Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - July 17, 2013

Here is the All Star Game edition of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast!

Who could POSSIBLY have a problem with how Jim Leyland handled Mariano Rivera in the All Star Game or Rivera winning the MVP? Evidently some people DID.

Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Harvey, Prince Fielder and MVP Mariano Rivera  all owned baseball on July 16, 2013.


To see the up to date tally of "Who Owns Baseball?," click HERE
Subscribe on iTunes HERE.

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast - July 17, 2013

Yankee fans... welcome to what the rest of baseball deals with

So what is the real impact of the Yankees losing Mariano Rivera?
I'm sure the Sabermetrics people who talk about how easy it is to replace 50 innings and that losing a starting pitcher or an every day player would be much worse than losing Rivera.

And David Robertson could very well turn out to be a pretty good closer. You know, 35-40 saves and a sub 3.00 ERA and some blown saves along the way.

But here is what Yankee fans need to get used to.
The 9th inning isn't automatic anymore. Robertson is a good pitcher, but he doesn't strike fear in anyone's heart more than any other saves compiler.

The days of teams tightening up in the 8th inning because they know they have no chance in the 9th? That ended on the warning track in Kansas City.

EVERY other team has had to deal with this since 1996. The Yankees haven't. Sure there were an exception for a season or two elsewhere.

Eric Gagne had that great 2003. Brad Lidge had the perfect 2008. Keith Foulke was amazing in 2004. Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner had a few dominating seasons.

But eventually they broke down.
Year in and year out, the Yankees and their fans never dealt with this.

Robertson had one shaky save yesterday and blew the save tonight.
He'll save a few and blow a few.

You know, like "Non Rivera" closers tend to pitch.

Brace yourself, Yankee fans.
And welcome to the club.


 

Matt Filippi joins the Sully Baseball Show to talk about Mariano Rivera

 

Monday Night Around the Majors/The Sully Baseball Show 05/07 by Seamheads | Blog Talk Radio

I was expecting a nice calm podcast this week until Mariano Rivera's career went into flux.
I had to bring a Yankee voice on the show and I have a good one.

Matt Filippi, fellow Hardball Times writer and the editor in chief of the terrific Yankee blog "The Stirring Straw" came onto the show... and we didn't always agree.

It is on the second hour of the Seamheads Tuesday night block.

Listen to internet radio with Seamheads on Blog Talk Radio

Maybe the Mayans were just talking about Mariano Rivera

It makes a lot of sense and takes the pressure off of the rest of us.

Still doesn't help Yankee fans any.

 

Rivera's understudy will be tested in October

Let's get one thing out of the way. NOBODY is replacing Mariano Rivera. Not David Robertson. Not anyone. Someone else will close games for the Yankees in 2012, but they won't be his REPLACEMENT.

50 some odd innings in a season isn't hard to replace.
Nor is it hard to find someone to secure 30 some odd saves a year. Hell, Kevin Gregg did that year in and year out and teams couldn't wait to dump him. If your ERA is around 4, then most times you pitch an inning with your team up by 3 or fewer runs, you'll keep the team from taking the lead. Do that 30 times and boom, you have big save totals.

But Rivera had a quality that can't be put into numbers.
Watch teams in the 8th inning against the Yankees in a close game.

Teams HAD to score in the 8th to tie it because they knew that Rivera wasn't going to lose it.

He was a difference making closer, that most rare of commodities.

But as we know, that isn't where Yankees are judged.
A great regular season can be totally nullified by a bad post season. Ask A-Rod who won 2 MVP titles but was showered by boos in both those years when his bat went AWOL in October.

And likewise a memorable post season can redeem a mediocre regular season.

El Duque Hernandez rarely put up great regular season numbers but came up big in October. Aaron Boone and Luis Sojo were marginal players in the Bronx but drove in Series winning runs and will always be considered to be Yankee heroes.

Rivera, whose regular season accomplishments had no equal, somehow was better in October.
8-1 record.
Lowest ERA in post season history (0.70) and had went 42 for 47 in post season save chances. Throw in two post season MVPS and more World Series clinched than anyone in history and you have almost a perfect resume.

Think of that. He blew 5 leads in 32 different post season series.

You think David Robertson, a talent pitcher to be sure, will come anywhere close to that?
You think Yankee fans, who have been spoiled to accept not only October appearances but also success in the 9th inning, will adjust well than a slammed door in the 9th?

