bills NFL Jersey and Draft Apparel

Marcell Dareus is a run stuffing defensive lineman that the Buffalo Bills sorely need. He should fit right in and help the defensive unit immediately. He is capable of playing three different positions on the line.

Some say that he is best suited to play nose tackle. He is athletic enough to play every down and is a great fit for the Buffalo Bills

Marcell Dareus, Buffalo Bills Jersey

Be the first amongst your friends to wear a Marcell Dareus football jersey. A new era in Buffalo has begun. These jerseys are officially licensed by the NFL. T-Shirts, and NFL draft caps are also available.

Order A Marcell Dareus Buffalo Bills Jersey

Von Miller, Denver Broncos NFL Football Jersey

Von Miller, Denver Broncos NFL Football Jersey

Von Miller is a tenacious linebacker who can do it all. He is a lightning quick pass rusher off the edge and has the versatility to drop off in coverage. Last year he had 10 1/2 sacks and is the type of player that can step in and play immediately! Many experts rate him as the best defensive player in the draft. The Denver Broncos are very fortunate to land a player like Von Miller.

Von Miller has the athletic skills that will make your head spin. He is 6-3, and 249 pounds. He ran a 4.49 40 yard dash, which immediately ranks him as one of the fastest linebackers in the league.

Denver Bronco fans, be the first to sport a Von Miller NFL jersey. These jerseys are officially licensed by the NFL.

Von Miller Broncos Jersey

Order a Von Miller Denver Broncos Jersey

Cam Newton Carolina Panthers NFL Football Jersey, T-shirt 2011

Cam Newton Carolina Panthers NFL Football Jersey

The Cam Newton saga continues as he was drafted as the first pick by the Carolina Panthers. This will be the second consecutive year that the Panthers have used their #1 pick on a quarterback. The talent of Cam Newton was just too much to pass up. He has as much raw talent as any quarterback ever to be taken out of the draft. Will that translate into him being a star in the NFL? Only time will tell, but Panther fans have a lot to be excited about!

Cam Newton has the size, arm strength, and speed to excel as a quarterback. Due to the uncertainties with the NFL lockout, the 2011 NFL draft has been front and center on sports networks all across the country. Cam Newton has been critiqued, and analyzed for weeks. Now, it's time to show the Carolina Panthers and their fans what he can really do!

Carolina Panthers, Cam Newton Football Jersey

Please Note : This item will ship after his number has been officially assigned

Cam Newton Carolina Panthers NFL Jersey

Cam Newton Carolina Panthers #1 Draft Pick T-Shirt

Order a Cam Newton Carolina Panthers Jersey

2011 NFL Football Draft Jerseys, Hats, and T-Shirts

2011 NFL Draft Jerseys, Hats, and T-shirts

The 2011 NFL football draft has arrived and it's time to start thinking about football once again! If your team is coming off a disappointing season then they probably have a high draft pick to find that keystone player that will turn the team around. In football teams can rise and fall in a short period of time! Will this be the draft that turns your team in a new direction?

Order The Jersey, T-Shirt, Hat of your New Favorite Player - 2011 NFL Draft

2011 NFL draft jerseys will be available minutes after the game! Cam Newton, Nick Fairley, AJ Green, Julio Jones, Von Miller, Marcell Dareus, Blaine Gabbert, Mark Ingram, and many more! Be the first on the block to have the jersey of your teams new potential Pro Bowl star!

Note : NFL Jerseys will be available for all 1st round draft picks. T-Shirts will be available for certain select players. 2011 Draft Hats will be available for every team in the NFL!

Happy birthday to "The Guy on the Phone"

Every once in a while I will get recognized and someone will say "you are the guy on the phone in Curse of the Bambino, right?"

This is referencing the wonderful HBO Documentary I was in and the story I told about Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, dialing the phone to rub the Red Sox win in the face of my uncle who is a big Mets fan.

My response is always "Yes, I told that story."

But if you saw the special and remember the story, I was NOT the guy dialing the phone. That would be my brother Ted who dialed after each pitch every number except the last one.

So in truth my brother is "the guy on the phone" in The Curse of the Bambino.
And today is his birthday.

Happy birthday buddy. I promise to call today... and every number including the last one.

For those of you who haven't seen it, here is my segments from the movie.

The Red Sox couldn't just lose, could they?

Yesterday was the perfect illustration why I don't consider all losses to be equal. Of course mathematically they all are. A 25-0 rout is as much of a loss as a 2-1 pitchers duel or a 10-9 slugfest or a blown save in the 9th.

But emotionally (and it is always dangerous to imply baseball has any emotions) losing a game that including a tremendous comeback only to blow it in the late innings is a nice punch to the throat.

