The real reason Francona changed his mind

Terry Francona, the only manager Red Sox manager to win a World Series for the team in the last 94 years, originally was not going to participate in the Fenway Park 100th anniversary celebration this weekend.

The man who managed the squad that broke The Curse (and won a second title to take the "It was a fluke" ammo away from the enemy) was still hurt from how he was let go and thrown under the bus by the organization after last season.

Well he's changed his mind.

He's going to be there.

Some people are assuming he changed his mind because Francona is a classy guy and decided to take the high road.

Others think his former players made the case and got him to cave.

Some conspiracy theorists think that his new employer, ESPN, is making him go.

Nonsense. The reason is quite simple. Francona gets to come back and give the Red Sox the ultimate middle finger.

Think about it.

First of all Francona will get a thunderous ovation from the fans.

But more importantly, Francona can look around and ask Larry Lucchino  some questions, like:

"Hey, how's it going since I left?"

"How's team chemistry? Has it improved?"

"Team morale? Has it turned around?"

"Does the club look intense?"

"Are they more disciplined now?"

"Hey, how's the injuries here now? I bet with the improved conditioning, nobody is on the Disabled List!"

"How does the bullpen look? I know people thought I didn't handle the pitching staff well. No doubt it is improved."

"Are the fans happy? Do they like the direction the team is heading in?"

And when Lucchino fumes while not answering, Francona can wave to the fans who will probably be chanting "Tito come back! Tito come back!"

It is the greatest vindication for Francona.
Imagine getting the chance to have 35,000 people tell your former employer that they were wrong.

AND look like you are taking the high road in the process?

It is too delicious for Francona to pass up!

This is the face of a man who is missing his job on ESPN

Seriously, how much is Bobby V missing the desk in Bristol?
At ESPN he could flash his "Know it all" smile, make waves and not really have any reprecussions if he is ever wrong.

He should have taken the Kevin Kennedy route.
Stay in the studio. Have people wonder why he doesn't get another managing gig instead of getting back in the dugout and showing why.

Another day in Boston and another nice pitching performance wasted.
Bobby V must be wondering if he would have been a better fit in Miami or Baltimore or the other potential landing spots over the years.

As for now, he's at the helm of a team that is already dysfunctional and can't seem to synch up their hitting and their pitching.

As Bobby V pines for Bristol, let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES -3

April 9 - 4-2 win in Toronto. (A day after blowing leads in the 9th and 11th, the Sox win their first game of the year with a 3 run 9th inning rally capped off by Ryan Sweeney's 2 out go ahead RBI single)
April 14 - 13-5 win against Tampa Bay. (Buchholz fell behind 4-0 in the first but the Sox slugged 5 homers to come from behind.)
April 15 - 6-4  win against Tampa Bay. (David Ortiz doubled twice including a tie breaker in the 6th.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 5

April 5 - 3-2 loss in Detroit. (The Red Sox rally to tie the season opener with 2 outs in the 9th only to lose on a bases loaded walk off single by Austin Jackson.)
April 8 - 13-12 loss in Detroit. (The Red Sox bullpen surrender a 3 run game tying homer in the 9th to Cabrera and Avila smacked a 2 run, 2 out walk off come from behind homer to win it in as brutal a loss as you will ever see.
April 11 - 3-1 loss in Toronto. (Lester throws a complete game but Ricky Romero shut down Boston's bats and Rajai Davis manufactured a critical run.)
April 16 - 1-0 loss against Tampa Bay. (Daniel Bard walks in the only run of the game with 2 outs in the 7th.)
April 18 - 6-3 loss against Texas. (A fine Beckett performance was wasted by Napoli's homer)

-2.

As Bobby V is toiling in Boston, I have a feeling Terry Francona is enjoying the view from Bristol.

Francona... I love you... but shut up

I have nothing but love for Terry Francona.
I love how he was a classy manager and led my team to the two World Series titles that we Red Sox fans will always cherish.

And I thought management treated you horribly after the 2011 season.

I covered that already.

Now let me say this... shut up.
You rolled your eyes at Bobby V's banning beer from the clubhouse and called it a publicity stunt.

So what if it is?
It's not a bad publicity move. It's saying to the fans "Hey, I realize there was a problem last year and things are going to be different now."

As much as I respect you, Mr. Francona, the reason for the massive regime change this year was because there needed to be a change in the culture. The laid back, let the guys do what they want, attitude worked brilliantly when the Sox were down 0-3 to the Yankees in 2004 and 1-3 to the Indians in 2007 and almost damn worked again against Tampa in 2008!