Even if Robertson saves 40 games between now and the end of September, it can all be thrown in the dumpster with one bad inning in October.

No pressure.

 

Rivera says he will return in 2013. Why?

I understand there must be great disappointment felt by Mariano Rivera that his career, the likes of which have never been seen by a reliever, would end so abruptly and in such an anticlimactic way.

He was supposed to throw his last pitch in October, not finish his career tripping before a Kansas City game in May.

So he said with great bravado that he will come back, at age 43, from an ACL injury.

I don't mean to be a jerk, and I have no reason to doubt Mariano's sincerity. But why?
What for?
What would be the purpose of coming back?

Most All Star relievers flame out after 5 or 6 seasons. Very few remain oustanding for a decade.
Rivera went from 1996, when he was the set up man for John Wetteland to last year as an elite and dominating force from the bullpen.

He has more saves than anyone in history, has clinched more post season series than anyone and is widely considered to be the greatest reliever in baseball history.

His post season stats are super human and his regular season dominance has made him peerless.

So what exactly does he have to prove?
What milestone needs to be met?

All Individual marks have been achieved.
And the elusive title to redeem the failures in 2001 and 2004 came in 2009. That year every other closer for every other playoff team lost a critical game in the post season, except Rivera who was on the mound to clinch number 27.

It can't be money. He's earned over $140 million in his career.

Is it because he wanted a send off worthy of his career?

Other great relievers didn't have the dramatic ending either.

Rich Gossage was also 42 in 1994. He had bounced around between 1998 and 1994, even going to Japan. He got a 3 inning save on August 8, 1994 for the Mariners in Texas. The players went on strike that week and Gossage never pitched another game. His career ended on the picket line.

At age 38, Rollie Fingers pitched his last game on September 17, 1985. It was a meaningless game between Baltimore and Milwaukee. Fingers faced two batters. One of them, Gary Roenicke, homered. After striking out Rick Dempsey, he never pitched again.

So what is it?

I'll tell you what it is.
It's the Yankee culture.

The Yankees can't let go. The Yankees organization, their fans, the players, the bat boys... nobody can let go of the past and they can't ever say good bye.

I've written about this before and even created a 25 man roster to illustrate my point, but the recent Yankee years have been a parade of former players having curtain calls and coming back two or even three times.

The Yankees are addicted to the rush of bringing a hero back either from injury, retirement or exile on another team. And part of that sensation is the assumption that when the player comes back, it will be just like old times.

Remember Billy Martin returning during an Old Timers Day in 1979... then in 1983... and 1985... and 1988.

Remember Clemens in the suite? Or the return of Tino?

Or now having Andy Pettitte prepare for his third tour of duty with the Yankees (once he gets out of his suit he had to wear to court.)

Of course Rivera is going to come back. That's the Yankee script. It makes no sense for him to come back. He owes the Yankees, their fans and baseball absolutely nothing. And in a way, if he comes back a shell of his former self, he would have been better off not coming back at all.

And Yankee fans will never admit the POSSIBILITY that Rivera would be anything less than a Hall of Famer in his inevitable return.

Mr. Rivera, you have nothing left to prove and save for that initial standing ovation you will get when Enter Sandman plays one more time.

Your career already has a fabulous ending: The speech at Cooperstown.
Isn't that better than an ill advised comeback?



 

My Latest for Bleacher Report: In an Alternate Universe, Joba Chamberlain Is Taking over for Mariano Rivera

In my latest article for Bleacher Report, I pondered what would have happened if the Yankees had been grooming Joba Chamberlain this whole time to be the closer in waiting.

He'd look pretty good... better than a guy sitting in the trainers room.

You can read the article HERE.
 

Culture shock for any Yankee fan under 25 years old

If you take my formula that you don't really start following a baseball team until you are 7 or 8 years old, the potential end of Mariano Rivera's remarkable 18 year career will be staggering.

That means if you are a Yankee fan 25 years old or younger, you have no memory of a Yankee team without either Wetteland or Rivera as the closer.

Yankee fans 23 years old or younger realistically don't remember a Yankee closer other than Rivera.

A Yankee fan could be born, go through elementary school, Junior High, High School, college and work for a year and all the while never experienced the like of Steve Howe, Steve Farr or Lee Guetterman blowing ballgames.

It will be culture shock.
Every other team with the exception of the Padres had great turnover in the closer department.
And even Trevor Hoffman, with all of his saves and his wonderful career, came up small time and time again in big games.

