Giants fans... it's time to shut up about the Buster Posey injury

Let me get this out of the way at the top.
The Giants are my second favorite team. (Oh I'm sorry... that would the DEFENDING WORLD CHAMPION Giants are my second favorite team.)

I basically made a video love letter to them this off season.

I am raising one of my sons as a Giants fan.

I would love to see them win the West and the NL Pennant again. And short of a Red Sox - Giants World Series, wouldn't mind seeing them repeating.

But the reaction of the Scott Cousins collision is getting to be absurd.

Yes. It was a devastating injury. I get it.
Yes. I understand the Giants lineup isn't deep enough to withstand a loss like this.

But a lot of Giant fans are crossing a strange and frankly annoying line.

Some of my friends have posted this picture where they are studying the trajectory of Scott Cousins path to the plate.

They are literally being some sort of a half assed Jim Garrison with this analysis.

I keep waiting for a friend of mine to insist there was a second slider and Scott Cousins was just a patsy.


Yes it sucks that Posey got hurt. I don't think a bang - bang play at the plate in extra innings was part of a conspiracy.


Which brings me to Brian Sabean. It's one thing for some drunk knucklehead to call the collision premeditated and cause for retribution. It's another thing when the General Manager of the Giants does it on the record.

In the wake of the stupid violence that went on against a Giants fan this year, isn't it ironic that the call of retribution came FROM the Giants' front office?

The injury last week put a damper on the year long love fest that has been the Giants World Series defense. But virtually EVERYTHING went right last year... this is some adversity.

The main thing is to fix the roster now and get a player who can replace Posey behind the plate and another bat. Now I wonder whose job that is...

SABEAN! So quit putting vendettas out there and do your damn job! Being the loon who claims collisions at the plate are "malicious" and the rest of the nonsense that foamed out of your mouth on KNBR might not exactly put you at a strong position to negotiate with other teams.

You better hope you don't have to make a deal with the Marlins!
Act like you've been there before, because YOU HAVE!

And finally a message to some other Giant fans...

Then there are my many Giant fan friends who can't stop bringing it up in mid conversation.

Remember how Lily Taylor kept writing songs about the boyfriend who dumped her in the movie Say Anything? Everyone was just super annoyed that she couldn't shut up about the guy.

That's what a lot of Giants fans are turning into.
The first few days. OK. But how long is this going to go on? The rest of the year?

Do you want to know the best revenge?
Winning.

And guess what the Giants are doing?
Winning.

They are the first place Giants. They've had a few dramatic wins in just the last few days. They are getting contributions from rookie Brandon Crawford and big power behind Cody Ross and Aubrey Huff.

And look at the Division they play in. The Dodgers are a joke. The Padres are rebuilding. Do you REALLY think the Diamondbacks are going to do this all year? And so far, the Giants have won 6 of 9 against Colorado and they go after them again today.

Even with NO Posey, the Giants have as good a shot as any team in the National League to win the pennant with the exception of Philadelphia. And guess what? The Phillies are not invincible.

Put the Giants staff in a short series against the Marlins? The Braves? The Rockies? The Reds? The Brewers? The Cardinals? Wouldn't you pick the Giants every time?

And speaking of the Cardinals, remember 2006?

They not only lost Mark Mulder but they lost their closer Jason Isringhausen before the playoffs. They had to slap together a playoff staff that included rejects (recently released Jeff Weaver) and untested rookies like Adam Wainwright.

Did they whine? Did they bitch and moan?

Nope.
They shut their mouth, injected their HGH and won the Damn World Series.

Take a page from that Giants.
Say "Yeah that sucked... but guess what? We're going to win anyway."

Because right now? You are bordering on Miss Havisham's territory.

Yeah that's right. I made a Charles Dickens reference in a baseball post.

And I have great expectations myself for this Giants team (see what I did?)

Your team is the defending champion.
Your team's name is the Giants.

Right now Giants fans, you are acting like neither a champion nor a giant.

Why are Nick Swisher and Jonathan Papelbon taking a shower together?

Look, I know it is 2011 and what anyone does behind closed doors is their business.
And I think the whole "players should fraternize before or after a game" sentiment is a little dated.

But do I really want my closer in a shower with the right fielder of the Yankees?
I mean they are talking casually so they can hear each other so maybe they are just in a locker room.

Or maybe they are doing a Skype call.
The lighting shows that Papelbon is in the Heat Miser's lair while Swisher is in the ice castle of Snow Miser.

