In honor of Dave Roberts...

... who in a mere 3 second dash from first to second made every Red Sox fan sit up and believe
...who only played 3 months in Boston and didn't play an inning in the 2004 World Series, yet is as beloved as any sports figure in Boston history...

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 31

In honor of Derek Lowe...

Who had one of the strangest careers in Red Sox history...
Everytime you thought you could count on him, he'd stink...
Everytime you write him off, he'd be dominant...
And when his 7 years in Boston ended, he was an All Star closer, started an All Star game, saved 42 games one year, won 21 games 2 years later...
Threw a no hitter...
Clinched the 2003 Division Series out of the pen...
And won all 3 clinching games of the 2004 playoffs...
And whose last game as a Red Sox was clinching the World Series (what a way to go!)...

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 32

My dad thinks the Giants will still win... and he might be right!

The Giants swept the Marlins in front of an intimate gathering of friends and family in Miami on Monday. A meaningless game? Well my dad doesn't think so! He thinks this is the first step in the Giants wild and amazing finish to capture the NL West crown!

OK, on first glance it looks like an overly optimistic Giants fan is refusing to accept his team has the third worst record in the NL and are 15 1/2 games out of first.

And it might seem plain batty to think of a scenario where the Giants not only win enough games to win, but also leap frog 4 other teams... ESPECIALLY when the Diamondbacks magic number to eliminate the Giants is only 22.

But let's indulge my dad.
Let's say the Giants go on a major tear and only lose a single game a week for the rest of the season. With 37 games left and 6 weeks remaining, the Giants will have to go 31-6. They'd finish 86-76... which isn't even the worst NL West Champion record in the last 3 years! (Remember the Padres only had 82 wins in 2005.)

Tough, but possible.
Then the Diamondbacks would have to go on a major slide... 14-22 in their last 36 games. A bad slide, but not impossible.

What about the Padres? They just have to play a game under .500 the last 39 games. With their lack of offense, that's not unimaginable.

How about the Dodgers and Rockies? Heck, they don't even need to post losing records. The Dodgers going 22-16 and the Rockies going 23-15 would put them a game under the Giants pace!

So maybe my dad is right!
Maybe the Giants can rampage to finish a respectable 86-76... which mind you is a better record than the 2006 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals tallied in the regular season.

Now my dad also thinks Bonds will hit 40 MORE homers this year.
We can admit, that is crazy, can't we?

In honor of Rich Garces... AKA El Guapo

... look at this man's picture. Can you believe he was able to put down "athelete" under occupation?

Well he had a gut, but he could pitch too!

And in his honor I announce

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 34

(Yeah I know Big Papi is also #34... but I am only honoring FORMER Red Sox!)

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY!

It's late August now so looking at the potential playoff picture isn't such a futile act.

Here's some intriguing facts:

1. As of this morning, NO American League playoff team from 2006 has a playoff spot this year. Take THAT people who claim baseball doesn't have the parity of the NFL! That's right, as I am typing this, the Twins, A's, defending AL Champ Tigers and even the surging Yankees would be playing golf right now.

2. Only 2 playoff teams from last year are back... The Mets, to the surprise of nobody are back in the hunt and are now separating themselves from the pack after a midseason scare. The Padres are in position for their third straight postseason berth. Nobody is calling them a dynasty... not until they can win more than one game in October.

3. There are some matchups that FOX must be drooling over! Certainly a Mets/Cubs NLCS will bring in big ratings. Red Sox versus anyone would be big, especially the Angels where they get the LA Market. The possibility of a 1986 rematch between the Red Sox and the Mets must be the best case scenario for Fox. Mets vs. Angels would have the East and West coast audiences. Cubs/Red Sox would have more spice if they were both still searching for that allusive title, but would bring in the ratings nonetheless. Cubs versus Indians would be two classic downtrodden franchises where SOMETHING will have to give. Cubs vs. Mariners would have Lou Piniella going back to Seattle...

4. There are some matchups that FOX must be dreading Angels vs. Diamondbacks? Mariners vs. Padres? YOU try to promote that!