Rivera it was automatic.
It wasn't fair.

He was in the game and it was over.
When he lost a game it was shocking.

With other good closers, it wasn't shocking. Even some great ones.
Lee Smith, John Franco, Jeff Reardon, Tom Henke, Todd Jones, Francisco Rodriguez, etc etc etc. All good at their jobs. But if they blew a game, you wouldn't have gasped.

When Rivera had a rare meltdown, it seemed like time had stopped.

Two of the greatest baseball moments of the last 20 years have been the final game of the 2001 World Series and the Red Sox comeback in 2004. Both times they were startling because Rivera had failed.

And THAT is going to be what young Yankee fans won't understand.
The 9th inning will more likely than not be closed out by David Robertson. But there will be times he will stumble. And the sense of dread from the other team won't be there. Robertson is a good pitcher, but nobody FEARS him.

There's no sense that his failure would be shocking.

And that is what young Yankee fans have never experienced and older Yankee fans probably have forgotten: failure being a real possibility in the 9th.


 

As of this writing, the Yankees bullpen is as bad as the Red Sox's pen

Wow.
The calendar says it is early April 2012.
But it sure looks like the end of the 2011 season!

The Red Sox lose on a walk off hit and the Yankees get stunned by a come from behind Tampa rally.

The only difference is the Yankees had already clinched on that fateful day last year and Mariano Rivera didn't pitch.

Today, the Rays roughed up both CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera.
Yeah, I know. It is early.

But guess what? If the Yankees finish one game behind the Rays and are forced to play in the one game Wild Card round, they can look back to opening day and say "Man, we could have used that game."

And... stats don't lie... both the Red Sox and Yankees bullpen coughed up a game in the 9th.

At this point, the two teams are equal.

I wonder if Luis Gonzalez remembers this moment

I was watching the MLB Network's count down of the best moments of the 2000s. It was no surprise to me that the #1 moment was the Diamondback's comeback win in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the 2001 World Series.

No matter what team you were rooting for, it was an unforgettable moment.

They showed the clip of Gonzalez leaping in the air.
Then the special cut to Gonzalez in the studio giving his memories of the moment.

What gem did they put into the special?
Gonzalez said "That's something I'll never forget."

Um Luis... we figured that.
I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I was always confident that, barring any brain damage or lobotomy, you would have a pretty clear memory of that hit.

I can't imagine ever sitting down with Luis and having him say to me "Hey Sully... do you remember the 2001 World Series?"

"Yeah, Luis. I remember it. You guys were playing the Yankees. It was post September 11th and everything."

"I thought so. How did it end? For the life of me, I can't remember."

"Well Luis you were facing Mariano Rivera and blooped a single over Derek Jeter's head to win one of the great all time moments in the history of baseball."

"I did that?"

"Yes you did."

"Man. I forgot all about that."

If we have that conversation, then it is safe to say dementia has kicked in.
And if your memory is THAT bad, then let me remind you that you were going to give me $1.5 million.

Hats off to Rivera... the greatest closer ever

Mariano Rivera didn't need to pass Trevor Hoffman on the All Time Saves list to take the title of Greatest Closer Ever.

Hoffman, while a fine closer, isn't in Rivera's league.
Only Gossage, Fingers, Wilhelm and Eckersley should be mentioned in Rivera's company. And with no offense to them (nor to Sutter, Quisenberry and Tug McGraw) Mariano is the greatest.

Yeah he doesn't throw the innings that Fingers, Gossage, Lyle or the like threw.
Nobody has done what Rivera does better: Make the 9th inning a foregone conclusion.

And here's the scary thing: Remember when Rickey Henderson passed Lou Brock and declared himself the greatest of all time? We laughed but was he wrong?

Rickey broke Lou Brock's stolen base record when he swiped his 939th base in 1991.
He would play for another 12 seasons and stole 467 more bases.

That's going to be Rivera with saves.
Does he show ANY signs of slowing down?
Is there ANY reason to believe he won't still be an elite closer in 2 or 3 years?

That's why I BEGGED the Red Sox to sign Rivera to a multi year deal last winter.

I have written a lot of positive things about Rivera... a lot considering I am a Red Sox fan.

I drove home the fact that Hoffman is NO Rivera.
I saluted him...
I argued he was the difference over the other playoff teams in 2009....
I argued that he should have won the World Series MVP in 2009...