But it came back to bite the Red Sox in 2011. When starting pitchers couldn't make it out of the 4th and the team was spiraling and by your own admission you lost the clubhouse, the best thing to do is let Bobby V run the team the way he sees fit.

You are a really classy guy who brought glory to the Red Sox and left on strange terms.
The same can be said for Joe Torre who lost a lot of respect in people's eyes when he put his name on The Yankee Years book.

Don't go down that road.
We will all applaud you FOREVER for what you did. It was a glorious 8 year run.
Now it is Bobby V's team.

Let him run it the way he wants to.

Bobby V, The Lobster and Arnie Beyeler

OK, Bobby V is coming. The Red Sox are Valentine's team now. And the idea that it will be a calm player friendly environment is as likely as the Red Sox retiring Grady Little's number.

I think there is only one way Bobby Valentine's authority can work in Boston: Give him TOTAL authority. Make it clear that it is indeed his way or the highway. Take away as many obstacles as possible of people to challenge him.

Normally I think it is positive to challenge authority. But bringing in Valentine means a change in the culture, and that can't be done in a half assed manner.

It HAS to be Bobby V's ship. No "That's not the way we did it before."
Otherwise they just should have kept Francona or promoted one of his lieutenants.

Which brings a challenge regarding The Lobster.
Readers of Sully Baseball know that I believe Jason Varitek's nickname should be The Lobster.

The Red Sox captain is a free agent right now and the reasons to bring him back are hard to find.

He brings a tiny bit of power to the plate and he hasn't as awful as he was in 2009 when his .209 average and .703 OPS led to the Victor Martinez trade. But he has become subpar offensively.

The traditional arguments to retain The Lobster are his ability to call a great game and his leadership skills.

Well his game calling and handling the pitching staff didn't help the Red Sox in their historic nosedive. The pitchers all had ERAs with area codes and game plans seemed to change from pitch to pitch.

And his leadership skills didn't get Beckett, Lester or Lackey's act together when the team needed them more than ever. If it was indeed Francona's team and Varitek's clubhouse, then that needs to totally change with the arrival of Bobby V.

In a way, Varitek would be a relic of the Francona years and one that could possibly act as a tension point to the new manager.

Varitek could represent the classic "It's the way we do things around here" barrier.
And of course Bobby V is the "If that way was so great, then why was I hired?" counterpoint.

If the Lobster returns, and it isn't for his bat or pitch calling, then what else could he offer except a place for the veterans to turn to when Bobby V gets under their skin (which he will)?

So yeah, I am advocating that the Red Sox 14 inning win in the Bronx on September 25th be Varitek's last game as a player in a Boston uniform.

Now the Red Sox are not exactly a sentimental organization. Just witness how quickly Nomar, Pedro, Lowe, Foulke, Damon, Bellhorn, Embree, Manny and Papelbon were shown the door when they were considered to be done. Ask Theo and Tito how cute and cuddly the Sox are.

So Varitek just might not come back and turn up being a backup catcher for the Yankees for all we know.

I think they should keep him in the organization, but away from Bobby V.
How can they do that?

Drive 45 minutes south of Fenway and make Varitek the manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox.

Seriously, his playing days are done and putting The Lobster on Bobby V's coaching staff could be a recipe for disaster.

Manage the top farm club. Help the pipeline of young players up to the big club, be part of the organization and let Bobby V put his own stamp on the team.

And if (when?) Bobby V implodes and the situation becomes intolerable, he can be let go and Varitek can take over the club with managerial experience and familiarity with the young players he managed and the veterans who he played with.

All that is good, but where does that leave Arnie Beyeler, the current PawSox manager?

Make him the one provision for Bobby V. "You can pick your entire coaching staff except you need to bring Arnie Beyeler in."

Beyeler has been in pro baseball as a player, scout, minor league coach and minor league manager since 1986 but has never made it to the majors. He's not about to make waves.

Stick him as the first base coach and Bobby V can have his own bench coach, third base coach, hitting coach, pitching coach and bullpen coach. And that way the young players who played in Pawtucket last year will have a familiar face.

So let's review what this does...

Bobby V would have real control of the team (and why hire him if you don't give him control?) The remnants of 2011 leadership would be gone.

The Lobster Varitek would remain in the organization and build up his credentials to come in and bring back some 2004 and 2007 magic if Valentine doesn't fit. But we also would avoid seeing him clash with Valentine and continue to erode at the plate as he approaches 40.

