How Sweep It Is!

Believe it or not I actually do have a social life to attend to once in a great while.  Because of the social life, I was unable to post about the games over the weekend.  In case you missed it (and I doubt you did) here is a mini recap of the weekend.  And what a great weekend it was for Boston sports.

Celtics Bust Out Brooms in NY

In Game Three of the first round series between the Celtics and Knicks, the only competition on the court was between Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in who could hit the most three pointers and have the most points.  Pierce had 38 points hitting 6 of his 8 threes and Ray-Ray had 32 points hitting 8 of his eleven threes.  Rajon Rondo was able to run around the court at will and posted a triple double with 15 points 11 rebounds and 20 assists.

Game Four saw the Celtics lead throughout the game before putting on the finishing touches on a 101-89 victory being the only team in the NBA to sweep the first round this year.  Garnett led the way in Game 4 with 26 points and 10 rebounds.  If you missed either of these two games, you didn’t miss much as the Celtics dominated right from the opening tap to the final buzzer.

In hindsight this series ended when Chauncey Billups went down with a knee injury at the end of Game 1.  Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudimire never looked to be on the same page.  Toney Douglas was no match for Rajon Rondo.  Landry Fields laid perhaps the biggest egg in the history of postseason sports.  This was a guy that was a first team all rookie and he stunk the place up in all 4 games.  The Celtics will wait for the Heat to polish off the 76ers before starting round two.  The extra time off will provide the aging roster with some rest and also buy time for Shaq to get healthy.

Horton Hears a Who: Bruins Lead Series 3-2

Nathan Horton scored 11 minutes into the second overtime of Game 5 to put the Bruins one win away from advancing to the second round.  At this time last week, the idea of the Bruins making it out of the opening round was a joke.  But over the last three games they have played with heart and that is all you need to win in playoff hockey.  Michael Ryder continued his great play with the save of his career bailing out an out of position Tim Thomas in the first period of the game.

Speaking of Thomas, the man stood on his head in Game 5 with 44 saves.  Chief among those saves was a vintage Thomas move of sliding across the crease saving a one timer on a 2 on 1 break in overtime.  How he saved that puck, I have no idea.  All I know is the my heart was in my throat.  Radio personality Michael Felger has been asking when Tim Thomas was going to steal a game in the playoffs.  He got his answer with Thomas’ legendary effort in Game 5.

Lastly, how stupid is Max Pacioretty?  The man loves his Twitter account like no other.  This time he took to tweeting a derogatory remark about Brad Marchand’s nose.  Marchand responded by being the third star of the game and playing with as much energy and hustle as anyone could ask for.  Pacioretty has already promoted enough bulletin board material for the Bruins, and he just doesn’t seem to get the message.  There will be nothing better than the Bruins winning the series Tuesday night in Montreal in front of 28,000 screaming Canadien fans.

Sox Shut Down Angels

Daisuke Matsuzaka and John Lackey both shut out the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend combing on 16 innings without giving up a run. The Sox now have a five game winning streak going and are showing everyone they are in fact who everyone thought they were going into the season.  In the last nine games, the starting rotation has an ERA of 0.88.

Carl Crawford also hit his first home run as a member of the Red Sox and has shown signs of coming out of his season opening funk.  Once Crawford gets going, and he will, watch out.  The Red Sox will be unbeatable.  Mark my words. The Red Sox can keep their winning ways going as they will travel to Baltimore and open up a three game set on Tuesday.

All in all it was a great weekend in Boston sports.  Let’s hope the run extends into late June!

I can be followed on Twitter @ ScottieNTCF

Dear John

Dear John,

You may be wondering why the delay in writing you this letter, or you may be wondering why I am writing it in the first place.  See, I wanted to sleep on what I am about to say.  I wanted to try to let a cooler head prevail and not have an emotional reaction to your performance yesterday.  You may be asking yourself “what was wrong with my performance yesterday? I got the W.”  That is my problem with you, John.  In Spring Training, your first comments were, “You know I wasn’t that bad last year.”  You are right.  You were mediocre at best with a 14-11 record and a 4.40 ERA.

I wouldn’t mind that out of a number 4 starter, which is what you are.  But you are the only number 4 starter in the league making $82 million.  Ask anyone around these parts and they will tell you that I always stick up for the athletes around here no matter how bad they may be doing.  Ask Drew Bledsoe.  Go down to JD Drew’s locker and ask him who is always in his corner.  You blew the luxury of having me support you through thick and thin when you come out and say that you aren’t that bad.