And I pointed out that if you thought he was overrated then you are an idiot.

Jeter got more fanfare for his 3,000th hit.
Rivera's accomplishment was more muted.

Why?
Because Rivera didn't need it to claim the title of "Best Ever" at what he does.

I can't lie... I wanted this game

Bases loaded... Adrian Gonzalez up... Mariano not looking his best.
ADMIT IT Red Sox fans! You pictured his bases clearing double off the wall in your head.

Oh hell, admit that when you saw it was A. J. Burnett vs. Jon Lester, you put that in the win column.

Do all the rationalization that you want. Point out the Sox are still in First. Point out that they are going to make the playoffs. Point out that the Red Sox have won the season series.

Blah blah blah.
I wanted this game. I wanted the series. I wanted to rub it in the Yankees face.

IT WAS LESTER VS. BURNETT!!!

Argh.

Update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 43

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)
May 1 - 3-2 win against the Mariners. (Ichiro loses a ball in the sun that turns into a 9th inning triple for Lowrie. Crawford singles him home for the win.)
May 8 - 9-5 win against the Twins. (Dice-K lets up 3 runs in the first but settles down as the Red Sox clobber Carl Pavano.)

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

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

August 16 - 3-1 win against Tampa Bay. (Pedroia makes a diving catch in the 9th to help preserve the win.)
August 18 - 4-3 win at Kansas City. (Sox hold on despite having three base runners thrown out by the outfielders.)
August 31 - 9-5 win against the Yankees. (Beckett blows a 4-1 lead but homers by Ellsbury and Varitek put the Sox on top.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 37

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

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picked off, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)
April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)
April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.)
April 29 - 5-4 loss to Mariners. (Bobby Jenks blows a 7th inning lead, wasting 2 Mike Cameron homers.)
April 30 - 2-0 loss to Mariners. (The Sox strand 11 runners and let Milton Bradley double home the go ahead run.)
May 4 - 5-3 loss to Angels. (7 hours with rain delays and stranded runners. Marco Scutaro was thrown out at the plate in the 12th)
May 10 - 7-6 loss in Toronto. (8th and 9th inning heroics, including a homer by Adrian Gonzalez, are undone by a walk off sacrifice fly by David Cooper.)
May 21 - 9-3 loss to Cubs. (Up 3-1 in the 8th inning, the bullpen and defense implode. The Cubs score 8 runs while both teams wear their 1918 uniforms.)
May 23- 3-2 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox blow a 2-1 8th inning lead when the Indians rally with 2 outs. Crawford ends the game on a double play.)
May 29 - 3-0 loss in Detroit. (Verlander keeps the Sox off base and prevents the sweep.)
June 1 - 7-4 loss to White Sox. (Konerko drives in three, spoiling a game tying Ortiz homer.)

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

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

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

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

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

August 4 - 7-3 loss to Cleveland. (Carlos Santana's homer broke a 3-3 tie.)
August 5 - 3-2 loss to the Yankees. (The Sox leave the bases loaded in the 5th and the Yankees score 3 in the 6th to take the lead.)
August 10 - 5-2 in Minnesota. (The Twins score 3 in the 8th, spoiling Ortiz's game tying homer.)
August 13 - 5-4 loss in Seattle. (Mariners score 5 in the first and the Red Sox come back falls short.)
August 14 - 5-3 loss in Seattle. (The Red Sox comeback falls short as Wakefield loses a complete game).

August 16 - 6-2 loss against Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox pull a triple play but a late rally by the Rays puts the game out of reach.)

August 21 - 9-4 loss at Kansas City. (The Royals' 8 run 6th spoils a 4-1 Sox lead and Wakefield's bid to win 200 games.)
August 30 - 5-2 loss to the Yankees. (Sabathia finally beats the Sox and Cervelli's homer sparks bean balls.)
September 1 - 4-2 loss to the Yankees. (Russell Martin's 2 run double in the 7th put the Yankees on top for good. Rivera struck out Gonzalez with the bases loaded to end the game.)

Down to +6.

Take care of business with the Rangers.
And between you and me... I'd rather not play the Yankees in October.

10 Reasons why the New York Yankees winning the 2011 World Series would be good for baseball

In the second of my series of Why Each Team's Potential World Championship Would Be Good For The Game, I decided to tackle the toughest one and get it out of the way.