And Beyeler gets to contribute at the major league level after more than a quarter century of dues paid.

Makes perfect sense to me.
Which is why it probably won't happen.

There's only two ways the Bobby Valentine era can turn out

Well, Bobby V is coming to Boston. I wrote earlier that I was fine with either Valentine or Sandy Alomar Jr. at the helm of the Red Sox.

So I can't complain.
It's a short term solution, but maybe the whole "He was gone but now he's back to prove he can still do it" mentality could work its magic the way that Jack McKeon had in 2003 with the Marlins or Jim Leyland gave the Tigers in 2006.

Or it can be a disaster like Davey Johnson with the Dodgers or Dallas Green with the Mets or Jim Leyland with the Rockies.

The Fried Chicken Crew didn't respond to super classy, totally lovable, two time champion Terry Francona? Well try Bobby V... a man who has been wrong exactly zero times in his life.

Just ask him.

A veteran team with a know it all outsider coming in as manager could be either a brilliant move or it could be a biggest bomb than the last decade of Nicolas Cage films combined.

So the Red Sox are either going back to the World Series or about to crash and burn in a way that will make us nostalgic for September 2o11.

Either way, it won't be boring.

Mr. Francona Goes To Washington (at least he should)

Terry Francona has had a rough few months. In the first week of September he looked like he was going to coast to his 6th playoff berth in 8 years in Boston. He was the dignified leader of the only 2 World Series titles the Red Sox have had since selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees. I thought he was going to be the manager for the next 10 years, being like Tom Kelly. He was a steady manager with multiple titles who gave the team an aura of class and professionalism.

On August 31st, the Red Sox beat the Yankees 9-5 and had a game and a half lead over the Yankees. Their 83-52 record was the best in the American League. If they weren’t World Series bound, they were simply going to be formidable.

After that day, the Red Sox lost 20 of their last 27 games. They finished in third place on the last day of the season. They never won back-to-back games the rest of the season. Francona was out as manager. It was revealed that the clubhouse was a mess on his watch and his own personal life was in disarray with a pending divorce.

He was passed over for both the Cardinals and Cubs managing job. Can you blame him that he wants to take a year off?

You’ve earned it Tito. I would argue that he never has to manage another ballgame in his life and he won’t have to answer to anyone.

But no doubt he’d rather go out like Tony LaRussa than have Carl Crawford’s failed dive for that ball be his swan song.

Well, Mr. Francona (he has earned the respect to be called Mr. Francona), get your life back in order. Fix your family situation. Relax and spend the summer away from the press.

Then in 2012, get your butt to the Nationals!

Davey Johnson, a fine manager in his own right, is in charge in Washington. But he is not a long-term solution. He was an emergency stopgap when Jim Riggleman suddenly thought he was Earl Weaver and wanted a mid season extension.

The Nats had a nice September (17-10) and finished just under .500 (80-81). That was the team’s best season since they broke even in 2005, their first year in the capital. They haven’t had a winning season since 2003 when they were the Expos.

But there is talent in place. Obviously Ryan Zimmerman, Danny Espinosa and the safe and sound from his ordeal Wilson Ramos are in place.

Young pitchers like John Lannan, Jordan Zimmerman, Drew Storen, Henry Rodriguez and Ross Detwiler all have talent.

And oh yeah… by 2012 Stephen Strasberg would be recovered and allowed to pitch without kid gloves. Plus Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon will be in all likelihood on the big league squad. If the projections are any indications, a nice nucleus in Washington would be adding a Franchise pitcher and two franchise players.

And by then would age catch up with the Phillies?
Would Ozzie’s mouth catch up with him in Miami where Jeffrey Loria can’t stop firing managers?
Would the Mets still be a mess?
Would the Braves not be clicking?

By 2012 the National League East might be a winnable Division for a young talented team getting an influx of top tier talent.

A winning season would be the first Washington fans had seen since 1969.
And when you consider most baseball fans in DC grew up Oriole fans, they haven’t had a good team to root for since 1997.

Using my “You don’t follow a team before you are 7 years old” rule, no baseball fan 21 years old or younger in Washington or Northern Virginia who was an Oriole fan before the Nats arrival has ever rooted for a winning team.

So imagine what it would be like if the Nationals became a good team (which it looks like they are about to be!)

They will probably need a solid manager to hold the reigns.