John, you are awfully atrocious to put it mildly.  In your eyes you are off to an ok start with a few rough patches.  Hey, you had that ONE inning where you didn’t let anyone score.  Thats right in 8 out of the 9 innings you’ve pitched you’ve allowed at least one run.  15.48? Thats not how many points per game Ray Allen is averaging, John.  That is your earned run average!  Teams are Sha-Lackeying you!  I was at the Rangers game last week.  There were zero ground ball hits.  All their hits left the yard, were scorched to the gaps, or scorched right at people.  You are fooling anyone and you certainly aren’t being victimized by cheap hits.

Then after somehow getting a win yesterday (which the MLB should revisit) you say the game was closer than it appeared?  What does that even mean? See John, this is Boston where fans know their baseball.  They don’t need a monkey jumping up and down on a Jumbotron to tell us to get loud.  We don’t need inflatable sticks to make noise.  We know what is going on and we know when our players aren’t performing at the level they should.

Through 2 games the offense has actually scored 15 runs in games you’ve started.  Have you been able to hold the lead for just one inning? Nope.  Pitching badly is one thing,  (see Beckett, Josh or Matsuzaka, Daisuke) but making lame excuses time and time again and maintaining that you aren’t pitching that badly boggles my mind.

The worst of all this is I have to deal with you for four more years.  The least you can do is get your head out of your ass and start pitching like a man who signed his name to a dotted line one year ago with the understanding that he would EARN his $82 million.

Sincerely Yours,

Scott Patterson

Why?

This post is inspired by JadaKiss.

For the past week, when it came to sports, I found myself asking one question numerous times.  Why? Some of these questions I think I have answers to.  Others I am as baffled by them as I once was with Math.  (Once they started putting letters in it, it really screwed me up).  So here are a few things that have been driving me insane.  If you can answer any of these, please, I beg of you answer them!

But first, out of respect:

Why is Glen Davis getting the ball at the end of games?

Why is Glen Davis getting 10-15 shots a game, mostly jumpers at that?

Why did the Celtics trade for Jeff Green if they aren’t going to play him?

Why did the Red Sox sign The Underbite to a 5 year contract?

Why does Tom Brady have his hair in a pony tail?

Why does Louis Murphy need Viagra?

Why can’t the Celtics stay healthy?

Why did I underestimate Butler two years in a row?

Why is Krista married to The Underbite?

Why is Jared Sullinger staying in school?

Why am I confident the Spurs won’t get to the Western Conference Finals?

Why does ESPN think Blake Griffin is better than Kevin Durant?

Why are the Orioles undefeated?

Why are people paying $250 to see a Charlie Sheen stand up?

Why does Evan Longoria own an AK 47?

Why isn’t Tyler Seguin getting more ice time?

Why is Jarrod Saltalamachhia being blamed for the Red Sox pitching staff giving up 11 home runs to Texas in three games?

Why is Glen Davis playing 30 minutes a game?

Why did I like Glen Davis so much in the first half of the season?

 

Fever Pitch…ing

Amazing! Shocking! Flabbergast-ing?(if thats a word)

All three words could be used when describing the Red Sox off-season moves. 

The Red Sox have no doubt put themselves in position to climb back atop the AL East and they did it in aggressive fashion. Theo and Co. wasted no time targeting the people they wanted, and did whatever it took in getting them.  There was a definite need in this lineup for some pop once Martinez and Beltre left or were assumed gone.  In come Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford.  I don’t have to get into what these two bring to the lineup, that is not my focus.

I really want to look at the pitching of this team, because believe it or not, that is what they needed the most!

In case you don’t believe me, here are some offensive stats for the Red Sox last season. In the true spirit of “the rivalry” I will include the Yankees stats as well.

Rankings reflect both AL and NL:

Batting avg.- Boston 7th  NY- 8th

Slugging% – Boston- 2nd  NY- 4th

On Base%- Boston- 4th  NY- 1st

Stolen Bases- Boston- 25th  NY- 12th

HR-  Boston- 2nd  NY-3rd

Runs- Boston- 2nd  NY- 1st

To recap, Boston’s offensive numbers were just as good and in a lot of cases better than the Yankees. Stolen bases will improve with a healthy Jacoby and even though Crawford can’t run against Varitek anymore he can still face Jorge’s squirt gun for an arm. When you think of the players that contributed to these statistics it is even more impressive, Darnell McDonald and  Ryan Kalish are the first two that come to mind. With the injuries throughout the lineup this team will no doubt be able to repeat and exceed last seasons numbers.