Yup. The Yankees. The team that is so universally hated and such a short hand for being the bad guys in baseball that even the enemy little league team in The Bad New Bears was called The Yankees!

And yet the Yankees are the most popular team, get the highest ratings and, oh yes, play in the biggest media market in the country. So SOMEONE must like them!

So as painful as it may be for the Red Sox fan, I have found 10 reasons. Now excuse me as I hold my nose as I type this.

10 Reasons why the
New York Yankees
winning the 2011 World Series
would be good for baseball

1. It is IMPOSSIBLE to not like Curtis Granderson

Trust me, I've tried. I try to hate EVERYONE on the Yankees. But there is something about Granderson that is just appealing.

He is respectful of the past, good in the community, clever in interviews (and will be a terrific broadcaster) and plays the game all out.

If anyone understands the Yankee tradition and where being on a championship Yankee team would mean, it is Granderson.

It's tough to root for a Yankee... but it is easy to root for Granderson.

2. A 6th Ring for Derek Jeter... and its repercussions

There will soon be a big and ugly showdown over Derek Jeter's playing time in New York. And 6 rings for Jeter will make the Jorge Posada controversy look like two people having a friendly cup of coffee together.

Can you IMAGINE the refrains from Jeter's followers if he gets benched (as most shortstops in their late 30s do)?

"He has as many rings as Jordan!"
"He has led the Yankees to World Series titles in three different decades!"
"How can you sit him?"

It might be worth sitting through a Yankee World Series parade just to see that happen.


3. Watching Girardi and Posada interact in the World Series celebration

The second worst kept secret in baseball* is the tense relationship between manager Joe Girardi and one time catcher Jorge Posada.

Posada took Girardi's job as a player and Girardi is benching Posada as the manager. And Posada, a DH who can't hit, has no power nor speed, is peeved that he *GASP* isn't playing full time.

Posada probably would be reduced to "token pinch hitting role in a blow out" this post season. That is if Posada doesn't have ANOTHER hissy fit and quit on the team again.

Would they even nod to each other in a World Series celebration?

(*The worst kept secret in baseball is the whole Kevin Costner/Cal Ripken/Cal Ripken's wife thing.)


4. It will be interesting to see how A-Rod will come out badly in after a Yankees Championship

I am telling you... A-Rod could come back from his injuries, launch a few bombs down the stretch, get a walk off shot in the Division Series, win ALCS MVP and bat .500 in a Yankees World Series victory and there will STILL be someone writing about how much he sucks.

There will be SOMETHING he does... he won't use enough pine tar. He'll foul off one too many pitches. He won't look intense when the cameras cut away to him during the game. He will actually make an out. And THAT will be what people will focus on.

And he will respond to it stupidly in a press conference.

He will never win no matter how often he DOES win!


5. A ring for Eric Chavez

Of all of Oakland's stars in the 2000s, only one of them signed a contract extension to stick around the East Bay. That would be Chavez as Giambi, Tejada, Zito, Mulder, Hudson, Damon etc all left for more green, Chavez stuck around and WORE green.

He put in 12+ seasons in Oakland but broke down and signed as an afterthought with the Yankees. He has comeback and become a valuable left handed bat and substitute for the injured A-Rod. The 6 Time Gold Glove winner deserves some jewelry.



6. It will be interesting to see who could criticize Mariano Rivera after another title

He's going to be the all time saves leader. When he became a closer, Dennis Eckersley was still compiling saves and being among the league leaders. Eck is already in the Hall of Fame.

The only way to make an analogy of Mariano's greatness is with one of Eckersley's teammates, Rickey Henderson. When he passed Lou Brock in all stolen base categories and then kept going for another decade, it was clear that we were seeing the kind of player that we may never see again.

If Rivera clinches ANOTHER World Series? And continues to pile up the saves and the super human post season numbers? How could anyone criticize him?

(Oh there will be SOME moron who will.)


7. The aftermath of Multiple Rings for A. J. Burnett

Yankee fans tend to find a players worth the same way you determine the age of a tree: Count the rings!

Was Jeter better than A-Rod? Was DiMaggio better than Williams? Was Mantle better than Mays? The refrain from Yankee fans is always "Who won more rings?"

Well imagine this scenario... A. J. Burnett with two World Series rings and Don Mattingly with zero. Who was the better Yankee? I just counted the rings.

If Burnett wins another, he will have matched the combined total of Mattingly and Thurman Munson. Who was the better Yankee?

Do rings lie?