That could be Mr. Francona.
And the bar is a little lower than in Boston.

It’s a perfect fit.
And it could be the perfect ending for a manager who deserves one.

TITO!!! CALL ST. LOUIS NOW!!!

The World Champion St. Louis Cardinals have a job opening!
Their Hall of Fame manager is leaving on top.
They have the foundation of a great team being left behind.

They can hand the reigns of the team over to a coach like Jose Oquendo or Dave McKay or Joe Pettini.

Maybe long time pitching coach guru Dave Duncan can manage the team.

Or 800 pound gorilla Mark McGwire.

OR they can insert a respected manager who happened to have a bad month.
Someone with two World Series titles of his own... including one at the expense of the Cardinals.

Terry Francona... Cardinals manager.
St. Louis is just as great a baseball city as Boston without the grief or inferiority complex.

The inferiority complex is in Chicago... and who is running the Cubs now? THEO!

Oh this could be a NEW wrinkle in the Cubs/Cardinals rivalry!!!

Become the Cardinals manager, win a World Series title in St. Louis... be beloved forever and rehearse your Cooperstown speech.

Give them a call.

I will write a lot more about Tito and Theo...

I will write a LOT on this subject. But you will excuse me that I am actually interested in the teams that MADE the playoffs, not the former pennant contenders imploding from within.

But I'll say 2 things right now:

1) The character assassination of Terry Francona is despicable. To try and portray him as a pill popping bad husband is deplorable. To bring his son fighting over seas is disgusting. I will root for whatever team will hire him. (I think he should go to Washington.)

2) Epstein has had a rough few years but before everyone throws him under the bus and says how rotten he is, can he get some credit for the moves that put the Red Sox over the top in ways we NEVER imagined?

More later.

Terry Francona... the greatest manager in Red Sox history

That's the only way Francona should EVER be referred to by a Red Sox fan.
Yes he inherited a good team that could have won the 2003 pennant had Grady Little not been the manager.

Sometimes, despite what Billy Beane and the producers of Moneyball think, the manager DOES matter.

Sometimes part of a managers job isn't to check up the latest VORP or WAR or whatever algebra is trendy now. Sometimes it is managing the egos, the pressure and the media market.

Little wasn't the guy. He proved that not with the Red Sox but when the Dodgers fell apart under his watch.

Francona learned from his rocky tenure managing the Phillies and became Joe Torre lite in Boston. Doesn't get too high or low. Manages the insane Boston media and a fan base that was literally about to commit mass suicide in the wake of 2003.

And the city was going to burn to the ground when they were down 0-3 to the Yankees with Rivera on the mound. And Francona had the calmness and peace of mind to give Dave Roberts a wink when he came in to pinch run for Millar.

This guy was different.
He didn't bring in Jim Burton instead of Dick Drago in the 9th inning of Game 7 like Darrell Johnson did in 1975.
He didn't bench Bill Lee in favor of Bobby Sprowl and wear Butch Hobson and Carlton Fisk down the stretch like Don Zimmer did in 1978.
He didn't bring Calvin Schraldi into every pressure situation in 1986 like John McNamara did.
He didn't make a series of absolutely bizarre decisions long before he left Pedro in too long like Grady Little did.

He made the right ones.
He pushed Keith Foulke and Curt Schilling.
He out managed Joe Torre BADLY in 2004.

He won 95 games the next season without a reliable 3, 4 or 5 starter nor a decent closer.

He came back from 3-1 AGAIN in 2007, never losing faith in struggling J. D. Drew and having it pay off with his series turning Grand Slam in Game 6 against Cleveland.

And he nearly came back from ANOTHER 3-1 hole against Tampa in 2008.

Yes Joe Cronin won more games as a Red Sox manager, but Cronin never had to manage with the pressure of the 24 hour media.

Cronin never had the burden of the Curse.

And Cronin never won ONE World Series, let alone TWO!

Francona's main job was to manage the clubhouse and the media. And he felt he couldn't do it anymore and he is gone.

The 2011 collapse wasn't Francona's fault. The blame should lie on the front office who assembled this mismatch of players.

But Francona, oozing with class right until the end, took responsibility and blamed nobody but himself.

He will wind up somewhere else. (Baltimore? The White Sox? The Cubs? The Astros?) But he should have been a Red Sox lifer.

I really thought a third pennant would put him in a Hall of Fame discussion. Maybe it will.

But when he returns to Fenway in another uniform, there had better be a 20 minute standing ovation for him.