I hope the next one they are in a jacuzzi together.

The Mariners aren't GOOD are they?

They were supposed to stink going into this year.
And frankly a quick peak at their stats on Baseball Reference isn't pretty.

Even Ichiro's stats look mortal.

Yet here we sit in June with the Mariners only a game out of first in the loss column.
Justin Smoak's bat is starting to live up to its name.
Adam Kennedy is giving the team some pop.

And Jason Vargas (Jason VARGAS?) threw a complete game shutout.

Are we living in a world where Seattle AND Cleveland might be good again?

OK, maybe I'm getting carried away. I still think the Angels are going to win the division and the Mariners might just be having a nice middle third of the season.

Either way, I wish they'd go back to the Trident hat.

Kind of lame uniforms... good win

I can NOT get behind the orange uniforms for the Giants.
Sorry.
They look like Jack o Lanterns.

If anyone should be wearing orange uniforms, it is the Astros.

But Matt Cain was on his game and not only are the Giants back in first place but they are only a few games back of the Phillies in the loss column for the best record in the National League.

I know it is early but it IS the second third of the season.

Maybe they should dress like Jack o Lanterns more often.

Cool retro uniforms... cool win

The LA retro uniforms for the Angels are pretty cool. And they have that odd halo at the top of the cap. Eric Stangel, the Executive Producer and head writer of Late Show with David Letterman had the comment "It's fun to look at the Angels throwback halo caps and pretend every player is wearing a yarmulke."

Well MAZELTOV Angels!
A nice 1 run win against the Yankees. Weaver looked good and Jeter, Granderson, Teixeira, A-Rod and Cano combined for 1 hit.

The Sox need all the help they can get to climb back into First Place.
Sabathia is going tomorrow... how's about an upset?
And how's about bringing out MORE throw back unis?

Awesome uniforms... awesome win...

I've praised the Pirates black alternate uniforms a few times. And tonight they paid off. Who would have thought that a day after wetting the bed against the hapless Mets that they would creep closer to .500 against the mighty Phillies.

They are 4 games out in the loss column...

Just saaaaaaaaying.

Ugly uniforms... Ugly win... I'll take them both

I will never get 100% behind the Red jerseys. They look a little silly.
And games like today will drive me nuts.

They were down 4-0 before the Sox even came to bat and it seemed like every A's hit in the first was a well placed grounder.

I turned the game off. I had some vacuuming to do.
When I kept checking on the game, it was back and forth and naturally it turned into a Red Sox win.

Look, it wasn't pretty and someone named Tommy Hottovy pitched for the Red Sox.
It doesn't matter. Anything to end a 4 game losing streak.

It's better to win 100 games ugly than lose 82 games with dignity.

Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 16

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.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 16

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.)

Back to break even.

My only hope is that Bob Geren will remain the A's manager for the rest of the Red Sox series!

Which Ex Yankee legend looks more ridiculous?

In my He played in the postseason with WHAT team 25 man roster post, I found lots of pictures of well known players looking strange in different uniforms. Elston Howard as a Red Sox? Dizzy Dean as a Cub? Dwight Gooden with the Indians?

But none of those pictures are as strange as these three Yankee legends who wore the uniforms as a coach for different clubs.

They all look absurd. Which one is the strangest?

BABE RUTH - Coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Ruth never got a shot to manage a team. The closest he ever got was being the first base coach for the 1938 Dodgers under manager Leo Durocher.

It was a match made in hell as Ruth felt he was the superior talent to Durocher (was there any argument there?) and HE deserved to manage the team.

Durocher felt that Ruth's head wasn't in the game and Ruth wound up leaving.

Yes, it is crazy seeing Ruth as a Dodger. But the fact that it is a black and white picture from another era makes it less anachronistic than the next two pictures. And besides, Ruth wound up playing for the Braves at the end of his career, so the idea of him wearing a strange uniform is not so foreign.


JOE DiMAGGIO - Coach for the Oakland A's

OK, this is a little absurd.

DiMaggio played in a preexpansion, pre franchise moving, black and white TV era. The A's were in Philadelphia when he retired after the 1951 World Series.

Now here he is, skipping over the Kansas City move and landing in Oakland? And unlike Ruth who played for three different teams, DiMaggio was a Yankee only icon. He took the baton from Gehrig and became the superstar of style and grace in Yankee pinstripes.