8. Cashman would leave right after a Yankee title and a bizarre chain reaction would begin

There have been rumblings that Cashman wants out of the Yankees front office. His bizarre press conference after the Rafael Soriano signing showed he wasn't 100% happy with the direction of the club. If the Yankees win again, he gets to leave on top.

And no doubt he would get a new gig to show he wasn't just the beneficiary of the deep Yankee pockets. That's when Brian Cashman will get a very rude awakening in the off season.

"What do you MEAN we can't sign Pujols, Heath Bell AND C. J. Wilson? Just sign them. It's only money!"

"Wait a second. What exactly is a salary dump? I have heard that term before but I never understood what it was."

"Wait, you actually expect your prospects to PLAY? They are just trade bait!"

Meanwhile whichever poor S.O.B. who takes over the Yankee GM job is in for the worst time of their life. Any bad decision they make would have the "Cashman wouldn't have done that label" and anything positive would just be chalked up to "Well they are the YANKEES. ANYONE could be GM."

If Cashman fails elsewhere, it would all but confirm that.
And before long Cashman will be hired back... and fired... then rehired... lather... rinse... repeat.


9. It would give Hal and Hank Steinbrenner some teeth.


Let's face it. Hal and Hank have been a big let down. Their dad was amazing and possibly insane and made hating the Yankees a real national obsession. So when he passed away (with his team the defending champs) the baton was passed to the calculating Hal and the passionate Hank.

It looked like Michael and Sonny were running the team.
Instead it is more like Carlo and Fredo. (If I have to explain any of those names, then I feel badly for you.)

What would make this dynamic work better? A championship of their own! And once Cashman is out (kind of like when Tessio got whacked) they can scream at each other for the direction of the team.

And the two of them could claim THEY were the reason the 2011 title was won and bicker for the next 30 years. The headlines that would create would be worth one Yankee title!


10. Sometimes the Empire needs to Strike Back!

OK enough Godfather references. I need to make some Star Wars analogies here.

What made the original Star Wars movies better than the new ones? Among all the reasons you can come up with, the best answer I would say is that the bad guys were really awesome in the original ones and COULD win.

The prequels had vague villains. Phantom Menaces. Scheming about tax routes. Robots who could all be shut down by one ship blowing up. I don't even KNOW what they were fighting about in Episode 2.

But in the original Star Wars movies? Right from the start when Vader's Star Destroyer dwarfed Leia's ship you saw the Empire meant business. And sometimes the Empire is going to win. Ask the folks on Alderaan. Ask the Rebels squashed by the walkers on Hoth. Ask the pilots flying the rebel cruisers around the new Death Star in Jedi.

The times when the Yankees have been bad or not really championship quality, interest in baseball dipped. The A's, Pirates, Braves and Blue Jays just don't make for compelling bad guys!

So yeah, just like watching Duke win in basketball, or the Lakers or the Cowboys winning a title, having the big bad bully win from time to time gets everyone pumped up to BEAT THEM NEXT YEAR!

And Yankee fans who might be offended by the Empire analogy, ask yourself. Who would you rather dress up as at Halloween? A Stormtrooper or a Rebel Pilot? Count all the Darth Vaders on October 31 and compare that tally to all the Luke Skywalkers.

It's cool to be the Empire.


I am not going to lie to you. That was tough to write. But I needed to get this one out of the way. And I also know that when I write the Red Sox one, people will say "I bet you would NEVER write one about the YANKEES!"

And I would be able to say "I wrote the Yankees one BEFORE the Red Sox one."
It is a preemptive strike against my critics.

If you liked this then go ahead and read the entries for the other teams.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

It is fun to see Mariano Rivera fail

I have nothing personally against Mariano Rivera, but as a Red Sox fan it is special to see him lose.

Why?

Because with as incredible he has been since Clinton was up for reelection that ANY loss by Rivera seems like a shift in the time space continuum has occurred.

And it is also a reminder of that awkward moment that will EVENTUALLY happen to Yankee fans. At one point Mariano Rivera will not be the closer. And for the first time in decades Yankee fans will have to endure what all other 29 franchises had to deal with at one point or another:

The 9th inning NOT being a forgone conclusion.

And oh yeah, any time the Yankees lose a game that looked like it was in the bank... let's face it. That is a beautiful thing.

Rallying against Rivera while talking to the cable company

The Red Sox just couldn't score... no matter how many runners they put in scoring position and no matter how many pitchers were on the ropes. The Sox were going to face Rivera in the 9th.

