Is THIS what it has come to, Red Sox?

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

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

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

This team is a disgrace until further notice.

Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 5

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

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 10

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

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

-5.

How can May be worse?

These Indian Fans Get It

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

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

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

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

These fans were there.

Pay attention Cleveland.
Something fun is happening.

Who the hell is Vance Worley?

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

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

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

It was of course Vance Worley.

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

Here he is.

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

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

Good luck with your injury Joe Blanton.

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

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

To read the article, CLICK HERE.

So much for a .500 April

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

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

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

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

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

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 5

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

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 9

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

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

-4.

Can we PLEASE end this awful month?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now LET'S GO SOX!

A few facts about the Indians

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

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

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

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

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

They are having trouble selling tickets.

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

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

The facts are undeniable.

Once again, Phil Hughes has become Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack

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

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

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

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

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

It's funny and it is also familiar.

I wrote about the same thing happening in 2008.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A 6-3 road trip isn't bad.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Maybe the sky ISN'T falling.

Happy birthday to "The Guy on the Phone"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Either way, I'm updating the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 5

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

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 8

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

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

-3.

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

Just win today.

New Sully Baseball Video "Loyal to a Fault"

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

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

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

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

Enjoy the video.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feet made of Clay

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

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

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

Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 5

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

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 7

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

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

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

Jacob Sirof joins The Sully Baseball Show

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

Listen in.

Listen to internet radio with Seamheads on Blog Talk Radio

Let's see some good crowds in Cleveland this week

OK. I realize that it is a mid week series in April against Kansas City, so I understand if it isn't standing room only at The Jake. (Sorry Progressive... it's the Jake.)

But there SHOULD be some buzz and excitement in Cleveland this week.
The three game losing streak means they are no longer the best team in the American League (the defending AL Champion Rangers have that honor.)

They ARE still on top of the AL Central, and the Royals are still in second. Last week the two teams met up for a thrilling 4 game set. And on Tuesday, Justin Masterson is taking his 4-0 record to the hill.

Embrace this team! Who knows what they will do this year? And in a way, that doesn't matter. In April they are playing an exciting brand of baseball and are giving Cleveland fans a little bit of hope.

They very well might not be contending in August or September and the games will be dull "playing out the string" affairs.

Wouldn't it be more fun to see them play when you can say "Who knows? Maybe they CAN do something!"?

Get on the bandwagon NOW!
The best case scenario is you are rooting for the team than finally delivers a title to Cleveland.

The worst case scenario? You see a fun baseball game.

Sounds pretty good to me.

This is how I feel about how the Red Sox and Celtics did this weekend

What if Dice-K is good again?

Seriously, was ANY Red Sox fan counting on Dice K for squat this year?
Wasn't the consensus that the Daisuke Matsuzaka era in Boston was grinding down to a whimper?

And yeah he had a great game on Monday. But that was a Patriots Day game and most visiting batters' timing tends to be off with the early Patriots Day start.

So I guess it was easy to dismiss 7 innings of 1 hit ball.

But is it so easy to dismiss 8 innings of 1 hit ball on the road?

That's 15 shutout innings where he let up 2 hits total in his last 2 starts.

Couple this with Beckett's unexpected return to form and it is similar to finding a pair of $20 bills in an old jacket.

I wasn't even COUNTING on those two. What if they give the Sox a good year? What if Buchholz finds his stuff again?

And do you REALLY think Carl Crawford will bat .154 all year?
Do you REALLY think Kevin Youkilis is a .217 hitter?

They will start to hit. (Today they both DID hit.)

Suddenly the Sox, 7-1 in their last 8 games, don't look so helpless.

(I made a 7-11 joke about their record. I just can NOT make a 9-11 joke.)

Yes. An April Twins/Indians Series is BIG!

It seems counter intuitive to call any series in April big. The Indians will have 144 games left after today and the Twins have lots of time to recover from their injuries.

But I will argue this is a big series for both teams.

Cleveland is off to a hot start. Is this an April fluke, like the Royals in 2009? Remember how the Royals were in first place in Mid May? You probably don't. They finished the season with 97 losses.