5. Who would be the aging veteran who has never won a ring that people can latch on to for sentimental reasons? Kenny Lofton of Cleveland has played in the post season for 10 of the last 12 seasons... and somehow remains ringless.
San Diego's Trevor Hoffman is only missing a World Series title for his Hall of Fame resume.
Also Paul Byrd, Vlad Guerrero, Bartolo Colon, Richie Sexson, Jose Vidro, Carlos DelGado, Shawn Green, Carlos Beltran, Billy Wagner, Jason Kendall, Ted Lilly, Tony Clark, Mike Cameron and Brian Giles

6. Of this bunch, who do you think is winning? I'm sticking with my pre season pick of the Angels winning it all, beating the Mets in 6 games

7. Will this be the final playoff lineup? Probably not. The Yankees are a better team than the Mariners and will probably overtake them. The Tigers have a good shot of overstepping the Indians. But they are 15-23 since the break and had better get their act together.
Who knows who is going to come out of the NL Central... neither the Cubs nor the Brewers are exactly playing like world beaters. Somehow the Diamondbacks seem like the surest bet.

8. Aren't you scared the Red Sox are going to blow it? That's why I love Tampa Bay on the schedule as much as I do!

Who is Matt Holliday?

He's the guy who might very well win the National League Most Valuable Player... that's who he is!

Now I had heard of him before this year, but he seemed like just another talented hitter toiling in Colorado... padding his stats and never playing a meaningful game.

But here we are with about 40 games left to go in the season and somehow this guy has put together not only the best all around stats, but somehow is playing for a contending team!

The Rockies are only 3 back of the Wild Card and are that dangerous kind of team... the kind that nobody takes seriously and therefore has nothing to lose.

The Angels and Marlins each won a World Series this decade with that attitude.
And here is Colorado, with their humidor now making sure the game isn't played in zero gravity, boxing out for position with the slumping Dodgers, the all pitch/no hit Padres, the inconsistent Phillies and the playing with one hand around its neck Brewers.

The Rockies are one of those franchises that I just can never see winning a World Series... kind of like the Rangers and the Devil Rays. Hell, I can barely see them making the playoffs, save for the swinging from their heels 1995 Wild Card team.

But here they are.

Why count out the Rockies?
Especially with Matt Holliday batting .335 with 21 homers, 95 RBIs and a .967 OPS!

Seriously, who else should be MVP?
Pujols had a slow start and the Cardinals are still a sub .500 team, Rick Ankiel's heroics notwithstanding.

David Wright has been inconsistent, Ryan Howard has been hurt.

That leaves Jose Reyes, Prince Fielder and Matt Holliday.
They tend not to give it to speedsters like Reyes and the Billy Brewer isn't the only one in Milwaukee sliding... that leaves it to Holliday.

And it shows you that the National League is not lacking in young superstars (include Hanley Ramirez in that group as well.)

And it also shows you how badly baseball promotes its own stars.
Seriously, if Matt Holliday walked into your office tomorrow, would you know him?
If he was in full uniform and said "Hi, my name is Matt Holliday!" would you know him then.

Man, I should run this game.

In honor of Joe Morgan and Morgan's magic...

... who took over for Johnny Mac

... and woke up a sleeping Red Sox team with one of the most dynamic months in team history

... and who I saw lose twice in Oakland during the 1988 Playoffs, but still made Red Sox Nation proud

... who, as a former Walpole snow plow driver, captured all of our imaginations that a regular guy could manage the Sox to two division titles in three seasons...

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 35!

Closing the book on the Arroyo for Pena trade

I got into a lot of arguments with people on line about the Bronson Arroyo for Willy Mo Pena trade last year.

Hours after it happened I called Dibble and Kennedy on XM screaming about it. I said "I hate hate hate this trade."

And yet many people thought it was a great trade and thought I was insane for hating it.

And do you know what? Any debate about it ended when Theo dealt Willy Mo for the always important "Player to Named Later."

How badly did this trade stink?

LET'S COUNT THE WAYS!

1) Arroyo had just given the Red Sox a hometown discount for a contract extension... and immediately dealt him. That'll show other players that you are all about loyalty!