Pitching last season was not as great. Here are the rankings for how the Red Sox staff, yes the Yankees too.

ERA- Boston- 22nd  NY- 15th

Complete Games- Boston- 22nd  NY- 24th

WHIP- Boston- 16th  NY- 11th

Wins- Boston 10th  NY- 3rd

Opposing Batting Avg- Boston 17th  NY-12th

K/BB Ratio- Boston 22nd  NY- 16th

As you can see, and I realize you didn’t need these stats to know that, the Red Sox pitching staff was the problem last year. I love what the front office did with the bullpen. Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler have been closers and have pitched in big situations before. To help with the middle innings Boston acquired Matt Albers who was 1st among relievers that pitched more than one inning in a game. Albers will eat up middle innings and believe it or not he pitched some quality innings for the Orioles last season, yes I know that sounds like an oxymoron. I am praying that another lefty arm comes into the fold, one not named Lenny Dinardo. Sorry Lenny but the only thing cool about you is that we are kind of eskimo brothers, TRUE STORY.

With Beckett and Lackey into their 30′s a strong bullpen will no doubt help to keep them healthy, especially in the early part of the season. I full anticipate a strong comeback from both veterans.  The further development or Lester and Buchholz will be the key to this whole team. Big statement but no truer words have been spoken.  If Beckett and Lackey return to form and these two young pitchers improve on last season, this rotation will return to a top-tier unit. The fifth spot of the rotation will likely go to Dice-K by default by I would personally like to see FDub, yes that is his new name, start the season in the rotation this year.

Red Sox Nation seems to be back to full force and the expectations could not be higher in Boston. I am asking Santa for a lefty reliever for Christmas, what are you asking for?

Knee Jerk Reactions

Just like that, the 2010 Boston Red Sox season is all but mathematically over.  Going into the weekend there were positive vibes that the Sox could turn their truck accident of a season into one in which they’d play baseball in October.  After Jon Lester baffled the Rays Friday night, the hope was affirmed.  Fans that fell off the wagon long ago were brushing the dust off of their pink hats on Saturday morning and were planning on where to watch game 2 of the series, even though they couldn’t name the starting lineup.  Saturday night is when disaster struck.

On Saturday Clay Buchholz cruised through seven innings giving up one run.   One that quite possibly should have never scored because of a mental error by JD Drew.  It was mental errors that did in the Sox in 2010.  Sure people can point to a weak bullpen, Papelbon’s struggles, the injuries, you name it.  But August 28 and August 29 were days that the Sox were uncharacteristically flawed in their approach to the game. 

On a foul ball hit into the Tampa Bay bullpen area, JD Drew made what normally would be a sensational catch.  The problem was there was a runner on third and that runner easily tagged up and scored tying the game.  It appeared JD wouldn’t be the goat, as Victor Martinez promptly launched a bomb off of Rays’ reliever Joaquin Benoit.  Then Grady Little, umm I mean Terry Francona did the unthinkable.  He got away from his formula and let Clay Buchholz go out for the eighth inning where he gave up a home run to BJ Upton tying the game. 

Then in extra innings Francona inexplicably went to Scott Atchison instead of Jonathan Papelbon.  Atchison gave up a walk off home run to the first batter he faced in light hitting Dan Johnson.  Game over.

Tonight John Lackey showed that he is nothing more than an overpaid number 4 starter at best.  Given a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning Lackey couldn’t wait to give it all back.  A base hit by Ben Zobrist (hitting .160 since the All Star break) off of Yamaico Navarro’s glove (why he was starting, I still have no idea) followed by a rocket into the bleachers by Carl Crawford and the Rays tied it up just like that.  A few batters later that same light hitting Dan Johnson struck again with what would prove to be the game winning single.  Goodbye 2010 for the Sox.

In summation the goats of the 2010 Red Sox season are JD Drew, Terry Francona, and John Lackey.  Some will say that the Sox still have a chance.  I disagree.  The Yankees and Rays are healthy and refuse to lose.  More importantly they don’t make stupid mistakes.