And my wife asked me to make sure that our HBO was activated in time for True Blood.

So in a one run game at Fenway, I was on hold with Time Warner Cable.
What did it matter? The Sox were going to lose.

I finally got hold of a human being as the bottom of the 9th began.
I began talking with the operator, giving her my account information, when I saw Marco Scutaro launch a double off of the wall.

Now I can't bellow or scream with an operator on the phone. So I jumped up and started pumping my fists while giving the last 4 of my social.

After Ellsbury's bunt I was literally jumping up and down while calmly making my requests.
Pedroia came up. Tying run on third.

"Can you please change the channel to check if it is on?"

I wanted to scream "ARE YOU CRAZY! PEDROIA CAN TIE IT UP!!!"

I quickly flipped. True Blood was on. And back in time to see Pedroia launch a game tying sacrifice fly.

Fist pumping in the air, she asked "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Yeah, you can push one more run across !"
"Excuse me sir?"
"Thank you."

Then, with the Red Sox in extra innings, they scored the winning run in time for my wife to watch her show.''

So yeah, the Sox won the game and the series... a victory they just couldn't put on hold.

Time to update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 37

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)
May 1 - 3-2 win against the Mariners. (Ichiro loses a ball in the sun that turns into a 9th inning triple for Lowrie. Crawford singles him home for the win.)
May 8 - 9-5 win against the Twins. (Dice-K lets up 3 runs in the first but settles down as the Red Sox clobber Carl Pavano.)

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

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

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 29

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

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picked off, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)
April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)
April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.)
April 29 - 5-4 loss to Mariners. (Bobby Jenks blows a 7th inning lead, wasting 2 Mike Cameron homers.)
April 30 - 2-0 loss to Mariners. (The Sox strand 11 runners and let Milton Bradley double home the go ahead run.)
May 4 - 5-3 loss to Angels. (7 hours with rain delays and stranded runners. Marco Scutaro was thrown out at the plate in the 12th)
May 10 - 7-6 loss in Toronto. (8th and 9th inning heroics, including a homer by Adrian Gonzalez, are undone by a walk off sacrifice fly by David Cooper.)
May 21 - 9-3 loss to Cubs. (Up 3-1 in the 8th inning, the bullpen and defense implode. The Cubs score 8 runs while both teams wear their 1918 uniforms.)
May 23- 3-2 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox blow a 2-1 8th inning lead when the Indians rally with 2 outs. Crawford ends the game on a double play.)
May 29 - 3-0 loss in Detroit. (Verlander keeps the Sox off base and prevents the sweep.)
June 1 - 7-4 loss to White Sox. (Konerko drives in three, spoiling a game tying Ortiz homer.)

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

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

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

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

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

August 4 - 7-3 loss to Cleveland. (Carlos Santana's homer broke a 3-3 tie.)
August 5 - 3-2 loss to the Yankees. (The Sox leave the bases loaded in the 5th and the Yankees score 3 in the 6th to take the lead.)

Up to +8.

And oh yeah... no small detail... THAT'S THE SEASON SERIES!!!!!!

More on that later.

If you think Mariano Rivera is overrated, then you are an idiot

Seriously.
It's a good litmus test. If you ever have wondered to yourself "Hmmm. I wonder if I am an idiot" just ask yourself "Do I think that Mariano Rivera is overrated?"

If the answer is "Yes" then congratulations. You are a buffoon.

Mariano Rivera is the single biggest reason the Yankees have remained dominant over the years, even if their team has fluctuated in quality.

Tonight was a prime example.
It was a 1 run game between the Red Sox and Yankees. The Sox got a man on first. The winning run was at the plate.

Fenway had the energy of being down 7-0. The game was over.
If the Red Sox had won that game it would have been a damn miracle. As in "Call the Pope, I think this can go towards making someone a saint" territory.

Who else can have the tying run at first on with 1 out and have there be no tension?
Who?

Not Bryan Wilson. Not Jonathan Papelbon. Not Heath Bell. Nobody. They are all terrific closers who flame out from time to time.

With Rivera, the game doesn't seem fair. And he's been doing it forever.

Think of all the closers who have flamed out since his arrival.
You see Keith Foulke pitching anytime soon? Tom Gordon? Billy Koch? Eric Gagne? Chad Cordero?