2) Arroyo was practically the only pitcher on the 2006 Red Sox without health issues. They had Beckett and his blisters, Schilling who missed most of 2005, Foulke who missed the 2005 playoffs, Clements was hurt and was nailed in the head by a line drive, and Wells who, like Ben Franklin, had gout and a huge belly. With that staff... better deal away the only starter who was young, healthy and able to pitch in Boston.

3) What happened to the 2006 Red Sox? To the surprise of NOBODY they experienced tons of injuries (Foulke, Wakefield, Clement, Lester, Papelbon and Wells all missed significant time) meanwhile Arroyo went on to have an All Star year with Cincinnati. Granted, the NL has easier lineups, but even a mediocre Arroyo would be a better alternative than the David Pauleys, Kyle Snyders, Jason Johnsons, Jermaine Van Burens , Lenny DiNardos and the 15th caller on WEEI that the Sox pitched.

4) There was no spot in the lineup for Willy Mo! They torpedoed the pitching staff for a guy who was essentially a bench player! They had Manny, Coco and Trot. And of course each of them got hurt during the year... BUT SO DID WILLY MO! They got 84 games and 11 homers out of him... only 9 more than Arroyo hit for the Reds.

5) They signed J. D. Drew in the off season! I expressed my feelings of this rancid signing on The Nosebleeds, but this also showed there was no room for the guy. So not only was he going to rot on the bench his first year... but his second year too.

6) They dumped the guy! So in the end, they would rather have him off the team for the stretch run!


So there you have it. I don't want to hear about NL lineups being easier and how young Willy Mo was and how valuable right handed power is.

If it was, than we'd get more than a player to be named later.
So the verdict is in... the trade SUCKED.

Oh well... I'll take the 5 game lead.

Who has the movie right's to Rick Ankiel's story?

How great is this Rick Ankiel story? I'm serious, this is one of the coolest stories in all of my years of watching baseball. I can't think of a story more tailor made for a feel good sports film.

ACT 1:
Before game 1 of the 2000 playoffs, Cardinals Tony LaRussa won't reveal who his starting pitcher is. Secretly he puts his faith in 20 year old Rick Ankiel. Protecting a 6 run lead, Ankiel implodes on national television... walking 4 and throwing 5 wild pitches in one inning.

LaRussa stands by his man and starts him in game 2 of the NLCS versus the Mets, but his wildness is so intense than the announcers literally take pity on him and he doesn't get out of the first.

He is sent back to the minors the next year and after a comeback in 2004, his career was over.

ACT 2:
His career over, he goes home to see his brother die and father in legal trouble. He wants to get back to baseball but knows his pitching days are over... so he decides to try to become a hitter. The one time pitching phenom goes back to the low minors as an outfielder. The media mocks him but he works at it... and Tony LaRussa believes in him.

ACT 3:
He starts to come back and is in the minor leagues when the Cardinals win the 2006 World Series. He tries to earn a spot on the 2007 Cardinals but doesn't make the team. Meanwhile the Cardinals are in turmoil... Tony LaRussa gets arrested for drunk driving, Scott Speizio loses time for a drug problem and Josh Hancock dies in a car crash. The team is falling apart and not contending until... Rick Ankiel comes back as an outfielder. He homers in his first game and hits 2 homers 2 days later. The Cardinals win 6 of the first 8 games with him back and jump back into contention.

You will forgive me for not including the Cardinals on my "Who I should root for?" NL Central... but could you blame me? On August 5, the Cardinals had lost their 5th in a row and dropped to 8 games under .500 and 8 games behind the leading Brewers.

They are 8-3 since... and with neither the Brewers nor the Cubs able to get out of their own way, the Cardinals are now only 3 out and suddenly a defense of their World Championship isn't so outlandish.

If the Cardinals win the division, the Rick Ankiel story will put The Rookie to shame.

In honor of WSBK...

... the station that I turned to as a kid for the Red Sox...
For Dana Hersey's pipes...
For the Movie Loft, Ask the Manager and We Don't Knock...

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 38!

I apologize to the Sonnanstine family

I apologize for making fun of Andy in my last post.
He beat Dice K in Fenway and the Red Sox came within a 9th inning hit from sweeping... but Andy prevented it.