Time to Put Up or Get Out

I’m pretty sure that I put up a post earlier this summer about it being time for John Lackey to prove his worth.  Well, this is the final hour, the last chance.  Time for John Lackey, aka Lackmaster, to either put up, or get the hell out.  I don’t need to mention that this is the biggest series that the Red Sox have played all year, that has been stated more times than I can count.  I don’t need to mention that tonight’s game is probably the biggest single game that the Red Sox have played to date, that has also been mentioned more time than I can count.  But, I do want to say that a great performance from John Lackey tonight would completely justify his $18.7 million salary this season, well for me at least.

If nothing else, John Lackey’s reputation before coming to Beantown was his ability to perform well in the “big game.”  Lackey has shown throughout his entire career in Los Angeles…I mean Anaheim…well, actually Los Angeles and Anaheim…well whatever, you get the point; he showed the ability to show up when his team needed him the most.  Whether it was a big game in August or September, or a playoff game when his team was facing elimination, the Angels could always count on Lackey.  It goes without saying that Lackey, despite a respectable 12-7 record, has had his fair share of struggles this season.  The most alarming of which have occurred when the Red Sox have needed him most (most recently a loss against the Yankees on August 7^th).

Unlike many of you out there, I have yet to abandon hope for the Lackmaster.  I actually expect him to come out and step up for the Sox tonight (don’t worry I’m knocking on wood as you are reading this).  My concern tonight lies not as much with John Lackey as it does with that bullpen that has let the team down continuously this entire season.  I’m not sure if Daniel Bard is available tonight (considering he has thrown in the previous two games), but this game needs to be approached by Lackey, the entire team, the bullpen, and maybe most importantly the coaching staff, as a playoff game.  It is no longer the time to protect players, watch pitch counts, create lineups by the numbers, or get guys their fair share of playing time.  Tonight begins the playoff run for the 2010 Red Sox.  A win catapults the Red Sox into a battle for the wild card with these very Tampa Bay Rays.  A loss almost completely eliminates any hope for a playoff run, and we will be watching the Sox in September only to see what kind of talent is in the organization’s farm system.

That all being said, tonight’s success or failure falls completely into the hands of John Lackey.  A great performance by the Lackmaster justifies his offseason signing, while his failure to show up simply expedites his departure from Boston.

Who Will Step Up in June?

April wasn’t the best month for the Boston Red Sox.  We can all do ourselves a favor and forget about it.  We were too busy paying attention to the Celtics and the Bruins anyways.  It also helps that pennants aren’t won in April.  However, it is fair to say, there was nervous tension throughout April as many fans questioned the approach of pitching and defense.  David Ortiz and JD Drew had sub .200 batting averages and there was panic, although no one was paying attention.

May came.  And with it the emergence of Big Papi, JD Drew, and Adrian Beltre.  Papi showed that slow starts happen and he was a man possessed in May, hitting 11 home runs with 27 RBI’s and hitting over .360.  Screw the shift!  JD Drew who has the prettiest swing in all of sports actually used it to hit the ball and not just look pretty.  He upped his average from sub.200 to .280.  Beltre has quietly produced all season long hitting over .340.  Not bad for an acquisition that was used purely for defensive purposes.  Jason Varitek has made the Sox faithful happy he came back for one more year.

Also in May the starting pitching has come up big.  Jon Lester showed why he is the true ace of the Sox and possibly the best left handed pitcher in baseball.  Clay Buchholz has been a stud, tied for first in the American League in wins.  Dice-K has even shown glimpses of what he is capable of.  Because of this the Sox are 5 back of the Rays in the toughest division in baseball and 2 back of the Yankees for the wild card.

Now it is on to June.  Who will step for the team this month?  John Lackey has 5 wins coming into June but an ERA north of 4.50.  Josh Beckett hasn’t shown why he was worth his contract extension as he has struggled prior to going on the disabled list.  These are the two prime candidates to turn things around from the pitching staff and help shoulder the load that Lester and Buchholz have managed thus far.

Victor Martinez is having a 5 for 5 night at the time of this writing and is showing signs of heating up along with the weather.  Dustin Pedroia is in the middle of his annual slump but history has told us he will catch fire and tear up the league at any given point.  Jacoby Ellsbury will never be confused with Trot Nixon.  But whenever he decides to play through his nagging ribs injury he will help out the team greatly by just being in the lineup, allowing Marco Scutaro to go to the nine spot.

The June schedule is a soft one, one in which the Sox can make up significant ground in the Pennant Race.  Someone is bound to step up just like Ortiz and Lester did in May.  The Sox will be in the thick of things come September which is dangerous for Major League Baseball.  I hate to use the cliché but this team is built for the playoffs and we have seen what a solid rotation and timely hitting has done before.  Twice actually.