We wanted one title before we died.
Tito made sure we had two.

I for one will miss our manager.

Terry Francona to leave the Red Sox... STUPID STUPID Red Sox

Terry Francona is not coming back to the Red Sox.
It is a monumentally stupid decision.

Terry Francona didn't assemble this pitching staff.
Terry Francona didn't make a series of bone numbingly stupid moves.
Terry Francona isn't an incompetent pitching coach.

Had Dan Johnson and Nolan Reimold swung and missed he would have had the Red Sox in the playoffs using four pitchers with ERAs over 5 in the month of September.

This wasn't Terry's fault.
And the man who outmanaged Joe Torre in 2004 and won the only 2 World Series the Red Sox have won since World War I is being booted.

Stupid stupid stupid.

Games like this give me NO pleasure

OK, two things pissed me off about the game last night.
(And when I say "The Game" I am referring to the Red Sox game.)

First of all the Red Sox fell behind 5-0 in the first. And I thought "OK, tonight's a blow out" and I watched "Tangled" with my wife and kids.

Then I find out the final score was 5-4!
In other words if the first inning was merely bad and not grotesque, then the Sox could have won the game.

So that's what got my teeth grinding.

But what REALLY got me mad was the play at home plate. The ump called Ellsbury safe for reasons unknown even though he was out. Then the call was reversed as well it should have been.

But guess what?
How much time was wasted on Wedge arguing, Hernandez arguing and Francona arguing and getting ejected?

If there was replay, not only would the call be correct but everyone could be shown the evidence.

But we can't have that. Calls being correct and people having information is bad for baseball... or something.

Ugh.
Tally time.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 40

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.)
May 1 - 3-2 win against the Mariners. (Ichiro loses a ball in the sun that turns into a 9th inning triple for Lowrie. Crawford singles him home for the win.)
May 8 - 9-5 win against the Twins. (Dice-K lets up 3 runs in the first but settles down as the Red Sox clobber Carl Pavano.)

May 9 - 2-1 win against the Twins. (A bullpen breakdown cost Beckett the decision but Cark Crawford ended the game with an 11th inning walk off hit.)
May 13 - 5-4 win in the Bronx. (Youkilis homers off of Joba and Bard and Papelbon make it more interesting than it needed to be.)
May 15 - 7-5 win in the Bronx. (Sox fall behind 4-1 but come back as Youk, Papi and Salty all homer.)
May 16 - 8-7 win against the Orioles. (Down 6-0 after 6 innings, the Sox rally and win it with a 2 run walk off double by Adrian Gonzalez)
May 18 - 1-0 win against Detroit. (With 2 outs in the 8th, Salty doubles home Crawford from first for the only run. Papelbon gets himself in and out of 9th inning trouble.)
May 19 - 4-3 win against Detroit. (Bard blows Beckett's lead but Carl Crawford wins it with a walk off hit.)
May 24 - 4-2 win in Cleveland. (Varitek throws two runners out and homers as the Red Sox win their first game against the Indians.)
May 29 - 4-3 win in Detroit. (The Red Sox blow an early 3-0 lead but David Ortiz wins the game with a pinch 9th inning homer.)
June 3 - 8-6 win against Oakland. (Buchholz lets up 4 runs in the first but the Sox come back thanks to Carl Crawford's 2 run single.)
June 4 - 9-8 win against Oakland. (Red Sox blow a 4 run 9th inning lead and trail in the 11th before Ellsbury ties it and Drew wins it in 14.)
June 7 - 6-4 win in the Bronx. (Papelbon strikes out A-Rod to end the game with a runner on base.)
June 9 - 8-3 win in the Bronx. (Down 2-0 to Sabathia in the 7th, the Sox score 7 runs as Papi exacts revenge after getting plunked. A 3+ hour rain delay pushed the game past 1:30 AM)