And here he is in the bright green Oakland unis for the 1968 and 1969 seasons? This was AFTER Simon and Garfunkel sang "Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?" Well, I hope the nations lonely eyes turned to the East Bay.

But DiMaggio was a product of the Bay Area. And Charlie O. Finley wanted to bring some prestige to the A's when they arrived in Oakland. So Joe D was offered a coaching job and an executive position. And he did get to mentor a certain young slugger named Reggie Jackson.

It didn't last long and soon Joe's main profession became selling Mr. Coffee and throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium.

(He probably became richer doing those two things than playing baseball.)


YOGI BERRA - Coach for the Houston Astros

This is so surreal that it almost looks like a Photoshopped picture.

It sounds like a scenario from a dream. "I had a dream that Yogi Berra was a coach... but he was in a Houston Astros uniform, back when they had the orange stripes across the belly."

I actually remember Yogi as the Astros coach. During the 1986 NLCS, I remember him in the Houston dugout and patting Billy Hatcher on the back when he hit his game tying, series extending home run in Game 6.

And even with that memory this STILL looks absurd.

Yogi has no connection to the Astros!

He is a St. Louis native so maybe the Cardinals would have made sense... but the ASTROS?

A player who so represented a traditional romantic time of baseball played for the very team whose legacy was the modern and the new era. Yogi, the hero who played in the post war Yankee dynasty, was calling a dome with fake grass and garish orange uniforms for an expansion team.

I am trying to think of some metaphor to explain how absurd that is... but I can't think of one better than Yogi Berra in a Houston Astros uniform!

He had two bitter divorces from the Yankees. One after the 1964 World Series when he was fired as the manager and replaced by former Cardinals manager Johnny Keane. Yogi found refuge with his mentor Casey Stengel and became a Mets coach and eventually a manager.

Then in 1985 when Steinbrenner fired Yogi as the Yankees manager in 1985. He joined the Houston coaching staff and never embraced the Yankees again until DiMaggio passed away in 1999.

Maybe Joe D left him a message. "Don't have the last uniform you wear be that ridiculous orange Astros uniform."

Shaq and Kobe = Ruth and Gehrig

This is the story of two teammates.
One was larger than life, both physically and in his personality.

He started his career in one city and had some success there but some people questioned his focus and discipline.

He moved to another city where he relished being in the spotlight. He did endorsements, appeared in movies, and became a beloved big kid who was having more fun than anyone could imagine.

Sometimes he was out of shape and some people wondered if the game had his full attention. But nobody could doubt his production. He put up numbers that were as gigantic as his body and personality. And multiple championships followed.

He was paired with a teammate who was also great. His teammate was focused, educated and had an unmatched work ethic. He did endorsements and appearances but never seemed to embrace it. He just wanted to play, play hard and win.

He may not have been the larger than life physical specimen that his teammate was, but he never broke down, played day in and day out and put up amazing numbers on his own.

Eventually the two teammates became estranged and no longer talked to each other.
The big fellow moved on. Free from the large shadow, the more focused teammate had his best years.

No longer the sidekick, he became the MVP and led his storied team to multiple titles on his own with a brand new cast of characters.

Meanwhile the larger than life guy was a broken down shell of himself, playing out the string in Boston when he called it quits. But when he retired he was a champion in two different cities, put up amazing numbers and was the most fun to watch player of his generation.

Who was I talking about?
Shaq and Kobe?
Or Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

With Shaq's retirement, there was an insane conversation on 710 ESPN in Los Angeles of whether or not Shaq underachieved. (As if being in the top 5 of scoring, winning 3 Finals MVPs and leading 3 different franchises to the NBA Finals and winning the NBA MVP is the resume of a slacker.)

But people who criticize Shaq based on his weight and based on his being kind of a goofball are missing the joy that was Shaq and probably would have trashed Ruth for all of HIS off field antics.

They were both big kids who LOVED being who they were.

They were big, positive and fun. And backed it up with winning and piling up championships.

There is something to be said about being substantive on the field (or court) and being a big crowd pleaser as well. Yes we love to have players who are all business and eat, breathe and defecate their sport.

But having a showman who can back up the bravado is so much fun. They were not the equivalent of, say, Brian Bosworth who had the brash self promotion but couldn't translate it onto the field.

They were the epitome of "It isn't bragging if you can back it up."

And lest we forget, these are fun GAMES and Shaq and the Babe were having FUN playing games. And I know it was fun to watch Shaq, even when he was a Laker.