You must be proud of your boy.

It's so nice to play Tampa...

When your team has lost a few games and everyone is starting to get nervous and wondering if you are going to collapse, there's nothing more refreshing than a series against Tampa Bay.

Suddenly Tim Wakefield and Jon Lester look like Cy Young contenders, Eric Gagne strikes out the side without letting up a run and gets the win because of a great bottom of the 9th rally!

And that lead expands a game.

It's like going to a spa.
And the Red Sox play the Rays 10 more times, starting tonight when Dice-K goes after someone named Andy Sonnanstine.

I am sure the Sonnanstine family is proud of him. (Watch him throw a no hitter.)

Devil Rays fans, I admire you... both of you.

In honor of Mike Greenwell...

... an underrated Red Sox...
whose biggest sin was he was NOT as good as Ted, Yaz or Rice (how many are?)...
and wants the MVP he feels Canseco stole from him...

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 39!

In honor of Dave Henderson...

... who first made me believe the Red Sox COULD do it...

... and would have been as beloved as Dave Roberts if Schraldi or Stanley could have recorded that last out in 1986...

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 40!

One more note on Rizzuto

A great way to appreciate Phil Rizzuto is to buy the amazing book Oh Holy Cow! The Selected Verse of Phil Rizzuto

Editors Tom Peyer and Hart Seely took transcripts of actual game broadcasts by Scooter and, without changing what he said or how he said it, arrange the calls into poems.

Truly one of the funniest baseball books you can buy.
Get it and thank me later.

Also check out my thoughts on Phil's Hall of Fame speech at The Nosebleeds.

In the meantime, let's enjoy Phil and some gym shorts

Hope they have cannolis in Heaven

Phil Rizzuto's death today made me sadder than most celebrity deaths. I was a passionate fan of the Scooter. I loved listening to him in the summer time when we would be staying with family in the New York area. I would watch the 11 Alive broadcasts in Boston when we got cable. And when I went to NYU, I watched every single broadcast that I could.

Nobody was funnier than Scooter. Nobody could go on the tangents like Scooter... talking about canolis, a movie he saw on TV the other night, his fear of lightning... and would admit he put "ww" on his score card for plays he wasn't watching.

And I was watching him in the early 1990s, when the Yankees were bad (hello Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens!) and there was little reason to be watching the games... other than Scooter's comedy.

Listen to Scooter's radio call of the last game of the 1976 ALCS.

While introducing the Royals lineup he noticed Telly Savalas was sitting near the Yankee dugout. He went on a tangent about his bald head and how women found it sexy.

Here he is about to call a do or die playoff game and he's talking about Kojak's head!

And underrated in his hilarity was the contributions of Bill White and Tom Seaver, who acted as enablers and never brought him back to the game at hand.

For me, the greatest thrill about listening and laughing during a Scooter broadcast was bringing me close with my mom.

My mom grew up a Yankees fan and listening to Scooter. And I always felt during the summer time we could listen to the Yankee games, even though I am a Red Sox fan, and have a shared experience from her childhood.

We would laugh and quote him days and weeks after saying something funny with White or Tom Seaver. And when I was living in New York while my mom was in California, I would call her up with the newest funny Scooter quotes.

Baseball is often referred to as a father and son tradition. But with Scooter, the real joy came from a mother and son bonding... and of course how damn funny he was!

WHO SHOULD I ROOT FOR? Part 2: THE AL CENTRAL

With the Twins losing 5 in a row and making my prediction that they would be a factor in the Division Race looking really bad... the AL Central is turning into a 2 horse race. And the way they've been playing recently, the Indians and the Tigers seem to be galloping towards the glue factory.

They have stumbled and bumbled to this point, showing neither pride nor mercy to Jim Leyland's lungs.

And they find themselves waking up on August 14th tied and playing each other for two games.

No better time to figure out who I should be rooting for.