June 15 - 3-0 win in Tampa Bay. (Youkilis homers in the 7th for the only runs in Beckett's 1 hit masterpiece.)
June 16 - 4-2 win in Tampa Bay. (Papelbon wiggles out of a 2 on, nobody out jam in the 9th thanks to Youk's diving catch.)
June 26 - 4-2 win in Pittsburgh. (The Pirates make 4 errors and the Red Sox score 2 in the 7th to avoid a sweep by the Bucs.
June 30 - 5-2 win in Philadelphia.(An injury to Cole Hamels leads to the Red Sox bats waking up.)
July 1 - 7-5 win in Houston. (The Sox score 6 in the 7th inning to come back and win.)
July 3 - 2-1 win in Houston. (The Red Sox score a run in the top of the 9th on a walk to break a tie.)
July 5 - 3-2 win against Toronto. (Lester gets hurt but Darnel McDonald throws out the tying run at the plate to end the game.)
July 6 - 6-4 win against Toronto. (The Sox score 4 in the 4th to take the lead and Wakefield and company hang on for dear life.)
July 10 - 8-6 win against Baltimore. (The Orioles score 6 runs off of rookie Kyle Weiland in the second, but the Red Sox hit three homers in the bottom of the second to tie the game and hold for dear life.)
July 16 - 9-5 win in Tampa. (Lackey puts the Sox in a 3-0 first inning hole, but 3 Sox homers bring them back for the win.)
July 17 - 1-0 win in Tampa. (Beckett throws a masterpiece and the bullpen throws 8 amazing innings. But the Sox bats go dead, leaving 17 men on base before Pedroia drove in a run with 2 outs in the 16th inning.)
July 18 - 15-10 win in Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 6-2 lead but score 8 runs in the 8th to take the game.)
July 22 - 7-4 win against Seattle. (John Lackey beat Felix Hernandez and Mike Carp's error helped the Red Sox score 5 in the 7th to give them some breathing room.)
July 23 - 3-1 win against Seattle. (Ellsbury gets Beckett off the hook in a tight pitchers duel when he got a 2 out, 2 strike 2 run go ahead single in the 8th.)
July 26 - 13-9 win against the Royals. (The Sox trailed in the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th before the bats exploded in the 5th.
August 2 - 3-2 win against Cleveland. (Youk tied the game with a 6th inning homer and Salty dove home for the winning run in the 9th.)
August 3 - 4-3 win against Cleveland. (Ellsbury hits a walk off shot in the 9th.)
August 7 - 3-2 win against the Yankees (The Sox rally off of Rivera in the 9th and win on Josh Reddick's 10th inning single)
August 8 - 8-6 win in Minnesota. (Down 5-1, the Red Sox rally back, then score twice in the 9th to give the Sox the win.)
August 9 - 4-3 win in Minnesota. (Darnell McDonald's homer ties the game and Ortiz singles home the game winner as Bard worked out of trouble in the 7th.)
August 12 - 6-4 win in Seattle. (Reddick and Ortiz homered to bail out Lackey.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 32

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 picked off, 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 runners and let Milton Bradley double home the go ahead run.)
May 4 - 5-3 loss to Angels. (7 hours with rain delays and stranded runners. Marco Scutaro was thrown out at the plate in the 12th)
May 10 - 7-6 loss in Toronto. (8th and 9th inning heroics, including a homer by Adrian Gonzalez, are undone by a walk off sacrifice fly by David Cooper.)
May 21 - 9-3 loss to Cubs. (Up 3-1 in the 8th inning, the bullpen and defense implode. The Cubs score 8 runs while both teams wear their 1918 uniforms.)
May 23- 3-2 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox blow a 2-1 8th inning lead when the Indians rally with 2 outs. Crawford ends the game on a double play.)
May 29 - 3-0 loss in Detroit. (Verlander keeps the Sox off base and prevents the sweep.)
June 1 - 7-4 loss to White Sox. (Konerko drives in three, spoiling a game tying Ortiz homer.)

June 14 - 4-0 loss in Tampa Bay. (Wakefield's solid outing is spoiled. Longoria scores on a passed ball.)
June 18 - 4-2 loss to Milwaukee. (The Brewers hit three homers early off of Lester and hang on.)
June 21 - 5-4 loss to San Diego. (Ortiz hits a double play in the 9th to stifle a potential winning rally.)

June 24 - 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox strand 7 runners in scoring position.)
June 25 - 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh. (The Red Sox fall out of first as Pedroia's error leads to a Pirates run.)
June 29 - 2-1 loss in Philadelphia. (Vance Worley duels John Lackey and slumping Raul Ibanez drives in both runs.)
July 4 - 9-7 loss to Toronto. (John Lackey's miserable start puts the Sox in too big a hole to climb out of.)
July 19 - 6-2 loss in Baltimore. (Scutaro gets thrown out stealing and the Orioles tack on 3 big runs late.)

July 25 - 3-1 loss to the Royals. (Scutaro botches a potential game winning squeeze play in the 12th as the Red Sox lose in 14.)