If the more serious player is more of your style, then you are probably a Kobe lover... or would have preferred Gehrig.

Kobe was raised all over the world, speaks different languages and has a singular purpose... winning basketball games.

Likewise Gehrig was Ivy League educated and refused to take himself out of a game.

But their contrasting styles to Shaq and the Babe were also aesthetically pleasing. Two very different kind of superstars, both physically and in personality.

For Laker fans I am sure it was fun to see Shaq and Kobe together.
No doubt it was fun for Yankee fans to see Ruth and Gehrig together.

And let's be thankful that both kinds of superstars can exist.

Ruth and Gehrig patched up their differences when Lou was dying.
Let's hope it doesn't come to that with Shaq and Kobe.

I have written a blog post that is basically a love letter to Laker and Yankee greatness.

If you will excuse me, I am going to throw up.

Another Cleveland fan post... I don't care WHAT my cousin says!

The NBA finals are about to start and the Indians are up 3-0 against the defending AL Champion Rangers.

I am telling you Cleveland fans... STAY WITH THE INDIANS!

Be like THESE fans who are watching a POSITIVE sporting event and not moping around saying "Ohhhh woe is us. We don't have LeBron. We are awful." Boo hoo hoo.

The best team in baseball is playing in your backyard. Go support him.

Now I know this post pissed someone off.

Not my dear readers or any Cleveland fans who are stumbling across this blog.

No, I know I am getting under the skin of my cousin Dave.
Dave reads my blog daily. I know that because he writes me little comments, e mails and text messages.

And lo and behold he has written to me saying I am talking about Cleveland and their fans too much.

For that I say "I am not talking about them ENOUGH!"

There will be only 6 more NBA games this year. (Chances are it will be fewer than that... the Heat are going to win and win big.) And I only have a few more chances to talk Cleveland fans off of the ledge.

It is my DUTY!

I assure you Dave that I will write more about the wonderful situation that is the Mets soon... but for now... yup, I am going to do it again. I am going to link the Cleveland fan video AGAIN!

Just try and stop me.

There's a Bush playing for the Rangers?

I suppose I realized intellectually that Dave Bush was a pitcher for the Rangers. But I found it to be odd when I saw the Rangers pitcher with the name "Bush" on his back.

I guess a generation ago, I would have assumed it was nepotism.
It's odd that he isn't #43.

Hey Pirates... here's a tip from your pal Sully

If you REALLY want to change the culture of the team and have a .500 record or (God Forbid) a winning season... step one is when you have a 7-0 lead against a dead from the neck up team like the Mets... HOLD ON TO THAT LEAD!

Don't blow it like you did today.

Instead of being just one game under .500, you guys are 3 under.
Ahhh... the Phillies are up next.
Well, at least THEY are an easy team.

Uniform Prejudice

What if I told you there was a great game tonight?
I described the game as between two clubs that have won it all in the past 10 years.
One team was in the LCS as recently as 2007.
The other team is loaded with young talent.

They both would be in the Division Series if the playoffs started today.
They both had solid pitching, exciting young hitters and were hungry to add to their World Series tally.

And one team jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks in part to a home run and a triple from their rising young offensive star.

And the other team came back to tie the game and take the lead.

Then a top of the 9th inning blast by the newly acquired former All Star catcher tied the game.
But the home team won it with a walk off hit from THEIR big rising star.

It was an awesome game.
And if it were Red Sox and Yankees, it would go into the archives.
If it were Cardinals and Cubs or Phillies and Mets or Dodgers and Giants it would be the game of the night.

Instead it was the Marlins versus the Diamondbacks.

Can you imagine if I called someone and said "Are you WATCHING the Marlins and Diamondbacks game?"

They would have to assume a UFO landed on the middle of the field because why the hell else would I be watching that match up?

But why wouldn't I? They are two young and exciting baseball teams. Justin Upton? Mike Stanton?

They are a hell of a lot more interesting that watching the Mets, Dodgers or Cubs... three teams that SHOULD be the best in the National League.

I'll say it. We have uniform prejudice. We have a hard time thinking "What a great match up" when we hear "Diamondbacks and Marlins."

Even though they BOTH beat the Yankees in the World Series last decade, they are still looked on as the new kids who don't have the pedigree of an old team (like the Pirates.)

I bet you are going to see some uniform prejudice in hockey this year. The Atlanta Thrashers are moving to Winnipeg.