When I saw the game was 4-1 late, I simply shrugged and thought "Sox don't have it tonight" and went back to work. Then I looked up and saw it was 4-4 after Youk's homer and I got pumped up.

A nice come from behind win, coupled with a Lester start on Thursday and the Sox could be back at .500 for the first time all year. And with a few more wins, the Sox could finish this miserable April with a winning record!

Then Bard coughed it up to old nemesis Vlad Guerrero. Suddenly the old punching bag known as the Orioles have won the series.

What could have been an emotional win turned into a kick to the cup.
And that was just for me sitting at a desk in California. I can't imagine what it felt like for the players.

Either way, I'm updating the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 5

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 8

April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picke doff, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)
April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)
April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.)

-3.

And with each Daniel Bard loss, Jonathan Papelbon's bargaining position gets better.

Just win today.

New Sully Baseball Video "Loyal to a Fault"

I am a native of the Northeast who now lives in California. I have no intention of leaving California or ever living in New England again, yet I will never drop the Red Sox as my team.

In the last Sully Baseball video, I look at the strange phenomenon of Northeasterners who just can't drop their team and how a city like Los Angeles can enable us fans with illogical loyalty.

My amazing wife Lisa Zambetti co wrote the script, shot it and worked with me in the editing.

We shot outside of Sonny McLean's in Santa Monica. The management and staff were wonderfully cooperative to us.

Enjoy the video.

Show up Indians fans... it's fun so far.

The Indians are the best team in the American League right now. And if you missed the game against the second place Royals, then you missed another fun back and forth affair.

Sin Soo Choo broke it open with a 7th inning homer. Matt LaPorta is showing that the CC Sabathia trade might finally be paying dividends. Grady Sizemore's comeback is in full swing. Jack Hannahan, he of 18 career homers going into yesterday's game, hit 2 out last night.

And oh yeah, Justin Masterson won his 5th game.

Show up! What if THIS is the team that does what Bernie Kozar, LeBron James, Albert Belle and CC Sabathia couldn't do?

What if THIS is the team that finally wins it?
Don't you want to at least know their names?

Feet made of Clay

OK, maybe I was getting greedy.
But after getting such great pitching performances out of Beckett, Lester, Lackey and Dice-K, I was hoping out other All Star starter from last year would find his stuff.

Alas, Clay Buchholz once again looked ordinary and against the Orioles no less!

Get that ship right, Clay. I wasn't counting on Beckett nor Dice-K this season but I WAS counting on YOU!

Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 5

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 7

April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picke doff, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)
April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)

-2.
Just win the next two and get to .500.

tryout day

"There are three things you can do in a baseball game. You can win, you can lose, or it can rain."       Casey Stengel

I find Casey Stengel's quote funny. Funny because it's not that it can rain on the day of tryouts, it's that it will rain. Anyone who has ever been around little league baseball knows this. You might be soaking up the early spring sun in the days leading up to it, but come that fateful day soaking is all you will be doing. And this year was no different. Sun. Then rain. Lots of it.

I can remember many such tryouts as a kid. There I sat shivering in the cold, barely able to feel the ball, and begging for this hour to be over.  And now that I'm a little older I can assure this mindset does not change - for parents, kids, or coaches. The difference being I now have a coffee in hand to provide me brief moments of comfort.

Such is spring in Canada. Short, cold days of baseball tryouts and long nerve racking nights of watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

                                                                                     

Denis Savard Throwback Blackhawks Sweatshirt

Denis Savard is a Hall of Fame hockey legend who played most of his career for the Chicago Blackhawks. Savard played for 17 seasons, and scored 473 goals and had 865 assists in 1, 196 games.
If you are a "Savard" fan then check out his throwback sweatshirt jersey below. Officially licensed by the NHL.

Denis Savard Throwback Sweatshirt Jersey

Denis Savard Throwback Chicago Blackhawks Sweatshirt Jersey

Sizes : S, M, L, XL, 2XL

Features :

• Throwback hockey legends are what made the NHL the great sport that it is today. Blackhawks logo and team colors.
• This sweatshirt looks like a jersey, but has the warm and comfortable feel of a hooded sweatshirt.
• Embroidered applique and frayed fabric.
• Savard's name and number on the back of the sweatshirt
• Lace up neck for a sporty and fashionable lok.
• Officially licensed by the NHL

Related :

• Chicago Blackhawks Throwback Sweatshirt Jerseys - Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita
• Big and Tall NHL Throwback Jerseys

Jacob Sirof joins The Sully Baseball Show

Comedian Jacob Sirof joins me on The Sully Baseball Show, part of the Seamheads National Podcasting Network. We talk a little Mets, a little bit about being a twin (not the kind from Minnesota) and ugly uniforms.

Listen in.

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