July 28 - 4-3 loss to the Royals. (Crawford's bid for a walk off homer falls just short.)
July 29 - 3-1 loss to the White Sox. (Sox blow a late 1-0 lead and spoil a solid Wakefield start.)

August 1 - 9-6 loss to Cleveland. (Asdrubal Cabrera's second home run was an 8th inning tie breaking shot off of Daniel Bard.)

August 4 - 7-3 loss to Cleveland. (Carlos Santana's homer broke a 3-3 tie.)
August 5 - 3-2 loss to the Yankees. (The Sox leave the bases loaded in the 5th and the Yankees score 3 in the 6th to take the lead.)
August 10 - 5-2 in Minnesota. (The Twins score 3 in the 8th, spoiling Ortiz's game tying homer.)
August 13 - 5-4 loss in Seattle. (Mariners score 5 in the first and the Red Sox come back falls short.)

Down to +8.
Win today and win the series...

But I STILL say this "No Instant Replay" is bad for the game.

VIVA FABIO CASTRO!

When it looked like Clay Buchholz was going to go on the DL, the Red Sox summoned Fabio Castro from Pawtucket to help out the bullpen.

But when it was clear they needed more infield depth with Pedroia going down, Theo pulled off a deal with the A's to bring in utility man Eric Patterson and Castro was designated for assignment without appearing in a game.

How could you do it, Tito?
How could you NOT bring in Fabio Castro?

You have the ability to have the P.A. announcer say "Now pitching... FABIO CASTRO!"

And you passed that up?
For what? For Manny DelCarmen to get another appearance?

I hope nobody claims him... I have no idea if he sucks or not. I just want to hear the words "Fabio Castro gets the out."

And be honest with me... you do too.

Cyrano De Varitek

Fans of Sully Baseball know that I refer to Jason Varitek as "The Lobster."

It's a much better nickname than 'Tek.

Well, like Jermaine Dye's time with the White Sox, it looks like the Captain may have played his last game with the Red Sox.

It wasn't even in the playoffs as he rode the pine all three games against the Angels this October.

The Sox declined his $5 million option and now Varitek is mulling over his $3 million player option. Now I can't imagine he is going to get more than that in the open market.

But I think the Red Sox should bring him back for $5 million.

Just not as a player.

About a year ago, I dropped the suggestion of making him a player coach.

Now I want to drop the player part and just keep him as a coach.

We keep hearing about he handles pitchers well and calls a good game...
He just can't hit anymore.

Well guess what? There is a spot on Tito Francona's bench!
Brad Mills is the new manager of the Astros. He was the Red Sox bench coach.

Make Jason Varitek the bench coach!
Have him call the game from the bench. Have Victor Martinez look over for each pitch.

Basically Varitek will be pulling a Cyrano de Bergerac and we get the bat of Martinez and the pitching mind of Varitek.

And yeah, I think that is worth $5 million.

Seriously, they spent $14 million last year on Julio Lugo and Brad Penny.

And they were uglier than Cyrano EVER was!

Angels and (Devil) Rays do the Red Sox dirty work

OK, that title would have worked better if they were still called the Devil Rays.

But the Red Sox have acted ever since the beginning of the Yankee series as if the Wild Card has been clinched.

Star players have been rested.

Starters have been taken out and today the Sox started Michael Bowden over Josh Beckett.

I've been advocating the Red Sox clinch as quickly as possible so the regulars can recharge...

And evidently the Sox have decided to not wait to clinch.

Pretty dangerous gamble... except that it is working.

The Rangers lost their last two and now a single win or a single Rangers loss will send the Sox to the playoffs with a rested and ready rotation.

Normally I would say this was putting the cart before the horse... but lest we forget Francona resting Ramirez, Dice-K and Okajima down the stretch in 2007 despite a late season charge by the Yankees.

It worked out.

I know not to question Theo or Francona.

Hey Francona... stick with this line up!

I always thought of Pedroia as a lead off hitter. Kind of in the same way that I never understood why the Yankees moved Jeter out of the lead off spot for a while.

I want Dustin getting more at bats than anyone in the line up.

Keep J. D. Drew there and who knows? Maybe Papi will get a few doubles here and there.

But seriously. Write it in ink.

Back in first... now to take first for ourselves!

Nice job, Todd Tichenor

Seriously, way to put your stamp on a game.

There was a close play at the plate (which this Red Sox fan will admit looked like he had blown in the Boston's favor.) Mike Redmond had a legitimate beef and you threw up out almost instantly.