Same players. Same organization.
But in Atlanta the players have an aura of playing in warm weather. How could they be tough?

Not like the rock hard team in Winnipeg!

Nothing has changed but the threads.

We have perceptions based on the uniforms.
And it is odd.

So let me go on the record... the Marlins and Diamondbacks played the game of the night last night.

It only sounds odd with a closed mind.

Opponents of Instant Replay must have HATED the end of the Royals and Angels game

Yesterday in the 9th inning of the Royals - Angels game, Billy Butler hit a fly ball and it wasn't clear where it landed.

So the umps used the technology that was at their disposal and got the call RIGHT. It was a walk off homer.

And I assume instant replay opponents HATE that.
Where is "The Human Element"?
It's better to get calls wrong than to use technology to get calls right, am I right?

Billy Butler's home run being called right is the slippery slope to ROBOTS PLAYING BASEBALL, right?

I hope you can get over your grave disappointment in a call being made correctly and the right team winning a game.

Things like that could RUIN baseball.

Cleveland fans... choose the positive over the bitterness

The Indians scored 13 runs.
Matt LaPorta homered.
Josh Tomlin won again.

And with Cleveland's 2 game winning streak and the Phillies 2 game slide, guess what?

THE INDIANS ARE THE BEST TEAM IN BASEBALL!

So Cleveland fans... tomorrow... avoid the damn NBA Finals.
The Indians are playing the Rangers IN Cleveland tomorrow.

That's right. A Cleveland team is playing what is technically a DALLAS team.
Both are in first place. Focus on winning and NOT bitterness.

And don't make me post this video again!

The wrong Sox looked good

The Red Sox climb to the top of the AL East standings was such an amazing turn around that they were bound to run into a wall sooner or later.

And here they were, swept by the White Sox and the awesomely underrated Paul Konerko. I can't say this is a complete surprise. I mean I PICKED Chicago to win the AL Central.

Granted, they are 8 1/2 games back of Cleveland and still under .500... but they have talent.

So Tim Wakefield won't inch closer to the all time Red Sox win leader. Another Big Fly from Big Papi is wasted.

And I need to update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 15

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.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 16

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.)

Back to -1.

Call me crazy, and I've been called worse... I'm still not worried.
Let's hope for a Sox reunion in October.

Hey A's... thanks for nothing

Seriously... could you ground into more double plays or have more 1-2-3 innings?
It was A. J. freaking Burnett! Seriously... he's not a Cy Young candidate.

The A's were outscored in their own home 19-5 in the three game set.
The Yankees now have confidence.
The A's are now 3 games under .500.

And somehow Bob Geren is employed.

Meanwhile the Mariners of all teams have leap frogged the A's and the Angels. It's a winnable division. You MIGHT want to do something to shake the team off.

Just saying.

Go Bruins... for Ritch Duncan's sake!

This year I am more excited about the Stanley Cup Final than any year since 1994 when I was living in New York and the Rangers were on the verge of ending their curse.

The only common thing is Vancouver being in it.

The Boston Bruins are in it... and being a native New Englander I know my share of Bruins fans. But nobody I know has the passion of my great friend, frequent collaborator and the man who would hang out in my apartment more often than anyone I know, Mr. Ritch Duncan.

Ritch is a very talented writer for TruTV. Check out his wonderful take on Eddie Vedder's ukulele album.

Ritch is a comedian and writer in New York and we performed in more shows than I can remember, worked together on the radio, he had a role in my movie and we spoke at each others weddings.

Along with Bob Powers, he wrote the hilarious "Werewolf's Guide To Life: A Manual for the Newly Bitten."

And he is as big a Bruins fan as I am a Red Sox fan.
I was at his apartment to watch the Red Sox beat the Yankees in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS.
He saw ME at the zenith of baseball happiness (let's face it Sox fans, we remember the Yankee win MUCH more than we remember the win in St. Louis!)

Ritchie deserves that moment too.

Go Bruins!

Some pretty low expectations in Dodger Town

The Dodgers can meet payroll and suddenly that is cause for celebration?
Seriously, that is what it has come to?

Congrats Mr. McCourt. You own one of the most famous baseball teams who play in the second biggest market in the country with a rabid fan base and you have made enough money to not bounce the checks.

MAZELTOV!

Now what are you going to do NEXT month?
You can't pull the Winona Ryder in Reality Bites trick of paying for everyone's gas.

The Dodgers will start dumping players in 2 weeks.