April Mumbles

*In my effort to broaden my horizons and experience new things, I actually sat down and watched the third round of the Masters from beginning to end.  I tuned in to see how my main man Tiger would do and if he could keep up his stellar comeback going into moving day.  In all honesty it was one of the most exciting sporting events I have witnessed and I am talking about golf here.  Not because of Tiger, but seeing Phil Mickelson play unconscious for 3 straight holes, eagling 2 of them, one being a 149 yard shot, and missing a 3rd eagle in a row by mere inches.  Seeing 50 year old Fred Couples hang tough with a few chip in’s for below par scores and staying in contention. And seeing leader Lee Westwood hear roar after roar from the patrons all over the course and being able to maintain his focus to keep the lead going into Sunday.  I tuned into see Tiger and left marveling at everything else.

*The Red Sox season is a week old and we have already learned a few things.  1) Count me as one of the Papi nay-sayers.  Not because he is hitting below .200. I understand slow starts happen in baseball.  My problem is that it seems that in every at bat he has been ahead 3-1, 2-1, and 3-0, has gotten batting practice fastballs in those counts and has more often than not swung and missed.  I am usually very patient with my athletes, however it is time for Francona to call a spade a spade and platoon Lowell and Ortiz.

2) To no one’s surprise the starting pitching has come as advertised.  It is the bullpen that is the concern.  Daniel Bard can’t pitch with runners on base and Papelbon can no longer throw a clean inning.  Delcarmen’s velocity is way down from 96 a year ago to 90-91 this season.  On a positive note I like what I have seen from Scott Schoenweis and Scott Atchison.  I admit I am rooting hard for both of them because of different family situations they have faced, but they have pitched well in their roles.

3) The bottom 3 in the order are not Nick Green, Jason Varitek, or David Ortiz from a year ago which seemed to be automatic outs at times.  Newcomers Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron, and Marco Scutaro have shown that there is at least hope that they will get on base when they come to the plate.

*After getting into the NHL playoffs in thrilling fashion yesterday with a 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, it is fair to say that any damage the Bruins do in the playoffs should be seen as an added bonus.  But I must give them props for the way they won yesterday; 3 short handed goals and a great hustle play by Patrice Bergeron saving the game by preventing an empty note goal off of a delayed penalty.

*While I am excited for the Bruins, I could really give a damn about the Celtics.  Maybe my expectations are too high for them. But then again, my only expectations are that they play quality basketball and they can’t even do that.  It should be noted that the team has been diagnosed with a rare cancer known as "Rasheed Wallace."  It symptoms include laziness, slow motion, and aging 10 years faster than what you actually are.

*If you havent seen Law Abiding Citizen yet you are doing yourself a great disservice.  I also have come to believe that Jaime Foxx is one of the most underrated actors of this generation.  No, he is not Leo, Denzel, or Hanks.  But he always delivers a quality performance.

*With the NFL Draft fast approaching, I am still unsure which way I’d like to see the Pats go.  The most obvious need is a pass rusher but I have long been a fan of drafting the best player available.  I think that at 22, there will be slim pickings at pass rusher positions.  Check back in throughout the week as the Mattyoshow will have his mock draft up.  After all he is the better looking Mel Kieper.

*With the Yankees missing Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and Melky Cabrera, their lineup is less scary to me for some reason.  I understand Granderson is solid but he is still a sub .250 hitter.  But it is entirely possible the Yankees might have improved over last year simply because they are doing what fans would have done all along.  Put Joba in the bullpen as the eighth inning guy.

*Count me as one that is excited that LOST is coming to an end.  The buildup to the last episode has been great and I think that the producers realized that while it as quite a following, it was time to wrap up the sensation.  After all there was only so much more they could do without providing answers through 6 seasons.  Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus)  is my runaway pick for best actor on a television show.

*John Lackey approached Dustin Pedroia status with me when he drilled Derek Jeter earlier this week.  I don’t care what anyone says.  It was a purpose pitch after Pettite dinged Youkillis in the dome.  The pitch prior to hitting Jeter, Lackey missed way inside as well.  Lackey showed he will be a great teammate and I was excited to see that out of him.  I have been waiting for 3 years to see some sort of retaliation for this nonsense.  If he could have done it differently however, I hope he’d hit Teixeira instead of Jeter.  Lackey has earned his "B" if you ask me.