Or is this a team like the 2008 Rays, whom EVERYONE thought was a fluke until they won the American League pennant!

If the Indians keep winning, they might lean more towards the Rays than the Royals. And winning games against the Twins, the team many people picked to win the Division, goes a long way. These are the head to head games that actually DO matter more in the standings.

They improve the Indians and keep the Twins down.

And if the teams are tied and need a one game playoff, the head to head match up would determine home field advantage.

The Twins need to dust themselves off and take out the upstart Tribe and right their ship.

If these teams are going neck and neck throughout the year, the team that lost this series will look back and think "Man, why didn't we win in April?"

Big series.

Watch it, Twins and Indians fans.

Sox look good... their hats don't

OK, there were a lot of things that were odd and could have cost the Red Sox the game. Lester was great but only lasted 6 innings. Saltalamacchia couldn't find a baseball in a little league play that cost the Red Sox a run. Hey Jarrod, it's BEHIND YOU!

The Sox won, and no matter how low Carl Crawford's average plummets, that's all that matters. Inching closer to .500... and oh yeah Dan Haren lost at the Red Sox hand.

That is awesome. The hats with the Sox on it are lame.
My wife thinks they look like booties... and that's all you need to know.

Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 5

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

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 6

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

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

-1.

Think about that. After the rotten start, they are nearing .500 and have only one more teeth grinder loss than dodged bullet wins.

But those hats still suck.

This "Being Controled By MLB" thing works for the Dodgers

The Dodgers were absolutely reeling. They went on a 5 game losing streak. (Only Tony LaRussa's inexplicable decision to pitch to Matt Kemp on Sunday afternoon kept it from being a 6 game losing streak.)

They were beaten soundly on Tuesday 10-1 by Atlanta.
Then on Wednesday, Bud Selig and company took over the team, shocked that Frank McCourt couldn't keep the team afloat financially. (Never mind the fact that Selig KNEW he didn't have the cash to keep the team afloat. Let's not let facts sneak into this.)

Since MLB took over the team?
They beat the Braves 6-1 on Wednesday.
They won with another Matt Kemp walk off shot yesterday.

And today they went to Wrigley and clobbered the Cubs 12-2.

The Dodgers are now above .500.
They are 3-0 after the take over.

Maybe Dodger fans shouldn't be so quick to see a new owner!

Thank heaven, the Sox are 7-11

It isn't often that I can mix two terrible jokes into one title.
But you have the Heaven part, which can be tied to the Angels.

And you have the 7-11 joke, which is the Sox record.

And the ONLY POSSIBLE way that 7-11 can be looked on positively is the fact that the Sox were once 2-10. So winning 5 of 6 is always welcomed.

Do you what is ALSO welcomed? Another kick ass Josh Beckett performance. The bats of the Sox somehow averaged 4 runners left of base per inning. But Beckett once again was great, giving the Sox 8 strong before the boys scratched it out in the 11th.

I wouldn't mind seeing Crawford, oh I don't know... HIT!

But I should calm down and have a Slurpie.
The Sox are winning, and that's all that matters.

Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 4

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.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 6

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

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

-2.

Nothing can wipe away the stench of a bad start like a good stretch.

And I will NEVER get this kind of corporate synergy again.
Hope you enjoyed the advertising, 7-11!

Albert Pujols will be a Dodger or a Met… and I predict a conspiracy theory

A bizarre and round about series of events and coincidences have made it clear to me that Albert Pujols will almost certainly not be a member of the St. Louis Cardinals next year.

Before Pujols files for free agency, two large market franchises will change ownership and be in position to bid for him, and I believe Bud Selig will be manipulating the whole thing to help preserve his legacy.

That’s right, I am predicting a conspiracy before there are any facts or events to back up my theory. I admit that is no easy trick. But I think I am on to something.

Follow me…

Bud Selig is retiring in 2012. With the steroid era evidently behind him and if baseball avoids a work stoppage (and the NFL and NBA have one) then he will be able to claim that he left the game clean and thriving with labor peace.

But there are four gigantic messes he needs to clean up before riding off into the sunset.

Two won’t be covered here, but I will mention them: The Rays and the A’s stadium disasters. Neither team can last in their current dumps and nor have a viable solution for survival, especially if the Giants can block the A’s move to San Jose. But that is another post.