Do you know how many times Redmond has been tossed in his 12 year big league career? None.

So we are of course dealing with a notorious hothead!

So good job having a short fuse with him and the manager Ron Gardenhire too.

Make sure the interim manager had to use Mauer at catcher and remove the DH.

And the next inning, good job tossing Varitek in about 2 second right after he clubbed two homers (and Francona for good measure.)

Isn't it fun to see a young power tripping umpire put his thumb print all over the game?

Besides, always remember the fans pay good money to see the umpires!

My fellow Red Sox fans... bottle this feeling

There is going to be a time not so long from now that the Red Sox will be scuffling.

There is going to be a stretch where they teeth grinding games are going to pile up and it seems like no ball bounces our way.

There will be a time that Francona makes some bizarre managerial decisions and the bullpen will blow an unblowable lead.

When that happens just remember how good it feels right now.

The Red Sox have won 15 out of 19 games, including all 5 against the Yankees.

And they did it with shaky performances by Josh Beckett. 

They did it with Daisuke Matsusaka on the disabled list. 

They did it with David Ortiz hitting a grand total of zero homers.

They did it with Kevin Youkilis sitting out the last game against the Yankees.

They did it with heroics from Jonathan Van Every, Jeff Bailey and Nick Green.

In other words, they may have some better baseball left in them.

And tomorrow they face Carl Pavano. Hopefully there will be more good feelings to bottle.

We'll take it

OK, hands up if you thought Francona was making a strange move by bringing in Papelbon in the 8th!

Keep those hands up if you bellowed at the TV "LET IT HIT YOU!!!" when Ellsbury moved away from a Phil Coke pitch that would have made the score 7-4.

And keep those hands up if you thought the Yankees were going to get an extra base hit off of Papelbon in the bottom of the 9th.

This was neither a Dodged Bullet but I admit, I was thinking I was going to add one to the Teeth Grinder column at one point.

All that matters is the W. And by bringing in Papelbon in the 8th, Francona once again shows that he gets it... these games ARE more important. And if there is a chance to nail down another Red Sox win over the Yankees, then do it! These games count just as much as the ones when the Yankees are at full strength.

Big Papi had two doubles, one knocking in a run and walked twice. Let's hope he keeps slumping like that.

Either way, the first ever Red Sox - Yankees game in the new monstrocity goes Boston's way.

4-0 on the season series.
There are no style points, just wins.

We'll take it.

Just have "Dodge More Bullets" games than "I'm Pissed Off" games

Well that was horrible.

Brad Penny was worth less than his name, the Red Sox blew an early 5-1 and 7-3 lead and "SURPRISE!" Javier Lopez found a way to lose the game!

I suppose it is appropriate that Lopez lost the game just before the 11 game streak and then lost the game that ended the streak.

But I suppose I can't get too upset, even though my feelings for Lopez and his worth remain the same as before.

(I give bonus points for Lopez in finding a new and unique way for losing the game. Dropping a 3rd out in the 9th inning? BEAUTIFUL!)

Yes it was another "I'm Pissed Off Game."

But the Red Sox have also had a few "Dodged a Bullet" games in the 11 game stretch.

The game on April 17th against Baltimore... the Red Sox were down 7-0 in the second. The Red Sox had no business winning that game.

The first game against the Yankees, on April 24th... the Red Sox had no business winning a game with two outs, down by two and Rivera on the mound.

And the next day, April 25... the Red Sox were down 6-0 and lifeless and won the game.

So this year, the staff at Sully Baseball is going to keep a running tally of "I'm Pissed Off" games and "Dodged a Bullet" games.

We feel that if the Red Sox dodge more bullets than p*ssing me off, they will have a solid shot at the Division.

Plus it will help temper any anger if the dodging out weighs the p*ssing.

This is getting strange in terms of the wording.

So, here's the tally thus far:

"DODGED A BULLET" GAMES - 3

"I'M PISSED OFF" GAMES - 2

Not bad. 

This tally will be kept up all season long.

And if you think I won't keep it going all season long, then you don't know Sully Baseball!

I thought starting Beckett was the wrong thing to do...

Mmmmm... this is good crow









Mmmmmm... crow












Mmmmmmm.... crow









Mmmmmmm.... crow












Mmmmmmm.... crow






Tito... I thought you did the wrong thing.
I'm sorry.

I will never doubt you again.

If you want to bat Youk 9th and have Ortiz play second base...
Fine.
You have earned the benefit of the doubt.