First Criteria: Which city is nicer? Man, it is so tough comparing two glamorous garden spots like Detroit and Cleveland. I've been to both cities. Cleveland was dull but my dad and I had our car doors locked in Detroit while we were driving... on the highway!
EDGE INDIANS

Second Criteria: Which team has the better gruff talk talking no nonsense manager with a mustache?
Indians manager Lou Brown was awesome... but he's just a character in Major League. Jim Leyland is the real McCoy!










EDGE TIGERS

Third Criteria: Sticking to movies, which team had the better on screen battery?
Not even close!
Jake Taylor catching and Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn out of the pen meant a division title in Major League!
Kevin Costner and John C. Reilly (who knows what their names were) were just playing out the string in For Love of the Game.
EDGE INDIANS


















Fourth Criteria: How many players on the team have called Joe Torre a racist?
The Tigers have Gary Sheffield, but the Indians have Kenny Lofton who agreed with Sheffield.
PUSH

Fifth Criteria: Which logo is more racist?

Take a good long look at the Indians logo at the top of this posting.
And remind yourself that it is the year 2007.
Kind of amazing, isn't it?
ADVANTAGE TIGERS

Sixth Criteria: Whose fans have suffered more?

Let's think about this... The Pistons and the Red Wings both have won championships this decade and Cleveland has had nothing to celebrate since 1964 except Drew Carey being named Price is Right host... and even HE got hurt!

ADVANTAGE INDIANS













Sixth Criteria: Which city gave us better music?

Hmmm. Motown or Rock N Roll... we need a clearer criteria.

More Specific Sixth Criteria: Which city gave us a cooler female rock star from the 1980s?

I know Detroit's Madonna is a bigger star and her records are more successful and she is one of the great stars of the last few decades... but this is MY blog and I say Cleveland's Chrissie Hynde is cooler.


That's It!
The Pretenders are the tipping point!

Racist hat or not, you HAVE to root for Cleveland!

GO INDIANS!
1964 was a long time ago.

In honor of Tom Seaver...

... who pitched his last major league game on September 19, 1986 as a member of the Red Sox...

... who defeated Eck in a game best decribed as ballistic...

... who was so great he inspired my friend Doc Dougherty to write a play about how the Tom Seaver trade affected his neighborhood...

... and was my cousin Dave's favorite player...

THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 41!

Besides that, Mrs. Lincoln... how did you like the play?

I guess it takes a real optimist to see the silver lining in blowing two games late to the Orioles...

BUT... Schilling looked pretty good.
Truth be told he looked good in Anaheim as well before letting up those 2 runs in the 7th.

Beckett was solid in his near complete game win and Dice-K looked great in the other game the bullpen blew.

Plus Wakefield is a 13 game winner... so he must be doing something right.

Call me crazy, but I'm still confident... and although the lead isn't as big as it was, it's still a lead. I'd rather be in front in mid August than behind!

And I'm sure even Mary Todd Lincoln would have agreed with me on that one.

Nice Job, Indians... way to play with pride

Way to go... seriously Indians! You showed as much heart as the Tin Man this weekend!

Think about it. On July 20th, the Indians trailed the Tigers by only two games. When suddenly, the Tigers went on a 6-15 skid. So how did the Indians take advantage of this gift from the baseball gods? They sputtered to a 9-11 record.
They took the lead, but basically by default.
They looked lifeless... but who came to town this weekend?

The big bad Yankees... on an unreal tear of their own, but facing tomato cans.

The Division leading Indians were their first test in a while...
A chance to slow down the Yankees train, solidify their lead and show that they belong in the pennant chase.

And how did they do before 3 straight sellouts?
They were swept... they didn't even show up.

The one time they had a chance in any game, they trailed by 4 in the 7th of game 3... but loaded the bases with nobody out.

And Jhonny Peralta, who clearly was born before the days of spellcheck, was picked off first.

I was listening to the Cleveland broadcasters and they tore Peralta a new one...

As did the fans as the Indians only managed 1 run in the "rally."

Now Detroit's pitching is getting healthier and the Indians, after going a combined 1-6 against the Red Sox and Yankees, show that they don't belong in a playoff discussion.


The fans in Cleveland better start thinking about the Cavaliers now.
These Indians are going nowhere

And the wait goes on for Cleveland fans. 1964 and counting...