Posted on 08/06/2006 1:22:50 PM PDT by MikefromOhio
The Sox are a team in transition this year and frankly it was a mistake for them to try and compete for another title so quickly. The pitching is old and broken down, too many starting players are in the early to mid 30's and they simply don't have enough young emerging stars to energize the team.
Beckett did himself no favors with the dirtballs he threw last night and Papelbon wasn't sharp Too many pitches outside the zone that allowed the Royals to wait for a pitch to hit.
Overall look at this team:
Youk--First year playing full time and doing well
Loretta--Solid D but basically a singles hitter who hits 260 foot fly balls
Manny/Ortiz--Remarkable
Nixon--No power, thinks that his job is to draw walks or pop up off third base
Tek--Offense not there this year, low .OBP and while people make a big deal about what he does behind the plate, I noticed that of Beckett's last few starts with other catchers, in two of them he threw a lot more curves and off speed pitches in counts the other team was expecting a fastball. What does that tell you????
Lowell has been great in the field but he swings at a lot of bad pitches (leads the team in GDPs) and since the All Star break he's hitting .205.
Wily Mo--Tape measure home runs but he looks lost at the plate. This man needs to be in the minors learning how to hit but he has no options.
Crisp: Wild swinger, no plate discipline and no power. He should be trying to just get on base and create problems on the bases for other teams. Simply won't accept his role.
Gonzo--Stellar D!! Bat is a plus but too many times he will simply just go up there and hack.
Cora and Kapler: Good back ups
Mirabelli--Often times overmatched at the plate
On the whole this team does not hit well or with any consistancy.
The pitching, outside of Schilling and Papelbon has been a disappointment.
Beckett is not smart enough to look at Schilling and learn how to pitch.
Lester was in AA ball last year. Has potential but in over his head.
Clement--Is anyone really buying his hurt arm story? Something really stinks in this story
Wells: Should have retired last year
Wake; Solid, steady but a #4/5 guy at best
Tavarez and Seanez have failed to perform this year
Foulke fell apart last year and simply never came back
Timlin is 40....
Hansen belongs in the minors (College last year)
........
have been to 2 MLB games this week, and one minor league one tonight weather permitting:
Sun 8/6--Yankees at Orioles at Yankee Stadium North.
Usually known as Camden Yards, it suddenly shifts to
Jeterland when Torre's crew hits town. 4 HRs, including
Damon. Yeesh. Nice stadium otherwise though.
Tue 8/8--Marlins at Nationals at RFK Stadium. Former home of the Redskins. Felt like a AAAA game...not quite majors, not quite minors, somewhere in between.
The Metro subway system in Wash area works very well.
Groups welcomed at the Nats game included Wash Gay Men's CHorus and Republican National Committee. Guess which org. got cheered and which one got booed.
tonight's game (am in Burlington VT right now):
Vermont Lake Monsters (Nationals) host
Aberdeen Firebirds (Orioles). Ironically enough I went by the Firebirds home stadium while on way to Baltimore. Aberdeen is apparently Cal Ripken's hometown and they play at bright new Ripken Stadium.
Tonight's game is at the oldest park in the minors,
Centennial Field at the U of VT. Have seen this team
many times before as the VT Expos.
>>Red Sox screwed the pooch AGAIN today in a major way
Since it was too far a drive from Laurel, MD, to Burlington VT in one day (well, CAN be done but it takes awhile) I stopped in Chicopee last night. Motel 6 had no NESN so had to hear game via WHYN (also Howie's affiliate) while ESPN had Yanks game. Heard the end...yikes!!
It's the Aberdeen IRONbirds, not Firebirds I believe and yes Cal lives just outside of the Aberdeen town limits (or he did, it's been about 11 years since I was last in the town).....
Camden Yards will ALWAYS be a bandbox...
Since Coors Field has become more of a pitchers park, Camden Yards and Great American Launching Pad in Cincy have to be considered the premier homer ballparks in the league.
What a small world, I was at that very game.
The Metro subway system in Wash area works very well.
Sure does. Wish that more cities in America would have something like it.
Groups welcomed at the Nats game included Wash Gay Men's CHorus and Republican National Committee. Guess which org. got cheered and which one got booed.
LOL, I saw that.
>>Tue 8/8--Marlins at Nationals at RFK Stadium.
What a small world, I was at that very game.
Ah! And I stayed till the very end. It took me a lil' while to get back to my Motel 6 in Laurel. The blue line
was fine but I had to wait 12 minutes for a Green line train back to Greenbush, and I then got into my car to
drive the 12 mi. back to Laurel (Maryland City, actually).
Wash. Metro better than Boston MBTA.
By the way when I go to a ballgame I sing along with the national anthem, something people hardly ever do. In Baltimore, you do hear the crowd do that final "O!" but I don't think they sing the rest of the song. Cat got your tongue, fans?
oops, GreenBELT I mean!
oops, I meant Ironbirds, sorry! :) And I saw them beat the Vermont Lake Monsters at Burlington, VT last night.
OK on Ripken; during radio coverage of Red Sox-Orioles tonight, they said the Ripken family owns the team.
(I was typing fast as usual--was doing pay-by-the-minute at a Kinko's! :) )
Don't forget it's much cleaner than NYC subway. When I was in Big Apple, some trains were just disgusting.
By the way when I go to a ballgame I sing along with the national anthem, something people hardly ever do. In Baltimore, you do hear the crowd do that final "O!" but I don't think they sing the rest of the song. Cat got your tongue, fans?
Haha, I haven't been to Baltimore in a long time. Ever since that 'Rat owner, Peter Angelos refused to support Montreal Expos moving to Washington.
And all this was after he earned some 200 cool million dollars after a tobacco lawsuit from the state of Maryland.
Chicago can't play Detroit in the first round....
If the Wild Card and the #1 team come from the same division, they can't play....
It's ok :)
I wish I was still in the area, when I have kids, they would play Cal Ripken Baseball...
I love my Yankees, but Detroit looks like the team to beat this year.
Sorry about that. What if the game is played in Tehran at dusk? ;)
maybe...
Detroit is a very YOUNG team when compared to the others...
They might have a choke factor because of it, or they might hit the wall, or both.
Well then the Moose will get the Cheese and bite your sister :)
Wait and see.
They have a tough next few weeks ahead and considering what just happened with the Sox, I don't know.
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