The big BIG mess is the state of the Mets and Dodgers, two of the flagship franchises of the National League. According to USA Today, only the Yankees and Red Sox are worth more than the Dodgers and those teams plus the Cubs are the only ones worth more than the Mets.

I don’t think it is stretch to call New York and Los Angeles big markets. And guess what? They are both in financial chaos.

The Dodgers have been mismanaged to the point where MLB had to take the unprecedented steps of essentially removing the owner from power. (We’ll see if Frank McCourt surrenders the power of the team.)

And the Mets should be on notice. If the twisted finances of the McCourt divorce can make Selig and company take over the Dodgers, then being swindled by Bernie Madoff (and not being sure what they knew in advance) should be even a greater cause for MLB to step in and take the car keys away from the Wilpons.

In the very least, the Mets should be forced to sell.

So that would mean the Mets and Dodgers would have new ownership going into the 2012 season. And also have a disillusioned fan base, declining attendance and a natural division rival playing well (the Phillies for the Mets and the Giants for the Dodgers.)

Whomever is going to run the Mets and the Dodgers will need to assure their paying customers (and TV viewers and sponsors) that not only are the bad days behind them but glamorous superstar days are ahead.

The Giants were in a similar boat when Peter Magowan took over the team in the wake of the proposed move to Tampa Bay. He found the quickest way to get the fan base energized: He signed the best player in baseball, Barry Bonds.

Which brings us to Albert Pujols. He’s a free agent to be. He has nothing left to prove in St. Louis when he finishes this, his 11th season. He has given the Cardinals a championship, post season heroics, MVPs and done so with class and a flair for the dramatic. And, as I said in a previous video, Cardinal fans can NEVER boo him.

Pujols could need a new challenge in his life, the biggest contract in baseball history and a chance to be a hero in a brand new market.

(See Rose, Pete. See Jackson, Reggie. And Albert is better than both of them!)

And if just so happens that the Dodgers have an opening at first base. I may not be 100% sure how VORP works, but I can guess that Albert Pujols replacing James Loney is an improvement.

And the Mets have Ike Davis, who is a nice player. When you have the chance to get one of the great offensive players of all time, you might think about sacrificing a nice player or two!

Both the Dodgers and the Mets will have new owners, money to spend and a city to impress. And they will BOTH bid on Albert Pujols.

Why do I say that with such certainty? Because Selig will make sure of it. Captain Bud will not let an owner take over the Dodgers nor the Mets unless they were intending on trying to sign Pujols.

It makes sense for the Dodgers to win back their fans and show there is a new era in Chavez Ravine.

It makes sense for the Mets to turn the page on the Wilpon fiasco (and no doubt Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins would welcome Albert’s arrival.)

It makes sense for labor peace as players making big contracts is always looked on fondly by the Players Association.

And it makes sense for Selig as he leave the game with franchises other than the Yankees and Red Sox bidding over the biggest free agents.

And which ever team can’t land Pujols will have a nice consolation prize in Prince Fielder.

Think Selig is above this sort of backroom dealings? Or perhaps not clever enough?

PUH-lease. I am not going to even go into the whole “Used Car Salesman” past of Mr. Selig.

This was the guy who maneuvered the ownership of the Expos, Marlins and Red Sox around so his hand picked successor would take over in Boston instead of the McCourts.

This was the guy who claimed to have no clue about the steroid culture, even though allegations were made public as far back as 1988, when Peter Ueberroth was commissioner.

This was the guy who was part of the owners group that ousted Fay Vincent for not doing their bidding and installing himself as owner/commissioner. It was supposed to be temporary. That was 1992.

This was one of the many owners found guilty of collusion in the 1980s.

Shady wheeling and dealing are right in Bud Selig’s wheelhouse.

So a nudge here and there and making sure the new owners come with an aggressive eye on Albert is not as outlandish as colluding, kicking the commissioner out and not noticing that the players all were bigger than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

You heard it here first on Sully Baseball.

I am declaring it a conspiracy before it actually happens.

Colluding is and always will be part of Bud Selig’s legacy.