Rivera keeps pitching on.
Using my "You don't start following a team until you are 7 years old" rule, there are 21 year old Yankee fans with no memory of a closer other than Rivera closing out games for the Yankees. And that DOESN'T include the years he was setting up John Wetteland.

One reason why the Yankees have such confidence is they don't sweat the 9th inning. They know it is a done deal.

It's funny, the starting pitcher tonight for the Yankees was Bartolo Colon, who won the Cy Young Award in 2005.

Colon didn't deserve it. It belonged to Rivera. I argued that year that Rivera should have won the Cy Young AND MVP.

But Sully! How can someone who only pitched 78 1/3 innings be the Cy Young winner and MVP?

Ahhh... the idiot refrain. Like the absurdity of pitch counts that assume all pitches are created equal and wear down the arm identically, the low inning count argument also assumes all innings are created equal.

They aren't.

What are the innings that Mariano Rivera pitches?
The last one.
In close games.

The ones if he fails, the game is over and his team loses.
(A worry that 21 year old Yankee fans never had to really deal with.)

In 2005 the Yankees had a mediocre starting staff and shaky middle relief. But they knew that if they out slugged the other team, they just needed to hand Rivera a lead and the game was over.

If the Yankees had merely an excellent closer that year, they would have missed the post season.
They needed a super human one. That's why I felt he was the MVP.

And not all losses are created equal. The games that are within grasp of victory that slip away can pile up on a team. They can linger. And they can haunt a club. And that has been rarely a factor for the Yankees.

Ask yourself, what are the two most stunning baseball victories in the past decade? They would be the Diamondbacks beating Rivera in 2001 and the Red Sox beating Rivera in 2004. They were stunning because of how infallible Rivera was on the mound.

Was the Marlins beating Jose Mesa as stunning in 1997?
Or the Yankees topping Mark Wohlers or Trevor Hoffman or Armando Benitez?
How about the Angels defeating Robb Nen or the White Sox besting Brad Lidge?

If the Blue Jays DIDN'T beat Mitch Williams in 1993 it would have been stunning.

Closers can be overrated for sure.
Saves are certainly overused.

But Rivera?
He's unique. He's extraordinary. And he is showing no signs of slowing down.

Remember when Joba was going to be his successor?
Rivera is going to keep pitching long after Joba throws his last pitch.

He makes games an 8 inning affair.

He is incredible.
And if you say otherwise, you are an idiot.

Time to update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 36

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)
May 1 - 3-2 win against the Mariners. (Ichiro loses a ball in the sun that turns into a 9th inning triple for Lowrie. Crawford singles him home for the win.)
May 8 - 9-5 win against the Twins. (Dice-K lets up 3 runs in the first but settles down as the Red Sox clobber Carl Pavano.)

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

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

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 29

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

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picked off, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)
April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)
April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.)
April 29 - 5-4 loss to Mariners. (Bobby Jenks blows a 7th inning lead, wasting 2 Mike Cameron homers.)
April 30 - 2-0 loss to Mariners. (The Sox strand 11 runners and let Milton Bradley double home the go ahead run.)
May 4 - 5-3 loss to Angels. (7 hours with rain delays and stranded runners. Marco Scutaro was thrown out at the plate in the 12th)
May 10 - 7-6 loss in Toronto. (8th and 9th inning heroics, including a homer by Adrian Gonzalez, are undone by a walk off sacrifice fly by David Cooper.)
May 21 - 9-3 loss to Cubs. (Up 3-1 in the 8th inning, the bullpen and defense implode. The Cubs score 8 runs while both teams wear their 1918 uniforms.)
May 23- 3-2 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox blow a 2-1 8th inning lead when the Indians rally with 2 outs. Crawford ends the game on a double play.)
May 29 - 3-0 loss in Detroit. (Verlander keeps the Sox off base and prevents the sweep.)
June 1 - 7-4 loss to White Sox. (Konerko drives in three, spoiling a game tying Ortiz homer.)

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

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

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

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

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

August 4 - 7-3 loss to Cleveland. (Carlos Santana's homer broke a 3-3 tie.)
August 5 - 3-2 loss to the Yankees. (The Sox leave the bases loaded in the 5th and the Yankees score 3 in the 6th to take the lead.)

Down to +6

And of course fallen from first place.

Let's hope the Sox take the lead early this afternoon and never have to face Rivera.

And if you have to ask "Why not face Rivera?" then thou art an idiot.