tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102591722026-05-18T04:21:21.571-04:00Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904419302875420207noreply@blogger.comBlogger1241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-77030076681842410352011-02-17T11:23:00.003-05:002011-02-17T12:58:25.774-05:00

Jon Lester has a plan for 2011: he told the Globe so when they asked him earlier today. It seems he wants to reduce his walk totals, because he's worried by throwing extra pitches, he's shortening his starts and wearing down the bullpen. What a hell of a guy. As the article points out, he's got a bit of a point: Lester gave up 19 more walks than he did in 2009 in the same number of starts.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904419302875420207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-11593994665803560632011-02-15T11:57:00.004-05:002011-02-15T12:25:38.757-05:00

Twitter tricked me into reading Shaughnessy's column this morning, but I'm glad I did so: it gave me the opportunity to foam at the mouth for a few minutes for absolutely no reason. This week's installment is on John Lackey, who's returned from off-season workouts on the treadmill eleven pounds lighter. He claims to have done so while watching SportsCenter, so I can only imagine some of that

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904419302875420207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-33371948627268313282011-02-08T10:17:00.004-05:002011-02-08T10:41:55.790-05:00

The weather has tamped down on its more homicidal tendencies, it's approaching mid-February, and I'm blogging again: a confluence of forces that can only signal the return of Truck Day. The dismemberment of the Rays, the acquisitions of Gonzalez and Crawford, and the visible weakening of the Yankees starting staff - seriously, they have Sergio Mitre listed as their number 5 starter -

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904419302875420207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-816626307652827702010-09-27T12:54:00.000-04:002010-09-27T12:54:52.250-04:00

Damn you, bullpen. Damn you, Theo. Another impressive fight to win squandered by Papelbon and Oki last night in the Bronx killed whatever microscopic hope for making a wild card berth this year. Kalish and Hall steal a total of 4 bases on the best closer ever in the 9th and Mikey Lowell hits a sac fly to take the lead! That was awesome. But it was short lived. Papelbon gives it right back. Oki

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-16837435030984334862010-08-16T11:38:00.001-04:002010-08-16T11:41:57.724-04:00

Don't tell me you cannot compare bullpens in the National League to the American. Sure, there is the the DH in the AL, and there is that virtually-automatic out with the pitcher in the NL, so in theory it should be harder for the AL and the NL would dominate the bullpen rankings. Not so fast. Half of the top 10 bullpens by ERA in the entire major leagues are from the AL. That's right. AL pens

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-61458986971557745792010-08-04T11:00:00.001-04:002010-08-04T11:23:28.797-04:00

Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuk... is now on the DL. So is Mike Cameron (but he can stay there for the rest of the year). That's right. The number 4 hitter. Our clean up guy. The most consistent hitter. The "soul" to Pedroia's "heart" of the team--Kevin Youkilis--is on the 15 day disabled list with a torn thumb muscle and may need surgery. The team is seeking a second medical opinion,

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-1366634003382736482010-07-27T18:14:00.004-04:002010-07-27T18:24:15.943-04:00

Recent history with Theo (as Gordon Edes of ESPN deftly points out) tells us he will do everything he can to get a quality reliever either at the deadline or during the August waiver period. Edes gives a very nice timeline back to 2003 of all the key relief pitching moves Epstein has made in his Sox tenure--many that were crucial pieces of playoff and World Series-winning teams--and moves that

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-64010734179774923942010-07-23T13:55:00.002-04:002010-07-23T13:58:31.245-04:00

Josh Beckett's return tonight against the Mariners is going to be watched with trepidation and curiosity. In my mind, I'm looking for one major thing: Can he throw his curveball 12 to 6 with downward, swing-and-miss tilt? If he lives on the fastball alone this summer is going to get a whole lot worse for this team than it already is... It's not as if the entire season is in the hands of one guy

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-5321500213299878712010-07-19T14:04:00.000-04:002010-07-19T14:04:18.799-04:00

Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo ranked number 4 out of 5 in the GQ list of the best and worst broadcasters in baseball. They were on the best side, and according to Orsillo and Remy on a recent broadcast, ranked the best in the AL. I think they are hilarious and the most interesting duo to watch because you never know when they will go off an a tangent and start laughing their collective asses off,

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-27017273902846695662010-07-19T13:22:00.000-04:002010-07-19T13:22:56.303-04:00

If you've talked to me over IM or in person about the current state of the Red Sox right now I would probably tell you in all seriousness "I expect them to be about 9 games back by next week." Where I once saw resiliency, I now see strikeouts;  Where I once saw a laser show, I now see a fading, fizzling ball of barely-flickering gas. Losing three of four at home after the All-Star Break to

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-12442577777709869022010-06-28T14:15:00.004-04:002010-06-28T14:58:03.523-04:00

Don and I were talking Sox earlier today, and after commiserating on the poor state of the team in the past few days - a shifting cast of characters in the outfield, an infield now rife with injuries, and a bullpen when key guys like Ramirez, Okajima, and Papelbon have stopped performing - we finally found a bright spot: Daniel Bard. As it turns out, not only has Bard felt like a rock this year,

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904419302875420207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-79837448107696440352010-06-27T12:39:00.000-04:002010-06-27T12:39:18.169-04:00

Resiliency is about to get ludicrously challenged. Friday: Pedroia fouls a Jonathan Sanchez pitch off a bone of his foot and lands on the 15-day DL. Despite whatever positive spin you might be hearing, Lil' Shit is on crutches and cannot put pressure on his left foot. Don't expect him back until mid-August. Maybe even September. By then, Sox could very much be out of the playoff picture. Sox

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-28105129977387138082010-06-22T12:39:00.000-04:002010-06-22T12:39:18.289-04:00

This was auctioned off in 2004 for charity, so we're way late to the game, but who cares? This is so unbelievably awesome. If you want to see close ups and a ton of angles of Fenway Park in Lego splendor, check out the full range of thumbnails here. Thanks to my brother-in-law for finding this at Uniwatch.

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-1284532344825517752010-06-22T10:35:00.002-04:002010-06-22T10:40:38.045-04:00

The Red Sox are leading THE MAJORS or are right behind the leader in plethora of offensive categories  right now. Yeh, you heard me right: The entire major league. Don't believe me? Take a look at the numbahs: #1 in Hits with 689 (Number 2? The Kansas City Royals; I know, it's totally crazy) #1 in Doubles with 174 #1 in RBI with 373 #1 in Runs with 390 #1 in Total Bases with 1158 #2 in

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-56498372247837693732010-06-18T16:03:00.003-04:002010-06-18T16:19:12.737-04:00

We're midway through June in the year of our Lord 2010 and the Boston Redsox are 2 games behind the 2 best teams in baseball. By winning percentage as of today (.588), the team that plays in Fenway is the third best team in all of baseball. Woo hoo! Give us a bronze medal! We got plenty of problems with the pitching staff and injuries, but I guess there is one interesting thing to say about how

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-30592435742828269042010-06-10T10:56:00.004-04:002010-06-10T11:34:05.567-04:00

It's the eighth inning. You're down by three runs to an Indians team whose pitching staff boasts an ERA+ of 87, the worst (by a mere two points!) in the American League. Who do you bring in to keep the game close while waiting for your offense to wake up? Might it be...The Boof?Not that the Sox had much choice: Bonser was out of rehab assignment time and had to be activated, Papelbon is out on

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904419302875420207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-53147059975146085132010-05-28T15:05:00.002-04:002010-05-28T15:31:11.886-04:00

If I were a superstitious man, I would say that the probability of success in Dice-K's most recent starts is inversely proportional to whether or not I start him in my fantasy baseball line up. I put him in against the Yankees, and he gave up seven earned runs on nine hits in four and 2/3rds innings. I benched him against Philly - logically, I thought, given the team - and he came close to

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904419302875420207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-35840221700421551752010-05-25T15:34:00.006-04:002010-05-25T16:18:50.370-04:00

Don't look now, but the Sox have finally started to click since I wrote that half-facetious post last Wednesday, beating the Twins twice at Fenway before going back on the road to take two of three from Philly and the first of three from scary-good Tampa Bay. Over those six games the offense has remained efficient if not overwhelmingly scary, converting about 42% of the baserunners into runs

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904419302875420207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-68574080127283020232010-05-19T18:52:00.003-04:002010-05-19T19:14:38.977-04:00

I still can't quite believe we made it through that road trip with a 2 and 3 record. I mean that in a positive way, too: the Sox faced a pretty good Tigers team and an excellent group of Yankees and still managed to win two games out of five. In fact, that record doesn't tell the whole story: subtract a hit from Manny Delcarmen's line on Saturday and two from Papelbon's total on Tuesday and

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904419302875420207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-1072891958818112282010-05-18T16:27:00.001-04:002010-05-18T16:35:00.263-04:00

It's not like the Red Sox are going to sign the current closer to a big contract next year simply based on his performance against one team, right? Well, I would not count on it. John Henry, Larry Lucchino and company are not big fans of that team from the Bronx (remember...they dubbed the Steinbrenner's obsession with winning as the "evil empire"). But when it comes to Jonathan Papelbon, the

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-40072378527517330832010-05-18T10:23:00.004-04:002010-05-18T12:21:07.166-04:00

This team is bipolar. When the starting pitching is going bad, the offense has the ability to fight back and scrap together runs and compete (case in point: last night's game). When the starting pitching is going well, the bullpen can implode rapidly. Last night was an insane back and forth of polarized emotional states. It was all of this wrapped up in the highs of mania and lows of crushing

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-30957484725479406082010-05-16T12:47:00.001-04:002010-05-16T12:50:47.482-04:00

Can you control chaos in baseball pitching? My gut tells me you can, but what the hell do I know from my teak-veneer, living-room table for an office desk. The baseball cliche "you are only as good as the team you put out there" is in direct conflict with the idea that you can manage bad pitching when it's happening in front of your face. Francona puts faith in his players and doesn't like to

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-51007687427271602872010-05-13T10:01:00.006-04:002010-05-13T10:50:22.812-04:00

It would have to be Wakefield, wouldn't it? On the day when Timmy Knuckles became one of four active pitchers to achieve 2,000 strikeouts and made an excellent return to the starting role with a quality start (3 runs in 7 innings), the offense was non-supportive: Ortiz got a hit. The Sox came close to scoring at least once, but blew opportunities.I've been mentally assigning these losses to bad

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02904419302875420207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-91553953161378469772010-05-12T11:20:00.002-04:002010-05-25T16:06:38.988-04:00

Most people in New England were probably watching the Celtics make Lebron James look like some below-average corporate league player in Cleveland last night and decided to skip watching Matsuzaka's start at Fenway. Or they were watching Lost.It's too bad because the man-who-wiggles-his-bum-on-the-mound had a very live fastball last night with late movement and swing and miss action.Matsuzaka

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10259172.post-18850832121081163792010-05-11T12:46:00.002-04:002010-05-25T16:07:06.987-04:00

Stirring up unnecessary controversy is not my thing, but I do find the timing of announcing the recent rotation moves with Beckett to be a little fishy. Good fishy, but suspicious nonetheless.Let's be clear: I'm all for the moves. Put the man on the DL if you want to take him out of the pressure and focus on mechanics. The DL is not being openly discussed yet with the media, but I expect it is

Don Searshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800090133528761089noreply@blogger.com